It was a strange feeling; when I left Lop Nur, I vowed never to set foot in ruins again. Yet, after truly experiencing such things, living a mundane life felt utterly flavorless.

Furthermore, Grandpa’s matter remained unresolved, making this journey to the Ruin Island a crucial move in the entire grand strategy. It was no wonder I felt a certain surge of excitement.

When we reached the port, the sky above was clear without a single cloud, and the ocean stretched out in brilliant azure in the distance. However, the beach was piled high with thick layers of snow, with only the areas washed by the tide near the water revealing hints of yellow sand.

I spotted the somewhat dilapidated fishing boat; it was still rusted and bore the weight of time. At that moment, Nobita pointed towards the front of the boat and said, "There seems to be a person over there." We followed his gaze and indeed saw a woman dressed in black sitting on the gangway beneath the bow of the ship.

"It's her!" the village chief exclaimed, sounding rather surprised. Even without his words, I recognized her: the woman in black was the village shaman, the very one with the mysterious connection to Xie Yuchen.

What was she doing here? That question formed in all our minds.

So, we walked over, treading carefully over the accumulated snow, and approached the gangway. The woman clearly heard our footsteps; she moved her head, which had been turned away from us, and then stood up from the gangway.

Her face was partially obscured by a thin veil, making it hard to discern her expression. But her deep brown eyes glanced over us with a measure of detachment before she spoke, "You are going to the Durban City Ruins, aren't you?

I am coming with you." Her words were spoken plainly, almost like an order, carrying an undeniable weight. Nobita held a deep grudge against Xie Yuting and thus had no fondness for this woman either.

Hearing her speak this way immediately annoyed him. He stepped forward and retorted, "Who do you think you are, just saying you're coming along?

Where does that leave my esteemed self?" With that, he gestured dismissively toward us and declared, "Ignore her. Let's go, get on the boat." As Nobita spoke, he started toward the boarding ladder, but after a few steps, he realized we all remained rooted to the spot.

This was because we had already noticed that the village chief's expression seemed unusual. The chief frowned deeply, rubbed his already balding forehead after a moment of thought, and said, "Revered Shaman, you have finally decided to intervene in this matter?" The chief's tone was deeply respectful, clearly indicating the shaman's status far surpassed his own.

Although I had heard Madame Rabinovich mention it before—that the shaman was the highest-ranking person in the village, presiding over all religious activities annually, and that during the New Year, everyone brought offerings to worship her to request blessings for the village— While I didn't doubt these rituals, this particular shaman had been so remarkably low-profile from the start—lacking any discernible air of leadership—that I had simply overlooked her. Now that she had stepped forward, the chief clearly had no choice but to obey her.

The shaman in the black clothing and veil gave no indication of answering the chief’s question, instead turning and walking toward the ship. Seeing the black-clad woman’s lack of courtesy, Nobita prepared to say more.

I grabbed him and said, "Stop talking. It won't kill you to keep quiet for a moment." Nobita boarded the ship looking utterly aggrieved, his face flushed and neck throbbing with suppressed anger.

Once the woman in black was aboard, Nobita quietly whispered to me, "See that? I’ll find a chance to show this little woman what I’m capable of." I neither encouraged nor stopped him, merely smiling.

The boat soon set sail. We finally caught the wind and waves, traversing the vast ocean towards Ruin Island.

Though the distance was said to be several hundred nautical miles, the boat ride actually took just over an hour. As we neared Ruin Island, we all gathered on the deck, gazing at the distant land without speaking.

The Ruin Island before us still lay silent upon the sea, appearing almost indistinct from afar, as if it might be swallowed by the misty expanse of the ocean. What Nobita and I were most concerned about was whether the fog shrouding Ruin Island had finally dispersed.

If the fog hadn't lifted, this trip would have been entirely in vain. But as we approached the vicinity of Ruin Island, we were greatly disappointed.

The fog on the island was still thick, as if it had never changed. Only the accumulated snow on the coastline indicated that a heavy snowfall had swept over the island a few days prior.

When Andre saw the scene, he smiled. He clapped me on the shoulder and said, "See?

Didn't I tell you not to rush things..." He even looked a bit gleeful, as if he had no desire to go to Ruin Island himself. The more I looked at this Andre, the stranger he seemed to me.

However, Andre was unaware of my thoughts. Seeing the persistent thick fog, he turned to the village chief and instructed, "Turn the boat back." Nobita immediately objected, grabbing Andre and protesting, "No!

No way! We came all this way, how can we just leave?

What's the big deal about the fog? It's broad daylight!

I refuse to believe I can't get onto that island!" With that, Nobita prepared to jump into the sea. Andre quickly held him back, but how could an old man restrain a giant, over six-foot-tall man?

Nobita exerted tremendous strength, inching himself toward the edge of the boat. Although I knew Nobita was anxious and perhaps shouldn't have been stopped, refusing to give Andre face seemed improper, considering he was acting for our own good.

So, I prepared to step in and restrain Nobita, but just then, my side glance accidentally flickered toward the side. I saw the woman in black standing inside the cabin, not having come out.

In her hand, she held a crystal skull, and it appeared she was chanting something under her breath. I looked at the woman in black, then back at Ruin Island, and noticed that the dense fog was beginning to thin out.

It was thinning at a rate visibly discernible to the naked eye, and the structures hidden within the mist slowly became clearer. So, I stepped forward and grabbed Nobita, exclaiming, "Look!

Look at the island!" Nobita and Andre both looked up toward the island simultaneously and were stunned into silence. Andre paused for a long moment before saying, "It seems we arrived at precisely the right time..." At that, I couldn't help but glance back at the woman in black.

She had already concealed the crystal skull and was looking up at me. Not wanting her to think I had exposed her secret, I quickly turned my head away.

Just then, a dull *splash echoed near my ear. I turned around to see that Nobita had finally jumped into the sea, a testament to his excitement.

Andre watched Nobita swim vigorously on the surface of the sea and smiled helplessly. By the time our boat reached Ruin Island, the fog had almost completely vanished, revealing the entire complex of structures on the island before us.

It was then that I was truly shocked. Tier upon tier of crumbling walls and ruins were built upon a hill roughly five hundred meters high, each layer rising above the last.

Though the fog hadn't entirely dissipated, the magnificent structures—even if only collapsed houses and sculptures remained—showed streets, markets, altars, and even an arena laid bare. And the dilapidated lighthouse we had seen earlier stood tall at the highest point of the slope.

I could vividly imagine the scene of a thousand lights illuminating the lighthouse, casting their glow across the entire sea from this hilltop—what a thriving place it must have been. It was as if we had discovered another ancient Roman Empire; the black walls silently narrated their past glory.

Everyone was lost in awe, except for Andre, who maintained his composure. He patted my shoulder and said, "See?

I didn't lie to you. This place was once glorious.

What we see now are just the surface structures. Beneath this knoll, almost the entire mountain has been hollowed out.

The subterranean world is far more intricate, and that is where the center of royal power lies. The item we seek is down there." His words immediately piqued our interest.

Nobita was the first to ask, "So, are there a lot of treasures down there?... Oh, I mean artifacts." I interrupted Nobita, "But aren't those underground structures filled with danger?" Andre nodded and replied, "I almost died here myself, back then.

Thinking back now, it was twenty years ago."