Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 266: Small Glimpse of History

Noticing the intermittent footsteps behind her gradually fading away, Evelyn turned around and looked at the silver-haired princess who had unknowingly distanced herself by several meters, gently touching her lips.

"Isn’t Princess Astrid interested in seeing that stele?"

Hearing the confusion in Evelyn’s tone, Astrid shook her head, one arm crossed over her chest, and the back of her other hand resting on her chin.

"There’s plenty of time; we can take our time to look around."

This storage room feels like a treasure trove to her. The spells that couldn’t be found in books were everywhere here, all annotated with concise and easy-to-understand English incantations.

Ice-breaking spell: significantly reduces the durability of weapons or tools.

By attaching free ice element particles from the air to the weapon, using infiltration rather than simple coverage, it ultimately guides one line of ice element particles to break, thereby completely destroying the attached object.

This relatively novel concept of spell was not recorded in textbooks, or perhaps Lady Gemini hadn’t translated this part of the spells, leading to their loss.

The only regret was that these spells were not graded, nor did they indicate the mental strength and corresponding quality required for Astrid to chant them. To fully release them, one must experiment carefully to ensure that one’s mental strength can withstand it.

It seems that the already limited evening self-study time has now added more tasks.

Seeing that Astrid was not in a hurry, Evelyn didn’t rush her. After all, she had come along to accompany Astrid, and it was fine if the other wanted to visit the storage room at this pace.

Moreover, compared to hastily seeking answers, this steady, step-by-step approach was more likely to win the favor of her teacher.

"Princess Astrid, feel free to ask me anything about Elders Speech. Although I can’t say I understand this language very well, I should be one of the few people in the entire Elizabeth Academy of Magic, or even the entire Valeria Empire, who knows it best."

Faced with such a confident Evelyn, Astrid nodded without saying much and continued collecting these spell incantations, whether written on special paper or carved on sturdy stone slabs.

’It seems that I’ll need to apply for more access to the storage room in the future, to facilitate experimenting with new spells, or simply copy them down on paper for a permanent record.’

Looking at the clear red eyes reflecting rows of Elders Speech incantations, with an extremely serious expression, Evelyn even had some strange thoughts, as if Princess Astrid really understood these Elders Speech.

How could that be... It must be just a coincidence that she’s so interested...

However, Evelyn, having attempted to translate Elders Speech herself, knew the difficulties involved, so this wild speculation lasted only a few seconds before being suppressed by her reason.

Princess Astrid is indeed very passionate about this subject, and having such a student is quite comforting.

Seeing Astrid so focused, Evelyn didn’t disturb her further. The two were separated by an aisle, although their purposes were not the same, both were looking at the historical artifacts sealed in glass cabinets.

Relying on the mage’s strong memory, Astrid quickly memorized nearly ten ice attribute spells and a few other spells that seemed easy and convenient to experiment with.

She stopped all mental energy transmission and silently repeated them in her heart, ensuring not a single word was missed before shifting her gaze from this section of literature.

Her mental strength was already limited, and these ancient spells were enough for now; there was no need to rush.

Leaving the area with stone carvings and slabs, Astrid came to a row of glass counters storing other artifacts.

Compared directly to understanding texts, these objects didn’t provide as much information to Astrid.

Broken pottery, fractured swords, faded clothes, and magic staffs that had long lost their crystal supply.

Seeing the notches and gaps on the ancient sword, and some hand crossbows with bumpy handles made of special materials, Astrid narrowed her eyes, quickly realizing an obvious reality.

Before the disappearance of ancient humans, their technological level should have been on par with, or slightly ahead of, the current era.

Of course, these were just the so-called modern "technologies" in her mind. In a world with magic and mental strength, they might have developed a different tech tree, such as the magical devices currently being developed by Charlotte, and with considerable achievements.

Thinking back to the goblin civilization that once flourished across the continent, as seen in historical literature, Astrid became more certain of her speculation.

Not just humans, but every intelligent race on the continent in the past might have developed remarkable technologies and magics, but all seemed insignificant in the face of that devastating disaster, easily wiped out, leaving only a few remnants to this day.

Adhering to the principle that the authors wouldn’t just introduce a setting and leave it at that, and that the protagonist starts with a bicycle and ends with a starship, Astrid had a very ominous premonition.

How far will Lyra go in the future? Will she be the legendary Spell Creator, or a strong person of a yet undefined higher level? And as she progresses step by step, how powerful will those threats to her be?

What does the existence of the chosen heroine mean for this era?

Is she the protective barrier of the Valeria Empire, the radiant Holy Knight, or the savior who uses her light to illuminate the entire land when disaster strikes?

Her thoughts briefly diverged, and Astrid quickly came back to her senses, knowing that considering more now wouldn’t solve any problems, only adding pressure and worries.

Regardless of the possibilities, improving strength is currently the most important, and only by becoming strong enough can one increase the probability of survival in the uncertain future.

To observe the various artifacts in the glass counters, Astrid walked forward along the arranged order, her gaze shifting, her high heels rhythmically clicking on the floor tiles.

In the elemental vision, most of the remains of ancient humans had lost any magical reflections over time, with only a few still retaining minimal spells.

Whenever Astrid sensed the presence of spells, her gaze would linger, scrutinizing for a while before moving on.

Entering the museum at two o’clock, more than an hour had passed unnoticed. Astrid looked up at the clock, ten past three, with the second hand just pointing at twelve.

Turning her gaze back to the glass cabinet in front of her, a deep blue metal accessory caught Astrid’s attention.

Among the numerous artifacts, it was the most conspicuous, others were generally covered in historical dust, rusted and weathered, while it shone brightly among them, like a gem fallen into a garbage dump.

"Miss Evelyn, I have a question," Astrid suddenly said.

"How do you determine whether something comes from before the new era or is a remnant of another historical period?"

The era of the past empire is equally distant, and with modern methods, it should be difficult to determine its era without Elders Speech annotations, whether it was before the founding of the Valeria Empire or even earlier.

Hearing this, Evelyn walked over to Astrid’s side, saw the metal accessory in front of her, and roughly guessed why she was asking.

"Mainly by the stratum and location of the excavation, and partly by the material and craftsmanship."

"For example, this brooch, its material doesn’t belong to any known mineral we are familiar with, and it has hardly been affected by the passage of time. The fineness of the inscriptions on its back is also beyond what today’s mages can achieve."

As a master of language studies, Evelyn’s understanding of historical humanities is also considerable, naturally aware of the splendid civilization of the ancient humans buried under soil and sea.

After hearing Evelyn’s answer, Astrid walked around to the back of the counter and indeed saw the finely carved patterns on the back of the brooch.

This deep blue brooch, like the deep sea, was quietly placed. Despite the existence of a barrier that isolates the dispersion of magic, it still gave a feeling of spreading coldness on a mental level.

Perhaps because Astrid stared at it for too long, she vaguely sensed that this exquisitely crafted brooch seemed to be emitting mana, attracting her to keep her gaze on it.

Was it an illusion...

This thought had just flashed in her mind when the deep blue brooch suddenly enlarged before Astrid’s eyes and occupied her entire pupil.

The next second, a few snowflakes fell on the blue gem at the center of the brooch, and then the perspective continuously expanded. A semi-transparent silk dress fluttered in the wind, and a strand of blue hair escaped from the robe.

Astrid was no longer standing in the storage room of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic but had arrived on a high mountain.

A stunning woman with blue eyes and hair, wearing a deep blue robe, was floating in mid-air.

The deep blue brooch was now hanging on the woman’s left chest, with intense cold air continuously emanating from it.

Shifting her gaze, beneath her feet were several small black shadows, which gradually enlarged as the distance closed.

When the figures became completely clear, Astrid saw the full appearance of the visitors. They were not humans with flying abilities, nor were they birds, but dragons flapping their wings to fly.

The leading dragon was emitting a blue light, with sharp teeth and claws, its spreading wings covering the entire sky, its vertical pupils staring intently at the woman on the high mountain, charging towards her with a knife-like cold wind.

Seeing this, the woman showed no emotional fluctuations, her snow-white face seemed covered with frost.

Just as the dragon was about to collide with her, it was as if a mirror appeared in the air, the dragon’s horn hit the mirror’s surface, making a sound like glass shattering.

The rippling space instantly swallowed most of the dragon’s body. Realizing the approach of death, the frost dragon uses its claws to resist the shattered space, constantly spewing cold air from its mouth.

At the same time, another pitch-black dragon attacked from behind. Its body was equally huge, like a mountain carried by the sky.

The dense magic of death and destruction emanated from the dragon’s back, even the water that was about to form ice crystals was engulfed by this aura of death, disappearing as if evaporated.

Sensing the wind coming from behind, the woman’s expression remains calm as still water.

She simply waved her hand, and when her hand passed, the sky and earth were separated by intense frost, one half of the lake turning into solid ice, the other half remaining in liquid form.

In this second, it was as if the physical laws of the world had been rewritten.

Before the dragons could react, millions of huge ice spears fell from the sky. The black dragon, seeing the ice spears almost as large as its body, roared and swung its claws, the spikes touching the ice like metal sparking, only the ink-like black air rushed into it, barely breaking through the ice.

However, beneath it, the other dragons were not so lucky. Their wings were pierced by the ice, and even their blood instantly froze, only able to continue flying with the wind magic provided by their companions.

"Grace... Grace..."

The dragon continued to roar and pounce towards the woman, like a knight charging at a windmill.

This battle stretched from the high mountain to the sea. As the deep blue brooch on the woman’s chest was knocked off by the battle’s aftermath and fell into the deep sea, Astrid’s spirit returned to reality amidst the bubbling sound of water.

"Grace..."

Astrid’s subconscious whisper fell into Evelyn’s ears, who looked at her in confusion.

"What is it, Princess Astrid?"

Her legs barely standing straight, Astrid’s gaze refocused, and the deep blue brooch remained in place, as if nothing had happened.

The woman with blue hair and eyes, the world-destroying dragons... and that strange dragon language...

Grace, what does it mean, a name or a brief magical word...

Astrid held her forehead with one hand, her fingers gently running through her silver-white hair, her pink lips tightly pursed.

It wasn’t an illusion; this brooch must have done something to her.

The scene just now feels somewhat similar to the dream she had some time ago, about Lyra and Amalia’s palace duel. She was still an observer, watching everything unfold.

Looking up at the clock, only five minutes had passed since her last observation. Although in Astrid’s consciousness, the battle between the dragon and the human lasted from afternoon to dusk, the flow of time in the real world remains unchanged.

Undoubtedly, the owner of this brooch was that mysterious woman who could freeze the sky and earth with a wave of her hand... What exactly happened back then...

Why was she fighting the dragons, and judging from the intensity of the magic displayed, both sides must have reached the Spellcreator, possibly even higher.

Is this the so-called peak of ancient humans?

If individual strength had reached such a level, how could they be easily destroyed by the so-called disaster, without even a trace of historical records from before the century?

All this... is too abnormal...