When the plot-skips players into the game world
Chapter 1120 - 448 Amber of Light

Chapter 1120: Chapter 448 Amber of Light

Although Zhu Tang didn’t clearly hear Aiwass’s murmur, he could roughly grasp the severity of the issue.

"Since this ruin involves matters like the Pillar God and the Source River, should we continue exploring further?"

Zhu Tang cautiously asked Aiwass, "Or... should we stop here for now?"

Hearing his words, the group, who had gathered after the power outage had shut down the device, fell into a brief silence.

Individuals like the Wanderer and Little Cat, who were more strapped for cash, still wanted to press forward. But even Zhu Tang himself was in financial need, despite being an expert in rituals.

If he was starting to waver, it meant the problem was likely serious.

Most people, in fact, wanted to continue moving forward. But in Star Antimony, most "archaeological mercenaries" were actually quite prone to taking advice; the ones who refused to listen were typically overzealous archaeologists who lacked Transcendent knowledge.

As the saying goes, "Every field is like a separate mountain." In more complicated domains, things often deviated significantly from one’s expertise. And in an environment where any small mistake could lead to death, everyone naturally became more receptive to advice—at least much more so than they would be outside.

For example, everyone had some level of skill in disarming traps, but no one could compare to Little Cat, the Trap Master. So if Little Cat declared that a certain trap was too dangerous to disarm, everyone tended to trust the expert’s judgment.

These were lessons written in blood by their predecessors.

In such complex and perilous surroundings, it was best not to act recklessly.

But since Zhu Tang had spoken up to seek Aiwass’s counsel, it meant there was still room for maneuver.

As a result, everyone turned their eyes to Aiwass, waiting for him to make the call. Even the Amber Master, their sponsor this time, deferred to Aiwass to decide.

Should they keep going forward, at least to the fourth layer to retrieve that ancient device? Or should they take what they already had and leave now?

After all, they already had two gemstones left behind by the puppet guards at the entrance, along with countless ancient runes carved into walls, gemstones, and every conceivable place. It was already a tremendous find. Professor Bard had taken plenty of photographs and even had physical artifacts in hand—which was a groundbreaking achievement in archaeology. This would extend humanity’s known history back to the Amber Era, before the disenchantment of language.

Moreover, Aiwass seemed to have acquired a certain treasure from somewhere. That alone was of considerable value and made this trip worthwhile for him.

Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Aiwass fell into deep contemplation.

The Tower of Heaven.

Not only the place where the Great Sage ascended to godhood, but also the location where the Fallen Celestial Marshal soared to the heavens...

Realizing this, Aiwass furrowed his brows slightly and looked upward.

The azure glow emanating from the ceiling reflected in his narrowed pupils, as though it contained echoes of the thunder that had once destroyed the Tower of Heaven.

Undoubtedly, pursuing such taboos was a "mistake." If they continued to seek the truth, they might very well face mortal danger. The illusion that had surfaced in his mind earlier might have been a lingering warning embedded in this place.

The thunder in that vision, which destroyed everything, was likely not limited to bringing down the Tower of Heaven.

It might have also annihilated all the ancient Mages within the tower, reducing them to ash!

Yet as he considered this, a trace of deep purple flickered in Aiwass’s eyes.

A burning curiosity—and an overwhelming awareness that he was on the verge of grasping a rare opportunity—made him utterly certain... this was also a chance to change the future.

This was most likely a forgotten Chapter of history unknown even to the Serpent Celestial Marshal!

Just as the succession of Pillar Gods required one to surpass their predecessor’s Path in order to overwrite it with their own, how could one easily defeat an old Pillar God who had ruled their Path for countless years without leveraging other Paths or waiting for the former to make a mistake?

"We press on."

Aiwass’s voice was firm and unwavering: "Not just to the fourth layer—we’ll ascend to the seventh, even the eighth layer. I’ll protect you all. Trust me.

"Follow me upward, everyone. And if at any point... say, if we start losing members, or if you feel I can no longer provide safety, we can always retreat. I’ll even escort you back alone if needed. But until a real problem arises—I see no reason to fear."

After a brief silence, the Wanderer was the first to respond.

"...Since you’ve put it that way," the Wanderer said with a yawn, "let’s keep going.

"To be brutally honest, everyone... we’re talking about an ancient ruin from before humanity’s existence. From what Zhu Tang and Mr. Pope have been saying, this might even be the place where a God ascended to divinehood. If we were to die in a place like this, wouldn’t that count as a noble end? It’s better than being ground to mush in some petty battlefield outside, no?"

The Wanderer’s words were sharp but not without reason.

In such chaotic times, where could one find absolute safety?

"——And I’ll protect you too."

At that moment, the usually silent Amber Master finally spoke: "Even if you die... I will bring you back to life."

No longer using humbler phrases like "preserving vitality," he stated with utmost seriousness his audacious promise to resurrect the dead.

Clearly, he was getting serious.

It was only now that the Amber Master revealed the true purpose of his journey: "I hope we can reach the ninth layer. As your sponsor, I have the right to allocate the spoils. The unknown device on the fourth layer can be sold as your reward; I ask for none of the gemstones dropped by the entrance guards, nor any other findings from the layers we explore. I voluntarily forfeit all claims to them.

"If any of you want something, take it. Simply compensate the others a little, no need to compensate me. All I want is a single treasure from the ninth layer—"

"A treasure?"

Aiwass asked with interest, "What treasure?"

"The Light of Amber."

The Amber Master replied, "It’s said to be a shard of the First Sun, or perhaps the Second Sun. A fragment of past light sealed in amber."

"...That really is quite the prize."

Aiwass raised his eyebrows, speaking meaningfully, "Are you looking to barter it for something with the Amber?"

He knew of this item—but in Aiwass’s understanding, it wasn’t viewed as a treasure but as a form of "currency."

After the first Ring of Ouroboros ritual concluded, and the hard-mode Celestial Marshal battles began, this item, the Light of Amber, was a reward for defeating Celestial Marshals. In subsequent updates, every hard-mode Celestial Marshal raid would drop a certain amount of Light of Amber.

This currency could be exchanged with a "collector" for a range of rewards, though most weren’t particularly valuable—at least not from a player’s perspective. So Aiwass hadn’t committed the full list to memory.

Among the redeemable items were legacy sets from past versions, exclusive mounts, pets, glamour items, and background music from discontinued events. Consumables like resurrection potions, class-reset potions, and cosmetic-changing items were also available—the most valuable being the cosmetic potion, which could alter one’s gender, height, and appearance... worth dozens of dollars.

As for the other items, they were mainly for easing grind or filling gaps, without impacting stats much. They were meant to help newer players avoid regret over missing out.

However, the description of the currency was something Aiwass had glanced at—it was strikingly grandiose:

"’The blood of the First Sun, the flesh of the Second Sun, the Eldest of the Third Sun—this is a fragment of light from a bygone era, sealed within amber.’"

Aiwass recited the description of the Light of Amber in a near-chant: "’To most, it is utterly valueless—a dull gemstone. But for Preservers favored by the Amber, they can exchange it for objects lost and forgotten in the streams of time.’

"—Are you harboring regrets, Amber Master?"

"...Indeed. As expected of the knowledgeable His Holiness the Pope, you even know about this."

The Amber Master nodded and softly said, "When I was a child, I had a treasure of great importance, but it was lost over time. No, to be precise... it was destroyed. It can never be repaired.

"But the Amber can bring it back, retrieving it from the flows of time as if it were never lost. That’s why, no matter what, I want to obtain a piece of Light of Amber... and it can only be found in the Amber Era.

"Its value isn’t high, so I only need one piece. I’ll ask for no more, even if more are discovered. If anyone here suffers an accident, I’ll ensure they are resurrected.

"I just hope we can reach the ninth layer. The nearest Light of Amber... is there."

Clearly, at the outset, the Amber Master hadn’t expected to find the Light of Amber on this trip, which was why he hadn’t revealed his true intentions.

This was clearly to protect his treasure from being taken by others—this expedition was originally just meant as a scouting mission, and who knew when he might return? If news of the Light of Amber leaked, these very people might assemble their own team and dig it up before he could arrive.

But after Aiwass joined, the Amber Master began to believe they might actually make it to the ninth layer.

So he changed his initial plan and chose to reveal his true purpose to his teammates.

"I think it’s fine. What about everyone else?"

Aiwass asked the group.

No one voiced any objections.

Thus, the archaeological team set off once more.