Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Actually, the method is quite simple! As long as we break the Ice Gate, we can enter the frozen Passageway!" Uncorrupted Bones said casually. Based on my estimation, this Ice Cellar is about the size of a football field; without sufficient volume, even with a formation to maintain it, it cannot be sustained for long.
"Old buddy, since you know about the Taoist Sect, why did you take such a roundabout way?"
"Haste makes waste! Once this Ice Cellar is completed, the entrance will be sealed off, and then a layer of crystal-clear mountain spring water will be poured over the outer wall, making the surface completely blend in. It's been over a thousand years; how could I possibly remember the exact location of the door?" Hearing this, I couldn't help but curse inwardly: "What good are you? Isn't that just nonsense?"
Uncorrupted Bones frowned in thought and suddenly looked up at the ice wall. "Kid, shine that orb on the ice surface!" Using the Gongye Zhu to illuminate the ice surface, I suddenly realized something. If someone has ever skated on ice outdoors, they should remember a saying: "One Nine Two Nine, No Hands Out; Three Nine Four Nine, Walk on Ice!" This refers to the thickness of the ice; during Severe Winter each year, people can walk on it.
However, before stepping onto the ice, testing its thickness with the naked eye usually results in an error of fifteen to thirty centimeters due to water quality and ice cracking. For those lacking experience, it's best to make a hole and measure the thickness with a tape measure. Clearly, this method isn't suitable for us right now. How many holes would we need to make in this ice wall? Thus, there's another risky method among the elders: using a lamp to shine on the ice surface. Based on how deeply the light penetrates, one can roughly estimate its thickness.
I raised the orb and directed it at the ice surface. The top layer of ice was as pure as glass, without a hint of impurities. As the light penetrated deeper, shades of light green, leaf green, dark green, and deep green began to emerge. Eventually, the ice surface turned blue and gradually deepened into a darker blue. As I moved my orb around, tiny cracks occasionally appeared in the ice like faint jadeite; I shone it on the ice wall for quite some time to assess its depth.
Suddenly, Uncorrupted Bones shouted, "Stop!" I focused intently on that area; behind the dark green layer of ice was an indistinct deep blackness. "This section of the ice wall is probably about ten parts water deep; we can start digging."
When Ice Masters excavate frozen tombs, they often borrow terminology from the jewelry industry to assess jadeite's quality; in gemology, it's referred to as "parts water." One part water indicates three centimeters thick; two parts water indicates six centimeters thick. Ten parts water means approximately thirty centimeters thick.
"Haha! Old Man, you really have a knack for this! Digging out this Passageway now depends on Brother Li and Bald Qiang!" Big Mouth Lee rolled up his sleeves and prepared to show off. He brought along Bald Qiang and Hang Yu! Hang Yu started smashing away.
The triangular hoe struck the ice surface but only created shallow pits. As soon as the hoe tip lifted away, only a few sesame-sized ice chips fell off along with a colorful burst from where the ice cracked open—a pit no larger than a moss flower formed without any further movement. "Oh wow! Looks like we're really getting into it!" Big Mouth Lee put more effort into smashing the wall while Bald Qiang swung his hoe like a whirlwind but still achieved no results.
Uncorrupted Bones stared intently at those few pits without saying a word; his expression was somewhat complicated. I asked, "What is this ice made of? Why is it as hard as diamond?" "What? Wait a minute—what did you just say?" I repeated my question. "Oh man! I almost forgot—this kind of ice probably does need to be chipped away bit by bit with diamond!"
"My goodness! Using that thing is like grinding an iron pestle into a needle—what's the difference? I'm not doing it anymore!" Upon hearing this, Big Mouth Lee dropped his hoe and stared blankly at Bald Qiang who was working hard. "Stop digging, Qiang; there's something special about this ice skin!" Upon hearing this, Bald Qiang also dropped his hoe and squatted down beside Uncorrupted Bones, eager to hear what he had to say!
I actually understand the reasoning behind it; the ice here isn't anything special. "These ice blocks have been piled up for thousands of years. The ice at the bottom has become extremely dense due to physical compression and violent collisions within its core. Coupled with the heavy chill in this area, it's nearly impossible to break through with the tools we have!"
"According to you, there's no way then? We didn't bring any explosives!" Big Mouth Lee blinked, sounding somewhat lethargic. "Brother Mouth, even with explosives, we can't deal with this ice wall. First, you'd need to drill a hole and pack the explosives inside. If you just lean against the wall, at most you'll create a hole the size of a palm!" Bald Qiang was right; using explosives could lead to unexpected accidents, which was not something we wanted to see.
The ice wall was indeed too thick. I took out some colored pens and sketched out a rough area for an entrance based on the principles of light. Analyzing the situation before me, it was clear that brute force wouldn't work. My mind replayed how brilliant engineers in history had solved similar problems.
The first person that came to mind was Dayu, who is said to have used the Xuanyuan Axe to split open the Dragon Gate. But even if that were true, where would we find a Xuanyuan Axe to borrow? Next, I thought of Luban, but I couldn't recall any groundbreaking inventions he made for such channel projects. Then a father-son duo popped into my head: Li Bing and his son, who excavated Dujiangyan. When they were digging channels, they encountered stone mountains as obstacles. The density of the stones in Sichuan is likely comparable to that of this ice block. Given the productivity of the Warring States period, it was possible to chop through a stone mountain, but it would take an immense amount of time. After surveying the site, Li Bing devised a clever method.
He instructed laborers to cut down a large number of trees and pile them on top of the stones before ordering them to set fire to it all. Once the fire died down, he had them pour cold water over it; when the hot stones met the cold water, they expanded rapidly and cracked apart. Then they could begin excavating again, and within just over ten days, they had carved through a stone mountain. In fact, many modern technological achievements have roots in the wisdom of our ancestors. Some ungrateful descendants today complain about their ancestors while failing to realize that their wisdom is documented in black and white.
"Let's burn it!" Zhengyang, Dong Tong, and I exclaimed simultaneously.
"Oh! How did I not think of that? You really sparked my inspiration!" Big Mouth Lee seemed to suddenly realize something and slapped his forehead hard. Let's do it! We found some Millennium Poplar Wood in the cave; it was dry enough that it caught fire easily. Crackling sounds filled the air!
As the flames rose higher, the ice began to melt little by little, releasing plumes of white mist. The ice blocks reflected sparks and emitted rainbow-like glimmers. "With the fire's help, let's get moving!" We took turns wielding our picks and soon managed to create a hole. After about three hours, we completely removed that thirty-centimeter-thick layer of ice, revealing an arched passageway behind it.
Inside that passageway was pitch blackness. Ice stalactites hung from the ceiling like sharp blades; it seemed there was ventilation here as well; otherwise, such formations couldn't exist within solid ice.
We took turns using our swords to chip away at the hanging icicles; these blocks were not very dense and fell easily with a light strike from our swords. As we walked along the icy path, our breaths formed clouds of mist. Under Gongye Zhu's illumination, the surrounding ice surface sparkled like crystal and seemed endless. Even though this precious orb emitted strong penetrating light, it couldn't reach the end of the ice cavern. This artificially constructed Ice Cellar could potentially bankrupt countless people. Looking at such a grand project filled me not with pride but with sorrow for those who lived like ants throughout history.
I remembered a saying: "Only in countries where history is exceedingly mundane are people truly happy!" Those dynasties that frequently undertook grand projects ultimately left their citizens to foot the bill. I couldn't help but imagine the suffering endured by those who built this icy mausoleum long ago. In modern society, there seems to be a tendency to glorify having numerous grand tombs shining with imperial glory while ignoring or even erasing the suffering behind them—a tragic reflection of human nature!
"Look! It seems there's a shadow in the ice?" My scalp tingled at those words; after all, although these Nine Deadly Tombs released Killing Intent, the resentment built up over millennia was still quite fierce. Plus, we still couldn't confirm what exactly lay within this tomb. I dared not let my guard down and followed their gazes; indeed, there was a shadow in the ice that didn't look human but resembled a cluster of thumb-sized golden silkworms instead.
"Ha ha! They're not human, just some frozen insects!" I let out a sigh of relief and stared at the frozen insects again. The silkworms seemed to be slightly wriggling. Rubbing my eyes, I looked closer, and indeed they were moving. Those silkworms were munching on the ice, as if they were eating mulberry leaves. The five of us, including Uncorrupted Bones, had our mouths agape, wide enough to fit a fist, our eyes nearly popping out.
This was a big problem; these creatures were not to be trifled with...
In Mausoleum Secrets: "Ice Silkworms feed on ice, spend a hundred years pupating, and another hundred years turning into moths! The moths are as large as eagles and can consume human blood; their phosphorous powder is especially toxic—those who are struck will die instantly!" It wasn't the Ice Silkworms that were frightening; it was the Moths that could eat humans. This ice mausoleum had existed for a thousand years and could hatch five generations of Moths. However, the Ice Silkworms produced ice silk, which was quite valuable; it wouldn't melt in fire or get wet in water. The thickness of a hair was enough to lift a thousand-pound weight, even stronger than Zhengyang's Suan Ni Rope.
But at this moment, if we could safely walk out, it would be a blessing. Ice silk was already rare; an Ice Silkworm only produced one strand of ice silk after a hundred years, and that was for spinning its cocoon. Would you dare to snatch food from its mouth? Even if there was ice silk, without tools how could we extract it? If we got caught in the silk it spat out, escape would be impossible. Even if the Azure Dark Sword struck it, we could only barely cut through one strand. We couldn't dare hope for any ice silk; as long as we didn't encounter an Ice Moth, that would be my greatest wish.
We quickened our pace; the passageway entrance was getting closer...
As the saying goes, what you fear most is what you encounter. We entered the cave and had been walking for about ten minutes when we were almost out. A strange wind rushed towards us, carrying an odd fragrance along with a gray mist that felt like powder, swirling in.
A bad premonition surged in my heart... Damn it, could it be that thing has appeared...?
Comment 0 Comment Count