"Then these armor plates..."

"You didn't take these armor plates from the Dubhe Tower, did you?" Mr. Du asked.

"No."

"I knew it, during those years the Phoenix Factory produced so many counterfeit antiques, there must have been some that slipped through the cracks locally... since you were able to find these, it's good, saves them from wreaking havoc outside." Mr. Du's tone slightly softened, "Speaking of which, where did you find these armor plates?"

"In an underground ruin in the city of Tianfu," the Candle Dragon replied honestly.

"The city of Tianfu? Underground ruin?" Mr. Du was taken aback, "I haven't heard of any underground ruins over there in the city of Tianfu? Is there some new archaeological discovery?"

"This matter probably has nothing to do with archaeology..." Candle Dragon said, "Oh, and please keep this matter confidential, do not spread it. Besides that, regarding the Phoenix Factory, I need the most complete and detailed related information, please organize it and send it to me... as for your compensation, the Dubhe Tower will transfer it to you afterward."

"You don't need to mention money to me! Do I lack those petty amounts?" Mr. Du said somewhat angrily, "Don't worry, I'll get things done for you, I know what should be said and what shouldn't... Since it involves supernatural artifacts, there are no small matters... If there's nothing else, I'll go organize the relevant information for you now."

"Alright, thank you very much." Candle Dragon said respectfully, then a busy tone indicating the call had been disconnected sounded from the other end of the line.

"Phoenix Factory..." Ye Xuan said, somewhat thoughtfully, "I think I've heard about this... it should be from my grandfather's generation."

"The counterfeit antiques fabricated by this gang all turned into supernatural artifacts... then there is a high probability that there is an 'infection source' within this group." Yang Qi analyzed, "I even suspect that they are replicating counterfeit antiques not to gain monetary profits, but to spread these counterfeit antiques that will eventually transform into supernatural artifacts..."

"Thinking about it this way, doesn't the 'Phoenix Factory' seem less like a counterfeiting gang and more like a cult organization... don't you think?" Sun Hang said.

"You wouldn't be suggesting that after the Phoenix Factory vanished in Chang'an, they fled to Tianfu City, right?" Yang Qi took a deep breath, "And this place is their secret base in Tianfu City?"

"It's very possible." Sun Hang nodded, "But we still need to rely on Mr. Du's intelligence... I just wonder if anyone from the Phoenix Factory was caught during the anti-counterfeiting campaign back then..."

"Even if someone was caught, you would hardly find any clues in their confession." Candle Dragon sighed, "Back then, there were too many counterfeit gangs around Chang'an City, and the crime of forging antique artifacts wasn't considered very severe. At most, they would be fined, spend a few months in jail, and then be released... sentences rarely exceed a year. By the time those counterfeit antiques became supernatural artifacts, those who were caught would have long been released."

"What should we do now?" Wang Xiyi opened his mouth, "Should we wait for the intelligence from the old professor, or keep moving forward?"

"Let's keep going." Candle Dragon said, "Those materials are old records, many are still documented as paper files, organizing them will take at least half a day... Somehow, I have a prophetic intuition—since this underground ruin has reappeared, we should seize the time to search through it, delay invites change... I don't know why I have this intuition, maybe it's somewhat irresponsible to say this, but my intuitions have always been accurate in previous actions."

"I have the same feeling." Wang Xiyi nodded, "I always feel as if something will escape if we keep delaying."

"In that case, let's move forward." Yang Qi rolled the specimen bag containing armor plates and kept it safe, instinctively reaching out to tap Sun Hang's back, but her hand froze in mid-air—she glanced at Sun Hang, then at Wang Xiyi beside him, eventually retracting her hand, saying, "Let's go."

The group continued forward along the main tunnel, shortly after passing the place where they had just fought, Sun Hang once again sensed a very faint aura of supernatural artifacts.

This time, the source of the supernatural aura was a perpetual lamp embedded in the tunnel wall—a lamp entirely cast in bronze, the lamp base a kneeling human figurine, with bent feet buried inside the rock, its hands raised above its head holding a dish for lamp oil, a grain-sized flame flickering softly at the edge of the oil dish.

"Perpetual lamp..." Sun Hang glanced at Candle Dragon with peripheral vision, and said half-jokingly, "It's said that in ancient times, the oil used for perpetual lamps was Candle Dragon's fat... so, do you recognize the 'familiar' smell?"

"The use of Candle Dragon's fat for perpetual lamps is a story from ancient times, this lamp's style should be from the Qin Dynasty, and during the Qin Dynasty, there were no stories of hunting Candle Dragons." Candle Dragon said, "In the Qin Emperor's mausoleum at Chang'an City, the oil used for perpetual lamps was congealed whale oil... but even whale oil only lasts longer than ordinary lamp oil, not actually perpetual."

"The fact that this lamp can stay lit only means one thing." Ye Xuan pulled the slide of her pistol, "It's a supernatural artifact."

"Can you tell if it's a real Qin Dynasty artifact or a fake?" Sun Hang asked Candle Dragon, "Do we need to get closer?"

"No need, you can tell it's a fake at a glance... even the style is being imitated, not the standard form." Candle Dragon shook his head and said, "For lamps with figurines, the unearthed ones without exception are either table lamps or standing lamps, and wall lamps embedded like this have never appeared."

"Sun Hang, don't you think this figurine looks awkward in posture?" Wang Xiyi squinted at the lamp and muttered, "Its limbs seem a bit twisted, and the body's proportions are strange..."

"The proportion on artworks can be exaggerated should..." Yang Qi suddenly changed the subject, "Strange, I also feel this figurine is peculiar... could it be because I know it's a supernatural artifact, hence having some preconceived notion?"

"Nothing preconceived, if it's odd then it's odd." Sun Hang said, "Because the figurine isn't modeled after normal humans but an infected person... judging by its posture, it's most likely a person infected and being punished."

"Hiss... now that you mention it, it really feels like that!" Yang Qi's eyes lit up, "Legs sealed into the wall, forced to stay in a kneeling position, hands nailed on the oil plate forever, unable to lower them... just picturing it, it's spine-chilling torture... but I'm curious, is there any symbolism in such a figurine, or does it serve a punitive, deterrent purpose?"

"Hands nailed to the oil plate... if I remember correctly, the hands of a saint in Christianity are also nailed to a cross, right? This connects with the cross marks in Cave 13!" Sun Hang snapped his fingers, "Hey, I'm really damn clever."

"Isn't this... a bit too far-fetched?" Ye Xuan looked at him and questioned.

"Not far-fetched at all." Candle Dragon suddenly spoke, "Mr. Du has sent over some of the organized materials, and during the anti-counterfeiting campaign back then, six people from the Phoenix Factory were captured... according to the interrogation, all six were followers of Christianity."

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