Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was clearly audible in the quiet environment of the café.
As soon as she finished speaking, the largest sunflower in the painting began to slowly rotate.
The center of the flower head gradually twisted and deformed, with numerous tiny seeds rearranging, eventually forming the outline of a human face.
It was a somewhat comical face, with an exaggerated nose and thick lips, but the eyes were unusually sharp:
"Where’s the evidence? Words alone don’t suffice.
There are many people pretending to be members of the Crown Clan nowadays. A thousand years ago, someone tried to bluff their way through."
The sunflower’s tone had a scholarly seriousness, but its expression was full of amusement:
"I need a bloodline verification. Standard procedure can’t be sloppy."
Eve didn’t hesitate to take out a small silver dagger and gently cut her finger.
A few drops of crimson blood dripped onto the frame and were immediately absorbed by the wooden structure.
The sunflower extended a small tendril, dipped it in the blood, and began to taste it.
Its expression was like that of a seasoned wine connoisseur evaluating a precious vintage:
"Hmm, indeed pure Crown Clan blood, very pure lineage... however..."
It furrowed its brow, showing a puzzled look:
"Why is there a taste of black tea? And a hint of... lemon fragrance?"
"I drank lemon black tea this morning."
Eve explained helplessly, a slight blush on her face.
"Oh! I see!" The sunflower nodded as if in sudden realization:
"Then there’s no problem. Young people today really have taste. Lemon black tea is indeed a good choice.
I personally recommend adding a little honey, it makes the flavor richer."
After it finished speaking, the entire painting began to slowly rotate.
It wasn’t the frame that was turning, but the world within the painting undergoing spatial reconstruction.
The sunflower field gradually faded, replaced by a stone stairway extending downward.
"Have a pleasant day!"
The sunflower with the human face said finally, then reverted back to an ordinary floral image, as if everything just now was an illusion.
The stairs in the passage had a strange transparent quality, as if carved from crystal.
But these stairs were obviously not made of ordinary building materials—they had their own consciousness and emotions.
When Ron stepped onto the first step, the crystal emitted a crisp bark, "Woof!"
The second step emitted a cat’s "Meow~"
The third was a bird’s "Chirp Chirp"
Each step corresponded to a different animal sound, with varied tones and emotions.
Some sounded cheerful and lively, others carried a lazy contentment.
Even more bizarre, these steps began to show strong individuality.
"No no no!"
When they reached the seventeenth step, it suddenly protested with the voice of a middle-aged man:
"I’m in a bad mood today! I don’t want to be stepped on! Anyone who wants can step on it, anyway, I’m going on strike!"
With that, this step truly disappeared, leaving a void in the staircase.
"This..."
Eve froze for a moment, clearly this was beyond her experience.
"It’s okay!"
The adjacent eighteenth step immediately said, sounding like an eager young man:
"I’ll take his place! Although it’s a bit against the rules, helping others is a pleasure!"
With that, this step truly jumped from its position, moving into the void.
"Wow! So cool!"
"How kind-hearted!"
"This is the spirit of the stairs!"
Other steps exclaimed in admiration, filling the entire staircase with laughter and cheer.
"Thank you!"
Ron politely expressed gratitude to the helpful step.
The step immediately turned shyly pink, its voice growing bashful:
"You’re welcome~ It’s my honor to help you! Actually... actually, I’ve always wanted to do something special for a guest..."
Eve shook her head helplessly: "The ancestors’ mischief is really omnipresent..."
Finally, they reached the end of the passage.
The door to the treasure vault was a giant round door, made from some metal that emitted starlight.
But this door clearly suffered from severe personality disorder.
"Welcome! Welcome!" The left half of the door said warmly, its voice gentle as a spring breeze:
"Honorable guests, you’ve finally arrived! We’ve been waiting for you a long time!"
"Get lost! Dangerous!" The right half snarled harshly, its voice biting like a winter wind:
"This is not where you should be! Get out while you still can!"
"Don’t listen to his nonsense!" The left half hurriedly explained:
"My ’roommate’ here is always overly pessimistic. Come in, the most precious treasures await you inside!"
"Blind optimist!" The right half retorted angrily:
"You have no idea what terrifying things are hidden in the vault! Every one of those treasures is bloodstained!"
The two halves began to argue fiercely, their voices growing louder:
"You pessimist!"
"You dangerous guide!"
"You’re the dangerous one!"
"You are!"
The sounds of argument echoed in the passage, even the walls started complaining about the noise being too loud.
Eve sighed helplessly:
"Please quiet down, we need to go in, and..."
She glanced at Ron, her violet eyes showing a touch of fondness:
"This is my Master, someone trustworthy."
The door suddenly fell silent, both halves turning towards her in unison, then speaking in one voice:
"Oh, it’s little Eve! We didn’t recognize you earlier, you’ve grown so much!"
"Sorry for our argument." The right half said, a bit ashamed:
"Old habit, can’t help getting emotional at the sight of strangers."