"Alright, let’s start the voting process, beginning with Kaier."
Angel looked at Kaier, and soon, a one-way mind ribbon connected to Kaier transmitted a message.
"The second one." That is, the one on the north side of the third zone, suspected to contain gold and antiques.
Angel didn’t comment, instead, he looked at the second voter, Vay, who also chose "the second one".
Finally, it came to a critical moment, Angel turned to Dox.
The other choices didn’t matter, they weren’t even necessary to listen to. The real reason for voting was to hear what Dox had to say.
"I don’t know." Dox’s indifferent voice came through.
Angel: "If you don’t know, just vote randomly, later everyone will reveal their votes, and we’ll go with whichever passage gets the most votes."
Dox frowned: "It’s such a hassle, then let’s go with the cellar path first, I’m too lazy to run."
Angel nodded expressionlessly, then turned to look at the Black Earl.
The Black Earl didn’t cast a vote but directly asked through the mind ribbon: "Which path should we take?"
Angel: "The cellar path."
The Black Earl acknowledged, then said no more.
Only then did Angel look at everyone, and under their speculative gazes, he slowly spoke: "Everyone has voted, now I’ll announce each of your choices. Whether true or false, you know in your hearts."
"Kaier chose the second entrance. Vay chose the second entrance. Dox chose the third entrance, which is the entrance to the cellar."
Pausing, Angel continued: "I don’t have any particular inclination, but the cellar is closer, so we can start exploring from the nearest one. So I also choose the third entrance."
"As for Lord Black Earl, his choice is the same as mine, which is the cellar."
The Black Earl snorted coldly: "It’s been said that any path could work, surely we start with the closest. Those who forego the near for the distant, I wonder what they’re thinking."
The Black Earl’s sarcasm confirmed that he indeed chose the path to the cellar.
It’s just that, both Vay and Kaier’s expressions turned a bit unpleasant. After all, they chose the "distant" route.
"The results are in, three to two, so we’ll start with the cellar path." Angel made the final decision.
No one objected, it was chosen via voting, the majority wins, so they followed the majority.
However, Dox vaguely felt something was off, he walked over to Angel and muttered in a low voice: "How come the three of us all chose the cellar?"
"The apprentices are enthusiastic and want to start with the most promising option. As for us, we’re more pragmatic, choosing to start nearby, it’s quite normal." Angel said.
Dox: "Is it really like that?"
Angel: "Of course it is. But in consideration for little Gold, if you want to change your vote, I can give you a chance."
Angel’s words didn’t even receive a counter from the Black Earl, evidently, the Black Earl also conceded to Dox being able to change his vote.
After all, the future isn’t single-threaded; perhaps Dox’s changed vote was within the realm of inspiration.
As for how Angel planned to justify it if Dox changed his vote, there was no need to worry. If Dox changed his vote, it would either be the first or second entrance.
Choosing the second entrance would still result in a 3 to 2 vote, so they would still follow Dox’s choice.
If Dox chose the first entrance, it would be a 2 to 2 tie, with Dox holding the swing vote. Angel would then say, in the case of a tie, they would revote, or inquire if anyone else wanted to change their vote as well.
No matter the excuses, in the end, it was all about following Dox’s decision.
Dox: "Can I really change my vote?"
Angel: "You can change if you want, no one will stop you, so go ahead if you wish to change."
Dox thought for a while, then eventually shook his head: "Never mind, let’s still start with the cellar, since it’s closer after all."
Angel nodded, no longer paying attention to Dox, and instead walked towards the wall, preparing to activate the mechanism as described by Matilda, to open the passage to the underground stronghold.
Dox stood there, watching Angel’s back, silently pondering: Why do I always feel like I’m being watched? Is it just my imagination?
Dox shook his head, dismissing it. As long as there was no malice, it was fine.
The method of opening the passage was simple, it was still the line behind the cabinet. Cutting this line would trigger a crossbow trap to kill any intruders. But as long as the line wasn’t cut and was gently pulled instead, the internal mechanism would activate, revealing a hidden entrance.
Sure enough, following the instructions, Angel lightly pulled on the string, and the wall trembled slowly, revealing a small door.
"This mechanism doesn’t seem to be a modern product, it should be from before The Garden Labyrinth became a ruin?" Kajier, who often studied ruins, crouched before the small door, carefully examining the setup.
"If it truly is a mechanism from before the ruins, think about it, a residence above, with a cellar hiding a passage leading to an unknown underground structure. Could it be possible that it belonged to some villains from the Garden Labyrinth, like followers of some Demon God sect?"
Kaier mused and fantasized, his face clearly showing his longing.
Angel didn’t understand why Kaier would feel such longing at this moment, but he had a rough understanding of why Kaier loved exploring ruins.
Perhaps, he was someone who pursued history.