[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela":3,"chapter-exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-81":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Exiled from the Start and Dominating the Wasteland with an Intelligence System",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1688681,2155,"Chapter 81 : Chapter 81","exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-81",81,"\u003Cp>Chapter 81. The Makoto of Another World\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli’s gaze was drawn just as firmly to that mysterious box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bardel’s legacy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath, reached out, and accepted it with the utmost care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt icy and heavy in his hands, with a strange texture, like some kind of warm-toned jade, yet also carrying the feel of metal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried prying the lid open with force, but it did not budge in the slightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he tried searching for a hidden clasp or seam, his fingers slowly tracing the intricate patterns across its surface, but he found nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The box was a seamless whole, as though it had been born in that form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness?” Eli looked up at Irene with a questioning expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irene’s gaze fell on the box. She extended a slender finger and lightly brushed across the lid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint crease appeared between her brows, and in the end, she gently shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It cannot be opened. It has been locked by an... ancient seal. The method is very unusual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice remained as calm as ever. “Keep it safe for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It... it won’t open?!” Gulu exploded at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pointing at the box with one tiny paw, it shrieked at Irene in grief and outrage. “Your Highness!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You made the great Lord Gulu soak in that freezing water for half the day!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just to fish up a broken box that won’t even open?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Th-this is outright animal abuse!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli frowned as well, his heart full of disappointment and confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had gone to so much trouble, only to end up with a box they could not open?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swept his eyes across the empty underground cavern around them. All that remained were cold stone walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be that Bardel’s mausoleum was not here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the intelligence wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unwilling to give up, he raised the torch and walked to the rock wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He carefully felt across the cold, slick stone surface inch by inch, trying to find any possible mechanism or hidden door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m furious! Absolutely furious!” Gulu, seeing that no one was paying it any attention, became even more indignant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where’s my treasure?! What happened to the treasure we were promised?! Liars! All of you are liars!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more it thought about it, the angrier it became. It kicked a pebble the size of a pigeon’s egg from beside its foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a sharp clack, the stone flew out, bounced several times across the slippery ground, and rolled forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfectly by chance, it struck an inconspicuous cobblestone near the edge of the pool with a dull thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An extremely faint sound of interlocking gears meshing together rang out in the silent cavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three froze at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>RUMBLE—!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tremendous roar and a powerful suction force suddenly erupted from the center of the pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clear water began spinning wildly downward at a speed visible to the naked eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just a few breaths, the pool bottom was exposed, covered in pebbles and silt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there, at the center of the drained pool, a pitch-black circular opening roughly two meters across appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crude stone staircase wound downward along the wall of the shaft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?!” Gulu’s mouth dropped open, its black bead-like eyes going perfectly round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, it puffed out its soaked little chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Planting its tiny paws on its waist, it loudly declared with overwhelming pride,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha! Hahaha! See that? I knew the mechanism was here all along!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That kick just now was deliberate! I did it on purpose to open the secret passage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well? Impressive, right? Why aren’t you thanking the great Lord Gulu yet?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli stared at the bottomless opening, and the corner of his eye twitched violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A coincidence? Or... did this marmot really have some absurd stroke of luck?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go.” Irene’s voice broke the silence as she walked toward the opening first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli shook his head helplessly, then carefully stuffed the unopened box into his pack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lighting another torch, he stepped onto the spiral stone staircase that led into the unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stairs were steep and slick, coiling downward as though they had no end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They descended far deeper than Eli had expected. He could even feel the change in air pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, the steps beneath his feet gave way to flat, solid ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The space before them suddenly opened up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli raised his torch high. Its orange-red light struggled to pierce the heavy darkness, barely illuminating the scene ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with his hardened nerves, he could not help but suck in a sharp breath as his scalp prickled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were standing in an underground space so vast it was almost beyond imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As far as the eye could see, there were dense, neatly ordered formations of... clay soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thousands upon thousands of them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These clay figures were the same height as real people and wore ancient-looking armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their hands they held spears, swords, and shields, all molded from clay as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stood in different poses. Some stood rigidly upright, some knelt on one knee, and some looked as though they were charging into battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their hollow eye sockets seemed to stare at the intruders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow...” Gulu poked its head out from Eli’s pocket, its black eyes full of horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So... so many mud people! This is terrifying!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A-Are they going to come alive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irene’s gaze swept over the silent army. She tilted her head slightly, as though carefully identifying the style and details of the figures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, she spoke softly. “This is indeed... the style of an early mausoleum belonging to a high noble of the Western Federation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terracotta or stone figures were used to guard the tomb’s master, symbolizing the authority they wielded in life and the underworld army they would command in death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli stared at the shocking sight before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, a famous term from his previous life flashed through his mind—the Terracotta Army!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was practically the otherworld version of Qin Shi Huang’s underground mausoleum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the center of this clay army, guarding the very heart of the tomb, stood a square palace built from massive blocks of obsidian, ancient and weighty in design.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Move.” Irene’s voice broke the stunned silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli steadied himself, tightened his grip on the torch and the hilt of Silver,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and carefully stepped into the sea of clay figures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three of them cautiously moved through the gaps in the formations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as they had gone deep into the ranks, when they were only a few dozen paces away from the palace gates—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahhh—!!!” Gulu suddenly let out a shriek so sharp it nearly warped. It frantically slapped at Eli with its tiny paws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They moved! They moved, Eli!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind us! The mud people behind us! They moved! They blocked the way!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli whirled around, and his heart instantly sank to the bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The path they had just taken was now, at some unknown point, completely sealed off by rows upon rows of clay figures that had silently shifted into place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those hollow eye sockets seemed to be staring coldly at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was utterly horrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fine sheen of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. This place... was far too eerie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness!” Eli’s voice had never sounded more grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something is wrong. Let’s retreat. This place... is too sinister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing more terrifying than an unknown threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, yes, yes! Retreat! Let’s retreat!” Gulu nodded frantically from inside the pocket, its voice already tinged with tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Irene stopped walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She merely turned her face slightly, and that look in her eyes made it seem as though she were watching a child throwing a tantrum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With me here,” she said in a tone of quiet certainty that allowed no doubt,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“what are you afraid of?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying that, she paid no further attention to Eli or Gulu’s reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She simply turned around and continued forward toward the tightly shut obsidian palace doors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli pressed his lips together and frowned, but in the end, he could only grit his teeth and follow after her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, the three of them arrived before the obsidian palace, which radiated an ancient and oppressive aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive stone doors were tightly closed, and their surface was carved with intricate, unfamiliar patterns, as though telling the story of some lost age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli took a deep breath, planted both hands against the doors, and pushed with all his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creeeak—creeeak—creeeak—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone doors slowly opened inward, and a blast of ancient, decayed air rushed out to meet them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inside of the palace was much smaller than it had appeared from the outside, but it was still spacious enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Torchlight flickered weakly, barely illuminating the central area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first thing that came into view was a rectangular stone coffin, also carved from a single massive block of obsidian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its surface was smooth, with no unnecessary decoration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the front of the coffin stood a black stone stele more than twice the height of a man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its surface was covered in strange writing that looked like clusters of tadpoles, and Eli’s heartbeat could not help but quicken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding the torch warily, he swept his gaze across every corner of the palace like a searchlight...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging from all those “archaeology” novels he had read in his previous life,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a place like this usually hid the deadliest kind of... tomb guardian beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet the entire interior of the palace was completely empty. Aside from the stone coffin and the stele in the center, there seemed to be nothing else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irene, however, appeared to have developed a strong interest in the stele.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring Eli’s vigilance, she walked straight up to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tilting her head slightly upward, she silently studied the ancient, twisted script engraved upon it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After confirming that there was no immediate danger, Eli relaxed a little and slowly moved to her side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the incomprehensible writing on the stele, he could not help asking in a low voice,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, what... does it say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irene kept her eyes on the inscription, and her ethereal voice drifted softly through the empty palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is the story of... a man who longed for immortality.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bardel, the ruler of the Federation known as ‘Iron Hand,’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>believed that the harmonization of yin and yang was the ultimate secret to obtaining eternal life and supreme power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And so, over the course of his life, he searched for and gathered... many different kinds of ‘partners.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Human women, elves, beastfolk, demi-humans, goblins, even... fishfolk from the deep sea.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He sought to blend the life-source of different races, harmonize yin and yang, and thereby pierce the boundary between life and death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli listened in utter disbelief, and the corner of his mouth twitched despite himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This “Iron Hand” ruler really was... something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His way of thinking was truly extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to stop himself, Eli asked, “Judging by the look of things... he failed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irene shook her head slightly, and her fingertip slid over a line of text. “No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He succeeded.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He truly did obtain a lifespan far beyond that of ordinary men, as well as great power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice paused for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because he took too many lovers, he eventually provoked the boundless fury of all his partners.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...And on a certain night under the full moon, the many companions he had gathered joined forces... and stabbed him to death in his bedchamber.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sucked in a sharp breath, feeling as though he had suffered a shock unlike any before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was actually possible?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a bizarre way to die... yet somehow, it made perfect sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From “Iron Hand” to a jealous-lovers bloodbath?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was basically the otherworld version of Makoto’s downfall!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes drifted instinctively toward the massive obsidian coffin in the center of the hall, and his emotions became indescribably complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A peerless ruler of his age had ended in such a way...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had just begun walking toward the coffin, wanting to see the final resting place of this amorous monarch—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM—!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening crash, heavy as a mountain collapsing, suddenly rang out behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enormous obsidian doors they had pushed open with such effort slammed shut on their own without warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>HISSS—!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange pinkish-white gas suddenly sprayed out from all sides of the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough! Cough!” The pungent smell made Eli choke violently, and alarm bells instantly blared in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poison? Or a trap?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately held his breath, and battle aura instinctively surged through his body as he tried to resist whatever corrosion might follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked toward Irene without thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as Her Highness was here, no poisonous gas or trap should have been enough to trouble them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment he saw Irene’s condition, a chill unlike anything he had ever felt instantly froze his blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The face of Irene, who had always remained calm and composed, now showed clear shock for the very first time, even beneath her disguise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within those star-filled eyes was a bewilderment so intense it was hard to believe, and...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a trace of panic he had never seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mana... can no longer be guided...”\u003C\u002Fp>",2206,"2026-06-06T13:50:45.844Z",1,"novelbin.me","bc71a05f863275ba4a19f6a8f999f3e9d8f4f3a7202c59aaa3b5580296da0861","exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-82","exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-80",112,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fexiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-cover.jpg"]