You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

The grass trembled slightly, and in the distance, the sky was slowly gathering the last rays of the blood-red sunset. As Rein stepped out of the stone gate of the ancient ruins, the soft grass beneath his feet and the mountain breeze blowing in his face almost gave him a dazed feeling of "returning from a dream."

"Phew... the air outside is so much more comfortable," he murmured, as light footsteps sounded behind him.

Fufu skipped out of the ruins, her long, pale silver hair fluttering in the wind. She looked up at the sky, then at the undulating silhouettes of the distant mountains, and took a soft breath. "It's much gentler here than inside... Are you really alright, Rein?"

Rein rubbed his neck with a wry smile. "It's barely okay. The spatial collapse just now almost shattered my bones, but luckily your 'Moonlight Barrier' was set up quickly enough, otherwise we'd probably be buried in ancient ruins as specimens right now."

Fufu winked smugly. "Of course! I'm a 'Starbringer,' how could I let my companion die in a place like this?"

They walked slowly along the mountain path, with the sounds of insects and birds in the distance, and mist drifting between the horizon and the forest, as if the whole world was quietly waiting for something.

After walking several hundred meters, Rein suddenly stopped. He listened intently, and a subtle sound came through the wind—not a beast's roar, nor the swaying of trees, but a rhythmic "click...click."

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

Fufu nodded, her expression immediately turning serious. "It's... a skeleton?"

The next moment, the ground trembled slightly, and a skeleton knight clad in tattered iron armor, riding an equally dilapidated bone horse, slowly emerged from the bushes.

It held its rusty spear aloft, pale blue flames flickering in its empty eye sockets. The withered branches around it rustled, as if paying homage to it.

"This is—the remnants of the Undead expedition? No, this area was already wiped out by the Holy Knights!" Rein quickly drew his sword, and silver-white magic patterns appeared on the blade like veins.

“It’s not an ordinary undead.” Fou raised her hand, and silver-blue magic gathered at her fingertips. “Within its body… there is a living ‘language core’!”

Before he finished speaking, the skeleton knight suddenly spurred his skeletal horse and charged towards them!
Rein and Fou immediately split up. Rein faced the spear head-on, his sword flashing with the force of wind and thunder, while Fou stood behind, quickly setting up an array and casting spells.

"Wind Spirit Threads, weaving a tranquil realm!"

Four pale blue rays shot out from her fingertips, crisscrossing in the air to form a net, instantly sealing off the skeleton knight's movement space.

"boom!"

Rein clashed head-on with its spear and was forced back several steps by the impact. He gritted his teeth and growled, "This guy's strength is no less than that of a Grand Knight!"

"Don't try to tough it out!" Fufu said, changing her hand gestures as she strengthened the magic circle. "I've found the location of its magic core—it's deep inside the skull, in that crack behind the armor!"

"Understood!" Rein took a deep breath, his toes touched the ground, and his body flipped in the air like a swallow, the sword light suddenly turning into a swirling silver light!
"Shattered Star!"

The sword pierced precisely into the crack in the armor, causing the skeleton knight to momentarily freeze. Fou timely unleashed "Moonlight Burst," a burst of silver light erupting from beneath his feet and completely engulfing him.

When the light faded, all that remained were a pile of completely shattered bone fragments and a blue-glowing crystal—the fragments of the "language core."

Rein walked over and picked up the crystal. Ripples rippled within it, not magic, nor spiritual power, but more like... some kind of "undefined sound".

“Fufu, this thing… isn’t a relic of the Spirit Speaker, is it?” He frowned.

Fufu pondered for a while, then shook her head. "Its structure is too unstable, and... this fluctuation pattern is completely different from the Ancient Spirit Language. I suspect it belongs to a civilization we haven't encountered yet."

Upon hearing this, Rein's gaze deepened. They exchanged a glance and nodded knowingly—the adventure was far from over.

As night fell, the two set up a simple tent and lit a campfire. Occasionally, the low growls of wild animals could be heard in the mountains and forests, but they were all blocked dozens of meters away by the "silent barrier" set up by Fufu.

Rein sat cross-legged by the fire, a strip of dried meat between his teeth, while flipping through the "language nuclear wave spectrum" he had just recorded. Fufu, on the other hand, lay on his cloak, resting her head on her arm and gazing at the stars.

"Do you think there might be more 'unknown language cores' like this?" Fufu suddenly asked.

“Most likely,” Rein sighed. “There are still so many things we don’t know about this planet. The skeleton knight we encountered today is probably just the beginning.”

Fufu chuckled softly, "I quite like things as they are now. There's no predetermined fate, no grand mission, just you and me, exploring this strange world step by step."

Rein turned and looked at her, his eyes gentle. "If I'm with you, I wouldn't mind if ten more skeleton knights came."

A blush rose to Fufu's face, and she deliberately turned her back to him, saying, "So cheesy."

In that moment of tranquility, a beam of blue-white light suddenly shone from the foot of the distant mountains. The light pierced through the night, as if tearing the entire sky apart.

“Rain! That’s—”

"I saw it."

They stood up almost simultaneously and packed away their equipment. At the foot of the distant mountains lay the "Valley of the Sleeping Magic Book," a legendary place said to have been completely sealed away by the Mage's Guild. But that light was an energy far beyond what the sealing power could produce.

“A new adventure awaits us.” Rein gripped the hilt of his sword, a hint of anticipation playing on his lips.

"Moreover, this time we might be able to unlock the true secret of that language core." Fufu's eyes also sparkled with excitement.

After a short rest, the two continued along the mountain path. Night gradually fell, and a cool mountain breeze blew. Suddenly, a series of clear, bell-like sounds came from the forest, and a strange, magical fluctuation emanated from the southeast.

“This is… magical resonance?” Rein frowned and drew his sword. “Something’s not right.”

Fufu immediately gripped her staff and stared into the forest.

"Over there... it seems to be the aftermath of some kind of ritual. Shall we go take a look?"

Rein nodded, and the two then quietly slipped into the woods.

Amidst dappled shadows of trees, an ancient plaza covered in vines came into view. In the center, several priests clad in grey robes surrounded a floating stone tablet, muttering ancient incantations. Flames, smoke, and starlight intertwined, creating an eerie atmosphere.

“It’s a Darkmoon Order ritual…” Fufu whispered, a hint of unease in her eyes.

Just then, a silver-white sword light suddenly pierced through the air and cut the priest in the center of the ritual array in two!
"who--!?"

The cult members turned around, and a young man in a black cloak appeared outside the firelight, his right eye flashing with scarlet magic runes.

"Heretics must not survive." His voice was as cold as iron. "This place will be your burial ground."

"This is... a Crimson-Striped Swordsman!" Fufu gasped.

Rein frowned as well: "We'd better hide, or we'll get caught in the crossfire..."

however--

"Come out." The red-striped swordsman's voice seemed to pierce through the mist and reach straight to the heart.

The two looked at each other, at a loss for words, and had no choice but to leave their hiding place.

"...Commoners?" The red-striped swordsman frowned, looking at Rein and Fouf. "No, the magic fluctuations...you're sorcerers too?"

Fufu shook her head: "We're just adventurers. We just escaped from the ruins and heard some noise here, so..." Before she could finish speaking, the remaining Darkmoon Cultists suddenly shouted a spell, and the black magic circle reappeared. The ground cracked open, and a giant beast with a jet-black body and bat wings roared as it crawled out of the ground!
"A demon summoning spell?! They actually completed the ritual ahead of schedule!"

Fufu exclaimed in surprise, and Rein quickly stepped forward, shielding her behind him and drawing his sword.

"Fou, prepare the support spell. I'll take the front!"

"it is good!"

The monster roared and spewed out a stream of black flames. Rein leaped up, slashed through the flames with his sword, and landed in mid-air, the tip of his sword drawing out a wave of silver-blue magic.

"—Silver Flame: Break the Formation!"

The sword energy surged like a torrent of stars, slashing into the demon's belly, but the black armor was as hard as rock, leaving only a shallow mark.

"It's too hard!" Rein gritted his teeth.

"Wind spirit power, heed my call—'Wind Binding Array: Sky-Locking Net'!" Fufu waved her staff and chanted an incantation, and a net of emerald light instantly opened, binding the monster's limbs!

The Crimson-Striped Swordsman said no more, transforming into a streak of crimson light and charging into the battlefield. His sword light surged like a tide, slaying three remnants of the cult in succession.

The battle instantly became intense.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Rein rushed to the monster's rear, leaped up, and plunged his longsword into the monster's back. Magic power was injected into the sword, and it exploded like thunder!
“Drink ah ah ah—!”

The sword tip pierced through the demonic armor, splattering bright red demonic blood everywhere. The demon let out a painful howl before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

A tired smile appeared on Fufu's face: "Finally... done."

The red-striped swordsman turned around, glanced at the two, and nodded: "Good teamwork. What are your names?"

“Rain, this is Fufu.”

“I am Zeg Sinner, the seventh seat of the Knights of Judgment.” He said, taking out a silver badge. “This is for you. With this, you may enter the capital.”

"The royal capital?"

Fufu's eyes lit up: "The legendary capital city where magic and swordsmanship coexist, and where seven towers stand side by side?"

“Exactly.” Zeg nodded. “The Dark Moon Order has also infiltrated the capital. Young people like you who don’t want to be dragged into the darkness should come to the capital and become the sword of justice.”

Having said that, he turned and left, his cloak billowing, leaving only a cold, lingering echo.

Rein stared at the silver badge in his hand, remaining silent for a long time before finally looking at Fou: "Do you want to go?"

Fufu nodded: "If you go, I'll go."

Rein chuckled: "Then... let's set off. Royal capital, here we come."

The fiery sunset cast its glow upon the towering spires of the royal capital, Solunion, its orange-gold light seemingly draping the entire city in a sacred robe.

Rein looked up at the huge emblem above the city gate—a symbol of intertwined silver wings and a fire sword—and the legendary capital city, where magic and knights coexisted, was finally before them.

"We've arrived," he said softly, his eyes filled with an undisguised anticipation.

Fou stood beside him, draped in a traveler's cloak, her chestnut hair fluttering in the wind. She gazed up at the majestic walls of the capital, her eyes sparkling: "Rein, this place... is even more magnificent than I imagined."

A long queue stretched before the city gates, with merchants, travelers, bards, monks... all sorts of people entering the city in order under the strict scrutiny of the guards. As the two waited in line, Fufu suddenly whispered, "Can you sense... a magical seal on this city wall?"

“Hmm, and it’s not just a regular defensive spell.” Rein narrowed his eyes. “It’s part of a [Seal Array]. The entire capital city seems to have been set up as a giant alchemical array… What exactly is it protecting?”

When it was their turn, the guards looked them up and down, and their eyes became noticeably more wary when they saw the ancient-patterned sword on Rein's back.

"Occupation?" the guard asked.

"Adventurer, just returned from the ancient ruins of the North." Rein took out his guild badge from his pocket.

The guard handed the badge back and nodded, indicating, "You may enter the city. However, please note that the capital is under heavy guard recently, there have been frequent clashes between the various magic towers, and many unknown forces are active within the city."

“Thank you for the reminder,” Rein replied softly, leading Fou through the city gate that symbolized glory.

The streets of the capital are wide and clean, paved with bricks and stones. Magic knights riding dragons fly overhead from time to time, and magical lamps hang along the streets, as bright as day.

What attracted their attention most was the towering building that reached into the clouds—the Royal Capital Magic Tower.

“Rain…” Fufu’s eyes lit up slightly, “I have never seen such a magnificent tower.”

“It’s one of the ‘Seven Towers of Notia,’ a legendary temple of knowledge that connects the sky and the earth’s ley lines.” Rein’s voice was deep and complex. “But did you notice that the light flowing from that tower—is being suppressed?”

"What do you mean?"

“There is some kind of power sealed within the tower, and—it is awakening.”

The two walked and talked about the various aspects of the royal capital, eventually settling down at an inn called "Silver Sand Inn." This was a mid-range inn catering to adventurers and mages, with reasonable prices and complete facilities. The owner was a sub-beastman with lynx ears named Miru.

"Are you from the North?" Milu asked as she served the hot soup.

“Yes.” Fufu nodded. “We just returned from ancient ruins.”

“There have been more adventurers coming here lately.” Milu squinted. “I heard that ‘Shadow Whisperers’ have recently appeared in the royal capital.”

Rein's expression changed slightly: "The Shadow Speaker?"

"Yes, a heretical sorcerer who can manipulate shadows and language. Their spells can make people lose themselves for a short time and be controlled by commands... There have already been three out-of-control incidents in the city."

“This is a forbidden spell,” Rein murmured.

Milu looked out the window at the night sky and said, "Be careful. The capital may be big, but it's not safe."

As night fell, the streets and alleys of the capital city took on a different kind of splendor under the illumination of the magic lamps. Rein and Fou changed into lighter clothing and prepared to go out and gather information about the city.

As soon as they stepped out of the hotel, they were drawn to an incongruous surge of magical energy.

“It’s West Street!” Fufu grabbed Rein and pointed to the area under the tower in the distance that was flashing with an eerie light.

"Let's go!" (End of Chapter)