Chapter 407

Chapter 407

Seven days later, the weather took a wild turn.

A fierce wind picked up, the sky darkened, and the entire city of Atlantis was filled with the sound of howling gusts, signaling an impending storm.

I had a feeling something was off last night. The stars were aligning in a weird pattern, and the moon hung high, like it was waiting for something.

The wind brought a chill with it.

Emily pulled her cloak tighter around her and walked up behind me, leaning in. "Alex, the weather's so weird today. Do you think it's time?"

I looked at the gloomy sky, pulled Emily into my arms, and nodded. "Yeah, I think so. You should stay inside today. I don't want the wind to carry you away and leave me without a wife."

"Who's your wife?" Emily blushed and kicked me lightly. "Stop talking nonsense."

"Aren't you?" I laughed and patted her on the butt. "We've been together so many times. If I can't even call you my wife, isn't that a bit unfair?"

"Jerk," Emily raised her hand and lightly slapped my face. "We're outside. Don't say such things. Have some shame!"

"Getting a love show first thing in the morning," Susan teased as she appeared from behind. "This is a public place. Can you two consider other people's feelings?"

Emily's face turned red as she peeked out from my embrace to retort, "Susan, you and Joseph never considered our feelings when you were being lovey-dovey."

"Well, there aren't many single people left," Susan said, making the single folks envious. "We should be considerate of their feelings, right, you two single guys?"

Andrew and Daniel, who were walking down the hallway, remained silent.

"I feel like the time is near. Why hasn't there been any movement from the High Priest?" Lily said as she stepped out of her room and glanced at the sky. "Aren't they afraid of missing the opportunity?"

"Maybe he's already preparing," William chimed in. "We should be ready too, to decide whether to follow the Atlanteans' plan or make a run for it."

Everyone's expressions turned serious at that.

 I said, "It's not about missing the opportunity, the attic door opens on its own every seven days. Otherwise, we can't get in."Joseph muttered, "No wonder there's been no movement. They're waiting for the door to open on its own, is the door really that magical?"

"Not really," Andy explained. "It's probably just a mechanism. Any skilled craftsman could set it up."

By noon, Leroy came to inform us to get ready to depart.

Leroy had already prepared the supplies, so we only needed to bring our personal belongings.

I had wanted to prepare some supplies for a potential escape secretly, but being in the High Priest's residence, under Leroy's watchful eye, made it impossible.

Soon, we followed the Atlantis guards to the attic.

Having been through the attic once before, Andy, Carl, and I were relatively calm, but the others were visibly nervous. After all, it was their first time facing the ominous attic, and who knew what dangers lurked inside?

Even though we assured them it was safe, fear still gripped their hearts.

Last time, we had entered just before the stone door closed, so it shut tight behind us. This time, the door was still closed when we arrived, so even if it opened now, it wouldn't close immediately.

With more people, we needed enough light sources. As soon as we entered the attic, the sight of the eerie white bones scattered around freaked everyone out.

Emily clung to me, trembling, and it took her a while to calm down. She gripped my hand tightly as we cautiously led the way through the attic's passage.

No one spoke much along the way, except for the crackling of torches and candles.

Emily looked at the twisted statues in the passage and asked, "Alex, were these really carved by people? There are so many. How did they manage to carve them without getting lost in these complex passages?"

My companions behind me perked up their ears, curious to hear my explanation.

"These passages are like an ant nest," I said. "They seem complex, but if you use an animal to navigate, you can find the right path."

"Animals have a keen sense of smell. If you let them remember a specific scent, they can follow it to find the correct route," I continued. "Maybe the craftsmen used animals' sense of smell to find the right exits in these intricate passages."

"As for the statues," I pondered, "they were probably carved over generations by skilled craftsmen."

"That's pretty harsh," William remarked. "Carving so many statues in these dark passages must have been incredibly tough."

Indeed, it must have been.

Imagine being left to survive in such a place. How long could you last?

If it were me, I'd rather die and be done with it.

But we owe our thanks to those Atlantis predecessors. Their efforts allowed us to navigate these complex passages successfully.

With so many people, our pace slowed significantly. What should have taken a day and a night took us two days and a night.

Fortunately, we didn't miss the once-in-a-century time tunnel.

I had never seen a time tunnel, but judging by the constantly changing sky, it wasn't the right moment yet.

On the other side of the passage was an endless ocean.

At that moment, the waves were crashing against the shoreline.

For safety, Leroy ordered the military tents to be set up on higher ground to avoid being flooded by rising tides.

By the time we finished setting up camp, it was already dark.

Campfires were lit around us, providing warmth against the sea breeze, and the smell of roasting meat made everyone's stomachs growl.

Except for Susan, who was running off to vomit, with Joseph anxiously pacing nearby.

Emily asked, "Alex, do you remember you said the Atlanteans got sick when they encountered strange weather? Do you think Susan is sick because of the weather?"

"Probably not," I said, watching Susan's pale face as she walked back. "She likely has a stomach issue. She should be fine in a couple of days with the right diet."

Susan and Joseph overheard my comment. Susan agreed, "I've been eating a lot lately, anything I could find. I might have upset my stomach. I should be fine in a few days."

Lily smiled wryly. "I thought the meat looked good, sizzling with oil. I wanted you to try it, but I guess you won't be able to enjoy it."

"Don't say that, Lily." Susan's face turned pale again as she covered her mouth. "If you keep talking, I'll throw up. Everything feels so gross."

Lisa whispered, "Is it really that bad? I've had stomach issues before, but it wasn't this severe."

Susan shook her head. "I don't want it to be this bad either..."

Before she could finish, she ran off again, retching, looking utterly miserable.