His heart tightened, his back drenched in cold sweat. Instinctively, he shielded Miss Valente behind him, raising his cane high and aiming it toward the large face.
However, though only seven days had passed, Lynch was no longer the novice he had been upon arrival. At the very least, he wouldn't be panicked by a minor accident. As he raised his cane, he realized the face hadn't changed in the slightest, and when the light hit it, it produced an unnatural reflection.
It likely wasn't biological.
Listening carefully, the surroundings remained deathly silent, and the appearance of the light source hadn't drawn any enemies. He exhaled in relief, holding the light source in one hand and his cane in the other, intending to get closer to see it clearly.
But his arm was immediately grabbed. The noblewoman pressed against his back, her breathing ragged with tension. Lynch patted her hand, just about to offer comfort, when a brilliant beam of light, like a searchlight, erupted from Miss Valente's hand. It struck the large face directly, revealing every minute detail of its surroundings.
Phew, it seemed he didn't need to get closer. It was clearly a stone carving, somewhat resembling a human, with a robust frame, a head full of hair, and a mouth filled with sharp fangs. It looked extremely ferocious.
The two were standing in a circular, enclosed hall. The area was empty, save for six stone statues of various forms standing upright.
Finding no immediate danger, Lynch finally had the leisure to observe the light source in Miss Valente's hand.
It was a prism-shaped crystal the thickness of a thumb, emitting a beam of light as dazzling as the sun. Lynch's eyes widened; it definitely wasn't a flashlight, as electricity had yet to appear in this world. It was certainly not a mystery relic either, as the only thing he had sensed on Miss Valente today was a fear grade mystery relic called the Jewelry Box of Nara—the name alone suggested it wasn't this item.
"Apologies, I am a bit afraid of the dark and was overly nervous. It is much better with light."
Miss Valente looked apologetic, blushing as she stuffed the crystal into Lynch's hand. As if performing a magic trick, she produced another lit one from nowhere:
"Have you never used this? I assumed you had some special purpose for using a lighter. This is a Torch of Light crafted by the Priests of the Sun themselves. It is imbued with the authority of light, and each one can provide illumination for an hour. People in their church are quite impoverished, so they sell these for profit. They are very convenient and quite cheap; I brought a dozen with me this time."
As she spoke, she pressed two more into Lynch's hand.
I've actually never heard of this? Lynch sighed with self-mockery. This thing was small, lightweight, and even more useful than a flashlight; it was truly perfect for investigative work.
"How much? If we make it out of here alive, I'm buying a few."
"It is very cheap, only two Lande pounds each."
The light beam that had been sweeping across the room suddenly froze.
My monthly rent for a one-hour flashlight? You call this cheap?
Lynch glanced at Miss Valente with a deeply peculiar look, silently resolving to do his best to keep her alive during this trip.
Ever since I heard you use the word cheap, I knew you were a friend worth keeping.
"Ah, right, there is also this." Miss Valente pulled a conch the size of an infant's fist from her small bag and tucked it into Lynch's pocket. "Twin Conch Shells, used for short-range communication. If we get separated, keep an eye out for the shell's vibrations. This is a true mystery creature and is quite rare; I only prepared this one pair."
Upon hearing this, Lynch gave up on asking about the price. With a numb expression, he stowed away his lighter, tucked his cane into his belt, and gripped the Torch of Light in reverse like a tactical flashlight. With his other hand, he drew his revolver, mimicked the tactical stances he'd seen on television, and gestured for Miss Valente to follow. He lowered his body and quickly moved toward the wall.
Just like the city architecture in Maya's dream, the buildings here were constructed of massive stone and mud, with the stone joints in the walls fitted remarkably tight. The entire room had no windows; it was built exactly like a tomb.
"This is their arena hall. There should be six to eight of these in Zur Baha Sahr." Miss Valente had caught up, habitually lowering her voice.
"You recognize it?"
Lynch was somewhat surprised. He had graduated with a background in archaeology and natural history, but with his intermediate education, his archaeological knowledge only covered up to the Fourth Age, the Dawn Era. The Third Age was already beyond his knowledge, and he hadn't expected Miss Valente to recognize it.
Miss Valente pursed her lips and remained silent.
"Understood, I can comprehend that."
Lynch sighed, realizing the noblewoman held a deep obsession with this city, and chose not to press further. He began moving quickly along the walls, attempting to find an exit.
Unexpectedly, there was no exit, but Lynch's sharp eyes soon discovered an irregular stone slab on the floor. It had grooves on the surface, suggesting it was a trapdoor.
"Back up, turn off your light first."
"I cannot turn this one off, but I can stow it away." As Miss Valente spoke, the light in her hand vanished completely.
Tsk, I suspect that jewelry box mystery relic of hers is a spatial mystery relic. There are so many bizarre mystery relics in this world; does poverty truly limit my imagination?
"Ready." With a metallic click, Miss Valente gripped a folding fan in both hands. "My authority is Protection and Compassion; I can provide defense and healing. My combat ability is not very strong, I am sorry."
"Mine is Concealment. I am going to turn off the light now. Protect yourself and do not be afraid when the light is gone."
"Mm."
Lynch spoke as he placed the crystal in his mouth, biting down on it. He left a small gap in his lips to let the faint glow shine through. Finally, he switched to his cane, Blood Elegy, before placing his hand on the groove.
According to the archaeological knowledge he had learned, while ancient tombs often contained traps, city ruins generally did not. Cities were built for people to live in; unless it was a war ruin, no sane person would litter their own home with lethal traps. Thus, Lynch felt relatively at ease. He put strength into his arm, attempting to pull open the stone slab.
It was a thick slab of bluestone, quite heavy. Fortunately, the slab hadn't been sealed shut by mud. Lynch used all his strength and finally managed to pull it open, simultaneously shrinking his body behind the stone and listening cautiously for any movement below.
Light had already filtered down, but it remained quiet, which meant there were likely no beasts or sensitive mystery creatures nearby. Lynch fully parted his lips, allowing the sunlight beam to shine directly below. Confirming there was nothing unusual, he gestured for Miss Valente to watch her safety, then dropped into the lower level as lightly as a cat.
As soon as he jumped, he closed his mouth, plunging the surroundings into absolute darkness. Simultaneously, he activated his concealment ability. Upon landing, he rolled several times to immediately vacate his original spot, then parted his lips to let the intense light sweep over where he had landed. The entire movement was not rapid, but it was at least smooth; he had clearly rehearsed it many times in his mind.
Halfway through the light beam's sweep, Lynch's heart tightened.
Below was a larger area, not quite a room, as there were no walls. Instead, like Greek architecture, it was supported by a row of stone pillars. There were three stone statues hidden between the pillars, though their positioning was very eccentric; he couldn't imagine why they had been placed there.
What made Lynch nervous was that lying on the stone floor at this moment were several corpses. He hadn't seen them from the angle above; it was only now that he noticed them.
"Come down, it is safe. Watch your step when you land; there are corpses below. Do not be nervous."
Lynch whispered into the symbiotic conch. He felt a bit foolish, as if his intelligence had regressed to that of a six-year-old, but a voice quickly came through the conch, clear and distinct:
"Okay... Also, I am an emergency nurse."
A dark shadow flashed. Miss Valente's movements were also quite agile; she landed lightly on the ground, immediately approached Lynch, stood back-to-back with him, and illuminated the surroundings with her own Torch of Light.
"I would like to examine the corpses." After confirming safety, Miss Valente said softly.
"Fine, I will stand guard for you."
The three corpses on the ground were already mummified. Lynch poked them with his cane to confirm they were truly dead before using the light source to observe the area, while Miss Valente bent down.
"The features of the corpses resemble the statues; they should be residents of the city. But their bodies are not right. The bones throughout their bodies are mostly shattered, as if they were repeatedly crushed by some heavy object. But the environment here shouldn't be able to cause this kind of damage. Given the state of their skeletons, it would be impossible for them to have run here after death, unless something brought them..."
The more Lynch listened, the more something felt wrong. The scenes from those horror movies of the past flashed before his eyes. Without even thinking, he subconsciously lunged at Miss Valente, clutching her and rolling away from their original position several times.
The next moment, with a muffled thud, a massive mass of darkness descended upon the spot where the two had been standing.
Rate on N.U.
