chsdbacks Chapter 30 An Egg Like a Stone
Chapter 30 An Egg Like a Stone
Should we immediately flee, abandon this exploration, and return safely?
Should we seize the opportunity during the skeleton patrol and risk entering the hall to quickly search it?
Rowling's eyes flickered as he quickly weighed his options.
Risk and opportunity collided fiercely in my mind.
Ultimately, the desire for knowledge and the assessment of one's own abilities prevailed.
He took a deep breath, adjusted himself to his best state, and fixed his gaze on the metal skeleton that had just turned around, planning his route.
You only get one chance!
Just as the metal skeleton turned around, taking stiff steps along its fixed patrol route, exposing the empty door behind it, Rowling moved.
He transformed into a cheetah that had been poised for a long time, lowered his body, and exerted force with his feet. He did not use any spells that might cause energy fluctuations, relying purely on his physical strength and the slight assistance of his levitation boots.
He emerged from behind the boulder like a silent shadow, his target the huge gap in the wall of the half-collapsed hall.
Luo Lin moved with lightness and speed, landing silently.
They barely grazed the edge of the skeleton patrol path and narrowly made their way into the interior of the hall.
A stench, a mixture of musty dust, metallic rust, and some lingering, unidentified aroma, wafted towards me.
The interior of the hall looked even more dilapidated than the exterior, with most of the dome collapsed, revealing a gray sky.
Broken stone beams and rubble were scattered all over the ground.
The light was dim, with only a few rays of light shining through the gaps and holes in the dome, outlining the general shape of the interior.
Mental power is suppressed more strongly here, and the range of perception is compressed to a few meters around the body.
Luo Lin dared not delay and immediately hid behind a huge, toppled stone pillar, holding his breath and listening carefully.
Outside, the metal skeleton's rhythmic, stiff "click-clack" footsteps continued, and the skeleton did not notice anything amiss.
The skeleton seemed unaware that a figure had just passed by.
It's safe for now!
Only then did Luo Lin begin to examine the interior environment.
This place appears to have once been a laboratory or a library.
Against the wall are several rows of rotten wooden bookshelf ruins, with only some metal frames and dark debris remaining.
Most of the stone structures similar to the experimental platform also broke and collapsed.
Scattered on the ground were many fragments of vessels, mostly made of pottery and glass, which had long since lost their luster.
His eyes swept quickly across the area, searching for anything of value that might have been preserved.
Soon, Rowling discovered a half-buried metal box under a pile of rubble and rotten wood in the corner.
The box was small, made of some kind of dark black iron, with simple protective runes on its surface. However, over the years, the runes had long since faded and become ineffective, and the box itself was covered in rust.
He carefully walked over and used his dagger to pry open the already deformed lock.
Upon opening the box, one finds a blackened, moisture-proof velvet cloth lining the inside.
Several items were placed on the velvet cloth.
A small stack of scrolls made of some kind of tough animal hide, with some damage to the edges, but overall in good condition.
Several fist-sized crystals of different colors had weak internal energy reactions, seemingly the remains of magic crystals that had exhausted their energy.
A palm-sized, antique-style bronze compass, its pointer frozen in place, its surface covered with intricate, barely discernible runes.
There was also a dark red liquid sealed in a transparent crystal tube; its purpose was unknown.
Without having time to examine them closely, Luo Lin quickly stuffed all the items into his dimensional bag.
These things may appear broken, but they come from the future or ancient times, and may contain knowledge or technology that he has not yet understood.
Just as he was about to continue searching other places, he caught a glimpse of what appeared to be an inconspicuous dent beneath the ruins of another collapsed experimental table.
On a sudden impulse, he quickly walked over and carefully moved away several pieces of rubble that were pressing down on it.
The depression was covered with a thick layer of dust, but beneath the dust, one could vaguely see a simple little nest woven from metal wire and some kind of flexible plant fiber.
Inside the nest, an egg lay quietly.
The egg is about the size of an adult's fist. Its shell is a strange grayish-white color, covered with dark gray natural patterns that resemble rock textures. It looks unremarkable and even resembles some kind of fossil.
The eggshell surface emitted no energy fluctuations; it was cold and lifeless, almost blending into its surroundings.
Luo Lin frowned slightly.
An egg?
How could there be an egg in such an energy-disordered and deathly silent ancient ruin?
And it looks lifeless.
Is it a fossil left behind by some kind of extinct monster?
still is……
He reached out his gloved hand and gently touched the eggshell.
It feels cold and hard to the touch, just like a rock.
However, the moment his fingertips touched the eggshell, the liquid spiritual energy in his mental sea seemed to pulsate very slightly!
An indescribable and subtle sense of resonance emanated from inside the eggshell.
It was fleeting, so faint that Rowling almost thought it was an illusion.
"Um?"
Luo Lin paused, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
It's not an illusion!
This seemingly lifeless egg appears to still retain a faint, almost imperceptible glimmer of life or some special primordial imprint inside.
For some reason, it fell into the deepest silence, to the point that even energy fluctuations were almost imperceptible.
It is the egg of some rare monster that mutated during the long years and chaotic force field of the ruins and fell into a state of suspended animation.
Or is it a strange life form that requires special conditions to hatch?
Countless thoughts flashed through my mind.
To take it or not to take it?
Taking away a seemingly useless "stone egg" seems a bit of a burden.
But the thrill and resonance he felt just now made him realize that this thing was definitely not simple.
Perhaps, this is an opportunity.
There wasn't much time to hesitate; the footsteps of the skeleton patrolling outside seemed to be approaching in this direction.
Without further hesitation, Rowling carefully removed the gray-spotted egg from the nest.
The egg felt heavy, much heavier than a rock of the same size.
He quickly retrieved a soft, tanned hide from his dimensional bag, carefully wrapped it, and then placed it in a heat-insulating and soundproof cork box specifically designed for storing fragile or sensitive items.
He then put the wooden box back into his arms to make sure it wouldn't fall out.
As for why he didn't put them in the dimensional bag, Rowling remembered very clearly that the dimensional bag couldn't hold living things.
This egg is in a special state, with almost no vitality. It may be unrestricted, but to be on the safe side, it was not put into the dimensional bag.
Just as he finished putting the wooden box away, a tall figure blocked the light from the gap in the wall at the entrance of the hall.
The metal skeleton had somehow finished its previous patrol and changed its route, heading towards the gap.
Its eyes, pulsating with eerie blue flames, were facing the interior of the hall, as if it had sensed something unusual.
Luo Lin was startled and immediately lowered his body, pressing himself against the cold stone pillar, almost stopping his breathing.
The metal skull stopped at the gap, its stiff neck turning as its eerie blue eyes slowly swept across the dimly lit interior of the hall.
It didn't seem to notice Rolin hiding behind the stone pillar immediately, but its cold senses were probing inch by inch.
Can't wait any longer!
Once it discovers you, the consequences of fighting this undead guardian of unknown strength in this relatively confined space are unpredictable!
Luo Lin's eyes narrowed, and he made a decision in an instant.
He suddenly leaped out from behind the stone pillar and rushed towards a smaller hole on the other side of the hall, deeper inside!
At the same time, he swung his left hand backward, and a [Powerful Flash Runestone] flew out and smashed into the ground beneath the metal skull's feet.
hum-
A blinding, intense white light erupted instantly, filling the entire entrance area of the hall.
The metal skeleton let out a silent roar. It seemed to have no good means of defense against this pure light energy attack. The eerie blue flames in its eye sockets flickered violently, and its movements froze for a moment.
The opportunity is coming!
Luo Lin moved like lightning, rushing to the smaller hole and filing out without hesitation.
Behind them came the sound of a metal skeleton angrily hacking at the wall with its sword, and the heavy footsteps of it rapidly chasing after them after breaking free from the influence of the runestone.
Without looking back, Luo Lin rushed out of the hall, determined the direction he had come from, and accelerated to the maximum speed, fleeing desperately towards the edge of the rotten depression.
The effect of the levitation boots was pushed to its limit, allowing him to walk on the muddy, uneven ground as if it were flat ground.
He could feel the chilling aura of death relentlessly pursuing him from behind.
Moreover, it seems there's more than one!
In the distance, the aura of the powerful being that had been drawn by the battle earlier seemed to be attracted by the commotion here again and was rapidly approaching!
Crisis is everywhere!
We must leave this area as soon as possible!