Given two choices, Aurora didn't hesitate.

"We'll check out the fifth layer first," she said. "I didn't think we would have another chance to come here again soon, so at least I wanted some materials from the deepest layer of this Labyrinth. After that, we quickly got out of there. Could you do that, Dante--I mean, Ace?"

"Sure thing," Ace said.

"What about us?" the two dwarves who had been silent this whole time asked.

All eyes were on them now. They looked scared, but Aurora smiled. "You guys are free now," she said.

"Really?" they said.

"That's what she said," Ruby said. "Now go, or would you prefer being cut?"

"No, thank you!" Both of them hurriedly ran away.

Ace blinked in confusion. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Aurora said. "Now hurry up."

"Alright, follow me," Ace said, going to the stairs behind the wall. "Deep below this building, there's an underground tunnel."

Aurora and the others followed him, descending the stairs. After going down for a while, they finally reached the tunnel.

The tunnel was massive, with high ceilings and rough stone walls that glimmered in the dim light.

"Right now, we just managed to create these minecart-like things," Ace said. "They're not really fancy, but they get the job done. Please hop in."

They entered the minecart, trying to sit comfortably, and it started moving.

"It would be faster if we had a skilled wind magic user to push it forward," Ace said. I had been eyeing the device that the harpy used. "If we stick it to this minecart, I think it will make it even faster. But dwarves have a different kind of magic and mostly have earth elements. And I'm not a wind magic user either."

Aurora and Ruby looked at Rita.

The Knight girl sighed. "I get it," she said. "I will do it."

Rita unsheathed her sword. As she closed her eyes and focused on her magic, a gust of air swirled around them. She harnessed it and used it to propel the cart forward, making them move several times faster.

Aurora and Ruby were used to these kinds of speeds, but Lumi, the newest addition to their group, wasn't. She screamed in fear, grabbing Rita's hand. Even Ace was stunned by the speed they were moving at.

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"Relax, all under my control," Rita said, keeping the minecart stable, but Lumi still clung to her in fear.

In a few minutes, they arrived at the end of the tunnel. They thenvget off the minecart.

Lumi looked sick. "I thought... I was going to die," she said.

Aurora could only smile and offer her some drink to calm her down.

"That was amazing control of wind magic," Ace said, impressed. "If you're looking for a job--"

"Hey, I'm not going to give my knight to anyone!" Ruby interrupted, grabbing Rita's hand.

Rita smiled. "You heard my master."

"Okay, okay, I got it," Ace said. "I was just saying."

They climbed the stairs and as they stepped out of the building, the group was greeted with the stunning view of the dwarf city.

"This is where most of the dwarves live," Ace said.

They looked around in awe, taking in the impressive sights before them. That place was well-lit, almost not feeling like they were underground. The ceiling was high, the buildings were tall and big, mostly made of stone.

"Anyway, if you're looking for materials, I can take you to a certain shop that sells almost anything," Ace offered.

"Let's check it out then," Aurora said.

As they made their way through the city, the group was greeted with curious glances from the passing dwarves.

"I guess humans don't often come here," Aurora said.

"Yeah, unfortunately," Ace replied.

Then something caught Ruby's eye.

"Wait, what was that?" she asked, pointing at a huge poster drawing that had been plastered on the wall. It depicted a dwarf woman with long hair, giving off a mysterious feeling.

"Ah, the Empress gives anyone a chance to challenge her special puzzle," Ace said. "If you can solve it, you can pick super rare things as the prize. But nobody has ever solved it, I heard. Not worth it."

Aurora stared at the poster, interested.

"Aurora, let's try it!" Ruby said. "What I'm looking for might be one of the prizes!"

"Aren't you out of time?" Ace asked. "Are you sure you want to waste your time doing an impossible puzzle?"

Aurora thought about it for a moment. Then she made a decision. She pushed Serena's bag to Ace.

"Can you trade as much materials as possible using all things inside this bag while we try that impossible puzzle?" Aurora asked.

"You can't be serious," Ace said.

"Please," Aurora pleaded.

He sighed. "Fine, give it to me," he said, grabbing the bag from Aurora.

As he rummaged through it, Aurora walked towards Ruby, but before she got too far, she stopped and turned back to Ace.

"Oh, and be careful with that bag," Aurora said. "It was an important item I borrowed from my friend. If you lost it, you would lose your head."

"What?" Ace said in disbelief.

"Thanks, see you later," Aurora said with a smile.

Ace was stunned in place, dumbfounded, as the group of girls ran toward the palace where the empress stayed.

As they approached the palace, Aurora and her friends couldn't help but be awed by its imposing structure. The stone walls towered above them, intricate carvings and designs etched into every inch of the surface. The palace seemed to glow with a regal aura.

As they drew closer, they noticed four dwarves guarding the entrance. They wore fancy helmets, and their eyes were sharp as they scanned the approaching group.

The guard stopped them and asked, "What's your name? And what are your plans here?"

"I'm Aurora and we want to challenge the Empress's puzzle," Aurora replied.

"Foolish humans," the other dwarf muttered quietly, but everyone could hear him clearly.

Ruby glared at him.

"Ahem, alright, please follow me," the dwarf guard said. "No weapons are allowed at the palace, so if you want to enter, we will store them somewhere safe."

Rita hesitated. She couldn't part with her sword - it was too valuable, and she needed it to protect her master and her companions.

Aurora sensing her hesitation, stepped forward and spoke up. "I think it's better for you to wait here," she said to Rita. "And can I leave my knife with you? I don't trust them at all."

Rita nodded, grateful for the offer.

Aurora handed over her knife, and Ruby approached them.

"Sorry, Miss. I can't enter with you," Rita said to Ruby.

"It's fine," Ruby said, though her expression said otherwise. "We'll finish it quickly and go home."

Some of the dwarf guards snickered, obviously looking down on her. Ruby angrily glanced at them.

"So annoying," she muttered.

"Anyway, Miss," Rita said. "If something happens, just call me."

"I get it. We're off," Ruby said, following Aurora and Lumi, who had already entered the palace.

As they walked through the palace, the girls couldn't help but look around at the intricate stone carvings that adorned the walls and floors.

As they walked, Ruby looked at Aurora and asked, "Any idea what kind of puzzle is considered impossible?"

"I'm not sure either," Aurora said. "Not to mention if it's really impossible, then it's not exactly a puzzle, is it?"

"Just thinking about it makes me feel sick," Lumi groaned. "I want to hurry up and leave this place."

"You can wait with Rita outside, you know?" Ruby said.

"That's true, but..." Lumi sighed. "I guess as much as this was a pain for me, I feel like I need to do this as a final thing I do before I leave this place for good."

The dwarf guard led them to a grand hall with a fancy, big door. They stopped there.

"Behind this door is the empress," the guard said. "Make sure to behave yourself."

Aurora nodded. "We understand."

Then the guard opened the door.

***