Ji An's meaning was clear: fewer people should go down into the dangerous unknown.
Master Lu Ban was the first to speak. "I must go down, naturally."
His apprentices, Lu Xian and Lu Tai, quickly added, "We will accompany our master!"
The investigation team's three protectors—Xiangling, Guoba, and Hu Tao—would naturally go as well.
Ji An nodded and addressed the remaining support staff and Millelith soldiers. "Then please, everyone, wait here for our news. We also entrust the Fatui prisoners to your care, gentlemen."
"It is our duty, Mr. Ji! No need for formalities!" the Millelith soldiers responded.
Ji An gripped the edge of the passageway, carefully stepping onto the damp stone. "It's steep and slippery. Be careful," he warned those behind him.
"Xiao An, I'll go first and light the way!" Hu Tao moved past him to take the lead. Several fiery-red butterflies materialized in her hand, emitting a crimson light sufficient to banish the darkness.
Master Lu and his disciples followed closely behind.
Xiangling and Guoba took up the rear.
Before descending, Ji An once again mentally contacted Herloxia, instructing it to follow quietly behind them soon.
...
They made their way downward, descending about fifty meters before their feet finally found level ground. The descent wasn't exceedingly long, but proceeding with caution due to the unknown conditions below had taken considerable time.
"Wow! There are so many magic crystals here! They're glowing like a sea of stars!" Xiangling exclaimed in delight.
They had arrived in a cavern deep underground. It wasn't dark here; numerous glowing magic crystals, growing alongside the stalactites, bathed the cave in a soft, ambient light that dispelled the gloom.
"Xiao An, it's so beautiful!" Hu Tao clasped her hands together, her plum blossom eyes sparkling.
Then, she added with a touch of regret, "If I'd known, I would have gone to find that person from Fontaine and borrowed his precious Kamera. Then we could have taken a commemorative picture here together!"
Ji An broke into a mental sweat. "We're here on a mission, not a sightseeing trip."
Hu Tao pinched her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, true. I'll just ask him for the Kamera when we get back, then."
Ji An smiled wryly. "No coercive methods."
Hu Tao's eyes curved into crescents as she nodded repeatedly. "Mhm, mhm! Got it!"
Master Lu Ban observed their surroundings. "For this many magic crystals to form here, the concentration of Ley Line energy in this place must be exceptionally high."
Hearing this, Ji An thought for a moment and asked, "Master Lu, how much do you know about the Ley Lines?"
"My knowledge of the Ley Lines comes from an ancient tome I encountered in my youth. At the time, I found its contents too fantastical to believe."
"Later, as I grew older and began traveling the continent, my experiences broadened. On my journeys, I witnessed certain phenomena that corroborated the things described in that book. It was then I realized the records within might hold truth."
A look of reminiscence passed through Master Lu's eyes. After a moment of silence, he looked at Ji An. "Young Ji, you wish to know about the Ley Lines?"
Ji An gave a slight nod.
Master Lu Ban chuckled. "Then you've asked the right person. I may have lost that ancient tome, but I remember every word within. What I'm about to tell you might be quite shocking, but don't take it too much to heart. Just treat it as a legend or a curious tale."
His words piqued the curiosity of Xiangling, Hu Tao, and his two disciples as well. They all pricked up their ears, listening intently.
"The book recorded a legend," Master Lu began slowly. "It spoke of a colossal tree that once permeated every corner of the world. Its root system was like... well, to use Fontaine terminology, the Ley Lines are like a conceptual network. Different elements flow within it. It is said that everything that happens on and beneath the earth is recorded within the Ley Lines, which contain a power potent enough to alter the rise and fall of nations."
"A-A tree that p-permeated the world?!" Xiangling's eyes went wide with disbelief. "How enormous would that be?!" In her mind, the largest tree she'd ever seen was the giant one at Nantianmen. Xianglings plus Guoba couldn't wrap their arms around it. The idea of a tree spanning the world was beyond her comprehension.
Hu Tao pinched her chin. "Could something that large truly exist?"
"Haha, as for that, I cannot be certain either," Master Lu Ban replied, shaking his head with a smile.
Ji An asked, "Master Lu, you said the Ley Lines record everything that happens in the world?"
"Mhm. That ancient text stated that the wishes and memories of all life upon this land converge within them. These wishes and memories then return to the surface through the branches of the Ley Lines, bestowing blessings upon the world."
The diligent student Xiangling raised her hand. "But Master Lu, if they're blessings, how come I've never seen them in all my life?"
"If they are called blessings, they naturally wouldn't be easily obtained by everyone. Without meeting certain conditions, one cannot acquire what lies hidden deep within the Ley Lines."
"Furthermore, Miss Xiangling, are you truly certain you've never seen them? Or is it that you have seen them but failed to recognize them as such?" Master Lu chuckled. "During my travels across nations, I have seen some massive ancient trees. According to the book, those petrified ancient trees are, in all likelihood, branches of the Ley Lines themselves."
Hearing this, Xiangling's eyes lit up. "Is the big tree at Nantianmen one of them?"
"Well..." Master Lu hesitated. "That tree... is somewhat different from the petrified ancient trees I've encountered on my travels. I cannot say for certain."
"I understand. Thank you, Master Lu," Ji An said gratefully.
Master Lu's words had deepened his understanding of the Ley Lines. As for the notion of the Ley Lines being a colossal tree permeating the world—though it sounded incredible—Ji An didn't dismiss it as false. Sometimes, the things that sound the most impossible turn out to be the truth.
But according to Master Lu, what flows within the Ley Lines is elemental energy. Yet I sensed another, peculiar force. I'm certain it wasn't traditional elemental energy. Furthermore, both the Ruin Guards and I can absorb and utilize this power. That Abyss Mage and the armored stranger from before also had similar auras...
Ji An pondered, a faint thread of understanding beginning to form in his mind.
...
They continued moving deeper into the cavern.
Ji An sent a mental message to Herloxia, informing it that there was plenty of "food" here to replenish its energy.
"Look! It's the remains of a Ruin Guard!" Xiangling, sharp-eyed as ever, pointed out.
"!"
Guoba scurried over and stood before the wreckage.
Hu Tao crouched down, examining the wound that had caused it to cease functioning. "Hmm! This battle occurred very recently. And there's residual Geo energy on its body."
"Residual Geo energy," Ji An mused. "A Geo-elemental monster?"
-------
A/n: New content posted on my patreon go check it out!
patreon.com/deadlygoober