You are all my wings!

Because high-level monsters are generally quite large, they rarely hide in such concealed environments.

On the contrary, the low-level monsters are hidden and numerous. Even though Leon and Iris have a record of defeating weak fourth-level monsters when they team up, they may still be ambushed and killed in this cramped terrain.

The reason is simple: the terrain easily limits the agility and defensive magic of the two.

The presence of low-level demonic energy in this place proves that it is not an ordinary place.

The saying "Many ants can kill an elephant" is not just empty talk.

Moreover, there is a high probability that there is an elemental magic ring here. Even if it is well sealed, the balance of the four elements it causes to the outside world will definitely have a significant impact on the surrounding monsters, and it would not be surprising if they developed mutated skills.

"Watch out, Iris, your knee touched me again."

"Sorry, since I'm bound to bump into you anyway, I can only choose to touch you with my knee."

"If it's not a knee, then what is it?"

"I... I think you'd better not ask too many questions."

Lyon could tell that Iris's voice carried a hint of nervousness.

He mentally simulated what would happen if Iris leaned down the steps in this low-ceilinged space; if she didn't brace herself with her knees, her only options would probably be her groin and her feet.

So Iris was considering that it would be impolite for her to step on him with her soles, and it would be impolite for her to have her genitals close to him.

interesting.

Lyon shook off the strange thought; this was a dangerous alert period, so he shouldn't dwell on such things.

Why are you shaking your head? Have you been attacked?

"Well, it could also be considered a certain type of attack."

Lyon thought to himself, this should be called a shrewish attack.

"Wait, there's a noise!"

Just then——

Squeak squeak squeak!!

Perhaps the two had descended to a certain position when suddenly, a group of black-skinned, coarse-haired rats, the size of large cats, with gleaming scarlet eyes, rushed up the steps.

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen of these unranked rats rushed forward, and three of them were already close to Lyon's feet.

Freeze! *3

Magic -3.

A chilling aura swept down, freezing the steps below.

The rats that rushed forward were also frozen in place.

However, this was only a basic spell, and the freezing range was only within a dozen meters.

With the three factors combined, the dozen or so closest mice were finally frozen completely.

Below the passage, it looked like hundreds more rats were rushing over.

Iris then freed up some space, using one hand to press down on Leon's back to maintain his balance, while waving her wand with the other.

As the magic gathered, she cast a spell without chanting.

Light Cone! *8

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of fist-sized light cones condensed out of thin air and fell to the ground like a torrential rain.

Swish swish swish!!!

The sounds of screams and splattering blood echoed from the ground.

As expected of Iris, her first move was a terrifying and deadly strike. It seems she is very afraid of these dark sewer creatures.

An astonishingly foul stench wafted up.

Lyon covered his mouth and nose:

“Iris, next time before you make a move, remember to check on your opponent. If there’s blood everywhere, it’ll be a real hassle for us to find things. For example, in this situation, you could use Light of the World to take care of these rats directly.”

Iris exclaimed in surprise, "Will the Light of All Things work?"

"It seems you didn't notice that these rats, despite not being of any rank, have grown so large entirely because of the influence of evil energy, and the illumination of light is perfect for purifying evil energy."

"If there is evil energy, why is there no trace of it at all?"

"Because rats are compatible with evil spirits, they can absorb evil spirits without leaking them out."

"I see, I've learned something new."

Iris humbly accepted Leon's reminder.

The two continued their descent.

When he encountered a frozen mouse on the steps, Leon would smash it with the hilt of his sword and kick it off the steps.

A minute later, the two finally arrived at the underground space. Stepping on the bloodstains and various stenches, along with the rats' own body odor, made them feel extremely uncomfortable.

Iris now fully understood just how important Leon's reminder had been, and she felt she would never forget this piece of knowledge for the rest of her life.

The space wasn't large; it was just like an ordinary room, with bookshelves on three walls and a hidden door on one side.

This place is infested with rats, and Lyon knows without even looking that these books have probably been eaten by the rats long ago.

However, Lyon still went to each bookshelf to see if he could find any books that had slipped through the net, or books that the mice couldn't damage no matter how hard they tried.

"what?"

In the top shelf of the bookshelf opposite the steps, Lyon found a black-covered book box.

The book box was protected against dust and insects by magic, so it was very well preserved.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Leon's Deduction

"This thing is really beautiful."

Iris noticed the book box that Leon had taken down.

By the light of the torch, one can see that the book box cover is smooth and engraved with exquisite black characters with gold edges.

"This seems to be a secret text taught by Astaria."

Iris said:

"You need to understand the cipher to unlock this book box."

Lyon, of course, recognized the cipher.

It seems that this book box is most likely the one that seals the elemental magic ring.

According to the player's strategy post in the second part, the Elemental Ring was indeed found in the Astaria Cult's secret treasury.

Besides the elemental magic ring, there is likely also a secret document inside, recording research data that Iris's father obtained from a certain branch of the Astaria Cult.

This information is quite important.

In addition to the research content, it also hides a part of the dark history of the Astalia cult.

It is highly possible that Iris's father was killed by members of the Astalia Cult because of this.

However, it is probably not clear why this secret book box came here from the place where Iris's father died.

If we can figure out what's behind this clue, we might be able to understand what really happened back then.

This way, when Hamra is on the verge of falling, there will be an opportunity to use this intelligence to save her.

In addition, there is another point of doubt.

If the Elemental Ring was sealed away early on, then how exactly was this Elemental Cage formed?

Is it just based on Iris's father's corpse?

After a moment's thought, Lyon came to a conclusion.

"Iris, it seems this is what I've been looking for."

"This book box? But aren't you looking for a magical item that can help you level up? You can't even open this book box, so how did you know?"

“You’re mistaken, Iris. The sequence of events is actually different from what you think.”

"Oh, what do you mean?"

"First of all, all we knew at the beginning was that my target item was most likely located somewhere within this elemental prison, right?"

Iris nodded.

"Secondly, we need to clarify one issue: did the item come first, followed by the elemental trap, or did the elemental trap come first, followed by the magical item?"

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? That's a crucial question.

Iris paused for a moment.

"Leon, what do you mean?"

“What I mean is that you and I both had preconceived notions that this thing existed first, which led to this strange elemental balance in this place. But now it seems that perhaps the situation was that someone discovered the strange elemental balance here, found the magical item that was born from this elemental trap, and sealed it away.”

"But how can you be so sure that your subsequent judgment is correct?"

"The evidence is this hidden book box. Think carefully, when did your father die? Before you were born, right?"

Iris nodded blankly, unaware of Leon's specific intentions.

“Take another look at this secret book box. Besides the cryptic texts taught by Astalia, isn’t this dust-proof and insect-proof enchantment unique to elves? And look at the arrangement; isn’t it quite outdated, not the version commonly used by elves today?”

Iris took the box containing the secret book, put her eyes close, and examined it carefully.

Enchantment differs from regular magic; it requires a large amount of mystical text and special materials to succeed.

Basically, each race has its own unique script, commonly used materials, and distinctive crafts.

With careful observation, one can generally discern the style within it.

“Indeed, this enchantment doesn’t resemble human craftsmanship; it’s more like the kind used by elves, and it is indeed an old-fashioned technique.”

Iris looked surprised.

At that moment, she still didn't realize what this really meant.

"So the answer is obvious. Your father obtained this secret book box for some reason, and then enchanted it to keep it hidden in this underground castle for a long time. He did this perhaps because his next move was not suitable to carry this thing, or perhaps he realized that he might be killed."

Did the father already know he would be killed?

This concise and clear conclusion struck Iris hard.

"Another obvious conclusion is that your mother most likely doesn't know anything about the secret book box, because if she did, she would have taken it long ago, wouldn't she?"

"Indeed, that seems to be the case."

Iris was speechless.

If Leon's judgment is correct, then her earlier hesitation and indecision seem somewhat unnecessary.

Because those belongings weren't entirely the father's, and most likely wouldn't have been of any use to the mother.

"Don't you feel like you were just agonizing over something for nothing, like you did a useless thing?"

"almost."

Iris lowered her head in shame.

Seeing this, Leon smiled and patted Iris's head:

"Before the situation is fully understood, some hesitation and weighing of options is not necessarily a bad thing."

Iris pouted, not resisting Leon's pat on the head, and didn't even realize that the distance between them was getting closer.

she says:

"Just ten minutes ago you said you didn't like making your friends face choices!"

Lyon: "I don't like choices that concern me, and I don't care about choices that don't concern me."

Iris: "So you're saying I have nothing to do with you?"

"Iris, just because I don't like something doesn't mean it's all bad."