Chapter 124: Bloody roses and mimes
Sometimes they walked upside down across the ceiling.
Other times they leaped between rocky ledges.
Every detail was transmitted directly to my retina as a three-dimensional hologram.
After several minutes of moving through the corridor...
The androids finally reached the other side.
A small structure appeared before them.
It looked like a house.
Its walls glowed faintly.
Despite being abandoned...
The structure remained practically intact.
Several green vines covered almost its entire surface.
Among them bloomed beautiful red flowers.
My gaze immediately changed.
I zoomed in on the image.
The Biochip automatically began the identification.
[Comparing botanical database...]
[Match: 99.6%]
[Blood Rose.]
My eyes widened.
—Holy shit, Blood Roses?
My voice almost came out as a whisper.
I truly believed that species had become completely extinct.
It was an expensive and extremely rare plant.
Its petals were used in top-tier regenerative potions and biological enchantment rituals.
A single flower could be worth hundreds of magic crystals.
My heart began to beat faster.
But then another detail caught my attention.
There was a small circular hole in the door of the building.
Roughly the size of the palm of my hand.
I carefully examined its edges.
Tooth marks.
Broken stone.
Wear on the inside.
Most likely, that had been the opening created by the Brown Snake when it was still a young serpent.
But...
Something far more terrifying was just above it.
A human skeleton.
Its clothes had completely deteriorated.
Impaled upside down by enormous metal spikes.
Even after all those years...
It remained hanging there.
I stood in silence for a few seconds.
Then I looked more carefully at the surroundings.
There were other skeletons.
All of them had died in practically the same way.
My expression turned serious.
I wasn’t the first to find this place...
Nor the second.
Nor the third.
They had all tried to enter.
They had all died.
The sight sent a chill down my spine.
I took a slow breath.
Good thing I didn’t come in personally.
I took control of one of the androids.
It carefully approached the best-preserved skeleton.
Even though it had been dead for decades, fragments of its clothing still remained.
— Let’s see what brought you here...
The N-63’s small metallic claws grabbed the rotted fabric.
They pulled.
CRAAAASH!
The clothes tore apart completely.
Several objects fell onto the ground.
A book.
Several empty bottles.
And a yellowish bronze ring.
My attention immediately turned to the ring.
It looks like an identification seal...
I ordered the android to move the camera closer.
Then I focused on the book.
The moment I saw its cover...
I immediately ordered,
— Biochip... decipher.
Thousands of symbols began to be compared.
A few seconds later...
The translated words appeared before my eyes.
["Tentrix Engineering Manual: Construction and Restoration of a Basic Artifact."]
It really was a Tentrix Engineering manual.
I immediately remembered the records I had found in the library.
The ancient Tentrix were considered masters of engineering.
Their constructions combined mechanics, alchemy, runes, and enchantments with astonishing precision.
Very few civilizations had ever reached that level of technology.
My excitement grew even more.
Besides that, the Biochip’s memory contained another extremely important document.
A page from Karn’s research journal.
Thanks to the Biochip’s computational power, that manuscript had already been completely deciphered several days earlier.
Much of it described methods for constructing magical artifacts.
Although they were only low-grade artifacts...
For someone at my level...
They represented a tremendous leap forward.
The problem had always been the lack of engineering knowledge required for that path.
If the Biochip could combine Karn’s knowledge with the principles of Tentrix Engineering...
Then perhaps...
I really would have the ability to build my own genuine magical artifact.
I focused my attention on the small android that remained intact and immediately gave the order.
— Bring me that book.
The Research Prototype N-63 slightly lowered its body in acknowledgment before walking on its eight metallic legs toward the manual lying in front of the ancient skeleton.
Even without entering that laboratory, I already considered this expedition a tremendous success.
Simply discovering that information related to magical artifact engineering was hidden behind those granite walls already made all those days of waiting completely worthwhile.
The small android carefully crouched down and closed its metallic claws around the heavy manual.
Its servomotors emitted a faint hum.
It was obvious that the book was much heavier than it looked.
When it finally managed to lift it...
Ssshhhh...
The pages simply crumbled.
They turned to dust before the android’s lenses.
My expression immediately changed.
Damn...
It’s already deteriorated to this extent...
Before I could lament for very long...
Bzzzzzzzz...
A deep buzzing sound echoed throughout the entire laboratory.
Every hair on my body stood on end.
My expression turned grim.
The defensive formation...
It activated!
I immediately ordered the android to retreat.
Its metallic legs shot toward the nearest wall.
It didn’t even have time to reach it.
The stone floor split open.
A gigantic jaw emerged from beneath the floor.
It was a creature perfectly camouflaged.
Its body flawlessly mimicked the surrounding granite.
Hundreds of serrated teeth snapped shut violently.
CRAAASH!!
My first android simply disappeared between those fangs.
Metal fragments flew in every direction.
The transmission was cut off instantly.
Only the second android’s feed remained active.
I watched everything through it.
I sighed.
I was careless...
I never imagined that, besides the Blood Roses, there would be a damned Mimic hidden within the floor itself.
Fortunately...
The creature had only attacked the robot.
The manual remained practically intact.
That alone was enough.
I crossed my arms.
Storming that place with brute force would be a tremendous waste.
If I simply set everything on fire...
Or blew the building apart...
I would probably destroy the very thing I had come here to find.
No.
I needed to solve this another way.
I slowly reached down to my waist.
I took out a small vial.
Then another.
And another.
I sat down near the entrance while carefully arranging each ingredient.
I mixed liquids of different colors.
I added finely crushed crystals.
Some drops reacted immediately.
Golden sparks leaped between the containers.
Others produced a greenish smoke.
I continued working for several minutes.
In the end...
Two new vials rested before me.
Inside them was a viscous liquid with a color somewhere between grayish-green and brown.
Its smell was absolutely horrible.
I smiled in satisfaction.
Since the tunnel remained free of any known traps...
I decided to cross it myself.
I kept the second android several meters ahead.
I slowly advanced through the corridor.
A few minutes later...
I arrived in front of the small house I had observed earlier.
Then I took another step.
My right foot landed exactly where the first android had been destroyed.
Bzzzzzz!!
The buzzing returned.
Without the slightest hesitation...
The ground split open again.
The gigantic mouth appeared before me.
It lunged straight at my torso.
I showed no fear whatsoever.
The very instant the creature opened its jaws completely...
I hurled one of the vials directly into its mouth.
CRACK!
It simply swallowed it.
Or rather...
It chewed the glass together with the liquid.
For a second...
Nothing happened.
Then...
PUAAAH!!
The creature spat violently.
Black slime flew everywhere.
Its enormous reddish tongue shot out while greenish-yellow saliva streamed continuously from its mouth.
It began shaking its head frantically.
Its movements were exactly like those of a human being who had just tasted the most disgusting food in the world.
I couldn’t help but smile.
It worked...
I watched the Mimic continue spitting desperately.
Meanwhile, I mentally organized all the information I had gathered.
This laboratory really was nothing more than a temporary facility...
I looked at the vines spread all around.
Then at the Mimic.
A concealment-based formation...
That was practically a signature.
A trademark of the ancient Ryal Tower.
I continued walking.
The Mimic still seemed far too occupied trying to get rid of that horrible taste to even think about attacking me again.
I calmly walked past it.
I picked up the heavy manual directly from the ground.
The moment my hands wrapped around its cover...
I immediately felt its weight.
It was like lifting a solid brick.
I carefully tucked the book inside my robes.
Only then did I turn my attention to the main door.
The instant I approached...
The vines began to move.
Hundreds of red roses bloomed simultaneously.
The petals slowly rearranged themselves.
Until they formed...
A face.
Eyes.
A nose.
A mouth.
A plant creature stared directly at me.
Its voice echoed throughout the laboratory.
— Intruder...
— This is a place you should never have come to.
I looked at it calmly.
Then I smiled.
— The mage who built this place died a long time ago.
— Now I am its new heir.
— Unlike him...
—I don’t intend to keep you imprisoned here.
—I can provide enough nourishment for your evolution.
—After that, I’ll set you free.
I slowly took a red fruit from my backpack.
Its aroma spread throughout the area.
I immediately noticed a glimmer of interest appear in the Blood Rose’s eyes.
I waved the fruit in front of it.
— This single fruit is worth more to you than this entire laboratory.
Its breathing grew heavier.
I moved a little closer.
My voice took on an almost hypnotic tone.
—You could leave this place and return to the forests. You could once again feel the earth beneath your roots, drink from the rivers, and receive the sunlight directly.
The vines trembled with pleasure as they listened to my voice.
— Perhaps you’ll even find another Blood Rose.
—A male.
—Build a new colony together.
—Produce countless seeds...
—Countless descendants.
For a few seconds...
The creature simply remained still.
There was hesitation.
Desire.
Sadness.
Everything was mixed together in that face made of petals.
Finally...
It answered.
— No...
— I cannot betray the promise I made.
The vines began to writhe.
— Stranger...
—Leave.
I looked at it with a hint of regret.
— What a shame...
— I was really hoping to avoid a fight.
The plant’s face immediately twisted.
— Intruder!
— Death shall be your only fate!
At that very instant...
Countless vines shot toward me.
BOOOOOOM!!
I rolled to the side.
The massive vines slammed violently into the ground.
Fragments of stone flew in every direction.
A huge crater appeared where I had been standing only a second before.
As I got back to my feet...
I couldn’t help but comment.
— You really should be more careful.
— Imagine if you ended up destroying the very laboratory you’re trying to protect.
At the same time, I threw a potion onto the ground.
Crash~~
It exploded in a crimson flash.
The vines immediately slowed down.
It was only a temporary effect.
But it was enough.
Without wasting any time, I began gathering the red petals with greed and eagerness, after all, each one of those red petals was worth its weight in large quantities of magic crystals.
Then I took out several rune stones I had prepared beforehand.
I began discreetly scattering them across the area while dodging every attack.
Every movement was calculated.
Thanks to the Biochip...
My vision predicted the vines’ trajectories before they even moved.
I continued placing one stone after another.
The Blood Rose roared furiously.
— Die!
— Worm!
Enormous craters continued to appear.
But I already knew that species perfectly.
It possessed tremendous power.
However...
It was trapped.
Without access to the forest’s deep roots.
Its potential had been drastically reduced.
I continued running around the building.
Until the last rune stone had been placed.
They all began emitting a faint white glow.
I took a deep breath.
My chanting came to an end.
I looked directly at the Blood Rose.
Then...
I slowly raised my hand.
And, in sheer mockery, I gave the enraged creature the middle finger.
— Obliterae.
The stones responded immediately.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
An intense white light exploded in every direction.
Then...
It transformed into a thick whitish smoke.
Dense, corrosive, and sinister.
Within seconds...
The entire house was completely engulfed.
SSSSSSSSSHHHHH!!
Shrill screams echoed from every direction.
The vines began to melt.
The petals turned into a dark mass.
The Mimics hidden beneath the ground also began letting out horrifying sounds as their bodies were consumed by the alchemical reaction.
The smoke continued to work for several minutes.
I simply remained motionless outside, waiting.
Five minutes later...
The mist slowly began to dissipate.
When I could finally see again...
I observed the result.
The walls of the small house had been severely corroded.
Parts of the outer layer had disappeared completely.
The entire structure looked as though it was about to collapse.
As for the Blood Roses and the Mimics...
There was practically nothing left except darkened residue scattered across the ground.
...
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