Chapter 256 Stone Gate
Ryan led the "Mountain Antelope Group" out of the safe house and began to look for clues in the maze.
He needs to collect more stone carvings and murals so that the system can complete the "puzzle" of the entire underground palace in order to find the correct way to leave the maze.
Along the way, corpses can be seen in almost every stone chamber.
There may be as few as one or two or as many as dozens.
Most of the wounds were on the neck, and he died because his blood was sucked dry.
Obviously, this is the work of a dog-headed monster.
A lot of scavengers died, and there were also many .
In the corridor, the number of the two is almost in a one-to-one ratio.
This also directly shows that the tens of thousands of hunters who entered the ruins have used their lives to "consume" all the dog-headed monsters in the maze.
And because of the number of people, most of the traps and mechanisms in the underground palace have been triggered.
Now, the entire maze is almost free of danger.
It simply became a troubling maze.
This is also the effect that the nobles of the Rosas family want to achieve through their conspiracy. Only when the fatal threat is gone will it be the time for their large official teams to enter the scene.
Ryan finally understood the purpose of those guys giving everyone a [Magic Bracelet to Repel Evil] before entering the maze.
The bracelet does have some low-level evil-repelling enchantments on it.
But Ryan felt that it was just a cover-up, and the biggest function of the bracelet should be "positioning".
Those guys can confirm the number of survivors in the maze by sensing the movement of the "magic mark" on the bracelet; they can also judge that the danger of the underground palace is gradually decreasing by the frequency of attrition; they can also judge the structure of the entire maze by the distribution of magic marks...
Kill two birds with one stone.
Those guys also used this method to obtain a lot of useful information with almost no effort.
It has to be said that this plan of burying tens of thousands of ordinary wasteland hunters is a bit crazy, but it can indeed enable those noble lords to achieve the goal of quickly exploring the maze.
…
Ryan's speculation was not wrong.
It was just midnight when tens of thousands of scavengers entered the underground maze, but now it was almost dawn outside.
But in just seven or eight hours, the maze was already littered with corpses.
But outside the underground palace, there is another peaceful scene.
Just as Ryan and the "Mountain Antelope Group" set out to search for clues in the maze, in the camp outside the temple, the top leaders of the Rosas family were staring at a magic light screen, discussing something.
This is a magic positioning imaging device.
Glory City is the capital of magic, so there is no shortage of high-level magic equipment.
Those densely packed little dots on the light screen are the locations of the marks on each magic bracelet.
Through this light screen, these noble lords could also clearly see the layout of the entire underground palace.
If Ryan were here, he would definitely be surprised that the overall appearance of this underground palace was the shape of the irregular polyhedron "Magic Cube" that he had guessed.
As time goes by, the number of surviving hunters in the underground palace decreases.
Unless they are seriously injured and unable to move, no scavenger will stay in one place for too long.
At the beginning, there was a "dog-headed monster" that seemed to be urging everyone to flee; now that there is not much crisis, the survivors will eagerly choose to find an "exit".
Then, those "light spots" will continue to move on the magic screen.
There are more and more stationary light spots, and less than one-tenth are still moving.
It is the distribution of these light spots that allows these nobles to clearly and real-time control the situation in the underground palace.
Soon, the staff responsible for the observation came to the conclusion that it was possible to enter the ruins.
A steward reported to the two green-haired young men at the main seat of the tent, "Your Highness Prince Harper, Master George, there are about three thousand people whose 'magic marks' are still moving in the maze. The frequency of casualties is very low. It seems that the monsters and mechanisms should have been triggered almost all. The staff feels that the risk of entering the ruins is very low now..."
Since they didn't have to take any risks themselves, these nobles naturally had smiles on their faces.
No one expected that such a dangerous relic exploration operation could break the deadlock so easily.
"Okay! Let the vanguard group go in and clear the way. Take those Polymaths and Archaeologists with you, and have them find a way to enter the second floor of the mausoleum as soon as possible..."
"yes."
“…”
At the command, large-scale hunting groups exclusively for the nobility began to organize their exploration equipment and entered the ruins one after another.
The "pioneers" who had pretended to lead the way into the ruins had also rested in some of the entrance corridors. Now that they had received the news, they began to truly enter the depths of the maze.
Young Master George, the young lord of "Black Wind Territory", was in a very good mood.
This is the most complete relic of the ancient Monkel civilization discovered so far. The value of the treasures excavated just outside the ruins is beyond expectations. It is conceivable that the treasures deep in the ruins will definitely not disappoint anyone.
If it is fully excavated, it will be great news for the Rosas family. With these treasures, they can recruit more lord cavalry and guards...
At this time, he looked at the black-robed witch with a green staff beside him and laughed loudly: "Hahaha, Master Gizela, your method is really effective! Otherwise, if we really let our own people go in to explore, we don't know how many people will die before we can find out the situation of the maze. Now, only a few refugees have died, and the door to the ruins is open to us. You should be the first to be credited... "
Hearing this, the black-robed witch's expression did not change much, and she said calmly: "We are only working for His Majesty the King. This is a small contribution that is not worth mentioning. But Master George, I still have to reiterate that there must be a poisonous treasure in this underground palace. I am not interested in anything else, but if the [Malacas's Holy Grail of All Poisons] is in there, I must get it. Also, if anyone else encounters that thing, it is best to inform me, otherwise if there is an accident, many people may die..."
"no problem."
“…”
…
On the other hand, the "Mountain Antelope Group" led by Ryan was also making rapid progress in exploring the maze.
There were no dangers along the way.
Ryan is now very resistant to the paralysis poison. Even if he encounters three or five dog-headed monsters biting him at the same time, he will be slightly affected by the paralysis and can easily fight back.
The members of the "Mountain Antelope Regiment" followed him and there was no more loss of members.
The number of monsters in the maze is already very small, and even if one occasionally jumps out, it won't kill anyone if it bites you.
With each new stone chamber passed, there will be more "puzzle" pieces in the system.
More and more special symbols engraved on the walls are collected, and the translated "meanings" are becoming more and more accurate.
Finally, an hour later.
Without even exploring the entire maze, Ryan had already figured out the "key to breaking the deadlock" in the maze.
"Down, Up, Forward, Backward, Trap..."
Ryan discovered a special pattern in the symbols on the rock wall.
He also realized that this moving "maze" was a bit like taking an elevator up and down the stairs.
But it is not a direct elevator, but a complex system consisting of many "partial floor elevators".
Each "elevator" will only run to a specific floor, either left or right, up or down.
If you keep walking in one direction, you will definitely not get out, and that will only make you loop endlessly in a dead end.
You have to follow the instructions on the wall, and occasionally you need to turn around and go back and take "another elevator" to reach the deeper location.
This is also the brilliance of this maze.
Even for people who can understand "Monkr ancient script", those special symbols still require a lot of evidence to deduce their meaning, which requires people to collect symbols in the corridor and look for patterns.
If the dog-headed monster was still there, this would definitely be a life-threatening process.
Now that the elusive dog-headed monster is gone, and Ryan has the assistance of the "intelligent brain", he can easily crack the rules.
The members of the "Mountain Antelope Group" had no idea why this "Doctor Nicholas" led them forward and backward at times, but no one complained at all.
They encountered too many corpses along the way, which made them rich.
Tens of thousands of scavengers collected almost all the burial objects in the underground palace and packed them up to take with them.
As Bart and his men walked, they picked up money along the way, and their bags became heavier and heavier.
After all, manpower was limited, and in the end they had to discard some pure gold items, and only chose to take away some more precious gems, mithril, and more exquisitely crafted jewelry and antiques...
…
I explored the maze all the way like this without encountering any accidents.
Soon, Ryan discovered that they had reached the end of the corridor.
In the distance, he saw a stone gate.
There stood a conspicuous stone tablet beside him, on which was engraved: [Congratulations, brave warrior of the trial, your wisdom and bravery have passed the test of the 'Labyrinth of Osiris'. ]
He carefully observed all the marks on the wall, and after not finding any hints that might be a trap, he continued forward.
Then, everyone saw the stone gate at the end of their vision and stopped.
Because before they even reached the door, everyone smelled a strange odor coming from the pavement. Even through the gas masks, Bart and others behind him felt dizzy.
"Oh no, it's poison gas!"
Instinctively, they retreated dozens of meters before stopping.
However, Ryan did not move at all.
This level of poison had no effect on his current body. He looked at the stone door spewing out "poison gas" and his eyes flashed with a moment of contemplation.
The sudden appearance of a stone gate blocked their way, and everyone in the "Mountain Antelope Group" was also stunned.
They no longer saw the endless stone chambers and corridors, and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. After a moment of shock, they realized that this "Doctor Nicholas" seemed to have really led them to find a way out.
"Are we... at the end of the maze?"
"It seems so."
"But this doesn't seem to be the entrance we came from before..."
“…”
Everyone was originally thinking about leaving the maze, but suddenly when they reached the end of the corridor, they suddenly became uneasy.
If the previous maze had not been built with the lives of tens of thousands of people, they would never have been able to make it here alive.
So I can't help but worry that there might be some new dangers behind this stone gate.
Ryan listened to the whispers in his ears and thought about this question.
There are definitely unknown dangers.
But since it is the "Land of Trials", the maze is obviously just an appetizer.
He felt that behind this stone gate might be the place where the real harvest would be.
Even though there are risks, there is also hope.
Ryan feels that the greatest pleasure in this world for him, besides supernatural powers, is "exploring the unknown."
Naturally, he planned to go in and find out what was going on.
But after seeing this, Ryan also understood that the next road was not suitable for the "Mountain Antelope Group" to continue walking.
The poison in the door is not a big problem for him, but it is a fatal threat to ordinary people.
He looked back at Bart and said with a smile: "Captain Bart, I plan to go down and take a look. I won't go with you..."
"But……"
Bart's expression was a little complicated, hesitant to speak, "Then you..."
He knew that Ryan said this out of concern for their safety, but he felt a little guilty for not being able to help at all when he thought about how he had been taken care of along the way.
But he also understood that they were not qualified to accompany this great man on the road ahead.
Moreover, since they were lucky enough to survive this time and the treasures they had gained far exceeded their expectations, there was no need to continue taking risks. The same was true for his teammates.
"Don't mind me."
Ryan smiled and shook his head without saying anything more.
Because he was an old acquaintance, he thought he was a nice person and took care of him.
Not so familiar, not even to the point where we need to say goodbye.
Ryan didn't say anything more. He took out a pen and paper and wrote down the meanings of the special symbols he had analyzed. He said, "I have cracked the rules of this maze. You should be able to get out by writing down the meanings of these symbols I wrote."
He walked over, handed the paper to Bart, and said, "However, there may be no danger in the maze now, but those nobles outside are also a hidden danger. If you go out directly now, you will definitely get into trouble."
"this……"
Bart looked at the paper in his hand with a complicated expression.
It turns out that this great man really cracked the maze...
Shock, emotion, and bitterness intertwined in my heart. How lucky I was to meet such a great man who took care of their "Mountain Antelope Group" in every way.
But the other party didn't say much, so he naturally didn't ask more questions.
Bart naturally understood the truth in Ryan's words.
This maze is so complicated that most people simply cannot get out alive. If they walk out directly, they will definitely be suspected.
At this moment, he thought of something and said with a determined look: "Mr. Nicholas, don't worry, we will not expose you even if we die!"
After hearing what the leader said, everyone in the "Mountain Antelope Group" also expressed their opinions, "Yes, we will never expose you."
"It's not that serious."
Ryan smiled and shook his head, saying in a relaxed tone: "If you really can't hide it, it doesn't matter if you tell the truth..."
After all, Bart and the others knew that their intelligence was very limited, so if it was exposed, it wouldn't be a big problem.
After a pause, he suggested, "However, I think the maze is not that dangerous now. You can find a safe house and stay there for a while. Those noble hunting groups will definitely enter the maze soon. When the time comes, you can just find an excuse to follow them out. That way you will save a lot of trouble."
"good."
Bart and the others nodded.
Ryan didn't say much about the details. Bart was a shrewd old hunter, and he would find a way to handle the rest himself.
Ryan waved his hand and said, "Okay, see you again if we're lucky."
"Then...Mr. Nicholas, take care."
Under the gaze of everyone, Ryan walked into the stone door with steady steps.
