Free Web NovelChapter 234: Chapter 222: The Ruins Will Open
"Gaa!"
A long, drawn-out yawn came from nearby.
Ian turned his head and saw Gaga sprawled out on the sofa, belly up with its wings spread wide, sleeping like a messy puddle.
Next to the little creature, five Activation Fruits were lined up in a row.
The originally shriveled fruits had now recovered a bit of their green glow, as if they’d been rehydrated, but they still weren’t quite plump and round.
"Mmm... Ian, you’re awake?"
Gaga rolled over and rubbed its eyes with its little claws. "Finished your Meditation, gaa?"
"Mhm." Ian stood up, stretching his stiff neck. "How are they doing?"
"Much better, gaa!"
Gaga fluttered its wings and flew onto his shoulder, its small eyes staring at the five fruits.
"That Star Dew you brought back last time? I’ve been feeding them one drop a day. They’re much more energetic now, look..."
It stretched out its little claw and poked Lucy, the one on the far left.
Gaga’s little claw poked Lucy’s smooth skin, and the silvery-white fruit was startled awake.
SWISH. Its two leaves shot up, like a startled animal pricking up its ears.
"D-don’t poke me!"
Lucy’s voice was thin and soft, laced with the grogginess of just waking up. A faint silver glow bloomed across its skin.
It rolled to the side to dodge Gaga’s claw but ended up bumping into Vivian next to it.
"Hey! Lucy, why’d you bump into me!" Vivian wobbled from the impact.
"Gaga poked me first..." Lucy mumbled plaintively.
The five fruits huddled together, their thin, silver tendrils intertwined, like a group of small animals cuddling for warmth.
Their skins were glossier and a bit plumper than a few days ago, but they were still a long way from returning to their former crystalline, translucent state.
Benny slowly raised a silver tendril and touched Ian’s pant leg, its voice weak. "Hungry..."
The other four fruits immediately swiveled to "look" at Ian.
Although they had no eyes, Ian could clearly feel five resentful gazes fixed upon him.
The corner of Ian’s mouth twitched. He took a small Jade Bottle from his Dimension Ring and uncorked it.
A cool, herbal fragrance wafted out, mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible, crisp scent of starlight.
This was the Star Dew he had just redeemed from the Star Library a few days ago. It was formed from morning dew that had condensed under the densest Starlight, and it contained pure Life Energy.
All five fruits’ leaves shot straight up in an instant!
"I-it’s that scent!"
Rice Grain cried out in delight, its thin tendrils trembling with excitement.
"SLURP..." Amy let out a quiet gulp.
Ian squatted down, tilted the Jade Bottle, and five crystal-clear dewdrops, gleaming with a faint starlight, slowly dripped down, landing precisely on the top leaf of each fruit.
The moment the dewdrops seeped into their leaves, the fruits trembled in unison, letting out satisfied whimpers.
The silver glow on their skins brightened noticeably, like parched earth being nourished by a clear spring.
"Mmm... that feels so good..."
Lucy’s leaves relaxed and spread out, its voice laced with languor.
Vivian rolled around to let its dew-covered leaf absorb the moisture evenly, muttering under its breath.
"Even though the Great Demon King ate our essence... the compensation isn’t half bad..."
"Exactly!" Rice Grain agreed.
"But he absorbed it so fast... I felt like I was about to shrivel up into a dried fruit..."
Ian reached out and gently stroked Rice Grain’s smooth skin.
The little fruit instinctively tried to shy away, but after a moment’s hesitation, it let him, extending a thin tendril to wrap around his fingertip.
"It won’t happen again," Ian said softly, a hint of gentleness in his voice.
’They were a great help, allowing my body to transform to Level Two, but these fruits aren’t of much use to me anymore.’
"Really?" the five fruits asked in unison, their voices full of anticipation.
"Really." Ian nodded, then took out several thumb-sized pieces of Blood Essence from his Ring and placed them next to them.
"Keep these as snacks. Absorb them slowly."
"Wow!"
The fruits immediately crowded around, extending their silver tendrils to carefully roll the Blood Essence closer, like children who had just received their favorite candy.
Gaga, perched on Ian’s shoulder, stared at the pieces of Blood Essence, a GULP coming from its throat.
But for once, it didn’t try to snatch them. It just curled its beak. "Hmph, this king doesn’t care about such Low Level Blood Essence..."
Lucy lifted its head to "look" at Gaga and said in a tiny, soft voice.
"Gaga, the Blood Essence you gave us last time... Thank you."
The other four fruits also nodded in agreement.
Vivian added, "Even though you’re always bullying us... that was decent of you."
Gaga’s little head immediately shot up proudly. Its wings trembled involuntarily as it tried to put on a disdainful expression.
"Th-this king only did it because you looked pathetic! It’s not like I was trying to be nice to you, gaa!"
But its darting eyes betrayed it.
Ian watched this scene, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
"Gaga, tell me the latest news."
Gaga fluttered down beside him, scratched its head with a small claw, and began to tick things off on its claws.
"There’s a lot of news, gaa! First, the most important thing: the Deep Red Royal Court and the Withered Council have canceled the secret bounty on you!"
Ian raised an eyebrow. "Canceled?"
"Yep!" Gaga nodded vigorously, its small eyes sparkling.
"Alevia went to a High Tier Wizard gathering a few days ago and heard that the Deep Red Royal Court seems to be having some internal strife. A few powerful Elders are fighting over resources, so they don’t have time to deal with you.
As for the Withered Council... the Tower Master personally sent a warning letter."
It mimicked the Tower Master’s deep, imposing voice, lowering its own.
"’The people of Shadow Moon Tower are not for you to touch.’ Gaa! That was the gist of it!"
Ian fell silent for a moment, his fingers tapping gently on the tabletop.
’Canceled? It’s probably not that simple.’
’Several Crystalized Seeds from the Deep Red Royal Court died at my hands, and some from the Withered Council too. How could they just drop a grudge like that?’
’It’s more likely that both factions are short on manpower for now, or... they’re waiting for a better opportunity.’
’Like when I leave the protection of Shadow Moon Tower.’
"What else?" Ian asked.
"And there’s a letter from your family!"
Gaga pulled a wax-sealed parchment scroll from its feathers and handed it to Ian.
"Robert delivered it. Said it was urgent."
Ian broke the wax seal and unrolled the parchment.
The handwriting belonged to his father, Latour. It was strong and forceful, but he could tell it had been written in a hurry.
The message was brief. After reading it quickly, he slowly rolled the scroll back up. A cluster of pale golden flames ignited at his fingertip, burning the scroll to Ashes.
The Ashes drifted down and settled on the cold floor.
He didn’t write back, nor did he give any instructions.
’Just as I arranged before leaving the family, the path has been paved. How far they can walk on it is up to them.’
’Latour’s promotion to a Level One Bloodline Wizard and his move to consolidate the surrounding factions was a good thing, and an inevitable one.’
’With the resources I left behind, if they couldn’t even achieve this much, then the family wouldn’t be worth supporting.’
’But... expanding too quickly isn’t necessarily a good thing.’
Ian’s expression darkened.
’The rules of the Wizard World have always been cruel. Weakness is the original sin, but being too conspicuous is also a surefire way to get yourself killed.’
’Latour had only just been promoted to Level One, yet he dared to annex three Kingdoms at once. That audacity was admirable, but it also reeked of danger.’
"I hope you can tread carefully..." Ian muttered to himself.
"Gaa? Ian, what’d you say?" Gaga asked, tilting its head.
"Nothing." Ian shook his head, suppressing his thoughts. "Any other news?"
Gaga scratched at its feathers, then suddenly remembered something, its little eyes lighting up.
"Oh, right! Alevia came by yesterday and said the ruins over in the Endless Sea are about to open!"
"The Endless Sea ruins?" Ian’s eyes flickered.
"Mhm, mhm!" Gaga nodded emphatically.
"She said those ruins open once every few hundred years, and every time, they attract a lot of organizations—Deep Red, Withered, the Silver Ring, and even powers from other continents.
It seems like it’s going to be especially lively this time. Rumor has it that some ’Ancient Inheritance’ is about to appear in the depths of the ruins..."
It paused, then lowered its voice.
"Alevia told me to ask if you’re interested in going.
She said that if you want to go, she can secure a spot for you, but you need to decide quickly. The spots are in high demand, gaa!"
Ian fell silent.
He unconsciously rubbed his Dimension Ring, the cool touch helping to clear his thoughts.
’The Endless Sea ruins... I have indeed read about them in a Travelogue from the Star Library.’
’It’s a stretch of ancient ruins submerged deep in the Endless Sea, supposedly left behind by a civilization that was caught in the crossfire and annihilated during the great war between the Wizard World and the Abyss.’
’Each time it opens, a flood of ancient artifacts, fragmented Inheritances, and all sorts of rare materials pour out.’
’But it’s also extremely dangerous.’
’The Travelogue recorded that the last time it opened, of the more than three hundred Level One and higher Wizards who entered, less than half returned.’
’Among them were even some Level Two Crystalized Wizards who perished.’
’Where opportunity and death go hand in hand.’
"When do the ruins open?" Ian asked.
"In about half a year," Gaga said.
"Alevia said that if you’re going, it’s best to set out a month in advance. The Endless Sea is very far, and you have to pass through several dangerous areas on the way."
’Four months’ time...’
Ian closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the depths of his Sea of Spirit.
The star chart hung high above, emitting a soft radiance. The entire Sea of Spirit was already covered in a thin, crystalline layer of ice, like frost flowers on a winter windowpane.
Realm: 74.2%
’The progress is slow, and this is with unlimited use of potions during Meditation.’
Ian opened his eyes. A glint of gold flashed in the depths of his pupils, so fast it was like an illusion.
’In half a year, it’s impossible to make another significant leap in my Realm.’
’But over in the Projection World...’
’With the difference in the flow of time, that’s ten years on the Yalan Continent.’
’Ten years... enough for "Li Xing" to reach Perfection in Condensation, and even attempt to break through to the Manifestation Tier...’
’And once my bloodline is fully Awakened and I obtain a deeper level of the star Inheritance...’
’The resulting insights, when fed back to my main body, will be enough to cause a qualitative change in my understanding of Gravity Witchcraft!’
’By then, I might be able to optimize the Gravity Collapse Ball to a near-perfect state even before I advance!’
"Gaa? Ian, are you going or not?"
Seeing him remain silent for so long, Gaga couldn’t help but tap his shoulder with its wing.
Ian came back to his senses. Looking at Gaga’s expectant little eyes, a faint, almost imperceptible curve appeared on his lips.
"Tell Alevia," he began slowly, his voice calm but holding a certain conviction.
"To hold the spot for me. I’ll think it over."
’There’s still half a year, after all. No rush.’
Ian paid no mind to their reactions, instead sensing the altar deep underground.
Deep within the vortex, another starry sky seemed to be reflected.
Under that starry sky, Li Yao was leading thirteen Rune Apprentices on a difficult trek across the wasteland.
