Chinese Novel

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Chapter 435: The Mausoleum and the Reward Offered

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Yes? Klein was delighted and quickly asked, "Where?" He had already mentally prepared to offer a consulting fee. Salen sat there, motionless, like a speaking doll, and said, "At a gathering attended by Marij, someone discovered an ancient noble's tomb. They explored the outer areas but didn't venture deeper, though they found traces of human skin shadows moving around. 'They hope to recruit a strong enough team to fully excavate the tomb and divide the valuable items found inside.' In a gathering of extraordinary beings with whom neither side was particularly familiar, what could guarantee mutual trust? What if there was no tomb at all—just a carefully set trap?" Klein's thoughts raced as he followed up, "Did they succeed?" "Yes," Salen replied simply. This... Klein didn't press for further details at the moment, speaking softly to avoid being heard by the coachman, "And then what?" "Then, they never showed up again," Sharon described calmly. "One of the members was a friend of Marić's, and he too vanished completely from the story." Before Cline could ask any further, she continued, her voice ethereal and wavering: "Marić found some of his friend's belongings. I used divination to trace them to White Cliff Town, and at the bend of the Stafford River, I discovered a hidden entrance to a tomb—Marić's friend was inside, but already deceased." "You went in?" Cline asked aloud. "No," Sharon explained briefly. "We confirmed it through another means. The tomb felt very dangerous to me, and I didn't venture inside." Here, she met Cline's gaze with steady blue eyes: "Unless there's a Sequence 4 extraordinary being—or something of equivalent sealing power—to assist, it's best not to go deep into that tomb." "Even you find it dangerous. I don't need to go to the Haze above to divinate—I can already sense just how terrifying it truly is..." Caine lowered his gaze, studying the floor of the carriage, pausing for a few seconds before asking, "Do you know which ancient noble's tomb this is?" Sarlen answered without pause: "His surname is—'Amon.'" Amon? The Amon from the family whose member had been temporarily housed within the 'Little Sun,' nearly slipping into the mysterious space above the Haze? Caine used his 'Clown' ability to steady the slight tremor in his eyelids, hesitantly asking, "Are you certain?" At that very moment, a figure already formed in his mind: a man in a black classical robe, wearing a black pointed soft hat, broad forehead, slender face, dark eyes, dark hair, and a single-crystal spectacles. Sharon's light golden hair shimmered with the sunlight filtering through the thin mist, like a master's oil painting. She spoke calmly, "Based on the items collected during the initial exploration, a member skilled in ancient history at the gathering has determined that the tomb's occupant belonged to the Fourth Dynasty of the Tudor lineage, specifically the family name Amun." Indeed, the House of the Fourth Epoch—those divine scoffers! Unlike the Houses of Abraham, burdened by curses, nor like the Antigonid House, utterly destroyed by a divine church—this family stands out. Given the exceptional and powerful nature of Amen as displayed in the Silver City, this lineage can be likened to Zaratustra: quietly preserving its heritage, maintaining high-tier members, even possessing beings at the angelic level, and safeguarding vital secrets—such as the coordinates of the "Land Abandoned by the Gods." The tomb left behind by such a family must surely be perilous. Perhaps Amen himself, through certain transformations, will cast a watchful gaze from afar upon the "Land Abandoned by the Gods." One cannot gauge the terror of a half-divine, half-human being merely by observing lower-tier or mid-tier members. Kline pondered only briefly before dismissing the possibility of exploring the Amen family's tomb. He looked up at Sharon with a touch of disappointment: "Is there merely a human skin shadow there?" Sharon shook her head. "No." "Hmm?" Kline's eyes brightened, and he adopted a listening posture. Sharon spoke with her voice unchanged: "At a gathering I attended, a非凡者 promised that as long as someone completed her assigned task, she would fulfill any reasonable request of the person—subject only to the condition that the materials provided were of 'below high sequence'." "So, any material of 'below high sequence' would be available to her?" The first thought that flashed through Kline's mind was: "She's exaggerating, isn't she?" Even the Night Goddess Church would need a sanctuary—such as the Tranquil Church—to have such capabilities! And many of these materials weren't even routinely stocked, since they were rarely used. In response to Kline's skepticism, Sharon remained calm and replied: "She is a strong one of high sequence." A strong one of high sequence? No wonder... All these are senior figures from major churches and secret organizations—even if they don't formally belong to any one faction, they still naturally build up their own influence! Yet, even a commitment to any extraordinary material below high sequence must surely have some room for negotiation... Klein found himself overwhelmed with thoughts. Sharon added succinctly, "She mentioned that certain materials require a specific period of time." That makes perfect sense! Klein asked with genuine interest, "What exactly is the task she assigned?" Sharon had remained upright and composed throughout, "To investigate the true identity of the rogue thief known as 'Black Emperor.'" ...Klein believed that if he had been drinking water at this very moment, he would have surely sprayed it across the table. Who did I offend? Why has a high-sequence powerhouse singled me out? He first muttered his innocence in Chinese, then quickly began analyzing potential candidates: Could it be a member of the Dusk Monks' Order? After all, hadn't the rogue 'Black Emperor' slain the 'Apex Apostle' Beleia? Members of the Aurora Society? They linked the Tarot card found at the scene of the Capin incident to "The Fool" and thus decided to investigate the rogue known as "The Black Emperor"? Members of the three major churches and MI9? Simply to uncover the truth behind the Capin incident? Each scenario is possible—none of them can be ruled out! Caine showed no unusual signs and carefully asked, "Why is she investigating the true identity of the rogue 'The Black Emperor'?" "No one knows," Sharon replied with the most concise words possible. Caine paused for two seconds, then organized his thoughts: "What kind of person is she? I want to know whether I should accept this assignment." Sharon remained silent for two seconds, as if recalling. Then she described: "A woman, over 1.7 meters tall, with excellent proportions, chestnut-colored long hair, often wearing a disguise, fond of black leather boots, and only occasionally attending gatherings—she first appeared about two months ago." "A woman who loves black leather boots, a high-tier strength, and someone with an enigmatic and mysterious presence—these three keywords instantly triggered a memory in Kline! When he stole the 'Black Emperor' card from the royal museum, he encountered, in the restored study of Emperor Roscel, a high-tier strength whose methods were both mysterious and strange. That person only revealed their black leather boots; when Kline used the power of the gray mist to escape, he was directly struck by a demon dog due to the side effects of the 'Universal Key' and had to shout for help—thus, he reencountered the female half-god under the identity of Sherlock Holmes. How could she have sought out the daring thief known as the 'Black Emperor'? She had confirmed that the thief who stole the 'Card of Desecration' was a spirit, and she knew precisely how the presence of that spirit would alter the 'Black Emperor' card—thereby identifying the thief whose characteristics perfectly matched. Kline immediately found a highly convincing explanation." What puzzled him most was how she knew specifically that he had taken the "Black Emperor" card, rather than another one—such as the "Deep One" or the "Sun" card. Unless she had come specifically for that "Card of Desecration," having already investigated and confirmed it was the "Black Emperor" card... Ah, Miss Sharon said she had first attended the gatherings two months ago—this aligned well with the profile of someone aiming at the Rosell Exhibition. Since then, she had occasionally participated, never leaving Beckland, or returning regularly, all in pursuit of the enemy who had taken the "Black Emperor" card. Klein's thoughts raced swiftly; he offered a gentle smile. "I'll keep an eye out for her, and hope to make some progress." Yet in his heart, he added without hesitation, "I won't have any progress at all this lifetime!" Sharon barely registered the nod, and said nothing further about the "Shadow of the Human Skin." Clearly, she had only two leads, yet that was far better than the circles of the vampire Emlyn White and the "Eye of Wisdom" Esgar Stanton. Cain exhaled slowly, brushing off his disappointment with a casual, friendly tone: "Have you and Marijic been free from the curse again?" "Only the Deep Crimson Coronet," Sharon replied calmly. — The wearer of the Deep Crimson Coronet is immune to the full moon's influence, a cherished item among the "outsiders." Thus, one was unaffected, while the other remained susceptible. When the full moon came, Marijic would go nearly mad, whereas Sharon would lose her strength—clearly, Marijic was the one using the coronet. Cain thoughtfully shifted the topic: "Have you found a way to address the issue of mental contamination left by Steve, the one with the 'Unstable' trait?" He had merely asked casually, with little expectation—his inner conviction leaned toward the "Sun" side still holding the better prospects. "No." Sharon spoke as if recounting someone else's matter. Perhaps someday I'll sell you this method, hoping you've already saved up enough gold pounds... Kline nodded, suddenly unsure what to talk about. He paused for several seconds before asking, "Where is White Cliff?" "Just outside Beckland, south of the southern district of the great bridge," Sharon answered succinctly. She looked directly into Kline's eyes again, "Is there anything else?" "No." Kline shook his head, then added, "May I tell others about the tomb?" "Certainly." Sharon's silhouette in her black court gown, wearing a delicate soft hat, quickly faded and disappeared into the carriage. Perhaps to conceal herself, she never used perfume—only leaving behind an empty, still atmosphere.