Chapter 420: Glimmerfall

Chapter 420: Chapter 420: Glimmerfall

Lily Hart gave Simon Keane a skeptical look, suspecting he was just getting old and had misremembered.

Simon Keane met Lily Hart’s scrutinizing gaze and felt a strange pang of guilt, but on second thought, he hadn’t done anything wrong.

So he straightened up and repeated, "Glimmerfall. It doesn’t show up on any map. Only people from The Mysterious Clan can find it."

"Then... are you a member of The Mysterious Clan too?" Lily Hart asked, raising an eyebrow.

’Since it’s not on the system map and I’ve never heard of it, I guess I have to rely on Old Man Keaton to lead the way.’

Upon hearing that, Simon Keane shook his head in disgust. "Hell no, I’m not part of that bullshit clan! Don’t you lump me in with them. I’ll lead the way. Now, are we going or not!?"

"We’re going, we’re going. Let’s set out right now," Lily Hart replied.

She immediately stood up and offered the driver’s seat to Simon Keane. He looked completely baffled. "I’m supposed to drive?"

"You’re the only one who knows the way. What, you want me to? Besides, I don’t know how to drive," Lily Hart said as if it were obvious, crossing her arms over her chest.

Even as Lily Hart was speaking, Simon Keane had already plopped into the driver’s seat, brimming with enthusiasm. His face lit up with excitement as he stomped on the accelerator and the vehicle shot forward.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Lily Hart wasn’t prepared and nearly fell over, but she managed to grab the back of a seat just in time.

It had probably been a long time since Simon Keane had visited Glimmerfall, so he had to drive based on memory, recalling the route as he went.

After steadying herself, Lily Hart watched him for a moment. She confirmed that he could indeed drive—just recklessly—and only then did she relax and walk away.

She walked over to the sofa area and plopped down in her usual spot. The faces of the others around her were grim.

They had planned to just charge in and rescue their people, but they were stuck at the first step.

They couldn’t even find the people they were supposed to fight. It was ridiculous. A heavy mood fell over the group, and the living room, normally filled with laughter and jokes, grew silent.

Roman Rowe pursed his lips, scrolling through his Light Brain. He tried to hold it in, but finally couldn’t. "Take a look! The rumors are flaring up again!"

All eyes turned to him. Roman Rowe said angrily, "Elder Shaw just got into trouble this morning, and they’re already holding a vote for a new main administrator!"

Owen Warren remarked with a sigh, "Wow, that was fast."

Lily Hart shot him a glare. "I heard before that the White Family never nominated a new main administrator. They were probably just waiting for an opportunity like this to seize complete control of Central Command."

There used to be five main administrators. Each family in The Mysterious Clan provided one, and Elder Shaw was the fifth, creating a balance of power.

But ever since Quentin Carter and Chad Yates were replaced, the White Family hasn’t put forth a new main administrator.

’If something really happens to Elder Shaw this time, then a new main administrator from the White Family, plus the other three... won’t they be able to run circles around Central Command?’

’Wouldn’t all our hard work have been for nothing?’

’We put so much effort into turning the situation around inside Central Command. Just when things were about to get better, it’s all supposed to come to a screeching halt now?’

Lily Hart would absolutely not allow that to happen.

Roman Rowe’s voice continued its rant in the background. "These goddamn opportunists. All they know is how to side with the powerful."

"They’re even saying Elder Shaw and Logan Holland ran off with the supplies, that they cleaned out the entire materials exchange! And that they did it with Yael Lowell from the logistics department! Holy hell, that’s going too far!"

"And look at this one! Oh my god! Someone’s actually saying Elder Shaw was too stingy and heartless? That he deserved to disappear like this! That he must have done too many bad things and now he’s facing divine retribution!"

The more Roman Rowe read, the angrier he became. The incident had only happened in the morning, and by the afternoon, someone was already steering public opinion.

He was afraid that even if Elder Shaw did return, he’d be put on the defensive, accused of returning out of guilt.

Easton and the other young ones were gathered in their own little corner, comforting Frederick Shaw.

They were blurting out whatever nice things they could think of.

"Grandpa Shaw is a lucky man. He’ll definitely be fine."

"Yeah, you can tell just by looking at him that Grandpa Shaw is a blessed person."

"You can read faces?"

"Nope..." ’I was just talking nonsense, you didn’t have to call me out on it!’

Frederick Shaw’s eyes were downcast. He recalled the time he’d been captured and wondered if his grandfather had been just as worried then as he was now.

About an hour later, the RV arrived at Glimmerfall.

It was a massive lake, with a few dilapidated skiffs floating on its surface. The shore was encircled by a ring of willow trees.

Just then, a cold wind blew, making the willows sway in unison. Upon closer inspection, the scene was a little unsettling.

Closer up, one could see stone railings and a smooth, level path encircling the lake, perfect for a leisurely bike ride.

It would also be quite lovely to walk here hand-in-hand with a lover as the sun set.

But now... with the onset of the apocalypse, no one maintained it, and it had fallen into disrepair.

Lily Hart scanned the area from inside the RV but couldn’t see a single person. "You’re sure this is it?"

Old Man Keaton felt a sense of dread upon seeing the familiar scenery. When Lily questioned him, he subconsciously nodded. "This is the place!"

At the sight of the lake, a wave of familiarity washed over Frost Shaw, who was standing to the side. He felt as though he had been here before.

But he couldn’t remember anything about it.

After being expelled from The Mysterious Clan, his memories had been wiped, leaving only unimportant fragments behind.

Anything classified had been scrubbed completely clean.

Lily Hart asked again, puzzled, "Then... where are the people?"

’Okay, I take it back,’ she thought. ’The Mysterious Clan really is a little mysterious after all.’

Her gaze fell upon the lake’s surface. ’They can’t be at the bottom of the lake, can they? Are they pulling a Dragon Palace of the East Sea kind of stunt?’

’The whole family lives at the bottom of the lake? Aren’t they worried about getting arthritis?’

Simon Keane pointed to the surface of the lake. "They’re at the bottom."

With that, he got out of the RV by himself. Lily Hart followed, and seeing this, the others did as well.

There was a railing along the bank, finely detailed and crafted from marble.

Every meter or so, there was a protruding stone orb carved into a different shape.

Lily Hart gave them a quick scan and saw the heads of various animals, as well as all sorts of flowers.

After so many years, they were thick with dust. Simon Keane nostalgically ran his hand over one of them—a tiger’s head.

He rubbed it a couple of times, precisely located the tiger’s two eyes, and pushed them in firmly.

A dull CLICK echoed, drawing everyone’s attention. Lily Hart guessed, "Is this a mechanism?"

Simon Keane said, "Correct. We need to find the heads of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals and press their eyes."

Lily Hart fell silent. She looked out at the lake; it was enormous, too vast to take in with a single glance.

’And on top of that, there’s a carved orb every meter. Who the hell knows where the zodiac heads are?’

’The Mysterious Clan is useless at everything except making these flashy, ostentatious gadgets!’

Lily Hart cursed inwardly. The others quickly understood the situation as well. After a brief, speechless pause, they rallied.

"Let’s not waste time. We’ll split up into pairs to cover more ground, and for safety," Frost Shaw said decisively.

As soon as he finished speaking, the eight of them expertly formed pairs. Lily Hart grouped up with Cynthia Whittaker, and she also pulled Simon Keane along with them.

Simon Keane was a little baffled as he was dragged along. "Do you guys even know where to look?"

Lily Hart’s eyes were already scanning the area as she replied, "Nope. Isn’t that the whole point of splitting up to search?"