The two sisters approached the heavy metal door.
Its surface was exceptionally smooth, utterly devoid of any visible keyholes or handles.
The only feature breaking the monolithic slab was a disc-shaped mechanism set in its center.
The disc was evenly divided into six sectors, each inlaid with a crystal of a distinct color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
Below the disc, an inscription was carved in archaic Common, a world away from the crude, spidery scrawls of the goblins: “The order of colors, follow the rainbow light.” Selene tilted her head, tapping a finger to her chin.
“Rainbow light?
The order of the rainbow?
Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple?” She furrowed her delicate brows.
“But there’s no cyan here.” “Perhaps in the visual spectrum of certain creatures, cyan and green are one and the same,” Celeste mused, though her gaze wasn’t fixed on the crystals.
Instead, it fell upon the edge of the disc, which was covered in fresh scratches and deep prying marks.
The damage reeked of violence and impotent rage—the clear handiwork of the goblins.
“It seems we’ve found the reason those green-skins couldn’t get this door open,” Celeste said, her lips curling into a slight smirk.
Her tone was laced with amusement.
“Expecting creatures whose entire aesthetic is ‘shiny is good’ and who struggle with basic arithmetic to understand spectral ordering is, admittedly, asking a bit much of them.” She extended a finger, tracing an elegant arc through the air before touching the crystals.
With fluid, unhesitating motions, she rotated the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple sectors in sequence.
With each turn, the corresponding crystal pulsed with a brighter light.
When the final purple sector clicked into place, the light from all six crystals surged, merging in the center of the disc to form a miniature, shimmering rainbow halo.
Click— A crisp, mechanical sound echoed in the cavern.
With a low, resonant groan of stone grinding against stone, the heavy metal door slid inward, revealing a stone-paved corridor beyond.
It was impossibly pristine.
“It’s that simple?” Selene could hardly believe her eyes.
“Those goblins couldn’t solve such a simple puzzle?” “For a goblin, sorting colors is about as difficult as advanced calculus,” Celeste replied flatly, retracting her pink staff.
“In their worldview, all shiny things are classified as ‘good.’ There’s simply no need for any further categorization.” [Ding!
Successfully solved the color puzzle that goblins couldn’t crack, creating joy by crushing them with intellect.
Elation Coins +20!
Host, your common sense is a superpower in front of goblins!] The sisters exchanged a smile and stepped through the entryway.
The metal door slid shut behind them with a heavy thud, sealing them off from the world outside.
The stench, the chaos, and the thirty-three goblin corpses were completely shut out.
The world behind the door made the two sisters, fresh from their “perfect infiltration,” hold their breath in unison.
This…
was another dimension entirely.
Outside was a rough, primitive cave system; inside was the orderly work of a forgotten civilization.
The ground underfoot was no longer uneven rock but perfectly laid gray stone slabs.
Each piece was polished as smooth as a mirror, clearly reflecting the soft white light that emanated from the walls.
That light didn’t come from glowing moss.
It shone from some kind of crystal embedded in the walls, arranged in a neat, repeating pattern, their radiance constant and steady—unmistakably the product of intelligent design.
The air was dry and clean, carrying a faint scent of dust and old metal, a stark contrast to the damp, foul-smelling environment of the goblin nest.
The corridor was wide and straight, its walls built from precisely cut stone blocks, stretching up to a towering vaulted ceiling.
Simple.
Sturdy.
Practical.
Everything exuded a deep aesthetic polished by the passage of time, forming an absurd and jarring contrast with the chaotic, random, “use-whatever-you-can-find” architectural style of the goblins.
“This…” Selene began, her footsteps subconsciously lightening as if she feared the mud on her boots might defile this sacred place.
“What is this?
This floor is cleaner than our living room!
Did we accidentally stumble into some ancient ruin?” Celeste crouched, her fingertips brushing against the cold stone floor, feeling its absolute, perfect flatness.
She nodded.
“It’s possible.
Look at the precision of the stone cutting, the craftsmanship of the embedded lighting crystals…” She stood, her gaze sweeping down the long, tidy corridor ahead.
“The goblins must have found this place by accident and turned the outermost natural cavern into their dormitory.” [Ding!
Abnormal civilization creation discovered.
“Castle Mystery” quest has been updated to exploration quest “Relic Tracking”!] [Quest Requirements: Explore this place and find the truth about the ruins.] [Quest Reward: Elation Coins and random rewards will be distributed based on exploration completion.] [Host, it seems the goblins are just the guard dogs here (and not very smart ones at that)!] Concealing their presence, the two sisters moved carefully along the corridor, vigilant for any potential threats.
Occasionally, they passed closed stone doors set into the walls, each carved with simple geometric patterns.
They tried pushing them, but the doors remained stubbornly shut, as if they were fused with the mountain itself.
After walking for about five minutes, a faint, rhythmic tapping sound reached them from up ahead.
Ding…
Clang…
Ding…
Clang…
It sounded like metal striking rock.
In the brief pauses between the impacts, they could also hear low, muffled conversation.
The sisters exchanged a look, their figures melting into the shadows along the wall, their footsteps becoming as light as a cat’s.
The corridor opened into a much wider space, something akin to a large workshop.
The scene before them once again made them hold their breath.
In one corner of the vast hall, several stout creatures were hard at work.
Their bodies looked as if they were molded from rock and soil.
They were stocky, with arms thicker than both sisters’ thighs combined.
At that moment, they were wielding delicate iron hammers and chisels that seemed comically small in their massive hands, clanging away at a giant boulder as they carefully carved its surface.
Their skin was the color of dark brown earth or grayish-black stone, weathered and ancient.
Their movements were slow and steady, carrying a rock-like composure.
Information flowed from Celeste’s bracelet: [Earth Spirit Craftsman Lv.18] [Points: 30/each] [Traits: An ancient race born from the earth, gentle in temperament, skilled in forging and stonework.
Possesses astonishing strength, but slow movement.] [Remarks: Silent craftsmen, solid partners.
Don’t be fooled by their slow movements; they can smash you into the ground if they swing their hammers.
Of course, when facing such a gentle race, combat is not the only option.] On the other side of the hall, near some makeshift shacks built against the wall, another group of creatures had gathered.
They were about the same height as goblins, their skin a sickly pale color from a long deprivation of sunlight, and their eyes were huge, glimmering unnaturally in the dim light.
They appeared extremely agitated, huddled together and exchanging gravelly whispers.
They kept glancing nervously at the working Earth Spirits, their gazes occasionally darting fearfully back toward the corridor from which Celeste and Selene had come.
[Cave Dweller Lv.12] [Points: 10/each] [Traits: A fragile race that has lived underground for a long time; timid, sensitive, possessing certain night vision abilities and a talent for mineral perception.] [Remarks: Poor creatures of the underground world, usually attaching themselves to stronger races for protection.] ‘Earth Spirits and Cave Dwellers?’Celeste thought.’What are they doing here?
And it looks like the Earth Spirits are working, while the Cave Dwellers seem…
like refugees, either imprisoned or forced to stay here.’ Just then, a Cave Dweller near the stone pillar where the sisters were hiding seemed to sense something.
It jerked its head around, its large, dark eyes locking onto the shadows in terror.
It let out a short, sharp squeak.
The scream shattered the peace of the workshop.
All tapping and whispering stopped instantly.
The Earth Spirits paused their work and slowly turned.
Their stone faces were impassive, but their eyes, embedded deep within the rock, all swiveled in their direction.
Their grips on their iron hammers and chisels tightened.
The Cave Dwellers erupted into an even greater commotion, scattering like a frightened swarm of rats and shrinking into the depths of their shacks, staring fearfully at the strangers who had suddenly appeared.
An Earth Spirit who looked the oldest, with a long, craggy beard of stone, took a step forward.
He set his tools down on the floor and looked toward the pillar with steady eyes.
A low, slow voice, with a texture like shifting bedrock, rumbled through the hall.
“Come out, strange intruders.” “The green-skinned noisemakers outside…
did you deal with them?” Though his Common was slow, it was exceptionally clear and perfectly articulated.
Their cover was blown.
Celeste and Selene shared a glance before stepping out from behind the stone pillar.
When the Earth Spirits saw that it was only two young human women, they seemed to heave a collective sigh of relief.
Their tense bodies relaxed slightly, though the vigilance in their eyes remained.
The Cave Dwellers, however, only grew more terrified.
Celeste remained on guard but showed no hostility.
She gave the elder Earth Spirit a nod.
“Yes.
The goblins outside won’t be disturbing this place for the time being.” The elder Earth Spirit scrutinized them, his gaze lingering for a moment on the pink, whimsical staff in Celeste’s hand, which felt so jarringly out of place in the stone environment.
“Thank you for driving away the noise and chaos,” he rumbled.
“They have occupied the entrance for a long time.
They are noisy and greedy, disturbing the tranquility of the Stone Hall and cutting off our connection with the outside world.” He paused.
“I am Shi Xu, the guardian here.
These,” he gestured to the cowering Cave Dwellers, “are the ‘Wall Nest Clan,’ who are temporarily residing here.
And you…
are humans?
Why have you come to this forgotten foundation Hall?” Thoughts raced through Celeste’s mind.
These Earth Spirits showed no hostility and clearly detested the goblins.
She weighed her words carefully before offering a half-truth.
“We came here to find moonlight moss.
The goblins were blocking the way, so we had to…
clear them out.” “Moonlight moss?” The stony ridge above Shi Xu’s eyes—what might pass for an eyebrow—twitched.
“There is indeed some of that glowing moss in the deeper Crystal Cluster Cave.
But there…” Before he could finish, an individual among the Cave Dwellers, who seemed to be their leader, scrambled forward a few steps, trembling violently.
Its pale fingers were twisted together in a nervous knot as it shrieked at Shi Xu in a high-pitched, quavering voice.
“Sh-Shi Xu Elder!
Sh-she…
they have the stench of those green-skinned bandits on them!” “And…
and there’s also a very strange, very scary floral scent!
Are they…
are they with those bandits?!” Celeste and Selene stood frozen.
The stench of goblins was understandable; they had just waded through a slaughter.
But that “very strange, very scary floral scent”…
Celeste’s face was a mask of indifference, but a single, furious thought dominated her mind.
‘That damn floral-scented spray is hereby designated a forbidden alchemical item, never to see the light of day again.’ Shi Xu turned to the Cave Dweller leader, his voice still a steady, low rumble.
“Biezhao, calm down.
They dealt with the green-skins; that is a fact.
As for the scent…” He looked back at Celeste, and a trace of what looked like imperceptible helplessness flickered across his stone face.
“Perhaps it is the trace left behind by some…
unique combat method?” Celeste remained expressionless, but internally, she was plotting to find the alchemist who created that spray and give them a piece of her mind.
[Ding!
Because of the lingering “suspicious scent,” your identity was questioned by the underground race, creating unexpected awkwardness and humor.
Elation Coins +77!
Host, the aftereffects of your “chemical weapon” are beginning to show!] Forcibly ignoring the system’s snark, Celeste addressed Shi Xu directly.
“We are not with the goblins; we are just passing through.
If the moonlight moss is deeper inside, we are willing to trade items of equal value or help you solve a problem as payment.” She spread her hands, an open gesture of goodwill.
Shi Xu was silent for a long moment, seemingly weighing his options.
He glanced at the terrified Cave Dwellers behind him, then back at Celeste and Selene.
Finally, his slow voice sounded once more.
“Perhaps…
your arrival is not a coincidence.” “The foundation Hall has indeed encountered some…
troubles that we cannot solve ourselves.” His rock-like gaze grew deep, ancient.
“If you are willing to listen, and to prove your strength and goodwill, then the moonlight moss—and perhaps even more—can be discussed.” He paused, a dry, grinding quality entering his tone.
“After all, intruders who can get past the goblin blockade and leave Biezhao so…
‘deeply impressed’…” “You are the first.” [Elysian’s Note: Having a good time with the story?
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