New Book, New World
The elevator fell, and the number on the display jumped from 1 to 0, and then to a number that didn't exist:
"The Six Key Trial instance has begun." A voice echoed in my mind, "You can only leave after you have collected all six key seals."
The elevator door opened, and a giant tower surrounded by a sea of sand appeared before our eyes. Six ancient characters were engraved on the tower: Time, Tide, Mirage, Rust, Play, and Forest.
"Let's go." Yu Heng took the lead, "Take the first one first."
Dungeon 1: City of Tricks: Time-Locked Maze
Rules panel:
Objective: Reach the finish line before the time resets and obtain the "Time Key".
Mechanism: Every time you step on a stone slab, the room connection changes; every 300 seconds, the time is reset.
Tip: Only "remembered" paths are retained during a reset.
The door of the maze closed behind them, and they were surrounded by corridors that were constantly reorganizing.
"Remember?" Yun Shuo pondered, his eyes falling on the stone slabs beneath his feet. "Look at the wear and tear on the stone slabs. The more wear and tear, the more frequently walked on the road."
Yu Heng nodded and quickly carved a mark on the wall: "I'll mark the time before the reset, and you mark the time after the reset."
Countdown: 300…299…
They worked in perfect harmony, one recording, the other exploring. Soon, they discovered the key: the reset wasn't random, but a return to the previous "anchor point." Simply stepping on the starting stone again before resetting would "memorize" the new path.
"Hurry, there's still one more way to go." Yun Shuo looked at the countdown that kept ticking.
In the final seconds, the ground began to tremble and the Time Keeper, the guardian of time, appeared.
"You are stealing time," it said coldly.
“No,” Yun Shuo smiled slightly, “We are returning it.”
He and Yuheng ran towards the starting slab simultaneously, and stepped on it again the moment the countdown reached zero. The maze quieted down, and a clear path appeared before them.
Facing the Time Keeper who blocked his way, Yu Heng raised the dagger with the mark on it: "You will reset time, but you will reset it back to the form of being 'remembered'."
"What will be remembered is the way you stand still." Yun Shuo said, and the two of them rushed to the finish line at the same time.
The Time Keeper tried to reset it, but his form was fixed by the "memories" they engraved, and he could only watch them pass by.
The gate at the end opened, and a bronze key floated in the air, with a word engraved on it: time.
"Congratulations on obtaining the 'Time Key'."
Just as they were about to rest, the voice in their heads rang out again: "Preparing for the second instance of 'Deep Sea - Silent Tide Temple'."
Yun Shuo looked at the key in his hand and smiled: "Let's go and get the second one."
Dungeon 2: Deep Sea, Tranquil Tide Temple
Rules Panel: Reach the center of the temple and pacify the Tideheart without alerting the Lord of the Tide.
Stealth mechanic: Water currents amplify sounds, and you can only move in "silent currents."
Key items: Sonar Stone (can show safe paths), Tidal Bottle (can temporarily calm noise).
The icy water instantly swallowed them. In the boundless darkness, Yu Heng lit the sonar stone, and a safe path composed of tiny points of light immediately emerged ahead.
"Follow the silent flow and don't make any sound." Yu Heng reminded.
Like two silent shadows, they traversed the deep sea trench. Soon, a temple surrounded by glowing corals appeared before their eyes.
The temple is filled with ancient murals depicting a giant creature guarding a peaceful sea.
"It seems that our mission is not to kill, but to appease." Yun Shuo speculated.
They arrived at the center of the temple, where a pulsating "Tide Heart" hovered above the altar. At that moment, the entire temple began to shake violently.
"The Lord of Quiet Tide has awakened!"
Yun Shuo quickly took out the Tidal Bottle and smashed it on the ground. The surrounding sea water instantly became sticky, swallowing up all the sounds.
Taking advantage of the brief lull, Yu Heng rushed to the altar, gently touched the "Tide Heart" with his fingertips, and chanted softly. Yun Shuo stood aside, using the sonar stone to direct all the restless sound waves towards himself.
As the chanting continued, the light of "Tide Heart" gradually stabilized, and the huge figure slowly calmed down.
"Congratulations, you have obtained the 'Tide Key'."
The next second, the world twisted again and they were pulled into the third copy.
Dungeon 3: Desert Mirage Trade Route
Rules panel: Use limited "Sand Dollars" to purchase passage rights or intelligence to reach the end of the trade route.
Core gameplay: Trade with the mobile "Mirage Market" and gamble to win key intelligence.
The ultimate challenge: make a huge bet with the "Shang Lord Wuxiang".
The scorching sun scorched the boundless sea of sand. Just as Yun Shuo and Yu Heng found their feet, a huge marketplace emerged from the sand mist.
"Welcome to the Mirage Trade Route." A masked merchant smiled. "Here, everything can be traded."
Yun Shuo looked at the few sand dollars in his hand, his eyes wandering between the stalls. He soon discovered that the prices at different stalls would fluctuate with the wind direction and time of day.
"We need two things," Yu Heng analyzed calmly, "a 'wind map' and a 'pass'."
They shuttled through the market, taking advantage of the gaps in wind direction to buy key intelligence at the lowest price. Just as they were about to leave, a mysterious voice called them.
"Interesting guest, do you want to have a real gamble?"
The visitor was none other than the "Shangzhu Wuxiang." He proposed a seemingly fair bet: guess the amount of sand in his hand.
Yun Shuo looked at the other person's hand and smiled slightly: "There is no sand on your hand."
The merchant was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Excellent! You won."
Not only did they get a pass, they also received additional rewards.
"Congratulations, you have obtained the 'Mirage Key'."
The world turns upside down again, and new challenges await them.
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