By the next day, it was already our fifth day here, and only five days remained until the Sun Festival began.
Since both Rian and Erin had made considerable progress with their skills, we decided to let them go hunt monsters to level up and increase their stats. And of course, there was no better place for that than the Great Dungeon.
I placed an anchor at the children's home and then teleported to the Great Dungeon.
Honestly, that was a mistake on my part. Bringing along three others and teleporting such a long distance caused my SP to completely run out the moment we arrived.
My body couldn't handle it and collapsed.
"Shiraori!"
Meradis caught me, but my body still had no strength.
"What's wrong with her?" Erin asked worriedly.
"Just exhaustion, nothing serious." Meradis reassured the two kids and had me sit down while she took the two of them into the Dungeon for some real combat.
Even though I was still tired, I couldn't help but wonder if the Great Dungeon in this era was different from the one in the modern age...
Right now, I was on its first floor, and there didn't seem to be anything unusual besides the stone pathways. The creatures here weren't even worth mentioning to me.
Now that I think about it, it's been days since I arrived, but I still don't know how far this civilization is from the modern era. I did try to explore outside a bit, but I didn't have much time for that.
Not only do I have to take care of Rian and Erin, I also need to investigate the one behind the parasitic worm. A few days ago, I devoured half of its soul, leaving it in a weakened state. Now, it can't even resist anymore.
Its master hasn't made any moves either. I think the last confrontation must have worn him down. But I wonder, did the person who implanted the parasite in Erin's body know her secret? Or was it just a coincidence?
If they really know something, I need to take care of this quickly. If word spreads any further, it could endanger Erin. Especially since once I return to the modern era, there will be no one left to look after her.
Oh, now that I think about it!
I've never really considered what will happen after I return!
I need to quickly find someone trustworthy and entrust the two kids to them.
I think after today, it's time for us to start investigating Arkanis' internal affairs—especially about King Solari.
Meradis' ability to read memories will be very useful for this mission, so I definitely need to bring her along.
I leaned back, closed my eyes, and continued thinking.
My current goals are: find out who implanted the parasite in Erin, find someone to protect Rian and Erin, and find a way back to the modern era.
With clear objectives like that, I just need to follow through.
A while later, I heard light footsteps approaching. I opened my eyes immediately. Meradis and the two kids had returned.
"How was it?" I asked via telepathy.
<
"All good," Meradis replied shortly. "Both of them improved rapidly."
No need to say much about Rian, but Erin... she might have gotten terrifyingly strong. I looked at her and saw her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Big sis, I leveled up!" Erin exclaimed happily.
"Good job."
I was about to pat her head like usual but stopped midway. Erin, waiting too long for what she wanted, grabbed my hand and placed it on her head.
This... wasn't my idea, okay?
I glanced at Meradis—she was still smiling.
Well, I guess it's fine...
Still, seeing Erin so cheerful like this, I felt a bit more at ease. But time wasn't on our side anymore.
I stood up, brushed the dust off my clothes, and said to Meradis, "We need to talk."
Meradis tilted her head slightly, then nodded. "Understood."
Thanks to the anchor setup, teleporting all four of us at once was no problem, although I still needed a break afterward to recover.
"You two go practice for now. We've got something to do." Meradis said. Naturally, she was the one who had to speak up.
Erin looked a little disappointed but nodded obediently. Rian said nothing, simply took Erin's hand and left with her. Once it was just me and Meradis, I turned to her with a more serious look.
"Time to infiltrate."
Meradis didn't seem surprised. She crossed her arms and calmly said, "Well, you've finally decided to go through with it, huh?"
"There are three main objectives..."
Meradis stayed silent for a moment, then slowly replied, "Alright. So, what's the plan?"
I told Meradis about my intentions and that we'd use her memory-reading ability to gather information as quickly as possible.
"Let's go tonight." Meradis suggested.
I nodded.
That night, we began our operation. First, we returned to the pyramid where we had first arrived. It was considered one of the largest pyramids, so there had to be some clue there.
"Let's go to the room with that machine first." I suggested.
Since I still remembered the location, I teleported us straight there. The machine was in a dark room and didn't seem to have changed over the past few days. We began searching around for clues.
Fortunately, there were still some documents about the machine on a nearby table.
Let's see.
I reached out for the stack of documents on the table and began flipping through the pages. The characters weren't in any modern language I was familiar with, but luckily, I could still understand parts of it thanks to some familiar symbols.
This document seemed to be a basic introduction to the machine and how it worked. This device was called the "Heaven's Wheel Engine." Its purpose wasn't mentioned, but it required a massive amount of mana to activate.
Hmm...
Not particularly helpful.
The machine still wasn't complete—at least, that's what I concluded. It was still missing a central component, something that could allow the whole machine to function.
I guessed it had to be something with an enormous mana source.
"Do you know anything similar?" I asked Meradis.
"Usually, certain minerals or special locations have high mana concentrations, but we still don't know exactly how much mana this machine needs," she replied.
Guess we'll have to set that aside for now.
Let's head to the library.
Once again, Meradis and I teleported away.
…
The two of us teleported once more, this time directly to the library inside the pyramid. There weren't many books here, but it was clear they were all confidential.
The moment we arrived, I spotted a few guards patrolling the area. As expected, something was being hidden here, hence the strict security.
I quickly put the guards to sleep.
The library seemed very quiet. No one was around—just towering shelves filled with books and ancient scrolls. The scent of old paper and long-aged ink lingered in the air, creating a sense of calm but also mystery.
"What are we looking for here?" Meradis asked, glancing around suspiciously.
"Information on King Solari and Arkanis. Also, any clues related to the Heaven's Wheel Engine if possible." I replied, my eyes scanning for any books or documents that might relate to what we needed.
Meradis nodded and moved toward a large shelf filled with books on history and ancient magic. I picked another direction, wandering around the library to see if there were any books discussing hidden palace secrets or strange machines.
We didn't rush, but every step was taken cautiously. In a place like this, there was no telling whether there might be traps or someone watching us.
Eventually, after a while of searching, I realized that while some books did mention secrets, they only scratched the surface.
There had to be a hidden library.
I used [Heaven Eye] to scan the area, and sure enough, I detected a location underground. Though cloaked in magic, I noticed a suspicious mana concentration down there.
"Meradis, over here." I called to her.
Meradis came over quickly, and with her talent in magic, she was able to find a way to the hidden room. We headed in without delay.
Below was a relatively small chamber, containing some strange tools and a few documents.
We split up again to search for anything useful. I stopped before a bookshelf, where I saw a black leather-bound book with strange characters etched into its cover. Upon opening it, I found its pages full of information about ancient machines and long-forgotten technologies. This could be the key to understanding the Heaven's Wheel Engine.
Meradis came over and glanced at the book, her sharp eyes not missing a single detail. She began reading passages in ancient languages under her breath, quickly flipping through pages in search of crucial information.
"I found this." Meradis pointed to a note written in the book. "It mentions an ancient machine called the 'Awakening Resonator'. It's said to be able to activate a portion of primordial energy, but no one knows how to control it once it's been activated."
"Awakening… Primordial energy?" I muttered.
So what exactly is this primordial energy?
Too many things I don't understand...
"There's also a note here about something called the 'Soul Bearer'… someone tasked with controlling and maintaining these machines. But it seems they no longer exist."
A sense of unease rose in me. Soul Bearer—it sounded like a title, and an important one at that. It could be connected to the Heaven's Wheel Engine we were trying to understand.
"So, how are the two machines related?" I asked.
"The Awakening Resonator… appears to be the first version of the Heaven's Wheel Engine. The original purpose of the Resonator was to awaken primordial energy under the control of the Soul Bearer. That energy seems to have been meant for the Heaven's Wheel Engine, but it was still insufficient. And the Soul Bearer disappeared, with no one ever reclaiming the title. That's the rough summary."
So in the end, we still needed to know what the Heaven's Wheel Engine was truly for.
If this batch of documents couldn't provide anything useful, then it was time to find the one in charge here.
"To the royal pyramid."
…
A while later, we arrived in front of the royal pyramid.
It was the largest and most magnificent pyramid in all of Arkanis, so it wasn't hard to find. The problem was that I'd never been here before, so we had to proceed slowly.
Even so, it wasn't particularly difficult—most of the guards here were either ordinary people or had a few skills, but nothing impressive. Suddenly, as we walked down the hallway, I felt like someone was watching me.
"We've been spotted!"
"Is it dangerous?" Meradis asked.
That gaze didn't give off a sense of danger, but it was best to be careful. I didn't expect a master like that to be here.
"For now, they're only observing, though I don't like it." I said.
"Should we go confront them directly?" Meradis asked.
"Let's head to King Solari's study first. I think we'll find more there."
"Alright."
In fact, that gaze just now had deliberately guided me toward the royal study. I didn't know what was there, but following it wouldn't hurt—sooner or later, we'd go there anyway.
Not long after, we reached the king's study, guided silently by that mysterious presence. The place was relatively tidy, fitting for a king, and held a decent number of documents.
Time to search again.
Meradis quickly examined the area, her sharp eyes scanning each shelf and scroll. I didn't waste time either, starting to sift through the places that might contain valuable information.
"Anything?" I asked as I noticed Meradis picking up a book that looked much older than the rest.
"I found a record of the royal family's magical research," she replied. "It seems Solari spent a great deal of time studying souls and primordial energy."
I frowned. Souls and primordial energy… That definitely wasn't a coincidence.
Meradis set the book on the desk, and I opened it, beginning to read. The first pages discussed basic theories of souls and how they could be preserved or manipulated. But deeper inside, I found a note written in a distinctly different handwriting, as if it had been scribbled in haste.
"The blood of the chosen shall unlock the sealed gate. Leading us to a glorious future."
I read the passage over and over, trying to grasp its full meaning. The blood of the chosen? A pure soul? A sealed path?
Meradis was also deep in thought, then said: "It's possible. The 'true path' might be what we're looking for, and the chosen one… could be Erin or Rian."
"Considering they don't know Erin is a Eucharist, Rian is more likely to be the chosen one. But if they already know about Erin, then this could become a real problem."
There was too much information I couldn't yet piece together. Maybe it was time to finally face the one who had been watching us.
I couldn't ignore it any longer.
"Let's go meet that guy." I said.