"Are you the same?" I turned to look at Vishi.
Vishi nodded, "You've only just arrived, perhaps you don't feel it much, but for us, we've experienced every day here countless times..."
"I understand," I nodded, then reached into my inner pocket and took out the Zuka flute.
"This is what you need," I said slowly.
I had expected them to show excitement upon seeing it, perhaps even try to snatch it.
However, the two of them just sat there, their expressions unchanged.
"If you've tried every method and ruled out every impossibility, then what remains must be the answer!" I said, "Though I haven't checked carefully, this time, I'm willing to believe you..."
Hearing this, Richard and Vishi's faces gradually broke into smiles.
"Let's recover our strength first, and then we'll go have a look," I said.
The two said no more, continuing to recover their states.
Two days later, with the help of the miraculous lake water, all of us had recovered.
Richard's recovery was slower, but he was able to move.
Before leaving, Vishi called us to his room, brought out various ingredients, and then from the back of the cabinet, took out two bottles of red wine.
"I don't know what the outcome will be this time, but we should be prepared for the worst," Vishi said.
Richard nodded, and with these ingredients, we made a hot pot and had a joyful meal.
Of course, the two bottles of treasured red wine had also been completely finished.
After eating and drinking our fill, we talked a lot more.
Although these few days had been short, we had spent them very happily.
And after the previous battle together, we were now comrades in arms, having faced life and death together.
With such a foundation, whatever we were about to do now seemed to have a clearer goal.
"We must succeed!" Richard said, tears welling up in his eyes.
He had been here the longest and felt the helplessness the most profoundly.
It was precisely because of this that now, having a way to reach the final moment, he was naturally overcome with emotion.
Vishi was the same, standing by the side with an excited smile on his face.
As for me, I felt a bit uneasy.
I knew that after the ritual began, someone would need to be sacrificed.
But who among the three of us would be the sacrifice?
However, in this situation, we all deliberately ignored this question, focusing our gaze on the more distant future.
"Let's go!" Richard said.
We stood up, packed the things we thought useful, each carrying a large backpack. The maid opened the secret door, and we went down.
The process was still very long. As we went down step by step, we couldn't help but recall the matter of the sacrifice.
At this moment, everyone's mood was extremely heavy.
Of course, we also maintained absolute silence.
When we reached the lakeside, with almost no exchange of glances, we stepped directly into the water.
It was the same warm sensation as before. When we could see our surroundings clearly again, we were already beneath that towering ancient tree.
There was no change here, as if the passage of time did not apply here.
"Let's begin," Vishi said, not even mentioning the sacrifice.
"Mm," Richard replied, his fingers trembling incessantly.
In this situation, I couldn't say much more. I took out the Zuka flute.
The three items placed together did not produce any reaction, just like three ordinary objects placed together.
"Is something wrong?" Seeing no change, I asked. Logically, these three items should have reacted when placed together.
"It seems something is still missing..." Vishi said.
Richard walked to the side, then scooped up a handful of lake water, "Here, try this."
The three of us formed a circle, placing our respective items in front of us.
Then, Vishi poured the lake water over the three items.
The moment the lake water touched these three items, I suddenly felt a subtle ripple emanate from our center.
In the next instant, a dazzling light shot up, forming various patterns in mid-air.
It looked like a movie, with countless scenes flashing by, but each scene lasted only a moment, making it impossible to see clearly.
This felt like time was rewinding.
However, this situation did not last long. Immediately after, a soft glow began to emanate from the three items.
This light made the three of us feel incredibly comfortable, as if we were bathing in the lake water.
Just then, a sudden change occurred!