"This is... how did you do it?" Thunder's jaw dropped in disbelief.
The walls were dotted with dozens of tiny holes, each holding a stone that emitted a pure white glow. Even the ceiling's edge was lined with a circle of these luminous stones. Bathed in the soft light, every detail of the hall came into sharp focus.
Ash had never seen an explorer with such a look before, and a wave of delight surged through him. "You don't know? When a Witch infuses power into a magic stone, it unlocks additional abilities." "What about these? Are they magic stones too?" Leiting carefully took out a glowing stone and held it in his hand. Even after leaving the small hole, its glow remained undimmed.
"I don't know," Tilly shook her head. "These stones might have been glowing here for centuries—if the ruins truly have such a long history. They were hidden behind stone slabs before, so they went unnoticed. Only a Witch could activate this special mechanism." "Didn't you make them glow?" "No, they glow on their own," Tilly said, holding up a magic stone before her eyes. The pure white light illuminated her exquisite face. "If this were a device requiring Magic Power to function, it wouldn't be so easily removed—just like a candle flame can't escape its wick. Currently, the hole in the wall serves only to hold glowing stones, nothing more." "If it's true that they glow autonomously and can remain lit for centuries, their value would be immeasurable," Thunder exclaimed in amazement. "Remember how fist-sized snow crystals from Eternal Winter Kingdom sell for hundreds of Golden Dragons, yet their brightness is less than half of theirs." The sailors' eyes suddenly changed when they heard such staggering prices.
"Take half as we agreed," Tilly said indifferently, her attention completely elsewhere. With ample light, she could examine the hall more closely. Ash couldn't bear to watch her tear seaweed apart, so he swung his sword like a mower, sweeping off all the epiphytic plants clinging to the walls. Soon, the second hidden magic stone within the wall was discovered.
Tilly infused her with Magic Power using the same method. With a metallic clang, a massive stone slab tilted downward from above her head. Two taut copper ropes stretched across it, revealing carved steps on the inside. As the slab's lower end slowly descended to the ground, its upper end led to the ceiling. Ash looked up and saw a metal door blocking the passage at the end.
"Tilly," seeing the Fifth Princess walk up the stone staircase without hesitation, Ash couldn't help but say, "Let me go first." "No problem, this isn't some... treasure trove." She climbed to the top of the staircase, grasped a protruding magic stone by the door, and the metal door swung open instantly.
When he saw Tilly dart into the room and vanish beneath the ceiling, Ash had no choice but to follow closely, gripping the massive sword in his hand.
As she passed through the ceiling, Ashen's eyes widened in surprise. Above the ceiling lay a room far smaller than the main hall, its walls embedded with glowing stones. What astonished her most was the near-total absence of water damage here.
The wooden table, chairs, bookshelves, and cabinets stood intact, their surfaces heavy with dust and even faint traces of spider webs. The bookshelves displayed a neatly arranged row of books, now completely gray from the dust. The table held open books alongside cups, a kettle, and a pen stand. The goose-feather pen stood alone, its shaft hollowed out by dried ink. In stark contrast to the hall beneath, covered in algae and shells, this scene seemed like a world apart.
Thunder climbed up the third time, gasping for air as he surveyed the surroundings. "This is..." "An abandoned dwelling," Tilly said, lifting the book from the table and gently brushing off the dust. "Someone lived here for a long time." "What's written on it?" "I can't make out anything," she shook her head and spread the book out before them. "It's all text I've never seen before." "The same seems to be on the shelf." Ash wiped the dust from the book's spine with her fingers. The words were like strange wavy lines, utterly unintelligible.
"We can take them back and study them in detail," Tilly said with a smile. "As agreed, both the book and the magic stone are mine." "Of course," Thunder stroked his beard. "But when you make any discoveries, I hope you'll share this ancient tale with me." "No problem."...
The three of them conducted a thorough search in the second-floor room, quickly getting a clear picture of the situation.
Instead of finding the new magic stone, they discovered a peculiar object at the opposite end of the room. At first glance, it resembled a thick metal tube—its one end embedded in the stone wall, while the other tapered to a wrist-thick section, ending with a glass lens embedded at the tip.
"What is this?" Ash tapped the tube, and a series of crisp echoes resonated from within—clearly the tube was hollow inside.
"It resembles a marine lookout binoculars—perhaps the inhabitants here use it to survey the surroundings," Thunder leaned in close to the lens. "The darkness is complete... nothing visible. It must be broken." "Not necessarily," Tilly pointed to the wall behind the metal tube. "Look this way." Ash followed her finger's direction and saw a copper plate embedded in the wall, complete with a handle and a small hole beneath it, likely for inserting a key. The Fifth Princess approached and tried to pull the handle, but the plate remained motionless. "It's locked." "Let me try," she said. Ash gripped the handle and yanked it, causing the entire plate to dislodge from the wall.
"Ha, you're right," Thunderclap exclaimed, "another magic stone trap." A massive magic stone was lodged in the groove behind the copper plate, distinct from the previous two in both size and coloration, now tinged with a deep purple hue.
"Do you want to activate it?" Ash asked.
"Um." Tilly nodded without hesitation, clutching the stone with both hands, though this time it remained motionless for a long while.
"What's going on?" "It... is too big," beads of sweat formed on her forehead. "I can feel it draining Magic Power relentlessly. The mechanism behind it must be colossal." "Stop it," Ash frowned. She knew the Witch would likely collapse into unconsciousness if her Magic Power ran out, and draining it all in such a perilous place was clearly a grave mistake.
"No, it's almost done—I can feel it," Tilly said, but before she could finish, a deafening roar erupted from the wall, like a continuous thunderclap, and the entire room shook violently.
"This is... an earthquake?" Thunder steadied the metal pipe to avoid a fall, while Ash immediately grabbed Tilly and pulled her into his arms. Dust rained down, and the three couldn't help but cough.
The tremor lasted for almost fifteen minutes before it gradually subsided.
Moriel poked her head out from the stairwell. "What just happened?" "A new mechanism," Ash pouted. "Is the floor safe?" "Everyone was terrified. Several ceiling panels collapsed, but I covered them with the Magic Power Servant." The young girl moved closer. "Lady Tilly, what are you looking at?" To her surprise, Tilly didn't answer. Her eyes stayed fixed on the metal tube's end for a long moment before she let out a long sigh. "It's unbelievable..." Ash's eyes narrowed in curiosity, then she was left speechless by the sight before her.
At the opposite end of the 'telescope,' a vast expanse of land emerged, its edges resembling a cliff that stretched endlessly into the distance. At the center of this cliff stood an enormous stone archway, its interior dark and profound, like a gaping maw that would devour whoever it chose.