Goddess Kaleidoscope

However, what the three sisters need right now is not combat personnel, but laborers who can move bricks on the construction site, so there is no need to create a powerful divine messenger.

End of this chapter

In terms of type, divine messengers can be roughly divided into two categories. One category is those directly created by the gods, like the fallen leaves under Hume's command, while the other category is those that are recruited, such as the young dragon Kanna who grew up consuming divine power, and is essentially equivalent to a divine messenger of the god of medicine.

Both types have their own characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. The recruited divine messengers are mainly those that can be picked up immediately, saving the process of creating and cultivating them, thus saving a considerable amount of divine power. However, the appearance of the created divine messengers is entirely controlled by the gods themselves, and the minds of the new beings are also simpler, so their loyalty is much higher than that of the recruited ones, and they rarely have any wicked thoughts.

If Rudd were a god, free to choose without any conditions, he would definitely create a reinforced company of white-haired beauties for them first. But right now, the three sisters aren't that wealthy. The base of 30,000 to 40,000 dwarves is enough to support the three of them, but they still have to live frugally.

Therefore, Lud believed that one should avoid being overly ambitious. This first batch of divine messengers shouldn't be expected to achieve perfection overnight, creating a group of perfect beings. The priority should be to establish an engineering team that can be immediately deployed, based on current practical needs.

Following this line of thought, the first batch of divine messengers from the three sisters created a large group of adorable three-headed creatures. In terms of appearance, they followed their own preferences. The eldest sister, Atropos, based on the comics drawn by Ludwig in his essays, created a group of Minions with crooked mouths and babble. The second sister, Croto, showed a girlish heart that was completely different from her tomboyish appearance, and had a group of fluffy toy dolls under her command, and each one was different, including puppies, bears, and ducks.

Lud was quite surprised by the third sister, Lachesis. The divine messengers she created were a group of spherical robots, the main body of which was a golden ball about half a meter in diameter. They moved mainly by rolling and could even ignore gravity to climb walls directly. They had two retractable arms that could be stored inside their bodies, and their work efficiency was the highest among the three types of low-level divine messengers.

However, these low-level divine messengers are not very capable or intelligent. Therefore, in order to help the three sisters better manage these two hundred low-level divine messengers, the three sisters also created two humanoid assistant divine messengers. They have an appearance that is no different from humans, and look like fourteen or fifteen-year-old teenage girls. They have little combat power, but their intelligence is at least at a normal level.

After the first batch of divine messengers were created, they immediately devoted themselves to the construction of the fourth level of the maze, working around the clock. Meanwhile, Rude and the three sisters went to the main hall in the first half of the fourth level to personally design the most crucial "BOSS level" of the maze!

Meanwhile, back in town, Trin's team was still making great strides. Through lavish spending, they quickly assembled a large force of over a hundred men. However, they were soon confronted by the guards. According to the town's new regulations, any group of forty or more men had to relocate outside town. Trin, having already gathered over a hundred, was thus required to find a place to camp outside the town.

Trin thought to himself that he was almost ready anyway, so he simply led the hastily assembled team north into the forest.

A motley crew of over a hundred men marched into the forest, and after five days and four nights, they successfully reached the entrance to the maze. Then, relying on their superior numbers, they drove away some of the earlier groups and seized the best spot to set up camp.

Upon arriving at the entrance to the maze, Trinn, as usual, used silver bullets to clear the way and recruited a team of adventurers who had reportedly entered and exited the maze three times before, hiring them to be his team's guides.

As luck would have it, this adventurer party was a group of acquaintances to Erwin, who was traveling with Trin: it was the same Denzel party that he had forcibly taken away last year from his family heirloom sword and the "Complete Guide to Dragon Slaying".

While in a sense, Erwin's bullying behavior saved their lives, neither side knew that these two seemingly intimidating treasures were actually malicious artifacts deliberately created by a mischievous dragon, so subjectively, they couldn't be considered to have saved anyone.

In fact, in terms of reputation alone, Erwin's Hydrangea Blade is notorious among his peers in the industry, a typical villainous mercenary. While this is partly due to a carefully cultivated persona, it's largely his true nature; he actually quite enjoys being a bad guy.

The previous grudges made the meeting quite awkward for both sides. If it weren't for the fact that Trin's offer was really tempting, Denzel really wouldn't have wanted to take on this business that would require working with his enemy.

Over the past year, Denzel's party has been based in the rapidly developing Pine Town and has been active in the Void Forest. Their adventurer rank has risen from Iron to Bronze, and they are now aiming for the even higher Silver rank.

The appearance of the Spiral Abyss gave them a chance to quickly increase their merits. The entire team simply set up camp at the entrance of the maze and entered the maze three times in less than two weeks. They successfully reached Dog Brother's door all three times and were the first team to realize that Dog Brother's attack pattern was regular.

However, Denzel also knew that with their current strength, even if they completely figured out Dog's movement patterns and were able to dodge every attack, it would be difficult to cause any real damage to this combat puppet of unknown material but which was exceptionally sturdy and durable. Their attacks wouldn't even be considered scratching.

Therefore, Denzel wisely accepted Trilling's offer of employment and sold Dog's behavior patterns to him as intelligence.

Perhaps because of his past experience of being humiliated by Erwin, Denzel is no longer as naive as he was a year ago when he first started out. He is now clearly aware of his own strength and has a better understanding of his own capabilities.

Given the labyrinth's tendency to increase difficulty as you go deeper, Dog, who is currently guarding the first level, is already the limit for their team. Therefore, Denzel made it clear to Trinn from the beginning that they were only responsible for leading the way to Dog's door and would not follow any further, otherwise they would only be a burden to the team.

Trin didn't make things difficult for these new bronze-level adventurers and nodded in agreement to their request.

The large group rested for a day at the entrance of the maze and replenished their supplies from the traveling merchants. However, they still couldn't wait for the necromancer to show up, so Terin decided to go into the maze first and explore the relatively simple first level as a warm-up exercise.

On Denzel's advice, the entourage should travel as lightly as possible, paying particular attention to their own weight, because there is a type of gravity trap in the maze that could be installed under any tile. It would only be triggered if the weight of the person stepping on it reached a certain level. Therefore, if the thief scouting ahead fails to spot it, the teammates following behind may fall into the trap.

Out of responsibility to his employer, Denzel repeatedly emphasized to Trin that he should not let his guard down after entering the maze. This maze was different from all the known tombs or ruins on the continent. The traps inside that were impossible to guard against were definitely not something that humans could design!

End of this chapter

If you only look at the simplified map behind the monument at the entrance, the first level of the maze is a huge circular building with a diameter of about one kilometer. The interior is divided into dozens of areas of varying sizes, and each area contains a number of small rooms.

However, as one of the adventurers who had entered the labyrinth many times, Denzel clearly told Trin that the map at the entrance was extremely deceptive. Not only did it not mark the small rooms in the large area, but it was also a flat plan. The actual situation inside was that there were height differences between the areas, and the vertical height of the entire first floor was about one thousand meters.

Who knows if every level below is this deep!?

Upon entering the labyrinth, Trin's first impression of the place was its cleanliness and the magnificent spectacle that no ordinary person could have created.

After the group entered, they were greeted by a downward-sloping staircase. With the help of torches and lanterns, he was astonished to find that the steps under his feet and the surrounding walls were "one piece" of the same material. The light gray surface was hard and smooth, with no visible brick seams.

It took the group nearly ten minutes to walk down the ten-meter-wide staircase and reach the prototype plaza, which was surrounded by eight tightly closed doors.

Which way to go next?

"That depends on which side the roulette wheel takes us to."

"What?"

Following the direction Denzel pointed, Trin discovered a raised platform in the center of the hall, around which many adventurers had gathered, and some dwarven soldiers were maintaining order.

Denzel reminded everyone that the dwarf soldiers were all under the command of Viscount Gulig, and although the maze was not located within his territory, it was not far away. Therefore, shortly after the maze was discovered, Gulig sent a squad of dwarf soldiers to check the situation.

These hot-tempered dwarves initially seemed to want to monopolize the labyrinth and prohibit adventurers from entering. It was only through the intervention of Master Lud from Pine Town that they were able to secure their rightful rights.

After that, the dwarves became the maze's caretakers, setting up supply points at the maze entrance. While maintaining order, they prioritized buying the various spoils that adventurers brought out of the maze, and the prices were quite fair.

The group arrived at the roundabout. The dwarves maintaining order, after asking if they belonged to the same group, gave Trillin a wooden plaque marked with the number "six" and instructed them to queue. Any cutting in line would be punished with a week-long ban from the maze.

With the intention of observing first, Terlin did not argue with the dwarf, but instead stood obediently to the side and waited.

At this moment, a bell suddenly rang out from the stone platform not far away, followed by a dense sound of gears turning in all directions throughout the underground plaza. The cylindrical stone platform, like a blooming lotus, extended sixteen golden "petals" in two concentric circles, as well as a crystal pillar that stood tall like a flower stamen.

Denzel pointed to the golden flower and said to Trin.

"This is the roulette wheel. Once you touch the center of the flower, the petals will start to spin, and it will determine which door will open and how many people can enter."

"Is there a limit to the number of people?"

"Yes, the number ranges from four to forty. The gate can only be open for a maximum of one hundred hours. Once enough people have entered, it will automatically close. Also, it's okay if there are fewer people each time, but you absolutely, absolutely cannot exceed the limit! Some people tried to be clever and squeezed in a few more people before the gate closed, which triggered the punishment mechanism. They didn't check the second gate inside, and they were locked between the two gates for three days and three nights."

"So how do we get out?"

"Just go back the way you came. There's a switch on the inside of the gate; it's easier to get out than to get in."

After standing there for more than ten minutes, it was finally Telin's turn to step forward. The young master casually touched it, and the inner and outer petals began to rotate in opposite directions. Finally, at the moment it stopped, the stamen shot out a beam of light, pointing at two of the petals.

"Northwest Gate, maximum eight people!"

Because the number of people was limited, Trin could not bring everyone with him into the maze. Therefore, the first group to enter consisted of himself, Denzel (who was his guide), and six other skilled individuals, including the old butler. The others stayed outside and continued to queue.

As Denzel explained, after entering each door and passing through two areas, they would encounter forks in the road, with a chance of running into other adventurers. Of course, they could also try standing still and waiting for someone else in the hall to draw their door, but the probability was very low.

The group of eight entered through the gate, and as it slowly closed behind them, darkness enveloped them. Terin was somewhat surprised to find that the light from their lanterns seemed to be suppressed by some force, rapidly decreasing to the point where they could barely see the lantern bearers, until the second gate opened and the light returned to normal.

Trilling took a deep breath and stepped into the first area.

Unexpectedly, on the other side of the main entrance was a straight corridor, with a chandelier spaced far apart, using light to divide the darkness. On either side of each light source was a closed door, the silence conveying an unsettling sense of eeriness.

"If we're just coming in to take a look, can we just walk right through?"

"It's probably not that simple. This is my first time entering the northwest gate, but I've learned about this area from other adventurers. The door at the end of the corridor requires three keys to open, and those keys are in the rooms on either side, supposedly in random locations. Also, be careful of the dark areas in the corridor; there are usually non-lethal traps there."

Led by Denzel, the group cautiously made their way forward. They soon discovered that all the dark areas unlit by any light source, just like the area between the two doors, suppressed their own lighting tools, affecting both lanterns and torches as well as the magician's lighting spells.

Denzel, who was walking at the front, was like a blind man, using his scabbard to probe the way. He actually found a deep ditch, about two meters wide, with a chilling aura emanating from it, and you could hear the splashing of anything thrown in.

It looked like a simple trap, and one of the companions made a move to jump over it, but Denzel quickly grabbed him.

Under the puzzled gaze of the other party, Denzel took out a bag of dust and blew it towards the top of the pit. With the help of the dim light, Trinn noticed that the dust was sticking to a translucent beam.

Trilling immediately realized that if Denzel hadn't stopped him, his men would have jumped and hit the transparent beam in the face, then fallen into the icy water below the pit.

"There are many more similar traps ahead. You're likely to run into one wherever there's a pit. We're still in the first two areas, and most of the traps and mechanisms here aren't fatal. But later on, the pits won't just contain ice water."

End of this chapter

With the relatively experienced Denzel leading the way, Trin and his group passed through the first two areas without any major incidents. They also witnessed the various traps and mechanisms within the maze, leaving the young master, who was experiencing an adventure for the first time, in awe.

Everyone could clearly sense that the designers of these traps did not intend to kill these adventurers who had entered the labyrinth, but rather to torment them in various ways, causing them both physical and mental suffering.

Denzel's calm and collected response made the others look at this young adventurer, who was not particularly strong, with new respect. His skillful handling of various traps was so adept that it was heartbreaking.

After about four hours, the group of eight finally passed through the first two areas and came to a fork in the road. There were three paths to choose from, but after checking the map, Terlin discovered that this place did not match the large map behind the monument. There was an extra path.

Denzel remained calm about this. As an adventurer who had entered and exited the labyrinth many times, he had long realized that the large map at the entrance was actually part of the deception. It was incomplete compared to the actual structure inside the labyrinth. In addition, when exchanging information, everyone also discovered that the structure of each area of ​​the labyrinth seemed to change every once in a while. Some traps that had been solved would be reset or even optimized and upgraded.

Therefore, many adventurers suspect that there may be one or even many managers in the labyrinth, and these demons' accomplices are hiding in the shadows, watching the adventurers' reactions when faced with various traps, and they might even be laughing to themselves!

Of course! So far, the existence of the dungeon manager is only speculation among some adventurers; no one has actually encountered one in the dungeon.

Standing at the fork in the road, Denzel suggested that they rest for a while. It had taken them nearly four hours to cross the previous two areas, which was already quite a fast pace. Although no one in the team was injured, all the members except for the unassuming old man were showing signs of fatigue.

Based on Denzel's accumulated experience or lessons, it's best to stay put and recover on the spot in such situations, at least restoring physical and mental strength to about 70-80% of its peak condition before continuing to the next area.

Because it's only from the third area onwards that the labyrinth truly begins to get serious with the adventurers!

“Young Master Terlin, if you only came in to take a look around, I suggest we return the way we came after passing through the area ahead.”

"Can't we get to the watchdog?"

"It will take at least a day and a half to get from the maze to Brother Dog's door, and we'll inevitably have to spend the night in the maze. It's not that I don't trust your and your men's abilities, but it's always better to be safe than sorry!"

Two years of adventure had taught Denzel, the youngest son of a lower-class noble family, the ways of the lower and middle classes. Instead of bluntly stopping Trin from his reckless advance, he tactfully advised Trin to be cautious.

Therefore, after pondering for a moment, Terlin nodded to him.

"Then I'll do as you say."

The group rested at the crossroads for over half an hour, replenishing their food and water supplies. Trin was surprised to find that the so-called "maze special packages" they had previously ordered from the temple were surprisingly effective.

Especially the potion called "Blood Bull," one sip and you instantly feel a surge of energy, with most of your fatigue disappearing in an instant. Moreover, unlike ordinary magic potions, its effects don't come with any noticeable side effects.

"This stuff is good; we can buy more to take back to Yanmu City."

After resting, the group set off again.

Unable to discern the differences between the three forks in the road, Denzel pulled out a ten-sided die and gave it the choice. One, two, three—left; two, four, six—right; seven, eight, nine—middle; and a ten-sided die was produced.

The choice of which dice was chosen was quite intriguing.

Three consecutive "ten"s, symbolizing a major defeat!

"Hey! Is there something wrong with these dice?"

"No, it shouldn't be! Could this be a revelation from the goddess of fate, Perne?"

The unusual reaction of the dice gave Denzel a bad feeling. He wanted to persuade Trillin to turn back immediately, but before he could speak, Trillin pointed to the middle of the road and said nonchalantly.

"Let's go down the middle, let's go!"