leonardwarren Chapter 31 Returning to the Watchtower, Taking Inventory
Chapter 31 Returning to the Watchtower, Taking Inventory
Following the escape route he remembered from his arrival, Rowling left the pursuing skeletons and other potential dangers far behind.
Until he could no longer feel that chilling aura of death and the powerful energy fluctuations.
After confirming that it was temporarily safe, Luo Lin slowed down a bit, found a very secluded tree hole to hide in, and breathed heavily.
Although the expedition was brief, the results far exceeded expectations.
Not only did they obtain unknown objects such as scrolls and compasses from ancient ruins, but more importantly, they acquired that mysterious gray-spotted egg.
After catching his breath, he dared not linger for long and immediately set off again, cautiously and quickly returning towards the Gray Tower outpost.
On the way back to Grey Tower outpost, Rowling walked with even greater caution.
He avoided the areas where he had encountered danger on the way here, keeping his mental focus highly concentrated, sensing every rustle of wind and movement.
The new items in his dimensional bag, especially the dormant egg, filled him with a strange sense of anticipation.
Several days later, when the familiar dark gray fortress came into view, Roland finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Passing through the energy membrane and entering the outpost's territory, the familiar hustle and bustle and sense of order came into view, in stark contrast to the deathly silence and danger at the edge of the rotten depression.
He didn't go to find Masen immediately, but instead returned to his small stone house.
After closing the door and activating the simple soundproofing array that came with the room, I finally relaxed.
The intense stress and constant running over the past few days had left him physically and mentally exhausted.
Luo Lin first adjusted his state to its best through deep meditation.
Only then did they begin to tally up the gains from this adventure.
The first to be taken out were the twelve fluorescent mushrooms, seven of excellent quality and five ordinary, their faint light flickering quietly in the dim stone house.
More than capable of fulfilling Mason's request.
Then, he carefully took out the items he had obtained from the ruins from his dimensional bag and placed them on the stone table.
The few pieces of magic crystal fragments that had run out of energy had no apparent use for the time being, but they might be useful as materials for some special magic arrays, so he put them aside for the time being.
His attention was mainly focused on the stack of animal hide rolls, the bronze compass, and the crystal tube of medicine.
Rowling picked up the bronze compass first.
It felt cold and heavy to the touch, and the runes on its surface were ancient and unfamiliar, significantly different from the modern rune system he had learned.
I tried to inject a trace of magic power, but the compass didn't react at all; the pointer remained frozen.
This appears to be an ancient enchanted item that requires a specific method to activate, perhaps involving a technology that has been lost to time.
Rowling carefully put it away, intending to study it later.
Then, he picked up the sealed crystal tube.
The dark red liquid swayed slightly inside the tube, viscous like blood yet exuding a strange, inert energy that was not of life.
Despite using various known detection techniques, Rowling was unable to determine its composition and purpose.
Unknown potions often mean unknown risks, so he dared not try them lightly and kept them with great care.
Finally, his gaze fell on the stack of animal hide rolls.
The material of the reel is surprisingly tough, retaining its flexibility even after years of use.
He took a deep breath and unfolded one of the scrolls.
The scroll contains text and designs written in a dark ink.
The script is neither a common language nor one of the few ancient languages known to Rowling; its complex structure carries a unique sense of rhythm.
Fortunately, he was literate.
Concentrating his mind, he slowly channeled his magic power into the spell model, his gaze falling on those unfamiliar characters.
At first, the characters resembled numbers of days, but as the spell took effect, a stream of information began to flow into the mind with difficulty.
The process of understanding is far more difficult than reading modern books; the information contained in the character set seems more ancient and gray, and many concepts and expressions are different from those of today.
It took Rowling nearly an hour to barely understand the beginning of the first week of involution.
This is a fragment of research notes on "energy inert fields".
The author, in an extremely rigorous and even obsessive tone, discusses how to construct a "static field" that can greatly slow down energy decay and almost stop it through specific combinations of materials and rune sequences.
The notes mention that this field can be used to preserve certain extremely active or easily decaying precious materials, and even... to slow down the life process.
Upon seeing this, Luo Lin's heart skipped a beat.
He instinctively reached for his chest, where the gray-spotted egg lay.
Is it...
Luo Lin suppressed the urge to immediately study the egg and continued reading.
Unfortunately, this scroll is incomplete. The key application sections and specific construction methods seem to be missing, leaving only some theoretical derivations and records of failed cases.
Rowling put down the scroll and picked up another.
This scroll records a zero-ring spell improvement model called "Rock Skin," designed to increase spell duration and elemental resistance, especially defense against earth and physical attacks.
Its construction approach differs from existing models in many ways, focusing more on the induction and solidification of the deep structure of soil element particles.
Although the model itself appears somewhat complex due to the differences in eras, the particle manipulation concept it embodies caught Rolin's eye.
This gave him a new direction for further optimization of the [Weak Force Field Armor].
The third scroll was even more damaged, with only some of the discussion about "soul imprint" and "contract stability" being discernible.
It appears to be research related to some kind of contract technique or pet binding, but key parts are severely missing.
Although most of the scrolls were damaged, the ancient knowledge and unique spellcasting concepts they contained made Rolin feel that the trip was worthwhile.
This knowledge did not directly improve his abilities, but it greatly broadened his horizons.
This provided him with valuable insights into the modern system for his future research.
Finally, Rowling's gaze fell back on the cork box containing the mysterious egg.
He took it out and placed it on the table.
Open the box, peel back the animal skin, and there lies the lifeless egg covered in gray spots, lying there quietly.
Recalling the description of the "static field" in the scroll, and the faint throbbing in my mind when my fingertips touched it, a guess gradually became clear.
This egg is very likely the egg of some strange monster that was sealed or preserved by that "static field" before the ancient Gray Tower was destroyed.
Because of the destruction of the Ash Tower, the energy field became unbalanced, and the stasis effect may have weakened or mutated, causing the egg to fall into its current state of near-death.
So, how do we wake it up?
Or rather, should we awaken it?
The fragmented contents of the scroll concerning "soul imprint" and "contract" stirred something within him.
If this is indeed the egg of a powerful or rare monster, successfully hatching it and forming a contract with it would undoubtedly be a great help.
However, the unknown also represents risk.
He tried to inject a wisp of extremely gentle spiritual energy into the eggshell again, supplemented by a slight fluctuation of magical power, to simulate the aura of life energy.
This time, he perceived things much more clearly.
After a long time, just when he was about to give up, there seemed to be a tiny, almost imperceptible, flicker of response in the dead silence deep inside the eggshell!
It was even fainter than before, like a candle flickering in the wind, but it was definitely there!
It seemed to be drawing upon that meager spiritual power and energy, but the speed was outrageously slow, and it conveyed a sense of "hunger" and "weakness".
"It is still 'alive,' but extremely weak and needs energy... specifically, a specific kind of energy, or a specific environment, to recover."
Rowling drew a conclusion.
Forcibly injecting energy would likely backfire.
Lorin wrapped the eggs back in animal hide, then left the stone house with the twelve glowing mushrooms and headed to the central hall to find Masen.
As expected, Mason was still there, idly fiddling with what looked like a broken alchemical device.
Seeing Luo Lin approaching, his eyes lit up, and he immediately went to greet him.
"Roland! You're back! How are you?"
He rubbed his hands together, his tone filled with anticipation and nervousness.
Rowling didn't say anything, but simply handed over the wooden box containing the fluorescent mushrooms.
Ma Sen couldn't wait to open it. When he saw the twelve mushrooms inside, especially the seven exceptionally beautiful, glowing luminous mushrooms, his face instantly lit up with a wildly joyful smile.
"Great! Great! I knew I'd come to the right place!"
He carefully closed the box, as if he were holding some priceless treasure.