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n?Nula slowed her breathing to control her heartbeat as the corridor ahead widened, with vague signs of human workmanship appearing on the ground and walls, such as broken bricks and surfaces.

nThis place was once some kind of structure, perhaps even originally located on the surface.

nAs she proceeded, human traces became increasingly abundant and evident until, eventually, Nula found herself walking through what seemed like a largely intact, enclosed passageway.

nIt resembled the undercroft of a castle!

nWhat was this place?

nNula scrutinized the walls, which bore inscriptions of obscure runes, not resembling human script nor elven writing but a font Nula had never encountered.

nThe mystery of this place deepened.

nAfter a few more minutes of advancing, Nula reached the end of the corridor.

nUnguarded.

nBright light emanated from the terminus, with faint sounds wafting through.

nNula focused her attention, quickening her pace and cautiously approaching the passageway’s exit.

nWhat she saw was a complete hall! Just like the grand temples found on the surface, unimaginably, there was a temple hundreds of meters underground! .

nNula was silently astounded, edging out of the passageway along the wall.

nThe hall was vast, immensely so! Just at a glance, Nula could affirm that the area of this temple spanned no less than ten thousand square meters!

nTwo rows of pure white stone columns, thick enough to be embraced by two people, supported the vaulted ceiling of the hall.

nCountless similarly sized, plain white stone tiles covered the floor.

nEach tile was engraved with a fragment of mystical text, and when combined, the entire floor of the hall formed a massive document.

nIn the center of the temple stood a statue unlike any Nula had ever seen.

nIt appeared humanoid but was entirely black, featureless, with a form that seemed twisted and bizarre, as if devoid of bones.

nNula didn’t know which deity it was supposed to represent, but upon laying eyes on the statue for the first time, she felt a profound sense of unease.

nDo not approach! .

nAbsolutely do not approach!

nStay away from it!

nStay away from anything similar to it or related to it!

nHer intuition screamed at her.

nHer gaze continued to wander.

nMany cultists moved about within this great hall, which seemed to serve as a gathering place, yet not the entirety of the stronghold.

nNula noticed more passageways on the walls.

nCultists in black robes emerged from these, paying homage to the central statue from afar before dispersing to different areas of the hall to begin their tasks.

nThe entire hall bustled like a construction site, with hundreds of Eternal Flame cultists gathered, working in groups of five to ten around tables.

nNot a single person spoke loudly; all moved and worked in silence.

nNula observed them engraving something onto wood-like materials, then placing the finished items in baskets at the side of the tables.

nOnce a certain quantity was reached, a designated person collected them, and more wooden pieces were brought over to continue the process.

nThe wood they engraved appeared to be south oak, a common material known for its mana conductivity, often used as the primary material for wands.

nHowever, its performance is actually mediocre, with only above-average hardness and toughness, which is why it’s typically only used for wand cores.

nWere they processing so much south oak to mass-produce some kind of magical device?

nSuppressing her curiosity for the moment, Nula refrained from making any rash moves.

nInstead, she silently moved to an unoccupied corner and stealthily inscribed a series of simple runes on the floor.

nThis formed a very basic spell matrix that, once charged, could be used only once before the rune structure would dissipate due to the mana, automatically vanishing.

nSuch a technique is handy in scenarios where one needs to erase their traces, effectively eliminating any mana trail and leaving no opportunity for the enemy to pursue.

nThis time, however, what Nula prepared wasn’t a trick to disrupt pursuit but a matrix for the pure release of mana.

nSince entering the great hall, Nula had been exceedingly cautious not to emit any mana, fearing it might be detected, allowing others to pinpoint her location, which would spell disaster.

nNearly hundreds of cultists were engraving wooden pieces in the hall, an activity requiring a certain level of mana sensitivity, not something just anyone could perform.

nAt the very least, it would necessitate individuals with mana sensing capabilities, indicating that potentially all the cultists in the hall could be mana sensors.

nEven if only one-tenth of them were preparatory-level magi, the number would still be staggering, not to mention the magi hidden behind the scenes managing these individuals.

nNula was almost certain that the concealed manager was at least a level 3 magus, and she wouldn’t be surprised if they were a level 2 magus like herself.

nIt was evident to her that this stronghold was of immense importance to the Eternal Flame cult.

nThis mysterious temple was definitely not just a simple workshop; there had to be secrets she had yet to uncover.

nPulling up her hood, Nula moved to another corner and crouched down before activating the rune matrix.

nA surge of powerful mana burst forth, sweeping across the entire hall! By unleashing that single-use spell matrix, Nula aimed to test for any mana traps within the hall.

nMore importantly, she sought to identify the overseers of the space.

nThe sudden scan of the hall with an unfamiliar mana signature would undoubtedly provoke a response from the site’s overseers, no matter how obtuse they might be.

nAnd as soon as they reacted, Nula could pinpoint the overseer among them—that is, the person with the greatest authority in the stronghold.

nTypically, the individual wielding the most power also possesses the most knowledge.

nIf Nula wanted to quickly ascertain what was happening here, directly approaching the stronghold’s overseer seemed a wise choice.

nOf course, such questioning would likely extend beyond mere conversation, possibly requiring the persuasive edge of a blade.

n…

nEvents unfolded just as Nula anticipated.

nThe moment the mana wave erupted, virtually everyone in the hall reacted, indicating their ability to sense the vague sweep of mana.

nThen, someone sounded the alarm.

nDong—

nDong—

nDong—

nThe sharp ring of the alarm bell echoed throughout the hall.

nUp to this point, everything had gone smoothly.

nA sense of unrest spread among the cultists, who showed signs of distress at their respective workstations.

nThis was precisely the outcome Nula had hoped for.

nOnly in a chaotic environment could she find the opportunity to strike.

nAnd then, into this scene walked a slender man wearing a jester’s mask.

nBehind the figure wearing the clown mask followed several tall men, all donning plain white masks.

nThe aura of strength was palpable.

nThe moment the clown-masked figure appeared, Nula instinctively held her breath and forced her heartbeat to slow.

nShe was engulfed in fear.

nThe situation had surpassed her expectations.

nThe one wearing the clown mask was likely a level 1 magus, from whom Nula sensed a profound threat!

nEven if not a level 1 magus, the clown-masked individual undoubtedly possessed the capability to kill Nula.

nWhy would a magus with strength comparable to a fully equipped army of a thousand soldiers appear in such a minor place?

nWas it because of what those mana sensitives were crafting?

n“What’s happening?”

nUpon entering, the first action of the clown-masked figure was to expand his mana sensing, quelling the emotions of everyone present.

nThere were easily three hundred people in the hall, almost all mana sensitives, including dozens of preparatory-level magi and level 3 magi, yet the clown-masked figure subdued them effortlessly.

nNula’s estimation of the clown-masked figure’s strength rose even higher.

n“Report to the great diocese, a strange mana sensing has erupted in the temple! An outsider might have infiltrated,” a middle-aged man in a black robe, embroidered with three golden lines across the chest, stepped forward to report.

nGreat diocese.

nHidden and eavesdropping, Nula silently noted this title.

nBoth Nula and the organization she represented held a keen interest in the Eternal Flame, a cult of considerable size.

nOf course, the former was driven by a pure sense of justice and revulsion, while the latter eyed the vast network of interests behind it.

nNo one can exist in isolation; there’s always an exchange of interests.

nThis is the common language of all beings.

nThe fact that Eternal Flame has managed to survive and even expand in the southwestern territories for over a decade is inextricably linked to its underlying network of benefits.

n“A strange mana sensing?” The voice of the man in the clown mask paused briefly before continuing.

n“No need to worry, continue with the work. The temple is equipped with robust defenses. As long as that person dares to show themselves, they will definitely be captured. We don’t have much time left. If we cannot complete the ceremony by noon today, that will be the true catastrophe!”

nNoon?

nA ceremony?

nFollow current novels on 𝘳.𝑐𝘰

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