Ten minutes after entering the Gloom Mountains, the sky darkened. The clouds above seemed to cover the entire sky, and the light that shone through was obscure and dim. The change was beyond the normal natural phenomenon. Apparently, the Lorissa Wall that shrouded the mountains was working. It not only prevented the energy from leaking out of the mountains but also prevented things from entering the mountains from the outside world.
"In fact, not only the creatures in the Gloom Mountains will be trapped by the Lorissa Wall, but even the adventurers from the outside will be affected by the energy field in the mountains," Becky said as she led the way. "The powerful adventurers and mercenaries will not be affected much, but the weaker ones will lose their sense of direction, memory loss, difficulty casting spells, and other negative effects. The weaker ones will even be eroded by the energy and directly injured. The deeper you go into the mountains, the greater the threat of out-of-control energy. That's why the hunters and herb gatherers in this area usually stay at the foot of the mountains. Only specialized professionals would challenge the forest. As for the highest peak … no one has been there yet. "
Hao Ren asked casually, "But in general, the Lorissa Wall seems to have a stronger suppression on the creatures in the Gloom Mountains?"
"Well, its original function should be internal and not external." Becky nodded. "Some scholars have speculated that this energy barrier was originally used by the ancient Magic Empire to block the experimental site to prevent things from escaping. But now, after a long time, the energy barrier has gone out of control, which is why it also poses a threat to visitors from the outside world."
As the wind blew through the forest, the lush Shadow Fir's branches and leaves rustled. Only a faint light leaked through the gaps in the canopy, and the shadows were like stars. Between the trees and the weeds, there was a steep slope and all kinds of abrupt rocks. It was not easy to trudge through. There was almost no road in the Gloom Mountains. The hunters at the foot of the mountains only used some natural trails to enter the mountains, and these trails did not extend into the depths of the forest. Adventurers usually found their own way into the mountains through personal experience and daring exploration. The path chosen by Becky for Hao Ren was already the best one. The knights sent by the kingdom had more or less repaired and marked the hillsides along the way. It was much easier than the pure mountain road.
Lily had transformed into her werewolf form. She kept her eyes wide open and leaned down to sniff carefully from time to time. Her golden eyes shimmered in the dim environment, full of seriousness. She was usually careless and unreliable, but in the wild environment, it was as if she had been added with a mod. Her whole person was alert, like a wild beast that could only display its strength in the mountains and forests.
"There are a lot of beasts left behind," Lily sniffed. "The deeper you go, the stronger you get, and there are more magical beasts. This is indeed the experimental site left by the ancient Magic Empire. Most of the indigenous creatures here have mutated to the point that their own mothers can't recognize them."
"The deeper you go, the more dangerous it is. There are even hidden dragons who have settled down in the Gloom Mountains." Becky clenched the magic sword in her hand, but she looked eager. "Ha, without the knights, I find some of the excitement of being a mercenary again."
Although Hao Ren and his team's trip to the Gloom Mountains was arranged by Ophra, they did not bring the knights sent by the royal family of Holletta. Hao Ren felt that they did not need those attendants at all. Bringing too many people would only slow down the journey. It was better to bring Becky, who was familiar with the situation, as a guide. This way, it would be more efficient and they could get along with each other without any restraint. Of course, Becky had no objection to this arrangement. Her only regret was that Marshal Ophra could not go with them. As the highest-ranking general of the kingdom, the marshal was really busy. The changes in one or two ruins in the Gloom Mountains were not enough for her to personally intervene.
After all, such incidents were not uncommon, but they were not rare either. Basically, it would happen once or twice every ten years.
The journey was almost peaceful. The dangerous beasts in the Gloom Mountains may be a threat to the local natives, but to Hao Ren and his two killer weapons, they were obviously not enough. They did not encounter any beasts along the way. It was not that they did not pass through the territory of the beasts, but any beasts that were observant were scared away by the aura of Lily and Vivian.
To survive in a place like the Gloom Mountains, the most basic skill was to avoid danger.
There was a noise in the forest in the distance. Hao Ren vaguely saw a huge shadow swaying in the shade. Lily immediately raised her head, bared her fangs, and growled in the direction of the sound. The sound disappeared instantly.
The husky maiden curled her lips in disdain. "Tsk, they look scary, but they are all cowards."
"This is just the periphery. The level of the beasts is limited. When we get to the deeper part, there will be those who are not afraid of you." Becky shrugged. "By then, you can naturally find them and fight to your heart's content."
Lily suddenly rolled her eyes and quietly hid behind Hao Ren. "Oh … Tsk, I don't have that kind of time …"
Vivian was quite disdainful of the husky maiden's behavior. "You are such a coward. You have a lot of treasures and skill points, but you have spent them on eating salt soda and eating spicy sticks without spitting out the packaging."
"Battie, if you dare, use your face to take a shot from me!"
It had only been a few days, but she had already been fooled into accepting this setting.
The four of them passed through the periphery of the Gloom Mountains as if they were taking a stroll in their own backyard. Hao Ren collected a lot of data along the way. After confirming that there was nothing else worth paying attention to, they sped up and finally arrived at the observation camp set up by the Royal Investigation Team of Holletta before the sky turned dark. It was located in an open space deep in the dense forest on the mountainside of the main peak.
Around the camp, Hao Ren had already noticed the sporadic ancient ruins. Thick moss covered broken slate fragments, metal fragments that had almost melted into the soil where vines and weeds intertwined. Between some shadow fir trees, he even saw fallen stone pillars and collapsed altars. All these signs indicated that they were approaching an ancient ruin.
The ruins of the Ancient Magic Empire.
The observation camp was not big. It occupied an open space with a diameter of no more than 100 meters in the forest. Around the camp were a few slatted wooden houses, which were obviously newly built, where the soldiers and ordinary handyman assistants lived. Further inside were three more houses that looked more delicate and sturdy. The emblem of the Royal Knights of Holletta was hanging on the outer wall of the houses. Those were where the knights and apprentices of the magicians lived. The core of the camp was a surprisingly small magic tower. The tower was only three stories high, suspended in the air, and the bottom was four or five meters above the ground. The whole tower was small but well-structured. It was made of bricks and stones, and the surface of the tower was shining with complex magic patterns. Obviously, this was not the shabby building in the temporary camp.
"That's the mini magic tower of Master Hymer, the highest person in charge of the investigation team. He summoned it directly from the headquarters of the Royal Magic Association," Becky said with envy. As a magic swordsman, she also had the ability to cast spells and a certain degree of magic knowledge. But compared to a real master mage, it was obviously not enough. "For a mage, the magic tower brings not only the improvement of strength, but also the laboratory and various auxiliary facilities in it can help explore the ruins. In addition, his personal assistant also works in the tower, and the houses around the tower are the knights' stations. "
Hao Ren nodded and roughly understood the situation of the investigation team. At the same time, the sentries who were observing the camp had already noticed the group of uninvited guests who suddenly came out of the forest. At first, they were surprised that someone could walk so casually into the depths of the Gloom Mountains without a sound of fighting or triggering the alarm around the camp. Then they recognized Becky's face.
"It's Captain Becky!" A soldier on the sentry tower shouted.
"Open the gate and inform Master Hymer!" Becky came to the camp gate, looked up and said loudly, "Marshal Ophra's instructions should have arrived before us."
"Yes, we just received the order in the morning," the gatekeeper replied loudly and instructed the people behind the gate to pull the winch. The heavy camp gate creaked open slowly. "Master Hymer is waiting for you."
Hao Ren originally thought that Master Hymer would be a serious old man, but he was surprised to see him: he turned out to be a young man who looked less than 30 years old, and looked a little reserved and introverted. The young master was wearing a dark blue magic robe and a pair of round gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose. He was quite gentle. When he saw Hao Ren, he first took the initiative to give a mage salute, and then said nervously, "It's a pleasure to see you in person. I didn't expect you to come to this place in person."
"Well, I'm just here to see the situation." Hao Ren was not used to being treated so warmly all of a sudden. He was a little curious. "Do you know me?"
"I was there when the First Born of the Volcano of Dusk was plucked." Hymer, who was young but already had the title of master, smiled shyly. "And I also participated in the lifting of Hodeceus Fortress. I have studied in the crystal pit you left behind for a long time. My title and strength today are thanks to that period of research experience."
"Oh." Hao Ren nodded, somewhat understanding why the young man in front of him was so enthusiastic.
"Let's talk about the situation below first," Becky interrupted. "It's rare for an expert to come and guide us."
Although Hymer did not understand what "expert to come and guide" meant, he still understood what Becky meant. He immediately nodded and said, "Please come with me. There have been several energy fluctuations in the ruins these days, and I'm about to unlock the secret of the second gate. This must be a world-shocking discovery: I found an intact ancient facility down there! Can you believe it? It was in perfect condition! It's as if time has never visited the cave behind the stone wall! I even suspect that time in there was once frozen! "
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