The iron-black coffin, covered with strange patterns, sat quietly in the center, and there seemed to be subtle fluctuations in the air.
Emlyn White stood in the corner, following the normal ritual procedure, lighting candles and dripping essential oils and corresponding herbal powders.
A hazy, ethereal atmosphere spread out. Emlyn recalled the requirements of " Artificial Sleepwalking," lowered his head, began to Cogitation, and repeatedly chanted the honorific name of " The Fool."
" The Fool That Doesn't Belong to This Era ";
" The Mysterious Ruler Above the Gray Fog "
" The King of Yellow and Black, who holds the key to good fortune."
Amidst the monotonous, rhythmic sounds, Emlyn gradually entered a wondrous state, his body relaxed and introspective, as if asleep, yet his Spirituality was lively and light, constantly spreading outwards.
At that moment, he began to feel as if he were constantly drifting upwards.
Inside the ancient palace above the Gray Fog, Klein sat at the head of the long bronze table, tapping his fingers lightly as he watched the swirling light curtains around him, expressionlessly observing the figures of those making their supplications.
Although it was blurry, Klein recognized the person at a glance as the Vampire Emlyn White.
"Quite courageous, actually putting in the effort to buy Puppet..." Klein sighed, offering no response.
He had previously tried to Divination the purpose of the Sanguine but failed to gain any effective insights. The only thing he was certain of was that it had nothing to do with the Aurora Order.
This piqued Klein's curiosity, but he wouldn't risk responding to Emlyn White with a high-ranking Sanguine lurking nearby.
He didn't know if the other party could leave any traces, like the " Blasphemer " Amon, who was dangerous enough to reach the mysterious space above the Gray Fog. He also didn't want to confirm it, since Amon at that time was just an avatar, while the current high-ranking Sanguine was most likely the real body.
There's no need to take risks over trivial matters, even if you desperately want to understand the Sanguine' true purpose... Besides, there are other ways... Klein looked at Emlyn White in his " Artificial Sleepwalking " state and chuckled to himself:
"I can delay the response..."
He planned to wait until tomorrow or the day after, until Emlyn White left his protection, until the Sanguine gave up on the matter, before suddenly responding!
However, this is on the premise that the level of risk must first be confirmed through Divination.
" The Tail Devourer... just like that river?" Derrick Berg immediately made the connection.
Colin Firth, the " Demon Hunter," nodded solemnly:
"Yes.
This means we may have stepped into a river from which there is no way out, a river that flows continuously from one end to the other.
"Fortunately, this should only be some power left behind by that Angel of Fate; He didn't hide here."
No, not just possibly, but definitely, and it's been going on for a long time... Derrick responded in his mind.
At this moment, Colin took out a small, dark red metal tube, unscrewed the cap, and gulped it down.
His light blue eyes quickly faded, turning silver, and finally, his eyes even straightened up, reflecting the image of the little boy Jack.
A spark of silver light ignited in his eyes, sometimes swirling, sometimes colliding, with extraordinary intensity.
Clang!
" The Demon Hunter " Colin first plunged his longsword into the ground, then pulled out another straight sword with his other hand and coated it with a golden, sun-kissed oil.
Upon noticing this action, the little boy Jack's expression changed instantly, as if shrouded in a deep shadow.
Before he could open his mouth, " Demon Hunter " Colin moved, drawing his longsword from the ground and leaving a blurry silhouette in place.
The golden and silvery light shone brightly, illuminating the entire underground hall, with the most intense light shining in front of the little boy Jack.
After a piercing scream, darkness once again enveloped the altar.
The little boy Jack stood still, without moving an inch, but the human face on his chest and abdomen was gone, leaving only an empty hole where he could see the writhing internal organs.
A few meters to Jack's side, " Demon Hunter " Colin crouched on the ground, his twin swords hanging diagonally.
In front of him, the human face was shattered into fragments, reduced to scattered eyes, nose, and mouth.
These organs convulsed and twitched as if Electric Shock, then quickly came to a standstill and began to decompose rapidly, just as they were meant to be.
In an instant, Derrick felt an invisible, water-wall-like barrier appear around him, which then silently shattered.
Almost simultaneously, he seemed to leave the turbulent river and return to the shore.
Looking at the gloomy underground hall, the upside-down statues, and the little boy Jack whose face was contorted in pain and who had suddenly Distortion, Derrick felt a surge of joy and breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew that he and his companions had finally escaped their repetitive lives.
Derrick knew very well that although the final solution seemed simple, without prior knowledge of the problem or any hints, it might take dozens or even hundreds of attempts to find a clue and a solution.
In this process, the slightest carelessness or negligence could lead to death, and Derrick could not know whether the lost lives would come back to life, or whether they would still "resurrect" at the campfire, only to die after completely escaping their predicament.
Even more seriously, people tend to repeat the same choices. In other words, if they don't notice the problem the first time, without the corresponding memory and experience, they probably won't notice anything unusual even the hundredth or thousandth time. They are completely lost in the cycle until the normal passage of time in the outside world reaches the end of their lives.
The thought of such a possibility filled Derrick with heartfelt gratitude to Mr. The Fool for restoring his memory and offering the hint.
Looking to the side, he saw Joshua and the other members of the exploration team checking the surrounding area without any unusual reaction, as if the previous six explorations had never happened.
Perhaps only by returning to City of Silver could they realize, from the discrepancy in the dates, that they had lost a part of their lives... Derrick thought silently.
At this moment, " Demon Hunter " Colin stood up, walked back to the little boy Jack, took out another small metal bottle, and poured the black, viscous liquid inside onto the boy's empty chest and abdomen.
The liquid quickly solidified into a translucent film, adhered to the wound, and stopped the bleeding.
" Heim, Joshua, you two are responsible for taking him along," Colin ordered in a deep voice, suppressing his inner turmoil.
In his eyes, this was City of Silver's hope to break free from the curse and overcome the Apocalypse prophecy!
Whew... Derrick wanted to thank Mr. The Fool discreetly, but found there was no corresponding prayer gesture.
Inside the Earl Hall's luxurious villa in Queens Borough.
The sumptuous dinner gleamed enticingly under the glow of numerous candles.
Contrary to what newspapers and magazines might imagine, dinners in aristocratic families are not formal and do not require silence.
This is a rare occasion for family members to gather together. They eat while casually chatting about various light topics, exchanging feelings and strengthening their bonds.
Audrey cut a piece of steak from her own ranch, observed Earl Hall's expression, and asked without hiding her curiosity:
"Dad, has something happened to Prince Edessak lately?"
Her plan was, if not, to pretend she had heard some unfounded rumors that she wouldn't have to take responsibility for, which was not uncommon in aristocratic circles.
Earl Hall paused, his knife and fork stilled, and raised an eyebrow, saying:
What did you hear?
As expected! Audrey, sensing the information her father wanted from his reaction, responded with a slight smile:
"Some rumors seem to be true?"
Earl Hall rubbed his temples and said:
It's not a serious matter.
" Audrey, I know what you're thinking, so there's no need to hide it from you. This involves a fairly ordinary royal scandal. Simply put, Prince Edessak has fallen for a commoner."
"This led to the death of a nobleman's descendant, and the royal family suppressed the news, not wanting it to have too much of an impact."
The Countess took a sip of champagne and said:
"It seems he's not mature enough."
Mother's criticism was quite tactful... It does sound suspicious indeed... Is Prince Edessak really involved in a dangerous affair and will bring about negative changes to Backlund? Audrey feigned realization and smiled:
"This puzzles me. Why would a story about Liberty and Love involve the death of a nobleman's descendant?"
Hibbert Hall, engrossed in slicing the tender pork chop, guessed with great interest:
"This reminds me of those complicated love stories; among the followers of the Lord of Storms, dueling for honor for a lady is a common occurrence."
"That's a tradition that's been put into museums," Earl Hall said, dismissing his eldest son's claim.
Audrey seized the opportunity and said carefully:
"The Prince Edessak I know isn't like that, and rumors are already circulating... Perhaps what they're really trying to cover up isn't this."
"Perhaps not..." Earl Hall pondered the words, his brow furrowing slightly.
Audrey stopped there, saying no more, and naturally steered the conversation in another direction.
She then planned to "inquire" with other noble friends. As a girl who had once been pursued by Prince Edessak, wanting to know the details was a perfectly normal reaction. Whether it was curiosity or resentment, it could drive a person to make such an attempt.
The " Artificial Sleepwalking " state couldn't last long Emlyn White returned to reality, slightly weary, opened his eyes, looked at the iron-black coffin, and spoke with a mixture of relief and disappointment:
"Lord Nibes, there is no response."
Nibes remained silent for a long while before speaking in a rather hoarse voice:
"OK.
"You'll stay here tonight, just in case."
"Okay!" Emlyn didn't try to be brave at all.
He spent the night in worry and anxiety, but the night was so peaceful and uneventful that it quietly faded away only when the rare winter sunlight of Backlund shone through the window.
"What a terrible day." Emlyn left the Odora family villa, pulled his top hat down low, and muttered as he boarded a taxi.
His destination was the Harvest Church in the Bridge South Borough.
After the carriage had been traveling smoothly for a while, Emlyn's vision suddenly blurred, and he saw an endless expanse of gray-white mist.
Then, to his astonishment, he found himself in a mysterious and magnificent palace of Giant, sitting at a mottled, ancient bronze table.
At the very head of the long table, a figure shrouded in thick Gray Fog looked down at him.