Exploring the Ruins

The sculptures in the hall, the stone table and benches in the center of the hall, and the patterns on the walls are all the same.

The only difference is that the candlestick in the sculpture's hand is still lit, while the four candlesticks from before are now in our hands.

"What's going on? It's like they've come back!"

"It's not just a feeling, we're back. Look at the passageway on the left, isn't the light on?" Riven reminded me.

"Fun game! Come on, let's continue." Lili led the way into the second passage.

And so, after we had walked through all eight passages, nothing changed except that everything around us was now lit up.

We're back!

This place is like a spiral maze. No matter which way we go, we will eventually return to the starting point. If the path were complicated, that would be one thing, but it's just a few simple passages!

There wasn't a single corner, and there was no danger whatsoever; it was simply impossible to get out!

Although no one said anything, I think everyone was a little flustered. Dick wasn't in the mood to sing anymore; he had been humming just a moment ago.

"Let's try going in separately and see what happens if we go in through different passages," Lili suggested.

"No, I don't recommend doing that. Let's look for clues in the lobby first."

Countless adventure and tomb raiding novels remind me that if we separate at a time like this, we may never be able to come together again. Although this place is not a tomb, it is even more eerie than a tomb.

We moved around in the hall, which was very spacious. In addition to the giant sculptures in the four corners, there were also some scattered small sculptures, all depicting various animals.

These animal sculptures were placed around a stone table, along with three small stone stools, suggesting some kind of everyday scene.

On the stone table were a thick scroll and three water glasses. I initially thought they were sculptures, but when I reached out and touched them, I discovered that the scroll was real! And it was very well preserved. If it weren't for the dust on it, I would have thought someone had just placed it there.

The book's cover was blank, but when I opened it, it was covered with strange characters that I didn't recognize at all.

The languages of this world are not as complicated as I imagined. Since I transmigrated here, I have gained the ability to speak the local language, and the same language is used everywhere, except for a few tribes and villages.

Therefore, whether in Demacia, Noxus, Ionia, or now Freljord, there are no obstacles to communication.

But these characters were clearly not in a language I knew. Could this be some kind of secret magic book? I was a little excited at the thought, but Lili quickly snatched the scroll away.

"Show me!"

She frowned as she flipped through the book, as if she had thought of something. After a while, she suddenly closed the book and exclaimed, "I remember now!"

"Stop being so jumpy. What's on your mind?"

"I've read this book, with my sister! Oh well, you wouldn't know anyway, and it has nothing to do with whether we can get out or not."

"..."

I thought Lili had discovered some clue, but it turned out she had only read the book. My newly raised hope was dashed once again.

She put the book in her pocket, and I was puzzled—her pocket wasn't even a third the size of the book; how did she manage to fit it in?

I picked up the cup on the stone table, and sure enough, it was real. After shaking off the dust, the crystal-clear material shimmered with a faint blue light, it was absolutely beautiful!

A pattern is faintly visible on the bottom of the cup; it looks like an eye?

"Don't touch it, that's my cup!" Lili snatched it away again.

"Who exactly are you? What's your connection to this place? I see an eye drawn on the bottom of the cup, right?"

"Yes, that's right, you're very observant, but that's none of your business. I just don't want outsiders touching these cups."

"You didn't deliberately lure us here, did you?"

"What good does this do me? We're complete strangers."

That's true. Lili wouldn't go to such lengths to harm us. She doesn't speak very nicely, but I can't see any malicious intent in her.

I initially thought the eyes on the cup might have some connection to my dream, but that's completely unfounded.

"Okay, I guess I was overthinking it. Let's look for other clues."

We continued our search in the hall, but since the dust was a nuisance, I had them hide in the passageway and then used Wind Force to disperse the dust, gathering it in a corner.

After cleaning, the scene before my eyes had changed dramatically; everything in the hall was different except for the walls and floors!

These sculptures were not stone carvings, but ice sculptures! The tables and stools were all made of ice blocks, and when illuminated by the light, they shone with a blue crystal-like luster.

What's terrifying is that these ice sculptures all contain the original bodies!

At the base of the surrounding mage statues are four frozen figures, dressed in deep purple hooded robes, each holding an ice lotus in front of their chest, the lotus shimmering with light.

Each of these animal sculptures contains a corresponding real-life counterpart. I saw two Northland Giant Wolves, a White Tiger, and several other furry animals that I didn't recognize.

Dick told us that the small animal is called Hairy Badger, and the other standing animals are Snowman. They were all extinct a long time ago, but now they appear in the ice sculpture so lifelike that they seem like they might jump out at any moment.

In fact, when you have a premonition of something good, it may not happen, but a bad premonition can come true at any time.

First, I saw the Icefield Giant Wolf's eyes move, then the ice suddenly cracked, and it actually came back to life!

Then several other sculptures also cracked open, and all the animals inside ran out, attacking us at once!

The Icefield Giant Wolf are similar to those I encountered before; there are only two left now, and they aren't very strong.

The White Tiger is a bit troublesome. It is very large and agile, with two sharp teeth as imposing as a saber-toothed tiger.

The Hairy Badger lunged at our faces, baring its teeth and looking like it had nothing to lose. In contrast, the Snowman were much quieter, standing aside without launching an attack.

With just these few animals, we could have easily won, but they were brought back to life from ice sculptures, not living creatures.

I stabbed them with my sword, but no blood came out; it just left a hole. And after I cut them in half, they would quickly heal.

"Don't bother, I'll do it."

After Lili finished speaking, she stretched out her two small hands, and then two streams of ice and snow shot out from her palms, freezing the animals back into ice.

The Snowman standing nearby trembled. It turned out they had been afraid of Lili from the beginning, which was why they hadn't attacked. It seemed they still retained some intelligence.

"You guys have a good memory!" Lili said.