Chapter 600: Key

Enderfa awkwardly chuckled and continued his explanation. "That kind of thing is not dangerous. It is usually used to hide some precious materials, mainly to protect them. If someone destroyed the box because they weren't able to open it normally, the things inside would also be destroyed. But it wasn't common to use Star Essence to create such extravagant things, so the contents must be shocking."

Lin Yun nodded. Although he had extensive knowledge, he definitely couldn't compare to Enderfa when it came to such small details.

A few pieces of paper appeared, and Lin Yun quickly started writing. The things within that box were definitely precious. If he made a mistake, the contents might be destroyed which would be a huge shame.

After calculating twice, he confirmed that his calculations were right and he started using the crystal pen to crack the array on the box.

When the array was cracked, the runes and patterns disappeared, but not a single opening could be seen on the box. Lin Yun was a bit surprised.

Enderfa calmly suggested, "Try looking for a mechanism."

Lin Yun suddenly realized that he had only thought of the array, but he had forgotten to consider possible mechanisms!

Recalling the patterns that were on the box, Lin Yun immediately found two places that had been devoid of runes and patterns.

There had only been one array, which was completely asymmetrical, but there were two symmetrical places on the side of the box that didn't have any runes or patterns, which caught his attention.

The dual opening mechanism was very popular. Only by simultaneously activating them could the box open; otherwise, it would trigger another mechanism.

Lign Yun prepared some defenses first and took a deep breath before simultaneously pushing those two blank areas.

Snap...

A sound echoed as a crack appeared on the originally seamless box, and it automatically opened...

There was no danger.

After lightly opening the box, what they found inside was a bit beyond their expectations.

It wasn't a precious treasure, but a key.

The design of the key was very ancient. It was brown and had a faint layer of rust. There was a refined skull on the shaft of the key, and the skull had an eye-patch with two blades crossing each other.

The three recognized this with a glance... It was the symbol of Red Beard!

Shawn glanced at it and said, "I'm going back," before returning to his Soul Walker while tightly hugging his spirit mana crystal.

Lin Yun was somewhat shocked that it was a key. From this key's appearance, it looked like it was for opening an ancient lock, and it also looked like handicraft from the current era...

If it hadn't been hidden so thoroughly, Lin Yun wouldn't have thought that it looked very precious at all.

Enderfa frowned, thinking hard.

"I can't figure out the use of this key, but since it was stashed away like that, and even that monster wanted to snatch it, it must be very important. It might be the key to Red Beard's hidden treasure room or something along those lines."

Lin Yun shook his head and put the key back in the Star Essence box, thinking that if he couldn't understand it, he might as well not worry about it for the moment. In any case, he had to take what that monster wanted even if only to spite it.

After resting a bit, Lin Yun turned to look at the entrance of the wall, somewhat worried.

He recalled that from the beginning, it felt as if they had been guided... Every hold was far more dangerous than the last.

Even if the Intrepid was dangerous, it was impossible for every location to be so deadly...

And their current hold appeared to be an abandoned alchemy laboratory. There were many abandoned chairs and desks, and there were a few rusted puppets.

When Xiuban and the others came in, they felt relieved as they discovered that there was nothing dangerous in that area.

Lin Yun had almost come to expect every hold to be extremely dangerous, so upon finding finding that temporary respite, he felt that they might be falling into a trap.

There had been a twelve-array sealing formation in that hold, with a floor completely made out of wood from Soul Absorbing Trees, and it was even combined with a Dimensional Cloister, something designed to seal an extremely sinister being in a deadly prison.

They wouldn't have been able to come out had they not cracked it, but the thing they had let out might be even more troublesome.

After recovering half of his mana, Lin Yun couldn't remain still. He walked to the sleeping Xiuban and kicked him, yet that guy didn't even react.

He then casually threw a Fireball out, making that thick-skinned Draconic Beastman jump up.

"Who? Enemies? Where is the enemy?"

But when he turned his head, he noticed Lin Yun calmly standing behind him.

"Sir Merlin, you returned safely! I knew that monster wouldn't be a match for you," Xiuban calmly flattered.

Lin Yun looked at him and said in a poor mood, "We are leaving. Although that monster was injured, it should be mostly fine. I don't know when it might catch up to us.

The exit of that abandoned alchemy laboratory wasn't as hard to find as it was for the previous hold. Only one operational array could be seen in this room. It was an array that alchemists usually used as a gate, and it needed a verbal command to enter or exit.

Cracking it was also very simple, only taking Lin Yun one minute.

"Doroya."

When the strange incantation echoed, an exit appeared in the center of the array.

"Go!"

The thick-skinned Draconic Beastman walked in front, followed by the others.

Surprisingly, what awaited them on the other side wasn't a hold, but a spacious hallway of unknown length.

They could see tightly locked doors on both sides of the hallway, and each door had a simple array on it.

Lin Yun's heart sank. They had clearly entered the main area of the Intrepid. This should be the place where the crew was active. Who knew what awaited them?

The entrance hidden inside the alchemy lab would definitely not lead to a simple place.

"North Fidel."

The simple verbal command closed the array entrance behind them.

They were at the start of the hallway, and only array gates could be seen along its length, over twenty of them.

"We can only check every single one, I guess? There is no clue as to where the captain's cabin is, this ship is too strange. Try to find any useful clues. Without figuring something out, we can't leave this place. It would be even better if we can find a map of the ship." Lin Yun said this aloud to everyone and started the array gate next to him. Less than a minute later, he uttered a simple incantation and opened the door.

The sullen Xiuban was once again the first to walk in.

The space within that room was also expanded many times, but it was far from being as big as the holds. It was only a kilometer or two long, and with the rotten things inside, he could tell that this was an old warehouse, one that had stored food.

There was no danger, but also no harvest.

They kept checking a dozen rooms like that, but they still got nothing. There wasn't even a part that could be salvaged from the alchemy puppets they encountered. They got to an area that seemed to be slaves' quarters, and apart from those chaotic bedding, there was nothing.

They only encountered a group of Lesser Undead that even Xiuban didn't feel like taking care of.

On their way, they examined the doors on both sides once and didn't get anything useful.

But the last door they went through was a lot better. It probably had been the room of a well-paid crew member. This area that covered several kilometers was like a small world lit by a powerful, everlasting illumination spell. There was a huge crystal on the side that was furnishing power, but that crystal had already darkened quite a lot. The light of the illumination was like an old man past his prime, about to stop burning anytime.

The floor wasn't made of wood, but of some type of black earth, and a lawn was surprisingly still growing on that soil.

Only small courtyards were established on that land.

"Xiuban, go and check if there is anything alive in there."

After receiving Lin Yun's command, Xiuban hurriedly followed it. There had been no dangers in all the rooms so far, so it seemed like an easy task.

Lin Yun also checked out the courtyards and found some books, but they had decayed so much that he couldn't make out anything.

Some seemingly intact books turned to ashes with a light touch.

There were over forty courtyards, but they found nothing useful when they searched inside.

And it was the same for the final courtyard. The insides looked like they had been abandoned for a few millennia. Everything useful had already decayed.

"Sir Merlin, I found something!" Xiuban shouted from the back of the courtyard.

They rushed to the back and saw an almost-withered Mana Ivy Morning Glory, and Xiuban was stretching his hand to take it. That Mana Morning Glory was like a mirage. Xiuban's big hand was just passing through it, unable to grab it.

"Sir Merlin, I know this is alive. As for the rest, there's nothing else here, not even any Undead."

With a quick glance, Lin Yun saw that the space here was distorted.

He took out his crystal pen and wrote down a large array. Less than two minutes later, the distorted space stabilized.

Xiuban followed Lin Yun's hint and finally uprooted that Mana Morning Glory.