Chapter 459 - 433: Adaptive Base Plate

Chapter 459: Chapter 433: Adaptive Base Plate

Roland took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He then picked up the ancient map atlas he had just found, labeled "Simplified Structural Diagram of the Seventh Observation Station."

Aided by the light of the Dancing Light Technique, his finger traced slowly across the map’s complex lines and markings, carefully cross-referencing his own position.

After a moment, he confirmed that he was in the location marked "Central Data Library" on the map.

The area he had fallen into from the Big Pit when he first entered the ruins was, as it turned out, directly above the core section of the entire Observation Station.

And the key location mentioned in the notes, the "Bottom Protocol Hall," was located to the east of this data library according to the map, perfectly matching the direction behind the intact metal door in front of him.

The objective was clear, the path ahead unknown.

Roland pulled his gaze from the map and refocused on the sealed door. It stood like a silent, gaping maw, devouring all light and sound.

He turned his head and spoke softly to the Pikachu perched on his shoulder, who was staring wide-eyed at the strange surroundings with a mix of curiosity and a hint of fear.

"Tress, do you remember what I told you before?"

"Of course, Roland!"

Tress nodded her little head vigorously, a serious expression on her face.

She stopped looking around and instead brought her tiny hands together in front of her chest, then slowly pushed them forward.

In that instant, a soft, pure glimmer spread out from her like ripples on water, silently brushing over the surrounding space.

Immediately after, the stagnant and chaotic Magic Elements that filled the air like a thick gel seemed to be infused with a kind of Order under the glow of this gentle light.

They began to slowly "loosen." Their disordered state of Entanglement gradually subsided, the chaotic fluctuations were soothed, and they finally transformed into the orderly flow of Magic Elements that Roland was familiar with—like a clear, flowing stream from the outside world.

Although the range was small, only covering a few meters around Roland, it had undoubtedly created a precious "oasis" in this cursed desert of Magic Power.

"But..."

Tress’s tiny brows furrowed slightly, her voice strained.

"Roland, the environment here is really strange. There’s some kind of Power resisting my efforts. I can only affect a very small area, and... maintaining this state is very draining for me. I’m afraid I can’t keep it up for long."

"It’s fine, this is enough."

Roland nodded lightly, his heart settling somewhat.

During the fierce battle with the Heartstealer at Wailing Gorge, it was precisely this ability of Tress’s—to manipulate the surrounding magical environment and lessen his Casting burden—that had played an unexpected role at a critical moment.

That was why, after arriving in Aiselon and personally experiencing the bizarre stagnation of Magic Power here, he had asked Tress to see if she could affect this environment.

The result was a pleasant surprise; her talent could indeed "purify" or "organize" the chaotic Magic Power in this area to some extent.

When he studied Magic under Duadeng, he had been unable to emulate the Zor Elves’ method of directly resonating with the World Tree to absorb Magic Power almost instinctively, due to the difference in their Races. He still needed to rely on the Dragon Bone Magical Artifact on his wrist as a medium to channel Magic Power, but he had indeed mastered several practical Low Ring spells.

Now, with Tress’s help, the Magic Power in this area had temporarily become "usable," which meant he could now cast these spells normally.

With his own formidable close-combat strength as a foundation, supplemented by various Low Ring spells with diverse effects capable of turning the tide of battle, he was confident. Even if unknown dangers lurked behind the door, and even if he couldn’t win a direct confrontation, he was sure he had the means to escape with ease.

His mind made up, he hesitated no longer.

Roland adjusted his breathing, tightened his grip on the Moonlight Longsword, and slowly raised his other hand, pressing it gently against the cold, dust-covered metal door.

He pushed lightly, and with a low, dry CREAK, he slowly opened a crack in the heavy door.

As the heavy metal door was slowly pushed open, a scent even thicker than outside—a mixture of stale dust—assailed him, tinged with the faint, almost imperceptible smell of blood.

Beyond the door was a downward-sloping passage, even dimmer than the Central Data Library. The orb of light seemed to be partially swallowed by the Darkness here, illuminating only a limited area.

Roland held his breath, carefully maneuvering the orb of light forward.

The light advanced slowly, gradually revealing the scene ahead.

The first thing to enter his vision, scattered across the cold metal floor, was a dazzling array of...

Corpses.

Their attire was familiar to Roland; they were members of the Rusted Knight Order.

The bloodstains had long since dried and blackened, appearing as deep purple smudges in the dim light, soaking large patches of the floor and walls.

The bodies were in various poses—some prone, some supine—and most were dismembered, clear evidence that they had endured an extremely brutal battle before death.

’It seems this is the danger Hagry was talking about.’

Roland understood. He quickly averted his gaze from the lifeless bodies and scanned warily into the deeper Darkness of the passage.

However, before he could capture any more information with his eyes, his Perception, far surpassing that of an ordinary person, rang out with a sharp warning, like a plucked string.

RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE...

A faint, dense rustling sound erupted simultaneously from the shadows all around him—in front, behind, to the left, and to the right—at an astonishing speed.

It was as if the Darkness itself had come alive and was surging toward him.

In almost the same instant his Perception registered the danger, several black shadows tore through the gloom at the edge of the light orb, lunging at him like phantoms.

Their movements were unnaturally swift, kicking up a piercing whistle as they aimed for Roland’s vitals.

Yet, facing this sudden ambush, the well-prepared Roland remained perfectly calm and collected.

Though his vision was limited, his Perception Power, enhanced by various Traits, had already acted like an invisible radar, clearly outlining the position, movements, and even the attack trajectories of every assailant.

Without a single wasted motion, he merely flicked his wrist, and the Moonlight Longsword transformed into a silver stream of light, almost impossible to track in the dimness!

CLANG!

SCHLICK!

THUMP!

The crisp ring of metal on metal, the wet thud of a blade slicing through flesh, and the sound of something breaking as it was sent flying by immense force erupted almost simultaneously.

The silver light wove a web of death around him. The moment any of the lunging shadows touched this light, they were sent flying back faster than they had come, or simply shattered and collapsed to the ground.

The entire process took place in the blink of an eye, so brief it was like an illusion.

When the last shadow had its sternum shattered by the flat of his blade and slammed against the wall, motionless, the passage returned to a dead silence, leaving only the fresh scent of blood hanging in the air.

Roland flicked his wrist, shaking the warm drops of blood from his blade. By the steady glow of the light orb, he took a closer look at the true forms of his attackers.

But the sight that met his eyes made a flash of surprise cross his face.

Lying on the ground were several bodies that looked almost identical to humans.

They had four limbs, a torso, and faces consistent with ordinary humans, albeit with a somewhat twisted expression.

But then, Roland noticed something strange about them.

These "humans" were unnaturally smooth all over, completely hairless.

Hair, eyebrows, body hair—all of it was completely missing, making them look like pale, meticulously polished statues.

What was more unsettling were their eyes.

Their sockets held nothing but a milky, ghastly white, devoid of pupils or any hint of life, clearly having lost the function of sight long ago.

Their open mouths revealed teeth far sharper than a normal person’s, giving them a feral, savage look.

Looking at these humanoid creatures on the ground, Roland’s brow furrowed deeply.

’Are these... the descendants of human survivors who were trapped in these dark ruins for a long time and mutated due to the environment? Or are they the product of some kind of... experiment?’

He couldn’t reach a definite conclusion and could only suppress his doubts for the time being.

Composing himself, he continued cautiously down the sloping passage.

Along the way, he encountered several more waves of similar attacks from these strange "humans," but in the face of Roland’s absolute Power, these assaults were like moths to a flame. They were easily cut down by his Moonlight Longsword, failing to slow him in the slightest.

After walking for an unknown amount of time through the dim, winding passage, the way ahead suddenly opened up, and a massive, heavy metal door—far more magnificent than any he had seen before—blocked his path.

The door’s surface was covered in complex mechanical patterns, and set squarely in its center was a fist-sized, intricately structured spherical device.

It was the "Entropy Ash Core" he had seen in illustrated books.

However, the core was now dim and lifeless. Its surface was covered in cracks and rust, and he could feel no sign of Energy flow within it. It had clearly exhausted all its Energy over the long ages and was completely defunct.

Roland strode forward, extending his Perception like tentacles to carefully probe the space behind the door.

The feedback he received was still one of dead silence. There was no trace of any living thing, only the cold, hollow feeling of dormant machinery.

After confirming it was temporarily safe, Roland sheathed his Moonlight Longsword and placed both palms firmly on the cold, heavy door.

He took a deep breath. The Giant Dragon Bloodline within him stirred, and immense Power instantly flooded his arms.

CREAK... CLANG!

As he slowly exerted his strength, a grating, ear-piercing screech erupted, as if metal bones were being forcibly snapped.

The Entropy Ash Core, no longer sustained by Energy, was the first thing to give way under the immense mechanical stress. The cracks on its surface widened rapidly until, with a soft POP, it completely shattered into countless dim fragments that fell from its socket.

Freed from the core’s locking mechanism, the heavy door groaned under Roland’s tremendous strength, rumbling deeply as it slowly opened a crack wide enough for a person to pass through.

The moment the door opened...

BZZZT... wel... come... to... the... Seventh... Ob... servation... Station... visitor... how... may... I... help... you...

A halting, completely mechanized female voice, laced with heavy static, suddenly echoed from the empty space behind the door.

But the voice lasted less than three seconds before being drowned out by increasingly intense static and falling completely silent.

However, just before the voice completely faded, as if linked to it, rows of embedded light strips on the ceiling of the once pitch-black space behind the door suddenly lit up. They emitted a steady, cold white light, instantly illuminating the entire area as bright as day.

The sudden bright light made Roland instinctively squint. After quickly adjusting, he looked warily inside.

Before him was an extremely vast hall with a stunningly high ceiling. The surrounding walls were covered with countless extinguished screens and complex optical interfaces.

In the center of the hall, dozens of waist-high metal platforms were arranged in neat rows. Most of them were empty, covered in a thick layer of dust.

However, his gaze was instantly drawn to one of the platforms.

On a platform located near the center of the hall, a soft pillar of blue Energy was being projected down from above, flowing like ripples of water.

Within the pillar of light, a squarish plate, about the size of his palm, floated silently. It was a dark silver color, with faint golden Runes flowing along its edges.

It rotated slowly and silently, emitting a subtle and profound Energy fluctuation that was completely at odds with the dead silence of its surroundings.

’That must be...’

Roland recalled the exciting record from the researcher’s notes.

’...the "Adaptive Base Plate," which can resonate with Extraordinary Power?’