In the summer of 1026 of the New Calendar.
Clouds veiled the moon, and a gentle breeze stirred.
On the outskirts of Green Forest City.
In the fresh open countryside, insects chirped from time to time, and fireflies occasionally flitted through the air.
A dim yellow light flickered in the darkness, casting a warm glow.
The man holding the lantern was tall and thin. His coarse clothes were stained and ill-fitting, his hands covered in calluses and scars, and his face smudged with grime. He was clearly a laborer from the lower classes, used to grueling physical work.
Beside him stood a slightly shorter man in indigo work clothes, carrying a shovel over his shoulder. He grumbled, "Lowell, are you sure this is the place? I'm wasting my precious time off to come along with you on this foolishness. If my stingy boss fires me tomorrow, it'll be your fault!"
He was a dockworker who had to work more than ten hours a day and was paid by the week.
Most people like him had no savings at all. Some even had to share a single bed with someone else. Losing their jobs would mean disaster.
Lowell, the man holding the lantern, turned around and said earnestly, "Bill, I swear I really did find a treasure... It seems to have been exposed by a landslide and a cave-in. The place is remote, but there are signs of man-made structures. It could be an ancient tomb."
At the time, grave robbing was a serious crime, punishable by death.
But people from the lower classes weren't afraid of that.
Bill had once been a farmer, but then the landlord took back his land, leaving him no choice but to find work in the city. Countless others were in the same situation, creating