Chapter 1033: Ancient Ruin

Chapter 1033: Ancient Ruin

The next morning, Souta left Eilish, Eilan, Anzu, and Aina to tour around the city. He went straight to meet with the witches who had arrived.
He briefly explained his plan for the current expedition. All of them would explore the upper layers of the ancient ruins, except for those experts at the level of Four Shackles and above. The plan could still change. It depends on what they discover in the ancient ruins.
Souta would provide the full details once they arrived. For now, it was important to set up a base camp and gather supplies such as potions.
After instructing the witches on what they needed to do, he sent them on their way.
He then rejoined the group and spent the day touring the city. They sampled all kinds of delicacies the city had to offer and visited various tourist spots. The children were having the time of their lives as Souta allowed them to do everything they wanted. He also bought everything they desired.
After a whole day of relaxation, the group went to the base camp near the ancient ruins.
The base camp was huge, with various supplies being transported in.
When Souta arrived, he changed his appearance back to normal. The staff greeted him as he walked past them. Souta's perception spread out, covering a vast distance as he scanned the area with his senses.
"What is this place, Sister Eilish?" Aina asked, looking around curiously.
"A new workplace. I'm going to be working with Brother Souta, so you'll be staying here for a while. Be sure to behave well while we're gone," Eilish said to the children.
Anzu and Aina nodded at her.
"W-What about me, sister?" Eilan asked.
"You're going to follow me," Eilish said, observing Eilan's appearance. She then added, "You're a host of an elemental being. Although the entity is gone, your strength is still that of
a B-rank, no, A-rank. That's just your physical strength, so you need to understand the process."
The group was guided by a witch.
Souta and the others arrived at the edge, peering down into the massive hole in the ground. The hole, gaping and ominous, seemed to swallow the sunlight, casting eerie shadows on the ruins below.
"So that's the ancient ruins..." Souta muttered.
The remnants of a once-great city stretched out like the skeleton of a forgotten giant. Towers and temples cast shadows as vines jutted out of the abandoned small houses.
This hole had a diameter of fifty meters, and the distance between the surface and the floor below was approximately three hundred meters.
Souta turned to the witch who had guided him and asked, "What about the others?"
The witch was about to answer when Souta waved his hand and said, "Never mind, I've already sensed their energy, so they are here."
As soon as he finished his sentence, a group of people appeared in the distance. They were led by Jovi, one of the Nine Heads of the Dragon Council.
A few minutes later, the rest of the people who were going to join the expedition arrived. Eight out of the Nine Heads of the Dragon Council were present, and they all had one goal. The ancient ruins.
Souta turned to Alexander and asked, "Have you finished disabling the formation?"
Alexander nodded. "Yeah, but it doesn't mean that all the traps have stopped working. It just means that we can access the deeper layers of this ruin."
"I know," Souta replied with a nod.
In all of Hall Plains, no one knew about this expedition except for those involved. They didn't want to publicize it, lest it attract unwanted attention.
Erkigal stepped forward, looking down at the chasm with a smile on her face. "If there's nothing else, then we should proceed now."
The rest of the Nine Heads nodded in agreement. They looked at the group they had brought and checked their supplies one more time before finally jumping down into the huge chasm, entering the ancient ruin.
Thud!
This area had been searched by a previous expedition team, so there was nothing to worry about. They proceeded straight to the place where the previous team hadn't been able to reach.
The area was pitch black, and the darkness seemed to move strangely, as if it were alive. Souta heard a familiar sound in his mind.
*Ding!*
[Quest Triggered!]
"I've already disabled the formation here, so we can move forward," Alexander said to the group.
They stepped forward and saw a narrow path. There were torches on the sides, casting a dim light on the surroundings.
"The torches are powered by mana, so they will only go out if the mana line is cut off," the Second Head said, observing the torches.
Soon, they reached the end of the path and saw a huge city. Towers, temples, and houses appeared to be untouched by time. It was as if they had just been built recently, clearly different from the previous area.
"The mana here is denser... and the gravity is four times higher than normal," Erkigal commented, sensing the heavy atmosphere.
Everyone was a little shocked by the ancient ruin. They hadn't expected that everything here would remain intact despite the time that had passed.
"For over ten thousand years... The condition of the structure is still the same. It's a magnificent work involving higher levels of craftsmanship related to time and space. It feels like something you'd only find in those Holy Lands," one of the archaeologists they brought
said.
Alexander looked at them and said, "We don't know what lies beyond, so let's set up a camp first. Erect those barrier formations and inform the people from above about the situation."
Everyone nodded in agreement. They immediately set up a camp, and several layers of barrier formations were erected for protection.
While everyone was busy, Souta sat on the floor, sensing what was in the city. He couldn't detect any beings with blood, but that didn't mean there were no golems present.
He opened the quest and reviewed what he had to do for this expedition. From the looks of it,
it seemed pretty straightforward.
[Exploration: A ten thousand-year-old ancient ruin was discovered.]
[Exploration progress: 11%]
[Rewards: 5 skill points, 15 free attribute points, and 200,000,000 XP]
'Five skill points... It should be easy,' Souta thought inwardly. The only drawback was that he had to personally explore every corner of the ancient ruin to reach one hundred percent
progress.
There was also no time limit, so there was no risk of failing the quest.
After a while, the camp was completed, and the group continued their expedition. They advanced into the dark streets of the unknown ancient city. The houses appeared normal, but there was an eerie atmosphere in the air.
The Eight Head, a seven-foot-tall man with a bulky build, approached a huge tower. He raised his hand and removed the dust from the top of the door.
"Come here. What language is this?" The Eight Head asked.
"This language... It's Elven, specifically the language of the Ocean Elves," one of the
archaeologists said.
"Do you understand it?" The Eight Head asked.
"It says 'Northern Library.""
"Hmm... I see." The Eight Head nodded and tried to push the door open, but it didn't budge.
"There's probably some sort of mechanism here to open the door. We can't force it open, as it
might trigger a trap," Souta said. He was familiar with this kind of setup since he had cleared many dungeons and labyrinths in the game.
The Fourth Head turned to Alexander and asked, "Do you have any information related to this
tower?"
"Hmm... Let me think for a moment," Alexander said, deep in thought.
After a while, he looked up and said, "There are four keys, and we need to find them in this
city. That's the only way to safely open the door."
"The question is, where are the four keys located?" the Sixth Head said.
Alexander opened his hand and said, "Scout, draw us a map of this area. For now, we'll
continue our exploration."
Souta glanced back at Elder Hanmi. Elder Hanmi nodded, already understanding Souta's intent. He turned to the witches he had brought and instructed them to scout the area behind
them and create a map.
Souta and the other members of the Nine Heads had brought their own teams on this expedition. Only Alexander had just one person with him: Princess Yaniesvyl, a princess from
a kingdom in the Spring Land. Souta had met her before during a confrontation with someone from the Hall of Power.
Aside from the Dragon Council, members of the Flaem Clan were also present. They had become one of the strongest forces in Hall Plains after relocating from the Selnes Country,
which was currently a War Theater.
Hours had passed, and the group had finally explored the entire area. The scout managed to create a map of the city based on their exploration. The city was divided into four zones, separated by a huge and wide road running in four directions.
At the center of the city stood a massive stone monument with various ancient languages
inscribed on it.