Amir reflected on the recent tremor and realized that it was caused by the sonic detector he had placed there, which had triggered an uprising of slug-like creatures below.
But how large would the creatures have to be to cause such a tremor?
Amir felt a chill run down his spine.
"Ha ha, sorry. I'm not very familiar with the situation here," he said awkwardly, knowing his explanation was pointless since he had been caught red-handed.
"You owe me my spaceship! And my belongings—my entire life is in there!"
"Your spaceship is fine. It's just damaged on the outside. Besides, this ship isn't worth much anymore. I'll give you a thousand credit points at most." Amir spoke reasonably, but he wasn't about to be taken advantage of.
"A thousand?! I could buy a used engine for more than that!"
The man paused for half a second before changing the subject. "However, if you agree to one thing, I won't make you pay a dime, and I'll make you a fortune."
Seeing the man suddenly smile, Amir helplessly shook his head.
"I'll give you a thousand and a half at most." Amir crossed his arms, adopting a defensive posture.
"I'm not joking! Because of you, I've been stuck here. You have to at least get me out of here!"
"Or let you stay here forever?" Amir remained unmoved.
"Hmph." The man snorted disdainfully, but the gesture was subtle and quickly concealed.
"My name is Charles, kid. Trust me, you want to get into this ruin. If you agree to this, I'll help you. I've been on this planet for over two years."
"What I need you to do isn't difficult."
"My name is Amir. Come with me first." After speaking, he turned and walked toward the scanner. BD-4 turned his head and stared intently at the man.
"Oh, little guy. A robot as clever as you is rare." As he spoke, Charles followed behind.
"I advise you not to mess with that broken iron pillar. It's useless! I've already tried, and there's no way to get through the walls of this ruined site."
Unwilling to take his word for it, Amir walked up to the scanner.
It had already finished its scan. He pressed the small control panel above it, and a holographic map projected in front of him.
Sure enough, Charles wasn't lying to him.
The mountain ahead was only visible as an outline, with a large portion of its interior shrouded in darkness. The dark shape resembled a massive pyramid.
"Trust me, kid. I have no reason to lie to you!"
Amir ignored him. Since the detector couldn't reveal the interior, he would have to rely on his own Force perception.
Amir focused his attention on the Force around him and began walking around the mountain.
"You don't think you'll find the entrance by walking around it, do you? If that were the case, I would have gone in already!" Charles continued to chatter.
"I hope there won't be an avalanche." Amir looked up. The snow-covered mountain was steep and mostly ice, so an avalanche was unlikely.
"Are you serious? Deal. I won't be a fool and follow you. I'll wait here for you."
"Do as you please," Amir replied. His spaceship was locked and difficult to open. Even if he managed to pry it open, he wouldn't be able to start it without the key.
The unlocking system was installed on his wrist guard, and the key was in his backpack.
Ignoring the commotion behind him, Amir focused on his surroundings and walked slowly.
As time passed, he noticed that the mountain's structure was becoming increasingly intricate.
The buildings inside were symmetrical pyramids, so the only way to find the entrance was to try each center of the sloping sides.
What frustrated him most was that half of the pyramid was buried underground. If the entrance wasn't at the center corresponding to the surface, would he have to dig down?
Spare Amir the trouble.
The Traveler wasn't a digger.
Finally, he reached the center of the first face. After expanding his perception, he did indeed feel that the Force was more concentrated inside the mountain.
It seemed to be the aura of the dark side.
Taking a deep breath, Amir persevered and continued down.
This trip took a long time. The thick snow covered half of his calves and hindered his movement.
When he reached the midpoint of the second face, he realized that the entrance wasn't there.
However, remembering that structures related to the Force typically had hidden mechanisms controlled by the Force, he continued down, focusing his attention on the suspicious terrain around him.
After circling around completely, he found nothing.
As he neared the Traveler, he spotted Charles lurking around the ship and peering suspiciously about.
"Cough!" Amir warned.
"Oh!" Charles quickly hid his hands behind his back and took two steps back. He said nonchalantly, "Nice ship."
"Ha ha, no luck, huh? How about considering my offer?"
Amir scanned the Traveler, but didn't notice anything unusual.
"Go ahead." With no other leads at the moment, he might as well hear what this man had to say.
"Why don't we go inside? The temperature outside is going to drop soon." Charles didn't notice his own open jacket as he rubbed his hands together and smiled.
"Come in. Don't get any funny ideas. It's for your own good," Amir reminded him, completely sincere. Amir had no grudge against this young man, although he might not be a good person. It would be best to part ways amicably after a chance meeting.
If he could provide any useful information, Amir wouldn't mind helping him.
BD-4 opened the cabin door and jumped in first, tossing the towel from his head and shaking the snow off his body.
The two times the door had been opened, a large portion of the warm air in the hall had already escaped. Amir didn't waste any more energy; he manually lowered the temperature control system to maintain a tolerable temperature in the ship.
However, the bedroom was well-sealed, so it must still be warm inside, and he wouldn't be cold while sleeping.
"Ha! This place is really cold. The ship is much more comfortable. Without you, I would have already left in my ship!" Charles took off his coat, hung it on a rack in the hall, and sat down on the sofa.
Amir didn't pay any attention to this and sat down directly opposite him.
"Tell me, why are you here?" Amir asked.
"Of course it's for the money. Who else would come to this godforsaken place?"
"What could possibly be valuable here?" Amir thought of the icy landscape he had seen and felt puzzled. Then, he suddenly had an idea. "Could it be in that crack?"
"Hahaha, I love talking to smart people. It seems like you won't help me even if I don't explain it clearly," the man said, rubbing his stubble. "This place is dangerous and cold, yet many smugglers still come here to take risks. It's all because of a type of fungus that grows in that dark crack."
"Fungus?"
"Ha ha, this fungus has certain neurological effects. On the black market, it's called Lumni spice."
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