Free Web NovelChapter 93: Chapter 79: Successful Research
"Is that so?" Shire also crouched down to study the stones carefully.
"But some of the materials outside are bone. I think they might be Dragon Bones."
Shire’s eyes widened as he looked at Agatha. He hadn’t expected them to actually be Dragon Bones.
Immediately after, he relaxed. ’These Runes and materials must have an extraordinary origin, so a few Dragon Bones aren’t that surprising.’ "So, how did you figure out the controller?"
"You can thank Caocao for that." Agatha smiled. "He told me once that he couldn’t tell three types of stone apart, so I had to stop what I was doing and go help him."
"Caocao’s Intelligence... you know how it is." Shire looked a little apologetic. "So you must have discovered something?"
"Yes. I happened to notice four Runes carved on several of the stones at the same time." Agatha pointed to the huge stone chamber outside. "So Caocao and I quickly re-examined all the stones and found that it was always the same few sets of four Runes being carved."
"Sounds like... like a code," Shire said, stroking his chin.
"Exactly. After I found two stones with the same set of Runes, I assembled them according to the maintenance instructions. And so," Agatha spread her hands toward the Stone Ring, "this was the result."
"I still have a question." Shire thought for a moment before asking, "What powers this thing? Fire? Magic Power?"
"I don’t know. When I activated it for the first time, I felt around carefully. There were no fluctuations in the Magic Field." Agatha shook her head. "They just started up, as if they connected to a tunnel."
"No power source?" Shire was a little surprised. "Or is it a power that’s unknown to us?"
"I lean toward the latter," Agatha said.
"In that case, could there be some hidden danger?" Shire stared at the two Stone Rings on the ground, lost in thought.
’An unknown Energy source... and that phrase, "You’ve finally arrived." It sounds just like the whispers of an Evil God. What if I get more and more entangled with these Runes, until I can’t pull myself away? And then, whatever is hiding in the shadows will jump out and force me to become its vassal.’
’But the Teleportation Gate is ready to be used right now. The Fortress’s development depends entirely on this thing. With it, exchanging goods will become much faster and more efficient.’
’I’ll use it. I’ll deal with future problems when they come.’ Shire made his decision.
"So, do you want to try it out?" he asked.
"Of course." Agatha jumped into the middle of the Stone Ring and told Shire how to operate the controller. Then, she was teleported to the other Stone Ring.
"This feels completely different from an Arcane Magic Teleportation Array. Arcane teleportation feels like you’re being torn apart—it’s a bit painful. This Teleportation Gate has none of that," Agatha said happily as she stepped out of the Stone Ring.
"Any other sensations? I mean, physically? Or did you see or hear anything?" Shire pressed.
"No, just that momentary loss of balance you mentioned, but it passes right away." Agatha shook her head. "Visually, everything just went black, and then I could see again. As for hearing, I didn’t hear anything."
"Hm? You didn’t hear anything?" Shire was a little surprised.
"Did you hear something?" Agatha asked.
"Ah, no, nothing." Shire immediately changed the subject. "Alright, let’s continue the experiment. We need to see how far this Teleportation Gate can reach."
He had his subordinates dismantle one of the Stone Rings and move it farther away, then watched as Agatha directed them in its reassembly.
"What did that voice mean? Am I the only one who can hear it?" Shire murmured.
...
「Sometime later.」
Shire watched his subordinates finish assembling the Teleportation Gate, then proceeded with the experiment.
As expected, the experiment was a success. The Slime in the glass tank was unchanged. Shire then had them move the Stone Ring to the Fortress gate.
This time, the teleportation failed. Shire pushed the controller several times, but the Slime was still wiggling in front of him.
’Is it because it’s too far?’ He felt it was a shame; this distance wasn’t quite enough.
But soon, One-Eyed ran back and told Shire that they had readjusted the placement on their end. It hadn’t been aligned properly before, leaving a gap in the Stone Ring.
"Sounds like some kind of energy feedback loop." Shire said with a smile, then pushed the controller.
The controller was fixed on a frame connected to the Stone Ring. Its surface was carved with four different Runes. Pushing the side with the Runes to the top would activate the Teleportation Gate, and after an item teleported, the controller would surprisingly flip over by itself.
"Amazing Ancient Rune technology," Shire remarked with a sigh.
A moment later, One-Eyed came running over again. "It worked, Chief! The Slime went through."
"Good. Let’s go take a look." Shire immediately ran with One-Eyed toward the Fortress gate.
Before long, he saw the Slime in the glass tank, completely unharmed. "This thing is really great."
"I think there might be other Rune combinations." Agatha came to Shire’s side, holding several sheets of paper on which she had copied the Ancient Runes.
"There probably are. They’re hidden in the Nightmare Forest, just waiting for the great future historian, Miss Sebastian, to discover them." Shire extended a hand, pointing elegantly at Agatha. "However, historian, there is an arduous task awaiting you now."
"Huh?" Agatha froze for a second, not yet having come down from her earlier joy.
"Tonight, I need you to move these Stone Rings into Yangjiao Town." Shire looked at Agatha with an innocent smile.
"You want me, a hunchbacked Ghost Witch, to move these stones?" Agatha shrieked. "Are you trying to work me to death?"
"You know we’re goblins. You’re the only one who can disguise herself as an old woman and slip into Yangjiao Town," Shire said apologetically.
"Have you ever seen an old woman carry a giant stone on her back into town?" Agatha fumed. If she carried the Stone Rings into Yangjiao Town, she’d definitely attract the attention of the town watch, not to mention she’d have to make several trips.
"How about this: we’ll move the Stone Rings to the edge of the forest under the cover of night. Then you sneak into Yangjiao Town, wake up Mary, and have her and Little John move them. What do you think?" Shire suggested a plan.
Agatha thought about it for a moment and decided the plan was feasible. She nodded in agreement.
...
「After everything was settled,」
Shire finally returned to the Underground River Platform. By then, Red Eyes had finished skinning the snake.
"Are these the Beast Cores you found?" Shire looked at the large and small Beast Cores in his hand, a smile on his face.
The Intermediate Beast Core was from the Cyan-Eyed Dragon Snake, and the Basic Beast Core was from the giant frog. He had his subordinates clean them, preparing to store them with the Heart Stealer’s legacy from before.
At the same time, the Cyan-Eyed Dragon Snake also provided an Ability.
[Basic Passive Perception: Makes the individual more keenly aware of changes in their surroundings. This effect does not stack with other Perception System abilities.]
’This Ability, huh...’ Shire was a bit disappointed. He had been hoping to get the Lightning Breath Ability. He didn’t know if it would even work if he gave it to one of his subordinates—after all, goblins don’t have Lightning Fire Pouches in their throats—but its shocking effect and terrifying destructive power were truly astounding.
’It’s still useful. I can give it to Broken Tooth. That’ll make him more alert when he’s on watch.’
He had currently assigned Broken Tooth to patrol the borders of their territory, keeping a constant watch for any potential threats approaching the Fortress area.
CLANK. Shire’s foot kicked a metal object.
He bent down, picked it up, and examined it. "This is... a Little Tin Soldier."
It was a toy Tin Soldier about the size of an adult’s palm. The paint on it had long since peeled off, revealing the metal underneath. The overall craftsmanship was exquisite and lifelike, worthy of being called a work of art.
"Interesting. Where was this found?" Shire turned and asked Red Eyes.
"From him. In da froggie’s belly." Red Eyes pointed at the disemboweled giant frog.
"An Adventurer must have dropped it, and then the giant frog ate it." Shire mused, holding the Tin Soldier and looking it over a few times. "It’s pretty nice. I’ll wash it and keep it as a decoration."
He placed the Tin Soldier on the ground to be cleaned later and walked toward the pile of skinned snake hides. He didn’t notice a wisp of blue smoke drift from the Tin Soldier’s chest and dissipate into the wind.
"And then there’s this stuff," Shire said, looking at the snake hides before him. "I need to deal with this quickly."
"It has to be transported into Yangjiao Town tonight."
