At the Misty Forest.
The Misty Forest was deafeningly quiet at the moment. Only the sound of falling snowflakes could be heard through the crevices between the branches and leaves. The ground was covered in thick snow, and the smudged footprints of magical beasts could be seen in the distance.
A ray of light flashed across the ground in the midst of the silence, revealing a massive magical array. Watson, Sven, the astrologer, Nightingale, and ten Shadow Guards appeared in the forest, followed by 100,000 magical beasts. The roar echoed across the sky, and the entire Misty Forest came to life in an instant.
“Watson—” The astrologer could not help but speak as soon as he exited the magical array, but he was interrupted by Watson. “Master, look!”
Watson pointed in the direction of a nearby peak. The mountain was hundreds of meters high and completely covered with snow. Only a few exposed boulders revealed that the mountain was formerly green-gray.
The ruined bandit gang had initially occupied that mountain as their base. It was also the location of Sven’s discovery of the ancient ruins. The bandit gang had been established there to protect that secret because he had discovered the ruins.
“What’s there to see? Is it not merely a mountain?” The astrologer turned around to take a look and immediately turned back again.
He was ready to talk about Watson. Even though Watson had made a wish to use up the astrologer’s lifespan, and it did not affect him much, he could not go on like that. Watson had used up his lifespan; who knew what he would next time? What if it were his internal organs?
For example, he could use his eyeballs or a kidney. He did not doubt Watson would do that. He would probably think it was okay for the astrologer to lose one of his eyes and kidney since he had two of each. Furthermore, his mater’s immortal body would be as good as new if he were to commit suicide. Yes, Watson would use that as an excuse. The astrologer’s scalp tingled when he thought about that.
“Master, that is not just a mountain. There are ruins at the bottom of that mountain. The rest is up to you, Master.”
“Why are you looking at me?”
The astrologer was a little dazed. He heard Watson say, “Please use your magic to blast that mountain open.”
The astrologer was speechless; he was a little dumbfounded. That mountain was hundreds of meters high and stretched for several kilometers; he would be exhausted if he were to split it open.
“Master, that mountain should be no problem for you. I am confident that you can split it open. Are you sure you can not do it? You should be aware that Miss Nightingale and the Fairy Castle’s Shadow Guards are keeping an eye on you from the sidelines. Don’t you want to show off your power as a platinum-tier elite?”
Watson instantly changed the subject; he knew that the astrologer was upset with him because of what had happened.
Just as the astrologer understood him, he also understood his master very well. The astrologer had no other interests and was only concerned with his reputation. The astrologer would not be indifferent after hearing what he said. It was certainly not easy to split such a large mountain. If the astrologer could vent his energy elsewhere, he would not get angry with him.
Nightingale and the others glanced at the astrologer, their eyes wide with anticipation. They had never seen an attack by a platinum-tier elite.
“Isn’t it merely a mountain? Of course, it is a piece of cake for me.”
The astrologer stroked his beard and feigned a cough, as predicted. He raised his hand and pointed to the mountain in front of him, and began to chant. “A power deeper than darkness and heavier than mountains, the god who rules the mountains and the earth, please grant me your power and the gravity to crush all things! Platinum-tier earth-elemental spell, Black Hole.”
As the chant ended, a small black ball floated on the astrologer’s finger and rapidly enlarged. It quickly grew to a radius of several hundred meters and flew to the summit of the snow-covered mountain peak. It was as if a black mouth erupted on the mountain crest and devoured everything. Snowflakes began to fall and were absorbed by the black ball one by one. Then, with a shattering sound, the rocks broke and fell into the black hole.
In a matter of minutes, the entire mountain summit began to crumble and was gradually consumed by the black hole. The mountain peak vanished, revealing a downward-collapsing crack. The crack’s surface was encircled by an unsettling green-gray fog that was thick with mystery.
“As one would expect from you, Master. You are so powerful.”
Watson clapped his hands to encourage the astrologer as he worked his magic. The astrologer remained silent. His hair and beard continued to flutter and curl upward as if he were a mage god.
Nightingale, Sven, and the rest all gaped at the astrologer. Watson’s 100,000 magical beasts were groveling even more on the ground. Under the astrologer’s intense pressure, they did not even dare to breathe or whine.
The astrologer had a gleeful expression on his face. “That spell is merely ordinary among all the spells I have mastered.” He seemed to be relaxed. “The ruins beneath the mountain would not be able to withstand more powerful magic if I were to use it. Otherwise, I would only need one finger to raze that place to the ground.”
“Really?”
Watson blinked. “I feel that this spell is even stronger than the Starfall spell that you taught me, Master. Does that mean that the Starfall spell means nothing to you? Did you hide this from me, Master, because you did not want to try your best to teach me those spells?”
The astrologer almost passed out from holding his breath.
He did not know what went on in Watson’s head, but he was simply boasting. Why would Watson think that? Watson was the most serious pupil he had ever taught.
Others would beg him to be their teacher. When he was in a good mood, he would teach them something they would be eternally thankful for, unlike Watson, who was still dissatisfied despite having received so much.
“That spell is not appropriate for you to cultivate at this moment. It is a little difficult.”
“But didn’t you say that the spell is very ordinary, Master?”
The astrologer’s eyes widened. Even if he were to lose his dignity, it was better than Watson bugging him to learn new spells. Every time Watson learned magic, he would cause an uproar. The astrologer was terrified.
“All right, since you said so, Master.” Watson nodded and did not dwell on that matter anymore. He turned around to face Sven. “You are more familiar with that ruin, Sven. Can you tell me about the danger there?”
“Based on my observations, that ruin should be between 1000 and 1500 years old, but because it is located underground, the ruin has been beautifully conserved! At the time, I only went to the first floor and removed the Undead Calamity staff. The second floor was densely packed with silver-tier magical beasts. I did not dare to go down, so I do not know anything about any threats there.
At the time, the Tudor dynasty ruled over that land. They had so much land that their territory was almost half of the entire continent. Unfortunately, it was destroyed for unknown reasons. Look at the green-gray fog inside the crack. That’s the unique aura of the undead spell.”
The astrologer had inadvertently approached Sven. He looked at the shape of the ruins and explained, “The people of the Tudor dynasty worship the immortal god. They think that death is not the end, but rather the beginning! Therefore, after their nobles die, they would build an inverted triangle-shaped pyramid underground. According to the different levels of the pyramid, it would have at least three levels and a maximum of nine levels! At the same time, they would also build a mountain peak on the ground as a monument. The top signifies the deceased’s life achievements, while the bottom represents the deceased’s purpose after their death. The underground pyramid would be as deep as the mountain peak on the surface.”
“Your knowledge is very profound, as one would expect from an astrologer.”
Sven’s face was filled with reverence. He had guarded that location for many years and had read numerous antique books. As a result, he knew one thing. The power of a platinum-tier elite was not just reflected in their strength.
“Then, according to your knowledge, Master, how deep would that underground ruin be?” Watson asked.
“Looking at the mountain peak, it is at least 600 meters high. The underground pyramid should have approximately six levels. Six stories are already considered extraordinary for a noble in the Tudor dynasty.”
“Six hundred meters?”
Watson rubbed his chin and abruptly extended his right hand toward the crack on the ground. “Platinum-tier earth-elemental spell, the Giant Rock Golem Summon.”
More than 20 hundred-meter-tall golems sprang up from the ground and shook the soil around their bodies. Their towering figures covered the weak sunlight, and their drill-like arms bore into the crack, immediately expanding it to a few hundred meters wide.
There was a massive upside-down pyramid around 600 meters tall, just as the astrologer had said. The pyramid was encased in an unknown metal that emitted a faint glow. More than 20 giant rock golems grabbed the pyramid’s protruding portion and pulled it out.
“Young Master Watson, I propose that we send in magical beasts to see if it is harmful or if there are any traps inside. After that, we can… What are you doing, Young Master?”
Sven was about to make a suggestion when Watson suddenly cast a spell to start excavating the ruins. His eyes widened.
Watson could not possibly think of excavating up the ruins directly, could he? That was not what he had anticipated. Should they not let the magical beasts explore first and wait until there was no danger inside the ruins before they went in to take the treasure level by level?
“We’ll know it when we see it. I am excavating the ruins.”
Watson commanded the giant rock golem to move while he looked at Sven in puzzlement. He wanted to save time. So, instead of entering the ruins and carefully exploring them, it was better to dig up the entire thing and move it back to Blackmoon Castle. Was there a problem with that?
