From the moment I was chosen by the holy relic

As Eric slowly opened his eyes, the surrounding environment gradually became clear. He realized that he was bound in a dark and damp cave. The air was filled with a musty smell, moss clung to the stone walls, and water droplets occasionally fell, making a crisp echo.

His hands and feet were tightly bound by rough ropes, forcing him to lie face down on the ground, unable to move. He felt a pang of anxiety and cursed the despicable tomb raiders in his heart.

Then he noticed another figure beside him. Turning his head, he saw that the elf was also bound and sitting next to him.

"How did you get tied up too?" Eric asked, shaking his head at the tomb raider. "Aren't you all in cahoots?"

"Obviously, I'm not." Eileen's voice was clear and gentle. "We were just business partners. I never expected them to betray us."

"What kind of integrity do tomb raiders have? You'd be a fool to believe them," Eric muttered.

"You're so smart, yet you're tied up here just like me?" the elf said disdainfully.

A brief silence.

"You don't seem anxious at all?" Eric asked, puzzled.

"Don't worry about problems you can solve, and worrying about problems you can't solve is useless, Eric Bright." The elf's tone sounded very old-fashioned. Since elves could live for hundreds of years, Eric thought she must be an old fairy who had lived for hundreds of years.

"We didn't know each other before." Eric was even more convinced that this guy was a cunning old fox. "How do you know my name?"

"I don't know, but the tomb raiders do. Your border patrol team has been identified long ago." Eileen smiled slightly, her long golden hair shimmering in the dim cave. "My name is Eileen Sylph, from Iser."

"Isel?" Eric was slightly shocked. He knew it was a magical realm, home to the largest concentration of mages. However, Isel was far from Nosteria, and Eileen had traveled all this way just to unravel a mystery. "Can you use magic to break the bonds?"

Before Eileen could speak, the tomb raiders had already searched the surrounding area. Eric could tell from the leader's exasperated look that they hadn't found anything of value.

Sure enough, the leader got angry when he saw Eric staring at him, raised his hand and slapped him, knocking him to the ground.

"Damn it, this poor place is a complete waste of my gold leaf! Even if I sell these two, I won't recoup my investment!"

"Captain, should we go down to a deeper level to take a look?" the dwarf asked cautiously.

The leader was deep in thought, and the surroundings were silent. No one dared to break the silence first, and it was clear that the leader was weighing the pros and cons.

He suddenly stood up, grabbed Eric and Erin and pulled them up from the ground, pushing them deeper into the ruins.

"You two go first."

The two exchanged a glance, realizing that this was the only way forward, and strode deeper into the tomb. The tomb raiders followed closely behind, carrying torches and occasionally telling them to slow down.

As they ventured deeper, Eric felt a chill. The space deep within the ruins was gradually illuminated by their torches. Mysterious runes were carved on the ancient walls, emitting a faint glow. Every corner here exuded a mysterious and sacred aura, as if telling a story from a thousand years ago.

"This place... seems to be some kind of temple," Eileen said softly, her gaze fixed on the reliefs on the wall.

Eric followed her gaze and saw that the relief depicted an ancient mage performing a ritual. His face was mysterious and solemn, surrounded by halos and stars, as if he were guarding something important.

"Did you see those reliefs? They seem to be telling the story of an ancient ritual," Eileen said, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Before Eric could speak, a heavy door blocked their way. The leading man and the dwarf hurriedly stepped forward, searching for a way to open the door.

When they tried everything but couldn't open the door, they realized it was a magic door that needed to be broken with magic.

"You, go and break this damn door," the leader said, pointing at Eileen.

"I need a staff," Eileen said coldly.

"Give it to her," the leader said, shoving the staff into Eileen's hand and then holding a dagger to her pale neck. "Any tricks you try will cost you your life!"

After receiving the staff, Eileen took a deep breath and held it between her hands. She closed her eyes slightly and slowly uttered an ancient incantation, her voice low and steady, seemingly resonating with the ancient stone walls around her. As she chanted, a mysterious energy subtly rose in the air, and the runes on the walls flickered, their light wandering among the stone walls like a winding ribbon of light.

As Eileen chanted slowly and devoutly, the surrounding runes grew brighter, and the magic in the air gradually gathered around her. But just then, the runes suddenly dimmed, as if absorbed by an invisible force, and the patterns on the door returned to normal.

Eileen stopped singing, frowned slightly, and shook her head, clearly somewhat helpless.

"Damn it!" The leader, enraged, slapped Eileen hard across the face, cursing, "Can't even open a broken door, you piece of trash!"

A surge of anger welled up in Eric's eyes. He struggled violently, taking a step forward. Despite his hands being bound, he glared at the leader and shouted, "If you're so capable, then you do it!"

The leader sneered, turned, and punched Eric squarely in the nose. Eric felt a sharp pain in his nasal cavity, and blood flowed down his face. He staggered back a step, his forehead pressed against the cold stone wall, gritting his teeth to endure the pain.

"Enough with the nonsense!" The leading man scoffed, then winked at the dwarf beside him. "You, teach this knight a lesson!"

The dwarf grinned maliciously, walked over to Eric, grabbed his hair, and slammed his face against the stone door: "Come, Sir Knight, see how sturdy this door is!"

Eric's face was forced against the door, blood streaming down his face. The instant the blood touched the door, the entire stone door surface suddenly burst into a blinding red light. Runes seemed to come alive, rapidly moving and forming intricate patterns. The door trembled, and the surrounding stone walls resonated in response, as if the entire ruins had been activated.

"I see," the leading man laughed, "This door will only open if we offer blood as tribute."

Eileen stared at the scene in disbelief, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked at Eric lying on the ground. She knew in her heart that this door required the blood of a specific person to open.

Eric stood up from the ground, still slightly dizzy from the impact. Before he could recover, the stone door groaned and slowly opened to reveal a deep passage leading to the temple. A faint light shone through the passage, carrying a strong sense of holiness.