Sofia carefully explored the ruins, even the silver ripples she emanated could be clearly seen.
The silver ripples she detected provided clear feedback to her about the underground conditions.
This allowed Sofia to mentally construct a three-dimensional model, allowing her to precisely determine where to dig, saving time and effort while also minimizing damage to the ruins.
Such precise exploration naturally required greater care and time.
As Sofia conducted her precise exploration,
Simon crafted an excavation tool, made from scrap metal and some superior components.
Such a simple and convenient tool was incredibly easy for Simon to create, especially with his delicate hands and precious artifacts.
He even thoughtfully crafted a simple structure for the tool's handle.
It was a sharp, triangular shovel. Its sides could extend as it dug, expanding the excavation area.
The structure on the handle made it easier to control the shovel as it entered the soil, allowing it to even break up rock when necessary.
Simon held it in his hand and demonstrated it to everyone, then handed the first finished product to Jason beside him.
He then made a larger shovel, custom-made for Pororo, and handed it to him.
After making one for each person,
Simon thought for a moment and resumed his work.
Watching the liquid metal in Simon's hand changing shape, Alka, who was brandishing her own unique shovel, smiled.
"Here, these are for you," Simon said with a smile, handing the four palm-sized shovels to Lucelia and the other puppet girls nearby.
"Thank you!" Lucelia happily accepted them.
The puppet girls behind her also smiled.
Including Er, who had quickly swung over upon seeing the situation.
Only then did Sofia stand up and brush the dirt off her hands.
Around the ruins were marks of varying sizes, all of which she had made during her recent exploration.
"Dig down from here, dig within this box, and don't dig outside." Sofia pointed to a square mark not far from her.
Then she kicked her feet. "Start from here, dig diagonally in the direction of the mark over there."
Then she gave instructions for each mark.
This was the plan Sofia had concocted in her mind: to leverage everyone's strength and quickly excavate the entire ruins.
After the plan was complete,
Everyone began to move.
Simon watched from the side as the four-armed Matresa dug.
After a moment's thought, he walked over. "Let me improve the tool you have. This one doesn't seem to suit you right now."
"Huh? It's okay, it's okay. This one works just fine for me." Matresha waved her hand politely.
Although they had been together for several days, he was the last one aboard, and his grandfather had even shoved him aboard.
He was fine with the women like Sofia, but he wasn't as familiar with the men on board like Alka.
"It's okay. It's not a big deal for me. Don't worry."
Simon took the shovel from her hand and reshaped it, lengthening the handle. This way, Matresha could use all four arms to exert greater force without feeling awkward.
Maresha took the modified shovel and swung it twice. It was indeed much easier to use than the one she had just used.
The comfort level instantly improved several notches.
He nodded with satisfaction. "Thank you, that's a great change."
Borolo had already dug a massive, deep pit in the largest marked area.
The massive shovel, combined with Pororo's immense strength, made it even more efficient than an excavator.
With each shovelful, a massive mass of earth was unearthed.
That area had been specifically designated for him by Sofia, a perfect example of Pororo's efficiency.
At this moment, Sofia paced back and forth within the excavation area, his feet sending out silver ripples as he monitored the surroundings.
"Jason, you're digging too far. Adjust back."
"Juanlu, slow down. You're going too fast and affecting the structure below."
Sofia adjusted everyone's digging method based on the situation.
Like a supervisor.
However, this also made everyone's digging more efficient, and the excavation progressed smoothly throughout the site.
A large ball of dirt was unearthed by Pororo's massive shovel. With a sudden, overexerting force, the entire ball was flung into the air.
It arced and landed precisely.
Poof!
"Who is it?"
Jason's furious roar echoed from the hole he had dug.
With such precision, it was hard not to wonder if it was intentional.
Hearing Jason's voice,
Arka looked up, stood on tiptoe, and poked his head out of the hole, peering out.
What happened?
Hearing the sound, several people nearby also peered out curiously.
Just in time, they saw another large ball of dirt launched into the air.
It passed over everyone's heads, causing a large amount of dirt to fall. He quickly raised his shovel to block it.
The largest blob fell back into Jason's pit.
"Damn it! Who's that?"
Jason, covered in mud, angrily climbed out of his own pit.
This angry voice startled Pororo.
He turned around, bewildered, and looked in Jason's direction.
Alka and the others also looked equally bewildered.
Jason simply stared at their bewildered expressions, as if they hadn't done it.
"Okay, you're all confused, huh? Then don't blame me for hurting innocent people!"
With that, Jason shoveled the ground hard, sending a large blob of mud carelessly flying.
"What are you doing?"
"What does this have to do with me?"
"A fight has begun, hasn't it?"
The men hit by the mud immediately began fighting back.
The scene immediately descended into chaos.
The noise attracted Sofia, who was squatting on the ground, investigating further.
She stood up and turned to see what was happening.
"Look out! Sofia!"
As she turned, she saw a large ball of mud flying towards her.
It knocked her to the ground, catching her off guard.
Looking at herself covered in mud, Sofia's expression suddenly calmed.
She stood up and silently brushed the dirt off herself.
"Sister Julia," she called calmly.
Julia, who had just crawled out of the hole she had dug, nodded.
She brushed the dirt off her long, smooth blue hair, only to be hit by it.
A halo of light floated behind her, and several ribbons shot out.
A golden streak emerged from Sofia's forehead, and a headband was placed on her head.
"They seem very angry. Shouldn't we stop them?" Matlisa asked cautiously, nudging Lucilia next to her with the tip of her snake tail.
Lucilia was beaming, her eyes gleaming.
Looking at Alka and the others, still unaware of the situation and still attacking each other with mud, her smile grew even wider.
"Don't worry, there's something interesting to watch."
Standing opposite, Alka, who could just see Sofia and the others, seemed to notice something was amiss.
Silently, she dumped the dirt from her shovel and gently retreated into the hole she had dug. Even as dirt fell upon him once more, he seemed to feel nothing.
A ribbon leaped out and wrapped itself around him.
Clearly, someone wasn't going to let him go.
Seeing this method wasn't working, Alka immediately argued loudly, "It has nothing to do with me!"
It was no longer effective.
The ribbon lifted him completely into the air, along with Jason and the others.
Even the enormous Pororo.
Sunlight suddenly condensed from the sky into beams, illuminating them.
"Hiss!"
"Ah! Burning, burning!"
"Burn, burning."
"..."
A variety of screams of pain emanated from their mouths.
When they located the source of the attack, they saw Sofia, looking grim, and Julia, smiling slightly. And then there were the two men, covered in mud. Even so, their beauty couldn't be diminished.
But what can I say?
They looked rather disheveled, especially with the sand and mud stuck in their hair. It was a difficult mess for them to clean.
"Are you guys playing some kind of... game?"
Bai Shi's voice suddenly rang out from a distance.
At the sound, the ribbons on the men's bodies immediately loosened, dropping them to the ground.
The sunlight beams shining on them vanished, and Sofia and Julia instantly returned to their normal selves.
Thankfully, there were piles of mud on their side, shielding them from view.
Everyone turned to look towards the source of the sound.
Bai Shi was approaching with a group of hunters, seemingly on patrol.
The ruins they were currently excavating weren't far from the town's outermost watchtower, only about five or six kilometers.
It seemed this was part of their patrol route.
Bai Shi, approaching, looked at the holes they had dug and instantly understood what they were doing.
After all, he had spent several days with them and knew a bit about Alka and the others.
"You... aren't you planning to dig up the entire ruins and take a look?"
After briefly cleaning the dirt off himself, Alka smiled and nodded.
"Of course. Wouldn't it be a shame not to explore such a vast ruin?"
"Aren't you a treasure hunter?"
Bai Shi said, suddenly realizing.
"Oh, I see, but don't get your hopes up.
Many of these ruins have special effects because the spells once inscribed on the collapsed ruins still remain, which is why they work.
So unless you remove the entire ruin, it's useless. Most ruins don't hold any treasures."
Clearly, Alka and his companions' actions were nothing new on this island.
Alka and his companions weren't the only strangers to do this.
Even the island's residents had tried it before.
After all, ruins were practically everywhere on the island; it could even be said that the entire island was formed from the remains of that city-state.
Hearing this, Alka wasn't discouraged. He smiled and said, "It's okay. Although we're a treasure-hunting group, our pursuit of treasure isn't particularly intense.
Besides, this is a large ruin. Wouldn't it be even more fascinating to uncover the past existence and stories?"
"Don't you want to know about the civilization this island once held? Perhaps these are your ancestors.
We do have some experience with archaeology and excavation."
Alka wasn't lying.
For him, the blue treasure here wasn't as important as the information contained within the ruins.
What he needed was the information these ruins brought, allowing him to unlock more information about the treasure hidden within the orange and golden lights.
The blue dots of light were merely incidental.
After all, this island was almost entirely ruins. Where there were blue dots of light, perhaps more important and comprehensive information could be found.
After hearing this, Bai Shi thought for a moment and nodded, seemingly convinced.
"Alright, I won't bother you anymore. But remember this: never speak our language around the ruins.
You've been around this island, and you've seen the consequences."
That's the most important issue.
He then added, "Also, be sure to return to town before dark. I don't want to hear about the death of a friend I just met."
Hearing Bai Shi's slightly concerned words, Alka smiled and nodded, then waved.
"Okay, don't worry."
Bai Shi turned and returned to his team.
Soon, Bai Shi's voice could be heard again in the distance.
"Be careful. Some monsters like to wander around. Your noise might alarm them."
Then, he saw Bai Shi and his companions disappear into the nearby woods.
When he turned around,
The area where they had just spread the dirt had been cleared, and Polo, Jason, and the others were quietly digging in the pit.
It was as if everything that had just happened had been a fantasy.
When Alka tilted his head slightly and looked towards where Sofia and the others were, he realized that
It was clearly not an illusion.
Sofia was looking at him expressionlessly.
Not far away, Julia sat by the pit, while Lucilia and Matresa cleaned the sand and gravel from her head.
Zero One Two was walking towards Sofia, preparing to clean the sand from her head.
Looking at Sofia staring at him, Alka gave an awkward laugh.
However, he did not, like Jason and the others, calmly enter the pit and continue digging.
Instead, he walked towards Sofia.
Watching Alka's heroic act, the men digging the pit continued their work in silence, their heads tilted slightly to the side as they watched from the corner of their eyes.
Alka walked over, lifted the puppets that had climbed onto Shadaiti's shoulders, and set them down.
"You guys go ahead and do your work. I'll take care of this."
He then looked at Shadaiti, a comb in his hand.
Shadaiti looked at Alka expressionlessly.
As for his heart...it was churning like the sea.
Alka moved around behind Shadaiti, lifted her short silver hair with her hand, picked up the comb, and gently combed it.
"Don't be angry. I'll help you clean it up."
The men digging in the pit watched this scene with varying expressions.
"Oh!" Simon suddenly realized. So that's what was going on. He had sensed something was wrong before.
"Strong!" Jason's face flashed with admiration. He knew it, but he still admired her.
"Yeah." Juanlu nodded, having learned something.
"Tsk!" Pororo's face was filled with disdain, unable to understand how a woman would only slow down a strike.
Facing the four people's varying expressions, Alka ignored them all, silently feeling the soft silver threads in his hands.
And watching Sofia, who was forcing himself to remain calm, his ears slightly red and his white, tender neck slightly sweaty.
The woman behind him...
The other members of the group also watched the scene.
Matresha, curious, glanced up from time to time while cleaning the mud from Julia's head.
Doll Two tried to interrupt, but Zero and One grabbed her hands and dragged her toward the pit, where she struggled non-stop, even her mouth covered.
Julia watched the scene and shook her left shoulder.
Lucilia, who was standing at her left shoulder, cleaning the mud from her head, felt the movement and lowered her head.
"Did they pull out your hair?"
"...No."
Silently, she raised her hand and supported her forehead.
...
As everyone focused their attention on excavating the ruins, the excavation began to accelerate.
With their strong physiques and such effective tools, it didn't take long before a portion of the ruins below began to emerge.
The surrounding area was also filled with excavated soil. The pits grew larger, and the areas they had dug began to connect, revealing large areas.
The shovels in everyone's hands had long since been replaced with more delicate tools, as if they were excavating ruins, fearing any damage.
Lucille had already begun studying and interpreting the exposed remains.
The three puppet girls following behind her were using their own tools to perform more detailed cleaning to facilitate her observation.
"Three magical beasts are approaching. They're not very strong. Who's going to clean them up?" Sofia, emitting silver ripples, suddenly said.
Pororo, who was standing idly in the pit, immediately ran in the direction Sofia pointed upon hearing this.
The delicate work at this point was clearly beyond his ability; he could only handle the rough work at first.
By the time he returned, dragging the three now-decayed prey, they had already excavated most of the ruins' surface.
Now it was up to Lusilia to conduct a complete interpretation.
However, as the ruins were revealed, Sofia's silver ripples revealed more.
She stood atop the ruins, crouching down, taking in the overall structure of the ruins more carefully.
The silver ripples could now reach deeper underground.
Though these ruins were ancient, the materials used and the inscriptions once inscribed upon them, coupled with the high concentration of magic energy, constantly affected her exploration.
As she explored, a look of confusion began to appear on her face.
Alka, standing beside him, asked, "What's wrong? Is there something off about your expression?"
Xadaiti looked up and nodded.