The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 301 - 267: Abyssal Dialogue

"Oh, it’s really strange, it’s especially afraid of me, but not of you, I’m a bit jealous."

"It’s smart, it knows who can be relied upon."

We walked out of the tomb passage, standing at the doorway looking out. The white-collar female and her group left some ropes hanging down from above. Zhaosi mentioned that the biological elevator that brought us down had been eaten by insatiable insects, so we have to climb up the ropes to get out.

But the boiler operators won’t go up because the top is a scenic spot. Carrying the coffin up there would easily get spotted by people, and if tourists snapped photos in time, it might go viral online, which is probably not what they want.

Looking down... below is a deep well bottomless at first glance. When we came, something below blocked our line of sight, so we didn’t see the abyss beneath.

"Do you have a rope?" I asked Zhaosi.

"Yes, but it’s not long enough."

"Use your skills."

"Hey, you sure know how to boss people around." Zhaosi complained, but the black smoke obediently transformed into steps, extending downwards from our feet into the abyss.

I stepped onto the stairs, Zhaosi hissed, "You trust me that much?"

"Of course, we are Five Heavenly Girls, how could I not trust you."

"Does this mean you agree to join our camp?"

"Join for now, but let me be clear, I’m most afraid of torture. If captured by the enemy, I will spill everything."

"Do as you please, I, the King, am fair and upright, with nothing to hide... sigh, why is it that our tribe’s language is so dull, without any idioms."

"Worshiping martial arts over literature."

We walked into the abyssal shaft and didn’t see the white-collar female for quite a while. From her attitude, she should have gone after the coffin. Why didn’t she come down? Could she have fallen?

For a piece of broken wood, she’s already sacrificed a lot of subordinates, yet these sacrifices were merely in vain. I think her chances of snatching back the coffin from the boiler operators are zero.

"Do you know there’s a path down here?" We walked deeper and deeper, almost running downward. Judging by the earth color on the well walls, it wasn’t recently dug; maybe this deep well existed before the tomb was built.

"I know, but I’ve never been down."

"With such convenient access, you’ve never gone down?"

"Lazy."

After a moment of silence, Zhaosi suddenly asked, "Do you really want to follow in Fajina’s footsteps?"

Perhaps the boiler operators stirred up memories for more than just me. Zhaosi suddenly brought up this long-forgotten name, creating an illusion of ages past.

Fajina was that Priest who eloped with a man from the Flying Leg Tribe. I didn’t know what similarities I shared with her, leaving me puzzled.

"You and Professor Chen," Zhaosi pointed out.

"So... you all think I’m in a relationship with him?" I thought even if the whole world believed such a beautiful lie, my most familiar peers wouldn’t.

"At least you two are too close, it’s a matter of position, you understand."

"Harmonious integration. Times have changed, thoughts must progress. Don’t tell me you’ve been holed up underground for hundreds of years just to avoid living with humans!"

Zhaosi’s silence surprised me; she tacitly agreed with my statement. Earlier, I saw them chatting fervently in the group chat, using contemporary language, even doing business underground. I assumed they had integrated into human society. Unexpectedly, she’s still holding onto the mindset of keeping separate worlds.

Few in my clan are willing to form intimate bonds with others. The ’radicals’ like Otuna, who tried to alter the clan’s physique through genetic fusion, had no good end.

There were also ’minority’ who advocated intermarriage with outsiders, who were all ultimately crushed by reality, like a wave in the torrent, vanishing in an instant.

’Conservatives’ like Zhaosi are the mainstream of the clan, insisting on keeping their distance from outsiders, preserving their bloodline, and retaining their technology.

"It’s not about following anyone’s path; I just want to walk my own path. Professor Chen is a trustworthy friend, and being with those kids is fun. Even if their lives are as fleeting as a blossom compared to mine, I am happy for those brief moments."

"When did you become so..."

"Changed? No, it’s just a bloom from a withered tree."

"Freedom requires a strong foundation. You have the strength, but now you have a weakness."

Both Bi Shi and Zhaosi seem a bit frustrated with my approach.

I can understand their feelings. From their perspective, I’ve fallen. A once powerful person capable of decimating armies with a laugh now only wishes for a stable job, to save money for a home. The disparity is too large, hard to accept for the time being.