Chapter 879: The Remains of the Tower of Babel
April 7th, early morning.
As the sun had just risen and the morning breeze was still cool, the ten-man team packed their luggage and headed to the outskirts of Protagoras.
They were all transcendent beings above the fourth energy level, so they were very fast and didn't get tired easily.
Before setting off, Aiwass gave everyone a "travel blessing." This blessing can significantly reduce physical exertion during running, and can even be used to restore physical strength through jogging or brisk walking, so that even climbing mountains will not feel tired.
This is a very common blessing in the game—perhaps even the most common. It can only be used outside of combat, and its effect in-game is a 20% increase in land movement speed, though this bonus disappears if you take damage. The increased movement speed doesn't stack with the speed granted by a mount; you only get the highest value.
In some places where it is inconvenient to summon a mount... for example, in a dungeon where you need to run a long way to collect materials or decrypt puzzles, or when running the main line in a more complicated place, you can hang up this blessing and then run the map.
In some places, the main quest, activity quest, or career quest is rather circuitous, and you have to run a long way to the nearest teleportation point; there are also some very stupid quests that require you to decrypt the code first to find clues, or you have to go through a lot of trouble to complete one quest after another.
At that time, some priests or bards would make extra money by leading people on quests - they would put on a status that increased their running speed in addition to being able to fight, and then lead people to run all the way to the finish line via a shortcut.
At that time, Aiwass was unemployed and at home. Although he had some savings... he was still a "professional player" who had to make money by playing games.
So I've tried all sorts of ways to make money, but I can only say it's not as good as making money as a power leveler, and at best I can only make enough to pay for drinks.
Cardinal Galatea also sang the elven ballad, further increasing the team's speed. As a result, before noon, they had already crossed a mountain and approached their destination.
It may be different from what everyone thinks.
It wasn't some "ancient ruins" or "huge underground tomb," but simply a mountain village. It wasn't small, with a bell tower, a church, and even electricity, from a distance.
"…Are the ruins nearby?"
The Drifter muttered, somewhat disappointed.
This was not his first time participating in archaeological excavations, so he naturally knew that... any ruins that were too close to villages and towns would basically have nothing left.
If the risk wasn't too great, the people living nearby would have already emptied out their belongings. If it were truly dangerous, the frequent deaths would surely prompt authorities to take control. Even if they hired a few archaeological teams, there wouldn't be much left.
—That’s it? That’s it?
There are nine extraordinary people above the fourth energy level, and there are actually people living within five kilometers of the archaeological site?
Could this really be a relic from the Amber Age?
On the other hand, Cardinal Galatea looked at the surroundings and seemed to have thought of something: "I remember... this place wasn't like this six hundred years ago..."
"...You have a really good memory."
Zhu Tang complained.
"Encyclopedia" just glanced at Cardinal Galatea and hesitated to speak.
He clearly wanted to say something, but was afraid to do so because of the presence of Cardinals Aiwass and Galatea.
As a "dream monk" who advanced from a "naturalist", he naturally knows many secrets.
For example... Star Crystal Man.
After all, dream monks upload and share their knowledge with each other. Therefore, even if he has not personally collected the knowledge, it will be in his "memory library".
But Master Dürer was not in a hurry, and did not even say a word. He just led them forward.
Professor Budd, on the other hand, seemed to be thinking, "I have heard of a theory. There is a view in academia that the reason why the remains of the Amber Age cannot be found today is not because they were destroyed or damaged, but because they were hidden by some means.
"There's a village in Avalon that was sealed off using a similar method. Outsiders can't enter at all. Could it be that the ruins here were sealed with a similar method?"
"Mr. Dürer," the kitten said somewhat dissatisfiedly, "We've all come this far, and there's no turning back... Where exactly are we going, and what ruins from what era? Shouldn't we be able to tell you now?"
"After all, we have some important people in our team now... I believe no one would dare to talk nonsense outside."
"—It is indeed a relic of the Amber Age."
Finally, Master Chongpo spoke: "But it's not just a relic of the Amber Age..."
As he spoke, he and everyone suddenly stopped.
This is the location halfway up the mountain.
The road ahead was ordinary, nothing out of the ordinary. Even Aiwass himself didn't sense anything amiss. There weren't even any stone tablets, forks in the road, or giant trees to mark the path. It simply stopped abruptly in an unmarked spot.
It's just like a treasure map in a game - you are given a strange coordinate, and then you have to stand on that coordinate exactly to dig up something.
But Aiwass understood: "Is it the preservation technique?"
Chongbo nodded.
In front of Aiwass, he simply stopped pretending: "You must have heard of the legend of... the Tower of Babel, Mr. 'Pope'."
“…Ah, yes.”
Aiwass nodded. "It's the world's oldest wizard tower, known as the 'Tower of Truth.' It possesses the ability to divine all the mysteries of the past and future. It contains spells in nine major categories and twenty-seven subcategories, including necromancy, preservation, astrology, alchemy, curses, and rituals."
"Today's alchemists, astrologers, necromancers, ritualists, and curse masters...all come from the heritage of the Tower of Babel."
He didn't tell the whole story.
During this promotion ceremony, Aiwass also learned other secrets about the Tower of Babel...
Hearing what Aiwass said, everyone held their breath.
If they were to excavate the remains of the Tower of Babel—
The source of all magic in the material world! The Mage Tower of the Amber Age!
This was the Narcissus Principality, the nation with the most Mage Towers. Everyone knew the Mage Towers were filled with treasures... not just gold and silver, but even more valuable were all sorts of occult books, stone tablets, and otherworldly artifacts—remnants of a pre-civilization at least eight thousand years old!
Apart from anything else, even the materials from the extraordinary creatures of the Amber Age could easily fetch exorbitant prices at auction today. These things are now almost all extinct… and extinct things are even more valuable!
"...Could it be that the Tower of Babel is right under our feet?"
Professor Budd frowned and thought: "Could this mountain be the remains of the Tower of Babel?"
Sine scoffed, clearly disdaining mortal wisdom. "Foolish! It must have been hidden in some spatial crevice... As ancient mages, it's perfectly reasonable for them to be able to accomplish such a feat. Even modern magic could achieve such a miracle... It's just that there wasn't a single leak of energy. Perhaps that's why it's been preserved undiscovered until now."
“Actually, it does have characteristics.”
Zhu Tang said, "I saw... there are waves of 'water' here. It's clearly on the mountain, but the water is gathering from the bottom of the mountain upwards."
Everyone looked over when they heard this, only to find that Zhu Tang had actually opened his eyes!
His eyes were a terrifying pure white, with complex array diagrams engraved in black characters. They were spinning, sending chills down one's spine after just a few seconds of watching.
Zhu Tang only looked for a few seconds and then closed his eyes again.
Chongbo slowly said, "That's why I said... this isn't just one ruin. The 'water flow' you sensed is the second level of ruins here."
"Hey, come on, boss!"
The wanderer was almost dying of anxiety, feeling that this time the boss was simply a master riddler: "What is going on? Everyone else, please stop asking! If you keep asking and answering like this, it will be dark!"
Chongbo remained calm and composed.
He was so calm that even his breathing was not disordered, and his eyes were so peaceful as if he was just enjoying the mountain air and birdsong.
He is not a riddle man, he is just an extremely patient and slow-paced person.
Seeing that the wanderer was already gnashing his teeth and stamping his feet, Master Chongbo finally spoke, starting from the beginning: "The art of preservation is the most complete lineage of the Tower of Babel's heritage. This place is not 'hidden', but 'preserved'.
"As early as the Amber Age, this piece of time and space was cut out and preserved. To open it, you need a key...
"At least the seventh level of preservation technique is needed to open this blocked space and time."
"...Seventh level?!"
“—This is impossible!”
"Even the Eternal Pope—"
Everyone subconsciously wanted to deny it.
But Aiwass understood.
——It is the so-called "priority".
Although not all priorities can be used on Preservation... Most priorities are "penetration" or "resistance", or they take effect when "confronting". But this is not all, for example, the golden entry Aiwass obtained this time includes an "unconditional entry" that directly increases the priority of the spell.
To use the fifth energy level to reach the seventh energy level spell immunity, you need two different sources of priority that can be fully stacked on the preservation spell! And it must be an unconditional priority... It can take effect even without combat!
“…Others can’t, but I can.”
Master Chongbo spoke calmly, reaching out to touch the air.
I saw an illusory amber spider web spreading from his fingertips and spreading out to the surroundings.
In the blink of an eye, the spider web covered the entire dense forest.
The next moment, all the spider webs shattered.
A white mist came from nowhere and completely enveloped the surroundings.
And when they dispersed slightly, the sudden light made them subconsciously cover their eyes.
Aiwass didn't cover it.
He simply looked up. Against the azure sky, the white clouds appeared incredibly clear and three-dimensional. The sun had grown several times brighter and larger. Its blazing sunlight, even after penetrating the dense forest mist, was enough to burn one's skin.
At this moment, Ronin and Koneko seemed to have sensed something at the same time, and suddenly looked in the direction they came from.
There was only darkness.
And where the village originally stood, an extremely huge tower stood silently.
The tower is much larger than the entire village, and you can hardly see the end when you look up. It stands on the top of the mountain, and because it is so huge, it even makes the entire mountain seem smaller, like a cliff.
——This is more like a "giant tree" than a "tower".
And considering the order… maybe “Giant Tree” is more like “Tower of Babel”.
However, the reason why it was said to be "almost" invisible was because the upper half of this giant tower was extremely charred and cut off in half. After the height was halved, it did not look that tall.
It was like a chopstick with a gradually tightening tip, the top half burnt and then the burnt part chopped off horizontally. Smoke was still rising from it, looking like some kind of signal smoke.
"...The Tower of Babel, was it destroyed by something?"
Zhu Tang murmured softly, "Was it a lightning strike?"
But "Encyclopedia" suddenly spoke up and gave the answer: "The Tower of Babel was destroyed by Wei Zhe himself. This happened in the Second Solar Era..."
"—This is a 'preserved' fragment from the Amber Age."
Zhengsine also realized it immediately.
He looked at Chongbo with respect and caution: "Excuse me, are you..."
"--Let me introduce you all. This is Master Chongbo, from the Helasar Empire."
Seeing that Master Chongpo didn't resist but didn't speak, Aiwass smiled, patted the old man's shoulder, and introduced him casually: "The world's first amber craftsman.
"He is also the only... or rather, one of the very few people who can truly bring the dead back to life."
"Thank you, Your Holiness."
Chongbo said calmly, "That can't be considered a resurrection... it's just 'preserving someone else's life'."
"It's like...saving the destroyed Tower of Babel, right?"
Professor Bud whispered, "Resurrecting the dead time and space in the present world...isn't this also a kind of resurrection of the dead?"
At this moment, everyone finally realized what a horrifying thing had happened here.
“It is impossible to go against the laws of nature without breaking the limits of the world.”
Chongbo glanced at Aiwass deeply and said, "In a world where the upper limit is the sixth energy level... the seventh energy level is a necessary condition for 'calling for miracles'.
"...and if the upper limit of this world is to be raised to the seventh energy level, then in order to reverse life and death, one must reach the eighth energy level."
Hearing this, Aiwass narrowed his eyes slightly.
Insect amber...does he know something?
Update completed! Chapter 2 is 4,000 words long. Please give me your monthly votes!
(End of this chapter)
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