Chapter 112: Archaeology (A tribute to Alliance Leader Ba Zhang He!)

"Careful, or I'll sue you for slander!"

Aaron forcibly suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, yet he still took his hand off the holster.

Clark Das, completely unaware that he had just danced a waltz before the Grim Reaper, sighed instead: "However... as the original birthplace of the Sotos Family, Green Forest City has many Fabri Dynasty nobles who chose to be buried here after death. They weren't qualified to enter the family cemetery, but they left behind a large number of secret ruins outside..."

"I have been living here all this time, also hoping to find those ruins and obtain some of the abilities of those Purple-Eyed Nobles from them..."

Aaron listened and nodded secretly.

'My choice was indeed correct. The public family cemetery is too easy a target; if one wants to bury oneself, one must find a secret place...'

He used his cane as a hiking stick, following behind Clark Das with a vigorous stride.

"I'll take the lead."

Clark arrived before a dilapidated wooden house, looked at the ground for a while, and a smile appeared on his face: "Found it, look!"

"Hoo..."

"T-Teacher, d-do I have to perform the ritual here?" Bruce looked at the surrounding scenery. The sun was setting, the surroundings were dim, and something monstrous seemed to be lurking in the dense forest. He couldn't help but shudder and swallow hard.

Aaron hung the Horse Lantern on the wall and, seeing a black iron cage nearby with a torch inside, immediately went to light it.

Of course, this might also have to do with the danger level he had divined earlier.

One must be worthy of the 200-pound hiring fee; this is professional ethics.

Aaron walked out of the forest and, by the dim light, saw a desolate village hidden among withered vines and weeds.

"Gentlemen, the real adventure is about to begin. According to the previous survey report, there is no poisonous gas inside this passage, so we can enter directly."

A lizard suddenly darted out from the eye socket of a human Skull. Its scales were brightly colored, like an arrow, and it vanished into the grass, making Bruce almost scream.

"Bull Skull!"

Roar! Roar!

Rows of torches suddenly ignited one after another, as if electric lights were being turned on in sequence, bringing light to the underground.

Roar!

He took out an archaeological report, compared it with the surroundings, and waved his hand: "Follow me!"

The statues, Magic symbols, and secret markings on them had all been damaged and eroded by time, and their original traces were long gone.

Aaron touched his nose and took the initiative to take the Horse Lantern; this is when a bodyguard does their work.

He saw thick black stone pillars; there were nine in total, together supporting this underground space.

Clark Das glanced at the startled Bruce, took a pipe from his bosom, and leisurely packed it with tobacco: "So... don't be too surprised when you see Skulls later!"

Clark Das puffed on his pipe, his expression unchanged, and stopped in front of a bull skull with black curved horns, reaching out with both hands to move the wooden stakes.

"At the same time, this is also the place where the first Extraordinary Ghoul was born!"

It was not large, with only a few dozen scattered wooden buildings, most of which had decayed, leaving only foundations.

"Perhaps..."

One of them appeared to be human remains.

Aaron looked at the Tata Village ruins, feeling that it indeed looked like it hadn't been inhabited for a long time: "So... is it safe here?"

Hiss!

And the bases of the stone pillars were actually piled up with Skulls of various different races!

Among them, there was no lack of humans!

"Our luck is good!"

'Is that why I, an Extraordinary of the "Light" path, am needed to ward off evil? Of course, it's also because I have already chosen my path and cannot switch to the "Mystery" path to compete for historical resources... Wait, Clark doesn't know I am a pure practitioner of the "Light" path, so is "History Retrospection" a core ability possessed only by Extraordinaries who purely practice "Mystery"?'

"Although this is also considered a ruin, it does not contain much historical aura or "Mystery" Spirituality..."

About three or four hours later, when the sun set and the twilight light shone through the forest, Clark stopped: "Tata Village... has arrived."

At this moment, Clark Das put on a monocle, a fanatical expression on his face, just like a person who had been hungry for days seeing a table of sumptuous food, staring greedily at a stone pillar in front of him: "This is indeed a secret gathering place of the Lotus Eater Organization. I see scenes of their conspiracies in history, although they are very blurry..."

Clark Das took a puff of tobacco, a look of intoxication appearing on his face: "The Lotus Eater Organization was probably established at the end of the Dark Chaotic Era or the beginning of the Invis Kingdom... It is highly likely that a certain Headhunter tribesman received a 'Divine Revelation' in a dream, or perhaps awakened some bloodline of the Headhunter ancestors... Then, a hundred years ago, due to the 'Rainy Night Butcher' case, the Lotus Eater Organization was struck and may have voluntarily or involuntarily abandoned this original stronghold..."

"Tata Village was a settlement for hunters. I suspect they had the bloodline of the ancient Headhunter Tribe. This ethnic group liked to settle in deep mountains and occasionally went out hunting to evaluate the merits of a Warrior based on the number of beast heads... Of course, human heads count too!"

Clark looked solemn and lit a Horse Lantern.

Thoughts flashed through Aaron's mind as he walked into the Tata Village ruins.

As Clark spoke, he pressed down on a certain Skull.

Boom!

Following his fingertips, Aaron saw a row of wooden stakes with various white beast skulls hanging on them.

"I have hired Extraordinaries to come here before; they did not encounter danger, only saying they found traces of wraiths and Ghost activity."

Clatter!

Behind the wooden stakes, the ground sank, revealing a pitch-black downward passage.

Bruce Field, wearing a hiking hat and carrying a large hiking backpack, was soon panting, but he stubbornly did not complain of fatigue.

Clark shook his head: "When I hired an archaeological team to come here, I also discovered something."

The corridor was not long. Under the illumination of the dim Horse Lantern, steps extended continuously, then entered an underground space.

Bruce felt as if a giant rock were pressing on his chest.

The next moment, the ground shook, and a dilapidated Altar emerged from deeper underground.

Watching this scene, Aaron felt relieved instead, and at the same time, he had an epiphany: "A 'Secret History Scholar' seems to have the ability to directly investigate 'answers' and 'Elements' from historical ruins? It really is very suitable for being an archaeologist..."

Clark Das's expression turned somber at this time. He put on a pair of white gloves and kept taking out archaeological tools from his hiking backpack: "I will now investigate the historical Elements on the Altar... Bruce, the Spirituality and historical accumulation here are enough for you to complete the 'Archaeological Meditation Method', truly awaken the 'Mystery' Spirituality, and become a half-Extraordinary. Do not miss the opportunity. Aaron, you protect Bruce!"

(End of chapter)