The team didn't waste much time on that armor, and each step they took meant a longer return journey, and so far there was no end in sight to this strange path.

It's just getting weirder and weirder, filled with all sorts of things that are hard to explain the source and meaning.

Kraft played with the freshly arrived specimen, occasionally shining the light of the fire closely, observing the creature's reaction, "It reminds me of the seaside back home." ”

"How?" Green looked at the guy in amazement, unsure if something was suddenly wrong with his mind or something wrong with his hometown.

"The periodic rise of the sea is particularly pronounced in the lowlands, and can bring things in the sea to distances that are normally impossible to tread; At low tide, you will only see all kinds of traces left behind, sand holes, shallow ditches, etc., which are inhabited by small creatures that are unable to return to the ocean on their own. ”

"It's a paradise for kids, and you can find a lot of interesting knick-knacks, shrimp, hermit crabs, horned snails, razor clams – of course you'll have to work with a bit of skill."

The thick glass bottle rotated nimbly in his hand, the bottom facing upwards, and the spitting soft tissue could be seen wrapped around the stone, grasping at the smooth inner wall in a suction cup-like structure. Hopefully not, it reminds the professor of his childhood catching shellfish on the tidal flats.

"They stay in the tidal flats from morning to night, chasing the waves, celebrating every new discovery they find, and so engrossed in the harvest that they sometimes don't notice the change in the water level."

"From a certain point on, the water did not fall after it rose, the mud and sand became wet and scratched the feet, and it was turbid for dozens of feet as far as the eye could see, and the harvest in the pocket slowed down the pace, as long as there was a wave that did not look big."

"They just disappear from view, and the next time the tide goes down, these faces will appear in the mud and sand along with the shellfish." Kraft tucked the round bottle into a box filled with hay and cloth scraps, and walked past Green to the front of the group, "Probably that's where a lot of water ghost rumors come from. ”

"There is such a saying among fishermen, always remember to take it when you see it, and the more you get, the deeper your connection with the sea will be, and you will be dragged in."

When he realized that these words meant something, Green had a feeling that he couldn't explain it.

Sentences moistened by the moisture of the waterways are unusually infectious, with the smell of salt and cold penetrating into the ear canal, pulling the listener to the seaside where they have never been. Sieves-shaped remains are wrapped in the brick and stone tidal flats, and molluscs harvested during their lifetimes enter and exit.

The extraordinary appeal goes beyond the realm of mere language, like words themselves become what they refer to.

The priest shuddered when he saw the monk following him, and subconsciously moved away from the sieve holes, as if the environment in his eyes had changed for a moment.

But the narrator himself did not perceive this, and he walked at the front of the line, a long distance.

Habitually, Green took out a small iron kettle and shook it in his ear, listening for a clear scraping sound. Although I don't know if it's useful or not, this voice has almost become a kind of psychological comfort.

Everything is normal for the time being.

The episode didn't become a prelude to anything sneaky, and the team was slightly surprised to see that the pesky sieve shapes were not noticeably reduced.

On the contrary, the geometric lines of the patches become more and more complete, closer and closer to a certain form, and can even fill in the gaps in the imagination according to the law, outlining the possible appearance.

But all that can be seen is that it is a strange object made up of countless large and small hexagons, and the portrayer has tried to expand it as much as possible, trying to make it bigger and fuller.

At the same time, there are sharp and slender laceration marks. It could never have been made with a weapon or any kind of professional carving tool, the cut was too smooth and flat to sink deep into the stone wall.

It was like a frenzied swing of a slender, incomparably sharp blade that smoothly parted the rocks, almost like the massive ravines in the hall that were scaled.

The man who had been able to return to the door after a long journey had somehow brought back an imitation of that power from the ground.

A little further on, a black patch of flame covered a section of the wall, the remnants of intense burning.

Compared to the traces of other decades of age, what happened here was as new as a baby, who could wipe the greasy gray-black paint off the wall with his fingertips.

Recently, in two years at most, someone has used a lot of grease here, trying to clean something off with high temperatures.

Thanks to the fact that they managed to open the passage, otherwise the road would have been a lot more lively.

Green motioned for everyone to pause, extinguish the torches on the spot, and replace them with lanterns with hinges that could be adjusted.

The team methodically began to prepare, and they seemed to have enough experience that everyone had no doubts about what they were doing, quietly adjusting the position of their belongings, checking their armor ties, and winding the only winch crossbow.

The formation was reminiscent of the first encounter in the Graveyard, and if he had faced such a well-organized team head-on, Kraft would have chosen to raise his hands directly.

Of course, unless he was insane, Green at that time could not have mustered a team of professionals to deal with a poor college professor.

Yvonne threw him an inquiring look, and Kraft shook his head slightly, just look at it. You have to trust the teamwork of professionals, and the trial court does not leave a place for outsiders during the usual drills.

Green regained his position at the head of the group, a monk shielding his side while blocking out the light, and the crossbowmen following closely behind, keeping the guard on the line.

A devastated stone gate appeared in front of him.

The staggered cutting lines divide its surface into countless parts, and large sponge-like pores seep in one after another, almost hollowing out the entire layer.

There have been quite a few people who have managed to get here. But perhaps bringing back something wasn't enough, they were still rejected, and they didn't escape the fate of being caught up in the misplaced and drowned in the rocks.

And now, this solid wall, which is nearly two palms thick, has opened a gap for people to pass through straight.

Green turned off his lantern and approached with the faint light shining from behind him, stopping abruptly when Kraft thought he was going to enter, and pointed his hand to knee-high height.

With Kraft's eyesight, it took careful observation to see that there was a very thin white line in the place where it was pointed, and the ends were tied to something behind the door.

The team cautiously stepped over and found several bells in the part blocked by the door.

A heavy smell of grease is carried into the nose by the moving air, suggesting the consequences of triggering this early warning system – barrels of fuel will go down with the water, turning any creature that tries to enter without permission into ashes that can be washed away.

And now, they have quietly avoided the death trap and penetrated deep into the heart.

(End of chapter)