Chapter 139: Temple Ruins

In the eighth era, Twilight Calendar year 1192, mid-March.  

As a new blood moon cycle approached, Wade began the excavation of the Nameless Ruins. He left ten skeletons guarding the underground fortress, while the remaining fifty skeletons he brought to the vicinity of the ruins.  

They dug shovel by shovel through the soil, piling square heaps of sand aside using simple wooden frames fitted with wooden wheels.  

From new moon to full moon, there were about sixty days—during these sixty days, the wasteland remained relatively calm.  

No abnormal events disturbed their excavation work, and any wandering skeletons that came near were smashed away by Wade’s hammer.  

Six days passed, and the skeletons had dug down about eight meters.  

The excavated soil was piled into a circular earthen wall around them to block the wind-blown sand and wandering skeletons.  

A broken white stone pillar was exposed in their sight, covered only in straight vertical grooves.  

The deeper they dug, the more cautious they had to be. While digging, the skeletons also built load-bearing frames to prevent the earth from collapsing and burying them underground.  

Except during rest periods, Wade spent most of his time here digging.  

They unearthed some scattered stone fragments, with partial inscriptions on them.  

On the ninth day, he raised his wooden shovel and scooped a shovelful of earth.  

Faint moonlight shone down from above. He was in a place resembling a deep well. Beside the well, there were earthen steps about one meter wide and some load-bearing beams built from wood and stone.  

This was the last thin layer of soil. The skeletons detected a cavity below. Wade lifted the wooden shovel and tapped downward.  

There was the sensation and sound of hitting something hard. Digging revealed a stone slab buried in the mud.  

Tapping the slab produced a crisp sound, indicating a large cavity beneath.  

Wade signaled the other skeletons to clear the area and support the load-bearing structure with their bodies. He took down the round-headed mace from his waist and carefully concentrated his strength.  

The power of the soul battle skill could vary greatly. He tried to weaken the burning flames to reduce the battle skill’s force.  

The round-headed mace struck repeatedly in a very small area. After three consecutive strikes, the large stone slab, covered in mud, cracked open.  

Wade stomped hard, creating a hole in the slab.  

He then carefully widened the opening with small adjustments.  

He found a long wooden stick and poked into the hole like a blind man feeling his way. The stick soon reached the bottom. From the collision sounds, Wade judged the area below was solid with no risk of falling.  

But it was too dark inside to see anything.  

Wade tried lighting the stick on fire, but as soon as it entered underground, the torch went out.  

Inside this newly uncovered cavity, there was no air to sustain a torch’s flame.  

If only Mia knew the Light Spell. Little Ghost’s magic and talent were enough to learn such a spell, but no one had taught her how to use magic to create light.  

With no other option, Wade went back and found the glowing scale.  

The scale originally hung in his study as a light source, but now he had a carpenter make a wooden cage and fastened the scale inside to create a uniquely shaped lantern.  

On the tenth day, he commanded a skeleton to enter the hole.  

Wade tied together all the ropes he could find to secure the skeleton’s waist.  

He and others stood above the well, holding the rope’s ends. After signaling, the skeleton was lowered inside.  

The lantern was also handed to whoever held the rope. The skeleton entered the cavity like a miner exploring a shaft.  

If the skeleton risked falling, the rope could be used to pull him back.  

Although Wade couldn’t directly see inside, he could receive transmitted thoughts to know if there were traps or mechanisms.  

The continent held many relics left by ancient eras—mostly tombs and ruins. These maze-like ruins were often equipped with anti-tomb raider traps, and areas with high magical density often attracted monsters.  

Some adventurers made a living exploring such labyrinths.  

In the continent’s south-central region, many towns were built around mazes.  

Wade worried this structure might also have traps or mechanisms, so he sent the skeleton ahead to scout.  

Judging from the golem, the ruins in this wasteland were terrifying.  

Death here meant no second chance, so extreme caution was necessary.  

According to the skeleton’s reaction, below was a place resembling a corridor. The skeleton did not trigger any traps.  

No magical fluctuations were detected below either. It seemed to be just part of a building buried under the mud.  

After half a day of repeated exploration, Wade finally left the corridor.  

The skeletons formed a wall blocking his front. Though their bodies were damaged, their souls could return to Wade and find new shells. But if Wade died, their souls would lose shelter and dissipate with him.  

Wade raised the lantern, illuminating the dust-covered stone walls.  

Mia sat on his shoulder, looking around cautiously.  

The stone walls bore exquisite carvings. Although the paint had peeled off and various cracks appeared, the craftsmanship was still clear.  

On the wall before Wade was a carving of an elf holding a staff. The pointed-eared elf wore white clothes decorated with birds and flowers. This outfit closely resembled the mage remains Wade had found in the Thorn Forest.  

The chisel marks shimmered with gold, seemingly molten gold poured into the carvings.  

Golden lines outlined the figure, with even the eyebrows and lips detailed with hair-thin lines.  

This was likely a Silver Moon Elf priest, a solemn-faced elf holding a staff with both hands, looking sideways as if praying to something.  

Wade looked in the direction the elf was praying and saw a huge stone slab embedded in the wall. The slab was about seven or eight meters wide and four or five meters tall, set in a special space made just for it.  

Even after many years, the slab remained intact but covered in a layer of gray dust.  

On the slab was a giant tree, carved majestically, its canopy spreading in all directions, almost blocking the entire sky.  

Beneath the canopy, elves knelt crawling toward the giant tree in worship.  

The elves were tiny, only about the size of fingers. Under the giant tree were many small houses.  

It looked like a city, entirely sheltered under the giant tree’s shade.  

Within the city, scenes of elven life unfolded.  

Some sold tree fruits, poets played harps, and mages practiced fireworks spells.  

A group of elves held hands around a fountain, singing and dancing. Stone steps connected the houses of varying heights.  

Vivid scenes of daily life were depicted on this slab. Though each elf was only finger-sized, each had distinct expressions and movements.  

Combining this with the various stone fragments unearthed earlier, Wade suddenly understood what this place was.  

This was a temple ruin—the Silver Moon Elves’ place of worship. Under the protection of the giant tree, the elves sang and danced, depicting these scenes for worship.  

No wonder there were no traps or mechanisms. In places dedicated to elven worship and prayer, why would there be traps?  

Wade reached out and gently brushed the dust off the slab.  

The moment he touched it, he suddenly felt something.  

This stone slab seemed usable with the balance scale.  

Not that the entire slab could be exchanged. The scale couldn’t create or exchange matter, but could measure things like those faith crystals.  

Such things existed within this slab. Because the elves had long prayed before the slab, some power had condensed here.  

Though much of that power dissipated over time, some still remained.  

Without hesitation, Wade used the power of the balance scale to extract that power. When his palm withdrew, a weightless silver crystal appeared in his hand.