The dusty cellar was opened, and the wooden stairs creaked under the weight.
The four of them slowly entered.
Ian, once a key member of the Ancient Literature Society, understood the importance of shielding from Deep Sea detection. This basement was entirely cut off from Central Continent's information monitoring... no electrical circuits or network links, making every entrance and exit "top secret" beyond information surveillance. A large number of diagrams were stacked in sealed bookshelves.
Good measures against moisture were in place here; not a single diagram had been damaged in twenty years.
Hu Po, carrying the old man on his back, picked up a smokeless oil lamp to light it, but Gu Shen stopped him, two fingers brushing over his brow.
"Pfft."
A very faint sound of burning.
Chi Huo illuminated the dark underground space.
