Chapter 198: Bowen
Chapter 198: Bowen
Training Room.
"The Queen Worm is one of the few intelligent creatures in this world, aside from humans, and that's the key to taming it," Ubii said, stroking the plump Queen Worm.
"Intelligence makes us aware that we are human, with complex emotions, but it also attracts abominations," Ubii continued in a soft voice.
"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
"Uncle Ubii," Lulu blinked, looking up.
"Why would an abomination spare an intelligent Meatworm?"
"It's not a Meatworm, it's a Queen Worm. Only the Queen Worm in a Nest possesses a certain level of intelligence," Ubii corrected her.
"The Queen Worm's intelligence is very low, so low that it's almost imperceptible. Plus, the special material of the Nest helps them avoid detection by abominations."
"But it's still not safe. If they get too close, abominations can still discover the Queen Worms. That's why they are extremely rare."
"You're lucky to have found one."
Lulu smiled, feeling grateful to know John. In this environment, it was rare to find someone with his personality.
"Remember this!" Ubii's voice turned serious. "Use your emotions to influence it, and let the Queen Worm accept you. Don't let thoughts of exploitation cloud your intentions. Be equal, comforting, and gradually earn its trust, or you'll face resistance."
"Lulu, your progress isn't fast, so you need to be more dedicated. But I'll do my best to help you."
"Thank you, Uncle Ubii," Lulu smiled brightly, her cheerful expression lighting up Ubii's eyes.
She's such a lovely girl.
But I can't...
Sigh.
"There's one more thing."
Ubii thought for a moment before speaking quietly, "The Divine Messenger plans to leave with the Divine Flame. You should prepare and come with us."
"Ah!"
Lulu's face paled.
Ubii had hinted at this news in the past few days, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
"What about the others?"
Without the protection of the Divine Flame, everyone in the Phantom City would be exposed to the abominations, leaving them with no chance of survival.
"The others..." Ubii shook his head. "The Divine Messenger can only take a limited number of people, and only those with skills can accompany him to another place."
"You should be grateful that you just acquired a Queen Worm. Otherwise, even if I wanted to help, I couldn't."
"Th-thank you," Lulu managed to say, her mind going blank. She didn't even know when she would leave the training room.
"Sister Lulu!"
A voice full of vitality echoed, snapping Lulu back to attention.
"John."
Lulu liked John, not just for his kindness and gullibility, but also for his spirit.
Most people in the Phantom City were listless, worried about their survival, and their faces were etched with sorrow.
John was different.
He was young, ambitious, and daring.
Most importantly, Lulu felt relaxed and influenced by his presence.
But now,
Lulu struggled to smile.
Without the Divine Flame, everyone in the Phantom City would die, including John, who brought her joy.
"What's wrong?"
John blinked and asked, "Are you unhappy?"
"..." Lulu opened her mouth, "Taming the Queen Worm isn't going as smoothly as I'd hoped."
"You can do it!" John encouraged her. "Sister Lulu is the smartest person I know. You'll succeed."
"Really?" Lulu forced a smile, changing the subject. "What about the Divine Messenger you mentioned?"
"Karl, the Divine Messenger, wants to enter the Inner City to meet with our two Divine Messengers and discuss settling down. But for some reason, Uncle MacKin won't let him in, and there's been no news since."
"Oh!"
"Uncle MacKin even suggested that Karl look for another Phantom City, as he doesn't seem welcome here."
"Is that so?" Lulu's eyes flickered. "John, have you considered going to another Phantom City with Karl?"
"Why would I go elsewhere?" John shook his head. "Sister Lulu is here, and I'm not close to Karl. Even if he goes, he might not want to take me, a burden, along."
"Swish!"
Before John could finish, Lulu grabbed his wrist tightly.
"John!"
Lulu looked into John's eyes and spoke sternly, "Remember, no matter what, you must find a way to accompany Karl to another Phantom City."
"Huh?"
John was baffled.
"Don't ask why," Lulu clenched her teeth, ultimately deciding against mentioning that the Cloud Messenger intended to take away the Divine Flame:
"You must do this!"
As the strongest and oldest Divine Messenger in the Phantom City, Bowen's status was revered, and he hosted the Feast Festival every year.
During the Feast Festival, everyone received a portion of food, making it the most important celebration in the Phantom City.
Apart from food,
there were also clothes, flags, and other items.
Especially the small flags representing the Phantom City, all crafted personally by the Bowen Divine Messenger.
Karl held one such small flag in his hand.
"Tracking Spell!"
The magic circuit in his Sea of Consciousness flickered slightly, and various auras immediately appeared on the flag.
One of them was particularly striking.
Karl's gaze shifted, and his arcane spell had already locked onto that aura, unconsciously looking in a certain direction.
"Over there?"
"Let's go!"
"Crackle!"
Electric light flashed, and Karl's figure instantly disappeared from his original spot, reappearing dozens of meters away.
First Rank arcane spell—Thunder Wing! Compared to before, his Thunder Wing was now faster, and he could change directions more nimbly.
6◇9◇book◇bar
And all of this,
was because he had touched the Divine Gift.
"The Divine Gift contains insights into the power of thunder, which greatly benefits my cultivation of Thundergod's Wrath and Thunder Wing. It even helped me elevate my Thousand Buddha Hands to the Hundred Hands Realm, not to mention the Divine Marrow and that Divine Flame..."
"I wonder why Uncle MacKin has been stopping me from entering the Inner City?"
Karl pondered as he flew.
He didn't want to use force if he had another option.
After all, he currently knew little about the Collapsing Divine Domain, and acting rashly might have unforeseen consequences.
"Let's find this Bowen Divine Messenger first and ask about the situation."
Half a day later.
Karl found himself in a vast wasteland, looking at the flag in his hand, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Why did he come so far?"
Even with his speed, after taking many detours, he had flown for half a day and was now dozens of miles away.
This far,
it was unnecessary if he was just foraging for food.
"Boom!"
A distant thunder beam that reached the sky caught Karl's attention, his gaze flickering.
"This power..."
"It's almost comparable to a First Rank late-stage Wizard, but the thunder disperses without focus, limiting its lethality."
"Bowen Divine Messenger?"
...
Amidst the ruins.
Bowen's emaciated body hovered in mid-air, his icy gaze fixed on the three Crystal Beings surrounding him.
Their bodies were composed of crystal-like fragments, harboring an incredibly terrifying energy within.
Distortion!
Any entity that approached the Crystal Beings would be distorted.
Not just physical objects,
but even spirits.
Bowen, surrounded by them, could clearly sense his consciousness being crushed, as if it were being ground in a mill.
Sanity?
Madness! Despair!
...
The mineral deposits in the Phantom City rarely yielded Divine Marrow, and without it as fuel, the Divine Flame would gradually extinguish.
He had no choice.
He had to venture outside to find it.
When some Phantom Cities were abandoned, their mineral deposits were not entirely excavated, and this was one such place.
However, he discovered that within the deposit, there were not only Divine Stones but also three Nightmare-Rank Malevolent Entities attracted by the minerals.
Crystal Beings!
Demons that devoured all crystals.
Unaware, Bowen found himself surrounded by Crystal Beings, leading to his current predicament.
"Argh!"
As the Crystal Beings closed in, Bowen could no longer control his mental fluctuations. He roared towards the sky, his body becoming transparent, a thunderous aura blossoming as he charged at the three Crystal Beings.
The raging thunder power even suppressed the distorting force field of the Crystal Beings.
But...
"Bang!"
One Crystal Being withstood the thunder and approached, swinging its fist at Bowen with a simple punch, colliding with Bowen's full-force kick.
"Crack!"
His leg bone shattered.
Bowen's face paled.
(End of Chapter)
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