Next weeks were relatively quiet, the Degens were fascinated by the paintings and spent the time studying them, trying to decipher the secrets of the ancient civilization. They knew that their machine, which allowed them to travel through time, required a rare mineral called farconita to function. Without it, they would be trapped in the past forever.
Despite the extreme cold and the dangers that lurked outside the cave, the Degens refused to give up. They were determined to find a way to save humanity, and they continued to explore the cave and study the paintings.
One day, they discovered a secondary cave in the inferior level that was less wide and cold than the main cave where they have their base. They were eager to explore it, hoping to find more paintings or maybe even a way to obtain more farconita.
As they explored the secondary cave, they found another big chamber. The chamber had a similar architecture to those of the upper passage but with no paintings. Just in the very end of the chamber. They came across a large M character engraving into the wall. They spent hours studying it, but it seemed to have no meaning. Frustrated, they decided to return to the main cave.
Days passed, and the Degens grew bored with their routine. The calendar marked February 14 and some degens were celebrating it when they decided to explore the secondary cave again. After all, they had not come from the future to capitulate to a cave and a lost civilization. They were degens coming from another lost civilization. The hat stays on, they shouted in unison their familiar motto, mantra and source of power, and once they adjusted their hats they ventured once again into the unknown.
Really, it seemed very strange to them that there was nothing in that chamber. But after examining every centimeter of the walls again, they found absolutely nothing. Only the mysterious and lonely letter M, so they focused on it. After some time of exploration and when they were playing around, nothing considered researching, one degen climbed into the letter M.
As they climbed the M character, they discovered a thin aperture that led to a hidden chamber. Inside, they found a collection of ancient artifacts that had been hidden away for centuries. Among them was a small pile of farconita, the very mineral they needed to power their time machine.
The Degens were overjoyed at their discovery, but they knew they had to be careful. They couldn't risk being discovered by the ancient civilization that had created the paintings. They quickly gathered the farconita and made their way back to the base cave.
As they descended through the aperture on top the M character and entered the chamber again, they noticed that something was different. There were paintings on the walls and they seemed to be glowing in a purple color, and the air felt charged with energy. They realized that they had stumbled upon something truly extraordinary. Something related with the farconita.
The Degens spent the next few days studying the glowing paintings and the energy that surrounded them. They knew that they had to find a way to control this power, but they didn't know how.
Just when they thought they were at a dead end, one of the scientists had a breakthrough. After studying some paintings, she realized that the glowing paintings were not just art, but a form of technology that had been lost to time.
With this newfound knowledge, the Degens were closer to harness the power of the paintings and create a device that could generate enough energy to power their time machine.
