74: Chapter 74 In-depth Decisions

Cecilia found a Warhammer in good condition in a large workshop adjacent to the main furnace.

The hammerhead was a solid rectangular iron block with rounded corners, and its striking face was covered in dents from years of Forging.

It looked like a Forging hammer that a blacksmith had used for most of their life; most valuable of all, the entire structure was made of Arcanium.

Richard scanned it with Appraisal, his expression a mix of surprise and regret.

The result of the Appraisal was more unusual than he had expected: this Warhammer had once been a high-level Enchantment weapon, but the effect had gradually faded, leaving only a remnant of its power.

Once per day, the wielder could strike the hammerhead into the ground to create a shockwave, causing all standing creatures within a certain range to be affected and knocked to the ground.

A copper plate was welded to the end of the handle, but the engravings on it were no longer legible.

However, judging by the position and shape of the copper plate, it was likely the name or inscription of the hammer's original owner.

"The Enchantment effect of this Warhammer is basically destroyed, but it still has one skill remaining. It's similar to Earthshock, an area-of-effect knockdown. The effect is quite good."

Richard leaned the Warhammer against the workbench and tapped an oxidized spot on the hammerhead with his knuckles.

"It still needs to be repaired properly, otherwise even this last Enchantment effect will be lost."

"The Arcanium handle is intact, and the hammerhead only has slight cracks. A dwarven rune blacksmith should be able to fix it."

Cecilia smiled and said, "If we take it back to Baron the dwarf, he'll probably sleep while hugging this hammer."

She didn't have much desire to claim this Warhammer for herself.

Her main weapon was a longsword, and a Warhammer didn't fit her combat style, but she knew this weapon was valuable, whether it was distributed within the team or sold.

Before long, Jinbao found a completely sealed metal canister in a corner; the opening was double-sealed with lead and wax, and the canister was covered in suppression runes.

Not daring to open it himself, he brought Richard over to perform an Appraisal.

Richard used Appraisal to confirm there was no curse, then twisted the seal open.

Inside the canister was only a pile of fine, dark gray powder, which shimmered with a faint, silvery-white luster in the daylight.

[Demonic Ash] A powder obtained by crushing the bones of low-level demons; it is an extremely rare alchemy catalyst.

It can be used to replace conventional materials when casting spells, increasing the difficulty of spell resistance for demonic creatures; if sprinkled directly into the air, it can create a cloud of dust that lasts for ten minutes, within which low-level demons cannot turn invisible or shapeshift.

"It's an alchemy catalyst, even more precious than Arcanium fragments."

Richard carefully resealed the canister and placed it into his dimensional bag.

"I'll keep this canister for now and we can calculate how to split it after we return. It's easy to knock over if carried around."

The scavenging continued until the afternoon.

The number of workshops and Enchantment laboratories in the second ring was immense, and most of them hadn't been touched yet.

The Adventurers who arrived earlier had clearly headed straight for the more core areas.

Richard and his party carefully inspected dozens of buildings over the course of half a day and found quite a few supplies; the harvest was far beyond their expectations.

They filled a large bag with Arcanium fragments, six pairs of heat-resistant gloves, three canisters of Demonic Ash, and other miscellaneous items of varying value.

A rough estimate of the total value of these supplies suggested that after they were liquidated back in Blackwater City, each person would receive at least over a thousand gold coins.

"Coming early was definitely worth it."

Richard sat on the stone steps at the entrance of a workshop and retied his dimensional bag to his belt.

Despite holding so many supplies, the dimensional bag still weighed only about ten pounds, and he could barely feel its weight hanging from his belt.

He looked up toward the direction of the third ring.

The twisted buildings and sharp angles of the Ring of Research showed eerie silhouettes in the twilight.

The windowless, black circular tower stood like a silent black needle piercing the city's waist.

The Silver Leaf Sentinels and Gray's team were likely already there.

Richard told everyone to set up camp and rest for the night.

Jinbao spread out his bedding in the tent, his snoring starting almost the instant his head hit the pillow.

Selina and Black Cat slept on the inner side of the tent.

Morpheus sat leaning against the leeward side of the workshop's stone wall, still continuously flipping through the notes he had recorded today.

Richard did not sleep; his mind was still quite clear.

Cecilia sat on the stone steps. She wasn't wearing her helmet, and her dark golden long hair was slightly lifted by the sea breeze.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she didn't turn around, but slightly tilted her chin, indicating she knew who had come.

"Not sleeping for a while?" Richard walked over to her and sat down on the stone steps.

His steel breastplate made a slight metallic clinking sound as he sat down.

"I am more alert at night than during the day." Cecilia's blood-red eyes were still fixed on the direction of the third ring.

The windowless black tower was almost completely swallowed by the darkness of the night.

Richard followed her gaze and remained silent for a moment.

He recalled the hollow eye sockets of the murlocs on the mudflats earlier and couldn't help but feel that something was manipulating them from behind the scenes. Morpheus said this was due to the influence of residual magic, so the threat was actually not significant.

However, this meant they couldn't stay on the island for too long, lest they be affected by magical corruption.

Richard turned his head and asked, "What do you think? About tomorrow's route."

Cecilia unbuckled her sword from her waist, rested the scabbard on the ground, and placed her hands crossed over the end of the hilt.

She had a habit when thinking: she liked to gently rub the anti-slip leather on the hilt with her thumb.

"The overall environment here is safe. We spent most of the day searching the workshop district of the second ring and didn't encounter a single living thing. The murlocs only appeared on the mudflats, and nothing inside the city attacked us."

She paused, her blood-red eyes turning to Richard. "We should continue deeper, find enough valuable artifacts and treasures, and then withdraw immediately. What do you think?"

"I have the same intention. After all, those who arrived first have already cleared the obstacles on the perimeter for us," Richard said.

"If there were a fatal threat in the core area, the Silver Leaf Sentinels and the other Adventurer teams would have already withdrawn. The fact that they are still there means that, at least for now, the situation in the core area is within a controllable range."

"Alright, let's continue forward tomorrow!"

Early the next morning, Jinbao was woken up by Selina tapping him with the edge of her holy symbol.

The novice priestess squatted next to the gnome's bedding and gently tapped his goggles with the metal frame of her holy symbol, making a crisp clinking sound.

"Wake up, my alchemy master. Your snoring yesterday was practically louder than a dragon's."

Jinbao grumbled as he climbed up, his goggles crooked on his forehead, his hair messier than usual.

He groggily fumbled for a small copper box from his tool kit and swallowed an anti-seasickness pill, then suddenly realized:

"Oh, wait, this isn't the sea! I only snored yesterday because I was too tired; I don't usually snore this loudly... Black Cat, don't you agree?"

Black Cat, who was squatting in a corner checking his crossbow string, didn't even look up at the words, simply replying in an extremely objective tone: "You usually snore louder."

By the time Morpheus walked over from the leeward side, he had already straightened his mage robes meticulously, his white hair tied back.

He spread out the rune notes he had copied yesterday on a flat stone slab and reminded Richard and the others:

"I compared these runes with several known suppression magic arrays last night."

"The energy extraction system of the first ring is still operating. Of course, it's not at full power, maybe only a few hundredths of a percent remain, but it is still operating."

"This means it's possible that there are magic arrays in the core area maintaining a seal, or something is using this system to sustain itself. Regardless of the situation, we must be extra careful after entering the third ring."