Chapter 456
"Don't worry about that. We have special Bone Artifact for passage. As long as you carry them with you, you won't be detected as a target and can pass through the Magic Array at will."
Salus seemed thoughtful, and continued to press for answers:
"I have one last question: what does it look like Outside the Starry Sky? Could you give me a general description?"
Given that the Confessors was not involved in Plan B, Emongard did not provide a detailed description:
"My meager words are truly insufficient to describe its vastness; you should go and see for yourself if you have the chance."
Finally, she looked at Theresis and proposed an additional plan to the original scheme:
"Also, if you're worried that the target will come back on its own after you teleport it away, it's best to send the target Outside the Starry Sky. Just destroy the Magic Array connecting the two sides, and it will have no way to return."
This would achieve a permanent solution, but it would render 'that thing' unusable. Your His Highness will decide which solution to adopt."
Salus didn't know what she meant by "that thing," and guessed that he was not of a position to access it. So he wisely chose to keep quiet and not pursue the matter further to avoid displeasing the Regent.
Given the failure of the plan to lure the various Duke with airships, Theresis was forced to activate the backup plan.
The 'thing' Emongard mentioned is the core of the backup plan— the Great Beast Skeleton.
Although those Great Beasts are dead, various powerful forces can be extracted from their skeletons. These forces are very useful for amplifying oneself or enhancing one's attributes.
Due to the stringent conditions required to preserve the Great Beast Skeleton, they can currently only be stored Outside the Starry Sky.
The Blood Demon Great Lord, who was in charge of overseeing the plan, has already benefited from it. He has used his bloodline to train a formidable army that can repel or borrow the power of Great Beast, significantly enhancing their physical abilities.
If this special unit could be deployed to the battlefield, it might have a surprising effect.
Theresis had originally considered entrusting this plan to the Scavengers. However, he had been missing for several days and was suspected of being dead, leaving only the Blood Demon Great Lord among the remaining leaders who could handle the task.
As for the lich in the Ten Royal Courts, although he provided Theresis with Magic Array for free, he never swore allegiance.
The relationship between the two parties is more like that of partners than a subordinate relationship like that of a ruler and his subjects.
The Lich King is a man who values his life, or rather, is extremely afraid of death. Currently, apart from opening the Teleportation Array between the two planets, he doesn't care about anything else.
Even the Sarkaz Military Committee did not participate, leaving the Messenger Emongard.
Theresis pondered for a long time, then shook her head:
"Inappropriate."
If we follow the Lich Messenger's suggestion and lure Zhongli Outside the Starry Sky, doing so would be tantamount to abandoning all the Great Beast Skeleton existing there.
Sarkaz's strength on paper is already inferior to that of the various Duke. Losing such a major ally would be more than just a matter of inflicting heavy losses on both sides. Unless it's a critical moment, it shouldn't be considered the first choice.
"In that case, you should try to move Zhongli to a place several thousand kilometers away. Even if he can find a way back, it will take more than half a month."
By then, we will have successfully defeated the Joint General Attack of the various Duke. Then, banishing Zhongli to the Outside the Starry Sky will minimize our losses."
Emongard shrugged, seemingly indifferent. After all, she was only responsible for setting up the Magic Array; she couldn't possibly be tasked with luring the enemy in.
"Yes, Your His Highness. Where would you like me to set up the Teleportation Array?"
"Bring me the map."
Salus was the lowest-ranking person present, and upon hearing this, he took the initiative to go out and find a map of Londinium.
While waiting, Emongard seemed to receive some kind of summons, and took out the Crystal Ball to caress it.
After a long while, she spoke and reported:
"To support Your His Highness's work, the clan chief has prepared a surprise. Once the target is trapped in the Teleportation Array, some special effects will be forcibly triggered."
June 25, 2:05 pm
Shi Lei and his group, including the Doctor, originally planned to depart at 1 p. m. to venture deeper into the Central City District. However, news brought by the Self-Rescue Army disrupted their plans.
The Self-Rescue Army said they received a phone call after dinner from someone claiming to be Dephine, the Daughter of Duke Windermere. She said she was under attack and needed Doctor Zhongli's help. The call abruptly ended without specifying her location.
If Shi Lei hadn't known, that would have been fine, but now that he did, he certainly wouldn't have stood idly by. He broke away from the group and flew low out of the city to search for the high-speed warships.
The group's departure plan was therefore delayed.
Fortunately, both Dephine and Duke Windermere were safe and sound, with no danger to their lives. After finding the warship, Shi Lei activated his Mental Scan to confirm their safety before leaving without deliberately showing himself to cause trouble.
By the time he returned to the Self-Rescue Army camp, it was already past 2 PM. During this time, Kal'tsit took Ascalon and Misery away, saying she had important matters to attend to, leaving Logos behind to protect the Doctor. Horn and hostage Manfred were also taken away.
After bidding farewell to the members of the Self-Rescue Army and the Glass Gang, the number of people in the group dropped sharply. Rhodes Island had only three people left, while Liyue City had as many as eight.
Shi Lei left Shining and Nightingale behind to take care of the unconscious Steam Knight pilot. With them by the side of the Self-Rescue Army, they could be there to help if they encountered danger.
He gave the two women Rock Necklace and Writing Tablet, telling them he would come back to pick them up during the evacuation. If they encountered any problems they couldn't solve, they could use the Writing Tablet to contact him.
Once everything was arranged, the team set off immediately.
The group passed through the Norbert District and returned to the Oktriug District of the Central City District.
Unlike when I left, this place is now shrouded in a thick fog, enveloping all the buildings.
They seemed to be in a concrete jungle, groping their way forward in an environment with extremely low visibility.
"The Doctor, please be careful."
The environment here made Logos very uneasy.
He looked around, remaining vigilant. He had a vague premonition that something bad was about to happen.
"Um?"
One second the Logos were in the Central Urban Area, and the next they were suddenly in a winding river valley.
The icy water flowed over my feet, a cool sensation seeping into the skin around my ankles.
There were chirping birds on both sides of the river, making the scene before my eyes feel just like reality.
Logos frowned; he felt it all was too real, not like a typical illusion.
Moreover, this place seems somewhat familiar, but for a moment, I can't quite place where I've seen it before.
"Gurgle~"
A clear, ethereal Bone Whistle sounded, like an archaeological post abandoned in QQ Space many years ago. A torrent of memories suddenly surged forth, making Logos realize something.
This is the valley where he used to bathe as a child.
I was quite young then, and I often practiced my Bone Whistle by the river valley. Occasionally, I would sit in the grass, lost in thought, quietly observing how small insects were caught and eaten by larger ones.
This illusion did not arise out of thin air, but was generated based on the memories in my mind. The scenery before me is real because it all truly existed in the past.
Logos had never heard of such an ability, nor did he know how to break free from the illusion. He tried to use Originium Arts, but to no avail.
Logos found himself in this environment after entering the Central City District. It's obvious that the Sarkaz were behind it, perhaps a branch of the Sarkaz, using ancient and powerful illusion magic.
But in the blink of an eye, the surrounding scenery changed again.
This is the little hill where Logos used to hang out as a child; the setting sun would bathe it in a warm twilight.
A very charming middle-aged Banshee walked out from the sheltered side of the hillside, a kind and friendly smile on her face:
"Oh, you're finally back. Come on. I've cooked some of your favorite dishes."
Logos' pupils dilated sharply, and he briefly lost focus.
"Mother?!"
The Doctor followed Amiya silently through the fog-shrouded streets. Visibility was less than three meters, making it impossible to see anything in the distance.
He blinked, and the next second he found himself in a completely unfamiliar room.
The Doctor was startled by what he saw and, without having time to assess his surroundings, immediately shouted for help:
"Amiya! Doctor Zhongli!"
Receiving no response, he began to panic. He propped himself up on the edge of the bed and quickly scanned the room.
Soon, in the northwest corner, a middle-aged woman was seen pouring coffee.
Like the Doctor and Doctor Zhongli, the other person did not have any obvious racial features on their head.
She had brown hair, purple eyes, and wore a white shirt, a black and purple skirt, and black and purple stockings. Her slender feet wore silver high heels, and there was a crossed anklet on her left ankle.
"The Doctor, who are you calling?"
The woman walked over with a smile and sat on the edge of the bed next to the Doctor. The coffee cup in her hand was steaming, looking extremely real rather than an illusion.
"I know all the Doctor here, and none of them are named Zhongli. Also, Amiya sounds like a woman's name. Could she be the woman you have a crush on?"
The Doctor looked bewildered, observing the woman's flirtatious gaze, as if they had a close relationship.
"Who... who are you?"
The woman was slightly angry upon hearing this.
"What, you don't even recognize me?"
She gave him a questioning look, then put down her coffee cup. She reached out her left hand and gently touched the Doctor's forehead, as if to check if he had a fever.
As the two drew closer, the Doctor noticed the name tag on the other person's left chest.
Priestess?
Who is this?
The woman withdrew her hand, looking at him with a strange expression:
"Hey, that's strange. There's nothing wrong, so why don't you recognize me?"
The Doctor's lips twitched, unsure how to respond.
Only then did he realize that the hood that had given him a sense of security was gone. He gripped the edge of the bed tightly in alarm, and surprisingly, he could feel the hood in his hand.
"Excuse me, where is this place?"
"Your home, of course. Where else could it be?"
"My home?!"
"The Doctor, are you trying to gain my sympathy by feigning amnesia so I'll stay the night?"
Although Priestess verbally expressed his disdain, his body moved closer and took the Doctor's hand:
"Such a trick is far too naive."
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Chapter 532 Yellow Millet Dream (4K)
Because of its large size, Broca walks slower than the others, so it stays at the back of the group.
This is perfect for covering everyone's Rearguard; we can confidently leave the front to Lord Shi Lei.
When Broca evacuated the Oktriug District last time, there wasn't this much fog. This time it was so thick that you couldn't even see the road, which seemed very unusual.
But since we're already here, we can't just turn back. We can only keep moving forward and deal with any ambushes that come our way.
In his memory, there was a Rhodes Island cadre codenamed "Crownslayer" who possessed the ability to create dense fog.
Could it be that she has sided with Theresis?
During the Rhodes Island, Broca wasn't close to the other executives. He only heard from his subordinates that the Crownslayer was Syracuse Lupo. Later, he left his hometown after contracting Originium-related illness and went north to Ursus to join Talulah's founding team.
However, since the Chernobyl incident in early 1096, there has been no further news of Crownslayer.
Even after Talulah escaped from Lungmen and reorganized the Rhodes Island, there was still no news of her joining; it was as if she had vanished into thin air.
Perhaps they found a remote place and lived a life isolated from the world. Or perhaps they suffered from Originium-related illness and died silently in some desolate wilderness.
This is the fate of those infected.
If you try to survive in Mobile Cities, you'll suffer discrimination and unfair treatment. If you try to stay away from Mobile Cities and hide, you'll basically be living day by day.
There are no natural Originium inhibitor in the wild, and losing access to medication is no different from waiting to die.
Not all infected individuals are lucky enough to encounter Lord Shi Lei. On this land, only he can significantly alleviate the effects of Originium-related illness.
Although Lord Shi Lei clearly stated that infected organs that have become diseased cannot be restored, as long as the remaining Originium Particles in the blood can be completely removed, the pain caused by Originium-related illness can be reduced by more than 90%.
Those infected should know the pain of those tiny Originium particles repeatedly rubbing against their blood vessels.
It feels like countless ants are crawling inside my body, and no matter how much I scratch, I can't stop them. Once you've experienced this kind of torment, you'll never want to go through it again.