Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 337 Tomb Exploration
Tuesday night, Baiya Town.

This is an ordinary small town on the outskirts of Backlund. Its only distinctive feature is probably the white stone cliff outside the town. The Stratford River flows through this area from the east, but is forced to change course upon hitting the white cliff, creating a bend in the river.

The river bend caused silt to settle, creating fertile fields. However, the repeal of the Corn Act bankrupted many farmers, who sold their land at rock-bottom prices and fled with their families to Backlund in search of a better life. As a result, much of this fertile land has been abandoned and overgrown with weeds.

A crimson moon hung in the sky, and several figures appeared silently at the bottom of the cliff, on the gentle slope of the river bend.

"Is that shitty cemetery right here?"

The speaker was a woman with a rough voice. She was physically strong, carried a large sword on her back, and had a noticeable scar on her face.

"Built against the mountain, it is indeed the standard of the Ammon family of the Quaternary period."

Beside her, a slightly thin man with glasses spoke rapidly, sounding both excited and nervous, "We can learn from recent articles published in archaeological journals about the exploration of related remains."

"Save all that nonsense for when you get home."

The woman carrying the greatsword interrupted her without any politeness, "We're about to explore the tomb, so let's talk about something useful, otherwise there's no point in calling you here."

"."

The bespectacled man's expression froze. He glanced at the other man with considerable displeasure but did not utter a rebuttal. It wasn't just out of fear, but also a sense of arrogance and contempt, a feeling of "disdain for communicating with such a person."

"Alright, you two."

A middle-aged gentleman with his hair slicked back chuckled kindly, “Arguing doesn’t benefit either of us; let’s all get along better.”

"."

Luze turned his head to look at Sharon, who was floating in mid-air beside him. He didn't speak, but his eyes asked a question:
Is this the reliable teammate you found?

"The hidden entrance to the cemetery is located at the junction of the river bend and the cliff."

Sharon was still dressed in a black court dress and a small hat. Her features were exquisite, and her voice was ethereal and dreamlike. She looked as if she had emerged from some ancient castle and had existed as a vengeful spirit for countless years.

She didn't respond to Lu Ze, but instead drew the attention of the three men with a few brief words.

She floated ahead, guiding the way, and the others followed, arriving at the bend in the river.

The River Stratford continued its tireless flow through the night, its waters gurgling. The riverbank was damp, and a chilling air seeped into everyone's bodies through their clothes. Fortunately, they were all extraordinary beings and were unaffected by this, focusing solely on finding the entrance to the tomb.

Lu Ze lagged a few steps behind, scrutinizing the members of the exploration team.

Needless to say, he and Sharon were both Sequence 5 Beyonders. Furthermore, he could sense similar levels of souls from the middle-aged man and the woman with the greatsword, indicating that they were likely also Sequence 5 Beyonders.

As for the young man with glasses, his sequence number should be lower, probably around sequence 6 at most. However, judging from his performance just now, this young man should possess similar knowledge, which could provide theoretical support for the exploration of the cemetery.

Just as they were thinking this, the group arrived at the tomb, led by Sharon.

"Boom——"

The half-hidden rocks were roughly pushed aside by the burly woman with her greatsword, revealing a black marble staircase leading downwards. Since the town was some distance away, and with the sound of the river, there was little worry about the noise attracting attention.

"This is a tomb from a thousand years ago."

The bespectacled young man, named Best, remarked upon seeing the smooth, even staircase, "It looks like it was just made yesterday."

The others didn't share his sentiments; they simply observed their surroundings cautiously. "There are no traps or dangerous creatures on the stairs."

Sharon, now in spirit form, appeared before everyone. She had already walked back and forth on the stairs once. "At least this part of the path is still safe."

The group descended the steps and walked all the way to the bottom of the ground at the end of the stairs.

What came into view were the asymmetrical stone pillars, a hallmark of the Quaternary period, and the peculiar, knife-cut patterns on them. Lu Ze had seen similar patterns in that underground ruin as well.

Thinking of that place again, how unlucky.
Lu Ze cursed inwardly and strode forward.

Behind the stone pillar lies the tomb's main gate. This dark gray stone gate is enormous and heavy, yet it remains slightly ajar, with a crack wide enough for two adult men to pass side by side.

"What's going on? It's already been opened?"

The woman carrying the greatsword, named Kate, couldn't help but let out a complaint.

"It's no different from when I found it, so no one should have gone in. Even if someone did go in, they probably didn't come out."

Sharon said calmly.

As if startled by her words, Best, who wore glasses, blinked slightly and swallowed.

"I can't see inside clearly."

The middle-aged gentleman with slicked-back hair walked to the door, raised the lantern in his hand, and tried to shine it inside. The orange light only illuminated a small area, and where the light reached, there was only the stone floor, the same as outside.

During the self-introductions when we met, this gentleman introduced himself as "Zoroa".

The extraordinary individuals chatted amongst themselves, but remained vigilant, and none of them ventured in rashly.

"Step aside."

Luze gestured for the middle-aged gentleman, Soroya, to leave the crack in the door, and then went over himself.

"boom!"

Several crimson fireballs formed around him, which he then threw into the tomb one by one, where they landed on the ground and burned steadily.

The antechamber of the tomb was larger than they had imagined, and the flames illuminated only a portion of it. Even so, they could still see many things in the firelight.

With crimson exteriors, deformed limbs, and shapes imbued with curses, many bizarre creatures roamed the anteroom. Accidentally illuminated by the flames, they reacted with either terror or rage, but quickly darted into the shadows and hid.

"Shapeshifters, red-blooded lizards, cursed straw men, and some other strange creatures I don't recognize."

Best pushed up his glasses and said in a low voice, "Although their overall strength is average, they are all very twisted guys. If you get entangled with them, it will be difficult to get away."

Everyone was silent.

Of these monsters, Luze had only heard of the Red Blood Lizard. It was said that wounds inflicted by its licks would not heal but would slowly corrode, eventually melting the person and becoming nourishment for the monster. It seemed the other extraordinary creatures were similarly troublesome.

"Let's just wipe them all out in one go."

He thought to himself, then pulled out a knife and slashed his wrist. With a "whoosh," the blood mist immediately spread into the tomb.

　Thank you to reader Lanshanxue for the 100 reading coins!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)