Chapter 33: Holding the Stone of Creation

Inside the pitch-black cave.

As the stone tablet was pulled out, a faint light emanated from within it.

In front of the two people.

A dim glimmer also rose from the walls, revealing the frame of the ruins' entrance.

With the help of this faint light, Kana could finally see that the cave was at least four to five meters high.

The bottom half was a pool of water, while the other half was a stone floor connecting to the door frame.

The glowing gate was approximately 4 meters high and 3 meters wide. The gap in the middle of the door and a missing circular hole in the center were clearly visible.

The pattern on the door was a triangular icon surrounded by hollowed-out carvings. However, due to the passage of time, most of the intricate carvings had become blurred and indistinct.

Kana stepped forward and embedded the stone tablet into the central hollow; it fit perfectly.

However, he did not press both tablets in at once.

Instead, he first picked up the right half—the exact piece held by the Merman Prophet.

He placed it in gently and pressed down firmly.

It fit seamlessly.

With another forceful push, the right half of the door swung open, revealing a corridor behind it.

In the center of the door gap was a structure resembling a wall, preventing the two sides from connecting.

After a moment of thought, he placed the other half of the stone tablet into position.

He pushed the door open in the same manner.

The scene on the other side was identical to this one.

The entrance had been split into two sides from the very beginning, meaning the stone tablet was originally two separate pieces.

"Your Highness, which side shall we go to first?"

"The right side." After all, the right side had already been explored by players in the game, so Kana possessed more information about it.

Aliris nodded, drew her blade, and took the lead.

As soon as the two stepped into the right-hand passage, clusters of fire ignited along the walls, illuminating their path forward.

Walking inward, Kana took the opportunity to tap the central wall. Although it looked like a thin layer from both sides, the impact felt solid and thick.

It was impossible to tell if the other side was hollow.

The corridor was not particularly long or narrow, measuring about six or seven meters.

Furthermore, besides the natural flames, there were no murals or carvings on the walls of the corridor.

The two walked cautiously through the passage and emerged into a large hall.

The hall was triangular in shape, with a human-shaped statue standing in the center, roughly three meters tall.

Perhaps because the space was enclosed, the statue was exceptionally well-preserved. The gray sculpture clearly depicted a somewhat balding middle-aged man.

He gazed forward, his left hand behind his back, while his right hand held a cube.

On the front of the pedestal beneath the statue, a shield was mounted. The shield was covered in dust, appearing almost the same color as the statue itself.

Directly in front of the statue stood another small sculpture resembling a chalice, about 1.5 meters tall.

This chalice was an actual container.

Inside the center of the chalice sculpture, several items were stored.

Upon closer inspection, it was filled with circular coins and various types of stones.

A thick layer of dust covered them, making it impossible to see clearly what the coins were made of. It could only be seen that the stones were likely gemstones.

Aside from these, there was nothing else in the triangular space.

Aliris looked puzzled; she truly could not see the purpose of this construction. Was it meant to showcase the subject's appearance?

But looking at the statue, the man didn't seem particularly handsome.

Kana walked to the front of the statue. On the circular stone pedestal beneath it, dense lines of text could be seen.

Looking closely, he realized the script was very similar to the writing used in the Safro Kingdom.

By guessing and piecing it together, he could discern that the text described the life and achievements of the statue's owner.

An alchemist from the ancient Alchemy Empire.

Modern alchemy had perfectly inherited the techniques and knowledge of the ancient empire, with no major break in its core lineage.

And the most brilliant achievement of this statue's owner in his lifetime was a specific alchemical item.

"So, what is this ruin for?" Aliris couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Kana removed the shield from the front of the pedestal. It was a small round shield, its original appearance completely obscured by thick dust.

"This is a tomb. In the ancient Alchemy Empire, alchemists loved to build their tombs like this."

"A tomb?" Aliris was very surprised, as there was nothing about this place that looked like a burial site. There were no coffins, no place to store a corpse—just a statue and a chalice sculpture.

It was far too... too simple.

Looking at the statue, Aliris suddenly had a realization and pointed at it. "Could it be..."

"Exactly. Some alchemists of the ancient Alchemy Empire would have their bodies burned to ashes immediately after death.

A statue would be carved in the likeness of the tomb owner to be placed in the tomb. The statue would have a pre-reserved space to hold the ashes.

Finally, friends or relatives would fill the statue to complete it."

Having finished, Kana shook the small round shield in his hand, which was covered in dust. "The circular pedestal below records important life events and includes their most representative alchemical work."

Clearly, the small round shield in Kana's hand was the most representative alchemical work of the tomb's owner.

As for the chalice in front of the statue, it held no profound significance; it primarily represented the external symbols of alchemy during that era.

Depending on the period, the sculpture in front would be replaced by a chalice, a crucible, a great tree, a tetrahedron, or something similar.

Kana wasn't very familiar with the specific lore regarding these variations.

However, while he lacked knowledge of the specific settings, he was very knowledgeable about the potential rewards. As long as it involved a chalice or a crucible, the harvest was guaranteed to be excellent.

Because inside sculptures like these, valuable items were often placed.

After listening to Kana's explanation, Aliris nodded in understanding. "Your Highness is truly learned."

She learned something new every day by following him.

Moreover, she had grown accustomed to it; if she didn't understand something, she would just listen to him. The Prince was never wrong.

After their chat, the two looked toward the chalice sculpture.

The sculpture itself was not small, and the space inside was equally substantial, yet it was filled with coins and gems.

It screamed extravagance.

The items inside a chalice were already very valuable, and if nothing went wrong, everything in this chalice would be necessary for alchemy.

Aliris glanced at Kana, then reached out and took a gemstone.

After confirming there was no issue, she nodded to him.

Kana, meanwhile, stared intently at one specific gemstone within the chalice.

He slowly reached out and picked it up, wiping away the dust to reveal its pale blue exterior.

This gemstone was no different from the others around it; in fact, its surface was even rougher and completely unpolished, looking more like a fragment chipped off from a larger gem.

It was a very small piece, only about one-third the size of a palm.

This was no ordinary gemstone; this was the primary reason Kana had come to these ruins.

[Fragment of the Genesis Stone (Small)]

Kana didn't even need to use magic to digitize it; the name of the fragment appeared directly before his eyes.

But it was only the name.

Aliris glanced at the gem Kana was holding. It looked no different from the others, even uglier.

She turned her attention back to the chalice and picked up a few coins to wipe them.

As it turned out, most of the coins were silver, with only a small portion being gold, which left Aliris feeling a bit disappointed.

If they had all been gold, they would have struck it rich.

However, even if most were silver, it was still a very considerable harvest.

As he held the fragment of the Genesis Stone, Kana was almost certain that his "cheat" had been created by such fragments.

He knew the settings of the Genesis Stone well.

Its inherent nature meant that only someone who truly knew what to look for could discover its essence.

And the easiest person to find the Genesis Stone was someone who had already come into contact with and used it; those who had used it possessed a natural connection to the stone.

Of course, this connection could only be detected when one was close enough.

In reality, holding the Genesis Stone for the first time, Kana felt a surge of excitement.

His emotional state began to affect the stone. Sensing this, Kana instantly placed the gem back into the chalice to calm his emotions.