Chapter 326: 326: The Key

Chapter 326: The Key

It’s not a shop, nor a key duplicating cart.

The area where the keysmith resides corresponds to an apartment building.

“This… is too straightforward, isn’t it?”

Han Dong and the Clown stand in front of the apartment building, temporarily not stepping into it.

Simply because the hallway is filled with keys… one could even say that the handrails and stairs are all made of keys, with all sorts of keychains embedded in the walls

As if they are directly indicating that the “Keymaker” resides inside.

The clown tried to explore the interior with a Smiling Balloon.

As soon as the balloon flew in.

The key chains embedded in the hallway immediately began to vibrate, and the balloon burst on the spot… the fragments of the balloon had just landed on the surface of a metal gear, and were promptly crushed and swallowed up.

“Interesting Key House…”

Even though the Clown was saying how interesting it is, his body refused to move. He insisted on making Han Dong go ahead.

“Such a precise structure.”

The Little Demon Eye fully opens.

Immediately realizing the true nature of the building… it is completely a metal mechanical structure coated in cement.

Han Dong also noticed a special poster at the entrance to the hallway- “Custom keys can be entered here”

“It seems it doesn’t attack living things.”

As Han Dong steps into the hallway, he doesn’t trigger any mechanisms.

And upon further observation, he confirms that there are no dangerous Strange Tales within this Key House.

The challenge of meeting the “Keymaker” is in deciphering the puzzles.

Each floor of the apartment building has several iron doors. When different keys embedded in the wall open the iron doors, different rooms will be reached.

The correct key opens the correct iron door, and you can reach the room where the “Keymaker” is located.

“Is it simply an intellect-based test?”

There are probably millions of keys in the building, and if you try to find the correct one, it would probably take a hundred years to find the proper room.

The Little Demon Eye can conduct broad observations, recording the key’s teeth patterns and comparing the locks on each door one by one. But even then, there would still be tens of thousands of options.

“Clown… any ideas?”

“Interesting.”

The Clown had already stuck his face completely against the lock of an iron door, carefully observing the internal structure.

“The locksmith here isn’t too cautious… it’s just a double safeguard composed of keys and changing Formations.

Nicholas, your [The Eye] should be able to copy down the Formation within the lock, right?”

“Shouldn’t be a problem.”

“That’ll do… We don’t actually need to find the key.”

The Clown chewed on a piece of gum, taking aim at the lock, and blew a breath at it.

The blown out balloon immediately adhered to the internal structure of the lock, forming a perfectly matching key, then Han Dong used Pupil Surgery to pair it with the formation.

The two of them worked together, looking exactly like a pair of thieves.

Be it the spine or the vertebrae, Han Dong could reconstruct the key perfectly.

The first door opened smoothly.

Inside, there were a variety of machines for making keys, and lots of gears that maintained the Key House rotating on the walls, unfortunately, “Keymaker” was not inside.

Just like that.

By the time they had opened every door and reached the third floor… click!

“…It seems I have to alter the structure of the Key House again…”

In the room, in front of a precision manufacturing table filled with human anatomy drawings, a dwarf was crafting a multifaceted key with a clockwork gear device packed in.

“Hello, Mr. Aha has sent us… We’re short on time, so we’ve used some special methods.”

“The methods don’t matter… Being able to find my place within half an hour means you have the ability to infiltrate the lighthouse…

Since Mr. Aha sent you here, you should be here to get this key… He had me make it two years ago, yet he didn’t come to get it until now, really.”

The “Keymaker” sticks out his tongue, licking off the metal shavings from the surface of the newly polished key.

He then jumps off the chair and leads Han Dong and the Clown to the very top floor.

A strong smell of blood.

As the keysmith opens the key house on the top floor, there is a feeling as if they stepped into a slaughterhouse.

“This is the Bone Key House, some special biological locks needs to be matched with bone keys… The key you need is in the deepest part.”

While following the keysmith deeper, Han Dong was observing the bone keys here.

Some are made using fingers, refined and delicate, even retaining the structure of the skin.

Some are hanging on the wall, made using the backbone and belong to the category of extra-large keys… There is even a spine key that’s still being made, a Strange Tale individual was fixated on the surface of the [mold], fiercely glaring at Han Dong and the Clown.

Looking at this kind of [Bone Key House].

The Clown reveals a perverted smile, finding it extremely interesting.

He even had the idea of recruiting the keysmith to Derry Town, to replace the locks in everyone’s homes there with these biological locks.

“This is…”

Following the keysmith to the deepest compartment.

In a glass container, a quite delicate living key is immersed in it.

With a live heart as the handle,

Finger bones as the key body, with capillaries entwined in the gaps of the finger bones,

Various finely polished teeth form the key’s ridges.

The capillaries connect the heart to each tooth.

When the key is turned, the blood is evenly distributed to each tooth, pairing with a special door lock, thereby opening the door.

“Remember, this key can only be used once, as soon as the blood in the heart is drained, the key is considered broken… You must find the right door.

Otherwise, I’ll have to spend several months to remake it.

Moreover, the cost of the key itself is very high.”

Han Dong looks at such a living key and asks doubtfully: “This isn’t the key to the lighthouse door, is it?”

“Of course not! Odd… Hasn’t Mr. Aha told you about this key?”

“He didn’t.”

At this moment, the keysmith reveals a wicked smile.

Simultaneously, he takes out his phone from his pocket, making a call through an internal line to Mr. Aha, confirming the matter.

“Alright! The key is yours then, as for the specifics, ask him when you go back… Don’t get scared by the story behind this.

Personally speaking, I’m quite looking forward to the scene when this key gets used.”

The keysmith takes out a special key box from his pocket.

He places the living key into it and hands it to Han Dong, at the same time, a system notification arrives:

『Key Object Acquired: “Blood Key”.』

The dwarf keysmith, holding a discarded mannequin arm from a trash can, waves goodbye to the two of them.

On the way back, the Clown put his hands in his pockets, “Nicholas, don’t you find this a bit odd?”

Han Dong was looking down at the stone slabs on the street that they were traversing, pondering over some matters and did not respond to the Clown.

About two streets later.

Han Dong suddenly stopped…

“Clown, I need your help with something… once it’s accomplished, I’ll let you make a request that’s not too excessive.”

“Oh?!”

At that moment, an exaggerated smile spread across the corner of the Clown’s mouth.