The Open-Air Castle

The interior of the maze was dimly lit, with only the faintly glowing moss scattered on the walls providing meager illumination.

The air was damp and chilly, carrying the smell of stale earth and the distinctive fishy odor of the Yeti. The passage was winding and full of forks, and the stone walls were icy to the touch, carved with ancient patterns that had long since faded and were from the Unified Dynasty.

Ruby walked in the middle of the group, her emerald eyes fixed intently ahead. The soft light emanating from the tip of her staff not only illuminated the path ahead but also projected a three-dimensional map in the air before her, composed of pure magic, that slowly expanded and corrected as the group moved forward. The map clearly marked the path they had taken, the forks in the road they had encountered, and the locations of some simple traps that had been triggered or defused.

"Hmm... avoid that wall that spews poison needles, and go around that pit disguised as the ground..."

Ruby casually maintained her magic while muttering to herself, a hint of focus and smugness on her face, "Hmph~ It seems that even the core principles of mazes from the Unified Dynasty era are largely the same! After conquering so many mazes, we're already experts! Challenging this kind of maze is a piece of cake for Ruby!"

Haita followed her, this time rarely holding a wine bottle, but paying careful attention to the surroundings. Hearing Ruby's words, he chuckled, and his tone was full of emotion after experiencing the storm:

"Haha, yeah. Compared to our initial adventures, when we were constantly nearly crushed into meat patties by moving walls, chased by rolling boulders, or accidentally stepping into traps and almost getting impaled by spikes... these recent maze explorations have definitely become... well, much easier." He stroked his chin, seemingly recalling those thrilling "newbie" days.

Upon hearing this, Himmel, walking ahead, elegantly swung her sword, cleaving a yeti that leaped from the shadows in two, her blue hair fluttering in the magical glow. A slightly regretful expression, typical of thrill-seeking adventurers, appeared on her face. "That's true, but without thrills and challenges, the joy of adventure seems somewhat diminished. True adventure, indeed, needs some unknown dangers to spice things up."

Eisen silently cleaved through another Yeti, adding in a low voice, "Safety first." His words were concise and to the point, full of the pragmatism of a dwarf warrior.

Guided by Ruby's precise map, the team skillfully evaded various ancient traps and mechanisms—trapdoors, falling rocks, poisonous fog, magic arrows... What would be deadly threats to ordinary adventurers were now mere minor obstacles on a picnic for the Hero Party. The occasional stray snow monsters they encountered were of no use and were quickly cleared away.

After navigating the intricate maze for about half an hour, the view suddenly opened up ahead.

They passed through a huge arched stone gate, and the sight that came into view made everyone pause for a moment.

This was an extremely vast space, so enormous that it was unbelievable that it was located inside a mountain. Looking up, they could see a gray sky! A cold wind, carrying fine snowflakes, rushed in from above, making a "whooshing" sound. It was as if they had entered the bottom of a huge natural well surrounded by steep rock walls, with only a narrow sliver of light overhead.

In the center of this strange space stands a building—a castle with an ancient style, built of massive granite blocks. The castle is not small, but its style is unusually peculiar; it has no roof! Within the high walls, all the building structures are exposed to the sky, as if the process of building a roof was deliberately omitted at the beginning of construction, or as if some enormous force forcibly ripped off the top, leaving the interior columns and halls to be eroded by wind and snow.

The castle's main gate consisted of two heavy, rusted iron doors, which were wide open like the gaping maw of a giant beast. Just as they were observing, a Yeti sauntered out from inside the gate, let out a low growl upon seeing them, and was immediately killed by Eisen with a single axe blow.

"A castle without a roof? An open-air structure built at the deepest part of a labyrinth?" Himmel frowned slightly, a hint of doubt and wariness flashing in her blue eyes. "This design... is truly unheard of."

Frieren's emerald eyes swept across the castle walls, her fingertips lightly brushing against the cold stone, sensing the faint residual magical fluctuations. "The castle itself has a strong anti-detection magical barrier, interfering with perception. From the outside, we can't see the specific situation inside."

Upon Ruby this, Ruby immediately cast Flight Magic, her petite figure gracefully ascending into the air, attempting to overlook the castle's interior from above. However, when she reached a certain height and cast her gaze upon the castle's interior, it was as if she saw a distorted, blurry frosted glass, only vaguely discernible outlines of some buildings and the shadows of moving yetis, with no details discernible at all.

"No!" Ruby back on the ground, her little face filled with frustration. "Just like Lady Frieren said, there's a very strong interference barrier; we can't see clearly inside from above!"

Lowell gazed at the open, completely exposed castle, stroked his chin, and said with a hint of amusement, "Tsk, building your lair so 'information-gathering'—do you think the snow here isn't heavy enough, and you need a natural icebox to keep your ingredients fresh? Or... is some hermit living inside who enjoys sunbathing—no, 'snowbathing'? Who likes to 'gaze at the stars'?"

Himmel took a deep breath of the cold air, his handsome face regaining the determination and composure he always showed in the face of challenges. "It seems this is the final area of the labyrinth. The source of the endless stream of Yetis must be within this castle. Although the gates are wide open, seemingly inviting, there must be immense danger hidden within."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over his companions, a familiar, refreshing smile spreading across his face—a smile that blended a sense of responsibility with a certain "ritualistic" quality. "However... according to our old rules!"

Upon hearing this, everyone wore expressions of "I knew it" and even a knowing smile.

Ruby immediately chimed in, her blue eyes sparkling. "Of course! We have to explore every single place on this floor! Not a single corner can be missed!"

Heiter laughed heartily, "Haha! That's right! This is the style of our Hero Party!"

Eisen nodded silently, his face expressionless, but the way he gripped his battle axe indicated he was ready to carry out a thorough "cleanup."

Frieren yawned slightly, seemingly not too keen on the obsession with "100% exploration," but she didn't object either. After all, following Himmel's "sweeping" style of exploration, she had indeed gained quite a few magic books and strange trinkets that had been forgotten in corners.

So, led by Himmel, the group turned around without hesitation and took a side path that had not yet been explored. Clearly, for this brave adventurer who pursued "perfect exploration," he would never easily step into the open-air castle that seemed to be the final checkpoint without thoroughly searching every side path and secret room in this layer of the maze.

Lowell watched Himmel's excited, treasure-hunting back as she walked away, shaking his head with a helpless smile. He silently thought to himself, "This obsessive-compulsive desire to explore the entire map... it's exactly like those RPG players who feel restless until they've explored every corner and opened every treasure chest..."

He and Frieren, who had a "do whatever you want" look on her face, caught up with the group. Linié and Lupa followed closely behind.