"If you think this is a logical riddle, my dear fellow, try to make sense of it."

The Illumineer turned and across the hall he glimpsed Basil, the Great Mouse Detective, examining an object through a large magnifying glass.

"A Sumerian talisman," Basil continued. “Another artifact to examine. First, if my intuition serves me, which should be kept far from the more nefarious kind.

Venturo nodded and quickly scribbled a note. But his writing was even more illegible than usual; he couldn't even read it himself. He shook the pen and then lifted the notebook to eye level.

It trembled. Everything was.

“Um, Basil. . . ” said Venturo.

“The talisman isn't electric, if you're wondering. Perhaps its facets enhance the natural...'

At that moment, a wave of ink – mixed ink – burst through a gate on the other side of the Hall of Lorcana and rushed towards the detective.

"Basil!" Venturo shouted.

As the wave of ink washed over the mouse, there was a bright swirl of light. Basil's brown jacket turned a beautiful blue and suddenly a device with gears and a propeller stood behind him. He was tied to it and his hands rested on some sort of lever system.

Basil's eyes narrowed and he tried the controls. “Haha!” he shouted as he soared into the air. “How extraordinary.” And with that he was off.

There were screams and giggles throughout Lorcana's hall. Venturo saw a nearby Cinderella gasp as the ink began to transform her, but the flood suddenly swelled and knocked him over before he could see what was happening. The river of ink dragged him – along with much of the knowledge on display in the Hall of Lorcana – out of the hall and through a spacious corridor. Venturo looked all around for something to grab onto, but saw nothing. With a start he realized that where the outer wall of the Illuminary should be, there was only a jagged hole gaping far, far below the Inklands.

Venturo's time in Lorcana flashed before his eyes: he got his first glimpse, discovered fantastic gadgets, and interacted with heroes and villains alike. If only he could have said goodbye to Shanzay and... . .

"Martin!" he exclaimed.

His friend leaned from a doorway just in front of him and reached into the tide, looking for something Venturo couldn't see.

"Martin!" Venturo shouted, louder this time.

Martin saw Venturo and his eyes widened. "Hold on!" Martin shouted over the roar of the flowing ink. He leaned further out, grabbed Venturo's shirt and pulled Venturo out of the flood with a loud grunt. The two stumbled backwards until they crashed into the railing of a nearby balcony.

The two stared at the steady streams of ink and knowledge flowing from the Great Illuminary to the Ink Lands. Venturo heard the telltale squeak of Shanzay's boots as his other friend rounded the corner and joined them on the balcony. None of them said a word.

Venturo did not know what had happened or how long the flooding would last. But one thing was clear: the artifacts were out there somewhere. He would find as many as he could before anything happened to them. Plus, he still had to figure out how the heck that currency worked.