Chapter 188: Red and White
Chapter 188: Red and White (Please subscribe, favorite, and recommend)
Liam felt that this adventure was becoming increasingly strange. Initially, he had thought it would be a simple Temple adventure, dealing with some magic traps and traps. However, not only did Mummies appear, but they also came in significant numbers. Now, this adventure felt more and more like tomb raiding.
But when he thought about it, it made sense. Archaeologists had discovered ancient Mayan ritual sites and noble tombs within several Mayan Pyramid Temples, much like the famous tombs found in European churches. So, it was understandable that a Mayan Temple in the wizarding world might contain a graveyard. What he couldn't understand was why the Blood God Cult members chose to set up their base on a tomb. It was like dancing on a grave.
Standing before the stone door, Liam silently prayed that there would be no more Mummies ahead. After all, he didn't have a Tomb Raider Talisman or a Black Donkey Hoof, and he was not at all prepared for tomb raiding.
Fortunately, the long passage of time had eroded many of the runes on the door that were meant to conceal it. Using his Eagle Vision skill, Liam easily discerned the magical flow on the door. He then pulled out his wand and sprayed golden threads into the air, using them to illustrate the magical structure on the stone door.
Hermione watched Liam as he drew and wrote in the air, studying the magical structure. After a while, she said, "Let me help you with this." She then quickly began her calculations. Working together, they were much more efficient. In their calculations, they discovered that the magical structure was not very complex and would only require a bit of time to find the breakthrough points.
After about five or six minutes, Hermione indicated that she had finished her calculations and pointed out to Liam that to open the stone door, they needed to simultaneously channel magic power into five specific patterns on the door. If the magic power was not channeled correctly, it would trigger the Magic Defense System.
Liam reviewed Hermione's calculations and realized that the real challenge wasn't the simple magical structure on the stone door, but the requirement to simultaneously channel magic power into the five patterns, with each pattern needing at least the total magic power of an adult wizard.
This trap was originally set in the Temple to prevent enemy infiltration. In such a high-level Temple, the chances of finding five moles from the same faction were extremely low. When the Temple was operational, this core area door was not something an outsider could breach.
The stone door itself was made of two large obsidian slabs, and forcing it open would easily draw the attention of those in the Central Hall.
However, the Temple's designers probably never imagined that a thousand years after they abandoned it, a Wizard could use special techniques to bypass the door.
Liam affixed five Jade Talismans, each pre-charged with magic power, to the patterns. He then used rooster blood to dye the threads red and connected the Jade Talismans. Finally, he held the threads in both hands and activated the magic power in the talismans.
The Jade Talismans emitted a faint white light, and the stone door slowly opened. However, what Liam saw inside the room took him by surprise.
Behind the door was a space as large as a Quidditch pitch. Except for a small platform at the entrance, the rest was a massive pit. The pit was filled with blood, and numerous white bones floated within the blood pool. Despite the passage of a thousand years, the blood remained fresh.
The Blood Pool, with its red blood and white bones interwoven, forms a sinister and mysterious tableau. In the air above the Blood Pool, a black mist drifts back and forth, emitting a heart-stopping hum.
At the center of the Blood Pool is an unguarded stone arch bridge, one end connected to the platform at the entrance, and the other to the opposite side of the Blood Pool. On the opposite side, there is another corresponding platform, and directly in front of it stands a golden gate. Occasionally, a thread of red mist rises from the Blood Pool and is absorbed by the gate.
Each time the gate absorbs the mist, it flashes with a golden light. Liam noticed that the appearance of the blood-red mist was very regular, and the gate would flash in sync with the mist's arrival, as if it were a living thing breathing.
It seemed that the part of the map that had been erased was not due to weathering but had been deliberately concealed to hide this clearly evil Blood Pool.
"Good heavens!" Hermione gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as she entered from behind. For a girl who had grown up in a peaceful era, the sight before her was truly overwhelming.
"What is this place?" Hermione asked Liam after taking a few deep breaths to calm herself.
"Blood sacrifice, the blood sacrifice of the indigenous people", Liam explained, his voice trembling slightly. He was not only explaining to Hermione but also trying to distract himself from the growing unease.
"Remember when we first arrived at Castrobrus School, the professor told us that before the school was built, the area was known for its cruel blood sacrifice magic. This place is likely one of those sites, and the path we just took was probably meant for the sacrificial victims." As he spoke, Liam realized something: the servants marked on the map were not there to serve people, but to offer their lives in service to the so-called Blood God.
"Look here", Liam pointed to a human-shaped indentation on the small platform beneath their feet. "The sacrificial victims were likely killed here. Their hearts would be used in rituals, and their bodies thrown into the Blood Pool as nourishment."
"How do you know this?" Hermione asked, her voice trembling. "You've never been here before."
"The relief carvings on the ground tell the whole story", Liam said, lightly tapping the ground with his foot. Hermione finally tore her gaze away from the Blood Pool and noticed the carvings on the platform, which depicted the entire ritual process in comic-like detail.
"From what we can see, this place is not just a temple but also a tomb. Do you remember what we read in the History of Magic at Castrobrusso Academy about the local wizards?"
"Let me think... Ah, right!" Hermione spun around a couple of times before exclaiming, "The indigenous wizards have always believed they came from the distant star Sirius. Therefore, in high-level tombs, there is always a passage leading from the tomb owner's chamber to the outside, pointing directly to the position of Uranus. For us, the size of that passage in this tomb would be large enough for us to escape."
"Exactly. The only problem is that the golden gate leads to the Chamber of Secrets, but I don't think a tomb owner who killed so many people would be a merciful one. So, this Blood Pool is likely not easy to pass." Liam then directed a recently controlled mummy to cross the stone bridge.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
