Whenever Stelle and Dan Heng approached the pink creature, it would instantly pull away, always keeping a certain distance from the two of them.
This forced both Stelle and Dan Heng to remain cautious. However, while following the pink creature, Dan Heng wasn't idle either.
He consciously observed the surrounding environment. Carefully memorizing the characteristics of these buildings.
And whenever space-time shifted and the ruined structures before them were restored, Dan Heng would quietly compare the differences before and after.
The purpose of this was to determine whether the destruction here was caused by a natural disaster or man-made calamity.
And from that, infer whether their current environment was inherently dangerous.
In the end, Dan Heng arrived at the worst possible conclusion.
The destruction here showed signs of both natural disaster and human interference.
On the shattered stone pillars, aside from the marks left by time, there were often clearly visible signs of external impact.
"...This place isn't stable." Dan Heng warned in a low voice.
Stelle nodded. The two of them continued forward carefully.
After passing through several stone doors they opened themselves, the pink creature disappeared.
Rather than acting rashly, the two found a safe corner to stop.
"Any leads, Dan Heng?" Stelle looked at him expectantly.
She was completely lost here, her mind practically blank.
"It's unlike any of the known species in our data bank. But I guess that's to be expected. We know nothing about Amphoreus, after all."
Dan Heng shook his head, then continued, "Back when we were trailblazing into Jarilo-Vl, we knew its history and terrain even before arriving on the planet. But with Amphoreus... All we have is whatever little Black Swan told us about the world."
"We may have to… prepare for the worst."
"Leaving aside the language issue, the attack we suffered during landing earlier was extremely powerful. It's hard to imagine a weapon of that caliber existing on an isolated world."
Dan Heng's concern was not unfounded.
The audience had also realized that from the moment Amphoreus came into view, it had been shrouded in mystery and the unknown.
Just as Dan Heng said, Amphoreus was an isolated planet.
In places like that, it's difficult for advanced technology to emerge.
Weapons capable of directly destroying the Astral Express, honestly, even in the vast IPC, such things are rare.
Yet Amphoreus possessed one.
Normally, once a planet develops technology of this level, it would naturally establish communication networks with the Interastral Peace Corporation.
Likewise, it would leave traces of its existence on the universal star charts. These traces are uncontrollable, passive by nature.
And yet Amphoreus couldn't be found at all. No news. No information.
Taken together, everything gave off an ominous feeling.
...
: Amphoreus is really mysterious.
: In the universe, it's already hard to imagine such isolation.
: But compared to the power Amphoreus just displayed, these buildings don't show any signs of a technological society.
: Really strange.
: Erudition, Remembrance, and an unknown third Path… the environment here probably isn't very friendly.
: Maybe? The Express was attacked by an Emanator just now?
...
Speculation ran rampant among the audience.
Meanwhile, Stelle and Dan Heng continued onward. They passed through a long corridor and finally emerged into a massive labyrinth area.
What appeared before them before both them and the audience was a breathtaking scene.
After stepping out through the main gate, under the deep night sky, they were immediately met with a broken bridge.
Below the bridge lay a deep abyss, shrouded in thick fog, its depths impossible to see.
And several dozen meters ahead, a vast mountain range rose abruptly from the ground, stretching endlessly to both sides of the horizon.
Looking along the mountain range to the left, one could vaguely make out, far in the distance, a colossal statue in a far away distance.
But what truly stunned everyone wasn't any of that.
It was directly opposite the broken bridge, a magnificent gate, deeply embedded into the mountain wall.
The gate stood at least several dozen meters tall. Around it rose intact cylindrical stone pillars, engraved with countless markings.
Before the gate lay a broad, flat plaza, stretching outward toward the towering entrance.
The buildings on both sides were mostly composed of stone columns, circular vaults, and clean, minimalist lines, filled with an ancient Greek aesthetic.
The gate, the plaza, the pillars, all seemed as though they had been carved directly into the mountain itself. Blending with the entire mountain range to form an overwhelming visual impact.
Especially the ruins of the broken bridge, and the unknown vines crawling unchecked over the stone walls and pillars, all of it exuded a sense of decay.
At first glance, it felt like witnessing a magnificent divine miracle with one's own eyes.
Yet the sense of ruin stirred endless imagination.
From just this single architectural scene, the audience erupted.
...
: Holy shit, this is insane!
: MiHoYo really went all out with Amphoreus! On screen, it doesn't even look like CGI, it feels completely real!
: Absolutely breathtaking!
: Only something from film could look like this, such a massive imprint carved straight into the mountain!
: I really want to see what's beyond that gate. Did they hollow out the entire mountain?!
: The architectural aesthetics are off the charts!
: So beautiful! So beautiful!
...
The audience was utterly stunned.
Stelle and Dan Heng were also left slightly open-mouthed.
"Hmm, now that's one monumental city gate." Stelle exclaimed.
"Imposing and somewhat archaic... Could it be a cultural site?" Dan Heng said, somewhat dazed.
After studying the gate for a moment, the two shook their heads at the chasm beneath their feet.
They moved along the side, approaching the remains of the broken bridge.
"Well, it looks like no one lives in this area, and that strange creature from before is nowhere to be seen. But..."
"Look at that."
Stelle looked to the left.
The figure of Kephale, even from such a vast distance, was still clearly visible.
The glowing orb on its back emitted a cold, serene light in the depths of the night.
"Judging from the prevalence of these colossal structures, this civilization has more than just great engineers and architects. The structures also indicate a universal belief system. If only it were closer, I'd be able to make out the details."
Dan Heng analyzed while looking at the statue.
After scanning the surroundings and confirming there was no immediate danger, he added,
"..lf you want to take some photos, now would be the perfect time."
Both of them remembered March 7th's request.
Even now, they didn't forget to take pictures for her.
Stelle nodded. She found a good angle, capturing the distant, faintly glowing broken bridge ruins as well as the distant huge statue carrying the the sphere on it's back.
Then she turned her gaze toward the nearby gate, wanting to include it in the shot as well.
But as she stared at the gate, Stelle couldn't help but let her thoughts wander.
What could lie within the gate?
Bloody carnage, chaotic banquets, bottomless abyss...
Elements she had once seen in adventure novels surged wildly through Stelle's mind.
Just then. A hallucinated voice suddenly rang in her ears.
"Hellooo~! Snap out of it and click the shutter already!"
It was March 7th's voice! Each word carried a long, lingering echo. Yet it was perfectly clear.
"Huh?"
"March?"
Stelle jolted awake at once and looked around. That voice just now felt as if it had sounded directly inside her head.
Unmistakably real. However, she didn't see March 7th anywhere.
"Strange." Stelle scratched her head.
But the audience instantly grew tense.
....
: Huh? Why is there a trace of March here?
: That echo is making my ears numb, oi! Don't make it sound like March is right there!
: A ghost!
: This feels ominous.
: But March should be on the Express right now, shouldn't she?
: Maybe Stelle just had an auditory hallucination.
....
Although somewhat on guard, the previous arrangements still gave the audience a decent sense of security.
No matter what, March was far away on the Express, nowhere near Amphoreus.
There was no way Stelle and Dan Heng hadn't even run into danger yet while March somehow already had.
Seen that way, the voice just now was probably a hallucination.
Or maybe MiHoYo deliberately put it in to mess with their heads.
Hmph! Such petty tricks! Thinking this, the audience regained their confidence and continued watching.
After Stelle finished taking photos, she planned to find a way out with Dan Heng.
But right at that moment. A sound suddenly came from behind them.
The two instantly turned around. The camera followed their line of sight as it moved.
The next instant.
On the empty ground before the broken bridge, a number of stone statues had appeared at some point.
They came in all sorts of shapes, and earlier had clearly been scattered across different places.
Yet after just a single turn of the head, they were already very close to Stelle and Dan Heng.
Just like a game of Red Light, Green Light.
When the two hadn't been paying attention, they had silently crept closer!
"Were they… just in this position a moment ago?" Stelle spoke softly, but her hand was already gripping her baseball bat.
"These things aren't breathing. ...Inorganic lifeforms?" Dan Heng cautiously drew his spear.
As they spoke. Stone dust fell from the statues surrounding them, revealing their true forms.
There were sword-wielding warriors, brows heavy and fierce. Bare-handed brutes. Assassins holding short blades.
They looked like nothing more than pure stone sculptures, yet for some reason, they could move!
Stelle and Dan Heng felt no fear.
There were already experienced fighters, having had to fight during their previous trailblazing quests.
So Fight!
Stelle's bat and Dan Heng's spear moved almost at the same time.
The opponents offered no words in return, yet they were far from lifeless, instead forming up into a battle formation!
Warriors and brutes in the front. Archers in the rear. Assassins concealed.
A priest anchoring the center.
As the priest raised a hand, golden light descended upon the statues, causing their stone bodies to glow faintly.
The archers drew their bows and loosed not a single arrow, but a continuous volley.
Meanwhile, the assassins had already melted into the shadows, ready to strike at any moment!
Stelle swung her bat, knocking the incoming arrows aside, and followed through by smashing it into the head of a charging brute, only to be met with a massive rebound that left her palm aching.
The brute staggered back a few steps from the blow, shook its head, and charged again.
"That thing is way too hard!" Stelle was shocked!
That swing of hers, on a normal enemy, would have knocked them out cold.
What was with this guy, some kind of Amphoreus elite boss?
"Go!" On the other side, Dan Heng wielded his spear, fending off assassins lurking in the dark while trying to close in on the enemy formation.
He ran into the same problem as Stelle. These stone men were seriously tough!
In terms of individual combat strength, the two far surpassed the statues.
But relying on sheer durability and their formation, the enemy still caused them quite a bit of trouble.
Priest, assassin, warrior, brute, archer. These units worked together with near-calculated coordination.
Every time Stelle and Dan Heng were about to break through, another unit would step in to slow their momentum.
Fortunately, the statues' durability seemed to have a limit.
Under Stelle's brutal bat swings, several statues at the very front of the formation finally reached their breaking point.
One after another, they turned into sand. The audience clicked their tongues in amazement.
Enemies that could last this long against Stelle and Dan Heng, and still cause so much trouble, their level was no joke!
This Amphoreus really was full of hidden dangers!
At this moment. The on-screen battle continued.
As time passed, even more stone statues appeared from all around.
Dan Heng and Stelle stood back to back. Both felt it was extremely troublesome.
The enemies before them were unlike anything they had faced before.
It didn't feel like fighting individuals. It felt like facing an entire, organized army!
Usually, the two had overwhelming advantages, but because of the enemy's toughness, even though they gained tactical advantages, strategically, their room to maneuver was being compressed by the orderly advance from all sides.
Whether due to high tactical skill or something else, the enemies were deliberately seizing positions, shrinking Stelle and Dan Heng's available space.
And as more statues joined, the entire formation remained impeccably ordered.
At this point. The area Stelle and Dan Heng could move within had become extremely limited.
"I'm going to prepare a charge."
"Dan Heng, follow up behind me."
Stelle's scalp tingled as the bat in her hand was ready to transform into a flaming lance.
To hell with the details, break through first and talk later.
Just as the two were about to force their way out.
The camera suddenly lifted upward.
On a higher ledge stood a robed figure with white-hair.
He seemed to have been observing for quite some time.
Perhaps deciding that Stelle and Dan Heng had been driven into a corner, he finally chose to act!
The audience saw a streak of blue light fall from the sky.
A great sword was gripped in his hands as he drove it precisely into the very heart of the stone men's formation.
The blow was heavy and overwhelming, triggering a massive shockwave. Dan Heng and Stelle had no choice but to raise their arms, shielding their eyes from the flying dust.
Through the gaps between their fingers, they saw the stone army crumble into clouds of sand.
The troublesome formation was ended by this person in a single strike.
As Stelle and Dan Heng looked at the white-haired man, unsure whether he was friend or foe, and were about to speak, the man suddenly curled his lips into a smile, spun around, and charged straight at Stelle!
"Watch out!" Dan Heng shouted a warning!