"How about this," proposed the left side:
"Let’s settle it with rock-paper-scissors. The winning side gets to decide. Fair and square, no tricks."
And so the two halves of the door began a serious game of rock-paper-scissors.
The process was exceedingly comical, as they could only use door knockers to represent three choices.
After three intense rounds, the left side narrowly won.
"Yay! I won!" the left side cheered excitedly:
"As per the agreement, I have the right to decide whether to open the door. And the answer is—welcome to the Treasure!"
The door began to slowly open, accompanied by the sound of ancient mechanisms turning.
But when it was halfway open, the right side suddenly protested in dissatisfaction:
"I want a rematch! Your move just now looked suspiciously like cheating!"
"Objection overruled!" the left side firmly retorted:
"The game rules were agreed upon beforehand, no going back now!"
"Then I will appeal! To a higher authority!"
"There’s no higher authority here! The Master doesn’t bother with such trivial matters!"
So the door remained half-open, as the two sides continued their heated "court debate".
Ron and Eve could only helplessly prepare to enter.
Just as they were about to step through the elaborate doorway, the air suddenly rippled like waves.
Purple light flowed like mercury, coalescing into Cassandra’s projection before them.
"Ron, before you enter the treasury, I must remind you of a few things."
Her voice was grave, unlike her usual tone:
"The ancestral collection is indeed valuable, but each piece is filled with his unique... dark humor."
Cassandra’s projection paced slowly:
"The ancestor never played by the rules; his treasury is not just a place to display treasures, it’s also an enormous testing ground."
"You may choose three treasures, but remember, greed is the most dangerous emotion in the vault."
"Those who try to take more often lose more than they expect."
Ron noticed Cassandra’s eyes flickered as she said this.
Clearly, she had also paid some price in this treasury.
"Furthermore," Cassandra glanced at Eve and then back at Ron:
"After you make your selection, I need to discuss some... expedition matters with you alone."
Her tone carried an almost imperceptible urgency:
"The situation with the Vital Civilization is more... complicated than the public reports suggest."
Ron sensed the urgency in her voice, giving Eve an apologetic look:
"It seems our plans for tonight will have to be delayed."
Eve was a bit disappointed, but she quickly adjusted her expression and nodded understandingly:
"I understand, Master. Prioritizing important matters."
She added softly, "Also... witnessing your choices in the ancestral treasury is an honor for me."
Cassandra’s projection slowly faded away, but her last words echoed in the air:
"Remember, in there, logic is a luxury, and common sense is a burden. Embrace absurdity to survive."
......
When finally entering the treasury, Ron’s original expectations completely crumbled.
This was not the solemn and respectful treasure hall he had imagined, but an absurd space beyond reason.
In the infinitely extending void, thousands of display stands floated, but the behavior of these stands defied any normal person’s understanding:
Some stands hung upside down from the ceiling, with treasures displayed vertically downward, yet they did not fall;
Some stands rotated endlessly like a carousel, with the treasures on them changing form as they spun;
Some stands were completely invisible, leaving only eerie shadows projected in the void, and the shapes of these shadows did not match any physical objects;
Some stands chased each other, emitting merry laughter, as if engaged in some eternal game...
The air was suddenly filled with a reverse-played welcome greeting, spoken in the King of Absurdity’s characteristic playful tone:
"! Treasury the to Welcome, welcome ,visitor beloved my"
Ron furrowed his brow, trying to interpret the sentence in reverse:
"Is he saying ’Welcome, welcome to my treasury, beloved visitor’?"
"You understood correctly," Eve nodded matter-of-factly, her tone tinged with helplessness:
"Ancestor found normal speech too boring, he believed speaking backward ’subverted people’s inherent understanding of language’."
Her expression showed a hint of frustration:
"Mother told me that this isn’t even the most absurd.
Sometimes Ancestor would speak in completely nonexistent languages, then require the listener to interpret the meaning themselves."
Suddenly, the void in the center of the treasury began to twist, and a massive buffet restaurant appeared out of nowhere.
In the center of the restaurant, a skeleton wearing a tall chef’s hat was enthusiastically waving a spatula.
Blue flames flickered in the skeleton’s eye sockets, and its jawbone clattered as it spoke:
"Free tasting! Free tasting! Special cuisine from the Absurd Kitchen!"
"Every dish has three thousand years of my culinary expertise infused! Guaranteed to give you an unprecedented taste sensation!"
The Skull Chef noticed Ron’s curious gaze and immediately introduced himself with enthusiasm:
"Sir, you seem like a gourmet with fine taste! I recommend you try this ’Wisdom Soup’!"
He pointed to a pot emitting golden steam, where the liquid flowed like a river of stars:
"This is my proud creation! Brewed from thirteen different civilizations’ philosophical texts, one sip will let you experience ultimate cosmic wisdom!"
"Absolutely do not eat!"