The first room Frank entered had a coffin placed dead center, with various other burial items around it.Upon closer look, there were signs that they had been moved."This isn't a tomb… It's a hideout!" Lara exclaimed."Wrong. This isn't made specifically to be a hideout—it was a tomb, later fashioned into a hideout,' Frank explained as he realized why there was no significant structural damage inside—someone had dug an additional passage directed here, a place to hide.Lara nodded. "Makes sense… But if there were people who used this as a hideout, why didn't they take the artifacts?""It's most likely because of the era when it was built," Frank replied. "Think about it—in which period would you need a hideout?"Lara realized with a start at Frank's explanation. "So they dug it during a war? That does explain it, since antiques aren't worth anything during such times."Frank nodded and led her to the next room—it was a lot less interesting, as it was mostly empty and the floor
As Frank returned to the surface, he was surprised to see Tigris and his men waiting. "What are you doing here?"Tigris chuckled, scratching his head. "We followed the footsteps, since we were worried!""Go back and get me a car!""Why? What's wrong?" Tigris asked, noticing Lara just then, flushed as she lay in Frank's arms."She's been poisoned with an aphrodisiac and needs help right away.""For real?"Tigris did not seem concerned, even chuckling and asking, "Be straight with me—is it the type that can't be treated and needs a good time to be cured?""It can be dangerous but not that serious. Even normal medicine works—just get a car!""Alright!"Seeing that Frank was a real gentleman, Tigris quit joking and brought a car, and they rushed to the hospital.Along the way, Frank kept Lara's body temperature under control while he pondered how they were able to hear the footsteps beneath ground on the surface and so clearly.Nonetheless, they soon arrived at the hospital, whe
"Okay…" Lara turned and smiled sweetly at Frank, the way she looked at him having clearly changed.After daybreak, both she and Sylvie were discharged as they had no further issues following checkups.They had breakfast together at a nearby restaurant before returning to the tomb.The construction team had already arrived, and Sylvie instructed them on where to dig.However, after clearing the surface level, they had a problem when they reached the lower passageway.It turned out that the structure on the lower level had a delicate design, and they would need to blow up the columns keeping the roof up with dynamite if they wanted to dig deeper.But if they blew up said columns, the entire tomb would collapse too!After weighing her options, Sylvie decided to allow the construction team to head inside the tomb to examine the column structure.Just as she expected, the support was perfect and would last a few more decades."Alright, then let's head down!" she said, steeling hers
Lara was left flushed by Sylvie's question, and she stood in a corner in silence.Frank ignored them, however, and headed to the third room where he carefully rolled up the painting and put it inside a protective plastic bag. Then, he exhaled firmly into the air, ensuring that the scent of the Divine Delight was not in there before breathing a sigh of relief.That was when he noticed Sylvie standing at the doorway, asking, "Can I come in now?"Frank chuckled. "You're amazing. Aren't you worried about getting hit by the aphrodisiac?""Worried? Why? If the chips go down, I might not be the one losing." Sylvie sighed nonchalantly as she entered.She examined the View of Fureno painting and could tell despite the plastic bag that it was a fake.As for the other scrolls and paintings, they were old, but the artists and authors were no one famous.Sylvie was therefore a little puzzled—everything in that other room was the good stuff, but everything here was sub-par?However, after so
But for some reason, the hero and his forces vanished in the midst of their campaign—not defeated, but disappearing on the spot.In remembrance, the peasants built this coffinless tomb for the hero.However, that story was just the tip of the iceberg. The murals on the east side had been vandalized, so there were missing pieces of the story that eluded Sylvie and the others.They were not particularly invested in the story either—people in olden times were superstitious, and transportation was terrible, not to mention they had to travel dozens of miles to get from one point to the other. In all likelihood, the hero's forces were decimated, and with the peasants likely kept out of the loop, their tale was adapted into myth.As such, the expedition did not dwell on it and continued surveying the chamber.That was not the case for Frank, however.Having come with a purpose, he also had a different interpretation—the hero's so-called power must have been stolen, infused to the thug
After that, Frank did not hesitate to return and continued to move everyone up the surface by the pairs.Still, Tigris saw the look on Lara's face and went up to her to ask, "What's up, Ms. Gold? Is that your first time being carried like that?"While Lara had to be wary around Frank, she did not have to around Tigris, even snorting, "Don't look down on me. I've had more boyfriends than the number of women you've met!"Tigris was left chuckling in amusement, while Frank had moved everyone except Sylvie to the surface."I didn't know you were this good!" Sylvie exclaimed. "Why bother working as a bodyguard? You could well be the protagonist of a martial arts novel. How wonderful it'd be to live by the word!"Frank ignored her as he walked up and picked her up before vaulting on the surface.However, Sylvie remained latched around his shoulder, giggling, "My waist is quite slender, don't you agree? I don't mind telling you—I'm trained in martial arts, and I pack some muscles even i
But that was how reality was for Frank, and it kept repeating himself!On the other hand, Lara was no longer in the mood for a bath after that rat scare. She strode out of the bathroom straight up to Frank. "You saw nothing!""Indeed."Lara nodded but remained dissatisfied—Frank's eyes almost bore a hole into her, but what could she do when she was too embarrassed to ask?Whatever—he did save her life, and she was the one who asked him to bring her here. It would be shameless of her to snap at him!"Thank you… for that," she said instead.Frank was actually puzzled by Lara's unusual reaction. "Don't you feel upset?"Lara smiled in wry amusement. "Then what am I supposed to do? Demand that I get a look too?"Frank chuckled. "See? You look so good smiling. Don't you get tired of scowling all the time?"Lara sighed, and as she watched the woman working on the chickens, she had a hunch that Frank had bought them. "I guess I could let it slide if you're making it up to me with that
As everyone laughed even harder, Tigris nudged Lara with his elbow, saying pointedly, "You gotta keep an eye out, or Mr. Frankton would be stolen soon."Lara did not appear to worry, however, and ignored him as she turned to Frank. "May I ask for a favor after we're done here?""What is it?" Frank asked in curiosity.Lara brandished her phone. "It's not me—it's Mr. Chand. He owes his current success to a certain person, and that person has suddenly taken ill. He's hoping that you'll help with their treatment!"Frank was not sure how to react. "Why didn't he call me directly?"Lara shrugged. "You'd have to ask Mr. Chand about that!"Frank nodded in silence, since this meant he had a chance to peek into Jason Chand's secret. -The next day, the construction team arrived and worked for the day. Once the load structures were complete, Sylvie led the expedition down to the tomb again, moving more artifacts.They were more or less done by evening, and Sylvie was wiping sweat as she