Capítulo 137: CHAPTER 137 - Ominous Signs
In the heart of the ruined Sun City, mercenaries under Sivir's command and Noxian guards scoured the area, seeking an entrance to the underground.
After more than two hours, impatient Cassiopeia approached Sivir, who was crouched in the distance, searching for something.
Her steps were nearly soundless, a habit instilled by her father, Marcus Du Couteau, since childhood.
Unfortunately, Cassiopeia lacked the innate talents of an assassin, leading her father to abandon her in favor of focusing on her sister, Katarina.
Though she heard that her father later adopted a child named Talon in Noxus, it no longer mattered to her.
She had resolved to obtain power capable of influencing Noxus's secret war and personally bring down her father, who had betrayed the empire.
Cassiopeia silently approached Sivir and lightly tapped her shoulder, startling her. Sivir immediately grabbed her hand, assuming a defensive stance.
"Ah!" Sivir recognized Cassiopeia's cry and halted her reflexive response, releasing her.
"Miss Du Couteau, why do you move without making a sound?" Sivir frowned slightly, expressing some dissatisfaction.
Rubbing her sore shoulder and arm, Cassiopeia retorted, "Who knew your reaction would be so extreme?"
With a mocking smile, Sivir responded, "I heard that the Du Couteau family is a notorious clan of assassins. You should be well aware of the consequences of silently approaching someone whose life revolves around combat."
Hmm, let her enjoy her pride for a while longer...
A touch of coldness flashed in Cassiopeia's eyes, cursing inwardly.
Then, she put on a look of helplessness and explained, "Apologies, I lack the natural talent for combat, so my father, Marcus Du Couteau, didn't teach me much about the ways of an assassin."
"Now you've gained some experience," softened by Cassiopeia's intentional apology, Sivir's tone became less harsh. "Do you have any business with me?"
"I just wanted to inquire about the progress," Cassiopeia's expression turned serious. "When we collaborated before, you didn't take this long to find the tomb entrance."
"Miss Du Couteau, don't forget that you provided specific locations before," Sivir retorted. "If you could narrow down the range for us this time, like you did in our previous collaboration, maybe we'd already be underground by now."
Cassiopeia opened her mouth but couldn't refute Sivir. She sighed and said, "Fine, try to finish before sunset."
Before she could finish, a mercenary in the distance excitedly shouted, "Boss, we've found the entrance!"
Sivir and Cassiopeia exchanged glances and immediately ran toward the source of the sound.
Jumping down from rugged highlands in succession with a few mercenaries and Noxian guards, they reached the entrance.
At this moment, a dozen mercenaries had begun clearing some debris covering the tomb's large door.
The entrance to the underground was constructed with smooth golden marble, forming a triangular pyramid.
The exposed tip above the ground was at least two meters high, with most of it buried under the yellow sand.
Cassiopeia, with keen observation, noticed traces on the metal door covering the tomb. A hint of concern crept into her heart. "Why are there signs of excavation here?"
"Probably some exploration team without proper tools attempted to dig," Sivir shrugged. "Looks like they weren't successful."
Disregarding Cassiopeia's worries, Sivir gestured for more of her followers to dig down. With an indifferent attitude, she added, "Don't worry, if those people had entered, the door would have been pried open, or blown up in various ways. Exploration teams from Piltover are never short of sophisticated instruments."
Despite Sivir's reassurance, Cassiopeia's brows remained tightly knit.
That Li Lin is untrustworthy, and the tomb holds a nearly godlike power, leaving no room for mistakes.
With a rotating team of over ten people, including Noxian guards, digging continuously, they finally unearthed the entire tomb— a triangular pyramid door standing four to five meters tall—before the sun completely set.
Cassiopeia reached out to touch the intricately carved steel door. "It's different from the tombs we excavated before."
The flowing golden grains had left minimal traces of time on its surface, and the drawings on it remained vivid.
Among them, the most recognizable were the eagle symbolizing the Shuriman royal family and the golden disc symbolizing the sun and divine power.
Sivir stared at the patterns on the door, lost in thought.
For some reason, she recalled the words Li Lin had spoken to her earlier.
Bloodline, and destiny...
Sivir turned slightly, casting a sidelong glance at the crossblade Chalicar strapped to her back.
After a long pause, she finally responded to Cassiopeia's earlier comment, "Of course, this is a tomb for both an emperor and an ascendant. The ones we dug with you before were merely the tombs of nobles, incomparable to this."
Cassiopeia, thrilled, couldn't help but urge, "Hurry, have your men pry open the door!"
Why does this Noxian girl feel different from before?
Sivir frowned discreetly but didn't show any sign of concern. She gestured to Cassiopeia as per her instructions.
"Let them do their job. It's quite challenging to open such doors completely; don't expect it tonight."
She took a bite of the dry rations wrapped in cloth from her bag and then signaled Cassiopeia to join her by the campfire.
"You go; I'm not hungry now," Cassiopeia replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the mercenaries trying to pry open the door without turning her head.
There's an uncomfortable feeling...
Sivir's intentions were not just about the usual focus on treasures and magical items inside the tomb.
Cassiopeia's behavior deepened Sivir's suspicions.
She stared at the young woman's back, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.
Forget it; let her be...
Better to quickly finish this mission, take the money, and enjoy life.
After careful consideration, Sivir shook her head, dispelling various thoughts in her mind. She sat by the campfire and started having dinner.
The night passed peacefully.
When the second day dawned, Sivir, who had finally slept well without nightmares, was awakened by a scream.
"What happened?!"
She quickly got up from her sleeping bag, grabbed Chalicar, and looked towards the source of the scream.
In the direction of the tomb's gate, several laborers and mercenaries on guard were lying on the ground, lifeless.
Simultaneously, a black smoke emerged from a tiny gap in the metal door, quickly dispersing in the sunlight.
It seemed that these mercenaries, who had lost their breath, had broken through the door this morning and had their lives taken away by the toxic gas inside...
"Everyone, wake up! There's poison in the tomb; quickly put on your breathing filters!"
Sivir loudly warned others who were also awakened by the screams. She hurriedly took out the crude breathing filters she had bought from a merchant in Piltover and put one on her face.
Cassiopeia, who had just crawled out of her nearby sleeping bag, took the breathing filter from her subordinate and put it on, then walked over with a serious expression.
"Why is there poison here?! We've never encountered such a situation in the tombs and ruins we've excavated before."
"For emperor and ascendant tombs, this is normal. Otherwise, why would we carry these filters all the time?"
Sivir's voice through the breathing filter sounded somewhat muffled.
She looked over the lifeless bodies of her subordinates at the entrance, then glanced at the crossblade in her hand. Despite her seemingly relaxed appearance, there was no ease in her heart.
Ominous sign...
After a silence of several seconds, Sivir looked at Cassiopeia beside her. "It seems that the tomb is not ventilated, or we triggered some mechanism...
"These black fumes are probably just a part of it. I think it's best to wait another two or three days for the gas inside to..."
Before Sivir could finish her sentence, Cassiopeia raised her hand to interrupt, "No... continue prying the door."
"What about the lives of my men?!"
"I will pay double the original contract price. How about that?"
Sivir's brows slightly furrowed as she stared at Cassiopeia's emotionless eyes.
After a while, realizing that this person seemed serious, Sivir sighed slightly and called a few bold subordinates to continue their work.
Hopefully, everything will go smoothly...
(End of Chapter)
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