Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 897 - 890: Entering the Tomb

Chapter 897: Chapter 890: Entering the Tomb

Luo’er often emphasized that every member of the Advance Team had to exert their strength, and the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. Therefore, he preferred to keep everyone busy or take on extra tasks himself to alleviate the burden on the team members, instead of letting one person be responsible for all affairs while others stood by simply as onlookers.

During the exploration process of Fulajie’er, the Advance Team also began to study how to descend into the tomb to search for what they needed.

Their goal was straightforward: as long as they could find the Ancient Scripture, the mission would be considered complete, and the entire team would immediately evacuate the Snow Domain, return to their base to rest for a moment, and then head straight to Xia Yue Island.

Of course, the process of adventure was never smooth sailing. Accidents of various kinds were inevitable. The beginning and the end often turned out differently from what was expected, a fact that the members of the Advance Team knew all too well from personal experience.

While the team was discussing, Axia was still immersed in shock, taking a long time to recover. She gradually began to understand the Advance Team’s capacity for accepting new experiences—after all, these were people who had witnessed gods.

Naturally, Luo’er and the others did not notice her state and continued discussing the strategy for entering the tomb.

As the saying goes, man lights the candle and the ghost blows it out. Although they could use Magic Crystal Lamps and the light from Fulajie’er herself as illumination sources, essential items like torches and candles were indispensable. The greatest danger when entering such tombs was not the traps and mechanisms inside, but the stagnant air that had not circulated for years.

Since these tombs were located deep underground and lacked air circulation, it was easy to encounter situations of insufficient oxygen. Therefore, carrying a torch or similar light source could effectively monitor the oxygen level in the surrounding area. If the flame went out, it would mean that the area was oxygen-deficient and immediate evacuation was needed.

Despite some hiccups, Luo’er still decided to lead the team into the tomb personally. Seeing Luo’er so adamant, Cheng Ziang naturally could not say much else and only gave a few warnings before letting him go.

"Everyone, check the time. Once we go down, we’ll generally retreat within two hours, regardless of whether we have found anything. The latest we pull out is three hours. If we haven’t come back by then, don’t rush down. Immediately contact headquarters and arrange for an airboat to come support us," Luo’er told Cheng Ziang.

"By the time the airboat arrives, you guys would probably be frozen solid," Cheng Ziang said expressionlessly.

"Don’t spout such disheartening words. We will definitely return safely," Luo’er waved his hand, unfazed.

"If you don’t return on time, I’ll arrange for Feng to go down and look for you," Cheng Ziang said.

"Forget it. Although Feng is formidable, he is not familiar with magic and could easily trigger magic arrays or similar traps. That would be more of a loss than a gain. If we encounter any danger down there, I’ll send Fula up to notify you," Luo’er replied.

"Then just give the order. Don’t use this consultative tone. You don’t listen to me anyway," Cheng Ziang said, visibly displeased.

"Alright, alright, my mistake. I now command you to stay on the surface and wait for our return. Does that satisfy you?" Knowing Cheng Ziang cared for him, Luo’er could only be patient and reassure him.

"In any case, be careful, both of you," Cheng Ziang turned to Tangmo and Baiyue, "protect Luo’er, and don’t let him be bewitched by Tana again."

"You don’t have to tell me; I already know," Tangmo said.

"And you, try to be proactive," Cheng Ziang looked at Hu Daoke and said.

"What the hell are you talking about? When have I not been proactive?" Hu Daoke said, clearly annoyed.

"Alright, once Fula returns, you guys can set out. We’ll be waiting on the surface for your good news," Cheng Ziang waved his hand and said.

Not long after, a light burst out of the tomb like lightning, circled a few times in midair, and then returned to Luo’er’s side.

"How’s it looking?" Luo’er asked anxiously.

"Well, how should I say," Fulajie’er thought for a moment and then replied truthfully, "From the entrance, there’s a long staircase, probably about twenty or thirty meters in length, and then you arrive underground. There’s a long passageway underground, probably more than a hundred meters long. There are many rooms on both sides of the passageway..."

As she spoke, Fulajie’er suddenly couldn’t help but shiver, then said with a sense of grievance, "There are so many dead human bones inside, I didn’t dare to look and just came back..."

"It’s okay, it’s good to know what’s inside," Luo’er reassured with a smile.

The reason it’s called a marching tomb is that it’s a place to bury the remains of fallen soldiers, so it’s not surprising to find human bones there.

Right now, what Luo’er was most concerned about was whether there was anything they were looking for inside the tomb, and if so, where it might be located.

According to Axia, besides burying the corpses of soldiers, the marching tomb would also hold the bodies of some imperial generals. These generals were often noble aristocrats who had served the empire and, despite their high status, chose to be buried alongside their soldiers, which was quite remarkable.

Being aristocrats, these imperial generals would have been buried with various grave goods, though Luo’er wasn’t interested in these items. He felt that even if there were grave goods, it wasn’t certain they would find what they were searching for.

During the age of the Aud Empire, the Church Court wasn’t as dominant as it is now. Although the Emperor had been working to strengthen the Church’s power, the period of the Church’s rise in status actually occurred during the fragmentation of the Aud Empire.

The rulers of the fragmented kingdoms desperately needed someone to legitimize their claims of sovereignty, and at that time, the Church Court became the best witness. Therefore, under the sweeping influence of this trend, the Church’s status rose significantly.

And it was precisely because, during the Aud Empire period, the Church did not have the power to control the entire empire, that the imperial magic culture was exceedingly brilliant. Many of today’s classic works were created during that era, including the Ancient Scripture, which was later marveled at by future generations.

There are many theories about the Church’s destruction of the Ancient Scripture, with the mainstream belief being that the Ancient Scripture contained methods for opening the Otherworld Gate. This type of magic belonged to the summoning category within the field of magic, and at that time, the Church was regulating summoning magic, so they destroyed all copies of the Ancient Scripture in the realm.

Of course, another theory is that the Ancient Scripture contained secrets about the ancestors’ destruction, and the Church, fearing that such secrets could lead to the collapse of faith, firmly decided to destroy all copies of the Ancient Scripture.

According to Eve’s description, after obtaining the Ancient Scripture, she heard some of its contents from Fu’en. The Ancient Scripture, rather than being a book, could be more accurately described as an archaeological journal.

The author of the Ancient Scripture was a person named Ramo, a great poet and historian during the time of the Aud Empire. He traveled across the continent, investigating the relics of the ancestors, and compiled all his research notes into the book known as the Ancient Scripture.

Naturally, the Ancient Scripture was written in Ancient Aud, a language that most people find difficult to understand. Although Tasta language is said to be an improved version of Ancient Aud, even so, most people from Otherworld still cannot understand this book.

After some preparation, Luo’er lit a torch he had prepared in advance and, holding the torch, led the way into the tomb.

They descended the long staircase, the deeper they went, the more they felt as if their legs were immersed in ice-cold water. Fortunately, the torch seemed to be unaffected, still crackling as it burned, which somewhat reassured Luo’er. After all, as long as the torch remained lit, it meant there was enough oxygen in the area to breathe.

Following the long staircase, Luo’er was the first to reach the bottom, where a long tubular passageway lay before him. He estimated that the passageway was about three to four meters in height, and around ten meters wide.

He lifted the torch, trying to illuminate the surroundings, hoping to get a clear view of the inside of the passageway. Fulajie’er walked back and forth beside him, emitting a faint cold light.

Being an atheist, Luo’er didn’t feel fear in places like this. His concerns were traps and mechanisms, not so-called ghosts and spirits; those were not within the scope of his worries.