"Entrance?" Amir walked up to BD-4 and glanced at Ahsoka.
After careful observation, Amir realized this section of the cliff face was actually a constructed wall of the temple.
At this point, BD-4 had completed its scan. It projected the recorded image and beeped incessantly.
Listening to BD-4, Amir suddenly remembered something.
"Bring up that picture, BD."
BD-4 quickly switched the hologram to display the photo taken in the ice cave on Hoth.
"The patterns in these two places have many similarities," Ahsoka noted, clearly having discovered the link as well.
"But I still can't decipher what it means." Amir was still clueless. He was worried this place would be impossible to enter, just like the ruins on Hoth.
It would be too much trouble to build a new base from scratch in this deep mountain forest. It would be ideal if they could occupy the temple space directly.
"I just said this is the entrance," Ahsoka smiled faintly.
Amir suddenly realized something. He used the Force to sense the interior, but still found nothing. This stone wall felt almost identical to the one on Hoth—completely impervious to casual scans.
"A temple opening, of course, requires the aid of the Force. Help me." After speaking, Ahsoka extended her right hand.
She began to push inward on the stone wall with the Force.
"Push?"
In Amir's perception, although there were hairline gaps between the stones, he hadn't inspected them in detail and couldn't determine if the structure could move. Furthermore, he had already discovered it was solid rock for more than ten meters deep.
Although doubtful, Amir still helped Ahsoka, extending his hand and using a Force push to try and move the massive stone block.
Krr-chak!
With a grinding sound of stone on stone, the wall actually began to recede inward.
Amir felt a wave of helplessness. Something he had racked his brain over for so long actually had such a simple opening mechanism.
Is this what they mean by 'the greatest truths are the simplest'? This kind of mechanism could indeed block most uninvited guests, but it was easy for a Force user to open. He had overcomplicated it.
"You can't confirm the mechanism just from pictures. Temples throughout the galaxy set up screening mechanisms based on their environment. But whether they are Jedi or Sith, they are rarely overly complicated," Ahsoka explained as they maintained the pressure. "Sometimes, you just need to try the direct approach."
Amir had an insight. "Does that mean the one on Hoth has the same mechanism?"
"Can't be sure. It's possible they are related, perhaps built by the same group or from the same period. But if their internal functions are different, the structures will vary greatly. Some temples are used to store dangerous artifacts, some for meditation and training, some record precious data, and some are just for worship. The structure and mechanisms are different for each."
"Let's go in and see," Ahsoka said.
BD-4 stood on Amir's shoulder, activating his spotlight. The stone wall was actually a rectangular stone pillar more than ten meters long. Under the combined push of Amir and Ahsoka, it slid back into a recessed gap.
The group walked in along the opened passage.
"I originally thought this was just an ordinary local shrine. I didn't expect it to be a hidden Jedi Temple," Amir said, looking at the exquisite architecture revealed by the droid's light.
"Planet Guderian is also a minor Force nexus. And in the records of Gulina's tribe, Force-sensitives have been appearing here for thousands of years," Ahsoka said.
"The corridor opens up here." On both sides of the passage ahead, open archways appeared. The pillar that served as the gate stopped here.
Walking out of the passage, Amir carefully observed the surroundings. Suddenly, he waved his hand, and several braziers flared to life throughout the room, casting dancing shadows on the walls.
"It seems there's still quite a bit of residual fuel." There were many clever mechanisms here that could be activated with a light touch or a spark of the Force.
"This space is very open. It can be used as a shelter. The ventilation is also intact... This hall alone is enough for us. We can send a team over to start clearing the outside. We should move the children here first. It's risky for them to stay out in the open," Ahsoka said.
One could never predict the Empire's tracking methods. Perhaps tomorrow, a probe droid would be deployed to this planet and stumble into Gulina's tribe.
"I'll go prepare a generator, modify this entrance, and get the communication system established as soon as possible." After speaking, Hak walked away from Amir and began contacting the people outside via his comlink.
"Let's walk deeper inside." Amir felt a pull from within the structure.
"Okay."
With the lights on, BD-4 was also freed up, volunteering to scout ahead.
"Look at the dust. I'm afraid no one has been here for hundreds of years. It's a miracle the location was still in the holocron," Amir lamented.
"This holocron was from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The archives contained a vast ocean of materials and data, existing for thousands of years, from the time of the Old Republic until now. It's just a pity..."
It was a pity it was occupied by the Empire and fell into the hands of the Sith Lord.
"We will take everything back. The Force will return to balance." Not knowing how to comfort Ahsoka, Amir could only state their common goal.
Ahsoka wasn't one to dwell on the past. She quickly adjusted her mood and continued walking forward.
Using the Force to push open a large set of double doors, the two arrived in a circular hall. The moment she saw this chamber, Ahsoka cried out in surprise.
"A seal?!"
Amir looked forward. The circular floor had concentric rings of inlaid lines. The lines connected to form nodes. There were nine nodes in total.
On five of these nodes, pyramid-shaped crystals were placed.
"Sealing what?" Amir asked while observing.
"This temple is most likely sealing something away. It could be precious data, a weapon, or the coordinates of a forbidden place." Ahsoka walked around the perimeter of the hall.
"The nodes require Massassi crystals. The Massassi civilization perished thousands of years ago, but they left behind many ancient temples. This type of crystal has been found in many ruins. It not only holds a large amount of energy, but it can also be used as a key. It seems this Temple utilizes their architecture. Once all nine nodes have crystals placed on them, the secret this Temple holds will be revealed."
Amir was also very curious about this, but there were only five crystals here.
"Are these crystals in circulation in the outside world?" Amir asked.
"There should be. Large museums or black market collectors might have some, relics from past excavations."
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