Chapter 144: Luxurious Magical Mechanisms.

A dead end?

Shu Li looked around but saw no other passage.

That couldn’t be right!

He had followed a single path all the way here. How could it simply end at a wall?

Shu Li searched from top to bottom. After several minutes of effort, he still could not find so much as a narrow crack he could squeeze through.

This was rather awkward.

Helplessly, he flew back to the wall, hugged his magic staff to his chest, and examined it carefully.

The wall was approximately five meters high and six meters wide. A circular totem had been carved into it in relief. Five grooves of different shapes were arranged neatly in the center, each corresponding to an intricate pattern.

Shu Li studied the patterns for a moment before inspiration suddenly struck.

They were pictographic representations of the natural elements: wind, fire, water, wood, and earth.

As for the grooves... magic stones of the corresponding elements probably had to be inserted into them.

Shu Li immediately put his theory to the test.

As a wealthy Little Fairy, he had all kinds of magic stones stored in his storage ring. Some he had gathered himself, while others had been given to him. Dragon King Harmon, for instance, sent him treasures every few days, and Mr. Serpent often mailed him gifts as well.

In short, he possessed magic stones of all five natural elements and at every rank.

Shu Li took out an eighth-rank fire magic stone and pushed it into the groove corresponding to the fire element.

Clack—

The fire magic stone fell to the floor.

Huh?

Was it the wrong one?

The eighth rank was already extremely high. Could it possibly require... a ninth-rank stone?

Wasn’t that a little extravagant?

Remembering the sea-moon stones embedded in the pillars, Shu Li scratched the back of his head. He landed, retrieved the eighth-rank fire magic stone, and took out a ninth-rank one instead. Hugging it in his arms, he flew back up to the groove and shoved it inside with all his strength.

This time, he had learned his lesson and kept both hands pressed against the stone in case it fell.

Ding—

A faint sound came from the relief. Shu Li’s ears twitched, and delight spread across his face.

It worked!

He released the stone. It remained securely in place, and as it transmitted energy into the wall, the pattern representing the fire element lit up in a brilliant red.

Encouraged, Shu Li took out ninth-rank water, wind, wood, and earth magic stones and inserted them into their corresponding grooves one after another.

Ding, ding, ding, ding—

The entire relief lit up, radiating a dazzling array of colors.

Shu Li instinctively raised an arm to shield his eyes from the blinding light.

Once the relief had been activated, a hidden mechanism inside the wall began to move. The section blocking the passage slowly rotated, and before long, an open doorway appeared.

Shu Li flew through without hesitation. When he saw what lay inside, his mouth fell open in shock.

He had thought the rare sea-moon stones embedded in the corridor’s pillars were extravagant enough. Yet the inner hall was even more magnificent, luxurious, and exquisitely crafted. Every detail symbolized power and wealth, while the entire chamber embodied an elegant, aristocratic artistry. It was as though the palace’s builders had offered up all the most beautiful and precious treasures in the world for the sole purpose of pleasing the god they revered.

Shu Li marveled as he flew, but he felt no greed.

He had been born into wealth in his previous life, and now he lived in the resource-rich Faerie Forest and spent his days inside the resplendent Crystal Castle. Faced with a room filled with priceless treasures, he felt nothing beyond admiration and appreciation.

To him, these beautiful and costly decorations were offerings presented by believers to the Fire God. They must not be touched lightly, or it would constitute disrespect toward the god.

He had come to find the fire spirit, not to hunt for treasure.

Once his initial amazement faded, Shu Li calmly flew deeper into the palace. Suddenly, he noticed several clusters of vivid red crystals protruding conspicuously from the floor.

The red crystals were scattered here and there. They did not resemble decorations, but rather foreign objects that had emerged sometime after the palace was built.

He approached one cluster and circled it, sensing immensely powerful fire magic.

Could these... be the Sunfire Crystals the white mage wanted?

Ten thousand years ago, the Fire God had battled the forces of darkness within the temple. His blood had fallen to the floor and crystallized.

Those crystals were the legendary Sunfire Crystals, supreme fire-element magical materials capable of significantly increasing a mage’s rank.

Shu Li rubbed his hands together excitedly and decided to mine some for Dicio, who practiced fire magic.

Naturally, the best treasures should go to his best friend!

The crystals were too large for him to mine in his current tiny form, so Shu Li released his innate power and enlarged his body.

With a light push from his toes, he landed gracefully on the floor. He temporarily folded away the gauzy wings on his back, took out his mining tools, and began extracting the crystals.

Clang, clang, clang—

The piercing sounds of mining echoed through the empty hall.

Shu Li worked skillfully. Before long, he had extracted more than ten crystals that reached halfway to his knees and happily stored them in his storage ring.

There was only a limited number of Sunfire Crystals in the hall. After collecting half of them, he put away his tools.

He ought to leave some for those who came after him!

He had only found this place thanks to that adventuring party. If they successfully entered the temple, the white mage could collect the remaining Sunfire Crystals.

Holding his magic staff, Shu Li extended his perception and remained constantly vigilant as he carefully proceeded deeper into the hall.

The farther he went, the more magnificent the palace became. However, there were damaged areas as well. Some walls and pillars were partially destroyed, bearing unmistakable traces of magic. A fierce battle had clearly taken place here.

Shu Li nimbly vaulted over a massive stone pillar lying across the floor. The instant he landed, something flashed past his feet.

He reacted immediately, throwing himself into a sideways somersault. By the time he landed, the magic staff in his hand had been replaced by a golden bow.

His sharp gaze swept across his surroundings. The moment he located his target, he loosed an arrow without hesitation.

Whoosh—

The golden arrow struck a stone pedestal.

Had it escaped?

Shu Li drew a second arrow, expanded the range of his perception, and listened intently in every direction.

Crack!

A noise came from behind him. He spun around and fired.

“Awooo!”

A fierce yet unmistakably childish cry rang out.

Shu Li stared in astonishment. What he had struck was a tiny red creature.

A small horn protruded from the top of its head. Its body was round and plump, with thick, stubby limbs and a pair of batlike wings on its back. The tip of its fat tail ended in a triangular barb.

A dragon cub?

Shu Li nocked another arrow and aimed at the little creature, which was no larger than a chinchilla.

The author Qingzun reminds you that I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom [Western Fantasy] is updated with the latest chapters first at... Remember—

Shu Li had spoken in Elven, and the creature clearly understood him. It bared its teeth.

“I’m not a dragon, and I’m certainly not a cub! I’m a fire dragon lizard! The fire dragon lizards are Lord Fire God’s favorite creatures!”

Shu Li blinked.

This miniature ball of fat claimed to be a fire dragon lizard. Did it think he had no common sense?

It looked nothing like the fire dragon lizards “reveling” on the surface.

Those creatures had powerful bodies, thick limbs, and ferocious heads. They had no horns, and their tails certainly did not end in barbs. If he absolutely had to find a resemblance, it would be that the higher-ranked fire dragon lizards were covered in the same layer of gleaming red scales.

“Are you sure?” Shu Li asked with a smile. “The fire dragon lizards I’ve seen look nothing like you.”

The bow in his hands remained aimed steadily at the creature. He did not relax in the slightest.

In this other world, a cute appearance did not mean a creature was harmless.

The Faerie Forest contained many magical beasts even cuter than rabbits. Once provoked, however, they could reveal true forms comparable to Godzilla and unleash terrifying combat power.

This little magical beast claiming to be a fire dragon lizard could not be underestimated.

His question seemed to set the powder keg of a creature alight. It exploded with fury and spat out a ball of flame.

Shu Li did not move.

The tiny flame traveled less than half a meter before falling to the floor and dissolving into a wisp of smoke.

It could hardly even be called a spark.

Its combat ability was pathetic!

“Damn you! If my power hadn’t been sealed, I would have taught you a lesson already!” the little magical beast snarled, furiously waving its stubby forelegs.

Shu Li put away his bow and replaced it with his magic staff. He tossed out several seeds, which landed beside the creature and sprouted instantly. They grew into tough vines and bound it tightly.

Wrapped up like a parcel, the little magical beast began cursing at the top of its lungs.

Finding its language far too crude, Shu Li moved a finger. The vines immediately wrapped around its mouth.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

Unable to speak, the creature could only glare at him.

Shu Li crouched down, pulled the arrow from its wing, and returned it to his storage ring.

“You had better behave, or I’ll stew you into a delicious meat soup.”

He drew his dagger and waved it in front of the creature. It shrank back, and the ferocity in its eyes subsided.

Seeing that it had finally settled down, Shu Li gave it a friendly smile. “I can release you, but you’ll have to answer my questions properly, all right?”

The creature’s pupils narrowed into slits again. Shu Li pressed the dagger against its neck, and its expression instantly became pleading as it made muffled noises behind the vines.

It appeared to have agreed.

Shu Li loosened the vines around its mouth.

The instant its mouth was free, the little magical beast blurted, “You lied to me! You’re a Fairy. Fairies don’t like meat soup!”

Slightly surprised, Shu Li asked, “How could you tell that I’m a Fairy?”

After enlarging himself, he had folded away his wings and was wearing a hooded cloak. He looked almost no different from an ordinary human.

“Hmph!” The creature sneered. “I noticed you the moment you entered the temple! You’re so stupid. I followed you the entire way, and you never even realized it. If I hadn’t deliberately revealed myself, you would never have found me.”

Shu Li frowned.

After entering the underground palace, he had extended his perception as far as possible. Everything within a fifty-meter radius had been under his surveillance. Yet a little magical beast had followed directly behind him without his noticing.

It had only revealed itself once they reached the inner hall.

It seemed to have been trying to stop him from going any farther.

Shu Li glanced back and noticed the little creature’s pupils narrowing into slits once more.

As expected, something important was hidden deeper within the palace. Otherwise, the creature would not be so nervous.

He put away his dagger and lowered his hood, revealing golden hair, delicate features, and a pair of long, pointed ears.

“That’s right. I’m a Fairy. It’s an honor to meet you here.”

The little magical beast’s eyes darted about before it asked in surprise, “Are you an underage Little Fairy?”

Shu Li did not deny it. “Yes. I just turned fifteen this year.”

“What? A fifteen-year-old Little Fairy!” The creature gaped at him. “You regained your innate power at fifteen? That’s impossible!”

“Why would it be impossible?” Shu Li tilted his head. “Plenty of Little Fairies regain their innate power in their teens nowadays.”

“Plenty? How many?” The little magical beast found that even more unbelievable. In its memory, hardly any Fairies had regained their innate power by the age of twenty.

“Thirty or forty, I suppose!” Shu Li estimated.

There were the twenty-five Little Fairies in his own group, plus the group containing that quiet top student. Altogether, there should be roughly that many.

“Thirty or forty?” The little magical beast drew a sharp breath and murmured, “Are Little Fairies really this incredible nowadays? I’ve certainly been trapped here for far too long...”