Chapter 275 - 261: Mithril Rune Set (1/10)

Chapter 275: Chapter 261: Mithril Rune Set (1/10)

Map.

Minutes later, as Ian and Yisen Gard were walking along the outskirts of the temporary camp, Ian was intently studying the map in his hands.

The people in the camp were resting and healing their wounds, having fought for too long and now in dire need of rest.

In fact, even Yisen Gard had administered two doses of stamina potion to himself. Ian, powered by the Ancient Dragon Heart Core, had only slept for a few hours in the Giant Golden Mushroom Cave, and yet he was still full of energy.

Of course, he had also taken a bottle of stamina potion to completely heal the internal injuries sustained during the fight with the Native Great Shaman.

Having a map was not surprising; the inside of the Redwood Base indeed resembled a labyrinth, especially after many secret areas were sealed off, rendering many passageways unconnected and creating artificial dead ends.

"The priest area is closest to us, or to be precise, at the end of this ’Ancient Path’ mural corridor. Just a few more turns and intersections and we will be there,"

Pointing to a spot on the map, Ian explained the meaning of each symbol to a serious-faced Yisen Gard, "And the exit is very far from us, even to the point of... oh, isn’t that too far?"

As White Folks furrowed their brows, perplexed as to why the exit of the ruins was so distant, Yisen Gard raised his hand, pointing to the ’Holy Ground’ marker: "Why is the Holy Ground so close to the exit? Theoretically, shouldn’t the Holy Ground be located at the center of the ruins?"

"On the contrary, the Sacrificial Ground is closest to the center—I thought it should be right next to the Holy Ground."

Ian knew why, because the Redwood People’s gate to the outside world was sealed and could only be unlocked with the consent of the four leaders together, using the four-colored card keys.

But no one knew whether the outside cataclysm and anomalies had ended, so no matter how much the Redwood People longed for the outside world, they could only linger at the entrance gate.

Over time, as sentiments accumulated and rituals were passed down, it was not surprising that the area around the entrance became a sacred site for the Redwood People’s sacrificial rites.

However, Ian did not know why the Sacrificial Ground was the closest to the center of the ruins.

Based on past experience, could it be a material transfer center? And the central control room should be located further down, protected more securely...

"I plan to check out the Sacrificial Ground."

Putting away the map and returning it to Yisen Gard, Ian had already copied the entire map into the Silver Chip. He instructed, "You stay back to look after Master Gossay and keep an eye on the situation in the camp."

"Isn’t that too dangerous? And now that we know where the exit is, why not leave?"

Yisen Gard’s thoughts were more cautious. Originally quite naive, he became slightly overly anxious after his uncle’s betrayal: "With the current situation, leaving early should be the right move."

"Patrick and the Natives are in cahoots; I’m afraid he might be waiting for us at the exit. Besides, the exit is too far away and who knows what we might encounter on the way there. Besides, we don’t have the key and can’t open the ruins’ door."

Ian wasn’t as optimistic. Leaving the ruins was clearly not as simple as finding a map, which was why Master Gossay did not reveal the map immediately.

In the end, who knows if this prehistoric map is still valid? Most likely it’s not, and can only serve as a reference.

"The Sacrificial Ground is closest to us and well connected; it’s very likely to be linked to the central core of the ruins or other key areas—those are my targets."

With that said, the young man had no intention of concealing anything: "Since we’re already here, we must take a look. It’s actually more convenient for me to go alone. If others want to leave, you can lead them out."

After some thought, Yisen shook his head slightly: "The teacher has recovered some of his strength and can take care of himself... I’ll accompany you."

—Alone, my abilities are much more significant than when we work together.

Although this was what he was thinking, after considering for a moment and remembering that Master Gossay knew his identity, Ian realized the person with the keenest vision in camp was essentially no longer a threat.

Yisen Gard lacked combat experience and might not notice that he was utilizing the Sand Armor Apprentice’s techniques. Besides, the other’s strength was indeed not weak; if he did encounter a situation that required revealing Sand Armor Apprentice’s skills, having him along would indeed reduce the risk significantly.

Not to mention, if he really encountered Patrick, at least he could still interfere with the operation of the Aether Armament.

"You must follow my orders. Whatever I say, you must do, no hesitation."

So Ian nodded: "Later on, we will establish a few hand signals to respond to different situations—if you agree with this, then let’s set out."

Yisen Gard hurriedly nodded his agreement.

The two setting out to explore the road ahead did not cause any stir among the people at the camp. After all, someone needed to scout the vicinity, and as the strongest person in the camp, Ian’s willingness to do so was a guarantee of the entire team’s safety.

The walls of the mural corridor, long fallen into disrepair with recent abnormal heat dissipation from the ruins, had suffered changes, and the paths ahead were littered with all sorts of cracks. The one that Ian and the others had emerged from in the Ruins of Ice Abyss was the largest of many, wide enough to allow several people to walk side by side.

Fortunately, the corridor was stable, with no significant problems, at least Ian saw no obvious signs of a collapse.

After passing through the area full of cracks, there were several branch paths at the intersection. Initially, it wasn’t clear from a distance, but the closer he got, the more he could sense that this place was indeed the relic of an advanced base from the previous era.

The solid white tempered building materials on the walls had not decayed to this day, and the design of each room’s doors and windows possessed a futuristic minimalist aesthetic. The occasional hollowed-out patterns were also intricately crafted, and were, in fact, high-level inscription groups, showcasing the superior technological strength of the previous era’s civilization.

"The effect of this inscription group, seems to be to prevent widespread metal oxidation?"

Along the way, Ian had recorded this giant rune combination into a silver chip, and he couldn’t help but be surprised, "Moreover, it seems to operate continuously without the need for ’Light Ink’?"

"No, that’s not right." However, he quickly shook his head in denial, "Behind these inscription groups lies an energy source—probably provided by a fusion power generation unit, it’s just that it doesn’t require the primitive method of injecting ’Light Ink’."

For inscription groups, ’Light Ink’ is essential, as without it, it’s like an engine without gasoline.

But as cars that burn gasoline are gradually being replaced by electric vehicles, in the future, Ian believed there would definitely be other energy conversion methods that could replace the effect of ’Light Ink’... and it was not particularly surprising that the civilization of the previous era could directly use power plants to replace ’Light Ink’.

"Is this, is this mithril?!"

Compared to Ian, who was focused on the inscription groups, Yisen Gard, as an alchemist, was astonished to discover during his inspection that the materials used for the seemingly ordinary hollowed-out pattern coatings were of extraordinary origin: "Ian! Look, this silver coating on the inscription groups—these are all mithril!"

Shocked, he looked around the dozens of rooms before and behind at the crossroads, the blonde youth felt it was inconceivable: "Although it’s just a thin layer, if collected altogether, it must weigh at least several dozen kilograms, right? So much mithril, enough to make several ’Aether Furnace Cores’..."

’Aether Furnace Cores’, being extremely efficient in conducting ’Natural Spirit Energy’, naturally require mithril, a material close to a superconductor in its normal state for high-efficiency energy transfer, but the material used is not large; even for an entire ’Furnace Core’ and the full body conduction pathways, only about twenty to thirty kilograms are needed.

"Don’t think about taking these materials."

And Ian was a bit more level-headed, "These anti-corrosion inscription groups are extremely critical; they might be the reason why the corridors and buildings of this entire ruin have been preserved for a thousand years—if really taken out, this area might just collapse."

"I wouldn’t, I’m well aware of their importance—but it’s a pity we can’t make imprints this time. If we could take imprints back for thorough study, it would be of great help to Inscription Studies."

Having calmed down, Yisen Gard also understood the crux of the matter, but the extravagance of the civilization from the previous era still left him with a lot to reflect on: "Even so, mithril might not be the most important material in the ’Aether Furnace Core’, but to use such a precious substance... to make pattern coatings."

"It’s hard to imagine what kind of disaster could have destroyed such a powerful civilization."

Their reflection didn’t stop the two from moving forward. After turning a few corners, they saw a huge metal door in front of them.

This metal door was probably a lockdown barrier, just like an iron bastion; once closed, not even heavy artillery fire could open it.

But Ian raised his hand, gesturing to Yisen Gard not to approach.

"The door has been opened by some creature," the young man whispered. "Just recently."

The giant metal door in front of them seemed closed, but there was a seam so minute it was practically undetectable relative to the whole—that seam was enough for a human to pass through.

Yisen understood, and without speaking, he cautiously stepped back to ensure their tracks hadn’t been exposed before signaling Ian’s ring.

Nodding slightly, Ian activated the ’Silent Voice Ring’, and then carefully moved forward, squeezing through the seam.

Behind the partition door was a hall encircled by a running water moat, the water quality normal, free from parasites, and the floor was paved with a layer of silvery white metal. The dome shimmered with lights that seemed eternally undying.

The hall was filled with a variety of cluttered items, most of which had been weathered into sand or rotted and deformed, illustrating the power of time.

However, in the center of the hall was a spherical metal device as tall as two stories, its exterior incredibly smooth, almost mirror-like. Its structure somewhat resembled an MRI machine but was much larger; under the lighting, it was particularly dazzling.

Time had no effect on it; after a thousand years, it still shone brilliantly.

The silver light in Ian’s eyes flickered; he had scanned the information of the machine into his view.

But neither he nor Yisen Gard had the time to pay attention to the information about the machine.

Because their attention was captured by the figure in front of the machine.

The blond man was staring blankly at the giant machine.

—It was Patrick.