"Starting from ’Culori Chronicles: Volume Seven’, Culori mentions most frequently, apart from Belos, the Nightmare Light."
"In New Calendar 5403, Culori obtained the Nightmare Light. According to the records, Belos acquired it during an Orderly Guild mission from a peculiar world." Rhein flipped to the place where ’Culori Chronicles: Volume Seven’ initially documented the Nightmare Light, and presented it.
"Regarding this peculiar world, Culori did not record its name, merely stating that it was very dangerous; however, later texts mentioned some characteristics of the peculiar world—reflecting reality and illuminating illusions."
Angel paused for a moment, lifted his head, just in time to meet Rhein’s gaze.
Rhein gently nodded to him, "If there are no accidents, it should be the Nightmare Realm."
Tree Spirit hesitated, "This might also explain some doubts about the Star Pond Ruins. Those creatures from the Nightmare Realm pursue the Nightmare Light because the Nightmare Light originally comes from the Nightmare Realm."
Rhein also nodded, "Moreover, judging by various signs, the Nightmare Light should be extremely important to the creatures of the Nightmare Realm."
Tree Spirit: "It seems we were just unlucky that the ruins containing the Nightmare Light drifted to somewhere near the Barbarian Cave."
Rhein shook his head, "Even if the ruins drifted elsewhere, the Eternal Night Country is right next to the Pamiji Plateau. We will inevitably face direct contact with the Nightmare Realm creatures."
After a pause, Rhein continued, "Let’s set aside these for now and return to Culori’s chronicles. In his record, the Orderly Guild lost several legendary hunters in the Nightmare Realm, but Belos had good luck. Not only did he return smoothly, but he also brought back the Nightmare Light."
"As soon as Culori touched the Nightmare Light, he became intensely interested in this red light, which almost never self-depletes and possesses optical properties, and thus he set aside all other matters to focus entirely on researching the Nightmare Light."
Tree Spirit murmured in a low voice, "Culori is, after all, a mysterious alchemist, surely he has high standards. But his emphasis on the Nightmare Light suggests that it not only brings terrifying nightmares and usefulness to Nightmare Realm creatures, it might also have other, more significant values."
Rhein and Angel both expressed agreement with Tree Spirit’s conjecture, although they also recognized their limitations; the Nightmare Light may be valuable, but it’s not something they can currently comprehend or research. Considering Culori as a mysterious alchemist wasn’t able to fully understand it, they certainly cannot at this moment.
Tree Spirit: "Speaking of which, how did Belos manage to bring back the Nightmare Light? The Nightmare Light contaminates energy, so using spells definitely wouldn’t work. It must require a special containment vessel, right?"
Rhein understood Tree Spirit’s meaning that if there was a containment vessel, it could harness the Nightmare Light, possibly affecting the Star Pond Ruins.
However, the situation wasn’t as simple as Tree Spirit thought.
"Indeed, when Belos brought it back, there was a container. According to the book’s records, it was a bottle that emitted a faint glow."
Tree Spirit’s eyes lit up, "Where is that bottle now?"
Rhein shrugged, "It’s gone."
"How did it disappear? Did it shatter?"
Rhein shook his head, "Culori didn’t know how the bottle disappeared either. In the chronicles, he mentioned that not long after the bottle was brought back, it vanished on its own, like a mist, disappearing without a trace."
"And precisely because the bottle containing the Nightmare Light disappeared, the Nightmare Light dissipated, instantly filling the entire ruins... No, we call it ruins now, but at that time, it should have been just Culori’s research laboratory."
At this point in Rhein’s explanation, Tree Spirit and Angel both showed expressions of surprise.
"The Nightmare Light fills the ruins?" Tree Spirit intonated incredulously, "Your meaning is... the Star Pond Ruins..."
Rhein nodded deeply, "Although not documented, given subtle elaborations, it can be essentially confirmed that the place Culori was conducting his research at the time was the Star Pond Ruins."
Angel: "Then what about the ruins I’m currently residing in?"
Rhein: "There’s mention in ’Culori Chronicles: Volume Eight’, during the Resurrection Moon of New Calendar 5404, Culori enlisted a mysterious Magic Rune Mage to use a special method and construct a new Alchemy Laboratory near the laboratory brimming with the Nightmare Light; this newly constructed Alchemy Laboratory is the ruins Angel resides in now, forming a twin arrangement with the Star Pond Ruins."
"That’s why, later on, these ruins drifted simultaneously to the Pamiji Plateau, staying so close together. It’s because they form a twin state, as though crafting an invisible bridge between them, making advances and retreats as one."
Angel: "So you’re saying the Nightmare Light in this room is also transferred from the Star Pond Ruins?"
"Yes." Rhein picked up ’Culori Chronicles: Volume Ten’, pointing to a page during Frostfall Month of New Calendar 5480, "Here it’s written, although Culori could barely handle the magical creatures and anomalies within the Nightmare Light, given his power, it would be easy for him to destroy the Star Pond Ruins, so he didn’t dare enter the Star Pond Ruins."
"He researched for eighty years without uncovering a method to avoid such incidents. Later, he expended significant resources to acquire a special mysterious object from the Orderly Guild, which barely allowed him to avoid being corroded by the Nightmare Light and enter the Star Pond Ruins sealed for eighty years."
"Naturally, after entering the Star Pond Ruins, Culori planned to reignite his research on the Nightmare Light."
"But that mysterious object could only protect a certain range," Rhein looked up at Angel’s constructed Domain Field, "about the same size as this Domain Field."
Rhein’s tone was somewhat nuanced when speaking about the Domain Field. Considering Culori as a mysterious alchemist, couldn’t devise a response in eighty years, while Angel managed to discover a method to counter the Nightmare Light in less than one day, Rhein was naturally puzzled, yet even with lingering questions, he refrained from asking.
"Because the range was so limited, it could at most protect him alone; his two followers couldn’t enter the Star Pond Ruins. To make up for this, Culori sought out the mysterious Magic Rune Mage who originally constructed the twin forces, inviting him to engrave a spatial transmission array pattern within the Star Pond Ruins."
"That spatial transmission array was connected to this room, channeling the Nightmare Light through."
Tree Spirit and Angel simultaneously glanced toward where the red glow was dense, according to Rhein’s account, was there really such a transmission array lying somewhere within the depths of the red glow?
"That mysterious Magic Rune Mage also pre-drew a special magic pattern in this room, shackling the dissipation of the Nightmare Light, so was Culori then able to research the Nightmare Light here."
Tree Spirit: "So this is the truth of the two ruins and the hidden room... Now I’m really curious about whether Culori eventually discovered anything?"
Rhein shook his head, "No record exists, maybe he did make a discovery, or perhaps he didn’t."
Tree Spirit: "What about the mysterious object capable of evading the Nightmare Light..."
Rhein: "He took it away."
"Is there any other information?" Tree Spirit asked.
"There’s some more, though none relates to the current situation. You can look at it later when you have time."
Rhein paused for a moment, standing up to face Angel, "Although this room currently seems unproblematic, the transmission array, after all, remains hidden in some spot, and at any time, creatures from the Nightmare Realm can teleport over, we must locate and control it."
Concerned about safety issues, Tree Spirit also agreed, "Indeed, and the Nightmare Light is immensely alluring to creatures from the Nightmare Realm. Previously, this room was concealed; now that it’s been opened, we can’t rule out Nightmare Realm creatures being drawn here."
Angel naturally understood this reasoning, and stood up, proceeding to actively control the Domain Field to move, continuing the unfinished task from before—exploring the hidden room."
Initially, they encircled the worktable without detecting anomalies, then bypassed the desk, moving forward.
What came into view was a "concave" shape analysis platform.
Previously, when they were flipping through books at the desk, they had already seen part of the analysis platform. As the Domain Field approached, the analysis platform was fully revealed before them.