On the third level of the underground ruins, three people stood together, resting and preparing to head out again. So far, they had not encountered any Circle Sorcerers, but this was already the limit; the Silver-Eyed One could not possibly have failed to notice them.
If he had been foolish enough to forget to take extra precautions within the ruins, he wouldn't have survived until now.
"But how did the people of Blood of Mercury get through here?"
Miss Beyas pondered the question:
"Do they also have detectives with special abilities among them?"
"This mirror is not very effective against Sorcerers of the Seventh Ring or higher. Although the strength of the Silver-Eyed One has slipped to the level of Six Rings, he is indeed still a Sorcerer of Nine Rings. He can certainly move forward, enduring the damage, exploring the ruins alone. Maybe when Blood of Mercury developed these ruins, it was only a few Sorcerers of the Seventh Ring or higher who served as the main members of the expedition."
Miss Annette speculated, then added:
"Of course, they might have mastered other safe methods."
"We didn't encounter the people who the Detective said came in this morning. Does this mean they are also above the Seventh Ring and are waiting for us inside?"
Miss Beyas asked again, and Miss Annette tossed a coin, then said to Shard:
"Listen to the sound, there might be a breakthrough after the third time."
He closed his eyes, making his hearing more acute.
The first attempt, Miss Beyas's voice was describing Shard punching and shattering the mirror.
The second attempt, there was the sound of heavy breathing as if right in his ear, but it quickly disappeared, and no other sound emerged after waiting for half a minute.
On the third attempt, he heard the end of a conversation—
"...so you must absolutely not get close to that tree."
Then there were footsteps leaving the area, heavy footsteps like someone was carrying something weighty.
Only on the fourth attempt did he finally get a significant clue:
"I didn't think the countermeasure against this Relic would be so simple; carrying another mirror to completely cover your face exempts you from the effects of 'The Mirror Behind'."
This was that man with the strange accent, the Circle Sorcerer from the Blood Spirit School that had entered this place in the morning.
"No, only Sorcerers of Four Rings or higher can use this method. Those below Four Rings, even with a mirror in front of them, would still be harmed by the Relic... Why are you here alone? Where are the others?"
This voice Shard had never heard before.
"Silver-Eyed One, do you think it's easy to travel from the New World to the Old Continent? The organization originally arranged for two people to arrive in Tobesk by the weekend, probably only disembarking at Coldwater Port tonight. But the organization received your letter and learned there's that tree in the ruins, which is why they had me take a risk to come see you. Do you know how important the mission I was originally executing nearby is? My mission is related to an Unclassified Level Relic! I hope your information is correct, that the tree in the ruins really is..."
Shard opened his eyes and looked toward the door on the right. As footsteps crossed beyond the door, all sound immediately vanished.
"The stranger is below Seven Rings, above Four Rings."
Shard frowned, feeling a bit anxious:
"It's confirmed that the person is from the Blood Spirit School, but not the one originally arranged to come here. They were originally executing a different plan nearby, seemingly involved with the out-of-control Level 0 Relic that the church was handling. It's because of a tree that the stranger was urgently arranged to meet the Silver-Eyed One here."
"Blood Spirit School? Tree?"
Miss Annette seemed even more uneasy than Shard:
"This is bad, the history of the Blood Spirit School can be traced back several eras; the affairs they concern themselves with are likely not simple."
"But what is the tree?"
"My guess is that the 'tree' refers to the Relic that's suppressed here. Oh, remember, never get close to any tree, that thing is very dangerous."
Shard reminded, while Miss Annette grew increasingly anxious. Miss Beyas still had the confidence to continue forward, but Shard didn't particularly care about what lay ahead in the ruins.
What he cared about was above their heads, the unease spoken to the Maid on the carriage roof, which he had not forgotten.
But in any case, they didn't have time to stay put and could only keep moving forward.
This time it was still Miss Annette who led the way; she took out the compass that pointed the direction, put on the monocular that dispelled illusions, and then pushed open the stone door that Shard had indicated.
Behind the door was a narrow corridor, with large bricks at their feet, overhead, and on both sides forming the walls. The hallway wasn't long and just ahead they could see a fork in the path—this was the special Illusionary Realm created by the Scribe Level Relic "Maze Candle," as foretold by Miss Annette, led by the Silver-Eyed One into the ruins.
"Follow me, this maze constantly changes its structure, it's difficult to get out by luck alone without guidance."
The Female Diviner beckoned to the two behind her as they continued to keep the formation with Shard in the middle and Miss Beyas bringing up the rear.
"However, if the candle was brought into the ruins by the Silver-Eyed One, then what was the original purpose of this space beyond the door?"
Shard whispered this question as they set off, but his companions couldn't provide an answer either.
As they drew closer to the heart of the ruins, they all maintained a high level of vigilance. Miss Annette, holding the compass at the front, would still toss a coin for Divination at every cross-section before choosing a direction, even with the compass in hand.
She was only a Three Ring Sorcerer, so the accuracy of her Divinations couldn't be guaranteed, but it was still worth a try.
Walking in the middle between the two ladies, Shard could theoretically be the safest. Therefore, he still found time to turn his head and look back at Miss Beyas, who looked at him in confusion:
"Is something the matter?"
Shard shook his head, inwardly sighing at how different this seventeen-year-old girl was compared to her peers.
Five minutes into the maze, all three of them heard a strange sound in the distance, like some kind of animal cub wailing. The sound persisted for a whole thirty seconds before stopping, but it continued to echo throughout the maze.
According to the information they found, the Scribe Level Relic that formed the maze was only intended to create the maze, and there shouldn't be dangerous animals hunting people within the maze. However, the sound did not seem to be a collective illusion among the three, so Miss Annette quietly reminded her two companions to prepare for battle.
Eight minutes into the maze, they heard footsteps at the upcoming fork in the road. But when the three of them, alertness at its peak, arrived, they saw no one in any of the three other directions of the crossroads.
Miss Annette was very uneasy, tossing a coin three times on the spot, but to no avail:
"The most likely scenario is that the Silver-Eyed One has discovered us."
"Finally discovered us,"
Miss Beyas whispered softly.
The voice had hardly faded when the ground beneath them began to vibrate at that moment.
The maze was trembling.