Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 559 - 556

Chapter 559: 556

Ronald had always thought ahead about foreseeable matters.

The question now posed by the elderly wizard before him.

Was exactly a situation he had considered.

Ronald had no intention of denying his identity as an artifact holder, instead, he answered without hesitation,

"The reason is actually quite simple—I noticed the movements of the nearby merchants."

"A large amount of supplies began heading towards Barrier Mountain, and the number of casters around had been decreasing. Seeing such changes, as a person sealed in this godforsaken place, I couldn’t possibly remain indifferent."

"..."

Ronald’s explanation was very effective.

Upon hearing his words, the elderly wizard even showed a greatly approving expression,

"Excellent observational abilities, Wisdom adept at thinking, and the strong power of holding the artifact. Mr. Drake, at this most crucial time, you are exactly the talent we need at Barrier Mountain!"

Hearing the elderly wizard’s response, Ronald knew that things were going well.

Still, just to be safe, he continued to play along and asked,

"So, we are really going back?"

The elderly wizard smiled,

"Just like the history that has already happened, it is inevitable."

"Mr. Drake, you also know the importance of this matter. Given that time is of the essence, you wouldn’t mind if we both made the trip, would you?"

Ronald nodded lightly, then his gaze turned to the ground below.

Seeing just this gesture, the elderly wizard spoke with clear understanding,

"You can rest assured, that friend can be arranged to go with Sinovia. Right now, having an artifact holder join is the most important thing."

Ronald nodded,

"Then there’s no problem on my end."

"..."

Afterward, the two descended to the ground, the elderly wizard briefly instructed on the situation and then led Ronald through the side door, walking deeper into the passageway.

As the two of them went deeper,

The number of casters they encountered noticeably decreased, and they also passed through several narrow checkpoints requiring identity verification.

Their destination,

Clearly, was a very important place in Barrier Mountain.

During this journey, Ronald also managed to gather some information.

For instance, how the elderly wizard had been able to deduce his identity as an artifact holder, and the extent of Barrier Mountain’s research into mystical knowledge.

Firstly, regarding Ronald’s identity,

The elderly wizard had discerned the multiple spell enhancements in Ronald’s body using a technique researched by the academy. This complex and highly effective spellwork was precisely what gave the elderly wizard the confidence to make such a conjecture.

Regarding the research on mystical knowledge at Barrier Mountain... View the correct content at fr\eewe.bno vel.c(o)m

The elderly wizard didn’t reveal much.

But for Ronald, it was still absolutely shocking news.

Firstly, the researchers at Barrier Mountain had already organized over a dozen sets of language systems with varying details, basically able to perfectly interpret any artifact that came into their hands.

Then in terms of the essence of spells,

Because they were sealed in the "Infinite Negative Domain" itself as a drawback of the artifact,

The research institutions of Barrier Mountain boldly conducted destructive experiments with three artifacts, and had made breakthrough progress in understanding the essence of spells.

Hearing this information, Ronald was basically very certain of one thing.

The wizards trapped in the "Infinite Negative Domain" had indeed made astonishing progress in their collaborative research over the decades, and being sealed here had ironically become their biggest motivation for studying spells.

However, beyond that, there was one more thing Ronald was particularly concerned about.

—Artificial deities.

That mysterious ultimate product depicted in the church annals, which was surely also present in the "Infinite Negative Domain," the elderly wizard had not revealed a single word about it.

Before entering Barrier Mountain.

Ronald had tested Sinovia both openly and covertly.

The young wizard apprentice knew nothing about the existence of deities and showed no reaction to any of the tests. Considering the attitude displayed by the older wizard before him...

Ronald had reason to believe.

The one he had repelled on an island before was probably not faring well now.

"Alright, it’s right ahead."

"I’ve already informed some friends; Drake, you can get acquainted with everyone first." fre.eweb(n)ovel\.c om

When the two reached the center of the mountain peak.

The path before them suddenly opened up.

It was a vertical channel that forcefully pierced through the mountain from top to bottom.

Blue stone bricks, arranged in a spiral pattern, lined the surface of the passage, forming a spiral staircase connecting the upper and lower levels. For an ordinary person standing there looking up, the sky appeared as a tiny ring; looking down, the pitch-black tunnel seemed bottomless, as if it could devour one’s soul.

Witnessing this astonishing structure that pierced through the mountain,

Ronald, deep in thought, turned to the old wizard and asked,

"Have we reached our destination?"

The old wizard smiled faintly and pointed to an archway about thirty meters above:

"Do you see that? It’s right there."

"After all, this isn’t a combat meeting, so we don’t need to go to the circular courtyard at the top."

As they continued upward along the spiral staircase, the old wizard reminded Ronald,

"You see, this place that cuts through Barrier Mountain is called the Trial Well."

"A powerful barrier there forbids flying."

"If the academy faces a traitor, then the six-member council of Great Wizards will conduct the trial in the circular courtyard above, and the guilty will be pushed directly from the top. If by chance they survive, the council will forgive all their crimes."

"..."

Ronald couldn’t help but lean forward to look into the dark abyss below.

With his extremely keen eyesight, he seemed to see a hint of blood-red at the bottom of the Trial Well.

"If you don’t mind, I would like to ask..."

"How deep is this Trial Well, exactly?"

The old wizard turned around, smiled at Ronald, and said,

"From the mountain top to the horizon, it’s about four thousand five hundred kilometers."

Ronald nodded thoughtfully,

"I see..."

Yet, the old wizard hadn’t finished speaking:

"From the horizon down to the underground magma, there’s another depth of about twenty thousand meters."

"..."

This Trial Well of yours is truly sheer.

Leaving aside the absolutely fatal depth of over twenty thousand meters, there’s even deadly magma below; these conditions for forgiving crimes are even more severe than the medieval witch trials.

At that moment, a sudden question popped into Ronald’s mind.

He asked without hesitation,

"Such a deep place, could it be that we might dig into—"

Hearing this question, the old wizard gave Ronald an approving look:

"Upward, piercing the gaseous layer is just the dark void."

"However, downward, we haven’t reached the limit yet. Once you reach a certain depth below the ground, it becomes extremely difficult to continue further."

As the old wizard finished explaining, the two arrived at the previously indicated archway.

Stepping forward to push open the stone door, the old wizard said with a smile,

"Mr. Drake, welcome to the academy."

"..."