Amidst the swirling fog, the open rock wall looked like a gaping mouth, waiting to devour its prey.
Before the rock wall, the group exchanged glances, their expressions displaying just the right amount of surprise, making it impossible for Lynch to discern the truth.
"This is a tomb from the Third Age. It truly lives up to its reputation as the most terrifying dark age; even the way it opens is so eerie."
Karl Jones exhaled a puff of mist, a trace of displeasure flashing in his eyes:
"Twelve ordinary workers in succession, plus Salin—thirteen lives just to open the gate. Damn it, we didn't even notice who was orchestrating all of this behind the scenes."
Karl spoke with a grave expression, his words pointed. His gaze swept over the faces of the other five, yet everyone, including Judy, remained calm, as if they had no idea what he was talking about.
"It is not necessarily orchestrated by anyone, little Karl." Dr. Jenna’s languid voice interrupted Karl Jones's probing. "You are not unaware that some sacrifices outside ancient tombs are automatic and do not require anyone to control them."
Karl Jones choked, said nothing more, and just nodded sullenly.
"But surely the employer didn't fail to tell you about such a special way of opening the gate?" The bearded Jack twitched his nose from time to time, trying to analyze the aura within the tomb. "It’s one thing for the kid Karl not to know, but you, the lead archaeological doctor—they didn't tell you either?"
Dr. Jenna sneered, glancing at Jack with a look of disgust, not even bothering to answer him.
"Mr. Jack Adams, I believe Dr. Jenna. The employer did not disclose information in this regard." Karl Jones immediately stepped forward, moving a bit closer to Dr. Jenna. "When they spoke with me, they also did not directly explain the method of opening the gate. There is no need for the doctor to hide it."
"Alright, little Karl, there is no need to cover for me." Dr. Jenna smiled faintly. "I admit, although there was no direct information, I vaguely guessed that this method would be used to open the gate, and I anticipated that many people would die. But so what? Knowing in advance that so many people would die, did any of you intend not to come?"
Her words struck a chord with everyone present. None of them were law abiding or virtuous people, so who had the right to judge anyone else?
Rooney and Jack Adams shut their mouths at the same time. After a moment of silence, Rooney softly smoothed things over: "What about the ritual itself? It was supposed to be kept confidential before, but now that the gate is open, does it still need to be kept secret?"
Dr. Jenna did not target Rooney, only sighing softly: "Actually, the employer doesn't know either. Think about it: the situation in the tomb from thousands of years ago—how could the employer know more details than we do?"
What does that mean?
Even Lynch's attention was drawn to this. It was too absurd to not even know the content of the ritual; then what did they come in for?
However, just as he focused his gaze on the doctor, his hair suddenly stood on end, and he realized something was wrong.
My identity as a Swelling Daughter behind my back—others might not know, but the real mole definitely does. I shouldn't be curious in this role, or I'll blow my cover. Although I could use all sorts of excuses to sophistically argue, based on Salin’s experience, no one would give me a chance to explain. Once exposed, danger would be everywhere.
I cannot show curiosity, nor can I show that I know, otherwise the other side won't let me go.
Thoughts racing, Lynch's curious gaze swept past Dr. Jenna, revealing only a noncommittal smile before he looked away. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt that at that instant, several gazes swept over his back.
This is so damn risky. What kind of lives do those undercover agents in dramas live? A single wrong step means death; it's just too nerve wracking.
"The ritual method is preserved in the main tomb chamber in the form of murals. No one knows it until they enter the main chamber. After all, that is the way to retrieve special items. It would be abnormal if anyone else knew," the doctor said indifferently. "If you want to know, just enter the main tomb chamber as soon as possible. Then all questions will have answers. That is much more direct than standing here asking me."
"Indeed." Rooney nodded. "Then how to enter the main tomb chamber as quickly as possible depends on the ability of Mr. Karl Jones."
"It depends on everyone's ability."
Karl took off his hat and bowed reservedly, then retreated to the edge of the woods with Dr. Jenna to observe the entrance from afar.
The open gate was almost integrated into the cliff face; it was almost impossible to detect when closed. But now that it was open, through the pervasive fog, one could see the pitch black tunnel inside, extending into an unknown distance.
"It doesn't make much sense, little Karl."
"Mm, it is indeed strange. The fog here is about the same as by the lake."
"According to the laws of mystery, for anomalies caused by the mystical, the entrance should be the strongest point, and what leaks out elsewhere is merely the spread of the anomaly from the gate."
"But the intensity of the fog here is almost indistinguishable from the lake, Doctor. So it can only indicate one problem."
"Both sides are gates."
"Or neither side is a gate."
Lynch looked at the dazed Judy and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Never mind their characters; they were quite a match when working together. The back and forth was so smooth that it gave Lynch a refreshing feeling, even stirring a hint of goodwill.
I hope I’m just overthinking it and that the real mole isn't Jenna or Karl Jones. Otherwise, it would feel a bit regrettable. But from Lynch's current judgment, the possibility of Dr. Jenna being one of Prince William's people is very high.
Sigh, keep observing. Blessings to my neighbors, I hope everything goes smoothly. Lynch sighed softly in secret.
"Let's temporarily set aside the possibility that neither side is the entrance, little Karl, because there is no denser fog environment in the surrounding area."
"Mm, tentatively assume both sides are entrances. Then the problem arises: such a facility started by sacrifice implies a large number of lives each time it is activated. Why would two locations be opened at the same time?"
"Is one of them a trap?"
"Not necessarily wrong, but it’s not reasonable enough. Because there is no need for it. If it were to trap people, wouldn't it be better to only open the trap side? The lethality would be stronger."
"Then the most reasonable possibility is that both sides are real gates, and it is necessary to enter from both sides, for example..."
The languor on Dr. Jenna’s face was long gone; her eyes were shining, and her expression was full of excitement and anticipation:
"Must we enter from both sides at the same time? Is entering only one side a deadly trap?"
Karl also became expectant: "Similar to the tomb of Elder Tamon, the tomb of King Fried, or the tomb of Princess Anna?"
It wasn't just him; Rooney and Jack’s breathing accelerated unconsciously, and even the dazed Judy showed a slight change in expression.
No, can you archaeology people act normally? Does a breakthrough really require this much excitement?
Lynch felt a sense of wanting to laugh and cry. I also have an archaeological background, but I've never seen myself get as fanatical as you all.
【Is there a possibility that it’s because you are a poor student?】
‘No, go look at your scenery.’
"Let's go, we'll return to the lake to check the situation first."
Karl Jones’s voice interrupted Lynch’s train of thought. He saw the handsome grave robber wave his hand and lead the six of them back to the lake quickly.
The workers were all frightened; no one dared to leave the camp. Salin’s body was still lying quietly by the lake, with no signs of having risen to move.
The group glanced around the lakeside and found that the fog permeating from the lake was even denser than before.
"This means that in the short term, the fog in the valley will not only not disperse, but will become increasingly dense." The big nosed Jack rubbed his beard irritably, looking somewhat uneasy. "I highly suspect that unless we complete the ritual and let the tomb re seal, the fog will not disperse at all. The workers and we ourselves cannot get out; we are tied here."
Mm? You let something slip. How do I not know that completing the ritual will seal the tomb? If you were just an outside mole without the inside story, I'm afraid you wouldn't know this. Are you still going to say that you and Dr. Jenna aren't putting on an act?
Lynch narrowed his eyes but remained as calm as the others, only looking at Judy with a questioning gaze. Unfortunately, that girl's rationality hadn't emerged yet; it was still the silly, dazed one.
"Beautiful Ms. Selene." Everyone seemed not to care about the issue in Jack's words. Karl hesitated for a moment and then followed up: "Are you really sure that Glaaki is hiding in the lake?"
"Otherwise?" Lynch asked rhetorically in a bantering tone. "Where else could it hide?"
"No, I didn't mean that." Karl was almost choked to death. "Forget it, as long as you are sure. I wanted to go down and see the bottom of the lake, but if Glaaki is there, it's too dangerous. Touching the lake water might disturb it."
"It's not that we can't try.", Dr. Jenna turned her head to look at Karl Jones, saying thoughtfully. "Glaaki, the lake dweller, theoretically lives in the center of the lake, but in reality, it lives in concepts. It cannot be seen in an ordinary lake; it only manifests from the lake water when necessary. So as long as we don't touch the lake water, it doesn't matter even if it manifests."
"So?" Rooney asked from the side.
"So..."
Dr. Jenna pointed her finger at the lake and moved it gently.
【Authority, Styx, Ability, Flow.】
The originally dead silent lake water suddenly began to flow, gradually turning into two large whirlpools, one on the left and one on the right, causing the entire lake to split from the middle and reveal the lake bottom.
For a moment, a chorus of exclamations sounded by the lake.
Because when the lake water separated, everyone saw that the bottom of the lake was smooth and flat, just like the cliff face they had seen earlier.
And at this moment, the center of the lake bottom also split open like the cliff face, revealing a pitch black hole, echoing the cliff.
And this large hole filled with thick fog was clearly located at the bottom of the lake, yet from beginning to end, there was no sign of lake water backflowing into it. It was as if there was an invisible force inside the hole lifting the lake water, ensuring that not a single drop of water fell into it.
"Sure enough, this is also a gate."
Karl Jones mused:
"The gate didn't react yesterday, but both sides opened today, which shows that the gate opening ritual wasn't finished yesterday, and the effect was only reflected after it was finished today. And two sacrificial points mean there should only be these two gates; a third gate does not exist, so..."
"So the significance of the two gates is that we must enter from both sides together." Dr. Jenna added. "However, we don't need to take such risks. We should be able to peek from the entrance. There shouldn't be any danger at this time."
Saying this, she walked straight toward the flat center of the lake.
Damn, you are brave.
But seeing that the others didn't hesitate, Lynch gritted his teeth and followed.
Rate on N.U.
