Chapter 1 The Secret Beneath

The secrets of this world lie hidden in plain sight.

A low, rumbling vibration emanated from the pyramid, as if massive, ten-thousand-ton boulders were rolling about within the ancient edifice. Fragments of stone and earth cascaded from the pyramid in the shaking, and as this millennia-old dust fell away, the outer shell of the pyramid began to open.

Originally, the structure was without doors or windows, yet now, a series of massive stones on its side were being separated from the tower under the power of ancient devices. The megaliths, each weighing tens of tons, floated into the air as if defying gravity, and beneath them could be seen mysterious runes shining with blue and red light. In the openings left by the detached stones, devices resembling large lenses were revealed, and they began to glow with flowing light.

More tremors echoed from elsewhere. Similar changes occurred in the nine smaller pyramids surrounding the main tower, though these opened at the top rather than the side. The flat tops of the smaller pyramids receded in four directions like the hatch of some kind of missile silo, and then heavy, enormous crystal lenses rose from within.

Praise the sun, let the light dance.

As a series of lenses emerged from the pyramids, they immediately began to self-adjust, and then beams of blinding white light started to transmit between them, beginning with one of the smaller pyramids. The light beams formed a precisely structured grid as they jumped between the lenses. Hao Ren initially watched this spectacle of ancient technology with amazement, but he soon discerned an odd pattern in the grids and lines. Swearing by the professional instincts of a space captain with a year and a half of experience, he suspected that this had something to do with the stars.

His accumulated work experience had come in handy once again.

He immediately instructed the data terminal to record the light transmission process, and as the terminal began its recording, the lenses adjusted their angles, constantly constructing new refraction paths and forming several simple geometric figures. After a few minutes, all the refraction methods were demonstrated, and a new round of repetition began, starting from the initial light structure. These lenses clearly carried some meaning. If they were only meant to open a mechanism, their transmission method was far too complex and useless.

"Coordinates, star coordinates. The initial light pattern is the standard line connecting starlight to the home planet, and the subsequent patterns should be the main stellar systems visible when observing from the home planet," the data terminal analyzed the meaning of the geometric figures immediately. "These patterns can also be used to correct deviations caused by stellar movements, so these coordinates are still valid today."

"These pyramids are recording the coordinates of the 'Purgatory' planet as it once existed in the Dream Realm?" Lily exclaimed in surprise, "Did they really have such sophisticated knowledge back then?"

"Either the ancients left it intentionally, or the Goddess taught them to do so," Hao Ren said, looking up at the constantly changing geometric figures. "Terminal, transmit the coordinates to the drone swarm. That's their next task."

Berenia and Gezer couldn't understand the meaning of these lights, but seeing the solemn expressions on Hao Ren, Vivian, and the others' faces, they vaguely felt that the lights might have some sacred significance, and so they both bowed their heads in prayer.

An even greater tremor resounded from beneath the main pyramid, and this time, the true passage finally opened.

The entire pyramid split in half, slowly sliding apart to either side with a thunderous roar. The relief stone slabs on the base fell away, and Hao Ren was shocked to discover that the entire pyramid was now floating in the air!

There was a small gap between its base and the ground, from which leaked the magical glow of blue and red. A powerful anti-gravity art was activated, lifting the heavy ancient structure and opening an entrance to the underground!

When the rumbling stopped, the pyramid was divided into two equal parts, with a gap of more than ten meters between them. Hao Ren saw a deep passage sloping downward, with lights gradually illuminating the interior.

The lenses on the pyramid did not stop operating. They readjusted their calibration angles and continued to repeat the set of star coordinates.

Vivian conjured a gust of wind to disperse the dust. Hao Ren stepped forward and looked to both sides, seeing the internal structure of the building revealed after the pyramid opened. A large number of seemingly cumbersome bearings, gears, hinges, and magic-glowing hammers were creaking and groaning beneath the stone shell, driving the outer lenses and other pyramids to calibrate. The crude, clumsy ancient machines and magic combined in a wondrous way, dazzling to behold.

Then he stepped towards the ramp that seemed to lead deep underground, the others following closely behind.

"You two can wait outside," Vivian stopped Berenia and Gezer, who wanted to follow, "It might be dangerous down there."

Gezer immediately puffed out his chest and gripped his holy blade, saying with indignation, "I am your warrior. It is my duty to live or die in battle!"

Even the little Holy Maiden Berenia immediately stepped forward, "I want to go down too, or I'll be scolded by the previous Holy Maiden when I die!"

The little girl didn't quite understand what everyone was going to do, but she felt that she had to follow the "Goddess's" actions.

Hao Ren glanced at them. "I've seen Gezer's skills. He's roughly equivalent to one and a half Nangong Sanbas, but can the little girl fight?"

Berenia wrinkled her nose, "I know magic. Only a Holy Maiden knows high-level magic. Gezer might not even be as good as me."

Vivian gave Hao Ren a somewhat reproachful look, "Are you really going to let them follow?"

"They're definitely going to sneak along anyway. We can't tie them up, and we don't know how to close such a big entrance," Hao Ren shook his head. "It's better to let them follow openly. It'll be easier to protect them down there."

As he spoke, he smiled. "Fortunately, I had the other tribal warriors stay on standby in the village, otherwise a whole bunch of people would be clamoring to come down and protect us. You can't bring so many people on an expedition."

The group advanced along the ramp into the underground. Nangong Sanba grumbled dejectedly at the back, "How did I become a unit of combat power?"

The ramp leading underground was unusually wide, and the walls along the way were decorated with a large number of glowing runes, making the passage brightly lit. Taking advantage of this, Hao Ren observed the decorations and layout of the passage as he walked. He saw murals everywhere on both sides of the walls, depicting scenes of life in the ancient kingdom in a bold style, with flying ships and vehicles traversing the city skies, and citizens in robes walking leisurely on the streets. Besides these murals, there were also exquisite statues standing on both sides of the corridor, humans being only a part of these sculptures, most of which were images of various animals and plants.

Unfortunately, even preserved underground, even with the blessing of magic, most of the statues and murals had varying degrees of damage. These magnificent ancient treasures were now in precarious condition.

Vivian walked next to Hao Ren, her gaze towards the murals and sculptures even more complex, with curiosity mixed with a hint of longing that she herself could hardly perceive. This sense of longing was not her own, but the emotions carried in the blood crystal she had absorbed last night.

The corridor continued downwards, and soon the entrance they had come through was no longer visible. The lights ahead remained bright, and the air was not turbid. Although it was unknown how the lighting and ventilation system of this underground facility was maintained, it seemed to be working well, having a good effect even after just being activated.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the ramp finally reached its end, and they arrived at an open platform.

A vast and magnificent underground "city" was laid out beneath everyone's feet.

In the expansive underground cavern, countless megaliths resembling buildings were arranged in rows, like the teeth of a comb. These megaliths had no doors or windows, clearly not meant for people to live in. They were simply placed here to form a model of a city. A mixed light of dark blue and red filled the entire space, and there was a peculiar sense of undulation in the light. In the center of the city stood a circle of huge stone pillars, which were entwined with powerful electric arcs, the dazzling arcs constantly jumping between the pillars with crackling explosions.

Clearly, the entire facility was filled with powerful energy.

In the center of the "underground city," Hao Ren saw a huge hollow, and he finally saw something familiar around the hollow: the tentacles of the nascent one.

Countless thick tentacles stretched out from the hollow, coiling around the megalithic pillars surrounded by electric light, twitching slightly.