Chapter 187: Temple Exploration - Part 2
Chapter 187: Temple Exploration - Part 2
After receiving the results of Little Qing's reconnaissance, Liam and the others took a few steps and turned a corner. A spacious room made of large square stones appeared before their eyes. As they stepped into the room, Liam felt a cool breeze brush against his skin, instantly dispelling the heat from the tunnel.
It seems this place has a ventilation shaft. With that thought, Liam began to look around. At that moment, Hermione emerged from the tunnel behind them, the cool breeze invigorating her spirits.
After surveying the surroundings, Hermione asked curiously, "Didn't we hear that after a long path in an adventure, there's always something waiting for us ahead? Why is there nothing here?"
"The adventure novels my dad wrote were artistically enhanced. In reality, there aren't so many treasures. Besides, this is just a Servant's Passage. It would be strange if there were valuable things here." After being tense for so long in the tunnel, Liam wanted to talk to ease his mental fatigue.
"Wait a moment", Liam suddenly said, noticing something. "What you said isn't entirely wrong. I think I've found something valuable." Liam walked to the center of the stone room and pointed to a stone basin, where he saw something inside.
"What is it?" Hermione leaned in to take a look, but even with the Bubble-Head Charm, a pungent odor hit her nose, making her step back quickly.
"This is the cheapest and best thing, worth 60 Galleons per pound, and I've never seen it in stock at Diagon Alley." Liam said, shielding Hermione's view as he pulled out a five-liter oil can from the Multiverse General Store. He then filled the can with the yellowish-white ointment from the basin.
"Wait, I think I've read about this in a book", Hermione said, recalling something. "Isn't this Enchanted Anaconda Oil? The book mentioned that adding Enchanted Anaconda Oil as fuel when brewing potions can significantly increase the success rate."
"Truly the Miss Know-It-All", Liam said, impressed by Hermione's extensive knowledge. This was a rather obscure piece of information, and he wouldn't have recognized it if he hadn't come across it in a book. "You're right. I just discovered that this could be worth 200 Galleons per pound. The longer the oil ages, the better its effects. This basin has been aged for at least a thousand years, turning from milky white to pale yellow. So, falling here wasn't all bad. Even if most of it has evaporated, what's left should still fetch over 300 Galleons."
Hermione didn't show much excitement after hearing Liam's words. In such a dangerous place, it was hard to feel elated, even with their newfound treasure.
After filling most of the Enchanted Anaconda Oil into the oil can, Liam put it away and used a cup to pour the remaining oil into two recesses on the wall. He then used his wand to light the oil in the recesses with the Mars spell.
A bluish-green flame slowly burned in the recesses, and as the flame spread, a faint, pleasant fragrance filled the room. The wall began to rise, revealing a passage behind it.
"How did you figure out this trap?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Didn't you see that the only thing in the room besides the stone basin is the opposite wall with two recesses, both showing signs of blackened, burned marks? Considering the precious fuel in the basin, it was obvious how to activate the trap. After all, this is just a passage for servants, not a treasure chamber with complex traps."
With that, Liam led the way into the passage. This passage likely led to a more important location, as the walls were adorned with numerous engravings. As he walked, he felt like an adventurer, much like Indiana Jones.
It is well known that archaeology has made significant contributions to our understanding of ancient history, especially in the Wizarding World, where archaeological finds sometimes represent advanced productivity. However, for certain ancient masters who have dwelled in these ruins for centuries, whether they are Muggles or Wizards, they certainly do not wish to be unearthed again.
Not long after Liam entered the tunnel, they were attacked: two fully armed Mummies burst through the thin stone walls on either side of the passage and lunged at them, wielding their obsidian spears to express their hostility toward these intruders.
"Purge of the Unclean!" As Liam cast the spell, he drew runes in the air with Krinvi's Fang, and a pale ray struck one of the Mummies. Perhaps because the place had been abandoned for too long, the wooden armor adorned with runes on the Mummy had mostly rotted away, losing its magical defensive capabilities. The spell easily reduced the Mummy to a pile of ash.
At this moment, the other Mummy took the opportunity to close in. "Stupefy!" Hermione's voice came from behind, but since Mummies are not living beings, the Stunning Spell only made the Mummy pause for a moment. This, however, gave Liam the time he needed to cast another "Purge of the Unclean" and finish off the Mummy.
Aren't South American Mummies usually found in the high, dry mountains? How could they be in a tropical rainforest? The fact that they could remain intact for a thousand years in such a humid environment indicated that the magic in this place was far more dangerous than he had imagined. With this in mind, Liam cast a spell on his knife: "Holy Weapon."
Krinvi's Fang glowed faintly with a white light after Liam finished the spell, which would remain as long as the spell's effect lasted, allowing it to deal targeted damage to any evil beings.
The two Mummies had ambushed them from such close quarters, and Liam was concerned that in a narrower passage, there might not be enough space to cast spells. Therefore, he enchanted his knife to be prepared for any situation.
Sure enough, more Mummies continued to leap out from the stone walls on either side, forming a defensive line to protect the important areas from intruders. Liam and his companions, who had not received the Temple's permission, naturally triggered these defenses as they moved through the corridor.
From the examination of the two Mummies, it was evident that this civilization had not developed metal smelting technology, as their weapons were made of obsidian.
For the native Wizards or warriors of this civilization, encountering these Mummies, with bodies as hard as metal and adorned with runes, in such a confined space would have been a near-certain death. The Temple naturally considered this an infallible method of defense.
However, Liam possessed spells from another civilization specifically designed to counter such beings, and the Mummies' power had been eroded over the long years, leaving them at only a fraction of their former strength. As a result, Liam and his companions made it through the passage with minimal danger. By the time Liam had become familiar with how to deal with the Mummies, he even used the Corpse Control Technique taught by the Taoist Four-Eyes to control six Mummies and protect them.
Finally, they arrived at a stone door. According to the map, passing through this door would lead them to the Central Hall of the entire Temple.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
