The corridor became lower and lower, until they almost had to bend to proceed.
The seemingly delicate Duchess walked without any sign of breathlessness, while Gerard’s breathing became slightly rapid. Naily listened to their breathing sounds, unconsciously furrowing her brow.
The corridor suddenly ended. After ducking through a small doorway, they found themselves before a rectangular large door. The Duchess took out a gemstone the size of a pigeon egg from her sleeve and placed it in a concave slot, causing a dull mechanical turning sound to echo in the vestibule.
The ground slightly trembled, and the door slowly slid open.
The Duchess remained composed, and after Naily and Gerard entered, she waved her hand. The two doors closed leisurely.
Behind the door was a pure white marble-floored hexagonal hall. Each wall had a small door with different colors and patterns. Naily glanced around, guessing that four of them likely corresponded to water, fire, air, and earth, while the remaining black and white doors were unadorned, their meaning unknown.
“This is the duchy’s treasury,” Lady Ifa smiled slightly and gracefully walked towards the black doorway: “What you want is behind this door.”
The duchess faced away from Nelly and Gerard, seemingly producing a key. Only the sound of the lock turning was heard as the door opened. Ifa turned back, her lips curving slightly: “Please enter.”
Another pure white room, completely empty, with only a black short pillar in the center, a small stone basin of the same color placed on its top.
Nelly narrowed her eyes.
“What you need is in the basin. Please remove your gloves and reach in with your left hand,” the duchess stepped back, gesturing to the stone basin filled with an unidentifiable liquid.
Nelly walked over, looking down at the liquid that seemed to pulse with life, murky and chaotic, yet shimmering with an organic, rainbow-like luster. Just one glance made her feel slightly nauseous. But she had no other choice and would not allow herself to hesitate. She removed her glove, rubbed her fingers along the mysterious engravings on the basin’s edge, and without giving herself time to doubt, plunged her hand deep into the liquid.
In an instant, Nelly thought she had thrust her hand into boiling water.
