Ancient Artifacts Brought Up from Underground

As Guy and his daughter left the city, Rein let out a long sigh.

However, we have done everything we could and should have done.

Ultimately, their fate depends on their own destiny.

In Guy's words, we've already hit rock bottom, how could it get any worse?

I suppose they managed to get to this "Black Wind Territory" alive without me having to worry about them.

The little girl was a member of the "Curse Tribe," whose life was already full of hardships, but her life was incredibly tenacious.

Thinking back, Guy gave Rein an increasingly unpredictable feeling. Just like the first time at the gambling den, he completely thought that guy was just a gambling addict.

Now that I think about it, it feels like a return to simplicity, just like with Mafat and Cavo.

After experiencing the ups and downs of life, that guy seemed to have grasped a very profound realm. His sword intent of "good triumphs over evil" always made people feel that it was somewhat unfathomable.

But ultimately, his body, weakened by the toxins to the point where even walking was difficult, made it hard to believe he could survive in the wasteland.

Well, the antidote has been sent. Hopefully, they can survive.

That's what Rein thought.

The green-haired Young City Lord and the group of security team members breathed a sigh of relief as they watched Guy and his daughter leave the city.

They stared at Rein with disapproving looks, probably afraid of being tainted by bad luck, and ignored the meddlesome doctor, turning away as soon as they could.

Last night's zombie horde was very dangerous, but it didn't breach the city. The casualties among ordinary hunters were about the same as those during a regular zombie horde attack.

On the contrary, the privileged class in the Mechanical City suffered heavy losses.

Zombie hordes are a crisis for the hunters, but surviving them also means opportunity, especially large hordes.

Typically, when encountering such a large zombie horde, treasures deep in the mud are unearthed, which is great news for the hunters.

Now everyone has experience; by following the places where traces of human zombies appear frequently, you can find ancient ruins, and with a bit of luck, you can become rich overnight.

Moreover, after the S-Class Corpse Tide, it will probably be a long time before a large-scale zombie horde can gather again. At least for the next few days, a large area within a radius of tens of kilometers has been designated as a "safe zone" and also a "treasure snow zone".

The young people are still going out in groups to hunt for treasure, as this is a rare opportunity to make a fortune. The old, young, women and children are still clearing away piles of broken bones outside the city, and also sorting out any magic crystal treasures they may have missed.

Rein had no need for hunting in the wilderness; he had plenty of money, treasures, potions, and Cultivation Method.

So he wandered off to the Mechanical City alone, intending to find a hotel to rest and then contemplate the realization that seemed to be within his grasp.

Apart from the breached "Radiant 77" Mechanical City, the other Mechanical City did not suffer serious damage.

The merchants were also optimistic; as long as no one was dead, the shops would remain open as usual. Early in the morning, the shops were open for business as usual, and quite bustling. Those were people buying supplies and preparing to head out to hunt in the wilderness.

Rein found a place to stay called "Moon Inn".

I talked with Guy all night last night and gained some insight into the concept of "momentum," but I felt that something was missing.

He knew this couldn't be rushed, but he also wanted to quickly build up his own "momentum," so he entered the room and fell into meditation.

Righteousness?

Rein felt that this was probably what Mafat and the others meant by the unshakable belief in his heart.

But he never positioned himself as a "messenger of justice".

He felt that his purpose in pursuing the path of the Transcendent was quite simple.

My first reason was to see different scenery in this world.

Secondly, if you encounter something unfair, you can settle it with your fists.

If one punch isn't enough, then two punches will do.

I woke up from my meditation when it was almost evening.

Rein still couldn't grasp that insight and condense his own "momentum".

So I thought I'd go out for some fresh air.

The Mechanical City was still bustling with activity, brightly lit and vibrant.

Hunting was something that commoners had to do, while nobles could live comfortably simply by guarding the Mechanical City and collecting taxes.

Rein wandered around the city but didn't hear about any more barbarian gladiatorial matches, so he lost interest in visiting any more taverns.

I didn't have time to explore the city much yesterday, but I'm in the mood today, so I'm planning to take a good look around.

City of Radiance used to have a small population. Apart from the five main cities, the rest of the Mechanical City were mostly war Mechanical City prepared for hunting. There were almost no extra buildings in the city, except for the war fortress.

Now it's private property, and the population has increased tenfold. Not just commoners, but nobles too. To accommodate even more people in the Mechanical City, craftsmen are constantly adding various buildings. Houses and castles are becoming increasingly tall and densely packed. Before long, these mechanical achievements will transform into bloated and sluggish city fortresses.

Besides the regular shops, there is a market for hunters in the western part of the city, where hunters set up stalls.

If you're lucky, you can find a lot of great things.

Last night's Beast Tide brought the hunters a fortune, along with a large haul of ancient artifacts: pottery jars, weapons and armor, ornaments, magical objects—the undead brought out many strange and unusual things from underground.

Rein also came all the way.

"Come and see! A cat's eye ring from the 3,000-year-old Sunnan Civilization, only 450,000 lisso!"

"A pottery jar from the Monkell Civilization, only 700,000."

"A mysterious runic iron sword that has remained uncorroded for a thousand years. Those who know, please."

"."

This Hunter's Market is somewhat like the antique market from Rein's previous life; the entire place is filled with various stalls. There's just a cloth laid out on the ground, and then it's overflowing with all sorts of dazzling antiques.

Apart from a few hunters, the vast majority are professional antique dealers.

Where there are professional vendors, there are also professional counterfeiters.

Before arriving, the hotel owner had enthusiastically explained some things to keep in mind when shopping on Taobao to this generous nobleman. There were many counterfeit goods at the professional vendors' stalls, but the ones at the hunters' stalls were much better.

Rein had no skill in identifying ancient artifacts, nor did he have any interest in collecting them.

So it doesn't matter whether it's true or false, it's just for fun.

He was simply curious about how many ancient civilizations were buried beneath this land, and what those brilliant civilizations had left for posterity.

No need to buy them; the "Mind Core" will automatically record the style, patterns, text, and shape of the cultural relics and then categorize them into the database.

This is the kind of excitement that Rein wanted to see.

Along the way, he also saw many novel gadgets.

Moreover, due to the zombie horde last night, many stalls were piled with a large number of newly unearthed artifacts.

Upon closer inspection, Rein discovered that there were a particularly large number of artifacts from the "Monkell Civilization".

It seems that last night's zombie horde may have uncovered an ancient ruin of the Monkell Civilization.

"Come and see! The 'King Monkel's Golden Mask,' the mask the Black Emperor wore back then!"

"The Ancient Monkell Script gold tablet contains a mysterious Treasure Map; don't miss it."

Clues to a Brand New Ruins

"."

The shouts and calls echoed all around.

At first, Rein didn't pay much attention to it and just listened to it for fun.

Every vendor at the street stalls here can exaggerate their shabby goods into ancient divine weapons, or various high-end items with impressive origins.

But when Rein walked to a shop, he went in and found that the vendor hadn't been exaggerating.

To be precise, that guy just happened to guess right.

This is a stall selling gold antiques: bottles, jars, boots, masks, scepters—things Rein doesn't understand.

But there was a gold plate on the stall, covered with inscriptions.

Because he knew the Monkel Script, he immediately deciphered the contents of the gold tablet.

[Offerings to the great 'Thunder Nightmare' Lord Arurete: 300 Bull-Scaled Beasts, 800 Winter Sheep, and 1000 Red-Feathered Chickens]

This is a sacrificial ritual object, on which is written the types and quantities of live animals used in a sacrifice to the gods.

These kinds of things are usually found in temples or tombs.

Looking at this thing, Rein finally became truly interested, and thought to himself, "The temple of [Thunder Nightmare] Arurete, who is ranked thirty-sixth among the 'Seventy-Two Divine Generals'?"

A portion of this deity's legacy has been passed down. The "Breath of Lightning" he is currently learning is said to be a fragment of Cultivation Method exclusive to this lineage.

"Could there be another temple ruin nearby?"

Rein's eyes darted around, and he immediately guessed what had happened.

He squatted down and picked up the gold plate to examine it closely.

Currently, no mainstream archaeologist can translate the "Ancient Monkell Script." Not understanding the script means there's no way to fake it. This gold piece is clearly genuine.

If it was recently unearthed, it might actually have been brought out from some temple.

Pure gold items are precious metals, and when combined with ancient artifacts, their prices are not low among antiques.

Seeing that Rein was interested in the gold plate, the street vendor smiled and asked, "You have a good eye! I've already had this gold plate appraised by archaeological experts. The inscription on it is very likely a Treasure Map, just like I told you. It's fate that we've met today. Putting everything else aside, I'll take it for ten million lisos!"

"."

Rein listened to the merchant's boastful talk, his eye twitched. Treasure Map?

Which archaeologist did you have authenticate it?

It was clearly just a sacrificial ritual object.

He was initially somewhat interested in the gold leaf, but upon hearing the price, that interest vanished.

In my past life, ancient civilizations were scarce, so it was understandable that antiques commanded high prices. But now, the world is full of ancient ruins, and you're still asking for such exorbitant prices. You're just making yourself look like a sucker.

He weighed it in his hand; it was only a few gold coins' worth. Even with a markup, it should fetch around a hundred or two hundred thousand lisos.

The vendor astutely caught Rein's subtle expression that he thought the price was too high. Seeing that the sale was about to fall through, he quickly changed his tune, saying, "Oh, never mind! It's our first day of business. If you really want it, here's nine million five hundred thousand, take it!"

"."

Rein pursed his lips, still quite disgusted by the price.

Having read the text anyway, and not intending to buy a gold nugget to reserve storage space, he got up and prepared to leave.

The vendor quickly grabbed him, his face contorted with a desperate expression, and said, "Give me a price, and let's be friends. I'll sell if it's right!"

Rein felt a little embarrassed for having looked around for so long, and shook his head. "Never mind. I'm afraid if I offer too low a price, you'll think I'm not sincere about buying."

He was too embarrassed to say that the price this guy quoted was far different from the price he expected.

The vendor, with a look of desperation but a willingness to lose money to attract customers, gritted his teeth and said, "Just name your price, what if it works out!"

Rein tentatively asked, "Five hundred thousand?"

Vendor: "Sell!"

Holy crap, that was too hasty!

Upon hearing that remark was so decisive, Rein's face twitched.

The vendor was extremely enthusiastic, immediately wrapping the gold plate in a piece of paper and handing it over, saying, "Thank you for your patronage, 500,000 li of silver."

This item might be bought by collectors in big cities like Sid and Omar, and fetch a good price.

But in the wilderness, cultural relics are the least valuable things, especially those that cannot be translated.

Now, the area west of the Alkolon Mountain Range is full of ancient ruins, with piles of gold artifacts unearthed. Antiques are about to drop to the price of gold. They are currently worth ten times more than gold. If you want to sell, you should sell decisively!

"."

With the items presented to him, Rein had no choice but to accept them and pay 500,000 risos.

The vendor took the money, then picked up the Golden Mask from his stall, saying, "I also have the Black Emperor's golden mask here. Do you want to see it? Let me tell you, it was brought by the zombie horde last night. This mask is really eerie. When I wore it before, I felt like I was in a dream, seeing a magnificent temple. It's very likely that this is part of a set with that golden plate, and this is the palace where the Treasure Map is located."

Rein listened to him blowing with great enthusiasm and took a look at it in his hand.

It's clearly just an ordinary Golden Mask, yet I can't believe I saw a magnificent palace.

Vendor: "Don't rush off. I'll sell this to you cheap, five million will do! If you don't like it, I also have the Black Emperor's wife's golden scepter and boots."

Rein rolled his eyes at him, annoyed.

This time, he wasn't even interested in haggling and got up to leave.

Just then, a soft, sweet female voice suddenly came from beside her. "Can I take a look at your mask?"

Turning around, they saw a beautiful woman. Beside her was a dashing young man in silver armor; they appeared to be mother and son. Both were dressed elegantly, and they didn't seem to be nobles, but rather wealthy merchants or someone of high social standing.

Rein was initially not interested in the two strangers, but when he looked at the beautiful woman's face, which seemed somewhat familiar, he paused for a moment.

But he only glanced at it once before turning and leaving.

Behind me, I heard the sounds of bargaining.

"One million!"

"Make a deal!"

"."

The beautiful woman seemed very interested in the goldware on the stall, lingering for a long time. As a professional businesswoman, she bought many things. But the silver-armored youth beside her was getting rather bored.

"Mother, are we finally going on an adventure to explore the wilderness?"

"Yes, some ruins have appeared. We can't wait for the merchants to arrive; we need to go check them out first. But there's no rush. We'll set off tomorrow after we've recruited the hunting team."

"Wow, I can finally go out hunting! My spear is itching to get going!"

"Gannix, it's dangerous to go out hunting. If you cause trouble, stay in the Mechanical City."

"Mother! Teacher Sam has long said that I must go out and gain experience in order to break through to the Third Tier. You can't let me stay in the city. I want to become a brave explorer!"

"No, you don't want that. In the future, you will become a successful businessman and then inherit the family business."

"."