Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1001: Stirred

Before long, and after moving a bunch of rocks, the group finally reached Larisa's laboratory. As one would expect, it was completely dark, but Rain illuminated things with some fireballs. The interior was completely covered in dust, and cobwebs, it was still amazing that plants hadn't taken over the place… or maybe they did and died after the planet lost most of its nutrients.

Everyone looked completetely astonished as they saw a long corridor completely made of metal. They had never seen anything like this before, so they were quite surprised to see that the technology of the other world seemed hundreds of years ahead of them.

"Dad said that the previous humans didn't have access to magic… so they were still able to create all this despite that?" Danny asked.

"They were able to do this precisely because they couldn't use magic," Rain said.

"I see… our society developed slowly if compared to theirs because they were forced to improve their knowledge and technology," Esmeralda said while nodding. "I wonder what kind of challenges they faced…"

"The same old challenges, no matter the age, humans will always have to deal with the influence of the sins," Rain said. "Greed makes people work harder, and might also lead to competition and sometimes theft. Anger leads to a person feeling motivated to strengthen themselves to protect those they love, but it also leads them to subjugate others when they know they can, and no one can stop them."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

"What have the relics taught you about exactly about the past?" Esmeralda asked.

"Just the basics since their memories are limited," Rain said. "Anyway, we need to keep going."

Everyone kept moving and crossed the corridor until they saw massive steel door that sealed the main body of the laboratory. Annie was quite strong and tried to pull the whole thing, but she failed… she could lift objects that were several tons heavy, but she was surprised to see that.

"This isn't just heavy, it has locks too with many… things that make them hard to unlock," Rain said and then pointed his index finger toward the border of the door. "Sorry, Larisa."

"Just don't destroy everything," Larisa said. "While you might not destroy anything of value, there are things here that still holds value to me."

Rain felt like shrugging… people had so little faith on him. Regardless, he fired a thin, but concentrated blast of fire through his index finger and destroyed the locks of the door. The next moment, Annie stepped in and had her revenge against the door and completely moved it.

The air inside the laboratory was a bit stable, but it looked like everything was still fine inside… at least in theory, when Rain got closer to the machines that were used to analyze parts of the first dinosaurs, he felt the faint smell of burned metal.

"Do you remember anything happening that could have made the machines malfunction?" Rain asked.

"No… still, I guess at some point, some powerful electromagnetic pulse fried up all the circuits," Larisa said. "It is just like she said… nothing can be saved here."

Puzzled by the discovery of the malfunctioned machines, Rain couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss. As Larisa mentioned the possibility of a powerful electromagnetic pulse frying up the circuits of all the machines in the world, Rain considered the implications.

However, he couldn't connect the idea that the first dragons, despite their immense power, could have wielded such a spell.

"It's strange," Rain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Even if it was the first dragons, using a spell that could fry up all the machines in the world... it doesn't add up. They were powerful, but knowing a spell like that? And why use it so late in the game? Those inside the relics had the chance to fight back."

The air of mystery thickened as the group explored the remains of Larisa's laboratory. Despite the stability of the atmosphere inside, the scent of burned metal lingered, a poignant reminder that even the most advanced technology of their predecessors had succumbed to the forces of time and an unknown calamity.

The group faced not only the challenges of their current mission but also the shadows of a past that seemed increasingly more and more enigmatic.

"What the… there is nothing here outside of machines, how did they do anything here?" Annie asked.

"This place was specifically made to do research on the first dragons, they focused only on that," Rain explained. "They didn't spend their time making food… they apparently had some machines that prepared food for them."

"Apparently? Why do you sound so unsure?" Elisabetha asked while giggling.

"Shut the fuck up," Rain thought.

Elisabetha was probably planning to take Nigel's place an annoy Rain as much as possible, but she knew her limits and how to make Rain too much annoyed when he just helped them with mobility. Still, she knew that Rain didn't want to reveal that he was a reincarnated person, and decided to stir him up a bit.

"Are you angry at my words or for hiding things from your daughter?" Elisabetha asked.

"Show her, Rain," Nigel said. "Show her that you are an advocate of true gender equality."

Rain made a mental note to develop some relic to shut those fuckers up… he will have to find that dark metal that made the bones of the dragons, but perhaps he could make it by himself someday. That will be interesting…

Annie's observation held merit, and Rain couldn't dismiss the validity of her point. The machines were now busted, relics of a bygone era, and it seemed that everything done in the laboratory had relied on the intricate skills of the researchers and the now useless technology.

As the group explored further, contemplating whether there was anything of value left in the seemingly barren environment, or so they thought. The place had some dormitories as well and Larisa guided Rain there, where he found a sealed locker with some notebooks…