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Chapter 4292 The Wall of Questions
Chapter 4292 The Wall of Questions
The vortex was clearly suspended in her mind space, and she could even clearly simulate the trajectory of energy flow, yet she was unable to activate it at all.
This sense of powerlessness made the usually cautious owner of the Pleasure Pavilion feel a pang of anxiety.
"This decision seems reckless..."
The owner of the pleasure pavilion recalled the mist on the Dream Bridge earlier; perhaps she shouldn't have forced her way in.
She usually values caution the most, but after seeing the strange thing on the Dream Bridge, she wasn't too alert... Sure enough, she was too reckless.
If we can return safely this time, we must be a hundred times more cautious in the future.
Although the owner of the pleasure hall was very uneasy at this moment, she was not the kind of person who would wallow in self-blame. Caution and composure were both part of her personality.
Since there is no turning back now, we must change our approach.
Be calm and proactive, and decisively cut off any lingering thoughts.
The owner of the pleasure hall closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, the unease in his eyes had faded, replaced by a sharp, cold light.
While the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion was surprised by the changes in his own body, the Decayer had also noticed the changes in his body.
They can sense the energy core within their bodies, but it's difficult to utilize it.
This feeling made it inexplicably familiar.
Isn't this similar to the situation in "The Chapter of Different Dreams"?
However, during the Chapter of the Otherworldly Dream, its power was suppressed, which it mistook for a constraint imposed by the "territory of the gods"; but what if it wasn't a constraint imposed by the gods?
What if the world where "The Chapter of the Otherworldly Dream" is located inherently possesses such comprehensive suppression?
Does that mean I've returned to this world again?
“Staying here isn’t a solution,” the voice of the Pleasure Pavilion Master came from ahead. “In order to leave safely, we must explore this place as much as possible and find a way out.”
The owner of the pleasure hall paused for a moment, "But before that, I think we can get to know each other a bit."
The withered one raised his deep, contemplative eyes and looked at the Master of Pleasure.
As always, he remained silent.
The owner of the pleasure hall didn't seem to care, shrugging his shoulders: "I just think that we're now stuck in an unknown area, and if we want to escape, we'd better cooperate."
"To avoid disagreements during cooperation, it's better to understand each other."
The withered one remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "What do you want to know?"
The owner of the pleasure hall crossed his arms and sighed helplessly: "I didn't mean to question you. I just think that perhaps we don't need to be at odds with each other."
The withered one asked with some doubt: "Are we in a position of confrontation?"
In the eyes of the Decaying One, it had no conflict with the Pavilion Master of Pleasure. It came with Kagu and the others to ask the Pavilion Master of Pleasure for help in investigating the strange dreams, and that was its only connection with her.
Using "transaction" to describe their relationship would be more accurate.
However, the counterparties in the transaction were the Cruel Scholar and the Master of Pleasure.
The owner of the Pleasure Pavilion gave it a deep look and said softly, "If that's really what you think, then it seems I've been overthinking things."
The reason why the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion has concerns is mainly due to his stance.
In the abyss, humans, as intruders, are naturally labeled as aliens and despised by the creatures of the abyss. Therefore, she had to be on guard.
Even though she was facing the subordinates of a ruthless scholar, she still felt a bit more wary.
As one of the top sages in the Academy City, the Decayed One quickly guessed the unspoken meaning of the Master of Pleasure.
It said calmly, "I am not a creature of the abyss; I come from a... lost civilization."
Upon hearing this, the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion said softly, "It seems that I was indeed making unfounded assumptions."
"Since we don't have any fundamental differences in stance, why don't we put aside our differences for now and work together to break out of this place?"
The withered one was silent for two seconds, then nodded: "Okay."
After a pause, it added, "We have no grudges."
The owner of the Pleasure Pavilion smiled and said, "I was just worried that you might complain about me for taking you on a 'long' walk on the Dream Bridge just now."
The withered one shook his head: "This is not your fault."
After speaking, the withered one gave the owner of the pleasure house a strange look. For some reason, he felt that this woman was a little too cautious.
The owner of the pleasure hall's eyes lit up: "That's great that you think that way. Since we're going to leave together, let's talk about the current situation first."
"I couldn't activate the Dream Follower Beacon just now, how about you?"
The owner of the Pleasure Pavilion did not immediately say that his abilities were sealed, but instead used the "Dream Guide" as a starting point to elicit the conditions of each person's body.
The withered one naturally guessed what the owner of the pleasure pavilion meant, and muttered to himself again: He's really cautious.
Then he said, "I can't access my energy either; my body seems to have reverted to a mortal state."
The composure of the decaying man pleased the owner of the pleasure house, but also made him feel inexplicably ashamed.
“I’m in a similar situation to you. Undoubtedly, our predicament is due to the rules here. Given our loss of power, cooperation is the best option for us,” the Pleasure Pavilion Master emphasized cooperation again.
The withered one nodded slightly.
"Shall we explore the area first?" The Pleasure Pavilion Master pointed behind the Decayer: "I checked over there, it's a dead end."
They appeared at the end of the dead end, and naturally, the first thing they explored was this stone wall.
Unfortunately, despite his careful observation, the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion couldn't find anything wrong with the stone wall and could only continue along the corridor to see if he could make any new discoveries.
The withered one nodded in agreement. It was also very curious at this moment: was this really the world of consciousness in the deep dream?
To unravel the mystery, it was also willing to cooperate with the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion to explore.
The two walked side by side in the quiet corridor, the only sound being their footsteps.
Torches on both sides of the wall burned brightly, casting shadows on their faces. As they moved forward, the torches would disappear into the darkness and be outlined by the firelight again and again.
"You just said you come from a lost civilization?" The owner of the pleasure hall: "I wonder what civilization?"
After finishing speaking, the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion added, "I am not inquiring about your origins. I simply want to say that the world explored by humankind is vast, and perhaps your civilization exists within it. If you have lost your way, perhaps I can guide you."
In the past, the withered one would not have answered this question.
It felt a deep, agonizing pain just thinking about anything related to its own civilization, so it was unwilling to touch upon it in the slightest.
But after experiencing the "Chapter of Different Dreams," its thoughts quietly changed.
When asked by the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion, it replied indifferently, "No need, my civilization has already perished."
The owner of the pleasure hall was momentarily stunned.
Realizing she had misspoke, she quickly apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, I was presumptuous."
The decaying one shook his head: "It's alright. Although my civilization has perished, I believe that it will be rebuilt one day."
Thinking of Elan, and the new world in his deepest dreams, the withered one felt a touch of longing.
However, the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion misunderstood the meaning of the Decayer. She said softly, "As long as you are still alive, the reconstruction of civilization is not just a pipe dream."
The withered one didn't explain, but simply nodded casually.
As another flickering light illuminated their faces, a new change finally appeared ahead.
A wall blocked the way.
Is this another dead end? The owner of the Pleasure Pavilion frowned and strode forward.
But when she saw the wall clearly, her pupils contracted: "This is... Nomefens?!"
The Decaying One also saw the lion-faced relief on the wall, and its shock was even greater than that of the Pavilion Master of Joy. This was because it also knew of Normefens, and most importantly, when it left the "Chapter of the Heart of Another Dream" earlier, it had looked down at the earth, and in the golden flowing hemp sea beneath that glass, the image of "Nomefens" had also appeared.
So when it saw Normefens on the wall, its heart began to pound faster.
Normefenes again!
Could this really be a dream world?
Or is it simply because it thinks about something during the day and dreams about it at night?
Although the Decaying One was excited, it restrained itself, pursed its lips tightly, and walked to the side of the Pleasure Pavilion Master. It didn't say anything, but just stared quietly at the statue of Normefens on the wall.
The lion with human-faced features has its eyes closed, as if it were asleep.
"How could Nomefens be here?" the Pavilion Master murmured. "Wasn't it already..."
The Master of Pleasure turned to look at the Decaying One: "You are a member of the Cruel Scholars, you should know Normefens better than I do. I remember Normefens is... dead."
The Decayer nodded: "Yes, Normefens is dead. He was killed by Koschage, the Lord of the Frost Giants, in the Odd-Even Vault."
Normephus is famous in the abyss because it once guarded a treasure.
If you answer its question correctly, it will allow you to take one treasure from the treasure.
If you answer incorrectly, or if your answer is unsatisfactory, you will be punished to varying degrees according to the scales left by the divine scholars.
Although it is divine punishment, the probability of death is not 100%.
As long as it's not a certain death, it will definitely attract many gamblers.
For five hundred years, during which Normefens guarded the treasure, many treasure hunters flocked to it, including many humans.
The Lady of Pleasure has been cultivating in the Abyss for many years, so she naturally knows about Nomefens. However, she is not short of treasures, so she has never gone to find Nomefens.
The last time I heard of it, it seemed to have become the guardian of some treasure, and was then killed by a powerful being.
As for the owner of the pleasure house, she only treated these messages as topics of conversation at tea parties and never took them seriously.
But one day, she unexpectedly saw a statue of Normefenes here.
Could this place be related to Normefens?
Just as the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion was about to press the Decayer for information about Normefens, the eyes of the Normefens statue on the wall, which had been tightly closed, slowly opened without warning.
Live? !
The owner of the Pleasure Pavilion's expression changed drastically, and she instinctively tried to retreat, but golden ripples spread out from the statue, acting like invisible shackles that pinned her feet firmly to the spot.
Not only her, but the withered ones were the same. Golden ripples spread beneath their feet, but no matter how they tried to urge them on, they could not move an inch.
“Since you know me, I’ll skip the self-introduction.” Normfins’ voice rang out in their ears without warning.
Is this an admission that he is Normefens? This thought stirred a strange feeling in the heart of the Pleasure Pavilion Master.
Why is Normefens here when he is already dead?
Could this be the territory of the dead? The Quest World?
But she clearly came from the Dream Bridge, so how could she have arrived in the Quest World?
The owner of the pleasure hall felt that everything was in chaos. He wanted to ask questions, but found that even the right to speak seemed to have been taken away by Nomefens.
She could only stare intently at Normefens, just like the withered one, trying to see what it was up to.
"Welcome to the Labyrinth of Questions."
"The rules here are simple: find the exit of the maze, and you've cleared the level."
"There will be many interesting things in the maze. Some of them will hinder your progress, while others will help you move forward."
"And I, the Wall of Questions of Normefens, am your aid!"
Nomefens spoke these words with great passion, but the Pleasure Pavilion Master and the Decayer reacted indifferently.
It didn't seem to care and continued:
“You should be familiar with the rules of the Wall of Questions.” Normefens: “When I was alive, I served as the guardian of many treasures. As long as the questioner answered my questions to my satisfaction, I would give the challenger the treasure.”
"Similarly, the rules of the Wall of Questions are the same. As long as you answer my questions and I approve them, I will reward you—reward you for being able to pass through my path."
"Of course, if you answer incorrectly, or if I am not satisfied, then unfortunately, this path will no longer be open, and you will have to find another way."
"Any questions?"
As soon as the words were spoken, both the Master of Pleasure and the Decayer felt their silence lifted and they were able to speak again.
Pleasure Pavilion Owner: "Are you really Nomefens?"
"Replacement guaranteed."
"But aren't you already dead? Is this the afterlife?" the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion pressed.
Normfins: "Now is the time for me to ask questions, not for you to pry."
"If you are really curious about some answers, I might spare you a few words if your answers please me."
"But the premise is that I have to be satisfied."
After finishing speaking, Normfins said calmly, "If there are no questions, then let's begin."
"Wait!" the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion said again.
Nomifens looked coldly at the owner of the Pleasure Pavilion.
If they were outside, the Master of Pleasure wouldn't be afraid of Nomefens, but now that she had lost her power and Nomefens clearly possessed extraordinary abilities, she had no choice but to lower her stance.
She took a deep breath: "I just want to know, if we want to get through the Wall of Questions, do both of us have to answer it? Or can we just choose one person to answer?"
This was a question about the rules of the Wall of Questions, and Normfins did not resist answering it: "Don't try to take shortcuts, both of you have to answer."
The owner of the Pleasure Pavilion was willing to answer, but she couldn't make a decision for the Decayer.
She glanced at the withered one, who nodded slightly in acceptance.
The owner of the Pleasure Pavilion breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Normefens: "Alright, I accept the test of the Wall of Questions."
(End of this chapter)