Walking in the Question and Answer System of Heroic Spirits

[Fruka: "The old man called this place the Void Cave."]

At this moment, an incredibly wide hole had appeared before them. The circle that swallowed their entire field of vision was essentially solidified darkness.

Qingxuan tossed a small pebble down, but after several minutes there was no sound of it hitting the ground.

[Second Generation: "If the general estimate holds true, the ancient heart is located tens of kilometers underground beneath the mining city. Assuming this can be applied to real-world data, the distance is sufficient to reach the mantle. It's only natural that we wouldn't hear the sound of rocks colliding."]

"The Hole of Nothingness—what a fitting name. Assuming this cave truly connects to the ancient heart, is it only a few dozen kilometers away?"

Chapter 356 Individual Actions

"There's no guarantee, after all, no one has ever gone into the cave and come back."

[Fruka chuckled, "However, my teacher, as you can see, is a diviner. I heard that when he discovered this cave, he sensed the flow of a dragon's heart. If we're going to take a gamble, I think this is a good option."]

[Qingxuan: "No, no, no! That's not the problem! As a magician, you can always handle skyscrapers or ordinary heights. But what's with this cave being tens of kilometers deep?! Basically, something's wrong with this cave! Just looking at it from here, you can see that the energy is unevenly distributed everywhere. Depending on the location, the magic you use will completely scatter, and you'll crash into the ground and be done for! What are you going to do?!"]

[Fruka: "Of course, if we were to descend with a rope, no matter how long the rope was, it wouldn't be enough. So we'll go down in a gliding suit. This thing only requires a small amount of essence to function."]

As she spoke, Furuka produced a small glider-like outfit that resembled a few folded pieces of cloth, but with a structure even closer to a bird's wing.

[Luvia: "This is Icarus's formal attire, isn't it? You've certainly brought out something unusual."]

[Fruka: "That's right. Although it's far from flying, it can be used to glide through this big hole, since we're not going to get close to the sun."]

Weber: "Wow, this shortcut is really..."

Kenneth: "So, even the old man himself never went down there?"

Lion Robber Jie Li: "No wonder it was said to be extremely dangerous; this is a complete gamble."

Shi Zi Jie Li: "However, with the Second Generation's ability to turn misfortune into good fortune, he shouldn't lose the bet."

Weber: "Hehe, thanks for your kind words."

[Qingxuan: "That's a huge gamble..."]

[Second Generation: "No, only by taking a gamble can we possibly succeed. After all, the ancient heart is located at the lowest level of the Clock Tower's current reach, and deeper below lies the Fairy Realm, a realm that humans have yet to reach."]

Fruka distributed the formal attire to everyone, continuing, "From here on, things are uncertain. Even if this cave connects directly to the ancient heart, it doesn't mean the journey ends here."

Everyone understood and quickly donned their formal attire.

Just then, Luvia suddenly detected a swarm of giant earthworms attacking them.

These earthworms are each the size of a train; gathered together, they resemble a dark cloud.

They hadn't caused anything too serious, so why were all these things attacking them at once?

However, there was truly no turning back now; everyone had no choice but to leap into the void and embark on this high-stakes gamble.

Rin Tohsaka: "How disgusting, is that an earthworm?"

Koles: "Even the mutants in Albion are too big."

Weber: "What bad luck, is this what they call 'when it rains, it pours'?"

On the other side, in a mining city, there's an old-fashioned coffee shop.

"What's going on, Olga Marie?"

Reines arrived at the appointed time as instructed on the note, where Olga Marie was already waiting, wearing a hood.

"You're here, Reines. I thought you wouldn't even acknowledge me."

Reines: "After all, the last time I received a note like that was before the previous head of the family died and he was considered El-Melloi's successor."

"Actually, I have something I want to ask you."

Olga Marie didn't mince words, asking directly, "Does El-Melloi oppose Albion's redevelopment plan?"

Reines: "Oh dear, this is quite a sudden question."

Olga Marie: "Because isn't this a good opportunity for you to rise to power?"

"But if they're eliminated before they even rise to power, then there's no point in trying, is there?"

Reines said with a self-deprecating laugh, "We weak factions can be beheaded in an instant if we defy our aristocratic superiors."

[Olga Marie: "However, the redevelopment of Albion itself is not a matter for the aristocracy and democrats. Barthezmero specifically sent a letter from the previous head of the family, stating that the redevelopment plan for Albion should be stopped."]

[Reines: "The letter was sent by the previous head of the family, which means..."]

Olga Marie: "That's right. This means that even ignoring the letter doesn't necessarily mean you're going against the current Barthezmero's wishes."

"In that case, as long as we declare in the Grand Order Decision that this isn't a matter of aristocracy versus democracy, that's fine. The Celestial Physics Department is no less prestigious than the Conjuring Department. If it's a vote contest, the two of us can overturn the outcome of this Grand Order Decision."

Weber: "This... I didn't expect her to have such intentions."

Fiore: "Is this a sign that we're ready to backstab each other at any moment?"

Rin Tohsaka: "That's fine, let that arrogant old man do a good somersault."

Kenneth: "Hmph, I should say she is indeed worthy of being the successor of Animusphia. I underestimated her."

Reines: "...I see, you've grown so much."

Olga Marie: "I want to hear you say that you learned this from someone else."

Reines: "I'm sorry, I can't give you an answer right now. However, I will keep your words in mind."

Olga Marie: "That's fine then."

Stepping out of the coffee shop, Reines squinted unconsciously at the light emanating from the ceiling.

Now that I've arrived in the mining city, my limited skills are dwindling. All I can do now is pray for my brother's safe arrival at the ancient heart, and spend the rest of my time like this.

"You are Reines El-Melloi Archizolti, aren't you?"

Just then, a voice sounded from behind Reines, startling her.

She couldn't sense any magic or aura from the newcomer; if this were an assassin—

"Don't worry, I'm not the enemy."

The voice then directed her to a nearby alley, and Reines had no choice but to comply.

Only after entering the alley did I dare to slowly turn my head, and only then did I realize that the voice came from an old man.

【"Who are you?"】

"My name is Graf, a wretched old man who doesn't even qualify as a magician."

Rin Tohsaka: "Huh? Mr. Graf actually went to find Reines?"

Weber: "This old man seems to be up to no good either."

Shizi Jieli: "You have no right to say such things after you destroyed their seclusion."

Weber: "However, with Mr. Graf around, Reines isn't completely unable to move around in the mining city."

[Let's turn our attention back to the Second Prince and his group.]

The group that jumped into the void was plummeting downwards at an alarming speed, but the giant swarm of earthworms had no intention of letting them go, and were chasing them down the rock wall.

Neither Luvia's cursed projectiles nor Furuga's control of the dagger could stop their advance; the distance between them was gradually closing.

[Of the group, Gray, being using it for the first time, hadn't yet gotten used to the Icarus costume on her back and was still falling, while the others had already transitioned into a gliding state.]

The next instant, the chasing earthworm's head opened, revealing something that looked like eyes.

The instant her eyes opened, Gray sensed a familiar magical power.

[Second Generation: "How is this possible! It's a monster with the Demon Eye!"]

Kenneth: "Magic Eye! What the hell!"

Rin Tohsaka: "These earthworms even have Mystic Eyes!"

Rin Tohsaka: "No, I should say what grudge or hatred we have. They've already jumped down, yet they still keep chasing us."

Weber: "This is really troublesome. Everyone is in mid-air and can't launch an effective attack."

"It's here!"

At this critical moment, Qingxuan suddenly turned around, slapping his formal attire, and then stretched out his hand.

[This is not a metaphor; his arm really did extend several meters.]

[Glav's elven root arm transformed into a claw-like shape, piercing directly at the head of the leading earthworm.]

"Ugh, it's disgusting, but this hand is really convenient!"

Having landed a successful blow, Qingxuan immediately removed his blindfold, and saw the earthworms burst into flames, their bodies arching backward.

Taking advantage of this opening, Gray finally adapted to her Mystic Code and joined the counterattack.

[Yad transforms into the Grim Reaper's scythe, accompanied by a flash of silver light and acceleration.]

Given the earthworm's enormous size, this level of wound is unlikely to be fatal, but it's enough to make an injured earthworm cower.

[Second Generation: "Qingxuan, what was that just now..."]

Qingxuan laughed, "Where do you think I came from? When I met you on the Demon Eye Train, I had already undergone surgery to transplant the 'Flame Burning' Demon Eye."

Although he wasn't well-connected in the magic world, the Ashburn family had left him a large sum of money, more than enough to buy a Magic Eye.

[The crisis was averted, and the group, controlling their costumes, descended into the deeper darkness, extending into the bottomless abyss of the ancient heart.]