Chapter 400

After poking around the stone gate with no luck, we stumbled upon a pile of bones.

"Looks like it's just bones here," Andy said, peering into the dark area beyond the gate. "Guess we gotta keep exploring inside."

I nodded, warning Andy and Carl, "Let's move on. Leroy mentioned this place is dangerous, so let's be extra careful and watch our step. We don't want to vanish into thin air while we're at it."

The attic must have been freezing from being shut tight for so long without any warmth or people.

With our candlelight not reaching far enough, we split up. Carl and Andy went one way each, and I took the middle.

As we separated, the chill seemed to seep deeper into my bones, and I found myself unconsciously rubbing my arms.

We walked in silence, our footsteps echoing in the dim passage.

Glancing at Andy and Carl on either side, I noticed their tense faces and serious vibes.

To lighten the mood and ease the tension, I brought up a topic, "Hey, Carl, can I ask you something personal?"

Carl nodded, "Sure, shoot."

Curious, I asked, "So, how far have you and Lisa gone?"

Gossip always got Andy's attention, so he perked up to listen.

Carl thought for a moment before answering, "In human terms, we've only gotten to the kissing stage."

Casual talk helped to relax us a bit.

Surprised, I blurted out, "I thought you two had gone further than that."

Carl looked at me, "Why would you think that?"

"Well, the Bird Tribe snatched Lisa because she's a looker, right?" I explained. "When we crashed your tribe with the Dwarves, the Bird Tribe queen mentioned that you took Lisa away for some alone time. I figured you two had already been intimate."

Andy chimed in, "There was a drama like that before we showed up?"

"Definitely," I chuckled. "We almost set Carl's tribe on fire. Lisa was fierce back then, grabbing a sharp stone and aiming for Carl's neck. If Carl wasn't tough, he might've been a goner."

Andy added, surprised, "Lisa seems sweet, but she's got a feisty side. Carl's in for a wild ride."

Carl just smiled, his eyes showing a soft affection.

Seeing his loving look, it seemed like even if Lisa stabbed him, he'd still be smitten.

The three of us chatted casually until we reached a door deep in the attic.

This door wasn't stone but made of some unknown material, probably bronze, to have lasted this long.

Two bronze statues that looked like guards flanked the door.

The bronze statues hinted at a clue.

So, Andy and I focused on checking out the statues while Carl inspected the bronze door and its surroundings.

Before long, we found some things on both sides.

Andy and I discovered several lodestones under the bronze statues, while Carl found a hole next to the keyhole of the bronze door. Puzzled, I picked up a lodestone and remarked, "Lodestones? Bronze? Is there a connection between these two?"

"It's simple." Andy grabbed a lodestone and examined it. "If this is a lodestone, it should attract the bronze statue you mentioned."

He attempted to stick it to the statue, but it didn't stick.

The lodestone slipped from Andy's grasp and clattered to the ground.

Andy blinked. "Huh? Did I guess wrong?"

I nodded, clarifying, "Lodestones can't attract bronze. Bronze is mostly copper, which isn't magnetic so that it won't be drawn to lodestones."

Carl inquired, "What can they attract then?"

"Iron, steel, cobalt, nickel, and metal alloys." I furrowed my brow, speculating, "Could we need to use the lodestones to extract something?"

Andy pondered, "If it's lodestones, maybe we need to attract iron, like an iron key?"

"It can't be that straightforward," Carl remarked. "If it were, the Atlanteans would have solved it by now, and there wouldn't be so many people sent in here, ending up as piles of bones. But these lodestones are likely meant for us to attract something."

"It's definitely not that easy," I agreed. "Iron wouldn't have lasted this long, so it's unlikely to be iron unless it's an iron alloy. But it's worth considering."

"What's the harm in trying? Let's give it a shot," Andy suggested. He picked up a lodestone and attached it to the bronze statue's body, then, like a metal detector, randomly scanned around.

Luck was on his side because just when he was about to give up, a clear sound rang out from the belly of the bronze statue.

We exchanged glances, all sporting satisfied smiles.

Andy's accidental find led us to a clue hidden within the bronze statue.

These two bronze statues were hollow inside, but we needed to determine if they were entirely hollow or partially filled.

After some experimentation, I shook my head in disappointment. "There seem to be patterns inside. We need to pinpoint the right spots to extract whatever's in there."

This task would be time-consuming for us since we couldn't see the interior layout or gauge its complexity.

"Alex, you're overcomplicating it," Carl said, squatting down. He brought the two lodestones close together in front of me, then separated them slightly, causing them to lose their attraction.

He explained, "Since it's a lodestone, it likely needs to be close to attract. See, when they're too far apart, they won't attract each other. So, the interior layout shouldn't be too tricky, and it should follow the outer distribution of the bronze statue."

His words instantly cleared my mind, and I chuckled, "You're right. Why did I make it so complex? It makes sense. If the builders had this design, it would require human intervention to solve the puzzle. Otherwise, what's the point of designing this attic and mechanism?"

Then, I gestured to Andy, "Let's start by slowly attracting along the outside and see if we can extract what's inside. If not, we can rethink our approach. We'll crack this eventually."