Water Stains

There were footprints on the ground and lingering smells in the air.

Linsey and Ka Ji each played to their strengths, making it virtually impossible for them to go astray in the Garden Enclosure.

Soon, the two left the Banquet Hall.

They entered through the third tunnel on the left.

This road is the same as the previous tunnel, but it leads deep into the Garden Enclosure, with numerous forks in the road, frequent spiral staircases and sloping passageways.

Linsey and Ka Ji stepped into it.

The road went uphill frequently, but after trekking for more than an hour, the end of the road was still nowhere in sight.

"Where are we now...?"

Linsey pondered for a moment, then silently opened the map.

Based on geographical analysis, they have moved far away from Echo Valley Town and have been moving closer to the true core of the Garden Enclosure.

Mu Le Na Hu En and the other person who entered the Garden Enclosure also didn't take the wrong path along the way, did they? As Linsey pondered the question, a possibility emerged.

[Garden Nursery Management Seed] Give yourself control over your Garden Enclosure.

Without a doubt, this power is enough to easily kill enemies below the Eighth Stage.

Linsey is now within the Garden Enclosure's boundaries.

Can he use this seed directly?

Under the premise of absolute safety, how about eliminating Mu Le Na Hu En immediately?

Linsey did just that.

Ka Ji behind her didn't even notice anything, and a seed quietly appeared in Linsey's hand.

Then, when Linsey tried to activate the seed, she smiled and shook her head.

"As expected, this matter is not so easy to resolve."

Everything is normal with the seeds left by the Forest Will.

Linsey can be used now for large-scale transformations such as environmental adjustments to forests.

But when it comes to specifically killing a person, this kind of precise operation...

We have to go to the core control panel of the Garden Enclosure to identify the enemy's characteristics.

"..."

"We only get one chance, so let's play it safe."

Linsey silently retrieved the [Garden Nursery Management Seed].

As they continued forward, another special area appeared ahead.

The entire Garden Enclosure is actually a single, unimaginably large plant, with tunnels and caves carved out within it used as buildings and living spaces.

What appeared before Linsey and her companion at that moment was a huge void.

On the other side of the tunnel, there are railings and guard posts to protect this vast, empty space.

"This place must have been quite important before, right?"

Ka Ji, behind Linsey, continued to track the scent left in the air.

He prepared to wander into the circular corridor of this vast space, his steps never faltering.

But Linsey paused in her tracks.

His "Decryption Game" module has now marked a message in this huge space.

[The reservoir— the Garden Enclosure collects abundant water resources during the rainy season and stores them here to meet people's needs during the dry season.]

How could an ordinary reservoir be specially marked in Decryption Game? There must be something wrong here!

"..."

"Ka Ji, be careful, something might be wrong here!"

Linsey immediately issued a warning, startling the observer who had stepped forward; their face even turned ashen.

"Lord Di Ya Bo Luo, what... what have you discovered?"

Linsey pointed to the huge space to the side:

"This used to be a reservoir, but now it's dried up."

Ka Ji looked confused. "Isn't it normal for a reservoir to dry up if no one uses it for a long time?"

Linsey shook her head:

"The rainy season in the Courtyard in the Forest World has only been going on for a little over a month, and there was even a downpour yesterday. With the Garden Enclosure system functioning normally, this reservoir couldn't possibly be this dry!"

Linsey casually pulled out a Steel Spear and handed it to Ka Ji, then reached out and braced himself against the railing, flipped over, and jumped down. "Ka Ji, be careful here, I'll go down and check."

Thump—

Linsey slid down the wall of the reservoir to the bottom.

He tried his best to control the sound of his landing, but even the slightest noise echoed rapidly in the empty environment.

The entire reservoir was empty, as if echoing the low growls of some ghost.

"..."

Linsey frowned and took two steps forward.

He didn't have to go far before he found a pebble-sized object on the ground ahead, the color and shadow of which changed depending on the viewing angle.

"This is..."

Linsey approached and crouched down to examine him.

As he had expected, there was a faint dampness at the bottom of the reservoir, and the small patch of light and shadow that would change was the clear water left in the puddles of the reservoir.

"One day..."

"No, there was still water flowing here just a few hours ago!"

Linsey got up and continued her investigation.

This suspicious phenomenon indeed triggered the [Decryption Game] function, and a faint white light appeared on the ground.

Just as Linsey was about to inspect, Ka Ji, who was sitting above him, became restless and called out to him, "Lord Di Ya Bo Luo, has anything been found down there?"

"..."

Linsey didn't say a word, but instead put a finger to her lips and shook her head at Ka Ji.

"Lord Di Ya Bo Luo, have you made any discoveries down there?"

"Ah!"

Ka Ji's echo reached his ears.

He then realized what was happening and quickly covered his mouth.

The two were still tracking the enemy, and making such a loud noise in this empty Garden Enclosure would easily attract attention.

That shout just now might have ruined things!

At the same time, Linsey sped up, following the trail of white light, and soon arrived at the edge of the bottom of the reservoir.

This is a water channel leading to a distant location.

Because it supplies water to the entire Garden Enclosure, this water trough is very large, as wide as a city's underground sewer system.

Even someone of Linsey's adult physique could easily walk inside.

Linsey stopped ahead and did not continue this time.

He pulled up a map to examine it; the waterway connected the entire interior of the Garden Enclosure and was so large it defied description.

To thoroughly investigate it would be an enormous and time-consuming undertaking! "..."

"Now is not the time to be distracted by this kind of thing."

Linsey shook her head slightly, saying that everything has its priorities.

Missing out on the trail left by Mu Le Na Hu En and losing his location is something Linsey absolutely cannot accept.

Therefore, even knowing that there were some dangers in the Garden Enclosure, he could not let that stop him from moving forward.

Before leaving, Linsey half-squatted on the ground.

He was intently focused on the white light that symbolized the disappearance of the water.

[Water flow traces – Water flowed rapidly through this tunnel and was quickly extracted.]

Something is absorbing the moisture here!

"Mu Le Na Hu En —it can't be him; then it must be another Awakened One?"

With a sense of unease, Linsey climbed back up to the edge of the reservoir.

Ka Ji was still a little uneasy because of his shouting earlier, and he didn't even dare to speak when he saw Linsey come up.

Linsey then reached out and patted the other person on the shoulder:

"This reservoir should have had water an hour ago."

"There must be something inside the Garden Enclosure that is rapidly absorbing water; we should pay attention to that next."

Ka Ji cautiously asked, "So what should we do now?"

Linsey pointed ahead. "Follow their scent and keep tracking them."

"That's what's most important right now."