The golden cores rolled in all directions, and Yang Yu kept an eye on their movements.

Before confirming it was safe, Yang Yu would never let his guard down lightly. These golden cores could recombine at any time and turn into new enemies.

Suddenly, the rolling cores came to an abrupt halt.

In the center of the vast space, a gigantic golden ring appeared.

Countless golden cores, as if summoned by something, rolled straight toward the golden ring and fell into it. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

A vortex spun within the golden ring, and a control console over a meter tall slowly rose up, appearing before Yang Yu.

A language Yang Yu couldn’t understand once again echoed through the empty space:

"!@#）!））&!￥"

Was it over at this point?

Yang Yu couldn’t be sure. While observing his surroundings, he approached the console.

The console that appeared in the middle of the ring was strikingly similar in principle to the ones Yang Yu had seen in the Luoze Empire, and the characters floating above it were identical to those in the book in his hand.

Not knowing what the console was for, Yang Yu didn’t recklessly fiddle with it. Instead, he had the thorny entrance he’d dropped earlier descend again, and went back to look for Bai Jin and the others.

Perhaps that console was exactly what was used to cancel the alert here.

If he messed around at random, he might trigger the alarms again. Having already defeated the guardian robots here, he wouldn’t gain any Experience or rewards; running the whole thing again would just be a waste of time.

The people searching the other floors encountered a situation similar to Yang Yu’s, forced to fight the "themselves" created from golden cores.

Fortunately, everyone had held back a bit and managed to defeat their mechanical doppelgängers without incident.

After briefly explaining the situation to everyone, the squad that had split up regrouped and followed Yang Yu to the final floor of the ruins.

Salt White Lamiya looked around at the multi-colored pipes and the incomparably vast space, quite astonished.

She had never come here before, nor had she ever heard her predecessors mention such a place.

But the console in the center of the golden ring was extremely familiar to Salt White Lamiya; she never expected this thing to end up here.

"Not bad.

I really didn’t expect you to solve so quickly a problem we haven’t been able to solve all this time.

Next, we just need to input a specific set of commands into this thing, and all the alarms will be lifted.

I’ll also, as agreed, teach you the method of draining Magic Power."

Yang Yu did not immediately respond to Salt White Lamiya. Instead, he looked at the multi-colored pipes one by one and raised a new question:

"It looks like these ruins are continuously transmitting Magic Power.

Even I, who am not a Magician, can very clearly sense Magic Power constantly seeping out from over there.

If this place were where Magic Power was being generated, the Magic Power should be transmitted directly to the outside world through here...

Which means this isn’t the place where Magic Power is produced?

Then where exactly is all this Magic Power coming from?

During the Magic Tide, Magic Power surged everywhere else, so why is this desert the way it is, and only this desert?

Could it be that something has been constantly stripping Magic Power away in the desert...

And where exactly did the stripped Magic Power go?"

"Who knows?"

Salt White Lamiya said perfunctorily, then stepped up to the console and carefully input a specific sequence of commands.

This time was different from all the previous times. Salt White Lamiya herself didn’t know whether the commands she entered would still work.

After entering them, Salt White Lamiya waited anxiously for the result.

The incomprehensible language echoed again, green light lit up within the ruins, and Salt White Lamiya secretly let out a breath of relief. It seemed they had succeeded.

The green light gradually faded, and everything in the ruins returned to normal. The disk that had carried Yang Yu down also turned into a Special elevator.

Anyone who stepped onto it only had to silently think of where they wanted to go, and the elevator would send them to the floor they desired.

After a quick search of the otherwise empty final floor, Yang Yu and the others set off back to the fourth floor, where all the sunken instruments had returned to their original positions.

Yang Yu examined the numerous compact measuring instruments, while Salt White Lamiya once again deftly operated the panel, opening a gap in the glass wall.

Salt White Lamiya called Yang Yu over and had him memorize the next steps of the operation so he could help her restore her original form.

To be safe, Yang Yu wrote down every step of the procedure with a pen and carefully followed the method Salt White Lamiya had laid out.

A wisp of greenish smoke slowly rose, and Salt White Lamiya, whose body had originally been small and delicate, nearly doubled in size as she stepped out of the machine.

Apart from getting a bit bigger, Salt White Lamiya didn’t look much different from before—still quite petite and youthful.

"Your Majesty the Queen, please double-check whether there are any mistakes in the steps you just wrote down for me?"

Salt White Lamiya slapped Yang Yu’s calf with her tail. Her serpent pupils glared fiercely at him as she spoke in a Charm-filled voice that didn’t match her appearance:

"This is what I look like originally!

I know what you’re thinking. I didn’t turn into what you imagined, and that disappointed you!

But I only look young.

In terms of actual age, I’m far older than you imagine, older than every one of you.

How old is the oldest person in your group?"

"I haven’t calculated carefully, but it should be close to eighty, right?" Yang Yu answered offhand.

"Eighty..." Salt White Lamiya paused for a moment, then caught sight of Iyas beside Lotcar. "You even have an elf in your group, I almost forgot about that. Just pretend I didn’t say that.

I probably won’t stay looking like this forever either.

...Obviously in granny territory age-wise, yet still treating herself as a maiden like it’s nothing, running around traveling with others."

Although Salt White Lamiya hadn’t said a single word directly about her, Iyas still felt like she’d just been roasted hard.

"That’s just how it is, elves are built like that as a race." Yang Yu offered a placating smile. "Since we’ve completed Your Majesty the Queen’s request, does that mean it’s your turn to help us now?"

"I won’t go back on what I promised you."

Salt White Lamiya folded her arms and pondered for a moment, then spoke again as if making up her mind:

"Fine, I’ll tell you about that thing’s existence too!

Weren’t you curious just now about certain things in the desert?

Why this desert is so Special—once you see that thing, you might get some inspiration.

Anyway, the Shark Catchers we developed are all based on that thing’s principles.

Since I’ve already decided to give you those things, letting you learn about it doesn’t matter.

But all of you have to keep this secret. You absolutely cannot casually spread what you see and hear to the outside.

If you can agree to that, I’ll take you to see that thing."

Yang Yu almost didn’t hesitate at all as he agreed to Salt White Lamiya’s condition. "Understood. We’ll keep the secret."