King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 77

Xiao Ke sat across from me, showing no intention of having dinner with me. She quickly replied with a wry smile, "There are over 9,400 books in total, with Japanese, Russian, and Chinese versions each making up about a third. Most of the books are still in pristine condition, with the outer plastic seals still attached, from cover to inside pages—clearly, no one has ever opened them. Last spring, when Mr. Scalpel came here for vacation, he hired ten workers to turn every page, hoping to find something, but unfortunately…"

The scalpel's tracking ability is certainly superior to mine; it's not surprising that he had already thought of and done what I was thinking of.

I just flipped through one of them, an academic work by the U.S. Geological Institute on exploring the Bering Strait. The whole book was filled with dense data and charts, extremely dry and boring...

The two girls lit a fire in the fireplace, then moved an armchair with a black velvet cushion to the side of the fireplace, and brewed a pot of authentic Chinese jasmine tea, placing it on top of the fireplace.

Xiao Keleng secretly yawned, her voice sounding slightly weary: "Every time Mr. Scalpel comes, Anzi and Xinzi serve him. After dinner, he sits here reading until late at night before going upstairs to rest. I wonder if Mr. Feng has the same habit?"

Reading is unnecessary; the most pleasant enjoyment would be to curl up comfortably by a warm fireplace and sip a cup of tea...

After Xiao Keleng left with Anzi and Xinzi, I was left alone in the spacious living room. They were just following the rules set by the scalpel in the past, and all went to rest in another vacation villa two hundred meters east of Xunfuyuan, waiting to be summoned at any time.

The night was quiet, and the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks could be faintly heard.

Looking at the map, Mokuwanzan resembles a lone cow horn stretching out into the sea from Hokkaido. Once you enter this area, no matter where you stand, you can feel the presence of sea breeze, waves, and the fishy smell of the sea.

The firewood in the fireplace crackled and popped, releasing the fresh scent of birch. The tea leaves in the cup unfurled; they were genuine West Lake jasmine from China… I curled up in the armchair, covering myself from the waist down with a thick blanket, and a wave of drowsiness washed over me, and I began to drift off to sleep.

The long journey from Cairo to Hokkaido was exhausting, and I was incredibly tired. But before going to sleep, I wanted to organize my thoughts from before arriving at Suhokuen Garden—

"What secrets are hidden in this manor? It's impossible that my brother built so many villas around Fengge Temple just for commercial profit, right? According to Scalpel, before he even decided to build the villas, the amount of money in his bank account was already close to astronomical."

I looked up at the exquisite crystal chandelier, with countless transparent beads hanging down from the base, like water droplets dripping from the eaves on a summer day, a sight to behold.

Now that the scalpel has thoroughly searched the study, there's no longer anything to hide there. "A hidden wall? A secret underground room? What's buried deep beneath the lawn..." Until the truth comes out, all guesses are possible.

Suddenly, I heard an extremely clear sound of waves, as if it were right next to my ear—no, not just the sound of waves, but the strange "glug, glug, glug" sound of bubbles rising from the bottom of the water. More precisely, what I heard at that moment was as if someone was deliberately creating bubbles in a quiet swimming pool, causing them to tumble to the surface.

I held my breath and listened intently: "It really is the sound of bubbles! Absolutely..." After hearing the sound more than thirty times, I couldn't sit still any longer. I jumped up and looked around at the ground, afraid that some inexplicable groundwater might gush out.

Hokkaido has many underground hot springs with high water levels; you can find steaming spring water almost anywhere, just ten meters down. However, Xiao Keleng hadn't mentioned any springs in Xunfu Garden, and judging from the sound of the bubbles, they were coming from right here in the hall.

The hall was completely empty; everything was clearly visible at a glance. The flagstone floor was dry, making it impossible for any water to be flowing or bubbling. Undeterred, I laboriously moved the sofa and coffee table, then lifted the rug under the coffee table—nothing unusual was found.

The sofa was so heavy, and coupled with my panic and anxiety, my back was already covered in cold sweat.

After the scare, I returned to my armchair, frowning as I tried to reassure myself: "It was probably just a hallucination, right? Maybe it's from listening to the sound of waves too much!"

After all that commotion, all sleepiness was gone. Staring at the flickering flames in the fireplace, I couldn't help but laugh at myself: "How did I become so paranoid? Even if Scalpel suspects there's something strange about this villa, it shouldn't be this bad..."

"Glug, glug, glug, glug..." It was the sound of bubbles again, unmistakably clear, reaching my ears so distinctly that it was no illusion. My gaze was fixed on the fireplace, where the sound was coming from. As the flames flickered, the bubbling grew louder and louder, almost becoming a continuous sound, as if a vast ocean was about to surge out of the fireplace.

Drip—a cold bead of sweat fell onto the back of my hand, followed by another.

Creak, creak, creak—that was the sound of my teeth clenching involuntarily, one creak after another, while the muscles in my arms, which were resting on the armrests of the armchair, were constantly clenching, and my fists and knuckles were cracking loudly.

This is absolutely bizarre. If a huge wave really did burst out of the fireplace, I—

The fireplace has a simple and unpretentious design, measuring two meters wide and one and a half meters high. It is made of black volcanic rock and has no overly luxurious decorations. There is only a half-meter-high bronze statue hanging directly above the fireplace.

It was a statue of an ancient Chinese man in a wide-sleeved robe, its exterior polished to a gleaming shine by the workers, radiating a cold, gleaming light under the lamp. In the outstretched palm of the statue lay a small box, about the size of two packs of cigarettes.

This is just an ordinary statue. I know that antique markets in many countries are full of bronze statues from China, some of which are genuine from ancient tombs, and of course, there are also many carefully made replicas.

Now, I need to find the source of the bubbling sound to determine if there's a hidden spring beneath the fireplace. I certainly can't afford to be flooded on my first night at the villa; that would be truly disastrous.

There were no wall clocks, grandfather clocks, or anything else that could display the time in this hall. Of course, in this emergency, I didn't have time to check the time, even though I was wearing a Rado watch on my wrist.

I pulled most of the burning firewood out of the fireplace, leaving only a pile of embers, and, ignoring the smoke and flames, stuck my head inside. The fireplace was a little over a meter deep, and the heat was intense; everything visible was charred black by the smoke.

The flue is right in the middle of the fireplace, and I can clearly hear the howling sea wind at the end of the flue.

The sound of bubbling water was still coming from the floor above the fireplace.

I gritted my teeth and exclaimed, "My God! Could there be a bubbling spring buried under these stone slabs? That would be perfect! We could light a fire above and boil water below—it's a complete utilization of energy!"

I pulled back, took off my coat, and, without further ado, used two pieces of firewood as a broom to rake out all the embers from the fireplace. Then I lifted the heavy cast-iron frame above the ashtray and used the firewood to stir the still-sparkling ashes, sending dust flying everywhere.

Actually, I understand that unless we completely dismantle the fireplace and dig three feet into the ground, we won't be able to find the potential spring. But the thought of falling asleep in the middle of the night and then being in a terrible mess if the villa is flooded... So I'd rather stay up all night guarding the eerie fireplace than go to sleep in a daze.

In the end, I couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the bubbling sound—after working for about an hour, I sat panting on the sofa, incredibly thirsty. Although there was no mirror, I knew I must be covered in soot, looking like a disheveled Peking Opera performer.

I glanced at my watch, hoping it wasn't yet midnight so I could call Xiao Keleng and ask what was going on.

It was then that I realized my watch had strangely stopped, frozen at 8:20 PM.

I couldn't help but swear, a mixture of amusement and exasperation. This model of Swiss watch is extremely well-made, supposedly capable of "running without problems for two hundred years." It has always been the watch model designated for use by engineers at NASA. It's all-steel, antimagnetic, waterproof, and heat-resistant, combining all-weather daylight drive with an automatic swing-winding system...

If Rado hadn't reached the pinnacle of Swiss watchmaking technology, it wouldn't dare to tout its products as having a "two-hundred-year" lifespan. But now, it has indeed stopped, exactly at 8:20, with the second hand pointing precisely to the zero-degree starting point.

"Great! Excellent!" I took off my watch, threw it on the coffee table, and frowned as I stared at the mangled and messy fireplace.

This is my first night in Hokkaido, and the fireplace has already given me a rude awakening. I wonder how many more bizarre and unbelievable things will happen in the future! I headed to the restroom at the back of the hall to wash my face first.

The toiletries in the bathroom are from a Japanese brand, which is clearly out of place with the old bluestone floor.

When I stood before the sink, gazing at the bronze-carved mirror embedded in the wall, I saw a monster whose forehead, cheeks, nose, chin… were covered in soot. Only its eyes remained bright and piercing, and its teeth were still white when it grinned.

I smiled at the person in the mirror, turned on the tap, and the rushing water immediately drowned out everything, including the strange sound of bubbles that kept echoing in my ears.

The icy water stung my face, and after a few minutes, the soot was washed away, and my mind cleared up: "How could the sound of bubbles penetrate so clearly through the flagstones paved with stones on the fireplace floor? If the sound were that clear, wouldn't it mean there's a vast expanse of water beneath the flagstones? You know, bubbles seeping from cracks in the sand and mud can't possibly make a sound..."

Extending this further, if the fireplace were above a vast, empty ocean, wouldn't this Xunfuyuan villa be like a lonely, isolated structure suspended on the edge of that ocean?

I shook the water off my hands, took two tissues from the paper bucket, and slowly wiped my face.

I looked somewhat weary and helpless in the mirror. Although I didn't mind staying up all night, my schedule was quite tight. I hoped to visit Fujika at Fuge-ji Temple within a few days.

It would be best if we could glean some information about our elder brother from the Sanskrit text of the *Bira Yomi* (or *Yellow Springs Sutra*). I recall that Tanino Shinji once said that the sutra records many unknown and mysterious places on Earth. On this surface of the earth, which has been almost thoroughly explored by archaeologists and tomb raiders, I hope to hear more news about these "mysterious places."

The eldest brother is the world's top "King of Tomb Raiders". He can always discover more magical secret realms in places that others cannot reach. Therefore, if we follow the clue of "Earth's Secret Realm", we will surely find the traces left by the eldest brother.

"Cheer up!" I clenched my fist in front of the mirror.

The back window was closed, but the shadow of the tall tower on the mountaintop could be seen through the glass.

Tonight was a partially overcast day, and the tower, devoid of lights and human voices, appeared as a deep silhouette in view, perfectly fitting the atmosphere of the "Tower of the Dead."

The bathroom was very cold, so I quickly left and went back to the living room.

Looking at the messy fireplace, and imagining the astonished looks I'd likely face from Xiao Keleng, Anzi, and Xinzi tomorrow, I couldn't help but give a silent, bitter smile. They'd probably think I'd lost my mind, turning the sofa, coffee table, carpet, and fireplace upside down.

I lay on the sofa, pulled the blanket over myself, and turned my face to face the fireplace.

The bubbling sound had subsided, and by the time my eyelids started to droop, the bubbling sound had completely disappeared.

"What exactly happened? Was it a hallucination? It wasn't a hallucination, was it? The sounds were so clear..." I fell asleep, my hands still clenched into fists, as if only this action could give me the courage to do so.

It was a dreamless sleep. When I opened my eyes again, the morning sun's rays had already filled the doors and windows.

I struggled to twist my neck; sleeping on the sofa for a night wasn't pleasant. When my gaze fell on the messy firewood, I jumped up and staggered to the fireplace, pressing my ear against the cold volcanic rock.

At this moment, I could not hear any bubbles at all. Without a doubt, all the strange sounds had disappeared. Only the unknown resident birds in the birch trees outside the door were singing sweetly.

I stood amidst the mess of firewood, scratching my head, hoping to come up with a reason that wouldn't be laughed at by others.

Volume Two: The Tower of the Dead

The first book, The Mysterious Villa

— Chapter 4 - The Lotus Key —

"Ding—" The old-fashioned wall clock chimed, startling me.

The sound was coming from the second floor, and it was so loud that no wonder there was no need to install a clock on the first floor; you could hear the chime from any corner of the living room.

Helpless, I walked out of the house and just then saw Xiao Keleng walking into the manor with his hands behind his back.

She changed into a red tracksuit, and in the faint chill of early winter, she moved like a restless little bird, swinging her arms and twisting her waist as she walked, doing various stretching exercises. The dust and mist that had permeated the manor were slowly dissipating under the morning sun, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of fallen leaves and withered grass.

Standing in the lobby at the entrance, you can see every corner of the courtyard at a glance.

At this moment, the sound of the waves became much clearer in my ears. Of course, I could clearly distinguish the sound of the waves from the sound of bubbles. What I heard last night was definitely the sound of a huge flood of bubbles.

"Good morning, Mr. Feng." Xiao Ke waved to me, her short hair bouncing lively with her movements, bathed in a soft golden light from the sunlight. After a night's rest, her eyes shone even brighter, a mischievous smile constantly in them.

The door wasn't closed, so she could probably see the mess in the hall, but she didn't show any obvious surprise.

"Today, Anko and Nobuko will bring all the operating documents for the villas for your signature. The accounts have all been sorted out. Overall, the villa area's profits have been steadily increasing. However, the tourism industry in Japan has been affected by frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and is generally in a state of flat or decline, which is not optimistic."

Xiao Keleng spoke in a businesslike tone, speaking slowly and deliberately.

I recalled her strange and excited expression when she saw Guan Baoling's car yesterday, and couldn't help but chuckle to myself: "A twenty-year-old girl is like the weather in the middle of summer, unpredictable and ever-changing."

I walked down the steps, nodded to her in agreement, and then changed the subject: "I'd like to visit Fengge Temple. Is it convenient for you at the temple today? Could you arrange it for me?" Standing in the middle of the courtyard, I turned around and looked at the main building. At such a close distance, the feeling of the "building complex resembling an albatross" became even stronger.

There are seven rooms on each side, totaling fifteen entrances including the main gate, all connected by a long arched corridor. This architectural layout is somewhat unreasonable, as it is a complex building where every room has an outward-facing door. Not only is it repetitive, but in Feng Shui, this layout is called "Nine-Headed Bird Fighting for Life," which is considered inauspicious. It implies that "everyone in the family is developing recklessly on their own, ultimately plundering the spiritual energy of the villa and leading to the family's ruin."

My brother is a master tomb raider. He must have a deep understanding of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and Feng Shui. How could he possibly set up such a terrible formation in his own villa?

Xiao Ke was taken aback for a moment, then curled up the corners of her mouth and asked with a grin, "This... it's easy to say. Our Xunfuyuan Villa Complex and Fengge Temple have always had a very harmonious relationship. I'll have Anzi and the others make the arrangements, don't worry. However, with the big star Guan Baoling currently at the temple, I'm afraid paparazzi and the like will be everywhere. Won't that spoil your fun?"

Her white canine teeth gleamed in the sunlight, like an extremely alert drug-sniffing dog.

Fans will be fans; she'll link everything to her idol. However, my mind is currently focused entirely on finding my older brother Yang Tian; I have absolutely no interest in romance or entertainment gossip. Otherwise, why would I have so readily rejected Tina's blatant confession in Egypt?

I never expected that Anko and Nobuko were twin sisters. When they reappeared in front of me with their heads bowed, they were wearing the same model of white Nike sportswear and had standard Japanese straight hair. No matter which angle you looked at them from, they looked exactly the same and indistinguishable.

Last night, my mind wandered and I didn't even look at their faces.

We all went into the living room, and Anzi and Xinzi quickly started cleaning up the mess. To cover up my embarrassment, Xiao Keleng offered to take me upstairs to familiarize myself with the environment.

Stepping into the living room on the second floor, I breathed a slight sigh of relief, because I could sense that the Anzi sisters had been secretly holding back their laughter, but out of politeness, they hadn't laughed out loud in front of me.

"Xiao Xiao, there's something... I don't know if you knew this before?" I probed her tone.

Xiao Keleng walked to the window, opened the huge wooden window, and let in the slightly cool, fresh air from outside. In my memory, she seemed never to want to stop; she was always pacing back and forth, making various movements, never intending to stay still in my sight.

"What is it?" She then quickly pushed open the study door, and immediately a strong smell of books wafted out, but it was also mixed with the musty smell of printed paper.

The study door is an extremely heavy old-fashioned oak door, with carefully engraved rose patterns, exuding the grandeur and nobility of 19th-century England. The bookshelves are also made of high-quality oak, unpainted, revealing the natural color of the wood. The woody fragrance blends with the scent of books, creating a wonderfully intoxicating atmosphere.

“Last night, I heard the sound of bubbles in front of the fireplace—” I saw Xiao Keleng raise an eyebrow, and the corners of his mouth seemed to be about to turn up again.

"I made such a mess in the hall because I wanted to find the source of the bubbling sound. You've been managing this villa for quite a while, so do you remember any strange occurrences like this?" I didn't care whether she laughed or not; I just wanted to get it all out.

Xiao Keleng finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, shaking his head vigorously: "Mr. Feng, don't joke around. I can tell you responsibly that the ground level of the villa is about fifty meters above the sea level to the west, north and east of the nearby mountains. Even if an underwater volcano suddenly erupts, the churning water bubbles will not reach the villa."

She picked up a book from the shelf and pretended to flip through it, laughing so hard her shoulders shook.

I know my experience last night was very strange. Otherwise, how could I have panicked and made such a mess of the fireplace?

"Was there any record of such an experience before?" I continued to ask.

Xiao Ke shook her head vigorously, her short hair flying wildly, and looked at me with a slightly mischievous expression: "Mr. Feng, have you been watching too many old movies like The Phantom of the Castle, and are you unconsciously hallucinating?"

I shrugged and smiled bitterly, offering no rebuttal, nor could I offer one.