The Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon was not anything that Jon might have expected.

The gorgeous, crystal-clear crimson waters and the enormous Immortal Fire Palms gave Jon the impression that the Wonder Of "Fire" and "Lake" was an oasis amidst the burning golden sands.

Despite Jon thinking that the lagoon itself would be a sweltering hellscape that made even the Burning Desert Of Kel pleasant, the Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon seemed to emanate a soft and gentle breeze.

Jon managed to find almost a dozen Mana Cores related to both "fire" and "lake" from just a short stroll beside the red lagoon. He had lost count of the number of fragments that he had discovered, finding some with names that he never even considered could be fragments.

Fragment Of "Gratitude" discovered.

Fragment Of "Sun" discovered.

Fragment Of "Solar" discovered.

Fragment Of "Bountiful" discovered.

Fragment Of "Boundless" discovered.

Fragment Of "Eternity" discovered.

Fragment Of "Inferno" discovered.

Fragment Of "Flow" discovered.

Fragment Of "Balance discovered.

Fragment Of "Transience" discovered.

This was on top of the normal fragments, such the five Fragments Of Fire and four Fragments Of Water that he had found scattered about the place. The sheer amount of wealth that Jon had obtained from exploring the Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon was even more than the number of fragments he had obtained from killing the Malum Hobgoblin.

Jon had even convinced Ashvattha Rana and Schwarz Eis to manifest themselves physically, the former even joining in and using her numerous roots to retrieve fragments that had been buried beneath the soft, wet sands, or ones that Jon had missed while excitedly reaching for a more interesting fragment.

Jon had even managed to discover two universal fragments, although both of which were Fragments Of Spirit.

"Oh! Another Fragment Of Leaf! And a Fragment Of Thorn!" Jon hummed, smiling as he knelt down to pick up the two fragments, grinning as he turned back towards his two summoned companions.

"Rana! Did you find anything interesting?!" He shouted, several dozen metres away.

The bodhi tree communicated with Jon using the mental connection born from his Fragment Of Tree.

"I did manage to find a Fragment Of Growth which I found interesting. On top of a Fragment Of Salvation," said Rana, extending two of her roots towards Jon and allowing him to place them within his Red Archives.

This did not include the more general fragments that Rana had found.

Fragments Of Peace found in the shallows of the Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon.

Fragments Of Silence found several inches beneath the red sands of the Wonder.

Fragments Of Earth manifested at the edge of the Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon and the Burning Desert Of Kel.

Fragments Of Duality found nestled in between a Fragment Of Water and Fragment Of Fire.

Schwarz Eis picking up that particular fragment, holding it up towards the sky as she observed the twin colours of said fragment. Jon noticed that the winter demon spirit had collected a handful of fragments using her manifested ice constructs, but continued to laze around half-heartedly, slouched across the base of the Earthen Treasury Womb.

"Are all Wonders like this Eis?!" Jon shouted from across the lagoon.

He watched as the White Lady Of The Winter Castle shook her head in response, similarly, communicating back with him through his Fragment Of Summon.

"No. Although this is not unusual given the circumstances. Wonders will produce an exorbitant number of fragments and Mana Cores regardless of the environment or concepts and spiritual energy that formed it."

"This Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon must have been undisturbed for quite a while for this many fragments to be laying around. It is possible that it might have been taken from somewhere and then placed inside this Dungeon by the System itself during the formation of this small realm." Schwarz Eis mused, looking down at a Fragment Of Abundance in her palm.

Directly beside it, was a Fragment Of Invocation, coloured a weird-looking purplish-orange.

'Although it is strange that the Sand Fang Worms have not plundered the Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon? There are enough fragments and Mana Cores to push this Dungeon towards Knighthood, or perhaps even Lordship.'

'So why have we not encountered a single one thus far?' Schwarz Eis thought to herself.

Jon tapped his chin, remembering something that Eis had said earlier.

"You said before that Wonders are under the purview of the System right? Could it just… take one and place it within this Dungeon, as if it were just common-household object?" Jon queried.

"Yes it could. And even though I understand the inherent nature of Wonders better than most, I still do not know why this is. The System is just as likely to allow Wonders to be destroyed than it is to allow them to-." Schwarz Eis paused during the middle of her sentence, gazing out towards the red lagoon, gazed fixated on something in the distance.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Both Jon and Rana noticed this change in her expression, turning their focus away from the fragments just within arm's reach and towards the direction that Eis was staring in.

Jon was tempted to use his Minerva-Sagacity Eyes to observe whatever it was Eis was looking at, but froze, his [Monstrous Intuition] urging him to stop chanting [Eyes Through The Looking Glass].

His breath hitched as he watched the surface of the Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon ripple outwards, producing nothing but a single melodic-sounding note in the process.

Given Jon's heightened control over his spiritual energy, he could feel the ambient mana around him grow still and silent, as all sounds and noises produced from the lapping of water or the rustling of leaves vanished in the blink of an eye.

The Wonder Of "Fire" and "Lake" grew hushed and quiet, announcing the arrival of someone… or something.

Jon's eyes widened, seeing a pale-white-green figure emerge from the centre of the Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon. Adorned in a light-green veil that stretched past their feet, Jon could feel himself tilting his head back further and further, watching as the figure towered over him, thirteen, even fourteen feet in height.

Although Jon thought for a moment that he could see the figure behind the light-red veil, he instinctively moved his gaze away, restraining himself from looking further.

The voice of the White Lady Of The Winter Castle echoed throughout his Sea Of Knowledge.

"Jonathan! Whatever you do, don't move!" Schwarz Eis shouted through their mental connection.

Jon gulped, lowering his line of sight.

The green-veiled figure did not produce a single sound or noise. The entire Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon grew quiet in its presence. The movement of the wind and leaves, the sound of the water and trees all stopped the moment it revealed itself to the world.

Jon almost felt his heart skip a beat as he noticed a distinct pale-green veil appear in the top corner of his vision. Being so close to the figure caused Jon's fingers to tremble, unconsciously reaching for Luin or Assail.

He refrained from doing so, hearing a voice whose origins he could not quite discern.

"…" Jon felt his Sea Of Knowledge surge, random bursts of fire natured spiritual energy and lake natured spiritual energy appearing in the space above its surface. In a similar manner to how Ru Luan Di taught Jon Avant, words started to form within his mind, shaped by intent and emotion.

Experiences that Jon was unable to comprehend.

A sense of time that Jon thought was unfathomable.

Emotions and feelings that Jon was unable to differentiate appeared within his mind.

Fears and dreams. Nightmares and joys.

Jon did not even realize that his nose had started bleeding, instead lifting his head and gazing up towards the face of this green-veiled individual.

"You… are…" Jon found himself unable to speak, merely watching as the figure extended one of their limbs, still obscured beneath the veil. For a moment Jon thought that he saw a hand with fingers as long as a human face but found himself focusing on the object it had extended towards him.

Unconsciously raising his hands in a cupping motion, Jon allowed the green-veiled figure to place the object within them. His Minerva-Sagacity Eyes growing hazy for a few seconds before more System notifications appeared in front of him.

You have obtained the Title Fragment, "Wanderlust."

You have obtained the Title Fragment, "Viridis Benedictus."

Mortal Title Fragment "Wanderlust": Increases the likelihood of discovering Wonders and Wonder Fragments.

Mortal Title Fragment "Viridis Benedictus": Concepts and notions related to nature, growth and life become infinitesimally easier to understand and comprehend.

Jon lowering his gaze as he read the additional prompts beneath his new Title Fragments.

Wonder Fragment Of "Red Lagoon" discovered!

Tasks not required before completion of System Introduction.

[33]: Obtain one Wonder Fragment. Individuals shall receive a set reward upon the completion of this task.

Jon looked down at the spherical, snow globe-sized gemstone in his hand. The appearance and colouration of the Wonder Fragment Of "Red Lagoon" was unlike anything that he had ever seen before.

It was both blue and red, or more accurately, blue within the centre and red near his fingers. Jon was unable to describe how such a thing was possible, wanting to lift his head towards the red-veiled figure, but noticing that they had vanished.

Without even so much as a ripple of spiritual energy, or the faintest shifting of the sands beneath them, they had disappeared.

Jon did not even realize that the sounds around him at resumed. The sound of wind rustling the Immortal Fire Palms high above his head echoed across the entire Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon, and the soft splashing of water filled him with a sense of normalcy.

He almost missed Schwarz Eis appearing beside him, looking down at the Wonder Fragment Of "Red Lagoon" in his hands as if it were a priceless treasure.

"Do you have any idea what just happened Jon?" Schwarz Eis asked.

Jon shook his head.

The winter demon spirit nodded.

"Good. So keep it to yourself. Don't tell anyone, even your fellow companions." Said Eis, watching as Jon placed the red-blue Wonder Fragment within the [Red Archives Of Mars Quirinus].

He looked towards his Fragment Of Summon with a strange combination of curiosity and fear behind his gaze. That red-veiled figure was… unlike anything Jon had ever seen before.

It did not feel as though it were a Mortal or Knight. But did not give Jon the impression of a Lord, despite the fact that he had never encountered one before.

The way that the environment around him seemed to grow quiet in its presence, as it the trees and wind and water within the Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon revered its figure. Although Jon was unsure of how such a thing was possible, the very spiritual energy around him seemed to halt its movements, allowing the figure to walk through it unhindered.

"Eis… that was, not the Wonder, right?" Jon asked.

The White Lady Of The Winter Castle narrowed her eyes at him, but nodded, glancing towards the red-coloured waters of the Wonder.

'I did wonder why the Dungeon did not encroach upon this Wonder. The Sand Fang Worms might be attracted towards sources of spiritual energy, but "she" prevents the mana generated by the Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon from leaking out.'

'But still… how the hell did the System allow one of "her" fragments to be placed within a System Introduction! A half-Grand for god sake!'

Schwarz Eis noticed that Jon had started to channel spiritual energy into his Murmur-Glacial Marrow, increasing the speed at which he retrieved fragments and Mana Cores. Despite the command Jon had over his Sea Of Knowledge, she could tell that he was both curious and perturbed at the interaction he had just had.

Jon did want to ask her about the figure that he had just encountered but was fearful at the knowledge that he might gleam from Eis.

Taking a deep breath, Jon glanced towards the depths of the Wonder, shaking his head before turning and addressing both the Earthen Treasury Womb and the White Lady Of The Winter Castle.

"We'll collect as many resources as possible before leaving the Sunlit-Inferno Lagoon. We should move to regroup with Avahni and Sariel and the others as swiftly as possible and then look towards finding the Guardian of the Dungeon."

"Is that agreeable with the two of you?" said Jon, more of a statement than an actual question.

Both the bodhi tree and winter demon spirit nodded, swiftly moving to retrieve more fragments and Mana Cores. Although unbeknownst to the three of them, were being watched from afar, under one of the dutiful incarnations of the Green Ocean Which Drowns The Screaming Stars.

"Hmm. I wonder if he will appreciate the gift I gave him." The sound of feminine laughter echoing into the farthest reaches of the integrated universes.

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