Chapter 94

Gao Deng stood on a small hill, overlooking the Ash Town nestled in a small basin at his feet. On his journey, he found that the closer he got to the Danze Ruins, the sparser the vegetation in the mountains became, and the air seemed to be filled with a sense of death. Even the occasional mountain breeze felt sharper, as if it could cut through a person.

Ash Town was originally an estate outside Danze City. Due to its remote location, it managed to escape the destruction during the battle between the two empires for control of the north. Now, the houses that were once reserved for the noble Elven nobles have become a resting place for adventurers of various races, where they drink and revel. As the only civilized settlement near the Danze Ruins, all the residents of Ash Town make a living by serving adventurers. Many of these residents are former adventurers themselves.

Gao Deng gazed at the brightly lit Ash Town in the darkness. Occasionally, a breeze would bring the noise and the strong smell of alcohol from the town.

Exploring the Danze Ruins is an extremely risky endeavor, even if it's not a matter of certain death. Many adventurers choose to indulge in a wild party before entering the ruins, to avoid dying with regrets. Those lucky enough to leave the ruins with treasures celebrate with hearty drinking and find a woman to spend the night with, to savor the beauty of the world.

Gao Deng's gaze extended beyond the noisy town, over a peculiar wasteland about five kilometers long.

On this barren quartz sand, smooth glass pits were scattered in a disorderly manner. Under the cold autumn moon, they reflected a faint moonlight. From a distance, the wasteland looked like a black tray adorned with hundreds of cheap artificial diamonds.

During the great battle, the Netherduran Magic Empire used large-scale fire-based spells in their offensive. The high temperature and flames melted and solidified the sand into glass, creating the unique landscape before him.

Behind this wasteland stood a tall and thick city wall. Despite the erosion of thousands of years of wind, rain, and snow, the construction techniques of the Elven nobles stood the test of time.

Behind the city wall lay the vast and mysterious Danze Ruins, which seemed even more unfathomable in the darkness. In its heyday, Danze City was a megacity with a population exceeding one million. Such a large city was extremely rare on the entire continent. The buildings stretched like an endless forest of rock, extending to the horizon.

In the midst of this vast ruin, the most striking feature was the remains of the Tree of Life at the city center, casting a vast and ominous shadow in the darkness.

Among all the Elven subraces, the Elven nobles were the most urbanized. Like humans, they were accustomed to building houses with stone and living in them peacefully. However, their love for nature still resided in their souls.

Every Elven noble city was centered around a Tree of Life, gradually expanding outward. The Tree of Life was a special species native to the Eternal Island. After special blessings and magical treatments, it could grow to be hundreds of meters tall, with a canopy covering several acres.

The city hall and other important places of an Elven noble city were often located within the Tree of Life.

Even after the devastating war, the Tree of Life in the Danze Ruins, though dead, still had branches as sturdy as the most durable rock, standing firmly amidst the ruins.

Suddenly, a massive white light beam shot out from the remains of the Tree of Life!

The light beam pierced the sky like a sword, burning a large hole in the dark clouds. The scene was like a dark and deep oil painting, with a white stroke splitting it in two.

Gao Deng suddenly felt an unusual chirping from his dimensional bag. He opened it and found two Elven noble stone tablets trembling and emitting a faint hum.

This is...

Could these two stone tablets be responding to the massive light beam?

Gao Deng was surprised and carefully examined the stone tablets in his hand, but apart from the magic light seeming more brilliant, there were no other changes.

At that moment, the white light beam in the distance suddenly shook, and a massive wave of air spread out, stirring up countless sand and dust in the ruins. From a distance, it looked like a terrible sandstorm was brewing in the darkness.

The stone tablets in Gao Deng's hand suddenly became quiet, then shook violently again, shooting out a thin white light beam pointing to the sky...

At the same time, two thin light beams shot into the black night sky from the southeast corner and the north of Ash Town.

The light beams from the stone tablets vanished, and the massive light beam from the Tree of Life gradually dissipated. The night returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.

Gao Deng put the two stone tablets back into his dimensional bag.

Clearly, the light beam from the Tree of Life was closely related to his Elven noble stone tablets. Perhaps Alavi Shengyang's legacy was hidden somewhere in that Tree of Life.

Additionally, he had learned an important piece of information: there were two other Elven noble stone tablets in Ash Town.

"It seems I'm not the only one trying to obtain Alavi Shengyang's legacy. This trip to the Danze Ruins will have competitors," Gao Deng thought, his gaze deep as he looked at the brightly lit Ash Town below.

He considered the locations where the two light beams appeared in the town and memorized them. Then he left the main road leading to the town and entered a desolate forest.

Although spending the night outdoors, especially near the Danze Ruins where foul creatures roamed, was very dangerous, Gao Deng decided not to enter Ash Town tonight.

The resonance between the Elven noble stone tablets and the light beam from the Tree of Life must have been seen by many people in Ash Town. The other two holders of the stone tablets probably knew that someone outside the town had an Elven noble stone tablet. If Gao Deng entered the town now, he might be targeted by the other two stone tablet holders, which was not good news. So he decided to rest for the night and enter the town in the morning.

Gao Deng found a flat piece of ground, took out a small piece of wood from his pocket, and recited a spell. After a few gestures, the spell was complete, and a spherical force field half-buried in the ground appeared in front of him.

This was a third-level spell called "Leomund's Tiny Hut." It created a spherical force field that could accommodate up to ten medium-sized creatures, such as humans, and came with lighting and heating systems. It was windproof, sandproof, rainproof, and concealed, blending seamlessly with the environment, making it an essential spell for travel and living.

Leomund was a famous historical mage with great expertise in spatial spells. The series of spells named after him were the favorites of traveling mages.

Above "Leomund's Tiny Hut" were "Leomund's Secure Shelter," "Leomund's Secret Chest," and "Leomund's Magnificent Mansion," providing a range of accommodations from a simple hut to a luxurious villa with servants and guards for mages traveling outdoors.

Of course, a high-level seventh-level spell like "Leomund's Magnificent Mansion" was still too advanced for Gao Deng, who had just crossed the threshold into the realm of mages.

While Gao Deng slept soundly, some people in Ash Town were unable to sleep due to the events that had just occurred.

"Mr. Salando, what do you think happened just now with the resonance between my Elven noble stone tablet and the light beam?" Jie Phoenix sat on the sofa, elegantly crossing her legs, and examined the Elven noble stone tablet on the coffee table.

Jie and Salando, along with a dozen guards, had arrived in Ash Town the day before and posted notices to recruit adventurers and mercenaries. Although her guards were skilled, they were completely inexperienced in exploring the ruins.

To prepare for this expedition, Jie followed Salando's advice and planned to stay in Ash Town for two days to gather as much information as possible about the Danze Ruins. Just before going to bed, while Jie and Salando were studying the Elven noble stone tablet in the living room, something unexpected happened.

The Elven noble stone tablet resonated with the light beam from the ruins.

Salando glanced at Jie. The noble girl before him, though a bit dim-witted and had many typical flaws of a noble lady, was undeniably a beautiful woman. Once he obtained the Elven noble stone tablet from her, he should find an opportunity to enjoy her body. Just her round, long, beautiful legs were enough to keep him entertained for a whole night...

Suppressing his desires, Salando smiled charmingly and explained to Jie, "From what I learned from my teacher, the stone tablet in your possession is only a part of the legacy left by Alavi Shengyang. Only when all the fragments are assembled can the 'Omniscient Stone Tablet,' which contains all the knowledge of the great Elven noble mage, be fully obtained. I believe that most of the Omniscient Stone Tablet is stored in the Danze Ruins, and when someone holding a fragment approaches, it triggers the resonance."

"I see," Jie nodded. "Your knowledge is indeed profound, Mr. Salando. However, there were two other light beams besides the one from my stone tablet. It seems we have competitors."

"Don't worry, Miss Jie. I will help you obtain the stone tablets from the others. You are the one who can ultimately complete the Omniscient Stone Tablet." Salando gazed deeply into Jie's eyes, but his thoughts were different: "Of course, the one who will ultimately inherit Alavi Shengyang's legacy will be me. The others will only be working for me."

Jie, feeling a bit shy under the handsome warlock's gaze, lowered her head, her eyelashes trembling slightly. "I'll leave it to you, Mr. Salando."

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