The closer Victor Moore got to the Dragonlord Citadel, the more suffocating the pressure bearing down on him became.
Massive black stones lay piled in chaotic heaps, resembling a graveyard for giants.
The sulfurous odor in the air grew increasingly pungent, forcing Victor to re-dampen his crude mask with standing water once again.
Yet he did not shrink back in the slightest; instead, his focus sharpened.
His brain had already entered crunch mode on a key project.
Rather than rushing blindly to the base of the citadel like a headless fly, he stopped at a relatively safe, elevated cliff to conduct a long-range survey.
It was an engineer’s instinct: before making a move, there had to be a blueprint.
He didn’t just observe with his eyes; he calculated with his mind.
His gaze swept swiftly across the ruins of the fortress, his mind automatically rendering a three-dimensional model.
The main tower stood at the center with the thickest, heaviest structure, serving as the core of defense.
Judging by Valyrian architecture and the lifestyle of their nobility, the Dragonlords’ quarters and council hall were likely on the upper floors to project majesty.
However, a vault or secret storage room would never be placed in such a conspicuous spot.
To withstand war and dragon attacks, the vault had to be underground, protected by the thickest bedrock and the sturdiest construction.
Therefore, it was highly probable that its location was directly beneath the main tower, integrated into the citadel’s entire foundation.
Victor’s gaze finally locked onto the half-collapsed foundation of the main tower.
Covered in massive quantities of lava and fallen debris, it looked like nothing more than a worthless pile of rubble.
When the cataclysm struck, the upper structures collapsed, completely burying the lower entrance.
Intense lava then flowed over it, forming a natural, unbreakable seal.
He had deduced the vault’s most likely location, but it still required verification.
He needed a tool.
Victor began rummaging through the rubble.
Soon, he found a metal rod roughly two meters long and as thick as a child’s arm.
It seemed to be a decorative railing from some building, twisted in the disaster but largely intact.
He also picked up several hard basalt stones of various sizes.
Holding this crude assembly, he nodded with satisfaction and gave it a signature name: the Moore Impact Probe and Acoustic Receiver.
Equipped with his high-tech device, Victor led the listless dragon, Comet, carefully toward the center of his estimated area.
He placed one end of the metal rod vertically against the ground, then struck the top with a stone.
*Thump!* A dull vibration traveled down the rod into his palm.
Without hesitation, he pressed his ear directly against the cold, opposite end.
*Thump…
thump…
thump…* With each strike, he listened intently, analyzing the acoustic waves echoing back from beneath the earth.
His expression resembled a conductor listening to the most exquisite symphony in the world.
The bedrock here was solid—the echo was dull, short, and traveled quickly.
He moved to another spot and struck again.
*Thump…
hummm…* This time, besides the heavy thud, he caught a faint resonance, delayed by a fraction of a second.
*It’s hollow!* Victor’s eyes lit up.
This proved his deduction correct: beneath this pile of rubble lay a massive subterranean cavern.
But he was not satisfied yet.
A cavern could be a cellar, an aqueduct, or even just a natural cave.
He required more precise evidence.
Using the first hollow point as a center, he began surveying outward in a grid pattern.
Striking the ground roughly every meter, he memorized every subtle difference in the echoes.
Strike, listen, move, strike again…
The process was tedious and long, yet for Victor, it was imbued with a unique scientific romance.
In his mind, a 3D acoustic map of the underground gradually grew clearer and more complete.
The outline of a massive, rectangular underground chamber began to take shape.
Just as he surveyed near the center, the echo in his ear abruptly changed.
*Thump…
hummm…
ring…* Mingled with the deep resonance was a crisp, high-frequency metallic vibration!
Victor’s breath caught in his throat.
He struck again and leaned close to listen.
Yes!
Metallic vibration!
Such a distinct reverberation only occurred when acoustic waves hit a massive, dense pile of metal!
Judging by the intensity and duration of the chime, the quantity of metal below was unimaginable!
Found it!
Victor straightened up abruptly, his heart pounding with excitement.
He could even feel Comet on his back picking up on his emotions, letting out a curious rumble.
He had precisely located the vault through a method that anyone in this world would find utterly incomprehensible.
But a new problem arose: the vault’s entrance was completely sealed by several meters of hardened lava and boulders, like a natural tomb.
Victor did not lose heart.
He walked around the marked area like an experienced geologist, carefully analyzing the fracture patterns of the rock and the flow directions formed by the cooled lava.
“The disaster originated from the west, sweeping east with shockwaves and lava.” “This is the east side of the fortress, the tail end of the impact.
This deepest fissure, along with the lava buildup and folding here…
proves that this spot absorbed the final, most concentrated structural stress.” His finger finally came to rest on a massive, shield-like slab of slanted obsidian.
This had been the vault’s entrance.
The shockwave had collapsed it inward before lava sealed it shut.
It was the original and weakest link in the entire seal.
He had found the perfect entry point for his surgical strike.
Using a sharp stone, Victor drew several crossed marks on the ground.
These points were not at the center of the entrance, but scattered across several unassuming corners along the perimeter.
He patted Comet’s head as the young dragon watched his scribbles with interest.
“Comet, see these points?” He pointed to the marks on the ground, transmitting a clear mental image across their psychic bond.
“In a moment, you’ll drop your bombs right here.
Not a single one off target.” The hatchling wagged its tail—already showing formidable ridges—as if half-understanding.
The crimson cores at its wingtip joints flickered, responding through action.
*No problem, leave it to me!*