Secrets of the Tomb Main Story 3-3: Secret behind the Mural
Overview
- Stage Cost: None
- First Clear Rewards:
Astral Memory x10
Guide
- Hover to view spoiler content.
Script
Try putting the mold Luke made into the groove, and see if you can uncover the secret of the murals...
You take the molded model of Seth's Bone that Luke made to the stone wall decorated with intricate murals.
Luke carefully inserts his model into the small groove.
It fits perfectly into the recess.
If the material wasn't completely different, you'd have taken it as part of how it was designed.
Luke: Phew! Next would be...
You: If the things turn out to be just like we'd expected, then you should be able to turn it.
Luke: Yeah. I'll try.
Luke takes a deep breath and moves his wrist little by little.
You can't help but to hold your breath.
*Click* The slight scraping sound of stone against stone grates at your nerves in the silence.
You: It's really moving!
Luke: Look like my speculation is correct.
The groove embedded in the Seth's Bone along with the surrounding reliefs seems to have transformed into a rotatable disc.
Little by little... Luke slowly adjusts it into place.
Every now and then, he leans against the wall, listening to the sound of the gears turning in the alcove.
And then, carefully adjusting the angle bit by bit, until...
*Click* You hear a slight sound of stone upon stone.
Luke: Okay. I think it's slotted where it should be.
Luke stands up and brushes off the dust on his hands.
Luke: Theoretically, a direct push would move the wall. Does anyone want to try?
You: Why don't you do it?
Luke: Okay, back up guys.
Luke put his hand on the groove that has been adjusted to the correct position.
Luke: I'm going to push now...
You: How about I give it a try?
Luke: [Player], it might be dangerous. Maybe I should...
You: Don't worry, you're beside me! There's no way it'll be dangerous if you're here!
You: If I can't push it open, then you do it.
Luke: Okay. Be careful.
You nod, step up, and push the wall with all your might...
*Clicking*...
The sound of gears rotating comes from the wall, clicking several consecutive times. And then...
Dust rises up as a seam gradually widens in front of you.
You: It's open!
Marius: Is this ... a secret room?
Luke: No, it's a passage
The wall with the mural splits into two parts in front of you, exposing a door-sized cavity in the middle.
A long downward staircase appears in front of you...
Nobody knows where it actually leads.
Vyn: "Follow the guidance of Seth's Bone to seek the Otherworld..." So this is what it means.
Artem: I thought this was just a rumor. I didn't expect it to be a true.
Marius: So, following the guidance of the Seth's Bone's all donw. Shouldn't we all go for a walk in the Otherworld now?
You: Yes, we are. I think the answers we seek are definitely down below.
Artem: ... Hold on, I'll tell the police about what's going on here.
Artem: We can go down after the Khaimit police confirm it's okay to do so.
Hessu Ruins
Once Artem finishes reporting, go scout the ruin underground!
After Artem reports your new findings to the Khaimit police, you turn on the flashlight and walk down the steps...
The underground space gradually opens up before your eyes.
You: ...So, there's another ruin underneath the Hessu Ruins?
Marius: Look at the mural on this wall. And these items scattered on the floor...
Marius: Is this the underground temple of ancient Khaimit?
Luke: It looks like the ruins of an altar in an underground temple.
Luke: Look at these artifacts on the ground, and those murals ... they're all ...
Vyn: The Hessu Ruins were originally the ruins of an ancient temple. So, it is not surprising that there are these artifacts around.
Vyn: The strange thing is why...
Vyn: Why did Ralph's archaeological team not announce the truth of the Hessu Ruins to the world back then?
Artem: Yes. Common sense dictates that it is unlikely for the archaeological team to have made such a big blunder.
Artem: In my opinion, I think that these were deliberately hidden...
Artem: Do you realize that the environment here seemingly doesn't seem all that different when compared to the upper ruins?
Artem: Moreover, this place has smooth air circulation, which means that this place hasn't been sealed off for a long time.
You: Yeah... It does seem a little unusual ...
You: Let's look around. We might find something.
Artem: Okay, but this time, we shouldn't stray too far away from each other. And keep your guard up.
Survey the ruin underground with the NXX members.
Marius: Look here. There's the exact same mural that depicts the life of the Pharaoh, Hepharet...
You: Yeah. But these murals show signs of severe paint loss, and look even more weathered down than the ones on the previous floor.
Vyn: This might be the real precious cultural artifact from the ancient Khaimit Kingdom.
Artem: Fortunately, weathering is not as severe underground as it is up above.
Artem: Still, it will certainly be further damaged if nothing is done about it.
You: it would be better for us to inform the police to arrange for some archaeologists to come in for investigation as soon as possible...
Luke: Huh, this mural looks a bit weird.
You: What?
Luke appraoches, staring intently at the mural for a good while.
Luke: There seem to be inscriptions in the cracks of the mural's pattern.
You: Inscriptions!? Where are they?
Luke: Wait...
Luke: It's too small, and covered in a layer of dust. A good cleaning should do the trick.
Luke turns on the flashlight.
He takes out a tiny brush from his fanny pack and uses it to sweep the dust little by little under the light of the torch.
Gradually, some faint symbols appear beneath the brush.
Vyn: It is the special hieroglyphic script of the ancient kingdom of Khaimit.
Vyn frowns slightly. His lips press into a thin line, seemingly trying to wrack his brain for something.
A few moments later, his clear voice sounds in the quiet stone room...
Vyn: "My beloved, you have gone to the place where God is."
Vyn: "I should have followed your footsteps, but I had to stop here again."
Vyn: "My sweetheart, if you know my heart, remember my name."
Vyn: "The name Hepharet will always belong to you alone ."
Vyn: "I am willing to one day be reunited with you again."
Vyn: "We shall reunite on the summer night when the blue lotus is in bloom. Reunite in the morning when the lake is still..."
Vyn: "Oh, my lover, may we..."
That voice is clearly Vyn's, yet so very different. Word by word, line by line..
Across thousands of years, the faint mist from a distant place fills your heart with sadness.
You: Is that a message from Hepharet?
Vyn: Yes. Perhaps she did have a heartfelt lover, just as the legends say.
You: Was her lover... the subject, Musen, as rumored?
Luke: I heard that there was a strict regime for royal marriages in ancient Khaimit.
Luke: The royal family could only be married to another royal family, and marriage with subjects or commoners were not allowed....
You: ...
Artem: According to the records, Musen died of a serious illness three years after Hepharet's reign.
Artem: Later, the posthumous affairs of this heavyweight minister became unknown.
Artem: No one knew where the female pharaoh had buried him.
You: But the message left on this mural...
You: Do you think this could be the underground tomb that Hepharet prepared for her beloved?
Vyn: I think it is plausible, and it can even be speculated from this message that she might have been willing to follow her beloved to the otherworld at one point...
Vyn: Only to give the idea up in the end...
Artem: The female Pharaoh, Hepharet, was unmarried for life. During her reign, the ancient kingdom of Khaimit achieved unprecedented growth.
Artem: I think she might have given up her personal feelings for the sake of her country.
You: Yeah. She was a... very charming person indeed.
There seem to be many secrets hidden in the ruin underground. Carefully investigate the stone rooms on all the levels of the ruins.
You: Is this... a golden coffin!?
Luke: The style of it seems very similar to the one introduced in the museum, which was used by the royal family in ancient Khaimit Kingdom!
Artem: Yeah. It could be the Pharaoh's coffin.
You: So, will there be... that...
Artem: Not sure. It's better for us not to touch anything.
You: Yeah, let's just keep our distance.
You: There seems to be something in the box!
Marius: Huh? Let me have a look...
Marius opens the box, and inside... was a clump of soft fabric.
Luke: Clothes...?
You: From the looks of it, isn't this an outfit that the ancient Khaimit nobles don?
Artem: There are no obvious signs of damage on the garment. These should have been recently made.
You: Why is an outfit of ancient times here?
Marius: Hm? Wait a minute, there is something under the box... Is that a scepter!?
Luke: The head of the scepter is the symbol of the God of Seth. Didn't we see this on the Day of Prayer...?
Luke: The very same scepter we saw in the hand of the Pharaoh's shadow?
You: Do you remember the pin-hole projection we discussed before?
Luke: I do. Now it looks like our thoughts have been validated.
Luke: These are evidence that someone is pulling a ruse!
The alleged Pharaoh's manifestation pretty much explains itself the moment the box was opened.
You now know very clearly that Pharaoh is fictional, but where is the person pretending to be Pharaoh?
Everything is still unanswered...
You: Are these... test tubes on the shelf? Huh? But why would something like that be down here!?
Marius: Test tubes, Petri dishes, triangular flasks... Is that a centrifuge I see over there?
Marius: It's fully equipped, like a small laboratory.
Luke: However, most of these devices are empty.
You: Are my eyes deceiving me...? Or am I see a measuring cup that is still emitting mist...
You: Gosh, how can there be such things under the ruins!
Marius: These are obviously not treasures left behind from the ancient kingdom. I think someone deliberately placed them here.
Vyn: That, and they come back very often to use these lab apparatus.
Marius: Which means, this was done while we were unaware...at a time where many people are visiting...
Marius: Someone was hiding here, doing experiments.
You: (Don't tell me... Did the mist I saw coming from the stone cracks originate from these test tubes and measuring cups!?)
You: (Ha, what am I thinking about... That's impossible. I shouldn't be spooking myself like that.)
You: It looks like someone left information on the table... What does does it say?
You: "First attempt: The combination experiment failed."
You: "Second attempt: The gene fragment is unstable. Unable to find reason...
You: "Third attempt: The genetic recombination was successful, but the receptor is not stable enough, and the survival rate was 5%..."
You: "None of the experimental samples have reached the ideal state and need to be reconfirmed with Sea..."
You: It's hard to see it clearly. This manuscript is so badly scribbled that I can't really read it.
Luke: Is this ... some kind of experimental record!?
You: It seems to be a very dangerous experiment... What does "sea..." mean? Is it a person's name?
Luke: We'd better store these records and leave them to the police.
Obtain evidence: Blurry Experiment Notes
There are just so many secrets hidden in the ruin underground. Keep exploring and see if you can make any new discoveries.
Although it is obviously the ruins of the ancient Khaimit kingdom, there are still visible signs of modern transformation everywhere.
The deeper you explore, the more you feel that this area under the ruins is full of perplexing mysteries.
This feeling of disbelief reaches its peak when you look at the manuscripts piled up on the floor...
You: So many documents... And they're all manuscripts!
Artem: The handwriting of the manuscript is messy. Looks like someone hastily hand recorded everything.
Marius: Strange. Modern people are all used to carrying around electronic devices, which have the function of voice to text conversion...
Marius: People seldom like to record anything down on pen and paper anymore.
You: Is he an old-school academic, perhaps?
Luke: Whatever he is, the fact that he is hiding here to do research is strange in and of itself.
Luke: By the way, what's written on those documents?
Artem: At a cursory look, most of the documents in this pile are research reports about Hepharet.
Artem: It roughly includes the habits of the Pharaoh, and her life escapade. Hm? This....
You: Is there anything odd?
Artem: Remember the mural we saw earlier?
You: The inscriptions that Hepharet left for her beloved? I remember.
Artem: The manuscript mentions...
Artem: Hepharet was unmarried all her life, but perhaps, she had a secret lover - her prime minister, Musen.
Artem: Because of the rules at the time, Pharaohs were not allowed to intermarry with their subjects. Hence, they had never made their relationship public.
You: Yeah, this is consistent with the message left in the mural.
Artem: But the manuscript then goes on to mention...
Artem: After Hepharet died, she was buried with her lover, Musen, at the Hessu Temple.
Artem: It is also here... the Hessu Ruins where we are now.
Artem: The ancient ruin was originally a joint tomb built by Hepharet, for herself, and Musen.
Marius: That's not right, is it?
Marius: Based on the information on the mural, Hepharet should have left after burying her beloved.
Marius: And hasn't her mummy been found by archaeologists and placed in the Rubis Museum?
Vyn, who has been looking through another manuscript, also speaks up.
Vyn: But the owner of the manuscript believes that the pharaoh's mummy in the Rubis Museum is fake.
Vyn: It was the mummy of another noble, found in a fake coffin. It was all deliberately set up by Hepharet.
Vyn: And she ... was buried together with her beloved as she wished.
You: No way. I feel like I've heard this somewhere before...
Artem: It was the first time we went to Rubis, the time we looked for the professor...
You: Now I remember! The guy who got into an argument with the staff in front of the Rubis Museum back then!
You: Yeah, what he said is almost identical to the manuscript.
Can it be a coincidence?
Is that strange man the one you are looking for?
You are just about to trail after your train of thought when Vyn's voice interrupts you.
Vyn: Wait a minute, I seem to have seen this handwriting before...
You: Where? are they?
Vyn: Remember when I told you about Professor Ralph, who published papers on the concept of space-time?
Vyn: In those papers, some of the formulas used to calculate time differences were written by hand.
Vyn: The handwriting is very similar to the one written in this manuscript.
You: Huh... Ralph!? Wouldn't that be ...
Luke: Is that the first archaeologist that Yehya mentioned, who brought a team in to investigate the Hessu Ruins?
Vyn nods silently.
Suddenly, a seed of doubt sprouts in your mind.
You: Dr. Richter, are you sure that this handwriting is Professor Ralph's?
Vyn: No ... the consistency of handwriting is too difficult to judge purely through memory.
Vyn: But, I think it is highly likely that these handwritten materials were left by Professor Ralph.
You: Let's go up and talk to the police about this and have them focus on Ralph.
You: He is very suspicious now, and we...
Luke: Who's there!?
Before you can finish, a stern shout from Luke snaps you out of your thoughts.
You subconsciously raise your head, looking in the direction Luke is pointing at...
You: !!!
Luke: A shadow just passed. Now, everyone, are we gonna chase him?
Marius: Let's go check it out. We're five against one, nothing to be afraid of.
Marius: I want to see which mouse is hiding underground and playing hide-and-seek with us.
Summary
Character(s)
Evidence
Blurry Experiment Notes
Some anonymous lab report notes. The words are mottled and hard to distinguish, perhaps due to having been forgotten underground for so long.
(PS. DAVIS has scanned the report and recovered as much as he could. Please Reading Break~)
"Experiment group 1: DNA sequence doesn't match. Combining failed."
"Experiment group 2. Receptor gene fragment unstable, judgment failed"
"Experiment group 3: Gene reconstruction successful. Receptor gene fragment lacking stability, survival rate of 5%..."
"Experiment group 4: The XX structure is stable, but the receptor (subsequent content hidden)"
...
"None of the experiment samples reached the ideal state and need to be reconfirmed with Sea... However... no contact from..."
(Subsequent content illegible)
