Chapter 24: Within the Ruins

Ah, I accidentally made quite a show of myself. Yu Lian looked at the bear-man kowtowing before him, then at the soldiers around him who were filled with awe, and felt like a clown strapped to a cannon—the awkwardness was overwhelming.

"Stop kneeling!" Yu Lian fired a shot into the air, though he realized immediately it was useless, so he walked over and kicked the bear-man in the backside.

In short, after some kicking, cursing, and scolding, the soldiers were still a bit cautious, but at least they stopped looking at him as if he were a holy relic. The bear-man sergeant, however, remained reverent, insisting on taking the lead to scout ahead, and set off with his battle-axe in hand. You-You also donned her precious power armor and followed.

In truth, there was no real danger here, but Yu Lian didn’t want to dampen their spirits, so he let them scout.

Yu Lian took one last look at the magnificent light gate, jumped onto the turret of the "Frankenstein" tank, and set off second.

In reality, he knew this light gate was the legendary Misa Crystal, or "Moonstone" for short. It was one of the three major "God’s Gifts"—or mysterious substances known as "Zero Element"—that had caused the science and technology tree of this universe to grow in such a strange and distorted direction.

These so-called "Zero Elements" came in the form of crystals, metals, liquids, and even dust or gases, each possessing different physical, chemical, and even "mystical" properties. Yet, their greatest commonality was that even the most advanced instruments could not decipher their molecular composition.

Consequently, they could only be mined, not manufactured. One could utilize their properties, but never analyze their principles. Thus, the technology born from them was less like science and more like alchemy.

More importantly, the things created by this "alchemy" were often terrifyingly powerful—who could possibly resist that? It was no wonder everyone was so superstitious about them.

Yu Lian knew that if one were to chip off all the Moonstone from this light gate, melt it down at high temperatures to reshape it, and find a reliable "tech-mage"—essentially a fanatical alchemist—it would actually be possible to forge psionic artifacts.

...Though, it did feel a bit like burning a zither to cook a crane, with the same sense of guilt as melting down the Colossus of Rhodes to make bullets. Besides, there really wasn't any time for that now.

After stepping through the gate, a spacious, man-made corridor appeared. The walls were constructed from a strange material that was warm in color yet solid to the touch. When he touched it, there was no coldness like stone; instead, there was a soothing warmth, as if a heater had been installed inside the walls. Even so, despite the weight of so many people and the tires of the heavy tanks and armored vehicles pressing down on it, the floor showed no signs of cracking—the "Frankenstein" tanks and Panther armored vehicles were dual-purpose; they could hover on flat ground, shallow water, and beaches, but required wheels to climb mountains.

Faint lights flickered in the corridor, like stars occasionally twinkling in the firmament. Though their source was invisible, they cast a hazy, gentle glow over the entire passage.

It was hard to feel tense in such an environment, and everyone relaxed a bit. However, Yu Lian knew that Ina, who had stayed inside the tank cabin, definitely hadn't let her guard down; her eyes were likely fixed on the ion cannon’s targeting sight, and her hand never left the trigger.

After walking for another ten minutes, the view ahead opened up. Standing directly in front of them was a statue over ten meters tall, also made of an unknown material—neither metal, jade, stone, nor wood—that shimmered with a primitive, weathered bronze hue.

The statue was of a seated human figure, posed with grace and ease, draped in robes adorned with intricate patterns, as if it had stepped out of an ancient legend. A smile played on its face, the expression detailed and vivid. Most importantly, its appearance was more than ninety percent similar to that of a human... or rather, if a human’s ancestors for eight generations had all been handsome and beautiful without a single flaw, they might have looked like this.

"The... the Enlightener..." Uncle Karl muttered.

"Thump!" Baka knelt down, continuing his superstitious chanting: "Great Enlightener, apostle of the universe’s spirit, guide me, my..."

Yu Lian really wanted to kick him again, but considering the inherent superstition of the bear-men, he decided against it. Moreover, even though this was his second time here, he still felt a sense of awe upon seeing the statue again. It was the natural appreciation of pure grandeur that any sentient being with normal values and aesthetics could not help but feel.

"The Imperials and the Alliance both believe that all humans are the direct descendants of the Enlightener... that we are all seeds of life scattered across the galaxy by the Enlightener, brothers and sisters," Ina said softly. She had emerged from the tank at some point and was standing behind Yu Lian.

"Perhaps. But the Derylo (the dominant ethnic group of the Empire) and the Gebeyans (the dominant ethnic group of the Alliance) don't lack brotherly love; they have very deep-seated political reasons. If we are all meant to be loving brothers and sisters, why form separate nations? That is one of the reasons why there are so many traitors. Besides, human supremacism might appear in the militarily powerful Empire or the wealthy and technologically advanced Alliance, but if it took root in the wretched Commonwealth, it would only tear our society apart," Yu Lian sneered.

Ina blinked, not quite understanding.

"Wow, as expected, humans are the greatest race!" You-You looked at the statue and exclaimed instinctively.

Baka, the bear-man sergeant crawling on the ground, glared fiercely at You-You, who was startled and quickly apologized with a smile: "Buddy, hey, bear-men are of course members of humanity too."

The bear-man sergeant sighed, seemingly recalling something, his expression dimming.

The sergeant-major finally understood a little, and felt a sudden sense of irritation.

"So, sir, which way should we go?"

She was pointing to the two paths that split behind the statue. The one on the right led to a large hall, visible from the doorway; the one on the left led further away, destination unknown.

Yu Lian hesitated. He knew exactly where to go. If he led them left, they would be out of the mountains in half a day without any danger. If they went right, they would enter the heart of the ruins. Naturally, greater rewards came with greater risks—a balanced setup, wasn't it?

"According to the plot of 'Treasure Hunter Alliance,' every ruin of the Enlightener is bound to have a final boss."

"...That's a TV show!" Not every ruin had a guardian, otherwise archaeology would have become a high-risk industry. However, this one did. Of course, if his memory served him right, as long as you didn't court death, the guardian here was relatively friendly. After all, judging by the many clues left behind by the Enlightener (at least so far), they hoped that future successors would inherit their legacy, so they wouldn't have left behind a kill-machine that guaranteed death. Moreover, if the things in the ruins were the same as in his memory, they would be of great help in the upcoming Battle of Turon.

Still, I have no reason to make everyone risk their lives with me. Should I take them out of the ruins, find a safe place north of the mountains to set up camp, and then come back alone?

As Yu Lian pondered this, he suddenly heard Ina’s confused voice: "Um... sir, did you hear anything?"

"A sound? Here... wait, Ina, you aren't—"

By then, Ina had already developed a dazed, vacant expression, stepping forward like a zombie. She nearly fell off the tank, but Yu Lian caught her just in time.

"Ina, Ina? Hey, wake up! What number is this? Look into my eyes and tell me what this is."

"I... I heard it..."

Just as Yu Lian was about to ask "What did you hear?" and prepare to perform a mental-clarity palm strike, Ina shuddered, and her focus returned. Immediately, she regained her alertness within a second and raised her gun.

"There’s something fishy there!"

No kidding, all the Enlightener ruins seem fishy to a normal person! Yu Lian thought.

"Something is seducing me... I felt like I was falling... urgh, that’s just how it is!"

The under-educated sergeant-major was just a drama fan; she really didn't have the literary flair to describe her previous state.

Yu Lian was about to ask for details when he heard a sound of metal rolling across the floor coming from the hall, and a massive sphere with a diameter of over three meters rolled out.