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墨書 Inktalez
The Bronze Armory was vast, easily the size of two standard football fields. A quick glance revealed that it was divided into over two hundred long, narrow compartments. In each compartment, about two meters above the ground, a pipe as thick as a rolling pin spanned from east to west, creating an impressive sight. Hanging from this pipe, every half meter or so, were pieces of Bronze Armor. A quick count showed there were around fifty rows, totaling over three thousand pieces.
Further back were various weapons: Bronze Swords, spears, staffs, bows, and crossbows, all clustered together in a massive display that also numbered around fifty rows. Beyond that stood rows of majestic Copper Chariots—surely the two copper umbrellas engraved with dragons and phoenixes that A Li had were taken from here. The scene was grand and awe-inspiring! The front hooves of the warhorses reared high, while their hind hooves seemed poised to leap forward at any moment.
During her narration, A Li had to pause several times due to her overwhelming emotions. Her words became somewhat incoherent as she struggled to express her feelings; despite her many repetitions and attempts to convey her thoughts, she still couldn't capture even a fraction of what she felt inside.
I completely understood A Li's emotions at that moment, perhaps even more deeply and complexly than she did herself. Just a few months ago, when Cold Bench and I were trapped in the underground chamber of Emerald Villa, we stumbled upon a secret passage. Following it downward led us to this magnificent Bronze Armory.
Even now as I write about it, my heart still swells with that overwhelming sensation that refuses to settle... Our observations back then were far more detailed and profound than A Li's. Every piece of armor on the Bronze battle gear, every copper wire, the twelve mythical beasts on the Bronze Sword, the Qin Totem, and the resurrected Gan Shi with his bow drawn against the horses—all those past scenes and details flooded back into my mind. As we moved through this space, it felt as if we were stepping onto an ancient battlefield filled with smoke and fire; my heart surged with emotion, and tears welled up in my eyes.
“Wait a minute!” At that moment, my junior brother suddenly posed a question. “ Senior Brother, I remember you mentioned encountering another Bronze Armory before that was quite similar to what A Li described, right? But yours was located at the foot of Li Mountain near the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum. Could there be some connection between these two? It seems too coincidental for there to be two identical armories. Has Qin Huang’s legacy expanded this far?”
His words jolted me out of my emotional reverie; I had been so caught up in excitement that I hadn’t considered this aspect.
However, my junior brother reminded me that there was indeed a connection among the three locations: from Luoyang's Bagua Underground Palace to Xi'an's Emerald Villa and now to this armory discovered by A Li. They all bore a close relationship with the great Qin Dynasty over two thousand years ago and revealed traces of the Qin people’s activities.
It appeared that things were getting increasingly interesting. Even during my visit here to reconnect with family, I stumbled upon Qin Huang’s hidden garden. Was it his immense power guiding us even after thousands of years? Or was someone deliberately orchestrating events behind the scenes to lead us into his trap?
Regardless of which scenario it might be, it served as a warning bell for me. I had no way to resist or know whom to oppose; even knowing there was a trap ahead left me no choice but to follow this path.
While I was lost in thought, my junior brother and A Li were already deep in discussion. I overheard A Li saying: “The territory of the Qin Dynasty extended very far—from the East Sea in the east to Lin Yao in the west, south to Lingnan and north to the Great Wall. Ba Shu was one of Qin’s counties; when Qin Shi Huang mobilized all resources for building his mausoleum, surely the people of Shu participated as well. With so many mouths involved, who knows if any rumors got out?”
The junior brother immediately retorted, "Based on the nature of that old Qin Huang, those workers who participated in the construction of the royal tomb wouldn't even have a life to live! Fine, even if we assume someone miraculously survived and escaped to build a replica of the royal tomb for themselves, where would they get the labor, the white silver, and all those weapons? Did the wind just blow them in? You think you can just let the wind do that for you? That old Qin Huang started digging the foundation when he ascended the throne at one year old, with over 800,000 people working tirelessly for nine years! What a concept! And this pauper thinks he can manage that?"
"Hmph!" A Li rolled his eyes. "He may be broke, but there are plenty of rich people out there! If a wealthy person were to hire these workers at a high price for guidance and buy some laborers to replicate a royal tomb's armory, it wouldn’t be impossible."
"Look at you!" The junior brother shrugged and threw up his hands. "You're using 'if'—'if there is a rich person.' Come on! You might as well say 'if Qin Shi Huang were here!'"
A Li was so exasperated by the junior brother that he kept rolling his eyes. The two argued back and forth without reaching any conclusion. If they continued, it seemed like they would start shouting at each other. I quickly intervened, saying, "Alright, alright! You both have valid points, but let's save them for later. Our immediate priority is to regroup with Old Qiao and figure out how to get out of here. Once we see Old Qiao, he can help clarify things; he’s well-read and experienced enough to act as a referee for you two."
Before the junior brother could start again, I quickly added, "By the way, A Li, those two bronze umbrellas were taken off the Copper Chariot by you, right?"
A Li was still fuming and shot a glare at the junior brother before replying, "I don’t have that kind of skill; it was Qiao Brother who got them down. By the way, Brother Qian Yi, he said something strange when he did—something about being wrong or misplaced? I was in a hurry to find you and didn’t ask more. Before I left, Qiao Brother told me to take these two umbrellas along; they might come in handy."
"…Misplaced? Could it be related to these two umbrellas?" I asked.
A Li shook his head, indicating he didn’t know. I thought to myself that it didn’t matter; I could just ask Old Qiao when we met. I continued, "So after you left the armory, you went straight to find me?"
A Li nodded. "That's right. You know what happened next; then we arrived at the Three-Way Intersection for the second time. No one expected things to suddenly change. Just as I jumped over with Dui, I felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint what it was until Brother Qian Yi bumped into the granite above us. That’s when I realized this passage had actually become shorter since my first visit. Strangely enough, this situation has worsened over time; in less than three hours, it has turned into what it is now."
I looked around at our surroundings. "What about that thief's tunnel? Is it still there?"
A Li hesitated before answering, "It is there; it's just… I don’t know which one it is."
I was taken aback. "What do you mean you don't know which one?"
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