Because he could only stay for twenty minutes this time, Shad had to avoid topics that would drive Mr. Riddle crazy as much as possible and patiently inquire about what was happening here.
When the man with the scruffy beard heard that Xia De wanted to know about this room, he lowered his voice and looked at Xia De with his swollen bloodshot eyes and a miserable smile:
"There is no exit from the Dreadfort. We can only enter but not leave. But there are a few who can help us escape in other ways. Sir, look at this!"
He pointed to the square table in the middle of the room. The oil lamp could only illuminate half of the table:
“This looks like a table…”
"What is it actually?"
"It's actually a table! But don't be disappointed, this table is what the witches call a relic! This table can be used to call upon the gods! I have studied it thoroughly. If we use this table sealed here and win over the gods in a gambling game, we can make a wish to Him, and then we can get out!"
"Summon the relics of the gods? Beat the gods in gambling?"
Although he believed in the judgment made by the woman's voice beside him, Shade subconsciously took a step away from Mr. Riddle:
"By the way, how did you end up eating here?"
He asked inconspicuously:
"I'm a little hungry. Do you have any food that humans can eat?"
"This is easy. In my previous adventure, I obtained a relic that can transform any ordinary item into food."
Without any suspicion, Mr. Riddle took out a palm-sized, flat hexagonal bronze metal box from under his robe and handed it to Shad.
Xia De hesitated for a moment before taking it and confirming that it was indeed a relic. The lid of the box could be removed, revealing some small biscuits inside.
"This can transform any ordinary item into food, but it doesn't taste good, and it will make people have an appetite for the item before transformation. I usually use the stones and dust here, but I have tried it, and even feces can be transformed."
Mr. Riddle said that Shad thought he had heard about it from Father Augustus and had lost all interest in the cookies.
He was very interested in the experience of the "prophet" obtaining this relic. Considering that he was just an ordinary person, Mr. Riddle was definitely the most admirable ordinary person he had ever met. But that memory was also vague. Mr. Riddle could only say that it was an adventure a long time ago, but he could not remember the specific details.
After returning the relic to Mr. Riddle, the scruffy-looking middle-aged man smiled happily:
"It's just that it's a little more difficult to get drinking water. Fortunately, it's very humid here. With simple folk methods, we can create some dew when the temperature changes greatly every day. Are you thirsty? I have some left."
"No, no, I'm still a little wet. I'm actually..."
He wanted to make up his identity, but Mr. Riddle shook his head:
"You don't have to tell me, as long as you are human and want to go out."
"Yes, I want to go out too."
Xia De said, taking out a wooden tube filled with water from his pocket and handing it to the other party:
"Do you need water? I have plenty."
Taking the container from Xia De, the middle-aged man hesitated for a moment and licked his cracked lips. He uncorked the bottle and drank all the water. Xia De shook his head with emotion.
"I'm afraid you have to play this bet. I can only help you from the side."
Although he was very interested in this so-called "bet with God", the Father of the Infinite Tree asked for help to Mr. Riddle rather than for Shad to personally participate in the bet.
"Of course, I was the one who found this room. I will not put my hope of escape in the hands of others."
Mr. Riddle finished drinking the water and thanked Shade a little tiredly:
"I'm not even sure if you're just a hallucination when I'm on the verge of a breakdown."
"Just think of me as someone sent by God to help you."
Xia De said casually:
"By the way, Mr. Riddle, which god do you believe in? I didn't hear you clearly when you prayed just now."
"Mr. Tamaki."
The middle-aged man said very seriously, and drew a roughly circular holy emblem on his chest. Shade thought about it, but it seemed that he had never heard of this god:
"Sorry, this is..."
"No need to apologize. This is an ancient god who controls fate and the cycle of life. Many people believe that he is gone, but my companions and I have seen the achievements of this great man in ancient documents. Mr. Huan is the true creator god, an ancient god greater than all known gods."
Judging from his description, this Mr. Huan is most likely the ancient god corresponding to the impermanence of fate.
In this way, in the fifth era when the ancient gods had already gone away, the ancient god of time sent Shade from the sixth era to save the faithful believers of the ancient god of fate. It seems that Shade was really sent by the gods to help this gentleman.
"I have lived in the Dreadfort for a long time, but I still cannot get a glimpse of its secrets. One day not long ago, I finally accepted my fate of death and calmed down to pray to the Lord for the last time. It was as if fate led me to this room and I understood how to use this relic."
"How do you know that?"
Xia De asked curiously, then his eyes widened suddenly, and he suddenly thought of a possibility:
"You couldn't have... heard your own voice deep in your heart, could you?"
He suspected that he had met the first ring wizard in history, but the voice in his ear just now clearly said that the other party was just an ordinary person. Moreover, the ring wizards in the Fifth Epoch should all be women.
"No, no, although I am on the verge of a mental breakdown, it's not that serious yet."
Mr. Riddle shook his head.
"When I walked in, the corpses by the wall were chanting together. You can't imagine how horrible that scene was. They told me about what happened here, and how to use the thing they called the Unknown Relic, the Gambler's Table. Because I understood their different languages, I knew that I could understand all the languages here. I was so scared at the time that I lay on the floor unconscious... I don't know how long it took me to wake up. Sorry, my pocket watch has been broken for a long time."
In fact, even if it is not broken, the pocket watch may not be useful. This place is the same as Hope Town and Thousand Trees Forest, where there is no clear time point. Even with Shade's time perception, he can only know that it is the winter of the Fifth Epoch 1784.
But when Xia De improved his time perception to the point where he could clearly understand the truth about the Sixth Epoch, he was almost able to know the time more specifically in such strange places.
"Sir, I was still hesitating whether I should sit at the gambling table, but I didn't expect you to show up. I think now is the time, it's time to start. Even if I have to gamble with God, I have to face it."
Mr. Riddle nodded seriously to Shade, who also nodded:
"Then let's get started, Mr. Riddle. I will help you until the bet is over."
"That's great. It's better to have someone to talk to than to be alone... whatever you are."
He probably still suspected that Shad was just a hallucination on the verge of insanity.