Brain bloom

"Never mind, little Melia, about the Mist..."

"It went smoothly! I can handle it myself!"

"The coffin carrier has gone to deal with the source of the ominous fog." Dandelion seized the opportunity to praise her capable Sen Shi again, trying to save face for the Four Seasons. "She also discovered the source! It's in the ruins over there."

Fernanda opened her right eyelid in an instant, revealing an eye that seemed to be filled with bright red wine.

In less than a second, she saw through the ruins, and the kind smile on her lips turned cold.

"Hmm...it seems I should go take a look."

Volume 1, Chapter 244: Peeking

This site was once noisy.

Those chattering souls, expressing their longing for freedom, filled the space with laughter. But those voices have all faded away, leaving only a sense of gratitude that lingers in Mori's heart.

Mori still had things to do...

She looked around, then slowly walked to the vicinity of the faint red glow, picking up the holy skull and the pair of hand bones that were waiting for her on the ground. One wonders if the first Pope felt abandoned during his time away from the true God.

A sacred aura permeated the air, making Mori feel at ease.

There were some of her things beside her, and her most important belongings were left there. Mori looked through them; nothing was missing, but the pockets looked like they had been touched, and the ribbons she usually tied were different from the ones she usually wore.

Perhaps it was a monster that stirred things up? I'd like to see if there's a soul inside.

Afterwards, Mori decorated himself with hairpins and other ornaments, and began to ponder whether he should continue exploring the ruins.

She is currently at the entrance to the ruins.

There is a large circular gate leading underground, which has a rather solemn and imposing feel.

I don't know what material it's made of, but it emits a faint, damp smell that seems impossible to remove. Besides that, the patterns and designs on it are quite interesting.

The patterns are like murals, full of historical significance.

It is unknown what era or who used the engraving technique to record countless scenes.

She spotted the devil at a glance. She was able to tell because a grinning owl flew in front of a group of horned people.

The image of this owl, depicted as the ancient Demon King leading his demon army, has remained unchanged from then until now. Moreover, it is portrayed so vividly, exuding a strong villainous aura that it infuriates anyone who sees it.

"Hello, Uncle Wang..." Sen Shi patted it to show his friendliness.

It's quite interesting to spot a familiar face in such eerie ruins.

Besides these, the depictions also include enormous demons, high-level bosses that frequently appear in games, though they are mass-produced. Their appearance signifies a bloody battle.

The image also includes humans and winged creatures.

Humans, armed and fighting demons, are engaged in a fierce battle. Meanwhile, a demonic force led by an owl has gone into hiding, making a deal with another group of humans. They all appear meticulous and calculating, using "scales" and "coins" to enhance the visual impact of the scene.

As for those creatures with wings on their backs, which Mori thought might be angels or even gods, they remained indifferent, keeping their heads down as if observing the ground.

Mori drank a stimulant to replenish his energy and waited to recover, while also pondering the image on the door for a long time.

“First Pope, do you know what this is?” she asked the skull in her hand, which was illuminated by the pattern.

"..."

“I think it might be history, recorded by the ‘traveling souls’ who lived here, like murals. It seems they’ve been here for a very long time…”

Mori didn't open the door first, out of fear.

The monsters outside the door were already enough to devour her, so what about inside? There's probably a huge residential area inside, and if there's a vast underground world, Mori wouldn't be surprised.

"Oh, right..." she suddenly realized that she should check the progress of her leveling up.

It was better than expected; the experience she had gained from the previous monsters was quite substantial.

The first eight monsters combined gave her nearly six levels, as the later stages require more experience. The later soul monsters offered even more experience, allowing her to reach level 47, just shy of level 48.

If she had another monster team like that, she could easily reach level 50.

Perhaps it was this lack of experience that led Mori to make his decision. He decided not to go back immediately, but to look for another opportunity. Even if he didn't encounter any similar easy monsters, he wanted to gather as much information as possible.

She withdrew a large amount of spiritual energy from the gem, causing its light to dim. Then, she tiptoed to the doorway, trying to find a crack or opening.

"...I'll just look around, I won't go in," she reminded herself.

The door was tightly sealed, but it wasn't very thick. She found a way to open it.

Because this is a magical mechanism, the principle is very simple: it's just a matter of whether it's activated or not.

"I advise you not to open it."

"……who?!"

“It’s me…it’s me, Shan.”

"Don't scare me." Sen Shi rubbed his aching temples. It turned out to be the Time Spirit, one of his own.

The tattered pocket watch that Sen Shi found in the top-tier treasure chest still hasn't figured out its use, but he always carries it with him, since a time spirit lives inside. It's like carrying a cell phone or watch with you, so you can check the time anytime, anywhere.

That's about all the usefulness of the Time Sprite.

"Sister Moritoki, please don't open that door. This is my suggestion."

Do you know anything?

"Hmm...it has a similar aura to the disasters that are about to happen in the future." The little time spirit's tone was not firm.

Sen Shi was completely baffled. What kind of disaster was going to happen in the future? This made her even more curious. What exactly was this so-called underground settlement?

She also heeded Shan's advice, because Fufu was very useful, and she felt that since they were both elves, what Shan said must have some truth to it.

Instead of activating the switch, Sen did something else.

The withered leaf she had plucked earlier hadn't been used yet. Having just learned that the leaves of the Four Seasons Plant were highly poisonous, a multitude of ideas flashed through her mind, one of which now proved useful.

By crushing the leaves and mixing them with crystals of water and fire elements, as well as a viscous solution of spiritual energy, a substance similar to tortoise jelly can be created. This is a highly corrosive substance obtained by utilizing the toxicity of the withered leaves of the Four Seasons Herb.

This stuff is called "dried mud".

Sen Shi pinched a little bit of dried mud with his fingers and smeared it on the door.

Since they wouldn't let me open it, I'll just dig a small hole and peek through. The process went very smoothly, as easily as stirring sand with my index finger; a round hole about the thickness of a finger immediately appeared in the door.

Kesen didn't lean in to look, worried that something might happen to her eyes.

“My lovely time sprite, Shan~~~” Sen Shi whispered, “Can you do me a favor? See what’s on the other side of the cave and then tell me.”

"no thanks."

"...why?"

“Just like Sen-shi, I’m scared too.” Shan’s tone was so gentle, but there was absolutely no room for deception.

Left with no other option, Mori had to watch it herself. For safety, she tried using some bait at the cave entrance, but was not attacked. She also poked at it with a small object, but didn't hit the eyes of the creature waiting there, ready to meet Mori's gaze.

After confirming his suspicions several times, Mori finally made up his mind to observe.

As she pressed her entire body against the damp, cold door, about to look inside—she suddenly felt a sense of relief wash over her.

Then, she noticed that a hand suddenly appeared beside her and forcefully pushed open the door! This sudden fright terrified Mori Toki.

"If you want to see, just open the door and go see, Mori."

Volume 1 #245: The Troublesome Aunt Erlong

Another scare made Mori desperately want to scream. He then ran to safety, demanding, "Who the hell are you?!"

But she held back... Fortunately, she had just returned to the mortal realm from the realm of true gods, and her omnipotent and peaceful state of mind at that time still held back to some extent, which prevented Mori from reacting too violently.

She forced a poker face, pretending to be very calm, and looked down along her arm.

I was wondering if it was a new monster coming to give me experience points, but it doesn't look like it...

She was a woman with her eyes closed, and although she was getting on in years, she was still a beautiful aunt. But no one could calmly appreciate her mature beauty, because her sharp edge far surpassed that of anyone else.

Definitely not an ordinary human... A demon? A banshee? Neither.

Those inhuman parts of her body—the straight dragon horns amidst her red hair, the dragon wings on her back—all seemed vaguely familiar to Mori. After all, not long ago, she had ridden on the back of the same species and observed it up close.

Yes, that's a characteristic of a Dire dragon...

“Erlong…” Sen Shi immediately felt relieved, because Erlong were all his own people, and he thought that Daniel had probably been called in to help.

“Yes, Erlong.” The aunt nodded.

"Good timing, you've been a great help! Let's explore the ruins together—"

"Do you remember my name?" she asked, her distinctively shaped sharp teeth flashing white light from time to time.

"Uh?"

Mori felt he had made a mistake, because the dragon Daniel beside Melia could only be described as a teenager, and its humanoid form probably wouldn't be that old...

This is not good. She broke out in a cold sweat and tried to probe the other party's information, but the result was a bit strange. This was the first time she had encountered such a situation.

The name box, resembling an emoticon that had been forwarded thousands of times in QQ groups, had become extremely blurry.

Not only that, there are also signs of cracking.

[Rank? ? ? · Ancient Evil Dragon Who Shattered Truth·Finanda]

Not Daniel! But... its mother! Fernanda... For Moritoki, this was an exceptionally terrifying name, not only because of the various events of the game era, but also because it came so suddenly.

But Mori managed to force a very nice smile.

"Hello! I am Strawberry, the Four Seasons Hermit of the Land of Flowers. I have come to help restore my country at the summons of my princess."

"Oh? Strawberry?"

"Yes, although our country has been destroyed, our traditions will not be broken. We are used to naming ourselves after the plants on our heads. Look, I am strawberry. This is my only name."

"Strawberries... are a very good dessert fruit."

Fernanda licked her upper lip, leaving no saliva, but rather the traces of flame. While talking, Fernanda crossed her arms, her suppressed laughter seeming to say, "Let's see what other antics you have up your sleeve. Keep going."

"Okay, strawberry might have some other names..."

"Mori, you don't remember my name? I think I'm still a formidable opponent for you, aren't I? Well then, do you still remember the name of the banshee I protected? I think males always fail those loyal souls."