When the plot-skips players into the game world

April 7th, early morning.

Taking advantage of the fact that the sun had just risen and the morning breeze was still cool, the ten-member team packed their belongings and headed to the outskirts of the Protagoras Territory.

Everyone was at least at the Fourth Level or higher as Transcendents, so their pace was quick, and they didn't tire easily.

Before setting off, Aiwass cast a "Far-travel Blessing" over the group. This blessing greatly reduced stamina consumption while running, and even allowed jogging or brisk walking to restore stamina instead of depleting it. Even climbing mountains wouldn't feel exhausting.

This was a rather common blessing in the game—arguably the most common. It could only be used outside of combat, where its in-game effect increased land movement speed by 20%. However, the blessing disappeared as soon as you were hit. Additionally, the movement speed boost it provided couldn't stack with speed provided by mounts; only the higher speed would apply.

In areas where summoning mounts wasn't practical—such as running long distances to gather materials or solve puzzles in certain instances, or when navigating complex areas for main quests—this blessing came in handy for map running.

Some main quests, event side quests, or job-specific side quests could be quite convoluted, requiring a lot of back-and-forth or long-distance running from the nearest teleport point; others involved solving puzzles for clues or getting tangled up in sequential tasks for ages.

At that time, there were Priests or Bards who would make extra cash by helping others complete such tasks—casting out-of-combat speed boosts and leading people on shortcuts to their destinations.

Years ago, when Aiwass was unemployed at home, he had some savings… but as a "professional gamer" relying on games to make a living,

he had dabbled in various money-making schemes. He could only say this was nowhere near as profitable as boosting others' accounts—at best, it covered his drink expenses.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Galatea sang an elven ballad to further enhance the team's traveling speed. Thus, before noon, they had already crossed a mountain and approached their destination.

But contrary to everyone's expectations,

there was no "ancient ruin" or "massive underground tomb" there, just a mountain village. The village wasn't small—it even had a bell tower, a church… and from a distance, electricity.

"...Is the ruin nearby?"

The Wanderer muttered under his breath, a bit disappointed.

It wasn't his first time on an archaeological expedition, so he naturally knew… any ruins too close to a settlement were unlikely to still have anything worthwhile.

If there weren't significant risks involved, the locals would've emptied the place ages ago; if the danger was considerable and lives were frequently lost, the authorities would certainly have taken measures to control the area. Archaeological teams would've already been hired to sweep through the place multiple times, leaving nothing of value behind.

—This? Seriously, this?

Nine Transcendents at the Fourth Level or higher, yet there were still traces of human habitation within five kilometers of the archaeological site?

Could this truly be a relic from the Amber Era?

On the contrary, Cardinal Galatea took in the surroundings, and something seemed to occur to her. "I remember… this place wasn't like this six hundred years ago…"

"...You've got a great memory."

Zhu Tang quipped.

"Encyclopedia" glanced at Cardinal Galatea but hesitated to speak.

He seemed to want to say something but refrained, mindful of Aiwass and Cardinal Galatea's presence.

As a "Dream Traversing Monk," a class evolved from a "Natural Historian," he naturally possessed much knowledge.

For instance… the Star Spirits.

After all, Dream Traversing Monks upload and share their knowledge. Even knowledge he hadn't personally acquired would reside in his "Memory Library."

However, Master Durer remained calm and silent, merely continuing to lead the way.

Professor Bard, though, seemed deep in thought. "I've heard a theory. There's a school of thought in academia that holds the relics of the Amber Era are untraceable today not because they were all destroyed or ruined, but because they've been concealed through some method.

"There's a village in Avalon that was sealed away using a similar technique. Outsiders simply can't enter. Could the relic here be of a similar nature?"

"Mr. Durer," Little Cat grumbled, "everyone's already come this far, and there's no turning back now… Can't you finally tell us where we're heading, and what era this relic is from?

"After all, with such prominent figures in our party, no one would dare leak anything."

"—It is indeed a relic from the Amber Era."

At last, the Amber Master spoke: "But it's not just a relic from the Amber Era…"

As he spoke, he abruptly stopped, bringing the group to a halt.

They were on a mountainside.

Ahead was an ordinary path, devoid of anything unusual. Even Aiwass couldn't sense anything out of place. There were no stone monuments, crossroads, or markers like a towering tree—just a sudden halt at a spot devoid of any indication.

It felt just like a game, where a treasure map would give you a puzzling coordinate, and you had to stand precisely there and dig to uncover anything.

But Aiwass quickly understood: "Preservation Arts?"

The Amber Master nodded.

Faced with Aiwass, he didn't bother hiding it anymore: "You must've heard… of the legend of the Tower of Heaven, Mr. 'Pope.'"

"...Ah, yes."

Aiwass nodded again: "The so-called 'Tower of Truth,' the world's first Mage Tower. It is said to possess the power to calculate every mystery of the past and future. It is home to nine major types and twenty-seven subtypes of spells, including Necromancy, Preservation Arts, Astrology, Alchemy, Curses, and Ritual Sorcery.