The winch creaked, and the cable groaned in agony.
The heretic relic, long buried underground, was inch by inch lifted by the crane. Soil fell away in flakes, revealing the true form of the treasure. Under the torchlight, the surface of the heretic object glinted with a dim yet captivating luster.
Every person present couldn't help but hold their breath—in the face of a lump of gold taller than themselves by half, anyone would react in the same way.
Because the density of gold greatly exceeds that of dirt, the idol had been slowly sinking.
Xial and his team had dug through the night to find the idol, facing countless moments of self-doubt. Then, it took a full day to clean up and expose the idol.
What remained was but to destroy it.
Anna couldn't help but approach the idol, reaching out to wipe the wet mud from its face.
The golden visage was serene and peaceful, utterly indifferent to its impending end.
"It's beautiful," Winters said, walking up to Anna. "Isn't it?"
