During his exploration of the Queen's Gardens, Simon discovered many interesting locations.
At one point, he left the dense, main area of the Gardens and arrived at a lush, wild expanse, where many Ludos were scattered. These creatures were always bouncing, resembling four-legged furballs with round bodies covered in many orange-red spots that looked like eyeballs, making them quite unsettling. Simon swung his Nail, killing a few. He had seen these creatures before in the Colosseum of Fools, where the Ludos were trained to be stronger, learning how to fight. They wore helmets, revealing two pairs of wicked eyes, looking like alien beings. Simon disliked their appearance.
The Fool Devourers, carnivorous plants ambushing underground, would suddenly burst out. Their two ferocious stem-petals would snap shut, swallowing a unlucky Ludo, and then retreat underground to enjoy their meal.
Venturing deeper into this wilderness, he came to a vast open space. A gigantic insect corpse lay on the ground, its thick, broad body sprawled like a mountain. Its surface was covered in a thick layer of dust, and plants grew in the cracks of its carapace. It wore a huge Mask on its head, with three pairs of eye-holes strikingly similar to the Mask on the Fool King's throne, though its horns were shorter and thicker.
Even in death, its posture was as grand as the solemn and lofty temples.
Whose corpse was this?
There was no answer.
Around it were some carved pillars, resembling totems, whose symbolism was unknown.
The Ludos bounced around the corpse.
A few small birds resting in the clearing flapped their wings and flew off, landing on the horns of the corpse's Mask.
Simon left this place.
Moving forward, he entered a rock cave with an exceptionally complex terrain. In the corners, he often found some shriveled corpses, all of them lost wanderers.
This was already off the map, and Simon could only get lost in earnest.
After much climbing and jumping, he finally exited by squeezing through several small holes in the walls.
The lower level was much wider, overgrown with large plants. In an adjacent space, Simon found a long pillar mottled with moss, carved with abstract forms and inscribed with text.
"Protector of Root and Leaf, we honor you."
A powerful Soul Energy lingered on the pillar. Simon knew this energy must be the remnant dream of Marmu, a very peculiar warrior. His peculiarity wasn't just that he looked like a plump green worm, but also that his attack method involved curling into a ball and bouncing erratically.
Simon did not intend to disturb this warrior's remnant dream. He continued forward, passing through a breach in the wall to reach the Stag Station he had previously been unable to enter. He activated the mechanism, and the hidden door on the passage lifted.
He didn't need to travel long distances yet, so he didn't linger at the Stag Station, continuing to explore the map.
He headed down to the platform below. He had been here before, so he was somewhat familiar with it and could navigate a section without the map. Along the way, he encountered several Traitor Mantises who had not left. Their infection seemed to have worsened; they charged at Simon with all their might upon seeing him, only to fall beneath his Nail.
He continued deeper into the Queen's Gardens, soon arriving at an unexplored area once more.
Finally, he reached the bottom of the Gardens. The map abruptly ended here, showing it as a dead end.
Not far away was an observation deck. Through the glass window, he could see the beautiful scenery outside. There was also a bench coin-operated machine on the ground. Simon pulled some geo from his pouch and fed it into the coin slot until the indicator light came on. The machine retracted underground, and then a foldable, metal, carved bench extended, opened, and settled into place. A speaker also extended from the ceiling, playing soft music.
This was the first time Simon had heard music since arriving here.
He sat on the bench, looking out at the verdant world outside. The acid lake was clear and emerald green; ignoring its smell and lethality, it was quite beautiful. Above the lake, several leisurely dragonfly-like creatures flew back and forth, their long tails gently swaying like ribbons, their movements calm and graceful.
Simon remembered their name, Arubas, a name with ambiguous connotations for him.
After enjoying the moment, Simon rose and continued his journey.
Simon searched everywhere in this area, constantly striking the ground with his Nail, listening carefully to the echoes, step by step, without slacking.
At one point, he finally heard a suspicious echo. He swung his Nail, breaking through the ground, and fell into a pit.
The surrounding light suddenly dimmed. Simon had arrived in an unusually dark area. It seemed the White Lady's root system had not extended here. Had she overlooked it? Or was there an aura here she was unwilling to approach?
Perhaps the latter was more likely, as this area was already very close to Deepnest.
The platforms here were fragmented, with numerous breaks, pits, and cliffs, and overgrown with thorny brambles, leaving few stable footholds.
Simon floated, pulling out his lantern for illumination.
In the darkness, the faint clicking sound of carapaces rubbing echoed from the depths.
Reaching the bottom of this pit, there was another opening. Simon leaned over and peered down. Inside were many abandoned wooden architectural structures, with long chains stretching in all directions. This was already near his destination.
Upon entering, the environment changed. Plants disappeared here, replaced by exposed rock formations shaped like various insect eggs.
Dark, cold, and damp.
The rustling sounds intensified. Simon moved quietly, then suddenly heard a strange cry, like a squeaky rubber duck, coming from the darkness impenetrable by light.
A bizarre and terrifying creature flew over.
This was a small Weaver.
Its bone-white spherical head occupied most of its body, with a slit in the middle symmetrically dividing three pairs of orange-red eyes, making it look exceptionally evil.
It moved towards Simon as if dancing on invisible threads, its three pairs of slender legs scuttling rapidly.
Simon unleashed a sword flash, splitting the small Weaver in half along the slit on its head. Blood splattered onto the abyss-like ground, as if swallowed by some monster, silently.
Looking around, he noticed a large stone sphere on a nearby wall with an opening. Light shone from deep within the passage. Simon knew this was where the Mask Maker resided, and he quickly entered the passage, disappearing into the depths of the intestine-like corridor.
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