Douluo Continent: The Twin Holy Dragons of Light and Darkness, the Dragon Emperor Breaks Through the

Then he walked back to the stone platform, squatted down, and carefully examined the side of the platform to confirm that there were no gaps on the side.

He stood up and stood in front of the stone platform for a while, then he noticed that the color of the stone platform's surface was not completely uniform.

On his side, there was a small area whose surface color was slightly darker than the surrounding area, and its shape was irregular, as if it had been covered by something for a long time, leaving traces.

He crouched down and gently touched the darker area with his finger. It was still smooth to the touch, without any dents or bumps, but it was definitely there.

He stood up, memorized the location of the darker-colored area, then turned and walked back down the stairs.

Jin Chen read the letter five days later.

He sat on the stone bench: "He found a darker-colored area on the surface of the stone platform, with an irregular shape, as if it had been covered by something for a long time."

He confirmed that the area felt exactly the same as the surrounding area, with no depressions or bumps, but the color was definitely different.

Ling Feng said, "That might be the trace of an item that was once placed there. That item was on the stone platform for a long time and left its mark."

Qian Renxue said, "If he can find similar traces elsewhere in the stone chamber, he can determine the original location of that item."

Chen Yuan said, "If something was ever placed on the surface of the stone platform, that thing has probably been removed."

Tang San said, "Then he might need to find that thing to understand the purpose of this stone chamber."

Ling Feng said, "He's already looking for those traces."

Jin Chen said, "He said he plans to go several more times and record every color difference on the surface of the stone chamber."

Ling Feng said, "That's right."

Once he's recorded all the details, he should be able to piece together the complete picture of that stone chamber.

For the next few days, the boy went down to that stone chamber every day.

He took paper and charcoal pencil, squatted in front of the stone platform, and carefully drew the outline of the darker area, marking its size and position on the edge.

He then walked around the wall to make sure there were no other color differences on the wall, and checked the floor to make sure there were no obvious marks on the floor.

On the fourth day, he finished recording all the details of the stone chamber and confirmed that the darker-colored area on the surface of the stone platform was the only unusual trace in the entire stone chamber.

He stood in front of the stone platform for a while, looking at the outline that had been drawn, and then walked back down the stairs.

He unfolded the sketch under the lamp and compared it with the description of the core structure in his notes, confirming that the shape of the outline matched the bottom dimensions of an item mentioned in the notes.

He put down his pen, stood by the window for a while, then walked back to the table and wrote a line on a blank page of his notebook: "An object once stood on the stone platform, and the dimensions of its base match those recorded in the notebook."

The item may still be located elsewhere in this space, requiring further searching.

Jin Chen finished reading the letter six days later.

He placed the letter on the table: "Something was indeed placed on the surface of the stone platform, and the dimensions of the bottom of that thing match the records in the notes."

He said the item might still be somewhere in this space, requiring further searching.

Ling Feng said, "Then he should start searching the rest of the space now, looking for the item that has been moved."

Qian Renxue said, "If that item is indeed still in this space, then it should be stored in a location that is not easily discovered."

Chen Yuan said, "If you want to find something that has been deliberately hidden, you may need to check every possible hidden compartment in the space."

Tang San said, "That will take time."

Ling Feng said, "He has it."

That evening, the boy from Sea Breeze City stepped into that space again.

Instead of going straight down to the fifth floor, he started from the first floor and walked around the wall, pressing his palm against possible hidden compartments to check if they concealed switches.

He found an area on the east wall of the first floor that would slightly indent when pressed, the indentation being shallow enough to accommodate a finger joint.

He ran his fingertip along the edge of the indentation to confirm its depth and shape, then continued to examine other areas along the wall, finding no similar marks.

He went down the steps and repeated the same check on the walls of the second and third floors, but found no new traces.

As he descended the steps to the fifth floor, he discovered a pressing area on the west wall of the fifth floor, near a corner, similar to that on the first floor. The indentation was slightly shallower than that on the first floor, but the shape was similar.

He crouched down, observed it for a while, confirmed its shape and location, then stood up and walked back down the stairs.

After returning to the cabin, he wrote down the location and depth of the two pressing areas on a piece of paper, confirming that they were similar in shape and roughly symmetrical in location, at opposite ends of the space.

Jin Chen finished reading the letter four days later.

He sat on the stone bench: "He found a pressing area on the first and fifth floors, which were roughly symmetrical in location, similar in shape, and slightly different in depth."

He believes these two areas might be slots used to secure an item; if a matching item could be found, it could be repositioned.

Ling Feng said, "He has found two card slots so far. Next, he needs to find the matching items."

Qian Renxue said, "If the two slots are symmetrical and similar in shape, they may belong to different support points of the same item."

Chen Yuan said, "That item might be a long, narrow stone slab, or a crossbeam that needs to be fixed between two slots."

Tang San said, "If it's a beam, it could be a supporting structure or some kind of marker."

Ling Feng said, "He is already looking for that item."

Once he finds it, he should be able to determine the function of that stone chamber.

The night breeze swept through the courtyard, turning the withered leaf on the stone table over again.

Ling Feng sat on the veranda, with Qian Renxue sitting beside him. The branches and leaves of the old locust tree swayed gently in the wind before returning to stillness.

Moonlight fell on the bluestone slabs. The withered leaf had been blown by the wind to the corner of the wall, where it stayed close to the base of the wall, as if confirming in its own way that the paths were still there, waiting for the next morning to arrive.

Chapter 391 Metal Sheets

The letter from Haifeng City arrived five days later, in the evening.

It was already getting dark that day. Jin Chen lit an oil lamp on the stone bench. The flame flickered slightly in the evening breeze before settling down.

He opened the envelope by the light, took out the letter, read it for a while, and then looked up. His voice was particularly clear in the twilight: "He said that he found an area on the side wall of the third passage that was different from the other walls. After running his fingertips along the edge, he confirmed that it was a movable stone slab. After prying it open, there was a rectangular shallow groove inside, and a dark stone strip was placed in the groove."

The stone slab is about an arm's length long and has shallowly engraved patterns on its surface, consistent with one of the symbol systems mentioned in the notes.

He took out the stone slab, checked its size and weight, and confirmed that it matched the spacing between the pressing areas of the first and fifth layers.

He put down the letter, as if waiting for that sentence to be uttered.

Ling Feng sat on the veranda: "Did he confirm that the stone slab could fit into those two slots?"

Jin Chen said, "He said he hasn't released it yet."

He first took the stone slab back to the hut, examined it carefully under the lamp, and confirmed that its grain direction matched the description in the notes before deciding on the next step.

Qian Renxue came out of the house and sat down at the stone table: "He was right not to rush to put it away."

Chen Yuan stood in the corner of the courtyard, the fog had already dissipated: "Before putting it in, make sure to check the direction of the patterns so that it can be properly fixed."

Tang San sat on the stone bench: "Then he should have confirmed the direction of the pattern by now. The next step is to put the stone strip in."

The boy entered that space again the following evening.

He carried the stone slab down the steps, stopping at the pressing area on the east wall of the first floor to confirm that the slab was long enough to fit between the two slots. He then continued down the steps, stopping again at the pressing area on the west wall of the fifth floor to confirm that the other end could also fit smoothly.

Then he went back to the first floor, inserted one end of the stone strip into the slot on the first floor, walked along the wall to the fifth floor, and inserted the other end into the slot on the fifth floor.

After the stone slabs were fully embedded, the pressing areas of the first and fifth layers simultaneously emitted a continuous vibration. Then, the entire space seemed to be recalibrated, and the height of the steps that had previously required careful stepping was slightly adjusted, making the entire passage smoother.

Instead of rushing down, he walked along the steps to confirm that the height of the steps had indeed been adjusted, and then went back the way he came.

Jin Chen read the letter three days later.

He sat on the stone bench: "He said he put the stone slab in."

After the stone slab was inserted, the slots at both ends vibrated simultaneously, and then the height of the steps in the entire passage was slightly adjusted, becoming more level.

He walked along the corridor, made sure nothing else had changed, and then came out.

Ling Feng said, "The purpose of that stone slab is to calibrate the balance of the passage."

Qian Renxue said, "Its length spans the entire space, connecting the first and fifth floors, and adjusting the height of the steps to make the passage more stable."

Chen Yuan said, "That means the space itself can be adjusted. Each time a component is added, its internal state will change."

Tang San said, "Then he may have already activated some kind of fixed path."

Once all the remaining components are located and installed, the complete structure of the space will be revealed.

Ling Feng said, "He's already heading in that direction."

Lin Mu arrived the next morning.

He stood under the porch, raised his hand and stretched out the branch. After the leaves lit up, he took a few steps in the yard. The leaves followed his movement, maintaining a steady brightness, and their direction naturally adjusted with his movements, as if they had learned to maintain their position on their own.

He put the leaves away: "When I moved them today, the leaves were able to maintain their direction on their own, without me having to adjust them."

Ling Feng said, "Now you can start practicing making it perform two actions at the same time, such as changing the brightness while moving."

Lin Mu thought for a moment: "Then it might take more time."

Ling Feng said, "No need to rush, take your time."

Lin Mu nodded: "Then I'll go back and try it first."

Over the next few days, the boy began to examine all possible components within the space more carefully.

In the center of the second floor, he found a stone slab that was slightly different in color from the rest of the area. It had tiny cracks along its edges. After prying it open with the tip of his knife, he found a shallow pit underneath, in which was a round stone disc with a circle of symbols engraved around its edge.

He took out the stone plate, turned it over and looked at it, confirming that the symbols matched a passage recorded in the notes, and then put it away.

He found a dust-covered groove in the corner of the third-floor ceiling, the shape of which matched the curvature of the stone slab's edge.

He placed the stone disc into the groove. After the stone disc was fully embedded, a low stone pillar slowly rose from the center of the third floor. The groove on the top of the pillar was the same shape as the slots at both ends of the stone strip he had installed on the first and fifth floors.

Jin Chen finished reading the letter six days later.

He placed the letter on the table: "He said he found a round stone disc and put it into a groove in the corner of the third-floor ceiling. After the stone disc was inserted, a stone pillar rose up in the center of the third floor. The top of the pillar had a groove, which was the same shape as the grooves at both ends of the stone strip on the first and fifth floors."

He has not yet found a component in the space that can fit into the groove of the stone pillar.

Ling Feng said, "The purpose of that stone disc is to activate the stone pillars on the third layer."

That stone pillar was probably used to support another component, which should also exist somewhere in this space.

Qian Renxue said, "He has found three components so far, but there should be at least one more that needs to be found to make the entire space structurally complete."

Chen Yuan said, "If the third-floor stone pillar is used to support the next component, then the next component is probably also somewhere nearby."