The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 366: Volume 7: Spring Thunder Awakens the Hibernating Creatures, - 3: Fox’s Tail

Chapter 366: Volume 7: Spring Thunder Awakens the Hibernating Creatures, Chapter 3: Fox’s Tail

Rebry could not explain the origin of the castle; in his view, the so-called Lord of the castle must have been an impostor, and there were likely other individuals hidden behind this Lord. The Magic Array was concealed expertly, using the Obelisk as a guiding object, and the symbols were all in ancient scripts—not noticeable to the common eye, and even if noticed, indecipherable. If he had not come prepared, he would have been unable to uncover the secrets of the Magic Array.

But this Magic Array clearly required a magical artifact to activate it, and might also be time-restricted. Rebry looked towards the sky, lamenting that it was broad daylight; had it been night, he would have been able to determine whether this Magic Array was the powerful, long-lost Ancient Starry Sky Magic Array that Mages talked about with such enthusiasm. It was said that it could easily transport people or objects across great distances in an instant, but nowadays, Mages who practiced Star Magic were rare, and it demanded considerable magical talent. Over time, this kind of magic had become scarce in the world.

The Puppet’s exploration did not yield much of value; from the ground floor Column Corridor to every room on the Second Floor, the Puppet had visited every nook and cranny without triggering any new mechanisms or bans. However, the subsequent search was incredibly fruitful for the trio. In a storage room on the east side of the first floor, they found over a hundred barrels of Grape Wine, each with a history of at least tens of years. The dry and cool environment was perfect for preserving wine, and the collection, which must have belonged to one of the previous Lords, was enough to make the three of them ecstatic.

In the living room on the west end of the Second Floor, various Pearwood furniture pieces covered in dust revealed their value with a single touch from the knowledgable Komer. He recognized that these antiques were at least two hundred years old. The style was rich in the Florenti Region’s southern mainland flavor, with exquisite craftsmanship and lavish carvings. Particularly the Carved long chairs, Recliners, and the Pleasure chairs used by Nobles in their debauchery, depicted slightly lewd scenes that the carvers had brought to life so vividly, even capturing the expressions on the faces of the men and women with exceptional precision.

The seemingly disorganized Library was the trio’s main focus. Upon first glance, they could see that it had been many years since anyone had paid attention to these rooms, which were filled with books. Surprisingly, almost none of the books were damaged by insects or humidity. Although many bookshelves had collapsed and books were scattered about, this did not distract the trio from their interest and scrutiny. Even though a quick scan did not reveal anything of value, Komer believed that such a large-scale library, even by Jazair standards, was noteworthy and hid many unknown secrets that would require quiet contemplation to uncover.

After a preliminary inspection, the trio began a meticulous search of the castle for other hidden features. The experience of Rebry and the Dark Knight proved invaluable. Perhaps due to their extensive adventuring, they were quite familiar with the structures of castles designed for Nobles and quickly discovered a hidden compartment in a room at the Northeast corner of the first floor. Rebry deduced that this should be an entrance to a Basement, and while the compartment was easily opened, even Komer felt the intense aura of Magic power from within. Clearly, there was a Magic Prohibition set, and a very dangerous double-layered one at that.

The corroding aura of Dark Class magic and the strong scent of Earth Element made them hesitate. The large earth-based Magic was set against the wall and depended on the castle’s structure; they could forcefully break it, but that might cause the wall to crack and the castle segment to collapse, a scenario they—especially Komer—did not wish to see. After discussing for a while, they decided not to disturb the Ban at this moment, agreeing it would be better to examine and study it thoroughly when settled and with more time.

In a large room at the Southwest corner, the trio found another clip wall, and Rebry’s sharp eyes amazed Komer. He had only passed through two rooms when he noticed the walls were disproportionately thick and deduced there was a clip wall hidden there. Using his specially crafted Magic Wand for detection, he further deduced that there should be a substantial passage below, although its destination and the secrets it held were not something they could guess. As expected, various hidden symbols and patterns on the outer wall of the room’s clip wall proved there was a Magic Array sealing the clip wall. Staring at the wall, pondering for a long time, Rebry concluded that it was an ancient Dark Magic, possibly related to Psychic Magic, but could not ascertain anything else, and even Dark Knight Sorrenberger surmised that there were likely physical traps and offensive mechanisms behind this Magic Array. A slight misstep could lead to the castle’s and their downfall.