Chapter 322 - 317: A Great Secret and the Zevari Forged Gold Monster

Mumu quietly came to the side, staring blankly at Jilian's body. Doudou and Gou Dandan stayed on a more distant rooftop, not daring to approach.

A question suddenly occurred to Su Su, who was standing on Jilian's back. She turned to ask Mumu, who was cautiously touching Jilian's body.

"Mumu, you don't know what an Ancient Species is?"

Hearing Su Su's question, Mumu's thorny trunk swayed a few times.

"Although I once lived in the relatively isolated Dark Realm, and as a Tree Shepherd, I don't like to interact with the outside world... Still, in the several hundred years I can remember, I've never learned anything about 'Ancient Species'."

Su Su tilted her head, pondering.

"So, the Ancient Species really are mysterious. If Axi and Ai You hadn't appeared, we wouldn't have even known that the super Demons sealed by our predecessors from Dawn thousands of years ago were Ancient Species. Tsk, tsk. It feels like there's some earth-shattering secret behind it all!"

She completely ignored the fact that Doudou was also an Elf and had no intention of asking for his opinion.

Hearing this, Qin Xiaoxia subconsciously glanced out of the corner of his eye at Su Su's chest, which was prominent even under her robes.

'What power sealed or killed Jilian?' he wondered. 'And who was the original owner of those six Celestial Pillar-like objects?'

'But for now, I don't need to worry about things on the level of the Ancient Species. That kind of being can't pass through the World Wall, at least not yet. And Jilian is dead, so he doesn't count.'

'As for the Flame Demon getting in before, that was entirely due to the Hell Fragment and its own assimilation with it.'

Qin Xiaoxia suspected the Flame Demon didn't even reach the level of an Ancient Species. After all, the Demon Eye had once disdainfully remarked that without the Endless Abyss, Niril Savannah was nothing.

'Of course, it was definitely the type of being that knew the Ancient Species existed.'

"All right, enough with the wild guessing. We still need to evaluate those slaves Pipi sent over. I wonder if any of them can help Dawn at its current stage. Also, we need to figure out how to reattach Ai You and Axi's wings."

His gaze swept over the six terrifying holes in Jilian's body. They showed no sign of healing even after the Celestial Pillars had been removed. 'I wonder if they'll heal on their own after he's resurrected. Otherwise, Dawn has no way to treat injuries like these.'

...

「Dawn Silent Moon Island. Inside a Sub-Secret Realm dedicated to military production and forging—a place far removed from the Main Secret Realm's hustle and bustle.」

South Wind, Gu Hao, and a group of Craftsmen and Military Masters were at their wits' end.

Dozens of otherworldly beings of all shapes and sizes were sitting, standing, or kneeling on the large stone plaza in front of the castle.

Normally, Dawn would have called them Demons, but these poor creatures were merely cargo sold by Akenis, and they had been scared stiff by the Demon Eye upon their arrival.

Seeing them trembling, the Craftsmen felt a measure of sympathy.

Although they were Dawn's Craftsmen, basically every one of them had graduated from the full Silent Knight training program, as both forging and construction required immense strength.

A few of them, like South Wind, had even awakened their Magic Power back at headquarters and weren't the least bit worried about these creatures daring to resist.

However, even in a bad batch, there were a few standouts who were in better condition and more eye-catching.

The most prominent among them were eight strange creatures, each with four legs, four arms, and four eyes.

They were just sitting on the ground. Though they looked anxious, at least they weren't constantly trembling. Nor did they relieve themselves on the spot like some of the more exaggerated creatures. In fact, they were actively trying to keep their distance from the surrounding filth.

After handing Ai You and Axi over to the Holy Spirit for healing, Qin Xiaoxia appeared directly in this Secret Realm.

He arrived just in time to see South Wind ordering those eight creatures to step forward.

"Master Sage!"

The group of Craftsmen greeted Qin Xiaoxia, and even the surrounding otherworldly beings instinctively bowed their heads.

"How's it going? Any discoveries? Have you been able to match them with the Magic Pattern Scrolls?"

A small pile of Magic Pattern Scrolls lay on a nearby table—the "instruction manuals" the Akenis Slave Traders had included with the slaves.

South Wind pointed to the dozens of creatures still huddled together.

"According to their descriptions, they've been trained in slave skills. They can weave baskets, build burrows, cook, or hunt. The most common skill is basic guardianship. It's all just nonsense Akenis slapped together; nothing particularly useful."

"But they have a decent foundation. We can train and educate them ourselves."

Then he looked at the eight that had been separated from the rest and unrolled a Scroll.

"It says here these are newly discovered Miner Beasts, good at mining. Apparently, they're too stupid to learn any other skills, but something feels off to me."

The eight four-eyed creatures were a full three meters tall. They all watched South Wind cautiously. Though they couldn't understand his words, they likely guessed they were the topic of conversation.

Qin Xiaoxia took in all their subtle movements.

"Hm. You think it's strange... is it because they seem too smart?"

"Exactly! 'Too stupid to learn?' Their behavior doesn't suggest that at all. And their hands—I've observed them closely. They have six fingers, and they're remarkably dexterous."

South Wind noticed the eight creatures were listening in, so instead of pointing directly at their hands, he exchanged a meaningful glance with Master Sage.

"You see? They're not dumb at all!"

The surrounding Craftsmen were all powerfully built. In terms of raw strength, many Knight Order reservists couldn't compare to these men who swung Big Hammers day in and day out. Now, they all stared with great interest at the eight so-called "Miner Beasts."

They were trying to play dumb in front of humans, but clearly, their acting skills weren't up to snuff.

"Alright. You can take the rest. Use them as helpers or as sparring partners for the Knight Order, whatever you want. These eight stay here."

After he gave the order, South Wind and the others led the otherworldly beings away, leaving behind only a wide patch of filth on the ground and the eight anxious creatures.

Qin Xiaoxia stroked his chin thoughtfully, one hand supporting his elbow. 'This batch of slaves Pipi bought... not only did it include the special sisters, Ai You and Axi, but it also concealed these eight creatures, a species that can't be found in conventional Magic Pattern lore.'

'Admittedly, the number of beings across the worlds is countless, so there are naturally many unknown ones. But surely Akenis can't be running into unknown species this often.'

'I'll have to get Pipi to investigate where that slave trader procured them.'

As he gestured, a unique, coiled bracelet on his right wrist became visible. The eight "Miner Beasts" sitting to one side all stared at it in unison.

The movement was too conspicuous to go unnoticed.

"Hm? You recognize this?"

Qin Xiaoxia used his Magic Power to make his voice resonate, deliberately extending his right hand.

With a mere thought, the bracelet transformed into a long black whip, wreathed in purple flames that sent a wave of scorching heat through the air.

The "Miner Beasts" stirred again.

"So you do recognize it! Speak up. I know you're intelligent enough to communicate."

The eight creatures looked at one another, their four eyes meeting four eyes. Qin Xiaoxia waited patiently.

Their silent exchange of glances somehow gave the impression of a conversation, and he had no idea how they managed it.

After about two or three minutes, the one sitting in the middle spoke for the first time.

It spoke in a strange, low language tinged with a vibrato, but for a Magic Controller, any language could be understood as long as they were face-to-face with the speaker.

"The Endless Abyss, wielded by a Demon... of course we recognize it!"

'As I thought, there's more to these guys than meets the eye. They know quite a bit. So how did they end up being sold as slaves by Akenis?'

Qin Xiaoxia recalled that reckless past encounter.

"That's right. It was once the weapon of a powerful Demon, a poor wretch assimilated by a Hell Fragment."

The "Miner Beast" who had spoken stared intently at Qin Xiaoxia. After a long silence, it spoke again.

"Great wielder of Magic Power, you have misunderstood my meaning..."

At these words, Qin Xiaoxia's pupils contracted.

"Go on. Why did you stop?"

"Great wielder of Magic Power, this is all we know. It is a legend passed down by the ancestors of the Zevari Realm. Perhaps it is not to be trusted!"

It knew the other had already understood its implication and didn't dare say more, lest it over-explain.

'Zevari Realm? Another world?'

"So, what are you truly skilled at? You can tell me now, can't you? And you'd better not try to deceive me."

His tone was no longer as friendly as before.

The four-eyed creature looked toward the castle in this layer of the Secret Realm. The sounds of clanging metal and plumes of smoke periodically rose from it.

"Without a proper bonding medium, it's impossible to forge true Magic Steel Alloy. One can only forge an alloyed Magic Steel by mixing it into other metals."

Qin Xiaoxia finally smiled.

"Excellent. Absolutely excellent!"

'Pipi, you really are my lucky star!'

'Looks like I'll have to get Doudou to help a few of these guys learn an Earth language. Without any similar customs to build on, it's unrealistic for them to learn the language of this world on their own. I can't exactly assign a Magic Controller to be their teacher.'

'I'll establish a telepathic link with two or three of them, and then let them learn from there.'

"So it seems your true skill is forging? By the way, do you know the two little ones who were sent to this world with you? What about the giant eyeball that nearly scared you to death? Do you know it?"

At the mention of the Demon Eye, the eight creatures shrank back with lingering fear and shook their heads. They didn't know about the Little Ancient Demons either, so it seemed they were unlikely to know anything about the Ancient Species.

"Hm, one more thing. Do you recognize this?"

As he spoke, Qin Xiaoxia took out a silvery-white rod that had shrunk to the thickness of a chopstick—it was one of the Celestial Pillars from Jilian's body.

The eight creatures still looked completely blank, dashing Qin Xiaoxia's hopes.

'It seems their knowledge of the Endless Abyss is just a legend passed down from their ancestors. Perhaps because it's a weapon, those skilled in forging are more interested in such things.'

PS: Chapter two for Monday.