Map

After a rustling sound from behind, Kaisalin's voice of thanks could be heard again. Jialan and the other two turned around. Jialan said, "Although the Soothing Rain Spell can heal wounds, the lost vitality needs to be recovered through your own cultivation and by taking potions."

Kaisalin nodded in agreement. Jialan then took out a tube of Nishang Potion from his Spatial Bag and handed it to Katerina. "Senior sister, this is the potion I promised you."

Katerina took it and thanked Jialan before putting it in her bag.

Everyone cleaned up the battlefield. These adventurers from the Aus Empire were surprisingly wealthy. They found as many as thirty Magic Crystals of various grades, which, when divided equally, gave each person six or seven.

Magic Crystals are produced within Magic Beasts and are the source of their power to cast various innate magic. However, not all Magic Beasts have Magic Crystals; the chance is only about fifty percent. Of course, the higher the level of the Magic Beast, the higher the chance of producing a Magic Crystal, and the more precious it is.

Magic Crystals are precious because they are used in many things in this world, essentially serving as strategic resources.

They can be used to create various enchanted items. For example, a Magic Lamp embedded with a low-grade Magic Crystal can remain lit for years without going out. When war approaches, the defensive magic arrays activated in large cities draw their energy from countless high-grade Magic Crystals within the array.

The terrifying Magic Crystal Cannons on the battlefield also derive their energy from Magic Crystals. Spellcasters can also use the energy within Magic Crystals for cultivation, but the effect is not very good due to too many impurities; it's only used in emergencies. Even the lowest-grade Magic Crystal is worth ten Jintana, and they are priceless.

Besides Magic Crystals, there were also some currency, weapons, and armor. Everyone got their share, with the most valuable item being the Priest's Scepter. Among the group, only Jialan was a magic-class professional, so the Scepter naturally fell into his hands, which was an unwritten rule among adventurer teams.

However, this Scepter wasn't of much use to Jialan, as it was a Priest's exclusive weapon. He would have to sell it later for Jintana or trade it for something else.

Argyle Capet, the high-level Light Knight, held a Scroll and said to Jialan, "This Scroll is a bit strange; it seems to have a magic trap on it."

Jialan took it and examined it closely. It was a piece of yellowed paper covered in densely packed lines and symbols, with strange annotations written beside them. Looking at it for too long made one dizzy. The edges of the paper were tattered, suggesting it was very old.

Jialan's eyes flashed with a blue light, faint runes swirling within. He extended his Mental Power, attaching it to the Scroll. After about ten seconds, the blue light slowly faded. "This... looks like a map?"

"A map?" everyone gathered around. Katerina's eyes lit up. "Could it be a treasure map?"

Jialan didn't respond. He murmured, "This looks like... Ancient Elvish?" As he spoke, he took out a crystal from his robe, infused it with Mental Power, and a soft light illuminated the Scroll. The seemingly chaotic patterns gradually revealed a pattern under the crystal's glow.

His fingers trembled slightly. As a Spellcaster, he knew the significance of Ancient Elvish. It represented the magical civilization left by the ancient elves, a treasure trove of knowledge that countless Mages dreamed of. What shocked him even more was that these runes were not ordinary written records but a sophisticated magical mechanism.

Jialan took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could feel the Mana flowing in the air, coiling around each rune on the Scroll like threads. These runes were not static but slowly circulated, as if alive.

Everyone watched this scene nervously. After a long while, Jialan slowly opened his eyes and said, "I can confirm this is a map of Ancient Elven Ruins. However, the magic trap on it is too complex. I'll need to go back and consult some literature and perform some rituals to decipher it. It will take at least ten to fifteen days. Where did this Scroll come from?"

Katerina looked at Argyle, and seeing him nod, she said, "We were here carrying out a mission for the military. You don't need to know the specifics, but we found this Scroll on one of the mission targets, and then we were relentlessly pursued by those people from the Aus Empire. We thought it was..."

"Cough... cough!" Kaisalin, who had been silent, coughed softly, clutching her abdomen. Katerina glanced at her and changed the subject. "...Now it seems it might be this Scroll that they were so desperately chasing us for."

Jialan nodded. Some things were not his business, and he had no interest in knowing them. Knowing more only brought more danger.

He held up the Scroll. "So, what should we do with this Scroll now? I still have patrol duties and might not have the time. To fully decipher it, I'll need to return to the base..." Although he really wanted to decipher the Scroll, it wasn't his after all.

Argyle Capet thought for a moment. The three of them couldn't decipher this Magic Scroll either. One of the Aus Empire's adventurers, a high-level Assassin, had escaped. He knew the Scroll was in their possession and might attract more adventurers to try and steal it.

There were no other Spellcasters they knew nearby. For now, they could only trust this junior fellow disciple from the Imperial Magic Academy.

Since he was a Spellcaster on a border mission, he likely didn't have any powerful background. If it truly was a magical ruin, as a Junior Mage, he certainly couldn't go alone. So, he said, "We are also on a mission right now. You can keep the Scroll for now, and we'll find you later." The other two women nodded in agreement with his decision.

Watching Jialan put the Scroll into his Spatial Bag, Katerina cautioned, "That escaped Assassin might still be nearby. You must be very careful on your way back and try not to leave the patrol team!" Jialan agreed, and then returned to the camp with John, who stayed close by his side.

Watching Jialan and John disappear into the depths of the dense forest, Kaisalin said with concern, "We were careless this time. We actually encountered that kind of thing. Don't they rarely appear on the continent? Why would they be in the Misty Forest?"

Katerina tidied her leather armor and said calmly, "The unrest is growing. Many people have sensed that something is wrong. It's not strange for them to reappear in this world. We just need to send the message back and let those old guys in the Imperial Capital worry about it!" She then looked at Argyle.

Argyle Capet nodded. "It's already been sent. I had Shadow personally deliver the message to the Misty City military, and they will send it to the Imperial Capital via the teleportation array. We should get a result in about half a month."

The three fell silent, with only the rustling of the wind in the forest remaining.