The team’s mood was very low.
Not just because of the tragedy of a companion’s death.
After such encounters, everyone had to face and consider one question—how were they going to get out?
The chasing and blocking of various strange creatures was one thing.
But just now, in order to escape from that ice crystal-like object, Ared had actively used explosives to directly blow up the entrance they had used to come in.
If they could not find any other accessible exits in this ice ring corridor...
Then, they would probably have to rely on their human strength to carve a path under the layers of ice.
With the capabilities of normal humans.
The likelihood of such a thing was obviously very slim.
However, in such circumstances, Ronald’s mood was somehow quite good.
On one hand, he knew this was just a trial constructed by the original text; on the other hand, it was because of the special spectacle in front of him, which was too unique and interesting!
The ice ring gallery hidden beneath the solid ice, being in a relatively safe location itself, still retained its original appearance when the tunnel was carved out.
Features like the more noticeable tool carvings, traces left behind by the workers on occasion, all these made Ronald think this place was really awesome!
If the current situation wasn’t really that special.
Then he indeed had the idea of conducting a thorough exploration here!
"Ared, can we leave the underground if we continue on this path?"
Thus, after groping their way forward for a few more minutes, Yani asked again:
"Judging by the positions where the glow sticks are placed, you’ve explored here before, right? You should have some understanding of the terrain?"
Airen did not answer Yan’s inquiry.
Instead, it was Grady ahead who took the initiative to explain:
"Don’t worry, there is still hope for getting out. At the end of this tunnel, there is a hall similar to a ceremonial site, with space that links several layers of frozen corridors above and below."
"Once we get there, we can bypass the explosion point through other depths of ice rings and then successfully return to the surface."
Ai Wei, the doctor, chimed in timely:
"But even if we can successfully return to the surface, those blue foreign creatures can’t be avoided, right?"
As soon as the doctor spoke, the atmosphere of the team sank again.
This was indeed a problem they couldn’t get around.
Facing the number and danger of the blue creatures, a team of only five people was indeed hard-pressed to escape.
Seeing the team’s spirits so low, Ronald had no choice but to forcefully speak up with reassurance:
"Everybody, there’s no need to see things so absolutely."
"When such group-active animals lose their prey, they often won’t stay in one place for long; once we get out, we just need to be careful, and we’ll still have a decent chance of escaping."
Yani, probably guessing what Ronald was thinking, also pitched in to support:
"Everyone doesn’t need to be so desperate."
After all, Ronald and Yani were professionals sent by the company.
Once the two of them aligned their message, the rest of the team held no doubts, and the low spirits visibly lightened.
And so, they continued to move forward.
They arrived at the place previously mentioned by Grady, a place similar to a ceremonial site.
——First to catch the eye was a rather spacious area.
The people of ancient times used tools to carve out a space as big as a soccer field below the ground surrounding this ice lake. Moreover, following strict geometric rules, the craftsmen used the ubiquitous ice blocks to directly carve sculptures of various forms that blended seamlessly into the ground.
It was just a glimpse of this scene.
The scholarly value of this place as a site of research was completely revealed.
Not to mention the orientation of these sculptures, which had a very clear characteristic. They all faced the core of this space, simultaneously displaying their respective importance in the most direct manner possible through this arrangement of positions.
The gaze continued forward, following the lead of these objects.
A statue entirely sculpted from ice blocks stood at the core of their orientation.
The statue depicted an old man in a cloak holding a smooth, straight round staff. Ronald could associate some well-known ancient deities from this figure, but not a single one matched perfectly.
"Ronald, can you recognize its origin?"
Yani next to him knew that Ronald was more knowledgeable about mythological systems, so he immediately inquired.
Ronald shook his head slightly, indicating he couldn’t confirm.
Then he lifted a hand and pointed to the surrounding walls.
"I haven’t seen this figure in the sculpture before, but those characters on the walls around us, I can recognize some of them."
As with most ancient ruins.
The interior walls of this ice structure were also carved with man-made frescoes and textual descriptions. Even without requiring the use of abilities like linguistic comprehension, Ronald could tell they were Nade characters—a common fare almost played out by modern humans.
His eyes circled about the frescoes to find the starting point.
Ronald then began translating the content.
The first picture in the frescoes depicted a humanoid creature slowly rising from an ice lake.
"Under the illumination of the light from the sky dimension, the ancient Prophet of the Ice Age awakened and returned from the eastern ice lake."
The second picture was of this awakened Prophet standing before many people, holding a bright ring-shaped gemstone in his hand.
"The Prophet promised. With the selfless assistance of the goddess, people would obtain immortality, not suffer from hunger or thirst, nor be troubled by illness. To receive such blessings, people must make their own sacrifices."
The third fresco was no longer about the Prophet.
Many people gathered in front of a palace, a man dressed in ceremonial robes, now holding the gemstone from earlier.
"The great King Roken attained the gemstone and gained immortality under its magical power, ruling over a mighty empire established by the people!"
Ronald translated the frescoes bit by bit, while the others listened in silence.
But amidst this process, alas, someone had extra thoughts.
Grady shifted forward alone, walking toward the statue—that presumably looked like the Prophet depicted in the frescoes—in the hall.
"Grady, what are you doing?"
Yani noticed Grady’s actions and immediately spoke up to stop him.
However, the young girl’s call.
Was met only with a mysterious smile from Grady:
"Earlier, Anger said he wanted to protect the relic, not letting me touch it. Now that we’re in this predicament, it’s not the time to fuss about that anymore, right?"
Before she could finish her sentence, there was emptiness beneath Grady’s feet.
The sound of breaking ice rang out, and just like that, he vanished from everyone’s sight.