binnovel Chapter 939 The Ritual of the Brave 3
Chapter 939 The Ritual of the Brave 3
Upon entering, the first thing that catches the eye is a golden, luminous mark, followed by a voice echoing in the mind: "Swear here, Shibarak... He who has ascended to the earth to shelter all living beings, He who has bestowed fire to illuminate all living beings..."
When their descendants return from the fire, no one should stop them!
Saffir rubbed his temples: "It's a bit noisy, and they're talking nonsense."
"Did you understand?" Ying was already used to it, but she was still a little confused because the words were not easy to understand.
Saffir shook her head; she couldn't be bothered to understand, because there was no need.
The space behind the door wasn't large. The light-like mark disappeared after being touched, its trajectory indicating it descended from the rift behind the door and then disappeared into the distance.
So next they have to enter this rift valley.
Saffir walked to the edge of the rift, glanced down, and saw a large expanse of liquid phlogiston that looked like magma.
"This thing looks really hot, let's fly over there." Saffir didn't want to ruin his shoes.
Ying had no objections, so the group, aided by the Safiel Wings of Holiness, glided at low altitude, easily passing through the liquid phlogiston zone and entering the Hall of the Dividing Path Oath.
It wasn't until the Hall of Parting Vows that the true main body of this ruin was revealed. It was a very large underground complex. Because it was located underground, sunlight could not penetrate it, but it was not dark at all.
Because the ruins are filled with scalding hot liquid phlogiston that shines brightly.
Phosphorus even fell directly from the ceiling and poured into the phosphorus lake below, illuminating the area as bright as day.
Before them was a small platform resembling a balcony. Standing on the platform and looking out, they could see a high platform across the phlogiston sea, where there was something that clearly did not belong to human technology, resembling a gate or a mural.
Those were two creatures back to back. The reason I call them creatures is because the mural is too abstract to be easily described.
That must be the final trial of this ruin.
Chris stared at everything before him, his emotions running high: "Wow!"
It was trying to express shock.
Paimon glanced at Krest: "This is the first time I've heard Krest call me that."
“It might be imitating you.” Saffir thought that Crestor’s tone was eight or nine parts similar to Paimon’s, and Paimon just happened to be the kind of person who liked to make a fuss. It was hard to say how much Crestor’s shout was copied from Paimon.
Paimon thought it was pretty good too. Looking at the distant mural, she couldn't help but exclaim, "It's understandable, considering how huge it is. Hmm, let me see, it depicts two people, each holding a round object..."
She paused halfway through her sentence, her tone becoming more urgent: "Wait, why does one of the people's heads look so strange?"
"Goo...Gah!" Karmos exclaimed, giving Paimon a disapproving look.
Paimon was a little embarrassed: "Ah, you mean, that green one is actually a dragon?"
She observed it more carefully, then nodded slightly: "Now that you mention it, it's true, that thing really does have a dragon's head..."
Paimon thought for a moment, trying to interpret: "Does this mean that a person and a dragon each took two golden jujubes?"
Come to think of it, I feel like I've heard a story before about two people taking something.
"The first fire god and the fire-stealing sage, if I remember correctly, there is indeed such a story." Saffir had discussed Nata's history and culture with Sitrali, so he was quite familiar with this kind of anecdote.
Paimon paused for a moment, then said, "If that's the case, doesn't that mean that one of the Fire Thief Sage and the First Fire God is a dragon? Which one is the dragon?"
"First, we can rule out the first Vulcan." Ying doesn't know about other things, but she is very clear about this: Vulcans are all human and could never be dragons.
Moreover, the relationship between Heaven and dragons is not good, so the possibility of dragons becoming gods is very low.
Paimon nodded thoughtfully: "Hmm, so the Fire-Stealing Sage is actually a dragon? Wait, I remember seeing that golden pattern in the place where Krest was imprisoned, right?"
So our encounter with Krest was also caused by this Fire-Stealing Sage? And this is also related to dragons?
Ying felt that Paimon's words were a bit harsh, and she tried to correct him: "This is called being chosen by the dragon."
"Oh, so you mean he wasn't actually chosen by the Great Ridge Dragon lying there, but by this Fire-Stealing Sage?" Paimon showed no respect whatsoever for the Fire-Stealing Sage.
This little guy seems to always be like this, showing the least respect to people of higher status. Even if he acts a bit timid because of the other person's strength, he still speaks ill of them behind their backs without hesitation.
Saffir sighed. How come this little one hasn't been beaten to death yet? What? He's the one protecting her? Then it's alright.
Ying was already used to Paimon's way of speaking. Following this line of thought, she continued, "Perhaps he was chosen by Krest."
Krist nodded and patted his belly: "Wow!"
It is emphasizing its own existence by choosing fire.
Paimon looked at Krest: "That's possible, hmm... that's strange... so, was Saffir chosen by Carmos in the same way?"
Carmos flapped his wings and shook his head.
Saffir said, "Our situation is a little different, well... never mind, it doesn't really matter, we've all been chosen anyway. We can't escape this trial."
Just then, the strange voice rang out again: "Chosen one of the dragon, move forward, move forward... pass through the tunnels on the left and right, and the passage will unfold before your eyes..."
Looking at the different tunnels on the left and right, there are also mechanisms at the entrances of the tunnels, but the left one is yellow, representing the passage for people, and the right one is green, representing the passage for dragons.
“Once you enter the passages on both sides, you can no longer communicate. In other words, this trial completely eliminates the possibility of verbal command.” Saffir raised an eyebrow slightly, not surprised by the difficulty, but rather somewhat impressed by the designer’s cleverness.
In fact, many dragons are very attached to their masters. If they act alone, let alone solving puzzles, they would probably find it extremely difficult to even cross passages.
Fortunately, neither Krest nor Karmos are simple dragons, so Sapphire and Ying can rest assured that even if something goes wrong, Karmos will take good care of Krest.
This group isn't just two people with two dragons, it's three people with one dragon.
Paimon looked at Krest with some concern: "This time, we won't even be able to see anything. Krest, do you think it will be difficult? If it is, we can withdraw now."
Ying nodded: "Don't force yourself. If you want to quit, just say so."
Krest did not answer immediately, but looked at Carmos.
Carmos remained silent and walked to the side of the passage, ready to enter.
"Hey!" Krest immediately perked up and caught up with Karmos.
Seeing that the two little ones were very determined, Paimon was genuinely happy, but couldn't help but remind them, "Be sure to be careful. If you encounter any danger, you must run away immediately. Nothing is more important than your own life, not even treasure."
"Yeah!" Krist patted his belly and assured him.
Ying was very pleased: "Keep it up, I believe in you."
Saffir then said to Carmos, "I'll have to leave the rest to you. Take good care of Krest."
“Okay!” Carmos nodded, indicating that he would take care of it.
The man and the dragon parted ways, each entering their own respective passages.
After entering the passage, there is a corner where the two sides can no longer see each other.
Even worse, before they could even turn the corner, a cage-like gate descended at the entrance to the passage, trapping them inside.
Ying subconsciously patted the gate, but it didn't budge. Through the gate, she could see Karmos and Krest on the other side, who were also looking at her with some concern.
Saffir raised her hand, and Veronica appeared in her hand as a cross blade, which she then swung around expressionlessly.
The gate shattered with a crash, breaking into pieces.
“This thing can’t hold us back, so you can focus on completing the trial.” With that, Saffir walked forward.
Seeing that Karmos had also turned the corner and entered the trial scene, Ying nodded to Krest and followed Saffir.
The passageway mechanism on the human side is quite peculiar. There are infrared-like light mechanisms everywhere here. As long as they are touched, the liquid phlogiston in the entire passage will rise.
This temperature would be deadly for most people. Saffir raised his hand and touched the light mechanism, and then saw the level of phlogiston below begin to rise.
It rose until it was less than twenty centimeters away from them before stopping.
She then withdrew her hand, and the phlogiston liquid level began to drop back to its original position.
She touched her chin and then raised her hand to touch the light mechanism.
Paimon was puzzled by her actions: "Why are you still touching this mechanism?"
Saffir did not answer, but this time she withdrew her hand when the phlogiston level had risen to halfway.
However, the level of the phlogiston fuel continued to rise after she withdrew her hand, reaching its highest point before slowly receding.
Saffir raised an eyebrow and reached out for the third time, this time touching him for an even shorter time, almost just a quick touch before immediately withdrawing his hand.
Meanwhile, the phlogiston price continued to rise, reaching its highest point before gradually declining.
"What did you find?" Saffir asked, looking at Ying and Paimon.
The two little ones nodded together, and Ying said, "We must try our best to avoid touching this mechanism in the future. This mechanism is very sensitive, and it will rise to its highest point as soon as it is touched."
Saffir shook his head and said, "Not only that, but you also need to remember where its limit is. The subsequent trials may use this mechanism, since some things can float on liquid phlogiston."
Upon hearing this, Ying suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly: "That makes sense."
After testing the mechanism, Saffir looked ahead and discovered several stone platforms in the distance, each with lever-like mechanisms.
She jumped up and tried to pull it, but found that the lever was stuck and couldn't be moved.
"This lever is probably used to start the platform. Pulling the lever will likely move the platform forward with us."
"It seems we'll need Little Dragon's help here. Our progress won't be able to advance until they solve the puzzle," Saffir said, offering his guess.
Paimon asked, puzzled, "Saffir, why don't we just fly there?"
Saffir looked up at the little guy and said, "The mechanisms of humans and dragons are interconnected. If one side doesn't activate, the other side can't move. Similarly, if you don't move forward step by step on this side, the other side will become a dead end."
Is Paimon planning to trap Krest and Carmos there and let them perish?
Paimon immediately covered his mouth: "I misspoke! I'm sorry!"
The little girl's apology was very sincere, and seeing this, Saffir couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, stop fooling around."
I can indeed assist them in completing all the trials. These ruins cannot hold me back. I can even take Krest and Karmos directly to the volcano to forcibly cleanse them of the Flame Lord's blessing that they are destined to submit to.
But I didn't do that. Do you know why?
Paimon scratched his head: "I think you have your reasons, but I can't quite put my finger on them..."
“Because of ‘growth’.” Saffir sat directly on the platform, waiting for the mechanism to be activated. “If I do everything, then those who follow me will not be able to grow at all. In the future, they will encounter things that even I cannot do. What will happen to those I protect then?”
I gave them a stable environment, but I also deprived them of the courage to face tomorrow. The strength of one person is ultimately limited, just like that of a dragon and a human.
Rather than letting Krest and Carmos become complacent hothouse flowers, I would rather see them undergo this trial and torment, mature and become reliable after weathering the storm, gaining the strength to protect themselves.
Since this is a trial for both humans and dragons, I should naturally respect the rules and let them complete the next test through their own strength.
I can ignore the rules, but I cannot be the one who breaks them. Breaking the gate is a way to prove my strength, while continuing the trial is to abide by the rules and also to tell that guy in the shadows what I'm thinking.
I respect the rules he set, also so that it will be convenient for me in the future.
As she said this, Ying and Xiao Paimeng looked at each other, somewhat confused, but that didn't stop them from waiting obediently. Anyway, Safiel must have some deeper meaning behind what she was doing, but as for what that deeper meaning was, they didn't need to understand it.
Just support and understand, that's all.
On the other side, Carmos walked ahead, with Krest following closely behind.
The scenery here is much more beautiful than the other side, with mountains, water, and trees, unlike the other side which is nothing but rocks and molten lava.
Once inside, Carmos immediately spotted the location they needed to reach. She gestured for Krest to look in that direction, and Krest's eyes lit up as he looked. They then began searching for the puzzle mechanism.