Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 233 Moon Silver Flower? Key?

At the same time, Blake, Gore, and Anvil roared, and their dark red, blazing battle aura erupted, forming a cone-shaped charging channel in front of them that temporarily isolated them from external energy interference!

"Walk!"

Seven figures shot forward like arrows, rushing along the battle qi channel at top speed towards the marked interference area!

0.5 seconds, gone in the blink of an eye!

When the warning node began to re-check itself due to the abnormal signal, and when the energy turbulence in the interference area receded, the seven members of the team had successfully crossed the dangerous area and stepped into the inner side of the magic array's protective circle!

Beneath our feet was a relatively solid, slightly cooler black volcanic rock surface.

Not far ahead, a low building, built against the mountain, with an extremely simple style and almost no decoration, made of some kind of dark blue metal and black rock, is silently embedded in the rock wall.

The building's entrance is a tightly closed metal door of the same material, engraved with an abstract symbol that Rolin had never seen before, resembling intersecting gears and lightning bolts.

There were no guards, no lights, only a cold, efficient sense of machinery.

The silvery light emanating from the young silver flower seedlings was now dazzlingly bright; their leaves trembled violently, pointing towards the metal door.

In the spiritual fluctuations, the attraction reached its peak, but along with it came an almost instinctive, strong repulsion and warning against something behind the door!

"This is it." Blake gripped the tower shield tightly, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.

"Prepare for the assault! Abel, open the door!"

Abel strode forward and began to examine the structure and energy circuit of the metal door.

A few seconds later, his expression turned somewhat strange.

"The door has no lock—or rather, the lock isn't in the physical structure." Abel pointed to an inconspicuous indentation on the door that resembled a palm print scanning area.

"Specific biological information or energy signature is required to open."

"Forcibly breaking down the door may trigger the internal self-destruct or defense systems."

Bio-information or energy signature?

This is clearly an authorization check by personnel within a fourth-party organization.

Just as everyone was pondering a solution, a soft "click" sound suddenly came from the incubator in Luo Lin's hand!

The lid of the box popped open on its own, creating a crack! The silver light from the Moon Silver Flower seedling surged out as if it were a tangible substance, and a slender yet incredibly refined silver filament shot out from the top of the seedling, precisely entering the center of the palm print scanning area!

hum! ! !

A low, rumbling sound came from inside the metal door.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, the heavy metal door, which required specific permissions to open, actually—

It slowly slid to both sides!

Behind the door was a dimly lit metal passageway extending downwards.

The walls of the passage were smooth and inlaid with energy bars that emitted a faint glow.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

The air was filled with a stronger, peculiar odor, a mixture of engine oil, ozone, and some unknown energy source.

A young honeysuckle seedling—it can actually open the door here?!

Looking at the sapling in his hand, its silver light fading but its spiritual energy surging with unusual exuberance, Roland felt a surge of turmoil within him. This magical plant, which coexisted with Ellie, had undergone the mutation of the Throat of the Dead, and might be connected to the roots of an ancient pact—could it also have some unknown connection to this mysterious fourth force?!

Things seem to be getting further and further out of control.

The cold, flat, synthesized electronic voice echoed through the metal tunnel, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, yet it instantly put the seven people at the tunnel entrance on edge.

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and hesitation about whether to enter the door that Yue Yinhua had inexplicably opened, a clear, rhythmic sound of footsteps, like the operation of precise machinery, suddenly came from the depths of the passage!

It wasn't one person, it was a team!

Immediately afterwards, a cold, flat, and emotionless female synthesized voice came from the channel, speaking in some translated common language: "Root beacon active access detected — access permission — passed."

"Visitors, please follow the indicated path to the main hall."

"The arbitrator is waiting."

Arbitrator?

wait?!

This sounds like the other party not only knew they were coming, but even anticipated that the Moonflower seedlings could open this door?!

Moreover, it seems that referring to them as "visitors" grants them some kind of—privilege?

Luo Lin quickly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his mind racing.

The silver light of the Moon Silver Flower seedlings had mostly receded, but the leaves still pointed towards the depths of the passage, conveying a spiritual fluctuation that was a mixture of excitement, vigilance, and an indescribable sense of belonging.

It felt like returning to a place that was both familiar and strange.

Baha turned his head uneasily on his shoulder, his six eyes warily watching the deep passage, emitting low, threatening gurgling sounds.

Blake's arm muscles tensed, his shield tilted slightly forward, blocking the way for the group, and he said in a low voice, "Something's not right."

"The other side seems to have been prepared. Is it a trap?"

Ella had already nocked a special arrow onto her bowstring, aiming the arrowhead at the direction from which the footsteps were coming from inside the passage. Her breathing was steady, and her eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

Liana gripped her staff tightly, her purification aura shrinking to its maximum, ready to respond to any sudden attack.

Gore and the anvil stood on either side, like two guardian deities, their heavy weapons slightly raised.

Abel frantically operated his detection instruments, trying to analyze the energy environment inside the passage and the source of the footsteps.

The footsteps grew closer, their rhythm precise and uniform, like accurate drumbeats.

Soon, four figures appeared from behind the corner of the passage and walked to a slightly brighter area.

Those were four humanoid units.

They have humanoid outlines, but their entire bodies are covered with a smooth, dark blue metallic shell with a matte finish, and their joints are intricate ball joints and energy lines.

The head is a streamlined oval shape, without facial features, only an arc-shaped observation panel with a light blue data stream constantly flowing across it.

Standing approximately two meters tall, with a slender build, his movements are coordinated and precise. Each step he takes is silent, yet carries an indescribable sense of power.

Their style differs from that of the non-human visitors, which has a mixed biological and mechanical feel and leans towards mystery and order. Instead, it is purer, colder, and full of utilitarian industrial aesthetics.

Four metallic figures stopped about ten meters away from the team, their movements perfectly synchronized.

The data stream on the lead observation panel sped up slightly, and the cold, synthesized electronic voice sounded again: "Visitor, please disengage your attack stance."

"This area is a temporary outpost for the maintainers and is protected by the Pan-Stellar Unarmed Scientific Research Outpost Management Convention."

"We maintain a limited willingness to communicate with visitors who possess root beacons."

Pan-Starfield Unarmed Scientific Outpost Management Convention?

Maintainer?

Another name I've never heard of before!

Rowling noted that the other party mentioned unarmed and scientific research outposts.

Is this a statement of position?

Or should we try to lull them into a false sense of security?

Who are you?

"What is a maintainer?"

"And who is the arbitrator?"

Why were you waiting for us?

Blake did not lower his shield, but asked in a deep voice, his question getting straight to the heart of the matter.

The data stream on the metal doll's observation panel flickered a few times, seemingly performing rapid information processing and language adaptation.

"identity:

"Secondary maintenance unit of the Observer Civilization Heritage in the Seventh Sector, codenamed Border Patrol-7 Outpost, general codenamed Maintainer." The electronic voice replied.

"The arbitrator is the core of the highest logic processing and decision-making at this outpost."

""

Reason for waiting:

Received an active access request and specific rule fluctuations from the root beacon.

"Based on the supplementary provisions of the convention and internal logic, it is necessary to conduct preliminary information exchange and risk warning."

Observer of the cultural heritage—a secondary maintenance unit?!

Roland was deeply shaken!

These metal humanoids, who call themselves "the Protectors," are actually related to the Observer civilization!

Moreover, judging from their words, they seem to be some kind of automated machines or intelligence responsible for maintaining and monitoring the facilities left behind by the observer civilization?

No wonder their style is somewhat similar to that of the visitors, yet even more cold and mechanical!

"Information exchange? Risk warning?" Rolin stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Blake, his eyes fixed on the leading metal humanoid.

"About what? The true purpose of the key? Or something deep within the throat of the dead?"

The metal doll turned towards Rolin, and the data stream on the observation panel accelerated again.

Information exchange topic:

An assessment of the current status and potential threats of the anomalous energy variant in the seventh sector of the Scorching Hell, and its connection to the failed product of an ancient spiritual grafting rule experiment.

Risk Warning Topic:

Be wary of the Pale Hand organization's misuse of this variant and the potential for regional rule collapse and the spread of corruption and contamination.

Its wording is cold and precise, directly pointing out the essence that exists deep within the throat of the dead.

Something left behind by the Observer civilization that has undergone abnormal energy distortion, and is related to the failed product of some ancient spiritual grafting rule carrying experiment!

This confirms some of the speculations made by the Santa Research Department!

"A failed product of ancient experiments—" Luo Lin repeated the word, looking at the moonflower seedlings in the incubator in his hand.

Could the rule-based imprints that the Moon Silver Flower possesses originate from that ancient experiment?

Is it the product of success? Or some variant of failure?

The metallic humanoid seemed to sense Rolin's gaze, and the electronic voice continued, "The spiritual symbiote you are carrying has detected a faint imprint of rules that originates from the same source as this ancient experiment."

"Imprint Status: "

Stable, benign evolutionary trend.

It is speculated that this is a rare benign variant individual resulting from the accidental combination of residual information from ancient experiments with native life forms in a natural environment.

Its very existence possesses significant research and potential application value.

Benign variant individuals—this is how *Lonicera japonica* is defined.

This seems like good news.