36: Chapter 36 Death Desert 19

Here, I must introduce the underwater structure of this Goddess statue. From the surface of the lake, the Goddess statue in the center of the lake stands on a floating stone platform.

But in reality, this stone platform is not floating above the water; it is bound to the surface by several huge, extremely thick iron chains, each a hundred meters long, extending from the base at the bottom of the lake. The base in the lake is a dark, massive structure that occupies more than half of the lake floor, with only a portion exposed in the water, while the rest is buried deep in the soil.

Those dark, thick iron chains extend from all four sides of the base, firmly locking the stone platform above and the Goddess statue upon it in the center of the lake.

Countless years have passed, and the iron chains now within Luo Yuejian's sight are covered in thick moss. In the gaps, the exposed parts of the chains have been marked by Corrosion from the lake water, mottled and rusted, bearing witness to endless time.

Luo Yuejian couldn't help but sigh with emotion; the construction techniques of the ancients were truly incredible. The stone statue looks so magnificent; one can only imagine how much manpower and resources it must have taken to build.

She swam beneath the stone platform, thinking that since she was slacking off, she had to find something to do on the surface. After turning it over in her mind, she flipped her hand to take out a sharp card, deciding to remove the moss growing on the underside of the platform and the chains. What if there were clues hidden under the moss, right?

She tentatively scraped at the moss twice. Seeing that the system didn't issue any warnings, she was immediately delighted and busied herself with her "clue-hunting" work.

After spending quite a bit of time removing all the moss, she discovered that there were actually many carvings on the stone platform. If she hadn't diligently removed the moss, these carvings might never have seen the light of day again. However, she didn't dare to look too closely, fearing that these carvings might actually be some kind of clue.

Swimming a little further away, Luo Yuejian stared at her masterpiece with satisfaction for a while. This was almost the smoothest of all her attempts at slacking off; she hadn't found any clues, nor had she triggered any traps. She had actually succeeded in slacking off!

Afterward, she swam straight toward the surface, feeling quite content, without looking back.

Just as she broke the surface, Luo Yuejian saw the yellow-haired youth handing the dead branches he had picked up from the dark cave to the long-missing Girl with Double Braids.

She didn't think much of it and started walking toward the two of them, but she didn't notice the moss that had grown and spread due to the dampness under her feet. Combined with the fact that she was soaking wet, she slipped and fell, and the card she had just used to clear the moss flew out of her hand.

In the eyes of the audience in the livestream room, it appeared as if Luo Yuejian, with an indifferent gaze, had suddenly sent the card in her hand flying, aiming it straight at the hand of the Girl with Double Braids as she was about to take the firewood!

At this moment, the audience in the livestream room:

[? Did I miss something? Why is the White-haired Beauty attacking the Girl with Double Braids?]

[We've seen the White-haired Beauty's card before; if that hits, the Girl with Double Braids' hand will definitely be broken!]

[What a vicious intent! Can't things be discussed properly? Isn't this trying to take someone's life?]

[Heh, don't be ridiculous, poster above. Aren't the people watching this Miracle Company game stream here to see all kinds of weird ways to die? I haven't seen you being so kind before, have I?]

[No, I've been staying in Moon God's livestream room this whole time and didn't see what was happening outside. Where did this Girl with Double Braids pop out from anyway?]

[Believe it or not, we actually haven't figured it out either. This Girl with Double Braids suddenly popped out from behind the Goddess statue.]

[She claimed that she arrived here before them, but she didn't encounter those monsters and reached this space very smoothly. After swimming to the Goddess statue, she was too scared to make a sound and had been hiding behind it ever since.]

[No, I'm thinking, Wolf-tail Guy has such sharp hearing, how could he have not noticed that there was someone hiding behind the Goddess statue the whole time?]

[I also think the appearance of this Girl with Double Braids is a bit strange. How did she survive the obstacles before? How did she suddenly appear here? Shouldn't she have been excited to come out and regroup with her teammates when she heard their voices? Why did she keep hiding?]

[So the White-haired Beauty actually attacked because she realized something was wrong with the Girl with Double Braids?]

[Of course! When has my Moon God ever actively hurt someone without a reason? At the very beginning of this game, didn't Moon God knock away the mineral water bottle because Glasses Man was about to drink poisoned water?]

[Exactly, although my Yue isn't a saint, she doesn't have a habit of killing people for no reason.]

The Girl with Double Braids dodged the flying card in a sorry state, looking at Luo Yuejian with terror, her voice almost cracking: "What are you doing?!"

Luo Yuejian hadn't reacted yet; she wiped the water from her face and casually brushed the wet hair stuck to her forehead back. Once her vision cleared, she saw the situation before her and realized that her card had somehow ended up over by the Girl with Double Braids.

Luo Yuejian was immediately shocked. She knew the effect of that card very well; if it had actually hit, the Girl with Double Braids' hand might have even been cut off at the root.

She was badly frightened and wanted to apologize, but the Girl with Double Braids didn't give her the chance.

She gritted her teeth, her eyes turning red, and her voice carried a faint, tearful tone: "I don't know how I offended you. I clearly didn't do anything, so why are you trying to kill me? If that card had hit my hand just now..."

The Girl with Double Braids' gaze fell upon the card embedded deep in the ground behind her, and she couldn't help but shudder, "My hand would definitely... Ah!"

Luo Yuejian also knew she had nearly caused a major mistake and felt very guilty. Looking at the card, she thought that such a dangerous item shouldn't be left in the hands of the Girl with Double Braids. She lifted her finger, and the card instantly flew back along its original path, its sharp, cold gleam once again scaring the Girl with Double Braids into dodging rapidly, nearly falling to the ground.

"You... why on earth are you treating me like this?!" the Girl with Double Braids demanded in shock.

Luo Yuejian: "?"

No, logically speaking, shouldn't this card have disappeared on the spot? Why did it fly back?

She had only obtained this item for a short time and hadn't fully grasped the specific usage effects of this item card; it was inevitable that there would be oversights when operating it. Luo Yuejian felt guilty; she had intended to be helpful but had nearly hurt the Girl with Double Braids. If she had known, she wouldn't have made that unnecessary move.

Luo Yuejian's prolonged silence was seen by others as disdain for explaining.

Before the Girl with Double Braids could continue asking, the yellow-haired youth scratched his head and spoke up hesitantly. He looked at the Girl with Double Braids and said: "Can I ask... why are your hair and clothes dry?"

Once these words were spoken, everyone's gaze focused on the Girl with Double Braids. Indeed, compared to the others who were soaking wet, the Girl with Double Braids was clean and tidy, not looking at all like someone who had been in the water.

But to get from the lakeshore to the Goddess statue in the center of the lake, one must swim.

The Girl with Double Braids was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then said helplessly: "Because I've been here for a while, my clothes and hair dried a long time ago."

Camo Uncle immediately retorted: "Impossible! I can't speak for your hair, but for clothes to dry naturally without taking them off, it would take at least five or six hours. However, we have only been in these underground ruins for five or six hours; how could your clothes have dried so quickly?"

The Girl with Double Braids' expression stiffened. For a moment, she couldn't think of a way to explain, and her face grew increasingly gloomy.

Anyone who wasn't a fool should have realized that something was wrong with the Girl with Double Braids after seeing her like this. Immediately, the remaining few people subconsciously huddled toward Wolf-tail Guy, staring at the Girl with Double Braids with vigilant eyes.

After a long while, the Girl with Double Braids smiled helplessly, sighed, and said: "It is true that I am not the original Girl with Double Braids."