At the entrance of the ruins, the pirates had piled up torches, ropes, and other supplies specifically prepared for the next exploration. Gary was about to pick one up and light it.

Milan had already snapped his fingers first.

Snap—

A bright orb of light materialized out of thin air, hovering above their heads, instantly illuminating the dim interior of the ruins as bright as day, startling Gary.

However, Aiven had already informed him in advance, so his reaction wasn't too dramatic, and he quietly put down the torch in his hand.

Even as a "Prophet" who had given up most aggressive casting abilities, Milan was still an Official Wizard, and some common minor spells were still no problem for him.

With the light from the "Lighting Technique" shining, Aiven's attention was immediately drawn to a very simple tree-like figure on the stone wall.

It seemed as if it had been carved directly onto the smooth stone wall with a chisel, using very simple lines to outline a mysterious diagram composed of ten circles and twenty-two paths.

What attracted Aiven's attention wasn't because it was rare or unusual; rather, in various mystical books, its appearance was actually not infrequent at all.

It was called the "Tree of Life," "Inverted Tree," or "Divine Ladder." Back in the "Shadow Library," Aiven had seen this diagram in several basic mysticism books.

Legend had it that it was knowledge passed down by the "Oldest School," one of the sources of wizards, and hidden within it was the ultimate secret between humans and gods in this world!

Though widespread, throughout the history of the Extraordinary World, no one has ever been able to prove that they truly uncovered that secret from it.

"The Inverted Tree? Could this ruin be related to it?"

A thought arose quickly but was suppressed by Aiven, understanding that in the Wizard World, the significance of the "Inverted Tree" was akin to the "Yin Yang Diagram" in his previous life to the Daoist School.

With countless branches and factions stemming from it, guessing blindly would never lead to the truth. Seeing it for oneself would naturally provide the answer.

Nodding towards Milan and Gary, as the combat representative among the three, Aiven took the lead at the front while the other two guarded the flanks, cautiously advancing in a defensive formation.

Because the entrance was at the top of the tower, the three of them proceeded deeper underground along a spiraling slope. After completely passing through the surface-level artificial structures, they were left with only seamless rock steps and rock walls, as if the entire island beneath their feet was one massive rock.

However, it's worth mentioning that even as they gradually delved underground, their breathing did not have that stifling, decayed sensation. Evidently, despite the considerable age, the ventilation system here remained quite smooth.

Soon, without encountering any danger, they arrived at a relatively spacious underground hall.

Squeak squeak squeak....

A large swarm of bats, alarmed by the "Lighting Technique's" illumination, immediately rushed down from above, almost as large as wolves.

However, they were just ordinary creatures. Aiven's longsword spun, emitting a bright flash as his body transformed into a whirlwind, slashing down all the attacking bats. The remaining bats, sensing the situation, fled into the darkness, disappearing in an instant...

The three of them, their expressions unchanged, considered this scene hardly even an appetizer for seasoned veterans like themselves.

They stepped forward.

Tap.. Tap.. Tap..

The sound of their military boots echoed briskly on the ground, reverberating throughout the underground space.

By the illumination of the Lighting Technique, they could see that a series of intricately carved Tuscan stone pillars supported this round underground space, where they finally discovered the footprints of previous "Explorers."

However, at this point, they had already become part of the ruins.

Dried bloodstains, shattered desiccated bones, mummified corpses left uncollected, various weapons casually discarded—a sight suggesting that the last exploration occurred at least several years ago, roughly aligning with the time the external wooden huts were constructed.

Fortunately, the ventilation in this underground space was decent, leaving no overly strong odor lingering.

Yet, what puzzled them was that the site showed no signs of what had attacked the pirates.

Instead, mingled among the pirate corpses were numerous shattered marble statues stained with the pirates' blood. It seemed as if, during their lifetime, the pirates had executed some deliberate destruction of the "arrangement" here.

"These statues should be antiques, right? The pirates truly wasted value—there's more than just gold and silver of worth in these ruins!"

Brought up in wealth, Milan, who had some expertise in antiques, was quite saddened by the pirates' actions upon seeing the broken statues.

"Be cautious! Whatever killed them could still be here."

All three were experienced Navy Officers, becoming vigilant the moment they saw the countless skeletal remains. Milan merely cursed verbally without taking a single step.

"Can you discern what it might be?" Milan surveyed the surroundings, always alert to movements in the darkness, while quietly querying Aiven. He understood that Aiven's abilities in these discernments surpassed his own.

"Some skeletons' bones are fractured throughout, yet the clothes remain intact. It seems as if strangled by some snake-like creature.

Some appeared to have undergone some blunt force trauma, like from rocks or warhammers? There are indeed similar weapons on the ground, though it's uncertain whether they belong to the pirates or the attackers—are there weapon-wielding humanoid intelligences involved?"

Aiven activated "Data Visualization" to carefully discern. Facing the mysterious ruins and potentially lurking enemies with unknown tactics, one couldn't be too cautious.

This also was one of the rules explorers needed to adhere to during adventures.

"It looks like they encountered a fierce skirmish here!"

In the interest of caution, Aiven called out in his heart, intending to summon sea birds to scout ahead.

Unexpectedly, a strong sense of resistance immediately arose from his heart, not the simple fear when facing the Evil God before, but something underground instilling extreme revulsion in them.

There was no way around it, as his Sea Bird Reconnaissance Spell wasn't a forced Biological Domination Spell and couldn't compel them to go against their biological instincts.

Aiven looked at Milan.

The latter immediately understood, closing his eyes for a moment before answering, "Continuing will encounter enemies, but the omen of death is not apparent."

"Keep moving forward, but be cautious!"

While they couldn't yet defeat the likes of White Shark Skuk, their reliance on their part-time Wizardry path and far more comprehensive Mystical Knowledge gave them the edge.

At least in exploring ruins, knowledge is sometimes more useful than force.

The trio slowed their pace, continuing forward, passing a stone platform in the middle of the circular hall, now collapsed and tilted on the ground, unclear what originally was placed atop it.

Clearly, if "White Shark Skuk" were the first visitor, whatever was on it most likely ended up in his possession.

Three exits spread across different directions of the hall, with the central large gate already open.

Glancing up at the ceiling, the leading Aiven pondered briefly before also proceeding through the open door.

Behind the door was a narrow corridor, with murals painted on the walls depicting various bizarre creatures—plants, animals, terrestrial and aquatic—some barely distinguishable from their real-world counterparts, while others seemed like hybrid species, making one reluctant to gaze at them.

It appeared as some kind of ancient laboratory for biochemical experiments, and even after hundreds of years, the murals remained vividly bright, creating the illusion that the owner might have been here just yesterday.

Tap.. Tap.. Tap..

Deep underground, in the silent void, nothing but several footsteps sounded. Despite the absence of "monsters" leaping from the darkness, the deep seated oppressive feel of the subterranean environment gradually intensified, along with the tension, creating a slight suffocating sensation, despite the clear air.

Inhale—Exhale—

With slightly heavy breaths, the trio smoothly entered another circular hall.

The layout and furnishings here differed little from the previous hall, with the ground scattered with pirate corpses and little else.

The arrangement and style were similar to the previous hall, but the ground held the remains of fallen pirate bodies, all beyond salvage.

The elite pirates had fallen, even though they had reached this place, proof that they couldn't escape their tragic fate.

"Did whatever killed the pirates leave already?" Milan wondered aloud as he eyed the empty hall, even more curious about the nature of their invisible attackers.

"I don't know about the enemies' traces, but you should look at the ceiling! I might have some guesses about this thing, though."

Following Aiven's cue, both Milan and Gary raised their heads, setting eyes on a complex and exquisitely engraved giant circular symbol on the ceiling.

"""

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