Entering the Ruins

The deep night sky resembled a dark blue curtain adorned with shimmering stars, while a bright, full moon sat enthroned, surrounded by the twinkling celestial host. Alexander stepped through the spatial gate clad in pristine moon-white robes, standing proudly in the high air; under the water-like moonlight, the old mage's silhouette was exceptionally striking.

From afar, Ryan watched as Alexander produced his exquisite, ornate staff and began casting in the sky. Following Alexander's loud incantation, a massive circular dome silently manifested, enveloping the clearing where Ryan and his companions stood along with a vast expanse of the surrounding mountains.

As this powerful spell took effect, the immense magical fluctuations and turbulent elemental shifts sent the small animals of the mountains fleeing in a panicked stampede. Ryan gazed at the sky, scrutinizing the light barrier that had already vanished from sight. Though invisible, Ryan could still sense the existence of the barrier through the suddenly blurred and distorted moonlight, while his sensitive spatial perception warned him of the unseen dangers lurking nearby.

Having finished his casting, Alexander descended gracefully and steadily to the ground. A black-robed mage on duty stepped forward, and Alexander instructed the sharp-witted subordinate, "The minor Mythal is set. You may tell the enforcement squads to clear the area."

The black-robed mage nodded solemnly and departed to carry out the order.

Alexander and the mage did not hide their conversation from Ryan and his group. Every word reached Ryan's ears, leaving him secretly clicking his tongue in astonishment at the Mages Guild's extravagant display.

Although Alexander had been vague about the deeds of this Archmage Adam during their previous talks—brushing off Ryan's persistent inquiries with perfunctory excuses—Ryan could still discern from his series of arrangements just how much attention and concern Alexander held for this suspected predecessor from another world. If not for the ruins' restrictions on power, Ryan suspected the old mage would have entered personally to ensure nothing went wrong.

In Ryan's view, Alexander had truly gone all out this time, even bringing out one of the Mages Guild's trump cards: a "Magical Mythal." This showed both his high regard for the site and his determination to secure the knowledge and heritage within.

Mythals were rare in Faerûn and were considered powerful, strategic magic within the world of Toril. Their principle involved using the Weave to constrain its form at a specific location, thereby achieving a constant magical effect in that area.

Sometimes, a Mythal was so powerful that it could even twist and rewrite the rules of magic and reality itself.

Most Mythals were defensive in nature, typically used to restrict which types of magic could be cast within their controlled zones and to protect the safety of specific locations. Whether it was the colossal floating cities of lost Netheril or vital locations like Silverymoon and Candlekeep, all had utilized such powerful magic, which had shone brilliantly in the defense of those cities.

However, the most classic Magical Mythal on the continent of Faerûn remained the Mythal of Dragon Madness, which the long-eared elves had painstakingly researched and invented by gathering all their high mages during their war with the dragons for continental hegemony.

As a powerful barrier covering a vast area, a Mythal possessed a rudimentary consciousness. It was a living, three-dimensional defense system woven from magical energy, usually created and tasked with guarding a city or a holy site.

Yet, the ancient elven mages took a different path, coming up with the whimsical idea of using the stars in the sky as the core of the Mythal to extend its power across the entire continent of Faerûn.

Even more absurdly, this fantastical plan was actually completed by those madmen. They selected a comet known as the Kingslayer Star. Its volume and energy were just right, and it only visited every three hundred years, preventing the dragons from going so mad that they would destroy the entire continent and themselves along with it.

Once completed, the Mythal became a devastating weapon against the dragon race, completely changing the course of the war. Under the influence of the Mythal, the rampaging, mindless dragons slaughtered wantonly, destroying every living thing in their path. The vast Dragon Empire collapsed, forcing the dragons to essentially exit the stage of Faerûn. From then on, the elves leaped to power, seizing hegemony over the continent and establishing the brilliant and magnificent Elven Empire.

Feeling the Mythal's restrictions on space and its various confusing effects within its range, Ryan silently lit a candle for the spies sent by various organizations to lurk and watch. These unlucky wretches caught in the Mythal would find no help from heaven or earth, and if they ran into the murderous thugs of the enforcement mages, they could only pray to have a better life in their next reincarnation.

After finishing his instructions regarding the maintenance of the Mythal and the perimeter guard of the ruins, Alexander turned around. He looked at the group of young people—who dared not even breathe loudly—with solemnity. The weight of his brown eyes was as heavy as a mountain, and the intensity of his presence was so great that Ryan could hardly believe this was the same unreliable old man. Ryan mused silently that this side of the old man, naturally imposing and awe-inspiring, might be his true self.

"Everyone, the exploration of these ruins is in your hands. Be careful once you enter, and you must secure the control core. Do you understand?" Alexander's majestic voice echoed in the ears of Ryan's group, and the guild members immediately responded in unison.

Alexander looked with satisfaction at the well-equipped and spirited group of mages. His gaze paused when it swept over Ryan's group of four, who looked out of place compared to the guild mages, before he continued, "Very well, I am about to open the gate to the ruins. Prepare yourselves."

With that, Alexander walked toward the end of the clearing. The gate to the ruins, located within the mountains, had been cleared of rubble and dirt by the Mages Guild in advance.

On the thick marble gate, various exquisite reliefs were suspended. Majestic angels clashed with hideous demons, and a high-end, magnificent floating city at the very top showcased the lost glory of the magical empire. On both sides of the gate, there were grooves inlaid with fist-sized, pure white crystals.

Alexander placed his hands on the flawless white crystals and channeled his magic. The specific magical fluctuations rose and fell according to an unknown frequency. As the magic poured in, the crystals began to emit a soft glow, and a faint blue radiance began to spread along the carvings on the door.

The eyes of the six-winged angel relief on the door began to light up, and a red beam shot from them, scanning the white-haired mage before the gate.

At the same time, as if a chain reaction had been triggered, a series of movements came from within the ruins. The cold, silent steel ruins seemed to come to life.

A cold, mechanical voice filled with a sense of machinery rang out: "Magical fluctuations detected. Verified as Archmage. Holding basic Mythal. Visitor access granted."

Alexander seemed to have anticipated this. He unhurriedly produced a platinum-colored scroll. A pulse swept over him, and the voice spoke again:

"Nether Scrolls, an imperial relic, detected. According to Chapter 5, Article 18 of the Laboratory Management Regulations established by the Master: in the event of an inability to connect to the Imperial Arcane Network and a disconnection from the Star Server for over five hundred years, an Archmage may initiate Inheritance Mode using a Nether relic.

Respected Archmage, you may initiate Inheritance Mode based on the supreme principle of equivalent exchange, using the Nether Scrolls as a medium. Do you wish to initiate it now?"

A light screen unfolded before Alexander. On the clear display, the large, ancient Netherese characters for "Yes" or "No" were presented to him.

The white-haired old man did not hesitate for a second and clicked "Yes."

"Inheritance Mode initiated. Laboratory self-startup in progress. Ding, eighteen areas of severe damage detected. Power core damaged. Activating backup energy. Restrictions enabled. Combat power above Legendary rank has been added to the restricted access list."

Following the cold, mechanical voice, the heavy marble doors slowly pulled open with a booming sound, and the long-sealed ancient laboratory saw the light of day once more.

Ryan looked at the relief depicting the ancient magical empire suppressing all dissent, lost in thought, and only snapped back to reality when the doors slowly opened.

Ryan looked down at Jelona, who was still buried in his arms, poked her supple yet resilient waist with his finger, and whispered, "Hey, how much longer do you plan on leaning there?"

Jelona's beautiful, flushed face emerged from Ryan's chest. She cast a glance of slight dissatisfaction at the insensitive Ryan, her expression a mix of coquettishness and shyness, yet the attachment and satisfaction in her eyes were impossible to hide.

After resting in Ryan's arms for a short while, Jelona had slowly recovered from the dizzying, nauseating sensation. However, leaning in Ryan's solid, spacious embrace and feeling an unprecedented sense of warmth and security, she felt shy but only wanted to lean there quietly, not wanting to pay attention to anything in the outside world. Time was peaceful, resting securely in one person's arms.

Having lost her father when she was young, Jelona lacked a father figure in her life. That mountain-like, secure paternal love was something she longed for but could not attain. Ryan's appearance was like a brilliant, warm ray of sunshine, plucking at the heartstrings of the half-elf ranger's quiet soul.

The powerful, reliable, handsome, and gentle young mage made Jelona feel an unprecedented sense of security and happiness as they spent time together. She couldn't quite define the emotion she felt for this handsome youth—perhaps admiration, attachment, or an unintentional touch of being moved. A young girl's heart is always poetic; the only thing Jelona was certain of was that she might, probably, perhaps, have already fallen.

What Ryan did not realize was that the cultivation and values he brought from his previous life were reflected in his words and deeds. Combined with his charm, which was on the verge of crossing the transcendent threshold, and his handsome, sunny face and fit physique, he was practically a killer for both naive young girls and world-weary noblewomen.

The members of the Mages Guild were filing into the opened gate one by one. Seeing that Jelona had returned to normal, Ryan casually freed himself from the grasp of those fair, soft hands and spoke to the two rough men behind him who were watching the spectacle: "Alright, it's our turn. Let's keep up."

Ryan's group followed the Mages Guild into the heavy stone gate. Alexander, watching the young people file into the ruins, stroked his long beard, his face full of deep meaning.

"Guild Master, is it really appropriate to let that kid from Silverymoon take those unknown adventurers inside?" A figure suddenly appeared beside the white-haired mage. If Ryan had seen this, he would have been surprised that the ice-cold mage who had guided him could ever show such angry doubt.

Alexander glanced at him calmly. The weight of his long-standing authority caused the middle-aged mage to regain his composure. However, considering his confidant was thinking for the sake of the guild, the old man explained:

"What I value is the heritage and knowledge of these ruins. Regardless of who gets the control core, as the local landlord, we will certainly get a share of the knowledge inside. Can the Gold Talons in the bag ever be lost?

As for those adventurers, the guild's channels had already figured out their background shortly after they arrived in Waterdeep. Just let that little fellow have his peace of mind."

The confident old mage had no intention of telling his trusted confidant about his deal with Yefalin. After all, it was best not to provoke a Divination Archmage who could drop a meteor at any moment. Alexander narrowed his eyes, looking forward to the performance of the young people.

At the same time, deep within the ruins, a purple crystal hub began to emit a pale purple radiance as the ruins were activated.

"Skylight rebooting. Master, where are you?"

PS: I can't write romance to save my life. Seeking a girlfriend online to let me experience what love actually feels like.

Wait, I don't think I have any female readers. Never mind then. Men are fine too. (Actually, no, men won't work, I can't handle that.)