Chapter 0005: The Role of Miss Thief

Gao Wen did not know whether this little girl named Rebecca had been knocked out during the previous fight with the monster, but he still patiently said, "Although I have 'lived' here for many years... I was already dead at that time, okay! After you die, can you know what your grave looks like?"

After leaving the tomb and arriving at the stone hall, Rebecca glanced around and then waved towards the corner, saying, "Betty! Come out! It's safe!"

Amber patted his chest and said: "As long as you no longer pursue the matter of me having dug up your ancestral grave, that would be fine..."

Gao Wen curiously looked over and saw a thin, small girl, who appeared to be even smaller than Rebecca, timidly stepping out from the shadow of the wall. The little girl was wearing a coarse cloth dress, her face adorned with a few adolescent freckles, and her flaxen hair was loosely draped behind her head. In her hand, she tightly clutched a frying pan.

"Ancestral spirits, we have failed to uphold the glory you fought for our family all those years ago," Hedy said, biting her lip and speaking with considerable difficulty, "the Cecil family has endured many trials over these seven hundred years..."

In addition to the memories retained in the body, one can also find all the combat knowledge of Gawain Cecil in the mind, which includes not only the fundamental skills of swordsmanship and horsemanship but also those supernatural powers that, in Gawain's view, are almost magical. This aspect is undoubtedly enticing, yet now is not the time for experimentation and learning

Rebecca, Hedy, and Byron crouched in front of those simple maps, studying them. Although they were familiar with the Cecil family's castle, they were not clear about the structure of the tomb. This mausoleum, with a history of seven hundred years, was not a tourist attraction where one could enter for just two silver coins. Not to mention visiting casually every now and then, even when the mausoleum was not sealed a hundred years ago, the family heirs had only a limited number of opportunities in their lifetime to enter the tomb's interior—and they were not allowed to approach the resting place of their ancestors.

Rebecca curiously looked at the sketch that Gavin had casually drawn: "There is now a wine cellar and a granary there, but I never knew that there was actually a third room in between them..."

"Nowadays, it is merely a relatively sharp sword," Gao Wen sighed, "For seven hundred years, even though weapons blessed by the elves do not wear out or corrode, the magic within has already dissipated completely, and it is uncertain how long it will take to recharge."

Rebecca's eyes widened instantly upon seeing the black longsword, and her voice trembled slightly as she said, "Is this... the legendary Sword of Ansu, the Pioneer?"

Taking the longsword handed to him by the soldier, Gawain began to sketch on the ground. He first drew an overhead view of the castle's outline, and then he created a rough side view divided into three layers. Although these were hastily drawn sketches, the general division of the sections was still quite clear.

Gao Wen nodded and said, "Very well, you lead the way"

Rebecca lowered her head somewhat shyly and said, "I ... ... "

The moment the longsword was in hand, a sense of familiarity and suitability surged to the heart, as if every line and pattern on the sword perfectly matched the contours of his own palm in an astonishing way. Galwen instinctively swung the longsword twice, each movement appearing as if it had been honed through countless trials.

Hettie shot a glare at the indiscreet half-elf, raised her staff, and turned to walk towards the entrance of the tomb, while Galwen suddenly stopped before taking a step forward

This can be considered a surprise, but it is not entirely unexpected

Speaking, Gawain turned to look at the front of the coffin, where there was a small stone platform, but the platform was completely empty. This made Gawain furrow his brow instantly: "Wait a minute, I should still have a shield that I never part with, right? Did it not get buried with me? How could such a large shield be gone?"

Fortunately, Gao Wen was only slightly annoyed due to the lack of a piece of equipment that might have been useful. After cursing once, he said no more and led everyone out of the tomb.

Saying this, he looked at Rebecca with a hint of curiosity: "You really know nothing about this? This should be knowledge passed down through generations of the Cecil family."

Hedy's expression instantly turned sour: "Ancestral... your descendants have once again betrayed your favor. The Shield of the Guardian of the Ansu Kingdom was taken from the tomb by your descendant, Grumman Cecil, one hundred years ago, and subsequently lost on the battlefield..."

Upon seeing Gao Wen, the little girl known as Betty clearly displayed a look of hesitation and nervousness on her face. With her not-so-bright mind, she could hardly fathom where this suddenly appearing stranger had come from

Who knows where the secret passage is located

The entrance is located at this position, two levels underground, adjacent to the wine cellar and the granary—formerly the wine cellar and granary. There are two passages that lead inside, but both passages must be accessed from the surface, so it is likely not feasible

Let us first get rid of the current dire situation

"We cannot go back the way we came now," Hedy sighed and calmly analyzed, "The castle's courtyard and the entrance to the ancestral tomb have already been occupied by those monsters, returning the original way would be a dead end"

"Ancestor?" Rebecca looked at him curiously

"In this overlapping area, there should be a passage," Gao Wen interrupted Byron, "The tomb was built seven hundred years ago, and the craftsmen at that time were the same group who constructed the military fortifications. These buildings were also constructed according to the standards and regulations of that era, so a backup passage must exist"

Is that so? Then it will be easy, Gao Wen said, extending his hand towards a nearby soldier, "Lend me your sword for a moment."

Hedy frowned and said, "How do you know?"

It is not a room, but rather a mezzanine, utilizing some architectural tricks, merely hidden between the walls and supporting beams. Gao Wen smiled and said, "Back in the day, this land was not peaceful; it was a border area where monsters emerging from the wasteland of the Gondor Empire and the crazed soldiers of the old empire would almost knock on the door every ten days or so. The earliest Cecil territory was almost built according to the standards of a war fortress. In such circumstances, secret passages and false walls are indispensable; they can be used for emergency evacuations and also for transporting supplies when besieged.

He found a completely black sword in the coffin, with a heavy long sword whose blade near the guard faintly revealed a deep red color

But just when a few people were at a loss, Amber, who had been quietly standing by, suddenly spoke up: "Well... I might know the way..."

The upper structure has undergone several renovations, but the foundation remains unchanged," Hetty quickly said, "The entrance you mentioned should still be in its original place

Rebecca thought for a moment and wanted to remind her ancestors that the royal tomb of the founding king of Ansu was constructed while the king was still alive, and the king himself even participated in the design. However, upon further reflection, she felt that if she continued to press the issue, Aunt Hetty might very well kill her on the spot, so she swallowed her words and instead awkwardly laughed, "Ah haha... that makes sense."

"It is not when speaking," Gao Wenyang raised his long sword and looked at Amber, "Now, lead the way."

I... I am a bit scared of the amber, but after seeing Gao Wen's encouraging gaze, I gathered my courage and said, "I came in from over there... the direction should be about right, I guess that is the secret passage."

A slight tremor emanating from above the tomb interrupted Rebecca's words

"We must find another way," Gao Wen said while recalling the inherited memories. "Seven hundred years have passed, and the castle in this territory is probably not the same structure as it was back then"

The Knight Byron studied the simple map carefully, then drew his longsword and began to outline on the map in a diagonal direction: "So we need to head to the entrance on the second floor of the castle... and we must not use any ground passages, including the courtyard. Here is our current location; the ancestral tomb is an underground structure built to the southeast of the castle, overlapping with about one-third of the castle's foundation..." Here is our current location; the ancestral tomb is an underground structure built to the southeast of the castle, overlapping with about one-third of the castle's foundation..."

Instantly, all the gazes in the tomb fell upon the half-elf thief

Gao Wen could sense Hedi's hesitation, but he did not point it out. Instead, he frowned and cursed, "Wretched thing... Fortunately, the sword was placed in the coffin; that Grumman hasn't gone so mad as to pry open our ancestor's coffin to put together a set!"

I also need to carry a weapon, Gao Wen said. Although he was no longer the legendary duke who expanded territories seven hundred years ago, he still possessed the common sense to find a means of self-defense in this dangerous place

This is the maid in the castle. We do not know how she was left behind by the first group that broke through, but she just came along in a rather muddled way. "Rebecca briefly introduced the young girl, "Betty, this is ... ... "

Hearing Rebecca's voice, Hetty, who had already reached the door, instantly turned back. She fixed her gaze on the sword in Gavin's hand, her face unable to conceal her excitement: "The Sword of the Pioneer?!"

Alright, I understand. "Gao Wenyu waved his hand, indicating that this was not the time for storytelling. After we leave here, I will take the time to learn about the events that have transpired over the past seven hundred years. The urgent matter at hand is to find the route from the tomb to the secret passage."

Hedy spoke hesitantly, clearly holding back many things she dared not say... Perhaps she was worried that if she brought up that major event from a hundred years ago, the ancestor before her might suffer a sudden shock and pass away on the spot—though it would be quite easy to simply reinter her, as the coffin was right beside them

Amber's neck immediately retracted

His gaze swept across the tomb chamber, and a soldier voluntarily unfastened the sword from his waist, preparing to hand it over. However, Galwen waved his hand to decline the soldier's kind offer. Guided by his memories, he approached the black steel coffin and leaned in to search inside it.

In the face of this issue, even Gao Wen's memory proved ineffective, for when he died all those years ago, he certainly did not anticipate that one day he would have to rise again and contemplate the matter of going out

Hedy and Rebecca could only lower their heads in cold sweat, listening as their ancestor jumped out of the coffin to scold their great-grandfather. This matter had seriously exceeded the realm of fantasy, and as the younger generation, they truly felt an immense pressure even just to catch their breath

He knows that this is the memory left by his current body—though the soul has changed, every muscle still remembers how to wield this weapon