Chapter 116
Nille had expected the newly absorbed Celestial Cloth fragment to reveal answers. Instead, it raised even more questions.
According to Nyx, the fragment contained no lingering spirit, no memories, and no hidden consciousness waiting to awaken. It was merely a dormant piece of a larger whole, carrying only residual functions that seamlessly integrated into the artifact. The process itself had been surprisingly smooth, yet the results left him thoughtful.
At first glance, the improvements seemed mundane. The Celestial Cloth could now transform its appearance faster, store more information, map locations with greater accuracy, and scan its surroundings more effectively. They were useful enhancements, certainly, but not the sort of overwhelming power many cultivators dreamed of obtaining. Yet the more Nyx explained, the more Nille realized there was a pattern.
Every recovered fragment strengthened utility rather than raw combat ability.
Storage.
Detection.
Concealment.
Mapping.
Adaptation.
The artifact seemed less interested in becoming a weapon and more focused on becoming a companion capable of helping its wearer survive any circumstance.
That realization unsettled him more than he expected.
Since arriving at the academy, he had encountered countless awakened individuals. Shamans, cultivators, elemental users, spirit contractors, and bloodline inheritors all followed paths that were relatively well understood. Their powers manifested according to established principles. They cultivated spiritual energy, awakened ancestral gifts, contracted spirits, or inherited abilities from powerful bloodlines. Even when their talents differed, they still operated within known frameworks.
Nille did not.
The Celestial Cloth ignored those frameworks entirely.
It did not cultivate.
It did not evolve according to any known shamanic tradition.
It did not resemble a spirit companion, nor did it behave like a bloodline inheritance.
Every fragment he recovered revealed another function, another layer, another mystery. It adapted, learned, and expanded, yet no one—including Nyx—could fully explain what it truly was.
Even its durability defied logic. When he asked whether it could stop a bullet, Nyx's answer had been frustratingly vague. The cloth's resilience could not be measured using conventional standards because it was not truly cloth at all. Beneath its familiar appearance existed something entirely different: condensed celestial energy arranged into a stable physical form. Its strength fluctuated according to available energy and restored functions, making it impossible to compare directly with steel, leather, or any material known to the modern world.
The answer should have reassured him.
Instead, it only reinforced how abnormal his situation was.
For most awakened individuals, greater understanding came with greater certainty.
For Nille, every discovery expanded the unknown.
Yet strangely, he did not dislike that feeling.
For most of his life, his abilities had appeared disconnected from the paths walked by others. He had often wondered whether something about him was fundamentally different. Now, for the first time, he was beginning to glimpse the truth.
His powers were not merely unusual.
They belonged to something older.
Something that predated the systems and traditions taught by the academy.
The stories hidden within the tomb only deepened that suspicion.
The spirit's revelations about ancient civilizations, forgotten realms, celestial beings, and lost histories painted a picture of a world far larger than the one recorded in modern textbooks. The more Nille learned, the more he suspected that the Celestial Cloth was connected to that forgotten age.
Not a weapon.
Not a cultivation technique.
Not a blessing granted by chance.
A legacy.
One whose original purpose had yet to reveal itself.
Nyx's final assessment lingered in his thoughts long after their conversation ended.
The Celestial Cloth was not becoming armor.
It was becoming something else.
Something adaptive.
Something incomplete.
Something that seemed to grow alongside him rather than simply protect him.
For the first time since awakening his strange abilities, Nille felt as though he had found a thread leading toward the truth.
It was still only a fragment of a much larger puzzle.
But it was a beginning.
And as he looked toward the sealed stairways descending into the darkness beneath the tomb, he could not shake the feeling that the answers he sought were waiting somewhere below.
The ancient ruins, the forgotten civilization, the Celestial Cloth fragments, and the secrets buried beneath centuries of death all seemed connected by invisible threads.
For once, Nille was no longer simply collecting mysteries.
He was beginning to see the outline of a larger story.
One that, somehow, had always involved him.
After spending some time speaking with the Rune Forge personnel, Nille eventually turned toward Lin Yue. There was a thoughtful look in his eyes, one she had learned to recognize over the past few weeks.
"Would it be alright if I left for a while?" he asked. "There are some things I need to think about."
He did not need to explain further.
Lin Yue immediately understood.
What Nille had experienced within the tomb was unlike anything she, Rume Ironbark, or any of the dwarves had witnessed. They had all stood in the same chamber. They had all seen the ancient ruins, the remains, and the relics. Yet somehow, they had not truly experienced what Nille had experienced.
The spirit had spoken to him.
The Celestial Cloth had responded to him.
The fragment had chosen him.
The revelations of forgotten ages, celestial legacies, and ancient civilizations had unfolded before him in ways no one else could fully perceive.
It was as though the tomb itself had been waiting for him.
That realization did not make Lin Yue feel jealous.
Instead, it made her understand something she had suspected for a long time.
Nille's path was different.
Not merely unusual.
Different.
The academy's students competed over rankings, examinations, and future careers. Cultivators pursued power. Scholars pursued knowledge. Merchants pursued wealth.
Yet Nille seemed to be walking toward something else entirely.
Something older.
Something vast enough that even she could not comprehend its full scale.
Perhaps that was why fate kept placing him at the center of impossible discoveries.
Why forgotten relics reacted to his presence.
Why mysteries buried for centuries seemed determined to reveal themselves whenever he appeared.
If there truly was such a thing as destiny, then Nille's was not one that could be easily shared.
Some burdens were personal.
Some questions could only be answered by the person destined to ask them.
The truths he sought were not things she could uncover on his behalf, nor were they burdens she could carry for him.
Only Nille could walk that path.
Only Nille could discover where it ultimately led.
And Lin Yue understood that better than anyone.
Because of that understanding, she knew she could not become an obstacle. She could not cling to him out of curiosity, nor could she force herself into matters that clearly belonged to him alone.
If their destinies were meant to intertwine, then fate would decide that in its own time.
Until then, she would walk her own path while supporting him in the ways she could.
She would grow stronger.
She would continue learning.
She would ensure that if the day ever came when Nille truly needed help, she would possess the strength to stand beside him rather than behind him.
The thought brought a faint smile to her face.
"Of course," she said softly.
Nille looked at her, surprised by how quickly she agreed.
"I figured you'd want to know what I'm thinking about."
Lin Yue shook her head.
"Whatever answers you're searching for right now... I don't think they're mine to find."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Nille smiled.
A genuine smile.
One that told her he understood exactly what she meant.
And somehow, that was enough.
The time had finally come to leave.
The discoveries hidden beneath the castle had consumed far more of the day than either Nille or Lin Yue had anticipated. Yet as both of them stood near the mine elevator, preparing to return to the surface and continue their journey , neither felt disappointed.
If anything, they felt as though they had only uncovered the beginning of something much larger.
Nille cast one final glance toward the stairways descending deeper into the ancient chamber
The enchanted items remained untouched.
The lower levels remained unexplored. no Rune Forge personnel came down, Head Merchant Rume Ironbark orders were law. all of those who were working on the tunnel mines were waiting above grounds and waiting patiently.
And the countless secrets hidden beneath centuries of death continued to wait in silence.
For now.
Eventually, his gaze shifted toward Head Merchant Rume Ironbark.
The old dwarf was already organizing his nest plan, as he prepared to establish a permanent perimeter around the newly discovered chamber.
The two exchanged a brief look.
No words were necessary.
Rume simply nodded.
A silent gesture.
A promise.
He knew what needed to be done.
Nille nodded in return.
That was enough.
The merchant leader immediately turned toward the only dwarf team leader who was with them
"Listen up!"
His booming voice echoed through the mine tunnels.
"From this moment onward, nobody enters the lower chamber without my direct authorization."
the Dwarf team leader immediately nodded,
Rume pointed toward the excavation teams.
"I want guards posted at every entrance."
Then he pointed toward the newly uncovered stairways.
"Those paths will be sealed , with high lever clearance ."
"What about the relics?" the team leader dwarf asked.
Rume's expression immediately hardened.
"Nobody touches a single thing."
The chamber became silent.
The old dwarf crossed his arms.
"And I mean nothing."
His gaze swept across thechamer floor
"We don't know what those objects are."
"We don't know who made them."
"And we certainly don't know what they might do."
the two dwarves exchanged uneasy looks.
They had all seen the chamber.
The countless artifacts scattered across the ash-covered floor.
The strange relics buried among the skeletal remains.
The forgotten treasures left untouched for ages beyond memory.
Many of those items looked priceless.
Some appeared more valuable than entire merchant caravans.
Others seemed capable of altering the fortunes of kingdoms.
Yet none of them had dared touch anything.
Because every person present had felt it.
The lingering spiritual pressure.
The ancient aura embedded within the relics.
The overwhelming sensation that those objects were not truly dormant.
They were sleeping.
Waiting.
Watching.
Some artifacts carried enchantments.
Others carried intent.
A few possessed wills of their own.
The world they lived in was filled with dangers that could not be measured by gold alone.
A cursed relic could destroy a family.
A sentient artifact could manipulate its owner.
An improperly handled treasure could unleash disasters no ordinary person was prepared to face.
Nille understood that reality better than most.
Many of the objects within the chamber had existed long before any of them were born.
Long before the academy.
Long before modern kingdoms.
Perhaps even before recorded history itself.
Such relics demanded respect.
Not greed.
Not curiosity.
Respect.
That was one of the reasons he trusted Rume Ironbark.
The merchant leader understood that difference.
A lesser man would have ordered every artifact cataloged and removed immediately.
Rume had done the opposite.
He had secured the site.
Restricted access.
And ensured nobody would interfere until the mysteries surrounding the tomb were better understood.
It was the decision of a merchant who had survived long enough to recognize when wealth was accompanied by danger.
Nille found that reassuring.
His thoughts briefly shifted toward Lin Yue.
The Tier 4 Wind Spell scroll remained safely in her possession.
Unlike the countless relics scattered throughout the chamber, the scroll had felt different.
It possessed no hostile aura.
No lingering intent.
No sleeping consciousness.
It was simply knowledge.
Knowledge waiting to be learned.
More importantly, it had been the only scroll within the entire chamber that remained perfectly preserved.
Every other document had crumbled into dust long ago.
Only that single scroll had survived.
The coincidence was difficult to ignore.
Even Nille found himself wondering whether it had truly been a coincidence at all.
Perhaps it had been preserved intentionally.
Perhaps it had been waiting.
Not for him.
For Lin Yue.
The thought seemed strangely fitting.
After all, she had been the one to discover it.
The one whose affinity matched its contents.
The one who had immediately recognized its value.
Some opportunities felt earned.
Others felt destined.
This felt like the latter.
Lin Yue carefully held the scroll against her chest, completely unaware of the thoughts running through Nille's mind.
Her attention was already focused on the challenge ahead.
Learning a Tier 4 spell would not be easy.
But if anyone could accomplish it, Nille suspected it would be her.
Finally, he turned toward the mine entrance.
Beyond it lay Yamatai Island.
The academy.
The midterm examination.
Sector One.
And countless opportunities still waiting to be discovered.
Behind them, the ancient tomb returned to silence once more.
Its secrets remained buried.
Its mysteries remained unsolved.
Its deeper chambers remained unexplored.
But they would return.
Of that, Nille was certain.
For now, however, another journey awaited.
With one last nod to Rume Ironbark, Nille and Lin Yue stepped forward together, leaving the hidden depths behind as they emerged once more beneath the open skies of Yamatai Island. The wind carried the scent of the sea, the distant sounds of travelers echoed across the roads, and for the first time in hours, the world felt familiar again.
Yet neither of them truly felt the same.
Because somewhere beneath the castle, hidden beneath layers of ash, bone, and forgotten history, they had uncovered a fragment of a story far older than themselves.
And whether they realized it or not, they had already become part of it.
Nille and Lin Yue made their way toward the elevator shaft, leaving behind the ancient chamber and its countless mysteries. The machinery groaned softly as the platform began its ascent, carrying them away from the depths of the forgotten tomb.
Neither spoke.
The silence between them was comfortable rather than awkward.
Lin Yue stood beside him, her hands resting lightly on the scroll she had recovered from the chamber. Although she was naturally curious, she made no attempt to question him about what had happened below.
She wasn't that type of person.
Lin Yue understood boundaries.
She understood that not every discovery needed to be shared immediately, and not every burden became lighter simply because someone else knew about it.
Everyone carried secrets.
Everyone had questions they needed to answer for themselves.
If Nille wished to speak, she would listen.
If he wished to remain silent, she would respect that as well.
Perhaps that was one of the reasons they worked so well together.
She knew the proper distance to maintain.
Close enough to offer support.
Far enough to allow freedom.
It was a balance many people struggled to understand.
Some mistook trust for entitlement.
Others confused friendship with the right to know everything.
Lin Yue did neither.
She understood that trust could not be demanded.
It had to be given willingly.
As the elevator continued rising through the darkness, she glanced briefly toward Nille.
His expression was thoughtful, his attention clearly focused on matters far beyond the physical world around them.
Whatever he had experienced inside the tomb, it had affected him deeply.
She could see it in his eyes.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Reflection.
As though pieces of a puzzle he had been carrying for a very long time had finally begun fitting together.
Lin Yue said nothing.
Some journeys were meant to be shared.
Others could only be walked alone.
And whatever path Nille was currently following felt like the latter.
For now, the best thing she could do was give him the space he needed.
There would be a time for questions later.
A time for explanations.
A time when he chose to share what he had learned.
Until then, she was content simply walking beside him.
Not leading.
Not following.
Just there.
Sometimes, she believed, that was the most valuable kind of support a person could offer.
As the elevator continued its slow ascent toward the surface, Nille remained lost in thought. The spirit's words echoed repeatedly within his mind, refusing to fade no matter how much he tried to focus on other things.
You are blessed by my sister.
The seed lay dormant, passing through countless generations.
It skipped from one bloodline to the next, waiting for a host with true potential.
The more he thought about it, the more difficult it became to dismiss.
For most of his life, Nille had assumed his unusual abilities were simply a mystery waiting to be solved. Yet the spirit had spoken as though the answer had already existed long before he was born.
A seed.
A blessing.
Something that had survived the passage of countless generations.
Something that had somehow reached him.
The very idea sounded absurd.
Impossible.
And yet, after everything he had witnessed within the tomb, dismissing it outright felt equally impossible.
Eventually, he broke the silence.
"Lin Yue."
She turned toward him.
"Yes?"
Nille hesitated briefly, carefully choosing his words.
"Is there a way to trace a person's lineage?"
Lin Yue blinked.
The question was unexpected.
"A family lineage?"
Nille nodded.
"Far beyond parents and grandparents."
His expression remained thoughtful.
"I'm talking about centuries. Maybe longer."
Lin Yue studied him for a moment before answering.
"There are methods."
That immediately caught his attention.
"There are?"
She nodded.
"Some noble families maintain ancestral records that go back hundreds or even thousands of years. Certain clans preserve bloodline histories very carefully."
Nille frowned.
"What if someone doesn't have those records?"
"Then it becomes much harder."
Lin Yue thought for a moment.
"There are also bloodline specialists, spirit diviners, ancestral shamans, and some rare artifacts capable of examining heritage and ancestry."
"How accurate are they?"
"It depends on the method."
She paused.
"Most can only identify major bloodline traits, inherited abilities, or notable ancestors. Tracing a direct lineage across countless generations is extremely difficult."
Nille fell silent again.
The answer wasn't entirely reassuring.
Because what he wanted to verify wasn't merely a family tree.
He wanted to know whether the spirit had been telling the truth.
Whether an ancient blessing could truly survive across thousands of years.
Whether a seed planted in a forgotten age could somehow reach a person living in the present.
The very thought sounded ridiculous.
Yet it was no more ridiculous than the Celestial Cloth.
No more ridiculous than the ancient tomb.
No more ridiculous than the spirit who had recognized him the moment they met.
Lin Yue watched him carefully.
"You think you're connected to something you found down there."
It wasn't a question.
Nille slowly exhaled.
"Maybe."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he finally voiced the part that troubled him most.
"The spirit mentioned his sister."
Lin Yue listened quietly.
"He said she carried a seed."
Nille stared at the elevator wall.
"He was separated from her during the war."
His voice lowered.
"And somehow... that seed survived long enough to reach my generation."
The words sounded strange even as he spoke them aloud.
Like a story belonging to someone else.
A myth.
A legend.
Not reality.
Yet the spirit had spoken with complete certainty.
As though there had never been any doubt.
Lin Yue could understand why that would be difficult to accept.
The implication was enormous.
It wasn't merely that Nille possessed an unusual ability.
It suggested that someone from a forgotten age had deliberately influenced a future they would never live to see.
That their actions had crossed centuries.
Perhaps even millennia.
And somehow ended with him.
"No wonder you're having trouble believing it," Lin Yue said softly.
Nille gave a small, humorless laugh.
"Would you believe it?"
She considered the question seriously.
A few months ago, she would have immediately said no.
But after everything they had experienced together...
The academy.
The hidden sectors.
The impossible creatures.
The Celestial Cloth.
The ancient tomb.
The spirit.
The answer wasn't as simple anymore.
"I don't know," she admitted honestly.
"That's the problem."
Nille nodded.
That was exactly the problem.
The information felt too significant to ignore.
Yet too unbelievable to accept without proof.
For now, all he had were the words of a spirit from a forgotten civilization.
But those words had planted a question in his mind.
One that refused to leave.
Who had he been before he was Nille?
Not himself.
Not his identity.
His blood.
His lineage.
His origins.
For the first time in his life, Nille found himself wondering whether the answers to those questions were buried not in his future...
But somewhere deep within the distant past.
The elevator finally reached the surface with a low metallic rumble. As the platform emerged from the shaft, cool air greeted Nille and Lin Yue, carrying with it the familiar sounds of the growing settlement.
To their surprise, a considerable number of Rune Forge personnel had gathered near the entrance.
Construction workers stood alongside engineers and craftsmen. Security teams maintained orderly formations while several merchants and administrators waited patiently nearby. News of the discovery beneath the mine had clearly spread faster than either Nille or Lin Yue had expected.
Yet despite their curiosity, no one had attempted to enter.
They were waiting.
Waiting for instructions.
Waiting for answers.
And more importantly, waiting for Head Merchant Rume Ironbark.
As Nille stepped off the platform, several workers visibly relaxed.
A few exchanged relieved glances.
Others immediately began whispering among themselves.
Then a familiar figure pushed through the gathering crowd.
Nhulla Loresong.
The half-elven administrator approached quickly, her expression composed but clearly concerned.
"Master Nille."
Nille nodded in greeting.
Nhulla's eyes briefly moved past him, searching the elevator platform.
"Where is Head Merchant Rume Ironbark?"
"The Merchant Leader is still below."
Her brows furrowed immediately.
"Below?"
Nille calmly nodded.
"Everything is under control."
That seemed to ease some of her concerns, though not all of them.
"What happened down there?"
Nille considered the question for a moment.
The truth was far too complicated to explain in the middle of a crowded worksite.
More importantly, it wasn't information that should be spread casually.
Not yet.
"There was a discovery," he answered carefully.
"A significant one."
Nhulla immediately understood there was more to the story than he was saying.
She had worked alongside merchants for too long not to recognize deliberate restraint.
Fortunately, she was intelligent enough not to press further.
Nille continued.
"Head Merchant Rume Ironbark is waiting for you below."
"Me?"
"Yes."
Her surprise was obvious.
Nille nodded.
"He specifically requested that you join him."
Nhulla glanced toward the elevator shaft.
Then back toward Nille.
"What does he need?"
"That is something he can explain personally."
The half-elf studied him for several seconds.
Then she noticed something unusual.
Nille wasn't warning her away.
Nor was he inviting everyone else.
That distinction mattered.
A great deal.
Slowly, Nhulla's expression became more serious.
"Who should I bring?"
Nille met her gaze.
"Only those under your direct care."
Nhulla remained silent.
Nille continued.
"And only those you have shared Tea with."
The surrounding workers didn't seem to notice the significance of those words.
Nhulla did.
Immediately.
Years of merchant administration had taught her how to read between the lines.
If trust had become a requirement, then whatever lay beneath the mine was far more important than a simple archaeological discovery.
Possibly dangerous.
Possibly valuable.
Possibly both.
Nille wasn't the type to speak carelessly.
If he was emphasizing trust, there was a reason.
The half-elf slowly nodded.
"I understand."
And she truly did.
Not everyone needed to know everything.
Not immediately.
Some discoveries required caution.
Others required secrecy.
The truly important ones required both.
Nille gave a small nod of approval.
He knew Rume would explain the details personally.
The old dwarf understood the weight of what they had found.
The countless relics scattered throughout the ancient chamber were not ordinary treasures waiting to be inventoried and sold.
Many predated every modern kingdom.
Some likely predated recorded history itself.
Artifacts that ancient often possessed mysteries of their own.
Enchantments.
Residual wills.
Dormant powers.
Perhaps even dangers.
Careless hands could easily awaken things best left sleeping.
That was why Rume had chosen caution over greed.
And that was why only trusted individuals would be permitted below.
Nhulla turned toward several nearby administrators.
Her voice remained calm.
"You three."
She pointed toward a senior logistics coordinator, a veteran security supervisor, and an elderly records manager who had served the Rune Forge Merchant Group for decades.
"With me."
The selected individuals exchanged surprised looks but quickly complied.
Notably, none of them asked questions.
Nille noticed that.
It reinforced his confidence in Rume's decision.
Nhulla paused before stepping toward the elevator.
"Will you be staying?"
Nille glanced toward Lin Yue.
The young woman was still holding her scroll, though her thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
He smiled faintly.
"No."
Nhulla raised an eyebrow.
"Leaving already?"
"For now."
The half-elf looked as though she wanted to ask more questions.
Instead, she simply nodded.
"Very well."
Then she stepped onto the elevator platform alongside the three trusted staff members.
As the mechanism began lowering them back into the depths, Nille watched until they disappeared from sight.
Beside him, Lin Yue quietly folded her arms.
"You trust them."
Nille nodded.
"I trust them."
That was enough.
The old dwarf understood the difference between wealth and temptation.
More importantly, he understood when a discovery was too important to expose to the world.
Below them, hidden beneath stone, ash, and centuries of forgotten history, an ancient secret continued to sleep.
And for the moment, it would remain that way.