CHAPTER 138 - Inside the Tomb

Slightly reassuring for Sivir, the mercenaries' subsequent actions of prying open the tomb's door did not lead to any further surprises.

The black poisonous gas, which had dissipated under the sun and previously killed nine mercenaries, seemed like a mere accident.

As the sun set once again, the tomb's mysterious metallic door, crafted in an unknown material, was finally chiseled open to a height of about two meters and a width of just over one meter, perfectly fitting for their entry.

Initially, Sivir wanted her exhausted subordinates, who had worked a whole day, to rest overnight and regain their strength before continuing the exploration. However, the urgent Cassiopeia immediately vetoed her arrangement and ordered them to advance directly into the depths of the tomb.

Out of helplessness, persuasion from her subordinates, and more so, for the sake of gold, Sivir decided to lead the team directly into the ancient tomb.

As each person passed through the chiseled opening, descended through a slope and a set of stairs until reaching the tomb's interior, they were all stunned by the grand scene before them.

Although the sunlight couldn't directly penetrate here, an inexplicable azure light emanating from the walls dispelled the darkness in the underground space, revealing everything inside the tomb clearly.

Looking around, this vast underground space was tens of meters high, constructed with a considerable amount of smooth marble, and supported by exquisitely crafted towering pillars.

Gigantic chains, as thick as arms, hung from the ceiling of the hall, connecting with golden metal gears on the stone pillars, linking to certain mechanisms inside the tomb.

In the passage leading to the deeper hall, countless golden soldiers, each over ten meters tall, held spears with solemn expressions, guarding on both sides, protecting the resting place of Shurima's emperors and ascendants.

'Such a magnificent sight, even more grand than the Ascendant tombs I excavated before!' Sivir widened her eyes, involuntarily sighing.

Following closely behind her, Cassiopeia, upon entering this underground space, also stared at the scene in front of her for a long time, her excitement growing.

However, at this moment, the voice of a young man suddenly attracted their attention, "Wow! This thing is made of gold!"

A chill ran down Sivir's spine, and along with Cassiopeia and others, she looked towards the source of the sound.

They saw a young man, appearing to be around 20 years old with dark skin, standing in front of the nearest golden soldier statue.

He pulled out a small hammer from his waist and forcefully smashed it towards the statue, attempting to knock down a piece of gold.

Sivir's face showed a trace of panic, and she hurriedly shouted at him, "Idiot! Stop it!"

Unfortunately, it was too late by the time she reacted and shouted.

With a crisp sound, the metal hammer had already heavily struck the statue.

The clear sound, accompanied by Sivir's lingering voice, echoed weakly in the spacious hall, spreading towards deeper places.

"Huh?" Hearing the furious shout of their leader, the young man turned around in confusion.

Sivir, with an air of anger, rushed towards this newcomer, who had joined the mercenary group just three months ago and had no experience in tomb excavation. She slapped his face.

Smack!

Her force caused the young man's face to instantly redden.

"Are you really a bad-luck mouse that ruins the whole pot? Didn't I teach you before? Don't touch anything randomly when going into a tomb!"

The young man, covering his face, realized he had made a mistake and lowered his head, not daring to argue.

"Sivir, it seems your training for your subordinates is not sufficient," Cassiopeia, standing in the distance, lightly laughed.

"Don't gloat, Miss Du Couteau. Don't forget, we are all in the same boat. If there's any mistake in exploring this damned place, it will be your loss too."

Sivir, with a dark face, turned to warn Cassiopeia.

Then, she looked back at the young man and said sternly, "Next time, you better control your greedy thoughts. Otherwise, don't blame me for personally dealing with you... Understand?"

Seeing him nod hastily, Sivir turned her gaze back to her subordinates, including Cassiopeia's guards, suppressing her anger to issue a warning:

"I'll say this once! Everyone must obey my orders. If I tell you to go east, you can't go west. If I tell you to stop, you can't move a centimeter forward...

"My warning to Joyce applies to all of you! This concerns your lives... more precisely, the lives of all of us!

"If anyone dares to make any moves without my permission, not following my arrangements, don't blame me for being merciless... Do you understand!?"

No one present was a fool, and no one dared to touch her brow when Sivir was angry, including Cassiopeia.

As everyone remained silent, Sivir withdrew her gaze, saying, "Very well."

Subsequently, she glanced back at Joyce and commanded, "Quickly, return to the formation."

Once everyone had adjusted and prepared, Sivir instructed a few experienced subordinates, skilled in solving tomb mechanisms, to explore the hall where they currently stood.

The Imperial Tomb and Ascendant Tomb of the capital were indeed deserving of their reputation. Just at the entrance alone, they discovered more than 20 deadly mechanisms, including pitfalls, wall-mounted arrows, gigantic swinging meteor hammers, and the pitch-black poison gas encountered earlier.

There were even extremely subtle magic array traps, detectable only through special means, resulting in the loss of four capable subordinates for Sivir.

And this was not even inside the tomb yet, and she had already lost more than 10 people.

The danger level of this mission completely exceeded her psychological expectations.

After navigating through numerous traps, Sivir finally led the exploration team up the stairs leading to the interior of the burial chamber.

Glancing back at the two bodies burned to charcoal by surging magical forces in the distance, she couldn't help but curse, "Damn it!"

However, Cassiopeia didn't want to waste time on dead bodies. "Hurry up, Sivir. Time is not to be squandered."

"You Noxian women are really chatty!"

"After this mission, I won't take any more commissions from you."

Sivir felt increasingly annoyed with Cassiopeia.

Soon, she took a few deep breaths, calming her restless mind. "Miss Du Couteau, the danger level of this ancient tomb far surpasses my imagination. I suggest we first..."

"I'll triple the original contract's payment. Don't waste my time," Cassiopeia interrupted her, her expression cold, not giving her a chance to finish.

Sivir's face stiffened.

Triple the payment... it was almost close to ten thousand gold coins.

With so much money, she could sustain the mercenary group for half a year without opening any new contracts.

After all, Cassiopeia's family was a well-known top-tier aristocracy in Noxus, at the pinnacle of the empire's power and wealth.

Sivir wasn't worried at all about whether she could afford this price.

Cassiopeia, with her light brown eyes fixed on the now-silent Sivir, thought she might be dissatisfied with the price and said coldly, "Don't be too greedy, Captain Sivir. Do you agree or not?"

Ugh, I really hate your arrogant demeanor...

Sivir's eyebrows lightly furrowed, carefully considering for a moment. "I want 3.5 times the original contract."

"No problem," Cassiopeia's mouth slightly curved, agreeing very readily. "Well then, let's continue forward."

(End of this chapter)

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