Chapter 87 | Transmigrated Into a Poor Girl, Armed Myself With Heavy Armor

Inside the temporary camp in the ruins.

Mercenaries sat in small groups of twos and threes. Some kept their heads down, clearing sand from their boots, while others dumped the contents of their backpacks onto the ground to sort through them.

The workers squatted at the base of the walls, their shovels resting beside them. A few spoke in low, weary voices, exuding an air of exhaustion.

In the open space at the center of the camp lay a pile of scattered items.

There were carved stone slabs, dusty gray pots, and metal fragments of unrecognizable purpose.

Rosie walked over and glanced at them.

The pots were empty, with a layer of black ash settled at the bottom.

The patterns on the stone slabs were eroded beyond recognition, leaving only grooves of varying depths.

A metal pipe, its surface stained with dark green grime, felt heavy when she picked it up to weigh it, but it was definitely not gold or silver.

After a quick look around, she withdrew her gaze.

It didn't feel like a single thing here was worth any money.

Yet, the expressions on the faces of those around her were filled with anticipation.

Even though they had only gathered a pile of “junk,” it was still “stuff brought back.” As for what use it had or whether it was valuable, that was a matter for later.

A mercenary captain walked to the center of the camp, stopped before the Baron, and saluted.

“Respected Lord, we didn't find anything of value inside those ruined buildings. As for the intact buildings, they are all locked, and we can't get inside.”

He kept his head slightly lowered as he spoke, his voice carrying the frankness of someone reporting the simple facts.

After all, the Baron was the lord of the fief and the highest-ranking person in the expedition. By rule, any finds had to be handed over first for subsequent distribution.

Since he hadn't hidden anything for himself, he had no reason to feel guilty.

The Baron did not show any disappointment or anger upon hearing this.

He pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

“It doesn't matter. Starting tomorrow, any gold, silver, or jewelry found will belong to whoever finds it. All other ancient relics must be handed over for subsequent distribution.”

The camp fell silent for a brief second.

Then, with a sudden buzz, the crowd erupted.

The mercenaries' eyes lit up instantly. Some grinned and slapped their companions on the shoulder, their voices blending into a chaotic din.

Even the workers who had been squatting on the ground began whispering among themselves, eager anticipation written all over their faces.

Everyone was already beginning to plot new routes.

Rosie leaned against the wall, watching those eager faces with a cold gaze.

These people were celebrating far too early.

This area was a testing ground for Never-Ending War Co., Ltd.

In a place used to test biological weapons, how could anyone have been walking around with wallets and jewelry?

Even she didn't know what kind of things they would ultimately find here.

What awaited them in the ruins was highly unlikely to be gold or silver treasures, but rather more bizarre creatures.

Of course, Rosie didn't say this out loud.

Greed was a powerful motivator.

The more information these greedy people uncovered, the more likely she was to find more useful rewards.

The Baron waited for the cheers to gradually subside before speaking again.

“There is one more thing I must tell everyone. During our exploration, keep an eye out for water and food sources. We will be staying here for a while, and the supplies we brought won't last long on their own.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Some rubbed their chins in thought, while others began discussing in hushed tones where they might find signs of water nearby.

Once the crowd dispersed, the dwarf nudged his way to the Baron's side. “Baron, actually, those eight-legged monsters are edible.”

The Baron froze for a moment and looked at him.

Rosie also looked at him. “You've eaten them?”

The dwarf nodded. “When the battle ended, I couldn't help but take a little bite. They taste a bit like crab, not bad at all.”

“Raw?” Rosie hadn't seen the dwarf build a fire.

“Raw, of course. The meat is very tender, and it even has a naturally slightly salty taste.”

Rosie gave him a thumbs-up. “You are truly brave. I'm impressed.”

“Hehehe.”

The dwarf scratched his head. Though only a few tufts of his beard remained, his spirits were as high as ever.

“By the way, those glowing mushrooms are also edible, though they're a bit bitter and hard to chew. Once dried, they should make decent rations.”

Rosie saw the dwarf in a whole new light, thinking he could easily share a table with a certain halfling who drank caterpillar fluids.

She was the exact opposite of the dwarf.

Let alone eating mysterious raw food, she wouldn't even drink water unless it had been boiled.

Who knew what invisible things were lurking in the water?

What if it looked like water, but was actually some unknown creature's “fluid”? Wouldn't that be disastrous?

“Thank you for the information,” the Baron said gratefully. “In that case, we can gather the mushrooms and hunt those monsters for food.”

“Don't mention it. It's the least I could do.”

The dwarf waved his hand, but the smugness in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Rosie also spoke up. “Those sandworms are quite large, so they must have a stable food source. We could try looking for that.”

The Baron glanced at her and nodded. “I understand.”

The camp rested for a few hours.

Afterward, the Baron left a small number of men to guard the camp.

The rest of the personnel were divided into several squads, using the temporary camp as a starting point to explore in different directions.

Rosie's squad consisted of four people in total.

Herself, the dwarf, Knight John, and Anna.

Anna had originally said she wouldn't join the adventure squad, but just before departure, she suddenly changed her mind and voluntarily joined.

Rosie didn't ask any questions. She merely glanced at her and nodded in agreement.

Anna personally chose the direction for the squad to head in.

She said that based on the terrain and the layout of the buildings, that direction was very likely the core area of the entire ruins.

Since Rosie could read the ancient language, she could help decipher things along the way.

And so, the four of them set off.

The Baron stood at the entrance of the camp, watching them leave as a flicker of complex emotion crossed his eyes.

...

The depths of the ruins were even more desolate than the outskirts.

Collapsed grayish-white buildings were half-buried in the sand, their broken walls crisscrossing. Some roofs had completely caved in, leaving only a few solitary pillar bases standing on the ground.

Time flowed very slowly here, and the entire area felt as if it had been frozen for ages, making even the sound of their footsteps seem somewhat intrusive.

Rosie's eyes swept over a relatively intact building by the side of the path.

“Why don't we check those intact buildings first?” she asked.

“If I'm not mistaken, entering their interiors would also require authorization.”

Anna didn't stop walking.

“So obtaining whatever can unlock that authorization is the key first.”

Rosie nodded and fell silent.

After walking a bit further, Knight John ahead of them suddenly stopped, pressing his right hand backward.

All four stopped at once.

No one spoke, and no one moved.

Rosie's gaze drifted over John's shoulder toward a patch of shadow cast by the buildings to the left.

A dark shadow darted past the edge of the darkness.

“What was that? A rat?” the dwarf asked in surprise.

“There's no way that was a rat. It was almost the size of a dog.”

Rosie hadn't seen it clearly, only catching a fleeting glimpse of its silhouette.

“We dwarves have darkvision, you know. You should trust my eyes,” the dwarf said.

“Whatever it is, be careful,” the female mage said.

The group stood in place, waiting for a moment.

There was no sound around them, nor any other movement.

The thing in the shadow seemed to have left.

“Clear,” John said in a low voice.

The four of them moved forward again.

This time, they stepped even more lightly.

John walked at the front, shield in one hand and sword in the other, his gaze shifting between the shadows on both sides of the path.

The dwarf followed closely behind, his axe held horizontally in front of him.

Anna walked in the middle, her wand gripped in her hand.

Rosie brought up the rear, one hand resting on the hilt of her meteoric iron sword, occasionally looking back at the path they had come from.

The deeper they went, the fewer crystals there were overhead, and the light grew increasingly dim.

Just as it grew so dark that Rosie could no longer make out the shapes more than a few meters ahead, Anna raised her wand.

With a low murmur, a soft light bloomed at the tip of her wand.

The pale white light, like a miniature moon, illuminated an area of about ten meters around them.

Rosie stared at the glowing wand, her gaze lingering on its tip for a moment before she finally couldn't help but ask:

“Lady Anna, how does one learn magic?”

Anna spoke as she walked. “Talent is the most important thing. Without magical talent, you cannot gather mana, and you won't be able to manifest the magic elements from the Elemental Space into magical effects.”

“Elemental Space? Magic elements? Manifest?”

Rosie, a fake overachiever but actual ignoramus, was completely lost in the jargon.

“The Elemental Space is the domain of the God of Wisdom, containing all kinds of magic elements. For a mage to cast a spell, it is the result of projecting these magic elements into reality.”

Anna explained slowly, as if delivering a first lesson to a freshman.

“If your own mana is insufficient and you force a spell, it can cause the magic elements to run wild, leading to catastrophic consequences. Such incidents are not uncommon in history.”

“And the process of manifesting magic not only requires the support of mana, but also the corresponding accumulation of knowledge. Simply put, whatever you wish to manifest, you must first understand its principles and structure.”

Anna spoke earnestly, as if she truly wanted Rosie to understand.

But Rosie was much more direct. “Lady Anna, how long did you study?”

“Thirty years or so. I first came into contact with magical knowledge at the age of five, and successfully cast my first basic spell, 'Light,' at fifteen. I was one of the youngest geniuses of my class.”