Free Web NovelChapter 387: Chapter 374: Dream Butterfly Ruins?
On the day of the expedition, at the Outdoor Adventure Club.
One week after the school year started, the roster for the club’s first outdoor expedition was finalized.
As new members participating in an outdoor expedition for the first time, it would be a lie to say Gu Ming and Lu You weren’t nervous.
Looking at the Pet Beasts the other club members had brought, there were Three-star and Four-star ones among them.
Only Gu Ming and Lu You, the two newcomers, had Two-star Pet Beasts.
Just then, the club president pushed through the crowd, walked up to Gu Ming, and said:
"This time, we’re heading to the Yichuan Ruins. It’s a new site that was discovered two months ago."
"First, we’ll survey the land on foot within a five-kilometer radius, examining the local environment and assessing the situation. Only then will we decide whether to venture inside."
This was the standard operating procedure for the Outdoor Adventure Club’s expeditions.
To put it simply, any lost historical ruin would have Arrays and other such things left over from a previous era.
Through external investigation, they could determine the ruin’s purpose in the previous era.
They could see if it was built in a mining area, on the site of a city, or something similar.
In short, the environment surrounding the ruins could reveal a great deal of hidden information.
This information allowed them to judge the level of danger and what sort of ancient treasures might be hidden inside.
For example, items like the Dragon Pattern Tripods and Yin Yang Eyes found in old collections were all similar relics from a previous era, and they were immensely useful.
Of course, this immense usefulness was a new development that came about after Gu Ming introduced his Foundation Establishment Method.
Before that, methods to make ancient artifacts functional again were few and far between.
At least, that was the case for Low-star Beastmasters. Relics from ancient times had little practical use and were valued mostly for their collection and archaeological significance.
But Gu Ming’s Foundation Establishment Evolution Method had given these relics of the ancient Great Dao from a previous era immense value once more.
This had also become a new objective for the current expedition.
As he spoke, the president handed over an internal document. It was a report compiled by the archaeological team at the Yichuan Ruins, unavailable to outsiders and only obtainable through the right connections.
Gu Ming opened it and read:
The ruins were filled with a bizarre number of Illusion Realms.
Since the entrance to the ruins was opened, Spiritual Qi from the outside world had flooded in, allowing the Spirit Gathering Arrays to gradually accumulate energy and causing the Ancient Arrays to reactivate.
It had become nearly impossible to advance. There were at least seven or eight Illusion Technique Formations alone.
The archaeological team had only explored about two kilometers inside, but they had already encountered over eight hundred Illusion Realms, which was a massive headache.
The team had already invited powerful Beastmasters from across the country who specialized in breaking Illusion Techniques to join them, but with little effect.
"So, for this expedition, if the club doesn’t have any Beastmasters with strong Spiritual Power and advanced knowledge of Illusion Techniques, we’ll most likely just survey the environment outside the ruins, experience a dozen or so Illusion Realms at the entrance, and then pull back. It’ll just be an ’I was here’ sort of trip."
The president said, pointing to a note in the proposal.
"Haha, spooked by the number of Illusion Technique Formations in the Yichuan Ruins?
"Don’t worry, we won’t be going that deep.
"You have to understand, ordinary Beastmasters can’t withstand that many Illusion Techniques. Not to mention, if you get trapped inside and can’t get out, that’s what’s truly deadly.
"We don’t have many experts at breaking Illusion Techniques in our club. Since the semester just started, we won’t be doing any hardcore exploring. This is just a trip for the veterans to show the rookies the ropes. The main point is the experience."
Gu Ming casually flipped through the document, but a suspicion grew in his mind:
’So many Illusion Realms... Something about this feels off.’
’Logically, the more heavily a place is protected, the better the treasures hidden inside must be.’
’Piling on the Illusion Techniques so densely must mean the secrecy level of these ruins is exceptionally high.’
Just then, Gu Ming finished reading the proposal and handed it to Lu You.
Almost at the same time, a notification popped up from the system:
[You have observed the expedition proposal for the Dream Butterfly Ruins.]
[These ruins were first discovered thirty-two years ago and have been excavated countless times. Each time, everyone thought, ’This must be all there is to the ruins.’]
[However, the deeper they dug, the more certain people became that the Illusion Realms inside were layered one on top of another, possibly leading to the ’Dream Butterfly’s Sleeping Place’—the legendary ’Primordial Dream Butterfly’ from the ancient era.]
[It most likely contains the various materials needed for this Dream Butterfly’s Evolution.]
[You look at the proposal. This is just a simple trip for newcomers to the Outdoor Adventure Club, meant to let you experience the difficulty of exploring the Dream Butterfly Ruins.]
[Meanwhile, the socially anxious classmate beside you holds her breath, thinking of the Illusory Color Butterfly larva she just contracted.]
[If she enters the ruins, there should be plenty of Spirit Medicines inside that she can use, allowing her to save her purchasing quota for high-end medicinal ingredients.]
Gu Ming’s interest was immediately piqued.
’So it’s called the Dream Butterfly Ruins?’
’It seems to be a ruin related to Spiritual Element butterfly-type Pet Beasts.’
"Primordial Dream Butterfly..." Gu Ming murmured to himself.
It was a name and a legend he had never heard of before.
He only knew of the Illusory Color Butterfly and its final evolutionary form, the Myriad Phenomena Butterfly.
In any case, checking out these ruins was definitely the right move.
With the system’s misalignment bug, there might actually be Evolution materials for the "Primordial Dream Butterfly."
Whether it was for Lu You’s Illusory Color Butterfly larva or for making natural medicinal powders to increase a Pet Beast’s Spiritual Power, the benefits would be numerous.
「A short while later.」
The club members finished organizing their gear and prepared to set off.
"Oh, right. These are the supplies for this expedition."
"This is Clear Heart Incense and these are Heart Guard Talismans. The two of you should place them in your Beast Taming Space and light the incense. It will boost your resistance to Illusion Techniques and keep your mind clear."
As he spoke, the club president took out two sets of supplies: a few long, black incense sticks and two pieces of Talisman Paper inscribed with cinnabar-red markings.
Gu Ming thanked him, took the items, and placed them in his Beast Taming Space, having his Pet Beast inside help light the incense and position the talisman.
The president then looked at Lu You, about to say that it was also fine to burn these things while carrying them on her person.
He considered that she might not have created a Beast Taming Space yet.
However, a second later, Lu You gave a light wave of her hand, and the two items vanished, seemingly stored away in her Beast Taming Space.
"Huh?"
The president focused his senses. That was the fluctuation of an item being stored in a Beast Taming Space, but when he tried to probe it, he couldn’t detect the Space’s aura. He asked,
"Did you have Teacher Tang perform the organ modification surgery for a Mysterious Attribute?"
She nodded lightly. Though she didn’t say much, she confirmed it was true.
Gu Ming explained simply, "I found a Space Stone of decent quality outside and gave it to Lu You to upgrade her Beast Taming Space."
Hearing this, the president didn’t press for details, his expression merely one of envy.
"A stone with the right qualifications to be modified by Teacher Tang into a Beast Taming Space with a Mysterious Attribute is incredibly rare. It must have cost over a hundred million, right?"
But for Lu You to be able to save that kind of money, whether through luck or connections, was a great thing.
He saw her cheeks flush. It was a moment where she could have boasted, yet she merely blushed and said nothing.
The president grunted in understanding, then turned to the group and announced:
"Everyone! Are you ready? Let’s move out!"
With that, the group left the building and headed toward the Capital’s elevated Pet Beast airfield.
