The wind blew from outside the cave to the inside. As it passed through the water and hit Yan, he felt a serene refreshment.
But he and the others were not in a situation to enjoy the wind. Their eyes were fixed on the spot where Leo had vanished. The square shaped symbol was large enough to hold only about three people.
"Move away from the symbol," Luna ordered immediately, holding her breath. Drops of sweat fell from her forehead to the ground.
Everyone moved away except Yan, who was still staring at it.
"What are you doing? Move away!" Luna noticed Yan and tried to understand what Leo's disciple was doing.
He stood there like a statue.
He must have been in shock from such a bizarre incident, Luna thought when Yan did not respond.
Before her thoughts could wrap up, Yan moved. He looked around the cave. Small grass grew at the corners.
"Yan, what are you..."
Ignoring Luna, Yan plucked the grass. Then he placed it on the symbol.
"Yan, listen..." Luna shouted but swallowed her words halfway as she noticed no reaction from the symbol at all.
"This..." An understanding came to Luna's mind. She turned around and ordered, "Everyone, get any objects. Let's place them on the symbol."
The soldiers and city guards looked at each other and nodded.
They spread out. Some brought rocks, some brought trunks, and some held swords.
Humu brought a boulder large enough to be held by two palms.
Luna noticed the boulder and ordered, "Humu, place the boulder next to the grass."
Humu reached toward the symbol carefully, his legs trembling as he came nearer. He stood at the perimeter of the symbol, threw the boulder, and darted away.
After moving a certain distance away, he stood aside and looked at the symbol.
Even after a minute, nothing happened.
Others stared at it as well.
Then other people came forward and placed other things on it, which included a sword, a hairpin, and a tree trunk.
But nothing happened.
Yan moved to the side and sat on the ground, observing the symbol. Others also sat down and started chatting.
"Bai Chen, what do you think is happening? What could that symbol be about?" Humu glanced at the symbol.
"I don't know, but I heard in Grandma's stories. It's rare, but it's kinda similar to a teleportation portal," Bai Chen said.
"Must be very frightening. What does it actually do?" Humu opened his mouth.
"Mm... They say it will send you to the moon instantly," Bai Chen explained.
"Moon? So the Commander is now on the moon?" Humu's brows rose, but he immediately changed his expression.
"Wait! Do people even live on the moon?" Humu looked at Bai Chen.
Not on NovelPhoenix? Then this is a pirated copy.
"Hmph! What do you know? My grandmother said that my great great grandmother came here from the moon." Bai Chen flicked his hair.
As the people chatted with each other, after about two hours from Leo's disappearance, the symbol shone again. The black light was visible to the naked eye.
Everyone reacted within a moment. They stood up, took steps back, and looked at the symbol.
Before their eyes, the symbol swallowed the things placed on it.
The boulder, the sword, the grass, everything disappeared.
For a moment, no one moved. They stood still.
Then Yan threw a pebble, breaking the silence. The pebble flew through the air and landed on the symbol.
Everyone took a deep breath as they stared at the pebble.
A minute passed, but nothing happened.
Luna noticed the lack of change and ordered, "Get more things and place them on the symbol."
Bai Chen, Humu, and the others moved out, grabbed many things, and placed them on the symbol.
Nothing happened.
Luna looked around and asked, "Does anyone have a sand clock?"
"I have." Bai Chen came forward, took out a sand clock from his pocket, and handed it to Luna.
Then Luna noted the sand particles at that moment. She estimated the sand value when the symbol activated.
The sand in the clock fell from the upper berth to the lower berth in an hour.
One hour passed. She flipped the sand clock.
And when the last sand particles fell from the upper berth to the lower, the symbol shone black again, and the things disappeared.
Luna took a deep breath. She flipped the sand clock and asked, "What should we do next? It seems like it works every two hours?"
Yan replied, "Let's not place anything now, and place it after two and a half hours."
Luna nodded. This time they did not place anything.
Time passed. Some soldiers were yawning, some were looking at the symbol, and some stayed silent.
The sand clock was flipped twice, and the sand in the upper berth was half done.
That was after two and a half hours.
Luna looked at one of the soldiers. "Throw your sword."
The man threw the sword. When it touched the symbol, the people around, who had been glaring at the sword, concentrated on the symbol, but nothing happened.
"Let's reduce the time now," Yan said.
Then they began to reduce the time with the same experiment.
The sand clock was flipped twice, and the sand in the upper berth was more than half of its capacity.
Approximately two hours ten minutes.
Nothing happened.
Two hours and seven minutes.
Nothing happened.
Two hours and two minutes.
The symbol glowed, and the sword disappeared.
Understanding came to the people's minds, and they looked at each other.
"Humu, did you understand?" Bai Chen asked.
"Yes."
Yan looked at the symbol and said, "This time, we will try with animals. Let's place two animals on the symbol for the next activation."
Luna then turned toward the people and shouted, "Everyone, move out and catch animals."
Humu and Bai Chen also moved out of the cave. They were moving together.
"Bai Chen, I saw a tortoise when we entered the cave in the water. I will grab that." Humu landed in the river next to Bai Chen.
"Well, I will grab..." Bai Chen's eyes landed on an animal on the riverbed.
The refreshing rays of the evening sun fell on the waterfall and the river beneath, illuminating a peaceful feeling.
The goat was still standing on the riverbed, chewing grass.
Then it heard the sound of bubbles coming from the river. It stopped chewing and approached the river.
It then looked at the bubbles. Its face was distorted in the water.
Woosh!
The water spilled.
"Caught you!"
Bai Chen jumped out of the river and caught the goat.
"Maa..."
The goat shouted but only once before Bai Chen held it tightly to his waist and brought it into the cave.
When Bai Chen arrived at the cave, Humu and some other people had already come back. Each carried different animals. Some carried lizards, some insects.
Humu brought back a tortoise.
Yan looked over the animals, then pointed at Bai Chen and Humu.
"You two, place your animals on the symbol," Yan said.
Bai Chen bent down and turned to the goat. He took a deep breath.
"Do you realize how important your mission is?"
The goat blinked.
"Maaa."
Bai Chen nodded slowly, as if the answer satisfied him.
"Good."
He patted the goat's head between the ears.
"General Hecta... and Commander Leo..."
He paused, looked at the symbol, and turned back toward the goat.
"Their lives depend on you."
The goat tilted its head.
"Maaa."
From behind them, a voice suddenly shouted.
"Bai Chen!"
Officer Luna stood near the waterfall with her arms crossed.
"What are you doing?" she called.
"Hurry up! The two hour time is almost up!"
Bai Chen straightened immediately.
"Coming, Officer Luna!"
Bai Chen lifted the goat and carried it to the symbol, holding it there. Humu arrived and placed the tortoise next to the goat.
"Move away now!" Luna shouted.
Bai Chen moved away and looked at the goat.
"I trust you."
"You can do it."
Right then, the symbol glowed.
"Maaa."
The goat looked back at him as black light enveloped its body.