Chapter 61


    To the east of Botanic Haveny a rugged ridge of broken stone, secluded and deste.


    vin arrived here at the stroke of midnight, drawing closer to Botanic Haven under the cloak of


    darkness.


    Mari knew he woulde. After meeting him, she said little, leading him through Botanic Haven


    along a narrow path to the mountainside some five hundred meters away. She knew the patrol


    patterns of Botanic Haven like the back of her hand, easily avoiding all who crossed their path.


    Soon after they entered Botanic Haven, the roaring stopped, and an eerie silence fell over the


    ce, devoid of even the chirping of insects.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Mari nced back at him, but vin said nothing. He could feel powerful summons and the


    restlessness of the Shadowbringer within the Energetic Coreenergy.


    Havinge this far, he had no concerns and was curious to see whaty before him.


    Mari led him to the mountainside, where an ancient and beautiful grove once stood but nowy a


    deep chasm stretching over a hundred meters across. The chasm was riddled with ferocious cracks


    and was bottomless, with rubble and rotting trees scattered everywhere in disarray.


    A gargantuan, oddly shaped rock jutted out from the depths of the chasm, reflecting a ghastly pale


    light under the moon. It was surrounded by thick waves of energy that twisted the space around it,


    signaling the immense power within. Thick golden chains, gleaming with a dazzling light, wrapped


    around the rock, making its silhouette resemble a struggling figure. One end of the chains bound


    the rock while the other was firmly rooted deep into the ground, radiating a resplendent majesty.


    "The Elders have just left, but they could return at any moment. What will you do?" Mari herself


    was on an adventure, but it was worth a try.


    "Are you sure you didn''t tell your master?"


    "I came to you in private."


    "Are you certain I can handle it?"


    "Not certain, but let''s try. For Celesse''s sake, you''d best pray you''re up to the task."


    vin was about to step forward but then hesitated and stepped back. "I have a condition. No


    matter what happens, take me back to the warehouse, and don''t let anyone touch me."


    "You can trust me."


    What choice did he have but to trust her? vin took a deep breath and cautiously approached the


    ruin.


    The massive stone was silent as if it sensed vin''s presence, its emanating energy noticeably


    receding.


    Mari watched vin and the stone with furrowed brows. Could it really be working? Was its


    sudden awakening truly connected to vin?


    vin moved slowly, anxious.


    Mari watched intently, ready to intervene at any sign of trouble.


    As vin drew closer, the energy from the stone weakened, retreating like the tide, and when he


    finally stood before it, the energy vanishedpletely. Apart from its strange appearance and the


    chains, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.


    Previously, only a few meters of the stone were visible above ground, but now it towered three to


    five times that height from within the chasm.


    At that moment, not only the stone but also the Shadowbringer itself was silent. The moonlight cast


    a mystical glow, and the silence was like that of the grave.


    vin circled the stone slowly, while Mari stood at the edge of the chasm, watching intently.


    After a while, vin looked towards Mari, his brows tightly knit.


    Mari''s heart tightened, sensing trouble. "What is it?"


    "What am I supposed to do?"


    Silence was Mari''s answer.


    "What exactly is sealed inside?"


    "It poses no threat to you."


    "You have a strange sense of humor."


    Silence again.


    vin tentatively raised his hand and reached out to the stone.


    "Boom!" The bottom of the chasm trembled violently as if something was fiercely striking from


    within. The chains immediately tightened, their golden light intensifying.


    Mari gripped her ice sword, tense and watchful.


    But the strike was a solitary event, and no further disturbances followed. vin stayed alert for a


    while, then ced his hands on the stone, concentrating. But other than the cold, smooth surface,


    he felt nothing, and after listening for a moment, all was still. Strange, he thought, “He was


    summoned in such haste, yet now all is quiet?


    Mari was puzzled. "Do you sense anything?"


    vin moved away from the stone, tapping it, but still, no response.


    "Try again," Mari urged.


    "How should I try? Should I pull it out?" vin gave it a shove, shrugged, and left the chasm. "I''ve


    done what I could."


    "You felt nothing?"


    "What am I supposed to feel?" vin''s words felt oddly out of ce.


    "Could I have been wrong?" Mari mused to herself.


    "I''ll take my leave then. Just pretend that I was never here. By the way, what was that talk of a union


    during the day?"


    "Marak wants to marry Celesse. The organization has yet to decide."


    "And what''s the organization''s stance?"


    "When marriage bes a matter of greater concern, personal will cannot prevail. Lord


    Viperbane''s envoy, Neasilis, was the Commander''s fellow apprentice before he pledged allegiance


    to Lord Viperbane. To gain Lord Viperbane''s trust, he did not hesitate to y the Cobalt Strike


    Elder.s He knows the secrets of Botanic Haven and realizes the threat this secret poses to Cobalt


    Strike. If..."