Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1084: Deep into the Mausoleum
Touching the patterns engraved on the wall on one side of the stone steps, Elaine soon came to a flat area.

Based on the map of the underground mausoleum that she found in "Examples of Underground Mausoleum Construction" and then restored by William, she was sure that this was the real entrance to the mausoleum, and there should be a straight but downward sloping passage in front.

Holding the lantern, she groped around with her free hand, moving forward carefully like a real blind person, and soon touched the damp stone wall with a rusty lampstand.

It is exactly the same as the deep passage I saw in my nightmare. Could it be that I have really been to this mausoleum in my dream... She pondered, found the right direction, and stepped into the boundary between the cemetery and the real mausoleum.

At this moment, a cold breath surged over her like the darkness that had enveloped her, surrounding her completely. The chill deep underground reached its limit at this moment, making Elaine feel that her vitality was slipping away. Only the hand holding the lantern could feel a hint of warmth brought by the light.

If I didn't bring the lantern, would I be swallowed up by this power in an instant... Elaine tried her best to stay calm, her mind full of thoughts, and she felt that there were monsters spying on her all around her.

This made her want to take off the black cloth covering her eyes and take a look at her surroundings to feel at ease, but the lessons learned from previous groups of "guinea pigs" made her hold back and not take action.

But then the "Dark Holy Emblem" tied to her left wrist emitted an equally cold but reassuring aura, dispelling the coldness and darkness surrounding her.

"Praise the goddess of night, and praise Miss Angelica for giving me this holy emblem..."

Elaine murmured, taking back her hand with the holy emblem that was touching the wall and placing it on her chest, feeling the reassuring coldness. She recalled the description of the authority of the Goddess of Night in "Gods and Powers" and confirmed once again that the taboo of "the lantern must be lit" was probably related to the power of "secret".

In the minute after entering the mausoleum, the pleasure she felt from benefiting from the knowledge in her mind was stronger than what she had felt from reading books for a month on the ground.

"So, wearing the holy emblem, I don't need to rely on light sources to stay safe in the mausoleum and avoid being swallowed by darkness?
"It's not confirmed yet, so it's best not to take the risk, but it can be used as a last resort... The one who can dispel this power with a holy emblem must be an angel from the Church of the Goddess of Night. Miss Angelica's new honorific name includes the description 'Scarlet and Hidden Shadows', so there should be some connection between them..."

Muttering silently, Elaine continued to walk forward in the dark corridor, still feeling the wall with one hand and holding the lantern with the other to keep herself walking in a straight line. Based on the map in her mind and her "hunter's" keen perception of the environment, she quickly walked through the downward sloping passage and arrived at the main area of ​​the underground mausoleum with many connections.

During this period, she could feel that her spirituality was suppressed in some way, which made her premonition of danger and perception of the environment dull, and the connection with the mirror that was placed on the ground near the entrance of the mausoleum was completely cut off.

This means that if she wants to leave the mausoleum, she can only walk out on foot or risk entering the mirror world and use the passage connecting the marked mirrors to leave.

"But the mirror world in the mausoleum area is completely different from other places in Morola. It is shrouded in a strange fog. The three of us dare not use the 'Ice Mirror' spell to enter. Unless it is absolutely necessary, it is best not to try this method..."

Elaine continued to move forward amidst a sense of frustration that her senses were being suppressed to a certain extent, with one hand always pressed against the wall on one side, but she changed direction from time to time according to the map in her mind and never encountered the situation of "hitting the wall".

According to Archbishop Heraberg, except for me, an outlier, no exiles have borrowed books or taken exams for a long time. So how does Guxin plan to take advantage of the riot to explore the underground mausoleum? Use a large number of his men as cannon fodder to explore, or use some magical items? Elaine thought as she moved forward, and soon came to a wide room marked on the map as "Soldier Doll Storage Room".

According to the introduction in the book, there are many steel dolls waiting to be used, and a large part of the job of the "experimenters" is to use these dolls to replace those that are damaged or missing in the seal core to ensure the required number for the seal.

Elaine reached out and groped around, and as expected, she soon touched a steel figure.

It is two meters tall, with smooth armor plates that feel cold to the touch. It stands in a corner with its feet together and a spear in hand. Beside it are more of its kind, with only the weapons being different.

"There are four types of weapons: spear, broadsword, giant hammer, and bow and arrow. The weak point is behind the neck..." Elaine recalled the introduction in "The Production and Maintenance of Puppets" and no longer touched the bodies of these puppets casually like a blind person. Instead, she walked around them and continued to move forward.

I wonder how those "experimenters" were able to carry such puppets that were much heavier than an adult while holding a lantern in one hand and blindfolding their eyes... Could they have a way to make the puppets move on their own and follow them to the sealed area? If so, then the experimenters are not only the law enforcers of Morola, but also the law enforcers of the underground mausoleum...

Elaine muttered to herself in amusement, wanting to laugh but unable to.

Because she realized that if Gu Xin had not used the riot to lure away all the law enforcers, she would have encountered these experimenters who could manipulate puppets in the underground mausoleum, and she herself would have been one of the puppets of the "Salinger Blood Flag". The level of danger would have been greatly increased!
In this case, Gu Xin will definitely not give up such an opportunity to enter the mausoleum and search for the sealed object!
As soon as this thought came to her mind, Elaine's already somewhat dulled spirituality issued a strong warning, and the sound of an object cutting through the air could be heard in her ears.

Someone attacked!

Her hair stood on end and her body instantly entered combat mode. She immediately protected the lantern under her armpit with one hand and rolled away from the spot. Sparks of fire ignited around her, creating more light to prevent her from falling into darkness. Her free hand condensed a white-hot flaming spear and before she could stand firm from rolling, she threw it towards the place where the sound came from.

boom--

The high temperature dispelled the cold and dampness of the underground mausoleum. The blazing flames allowed Elaine to feel a ray of light through the black cloth and eyelids. The attacker fell to the ground without a sound, emitting the smell and sizzling sound of his flesh being roasted by the high temperature.

He died just like that... Elaine was a little surprised. In her imagination, anyone who dared to enter the underground mausoleum must be a Mid-Sequence Extraordinary Person, and at the very least, he would not be killed by a flaming spear.

She carefully used her ability to control fire to extinguish the remaining flames. After waiting for a few minutes and hearing no other movement, Elaine approached the location where the high heat was coming from and groped the other person's body despite feeling nauseous.

Soon, she identified the attacker based on a few still-hot coins, a sheathed dagger, and other miscellaneous items left behind.

He was one of the exiles William had sent to explore the interior of the mausoleum.

After being in the mausoleum for such a long time, even if he didn't violate any taboos, he would have starved to death... Could it be that he was contaminated and became one of the puppets of the seal, so he was not cleaned up by the experimenters... Elaine touched it again and suddenly found that the body was missing something: the head. The exile who attacked her just now was a headless corpse!
Elaine was shocked, and immediately remembered one of the possible contamination effects of the "Salinger Blood Flag" that Miss Angelica had specifically reminded her of: headless corpses and flying heads that chase people.

The weak point of those puppets is also in the neck... Inside this mausoleum, being beheaded is the most common way to die?
Elaine shook her head, kept this in mind, lit a fire to clean her filthy hands, left the storage room full of dolls, and continued walking towards the depths of the mausoleum along the shortcut she found on the map.

----

In the center of Morola city, a large number of excited exiles have gathered in front of the ancient and solemn Church of Knowledge.

They have been dealing with law enforcement officers for a long time and know that these guys with indifferent expressions and rigid thinking are actually quite capable in combat and are fearless of death. Some of them even possess extraordinary powers, so they usually don't dare to provoke them.

But as more and more people flocked to the city center, the law enforcers in black robes and neat lines were like reefs facing a tsunami in the crowd. Although they stood still, they became increasingly inconspicuous.

The disparity in numbers quickly aroused the violence of the exiles. They used all kinds of weapons, including homemade Molotov cocktails, muzzle-loading rifles, and daggers tied to sticks, and attacked the law enforcers.

The expressionless black-robed law enforcer also fought back vigorously, and the scene suddenly became chaotic.

William, who was hiding on the top floor of the church, carefully looked down, his eyes quickly swept over the dark crowd, made a rough calculation, and turned back to Tia, who looked worried, and said:

"There are about 1 exiles gathered in the square, and about the same number are rushing in from nearby streets... The entire city's law enforcement force should also be concentrated here, but there are less than a thousand of them."

Tia also looked out, but was frightened by the excited mobs that continued to pour into the square, so she retracted her head and asked:
"With such a huge disparity in numbers, will this church be lost?"

"If this continues, it will definitely happen. The exiles of Morola are all serious criminals, most of whom have killed several people, and there are many extraordinary people. After Gu Xin mobilized their emotions, they are almost equivalent to an army..."

William's brain calculated calmly, and he soon discovered that the Church of Knowledge was not as safe as he had imagined. Once more incited exiles squeezed into the square, they could trample all the law enforcers to death.

Then it was time to look inside the church.

I hope the captain can complete the mission quickly, otherwise even if she finds the seal, we won’t be able to leave Morola through the occupied church... William was thinking, and suddenly he felt something, turned around and looked behind him.

The archbishop in a white robe, holding a thick book in one hand and with the other hand behind his back, walked leisurely to the room where the two were hiding.

Seeing that Heraberg was not worried at all because of the unfavorable situation, William's anxiety was relieved. He bowed respectfully and asked:

"Your Excellency the Archbishop, may I ask Elaine, I mean Luo, how is she doing now?"

Since the other party had clearly expressed his support for Elaine, he didn't intend to beat around the bush.

Heraberg smiled and replied calmly:

"She has already entered the underground mausoleum and is ready to complete her mission, but there are two others like her. Who will gain the upper hand depends on their own efforts."

There are two more… The images of Guxin and Lisa immediately appeared in William’s mind, and he nodded slowly.

Passing William and Tia, Heraberg walked to the window, his amber eyes overlooking the chaotic square below, his expression suddenly became a little cold.

He felt like he was watching a monkey show right outside his own doorstep.

----

Deep in the underground mausoleum, Elaine continued to grope forward, her steps becoming more steady and confident.

She felt that the surrounding environment was very familiar, not only because she had a complete and detailed map in her mind, but also because of her "experience" of repeatedly entering the mausoleum in her nightmares.

I really want to take off the blindfold and see if the surroundings are the passages I have seen... Her free hand touched the black cloth covering her eyes, and then slowly put it down. She always felt that this "suicidal" impulse was also part of the pollution of the underground mausoleum.

Suddenly, she stopped moving forward.

From the other end of the passage, there was a dull sound of steel and stone colliding.

That's the sound of the iron puppet's footsteps!

(End of this chapter)