Chapter 1 Entering the Dark Mountains

A dozen minutes into the Dark Mountains, the surrounding sky noticeably dimmed. The clouds overhead seemed to shroud the entire sky, the light filtering through murky and faint. The degree of change already exceeded normal natural phenomena. Clearly, the "Lolisa's Wall" (energy field) enveloping the mountains was taking effect. It was not only preventing energy from leaking out of the mountains but also preventing things from the outside from entering.

"In fact, it's not just the creatures within the Dark Mountains that are trapped by Lolisa's Wall. Even adventurers entering from the outside are affected by the energy field in the mountains," Becky said as she led the way. "Powerful adventurers and mercenaries are less affected, but weaker ones will experience disorientation, memory loss, difficulty in casting spells, and other negative effects. The weakest might even be injured directly by the energy erosion. The deeper into the mountains you go, the greater the threat of uncontrolled energy. So, the hunters and herbalists around here usually only operate at the foot of the mountains. Only professional adventurers will challenge the forests, and as for the highest main peak... no one has ever been up there yet."

Hao Ren casually asked, "But overall, the 'Lolisa's Wall' seems to have a stronger suppressive effect on the creatures inside the Dark Mountains?"

"Yes, its original function should have been internal, not external," Becky nodded. "Some scholars speculate that this energy barrier was originally used by the ancient magical empire to seal off testing grounds, preventing things from running out—it's just that the energy barrier has been out of control for many years, so it also poses a threat to visitors from outside."

The wind blew, and the lush shade firs rustled their branches and leaves. Only faint light leaked through the gaps in the canopy, flickering like stars. Between the trees and shrubs was a steep hillside and various abruptly rising rocks, making progress difficult. There were almost no "roads" in the Dark Mountains. The hunters who operated at the foot of the mountains only entered the mountains along some natural paths, and these paths did not extend deep into the forests. Usually, adventurers found their own way into the mountains through personal experience and careful exploration. The road Becky chose for Hao Ren was already the best one—the knights sent by the kingdom had more or less made some repairs and markings along the way, which was much better than a pure mountain road.

Lily had already transformed into her werewolf form, her eyes wide open and sniffing carefully from time to time. Her golden eyes twinkled in the dim environment, full of seriousness. Usually, she was carefree and unreliable, but in the wilderness, she seemed to have a mod installed, becoming alert, like a wild beast. Only in the mountains and wilderness could she unleash her full potential.

"There are a lot of scents left by wild animals," Lily sniffed. "The deeper we go, the stronger they are, and there are mostly magical beasts—no wonder it's a testing ground left over from the ancient magical empire. Most of the native creatures here have mutated beyond recognition."

"The further in, the more dangerous it is. There are even reclusive dragon clans settling in the Dark Mountains," Becky tightened her magic longsword, her face eager to try. "Ha, without those knight guards, I've found some of the excitement I had as a mercenary back then!"

Although Hao Ren's trip to the Dark Mountains was arranged by Ofra, they did not bring the guard knights sent by the Holletta royal family, because Hao Ren felt that he and his companions simply did not need those followers. Bringing too many people would slow down the trip. It would be better to bring Becky, who was familiar with the situation, as a guide. This would be more efficient and less restrictive. Becky certainly had no objection to this arrangement. Her only regret was that Marshal Ofra could not accompany them: as the kingdom's highest-ranking military officer, the female marshal was truly swamped with work. One or two relics in the Dark Mountains undergoing changes were not enough for her to personally intervene.

After all, such events were common, happening once or twice every ten years or so.

Along the way, it could be said to be peaceful: the dangerous magical beasts in the Dark Mountains might be quite threatening to the local natives, but they were clearly not enough to challenge Hao Ren and the two powerhouses beside him. They did not encounter a single magical beast attack along the way—it was not that they did not pass through the territory of those monsters, but any magical beast with a bit of observation was scared away by the aura emitted by Lily and Vivian.

To survive in a place like the Dark Mountains, the most basic skill was to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

A rustling sound came from the trees in the distance. Hao Ren vaguely saw a huge black shadow swaying in the shadows of the trees. Lily immediately raised her head, bared her fangs, and let out a low growl in the direction of the sound. The sound disappeared instantly.

The husky girl curled her lips in disdain: "Tch, they look scary, but they're all cowards."

"This is just the outer area. The power level of the magical beasts is limited. When you get deeper, there will be guys who aren't afraid of you," Becky shrugged. "Then you can naturally find them for a good fight."

Lily's eyes rolled around, and she inconspicuously hid behind Hao Ren: "Oh... tsk, I don't have that kind of free time..."

Vivian was quite contemptuous of the husky girl's performance: "You ride the wave when it's in your favor and chicken out when it's against you. All the skill points you got from a bunch of natural treasures have been spent on being able to spit soda and eat spicy strips without spitting out the packaging."

"Bat, do you have the ability to take a dog cannon from me with your face!"

She had been tricked into accepting this setting in just a few days...

The four of them crossed the outer area of the Dark Mountains as easily as if they were taking a walk in their own backyard. Hao Ren collected a lot of data along the way. After confirming that there was nothing more worth paying attention to, they sped up and finally arrived at the observation camp established by the Holletta royal investigation team before the sky darkened further—it was located in a clearing deep in the dense forest on the mountainside of the main peak.

Around the camp, Hao Ren had already noticed the scattered ancient ruins—thick moss covered broken slate fragments, and where vines and weeds intertwined, he could see fragments of metal that were almost integrated with the soil. Between some shade firs, he even saw dilapidated stone pillars and collapsed altar-like objects. All these signs indicated that they were approaching an ancient ruin.

Ruins left by the ancient magical empire.

The observation camp was not large. It occupied a clearing in the forest with a diameter of only a hundred meters. Around the camp were several newly built plank houses, which should be where the soldiers and ordinary servants lived. Further in were three houses that looked more refined and sturdy. The emblem of the Holletta Royal Knights was hung on the outer walls of the houses, which should be where the official knights and apprentice mages lived. The core building of the camp was a surprisingly small magic tower. This tower floated in the air, only three stories high, with the bottom four or five meters above the ground. Although the whole tower was small, it was complete in structure, built of brick and stone, and the surface of the tower was covered with complex magic patterns that sparkled—this was clearly not a simple building hastily built in a temporary camp.

"That's Grand Mage Heimer's mini magic tower, the highest person in charge of the investigation team. He summoned it directly from the Magic Association headquarters in the royal city," Becky said with envy. As a magic swordsman, she herself had spellcasting abilities and some magical knowledge, but she was clearly not comparable to a true grand mage. "For a mage, a magic tower brings more than just an increase in strength. The laboratories and various auxiliary facilities inside can help explore this relic. In addition, his personal assistant also works in that tower. The houses around the tower are the knights' residences..."

Hao Ren nodded, roughly understanding the situation of the investigation team. At the same time, the sentries in the observation camp had already noticed this group of uninvited guests who suddenly emerged from the mountains—they were first surprised that someone could walk so casually into the depths of the Dark Mountains, and that no fighting sounds had been heard, nor had the perimeter of the camp been triggered. Then they recognized Becky's face.

"It's Captain Becky!" a soldier called from the watchtower.

"Open the gate and notify Grand Mage Heimer!" Becky came to the front of the camp gate, raised her head, and loudly ordered, "Marshal Ofra's instructions should have arrived before us."

"Yes, we just received the order this morning," the gatekeeper replied loudly while instructing the people behind the gate to turn the winch. The heavy camp gate slowly opened with a creaking sound. "Grand Mage Heimer is already waiting for you."

Hao Ren had originally thought that Grand Mage Heimer would be a serious old man in his twilight years, but he was shocked when he actually met him: the other party was actually a young man who looked less than thirty years old, and he seemed a little reserved and introverted. This young grand mage was wearing a dark blue mage robe and had a pair of round gold-rimmed glasses on his nose. He had a rather refined temperament. After seeing Hao Ren, he first took the initiative to perform a mage salute, and then said somewhat nervously, "I'm very happy to see you in person... I really didn't expect you to come to this place yourself..."

"Uh, I'm just here to see what's going on..." Hao Ren was a little uncomfortable being treated so warmly, and while responding, he asked with some curiosity, "By the way, do you know me?"

"I was there when the 'Firstborn' was taken from Sunset Volcano," Heimer, who was young but already held the title of grand mage, gave a shy smile. "And I participated in the lifting of Hoddses' Fortress—I studied in the crystal mine you left behind for a long time. I owe my current title and strength to the research experience during that time."

"Oh..." Hao Ren nodded, somewhat understanding why the young man in front of him was so enthusiastic.

"Let's talk about the situation below first," Becky interjected at this time. "It's rare for an expert to come and guide us."

Although he didn't understand what the string of newly coined words "expert comes to guide us" meant, Heimer still understood Becky's meaning and nodded immediately: "Please come with me—there have been several energy fluctuations in the ruins in the past few days, and I'm about to unlock the secret of the second gate. This must be a discovery that will shock the world: I actually found intact ancient facilities down there! Can you believe it? Intact! It's as if time has never visited the cave behind that stone wall! I even suspect that time was once frozen there!"