Chapter 115: The Adventure Continues
After a short rest and treatment, we finally turned our attention to the only remaining door in front of us.
After the fight, the hound and the cat disappeared again. The two little guys seemed excited to be able to play in the wild, and they were rarely seen except when necessary.
Speaking of which, why did they happen to be there at just the right time?
I can't figure it out, and I'm too lazy to think about it too deeply. I'll just let them play around. Anyway, they'll always come back to eat on their own at mealtimes, or they can always go back to the miniature garden. I don't need to worry about them too much.
Hounds are special beings that can freely traverse the spirit world and the void. Even when disturbed by the magical flow within the Abyss Mountains, they will not lose their way. Similarly, the [cat] is a special creature that gained life from Miss [Aisha]'s painting. It seems to have the ability to transform into a shadow or merge into the shadows to dart around quickly. Moving through the treacherous mountain forest is no challenge for it either.
...So it seems like we're the ones holding things back?
Upon closer inspection, we realized that we had both a miniature garden and a shadow space, but when it came time to actually use them, none of them were of any use.
Hmm... I guess that's not quite right.
Ultimately, the miniature garden is also part of my magic. As long as I'm not concerned about the risk of it being destroyed, I can forcibly summon it to fight on my home turf. However, if the damage is too great, it will require a lot of time to recover afterward, wasting a lot of effort. If the gains are not enough, it seems like a losing proposition with an uncertain cost-benefit ratio.
Forget it, I'm too lazy to think about these things.
I'm still more curious about what might be behind that door.
The swirling wind gently swept away the pile of lime dust, revealing the door that had been half-hidden by the broken knight statue. Together with Hikari and Miyuki, who were helping each other forward, we looked up at the burning fireball.
The door's material resembled both gold and wood, yet it differed considerably from any I remembered of gold and wood. It featured bas-relief carvings, measuring four or five meters in height but only two meters in width. Upon closer inspection, the lower half, illuminated by the firelight, depicted a colossal tree rooted in earth and stone, its branches and vines cascading to the ground in numerous strands. The upper half, however, resembled a woman with downcast hair and closed eyes, a tear seemingly visible beneath one eyelid. Viewed as a whole, the carving appeared to be the woman cradling a giant tree in her hands.
"This tree looks a bit like the World Tree..."
Hikari stared for a while, then suddenly murmured thoughtfully.
I nodded in agreement with her words.
Indeed, if we disregard the excessive details and only observe the overall structure, the shape of the giant tree on the doorway is almost identical to the engraving I once saw on the White Fox's comb. The White Fox's comb originally came from the Sacred Tree Barrier, and wooden products bearing this mark are almost always made from fallen branches of the World Tree. Therefore, this mark represents the meaning of both the World Tree and the Sacred Tree Barrier.
I instinctively turned halfway around, facing northwest, trying to let my gaze penetrate the obscuring stone wall and look towards the giant tree that once stood in this direction.
Thinking about it this way, if my sense of direction and estimation are correct, the door in front of me seems to be facing the direction where the World Tree is located.
It's not entirely incomprehensible; perhaps the previous owner of this mountain cave did so in the name of seeking good fortune.
Similar to the favored fairy race, many people, especially those living around the Sacred Tree Barrier, regard the World Tree itself as a sacred tree. It is the primary reason why they are protected from monsters, given its protection of their lives, the large-scale production of high-quality food, and the threat of hordes of demons. Therefore, over time, it has naturally become one of the symbols worthy of reverence.
“But if this is a depiction of the World Tree, why is there also an image of a woman on it?” Hikari asked, puzzled. “If it’s not, then what is it?”
"...Who knows?"
I haven't found any relevant examples in any of the books I've read that record past history, and there are no related records in the few medieval books that have survived. Even if we broaden the scope to the theological field of previous generations, there are no similar records... It couldn't possibly be the personal preference of the cave's previous owner, could it?
I shook my head and finally suggested, "Why don't we write it down first and ask Yao about it later? She's looked through so many books in the library; maybe she has some clues."
Let's call it the "Gate of the World Tree" for now.
"Yumi, come here for a second."
Just then, Shenxue, who had been crouching down in the ash heap since halfway through the journey, as if searching for something, suddenly called out.
Putting away the key I was about to use to open the door, I walked towards her, peering out with a puzzled look as I followed Miyuki's directions.
Where Shenxue's fingertip pointed, a fragment still wreathed in a few purplish-red magical lights lay quietly on the ground, surrounded by traces of cleared sand.
This is the core of the golem that was shattered by Miyuki's sword. It is the main energy source that drives its communication and combat, and it is also speculated to be the power source and switch that controls all the traps and mechanisms in the passageway we have come through.
but……
"Doesn't this look a bit like a heart?" Miyuki voiced my confusion.
Just as she said, the purplish-red fragments before her had a division resembling the ventricles of a heart, with a thick artery extending outward from one end. If one were to recall the core shape that had been glimpsed earlier, one would indeed find that it somewhat resembled the outer contour of a heart.
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