The Chaos Lands, a realm of confusion and obscurity. This was the place where the great wall created by the Hobbits stood, separating the Land of Light from the Land of Darkness.
Rumor said that no one who wandered into the Chaos Lands had ever escaped.
However, the outer edge of the Chaos Lands, the very region of thick fog before them, hid century-old mysteries. As long as one found the correct path, it was possible to locate the entrance to the Relics of the Hobbit.
After many millennia of exploration, humanity had managed to discover different routes. So paths led to the Relics of the Hobbit, others to ancient battlegrounds of various races, and so were shortcuts using teleportation to reach the territory of the Elves. But every path was filled with countless dangers yet to be unraveled.
At the mont, only the entrance to the Relics of the Hobbit was considered relatively safe. Even so, that place still contained innurable dangers and secrets no one had yet touched. Missions always walked hand in hand with risk.
The work of Hunters was to dance on the edge of danger while seeking out the mysteries of the world.
Legends also said that sowhere within this fog was a secret path known as the stairway to the sky, a set of steps leading to the floating kingdom of those who proclaid themselves the most devout believers of God, the Celestials.
As Silvanus walked, he thought quietly. At that mont, Sylus’s voice sounded from behind them. "The fog is extrely dense. Everyone, hold hands and do not lose your way. If you fall into the Chaos Lands, no one will be able to find you."
Silvanus turned his head and t Nana’s gaze.
She suddenly snorted coldly. "Don’t you dare touch , you filthy commoner."
Silvanus: "..."
He shrugged and paid her no mind. He simply jogged forward and grabbed the hand of a nearby Hunter.
Seeing Silvanus walk away without hesitation, Nana gaped in disbelief, her anger surging.
How could Silvanus dare to do that?! Could he not say a single decent thing?!
At that mont, soone also took Nana’s hand.
Nana frowned and was about to shout, but when she turned, she saw Mira’s gentle and beautiful face.
Mira blinked at her and spoke softly. "Sylus said that the two of you should resolve your conflict. The first thing you need to do is hold hands."
Nana: "..."
She couldn’t help looking toward Sylus.
He was walking at the very back with an expression as cold as ice. In the end, Nana looked back at Mira. "Don’t talk nonsense. Sylus definitely didn’t say that."
Mira laughed when she heard that. "That’s right, you’re still as smart as ever, Nana."
Nana frowned. "Don’t talk to like I’m a child."
"Sorry," Mira said softly, then smiled. "If you don’t want to, I can stand in front instead. The team has to hold hands anyway."
Nana frowned and was about to say sothing else when Silvanus, who was ahead of them, stepped back. He grabbed the hand of the nearest person and turned around, saying, "We have to hold hands, milady, stop sulking."
This ti, Nana did not fling Silvanus’s hand away.
She pressed her lips together and held Mira’s hand tightly. Her voice turned soft. "Thank you, Mira. We can handle it ourselves."
Mira smiled and nodded without saying more.
The group ford a long line, holding each other’s hands as they slowly followed the scarred man.
No one knew how much ti had passed. The fog around them gradually thinned, and the path ahead beca much clearer.
The scarred man stopped before a towering gate. Yet his gaze shifted downward, toward a staircase that descended deep into the earth. This was the entrance to the Relics of the Hobbit.
Silvanus noticed a glow ahead. Only when he reached the entrance did he understand where the light ca from.
The steps beneath their feet were not ordinary stone. They resembled large crystal slabs arranged into a staircase. Every ti soone stepped on one, it emitted light, a blend of gold mixed with a faint blue.
Silvanus looked at the rippling glow beneath his feet. The light reflected in his eyes as if tiny stars were dancing within them.
The person in front had already released Silvanus’s hand, so he let go of Nana’s as well. He slowly walked down the steps, his gaze fixed ahead at the gentle radiance carried by the shining stairs.
But the mont Silvanus fully stepped down, a powerful tremor shook the entire space.
The group stiffened in alarm, but the quake ca quickly and disappeared just as fast, as if it were nothing more than an accident. A mont later, everything returned to normal.
Silvanus tapped his foot against the crystal slab. There were no more tremors.
He imdiately leapt forward like a gust of wind, running down the stairs and heading ahead.
They were clearly underground, yet the place did not feel overwhelmingly dark.
Glowing crystal blocks shimred everywhere, though they only emitted faint light, nowhere near as bright as the steps above. They were not enough to illuminate the vast, shadowy space before them.
All around were either empty stretches of ground or machines so broken down that their original forms could no longer be recognized.
Fragnts of tal littered the area. So were piled up into mounds, others scattered everywhere, their shapes strange and unreadable. One could not help wondering what they would form if assembled together.
At that mont, a gentle voice sounded from beside him. "This kind of stone only appears in the Relics of the Hobbit. Places touched by their dim light are relatively safe. As for the dark areas, that is Hunter territory. We shouldn’t get close."
Silvanus turned. Mira stood upright and smiling, her silver hair seeming to shine even in the darkness. "You look unfamiliar with all this, so I thought I’d explain."
Silvanus nodded. He did not even have ti to reply before Nana let out a cold laugh. "Of course, he doesn’t know. He can barely read."
She dragged Mira behind her. "Don’t talk to him."
Silvanus paid them no mind. He looked around, excitent bubbling in his chest.
He had always dread of this, exploring the hidden corners of the world.
Even if this place was nothing but ruins, every piece was a mark of history.
At that mont, Sylus spoke. "You may explore the area, but rember not to step into the shadows."
The mont he finished, the group began to scatter.
After all, they were just a bunch of fourteen–to sixteen-year-olds visiting a place like this for the first ti. Even if they tried to appear calm, they could not entirely hide their curiosity and excitent.
Silvanus’s eyes had already adjusted well to the dim, hazy space.
He did not know what he was searching for. He simply kept walking forward.
Then a familiar yet distant voice suddenly echoed in his mind. "Didn’t think you’d make it here already. Look at the ground. There’s a surprise."
Silvanus froze for a mont. Outwardly, he stayed calm, but inside, he was questioning everything.
"That’s right, it’s , Nerio. If you want to talk, just speak in your mind."
Silvanus asked without hesitation, "How can you talk inside my head?"
"It’s just soul communication. You’ve interrupted my sleep enough tis already, so control yourself. And look at the ground. I said there’s a surprise."
The voice carried excitent and mischief, making Silvanus suspect the boy was about to stir up trouble again.
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