Chapter 892
Light Amber
Although Zhu Tang didn’t hear Eivass’s whisper clearly, he could still guess the severity of the situation. “Since this ruin involves Pillar Gods and the Origin River, should we continue exploring upwards?” Zhu Tang cautiously asked Eivass, “Or… should we stop here?”
Upon hearing his words, everyone who had come over because the device was shut down due to a power outage fell into a brief silence. People like Vagrant and Little Cat, who were short on money, were more inclined to press forward. However, Zhu Tang himself was also desperate for money, and he was an expert in rituals. If even he was hesitant, it meant the problem was quite significant.
Most people actually wanted to continue. But in Star Antinomy, most “Archeological Mercenaries” were more willing to listen to advice, unlike the hot-headed archaeologists who lacked knowledge of the supernatural. As the saying goes, “different trades have different skills.” If a field becomes even slightly complex, it might deviate from one’s area of expertise. In an environment where any mistake could lead to a life-threatening situation, everyone clearly became more amenable to advice—at least much more so than outside.
For example, everyone had some ability to disarm traps, but none were as skilled as Little Cat, the master of traps. Therefore, if Little Cat declared a trap in a certain area to be dangerous and impossible to disarm, everyone would tend to believe the “expert’s opinion.” This was a lesson learned from the blood of their predecessors. In such a complex and dangerous environment, it was best not to be too stubborn.
However, since Zhu Tang had asked Eivass for his opinion, it meant there might still be a chance. Thus, everyone turned their gaze to Eivass, letting him make the decision. Even Master Amber, the main sponsor this time, chose to look at Eivass, letting him decide. Should they press on, at least to the fourth floor to retrieve the ancient device? Or should they call it a day and leave now? After all, the two gems left by the puppet guards at the entrance, along with the ancient runes engraved on the walls, in the gems, and in various other places, were already a significant haul. Professor Bard had taken many photos and even had physical evidence—this was an immense breakthrough for archaeology, extending human history directly back to the Amber Era, before the dispelling of language. Moreover, Eivass seemed to have obtained some kind of treasure from an unknown source, which was valuable in itself. At least it wasn’t a wasted trip for him.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Eivass fell into deep thought.
The Sky-Piercing Tower. Not only the place where the Great Philosopher ascended to godhood, but also the place where the Fallen Heavenly Envoy ascended… Realizing this, Eivass slightly frowned and looked upwards. In his pupils, contracted by the azure radiance from the ceiling, was a reflection of the lightning that had destroyed the Sky-Piercing Tower in the past. Undoubtedly, this kind of forbidden area was a “mistake.” If they continued to pursue the truth, it might even endanger their lives. The phantom that had appeared in his mind earlier might have been a residual warning. The lightning that destroyed everything in that phantom had likely not just destroyed the Sky-Piercing Tower. It had probably killed all the ancient mages within the Sky-Piercing Tower at the time, reducing them to ashes!
At this thought, a deep purple hue appeared in Eivass’s pupils. A strong sense of curiosity—and the thrill of clearly realizing he had grasped an opportunity—made him utterly convinced… this was also an opportunity to change the future. This was likely a secret history that the Ring Heavenly Envoy had not yet experienced and was unaware of! Just as the succession of Pillar Gods required one to overcome the predecessor according to their path and replace it with their own new path—but without the power of other paths, or if the former Pillar God made no mistakes, how could one easily defeat an old Pillar God who had ruled that path for countless years?
“Continue forward,” Eivass’s voice was unwavering. “Not just to the fourth floor—we’re going to the seventh, the eighth. I will protect you all, believe me. Follow me upwards for now, everyone. If at any time… for example, if we lose one of our members, and you feel that I can no longer protect you, we can turn back at any time, and I can escort you down alone. But before a real problem arises—I don’t think there’s any need to be afraid.”
After a brief silence, Vagrant was the first to respond. “…Since you’ve put it that way,” Vagrant yawned, “Let’s continue. To put it bluntly, everyone, this is an ancient ruin from before humanity was born… From what Mr. Zhu Tang and Mr. Pope have said, this is probably the place where a god ascended. Even if we die here, wouldn’t it be a noble death? It’s better than being caught in the conflicts outside and becoming mincemeat.” Vagrant’s words were sharp but held truth. In this increasingly chaotic era, where was truly safe?
“—I will also protect you all.” Just then, the taciturn Master Amber finally spoke. “Even if you die… I will resurrect you.” This was no longer a humble remark like “merely preserving life,” but a bold and audacious claim of resurrection spoken with utmost seriousness. He had clearly gotten serious.
Only now did Master Amber reveal the true purpose of his journey. “I hope we can reach the ninth floor. As the sponsor, I have the right to distribute the spoils of war. The unknown device on the fourth floor, when sold, can serve as your reward; I will not take any of the gems dropped by the guards at the entrance, nor anything else we obtain on other floors. I voluntarily give up all ownership. If you fancy anything, you can take it. You just need to pay a certain amount to the others, not to me. I only want one treasure from the ninth floor—”
“Treasure?” Eivass asked with interest, “What treasure?”
“Light Amber,” Master Amber replied. “It is said to be a fragment of the First Sun, or perhaps a fragment of the Second Sun. It is a wisp of light from the past, sealed in amber.”
“…That is indeed a good thing,” Eivass raised an eyebrow and said meaningfully, “Are you looking to trade with Amber?” He knew of this item—though in Eivass’s understanding, it appeared not as a treasure but as “currency.” After the first round of the Ouroboros Ring ritual ended, and the high-difficulty mode of the Heavenly Envoy subjugation battle began, a reward called “Light Amber” was given for each successful subjugation of a Heavenly Envoy. This included all high-difficulty dungeons in subsequent versions—as long as it was a Heavenly Envoy type, a certain amount of “Light Amber” would be dropped. This could be given to a “collector” to exchange for various miscellaneous rewards. Because the redeemable items were not very valuable—at least not from a player’s perspective—Eivass didn’t memorize the entire redemption list. It could be used to exchange for all the best-in-slot gear sets from the previous version, as well as limited mounts, pets, cosmetic items, and background music from past events. There were also resurrection potions, stat reset potions, and “face-washing water”—the most valuable of which was probably the “face-washing water” that could reshape gender, height, and appearance… that thing was worth quite a bit. The other items were mostly to reduce grinding or fill in regrets, unrelated to stats. They were primarily intended to prevent new players from having regrets.
However, Eivass had glanced at the description of this currency, and it was quite impressive: “The blood of the First Sun, the flesh of the Second Sun, the eldest brother of the Third Sun—this is the departed light sealed in amber. For most, it holds no value, merely a dim gem; but for some Preservers favored by Amber, it can be used to exchange for lost and forgotten things from times past.”
“—Do you have any regrets, Master Amber?”
“…Yes. As expected of the learned Pope, you know even this.” Master Amber nodded and said softly, “I had a precious treasure in my childhood, but it was lost later. No, to be precise… it was destroyed. It could never be repaired. But if I can please Amber, He can bring that item back for me from the past. So, no matter what, I want to obtain a piece of Light Amber… and it can only appear in the Amber Era.”
“That item is not very valuable, so I only need one piece. I don’t want anything else. If there are more Light Amber, I don’t need them. If someone meets with an accident, I can also resurrect them. I only hope that we can reach the ninth floor. I can sense that the nearest Light Amber is there.”
It was clear that Master Amber did not initially believe they could obtain Light Amber on this trip, so he had not revealed his true objective. This was obviously to prevent his precious treasure from being taken away—he had only come to scout this time, and it was uncertain when he would come again. If information about Light Amber leaked, it was possible that before he could arrive, these people might leak the information, or even organize their own expedition to dig for treasure. As a result, after Eivass joined, Master Amber felt that they might actually be able to reach the ninth floor. Therefore, he changed his original plan and revealed his true purpose to his teammates.
“I think it’s fine. What about everyone else?” Eivass looked around at the group. No one raised any objections. And so, the archaeological team set off again.
(End of this chapter)
