Sacrifice

Did I misread it?

Lynch felt a bit unsure using this ability for the first time, so he activated it again.

His vision became eerie once more, and he again saw the scene of the six blurred figures slamming into the cliff wall to their deaths.

The ability was limited; this scene could go back no further than twenty-four hours, and based on the camp's layout, it likely occurred only ten or so minutes ago.

But...

Canceling the skill again, the cliff before him remained empty.

Lynch held his lantern up to look around. Behind him was the forest they had arrived through, beneath his feet was a patch of barren earth, and the cliff in front rose at a ninety-degree angle to a height of one hundred meters, smooth and flat as a wall.

"What is it, beautiful lady?"

Karl Jones had caught up, stopping five or six steps behind Lynch, looking around as he asked.

"I can see death. Six people..." Lynch briefly described the images he had witnessed. "Theoretically, they should have all crashed to their deaths right here, but as you can see, there is not a single sign of it..."

"You must have made a mistake." The swindler Salin muttered dully, though he paid no mind to his own drivel. He picked up a stone and threw it at the cliff, watching it bounce off and disappear into the darkness, then muttered, "Were the bodies dragged away by beasts?"

"There is no ruling out beasts in these mountains, but... it cannot be beasts." The burly Jack's gruff voice sounded behind him.

"Why?"

"You'll know if you smash yourself to death once." The antique hunter rubbed his beard irritably, saying uneasily, "Perhaps there are beasts that scavenge corpses, but no beast could lick away all traces of blood and brains so cleanly."

That was true.

Only after being reminded did Lynch realize that if what he had seen truly occurred, the cliff should have been covered in massive amounts of blood, gore, and bodily fluids. Yet now, the cliff was dry and clean, with absolutely no traces.

Could I have really seen it wrong?

"It is not an illusion."

The grave robber Karl interrupted Lynch's self-doubt. By now, he had retreated into the forest and was kneeling on one knee, fingers dug into the mud, eyes closed as if listening to something. He then sprang up, lingered at a few nearby spots, and followed a straight trajectory out of the woods:

"The beautiful lady is right. Someone did trample the plants here, and it was not long ago. I heard the complaints of the little darlings."

Karl subconsciously rubbed his sword hilt, licked his lips, and said in a low voice:

"Someone did indeed run through here in a panic, and then..."

He did not continue, only fixed his gaze on the pristine cliff.

Bodies, blood, gore—all gone, as if... this cliff had devoured them all.

Lynch had intended to move closer to take a better look, but the eerie thought sent a chill down his spine. He felt as if the cliff before him had become sinister; he withdrew the step he had already taken and retreated a few paces.

"Tap." As footsteps sounded, the refined Mr. Rooney walked past Lynch, clutching an old book. Under the gaze of Lynch's admiring eyes, he walked straight to the cliff, observed it at close range, and then raised his hand to touch the rock face.

Damn, are all you professionals this brave?

Lynch was startled. Without even considering the potential for harm, he subconsciously called out: "Wait."

Rooney paused, looked back at him with a puzzled expression, and asked: "What is it? Didn't you already test that it was safe? According to your description, the one who wasn't quite dead crawled around here for a while, so blood should have been splattered everywhere. But there is none, which implies that if there is a problem with the cliff, the surrounding ground must also be problematic. Wasn't that whole sequence of actions you just performed—right on the edge of the theoretical blood-splatter range—meant to test that?"

???

Did I think that much? Why didn't I even know that myself? People in this world really are experts at overthinking.

Lynch remained calm and said nonchalantly: "I just felt that the visibility wasn't suitable for the test you intended to perform, and I had other concerns as well."

"No wonder Employer Mr. Hoffman specifically instructed us not to worry about your safety. You are better at taking care of yourself than we are. I thought he was exaggerating, but I didn't expect you to be so thorough in all matters." Rooney said approvingly. "That makes sense. Effects caused by abilities like phantasmal concealment cannot be accurately distinguished by the test you just did; one still has to take risks. Besides, observing the overall environment of a target in bright conditions is meaningless if you only check one corner. Your concerns are also quite logical. It seems your abilities are indeed outstanding."

Yes, yes, whatever you say.

Lynch sighed, watching Rooney, who was very willing to listen to advice, stop using his hand and instead use a tree branch to strike different parts of the cliff.

But all that returned was the tactile sensation of reality; it was a solid rock wall.

That is strange. Could the victims really just vanish into thin air?

"I suspect this is similar to those eerie disappearance cases from before." Karl Jones scratched his head, looking around while swinging his lantern. "I imagine it was affected by the mysterious filth radiating from the ancient tomb, or it simply triggered the tomb's guard mechanism."

"Then we..." The bearded Jack asked.

"It was triggered by them, not us, so they died while we are fine." Karl explained. "Since we don't know what they did, it's hard to say if they truly died from the tomb's influence, but the probability is very high."

"Should we go check the tomb's entrance first?" Rooney mused. "Perhaps we can find the problem."

"The entrance..." Karl showed an embarrassed expression and looked toward Dr. Jenna.

"Actually, little Karl and I are not certain of the specific location of the entrance. When Walker brought us here to survey the camp, he intentionally concealed it." Dr. Jenna sighed. "Later, Hoffman said the entrance's location was difficult to describe, but as long as everything followed the established plan, we would naturally know the location tomorrow morning. Before then, they couldn't let us see the entrance in advance."

For a moment, the unreasonable requirement left all seven in silence. Except for Judy, the expressions of the others were somewhat subtle.

Even Lynch had realized that this was essentially a public announcement of the answer; the six people who had suddenly died and left no remains were likely the sacrifices needed to open the gate. It was just that Hoffman, unable to fully gauge the attitude of those six, feared complications and had acted before everyone else arrived.

"Should we evacuate the ordinary people first?" The first to suggest this was the gruff Jack. The bearded man said solemnly: "They are ordinary people, after all. We have authority to protect ourselves and possess strong enough willpower, but they do not. It's easy for things to go wrong."

"No. Theoretically, what was meant to happen has already happened. Evacuating now won't change what has already occurred; instead, it would mean those who died before did so in vain." Even when it concerned human lives, Dr. Jenna's tone remained indifferent. "Moreover, we relied on the twilight light when entering the mountains, and now it is completely dark. Traveling the mountain roads is too dangerous. It is better to stay here and watch for the night, and see if the entrance opens tomorrow. This operation is special to begin with; you surely don't think you can complete it safely without anyone dying, do you?"

Under the lamplight, Karl Jones's expression was uncertain. However, the swindler Salin, who had always been a loner, suddenly spoke up: "I am definitely going to finish the mission, no matter what happens."

With that, he didn't wait for anyone else's opinion and walked straight toward the camp.

"Sigh, that's the only way then." Karl Jones and the bearded Jack Adams exchanged a glance, sighed, and said, "Then everyone should rest early tonight. Try to avoid doing anything that might trigger unknown consequences. When the tomb entrance opens tomorrow, I hope nothing else happens. At least, no more people dying."

I hope so. I will stay vigilant tonight and try to ensure nothing goes wrong, or at least that fewer people die.

Lynch suppressed his inner unease and followed the others back to the camp. By now, the camp was lively; the workers, still unaware that six lives had just been lost, were excitedly tidying up their belongings and gathering around the bonfire.

The atmosphere was warm, but as someone in the know, Lynch felt a heavy weight in his heart. However, the others were experienced; Karl stepped forward and lied, claiming that the six who had arrived first had already left after preparing everything.

The workers were mostly rough men; none noticed anything unusual. Dozens of people sang and danced in the camp, filling the entire valley with a bustling air. Yet, in the darkness beyond the fence, no one knew how many shadowy figures were lurking, coldly peering at the joyous crowd.

But the seven members of the archaeological team could no longer find the heart to join in. They divided up the rooms and went to sleep early. Karl Jones and Dr. Jenna slipped into one room; Lynch and Judy, the two remaining women, shared another; Rooney and Jack shared a room; and finally, the Ranger's mole, Salin, had a room to himself.

As the night grew late, the bonfire gradually burned out, the noisy crowd dispersed, and the courtyard finally returned to peace.

People had returned to their rooms, leaving only two groups of night watchmen wandering the courtyard with lanterns.

Back in the room, Lynch felt a bit awkward, especially since the room was not spacious and the two beds were pushed nearly together. As soon as Lynch entered, he peered out the window on the door to ensure no one was watching. When he turned back, he saw that Judy was already sitting on her bed, staring blankly in his direction.

Though this girl always looked half-dead, her features were actually quite good, which made Lynch feel at a loss. The crucial point was that she also knew he was a man, which made him feel even more uneasy.

Has the inherent uselessness of a shut-in not changed after all?

Forget it. These past few days I've had to guard against surveillance from the mayor and others, never having a chance to talk in detail. I should take this opportunity...

"There is more than one."

Before Lynch could speak, the spirit in Judy's eyes suddenly returned, and her voice became normal:

"There are at least two people connected to the employer behind the scenes—one in the light and one in the dark. It is not impossible that there are more."

"I won't cancel my disguise, lest I be discovered. What exactly is your situation?" Lynch, having held it in for days, finally found a chance to ask. "Would it be convenient to satisfy my curiosity?"

"When the Lady fed me forbidden knowledge, she accidentally gave me too much, and my mind simply collapsed. In the end, I had no choice but to use this method, splitting my consciousness into two halves, occasionally coming out to get some air. I don't know how long this can hold up; maybe a few more years. Actually, it's quite nice inside, relying on the Lady's protection, but I am suffering from my soul being burned every moment. It hurts terribly."

Hiss, eternal torture.

The inexplicable sense of closeness from the mystery relic made Lynch feel a pang of pity, but he didn't know how to comfort her. However, the girl seemed to have a very open attitude, simply smiling casually: "It doesn't matter. Aren't we all the same? Before we die or go mad, we always have to find every way possible to struggle to live. I'm not an exception. Forget it, let's talk about the matter at hand."

"Mm."

"This time, Hoffman and the Rangers released information on the black market to privately develop this tomb. I only signed up because I learned from the Lady that the Swelling Daughter was involved behind this. Those people are professional adventurers, but their backgrounds are deeply hidden. Just as I said, there are at least two people—one overt and one covert—who are completely controlled by the employer."

"Salin is the obvious one." Lynch added. "As for the remaining hidden ones, I find all four of them suspicious. I will continue to observe and keep the ritual within a controllable range as much as possible."

"The code you showed me earlier, if it comes from Norin, I know Jack Adams moved from Norin to Rhine ten years ago. I don't know about the others. I... hm?"

It wasn't just Judy who was puzzled; Lynch also saw a light flash briefly in the darkness, seemingly in the direction of the lake on the other side of the valley.

Is someone unable to wait so soon? Are they planning to stir up trouble?

What are they plotting? Should I go take a look?

Lynch hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth, stuffed his round fan into Judy's hand, made a shushing gesture, and took two steps back, his figure vanishing into the room.