I did not sleep soundly that night, constantly listening for any sound from outside, and my alloy dagger was always by my pillow, ready to charge out of the tent at the slightest noise.
Fortunately, perhaps because those Kalu knew we were not to be trifled with, they did not attack us again in the latter half of the night.
After enduring the long night, we all got up at dawn, packed our things, and left the makeshift shelter.
Perhaps heaven was looking out for us.
When we set off, the snow and wind on the mountain had stopped.
The warm sunlight shone on our faces, which felt very comfortable.
Sylvia had the surviving savages from last night lead the way, and we continued to climb towards the summit of the snow mountain.
Although the wind and snow yesterday had thickened the snowpack considerably, making it easy to sink in if one was not careful, nothing major had gone wrong.
After half a day of cautious climbing, we finally reached our destination safely.
Upon reaching the peak, I was about to catch my breath, but Sylvia did not let us stop. Instead, she led us down through the crevices between the rocks.
It was then that I realized our destination was not the highest point of this snow mountain at all.
It was on the other side of the mountain!
We descended for half a day and, after rounding a massive rock, my attention was suddenly drawn to what was beneath our feet.
That enormous rock was actually serving as a dome.
After we went around it, what lay before us was a magnificent and mysterious temple.
We approached the temple cautiously. Not far below, clouds swirled, and this temple seemed like a divine palace built in the sky, sacred and inviolable!
Could this have been built by savages?
I was deeply shaken.
While the temple of the Sea God Qiye I had visited before was also magnificent, it was built on flat ground.
With enough manpower and resources, it could eventually be built.
But this temple before me was built on the mountainside of a snow mountain!
Looking at the scale of the temple, it seemed as if the middle of the mountain had been hollowed out. How had they accomplished this?!
I couldn't help but think of the pyramids built by the ancient Egyptians.
If this place were exposed, it would surely cause a sensation worldwide, becoming an unsolved mystery like the pyramids!
Now, I finally understood.
Why had that group of savages endured so much hardship to come to this snow mountain to find this temple!
As my mind was reeling from the shock, the savages who had guided us, upon seeing the temple, excitedly chattered a lot, then prostrated themselves and devoutly walked inside.
I instinctively tried to stop them, but Sylvia grabbed me.
"Do you want to go in and die like them? Stop looking, our target is not inside the temple."
Sylvia playfully scratched my cheek with her fingernail, while the bald elder and Hathway behind her skillfully took out various mechanical devices from their backpacks, looking as if they were about to get down to business.
"What are they doing?"
I looked at Sylvia with confusion. The temple was right in front of us, so where was the target if not inside?
"This temple is just a facade, a smokescreen. The truly important thing is the underground palace beneath our feet. Only by entering that will we be truly close to our objective."
Sylvia was straightforward this time and explained it to me clearly.
After hearing Sylvia's words, I felt a little perplexed.
Even if our target was underground, with just a few of us, it would take ages to dig a hole.
With that much time, it would be more convenient to enter through the main entrance.
But reality proved me to be too naive.
The bald elder took out a peculiar machine and swept it over the ground, then pinpointed a location and called for Hathway.
And Hathway, surprisingly, took out a large device from her backpack!
I was astonished.
They even brought a power drill?!
As the drill bit spun to life with a deafening hum, I said nothing more and took turns drilling with Hathway.
I must admit, the soil on this snow mountain was exceptionally hard. Even with our drill, this formidable tool made the work very difficult.
We all took turns drilling.
Even so, it was not until noon that we managed to drill a pit.
What we found troublesome was that beneath the pit lay a thick layer of ice!
The ice layer was like an ancient, unmelting crystal from myths, and looking at it sent shivers down my spine.
As we drilled through the ice layer, the bald elder took out a precise instrument and placed it on the ice. After a while, he told us that the ice layer was at least two stories high.
The thickness of the ice was so extreme that we felt a sense of defeat even before reaching the underground palace.
"Professor Gudiv, do we have enough battery capacity? Are you sure the underground palace is right after breaking through this ice? If not, we'll have to return to camp, and that could take a long time."
Sylvia's brows were furrowed as she asked Professor Gudiv.
"Yes, I'm sure. Break through this ice, and the underground palace will be right there!"