Chương 6: The Remains of the Unified Empire

The magical beam of light pierced through the water.

A colossal purple object leaped into Shane's view.

It was a monster with many tentacles and five eyes. Its back, covered in scales, had fin-like structures growing from it. Sharp fangs were exposed, and its four claws clung to the stone wall deep in the pool, in a contorted posture.

From Shane's perspective, he was looking directly into the eyes of five underwater eyes.

A chill ran straight to my head.

"It's a Poison Dragon."

Frilian spoke softly.

Xia Enren was numb.

"Please, don't explain, just do it."

However, it seemed that she did not receive Shane's request. After the magic beam ended, Frillie maintained a vigilant posture, stopped, and did not intend to continue attacking.

At first, Shane didn't understand what Frillian was doing.

But he soon realized something was wrong.

Poison Dragon did not respond to Frilian's actions.

The giant python attacked the moment it spotted the enemy, but the venomous dragon deep in the pool, despite being a pure monster, did not move at all, not even when Frilian made a move.

Why is that?

"It's dead, no, it's more accurate to say it's lost its vitality," Frillie concluded.

"I don't understand..." Xia En said honestly.

"When monsters die, they turn into magical particles and disappear without a trace. This Poison Dragon is dead, but it hasn't disappeared. This can only mean that someone has stripped it of its life force, but hasn't truly killed it."

Frillie's explanation made Shane frown, but soon, a word came to mind—specimen.

"You mean, someone made it into a specimen?"

Little Shane was greatly surprised.

"Specimen?" Frilian looked thoughtful.

"I think I've seen this word in a magic book before, or something like that."

Who could possibly turn a demonic dragon into a specimen?

Xia En couldn't help but take another step back.

His hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he warily scanned his surroundings. Could some perverted old witch be lurking in the shadows where the light from the crystal ball couldn't reach?

Frillie's staff swept lightly across the water's surface as she continued, "Don't touch this water. There's evil energy in it. The person who did this might be using this method to extract something."

I definitely won't touch it!

Xia En silently complained.

I'm not some middle-aged man who's into medicinal wines, so why would I be interested in a pool with a dragon in it?

At the same time, he was deeply grateful to himself for drinking plain water. Luckily, he hadn't refilled the water bag earlier, otherwise, it would have been a waste.

After bypassing the pool, the two continued forward, only to find that the entire room had no way to lead anywhere else.

At the far end of the hall is a single giant mural.

The painting depicts the omniscient and omnipotent goddess who created the world, along with the worshippers surrounding her. The solemn and dignified scene evokes a sense of holiness.

"This massive sculpture is likely in the style of murals from the Unified Dynasty period," Frilian said.

"That's truly magnificent!"

Xia En sincerely praised.

Apart from the earliest mythological era, goddesses have never appeared in the long course of history.

But her faith never wavered.

Shaun had seen monks holding the Holy Scripture and had even sought treatment at a monastery when he had an upset stomach. Although he had no faith in the goddesses of this world, he had a good impression of the monks.

"It's not just spectacular."

Frillie, who had remained expressionless throughout the journey and showed no fluctuation even when her magic was sealed, now revealed a sly smile.

She approached the mural, listened intently, leaned over it, and tapped it with her hand.

"There's a hidden room behind this wall; it's bound to contain treasure. Judging from the surroundings, there might even be a very valuable magic book inside."

A glint flashed in Frillie's eyes at the mention of the grimoire.

She stood in front of the mural, touching it left and right, looking completely excited.

Xia En exclaimed in amazement, "As expected of you!"

"But this room doesn't seem to have any other exit..."

"Indeed, but based on my years of experience exploring mazes, there must be a room here."

As she spoke, Frilian lay down on the ground and began to feel around along the lower edge of the mural.

Xia En raised an eyebrow as he looked at the white buttocks sticking out in front of him.

A few minutes later, Frillie actually found it.

As the elven girl pressed a seemingly insignificant stone brick, the mural in front of her began to change.

Rumble.

The angel wings that were originally hanging beside the goddess stretched upwards, transforming into a flapping shape. The entire mural slowly rose, revealing the stone wall behind it.

Immediately afterwards, the bricks on the stone wall seemed to come alive and began to move on their own.

A moment later, a narrow staircase leading upwards appeared in front of the two of them.

"Hmph."

Frillie gave a slightly smug smile.

Xia En gave a thumbs up, "Awesome."

Frillen, feeling smug after being praised, stepped onto the stairs.

After walking a few steps, the two arrived at a brand new room. Compared to the spacious and empty palace hall they had just been in, this room could be described as "cramped".

The stone chamber, only a few dozen square meters in size, was furnished very simply.

A simple wooden bed, an empty bookshelf, a desk with a diary and a quill pen on it...

Everything was covered in dust.

It's obvious that no one has been here for a long time.

The initially excited Frillie lost her joy upon seeing the furnishings in the room, and even her long, pointed ears drooped.

Even more stubbornly, he looked under the wooden plank bed...

Unlike her, Xia En became somewhat excited.

Because a barrage of information, almost blindingly bright, appeared before his eyes— [The Diary of the Great Sage Ciel] Status: Decaying Entry: 【Great Wisdom Appears as Foolishness (Golden Legend)】: Simplifies complex magical formulas and theoretical knowledge into easy-to-understand "terms". Mastering the terms allows you to quickly learn the corresponding magic.

【Accelerated Thinking (Golden Legend)】: A true sage must possess a brilliant mind. Permanently enhance your wisdom and comprehension, accelerating your reading speed.

【Time Mastery (Golden Legend)】: Where is the boundary between the past and the future? The best way to avoid "futurism" is to suppress the flow of time within yourself. Now you can deceive those who like to "read the future."

Evaluation: Experiment No. 142857 is complete. Teacher, we succeeded.

Holy crap.

I got a gold item in a single pull.