Chapter 1520: New clues!
Chapter 1520: New clues!
From MC’s Perspective:
The following day,
After getting out of bed, I began my usual morning routine, which took about an hour to complete.
Before starting my mental method practice, I stood in front of the control mirror to observe the surroundings.
Daylight bathed the vast land, revealing a barren expanse without even a single blade of grass.
The simple barren land surprised me. I wondered why dark wizards couldn’t thrive here.
Shaking off my thoughts, I returned to begin my practice.
I appeared in the middle of the hall and sat cross-legged on the ground, holding two super-grade mana stones.
Then, I started running the Gravity Ark Mental Method.
The practice lasted three hours. Afterward, I stood up, took a 20-minute shower, and changed into fresh clothes.
A few minutes later,
I stood before the Zero Puppet and inserted the super-grade mana stones to activate it. The next moment, the Zero Puppet came to life.
“Master,” Zero greeted.
I smiled and led the Zero Puppet outside. The harsh daylight greeted us, and pure mana in the surroundings enveloped our bodies.
However, the mana here was tinged with dark energy, a thick layer of elemental mana dominated the area.
After becoming a Level-9 Wizard, I could perceive gravity lines, but here, there were none.
Instead, dark mana lines permeated the environment, a paradise for dark-type wizards.
The Zero Puppet assessed the surroundings as well, detecting vibrations in the soil particles beneath the feet.
At the same time, I gathered my thoughts and decided to move on. Suddenly, I sensed something amiss with the Zero Puppet.
“Zero, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“Master, this place is unusual. The soil particles on the ground are shaking,” Zero replied.
I was stunned. Focusing, I felt the subtle changes in the ground. My expression grew serious, something was indeed wrong. The soil was shifting.
Yet, the system remained silent. I prompted it to probe the area.
[Ding! Warning!]
[Ding! Suspicious mana presence detected underground.]
The system’s voice echoed in my mind. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Yesterday, I checked this open land, and it seemed fine.
Now, the system indicated something hidden beneath the surface.
“What’s going on?” I muttered to myself.
I had to make a decision. Returning wasn’t an option, I needed to find the Ancient Graveyards. As long as I avoided disturbing whatever lurked below, I should be safe.
“Zero, lead the way without making any noise,” I instructed.
“Yes, Master,” Zero replied.
Swoosh!
We began traveling, using our flight abilities to hover mid-air. The puppet followed suit. Whatever was underground wouldn’t detect us this way.
Additionally, the system shielded us from prying eyes, making it unlikely that any entity would sense me.
I doubted it would mistake the puppet’s artificial body for a living one.
As time passed, we ventured deeper into the dry land. So far, everything seemed fine, but I had a lingering feeling that nothing had gone smoothly since entering this forbidden land.
The vast, desolate terrain was completely barren, devoid of grass, allowing me to spot potential dangers from a distance.
The Zero Puppet led the way, and I trusted it completely. Within an hour, we covered several miles.
Eventually, the puppet’s core ran out of energy. I refilled it with super-grade mana stones, and it resumed its journey.
Soon, the terrain changed subtly. If I hadn’t been paying close attention, I might have missed it, broken skeletons littered the path.
I couldn’t help but wonder what had caused their deaths, as the bones were grotesquely disfigured.
Shaking my head, I followed the Zero Puppet. As we progressed, piles of skeletons became more frequent.
The sight confused me. Since arriving in the Forbidden Area, I hadn’t encountered any monsters, yet there were heaps of skeletal remains here.
A realization hit me. I was searching for the Ancient Graveyards, could these piles be part of them? I immediately ordered the Zero Puppet to scan the area.
Following my command, the puppet began its work while I used the system to search for clues. Even if this wasn’t the hideout of the wanted criminal, any information would be valuable.
As we sifted through the piles, I noticed the skeletons were large, likely from monsters.
Soon, the Zero Puppet stopped in front of a massive bone, larger than a human wizard’s body. It was pure white, adorned with strange markings.
“Master,” the puppet called.
I approached and listened to its explanation. My gaze fell on the bone’s markings, a map.
“Zero, scan this map and see if you can extract useful information,” I ordered.
“Yes, Master,” the puppet replied, beginning its analysis.
Soon, it reported that the map was incomplete. I instructed it to scan the area again for another bone fragment.
We found one, human-sized, with more detailed markings.
A wave of relief washed over me. Whoever had left these markings had done remarkable work. I hoped they held the answers I sought.
The Zero Puppet scanned the second fragment, revealing even more intricate details, promising more information.
The Zero Puppet completed its scanning and began piecing the information together. Soon, everything became clear to it.
The information dated back to an ancient era. The land where we stood was part of a dangerous area even in those times.
The Zero Puppet analyzed the differences between the maps of the current era and the ancient one, revealing significant discrepancies.
It then relayed this information to me. When I heard it, I was dumbfounded.
I had hoped to find useful clues, but it turned out there were stark differences between the world today and the ancient era.
The Forbidden Area 808 might not be the same place it was back then, it could have been known by different names.
Then I thought of something and said to the Zero Puppet,
“See if you can find any matching information we can use now. Even if it’s just details about a route, it would be helpful.”
Hearing this, the Zero Puppet accepted the task and began its work.