Chapter 547: The secret beneath the old statue
What could it be, and how could he get it out?
After looking around, the Archbishop found two slender metal chime mallets. The shafts of these small musical hammers could fit into the gap beneath the statue's base.
Clack... clack...
He carefully cleared out the broken pieces of mortar one by one, making sure they did not fall deeper into the gap and block it.
Filled with a peculiar sense of anticipation, he spent over ten minutes clearing away all the debris from the gap.
The reflection inside became more obvious, but that very glare still prevented the Archbishop from seeing what was in there. Whatever it was, it had to be something shiny.
The metal mallets' shafts were long enough. He should be able to use the two of them to pinch it and draw it out.
Holding the two mallet heads, he gently slid the shafts inside.
A clear clink made his heart tighten. Then the other shaft touched the object as well, producing the same crisp sound.
I hope I haven't broken it!
He tried repeatedly. On his sixth attempt to lift it, he finally felt a distinct weight on the shafts. This time, the object had apparently not slipped off.
The Archbishop swore he had never been this nervous in all these years. Sweat covered his forehead, and his hands trembled slightly despite his efforts to steady them.
The gap, just over thirty centimeters long, seemed endless. Several times along the way, he felt the object scrape against the sides and nearly fall.
Pushing it out might have been easier, but the Archbishop dared not gamble on whether rubbing against the stone would damage it.
Ever since taking the title of Archbishop of the Church, Sha Duoman had