After being accustomed to the sight of scattered corpses, arriving here felt like stepping into a rare clean space. The term "clean" was relative, as the ground was still covered in dust accumulated over thousands of years, obscuring the true nature of the surface beneath.
Joanna waved her hand, using her fighting spirit to stir the surrounding air. Dust swirled into the air, but it was Fars who could no longer bear it; he controlled the magical elements to create a gentle breeze that blew the dust aside. Although Fars could no longer casually use low-level spells, it didn't mean he couldn't mimic their effects. This method of directly manipulating the magical elements in the air with his mental power was indeed more troublesome than simply casting a spell, but the overall effect remained uncompromised. In essence, Fars relied on his powerful mental strength to treat the low-level spells he once needed to chant as mere tricks.
As the breeze swept through, it revealed a magic circle etched into the ground. Did Joanna possess some kind of clairvoyance to uncover a magic circle buried beneath the dust? Fars pondered silently.
Upon discovering the magic circle, a long-lost smile finally returned to Joanna's face. Just like last time, she took out a prepared piece of paper inscribed with a long string of incantations written in Nais. Fars naturally knew what to do next. However, unlike the teleportation circles in the magic tower, this magic circle on the ground lacked a recess for a magic crystal.
Since becoming a member of the vampire clan, Fars realized that the language he used most frequently was actually Nais. There were few opportunities to communicate in the common tongue, and whenever something came up, it was always in Nais. The ancient language he had once struggled with was now spoken fluently, all thanks to their 'blessing.' Fars found himself nostalgically recalling the days spent by the cold pond conversing with Jessy in the common tongue.
The magic circle beneath his feet was not a teleportation circle, which puzzled Fars. He had a general understanding of this laboratory, which consisted of six floors, with the core area above the third floor. However, upon reaching the fourth floor, there were no stairs leading further up. If they were to ascend, they should have utilized some small-scale teleportation circles.
As Joanna recited the incantation, Fars felt his magical power being uncontrollably drawn into the magic circle beneath him. Fortunately, the rate of loss was not too rapid. By the time the lengthy incantation was completed, he had only expended about half of his magical power. The magic circle, capable of rivaling a sorcerer, gradually replenished his magic, so Fars was not concerned about it affecting his combat ability. To be honest, the total amount of magical power he possessed was extravagant compared to his singular high-level spell, the Finger of Death. The magical power he regained after using low-cost spells was nearly enough to compensate for their consumption.
The magical power wasn't absorbed for nothing; with sufficient magical energy, the magic circle beneath him began to activate, forming a ring of light pillars from the ground upwards. As the light pillars slowly ascended to the ceiling, the decorative patterns carved into the ceiling also transformed, aligning with the magic runes corresponding to the magic circle below. It seemed the connection between the two had been established, and Fars felt his body lighten as he began to float. This sensation was different from flying with his wings; it came with a feeling of weightlessness, reminiscent of the tearing sensation experienced when using a teleportation circle.
When the light pillars vanished, Fars found himself in a vastly different space compared to the fourth floor. This area was even more expansive, perhaps larger than the entire sixth floor he had seen outside the laboratory. Despite its vastness, there were no notable furnishings; all he could see was an empty hall with neatly arranged tiled flooring extending far into the distance. To put it bluntly, it was a hall devoid of anything, shrouded in an impenetrable black mist that obscured Fars's view of the ceiling.
At this moment, Joanna began to explain the surroundings. Fars didn't need to think; he knew she would definitely require his assistance, or else, given her personality, she wouldn't willingly divulge information.
"This place is different from below. It was constructed by masters using spatial magic. As we can see, this vast space is even larger than the entire laboratory. The absence of stairs means we were transported here via a magic circle, as the fourth and fifth floors span different spaces. Without specially crafted stairs, it would be impossible to connect the two."
After taking a breath, Joanna continued, "However, what we see is not the true appearance of the fifth floor; we are still within an illusion array."
An illusion array? Fars felt a sense of helplessness upon hearing that term. He had no ability to break illusions; he had only managed to navigate through the maze-like forest using brute force to reach the upper regions of the Gonzago ruins.
This was not the time to act clever. Fars decided to be honest to avoid being blamed by Joanna and the others for failing to break the illusion: "You know my level; I haven't studied illusion arrays or mazes."
"Don't worry; I didn't expect you to lead us out of the illusion array." Joanna's voice dripped with disdain as her sarcasm reached Fars's ears.
Before Fars could get angry, Joanna tossed him a talisman.
"Just keep channeling your magical power into this talisman. As for the intensity of the power you input, just make sure it's strong enough to light it up."
With a pent-up frustration, Fars had no choice but to prioritize the bigger picture. He poured his magical power into the delicate talisman. Initially, he thought the intensity would suffice for the small talisman, but to his dismay, the talisman absorbed his power without lighting up at all. Unwilling to give up, Fars focused all his strength, and just as he felt he was nearing his limit, the talisman finally glimmered. Specifically, only one corner of it lit up.
Seeing the talisman light up, Joanna stepped out of the magic circle and followed the direction of the illuminated corner. She didn't forget to continue belittling Fars: "It's just a small talisman; do you really need to exert yourself so much?"
"A small talisman? Hmph, can a high sorcerer's personal talisman be called small? But if you can activate it, it shows your magical power is quite pure." A familiar demonic voice echoed in Fars's mind.
Just as Fars was about to respond, the demon interrupted him: "Just keep following them."
Turning to look at Denise on his shoulder, he found her completely unresponsive. It seemed the demon's methods were indeed quite sophisticated.
A high sorcerer's talisman? Fars examined the talisman in his hand with a sense of resignation. It seemed this item was originally meant for Master Perugino. With a sorcerer's magical power, using a high sorcerer-level item should be feasible. However, Fars's success in doing so was thanks to several evolutions and the repeated refinement of his mental and magical power during the reorganization of the magic array in his sea of consciousness. Now, the purity of his magical power was likely not far from that of a sorcerer.
After the talisman was activated, it no longer demanded the same massive amount of magical power as before; it steadily absorbed the power Fars sent into it without requiring much conscious control. However, the talisman didn't remain lit continuously. After Fars walked a certain distance in the direction indicated by the talisman, the previously illuminated corner would extinguish, and another side would light up. Following the direction indicated by the talisman, the three of them wandered for a good fifteen minutes before the talisman fully illuminated, and the vast scene before them shifted.
If the previous hall had exuded an air of emptiness and desolation, then after breaking the illusion array, the entire hall now bore the marks of chaos and decay, with traces of battle everywhere. The walls and floor looked as if they had been ravaged by forbidden spells. The original decorations had long turned to dust, leaving behind a scene of shattered experiment tables and broken glass containers.
Finally, Fars was not disappointed to see several remains left on the ground. Not many—only six corpses in such a large space. Compared to the countless bones below, the death density here was alarmingly low.
Joanna was no longer as composed as before. Apart from two corpses that were clearly not human, she meticulously turned over each body to examine them closely.
To die here indicated how noble their former identities must have been. Just the sight of the twin crescent emblems adorning their still-intact clothing sent a shiver down Fars's spine. Four high sorcerers, rare on the continent, lay dead here, sprawled on the ground, unattended.
Aside from some areas torn during battle, the clothing had not decayed over the millennia, highlighting the precious materials used. The garments were intact, and some magical items they wore had also survived. Fars's eyes immediately fell on the necklaces and rings adorning their skeletal remains.
"Are the remains you seek here?" Fars couldn't hide his greed, his eyes glistening with unrestrained desire for the high sorcerers' relics. Items like their spatial storage rings might be beyond his current capabilities to open, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be able to in the future. Keeping them in his possession was far better than leaving them here with a mysterious demon. He believed that if they were aware in their resting place, they wouldn't resent him for it.
"These corpses are not the remains of High Sorcerer Naishel." Joanna didn't even address Fars; she directly spoke to Agno.
"Could they be on the sixth floor?" Agno's already serious face furrowed even deeper.
Fars didn't care anymore. Since the remains they sought were not here, then these relics should be fairly distributed. He rushed forward to grab them in a frenzy.
There was nothing wrong with profiting from the dead; it wasn't grave robbing. Exploring ruins was just a nice way of saying that people were primarily interested in the relics left behind by the ancients.