Now that Dali knew that, he looked for, and found, an area underground the area he was in.

’If they’re criminals, it has to be the sewer.’

The thoughts of someone too rich to know anything about criminals.

He searched the “sewer” but he did not find the monument.

He found more plaques, mostly dealing with crime.

’What would be a monument for a king?’

The first thing he thought of, was, of course, Egypt.

The Great Sphinx of Giza!

The Pyramids!

He frowned. They were both huge.

If it was that big, he could have found it easily.

Even the smallest pyramid…

…

“Looks just like a building!”

The monument had to be one of the buildings.

He searched the buildings to find one he could go inside.

But two days had passed from his month, and he still had nothing.

He was currently not in the game.

He was in the library. They had had the library renovated.

The shelves were taller now.

Seung could walk.

He was reading about the Pyramids.

He cared only about the architecture.

He looked at the polished look it most likely had.

There hadn’t been anything like that in the dungeon, and he was beginning to think he had mislead.

He instead looked for information on the meanings of the pyramids, hoping to find information of what else he could look for.

He skipped over the chapters on the beliefs about the underworld and the inside of the pyramids.

He paused.

He flipped back to the chapters about the inside.

“The pyramids are filled with traps and laberinthian passages meant to prevent grave robbers from disrupting the spirits of the dead,” he read.

He ran back to his capsule and logged back on.

He tried to remember the sign he had seen.

Behind this door is the Monument. However, in fear of liars and thieves, I have hidden it. Only those who truly follow the Eight Kings can find it. There are also eight more monuments hidden throughout. These are monuments dedicated each to one of the Eight Kings. Only those who truly understand them can find these. After you find one, you shall be granted a piece of the Kings’ path while leaving. However you only have one month to find them, or you will be forcefully expelled, and gain nothing.

In fear of liars and thieves.

He thought back even farther.

A Monument to the Eight Hidden Kings

Let all those who follow the Eight Hidden Kings come here to worship and burn incense for their glory.

How had he been so stupid?

He spoke aloud.

“This whole thing is the monument.”

You have found the Monument to the Eight Hidden Kings.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Luck +10

Wisdom +5

Intelligence +5

You have learned the basic facts about the Eight Hidden Kings.

However, you do not yet understand the meaning behind the monument.

“Obviously, it’s represents the city they ruled.”

Close but no cigar.

Explain the trees.

“Well, I guess those represent the life sustaining powers of crops and such?”

Oh come on, now you’re just grasping at straws.

“Well-”

Idiot.

…

…

…

And so Dali resolved not to guess unless he really knew for sure.

He wondered what the trees could represent if not nature.

I think people climb trees…

He had, for obvious reasons, never done so himself.

But of course that had nothing to do with the kings.

Maybe they ruled over a forest?

Of course, they probably also ruled over a river, and a plain, and a farm, but none of those things were there.

Near the edges the walls were similar to the cliffs of a mountain, so he had mountain, forest, and city.

There were even occasional cravasses which could represent canyons.

He thought through it again.

’Why would they have some landforms and not others?’

With kind of problem he knew one should not just look at what they do have, but also what they don’t.

It’s easier to establish a grouping that way.

As he thought about it, he realised that there was a difference betweens the ones which were and were not there.

He knew the grouping.

He opened his mouth to speak.

Did you figure it out or is this another guess?

He glared at the window.

“I figured it out.”

Oh good.

“They all have vertical components.”

So?

“So they didn’t want flatland. They didn’t want farmland either. I know why they were hidden.”

He stood triumphant at last. He knew.

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