Chapter 688 : Signal Key

At dawn, in a desolate wilderness of Falano, atop the ruins of a shattered mountain, a powerful and sturdy golden-stone monster—undying for centuries—was approaching its end. The tide of battle had turned sharply downward, bringing him to the verge of death.

When Dorothy fired her second railgun, Federico—already wounded—began trying to shield his exposed breach while making a desperate escape, attempting to phase directly into the mountainside and dive into depths unreachable by anyone. However, what neither Federico nor his Machine Cognition Core expected was that this second railgun wasn’t aimed at him—but at a floating hat.

When the searing orange beam shot into the black top hat, it passed through the unique spatial link within and emerged from another hat—the one inside Federico’s body, placed within the very “Treasure Vault” he had guarded so closely.

No matter how strong a fortress is, it can be breached from within. This principle doesn’t apply only to warfare—it holds equally true in mystical battles between Beyonders. The powerful blast erupted from within Federico’s body, tearing through the already damaged outer shell of his “Treasure Vault” and rupturing his relatively fragile internal structure.

Bypassing all dodges and defenses, the force from the core detonated his “Treasure Vault’s” thin outer wall in an instant, surging from inside to out, from bottom to top. It burst through his chest cavity and throat, spewing outward from his wide-open mouth. From the outside, it looked as though Federico had vomited a giant stream of blazing fire.

After this fiery eruption, the “Treasure Vault” within Federico—his power core—became wildly unstable. The elemental energies stored within went berserk, clashing violently inside him. The Machine Cognition Core tried desperately to regain control, but it was completely ineffective. Once the chaos reached a critical point, the energies erupted.

BOOM!!

With a loud explosion and the cracking of his once-impervious skin, Federico’s entire body burst apart in a blinding flash. Flames, ice, storms—an overwhelming flood of elemental forces exploded outward in all directions. The elements, combined with the shockwave, devoured everything nearby.

Dorothy had anticipated this phenomenon once the treasure vault lost control. After firing her second railgun, she and Nephthys immediately took flight to retreat. But when the explosion truly hit, even several hundred meters away, they were still caught in the outer sweep of the elemental surge. Fortunately, the energy had weakened enough by the time it reached them, and Dorothy used magnetic fields to manipulate metal barriers for protection, shielding both herself and Nephthys successfully.

When the massive elemental storm ended, Dorothy dispelled her magnetic defense and looked toward where Federico had once stood—now reduced to utter devastation.

The mountain slope where Federico had once hovered had been blasted into a huge crater, roughly 300 meters in radius. This was clearly the result of the fire element explosion from inside his body. Around the crater, numerous sharp, radiating fissures extended outward for nearly a kilometer—like blades slashing across the earth—evidence of the rampaging wind element. As for water and ice, Federico seemed to have stored less of those, and much of it appeared to have evaporated in conflict with the fire. There were few traces left, except for the snowflakes drifting down from the sky—proof that they had once been present.

Staring at the wreckage before her, Dorothy extended a hand to catch a falling snowflake. Watching it melt in her palm, she sighed.

“The world has lost another Crimson…”

…

After completely defeating and ending Federico, Dorothy immediately began her usual battlefield cleanup—scanning the scene for anything of use.

Though Federico had been extremely wealthy, the elemental explosion had torn him apart. Along with his body, the countless treasures and mystical items stored in his vault had been destroyed in the blast. Dorothy couldn’t help but feel regretful. That treasure trove could’ve earned her a fortune if she had managed to claim it all.

Though her haul was small, it wasn’t nothing. Amid the fierce explosion, one thing had survived: Federico’s incredibly durable metallic outer shell.

The metallic skin of an Aurum Gargoyle was extraordinarily tough—far sturdier than the treasures in its vault or its internal structures. Even though it was torn into countless fragments during the blast, much of it still remained and was scattered around the crater.

To Dorothy, these fragments of a Crimson-rank Aurum Gargoyle’s shell were precious crafting materials. She collected each one, planning to later ask Beverly to forge suitable equipment—perhaps more railgun shells. This metal was far stronger than ordinary steel and could definitely withstand the output of a Crimson-rank railgun.

In addition to the shell fragments, Dorothy recovered two other mystical items: the massive warhammer Federico had wielded, and his Machine Cognition Core. These two objects had survived the elemental blast, likely due to their immense durability—though they had been flung quite a distance.

Even so, both artifacts had suffered serious damage—so severe that Dorothy’s Appraisal skill couldn’t immediately identify their properties. Still, she chose to collect them and planned to ask Beverly later whether they could be repaired.

Aside from these, Dorothy gained one more unexpected reward. At the center of the crater, she discovered a strange crystal—roughly the size of a fingertip, shimmering with multicolored light and looking quite beautiful. Using Appraisal, she identified it as an elemental crystal, one that stored multiple spiritual elements.

However, Appraisal didn’t reveal any usable function for the crystal, meaning it couldn’t be directly used in its current state. Even so, Dorothy chose to take it with her, intending to show it to Beverly later and see if she could make sense of it.

…

After gathering all objects that appeared valuable, Dorothy promptly led her team away from the site. Eventually, they stopped at a remote, quiet town far from the scene of the incident, where they began to rest and recuperate. During this period, Adèle came to find Dorothy.

“I never would’ve thought… that one day, I’d be involved in the assassination of a Crimson—and not even one from the Afterbirth Cult.”

It was broad daylight. On a shaded path in the town’s park, Adèle, dressed in a women’s trench coat, walked side-by-side with Dorothy, who wore a thick, long winter dress. As they strolled, Adèle looked at the flowers blooming in the roadside bushes and spoke.

“So you really think that little of yourself? You’re among the top of the White Ashes. Have you never considered… reaching for Crimson power yourself someday?”

Hearing this, Dorothy returned the question, to which Adèle shook her head and answered.

“Yes, I’m an outstanding White Ash-rank Beyonder. People at my age who’ve reached this rank are exceedingly rare in the mystical world. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call me a genius. But so what? The world is full of geniuses. There are far more geniuses than there are Crimsons. Among the countless Beyonders in the world, those who reach Crimson-rank are still just a precious few.

“To attain Crimson power, one needs talent, opportunity, and background. I’m confident I have the talent to meet Crimson standards—but unfortunately, talent is the least important of those three. Few people have the right opportunities and background.

“Especially background… that’s the most crucial, and it’s what I lack the most. My teacher was just a White Ash and passed away long ago. To the Church, I’m merely a tool to be used against the Afterbirth Cult. I have very few viable pathways ahead of me, and so I never dared hope to reach Crimson-rank one day. Like many other Beyonders, I could only look up to that power in admiration.”

Adèle spoke with a touch of resignation. Dorothy considered her words and responded.

“So you also once thought Crimson was out of reach? But when I advanced, you didn’t seem all that surprised.”

“Because there was no need to be. Crimsons are rare, but you, little detective, are rarer still. I’ve said it before—what matters most in a Beyonder’s advancement is background, and behind you is an ancient, extinct Path of Revelation that has reappeared in this world. You’re the living proxy of the mysterious deity Akasha. No one can match your background. I was already amazed by you long ago. So your advancement to Crimson—or beyond—is something I expected.

“What truly surprised me wasn’t your advancement. It was your attitude toward me. I never imagined you’d be willing to invest so much effort in helping me walk the path to Crimson-rank. Compared to me, you must have more suitable—or more powerful—‘friends’ to choose from.”

Adèle looked at Dorothy as she said this, and Dorothy shrugged in reply.

“Helping you rise… is that how you see it? I always thought of it as a mutually beneficial relationship.”

“Mutual with someone backed by your kind of power? Hah, I don’t think I’m qualified. Never mind your backing—our statuses alone aren’t equal now. I’ve never interacted with a Crimson-rank before, but according to the customs of the mystical world, I should be calling you ‘Your Excellency’…”

Adèle chuckled softly, and Dorothy waved it off.

“Forget it. I’m not used to those titles. Just call me whatever you’re used to. Anyway… you’ve done what I asked of you. What are your plans now?”

Dorothy asked, and Adèle looked up at the sunny sky and replied.

“I’m planning to return to Pritt and begin the next two steps of my advancement ritual. Once I’m ready, I’ll enter seclusion to complete the Dance for Oneself, and then find a way to prepare the second stage—the Dance for the Others.

“So, for the foreseeable future, if you come looking for help again, I’m afraid I won’t be available.”

She spoke lightly, and after hearing her, Dorothy nodded silently, then also looked toward the sky.

“I see. Then I wish you success with your ritual.”

…

After seeing Adèle off, Dorothy returned to her temporary lodging in the small town. In a fairly comfortable room, she sat before a writing desk. On the desk was a strange golden object—the golden pedestal Dorothy had obtained from the National Museum of Falano.

After examining the pedestal for a moment, Dorothy pulled out a small pouch from her clothing and retrieved four crystal-clear gemstones. These crystals had once been the treasured ornaments of Queen Maria of Falano, belonging to the First Dynasty. Though they had been stolen by Federico of the Dark Gold Society, they were retrieved at the last moment—stolen back from the greedy golden-stone monster’s body by the phantom thief Nephthys, and finally delivered into Dorothy’s hands.

Now, what Dorothy needed to do was return the crystals to their original positions—to let them guide her path forward.

With utmost seriousness, Dorothy inserted the four crystals into the pedestal’s four sockets, embedding them one by one with perfect precision. Once all were installed, the once-incomplete golden pedestal became an exquisite and intricate work of art. Gold and crystal shimmered together under the sunlight, transforming what had been a crude relic into something truly beautiful.

“Signal Key”—that was the correct name of this First Dynasty artifact. Dorothy now held it in her hands, carefully inspecting it. After using her Appraisal skill to determine its use, she spoke aloud:

“Reveal to me the direction toward the Archetype Realm along the Path of Pure Reason.”

Dorothy murmured slowly. As soon as she finished speaking, the four crystals embedded in the key began to emit a faint, pale-blue glow.

As time passed, the glow intensified, gradually filling the entire room and casting the space in a deep azure hue.

Within that strange blue light, fine, orderly lines began to materialize in the air. These lines spread out across the space, interweaving and connecting, forming complex geometric shapes—like a graphic program generating a high-speed 3D model.

From the outlines emerged towering structures, sprawling walls, lifelike divine statues, massive stone pillars propping up temples, and countless floating buildings suspended mid-air.

In an instant, a vast model of a city—devoid of color, composed only of structural lines—appeared before Dorothy. Judging by its proportions, this city dwarfed both Tivian and Flottes.

Densely packed buildings stretched into the distance. Palaces of unmistakable First Dynasty style dotted the terrain, while suspended temples floated above. Enormous obelisks stood in concentric circles around the city, and at the center stood a colossal pyramid—the tallest structure in the city. At the apex of that pyramid, atop a giant slab of polished stone, was drawn a distinct emblem: a wide-open eye.

When the grand modeling sequence concluded, a line of universal script appeared in the air, displaying the words: “Land of Divine Revelation — Heopolis.”