Leaning against the wall, Fars finally closed the diary after reading it all night, letting out a long sigh. Joanna and Agno were indeed up to no good, leading him to this dilapidated ruin with some ulterior motive.
While some of Joanna's explanations had merit, it was clear that the main part of the Gonsago ruins was underground, exactly where Fars was now. It was likely that finding some design blueprints was one of their objectives for this trip. The crucial point, however, was that they never got to the heart of the matter: what exactly the Gonsago ruins had been thousands of years ago.
An arms factory? A place for producing large magical weapons and small firearms? It seemed these were all just facades. Perhaps the apprentice who penned the diary never imagined that one day someone would stumble upon his cherished writings. But as someone who had lived through that era, the words he wrote were far more credible than anything Joanna, with her deep-seated secrets, could offer.
The diary's owner held a lowly position, merely a junior apprentice in the magic tower. Due to his talent, he was often taken underground to serve as a lab assistant. Even as a mere errand boy, he had access to some genuine secrets.
Every era has its share of forbidden matters, often referred to as taboos. In the new age, the concept of taboo has narrowed significantly, mainly pointing to things prohibited by the Holy Church, which sought to eradicate heretics, suppress magical guilds, and eliminate followers of other gods to gain more secular power. These actions were all in the name of spreading their faith and eliminating dissent. However, during the Nais era, the taboos were overwhelmingly directed against the divine. This realm, like many lower realms, could no longer hinder their progress, rendering the existence of such restrictions meaningless.
A life without pursuit is a tragic one, especially when many share this fate. Various taboos become hot topics. The Gonsago ruins were established against this backdrop. Back then, the Nais era had not yet descended into madness, and matters deemed taboo had to be handled discreetly.
The primary focus of Gonsago was the study of demons, which stood in opposition to the gods. How did they conduct this research? They needed experimental subjects. Demons rarely descended upon Aelras because it was too terrifying; any demon that did would find itself facing the wrath of twisted legendary masters. If news got out, it meant that the demon's avatar in this realm would suffer relentless torment. Being placed on the experimental table was the least of their worries; the most terrifying scenario involved encountering sadistic mages who delighted in torturing various beings.
It was no wonder that in the end, gods and demons allied to obliterate one of humanity's most glorious eras. Given the difficulty of finding demons and divine avatars in this realm, what could be done? This posed no challenge for the masters, who constructed dimensional teleportation arrays. Unlike gods and demons, they were not subject to the natural laws imposed on Aelras, allowing them to traverse dimensions without losing their strength. Although transporting themselves to demon-infested areas was perilous, humans enjoyed toying with demons, and demons reciprocated by treating humans as inferior beings. Legendary figures typically did not linger long, often snatching a batch of lesser demons and tearing open a rift to escape. Capturing higher-level demons was too difficult and time-consuming, easily attracting the attention of numerous upper-tier demons.
However, capturing lowly demons lacked research value, leading to the practice of demon husbandry. The diary's owner had engaged in such tasks, feeding the captured demons.
The mortality rate of apprentices during the Nais era was shockingly high. If a mentor or a powerful figure in the magic tower was displeased, they could easily send an apprentice to the demons as a meal. Consequently, the diary was filled with the owner's fears and uncertainties about the future. The apprentice's entries in Gonsago were abruptly cut short, having recorded less than a year of his experiences. Fars couldn't help but feel a chill; it was highly likely that the diary's owner had met a tragic end here.
The information he left behind might not have touched on core secrets, as he was merely an ordinary apprentice with no rights, dealing mostly with menial tasks. Yet for Fars, it was invaluable. At least he would have his own insights when facing Joanna again, allowing him to analyze her future intentions.
If reaching the Gonsago ruins was perilous with a magical engineer and a knight in the team, then exploring a site once associated with demons would undoubtedly be even more dangerous. With Joanna having lost two core members of her team, this journey was bound to be fraught with peril. Fars couldn't fathom their plans; were they truly that well-prepared?
He scoffed inwardly. If they thought they could use him without understanding the situation here, they might end up deceived.
After closing the diary, Fars noticed that there was still plenty of time before the trio's agreed meeting. He settled his mind and engaged in deep meditation, restoring his mental and physical energy to optimal levels. Although he hadn't eaten all day, the blood essence stored within him would sustain him for a long time. Vampires had a distinct advantage over humans in this regard.
Having completed his tasks, Fars felt it would be a disservice to not thoroughly search the area, given the risks he had taken to come here.
Deep underground, the buildings were primarily made of stone. Fortunately, most of the warehouse-like structures were wide open, inviting Fars in without the need for any break-ins. Joanna and Agno had likely ventured deeper into the ruins, and Fars, being the lazy one, could no longer hear any sounds from them. After all, treasure hunting relied on luck, and Fars was currently in a fortunate streak. He casually entered a warehouse and stumbled upon a scattered collection of firearms, along with a few incomplete weapons. As for blueprints, he found none; such items were typically classified and scarce, and the people who had vacated this place wouldn't have left behind many.
Firearms could also be understood as magical devices, but instead of relying on a mage's power, they utilized magical crystals or cores to store magical energy. Pulling the trigger would unleash a beam of destructive force comparable to low to mid-level spells. Dwarves, accustomed to life underground, were skilled at mining various ores and had no shortage of crystal mines to fuel their firearms. The elite firearms squad of the dwarven royal court wielded top-tier firearms, each capable of matching the combat strength of high-level mages. However, the manufacturing process was too complex for the dwarves to produce them in large quantities, and they mostly relied on ancient relics.
Fars felt satisfied with his haul; after all, his primary goal wasn't these items. He could already cast spells himself, so firearms held little allure for him. Ironically, the less he cared, the more fortune seemed to favor him. Without expecting any major discoveries, he found two more firearms and, to his surprise, a genuine magical crystal cannon. The few nearly useless spatial rings he had now served a purpose, as Fars cleared one out to store these military weapons. Such items were not available for purchase in the market, and all empires strictly prohibited their smuggling.
As for the scarce blueprints, Fars was too lazy to search diligently, missing out on them. Even if he found them, they would belong to someone else. He couldn't bear to hoard them, as the contract clearly stated that the three items required by Joanna and Agno had to be surrendered upon discovery. Finding them would only complicate matters, and he wouldn't gain any favors, especially since his animosity towards them ran deep. He couldn't blame himself for being lackadaisical.
Noticing that the time was nearly up, Fars made his way back to the stone chamber housing the teleportation array to wait for the others. Fortunately, both Joanna and Agno were punctual, so he didn't have to wait long. However, seeing their disappointed faces upon returning brought a smile to Fars's lips.
Joanna immediately asked if Fars had found the blueprints. Observing the smirk on his face, she didn't need him to answer; she already knew the outcome. They didn't hide the fact that they had failed to find the blueprints. Fars was certain they had gathered a significant number of firearms, given that he had easily found several just by casually browsing, let alone the effort they had put in.
The first phase of exploring the ruins had come to a close, with mixed results. After a long day, Joanna and Agno, unlike Fars who had slacked off, needed a good rest. They decided to use the stone chamber as a temporary base and set up a tent. Once they finished their tasks, Joanna, who had been avoiding Fars, approached him and extended her hand.
Fars looked at the delicate white hand reaching out to him, puzzled. "Isn't anything not found by you considered yours?"
"Food!" Joanna coldly spat out two words.
Finally understanding what this young lady wanted, Fars couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. It seemed all their supplies had been drained by Fars's gluttonous appetite. Unfortunately, those items were now considered Fars's private property. A man who was usually greedy wouldn't simply give away his possessions.
"My dear lady, it seems I have no obligation to provide you with free food, do I?"
Suppressing the urge to tear the vampire before her apart, Joanna knew that without offering something of value, Fars wouldn't return what rightfully belonged to them. Not wanting to waste more words, she tossed a bag of gold coins at Fars's feet.
"That's hardly enough," Fars replied with a sly grin.