Chapter 017: The Illuminati

After leaving the Dragon's Triangle, Lara was not happy.

Because it meant that Lara had no way to find her companions.

So after some repairs, Lara drove the boat and ventured into the Dragon's Triangle again, setting foot on the island of the Yamatai Kingdom, but this time the sea was calm and nothing happened.

Lara still found nothing.

However, Lara was not discouraged; instead, she became fixated on the Dragon's Triangle. Over the next month, she traversed the Dragon's Triangle almost every day, hoping to run into a storm and find her companions.

Finally, perseverance paid off. Yesterday, when Lara drove the boat to the Dragon's Triangle, she encountered a storm again, which made her burst into laughter.

When she passed through the storm and set foot on the island of the Yamatai Kingdom, she immediately noticed that it was different from last time.

Because there were traces of human habitation, which excited Lara. She felt she had returned to her original world and found the real Yamatai Kingdom that Wang Bo had mentioned.

And this Yamatai Kingdom had a very terrifying monster.

A Himiko who had not died for centuries, so Lara had to be careful. She did not plan to confront Himiko now, only wanted to find her companions and take them away safely.

But when Lara followed the traces and found her companions, she was shocked and even desperate to discover that her companions had been turned into Stormguard by Himiko and attacked her.

In the end, Lara killed a group of Stormguard and escaped.

To avenge her dead companions, Lara, hot-headed, rushed into the main hall without hesitation, determined to have a direct confrontation with Himiko.

However...

"And then you threw your life away." After listening to Lara's story, Wang Bo sighed and said slowly, "A long journey to deliver your head—the thought counts, Lara."

Lara: ...

"Do you like Himiko that much? So much that you would travel a thousand miles to offer her your head?"

"Can we stop arguing about this?" Lara blushed at Wang Bo's words. She admitted she had been impulsive just now. After all, watching her companions turned into Stormguard, losing their lives and becoming undead monsters, she simply couldn't suppress her anger.

That was why she had done such an irrational thing.

But now, she had calmed down.

Seeing Lara embarrassed, Wang Bo decided to let her off and changed the subject. "Anyway, I roughly understand what happened."

"What do you understand?" Lara asked curiously.

"I understand that what you think you think is not actually what you think."

"..." Lara couldn't help rubbing her temples, indicating she didn't understand at all. What did he mean by 'what I think I think is not what I think'?

"Can't you just say it clearly?" she complained.

"To put it plainly, you've traveled between worlds." Wang Bo said.

"Yes, I've traveled between worlds. I know."

"No, you don't." Wang Bo waved his hand.

Lara: "... What exactly are you trying to say, or what are you trying to remind me of?"

Wang Bo said with a smile, "Do you think you're still in your own world?"

"I..." Lara was about to say she was in her own world, but suddenly seemed to think of something, and her eyes widened as she looked at Wang Bo. "You mean I'm no longer in my own world."

"Exactly." Wang Bo said. "I just said, what you think you think is not what you think. You thought that when you first encountered the storm, you entered another world and saw the dead Himiko."

"But you were too naive. That time, you didn't travel. You were still in your own world. It wasn't you, Lara, who traveled, but the entire Yamatai Kingdom."

Wang Bo pointed to the ground beneath his feet and said slowly, "It was the Yamatai Kingdom of this world that traveled to your world, Lara, and the Yamatai Kingdom of your world traveled to this world."

Lara finally understood. "You mean I traveled the second time I encountered the storm."

"Exactly. You're the second person I've seen who has traveled twice. Go buy a lottery ticket when you get back; you might win the jackpot." Wang Bo teased.

"The second person? So there's someone else who traveled twice? Who?" Lara was curious.

"A woman codenamed Vermouth."

"A woman? Is she pretty?"

"Pretty enough, but why do you care? Don't tell me you're into girls?"

Lara: "... No, I definitely don't have such thoughts."

"Alright, alright, just kidding." Wang Bo said. "Of course I know you don't like women, except for Samantha."

Lara: "... Samantha and I are really just close friends. There's nothing between us. Please stop teasing me."

"Fine." Wang Bo nodded.

Lara quickly changed the subject. "You said I traveled. So I've come to another world. What world is this?"

"Tomb Raider." Wang Bo replied.

Lara had lost count of how many times she had been speechless. She said, "I remember you said Tomb Raider is my world."

"Exactly. Congratulations on arriving in a parallel world, Lara Croft!"

"Parallel world?" Lara was startled. She had never expected to come to a parallel world. "So there's another me in this world."

"Yes, a mature version of you. The eleventh Countess of the Croft family. Skilled in driving, combat, and firearms. She has made several world-shaking archaeological discoveries, recognized as a genius, hailed as an archaeological prodigy and treasure hunter. At the same time, she is the most charismatic and mysterious woman in this world."

Wang Bo did not stint on praise for this world's Lara, because it was indeed the truth.

Lara listened in amazement. "So this world's me is really... well, great." She thought for a moment and could only use that word to describe it.

Wang Bo nodded in agreement. "Yes, you could say that."

Lara asked a question she was very concerned about: "Is this world's father still alive?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Did he also commit suicide?" In Lara's memory, her father had committed suicide.

"No. This world's Lara Croft's father, Richard Croft, went missing in Cambodia when she was fifteen. He was killed by someone from the Illuminati." Wang Bo said.

"The Illuminati?" Lara had never heard of this organization.