I couldn't help but think, as we walked through the next stone corridor, that I really should have just carried the two of them and Moonwalked across that canyon instead of messing with the bridge... but hindsight is 20/20.
We emerged into a massive circular chamber.
"…There's definitely something waiting for us here, sa," Olga muttered. "Agreed," Robin added, narrowing her eyes. "It's practically screaming 'trap'."
On the far side of the room stood a gargantuan stone statue of a crocodile with its maw wide open. The mouth was easily tall enough for a man to stand in. In the center of the room sat a small pedestal holding a single golden key, and beside it, another inscription.
"Let's see," Robin read. "'He who claims the shining gold is he who earns trust. Open the lock with courageous comrades, and the treasure lies beyond...' Well, it seems straightforward. We take the key and open the door inside the crocodile's mouth."
I took the key and approached the statue. Deep inside the throat was a heavy metal door featuring eighteen keyholes arranged in two concentric circles.
"One, two, three... nine on the inside, nine on the outside. Eighteen total." I looked back at them. "Alright, stay here. I'll handle the door."
"I'm coming too," Robin insisted. "You've been doing all the heavy lifting, Uncle."
I tried to tell her it was dangerous, but she just gave me that look. "My, aren't you here to protect me? Besides, I'm not just a damsel in distress, you know."
Since I couldn't leave Olga alone in the middle of a trap-filled room either, the three of us stepped into the crocodile's mouth.
As soon as we reached the door, a heavy THUD echoed behind us. The stone jaws began to slowly grind shut.
"Figures," I grunted. I stepped back, planted my feet, and threw my left arm up to catch the descending upper jaw. "I'll hold this. Robin, open the door."
"Are you sure, sa? That looks incredibly heavy!" Olga shouted, looking up at the tons of stone I was bracing.
"It's light as a feather. Just focus on the lock, Robin," I replied, handing her the key.
"One of these eighteen must be the right one. Let's start with the inner circle... AAAK!"
"Robin!?" I surged forward instinctively, but the shifting weight of the stone jaw forced me to stay planted.
"I'm... I'm okay," Robin gasped, shaking her hand. "It seems a wrong choice triggers an electric shock."
Electricity, huh? I didn't like the idea of Robin getting hurt for a guessing game.
"Robin, use these." With my free hand, I fished around in my belt pouch and pulled out a pair of thick, black leather gloves. I'd had them custom-coated with high-grade rubber specifically as a countermeasure for Enel's fruit.
"Oh... thank you, Uncle. They're a bit big, but they'll work."
With the insulation in place, Robin began testing the locks rapidly. Each time she hit a wrong one, I felt the pressure on my arm increase—the jaw was trying to shut with even more force.
Shock + Added Weight. A classic. But with the rubber gloves, the lightning was a non-issue, and as for the weight? Unless this thing could put down over a hundred tons of pressure, it wasn't going to crush me.
Suddenly, a horrific grinding sound echoed from the walls—SKREEEE-CRACK!! "…That didn't sound good," I muttered. "Krieg... I think you just broke the mechanism by refusing to move, sa," Olga said, wide-eyed.
CLICK.
"I found it! It's open!" Robin cried.
But the door didn't swing wide. Instead, the floor beneath our feet vanished.
Of course. The door was the decoy.
We plummeted into the darkness. I adjusted my posture mid-air, snatching Robin with my left arm and grabbing Olga by the scruff of her collar with my right to pull them close. We hit the ground—luckily, it wasn't a long drop.
"Thank you, Uncle," Robin whispered. "Hey! Talk about a difference in treatment, sa!" Olga yelled, dangling from my hand.
"Sorry, sorry," I apologized, setting her down and looking around.
We were in a natural cave. A thick, dusty mat had been placed at the bottom of the pit to break the fall. The floor sloped gently upward. We followed the path until we reached a simple wooden door that looked completely out of place in these ruins.
"Trap?" I asked. "I don't think so..." Robin replied. "It looks so... ordinary," Olga whispered. "Could this be the crappy old man's lab, sa?"
I pushed the door open. It creaked on its hinges, revealing a modest room. It wasn't large; the walls were lined with bookshelves and a chalkboard. Books were piled high on a desk alongside various chemical apparatuses.
And there, in the center of the desk, sat a cylindrical glass container. Inside was an egg-shaped lump of gold that emitted a dull, haunting glow.
"So that's it... Pure Gold."
Robin moved to the desk and picked up a tattered notebook. "This is the research log... Listen to this:
'I have resolved to create the forbidden Pure Gold. As a scientist, I know I am crossing a line, but I must save my daughter from her incurable illness.
I would sell my soul to the devil himself. I have discovered that the light of Pure Gold has the effect of extremely suppressing the growth of all living organisms.
If she stays within its light, my daughter's disease should stop progressing...'."
Robin looked at me. "It's exactly as you said, Uncle. He did it for her."
I looked over at Olga. She had gone completely still. Her head was bowed, and she was subconsciously stroking the ring on her left index finger.
"…When Mom died, that crappy old man must have been suffering too, sa," she whispered, her voice trembling. "And all this time... the Pure Gold was for me? I'm such an idiot! I've spent two hundred years hating the man who saved my life!!"
The truth hit her like a tidal wave. Olga collapsed to her knees, hot tears streaming down her face as she sobbed into her small hands.
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