Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 231: The Ancient Ruins (Part-3)

The next moment, Prince Kael and Zora moved at the same time, charging straight toward the walls on either side without the slightest hesitation.

Black, White, and Shihtzu all sucked in a sharp breath, instinctively covering their eyes. This was far too ruthless. If their judgment was wrong, wouldn’t this end with broken bones and blood everywhere?

Boom!

A deafening impact rang out beside their ears. Both Zora and Prince Kael clearly felt themselves collide with something solid, yet the pain they had expected never came.

Zora slowly opened her eyes.

What met her gaze was Prince Kael’s smiling face.

The endless darkness had vanished at some point, replaced by a bright, clear scene. Light spilled across the stone corridor, dispelling the oppressive gloom as if it had never existed.

"Darling, we succeeded," Prince Kael said, his eyes shining uncontrollably.

The admiration in his gaze was genuine. He had to admit that if it weren’t for her insight about the illusory realm, he might have been trapped in that passage for who knew how long.

Zora curved her lips into a faint smile. Everything had unfolded just as she expected.

Before them stretched a complex network of intersecting corridors. Along both sides of the passage were tightly shut stone chambers, some with doors partially opened, revealing glimpses of items stored within.

When the two looked back, they realized the truth of what they had experienced earlier. The so-called endless corridor had only been a short stretch of barely a dozen meters. Everything beyond that had been an illusion.

Not far away, they could see several spirit warriors still walking in place, faces filled with blissful excitement, clearly trapped in their own illusions. On other paths, however, bodies lay scattered across the ground, silent and lifeless.

Zora’s gaze instinctively dropped to the Ring of Chaos on her finger. If not for its subtle guidance, she might not have escaped so cleanly either.

Her eyes suddenly caught sight of Reesa standing in another corridor, still moving forward with a dazed expression.

"Reesa!" Zora called out loudly.

No response.

Reesa continued to walk as if nothing had happened, clearly unable to hear her voice.

Zora sighed softly. There was nothing she could do for now. Fortunately, the path they had chosen was not a dead end, and that alone was a relief.

"Let’s move on," she said, turning to Prince Kael.

"Alright," he replied without hesitation.

The two advanced together and pushed open a nearby stone chamber.

Boom!

As the door opened, thick dust billowed out, forcing them to step back slightly. When the dust settled, rows of martial arts manuals came into view, neatly arranged along the walls.

Most of them were yellow-grade techniques. Though not top-tier, they would still fetch a high price if brought outside.

Zora picked one up, only to watch it crumble in her hand, turning into ash before her eyes.

"It seems these manuals have been here for far too long," she said softly, sighing inwardly. "The paper can’t withstand the passage of time anymore."

Martial techniques were often the culmination of a spirit warrior’s lifetime of effort. Watching them vanish like this was inevitably a pity.

She nodded slightly, setting the remains aside. "There’s no point lingering. Let’s check the chambers further ahead."

"Agreed," Prince Kael replied with a nod. "Judging by this decay, the ruins must be at least several hundred years old." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"After so long," Zora said calmly, "many things will have lost their value. We’ll have to see what treasures are still preserved."

Prince Kael and Zora continued forward together, opening the stone chambers along the passage one by one. As expected, most of the items inside had long since lost their usefulness, reduced to little more than remnants of the past by the passage of time.

Even so, before leaving each chamber, the two of them would carefully close the stone doors again. It cost them only a little extra time, but that small delay might slow down those who came after them.

After all, while illusions could trap people temporarily, once enough time passed, someone would eventually figure out the key and break free.

"The ruins have been sealed for far too long," Prince Kael said quietly as he scanned another empty chamber. "Aside from the true inheritance left behind, there probably aren’t many things still of value."

His eyes flickered with faint regret. Time was both the greatest enemy and the greatest filter. Too many resources simply could not endure centuries of burial.

Zora nodded in agreement. "If anything has survived this long, it must be something truly precious."

Ordinary weapons and martial techniques meant little to them now. At best, they could be sold for money after leaving the ruins.

Money was useful, but neither of them lacked it. Missing out on a bit more or less made no real difference.

They moved on, skipping several stone chambers without even opening them. Judging from experience, the items within were unlikely to be worth the effort. Rather than wasting time, it was better to head straight for places that felt important.

When Zora stopped in front of another stone chamber, a hint of doubt flickered in her eyes.

This stone door looked different.

It was thicker, broader, and subtly more imposing than the others. When she placed her hand against it and pushed, the door did not budge at all.

Seeing this, Prince Kael gathered his strength and threw a punch straight at the stone gate.

Boom!

Fragments scattered across the floor, but the stone door itself did not move in the slightest.

"This stone chamber is unusual," Prince Kael said, his expression turning serious as his gaze fixed on the door.

"Master, I can feel energy fluctuations here," Black said excitedly, his eyes gleaming. "They’re very strong!"

Hearing that, Zora’s eyes brightened. They had yet to gain anything truly worthwhile, and this might finally be their chance.

"What kind of energy do you sense?" she asked, already beginning to examine the stone gate more closely.

White shook his head. "I can’t tell exactly what it is. I just know the energy beyond this door is intense. There must be a treasure inside."

"Darling, since this door won’t open by force, there must be some sort of mechanism," Prince Kael said in a low voice, scanning the surroundings.

His instincts told him that whatever lay behind this stone door was far more valuable than anything they had encountered so far.

Zora nodded lightly. "There should be an activation mechanism nearby. We just haven’t found it yet."

Without wasting another word, the two exchanged a glance and began searching in earnest.

Zora ran her fingers along the sides of the stone door. The wall was smooth and flawless, without the slightest unevenness.

She gently tapped the stone wall, listening intently to the subtle differences in sound. If there really was a mechanism here, it had to be close to the stone door. Missing even the slightest irregularity could mean missing the opportunity altogether.

Prince Kael’s handsome face was equally serious. He leaned in, ear close to the wall, carefully distinguishing the echoes. The method itself seemed simple, yet facing such a vast stretch of stone, it demanded extraordinary patience and focus.

While the two of them searched in silence, faint voices gradually drifted over from behind.

"I didn’t expect the first trial to be this strange. If I hadn’t panicked and smashed straight into the wall, I’d probably still be trapped in there."

"Hahaha, your luck is unbelievable. You said there was suddenly no resistance when you hit the wall, so I tried it too. Who knew it would actually work?"

"The rest of those idiots probably still don’t know what’s going on. The two of us are way ahead now."

The excitement in their voices was unmistakable. In a place like this, getting ahead by even one step could mean everything.

"Seriously?" Black muttered, at a loss for words. "They actually got out like that?"

He had thought those two were clever, but it turned out to be nothing more than blind luck, like a foolish cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.

White sighed softly. "The world is full of strange coincidences. Some things really can’t be explained."

"Master, hurry," Shihtzu urged anxiously. "They’re getting close."

Zora and Prince Kael both quickened their pace. If they failed to open the stone door before the others arrived, a conflict would be unavoidable.

Even Shihtzu joined in, patting and scratching at the wall with its small claws, determined to help uncover the mechanism sooner.

Prince Kael glanced at Shihtzu and felt a trace of surprise. A Beastmaster’s pride was well known. To see it willingly helping like this said everything about how much it trusted Zora. That alone put his heart at ease.

The footsteps behind them grew louder.

"Huh? Isn’t that Kael Moonstone and Zora?"

The two approaching spirit warriors finally caught sight of them, and their eyes lit up instantly.

"We haven’t gotten anything yet. Maybe they already found something good!"

"Quick, catch up!"

The two immediately rushed forward.

Zora frowned slightly. The mechanism was far too well hidden. Even after all this time, she had found nothing unusual.

"It’s too late..." she murmured.

Click.

A faint, almost imperceptible sound echoed through the passage.

Both Zora and Prince Kael froze.

Before either of them could react, the tightly sealed stone door before them slowly slid open.

For a moment, both of them were stunned.

Their gazes shifted at the same time, locking onto the small figure beside them.

Shihtzu stood there, one paw still resting against the wall, eyes wide and innocent.

Shihtzu waved its two little paws proudly, chin lifted, looking as smug as if it had just cracked the greatest secret of the world.

Zora and Prince Kael stared at the spot where its claws were pressing, both of them momentarily speechless.

Who would have thought... the mechanism was set at Shihtzu’s height?