Chapter 79
I remained unmoved, because since ancient times, we mages have discriminated against warlocks, and we do so openly and honestly! Moreover, the warlocks themselves are aware of this; they take pride in being "discriminated against by mages." If one day a warlock and a mage were to become close, they would be denounced by their own people as traitors who have defected to the enemy!
So I picked up Anna the Black Rabbit and ignored Moli's aggrieved protests. Hmm... she feels nice... I really want to hold her forever...
But I still have willpower; after all, I am a mage. So I transformed her back into human form. Anna stood obediently beside me, occasionally reaching out to rub her pointed ears.
"Alright, we're about to enter a ruin whose situation is unclear," I said. "And according to the intelligence we just received, the enemy has likely already gained the upper hand, so everyone needs to be serious now."
My gaze lingered on the two apprentices' faces for a moment; their brave and resolute expressions only... made me more worried.
However, since we've come this far, there's no reason not to go in just because we're worried. Besides, they might even be hiding the Dragon Emperor here. I told you, it's really illogical to build a base so openly outside the city. Even if there aren't any Dragon Riders in Kojinier City, the combat strength of the other soldiers shouldn't be so bad that the enemy could develop their base right at their doorstep. If they're hiding in a newly discovered ancient ruin, then that sounds more acceptable.
After a brief discussion, everyone agreed to enter the ruins. Reynold had already turned on his phone's recording function and fixed it to his chest.
Goliath drew his sword and blocked our way. "I'll go first."
We nodded. The paladin would naturally take the lead in the group. I was looking forward to cooperating with Goliath because when the Temple of Light trained its knights, they specifically trained them on how to coordinate with spellcasters and how to protect the spellcasters without obstructing their view. According to Luolan's feedback, everyone who had used the paladin-branded shield said it was excellent.
He ordered the dragon plaster on his body to come off, stood at the back of the line to keep an eye on the back row, and then went ahead himself.
Anna excitedly raised her hand and shouted, "Wow, let's run a dungeon!"
... Mel's hand trembled slightly. I noticed his fingers made a spellcasting gesture, but he quickly released it, turned around and pulled me, trying to restrain the urge to transform Anna again.
Although I think this elf really knows how to annoy the teacher, I surprisingly agree with her wording...
It really does feel like running a dungeon!
So I patted Mel on the back, telling him not to be angry with the apprentice. Our team has a powerful paladin who can dual-spec as a tank and healer, followed by two main DPS and two support DPS. If all goes well, we can find the ancient relics in the ruins and complete the quest to save the Dragon King. Isn't that just like running a dungeon? The kid's rhetoric is spot on!
Haha, have my thoughts become so modern now?
Reynold followed us, carrying his staff. Mel turned to look at him, deciding to vent her frustration, so Mel said rather bluntly, "It's dangerous in there. You should stay on the ground. Otherwise, we'll have to keep an eye on you, which is a hassle!"
Reynold's face was contorted with sorrow. He shook his head and replied with a bitter smile, "I am a seventh-level mage jointly certified by the Federation and the International Mages' Association..."
"I didn't get certified," Mel replied matter-of-factly.
Hmm... to be honest, the Federation Certification of a Level 7 Mage is really overrated. It just occurred to me that I also have Federation Certification. Our school, Monastery of True Knowledge, certifies all graduates as... Level 3 Mages.
Reynold is actually twice as strong as me plus one? This makes me very worried about the Federation's current education system. I feel like even my shadow could easily beat Reynold, and yet he's at a higher level than me... Reynold noticed my gaze, his face paled slightly, and he seemed to realize the problem as well—after all, Reynold knows me very well. I am a third-level mage of the Federation and a two-star academician of the Research Institute.
"Haha." Moli revealed a smug look on her face and muttered softly, "I can't wait to see what everyone's expressions will be when they find out that 'Flame of Fury,' hailed as the strongest dark mage of our time, is actually a low-level mage in the Federation and is constantly being harassed by his superiors... Hahaha, oh my~~~ how many of them will be scared to death?"
... Reynold's face seemed even paler.
I patted Moli's head to remind her not to fool around. The child stuck out her tongue at me and, before I could glare at her, had already struck a well-behaved pose. I felt like I was seeing a little devil from the Abyss trying to charm me. It had been so long since I'd seen that expression. Every time Moli tried to sneak her phone into the lab during experiments, she always made that face when I caught her.
This kid always says the institute is making things difficult for me, and every time he mentions it, he has this... a demon from the Abyss about to devour me look on his face. But I think it's alright, because the Five-Star Old Man really can't understand my research projects. They only measure them by whether they make money or not. Once, the Five-Star Old Man criticized me by name in a meeting. "Even if you just study the lunar cycle of the Black Moon, you can use it as a selling point for mysterious culture, but what about you? You're worthless!"
... So Mel has turned him into a worthless slime. I'm not angry anymore, even though he looks disgusting now. I've decided to forgive his ignorance.
Mel was just expressing his feelings verbally; he didn't actually leave Reynold outside. We felt that having him with us, though troublesome, was safer, and it wouldn't be fun if he got kidnapped again.
Goliath was the first to walk to the outside of the mountain crevice, look inside, and said, "It should be an underground palace. This is just a natural crevice in the mountain, so the drop might be quite high if you go in from here. Everyone should be prepared."
As he spoke, he used his sword to widen the opening a bit, enough for one person to pass through, and gestured for us to wait a moment before leaping inside.
After quite a while, if Xuefeng hadn't been still lingering there playing on his phone, we would have all rushed down to check if Goliath had gotten into any trouble. But Xuefeng nonchalantly remarked, "That fussy guy's probably down there checking for any sharp thorns that could prick his feet!"
After a while, Xuefeng, who was engrossed in his phone, suddenly stopped and said to us, "Okay, I can download it now."
Reynold gave him a suspicious look, but Mel and I didn't hesitate. The dragon knight and his dragon could communicate through a contract, just like the Mental Link between Mel. So, when Xuefeng said we could get off, it was actually Goliath who told him.
Mel and I were the first to use Levitation to enter the gap and slowly float downwards, with Moli and Anna following closely behind us.
The place where they landed was dark. Goliath, holding holy light, waited below. He infused the holy light into his longsword, making it look like he was holding a glowing lamp stick.
We lit the magic glow sticks, and then I saw that it was a space that wasn't very big. It was tall, but the area was average, like a barrel. There was a distant opening at the very top of the mountain, through which a sliver of sunlight could enter, but by the time it reached the ground, almost nothing was left. The whole room was quite ancient and grand. In the very center of the room was a metal sculpture. The surrounding decorations were simple, and the pillars and walls didn't have any special patterns. Only this sculpture was very exquisite.
A pattern of one eye.
Goliath asked us, "I examined this statue; there are remnants of Magic Power on it. Were there any ancient magical groups that used eyes as a motif?"
"Never heard of it," I said, glancing at Mel.
Mel shook his head. "Even if they exist, they're not famous, or they're too old to be recorded."
However, an eye symbol is relatively easy to guess. I thought for a moment and said, "A sorcerer wouldn't choose an icon without a reason. If it's an eye, an eye represents seeing, represents vision, and the pupil of this eye is looking upwards into the distance..."
"Foresight?" Mel said, following my train of thought, "Looking into the distance, roughly referring to the distance of time, then the builder of this statue must have had the ability to foresee the future?"
Spells that can predict the future are extremely rare. Many such spells require bloodline talent to learn, so very few mages in our community can accurately predict the future. Most rely on guesswork and speculation, let alone "seeing the future." Generally, spellcasters with this ability are witches from the northern lands.