"Gold, hehe, gold, pure gold." Fan De Biao's fat hands seemed to have just been pinched by the coffin, and he could only suck in cold air through his mouth, but at this moment he couldn't care less, just lightly stroking the lid, his eyes crinkling with a wide smile. "At least several hundred pounds!" He looked up and added another sentence, leaving Young Master Liu and Clay Man Zhang speechless with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. However, this series of self-mutterings served as a powerful shot in the arm for the restless tomb robbers.

If they had been held in check by Uncle Diao before, they were now stunned by this sheer quantity of gold. Good heavens, no wonder this place was called the Golden Ancient City; this gold was practically free for the taking. Look at how this coffin was crafted, seamless, emitting dazzling rays under the dim lamplight.

Thinking of this, the 'Southern Climber' actually began to drool, constantly rubbing his hands and grinning foolishly. But the problem still lay ahead. This coffin was so heavy; how on earth was it to be opened?

Yes, how exactly was it to be opened? "Who has a crowbar?" Fan De Biao spat saliva onto his hands, shaking the excess flesh on his jowls. "You mummy, don't you stand around either.

You and Young Master Liu, help me lift this coffin again, let Fatty show off my mighty strength and pry it open from the seam." "I have it, I have it!" The Southern Climber's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he quickly crouched down, pulling out a dark, round rod from the tool bag on his back, handing it over diligently. "Hehe, good, good. And maybe grab a couple more strong fellows; this thing is too heavy." Fan De Biao grinned widely.

As soon as he finished speaking, several burly men emerged from the crowd, eager to try. After all, everyone hoped to contribute more effort so they could claim a larger share later. The saying, 'Three years without a business, but when one opens, it sustains for three years,' was deeply etched in their minds.

Only Uncle Diao frowned. "Hold on!" Uncle Diao was not one for idle chatter; if he spoke, there was definitely a reason. "I just took a look.

If four people work together, we should be able to pry it open, but that puts them too close to the coffin," Uncle Diao said, his words carrying an unstated meaning. Young Master Liu was the first to grasp it: "You mean..." "Yes, this Golden Ancient City exudes an indescribable strangeness everywhere. If some bizarre thing pops out of the coffin, or if there are hidden mechanisms or traps, you folks will be in deep trouble," Uncle Diao said, pressing his thumb against his temple.

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, their respect for Uncle Diao increasing by another fraction beyond what it already was. "Then what do we do? The crowbar is so short; we can't apply leverage from the edges!" Fan De Biao looked perplexed.

"Use the tripod stand." Uncle Diao glanced at Zhong Kui, then personally walked over to the coffin, tapped it, and said to Clay Man Zhang, "Wait for them to set up the frame, then you all start. By hoisting the lid from a distance using the stand, it should be fine, and even if something goes wrong, everyone will have room to maneuver." "Got it!" Clay Man Zhang nodded. "Next!" Uncle Diao smiled, pulling some cotton from his pocket and tossing it to Clay Man Zhang, Fan De Biao, and Young Master Liu.

"Stuff this in your nostrils. Remember, when applying force, try to lean your neck outwards to avoid inhaling any foul air from the coffin." As everyone followed suit, things also settled on Zhong Kui's side. He opened several people's tool bags and took out some rod-like objects that could interlock and connect by twisting screws.

Furthermore, two elongated rods could be joined continuously. In a short while, they assembled a small steel mountain resembling a yurt. Upon closer inspection, one could see that every composite structure within was triangular.

Young Master Liu knew that according to physics, the triangular structure was the most stable, much like the wooden support frames placed at intervals in mines. But a question soon followed that made him want to laugh and cry: "Uncle Diao, with such slender steel rods, even with leverage, can this support stand hoist such a huge coffin lid? This is pure gold, you know!" Uncle Diao didn't answer.

Zhong Kui next to him clapped Young Master Liu on the shoulder. "Kid, just relax! This is tungsten steel from the Russian black market; ordinary factories and domestic suppliers aren't allowed to produce it!" Saying this, he mysteriously lowered his voice: "The internal structure of the Russian T90 tank is built using this high-tech material.

Do you think it can support this coffin lid or not?" "Tank?" Young Master Liu was stunned. "This... this is military-grade steel?

How did you manage to get it?" "What is there we can't do? Russia is the world's largest country for smuggling. Never mind military steel; we could even get rocket launchers," Uncle Diao explained.

It turned out Uncle Diao intended to use the principle of leverage, using this stand as a fulcrum. First, they would pry a gap in the coffin, loop ropes around it to secure it, then pull the other end of the rope over the pulley on the stand and lead it outside. This way, everyone could stand far back and pull up the golden lid as if playing tug-of-war.

"Heh, not bad, you really have a way," Young Master Liu shook his head. "Alright, let's start!" Fan De Biao was now standing on either side of the coffin with that Southern Climber, bracing the tips of the crowbars. Young Master Liu and Clay Man Zhang responded, starting to lift from the front and back.

"Heave!" Both their arms exerted force simultaneously, their teeth grinding audibly, their faces turning as red as tomatoes. At the same time, the two sharp crowbars stabbed into the seam. Fan De Biao even leaned his entire bulky body onto the other end of the crowbar, shouting repeatedly to increase his strength.

"Buzz..." After an unknown amount of time, a minuscule gap finally appeared in the massive outer coffin. Uncle Diao quickly gestured, calling over a few people to help. "Keep it up!

Keep it up! Almost there, put a little more strength into it!" "Got it!" When the gap was large enough, Uncle Diao swiftly threaded the nylon rope through the gap, looped it around both sides, then turned to another direction, repeating the process until a solid knot was tied. The four metal legs of the triangular stand were already fixed to the ground.

At a signal from over there, those who couldn't wait any longer started pulling the rope in a rousing 'Heave-ho!' session. It was truly said that many hands make light work; in just a few breaths, the lid was hoisted up. Everyone had expected that once the lid was lifted, they would be hit by a foul, putrid odor of decay, a gas that actually contained chemical toxins.

That was why Uncle Diao had prepared cotton nose plugs for everyone in advance to prevent accidents. What baffled everyone was that at the very instant the lid was raised, they smelled no nauseating stench of decay. Instead, there was a faint, indescribable fragrance.

This scent was not strong but seemed condensed and unyielding, swirling and lingering at the tip of the nose, stimulating every sensitive sense within the body. Although they could not yet see the body inside the outer coffin, this delicate scent confirmed for Young Master Liu that it originated from an incense extracted from a plant growing only in the Western Regions. This plant was said to grow only among the towering mountains and perilous ranges of the Western Regions, making it extremely rare.

The extracted spice, besides being used for perfuming clothes and bathing in ancient times, also possessed sterilizing and insect-repelling effects. However, refining this spice was incredibly difficult, comparable to Dragon's Ambergris. Therefore, it was exceptionally precious, leading to the conclusion that the tomb's owner was a person of extremely high status, and likely female.