Chapter 19: The Pursuit of Immortality

Chapter 19: The Pursuit of Immortality

Passing through the tunnel, Ron and his companions entered a chamber resembling a study room. The walls were lined with bookshelves, but not a single book remained; Ron had already copied all the knowledge they contained.

In the center, a black box sat on a large table. Behind the table stood a chair, and an intriguing oil painting adorned the wall. The painting displayed a mysterious emblem—countless arcane runes formed a serpent coiling into a circular shape.

"I've gained many benefits here, particularly the books and potion formulas. I was concerned about protecting the herbs, but once the A.I. Chip organizes this data, I can set up access restrictions, denying entry to even official magi. All that remains is the inheritance of the great Magus Serholm," Ron pondered.

The black box on the table had peculiar patterns resembling tiny snakes. Ron reached out to open it.

Pa!

The lid revealed a thick, black book. The rest of the box was filled with red silk, exuding an extravagant air. Ron picked up the book.

Ka-Cha!

A mechanical sound echoed throughout the room. Ron inspected the interior of the box.

At the bottom, under the black book, cursive Byron language script was etched. "Inheritor! When you take away this 'Book of Giant Serpent,' the entire secret plane will self-destruct within three hourglasses' time."

Ron scoffed, "It was kind of you to inform me."

He opened the Book of Giant Serpent.

"A.I. Chip, record the information!"

The book was thick, filled with tiny text and written in code. For most people, even finishing the preface within three hourglasses would be impossible. However, Ron was different. He flipped through the book, his eyes glowing with a blue light, and the A.I. Chip meticulously recorded the data.

In less than half an hourglass, Ron had covered the entire book.

[Information sorting in progress... Deleting irrelevant information, retaining the true content from the Book of Giant Serpent! 667 pages of travel notes, 78 experiment notes, 12 rank 1 spell models, 3 rank 2 spell models!]

The A.I. Chip swiftly sent the information to Ron's mind.

"Now, it's time for the high-grade meditation technique," Ron said calmly, fixing his gaze on a peculiar oil painting.

At this moment, he retrieved a plain yellow bronze ring from his robes, acquired from Roman's remains. The ring appeared quite ordinary, with scratches and rust, and the letter 'K' inscribed on its surface.

Ron stroked the ring and noticed it radiating heat as he approached the oil painting.

Ka-Cha! Ka-Cha!

The bottom part of the painting crumbled, revealing an empty space with the same 'K' symbol as the ring. Ron inserted the ring into the gap.

Bang!

Both sides sealed tightly, and an odd energy wave emanated from it.

Sssii!

The black snake in the painting came to life, its eyes glowing scarlet. It spun in circles within the painting, increasing its speed until it transformed into a black hole.

Within the hole was a small cabinet with a cage made of crimson lightning.

Bang!

An ancient voice resounded in Ron's mind. "The test begins. Create this spell formation within 30 seconds!"

A yellow, illusory figure formed by the spell appeared before Ron.

"A.I. Chip, decrypt at full operational capacity!"

With Ron's command, his eyes flashed with a bright blue light, reflecting the A.I. Chip's incredible computational abilities.

[Mission established, analysis initiated...]

The A.I. Chip efficiently began its duty, projecting the complete spell formation into Ron's mind.

"Construction complete. Next test: create this spell formation within 30 seconds."

This time, it was a blue formation. Ron rolled his eyes and continued to rely on the A.I. Chip for analysis.

Next, the third spell formation was black. The required analysis exceeded Ron's expectations, but just before the 30-second timer expired, he managed to complete the formation.

However, at that moment, the yellow, blue, and black formations in his mind abruptly merged into a scarlet formation covered in intricate runes.

Ka-Cha!

After the three formations merged, they transformed into a scarlet formation brimming with mysterious symbols.

Sssii!

The scarlet lightning behind the oil painting was drawn to Ron and entered his body.

"My inheritor, you must possess courage, wisdom, astuteness, and knowledge to break the shackles of the bloodline."

The ancient voice echoed once more in Ron's mind.

Meanwhile, the A.I. Chip indicated, [A spiritual force data has been received. Accept or decline transmission?]

"Accept!"

Ron felt his mind flooded with an immense amount of information, similar to when he received his meditation technique upon entering the academy. An avalanche of knowledge was continuously sorted by the A.I. Chip.

"The book contains a copy of a high-grade meditation technique meant for warlocks bearing the bloodline of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent..."

[Warning! Warning! Time remaining for the place to collapse: 5 Minutes 56 Seconds! It has reached the host's preset limit!]

"Run!" Ron immediately sprinted and commanded his knights to follow.

As he exited the study room, he found himself back in the barren Dylan Gardens, satisfied that none of the precious herbs had been destroyed.

After dashing through the metal passage, they returned to the cave where they had faced the Black Horrall Snake.

"Starier Guderian!" Ron had all the knights touch his shoulder, using the password recorded in the Book of Giant Serpent to exit the secret plane.

With the chant, Ron and his men were enveloped in red lightning and vanished from the cave.