Chapter 951 (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hao Ren let Vivian and the others stay behind. He then dragged the IDT along with him toward the Gilded Disc. He knew that this was one of the most peculiar and interesting creations in the Plane of Dreams. It would do him well to be cautious.
He approached the Divine Artifact without incident.
The Gilded Disc was embedded in the huge metallic platform. All around the platform were pipings, cables, metal struts, and other miscellaneous items scattered on the floor. The platform looked like a mysterious altar with a sci-fi twist. There was a faintly glowing metal annulus around the Gilded Disc. When Hao Ren went closer, the metal annulus seemed to flash once, but otherwise there was no reaction to his approach.
“It’s damaged.” The IDT inspected the energy flowing through the pipings and metal cables around the metal platform and said. “This is supposed to be some kind of amplifier that can send information from the Gilded Disc to any corner of the fleet, but now the entire device is dormant.”
Hao Ren nodded just a little, and carefully reached his hand out to touch the Gilded Disc.
Nothing happened.
A warm and moist sensation, not quite metallic, came from his fingertips, but he did not receive any information from the Divine Artifact like last time. It seemed that this Gilded Disc was most likely an unremarkable product of the Goddess of Creation. It did not carry any extra information within it.
The IDT circled around the Gilded Disc a few times to study it and finally declared the device to be safe once no dangers were identified. The Nangong siblings and Lily finally got to go closer to the Disc, curious about the object. Lily pulled Hao Ren’s sleeve joyfully. “Everything alright? What goodie have we gotten this time?”
Vivian called out from further away. “Um, can I come over now?”
Heo Ren looked back with amusement and found Vivian standing far away by the entrance to the room, eager to join them but afraid to cause trouble. He waved at her. “Come on here, just take care not to touch the thing. We’re play it safe.”
Vivian trotted happily over, hugging herself and she whispered quietly, “So this is what was protecting the ark from the pursuit. If that’s the case, does it mean that the aura of the Gilded Disc can ward off Guardians who have gone mad?”
“Yeah … ” Hao Ren agreed half-heartedly as he studied the cylindrical platform beneath the Gilded Disc. He wanted to see what else the device could do aside from broadcasting information from the Disc. The IDT found something before he did. “Wait, partner, there’s something underneath.”
“Underneath?” Hao Ren was surprised.
The IDT hovered about a corner of the platform and suddenly pushed itself against a metal lever that jutted out from the mess. Everyone had thought the lever was just some decoration, but when the IDT pushed itself against it, a soft metallic grinding sound came from below the platform!
“Creak —” This was followed by the sound of cogwheels turning and machines running underneath. The Gilded Disc angled up to a vertical stand. The black metal platform underneath it slit open from the middle in a straight line and opened slowly. Hao Ren stared at the mechanical device. When it finally stopped moving, an entrance of over five meters wide that led underground appeared before him.
There was something underneath!
Vivian did her usual thing — she threw one of her tiny bats down to scout the underground pathway. After a while, she nodded. “It’s safe. There’s a tunnel. No traps in there.”
“Be careful, everyone,” Hao Ren cautioned the group as he activated his shield and moved for the entrance. Before he entered the tunnel, he took another hesitant look at the Gilded Disc. Since he could not be sure that the Artifact was entirely isolated from the ark’s systems, he decided not to remove it for now. Instead, he left an autonomous bot behind to look after it.
The group followed the ancient steps and covered a long distance before they finally reached the end. There, the tunnel led to a wide corridor. The lighting was dim, but when Hao Ren stepped into the corridor, the lights around him switched on, making the corridor bright as day.