The Dawn of the New World

They were on the last set of stairs already so Jin Wang went to the other side and hid behind the metal door. The door itself was more than 1.5 meters thick, 4 meters in length and 2 meters in width.

It stood facing the stairs but since there was nothing around it, it looked more than a little odd. It wasn't even connected to anything so how could it lead to somewhere?

Knowing the Emperor's habits Jin Wang postulated that it was a spatial gateway that led to a place he thought was secure enough to stand the test of time. That also meant there was nothing he could do to forcefully open it.

He waited as the group slowly ascended to the last step and stopped. The man wearing the same armor as Lady Natalia stepped forward, unleashing a bit of his internal energy that would have triggered any traps nearby.

And if Jin Wang wasn't the one controlling the traps himself they would have as well.

The man walked halfway towards the metal door before gesturing for the others. But even then only Lady Natalia came forward. She held her curved greatshield in front of her while making even more noise.

A number of runes that looked like eyes inscribed on her armor shone with a dazzling light for a few seconds. Each ray of light fell onto the floor, not much different from how a spotlight moved around searching for something specific.

'The Saints Vigilance!'

Jin Wang wasn't expecting her to have such a 'treasure' on herself and to counter it he quickly raised his arms and began to make numerous hand signs while chanting a spell under his breath. This went on for as long as the lights kept moving about.

If he wasn't sure of her background as a Purifier before, this would have proven it without a shadow of a doubt.

Those runes had to be made by someone that had spent their entire life serving the 'Holy Light' as they called it. This person had to be a true saint, someone that had not spilled any blood, not harmed anyone with either his tongue or hands, not been tainted by the other gender, and kept their purity till the end.

And only then, at the end of their lives, they would be able to inscribe such powerful runes onto objects that could reveal any ill-intent towards the wearer. But this process would usually prove to be fatal so it was reserved only for special individuals.

But Jin Wang wasn't some nobody. His knowledge came from eras long gone and his past life alone where he managed to reach the position of an 8th Circle Wizard was enough to help him through this.

The counter was relatively simple but it was not easy to pull off. Since the runes detected malice and ill-intent from the trapmaster, all he had to do was make himself believe from the bottom of his heart that he didn't mean her any harm.

Each ray of light moved saccadically in random directions and when Jin Wang began the counterspell they all suddenly focused on the metal door, behind which he was standing.

Lady Natalia and her follower both became alert. If the runes found something they would turn red but to their surprise, the eyes closed themselves a second later indicating that there was nothing dangerous here.

Having total belief in the ability of the rune they lowered their guards considerably and Lady Natalia gestured for the others to come up.

Dima couldn't wait and marched towards the metal door with wide strides.

He stopped a few meters in front of it, inspecting every nook and cranny with glittering eyes. It was as if he was looking at a long-lost lover.

"By the gods, it's real!" he exclaimed in wonderment.

The rest of them also came up albeit a lot more cautiously. Lady Natalia sheathed her mace and shield before standing next to Dima.

"What is this? You said you would tell me the truth when we found what we were looking for so..."

Dima rubbed his bald head with a smile so bright that it could light up a funeral hall.

"Hahaha, it's amazing is what it is!"

"I am sure, but WHAT is it?"

Dima inched closer until he was standing right in front of the door. He ran his fingers along its borders, feeling every dent and crevice on its surface.

"It's an artifact, a relic from a very very long time ago!"

Lady Natalia rolled her eyes in perhaps the most annoyed feminine way possible.

"I can see it's an artifact but why was it worth so much trouble? I have lost nearly all of my men just getting you here but that's all you can say? One of the main conditions our families agreed upon for our marriage was that I would help you get to this artifact so don't I at least deserve to know why?"