Chapter 135: The Entrance |
Henry was a man of his word. The next day, before dawn broke, a reconnaissance airship delivered Levi and the archaeology team directly to the Orens Mountains.
"I can only bring you this far, sir," the pilot told Levi. "The terrain of the Orens Mountains is complex, and the weather conditions aren't great. I'm afraid you'll have to walk the rest of the way on your own."
"This is plenty. Thank you for your help."
Levi offered the pilot an encouraging smile.
"The next patrol is in three days?"
"Yes, sir. Officer Henry said he would arrange to pick you all up then."
"Very well. Remember, as we agreed, once you arrive, fire three blank shots first. If I light a bonfire or fire a flare, then look for a place to land. If I don't respond, return immediately and report to Henry. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
The pilot naturally had no idea what Levi's mission was, but he knew better than to ask unnecessary questions. He nodded, and Levi chuckled, sliding a gold coin into the pilot's hand.
"A small token of appreciation. Please take it."
Levi patted the pilot's shoulder, stepped out of the cockpit, and entered the passenger cabin behind it to face the group. They were all members of the archaeology team, or to be precise, they were mostly university students.
Aside from the old professor leading them, the team consisted of four people: two men and two women. Annie required no introduction; they were already well-acquainted.
The other woman was named Lavinia Godney, also a first-year student at Miskatonic University, specializing in ancient ruins and architecture. Unlike the permanently expressionless Annie, Lavinia was a cheerful, lively blonde. According to her self-introduction, her hobbies included mountaineering, and she possessed decent wilderness survival skills.
The burly man who looked like a textbook bodybuilder was named Joe, a third-year student in the Miskatonic University Archaeology Department. One look at his physique made it clear why the old professor had recruited him as heavy labor. In stark contrast to his massive size, his specialization was actually the study of ancient languages and texts—proving once again that appearances could be deceiving.
The other blonde man of average build was Creed Jenson, a second-year archaeology student. Compared to Joe, he possessed the typical build of an ordinary young man, and his features were average. Wearing a pair of glasses, he carried a somewhat scholarly aura. His focus was ancient folklore and legends.
"Alright, everyone."
Levi looked around at the group, then glanced at the old professor.
"We have arrived. I need to remind you one more time that this operation is highly likely to be dangerous. Therefore, if you wish to back out, now is the time. Don't be afraid of losing face; going back alive is far better than dying in these mountains."
"Hey, don't look down on us."
Joe raised an arm that was thicker than Levi's waist, likely forged from intensive gym training.
"This isn't our first time out on an archaeological expedition. We've seen all kinds of danger. Don't even mention wild wolves or stray dogs; we aren't even afraid of bandits!"
"Very well then."
Levi did not press further. He had already warned them about the dangers before boarding the reconnaissance airship, and now he had asked again. Since they insisted on going, Levi didn't mind—of course, from his perspective, he preferred having extra hands. After all, if nothing else, he genuinely couldn't decipher those bizarre, hieroglyphic-like scripts.
Soon, the reconnaissance airship landed in an open clearing in the heart of the Orens Mountains. The sky was just beginning to turn grey with the dawn. As the group stepped off the airship, a biting wind rushed at them, causing everyone to shiver involuntarily.
"Alright, let's move."
Levi was the last to step off the airship. He confirmed their bearings and spoke.
The old professor's team had originally come to the Orens Mountains to search for legendary ruins without a specific target in mind. Therefore, after discussing it with Levi, both parties had agreed to first check the location indicated in the notebook. While in the air, Levi had already locked onto the coordinates. However, masked beneath the dense canopy of the forest, absolutely nothing could be seen below—the only certainty was that no living souls were inside.
After all, Levi's Soul Sight was no mere decoration.
Trekking through deep mountains and dense forests was no easy task, especially when weighed down by a massive amount of luggage. Aside from essential survival supplies like tents and food, archaeological work required hauling a mountain of instruments. This was precisely why the old professor had chosen the massive Joe to act as their beast of burden.
Fortunately, while Henry couldn't reinforce Levi with personnel, he had provided some equipment support—including a Terra-Walker mech. Though called a mech, this apparatus closely resembled a mechanical mule. It was roughly the size of a real mule, possessed four legs, and was driven by steam power, primarily used by the military to transport supplies through deep mountains and dense forests. Levi certainly had no desire to climb mountains carrying heavy luggage, so Henry had approved a Terra-Walker for him to haul their gear—after all, that was exactly what the machine was built for.
Of course, unlike modern electronic hounds capable of autonomous recognition and sensing, the Terra-Walker mech still required manual guidance, though controlling it was essentially no different from leading a real mule. One simply had to pull it along with a rope.
"Having a thing like this is amazing."
Looking at the Terra-Walker beside them, Joe's expression was filled with envy. Although he was happy to accompany his mentor on expeditions, he didn't enjoy acting solely as a beast of burden. Dragging gear up a mountain was incredibly exhausting work.
"Professor, can we buy one of these too? With one of these in the future, wouldn't traveling anywhere become so much easier?"
"We don't have that kind of funding."
The old professor leaned on his hiking staff, walking through the mountain forest with steady steps. Though his tone was calm, he stated a heartbreaking reality. They were poor. An archaeology department was, naturally, bound to be destitute.
Walking through the mountain forest was an agonizing ordeal. The path was treacherous, and it drained their physical strength rapidly. Even the old professor couldn't hold out for too long. The group walked and rested periodically, and it wasn't until late afternoon that they finally reached their destination. Considering they had set out in the morning before the sun had even risen, it was undeniable that the journey had taken a significant amount of time.
"Is it here?"
"It should be around this area."
Levi also stopped to wipe away his sweat while casting a glance at Anne nearby. The others were flushed and panting heavily. Only Anne remained expressionless and serene. Aside from a faint rosy tint on her snow-white skin, she showed absolutely no signs of physical exhaustion.
Sigh, why does it feel like I have the worst stamina in this entire group... Alright, that isn't just a feeling.
But then again, he didn't rely on physical strength to get things done. Levi pulled out his canteen and took a sip of hot tea—the advantage of steam machinery was that there was always a heat vent available for brewing tea and keeping it warm. Or rather, to citizens of the Empire, incorporating a feature for brewing and insulating tea into steam machinery was a matter of common sense. The hot tea soothed his exhausted body and mind.
Levi raised his telescope, pretending to scan the surroundings while deploying the Puppet Bird to search through the dense forest. Soon...
"Found it. Just up ahead."
Following the direction Levi indicated, the group walked for nearly another half hour before finally arriving at their destination.
"Whoa, this thing is incredible."
Beholding the scene before them, Joe couldn't help but marvel, and the others nodded in agreement.
Standing before them was a massive stone door, easily three to four meters tall. Flanking it were equally towering stone pillars carved with bizarre patterns. On the lintel above the door, a massive All-Seeing Eye was sculpted. That lifelike eye stared silently down at the ground, as if observing and scrutinizing any visitor who approached.
"Yes, this is it! This is Morkhand architecture!"
In contrast to the others, the old professor was incredibly excited upon seeing this grand gate, while his other student, Lavinia, pulled out a camera and began snapping photos of the door in rapid succession.
"Look at this stone pillar. At first glance, the carved patterns seem to have no pattern, but this itself is the hallmark of the Morkhand Kingdom's civilization. They worshipped the Nightmare Goddess Morkhand, and the nation was named after her. To the Morkhand people, nightmares were products of pure chaos, completely lacking in logic. Therefore, when praising the Nightmare Goddess, they would consume a substance called 'God-Summoning Herb' to plunge themselves into a state of delirium. Once they regained clarity, they would leave behind these chaotic marks, worshipping them as divine revelations from the Nightmare Goddess..."
So they just drew pictures after getting high? That's pretty abstract. Levi silently criticized the practice in his mind before speaking up to ask.
"Then why would the Morkhand people, who worshipped the Nightmare Goddess, carve the All-Seeing Eye onto it? The All-Seeing Eye is the symbol of the Creator, which shouldn't have anything to do with the Nightmare Goddess."
"These rural faiths differ from the doctrines of the Holy Lord Church." The old professor shook his head. "The Holy Lord Church claims that the Creator defeated and destroyed all other deities, thereby creating this entirely new world, correct?"
"That is correct." After all, that was the official narrative.
"But many folk religions don't see it that way. They believe the Creator is actually a composite of those deities who couldn't bear to see humanity suffer, ultimately choosing to merge into a single entity known as the Creator. And they have their reasons—because even now, the entities humanity faces still exist. If the Creator had destroyed all other gods to become the sole deity, then humans shouldn't be affected by other gods at all."
"I see." Levi nodded.
This was essentially the same as the struggle for narrative dominance between the Royal Family and the Holy Lord Church. The primitive faiths and the Holy Lord Church were also fighting to define the truth. The primitive faiths believed the Creator was formed by the merging of all gods, meaning every god was equal. The Holy Lord Church, on the other hand, preached that the Creator had defeated the other gods to unify the world, making the Creator the only true god while the rest were merely dead, defeated foes.
"Here goes the Professor again."
Listening to the old professor's enthusiastic lecture, his three students looked entirely exasperated.
"Professor, you can't let a priest hear you say that. Have you forgotten how a Holy Lord Church priest blocked our school gates for three days and three nights last time?"
"Hmph, what of it?" Hearing his students' complaints, the old professor bristled his mustache, his eyes widening in anger. "The pursuit of knowledge requires inclusivity! We aren't like those religious zealots! What the Creator truly is can only be proven through evidence! The Holy Lord Church merely makes claims but can't produce a shred of proof, can they? What? Are we scholars supposed to be dictated to by a bunch of zealots? Utterly absurd!"
"Let's save the academic debate for later."
Levi had no interest in this topic. Whether the Holy Lord Church was right or the primitive faiths were correct had absolutely nothing to do with him right now. What mattered was...
"How are we going to open this door now?"
This stone door looked over four meters high, thick and solid. If not for a tiny gap in the middle through which a faint breeze could be felt, one might even mistake it for a false door carved directly into the rock face. But the problem was, how could they open it?
"I brought explosives. Should we just blast it open?"
Joe raised his hand, but was immediately glared down by the old professor.
"You idiot! Look at this structure. This is clearly an underground facility. If you aren't careful and cause the place to collapse, what the hell are we going to investigate?"
"Then let's wait until tomorrow." Levi looked up at the sky. Climbing this mountain had truly consumed a massive amount of time; they had essentially been climbing for nearly a whole day, and darkness was already falling. "We should pitch our tents here first and find a solution tomorrow morning."
No one objected to Levi's proposal. After a full day of climbing, everyone's bodies were aching with fatigue. They set up their tents on the flat ground beside the stone door, lit a fire for dinner, and then retired to rest one after another.
"Whew... this is genuinely exhausting..."
Returning to his tent, Levi let out a yawn, closed his eyes, slid into his sleeping bag, and drifted into a deep sleep.
However, after an unknown amount of time...
"Whoosh!"
A sudden gust of icy wind blew past, causing Levi to shiver. He opened his eyes and looked around.
It was now the middle of the night, and there wasn't a single sound outside. Yet for some reason, Levi felt that the inside of his sleeping bag was freezing cold, almost as if it had been soaked in water.
What on earth is going on? Levi frowned, checking his pocket watch. It was roughly time for his watch shift. He stood up and stepped out of the tent.
But the scene that greeted him left him rooted to the spot.
The entire encampment was deathly quiet.
"Crackle, crackle..."
The campfire was burning weakly, but aside from that, there wasn't a single sign of life in the entire camp. Levi narrowed his eyes and quickly scanned the surroundings, only to discover with shock that there wasn't a single person left in the camp besides himself! At the very least, there was not a single glimmer of soul light.
What happened?
Levi rapidly checked the other tents, but they were all completely empty, with no signs of anyone. There were no living people, nor were there any corpses.
At the same time...
"Whoosh—"
Another gust of wind, cold enough to penetrate to his very bones, blew past, causing Levi to tremble involuntarily. He turned his head toward the source of the freezing wind...
And what met his eyes was a gaping, pitch-black opening. Indeed, the entrance that had previously been sealed by the massive stone door was now open for some unknown reason, revealing a void of absolute darkness inside. It looked precisely like the bloody maw of a terrifying beast thrown wide open.
"This is going to be trouble."
Beholding this sight, Levi let out a silent sigh. He reached down, drew the Persuader from his waist, and cautiously walked toward the entrance.