Chapter 55: Ancient Ruins
The three materials were quickly processed, and Su Xiao began to manufacture Sun God Apollo.
A flash of white light appeared in Su Xiao's hands, and a massive reaction occurred as the three materials merged.
Whoosh!
A wave of heat surged toward him, and a fireball formed between Su Xiao's hands, like a miniature sun. Some translucent crystal fragments floated beside the fireball—these were Soul Crystal fragments. The Soul Crystals acted as a stabilizer; otherwise, the other two materials would explode immediately upon contact.
The fireball hovered between Su Xiao's hands, sometimes expanding, sometimes shrinking. The compressed energy within was violent, and Bubu Wang, frightened, hid behind Su Xiao.
However, this was useless. Manufacturing Apollo within the Reincarnation Paradise was not dangerous, but doing so in this world was. If a mistake occurred, Su Xiao might even be killed by Apollo's explosion.
Apollo was undeniably powerful, but manufacturing it was too dangerous. If the energy within the fireball erupted now, it could turn Su Xiao into a gaseous state in an instant.
Su Xiao's concentration was razor-sharp. In the darkness, the fireball in his hands, which alternately grew and shrank, illuminated most of the Yixiantian Valley. The Apostle's Eye above closely monitored the surrounding movements.
After about ten minutes, a sphere the size of an apple appeared in Su Xiao's hands. Its surface was blazing red, like a small sun.
Putting away the completed Apollo, Su Xiao began manufacturing a second one.
Gurgle, gurgle～
The meat soup bubbled, and a savory aroma wafted over. By the time the venison stew was ready, Su Xiao had already finished the second Apollo. If he found himself in a desperate situation during the upcoming Contractor Free-for-All, all his enemies nearby would die.
Apollo's power was indeed formidable, but it had a fatal flaw: it required a full 30 seconds to detonate.
Once Apollo was activated, any Contractor with even moderately decent perception would immediately feel a sense of dread and flee quickly. Unless in a specific terrain, it was difficult for Apollo to exert its full power. More often than not, just as Apollo was activated, the enemies within the blast radius would escape, leaving only air to be bombarded.
But this wasn't without its benefits. If Su Xiao was in a desperate situation, he could take out Apollo and activate it. At that point, the enemies, sensing Apollo's terrifying deterrent force, might ignore the severely injured Su Xiao and turn to flee the blast zone, giving him precious time to catch his breath.
Moreover, Apollo could be deactivated within 10 seconds of activation. Beyond 10 seconds, it was impossible, and Apollo would be left to explode.
Putting Apollo away, Su Xiao gave this item a nickname: Big Pineapple. Before his enemies could kill him, he would treat them to a Big Pineapple.
This was no longer a simple fight to the death; Su Xiao was prepared to blow up the entire ship.
Inside the valley, Su Xiao and Bubu Wang each held a bowl of meat soup, slurping it down noisily. In this cold weather, drinking a bowl of hot soup was very comforting.
After filling his stomach, Su Xiao leaned against the stone wall, fiddling with a crystal vial in his hand. This was a gift previously given by the Dark Elf Princess, Anna.
[Essence of the Moon]
Origin: Dragon Soar Empire · Dark Elf Clan
Quality: Light Gold ~ Gold
Type: Recovery Item (Semi-Finished)
Effect 1: After drinking, restores 100% Health Points and 100% Mana Points within 2 seconds, quickly heals all injuries, and increases Nerve Reflex Speed by +2%, lasting 5 minutes.
Rating: 310+
Introduction: A not yet fully concocted potion. This is an imitation of the "Moon Marrow Essence," which can be re-concocted.
Tip: Re-concoction requires mastering skills such as "High-Grade Potion Manufacturing Lv.20" or "Alchemical Potionology Lv.20."
Tip: Materials required for re-concoction: Moonlight Concentrated Essence, Starlight Grass, Soul Crystal (Medium) × 2.
Selling Price: 86,000 Paradise Coins.
...
Su Xiao had previously thought this crystal vial contained a Gold-quality potion, but now it seemed otherwise. It was a potion between Light Gold and Gold quality.
If he could complete the re-concoction, the quality of this item would likely ascend to Gold quality. Of course, drinking it directly was also quite potent.
Putting away the crystal vial, Su Xiao had the ability to re-concoct it. As for the materials, after returning to the Reincarnation Paradise, he could substitute them with Paradise Coins.
Of course, this would depend on how intense the upcoming Contractor Free-for-All was. If the situation turned dire, Su Xiao would have no choice but to use this as a recovery item.
Resting against the stone wall for a while, Su Xiao continued on his way.
...
The next morning, while admiring the scenery along the way, Su Xiao noticed a stretch of crumbling walls and ruins ahead. The "Ortland" Ancient Ruins had arrived.
He encountered no enemies along this route, which explained why this mission had no reward.
Su Xiao walked toward the ruins ahead. Upon entering the "Ortland" Ancient Ruins, he realized it was an extremely vast ancient site.
The ruins had existed for at least several thousand years. Some of the standing stone slabs were beginning to weather, crumbling like tofu at the slightest touch.
The ruins were overgrown with wild grass, and a large number of vines clung to the broken walls. A few monkeys swung through the vines; this place was already their territory.
[Tip: The Hunter has entered the Ortland Ancient Ruins. You must reach the depths of the ruins within 2 hours and enter the Twilight Dynasty Palace.]
A virtual map appeared before Su Xiao, covering the entire ancient ruins.
The ruins covered a vast area, spanning 30 kilometers horizontally and 28 kilometers vertically, roughly forming a square.
Through the virtual map, Su Xiao noticed a circular disk at the center of the ruins, marked with "Twilight Dynasty Palace." That was his target.
Su Xiao plotted the shortest route and advanced toward the depths of the ruins.
As he gradually delved deeper, Su Xiao realized this place was originally the site of a kingdom—specifically, the capital of some ancient kingdom.
Most of the residential buildings within the ruins had vanished, leaving only some weathered gravel. The only well-preserved structures were a few large stone carvings or stone palaces.
A sense of decay permeated the ruins. The former prosperity was now nothing but stones.
The ruins could be divided into four zones. The outermost was the Grassland Zone, which was Su Xiao's current location. This was Zone Four.
Continuing forward was the Forest Zone. This area was filled with many trees, forming a ring-shaped forest that enveloped the two central zones of the ruins. This was Zone Three.
Passing through the Forest Zone, a dense cluster of crumbling walls and semi-weathered stone pillars appeared ahead. The terrain here was complex and intricate. If someone fled into these ruins, they would be difficult to find. This was Zone Two.
Su Xiao held a notebook, jotting down notes and sketching the general scenery along the way.
After passing through Zone Two, Su Xiao paused. Ahead of him was a stone slab plaza. At the center of the plaza was a bottomless circular pit, at least two kilometers in diameter. Below the pit was pitch black, with no end in sight.
Standing at the edge of the circular pit, Su Xiao could faintly sense malice emanating from the darkness within. A faint chill rose, as if something deadly lurked below.
At the center of this two-kilometer-wide circular pit stood an exceptionally well-preserved palace. This was the "Twilight Dynasty Palace," suspended above the pit.