Li Xiang floated on the surface of the ocean in his diving suit. Alongside him were eleven other members, all field operatives from the first four teams of the Department of Law.
Unlike the previous large-scale search, this time the mission had a specific goal: to investigate the white coral reef Li Xiang had discovered earlier.
"112, please confirm that the lifeline has been securely attached," came the voice of Arisa Kazano over the headset in his helmet.
"Confirmed," Li Xiang replied. He tugged at the rope attached to the metal ring on his diving suit and checked the display on his screen. "Lifeline is secure."
"Good, proceed with the dive."
"Understood." Li Xiang turned headfirst and submerged into the water.
The lifeline was a mandate from Hishiri Adashino. She had explained that this rope was made of soft crystal fluorite mixed with a small amount of magical material known as aurora steel.
Aurora steel, according to legend, was the material used to craft the armor of the Valkyries in Norse mythology. It was both lightweight and incredibly durable. The lifeline, shimmering with an aurora-like glow, was an expensive piece of equipment, something Adashino wouldn't have used unless she was certain that the ruins were connected to Morgan le Fay.
"I've reached the seabed," Li Xiang reported.
He glanced upward at the lifeline, which stretched toward the surface like a shooting star in the night sky.
"Proceed to the designated location."
Li Xiang shifted his attention back to the 3D map displayed on his screen. Unlike the vast topographical map from before, this one covered only a hundred meters around him, making it much more straightforward. The terrain was mostly flat, and the coral reef stood as the highest feature, lacking any obvious special characteristics.
Li Xiang made his way westward, stopping at the edge of the map. He turned around to face the white coral reef, though it was now out of sight due to the limited range of his floodlight. He relied on the 3D map to confirm its location.
"112, I'm in position."
"Begin setting up the magic array."
Li Xiang took out a ruby, cleared away the mud beneath his feet, and placed the gem on a stone. He then began to chant the incantation for the spell.
It was a second-tier magic detection spell.
The once-still seawater began to stir. Magical energy formed into snake-like strands, slowly circling around Li Xiang. The only sound was the faint hum of magic as a bright, transparent red light started to rise from the gem, like smoke from a chimney.
All twelve operatives chanted the same incantation. From above, one could see a red, glowing pentagram slowly taking shape on the ocean floor.
Moments later, Li Xiang ceased his chanting. The ruby on the stone had disappeared, transformed into two vibrant magical lines extending outward.
Li Xiang stood at one of the points of the pentagram.
The world before his eyes shifted.
He was surrounded by flickering blue lights, as if he had wandered into a swarm of fireflies on a summer night.
It was undoubtedly the water element that dominated the ocean.
Only the ground beneath him emitted weak traces of earth element.
Previously, they hadn't used such magic because the ocean was too vast. Even this hundred-meter detection spell required twelve valuable rubies. Expanding the range would have been an excessive waste, even for the Department of Law.
Li Xiang closed his eyes, guiding the magic downwards into the seabed.
A dull yellow color filled his consciousness.
"Ten meters deep," Adashino's voice echoed in his ear, monitoring the depth displayed on the screen.
Li Xiang continued pushing his senses downward.
The yellow world persisted.
"Twenty meters deep."
"Thirty meters deep."
Suddenly, darkness flooded his consciousness. He found himself standing in a world shrouded in black mist. In an instant, he—and the other eleven operatives—were forcibly ejected from the spell.
"We've found it!" Adashino's lips curled into a faint smile. "Dispel the magic array and remain at the seabed. Pascal, initiate a scan of the area thirty meters below the ocean floor."
"On it!"
Pascal tapped away at the controls, sending a series of low-frequency sonar waves into the seabed.
Ten minutes later, he looked up with a hint of excitement. "According to the scan, there's an underground space about thirty meters below, roughly 6,000 square meters in size."
"Display the exact location on the operatives' 3D maps."
"Roger that."
Li Xiang's screen briefly flickered before updating. The scan revealed a perfectly rectangular chamber encased in rock, its angles so precise it looked as though it had been measured with a protractor.
Li Xiang stared at the map. What is this?
As he pondered, he noticed a faint green light flash across the map.
"What was that?" Li Xiang wasn't the only one to notice. Everyone had seen it.
"Zoom in on the screen," Adashino ordered.
The 3D map spun and vanished, replaced by a zoomed-in view of a rune.
Li Xiang recognized it immediately as a rune from the Elder Futhark.
But he had never heard of Morgan le Fay using rune magic.
"A rune?" Adashino also identified it. Although she wasn't specialized in rune magic like Li Xiang, she had dealt with Aozaki Touko, a master of the craft.
"No, this is an ancient rune from the Age of Gods," she muttered, adjusting her glasses. "This complicates things."
Even though Aozaki had reconstructed rune magic and sold it to the Clock Tower, the runes from the Age of Gods were incredibly rare, and those that existed required special permission from the Lords to access.
"Does anyone here have experience with rune magic?" Adashino asked through the microphone, not expecting much of an answer.
To her surprise, Li Xiang responded.
"I do."
"Li Xiang?"
Adashino hadn't considered him, given how little time he had spent at the Clock Tower.
"Yes, I specialize in rune magic under the Modern Magecraft Department."
Adashino paused for a moment before saying, "You continue to surprise me, young one."
Hey, hey, what's with the 'young one'? I'm already eighteen!
Of course, Li Xiang didn't dare say that out loud. Instead, he focused on the screen, his expression somber.
Was this just a coincidence, or was something more at play?
The rune displayed was the one ancient rune he happened to know.
"I know this rune," Li Xiang began. "While studying rune magic, Lord El-Melloi II allowed me early access to related texts in the library. This rune represents 'light.'"
Adashino was about to respond when the ship suddenly shook violently.
"What's happening?" She instinctively looked up as the entire vessel began to tremble, as if a giant hand were stirring the ocean itself.
"An earthquake?"
How is that possible? We're not near any fault lines.
Adashino's face turned pale as she realized something.
If the ship was shaking this much, what about the team at the bottom of the ocean?