The Secretly Rich Man

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 1911

Understanding that staying here for any longer would only spell more trouble, after resting for a bit, Gerald got to his feet before saying, “Alright, let’s leave this place while we can!”

With that, the duo made their way back to the sealed main entrance…

Once they were there, they quickly realized that there wasn’t a mechanism to open the doors at all, at least not one they could easily see… The pitch darkness of the place certainly didn’t help…

Understanding the fact that they didn’t even know where to start looking for the mechanism, Rey couldn’t help but stare at the massive stone wall—blocking the cave’s entrance—before looking at Gerald and asking, “…How… should we leave, Mr. Crawford…?”

“Well, since there was a mechanism outside that allowed us to enter, I’m sure there’s another one in here that will allow us to leave! Since the Yin and Yang sides—based on the layout of The Eight Diagrams—was the key to opening the door from the outside, I’m assuming that the mechanism in here can be found opposite of that!” replied Gerald after thinking for a bit.

Following that, Gerald began searching the opposite areas… and after feeling around the stone wall, he managed to find a mechanism!

Immediately twisting it, Gerald and Rey’s eyes quickly widened as the floor beneath them began to crumble! To think that the mechanism would cause this!

Regardless, unable to react in time, both of them soon found themselves sliding down an inclined path!

While Rey screamed all the way down, Gerald himself could only think about how badly he had messed up this time. As it turned out, things weren’t as easy as he had expected…

Whatever the case was, it was quite a while before the slope suddenly ended, sending both of them shooting out and landing on a soft pile of dirt.

Groaning as they got up, the two quickly realized that they seemed to have entered another cave… Aside from the fact that there was a pond in the cave—that had water so clear that one could easily see its bottom—there was not much else to note at first glance… “Holy cr*p… Where even are we, Mr. Crawford…?” asked Rey as he dusted the dirt off his clothes.

Naturally, Gerald had no clue of where they were either. Even so, to think that there would actually be another cave under that cave… What a special place…

Simply shaking his head in response, Gerald and Rey then began investigating the surrounding area, hoping to find an exit. Unfortunately for them, no matter how hard they searched, there didn’t seem to be one. They were trapped once again…

“Well that’s just great! I guess we’re stuck here!” said Rey as he sat down while heaving a heavy sigh.

Frowning slightly, Gerald then took Tye’s map out before giving it a good look. Something had to be wrong here… Thankfully, Gerald was right.

Now that he had managed to find something significant, Gerald quickly called out, “Rey!”

Hurriedly getting to his feet, Rey then raised a slight brow as he looked at the map while asking, “…Yes, Mr. Crawford? Did you find something?”

“Indeed! See the Officer Viewing Deck where we started from? While we’ve changed course several times, I retraced our steps… and here! See that other cave on the map? I have a feeling that we’re currently here! And that cave clearly shows an entrance!” exclaimed Gerald, pointing at the map the entire time.

While Rey definitely felt that Gerald’s words made sense, he couldn’t help but say, “That’s fine and all… But we’ve already made a thorough search of this place! Forget an exit, we haven’t even managed to locate anything resembling a door opening mechanism!”

Though Gerald saw where Rey was coming from, he was sure that there definitely had to be a way out. After all, there was a high chance that they simply hadn’t looked in the right direction.

With that in mind, Gerald simply replied, “I’m sure the exit will appear soon! Keep calm, we’ll definitely find a way to leave.”

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 1912

Following that, Gerald got up and began feeling around the walls again…

Since the stone walls were quite uneven, it made finding mechanisms—to potentially lead to a way out—even harder than usual…

Regardless, after hearing what Gerald had to say, Rey was motivated to give it another shot. With that, he began doing the same as Gerald, hoping to finally find a way to get out of this place…

While continuing to feel the walls, Gerald’s ears perked when a crisp ‘click’ was heard. Eyes quickly widening, Gerald could only stare as the stone slab—that his foot was currently on—began sinking in…

Lifting his foot, he watched as the slab continued sinking deeper and deeper… And by the time it stopped, a part of the stone wall had shifted open! Both surprised and delighted, Rey couldn’t help but turn to look at Gerald while calling out, “M-Mr. Crawford…!”

Though Gerald himself was surprised by all this, he quickly snapped out of it and walked through the newly formed entrance…

To the duo’s dismay, they quickly realized that all the entrance led to was a flight of descending stairs that appeared almost bottomless! The fact that it was pitch dark down there certainly didn’t help…

“Where do you think this leads to, Mr. Crawford…2” muttered Rey as he turned to look at Gerald.

“Only one way to find out!” replied Gerald, prompting the duo to begin descending the stairs…

As they walked on, a sort of mist began appearing and the lower they went, the denser it became…

It was about half an hour later when Rey couldn’t help but cry out, “… There’s just no end to these stairs, Mr. Crawford! We’ve been walking for almost thirty minutes now yet the end is nowhere in sight!”

Gerald himself was starting to find all this weird. This place really was too mystifying…

After thinking for a while, Gerald eventually sighed before saying, “…Alright, since we don’t seem to be getting anywhere, let’s just return to where we came from!”

With that, the duo began ascending the stairs… However, another half-hour later, the two youths finally realized how serious their current dilemma was. After all, no matter how long they walked, the area where they started from was simply nowhere to be found! “Seriously?! We should have reached the entry point by now! Where the hell is it?!” cried out the increasingly distressed Rey.

To think that even their return route would end up changing!

“It’s important to stay calm during such situations! With that said, let’s think about it first!” replied Gerald as he began racking his brain…

Looking closer at the stairs, Gerald noticed that the steps appeared to be numbered… Were the numbers there for a reason…?

After thinking about it for a while, Gerald’s eyes suddenly widened as he exclaimed, “I got it!”

Surprised by Gerald’s sudden shouting, Rey quickly shook his head before asking, “G-got it? You’ve figured out how we can get out of this place, Mr. Crawford?”

“Indeed! Essentially, we’ve been trapped by an Eight Diagrams puzzle ever since we set foot into this place! If my guess is correct, in order to get out of this loop, we’ll need to solve The Eight Diagrams puzzle of the stairs! If you look closer, you can see numbers on the steps, right? I’m assuming that by utilizing The Eight Diagrams chart on them, we’ll be able to finally escape!” explained Gerald.

Despite the explanation, Rey wasn’t too familiar with The Eight Diagrams, so very little of what Gerald had just said made sense to him…

Seeing that his point wasn’t getting across, Gerald decided to just try his theory out instead…

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 1913

“It’s fine if you don’t get it. Whatever the case is, I’m going to be having an out-of-body experience now

to check if my theory is correct! With that said, be sure to guard my body well in the meantime!” said

Gerald.

“Got it, Mr. Crawford! Do be careful!” replied Rey as Gerald nodded before lying down…

Shortly after, his ghost form shot out from his body before diving downward!

Continuing to dive deeper and deeper, Gerald eventually came across the source of the duo’s plight… True to Gerald’s guess, there really was a giant mechanism underneath them this entire time!

With that mystery solved, Gerald knew that in order for them to escape this hellish loop, they would need to take a literal leap of faith after finding a specific number on the stairs… If they didn’t, they could very well end up living the rest of their lives on these stairs…

Regardless, now that he had learned all this, Gerald bolted back to his physical body… and upon re- entering it, he instantly yelled, “Bingo!”

Since Gerald had made such an abrupt return, it scared the living daylights out of Rey!

Once the youth finally calmed down, he could only look helplessly at Gerald as he muttered between pants, “D-d*mn it, Mr. Crawford…! You almost gave me a heart attack…! Don’t go shouting so abruptly…!” To be fair, being all alone in such darkness would make anyone feel utterly terrified…

While even Gerald was momentarily stunned by Rey’s reaction, he quickly snapped out of it before saying, “…Got it! Anyway, listen, I think I’ve found a way to get out of this place!”

replied Rey, instantly forgetting about being scared half to death just seconds earlier. After all, Rey’s priority was to leave this place as soon as possible

began leading Rey down the stairs again… and eventually, he found the exact

Crawford…? Didn’t you say we were leaving…? We’ve been

face Rey before saying, “This is

as his jaw instantly dropped, unsure of whether he

replied ina fearful tone, “P-please don’t joke about this, Mr. Crawford… We can’t even

longer he stared at the abyss, the more terrified he got… Gerald himself simply raised a brow as he said,

master’s order to leap

he added, “…Fine, I’ll be jumping first then. However, if I do end up dying, good luck thinking of other ways

stupefied by Gerald’s absurd suggestion, Rey could only stare wide-eyed as Gerald leaped

panicking, Gerald himself had made a safe landing atop another set

he had thought, the trick to escaping that loop

still alive. With that in mind, it wasn’t a surprise that he soon began

The Secretly or invisible

his safety, Gerald couldn’t help but smile subtly as he looked up

response, Rey was instantly overjoyed. After all, not only was Gerald still alive,

he knew this, Rey mustered up his courage… before leaping and plunging straight into

confusion when he realized that his feet were already on the

to scream that loudly…” grumbled Gerald whose ears were now throbbing due to how loud

left annoyed, Rey himself was so overjoyed—that he was still alive—that he immediately exclaimed, “I-I’m alive! And to think that the jump wasn’t even all that long! W-we’re finally free from those stairs,

at how childish his disciple was being, Gerald simply patted him on the back before starting to walk toward the light

close this entire time, Rey’s eyes widened as he called out, “W-wait for me, Mr.

shining exit… However, what awaited them was nothing short of surprising. Beyond the exit, lay a worn-down place that looked

pillars around them, Rey couldn’t help but exclaim in awe, “H-holy cr*p! To think that such a place existed down here…! Everything here looks

all, who wouldn’t be amazed and shocked to find ancient ruins out

the silence by saying,

agreement, Rey then began exploring the wondrous place with

forward when both

they could immediately tell

Crawford…?” whispered Rey as he

a guess, Gerald simply chose to slowly turn around, prompting Rey to do the

out, the sounds were coming from a hoard of giant scorpions! “H-holy

moving around so much!” ordered

all.

completely frozen in fear as he watched the scorpions quickly encircle them,

potent these large scorpions’ stingers were… In fact, from how large and sharp

Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich

do now, Mr. Crawford…?” whispered Rey, gulping as he stared at all the giant scorpions around

around, hoping that it would help him devise an escape

area. With their escape route in

that direction, Rey then nodded before replying,

plan is simple. You rush over to open that door while I

replied Rey, knowing that that was their best bet of surviving this

Gerald then drew his Astrabyss Sword before pushing

Gerald himself began channeling his energy into the Astrabyss Sword, allowing it to emit

backed off a bit—after they saw the spiritblade—, Gerald took that chance to get a bit closer to Rey. He

teamwork, they were able to get Rey to the large

matter how hard he pushed, the door wouldn’t budge! Then again, it wasn’t really all that surprising. After all, the door was made of stone and it stood over thirty feet tall. There was no way Rey was ever going to be able to open it! Understanding

who currently had his eyes on the giant scorpions that were now charging

knew that it was all up to him now. If he failed to find the mechanism, then this would be their end…

that in mind, Rey quickly calmed himself before starting to search for the mechanism… and

handle, and after Rey pulled

a few steps back, Rey could only stare wide-eyed as the door finally swung open a few

“M-Mr. Crawford, come

and moments later, both of them found themselves staring at the large scorpions—that had

after, the scorpions began retreating, prompting the confused Rey to ask, “…Huh? They’re… not chasing after us…?” Staring as they scuttled off, Gerald simply replied, “Indeed… I’m assuming

or invisible

saying that, Gerald turned around and began exploring this

sorts that had crystal clear

there would be a spring here of

odd to find a spring out of the blue!” exclaimed Rey as he

the second he gulped down, Rey couldn’t help but turn to face Gerald as he added,

never tasted such sweet and refreshing spring water

that, Gerald walked over as well to taste the water… and true to Rey’s words, the water truly was rather sweet. The fact that a spring with

Rey could take another scoop, the water suddenly began bubbling, causing the

the entire spring was filled with bubbles, and within seconds, all

hell? How did all the water suddenly disappear!” exclaimed Rey in an incredulous

theorize, however, a crisp ‘crack’ could be heard from the middle

gazes on the source of the sound, the duo simply watched as a slab of stone

walked over as the stone slab shifted to the side… revealing what appeared to be a darkened entrance that

Gerald in disbelief, Gerald himself was already shining his flashlight to illuminate

hole… Of course, upon seeing that, Rey had no choice

duo walked on until they eventually came across a huge chamber… Seeing that there was a golden casket in the middle

hell their expedition ended up becoming a tomb exploration, Gerald himself began walking deeper into the

when the candles in the chamber suddenly let

was well lit, Gerald noticed that there was a

seeing that ancient script had been carved onto the tombstone, Gerald turned

knew that Rey was a top student, which was why

before having a look at the

I’ve gathered, the owner of the tomb goes by Talias Yah, and he was a general in

all, triggering a trap in such a high-profile tomb would surely spell their doom… As he was thinking of that, the corner of Gerald’s eyes suddenly caught

Crawford: The Secretly or invisible

Gerald’s raised eyebrow, Rey couldn’t help but ask, “Is…

there? I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before…” muttered Gerald as

suddenly yelled, “I

that, Gerald fished the map out before quickly scanning through

symbol—on the casket—could be found on the map,

with a nod, finally a hundred percent sure that Tye was up to no

Tye and his men finally made it

them and allowing them to live, Tye wasn’t about to give up on his goals that easily. Still, without the map, Tye and his men had remained lost in the mountain’s forests

to see them—immediately rushed

of the villagers ran over to stand behind Stanton, they knew why he was being so vigilant. After all, Tye and his men

the old man before replying in an annoyed tone, “That isn’t important. Regardless,

as he replied, “…I’m afraid not! It’s been ages since anyone from the outside world came to our village! Speaking of the outside

hearing that, Tye squinted his eyes at the chief, wondering if the old man was

woman came jogging toward Stanton while yelling, “The meal’s ready, chief! Have the three

Stanton was surprised to hear that statement, Tye and his men immediately frowned. Now fully aware

himself was at a loss for words. That young woman truly had arrived at the worst possible

then grabbed the old man by his collar before roaring, “Enough games! Where

for Gerald was beyond words… Tye himself had even sworn to show Gerald no mercy the next time they bumped