novelraw Chapter 451 - 233: Golden Light and Orange Light_3
Chapter 451 - 233: Golden Light and Orange Light_3
"One is somewhat dangerous; the other, not so much," Alka began. "And our primary objective now, besides finding valuable treasure, is to obtain information about these ruins—the more detailed, the better, and the more of it, the better." As he spoke, he looked at Lucilia, who was standing on a small wooden barrel.
After all, among them, only Lucilia recognized those characters and could understand the information of this unknown civilization.
Lucilia nodded.
Then Alka said, "Well, everyone, choose one."
"Since it’s the first one, it’s naturally better to choose the safer one," Simon remarked from the side. He was someone who preferred to play it safe.
After all, the only information Alka had provided was the level of danger, so to be cautious, they naturally had to choose the safer option. This would also allow them to understand the basic structure of these ruins.
Seeing that no one objected, Alka nodded. "Alright, let’s go with the safer one," he said, then turned to Jason. "Have you gathered any information about these ruins?"
Jason nodded, then shook his head with a hint of regret. "I have, but I don’t think it will be very helpful to you."
He then briefly recounted the information he had gathered.
After listening, Alka casually tapped the map a couple of times; indeed, there were no updates to the Treasure Information. This was because the intelligence Jason had gathered came solely from the Island’s residents. Their descriptions of the ruins relied on terms like ’possibly,’ ’maybe,’ ’probably,’ and hearsay. It was all very vague, but the general consensus was not to speak recklessly near the ruins, lest they be activated.
Clearly, the people on this Island didn’t understand the civilization of these ruins. Even if some understanding existed, it was obviously not something they were privy to, being held by those with greater power.
"Then it seems we’ll have to rely on ourselves."
They then listened as Jason briefed them on some information he considered important.
After listening, Alka clapped his hands. "Now that we’ve determined our goal, let’s all rest well. We’ll set off at dawn."
...
The curtain was pulled open, and everyone was already prepared.
They left through the town’s gate but didn’t see Bai Shi among the patrol team on the city walls. It seemed he finally didn’t have to guard the gate today.
Alka held the map, looking at their target. Leading the group, he maneuvered much like Bai Shi had, taking a winding path to avoid the dangerous areas as much as possible. With this map, all dangerous areas were essentially marked.
Soon, they arrived at the location of the first blue treasure.
It’s not that I don’t want to search for the orange and gold treasures. The problem is there’s too little information. We should at least start with the safe blue treasure, gather more information about the entire city-state, and unlock more Treasure Information.
For instance, in the area with that orange treasure, they had activated those ruins and been transported to the previous hall. They had gained virtually nothing inside, and even if they returned now, their gains wouldn’t increase.
They looked at the ruins before them. These ruins, much like the Temple, were also buried deep underground, with only some parts exposed on the surface. They looked quite similar to the Temple. After all, the materials used were almost identical, and they too bore faint, carved patterns and inscriptions.
After arriving, the group inspected the surroundings briefly and found no immediate danger.
"Lucilia, it’s your turn to work," Alka said with a smile.
Lucilia had already positioned herself atop the ruins and begun to study the patterns and inscriptions on them.
During this time, Chadite also squatted down, placing her hand on the ground. Silver ripples began to spread downward.
"I can detect those artificial ruins underground, but they’ve mostly collapsed and been buried." Saying this, Chadite shook her head. "It’s packed solid with dirt down there. If we want to find the ruins below, we’ll have to dig hard."
This meant there were no hollows or tunnels connecting downward.
Alka nodded. "No rush. Let’s see if Lucilia finds anything."
After a short while, Lucilia finished studying all the available information on the ruins. The exposed stone blocks were severely damaged, the information on them sparse and fragmented.
Lucilia patted the dust off her clothes. "This is some kind of temple," she said. "It’s probably called the Blue-White Stone Temple or the Blue and White Gemstone Temple, but I don’t know its specific purpose. That’s about the only useful piece of information I could gather."
Hearing this, Alka glanced at the map in his hand and casually touched it. He tapped the blue dot on the map representing their current location. The Treasure Information indeed expanded, confirming Lucilia’s findings.
[Treasure Information: Vastva 3-6 Project, located in the Blue and White Gemstone Temple. Project status: Completed.]
This meant the ruin’s original name was indeed the Blue and White Gemstone Temple, and it was a completed project. Could this treasure be the result of this completed project?
Alka looked at these ruins, contemplating. Now, two options lay before him: dig down or activate the ruins.
Based on the Island’s overall analysis, ruins like this should definitely be activatable. But the problem is, we don’t know what this project was specifically about. If activating it causes danger, it wouldn’t be worth the risk. So, there’s only one option left.
Having made up his mind, Alka immediately began distributing tasks. "Chadite," he said, "examine the geological structure of these ruins and find a suitable place to dig. We’ll have to put in some hard work."
"No problem," Chadite replied, moving to the side of the ruins. She placed both hands on the ground and began to probe carefully. She needed to study the ruin’s structure to determine how to excavate efficiently without causing a collapse, and also to ensure their digging would lead them to the desired location.
Alka continued, "Simon, get some tools. The rest of you, grab tools and be on standby. Also, clear out any magical beasts in the vicinity that might disturb us."
Following Alka’s orders, the group sprang into action.
Simon took a pile of scrap iron from his Pocket Ring and began to control its smelting.