Arcane Lord

Xia Duo didn't have much gambling in him, but he didn't lack the spirit of all-or-nothing. Once he made up his mind, he no longer hesitated.

Holding the sword and shield tightly, Xia Duo took a step forward and crossed the dividing line between life and decay.

"Nothing happened?"

But the surrounding active magic network environment, the unique smell of decay and vitality in the forest, the sound of wind, and even the faint roar of earth beasts all told Xia Duo——

He's out!

When I turned around and looked behind me, there were no longer decayed tree remains behind me, but a living forest!

"It's really out!" Xia Duo felt happy and immediately checked the magic scroll.

The spiritual light dimmed a bit, but it still existed firmly, entangled and echoing with the fresh magic network around it. Xia Duo secretly said that it was lucky, but these scrolls must be dealt with as soon as possible!

Looking at the surrounding environment, it is indeed in the Green Pearl Forest, but I don’t know where exactly. It’s useless to look at the map at this time.

There is no automatic positioning or navigation function, it is just an ordinary map.

While looking for markers, Xia Duo reflected on the accident. Being involved in the elf ruins this time can be said to be an accident, but it can also be said to be self-inflicted.

No one expected that there would be a suspected elf ruins in the Green Bead Forest, but the conceptual existence of "flow" and "moisture" that had been discovered did not make him sufficiently vigilant.

However, the magical world may be full of traps, and sometimes the risks that should be encountered cannot be avoided. Ultimately, it is still a matter of strength.

…

"found it!"

It didn't take long for Xia Duo to find a familiar sword mark nearby, which was the mark left by his previous "square-by-square" search for Old Neil's treasure.

"In that case, the ruins should be nearby."

Thinking that it was like teleporting when entering, but simply walking out when leaving, and that you can see the outside from inside, Xia Duo couldn't think of where the ruins were hidden for a while.

But what is certain is that the ruins are very closely connected to this area.

In addition, judging from the map that Old Neil could leave behind, he may have entered the ruins, and the appearance of the elf mage in the Green Bead Forest also made Sha Duo think about it.

It is still unknown what is in the ruins, but just based on this magical way of entering and exiting, Xia Duo knows that it is not simple even if he thinks about it on his knees.

For a moment, he regretted choosing this place as his territory. It was like sitting on a volcano.

The ruins themselves are not that big of a deal, and nothing unexpected has happened inside over the years, but external factors cannot be ignored.

Neither the Elf Mage nor the Saville Territory is a fuel-efficient lamp. Once this ruin is exposed, God knows what will happen.

By then, it's hard to say whether he can retain the title of "Trail Blazer".

In the development process of Netheril, many elven ruins have been discovered, and even complete elven forces have been destroyed, but the ruins here in the Green Bead Forest are still a little different.

"Mysterious lock!"

With the magical way of entering and exiting, and the completely different environment of the Magic Network between the inside and the outside world, how could Xia Duo not think of the [Elven Mystery Lock]!

This is a very clever spell-casting technique that can permanently change the magic network. Legend has it that the destruction of the Age of Dragons is related to the [Mystery Lock].

There are only a few words about the Mystery Lock in the Library of the Tower of Time, and both of them appear in mage biographies. It seems that only high-end mages can have access to magical knowledge.

Xia Duo, who came from the earth and knew the history of Faerûn, knew that several crown wars had disrupted the elves' magical heritage, and a lot of knowledge was lost, perhaps including the Mystery Lock.

Then the Green Pearl Forest may really be a powder keg!

Sha Duo couldn't help but shudder when he thought of the scene where elves and arcanists all flocked to the Green Bead Forest to frantically excavate ruins and study mysterious locks.

"You can't bear this matter on your own, and you can't afford it!"

On the surface, Xia Duo is not only the pioneer lord of Daxia Territory, but also a member of the Tower of Time. How could he not share such a good thing as discovering the elf ruins with them!

But that's not possible now. He has to search for it himself first. Besides, he is also afraid that he will be silenced.

Suddenly, Xia Duo felt like he was playing with fire on a tightrope. If he was not careful, he would either catch fire or fall into a deep cliff.

But the ruins were in his territory, and sooner or later there would be thunderstorms. He could only try his best to maintain subtle tricks, try not to let the fire burn him, and walk to the opposite side of the deep cliff.

Thinking of the pressure that would follow, Xia Duo had no intention of exploring any ruins. Returning to the camp, he immediately called Qiao Qi, the new captain of Team 2:

"After clearing the bushes on the east side, don't go further east, go south."

This was different from the original plan. Although Qiao Qi was a little confused, he didn't need to question what the lord said, he just had to obey.

"Yes, sir!"

"Get out."

"yes!"

After Qiao Qi was dismissed, Xia Duo was the only one left in the small tent. He was silent, thinking, and had no choice but to change the original plan.

The treasure place, or the mysterious lock place, was only a little over a mile away from the temporary camp at the landing point. He was worried that cutting down a tree there would expose the ruins, which would be difficult.

Now, changing to the south and developing along the river can be regarded as one of the plans. Being close to the water can also bring out Xia Duo's bloodline ability, but the long strip of territory may look a bit strange.

Compared with the possibility of touching the mysterious lock going east, Xia Duo can accept this result.

Furthermore, Wolfsburg and Fort Wolf do not face straight south. They happen to be somewhat westward near the landing point. Calculating this way, there may not necessarily be a long strip of territory.

It's just that Mysuo is within the territory designated by Lord Savile, so the three-year agreement may not be fulfilled.

Shado sighed in his heart, but he did not doubt that Lord Saville knew about the ruins in advance. After all, he chose this place himself. It can only be said that the map left by Old Neil deceived him!

But even without the map, Xia Duo would choose a waterside territory because of his bloodline ability, and the location here was already under his consideration.

Looking at it this way, he really was at odds with this ruin.

…

In the next few days, Xia Duo went in and out of the ruins many times, but he was not in a hurry to hunt for treasures, but was testing the scope of the ruins.

After many tests, he found that the trajectory coming out of the inner edge of the ruins and corresponding to the Green Bead Forest was almost a circle with a diameter of several hundred meters.

The "grids" that could previously have a restorative effect were all within this circular area, and there was at least one tree in any "grid".

Of course, now Xia Duo knows that this should be the key node of the mystery lock.

He did not destroy those key trees again. Every time he entered the ruins, he entered from the tree he chopped down, and besides this place, there should be other places to enter.

But that requires searching this circular area with a diameter of several hundred meters. Xia Duo has not yet searched. After all, this is not the point. Knowing it will not help.

He mainly wants to determine the scope of the ruins, which is what he has been busy with these past few days.

After determining the range of the ruins corresponding to the Green Bead Forest, the real highlight is. Xia Duo is very much looking forward to finding out what treasures are hidden in those ruins!