Codos and his group could only rely on visual estimation to predict the arrival time of the floating city, which was far less precise compared to Ye Bai, who held the key.
During the past two days of maneuvering, there were several instances where Ye Bai came dangerously close to Codos's army. However, with the paper figurine's superior detection range, she always managed to evade them at the last moment.
When it came to the critical moment of the city's final descent, Ye Bai relied on the countdown from the item description, activating the teleportation array precisely at the 01-second mark. In the final instant, she dragged the city into a sudden 'drift.'
As a result, even if the opposing forces teleported at their fastest speed, they would still need time to locate the city's new position, inevitably falling a step behind Ye Bai.
While Codos and his troops were reorganizing and using various methods to pinpoint the city's location, Ye Bai, having just stepped out of the teleportation array, immediately headed toward the city.
The city's descent didn’t cause any collision with the ground. Instead, it seamlessly merged with the terrain at a slight angle, as if it had always stood there.
"Tap, tap…"
Autofis's footsteps echoed on the bluish-gray stone slabs as Ye Bai stepped into the mysterious city, shrouded in a thin mist.
Before she could even take a proper look around, a system notification popped up:
[You have discovered the hidden location 'Lost Royal City.' You have gained 1,000 historical experience points and 50,000,000 experience points.]
Ye Bai took a deep breath at the sight of the 50 million experience points. As expected of a main quest—this was the highest historical discovery reward she had ever received.
Now, after another month had passed, thanks to the effects of [Poseidon’s Keeper], her experience pool had nearly reached Level 80. This massive influx of experience filled the remaining gap, though she held off on leveling up to take advantage of the invincibility frames and HP/MP recovery effects that came with each upgrade.
"Lost Royal City…"
As she walked, her eyes swept across the surroundings, taking in every detail.
Contrary to her expectations, the interior of this grand and majestic city was nothing like its exterior.
Before her eyes lay a scene resembling a disarrayed Rubik's Cube—magnificent yet intricate structures, fragmented yet neatly arranged, as if something had cleanly sliced through them before stacking the remnants haphazardly.
She saw structures engraved with inscriptions in Voidtongue, Elvish, Draconic, and even Infernal—remnants of advanced arcane technology. Half of a fountain merged seamlessly with the other half of a teleportation array. A magic tower’s foundation supported a spiral windmill, while a greenhouse stood fused with a smelting furnace.
The chaotic merging wasn’t limited to buildings—roads and bridges twisted unnaturally, some even leading onto rooftops and walls. Time had eroded them all, and the lingering mist further obscured any sense of direction, making it impossible to distinguish up from down or left from right.
Yet, even in this jumbled state, glimpses of these structures’ former glory could still be seen, living up to the title of 'Royal City.'
Now, however, this once-glorious city had become a labyrinth of staggering complexity.
Ye Bai dismounted from Autofis and approached a section of the ruins, pulling out her secondary profession tool, the [Archaeologist’s Magnifying Glass].
[Moonstone]
[Sunstone]
[Arcane Crystal]
[Silent Rock]
...
Frowning, she withdrew the magnifying glass after receiving only material information. Even at the pinnacle of her historian profession, she couldn’t extract any historical clues from these ruins.
Back in the far more dilapidated ruins of the Sky City, when she was a lower-level historian, she had uncovered a wealth of historical information—even mastering Draconic in the process.
Then it struck her—this place was called the 'Lost Royal City,' and the Elven Queen had mentioned the 'Great Annihilation.' What if there simply were no historical records left?
The Great Annihilation erased memories of people and events. Logically, history itself was built upon recorded memories. If something had undergone the Great Annihilation, all traces of its history might have vanished as well.
At this thought, a spark of realization flashed in Ye Bai’s mind. She recalled an item in her inventory—the fishing set, which had god-tier effects but no historical clues whatsoever.
Could it be that the fishing set once belonged to the Divine King, who had also suffered the Great Annihilation?
This revelation invigorated her, bringing a sudden clarity to her thoughts. At the same time, the paper figurine’s voice chimed in:
"Lady Bai Ye, I’ve sensed the location of the key."
"Good. Let’s go." Ye Bai snapped back to reality, casting one last regretful glance at the ruins before mounting Autofis and setting off.
This was once the Divine King’s royal city—every fragment of these ruins was made of rare or even legendary-grade materials. If only she had more inventory space, or if she weren’t pressed for time, she would have stayed to excavate them all for upgrading her territory’s structures.
...
Meanwhile, after arriving too late once again, Codos and his group had no choice but to rejoin the main force. The team’s occultist expended considerable effort before finally locking onto the city’s landing point.
"Ancestor…"
Codos approached the wooden crate but was cut off by a hoarse voice from within:
"I know… I still need to recover my strength."
Codos immediately bowed his head. "...Understood!"
After a moment, the teleportation array beneath their feet flickered to life. Having experienced this multiple times over the past two days, the group stood still, waiting—only to watch as the glow dimmed intermittently, as if struggling for power.
After two tense fluctuations, the light finally stabilized, and the spatial distortion enveloped them, teleporting the entire group.
This time, the floating city they had been chasing for so long finally appeared before them.
"Move. No delays."
"Yes."
Codos acknowledged the order and led the troops into the city.
Only when stepping onto the actual ground—not the flat terrain they had been traversing—did Codos finally exhale in relief. But as he took in the sight of the chaotic, overlapping ruins around him, he, like the others, drew a sharp breath.
Steeling himself, Codos recalled his ancestor’s earlier instructions and addressed the group:
"Do not act recklessly. This is a massive labyrinth. Everyone follows my lead."
...
"Something’s wrong. I’ve been here before."
Seeing the half of the massive Moonstone sculpture not far away, Ye Bai halted in her tracks. She had been utterly captivated by it the first time she saw it, so she recognized it immediately upon spotting it again.
Hearing this, the paper figure responded in surprise, "According to my senses, the distance to the key has been steadily decreasing at a slow pace, with no sudden increase."
"Ah-uh!" Autofis chimed in, as if echoing the paper figure's words.
"No increase in distance?" Ye Bai frowned, turning her gaze back to the sculpture. The same half of the cyan roof was still attached to it—she was certain she hadn’t mistaken it.
When she first entered this place, she had already confirmed that it had transformed into a labyrinth.
But she hadn’t expected to get lost even with the paper figure’s guidance. Judging by this situation, the labyrinth’s mechanism likely didn’t manipulate spatial distance.
"Let’s keep moving forward and see."
After a moment’s thought, Ye Bai resumed her journey.
All along the way were various fragmented structures that felt eerily familiar. The central area the paper figure was guiding her toward was obscured by mist and buildings. Even flying up into the sky didn’t provide a clear view—only glimpses of the distant outer wall she had seen upon entering, flickering in and out of sight among the jumbled architecture.
After some time, Ye Bai stopped again.
Ahead of her stood the same familiar sculpture.
"So the spatial distance still hasn’t changed?"
The paper figure on the leaf of life shook its head. "No."
"If it’s not a spatial labyrinth, then we should consider other types..." Ye Bai pondered, then suddenly had an idea. "Could it be a Knowledge Labyrinth?"
"A Knowledge Labyrinth... one that creates obstacles through knowledge?" the paper figure speculated, though its vast 'reading' didn’t seem to include any records of such a thing.
"A Knowledge Labyrinth is formed by altering perception—it doesn’t distort space but instead manipulates the consciousness of those inside. It’s a legendary spell of the Voidspirit race," Ye Bai explained, though her tone carried a hint of uncertainty.
She had arrived at this conclusion through process of elimination. So far, during this main quest, Ye Bai had encountered four of the divine realm’s top-tier races: the Ancient Dragons, the Deep Sea Clan, the Infernal Beasts, and the High Elves.
As the champion of the Divine War, the God-King naturally held influence and connections within each of these elite factions.
Among the remaining races tied to the quest, she had yet to interact with humans and the Voidspirits. The pursuers infused with radiant energy likely hailed from the human kingdoms, while the Voidspirits—masters of knowledge and concealment—had left no trace beyond the remnants of their teleportation runes.
Faced with this labyrinth that defied spatial logic, Ye Bai recalled the lore surrounding the Voidspirits: experts in control magic, seekers of knowledge, and creators of the infamous legendary spell—the [Knowledge Labyrinth].
Still, the sheer scale of a Knowledge Labyrinth enveloping an entire royal city had initially eluded her, much like how she hadn’t immediately grasped that the Elven Queen could hide the entire Emerald Forest within a dream.
"Manipulating consciousness... That might actually be possible. Even in my current state, I could still be affected by such a spell." The paper figure paused, then added admiringly, "Lady White Night, your knowledge is truly vast. I’ve never come across any records of this in books."
No records in books? Ye Bai’s expression shifted at this remark. This was basic racial lore she knew well. If the paper figure had never encountered such information, it likely wasn’t due to a lack of exposure—but rather because details about the Voidspirits had been deliberately erased.
The Elven Queen had previously mentioned that the Voidspirits’ anomalies had triggered the civil war between the two great human kingdoms. Even now, Ye Bai knew very little about them.
But for the moment, the priority was escaping the labyrinth. Steeling herself, Ye Bai turned—
"If we really are inside a Knowledge Labyrinth, then the first step is to find where it 'poses its question.'"
With that, her gaze settled on the outer city wall, the one constant amidst the ever-shifting architecture.
