Free Web NovelChapter 195: Chapter 195: Ruins
Ning Xuan’s tone was decisive and her attitude firm. Seeing this, Yun Han had no choice but to compromise. He explained to Qinghe and Di Youlin that there were three array eyes. Destroying even one would weaken the great Array, and destroying two would paralyze more than half of its effective area. So, as long as they could quickly destroy their assigned array eyes, he would stay by Ning Xuan’s side to ensure her safety.
The group split up according to the plan. With Ning Xuan’s direct involvement, both Di Youlin and Qinghe were fired up, each eager to be the first to destroy their assigned array eye.
The plan was a success. Five minutes later, Ning Xuan watched as Yun Han destroyed the final array eye. The cold, gloomy atmosphere inside the Stone Forest instantly dissipated.
Using his knowledge of Arrays, Yun Han found a buried Array Plate beneath the destroyed stone pillar. The Array Plate was already shattered and unusable. However, next to it were several dark stones, as cold as ice. These were called Soul Gathering Stones, which could draw the residual souls of dead creatures into them. Ning Xuan collected both the Soul Gathering Stones and the broken Array Plate.
"I’m impressed. You’re pretty skilled," Di Youlin complimented Yun Han. "If you hadn’t found the array eyes, I would have been helpless against this Stone Forest. No matter how many pillars I destroyed, they just kept regenerating."
"You’re pretty skilled yourself," Yun Han replied graciously. "If you hadn’t drawn that diagram, I wouldn’t have been able to find the array eyes."
"Alright, you two can stop with the mutual praise," Ning Xuan said, cutting them off. "Let’s go and see what secrets this Stone Forest is hiding."
The group walked to the center of the Stone Forest. Where the array eyes had once been, three deep, dark cave mouths had now appeared. They resembled a gaping maw, lying in silent wait to devour anyone who dared to enter.
Zhang Nan activated his Eye of Truth again. He first looked at the stone pillars that had behaved so strangely before and discovered that the root systems at their bases had completely vanished. The shadows they cast were no longer abnormal, either. ’Arrays are truly amazing,’ he thought.
When he looked into the three cave mouths, he could only see a vast, empty space within each one; nothing else was visible. The view was identical for all three. Zhang Nan couldn’t be certain if what he was seeing was real; after all, it wasn’t out of the question that certain illusions could block his Skill.
Ning Xuan gazed at the three dark cave mouths, and after a moment’s thought, she said, "We’ll split into three groups and investigate through the different entrances. If any group finds anything unusual or dangerous, retreat immediately."
Zhang Nan, Lin Mo, Wang Teng, Min Wu, and Tang Xue chose the leftmost cave. Ning Xuan, Yun Mo, Chen Nan, and Di Youlin stepped into the middle one, while the rest of the group entered the one on the right.
As Ning Xuan entered the cave, a bone-chilling gust of air washed over her. She realized her group had entered a long passageway.
A stone staircase lay at their feet, winding downward. The walls on either side were embedded with pale blue, luminous stones that twinkled faintly like stars, illuminating the path ahead.
All along the way, Ning Xuan kept an eye out for any patterns or text carved into the stone walls. Unfortunately, her search yielded little. Aside from a few murals depicting Exotic Beasts, she found no other useful information.
As they descended deeper, the stone staircase gradually widened, eventually opening into a massive underground palace. Ning Xuan stared silently at the sight. The palace’s vaulted ceiling was incredibly high, dotted with innumerable glowing Crystal Stones that resembled a galaxy in the night sky.
The floor was paved with polished obsidian, reflecting the faint light from above. All around them stood stone pillars carved with strange patterns, a soft, fluorescent light flowing within the grooves.
Ning Xuan stared in shock. The two other teams, who had entered through the other caves, had also arrived in this chamber. No one had encountered any danger on their way, making it seem as if this underground palace was completely safe.
"Everyone, spread out and search," Ning Xuan commanded. "See if you can find any inscriptions or treasures." At her word, everyone sprang into action.
Zhang Nan, who had been injured earlier while exploring the Stone Forest, had not only made a full recovery thanks to the medicine from Ning Xuan but had also gained a stronger constitution.
In this kind of exploratory mission, Zhang Nan held an overwhelming advantage.
To Ning Xuan’s surprise, Zhang Nan was the first to find something: a study filled with numerous books. From one of the shelves, he pulled out a large, thick tome.
The script in these books was not the common script of the Federation, nor was it the language from Ning Xuan’s previous world. It was a completely unknown form of writing.
"Xuanyuan, who decided there were no advanced intelligent species on the New Star Body?" Tang Xue couldn’t help but ask. "They built such a magnificent underground palace and left behind so many written records. How could there not have been an advanced species here?"
"The official assessment only said there are none *now*. Judging by this palace, there must have been an advanced species on this world in the past. We just don’t know why they went extinct or migrated. Isn’t that what we’re here to find out?" Ning Xuan replied.
"Miss Ning, this box is glowing!" Wang Yue exclaimed, bringing it over with a look of fascination.
"Don’t touch it!" But Ning Xuan’s warning came a moment too late. The instant Wang Yue’s finger touched the embossed vine pattern on the lid, a cyan arc of electricity shot out from the bronze lock. Wang Yue reacted quickly and dodged back, but the bolt still grazed him. He instantly lost all feeling in his arm, and the smell of scorched flesh hung in the air.
Ning Xuan had known the box was electrified. Using a pair of non-conductive gloves, she was able to open it and retrieve the contents. Inside was an exquisite Jade Ring. Ning Xuan handed the ring to Wang Yue, telling him to figure out its properties for himself.
After a thorough search, everyone had made some discoveries. Ning Xuan found a pitch-black rod over a meter long and several dozen dried medicinal herbs. Yun Han found an exquisite folded fan and a Jade Pendant with an intricate pattern. The others also made their own finds. The items they gathered confirmed that the underground palace was indeed a ruin, providing solid evidence that an advanced species had once existed on the New Star Body. The only question was why they had disappeared.
"Contractor," Yun Han said to Ning Xuan, "since we’ve found ruins here, it’s likely that other groups will make similar discoveries. Why don’t we report this to the safe zone as soon as possible? We might even be able to exchange the information for some Merit Points."
"We won’t get many Merit Points for simply reporting this information. What’s more likely is that the military will intervene to gather concrete evidence. If that happens, will we have to abandon the base we worked so hard to establish?" Ning Xuan said, frowning in disagreement.
"I agree with Xuanyuan," Tang Xue was the first to voice her support. She was living quite comfortably in Spiritual Spring Valley and had no desire to move anytime soon.
