Larry stared at the patterns and asked, "Are these sacred characters?"
Larry narrowed his eyes, sensing that the pattern resembled some kind of sacred symbol.
"No, these patterns are actually the characters of the clan that the [Gatekeeper] belongs to," the man explained. "They're not just divine symbols; they're text with special effects."
Curious, Larry shifted the conversation.
"Where did these stones come from?"
The man in the suit, who had been speaking smoothly until now, suddenly paused, seeming hesitant.
"Well, based on the most secret info from V5, these stones were actually obtained from the [Gatekeeper]. They've been around since V5 was founded."
Larry raised an eyebrow but didn't press further, instead falling into thought.
V5 has a long history, with many leaders changing over time.
If it can communicate with the [Gatekeeper] and the stone bears the [Gatekeeper]'s pattern, it makes sense that it was acquired from them.
So, the [Gatekeeper] must have come to the Six Continents long ago.
And since they gave something that allows communication to V5, there must have been some kind of trade between them.
The man in the suit then combined the stones into a single, complete orb and placed it carefully into a semicircular pit built into the table.
That's when Larry realized the pit wasn't just decoration. It was made specifically for this orb.
Once it was in place, the five people around the table put their palms down on it.
The aura within them, their thoughts, started to surge and flow toward their hands.
Though the other four weren't as strong as the man in the military...
Uniform, all of them had A-level strength.
They might not be the most talented, but their high status gave them plenty of ways to boost their power.
Together, they poured streams of pure, colorful aura into the table.
The patterns on the surface lit up, glowing like ravines filled with flowing rivers of light.
All these streams converged at one point, the stone orb sitting in the middle of the table.
The stone ball, already pulsing with aura, suddenly glowed brighter and burst into a dazzling light as it absorbed countless thoughts.
The divine symbols carved into the table didn't just serve to input aura, they could also release it.
When the ball's light reached its peak, a faint beam shot out from the table, projecting directly onto the screen beside it.
"Thanks to the sacred words on this table, we can not only communicate with each other but also see what's happening on the other side," the man in the suit explained, pausing his input and wiping the sweat from his forehead before turning to Larry.
On the once silent screen, lines of garbled code flickered to life, slowly resolving into a clear image.
'I don't know how far this place is from here, but it's at the edge of the Dark Continent, in a remote wilderness near Lake Mobius.'
Standing there is a simple, unadorned gate made from an unknown type of wood that never seems to rot.
The gate is marked with the number "850" and strange symmetrical patterns.
Just looking at it gives you a chilling feeling, as if your soul might be swallowed whole.
On either side of the gate stretches a long, continuous stone wall made from rugged stones, disappearing far into the distance.
Stone walls rise in all four directions, forming a protective ring around the central area, much like an ancient city.
Inside, most of the buildings are single-story bungalows, with only a few multi-story houses scattered about.
However, these homes are generally quite spacious.
Especially those in the center, they may look like simple bungalows, but their size rivals that of modern villas.
This central zone is home to the so-called [Gatekeepers].
Though they belong to the magical beast species, their dwellings resemble human houses because they aren't purely magical beast creatures.
[Gatekeepers] are relatively rare but powerful beings with fully monstrous bodies.
In contrast, the [Leaders], who are more numerous but weaker, are demi-human monsters bearing a humanoid shape.
Their way of living and architectural style were adopted from humans long ago after the [Gatekeepers] ventured to the Six Continents, which explains the ancient, human-like design of their homes.
As a magical beast clan, they share similarities with the Chimera Ants from the Dark Continent.
They are intelligent beings.
They discovered humans on the Six Continents long ago and quickly saw business opportunities.
They don't have to pay any cost but gain plenty of benefits simply by guiding humans.
Even the resources humans harvest from the Dark Continent must be shared with them, making the arrangement highly advantageous.
One particular house in the residential area stands out, it has strange patterns carved into its roof, unlike any other nearby.
This is the place where the [Gatekeeper] usually communicates with humans.
In fact, calling them [Gatekeepers] might not be accurate, as direct communication between humans and [Gatekeepers] is extremely rare.
Usually, the [Leader], who is like the younger sibling of the [Gatekeeper], handles contact with humans and then reports back.
Suddenly, the calm roof began to flash with light, and a shadowy pattern appeared faintly in mid-air.
Ripples of aura spread outward, palpable to those nearby.
Moments later, three figures materialized inside the house.
One arrived almost instantly, seeming to appear the moment the roof stirred.
The other two followed slightly slower but still moved at speeds unimaginable to ordinary people.
"Didn't we just get in touch?" one of them asked.
"It hasn't even been a few months since our last contact, right?"
"Usually, we go years without hearing from each other."
"Well, let's try reaching out this time."
"Last time, we just let the chimera ants go, but maybe now it's humans coming over again."
"Could be another chance to make some profit."
Inside the previously dark house, aside from three figures of different shapes, there's also a round stone in the center that's constantly glowing, just like the cobblestone on Larry's side.
The difference is, their tables don't have those sacred characters or screen projections; they're simply for communication.
The interactions between the two sides are pretty straightforward.
Humans usually reach out here when they need something.
The Gatekeeper rarely takes the initiative to contact humans.
As a powerful wave of thought aura arrived, the pebble's light gradually shifted from white to green.
At the same time, the cobblestone on Larry's side also glowed green, signaling an active call.
This call has a time limit, the light will fade little by little until it disappears completely.
Larry glanced at the faint green glow of the stone ball, then focused on the blurry image on the screen.