This isn't a souls-like game at all.

"Looks like I have to go back and ask Nivea."

Ye Yiyi's mind was filled with complicated thoughts and his expression was solemn.

This can be considered a new clue, which is very helpful for investigating the current situation of the Lingering Vine Vein.

As for returning to this true spirit crystal itself, there is nothing much to say.

This item belongs to the same type as the "Ultimate Star Spirit Crystal", which can be used to strengthen armor and catalysts.

The effect of simply increasing the damage reduction rate is meaningless to Ye Yiyi, so this crystal has become an exclusive enhancement product for the dark attribute catalyst.

"It's a pity that I don't have any good dark attribute bonus catalysts right now, otherwise I could play the entire dark art school."

After putting the crystal away, he looked around and made sure that he had not overlooked anything before stepping through the rotten door and entering the room.

Reimu Kirei 360° (IV) "This place..."

Ye Yiyi's eyes swept across the human fat incense candles in the corner of the wall, and the crystal pit under his feet was corroded by deep magic power. Finally, he fell on the wall facing the door of the room, and his expression changed slightly.

I didn't pay attention when I turned into clouds and mist to wander around in the sky. Now I see that the wall is not made of marble or steel, but a "fog wall" composed of thick gray fog.

"What's behind this?"

He stood in front of the fog wall with curiosity and reached out to touch it.

But the wall looked like smoke. After the finger penetrated a few centimeters, a strong resistance came and forced the palm to bounce away.

"Strange, could this really be a closed fog wall?"

Ye Yiyi showed a look of surprise. Just as he was about to try again, he saw a light screen prompt suddenly pop up in front of him.

The Ancient Saint's Gate remains motionless, lacking the necessary "key"

"Key of the Key?!"

Ye Yiyi was surprised.

Alice had told him this before. This was a protective measure used only for high-level secrets during the era of the Land Nations. It was called the "Key of the Key."

A special concept called "unlocking" consists of a "key" as the "lock" and a "key" as the "opening".

Ye Yiyi had previously encountered two doors that required a "key" to open. One was the door to the Yanjin Hall, and the other was the core of the Center of Truth.

This "Gate of the Ancient Saints" was the third gate he encountered.

"But the 'key' has no physical form; it's a concept. Where can I find it?"

Ye Yiyi couldn't help scratching his head.

Now he felt a little regretful. He shouldn't have killed so quickly. Now there was no one to question.

"Tsk, that's difficult!"

He muttered to himself as he walked around the room, but apart from two human fat candles, he didn't find anything that could jump out of the light curtain.

"Tsk!"

He smacked his lips and walked out of the room and back into the hall.

Timothy saw that Ye Yiyi had a strange expression and looked unhappy, so he tactfully didn't come to talk to her.

Ye Yiyi ignored him and went to the second floor on the other side of the hall and pushed open the door opposite.

There was still a corridor behind the door, but there were no incense or candles.

The room at the end of the corridor is another extremely spacious cave. The high ceiling is covered with metal tracks, and giant clamps are hung on the tracks. There are also holes on the wall on the side for giant isolation boxes to enter and exit.

Various metal buildings are located in the cavity, like a town made of steel.

"So, this is the place where the Protoss are truly studied?"

He raised his eyebrows and walked around the town, only to find that the environment here was extremely primitive, as if it had been protected and there was no sign of human habitation.

"Such a large underground space is not being used. Why? Daduo won't allow it?"

He was extremely puzzled, and then released the cosmic spiritual light to scan the surroundings. Then he said "Huh" softly, looked up and looked forward, and then walked quickly.

In his perception of the cosmic aura, he discovered that there were things in this town that could speak.

The thing was on the upper floor of a two-story building.

When Ye Yiyi arrived there, he discovered that there was a simple garden in front of the small building.

The garden was filled with crimson soil that looked as if it would squeeze out bright blood if stepped on.

There was no grass growing in the garden, only a solitary holy monument and bright red flowers blooming in front of it.

"Is that grave flowers? Red grave flowers?"

Ye Yiyi was stunned for a moment, then stepped into the garden, half-knelt beside the holy monument, and lit it up.

"Hero-sama."

The golden light spread, and an illusory figure appeared beside him, followed by a soft call.

"Saint...you are here."

Ye Yiyi turned her head and saw the saint in a black dress appear, then half-knelt beside her, her emerald green eyes looking at the holy monument in front of her, her gaze melancholy and gentle.

"This holy monument is a newly erected one."

The saint spoke softly, her fingertips brushing over the words deeply engraved on the stone tablet.

"The Third Guards Regiment of Xiheim, the 28th Division of the White Feather Knights, the tomb of all 23 White Feather Knights."

"This commemorates the eighteenth year of the Great War, the extermination of the ancient dragon of Winter Gate."

"The White Feather Knight—Daduo."

Listening to the saint's gentle voice echoing in his ears, Ye Yiyi silently closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and then spoke.

"Dado is dead. Just now, in my hands."

"Is he the Name Seeker?"

"Yes."

"He's hindering the hero's progress?"

"Correct."

"Then for the hero, his death may not be a bad thing."

The Saint replied in a low voice, "Raising the dead from their graves is inherently cruel."

"Yeah……"

"You know, hero, for many people, dying in battle is not glory, but a relief."

The saint turned her head and looked at him, as if to comfort him.

"Not all name seekers are willing to accept the fact of returning. For them, that war, from the moment they died in battle, no longer had anything to do with them."

"But for the sake of border ties and the future of this planet, Your Highness is forced to disturb the rest of the deceased..."

"Before you, I have seen other name seekers who accidentally activated the holy tablet, but were unwilling to come to the temple and take on this responsibility."

"But no one will force them to take responsibility, because they have already given their all, just like the Dragon of the Hellfire... But I cannot allow them to hinder the hero's progress."

The Saint gently stretched out her hand, pressed it on the back of Ye Yiyi's hand, and said softly:

"No matter what path you choose, hero, I will always support you."

"..."

Ye Yiyi was silent for a moment, then turned to look at her, his emotions unclear, his eyes reflecting the other person's gentle, watery green pupils.

"What is this war to the Saint?"

"what?"

"I have already chosen my path. What about you? You have also given everything for this war. What drives you to continue to dedicate yourself?"

"During your time as a saint, have you ever thought about your future path and where it will lead?"

The saint's eyes dimmed. She did not answer, but moved her hands away, closed her eyes, clasped her hands in front of her, and silently mourned in front of the holy monument.

Seeing this, Ye Yiyi sighed slightly and did not ask any further questions. He just patted the dung beetle on the forehead, stood up, turned around and walked into the small building behind him.

"I will always wait for your return in the palace, hero... forever..."

A faint voice came from behind, like a gust of wind that would disappear into the air at any moment.

Ye Yiyi's steps slowed down slightly, but he didn't turn back. He just said "OK".

This small building is Dado's residence.

Ye Yiyi walked through the dim living room and corridor, looking at the furniture in the style of the land nations, and passed by the various commemorative medals that the knight had once owned.

Finally he stopped in front of a portrait on the wall.

The portrait was exquisitely framed, but the portrait itself was weathered and washed away by a long period of time. Like those slightly faded medals, it was an antique that was thousands of years old.

The portrait shows a young Dado and a woman whose face is blurred in the square in front of the Temple of the Kings.

There were many people behind them, including the knights who served as the guard of honor, and other tourists who took photos there.

There was a line of inconspicuous small words photocopied in the lower right corner of the portrait, which Ye Yiyi couldn't understand.

Fortunately, this painting is a valuable item and can jump out of the light curtain.

【Portraits of the Old Days】

Item Description: A scroll depicting scenes from the past.

Created by a recording-type skilled servant, it is a precious relic with special significance.

This is a photo of Dado and his fiancée in front of the Temple of Kings.

Three years later, the war broke out and Daduo was forced to separate from his wife.

The two never met again for the next fourteen years.

The small print on the lower right reads:

"Dado and Anri, posing in front of the Temple of Kings in the year 226 of the Year of the Wise Kings."

After finding this image, Dado regained his name and lost memories.

“No wonder there’s no sign of outsiders here except for this small building.”

Ye Yiyi said in her heart.

For Daduo, this was the place where he once lived, and it was also the special place for him to regain his memory and name.

Ye Yiyi didn't stay for long, went straight up the stairs, went to the second floor, and came to the other party's resting room.

“Crackle, crackle…”

The creaking sound of metal mechanisms came through the metal door. The living creature discovered by the cosmic aura was behind the door, and its mumbling voice could still be heard in the aura.

"July 14, 11823, Xian Wang Ji, daily record upload application... Application failed, no superior organization found..."

Ye Yiyi listened to the voice in his head, pressed the handle, and pushed the iron door open a gap.

The creaking sound stopped, and the being behind the door noticed the movement outside.

Ye Yiyi paused for a moment, then quickly opened the door and looked down.

On the ground behind the door, a round metal ball was looking up at him.

A pale white light shot out from the ball, scanning Ye Yi from top to bottom, and then fell silent, even the sound in the spiritual light in his mind was gone.

Ye Yiyi: “?”

He looked at the dung beetle in confusion, then bent down and stretched out his hand. Seeing that the ball did not dodge or avoid him, he picked it up.

"It's quite heavy..."

He looked around, but didn't see anything special, so he looked at the light curtain.

[Portable Skill Slave Mechanism Control Type]

Item Description: A spherical, portable, skillful servant.

Possessing false spirituality, calculation ability and recording ability.

Can be used to repair mechanical artifacts and other skilled servants.