Rebirth of the Innkeeper's Wife: She's Not to Be Messed With

Chapter 68 Trying to escape?

Beyond that door lay a desolate sandy landscape, with a howling wind sweeping across it.

After I stopped and the scavenger and I stood still, we looked at each other and I saw in each other's eyes the relief of surviving a disaster.

I clutched the beads and puppet tightly in my hands, looking at the scavenger. "Now can you tell me the truth?"

The scavenger shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

As they were talking, the puppet suddenly emitted a strange buzzing sound, and then it floated up and flew away into the distance of the sandy land.

The scavenger and I quickly chased after them.

The puppet hadn't run far when it stopped in front of a sand dune. The sand dune collapsed instantly, revealing an ancient stone platform.

There are strange grooves on the stone platform, the shape of which fits the puppet and beads perfectly.

I hesitated for a moment, but still put both of them in.

In an instant, a blinding light flashed, and a rotating black hole appeared before us, seemingly leading to an endless unknown.

The scavenger gave me a push, "Go in and take a look, maybe all the answers are inside."

I frowned, gritted my teeth, and stepped into the black hole, with the scavenger following closely behind.

Once we were fully inside the black hole, everything behind us returned to its original barren, sandy landscape.

The black hole resembled a long passageway, with a ghostly blue light shimmering all around.

The scavenger and I walked cautiously forward, and we could hear low, howling sounds from time to time, like the panting of some giant beast.

Suddenly, a huge stone gate appeared in front of them, covered with incomprehensible runes.

Just as we approached the stone gate, the runes seemed to come alive and began to move, and then the stone gate slowly opened.

Inside was a huge space filled with gold and silver treasures, but what attracted me most was a book floating in the center, emitting a faint light.

Just as I was about to go closer to take a look, a sinister laugh rang out from all around.

A group of dark figures emerged from the corner; their forms were indistinct, and their eyes gleamed red.

The scavenger pulled me back and whispered, "It seems there's a secret guardian hiding here, and they won't be easy to deal with."

At that moment, the puppet floated up from my arms, emanating a gentle power that enveloped us, and the shadowy figures scattered upon touching this power.

As the shadows receded, I quickly walked toward the floating book.

The scavenger stood guard vigilantly to the side, wary of the shadowy figure attacking again.

The moment I reached out to touch the book, a powerful flow of information flooded into my mind.

It turns out that this sandy land was once the site of a mysterious ancient tribe, and this book records their lost civilization and the enormous energy source hidden behind their treasure.

Those shadowy figures are cursed tribesmen, guarding this place to prevent outsiders from coveting the evil power within the treasure.

If this power is abused, it will bring disaster to the world.

Just as I was pondering how to respond, the puppet suddenly flew into the air, shining brightly.

It turns out to be the key to solving this predicament—made from the tribe's sacred tree, it can purify evil forces and soothe the cursed tribesmen.

The puppet released its power, and the shadows gradually became clear, returning to human form, their eyes softening.

As the puppet's power was continuously released, the cursed tribesmen respectfully bowed to it.

Holding the book that recorded the civilization of a mysterious tribe, I was filled with countless thoughts.

The scavenger walked up to me and said softly, "Now that things are resolved, let's leave quickly. After all, this place is still full of unknowns."

I nodded, preparing to follow the scavenger out of this enormous space.

However, at this moment, the tribespeople who had just returned to normal gathered around, and the leader sincerely expressed his hope that we would keep this book that carries the tribe's history and culture.

Suddenly, the scavenger became extremely agitated and shouted, "No...no! Absolutely not!"

However, before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a cold and sinister gaze from me.

That gaze was like an incredibly sharp sword, piercing straight into his heart, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his whole body turning cold. All the words he was about to say were choked in his throat, and he could no longer utter a sound.

I hesitated for a moment, looked at the book in my hand, and finally decided to return it to them.

They were extremely grateful and, in return, gave me a peculiar stone pendant, telling me that it had magical powers to protect me.

After saying goodbye to the tribespeople, the scavenger and I returned along the same route.

Along the way, I played with that stone pendant, and it was getting more and more fun!

Just as they were about to reach their destination, the scavenger who had been following behind suddenly showed a hint of panic. His steps became somewhat unsteady, as if he wanted to turn around and run away.

My gaze was fixed on him like that of a hawk, and I sneered inwardly. This guy actually wants to run away! Do you think you can get away?

The scavenger had only taken a few steps when I coldly demanded, "Are you sure you don't want to explain yourself?" My voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, as if it could penetrate one's soul.

The scavenger's body trembled violently, he stopped in his tracks, slowly turned around, his eyes flickering, and dared not meet my gaze.

His lips trembled slightly as he stammered, "M-Sir, I really don't know what you're talking about."

However, anyone could tell from his nervous expression and evasive gaze that he was lying.

I took a step forward, closing in on him. "You think I can't tell you're lying? From the moment I met you, I sensed your ulterior motives. Did you already know about this tribe's existence, and about this book and this pendant?"

The scavenger broke out in a cold sweat, gritted his teeth, and said, "Sir, I only learned a little bit of information by chance."

I scoffed, "A coincidence? Then why did you try to run away just now?"

The scavenger knelt down with a thud. "Sir, I'll tell you. Actually, I was instructed by someone. Someone told me that as long as I followed you, I could find the treasure. I didn't believe it at first, but when I saw that book and pendant, I was afraid that the person would steal the treasure and implicate me, so I wanted to run away."

I frowned and asked, "Who ordered you to do this?"

He said, trembling, "He was a mysterious man in black robes. I don't know his exact identity, but I do know that he was incredibly powerful. He always acted evasively whenever we met."

I pondered for a moment; it seemed there was a larger conspiracy behind this. And it was the man in black robes again?

I stared at the other person and demanded sternly, "What exactly is this puppet for? Tell me now!"

His lips trembled slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he finally answered, "It...it can quietly absorb a person's soul, and it can do so without anyone noticing, making it impossible for anyone to guard against."

Upon hearing this answer, my heart sank, and I pressed on, "Then where did you get this thing from?"

He lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with me, and stammered, "It was given to me by a mysterious man in a black robe. I was just following his instructions to stay here. As for anything else, it really has nothing to do with me!"

I gritted my teeth and pressed again, "Then where is the person whose soul was sucked away now?"

He looked up at me, then quickly looked down again, muttering softly, "Over there...over at the junkyard, but that guy seems to be acting strangely."