If such a place did not exist, most people would find it hard to believe that there was such a huge old house in the forest. Although the old house had been completely deserted and turned into a pile of rubble after more than 200 years, Hao Ren could still see the splendor and magnificence of the old house from the remnants of the structure.
It was hard to guess the thoughts of the rich to build such a thing in the forest.
The ruins of the old house were located on a hill less than five kilometers northeast of the village. It was surprisingly close to the village. It was a large house with a main house and two ancillary buildings. But due to various reasons, the two ancillary buildings had completely collapsed. Only the east side of the main house was still intact. But surprisingly, there was a very tall tower behind the main house. This tower was better preserved than the main house and even looked quite sturdy. It was hard to understand why such a tower was built in a family house, and it was even sturdier than the main house. This made Hao Ren subconsciously look at the tower a few more times.
The house itself was built on a hill, and the tower was the tallest building here. If there were no trees around the village, standing at the top of the tower would probably overlook the whole village.
"No matter how glorious it was in the past, it's nothing more than a ruin in the end." Vivian looked at the ruins that were completely occupied by vines and shrubs. She could not help but shake her head and sigh. "I just don't know if we can find any clues here."
Hao Ren took out the MDT and said, "Scan it. Are there any space-time distortions around here similar to the one in the village?"
The MDT flew over the ruins and scanned the two ancillary buildings on both sides of the main house with a beam of light. It then scanned the main house and the tower at the back. "Detected weak magic fluctuations, but no space-time distortions. After 200 years of dissipation, the remaining energy is too little. "
Hao Ren took out the Godslayer from his dimensional pocket. The Godslayer's noisy voice immediately rang in his mind. "Ah, this sword has once again seen the light of day. But to be honest, I'm not looking forward to this. Every time I'm picked up, it's only to kill and destroy. Why should I be born as a weapon? Swordsman, have you realized that killing isn't the only way to solve this world … "
Hao Ren swung his sword and cut off the vines and weeds in front of him. "Shut up. I only need you to cut grass."
"Oh."
The weapon that once killed the gods had now become a tool for weeding. If the deicides knew about this, they would have cried their eyes out. However, Hao Ren's only thought was that this thing was useful for cutting things. Soon, he opened a path through the vines and shrubs and came to the abandoned old house.
Nothing was left of the completely collapsed building. Two hundred years of decay and weathering could turn all the exquisite decorations and high-end furniture into fertilizer for the forest. Among the broken bricks and tiles, only fragments of high-end porcelain and metal ornaments could be vaguely seen. The ancillary buildings on both sides should be of no concern. But Hao Ren still released two autonomous robots from his dimensional pocket and let them check for possible magic items or hidden traps. He then came to the relatively intact main house.
The west wall of the main house had completely collapsed. He could see the crumbling stairs and the wreckage of the floorboards hanging in the air. Hao Ren was curious how these things could survive the wind and sun for two centuries. If the owner of the house did not use extraordinarily expensive and strong materials to build the house, then only the power of magic could explain it.
A faint voice suddenly came from somewhere. "Go back … You don't belong here …"
The voice seemed to come from the abyss, with a hollow echo and a chill that gave people goosebumps. Hao Ren instantly retracted his leg that was about to take a step forward. "Did you hear that?"
"No," Lily shook her head. She poked her head into the part of the main house that had not collapsed. "Mr. Landlord, you're nervous. By the way, this place looks quite unstable. Will it collapse if we make too much noise? "
"I heard someone talking just now," Hao Ren frowned. "The voice seems to be coming from underground."
"It's most likely something like the undead," Vivian waved her hand indifferently. "It's normal to have some undead in this godforsaken place."
Hao Ren was stunned. He suddenly realized that when he and Vivian explored this haunted house together, he could not expect things to develop in a normal way. The old vampire ancestor had seen a lot of things. Even if it was the Night of the Hundred Ghosts, she would probably just take it as a lifestyle movie, let alone a haunted house.
So, this style was completely out of place!
Just as Hao Ren was lamenting, the faint and cold voice came from underground again. "Leave here, go back to where you belong … The secret ahead is not for the living to get involved …"
"This time, I heard it too." Hesperides nodded. "It does seem to be a ghost, and a woman."
Hao Ren shook his head. Since the ghost did not want to show up, he did not intend to pay attention to it. After calming himself down, he stepped directly across the broken porch and came to the interior of the old house.
In fact, half of the outer walls of the house had collapsed. The outer walls were wide open and full of holes, which made it hard for people to feel like they were walking indoors.
"It seems that there was a fire here," Vivian said, looking at the wooden porch fragments and the charred marks on the walls. "Pierre's investigation is very accurate."
The ruins of the dilapidated house were crumbling. Even walking on the rotten floor gave people the illusion that they would slip and fall at any time. But according to the detection of the MDT, the remaining structure of the house was actually unexpectedly strong. At least, there was no risk of collapse in a short time. So, Hao Ren walked into the depths of the ruins while checking the scattered debris around. A crooked corridor appeared in front of him.
The corridor used to be the central axis of the house, but now one-third of it was exposed. The gorgeous curtains that used to hang in the corridor were now charred black, and the fragments that had not been completely weathered were scattered on the ground. Hao Ren's eyes were attracted by a wooden board covered with debris. It looked like a picture frame, but the portrait on it had long been weathered away.
"It's not too late to turn back now," the voice came again. "Too bold intruders, your curiosity will only bring disaster … A forbidden secret is buried here, and this secret is too close to the evil forces on the other side of the 'border'. You will slip and fall into the abyss … Turn back, while you are still standing outside the border …"
Hao Ren did not pay attention to the voice. He bent down and picked up the photo frame. "MDT, restore it."
The MDT floated over and scanned the portrait with a beam of light. It extracted and reconstructed the remaining chemical traces. With the support of its powerful computing power, it could cope with this almost impossible restoration work.
"What do you want?" The voice of the ghost continued. "Treasure? Gone with the wind. Knowledge? Burned to the ground. Money? There's nothing here … You can only find death and curse here … "
"Please take a break. If you don't want to come out and explain the situation to us, just watch quietly." Hao Ren stomped his feet and talked to the mysterious voice. "If you really want to help, come out and let's talk face to face. I can't communicate with you when you talk so much."
The mysterious voice was silent for a moment before it replied, "Aren't you afraid? There have been many intruders here, but ordinary intruders should have fled by now … "
"Nonsense, I have witnessed the life and death of tens of billions of people, recorded the rise and fall of an entire civilization, and ended the fate of the stars!" Hao Ren crossed his arms. "I just don't want to destroy the environment. Otherwise, I'll bury the hatchet with you, you know?"
The mysterious voice was completely silent. She probably had never seen someone so boastful. She did not know how to answer.
At this time, the MDT floated over. "The image is not very clear, but it's clear enough."
As it spoke, it turned on the holographic projection and displayed the restoration results.
A noble lady wearing a gorgeous dress from more than two centuries ago appeared on the projection. She stood there dignified and elegant, her hands crossed over her abdomen, and her pale blonde curls casually draped behind her. She looked graceful and elegant.
The mysterious voice sounded again. "Ah, I was so beautiful when I was alive."
"… Don't you think you're annoying?" Hao Ren said.
"Oh, I couldn't help it just now."
Hao Ren was speechless.
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