In the billowing fog, the opened rock wall resembled a gaping mouth, waiting to devour its prey.
Before the rock wall, the group exchanged glances, their eyes filled with just the right amount of surprise, making it impossible for Lynch to tell who was being genuine.
“So this is a tomb from the Third Age. As expected of that most terrifying Dark Age, even the method of opening the entrance is so bizarre.”
Karl Jones exhaled a breath of mist, a flicker of displeasure crossing his gaze.
“Twelve ordinary workers in succession, plus Salin—thirteen lives were actually spent just to open the entrance. Damn it, we didn't even notice who was pulling the strings behind all this.”
Karl spoke with a solemn tone, his words loaded with meaning as his gaze swept across the faces of the other five. However, everyone, including Judy, looked perfectly at ease, acting as if they had no idea what he was talking about.
“It might not necessarily be guided by anyone, little Karl,” Dr. Jenna's lazy voice interrupted Karl Jones's probing. “You know as well as I do that some sacrifices outside ancient tombs are automated and don't require anyone's control.”
Karl Jones choked on his words and said nothing more, merely nodding glumly.
“But did the employer really not tell you about such a unique method of opening the door?” The bearded Jack twitched his nose from time to time, trying to analyze the scent coming from the tomb. “It's fine if kid Karl didn't know, but you're the leading archaeological doctor. They actually didn't tell you?”
Dr. Jenna sneered, casting a look of disgust at Jack, not even bothering to reply.
“Mr. Jack Adams, I believe Dr. Jenna. The employer did not disclose any information regarding this,” Karl Jones immediately took half a step over, moving closer to Dr. Jenna. “When they spoke with me, they also didn't directly explain the method to open the entrance. There's no need for the doctor to hide anything.”
“Alright, little Karl, there's no need to cover for me.” Dr. Jenna smiled faintly. “I admit, though I didn't have direct information, I vaguely guessed that this method would be used to open the entrance, and I anticipated that quite a few people would die. But so what? Even if you had known beforehand that so many would die, would any of you have chosen not to come?”
Her single sentence struck a chord with everyone. None of them were law-abiding or virtuous people; who among them had the right to judge?
Rooney and Jack Adams shut their mouths at the same time. After a brief silence, Rooney spoke up softly to smooth things over: “What about the ritual itself? It had to be kept secret before, but now that the entrance is open, does it still need to be kept a secret?”
Dr. Jenna didn't target Rooney, only sighing softly, “Actually, the employer doesn't know either. Think about it, how could the employer possibly know the conditions inside a thousands-of-years-old tomb in greater detail than we do?”
What did that mean?
This immediately drew Lynch's attention as well. Not even knowing the details of the ritual was simply too absurd. What were they even coming in here for then?
However, the moment he focused his gaze on the doctor, his hair suddenly stood on end as he realized something was wrong.
The others might not know about my underlying identity as the Swelling Daughter, but the real mole definitely does. With this identity, I shouldn't show any curiosity, otherwise I'll blow my cover. Although I could make up all sorts of excuses to talk my way out of it, judging by what happened to Salin, no one will give me a chance to explain. Once exposed, I'll be surrounded by deadly peril.
I can't show curiosity, nor can I act like I already know, or else the other side won't let me off.
His mind raced. Lynch's curious gaze merely swept past Dr. Jenna before he put on a noncommittal smile and looked away. He couldn't tell if it was just his imagination, but in that fleeting instant, he felt as though several gazes had swept across his back.
That was a close call. What kind of life do undercover agents in those dramas lead? One wrong step means death. It's too nerve-wracking.
“The method of the ritual is preserved in the form of murals inside the main tomb chamber. No one will know it before entering the main tomb chamber. After all, that is the method to retrieve the special item; it would be abnormal if others knew about it,” the doctor said nonchalantly. “If you want to find out, then enter the main tomb chamber as quickly as possible. Once we're in, all questions will be answered. That's far more direct than standing here asking me.”
“Indeed,” Rooney nodded. “In that case, how we quickly enter the main tomb chamber will depend on Mr. Karl Jones's abilities.”
“It depends on everyone's abilities.”
Karl removed his hat and bowed reservedly, then retreated to the edge of the woods with Dr. Jenna to observe the entrance from a distance.
The wide-open entrance was almost completely integrated with the cliff face, making it nearly impossible to detect when closed. But now that it was open, they could see a pitch-black corridor extending into the unknown through the swirling mist.
“It doesn't make much sense, little Karl.”
“Yes, it's indeed strange. The fog here is about the same intensity as by the lake.”
“According to the laws of mystery, for anomalies caused by the occult, the phenomenon should be strongest at the entrance. The fog spreading to other places should only be an extension of the anomaly at the entrance.”
“But there's almost no discernible difference in the density of the fog here compared to the lakeside, Doctor. This can only mean one thing.”
“Both sides are entrances.”
“Or neither side is the entrance.”
Lynch glanced at the dazed Judy and couldn't help but twitch his lips.
Setting aside their character for a moment, this pair really coordinated seamlessly. Their back-and-forth flow was so smooth that it gave Lynch a sense of satisfaction, even fostering a trace of goodwill toward them.
I hope I'm just overthinking this. I hope the real undercover agent isn't Jenna or Karl Jones, otherwise it would be a bit of a shame. But judging by my current deduction, there's a very high probability that Dr. Jenna is Prince William's agent.
Sigh, I'll keep observing. May the neighbor bless me, and hope everything goes smoothly, Lynch sighed softly in his heart.
“Let's temporarily set aside the possibility that neither side is the entrance, little Karl, since there is no environment around us with thicker fog.”
“Yes, assuming both sides are indeed entrances, then a question arises. For a facility activated by sacrifices, each activation means a significant loss of life. Why would two entrances be opened at the same time?”
“Is one of them a trap?”
“That's not necessarily wrong, but it's not logical enough because there's no need for it. If it was meant to harm people, wouldn't it be better to only open the side with the trap? It would be far more lethal.”
“Then the most logical possibility is that both sides are genuine entrances, and there is a necessity to open both of them. For example...”
The laziness on Dr. Jenna's face had long since vanished, her eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation.
“We must enter from both sides simultaneously? Entering from only one side is a fatal trap?”
Karl also grew expectant. “Similar to the tomb of Elder Tamon, the tomb of King Fried, or the tomb of Princess Anna?”
Not only him, but Rooney and Jack's breathing also quickened unconsciously. Even the vacant Judy showed a slight change in expression.
Seriously, can you archaeologists act a bit more normal? Is there really a need to get this excited over a breakthrough?
Lynch felt caught between laughter and tears. I was also an archaeology student, yet you don't see me being as fanatical as you guys.
【Is there a possibility that it's because you were a terrible student?】
‘No, go look at your scenery.’
“Come on, let's go back to the lake first to check on the situation.”
Karl Jones's voice interrupted Lynch's train of thought. With a wave of his hand, the handsome grave robber led the group of six quickly back to the lakeside.
The workers were all terrified, and none dared to leave the camp. Salin's corpse still lay quietly by the lakeside, showing no signs of getting up or moving around.
The group peered around the lakeside and found that the fog rising from the lake had grown even thicker than before.
“This means that in the short term, the fog in the valley won't disperse; instead, it will only grow thicker,” the big-nosed Jack rubbed his beard irritably, appearing somewhat anxious. “I highly suspect that unless we complete the ritual and reseal the ancient tomb, the fog won't disperse at all. The workers and we ourselves won't be able to leave either. We're trapped here.”
Hmm? You just slipped up. How did you know that completing the ritual would seal the tomb? If you were just an external undercover agent who didn't know the inside details, you probably wouldn't know this. And you still claim you and Dr. Jenna aren't just acting out a conflict?
Lynch narrowed his eyes, but like the others, he remained calm and unruffled. He merely cast a questioning glance at Judy. Unfortunately, the girl's rationality hadn't returned yet; she was still in her vacant, dazed state.
“Beautiful Ms. Selene,” as if none of them noticed the slip in Jack's words, Karl hesitated for a moment before pressing, “are you absolutely certain that Glaaki is hidden in the lake?”
“Otherwise?” Lynch retorted in a teasing tone. “Where else could it hide?”
“No, that's not what I meant,” Karl was nearly choked by the response. “Forget it, as long as you are sure. I wanted to go down and inspect the lake bed, but if Glaaki is there, it's far too dangerous. Just touching the water might alert it.”
“It's not entirely impossible to try,” Dr. Jenna turned to look at Karl Jones, saying thoughtfully, “In theory, Glaaki, the Inhabitant of the Lake, resides in the center of the lake, but in reality, it resides within a concept. It cannot be seen in the lake under normal circumstances; it only manifests from the water when needed. Therefore, as long as we do not contact the lake water, even if it manifests, it won't matter.”
“So?” Rooney pressed from the side.
“So...”
Dr. Jenna pointed her finger toward the lake's surface and moved it gently.
【Authority, Styx, Ability, Flow.】
The originally dead, silent lake water suddenly began to flow, gradually forming two massive whirlpools on the left and right, splitting the entire lake down the middle and exposing the lake bed.
In an instant, a chorus of gasps rang out along the shore.
Because when the lake parted, everyone saw that the lake bed was smooth and flat, just like the cliff face they had seen moments ago.
And at this moment, the very center of the lake bed had also parted like the cliff, revealing a pitch-black, massive cavern that mirrored the one on the cliff face.
And this massive, mist-shrouded cavern, despite being located at the bottom of the lake, showed no signs of the lake water pouring into it. It was as if an invisible force within the cave was holding up the water, ensuring that not a single drop fell inside.
“As expected, this is also an entrance.”
Karl Jones murmured.
“There was no reaction from the entrance yesterday, but both sides have opened today, indicating that the door-opening ritual hadn't finished yesterday and only took effect today after it concluded. And two sacrificial points mean there should only be these two entrances; there is no third door. So...”
“So the purpose of having two entrances is that we must enter from both sides together,” Dr. Jenna added. “However, we don't have to take such a big risk. We should be able to peer in from the entrance first; there shouldn't be any danger at this point.”
With that, she walked straight toward the flat center of the lake.
Holy crap, you're brave.
But seeing that the others didn't hesitate to step forward, Lynch gritted his teeth and followed.
Rate on N.U.
