Karen walked over to one of the statues posed with arms raised high.
The clothing style of this statue was somewhat ornate, with meticulous attention to detail; the statue on the other side, posed as if bending down to scoop something up, wore much simpler attire.
Regardless of the era, aristocratic attire tended toward the cumbersome and useless. Aristocrats had to be distinguished from the lower classes; simply put, their garments did not need to be suited for manual labor, and the farther removed from physical work they were, the more noble they appeared.
Therefore, the statue before him was of the noblewoman, while the subject of the other was the woman dressed in traditional folk attire.
Karen was not making these distinctions for archaeological study; he was merely trying to determine which one was the little girl's mother.
She had been a little noble girl whose father was also lavishly dressed, and that little girl was very likely the "future" Goddess of the Dark Moon.
Karen reached up to touch the corner of his eye, only for his fingertips to come away with traces of blood.
It seemed that not only in the earlier illusion, but even in reality, his Dark Moon Eye had resonated intensely.
That little girl most likely truly was the future Goddess of the Dark Moon.
As a little girl, the Goddess of the Dark Moon had watched with her own eyes as her mother was forced to be sacrificed for Artemis, the Moon Goddess, serving as a stepping stone on Artemis's path to divinity.
And today, the Church of the Moon Goddess even wanted to absorb Dark Moon Island into its own hierarchy through annexation.
If they actually succeeded, that would truly be... utter melodrama.
Fortunately, the Church of Order had stepped in, and Dark Moon Island had turned to Order.
However, the legacy passed down on Dark Moon Island was merely worship of the "Dark Moon" itself, without any specific personification. That was why Karen had been so surprised when he first saw the power of the Dark Moon appear in the form of a goddess within his consciousness.
He later guessed that Dark Moon Island's legacy was broken and incomplete. An original Church of the Goddess of the Dark Moon likely had existed once, but whether due to some unforeseen catastrophe or gradual decline, it was ultimately lost to time.
The ancestors of Dark Moon Island had merely inherited... or perhaps simply scavenged, remnants of the Goddess of the Dark Moon's legacy.
"There's quite a story here."
To watch her mother die at the hands of the Moon, yet ultimately embark on a lunar path of her own.
Dark Moon... Dark Moon...
Did it mean casting the moon into darkness and obscurity?
Or was this, from the very beginning, the path of vengeance chosen by that little girl?
Regrettably, judging by the current outcome, the Church of the Moon Goddess remained an orthodox church, while the legacy of the Dark Moon, seen only through Dark Moon Island, had long fallen into decline—the two could not even be compared anymore.
Karen took two steps back and looked at the two statues used as door guardians. In Whispers of the Moon, they were depicted as the Moon Goddess's most loyal devotees, guardians of Artemis.
Thus, on murals and in religious rituals, they frequently appeared as "door gods." Looking at it now, that seemed more like a form of humiliation.
Since you refused to devote yourselves to me willingly, then I shall make you watchdogs throughout the endless ages.
The deterioration of the two statues continued, a layer of rubble already accumulating on the ground. But after crumbling to a certain point, the cracking inexplicably ceased, as though an invisible force was pulling at them.
The cracking slowed to a stop. Karen leaned in for a closer look and realized that not only had it stopped, but it was actually repairing itself.
It was just that the restoration was extremely slow. By a rough estimate, it would take at least a month to fully return to their original state.
Karen looked around, genuinely curious now about what secrets lay hidden within this sprawling Congers family tomb.
"Captain!"
Just then, Muri and the others arrived, as timely as the York City police.
Karen pointed to the two statues and recounted his earlier ordeal, omitting only his actual method of breaking the illusion and chalking up his success to unyielding willpower.
In truth, Karen hated unnecessary trouble, and during a mission, stopping to tell a story was truly a luxury.
Yet he made a point of explaining it thoroughly: first, to sound an early warning for the team before venturing deeper, as this tomb had already surpassed the scale of a mere Congers family mausoleum; second, to spread a tale that dismantled religious sanctity.
On the boat to Samsara Valley last time, the team members had seemed quite numb about who would undertake the two dignitaries' mission. That made Karen realize he had to fulfill a duty of his own: he couldn't control outsiders, but as for the people under his command, he had to do his best to pull the lofty gods down from their altars in their minds.
After hearing his account, everyone looked somewhat solemn, though not to the point of needing reassurance.
Blanche walked up to Karen, produced a blue handkerchief followed by a small reagent vial, poured out some liquid to dampen a corner, and gently wiped the corner of Karen's eye.
It felt cool and soothing.
"Captain, I suggest you have your eyes checked once this mission is over," Blanche said.
"Is it serious?"
"It shouldn't be very serious, but normally such a thing rarely happens. You must have..." Blanche caught herself and promptly shifted the topic. "That is to say, we all experience various encounters and opportunities, but sometimes we inevitably handle things improperly. Nothing seems wrong at first, but as time passes, issues gradually surface. It's best if you undergo a comprehensive full-body examination."
"Can it be done at the knight order camp?" Karen asked.
"Ah, yes, of course. Their examinations are extremely thorough. Usually they're only for regular checkups of soldiers, but outsiders can get them done too. It just requires an approval permit. I can ask my family for one."
Hearing this, Bart immediately chipped in, "I can help get permits too. Anyone in the squad who wants a checkup can come along."
Blanche nodded. "Right, Bart is a local. It's more convenient for him."
"All right, let's set a date when the time comes."
Karen had intended to undergo an examination anyway; according to Sinyali, he needed a rigorous checkup on record for higher-ups who might investigate his background in the future to "see."
After that, the team began advancing into the cave.
Muri and Ventura took the lead, while Bart and Philomena brought up the rear. In narrow corridors, both the front and rear needed sufficient resilience to buy reaction time in most emergencies.
Richard was still supported by Philomena. Uncharacteristically, he remained silent the whole time, as though having suddenly turned quiet.
As they walked, flashes of three-colored light appeared ahead.
"The Malif purification corridor!" Memphis shouted.
"Catch!" Mars pulled two pre-drawn scrolls from his pack and tossed them to Muri and Ventura at the front.
Alfred said to Karen, "Young Master, we're nearing the innermost core area."
Karen nodded. The Malif purification corridor was a mechanism, but one that acted somewhat like a final disinfection measure before entering a building, typically deployed as the last line of defense before a core area.
In truth, the simplest way to bypass it was to know its whitelist of disinfection targets in advance—that is, obtaining blood from the Congers family. After all, this was the Congers family tomb, and Piston's ability to enter had relied on his bloodline.
If each person had a low-grade scroll made from a blood sample right now, opening it around themselves as the disinfection process approached would grant them exemption.
The Malif purification corridor had famously shot to prominence in history after an incident where a clan was invaded. The invaders forced the clan patriarch and his kin to walk in front toward the clan treasury. When they passed through a Malif purification corridor, the clan members emerged unscathed, while everyone else was burned to cinders.
Muri and Ventura unrolled the scrolls, and two barriers appeared before them.
Ventura assumed giant form, holding the barrier upright in front, while Muri pressed his round shield firmly against it to reinforce it.
Flames surged from ahead, sweeping directly toward them.
Boom!
The surging flames were blocked by the barrier. The barrier began glowing red, yet showed no signs of shattering or melting, though the temperature was unquestionably searing.
Ventura's and Muri's bodies also began flushing red; both were under immense pressure.
Blanche stood behind them, casting buffing spells on them.
The situation looked precarious, but in reality it remained under control. According to their prearranged plan, if the vanguard couldn't hold, they would call out early so the relief team could prepare.
In times like this, no one would stubbornly hold back to save face; if the front collapsed, everyone would suffer.
Mars and Memphis crouched down and began laying an array.
"The fire is much fiercer than expected," Mars said.
"But our teammates can take far more punishment than expected, too." With one hand tucked in his sleeve, Memphis rapidly arranged the array with the other.
This scene felt remarkably familiar to Karen.
Soon, a temporary transfer array was set up.
Mars reached into his pack once more, drew out two scrolls, and threw them to Bart and Philomena at the rear.
Philomena caught the scroll, letting Richard drop to the ground at the same time.
Thud.
It didn't hurt. Truly, compared to getting beaten by his father, Richard felt this cold girl's earlier handling had been infinitely gentle.
Still, he didn't assume that her willingness to support him meant she fancied him. How to put it? Though he hadn't studied psychology like Karen, most socially adept people were quite skilled at picking up on subtle changes in others' mindsets.
In Richard's view, Philomena was simply unfamiliar with the others. Rather than endure the awkwardness of interacting with the rest of the team, she preferred keeping an injured comrade at her side—at least it gave her a place to focus her attention.
Philomena and Bart each activated their scrolls, erecting a barrier facing the rear.
Mars shouted, "Let some through!"
Ventura and Muri stepped aside in unison with practiced coordination. A tongue of flame surged forward, channeled directly into the array by Mars.
Then Memphis tossed a scroll at Philomena's and Bart's feet. Bart kicked the scroll forward, which opened on its own to form a circle of light, and flames immediately erupted from it.
For a time, the flames were blocked in front while being redirected to the back. This kept the squad's area safe; furthermore, instead of choking the fire channel, diverting it through the array protected them while allowing the flames to continue their path.
As time trickled by, the fire finally weakened and gradually died out.
Blanche began casting healing spells to prevent heatstroke.
Karen invoked Ancestor Allen's water-attribute power, producing a light drizzle that washed over everyone to cool them down.
"Are you two all right?" Karen asked Ventura and Muri.
Ventura drank some water and shook his head. "We're fine, Captain."
Muri smiled as well. "Nothing to worry about."
Karen clapped his hands. "All right, let's keep moving. Rear becomes front!"
Philomena supported Richard and walked up front with Bart, while Ventura and Muri brought up the rear.
After continuing forward for a while, the tunnel finally reached its end. Ahead lay a downward slope, above which projected an overhanging layer of rock carved with five enormous lizard dragon heads. A dense fire-attribute aura still lingered in the dragons' maws.
It was these five dragon heads that had spewed fire into the passage earlier.
"Aisli, illumination spell," Karen instructed.
"Yes, Captain!"
Aisli summoned the phantom of a plump, winged monster beast burning with flames. But as soon as it flew forward, the vast chamber lit up on its own, blanketed entirely in crystals.
"Whoa," Richard gasped, jaw dropping. "So beautiful."
Karen couldn't help taking a deep breath. The scene before them was truly breathtaking.
The surrounding rock walls were completely covered in crystals, continuously refracting brilliant light to create a dazzling, magnificent spectacle.
Below lay a layout reminiscent of a colosseum, with tiered circular steps descending to a level floor at the very center, where a crystal coffin rested.
As the light reflected outward from the crystal coffin, people were revealed sitting in rows across the tiers of steps encircling it.
They looked as if seated to watch a performance, or perhaps gathered in worship.
The sudden appearance of this vast crowd of "spectators" turned the atmosphere instantly eerie.
"There must be nearly a thousand of them, right?" Muri exclaimed.
Alfred nodded. "Now we know why those coffins were empty. The bodies of the Congers family ancestors brought in were all arranged right here."
Muri asked in bewilderment, "So, did the Congers family themselves know about this? Were they willing participants, or were they deceived?"
Karen stepped forward and said, "You'd better pray they were willing. If they were tricked, then we're in for trouble."
If they were willing, it meant that each time a Congers ancestor was buried, the family transported the coffin here, opened it, and placed the body in this deepest sanctum.
After doing that, they could leave.
Perhaps they came once a year, every few years, or once a decade, to inter all clan members who had died during that span.
But if they were tricked, this entire tomb had been a conspiracy from its very inception. The Congers family had merely brought the coffins to the platform and suspended them on silk threads so they would drift across the abyss, symbolizing some special cultural tradition of the clan.
And once they departed, something emerged from the opposite platform to bring the bodies from the coffins into this place.
Alfred guessed, "Could the one doing the hauling have been the creature we incinerated back on the platform?"
Karen countered, "If he were the only one down here, would he have carried out such labor so faithfully?"
"Young Master makes a good point."
Karen raised his hand and ordered, "Loose battle formation. Advance."
The squad began descending in combat formation. Richard moved away from Philomena and was supported by Memphis instead.
The lower they went, the colder it became, feeling as though air conditioning had been turned on at the bottom.
As they drew closer to the "spectators," their actual appearance finally came into clear view.
First, their garments were exquisite and costly, reflecting styles from different eras.
Second, they were indeed corpses, yet decomposition was minimal. Some bore lividity marks, but the vast majority retained their living likeness, down to visible makeup.
Finally, a crystal spike was driven through each person's chest, pinning them to their seats. Because of this, their postures were bizarre: all sat leaning slightly forward without falling over, arms either crossed behind their backs or dangling limply at their sides.
"Damn, this is pretty creepy," Richard muttered, staring closely at an elegantly dressed noblewoman, only to find her tongue lolling out. Paired with her heavy makeup, it looked almost as if she were flirting with him.
Continuing down the aisle, past rows of spectator tiers left in their wake, the squad approached the level expanse at the bottom.
Around the crystal coffin stood four small altars—though they resembled tall side tables more than true altars—holding a wand, a divine robe, a crown, jewelry, and other items.
Seeing these, everyone grew visibly excited. In truth, few among them were hurting for point coupons at home, but as their first mission, they still hoped for a substantial haul. Any single piece of these funerary goods taken out would make the entire expedition worthwhile.
"Check if there are any array reactions around the crystal coffin," Karen ordered.
"Yes, Captain." Mars immediately crouched to lay out a detection array.
Before long, the array was complete and activated.
Yet the moment the array was activated, music suddenly echoed from within the crystal coffin, followed by a woman's soaring singing voice:
"Ahhh—"
Karen snapped immediately, "Stop the array!"
Mars promptly shut it down.
With the array deactivated, the music vanished, and the singing cut off.
Just as everyone thought silence had returned,
all at once,
with a rustling whoosh, all the finely dressed corpses seated around them stood up.
Just as Karen and the others reflexively dropped into combat stances,
every single corpse, wearing a rigid smile, raised their hands and began to applaud.
Chapter 410