Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun looked at the relief and identified it as no longer showing the words "Ordinary Stone Relief" like it did in the previous illusion, and there was an additional detailed explanation.

[Relief Containing Special Laws]

Detailed explanation: A relief carved by ancient dwarf master craftsmen; you see some *** rune script; if your perception is high enough, you might observe something else;

"Is this yet another piece of information beyond comprehension?"

Su Lun looked resolute.

He was no stranger to this situation, as it had also occurred when he had appraised the divine-class Fallen Angel.

However, that was in the past.

His knowledge had now become incredibly vast, making it extraordinarily difficult to encounter anything that could surpass his understanding in this world.

Yet, unexpectedly, he had encountered another!

"How high-level must this rune script be?"

Su Lun thought this, and it stopped his initial thought of leaving. Discover exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

Looking at the relief, where a man hanging upside down saw something fall from the tree, he finally understood that it was indeed some kind of rune script, and its grade was outrageously high.

If it had been identified as a normal treasure, he might not have even batted an eyelid.

But this string of "***" genuinely piqued his curiosity.

However, upon closely examining the stone sculpture, Su Lun could not discern anything special about it.

Touching it felt the same way.

"Do I need a high enough perception to see it?"

Su Lun looked at the identified method, and a flash of inspiration struck him.

He had two things on him that could boost his perception.

One was the Dalu's "Poet's Honey Wine," which could temporarily enhance perception. However, this perception was more about inspiration for poetry; the drunker you get, the higher the perception.

In such a dangerously cursed space, he dared not drink himself into a stupor.

The other was the "Heart Stealer's Egg" he obtained before, which had been identified as also temporarily enhancing perception upon consumption.

High in protein, non-toxic.

Su Lun felt like the choice was already very clear.

He took out a fist-sized, translucent egg, slightly raising his eyebrows, reminding himself to just think of it as an egg.

He put it into his mouth.

It couldn't be swallowed in one gulp; he had to chew a few times.

He had thought...

Huh, the taste is surprisingly not bad?

It was somewhat like caviar, bursting in his mouth with every bite.

Su Lun felt slightly weird inside, having eaten rotting flesh before and now consuming a Heart Stealer's egg...always eating such bizarre things, was he straying further and further from becoming a bizarre foods host?

However, the effect was immediate.

After eating a Heart Stealer's egg, the world in his eyes suddenly became clearer.

It was an incredible experience, as if he could see the true nature of everything.

Su Lun focused his gaze on the relief and indeed saw some wave-like halos, as if some shadows were flickering.

He tried to concentrate harder to see clearly, but still fell somewhat short.

"Is my perception still not high enough?"

Su Lun thought of the reason.

Unfortunately, only one Heart Stealer's egg could be consumed, and the effects wouldn't stack.

Thinking over it, he could only take out the Poet's Honey Wine and took a sip.

He also muttered inwardly in his mind, hoping it wasn't like mixing antibiotics with alcohol, leading to poisoning or something.

He didn't drink much, but as the slight intoxication hit him, Su Lun's expression immediately grew excited.

Because in front of him, a hazy image appeared as if it were projected by a slide projector.

It was as if time was flowing, and he witnessed the entire process of this relief being carved.

Dwarven craftsmen, about a meter tall, had carved a huge stone into its current form, transporting it from a distant place to this temple. Then, light and shadow flowed, and countless giants moved back and forth before the stone carving.

It was like an accelerated video that vanished in an instant.

Then, it slowed down.

Before Su Lun, a human old man clad in a white robe stood in front of the stone carving, making hand gestures before the inverted relief.

Another look, and the light and shadow dispersed.

"What's going on?"

Su Lun was very puzzled.

That's it?

It seemed like he had seen something, yet also as if he had seen nothing at all.

The temporarily amplified understanding was rapidly declining, and the images before Su Lun's eyes became increasingly blurry.

The relief turned back into an ordinary one.

Just when he thought he had wasted a Heart-Stealing Demon Egg, Su Lun suddenly had an idea, "Maybe I need to try it out myself to trigger some specific conditions?"

He recalled the scene he had seen before, moved his position slightly, and then traced the trajectory of the old man's fingers on the stone carving, drawing an arcane symbol that connected end to end.

The first attempt didn't react.

Su Lun then concentrated dark spiritual power between his fingers.

This time, as he traced the symbol, it seemed to activate some special prohibition. On closer inspection, one of the carved runes on the relief emitted a bright glow.

"Huh?"

Su Lun watched in amazement; a mere stone had transformed into an item.

[Imitation of the Primordial Rune]

Details: ?????

It had just a name, followed by a series of question marks.

Seeing this, Su Lun, far from frowning, was overjoyed.

The words "Primordial Rune" were thunderous to any Rune Master!

The essence of runes was "patterns imbued with magic power," abstract concepts of various laws expressed through visual concrete patterns. By special combinations and arrangements, they created a variety of miraculous effects.

In ancient alchemical texts, it was recorded that when the creator crafted the world, the world's laws were in chaotic newly-formed states, not yet fully dissipated and evolved into everything, and these chaotic laws condensed into some symbols, known as "Primordial Runes."

This was recognized by alchemists as the origin of rune studies.

In various mythologies, such runes also appeared frequently.

This was something countless Rune Masters dreamed of obtaining.

It was said that glimpsing the true face of these "distant runes" would lead one to perceive the ultimate mystery of runes.

Therefore, seeing that the All-knowing Eye could identify this name made Su Lun very happy.

Even if it was an imitation, he felt like he had found a great treasure!

Although he couldn't understand it, the series of "?????" pointed out clearly that this was definitely a top-tier item.

Seeing this object, Su Lun felt that it was worth the near loss of his life.

Although he temporarily didn't know its uses, it was good to hold onto it.

....

Su Lun kept the rune and, seeing that the relief identified as [Ordinary Stone Carving Relief], he knew there was nothing more to take.

This giant city was more mysterious than anticipated, and it also hid opportunities.

But, the dangers were real.

Su Lun wasn't greedy and had already heard some minor noises nearby, sounding like distant monsters attracted by the blood scent here.

He left the temple, quickly walked up the steps in the square, and then arrived at the top of the huge palace.

Surprisingly, this palace had no signs of battle.

Just in the center of the great hall, a dark passageway leading to the underground was opened on a ground engraved with complex magical patterns.

The royal legion of Lei had clearly gone down.

After observing for a while,

Su Lun then carefully walked into the grand hall.

Upon entering, he noticed two rows of giant guards made of stone, armed with swords, spears, axes, and halberds, all stately and august in demeanor.

"Is that..."

Following his gaze through the palace, Su Lun had thought there was just a wall in the distance, but unexpectedly, it was a massive throne sculpted like a mountain!

Atop the throne, there sat a creature with a hundred arms and fifty heads.

Su Lun had thought the sculptures of the giant guards, several dozens of meters tall, were already imposing, but compared to the creature atop the throne, they barely reached its knees.

"A mythological Hundred-Handed Giant? Could it be that this city's former king was a Hundred-Handed Giant?"

Seeing this sculpture, a strong sense of mystery overwhelmed Su Lun.

The creature on the throne was like those from mythology, standing at the pinnacle of combat strength, capable of tearing dragons apart with its hands and trampling deities beneath its feet!

It was as if a chapter of history, long concealed by the dust of time, had been uncovered, invoking a profound sense of the ages in Su Lun's heart that stirred up exhilarating emotions.

No wonder those adventurers and navigators would risk their lives to explore various perilous places. Unraveling ancient secrets firsthand and enhancing their understanding of the world was indeed a gratifying and fulfilling endeavor!

Su Lun squinted and meticulously examined everything in the grand hall.

Thinking about it, he stepped into the dark subterranean passageway.

....

When Su Lun had previously extracted the Soul Shard from the "Abbas Thousand-Eyed Flesh Mountain," he knew about the existence of a dungeon here.

Therefore, after entering, the sight of the stairs descending into hell was not a surprise to him.

From the moment he stepped on the stairs, it was as if he had entered another world, with the aura of the dead growing denser around him.

Su Lun speculated that this dungeon was probably the key to sealing the "God Burial Ground."

Having been tricked by an illusion technique before, Su Lun was even more cautious now. He didn't dare to continuously share his vision with the crow he had released, for fear of seeing something he shouldn't.

The crow was smart enough; occasionally returning to relay some information enabled Su Lun to grasp what lay ahead.

Although progress was slow, it was safe at least.

This path leading to the depths seemed endlessly long and was devoid of any light sources, not even a crack in space.

The farther he descended, the fainter the red glow of the exit behind him became, gradually diminishing to the size of a sesame seed, and finally disappearing altogether.

Su Lun dared not create any light sources, as that would attract the monsters lurking in the darkness.

He found himself in absolute darkness.

Fortunately, he mastered certain Space Laws, which allowed him to discern the presence of the stairs under his feet, so his walk remained steady.

Su Lun stepped down, one step at a time,

the staircase seemingly having no end.

Absolute darkness, profound silence, the unknown ahead… these would instinctively activate the primal fear deep within one's heart.

He could clearly hear his own heartbeat and breathing, along with the thoughts in his mind.

If such a state persisted, those thoughts, like someone talking into your ear, became vividly clear.

It could cause ongoing hallucinations and fear.

But Su Lun was accustomed to this state of solitude and managed it quite smoothly.

"There's something in the darkness..."

In his perception, Su Lun keenly sensed some unusual spiritual fluctuations.

But perhaps because he bore no signs of life, created no source of light, and hardly made any noise, he did not disturb those existents lurking in the darkness.

There were also some unusual structures beside the staircase, looking like mechanisms.

Su Lun did not study what these mechanisms were, and carefully avoided them.

However, after walking for a while, he stopped.

"Am I trapped? No wonder I've walked for so long and haven't reached the bottom..."

In the darkness, Su Lun was expressionless, but not too surprised.

If this underground was indeed a place of sealing, then it was normal to encounter some prohibitions.

"It's not a visual illusion technique nor a physical labyrinth..."

Su Lun sensed for a moment and confirmed some things.

He stopped moving forward, propping his chin, and began to recall the path he had taken, thinking to himself, "every 305 steps, the staircase repeats itself. Have I encountered something like a 'Penrose Staircase'?"

He thought back to before he entered, when the All-knowing Eye identified a hint, "No wonder I felt that the space was abnormal... This space is chaotic indeed."

Because Su Lun was proficient in Space Law, he quickly noticed the anomalies.

Obviously, this was not the three-dimensional space recognized by senses; it might be a higher dimension, or perhaps several chaotic spaces intertwined to create this staircase that infinitely descend, yet one couldn't walk out.

In this fantasy world, such existences are not uncommon.

Sometimes, the senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch, and intellect could deceive the brain, giving out some incorrect judgments.

Trusting perceptions too much can lead to misjudgments.

That was probably what the designer of this labyrinth thought.

For example, this staircase in front of him, even spatial perception did not notice anything unusual, obviously, the restriction was very advanced.

Su Lun had not yet thought of a way to break the enchantment, so he released a thread from his hand, using a very primitive method.

The witch's hair had infinite length, no matter how complex this space, it couldn't be endlessly extensive.

He continued to move forward.

The thread was unraveling along the way.

In his mind, quite quickly, a route delineated by the thread formed; it gradually took shape not as a direct downward path.

Soon, Su Lun noticed something unusual.

He bumped into what his spatial perception identified as a "wall."

As expected, he successfully made his way out.

Su Lun looked at the structure in front of him, no longer a stairwell, and muttered, "A very clever spatial restriction. The designer even considered spatial abilities..."

At the same time, he thought of something and squinted, thinking, "Those people from Luying are very familiar with this underground palace..."

Since he hadn't encountered those people, it meant that they passed through very quickly and didn't trigger any mechanisms.

Clearly, they had a map, or perhaps a special method to decrypt it.

Su Lun tended to think the former.

It seemed that decrypting this labyrinth was not difficult for him.

But in reality, it was very difficult.

The ability to decrypt the space staircase just now was not a matter of superior or inferior rank, it required many special abilities.

If Su Lun hadn't mastered a multitude of knowledge and abilities, he really couldn't have escaped.

But at the same time, he was even more puzzled, where did those guys from Luying get their information?

Moreover, what are they here for?

.....

Su Lun's thoughts whirled in his head as he looked at the high passageway in front of him dense with roots, and soon noticed something else.

The passageway looked like the city walls outside, constructed from numerous huge blocks of stone.

The air was slightly moist, and tangled roots emerged from the rock crevices.

The identification revealed that these roots belonged to the Druid's Divine Tree.

"This timeline must be after the Dalu clan performed the Burial God Ritual. The ground is still from who knows how many years ago, so this is 500 years ago? What a chaotic timeline indeed..."

Su Lun slightly frowned, contemplated for a moment, and then stepped into the passageway.

He hadn't walked far when he saw a fork in the road, and more than one at that.

Su Lun knew this was an underground labyrinth.

He should have been more cautious, but intuition told him it wasn't necessary.

There were clear traces of a large troop having passed through on the ground, those people from the Luying royal legion, and it wasn't long ago.

Those people knew this relic well, Su Lun thought, following the traces would save a lot of effort.

As he walked along, Su Lun saw bloodstains and bodies in the passageway.

There were human ones and monsters' too.

The human bodies were naturally from the Luying royal legion, while those monsters' corpses were bizarre, some new monsters had appeared here.