Where Did the Egg Go?

Hopefully this is the last layer.

Xiao Fan stood in front of the steps; there were only two hours left in the secret realm.

Although the boss in this secret realm wasn't particularly difficult, the various strange mechanics were quite troublesome and wasted a lot of his time.

"If all else fails, I'll just collect the reward and leave after clearing all three floors."

"I'm not gambling anymore. What if I get kicked out of the secret realm when the time is up? All my hard work for the whole day will be for nothing."

Xiao Fan, now fully recovered, stepped onto the amethyst staircase, the crystal beneath his feet gleaming with a faint, ethereal purple light.

The surrounding scenery seemed to be soaked in murky ink, blurring and dissolving layer by layer, leaving only a chaotic void between heaven and earth.

After a moment, as if passing through a thick, hazy membrane, my vision slowly regained its focus.

Xiao Fan looked up and found himself standing in a dimly lit, ancient palace. The air around him was stagnant and cold, carrying a musty, dusty smell.

Underfoot are smooth black stone tiles, the surface of which has been covered with fine cracks over the years, and thick dust has accumulated in many places.

Directly in front of the main hall, across an open space several dozen feet away, stands a tall black stone altar.

The altar was square, with ancient, angular edges. The surface was empty except for a recessed groove in the very center, which was completely clean, as if something that should have been placed there had vanished.

Xiao Fan frowned deeply, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the altar.

"Could it be that this secret realm requires me to retrieve the lost item from the altar and return it to its original place?"

Xiao Fan slowly stretched out his hand, his fingertips gently touching the edge of the groove in the center of the Altar. The moment his fingertips touched the cool stone surface...

The circular groove was half a meter deep. He carefully stroked the groove along its contours, feeling the smooth curve of the inner wall, and his guess slowly became clear.

"This shape... looks like..."

After a brief pause, Xiao Fan's pupils contracted slightly, and he blurted out, "An egg!"

The groove has a rounded and full outline, and its curvature perfectly matches the shape of the egg, clearly indicating that it is a base for holding a giant egg.

Where did the egg go?

He looked up and surveyed the entire dimly lit palace. The walls were bare, with no passageways leading elsewhere or forking paths.

Inside the vast hall, only this ancient altar stands alone.

"This place is so small, there's not even a place to hide. Where am I supposed to find the things on the altar?"

Xiao Fan was filled with doubt.

"Could there be a mechanism in this palace?"

This guess gave him a jolt of excitement.

Palaces in novels often have hidden mechanisms or secret underground chambers.

"Look carefully first!"

Without further hesitation, Xiao Fan immediately began the search.

The entire palace was eerily silent, with no exit. The surrounding stone walls were cast from single pieces of dark, ancient rock, their surfaces covered with mottled patterns etched by the passage of time.

The hall was completely dark, with only the ethereal light of the secret realm spilling down, making the surroundings hazy and deep. Not even a whisper of wind could be heard, and the deathly silence made one feel slightly suffocated.

Xiao Fan searched around the palace walls, his gaze sweeping over the thick stone platform's sides and corners inch by inch. His fingertips constantly traced the cold, rough stone surface, carefully examining every texture, checking for any pressable indentations, rotating stone buttons, or hidden mechanisms.

There are no mechanisms in the walls.

Xiao Fan searched very carefully, even flying up to touch every wall of the palace, but unfortunately there were no traps.

"Next is the ground."