Chapter 381: Ancient Scholar

Chapter 381: Ancient Scholar

Chapter 381: Ancient Scholar

Gale winds, towering waves, dark clouds, and lightning.

The pitch-black storm swept across the sea, and the dark lightning split the sky, as if the Raging Sea would never cease its tumultuous frenzy. At the edge, two figures emerged from the void.

The leading figure was a man with a bronze complexion and gentle features. A tiny black mole beneath his right ear marked him as Azek, a close friend and colleague of Cohen, a mentor at Klinehoy University.

Being a university mentor was not Azek’s only identity.

He had died and been reborn countless times, experiencing hundreds of different lives. He had been a noble and a vagrant, a general and a prisoner, a student and a teacher.

His original identity was the Death Regent of the Fourth Era’s Byron Empire!

Azek gazed at the apocalyptic scene before him, his eyes filled with nostalgia and confusion.

“I... I remember this place. I’m very familiar with it. Something is calling to me.”

“The Raging Sea is where the Death, Salingar, fell,” the man standing beside Azek slowly spoke. He had short, chestnut-brown hair and deep, ink-green eyes that resembled a moonless midnight lake. He was a high-ranking deacon of the Church of the Night, known by the codename Sword of the Goddess, Crestay.

“During the late Fourth Era, the Primal Witch and the Death joined forces to unleash the Pale Catastrophe. To resist their onslaught, the Seven Gods signed the Sacred Oath. The Primal Witch was defeated, and the Death attempted to return to the Southern Continent, where he ruled the Byron Empire. However, he was pursued by the Seven Gods and fell in these waters.”

“Before he died, he unleashed an endless storm, creating an insurmountable barrier that severed the Northern and Southern Continents until the Emperor of Rossel opened a new route.”

Azek stared at the Raging Sea, his fragmented memories gradually resurfacing.

He saw himself seated on the Skull Throne, the Abnormals and commoners lying dead before him, and the innocent people suddenly dying, then rising one by one as pale undead creatures, pledging their loyalty to him.

He watched coldly, his emotions unswayed, as the disaster of death spread to the countryside and cities, befalling everyone equally.

“Then... who am I? What role did I play?”

Azek’s expression was tinged with pain.

Crestay smiled slightly. “You need to find the answer yourself. You should feel something in the Raging Sea calling to you, right?”

“...”

After a brief silence, Azek redirected his gaze from the Raging Sea. He took out a bronze whistle, closed his eyes, and listened carefully. Moments later, he opened his eyes, a hint of disappointment on his face.

“The voice calling to me isn’t clear enough to pinpoint. I... I’m still missing something.”

The timing wasn’t right; perhaps he had come too early.

“That won’t be a problem.”

Crestay’s expression turned devout as he traced the shape of a red moon on his chest and began to pray.

A few seconds later, the voice in Azek’s ear grew louder, and the vague connection became much clearer. A vision appeared before his eyes.

An ancient and mysterious mausoleum, layer upon layer of stairs, and at the end, a mass of black mist.

Within the black mist, a vast and ethereal monster began to slowly stir, its eyes slowly opening, its cold gaze following the vision to look at Azek!

The vision shattered, and Azek’s expression grew slightly more composed. He looked at Crestay, his tone calm.

“I think I know where that place is.”

The Death Regent of the Fourth Era closed his eyes and quietly listened to the call from an unknown source. Then, he suddenly clenched his right hand.

All the scenes in the nearby Spirit Realm collapsed inward, forming a dark vortex that seemed to have no end, swallowing both Azek and Crestay.

...

Queens District, Earl Hall’s residence.

Aurelia slowly opened her eyes and noticed a phantom bronze dog beside her. It sat obediently on the ground, tilting its head as if it had been waiting for a while.

Sensing Aurelia’s gaze, the bronze dog’s body slowly dissipated, revealing a series of light points and a note.

“‘Spectator’ pathway’s mid-to-low Sequence Extraordinary Trait, already specially treated. No need to worry about it combining with other items to form a sealed object. It can be used directly as the main ingredient for a Magic Potion.

Advance well, my gem.”

“What ‘my gem’? Mr. Emperor is really not subtle at all...”

Aurelia blushed as she put away the note and the Extraordinary Trait, trying to suppress the upward curve of her lips to avoid looking too happy.

Her eyes sparkled, and she couldn't help but stand up, bending to lift her skirt and bow to the air. With light, nimble steps, she began to dance a lively tune.

When the music ended, Aurelia stopped dancing and noticed Suzie crouching in the corner of the room, watching her with a somber gaze.

She awkwardly ignored the golden retriever's stare, acting as if nothing was amiss, and took Suzie by the hand.

"Let's go for a walk. It's been ages since we've strolled together."

Under the pretense of a leisurely walk, she planned to venture out briefly to find some skilled detectives to look for the child Luke had mentioned.

She changed into a clean, simple outfit and made up an excuse to the maid Annie and the other servants. Then, Aurelia and Suzie, one human and one dog, left the mansion.

She led Suzie in a casual circle around the luxurious estate, gradually moving away and out of the Queens District toward a well-known detective agency on the main street.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A blinding white light suddenly flashed from the distance, the intense glare almost searing her eyes. It was accompanied by a deafening roar, as if the sound had the power to rupture eardrums and steal all hearing.

Silver, twisted, and terrifying bolts of lightning descended from the sky like divine punishment, engulfing a spot on the ground!

The heavy rain began to pour down, slightly delayed from the lightning. Dark clouds rapidly gathered, defying logic, and terrifying lightning streaked through the clouds, foretelling the aftermath.

Aurelia, still in shock from the spectacle, was pulled by Suzie into the nearest shop for shelter. The moment she stepped inside, the torrential rain began to fall.

People on the street scattered in all directions, fleeing from the pillar-like rain. Soon, the outside world was left with nothing but the suffocating downpour and the rumble of thunder.

Aurelia looked toward the spot where the lightning had first struck.

That was... the Storm Church?

Did Mr. Hanged Man really have someone shout "Leodro" and invoke the name of the "Lord of Storms", only to be struck by divine punishment?

"Can you buy me an ice cream?"

A young, childish voice suddenly rang out, pulling Aurelia back to her senses. She followed the sound and saw a chubby-cheeked little boy.

He didn't seem to have rushed here for shelter; his small hospital gown was dry and new, and his light yellow hair was neatly combed. He looked at her with a pitiful expression.

Ice cream?

Aurelia glanced around and realized she and Suzie had taken refuge in an ice cream shop. She looked at the boy curiously, noticing that his stance was slightly off-balance.

He seemed to have a slight injury to his leg, making him unsteady on his feet.

Boy, hospital gown, limping...

Could it be this coincidental?

Recalling what Luke had said, Aurelia tentatively asked:

"Little one, can you tell me your name?"

The boy scratched his chubby cheek and replied in a soft, gentle voice:

"Sure, but you have to buy me a vanilla ice cream."

He did indeed seem like an ordinary child, and Aurelia began to doubt her earlier suspicions. She squatted down and earnestly warned him:

"Eating ice cream when you're sick isn't a good idea, and children shouldn't accept things from strangers. What if they're bad people?"

"I'm not..."

The boy sighed reluctantly and muttered, "Okay, even though you're a bit stingy, my gut tells me I should answer your question. I'd regret it if I didn't."

He bowed like a little gentleman, his young voice echoing in the ice cream shop.

"My name is Will, Will Anseddin."

...

Barkeland, Storm Church.

Algy's face was pale, and he trembled in his room.

Just moments ago, he had followed Luke's instructions and found a non-local thug in the East District, paying him one soule to go to the Storm Church and shout "Leodro."

The next instant, Algy, standing far away, saw a silver bolt of lightning strike down, completely consuming and obliterating the thug, leaving not a trace behind.

The terrifying divine punishment almost made Algy feel as if he were dying along with the thug.

Fortunately, it was just an illusion, and he remained unharmed.

The "Lord of Storms'" divine punishment did not extend to him through the thug, lingering for a few seconds before dissipating completely.

Mr. Emperor was right!

He really did have the power to protect those who blasphemed against the gods!

Algy instinctively raised his right fist to his left chest to recite a prayer, but he hesitated and stopped halfway.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he lowered his right fist, swallowed, and spoke softly.

"Praise... Praise the Emperor!"

...

Narcissus Street, No. 1.

Lu Ke's figure materialized from the void, a heart that seemed to still be beating, like a fluffy, frosty mist, held in his right hand. He extended his left hand forward, and a pair of dark red, burning eyes appeared in it.

A resentful gaze shot up from the ground. Fugan's Hound looked at Lu Ke with an accusatory stare, as if it were a middle-aged man burdened with mortgage and car payments, a wife and children, and a heartless boss who wouldn't let him quit due to the poor economic climate.

"Alright, I'll give you an Ancient Scholar Extraordinary Trait in the future."

Lu Ke appeased the dog, somewhat speechless. "If you want it now, I can also give you a Deceptive Mentor Extraordinary Trait."

The dog seemed to think about it for a moment, then nudged Lu Ke's trouser leg and made a "waiting" gesture.

Compared to the Deceptive Mentor from a neighboring pathway, it still preferred the original Ancient Scholar advancement route of Fugan's Hounds.

After pacifying the dog, Lu Ke placed the two main materials together. As they drew closer, they fused like magnets, merging into a grayish-white Extraordinary Trait.

He swallowed the Ancient Scholar Extraordinary Trait in one gulp.

The scene around him shattered.

When it reappeared, it was an indistinct gray mist, enveloping the entire world, and showing scenes of his past experiences.

There was the moment he communicated with the Goddess of the Night in the Mystic Realm, the time he dealt with an Ammun Incarnation from a distance, the scene of him signing a pact with the Lamp God, the one where he toasted with the God of Steam and Machinery, and the moment he battled the Hidden Sage, as well as the time he took Bernadette's Extraordinary Trait...

These scenes were moments when Lu Ke had encountered divine or higher-level beings, moments that could be considered valuable esoteric knowledge.

Suddenly, patches of light appeared in the mist, in astonishing numbers, almost forming a flat path.

Lu Ke's gaze sharpened, understanding the significance of the light patches.

They were the gaps in history, only those familiar with that history could leap across them, symbolizing the progress of the Ancient Scholar's digestion.

Without hesitation, Lu Ke leaped from one light patch to another, with familiar scenes from the past history appearing one after another.

The Fifth Epoch, the Black Iron Era, the colonial period, when the indigenous people of the southern continent were indiscriminately oppressed by the northern continent, and Roselle led the tide of the times, ruling Intis, the Oath-Breaking War, the White Rose War...

The Fourth Epoch, the Era of the Gods, the Pale Age, the Four Emperors' War, the United Empire, Solomon's First and Second Empires, the fall of the Red Angel, the Blood Emperor's ascension, and constant strife.

The Third Epoch, the Catastrophe Era, the Radiant Age, when the Ancient Sun God ruled the world, the eight Angelic Kings each performing their duties, and human civilization flourishing. The Disaster Age, the founding of the Redemption Rose, the betrayal and consumption of the Ancient Sun God by the Angels of Purity, Wisdom, and Storms, leading to the chaos of the gods and the suffering of life.

The Second Epoch, the Dark Age, when the half-mad Elder Gods ruled the land, and conflict swept the world, plunging humanity into the depths, constantly facing death. The Ancient Sun God awoke from the Chaos Sea, battling one Elder God after another, liberating humanity from the bottom of the food chain.

The First Epoch, the Chaos Age, when all things were in chaos, Extraordinary Traits and monsters were everywhere, and death and madness enveloped the world. The Child of Chaos infiltrated, and the Lord of Mysteries turned it into a Lamp God.

The two Pillars, unable to control their aggregation instincts, began an endless battle, both eventually perishing.

Lu Ke leaped through history at a rapid pace, digesting what an ordinary Ancient Scholar would find incredibly difficult as if it were a walk in the park, almost effortlessly.

He pushed forward to even more distant historical gaps, seeing the Earth he so fondly remembered. He saw an incomprehensibly mighty will awaken, the First rising from slumber, and Earth being instantly destroyed.

He saw the universe's Extraordinary Traits, Uniqueness, and Essence unable to exist stably, the First once again falling into slumber, and the remnants of the First's power forming a barrier, with the ten Outer Gods each occupying a planet.

The digestion of the Ancient Scholar was complete.

Or rather, even ten more Ancient Scholar Extraordinary Traits would have been completely digested.

Suddenly, Lu Ke's will returned to his body, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Good harvest."

Recalling the scenes he had seen through the historical gaps, a smile curved his lips.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end