"The reason for the whisper? Haleem, do you need me to cast Silence Spell on you?" Hernandezâs expression changed; he immediately understood that Haleem couldnât withstand the intensified whisperâs influence.
"Wait, I seem to understand this whisper," Haleem frowned and said.
"What?" Including Rein, the three Epic powerhouses simultaneously turned to look at Haleem.
Because the situation Haleem mentioned could be crucial to revealing the secrets of this ancient goblin city ruins.
No wonder he was so affected; partly due to his strength, and partly because his focused listening increased the influence.
However, if Haleem were to be cast with Silence Spell, though immune to the whisperâs influence, he wouldnât be able to decipher its meaning.
Besides, a Crystallization Wizard who cannot make a sound is essentially useless in battle.
"No! Wait, just a bit more," Haleem painfully waved his hand.
Joking aside, heâs the weakest among them, and in the recent battle, he barely showed any value.
If he falters now, even he would feel ashamed.
"Iâm sure this is Ancient Goblin Language!"
"Hmm?" Rein raised his eyebrow.
He always thought this whisper likely came from some Evil God.
But now, it seems not.
"Leave!"
"Stay away from here!"
"Thatâs right, this whisper is in Ancient Goblin Language, and it keeps repeating those two sentences," Haleem clenched his fist, endured the pain, and confirmed.
This made Rein appraise Haleem anew.
Indeed, a wizard frequently exploring ruins ainât a mediocre one, and after living for nearly two hundred years, he has some unique knowledge and methods to cope with dilemmas.
"I canât endure it! I must immediately block this sound." Haleem painfully held his head.
"Haleem, do you need me to cast Silence Spell on you?" Hernandez asked again.
"No, I should cast Deafness Technique on myself. Iâve learned Lip Reading Skill, can understand what youâre saying; not a big problem." Haleem quickly chanted a spell.
As the Deafness Technique was cast, his complexion improved swiftly.
"Leave? Isnât this nonsense? We are trying to leave this damned place, but the problem is we canât get out." Sword Saint Terrio pondered slightly and frowned.
For this question, including Rein, none of the three could answer Terrio.
Because what Terrio said is rough but reasonable; they want to leave but donât know how.
Goblin language?
Warn us to leave?
Suddenly, a Spirit Light flashed in Reinâs mind, "Could it be some goblin higher-up warning the goblin residents at that time to leave?"
After all, whether Evil God or other external enemies, itâs unlikely they would use goblin language.
In other words, the whisperâs owner is probably a goblin.
"Haleem, do you know about the Ancient Goblin Empire? Was the last emperor male or female?" Reinâs eyes shone as he looked at Haleem and asked.
"Goblin Emperor?" Though Haleem cast Deafness Technique on himself, he wasnât boasting; from Reinâs lip movements, he immediately understood Reinâs question.
"Hmm."
"There are sparse records in the ancient books. The last emperor was a male named Solson Gren." Although Haleem didnât know why Rein asked this question, he quickly answered after a brief thought.
"Not female?" Rein couldnât help but feel a bit disappointed.
"No, but... If I remember correctly, the last goblin emperor had a daughter, the goblin princess named Amora Gren, described as a rare mechanical genius in ancient books."
Rein instantly smiled and said, "In that case, perhaps I understand."
"Oh? Lord Rein, what have you thought of?" Haleem curiously looked at Rein.
Sword Saint Terrio and Hernandez naturally were no exceptions, also focusing their gaze on Rein.
"Hmm, but itâs inconvenient to say this here; letâs change the location." Rein looked up at the hole above, the movements from above growing louder.
Though the prototype and mechanical octopus seemed unlikely to jump down through the hole based on their size, he was unsure if the patrolling mechanical land birds might leap down.
To avoid trouble, naturally needed to dodge first.
Luckily, this underground floor space is vast, filled with various mechanical devices, hiding a few people is easy.
...
Five minutes later, behind a large gear.
After listening to Reinâs explanation, the three fell silent, wearing expressions of surprise mixed with admiration, wanting to say more but hesitating.
"Lord Rein, what should we do now?" After a while, Sword Saint Terrio asked.
"Two options: here thereâs no mist cover, and the ground wonât shift positions. So, in principle, as long as we head in one direction, we should be able to leave."
"However, Iâm not sure if thereâs a no-fly restriction here, similar to the ground." Rein pondered and said.
"What about the second option?" Terrio continued.
"The second option is to continue going down." Rein pointed at the metal ground beneath.
"Continue going down?" The three showed shocked expressions.
Not to mention if they can go down further, even if they can, wouldnât it be more dangerous?
"Hmm, the secrets should be below. I think the next layer can unveil more secrets and verify my speculation."
Sword Saint Terrio and Hernandez exchanged a pensive look.
Before coming, Trena made it clear to them, hoping the two could best explore the ruins thoroughly.
Given the current situation faced by the Federation, itâs difficult to mobilize more Epic warriors to explore such a site in a short time.
"Then letâs go down!" Terrio resolutely said.
"Good!" Rein preferred further exploration and naturally wouldnât refuse.
One reason is if the Meditation Method exists, itâs most likely lost below; while the mechanical monsters on top are powerful, they shouldnât kill an ancient Dawn Wizard.
Second, the danger, for now, remains relatively controlled.
"Pa!"
Reinâs right hand palm emitted a dense dark silver light again, and he crouched, bending over, slamming his palm onto the underground floor.
Instantly, ripples of dark silver were confined within a few metersâ range, oscillating downward.
"Ding~ Ding~"
As the metal ground softened like mud and began sinking, suddenly, jarring alarm rings sounded!
The previously faint green indicator lights flickered continuously, while goblin corpses dressed in work suits began charging toward Reinâs position.
From afar, even a kind of âbuzzingâ heavy motor noise began echoing, as if some mechanical device was activated.
"Iâll go deal with them first." Sword Saint Terrio drew his longsword, speaking sternly.
"No need, itâs ready!"
Rein barely finished speaking when the ground melted into another large hole similar to the one above!
The scene below invigorated the spirits of Rein and the others.
What met their eyes was a large workshop for puppet and demon statue production.
A variety of models, both finished and semi-finished demon statues, were exhibited below; they even saw prototype and mechanical octopus halves they had just fought.
Numerous parts were suspended by chains; the floor was filled with grease and various scratches; even from above the hole, Rein and the others could smell the strong scent of motor oil.
The significance of a demon statue workshop in goblin civilization is self-evident, implying Rein and his team were getting closer to the core area of the city.
Moreover, it meant getting closer to the truth.
"Letâs go!"
Sword Saint Terrio jumped down first, followed by the others.
"Indeed, the whisper is clearer, and the influence stronger," Hernandez slightly furrowed his brows.
Due to this whisperâs intensity, even he, as a Dawn Wizard, started to feel some minor effects.
Meanwhile, Rein swiftly scanned ahead and found numerous goblin figures akin to researchers, with similar pale, dried skin in a corpse-like form, wearing lab coats.
"En...emy! My... demon statues, de...stroy these... enemies! (Goblin Language)
Suddenly, from not far behind, came a deep, intermittent voice, akin to a baby learning to speak.
...