Chapter 1156: Section 1157: Progressive Corridor
When Angel pushed open the door, he noticed something peculiar.
The previous rooms were all quite narrow, but this one, even before entering, Angel could tell it was very large, its visible area almost rivaling that of an underground hall.
The air inside the room differed from those before, devoid of any stench of smoke or miasma.
The black-and-white checkered ceramic floor reflected a faint, icy light, giving off a cold and solemn sensation. It made Angel momentarily feel as though he had stepped into the exhibition hall of the Hunting Museum.
It wasn’t just the cold solemn air making Angel feel as if he were in an exhibition hall; even the objects inside were strikingly similar.
——The room was empty except for four statues facing different directions at its center.
From a distance, these statues bore an uncanny resemblance to the specimens in an exhibition hall; only upon closer inspection would one notice that their skin had the texture of stone.
In the exact center of the statues stood a display stand, upon which rested a massive, blood-red war axe carved with mysterious patterns.
Even a fleeting glance filled Angel with an overwhelming oppressive force emanating from the axe, as if he had glimpsed an endless sea of blood.
From this alone, Angel could ascertain that it was no ordinary object.
Moreover, this axe appeared to have been crafted using a method unfamiliar to Angel, and as an alchemist, he couldn’t help but be drawn to step forward and investigate it, with a hint of covetousness rising in his heart to claim it as his own.
But just as Angel prepared to step inside, a warning surged from deep within his heart.
This vague premonition of danger firmly halted his steps.
Why was there a sense of danger? The room was spacious, with no apparent hazards at a glance. Could there be hidden traps, or was the danger emanating from the war axe—or perhaps… Angel’s gaze slowly shifted to the four statues beside the axe.
He hadn’t looked closely before, but now that he did, Angel detected something amiss.
Could it be that these statues were—Gargoyles?!
Angel took an abrupt step back, realizing that it was all too normal for a gargoyle to have stone-like skin! Furthermore, a slumbering gargoyle would seem indistinguishable from a statue, devoid of any living breath, but should anyone approach within its alert range, it would awaken from its slumber.
Many Demon Nobles, because of this characteristic, liked to keep gargoyles as guards.
Angel could not be certain whether these were simply statues, or… actual slumbering Gargoyles. Even with a fifty-fifty chance, he did not wish to gamble, nor did he fancy risking his life to find out.
Even if the war axe was truly powerful, to Angel, who would only use it for research, risking his life for it was not worth it at all.
With that thought, Angel didn’t hesitate to turn around and close the door.
As the door shut, the room fell back into darkness, and in a place beyond Angel’s sight, one of the statues opened its eyes, a fleeting crimson light passing through them, as if sensing something in the air. However, in the end, it made no move and closed its eyes once again, returning to its slumber.
…
Unaware, Angel’s caution had just spared him from a calamity.
Now, he continued searching for a way to leave. However, oddly enough, so far, all the doors he had opened led to enclosed spaces.
He found neither the path to the higher levels nor any exit.
This was becoming rather strange.
Angel emerged from a “kitchen,” puzzled: “Could it mean that the symbol behind the Fire Control Statue only indicates such enclosed spaces, and the actual exit is marked by something else?”
But after nearly making a full round, he hadn’t seen any signs more conspicuous than the Fire Control Statue… conspicuous?! No, Angel suddenly paused, realizing there was indeed something conspicuous.
Thinking of something, Angel quickly walked toward the source of light ahead.
This was a resting area in the corridor.
If there was a more conspicuous sign, then it could only be the resting area!
Angel had even rested here before!
Following the source of light, Angel arrived at the resting area’s sofa, next to the Fire Control Statue, and his eyes lit up. This Fire Control Statue was very large, a size larger than the other wall lamps, and he had passed by several times without giving any thought to this Fire Control Statue!
If this Fire Control Statue could also be moved… then it was highly likely to be the exit he had been unable to find before!
With this in mind, Angel decisively reached out and touched the arm of the Fire Control Statue.
The familiar “click-clack—” sound reached his ears, and Angel looked back to see the entire high wall behind the resting area flip over, revealing a wide passage.
It was indeed so! A moment of realization washed over Angel—looking right under his nose yet thinking too complexly, he hadn’t noticed the answer had been in front of him all along.
Though he had found the way, the path ahead remained unknown.
Angel carefully stepped in, his silhouette instantly disappearing into the darkness.
Angel thought that maybe the darkness behind was the way out, but it turned out not to be. This was still a corridor. The furnishings and style were nearly identical to the previous ones, with fire-holding statues and resting areas as well.
Angel simulated a map in his mind and realized that this place seemed like a labyrinth of corridors, as each one contained several resting spots, meaning there were many paths.
Upon closer consideration, it seemed quite complex, but finding a way out wasn’t difficult.
He had the Scouting Puppet take a lap around this corridor and gathered some data, which showed that this corridor was notably shorter than the previous one. If this labyrinth of corridors progressively led closer to the center, then that meant he was closer to the heart of the Void Tower than before.
In his heart, Angel calculated that perhaps the path to ascend to the second layer should be right at the center of the Void Tower. It might require passing through many layers of corridors to get there.
However, he wasn’t aiming to reach the higher levels of the Void Tower, but to leave this place, which meant he didn’t need to move inward but outward instead.
That is to say, the path he was on now was actually wrong.
Angel went back to the resting area he had entered from and found another resting spot within that corridor to leave.
Sure enough, choosing this method led to a noticeable increase in the distance of each corridor, which meant he was closer to the outer ring.