Chapter 930: A Serene Scene of a Bridge Over a Stream |
"That's right, the temperature in this underwater cave is indeed a bit high. So, it's possible that there might be a treasure related to temperature at the treasure site, like the legendary 'Handheld Sun'," said Matsui Yui with a longing expression. "In the legends of our Deep One race, the great Cthulhu once extinguished a sun in another galaxy using a flood and then turned that sun into a powerful magic item. It was said to have repelled several other Great Old Ones, but unfortunately, when facing an attack from an Old God, the great Cthulhu was sealed away before it could use this item. The Handheld Sun was then lost somewhere on Earth, never to be seen again."
"Of course, this is just a baseless legend. There's no mention of it in our Deep One race's official history books, so it's just a story. Don't expect to actually find this so-called Handheld Sun. Even if we do find it, we won't be able to take it with us. After all, this is a treasure that only a Great Old One is qualified to use; we ordinary people might die just by touching it."
As Matsui Yui spoke, she led Liu Xing and the others forward.
Soon, Liu Xing and his group reached another large door.
This door was almost identical to the previous one, but it had no keyhole.
"It seems we need to find the mechanism on this door, and I think it's related to the patterns on it," Matsui Yui said.
Liu Xing reached out and touched the patterns on the door, realizing that they were actually subtle bas-reliefs. It was quite normal for the opening mechanism to be hidden within these patterns.
However, the area of this door was comparable to the size of some university gates, and the patterns on it were extremely intricate, making it difficult to explore them all in a short time.
But most importantly, Liu Xing felt that MacIntyre wouldn't design such an easily decipherable mechanism. If Liu Xing were MacIntyre, he would at least set the mechanism to fingerprint unlock instead of pressure unlock.
Although she said they were keeping watch at the rear, Matsui Yui's real intention was to let Liu Xing and Dogo Aige slack off, as Liu Xing's movements were definitely not as agile as the other Deep Ones, and he couldn't climb walls like a gecko and move around the door.
So, Liu Xing and Dogo Aige faced the direction they came from and chatted idly.
As they talked, Liu Xing intentionally asked Dogo Aige how he had found this place.
"Matsui Yui's father loves collecting all kinds of treasure maps, but regardless of their authenticity, they must be maps that look like they were drawn with care. According to him, these treasure maps are rare works of art. When we went from Fisher's Village to England, my father-in-law didn't bring much else, but he brought almost all of these treasure maps. So, these treasure maps, ranging from ancient times to the past few decades, became the best reading material for me to pass the time on the journey. And I actually deciphered a few of them."
"So, after returning to the Island Nation, I set out alone to verify the authenticity of these few treasure maps. I really did discover this place, and through the patterns on that door, I confirmed that the owner of this treasure site was MacIntyre. But one thing puzzled me—why did MacIntyre put this treasure site underwater? You know, MacIntyre's other treasure sites are all on land, and he once discussed this issue with others. He believed that setting a treasure site underwater was the least secure because even Deep Ones couldn't fully understand the ocean."
Dogo Aige dug a small hole in the ground and continued, "Look, Liu Xing, the mud at the bottom of this hole is already a bit damp, which means that this treasure site might soon have problems with excessive air humidity or even leaks. If that happens, this treasure site will be destroyed."
Liu Xing looked at the hole and found that the mud inside was indeed a bit damp.
"So, what was MacIntyre thinking at the time? He should have guessed that this would happen, right? So, when he built this treasure site, he should have at least made the ground and walls waterproof, but I see that this place is still quite natural." Liu Xing said with some confusion.
As Liu Xing said, this treasure site was still very natural, and even the ground hadn't been leveled. The paintings on the walls were simply hung by nailing a single nail into the wall.
So, no matter how Liu Xing looked at it, he felt that MacIntyre wasn't too concerned about this treasure site.
After thinking for a while, Dogo Aige said, "In my opinion, MacIntyre's actions could have two possibilities. One is that before taking action, MacIntyre realized that he might not return, so to prevent these treasures from falling into the hands of others, he placed his most precious treasures here. That way, if he didn't return, this treasure site would eventually be submerged in seawater, and most of the treasures inside would either be washed away by the seawater or damaged by it."
"Of course, this possibility isn't high. Although MacIntyre is a pirate who plunders ships everywhere, his attitude towards wealth is very laid-back. He shares most of the money and treasures with his crew, only keeping the most valuable or the ones he likes, and he takes good care of these items. So, the first possibility isn't high. I'd rather believe that MacIntyre would give away these treasures than believe he would let them soak in seawater."
"So, I think the second possibility is more plausible—this place is just a temporary storage location for MacIntyre's treasures. Someone once said that when MacIntyre was making his last deal, he only spent less than three-tenths of his usual preparation time to formulate the attack plan. Then, he hastily supplied his fleet and set off, which was one of the reasons for MacIntyre's failure. So, I suspect that this is just a temporary treasure site built by MacIntyre, and the construction time was very rushed, so only a rough version was completed."
Upon hearing Dogo Aige's words, Liu Xing's heart suddenly skipped a beat. "Wait, if this second possibility is true, then that stone bridge and the small river we saw earlier must be more than just decorations. After all, MacIntyre had limited time!"
Dogo Aige frowned and nodded, "That's true. If the stone bridge and the small river were just decorations, it would indeed be a bit inconsistent with our previous guesses. So, the stone bridge and the small river should be a defensive measure, but we can't be sure if they let us pass because they were damaged or if they did it on purpose."
As Dogo Aige spoke, he stood up, "So, should we go back there and check if anything unusual has happened?"
Liu Xing glanced at Matsui Yui and the others behind him and saw that they were still struggling with the door.
Liu Xing was about to refuse Dogo Aige's suggestion because, according to the basic plot of horror movies, it was easy to be attacked if he and Dogo Aige separated from the main group. But after a moment's thought, Liu Xing realized that the stone bridge and the small river were only a few dozen meters away. If anything happened, he and Dogo Aige could just call out, and Matsui Yui and the others would come to help. Moreover, Dogo Aige's current strength wasn't bad either.
So Liu Xing pointed at Matsui Yui and said, "Then I'll go tell Yui first and let her pay attention to our movements?"
"Liu Xing, can you stop being so cautious all the time? You need to trust my strength," said Dogo Aige, who had transformed into his Deep One state. "Now, apart from not knowing as many magic spells, I'm almost on par with Matsui Yui in other aspects. So, you don't need to worry so much. Unless that stone bridge and small river can instantly defeat us, we won't be in any danger."
As Dogo Aige spoke, he started walking forward.
Although Liu Xing felt that Dogo Aige was setting himself up for failure, since Dogo Aige had already set off, Liu Xing, as his 'good brother', had to follow.
So, Liu Xing and Dogo Aige returned to the side of the stone bridge and small river.
Here, it was still a serene scene of a bridge over a stream... Wait, a thatched cottage?!
Liu Xing rubbed his eyes and suddenly noticed that on the other side of the stone bridge, the direction from which they had come, a small thatched cottage had appeared. It seemed to be just large enough to accommodate a single adult of average build, allowing them to stand, lie down, or sit.
But that wasn't the main point. The main question was, when did this thatched cottage appear?!
Of course, Dogo Aige had also noticed the cottage, and his face showed some unease.
"Liu Xing, if I remember correctly, we didn't see that thatched cottage when we came here, right?" Dogo Aige said, taking a deep breath.
Liu Xing nodded and replied seriously, "Yes, there was no thatched cottage there before, not even a single blade of thatch. And on our way here, I've been paying attention to the surroundings, but I haven't found any place where someone could hide, nor have I seen any boxes or containers."
"So, the question is, did these things appear out of thin air?"
Dogo Aige waved his left hand, and a crescent-shaped water wave flew towards the thatched cottage.
However, as soon as the water wave crossed the small river, it suddenly disappeared.
"Interesting, could this actually be an illusion?"
Dogo Aige picked up a stone from the ground and threw it, but the stone also vanished without a trace after crossing the river.
"But can this illusion also block sound? Logically, we should be able to hear the sound of your magic spells hitting the wall and the stone landing," Liu Xing asked with some confusion.
After thinking for a moment, Dogo Aige nodded and said, "There is indeed that possibility. As long as the person creating this illusion is strong enough, they can even simulate my magic spells and the stone within the illusion. So, blocking sound is not a problem."
Liu Xing thought for a moment and pointed behind him, "Then let's go back and find Matsui Yui and the others. We can all work together to figure out a solution to this problem."
Dogo Aige initially wanted to refuse, but after looking at the illusion, he decided to agree with Liu Xing's idea. He couldn't think of a way to break the illusion, and he wasn't sure if there were hidden dangers within it.
However, when Liu Xing and Dogo Aige took a few steps back and turned around the corner, they suddenly found themselves facing a thatched cottage... as well as the stone bridge and small river.
Liu Xing and Dogo Aige looked at each other in surprise.
"Have we also fallen into the illusion? Dogo Aige, stay here and don't move. I'll be right back," Liu Xing said.
As he spoke, Liu Xing turned back and walked past the corner, only to find himself on the other side of the small river.
But Liu Xing didn't see Dogo Aige.
Liu Xing immediately walked back and found Dogo Aige still looking at the scene in front of him with a bewildered expression.
Liu Xing sighed and said seriously, "It seems we've been tricked. Now, the illusion uses this corner as a boundary to determine if we're on the side of the serene scene of the bridge over the stream."
Liu Xing took a few steps forward and found a stone on the ground, and he also noticed a wet spot on the thatched cottage.
Apparently, the magic spells and stones that Dogo Aige had used earlier had reached this side.
At this moment, Dogo Aige, who had regained his composure, walked over and said, "This shouldn't be right. Although my magic spells aren't as skilled as Yui's, the damage shouldn't be this low, right?"
As he spoke, Dogo Aige punched the thatched cottage.
The cottage only swayed slightly, and not a single blade of thatch fell.
Still unconvinced, Dogo Aige this time used all his strength, but the thatched cottage still didn't collapse as he had imagined.
"Damn it, what's going on here?!"
Dogo Aige kicked the cottage again, but to no avail.
"Now I understand why MacIntyre placed that stone bridge and small river here," Liu Xing sighed. "It's a good thing that only the two of us came over. Otherwise, we would have been completely wiped out... Well, there's also the possibility that more people could mean more strength."
As Liu Xing spoke, he observed the surroundings, but apart from the suddenly appearing thatched cottage, he didn't find anything unusual.
Dogo Aige, who had calmed down, tried to push the door of the thatched cottage, and it opened easily.
Dogo Aige immediately assumed a defensive stance, ready to deal with any enemies that might rush out of the cottage.
However, the cottage was empty, with nothing inside.
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