Exotic Battlefield: I Can Activate Dual Talents-Chapter 589 - 441: Drums and Black Crows (Part 2)

"Star Martial? No, my main occupation is archaeology."

When talking about archaeology, a gleam appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.

The two old professors, who were over a hundred years old, had nothing but praise for Xu Qing, saying she was an absolute rising star in the federation's archaeological world. If not for her young age, even though they were old men, they might not be as impressive as Xu Qing.

This statement made Lu Lin look at Xu Qing with newfound respect.

After that, he took Xu Qing to a quiet room nearby to guide her in Star Skills.

Unexpectedly, Xu Qing's talent far exceeded Lu Lin's expectations, and she actually comprehended two Star Skills.

Excavation.

Confession.

Excavation allows Xu Qing to better extract relics from tombs without causing any damage.

Confession enables her to hear words from some relics.

This Star Skill sounds pretty mysterious, but it's also a super strong Star Skill suitable for archaeologists.

Moreover, due to Lu Lin's guidance, Xu Qing advanced to the Fourth Level and refined her Life Killing as soon as she entered.

She, like Lu Lin, also awakened the Earth Talent.

According to Xu Qing, such talent is naturally made for archaeology.

Lu Lin simply smiled and didn't say much.

Later, after some preparation, Lu Lin and Xu Qing entered the Star Gate once again.

Before entering, he told Cha Yuan that this time would certainly be longer, so he shouldn't worry.

To ease Cha Yuan's concerns, Lu Lin caught a bird from the sky and forcibly signed a master-servant contract with it, telling Cha Yuan that as long as this bird doesn't die, Lu Lin would be absolutely safe inside.

Cha Yuan nodded; he somewhat understood Lu Lin's situation, said no more, and watched as Lu Lin and Xu Qing entered the Star Gate.

At this time, the numerous Divine Lords and Tou Meng on the Exotic Battlefield were surprised to find another companion had appeared among them.

However, this companion seemed a bit strange.

After joining Lu Lin's servant faction, it remained silent, only occasionally whistling out a bird call, which surprised everyone.

Upon entering the Star Gate, even with ample preparation, Xu Qing was startled when the world suddenly turned pitch black.

She couldn't adapt for a long time. Lu Lin's aim was to explore; he tugged the rope tied around his and Xu Qing's waists and walked forward with Xu Qing.

This time, their departure was neither too long nor too short. The Spiritual Strength left by Lu Lin previously was still present, saving him the trouble of probing again.

All the way, Lu Lin led Xu Qing to the second floor and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Xu Qing is a woman, she didn't slow him down, seemingly quite reliable.

The second floor had been explored already, and except for the Dread Lion with spirit wings, there was nothing else.

Lu Lin thought for a moment and decided to place the Single-horned Fierce Lion sculpture into his Storage Ring.

Then he led Xu Qing towards the Third Layer.

Just past the 81 steps, as Lu Lin reached the Third Layer, he heard a series of drumming sounds.

The drumbeats seemed to resonate in one's heart.

Fortunately, Lu Lin's body was robust and immune to the eerie drumbeats.

However, at this moment, Xu Qing behind him suddenly started bleeding from seven apertures, her entire body gradually collapsing.

"This isn't good."

Lu Lin quickly supported Xu Qing, using his Spiritual Strength to form a light shield around her to prevent further drumbeats from attacking.

Fortunately, as Xu Qing was behind Lu Lin, she was only slightly affected by the drumbeats, making the bleeding from seven apertures look terrifying but not causing severe damage.

Once Xu Qing was stabilized, Lu Lin started to perceive the entire Third Layer.

Here, unlike downstairs with only one winged Dread Lion standing alone, drums were everywhere.

On the ground, on the walls, on the ceiling—drums of all sizes.

Large drums, small drums, long drums, flat drums—it seemed as if the Third Layer was a world of drums.

"Xu Qing, is there anything special about these things?"

Xu Qing shook her head.

She had been studying the archaeological knowledge of Blue Star's history but had never seen such a strange tomb arrangement.

Throughout history, whether kings, nobles, or common people, after death, they'd never place a drum in their tomb.

If there was any noise, implying resurrection of the deceased, it would be a big issue.

The key is, ordinary drums wouldn't last a few years in tombs before becoming broken.

However, in the tombs of young noble deceased, especially those under six years old, Xu Qing had seen bronze or gold and silver rattles stored. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

But those drums couldn't compare to what was in the Third Layer now.

"Alright, then forget it."

After finishing, Lu Lin didn't inquire further about Xu Qing's insight and released his Spiritual Strength to detect any possible spirits here.

However, Lu Lin was shocked to find that nearly every drum held a spirit.

Once they discovered Lu Lin, they simultaneously beat their bodies with their own Spiritual Strength.

Emitting drumming sounds, attempting to shock Lu Lin to death.

But Lu Lin's Spiritual Strength had undergone two metamorphoses, invulnerable to the Second Floor's spirits and curses, so naturally fearless of the Third Layer's drums.

The Star Power Domain expanded, and Lu Lin absorbed all the spirits within his domain; then, with a thought, he placed all the drums into his Storage Ring.

This time, Lu Lin and Xu Qing were able to proceed safely.

The Third Layer.

This time, Lu Lin was determined not to repeat his previous mistakes; he had sensed ahead.

There was only one crow on the Third Layer.

This crow couldn't fly or caw, it simply perched on a horizontal rod near the ceiling.

"Xu Qing, there's a crow on the Third Layer. Does this thing have any significance?"

"Yes!"

This time, Xu Qing surprisingly nodded.

"In our Hua Xia history, a crow is a symbol of the Divine Bird, also representing auspiciousness, but our historical research is incomplete."

"In the Xia Dynasty, crows were celebrated as Divine Birds, yet in the Spring and Autumn Warring States period in Chu State, and in parts of the North, people considered crows a symbol of rogues, while in the Western Han Dynasty, astronomers saw crow shapes within the sun, leading to the initial conception of the Three-legged Crow."

"Additionally, near Northern Europe, crows were considered symbols of thoughts and memories, but in South Magnesium, crows were generally deemed deception birds."

"The symbolism of crows is too complex, and divergent, both ancient and modern times lack a definite conclusion or significance for crows."

"However, seeing a crow here, I feel it's inappropriate to link it with some symbolism about crows on Blue Star."

"Essentially, crows are carrion feeders, coupled with their grim and cold cries; their presence here is likely not benign."

Lu Lin nodded, looking at Xu Qing with some admiration.

It seems she's truly a knowledgeable archaeologist.

"I'll go ahead first; don't rush; wait for me on the next step down."

Xu Qing nodded, the distance between her and Lu Lin gradually increased.

As Lu Lin stepped onto the Third Layer, countless crows suddenly attacked him.

The crow perched on the rooftop rod seemed to notice Lu Lin's presence, flapping its wings.

Suddenly, countless black crows appeared before Lu Lin, pecking at his arms, eyes, and neck.

The crows' beaks struck Lu Lin, producing knocking sounds, occasionally sparking flashes.

Xu Qing was stunned behind him.

She was unsure whether to claim the crows' beaks were hard or Lu Lin's skin was tough.

At this moment, in her view, several hundred crows were pecking at Lu Lin.

Some crows were curious about the rope between Lu Lin and Xu Qing, pecking at it a few times before gaining no results and flying away, continuing to attack Lu Lin.

Lu Lin evidently hadn't expected the Fourth Layer's crows to be so bizarre..