Chapter 192: Facing Death as if it Were Life
Chapter 192: Facing Death as if it Were Life (Please subscribe, favorite, and recommend)
In the devastated hall, Liam listened to the soul before him finish their story and asked, "Can you tell me what lies behind this door?"
"It's the palace where the Sorcerer King once resided. Everything inside was prepared for his immortality", a younger-looking Witchsoul from the back row said. "The Sorcerer King inside is my father. I once overheard him speaking to himself in the palace, and after he discovered me, I was turned into a Corpse Cocoon."
It seemed there would be no more traps ahead. This thought lifted Liam's spirits, and he asked the souls before him, "What are your plans now?"
The souls huddled together and whispered for a moment. Then, the soul who had earlier claimed to be the Sorcerer King's daughter stepped forward and bowed to Liam. "The Sorcerer King was great, but after his quest for immortality, he was no longer himself. We hope you can take us inside to send him to where he belongs. This way, we can also fulfill our own wishes and continue on the path of death."
Once again, Liam signed a pact with death itself, and a group of temporary guests moved into his Mind Sea.
Looking at the wreckage on the ground, Liam finally understood why such a powerful civilization had vanished without a trace. Creating a Corpse Cocoon was not always successful; the 30 or so Corpse Cocoons he saw represented at least 300 Wizards who had died in the process.
In the Wizarding World, the stronger something was, the lower its creation success rate. In Liam's Life Magic lineage, the success rate for creating a Corpse Warrior with a shelf life of no more than six months was barely over 80%. For a magic that could last a thousand years, the success rate would be even lower.
Even if, as the Wizardsouls had claimed, the Sorcerer King had already mastered the secrets of life and death, the success rate for creating Corpse Cocoons would not have exceeded 10%.
Considering the complex writing system of this civilization, which greatly hindered the spread of knowledge, the number of Wizards might have been lower than in other civilizations (illiterates could never reach the level of a normal Wizard). The Wizards the Sorcerer King had killed to create the Corpse Cocoons were likely most of the Wizards in his domain. Add to that the people involved in constructing the Temple outside, and it was probable that everyone with knowledge in this civilization had died here.
A civilization that lost its knowledge bearers and leaders would quickly fall into chaos due to the land's inability to support a large population, leading to civil war or mass exodus. In the end, they would revert to barbarism. It was likely that the smaller city-states and Pyramid Temples in Central America were built by people who had fled from here. However, without sufficient magic and knowledge, they could only form simplified versions of civilization.
No wonder the Sorcerer King's daughter said he was no longer himself. To achieve immortality, he had destroyed the very civilization he had built. This was not something a normal human could do.
After reflecting on the fall of a great civilization, Liam began searching the charred remains on the ground for loot. Each Wizard had carried various magical artifacts before being sealed into the statues, but unfortunately, time and the recent lightning storm had left only a few items intact.
However, anything that survived both the passage of time and the lightning storm was surely valuable. In the end, Liam found an obsidian ceremonial dagger, a meteorite amulet, and a jade tablet with a gold border. After consulting the Wizardsouls in his Mind Sea, their owners explained the uses of these magical artifacts to Liam.
Thus, Liam gained a dagger that could be used in magical rituals to target spirit bodies, an amulet that could protect against a single instant-death attack, and a Philosopher's Stone version of corpse manipulation and corpse transformation techniques.
Finally, Liam used Flame to burn the mummy to ashes. He then took out several empty bottles to collect the ashes and chose a good spot in the hall to bury them by prying up the floor tiles. After all, their souls had provided him with a lot of help, and it wouldn't be right to leave them here. So Liam took the time to help them rest in peace. As for the Blood Pool, there was nothing he could do about it at the moment; he would have to ask someone to handle it later.
After cleaning up the battlefield, Liam returned to where he had left Hermione. When he found her, she was sitting against a pillar, her hands folded on her knees, praying for Liam.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, immediately standing up when she saw Liam, who was covered in soot.
"I'm fine, just got a bit dusty while looting the body", Liam replied. He then handed her the meteorite amulet. "This can protect you from a one-hit kill. You should keep it on you. It's dangerous here, and having this will make me feel better."
Hermione nodded and put the amulet on. Then, the two of them approached the wooden door.
Following the guidance of the souls in his mind, Liam checked the door and pushed it open. The moment the door opened, he was stunned. Standing before him was a warrior clad in golden armor, holding an obsidian spear. Liam could even see the intricate tattoos on his face.
Instinctively, both Liam and Hermione raised their hands to cast spells, especially Liam, who felt incredibly tense. In life magic, there was a strict rule: the more powerful a death creature, the less different it was from when it was alive. The thought of how formidable this warrior must have been, given how lifelike he appeared, made Liam nervous.
But as they moved their arms, a gust of wind seemed to pass, and the warrior quickly turned to dust. His golden equipment clattered to the ground, scattering everywhere.
Liam approached and examined the warrior closely, realizing that he had been dead for a long time. The sealed environment of the temple had preserved him under the protection of magic. However, once they opened the door, the sealed environment was broken, and he naturally turned to dust.
So it was like that. Whether it was the pigments on the Terracotta Warriors or the lotus leaves in the Mawangdui Tomb, rapid weathering after a change in environment was a common phenomenon in archaeology. Even in the Wizarding World, many of the principles were the same.
After understanding the cause, they skirted around the pile of golden armor and continued forward. At this point, Liam was certain they were in another dimension within the temple. Beyond the door lay a complete temple, with a golden magic sphere in the sky emitting light like a sun.
Time seemed to have frozen. A soldier stood guard at every pillar, and maidservants were scattered throughout the courtyard. In the center of the courtyard, elaborately dressed priests appeared to be about to enter the golden temple to pay homage to their deity. Everything looked just as it had when the Sorcerer King was alive.
However, all organic matter was visibly deteriorating. By the time Liam and Hermione reached the golden pyramid temple, everything had disappeared, leaving only piles of ashes and scattered stones and golden artifacts.
"Do you want to stay here?" Liam asked Hermione. "The temple above is probably the most dangerous place."
"I think if anything inside can defeat you, no place in this pyramid will be safe. Besides, I'm not a burden. I might be able to help you up there", Hermione said firmly after some thought.
"Alright, let's go up together then." The two of them climbed the stairs toward the building at the top of the pyramid.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
