Lantern Warden

Ancient temple trees reach high, In dungeon shadows, life's threads lie. In darkness, light appears, Most vivid at the abyss near. The ancient temple on the mountain peak, weathered by the passage of time, had gradually fallen into disrepair. When the abbot returned after many years and saw the temple in such a state of ruin, he was filled with sorrow. Determined to restore the temple to its former glory, he spent a large amount of gold and silver to fund it reconstruction, hoping to showcase his path to the ultimate bliss. The abbot selected a towering forest in the mountains, intending to use the ancient trees there as beams for the new temple. The craftsmen responsible for the timber set up their shelters at the edge of the forest and began felling trees according to the abbot's instructions. Everything proceeded smoothly, and within half a year, all the necessary timber was prepared. The craftsmen received their wages and packed up, ready to descend the mountain the next day. That night, a craftsman on night watch was patrolling the area, carrying a lantern. Suddenly, rustling sounds from the forest set his nerves on edge. Terrified, he woke everyone up. With their lanterns lit, and axes in hand, all the craftsmen treaded into the forest to locate the source of the sound. As they ventured deeper into the forest, someone let out a scream and was abruptly dragged into the darkness along with his lantern by an unknown force. Then, one by one, despite their attempts to hide and flee, all craftsmen were all dragged away. Only one clever craftsman quickly extinguished his lantern. Trembling with fear, he groped his way through the forest. Fortunately, a faint light appeared in the distance—the sun was about to rise. With this faint light, he found his way back and hurried towards the shelters. As he reached the edge of the forest, the sunlight suddenly became blindingly bright, filling his eyes with a white glare. Enduring the pain, he looked closer and realized the light was not from the rising sun but from his companions' lanterns. These lanterns were held up by vines that had replaced his companions' heads, propping up their corpses. A chubby boy with a pale face, dressed in a yellow robe, rode a tall four-legged beast whose head emitted strange sounds. Just as the craftsman was about to plead for mercy, he felt a chill on his back. Then, he felt himself being lifted higher and higher until he was level with the lanterns. The chubby child patted the beast's head, the sounds ceased, the lanterns went out, and the night returned to its eerie stillness. The chubby boy laughed and said, "Good materials should be used to their fullest."

Lantern Wardens can be found in the [Pagoda Realm](/pagoda-realm)'s Lower Pagoda and Upper Pagoda. There are a total of 9 Lantern Wardens. They are only visible during the "curse"-like moments during which time Destined One starts to lose his max health and everyone obtains red eyes. If [Captain Wise-Voice](/captain-wise-voice) is defeated, all remaining Lantern Wardens will disappear. Defeating all 9 of them grants [Auspicious Lantern](/auspicious-lantern) curious. The first two are on the starting path before the Lower Pagoda Shrine. The Third and Fourth and on the first floor after the Shrine. The Fifth one is on the floor with Upper Pagoda Shrine. The Sixth, Seventh and Eight are on the same floor the Upper Pagoda Shrine, but after crossing the beam ridge (note that one of these wardens will spawn in front of the locked prison cell at the end of the floor and will be out of sight until the player enters the room at the end of the floor). To reach the final one (Ninth One), you must get to the top floor (with Mani Wheel Shrine) and turn the other way (not towards the Shrine). At the end drop down and continue forward. There will be many enemies here, and one of them is the final Lantern Warden.

TBA