Firefly Journey

The night was deep, and the moon and stars shone brightly.

The town of Torreg, where the occasional bark of a dog could be heard, seemed as quiet as ever. In the mayor's guest room, a dim light flickered. Cassius, who was reading and getting restless, could no longer concentrate. He got up, opened the glass window, cast his gaze at the distant fields, and stretched lazily.

He was to head to the Yedeen Mountains with the others at sunrise to unlock the ancient god's ruins. But now, with less than six hours until dawn, he couldn't fall asleep.

The lies to the Papacy and the Duchy will be exposed sooner or later. What explanation will be given then?

Disturbed, Cassius sat down again. The books he had once cherished now seemed like demons, each page reaching out an invisible hand, trying to pull him into the abyss.

"For their sake, I must do this."

Suddenly, Cassius's eyes hardened, and his anxiety gradually subsided. After letting out a long sigh, he finally felt the long-lost drowsiness, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

When he woke up again, six hours had passed. After a quick wash and getting dressed, he headed towards the mountains.

The students didn't even need to be called; on such an important day, there was no way they would be late. Paninger, Hauglis, Fwayne, and Allen, among others, were already waiting, following their teacher to the Divine Ruins.

Fengling, who didn't live here, couldn't keep up with the others, but they had already arranged to meet at the mountain range. Lin Yuanran was fully armed and brought many supplies, because Fengling had told him that exploring the Divine Ruins wouldn't be completed overnight and might take several days, or even longer.

Lin Yuanran, who believed in being prepared for any eventuality, had taken all sorts of situations into account. For example, he prepared a lot of food, which he put in a large bag that he could hardly carry.

Seeing this, Fengling knew he was too nervous; all newbies are like that.

Are you moving?

Lin Yuanran said, "I'm afraid something might happen."

As he spoke, he tucked the axe he had bought at great expense into his waistband. He looked nothing like a superhuman; he looked like a woodcutter who had just gone into the mountains to chop wood.

"Give it to me." Without waiting for Lin Yuanran's consent, she reached out and took the large bag, lightly patted the bell at her waist, and the bag disappeared in an instant. Then, she set her sights on Lin Yuanran's axe and stuffed it into the Venus statue in the same way.

“Cassius said that you should stay with us and not take action unless absolutely necessary.”

If things have gotten so serious that you need to intervene, it means we've already gone to see the ancestral gods. Do you think it makes any difference whether you intervene or not?

Lin Yuanran thought about it and realized that it made sense. He quickly accepted reality and followed Feng Ling without saying a word.

The group of outsiders heading to the Jedrön Mountains attracted the attention of the local townspeople, who speculated endlessly.

Aren't they afraid of the monsters in the mountains?

"Idiot! With so many superhumans, it's the magical beasts that should be running!"

"I've heard that there's a great treasure hidden in the mountains, but unfortunately, our ancestors have lived here for generations and we've been unable to access it."

"Where did you hear that? I don't know anything about it."

"Said by a drunken stranger."

"Tch, you're like this even when you're drunk."

Outside the Yedeen Mountains, the extraordinary individuals had assembled.

At first glance, it was quite a sight, with a group of fifty or sixty people. Among them, two factions came from the Ancestral God Church.

Jonathan and Robert, siblings from the Ancient Battle Arena, and students from St. Louis Academy, a branch of the Church of Light.

The rest are mostly named and recognizable. For example, the followers of "Eighth Ancestral God" Remington, and members of the Mechanical Wings.

In the crowd, the butcher brothers were rubbing their hands together, seemingly ready for a big fight. The half-swordsman, carrying two swords, leaned against a large tree away from the crowd, his face clearly saying "keep away," and no one wanted to provoke him.

Cassius Bello was the last to arrive. Facing pairs of eyes that couldn't hide their excitement, he stood before the crowd and announced the arrangements for the tomb raiding.

"After investigation, a demigod-level magical beast was found in the Yedeen Mountains."

This news caused an uproar. Most of these adventurers were low-level extraordinary beings at the first or second awakening stage, who usually had no contact with demigod-level beings.

The term "demigod" refers to a state beyond the third level of enlightenment. They are not gods, but they possess the power to contend with lower-level gods, hence the name.

"Don't worry, everyone. It's a Thunder Lizard. It's gentle and won't bother us if we communicate with it and calm it down."

Seeing Cassius's confidence, everyone felt a little relieved. In terms of strength, this person in front of them was not necessarily inferior to the demigod beast.

"You can take whatever you want from the ruins, that's all. But there's one thing: don't let anyone die. If anyone breaks this rule, not only will they not be able to take anything from the ruins, but I'll also have to invite them to the Holy See headquarters."

Krumbo wasn't a well-known deity in his time, and had very few followers. Such a god certainly didn't have many valuable possessions, so it would be unwise to fight over such a small thing.

The extraordinary individuals nodded in agreement, their devout expressions seemingly genuine, but whether they truly meant it remained to be seen.

"Then, let's get started."

The Divine Ruins are located deep within the Yedeen Mountains, a considerable distance from the surrounding area.

The frost troll McCauley led the way, guiding the treasure hunters. Cassius didn't need to walk; he whistled, and a small airship pulled by a dragon eagle landed before them. Except for Paninger, Cassius and the others all boarded it.

As the airship ascended, Lin Yuanran's heart skipped a beat, as if he were riding an incredibly fast elevator, instantly soaring into the sky.

Beside the airship, the dragon-man Paninger spread his arms, his wings dancing in the wind, freely expressing his nature.

"Isn't she tired?" Lin Yuanran asked. Even if she could fly, it would still require physical strength. It would be better if she didn't have to move herself.

Fway continued, "They will naturally come back to rest when they are tired. All beastmen are like that. While possessing human intelligence, they also retain the wildness of their beast species."

The airship moved swiftly forward, arriving over the target area in about ten minutes. Those superhumans without the ability to fly, from the sky, appeared to have covered less than a third of the distance.

The airship landed, and Hauglis went to tease the dragon eagle. Cassius told everyone to rest where they were and wait for the main force to arrive so they could clear the way into the Divine Ruins together.

Cassius himself was not idle. He looked around and released his magic to cover the surrounding area to ensure there was nothing unusual.

Lin Yuanran was a little excited. What was inside the ancient god's ruins? Could he get lucky and obtain a powerful magical artifact?

He even fantasized that Krumbo wasn't quite dead yet, that his soul was trapped in some ring, waiting for him to snatch it up...

As he pondered, Lin Yuanran pulled himself out of his thoughts. Using Earth's novel plots to measure the real Pan-Ancient World was simply too far-fetched.

"Klenbo... what was his profession?" Lin Yuanran suddenly realized that he knew nothing about the tomb owner, yet he still went to steal things from him.

Fway explained kindly, "The scroll doesn't record it; all we know is that he took the path of death."