Chapter 167: The Logic of the Murals

"Scan complete. No abnormalities detected in the food components."

The smart sphere core quickly fed the results back to Lin Wei.

"No abnormalities..."

Lin Wei picked up the piece of black bread that had fallen to the ground, gently tore off a corner, and put it into his mouth to chew.

A sour, dry, and coarse sensation spread across his mouth.

"As expected, there's no problem at all..."

Clang!

Suddenly, a mechanical sound rang in Lin Wei's ears.

This sound was completely different from the prompt tone of the smart sphere core.

The next second, an hourglass materialized before Lin Wei's eyes.

"Huh?"

Lin Wei instantly felt a sense of foreboding.

He reached out his finger to touch the strangely appearing hourglass.

"This..."

Lin Wei's finger passed right through the hourglass.

"It's a phantom, not a physical object..." Lin Wei muttered to himself.

The moment Lin Wei retracted his finger, the previously stationary hourglass suddenly began to flow.

"Core, digitize the hourglass countdown!"

Lin Wei quickly issued a command to the smart sphere core.

"30-second countdown starting: 30... 29..."

"Damn it!" Lin Wei's expression turned ashen, and he cursed out loud.

He had every right to be annoyed.

Having suddenly arrived in this unfamiliar space without even figuring out the basic logic, why had an inexplicable countdown suddenly popped up?!

"Didn't it say it was testing the offering? Why would this scenario appear?"

However, Lin Wei had no time to think further; he had to figure everything out within these thirty seconds.

"If I guess correctly, I must leave this space within 30 seconds, otherwise the consequences..."

Lin Wei took a stride toward the mural that had just protruded from the wall.

Lin Wei had no other choice now; he could only investigate every suspicious clue within this enclosed space.

"Mural..."

Lin Wei first walked up to the mural on the left-hand wall.

"The material is no different..."

Lin Wei lightly stroked the texture of the wall, then turned his gaze to the content of the mural.

"The carving looks very crude..."

Instead of using the smart sphere core, Lin Wei forcefully memorized the contents above using his own memory.

The first mural seemed to depict a scene of a giant beast fighting with mortals.

Judging by the height of the surrounding mortals, that giant beast was over three meters tall. Its limbs were thick, its back covered with a layer of fur, and its exposed muscles were tightly intertwined.

A thick sharp horn grew on top of the giant beast's head, and it had a total of six eyes. With its mouth wide open, it roared fiercely at the dozens of mortals holding bows, arrows, and spears in front of it, though its eyes were filled with deep wariness and apprehension.

Lin Wei imprinted every detail of the scene on the mural into his mind, searching for potential clues while memorizing.

"22... 21..."

The cold and mechanical voice of the smart sphere core continued to echo in Lin Wei's ears.

Without dawdling, Lin Wei moved at top speed to the next image.

...

"What on earth is the connection?!"

Lin Wei commanded the smart sphere core to restrict his bio-energy, forcibly calming his slightly agitated state of mind.

After viewing the fifth mural, Lin Wei stopped in his tracks and stood completely still.

"12... 11..."

His brain spun at high speed, a fierce look flashing in his eyes: "Clues... What on earth is the clue..."

Lin Wei closed his eyes, and the murals flashed back and forth in his mind like slides, comparing them.

The first mural: A fierce-looking giant beast confronting a group of weapon-wielding mortals.

The second mural: The giant beast had vanished, replaced by a group of mortals dancing and singing around a bonfire, enthusiastic smiles blooming on everyone's faces. There were men and women, old and young.

Not far from them stood a long table laden with various kinds of foods. Most of those foods were meats—steamed, boiled, roasted, and fried—with only a few remaining vegetables and fruits. Beside the food were wine flasks and condiments.

The third mural: The scene of a giant beast and mortals confronting each other appeared once again. However, it differed somewhat from what was recorded in the first mural. It was still the same type of giant beast, but its size had doubled, looking a good six meters tall. In addition, the number of giant beasts had increased to eight.

Unlike the previous confrontation from both sides, this time, eight giant beasts surrounded dozens of mortals in the center. The weapons in the mortals' hands were only stones and broken spears, lacking even bows and arrows for ranged attacks. Their eyes held endless despair, while the giant beasts glared with murderous intent.

The fourth mural appeared slightly bizarre, seeming to be the exact opposite of the second mural. Surrounding the bonfire were no longer mortals, but giant beasts. On the distant table, food was likewise laid out. The food was similarly served on platters, but the contents were the heads, limbs, and even intestines of the mortals from the third mural. Yet, defying logic, some platters still held green vegetables and fruits, with wine flasks placed beside them.

The fifth mural was the most peculiar, appearing to exist independently with no connection to the previous four murals. It showed only a single giant beast with its bloody maw wide open, swallowing a mortal whole.

"What special meaning do the contents displayed on the murals hold?"

Lin Wei's eyes subconsciously swung left and right without focus, clearly lost in deep thought.

"8... 7..."

The smart sphere core continued its countdown; time was running out.

"The first four murals are easy to understand..." Lin Wei forced himself to clear his thoughts. "Juvenile giant beasts confronted weapon-wielding mortals, ended up being slain and made into food by the mortals, who then held a bonfire celebration to celebrate their victory..."

"However, mature giant beasts seemed to have discovered this fact, and then came in packs to avenge the juvenile giant beasts. They killed the mortals and turned them into food instead..."

"The fifth mural is very strange, seeming to have no connection to the preceding murals... And what is the significance of the mortal food in this package..."

"4... 3..."

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Lin Wei's eyes widened sharply.

"The contents on the murals..." Lin Wei seemed to have grasped a crucial point, excitement flashing in his eyes. "If that's really the case, then the fifth mural is a hint about my current state!"

"That's right, it must be!"

Lin Wei moved instantly, rushing into the middle of the pile of food at top speed.

"1... 0..."

The countdown is over!