The left volcano is huge, and an airboat is flying above it. The airboat appears to have been attacked, showing some cracks, but it continues flying towards the volcanic mountain.
In front, Naviga is piloting the airboat. Despite the damage, she manages to control it. The heat from the mountain is intense, but both Naviga and Minerva are protected by a talisman given to them by Minasa, making them immune to the heat. After a while, they reach the mouth of the volcano, which is quite large. Heat waves are radiating from it, causing the airboat to feel like it's slightly melting. Minerva instructs Naviga, "Naviga, put the airboat in the space ring; we need to get out of here."
Naviga nods and stores the airboat in her space ring.
Now at the mouth of the volcano, they peer inside and see boiling lava. The heat is palpable, but they don't feel it due to the talisman. Minerva looks deeper into the volcano, but it appears empty. However, there are many caves inside the volcano's mouth, which serve as the habitat for fire giants, though they are not a threat as long as they do not descend. They would have to fight the giants if they wish to enter the central volcano, although there are alternate routes. If they navigate through this cave, it will lead them to the main volcano among the three volcanic mountains. This region houses the fire giants; they are not only found in this mountain. The Infernal Raven and the Blazing Serpent are also present. The Blazing Serpent protects the Violet Inferno Flower. This information was provided by Minasa, revealing that the Blazing Serpent is the true ruler of this area.
Minerva looked at Naviga and said, "Navi, if I cultivate here, my elemental efficiency will increase. I need you to protect me."
Naviga nodded firmly. "You can rest assured, Miss. I will protect you."
Satisfied, Minerva found a stable spot near the edge of the volcano's mouth. She crossed her legs, inhaling deeply before exhaling slowly, entering a meditative state. Around her, the ambient fire elemental essence began to stir, slowly gathering toward her. The heat intensified slightly as the essence was absorbed into her body, boosting her fire elemental efficiency and replenishing the Universal Essence within her core.
Naviga stood on guard nearby, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings. She knew this was not a safe place, especially for someone like her with a Yin Element affinity. Cultivating here would not only damage her body but also yield minimal Universal Essence. Instead, she focused on her task, scanning the barren, ash-covered land and the two nearby volcanoes.
She spoke softly to her AI chip. "Chip, scan the area. Look for any signs of enemy movement, herbs, or treasures."
The chip activated immediately, sending a scanning pulse five meters down into the volcano and across the surrounding terrain. After a moment, the AI responded. "Host, no enemies or resources detected within the scanning range."
Naviga sighed, still alert. Even if the scan didn't detect anything, she knew it didn't mean they were safe. This region was unpredictable, and dangers could emerge at any moment.
Three hours passed, and Minerva finally opened her eyes, her meditation complete. A faint glow surrounded her, a sign of the fire elemental essence she had successfully absorbed. She stretched slightly, feeling the improvement in her core.
"My Universal Essence flow has increased, and my fire elemental efficiency is much better now," Minerva said, standing up. She looked down into the volcano, her gaze thoughtful.
"If I go further down," Minerva continued, "my understanding of the fire element will deepen even more. We need to descend into the volcano."
Naviga nodded without hesitation. "Understood, Miss. I'll lead the way."
With a clear objective ahead, the two prepared themselves for the descent into the heart of the volcano.
Minerva took out two flying talismans, which are micro-level talismans. They can be used when ascending. However, there's no need to use a powerful object first.
They flew down to a place that was extremely hot; the temperature inside the mouth reached 80°C. They navigated to the edges within inside the mouth and landed at that edge. These edges led into caves where fire giants reside. After walking for nearly 30 minutes, they arrived at the entrance of the cave. The cave was dark inside, and rather than being cold, hot air emanated from it.
Minerva lit a fire in her hand. Then she and Naviga entered the cave carefully. There were no signs of life. As they walked further, it got darker and cooler. After 15 minutes, they reached a space with a black ceiling. Everything around them was black, including the walls and ground. Many caves surrounded this area, with two large ones in the center.
When they entered, it became very quiet. Minerva and Naviga took out their weapons in space ring. The silence felt strange inside the volcano. They walked slowly toward the center. Their boots clicked on the ground, echoing around them.
Minerva, who was in front, stepped onto soft clay. A narrow path opened under her, and she slipped in. Naviga saw this and tried to help but missed. Minerva slid down, and Naviga quickly jumped after her.
Both slid down and landed on the ground below. Minerva fell first, and Naviga landed on top of her. Naviga quickly got up and helped Minerva stand.
"Sorry, Miss," said Naviga.
"It's okay," replied Minerva.
They brushed off the sand and looked around. The new space was dark and felt very cold. It was strange to feel cold in a volcanic area.
Naviga asked, "Miss, why do I feel cold here? Is there treasure or something?"
Minerva answered, "I don't know. We need to find out what's causing this."
Once again, Minerva lit her hand on fire to light the area. When the light spread, they saw bones scattered everywhere. The walls had glowing runes, the same black color as above.
Minerva said to Naviga, "It looks like a prison, Navi. I think we should search this area thoroughly. I'll check the runes and see if I can understand them. You investigate why it feels cold here."
Naviga nodded and began her search, while Minerva approached the glowing runes on the walls to study them.
Naviga searched among the scattered bones. Most of the bones appeared ancient, but some seemed relatively new. But every bones here cold. It made her strange. After examining nearly fifty bones, she came across two unusual skeletons amidst the scattered remains. She pushed aside the surrounding bones to take a closer look.
As she touched the first skeleton, it immediately crumbled into dust, leaving behind no trace but faint particles. She then repeated the process with the second skeleton, and it also turned to dust. To her surprise, she found a strange blue orb hidden among the remains. The orb radiated an intense chill and seemed untouched by the bones surrounding it. Its strange appearance made her cautious yet curious. She also realized that it was the one who created the cold here, making even the scattered bones feel cold.
Naviga extended her hand toward the orb, attempting to touch it. The moment her fingers made contact, a freezing sensation surged into her hand. The chill was so intense that even with her Yin Elemental affinity, she could feel her blood freezing within her veins. In an instant, the frost spread rapidly, encasing her entire arm in thick, crystalline ice.
Alarmed, she quickly withdrew her hand, and the freezing effect stopped. She took a deep breath and channeled her Moon element into her arm, using it to slowly melt the ice. However, the frost was unusually resilient, and even with her Moon Essence, it took considerable effort and time to clear the freezing effect.
The sheer density and intensity of the ice left her in awe and suspicion. What kind of power is contained within this orb? she wondered, her eyes fixed on the strange object glowing faintly in the dim light of the cavern.
"Miss, look at this item!" Naviga called out to Minerva.
Minerva, who had been examining the runes, turned her attention to where Naviga was pointing. She saw the glowing blue orb and immediately realized that it was the source of the intense chill in the space. Minerva walked over to inspect it more closely and reached out to touch it, but Naviga quickly stopped her.
"Miss, don't touch it! If you do, it will freeze your arm—even your blood!" Naviga warned.
Hearing this, Minerva withdrew her hand.
Naviga explained, "When I touched it, it froze my arm. But after i pulled my hand away, the freezing stopped. But even then, it left my arm completely encased in ice. I had to use my Moon Element to melt it, and it was still difficult to remove."
Minerva examined the orb carefully, but she couldn't determine its exact nature. Suddenly, Minasa's voice echoed in their minds:
"That's a crystal-level treasure, capable of freezing half this volcanic mountain."
Both Naviga and Minerva gasped at this revelation.
"A crystal-level treasure?" Minerva repeated, her tone filled with amazement.
It's not that they don't see crystal-level treasure, but there are very few of them in lower galaxy, and the fact that there is one with no ownership left them slightly stunned.
Minasa continued, "Yes, but it's a one-time-use treasure."
Hearing this, their excitement dimmed slightly.
Minerva turned to Naviga. "Even so, a treasure like this could be very useful in the future. Navi, you should take it."
Naviga nodded. She reached out again, bracing herself for the freezing sensation. The frost spread rapidly, encasing her arm and even her shoulder in thick ice as she grabbed the ice orb. Without hesitation, she quickly stored the ice orb in her storage ring. This particular ring was a Hell-level artifact, capable of safely holding powerful treasures like the blue-ice orb. As she placed the ice orb into the storage ring, the chill in the area ceased.
Once the ice orb was secure, Naviga focused her Universal Essence with moon element to melt the ice encasing her arm. After some effort, the freezing finally subsided. She exhaled and turned to Minerva. "Miss the cold here has stopped. Now let's check the runes on the wall."
Minerva nodded, and the two of them walked back toward the black wall, where the mysterious runes waited to be figured it out.
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷