"Circuitry? Are you implying that this is one giant machine, and these symbols are just meant to help transfer energy?" Jylum asked, his mind operating rapidly as he thought over Minos's theory.
"Yes, yes! Maybe he's onto something! Circuitry, if that's the case, then those buttons are the ways of operating this 'machine.'" Hyth exclaimed excitedly.
"But even so, the problem is still understanding the symbols on the buttons…" Sophia said, causing the room's excited mood to quickly sizzle back down.
"Exactly… How to understand those symbols…" Kendra responded.
"The fact of that matter is that it's impossible." Minos said, pouring cold water onto the heads of everyone in the room.
"That can't be true!?" Sophia cried out, refusing to believe something so disheartening.
"The facts are right in front of you. The reason this 'mystery' has never been solved, is because it isn't a mystery. Without any understanding or clues towards this alien language, we're just bumping around pointlessly, like flies with no vision."
"What are you suggesting? That we just give up?" Nolin said, nearly bursting from his seat.
"Not necessarily, rather we have to start from a completely new direction. Rather than obsessing over these symbols, we should try and understand the root of the Eternal Enigma itself, most fundamentally, where and who it came from." Minos responded.
"While that's a good idea, the fact is no one knows the origin of the Eternal Enigma, otherwise information like that would have long since been known." Hyth sighed.
"Maybe that was the case hundreds of years ago, but technology must have advanced after all these years, and as experts, I imagine you guys know best."
Minos was new to the Nine Continents, but from the few things he saw, he knew it was much more advanced than the Alepohra Continent, so he refused to believe they had nothing that could help with their current problem.
"Hmm, talking about new technology, the Hova Institute that I hail from actually does have a few things that may help." Nolin said, Minos's words sparking a light in him.
"Really? I'm aware that the Hova Institute is one of the leading research centers on the Nine Continents, but this is the Eternal Enigma we're speaking about." Ryft uttered, not quite believing him.
"That's why I only said 'may,' but back to the point, we've recently created a device colloquially called the Element Tracer. We've already used it to successfully detect and trace hundreds of elements within a single clump of dirt."
"The only problem is that the Eternal Enigma is pretty much indestructible, and without a sample piece to test, it's a moot point. Beyond that, the machine can only trace elements we've already trained it with, and I doubt the Eternal Enigma contains anything within the Element Tracer's database…"
"Looks like we're back at square one." Sophia couldn't help but say.
"Maybe not…!" Hyth suddenly exclaimed excitedly.
"What is it?" Kendra asked.
"From what I know, the Star Seeking Sect has recently come up with a telescope capable of magnification up to nearly a million times!"
"If we use it to inspect the Eternal Enigma, maybe we can get some understanding towards its internal structure, taking us one step closer to solving it!" Hyth answered excitedly.
"I can't imagine a device like that is small, and since we can't bring a sample to it, unless we can haul it over here, it's hopeless." Ryft said.
"Maybe not, this is the Eternal Enigma after all, as long as we can convince the Star Seeking Sect that there's hope, they may agree to lend us it." Nolin responded.
"Even if we could, the Star Seeking Sect is an entire continent's distance from us, heading there and back would take months if not years, meaning we'd miss the safe window." Ryft replied.
"That's not a problem. Let's spend this first trip to further our understanding about the Eternal Enigma. Afterwards, we can all go to the Star Seeking Sect and make our point, and if they agree, we can return for our second time." Minos suggested.
"Good idea, I agree." Jylum quickly said.
"Me too." Kendra replied.
"Me as well!" Sophia said.
Like that, the others in the room soon agreed with Minos's plan, the only one who wasn't fully on board being Ryft, who was clearly a pessimist by nature.
But given the majority vote, he could only give in, also agreeing with the new plan at hand.
"Since everyone's agreed, it's a plan!" Hyth said excitedly, feeling himself reinvigorated and filled with hope.
"Well then, let's cheers to it." Minos said with a gentle smile, raising his glass.
"Cheers!" Everyone said, the soft sound of glass clinking signaling the beginning of a new adventure.
…
The next week passed in a flash, and despite everyone wanting to leave early, they still had to wait for the safe window to open.
But fortunately, the time passed in a flash with all their discussions, and before anyone knew it, it was time to go.
"Everyone ready?" Hyth asked, the thick snow covering his large coat.
"We've already gone over this a hundred times, we're ready." Ryft said with some annoyance.
"Then let's head off!"
Like that, the small group began their march, soon leaving behind Grand Alp City as they walked the trail up the mountainside, the snowshoes on their feet helping them from being consumed by the endless snow.
A normal mortal would likely be exhausted after only a few steps, the steep trail capable of quickly sapping even the healthiest person of all their stamina.
But everyone here was a cultivator, so naturally a journey like this was nothing, of course even for them, there was a limit.
Fortunately, that limit wouldn't appear for a long time, so using this chance, they enjoyed the journey, though it was hard to experience the views given how the snow fog made it impossible to see more than a few meters around.
The higher they went, the thicker the fog became, and soon enough they had to tether their bodies together using a rope so as to avoid losing one another.
"Everyone alright?" Hyth asked, just making sure.
After hearing everyone respond, he let out a sigh of relief, focusing back on the path as he kepting marching.
The thick snow-fog made it hard to tell the time, but once night arrived, it became obvious, the darkness quickly overwhelming everything else.
The moonlight that usually blessed the night with some light was incapable of traveling through the thick fog, reducing everything to absolute darkness.
The white world was soon replaced by a black one, the dark so thick that even seeing a few meters ahead became a dream.
At this point, their sense of sight was completely nulled, the blind and sighted becoming equals in this horrifying environment.
The only thing left was the howling sound the unrelenting wind made as it passed over their ears, and the bone-chilling cold that enveloped them.
"Everyone still safe?" Hyth asked again, asking every hour or so just to make sure.
Fortunately, everyone replied, so without any more words, he focused back on walking, the entire group once again reduced to silence.
Minos was also focused on walking, but unlike the other's, his Omniscient Eyes allowed him to witness a world much different to theirs.
While the darkness was still extreme, Minos could still make out quite a bit, his Aptus letting him see everything within a ten meter radius.
Of course just a measly ten meters wasn't much, but it still gave Minos some level of comfort, not completely blinded by the surroundings.
…
The next few weeks passed by quickly, the group only resting once every seven days no matter how exhausted everyone got.
They had a schedule to keep, and if they arrived too late, they would be forced to return with nothing to show for it, so Hyth made sure their traveling wasn't delayed.
By the month's end, even the most determined of them were starting to get irritated by the monotony of it all, not to mention the exhaustion that was slowly building, making the journey more painful with each passing day.
Fortunately, after weeks without a single word, the guards whispered something to Hyth, causing him to quickly perk up with excitement.
"Good news everyone, we've finally made it to the peak, meaning the journey from here on will be much easier!"
"Of course as we head down into the abyss, we'll also start coming into contact with Hell Beasts, not to mention flight is impossible down there due to the special environment, so be extra cautious."
"But there's no need to worry too much, the Hell Beasts only appear near the Hell Point Abyss Range which is still a distance away, as for flight, that's what legs are for."
"Just remember to stay focused, we'll soon reach the Eternal Enigma!"
Hearing Hyth's words, the group was reinvigorated, happy to get the most exhausting part of the journey out of the way.
The trip down would be much faster, and while it also meant they'd soon have to deal with Hell Beasts, that's what they had hired the guards for, so they weren't worried too much.