Ethan first tried to clear away the cobwebs and dust, looking for any possible switches or mechanisms, but after some effort, he found nothing.
So, he decided to use a more direct approach—using the shovel to forcibly enlarge an entrance along the hole through which the fox had escaped.
"Thud!" The shovel struck the wall, sounding particularly stark in the silent and dim house, making Ethan's heart race even faster.
"Honestly, I hope a bunch of those terrifying creatures don't come out," Ethan muttered to himself, somewhat fearful, deciding to first assess the situation.
But then the house returned to its dead silence, as if nothing had happened before.
"Let's get this done quickly. The cleaning crew will be here soon," Ethan decided not to waste any more time doubting himself. He stepped forward and began to smash through the wall.
The wall was quite fragile, and Ethan managed to double the size of the hole without much effort. However, the stench that emanated from inside slowed his progress.
It was hard to describe the smell—it was like a mix of hay and rotting meat, repulsive, forcing Ethan to step back occasionally to get some fresh air.
After a busy period of alternating between breaking through and airing out, Ethan finally made an entrance to the secret space.
The eerie fox didn't appear again, and Ethan thought it might have run off somewhere else.
Using the light from his flashlight, Ethan saw what seemed to be weeds inside?
"Interesting, is it a meadow inside?" Ethan couldn't help but think, finding it somewhat unbelievable, and he ducked down to enter.
Once inside, he discovered it was a small enclosed space, completely different from what he had imagined.
The space was filled with strange, tentacle-like weeds, eerily similar in shape to the tentacles on the fox. The entire space felt unnervingly sinister.
Fortunately, these weeds appeared to have withered long ago, devoid of any vitality, which gave Ethan the courage to take a few steps further inside.
A downward-leading tunnel appeared in his view. The entrance and interior of the tunnel were covered in strange symbols that emitted a faint glow in the darkness, appearing both beautiful and malevolent.
Ethan felt an inexplicable fear; this underground space exuded an atmosphere that made one's heart palpitate. Yet, a voice in his head kept echoing: "Go down and have a look!"
"That fox must have run down there. Going down might mean getting ambushed," Ethan's rational mind thought. It would be wiser to call for some people to come along or at least prepare some weapons and armor before descending.
"Go down and have a look!" The voice in his mind became more insistent, causing Ethan to feel dizzy, his body moving forward involuntarily.
Despite the confusion in his mind, Ethan cautiously and carefully made his way down the narrow tunnel.
The tunnel was quite long, with dry grass covering the floor, making a "rustling" sound as Ethan walked, echoing continuously in the tunnel.
As he went deeper, the air became damp and foul-smelling. If Ethan were a bit more faint-hearted, he might have collapsed by now. Fortunately, the walls of the passage were covered in glowing inscriptions, allowing Ethan to proceed without needing his flashlight. The light also gave him some courage.
The tunnel twisted and descended, making Ethan feel as if he had entered another world. The walls were damp with moss, and the ground became increasingly muddy. After what felt like a long time, he finally reached the end of the tunnel.
Here was a more spacious underground chamber, with a strange altar in the center, scattered with various ancient and damaged items. Ethan's gaze was drawn to a stone disc in the center of the altar, carved with peculiar symbols and containing an ancient-looking scroll in the middle.
His curiosity overcoming his fear, Ethan cautiously approached the altar. He didn't touch the scroll directly but poked it first with the shovel.
It's always good to be cautious, especially if there could be traps that might collapse the place, leaving no escape.
But there was no reaction.
"Take it!" The voice in his mind grew more intense, causing Ethan a slight headache.
Without further hesitation, Ethan reached out and picked up the scroll.
The scroll's material felt very ancient in Ethan's hands, seemingly made from some kind of animal skin, yet it was remarkably well-preserved.