Chapter 19: Whose Palm Print Is This?
"Not bad."
Standing at the foot of the mountain, enjoying the cold, biting wind, Joshua looked at the schematic projected by Nostradamus and nodded. "It looks good on paper. I just wonder how it'll turn out once the academy is actually built. Though I didn't expect you to have already finished designing the internal structure."
The old mage smiled faintly but said nothing.
In truth, he had conceived the idea of building a new academy nearly a decade ago. In recent years, he had even completed all the preparations. All that was left was to find a suitable location to begin construction. Not only had he drafted the internal layout of the academy, but in his years of boredom, he had even planned different decorations for every single classroom, along with several backup plans.
Meanwhile, Moria was also studying the schematic. He nodded in agreement as well. "It really is good. The conditions at Nissier Snow Mountain are excellent, and the location is very suitable."
"This mountain is mostly composed of rock. As long as we set up proper support points, we can dig inward and expand the space in the future. No need to worry about running out of room as the academy grows." As he spoke, he leaned in closer, studying the projection intently. "It's far from the Black Forest, the terrain is high enough, surrounded by uninhabited ice fields. The environment is quite good—a peaceful place for research and study… Actually, looking at it this way, the Rune Factory could also be placed here."
The old dwarf seemed to have more to say. He continued, "There's a river here, a lake here, and the mana concentration is sufficient. Once the academy is built, there will be enough manpower to maintain the factory… It really is very suitable."
Hearing Moria's suggestion, Joshua thought for a moment and also felt it was a good choice. After all, the Rune Factory was essentially just a semi-automated mana core and a complete production line. Aside from needing to consider the energy source for the core, the main structure didn't take up much space and could be built anywhere. If placed together with the academy, they could also build a waterwheel by the river to power part of the production process using hydraulic energy.
After all, mana was precious. If there were other sources of power, it was best not to waste it. Moreover, if the factory eventually produced goods, they could use the river to transport them downstream—simple and convenient.
After roughly finalizing the location for the academy, Joshua and the others discussed the surrounding environment of Nissier Snow Mountain for a while longer. Then, it was time to get down to business.
"Master, are you really planning to enter this lake?"
Standing on the ice layer of the snow lake at the foot of the mountain, Ying spoke with some concern. "I'm not worried about your safety… but what if you accidentally cause the surroundings to collapse?"
The girl seemed to have a slight misunderstanding about her master.
"Although my main reason for exploring this snow lake is my curiosity."
Joshua, who had already prepared himself and was about to enter the lake with Moria, shrugged in response. "Part of it is still for surveying the surrounding terrain—Alright, you need to trust your master. I'm not some maniac who goes around destroying things. This time, I'm doing serious work. You stay up here obediently and wait for me to return."
With that, under the watchful eyes of Ying and the old mage, he and Moria shattered the ice layer and entered the water.
The first thing they felt was a bone-chilling cold.
The lake water was around zero degrees Celsius, but water quickly carried away heat from the skin, making it feel even colder. Just after entering the water, Joshua noticed that the snow lake's water was incredibly clear—not a single visible impurity. It was as if some mysterious force was constantly cleansing it of any filth.
Noticing this, Joshua grew even more curious and quickened his swimming pace.
When they had dived to about ten meters below the surface, light no longer penetrated. All around them was darkness, devoid of any life or traces of fish. As they continued downward, it grew even deeper and darker, with only the silent, surging currents disturbing their sense of direction.
The deeper they went, the greater the water pressure. At a hundred meters, there was no light or sound—only the piercing cold and the endless, surging undercurrents.
Using life energy, Joshua could sense the old dwarf not far away, also swimming downward without pause. But strangely, even though they had already dived over a hundred meters, they still hadn't touched the bottom. And this was supposed to be just an ordinary snow lake.
Faint traces of mana emanated from deeper in the lake, disrupting the battle qi around them. However, both Joshua and Moria were Gold-rank warriors. Neither the water pressure nor the mana disturbances could truly affect them.
Although things were developing unexpectedly, Joshua still intended to continue exploring. He wanted to dive to the bottom and find out what was there. Judging by the old dwarf's movements, he seemed to have made the same choice.
Immediately, both of them accelerated their swimming, diving deeper into the abyss.
In the deep lake, it was as silent as death. An ordinary person would surely be driven to instinctive fear by the soundless, lightless, disorienting unknown darkness. But both Joshua and the old dwarf had experienced things dozens or even hundreds of times more terrifying than this. Such minor deep-water unease had long been cast aside.
Two hundred meters, three hundred meters, four hundred meters… Their descent grew faster, the water pressure increased, and the depth reached an astonishing level. What had started as a simple survey of the lakebed had unknowingly taken them over five hundred meters down.
This was simply unbelievable!
Moria stared into the dark depths of the lake. The deep, abyss-like color was as silent and terrifying as the void itself. He marveled inwardly, "Five hundred meters—that's practically a bottomless pit! How could a lake formed from melted snow be this deep?!"
Joshua shared the same thought. He carefully observed his surroundings but found nothing. So far, they hadn't detected any significant mana fluctuations. The mana crystal vein the old dwarf had mentioned seemed nonexistent.
At this point, they were about six hundred meters below the surface. The deepest part of the lake was unknown. Joshua found it very strange. Based on his senses, the lake water contained very few of the toxic substances typically found near volcanoes. In theory, life should have been able to thrive here. He couldn't help but think of Lake Baikal from his previous life—a massive freshwater lake in a snowfield, cold but teeming with fish. Yet here, there was no trace of life.
The two continued diving, as if unwilling to stop until they reached their goal. Fortunately, not long after, the warrior noticed a faint light ahead.
This light was so conspicuous in the dark depths of the lake. Joshua immediately signaled Moria to investigate. After swimming several dozen meters, they arrived above the light.
Under the glow of the bright blue fluorescence, they were delighted to find that the lakebed was right before them. But they had already dived over six hundred meters—more than ten times the previously recorded depth.
The source of the light was not hard to find. Joshua easily located the origin of the bright blue glow: a brilliant crystal embedded in sediment and sedimentary rock. At its core was a constantly rotating blue vortex, emitting a bright blue radiance.
It was a mana crystal of very high purity!
Excitedly clenching his fist, the old dwarf turned to Joshua. Using the crystal's light, he gestured underwater, "There must be more crystals around here."
The warrior nodded silently and continued searching for other mana crystals. As for Moria, he swam over to the crystal and began a more detailed examination.
Both were Gold-rank warriors. As long as they had enough energy, their bodies no longer required oxygen. They could stay submerged for as long as they wanted, so there was no rush.
Not long after, Moria let out a soft exclamation. He reached out and swept away the sediment around the crystal. A brighter light emerged as another crystal appeared before the old dwarf.
"An exposed crystal vein? No, this is five or six hundred meters underwater. It's not unusual for a crystal vein to be at this depth. But what kind of crystal is this?"
Thinking this, Moria reached out and touched the second crystal. He wondered, puzzled, "It's not a mana crystal, yet it emits light. It has a spiral pattern inside, and it's made of a material I've never seen before. It seems to be very good at storing energy…"
Meanwhile, Joshua, who had been surveying nearby, also noticed the light and swam back. When he saw the crystal Moria was touching, he was momentarily stunned.
Wasn't this the spiral crystal that Artemis had once used—a high-tier reward from the Church? As a practical item capable of converting three types of holy light, Joshua remembered it well.
Why was a spiral crystal here? Was it produced in the Northern Lands?
That was possible, but why had no one ever discovered it before?
"Joshua."
At that moment, the old dwarf spoke. His voice, carried by battle qi, traveled through the water. "The energy in these crystals seems to be sealed by some force. It can only leak out bit by bit. At this rate, it would take a very long time to fully enchant the entire lake."
"However long it takes wouldn't be surprising. Mountains have existed far longer than our civilization."
Joshua also spoke, and the two conversed underwater. "Even if it takes a thousand or ten thousand years, it's perfectly normal."
"The mountain might have existed for tens of thousands of years, but this lake is different." Moria's expression was serious. His golden eyes scanned the sedimentary rock beside the crystal. "Based on the traces of rock and soil here, this lake was probably formed only about a thousand years ago. Given the rate of mana leakage here, it's completely impossible for it to have been enchanted."
With that, he pried the bright blue mana crystal he had first discovered from the rock. Half of the crystal was still embedded in the rock, while the other half was in the old dwarf's hand. The brilliant glow immediately intensified. After being removed from the rock bed, the crystal's mana leakage rate increased several times over.
"The surrounding environment is very strange. I'm going to check it out."
Joshua looked around, frowning. He didn't pay much attention to Moria, who was busy testing the mana crystal. Instead, he floated up a short distance and condensed a ball of red battle qi flame in his hand.
The sudden intense heat vaporized and boiled the freezing snow water. Countless bubbles and a blinding light were released, stirring up powerful water currents. Under Joshua's precise control, these currents and light swept across the lakebed, clearing away the sediment and fully illuminating the surroundings, revealing a large area of the environment.
One after another, previously hidden crystals were stimulated. They began to emit brilliant lights of various colors. This seemed to trigger a chain reaction. Within seconds, the entire lakebed was lit up by the glow of mana crystals. A rainbow of light flickered, transforming the entire snow lake floor into a dreamlike scene.
"My god…"
Seeing this, Joshua was not moved by the magnificent spectacle. Instead, he drew in a sharp breath. "What is this?!"
He stared at the lakebed in shock. Thanks to the light of the crystals, the shape of the entire lakebed was now clearly visible. And that was the reason for the warrior's astonishment.
The shape of the lakebed resembled a handprint! A colossal handprint, with mana crystals forming its base!
Whose palm print was this?!