Following the guidance of [Map Navigation], Ye Chui, Debbie, and Gilga began searching for a way out. The red egg was stored in the [Storage Space] of Ye Chui’s grimoire, along with parts of the dragon ant queen’s corpse, which might also be valuable.
While checking the map for directions, Ye Chui continuously studied the layout of the entire Gods’ Ruin, searching for potential treasures.
Debbie had mentioned that there was something valuable inside the castle, though she didn’t know what it was. When she first entered the Gods’ Ruin, it was through a tattered teleportation array obtained by the Anduin family. The array was inscribed on an old scroll, which recorded that the Goddess of Wealth had hidden something in the castle.
On the map, Ye Chui saw the Stan Town adventure team rampaging through the castle. They soon encountered the magical guards, leading to a fierce skirmish. The team of over forty lost a few members, but fortunately, the guards didn’t pursue them relentlessly, resuming their patrols after a brief chase. It seemed the guards didn’t view the adventurers as true enemies, as if they had a more important task to fulfill.
This thought prompted Ye Chui to tap the screen, shifting the map to the eastern part of the garden area.
Debbie had told Ye Chui that the garden posed little danger, except for the eastern area. Though the entire garden’s vegetation had withered, the east was particularly desolate. The terrifying creature had been lingering there, and now, on the map, Ye Chui noticed a prominent red dot flashing continuously.
If red represented hostility toward Ye Chui, this was puzzling, as he hadn’t visited the eastern area since arriving at the ruin. The hostility of this red dot likely wasn’t directed solely at him but at all beings. This led Ye Chui to think of the devils that had invaded the divine realm, a chilling thought. Could those fearsome creatures still exist in this ruin?
As the trio was about to leave the intricate ant tunnels, a notification popped up on Ye Chui’s iPad grimoire.
[Video file updated. Play now?]
“Video file updated?”
Ye Chui was stunned. The video file was unlocked after viewing the time imprint. What caused this update? Could it be due to unlocking the map pack?
He waved to Debbie and Gilga to pause, then hurriedly opened the player on his iPad. The playlist still contained only one file, “Prologue: The Fall of the Dragon.” With a mix of excitement, Ye Chui played the file.
It depicted the devil’s invasion of the divine realm five thousand years ago, a scene Ye Chui had watched multiple times. He had thought if this were a game’s CG trailer, it would be a triple-A masterpiece. Originally twenty minutes long, the video now extended to over forty minutes. The update had completed the previously missing scenes from the time imprint.
Eagerly, Ye Chui dragged the progress bar to the twenty-minute mark, resuming from where the previous footage had cut off.
The devils invaded, and the Valkyrie confronted them. The Black Gold Flame Dragon was formidable but was ambushed by a red devil, its head severed in a single strike. The Goddess of Wealth, sharing Debbie’s name, rushed forward with her greatsword to battle the red devil. The newly added footage showcased this clash.
Gilga’s strength seemed insignificant compared to theirs. Their battle, if filmed in another world, would require top-tier special effects to capture, surpassing the limits of imagination.
Ye Chui had seen terrifying battle scars in the garden on Bullhead Mountain, marks left by the goddess and the devil’s fight.
These scenes made Ye Chui’s expression grow serious. Debbie and Gilga looked at him curiously. Gilga, puzzled, asked Debbie, “Miss Debbie, what’s he watching?” Outsiders couldn’t see the grimoire’s display.
“He said it’s some kind of short movie,” Debbie replied eagerly. “I don’t know what it is, but I really want to see it.”
The goddess and devil’s battle lasted about ten minutes, ending with the goddess as the victor.
Though the Goddess of Wealth heavily wounded the red devil, she couldn’t kill it outright. In the end, she waved her hands, casting a powerful spell. A layer of light enveloped the red devil, sealing it into a crystal.
The video was silent, but the visuals conveyed what happened. The petite Goddess of Wealth planted her greatsword beside her, gazing up at the massive sealed crystal. Her small face showed faint worry. The battle was over, and the other devils had been vanquished by the Valkyries. White-winged Valkyries landed behind her, and she seemed to say something, prompting them to kneel, as if making a vow.
At this, Ye Chui suddenly understood.
The flashing red dot in the eastern garden was the sealed red devil. The terrifying creature had guarded it for five thousand years. Perhaps due to an attack or the passage of time, only one Valkyrie remained, transformed into that horrific form to continue her mission.
Ye Chui let out a heavy sigh, but the video continued.
The Goddess of Wealth took flight, the camera following her. She reached the headless corpse of the Black Gold Flame Dragon, sprawled like a mountain range. Her tiny figure was dwarfed by its size. Placing her hand on a massive black-and-gold scale, she chanted something.
The dragon’s corpse began to glow, as if burning to ash, transforming into light. The mountain-like body dissipated, and a glowing orb formed in the goddess’s hand, shaping into a writhing dragonling. She flew to the dragon’s severed head, standing on a massive horn, and chanted again. A burning flame rose from the head, merging into the dragonling, calming its struggles. It fell into a deep sleep. The goddess held the sleeping dragonling, encasing it in a cocoon of light that formed a crystalline egg.
Her eyes seemed to glimmer with tears.
Legend held that the Black Gold Flame Dragon was the Goddess of Wealth’s mount, and her grief was evident. She gently kissed the dragon egg and, with a wave, sent it into the castle.
Then, she beckoned, and her golden greatsword flew to her side. Golden light enveloped her as she soared skyward, like a brave warrior heading to battle.
This battle was merely the prologue, marking the start of the five-thousand-year Godslayer War.
The video ended.
Ye Chui’s face was filled with shock, and a realization struck him.
“Debbie said summoning a heroic spirit or magical creature requires three things: a contract, a medium, and magic power. My grimoire has a card for summoning the Black Gold Flame Dragon, which must be the contract. Magic power is no issue. The only thing missing is the medium.” A thrilled expression crossed Ye Chui’s face. “The Goddess of Wealth somehow restored the dead dragon into an egg. That egg might be the medium to summon it!”
And that egg was inside the castle, the valuable item Debbie had mentioned.
Meanwhile, as Ye Chui discovered the medium for summoning the Black Gold Flame Dragon, the adventure team, having clashed with the magical guards, frantically found an exit. They emerged from the dark castle into the withered garden.
Coincidentally, their exit was in the eastern garden, just a few miles from the sealed red devil.
