Chapter 22:Shocking discovery

As the work for construction of the headquarter began.

The valley changed slowly over the following days.

What had once been silent ruins buried beneath centuries of snow and abandonment gradually transformed into a place filled with movement, noise, and life as workers cleared collapsed pathways, erected temporary shelters, and began stabilizing the outer structures under constant supervision from Lucien’s loyal knights.

Smoke now rose from newly established campfires.

Tools struck ancient stone continuously.

Voices echoed through the frozen valley where only wind had spoken for generations.

And yet—

Despite the growing activity, the ruins themselves still felt wrong.

Not dangerous exactly.

But watching.

Especially at night.

Many workers avoided certain sections after sunset without fully understanding why, while several guards quietly reported strange sensations near the deeper structures buried closest to the mountain walls.

Cold spots.

Faint whispers.

Lights seen briefly between broken corridors.

Most assumed exhaustion or fear.

But Gandalf did not.

The old mage spent increasing amounts of time wandering the ruins alone, his staff tapping slowly against cracked stone pathways while faint traces of mana drifted constantly around him like invisible currents searching for something hidden beneath the valley.

And eventually—

He found it.

The discovery happened during the sixth day of excavation.

A mining team working near the eastern side of the ruins had been assigned to clear collapsed stone blocking what appeared to once be an underground storage structure, but after several hours of labor, their picks suddenly struck something unnatural beneath the snow-covered debris.

Metal.

Too smooth and dark,this wasn’t something that could be assumed normal anymore.

One of the workers immediately reported it upward.

By midday, Lucien himself arrived alongside Gandalf, Malen, Lucas Marcus, and several armed knights while the excavation site had already been partially cleared.

The structure beneath the rubble slowly became visible.

It was a massive circular platform.

Black stone reinforced with metallic rings etched into its surface.

Even buried beneath dust and ice—

It radiated age,age that spoke of many things.

Lucien stepped closer carefully.

The air around the platform felt colder than the surrounding valley.

Not cold due to weather or ice

But mana cold,something that happens when alot of mana is seeping out.

Gandalf’s expression darkened immediately.

"This..."

The old mage lowered himself slowly near the edge of the structure, his fingers brushing against one of the engraved symbols.

"...is ancient."

Malen crossed his arms and said

"This is already 17th time you have said that old bad of bones"

"This is different,you little runt"

Gandalf’s voice had lost its usual calm amusement.

That alone drew everyone’s attention sharper.

The old mage continued tracing the symbols carefully.

"These inscriptions are pre-imperial."

Lucas frowned slightly.

"That old?"

Gandalf nodded slowly.

"Much older."

This created a different kind of silence throughout the excavation site.

Because even kingdoms rose and fell over centuries.

And pre-imperial civilizations they belonged almost to myth.

Lucien studied the platform carefully.

"What is it?"

Gandalf remained silent briefly.

Then answered quietly,almost with a murmur.

"A teleportation gate."

Several nearby workers immediately exchanged uneasy looks.

Even Malen’s expression shifted slightly.

Teleportation arrays still existed in the modern world.

But they were rare.

Large-scale long-distance teleportation required absurd magical resources and entire formations of high-ranking mages simply to activate temporary transfers between major capitals.

But this—

This structure was enormous.

Far beyond modern military transportation circles,it was 5 times bigger than the largest teleportation array he knew

Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"You’re certain?"

"Yes." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Gandalf stood slowly again while staring toward the center of the platform.

"But damaged."

A pause.

"Very damaged."

Another silence followed.

The implications alone were massive.

If restored—

A hidden teleportation gate inside the western mountains could eventually become one of the greatest strategic assets imaginable.

Movement of troops.

Resources.

Supplies.

Secret transportation, extraction.

The possibilities expanded endlessly.

But something about the structure still bothered Lucien.

"Why would something like this exist here?"

Gandalf slowly looked toward the mountains surrounding the valley.

Then answered quietly.

"Because this place was never merely ruins."

Those words settled heavily.

Lucas stepped forward slightly.

"You believe this was an actual city."

The old mage nodded once.

"A significant one."

Another pause.

"Possibly even a military stronghold."

Malen looked around the valley again.

"The mountains would make sense for defense."

"Yes," Gandalf agreed.

"But not only defense."

The old mage pointed his staff toward the broken structures extending across the valley floor.

"These ruins were built with layered mana channels."

Another pause.

"An enormous amount of magical infrastructure existed here once."

Lucien listened carefully.

Because suddenly—

The valley’s existence began feeling far less accidental.

Natural barriers.

Ancient structures.

Teleportation technology.

Mana density.

Everything connected too perfectly.

One of the workers interrupted nervously.

"My Lord..."

Everyone shifted attention toward him.

The man swallowed hard before pointing toward the center of the platform.

"There’s... light."

Lucien turned immediately.

And froze slightly.

Because beneath the layers of cracked stone forming the teleportation platform’s center, faint blue lines had begun glowing softly beneath the ancient inscriptions.

The workers stepped backward instinctively.

Several guards reached for weapons.

Gandalf’s eyes widened slightly beneath his beard.

"Impossible..."

The glow intensified briefly.

Then faded again.

Silence.

Complete silence.

Even the wind seemed quieter for several seconds afterward.

Malen stepped closer immediately.

"Trap?"

Gandalf shook his head slowly.

"No..."

Another pause.

"...response."

Lucien’s gaze sharpened.

"Response to what?"

The old mage looked directly toward him.

"Mana presence."

Lucien immediately understood.

The valley itself—

Was still partially alive.

Even after centuries.

Lucas spoke quietly.

"If this activates..."

Gandalf interrupted immediately.

"It won’t."

A pause.

"At least not fully."

Then his expression darkened further.

"But something deeper may still retain power."

Those words changed the atmosphere instantly.

Because ancient ruins were valuable.

Ancient ruins with active magical systems—

Were dangerous,dangerous enough for even the largest forces to tread carefully.

Lucien looked toward the surrounding excavation site again.

"How deep does it go?"

Gandalf answered honestly.

"I don’t know."

Not reassuring.

Not reassuring at all

Malen rested one hand against his sword.

"Then we secure it before continuing excavation."

Lucien nodded immediately.

"Agreed."

Orders spread quickly afterward.

Workers withdrew from the deeper sections while knights established defensive positions around the excavation site itself, and Lucas Marcus immediately began reorganizing the valley layout to separate future construction zones from potentially unstable ancient structures.

But Lucien remained near the platform.

Watching it.

Thinking.

Because the discovery changed everything.

This valley was no longer simply an isolated location for hidden industrialization.

It was connected to something older.

Something buried beneath history itself.

Gandalf stepped beside him quietly.

"There’s more here."

Lucien glanced toward the old mage.

"You can sense it."

"Yes."

Another pause.

"And I don’t think we’ve reached the dangerous parts yet."

The statement carried no fear.

Only certainty.

Lucien looked toward the mountains towering around the valley while snow drifted slowly through the freezing air above the ruins.

In his previous life, buried ruins would have meant archaeology.

History.

Research.

In this world—

Ancient places often meant forgotten catastrophes.

Wars.

Magic.

Things civilization intentionally left buried,things that should never see the light of day again.

And now—

He had built the foundation of his future directly on top of one.

Somewhere deep beneath the ruins, hidden below ancient stone and collapsed structures untouched for centuries—

Something still remained alive enough to answer mana.

And Lucien had the growing feeling that eventually—

It would answer back.

End of Chapter 22