https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-759-Lanchi-s-Retrospection-after-Half-a-Year/12585251/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-761-Efatia-s-Recap-Four-Hours-Later/12585271/
Chapter 760: Talia's Review After a Century
Chapter 760: Talia's Review After a Century
The floor trembled slightly, and the magical runes on the walls began to glow faintly.
Talia's sudden appearance was like a boulder thrown into a tranquil lake, stirring up a thousand waves and completely shattering the delicate balance that had just been established between Lanchi and Abigail.
In the face of Talia's hostility, Abigail maintained a calm demeanor.
But she was startled by Toriado's outburst.
"Why are you shouting so loudly!"
Abigail's hands trembled slightly, and she was about to activate the emergency magical defense mechanism within the spatial barrier.
"But she's a princess."
Toriado replied matter-of-factly.
"A princess after playing the part of a Cinderella? Is that how it works now?"
Abigail felt that Toriado must have drunk some bad alcohol today, as he was jumping to strange conclusions.
"..."
Hearing Abigail's words, Talia felt a mix of emotions.
When did she start living a life so unlike that of a princess...
Others transformed from Cinderella to princesses, but it seemed she had done the opposite.
For now, she felt the situation had eased a little, and she relaxed slightly. The fact that Lanchi hadn't panicked at all in so long meant that the situation was probably not dangerous.
Moreover, that mysterious and incredibly powerful person across from her—how did he know her name?
"No, she really is a princess."
Toriado gestured to Abigail.
Then he turned back and rubbed his eyes, looking at Talia.
"Talia, is it really you? How did you end up with McCassy?"
Toriado asked Talia in surprise.
He couldn't believe that these two were acting out the "Holy War Romance." He would definitely have to catch the replay on the Buriers Film Channel later.
"Are you Apo?"
Talia was also astonished.
The other party hadn't shown any hostility towards her, and that familiar tone was exactly the same as the one she had heard in the Old Demon World a hundred years ago.
"Yes! We haven't seen each other in over a hundred years!"
Toriado dropped his disguise and briefly returned to his demonic form.
His slender fingers slowly caressed his face, as if peeling off an invisible mask.
His original features gradually faded, his human eyes turning to a seductive crimson, his pupils slender and fierce. His skin was still slightly pale, and his ears were slightly pointed but not overly so.
An almost invisible dark purple magic power surrounded Toriado, and in an instant, this magic power dissipated like thin fog.
Undoubtedly, he was one of the few extremely high-level demons remaining in this world.
"It really is you... But how did you end up here?"
Talia confirmed that the man before her was indeed their last general from the Old Demon World, but she couldn't understand why she had suddenly encountered him!
"The surrendering general?"
By now, Lanchi also had a rough idea.
The surrendering general, Apo, from the Old Demon World, was the same person as Cid, the associate professor of history in the Northern Continent, and Toriado, the Dimensional Bishop of the Resurrection Church in the Southern Continent.
No wonder Lanchi felt a sense of deja vu every time Plana mentioned that general who was good at escaping.
"I'm now a Cardinal of the Resurrection Church. It's quite normal for me to be in the Krise Empire," Toriado replied.
"What about you? How have you been doing?"
He asked Talia.
"!"
"Oh, just so-so. Have you heard of the Platinum Card Maker? I just became one recently."
Talia fiddled with her hair to hide her nervousness and replied calmly.
"Phew..."
Lanchi held back his laughter as much as he could, but he still made a slight sound, which Talia noticed.
Talia immediately gave him a deadly glare.
"Why are you making that face, McCassy?"
Before Toriado could comment on Talia, his attention was drawn to Lanchi's overly complex expression.
"All I can say is that fortune changes, and you shouldn't bully the elderly and poor..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was grabbed by Talia's icy hand on the back of his neck.
As Lanchi started to feel afraid, he also became much more well-behaved.
"By the way, who is McCassy?"
Talia forcibly changed the subject.
She noticed that Toriado seemed to be on familiar terms with Lanchi, as if they had known each other for a long time.
"If you go to the streets of the Protoss Empire and shout 'Long live McCassy,' a whole group of imperials will immediately join you in the cheer."
Toriado explained.
"......?"
Talia looked at Lanchi beside her, her eyes asking a big question.
She could tell that the McCassy Toriado was referring to was indeed Lanchi.
But why did it sound so strange?
"It's really bizarre. McCassy, how did you end up running into Talia here in the Southern Continent? My goddess of fate, you really know how to joke," Toriado said, still feeling amazed.
Tonight, he had encountered two unbelievable old friends.
Even if he were to suddenly come across more long-lost friends from a hundred years ago in the coming days, he wouldn't be as surprised as he was now.
"He was my student before he went to the Northern Continent. He met me first, and then he went to the Northern Continent. Also, his name is Lanchi," Talia emphasized.
"Lanchi..."
Toriado muttered the name, a sense of familiarity washing over him. "Lanchi Wilford? So, you're the Loren student who drove Ivanoth mad with rage! I knew there was something extraordinary about you back then, but unfortunately, Icyte's defense was too tight for me to sneak in and have some fun."
Realization dawned on him, and he pointed at Lanchi.
Everything suddenly made sense.
"Why are you bringing up Loren?" Lanchi asked Toriado.
"Could it be that his phrasing should have been 'Loren student'? Are you really that oblivious to your own issues?" Talia interjected.
"... "
Toriado watched the exchange between Lanchi and Talia, a rare spark of interest glinting in his eyes.
"So that's how it is..." Toriado murmured.
"What is it?" Talia asked him.
"Nothing, I just figured out your current identities and relationship." Toriado nodded, "It's truly wonderful to see you both again, Talia and Lanchi."
A long-lost smile graced his face.
"Let me tell you, Apo, if you had been with us during the annihilation in the Old Demon World, we might have fought our way out together instead of scattering like birds and beasts and getting picked off one by one."
Talia had been wanting to get this off her chest ever since she saw Toriado.
She had to get this out.
Back then, he was their last remaining general, but he abandoned them and fled first.
"Wow, you have no idea the situation I was in back then! I had three eighth-rank generals on my tail; it was insane!" Toriado exclaimed dramatically.
He had faced life-or-death situations countless times, but he didn't have fond memories of being hunted.
"My apologies..." Talia replied guiltily.
It seemed that if Apo hadn't drawn all the hatred onto himself, she and Ifatia might not have escaped either.
Fortunately, Toriado possessed a unique spatial attribute, or else even another general might not have been able to get away.
"The reason I'm hanging around the Protoss Empire is that I've been hoping to get lucky and rescue those three old guys someday. Unfortunately, the three Great Demon trials aren't really suitable for me; I might end up perishing inside."
Toriado explained to Talia his plans over the years.
He was actually quite suited for jailbreaks; with his abilities, he could expend a large amount of magic power to directly teleport the Great Demons out. However, the massive magic power fluctuation would also be detected by the Empire's Grand Sage, Isis, so he only had one shot. Before completing his business in the Southern Continent, he dared not attempt it.
"I don't think you're the type to fear death, so why is it that you can't handle the sixth negative layer, 'The Hanging Road to the Afterlife,' but you're stuck on the fifth negative layer, 'The Hopeless Battle of Extinction'?"
Talia questioned him, recalling the structure of the Hellrom Prison from what she had heard from Antanas and the others.
In her opinion, a carefree guy like Apo shouldn't be troubled by 'The Falling Land of Gentleness' either.
"Yeah, that's right."
Toriado nodded.
Abigail glanced at Toriado but remained silent.
"However, I've been thinking. Lanchi, the reason you were able to defeat Askesang must be that you rescued Antanas and the other two, right? Otherwise, I really can't think of any other way to beat Askesang and Morotian."
Toriado inquired.
"Of course. They're currently in Icyte, undertaking a very important task..."
Lanchi shared with Toriado the crucial information he had previously told Ifatia in the underground palace.
This included the reason for the vampire assassination of Shubelian and the encounter with Landel on their way here.
In Talia's opinion, Toriado was trustworthy.
Lanchi was also willing to confide in this exceptionally reliable teammate from the Northern Continent.
"Ah, Landel..."
Toriado suddenly seemed to piece together many things, and he sighed sadly, "And that's why I couldn't find Mikaya... He must have been targeted by the vampires."
"You know Duke Mikaya?"
Lanchi was surprised to find another unexpected lead.
His last remaining civil commission was to find Duke Mikaya, and now, out of the blue, he had stumbled upon a clue.
By all rights, Toriado and Mikaya should have nothing to do with each other.
"Of course. I was counting on him to act as a go-between and help me surrender to the Fate Goddess Church."
Toriado started to say something but stopped, then continued, "Anyway, rest assured, I'll definitely help you rescue Mikaya. As for that Marquis of Somerset, leave him to me."
He had established the Silver Moon Reform Society outside the Dimensional Branch to gather forces to cleanse the Krise Empire.
Landel's death was undoubtedly orchestrated by the vampires, who had divined some information about him. Whether or not he was a member of the Silver Moon Reform Society was irrelevant; he was targeted simply because he was Elsa's brother, and the vampires used the Allied forces as their tool to kill him.
The only thing the vampires hadn't foreseen was that there was another person on that train car who could take Landel's place—thus fooling the vampires and creating the illusion that Landel hadn't been killed.
"He bore the mark of the great demon of the divination system, the Mark of Truth, from Plana. He avoided the future foreseen by the Seventh Ancestor, Marquis Heritier."
"Regarding Landry's matter, I am truly sorry," Lanchi said to Toriado and Abigail.
"I think Landry would be grateful to you," Lanchi added.
Abigail sighed softly, her eyes downcast, a hint of sadness in her voice.
It was as if everything was destined. Landry's prayer to the Goddess of Fate resulted in the punishment he desired, and in turn, his death brought about a miracle. Perhaps it was a pious deal with the divine, as McCassy indeed had the ability to help Landry save his sister and protect Elsa.
"You may continue using his identity."
Toriado granted his permission.
If it were anyone else, he would never agree to let them impersonate Landry. But McCassy was an exception; he was someone who could truly make good use of this identity and repay Landry.
"Then, I'll trouble you to let me borrow Landry's identity for a while. Once everything is settled, I will properly build a tomb for him," Lanchi said, expressing his gratitude to the pair.
"Abigail, give him a hand from now on," Toriado instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument as the Cardinal Bishop.
"Okay, when the time comes, I'll just tell the Empire that I'm willing to join Professor Landry's research team. As for you, Lanchi, focus on gaining power within the Empire. The title of a St. Krisey Monastery professor isn't impressive enough. You need to become the leader of a significant project and have people refer to you as the 'Father of Magical Fission Bomb' to gain enough influence." Abigail nodded her agreement, her tone crisp and businesslike.
She might detest magical engineering, but when it came to getting the job done, she was all business.
Life was like that sometimes; one's interests and talents might not always align.
"I've already seen that future," Lanchi said, his team now bolstered by the addition of a powerful magical engineer. Even as a newcomer, his chances of being selected by the Empire's military would increase significantly.
"And you should also be wary of being harmed by politicians. If you're not careful, you'll find yourself facing the consequences of your achievements. One day, they'll decide you've been punished enough. They'll serve you salmon and potato salad, make speeches, award you medals of honor, pat you on the back, and tell you that all is forgiven." Abigail's mocking laughter filled the room as she seemed to see right through the Empire's politicians and their view of magical engineers.
"Rest assured, I won't harm myself," Lanchi said, confident that he would never turn against his fellow magical engineers.
"...You weren't planning to become a magical engineer, were you?" Abigail's eyes widened as she realized she had misjudged him.
"Brother, you indeed have something special about you."
Toriado pointed at himself, Talia, and then counted on his fingers, "You, Antanas, Sinora, Plana... I heard that Arthemis was also in the Southern Continent recently. So, we're just missing Ifatia from our old demon world crew."
He had just thought of this question.
Ifatia had reappeared over a decade ago, only to vanish again.
"..."
Lanchi and Talia glanced at each other.
"Don't you know where Ifatia is?" Lanchi asked, assuming that Toriado knew Ifatia was also in Briliarda, as they had found her in the underground base of the Mafia before coming to the opera house today.
Having discovered that Cid and Abigail were the founders of the Silver Moon Reform Society, Lanchi and Talia highly suspected that the Mafia boss, Barton, was also a member.
However, it was unlikely that Barton would expose his boss's secret identity to the rest of the organization.
This was the reason Ifatia trusted Barton.
But Barton had no idea that the leader of the Silver Moon Reform Society and Ifatia were both his old friends from a hundred years ago.
"How am I supposed to know where she is? She's always been clever, and if she wants to hide, no one can find her. She can perfectly disguise herself as any citizen of the Empire." Toriado shrugged helplessly.
"She's actually in the Mafia's underground palace. The spatial barrier there was set up by Abigail to help Barton. You can take the 737 bus and transfer to the 901 bus. Get off at Jones River Port and walk a few kilometers. Contact Barton, and he'll let you through to see her," Talia informed Toriado.
Toriado's eyes widened in surprise at her words, and he stared at the pair.
He gathered his spatial technique, closed his eyes, and searched for the coordinates. Soon, he sliced open a circle on the wall of bookshelves, and silver sparks crackled around the edges as he connected to another spatial barrier.
"Hehehe!"
On the other side of the temporary spatial door, Ifatia was lounging on a sofa, munching on potato chips as she watched the replay of the cinematic version of "Holy War Romance," laughing out loud from time to time while pointing at the screen.
She suddenly sensed that someone was watching her and turned her head in surprise, only to see a gaping spatial hole in the air, causing her to drop her potato chips in shock.
"Damn it, Apo!" Ifatia exclaimed.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
