Depth: 20,000 meters beneath the sea.
A magnificent ancient miracle stood within the darkness of the deep sea. The weathered bronze rust covering its surface silently recounted its former glory, while the overwhelming sense of age felt like the farewell hymn of an ancient civilization.
Recovering from his shock, Druig piloted the Eternal spacecraft closer, only to discover that the entire pyramid was a seamless whole, with not the slightest trace of assembly, as though it had been carved from a single massive block of bronze.
The construction techniques of the pyramid were beyond even the Eternals' technology to analyze, let alone uncover its internal structure. It was simply miraculous.
The bronze used to forge the pyramid seemed naturally capable of severing all forms of energy. No matter what kind of energy it was, the moment it touched the pyramid's surface, it would be broken down into tiny particles.
After searching for a long time without finding any way inside, Druig turned around and asked, "Fury, where's the entrance to the pyramid?"
"At the top. The temple."
Pointing toward the temple atop the pyramid, Fury said stiffly, "Ruins No. 0 possesses an energy field that rejects all mechanical constructs from approaching, so it can only be entered on foot."
Without doubting him, Druig piloted the spacecraft close to the temple at the summit, opened an energy passage, and then left the spacecraft together with Fury.
The temple contained a world of its own.
Just as Fury had said, the energy field isolated the seawater and pressure, forming an independent habitable space.
After entering the temple atop the pyramid, Druig discovered countless ancient inscriptions carved into the surrounding walls. They were identical to the tiny characters on the pyramid's exterior, confirming that they belonged to the same writing system.
"Do you recognize these inscriptions?"
Running his hand over the raised characters carved into the wall, Druig felt the weight of countless ages within them, and couldn't help but become curious about this ancient civilization.
Just what kind of civilization could have constructed such a magnificent pyramid—one whose mysteries even the Eternals were incapable of deciphering?
"I don't."
Fury shook his head and said, "To this day, we've been unable to decipher the inscriptions of Ruins No. 0. I only know how to use it, but I don't know its origins."
"Oh?"
Druig raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "If you don't know its origins, then how do you know how to use it?"
"Because I am... a Keeper of Secrets."
Fury frowned tightly, a trace of struggle appearing on his face. His vacant eyes flickered as the consciousness under control suddenly fluctuated violently.
He's still resisting?!
Startled, Druig immediately strengthened his mental control while shouting, "That's enough. You don't need to tell me why. Forget the question I just asked!"
"Yes..."
Fury gradually calmed down. The signs of struggle disappeared, and his consciousness returned to a peaceful state.
Keeper of Secrets...
Druig gave Fury a deep look. As expected, these ruins were far from simple. They were connected to something else entirely.
Merely mentioning a single title had caused Fury's mind to fluctuate so violently that he had nearly broken free from the control.
"Lead the way."
Shaking his head, Druig cast those distracting thoughts aside. No matter how many secrets there were, they had nothing to do with him. All he needed to do was release the monster inside and keep Haschwalth occupied.
Following the order, Fury walked to the end of the temple and removed the eyepatch from his left eye. "Nick Fury, requesting permission to enter the ruins."
Beep, beep, beep...
The device emitted a faint blue glow. After completing the retinal scan, a stone slab silently sank into the floor, revealing a corridor leading downward.
Following behind Fury, Druig entered the bronze corridor. After walking downward for roughly five or six minutes, they finally reached the exit.
However, what awaited him was something he had never expected—the interior of the pyramid was even more unbelievable.
The gravity inside seemed to have been drastically reversed by some unknown force. The place where they emerged was actually on the ceiling, and looking downward revealed a bottomless abyss.
Countless bronze stairways were suspended in midair by an invisible force, arranged without any discernible pattern, and each staircase led to a different entrance.
Nor was that all.
The paths connected to every staircase continuously changed position over time—up, down, left, right—with absolutely no pattern whatsoever.
This pyramid... was essentially an enormous three-dimensional labyrinth.
"This is the Minos Labyrinth section."
Fury explained, "There are a total of 129,600 different stairways leading to 129,600 different rooms, and the exits change every moment, preventing all external instruments from mapping it. Only an ancient algorithm passed down through generations can guide someone out of this labyrinth."
One hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred rooms...
The moment he heard that outrageous number, the corner of Druig's eye twitched uncontrollably as a storm surged within his heart.
From the outside, there was absolutely no way the pyramid's interior could be this large.
But who could have imagined...
That within such an apparently modest space, there could be over a hundred thousand rooms, complete with a gravity inversion system? Just how terrifying had this ancient civilization been?
"Do you know what's inside those rooms?" Druig asked curiously.
"I don't."
Fury answered decisively, "I once wanted to explore the other areas, but a voice in my head told me those places must never be entered, so I gave up."
"More than a hundred thousand rooms..." Druig looked down at the intricate network of stairways below and muttered, "It seems these ruins are hiding many more secrets."
"Would you like to explore them?" Fury asked expressionlessly.
"No... there's no need."
Druig shook his head and sighed. "The biggest reason I've survived until today is because I never let curiosity get the better of me when it comes to the unknown. I only have one objective... the Reishi Laboratory. Take me there."
"Please follow me."
After silently calculating the direction, Fury stepped onto one of the stairways and reminded him, "The correct path is this way. Be careful not to take the wrong staircase. Once you step onto another one, you'll never be able to return to the previous level."
Druig had been quite relaxed, thinking that with someone leading the way, passing through would be easy. But the moment he heard those words, his nerves immediately tightened.
Half believing and half doubtful, Druig took out a badge and tossed it back toward where they had just been.
Slash!
The instant the badge left his hand, it was severed in midair, as though an invisible blade had sliced straight through its center.
Clink...
Half of the badge landed at his feet, while the other half fell into the abyss below.
Druig's expression changed slightly, and his pupils contracted involuntarily. Carefully picking up half of the badge, he stared at the smooth, perfectly flat cross-section, his heart growing heavier. "A severing phenomenon caused by a spatial boundary... Just what could have destroyed a civilization possessing technology at this level?"
The scattered technologies displayed within Ruins No. 0 alone were enough to make even an Eternal like him feel that they were utterly beyond reach—something that could only be looked up to in awe.
Yet why had no one ever heard of such a powerful civilization?
There wasn't even a single record of its existence within the Eternals' database, as though... someone had deliberately erased it.