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The clear pool of water still shimmered before him, though the moon was no longer in sight.

It wasn\'t that anything had changed—it was simply that the blazing sun now hung high in the sky.

Looking around, Dean saw that Alita Miller, Lina Jones, and the others had all been transported out as well.

As soon as they opened their eyes and realized they were back in the Black Dragon Mountains, they erupted in joy, jumping and shouting with excitement.

"We\'re finally out!"

"Oh my god, when we first explored the ruins, there wasn\'t even a trace of life—no people, not even ghosts! We were so confident. Who could\'ve guessed that everything would change so drastically inside?"

"Damn that Ebner Mondo! What a despicable old man, tricking us like that!"

The survivors shouted and cried, releasing the pent-up emotions they had bottled up during their time in the ruins.

Even Alita Miller and the others, who usually maintained their composure, let out long sighs of relief, their expressions finally showing signs of relaxation.

Dean Bruce, however, remained calm, quietly observing Lina Jones.

After a few moments, as the group settled down.

Lina noticed his gaze and immediately understood what he wanted. She stepped forward respectfully and said, "Dean, it\'s thanks to you that we were able to escape the ruins safely. I also haven\'t forgotten the reward I promised you. This Storage Ring contains not only rare medicinal herbs but also a token of gratitude."

Dean Bruce didn\'t hesitate to accept the ring, turning it over in his hands thoughtfully.

Carol Lane, too, gave a slight bow and spoke softly, "Mr. Dean, my earlier offer still stands. If you ever decide to visit the Temple of Wisdom, we will welcome you with generous gifts."

She paused briefly, then added, "However... I hope you come alone."

Hearing this, Alita Miller\'s expression darkened. It wasn\'t hard to understand Carol\'s intent—she didn\'t want Alita and her group accompanying Dean to the temple.

Dean Bruce hesitated for a moment but smiled and nodded in agreement.

Satisfied, Carol Lane gently took Lina Jones by the arm, and together, they led the surviving followers of the temple away without a second glance.

Their mission had been to investigate what had happened inside the ruins, and they had little interest in treasures.

"Hmph! She ran off quick enough. If she\'d stayed any longer, I\'d have made sure she regretted it!" Alita Miller muttered through gritted teeth. Then, turning back to Dean Bruce, her expression softened, and she flashed him a smile.

Before Alita Miller could speak, Dean Bruce interrupted with a quiet question: "Do you know where the Temple of Wisdom\'s headquarters is located?"

He had previously expressed admiration for The Goddess of Wisdom, and it was only through his life-saving efforts that he had earned Carol and her group\'s favor.

If he revealed that he didn\'t even know where the Temple of Wisdom was, it might raise suspicion. That could lower their goodwill and ultimately reduce any future benefits. Dean wasn\'t about to make that mistake.

Upon hearing his question, the corners of Alita Miller\'s mouth twitched slightly.

Instead of answering directly, she waved her hand toward the remaining survivors, instructing them firmly, "Take the goods and head back."

"Yes!"

Once they had departed, leaving only Dean Bruce and Alita Miller in the valley, she finally spoke. "You… you seriously don\'t know where the Temple of Wisdom\'s headquarters is?"

"Hmm? Should I?"

Dean Bruce asked, genuinely confused by her dramatic reaction.

Alita Miller sighed softly. "I\'m starting to wonder if you\'re from one of the other three continents. Your behavior is so... strange."

After a brief pause, she continued, "All of the temples and religious headquarters are located in Saint Laurent City! Even the Nine Provinces Alliance has established their main base there."

"I imagine that if any empire were to ever unite the entire continent, they\'d build their imperial capital in Saint Laurent."

"Tsk, tsk. Thinking about it like that, I\'d love to see the constant chaos of war between the empires."

Though Alita\'s voice was calm, Dean Bruce detected a trace of bitterness and anger in her tone.

Clearly, this woman had a past full of secrets and struggles.

But Dean Bruce had no interest in learning more about Alita Miller\'s life story. He responded with indifference, "So, you\'re saying Saint Laurent City holds more significance than an entire province?"

"Mm-hmm," Alita replied softly. "In fact, Saint Laurent City doesn\'t belong to any faction or nation. It\'s an independent city-state, untouched by external powers."

Hearing this new information, Dean Bruce suddenly felt a surge of excitement.

Originally, he hadn\'t been too eager to visit Saint Laurent City. He\'d planned to remain here and thoroughly explore the three ruins.

But now, he was reconsidering.

If I\'ve come all the way to a magical world, how could I miss out on visiting its most powerful city and interacting with its most influential factions? he thought.

However, he knew he still needed to explore the three ruins soon—before someone else did.

After all, both the Nine Provinces Alliance, the Temple of Wisdom, and whatever organization backed Alita Miller were aware of their existence. If he delayed too long, they might claim the treasures first.

Just exploring the Lulu Ruins alone had already given Dean Bruce access to Dragon Speech, Dragon Energy, and ancient magic runes, even if they were incomplete. If he could explore all three ruins, his rewards would undoubtedly be even greater.

"Enough about that," Alita Miller said softly. "Honestly, I\'m curious. With your immense power—enough to easily defeat even Ebner Mondo, who could communicate with the Moon God—why have you stayed hidden in such a small town?"

"And on top of that, how could you not even know about Saint Laurent City? Isn\'t it said that in order to grow stronger, one must endure countless trials and battles?"

It wasn\'t just Alita who was surprised—everyone else was too, but they had been too intimidated to ask Dean Bruce such a direct question.

Dean Bruce, of course, wasn\'t going to answer. Instead, he changed the subject. "Do you know how many days have passed since the competition?"

Alita Miller, sensing the shift in conversation, didn\'t press further. She shook her head and replied, "The flow of time is different in each ruin. Some move in sync with reality, while others are faster or slower. I really don\'t know how much time has passed."

"However, since we\'re still in this valley and the height of the plants hasn\'t changed much from when we entered, I\'d say the time difference isn\'t significant."

After a brief pause, Alita smiled and said, "Dean, let\'s head out. Maybe we\'ll run into some of the other instructors, and we can ask them."

As the two walked side by side out of the valley, Dean Bruce\'s mind wandered, focused on inspecting the Storage Ring that Lina Jones had given him.

It was filled with medicinal herbs, and even just sensing them with his soul gave him the distinct impression of their fragrance. It was clear these herbs were of the highest quality.

Underneath the medicinal herbs, Dean Bruce found five scrolls, each glowing with different auras, their magical energy unmistakably potent.

Without hesitation, he placed all five scrolls into his system\'s inventory. A series of crisp notifications followed, revealing the scrolls\' attributes.

Ding!

"System Notification: Congratulations, host, for obtaining Divine Descent Magic Scroll—Thunder Angel!"

"System Notification: Congratulations, host, for obtaining Divine Descent Magic Scroll—Flame Angel!"

"System Notification: Congratulations, host, for obtaining Divine Descent Magic Scroll—Iceblast Angel!"

"System Notification: Congratulations, host, for obtaining Divine Descent Magic Scroll—Rain Angel!"

"System Notification: Congratulations, host, for obtaining Divine Descent Magic Scroll—Judgment Angel!"

"???"

Dean Bruce\'s eyes twitched upon seeing the notifications.

He had hoped that the system would allow him to permanently unlock the Divine Descent Magic abilities through its mechanics.

But who would\'ve thought the scrolls would all summon different angels?

Now, with five different scrolls, could he still permanently learn Divine Descent Magic after using them all?

Ding!

"System Notification: Divine Descent Magic is a broad category. To permanently learn the corresponding magic, the host must use five scrolls of the same angel."

[…]

Dean Bruce wasn\'t too disappointed. After all, the power of the five scrolls was extraordinary, and they could serve as a strong trump card.

His mind raced with possibilities as he asked the system another question. "What level of magic does Divine Descent Magic fall under? Why isn\'t its rank shown?"

Ding!

"System Notification: The rank of Divine Descent Magic depends on the deity being invoked. Angelic and demigod-level Divine Descent Magic falls under Ultra-High-Level spells, while true gods and supreme deities fall under forbidden spells. As for the King of Gods, no one can withstand the Divine Descent Magic of a god-king."

"..."

Hearing this, Dean Bruce\'s eyes lit up. Demigods, true gods, supreme deities, and god-kings... It sounded like he had just uncovered the hierarchy of the divine realm!

Although this knowledge wasn\'t immediately useful, as such entities were far beyond his reach, it still ignited a sense of excitement about future possibilities.

After wrapping up his conversation with the system, Dean stored the herbs in his system space. Now, his focus was on winning the competition, claiming the top spot, and heading to Saint Laurent City to explore its mysteries.

He also needed to deal with the Nine Provinces Alliance and search for any clues about his parents.

Of course, before any of that, he still wanted to explore the ruins further.

"Are you thinking about exploring this ruin?"

Alita Miller\'s voice broke his train of thought. She had noticed Dean\'s distracted expression and suddenly spoke up. "Dean, I don\'t know what level of magic you\'ve mastered, but... be cautious. This ruin is strange. Don\'t act rashly."