Chapter 006: The First Step of a Long March

Lara was undoubtedly a decisive woman; once she made up her mind, she would not delay.

That very night, she consulted her father Richard Croft's notes and found a very interesting piece of information, which she shared with Wang Bo and the others over breakfast the next morning.

She placed the notebook on the table, eating bread and drinking coffee as she said, "Have any of you heard of the Sun Queen Himiko?"

Wang Bo was taken aback.

Xiao Bai and Xiao Qing looked completely bewildered, but Bryce was very familiar with it. "You mean Himiko, the Sun Queen of the Yamatai Kingdom?"

Lara said, "That's right. It seems you know about her."

"Without a doubt, yes," Bryce said. "I'm very interested in this queen. According to legend, she is said to be the prototype of the sun goddess Amaterasu."

Xiao Qing couldn't help asking, "Who is this Himiko?"

Lara explained, "Himiko was a queen of Japan's Yayoi period. Because she existed in such ancient times, there are no clear records in currently visible historical texts."

"However, in the Book of the Later Han, Volume 85, Treatise on the Eastern Barbarians, Section 75, on Wa, there is a record: 'During the reigns of Huan and Ling, the Wa country was in great chaos, with mutual attacks and warfare, and for years there was no ruler. There was a woman named Himiko, who, though of age, did not marry, devoted herself to the ways of spirits and could bewitch the masses with her sorcery. Thus they jointly established her as queen. She had a thousand serving maids, but few ever saw her. Only one man served her meals and conveyed her words. Her palace, towers, and stockades were all guarded by armed soldiers. Her laws and customs were strict.'"

After hearing this, Xiao Qing said, "So this Himiko could use magic?"

Lara said, "According to my father's notes, this Himiko possessed immortality and could control the forces of nature. She was a very powerful queen."

Bryce said, "I believe she had great power, but immortality is an exaggeration. The fact is, Himiko is indeed dead, and the Yamatai Kingdom has disappeared."

Lara said, "I found in my father's notes information about Queen Himiko and the location of the Yamatai Kingdom. Perhaps we can try to find this ancient kingdom that has vanished into history. I believe our discovery will change the world's understanding of Himiko."

Xiao Qing was already longing for adventure and naturally did not refuse, clapping her hands in approval.

Bryce had no objections either.

As for Xiao Bai, she turned to look at Wang Bo, only to see a bewildered face.

Yes, Wang Bo was completely bewildered.

The ancient Yamatai Kingdom, the Sun Queen Himiko... If Wang Bo remembered correctly, this shouldn't be the plot happening in this world.

Lara going to the Yamatai Kingdom to research the Sun Queen—that should be the story of a parallel world's Lara, another Lara who was just a novice adventurer.

But the Lara before Wang Bo was already a seasoned adventurer and archaeologist.

Her story should be about the day of the planetary alignment, searching for the legendary Triangle of Light that could control time. Wang Bo admitted that he seemed to have arrived early; there was still some time before the planetary alignment.

But the problem was, even so, Lara shouldn't know about the Yamatai Kingdom.

This was completely mixing up storylines, damn it.

Wang Bo couldn't help rubbing his temples. Could it be that this world also had a Himiko?

Thinking carefully, it didn't seem strange.

After all, it was the same Earth, evolving from the same ancient history. Having an extra Yamatai Kingdom and an extra Sun Queen Himiko seemed perfectly normal.

Was this what they called world line convergence?

Wang Bo thought unreliably.

"What do you think about this?" Xiao Bai asked softly, seeing Wang Bo come back to his senses.

"Alright," Wang Bo finally did not refuse, but agreed. "It wouldn't hurt to go and see."

He wanted to see what difference there was between this world's Sun Queen and the one from another world.

Seeing that everyone had agreed, Xiao Qing asked eagerly, "When do we set off?"

Lara said, "Of course, we'll set off as soon as we're ready."

As a woman who disliked procrastination and was decisive, Lara's preparations were very simple. After packing the necessary gear and enough water and food, she rented a boat and set off for the ancient Yamatai Kingdom.

That was three days later.

During those three days, Lara not only prepared for the adventure but also learned a few simple spells from Wang Bo.

After magic enhancement, the second spell Lara learned was the magic bolt, which concentrated the magic power within her body into a point and released it from her fingertips.

Simple to operate, quick and convenient, and more importantly, the power of the magic bolt varied with the amount of magic power.

If a large amount of magic power was infused, the power of the magic bolt would become enormous.

If a small amount of magic power was infused, the power would also become small.

For example, Wang Bo's magic bolt could easily destroy Croft Manor, with power comparable to an intercontinental missile.

But Lara couldn't. Her magic power was weak, and the magic bolt she released had power similar to an ordinary bullet, easily killing a person. But it had a fatal flaw: it was too slow.

The magic bolt she released was far slower than a bullet and could be seen with the naked eye. If someone had quick reflexes, they might be able to dodge it.

But its advantage was surprise.

Besides the magic bolt, Lara also learned the opening spell, cleaning spell, restoration spell, and levitation spell.

These spells were very convenient and useful.

After learning these spells, Lara practiced them repeatedly, striving to master them proficiently.

Even after the group set off, Lara did not relax.

She piloted the boat toward the Yamatai Kingdom recorded in her father's notebook while studying magic. When her magic power was depleted, she began to meditate.

Repeating this process, her magic power doubled within just a few days.

It might sound exaggerated, but mainly because Lara's magic power was too weak, so enhancing it was very easy.

If expressed in numbers, Lara had increased her magic power from one to two.

It was just the first step on a long march.

Once she grew stronger, the growth of her magic power would slow down.

This was like Wang Bo, whose current magic power was at least one hundred thousand, or even more. On such a basis, doubling it was no easy task.

Relying solely on his own effort and training, it would take at least ten years to double his magic power.