The Adder Stone could see through all illusions. Peering through it now, Alex gazed upon a golden door in the most absurd place—underwater. As he swam around it, he learned it didn't lead anywhere at all. There was only more lake.
'Scott, you know I'm running short on gold? Look, I'm not greedy. So how about we cancel the rest of the trip, take this golden door, and run?' Alex believed there was a certain wisdom in preferring immediate benefits.
'Not greedy? You have billions of dollars in gold already,' Scott thought to himself.
Scott said, 'Sir, this door is not solid gold; Energy is producing that golden light. It is a space passage leading to Kitezh.'
'…F*cking new-money fraudsters!' Alex cursed. He'd heard Russians liked flashy things, but if you're going to use a gold door, don't be stingy about it. *Sigh* 'Fine. What do I do?' Alex asked.
'Sir, use Houdini's Universal Escape Key to open it.'
Alex had almost forgotten about that. That useless Houdini had a soul item that came in handy at times like these. He summoned out the old copper key into his hand, observing it. Watching the majestic golden door that wasn't genuine gold, and the cheap copper key that was a divine item, one could find a metaphor about not judging by appearances.
A person might wonder if the mundane looking Houdini wasn't so worthless…but that person wouldn't be Alex. 'Bozo Houdini, you better open this or it's your funeral.' Alex gave an ultimatum.
If a key could sweat…
Alex inserted the key, watching it change shape and flash a brilliant light.
*Creak*
The door opened to reveal a grand hall. Marble floors housed cream colored stone pillars connecting vast exotic arches. It was glorious. Still, the most notable thing of all…there was no water anywhere! Alex walked through the doorway. As he passed through, all the water stuck behind the dividing line of the entrance. Alex didn't have a drop of lake water remaining on him. It was like a divine force blocked it, disallowing any fluids into this holy land.
Alex gazed at this wonder for a long time...
He asked, 'Scott, can we develop this technology into condoms?'
...
The question was so profoundly stupid…that Scott's body had to regroup to answer it. He almost fell out of the sky in Cardopolis. '…No, Lord.'
Alex shook his head. A true entrepreneur seeks inspiration from all experiences. When others call them crazy, they're not afraid to dream.
'The market might need a few years.' Alex hadn't given up.
'Sir, welcome to Kitezh,' Scott said.
Alex stepped out of the hall and gazed through the wider metropolis. It was massive, kilometers long, and many hundreds of meters high. At first, he thought he was underneath the open blue sky. That was until he saw giant floating fish above!
This city was underwater! A massive ceiling of hemispherical glass stood between the water and the city. Alex didn't understand how this was possible. He didn't understand if the small lake from earlier was under a complex illusion or if this place existed in a different area altogether.
Alex glimpsed down at the copper key that had brought him here and unsummoned it. He opened a waterproof pouch on his gear, took out his cell phone, and changed the details for a calendar event.
'Houdini, you've done well. For outstanding performance, I've delayed your death sentence again.' Alex changed Houdini's execution date in his phone's calendar.
It had been set for tomorrow!
'…Thank you, Lord,' Houdini replied, as he sweated buckets in Cardopolis.
Houdini tugged his hair from stress as he pondered, 'When was I sentenced to death? Why can't I remember?' His psychological torture was never-ending.
As Alex prepared to loot this Russian Atlantis knockoff, a frightening sound alarmed him.
*SQUAWK!*
A high-pitched bird call erupted in the distance. He turned toward the noise to spot a humongous black bird approaching his location at breakneck speed!
It had pitch black feathers and the body of a vulture. It's copper colored talons clamped the air, gleaming with a threatening light. As it came closer, Alex saw an even more disturbing sight. Was this a bird? It had the head of a human woman! Her short wavy black hair framed her delicate round face. It would've been beautiful if the centerpiece wasn't a metallic beak!
*Slam!*
Alex looked behind him to see the door he entered through closed by itself. He had an awful premonition.
'Scott, what the hell is that?!?' Alex asked with urgency.
Scott sighed. 'Sir, that's Gagana, a miraculous bird and a guardian of this city.'
In less than 20 seconds, the beast traversed an immense distance and was now circling high above him.
*SQUAWK!*
She cried once more as she hovered over Alex's general vicinity. He could now discern the bird had a wingspan of at least 10 meters. Rather than a bird, it was closer to a dragon!
It stalked from above as if waiting for the perfect moment to swoop down and feast on flesh.
Alex squinted and observed another disturbing detail. There was a woman standing on top of the giant creature! Her long brown hair was tied in a ponytail running down her back, lying against simple brown leather armor.
A mature and steadfast female voice resounded from above. "Radegast, you old thief! Will you come out…or will you make me drag you out?!?"
