frightfiction Chapter 616 Stepping into the Ruins of Gül
Chapter 616 Stepping into the Ruins of Gül
"Ha! Go ahead and laugh at me all you want!"
Jade blushed and smiled, half angrily and half smugly, "Hehe, actually I don't really want to study."
"But Madam Babel forced us to study every day. She said that the children of Tanit should not rely solely on the desert road. Gilding will always be worn away by the wind and sand. True gold is deeply rooted in the soil and springs. So everyone should not only know how to kill...fight, but also know how to farm and study."
Xu Ning took a sip of wine, carefully pondering the words Jie De had said.
It's clear that this Babel chieftain is quite insightful. Although his vision is limited by this desert, he still has a general idea for the development of his tribe.
“Your clan chief is right. Reading more books can indeed help us a lot. Like now, thanks to the books you've read, we might be able to find the Mother of Spirits and then the Eternal Oasis based on the information hidden in those legends.”
Xu Ning's words finally made Jie De chuckle triumphantly.
"Tap tap! This is the ruins of the city!"
When the three of them arrived in front of a huge ruined building, Jade excitedly stretched out her hand to show it to everyone.
Xu Ning frowned. "What did you just say?"
Jade was taken aback, not expecting Xu Ning's reaction, and asked doubtfully, "I said this is a city ruin. I didn't make up this name; I found it in Adelphi's papers..."
Xu Ning hummed in agreement. For a fleeting moment, he seemed to think he had heard the words "program remnants".
If we compare this world to a computer, then what the Red King did was to rebuild a virtual computer architecture within that computer.
By placing seven pillars and fractal-shaped regions, the Red King recreated Teyvat's rule on his own territory, much like running a program to test the world's right and wrong.
Undoubtedly, the program malfunctioned and crashed, so what was left behind was naturally the "program remnant"—the shattered city of Gül.
That seems to make sense.
Anyway, we'll find out once we go in and take a look.
"Jade, you're too slow. I've been standing here waiting for you, and I'm getting sunburned."
A sudden shout startled Xu Ning from his deep thoughts.
Xu Ning was surprised to find someone already waiting there. He looked up at the stone steps and saw a burly man standing there with his arms crossed.
However, judging from his familiar way of addressing Jade, they are probably friends, not enemies.
Sure enough, Jade immediately turned around and mocked the man named "Asarig," saying that he was just secretly drinking and sunbathing by the ruins.
"Is this how you talk to your elders? You little grizzly cat, I'll bury your head in the ground to wake you up."
Jade and Asarig seemed to be very close. After exchanging a few playful insults, Jade introduced Belial and Xu Ning to Asarig.
Asarig laughed heartily, "I was out gathering information yesterday and couldn't host a welcome party for you all. I'm really sorry. I'll treat you to a good drink after I finish my work here."
Xu Ning smiled and nodded, watching Asarig's thoughts reflected in his left eyeglass lens.
"Heh, these two guys finally arrived. They didn't sleep well all night. The mistress is getting more and more terrifying..."
Xu Ning was somewhat taken aback. So, after Babel left his tent last night, she actually went to find him?
Hearing Asarig offer to treat her to drinks, Jade looked at him amusedly, "Why don't you wait for Xu Ning to treat you? His wine is better than any other in the tribe. This is Asarig, my senior in the Tanit tribe. I consider him an older brother; he's helped me a lot..."
Asarig sighed insincerely, glancing at Jade's hands clinging to Belial's arm. "Yeah, if she hadn't always treated me like a brother, we might have been even closer... But she still prefers hanging out with girls..."
"Aaaaaah! Stop talking nonsense! Don't let my friends misunderstand!"
Xu Ning looked at the somewhat exasperated Jie De with amusement, as if no one knew the truth.
"Haha, don't scratch me, it's my new clothes, your claws are so sharp... Alright, alright, let's get down to business. Madam Babel specifically instructed me to wait for you here and guide you into this city ruin. I'm more familiar with the outer area, I'll lead you for a while, so be sure to follow my steps closely."
Asarig led the three of them from the outer perimeter of the ruins toward the inside, explaining, "I don't know if Jade told you about our purpose here when we came—the Mother of Spirits."
Seeing Xu Ning nod, Asarig continued, "The Mother of the Spirits seems to be the only remaining sentient spirit, unlike the mindless ancient spirit fragments residing in our weapons. It can not only fulfill Jade's last wish, but it is also very important to our tribe."
"It is said that it can create fertile soil in the desert and bring in clear springs. With it, our tribe can grow healthily."
Xu Ning silently took a sip of wine in the back.
Judging from Asarig's words, if they found the Mother of Spirits, it would be best to hand her over to the Tanit tribe.
However, Asarig did not continue speaking, so Xu Ning did not ask any further questions.
"This is the gate to the temple."
Asarig led the group to a triangular gate.
The gate still features the familiar Red King style, the only difference from the Red King's Mausoleum being the addition of some pillar-shaped mechanisms at the entrance.
Asarig pointed to the mechanism and laughed, "This thing should open the door once it's cracked, but we're all roughnecks and don't know anything about mechanisms. However, we've seen other people hit these mechanisms hard, and they would turn in the right direction and automatically reveal the mechanism so we could open the door."
A mechanism that automatically deactivates when attacked? What kind of logic is that?
How can a machine be so intelligent when it's not a person or a trained animal?
Xu Ning was somewhat puzzled, but then he suddenly remembered the many core mechanisms he had collected in his pack. He had collected them after breaking through the mechanisms in the Crimson King's Tomb.
Because I can't find the "brain" of these mechanisms at all, what makes their intelligence even surpass that of ordinary animals?
Now, this kind of mechanism has reappeared in the ruins of Gül.
"In that case, what are we waiting for? Let me beat it up!" Jade was eager to try.
Xu Ning gently stopped Jade and asked Asarig, "Why didn't you open the door for us? It seems the chieftain instructed you to guide us..."