CHAPTER 248: POOR SOUL

"Is this a divine remnant?"

Carlotta murmured, taking out the divine storage box.

"Don’t move."

The High Priestess stopped Carlotta’s action.

She told Carlotta that the current Earth Goddess remnant seemed to still be emitting some information, and insisted she not collect this remnant just yet.

"This is a kind of divine language, it can naturally transmit messages even while speaking ordinary words. Only those close to divinity can vaguely hear it. I need to capture this divine remnant to see exactly what information the god has left behind."

The High Priestess said seriously.

Carlotta was somewhat surprised. Divine language? She had never heard of such a thing.

She could only put the divine storage box away.

Then, Carlotta shifted her gaze to the other things in this area.

Besides the Earth Goddess’s ethereal figure, there were nine boxes arranged in a row within the space.

Carlotta approached one of the boxes and gently touched it. The box didn’t break, but instead transmitted a message: if an early-tier listener could shatter the protective barrier around the box, they could claim everything inside.

She then touched another nearby box, which conveyed similar content, except the required rank was now a middle tier Listener.

Further on, the requirements escalated to peak-tier Listener, early tier Weaver, and so forth, rising all the way to peak tier Weaver.

Carlotta began to understand. This divine treasure vault tested those who entered. One needed the ability to break open the treasure chests; otherwise, even if they reached this place, they couldn’t obtain any rewards.

If she wasn’t mistaken, when the Pirate King had arrived here long ago, he hadn’t been able to open a single chest, so he could only leave in frustration, turning the key into a Lion Key and passing it down as a legacy.

"In other words, the Pirate King himself never knew what was inside."

Carlotta muttered.

She asked the High Priestess: since the boxes’ protections still exist, were the items stored inside still usable?

This question actually stumped the High Priestess.

After a moment of contemplation, she said, "Why bother asking? Just open one and see for yourself."

"Fair enough."

Carlotta began with the first chest.

She suppressed her own strength down to that of an early tier listener, then approached the chest and slapped it hard.

"Boom!"

Even though a protective barrier existed around the chest, it shattered instantly under her slap, offering no resistance at all.

From Carlotta’s perspective, the chest’s protection was extremely weak; anyone from another world could probably break it easily. Of course, for people from World One, it might be somewhat difficult.

Could it be that the rewards left by the god in this divine treasure vault were so easily obtainable? Or had the passage of time simply weakened these protections?

"The fact that the protections still exist proves they possess strong durability."

Carlotta murmured.

She opened the first chest and found some alchemical materials inside, materials sufficient even for an early tier listener. But now...

Carlotta shook her head slightly.

The materials include both plant-based and mineral types. The mineral ones were somewhat acceptable; touching them revealed that while the quality wasn’t great anymore, they still retained a bit of their effect, though a small portion crumbled upon contact.

As for the plant-based materials, none were usable, every single one shattered at the slightest touch.

Carlotta then successively opened the remaining chests. Each one indeed contains various materials. After effortlessly opening the chest meant for middle tier Weavers, she arrived at the final chest, and similarly shattered its barrier with a single slap.

A chest that normally required a peak tier Weaver to destroy was nothing before Carlotta.

After opening it, she retrieved some precious materials, items that, outside, would be extremely valuable.

Yet now, she sighed.

"So this is what the Lion Key points to... quite ordinary."

Carlotta muttered.

Actually, these items weren’t bad. If the alchemy ship’s construction still relied on materials, these would significantly accelerate the progress.

But for Carlotta, these materials were no longer useful. In building New Moon, the only thing she was missing was a single divine artifact.

"There’s nothing left here. Let’s go back."

Carlotta spoke to the High Priestess.

The High Priestess shook her head. "No, I’ll stay here a while longer to listen to the divine remnant. I don’t yet know whether the information left by the Earth Goddess is useful."

She told Carlotta that although the divine remnant language could be clearly heard, even an Exalted would need some time to fully comprehend it.

Therefore, she planned to remain here for several days.

"In that case, I’ll wait for you outside."

Carlotta shrugged.

She walked out of the corridor and returned downstairs.

Amelia was still checking useful information with memory magic, though she was nearly finished.

Carlotta came over and casually recounted what had happened upstairs.

"Who would’ve thought this was a place where the Earth Goddess once stayed. Unfortunately, for us, gods are still too distant."

Carlotta said.

"Do we still not know what truly happened in that distant past?"

Amelia asked.

"Mm, no idea. Perhaps some information was left behind, but we’re unable to access it."

Carlotta sighed.

Right now, she could only make a simple judgment, that perhaps an enemy exists. But where this enemy came from, or what kind of enemy it was, she had no idea.

"Perhaps there are other worlds among the stars."

Amelia shared the same thought.

The distant deep space stretched endlessly, far beyond the limits of human comprehension. Who could say what lay at its furthest reaches? If other worlds existed there, it wouldn’t be entirely incomprehensible.

To Carlotta, this seemed perfectly normal, after all, she herself was a transmigrator, someone who came from another world.

After Amelia finished remembering everything she needed, the two left the tower.

Mainly because the place was too foul, the scent of decay permeated everywhere. Even if they had to wait for the High Priestess, there was no need to remain here.

After leaving the tower, they also exited the region blanketed in black ash, arriving at the valley outside.

The valley was lush and verdant, filled with fresh air, yet this vibrant environment was separated from the ash-covered region by merely a thin line.

A single line divided life from death, destruction from rebirth, a cycle of annihilation and renewal.

In the valley, Carlotta casually cast a card magic to summon a carriage, then she and Amelia rested inside it.

However, she soon found the carriage too cramped. Thinking she hadn’t created new cards in a long time, she took out various materials and began crafting numerous cards on the spot.

Of course, she wasn’t creating these cards to enhance her combat strength, her power was already formidable. Simply improving through card magic alone would yield little effective progress.

Thus, this time, Carlotta focused entirely on creating utility cards for daily life.

For example, one card was a house card. After activating it, a luxurious three-story mansion instantly appeared within the valley, fully equipped with all manner of facilities. Even placed in the imperial capital, Kestholm, it would be regarded as a mansion envied by others.

And this was conjured entirely from a single card.

Carlotta immediately dismissed the carriage and brought Amelia into the house.

...

Meanwhile, at another end of the valley, a group of people was approaching, a mixed group of men and women, quite a large number.

They advanced in two groups. The first group consisted of only one man and one woman, walking at the front. They didn’t appear young, both were middle-aged, and their manner of speaking carried the bearing of powerful individuals.

Following behind were six others, noticeably younger, who behaved with greater deference toward the two ahead.

"The Central Ruins have undergone spatial shifts. Many areas differ from the past, you can’t judge based on past experiences, or you’ll likely run into trouble."

The leading woman spoke, dressed in the attire of an adventurer, her emerald hair fluttering in the wind, radiating a wild, untamed beauty.

She was instructing the younger generation on how to proceed, speaking casually as if she had complete mastery over the Central Ruins.

The man beside her smiled, "The Central Ruins nowadays are considerably more dangerous than before. But as long as you follow us, you needn’t worry about such problems. No matter how great the danger, we’re fully capable of handling it."

The two spoke, inspiring deep admiration in the younger group behind them.

"Following Lady Phiva is truly reassuring."

"No wonder she’s a student of Mr. Suarez, truly admirable."

"My greatest wish is to become someone like Mr. Leopold."

"Meeting the two of you is our good fortune."

The group behind expressed their gratitude, their faces filled with smiles, genuinely thankful for the help from the two ahead.

Although, this help wasn’t entirely voluntary.

After encountering the two, Phiva Suarez and Leopold Suarez, they had claimed the Central Ruins had grown dangerous, but they could protect everyone, provided they received proper compensation.

In response, some had refused and left, while others chose to stay.

Those who stayed felt somewhat fortunate afterward, as they later discovered the corpses of those who had left.

Though those bodies didn’t appear to have died from dangers inherent to the Central Ruins, regardless of the cause, it proved staying had been the right choice, otherwise, their lives would have been in grave peril.

So at this moment, no matter their inner thoughts, the followers wore polite smiles and spoke courteously, careful not to raise their voices and cause misunderstandings.

As for the flattery from the group, both Phiva and Leopold were thoroughly satisfied.

With restrained smiles, they walked forward.

’To be able to follow us is an honor, what more could you possibly want?’

Phiva thought quietly to herself.

She and Leopold came from prestigious backgrounds and possessed astonishing strength. Charging a fee to protect others hardly seemed unreasonable.

As for those unwilling to accept protection, they naturally met unfortunate ends.

"Our teacher always taught us to be cautious when facing danger. As long as you live, you retain all possibilities. But if you’re not careful and lose your life, then everything is gone."

Leopold said meaningfully.

Though everyone understood he was subtly referencing those who refused protection, at the mention of his teacher, their expressions involuntarily turned serious, no longer daring to be careless.

Because Phiva and Leopold’s teacher was none other than Aldrich Suarez, one of the two Exalted of the Wendell Empire!

This wasn’t some ordinary figure, but a true apex being of this world. Even the Emperor would speak respectfully before him, not daring to raise his voice.

After all, in the vast Wendell Empire, there was only one such individual.

Aldrich Suarez, renowned alongside Elora Throne!

Although Phiva and Leopold shared the surname Suarez, they weren’t blood-related to the legendary Aldrich. They were his disciples, and simply changed their surnames to strengthen their connection with their exceptionally powerful master.

Who wouldn’t cling to such a powerful patron?

Yet, when someone gained an extraordinary backing, it’s difficult to maintain inner purity. Arrogant behaviors and attitudes become unavoidable.

Like this forced "protection" of others.

The protected dared not show anger nor speak out, but instead had to flatter with smiling faces.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed in surprise, "What is that? How could a house exist here?"

The person pointed forward.

Ahead lay a vast valley, and within it stood a mansion, undeniably luxurious, appearing strangely out of place.

This sight left everyone momentarily stunned, sensing something unusual.

Seeing this, Phiva and Leopold showed no change in expression.

"Just a house conjured by card magic. It merely means someone is resting here."

Phiva said indifferently.

Leopold laughed, "Looks like another poor lost soul. I suppose this person might need our help."

Unconcerned, the two walked straight ahead.

...

Meanwhile,

Carlotta was enjoying an intimate moment with Amelia inside the house.

They lay on a bed, Amelia pinned down on the soft bedding, her beautiful face flushed crimson.

"Don’t get out of hand, what are you trying to do?"

Amelia whispered.

"Given our relationship, what else could I possibly do?"

Carlotta laughed.

She felt mentally fatigued from recently delving into information about gods and understanding various extraordinary matters. Right now, this was the perfect chance to relax.

Gazing at Amelia’s alluring face, Carlotta leaned down, silencing her with a kiss, savoring Amelia’s taste thoroughly.