The crumbling walls before him were typical ancient ruins of little value. Such places were scattered across the entire Old Continent and could even be found in the Great Northern Ice Cap. Though they held neither value nor danger, the Church still offered them a certain degree of protection. These ruins, nearly merged with nature itself, probably did not need protecting at all.
Ring Arcanists, on the other hand, were quite fond of visiting such ruins. Residual traces of ancient elements often meant a chance to resonate with Miracle Elements and Profane Spirit Runes. Exploring ancient ruins—deep within caves, beneath dappled tree shadows, or in remote cliffside caverns—and touching the remnants of history or even fragments of statues of gods offered far better odds of obtaining Spirit Runes than simply reading books.
Non-academy Ring Arcanists, as well as Ring Arcanists who enjoyed travel, especially liked exploring these sorts of ruins.
When the Golden Dawn Opera Troupe had first come here, they had also hoped to obtain Spirit Runes. Instead, they had unexpectedly acquired a Words of Sublimation. At present, the only visible remains on the ground were the bases of a few stone walls and the foundations of large buildings. If winter did not leave only snow behind, these traces might not even be visible during the lush summer months.
Shade tied his horse to a tree, climbed over the crooked fence, and walked over. The ruins covered a vast area and were likely an extraordinary Sacrificial Ground. Though he did not know the original layout of the buildings, following the principle that important places were always at the center, Shade crossed the snow surface to the very heart of the ruins.
There were no trees here, nor were there any other marks on the flat snow surface. Shade stood