The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 171 - 172: Got Entangled
I tricked Guan Hai back into the room and gestured at Bi Shi to take a walk. ππππ¦ππππππ·ππ.πΈπ°π
Bi Shi seemed to find it amusing, stepping out of the room with a cat-like gait, her head constantly turned back to see if the little thing was following her.
However, it wasnβt. No footsteps were heard, and Bi Shi returned disappointed, suddenly her gaze fixed on my foot.
Or rather, on my right calf. Following her gaze, I looked toward my leg and was shocked to find two tiny bloody footprints beside my right foot.
The footprints were positioned one in front of the other, suggesting the little creature was clinging beside my leg.
"Well, it seems to like you," Bi Shi lost interest and returned to the cockpit to continue studying her octagonal box.
After twenty minutes of sailing, we were already far from the Undersea City; the Shell Ship traveled at a similar speed as a speedboat, slowing down only during departure and docking.
Moreover, this route seemed to be a pre-set course, a hidden and safe path among the underwater βmountains and steep hillsβ.
Shielded by underwater cliffs, the journey went smoothly, with only some deep-sea creatures occasionally discovering us and following curiously for a while.
I closed the cockpit door to prevent the little creature from running out and frightening the leader and Guan Hai. As for Bi Shi and me, no matter what it was, neither of us would be scared.
"Hey!" The quiet atmosphere was suddenly broken by Bi Shi. She put down the octagonal box and turned to look at me.
"?" I raised an eyebrow, without responding.
"This is the key, the thing Mary Su and the shield are looking for," Bi Shi said in a straightforward tone.
I arched my eyebrows but remained silent, leaning closer and extending my hand. Bi Shi carefully placed the octagonal box in my hand.
Since our reunion, serious exchanges like this have been rare. I leaned closer to examine the patterns on the octagonal box.
From afar, it seemed like a pattern, but upon closer inspection, they were not patterns, but a series of linked characters.
These characters had complex shapesβcircular, rhombic, triangular, and squareβso disjointed in style, yet interwoven, making them appear like patterns made of geometric shapes.
"Do you recognize these characters?" After studying them for a while, I asked.
"I donβt know them, but I know who uses them," Bi Shi pointed to my head, sighed, and said, "Forget about trying to recall, let me tell you, they belong to a more ancient race, the Tower Clan."
Based on what Iβve seen in human history from online and electronic files, about ten thousand years ago, during the Ice Age, mammoths and primitive humans migrated...
No, no, did technology for octagonal boxes exist during that era?
My mind was in turmoil, but I didnβt delve into searching memories. Even if this thing was indeed a βkeyβ, it had no relation to me; during the island mission, both Chen Qinghan and I were mere accidents.
But since Iβm free now, listening to stories is also fine, so I asked, "The Tower Clan?"
Bi Shi nodded, "During their active years on Earth, before the onset of the most recent Ice Age, this ethnic group didnβt like sunlight, so they lived underground year-round."
If the Tower Clan were the ancestors of the Undersea People, and the Undersea People were the ancestors of the White Jade City residents, then the perpetual darkness around the island might be their doing.
"Yet, we didnβt see such characters in the Undersea City or White Jade City," I said.
"Thatβs why I say they belong to the Tower Clan, not the Undersea People or White Jade City residents."
"Arenβt they all Tower Clan?"
"Thatβs hard to say. Some things can be passed down; others cannot. A race can evolve, or it can devolve."
I roughly understood Bi Shiβs meaning, like she said these characters belonged to human civilization, but if humans suddenly de-evolved, becoming apes, these characters wouldnβt belong to apes.
"Wait! I have an impractical idea." A flash of inspiration struck me, suddenly revealing a terrifying thought.
"You know itβs impractical yet you say it?" Bi Shi glared at me.
"Just for fun, think about it, we donβt know where the residents of White Jade City went, nor do we know where the monsters living in the city came from. But maybe, they are them!"
"Them are who?"
"The residents devolved into the monsters!"
"Ugh... Iβm now thinking it was wise for you to withdraw from clan conflicts. Your brain... is no longer suited for participating in such cruel, complex, and real battles."
"Oh, disheveled Lord Priest, youβre not much better. When leading the clan in rites, what dance were you planning for celebration? Wild Wolf Disco?" I jested, gesturing a few moves.
"Haha~" A sudden laugh intruded upon our conversation.
Both Bi Shi and I paused simultaneously, neither speaking, as I glanced towards the floor beside me.
We were sitting cross-legged, with the octagonal box placed between us, the laugh originating from beside my right thigh.
The laugh was childish and bright, carrying a nasal tone, clearly belonging to a child.
I abruptly twisted around, reaching out to grab at the location where the sound emerged, my hand meeting an unusual sensation, my arm grasping at air.
"Itβs liquid." I looked at my palm; although it bore no water, the sensation felt like my palm had cut through a stream.
I glanced at the octagonal box on the ground; the components inside were also a kind of cohesive liquid, colliding with each other creating sound.
"Itβs following this out." I signaled Bi Shi with my eyes, gesturing her to look at the octagonal box.
"Maybe itβs a complementary product, buy one get one free. Ugh, itβs not a demon or ghost; since itβs fond of following you, let it follow."
"Easy for you to say, standing without breaking a sweat. Others might get a heart attack from seeing it."
"Hey, little one, when thereβs a third person present, donβt make a sound or walk, understand?"
I was about to mock Bi Shi for speaking Mandarin to an unknown creature, reasoning it would understand was bizarre.
"Mm~" The childβs naive voice immediately responded, adding another entry to my collection of embarrassing memories.
Knock knock knockβ
With the sound of knocking, I suddenly sensed something sticking to my neck, seemingly a pair of tiny arms hugging it.
"Miss Leng, Miss Wang, are we almost there?" The voice outside the door belonged to the leader.
"Oh, yes." I rose to open the door; in the ocean, the shipβs exterior shell would become transparent, but the internal walls and door would not, so the leader couldnβt see what we were doing just now.
The leader came to remind us that the Shell Ship was about to enter the Sea of Sunken Shipsβ area, but we needed to find a way to obtain a βpassβ.
When exiting, the Beauty Snake threw the bodies from the ship. According to her, entrance and exit passes, dead or alive, must be βhumanβ.
