Chapter 419 Chapter417-The Treasure
At that moment, Ethan noticed something crucial: a hole had been made in the ceiling above the stone case in the chamber.
Clearly, this hole, now filled with dirt, had been there for some time.
The sight of it brought sudden clarity to Ethan.
Evidently, someone had dug down into this chamber from above, entered through this hole, and taken the treasure, all without triggering the stone man mechanisms.
Ethan hadn't expected to arrive too late, to find the treasure already taken by someone else.
Though there was nothing he could do about it, he felt a pang of regret at not being able to at least see or know what the treasure was.
Even if he couldn't possess it, just a glimpse or an understanding of what it was would have been better than this void of unknowing.
Thus, Ethan began to examine the indentation on the stone case more closely, hoping to deduce what the object might have been from its shape.
But after a long scrutiny, he couldn't ascertain what the shape resembled.
Yet, for some reason, it felt strangely familiar to him, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
This sensation puzzled Ethan.
How could he feel a sense of familiarity with a treasure he had never seen?
This sense of familiarity was indeed overpowering.
So, Ethan began to scrutinize the indentation on the stone case once more, noting that it was an irregularly shaped circle.
Pondering over this peculiar shape, he wondered if it could possibly be a stone.
On further thought, Ethan realized the likelihood of this was quite high.
Given its size and irregular shape, he couldn't think of anything else but a stone.
Then, a sudden realization struck him.
He remembered the stone he carried with him – the one given to him by the barbarian earlier.
It dawned on Ethan why the indentation seemed so familiar; its shape closely resembled that of his own stone.
No wonder he had felt an instant connection upon seeing the recess.
With a growing sense of anticipation, Ethan retrieved the stone gifted by the barbarian and placed it into the indentation to compare.
To his astonishment, the stone fit perfectly into the recess, matching its contours precisely.
This revelation was startling.
Initially, Ethan had harbored no real expectation of a match; after all, stones resembling each other were not uncommon.
He had assumed that the similarity between his stone and the indentation was merely a coincidence.
Yet, here it was – a perfect fit, connecting the mysterious recess in the stone case with the stone he had been given, linking past events to the present mystery in an unexpected twist of fate.
Now, it seemed undeniable that this stone was originally from this very spot.
The precision with which it fit into the recess left no room for doubt.
After all, it was impossible for there to be two stones with the exact same shape in this world.
Ethan could now be certain that this stone was meant to be here, that this recess was its designated place.
This meant that the treasure Ethan had been tirelessly seeking was, in fact, the stone itself.
The treasure he had sought with such dedication had been with him all along.
Ethan found himself caught between laughter and tears at this ironic twist of fate.
It was a classic case of finding what one seeks without even trying, after a long and fruitless search.
Ethan remembered the barbarian mentioning that the stone held a powerful force within it.
This further confirmed that the stone was indeed the treasure of this chamber.
It must have originally been in this stone room, only to be taken and passed through various hands until it reached the barbarian, who then gave it to Ethan.
The concept of destiny, which Ethan had always found fascinating, now seemed more potent than ever.
He could never have imagined that he was so closely bound to this stone, that his arduous quest for a treasure would lead him back to something he already possessed.
Had he known this from the beginning, Ethan might have spared himself the effort of searching for this so-called treasure.
However, one crucial question remained unresolved for Ethan: how to unlock the sealed energy within the stone.
After all, the power embedded in the stone was sealed, and accessing it required breaking the seal.
But how could this seal be broken?
This question occupied Ethan's mind, for without unlocking the seal, the stone was no more than an ordinary rock, devoid of any special properties.
Unable to figure out a method to unseal the stone, Ethan decided to leave it to fate.
He firmly believed in destiny and thought that if he was truly meant to unlock the stone's power, the opportunity would present itself in the future.
Just then, Ethan heard a distinct sound of stone grinding, emanating from behind the stone case.
"Not again!" he exclaimed in surprise and slight annoyance.
The sound was all too familiar to him.
It was similar to the noises made by the stone men, animals, and the Stone General he had encountered earlier.
Fearing that another mechanism had been activated, Ethan braced himself, resigned to the possibility of yet another battle.
Reflecting on this, Ethan couldn't help feeling a sense of irony.
If only he had known earlier that the treasure he was seeking was the very stone he carried with him, he would have never ventured into this place.
Ethan couldn't help but feel that he had entered this stone chamber in vain.
Despite all the effort he had put into battling the stone men and stone animals, he hadn't gained anything tangible.
It seemed like a significant investment of his energy for little reward.
However, now that he was here, there was no turning back.
At this very moment, as Ethan readied himself for another potential battle, he noticed a sound coming from behind a stone altar.
To his surprise, a hidden stone door behind the altar had swung open.
This stone door blended seamlessly with the surrounding stone walls, appearing indistinguishable from the wall itself.
It was only when the door swung open that Ethan became aware of its existence.
Ethan expected something to emerge from the opened door, as he had encountered a similar situation before.
On a previous occasion, a stone door had opened on the ground, and a Stone General had emerged from within.
This time, Ethan prepared for a potential confrontation, but to his astonishment, there was no sign of any movement from within the opened door.
This left Ethan perplexed.
He had anticipated a challenge, but the complete absence of any activity behind the door was unexpected.
Ethan waited patiently for a considerable amount of time, but the silence persisted.
What could be going on?
Ethan found the situation increasingly strange and decided to approach the opened stone door to investigate further.
He wanted to uncover the mystery of what lay beyond.
As Ethan stepped through the stone door, he was met with an unexpected sight.
Inside the chamber, which was smaller than the previous one, stood a colossal stone statue.
At the sight of this massive stone figure, Ethan immediately assumed it might be another mechanized contraption like the Stone General.
He swiftly readied himself for another potential battle.
Ethan couldn't help but notice that this stone statue was even larger than the previous Stone General.
If it were to come to life, it would surely pose a greater challenge than its predecessor.
Ethan braced himself for what seemed like another impending confrontation.
However, much to his surprise, the colossal stone statue remained completely motionless.
This left Ethan baffled.
Could it be that this object was not meant to move and was just a regular stone sculpture?
With this thought in mind, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously approached the stone statue.
It was truly enormous, towering over him by several times his height.
Its mere presence exuded a formidable sense of dominance.
If it wasn't a mechanized contraption, what could it be?
As Ethan examined the stone statue more closely, he began to notice something that left him utterly astonished.
He couldn't believe his eyes at what he had just discovered.
It was something so unexpected that it left him in awe.
The moment Ethan caught sight of this revelation, his eyes widened, and he felt an overwhelming sense of amazement.
The sight before him defied his imagination.
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