Chapter 546: The Little Guide

At the camp, Lento’s expression twisted with anger.

"ROOOAAAR!"

A furious roar erupted from his throat, startling several of his subordinates.

"How dare someone trespass into my territory!"

He clenched his fists, the gauntlets covering his hands clanking together.

"Move! Everyone, get inside! We’re going to catch those intruders and make them pay for this!"

His subordinates immediately grabbed their equipment and weapons before rushing toward the temple entrance.

Iki adjusted the straps of his gear and followed behind Lento.

"Boss, there’s no need to rush too much. Whoever those intruders are, they won’t get far."

Lento glanced at him.

"What makes you so sure?"

Iki pointed toward the entrance.

"The temple is filled with complicated passages, strange puzzles, and traps. Even we’ve struggled to make progress despite spending several days here. Someone who just entered without any preparation will have an even harder time."

One of the other beastkin laughed.

"Then they’re either incredibly foolish or completely unaware of what they’re getting themselves into."

"Either way, they’re not going anywhere," another added.

Lento grinned, revealing his sharp fangs.

"Good. Then let’s go find them."

With their equipment ready, the group entered the ancient temple and began pursuing the intruders.

Meanwhile, deeper inside the temple...

Adam and his companions had continued forward until they reached a large chamber with several passages branching off in different directions.

They finally stopped.

Adam looked at the passages, then glanced toward Azrynn. She seemed equally uncertain about which route they should take.

Both of them slowly turned their attention toward the little wind spirit floating nearby.

Sylphy blinked.

"...What?"

Adam crossed his arms.

"Well, Sylphy. I think this is your time to be useful."

Azrynn nodded.

"Indeed. You said you knew this temple, didn’t you?"

Sylphy’s expression immediately changed.

"W-Wait a minute! Are you saying I’ve been useless this whole time?!"

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want me to answer honestly?"

"Of course not!"

Sylphy puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.

"How rude! Just because I haven’t done anything doesn’t mean I’m useless!"

Adam and Azrynn exchanged a brief glance.

"..."

"Hey! Don’t look at each other like that!"

Sylphy continued pouting for a while before finally floating ahead of them.

"Fine! Follow me, then! I’ll show you just how useful I am!"

Despite her complaints, Sylphy seemed to know exactly where she was going. She guided them through several narrow corridors, occasionally stopping to point out hidden mechanisms along the walls or beneath the floor.

At one point, she even warned them to avoid a seemingly ordinary stone tile.

"Don’t step there! It’s a trap!"

Adam stopped just before placing his foot on it.

A moment later, several sharp stone spikes shot out from the opposite wall, filling the corridor with a loud metallic rumble before retracting.

Adam glanced at the mechanism.

"That’s quite a nasty surprise."

"Obviously! That’s why you need me!"

They continued forward, passing several more traps. Some involved pressure plates, while others triggered arrows from hidden openings in the walls. Thanks to Sylphy’s guidance, they managed to avoid them without much difficulty.

Azrynn eventually grew curious.

"Sylphy, have you visited this place many times?"

"Of course!"

The little spirit proudly raised her chin.

"Whenever I got bored, I’d come here to play. There are so many interesting things inside! Traps, hidden passages, and all sorts of puzzles. It’s much more entertaining than listening to the elders lecture me!"

Adam looked at her.

"So you’ve been using an ancient temple as your playground?"

"What’s wrong with that? Nobody was using it!"

Azrynn couldn’t help but smile at her explanation.

Before long, they arrived at a large chamber. Unlike the previous corridors, this room was relatively spacious, with a series of strange symbols carved into the floor and walls.

At its center stood three stone pedestals, each holding a large stone block. The blocks were engraved with different symbols: a sun, a crescent moon, and a star.

On the opposite wall were three empty circular slots arranged vertically. Above them, an inscription had been carved into the stone.

Adam approached and examined it.

The inscription read:

When the day begins, the sun must rise above the moon.

When the night falls, the moon must rest beneath the stars.

And when darkness ends, the stars must return beneath the sun.

He looked at the three blocks, then at the slots.

"...So we need to arrange them according to the inscription?"

Azrynn studied the symbols carefully.

"It seems so. The first line places the sun above the moon. The second puts the moon beneath the stars. The last places the stars beneath the sun."

She paused, considering the arrangement.

"Although, that seems to describe the same order from different perspectives."

Before either of them could do anything, Sylphy flew forward and proudly patted her chest.

"Leave this to me!"

She hovered in front of the stone pedestals, looking as though she had just been given the chance to demonstrate an extraordinary talent.

"Just watch! This is an easy one!"

With a little effort, she began moving the stone blocks. The sun block was pushed into the upper slot, followed by the star block in the middle and the crescent moon at the bottom.

However, the moment she tried to move the final block into position, it refused to budge.

"Huh?"

She pushed again but nothing happened.

"...That’s strange."

Adam watched her struggle for a moment.

"Are you sure you know how this works?"

"Of course I do! Just wait!"

Sylphy circled the blocks, examining their symbols again. Then her eyes widened as she noticed something she had overlooked.

"Ah! I forgot!"

She quickly returned to the pedestals and rearranged them. This time, she placed the sun at the top, the moon in the middle, and the stars at the bottom.

Click!

A faint mechanical sound echoed through the chamber.

The stone blocks sank slightly into their slots, and the symbols on the wall began to glow. A moment later, a section of the opposite wall shifted aside, revealing another passage.

Sylphy immediately turned around, her face beaming with pride.

"See?! Easy!"

She placed both hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.

"Well? Aren’t you going to praise me?"

Adam looked at the newly opened passage, then back at her.

"Not bad. You only made one mistake."

"ONE MISTAKE?!"

Sylphy’s obvious wish for praise was so cute that Azrynn smiled faintly.

"You did well, Sylphy. Without you, we might have spent quite some time figuring that out."

"See?! Azrynn understands!"

Sylphy happily floated closer to her, then glanced at Adam with an expectant expression.

Adam could only sigh at this spirit’s behavior.

"All right, all right. Good job."

"Hehehe!"

The little spirit finally seemed satisfied.

"Now follow me! There’s still plenty more to see!"