
"Well, the only way to find out is to try to open it, right?" added Meredith.
"Indeed. While I do, you guys should back off a little!” gerald replied with a nod.
Based on the rumors that his grandfather heard from all over the world — and then told Gerald — treasures can usually be found hidden in places guarded by wild beasts or strange monsters.
The image of the sun itself was discovered by his family's ancestors inside a cave located in a dense forest. It was guarded— at the time—by a great white ape who was man-eating, and many of its ancestors lost their lives before finally managing to take the picture.
Since Gerald was already here, he probably went in and took a look around.
Gerald had told the girls to retreat early because with how heavy the stone gate was, he knew he needed to use his inner strength to open it. He was afraid that if they stood too close to him, they could get hurt.
Once they were at a safe distance, Gerald began fumbling around the stone gate in search of a weak spot. After successfully finding it, he took a deep breath before focusing all of his energy on the spot!
With a strong roar, every stone in the surroundings started dancing on the spot as the area trembled slightly! A few seconds later, the sound of a stone being dragged to the ground could be heard as the crack in the door began to widen! It really is a stone gate!
After confirming that, Gerald continued to push the stone gate open and after it was wide enough, a tunnel appeared to the three of them!
“...This... cannot be an ancient tomb... Could it be?” meredith asked excitedly as she ran to Gerald's side.
Giya herself felt a little uncomfortable after witnessing the scene before her.
“...It really looks like one!” said Giya.
Gerald was honestly not too interested in whether it was really an ancient tomb or not. After all, he didn't really need the money.
As the three walked deeper into the tunnel, the tunnel slowly turned into a corridor which, in turn, led them to some sort of lobby area. While the corridor itself was completely empty, a stone platform stood in the middle of the lobby area. On top of it, lay a rectangular stone box that Gerald had absolutely no idea what the box was for.
Through the help of the girls' flashlights, the three of them realize that the lobby wall is decorated with strangely patterned paintings that will leave anyone feeling unnerved when seen under the torchlight.
After realizing that there was also an oil lamp in the room, they turned it on, illuminating the lobby a little.
“...Rather than an ancient tomb, this looks more like a storage area, quite frankly!” giya said while pointing to the stone box.
Since he had traveled with a group of researchers from north to south in the past year, Giya had little experience in her field.
Hearing that, Gerald himself nodded in agreement as he said, “Yes, I also think so!”
“Hei, Xadrian! Let's check this out! The things painted on this mural look really weird!” shouted Meredith.
After walking over to see himself, he had to agree with her about how strange they looked.
From what he saw, the mural described how the people who lived here at the time lived their lives. However, some of the people painted looked very strange.