At this moment, outside the Dragon Well Locks, near the wellhead, there was a person and a fox.
The person wore a white pleated skirt, had the height of a child, and a face full of innocence, clearly a cute little girl.
The fox was entirely black, with eyes that looked at the little girl quite intelligently.
“Harper, did that person go in?” the little girl asked the black fox beside her.
The black fox moved its mouth and surprisingly spoke human words: “Yes, Princess.”
…
Inside the box were six black beads that had appeared in the photos within the dossier.
Looking at the black beads in the box, Christine Dan’s eyes flickered. She took out a copper coin from her body and handed it to Leo.
“What do you mean?” Leo asked, puzzled.
“If it’s heads, the six beads are yours; if it’s tails, they’re mine.”
Christine Dan intended to decide the ownership of the beads by tossing the coin.
Seeing Leo not taking the coin, Christine Dan’s gaze turned cold: “What, do you want to fight me, or do you have a better idea?”
“Alright.”
Leo nodded, took the copper coin from Christine Dan’s hand with his right hand, and flicked it into the air with his thumb.
He caught the coin on the back of his left hand and covered it with his right hand.
When Leo slowly moved his right hand away, it was tails.
“You lost. These six beads are mine.” Christine Dan smiled triumphantly and took the six black beads from the box.
Leo felt a bit frustrated but accepted his loss without complaint.
Leo then opened the second box.
Inside was a piece of paper, no, it was a talisman.
With a quick scan of his consciousness, he could clearly feel that this talisman contained powerful spiritual energy.
This alone indicated that the talisman was extraordinary.
Moreover, the runes on this talisman were very peculiar. Leo could only roughly guess that it might be some kind of auxiliary talisman.
But what specific mystical effect it had would probably only be known upon activation.
Another coin toss to test luck.
When Leo moved his right hand away, it was heads.
Seeing Leo put away the talisman, Christine Dan’s beautiful eyes showed a hint of reluctance. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something but ultimately said nothing.
What could be inside the last box?
Taking half a step to the side, standing in front of the third box, Leo reached out with curiosity.
He tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.
Even with more force, the box remained tightly closed.
This was unusual. The first two boxes had opened easily. Could this one be locked from the inside?
Lowering his head for a closer look, Leo noticed that the engraved patterns on this box were slightly different from the other two, something only noticeable upon careful inspection.
Picking up the box from Altar Heights, Leo examined it thoroughly. It was seamless and showed no signs of mechanisms or hidden locks.
“What’s wrong? Can’t open it?” Christine Dan asked.
Leo nodded and handed her the box: “You try.”
Christine Dan tried with all her strength but still couldn’t open it.
At that moment, the engraved patterns on the box glowed briefly, followed by a heart-stopping roar that echoed in the stone chamber, startling both of them.
After the roar faded, a rumbling sound came from behind them.
They turned quickly to see a circular pool had appeared three meters in front of them.
The pool had a diameter of about nine meters. The water inside was pitch black and constantly bubbling as if boiling.
What was going on?
Leo’s intuition told him that there might be some connection between the third box and this suddenly appearing pool.
Moreover, it seemed like something was about to emerge from the pool.
They watched for a while, but nothing emerged from the bubbling black water.
Christine Dan withdrew her gaze from the pool and looked at the box in her hands with a thoughtful expression.
Soon, her expression changed from thoughtful to understanding.
She placed the box back on Altar Heights and turned to Leo: “Help me move the Twelve Beasts in this stone chamber according to my directions.”
Leo knew Christine Dan must have figured something out and began moving the beasts as she instructed.
Although the Twelve Beasts were very heavy, it was easy for Leo to move them.
In no time, Leo had repositioned all Twelve Beasts.
From above, one would see that the Twelve Beasts formed a specific formation surrounding the pool.
“What next?” Leo asked Christine Dan.
“Step aside; I’ll handle this.”
Christine Dan walked to where each beast had been before moving and embedded seals before returning to Leo’s side and chanting an incantation.
As Christine Dan finished her chant, red beams shot from the eyes of each beast directly into the pool.
A rustling sound began as the black water in the pool bubbled more violently.
After the red beams from the beasts’ eyes disappeared, a spiraling stone staircase slowly emerged from the black water.
Simultaneously, a circular opening appeared directly above the pool in the ceiling of the stone chamber.
In just a moment, the spiraling stone staircase rose into the circular opening above, leading somewhere unknown.
As Leo stood there stunned, Christine Dan spoke: “Let’s continue with the coin toss.”
“The third box won’t open; is there any point?”
“If it won’t open, we’ll take it with us.”
“Do you know what’s inside?”
“No.” Christine Dan added: “If you’re not interested in this box, then there’s no need for a coin toss.”
“No way. Let’s toss.” Leo said and flipped the coin again.
Heads!
“Doesn’t count!” Christine Dan suddenly exclaimed.
“Don’t mess around. A bet is a bet!”
Christine hugged the box: “Best two out of three.”
“No way!” Leo refused.
Christine pouted: “Fine then. This box is mine.”
Christine’s attitude suggested there must be something valuable inside.
“Don’t cheat. Otherwise, I’ll have to take it by force!” Leo threatened.
Christine wasn’t intimidated. She puffed out her chest proudly: “Go ahead and try.”
“Missy, we’re civilized people. Can we be reasonable?”
“I said best two out of three.”
“Fine. But no cheating!” Leo said as he prepared to toss the coin again.