Chapter 307: Chapter 304: The Silent Holy Land

The "Blue Vesicle" was plummeting frantically.

In the pitch-black environment filled with black ooze, the [Floating Skill] had no effect.

Rorschach and Caroline held on to each other to avoid being separated during the fall. Benedict, having lost all his rights, was being squeezed so hard by a [Mage’s Hand] that he was nearly unconscious.

After an unknown amount of time, the fall stopped. Rorschach carefully tried to expand his Domain but felt no resistance, which meant the black ooze and Yin Spirits that had surrounded them were gone.

However, the three of them didn’t feel like they were on solid ground. Their legs dangled as they bobbed up and down at roughly the same altitude. ’Is this weightlessness from some kind of magic?’ Rorschach wasn’t sure. He and Caroline cast an [Air Filter Bubble] on themselves before dispelling the Vesicle’s protection.

It felt like they were on a spacewalk.

When the blue barrier dissipated, a boundless, dark chaos appeared before them. With [Dark Vision], they could barely make out the silhouettes of their surroundings.

"Where... is this place?" Rorschach observed their surroundings. They were surrounded by enormous statues, and even with magic enhancing their vision, they couldn’t see the bottom. It seemed as if something viscous was churning far below.

"Maybe the edge of the Ancient Ruins Area... or maybe..." Caroline’s voice trembled, as if she suffered from megalophobia. After all, the statues before them were far larger than any ordinary person; even from nearly a hundred meters away, they still couldn’t see the entire structure.

Their mere presence exuded an oppressive aura that matched their colossal size.

Rorschach’s scalp tingled at the sight. The faces of the statues had all been destroyed, but from the remnants of their Long Ears, he could tell they were all Elves.

They were clearly ancient, but they didn’t align with Rorschach and Caroline’s knowledge of natural history or history. Neither the Elf King’s reign nor the Druid faith should have involved the construction of such magnificent colossi.

Their silhouettes, as tall as skyscrapers, had been hewn from the mountainside with bold strokes, yet their details were exquisitely carved.

"The Deep Diving Area. We’re in the Deep Diving Area..." Caroline finally confirmed their location. This was a place she had never reached since entering the Shadow City, and it was also what the natives of the Shadow Land called the "land of death."

Benedict recovered from his lifeless state. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he too saw the towering stone statues and became extremely excited. "The legends are true! This is... this is... the tombstone of the Elven race."

’Tombstone?’ Before Rorschach could say anything more, a huge, black fish darted out from between the statues. It was uniformly black, with no discernible details besides two lantern-like eyes, yet it writhed as if it were truly swimming in water.

It swished its tail and gradually accelerated. Only when it drew near did the three of them realize how massive it was—its eye socket was large enough to fit a whole person.

As the giant fish charged toward them like a freight train, Rorschach, still holding Caroline’s hand, waved his staff with his free hand, intending to unleash a Molten Beam to slice through the behemoth.

Caroline rolled her eyes, pulled Benedict close as well, and then a series of explosive cracks echoed out. By the time Rorschach came to his senses, they were far from the fish’s charge, having teleported to the left side of a statue’s chest.

It had been a series of short-distance teleports, which she had completed in an instant while carrying two other people. It was clear Caroline’s proficiency with Space Spells was considerable.

Her two "passengers," however, were not faring so well. Rorschach felt his stomach acid churning, and a burning sensation lingered even after he composed himself.

"Why didn’t you think to dodge first?" Caroline frowned. ’When did my student get so reckless?’

’It was coming too fast, so I instinctively used the spell that comes most naturally to me...’ Rorschach didn’t argue. He saw the giant fish already turning, as if determined to relentlessly pursue the intruders.

Caroline placed her hand on the statue’s surface, feeling its rough and uneven texture. This area wasn’t covered in moss or other plants that would corrode the statue. Her palm felt the grit of sand and stone, along with a network of uneven grooves.

’No, those aren’t grooves.’ She infused Magic Power into the patterns.

"It’s not working? Rorschach, you try."

The great fish was about to charge again, but this time Rorschach wasn’t panicking. With Teacher Caroline there, they could just teleport away again if it came to it.

’They’re all statues of Elves...’ Rorschach tried infusing the power of the Deryats. As he expected, this successfully activated the circuits. A blue fluorescence materialized in the grooves, surging through them like water in a riverbed. The moment the circuits on the statue’s left chest were filled, the three of them were suddenly pulled inside.

BOOM!

They found themselves in a stone chamber. A moment later, a violent tremor shook the room, likely the result of the giant fish crashing into the statue’s exterior. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Haha, we’re safe." Benedict stood up from the chamber floor, brushing off non-existent dust and acting as if nothing had happened.

The two Mages hadn’t forgotten, however. Rorschach immediately used [Mage’s Hand] to grip his slender, fragile neck. "Behave. We still haven’t settled the score for you and your organization using us."

Caroline added, "The only reason I saved you just now was because you seem to know about the ’Deep Diving Area.’ Now, tell us what you know so we can get out of here as quickly as possible."

Caroline tried to find teleportation coordinates leading outside, but all of them had lost their lock, as if the starry sky were obscured by clouds.

Even with the Elemental Planes, one could normally use contract-like Magic Anchoring to exchange small amounts of matter—the standard version of the [Water Creation Skill], unlike Rorschach’s, worked this way—but now, even that had failed.

The "Deep Diving Area" seemed to be an artificially isolated region. Some power was sealing it off, and Caroline lacked the ability to break through it.

This agitated Caroline, whose expertise lay in Space Spells and Star Magic.

Benedict, however, was no longer on the verge of a breakdown. It was as if he had found something to rely on in this place. Though it was difficult for him to speak while being choked, his words retained a sense of calm composure.

"Look, in a place from which no one has ever returned, we can stop worrying about things like Istani or the Holy Mother.

"If I die right now, I’m afraid you two esteemed Mages will have a very difficult time getting out—and even then, you might not succeed."

"And you’re confident you can get us out?"

Rorschach’s question made Benedict choke, but his eyes darted as he quickly formed a reply. "At least I recognize this place."

In Elven legend, the Elf King, Forest God Silvanos, foresaw that the Elves would face a great disaster. The King awoke from a prophetic dream and declared to His people that a Holy Land must be built to preserve Elven civilization by storing their collective memories, art, and knowledge. He even warned all His subjects that He would one day leave them.

"It is said that the mark of the Holy Land is twelve colossi, each as large as a giant tree. The strength of the Elves is stored in the heart, their wisdom in the brain..."

"How come I’ve never heard of these legends?" Rorschach now saw Benedict as a complete liar. Balan’s Pearl wasn’t with him, so ’how could he know if Benedict was telling the truth?’ "Teacher Caroline, do you know the [Truth-telling Skill]?"

Caroline shook her head. "Learning that type of magic requires applying and registering with the Guild. I found the paperwork too troublesome..."

Benedict seemed offended. "This is a legend known to all ’Players’! Our founder once presided over Elven art and history under the Elf King’s throne, and it has been passed down through dance, poetry, and drama."

As he spoke, his gaze dimmed. "We once believed that the Old Empire’s conquest of our homeland was the prophesied disaster. We believed that by finding the Holy Land, the Elves could overthrow human domination and reclaim their glory." He finished with a look of confusion.

"To think it would be here, in the so-called Deep Diving Area... In all these hundreds of years, has none of our kin ever made it here?"