Chapter 4: Several Theories

Generally speaking, items that are locked tend to be of considerable value. At the time, I had several basic theories, which I will outline here to aid in understanding later on.

The first possibility is that the owner of the Jade Casket never intended for anyone to open it a hundred years later, hence the nine silver ring locks. The Nine Rings are locked tightly inside the casket, forming a deadlock.

However, there’s a glaring flaw in this line of thinking. If the item is truly so precious that no one should touch it, why didn’t the owner of the Jade Casket simply destroy it immediately? Why go through the trouble of sealing it in a fragile jade box? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?

The second possibility is that the owner of the Jade Casket hoped someone would discover and open it a hundred years later, but not just anyone could see what was inside. Only someone who could solve the Nine Rings puzzle could retrieve the contents.

Yet, this presents a new paradox. Why choose jade, a fragile material, as the vessel for such a treasure? Aren’t they afraid some brute might get frustrated and smash the box when they can’t open it?

If I had a world-shattering secret meant for only one person to discover, I would certainly choose a sturdier material, at least something that wouldn’t shatter if dropped.

After much thought, these were the only two possibilities I could come up with.

I ran my fingers over the bottom of the Jade Casket, focusing on the groove below. I began to speculate about the purpose of the pale yellow liquid at the bottom. In ancient times, crafting such exquisite jade pieces was time-consuming and labor-intensive. Craftsmen wouldn’t have the leisure to carve such a groove out of boredom.

So the groove must serve a purpose. I don’t think it’s merely for aesthetics. I’ve seen ground gold powder before, and the golden sediment in this pale yellow liquid seems more like an extracted metallic substance.

I tapped my temple with a pen, feeling my brain overheating from overthinking.

Wait, metallic substance?

If the original owner of the Jade Casket dared to use such a fragile material as jade for the vessel, they must have absolute confidence that no one would dare to smash it. So why were they so certain that people hundreds of years later, upon obtaining the casket, wouldn’t dismantle it violently?

I recalled a case. When looking at ancient tomb construction diagrams collected by my grandfather, some tomb owners, to prevent tomb raiders from violently dismantling their tombs, would pour a layer of kerosene into the outermost tomb walls.

The craftsmen would carve deep grooves into the tomb walls and then press highly reactive metals into Fire Pearls to store in the oil. The air inside the tomb was thin, and if the tomb was breached, outside air would rush in, causing the reactive metal to spontaneously combust and explode, potentially scalding anyone nearby.

This is the most basic mechanism. I looked at the Jade Casket again, wondering if it contained something like kerosene. It’s not impossible. If the owner of the Jade Casket was ruthless enough, they could have set up such a mechanism to destroy the casket and prevent anyone from seeing its contents.

I decided not to speculate blindly. Regardless, the casket couldn’t be opened by force. I opened the flat metal box beside me, neatly arranged with rows of tools: wires arranged from thin to thick, wires bent into special shapes, small pliers, and screwdrivers much smaller than the standard size.

These were special tools I had summarized and compiled over the years based on the mechanism locks I encountered. There wasn’t a small mechanism in the world that these tools couldn’t open.

I inserted the thinnest wire into the lock hole at the top while pressing my ear to the casket to listen for any sounds. The wire encountered something about a centimeter in, so I gently nudged it and closed my eyes to listen to the internal sounds of the lock.

After just half a minute, my heart sank.

I realized that in my decade of research, I had never heard such a mechanism sound, nor could I recall any similar sound from memory. I might need to ask Fourth Brother if he recognized this casket.

Without delay, I stood up from my chair, took the Jade Casket, and left the room. Downstairs, only Tian Yuqing and Yu Jingzi were chatting over tea. The fat guy was nowhere to be seen, and Fourth Brother was still at the main seat, pouring tea over his tea pet.

I clutched the Jade Casket and descended the stairs, motioning to Fourth Brother from behind the screen. He put down his tea, and I pulled him behind the screen, taking out the casket from behind my back.

“What era is this casket from?” I asked.

Fourth Brother froze the moment he saw the casket. He was genuinely stunned, and his pupils dilated several times. He snatched the Jade Casket from my hand, examining it with trembling hands.

His reaction puzzled me even more. I thought, hasn’t my grandfather shown you countless treasures, far more valuable than this? And yet, this broken box has you so entranced?

Fourth Brother grabbed me, his voice unexpectedly low: “Where did you get this?”

I was perplexed. Didn’t he know there was such a casket in the cabinet?

I pointed upstairs, but before I could speak, someone nudged me aside like a chick. I stumbled, watching as Rogue Tan, reeking of smoke, walked past me. He glanced at me, saying, “Kid, step aside. Let your uncle take a look at this.”

Damn, I’m only about ten years younger than him. Who’s he trying to impress with that act?

Rogue Tan squinted at the casket, then widened his eyes to confirm the imprint at the bottom, cursing, “Damn, this is the real key. How the hell did this end up here?”

I realized I might have caused a problem. What legitimate item could possibly concern the leaders of the Geomancers from the southwest, central, and northern regions? If I had known this was the key they were talking about, I wouldn’t have gone downstairs to ask Fourth Brother, even if it killed me.

Fourth Brother looked at me deeply, his gaze unsettling. At the time, I was too inexperienced, both in thought and strategy, so I assumed he was silently cursing me. It wasn’t until years later that I understood that his gaze was filled with a pity that seemed to foresee all the hardships I would face in the future.

Rogue Tan seemed quite adept at appraising antiques. He took the Jade Casket from Fourth Brother’s hands, pulled out a magnifying glass from who knows where, and walked briskly to the light to examine it. Downstairs, Tian Yuqing and Yu Jingzi also put down their tea, their expressions turning grim.

Fourth Brother tugged at me and asked in a low voice, “Where did you get this?”

I felt wronged and quickly explained, “In my room, there’s a locked mahogany cabinet. When I opened it, this was inside. I couldn’t unlock it, so I wanted to ask if my grandfather collected it.”

Fourth Brother waved his hand, took a deep breath while looking at the three people in the distance, and whispered in my ear, “You little rascal, you’re really giving me trouble. Don’t say a word later, and no matter what they ask, you must insist you found it.”

“And never mention to anyone that you’ve studied mechanisms.”