Time passed quickly.
Eight days had elapsed since Ye Chui, Debbie, and Green accidentally fell into the Gods’ Ruins.
As old Merlin predicted, on the eighth day, he traced Debbie’s lingering aura and opened a portal to the ruins. The old magic tutor looked exhausted, his wrinkled face bearing a faint smile.
Even for a space magic tutor like him, opening a portal to the Gods’ Ruins was a remarkable feat, filled with a sense of accomplishment.
He stabilised the portal above the ruins of the Wealth Goddess Temple, his eyes scanning the nearby onlookers.
“It’s ready, the space gate is stable. You can enter the ruins world from here. I can keep this gate open for at least half a month,” he announced to the crowd.
Word of the Gods’ Ruins adventure had spread through Stan Town, becoming the hottest topic in this remote town in years.
With Merlin’s words, the adventure into the Gods’ Ruins was about to begin.
Through the portal, everyone could see the castle corridor on the other side.
The mercenary team of Los, Gayton, Harley, and Matt craned their necks to peer inside, hoping to spot Ye Chui or Debbie. Perhaps they had been waiting on the other side, ready to emerge once the portal opened, and Los could assist them. But the other side was empty.
“They haven’t run into trouble, have they?” Matt said, his voice tinged with sadness.
Los glanced at him but said nothing.
She noticed the swordsmen and magic tutors preparing to enter the ruins, gathering together. Leading them was the town’s mayor, Cass, the strongest swordsman, alongside his deputy, a mysterious old swordsman who rarely fought, and a few skilled town guards.
There were also magic tutors from the Bull Magic Guild and the Goddess’s Kiss Magic Guild, including their leaders, Ryan, Mary, and Tatak.
The Blue Horn, the third major magic guild in Stan Town, had no one joining the adventure. Understandably, their eccentric, laid-back magic tutors likely weren’t fond of such dangerous ventures, even with their member Green trapped inside.
Some swordsmen and mercenaries from the Mercenary Guild also joined.
This formed a large group of forty-five people.
“Los, why don’t we join?” Harley said, eyeing the adventure team after a moment’s hesitation.
Anyone could sign up for the team, provided their skills weren’t too poor.
A flicker of temptation crossed Los’s face, but she shook her head, “At our level, we’d just be cannon fodder.” She saw it clearly, “There’s no place for us in this adventure.”
The others sighed, knowing she was right. But then Matt let out an “Eh?” and pointed at the team, “Isn’t that Riken?”
Riken, the first person Ye Chui met after crossing into this world, had tried to attack him and succeeded once, only to be defeated in return. Later, under the Bull Magic Guild’s control, Ye Chui duelled him and won unexpectedly. Subsequent events, with Ye Chui and Debbie defeating Ryan’s trio, challenging the Bull and Goddess’s Kiss guild leaders, and entering the ruins, overshadowed Riken’s loss, so no one remembered his defeat.
Losing a duel was humiliating, but being forgotten was worse.
Yet now, Riken had reappeared, standing with a grim expression among the Bull Magic Guild members, wearing a robe with their bull emblem.
Ryan, his face still swollen, had a hand on Riken’s shoulder, whispering something.
“Fire and water magic are the most useful for adventures, providing flame and water,” Los said, “Riken, as a fire magic tutor, was likely recruited into the Bull Magic Guild for this adventure, probably as cannon fodder.”
Los, Harley, and the others sighed.
They thought of Ye Chui and Debbie.
“Those two always pull off shocking feats. They should be fine in there, right?”
…
Ye Chui, Debbie, and Gilga had been in the dim, stuffy ant nest of Dragon Head Mountain for over a week. Time was hard to track precisely, but they could sense its passage.
The trio looked in good shape. Ye Chui and Debbie were spirited, their clothes clean, more like tourists than trapped victims. Gilga still shone brilliantly. For her, whether in life or as a spirit for millennia, these days were likely the most fulfilling.
The dragon’s breath in the Dragon Blood Stones, as Ye Chui named the dark gold stones, gave her indescribable power and joy, making her feel invincible.
Best of all, Dragon Blood Stones were plentiful.
Ye Chui’s magic tutor had awakened [Storage Space]. This spell had levels; the basic version created a small space in the magic book, only a few centimetres in size. With deeper understanding, the space could grow. Ye Chui didn’t need to study, he could expand it with points.
He had spent 100 points on [Storage Space], creating a space about three metres in length, width, and height, filled with Dragon Blood Stones, Dragon Blood Mushrooms, and other unidentified stones.
Inside the dragon’s head, even random items could be treasures.
Ye Chui had also downloaded other spells.
The legend of the all-powerful magic tutor intrigued him. He aimed to master all nine basic magic types, but his priority was unlocking the ruins’ map package. Besides essential spells like [Storage Space], [Flame], and [Water Flow], he saved points for others.
“268 points, 32 more needed,” Ye Chui thought, checking his iPad magic book. “No more downloading spells. One more wave of ants should unlock the map package. But we’ve seen fewer ants lately. Have we nearly wiped them out?”
“There’s something ahead,” Gilga said suddenly, her voice serious.
“What is it?” Debbie asked, hurrying forward. The tunnel opened into a vast space, pitch black. As Ye Chui and Debbie approached, Gilga waved her arm, casting bright golden light to reveal the cavern.
It was huge, filled with white eggs the size of human heads.
“Dragon Ant eggs?” Debbie recognised, “Wow, we’ve stumbled into quite a place!”
“So many eggs, the Dragon Ant Queen must be here too,” Ye Chui said. In the golden light, he spotted a massive figure above the cavern.
Compared to regular ants, the Queen was three times larger, fiery red with golden patterns. Her body seemed fixed to the ceiling, a swollen tail dangling to the ground, laying white eggs.
She noticed the intruders, her giant head turning, mandibles clacking with threatening “crunch, crunch” sounds.
“This must be the final boss,” Ye Chui said calmly, placing his fingers on his magic book. He and Debbie prepared for battle, then stepped aside, looking at Gilga.
“…”
Gilga, exasperated, drew her golden longsword. These two, really.
