Hundreds of years ago, the Gnome tribe lived an isolated life in this primeval jungle. They subsisted on hunting and gathering jungle fruits, and perhaps had some knowledge of stone carving.
Until one day, a white sarcophagus descending from the sky brought an evil monster, and simultaneously brought misfortune and destruction to the Gnome tribe. The ignorant Gnomes regarded the sarcophagus as a divine artifact bestowed by the gods, and the Gnome King even enshrined it above his throne.
The monster in the sarcophagus cruelly murdered the Gnome King; skinning and changing skins were the monster's habits, and it thus replaced the Gnome King, taking control of the entire Gnome tribe. The skinning and sacrificial rituals mandated by the monster eventually led to the Gnome tribe's demise, but before that demise arrived, the monster had long since used its skin-changing ability to transform its race and identity. Using its new identity, it spread rumors about the Gnome King's treasure among the invaders, continuously attracting Explorers to this place, then performing cyclical acts of skinning and changing skins, always meeting newcomers with different identities. Hundreds of years passed, and it still survived here, and the mystery of the Gnome King's treasure remained undiscovered.
"Oh, right, I had a brief conversation with this monster just now, and this is what I got from him." Caleb pulled out the glowing blue square gem from his pocket.
Rick's gaze was immediately drawn to the gem.
"I have no clue about this thing; I can only tell that it might be worth a lot of money." He took the gem, pulled out a magnifying glass-like tool from his vest pocket, and, using the light from the torch, brought the gem close to his eyes for a careful examination.
"It has several lines of text carved inside; it doesn't look like any language I know." The gem piqued the Explorer's intense scholarly interest; he held the square gem in his hand, turning it over and over to examine it.
"Could it be related to that sarcophagus?" Caleb remembered seeing a square inlay hole on the surface of the sarcophagus lid just now, and he guessed that this square gem might have fallen out of that recess.
Rick Jones, looking puzzled, held the gem close to the sarcophagus and indeed saw a square recess on the coffin lid. He and Caleb exchanged glances, both seeing the madness of wanting to continue the adventure in each other's eyes. On this point alone, he and his 'colleague' could truly appreciate each other.
Rick stepped forward and placed the square gem in his hand into the recess; it fit perfectly. As the gem embedded in the recess, the white sarcophagus before them also seemed to emit a faint white light, and the sarcophagus lid let out a slight hiss. Rick tried to push the lid and found it felt as light as nothing, easily flipping it open entirely.
The two, curious about the sarcophagus, immediately craned their necks to look, discovering that only a lifelike but strangely terrifying sculpture lay quietly inside the sarcophagus. This was a monster covered in scales, with multiple ugly, tentacled heads, and a pair of crude, rudimentary wings on its back; the overall image of the sculpture conveyed a sense of terrible dread.
— Item discovery in progress...— Discovery failed.
'Uh, a bit awkward...' Rick Jones immediately developed a strong interest in this thing.
"It looks quite old, but I can confirm that it doesn't belong to any sculptural school I know."
Caleb used a kitchen knife to pry the gem back out of the sarcophagus lid, and the sarcophagus lid immediately seemed to lose its energy support, crashing heavily to the ground with a thud.
"It seems this gem contains some strange power."
"I have a hunch that if we can decipher the tiny text inside it, we might discover the principle of this 'power.'"
Rick found his colleague increasingly agreeable; in communication between wise men, one often only needed to say half a sentence for the other to fully understand. He glanced at Caleb and said in an inquiring tone: "If I can take them back to my research institute in Europe and give me a little more time, I might be able to unravel the secrets hidden in this sculpture and gem, as well as the origin of this evil monster."
— You have triggered the hidden side quest [The Secret of the Sculpture]. Do you accept? (This side quest is optional; there is no penalty for abandoning it)
The options for Yes and No immediately popped up, and Caleb chose Yes without any hesitation.
— You have unlocked Explorer Rick Jones's mailbox (you can receive letters from this character in the mailbox on the workbench in the preparation space).
"Excellent, I will write to you with any news as soon as possible," Rick Jones rarely smiled at Caleb. "Now, let's head back to my cabin on the cliff."
...
At dawn, as the sky began to lighten, the two finally returned to the cliff cabin. Caleb helped Rick bury his companion Jimmy, and the hound named 'Big Bob'. Only then did Rick Jones truly accept Caleb as a colleague.
"You say you're a colleague of mine? But I don't recall seeing your name on the Explorer's Association's registration list," Rick Jones turned back into the cabin, asking as he packed his luggage.
The secret of the Gnome King's tomb had been uncovered, and this pristine tropical rainforest no longer held any value for lingering. The memory of his friend's death also made Rick want to escape this place, coupled with his intense research interest in the sculpture, all led him to decide to return to his research institute as soon as possible.
"I'm not a professional Explorer like you; I'm... perhaps more driven by interest."
"Oh~~" Rick Jones looked at Caleb, narrowing his eyes slightly, and let out a meaningful interjection. Judging by his expression, he probably took Caleb for a 'tomb raider' or someone similar, of course, Caleb wouldn't bother to correct him.
"Perhaps I can introduce you at the Explorer's Association; with this additional identity, it will be much more convenient for any expeditions you wish to undertake in the future." This hearty, bearded man seemed intent on grooming Caleb to be the successor to his deceased companion. "After all, with your formidable skills, you are sure to achieve great things on the path of grand exploration."
"In that case, I thank you in advance." Caleb instinctively smelled a reward and agreed without hesitation.
...
After packing up, the two used a compass and the forest map to pinpoint the approximate location of their broken-down vehicle. After walking in that direction for some time, they indeed found a broken-down off-road vehicle parked on a rugged path.
Rick Jones was a jack-of-all-trades; in his own words, "You never know what difficulties you'll encounter on the path of exploration, so learn as many skills as you can; there's no harm in having too many skills."
This guy was a skilled mechanic, and with Caleb's help, he didn't take much effort to get the off-road vehicle's engine running again.
Once the two got into the car, Caleb noticed that the screen in front of him became blurry, a phenomenon that indicated the end of the current scene.
Immediately following, a settlement interface appeared in the blurry screen:
[This game has ended]
[Heart Rate Detection: 60-100, your matching interval for the next game is 10 minutes.]
[Plot Deciphered: 70%]
[Mailbox Unlocked: 'Explorer' Rick Jones.]
[Clearance Evaluation: Fearless.]
[Clearance Reward: None (This game was a novice tutorial mode, with no clearance benefits)]