Arch then rolled down the old scroll slowly. When the old paper was in full view, it was covered in unknown writings. However, Arch didn't mind the text; his entire concentration was placed on the drawing in the middle of the paper, which was surrounded by the script
ARCH: this!.gulp...GURARARARARARARARARARARA....
Arch laughed maniacally after the revelation. Then, in a loud voice, he roared, "GRAMPS! You really went all out!"
Arch placed the old scroll back down on the wooden table. He looked at the seed, picked it up, stared at it, and gave a chuckle. "Gurararara..."
"What do they call it again? Ah... a 'freebie,' is it? Gurarararararararararara!"
System, open the Inventory Tab," Arch commanded.
The System cloned itself (or perhaps projected an interface) again, and an Inventory Tab flew toward Arch. Arch placed the seed onto the tab.
"That's got me excited," Arch muttered to himself. He then picked up the old scroll and also placed it on the Inventory Tab. The seed and the old scroll sank into the tab's interface.
Arch then said, "System, analyze that old scroll for me."
*CREAKKKKK
SYSTEM: AFFIRMATIVE
After Arch stored the seed and the old scroll, he picked up the golden key. He inspected the key closely. On its body, there were no writings, but a symbol was carved: a bird, likely a crane or a heron, with a glowing orb in its chest and spread wings. Surrounding the bird figure was a circle with four sprout-like symbols emanating from it at each cardinal direction.
"This symbol looks familiar," Arch mused.
After thinking about it and failing to recall the source, he simply put the golden key into the Inventory Tab.
ARCH: and ...the golden compass!
He then grabbed the golden compass, hoping to find more clues. The golden compass had a cover, which he opened. Inside, he saw a gold-tipped arrow, which served as the pointer.
Inspecting the round curve of the compass, he saw no symbols for North, East, West, or South. Instead, he found:
1. One Dot: At the top curve, beside it was a Door symbol.
2. Two Dots: On the left curve, beside it was a Fish symbol.
3. Three Dots: On the right curve, beside it was a Volcano symbol.
4. A Single Square: At the bottom curve.
It seemed these dots and the square replaced the cardinal directions on a typical compass.
ARCH: more symbols!...hayystt
Arch then climbed down from the wooden table. He immediately tried to use the golden compass, holding it flat in his hand. He moved in circles around the lobby, but the golden compass pointer didn't budge. It remained locked, persistently pointing toward the One Dot (the Door symbol)..
ARCH; Is this thing broken?
Since the golden compass lacked a glass cover, Arch could easily manipulate the pointer. He manually rotated the golden pointer and carefully aligned it with the Square symbol (The Hub) at the bottom curve.
The moment the pointer settled on the Square symbol, Arch noticed that the pointer began to move on its own, like the hand of a clock. The pointer ticked and moved every second, ticking again and moving, until it completed a full rotation and returned to its default position, pointing stubbornly toward the One Dot (the Door symbol).
ARCH: what....
Arch was dumbfounded by the mechanics of the golden compass. The only thing he was sure of was that the Door symbol beside the One Dot symbolized either the exit out of this underground facility or the entrance to the greater unknown.
Arch took a deep breath, the complex mechanics of the compass momentarily overwhelming him. He closed the golden compass and hung it on his neck.
"I'll think about it tomorrow," he decided. "For now, I really need to get some sleep. I'm feeling drowsy."
Arch didn't hesitate; he immediately asked the System to take out his coffin.
*CREAKKKKK
The System creaked, and the cloned Inventory Tab expanded, taking the form of an old, weathered door. The door creaked opened just like before, revealing the void within. The coffin was then forced out from the void, slamming onto the steel floor. The 'door' then rapidly shrank back to its original size as an Inventory Tab.
The Inventory Tab then retreated back to its main interface body, waiting for Arch's next command.
Arch pushed open the cover of the coffin. He looked around, locating the snake-fox.
When he found Foxxy, the companion was already curled up and sleeping soundly beneath the sturdy wooden table. "Night, night," Arch murmured softly to the snake-fox.
He then settled inside the adult-sized coffin, lay down, and finally drifted off to sleep, ending this chapter.
------ to be continued------