The Collection of The End

My name is Akatosh,

The Eternal Dusk thing is done.

— 4E, 201, Hearthfire, 21st, 3:28 —

Heijiang, Zakta.

Compared with the mechanical factory-like pattern of the stench tower, the interior of the Zak tower is more like some kind of research and preservation institution. There are many basically unprotected "stands" at the entrance and on the ground floor. Unidentified dwarf mechanical parts.

As the floors rise, stone fences with only formal functions, metal cages that tightly protect the exhibits, and even airtight crystal isolation devices gradually appear outside the booth.

Apart from the spherical guards, the guards along the way were snow elves in dwarf armor. Arthur doubted how they could be guards if they couldn't even open their eyes.

"Due to the age, the protective measures of most of the exhibits have failed, and some are even completely locked and cannot be opened, but fortunately the [Elder Scrolls] you are looking for is not the case." Gelleb said as he led Arthur to the top of the tower .

"Hmm... Although I promised to help you attack [Twilight City] in exchange for the 'Elder Scrolls', is it really appropriate to give it to me in advance?" Aren't you afraid that we will take it and leave? The last sentence Arthur just thought about and didn't say it directly.

"You will understand this question after seeing the 'scroll'." Gelleb's words seemed to bring a little smile.

"Okay." Arthur turned his head to look at Septim and said, after all, he wrote several books about the Elder Scrolls.

"It seems that you haven't read my book seriously," Septim said, casting a glance at him as he would for a lazy apprentice. "Then just wait when the master tries to trick you, boy."

"Pfft." Ella chuckled.

"Perhaps due to some objective reason, we couldn't take it away even if it was given to us in advance." Lydia said after thinking about it.

Or maybe it has something to do with the Twilight Zone, the presence of that city somehow prevents us from taking the Elder Scrolls?

Although Arthur thought so, he didn't continue to analyze and inquire. It was meaningless to do such a thing for something that could be seen immediately.

"Here," said Galeb. "The way to open it is obvious, but it's different every time. You can try it."

The topmost floor of the Zak Tower is a huge circular room with walls completely pierced. On the ground there is an equally huge metal disc carved with many astrological patterns, but it is only a section of the complete sphere that is faintly visible below.

The ceiling of the room is also dwarf metal, but there are dozens of small circular light sources with different directions. If they are imitating the starry sky, then only two or three images are formed, but if they are imitating the "sky" of the black sky, then The similarity is at least 80%.

In the middle of the house, more than a dozen metal cantilevers as thick as ordinary people's arms hang down from the ceiling. Each cantilever has a different posture and position, but a large crystal is inlaid at the end of each of them, and a large piece of crystal is fixed in the crystal. Quite similar exhibits in the exhibition hall.

"Perhaps you have noticed that after a certain crystal is irradiated by the light source on the roof, the cantilever supporting it will hang down close to the ground for people to visit, but at the same time other crystals will rise again. According to records, every time a crystal is allowed here Visitors were limited to three people to avoid conflict," Galeb said.

"So, is that the 'Elder Scrolls'?" Arthur asked, pointing to the huge crystal closest to the ceiling. Although there were several rays of light shining on it, there was no sign of falling at all.

"That's right, if you want it to descend, you must activate the exhibit representing the 'Eight Holy Spirits' at the same time, and then it will descend to a place where you can visit. There is the operation platform over there, you can try it." Gellerb told Ya "The first time I did it, it took about three hours," said Se.

The so-called console is three metal cylinders as thick as buckets.

Each face has a sapphire button, according to the icon next to it, each time one of them is pressed, different parts of the "starry sky" on the ceiling will rotate accordingly, and the affected crystals below it will also rotate. Moving up and down.

"Hmm..." Arthur tentatively pressed the first button.

— 5:11 —

"Daddy—isn't he alright——" Sophie hugged the rabbit and sat on the metal chair for visitors to rest, and shouted to Arthur from a distance, and the weird rabbit hadn't eaten [blood thistle] ], became a little sluggish.

"I've almost found a pattern! I'll be right away!" Arthur responded to the girl while continuing to press the button.

Creak creak——With the sound of metal rubbing, the starry sky on the ceiling began to rotate, several crystals fell, and several crystals rose again, while the giant crystal containing the "Elder Scrolls" remained motionless.

"That's what he said an hour ago." Ella said to Jane Lassey beside her.

"Hmm...it means that Mr. Baron has perseverance?" The dark elf looked at Arthur and responded hesitantly.

"The one with perseverance is the other one." Ella pouted, looking at Lydia standing beside Arthur. Since a very aggressive dwarf machine jumped out of a certain crystal not long ago, this guard He stood behind Arthur with his shield upright and did not leave.

After a few more ups and downs, Arthur's brows became more and more wrinkled. Every time he thought he had mastered their laws, there would always be more strange ups and downs, but there were obvious laws and connections between them. This... …

"Okay, once you try out all the rules, it will be over in one night," Septin, who had been talking to Galeb before, walked to the console silently: "Leave it to me now, after all, you went to find me. It's for that purpose too, isn't it?"

Arthur spread his hands and moved away from the console.

The blue-bearded old mage took out a cube made of a material very similar to dwarf metal from his mage robe, and pressed it next to the console. Arthur thought it was a diamond-shaped groove for decoration.

Steam—crack—squeak—

The console didn't move at all, but the ceiling, which originally needed to be controlled to move, began to rotate by itself, and the crystals also rose and fell in a weird and regular rhythm.

In the end, eight crystals leaning outward hung down from the air, forming a circle in the center of the hall. Afterwards, the huge crystal that had stood still and held its position slowly dropped from the air with its metal cantilever, and approached the ground. slowly open.

"...I understand." Arthur looked at the form of "The Elder Scrolls", shrugged: "It is really impossible to take it away before [Twilight] is done."

It was a giant two-meter-long metal scroll, silver and white all over, shining under the light of the stars. Judging from its size, it could only be taken away by people carrying it on their backs. At present, there are twilight scrolls everywhere. In the case of city spies, this is simply the most obvious target.

"When a mortal reads its content rashly, it is easy to be blinded. It is said that the 'Holy Moth Priests' deliberately cultivated by the Septim Empire can read in some ways, but each priest can only watch a limited number of times," said Galeb. Tilting your head slightly to avoid the reflection of the Elder Scrolls: "As a dragonborn, you should just be unable to read and not get hurt. Others, if they have extraordinary power, can also try."

Extraordinary power? Which do you say? Arthur looked at the companions around him. Except for the newly joined Jane Lasay, probably none of them were real "mortals". Even the rabbit was suspicious.

"What you see when you read a scroll is indeterminate, it can be from the past or the future, it can be valuable or worthless," said Galeb, "however, what I see is the collapse of the 'Twilight Zone' , the 'black sun' goes out, these things didn't exist in the past, so they must come from the future I created."

"'The Elder Scrolls' can be read repeatedly, but as long as you see something from it, the content will be fixed, unless you find another scroll." Septim said: "I have already read this, so there is no need to count it. Me, this time."

What he saw was indeed the ruins in the iceberg...

"Jie Jie—then I'm not welcome—" With a strange voice, a tall and thin man in a lumberjack costume with yellow eyes appeared in front of the ancient scroll, grabbed the handle on the side and pulled it directly. open it.

"Vampire! When did he sneak in!" Arthur drew his sword backhand and was about to rush over.

"Gah!" When everyone reacted in an instant and prepared to launch the first wave of attacks, the intruder suddenly let out a scream, and then golden flames ignited all over his body. In the next moment, he suddenly turned into countless bats He smashed through the wall and escaped from Zaktar in the air, but judging from the remaining dying bats, the vampire lord probably had less than half his life left.

"Is the Elder Scrolls such a dangerous thing? Can you kill readers just by writing?" After recovering from the accident, Lydia first cared about Arthur: "Then Baron, you'd better not read it." .”

"Impossible. The holy moth priests of the Empire's Platinum Tower are blind at most. I have never heard of a priest who died suddenly." Septim shook his head repeatedly.

"If I had to guess, that vampire might have seen the sun at a close distance. Let me try this time." Arthur smiled at Lydia and walked towards the ancient scrolls: "Don't worry, as a 'Dragonborn', there are no pictures or Words can hurt me."

Except for Jane Rasey, everyone seemed more or less relieved, after all, he was a "Dragonborn" who could turn into a dragon.

The scroll itself is not locked. Although the appearance is metal, the part pulled out of it is similar to smooth white leather, with a complicated and weird circular pattern similar to a magic circle drawn on it. The moment Arthur saw it, it was Gradually faded, and at the same time, another picture appeared vividly in front of his eyes.

It was a distant view of an aristocratic mansion. The perspective seemed to be restricted and it was impossible to continue to approach. Through the railings on the wall, one could vaguely see a small garden inside. It had the same appearance as the one I saw in the Master Academy before. "Zera Pesh" is very similar, but a girl in a rather weird dress is resting on a rocking chair by the fountain, while a red something is circling around her.

Although he couldn't understand the meaning of this picture, and couldn't get close to it at all, Arthur somehow wanted to look at it for a while.

In the next moment, his vision went dark, and he fell on his back. Before he passed out, he vaguely heard the exclamation of his companions.

"The Baron has passed out!"

"dad!"

"What's the matter with all these negative states?"

"Vitality is terribly weakened—"

"Why is he still laughing in this state?"