Chapter 20

Chapter 20

As they walked, the lantern light revealed the trees ahead suddenly thinning out.

Without the dense foliage to obscure it, the fog seemed to thin considerably. A mostly collapsed structure came into view.

Lou Guanyue's gaze swept over the stone pillars and crumbling walls. He paused, then casually pointed at the most intact and imposing building within the ruins.

"That's the place."

The massive stone complex had lost its former outline. Pelan's eyes swept over the fallen weeds and thick walls into the distance. At the top of the vaulted ceiling, he could see many intricate, narrow rose windows. The surrounding carved reliefs had blurred faces, their features worn to mottled traces.

The architectural style of this complex differed greatly from that of modern Hoplar, more closely resembling designs left over from the previous century.

At that moment, the faint crimson moonlight piercing through the thin mist fell upon the collapsed structures. It was brighter and more concentrated than before, as if casting a pale, bloody hue over them.

"What's this?" Lou Guanyue wondered, nudging a piece of broken wall at his feet with his boot. It was painted with an eye-like symbol, but in the position of the pupil was a seven-pointed star.

A seven-pointed star... an eye... Pelan immediately thought of the name 'Wraith'.

"This is the emblem of the Adams Family."

In the Southern Continent, the seven-pointed star symbolized Divine Envoys. Even before the establishment of the Hoplar Kingdom, the Adams Family, backed by the Church, had become one of the seven Divine Envoy Families of the Church of Light.

After the Millennium Holy War, this once-glorious family declined into obscurity, and now, tales of their members are rarely heard.

The Wraith in the castle was very likely one of the seven Divine Envoys from that era!

This could also explain why Ixuhuels hadn't turned him into an undead servant.

After death, the souls of Divine Envoys would return to the God of Light's divine realm. They bore the mark of the god, having long been His servants. No necromancer, no matter how powerful, could command their souls.

These were probably the ruins of the Adams Family.

Having formed a preliminary hypothesis, Pelan took the lead, heading towards the exceptionally tall doorway of the building ruins.

Lou Guanyue followed close behind. Soon, the two of them ascended the grayish-white stone steps and arrived before the arched entrance, seeing the remaining classical stone pillars and nearly worn-away inscriptions inside.

Relying on keen eyesight and the crimson moonlight, Pelan could make out the remnants of a mural on the wall.

The mural's background depicted towering mountain peaks. Its main subject was a majestic city. Atop the city gate tower stood a figure holding a shield, and beneath his feet, a war seemed to be erupting. Outside the city walls, black mist spread everywhere, within which countless twisted, bizarre creatures were faintly sketched.

Pelan's fingertips brushed over the mural. His movement suddenly halted. Beneath the dirt and dust, a clear pattern emerged—

A lion reared up on its hind legs, roaring, its paws treading upon thorns. At the heart of the lion, a seven-pointed star was also embedded.

This was actually the emblem of the Austin Family!

Pelan exhaled. Could it be that this structure wasn't the ruins of the Adams Family, but rather of the Austin Family?

They were also an ancient family from the previous century, and one of the Divine Envoy Families!

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Pelan silently passed through the arched entrance. With the help of the crimson moonlight filtering down from a gap in the roof, he saw that ahead lay a hall of considerable depth. The classical stone pillars supporting it had partially collapsed.

Lou Guanyue's peripheral vision had been observing Pelan all along, and it wasn't hard to notice the change in his mood.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a lowered voice.

Pelan seemed slightly startled. He pointed to the empty circular area. "This is the emblem of the Austin Family."

In the center of the circular area was the same emblem of the lion's heart and star.

In an instant, all the mysteries surrounding these ruins seemed to find a heavy, clear anchor point.

This strange space was very likely located on the Popavo Mountains—the ruins of Cattalas City!

The incomplete stone wall Lou Guanyue had found earlier by the entrance was probably brought over from the castle.

As one of the most prosperous cities of the previous century, Cattalas City would not find it strange to have members of the Austin and Adams Families.

Did this mean that Austin had actually left his treasure here?

Considering this possibility, Pelan's expression became somewhat peculiar. He weighed his words carefully. "I suspect the true burial place of Gardner Austin's treasure should be here."

After the third Blood Moon, Austin's treasure would be revealed. And now, a blood moon just happened to be hanging above their heads, looking quite ominous.

This could also explain why no one could find the treasure in Sade Town—because Austin's true hometown wasn't there!

The ruins of the Austin Family in Cattalas City had been sealed in another space by an unknown force!

"Pelan, Yue!"

Just as the two prepared to explore deeper, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind them.

Seeing it was them, a flicker of joy crossed Arnold's face. He quickly ran to their side, slightly out of breath. "Finally found you! Are you both alright?"

"Arnold?" The half-elf's sudden appearance stirred a trace of wariness in Pelan's heart.

Before entering the ruins, he had already asked Yue if he could locate Sipo and Arnold's positions within this space.

The answer was negative, proving that Arnold was most likely lying. Sipo and the others had never come here.

"I haven't seen you since I arrived here. Thankfully, you're both safe." Concern was written on Arnold's face, showing no sign of anything unusual.

"We're fine." Lou Guanyue shook his head, his expression normal. He pointed towards the collapsed darkness. "We were planning to explore inside. Do you want to come along?"

A hint of hesitation appeared on Arnold's face. "It's dangerous here, we should..."

Lou Guanyue interrupted him with a smile. "Are you coming or not?"

At the far end of the dim hall, Pelan finally saw that there were steps leading downward, layer upon layer.

"Shall we go down?"

Before asking this question, Lou Guanyue had already made up his mind. The further they went, the more he felt this was the true resting place of Austin's treasure. And the crimson moon above the mist... today was precisely the day of the prophecy!

After a few seconds of consideration, Pelan gave a slight nod. He looked at Arnold and asked, "We're going down. Are you coming?"

"I'll go." Arnold said with a smile, though it carried a strange, almost gritted-teeth quality.

After entering the underground area, Lou Guanyue raised the lantern in his hand a bit higher, casting a distinct, dim yellow light onto the wide, seemingly endless corridor ahead.

With one glance, Pelan spotted at least six puppets. They all wore silvery-white armor and held gleaming, cold blades that flashed with silver light.

Being stared at unblinkingly by them didn't send a chill down Pelan's spine. Instead, his mood grew excited.

However, he didn't rush forward blindly. Instead, he stood still, carefully observing them.

These flesh golems had their eyes tightly shut. If not for their pale faces, he might have mistaken them for normal people—normal warriors.

"Are these... flesh golems?" After scrutinizing them for over ten seconds, Arnold was finally slow on the uptake.

Noticing that neither Pelan nor his companion had spoken, they must have already known about the presence of several flesh golems here.

No way...

Austin's treasure was actually hidden in this wraith-sealed space!

No wonder those outside had practically turned the entire area around Sade Town upside down without finding the location of Austin's treasure.

His gaze swept quickly over the golems one by one, and he couldn't help but edge closer to them.

Lou Guanyue was also observing these flesh golems. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Arnold already closing in on the female golem at the very end. He quickly lowered his voice, "Don't go over there!"

However, the warning came too late. Arnold was now less than three meters away from the golem. Pelan's ears twitched slightly, and he immediately stepped forward, pulling Arnold back.

Less than two seconds later, he heard a dull sound coming from the surroundings. The female golem suddenly moved.

Not only the nearest female golem but also the other five golems moved to surround them one after another.

A shower of dust rustled from their bodies. In his peripheral vision, Pelan also saw a nearly three-meter-tall figure emerge from the front.

It was also clad in full armor, but the color was not silver-white; instead, it was a deep, pitch black. It hefted a massive broadsword, its armor engraved with intricate patterns. Its face was completely hidden by the helmet's visor, revealing only a pair of eyes burning with red light.

Black Knight!

Although Pelan had never seen one in person, the word instantly flashed through his mind. His gaze sharpened. According to the records, a Black Knight possessed combat power comparable to that of a Martial Grandmaster, or even a Martial Saint!

The other six golems were clearly not weak either, no less formidable than ordinary martial artists. The female golem even appeared to be a mage.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Black Knight, wielding a seven-to-eight-meter-long cold-iron broadsword, quickly closed in on the three. Each step it took shook the ground, making the very earth tremble.

The Black Knight slid forward, crashing toward them. Its heavy greatsword, carrying a biting wind, grazed past Pelan's cheek.

Pelan wanted to retreat, but the underground ruin's passage was too narrow; he couldn't create enough distance from the Black Knight.

He couldn't use destructive magic, or this place would surely collapse. Whether the Black Knight would be injured was unknown, but the three of them would likely be crushed into pulp.

Arnold clearly considered this as well, forced to dodge the golems' attacks in a frantic scramble.

The only one who remained relatively calm was probably Lou Guanyue. He even found time to "play" with the puppets.

Four golems gathered around him. Perhaps out of consideration that flesh puppets were precious alchemical creations, even as the puppets' movements shifted from swift to staggering, he didn't rush to knock them down or destroy them. Instead, he leisurely dodged the slashing attacks, even finding time to appreciate Arnold's panicked state.

Pelan couldn't help but notice his situation. While dodging the greatsword sweeping toward his chest, he reminded, "Attack their power cores."

Lou Guanyue suddenly reached out, his palm piercing through the chest of a nearby golem. He lifted a crystal emitting a faint glow from within its body.

"Is this it? Teacher?"

Seeing his actions clearly, Arnold couldn't help but shudder, somewhat afraid to meet Lou Guanyue's gaze.

Pelan, however, acted as if he hadn't seen it, quickly nodding.

The magic circle he was chanting finally took form. The Black Knight was enveloped in thick shadows, sinking into a black swamp. Just as it began to struggle, its power core was taken by a pair of slender hands.

"Teacher, I've retrieved the power cores of the Black Knight and the other six golems." Lou Guanyue's expression remained unchanged, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.

Author's note:

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