The Villain Saint is my secondary account

……

The White Tower, atop the throne.

Ella, somewhat speechless, rubbed her forehead, unsure how to complain about why all her subordinates were so abstract.

However, that strange space is indeed a concern. To be on the safe side, it would be safest to have Li Cheng and the others withdraw and let Ye Xiao, who is not afraid of death, do the job instead.

However, Li Cheng rejected the proposal. On the one hand, in the battle against Silvana in the real world of Leonia, a strong fighting force was needed. On the big picture, this side was only conducting intelligence gathering, while that side was the main battlefield. It would be unreasonable to switch Ye Xiao here.

On the other hand, it's impossible for them to back down and replace people every time a mission is highly dangerous or involves bizarre situations. As reconnaissance team members, they always need to be prepared for this.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. We are your personally trained subordinates. Taking over this wretched place will be a piece of cake."

Li Cheng looked into the rat's eyes and patted his chest.

Ella tapped her fingertips lightly on the armrest a few times before finally agreeing softly, "Alright, I'll leave it to you."

Chapter 167 Flat Drawing Magic

After making some preparations, Li Cheng and his men began their operation.

There were people patrolling inside the research institute, but not many. They were wearing light armor and emerald green cloaks, looking like knights from the Earth Sanctuary.

With Ella's reminder, they tried to avoid the knights and quietly made their way to the gate.

The research institute in this space has the same layout as the one in the real world, only it is unusually quiet.

Perhaps because they didn't expect anyone to be able to sneak in, the defenses along the way weren't very dense, but the giant eye hanging in the sky remained a problem.

The main entrance of the research institute is some distance from the circular sinkhole, and there is no cover in the open space along the way, so it would be difficult to walk out without being discovered.

So, in a meeting room on the first floor, Li Cheng had Kui Zi Ge demonstrate his signature skill, a talent called "flat drawing magic".

Like Ye Xiao's "One Qi Transforms into Three", this was also drawn from the lottery opportunity initially given to players by the system when they first transmigrated.

Its effect is that it can apply a special enchantment, causing the enchanted object to appear "flat".

This state causes the object to attach to the surface of the object, reducing the three-dimensional to two-dimensional, becoming a dynamic oil painting on that surface.

The oil painting state does not prevent the affected person from using skills and props, which is also the reason why the spy is able to sneak into various forbidden areas to take pictures.

This skill itself has no cooldown time, but it has a charging limit. A full charge is enough to keep the Peeping Brother in a planar state for 24 hours, and then it takes another 48 hours to recharge.

If divided among three teammates, each of them can maintain a flat surface for eight hours, which is more than enough for the current exploration.

However, if you are attacked while in planar form, you will not only be injured but also have your status removed. On the other hand, whether the removal is passive or active, the enchantment effect will completely disappear, and you will have to re-enchant regardless of how much time is left.

Therefore, just in case, Brother Kuizi only enchanted Li Cheng and Elon for two hours each. After all, when exploring the sinkhole, there was no guarantee that they would encounter a situation where they needed to undo the planarization. If all eight hours were used up on the first time, the three of them might not be able to return after the undoing.

Once inside, if the two-hour duration is almost over, it's safest to find a secluded spot to re-enchant.

Elon stood against the wall and saw that the spy placed his palm on him and slowly pressed his body into the wall.

From Li Cheng's perspective, the burly Elon gradually blended into the wall, as if he had become an oil painting hanging there.

"It's really become a paper doll."

Li Cheng's eyes widened. "Speaking of which, is there any way to turn the paper figures into three-dimensional ones? I happen to have a few portraits of the Holy Maiden..."

He was halfway through his sentence when the rat on his shoulder swung its tail and smacked him on the head.

"If I had one, I would have used it already, boss."

Peeping Brother scratched his head.

"What amazing magic..."

Elon, whose image was on the wall, exclaimed in amazement, “Just when I think I understand a lot, you all always manage to open my eyes.”

After casting the "flat drawing magic", all three of them entered the wall.

Li Cheng looked left and right inside the wall, feeling as if he were being sucked onto a transparent glass. On one side was boundless darkness, while on the other side, he could see various scenes of reality through the glass.

"If you want to break free from flatness, all you have to do is go outside, but remember, once you break free, you can't come back in."

"Kuai Zi Ge" said, standing to Li Cheng's side. Since the two were on the same plane, Li Cheng couldn't even walk around Kuai Zi Ge from the side; it seemed the only way to get past him was from above or below.

But there's not much to grab onto here, so how do we get up?

As soon as Li Cheng thought this, he suddenly found that his body was floating up, and he darted to the right side of the "glass surface" where the three-dimensional world met, and was diagonally above Kui Zi Ge.

"Moving inside is as simple as using your mind. For example, if two objects are close enough together at their corners, we can switch to the surface of another object."

As he spoke, the peeping boy's body "flowed" down the angle between the wall and the floor like liquid, turning his body onto the floor.

"Interesting."

Li Cheng followed suit, and the three of them slipped through the crack in the door into the corridor, swimming towards the gate like mayflies skimming the ground.

"If the surfaces are too small, like a staircase, won't they just break my body into several pieces?"

"Don't worry, that won't happen."

Upon arriving at the gate, Brother Kuizi took out three more rolls of color-changing cloth and gave two of them to the two men.

This color-changing cloth can change color according to magical input. It was usually used to make clothes for nobles who liked elaborate designs. Although it can only be turned into a single color, it is more than enough for use here.

They transformed the cloth into a green spread, stuck it in front of them, and their figures directly transformed into three green squares stuck to the ground.

Under the vast night sky, three blocks of color, blending seamlessly into the lawn, slowly moved across the courtyard in front of the research institute, approaching the massive sinkhole.

The shadows of the trees were dappled, and the sky was dim.

Not to mention the giant eye hanging in the sky, even the Earth Knights who occasionally walked through the courtyard did not notice these guys sneaking past their feet.

Since there is no gravity after the surface is flattened, the three people who arrived at the edge of the pit did not need to take a special elevator; they simply descended down the smooth cave wall.

The sinkhole was bottomless, like the gaping maw of a giant beast. Li Cheng peeked out from behind the cloth and looked down; his legs trembled slightly.

The cave walls were dark gray, and although they were pits dug into the ground under the lawn, the material of the cave walls looked like cement.

The center of the cave entrance was pitch black, but many miners' lamps made of pyroxene ore hung on the cave walls. They were scattered like stars, like fireflies clinging to the cave edge, or like a miniature Milky Way flowing down.

This also allowed Li Cheng and his companions to easily see their surroundings. Apart from the distinct layers of wooden scaffolding and patrolling knights, there were also many brass pipes arranged on the cave walls.

These pipelines are densely packed and have a complex, intricate layout, making it impossible to discern what they are transporting.

After falling vertically for about a hundred meters, Li Cheng suddenly saw an extremely long tangent line appear at the bottom of the cave wall in the distance.

Bright light shone through the tangent, and he initially thought he had reached the bottom, but when he looked down again, he still couldn't see the bottom of the cave. He then realized that it seemed to be an opening in the basement on the opposite side.

Describing it as a "basement" might not be accurate; judging by its width, it must be an extremely large underground palace.

Li Cheng thought so, but as his gaze continued to descend, the scene revealed in the palace astonished him.

What came into view was an endless expanse of azure sky, below which lay a scorched forest and a magnificent tree, its trunk only half-exposed, yet already as imposing as a mountain.

"...The Mother Tree of Elves?"

Chapter 168 The Tomb of the Gods, a Place of Worship

The Fairy Mother Tree?

Li Cheng swallowed hard and looked at Elon beside him.

This was the exclamation the other party had just uttered, but the Elf Mother Tree is a sacred tree located at the westernmost edge of the continent of Meiya, at the end of the Sea of ​​Trees, guarded by wood elves.

Leonia, as far away from Aslan, is not exactly a hundred thousand miles away, but it is still quite far.

How could he be here?

Although the leaves of that magnificent tree were turning yellow and it looked withered, its broad, mountain-like form was undeniable.

Even if there were a second ancient tree of such enormous size in the world, with the eyesight of the Aslan Elron, it would be impossible for him to mistake the landmark of his fellow elves.

Could it be a projection?

Li Cheng gazed at the wide opening, wondering if it was just a giant screen hanging on the cave wall, like the giant screen theaters he had seen on Earth, displaying the scenery on the other side of the continent.

After all, the sky inside is also a clear blue, unlike the static starry sky above the cave that looks like a background image. You can even see floating clouds and birds drifting leisurely across it.

But he quickly dismissed the idea, because in this "giant screen," the duchy's craftsmen were standing on scaffolding erected from above, directing some lightly dressed laborers to assemble and extend rows of brass pipes and insert them into the huge tree trunk in the screen.

There's no projection that can interact with real people; what's in that huge window over there is undoubtedly the real Mother Tree of Elves.

The sight was truly shocking and unbelievable at first glance, but Li Cheng quickly realized something and turned his gaze to the mouse perched on his shoulder. "Could this also be some kind of 'space portal'?"

The rat flattened along with Li Cheng, without consuming much of Kui Zi Ge's skill charge.

It nodded and made a soft "squeak" sound.

"As expected..."

Li Cheng understood and explained to Elon beside him, "This is probably a spatial portal connecting to the depths of the forest, but to connect the two places across time and space in this way to build a large-scale project... I have to say, this is typical of a company."

"Boss... there might be more than two places."

Then, the peeping toy spoke up quietly.

Li Cheng was stunned for a moment, then looked down and was astonished to see that below the huge spatial window in the distance, behind a black and gray stone wall about fifty or sixty meters away, there seemed to be another layer.

He raised his head, met Elon's gaze, and waved for everyone to continue descending.

In the distance, by the giant window, layers of scaffolding continued to extend downwards, the number of scholars and craftsmen had clearly increased, and more and more brass pipes were being laid out to the cave walls.

The height of this giant window is probably two or three hundred meters, and its width almost encompasses half of the cave wall, so it can probably only be measured in li (a unit of distance in China).

Li Cheng felt a sense of emptiness, as if he were slowly sinking to the bottom of the world. About ten minutes later, the window on the next floor appeared before everyone's eyes.

It was the ruins of a palace in the vast desert. The pillars, made of dark yellow earth and stone, gleamed in the glaring sunlight. Amidst the swirling yellow sand, the howling wind swept through the broken walls, as if this dead city was wailing.

Countless brass pipes, like dense straws, were driven vertically into the ruins. Heat waves rushed in through the huge windows, and even from miles away, Li Cheng could feel the intense heat.

"This area... should be the Blazing Desert."

Elon spoke again in a deep voice.

This is located in the central part of the continent, and is the largest natural desert on the entire continent.

"The Elf Mother Tree, the Blazing Desert... these are all places where the tombs of the gods are located."

Li Cheng pondered, "This cave has layer upon layer... Could it be that all the tombs of the gods are connected here across space?"

His tone was questioning, but the answer was probably just what he expected.

Even Ella, far away in the Holy City, who witnessed the scene through the eyes of her rat familiar, couldn't help but marvel at this magnificent masterpiece.

The bottomless sinkhole is like a central hub running through the earth's core, connecting all the divine tombs to this world layer by layer, with this space as the node.

Ella had previously wondered how they planned to gather scholars here to study the Tomb of Life scattered throughout the continent, but now it seemed that the answer was completely beyond her expectations.

But does this also mean that she can use this place to reach other divine tombs occupied by the Company and the Dark Shepherds?

On the other side, Brother Kuizi also took out his photo crystal and quickly recorded the shocking scene they were witnessing.

As they descended, they took photos and collected information, which was valuable data that might be very useful later.

The scholars of each level of the principality seemed to be studying the information of the divine tomb on that level. The scholars on the desert level were like archaeologists, meticulously recording the symbols on the desert ruins with paper and pen, while others were holding magnifying glasses and carefully examining the antiquities that the expedition team had brought up from below.

The craftsmen were mostly directing the assembly of pipes, some going up and some down, but most going down, because the number of pipes increased significantly as you went down.

Below the desert layer lies a snow-covered valley.

The frozen ice covered the entire window, forming a crystal wall of deep blue.

Within that ice curtain that almost blotted out the sky, a pitch-black, enormous tentacle was piercing through it, with countless pipes passing through the ice layer and connecting to it.

Seeing this almost confirms Li Cheng's speculation.

It is exactly the same as the giant tentacle of Loren that is located in the Howling Mountains and reaches into the clouds; it is the remains of a god.

"The snow-capped mountains... correspond to the Northern Ridge of the Principality of Tedeh."

Li Cheng recounted.

The next level down is a vast underground cave.

The cave was strange; its outer walls were covered with countless holes, like a honeycomb, and inside each hole were rows of green stone coffins.

In the center of the cave, there was also a rather enormous tentacle standing there.

The only difference from the previous floors is that the laborers working on this floor are mostly ugly orcs, whose thick muscles contrast sharply with their not-so-bright minds. The human craftsmen also tend to shout at the top of their lungs when they give orders to them.

"The Southern Continent..."