Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 248 Other Existences

The marks were clearly imprinted on the gray-white sand, with neat edges and a certain geometric regularity.

They are not biological footprints, but rather marks left by some kind of machine or multi-legged device.

The indentations are small, about the size of a palm, but they are densely packed, suggesting that the mobile unit may have multiple legs or a wheeled structure.

Luo Lin crouched down and observed carefully.

The sand grains were very fine, and the traces were well preserved. It was clear that the direction of travel was towards the glowing stone wall. The trail lingered for a long time about a meter away from the patterns, leaving several deeper indentations that seemed to indicate rotation or manipulation. Then it turned and extended deeper into the valley, eventually disappearing into the shadow of another stone peak.

The marks are very fresh; the sand grains are still compacted and show no signs of weathering.

The timing is correct; it happened within the last day or two.

What is it?

A small detector belonging to the maintenance unit?

Or is it something else unknown?

Judging from the pattern and action of the traces, they seem to have a clear purpose, with the target being those luminous patterns.

Rowling's gaze shifted to the intricate pattern that flowed with pale blue and silver light.

The groove-like structure at the center of the pattern seems to be similar in size to—the emergency communication crystal that the arbitrator had given him before?

A thought struck him, and he took out the encryption crystal.

The crystal is a flat hexagon with a smooth surface and a subtle flow of energy inside.

He tried to slowly bring the crystal closer to the groove on the stone wall.

When they were still half a foot away, the light inside the crystal suddenly accelerated slightly, and the patterns on the stone wall also seemed to brighten a little, creating an extremely weak energy resonance between the two.

But that was all; there was no further reaction.

It doesn't seem to be a simple keyhole.

Perhaps a specific activation command is required, or the crystal's permissions are insufficient to activate the facilities here.

Luo Lin took back the crystal, his brows furrowing slightly.

Did the "thing" that came in earlier stay and operate here successfully activate the patterns?

Or was it just a scan or an attempt?

He carefully avoided the fresh marks, approached the glowing stone wall, and carefully sensed it.

The energy fluctuations emanating from the patterns were pure and stable, carrying the sense of order unique to the observer civilization, but the intensity was not high, more like a standby or marker state.

There were no obvious signs of residual energy or damage in the surrounding area.

That thing didn't seem to forcibly destroy or activate this place.

Luo Lin meticulously recorded the patterns and marks here, including the shape, spacing, and direction of the indentations.

Then, he retreated to the edge of the valley and turned his gaze to the three huge, tilted stone pillars in the center of the valley.

The resonance of the honeysuckle seedlings still strongly points there.

The arbitrator's clues also pointed there.

That's the key.

Entering the valley requires extra caution.

The greyish-white sand at the bottom of the valley looks peaceful, but in a place like the Silent Corridor, anything that seems ordinary could hide deadly danger.

Rolin took out a spare metal probe from his dimensional bag and tentatively inserted it into the sand in front of him.

The probe sank in easily; the sand was soft and there seemed to be nothing unusual.

He pulled out the probe and tried it in a different spot, with the same result.

He thought for a moment, then picked up a fist-sized black pebble from the ground and threw it forcefully into the sandy valley floor.

The stone traced an arc and landed on the sand dozens of meters away with a soft "plop," kicking up a small cloud of dust, and then—that was it.

It looks like ordinary sand.

But Rowling wasn't entirely at ease.

He mobilized the power of [Quiet Dust Star], injecting an extremely subtle stellar energy, imbued with sedimentation and probing properties, into the ground beneath his feet.

The starlight seeped into the sand like water droplets, slowly spreading downwards and outwards.

He quickly sensed something was wrong.

Beneath the sand, within a depth of about one meter, the energy flow is extremely weak and uniform, consistent with the characteristics of a dormant force field.

However, below one meter, the star power feedback showed obvious obstruction and chaos, as if there was some kind of unstable energy layer or physical structure below.

Moreover, this barrier is not evenly distributed; it is stronger in some areas and weaker in others.

There's something underneath the sand.

It could be part of an ancient facility or a naturally formed dangerous structure.

He roughly assessed the area beneath the sand where the energy barrier was weaker and outlined a relatively safe path that meandered towards the central stone pillar.

There is no better way.

Luo Lin took a deep breath, mustered his spirits, and stepped onto the gray sand.

Stepping on the sand, it was soft and slightly cool, and instantly covered my ankles.

Walking became somewhat strenuous, each step producing a slight rustling sound that was amplified in the absolute silence.

He proceeded strictly according to the path he had explored, moving very slowly, while simultaneously pushing his senses to the limit, paying close attention to any subtle changes under his feet and around him.

Baha stopped flying and landed on his shoulder, its six eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

The valley was eerily silent.

Apart from my own breathing, heartbeat, and the sound of my footsteps on the sand, there was nothing else.

The sliver of dark red sunlight overhead was fragmented by the towering stone peaks, casting ever-changing shadows that made the silent black pillars appear even more sinister.

After walking about halfway, when they were still a few hundred meters away from the central stone pillar, Roland suddenly stopped.

Not far to the left front, another set of fresh indentations appeared on the sand!

Similar to what I saw next to the stone wall before, but it seemed a bit more messy, with slight drag marks between the indentations, as if something had briefly struggled or changed direction here.

The indentation points diagonally forward, where there's a patch of sand that looks slightly darker, as if the sand layer is thinner or there's something underneath.

Rowling carefully avoided the set of indentations, changed his route, and approached the slightly darker sandy area from the side.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that there was an irregular depression about two meters in diameter, resembling a sand dune that had collapsed and was now partially filled in by flowing sand.

In the center of the depression, a faint black edge, not sandy but with a metallic sheen, is visible.

Something is buried underneath.

Rowling carefully used a probe to clear away the surface sand. As the sand slid away, what was buried beneath was gradually revealed.

It was a broken metal segment, about the thickness of a forearm, with a matte dark blue surface. The joint structure was intricate, and the break was jagged, as if it had been torn off by a tremendous force.

Some solidified, translucent gelatinous substance, emitting faint energy fluctuations, was still attached to the limbs.

It is a component of some kind of machinery or structure!

Moreover, judging from the material and style, it is somewhat similar to the metal shell of the maintainer unit that I saw in Boiling Blood Lake before, but there are some subtle differences. It seems to be lighter and more functional.

This severed limb clearly belonged to the "thing" that left the indentation.

What happened to it here?

fighting?

Or did it trigger some kind of trap?