The villains are redeemed, and the heroines cry and beg for forgiveness.

Without hesitation, Gu Ran asked, "Is there any way to obtain that final level of access? Even just an attempt, or some kind of guess?"

Looking into Gu Ran's eyes, Queen Ariel pondered for a moment and said, "I can see your determination, but some things cannot be accomplished by determination alone. Intelligent beings are ultimately limited, whether they are mermaids or humans."

Gu Ran kept looking into Queen Ariel's eyes. He paused and said, "It seems you do have some methods you'd like to try. How will you know it's impossible if you don't try? The chances of success may be very, very low, but since you're willing to try, there's still some hope in your heart. If you don't even dare to try, the success rate is zero."

"Please tell me whatever the method is."

Gu Ran even changed to a respectful form of address.

Empress Ariel pondered for a moment and said, "The ruins have a core structure, which is a triangular crystal cone. I wonder if you've ever seen it?"

Gu Ran immediately asked, "Can it also project a light screen and play images?"

“It seems you’ve already seen it. Yes, it’s that triangular crystal cone, the core control center of the ruins,” Queen Ariel said. “The key to completely controlling the ruins should be that triangular crystal cone, so we must find it first.”

"Can you find it?" Gu Ran asked.

Queen Ariel and the souls of several other merfolk ancestors shook their heads.

"Although we are part of the ruins, we are a separate part and are not familiar with the situation of the various parts within the ruins."

After hearing the answer, Gu Ran paused only slightly before saying, "I've seen it before. Since you can't find it, try my method."

After speaking, Gu Ran stretched out his finger, and spiritual energy erupted from it as he drew a circle on the spot.

After Gu Ran finished drawing the circle, the space around it actually cracked.

Gu Ran gritted his teeth and wiped the sweat from his forehead, saying, "This ruin is composed of several independent spaces. The triangular crystal cone is in one of these independent spaces. As long as we keep breaking through and traversing these spaces, we will definitely be able to find it."

"Your current strength... shouldn't be very high, right? I feel like you don't even have a martial arts golden core in your body. How did you manage to do that?" Queen Ariel looked at the "spatial gate" that Gu Ran had opened in amazement.

"I once had a martial arts golden core," Gu Ran replied after the pain in his dantian subsided slightly. "However, it just shattered. Although it's shattered, the remaining spiritual energy in my dantian can still be used for a while. I can repair it later."

The shattering of the martial arts golden core is a devastating nightmare for a martial arts grandmaster, but it is not a completely hopeless situation; there is still a sliver of possibility that it can be cultivated back.

Some top martial arts sects have preserved some techniques for rebuilding the body after shattering the core.

With his understanding of space, Gu Ran was still able to open a spatial portal using only the small amount of spiritual energy remaining in his dantian.

Of course, this "space portal" is definitely not comparable to when he had spatial abilities; not only can it not locate coordinates, but the teleportation distance is also uncontrollable.

However, you don't need to worry about these things inside the ruins. Because of the special nature of this place, unless you specifically locate a spatial coordinate like a spatial ability user, breaking through space will definitely lead you to other independent small spaces, which is equivalent to a "teleportation portal" to other spaces.

However, Gu Ran was not very lucky. He failed to find the space where the triangular crystal cone was located on the first and second attempts. It was not until the third attempt that he finally arrived at the independent space where it was located.

"What should we do next?" Gu Ran asked Queen Ariel after seeing the triangular crystal cone placed on the high platform in the distance.

"Because you are human, not a mermaid, it is impossible for you to control the central core of the ruins, let alone the final level of access," Queen Ariel said calmly. "Therefore, a mermaid must take initial control of the core of the ruins, and then we can try again slowly."

"Does a mermaid have to take initial control of the core of the ruins?" Gu Ran frowned slightly. "Does that mean I need to go to the mermaid's territory now and find a mermaid?"

Queen Ariel: "That's not necessary. After all, not just any mermaid can control the core of the ruins. Talent and will must be top-notch. As you said, the mermaid race can't find any suitable challengers right now. So even if you go back and find a mermaid now, it won't help, because you won't get the core of the ruins' approval."

“I’ll do it. I’ve controlled this ruin before, so I’m very familiar with it. Besides, it will be easier for me to test my guesses.”

"But aren't you a soul now? Can a soul control the core of a relic? Aren't relics determined by factors like blood in the body?" Gu Ran asked with some doubt.

“That’s true, but I have other ways,” said Queen Ariel.

Gu Ran narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her.

Queen Ariel looked back at him, her gaze unwavering.

101. The Mermaid Queen's Will 4.1k

Although Gu Ran always acted as if he was completely obedient to Queen Ariel and the others, he did not forget that he was the one who broke into the ruins, and that he had just destroyed the ruins beyond recognition.

As for Queen Ariel, who was able to become a ruler in the past, she must have been quite shrewd and resourceful. Was she really helping him sincerely without any other motives?

Gu Ran was unaware that his gaze just now was actually a test from him.

Queen Ariel clearly sensed Gu Ran's suspicion and thus expressed her own stance.

Gu Ran shifted her gaze to the triangular crystal cone. Regardless of whether she truly harbored other motives, she could only trust her for the time being.

Empress Ariel floated over, a complex look in her eyes as she gazed at the triangular crystal cone.

Then, she looked at Gu Ran and said, "Actually, you look a lot like me... an old friend. If it weren't for your terrible martial arts talent, I would have almost thought you were him for a moment."

Terrible martial arts talent?

Although Gu Ran hadn't interacted much with other martial artists, he knew that his cultivation speed was definitely not "bad" among them.

Just how high was the martial arts talent of her "old friend"?

Gu Ran: "I have already advanced to the Golden Core stage of martial arts. Even in the entire human world, if I am not one of the rarest existences, I should at least be called a 'martial arts genius', right?"

Queen Ariel smiled and said, "At your age, it is indeed very rare for someone to become a martial arts grandmaster. However, at your age, he has already become the number one martial arts grandmaster, and even if all the other martial arts grandmasters were combined, they would not be able to defeat him."

Gu Ran raised an eyebrow. If that were really the case, then he would definitely be considered a martial arts genius who only appears once every few centuries, so it would be normal for him not to be able to compare.

He asked with a hint of curiosity, "What was his name? Why have I never heard of such a martial arts genius hundreds of years ago?"

Could it be that he is ignorant?

"His name is..." "Ariel," the Queen opened her mouth, then suddenly looked confused. "Right, what was his name again? Why can't I even remember what he looked like?"

A look of panic suddenly appeared on Ariel's face, as if she had forgotten what was most important to her.

"Why can't I even recall a single sound or appearance of his?!"

"Impossible, how could I possibly forget him?!"

Seeing that Queen Ariel's emotions were gradually spiraling out of control, Gu Ran immediately stopped her from continuing to recall: "Don't think about it anymore! Perhaps it's because your soul has existed for too long and you've already forgotten him!"

"Impossible! How could I possibly forget him!"

Queen Ariel's eyes revealed extreme sorrow; if it weren't for the fact that souls cannot shed tears, Gu Ran believed she would already be in tears.

Could it be her old flame?

Why do I feel so emotional after realizing I can't remember?

Gu Ran shouted, "Wake up! Nothing is impossible! So what if you remember him? So many years have passed. Even if he was a martial arts master, he has been dead for countless years."

Gu Ran's loud shout had an effect, and Queen Ariel's grief gradually subsided.

“You’re right. No matter how brilliant a talent is, they can’t withstand the enemy of time.” Queen Ariel gave a bitter smile. “Whether it’s me or him, we have both eventually vanished into the long river of time.”

"But do you know what? The feeling of losing those memories is like losing your most treasured possession, it makes you want to go crazy."

"Are you two lovers too?" Gu Ran couldn't help but ask.

If that's the case, then it explains why Queen Ariel would help him.

"No." Queen Ariel shook her head. "Although I don't remember him very well, I do remember this."

"So much time has passed, and the people from back then are all gone. There's nothing to hide anymore. Actually, it was just me who liked him. He never gave me any response or promise—at least that's what my current memory tells me."

Gu Ran was somewhat surprised. Even though "Ariel" was in her soul state, her unparalleled beauty was still evident. Moreover, she was an empress who ruled over a sea area, and her status was noble.

Even so, is it just unrequited love?

Queen Ariel looked at Gu Ran: "Now I realize that I had almost forgotten everything about him, but when I see you, I don't know why, I inexplicably remembered him."

"The reason I'm helping you is actually because of him back then. Of course, I don't have absolute certainty of bringing your lover back."

"Furthermore, even if you manage to save her, there will be long-term effects. Are you prepared to accept that?"

Gu Ran also looked at her: "What kind of aftereffects?"

"I can't fully determine the specific aftereffects, but based on your previous description, she accelerated her fusion with the ruins herself, so it's hard to know how much of her soul essence she still has at this moment," Queen Ariel said. "If she has already merged very deeply with the ruins, then even if we save her, we must replenish her soul essence, otherwise she will not be able to maintain herself without her soul essence and will gradually dissipate."

"Then how can we replenish the essence of the soul?" Gu Ran asked hurriedly.

Queen Ariel said, "You can't really help with this. You have to control the core of the ruins and gather the souls of other merfolk within the ruins to make up for it. The aftereffects I mentioned are precisely here. After losing part of the soul's origin, the consciousness carried by that part of the soul's origin is also lost. Perhaps it's some memories, or perhaps it's some personality trait. It's hard to say. We can only see the specific situation at the time."

"In other words, even though you saved your lover, it's uncertain whether your lover is still your lover. Can you accept a so-called lover whose personality has changed drastically, or who has even forgotten you?"

Gu Ran was taken aback: "If you forget all your past memories, isn't that equivalent to a different kind of death?"

Queen Ariel explained, "It won't all be forgotten, because the essence of the soul cannot be completely lost. If too much is lost, then it is true death. It's just that what exactly is lost depends on luck. Moreover, if the essence of other mermaids is used to replenish it, some of their traits will also be mixed in."

"Is there any way to get back the lost traits?" Gu Ran asked.

“As I said, it all depends on luck. If you’re lucky, what you lose might not even be an important trait, like a worse memory or frequently forgetting how to get around. If you’re unlucky… then your personality will change drastically, but you’ll retain some of your original traits.” Queen Ariel looked at Gu Ran. “As for where the lost traits go and whether they can be recovered, that’s beyond my knowledge, but I suspect they probably can’t.”

Gu Ran paused for a moment, then nodded: "I understand everything. You may begin."

Queen Ariel gave Gu Ran a deep look: "Very well, since you've made your decision, then I shall begin..."

After saying this, a resolute look appeared in Queen Ariel's eyes, and she no longer had any attachment to this world, throwing herself into the triangular crystal cone.

The moment Queen Ariel was thrown into the triangular crystal cone, the entire ruins seemed to tremble.

Gu Ran didn't know what Queen Ariel was doing inside, but judging from the commotion in the ruins, what she was doing was definitely not simple.

At this moment, Gu Ran could only hope that the other party would succeed.

Once again, Gu Ran felt her own weakness and helplessness.

If only he were stronger, if only he were more knowledgeable.

That way, these tragedies wouldn't have happened...

For some reason, Gu Ran felt as if a powerful, unseen hand was influencing the trajectory of her destiny...