Chapter 1525
On the other side of the camp, Chantelle suddenly exclaimed, “Everyone, pull yourself together! Look, it’s sunrise!”
The sun rose from the east, casting a golden blaze across the valley and washing away the last traces of darkness. Bathed in daylight, the valley cradled between the mountains finally revealed its true face.
Andrew climbed to a platform with a good view and looked down.
The Gallow’s End heritage hamlet ruins were completely dilapidated. Now fully exposed under the sun, he could easily see that this place, which Buzz and his people feared so much, was actually just a small area of stone buildings.
Building houses with stone in ancient times made perfect sense since they were durable and weatherproof.
In the center of these mountains, there was nothing but plenty of stone. Still, stone houses were hardly comfortable. They were freezing in winter, stifling in summer, and terrible at keeping out moisture.
From this, one could tell that although the Gallow’s End ancestors had hidden here to escape wars and lived peaceful lives, their living conditions had been anything but easy.
And there had always been a saying–wherever poverty and hardship lingered, strange things tended to take root. Strange things like monsters, curses, and phenomena that defied reason or science.
Why the treasure of the Fallen Crimson Dynasty would be connected to such a secluded place was a question that had always puzzled Andrew. Since he could not figure it out, he chose not to dwell on it.
Back in the valley, Andrew told Natasha, Jerry, and Logan to start packing up. It was time to head into the heritage hamlet and uncover the truth for themselves.
Buzz, along with Mohave and the other Patoaja warriors, slung their muskets over their shoulders, kicked out their fire, and picked up their canteens and rations to begin the journey down the mountain.
Buzz said solemnly, “Mr. Lloyd, my religion teaches that all human troubles stem from greed, anger, ignorance, and resentment. The root of human suffering, aside from birth, aging, sickness, and death, is nothing but greed and desire!"
“You’re a man of wisdom and courage, Mr. Lloyd. That’s why I just don’t understand why you’d still be clinging to something like this.”
Andrew thought Buzz was going to try persuading him to go down the mountain. Unexpectedly, after his words of advice, Buzz handed over his canteen and some dried food.
Besides that, he also left several torches and muskets. These supplies would be completely useless in a big city, but they were absolutely crucial in this wilderness.
Moreover, the Patoaja were poor, and muskets were the weapons they depended on for survival. Yet, they had left two of them for Andrew.
It said everything about who Buzz and his people truly were–good, kind-hearted souls.
“Take care, Mr. Lloyd!” Buzz said.
Andrew nodded with genuine gratitude. “You too, Buzz. And don’t worry–if it gets too dangerous, we’ll turn back and return to the village.”
Buzz simply waved him off and walked away without another word.
Mohave stepped up to Andrew’s side. After glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, he whispered, “Mr. Lloyd, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. I wanted to say it last night, but Captain Buzz got so angry, I didn’t dare.”
Andrew smiled gently. “It’s okay, Mohave. Go ahead.”
This kid had a good heart, and Andrew had already made up his mind that when all this was over, he would sponsor him to go study in the city.
“Mr. Lloyd, that Mr. Veyne you were looking for yesterday—he wasn’t actually dragged away. It looked more like he ran into the forbidden zone on his own.”
The moment those words left Mohave’s mouth, Andrew’s eyes narrowed sharply.