Tomb Raiding: My Family's Last Clan Chief is Little Brother

Chapter 404 Responding to the Call
Cox Hendry, also known as Jude Cox.

After taking over the German business, Jude Kao also heard about what the Germans had been searching for, which was similar to his own goal.

Based on the patterns on the stone, he deciphered another layer of information from the Warring States period silk manuscript: a miracle in the snow-capped mountains.

The first half of the notebook mainly describes the Germans' actions in the snow-capped mountains, followed by the picture in the middle—another bronze door located deep in the snow-capped mountains.

Based on information obtained from interrogating the cavalry from that year in the snow-capped mountains, the Germans assembled a team and set off from another snow-capped mountain, where they unexpectedly found the bronze door.

The owner of the notebook meticulously copied the intricate patterns on the door with utmost devotion, intending to take the painting out of the snow-capped mountains.

Even from the detailed description, Zhang Wuxun could sense that although the bronze door was very similar in appearance, it was far less magnificent and mysterious than the bronze door of Changbai Mountain.

The pattern in the picture, as a whole, looks more like a tortoise shell, and there is also a tiny person, as small as an ant, standing next to a bronze door for comparison.

The thing was enormous, and its shell had many tiny cracks. The artist meticulously depicted all the cracks on the door.

Upon closer inspection, these cracks seem to represent some kind of totem. If one had to put it into words, the central part resembles a ferocious, blackened Qilin. At first glance, it looks like one, but upon closer inspection, the Qilin merges with the surrounding cracks, forming another enormous creature that resembles both a dragon and a snake.

Surrounding the giant tortoise shell are eight smaller tortoise shells, arranged haphazardly, also covered in patterns, forming many strange designs with the central giant tortoise shell.

Around all the tortoise shells, there are many tentacle-like things connected like a spider web, completely covering the blank space around the shells, but the outline of these tentacles does not look smooth.

Zhang Wu pondered for a moment, then took out a magnifying glass from his pocket and examined the so-called tentacle lines closely. He then realized that these lines were not tentacles at all, but chains.

Countless chains, like cages, tightly bound all the tortoise shells. The pattern on the tortoise shell in the middle looked more and more like many mythical beasts being chained to that door, as if trapped beasts were struggling and howling, making people feel an overwhelming sense of sorrow.

The point where the chains converged and ended at the center looked like some particularly ugly spots, which reminded Zhang Wuxun of the meteorite sinkhole he had seen underground in the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West.

How did the Germans open that bronze door back then?
The chances are there, but Zhang Wuxun thinks they are not very high. So how did the artist of this painting manage to see through the heavy bronze door and see the meteorite inside?
Or perhaps, these things weren't seen with his eyes at all, but were deeply etched into his mind in another way, causing him to unconsciously project the scenes in his mind onto the paper when he painted.

A thought flashed through Zhang Wuxun's mind, and a fierce glint appeared in his eyes.

A divine gift!

Did the German who painted this work truly experience divine inspiration? If so, it means that this painting was created under divine control.

Most importantly, what is the purpose of divine intervention?
The notebook contained very little information, only stating that they suffered heavy casualties when they passed a very beautiful lake on their return journey.

Because in that vast lake lives a large white fish with a crimson beast's head, capable of smashing through the thick ice and swallowing people whole.

"Moved by the sound of the clear bell," is how the author of the notebook described the strange, large fish launching its attack.

But the owner of the notebook meant that whenever the big fish attacked them, it was always accompanied by the distant sound of bells.

The big fish moved so fast that the people couldn't see their movements at all. They only felt huge black shadows flashing past them. Some people didn't even have time to scream before they were dragged into the water.

However, an advisor in the team who was knowledgeable about animal training guessed that there was another possibility: these strange big fish were acting according to the commands of the bell sounds coming from somewhere.

But in that critical situation, they had no way of knowing the source of the sound.

Unfortunately, they had no choice but to take a detour, traversing treacherous peaks far from the lake, which undoubtedly increased the difficulty of their mission.

Large blank spaces remained at the back of the notebook, indicating that the rest of the content had not yet been recorded before these people stopped breathing forever in the wind and snow.

Zhang Wuxun picked up the now-cold butter tea, took a sip, and found the taste a bit strange, so he didn't drink any more.

I pondered the beautiful lake mentioned in the notebook. It must be the lake in Dong Can's oil painting. But in the painting, the lake reflects the blue sky and snow-capped mountains, and the gray and snow shadows blend together, creating a natural and beautiful scene.

The calm water in Dong Can's painting has not yet frozen over, and it is impossible to tell whether there are any strange large fish in the water.

What could it be—a giant fish with an animal's head?
Due to differences in regional cultures, foreigners don't really understand ancient Eastern civilizations. The large fish described in the notebook was often worshipped as a deity by ancient people who didn't know the details. They would build temples and shrines by the water to worship it, praying for good weather and the continuation of their descendants.

However, there was clearly more than one large fish in the lake, and the most bizarre and suspicious point was the sound of bells, which seemed to be the sound of bells controlling the large fish.

Zhang Wuxun couldn't help but recall the corpse beetles with hexagonal copper bells tied to their tails that he and Wu Xie had encountered underwater when they passed through the Corpse Cave a long time ago. Could these big fish be the same?

So who keeps the big fish in the lake there? Is it related to the bronze gate deep in the snow-capped mountains?
Zhang Wuxun suppressed his doubts for the time being and continued to read the records in the subsequent scrolls.

﹉﹉﹉﹉﹉

After listening to the young man recount the contents of the notes, Laba became very eager to visit the legendary valley filled with golden orbs, and the thought of quitting was long gone.

He asked the young man, "Master, did you come to these mountains also for those golden balls?"

The young man seemed to have some difficulty answering his question, and after a long while shook his head, "It shouldn't be considered that."

Laba understood. Even if it wasn't related to those golden balls, it was still related to the fact that following this young employer meant there would be plenty to eat.

If they could really find that paradise-like place, he could just stuff a few things into his pocket and live comfortably for the rest of his life. His family of more than ten people would no longer have to worry about making a living.

The next day, they buried their nephew's body in the snow, and Laba and Luogongbu divided his belongings equally. The group continued on their way. They clung to the protruding rocks on the cliff and climbed up the slope to the other side. The path there was not as difficult, and they had more time to rest.

On the eleventh day of their journey through the snowfield, the young man stopped and looked around. All he could see was a vast expanse of white snow. The majestic and precipitous snow-capped mountains and clouds stretched out before him like a mirage, and he had lost all sense of where he was.

On the twelfth day, nothing happened again.

While Laba was digging a snow cave to set up camp, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the fiery clouds stretching for thousands of miles over the mountains. He suddenly realized that he didn't know where they were going. The place with the golden ball could be anywhere in this vast snowfield.

They found no map on the German's body. The area was too vast; this snowy region was beyond his reach, and he was no longer familiar with the snow-capped mountains. His past travel experience would be of little use as he continued his journey.

The only clue was the huge lake in the snow-capped mountain. Laba comforted himself, telling himself that they had followed the direction the Germans had come from, which was the right direction. They would eventually see such a large lake if they kept going.

They lit a fire in the dug snow cave, boiled water and roasted dry rations, preparing to spend the night.

On the snow-capped mountains, for the sake of survival, there are many things that cannot be done, and the only way to pass the time is to daydream and sleep.

Darkness fell quickly, and it was Laba's turn to be on night watch. He listened listlessly to the wind blowing through the half-open snow cave, and vaguely, he seemed to hear the faint sound of bells mixed in with the wind.

Laba leaned closer to the cave entrance to listen carefully, but heard nothing except the howling wind. He figured he was just bored and hallucinating.

However, in the instant he turned his head, he saw a faint blue light flickering rhythmically in the darkness in the distance.

Laba thought he was seeing things and was about to turn around and call someone to look when the young man was already standing behind him, also looking in that direction.

The flashing point was moving, seemingly heading in their direction.

"What is that?" Laba felt a little flustered. He stood up and subconsciously took a few steps forward, wanting to see more clearly.

The young man grabbed him by the collar and dragged him and Luo Gongbu together behind a shallow snow slope outside the cave, where they could just hide.

The green light moved at an astonishing speed, as if it were flying directly across the snow, and appeared at the bottom of the largest snow slope in front of them in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, the three of them heard a series of faint bell sounds. In an instant, the wind around them seemed to freeze. The sound of the bells was particularly ethereal in the snow, as if it were far away from them, yet also as if it were right next to their ears.

As he listened, Laba became somewhat dazed. Before his eyes appeared a deep canyon, shimmering with golden light, as if it were filled with sand made of gold.

Laba was a little confused. He subconsciously wanted to talk to the two guys next to him, but found that he was suddenly all alone.

Where are they? Where did the other two go? Weren't they just here a moment ago?
Laba was in a panic. He had completely forgotten about the green light earlier. He wondered if the two people had already gone back but hadn't had time to inform him. He stood up and walked toward the snow cave they had dug out to spend the night.

Unexpectedly, after leaving the snow slope, he was shocked to find that the surrounding scenery had suddenly changed. The original snow-capped peaks had actually turned into a glittering golden canyon.

The sound of flowing water reached Laba's ears, and he was utterly astonished. It was the Golden River, a thin, golden river, with its water flowing gently over golden sand. The water was crystal clear, and countless golden grains shimmered in the sunlight.

Laba was completely mesmerized by the sight before him. He had completely forgotten that he was in a frigid snowfield where even the saliva from the corner of his mouth could be frozen. How could there possibly be a flowing river? The sudden wealth blinded him to his reason.

He thought to himself, could this be the place the Germans were looking for, full of golden balls?
It was truly a case of finding something without even looking for it, and then finding it effortlessly. He had forgotten everything else, his heart filled with ecstatic joy, and all he could see was this golden river.

He darted into the water, scooped up a handful of shimmering golden sand, and beamed with joy. But then, something unexpected happened: the sand beneath his feet suddenly began to sink.

Before Laba could react, his knees sank into the sand, as if something in the sand was pulling his legs down.

The fear of death finally brought Laba to his senses. He screamed and struggled, trying to pull his legs out, but the noise alerted the creatures beneath the sand, causing him to sink even faster.

The self-rescue methods he used to use when encountering swamps in high-altitude wetlands were completely useless at this moment. His feet were firmly trapped in the sand, and in less than thirty seconds, the river water had already reached his waist.

The unidentified creature beneath the sand revealed itself at this moment: golden tentacles covered in suckers, which emerged from the water and coiled tightly around Laba's body like snakes, while continuing to climb upwards.

Laba's neck was quickly wrapped by tentacles, and he began to have trouble breathing. His eyes became bloodshot, and everything in his vision turned blood red.

The suffocating pain filled Laba's chest, and his vision went completely dark. After a sound of bones cracking, everything in the space returned to silence.

Below the snow slope, the green light slowly appeared and disappeared behind the hills, quickly bypassing the snow hills in front of them and getting closer to them.

The young man also saw clearly what the green light was. It was a strange group of people wearing Tibetan robes and carrying something wrapped in thick felt. The green light was coming from one end of that thing.

The leader was wearing a blue Tibetan robe, and his face was partially covered by a silver mask. Reflected by the snow, his face appeared to be blank.

The young man noticed that the person was carrying an octagonal lantern with a blue candle burning in it, and a bell was hanging from the bottom of the lantern.

The people behind the leader were also carrying things on their shoulders. They looked like pieces of wood carved with some kind of pattern, wrapped with red silk threads, like a blood-red fishing net, which was quite eerie.

Many small bells, resembling the tassels of a peace knot, hang from the bottom of the wood.

As you walk and the wind blows, all the bells ring, rustling softly, as if countless voices are whispering secrets in your ears.

(End of this chapter)