novellaaa Chapter 204 The Legacy of the Pale Hand
Chapter 204 The Legacy of the Pale Hand
Chapter 204 The Legacy of the Pale Hand
Luo Lin approached the rock face and carefully sensed it.
Although the magic circle was incomplete, its structure was extremely complex and ingenious, far exceeding the scope of ordinary necromancy.
Some of the energy patterns contained in the magic circle gave him a vague sense of familiarity—they seemed to have a distant, distorted similarity to the energy geometry of the observer civilization.
A thought flickered in his mind, and he took out the broken staff of the withered skeletal wizard.
The faint spiritual imprint on the staff was now slightly warm, pointing directly at the cracked pattern at the center of the unfinished magic circle.
"What they're after might be related to this magic array," Rowling said.
"But the magic array is not complete, and the core energy source doesn't seem to be here either." He looked around, his gaze falling on the dried-up bone powder pool in the center of the stone platform.
At the bottom of the pool, some fine lines can be faintly seen.
Luo Lin jumped off the stone platform, walked to the edge of the pool, squatted down, and brushed away the surface layer of bone powder with his hand.
Beneath the bone powder, in the center of the pool, is a palm-sized, irregularly shaped, dark purple crystal fragment.
The surface of the crystal fragment was covered with cracks, and inside it seemed to contain a faint, ever-changing, eerie light.
An indescribable aura, a mixture of chaos, death, and an extremely ancient and weathered feeling, emanated from the fragments.
The moment Roland saw the fragment, his pupils constricted sharply!
This aura—though much weaker and more mixed—had a certain degree of similarity to the purple plague stone energy he had studied before, as well as the corrupting source power described in the projection of the civilization stone tablet!
Could it be that the Pale Hand is here not only to exploit the deathly resentment of the Scorching Hell, but also to have discovered something related to the corrupting source?
Did they find this fragment deep within the scorching hell?
Or is it related to the unfinished magic circle's summoning target?
"What did you find?" Blake walked over.
Instead of answering immediately, Rowling carefully pried the dark purple crystal fragment out of the pool.
It feels icy cold to the touch, as if you are holding a piece of ancient ice, but the faint glow inside gives you an eerie feeling of "life".
The cracks at the edges of the fragments were very fresh, as if they had only recently broken off.
"A very special crystal fragment." Roland showed the fragment to everyone.
"It might be related to the Pale Hand's true purpose here."
"The aura above is very unusual."
Lehman glanced at the fragments and frowned: "Something very strange."
"Keep this safe, it'll give the research department a headache when you get back."
Ella and Liana also sensed the ominous nature of the fragments and instinctively took a half-step back.
Rolin wrapped the fragments in a special insulating material and put them into his dimensional bag.
After carefully examining the cave again, apart from finding some fragmented notes left by pale hands that recorded scattered experimental data and magic array concepts, there were no other valuable discoveries.
The unfinished magic circle, seemingly rendered completely ineffective due to the destruction of the archway, the interruption of energy, and the death of the skeleton wizard, has become a strange mural on the rock wall.
"It seems we've basically wiped out the Pale Hand's stronghold here." Blake surveyed the ravaged cave.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't capture them alive to extract their complete plan."
"Destroying this place and obtaining this fragment and part of the notes is already a major gain," Rowling said.
"This place is not suitable for lingering."
"Although the summoning attempt by the skeleton wizard was interrupted, there's no guarantee that he doesn't have other tricks up his sleeve."
"We are all in very poor condition and must evacuate as soon as possible."
No one objected.
After quickly cleaning up the scene, they retraced their steps and retreated from the Howling Rift.
On the way back to the temporary forward base, they encountered no further significant obstacles.
The remaining low-level undead seemed to have lost unified command, becoming muddled and no longer posing a threat.
When the teleportation light shone again at the outpost of Shadowraven Tower, and everyone saw the familiar and relatively safe buildings and people, their tense nerves finally relaxed, and fatigue surged up like a tide.
Although the reconnaissance mission was extremely difficult, the objectives were exceeded.
They not only detected the energy anomaly, but also directly destroyed a Pale Hand stronghold, killed several mid-to-high-level necromancers, and seized key items and intelligence.
However, the price paid was not small.
Lehman was afflicted with high-level death energy and required a lengthy purification and treatment period. The others were also all injured and had suffered significant depletion of their energy.
Roland handed over the dark purple crystal fragment and the captured notes, and gave a detailed report on the mission, especially regarding the Hall of the Dead, the incomplete magic circle, and the skeleton wizard's final attempt to summon.
The Holy Tower leadership took this matter very seriously, immediately organizing experts to analyze the fragments and notes, and strengthening monitoring of the Scorching Hell fragments, especially the Howling Rift region.
The appearance of the Pale Hands, and their possible entanglement with some deeper evil force, further complicates the situation.
Rowling did not participate in the subsequent analysis meetings.
He collected his mission rewards and merits, exchanged them for some much-needed resources and books, and then returned to Blackrock Town.
This mission made him acutely aware of his own shortcomings and also gave him new insights into the application of [Disruption of Order].
Meanwhile, the questions raised by that dark purple fragment also need time to be sorted out.
The tranquility of the Black Rock Hut once again became his haven for digesting his gains and consolidating his strength.
The magical plant on the windowsill grew quietly, Ellie's symbiotic experiment progressed steadily, and the silvery light of the moonflower gently illuminated a corner at night.
But beneath the calm surface, Rowling knew that a much larger storm might be brewing in the distance.
The Pale Hand, the Observer's Remains, the Mysterious Visitor, the Corrupting Source—more and more clues and mysteries are intertwined.
He needs to become stronger faster and understand the essence of power more deeply in order to stand firm in the waves of the future, protect what he wants to protect, and explore the knowledge he craves.
It wasn't until the second day after returning to Blackrock Town that Rolin truly relaxed.
The air in the cabin carried the familiar scent of magical plants, mixed with the faint moisture left by Ellie after cleaning in the morning.
Several drought-resistant plants on the windowsill stretched their leaves in the morning light, their edges gleaming with a healthy, glossy green.
Everything was exactly the same as before I left, yet it subtly gave me a sense of reassurance.
When Ellie saw him return, she visibly relaxed, but didn't ask for details about the mission. She simply prepared a simple breakfast and warm water as usual, and then went to tend to her magic plant garden.
Lorin noticed that the ground around the Moon Silver Flower Stone trough was newly covered with a layer of fine, light gray gravel that carried a faint energy signature, which was obviously an improvement that Ellie had figured out herself.
He did not immediately devote himself to research or practice.
Physical fatigue and mental exhaustion require time to recover.
He sat on the chair by the window, slowly finished his water, and watched the daily scenes of the town gradually waking up outside the window.
The rhythmic hammering of the blacksmith's shop rang out, the aroma of wheat wafted from the corner bakery, and several early-rising children chased each other across the stone-paved road.
This serene commotion contrasted sharply with the deathly silence of the Howling Rift, the pale wizard's distorted face, and the purple flames flickering in the skeleton knight's eyes. Roland closed his eyes, suppressing those images, allowing the power of [Silent Dust Star] to flow slowly, calming the subtle ripples in his heart.