Just like at the Black Bone Forest Academy, the library in the
What Leilin Farell was heading to now was the Four Seasons Garden's true secret treasury.
This type of secret chamber contained a vast collection of disciplines and knowledge only full Wizards were qualified to access, and the fees were exorbitantly expensive. Even Leilin, as he was now, felt a sharp pang in his wallet at the thought.
Although he could use the Chip to copy the contents, doing so still required time.
Leilin had calculated that even if he staked every last one of his Contribution Points, he could only manage to record about half of the chamber's contents.
His plan was to accumulate enough Contribution Points and then record all the academic materials in the chamber in one go.
But for now...
Leilin went directly to the library's second floor and shook the transparent crystal card in his hand towards an old, weathered bookshelf.
*Shua!* The bookshelf slid backward, revealing a narrow passage behind it.
Beyond the passage was a small library, with rows of black wooden shelves holding books of all bizarre shapes and sizes.
Some books had even sprouted arms and legs. If not for the iron chains binding them to the shelves, they might have stolen away.
Leilin didn't linger over these books. He had a specific purpose for coming here.
Finding the information he wanted amidst the sea of books would undoubtedly take a great deal of time, but fortunately, he had the Chip. In less than a few minutes, he located the information he sought.
"So that's how it is..."
Following the Chip's guidance, Leilin went to a corner and opened an exceptionally ancient-looking book.
The book was very thick and heavy, its cover the color of stone. It was immensely weighty. According to the Chip's analysis, the book was made from a special kind of primordial stone material.
And this technique belonged to a very peculiar, small ancient non-human race — the Stonekin!
This was a race that bore a strong resemblance to humans, but their skin was covered in a thick layer of calcium carbonate, as if the Stone Skin spell had been permanently affixed.
Leilin opened the massive stone book. On one of its pages, a rather peculiar magical array was meticulously recorded.
"That's it! It has over 90% similarity to the magical array inside the Soul-Slaying Sanctuary!" Leilin's eyes lit up.
In front of him, the Chip projected the image of the ancient magical array obtained from the Soul-Slaying Sect's secret chamber last time and compared it with the array recorded in this book. The conclusion was that the two shared over 90% similarity!
"Incredible!"
As Leilin read further, his expression grew increasingly grave.
Only now did he understand the purpose of the magical array he had seen back then — Teleportation!!!
The secret chamber containing the skeletal remains he had discovered during his escape actually held an ancient Teleportation Array that had survived to the present day!!!
This kind of teleportation array could instantly transport a
The ancient Stonekin had been the perfect slaves for ancient Wizards to construct these teleportation arrays. That was why information about them had been recorded by this race.
"So, the hidden compartment within that emergency passage... is actually the location of an ancient Teleportation Array?"
This thought made Leilin's breathing gradually grow heavier.
The South Coast was surrounded by various extremely dangerous regions. Some places were death traps even for Second or Third Level Wizards!
Precisely because of such dangers, the Wizards of the South Coast would rather engage in periodic internal conflicts to reduce their numbers than venture out to expand their territory and secure more resources.
Even if Leilin wished to move far away from the South Coast to find traces of the Central Continent, he had no way to leave!
But now, the emergence of an ancient Teleportation Array gave Leilin a glimmer of hope for solving this problem!
Furthermore, if his luck was truly explosive and he discovered a new continent beyond the South Coast, controlling this vital transportation route would bring him... how much profit?
"No! Stay calm! Calm down! Whether this ancient teleportation array is still usable, and what exactly lies on the other end, are still questions. To effectively utilize this teleportation array, all these issues must be resolved!"
Leilin rubbed his chin, calming his somewhat agitated emotions.
Immediately, he took out a slightly damaged notebook from beneath his robe: "These things should provide some answers in this notebook..."
Inside the compartment of the emergency passage, Leilin had not only discovered an ancient teleportation array, but also found what appeared to be the remains of a high-ranking member of the ancient Soul-Slaying Sect near the array. Furthermore, among the remains, he had found some fragmented items and this notebook.
Shortly after his return, Leilin had ordered the Chip to record the entire contents of this tattered notebook.
Unfortunately, the language used in the notebook was not any of the types the Chip had on file, which caused Leilin considerable trouble in his attempts to decode it!
"The black-robed freaks who enjoyed enslaving spirits liked to use a very strange language and script to issue commands. If we failed to understand, we were subjected to torture. Because of this, we learned the name of that damned language — the Turing Language!"
In the Stonekin's book, Leilin had found such an entry.
"No wonder the Chip couldn't translate the contents of the notebook. It's the Turing Language!" Leilin had a moment of realization.
The Turing Language was an extremely obscure ancient tongue that used specific sound waves and light to convey messages. Even its script was vastly different from other languages.
And within the Chip's database, the Turing Language had not been included.
"The Turing Language?"
Leilin circled several bookshelves and finally, in a corner, discovered a few books that appeared to be in the Turing Language. One of them even seemed to be a brief introductory primer specifically for learning the language.
"Chip, scan!"
Thrilled, Leilin opened one of the books immediately and ordered the Chip to begin recording...
"Master, it is time for dinner. Shall you dine here? Additionally, your Contribution Points have been completely exhausted..."
Leilin was immersed in the sea of knowledge, constantly using the Chip's assistance to translate and reconstruct the contents of the notebook.
Broadly speaking, it was the story of a mad Wizard who continuously used spirits to create Gegewu, only to suffer the backlash of his own experiments, filled with deep regret.
But what delighted Leilin most was that towards the end of the notebook, he found several diagrams that resembled an ancient teleportation array.
Based on these diagrams, combined with the Chip's calculations, Leilin could fully test whether that teleportation array was still operational.
In a much-improved mood, Leilin didn't bother with the librarian's interruption. He simply spoke to the crystal card: "Understood. I'm coming out immediately!"
Ignoring the old man's deep bow that nearly touched the floor behind him, Leilin strode briskly out of the library.
"Chip! Based on the data just obtained, what is the status of the recorded ancient teleportation array?"
Leilin asked tensely in his mind.
*Ding! Task established. Accessing teleportation array data. Comparison in progress...* The Chip's mechanical voice sounded immediately.
On the virtual screen before Leilin, a vast amount of text and image data flashed by. Dominating the center was, of course, the image of the ancient teleportation array recorded last time.
*Ding! Comparison result: Teleportation array completeness 98.8%. Energy slot empty. Status of the other end unknown, unable to calculate!* The Chip's reply made the smile on Leilin's face grow even wider.
Although the troublesome Gegewu might still be lurking in the sanctuary, Leilin estimated that since it had been sealed for so long, it would be desperate to escape as quickly as possible. The secret chamber compartment was also very well-hidden. It was quite possible that the array had been preserved.
The most critical issue was still that energy slot!
"Even the power source for an ancient teleportation array wouldn't escape those few options! Chip, what does this teleportation array require as a power source?"
Leilin asked.
"Magic Stone Essence! Or substances rich in high-concentration Negative Energy Particles!" the Chip replied, as expected.
"Magic Stone Essence? Would Magic Stone Cards be sufficient?" Leilin asked.
*Ding! Stored energy within the materials is insufficient. Concentration and refinement process required. Estimated raw material needed: over 10,000 Magic Stone Cards!* The Chip's reply made Leilin stumble.
"Ten thousand Magic Stone Cards? A single Magic Stone Card is worth over a thousand Magic Stones! Ten thousand cards would cost at least ten million Magic Stones!"
Over the past year-plus, Leilin had accumulated his wealth using every method at his disposal, operating in both legitimate and illicit circles. The total value of the Magic Stones and materials he possessed now did not exceed five million!
And now the Chip was asking for double that amount!
Furthermore, the Chip specifically needed Magic Stone Cards. Leilin would have to convert large quantities of materials, magical items, academic knowledge, potions, etc., into usable Magic Stones. With such urgent demand, any transaction would result in him being fleeced mercilessly!
"With so many Magic Stones... I'm afraid only a few of the major Wizard factions' resource sanctuaries could possibly hold such a reserve..."
Leilin then shook his head. "This isn't something I can indulge in daydreaming about right now. Besides, there's no pressing need to take such a risk. Even the Wizard War is currently confined within the Ganges Secret Realm, with little impact on the outside world!"
The ongoing Wizard War was primarily a contest for control over the Ganges Secret Realm, and the various conflicts were taking place inside that realm.
As Leilin speculated, the prize was too great for any single faction to claim entirely. In the end, it would inevitably result in each major power securing its own portion.
And what the Four Seasons Garden and the other factions needed to do was fight for their share!