"Your Majesty, do you really think that what you are looking for is under the palace?"
In the dark tunnel, a large group of mages held torches and groped forward. Various elemental shields protected them to prevent anything from emerging from the unknown darkness ahead.
The mage who was walking at the front turned around and couldn't help but say to the queen who was being protected in the center of the team.
"This is something recorded in the ancient royal books. There should be no mistakes." The queen looked forward and replied calmly, "This secret passage leading to the underground of the palace also exists, which means that the contents in the ancient books are correct. .”
Their current location is probably a few hundred meters underground in Glory. The secret passage is extremely wide, and the dark iron-colored walls have existed for an unknown number of years and are covered with strange characters and patterns. Withered yellow moss clings to it, and a slightly pungent smell floats in the air.
And around the queen, there were at least three to four hundred mages.
"But... the things left behind tens of thousands of years ago may have long been of no use." The mage was a little puzzled. "We spent so much effort, attacking Carites, and feigning death during negotiations, just for the sake of Is it worth it to sneak into the underground of Glory to find that legendary thing?”
"Of course it's worth it." The queen replied without hesitation. "This is a treasure left to me by my ancestors when the empire was founded. I have been searching for this for more than ten years. I finally found the clues, no matter how much I pay. worth it."
Hearing this, the mage wanted to say something more, but due to the queen's expression, he did not say anything.
But in my heart...
In fact, he still disagreed with the Queen's actions.
The situation has been turbulent. Not long after Ikol experienced a coup, the Kingdom of Hori watched eagerly from the sidelines. In this case, sending troops to Carites seemed very reckless to them. If the Hori Kingdom's army takes the opportunity to make a sneak attack, they don't know whether the troops and mages left behind by Ikol can withstand it.
Moreover, Frieden has just changed hands. If you want to send troops, you should go to fight Frieden. Why come to Carites
But the queen insisted on having her own way, and the mage felt helpless.
He knew that all this was for the legend buried beneath the palace site.
Glory was once the old capital of the empire, and the palace here was renovated and rebuilt on the site of the palace after Carrites established it. Legend has it that the treasures of the first emperor were buried underground under the old palace site, and only descendants of the royal family recognized by him can open them. Of course, to these people, it's just a legend. It has been many years since the empire was founded. If there were any treasures, they would have been dug out long ago. How could they be left to them
However, a few years ago, the Queen got an ancient book from nowhere. It is said to be something passed down from generation to generation by the royal family, and it contains many ancient secrets. Among them, regarding the underground of Glory's palace, the book says that the secret of the origin of magic is buried here.
"The regrets of brothers turning against each other were buried in the abyss beneath Glory." This is the original sentence in the book.
After a little thought, you will know that it means that the Valley of God's Abandonment is underground in the palace.
This is actually a rather unbelievable thing, but... after all, how many years have passed, it is not impossible that the former valley has turned into an underground cave.
However, there are so many legends about the Valley of Gods Abandonment. Who knows which ones are true? It's really a bit of a joke to send troops hastily just for this.
But the queen doesn't think so.
She spent a lot of time deciphering the ancient books. After deciphering it, the plan to send troops to Carites took shape in an instant. Attack, peace talks, fake death... everything is to divert others' attention and enter this underground secret passage that no one has ever walked before.
The price is quite high.
Of course, being in this ancient ruin-like secret passage, the mage also felt sincerely shocked. However, he still couldn't figure out what kind of treasure could be buried underground that would allow Her Majesty the Queen to make so many efforts at all costs.
Except for the queen, no one has read the full text of the ancient book, so this question can probably be answered only when they arrive at their destination.
The mage suppressed the confusion in his heart, maintained the shield, and continued to move forward.
After all, he was the one walking at the front, and he looked very cautious. They have been walking in this secret tunnel for almost a day, and they haven't encountered anything yet, but... Who knows what ghosts will pop up in this tunnel that has been there for many years
They must be vigilant at all times to protect themselves, and more importantly, Her Majesty the Queen.
"… arrive."
I don't know how long I walked in silence. Suddenly, the mage walking at the front stopped. In the secret passage ahead, a white wall suddenly appeared, blocking the way forward. Gently wipe off the soil on the wall, and the characters and patterns extend on it, exuding a simple beauty.
The mage in front was slightly stunned, thinking that they had reached a dead end. The queen looked excited and walked up holding a torch.
"Your Majesty, this is..."
"The entrance to the Valley of the Abandoned Gods." The queen took out something similar to a map, looked at it twice, and nodded, "This is the seal left by the first emperor. In order to preserve the place, only the blood of the royal family can open it. .”
As she spoke, she took out a dagger from her waist and lightly swiped it on her fingertips.
The blood seeped out slowly and was smeared on several specific patterns on the wall. Then, the mages suddenly felt a weak magic wave emanating from the white wall, and the queen's blood disappeared at that moment.
The mages looked at each other in astonishment.
"Okay, let's do it." The Queen turned around and ordered, "This wall can be broken down now. Don't use too much magic. Our location is right below the palace, so don't alert those above. "
The mages nodded and recited the spell.
A dense array of wind blades were summoned and blasted towards the white wall. With a loud rumbling sound, the tall wall collapsed, smoke and dust scattered, and the road behind the wall finally appeared.
They looked forward, and a more pungent smell hit their faces at this moment, making them unable to help but take a few steps back.
"This... what does this smell like?"
The mages pinched their noses, and some almost fainted from the smoke. However, the Queen did not take even half a step back at this time. Instead, with a look of expectation and fascination on her face, she stepped forward and walked forward without looking back.
It can be seen that there are no artificial walls around the tunnel after the wall is broken, and the terrain suddenly becomes rugged, like some unknown underground cave.
And in that dark and unknown cave, a faint white light came out faintly from inside.
The queen walked towards the white light.