My bloodline is so eager to improve.

The Magic Ape felt frustrated. "You've embarked on the path of order, so why won't you help your pitiful, weak, and helpless self?"

The Magical Ape declared that although its soul had succumbed to the beating, its yearning for chaos would never be defeated!

The Magic Ape explained the mechanism's principle to you. Actually, the principle is quite simple: inside this gargoyle statue is a complex magical circuit. By injecting magic into this circuit in a specific order and frequency, a complete cycle can be formed, thus activating the mechanism.

With the explanation from the magic ape, Otto finally learned how to unlock the mechanism.

First, Otto needs to concentrate his magic at his fingertips and then gently tap them on the gargoyle's left eye.

Infuse it with a small amount of magic, lasting for three seconds.

Then, move your fingertip to the gargoyle's right eye and infuse it with twice the magic power for two seconds.

Next, move your fingertips into the gargoyle's mouth and quickly inject magic three times, one second apart each time.

Finally, the magic flowed slowly down the gargoyle's wings from top to bottom.

The Magic Ape warned Otto that this was a simulation of the activator's magic, and it had to be precise, without the slightest error.

If any step goes wrong, the mechanism will fail to activate, and may even trigger a trap.

Seeing this, Otto simply nodded, firmly memorizing the steps the Magic Ape had described.

He took a deep breath, concentrated his mind, and slowly mobilized the magic power within his body.

Otto's current Firebringer is a rare class with all attributes boosted, which also gives him a slight amplification in his control over magic, making it easy for him to control a small amount of magic.

Following the instructions of the magic ape, he gently touched the gargoyle's left eye with his fingertip.

A faint wisp of fire magic flowed from his fingertips and slowly seeped into the gargoyle's left eye.

Just as the last bit of magic finished flowing out, the entire gargoyle statue suddenly began to shake violently.

Its eyes gradually glowed with a dazzling red light, like two burning fireballs, which looked particularly eerie in the dimly lit room.

The magical ape excitedly declared, "Thanks to my guidance, you succeeded!"

Sure enough, accompanied by a series of cracking sounds as the stones rubbed together, the gargoyle statue actually started moving on its own in Otto's hands.

It first turned its head, then spread its wings, and finally circled around Otto's palm.

Immediately afterwards, Otto heard a heavy sound.

The tall bookshelf slowly began to move to the side.

Behind the bookshelf was originally a blank wall.

As the gargoyle's eyes were completely filled with red light, the brick wall that made up the wall slowly moved to both sides, and an ancient bronze door appeared before Otto's eyes.

Otto's heart began to race.

He carefully placed the still-spinning gargoyle statue on the ground and then walked to the bronze gate.

This bronze gate is about two meters high and one meter wide, and its surface is covered with green rust, indicating that it has a long history.

There was no trace of a keyhole on the gate, only a strange totem carved in the very center of the gate.

It was a burning skull.

The skull was enveloped in eerie blue flames, the lines of which were fluid and strange, as if they were constantly pulsating and burning.

Although the dark eye sockets were reliefs, for some reason, Otto always felt that as long as he got close, the flames would materialize and burst out of the eye sockets, completely engulfing him!

A cold, oppressive aura, filled with the scent of death, emanated from the bronze gate, causing Otto to shiver involuntarily.

"It seems Romeo didn't have time to clean up his past mess."

Otto let out a long sigh of relief, suppressing the unease in his heart.

"Magic Ape, go!"

Now, Otto has completely decided to hand over the analysis to the Magic Ape.

"I'm doing this all for your own good!"

Otto realized that he had only asked the Magic Ape to do the work out of kindness, to prevent it from getting beaten up again. He thought the Magic Ape should thank him!

The Magic Ape has expressed its dissatisfaction with you, believing you are no different from those unscrupulous capitalists!

The Moonlit Spirit Hound beat up the Magical Ape.

[The Magical Ape began its analysis.]

Time passed by, second by second.

Otto ignored the magic ape's gloom and, while his animal friend was analyzing the bronze gate, took the opportunity to look through the other rooms in the tailor shop.

Juliet's bedroom was next to the living room. It was not a large space, and it contained two single beds, a wardrobe, and a dressing table.

The bedding on the bed was neatly folded, and there were some simple cosmetics and a comb on the dressing table.

The wardrobe contained Juliet's clothes, as well as several pieces of clothing that were clearly men's.

There was also a framed photograph on the table, containing a portrait of Juliet and Romeo.

Juliet is smiling brightly in the photo, nestled in Romeo's arms.

Romeo stared blankly at the camera, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

Otto thought that, although Juliet saw the two beds as Romeo's way of being responsible for her and unwilling to live with her before marriage, he understood that Romeo was not doing so.

But judging from the current situation, it's probably Romeo Bloom's approach to ensure the purity of the Juliet material itself.

Chapter 100: The Flames of the Dead (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

Otto thought that the young nobleman probably didn't cherish Juliet at all.

Everything Romeo did was for his plan to create a necromancer.

Thinking of this, Otto felt a chill run down his spine.

This Romeo is truly meticulous and possesses unparalleled patience.

He was able to disguise himself so well that Juliet trusted him completely, yet in the end, he killed her with his own hands when she was at her happiest.

"As expected of the Master of Laws, his heart is truly filthy."

Just as Otto was pondering, the prompt from the Magic Ape finally appeared again.

But this time, its hint carried a hint of solemnity.

[The Magical Ape's analysis is complete. It cautiously advises you that you'd better not touch this door.]

"Why is this?"

Otto was puzzled by the unusually cautious demeanor of the Magic Ape. Could it be that the ape also had something it was afraid of?

But the Magic Ape then began to explain it to him.

The Demon Ape revealed that the anti-theft mechanism installed on this door is the Flame of the Dead.

The Demonic Ape expressed its fear: the Flame of the Dead is an extremely terrifying flame, belonging only to the undead. It doesn't burn matter, but rather the life force of living beings. Once touched, it will directly burn your life force until you become a dried-up corpse.

[The Spell-Magic Ape warns you that the Flames of the Dead are the mortal enemy of all living beings. Only necromancers or mages of related fields can likely wield them.]

Seeing the extremely cautious Spell-Imitation Demon Ape issue such a warning, Otto's expression also became serious.

He had long suspected that there was some secret hidden behind the door, but he never expected there to be such a dangerous mechanism.

"Is there any way to crack it?"

Otto asked curiously.

He hoped that the Magic Ape could find a solution.

But the Magic Ape only expressed regret.

[The Magic Ape says, with your current strength, you can't do anything on your own.]

The Magic Ape looked at you with undisguised disdain, indicating that although your Fire Seed Iron Guardian had some resistance to fire, its level was too low.

The Demonic Ape felt that the Flames of the Dead were beyond ordinary flames; your resistance was utterly insignificant in its presence. The moment you touched it, you would be instantly reduced to ashes.

[The Moonlit Spirit Hound, frustrated, gave the Magical Ape a beating. It bluntly expressed its anger: Couldn't that damn mouth say something nice?]

However, the Magic Ape provided the analysis for Otto.

The demonic ape countered, convinced it was stating the truth.

[The Magic Ape stated that, according to its analysis, the fire resistance provided by the Fire Seed Iron Guard is merely a byproduct, not a primary characteristic. Therefore, your Fire Seed Iron Guard has only reached the second tier, and is not even completely immune to damage from ordinary torches, let alone the Flames of the Dead.]

The Magic Ape offered its conjecture: unless your Fire Seed Iron Guardian can be upgraded to the fourth level or higher, you might be able to barely withstand elemental damage related to fire.

"The fourth level?"

Otto's lips twitched involuntarily.

It took him quite a while to upgrade his Fire Seed Iron Guard to the second level, and he only managed to upgrade it after experiencing the Rotten Giant Tree Valley incident.

Who knows when we'll be able to advance to the fourth level?

Fortunately, the black cat that delivers souls proposed a backup plan.

[The Soul-Crossing Black Cat says, since the Flames of the Dead can only be manipulated by necromancers or necromancers, wouldn't it be easy to break the mechanism if we just find a necromancer?]

"A necromancer?"

Otto frowned.

"You mean Maeve?"

According to Una, Maeve should be one of the few second-tier mages stationed in Oak Town, and also a necromancer.

She has a deep understanding of necromancy, and I believe that with her help, the flames of the dead can be broken.

However, Otto fell silent upon seeing this suggestion.

He certainly knew it was a good choice.

But Otto was worried that cooperating with her might cause other troubles.

After all, Maeve has a fierce personality and strange quirks, and it's not a good thing to anger her if you're not careful.

"However, since the other party is still operating as a businessman, it is always possible to negotiate."

Otto muttered to himself.

“If we can offer a good price, she should be able to patiently listen to our request.”

He glanced at the bronze gate that exuded an aura of death, and simply let out a long sigh.

Today's gains have been plentiful. Otto will first note down the unusual things here, planning to return and open this door after finding Maeve, to see what secrets are hidden inside.

With that in mind, he reversed the operation of the gargoyle statue, following the instructions of the magic ape.

As the gargoyle's eyes gradually dimmed, the bronze door slowly closed, the walls returned to their original state, and the bookshelves were moved back to their original positions.

Everything returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

Otto picked up the gargoyle statue from the ground and carefully placed it back in the upper right corner of the bookshelf.

Then, he carefully inspected the entire tailor shop to make sure he hadn't left any trace of his presence before turning and leaving the shop.

He locked the front door, then put the brass key back under the flowerpot before leaving the tailor shop.

The warm morning light bathed the streets of Oaktown, casting a warm golden glow over the entire town.

The number of pedestrians on the street gradually increased.

Otto walked through the crowd, his Moonsilver armor still clanging. Although the atmosphere around him was relaxed, his mood was unusually heavy.

His discovery at Juliette's tailor shop made him realize that the matter was far more complicated than he had imagined.

Romeo's true purpose, the secrets behind the bronze gate, and the mysterious Flame of the Dead—everything was shrouded in mystery, weighing heavily on W's mind.

The task of luring them afterward was also extremely difficult.

Otto felt that since becoming an adventurer, he never had a moment's peace.

He looked up at the rising sun on the horizon, then quickened his pace and headed toward the Adventurers' Guild.

He wanted to tell Phyllis about today's discovery and then discuss their next steps together.

The anomaly at Juliet's tailor shop, a follow-up to that commission, and the discussion with Phyllis, the contact person, was the most convenient way for Otto to get the guild's support.