Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 908 Answer
It's something that humans couldn't even conceive of.

That was his only assessment of the Frankish fortress after half an hour.

Although the monsters along the way are all easy targets that can be killed with a single sword strike, the traps, mechanisms, and misleading designs in various places are increasingly outrageous, even to the point of being insane.

Take the path they're currently on, for example. If they're going from bottom to top, there's not only one path—the stone bridge and plank road—but also various traps and ranged grunts specially positioned on both sides to harass or even kill passersby.

Furthermore, since the entire path spans several floors, if you are knocked off the walkway, the best outcome is to fall back to the starting point and start all over again. In addition, since some sections of the route will collapse as soon as you walk through them, it means that if you fail to get through on your first try, the difficulty of starting over will only be higher.

As for attribute overpower? Sorry, over 90% of the mechanisms within the fortress are crafted in a manner similar to blessed weapons. Just like the fortress itself, they not only automatically repair themselves when they are lit, but they also possess indestructible properties. Some mechanisms, like the rolling stones from earlier, even have a stamina-breaking effect similar to their ready stance. Anyone who gets hit by them will be thrown off and enter a weakened state.

If at the beginning they were just thinking, "This seems kind of interesting," now they're thinking, "I hope they never find out who designed this." This shows just how monstrous the interior design of this seemingly ordinary fortress really is.

"Tsk, thank goodness this is the last stretch of the road..."

After quickly taking some medicine to recover, Xin Lailai looked up at the plank road above again, took a deep breath, and hurried upwards once more.

After being tricked twice in a row, they were already very familiar with the traps and mechanisms of this last section of the 'Path of Beasts'. Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be able to get through it on their first try this time!
……

So, two hours later, at the top floor of the fortress.

"Phew, finally... finally we made it out of that hellhole!!"

A heavy thud echoed from the back hall, where embers still flickered, followed by the sound of someone collapsing to the ground with a sigh of relief. A black-haired youth stared at the ceiling with a ferocious expression, his bloodshot eyes revealing the ordeal he had endured over the past two hours.

Two hours!

Even though they knew the first 95% of the route by heart, they were stuck on the last 5% for two hours!
There are no roads or bridges leading upwards. The only way to get up is to climb up the protruding parts of a fixed wall and the deliberately designed platforms. There are not only a lot of fake platforms that break at the slightest touch, but also a large number of zombies that do nothing but hide in blind spots and risk their lives to push you.

Even the campfire they first encountered was a teleportation trap set up with some kind of magic. And those sections of the road that could not be crossed again if they did not pass through them on the first try forced them to go back and forth between the campfire on the second floor and here several times, like running a marathon, before they finally made it through.

It's fair to say that by the end, they were all gritting their teeth as they made their way down. To vent their anger, they kicked every single monster they encountered along the way, even those that had no real impact on them, just to enjoy the screams of their opponents before they fell to their deaths.

As for the little boss blocking the way in front of the campfire room? The answer is congratulations to him for becoming the first unlucky guy they crushed with their bare hands like a punching bag—although this only slightly appeased their anger.

They've even made up their minds that, given the chance, they must find out who designed this fortress, whether they're alive or dead, and even if they're ashes, they have to find out where they're buried!

[Thanks to "Blessing of the Kingfire", the current status has been fully restored.]

"Phew... Calm down. The most important thing right now is to find the big hat that Onion Knight mentioned. As long as we can solve the mana problem, everything else will be easier."

After mentally cursing the fortress designer she had never met for a full seven or eight minutes, Xin Lailai finally breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed her temples, and casually tossed out a mana chip. After confirming that the campfire in front of her was genuine, she cautiously touched it to replenish the health and mana she had consumed along the way, as well as the elemental potion that only had one health potion left.

"Speaking of which, if we go this way, we should be able to see the undead monster that the chubby knight was talking about, right? Should we kill it first before going to find that big hat?"

Inside the soul space, Ling Yuzi, who had also calmed down, looked at the archway in their line of sight and the lush green mountain path in the distance, and asked.

There is a height difference of more than 150 meters between the entrance and the exit, which is why the Frankish Fortress became an essential checkpoint for pilgrims. Although they were tormented along the way, the Frankish Fortress did perfectly fulfill its duty as a checkpoint in terms of guarding the pass.

"Let's forget about it. According to Onion Knight, that guy might have some kind of killing mechanism. To be on the safe side, let's go find the big hat that Onion Knight mentioned and get some information first."

Xin Lailai shook her head slightly, glanced at the steps next to the archway, got up, dusted herself off, and walked towards the steps.

While encountering a boss along the way is a good option, the key bosses in this world all have a 'gray fog blocking the way' mechanism. For them, who are likely to have no margin for error and no chance of dying, it means that they have to defeat each boss in one life.

Therefore, just in case, it's best to be fully prepared before dealing with the other party. Otherwise, if you happen to run into something with a 'kill mechanism', you'll really regret it.

Tap, tap, tap...!

The steady footsteps echoed through the somewhat narrow corridor. At each corner, Xin Lailai would instinctively stop, throw down two stones, and then carefully check all blind spots at the entrance to make sure there were no traps in front of her, no monsters hanging on the ceiling, and no large group of people in the blind spots before cautiously continuing forward.

After crawling along this short stretch of road for a good ten minutes, it finally arrived at a half-open wooden door, and stopped looking at the scene through the crack in the door.

"Is this the place...?"

Xin Lailai looked at the scene before her, cautiously peering through the crack in the door for a while. After confirming that there was nothing wrong, she took a deep breath, pushed open the wooden door, and looked into the huge library filled with numerous bookshelves and densely packed books.

Top floor library.

On their way here, they learned about the structure of the Frankish Fortress through some information stored inside. The underground section was a prison and torture area for holding prisoners and heretics, and also the place where Rosamira was sealed. The first nine floors above ground were checkpoints used to block enemies, and only the last floor was the top-floor library where the documents collected by the fortress were stored.

As for the treasure vault... unfortunately, as a fortress used to intercept enemies, the Frankish Fortress doesn't have a 'treasure vault' at all. At most, it only has a few armories for storing equipment, and the equipment in those armories has long since turned into useless scrap metal due to the corrosion of time.

On the other hand, the library, because the factions in the Ash World are used to seeing books and knowledge as symbols of status, tend to value their collections much more than weapons and armor.

Therefore, even the Frankish fortress, which was used to handle all sorts of dirty and filthy work, still had its top floor designed as a library for storing books, and the books there were all processed by the power of royal fire to prevent them from being damaged by the erosion of time.

A slightly antique bookish scent permeated the air. After passing through several rows of bookshelves over ten meters high, the view suddenly opened up, transforming from a dazzling collection of books into a somewhat conspicuous laboratory table and a spacious area filled with various bottles and jars.

found it.

Xin Lailai gazed at the scene before her, her eyes shifting slightly as she looked at the figure sitting at the lab table. The figure wore a green robe and a grey wizard's hat that was much wider than his shoulders. The figure seemed to sense something, turning to look at Xin Lailai with some surprise, and said:

"Hmm? That's really strange. We've seen two Ashes in such a short time?" "You're Yang... um, you're the 'Big Hat' that Jerbach was talking about?"

"Jerbach? Oh, you must be talking about that guy who dresses like an onion, right? Heh, I didn't expect him to actually introduce someone."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man wearing the large hat looked at Xin Lailai with some surprise, then chuckled softly:
"If that's the case, you probably want to ask me how to defeat the Crystal Elder, right?"

"No, I just came to ask you some questions about magic."

Xin Lailai glanced at the staff tied around the other person's waist, looked at the other person's pupils which were covered with magma cracks just like her own, and spoke. At the same time, she raised her hand and, in front of the other person, under the somewhat astonished gaze of the young man in the big hat, condensed a magic chip.

"you……"

"As you can see, I am a mage. I heard that there seems to be another one of my kind here, so I thought I'd come and see for myself, and also exchange some questions about spell casting."

Xin Lailai stated calmly, while the young man in the big hat, upon hearing this, brightened up and said with obvious excitement:
"Haha! I see! Of course, no problem at all, in fact, it's fantastic!"

"Which college are you from? Wilhelm? Rondauer? Or Stanwell?"

"And that spell just now, I've never seen such an energy-conversion spell before. Did you create it yourself?"

“Oh, right, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I’m Vic Lear, a guy who’s following in the footsteps of the legendary archmage Logan. You’ve probably heard of Logan, right? This hat I’m wearing is an imitation of…”

"Ahem, Mr. Vic, perhaps we should calm down first?"

"Uh, sorry, sorry, it's been so long since I've seen other people of my kind that I got a little too excited. By the way, what's your name..."

"Black Sword, just call me Black Sword. As for the academy... I've only recently awakened on this land and haven't had time to learn about these things yet. That's why I'm here to find Lord Vic."

"No academy?"

Upon hearing this, Vic paused for a moment, the excitement in his eyes instantly vanished, and the joy on his face disappeared. His gaze towards Xin Lailai suddenly held a hint of scrutiny and disdain.

"Tsk, so he's someone who hasn't even studied magic yet... Oh well, since I've finally met an Ash who's interested in spells, hurry up and ask me what you want to ask. I have other things to do."

As the slightly disdainful voice fell, the young man in the big hat, who had been incredibly excited just a second ago, seemed to have become a completely different person, his words now carrying a hint of impatience.

"..."

"Lai Lai, I suddenly really want to punch him."

"Let's be patient. It's not too late to make a move after we find out the key to how the sorcerers of this world manipulate magic."

Realizing that the young man in the large hat was a classic example of someone who looked down on others, Xin Lailai's forehead veins throbbed slightly. Forcibly suppressing her displeasure at the traps ahead, she took a deep breath and said:

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask how you solve this problem when I tried to cast spells using my knowledge. I found that the magic in this world is almost impossible to draw upon with mental power. So I'd like to ask Lord Vic how you solve this problem?"

"You can't use your mental energy to draw upon your mana? Are you deliberately wasting my time... Hmm? Wait—"

Upon hearing Xin Lailai's question, the young man in the big hat frowned. Just as he was about to rebuke Xin Lailai for deliberately playing a trick on him, he seemed to suddenly notice something. Looking at Xin Lailai's hands, which were equipped with a shield and a longsword, his expression changed slightly. He grabbed Xin Lailai's shoulder and began to grope her all over. At the same time, his face became increasingly strange, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

"How is this possible?! Hey, Ash, where's your spellcasting medium?!"

Finally, the young man in the big hat muttered a couple of words in a daze, then suddenly looked up at Xin Lailai, grabbed her shoulder urgently, and asked.

"A medium for casting spells?"

Upon hearing this, Xin Lailai was taken aback, and at the same time, her mind suddenly raced, as if she had suddenly realized something. Vic, impatiently, pressed her for an answer:
"It's the thing that helped you cast that spell! Since you're Ash, you should be able to see item information! Staff, Holy Bell... call it whatever you want, but where did you hide it?!"

"..."

The urgent questioning, as if desperate to confirm something, silenced Xin Lailai, while the young man in the big hat, having realized the truth, staggered back two steps, muttering dejectedly:

"Haha, hahaha... So I was the frog in the well all along? I never thought someone could actually do something like this, haha, hahahahaha!"

After a long, self-deprecating laugh that sounded like that of a madman subsided, the young man in the large hat, who seemed completely insane from laughing, finally looked at Xin Lailai and spoke:

"You...you said your name is Black Sword, right?"

"Hehe, Your Excellency Black Sword, the question you just asked is actually quite simple."

“Now that you’ve tried, you should understand that it’s almost impossible for people like us… people like me and you to use magic on our own in this world.”

"The only way to solve this problem is to possess a 'spellcasting medium' forged with the power of royal fire, just like the staff in my hand. As long as we possess it, we can, to some extent, remove the limitations of this world and allow us to use those magical powers normally."

"This is the answer you wanted."

……

(End of this chapter)