The Black Fog in Star Town was lighter.
The people could even see the sky thousands of yards high and the distant houses and roads, and for many, it was the first ti they had such a novel experience, which made them exclaim in amazent.
It was also the first ti for the Fire Guardian to leave the Underground City; he had placed the Residual Fire separated from the Guardian Fire in the plaza, serving as their temporary base.
Molly divided the people into several small teams, which spread out in a ring to search and deal with the residual monsters in Star Town and protect the logistical personnel as they cleaned up the town safely.
The first round of searching proved that Star Town was indeed empty, posing no threat, and the few monsters encountered were quickly slain by the warriors.
Ecstatic emotion spread among the team; none had expected that they could capture Star Town so quickly, truly taking the first step in expanding human living space.
The second round of searching began quickly.
This ti it was very thorough; the warriors would open the doors of houses and ticulously search every building and every corner.
The logistical personnel would then enter the buildings after confirming safety, ticulously cleaning up all decayed materials and bringing back valuable items for the researcher Mina to assess.
The plaza, fueled by the Residual Fire, was soon filled with various ancient artifacts.
They ca from the Starry Kingdom of fifteen hundred years ago, embodying the passage of ti and the sealing of years; even though they were severely decayed, one could still feel the residual warmth of history through them.
How had humans more than a thousand years ago survived in this dark world?
What sort of brilliant civilization had they developed, what strategies had they devised to combat the darkness, and how had they been devoured by darkness, disappearing into the river of history?
These questions concerned not only historians but everyone.
In such a dark world, with an uncertain path ahead and difficult choices for survival, a single misstep could lead to the death of countless people.
The ruts left by predecessors might inspire them, allowing the surviving humans to travel further and avoid catastrophic disasters.
Even a researcher like Mina, who was committed to pursuing the truth, was accustod to seeking answers in history.
And yet, the fact that Rod’s pioneering team did not include a dedicated historical excavator was a rarity, indicating that the Royal City actually had little faith in them, doubting their ability to reclaim Star Town in a short ti.
"Commander,"
Deep in Star Town, Rod and a few of the team’s strongest mbers were searching buildings together.
Molly, as usual, had possessed him.
"I have already sent a ssage to the Royal City asking them to send a professional historian here. Star Town is relatively intact, which could unearth a lot of important history, significant for our understanding of the Third Epoch," she said.
"Oh,"
Rod did not quite understand; he was, after all, a crash-course student, and despite constantly cramming various kinds of knowledge and common sense, there was still a great deal he did not know.
History was among them.
Molly continued, "Because of this, many schools will favor us, especially the Jinworth School; their influence is particularly great."
Rod listened quietly. Molly was like a super virtuoso, highly knowledgeable about everything, an absolutely top-tier assistant. Without her, the team simply could not function, everything would be in complete disarray, and her importance was second only to phit, making her the second most crucial mber.
What made her even more valuable was her unquestionable loyalty.
Her only flaw was her significant prejudice against phit, whom she considered a bane to humanity, and she strongly prevented any contact between him and phit.
Though Rod had discussed it with her a few tis, there hadn’t been any change in her stance; instead, she subtly hinted at so dishonorable cases related to phit.
"What a hassle,"
Rod thought.
"I’ll have to use my skills to change her views in the future."
Just then, he suddenly heard Beowood shout, "This is the Guardian Fire Sacrificial Ground of Star Town."
Everyone imdiately stopped in their tracks.
Rod turned to look, and before him was a square covered in dust, which looked very ancient. The surrounding buildings were sparse, making it appear very spacious.
In the middle of the square was a very large circular structure.
O’Hara expressed doubt, "This doesn’t quite look like a Guardian Fire Sacrificial Ground. It’s located to the west, not in the center of Star Town."
Conrad nodded, "That’s right, the Guardian Fire is generally in the very center of settlents; if unnecessary, it’s best not to adjust the range of the fire’s glow, as that would additionally deplete the fire’s power."
However, Hunter Ava noticed a different detail.
"The tradition of the Starry Kingdom is to honor the queen, and only important buildings bear the queen’s image. Look," she said.
All eyes followed her pointing finger.
Indeed, on the outer wall of the circular building, they saw a queen seated on a throne.
She held a staff in one hand and a sword in the other, her head crowned with the Starry Crown, clad in a robe adorned with stars, her face blurred, but her expression was severe and inviolable.
Anna also noticed sothing unusual.
"Look, there are fla symbols on the tiles below the building."
Molly said solemnly, "It seems we’re right, this is the Guardian Fire Sacrificial Ground of Star Town, where their Guardian Fire once burned."
Rod curiously asked, "What remains after the Guardian Fire has been extinguished?"
"The Fire Spark of the Guardian Fire and the Fire Embers.
"Can it be reignited?"
"Yes, to light a new Guardian Fire you need its Fire Spark, Fire Embers, Fuel Elent, and Fire Kindling."
The hunter, Ava, interjected.
"Most of our current Guardian Fire is derived from the Fire Sparks obtained from the Dark World."
Rod exclaid happily, "Then we can just light the Fire Spark here, right? We don’t have to transport the Guardian Fire from the Underground City."
Ava replied regretfully, "It might not be possible, the Royal City has a special thod for locating the Fire Sparks of the Guardian Fire. All the surviving Fire Sparks within two thousand miles have already been obtained by the Royal City."
Molly glanced at her subtly, "Ava, you really know a lot."
Ava smiled politely, "Thank you for the complint, Sister Molly."
A wisp of mist floated to Rod’s ear as Molly whispered softly, "Sothing’s off with her; this is advanced knowledge, not known to common folk."
Rod patted the mist, signaling her not to worry.
Captain O’Hara laughed, "You all are really knowledgeable, we are just rough and tough, not familiar with these subtle matters."
Conrad said, "Even if the Fire Spark isn’t here, the Soul Device that housed the Guardian Fire should also be here, and that is also a valuable item."
"Anyway, we’ll know once we go in and see."
O’Hara strode forward.
With a Pure Steel Body, his defensive capabilities were extrely strong; he was always the one to lead in dangerous situations.
O’Hara pushed open the heavy central door, dust scattering down, the sound of stones scraping the ground echoed far.
The doors were quickly opened, and everyone lifted their lamps to peer inside.
It was a very large space, very quiet, the floor covered in a thick layer of white ash, the terrain sloping downward, with a huge golden vessel at the center, covered in heaps of white ash which almost obscured its original appearance.
"That must be the Soul Device," O’Hara said, slapping the dust off his body.
"It looks safe."
Anna, forgetting her prior embarrassnt, exclaid joyfully, "With so much Fire Ash, perhaps the Fire Spark is still buried in there, shall we check it out?"
Rod, using the Eye of the Soul, saw that indeed there was no danger, and followed the others into the sacrificial altar.
The thick white ash ca up to their knees, this ash from the Guardian Fire had only one purpose—to serve as a base to protect the Guardian Fire.
It wasn’t precious or noteworthy, but it was indispensable.
Rod approached the golden vessel.
It was much larger than it appeared, half-subrged in the ashes.
It was roughly ten yards wide and taller than a man.
Such a large Guardian Fire was not common.
Rod curiously blew away the ash and lightly touched its edge.
Very cold, very cool.
Suddenly, a gray shadow burst out from the vessel, a flash of light zood past, striking Rod in the chest.
Very cold, very cool.
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