Chapter 57: The Laboratory of Ruins (I)

Ordinary orcs may be primitive and ignorant, but the ruling class, especially the shamans, are not stupid. Otherwise, the orcs would have been exterminated by humans long ago.

Although Terea had no clues, she used the most stupid method, which was to press the "remote control" to open the door on the way, just in case.

But when she arrived at that cave, she felt that it was really suspicious, so she decided to rest for the night and "push the button" tomorrow. She was afraid that there might be some kind of protective mechanism in the ruins, so she had to let the warriors in her entourage rest and get ready to explore again.

But she never expected to encounter a human night raid. When it ended with just the three of them, Terea thought of this metal token. If it really opened the door and released the guardian of the ruins, they would all die together. But she never imagined that the door to the ruins would open and that there would be no guards at all.

In fact, this was the reason why the orcs' research into the ancient magic realm of Gnosseriel was far inferior to that of the humans. Every supply convoy had enough escorts, and if you couldn't find the door even with the "remote control" in the hands of the strange creature, or if there was no door at all, why would you need guards?

The existence of the "lie detection" spell can prove that Terea is telling the truth, but Christine also understood that the reason she is here is most likely because her big brother told her to come and die.

Just say that this metal token has been in the Centaur tribe for so long, and Terea can check the information and find out what is written on it. It is impossible for her ancestors not to find out. Could it be that they never explored the remains of an ancient Gntheriel magic realm when they were confronted with it? I guess they didn't find anything.

Terea herself said that she is highly respected as a healing shaman in the tribe, which is normal. After all, people who can save lives are welcome everywhere.

The Orc tribe does not follow the human practice of primogeniture. It is based on strength. Whoever is able is the leader of the tribe. It is normal for a brother to send his sister to her death when he first takes power, for fear that he may not be able to hold onto it.

You must know that Roskilde Island is the front line in the battle between the humans and the orcs. It would be strange if the humans did not attack Terea after their scouts discovered her wandering the island with a large group of centaurs.

In fact, the humans had already sent an attack force, but Christine happened to get there first.

Terea may be an excellent shaman, and she may be able to read ancient Necssarius magical texts and have a strong learning ability, but that doesn't mean she's strong in power politics.

Now that we know what happened, there is no need to pay attention to this unfortunate centaur. Christine began to explore the ruins of the lab.

After walking a short distance down the only passageway, she saw warehouses on both sides. Judging by the traces left behind, there might have been some supplies here at the beginning, but some of them had already been corrupted by the power of time, while others had probably been moved away. The following rooms were probably inhabited by goblins or servants, and they had also been emptied.

It was obvious that this place had been explored. As for why Terea didn't know, that was normal. Whoever dug up a treasure would not talk about it. It was assumed that the old chief had only told his son about it before he died, and then it was used to frame Terea.

Further ahead is the laboratory, which has been so neatly dismantled that it is impossible to tell what it was originally used for. The only thing left is the power station. This is normal. Access to and from the lab depends on teleportation, and if it is dismantled, the people inside will not be able to get out.

In addition, there are many orc corpses, including centaurs and people of other races. They turn to powder at the slightest touch, so it seems that they have been here for a long time.

But even in this situation, Christine did not take it lightly. She and the thief Tam confirmed several times that there were indeed no traps before they felt relieved.

But even though the lab was empty, the remaining power plant was still worth exploring, so Christine told the others to take the two centaurs and leave first, returning to the ship and leaving only supplies and Terea behind.

Although Knight Eric Bernard was very concerned for Christine's safety, he was persuaded. The ruins were safe because no one else had a key to enter, and as for the way back, the Baroness had already proven her strength with practical actions along the way.

After sending the others away, Christine felt relieved as well. What she had said were all excuses, and in fact, while checking for traps, she had discovered a possible hidden secret room in the laboratory. Of course, this could not be revealed to others, no matter how loyal they were. Many divine arts and spells can make the dead speak.

As for having the thief Tam check it out, it was to cover their tracks so that everyone would subconsciously feel that nothing was wrong here, and how could a thief discover the secret room that the arcane master had set up. As for Terea, tying her up and leaving her in the teleportation hall would prevent her from seeing anything at all.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, you can understand that the entrances and exits of this laboratory are so secret, and the power plant is still working, so how could there be such a large room inside? The arcane practitioners of the ancient Gnostic Empire, despite their wealth, could not have invested so many resources in an unimportant laboratory.

Christine arrived at a warehouse that she had previously found using the zero-level spell "Detect Secret Door". She then cast the second-level spell "Knock" on it. This spell can open jammed, nailed, or locked doors, as well as objects targeted by seal spells or secret locks.

As the spell was cast, huge boulders, two feet high and three feet wide, retracted inward, revealing a passageway.

Christine used a spell scroll to equip herself with a number of protective and buffing spells such as "Mage Armor," "Protective Arrows," "Elemental Damage Resistance," "Shield Technique," "Lightness Technique," and "Jumping Technique" before stepping into the passage with her long sword in hand.

At the end of the passage was a hall. Although the facilities inside had fallen into disrepair, Christine still recognized it as the first floor hall of the Mage Tower.

If the structure here was the same as that of the Mage Tower, then she would be very familiar with it. After all, the structure of the Mage Tower had not changed much in the past ten thousand years. The doors leading to the outside of the Wizards' Tower could not be opened, nor could the doors to the storerooms. These doors, made of magical metal and protected by magical arrays, could not even be opened by Percussion or Fireball.

What's even more frustrating is that as long as the Mage's Tower has power, no Wall Piercing, Shapeshifting, or Portals will work.

Let's go to the power area on the lower level and take a look. Christine is curious what it is that supports the ruins of the lab and keeps it running. The orcs don't know, but she's already found out. The power plant outside may have some effect on the huge energy supply system, but it's just some effect.

However, she is still barred from entering, so she can only go to the upper level.