Zhou Huai's consciousness, within Gandalf's body, furrowed his brow slightly.

Another Ruin?

This word had been heard with a bit too much frequency lately.

First, he learned the secret of Simon City's destruction from that damned little devil, Nakamura Shin'ichirō.

Immediately after, he discovered an even more magnificent ancient civilization Ruin beneath Donghai City.

Now, far away in the Imperial Capital, these three influential figures of the Great Xia Country once again mentioned this word.

Thoughts raced through Zhou Huai's mind.

He really wanted to ask directly.

Which Ruin are you talking about?

The one in Simon City, or the one in Donghai City?

Don't even think about the one in Donghai City; it's already my private territory.

Of course, these words could only be thought in his mind.

Controlling Gandalf, he showed a perfectly appropriate look of confusion and slowly shook his head.

"Ruin?"

"Forgive my ignorance, I've never heard of it."

Zhang Donglai seemed to have anticipated his reaction.

He exchanged a look with Principal Chen, and the expression on his face became serious and solemn.

"The so-called Ruins are actually a special type of Secret Realm."

His voice was low, carrying a hint of reverence for history.

"They are the last traces left by an ancient civilization that perished tens of thousands of years ago."

"In that era, there were no job transfers, no Professional.

"Humans, relying solely on their own cultivation, could hone powerful forces capable of contending with Strange Beast."

Zhang Donglai sighed, a hint of longing and regret in his eyes.

"It's just that, for some unknown reason, that glorious civilization ultimately vanished into the long river of time."

"The only things that prove their existence are these scattered... Ruins across the world."

Zhang Donglai continued.

"According to the intelligence we currently possess, there are a total of eight known Ruins worldwide."

"Within each Ruin, a Divine Artifact capable of wielding a portion of the world's Law is buried."

"Currently, two Ruins are located within the Free Federation's territory."

"One is in Sakura Country."

"And another is deep in the deserts of Ancient Egypt."

He paused, then added.

"The remaining three are still being secretly explored and their specific locations sought by various countries."

Zhou Huai listened to this and sneered inwardly again.

Still pretending.

I don't believe your Military Department is completely unaware of the Ruin in Simon City.

Controlling Gandalf, Zhou Huai keenly grasped the blind spot in the other party's words and asked.

"General Zhang, you just mentioned three."

"But by your count, it should be four."

Zhang Donglai nodded and smiled:

"That's right, and that's the main reason we specifically called you here today."

He reined in his smile, leaned forward slightly, and said, word by word, in a deep voice.

"Our Great Xia Military Department has indeed discovered a fifth Ruin!"

"However, the location of this Ruin is a bit special; it's not within the Great Xia Country."

"Instead, it's on an archipelago called 'Castlantis'."

"On that island, there's only a small country with a population of less than one hundred thousand."

Zhou Huai had already guessed a few things upon hearing this, and he tentatively asked.

"So, you want me to go there to explore the Ruin?"

Zhang Donglai nodded heavily.

"Exactly."

Zhou Huai's face showed even deeper confusion.

"Why?"

"Why would such an important matter be assigned to me?"

He pointed a hand at the old woman opposite him, who had remained silent all this time but exuded a terrifying aura.

"With my strength, I probably couldn't even withstand a single move from Professor Lin."

"Wouldn't it be much safer for her to go in person?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Donglai's expression became somewhat helpless.

He let out a long sigh.

"What I'm about to say is the real key."

"Firstly, the country on that island is too weak to ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) independently explore a Ruin of that level."

"So their king had no choice but to appeal to the whole world for help."

"Therefore, this time, it's not just our Great Xia Country that wants to explore that Ruin."

"There's also Sakura Country, Kimchi Country, Great Bear Country..."

"Even the Free Federation, which always holds itself in high regard, has sent people to participate."

"You can imagine, with so many top powerhouses from various countries gathered together, if a conflict arises over the ownership of the Divine Artifact, what a terrifying disaster that would be."

"So, after urgent negotiations between the major powers, an agreement was finally reached."

He looked at Gandalf, his gaze sharpening.

"This Ruin exploration will only allow Professional from the younger generation of each country to participate."

"Each country can send a maximum of ten people."

"And within this team of ten, there can be at most one SS-Class Professional!"

Zhang Donglai took a deep breath.

His tone carried a hint of relief, and also a hint of helplessness.

"These are already the most favorable conditions our Military Department could secure for the Great Xia Country."

"Sakura Country, the Free Federation, Great Bear Country... they will all send their top SS-Class Prodigy from their respective younger generations."

"And our Great Xia Country..."

Zhang Donglai paused here.

His tiger-like eyes looked at Student Gandalf with utmost solemnity.

"Our Great Xia Country's younger generation SS-Class Professional..."

"Is only you! Student Gandalf!"

When Zhou Huai heard this, a genuine spark of interest arose in his heart.

SS-Class Prodigy from other countries, huh?

He really wanted to see how his Forbidden Spell Mage compared to those peers who also stood at the pinnacle of the pyramid, to see who was stronger or weaker. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

At this moment, Principal Chen, who had been silent, also spoke.

The smile on his face remained gentle.

"Student Gandalf."

"I know this matter might be a bit difficult for you."

"But as a son of Great Xia, when the country needs you, we have an unshakeable duty."

He looked at Gandalf, his eyes full of expectation.

"As long as you agree, all resources of our Imperial Capital Academy will be unconditionally tilted towards you!"

"All treasures above the twentieth floor of the Instance Tower, whatever you fancy, just take it!"

Even Lin Zhu, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened her cloudy eyes.

She looked at Gandalf, her voice hoarse, yet every word was firm and resonant.

"As long as you are willing to go."

"This old woman can grant you one reasonable request."

Looking at the extremely sincere expressions of the three big shots before him.

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, asked the last question, and the one he cared about most.

"The Divine Artifact in this Ruin..."

"Is it really that important to the Great Xia Country?"

Zhang Donglai heard this and, without the slightest hesitation, nodded heavily.

"Very important!"

His voice was decisive.

"In fact, it's more important than all currently known Divine Artifact combined!"

Zhou Huai was a bit surprised.

"Oh?"

"Do you already know what the Divine Artifact in that Ruin is?"

Zhang Donglai nodded.

"That's right."

"We once sent an elite exploration team to infiltrate it at great risk."

"Although they couldn't see the full scope of the Divine Artifact, based on the intelligence they brought back, we have roughly inferred its abilities."

He looked at Gandalf, word by word, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"That Divine Artifact wields one of the most supreme Laws in the world..."

"Life!"

"It can resurrect the dead!"

"Its name is..."

"The pendulum of life!"