(Reading warning for explorers: When this warning appears, it means that some plots in this chapter may have a mental impact on readers. It is recommended that explorers read it when they are in a good mental state.)
“...Some people have a superstitious belief that out-of-print materials can be found in old book graveyards, so they soak there all day long and never go out again. They wander around the old book graveyard all day without seeing the sun, looking for books, and reading... like Became a lonely ghost..."
Looking at the crazy and strange woman, Sean suddenly remembered what the explorer wearing the white ape mask said when he introduced the old book cemetery to him.
"Is this woman the kind of person who can't leave the old book cemetery?" Sean was still thinking when he suddenly felt someone watching him.
He turned around and saw a short, bald man wearing glasses. He took two steps closer: "Hello, my name is Levon Duke..."
The voice was a little low and seemed a little nervous. He was wearing a wrinkled brown corduroy suit, and his slightly bucked teeth made him look a little silly when he spoke.
"That person is a bookworm," Levine Duke pointed at the woman who looked a little crazy. "She reads here every day, sometimes for days and nights, without eating or sleeping..."
Sean raised his eyebrows: "You are?"
Levin stretched out his hand: "I am a professor in the History Department of Vic University and a secret explorer specially invited by the association."
Sean shook Levin's hand. The palm was thick but weak, and it felt like it lacked exercise: "You can call me," Sean thought for a moment, "Mist."
The eyes behind the crystal lenses shone with surprise: "Are you that Misty?"
Sean shrugged. He didn't expect that the incident in Lewin Town would make him quite famous within the association.
"May I ask," Levin coughed. Sean felt that the other person seemed to have social anxiety and was a little nervous when he spoke, "Do you want to enter this old site?"
After Sean affirmed, Levin seemed a little happy: "That's great, I think we can help each other - I also wanted to go in and find some information, but the explorer I made an appointment with didn't come...
"If you are willing to come with me, I will pay for a Jack-level bodyguard for a whole day when I come out.
"Besides, it seems like you haven't been here before. I can be your guide."
20 New Zealand dollars is not a big temptation for Sean, but if there is an extra guide and he is also an explorer, then this trip will be much safer.
Sean used his ectoplasm to examine Professor Leduc and found that there was nothing special about him except that he was a little weak.
After switching to spiritual vision, the colors in Professor Duke's soul showed that he was slightly nervous, but his overall mood was peaceful and stable - only rational humans can have this state of their souls.
"The threat can basically be eliminated..."
Sean looked at Professor Duke with an expectant look in his eyes: "I can promise you. But I want to make sure that you have not concealed any possible dangers, and that the data itself has not been contaminated or cursed."
Professor Duke waved his hands repeatedly: "Don't worry, what I'm looking for are some very common academic materials, without curses - I don't dare to touch those things."
Sean's eyes were slightly narrowed, and his ectoplasmic tentacles felt the other party's heartbeat: "The heartbeat is normal, there is no sign of lying..."
"Let's go," Sean took the lead and walked toward the entrance of the cave. "I have many questions to ask you about the old book cemetery..."
Professor Duke brought two flashlights and handed one to Sean, and the two of them walked into the doorway one after the other.
The interior of the old book cemetery was dark, and many chaotic footprints could be seen in the flashlight light shining on the ground.
"It seems that many people have been here to explore the secrets..."
As he walked forward, Sean asked: "I want to find old newspapers and magazines. Do you know where they are located?"
Duke adjusted his glasses: "Including the attic level where we are now and the deepest original basement, the old site has a total of seven floors.
"As far as I know, the place where newspapers and magazines were stored at the old site was in a deeper place, maybe on the original first floor, maybe in the original basement...
"The information I need is on the second level. However, I also want to take a deeper look, so I can go with you..."
It was very quiet in the darkness. Sean wanted to learn as much information as possible about the old book cemetery, so he asked a lot of questions.
During the narration process, Levine Duke gradually got rid of his initial shyness, his narration voice became louder, and his speaking became smoother and smoother - he seemed to have entered the state he was in in the classroom:
“As far as I know, the subsidence of the municipal library was not caused by natural causes.
“About thirty years ago, a well-known archaeologist stored the original ancient books and documents found from all over the world in the basement of the Municipal Library.
"Out of curiosity, one of the students of this archaeologist tried an evil ritual in an ancient book, which almost caused the arrival of an evil god...
"In order to prevent this coming, the explorers at that time used nearly two tons of high explosives and used unknown underground caves to sink the entire municipal library into the underground cave..."
Sean's footsteps stopped for a moment: "So are there any remnants of the evil god in this old site?"
Professor Duke shook his head and said: "No, no, they successfully prevented that arrival, and that ritual was a one-time event. After the arrival failed, the ritual lost its effectiveness.
"It was almost impossible to remove this huge building from the ground, and its existence did not affect the stability of other buildings, so the old book cemetery was left here and became what became Part of the Explorer's Library built here.
"However, although the evil god has not yet arrived, there are two rather evil rumors about the old site...
"These rumors have endured for a long time, but they have never been officially confirmed. Many explorers have repeatedly come and gone in the old site, but they have not encountered anything evil...
"However, I am a cautious person..."
Sean slowed down: "What are the rumors?"
As if he was afraid that his voice would bring disaster, Professor Duke lowered his voice: "The first rumor is that of the 'Scholar of Enlightenment'.
"That crazy student who didn't know why, opened the forbidden book in the basement, and after performing evil rituals, the dimensional door was opened, and an ancient evil god who controls dreams is about to come to the world.
"At that time, the explorers evacuated everyone in the municipal library, but one scholar refused to leave."
"Refuse to leave?" Sean and Professor Duke now went down a flight of stairs, from the attic level to the original fifth floor.
"Well, no matter how the explorers tried to persuade him, he ignored them. One of the explorers present at the time later recalled that the scholar claimed that he was about to understand the mysteries of the universe. If he left, he might miss the truth forever...
"Due to the emergency, the explorers ignored him. After the explosion and subsidence interrupted the summoning ceremony, there were rumors that the enlightened man transformed from a human form into something... due to some unknown reasons. …something strange…”
Professor Duke's tone became a little weird, and he seemed to be speaking so hard that he felt a little scared.
"What kind of strange thing has it turned into?" Sean couldn't help but feel a little numb.
"He... is keen on thinking," Duke tried to organize his words. His expression seemed as if he had seen something disgusting. "Maybe he wants to have more powerful thinking tools..."
"The earliest witnesses said that they saw a human-shaped thing during the search and rescue, which they thought was the enlightened scholar, using a lantern to illuminate...
"But I saw that the surface of the humanoid was not skin, but filled with pink grooves, dense arachnoid membrane, and beating blood vessels..."
Sean turned his head with a strange look in his eyes: "He became..."
Professor Duke's face was illuminated by the flickering flashlight: "He turned into a humanoid brain that moved around...
Sean let out a breath of cold air, feeling sick.
“After the search and rescue team saw the strange thing, some team members fell into a deep state of delirium, and the conscious team members had to immediately exit the old site with the unconscious people.
“Those who lost consciousness after witnessing the enlightened scholars all experienced very bizarre and crazy dreams while in coma.
"According to the descriptions in the eyewitness reports, it can be known that the body of the enlightened scholar seems to be still changing, but later eyewitness reports have become vague, and it is unknown what it turned into later...
"My guess on this matter is that his mutation was affected by the arrival of the evil god - because only the energy of the evil god can cause such crazy and weird changes...
"This also proves why the eyewitness reports of 'enlightened scholars' all involve some very crazy dreams..."
Sean couldn't help but imagine the light of his flashlight sweeping across a milky-white figure covered in ditches.
What's even more frightening is that that figure seems to make people instantly enter a nightmare...
The divine root gave off a faint light, soothing his shocked spirit.
