Chapter 477: The Upper Realm (IV)

She studied the valley, releasing a thin stream of crimson energy through her spiritual senses.

After several seconds, her eyebrows furrowed.

"You’re right. The mana is indeed flowing inward, but the effect is so faint that I would have missed it if you hadn’t pointed it out."

Elira closed her eyes and concentrated as well.

Her expression changed a moment later.

"That’s strange. The Mana isn’t merely gathering there. Some of it seems to be disappearing before it reaches the center."

"Exactly..." Gray nodded.

Scarlett rose to her feet.

"Then we shouldn’t rush inside. If an old formation is still active, we need to understand what it does before approaching the center."

"Agreed," Elira added. "Especially if the other academies have already discovered something."

Gray smiled.

’Good. At least I won’t have to convince them to be careful.’

He had no intention of rushing into an unknown formation simply because it might contain something valuable.

Rare treasures were useful, but dying inside an ancient ruin before he had the chance to obtain them was a rather poor investment.

He preferred to investigate first.

Then take whatever he wanted.

The three of them descended from the ridge and approached the Ashen Vale from the eastern side, keeping to the broken terrain to avoid exposing themselves to anyone inside the ruins.

Scarlett led the way, using her bloodline’s perception to watch for nearby cultivators.

Elira followed with the map in hand, comparing the surrounding terrain against the information gathered from the outpost.

Gray walked behind them, paying closer attention to the Mana currents than the physical landscape.

The closer they moved toward the basin, the stranger the energy became.

The pure mana surrounding them gradually thinned, but it was not being consumed evenly.

Some areas contained almost none, while others held faint pockets of energy that seemed unnaturally dense.

It reminded him of a formation designed to draw energy from a large region and redirect it toward a central point.

However, the structure was old enough that several of its channels had collapsed.

’Someone built this on a considerable scale.’

He studied one of the broken stone markers beside the path.

A narrow line had been carved across its surface, almost hidden beneath moss and dirt.

The mark looked like a simple decorative symbol, but when Gray examined it through his [Spirit Eyes], he noticed a small amount of Mana responding to his attention.

He crouched.

Scarlett immediately stopped.

"What did you find?"

Gray brushed the dirt away from the marker.

"A formation marker, I think. It’s damaged, but there’s still a trace of energy inside it."

Elira knelt beside him and examined the carving.

"I’ve seen similar markings in old Upper World ruins. They were used to anchor large formations, though this design looks considerably... more complicated than the ones in my family’s records."

"Can you identify it?" Scarlett asked.

Elira shook her head.

"Not without more information."

Gray placed two fingers against the carving and released a tiny thread of Mana.

The marker responded.

For an instant, a thin silver line emerged from the stone, extending toward the center of the valley before fading into the air.

All three of them watched it vanish.

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed.

"So the formation is still connected."

"At least partly," Gray replied.

"And whatever it was designed to do, it hasn’t stopped working."

He stood and examined the surrounding terrain.

The direction revealed by the marker led deeper into the ruins, toward the same area where the Mana currents were disappearing.

It was also the direction in which the strongest traces of the Upper World students’ presence seemed to lead.

Elira folded her map.

"Then we have two reasons to investigate. The students may have found something, and the formation itself could be valuable."

Scarlett nodded, although her expression remained cautious.

"We’ll proceed slowly. If we encounter the other groups, we observe them first. I don’t want to fight several academies at once before we understand what they’re doing here."

Gray gave her an approving smile.

"An excellent plan, Princess."

She glanced at him suspiciously.

"Why does it sound as though you’re pleased with yourself?"

"Because I enjoy working with competent people."

Elira laughed.

Scarlett rolled her eyes, but she did not argue.

They continued toward the ruins.

They found the first group of Upper World students near the remains of an old stone gate.

There were six of them, all wearing white uniforms marked with a golden sun emblem.

Their leader stood at the center of the group, examining a broken pillar while another student held a crystal device in front of the ruins.

The device emitted a faint golden light, and thin lines began spreading across its surface whenever its bearer moved closer to the gate.

Gray stopped behind a large rock formation.

Scarlett and Elira immediately followed his example.

The six students had not noticed them.

One of the students holding the device frowned.

"The readings are getting stronger. The mana is being pulled toward something beneath the ruins, but the signal keeps disappearing whenever I try to locate the source."

The young man examining the pillar straightened.

"Then the records were correct. There’s something beneath this valley."

A second student looked around nervously.

"Shouldn’t we inform the instructors before going farther? We were told to focus on the hunting competition, not explore abandoned ruins."

Their leader gave him a cold glance.

"We’ve already come this far. If we return empty-handed, another academy will find the entrance before us. Do you want Celestial Crown Academy to claim the discovery?"

The student hesitated.

"No, but..."

"Then keep your concerns to yourself. We’ll locate the source, investigate what lies beneath the ruins, and leave before the other groups arrive."

Gray’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’So they know there’s something beneath the valley.’

That explained their movements.

The competition was only part of the reason they had come here. They were searching for something, and judging by the device in their hands, they had brought specialized equipment to locate it.

Elira leaned closer and whispered.

"They’re from White Sun Academy. The leader is one of their second-year students, and the one holding the crystal device specializes in formation analysis."

Scarlett studied the group.

"Do you recognize the others?"

"Two of them are known combat specialists. The rest appear to be support students."

Gray remained focused on the device.

It was clearly responding to the Mana being drawn toward the ruins, but its readings were inconsistent.

Either the formation beneath the valley was interfering with its detection method, or the object they were searching for had an unusual relationship with Mana.

Both possibilities were worth thinking about.

He watched the six students from White Sun Academy for another few seconds before turning toward Scarlett and Elira.

"Let’s follow them."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow.

"Follow them? I thought you wanted to investigate the ruins."

"I do. That’s precisely why we should follow them instead of rushing ahead."

Gray nodded toward the student holding the golden crystal device.

"Think about it. They already know something about this place, and they’ve brought equipment specifically designed to investigate it. We don’t know what lies beneath these ruins, but they might possess information that could help us identify potential dangers before we encounter them ourselves."

Elira glanced at the device.

"So, you want to let them do the dangerous work while we watch from behind?"

"Exactly. See? You’re learning to appreciate the benefits of letting other people work." Gray gave her an approving smile.

"How thoughtful of you to recognize my intelligence."

Scarlett ignored their exchange and kept her eyes on the students ahead.

"There’s another problem. If they discover something valuable, they’ll probably try to claim it for themselves. We might end up competing against them anyway."

"Of course. I’m not suggesting we become friends. We’ll observe them, learn what they’re looking for, and see how they handle the dangers inside. If there’s nothing worth taking, we’ll leave them alone. If they find something valuable, we’ll decide what to do then."

Gray’s tone remained casual, but his reasoning was quite simple.

Killing the six students would gain them little.

Even if their hunting marks were worth collecting, those marks would be a small reward compared to the information they might obtain by following them.

The Upper World students had arrived with a detection artifact, knowledge of the abandoned academy, and a clear destination in mind.

They were useful.

At least until they stopped being useful.

’Besides, if they have a tool capable of detecting hidden formations or traps, I’d much rather see it in action before we enter the ruins ourselves.’

Scarlett considered his proposal, then gave a slight nod.

"Fine. But we keep our distance. If they have detection equipment, we shouldn’t assume they’re unable to notice us."

"Agreed."

Elira smiled and carefully folded the map she had been holding.

"Then let’s move before they get too far ahead. I’d rather not lose our guides before they’ve shown us where they’re going."

Gray gestured toward the path.

"After you, Princesses."

Scarlett shot him a suspicious glance.

"You do realize we’re doing this because you suggested it, don’t you? If something goes wrong, I’m not accepting responsibility for your decision."

"Of course not. I’ll take full responsibility."

She seemed satisfied with the answer until Gray continued.

"Though I reserve the right to blame the academy if their map turns out to be inaccurate."

Scarlett closed her eyes.

’Why do I even bother?’