Chapter 44: Ancient Relics

　　Part 1: The Ancient Shu Kingdom　　I followed Lin Molly deeper into the cavern hall, where another massive jade door awaited. The carvings on this one were even more intricate than the one at the end of the upper passage. From top to bottom, it was adorned with over twenty human face sculptures, all uniform in size and neatly aligned. Each face was completely sheathed in bronze, with square jaws, elongated mouths, broad ears, and bulging eyes. They looked oddly familiar at first glance, as if I'd seen them on some TV show before.　　"See something?" Lin Molly paused before the door, making no move to open it immediately.　　"Not really. Just feels like I've seen these faces somewhere."　　She turned her face away, closed her eyes, reached out as if to push the door, and softly warned, "Don't look inside. Mind the glare."　　"Okay," I agreed verbally, but in my heart, I completely dismissed her warning. The brightest things in these caves were those mushrooms. How bad could it be?　　The heavy jade door swung open at her push. I stared directly at the opening. The space beyond was flooded with a blinding radiance, intense as the midday sun. It stabbed into my eyes, paining them instantly and sending tears streaming down my face.　　"This kid... never listens."　　"My bad, okay? Did you plant a sun in there or something?"　　After a moment, the light dimmed. I slowly opened my tear-filled eyes. Through the blur, everything seemed to shimmer with a golden light.　　"What is this?"　　"The temple," Lin Molly said, pulling me forward by the arm.　　Clatter.My foot kicked something. I looked down. The ground was littered with white, shell-like objects.　　"Watch your step," Sister Molly said, tugging me aside. "Those shells are artifacts. Don't damage them!"　　Shells? Inside Mount Namcha Barwa? I wiped my tears. As my vision cleared, I saw the floor was indeed covered in shells. They were plump, lustrous, and numbered in the hundreds or thousands, giving off a distinct, almost "pearly" opulence.　　"Why scatter so many shells?"　　"Ancient currency," Lin Molly explained.　　Oh, right. Shells were used as money in ancient times. I'd heard the term "treasure" might have originated from such currency shells. But why wo