Both sides were very experienced, and the shooting almost simultaneously ceased.
There were still a few scattered gunshots from the opposite side, but they too quickly fell silent—
Only the dust remained, drifting in the night wind.
"Now's our chance, let's go!" Sicape saw the opportunity and pushed Fang Hong from behind while stuffing an object into his hand. Fang Hong took a look and realized it was a descent construction—a commonly used Magic Guided Conductor, in which a Non-Attribute Crystal, once charged, could be used three times.
"Thanks, Miss Sicape."
He didn't waste any words, quickly discarded the huge backpack on the ground, strapped on the metal box, and with a click, connected the leather hose and pin to the Magic Guided Reactor on his back. He moved swiftly to the edge of the wall, glanced down— the wall was much higher on this side, a good fifteen meters.
Fang Hong had never parachuted before.
But he didn't feel the slightest hint of fear, and without a moment's hesitation, he took a step forward. Sicape wanted to remind him of the precautions from behind, but before she could speak, she saw him jump down.
She had never seen such a recklessly bold newcomer and was somewhat grinding her teeth: "This kid..."
Fang Hong only heard the whooshing of the wind, and suddenly there was a light click from behind, feeling as if his body became lighter, his descent rate abruptly slowed. He looked back and saw a Glider Wing unfold behind the metal box— the wing was light and thin like a spiderweb, but in fact, he was very aware it was a network of Ether Magic Power.
The Magic Guided Reactor on his back was starting to heat up; the gauge on his glove was spinning wildly, indicating a rapid decrease in Magic Power. This was the biggest drawback of the Non-Attribute Crystal—its magic capacity was too low, and its output power was far from sufficient.
Fortunately, the descent construct was just an ordinary Magic Guided Conductor, and he managed to land before the reactor overloaded.
He hurriedly shut off the valve, releasing a hissing of the cooling liquid's steam; the scorching gas almost made him retract his hand, and only then did the temperature of the Core Crystal begin to stabilize. He looked up and saw the members of the Adventure Group descending much more gracefully than he had.
Sicape was bringing down an injured person as well, sliding down the dense aerial roots with ease. After a few bounces, she was by Fang Hong's side and casually tossed the huge backpack toward him.
Fang Hong hurriedly caught the backpack.
"Don't stop, head into the ruins!" Sicape pointed in a direction where an Elf Arcade covered in vegetation was submerged beneath a large swath of Crimson Iron Ferns. Fang Hong nodded and crouched to enter the thick forest.
Behind him, a series of crisp gunshots rang out. He glanced back and saw the men from the Silver Forest Spear emerging from the mist, only to be repelled by a volley of fire. Fang Hong didn't dare linger; parting the tall fronds of the Crimson Iron Ferns, he made his way deeper into the ruins.
Sicape watched his figure disappear before turning to call the others to take the injured away.
Behind the dense forest lay a street from ancient times—on either side were old, broken buildings, with roots of Ancient Trees intertwining with the moon-white stones, lush and abundant, with a plethora of aerial roots spread out over the ground like a network of pipes, somewhat eerie under the cold moonlight.
The surroundings were mysterious and quiet, with crumbling boulders everywhere adorned with incomplete patterns; however, it was unknown how much time had passed without a trace of human presence, allowing these stones to become covered with moss and ferns. Using his hands and feet, Fang Hong made his way through the ruins, keeping the Elf Arcade always to one side to gauge his direction.
A giant bird flapping its wings startled him as it flew away from the towering tree canopy. Raising his head, he saw it was a huge Tarun White-necked Raven and couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Ahead was a deep ravine, the bottom littered with rubble resembling part of a temple, which didn't look naturally formed. However, Fang Hong gave it only a glance and didn't ponder over it. He dared not linger and walked along the edge of the ravine until he found a 'bridge' that could be crossed. It was actually the roots of an ancient oak, stretching across the chasm like an elf arcade.
Fang Hong looked around, the nearby and distant forest silent, with several rats at the bottom of the ravine moving their plump figures under the moonlight. That Tarun white-necked crow had also flown off to who knows where, leaving only the lush and dense tree shadows overhead. The inside of the ruins was completely engulfed by vegetation, and if it weren't for the remnants of elven architecture, he would have almost thought he had returned to the forest outside.
Only then did he take off his backpack and take out a roll of rope to secure it, then carefully climbed up the roots of the ancient oak with the rope and painstakingly made his way across. After reaching the other side, he pulled his backpack across the bottom of the ravine with the rope.
Even this activity made him sweat profusely. He opened his backpack to check and found a set of alchemy vessels had been smashed, including a very expensive crystal retort, which almost made Fang Hong's heart bleed.
He picked out the broken glass pieces and threw them away, then sat down to rest for a moment. Just as he was wondering why the others hadn't caught up, a broad hand suddenly pressed on his shoulder. Fang Hong was so frightened he almost cried out, but when he turned around, he found it was the silent Kroid, who, along with Sicape, had arrived at some unknown time.
The others were behind the two, rustling as they emerged from not too far away, parting the ferns.
Fang Hong breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "How is it?"
"The people from Silver Forest Spear haven't caught up," Kroid shook his head.
"What's next then?" Fang Hong looked around; he really hadn't expected the ruins to be so vast.
Sicape turned to ask the others, "Did anyone see which direction the Holy Serpent's glider fell in?"
"I saw it, on the southeast side, the glider crashed into a broken tower there," someone replied.
"I saw it too."
People echoed one after another.
Kroid looked in the direction shrouded in mist, "I know that direction; it's not far. No time to dawdle, once the Alchemist has rested enough, we'll set off."
"I'm fine, in fact, I have already rested for a while," Fang Hong replied, "but I have a question."
Kroid looked at him, gesturing for him to speak.
Miss Sicape frowned in thought, then said, "Kroid, the appearance of the Silver Forest Spear's people was very strange."
Kroid was momentarily stunned, then nodded. "They did react a bit quickly." He pondered for a moment, then asked, "So, what are you worried about?"
Sicape shook her head, "I just feel like there have been a bit too many accidents tonight."
"I think the people from Silver Forest Spear have a purpose," Fang Hong thought for a while, organizing his words. "Mr. Kroid, why they didn't catch up has puzzled me since before. What exactly is in this ruins?"
...