The Appearance

Having confirmed that his idea worked, Li Qiuzhi used the same method to light the remaining two Torch Mechanisms. But the result was unexpected: aside from the elemental glow of the torches brightening their surroundings, nothing else seemed to change.

"Strange. What's going on?"

Bennett found it puzzling. All the Torch Mechanisms were lit. Even if they had nothing to do with the iron gate, surely something else should have happened.

"Could there be more than three Torch Mechanisms?"

Li Qiuzhi rubbed his chin and voiced the thought.

From his experience in the game, torch puzzles usually had either three or four torches.

"This Prinzessin believes so as well. Surely the final Torch Mechanism remains somewhere here. Oz!"

At Li Qiuzhi's words, Fischl raised her fair chin slightly and gave her familiar Oz an order.

"Understood, mein Fräulein."

Flapping his wings, Oz could hardly make a gesture of acknowledgment, and his avian face showed no change in expression. Yet his voice carried the utmost respect.

Like lightning in the night, Oz sped through the spacious chamber.

Of the three Torch Mechanisms they had found, two stood opposite each other. That meant the undiscovered one should be opposite the remaining torch.

Clearly, it ought to be high on the wall behind them.

Unexpectedly, however, Oz reached the edge of the wall without finding the last Torch Mechanism.

After a moment's consideration, Oz was not particularly surprised. Anything could happen inside a Domain, so a temporary departure from common sense was understandable.

He simply had to look elsewhere.

Watching Oz circle beneath the round dome, Fischl frowned slightly. "What is it, Oz? Have you still not found it?"

"Ah, mein Fräulein, I have searched the entire chamber, from top to bottom, but there truly is no sign of it."

Rather than waste any more effort, Oz flew back.

"Ah, if it isn't on the wall, where could it be?" Bennett scratched the short, pale-gold hair at the back of his head.

Fischl folded her arms across her chest, her overlapping hands resting against her soft upper abdomen beneath the close-fitting black mesh. Her bright green right eye turned toward the hole in the dome, and she suddenly smiled.

"This Prinzessin has discerned the answer. The truth concealed by fate must lie here!"

Fischl pointed her fair index finger at the enormous heap of rubble that had fallen from the shattered dome above.

Oh? Little Amy thinks the remaining Torch Mechanism was originally mounted upside down on the dome? That does seem possible.

Li Qiuzhi considered it before saying:

"Yes. If we haven't found it anywhere else, this is certainly the most likely place."

The three adventurers and the raven stepped into the rubble again, carefully searching for the possible Torch Mechanism. The pile was hazardous; one careless step onto a loose pebble could send someone tumbling.

Fortunately, that should have been no trouble for three seasoned adventurers like them.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

The moment that thought crossed Li Qiuzhi's mind, he heard Bennett cry out. Looking toward the sound, he found Bennett sitting on the ground, rubbing the back of his head. He might have struck it against a rock.

For a moment, Li Qiuzhi reflected with little surprise:

When it came to Bennett, no amount of experience could stop these things from happening.

"Are you all right, Bennett?" Li Qiuzhi hopped lightly between the rocks, went over to help him up, and asked with concern.

"Your misfortune truly defies all reason, Sir Bennett."

Fischl, whose smooth blond hair was partially tied up on either side with black butterfly-shaped ribbons, and her familiar, the Night Raven Oz, had also noticed Bennett's predicament.

"Haha, I'm fine. I'm used to it by now." Bennett rubbed the back of his head, where a slight bump seemed to be forming.

Watching him, Li Qiuzhi wondered with some amusement whether Bennett really did hit his head on all sorts of things so often that, as he had said, he had developed the habit of rubbing it from time to time.

At that thought, he instinctively looked to see what Bennett had struck.

In the gap between two large fragments of the dome, a reddish torch with smoothly rounded upper corners poked out.

"Bennett, it looks like your bad luck isn't entirely useless. Everyone, look!"

Li Qiuzhi smiled and pointed at the torch.

"Oh, so it is." Oz flew over for a look. "A blessing in disguise, resilient young man."

"Really?"

Pleasantly surprised, Bennett turned around to look at the Torch Mechanism, which was indeed there.

"Excellent. All the elements needed to unravel the mystery have now been gathered. I shall entrust the lighting of this final clue to you!"

The corners of Fischl's mouth rose into a smile.

"No problem."

Bennett summoned his Sword. It seemed to be made of dark steel. Though Li Qiuzhi had never seen it before, it looked considerably better than his Dull Blade.

It was probably a two-star or three-star weapon.

Dense Pyro coated the blade. Bennett gently touched it to the final Torch Mechanism, lighting it and brightening their surroundings a little more.

"Did the gate open?"

Everyone looked toward the iron gate in the passage, but it still seemed completely motionless.

"What's going on? Haven't we lit them all?"

Li Qiuzhi turned his gaze back to the Torch Mechanism nestled between the rubble. Between its upper corners, there was indeed an elemental light source resembling a fiery-red dandelion.

Yet a huge, faint shadow appeared on the brightly illuminated ground.

Li Qiuzhi's pupils contracted sharply, and he shouted, "Watch out above! Get back!"

The instant the final Torch Mechanism lit up, a Ruin Hunter had appeared without warning in midair above the three of them. By now, he had already raised his sharp steel right arm, ready to attack.

Fischl was directly beneath him, closer than anyone else. She had only just realized what was happening, but with the Ruin Hunter's speed, it was already too late to dodge.

Being pierced by the Ruin Hunter's lance-like steel right arm would be nothing like simply losing HP in the game.

The Ruin Hunter charged like a mounted knight at full gallop!

At that moment of dire peril!

Li Qiuzhi tensed his legs and pushed off hard. As the Ruin Hunter hurtled toward them, he tackled Fischl backward, his head brushing right past the Ruin Hunter's chassis.

Through his short hair and scalp came the hard, icy scrape of steel, sending a numb sensation through every cell in his body.

"Ah!"

Fischl landed on her back on the rubble-covered ground and could not help crying out in pain.

In an instant, something warm and soft pressed around both sides of Li Qiuzhi's face. Smooth, thin fabric partially blocked his nose, leaving him unable to breathe. He struggled to part his lips and let out a breath.

Then he hurriedly pushed himself up, pulled Fischl to her feet, and retreated toward the wall.

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