The white light gradually faded, leaving his field of vision pitch black before slowly regaining brightness.
Countless dazzling gems twinkled against the deep and mysterious backdrop reminiscent of the night sky, making the pale golden platform where Colin stood even more radiant.
Yet, before he had a chance to take a closer look around, Colin suddenly realized something alarming.
"Nasi?!" he looked back, but saw not a single shadow, only the "Treasure Starry Sky" that was just like the one in front of him.
And when he looked up, it was the same above...
Colin turned his head and surveyed his surroundings, his spiritual power spreading out to the edge of the round platform, but when it was blocked by an invisible force, he still found no trace of Nasi.
A sinking feeling abruptly gripped his heart.
'Could it be that she didn't make it through successfully and was left in the palace we were in just before?'
Realizing this, Colin's first instinct was to look for an exit to quickly return to the palace... Nasi wasn't in good condition when they entered, and he was genuinely concerned.
'Why didn't she come through with me, when clearly Bobi, my senior's pet, could... Could it be because of contamination?
No... the Treasure Vault must have been constructed before the contamination in the Elf Kingdom, there's a high probability that there's no mechanism specifically to screen for contamination.' Colin's stream of thoughts raced through his mind as he stepped forward.
But the next moment, as he looked around, his step still raised in the air, he suddenly realized—
There were no exits on this platform.
Not even a hint of something resembling an exit.
The entire round, stump-like pale gold platform had only a small circular platform in the middle that could accommodate one person to stand.
'It seems that one must acquire a treasure before an exit will appear.' Colin's expression became resolute as he walked quickly toward the central platform.
'If it's not because of contamination, could it be due to having a different token?' As he walked, the thoughts in his mind continued to churn.
"The tokens are indeed different, but the entrance leads to the same Treasure Vault...
The same Treasure Vault?"
At this point, his thoughts struck him like lightning, and Colin suddenly considered a possibility.
'According to the logic of the Treasure Vault, naturally, each token should grant entry to one individual, be it Wizard or Elf... Plus, Bobi is an individual recognized by the Elf Clan, so theoretically, it should count as one.'
'Thus, besides the possibility of different tokens, there's another possibility—
The place where Lillian entered is different from mine, it's not the Treasure Vault!'
Step by step as he ascended the central platform, Colin's stream of thoughts did not pause.
The more he pondered, the more he felt convinced by the latter possibility!
Lillian's bracelet was left to her by her High Level Elf mother, it was something given to her own daughter,
whereas the other green leaves and wooden hammers must be items given to outsiders by the Elf Clan.
Moreover, Lillian had never mentioned her mother telling her the bracelet also had the function of activating the Treasure Vault... They had jumped to conclusions assuming that the bracelet, like the other items, was also a token to open the Treasure Vault.
Buzz—
At that moment, Colin ascended the central platform, standing firm on the high ground when a spot of emerald light suddenly shone from the middle of the platform.
Then, accompanied by a rustling sound, a small tree of aqua-gold, about the same height as him, suddenly sprouted forth.
The moment he saw the small tree, a message came to him.
"Please pick the fruit and state the type of treasure you desire, visitor from the Elf Clan."
Hanging from the branch of the small tree was a large golden fruit, so heavy it almost bent the tree.
Colin didn't hesitate, he plucked the fruit and pronounced the thought he had already determined.
"A treasure that increases wisdom and assists in learning and understanding knowledge."
As his words fell, the pale gold fruit in his palm instantly transformed.
The fruit emitted a verdant glow, gentle yet very bright, wrapping the entire fruit in a mist of light.
The misty light flowed like water, eventually forming into a large ring.
"A pale golden crown?"
The bright light dissipated, and Colin saw clearly what the fruit had turned into.
This was a crown fashioned like woven tree leaves, the front of it forming a gentle triangle, and at the peak was a green leaf unlike any other, possessing the sense of a gemstone.
Seeing this leaf, Colin almost instinctively thought of the legendary Wisdom Leaf from the Ancient Tree of Life.
But clearly, this couldn't be a real leaf from the Ancient Tree of Life.
'...Perhaps it could be somewhat related?' Colin thought further.
Joy appeared on his face.
Regardless, this crown was clearly as he had requested, a treasure that could enhance wisdom and assist in learning!
'Now is not the time to test the treasure... I must first find a way out.'
Suppressing the urge to immediately don the crown, Colin looked around, hoping to spot an exit that may have already appeared surreptitiously.
But his field of vision was still empty.
Rustle, rustle.
The small tree suddenly began to shake.
'Hmm?'
Colin was slightly startled and reflexively took a few steps back.
The golden tree shook as it withdrew, and after a moment, a stone platform rose in its place.
"Please state the desired effect of the treasure you wish to exchange."
As before, a message reached Colin's mind with the ascent of the stone platform.
He frowned slightly.
'Exchange... what exchange?'
"A treasure that heals injuries and removes contamination," he ventured, speaking out the next moment.