Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1462 - 502: Prison

Rein shook his head at the display, offering a word of caution. "Certainly, but Lord Haleem, you must remain mindful of your wounds."

Despite the warning, Haleem’s face turned a deep shade of red within minutes. His eyes were wide with intensity as he turned to Rein and spoke with urgency:

"Lord Rein, this... this memory crystal holds the entirety of goblin engineering! Are you aware of the magnitude of this discovery?!"

"I can feel it in my bones; what you have found will revolutionize the Federation, the Empire, and the very future of the human race!"

"Haleem, I believe you ought to observe this as well." The Dawn Wizard Hernandez watched Haleem’s fervor with a much more complicated expression on his face.

As he spoke, he passed the memory crystal he had been holding over to Haleem.

"Hmm?" Haleem was visibly perplexed.

He wondered if there could possibly be anything more vital than the secrets of goblin engineering.

Taking the crystal from Hernandez, Haleem immediately flooded it with his spiritual power. Only a few seconds passed before his entire frame began to shake uncontrollably.

"My God! The Floating City! This contains the actual blueprints and the full manufacturing process for the Floating City!"

Rein had previously mentioned that this ancient goblin capital was a Floating City.

Haleem had assumed Rein reached that conclusion by piecing together fragments of old journals or ruins, but he was completely wrong!

The truth was right here, preserved within the memory crystal.

The distinction was as vast as finding the burnt wreckage of a rocket versus possessing the complete engineering schematics to build one from scratch.

It was a monumental difference!

For the Federation, possessing systematic goblin engineering combined with the construction methods for a Floating City meant they would eventually be capable of building their own aerial fortress—one belonging solely to humanity.

In fact, they might even build a fleet of them!

Of course, the most efficient path forward would be to simply restore the Floating City they were currently standing in.

"The ultimate weapon against the Giant Beasts and the Divine revival has finally been found!" Haleem was so overcome with joy that he began to dance where he stood.

"Lord Rein, you are nothing short of a savior!"

"Ahem... Lord Haleem, your bandages are soaking through with blood," Rein noted helpfully.

"Hiss~"

Only then did Haleem notice the red stains spreading across his dressings, causing him to suck in a breath of sharp pain.

"It is of no consequence, Lord Rein! The value of what you have uncovered is so great that a little spilled blood isn't even enough to celebrate it!"

"This..."

Rein found himself momentarily speechless at Haleem’s fanatical reaction.

After a brief pause, Rein spoke up:

"Very well, everyone. I have identified an exit route within the Floating City’s blueprints. We can make our escape through the third exit located on the negative first floor."

"That is the level directly above us," Rein added, pointing toward the ceiling.

"Lord Rein, are we truly stopping the exploration now?" Haleem asked, his voice full of desperation.

"Haleem, do not let greed cloud your judgment. Look at the state you are in!" Sword Saint Terrio interrupted in a low, stern voice.

"I have been itching to leave this wretched place for a long time."

"Besides, the gains from these three memory crystals alone have surpassed our wildest hopes. It is far more than we have ever recovered from previous ruins. We should be satisfied!"

"This..." Terrio’s harsh words acted like a bucket of icy water, dousing Haleem’s excitement and forcing him back to reality.

He knew the Sword Saint was right. Pushing further would be a suicidal risk.

And yet, a part of him felt a deep sense of reluctance.

This was a Floating City after all. If it could be restored, it would mean...

A look of inner conflict played across Haleem's face.

"I concur that our priority should be leaving," Hernandez added, nodding in agreement with Terrio.

With both Epic-level experts favoring a retreat, Haleem couldn't hide his disappointment.

He realized that being outnumbered three to one meant his objections were futile.

"Since we are in agreement, we shall return to the surface first to gather the people from the camp. Then we will head to the negative first floor and depart through the third exit," Rein suggested with a faint smile.

"Understood, Lord Rein. We will follow your lead."

"Agreed."

...

The four of them soon ascended from the negative second floor to the negative first floor without incident.

The area near the breach was still cluttered with goblin corpses and broken machinery due to the triggered alarms. Rein had to take the lead to clear a path and ensure the way was safe.

Because of Haleem’s injuries, the others did not expect him to help with the clearing work. Instead, he remained preoccupied, excitedly studying the memory crystal that detailed the Floating City.

About fifteen minutes later, they reached the surface level.

"Wait, there's actually a military barracks on the negative third floor?" Haleem muttered to himself, his mind still buried in the data as he followed the group.

The other three could understand his obsession with the city's secrets.

"And there's a prison on the negative second floor? I don't recall seeing that earlier," Haleem whispered again.

Wait—a prison?

That passing comment from Haleem struck Rein like a bolt of lightning, piercing through his thoughts.

It was a sudden moment of clarity that cut through the confusion.

Rein suddenly realized there was a possibility he hadn't even considered!

The team from the Valziger School were outsiders just like them. If they had been overwhelmed by the goblin automatons, they would have been either slaughtered or dragged to the prison on the negative second floor by those goblin corpses that still followed their ancient, programmed instincts.