Chapter 320: The Mechanism of the Heroic Tower
Yuliya dispatched the monster and picked up the blue crystal that had fallen from it.
These crystals were essentially the energy of the Golden City, and the Heroic Tower was a creation of the Golden City.
She pressed the crystal against the exterior of the Heroic Tower again.
This time, the crystal effortlessly melted in, absorbed by the tower.
As expected, it worked!
A delighted expression spread across Yuliya’s face.
She suddenly turned to the three adventurers nearby, who looked as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Seeing their odd expressions, Yuliya tilted her head in confusion.
But then it hit her—they were probably spooked by her actions.
Hehe, now you understand the majesty of this princess, right?
“Come here, you three.”
“Uh? Y-Yes!”
The three approached cautiously, looking like they were walking on eggshells.
“Your Highness… what are your orders?”
“Oh, don’t be so tense! Just relax,” Yuliya said with a cheerful smile.
“N-Not tense at all.”
“Good! I called you over because I need something from you.”
“W-What is it?”
Yuliya looked them up and down. “This thing is round.”
“Uh… round? And then?”
“It’s very important to you.”
The three adventurers collectively gasped.
What does that mean? If it’s so important, why not just keep it?
“Your Highness… I’m not quite sure what you’re asking for.”
“Still unclear?” Yuliya frowned, her annoyance creeping in. “Without this thing, you might not survive.”
“…”
They exchanged glances.
Wait… is she asking for our heads?
No way! Princess, why are you suddenly turning into a villain?
We might have caused you a bit of trouble, but you’re okay, right? Why are we suddenly facing a d*ath sentence?
“Your Highness… that can’t be the case.”
“Is it that you don’t want to give it?” Yuliya shrugged casually. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”
“Uh?”
That’s it?
The three looked bewildered.
“Seriously, I just want some blue crystals. If you’re not going to give them to me, I guess I’ll just go find some myself.”
“Wait! Your Highness! We’ll give them! Just tell us what you want!”
“Round and important, and without it, you won’t survive… what are you saying?”
Wait! She isn’t wrong; isn’t that what the crystals are?
Crystals are way more important than our lives.
Without them, how can we exchange for points? Skills? Might as well throw in the towel!
“I’ve been talking about this the whole time. Is there a problem?”
“…”
The three were left speechless.
Were our thoughts too complicated? Our princess is still that same princess.
Now she just has one more trait: she can squish me with one hand.
Yuliya watched their expressions shift like the weather and gleefully chuckled.
This little prank brought her joy.
They handed over a few crystals and, following Yuliya’s instructions, pressed them against the outer wall of the Heroic Tower.
One by one, they all melted in.
After about ten, it seemed like there was a saturation point—the crystals couldn’t be absorbed anymore.
Yuliya looked at the Heroic Tower again.
She could clearly see energy flowing within the tower’s outer wall.
However, she still couldn’t figure out how to get inside.
No way in, no matter how hard she tried to think of a way.
Suddenly, Yuliya remembered something.
Clark had mentioned that the main purpose of the Heroic Tower wasn’t testing but accumulating power.
So, could it be that some Heroic Towers are just meant to be inaccessible?
What a wasted effort!
She’d hoped to catch a glimpse of someone or learn some news inside.
Then again, it wasn’t a total waste; at least she had activated the tower.
Plus… maybe she actually grasped some of the mechanisms of the Heroic Tower.
If the original purpose of the tower wasn’t for trials, why did the trial function show up later?
Was it modified by later generations?
Impossible! Who has that kind of ability to modify the advanced technologies of the Golden Kingdom?
Then there’s a hypothesis that sounds absurd but isn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility in the Golden Kingdom.
It’s all the fault of the souls of heroes inside the tower.
Why can’t she get in now?
Could it be that there are no important souls of the Golden Kingdom inside?
Hobert had said the king sent everyone away from the Golden Kingdom before the great war.
“Hehe…”
Yuliya chuckled helplessly.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
Yuliya shook her head. “Nothing, you all go about your business. Don’t mind me; I’ll just look around.”
The three exchanged glances, then bowed together, “Your Highness, we will take our leave for now.”
Once the others departed, Yuliya continued to observe the Heroic Tower for a while longer.
As the energy she had injected gradually dissipated, the tower finally reverted to the state Yuliya had first seen it in.
“The energy’s gone… is it not the right time? So the activation is ineffective.”
Moreover, Yuliya noticed that the energy they had injected kept circulating outside and never properly entered the tower.
This meant the form of energy inside the tower is incompatible with the energy just released—two entirely different types.
What kind of power is the Heroic Tower accumulating?
The more she interacts with the Golden Kingdom and learns, the more mysteries flood Yuliya’s mind.
At first, she just wanted to know “Who am I?”
After getting a bit of understanding, she had to consider her purpose, her actions, her present.
Once she grappled with that, she began to ponder her past and future, time and fate.
“Sigh, let’s just focus on what’s in front of us.”
Yuliya understood well that while it’s important to think, one must not get lost in thought.
Overthinking can easily trip you up.
Right now, her clearest and most concrete goal was simply this—repair the Golden City.
Anything beyond that can wait.
This mission was also aimed at repairing the Golden City; finding this Heroic Tower was merely a coincidence.
“This place—after everything is settled and once I’m done collecting crystals—should be left to sink into the sands forever.”
The less of the Golden Kingdom that shows up, the better.
Yuliya stopped focusing on the buildings and threw her mind entirely into the battle.
The next few days went smoothly; the plan to eliminate the monsters proceeded splendidly.
Monsters began to scatter and flee.
But the very next day, they always returned.
Because this place’s environment had a deadly allure for their kind.
Like a bug zapper, it draws in the mosquitoes, then zap! Game over.
Feels good!
By the seventh day, most of the monsters had been eradicated.
Yuliya decided to retreat the troops, leaving the cleanup work to the adventurers.
Thus, the Golden City returned to its daily routine.
