In an instant, Klein switched to the " The Fool's " state—a state of looking down on everything, unfathomable—and nodded slightly, saying:
"Good."
The river before him suddenly surged, and the white words wriggled, changed, and reformed:
"The following is Record of the exploration process by your loyal servant Arrodes. You may choose to speed up or skip certain scenes at any time."
After a two-second pause, the scene suddenly zoomed in, and Klein appeared right next to Ikanser Bernard, but no one noticed him.
He looked around and felt that there were living people and living things all around him, without any sense of artificiality, making him feel extremely immersed in the scene.
It can also speed up or skip certain scenes... Is the mirror of Arrodes actually a virtual reality home theater?... Klein couldn't help but make a comment.
He examined the members of " Machinery Hivemind " again and found that the leader was an elderly man wearing a white priest's robe and a clergyman's soft hat, with an unusually kind face and a calm and gentle expression.
"Your Excellency Archbishop, everyone is ready," Ikanser said, bowing slightly to the old man.
Archbishop... This is Horamick Haydn, the Demigod- like Archbishop of the Church of Steam and Machinery in Backlund? The Machinery Hivemind is indeed cautious; he hasn't been careless...
They might even be carrying a Level 1 Sealed Artifact and have performed Divination beforehand, since they possess the " Those Mystery Pryer " pathway. Fortunately, I'm fairly certain that Gray Fog's ability to Divination or interfere with Divination is like the " Card of Blasphemy," ensuring the result presents the most normal, natural, and unsuspecting outcome; otherwise, it might have exposed something...
However, there is a certain probability that the scene of my meeting with Miss Sharron will be reproduced, because it is not a harmful thing for me. It depends on whether the instinct of the " Wraith " to interfere with Divination can affect the " Machinery Hivemind "'s attempt. Wait, the " Machinery Hivemind " is most likely relying on Arrodes. Judging from its performance just now and before, it is not impossible for it to casually censor me to please me... Klein thought with a sudden realization.
At this moment, Horamick Haydn drew a triangular emblem on his chest:
"Let's begin, and God will protect us."
Nearly ten Beyonder descended one after another, with Klein following closely behind, without any "fast forward."
He had always been curious about the combat style of the Low-Sequence in " Machinery Hivemind " and planned to take this opportunity to see it for himself.
In addition, he was also very concerned about what it would be like for Demigod to actually make a move, and what secrets were hidden within the Amon Family's tomb.
The black marble steps, polished to a degree over a thousand years, still retain sufficient hardness and show no signs of Corrosion. The members of " Machinery Hivemind " followed them all the way down to the underground, where they saw asymmetrical stone pillars and patterns reminiscent of the Quaternary period.
The pillars stood on either side of a wide road, and in front of them was a huge, heavy, double-leaf dark gray stone gate.
The stone door had cracked open, allowing two people to pass side by side; inside lay a deep, dark abyss.
The members of " Machinery Hivemind " didn't rush in. Carrying lanterns that provided good illumination, they carefully searched the outer area but found nothing of value.
"As per the pre-arranged plan, the first group will conduct the initial cleaning." After obtaining the archbishop's consent, Ikanser pressed down his hat, tucking his fluffy hair back down.
Clean up? Klein, standing nearby, chewed on the word.
As he wondered what was happening, the two strongest and most robust male members of the " Machinery Hivemind " team each put down the long black boxes on their backs and opened them.
Inside the long box were two objects: a sturdy, heavy, iron-black cannon-shaped object engraved with dense, eerie patterns, and a complex and exquisite peculiar gun with a pale gold ammunition belt inserted into it.
One of the two team members shouldered the cannon-like object and walked heavily to the open stone gate.
Another member of " Machinery Hivemind " picked up the strange gun, attached the ammunition belt, and followed behind, slightly slower than the others.
After exchanging a glance, the cannon-like object the former was carrying suddenly glowed, outlining a noisy and intense pattern.
boom!
A golden fireball, resembling a miniature the Sun, flew out of the "cannon barrel" and into the darkness and gloom.
Boom!
The earth trembled slightly, and intense light burst forth from the cracks.
The " Machinery Hivemind " member holding the "cannon barrel" visibly slumped, and his legs trembled slightly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He repeatedly used that extraordinary weapon, firing golden "cannonballs" one after another at different locations, causing the tomb to shake violently but without any dust falling.
He calmed down slightly, and the team member holding the strange gun stepped forward two steps and pulled the trigger:
Da da da da da!
The sound of machine gun fire rang out, and one pale golden bullet after another flew out, Purification the danger in the depths of darkness.
... Isn't this the kind of bombardment effect I've always wanted? And it uses extraordinary consumables like Purification Bullets and exorcising shells... How extravagant! Is this the fighting style of " Machinery Hivemind "? Klein's eyes widened and his mouth slightly agape.
After a barrage of bombardments, amidst the booming echoes, Ikanser raised his voice and said:
"The second group will handle the follow-up cleanup."
And... Klein felt he was becoming somewhat numb.
The second group also consisted of two team members, who used scrolls made of different leathers.
They recited the incantation briefly, activated the scrolls, and tossed them inside.
The buildings behind the stone gate were suddenly enveloped in a soft, pure light, and drops of pale golden, sacred rain fell down, "cleansing" everything within range.
Klein stared blankly at the scene, suddenly finding it somewhat absurd:
Wait a minute, aren't you here for archaeological work? Aren't you professional " Archaeologist "? Aren't you afraid the tomb will collapse if you clean it this way?
In the blink of an eye, the second group finished cleaning and called out to Ikanser:
"Butler, as expected, the building structure has not been damaged."
They were clearly prepared.
"Alright, continue." Ikanser gave the order.
Klein walked in the middle, passing through the stone gate. On the ground were clumps of dirt and fragments, making it impossible to identify the species of Monster that had once been active here, or to guess the purpose of the mechanisms that had been set up here.
After several waves of such "cleansing," unless one avoids it in advance, Beyonder below the High-Sequence can't withstand it... Klein once again deeply understood what violent aesthetics and simple, brutal, and unreasonable means are.
In the following process, the scene from before was repeated again and again. The members of " Machinery Hivemind " successfully advanced, explored one area after another, and occasionally gained some Beyonder Characteristic that were beginning to gather.
"No murals..." Archbishop Horamick Haydn of the Church of Steam and Machinery stopped, puzzled, as he saw the main burial chamber in sight.
Klein, who is considered a semi-historian, shared the same confusion.
Normally, the tomb of a nobleman would contain more or less things that indicated his status and glory during his lifetime.
When tombs become mausoleums or even mausoleums, with enough space, it is common to use murals to tell the story of the owner's life. This was not uncommon in even older and more primitive times; in fact, it was the most common method. Humans learned to draw first, not to write.
Therefore, it is indeed somewhat strange that there are no similar murals in the tomb of a great nobleman from the Quaternary period.
Upon hearing the archbishop's question, Ikanser immediately ordered his team members to split up in pairs and search the vicinity for any relevant traces.
Watching all this unfold, Klein couldn't help but want to "fast forward" and see the result directly.
Just then, he noticed that the two " Machinery Hivemind " members in the left corner had suddenly turned into three!
One of them looked exactly like Ikanser Bernard, with his hair so thick it covered his hat.
This... Klein was taken aback at first, then made a guess.
The thought had barely formed in his mind when " Ikanser " walked toward the teammate closest to him.
"Have you found anything?" He cleared his throat and lowered his voice.
The team member turned around warily, and upon seeing that it was Ikanser Ikonser, immediately relaxed.
"No..." Before he could finish speaking, the " Ikanser " in front of him suddenly turned into a human skin and covered his body.
The pale human skin wrapped tightly around him, and the outline of his features began to emerge. During this process, there were no extra sounds, and no unusual movements were triggered.
Suddenly, rays of light shone from beneath the human skin, like the light of the rising the Sun!
The human skin immediately became translucent and quickly rose into the air as if it were being burned.
A black whip lashed out and struck its body, noticeably slowing its movements.
In such battles, slowness is the "original sin." Extraordinary weapons, burning scrolls, and pale gold bullets arrive one after another, engulfing the human skin.
After the dazzling light, countless ashes fell.
They all shimmered faintly, slowly, "striving" to gather together.
It really was " Human-skinned Shadow "... Klein turned his gaze to the " Machinery Hivemind " members who had just been attacked.
The man tugged at his collar, pulling out an amulet covered in the Sun- related symbols and magical markings.
"Thank goodness the archbishop allowed us to wear these things!" he exclaimed sincerely, holding up his lantern.
Klein then realized that his lapel pin carried the tranquility of the Evernight, his ring the fury of Storm, and his belt the tangible power of his being...
Although not all of them are magical items, most are talismanic ornaments and extraordinary weapons, whose effects will quickly fade, they are still quite valuable! Only a " Artisan " or a wealthy Beyonder could acquire so many... Is this the fighting style of " Machinery Hivemind "? Burning money... Klein suddenly felt a blow to his wits and it took him a long time to recover.
At this point, the characteristics of the Human-skinned Shadow had taken shape. It was like a huge diamond with countless facets reflecting light, and each facet reflected a different face.
The faces were so numerous and layered, it was dizzying.
"That's all I'm missing..." Klein was overjoyed.
After processing its harvest, " Machinery Hivemind " continued searching for the murals, but found no trace of them.
They had no choice but to regroup and head towards the passageway leading to the main burial chamber.
P. S.: Requesting monthly votes on the last day of October!