Elsewhere, Kalyse and Gisule had arrived at the location believed to house the ruins, yet all that lay before them was nothing more than forests and mountains.
"There's nothing here at all…" Gisule hesitated.
"You're jumping to conclusions too quickly." Kalyse replied lightly before closing her eyes to sense her surroundings.
If the information was accurate, then the entrance to the ruins must have been concealed by something. Right now, she was searching for any fluctuations of mana in the area.
Kalyse opened her eyes.
In that instant, her expression stiffened, as if she had not expected things to turn out this way.
"Just like his style." She muttered.
"Have you discovered something?" Gisule asked.
"The entire area beneath us is a living being." Kalyse stepped on the ground and pressed her foot down lightly.
Gisule felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively froze in place.
"Don't be afraid. Even if a battle that shook the heavens were to break out above, it wouldn't disturb it in the slightest." Kalyse continued, her tone calm, as if stating an obvious fact.
"Then… what exactly is this creature?"
"How would I know?" Kalyse replied. "All I can tell is that it has existed for a very long time—so long that its physical body has been completely covered by earth, stone, roots, and ley lines, dissolving entirely into nature itself."
"Then… does that mean it's dead?" Gisule asked again.
Kalyse tilted her head slightly and closed her eyes once more.
"Its heart isn't beating. Its breathing is nearly nonexistent. But—" She opened her eyes, the corners of her lips lifting faintly. "It isn't dead."
Gisule reflexively took a step back. "Then… could it be that this ruin is—"
"Yes. There's a very high chance that the ruins are actually inside its body. Jou Yincic probably discovered this creature by chance and chose it as the place to store his artifact."
"Then to enter the ruins, would we need to awaken it? But if we anger it, how could we possibly stop something like that?"
Kalyse turned to look at Gisule. "Didn't your people investigate this ruin beforehand?"
Gisule hesitated before answering, "An investigation was conducted, but it yielded no results. Only after our contacts reported that the Empire had found a lead was this plan put into motion."
"Oh? So you even have an informant on the inside?" Kalyse sneered.
Gisule realized she had misspoken and fell silent, turning her gaze away.
Kalyse paid it no mind and continued probing for a way to open the entrance to the ruins. After some time, she frowned deeply.
"This is more troublesome than I expected."
"This thing no longer possesses a fixed physical body—only its will remains. That means the only way to affect it is through that will."
"No longer has a body… what does that mean?" Gisule asked blankly.
"As I said before, its body has completely merged with this land. It can alter its form at will. In other words, it can exist anywhere in this world, as long as there is solid ground."
The conclusion was so staggering that Gisule struggled to remain calm after hearing it.
"Then wouldn't that be no different from—" She stammered.
"From a god?" Kalyse answered for her, then immediately rejected the idea. "Don't be naive."
"I don't know what you've heard about 'gods,' but a true god could never appear in this world. Not even the very first progenitor was a god…"
Her eyes darkened as she spoke.
Sensing the weight and depth behind those words, Gisule did not dare to ask further. She vaguely understood that whatever lay beyond was not knowledge meant for someone like her.
"Then what do you plan to do to awaken it?" she changed the subject.
"We can't fully awaken it, and we shouldn't. We only need it to open an entrance—just enough for us to slip inside. As for how…"
Kalyse suddenly looked at Gisule.
"It'll require quite a lot. We'll see whether your people are willing to pay the price."
Gisule swallowed hard.
"Just tell me. I'll do my best."
"Good."
Kalyse took out a sheet of paper, wrote down what she needed, and tossed it to Gisule. One glance was enough to make her eyes widen—the scale and rarity of the listed items were beyond imagination.
"Do we really need this much?" Gisule asked.
"Believe it or don't. That's up to you." Kalyse replied calmly.
Gisule remained silent for a long while.
"Before I can report back, I need you to explain the method clearly."
"It's simple," Kalyse said. "Give it food enticing enough, and it will open its mouth on its own. That will be our chance to enter."
"Food…?" Gisule echoed, dazed.
"Food," Kalyse nodded indifferently. "That's the only method I can think of. If you don't like it, you're free to come up with another."
"That's not what I meant…" Gisule hesitated slightly.
"Hmph, just say what you want to say!" Kalyse said impatiently.
"I wanted to ask if you won't be in any danger doing this?"
Kalyse paused, not expecting this to be Gisule's concern. She chuckled and shrugged, appearing completely unconcerned.
"I'm far from dying, don't worry about unnecessary things."
"I… please give me some time." Gisule said before leaving to report back.
Kalyse did not stop her and instead began drawing a magic array.
In truth, her real plan was to strike directly at its consciousness. If she could create a sufficiently powerful stimulus, it would inevitably respond. However, doing so required an array of the highest level—and an enormous amount of mana to operate it. The items she demanded from Gisule were merely to supply that mana.
"It's been a long time since I've carved an array like this," she thought. "Even though my mastery is still high, an array of this scale will take quite some time."
An inexplicable excitement welled up within her.
When Gisule left, the sun was still high in the sky. By the time she returned, night had already fallen. Kalyse sensed her approach immediately.
"They sure took their time discussing it. Let's hope the outcome isn't something that disappoints me." She said.
"The organization has provided everything you requested." Gisule replied. "But they have one condition."
"Speak!" Kalyse said, continuing to carve the array without surprise.
"They want everything you know about that 'god' you mentioned."
"Is that all?" Kalyse asked.
"You don't seem surprised." Gisule said suspiciously.
"Of course not. I said those things on purpose so you'd report them back. I knew they'd be interested. Consider it a fair exchange—this way, neither side owes the other."
Her blunt admission made Gisule's body tremble slightly at the realization she had been manipulated.
"Don't look so shocked." Kalyse said. "You'll learn sooner or later—benefits are always exchanged for benefits. Nothing comes for free."
Gisule said nothing and handed over a ring. "Everything you need is inside."
Kalyse accepted it and handed back a scroll. "And what your masters want is in here."
After the exchange, silence fell. Kalyse continued setting up the array while Gisule stood nearby, watching. Her emotions were tangled in ways she couldn't clearly describe.
When she looked up again, she caught sight of Kalyse's focused expression—serious, even excited. The sheer size and complexity of the array left Gisule astonished.
Yet from beginning to end, Kalyse never once showed frustration, even when she occasionally carved a symbol incorrectly.
At that moment, Gisule realized something.
That look in her eyes— It was one she herself hadn't possessed in a very long time.
"Just how much farther… can I still walk down this path of mine…?"