Deep within the ruins.
Piles of magic books and scrolls, gold and silver coins, gemstone jewelry, and all kinds of weapons and armor were stacked like cheap gravel, forming small mountains here. At this moment, Yiruo and Rabi were inside a massive circular treasure vault.
Because it had been sealed for years, the air in the room was stifling, filled with the scent of dust and residual magical energy. These were the “souvenirs” left behind by adventurers who had broken into the ruins over the long years.
Some had died from monster attacks; others had perished in the traps of the ruins. Their equipment and belongings, along with some ancient magical items stored in the ruins themselves, had all gathered here, gradually forming this jaw-dropping “Mountain of Loot.”
Right now, Yiruo was walking barefoot through the pile of treasures. Her deep blue long hair was casually tied behind her head with a thin string, and a bit of dust had inadvertently smudged her face.
But she didn’t care. Her eyes were focused intently on scanning the treasure pile in front of her.
“I remember… it should be around here somewhere.”
Yiruo muttered softly, using her slender arms to push aside a pile of rusty long swords.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
Found it!
Under that pile of swords, Yiruo reached in and pulled out an object.
It was a square device about the size of a book, its material neither metal nor wood. Its surface was extremely smooth, with a structure resembling a black crystal mirror embedded in the center.
“Rabi, come look at this!”
Somewhat excitedly, Yiruo sat down on the treasure pile and placed the device flat on her knees.
“Master?”
Rabi hopped over, tilted its head, and examined the “box” in Yiruo’s hands with its deep purple glass eyes.
Yiruo took a deep breath and gently placed both hands on the edges of the device.
She concentrated her mind, and a faint trace of magic slowly flowed from her fingertips into it.
Hum—
The device was successfully activated.
The next moment, the black crystal mirror in the center lit up, and a three-dimensional structural map of the ruins, composed of countless fine lines of light, appeared, constantly shifting.
In the map, there were also tiny moving light spots—signals of the intruders who had entered the ruins.
“Amazing!”
Although Rabi couldn’t understand what this complex light map specifically represented, it could feel the exquisite magic contained within it.
“This is the portable terminal of the ‘Ruins Control Core.'”
Yiruo quickly swiped her fingers across the light map while explaining in a low voice.
“It was probably left behind by the people who built this ruins a long time ago… A relic from the glorious era of magical technology. I didn’t expect it to still work.”
Her fingers swiftly traced over several key channel nodes, activating a number of ancient mechanisms that had lain dormant for ages.
At the same time—
Bitter cold began seeping from the walls of a certain passage; complex binding runes appeared on the floor of a certain area; and in yet another spot, the floor suddenly flipped over, revealing a dense bed of sharp spikes beneath.
Then, she called up several defense modules near the main hall area, attempting to increase the spawn frequency and attack intensity of the monsters.
“The energy nodes are a bit old, can’t support high-intensity summoning… Oh well, it’s better than nothing.”
Rabi quietly watched its master skillfully operate the complex light map, a faint red glow flickering in its eyes as it prepared to execute any of her orders at a moment’s notice.
After a series of operations, Yiruo stopped and looked at the three intruder light spots in the map, which were rapidly approaching the center of the ruins.
She let out a soft sigh and muttered somewhat dejectedly:
“…I can only hope these old traps and not-so-bright monsters can delay them a bit longer.”
She didn’t have much confidence. Judging by the vague images in her mind, these measures probably wouldn’t be enough to truly stop those intruders—especially that witch girl who felt like a “bug.”
Rabi gently rubbed against her arm, conveying silent comfort and support. No matter the outcome, it would stay by its master’s side.
“Let’s go, Rabi. Let’s go greet our guests.”
Yiruo picked up Rabi, stepped barefoot over the scattered treasures, and walked toward the direction leading to the ruins’ center.
Behind her, the space glittering with countless riches fell silent once again.
In the quiet darkness, this long-slumbering “Eternal Night Kingdom” might soon have its balance shattered completely.
At the same time—
Yilena and her group were carefully advancing along a wide, ancient corridor. The scale of these ruins far exceeded their expectations.
Crystals embedded in the walls emitted a faint, dim blue light.
The witch girl held a ball of flame in her hand, lighting the way for Elliana and Reya.
“When did it get this cold here?”
Reya hugged her arms, her beast ears twitching slightly as she alertly monitored the surroundings.
“It’s colder than the cave back in my hometown. Witch girl, this place feels wrong.”
Yilena walked ahead, her pink hair appearing soft and bright in the firelight.
“Isn’t danger part of the adventure?”
She chuckled, twirling her wand between her fingers.
“But… every ruins has its own ‘welcome,’ doesn’t it?”
Elliana scanned the surroundings with a calm, sharp gaze.
“The flow of magic is unnatural, as if guided by some will. And the temperature is still dropping.”
Just then—
“Ahead, watch out!”
Without warning, a massive surge of freezing fog burst from the corner of the corridor!
Whoosh—!!!
The chilling current swept forward like a living thing roaring, and where it passed, the walls instantly formed fine crystals of ice.
Almost at the same moment, the white wings behind Elliana suddenly spread wide. Using the thrust, she lightly ascended, trying to jump over the cold zone from above.
However—
As she rose into the air, the ancient runes that were dim on the ceiling above her suddenly flared with harsh green light!
A massive, complex binding magic circle instantly expanded, enveloping her from above like invisible chains, trapping her in midair.
“What?!”
Startled, Elliana flapped her wings urgently, but found that the binding force field was like quicksand, greatly restricting her movement.
“Elliana!”
Just as Reya was about to rush over to help, the ground beneath her feet suddenly shook.
Several gargoyles and shadow monsters surged out from the shadows of the walls and floor, charging straight at the two.
“Hehe, looks like the ‘territorial awareness’ here doesn’t welcome tall guests~”
Yilena’s tone remained light, but her actions were swift.
The battle broke out instantly.
Reya roared, swinging her giant hammer into the monster group, sweeping through like a whirlwind to buy time for Elliana.
In the air.
Elliana stopped struggling, quickly concentrating her magic.
“Guardian heart, turn into a blade.”
The next moment, the binding magic circle was forcibly broken!
At the same time, her wings released countless tiny beams of light, pouring out in all directions.
The fight was fierce but brief.
With Yilena’s precise support, the monsters that appeared were soon wiped out.
Elliana broke free and landed somewhat unsteadily. Reya also leaned against the wall, panting slightly, her giant hammer propped on her shoulder.
Yilena walked over and handed them each a bottle of recovery potion that radiated warmth.
“Phew… Thanks, Witch girl.”
Reya downed the potion in one gulp and let out a long breath.
“This damn place… The traps and monsters cooperate way too well, right? It’s like they’ve got brains!”
Elliana took small sips of the potion, her eyes sharp.
“It does seem like someone is controlling these traps. The timing of activation, the monster coordination, even the direction of the cold air—it’s all too precise.”
She paused, then added:
“When the monsters charged just now, the binding circle briefly stopped.”
“Same here!” Reya raised her hand. “When that cold air hit us, it seemed to weaken deliberately for an instant.”
Elliana nodded. “It felt like… a warning for us to leave.”
Upon hearing this, a meaningful glint flashed in Yilena’s eyes.
“Oh? So the owner of this place has a soft side after all~”
Reya leaned in curiously.
“Witch girl, what exactly are we here for? It can’t just be for an adventure, right?”
“Of course it’s a rare practical training exercise in an ancient ruins~”
Yilena said with a smile.
Elliana stared expressionlessly at the compass in her hand, which was used to detect high-purity magic gems.
“…”
Yilena’s smile froze for a moment, then she casually flicked her hair.
“Oh dear, smart children should learn when to keep secrets to stay cute~”
She sighed softly and dropped her joking expression.
“Alright, honestly, I got some intel—there might be an extremely special ancient magic crystal deep inside these ruins.”
“It’s somewhat important to me. So—I’m determined to get it.”
Elliana gave a “just as I thought” look.
The three of them adjusted themselves briefly and continued deeper into the ruins.
After passing through several increasingly wide and ornately decorated corridors, and dodging a few obvious but non-lethal traps, they finally arrived at the entrance of a massive space.
Before them, an incomparably grand hall came into view, its scale far exceeding anything they had seen earlier.
And at the far end of the hall, a pitch-black door dozens of meters high stood like a divine miracle, exuding an ancient aura of dread and immense magical power.
Just in front of that massive door, dozens of meters away from them, two figures stood silently.
“Is that… a little kid? And… a plushie?”
Elliana looked in disbelief at the figures that gradually came into focus.
They approached cautiously, with wariness and a hint of curiosity.
It was a small, slender girl, wearing a slightly oversized white nightgown. She had deep blue hair that looked even darker under the dim, blue firelight.
At the moment, she had her back to the group, slightly looking up at the giant door. Crouching at her feet was a red rabbit plushie.
As if hearing their footsteps, the girl slowly turned around.
A face as delicate as a doll came into view for the three. Her eyes were so calm they seemed almost empty.
A stir arose in Elliana’s heart.
The girl before her looked thin and fragile, out of place in this dangerous, cold ruin, yet strangely—she seemed to belong here.
Just as she was about to speak—
“Wow—!!!”
A shout full of delighted surprise instantly broke the silence of the hall!
Before anyone could react, a pink figure flashed out like a streak of light!
Yilena rushed in front of the girl with lightning speed, her hands pinching the soft cheeks with precision!
“Aww! You’re so cute!!! Let big sister touch your face~ The feel! Gosh, why is such a cute child appearing at the final stage of the adventure? Could it be fate that brought us together~?”
She kneaded the cheeks while her eyes sparkled, a blush of suspicious excitement spreading across her face.
“…”
Yiruo’s eyes widened, her small mouth slightly open, completely unable to speak.
The warm sensation on her cheeks and the breath so close caused her brain to crash entirely.
Elliana’s prepared words got stuck in her throat, visible cracks appearing in her expression.
Reya also stood frozen, not even noticing her giant hammer dropping to the ground.
At this moment, the scene stood weirdly frozen.