The male protagonist of the book is poisonous

Luo Chen and I stood in the hall of the mysterious ruins, before an ancient crystal emitting a soft glow. The silence was so complete that only our heavy breathing could be heard. The crystal's light enveloped us like a thin veil, yet it did nothing to alleviate the solemn atmosphere that permeated the air.

"We can't hesitate like this any longer." I was the first to break the silence, my voice echoing in the empty hall with a hint of determination. "Although the Fire Valley is full of dangers, the short distance means we can get there faster and perhaps seize the initiative. Think about it, every moment of delay means the dark forces may be closer to other fragments. Our time is already very tight." As I spoke, I clenched my fists, my eyes revealing anxiety and determination.

Luo Chen nodded slightly, but his brows were still furrowed. He pulled the sword out of the scabbard a little and put it back, as if looking for something to do to relieve his inner entanglement. "But you also know that the fire creatures in the Fire Valley are extremely ferocious, and the high temperature can swallow people in an instant. Can we really succeed if we go in rashly like this? I'm not afraid of danger, but we must think carefully. If we encounter an accident in the Fire Valley, all our previous efforts will be in vain, and the artifact fragments will be farther away from us." He raised his head and looked at me, his eyes full of worry.

"But every time we've been here, we've faced danger. Every time, we've found a way to deal with it. I believe this time will be no exception." I raised my voice, trying to convince him and give myself some confidence. I recalled our previous experience on the snowy peak. The biting cold and the sudden appearance of the ice demon almost killed us, but in the end, we relied on courage and wisdom to find the artifact fragments. "Just like on that snowy peak, the situation seemed hopeless, but didn't we survive it?"

After Luo Chen heard what I said, a glimmer of reminiscence flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by worry. "But the underwater palace is also very tempting. Less competition means we have more time and energy to look for fragments, and we don't have to worry about being beaten to it by others. And although the seabed is dangerous, we may be able to find some allies under the sea or use the power of some ocean magic." He walked to a corner of the hall and leaned against a pillar engraved with runes, as if this could make his thoughts clearer.

"But the water pressure, and the unknown monsters... We don't even know the exact location of the underwater palace. How easy is it to find it in the vast ocean?" I shook my head helplessly, my mind conjuring up the bottomless dark ocean, the immense water pressure like an invisible mountain, and the unknown monsters lurking in the darkness, their bloody mouths gaping in wait for their prey. "On land, we can at least rely on our own two feet and some familiar magic, but under the sea, it's a completely unfamiliar world."

Just as we were arguing, a low roar suddenly came from the depths of the ruins. The sound seemed to come from the distant center of the earth, dull and powerful, and the entire ruins began to tremble slightly.

"What's going on?" I looked around in horror, my eyes wide open and my heart beating faster involuntarily.

"Perhaps we've stayed here too long, triggering some kind of protective mechanism within the ruins." Luo Chen vigilantly gripped his sword, crouching slightly in a defensive stance. His gaze scanned every corner of the hall, trying to identify the source of danger.

As the roar grew louder, the runes on the surrounding pillars began to gleam with dazzling light. Like living creatures, the light gradually detached from the pillars and converged toward the center of the hall. The light intertwined and entwined, forming a vague humanoid figure. This figure exuded a powerful aura, and its overwhelming force pressed toward us like a physical entity, sending a chill down our spine.

"You intruders, why are you hesitating here? The fate of the artifact fragments cannot be delayed. If we miss the opportunity, the world will fall into endless darkness." The light and shadow made a majestic voice, and the voice exploded in our ears like thunder, as if penetrating our souls and making our bodies tremble involuntarily.

I mustered up the courage to step forward. Although my heart was filled with fear, I knew we had to face this mysterious light and shadow. "We are struggling with the next location to look for fragments. The Valley of Fire is dangerous but close, while the Undersea Palace is far away but has less competition. We don't know how to choose." My voice trembled a little, but I still tried to make my words clear.

The light and shadow swayed slightly, as if it was thinking about our words, and the light around it flickered. "Your hesitation will only give the dark forces more opportunities. If you are afraid of danger, you should not have embarked on this journey to find the artifact fragments from the beginning." There was a hint of dissatisfaction in the light and shadow's voice.

Luo Chen walked up and stood beside me, his shoulder slightly touching mine, which made me feel a little relieved. "We are naturally not afraid of danger, we just want to make the most correct choice. After all, this is related to the fate of the entire world, and we can't make the slightest mistake." Luo Chen said firmly.

The light flickered a few times, as if examining us. "Then listen to your heart and don't be blinded by the difficulties before you. Whichever path you choose, it requires firm belief and fearless courage."

After he finished speaking, the light and shadow gradually dissipated, and the vibrations around him also stopped.

I breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Luo Chen and said, "What the light and shadow said just now is right. We can't hesitate any longer. I still think we should go to the Fire Valley. Although it is dangerous, our time is really tight, and we can't give the dark forces any chance to take advantage. Besides, we have more experience in fighting on land."

Luo Chen nodded, and said with some concern: "You are right. But when I think of the high temperature and ferocious fire creatures in the Flame Valley, I can't help but worry. However, as you said, we can always find a way to deal with it. Then let's start preparing now."

"Okay, let's first see if there are any magical items around that can withstand high temperatures." As I said this, I began to search the hall carefully.

Luo Chen also started to move. He found a strange box in a corner. "Look at this. The runes on this box seem to be related to high temperature. Maybe there is something inside that can help us."

I walked over and examined the box carefully. "I've never seen this rune before. How do we open it?"

"Let me try." Luo Chen said, and began to try to decipher the runes on the box. His fingers lightly slid across the runes, muttering something, as if he was casting some kind of magic.

After a while, the box slowly opened, revealing a gem emitting blue light.

"The breath of this gem is very cool. Maybe it can resist the high temperature of the Fire Valley." I said in surprise.

Luo Chen picked up the gem and examined it carefully. "I hope so. We still need more preparations. We need to study the habits of fire creatures so that we can better deal with them."

"I remember seeing some records about fire creatures in an ancient magic book before." I said recallingly.

"Then let's quickly look for similar books in this relic." Luo Chen said anxiously.

We searched the hall and finally found a dusty magic book on a stone platform.

"This is it!" I picked up the book excitedly and started flipping through it.

"It says here that fire creatures are most afraid of water-attribute magic, but water is scarce in the Fire Valley. How can we exploit this weakness?" I said with a frown.

"Maybe we can use magic to create some water elemental weapons or traps." Luo Chen said thoughtfully.

"This is a good idea. But making water elemental weapons requires powerful magical support, and we also need to find a way to replenish magic." I said worriedly.

"We can find some magic crystals or magic herbs on the way to replenish our magic power." Luo Chen suggested.

"Then we have to set off as soon as possible, time waits for no one." I closed the book and said to Luo Chen.

Luo Chen nodded, put away the gem and magic book, and said, "Then we will set off immediately."

With renewed resolve, we left the mysterious ruins and headed towards the Valley of Fire. Along the way, we diligently prepared, gathering magical items that could withstand the intense heat and studying the habits of fiery creatures. Though the road ahead was filled with unknown dangers, our resolve remained unwavering, for we knew the fate of the entire world depended on the collection of the artifact fragments. We could not retreat.