Thor climbed up to the ceiling first, and then reached to pull Loki up as well, who was still muttering complaints: "How was this puzzle designed? Why does it still require the Exhaustion Method? So all he can do is set up some prickly traps?"
"I feel like there are some puzzles we haven't cracked," Thor said, "Our progress might be the slowest right now."
"Impossible, we've found all the clues. I've already deciphered the riddle on the wall. But nothing pointed here."
"But the Exhaustion Method is also a solution," Thor said, "Besides, this place isn't that big. Apart from that dozens of meters long passage, there are only three rooms in total, and searching them all won't take long."
"I'm just not convinced," Loki said, "because the clues weren't clear, we could only use the Exhaustion Method. That slowed us down, and if we have a race afterwards..."
"Do you think this will be a race?" Thor said, "I think just the opposite. Going slow might not be without its benefits."
"Then tell me what benefits there could be," Loki's tone still carried resentment, "If the opponents were all like Batman, I'd understand. But if there are a few idiots and we end up behind them, I really have to ask the puzzle designer what they were thinking..."
"Alright, alright, Loki." Thor had to calm him down, "We don't need to compete for everything. At least the two of us have made it here without getting too hurt, haven't we?"
Loki opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it, as Thor looked at him with some concern. Loki's face appeared a bit pale in the torchlight. "I think the pain might have affected my judgment. I'm always anxious and can't calm down to think. That might be the reason we're falling behind."
Thor stopped, turned around and embraced Loki, stroking his hair, then said, "Asgardians never think that the sacrifices in a failed war are insignificant. On the contrary, the fact their sacrifice didn't lead to success is the fault of those who survive. We have to make up for it in the next battle. And those who lie beneath the ground have done all they could. I feel grateful, Loki."
Loki gently pushed him with his hand: "I'm not dead yet."
"Then let's keep moving forward. The Father of All Gods bless us."
"See, I told you reading more is useful." Harley climbed up to the ceiling and said.
"Indeed," Pamela followed closely behind, "I would never have thought 'fonts' have the meaning of 'sources.' I'd just think the problem might lie in the way those words are written. If that were the case, it'd be a dead-end."
"Maybe there will be some puzzles related to biology and plants later," Harley said, "At that time, we'll have to rely on you. I know nothing about that."
"The fact that you know Old English already amazes me," Pamela held up the torch and looked back at her, "How did you know?"
"It's not a matter of Old English," Harley said, "It's actually a religious term. If you've participated in a baptism, you'd know when taking Holy Water, the Father recites a whole set of words. It uses this word to refer to the source of Holy Water. It sounds like the Holy Water Pool, but the hidden meaning is 'the Lord's Gift.' And that is seen as the source of all love and kindness."
"I never understand these things, after all, I believe in the All Things Green. And the All Things Green religion is a ramshackle setup. We don't even have a Bible, can't even spread the teachings."
"I can help you write one," Harley suggested, "But traditional religions close to animals and plants are usually Pantheons. Organizing a One God Religion might be a bit difficult."
"Better not." Pamela shook her head saying, "I'm worried it might actually attract those plant conservationists. By then, all of All Things Green might be scorned as cruel plant destroyers."
Harley laughed. They didn't forget to search the room while they talked. But the room was very spacious, apart from the hole they came up from, there was practically nothing, not even doors or windows.
"Strange, how are we supposed to get out? Could this be another puzzle?" Harley raised her eyebrows a bit cautiously, "Are we gonna have to race against time again?"
"Relax. Maybe it's time given to the players to rest. Don't look at us solving the previous puzzle so easily, that was just a lucky break. If we followed the regular procedure, we'd be exhausted. Without some rest, we wouldn't be able to continue to the next step."
"You're always so optimistic," Harley looked at Pamela and said, "Sometimes I really envy you."
"I don't know what you're anxious about," Pamela said, "You clearly have strong talents and brains. Yet it seems like you're always ready to face crises far beyond your ability. Is it childhood trauma?"
Harley actually thought seriously for a moment, then said, "Maybe. Because I'm always doing things like this, it's become my habit. Sometimes I can't tell if I am too weak or if the world is too dangerous. As if without superpower to control the world, I'd never survive."
Pamela walked over and looped her arm around Harley's, then said, "Maybe you just don't believe anyone would protect you."
"I've never trusted the power of the collective," Harley shrugged and said, "All that talk about trust and love is only for people like you guys with powerful superpowers. If I'm facing the world with just my brain and physical strength, it's normal that I'm a bit anxious."
"Only what you possess can protect you," Pamela said, "I agree with that. But you underestimate yourself. Your brain might not be weaker than superpowers."
Harley laughed: "You're just saying that to comfort me. If you ever lose your superpowers and can't save yourself or your plants, you'll definitely come cry to me."
"Even if I cry, I wouldn't come to you," Pamela replied, "You're much younger than me. I'd rather find an older sister who's more mature."
"Then you can't blame me for always acting pessimistic in front of you. Since you're older than me, I'm subconsciously relying on you. You should be more tolerant of me."
These self-righteous words seemed to make Pamela's brain freeze. Harley grinned triumphantly, like a cat that had caught a fish.
"I think I have some ideas now," Batman suddenly said, "Why is it so dark here?"
"But where we came from wasn't bright either," Superman said, looking at Batman with some confusion, "None of the checkpoints were bright; it's so dark that I thought I had night blindness."
"No, think carefully, Clark. All places with important clues were lit, like the foot of the bed and words on the wall. The light itself is a kind of hint."
"You mean the clue isn't really in this room?"
Batman was a bit helpless: "I mean, right now, we are the ones holding the torches."
Superman blinked and looked down at himself: "You're saying the illuminated places have clues. And now the whole room is dark, with only us being illuminated, meaning the clues are on us? But I don't have any clues?"
"Observe, not just look," Batman emphasized again, "Think, not just ask. Clark, what do we have on us?"
"I consider my limbs to be intact," Superman said, somewhat unsure, "Though not as strong as outside, the parts are still complete."
"I can also confirm you don't have any weird tentacles," Batman followed his words, "But we have water on us."
Superman suddenly realized and looked down at himself; Batman was correct. They had just been soaking in water, so of course, they were covered in water now.
"Is water the clue?" Superman began to think hard. He examined the room again, and suddenly an idea struck him: "Oh, wait. This room couldn't contain that much water."
Even if he didn't understand measuring volume or things like water pressure and water force, from just holding a torch and looking around, this room didn't seem big, only slightly larger than the two rooms below. Even if this room was filled with water, it wouldn't be enough to flood the two rooms below plus such a long passageway.
But this room is also sealed, with no doors or drainage outlets, which clearly isn't normal.
Even if this time it was Superman himself who figured it out, he was still very impressed with Batman. Or rather, because he himself deduced it, he enjoyed the pleasure of reasoning. This kind of brain and wisdom-solving puzzle behavior excites people.
"Correct, Clark," Batman affirmed Superman's conjecture, "It's not hard to see that a huge contradiction exists in this room. That is, the water in a sealed space can't fill the space below."
"Where did the excess water come from?" Superman looked around. His mind stalled again, as they had just examined carefully, there were indeed no drainage outlets or mechanisms.
"When you get stuck, you should change your perspective," Batman said, "Perhaps the solution is right in the puzzle."
Superman still didn't understand, and Batman seemed to think the intellectual enlightenment was enough for now. He looked down at the big hole in the floor and said: "We did hear the sound of the ceiling violently breaking. That didn't sound like a controlled mechanism, but something purely smashed. Water itself is soft and rigid, but in a static state, it doesn't have the force to break the ceiling. Something must have given the water immense power to create such an effect."
Superman suddenly understood.
Charles and Erik looked up at the top of the big hole together. Erik said: "If it's not some high-tech invisible water cannon, then there must be a hidden passage above. By continuously applying pressure to the water inside and then releasing it in an instant, it could achieve the effect of smashing the ceiling. And we've only neglected to inspect above."
"The question now is, how do we inspect up there?" Charles also looked up at the ceiling, despite the complete darkness making nothing visible, he still held the torch high, hoping to find some spider silk clues.
Erik glanced at the crowbar in his hand, then at the ladder beside him. If there weren't a hole in the ground, a ladder could be directly used to check up there. But now, with the hole in the center of the ground, the remaining edges aren't enough to place a ladder, and even if placed, it can't reach the middle. So the ladder must be used for something else.
But if it's meant to help climb up from below, the ladder should be placed below. But actually, the ladder is the only tool in the upstairs room, meaning the first person up can't use the ladder, and has to come up with another way.
This idea isn't hard to come by, given the water has already collapsed the walls, leaving many scattered wall bricks. The ceiling isn't very high either, stacking some bricks for stepping will do. Providing a ladder is only redundant unless it can serve some other purpose.
"I've got it," Erik said. He waved his hand to signal Charles to step back, then picked up the crowbar and threw it upwards.