Li Wen led the group to the temple. The Temple of Tyrion was no different in style from the Noradun Empire ruins that remained today. Rough marble pillars supported an enormous dome, while the towering bronze doors—the only entrance—looked as though only giants could push them open.
"Feels like we're about to trigger a boss fight the moment we go in."
Take muttered under her breath.
Li Wen ignored her. At that moment, Leonart's Fourth Solution activated once more. The massive bronze doors slowly opened without anyone touching them, revealing the ruined, dark interior of the temple.
Unlike its plain exterior, the Temple of Tyrion's interior resembled a magnificent work of art. Every stone tile on the floor and walls appeared meticulously carved, covered in totems and paintings related to Noradun mythology.
A pitch-black corridor led straight into the depths of the temple. Take and the others stared at it nervously, afraid that some monster or enemy might suddenly leap out.
Li Wen paid them no mind and walked in first. The players exchanged looks before obediently following her.
The temple interior was dim and oppressive, with the foul, earthy stench of decay lingering in the air. However, Li Wen noticed traces of reddish-black stains left on the floor.
There was no doubt about it—bloodstains. Judging by the oxidation, they had been left less than three days ago.
That fit Li Wen's suspicion that the Fire Mage had been injured. In that case, his target really did overlap with hers. She just did not know how he had found this place or entered the temple.
Li Wen was not worried that the Fire Mage might get ahead of her and obtain that crucial item first. In her previous life, the first people to explore Amber City and successfully acquire that treasure had been members of the Strategy Group.
That was a confirmed future. Fixed fate could not be changed, unless there was a second Urd's Thorn in the world.
After passing through the dark corridor and reaching the inner hall, they discovered that it was brightly lit. When they looked up, they saw a massive dusky yellow crystal floating at the center of the semicircular dome. The inner hall's light came from that crystal.
Li Wen recognized it as Twilight Stone, a rare magical material mostly used in alchemical processes and rituals involving the Radiance Spectrum. Missionaries of the Holy Candlemas Church used the stone grease that seeped from it to make Whispering Candles.
Such an enormous piece of Twilight Stone was rare even during the Golden Age. According to the Black Market prices Li Wen had learned about before, Twilight Stone of the same weight was more valuable than gold. A perfectly preserved piece this large was absolutely one of a kind.
Yet compared to the Twilight Stone, Li Wen was more concerned with the stone floor beneath her feet. According to the Strategy Group's guide, the path to Amber City was hidden within it.
The floor tiles beneath their feet were also covered in patterns, but unlike the murals in the corridor, on the walls, and across the dome, these designs resembled extraordinarily complex geometric lines and figures. Even with Li Wen's knowledge, she could only tell that it was an extremely sophisticated and powerful Teleportation Array. She could not make sense of its operating principles at all.
The array's magic should have come from the Twilight Stone overhead. Using something that huge as a mere light source would have been far too wasteful. The array's destination was most likely the legendary Amber City.
So how was she supposed to activate the array?
The guide only said that it required an incantation, but there was no record of the specific spell. Perhaps that was for confidentiality, or perhaps there was a deeper reason.
Li Wen recalled the records concerning arrays among the Noradun Empire's surviving legacy. The Noradun Empire had begun at the end of the Golden Age and ended in the middle of the Silver Age. It had witnessed the fall of the Golden Elves, the founding of the City of Sin, and the rise and fall of Asmar...
There was no question that the Noradun Empire's mystical foundations surpassed those of every nation today. Several great powers, including Arthur, had only developed and grown strong by inheriting its legacy.
Therefore, if Li Wen wanted to search her memories for an array similar to the patterns on the tiles beneath her feet, it would be extremely difficult—perhaps even impossible.
But she was not entirely without a basis. She had learned the basics of rituals from mages of High Prism Tower. High Prism Tower's founder had once been a student of Merlin, Arthur's Archmage. In theory, the Kingdom of Arthur's magical technology had also originated from the Noradun Empire's legacy. In a sense, Li Wen might be some unknown-generation inheritor of Noradun ritualology.
With that in mind, she could use what she had learned to reverse-engineer fragments of Noradun's vast ocean of rituals. Reconstructing the entire array might be impossible, but finding a few clues should not have been a problem.
However, when Li Wen tried to do so, the complex, chaotic geometric lines and images before her eyes automatically began to assemble themselves. At the same time, an unfamiliar passage appeared in her mind, and an irresistible urge made her unconsciously speak it aloud.
"Marsala, Ikatur."
As the words fell, the Twilight Stone flared brightly. A tremendous rumble rose from beneath their feet, followed by an intense sensation of weightlessness.
If a Teleportation Array was defined as something that rapidly sent people or objects from one place to another, then Li Wen had guessed correctly. This truly was a "teleportation" array, but its method of "teleportation" was completely different from anything she knew.
"Holy shit, is this an earthquake?"
Take and the others were terrified out of their wits. They had only come to fight a boss. When had they ever seen anything on this scale?
"It's not an earthquake. We're going down."
Li Wen said calmly.
This was no Teleportation Array at all. It was clearly a Magic Elevator leading to some unknown depth underground.
The weightlessness lasted for dozens of minutes before finally ending. If Li Wen and the others had not been players, they would likely have already vomited and fainted from blood rushing to their heads for so long.
Li Wen took a deep breath and only relaxed after confirming that solid ground lay beneath her feet.
Judging by the intensity of the weightlessness and the time they had spent descending, they were now at least several thousand meters underground.
At this depth... no wonder no one had found Amber City since Noradun's fall.
Li Wen examined her surroundings. The inner hall had completely changed. The walls were pitch-black and seamless. Two doors stood in different directions: one was tightly sealed shut, while the other stood open.
Nothing could be seen through the open door. After confirming that the other door could not be opened by ordinary means, Li Wen had Take and the others lead the way toward the open one.
When they stepped through the doorway and emerged outside, they were greeted by a twilight expanse.
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