A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

“Yes, yes, the stone tablet.” Rector, reminded by Bray, quickly took the stone tablet out of his bag.

It was too dangerous before, so Rector had no interest in reading the stone tablet.

"You can read the words on it?" Bray looked at Rector with some surprise.

"We have previously excavated many artifacts from underground cities and translated some of the texts."

“As long as it doesn’t involve obscure words, I can understand it.” Rector took out a pair of glasses meant for an old man from the inside of his work clothes.

At this moment, Bray finally realized that Rector did resemble a scholar.

However, before Bray could finish praising him in his mind, he began to show a troubled expression.

Rector's expressions changed constantly, as captivating as a theatrical actor.

The inscription on the stone slab contained many obscure words, which made it difficult for him to read.

However, the general meaning is still understandable.

“This stone slab is not what I wanted.” Rector shook his head helplessly.

“What exactly do you want?” Bray asked in a deep voice.

"..."

"If you don't say anything, I think it's better if we just turn back along the same road."

"I don't want to stay in this weird underground city."

Bray wasn't good at extracting information from others, so he resorted to threats.

If it were any other ferocious beast, Bray could still manage to advance.

Parasites are out of the question; they're not just bad, they're disgusting.

"I'll talk, I'll talk right now, please don't leave." Upon hearing Bray's displeased tone, Rickdo hugged Bray's leg tightly.

"If I go a little further ahead, I'm sure I'll find what I'm looking for."

Bray squinted his right eye and stared at the man in overalls for a long time.

After catching his breath, Rector sat down on the ground and began to explain the details of the underground city to Bray in detail.

When they started excavating a few years ago, they didn't know that the city was the remains of angels.

It was because of Bray that Rector realized this belonged to the angels.

But none of that matters. The reason he was so fixated on this ruin was that it contained the technology to "tame" the Aragami.

Several years ago, some texts found in the ruins all told them that a wild god was being suppressed here.

At first, they didn't understand what the term "Wild God" meant, but much later they learned that it referred to beings on par with those Silver-ranked beings.

Much later... it will probably be near the end of the world.

It can be said that the angel's relics gave Rector's group of excavators a great deal of extraordinary knowledge.

The initial texts revealed that the people of the underground city were trying to control the suppressed Ara-god.

Although this information initially delighted the excavators, to be honest, it wasn't taken with extreme importance.

Until two years ago, the Silver Seeds arrived, and the world was destroyed.

Only then did Rector realize just how terrifying the things recorded in this ruin were.

No, it's not terrifying, it's magnificent.

Because this might be where you can find a way to suppress the Aragami.

Unfortunately, apart from himself, he could not find anyone else still alive among those who had dug the site.

The ruins were buried at the time, and later located in a place extremely far from the safe zone.

Going back to look for it is simply impossible.

Rector wanted to negotiate with the higher-ups in the safe zone, but he couldn't find a way to do so.

And so the idea of ​​underground cities gradually faded away.

But recently, he inadvertently learned from a group of adventurers who had returned from outside that the barrier covering the underground city had completely collapsed.

"That's all?" Bray raised his right eyebrow.

After Rector finished speaking, he didn't dare to breathe loudly, fearing that Bray might run away at the slightest provocation.

It would be good if he could escape; what he feared most was Bray slashing at him with his sword.

Morality has become extremely weak in the wasteland, so it's not surprising that Bray did this.

That's all.

“Then, regarding those parasites, I read through the stone tablet and guessed they were related to the suppressed Aragami,” Rector stated his hypothesis.

“There are no Aragami here.” Bray pondered for a long time, then shook his head and said to Rector.

There is no concept of existence in this angel's ruins.

"No Aragami? No, no, no, all the texts we dug up say they exist." Rekdo shook his head like a rattle-drum.

"..." Bray couldn't explain his perspective to Rector, so he had to give up.

“Believe me, Mr. Bray, what we’re doing is for the benefit of the Black Iron race,” Rector said seriously.

"I understand, but stop clinging to my leg." Bray was speechless for a moment. From the newly acquired stone tablet, Rector and Bray learned things they hadn't known years ago.

That is, what exactly is the Ara-god suppressed in this abandoned underground city?

"The great centipede is so feared that even dragons tremble before it."

"He can give people longevity and strength, but the way he does it goes against the natural order of life."

—“The Nine Saints said that one day, the ‘wild soul’ contained within the Wild God will be quelled, and the ‘harmonious soul’ will fill His body.”

"At that time, we will accomplish a great undertaking."

"That is to command demigods."

—"Although we do not yet know whether 'Wa-Tama' exists."

No era or race has ever lacked eccentric individuals, or to put it more politely, fanatical researchers.

Just as some demons attempt to reverse time, some angels also have madmen trying to control the Silver Race.

However, no one knows whether they succeeded or not, because now the city is nothing but ruins.

However, Bray felt that the angels were bound to fail.

If they had succeeded, the Third Age would not have been a time when the Ironborn stood on the earth.

It's estimated that the Dark Iron race was wiped out by the angels long ago, so this place wouldn't be a "ruin".

"Is the suppressed wild god a centipede?" Bray muttered to himself.

In other words, those parasites are related to the Aragami who were suppressed by the angels.

Was the suppression a failure? However, Bray had no concept of it.

Whether demigod or god, the most prominent characteristic is that they are concepts.

Without a concept, the word "God" is meaningless.

In any case, what Rector wants is indeed of great significance to the Black Iron race.

Although Bray didn't believe in the possibility of taming a demigod, the possibility of suppressing him still existed.

This relic is a good testament to the angels' success in suppressing the "great centipede".

Whether the suppression failed or not is another matter, but at least it was successful at one point.

"There must be an important technology for text recording."

"Based on previous texts, the altar in the underground city is the most important place."

“I think we can dig out confidential information there too,” Rector said, looking eager to try.

“Not only are there secrets, but there are also many dangers.” Bray poured a bucket of cold water on Rector’s head.

What is this worker thinking? Since there's a secret, there must be some protective measures in place.

"And do you even know where the altar is?" Bray shrugged. This underground city was quite large.

Finding the altar here is impossible without a map.

“I know,” Rector nodded firmly.

“You can tell by looking at the patterns on these bricks under your feet.” He gestured for Bray to look down and examine the ground beneath his feet.

"Did you notice anything?"

“No,” Bray answered honestly; he hadn’t observed anything.

“…” Rector moved his fingers, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

“Some of the bricks on the ground have different patterns, which connect to form a road.”

Having received the hint, Bray finally noticed the difference in the bricks.

There are bricks with a special pattern that, when connected together, resemble a path.

The patterns on those bricks and stones depict nine angels in prayer, which are probably the nine saints mentioned in the underground city text.

“This is what’s known as the ‘Path of Light’ in the underground city,” Rector said.

After being a simpleton for so long, he's finally starting to look like a "scholar."

Even after several years, he still remembers the knowledge he once had very clearly.

After all, this ruin was everything he had back then.

If it weren't for the apocalypse, he would probably still be a scholar immersed in archaeology, instead of a worker assembling magic lamps and wiring for others.

"This road leads to the most 'sacred' place."

"Which way should we go on this road?" Bray looked left and right, but couldn't find anything to indicate the direction.

There's only one road.

“This…” Rector was speechless, he didn’t know which way to go.

"You don't know either?" Bray sighed, and Rector, who had been serious for a few seconds, became useless again.

"Let's try this way first." Rector gritted his teeth and only considered the left side of the road.

"This way then." Bray was also planning to try walking over to one side, which happened to coincide with Rector's idea.

---

The two walked along the "Path of Light" for a long time, encountering centipedes without parasites along the way.

Of course, in the end, all those centipedes were killed with a single sword strike.

Thanks to the large number of centipedes that have appeared, Bray has lost his appetite.

“Actually, I initially thought you were the villain,” Bray said casually, chatting with Rickdo out of boredom.

“I didn’t mean to do anything bad, absolutely not,” Rector quickly waved his hands.

"You appeared suddenly, and you often hide things. Your motives are not pure."

“In any scenario, you’d be a complete schemer,” Bray said, shrugging.

“I…” Rector’s eyes widened, speechless.

"I just want to climb up the ladder..."

Rector's motives were indeed impure, but in the end, it was nothing more than wanting to escape being a worker.

It is neither pure nor simple.

“I know, that’s just a normal human desire,” Bray said quietly.

After Rector revealed everything, Bray wasn't as upset as before.

In essence, Rector is just a greedy fool.

Bray has seen plenty of people even more greedy than Rickdo; he's only of average ability.

“If I really find a way to control those monsters, I can be called a hero,” Rector said excitedly, clenching his fist.