What is that??
Winnie stared intently, realizing the downward staircase seemed to have reached its end. On both sides standing rows of dim torches, burning silently.
Aside from that, a hung signboard at the entrance of this path.
Hmm, encountering readable text in such an utterly unfamiliar civilization's ruins, where not even a single punctuation mark made sense, felt extremely jarring.
Without needing to think, he knew this signboard must have been hung by instructors from Carillian Academy.
“Warning: Ahead lies unexplored territory by the academy. Safety is uncertain. Students intending to explore, prepare accordingly.” Winnie read aloud the words on the board. A large 'Stop' symbol was also drawn on it.
What kind of nuclear-powered torch is this? Has it really been burning for so long without extinguishing??
Winnie was surprised. Generally speaking, shouldn't torches like this only exist in video games? The fact that the fuel could burn this long suggested the Mars civilization truly had something impressive.
Aesphyra seemed to sense something, walking up to examine the torches on both sides, remaining silent for a long while.
“What's wrong? Are these tortures indeed strange?” Winnie asked.
“These torches, when burning, appear to consume no fuel at all,” Aesphyra said. “Of course, it's entirely possible that the lighting devices in this temple utilize special technological processes and materials, allowing the fuel to burn exceptionally slowly.”
“Alternatively, it could be due to abnormally slow time flow here. Hundreds of years have passed on the Terraria continent, yet the torches inside this dungeon remain unextinguished,” Aesphyra added.
Isatia, meanwhile, observed the shape and craftsmanship details of these torches, taking out various surveying tools from her pendant. Just like before with the statue outside, she skillfully made sketches and recorded notes, focusing particularly on features characteristics of Mars civilization.
Winnie turned and saw Isatia's actions. This black-haired beauty seemed to pull out her notebook and sketchpad at every sight of Mars civilized architecture, except for the initial city gate which she hadn't recorded.
This indeed feels very strange to Winnie. Why was Isatia documenting everything so meticulously, as if trying to replicate every detail of Mars civilization?
And that tool container Isatia used, it was a golden gemstone pendant, carved with a crown surrounded by several golden spears, hanging around her neck.
Spatial containment items were extremely rare on the Terraria continent, with only a handful existing in the world, possessed solely by major hereditary families, and even then, treated as treasured heirlooms passed down through generations.
This crown pendant Isatia wore should be the inherited spatial containment jewelry from the Lanteville family, entrusted to Isatia.
However, most of the items stored inside were surveying tools for cultural relics and ruins. Shouldn't more critical items have been kept inside??
Or perhaps, to Isatia, these tools were exactly the most critical items??
Winnie couldn't fathom Isatia's thoughts, and besides, it was her personal matter, he didn't have the right to inquire.
The two waited in tacit understanding until Isatia finished recording before continuing forward.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Isatia said, putting away her notes and sketchbook back into the pendant, aware that Winnie and Aesphyra beside her had quietly waited without asking questions.
“It's nothing, small issue. None of us are in a hurry, and we're all quite interested in the architectural relics of Mars civilization. Don't you agree, Winnie?” Aesphyra smiled warmly at Winnie.
“Me? I'm not in a hurry either. Doesn't matter,” Winnie glanced at Aesphyra.
As for whether he was interested or not, Aesphyra could say such things, but he, someone who struggled to pass history exams, stating such would only invite ridicule??
The three continued moving forward.
Despite the torches providing light, the underground palace's illumination remains extremely dim, resulting in poor visibility.
Next came repetitive corridors. Winnie lost track of how long they had walked when finally, something different appeared, they arrived at a corner.
“Eh??” Winnie stared at the totem depicted in the mural on the central wall, slightly dumbfounded.
A solid impassable wall stands in the middle, with a fire altar hanging on it, and two paths branching left and right.
“Now then, which way should we go?” Winnie asked.
“.......” Isatia didn't answer, merely calmly observing the totem on the wall. Besides her, Aesphyra did the same.
Huh? What's wrong? Is there something strange about this totem?
Winnie looked at the mural on the yellow-brick wall, noting it depicted three light spheres, resembling planets, intertwined and rotating. Surrounding the spheres were chains of ancient Mars script.
“What is this thing?” Accustomed to Isatia's explanations, Winnie asked.
“......Different,” Isatia didn't explain this time, instead murmuring to herself.
“Different? What's different?” Winnie couldn't follow Isatia's train of thought.
“Unlike the totems enshrined outside,” Aesphyra stepped forward to explain. "In theory, the gods worshiped inside and outside a temple should be the same. After all, many gods opposing each other, having two different gods in one temple is taboo for any tribe. Although we can't conclude definitively yet."
Perhaps this was merely another representation of the Ouroboros totem.
“So which way should we go now?” Winnie returned to his original question.
“Left,” Isatia spoke, her voice firm and confident. “Then right afterwards.”
“If we take the wrong path, we'll fall into a deadly trap.”
Although Winnie didn't understand how Isatia could know so clearly about navigating Mars civilization temples and the consequences of wrong turns, he chose to trust her.
Given her current level of reliability, regardless of where she obtained this knowledge, trusting Isatia was never wrong.
The two followed Isatia toward the corner, whose end led to another dim corridor.
Winnie looked up at the ceiling, yes, pitch black, unable to discern the ceiling's outline or how high above they were.
Being in such an environment really created an oppressive feeling, though fortunately, all three had excellent stress resistance.
They arrived at another corner. Following Isatia's instructions, they turned right, entering yet another dim corridor.
Seemingly, nothing happened at all.
“By the way, if we took the wrong path, what exactly would happen?” Winnie asked curiously.
“Of course, we'd be teleported back to Carillian Academy. What did you think, Winnie?” Aesphyra said with amusement.
“I meant, what specifically would happen if we took the wrong path!” Winnie replied irritably.
“Don't know,” Isatia answered concisely, without turning back.
So Isatia didn't know everything after all.
They had already entered the third corner, taking the left path this time.
Winnie noticed a pattern, alternating left and right turns constituting the correct path??
Just as he was about to speak, Aesphyra and Isatia suddenly stopped, both reaching for their weapons.
Winnie froze. Although he didn't know what was happening, the sudden vigilance from these two fated heroines meant, without exception, something unexpected had occurred!
Sure enough, at the next moment, the ground began shaking.
Winnie felt a slight sense of weightlessness beneath his feet, as if something was about to shake him into the air.
“Rumble!!”
What's going on??
Feeling the ground shake, Winnie quickly took out the ice crystal pendant hanging from his earlobe, gripping it in his hand, preparing to summon [Armour Fortress]. Suddenly, he heard a sharp scream from afar.
“Damn, did the Mars people resurrect??” Winnie exclaimed in shock.
“Winnie, your imagination is truly rich,” Aesphyra had already put away her holy sword, seemingly confirming no danger remained.
“What was that?”
“Didn't Winnie just ask what would happen if we triggered a trap? Well, there's your answer,” Aesphyra raised her beautiful eyes, glancing toward a direction. “That sound seems like a ceiling collapse.”
“You mean, that scream came from other Carillian Academy students exploring here??” Winnie asked.
“What else?” Aesphyra gave Winnie a smiling glance. “Though this is good, it means they'll return and map out the wrong routes, helping later explorers avoid pitfalls.”
Alright, so that's why the academy allowed students to participate in dungeon surveys??
So many free workers within the academy, why not use them?
“Why do I feel like we're lab mice?” Winnie grimaced.
“Not quite. Winnie isn't that cute~” Aesphyra smiled brightly.
“You damn silver-haired nutball really never missed a chance to roast me, huh??”
The three continued forward, following the left-right-left-right pattern. However, at the next corner, when they should have turned right, Winnie was stopped by Isatia.
“At this corner, go left,” Isatia said.
“Huh? Why? Didn't we just go left at the previous corner??” Winnie immediately pulled back his foot, confused.
“This is the final corner. We should repeat the previous path,” Isatia calmly stated.
Although Winnie didn't fully understand, he complied.
Then, indeed, following Isatia's instructions, nothing happened, they entered the same kind of corridor.
“The Mars people's thinking is really convoluted. Designing a temple like a maze, weren't they afraid of getting lost themselves?” Winnie couldn't help but ask.
“This temple was built by the Mars people. Of course they know how to navigate it. Those who don't know the way are enemies,” Aesphyra explained.
“Speaking of which, is this the last corner?” Winnie followed behind Isatia, turning this final corner into a spacious hall.
The dim underground palace instantly became brightly lit. All four walls were carved with various murals, while massive fire altars burning on both sides illuminated the entire altar hall.
Yet strangely, in the center of the altar stood only a circular stone sphere, half shattered.
Isatia scanned the surroundings, cautiously stepping forward to investigate, with Winnie and Aesphyra following behind, covering her.
Approaching the altar, they discovered numerous stone carving fragments scattered around, completely unrecognizable, impossible to determine what the original statue looked like.
“These are fragments of the statue previously placed on this altar??” Winnie asked uncertainly. “But how did someone break it?”
“Confirmed. Different,” Isatia concluded after roughly scanning the stone fragments on the ground.
“Different? You mean the god worshipped here isn't the same Ouroboros outside?” Winnie also glanced at the scattered stones. Since they were shattered so chaotically, he couldn't make out what the original statue looked like, but he could tell it definitely wasn't an Ouroboros.
“So why isn't the god worshipped inside and outside the temple the same??” Winnie asked. “Temple interiors and exteriors differ, could this be Mars people's custom?”
“Most likely not,” Isatia paused briefly before giving her judgment.
“And why was the god statue inside the temple completely shattered, while the Ouroboros god outside only had one claw broken, the rest intact?” Aesphyra said, crouching down to examine the statue fragments on the ground.
“Three spheres,” Isatia carefully examined these fragments, confirming.
“These fragments can precisely reconstruct three spheres, the same totem we saw in the mural earlier.”
“Unless something unexpected happened, this should be the temple dedicated to the god represented by three spheres,” Isatia hypothesized.
“But why erect a statue of a different god outside this god's temple?” Winnie felt his mind getting messy.
“......The base of the statue outside the temple has been partially chipped, and its placement is irregular,” Isatia pointed out the suspicions she noticed earlier.
“So, was it placed there later?”
“No, it doesn't seem like it either. And there's no reason to do so.” Saying this, Isatia took out her notebook, scribbling something, no one knew what she was writing.
Winnie looked toward Aesphyra.
“So, is this dungeon really artificially created? Why would the Mars people place these broken statues in their own dungeon? And different ones inside and outside??”
This gave a very strange feeling.
“Chaotic,” Aesphyra expressed her feelings.
If this dungeon truly was artificially made, it was far too messy.
“So, could this dungeon have passively formed due to some supernatural residual power??” Winnie asked.
“That makes even less sense,” Aesphyra analyzed seriously.
“A postnatally formed dungeon's most basic characteristic is neatness, shaped by supernatural residual forces mixed with magic, preserving memories of a past civilization. Therefore, passively formed dungeons are most notable for their orderliness. They'd never be this chaotic.”
“Then how exactly was this dungeon formed??” Winnie felt confused.
“This dungeon might have a direct connection to the downfall of Mars civilization,” Isatia, who had been silently investigating, suddenly voiced her opinion.