Southeastern direction: outside the southern edge of Black Rock Ridge.
PM 01:47
The Jutsu Scouting Team arrives at the marked point: the Old Red Leaf Mining Pit.
Once a resource mining station for the East Cloud Academy's former experimental organization, this place was abandoned due to jutsu energy contamination a decade or so ago. According to records, this was one of the first mines to experience a jutsu decay burst. Nowadays, the mountain around the pit is covered in roiling red leaf vines, resembling a deserted shrine lying silently in the wind.
Vonk stood on a high slope overlooking the pit, his expression cold.
Livia scanned the area with her artifact looking glass. Her tone was calm.
"There is no obvious artifact reaction on the surface, but I can sense residual artifact field fluctuations below. It's an extremely deep, ancient structure."
"Then we will go down." Vonk ordered immediately.
The group put on artifact goggles and lit artifact lights before carefully entering the lower levels of the pit.
The deeper they went, the more complex the remaining artifacts on the walls became. Some of them weren't modern artifact structures but had fragments of lost constructs.
Fenya whispered to herself as she took notes.
"These are not the art form textures of the East Cloud Academy school. They're like the remains of an early Construct Clan."
"This suggests that the technology of the Tesseract may have long been associated with certain lost factions." Emma picked up.
The sound of footsteps gradually faded as it was swallowed by the stone walls. Finally, the group arrived at a platform in the deepest part of the pit. A nearly five-meter-wide spell formation was carved into the ground with a deep gap in the middle where a light blue energy flow was slowly moving.
Livia immediately squatted down to check. "This is a blockade-type art formation. But it has been cracked by some kind of external force."
Feng Ke frowned and asked, "This is not a natural crack. It was opened by force?"
Just then, an unfamiliar voice came from the end of the pit.
"It looks like you guys are finding it well."
The crowd turned around quickly, their eyes locking on—
On the broken stone platform above the rift, a youth wearing a gray and black robe with a half-hidden face mask slowly stepped out. He was carrying a box-shaped device whose jutsu structure was rotating in the form of an irregular cube with a light red glow in the center.
Technique: Tesseract Imitation.
Livia's pupils dilated. "Who are you?"
"There are many hounds that track the signal of the Tesseract, but only those who truly understand the meaning of the 'key' are worthy of possessing it."
The man responded softly. There was no hostility in his eyes, only a hint of playfulness.
Feng Ke responded in a cold voice, "Did you come here to test us? Or threaten us?"
The man did not answer immediately but raised his hand and gently waved it. A crystal-like spell seal flew out from his fingertips and stopped in midair.
It was a map fragment with additional coordinates of the ruins marked on it, including several areas that Feng Ke and the others had yet to explore.
The youth said blandly,
"There has never been more than one key, and the gatekeepers are not just you guys. If you really want to compete, you must obtain the 'Dual Seal Certification' within seven days. Otherwise, all efforts will be 'recycled' by the Mentor Society."
As soon as he finished speaking, he shook his body and unfolded a spell-jumping construct behind his back. His entire body disappeared without a trace, as if he had been swallowed by a vortex.
The entire pit fell silent.
Feng Ke slowly recorded the map data and said expressionlessly, "Dual Seal Authentication indicates that, besides us, there is at least one other hostile force synchronously tracking the Tesseract coordinates."
"Dual Seal Authentication" indicates that, besides us, at least one other hostile force is tracking the Tesseract coordinates in real time.
"And he is clearly the other group of 'alternates.'" Livia added in a low voice.
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Emma's mouth. "Then this game of contention is far from over."
Vonk stood up and calmly gave orders.
"Recover the information from the scene. Let's return to East Cloud immediately and prepare for the next stage."
At that moment, the old Red Leaf pit resembled an uncovered corner of a chessboard — but the real game had just begun.
—
Character Quotes:
Livia Irons:
"The Tesseract isn't the end; it's just the fuse that ignites the real war."
Vonk Rein:
"Keys abound, but doors will only open for the winner."
Translated with DeepL.com (free version).