Chapter 618

Chapter 441 Sacred Numbers

Northern Ufeiga, Conquer Sea.

Inside the inn, Dorothy sat in her seat, deeply contemplating how to combat the Stone Demon from the White Chalk Tier. If the intelligence obtained from Beverly was accurate, it wouldn’t be easy to deal with these guys on her own. Hence, she needed to devise a better plan.

“Tsk… The main issue is the tight schedule; there’s not much time for preparation, otherwise, things would be much easier…”

Thinking this way, Dorothy realized that if she had enough time, she could easily rally people for help. Whether it was Vania or Nephnis, having just one of them around would make the current situation much more manageable.

“Time is tight, manpower is scarce, and the tasks are heavy; things are a bit tricky…”

Dorothy, feeling distressed, rubbed her temples. She then decided to push those thoughts aside for the moment and handle other matters first. She would read a few volumes of Secret Transmission she had bought today.

To be cautious, after discovering that the Secret Transmissions she purchased bore Landmark Sigils, she chose not to read them immediately. Instead, she waited until the people pursuing her were dealt with and the overall situation had been clarified before deciding to go through the three volumes and extract their spirituality.

Dorothy picked up several worn-out scrolls from the small table beside her seat. She tore off the back cover printed with the Landmark Sigil and handed it over to the trap, keeping the three volumes of Secret Transmission close. Now, she was prepared to read all of them and extract their spirituality. With sufficient spirituality, she would be better equipped to confront the members of the Dark Gold Society later.

Dorothy began reading the first volume of the Secret Transmission, quickly finishing it.

……

The first volume didn’t have a title; it was a set of notes written by Balar, a tomb raider who had been excavating in Northern Ufeiga for many years. The notes recorded his research on the structures and traps of various tombs in Northern Ufeiga.

In these notes, Balar summarized his years of experience as a tomb raider, analyzing the architectural structures of various tombs in Northern Ufeiga and listing many examples. He particularly introduced some ancient tombs with lethal mechanisms, detailing the principles of operation and countermeasures for traps like quicksand, falling stones, pit traps, mechanized devices, and sealed walls, even accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations. It could be said to be extremely detailed.

In short, this could be regarded as a tomb-raiding guide, the result of a tomb raider’s diligent research into treasures. The focus of this research was on the mechanisms of ancient tombs, making it a Secret Transmission related to engineering. If a tomb raider could thoroughly understand and apply it, they would be able to handle the various mechanisms found in tombs with relative ease.

Of course, the author Balar also mentioned in the notes that being adept at dealing with mechanisms does not equate to allowing a person to freely venture into ancient tombs in Northern Ufeiga. These ancient tombs not only contained mechanisms but also various dangerous undead, creatures, and curses, which posed greater risks than the traps themselves.

……

“Another tomb raider’s notes… Aside from Nephnis’ grandfather, it seems there are raiders who like to document their findings, not just brutish thugs; they enjoy doing research as well… Makes sense, after all, those who don’t ponder can hardly survive in a perilous environment.”

After finishing the first volume of the Secret Transmission, Dorothy thought to herself. She then extracted the spirituality from this volume, acquiring 3 points of “Stone” and 1 point of “Enlightenment.”

After completing the extraction from the first volume, Dorothy picked up the second volume of Secret Transmission and began to browse through it. However, as soon as she opened the first page and read the first paragraph, her brows furrowed slightly.

The handwriting on the second volume was surprisingly identical to that of the first. Upon realizing this phenomenon, Dorothy immediately began to carefully examine the second volume and, as expected, found that both volumes had the same author—tomb raider Balar.

“Both Secret Transmissions were written by the same person… Did I buy a set of books? This Balar is quite industrious, writing two volumes of Secret Transmission; I hope the third one isn’t also his work…”

While thinking this, Dorothy casually flipped through the third volume. After two pages, she saw that the handwriting was indeed the same as the previous two volumes, confirming that all three Secret Transmissions were authored by the tomb raider Balar.

“Wow, I really bought an entire set of works from the same author; it looks like all three books were kept together. When I asked for them, they just handed them all to me at once…”

With this thought, Dorothy placed the third volume aside and resumed carefully inspecting the second volume.

……

The author of the second volume was indeed the tomb raider Balar, and it was also a set of notes he had written. However, it had many differences from the previous one.

Dorothy noticed that the writing time of this note seemed to be much later than the last one; Balar’s handwriting here appeared more polished, with a broader vocabulary and more appropriate phrasing, indicating a significant improvement in his literary skills compared to the first volume. This was likely a result of accumulated experience, suggesting that Balar was somewhat older when writing this note. The content of this volume was also not solely about the mechanisms of tombs but rather a study of ancient architecture in Northern Ufeiga.

Dorothy could clearly see that in this second volume, Balar’s research focus had shifted from merely the mechanisms within tombs to the architectural structures of the tombs themselves and various edifices within the northern ruins. It seemed the purpose of this research was no longer just the pursuit of treasure but rather an intrinsic interest in these subjects.

Dorothy recognized that this former tomb raider had gradually developed an interest in the tombs themselves during his research of their mechanisms. Over time, his fascination expanded to encompass the entire architecture of ancient Ufeiga civilization. In his notes, he consistently marveled at the astounding creations of the ancient Ufeigians, and after witnessing various extraordinary constructions, he developed a profound interest in the engineering and architecture of ancient Ufeiga. The second volume was a compilation of his research findings after traveling through various architectural remains in Northern Ufeiga.

……

“Wow… The tomb raider became a scholar through his study of mechanisms, transitioning from researching ancient tomb mechanisms to ancient architectural structures; that’s quite a leap… Could this be called learning changes one’s fate…?”

Reflecting on this after finishing the second volume of Secret Transmission, Dorothy thought to herself, intrigued by her evaluation of the tomb raider named Balar, and then proceeded to extract the spirituality from the second volume.

From this second volume of notes, Dorothy acquired 4 points of “Stone” and 2 points of “Enlightenment.”

After extracting the spirituality, Dorothy set the second volume aside and picked up the third volume, also authored by Balar. After reading it for a while, her expression grew increasingly serious.

……

These three Secret Transmissions from Balar seemed to have been written years apart, with the third volume showcasing Balar’s transformation into a scholarly figure amidst his prose. It was hard for anyone reading this note to imagine that its author once was a tomb raider.

Uncertain how many years had passed, the now aged Balar had become a pure scholar dedicated to studying the ancient civilization of Ufeiga. Consequently, this third volume possessed the strongest academic tone of all. What Dorothy had not anticipated was that the focus of this volume was not solely on the architecture of ancient Ufeiga.

Through this third volume, Dorothy observed that the elderly Balar had devoted half his life to studying ancient Ufeiga architecture. In his later years, he seemed to have gained a profound understanding of ancient Ufeiga engineering. After conducting extensive research, he shifted his interest to another field that supported engineering, which was mathematics.