We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 62 [The Proof of the Lord of Cinder]

In the dark, lightless underwater tunnel.

The gate at the end of the passage is entirely black, made of special stone, and appears ancient and heavy.

The door was covered with dense, mysterious characters and symbols, which extended from the edge of the door to both sides of the passageway.

It is like a protective barrier, and also like a cage that seals away some kind of existence.

"This is the pitch-black door from that ship's logbook..."

Xia En swam forward.

The closer you get to the stone gate, the heavier and more solid the seawater around you seems.

An invisible pressure, protected by the ship's spirit, acted on the projected body, while a faint, chaotic, and mysterious atmosphere lingered around.

It was as if, while Xiaen was gazing at the stone gate, it was also scrutinizing this strange visitor.

Upon closer inspection, Xia En could see that the mysterious characters were dark red, resembling congealed blood, adding to the ominous atmosphere.

Having seen a lot underwater, Xia En wouldn't be deterred by such a sight.

But the problem is...

"How do I open this door?"

Xia En touched his chin.

Such a heavy and solid stone door was clearly not something an ordinary person could push open.

But according to the ship's log, the two merfolk also seem to have entered through this gate?

If they can all get through the gate, there's no reason why I can't.

Thinking of this, Xia En simply reached out and tried to push open the door.

However, his palm had barely touched the surface of the stone door.

next moment.

The dark red runes on the stone gate suddenly lit up, burning like flames and climbing up Shane's body along his palm.

A burning sensation quickly spread across the body.

Xia En then realized that it wasn't blood, but embers that hadn't been extinguished yet!
At the same time, an indescribable feeling swept over his entire body in an instant.

He felt as if he were in a phantom sea of ​​fire, and his body became ethereal and invisible, strangely unable to feel any pain.

But in the raging fire, his skin, flesh and even bones burned like kindling!
In a daze, Xia En raised her head.

At the end of the sea of ​​fire, there was a throne made of piled bones, and on the throne was a majestic man wearing a crown.

His eyes, burning with fury, seemed to pierce through countless years and immeasurable distances, meeting Xia En's gaze at this moment.

"Forward! Forward!"

"Step over my corpses and move forward!"

"Drive them out! Become the new fire!"

Xia En heard the king say this.

Immediately, all the flames and illusions vanished.

Instead, there was a cold, damp sensation on the skin and a slightly fishy smell on the tip of the nose.

Xia En looked closely and realized that he had somehow found himself in a special space without seawater.

On the back of his right hand, there was a dark red brand.

Before Xia En could examine it closely, several lines of text appeared before his eyes.

You have passed through the barrier set up by the ancient secret cultivators!

[Gained the status "Proof of the Lord of Cinder!"]

[Quality: Epic]

[Description: The mark left by the Lord of Cinder for those who follow; only those recognized by the "Ember Gate" can receive it.]

[Once you obtain this mark, you will gain the ability to sense the "Ember Treasure".]

You will earn the respect of some people, but also the hatred of others.

The fire is dying down, yet the king is nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps the one who obtains this mark will become the new king?

"Gate of Embers... Barrier... Brand..."

After thinking for a moment, Xia En roughly understood what was going on.

Just as he suspected, the Lord of Cinder did not set up the Ember Treasure to murder those who came later to explore it.

On the contrary, in order to ensure that other treasures could be discovered, the Lord of Cinder prepared such a mark. "However, there is no record of anything similar in the logbook."

"Could it be that they haven't gained the approval of this door?"

"What are the requirements for recognition? Is it that the mysterious attributes reach a certain standard?"

Xia En turned his head to look, and the stone door behind him was still quietly closed, just as it had been before.

The difference is that he has now entered the space inside the door.

Clearly, this door is more like the entrance to a barrier, allowing entry and exit without needing to be opened or closed.

If he couldn't figure something out, Xia En simply stopped thinking about it.

He calmed down and began to observe this enclosed underwater space.

The walls and floors here are made of a silvery-white stone that constantly emits an unusual pale glow.

It exudes a sense of both ancient and advanced technology.

On the ground beside the door, there were some dried bloodstains.

Further ahead, there were two more skeletal remains that had long since decomposed.

They were wearing white lab coats like researchers, and they collapsed facing the door, as if they had died while trying to escape something.

"This uniform..."

Xia En was secretly surprised.

In his view, both Duke Island and the technological level of the previous era remained at a relatively backward level.

But the scene in this "treasure trove" is more like that of advanced research institutes on Earth.

Soon, Shane looked to both sides of the wall.

Every so often, you can see a door.

The sign next to the door also had a written explanation.

【C01-Crop Seeds】

【C02 - Flower Seeds】

Although this script differs slightly from modern scripts, it is still within the range of recognizable characters.

The two nearest doors happened to be open, and Xia En looked inside, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Inside the room was a huge multi-tiered cabinet, with the names of different seeds labeled on each cabinet.

[Northern Blue Wheat] [Siberian Potatoes] [Dunrk Soybeans]...

[Cerissa] [Dudu Grass] [Roland Daffodil]...

In the room on the left, there are crop seeds.

On the right are the seeds of flowers and plants.

Most of these names were unfamiliar to Shane, clearly belonging to a species from a previous era.

Each seed is encased in a golden, amber-like crystal, and appears to remain alive.

However, these cabinets showed signs of having been ransacked.

Even on the ground, dozens of broken amber pieces and withered seeds can be seen.

If Shane wasn't mistaken, this was the work of the treasure hunters who had come here before.

They may have thought that these amber pieces contained precious magic potions, but after prying them open, they found that they were just ordinary seeds, so they smashed them in anger.

Xia En sighed and continued walking deeper into the corridor.

At this point, the label on the door changed.

【B01-Tiansheng Suzuka】

【B02-Hawk Cow】

【B03-Ice Toad】

Having seen this, Xia En now fully understood what the treasure in this [Ember Treasure] truly was.

Clearly, every room here is a repository of species from the era of the Lords of Cinder!
The great flood was bound to wipe out countless species, but the Lord of Cinder preserved the seeds and bloodlines of these species in the hope of the future!

For an individual, they may be insignificant.

But for the whole world and the whole civilization, this is an invaluable treasure!

But when Xia En pushed open the door to room B01, the scene before him made him frown.

(End of this chapter)