Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 707, Floor 94 (9)

Evan nodded and said, "I told you, we need magical energy to help stabilize it. Riley, you're in charge of connecting the electronic contacts and using your phase energy to maintain the connection temporarily. I'll inject magical energy into the engravings to stabilize the circuit and allow the technological energy to flow smoothly. Mok, you're in charge of monitoring the surrounding environment and sensing changes in energy. If you detect an energy overload, immediately alert us so we can disconnect in time to avoid triggering a trap."

“Understood!” Riley and Moke said in unison.

The three immediately sprang into action. Mok walked to the entrance of the passage, the faint glow of fel energy around him intensifying as it spread and covered the area around the platform. He constantly sensed the changes in energy and vigilantly observed the surrounding movements. Riley teleported to the electronic contacts on the right wall, his fingertips once again condensing phase energy into thin lines. Following the lines between the engravings, he connected the blue electronic contacts one by one. His movements were precise and swift; after connecting each contact, he used phase energy to temporarily maintain the connection and prevent it from breaking. Evan walked to the magical engravings on the left wall, his staff gently touching them. Pale golden magical energy flowed continuously into the engravings, flowing along the lines and connecting with the technological engravings, stabilizing the technological energy in the circuit.

"First contact successfully connected, magical energy injection stabilized!" Evan shouted, continuing to inject magical energy into his staff. He watched as the magical energy followed the connection line and fused with the first contact of the technological engraving, gradually stabilizing the previously chaotic technological energy.

Riley nodded and continued connecting the second contact. The instant the second contact successfully connected, technological energy flowed along the connection line from the first to the second, merging with magical energy to form a pale purple energy line. The light from the engravings and contacts also became brighter. "Second contact successfully connected; energy flow stable!"

And so, Riley connected the electronic contacts one by one, while Evan simultaneously injected magical energy to stabilize the circuit. The process wasn't smooth; several times, the circuit showed signs of overload due to the energy injection being too rapid. Mok promptly reminded him, and Evan immediately slowed down the injection rate of magical energy. Riley then temporarily disconnected the contacts, waiting for the energy to stabilize before reconnecting them. On several other occasions, due to the dampness from the underground waterway, some electronic contacts experienced poor contact. Riley used phase energy to clean the moss and water stains from the contacts before the connections could be successfully completed.

Time passed slowly, and sweat beaded on the foreheads of all three. Riley's arms began to ache slightly; the continuous release of phase energy had greatly depleted his stamina, but he dared not relax for a moment, striving for precision in every connection point, fearing even the slightest mistake. Evan's staff's magical energy glow gradually dimmed; the prolonged infusion of magical energy had greatly depleted his magical reserves, but he persevered, carefully controlling the rate of energy injection to ensure circuit stability. Mok remained vigilant throughout, his fel energy perception never wavering, constantly monitoring the surrounding movements and energy changes, daring not to be careless in the slightest.

The moment Riley connected the last electronic contact, all the engravings and contacts simultaneously lit up with a dazzling light. Magical and technological energy merged perfectly in the connection, forming a complete pale purple energy ring that flowed along the wall's texture towards the core mechanism in the center of the platform. Evan immediately increased the injection of magical energy, while Riley maintained the connection of all contacts. Mok was also on high alert, prepared to deal with any unforeseen circumstances.

The moment the pale purple energy ring flowed into the core of the mechanism, the entire underground waterway trembled violently. The pipes overhead creaked, and the mud beneath their feet began to churn slightly. Mok immediately released a fel energy shield, protecting the three of them in the center, vigilantly observing the surrounding activity. The core of the mechanism then began to slowly rotate, the cover gradually opening to reveal its internal structure—filled with intricate electronic components and magical crystals, where two energies intertwined and flowed, emitting a buzzing sound.

The tremors lasted for about ten seconds before gradually subsiding. The three looked up and saw that the passageway, which had been blocked by the wall, was now slowly opening on one side of the platform. The entrance to the passageway emitted a faint purple energy glow, and one could vaguely see more complex engravings and some kind of ancient magical device deep within the passageway. Meanwhile, the core mechanism in the center of the platform was operating more and more stably.

"It worked!" Mok breathed a sigh of relief, deactivated his fel shield, and his tone was filled with joy.

Riley teleported to the core of the mechanism, carefully observing its internal structure. The probe wave from his arm armor swept across the core, and he said, "The energy of the core is very stable, and there is no danger. Moreover, we detected an energy storage device inside the core, which stores a certain amount of technological and magical energy. We can replenish our energy here before proceeding to the next passage."

Evan walked to the core of the mechanism, gently touching the magic crystal inside with his staff. The pale golden magical energy merged with the magical energy in the crystal, and his magical reserves were gradually replenished.

The three didn't linger. After replenishing their energy near the core of the mechanism, they headed towards the newly opened passage. This passage was wider than the one they had just traversed. The walls on either side no longer contained electronic components; instead, they were covered with dense magical engravings. These engravings were far more complex than those in the first puzzle, their interwoven patterns resembling some kind of ancient magic circle. The ceiling of the passage was inlaid with many luminous magical ores, emitting a soft golden glow that illuminated the entire passage, making it no longer as dim as before. However, the magical energy in the air became increasingly concentrated, even somewhat viscous, making it difficult to breathe.

Riley walked at the front, activated his detection wave, and scanned the interior of the passage. He said, "The passage is safe inside. There are no enemies or obvious traps, but we detected a huge magic circle deep inside. The magical energy reaction is very strong, and it should be the core of the puzzle. Moreover, the magical markings on both sides of the passage extend towards the magic circle. Obviously, these markings are part of the magic circle. I speculate that we may need to activate them to form a complete magic circle and thus solve the puzzle."

Mok's fel energy glowed faintly amidst the dense magical energy. He frowned and said, "The magical energy here is too concentrated. My fel energy is being suppressed to some extent, and my perception has also decreased. Moreover, the patterns of these magical engravings are very complex. I have never seen engravings like these before, and I have no idea how to activate them."

Evan's gaze fell on the magical markings on both sides of the passage, his eyes filled with a mixture of solemnity and excitement: "These markings are used to draw celestial magic circles. Each marking corresponds to a star, and the patterns on the markings correspond to the stars' trajectories in the sky. To activate these markings, precise magical energy needs to be injected, and they must be activated one by one in the order of the stars to form a complete celestial magic circle. Then, by harnessing the power of the stars, we can release magic and open the exit. I've seen a similar puzzle in a previous dungeon, although it wasn't exactly the same, it was roughly the same."

"The order of the stars?" Riley asked, his tone tinged with doubt. "But this is an underground waterway, where we can't see the starry sky. How can we know the order of the stars? And there are so many of these markings, each corresponding to a star. How can we know which stars they correspond to, and in what order to activate them?"

Evan said, “Although we can’t see the starry sky, these magical markings themselves contain clues about the stars. You see, these markings are different in size and shape. Some markings are very large and emit a dazzling light, while others are very small and emit a faint light—this corresponds to the brightness of the stars. Brighter stars have larger markings, and dimmer stars have smaller markings. In addition, although the patterns of the markings are complex, they are all regular. Each marking has a starting point and an ending point. These starting points and ending points are connected to each other, forming a huge circle, which is the outline of the star magic circle.”

He paused, then continued, "The most basic astrological magic circle is composed of seven bright stars, namely the Big Dipper. These seven stars have different brightness and different trajectories, and their corresponding magical markings are also distinct. Moreover, the arrangement of the Big Dipper is fixed, from the handle to the top. As long as we can find the corresponding seven markings and activate them in this order, we can form the most basic astrological magic circle, thereby using star power to stabilize magical energy and open an exit. If we cannot find the corresponding markings, or if the activation order is incorrect, the magic circle will go out of control and release a powerful magical shockwave. At that time, we may all be seriously injured by the shockwave, or even unable to leave this place."

Moke nodded and said, "I see. So now, we need to find the seven markings that correspond to the Big Dipper among these dense markings, and then activate them one by one according to the arrangement of the Big Dipper. But with so many markings, how can we quickly find the seven corresponding markings? Moreover, we don't know exactly what the markings of the Big Dipper look like."

“I’ll be in charge of identifying the engravings,” Evan said. “I’ve completed quite a few dungeons with magical backgrounds before, so I have some understanding of astrological engravings. I can identify the corresponding stars based on the size, shape, and texture of the engravings. Riley, you’re in charge of using the probe wave to scan all the engravings and filter out those with moderate energy intensity and moderate brightness—the brightness of the Big Dipper is above average, so the corresponding engravings should also have above average energy intensity. This will narrow down our search area. Mok, you’re in charge of monitoring the surrounding environment and sensing changes in the surrounding magical energy. If you find any engravings accidentally touched or the magical energy becomes disordered, immediately alert us to prevent the magic circle from going out of control.”

“Understood!” Riley and Moke said in unison.

The three immediately divided the tasks and began searching for the corresponding engravings. Riley activated his detection wave, expanding the detection range to the entire passage, scanning each engraving on the wall one by one, filtering out those with medium to high energy intensity. At the same time, he used phase energy to mark these engravings for Evan to identify. Evan, on the other hand, followed the engravings marked by Riley, observing them one by one. He gently touched the engravings with his staff, infusing them with pale golden magical energy, observing the engravings' reactions, and identifying the corresponding stars. Mok patrolled the passage, his fel energy glow suppressed, but he remained vigilant, constantly sensing changes in the surrounding magical energy to prevent any accidents.

The passageway was lined with hundreds of densely packed engravings, making it no easy task to sift through them and identify the seven that corresponded to the Big Dipper. Riley's probes scanned the engravings again and again, selecting those that met the criteria and marking them. Evan patiently observed each marked engraving, sometimes needing to examine it repeatedly and inject magical energy multiple times to confirm whether it corresponded to a particular star in the Big Dipper. Mok remained vigilant, never daring to relax his guard for a moment, lest any accidental touch disrupt the magical energy.

Time passed slowly, and the three's strength and energy began to wane again. Riley's arm ached once more, and the range of his detection wave gradually shrank, but he persisted, carefully scanning every mark, not daring to miss any that met the criteria. Evan's magical reserves had been depleted considerably, and the gem on his staff was beginning to dim (Evan used some spells to disguise his staff, and because his mana consumption was now high, he was gradually shutting down those passively maintained spells to reduce unnecessary mana consumption), but he still patiently examined the marks, not overlooking any detail. Mok's fel energy was increasingly suppressed in the dense magical energy, and his breathing became somewhat rapid, but he remained steadfast at his post, constantly alert to any movement around him.

"Found it!" Evan suddenly shouted, his voice filled with excitement. "This engraving corresponds to the Tian Shu star in the Big Dipper. It's the starting point of the Big Dipper, the largest engraving, the thickest lines, and the highest energy intensity." He pointed to an engraving on the left side of the wall and said to Riley and Moke, "Look, the shape of this engraving is like the handle of a spoon. The lines gradually thicken from bottom to top, perfectly matching the trajectory of the Tian Shu star."