Chapter 32: Golden Chest
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Guan Lan asked, “What else is missing?”
Tang Lin said, “The eagle crown and the gold ring.”
Tan Hua examined the Odin sculpture from all angles but didn’t find any obvious missing pieces like the “gap in the fist.” When he heard Tang Lin mention these two items, he furrowed his brows and said, “The way you put it, there are more missing pieces.”
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention to the Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts’s brains’ designated thinker.
Tan Hua first confirmed the two items mentioned by Tang Lin, saying, “Indeed, in Norse mythology, Odin is often depicted with an eagle crown on his head and a Draupnir Gold Ring on his hand.” Then he shifted the conversation, saying, “But he also wears a golden armor and rides an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir. If we count all these, it’s more than just three items.”
“But in that burned painting, he wasn’t wearing golden armor, and he wasn’t riding a warhorse,” Tang Lin pointed out.
Tan Hua was taken aback, “The burned painting?”
Tang Lin nodded and recollected, “That painting depicted Odin and Freyja inside a temple, and Odin had only these three items on him, while Freyja had a key around her waist. So, I think this should be a hint. When we help Odin retrieve the eagle crown, Gungnir, and the gold ring, we should obtain the key.”
Zheng Luozhu asked, “President Tang, may I ask, who is Freyja?”
Tang Lin replied, “Odin’s wife, the queen of Norse mythology.”
Zheng Luozhu said, “Okay, please continue.”
Tan Hua: “How can you be sure that the hint is definitely in the burned painting?”
Tang Lin surveyed the artworks on both sides and said, “If you think there’s a clue among the remaining items, feel free to discuss it.”
As they conversed, they looked at whoever was speaking, but in their heads, they had already given up on thinking. Being a mental powerhouse also required talent, and considering a painting they hadn’t had time to examine closely, they were more suited to go with the flow and wait for results.
The only one deeply pondering the situation was Tan Hua.
The two remaining oil paintings on the left, one is a blue giant, and the other is a grand war scene, don’t seem to be related to the key. The two sculptures on the right and the golden cabinet also don’t appear to have anything to do with the key for now. If the burned painting’s content matches what Tang Lin said, then it’s indeed the most likely clue.
But the problem is, he can’t determine whether what Tang Lin said is true or false.
Tan Hua’s mouth tightened at the corners, his brows furrowed, and his state of deep contemplation and control over the stationery tree had a strangely similar quality.
Wait…
Could it be related to the use of the stationery tree?
Except for the Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts, everyone else seemed to have the same thought spontaneously. Because everyone was so familiar and sensitive to the use of the stationery tree, familiarity came from having it themselves, and sensitivity came from the fact that when someone did this, nine out of ten times, it was for launching an attack. So when it came to the stationery tree, the challengers had almost a conditioned reflex.
Tang Lin had already realized this back in the previous train car when he saw Tan Hua waiting in the safe zone for his teammates to bring the key. He realized that the other party’s stationery was not combat-oriented. At this moment, he further confirmed that it was related to “memory,” and what was called “thinking” seemed more like “memory retrieval.”
“What do you think? Is he right or not?” The impatient monk urged again, just like when he urged the other side to think about the mystery of the World Tree on the platform.
This time, Tan Hua didn’t retort with “if you can do it, go ahead.” Instead, he looked somewhat apologetic towards his team leader.
Guan Lan had been waiting all this time, and now, as their eyes met, he probably understood. “You don’t remember?”
Tan Hua looked pitifully silent.”
Monk remained silent: “Why is it that we can’t rely on you when it’s a critical moment?”
Tan Hua also felt uneasy: “My Stationery Tree is [Photographic Memory], but you have to let me ‘see’ it. By that time, everyone will be turned into fireballs, who has the time to look at paintings!”
Monk: “…”
Guan Lan, Melancholic center-parted hair, Wheat-skinned young man, Air Sniper: “…”
He Lu, Cui Zhan, Zhou Yunhui: “…”
Sixteen pairs of silent eyes converged on Tang Lin.
Tang Lin replied calmly: “I’ve seen it, and I remember it. Can we start looking for these three things now?”
Whether it was Strawberry Sweet Doughnuts or He Lu, Cui Zhan, Zhou Yunhui, they all showed hesitation.
Only Tang Lin remembered the details of the painting, which meant that no matter what he said, whether it was true or false, others had no way to distinguish.
The air remained quiet for several seconds.
Fan Peiyang, who had been silent all along, spoke with a displeased and emotionless tone, “You either choose to believe him, or you kill the one responsible for destroying the clue to vent your anger.”
Zhou Yunhui felt a tingling sensation on his scalp and clicked his tongue, saying, “Fine, I’ll take the lead in searching, to atone for my actions.”
Due to their mutual lack of trust, the thirteen people did not opt for an efficient split-up approach but gathered together to search through everything in the entire carriage.
On the left side as they entered the door, they found the first oil painting – a sturdy and tall ice-blue giant walking in an icy, snowy world. His muscles were taut, his expression fierce, and he occupied a large portion of the painting, resembling an ice mountain capable of freezing everything.
Below the frame, there was a line of small text: “The blizzard can scatter all falsehoods.”
Based on the fact that the entire carriage seemed to have a Norse mythology theme, Tan Hua could make a basic judgment, “Frost Giant, a type of giant in Norse mythology.”
He Lu asked, “Can you be more specific?”
Tan Hua: “The Giants are the oldest race in Norse mythology. All the gods, including Odin, have their bloodline. However, the Giants are also the eternal enemies of the gods.”
Zhou Yunhui, “The relationships are really complicated.”
Tan Hua, “In the world of gods, you wouldn’t understand.”
Zhou Yunhui：“……”
The second painting differed from the first one. There was no absolute protagonist; instead, it depicted a fierce war. Beneath the oil painting, bodies were strewn across the field, flames raged, and above the corpses and flames, the two opposing forces engaged in a frontal battle. On the left were the armies composed of Giants and monsters, while on the right were the gods wielding weapons and leading their troops. The raging war flames made the sky appear to be burning.
Tan Hua: “This is the most famous event in Norse mythology, ‘Ragnarok,’ the final battle between the Giants and the gods.”
Cui Zhan: “Who won?”
Tan Hua: “It was the battle of the end times. The World Tree that supports the universe collapsed in the flames of war, leading to the destruction of the universe.”
Cui Zhan：“……”
The third painting —— only the frame remained, so it was skipped.
In contrast to the “Frost Giant” sculpture was the World Tree, which was currently the most firmly established piece of knowledge among them.
Facing the burnt frame sculpture was a group of beautiful and slender elves, frolicking around flowers and plants, carefree and joyful. According to the expert, these should be the Light Elves of Norse mythology, born beautiful, loving the light, and fond of tending to flowers and plants.
Between these two sculptures, corresponding to the “Ragnarok” oil painting, was a golden chest. It was about one meter wide, half a person’s height, luxurious and exquisite, with tightly closed cabinet doors.
While the two paintings and two sculptures were easily recognizable, they couldn’t find any clues except for the inscription under the “Frost Giant” painting, which read, “The blizzard can scatter all falsehoods,” and its meaning remained unclear.
It was this chest that, although they couldn’t pinpoint a specific reference, looked like it held treasures.
Thirteen people gathered in front of the cabinet and watched for a while. Cui Zhan couldn’t bear it any longer and slapped the chest door, saying, “Let’s just force it open; maybe all three items are inside.”
Zhou Yunhui sighed, “I truly envy your optimism.”
Before the words had even settled, the golden chest suddenly started to shake. On the chest door that Cui Zhan had just slapped, numerous relief numbers appeared densely…
6180339887
4989_84820
4586834365
6381177203
0917_80576
2862135448
6227052_04
6281890244
9707207204
189391_374
There were ten numbers in each of the ten rows, totaling 100 numbers, but at positions 15, 45, 68, and 97, one digit was missing in each, leaving four square recesses.
As the relief numbers stabilized, another hidden compartment opened on top of the chest, revealing a golden disc containing dozens of gold pieces. Each gold piece had a number engraved on it, ranging from 0 to 9.
“Ding—”
A long-lost notification sound.
Everyone checked: Please select four gold pieces from the disc and place them in the chest door. If the numbers are correct, the chest will open. Four gold pieces count as one attempt, with a total of three chances. If all attempts fail, it’s considered a failure.
Zheng Luozhu swallowed hard and asked, “What will happen if we fail…”
Nan Ge exited the interface and said, “You can use your imagination to the fullest.”
Cui Zhan, surprised that he had stumbled upon a mechanism, raised an eyebrow at the others. “So, what’s the plan?”
Zhou Yunhui: “Hitting something successfully is a mechanism, but if you don’t hit it right, it’s a trap. Can you be more cautious next time before taking action?”
Cui Zhan: “You’re the one who burned the painting, reminding me to be cautious?”
Zhou Yunhui responded, “Precisely because I burned the painting, I have more experience as someone who’s been through it.”
Cui Zhan: “…”
When the two team leaders were arguing, Tang Lin and Tan Hua had already approached the chest, one observing the numbers, and the other counting the gold pieces.
“There are a total of forty gold pieces, from 0 to 9, with four of each number,” Tan Hua placed the gold pieces back on the tray, “which means four digits can repeat, indicating there are ten thousand possible combinations.”
And they only had three chances.
“The key is that these numbers seem meaningless,” Tan Hua crouched down next to Tang Lin, both of them gazing at the chest door, “no sequence, no pattern, it’s completely random.”
“Not necessarily,” Tang Lin raised his hand and touched the first three digits, “6-1-8, what can you think of?”
Tan Hua hesitated, “Shopping festival?”
Tang Lin said, “Gold, 618—golden ratio, 0.618.”
Tan Hua：“……”
Others were curious about one thing: how could Tan Ling explain it to Tan Hua so calmly?
“So, this is the decimal expansion of the golden ratio up to the hundredth digit!” Tan Hua finally grasped the concept and muttered, “The formula for the golden ratio is (√5-1)/2, and the fifteenth digit after the decimal point is…”
Tang Lin furrowed his brow, “It’s complicated, you need to calculate it digit by digit.”
Unexpectedly, Tan Hua jumped up and proudly tapped his forehead, “No need to calculate, it’s all right here. Give me some time…”
“He’s at it again,” Monk and Melancholic center-parted hair next to him muttered, “If no one stops him, he’ll think it’s a Nordic mythology shopping festival.”
Melancholic center-parted hair sighed, “Ah, all the knowledge he’s sharing, it’s not as valuable as a single sentence from someone else.”
Whole Wheat leaned in closer to Guan Lan and made a very sensible suggestion, “Should we bring Tang Lin over?”
Guan Lan hadn’t spoken yet, but Whole Wheat suddenly felt a chill. He looked around, but didn’t see anything unusual, and thought that maybe he was overthinking it.
Fan Peiyang remained calm as he lowered his gaze.
Tan Hua controlled his [Photographic Memory] completely blocking out external distractions. The world became tranquil, leaving only the continuous stream of memories to trace back.
The golden ratio was something he learned while studying, it was too distant in the past, and he had to desperately search back for it. But he was sure that back then, he had memorized not only the first hundred digits after the decimal point of this specific number but also the first hundred digits after the decimal point of pi, as if he had been very interested in such specific numerical values at that time…
Got it!
0.618033……
The fifteenth digit… 4…
The forty-fourth digit… 9…
The sixty-ninth digit… 6…
Tan Hua suddenly opened his eyes, “4961!”
Cui Zhan: “Is it for real? That fast?”
The previous knowledge-sharing might have been considered an accumulation of knowledge, but retrieving the first hundred digits after the decimal point so quickly was undoubtedly the solid expertise of the Stationery Tree.
“Right, we’ll know if it’s correct by trying it.” Tang Lin didn’t waste any time and directly picked out the gold piece with the corresponding numbers on the disc, ready to place it into the recess.
“I’ll do it,” Fan Peiyang leaned over and took the gold piece from Tang Lin’s hand, leaving no room for doubt, “You step back.”
The chest could contain clues, but it could also hold danger.
Tang Lin obediently got up and stepped back to where Zheng Luozhu and Nan Ge were.
Fan Peiyang placed the gold pieces one by one into the recesses.
As the last piece was inserted, the one hundred numeric reliefs on the door simultaneously lit up with a purple glow, resembling an ancient enchantment of some kind.
The chest door slowly swung open, revealing a gold ring and a piece of parchment lying quietly inside.
“Draupnir Gold Ring!” Tan Hua exclaimed excitedly.
Fan Peiyang retrieved both the gold ring and the parchment.
Under the brilliant crystal light, everyone could clearly read the words on the parchment: “When the Fimbulwinter ends, the twilight of the gods will come.”
Zheng Luozhu was about to kneel down, “What is Fimbulwinter?”
Fan Peiyang stood up, “It’s a harbinger of the apocalypse, a continuous and long-lasting winter that precedes the twilight of the gods. Winter follows winter, ice and snow never cease, and there’s continuous warfare and slaughter.”
Zheng Luozhu was astonished, “Boss?”
His boss, who had always focused on finances and combat strength, suddenly activated his knowledge database, which left everyone feeling a bit flustered.
“Don’t worry, he just knows this part,” Tang Lin, who was not used to the knowledge-oriented Fan Peiyang, bluntly exposed, “I was reading that book when he happened to visit me while I was ill.”
Nan Ge asked, “And then you two read it together?”
This is what you call a spirit of learning.
Tang Lin suddenly paused, his expression subtle.
Fan Peiyang confessed on his behalf, “We didn’t read it together; he vividly explained it to me, and I had no choice but to listen.”
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