Chapter 854: The Ruins On The Arctic Snowfield
Although Davos was not a Legendary powerhouse, he was recognized as a Master-level figure in the academic circle of the Felan Kingdom, especially in the field of archeology.
In the past 100 years, more than half of the written works about archeology had been signed with Davos’ name. At the same time, many materials left by predecessors had also been revised by him. He could be considered to have made outstanding contributions in the research of Anril’s history. Unfortunately, Davos had never appeared during any academic meets, and legend had it that he had gotten into an accident during an archaeological trip.
“You mean Davos who’s known as the academic master?” Lin Li asked in disbelief.
“Yes, it’s him. When he came to Doland Library, he actually only wanted to find out more information about the history of the Breezy Plains. He and I had a long conversation, and it was as if we’re longtime friends. Initially, I only taught him some means to protect himself when he goes out in the wild. I didn’t expect him to be so stubborn as to insist that I’m his teacher just because I taught him something.” At the mention of it, Basel had a look of helplessness and relief on his face.
At the thought of Davos’ identity as an academic master, a scene appeared in Lin Li’s mind. It was that of a thin, neatly dressed middle-aged man who was wearing small, round gold-framed glasses. He was seated opposite Basel with a serious expression, and stubbornly addressing Basel as his teacher.
“It is said that Davos disappeared more than 20 years ago, and there were plenty of rumors about him getting into an accident in the wild. To my surprise, he was still alive. I don’t know what he had experienced over the past 20 years.” An archaeologist that had been missing for more than 20 years sent a letter after this time. A Legendary-mage spent two years because of that matter. Lin Li was getting increasingly interested in Basel’s missing.
“Yeah, I initially thought that he might have met with a mishap too. Otherwise, how could there have been no news about him for more than 20 years? After receiving the letter and seeing his handwriting, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on him. I even compared his handwriting in the letter to that in his notes.” Basel was rather emotional after he recalled how surprised he felt when he received the letter.
A person he valued had gone missing for more than 20 years, and one day, he suddenly received a letter from him. Lin Li could totally imagine the disbelief and surprise that he felt. Hence, he smiled empathetically, and said, “Master Basel, I can imagine how you feel. Master Basel, where did you see him this time?”
“Later, I read the content of the letter, and only then did I know that he had lived with a tribe of the Dwarf Kingdom for more than 20 years. In the letter, he mentioned that he had found something, and he hoped that I could go over and take a look. Firstly, I wanted to ensure that he was safe, and secondly, I was a little curious about what he discovered, so I decided to meet him at the location that he suggested.” At this point, Basel was a little embarrassed. Not only had he bailed on Lin Li and left in a hurry, he had also failed to give Lin Li an explanation, which was somewhat inappropriate.
“You don’t have to be too bothered by that agreement. I believe no one would have the time to consider other matters had they been in your position in that situation.” Seeing that Basel was feeling embarrassed, Lin Li decided to pacify him, after which he asked in puzzlement, “Could it be that Davos has stayed in that place for more than 20 years?”
“Yes, when I found him at the location he told me about, he was completely different from what he used to look like. He was fully bearded, and was sitting on the ground and laughing loudly with the dwarfs while chugging a large glass of ale. The ale was spilled all over his chest, but he didn’t care. I’m afraid if it were someone else, they might not be able to recognize him. Back then, he was a gentlemanly and poised aristocratic scholar. However, his attitude towards me didn’t change much. He still addresses me as his teacher.” Basel sighed, but the joy on his face was still there.
“What on earth did he find? He actually lived with the dwarf tribe for more than 20 years. Surely he’s not planning to live in seclusion there, is he?” Lin Li became more curious about Davos’ discovery because it actually made him, an authoritative archaeologist, stay there for 20 years.
“He said in the letter that he seemed to have found clues related to the Pantheon, but due to his limitations, he couldn’t explore further, so he thought about me, the librarian who does nothing in the library.” Basel did not hide anything from Lin Li, and simply mentioned the content of the letter.
The Pantheon was known to everyone in the world of Anril, but almost no one knew the true situation of the Pantheon. There were only various legends that could not be verified. Among the many legends, there was a saying that the Titans had called the Pantheon their home in the prehistoric times. Lin Li had heard about that saying from Sendros and Borg from the Dark Blade.
It was said that the ancient wyrms and the Titans had fought endlessly during the prehistoric times. The ancient wyrms were led by the Guardians Council that was composed of five Dragon Aspects, while the Titans were led by the Pantheon. When exploring the ruins of the Haiga Mountain Range, the members of the Dark Blade believed that the ruins were related to the Pantheon, but it turned out that it was actually a Sky Castle.
According to Sendros, the Pantheon was the resting place of the spirits of deceased Titans, and it was said that they were drifting in the endless chaos of time and space such that even the gods couldn’t find them. However, that legend could not be proved, either. Except for the Immortal King who had disappeared and Geresco, no one had the ability to explore the chaos of time and space, let alone find the legendary Pantheon.
Lin Li once slipped into the Endless Labyrinth in the Sky Castle, where he watched the entire evolution of the world of Anril and entered a massive palace. The palace was so large that he was just like an insignificant ant when he was in there. Based on the size of the palace, he once thought that it should be the legendary Pantheon, but there was nothing in the palace that could prove his conjecture. It would be impossible to get an accurate answer.
In any case, although no one knew what the Pantheon was like, the people were all very sure of the existence of that place. The Pantheon had been mentioned frequently in numerous historical materials that circulated in Anril. The Pantheon had also appeared in the history recorded by the High Elves, but there wasn’t a detailed description of it.
“The Pantheon?” Lin Li was not too surprised when he heard the name, but he showed some apprehension. The Pantheon was a mysterious existence which countless powerful figures in history had tried to find. They had searched almost all the places they could search in Anril, but no one succeeded. Although Davos was an academic master and an expert archaeologist, his personal strength was limited, and he could not delve too deep into areas that were too dangerous. It was probably very difficult for anyone to set foot in that area.
Seeing that there was apprehension on Lin Li’s face, Basel smiled, and said, “It seems that you have also thought about it. Although Davos has learned magic from me, his abilities are still very limited. Hence, when I saw that the Pantheon was mentioned in the letter, I was also very skeptical. After I found him in the dwarf tribe, I made some preparations, and set off from Danmorough under his lead. We went all the way to the north, and made it to the depths of the Arctic snowfield, where I finally saw an ancient ruin he found.”
“There… really is one?” Lin Li couldn’t help but get a great shock. The depths of the Arctic snowfield were definitely a forbidden zone for living beings, let alone humans. Even the wyrms wouldn’t dare to set foot there, except the ancient Iceblast Wyrm.
The freezing temperatures were one reason. Another reason was the terrible hurricanes that often occurred there. Even large ice blocks would be trapped, and the power was strong enough to smash wyrms as well.
“Yes, but it wasn’t the Pantheon. It was a ruin of the High Elves,” Basel answered with a nod.
“This…” Lin Li was a little speechless. The appearance of the ruins of the High Elves was probably even more incredible than the Pantheon. However, Lin Li thought of the collaboration between him and Hoffman of the Glittergold Trade Union. Since there might be the High Elves’ relics in the huge canyon of Gargas, Basel’s and Davos’ discovery might not be that puzzling.
Basel didn’t know about Lin Li’s cooperation with Hoffman, and thus thought that Lin Li definitely did not believe the things he said. As such, he explained, “I know the High Elves have always detested cold environments, and they almost never set foot in the extreme north according to history. It’s actually normal for you not to believe it. When I saw the ruins, I couldn’t believe my eyes, either, but as we got deeper, we found some sculptures that were made in the style of the High Elves. I also saw some totems of theirs. Those findings made me more sure of the speculations.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, but this piece of news is just really surprising.” Although Lin Li had not had much contact with Basel, he knew that Basel was known as a knowledgeable person in the Breezy Plains. Besides, Davos was also a rather authoritative archaeological expert. It was almost impossible for it to be a misunderstanding. Davos probably thought that the ruins were the Pantheon because he couldn’t explore deeper due to his limitations in strength. He naturally did not expect that the High Elves would appear in such a cold and harsh environment.
“It’s a pity that Davos and I still seem to be too weak in power to go too deep into the ruins to explore. However, we found some broken pieces of paper at the entrance, and some were with magic runes.” While speaking, Basel took out some things and placed them on the table.
“Were these found in the ruins?” Lin Li shifted his gaze onto the paper, only to see that there were various alchemy formulas written on them. However, there were too many missing parts, so it was impossible to see what formulas they were. There were also some pieces of paper with various magic symbols painted on them, together with some High Elves Print.
“Yes, those were all that we found. Unfortunately, they’re not enough for us to learn more about the ruins. Look at the text on this piece of paper.” Basel pointed at a broken piece of paper and made Lin Li look at the print. He then said in a puzzled tone, “A huge gully is mentioned here. Could it be the Immortal King…”
The Immortal King! Lin Li could not help but be cautious when he saw those words. The Immortal King was a god-like existence and an unparalleled powerhouse who killed the Dragon of Destruction. Everything that was related to the Immortal King could not be taken lightly.
Basel asked Lin Li to look at the things he had collected while he leaned back in his chair. He seemed to be deep in thought, and his eyes were a little glassy. He muttered, “What could that huge gully be…”
After Lin Li saw those things, he didn’t manage to find any special clues, but when he heard Basel talking to himself, he suddenly got an idea, and he wondered, Could the huge gully mentioned on that piece of paper refer to the huge canyon of Gargas? At the thought of it, he said, “Master Basel, I do have some idea about that huge gully.”
“Yeah, what exactly is it!?” Basel muttered. Then, all of a sudden, he realized what Lin Li was talking about. He quickly looked at Lin Li in disbelief, and asked, “What did you say just now? Do you know what this huge gully is?”
Lin Li understood the reason for Basel’s reaction. If it were someone else, they would definitely be conflicted after spending almost two years dwelling on that issue. Hence, he said, “Master Basel, I went to the Glittergold Trade Union a few days ago, and Master Hoffman spoke to me about something…” He then told Basel briefly about the cooperation between him and Hoffman. He also mentioned his conjecture about the huge gully being the huge canyon of Gargas.
Listening to Lin Li’s words, Basel’s eyes gradually lit up, and he couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “Is it really it?”
“Master Basel, we’ve already agreed to explore the huge canyon of Gargas together with Hoffman. It just so happens that you’ve come back this time. Why don’t you join us in exploring the ruins?” Seeing that Basel was a little tempted, Lin Li decided to let him join them.
“This… doesn’t seem to be appropriate.” Although Basel had previously agreed to join the Tower of Dusk and serve as the Chief Judge of the Tower of Dusk, he had yet to report his current identity to the Supreme Council. Hence, strictly speaking, he was not considered part of the Tower of Dusk, which made him somewhat hesitant.
Lin Li guessed what Basel was worried about; hence, he smilingly said, “Haha, Master Basel, you think too much. Since you have agreed to join the Tower of Dusk, it wouldn’t matter if you report it or not. I believe you.”
“Okay, I’ll proceed with your arrangements then, President.” Basel’s good mood made him respond to Lin Li jokingly.