Chương 243: Chapter 239 - The inner sanctum

Scarlett surveyed the lineup of robed wizards in front of her and Grand Wizard Hartford within the Astral Sanctum, studying their faces. They were all Senior Wizards or Principal Wizards, which meant they were skilled enough, but she had expected at least one Grand Wizard or Arch Wizard. Her gaze lingered momentarily on the purple-haired wizard at the end of the line before she turned to address Gaspar.

"Are you certain that this assembly meets the requirements?" she asked.

"I am," the man replied firmly. Scarlett regarded him silently.

"… Very well. Then shall we commence?" Casting a final look at the line of wizards, she then moved her attention upwards, admiring the myriad of scenes adorning the dome of the chamber's ceiling, each depicting notable locations. The Zuver certainly loved their puzzles. To players, this particular dungeon had never been that important. There were other dungeons on the Isle that offered better loot and held more quest relevance.

That said, it stood out in that you had to have progressed pretty far in the game to even access it. Noticing that none of the wizards had started moving despite her words, she gestured to Gaspar to initiate the proceedings. He gave her one last, skeptical look before directing the wizards according to her instructions.

"Marlowe, assume your position before the Resting Eye mural. Whiteley, to the Ever-reaching Grotto. Tattersall will take the White Forest, and Rudge the Sunken Crypt." The man systematically dispatched the orders, pausing when he reached the purple-haired wizard, Yamina.

"…Senior Wizard Ward, the Forgotten Tower falls under your responsibility." Scarlett's eyes followed as Yamina crossed the chamber, stopping beneath the artwork depicting a tower emerging amidst a tumultuous sea, its surrounding waters in a perpetual storm.

"Position your hands on the markings within the murals," Gaspar called out. The wizards complied, turning to the murals on the walls in front of them and touching the stone. Nothing happened, but that was to be expected. Gaspar turned to Scarlett.

"Baroness, if you would take your place." Scarlett walked over to one of the final murals, situated beneath the fresco that illustrated the highest peak in the Whitdown Mountains. There, she pressed her hand against the cold stone. A few seconds passed, then an echoing rumble reverberated throughout the space. Suddenly, a section of the floor at the chamber's center lit up, slowly evaporating to reveal a descending staircase.

The remaining wizards, who had temporarily retreated to the chamber's entrance, let out sounds of surprise and amazement, while Scarlett allowed a slight smile to appear on her lips. The reason this puzzle could take so long to complete was because of its ties to the Kilnstone network. Not to mention that the player had to complete it on their own in the game.

Each location depicted on the ceiling was associated with at least one Kilnstone, and it only activated when an individual who had visited the corresponding Kilnstone made contact with the mural beneath it. Doing this for all the murals within a certain time frame opened the dungeon. Some of the locations were pretty remote, but since this was the Rising Isle, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they had wizards who had visited most of these places.

The only truly shocking element was the Forgotten Tower's Kilnstone. The Tower was widely believed to be completely inaccessible and had been for centuries, with few even being aware it had a Kilnstone. Moreover, the Kilnstone itself was inactive most of the time, so actually reaching the place was practically impossible. Scarlett hadn't been worried, though, since she knew that there was one wizard on the Isle who had visited the Tower, despite all that.

Her eyes once more turned towards Yamina, who met her gaze steadily. Maybe they could make that two now. Scarlett started walking towards the newly revealed opening at the chamber's center, stopping to stand beside Gaspar who was peering down the opening. Fynn, who had been waiting with the other wizards, caught up to them and halted behind Scarlett. Gaspar's expression was one that could only be described as a blend of restrained excitement and prideful stubbornness.

The man himself didn't say anything to Scarlett as he turned to address the rest of the wizards.

"Prepare yourselves. We are moving forward immediately." Scarlett noted that Yamina moved naturally with the others, still acting like part of the group as everyone gathered around the passage. Would it be rude of Scarlett to point out the absurdity of a Senior Wizard supposedly having been to the Forgotten Tower? Maybe. She'd leave it for now, at least. Soon, they began their descent, with Gaspar and Scarlett near the front.

The stairs were wide enough to allow six people to move side by side, illuminated by green crystals embedded in the walls where carvings of Zuver characters silently watched over them. Scarlett absentmindedly observed those figures as her thoughts wandered. Hopefully, this endeavour would demonstrate to the Rising Isle what she had to offer. For her part, this dungeon served mainly as a means for her to assess the Isle's commitment to a potential collaboration.

She had yet to make any real, explicit negotiations or demands for compensation, but that would come later. For now, she was even willing to give up the loot in this dungeon. She couldn't recall its exact contents, but she felt relatively confident that it wasn't of immediate importance to her. The descent lasted roughly five minutes before they arrived at the bottom of the stairs.

There, they were greeted by a vast open expanse of grey stone, marked only by an entrance at the far end and a solitary, large figure in the center. This figure, a construct forged from dull gray steel and towering as tall as six adults stacked, knelt on one knee like a statue without moving, but one look was enough to tell that it wasn't to be toyed with. Compared to the constructs Scarlett had encountered before, this one was probably several times as strong.

She cast a sidelong glance at Gaspar, who was studying the construct intently. It seemed like he recognized what it was as well.

"Do you believe your people are capable of dealing with this?" she asked. Given the rather significant number of seasoned wizards trailing behind them, it would be strange if they couldn't handle this much. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Of course," the man replied, giving Scarlett a brief look before signaling for her and Fynn to step aside. Scarlett didn't mind it, not having intended to show her full abilities quite yet anyhow. Gaspar directed a select group of wizards, dressed in emerald robes with Yamina among them, to step forward. Without directly addressing the purple-haired woman, he instructed them to search for any wards, concealed threats, or mechanisms that could deactivate the construct.

The group began casting their spells—presumably a mix of analytical and divination magic—while Scarlett observed from the sidelines. Usually, her party would have opted for a more direct approach and simply attacked the construct right out of the gate, considering there was nothing else here of note. But she supposed the Rising Isle would place more importance on preserving constructs like this whenever possible. A few minutes passed without the wizards identifying anything notable.

From what Scarlett overheard, the construct itself lacked any obvious means of deactivation, nor could its enchantments be easily tampered with. Gaspar seemed disappointed by that, but he quickly arranged for the rest of the wizards to position themselves strategically at the chamber's entrance, ready to deal with the construct by force. What followed could barely be called a fight.

The second the wizards began casting their offensive magic, the construct stirred from its inert state, rising to its full, imposing height. For a moment, it had seemed like an impressive battle would ensue from there. However, before it could act, it was bombarded by a relentless onslaught of spells—fireballs, lightning, rays of light, and other elemental forces—slamming into its massive frame like a tidal wave. To its credit, the construct withstood the initial assault mostly unscathed.

But taking on consecutive volleys of such intensity, cast with little pause, proved too much, and within a minute, it had crumbled into a pile of smoldering, twisted metal. Scarlett honestly felt slightly let down by the length of the encounter. She'd hoped to see a bit more of what 'Grand Wizard' Hartford and 'Senior Wizard' Yamina were capable of, but the former stuck to simpler spells, while the latter didn't even join in the fray.

After beating the construct, Gaspar had his people inspect it and the surrounding chamber, and only when he was satisfied did they continue on. To say that their progress from there was slow would probably be an exaggeration, but it was certainly methodical. Gaspar had them proceed with deliberate care, with Yamina and the other emerald-robed mages periodically casting spells to detect any dangers or noteworthy details.

Their journey eventually led them to another spacious chamber, this time guarded by two constructs. Scarlett noted Gaspar's slight annoyance as he directed his people to use the same tactics as before, and it wasn't long before these new threats were also dealt with. The advance continued in that fashion for a while, navigating through a series of mostly empty passageways and past various constructs that would have taken Scarlett's own party who knows how much time to handle.

Finally, they reached a great hall bathed in an ethereal luminescence which she recognized as the dungeon's end. The air itself seemed to thrum with latent energy here, centering around a grand circular platform. The platform's intricate design glowed with a soft, rhythmic light, surrounded by elaborate runes and translucent trails etched deeply into its surface, forming intricate patterns and geometric configurations.

Above, the ceiling vanished into an otherworldly expanse, where a mesmerising constellation of lights performed a silent dance, cascading down like celestial ribbons. The chamber's walls were flanked by towering pillars, each meticulously carved as if to fit some grand schema. Between these pillars, the stone itself seemed alive, shimmering with exceedingly complex characters that extended down to the floor, intertwining the entire space in a web of arcane energy.

Impressed and awed murmurs filled the air as the assembly of wizards took in the sight. Perhaps somewhat disappointingly, there was no last boss awaiting them here, but Scarlett was fairly sure the same went for the game. The mobs they had encountered were supposed to be challenging enough by themselves. They just hadn't been enough to deal with a small army of trained wizards.

"There are those who have posited that the Astral Sanctum alone could not create the barriers and wards protecting the Rising Isle," Yamina's calm, clear voice resonated nearby.

"Instead, they have suggested that there might exist a hidden nexus for them somewhere on the Isle. It appears we've now confirmed those theories." Scarlett caught Gaspar looking at her with an indecipherable expression. She met his gaze steadily.

"It seems I have delivered what I promised," she said. The man scoffed lightly before turning his attention back to the chamber, instructing Yamina and the others to analyse the space before proceeding. However, none of their spells worked within the chamber's confines, dissolving as soon as they were cast. It seemed like there were still protections in place here.

"A precaution to ensure nothing interferes with the wards, presumably," Gaspar concluded, a frown marking his brow.

"… Proceed with due caution, and do not disturb the runes. Tattersall, survey the right side while Marlow is in charge of the left. I will take the platform." The large gathering of wizards moved forward, slowly flowing into the chamber while avoiding the runes and glowing veins etched into the floor. Scarlett instructed Fynn to do the same, even though she doubted anything would happen if they didn't. Better safe than sorry. Many of the wizards began taking out journals to document their findings.

Gaspar and a few others approached the central platform, inspecting it from all angles without stepping onto it. As for Scarlett, her focus drifted to a set of altars at the chamber's end, which she supposed held the dungeon's loot. Seeing them before her, she felt her earlier resolve to ignore them waver slightly. But the Isle probably wouldn't appreciate it if she suddenly started claiming them outright, even considering her role in uncovering this place. That was fine.

She'd just make up for any lost loot in other ways. She just had to tell herself that. Her thoughts paused as she spotted something lying on the ground, narrowly missed by an eager wizard analysing a nearby set of runes. The item resembled a bracelet of sorts, crafted from dark iron with copper highlights, its surface a tangled network of engravings, patterns, and symbols. Scarlett frowned slightly, stepping over to the item.

Kneeling to pick it up, she drew puzzled glances from a few wizards, but strangely, none of them seemed to notice the bracelet itself. She stood, turning the object over in her hands for a closer inspection. Prominent on its face was a tiny metal globe set within a copper framework. Encircling it was a ring, almost like the bezel on a watch, with two wobbling pointers—one longer and one shorter—both aimed at the top of the ring where a small gem was affixed.

Even to Scarlett's untrained eye, it was a masterpiece of craftsmanship. She studied the symbols etched along its band, which were clearly Zuver in origin, puzzled over its function. [Orrery of Dissonant Convergence (Unique)] {Crafted through ancient artifice long since forgotten, this mysterious device resonates with hidden energies beyond the veil of the mundane world} Her eyes widened. It was possible she was just misremembering, but she didn't recall this from the game…

Moving the device slightly, Scarlett noticed the shorter pointer's faint, responsive quivers, shifting slightly along the rim of the outer bezel. Moving it again, the pointer returned to the top. Ignoring the curious glances from the wizards, she continued experimenting with the bracelet—or rather, the 'Orrery'—trying to discern its purpose. Unlike most other artifacts she'd dealt with, she couldn't seem to establish a link to this one, nor did it provide any obvious buffs or effects.

Suddenly, when she oriented the piece in a specific direction, the shorter pointer shifted noticeably, swaying as it pointed roughly at one o'clock. Following its aim, she didn't find anything noteworthy, but she did note that the longer pointer was currently focused on Yamina, who was inspecting a complex arrangement of runes on a pillar. Forehead creasing in thought, Scarlett tried rotating the long pointer towards another wizard.

Immediately, the short pointer returned to its original position and largely stopped moving. Pointing it at several other wizards yielded much the same result, but it was different when she pointed it at Gaspar. Then, the short pointer shifted roughly to two o'clock. Scarlett stared at the Orrery for a few seconds. What was this? Gaspar seemed to notice her attention on him after a while, signaling with a hand gesture for her to come over.

With the Orrery still clutched in her hand, Scarlett approached, expecting him to inquire about the artifact. But the question never came. Gaspar's focus was solely on her face.

"Is there something on your mind, Baroness?" Scarlett raised an eyebrow.

"…No, nothing at all."

"Then why…" He paused, a frown wrinkling his features before he gave a dismissive shake of his head.

"Regardless, the discovery of this place is more than sufficient to substantiate the accuracy of your claims. If it suits you, we'll discuss in further detail what other knowledge you have to offer and negotiate the terms surrounding it. I am sure you have much to ask of us."

[Quest completed: Cleared the Astral Sanctum] {Skill points awarded: 10} Scarlett spared the notification only a fleeting glance before returning her attention to the artifact in her palm, seeing its pointer still fluctuating while aiming at Gaspar. Then, meeting the man's gaze once more, she nodded.

"Indeed. There is much to discuss, and even more mysteries to unravel."