Theo and the others quickly climbed to the spring pool with the highest elevation, as it was this one that was marked on the painting by the lock tree.
"Now what?" Kumiko asked as everyone looked around to see what the next step was.
"Maybe the numbers are directions?" Ayia suggested.
Ayia's suggestion resonated with the group. Theo, ever the optimist, felt a surge of renewed hope. "That's it!" he exclaimed, his voice ringing with conviction. "The numbers must be coordinates, or perhaps a sequence of steps leading us to the next clue."
Shizuka, already holding the painting, pointed to a series of small, almost imperceptible marks near the depiction of the spring pool. "These symbols, next to the number incriptions," she noted, "look like directional arrows, and the numbers are placed beside them. It's a puzzle within a puzzle!"
Kumiko, her earlier frustration melting away, eagerly leaned in. "So, we follow the arrows and count our steps!"
