A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 305 The Silent Holy Land

The "blue vesicle" is falling wildly.

In the pitch-black environment filled with black mud, the [Levitation Technique] failed to work.

Rorschach and Caroline gripped each other tightly to avoid getting separated during their descent. Benedict, having lost all human rights, was now being squeezed tightly by the [Mage's Hand] and was nearly unconscious.

After an unknown amount of time, the descent stopped. Rorschach carefully tried to expand his territory, but felt no resistance, indicating that the black mud and evil spirits surrounding them were gone.

However, the three of them didn't feel any ground beneath their feet; they were just bobbing up and down at roughly the same height, their legs pushing against each other. Was it the weightlessness caused by the magic? Rorschach wasn't sure either. He and Caroline boarded the [Air Filter Bubble] together, and then the vesicle's protection was removed.

It felt like a spacewalk.

When the blue barrier dissipated, what appeared before them was an endless darkness and chaos, where they could barely make out the outlines of things under the "dark vision".

"Where is this?" Rorschach surveyed his surroundings. Huge statues stood everywhere, and even with the enhancement of his eyesight by magic, he couldn't see the bottom. It seemed as if something viscous was surging around him.

"It could be the edge of the historical site area, or it could be..." Caroline's voice trembled, as if she had some megalophobia. After all, the statue in front of her was far larger than the size of an ordinary person, and she still couldn't see its full appearance even from nearly a hundred meters away.

Simply standing there exudes a sense of oppression that matches its size.

Rorschach was also horrified. The faces of the statues were all destroyed, but the remaining long ears revealed that they were elves.

They are certainly ancient, but they don't align with Rorschach and Caroline's knowledge of natural history and history. Neither the Elven King nor the Druidic faith should have constructed such magnificent colossi.

The building boldly carved out a towering silhouette from the mountainside, yet the details were meticulously crafted.

"The Deep Dive Zone, we're in the Deep Dive Zone." Caroline finally pinpointed the location, a place she had never been to since entering the Shadow City, and also known as the Death Zone by the Shadowland natives.

Benedict recovered from his dog-like state and, after his eyes adjusted to the darkness, saw the towering stone statues. He was very excited: "The legends are true! These are... the tombstones of the elves."

Tombstone? Before Luo Xia could say anything more, a huge black fish darted out from between the statues. It was uniformly black, and apart from its two lantern-like eyes, there were no other details. But the way it twisted and turned made it seem as if it were really in the water.

It swung its tail and gradually accelerated. When it got close, the three realized that the other was enormous, with an eye socket big enough to fit a whole person.

As the giant fish was about to crash down like a dump truck, Rorschach grabbed Caroline's hand and used his other hand to wave his cane, trying to unleash a molten ray to cut the behemoth.

Caroline rolled her eyes and pulled Benedict closer. Then, several explosions rang out in succession. By the time Rorschach came to his senses, they had already moved far away from the path of the fish charge and reached the left side of the statue.

It turned out to be a series of short teleportations, which allowed her to carry the other two people in an instant, demonstrating Caroline's considerable skill in spatial magic.

However, her two "passengers" were not feeling well. Luo Xia felt his stomach acid churning, and even after calming down, he still had heartburn.

"Why didn't you think of getting away first?" Caroline frowned, wondering when her student had become so reckless.

The fish rushed over too fast, and he instinctively used the spell he was most comfortable with. Rorschach didn't argue; he saw the big fish begin to turn, as if it were relentlessly pursuing the intruder.

Caroline placed her hand on the surface of the statue, feeling its roughness and unevenness. This area was not covered by moss or other plants that would corrode the statue; her palm felt the texture of sand and gravel, as well as the uneven grooves.

No, those weren't ravines; she infused magic into the lines.

"It's not working? Rorschach, you give it a try."

The big fish was about to come again, but this time Rorschach wasn't panicked because Teacher Caroline was there. He could just teleport again to avoid it.

Rorschach tried to infuse the statues with the power of Delyuats, and this time he successfully activated the circuit. The blue glow in the ravine seemed to have a physical form, flowing like water through the river. When the circuit on the left chest of the statue was filled, the three of them were suddenly sucked into the statue.

boom!

They arrived at a stone chamber, where a violent tremor occurred from the outside in, likely the result of the giant fish's impact.

"Haha, we're safe now." Benedict stood up from the floor of the stone chamber, dusted off non-existent dust, and pretended nothing had happened.

Neither of the mages had lost their memories. Rorschach directly used [Mage's Hand] to grab his slender, fragile neck: "Behave yourself. You and your organization used us, and we haven't settled accounts with you yet."

Caroline also said, "I only saved you because you seemed to know something about the 'Deep Dive Zone,' so tell us what you know so we can get out of here as soon as possible."

Caroline is now trying to find teleportation coordinates from the outside world, but all of them have lost their accurate direction, as if the starry sky were obscured by clouds.

Even in the elemental planes, it is possible to anchor and exchange small amounts of matter using magic similar to a contract, as was the case with the non-Rorschach version of the [Water Creation Technique], but it is no longer effective.

The "Deep Dive Zone" appears to be an area that has been artificially isolated, sealed off by some force, and Caroline is unable to break through it with her abilities.

This annoyed Caroline, who was skilled in spatial and stellar magic.

Benedict was no longer on the verge of a breakdown. He seemed to have found something to rely on in this place. Although it was difficult for him to speak while being choked, he maintained a calm and composed demeanor in his speech.

"Look, in this place where there is no return, we no longer need to worry about Istani or the Virgin Mary."

"If I were to die now, it would be quite difficult for the two mages to get out, and they might not even be able to succeed."

"Are you sure?"

Rorschach's question left Benedict speechless, but he quickly came up with an answer: "At least I recognized what it was."

In Elven legend, Sylvanas, the Elven king and god of the forest, foresaw a great calamity that would befall the Elves. Awakening from a great dream, the king proclaimed to his people that a sacred place must be built to preserve Elven civilization and store their shared memories, art, and knowledge. He even warned all his subjects that one day he would leave them.

"It is said that the symbol of the holy land consists of twelve colossal statues, each the size of the giant tree; the power of the elves resides in their hearts, and their wisdom in their brains."

"How come I've never heard of these legends?" Rorschach now considers Benedict a fraud, and with the Pearl of Balan not around, how can he be sure he's telling the truth? "Teacher Caroline, do you know the [Truth Word] spell?"

Caroline shook her head: "To learn this kind of spell, you need to apply to and register with the guild, and I find the procedures too troublesome."

Benedict seemed offended: "This is a legend that all the 'actors' know! Our ancestor once presided over elven art and history under the Elven throne, passing it down through dance, poetry, and drama."

His gaze dimmed as he spoke: "We once believed that the old empire's conquest of our homeland was the prophesied disaster, and that by finding the Holy Land, the elves could overthrow human domination and reclaim their glory." He then looked puzzled.

"I never imagined that in this so-called deep-sea area, no one of our kind had reached this place in hundreds of years?"

(End of this chapter)