The giant turtle stopped before dusk completely set.
Lin Ze stood up and looked forward.
At the end of the water surface is a gentle slope, covered with dark moss and low ferns. The gentle slope extends upwards, blending into the gray twilight.
There is a vague outline on the top of the slope, which is higher than the surrounding shrubs. It looks like a stone building.
"That's... the sentry tower?" Saira also stood up, put his hand on his forehead and looked around.
Sela then squatted down and patted the turtle's back. "Did this big guy deliver us?"
The giant turtle didn't respond. Its four legs were still stuck in the mud. The turtle's back occasionally floated slightly, as if it was breathing.
"It probably won't leave again."
"I'll make a mark."
Lin Ze said, taking out a Knut from Undetectable Extension Box, then he cast a "Tracking Charm" on it, and then embedded it into the soil under his feet.
"What's the use of this?" Saira came over and took a look.
"If it moves when we come back, I can find it with this copper plate."
"Witchcraft is really convenient." Saira muttered, with a sour taste in his tone.
The two jumped off the turtle's back. Lin Ze This time, the ground was not hardened in advance. Their feet immediately stepped into the cold shallow water. The water reached their calves. Fortunately, they both wore high boots.
Saira took a step forward, and his boots sank half a foot deep. When he pulled them out, he made a "pop" sound.
"Go this way." Lin Ze pointed his wand toward the water, and a hardened stone path emerged from the shallow water, just enough for two people to pass side by side.
Saira looked down at the flat stone slabs under his feet, then at the mud puddle he had just stepped on next to him, and pursed his lips.
"You obviously could have done this from the beginning."
"Oh, I'm sorry I just forgot. Come up here and I'll help you clean it up."
As he spoke, Lin Ze dragged Sela to the ground and cast "Scourgify" on himself and her boots.
The two of them climbed the gentle slope step by step.
Lin Ze noticed that there were gravels buried under the moss, and the surface of the gravels was polished smooth, as if it had been artificially paved.
The stone building on the top of the slope gradually became clear in the dusk.
It is indeed a sentry tower, with a square tower body, built of stone, about six or seven feet high, with a circle of observation towers on it. Most of the wooden structure on the top of the tower has collapsed. Several beams are crookedly placed on the stone wall, some are broken, and some are still connected with their tenons. They occasionally creak when blown by the wind.
There are several longitudinal cracks in the stone wall of the tower, from the observation deck to the root of the wall, and the cracks are filled with moss and dry vines.
"The sentry tower that has been built for more than two hundred years is considered strong even if it has lasted until now." Saira walked around the base of the tower.
Lin Ze was not in a hurry to go in. He stood about ten steps away from the tower door and first cast a "Shield Charm" on each of them.
"Don't go in?" Saira looked at the golden light that was constantly rotating around him.
"Check it first."
Lin Ze raised his wand and drew a circle with the tip of the wand in the direction of the tower.
"Specialis Revelio"
A very faint white light spread out from the tip of the staff and swept around the tower close to the ground.
When the white light swept to the left side of the tower door, it paused, as if it hit something, and then bounced back violently, scattering into tiny pieces of light.
"There is something." Lin Ze's expression became serious.
"There are traces of magic on the left side of the tower door."
Saira pressed his hand on the handle of the knife. "Is there a wizard here?"
"Not necessarily, it could also be some other magical creature..."
The two of them walked around to the left side of the tower door.
"Don't go in yet, I always feel like something is wrong with this place."
Saira did not refute.
She has always known what it means to listen to others and eat enough.
Lin Ze used a magic wand to turn the stones on the ground into a tabby cat. The tabby cat shook its head blankly, and then hit the door with its head.
Lin Ze's eyes twitched. Sure enough, Transfiguration is a very deep magic subject...
After the cihuamao calmed down for a few seconds, he regained his composure and this time got directly through the crack in the door. After a long time, there was no movement inside, so Lin Ze signaled Sela to go in and check.
Saira pulled out the scimitar, cut the blade across the crack of the door, and opened the latch on the back of the door bit by bit.
She moved very slowly, the door latch popped open with a click, and the door panel moved half an inch outward.
A stream of cold air surged out from the crack in the door, carrying the smell of rust and hay.
Lin Ze directly pushed the door panel with his shoulder, and the two entered the tower one after the other.
It was very dark inside the tower, with only a square of skylight coming in from the doorway and a few rays of afterglow coming through the cracks in the stone wall.
Lin Ze started Lumos, and the blue-white light illuminated the interior more clearly.
The first floor is an empty circular space with irregular stone slabs on the floor. There is a spiral staircase in the middle that goes up along the wall. The steps are made of stone, the handrails are made of iron, and the iron is covered with rust.
There were several worn-out pieces of furniture scattered along the wall, a table with a broken leg leaning against the corner, and two overturned wooden chairs next to it.
There is a thin layer of dust on the ground, and there are messy footprints printed on the dust, including boot soles, straw soles, and a few barefoot prints, which are not large in size.
"These footprints..." Saira knelt down and took a look.
"There are soldiers, workers, and..." She pointed to the marks of bare feet.
"This looks like a child's."
"There is a village near the sentry tower, and it is not uncommon for children to run in and play there." Lin Ze said.
"The footprints went all the way upstairs."
Saira followed the light footprints for a few steps and disappeared at the top of the stairs.
Lin Ze walked to the bottom of the stairs and looked up.
The stairs were broken about two stories above the ground. A giant stone mill was dug into the wooden floor underground on the first floor. It looked like someone had broken the stairs with a stone mill.
The broken armrest hung crookedly in the air, shaking and making a squeaking sound when the wind blew in.
"Go up and have a look?" Sela has habitually started asking Lin Ze for his opinion.
"Okay." Lin Ze nodded, and his civet cat had already stepped on the ruins and jumped up.
Lin Ze grabbed Sela's shoulders. "It might be a little uncomfortable, but you'll get used to it."
"Huh?" Sela tilted her head in confusion, and the next moment she knew why Lin Ze said that.
"Crackling"
After a crisp sound, Lin Ze appeared on the stairs with Sela.
"Cough cough cough..." Although the distance was not very far and the time was short, Sela couldn't help but cough.
She looked at where she appeared and where she stood before, her eyes widened.