Footprints

The rectangular front tomb, with dozens of side chambers lining its walls, had now been converted into the archaeological team's forward camp.

Behind it were two stone doors, leading to two outer courtyards respectively, beyond which lay the two entrances—one on the cliffside and the other at the bottom of the lake.

In front, however, was a single stone door that led directly to the central corridor packed with traps. Beyond this heavily rigged passage lay the main tomb chamber.

Lynch followed Rooney and Judy, walking along this corridor that had once been fraught with danger. Through the shattered stone door behind them, the light from the front tomb was still visible. Karl Jones and Jack Adams remained at the base, waiting for word from the exploring trio.

The corridor was already in complete disarray, a masterpiece of Karl Jones and Judy's efforts.

The Second Age and Third Age were eras without deities. Evil gods, descending from time to time, constantly ravaged the world, leaving sentient beings with no choice but to grovel at the feet of these rulers who dominated the world, endlessly sacrificing the lives of their own kind in exchange for a brief, wretched existence.

Consequently, there was no transcendent power during the Savage Age of the Second Age or the Dark Age of the Third Age, nor did Soul Severers exist. However, this did not mean the tombs were any safer. During these two ages, people often used bizarre arcana and complex traps to protect themselves under the influence of the evil gods, particularly inside tombs.

Of the dozens of sarcophagi in the corridor, seven or eight had already been opened. Three of them were just like the one Lynch had seen before, concealing intricate gears and connecting rods that linked tightly with machinery extending from within the walls.

The others were half-empty, containing no mechanical devices, yet they still looked incredibly eerie.

Wet, thick clumps of red hair spilled from some of the sarcophagi, clinging strand by strand to the stone walls in dense clusters, with pale human bones faintly visible through the gaps. Other sarcophagi were filled with writhing flesh tumors that ruptured from time to time, splashing foul-smelling pus and blood from their cracks before fresh tumors grew back, layer upon layer, nearly filling the interiors.

Lynch even felt a bit of relief that something had only gone wrong with the first sarcophagus he opened. Had he been present when Karl Jones was dealing with these bizarre sarcophagi, it would have been a miracle from his neighbor if he hadn't thrown up on the spot from sheer disgust.

These were the traces of grand arcana—residue left behind from ancient human sacrifices and soul manipulation, supplying mysterious filth to the entire front tomb area. The Hand of Death that had killed Dr. Jenna was powered by these arcana, and the servants of Glaaki, which had been pursuing Lynch from behind but had yet to show their faces, were also guided by them. Now that the source was destroyed, the ancient tomb was much safer.

Lynch lagged behind, staring thoughtfully at Rooney's back.

He had followed them after all because the coordination between Karl and Rooney made him suspect this was a trap targeting Judy. No matter the outcome, a third victim was highly likely to appear soon.

Let's follow and see. This Rooney was also highly suspicious. Especially after learning from Jack just now that before he and Judy had sneaked in behind the doctor's back, Karl had indeed mentioned the mystery relic Ocean Currents in a Dream, yet Rooney had still overreacted and launched a fatal attack.

That made him even more suspicious.

Yet Lynch showed no sign of his suspicion, nor did he tell Judy. He merely watched in silence as Rooney leaned down before a bizarre sarcophagus. Rooney's gloved fingers pinched a small piece of slimy pus and blood, rolled it around, and held it to his nose to sniff. With a barely noticeable nod, Rooney then strode past the sarcophagus.

What was he doing?

Watching Rooney's actions, Lynch's eyes flickered. He smiled thoughtfully, gave Judy a gentle nudge, and pulled her along to keep up.

The moment they stepped into the main tomb chamber, Lynch felt as if they had entered an entirely different world.

Though it was still part of the catacombs, it was completely different.

The main tomb chamber was a semi-natural underground cavern. It was vast and open, its area easily rivaling the camp above. Countless stone pillars covered in black moss rose toward the dome, and the ceiling was studded with countless faint, twinkling points of light. It was impossible to tell whether they were fluorescent plants or some special minerals. Though the individual lights were dim, they gathered like sand forming a tower, their collective glow illuminating the entire cavern.

In the center of the cavern lay a deep pool. The water reflected the fluorescence from the ceiling, shimmering like a starry night sky. A damp, frigid air swept off the surface of the deep pool, causing the three of them to shudder instinctively.

To the left and right of the cavern stood stone doors. Already covered in moss, the half-open doors allowed a faint, pearly glow of treasures to peek through the gaps, exceptionally prominent and incredibly alluring in the darkness.

Lynch instinctively swallowed and forced his eyes away, gritting his teeth.

On the opposite side of the deep pool was a pair of heavy bronze doors. Despite the damp environment, the bronze doors gleamed as if brand new, without a single speck of rust.

This was the main tomb chamber?

Looking at the vast, open space before him, illuminated by a dreamlike, shimmering glow, Lynch was dazed for a moment. As a shut-in in his past life, he had zero experience with grave robbing. Only by experiencing it firsthand did he realize that such a wondrous sight could exist inside a tomb.

Fortunately, as a veteran shut-in from his past life who had been tempered by the information explosion era, Lynch quickly snapped out of his astonishment. He realized the two beside him had already reacted and were quickly inspecting their surroundings.

“Don't let your guard down,” Mr. Rooney warned specifically, perhaps recalling Lynch's earlier exploits with the funerary objects. “The central corridor that Mr. Jones deactivated controlled the defense system of the front tomb. Entering the main tomb chamber means we are now in the inner tomb.”

“Are there other defense measures here?”

“Not necessarily. Every tomb is different. Most kings believed they would surely resurrect after the judgment, and didn't want to be killed by their own traps upon waking, so they didn't set traps in the inner chambers. However, some kings preferred to pack their sleeping quarters with lethal traps. It's just that the types of traps are unpredictable.”

As he spoke, he raised his lantern and led Lynch and Judy along the side walls of the cavern. Their cautious footsteps echoed with exceptional clarity in the silent space.

Aside from moss, there was no trace of any living creature in the cavern. It was as if this place had been forgotten by the world for thousands of years.

The stone pillars were genuine rock, which the three had repeatedly verified. The refined Mr. Rooney had even climbed up one to ensure no danger lurked above.

After circling the area and confirming the perimeter was relatively safe, the three exchanged glances and, holding their lanterns and weapons, edged closer to the center.

Braving the biting chill, they slowly approached the deep pool. The pool wasn't particularly large, with a radius of only thirty to forty meters. The water was crystal clear, entirely empty, and seemingly bottomless.

This body of water inevitably reminded Lynch of Glaaki in the lake, and he warily backed away. Rooney, however, bravely squatted down and gently stirred the water with his cane.

The splashing of the water was crisp and pleasant, unintentionally easing the suffocating tension in the gloomy environment. Lynch also pushed thoughts of Glaaki aside for the moment and began looking around... Hm?

As he turned his head, he spotted something extremely bizarre.

On the moss beside the pool, a half-footprint had appeared at some point.

This was an ancient tomb that had remained sealed with no one entering. Even if the Swelling Daughter had stolen the mirror, how could an evil god leave a footprint?

And even if an evil god did leave footprints, that would have been thousands of years ago. This footprint had obvious scuff marks, meaning it had undoubtedly been left recently.

Was someone wandering around in the ancient tomb? Had someone entered beforehand?

Could it be? Or had one of the remaining four people already sneaked in here behind everyone else's back?

What did they want to do?

Who on earth were they?