The innermost compartment of the ruins is completely different from the outside world.
There were no green plants clinging to the ground, nor were there any fragments of the collapsed dome scattered around.
As if it had been thoroughly cleaned, all that could be seen was pure white. In the sudden silence, one slowly walked through the door and found the clean and spacious interior spotless. Apart from the central podium, a completely enclosed, pristine white marble wall of equal width stood around it.
It was as if the eternal passage of time had never descended upon this place.
The elves guarding the entrance seemed to harbor some reservations, remaining by the open stone door without approaching or facing directly inside. Only the elders followed us as we stepped into the room, the grass draped over their bodies rustling softly as they moved.
"This is the inner sanctuary where the sacred discs are usually stored."
The elven elder coughed and pointed to the square platform located on the raised, pure white stone steps.
Looking up, it appears as a sturdy stone platform that has grown out of the earth, its entire surface shimmering with a lustrous sheen not found on other pure white stones. At the very top, six opposing arcs, spaced at regular intervals, encircle the center, their shapes perfectly suited to hold a disc with a base no larger than two palms.
After confirming the surrounding environment, Sheng suddenly raised his hand and summoned the emerald green light. He leaned in with a serious expression and nodded repeatedly as if he had heard something. His expression changed several times, and finally, with an extremely serious attitude, he dispelled the light and turned to the elven elder who was waiting respectfully beside him: "First of all, thank you for agreeing to lead us here."
"However, due to some special reasons, our investigation may take some time and requires an environment with minimal interference... Would you mind waiting on the sidelines?"
"...No, I will wait outside. Please, messenger, do as you please. I believe you can guide us on the right path."
Having smoothly grasped the purpose of Sheng's question, the elven elder hesitated for a moment in response, but ultimately remained at the foot of the stone steps, bowed slightly to us, glanced wistfully at the stone platform above, sighed softly, and turned to leave decisively.
A moment later, the crisp sound of the door closing echoed throughout the inner hall.
In an instant, the already quiet space was filled only with the sounds of our movements and breathing.
I raised an eyebrow and asked Sheng, "What did you say you wanted me to see?"
"Hmm? Did I say anything?"
Shifting his scrutinizing gaze from the top of the stone platform, the boy looked around as he spoke, then suddenly frowned: "As expected, there's no way for my plants to take root here. A thorough investigation might be a bit troublesome."
This is something that should have been noticed when I came in.
Whether it was because ancient ruins still remained here, or because the elves had taken extra precautions while guarding the place, the moment I stepped through the opened stone door and officially entered the inner sanctum, a strange tremor rose in my heart. At the same time, I noticed that the flow of magic power within my body was suppressed, constantly circling around me, and my ability to sense the surroundings was also reduced by more than half of its maximum range.
Even Feifei, who had been taking flight and circling nearby out of curiosity, wilted like a frostbitten eggplant. She didn't even bother flapping her wings in mid-air, simply plummeting straight down. If someone hadn't caught her in time, she might have crashed to the ground.
Well, actually, it doesn't affect me that much. Even with a slight reduction, it can still smoothly cover the entire boundary of the inner sanctum. If any dangerous situation arises, we can try to forcibly expand it then.
Shifting his attention from Sheng, who was muttering to himself and figuring out how to attract nearby plants to communicate, he glanced at the sword demon who had just walked to the side and was now walking around the stone wall of the inner hall. To his surprise, he saw the guy looking serious as he carefully examined the patterns on the inner wall.
I thought he was the kind of guy who would just draw his sword and start slashing without saying a word once he arrived at the mission location, but I didn't expect him to be interested in these kinds of details.
No, wait. I quickly changed my mind. Maybe that guy is checking out potential locations, or perhaps there are key conditions for unlocking a quest sequence on these stone walls.
We should try to rule out the madman's ever-present destructive urges, as the latter is clearly more likely. Otherwise, this dungeon would be far too easy, almost like hitting a free ride and arriving at the end of the story in no time.
Furthermore, if it is a hall that is permanent and has special significance, there is a high probability that it contains stored items that record some important events of the past, such as old books or murals on the stone walls.
The door, which had just been partially obscured, strongly suggests the possibility of murals on the stone wall.
Thinking of this, I held up a piece of shimmering light in my hand, pretended to be very busy, and informed Sheng. Then I walked towards the stone wall that the sword demon was staring at.
Judging from the kid's leisurely attitude, he's most likely stalling for time. Although it's unclear what he's waiting for, it obviously won't be long.
In that case, let's confirm it first.
The history of this ruin, or perhaps, the reason that limits our magical abilities and the full potential we can unleash.
Sensing my approach, the guy with his hands in his trench coat pockets glanced at me, and the Dragon Slayer Sword hanging at his waist popped out a crack. Only after confirming that I had stopped at a certain distance from him did he slowly relax his wary atmosphere.
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