The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 331. Mimic-kun Leads the Way

"Is she gone?" one of the grandmasters asked, his voice low and cautious.

Everyone waited for Tyler’s response. Only after he gave a small nod did the group finally breathe out in relief. Shoulders relaxed, tension drained from their expressions, and the air inside the bubble felt a little less heavy.

Aside from Tyler, Mathilda, Mana, Astrid, and the four grandmasters, there was one more odd companion among them—something that had caught everyone’s attention several times but hadn’t said a word: a treasure chest-shaped mimic.

The creature, disguised as a standard ornate chest with gold trimming and gem-studded locks, had been unusually restless ever since they arrived on this Abyss floor.

Tyler squatted down in front of it, furrowing his brow. "You’ve been acting weird, buddy."

The mimic gave a small twitch, its lid quivering like a nervous jaw. Slowly, it creaked open, revealing rows of sharp teeth and a swirling void inside—its version of a mouth.

"Nope... No swallowing," Tyler said sternly, narrowing his eyes.

The mimic immediately snapped its lid shut in a pout-like manner, almost as if sulking.

Then, without warning, it began hopping up and down using its two stubby legs, tapping against the inner surface of the concealment bubble. It wasn’t trying to attack—it was trying to break out.

Tyler blinked. "What? Do you want to go below?"

The mimic paused mid-hop and nodded its entire chest-body enthusiastically.

Everyone looked at each other.

"...It’s trying to lead us somewhere?" Astrid asked, tilting her head.

"Or it’s finally decided to betray us and escape," Mana muttered from behind Tyler.

Tyler chuckled. "Honestly, that’s a fair possibility."

Still, curiosity tugged at his instincts. He stood up and walked over to the array control panel etched into the inner wall of the bubble. With a few practiced hand seals, he modified the concealment array, allowing a small opening to form at the base of the barrier. Strangely, no water flowed in—the array held the barrier firm even with the gap.

"Go on, then," Tyler said, gesturing.

The mimic bounced gleefully and leapt out of the bubble. It plopped into the surrounding lake water with a muffled splash, then sank downward like an excited puppy following a scent trail.

Tyler watched it disappear into the dim, bluish depths.

"Hmm... I wonder where it’s going?" he murmured, eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"You’re sure it’s not just running away?" Mana asked, arms crossed.

"Ahh... possible," Tyler replied with a shrug. "But I have a feeling it’s leading us somewhere important."

Without hesitation, he began manipulating the main array core. The bubble began to shift in direction, gliding silently through the water like a massive orb. It followed the mimic’s path deeper into the lakebed.

"Wait... Are we not going to continue following the compass direction?" one of the grandmasters asked, looking puzzled.

Tyler turned slightly and gave him a blank stare. "Well, if you really want to go back up and fight that Divine Seeker Realm fox lady, I don’t mind..."

The grandmaster immediately held up his hands. "Never mind. Forget I asked."

"Good. Because that lady’s aura alone could crush half of us if she gets serious," Tyler added. "And since we can’t safely move along the surface anymore, this is honestly a better alternative."

The others didn’t argue. The last thing any of them wanted was to cross paths again with that powerful cultivator above. The risk wasn’t worth it.

Inside the lake, the scene was nothing short of surreal.

A lone mimic, shaped like a treasure chest with two tiny legs, marched determinedly across the lake floor, sending puffs of silt into the water with each step. Behind it, a large bubble floated silently like an underwater fortress, carrying Tyler, Mathilda, Mana, Astrid, and the four grandmasters.

"Walking Box is too slow... Should I put an acid on it’s back and sped it up?" Mathilda muttered under his breath.

"Please Don’t," Tyler replied, half amused. "Let’s go.. I don’t even notice that there is a safer passage underwater. It seems like this Mimic-kun has already been in this place before.."

"I’m still betting it’s leading us to a stash of fake treasure and man-eating seaweed," Mana said, arms crossed.

But even her sarcasm couldn’t mask the underlying curiosity in the group. The mimic continued on confidently, swaying left and right in its odd, cheerful rhythm.

After a while, the mimic paused before what appeared to be a natural underwater cliff face. Tyler leaned closer toward the bubble’s edge. At first, it just looked like a blank stretch of stone—but then the mimic approached it and knocked on a specific spot with its tiny foot.

Clunk. Clunk.

The cliff face shimmered, revealing a circular opening—an underwater cave, hidden by illusionary runes and stone disguise.

"Well, would you look at that," Tyler said with a grin.

The mimic stepped inside, vanishing into the dark passage beyond.

Tyler adjusted the arrays, guiding the bubble forward. As it entered the cave, the water surrounding them began to recede—mysteriously absorbed into the walls, until the interior of the cave was filled with breathable air. The bubble faded away completely, and the group found themselves standing on solid, damp ground.

"Interesting..." Mathilda murmured, tapping her fingers against her arm. "Auto-draining cave. This place wasn’t formed naturally."

"Definitely not," Tyler said. "It’s naturally formed cave... Natural Arrays are rare, we are lucky to encounter one..."

The group followed the mimic deeper into the tunnel-like passage. Dim phosphorescent moss clung to the ceiling, giving the walls a faint green-blue glow. The air smelled faintly of rusted metal and ozone.

Then they saw them—strange figures lurking near the walls and in the shadows.

They weren’t beasts. Nor were they people.

They were things.

Old weapons. Half-formed gauntlets, broken swords, armored limbs, and jagged, runed shields—all moving. They twitched, floated, or scraped slowly across the ground. Some had sockets that flickered with dim red or violet light, others made low humming noises, like groaning metal.

"What... the hell are those?" Mathilda whispered, staying close to Tyler.

One of the grandmasters, eyes bright with hope, stepped forward slightly. "Are those... soul-bound equipments?" he asked eagerly.

Mana shook her head almost immediately. "No. Mana don’t sense a soul presence."

"Then what are they?" another grandmaster asked.

Mana narrowed her eyes. "Corrupted consciousness. That’s all Mana can feel from them."

Tyler glanced around, his expression more serious now. "So... not soul equipments. Just remnants... infused with lingering will. Maybe abandoned, maybe broken..."

"What are they doing?" Astrid asked softly.

"Probably after getting consciousness" Mana replied. "These things... they don’t want to be up there. This is their shelter. These weapons are probably dead Abyss travelers or fallen from another world. These weapons tainted by blood of their owners or Abyss beasts, they didn’t corrode but mutated."

Despite the unsettling nature of the place, most of the weapons didn’t approach. In fact, they slowly moved aside as the mimic passed, clearing a path for it. Some gave curious flickers of light or released mechanical whirring sounds—almost like greetings.

"They’re... welcoming it?" one grandmaster said.

Tyler exhaled slowly. "This might actually be its home."

The group followed in silence as the mimic led them further down a winding series of tunnels. The environment shifted subtly—stone became metal, then back to stone again. Strange inscriptions pulsed faintly along the walls. Sometimes, the temperature dipped sharply; other times, it felt humid and heavy.

Eventually, the mimic stopped before a second entrance, circular and lined with glowing runes. The opening pulsed faintly, connected to an ancient array that resonated with dimensional energy.

"A way out?" Tyler muttered, tilting his head.

The mimic turned and nodded, bouncing slightly in affirmation.

"All right," Tyler said. "Let’s go."

But just as the group prepared to step forward, the mimic didn’t follow.

Instead, it took a few steps back and stood by the side of the passage. Then, to everyone’s surprise, two tiny hands sprouted from its sides and began waving in a cheerful bye-bye motion.

Tyler blinked. "Wait. What?"

"You’re... not coming?" Astrid asked.

The mimic shook its entire chest-body like a firm ’no.’

"Oh, like hell I’m leaving you here." Tyler marched over, grabbed the mimic by its stubby legs, and raised it upside down.

But before anything else could happen, the runes near the passage flared brightly.

WHOOSH!

In a flash of light and forceful energy, the entire group was ejected. The teleportation array activated without warning, flinging Tyler, Mathilda, Mana, Astrid, and the grandmasters out through a spatial tunnel.

They tumbled through a vortex of light for a few seconds before landing in a different location—a cavern mouth near the lake’s edge.

"Damn it... Mimic-kun..." Tyler groaned, brushing dust off his robes.

"So it was an escape plan after all," Mana said with a sigh.

"Yeah, yeah," Tyler muttered, stretching his back. "But at least it gave us a shortcut. And honestly, I don’t care about some cheap treasure that replicates."

Mathilda chuckled, brushing leaves from her cloak. "I’ll miss him a little." while licking her lips.

"Shut up pervert."