Chapter 725: Archaeological Technology

Exquisitely crafted murals and reliefs line the passage.

There is no stale scent of decay here. The air is remarkably fresh.

Everyone begins to wonder whether the building connects to the outside somewhere.

Most of the murals glorify a deity, but neither its emblem nor its image resembles the Lord of the Holy Spirit.

The emblem depicts three intertwined serpents, their heads pointing outward at evenly spaced points around a circle.

Their tails coil inward to form a small ring. That ring becomes another set of tiny serpents, repeating inward without end.

No one recognizes the writing carved into the murals and reliefs, though the images allow for a few rough guesses.

Henwell, however, recognizes the script.

He never knew it in his former life. He learned it through the northern Kosen Kingdom.

Years ago, Henwell encountered Nailhead, the bandit who had sold him out. Desperate to keep his family alive, Nailhead told Henwell several secrets.

During the War of the Six Kings, Nailhead's group had obtained a certain object.

It was a metal box covered in unknown writing.

After recovering the box, Henwell began studying the writing.

The trail eventually led him to the northern Kosen Kingdom.

After considerable effort, he obtained several books concerning the script.

The script did not originate in Kosen Kingdom. The kingdom merely possessed records of it.

Kosen scholars called it arcane script, and Henwell spent some time mastering its basics.

He then opened the box and found a damaged metal plate inside.

It resembled a map, though it might also have been a device for activating a mechanism.

Unfortunately, the damage was too severe for him to determine its purpose.

Later, as Peace Haven grew and its mapmaking projects spread across the continent, Henwell made another discovery.

He found an area matching the map on the metal fragment.

The place lay northwest of Ika, deep in the heartland of Ika Kingdom, where Henwell had no way to organize an expedition.

The matter was therefore set aside.

Now, in the ruins of Fendicasa, Henwell sees the so-called arcane script once more.

Intrigued, he moves closer and deciphers one line.

"Praise the Lord of Calamity for this protection!"

Henwell glances at the Lady of Calamity's back. It seems she came here to explore a ruined church dedicated to the Lord of Calamity.

The realization puts Henwell on full alert. Anything involving a god, no matter which one, demands the utmost caution.

He touches the long metal tube secured beneath his pack and discreetly activates a hidden rune on its surface.

Deeper inside, the expedition encounters numerous statues, though none depicts the Lord of Calamity.

Their clothing and appearance suggest that the statues honor members of the clergy who contributed to the church.

There are no monsters here. After searching the area, the group reaches the heart of the building and finds an enormous mound of rubble.

The rubble must once have formed a gigantic statue, most likely an idol of the Lord of Calamity.

Five longswords stand embedded in the ground around the rubble, forming a circle. Twelve more create a larger outer ring.

At the very top of the pile stands an object resembling a staff.

The archaeologists believe this may have been a ritual performed by the victors of a war, or perhaps the defeated side's final, desperate prayer.

Whatever happened here, weapons that remain intact after so long cannot be ordinary.

Solomon refuses to let anyone pull out the swords. Instead, he leads the others deeper into the building.

Eventually, they reach a stone wall covered in intricate patterns.

Solomon draws a short blade, cuts his palm, and lets his blood spill across the patterns.

As the blood seeps into the patterns, the lines begin to glow. The wall breaks apart, revealing a doorway more than two meters high.

Something inside the room activates, and one crystal after another lights up like a string of luminous pearls.

Light floods the chamber, leaving everyone astonished.

Henwell frowns as he considers Solomon's ritual.

The ritual produced no ordinary extraordinary energy signature. It set a far deeper flow of energy into motion.

It may be the power of law.

Henwell takes a step back and allows the others to crowd through the doorway first.

Vicky, captain of Solomon's guard, draws his sword and bars everyone else's way.

Philir and his companions dare not force their way past him, but they loudly accuse Solomon of breaking his word.

Solomon looks back. "First, my agreement is with your guildmaster, not with any of you."

"Second, this room contains our primary objective. Once we remove its contents, you may take anything else in this building."

"I didn't deceive you. There is plenty of treasure here, but it is stored in a treasure chamber farther inside."

"Once my work is complete, I will take you there. Until then, remain quiet and touch nothing!"

With Vicky barring their way, Philir and the others can do nothing but fume.

For the next two days, Solomon's team carries a steady stream of objects out of the building.

Most are sealed in crates before leaving the ruins, though several larger objects must first be dismantled.

Henwell finally sees what Solomon came to retrieve: some kind of complex apparatus.

He suspects the apparatus performs energy extraction and may once have served as the entire city's power supply.

Solomon came here in search of an ancient energy machine.

The machine interests Henwell, but only as a curiosity.

Can a civilization that develops only by relying on archaeological technology truly call that progress?

Peace Haven follows its own technological development path. Ancient devices may offer inspiration, but they will never become its core technology.

Peace Haven has already finalized two extraordinary alloys: Blood Hill Steel and Orma Steel.

They cost only a tenth as much as the extraordinary metals produced by other nations, and further technological refinement and expanded production will drive that cost even lower.

After twenty years of work, an unimaginable investment of resources, and human trials that cost countless lives, Peace Haven has also developed its own extraordinary potion.

Peace Haven has finally unraveled the secret behind extraordinary body-strengthening potions.

Unlike other such potions, Peace Haven's version is administered in two doses.

The two doses must follow a strict regimen, and the recipient must already possess a strong enough constitution.

Even then, there is still a chance of failure.

At best, failure leaves the recipient weak for a year or more. At worst, it causes permanent organ damage.

The risk is extremely low, however, and failures are rare under the supervision of trained physicians.

The final clinical trials are nearly complete. Once Henwell returns, the potion will need a name.

Henwell has no intention of giving it some grand name like Miracle Potion. Enhancement Potion will do.

At least on the Abandoned Continent, this may be the first time ordinary people have unraveled the mysteries of extraordinary power on their own.