Building An Empire Starting From The Labor Camp In Exile-Chapter 47: A little history

"What do you see?" Kren asked, breathless.

Atrox turned to him, his eyes wide and his mouth open. He tried to calm his racing heart so he wouldn’t reveal more than he intended. "I saw a red moon around that figure," he said flatly.

He studied Kren carefully for his reaction and wasn’t disappointed. The man’s face fell, and his mouth pursed in disappointment, though he tried to hide it with a smile. "A moon? That’s interesting."

’But not what you’re looking for, is it?’ Atrox thought. ’I know you know something, Kren. Things aren’t as they seem. Otherwise, why would you bring me here?’

"Do you see the moon as well?" he asked.

Kren shook his head. "You! Can’t you see what’s important here? This proves that there were people who believed in the gods and that they might have actually existed at one time in the ages! Why else would a cathedral connect with the ruin?

"Ruins are always places of power, which means there was real power here at one time. But then... maybe they were Knights as well, and this building was a battleground? With all the dead surrounding us, it’s possible. But then..."

Kren began to pace, his voice echoing and stirring dust into the air. "I’m going to write a book about these findings, and then I’ll visit ruins like this, though it’s going to cost a lot of..."

Atrox could only watch, stunned. At first, he thought Kren was pretending, but now, with the passion he was showing, there was no doubt. This man was simply addicted to history and his work.

Finally, Kren calmed down and shook his head with a rueful smile. "Sorry. I tend to get carried away when I see this kind of thing. I’ve already started a book and hope to gain more insight with fresh eyes."

"Sorry, I’m not much help," Atrox said.

Kren waved him off. "Forget it. You also have to learn history with your own eyes. Come, let’s return. I can feel Arvas’s glares from here, even though this will help the workers in the last stage."

Just as they were about to leave through the hole in the wall, Atrox looked back at the skeletons once more. This time, their sockets weren’t empty.

They glowed with purple circles and deep black holes in the center. Atrox sucked in a sharp breath. The Forbidden Mark!

But that wasn’t all. The entire room had flipped upside down, with the skeletons’ legs facing up. Suddenly, the black holes in the marks glowed crimson, shaped like a moon.

Atrox flinched and stumbled into Kren, who caught him before he fell. "Are you alright?" Kren’s voice sounded strange, as though coming from far away.

Atrox looked back into the cathedral... and everything was back to normal. The skeletons sat on rusted metal chairs, staring at the altar.

"Are you alright?" Kren asked again.

Atrox nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, I’m alright." He glanced back once more. Everything seemed normal, but his skin crawled as they hurried away.

They walked in silence for a while, and Atrox tried to process what had just happened. But the one thought that echoed in his mind was: ’Nothing makes any sense. Everything just became more confusing. What I know is that this place is strange, and the Forbidden Mark is important—but in what way?’

’The Forbidden Mark has been reacting ever since I got here under that red moon, but I don’t understand what it all means.’

’And then there’s that man in the dark robe with others prostrating before him.’

He was confused but also exhilarated. His blood buzzed with excitement. ’Maybe I’ll finally get the answers I’ve been searching for.’

Reluctantly, he dragged himself from his thoughts before Kren grew suspicious. "Don’t you find anything weird back there?"

Kren gave him a puzzled look. "Like what? Everything in a ruin is always abnormal and weird. But it seems rather peaceful here—that’s probably because we’ve already cleared most of the monsters. Of course, some still remain."

The man continued speaking. "I can’t wait to return and start writing about all I’ve learned! And there he is, glaring at me!" He pointed, and Atrox followed his hand.

Arvas was indeed glaring at them, arms crossed. "Are you done with today’s lesson now, or would you like to continue here, in the middle of a ruin where a monster could attack us at any moment?"

Kren seemed unbothered by the scolding. "Stop fretting, Arvas. This also gave you time to rest before we continue the last part of the journey. You all rested enough, right?"

Arvas scowled. "It’s not about resting; it’s about you setting off a chain reaction that could kill all of us."

"I didn’t know you cared about me this much." Kren grinned and adjusted his glasses.

"I don’t care what happens to you. Just don’t get me killed."

"Oh, come here, come here..." Kren tried to hug him, but Arvas remained stiff as a board.

Atrox sighed and shook his head at the two of them.

"Are you alright? You look pale," Tiber said, studying him closely.

Atrox managed a smile. "Nothing’s wrong. Kren was showing me some paintings related to the history he taught me earlier."

Syla shot him a look, clearly unimpressed by their decision to explore a broken structure in the middle of a ruin where monsters could be lurking.

Atrox didn’t elaborate further. As they began walking again, his face grew thoughtful, his eyes narrowed in contemplation. They pressed on, the surrounding darkness cocooning them, their light the only beacon in the void.

Then Kren shouted, and the whole team came to a halt. No one asked why they’d stopped—they could see it.

A dark castle rose before them, gleaming faintly even in the shadows. It jutted from the ground like the bones of some eldritch creature, its spires reaching into the silent night and vanishing into the void above.