“Sure, it makes sense, but could you at least scream a bit, like a lady who just saw a skeleton?” Lu Mingfei asked. “You’re as calm as a coroner!”
“You already screamed on my behalf, thanks!”
Nono squatted on the lakebed, rummaging through the bones, picking up a femur, examining it, then picking up a ribcage. Lu Mingfei had no idea what she was thinking.
“It looks like the Dragon King eats people. Maybe he ate every person who came to worship? How many years did he have to do this to accumulate so many bones? And he cleaned them up so neatly,” Lu Mingfei said, glancing around.
“These people were soldiers.” Nono handed something she found in the pile to Lu Mingfei.
It was a corroded metal plate, rectangular, with small holes faintly visible at its corners.
“It’s a piece of lamellar armor, Han Dynasty-style. This was called a ‘jiaza,’ and when laced together with twine, it made a complete set of armor. The craftsmanship is quite sophisticated, indicating it’s standard military equipment,” Nono said. “There are lots of these armor plates buried beneath the bones, grab a handful, and also, look near that skeleton over there.” She moved the searchlight in that direction. “That’s a ring-pommel saber, commonly used by Eastern Han soldiers. These were all soldiers—government troops.”
“They were called ‘imperial troops,’ not government troops!” Lu Mingfei said. “The Dragon King specifically ate imperial troops? Sounds like the Dragon King was on the side of the working class!”
“No unnecessary commentary! Do you think you’re an automatic commentary machine?” Nono slapped him on the head. “Thousands of Eastern Han troops died here, all at the same time—was it a sacrificial ritual? Very strange.”
She picked up a ribcage, examined it, then shook her head and discarded it, continuing with several more until she gave up.
“Not a single one has any injuries—it’s impossible to tell how they died.”
“Let’s put the archaeology on hold for now—have you found the entrance below?” Manstein asked.
“I’m standing right on top of it now!” Nono replied.
Lu Mingfei looked down. The fluorescent yellow dye line had indeed disappeared into the pile of bones, not far from them.
“Clear away the bones and see where the door is,” Nono said while moving the white bones at her feet.
The bones were piled high—when these people died, they must have fallen one on top of the other. Lu Mingfei helped Nono clear them, imagining how terrible that scene must have been back then.
“Did the water exist when these people died?” Suddenly, a thought struck him.
Nono frowned in thought for a moment. “It should have. According to the Ice Sea scrolls, the Bronze City was always filled with water, which is why people would travel by boat to pay homage to the Dragon King.”
“But when these people died, there wasn’t any water here,” Lu Mingfei said. “Think about it. If there had been water, these bodies would have floated to the surface and drifted apart before rotting into skeletons. But look around; all the bones are concentrated in this area. That means they died together here. They couldn’t have held their breath and swum down—no diving suits back then, and they would have drowned.”
“It was an…” Nono shivered slightly, “…attack!”
She trembled because the thought was horrifying. When Dragon King Norton built his palace in Northern Europe, he was worshipped as a god. For over a thousand soldiers to attack a god’s territory was akin to the ancient myth of killing the Black Emperor. It was unimaginable. On some special day two thousand years ago, the water here dried up, and the soldiers stormed the Bronze City. This was a human attack on a god, and the once-sacred place echoed with the sound of battle. The soldiers rushed towards the sleeping chamber, only to meet their doom all at once.
“Has anyone ever invaded the chamber?” Lu Mingfei asked.
“Good question. We’ll find out soon.” Nono replied. “Give me your hand.”
“What for?” Lu Mingfei asked, but obediently extended his hand.
His glove still had a tear from when the “living spirit” bit it, hastily patched by clenching his fist to prevent the high-pressure gas from escaping. Nono grabbed his hand and forced it open. Bubbles burst out as she pressed his hand against the riverbed. The cold sensation shot through him, causing Lu Mingfei to shiver in pain.
“What are you doing?” Lu Mingfei panicked.
“Hold on to me!” Nono gripped his wrist.
“Huh? Why such dramatic lines all of a sudden?” Lu Mingfei’s eyes shone brightly.
Before he could react, Nono hugged him tightly. “Don’t move!”
A tremor came from below, as if heralding an earthquake. The riverbed began to shift slowly. A thin, long waterspout appeared above Lu Mingfei’s head, its sharp tail like a drill plunging down. Before he could even scream, the ground beneath him disappeared.
Darkness engulfed his vision as they fell rapidly, spinning and tumbling.
Now Lu Mingfei understood why Nono had held onto him. Beneath the bone pile lay another “living spirit” guarding the entrance. The riverbed was one complete metal structure, which moved like a turbine after absorbing his blood, creating a temporary entrance. The resulting whirlpool sucked them in. If they hadn’t held on, they might have smashed their heads against the edges of the opening.
Below was a smooth slide spiraling downward. This outrageous water slide experience far surpassed any ride at an amusement park.
The only problem was that an amusement park ride ended with smiling staff, but who knew what awaited them below—maybe a dragon’s mouth waiting for a late-night snack.
“Ouch!”
Lu Mingfei landed butt-first, or more precisely, landed on something. It was a surprisingly gentle landing, even comfortable and smooth. But as soon as they landed, they continued moving downward. The previous descent had felt like a thrilling ride, but now it resembled a slow “ferris wheel.” They exchanged glances and looked at what they were sitting on.
They were sitting side by side on a massive waterwheel. The bronze waterwheel was wrapped in a thick, unknown fabric, with each water-catching panel shaped like a comfortable seat. They traveled down a dark passage, surrounded by rushing water on both sides.