[Vol. 8] Chapter 235: True Words
Since Xiao Guang didn’t want to talk about it, of course Violet wouldn’t force her. As soul-bonded companions who understood each other deeply, the priestess trusted the little dragon girl more than anyone else. Of all the people in the world, it was only this silly little dragon that she could be absolutely sure would never harm her.
So what if she wanted to keep a few things to herself?
With that thought, Violet stopped asking. She pretended not to notice anything and even gave a subtle look to stop the Sword Saint, who had also picked up on Xiao Guang’s strange reaction. She then changed the topic on purpose and briefly explained the information she had shared earlier.
“There’s actually something like that... Since the ruins aren’t fully open yet, it probably wouldn’t mean much even if we forced our way in. What does Miss Violet suggest we do now?”
“Let’s head back first and think things through carefully,” Violet said thoughtfully. “Even though we didn’t reach our original goal this time, we still learned a lot.”
She continued, “Now that some parts of the ruins are already connected to our world, it shows that the place is starting to slowly open up. This process could take a few weeks, or maybe a month or more. We can just wait in the nearby city of Saint Laos. That way, no matter what happens, we’ll be close enough to respond quickly.”
After thinking for a moment, Bevis nodded slightly and let out a small sigh.
In the end, neither he nor Violet had come here for treasures or rare items that most people would fight over. What they truly wanted was to investigate the remains of the "Serpent," said to be buried deep within the ruins.
“I guess that’s the only option we have.”
Although he could only understand a bit of the deep and confusing conversation between these powerful people, once Aldrich realized they planned to give up on entering the ruins for now, he was overjoyed. Otherwise, he would’ve had to wait at the entrance for at least three days. As the guide, he couldn’t just leave. And sleeping in a place like this? Definitely not as comfortable as his own little home.
The group quickly agreed and headed back the way they came.
This time, there were no more surprises along the smooth white stone steps. After walking the roughly two thousand steps Aldrich had counted, they soon arrived back at the place where they had first entered.
Aldrich was the first to rush out of the underground tunnel, unable to hide his excitement. He threw his arms wide like a man who had just escaped death and shouted joyfully:
“Whoa hahaha! Didn’t expect that, huh? I survived another day! Like they say, ‘What doesn’t kill you—’ Uh?”
Halfway through his laugh, the uncle’s excited and proud voice suddenly cut off like something had plugged his mouth. Instead, he let out a shocked, ghost-like scream.
“What the heck!!!?”
The three people walking behind Aldrich all froze in confusion. Since Xiao Guang was still lost in thought and a bit slower to react, Bevis was actually the first to dash forward like the wind and shot out of the tunnel.
Surprisingly though, there were no sounds of fighting outside.
Violet and Xiao Guang quickly followed him up and out of the entrance, but the scene that greeted them made their jaws drop.
The exit of the underground stairway had originally been located inside an ancient temple between hills. Because of how much time had passed, the place was completely ruined and broken down, that was something they had clearly seen with their own eyes not long ago.
But now...
As the priestess stepped outside again, what she saw was a dazzling, magnificent palace filled with jade railings and golden decorations. It looked newly built, bright, and clean. There was no sign of age or decay at all!
"Am I... dreaming or something?"
Aldrich stood frozen, staring blankly at the luxurious palace that looked completely different from the one he remembered. The Sword Saint, Bevis, also had a serious look on his face as he placed his hand on his sword hilt, ready for anything unexpected.
"When something unusual happens, there’s always something behind it."
Anyone who’s spent years exploring the outside world would understand this basic truth.
"This place..."
It really was the same hall they passed through earlier. Just one quick glance, and Violet could already tell.
Even though everything now looked fresh and fancy, the layout and structure hadn't changed at all. The hall was still just as spacious as before, with hardly anything inside, except for the large sculpture in the center...
"Hm? That's strange. Why is only that statue still broken?"
"Be careful, Mistress. Something's not right," the dragon girl warned.
"It’s fine, it’s fine~"
It was odd. The rest of the hall looked like it had just been rebuilt, sparkling and grand, but that important humanoid statue remained broken, just like before. Its face and features were still hard to see, and in this beautifully restored palace, it felt totally out of place.
The four of them walked forward carefully to get a closer look. Aldrich had sharp eyes and was the first to notice something different.
"Hey, wait! Look at the plaque under the statue!"
Turns out, maybe because of the palace's strange change, the metal plaque under the statue, made from some unknown material, was now showing rows and rows of tightly packed characters!
But these symbols weren’t regular writing. They were complicated and weird, more like simplified drawings than real letters. Just looking at them made everyone feel uneasy, as if their heads were spinning and their vision was shaking.
Bevis, with all his experience, frowned after just two glances.
"These are [Forbidden Words]. Everyone, don’t look at them too closely. And whatever you do, don’t try to copy or remember them. This kind of writing... it’s dangerous."
"[Forbidden Words]? What’s that?" Aldrich clearly had no idea and mumbled to himself in confusion.
Bevis explained seriously, "[Forbidden Words] is a name for a special type of language. No one knows where it came from, but it usually only shows up deep in ancient ruins. Even then, you might only find a few scattered symbols. This is the first time I’ve ever seen so many, all together like this."
"I once saw a legendary warrior try to copy them onto paper to bring back for scholars to study. But as soon as he started writing, even before he finished the first symbol, he suddenly coughed up blood and passed out. It took him more than a month to wake up again."
"Later, after many trials and studies, people found that these strange symbols seem to carry a special kind of power. Whether you read them, write them, or even just try to remember their shapes, some kind of invisible force will strike back. The worst cases... people die on the spot. So please, don’t look at them anymore. If you remember even part of it—"
"...[The Ring of Heaven and Earth... forged by the Origin…]"
Suddenly, a strange, slow voice echoed in the hall, like someone quietly reading aloud from something.
As soon as the voice reached their ears, it was like thunder exploded in their minds. The dragon girl frowned instantly, and Bevis’s face changed as well. He didn’t even finish what he was saying. He just bit his tongue, closed his eyes, and focused, like he was trying to block out some powerful mental attack.
But Aldrich, the one with the weakest strength...
He didn’t even have time to understand what the words meant. All of a sudden, a loud ringing filled his head, and blood burst from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Everything went dark, and he collapsed to the floor.