Professional Team

The four of them stepped into the palace's main hall.

Light slanted in through a hole in the dome, casting patches of intersecting light and shadow across the dust-covered floor.

The air carried the smell of old stone and dried vegetation, mixed with another scent—the smell of smoke and the faint gaminess of dried meat.

Quite a few bones were scattered across the floor.

Some were the slender bones of small animals, neatly piled in corners; others were the leg bones and ribs of large beasts, still bearing gnaw marks.

Several crude wooden racks leaned against the stone pillars, hung with strips of beast meat threaded on vines and dried to a dark brown.

Dead branches and dry grass were piled in the corners, clearly intended as fuel for fires.

Though the main hall was dilapidated, it bore clear signs of having been systematically used: a resting area, a food storage area, and a tool-processing area, all crudely but orderly divided.

Leo rubbed the back of his head somewhat awkwardly.

"Sorry. I've been alone this whole time, so I treated the palace as a temporary residence. If it interferes with your investigation of the ruins, I'll clean it up right away."

Selena swept her gaze around, lingering briefly on the traces of daily life before looking up at the partially collapsed dome and faded murals.

She clicked her tongue. "I didn't expect these ruins to be so badly damaged. They looked fairly well preserved from the outside, but so much has collapsed inside."

Satotz did not respond to Leo's apology. He had already entered work mode.

He took a pair of white gloves from the inner pocket of his suit and put them on with meticulous precision.

First, he stood in the center of the main hall and slowly turned in a circle, his gaze sweeping over every detail like a scanner: the patterns on the stone pillars, fragments of murals, cracks in the floor, and the angle of the light.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

Satotz spoke in a calm voice. "We'll be conducting a preliminary survey here for some time. There's no need to clean up specially. Just leave everything as it is."

As he spoke, he walked toward the nearest stone pillar.

Rather than touching it, he took out a palm-sized instrument and aimed it at the relief carving on the pillar.

The device emitted a faint hum. Its screen lit up, displaying streams of data and waveforms that Leo could not understand.

Kaspar also set down his bulging backpack.

He opened it deftly. Instead of the excavation tools Leo had imagined, he took out a series of precision instruments: a high-resolution camera, an analyzer, a sample collection kit, a waterproof notebook, and several markers in different colors.

"Selena, that wall at three o'clock. Photograph and document its current state first."

Kaspar spoke as he adjusted the camera settings.

"Mr. Satotz, I need to check the residual readings around the altar. Please let me know once you're finished here."

"Understood."

Selena answered. She had already put away her earlier casual manner and taken out her own camera from the side pocket of her backpack—a professional archaeological device with multispectral imaging capabilities.

She walked over to the western wall, adjusted her angle, and began systematically photographing the mural fragments. After every shot, she recorded its number and a brief description in her notebook.

Leo stood at the entrance to the main hall, watching the three of them work with great interest.

Their coordination was astonishingly seamless. There was no unnecessary communication, and each of them knew exactly what they needed to do.

Satotz was responsible for overall assessment and detection, Kaspar handled detailed documentation and sample collection, while Selena covered both environmental records and vigilance.

Professional team, Leo assessed inwardly.

They were completely different from the "expedition team" he had imagined. They were more like a scientific survey group.

After inspecting three stone pillars, Satotz slowly walked toward the central altar.

He moved slowly with every step, his eyes continuously scanning the ground.

When he reached the altar's edge, he crouched down and gently brushed away the dust on the stone platform with his gloved fingers, revealing the complete inscription beneath.

"Kaspar," Satotz called.

Kaspar immediately jogged over with his equipment in his arms.

Satotz pointed at the inscription. "Full-spectrum scan. Pay special attention to recording the textual variants in the third spiral section. The arrangement here differs from the Kapei Ruins I saw on the Ejen Continent."

"Understood." Kaspar crouched beside the altar and adjusted the angle of the analyzer's probe. The instrument slowly swept across the inscription's surface.

Selena had already finished photographing the western wall and turned to examining the bones and debris on the floor.

She did not casually move anything around. Instead, she used a measuring ruler to record the position and scale of each pile while photographing them for documentation.

"Mr. Leo." Selena suddenly spoke, her eyes still fixed on the sketch in her notebook.

"These bones... you've hunted quite a variety of prey. I can see the skeletons of at least eight different types of creatures, of varying sizes."

Leo's heart tightened slightly. This woman's powers of observation were sharp.

"Over half a year, I had to try different kinds of prey," he answered as naturally as possible.

"Some were actively hunted, while others were defensive counterattacks. There are... quite a few dangerous creatures living in this secret realm."

"Such as?" Selena looked up, her gaze sharp.

"There are One-Horned Bears in the eastern valley. They're enormous and incredibly strong. There are giant crocodiles in the northern swamp, lurking underwater where they're hard to spot. In the western hills, there's a variant of saber-toothed tiger that hunts in packs, which is even more dangerous."

Leo listed them truthfully. "There are also some creatures whose names I don't know. In any case, none of them are easy to deal with."

Selena quickly wrote in her notebook as she asked, "Can you handle those by yourself?"

"Sometimes I can, and sometimes I can't."

Leo pointed to several scars on his leather armor. "Getting injured is commonplace. Fortunately, I recover fairly well."

A soft notification sound came from Satotz's side.

He and Kaspar were staring at the analyzer's screen, speaking quietly.

"The residual energy is weaker than expected... but the traces of activated divine glyph patterns are obvious."

"The most recent activation should have been six months ago, Mr. Satotz. It matches the time Mr. Leo entered the secret realm."

"Continue scanning beneath the altar. See whether there's a secondary layer of divine glyph patterns."

Leo could not hear everything clearly, but he could guess what they were discussing.

Time passed during the professional survey. Sunlight shifted through the hole in the dome, and the patches of light slowly drifted across the floor. Leo estimated that it was nearly evening.

Watching the three of them still hard at work, he had an idea.

"Mr. Satotz," Leo said, "it's getting late. I'm planning to go hunting and prepare dinner for today. You must be hungry too, right?"

Satotz straightened from beside the altar and glanced at his watch. "Indeed. Then we'll have to trouble you."

"I'm planning to catch a Red-Haired Armored Boar."

Leo continued, "Their meat is quite good, and it tastes great roasted. Consider it... a welcome meal for your arrival in the secret realm."

He phrased it cleverly, expressing goodwill without seeming overly eager to please.

Selena raised an eyebrow. "A Red-Haired Armored Boar? Its hide is as hard as an iron plate. Can you handle one?"

"I have my ways." Leo smiled.

"And I know where they usually roam. If things go smoothly, I'll be back in about an hour."

At that, Kaspar's eyes lit up behind his glasses.

"A Red-Haired Armored Boar? I've never seen a live one! Mr. Leo, if possible, could I..."

"Kaspar," Satotz calmly interrupted.

"Don't place any extra burden on Mr. Leo. Finish the work at hand first."

"Oh... right." Kaspar awkwardly pushed up his glasses and continued operating the instrument.

Leo nodded to the three of them and turned to leave the palace.

As he descended the stone steps, he could feel the gazes behind him—Satotz's scrutiny, Selena's vigilance, and Kaspar's curiosity.

But he did not mind. His top priority now was to build a closer relationship, and a hearty dinner was a good start.

More importantly, he needed to show his value—not just as a guide, but as a capable partner who could survive in this secret realm.

The setting sun in the forest stretched his shadow long.

Leo tightened his grip on the stone knife at his waist and headed toward the area where he remembered the Red-Haired Armored Boars roaming.

Inside the palace, Satotz watched Leo leave, then gave Selena a look.

The red-haired woman understood. She silently moved to the main hall entrance and discreetly observed the direction Leo had gone.

Several minutes later, she returned with her report.

"He really did head east. His steps were steady, and he chose his route skillfully. He doesn't look like a novice."

Satotz nodded and crouched down beside the altar again.

His fingers gently brushed over the ancient inscription, his eyes beneath his purple hair thoughtful.

"Kaspar," he said quietly, "check the residual energy here."

"Understood." Kaspar nodded.

The instrument hummed softly, and its lights came on again. Outside the palace, Leo's figure had already disappeared into the depths of the forest.