"No need to be curious. You can see the steps clearly because you are like us," Vici said, without looking back, as if he sensed my confusion.
"The power of the Shepherd God?" I asked.
"Yes," Richard nodded.
To be honest, my curiosity grew with each passing moment.
Whether it was the secret of eternal life or the identity of the maid.
In short, everything I had encountered so far was far beyond my imagination.
What this place had endured seemed utterly out of place for a deserted island.
It felt like another civilization, yet one built upon Earth's, seemingly lagging behind.
We walked in silence, the only sound being our footsteps echoing on the steps.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask," Richard said.
"You said before... that the three of us are of the same kind, and that we are chosen, but I see many other people here..." I began.
"They are the natives," Richard replied. "Including the maid, they are all natives of this place. Only the three of us are outsiders..."
So that's how it is!
"How... how did you know I was an outsider too?" I asked suddenly.
I hadn't revealed my identity!
Was there something else I didn't know?
"A feeling," Richard offered vaguely.
"What about the maid? And this passage..."
This might be related to the secret they spoke of!
"I discovered it," Richard said. "The maid was someone I saved. However, when I saved her, she was already like this. I can't remember how many years have passed, and she hasn't changed at all..."
"When I first came here, I couldn't adapt. To help me get used to life here faster and make it easier for me, Richard had the maid follow me," Vici explained.
"Is she the key to opening this place?" I asked.
This felt like a novel!
"No... just authorization. Only natives can open this place. This is a conclusion I reached after fifty years of experimentation," Richard said. Facing away from me, I couldn't see his expression.
"What's down here?" I asked.
Damn it, what if there was some biochemical factory below?!
"You'll know soon enough," Vici smiled.
With that said, I couldn't press further and could only follow behind them.
Silence fell again, broken only by the continuous sound of footsteps.
I didn't know how long we walked, maybe half an hour, maybe an hour, or perhaps even longer.
Then, I noticed a soft glow emanating from beneath our feet.
As I felt the gentle light, an indescribable sense of comfort washed over me.
This feeling was incredible!
Most importantly, the soft light emitted a faint green hue, full of vitality.
The steps went downwards continuously. After walking for so long, we must have reached a great depth underground.
How could there be such vibrant life in such a deep underground location?
As I pondered this, Richard and Vici suddenly stopped.
I didn't know our exact location, but before us lay a lake.
An underground lake!
It wasn't very large, perhaps only the size of a room.
The lake water was clear, and the gentle, life-giving light emanated from it.
Standing by the lake, I felt a peace I had never experienced before.
The fatigue I had felt earlier had completely vanished.
It had a healing effect too!
I even felt an unprecedented sense of belonging.
Although it felt comfortable, I still sensed something unusual and looked at the two beside me, "Shepherd God?"
"I don't know," Richard, surprisingly, didn't give a definitive answer. "But this place gives me a sense of belonging..."
"Me too," Vici nodded.
"Me... too..." In this situation, lying would be unwise, so I also nodded.
"I suspect it's related to the markings on us," Richard said. "And we came here precisely because this place concerns everything..."
I frowned, suddenly feeling that I was getting closer to some truth.
However, this truth might not be a good thing for me.
"Lu..." Richard turned and looked at me. "I know you must have something we want. You're unwilling to hand it over because you don't trust us, and I understand that. We won't force you..."
I remained silent.
Vici glanced at me, his eyes flashing with a light I couldn't decipher.
"But it doesn't matter. I've been here for a long time, and I don't mind waiting a while longer," Richard smiled. "We have enough time to get to know each other..."
I still didn't speak.
"What you are about to see might exceed your understanding," Richard smiled. "This is also part of my sincerity towards you..."