[Mystic Ruin: Queen Mother of Spiders has been discovered.]
[Emergency Mission issued: Clear the Mystic Ruin to escape safely and earn rewards!]
| You have discovered the Queen Mother's Mystic Ruin, a Ruin hidden deep within Desolate Turtle Mountain.
| Level 1 Mystic Ruin.
| The slow but steady advance of the Mystic Ruin has occurred over the past 50 years, due to the birth of the Ancient Specter: Queen Mother of the Giant Spiders, who has led the Specters of the Ruin to a powerful resurgence.
| Number of Ruin Challengers: 1.
| Rewards for Clearing the Mystic Ruin:
Title: Conqueror of Ruins.
Evolution of the Root of Life to Rank 2.
First Divine Swordsman Legacy Technique: Windy Fire Swordsman.
1,000 Spirit Crystals.
[Cleaning a Mystic Ruin results in the growth of the Swordsman. Specters are the perfect source for acquiring Spiritual Essence Points.]
His heart raced, but it also calmed. A mixture of strong and uncertain emotions enveloped him completely, for various reasons.
A Mystical Ruin that he himself had discovered was something to be happy about in most cases, especially if it was Level 1, the lowest. If the discoverer manages to stand out and cleanse the ruin, they will obtain a title from it, which they can then level up by cleansing other ruins.
This title grants advantages over rivals, so everyone would want to be the one who stands out.
The biggest problem with this was that cleaning up a ruin wasn't easy, even at level 1.
Starting with the fact that his cultivation was too low. He had only become a cultivator a few hours ago!
How was he supposed to clean it up?
But even more than that...
'Why are there ruins in this world?' His head moved robotically behind him to look at the cave.
It looked like a normal cave; there didn't seem to be anything there, but strange blue neon lights moved between the walls like veins leading inward.
It was exactly the same as on Earth.
Had the ruins appeared in this world at the same time as on Earth? In little Xiaotian's memories, there was nothing to suggest that.
Although it made some sense, considering that he didn't know much about the province where he lived, let alone the entire region. Even though he was intelligent, he had spent most of his 18 years learning to be a swordsman and had ignored much of the geography and things of the world.
As he thought about this, he suddenly frowned.
'Hm?' He noticed something strange...
Not in the ruin, but in the system message, and he focused his attention on the first part of it.
[Mystical Ruin: Queen Mother of Spiders has been discovered.]
'Queen Mother...' His pupils dilated, and he suddenly took a step back, once again hitting the barrier that prevented him from leaving.
'This... impossible.' He swallowed hard.
The last ruin he visited, where he was killed by a sniper who took all the loot, was the Ruin of the Queen Mother of Spiders!
He remembers it clearly. The Earth Ruins System told him so, and the Specters inside confirmed it.
'No. Calm down.' He tried to calm himself and took a deep breath. 'It's level 1, impossible for it to be the same one,' he thought.
Leaving aside the fact that he was in another world, one he had no knowledge of in his previous life, the ruin's levels certified that it was not the same one.
Despite that, the uneasiness in his heart could not be hidden. He gripped his sword tightly.
'I'll have to see what this ruin has in store for me,' he thought, looking up at the walls. 'I'm completely alone, but I can't imagine it will be that way forever. If it's level 1, at least I'll see if it's feasible to clear it with my current abilities so I can keep all the loot.'
He immediately began walking toward the interior of the cave. He was curious about many things; he needed to hurry.
---
Woodshade City on Desolate Turtle Mountain is usually a quiet city, with fewer celebrations than others and good customs.
The city's inhabitants are welcoming to foreigners, so it has a good reputation among cities around the mountain and farther away.
It has always been this way, and it is still this way now.
Late at night, the people walking the streets of the city are either returning from their exploitative jobs or heading to specific places to spend the night.
Bars, restaurants, inns, nightclubs...
Woodshade is a prosperous city, but some claim that, being on top of a mountain with deep mysteries and rumors of ancient ruins, it is a doomed city worth visiting only.
'Although they've been saying that for many years and nothing has happened,' thought The Writer, a traveler, as he looked out the window of the restaurant at one of the city's inns.
"I wonder how much of that is true," he whispered.
"Master." His thoughts and murmurs were interrupted by the call of a man sitting across from him. "I'm back. I've already spoken to the Lords of Zhang, Mu, and Xi."
The Writer looked at his assistant and nodded. "What did they say? Will they let me do it?"
"Of course, master. The three gentlemen even invited you to their mansions. After all, who are you? It's normal for them to show you respect." His assistant puffed out his chest proudly.
He was proud to travel with The Writer, the most respected historian and storyteller in the empire and, practically, the world. Recognized in many countries as an incredible and accurate researcher, he was also one of those who preserved the history of all regions, cities, and empires in his numerous books.
His longevity is enviable, as is his power. But most enviable is his ability to discover ruins and hidden stories anywhere.
The Writer was not just any historian; he was "The Historian," whose name was hidden behind all the nicknames by which he was known.
"Haha, good." The Writer nodded with satisfaction. "Then it's time to begin." He smiled and took out a blank book.
It had many pages, but none were written on. It was a virgin book, as you might say.
From today onwards, it will hold the history of Woodshade City and the Mystery of Desolate Turtle Mountain.