Perhaps because they lived on the seabed for so long, the Merfolk were not adapted to sunlight. They reacted to the piercing light as if they had been stung by needles, each of them covering their eyes with their hands. They let out sharp, jarring cries. Since I hadn't studied their language, I didn't know what they were saying, but I guessed it wasn't a blessing.
After traveling through the seaweed for about ten minutes, we finally reached the ruins: the 'Sanctuary of Tears.'
The entire ruin was different from what I had imagined. it was like a large park, with various sculptures lining the paths. Further ahead were rows of collapsed houses. The sculptures were embedded with glowing gems that illuminated the path ahead of us.
According to Professor Bladiconde, these gems were Luminous Stones gathered by the Ancient Elves, which could emit light at night. She used Earth Magic to pry several Luminous Stones from the sculptures and handed them to us.
We held these gems like torches to light our way forward.
Looking back at the Merfolk clutching their eyes outside, I asked the Professor, 'Why do these Merfolk only patrol around the ruins? Why don't they come inside?'
Professor Bladiconde pointed to the blue light above and said:
"'About five thousand years ago, during the second Human-Demon Great War, the Demon race recruited the Beastmen and the Sea race to attack the Humans. Because they were similar to humans, the Elves joined the Human camp at that time."
"'However, in the final stages of the war, although the Golden Knight Aldebaran defeated the Demon race, one of his attacks also carved out the Lingus Sea."
"'The Elven city was caught in the crossfire. The ocean flooded the entire city. Although the Elves of that time possessed a high level of civilization and powerful magic, creating barriers to resist the encroachment of the seawater..."
"'...the seabed was the Merfolk's home turf. They cut off the city's connection to the outside world. The Elves were forced to evacuate."
"'When they evacuated, there were many things they couldn't take with them, so they created this magic barrier to prevent all Merfolk from entering these ruins."
"'This is also the origin of the name "Sanctuary of Tears." We used to call this place Avalornis.'"
So that was the history. The ancient Elven race was truly incredible; the magic barrier was still functioning normally after more than five thousand years. Every stone here had at least five thousand years of history—it was truly awe-inspiring.
After chatting with Professor Bladiconde, we set off on the road into the city. Although the Merfolk couldn't enter, we still encountered many sea monsters along the way.
Among them, a school of Crystallized Piranhas was particularly difficult to deal with. These fish traveled in swarms, and if their teeth bit someone, it would cause their body to petrify. It required High-Level Detoxification to fix.
I picked up two of the piranhas I had killed, intending to head back and study the principles behind their petrification.
Additionally, we saw Elven Wraiths on the city streets. These wraiths would attack us frantically upon sight. Anyone hit by their attack would be forced to recall their most tragic memories; the wraiths used these memories to restore their energy and increase their strength.
Clark fell for this trick. After being hit, he cried heart-wrenchingly, shouting, 'Mom, no! Don't leave me! I won't make mistakes anymore, just don't leave me! Mom, how can I live without you? Mom!'
This man definitely has a story!
After using Divine Strike Magic to defeat the wraith, Clark finally recovered from that state.
We traveled through the ruins for about two days, during which we encountered various monsters, including an octopus with twelve tentacles and twelve eyes, and a giant crab taller than a two-story building.
It seemed that the monsters on the seabed were even more ferocious than those on land.
When I saw that crab, I was practically drooling. If we roasted such a massive crab, wouldn't the meat be delicious?
Unfortunately, it was impossible to start a fire on the seabed. Fire Magic couldn't be used in this environment either. The most effective magics here were Earth Magic and Water Magic; both could be used without any issues.
Although Water Magic couldn't condense into a visible shape in the water, my tests showed that even if you couldn't see the condensed Water Ball, it would still form and cause damage after being cast normally. You just couldn't see the path of the Water Ball.
After many close calls fighting monsters, we reached our final destination: the Luminous Temple.
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