Prehistoric Ruins

After seeing Bishop Simon off, Pias's smile vanished instantly.

Caesar III was not only a thorn in the side of the Church, but also a thorn in the side of the Northern Nobles. The reason this thorn had not been removed for so long was that it had become entangled with the flesh.

Few dare to even think about assassinating a regicide, let alone actually do it.

If it weren't for the fact that the Church had leverage over him, and the deep-seated feud between the Locknerd Family and the royal family, he would have reported it to the King immediately.

However, since the Church dared to plot in secret, the partners they sought out were naturally all those who had a grudge against Caesar III.

Even if they didn't want to participate, they would be happy to see Caesar III die.

Anyway, if you don't report it immediately, you'll just have to keep it to yourself later.

"Snort!"

After letting out a cold shout, Pias's lips curled into a mocking smile. His gaze towards Snow Moon Lake was filled with murderous intent.

This mistake, seemingly a deliberate scheme by Hudson, was actually fueled by the machinations of Caesar III.

In the previous battles, nobles throughout the kingdom suffered heavy losses, but the Five Great Families of the North retained their strength relatively intact.

Of the soldiers who successfully evacuated from the Northern Expeditionary Army, the Five Great Families directly accounted for half, which in effect broke the original balance of power.

The reason why the Northern Nobles seem to be able to suppress the Northern nobles is because the various factions are united. In reality, the Southern nobles are divided into several groups.

Even if an alliance were possible, Caesar III would not want to see it happen.

Having finally managed to break up the noble groups, how could we tolerate the pressure from the Northern Nobles causing the nobles in other parts of the kingdom to band together again?

Especially during this war, the Alpha Kingdom's territory expanded further north. If no action is taken to suppress it, the Northern Nobles will be the ones who benefit the most.

Hudson's move against the Locknerd Family was driven by both family feuds and the support of the domestic situation, with the backing of the King and a group of Southern Aristocrats.

The forces involved were too numerous, and Hudson held the position of head coach, so Duke Pias naturally couldn't retaliate.

However, the Northern Noble Faction still launched a silent counterattack, one of their measures being to conceal the matter of Snow Moon Lake.

It doesn't matter how many people are killed, as long as the losses are heavy, the Human Alliance will cover it. The key is to bring Hudson down.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, given Hudson's sound military strategy, he would never have been ousted from office.

Such an accident could only happen in the rear, since the Kingdom Army's only offensive mission was carried out mainly by the Northern Nobles, and they couldn't afford to betray their own people.

After writing a letter and having his trusted confidant seal it, Duke Pias instructed the captain of the guards nearby, "Paul, deliver this secret letter to Duke Cavadia!"

The news of the Church's plot to assassinate the king must not be leaked. Among the Northern Nobles, there are also internal conflicts of interest, and Duke Pias cannot guarantee that everyone is of one mind.

The most important task now is to capture Fengyue Port and gain enough merit for our side, so that we can take a big slice of the pie in the upcoming feast.

As for whether to risk cooperating with the Church, Duke Pias had no idea.

Everything depends on whether the plan goes smoothly. If they can oust Hudson and replace him with one of their own, the situation will be completely different.

Having seized the initiative and avoided subsequent political suppression, he no longer needed to resort to extreme measures.

The current delaying tactic stems from Pias's hidden hope that the Church will lose patience and seek alliances with other domestic powers to help remove Caesar III, this thorn in his side.

"My lord, there is a mysterious underground palace in the lake, filled with Altar, where a deity with a human head and a snake's body is enshrined."

Inside the underground palace, we discovered countless skeletons, suggesting a battle had taken place. However, there were signs of deliberate sabotage. Perhaps the terror of Snow Moon Lake stems from this mysterious palace!

Upon hearing this answer, Hudson was taken aback. There was actually a mysterious underground palace on the island in the lake? Then the previous theory about the volcanic lake was most likely false. Could the terror really originate from the underground palace?

The sudden appearance of the human-headed, snake-bodied deity puzzled Hudson, as he had no recollection of such a deity existing on the Aslant Continent.

Speaking of which, the best app for reading aloud and listening to books right now is Wildfruit Reading.

Install the latest version.

On the contrary, there are many similar deities in ancient myths and legends, which are found throughout the Eastern and Western mythological systems.

Hudson quickly calmed down; preconceived notions can be deadly. In his previous life, it was impossible to build an underground palace in a volcanic lake, but this was a transcendent world.

Preserving the underground palace within the crater isn't entirely impossible. Theoretically, simply setting up a Magic Array would be enough to seal the volcano's entrance.

The only problem is that the energy consumption may be relatively large, especially during a volcanic eruption, as it is not easy to push the lava back down.

However, volcanoes are rich in energy, and if this power can be utilized to maintain the long-term operation of the Magic Array, it is not impossible.

If the guess is correct, then the Beastfolk tribe's previous orcish fate can be explained.

The Magic Array is not omnipotent; its main purpose is to protect the underground palace. With the erosion of time and the natural movement of the earth's crust, it is normal for a few small gaps to appear nearby.

The large volcanic eruption was suppressed by the Magic Array. However, lava continued to spew from the lake through some smaller breaches, causing localized natural disasters.

Given a lack of understanding, it's understandable that the Beastfolk might mistake it for a curse or the work of Evil God.

The presence of fish in the lake makes it even easier to explain. On the Aslant Continent, creatures inhabit even the hot magma, let alone lakes with minimal water pollution.

Especially since this lake is a flowing lake, its natural purification ability is outstanding. Even if there are many harmful substances, they will quickly disappear under the amazing work of nature.

In an instant, Hudson had the idea to find out what was going on.

"Beldens, is there any danger in this lake?"

"Don't worry, I've personally checked. There isn't even a single magical beast here. If there were any danger, the people you sent out wouldn't come back!"

The Young Bear stretched and yawned.

"Are you sure it won't be dangerous for me to go there?"

Hudson asked uncertainly.

Whether something is dangerous or not is always relative.

Even if a fully Earth Bear falls into lava, it will only take a hot bath. At most, the water will be too hot and uncomfortable.

It wasn't dangerous for Beldens, but if it were Hudson, they would probably be reduced to ashes in an instant.

Even if he erects a magical shield, it will only allow him to hold on for a few more seconds, so he can see how he gradually walks towards death.

"Be careful, nothing should happen. It seems there are a few evil beings sealed inside, but they've all become energy entities and can't get out."

Even if they manage to break free by sheer luck, they'll be even more unlucky if they run into you!

Hearing Beldens' words, Hudson instantly understood. An energy being that had lost its physical body was just giving him free experience points, wasn't it?

The Compass within the body is a major energy devourer. No matter what kind of Evil God it is, it's all food for the Compass.

Along the way, all the magic crystals Magic Core captured by the army were put into the Compass.

Despite absorbing countless amounts of energy, the Compass space remained empty, as if it could never be filled.

The Evil God that terrify the outside world are a great tonic for Hudson, provided that they do not descend in their true forms.

"Let's go take a look!"

As he spoke, Hudson yanked Beldens off his shoulder. Mounts are for crucial moments like this; riding a bear is safer than crossing by boat.

"Fly slower!"

The sound of the magic shield rubbing against the air resistance was like thunder, which startled Hudson and made him hurriedly ask the Young Bear to slow down.

This is the most unscientific aspect of the Aslant Continent. Powerful magical beasts are almost unaffected by air resistance, but humans, or rather, ordinary people, are not.

Hudson couldn't figure out exactly what was going on. Even after searching through all the books in his collection, he couldn't find a definitive answer and could only attribute it to the privilege of the strong.

Or, to put it another way, when a person's strength reaches a certain level, it will naturally develop an ability that can significantly reduce the impact of air resistance.

"We've arrived!"

Upon hearing Beldens' reminder, Hudson slowly opened his eyes and looked around at the unfamiliar island in the lake.

The island is extremely small, with the portion above water only about the size of two football fields, making it completely unsuitable for human habitation.

Apart from a few ancient trees standing tall, the ground on the island is completely bare, as if it had been deliberately treated.

With such a small area, it's no wonder that the entrance to the underground palace could be easily discovered; it was clearly exposed to the outside world.

Upon setting foot on the island, Hudson immediately sensed something unusual. He could vaguely feel the presence of barriers emanating from several ancient trees.

With a heart full of trepidation, Hudson slowly stepped into the underground palace. He felt a unique pressure, and could only exert one or two parts of his full strength at most.

Deep inside, a voice kept telling him: Don't make a move here! Don't make a move here...

No reminder needed; with his strength suppressed so severely, he wouldn't dare to make a move in such a strange place, even if he had the guts.

Perhaps this is why the underground palace was able to survive. After all, the strong value their lives and always keep their distance from such unknown and mysterious places.

As Hudson continued forward through the tunnel, one Altar after another appeared before him, and the surrounding walls were covered with murals. The most eye-catching of all was the statue of a human-headed serpent.

Hudson felt as if he had seen the statue somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

Looking at the murals on the surrounding walls, it seemed to be telling the story of this war, except that the protagonists of the war were not humans, but legendary giants, Dragon Race, Demons, angels, monsters, and the Undead...

I searched through all the historical records in my mind but couldn't find any similar records of this war.

With so little information at his disposal, based solely on the content of the murals, Hudson had no idea what was being recorded.

There were inscriptions around the murals, but unfortunately Hudson's knowledge was limited, and he didn't recognize these winding hieroglyphs at all.

"Beldens, have you preserved these writings?"

Hudson asked with concern.

Compared to the brief history of humankind's rise to power, the period during which monsters dominated the continent was much longer. Before the rise of other races, the earliest inhabitants of the continent were monsters.

When it comes to the oldest races, the Earth Bear are definitely one of them. Unfortunately, this race has immense power but no desire to conquer the continent, and they are not even proactive in creating bears.

If one's desire to reproduce is strong enough, no matter how difficult childbirth may be, one can still become the second Dragon Race.

"This is Prehistoric Script! It seems to describe the end of an era when Demons and angels invaded the continent, and various races united to resist them."

But aren't Demons and angels mortal enemies? How could they possibly unite?

And this war isn't even in my inherited memories, is it?

The picture clearly shows the Earth Bear participating in the battle. If our ancestors had been involved, they would definitely have recorded this information!

Beldens exclaimed.

This really refreshes my understanding of bear life!

Is it possible that in ancient times, Demons and angels were not enemies, but only became mortal enemies because of something that happened later?

The weathered appearance of the murals confirms that this underground palace has existed for countless years. The fact that the Magic Array protecting the palace is still functioning suggests that the owner of this place was no ordinary person.

There's no need for such an important person to fabricate a story to fool us younger generations.

These are all things from a previous era, and whether the content is true or false, it no longer matters.

As for your inherited memories, that's even simpler. Either they were erased, or all the Earth Bear who participated in the war died on the battlefield.

Think carefully, do you recall any ancient war in your inherited memories, or any specific details recorded there?

Hudson immediately filled in the blanks in his mind.

Fortunately, he wasn't a native, otherwise he would definitely have been horrified by the content of the murals.

"It seems there was indeed a war, but it was a long time ago."

It seems that in that era, there was no human race on the continent yet. Even the Lord of Dawn and the Beast God had not yet risen to power.

Unfortunately, these memories are very few, just a brief mention, probably because some of them were cut off by our ancestors.

After all, the capacity of our inherited memories is limited; to add content, we must inevitably delete some unnecessary things.

Beldens said uncertainly.

Looking at the bear's eyes in the misty lake, Hudson couldn't help but laugh. Is the capacity for inherited memories limited?

This sounds correct, but in reality, the inherited memories of the Earth Bear clan are far from reaching the limit of their brain capacity.

During our last chat, Beldens boasted that once he became the Bear King, he would include the history of the bear in his legacy.

To leave behind lasting memories, the minimum requirement is to be Bear King. This is also why many of Beldens' common-sense practices have lagged behind.

After all, the number of Earth Bear is extremely small, and the probability of Bear King being born is really low.

Even the growth process of a bear can be artistically processed and included in the memory of its heritage for future bears to admire and learn from. Why bother to delete the ancient traditions?

You should know that these ancient secrets are not very useful in normal times, but once they come in handy, they can save a bear's life.

Something must have happened behind the scenes that caused the Earth Bear to abandon this part of their inherited memories; or perhaps an external force intervened and forcibly erased this part of the Earth Bear's memories.

History has become a memory. The Aslant Continent is no longer the one where gods could roam freely. The rules of the world have changed, and it can no longer accommodate those super-powerful beings.

Filled with doubt, Hudson approached the statue, where a seductive voice whispered in his ear, "Smash this statue, and I will grant you unparalleled power to help you dominate the world!"

He sounds like a major villain, but he acts like he's easy to fool. Hudson just rolled his eyes.

It also "grants unparalleled power to dominate the world." If it really had that ability, it could have just come out from under the statue. Why make it so complicated?

"Who are you? Who sealed you here?"

Hudson feigned interest and asked.

As he spoke, he didn't forget to suppress the Compass stirring within his body. Opportunities to glimpse ancient secrets are rare; it wouldn't be too late to probe a few questions first before letting the Compass devour him.

"It's all those damned Devils who used despicable means, paying the price of mutual destruction, to seal me here."

My child, if you release me, my great Lord of Light will crown you as the King of the World!

Once you shatter this statue, the whole world is yours. All things in this world are born for you, and die for you!

Go ahead and do it, child!

Only..."

Before the Lord of Light could finish speaking, Hudson replied, "Yes, please wait a moment!"

The Compass, which had been suppressed, was suddenly released from its restraints, and a tremendous force of attraction rushed straight toward the Lord of Light.

"No..."

The Lord of Light, who had uttered only a single word with an arrogant tone, transformed into a ball of pure energy.

Seeing this, Hudson smiled slightly. Perhaps being sealed away for too long had damaged his brain; even his fabricated lies weren't professional enough.

The idea that Devils would pay the price of their lives to seal away the light is utter nonsense.

There are so many Devils hiding on the continent, but Hudson has never heard of any Devils willing to sacrifice its life to destroy the light.

On the contrary, the powerful figures of various races sacrificed themselves one after another in order to seal away the Devils.

He originally wanted to ask a few more questions, but considering the Evil God's lies, even if he got some useful information, he wouldn't dare believe it was true.

Anyway, it all happened countless years ago, so whether he knows it or not won't affect him much. He might as well deal with the Evil God first.

This is the era of the Lord of Dawn. Even if he truly is the Lord of Light, he will be treated as Evil God.

Looking at the increasing energy bar on the Compass, Hudson secretly sighed: This trip was worthwhile! Thanks to the selfless dedication of this "Lord of Light," it's almost catching up with all the gains he made in this war.

Just as he was about to leave, a phantom suddenly appeared on the statue and spoke, scaring Hudson half to death.

"You've finally arrived!"