The clatter echoed through the dark temple, and Felder carefully walked down the waterlogged stone steps with a torch. It seemed to be an empty hall, and the light of the torches could not reach the surrounding walls. After a few more steps down, the group stood in a clearing paved with stone slabs.

The damp air was mixed with the smell of rotten mold, and the faint sound of running water could be heard around him, Felder frowned and rubbed his nose as he continued on his way.

Soon, a wall stood in the way. The wall was so integrated that it looked like it had been carved out of a monolith. But there is a gap in the middle that runs through the top and bottom. Was this a huge stone door? Felder stepped forward and pushed, but the stone door didn't move.

"What the hell is this place? It looks like there's no road anymore. Elena held her chin in confusion.

Vane stared at the carved pattern on the stone door and said, "If my guess is correct, this should be the ruins of an ancient elven temple. The ancient elves reached their peak thousands of years ago, with city palaces and temples spread across the continent, and the buildings were large in scale and complex in structure. There's certainly more to this temple than meets the eye. ”

"You guys wait here, I'll take a look around. Felder finished holding the torch and walked to the left-hand side. The hall wasn't too big, and soon he was walking to the wall.

Reflecting the light of the torches, you can see moss on the walls, with some slimy transparent liquid on them. The carvings on the walls are badly corroded, and with the adhesion of moss, it is no longer visible from the real thing. There is a water channel more than half a meter wide next to the wall, and the water in it flows slowly in the direction of the stone gate, and it is from here that the sound of water that I heard before.

There is an elaborate lamp on the wall, and above the lampshade there is a sculpture of an animal's head, the same as on the stone pillar outside. Felder tried to open it, but was unsuccessful. Just as Felder turned to walk back, he tripped over something, and fell to the ground in the water.

"Phew, that's unlucky, I can fall when I walk. Felder got up and wiped the water from his face, which was slimy and smelled disgusting.

"Felder, are you alright?" Vane and the others groped in the darkness and slowly moved over.

"It's okay, I accidentally fell. Felder said as he picked up the torch. "Wait, there's something here. ”

Under the light of the fire, everyone saw that the wet and mossy stone slab was attached to a metal rod the length of a small arm, the lower end of which was submerged into the stone slab, and the whole was almost parallel to the stone slab, looking like a mechanically controlled joystick.

"What is this? Could it be that the door opened?" said Felder, pulling the lever up. Suddenly, there was a sound of mechanical parts turning from below the ground.

Contrary to Felder's expectations, the stone door did not move, and there was a dull grinding sound not far away. The group moved over, only to see a one-meter-square pit appear on the originally flat stone floor. Felder shone it with a torch, and the tunnel was not very high, about three or four meters, and there were stone steps at the entrance leading to the bottom.

Soon everyone was standing in the underground tunnel. The tunnel is not wide, and it is possible to only have two people at the same time. The smell around became even more unacceptable, and everyone had to cover their mouths and noses and continue walking.

The walls and floor were covered in transparent slime, twisted in the light of the torches, making it easy to look at. The soft, slimy feeling of his boots on the ground was very uncomfortable for Vane, and he really didn't want to stay here for a second longer.

"Ahh

"What's wrong?" Felder asked.

"Something just ran past me!" said Elena, in shock.

"Maybe it's rats or bugs, there's a lot of this kind of dark and damp place. Felder didn't take it to heart.

The group continued on their way, and soon a continuous stone staircase appeared in front of them, and Felder took the lead with a torch. The sight suddenly opened up, and it could be seen that it was originally a temple more than ten meters high, but now it can no longer be called a building.

A large amount of earth poured out of the walls, doors and windows and piled up all around, and most of the carved stone pillars and walls were deep in the mud. The windows and doors are long gone, either swallowed up by the dirt or reduced to unfathomable black caverns. This is not so much a cave as a cave in the style of a temple.

"Why don't you just rest here, it looks much better than before, at least it's not as humid and free of all that disgusting slime. Felder put the torch in the dirt beside him, found a stone and sat down.

"Ahh

"Hey, rats again?" Felder had just sat down, and had to pick up a torch and walk over.

"There seems to be a dead man here...... "Elena whispered, pointing to the shadows not far away.

In the light of the fire, it was a white skeleton sitting on the ground with its back against the wall, and it looked like the skeleton of a human. Its head fell to the side, and some bones were scattered on the ground, and it looked like it had been dead for a long time.

"It's just a skeleton, don't worry, I'll go over there and get some rest. So saying, Felder turned to go back to the stone.

"Wait, there's something under it. Vane took the torch from Felder and illuminated the surroundings. Sure enough, there seemed to be a book underneath the pile of bones and dust, and Vane had the courage to pull it out with the tail of his staff. This is not a book, but a beautifully packaged hardcover diary.

"What's written?" the crowd approached curiously.

There was no writing on the cover, and Vane blew the dust from the dark red cover and opened the yellowed journal.

"April 2, 286 A.D."

"Today, dear Sally and I have finally found a long-lost temple of the ancient elves, who would have known that it had sunk under a lake? Despite the damage, we are delighted by the abundance of ancient ruins and relics. ”

At the back of the diary is a simple map showing the location of the lake.

"Age of Magic, April 3, 286"

"Today, we went deeper inside the temple, where it was wetter but also fruitful. Sally found an old key in a secret compartment, the wooden box containing the key was rotten, but the key looked like it had been put in new, which was a strange thing. By the way, on the way back I seemed to see something running through the darkness, maybe I was dazzled. ”

"The Fourth of April 286 A.D."

"A terrible demon has taken my dear Sally away, and I am seriously injured and I am afraid that I will not live long, and I regret coming here. If anyone sees this diary, please leave quickly, and if you can, give it to the Adventurers Association in Casali. - Mario

The final diary was scribbled, and the paper was crumpled with water and blood. In the dark layers of the book's cover, Vane found the key, which looked like an ordinary brass key except for the bright light.

It seems to be an archaeologist's diary. Everyone took turns circulating it, and after reading it, they all had a look of surprise and uncertainty on their faces. What exactly does the devil mean? A sense of unease rose in everyone's heart.

Just then, a strange cry came from behind.