“So this is the ‘Furnace Hook’ magical artifact? This is what sent you all into that maze?”
Liamie toyed with the Blossoming Stone Pearl that Ryan had handed her. She could sense a familiar magic within it—one that closely resembled the magic circle that transformed her into a woman. No, it was exactly the same!
This stone pearl—and perhaps the maze itself—were likely connected to that magic circle! Maybe that maze was the so-called “Yiqiu”!
Liamie had finally found a clue on how to revert back, so she wasn’t about to let it slip away. She pressed Ryan and Rant for more details on how to use the stone pearl.
Seeing this, Ryan immediately answered eagerly, “You just need to infuse some mana into it. A little will activate a strong protective barrier; infuse more and you can use its teleportation ability. The destination depends on your current thoughts, but it can’t be too far. If you keep pouring mana in, it will teleport nearby—not too large—objects into that maze as well.”
“I see…” Liamie looked at the pearl in her hand and infused a faint trace of mana into it. Soon, a translucent barrier lit up around her.
Liamie could tell this barrier was quite strong—so much so that even she would find it difficult to break with a single strike.
She infused more mana, envisioning her intended destination. In an instant, Liamie’s figure vanished and then reappeared outside the room.
Satisfied, Liamie nodded. Looks like what they said was true.
Back inside, Liamie continued questioning them about how they escaped the maze and why Rant ended up like this.
Rant glanced at Ryan. Even she now understood what had happened—this Lilith in front of her was clearly no ordinary mercenary and was probably connected to the “Furnace Hook”’s death.
So Rant kept silent, only occasionally agreeing with Ryan. She knew what she had done to the other person in the past, and now she just hoped Liamie had long since forgotten those things. Otherwise, Rant might have to carry regrets of losing her virginity for multiple lifetimes—a fate she didn’t want to see.
Ryan noticed Rant’s glance and immediately shot her a warning glare, cautioning her not to say anything strange that might anger the living dead in front of them. Then he continued slowly recounting what had happened after entering the maze.
“Look at what you’ve done! Where have you dragged us? What are we supposed to do now!”
Ryan glared angrily at Rant. Rant knew she was at fault and offered no resistance as Ryan scolded her. But yelling wouldn’t solve anything, so Ryan eventually held back and told Rant to get up and search their surroundings for a way out.
Rant got up dejectedly—he truly hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. He only wanted to surprise Ryan. He tried to explain but, upon receiving a sharp glare, could do nothing but reluctantly check around.
After inspecting their surroundings, Ryan and Rant returned to where they started. Ryan’s expression darkened; he had just realized that not only were they inside the maze, but deep within it. While not the absolute deepest part, escaping would mean retracing their steps through the entire labyrinth.
Rant also noticed this maze was clearly undiscovered—there were no signs of human exploration. The two of them were likely the first explorers to enter.
If they could get out, maybe they could sell information about this maze to make some money? Rant tried to suppress his anxiety with wild speculation.
At that moment, Ryan suddenly spoke up and told Rant to bring out the stone pearl. When Rant handed it over, Ryan took it directly from his hand.
Ryan focused on the pearl and infused a little mana. Soon, a magical barrier formed around him. But this was of little use now—they needed a way to get out.
Ryan continued pouring mana in, but the pearl gave no response. Seeing this, Ryan immediately asked Rant what was wrong.
Rant admitted he didn’t know either. All he knew was that the pearl had teleportation abilities; beyond that, “Furnace Hook” hadn’t told him anything.
Upon hearing this, Ryan’s face darkened even more. Their only hope was this pearl—and it wasn’t working. That meant they were doomed!
No! I can’t die here! There are still things I must accomplish! Ryan steeled his resolve, calming himself to keep panic at bay as he continued to search for ways to escape.
“Could there be a cooldown period?” Rant suddenly said, thinking of this possibility and believing it must be why the pearl wasn’t working.
Ryan frowned, “Cooldown? How long? A few months? We’d starve before then.”
Though Ryan spoke pessimistically, he knew this was the most likely explanation. Regardless of how long the cooldown lasted, they first had to survive in this maze.
Several hours later, Ryan returned to their agreed meeting spot, carrying mushrooms he had gathered from nearby corners—but Rant was nowhere to be seen.
Frowning, Ryan set down the mushrooms and began retracing the path where he had parted from Rant.
Eventually, he found a strange locked room with a peculiar symbol painted on it—a hexagonal purple flower pattern.
Ryan didn’t know what the symbol meant, but he was certain Rant was probably locked inside. There was no other path except this room, so Rant had to be there.
Anger welled up inside Ryan—Rant always caused him trouble. But he couldn’t abandon him; Ryan had no combat ability himself and needed a guard in this unknown maze.
With that in mind, Ryan circled the door, pondering how to open it. Just as he was deep in thought, the door suddenly swung open on its own, revealing a figure lying inside.
Ryan rushed in, eager to free Rant. But as he approached, something felt off.
The figure before him was not Rant, but a beautiful woman with ominous silver hair. Ryan was stunned.
The woman stirred awake slowly. Her first gaze was upon Ryan, and her expression flickered between surprise and a trace of happiness.
“Ryan? Why are you here? Didn’t you go to find food? Could it be you came looking for me because you were worried?”
Hearing her words, Ryan’s confusion only deepened.