Dusty Old Secrets

Three of the five were left. They were much more obedient, knowing they couldn't defeat us on their own. 💚♝ 🐙💝

Riven wanted to make another move, but I stopped her. "Forget it, this is an outpost after all. Let's leave a few alive."

"Hmph!" Riven kicked them a few times before venting her anger.

Since they harbor ill intentions, it seems their earlier claim that there is no human civilization further north was just empty talk. Nevertheless, we stayed here for the night, after binding them tightly with ropes.

While I was half asleep, I suddenly heard someone talking. The voice was very soft, and when I opened my eyes, I was startled!

Is that a ghost? It's just a semi-transparent shadow.

The ghost was a middle-aged man dressed as an explorer. When he saw that I was awake, he left the room and told me to follow him.

I sat up and saw that the three people I had tied up were gone! Riven was sleeping next to me, was also gone!

What happened? I panicked a little and quickly followed the ghost, but he wouldn't answer any of my questions, as if he couldn't hear me.

We arrived at a small hut next to the outpost, a place for storing miscellaneous items, but also stocked with plenty of wine and food.

He walked to the corner, pointed to the ground, and said, "Pry it open here."

I didn't see any signs of the ground being loose. Since he said so, I drew my sword and tested it. Sure enough, there was a hollow spot under one of the stone slabs!

After I pried open the stone slab, I discovered there was another room underneath! Inside the room was a searchlight, emitting an eerie light.

I climbed down the ladder and found that the room was full of all sorts of strange things: oddly shaped weapons, armor, wheels, and many other bizarre tools.

But this wasn't their destination. The ghost moved to another corner and repeated its earlier words, "Pry this open."

Could there be other rooms downstairs? I tried it, and sure enough, there were.

This room was about the same size as the previous one, but it was filled with gold and silver jewelry, maps, and all sorts of exquisitely crafted objects, like a treasure trove!

I never imagined this place was so wealthy! But where did all this stuff come from?

The ghost walked to the corner again. "Pry it open."

Could it be pried open further? This place is already full of gold and silver jewelry, so what better things could be underneath? Full of anticipation, I pried open the floorboards, only to find it was pitch black underneath, and I couldn't see anything at all.

I shone the searchlight down and was so frightened I almost fell.

This room is full of corpses!

Actually, these things themselves don't terrify me; it's just that I wasn't mentally prepared for what I saw. And just moments ago it was gold and silver jewelry—how come there are so many corpses here? Could it be... that these are all victims?

The ghost went down first, and his words made me follow without hesitation. "Your companion is here too!"

I carefully searched the pile of corpses with a lamp. They were lifeless, pale faces, and the various kinds of clothing indicated that they were of different identities.

Some were already dried up, while others looked like they had only recently died, as the temperature here is very low and they haven't rotted yet.

Soon after, I discovered a fresh corpse nearby. She was lying face down, and her white hair and clothes told me it was Riven!

I threw the lamp on the ground, picked her up with trembling hands, and the moment I turned around, I realized it wasn't Riven's face.

The grief suddenly subsided, and I calmed down considerably. I turned to the ghost and asked, "Are you also a victim here?"

"Yes, I am an explorer who came here eight years ago..."

The ghost told me his story: he was a professional explorer who had just finished traveling through Shurima and was on his way home when he was transported to the north of Freljord by chaotic teleportation magic.

Explorers enjoy traveling and exploring, so they naturally wouldn't miss such a good opportunity, and thus came here by following the markings on the map.

The story of the Watchpost of the Dead is widely known. The sentinels here are regarded as heroes who protect Freljord, so he came to visit them, only to be secretly poisoned by the drug.

When I asked his name, he smiled and said to me, "You should go back now."

I opened my eyes, my heart pounding. In truth, by the end, I had already realized it was all a dream.

Seeing Riven sleeping peacefully beside me, I touched her face gently, and although it was very light, she still woke up.

Is it dawn yet?

"It's lit up."

"Let's go then!"

"Wait, there's something I want to confirm."

I approached the three men, who were already awake. They looked at me in terror and begged me to untie them.

Does this place get frequented?

The old man, who had been tied up by me all night, showed no signs of weakness and quickly explained, "No, apart from the sentries who came to relieve us, no one else came."

"Oh, then you guys stay tied up here, let's go Riven."

"Wait, no..."

I ignored their screams and went straight out of the house. Riven hesitated for a moment, then followed.

"Why didn't you kill them yesterday, but you won't release them today?"

"Come with me."

We arrived at the storage room next to the outpost. Following the image from my dream, I pried open the corner of the floor, and sure enough, it opened!

The things inside are the same as in the dream! Except there are no searchlights here; we brought in White Crystal Stone, which are stones that can emit light.

Prying open the ground again, the jewels inside made Riven exclaim, "Wow! This place is like a treasure trove! How did you know?"

I told Riven about the dream I had last night. She felt the same way I did in my dream; she was excited at first, but sad at the end.

"So they didn't just plunder food; they didn't spare anyone who came here!"

"That's why I wanted to confirm it, to see if it was true, and it was!"

"Let's go back and kill them! They're awful!"

"No need. Just leave them tied up here and let this part of history be buried in the dust."

"And what about those who came after them?"

"They starved to death within a few days at most, and when replacements came, no one knew this place existed."

We ultimately didn't open the last door; I don't want to see that scene from my dream again.

We didn't touch any of the treasure, nor do we need it; we only took a map and some useful tools.

Among this messy pile of junk, I also found an Explorer's Log. I don't know if the owner was someone who appeared to me in a dream. Anyway, it doesn't take up much space, so I've taken it with me.

After restoring the ground to its original state, we left, while the men at the outpost were still groaning.

Why would someone engage in such underhanded dealings when their story is sung and passed down to the world as a hero?

What's the use of mountains of gold and silver? I don't understand, and I'm too lazy to think about it.