prynovel Chapter 4297 The Hidden Treasure Chest
Chapter 4297 The Hidden Treasure Chest
Chapter 4297 The Hidden Treasure Chest
"Huh, there aren't any torches on this wall?"
"Boom boom boom——"
"Wait, why does the sound of tapping on the wall sound a bit crisp?"
The middle section of a corridor.
Liriel looked at the wall with some curiosity. Logically speaking, since the two walls were intersecting and there was a torch every ten meters or so, this wall should also have torches.
But surprisingly, this wall is completely empty?
With a sense of doubt, Lillie subconsciously touched the center of the wall, and then felt something was wrong.
The solid wall felt surprisingly thin. She even felt it wobbly when she gently pushed it.
She immediately tapped the wall a few times, and the wall made a crisp sound that was completely different from that of a solid wall.
At this moment, the withered creature beside them also heard the unusual sound. It stepped forward, exchanged a glance with Liriel, and the two of them reached out their hands in unison, pushing hard against the wall together.
After the sound of the stone breaking.
A two-meter-wide mezzanine appeared before them.
There was only one thing in the hidden compartment: a marble-carved treasure chest.
"They actually hid the treasure chest here!?"
Looking at the treasure chest in the hidden compartment, Liriel felt a huge number of question marks floating above her head.
She had previously thought that the treasure chests were placed at the end of the forks in the road so that they could receive some positive emotional feedback when they chose the wrong path.
And then, the treasure chest was hidden away?
And why is it hidden so well?
Liriel rubbed her slightly dizzy head. If most treasure chests are hidden like this, how are we supposed to collect all 99 of them?
Just as I was feeling a headache, I heard a soft sound beside me.
The withered one had already raised his hand and lifted the lid of the treasure chest.
The icon number in the lower right corner of the view jumped and changed to "Treasure Chest Icon: 2/99".
As for the inside of the treasure chest, Liriel had no expectations and thought it would be empty again, but when she glanced inside subconsciously, she was stunned.
This time, the treasure chest wasn't empty!
Although there was no "treasure" in the box in the conventional sense, there was indeed something relatively practical inside: an unlit torch.
The style of the torches was exactly the same as the style of the torches on the outer wall.
It's very likely that the reason there's one less torch on the outer wall is because it was placed in a treasure chest.
"Will this work?" Liriel asked curiously.
If this torch, like the ones on the walls outside, can be lit and provide illumination, then it would be a worthwhile gain.
Because the torches on the outer walls, seemingly integrated with the maze, cannot be removed.
With this single torch, you can do a lot of things.
Firstly, some dark places can be illuminated by the firelight.
Secondly, the firelight can sometimes ward off wild animals.
Are there wild beasts in the labyrinth? Liriel didn't know, but the appearance of treasure chests and collectible items made her feel that this labyrinth might be based on an adventure novel.
In adventure novels, besides treasure chests, labyrinths also feature two key elements: traps and monsters.
A torch may not be effective against a monster, but what if the monster happens to be afraid of fire?
Moreover, don't adventure novels often feature similar plot devices—the item a hero finds at point A in a maze becomes crucial at point B?
Therefore, using torches to chase away beasts may not be just wishful thinking.
However, all of this depends on one thing: can the torch be lit?
"You'll know once you try." The withered one picked up the torch and gently touched it to the torch on the misaligned wall opposite.
boom--
The torches blazed instantly, illuminating a nearby area.
The withered one returned with a burning torch, his expression puzzled. There was clearly no accelerant visible at the tip of the torch, yet it lit up so easily.
Lillie thought it made perfect sense: if the labyrinth of questions really was in a "dream," then such strange phenomena would be perfectly normal.
After all, anything can happen in dreams.
You can even become the creator god in your dreams.
Lillie took the torch and examined it carefully. She couldn't see any accelerant, but the brightness of the flame and the scorching heat to her fingertips were undeniable.
She ran her fingertips along the wooden handle of the torch, vaguely sensing a special energy swirling around it, but in her current state, she couldn't discern the details of this energy.
Perhaps it's a variant of the power of dreams?
Liriel didn't take it too seriously.
She raised her hand and gently tapped the tip of the burning torch against the stone wall beside her.
With a hiss, the flame went out.
Liriel nodded in satisfaction.
Unlike the torches on the wall that burn continuously, this torch's energy is clearly being consumed; it should be used only in critical moments to avoid waste.
Liriel and the Decayer left the passageway.
Before leaving, Liriel took one last look at the location of the hidden treasure chest: she just hoped there weren't too many of these treasure chests tucked away in secluded places.
……
ten minutes later.
With the opening of the wooden treasure chest, the number after the chest icon changed to: 3/99.
Liriel held a burning torch, her expression somewhat speechless.
They are now in a “deep pit”.
That's the deep pit that Lillie was worried about when she opened her first treasure chest and had to lure it in if a mimic appeared.
Why did they return to this deep pit?
After obtaining the torch, the Decaying One said that when it looked down from the edge of the pit earlier, it seemed to have seen some symbols in the deep pit.
However, it was very dark down there, and the torches on the wall couldn't carry the torches down, so the withered one decided to give up.
Now that they have the torches they can take with them, why not look back?
Although Liriel did not want to go back, ever since she came to this labyrinth of interrogation, she had redefined the Decayers from "tools" to "collaborators".
As a "collaborator," the Decayer offered its suggestion for the first time, and Liriel, not wanting to offend it, agreed.
Next, back in the pit, they shone the firelight down and indeed saw patterns on the wall below. The withered one carefully stepped along the broken edge and jumped down.
Then it told Lillie that there was a mural at the end of the lines.
The mural itself is very strange, with a contradictory feeling of "drawing whatever one dreams of", but the focus is not on the mural itself, but on the very simple geometric puzzle hidden within it.
A person is holding a tray with a strange polygonal geometric image on it.
Scattered around this person are many triangles and squares of various sizes.
After briefly comparing the scattered images, the Decayer guessed that the purpose might be to piece together the shape on the tray from the scattered images.
As for how to piece it together?
The withered one tried to gesture a couple of times before realizing he was wrong... there was no need to spell it out at all.
Simply tap the selected graphic with your finger, and it will light up; tap it again to de-light it.
In other words, you can solve the puzzle by breaking down the geometric image on the tray, identifying the scattered shapes, and then selecting them.
As a seeker of the Way, the withered one could see through this simple question at a glance.
After the puzzle was solved, the mural vanished like a flash of fire, revealing a treasure chest hidden behind it...
After the withered creature discovered the puzzle, Liriel naturally followed it down into the pit, holding a torch to light the way for the withered creature, and witnessed the puzzle being solved and the treasure chest appearing.
The entire puzzle-solving process was actually very short, but Liriel couldn't help but rub her temples as she looked at the treasure chest in front of her.
Who would have thought that a puzzle-solving treasure chest was hidden in this pit?
If the Decayers hadn't noticed the patterns beforehand, they wouldn't have turned back at all, let alone discovered this treasure chest, which would have meant missing out on a crucial collection point.
There are more than ninety such treasure chests.
Just thinking about it made Lillie's temples throb.
"The treasure chest is empty," the withered one said, turning his head.
Liriel waved her hand, her tone calm: "Whether it's empty or not doesn't matter; being able to discover it is the most important thing."
The Decaying One naturally understood why Liriel said that, and it calmly replied, "Although collecting 99 is difficult, at least we have made considerable progress so far."
"Like you said, having a goal is always better than being aimless."
Liriel hummed in agreement and said nothing more.
She did feel frustrated on this journey. If she hadn't accepted the cruel scholar's commission, why would she be stuck in this place, struggling with a bunch of treasure chests and her progress?
But as soon as the thought of complaining arose, her reason prevailed.
Although the collection process was a bit troublesome, on the other hand, this almost harsh and rigorous logic was the complete opposite of the disordered "dream".
If this maze truly is a dream realm, possessing such a complete system and operational logic, it would be well worth studying for her, a dream-wizard.
If she could find the core essence of the maze, her strength might be able to advance even further.
Thinking of this, Lillie's slightly stifled heart stirred again.
"Let's continue."
Liriel and the Decayer set off again.
Treasure Chest Icons: 4/99
Treasure Chest Icons: 5/99
An hour later, they found two more treasure chests. One was placed at the end of a dead end, and the other was placed below a corner of a wall, in a blind spot, and in complete darkness.
Fortunately, whenever they reached a dark place, the withered one would light a torch and carefully examine the area, eventually discovering the treasure chest.
Unfortunately, the two newly discovered treasure chests were still empty.
Soon, they came to another fork in the road.
Upon arriving here, their eyes lit up, for a short distance down the left fork in the road, they saw a statue of a lion with a human face. This meant they had encountered the Wall of Questions once again!
Just as they were about to head to the left, a strange sound came from the fork in the road on the right.
It sounded a bit like the roar of an earthquake; although not harsh, just listening to it sent chills down your spine.
Liriel and the Decayer exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and wariness in each other's eyes.
“Something’s not right,” the withered man murmured.
Liriel nodded slightly: "Could it be some kind of monster? Or... a mechanism?"
The withered one: "I'll go take a look."
Liriel immediately said, "Let's go together!"
The withered one shook his head: "I'll go. Although you're stronger than me outside, my physique is better than yours here."
Stripped of her extraordinary abilities, in terms of physical strength alone, Liriel is indeed no match for the Decayer.
After thinking for a moment, she nodded gently: "You... be careful."
The withered one nodded, then walked alone down the right fork in the road. He didn't go far, and Liriel could still see him all the way.
A minute later, the withered one quickly returned.
"At the far right end, there is a railing, below which is a relatively large space where a mechanical alchemical creation resembling a troll is wandering around."
"It had a lot of glowing weapons on it, and some cannons that clearly smelled of gunpowder."
"However, on the high platform behind it, I saw a treasure chest. This treasure chest was very different; it was faintly glowing, and it might be the guardian of the treasure chest."
The withered one paused: "Although there is a treasure chest, my intuition tells me that it is dangerous and we are not capable of dealing with it now."
The withered one feared Liriel's impulsiveness.
But the Decayer was wrong. After hearing about a mechanical alchemical construct carrying a large number of weapons, Liriel immediately ruled out this detour.
As a wizard, she knew all too well how powerful mechanical alchemical creations were, how fearless they were, and how fierce their attacks were.
Without any means of checks and balances, it's better to face a demon than a mechanical alchemical creation. A demon might see you but not bother to kill you, but a mechanical alchemical creation set up to guard a treasure chest will inevitably kill anyone who gets close.
At least, until we regain our strength, we must rule out this path.
Although she had already ruled out this path, Liriel still walked to the end of the right path to observe the mechanical alchemical creation.
Although she wasn't an alchemist, she still knew some basic theories. A creation made entirely of low-grade materials wasn't necessarily weak, but a creation made entirely of high-grade materials was definitely strong. This was because the smelting and combining of high-grade materials alone required extremely high alchemical skills, and it was virtually impossible for an alchemist to use high-grade materials to create a low-grade creation.
This mechanical alchemical creation is covered in high-grade gems and has extremely rare mithril as its skin.
Not to mention the enchanted runes that she couldn't understand at all.
Without a doubt, it was created by a powerful alchemist!
She silently shook her head at the withered one: We can't beat him, we absolutely can't beat him.
They came quietly, and they left quietly.
Back at the crossroads, Lillie said, "Let's go to the Wall of Inquiry. If we can find other Walls of Inquiry, we can see if we can get any information about this mechanical alchemical creation."
As for this "wall of questions," the questions should definitely be left to the icons in your field of vision.
Even the withered ones had no objections.
Soon, they arrived at the Wall of Inquiry.
It was still Normefens, but the Normefens on the wall was shrouded in a light mist, as if the mist had woven a cloak over his body.
“I already knew your information from my clone. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. I thought you died on the way.”
"Fortunately, you didn't do anything reckless by taking the other road."
Normfins' voice still carried a certain condescension, but the arrogance was much less pronounced than before at the Wall of Questions.
Liriel: "Your Excellency Normefens is referring to that mechanical alchemical creation?"
Normeffens said sarcastically, "Don't ask me anything, not even a question you already know the answer to."
"If you want me to answer your question, do as my previous clone said: once you pass through my Wall of Questions, I will answer one of your questions as appropriate. Including the question you just asked."
Liriel: "..."
What kind of question was that?! Who would ask such a question?!
Although she was inwardly complaining, Liriel breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Normefens kept his promise and allowed them to ask one question after passing the Wall of Questions, that was enough.
Liriel: "I wonder what kind of test this Wall of Questions is going to give us?"
Normfins chuckled, his tone playful: "Don't rush, the rules of my Wall of Questions are different from before—you two will answer separately."