https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-728-Excavation-of-the-Ancient-Ruins/13454556/
Chapter 729: The Source
Chapter 729: The Source
After more than half a month of excavation, Ryan and the others finally found the legendary location in Camelot where Wizard Magic was said to be ineffective. Perhaps due to the long passage of time, the numerous defensive spells that should have been present were now mostly gone. As a result, Ryan and the others easily opened a stone slab and discovered a path leading underground.
This underground passage was carved directly into the rock, but it was surprisingly smooth, likely due to the use of magic during its construction. Along the walls, niches were placed at regular intervals, presumably for candles or oil lamps in the past.
For safety reasons, Liam and Hermione did not use any lighting devices. Instead, they relied solely on their night vision as they followed the stone steps downward. The stairs were narrow and seemed endless. After nearly 20 minutes, they finally noticed the stairs disappearing, and a relatively small cave appeared before them.
The cave's ceiling was covered with sponge-like fungi that emitted a sky-blue cold light, illuminating the contours of the objects within and making the entire cave ceiling resemble a night sky.
"Truly a wondrous sight. I never expected to find such remarkable life in a cave without any light", Hermione said, looking up at the glowing blue fungi. She then lowered her head to look at a stone platform in the center of the cave. "I can sense that what we are looking for is on that stone platform. It feels like something on it is calling to me."
"Have you felt that too? When I first entered, I also sensed something off about this stone platform." Liam could clearly feel weak magic power fluctuations from the stone platform, and it was the only man-made structure in this dimension. Normally, all important items would be placed there.
After carefully checking the surroundings and summoning Rose Madonna to disarm several detected magic traps, Liam couldn't help but marvel at the magic masters of a thousand years ago. They possessed many powerful spells, and even many of today's important and commonly used spells originated from that era.
However, after a thousand years of development in the Wizarding World, many of the once complex and top-tier spells had become common. Therefore, Liam easily disarmed the powerful defensive spells surrounding the stone platform, and the two of them walked to its edge.
The stone platform was a square, two-tiered structure, not very tall. It resembled an altar in a church. The platform was adorned with vivid relief carvings in various vibrant colors, making it come alive and bringing a touch of vitality to the otherwise lifeless underground dimension.
"These are the legendary stories of King Arthur", Liam said, quickly recognizing the narrative depicted in the relief carvings. "From his birth, Merlin's guidance, pulling the Sword from the Stone, founding the Knights of the Round Table, his lifelong battles, to his final journey to Avalon after the Battle of Camlann, these carvings depict King Arthur's entire life."
"So, the last renovation of this place must have been after King Arthur disappeared to Avalon, when his kingdom began to fall apart", Hermione deduced. "If that's the case, the important but immovable object they needed to protect with complex magic must be something significant."
"That's a reasonable guess", Liam said, drawing his wand and tapping some of the magic items held by the statues on the stone platform in a specific sequence. Only then did Hermione notice that the weapons held in the relief carvings were made of wood or metal, exact miniature replicas of real weapons.
After he finished tapping, Liam stepped back and watched the stone platform. With a series of clicks, the platform slowly sank into the ground. When it disappeared entirely, a Roman-style stone column rose from below, and at its top was a basketball-sized gray stone orb embedded with gold threads.
"Such a strong Death Aura." As soon as the stone orb appeared, Hermione immediately felt a suffocating Death Aura sweeping out from it in all directions.
"These are Wraiths." Liam pulled a yellow charm paper from his chest and tossed it out. The charm paper burst into flames as soon as it left Liam's hand, turning into ashes that drifted in the air.
"No problem, this is the place." Looking at the ashes, Liam confirmed the situation. "The entire castle is a Magic Array. The builders of old used these Wraiths in conjunction with the moonlight's magic power to create a powerful Magic Array specifically targeting mages."
"Using spirits in this manner is far too crude and severely violates the laws of nature." For Hermione, who believed in the cycle of life, the idea of forcibly binding the undead and preventing them from finding peace was unacceptable.
After all, destroying a soul, as Liam did with the Rose Madonna, was a way to return it to the cycle. This complete confinement of souls, however, completely prevented them from entering the cycle.
"So, I think we need to free these undead who have been bound for a thousand years", Liam said after carefully examining the stone orb. "It would be best if you did this, as it will help you better understand the power of death."
"Alright." Hermione took out the Golden Book of the Sun and the Black Book of the Dead from her Spatial Bag. Although the deity had removed their divine power, the valuable materials of the books, which had been infused with divine power for thousands of years, still made them excellent casting magic items.
After preparing all the necessary items, Hermione looked at Liam, who had taken a step back. "If I now let these Wraiths find peace, the Magic Array here will also disappear. So—"
Before she could finish, Liam waved his hand, reassuring her. "Don't worry. I've already mapped out the magic power flow structures in the castle during our previous exploration, and I've grasped the core technology of the entire Magic Array since we entered."
"To be honest, the principle of this Magic Array isn't very complex. I've basically figured out how it works from my inspection, and we can add a new weapon to Sky City when we return. Moreover, compared to this ancient Magic Array, which relies on the moonlight's magic power, I believe my new design will be even more effective."
"Of course, I won't use the souls of the dead as the core", Liam concluded. "That's a very crude method. For Sky City, we can use the Tower Spirit as the primary core, and the Flight Stone Crystal as the energy source to activate this Magic whenever we need to, creating a no-magic zone around us, just like in Camelot."
"That's great", Hermione said, nodding happily as she stood up and began chanting a spell. The ancient Latin incantation sounded like an old ballad. As she chanted, the two magic books began to glow, and cracks started to appear on the stone orb. Through these cracks, Liam could see a white light seeping through.
Finally, after half an hour of chanting, the first piece of the stone shell peeled off the stone orb like an eggshell. Through the gap left by the fallen shell, Liam discovered that inside the stone orb was a light orb. On the surface of the light orb, faces of suffering appeared and disappeared, creating an eerie atmosphere.
The falling of the first piece of the shell was like a signal. Soon, the rest of the stone shell also fell away, leaving only a white light orb floating in the air.
"Now for the next step." Hermione made a gesture with her hand. With her gesture, the two magic books that had been lying on the ground opened and floated into the air. Instantly, golden and black light burst from the pages, enveloping the entire cave in these two colors.
(End of Chapter)
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