Liang Qian replied, "When I rushed out of King Wei's secret chamber, I went to the crystal chamber based on my previous experience. On the way, I ran into your grandfather. He was leading a few survey team members down into the Ghost Eye. My family genealogy records that anyone who enters the Ghost Eye is doomed to die. I tried to stop them when I saw him, but it was too late; I only managed to save the two men by the well, and your grandfather has held a grudge against me ever since."

"The two men I saved were already incoherent, and I didn't have time to tend to them, so I continued toward the secret chamber. When I arrived, I was shocked to find that Jie Yuting had already opened the crystal coffin. Jie Yuting and Da Xiong were using hammers to smash the crystal coffin, lifting out that transparent corpse. This yellow paper was pressed right underneath the transparent body."

"At that time, both Da Xiong and Jie Yuting felt the geothermal activity; the room was already scorching hot. This heat stimulated the giant Hui serpent, rousing it from its slumber. Jie Yuting lied to Da Xiong, saying this yellow paper was a talisman suppressing the giant Hui; if it were removed from beneath the coffin, it would cause the serpent to revive. I hid at the doorway for a long time, listening to their conversation. While they were examining the transparent corpse, I managed to steal the yellow paper."

After listening, I nodded, because everything suddenly connected.

No wonder Da Xiong had said upon first seeing me that Liang Qian wanted to revive the giant Hui, and why Jie Yuting had fought fiercely with Liang Qian to snatch the yellow paper. And Grandfather wanted the paper because it held the location of the next Ghost Eye entrance.

Andre, listening to our conversation, was utterly lost, so I recounted our experience in Black Bamboo Gully to him once more. Only then did Andre understand, sighing with emotion.

At this point, Andre grew interested and asked Liang Qian, "So, you went to Lop Nur afterward? What did you discover in Lop Nur?"

I had actually asked Liang Qian this same question before, but she hadn't answered me then, so I looked toward her now.

Liang Qian glanced at us and then stated, "I cannot tell you that, especially not you, Nie Chuan."

Andre seemed to grasp something and nodded, saying, "I understand what you mean."

I sighed, "Alright... it seems you two share a mutual understanding."

In my heart, I knew very well that whatever they couldn't tell me likely concerned the mural in the Western Suburb Cemetery of Chengdu, and that the mural absolutely contained personal details about me. This tied into another question: why was I so important? Why could one drop of my blood resurrect the Huo Sheng Mu?

It seemed I would have to find the answer to this myself, no matter how terrifying that answer might be.

We talked in this old church for over twenty minutes. Although many of my questions had been answered, my mood remained decidedly low.

The three of us walked out of the church doors together; the sunlight was still brilliant.

And Da Xiong and the other man came walking over from the crowd not far away, carrying coriander and other seasonings.

The five of us settled into a tavern and began discussing trivial matters, enjoying a rare afternoon respite.

Andre mentioned that the grassland at the edge of the village spanned over 400 square kilometers, and the three great snow mountains in the distance were called the Dora Peaks, meaning 'Daughters of Ice and Snow,' towering over 4,400 meters high.

The village's fishing boats could only venture about 900 nautical miles out to the Island of Ruins before they wouldn't have enough fuel to return.

Therefore, the village couldn't rely on boats for contact with the outside world; their main connection was a dirt road that cut across the grassland and through the snowy mountains.

This road traversed the Dora Valley, which was covered in ice and snow at an altitude of three thousand meters, lined with firs as thick as water barrels and tall pines. White wolves and Russian tigers prowled the mountainsides, and villagers attempting to cross the snowy peaks often went never to return.

So, he planned to join a convoy of merchants soon to cross the mountains to Moscow to raise a substantial sum of money to build better roads for the village, ideally managing to blast a tunnel through the Dora Mountains.

I said this sounded like wonderful news; if he succeeded, it would surely spur immense development in the village.

Andre nodded, saying, "This will certainly succeed because BEY played a huge role in bringing down that big leech, Ivan. The Russian government will undoubtedly grant his request."

With that, we raised our glasses of fruit wine, wishing Andre every success.

After sitting in the tavern for several hours, dusk began to fall. We strolled through the square afterward and bought some locally unique handicrafts before returning to Rabilovich's house.

The sea breeze was gentle on the way back. The fiery clouds over the ocean were heartbreakingly red, and pinpricks of stars were beginning to show their radiance. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from every home, reminding me of a painting by Van Gogh.

Liang Qian wore an expression of sheer enchantment, murmuring beside me, "It's so beautiful..."

For some reason, seeing her look made my own heart lift, and I took a deep breath.

Truthfully, I had initially worried about accommodation for Da Xiong and the others, as it would have been understandable if Mrs. Rabilovich hadn't allowed them to stay.

But to my surprise, Mrs. Rabilovich was overjoyed to hear that the three of them would be staying. She cleaned up another room and settled them in.

As for the sleeping arrangements: my room housed three people—myself, Da Xiong, and *squeezing onto one large bed; Liang Qian had her own room; and Mr. and Mrs. Rabilovich shared one. Andre had to stay with other friends in the village.

This made me wonder again why Mrs. Rabilovich still wouldn't open up that dusty room.

However, since it was a matter of someone else's privacy, I didn't press the issue.

It is worth noting that we didn't get to eat fresh cod that evening because Rabilovich, BEY's father, hadn't returned until eight o'clock.

So, after dinner, Mrs. Rabilovich started to worry.

There was nothing else for the four of us to do, so we accompanied her to the seaside harbor to wait.

The night sea breeze was cooler than during the day, but not yet frigid. A dozen fishing boats, having returned to port, were moored at the harbor. The moon's reflection shimmered on the water, casting patches of white iridescence.

The clouds overhead were thin, complementing the bright half-moon and the sky full of sparkling stars.

I noticed that the stars here were exceptionally bright, allowing one to see the entire Milky Way. Furthermore, the stars weren't the pale white hues common in big cities; some were blue, some yellow, and some red.

The four of us took off our shoes and walked on the soft sand, gazing up at the celestial display—it was utterly blissful.