Chapter 481: The Upper Realm (VII)

’What a troublesome pair...’

Gray glanced toward the ruins, ignoring Jasmine’s comment.

"Fine. I’ll answer some of your questions, but let’s get inside first. Standing around here won’t get us anywhere."

Scarlett narrowed her eyes.

"You’re not changing the subject again, are you?"

"No... not this time. I promise."

Elira smiled.

"Should we believe him, Scarlett?"

"Absolutely not."

"How cruel."

Gray chuckled before raising his hand.

A gentle cyclone formed around his body, gathering his black incubus disguise once again. His horns reappeared, followed by his pointed ears and large black wings.

The familiar demonic aura settled around him, concealing the Mana flowing through his body.

Within seconds, the handsome human standing before them had disappeared, replaced by the familiar Incubus they had known for weeks.

Scarlett watched the transformation with narrowed eyes.

"You’re going to keep using that appearance?"

"Naturally. We’re in the Upper Plane, Princess. Walking around openly as a human while accompanied by two demon princesses sounds like a rather troublesome way to spend the expedition."

Elira nodded.

"He’s right. Even if we’re currently participating in a competition, revealing his identity to every academy we encounter would create unnecessary problems."

"Exactly."

Gray adjusted his collar.

"Now, shall we?"

The two princesses exchanged another glance before following him toward the stone slab.

The entrance was still covered by the remaining traces of the ancient formation.

Gray crouched beside the markings, studying the mana currents beneath the stone.

He had already examined the formation from a distance, but now that he was closer, he could distinguish several additional patterns hidden beneath the damaged surface.

Scarlett stood beside him.

"Can you open it?"

"Probably."

"Probably?"

"Would you prefer me to say yes with absolute confidence and accidentally activate something unpleasant?"

"Just open the entrance..." Scarlett sighed.

Gray smiled at her words.

"Your wish is my command."

He placed his palm against the stone.

"Nullification."

[- 192 Soul Points.]

A faint ripple spread beneath his hand.

The ancient formation trembled, and several silver lines running across the stone disappeared one after another.

A moment later, a deep sound echoed beneath the ground.

GGRRRRRRRRR...

The enormous slab slowly shifted aside.

Dust poured from the opening, revealing a wide staircase descending into darkness.

Elira leaned forward.

"Well... that was considerably easier than I expected."

Scarlett looked at Gray.

"Did you just nullify the seal?"

"Mhm."

"Without examining the entire formation?"

"I examined enough of it."

She stared at him conspicuously before shaking her head.

"Of course you did."

Gray stood and looked down the staircase.

A faint current of mana drifted upward from below.

His eyes narrowed.

’Interesting. The mana is considerably denser down there.’

He took the first step.

"Let’s go. Stay close, though. We don’t know what might be waiting inside."

The staircase was considerably longer than expected.

After descending for several minutes, the three finally reached a massive underground chamber.

The moment they stepped inside, their surroundings opened into an enormous hall supported by rows of ancient pillars.

The walls were covered with faded murals, depicting several figures wearing long robes and standing beneath what appeared to be a sky filled with countless stars.

At the far end stood a massive stone door.

Its surface was decorated with several overlapping formations, and a faint silver light pulsed between the carvings.

Elira looked around in amazement.

"This place... It’s much larger than the ruins above."

Scarlett examined the murals.

"It looks like an old academy. Perhaps the entire structure was built underground."

Gray remained quiet.

His [Spirit Eyes] were already examining the surrounding Mana.

The energy inside the chamber was exceptionally dense.

Unlike the natural Mana outside, which flowed freely through the environment, the energy here seemed to have been gathered and preserved over countless years.

He could even sense several distinct sources of mana beyond the massive stone door.

His lips curled upward.

’Now we’re talking.’

Scarlett noticed his expression.

"Gray?"

"Hm?"

"You seem rather familiar with this place."

He looked at her.

"Not particularly."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Because the place seems promising."

Elira approached the central table, where several broken pieces of stone and faded documents had been left behind.

"There are records here, but most of them are damaged. I might be able to recover some information if I spend enough time examining them."

Gray nodded.

"Good. Take a look around. There are a few things I want to tell you both before we go farther."

The two princesses turned toward him.

He took a moment to look at the enormous stone door before finally speaking.

"There’s a reason I wanted to come here."

Scarlett folded her arms.

"I assumed as much."

"Actually, there are two things I’m searching for."

Elira tilted her head.

"Two treasures?"

"More or less."

Gray looked at the princesses.

"One of them is called the Undying Snake’s Orb."

Neither princess immediately reacted.

The name was unfamiliar to them.

Scarlett was the first to speak.

"An Undying Snake? I’ve heard of several ancient snake-type beasts, but I don’t remember hearing about an orb by that name."

"That’s because it’s an extremely rare evolutionary treasure. It holds the essence of an ancient Undying Snake, and its properties are particularly suited to certain snake-type spiritual beings."

Gray raised one hand.

A small ripple appeared in the space beside him.

A moment later, a beautiful nine-colored serpent emerged, its slender body coiling comfortably around his wrist.

Atrinae.

Her scales reflected several different colors, shifting between them whenever she moved.

She raised her head, looked at the two princesses, and flicked her tongue before settling comfortably around Gray’s arm.

Elira’s eyes widened.

"Oh! Is this your little snake?"

Gray smiled.

"Exactly. Her name is Atrinae."

Scarlett examined the creature.

"She’s your bonded spirit?"

"Something like that. She’s also my sword spirit."

Elira blinked.

"Your sword spirit is a snake?"

Gray nodded.

"Yes. She’s rather special."

Atrinae raised her head proudly, seemingly pleased with the praise.

Gray gently stroked her scales.

"The Undying Snake’s Orb would help her evolve. I’ve been searching for one for quite some time, and according to the information I gathered before coming here, there’s a possibility this old academy once possessed one."

’Retaining a bit of the information about the novel... I remembered that the Upper Plane has a better Undying Snake’s Orb than the Demon Academy... though, I need to figure out why my knowledge about the novel is getting sealed passively... that annoys me a ton.’

Scarlett’s expression became thoughtful.

"So you’re searching for an evolutionary material for your spiritual beast."

"Correct."

Elira smiled at Atrinae.

"How sweet. You brought us all the way here for your little companion."

Gray glanced at her.

"She’s been with me through quite a few things. I wouldn’t mind spending some effort helping her grow stronger."

Atrinae rubbed her head against his fingers.

Scarlett watched the interaction before looking toward the stone door.

"And the second item?"

Gray’s expression changed slightly.

He looked toward the enormous door again, his crimson eyes narrowing.

"The second one is a little more difficult to explain."

Both princesses became attentive.

"It’s a fragment of a broken star."

Silence.

Elira blinked.

Scarlett’s expression grew serious.

"...A fragment of a star?"

Gray nodded.

"Yes. Not an ordinary piece of rock that fell from the sky, but a remnant of a star that once existed beyond the Mortal Realm. Its remains possess unusual properties, and I’ve been searching for information about one particular fragment."

Elira slowly lowered the document she had been holding.

"Wait. Are you saying a fragment of an actual star is hidden somewhere inside this academy?"

"That’s what I’m hoping to find..."

’...This one is a lie since the fragment I want is at the Demon Academy, but I won’t say that for now. I just need them to trust me a little more...’

Scarlett looked toward the stone door, then back at Gray.

"An Undying Snake’s Orb and a fragment of a broken star..."

She repeated the names quietly, as though trying to understand the kind of person who would search for two treasures so unusual.

The first was an evolutionary treasure for a spiritual beast.

The second was a remnant of something far beyond the ordinary resources found in the Mortal Realm.

And Gray had come all the way from the Underworld to find them.

For several moments, neither princess spoke.

They had initially assumed Gray’s interest in the underground structure was related to his cultivation.

Perhaps he wanted rare mana crystals, ancient techniques, or some other resource capable of improving his foundation.

They hadn’t expected him to be searching for treasures of this level.

Elira was the first to recover.

"Gray... Do you have any idea how valuable those things are?"

He smiled.

"That’s precisely why I’m looking for them."

Scarlett gave him a long look.

"You’re quite ambitious."

"I prefer to think of myself as someone with good taste."

"You’re searching for treasures even powerful families would struggle to obtain, and you call that good taste?"

"Would you prefer me to search for ordinary stones?"

Scarlett sighed.

She had no answer to that.

Elira, on the other hand, seemed increasingly interested.

"Well, if those treasures really are inside this academy, helping you find them would certainly make our expedition worthwhile."

She turned toward the murals and began examining them with renewed attention.

Scarlett followed her gaze.

"Then we should search carefully. If this place belonged to an ancient academy, there might be records detailing the location of its treasures."

Gray nodded.

"Exactly. That’s why I wanted to tell you both."

He looked toward the massive stone door.

"Of course, I don’t intend to leave without finding what I came for."

His smile remained pleasant, but there was an unmistakable determination behind his words.

Scarlett noticed.

So did Elira.

For once, neither princess teased him.

Atrinae raised her head from his wrist, her nine-colored scales reflecting the faint silver light of the chamber.

Gray gently stroked her.

"Don’t worry, little one. We’ll find something suitable for you."

Then he looked toward the two princesses.

"Well, shall we see what this old academy has been hiding?"