Chapter 352: The Castle

The main entrance was protected by an array, impassable without the correct credentials.

Helag stood at the gate, studying it. Solving it himself would take a long time.

Time was something he didn’t have.

“Deep Blue, analyze this array and find a way to break it,” Helag instructed.

“Task logged. Analyzing and calculating. Estimated time: seven minutes.”

This array was much simpler than the previous wheel array, so Deep Blue wouldn’t take long to find a solution.

While waiting, Helag remained vigilant, watching for any disturbances, but noticed nothing unusual.

Seven minutes later.

“Task complete. Here’s the solution…”

Helag reviewed Deep Blue’s solution twice, finding no issues.

He began the process, and within ten minutes, the entrance array was broken.

The castle’s entrance array wasn’t designed to be overly complex, suggesting either nothing valuable inside or that the castle’s location didn’t require heavy defenses.

Approaching the gate, Helag pushed it open.

Dust fell and swirled, accumulated over countless years.

Waving the dust away, Helag entered the castle courtyard.

The ground was surprisingly clean, as if regularly maintained.

Helag knew this was due to the array, likely with an automatic cleaning function.

He observed closely upon entering.

Dust was only on the outer side of the gate; inside was spotless.

Helag crossed the courtyard, ascending stairs into the castle.

The castle had three floors, each with numerous rooms.

Helag entered the first-floor rooms, conducting a thorough search for valuable clues.

In the main hall, he found discarded items strewn about.

There were old notebooks, books, and some women’s clothing.

It seemed the previous occupants left in a hurry, as if fleeing.

Helag surmised they knew the pollution was approaching and left hastily.

This suggested the castle likely held little of high value.

After searching several rooms, Helag confirmed this suspicion.

Most rooms contained everyday items, indicating the castle was a residence.

Helag collected all the books, their unfamiliar script indecipherable.

He took them anyway, intending to study the language and content later.

Finishing the first floor, Helag moved to the second.

Here, he found what seemed to be a potion material cultivation room.

The room housed potted plants, now dead.

Most were recognizable, valuable potion materials.

Unfortunately, they were all withered, otherwise worth a lot.

The second floor yielded no discoveries, only unfamiliar books.

Helag proceeded to the third floor.

The third floor had fewer rooms, each larger, likely the owner’s quarters.

Here, he found valuable jewelry, gems, and ancient carvings.

Helag thought these could fetch a good price as antiques in the Land of Dawn.

Lacking expertise, he didn’t know their exact value.

He stored everything in his spatial ring, planning to inquire later.

But he wasn’t here for such items.

The castle’s preservation suggested it dated back to the wizard plane’s peak.

Helag hoped to find something valuable, as wizards of that era were far more powerful.

Many things from that time hadn’t survived, and the Land of Dawn’s power paled in comparison.

Helag searched the third floor thoroughly, using Deep Blue’s detection, but found no hidden rooms.

Reluctant to leave empty-handed, Helag stood by a window, looking down.

An idea struck him, and a scan with Deep Blue revealed a basement.

Helag hurried to the basement entrance.

The entrance was well-hidden; only after removing thick turf did he find the passage.

Helag opened the basement door and entered.

The basement entrance was guarded by an array, more complex than the main gate’s.

This indicated something significant inside.

“Deep Blue, analyze and break this array,” Helag ordered, recognizing its complexity.

“Task logged. Analyzing and calculating. Estimated time: twenty-three minutes.”

Breaking this array would take over three times longer than the main gate’s.

While waiting, Helag stayed alert to external disturbances.

He couldn’t focus solely on the task, risking missing outside events.

Waiting was agonizing, but eventually, Deep Blue provided the solution.

Helag quickly reviewed it, finding no errors, and began the process.

Five minutes later, Helag turned the doorknob, opening the door.

The sight inside stunned him.

The basement room was small, with a glass chamber floating in the air.

Inside, a piece of black flesh was submerged in green liquid.

Helag’s innate spell, Great Darkness, sensed the flesh’s vitality and strong bloodline power.

Though not as powerful as the Thunder God bloodline, it was the strongest he’d encountered, second only to the Thunder God bloodline.

“What kind of flesh can remain uncorrupted for so long…”

Helag felt the flesh pulsating with life, as if freshly cut from a powerful being.