Chapter 1922 Arrival of Rhine Mute <TOC> Chapter 1924 Eleven Observers
Translator: SumTLMan
“Let’s talk about it inside the ancient ruins,” Rhine said, looking towards the wide-open gates of the ruins. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”
Angel, currently the temporary master of these ruins, walked ahead as the guide.
Once they entered, they were enveloped by the deep, dark corridors shrouded in obscurity.
Angel gestured for everyone to follow him.
During this, Sanders noticed that, despite the presence of candle holders on the walls, Angel did not light any.
Why didn’t he light them? Although everyone present had the ability to see in the dark, from a standpoint of courtesy, Angel should have lit the candles, especially since the current leader of the Savage Grottoes and one of the three Great Ancestral Spirits were present.
As Sanders pondered in silence, Tree Spirit suddenly said, “It’s strange, the design of these ruins. They have candle holders, yet they can’t be lit. If they are, it triggers an endless loop mechanism. It would’ve been better not to have them at all; it’s completely superfluous.”
“Traps are meant to lure intruders into activating them,” Angel replied. “If you design it with candle holders, intruders will subconsciously try to light them, and that’s exactly triggering the mechanism.”
Tree Spirit shook its head: “Living here, you must have noticed. Not only can the candles not be lit in this corridor, but no light is allowed at all; otherwise, it would trigger the loop. In this case, not placing candle holders would be more confusing for intruders. Having them might even backfire.”
Angel pondered this and felt Tree Spirit had a point. What it implied was that by overtly setting up candle holders, you might inadvertently give away the trick, akin to revealing that there’s ‘no silver here.’
Tree Spirit said, “Moreover, if the purpose is to lure intruders into triggering a trap, then that trap must be extremely dangerous, possibly fatal upon activation. However, the mechanisms in this corridor, even when triggered, only lead to an infinite loop, allowing one to exit through the main door, which contradicts the principle of luring.”
Angel also pondered this issue, but at that time, he didn’t understand it either. Now that Tree Spirit mentioned it, he didn’t know how to respond.
Rhine, on the other hand, said, “In fact, there’s no need to overthink these problems. After all, this is just a ruin drifting from the void to land. Perhaps the original design of this corridor was that triggering the mechanism would be lethal. It’s just that due to some external factors, the threat of this mechanism has been gradually diminished over time.”
Rhine’s speculation made sense. However, whether this was true or not was hard to say.
But since Rhine suggested they not dwell on these minor details, Angel naturally kept silent. Although Tree Spirit continued to ramble, no one responded, and he gradually fell silent.
Sanders, who had been listening to the conversation between Angel and Tree Spirit, also understood why Angel didn’t light any lamps. In their conversation, Sanders felt that there was something odd about the corridor, but as Rhine said, it was just a minor issue, not worth overthinking. So, Sanders also dismissed this odd feeling.
In the darkness, the four of them quietly moved forward. As Tree Spirit was just a spiritual avatar, in the silent space, only the footsteps of the three people echoed.
“The corridor is pitch black, you’re not talking, and only footsteps can be heard. Doesn’t it creep you out?” Tree Spirit broke the silence after a brief pause.
However, this unproductive topic didn’t elicit any response from anyone.
Yet, Tree Spirit’s words made Angel involuntarily think back to his first visit to this place.
At that time, he was also in this deep corridor, caught in an infinite loop. Perhaps due to the oppressive atmosphere, Angel heard many disordered footsteps.
At that time, Angel thought nothing of it, but reflecting back now, it indeed seemed peculiar.
“I always feel like this corridor might be hiding some secret,” Tree Spirit muttered. “Tizarro mentioned that this ruin has hidden rooms; could they be concealed within this corridor?”
Tree Spirit’s remarks caught Angel’s attention. As he pondered the possibility, Rhine, with a hint of irritation, said, “You made the same comment when we sealed this ruin last time. Are you bringing it up again?”
“Didn’t we fail to find any hidden rooms back then?” Tree Spirit pointed with his mouth in Angel’s direction, suggesting, “Perhaps Angel has discovered something. After all, the first owner of this ruin, like Angel, was an alchemist.”
“I’m saying this to hint at something to Angel.”
Finishing his thought, Tree Spirit looked at Angel with a smile, “You’ve been living here for a while; have you found any information about a hidden room?”
Sanders and Rhine also turned their gaze toward Angel.
Angel shook his head: “No information.”
“But…” Angel suddenly paused, his expression deep in thought.
“But what?” Tree Spirit’s eyes brightened with curiosity. He was indeed very interested in this hidden room, which was why he initially suggested Angel choose this ruin as a temporary residence.
Under everyone’s curious gaze, Angel slowly said, “But, I think it might be related to the damaged runes on the knight armor. Unfortunately, those damaged runes are too fragmented, making them difficult to repair.”
“Knight armor?” Tree Spirit showed a puzzled look: “What are you talking about? Which knight armor?”
Angel pointed to the spot where he was standing: “The knight armor right here. It was deliberately positioned in a human shape. When I arrived, I thought someone had entered the ruin before me. Turns out, it was just an empty shell of armor.”
While Angel was speaking, he turned back only to find Tree Spirit’s expression still puzzled, and even Rhine beside him was looking at him with a confused gaze.
Angel then realized something was amiss. It seemed neither Tree Spirit nor Rhine knew about the knight armor?
“Are you referring to the knight armor you asked me about before?” Sanders broke the silence. Though he had never visited this ruin, Angel had inquired about the knight armor before, so he had some understanding of the matter.
Angel nodded in agreement.
“You mean there was a suit of knight armor here before?” Rhine frowned. “But as I recall, when we previously sealed this ruin, there was nothing here.”
Tree Spirit also nodded: “Yes, there was nothing at all. Can you explain in detail what’s the deal with this knight armor?”
Angel was also baffled now, the knight armor apparently didn’t exist before?
He had discussed the hidden room with Tree Spirit before, but Angel had forgotten to mention the knight armor at that time… Now thinking about it, had he genuinely forgotten, or was some force interfering with his memory?
Angel shook his head internally, dismissing the idea of interference. If it were true, then his later conversations with Sanders about the knight armor wouldn’t have been as normal.
“Angel?” Tree Spirit called out again when Angel remained silent for too long.
Roused by Tree Spirit’s call, Angel gathered his thoughts and carefully narrated the discovery of the knight armor.
After hearing Angel’s story, Tree Spirit and Rhine exchanged looks.
From Angel’s words alone, indeed, there seemed to be something eerie. Originally, it was Tree Spirit and Rhine who came together to seal the ruins, and they were fully aware of every arrangement inside.
There was absolutely nothing in the corridor.
But now, Angel claims that there is an empty suit of knight armor, arranged in human form, blocking the corridor?
What exactly has happened here?
“Where is that suit of knight armor now?” Tree Spirit asked.
“At that time, I thought about studying the damaged runes on the armor, so I took it away from here and placed it in the study,” Angel proceeded to say, “I’ll take you there to have a look.”
Before this, Angel hadn’t found anything strange about the knight armor, but now, after hearing the words of Tree Spirit and Rhine, he suddenly felt a chilling sensation.
What secret is hidden within this suit of knight armor?
…
Upon arriving at the study, Rhine, Tree Spirit, and Sanders all saw the knight armor that Angel had placed to one side.
It was no longer arranged in human form but had been “dismembered” and laid casually on the table.
“Lord Rhine, is there anything wrong with this armor?” Angel asked.
Rhine pondered for a moment and shook his head, “This armor is quite ordinary, with nothing noteworthy in terms of material or effect. The only puzzling thing is the damaged runes on it.”
Regarding the damaged runes, not only did Rhine not understand, but Angel also couldn’t decipher them.
“This knight armor seems more suspicious the more I think there’s nothing wrong with it,” said Tree Spirit. He thought he would discover some secret on the knight armor, but it was more ordinary than he imagined. If not for the damaged runes on it, Tree Spirit wouldn’t even consider it an extraordinary item.
“The more I think about it, the more I feel something is off, but I can’t pinpoint what’s strange,” Tree Spirit shook his head. “Forget it, I won’t think about anything else. At least I need to ascertain one thing, where did this knight armor come from?”
Frowning deeply, Tree Spirit muttered, “Could it be that Tizarro was right, and there really is a hidden room in this ruin? Did this knight armor come out of that hidden room?”
“Or is it that, over the hundreds of years this ruin was sealed, someone had come to this place?”
Chapter 1922 Arrival of Rhine Mute <TOC> Chapter 1924 Eleven Observers