Chapter 149 Final Preparations

The ancient magic emperors obviously didn't know how to effectively suppress the First Born, because until their complete defeat and the First Born was forced into slumber by the safety mechanism, they had never truly found a way to kill this primordial being. Therefore, after the First Born fell asleep, the suppression measures they took were basically shots in the dark: each magic emperor chose a different form of sealing, hoping that it would work.

The mountain barrier of the Dragon Spine Mountains and the lifeless rock giants had proven ineffective. The Giant Tree of Life was said to have withered long ago. Now, the only seal that seemed to be operating normally and appearing powerful was Sunset Volcano.

This volcano was directly above the First Born. The werewolf witch-king Sanuhr had created a labyrinth of lava rivers and magma pillars beneath the volcano, piercing through the First Born's various organs like crisscrossing steel nails. The underground world here was far more intricate than the depths of Beinz. Deep rock fissures and magma lakes formed a fragile but stable equilibrium, and as soon as the First Born awoke, it would trigger the elemental flames of Sunset Volcano. Subsequently, the entire area would collapse, and the First Born would be pushed into the magma deep within the Earth's mantle.

However, Sanuhr had not attempted to directly kill the sleeping First Born in this way, indicating that he was well aware that simply pushing it into the magma would not be enough to kill the monster; it would only cause it to awaken prematurely. Therefore, Hao Ren guessed that the suppression measures beneath Sunset Volcano were just a delaying tactic. The magic emperors were ultimately relying on the "starry allies" who were destined never to arrive.

After collecting tissue samples and signal frequencies from the Holy Coffin, Hao Ren decided to delve deeper into the place where the First Born's main body slumbered to assess the situation. Beyond this point, ordinary people could absolutely not venture, and even with the Church's amulets, they could still be affected by the First Born's dreams at any time. So, this time, he only brought Vivian, Ofra, and Archbishop Auben. Everyone else remained in the cave on standby.

Becky had originally wanted to come along as well: her professional mercenary habits made her feel that she should delve deeper, and her mental strength was no less than that of a high-ranking knight or monk, allowing her to move freely in the deep caves. However, Hao Ren felt that there was no need to bring too many people, so he left her with Lily and the others.

The four of them entered the secret chamber where one of the First Born's "tumors" slumbered through a large fissure in the rock barrier, and then groped their way forward through the extensive cave system. The environment in the deep caves was several times worse than outside. There was an unbearable heat, and the air was filled with a pungent sulfur smell, obviously very close to the magma pillars. Moreover, walking here, one would occasionally "hear" strange noises, and hazy images would always appear in one's mind. This was the First Born's somniloquy, and those who set foot within were involuntarily affected.

"This guy seems to be more 'mature' than the one in the Dragon Spine Mountains, perhaps nearing 'adulthood'," Hao Ren judged. "I remember that the mental interference from the First Born in the Dragon Spine Mountains wasn't as strong as this one. I only heard its voice occasionally."

Ofra nodded. "For a long time, people have spread rumors that the evil spirits of the magic emperors slumber in Sunset Volcano. The soldiers of Greystone Fortress often hear strange noises from the depths in their dreams, but I never thought it was caused by the First Born's activity."

After advancing for a long time, a huge underground rift appeared before the four of them.

This black rift extended to the limits of sight on both sides, and the cave exit where Hao Ren and the others were located was in the middle of the rift. Between the rift cliffs, huge tentacles could be seen crossing like bridges, and below the rift, dark red lava flowed slowly. A few hundred meters from the cave exit, there was even a lava waterfall falling from a high altitude, forming a fiery column. The red light emitted by the lava illuminated this hellish underground world. Hao Ren looked up and could only see a hazy shadow: it was a canopy woven from more tentacles, supporting the rock layers above.

The air was filled with an unbearable smell, and each breath felt as hot as if it would ignite the internal organs. Vivian summoned a burst of frost to barely resist the surrounding harsh air, and then released a small bat. The small bat circled a few times near the opposite cliff, and when it flew back, it was as withered as jerky.

Vivian casually patted the small bat into her body, frowning. "There's no road ahead. There's only one tentacle connecting to a slope on the other side like a bridge, but the road is difficult to walk, and that tentacle is a bit thin."

"This is a place full of malice," Archbishop Auben took a deep breath, the runes on his skin glowing. "The air is filled with hostility."

"There's no need to go any further. This is roughly the core area," Hao Ren shook his head and released the data terminal. "How's the structural scan coming along?"

"Complete," the data terminal projected a complex scan of the underground world, presenting an ellipsoidal area woven from lava, rifts, tentacles, caves, and strange chunks of biological tissue, as twisted and bizarre as a nightmare. "We'd better go back and consider a safe plan of action."

Hao Ren sighed. "Let's retreat."

The survey team returned to Greystone Fortress, and then teleported directly back to the royal capital.

They didn't go to the Giant Tree of Life because the situation there wasn't complicated and would be easier to resolve than Sunset Volcano. Moreover, in one of Hao Ren's action plans, as long as the First Born beneath Sunset Volcano could be resolved, the caves beneath the Giant Tree of Life wouldn't be a problem at all.

Of course, Hao Ren still asked Ofra for some information for reference, which was the structural map explored by the priests of the Radiant Church in the past two months beneath the Giant Tree of Life, as well as historical documents about the giant tree. Whether it would be useful or not... anyway, there was never too much intelligence.

The other accompanying ministers and bishops returned to their respective places, each needing to report to their superiors. Ofra returned to Becky's manor with Hao Ren and the others. The female marshal seemed a little worried. "How should I report this?"

"Tell the king to relax. I have a solution," Hao Ren showed great confidence. "In fact, I had several plans when I was in the cave... but any plan has a certain risk. The situation at Sunset Volcano is very complex, and I have to prevent those lava eruptions."

"We'll go back and study it. As soon as we have a result, we'll come back immediately. Next time we come, the problem of the First Born on this planet should be completely resolved," Lily echoed Hao Ren with an expert's look. "Anyway, the landlord definitely has a solution. He's high-tech."

"Are you leaving now?" Ofra glanced at the group, her gaze finally falling on Becky. "Is she staying?"

"She can't bear to part with the manor property here," Hao Ren shrugged. "But for us, traveling through time and space is no different than going out to buy soy sauce. Anyway, please take care of Becky when we're not here. You know this girl's brain is a bit..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was glared at by Becky, and Lily next to him immediately raised her tail and made a threatening "Ulu Ulu" sound in her throat. Hao Ren looked at Lily with a wry smile. "I didn't say you this time..."

Lily bared her teeth. "But I know you're going to use me as an example in the next sentence! Who doesn't know your mouth? You can't expect ivory to come out of a dog's mouth..."

The surroundings suddenly became quiet. Vivian patted Lily on the shoulder. "You finally spat out some ivory."

Lily hadn't reacted yet. "Woof?"

Hao Ren pinched Lily's ear and smiled at Ofra. "Also, please keep an eye on that cult. I heard that no clues have been found yet?"

"They are a loosely organized cult, most likely pieced together from a dozen small groups," Ofra shook her head. "We can only confirm that they are still active in some areas, but we can't catch anyone."

"Leave me some alive after you find them," Hao Ren nodded. "I want to study the giant brains they summon."

"Also, remember to pass that letter to the Pope and the King," Vivian reminded him. "It contains the real reasons we know about the First Born's world-ending plot—the magic emperors have been taking the blame for ten thousand years, and now you need to find a way to clear their names. Whether those bigwigs above believe it or not, the magic emperors are indeed innocent."

Ofra nodded slightly. "I understand."

Ofra cleverly bid farewell before Hao Ren and the others actively saw her off, leaving Hao Ren and the others to say goodbye to Becky. The mercenary girl was indeed a little reluctant to part with her friends at this time. After all, they had lived together for so long, and even a greedy mercenary had feelings. "You have to come and see me often, even after you solve the First Born's matter—and you still have to bring me along for any exciting and interesting things in the future. I still want to go on adventures in a spaceship! Also, bring me some potato chips and Coke next time..."

Hao Ren found it very interesting to see the girl showing such a rare expression. "Since you're so reluctant, why don't you just come back to Earth with us?"

Becky jumped back more than a meter in an instant, holding onto the door pillar and refusing to let go. "Be careful on the road, pay attention to safety, have a good trip, goodbye—I'd rather be a local tyrant here."

Hao Ren: "..."

The group left Becky's manor, and Vivian asked, "Shall we teleport back to Andre Castle directly from the Alamanda portal? Are we going by spaceship or teleporting?"

"No, there's something else," Hao Ren looked up slightly at the sky. "There's an even more important relic we haven't seen yet."