After taking a short rest, Gauss and Alya got up and cautiously made their way toward the dark green "birdcage" pavilion, stepping over the slick moss underfoot.
Though this space was wrapped in lush greenery, its neatly laid stone floor and relatively open surroundings—with few unruly shrubs—hinted at deliberate landscaping. It looked more like an abandoned ancient public square than a purely natural cavern.
Clearly, it was another ruin from an ancient civilization.
As they approached, the pavilion finally came into clear view.
It wasn't a traditional stone gazebo. It looked more like countless living, dark green, broad-leafed plants resembling ivy, intricately woven and entwined together.
The plants intertwined, coiled, and arched over one another, forming a hemispherical dome about three meters high and roughly two meters in diameter—a giant birdcage made of plants.
Most striking was the hazy green energy barrier surrounding the entire pavilion.
It looked like a thin layer of translucent rippling water, or perhaps a wispy veil of mist, gently enveloping the verdant structure.
Through it, they could just make out the entrance to a passage leading below.
Beyond that, nothing was clear.
"Looks like we can't get in?" Alya tentatively tapped the pavilion with her Oak Staff.
Despite its delicate appearance, the plant pavilion felt exceptionally sturdy.
Gauss also raised his steel longsword and hacked at it several times. The impact numbed the web between his thumb and forefinger, but had no effect.
He then tried Magic Missile, Mage Hand, Burning Arrow, Burning Hands, and various other tricks and spells in turn.
But no matter what he used, the slender plants, leaves, and hazy, watery barrier remained completely still, holding everything at bay.
The green pavilion clearly had some kind of near-indestructible quality, far beyond what their current strength could overcome.
"There's a recess here.