Chapter 26

1

Zi Sirou came up with a solution - to take pictures of the Anubis statues and ask them questions based on the photographs. One photo, one question. With a set of photos, we could ask dozens of questions without any issue.

However, the Anubis statues were not completely brainless. They were just easily distracted and could also negotiate. They demanded that the lion-headed and human-bodied statues be transformed back into simple statues, and that the magic in their vicinity imprison everyone, including the Anubis statues themselves.

After negotiating with Zi Sirou, the Anubis statues agreed to exchange three questions for the pictures. However, they still wouldn't let us go. The only thing they would not compromise on was allowing us to escape with the stolen tomb treasures.

"Miss, this pose seems quite challenging."

"Don't move."

Anyone could take pictures of these few statues, but it was a mistake to let Zi Sirou do it. Her technique was indeed excellent, but she always pushed herself to her limits when taking pictures.

"It looks good, don't shake."

"I'm standing on one foot here, how can I not shake?"

"When the lady photographer tells you not to shake, you should obey. It's my turn when you're done!"

The other two Anubis statues were impatient. Taking pictures was not a matter of curiosity for them, it was simply boring.

While they were busy taking pictures, I continued to search for the enormous storage space where this magic power was stored. I wanted to find it because this power was stronger than the Demon Dragon and the Holy Dragon. I didn't know how it compared to Reisgolo. Only when I become him will I know the true extent of this power.

The magic ocean was truly vast. It continuously produced endless power, filling up all the power of the mummies. The magic channels connecting the mummies were also exceptionally well-made.

"While taking pictures, can I also ask questions?" Zi Sirou discussed with the Anubis statues after taking a few shots.

"Uh... sure, go ahead," said one of the Anubis statues, whose body seemed to be contorted like a yoga practitioner. Even a yoga master wouldn't be able to achieve that level of flexibility. These Anubis statues seemed to be made of cement, or maybe even harder. If they were hollow inside, it shouldn't be a problem.

"How did you gain self-awareness? Please provide a detailed answer."

"Well... we really don't know. We stood in the pyramid for three million years, and honestly, we didn't even know what time was back then. We stood there day and night, and eventually, we gained consciousness. We could chat, move freely here, and get close to our companions without losing control."

"You mentioned companions. Maybe I can help you see humans as your companions."

"A few years ago, I took a vacation and left the pyramid. I saw the human world, but I don't know the difference between us and you." Or maybe they didn't know what a soul was.

"It seems the first question is a waste of time. If you're not lying to me, then I'll ask the second question. Who placed the mask here?"

Another Anubis statue came forward and performed some actions for the other statue. It casually said, "What it just said is true. Even if you ask any one of us twenty-three questions, we won't know."

"What about the second question?"

"As for the mask, a long time ago, a group of people broke into this place. They had a complete map of the pyramid, so they didn't activate us. But we could clearly see them placing the mask. We later found out that they called themselves the 'Humble Ones.' They found the burial chamber in the pyramid, put masks on the mummies - two masks with eagle heads and one with a snake head. Since that day, the mummies have been performing magic every day and then teleporting away. All of this should be related to our boss."

"Boss? One last question, who is your boss?"

"Boss is just boss, can be anyone."

Zi Sirou realized it was a wasted question. Only they knew who their boss was. Asking them was pointless. I believed they only knew the boss as the boss. They followed the boss's orders, and everything else was irrelevant. If it were me, I would only tell them that much.

"Why do I feel like your answer doesn't make a difference?"

"Apologies, miss, but we truly only know that much. Our duty is to stand guard here, and knowing more wouldn't serve any purpose. If we had the energy, we'd rather play a few more games of Landlord. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, Landlord is really fun. Miss, would you like to join us for a game, if you have animal teeth?"

"Never mind. I only have my own set of teeth."

After taking photos with Zi Sirou and the Anubis and Sphinx statues, she was very satisfied with her work. It looked beautiful and aesthetic. And those strange movements of the Anubis made me want to laugh. But I still had to focus on finding the Magic Ocean. I didn't have time to laugh.

"Hey, I'll write our names on the back of the photos so you won't get confused. What are your names?"

"We don't have names."

"You don't even have names? Poor you. I'll make up a number for you. You'll be number one."

"Number one? Is that my name?"

"Kind of."

I actually saw the Anubis get a glimpse of their souls. Is it because they don't have names? Maybe. Names are the final step in forming their souls. Without names, their existence is no different from other statue in the pyramid. They're essentially lifeless objects.

"Miss, the photos are done. We must fulfill our duties."

The Sphinx suddenly transformed from a statue into a living creature. Their eyes glowed. Zi Sirou looked at it vigilantly. She took a step back and tripped, her lamp shining on her injured foot. Surprisingly, her shadow held her foot.

"Turn off the light!" I snapped out of the Magic Ocean and shouted loudly.

"Oh!"

After Zi Sirou turned off the light, the shadow disappeared. But the red-eyed Anubis was already pouncing towards her!

"Magic explosion." I drew out a massive amount of magic from the mummy's body and compressed it into a sphere, then shot it into the Anubis's mouth.

The Anubis swallowed the magic ball and it instantly exploded.

"Boom!" The explosion of the Anubis was incredibly powerful, with a strong impact that even shattered the floor of the tomb. But underneath, it was empty!

The two of us fell inside. I touched the rocks on the ground to slow down our descent. But the magic drawn out from the mummy was beyond imagination. The ceiling collapsed and the Anubis attacked me, with three staffs simultaneously piercing the rocks around me. The shattered Sphinx began to repair itself. In the pitch-black cave, I held Zi Sirou's hand and the statue were right behind us. I didn't have time to examine everything in the blasted hole. With Zi Sirou, I flew through the hole.

The guardian statues behind me continued to pursue us without fear of what lay ahead. They were determined to complete their mission. We kept descending, and I could sense that we were going deeper.

"Qin Yang, it's lava!" In the darkness, Zi Sirou saw the dark red lava, with its extremely high temperature. If we couldn't slow down any further, we would crash into it.

The Dragonbone Sword was forcefully inserted into the rock wall, causing us to plummet with great force. The sword continued to sag another meter before coming to a stop.

I inserted Hanya's "Shattered Cloud" sword into the other side of the rock, allowing Zi Sirou to grip the hilt.

"Wait for me here."

I charged towards the Anubis statues, their sharp fangs exposed. They swung their staffs with full force, and although I managed to dodge three of them, I caught the Dragonbone Sword barehanded.

"The strength of a tomb raider is formidable, but we won't fight you one-on-one!"

The Anubis statue released the Dragonbone Sword, which flew back in the opposite direction. Behind it, the sphinx statue emerged from its back and petrified in mid-air, forming a magic formation with the three staffs.

"Prepare to be impaled by ten thousand spears!"

Three Anubis statues appeared holding spears, and more spears appeared behind them, continuously being thrown.

I swung the giant sword, causing the rocks to move. The rocks served as a shield, blocking the powerful spears. However, the ten thousand spears might pierce through them soon.

"Aren't you supposed to be able to do more with this sword?"

"I can't do anything while stuck here. The magic formation is useless against someone like me who has a familiar like Nofice."

"What do we do now?"

"The source of the mummy's power is behind there!"

"Behind the lava? Isn't it just lava?" Zi Sirou's forehead dripped sweat the size of beans, and there was a lot of it. I suddenly realized that if I stayed here for too long, I would be fine because the giant sword provided enough magical power to withstand the temperature of the lava and various toxic substances. However, Zi Sirou did not have the same protection, and his sweat might dry up completely.

"I'll have Nofice take you away while I complete what I need to do."

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere. I have to follow you this time. Otherwise, why did I come with you?"

"I don't know what's behind the lava. I can't guarantee your safety."

"You never guaranteed my safety from the beginning. I know what to do."

"Don't be like this. It's already good enough that you followed this far. You don't need to go any further. Go back to the surface."

"If you insist on taking me back, I will jump from here!"

Zi Sirou stared firmly down at the flowing lava beneath his feet.

"Don't be like this. I really regret bringing you here! You should be studying at the Empire. Your mother, Purple Lieyang, would never let you come!"

"Regret? Can you change history again?"

"Right, things within twenty-four hours can be changed. It means I can go back a few hours and relive these few hours without taking you. "

The instruction manual for the timeline said so, but it was meaningless to go through the repeated time again. No matter how much I changed, problems would always arise. Using this to scare Zi Sirou might work.

"Alright, you go then!"

Suddenly, the spears pierced through the rocks. Although these magical spears didn't hurt anyone, I felt something was wrong as they were about to enter the lava!

I conjured Qiong's magic spear in my hands, and the magic bullet hit the spears.

"You scared me. Anything with magic that falls in might trigger a reaction inside!"

"But your magic bullet just fell in!"

"What?"

The magic bullet should have disappeared after hitting the spear, but it fell into the lava.

"Trouble."