I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

Rainwater seeped in through the cracks in the broken dome, dripping into the devastated underground hall.

After the massive, ghoul fell, it did not maintain its form like an ordinary corpse.

Without the support of deep-sea energy, the forcibly sewn-together flesh and blood tissues quickly lost their activity and began to disintegrate and liquefy at a visible rate.

The air was filled with a suffocating stench, the smell of dead fish and rotten shrimp that had been exposed to the scorching sun for days and then mixed with a high concentration of formaldehyde.

Rhodes ignored the melting giant, his gaze fixed on the gray stone on the ground.

During the battle just now, it emitted a chilling, eerie blue light that could even cause spatial tremors.

But now, with Mortimer's death and the signal cut off, it looks like a rough, unremarkable rock, its surface covered with rough barnacle marks and the erosion of time.

Rhodes crouched down, and in his field of vision, the stone was surrounded by a thick, impenetrable black mist.

That was the massive amount of necromantic power Mortimer poured into it to activate it, as well as the lingering resentment after the sacrifice of tens of thousands of lives.

Beneath that layer of black mist, a deep, dark blue hue was faintly flowing, like an undying undercurrent in the deep sea.

"nice one."

Rhodes muttered to himself, then pulled a pair of specially made alchemical gloves from his pocket and put them on.

The moment his fingers touched the cold stone surface, the "Species Atlas," which had been in standby mode deep in his mind, suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly violent tremor.

This tremor was no longer the hunger or warning of the past, but a kind of greedy craving.

The pages flipped wildly within the consciousness space, making a rustling sound, and finally came to rest on a blank page.

The ink lines began to fly across the pages.

It was a creature with a beautiful upper body, but a huge fish tail and tentacles on its lower body.

It sang on the storm-ravaged sea, surrounded by countless submissive sea creatures.

However, just as the pattern was about to take shape, the lines suddenly became distorted and blurred.

A black ink stain appeared out of nowhere, splashing onto the pages like a smudge, completely covering the sirens pattern that was about to take shape.

[Warning: Severe source pollution]

[Target: Ancient Sea Monster (Mythical Species - Incomplete)]

[Status: Necromantic energy corruption level 92%, Abyssal Will remaining 5%]

[Determination: Gene sequence disordered, no valid features can be extracted]

[Note: This item contains extremely high-energy bio-source matter, which can be used as a high-level alchemy material, or it can be purified through a special ritual and analyzed again.]

The fervor in Rhodes' eyes quickly cooled.

"Unable to extract...?"

A pang of regret flashed through his mind.

If he could extract the genes of a mythical creature, even if they were incomplete, his strength would experience a qualitative leap.

The siren's song, her ability to control water, or her terrifying mental pressure are all extremely powerful techniques.

However, Mortimer used too many forbidden necromancy spells to activate the heart, causing the fossil's essence to be completely corrupted.

Now, it's like a piece of gold that's fallen into a cesspool.

Gold is still gold, but it can't be used directly.

However, the illustration also indicates its value.

High-grade alchemy materials.

In this world, any material involving mythology or ancient terms is a priceless treasure.

Moreover, this is the core heart area.

Even if the genes cannot be extracted and used as the main ingredient in certain high-level potions, or embedded in a staff as an amplification core, its value is enough to buy half of the capital.

"It must be taken away."

Rhodes did not hesitate at all.

He took out a lead box that he had prepared beforehand from the leather pouch at his waist.

This box was originally used to store highly radioactive ores, and its lining was engraved with isolation runes.

He carefully placed the heavy fossil heart into the box.

"Click".

Close the lid and fasten the latch.

The chilling magical fluctuations vanished instantly, the tremors in the encyclopedia subsided, and deathly silence returned.

Rod stuffed the lead box into the innermost pocket of his body and wrapped it tightly in his clothes.

After doing all this, he turned to look at Sig not far away.

The royal assassin leader was leaning against a broken stone pillar. Although the bleeding from the wound on his left arm had stopped, the entire arm had turned a necrotic gray-black.

Sig’s gray eyes were fixed on Rhodes, or rather, on the spot in Rhodes’ arms.

He witnessed the entire process of Rod putting away his heart.

But he didn't speak or make any attempt to snatch it.

On the one hand, his current condition is extremely poor, and he may not be a match for Rhodes. On the other hand, as the king's shadow, he knows very well what he can and cannot touch.

Bringing such an evil creature, which even a third-ring wizard like Mortimer couldn't control, back to the palace might not be a good thing.

Moreover, Rhodes is now a special advisor to the royal family and a key figure in solving the plague.

As long as Rhodes doesn't betray the kingdom, the king can tolerate this small amount of spoils.

Rhodes met Sieg's gaze and walked over calmly.

"That's the source," Rhodes explained, though he didn't explicitly say what it was, but the meaning was clear.

"If it is not sealed off, it will continue to transmit signals."

Sieg nodded slightly, acknowledging this statement.

He struggled to stand up, but his body swayed and he almost fell.

Rod reached out and helped him up.

"We have to go, Lord Sig." Rhodes looked up at the ceiling. "This place is about to collapse."

Before the words were finished, a series of teeth-grinding cracking sounds came from all directions.

The main load-bearing pillars that originally supported this underground hall were now covered in cracks from the giant's shockwave.

Now, as the giant's corpse melts, large amounts of acidic liquid are flowing onto the ground, rapidly corroding the foundation.

"Sizzle sizzle..."

The ten-meter-tall ghoul had completely disintegrated into a pool of dark green slime covering half the hall.

These slimes are extremely corrosive; even the hard obsidian floor dissolves as quickly as a sugar cube, emitting a pungent yellow smoke.

The entire weight of the Necropolis now rests on these precarious foundations.

"Boom!"

A huge piece of ceiling collapsed, crashing into the pool of green water and creating a wave of poison.

"Walk!"

Without further ado, Rhodes hoisted Sig up, activated the dual defenses of [Stone Skin] and [Crystal Shell], and sprinted towards the exit, braving the falling rubble.

They climbed the spiral staircase all the way up.

The entire tower was trembling violently, and huge cracks appeared in the walls, with dust pouring down like a waterfall.

The once-solid magical defense system completely failed after losing its core power supply, and the sound of gunfire outside became crystal clear.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The Iron Duke's magic cannons continued to bombard the tower, each shell that struck the tower causing a small earthquake.

Rod and Sieg walked through the swaying corridor, nearly being buried by collapsing walls several times.

Finally, they rushed out of the door on the first floor.

At this time, the outer courtyard had been reduced to ruins.

Professor Isaac was hiding behind an abandoned gargoyle pedestal, trembling with fear.

When he saw Rhodes and the other man come out, he was so excited that he almost cried.

"Rhodes! Here! Quickly!"

Rhodes dragged Sieg over and pulled the professor up.

"Get out of here! The farther the better!"

The three had just rushed out of the walls of the Necropolis when a deafening roar came from behind them.

Rod instinctively turned around.

The black tower that had stood for hundreds of years looked like a giant whose spine had been removed, slowly tilting to one side.

The structure in the middle of the tower collapsed first, and countless boulders and alchemical devices rained down.

Immediately afterwards, the entire tower collapsed rapidly under the influence of gravity.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Dust blotted out the sky, and a massive shockwave, carrying debris and air currents, instantly leveled an entire neighborhood.

Rhodes immediately tackled the professor to the ground, shielding the two of them with his own body.

[Stone Skin] fully open, the back instantly hardens like iron.

The pebbles clattered and thudded against his back.

The tremors subsided after a long time.

Rod shook off the dust and stood up.

The once towering Necropolis has vanished, replaced by a massive pile of ruins and lingering dust in the air.

Mortimer is dead. His ambition, his laboratory, and the terrifying Beacon Matrix were all buried with the collapse of the tower.

"It's over..." Professor Isaac murmured to himself, looking at the ruins.

"No."

Rhodes shook his head, his gaze not lingering on the ruins, but looking further into the distance.

He raised his head and looked up at the dark night sky.

Before anyone knew it, the green poisonous fog that had been shrouding the capital had mostly dissipated, replaced by thick, dark clouds.

The rain started to fall.

At first, it was just a few scattered raindrops, which felt icy cold on my face.

But soon, the rain intensified and turned into a torrential downpour.

Rod reached out, caught a drop of rain, and tasted it.

Salty.

It was bitter and astringent, with a strong fishy smell.

Rhodes's expression turned serious.

Although Mortimer is dead and the beacon has been destroyed, the signal he sent at the last moment has clearly been answered.

"Lord Sig," Rhodes turned his head, "I think we need to return to the palace immediately. This rain... something's not right."

Sig leaned against the broken wall, his face pale, but his eyes still sharp.

He also reached out his hand, felt the salty rainwater, and then nodded.

As someone who lives on the edge of a knife, he also has a keen sense of danger.

"Walk."

Sig struggled to stand up straight and refused Rod's help.

Braving the torrential rain, the three walked towards the royal palace.

On the street, the soldiers and priests who were cleaning up the mess also noticed something was wrong and looked up at the sky.

Rainwater washed away the bloodstains and filth on the ground, forming a black river that flowed into the sewers.

In the unseen depths of the earth, within the intricate network of pipes, as this rainwater, carrying the scent of the deep sea, poured in, certain things that had been lurking in the shadows began to stir restlessly.

Rod walked in the rain, his palm pressed against the lead box through his clothes.

He could feel that the heart inside the box seemed to have warmed up a little as the rain came.

"deep sea……"

Rhodes silently repeated the word to himself.