Doctor will never die in a hellish situation.

So what are your plans for the future?

"I'm heading to Kazdel, where many of my old friends seem to be in trouble."

"Wait, Director, didn't you join the research institute five years ago? And you still have friends in Kazdel who you've known for many years, does that mean you're already thirty years old... No, no, don't hit me, I don't mind a young cow eating old grass... Hitting my face is too much, I'm going to fight back!"

Chapter 11, Section 188: Is it not pure enough, or not noble enough?

The weather was exceptionally gloomy the next day, with dense dark clouds that seemed poised to turn into a torrential downpour at any moment, which did not seem like a good omen for traveling. But this could not deter Miss Vika's determination.

Fortunately, after rounding a small hill, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a large, flat open space that appeared abruptly amidst the surrounding mountains, indicating that we had arrived at our destination.

“Not bad, it’s a few hours earlier than expected.” Vika nodded in satisfaction, jumped out of the car and looked around, glancing down at her notes every now and then, as if comparing them with the records.

Oleg and the others continued to set up camp on their own, while Qin Duanyu and Lin Guang walked to a distance.

"This should be where we found the Lappland, only a few hundred meters from our last campsite." Qin Duanyu looked at the skeletons of several canines on the ground, a look of nostalgia on his face.

“If it weren’t for your insistence on setting up camp here, Doctor, you wouldn’t be able to tell from the map that there’s actually a large area of ​​flat land in such a vast hilly and ravine landscape,” Nearl nodded in agreement.

Wait, was it Bo who specifically requested to be stationed here?

"Did I do anything strange at the time?" he asked calmly.

"Aside from a slight doubt about my loyalty, he didn't do anything special. You fainted just a few steps after getting out of the car," Lin Guang recalled and gave an affirmative answer.

Qin Duanyu couldn't help but fall into deep thought. Given Bo's calculating nature, it couldn't be as simple as it being open and unobstructed, making it easy to take girls to see the stars at night and flirt with them, right?

There must be some necessary connection between these things.

Before she could think any further, Vika called the two of them over.

“The records concerning the specific location of the altar have been deliberately blacked out, leaving only some unintelligible text.” Vika raised the notebook in her hand, showing Qin Duanyu two lines of black ink. “I suspect this is an encrypted code, but unfortunately I can’t crack it no matter what I do, so I can only ask you for help, Doctor.”

"A code? Translate it and let me hear it." Qin Duanyu thought for a moment. Since it was a riddle she left behind, it shouldn't be too difficult to solve.

“Hmm, this Ursus language, when transliterated, is: Waibi Waibi, Waibi Babu.” Vika pronounced it clearly, her tone solemn like a wizard casting a spell.

puff!

Qin Duanyu almost burst out laughing, especially when combined with Vika's serious expression, it was undeniably hilarious.

What this means, those who know, know.

Such a perverse sense of humor must belong to him.

"So, have you been able to deduce anything?" Vika asked eagerly.

"The content is too complex; it's impossible to understand." Qin Duanyu shrugged. This kind of encrypted communication is absolutely incomprehensible until one reaches the level of a top-notch chef.

pat!

A few drops of water fell to the ground and soon turned into a torrential downpour. Fortunately, everyone had already left the dangerous mountain path.

“Miss, it’s raining. Why don’t we wait until the rain stops before we look for it?” Oleg took out an umbrella and held it over Vika’s head, letting himself get soaked.

“But… I’ve finally made it this far, it’s okay, I’ll be fine if I get a little rained on, I must find that altar.” Vika shook her head, indicating that she wasn’t that delicate.

“Miss, this can’t be rushed. Even the Doctor can’t find one. It will probably take a long time…” Oleg wanted to persuade her further, but Qin Duanyu waved her hand to interrupt him.

“Found it, it’s right there!” he said, pointing to a small hill.

"Have you deciphered the code? Can you explain it?" Vika asked curiously.

"Didn't any of you notice the rainwater seeping in?" Qin Duanyu said confidently, turning off his omniscient perspective.

……

Breaking through the thick stone wall, there is a long corridor leading underground, with a relatively gentle slope.

After descending for about several dozen meters, a spacious cave appeared before them. If it weren't for the help of a bird's-eye view, just looking at the nearly half-meter-thick covering at the entrance, blindly digging around might not have been enough to find it.

In the very center of the cave is a stone platform several meters high, with a rectangular indentation visible, which was probably used to place some kind of object. Strange patterns are carved on the surrounding walls, and at the other end are ten passageways leading to unknown destinations.

“The scholars of that time discovered a special artifact here, containing a complex mechanical structure.” Vika paced around the stone platform, her eyes gleaming with an unusual light. “If we could study the most basic principles, Ursus would be decades ahead of other countries in mechanical technology.”

This was also one of the bases for her judgment that the power of the gods truly existed. After all, if the stone coffin placed at the door was so valuable for research, it was impossible that something carefully hidden inside was inferior to it.

"Then why didn't you continue the research?" Nearl instinctively didn't believe what Vika said. If it were really that amazing, Ursus would have been invincible long ago. Surely all the scholars couldn't be fools.

Qin Duanyu pressed Lin Guang's shoulder and shook her head, indicating that she should not press the matter: "Something must have happened, but it's not something we should be concerned about."

"The doctor guessed correctly. The artifact was sealed, and the method to open it has been lost. Although scholars have tried to decipher it since, they have all failed, and the research has been put on hold for a long time," Vika said helplessly.

Because those who knew how to activate it were either killed or escaped, right? Recalling last night's dream, Qin Duanyu pursed her lips, but after all, Vika wasn't the one giving the orders, so she couldn't just take her anger out on her just because she was the daughter of a high-ranking Ursus official.

“There’s only one correct entrance to these passages, and there are many forks in the road. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up going back the same way. It’s said that they use some unknown Originium Arts, so you have to solve the puzzle to find the altar.” Vika walked up to a passage, pointed to the scribbles on the wall, and said with admiration, “Although Mr. Tyrael eventually solved the puzzle, he fled Chernobog before he could explore it properly.”

Having said that, she took the lead and walked ahead, looking determined not to give up until she achieved her goal.

"By the way, have you heard any stories about haunted caves?" Qin Duanyu suddenly said to the two girls in a sinister tone as they walked through the narrow passage.

Just then, a cold wind blew by, and a chilly feeling spread down my neck, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

"This story takes place during a mountain climbing trip. There were eight people in total. After they played around for a while, they realized they had strayed from the original route. The leader looked at the map and found that the only way back to the right path was to go through a cave."

Seeing that the girls didn't react, Qin Duanyu continued speaking on her own.

"When we got halfway down the mountain, thick fog rolled in. To prevent any accidents, the leader told everyone to hold hands and keep going. Strangely enough, the fog cleared up after they got down the mountain."

"The team leader returned to the bus and felt something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he started driving back to the city. Halfway there, he finally realized something was wrong: there were nine people on the bus!"

"Finally, the bus was found to have fallen off a cliff, and a total of eight bodies were discovered!"

After Qin Duanyu finished speaking, he excitedly waited for the girl to rush into his arms.

"That's interesting. Tell me another one, it's pretty boring walking around!" But Vika, flipping through her notebook without looking up, said, "We need to turn left at the next intersection. You don't need to hold my hand to prevent us from getting lost, right?"

"To be able to hide in the fog and infiltrate the team to cause damage, isn't that the Kingslayer?" Nearl frowned and pondered for a while before saying with certainty, "Doctor, rest assured, in this kind of narrow terrain, she is definitely no match for me."

Alright, I shouldn't have had any expectations.

Qin Duanyu sighed. If it were Melantha and Blue Poison, they might have had a chance to scare the girl into their arms and relive the joy they had in the haunted house at the amusement park.

Judging from Lin Guang's behavior, she'd probably dare to swing her hammer and challenge a real ghost if one appeared before her. On the other hand, look at Vika, a wicked and ruthless snake player; even ghosts would probably avoid her.

Out of sheer boredom, Qin Duanyu activated his God's-eye view, only to find that it wasn't as magical as Vika had described. At least the King Killer's mist could shield his senses, but this maze seemed completely undefended, entirely exposed to his view.

With enough patience, he can reach his destination even without consulting a travel guide.

However, having someone to guide you is always a good thing. He watched as Vika missed the direct route several times, zigzagging around in circles before finally arriving at the altar.

This is a huge platform resembling a pyramid, with nearly a hundred steps leading up to an open space. The ground is covered with runes of unknown meaning, and in the very center is a sacrificial altar constructed of transparent crystal.

"The key to activating the altar and completing the ritual is that the recipient must provide noble and pure blood. If we're talking about meeting these two conditions, I'm afraid there are very few people in the entire Ursus Empire who can surpass me," Vika said proudly, hands on her hips.

Despite being an illegitimate child, Vika's father, Speaker Witt, was indeed a long-established nobleman of the Empire, with bloodlines that could be traced back to before the establishment of Ursus. Coupled with his position second only to the emperor, Vika was qualified to say such things.

As for purity, judging from her confident demeanor and the fact that she seems affectionate yet deliberately keeps a distance when interacting with Qin Duanyu, she probably hasn't even held hands with a man much, let alone gone all the way to home base.

No wonder she wasn't worried about someone finding this place beforehand and taking away the so-called divine power.

"Noble and pure blood, I offer it here! I am Vika, please grant me power!" Without hesitation, Vika cut her palm and dripped her blood onto the central altar, eagerly anticipating a miracle.

Crimson blood flowed along the marks carved on the table, outlining a mysterious and strange pattern.

But a minute passed, two minutes passed, five minutes passed... The scene she imagined—a holy light enveloping her, runes gleaming with golden light around her, and then a world-destroying power descending—did not happen.

Is it that it is not pure enough, or not noble enough?

For the first time, Vika began to doubt herself.

Chapter 12, Section 189: Something's Wrong with You

"Moon Prism Power, Transform!"

"Balala Energy, Hunila, Fairy Transformation!"

"Key that conceals the power of darkness, reveal your true strength before me! Now, in the name of your master, I command you—release the seal!"

Strange and embarrassing incantations echoed on the high platform. Fortunately, apart from Qin Duanyu, no one knew what these words meant. It was a fond memory of magical girl dance for a post-90s generation.

Please stop! I can't hold it in any longer! Does anyone know how to cure this embarrassing moment? It's urgent! I'm waiting online!

Seeing Vika constantly flipping through her notebook, her expression gradually shifting from anticipation to disappointment, he knew that it was definitely his past self who had tucked in his own agenda again. It took him a long time to suppress his laughter.

Perhaps the only truly valuable thing in this altar is the outer sarcophagus... Like the Maya of the past, who left behind a glorious civilization and many unsolved mysteries, most of which revolved around the cruel and bloody human sacrifices that had no lunar calendar.

Therefore, what seems like a futile act to modern people—buying the box and returning the pearl—was probably a perfectly reasonable thing to do at the time. Offering sacrifices to the gods in the dark to seek blessings was undoubtedly the highest priority.

Moreover, the description of "noble and pure blood" is too general. It is still unknown what standards were used to judge it. What if people's views were different back then?

Thinking about this, he became even more convinced of his current conjecture and looked at Vika, who was still trying, with sympathy.

You're such a grown-up, why haven't you gotten rid of your chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) yet?

“Miss, the instruments we set up around here haven’t detected any signs of Originium power. It’s very likely that, just as the Doctor speculated, this is just an ordinary altar, and the translated text is just local mythology.” Oleg walked up to the stone platform and handed the gauge to Vika.

Modern technology has proven that those mysterious magic arrays of the ancient times were nothing more than a way of utilizing Originium Arts, just like how a circuit board is pre-assembled, charged, and then automatically runs.

If it weren't for the fear of triggering a landslide, these soldiers would have used explosives to forcefully break through, chiseling holes in walls and filling in pits. They've patiently played with Vika until now, probably without much confidence, just maintaining a sense of ritual for the young lady.

The fact that there is no energy in the altar now undoubtedly means that what is preserved there will most likely dissipate over time. No wonder Qin Duanyu's perception was not affected at all. All the strange phenomena recorded in the notebook stopped due to the lack of energy.

"That doesn't make sense. When I was chanting the incantation just now, I felt a change in my body, a chill coming from beside me..."

"Young lady, stop lying to yourself, it's just ordinary wind! No, calm down, don't hurt yourself! Lin Guang, quickly help her hold her down!"

"Perhaps there wasn't enough blood offered in the sacrifice. I'll try one last time; if it doesn't work, I'll give up!"

Unwilling to accept defeat, Vika thought it was because of insufficient blood and even prepared to stab herself again. She was stopped by the crowd after much persuasion. However, Qin Duanyu, who walked to the altar, felt something was clearly wrong.

The intense mental disorientation gave him a sense of disorientation, as if he were traveling through time and space.

Looking up, the altar in front of them had changed from crystal to Originium crystal, and the surrounding runes shone with an unusually bright light, illuminating the dark cave as if it were daytime.

Lin Guang, Vika, and the others who were originally standing next to him had long since disappeared. It seemed that Qin Duanyu was the only one there from beginning to end. He subconsciously tried to activate his God's-eye view to search, but he did not receive any response from the system.

"I never expected that just trying it out would actually succeed. So the object of worship for the ancient Ursus people was actually..."

"I know there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world; every gain comes with a price. So what exactly will I lose..."