Chapter 450: Radiation and Secrets

Chapter 450: Radiation and Secrets

Meanwhile, after delivering the Long Horizon Airship carrying Anna and the Pureblood Elves to a safe location, Ren took a detour and rode his Bloodfeather towards the nearby Valzich Ruins.

Having accomplished his primary objective of ensuring Anna's safety, Ren relaxed his efforts to conceal his tracks and swiftly flew through the skies.

He planned to descend and proceed on foot as he neared his destination.

The speed difference between flying at high altitudes and maneuvering through dense forests was vast.

After roughly half an hour, Ren instructed Bloodfeather to reduce its speed, and he swiftly compared his mental map, beginning a gradual descent.

"We're almost there, just about three kilometers northwest from here," Ren muttered to himself as he surveyed the surroundings from mid-air.

Strictly speaking, this location was outside the boundaries of Ferdinand Forest. While in the air, Ren had spotted the destroyed Elf Outpost several kilometers away.

Of course, geographical features didn't drastically change due to man-made boundaries.

It was still a dense forest area with undulating hills, lush bushes, and thick vegetation. The only difference was that this place now fell within the Empire's territory.

A few minutes later, as Ren gazed at the dense forest before him, he couldn't help but marvel:

"A vast expanse with no traces of artificial structures, it's hard to believe that there was once an ancient Grand Wizard Academy beneath this ground."

Suddenly, the thin plate in Ren's embrace began to vibrate.

"This is Ren," he said as he took out the plate.

"Lord Ren, we've received Miss Anna, her clan, and Sir Lambert. They are all settled comfortably," Olenna's voice came through the plate.

At the same time, Ren faintly heard familiar crisp female voices whispering in the background.

"Lord Ren, I'll connect you with Miss Anna."

"Okay."

Soon, Anna's soft and slightly shy voice came through the plate:

"Ren, we've arrived at Sentinel Post Seven. Lady Olenna has been very thoughtful and has already arranged rooms, food, and medicine for everyone. She's taken care of everything."

"Oh, and Miss Bianca and Miss Claire are both doing well," Anna added.

Hearing Anna's familiar voice, Ren's heart softened.

Apparently, the whispers he had heard earlier were from Anna and Claire's conversation.

"Then get some rest. If there's anything your clan needs, ask Lady Olenna for help. I'll be entering the ruins soon, and the signal might not be reliable."

"I'll contact you again after I come out," Ren said after a moment's thought.

"Mhm, Ren. Please be careful."

Inside Sentinel Post Seven.

After Anna finished her call with Ren, Claire and Bianca exchanged glances, then affectionately held Anna's fair hand.

"Hehe, Miss Anna, this is the first time we've heard the captain speak so gently. It seems like the captain really adores you."

"But a beauty like you deserves the captain's affection."

As Claire spoke, she couldn't help but admire Anna's restored beauty, marveling at the Creator's favor upon her.

As a half-elf, Anna didn't possess the typical tall and aloof qualities of an elf beauty. Instead, she almost perfectly combined the cuteness and charm of a human girl with the beauty and nobility of an elf.

So, when Olenna mentioned that the captain's girlfriend was coming to Sentinel Post Seven, both Claire and Bianca were surprised and intrigued.

"Oh, don't say that, Miss Claire. You're very beautiful too," Anna blushed, lowering her head slightly out of shyness.

"By the way, Miss Bianca and Lady Olenna are also very pretty," she added, feeling it was only fair to compliment more than one person.

"Hehe~"

"Haha!"

All three of them burst into laughter.

"Miss Anna, you're so adorable. I can't help it; I'm going to sleep with you tonight and enjoy the captain's treatment too," Claire's eyes sparkled with mischief as she smiled.

"Alright, Claire, let's let Miss Anna rest for now. Later, during dinner, we can ask her to tell us how she got together with the captain, hehe."

The curvaceous Bianca also smiled mischievously.

Their banter caused Anna's cheeks to flush with embarrassment, leaving her at a loss for words. However, she could sense that the two women meant no harm and were merely teasing her.

At this moment, Ren had already arrived at a cave entrance located beneath a hill slope, partially concealed by bushes. He followed the route indicated by the rhombus crystal, a token given to him by Mentor Mogaro, from the Byss Armory Academy.

From the diameter of the cave entrance, it might have appeared to be just a simple cave to many, but as Ren pushed aside the bushes and followed the crystal's guidance through several forks and narrow tunnels, he realized it had been about half an hour since he started.

In the distance, Ren saw a dimly lit underground hall at the end of the tunnel, emitting a faint green glow.

However, before Ren could fully enter the hall, he paused, his nostrils flaring slightly as he detected something amiss.

"Such a strong smell of blood. Could something have happened to the Academy's team? No, this blood stench is too strong, almost animalistic."

"Also, there seems to be some strange particles in the air, trying to force their way into my Iron Armor Spell."

Ren's keen senses immediately picked up on the anomaly.

"This place is a bit strange!"

After a moment's thought, Ren cast a Steel Armor Spell on himself and cautiously proceeded.

The dimly lit underground hall, bathed in a faint green glow, reminded Ren of the emergency lights that came on during power outages in his past life, but it was several times dimmer.

With Ren's keen eyesight, he effortlessly surveyed the entire hall, which stood several dozen meters tall. In the center lay a massive damaged statue, surrounded by dozens of stone spheres, each a meter or two in diameter. What caught his attention, however, were the numerous peculiar humanoid corpses on the ground.

The source of the bloody smell he had detected earlier was undoubtedly the blood of these creatures.

Ren approached one of the corpses and crouched down for a closer inspection.

After a thorough examination, Ren realized that these corpses resembled the descriptions of Jawed Golems in ancient texts.

Jawed Golems were a unique group of cave-dwelling humanoids, resembling apes with canine teeth and claw-like extremities, ideal for digging. Their signature feature was their stone-like skin, thickest on their backs.

However, Ren's face remained pensive.

The size of these Jawed Golems didn't align with the descriptions in the ancient texts; they were significantly larger.

According to the records, Jawed Golems typically stood between 1.5 to 1.7 meters tall.

But the deceased Jawed Golems before him exceeded two meters in height, and their fur-covered skin showed signs of large-scale shedding for unknown reasons.

Furthermore, some of the corpses were mere skeletons, while others were in the early stages of decay, and many were remarkably fresh, indicating they had died within the last 24 hours.

Pondering this, Ren stood up and surveyed the hall once more.

The north and south walls of the hall exhibited signs of destruction and excavation, with multiple irregular caves.

The overall style of the hall was a stark contrast to the unadorned rock and soil tunnels he had traversed earlier. The dome, pillars, and marble floor tiles all displayed signs of advanced craftsmanship.

Upon reflection, Ren realized that the tunnel he had entered was likely a later excavation.

Additionally, the architectural style of the hall differed significantly from the Empire's, exuding a rustic charm while hinting at a higher level of craftsmanship.

"Hmm, the precision of these spheres," Ren muttered, noticing the stone spheres beside the pillars.

The stone spheres were nearly perfect spheres, which was remarkable considering that π is an irrational number, making any construction involving circles or spheres extremely challenging. The precision of a sphere's manufacture often indicated the skill of the craftsperson.

"The craftsmanship surpasses that of our school by at least two levels."

"It's no wonder it's an ancient grand wizard academy."

Suddenly, Ren's eyes narrowed.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

Faint sounds of piercing the air echoed from three different directions, slowly approaching Ren.

"One in front to draw attention, two behind for the ambush. Their intelligence is not to be underestimated."

"But their strength is still too weak."

Ren shook his head slightly.

In the next moment, Ren's body flickered, creating multiple afterimages. Three Jawed Golems, who had been stealthily approaching, their vertical pupils widening in shock, found their prey suddenly appearing right before them.

"Pfft!"

Nearly simultaneously, the sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed from three directions.

Upon closer inspection, three identical images of Ren could be seen, each holding a knight's longsword that had just transformed, piercing the foreheads of the three Jawed Golems.

Please... support... and... collect... this... book...!

In the next instant, the three figures vanished, and Ren, who had remained in his original position, seemed to have not moved at all, maintaining his posture of surveying the surroundings.

"Thud! Thud!"

Heavy objects fell to the ground one after another, followed by a rustling sound from a distance, as if the distant Jawed Golems were startled by what had just transpired.

As the surroundings quieted down, Ren infused a strand of psychic energy into a crystal according to the agreed-upon signal within the school. Soon, a wall several square meters wide quickly opened, revealing a tunnel with a square cross-section reminiscent of a subway tunnel.

A middle-aged man, holding a short staff and dressed in the wizard's robe of the Byss Armory Academy, stood there, his eyes darting warily between Ren and the surroundings.

"You must be Ren, sent by the Metal Department of the school? Get in here quickly!"

The middle-aged wizard was visibly surprised by Ren's youthful appearance. Additionally, upon noticing the quiet surroundings, he muttered in confusion:

"Didn't you encounter any mutated Jawed Golems on your way in? You're incredibly lucky."

"But why did the Metal Department send someone so young? How can you be of any help..." The middle-aged wizard mumbled as he quickly activated the mechanism to close the wall after Ren entered.

After all, his mentor had only mentioned that Ren was an Imperial Swordbearer with a high affinity for metal and exceptional talent.

In Albert's understanding, even the most talented wizard would require a considerable period of cultivation and hard work to transform their talent into strength. He himself was a testament to this.

However, at that moment, Albert's eyes widened in shock, his face filled with astonishment as he scrutinized Ren from head to toe. He stammered:

"You... you're a Third Rank Crystalized Wizard? Are you truly from our school?"

The distance between the two had been considerable earlier, and Albert's attention had been focused on observing the surroundings. But now, with Ren by his side, Albert immediately sensed the surging psychic energy emanating from him.

Albert had already reached the Second Rank Liquidized Late Stage Wizard level.

At his age, he was considered exceptionally talented even within the Empire, and within the Byss Armory Academy, he was a top-tier genius.

Yet, compared to Ren, the difference was like night and day.

Albert's expression was that of someone who had seen a ghost, and he stood there, stunned, for a long moment.

What was going on with this young man before him? A Third Rank Crystalized Wizard at such a young age? Could he be a spy from another school or an enemy organization? The real Ren...

Noticing the other's rigid posture and the growing wariness in his eyes, Ren couldn't help but smile wryly. "Hello, I'm Ren. I've been with the school for less than half a year, so it's normal if you haven't seen me. My mentor is Mogaro."

"After asking a few more questions, Albert finally relaxed, but then became a bit tense and said, 'Greetings, Lord Ren. I am Albert, disciple of Lady Moriah. I will take you to meet my mentor now. I'm sure she'll be delighted to see you.'"

"Thank you," Ren replied.

Albert's nervousness was understandable to Ren, as the wizards were a society that valued strength above all else.

Albert led Ren along a winding internal tunnel, its walls lined with clean, polished marble, clearly not excavated by the Stonejaw Beasts.

"By the way, Lord Albert, are those creatures outside Stonejaw Beasts? They seem a bit different from the ones described in ancient records," Ren asked casually.

"Yes, so my mentor defined them as Mutated Stonejaw Beasts," Albert replied.

"As for the reason? Lord Ren, have you noticed the special energy radiation in the air here?"

"Indeed, and it seems to have become more concentrated since we entered this place," Ren nodded.

At this moment, Ren could clearly feel the energy radiation intensifying as they ventured deeper.

However, he was protected by the third-rank defensive sorcery 'Steel Armor Spell', so he wasn't worried about the radiation affecting him. Albert, too, had a body-protecting spell active.

"They were transformed by this radiation."

"Have you found the cause of the radiation?" Ren continued his inquiry.

"Well, based on the clues we've gathered over the past half a year, there was a massive explosion in the Valzig School of Magic thousands of years ago. We've also discovered the reason; it seems to be related to a dangerous experiment conducted by a senior Dawn Wizard named Magnus."

"According to the damaged diary we found on the remains of several Valzig School wizards, Magnus discovered a metal with special energy in a mine. He believed that if he could harness this energy, he would have a high chance of reaching the fifth rank of Full Moon Wizardry, so he embarked on a fanatical experimentation process."

Ren nodded in understanding.

For any Dawn Wizard, the opportunity to attain the fifth rank was something they would grasp at with all their might.

"The peculiar metal extracted from the ore is silver-white and emits a strange, highly penetrative energy radiation. However, in small quantities, it doesn't cause significant harm to the human body."

Radiation? Silver-white?

As Ren listened, a flash of insight crossed his mind, and his eyes lit up as if he had grasped a crucial detail.

"It sounds so familiar; could it be uranium?"

"The very same material used to create atomic bombs in my previous life. The radioactive isotope, Uranium-235, is refined from ordinary uranium ore." However, after careful consideration, Ren shook his head slightly.

It might not necessarily be Uranium-235; it could be another radioactive metal element.

After all, they were in a different world, and Ren wasn't sure if the periodic table still applied here.

Even if it did, he hadn't thoroughly researched whether there were more elements beyond the known periodic table in this world.

Albert, unaware of Ren's sudden realization, continued his explanation as they walked.

"After decades of attempts, Magnus finally found a dangerous but effective method of refinement."

"Some wizards tried to intervene, but they were unsuccessful. Unfortunately, one day, the experiment went awry, causing a massive explosion that severely weakened the school. Soon after, the Valzig School of Magic vanished."

"The Stonejaw Beasts we see here seem to have been drawn to the interior of the Valzig School due to an explosion that opened a passage from the underground caverns where they lived."

"But what's even more surprising is that these Stonejaw Beasts seem to thrive in this highly damaging radiation."

"According to our observations over the past six months, Stonejaw Beasts that were initially at the Knight rank have significantly enhanced their strength after months of radiation exposure, reaching the Knight Peak or even Great Knight level."

"And for Stonejaw Beast chiefs with higher endurance, the amplification is even more terrifying."

"Look over there," Albert suddenly stopped and pointed towards the end of the tunnel.

They had reached the tunnel's end, where several horizontal iron bars, as thick as a forearm, blocked the passage.

Through the bars, Ren could see a large platform ten meters below, teeming with Stonejaw Beasts. They were huddled at the entrance of a northern passage, their faces expressing a mix of comfort, as if soaking in a winter hot spring, and greed.

Some Stonejaw Beasts even fought for better positioning, their low roars echoing in the chamber.

Leaning against the thickest metal bar at the forefront was a Stonejaw Beast chief, over three and a half meters tall, with white hair on its head. It seemed to be enjoying the best spot, lost in a deep slumber.

"That's the Stonejaw Beast chief," Albert continued. "After being exposed to the radiation, it has reached the Legendary Late Stage."

"If it were just one of them, it wouldn't be too difficult to deal with."

"But the problem is their sheer numbers. Over the past six months, we've eliminated thousands of Stonejaw Beasts, but scattered individuals keep appearing endlessly, as if there's no end to them."

"This is one of the reasons why we've been held up here for so long." Albert sighed.

"Lord Ren, let's not dwell on this for now. My mentor and the other exploration team members are in the room," Albert said, turning to the side and pressing a mechanism on his left. The wall slid open, revealing a hidden door.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end