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墨書 Inktalez
"Let's get to the point. First, is this the location of the ancient tomb?" I immediately raised the question that concerned me.
Upon hearing my words, A San's excitement quickly faded into a sullen expression. "Only Ah Xiang knows about this matter; it seems quite confidential. He hasn't revealed a word to me along the way. American and Ah Xiang have been whispering behind my back about something I don't know, and I suspect it might be related to this. However, Ah Xiang is tight-lipped; prying information from him is difficult."
A San's words doused my enthusiasm with cold water. Yet, my distrust of this group of Vietnamese remained unchanged. I didn't believe that A San, as Ah Xiang's assistant, would be completely in the dark about this matter. Even for his own survival, he would find ways to gather some information, especially since their trust in each other wasn't very high and this operation was clearly fraught with risk. Knowing some inside details would at least be beneficial for survival.
My expression darkened instantly. I looked coldly at A San. "Show me your sincerity. I'm glad you've made the right choice and am willing to treat you like a brother, but I need to see your sincerity. I think you have something to say to me."
A San didn't expect me to turn so quickly. His eyes were fixed on my face, darting around rather than remaining still, but his expression was focused and tense.
I knew he was observing me, trying to read something from my face. As long as I showed even a hint of hesitation or doubt, he would likely stick to his previous stance and refuse to disclose any information. However, my mental fortitude was better than he imagined; my gaze remained steady on his eyes, unwavering and calm, even without blinking. I felt my expression was cold and hard because I could see the growing sense of defeat in A San's eyes.
When the word "frustration" appeared on A San's face, he lowered his head. "I don't know much, but I'm willing to tell you."
I gestured for him to continue without saying a word or showing any expression. Sure enough, A San lifted his eyelids to glance at me, looking much like a thief. Seeing my rock-like expression, he sighed helplessly.
"In fact, we are being hired by a consortium in Europe for this operation. It's also a derivative of a transaction with Mr. Xiao Guolin. The item Mr. Xiao Guolin wants can only be obtained through this European consortium, which has attached a condition to this transaction: they want us to retrieve something for them from here."
As A San spoke these words, he didn't look at me but turned his face toward the distant Glow Stick. Over there, Glow Stick began to move; it seemed they had navigated past the treacherous path and were approaching us.
The moment A San mentioned Xiao Guolin's transaction, I felt an impulse to interrupt him. I was more curious about the details of the deal between Xiao Guolin and them. I was willing to risk collaborating with the Vietnamese just to obtain this information, specifically regarding the item involved in the transaction. I didn't want to get my hands on it because, in terms of economic power and danger, this item was beyond my capability to handle. I merely wanted to use it to gauge Xiao Guolin's intentions.
However, I held back and did not interrupt him. For now, information that could help us survive was far more valuable. Moreover, I couldn't let A San see that I was nervous; in such a situation, my voice could easily betray my emotions.
A San was positioned between me and Jack's Glow Stick, leaning against a stalactite that cascaded like a waterfall, his face slightly turned towards Jack. The stone I sat on protruded a bit, allowing the Glow Stick's light to illuminate both my face and his profile. A San spoke slowly, as if carefully organizing his words.
"As far as I know, the Europeans have never seen this item either; their information comes from a legend. The person who provided them with this information or legend is no longer alive. However, the route we took into the Valley was also provided by this person; there should be a route map with Ah Xiang. One thing I can be sure of is that the item must be located in some ancient tomb because I've heard from Ah Xiang and my boss that finding the tomb will lead us to that item."
Ancient tomb? As soon as that word reached my ears, I connected it with our current environment. The Pit Vortex showed clear signs of artificial carving around it, and the surrounding hills had been shaped into a dam, with numerous drainage channels carved out on top of it.
The Dam Hill encircled the Pit Vortex, and at that moment, I did not notice any signs of artificial carving on it. I didn't fully trust Jack's speculation; I believed in my own eyes. Without having seen it firsthand, no matter how reasonable or logical it seemed, I wouldn't completely believe it—I would only consider it as a possible option. After all, I had seen things far more incredible and inexplicable than this.
However, beneath the Pit Vortex, there was indeed a strong possibility of human processing, so much so that I had no conjecture that could overturn Jack's judgment. This meant that the environment surrounding the Pit Vortex bore traces of human construction—some evident and some subtle, some real and some false. Although these traces were entirely unrelated to what I understood about burial systems, they at least confirmed that this was a massive artificial project; it could potentially be an ancient tomb with peculiar burial practices or an unclear hydraulic engineering project.
Yet beneath the Pit Vortex, whether in the underground lake or along the Underground River we were currently drifting down, there were no signs of human processing visible. This nearly negated its possibility of being an ancient tomb.
But if it were a hydraulic project, there were still lingering doubts. First of all, this area is in the rain-rich south where such a massive water storage facility is unnecessary; draining water would make more sense. One side of the entire Valley is bordered by the rushing Beipan River; if drainage facilities were to be constructed, diverting water into the Beipan River would be the most economical and effective method. Carving out a dam around the Pit Vortex and creating countless drainage channels—or perhaps even numerous protrusions throughout the bottom of the vortex—would require an amount of work sufficient to tunnel through a hill along the Beipan River.
I actually didn't have time to ponder these questions in detail. Since entering this Valley, I hadn't had a moment's peace—especially after encountering strange creatures here—I had been running around without even time to rest; my mind had never settled down. Now that I thought about these issues, my confusion only deepened. It made me even more eager to uncover the truth behind everything.
At that moment, an image suddenly flashed in my mind: the Underground Water Reservoir discovered during our last Desert Archaeology expedition. That reservoir had already dried up, surrounded by many drainage channels leading into it—how similar its environment was to that around the Pit Vortex!
Could there be some connection between these two? But that seemed too incredible! The moment this thought entered my mind, it left me utterly stunned. (To Be Continued...)
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