Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

Chapter 430: Chapter 226 Activated Ruins_3

There were some things they didn’t quite understand. For instance, who was the Markwa Empire?

Seeing their expressions, Lucilia knew they didn’t fully understand.

”Sigh. That’s why you all need to read more. Anyway, you just need to know that these ruins belong to the distant ancestors of a nation that existed 5,000 years ago.”

With that explanation, everyone understood. To put it simply, it was the ancestral civilization of an even more ancient civilization.

”Judging by the carved patterns and script used on these, this should be some kind of Temple.”

”Based on the legible script, combined with records I’ve seen before, if pronounced in their language, it should be...”

As she spoke, Lucilia uttered words in an unknown language.

That must have been the original name of these ruins.

So just how many languages does she know? Alka thought, somewhat helplessly.

He had probably learned seven or eight different languages from Lucilia, yet she could still speak many tongues he had never encountered. What he had learned was likely just a drop in the ocean.

The languages Lucilia had taught him were all ones she believed to be widely spoken.

As she finished speaking, a gentle breeze stirred around them.

This breeze made Julia, who was already slightly wary, furrow her brows.

”Be careful. The surrounding Magic Power concentration seems to have increased.”

No sooner had she spoken than the ruins beneath their feet began to tremble.

Just as they were about to leave, a surge of Energy spread out from the ruins.

They were instantly frozen in place and then vanished without a trace.

The entire process was incredibly swift, happening in the blink of an eye.

The ripple of spreading Energy alerted some other people on the island.

「In a peculiar little town, for instance.」

”Another Temple has been opened? Which little rascal is wandering about again?” a middle-aged man clad in leather armor and holding a book remarked.

Hearing his words, the people nearby who were mid-conversation turned their heads.

”Leader, should we send someone over to take a look?”

”Will it cause these beasts to riot again? Who knows what it might be.”

”Who knows? Maybe a meteorite will fall on our heads this time.”

”Enough with the cynical talk!”

”Cynical? Weren’t you hit by one as a child?!”

Listening to the surrounding chatter, the man addressed as Leader shook his head helplessly.

”Alright, tell everyone to stay vigilant. Increase patrols and make sure they keep an eye on their own little rascals. Bai Shi, take a team and go check it out.”

The man called Bai Shi nodded.

Then, these individuals began to act according to the orders.

「Meanwhile, Alka and the others, who had been rooted to the spot before vanishing, now found themselves in a strange space.」

”It’s so dark! Where on earth are we now?” Jason said, rubbing the large bump on his head as he looked around.

Tiny specks of light drifted about. Then, one by one, orbs of light, controlled by Chadite, floated out from her position, illuminating their surroundings.

Everyone got up from the ground and surveyed their surroundings.

”Is everyone alright?” Alka asked, turning his head to check on them.

Seeing everyone shake their heads, Alka counted them and nodded only after confirming they were all unharmed.

Only then did he begin to observe their environment.

They seemed to have landed in some sort of underground cavern, as their voices echoed slightly. This suggested the cavern was quite large and spacious. Of course, this much was obvious.

As more orbs of light floated out, the entire space became fully illuminated, allowing them to see the whole area.

They were in a massive cavern, having landed on some kind of platform. The platform was clearly artificial. It was circular, its stone surface polished perfectly smooth, and carved with visible patterns.

Very... regular.

Four bridges extended in a cruciform pattern, connecting to the central platform. Each bridge was about four meters wide and flanked on both sides by stone pillars resembling braziers. Upon closer inspection, each side of a bridge was lined with four such brazier-pillars.

Beyond the platform lay a pitch-black Abyss. Alka peered down into the bottomless depths and tossed a piece of loose stone over the edge, but he heard no sound of it landing.

From the Abyss below, four massive stone pillars rose, their tops supporting platforms level with the one they stood upon. On each of these pillars stood a statue of a human figure clad in full robes. Apart from their shape, no facial features or other details were discernible. These statues, each approximately 12 meters tall, were all posed as if cupping something in their hands, yet their hands were empty.

Apart from these, at the center of their platform, stood a stone sculpture resembling a Holy Grail.

The surrounding scene captured everyone’s full attention. They remained vigilant, observing everything.

”It looks like no one has been here for a very long time,” Jason remarked, looking at the human-shaped imprint he had left in the thick dust where he landed, and brushing more dust off himself.

Nearly every step they took stirred up clouds of dust. The sheer thickness of the dust was a testament to how long this place had remained undisturbed.

Alka stood still, frowning as he tried to recall exactly how they had arrived here.

”Could the reason we’re here be that unknown language Lucilia spoke?” Alka mused, somewhat uncertainly.

It was after Lucilia had uttered the Temple’s name in that incomprehensible language that the strange phenomena began. The Magic Power concentration had risen, a breeze had swept by, and then the vibrations and the subsequent wave of Energy had transported them to this place.

Hearing this, Chadite looked at Lucilia, who was dusting off her clothes, and asked, ”So what did you just say exactly?”

”Parshwa Temple. I just spoke the name of this Temple in a language similar to that of its civilization,” Lucilia replied.

She hadn’t expected that merely pronouncing the Temple’s name would activate something and transport them here.

”Never mind that for now. Let’s spread out and look for an exit. Also, check if there’s any danger around. Remember to watch your step—don’t fall off,” Alka said, then began to inspect the platform himself.

The others also spread out slightly, though they all kept a safe distance from one another and the edge.

Alka first examined the Holy Grail-like sculpture at the platform’s center. This Holy Grail sculpture stood about 1.5 meters tall and was completely empty inside. Unintelligible patterns were carved upon the Holy Grail.

Then Alka, Chadite, and Lucilia crossed one of the stone bridges that connected the central platform to the area beyond. The material inside the stone braziers lining the sides of the bridge had long since become unignitable.

Upon reaching the other side of the bridge, they discovered rows upon rows of seats. These were arranged in four ascending tiers, encircling the entire area beyond the central platform.

Other than that, this area held nothing special; there were no passages or drawbridges leading out.

This place seemed to be a completely sealed, massive underground cavern.

They had no choice but to turn their attention to the carvings, hoping Lucilia might discover something.

About half an hour later, the group reconvened at the center of the platform.

They began to share their discoveries with each other.