211

Mark and Albert were looking for a support point outside the castle to climb to the second-floor window. In the weed-covered courtyard, there were some broken stones and rotten wooden boards scattered around. The air was filled with damp and moldy smells. In the distance, a few crows made hoarse cries, which added a bit of gloom.

Albert used his hands to push away the dense bushes blocking the road, revealing a broken stone staircase covered with moss and extremely slippery.

"It seems that there used to be a road here." He pointed at the stone steps and said with a hint of doubt in his tone.

Mark walked up a few steps along the stone steps and found that the stone steps led to a towering wall covered with thick vines, extending to the vicinity of the second-floor window.

"Maybe we can use these vines." Mark looked up at the window on the second floor, then looked down at the vines wrapped around the wall, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. He reached out and grabbed a vine and pulled it hard. The vine was tough enough to bear the weight of an adult.

"I'll go up and take a look first." Mark said, taking a deep breath, using his hands and feet to start climbing the vines. He moved quickly, like a nimble ape, climbing quickly among the vines, and soon reached the window on the second floor.

He carefully pushed open the window, looked into the room, and after confirming that it was safe, he turned over and entered the castle. Albert watched Mark climb up from below, and he couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Be careful!" He shouted in a raised voice, with a hint of concern in his tone. The surrounding trees swayed gently in the breeze, the leaves rustled, and the cries of crows in the distance made the whole environment look more eerie.

After Mark entered the castle, he found that it was a spacious hall. In the center of the hall stood a huge round table, with some strange patterns carved on the surface of the round table, which looked particularly mysterious in the dim light. There were some shabby chairs scattered around the round table, covered with a thick layer of dust, and it seemed that no one had used it for a long time. There are some ancient portraits hanging on the walls of the hall. The characters in the portraits are dressed gorgeously, but their faces are blurred, as if they are shrouded in a layer of fog, making it difficult to see clearly. The hall is dimly lit, and the air is filled with a smell of dust, mixed with a faint smell of mold, which makes people feel a little breathless.

"Albert, come up, it's safe here." Mark leaned out and shouted to Albert below.

Albert felt relieved when he heard Mark's voice. He grabbed the vines and began to climb up. Although his movements were not as agile as Mark's, he was also very steady. Soon, he also climbed to the second floor and turned over to enter the hall. "What is this place?" Albert looked around with a hint of curiosity in his tone.

He gently brushed the dust off the chair with his hand, revealing a dark red wood texture that looked very old. Mark walked to a portrait and carefully observed the characters in the portrait.

"I don't know, but it feels like... a family gathering place." He reached out and touched the surface of the portrait, and a cold touch came from his fingertips.

"Let's look around, maybe we can find some clues." Albert walked to the round table and picked up a wine glass that was upside down on the table. The wine glass was covered with thick dust. He blew gently, and the dust flew up, like a flying firefly in the dim light.

The two of them searched in the hall separately. Mark walked to one side of the hall and found a closed wooden door there. He reached out and pushed it, but the door did not move at all, as if it was locked from the inside.

"Albert, come and see, this door can't be opened." He turned and shouted to Albert.

Albert put down the wine glass in his hand, walked to Mark's side, and carefully observed the door lock. There was a key in the keyhole. The material of the key looked like some kind of metal, and the surface was covered with rust. In the dim light, it reflected a faint light.

"There is a key in the keyhole." He said softly, and reached out to pull out the key. The key was cold and heavy, and seemed to be very old. He inserted the key into the lock and turned it gently. With a light "click", the door unlocked.

Albert pushed the door open and the two entered the room carefully. The room was simply furnished with only a bed, a table and a cabinet.

In the center of the room, there was a huge magic circle. The lines of the magic circle were complex and mysterious, emitting a faint fluorescence. In the center of the magic circle, there was a gem that flashed with a strange light. The shape of the gem was irregular and the size was like a pigeon egg. It emitted a dazzling light and illuminated the entire room.

Mark and Albert recognized at a glance that this gem was one of the fragments of the holy stone they had been looking for.

"Found it!" Mark shouted excitedly, reaching for the gem.

Albert grabbed him, "Be careful!" Albert frowned and looked around every corner of the room vigilantly.

"Don't worry, this fragment appeared too suddenly, and I always feel something is wrong." He said in a low voice, with a hint of uneasiness in his eyes.

Mark retracted his hand and began to look at the room carefully. In the dim light, the furnishings in the room looked particularly gloomy. There was a thick layer of dust on the table, and the bedding on the bed had long been rotten. The whole room was filled with an old and corrupt smell. There was a faded portrait hanging on the wall. The figure in the portrait was blurry, and only a person in a robe could be vaguely identified.

"This place... It feels like no one has been here for a long time." Mark whispered, rubbing the goose bumps on his arms. Although the hall was also covered with dust, at least there was some air circulation, but this room was like a closed tomb, suffocating.