In the Kant Territory in the north, in the ancient castle where the Kant Family had lived for generations, the aged Viscount Victor was receiving the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce.
There were many lights in the reception hall, but the bright and constant light from the magic crystal lamps still could not dispel the darkness and gloom of the castle all year round. In the rectangular hall, there were only a few servants except for the viscount himself and a few representatives of the Chamber of Commerce. Everyone's shadow was cast on the ground by the light from the magic crystal lamps. The shadows were long, curved, and hazy.
However, everyone standing in the hall did not realize the gloom and horror of the place. In the eyes of the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, today's lord was still as kind and elegant as ever, and magnanimously promised things that were good for the merchants and the people.
"The last batch of herbs and magic potions this year has been harvested, and there is also a good harvest of grain," a representative of the Chamber of Commerce said with a bow. "We have found buyers for the magic potions, but the herbs are not selling well this year."
"Don't worry, Mr. Pyles," Viscount Victor said with a gentle smile, comforting the big merchant in his territory. "Soon, the caravan from the Divine Spirit Plains will come, and Frost Forest Fort will come to buy a large number of herbs. Everyone's hard work this year will not be in vain."
The old viscount's smile was very gentle, and there was kindness in his eyes. Very few nobles would use such an attitude to communicate with people who were not nobles. Although their etiquette standards required them to use impeccable words when speaking to the lower class, their eyes and expressions would never be so "proper". Viscount Viktor was an exception.
He was known for his kindness, friendliness, fairness, and tolerance to the commoners. Although he lived in seclusion in the noble circle, every commoner in the fief loved and respected their old lord.
"Lord Viscount, thank you for running around for the people in your territory," another representative of the Chamber of Commerce said sincerely. "Please take care of your health."
"Don't worry, my old bones are still strong," Viscount Viktor said with a smile. "My good-for-nothing son is about to return from the Divine Spirit Plains. It won't be too late for me to rest after he takes over the family business."
After that, the viscount began to ask the big merchants about the transactions in and out of the territory this year, as well as the purchase of cotton and ores. His questions were detailed and professional, which was really rare among the nobles of this era.
But all of a sudden, a faintly discernible wind blew through the castle hall.
The magic crystal lamps that were lit in every direction were bright and wouldn't be blown away by the wind, but the light in the hall suddenly flickered and dimmed, as if a candle flame had encountered a gust of wind.
The merchants still did not notice the changes in the hall, and the servants standing around did not show any unusual behavior. But Viktor Kant suddenly stood up from his chair and looked up at the dark ceiling of the castle. His eyes flashed with a faint purple magic halo like starlight.
He then showed an apologetic smile to the merchant representatives in front of him. "I'm sorry, gentlemen. I'm afraid I have to end today's meeting. I suddenly remembered that there is still something important to do …"
At the same time, in a hidden cave near the eastern part of Ansu, vines with intertwined roots grew and entangled on a boulder in the center of the cave like a huge cyst. Suddenly, the cyst opened, and a beautiful but eerie female figure emerged from it.
She had long dark green hair, fair skin, and a beautiful face. But under the robe like a priest, what was exposed was a horrifying body that looked like the roots of a tree.
She was Bertilla, the matriarch of the All Things Will Die Cult. Since the last time she left the Southernmost Region, she had been lurking in this secret stronghold near the eastern frontline, observing the changes in the situation of the entire eastern region through the omnipresent plants. But a sudden message from a hidden channel woke her up from her state of symbiosis with the plants.
The female dean furrowed her brows, her long dark green hair slightly wriggling behind her back as if it had a life of its own. "A bishop level Eternal Sleeper … successfully approached and invaded Gawain Cecil's mental world?!"
…
Gwen walked in the darkness.
He still remembered clearly what happened just now: the suspicious mercenary leader suddenly looked up and showed him a strange smile, and called out his name with a strange accent that seemed to be a mixture of many voices.
Then, he was brought to this strange dark and chaotic space by some kind of power.
He was sure that he was fooled by a powerful force, but this force did not come from the mercenary leader. The leader's physique and aura were undoubtedly a low-level Knight. And when the mercenary leader suddenly looked up, Gwen still remembered that he sensed a powerful, chaotic force suddenly emerged from the Knight's aura. The process was like a "descent", so he guessed that the mercenary leader was just a medium, or a sacrifice, used to send this powerful force to Gwen Cecil.
After the initial panic, Gwen had now calmed down.
He walked casually in the darkness for a while, but he did not feel the slightest loss of strength, which meant that this was most likely not a real world, but a kind of "imaginary space" that existed in the mind. He suspected that he was trapped in some kind of mental cage, but as a soul that had been trapped in a satellite for at least hundreds of thousands of years (or maybe millions of years, after all, he did not count the years at all) and had mutated, he did not even feel the slightest bit nervous about this kind of imprisonment.
No matter how powerful the powerhouses in this world were, could they compare the lifespan of a satellite in the sky?
I was hanging in the sky and watching you learn to walk upright!
Because of the pride and calmness of a satellite in his heart, Gwen was not afraid of the situation in front of him. After confirming that he could not leave this space by walking, he simply stood still and quietly looked at the darkness in front of him.
It was just like looking down at the unchanging ocean and land in the past.
He believed that the existence that had pulled him into this dark space must have some purpose, and that it might be observing him quietly from somewhere. And with the patience of most carbon-based lifeforms in this world — or perhaps all of them — that existence would not be able to outlast him.
It would definitely jump out on its own accord.
The only thing Gwen was worried about now was that the "imaginary space" was like the settings in most stories, where the flow of time was different from the outside world. Otherwise, if Heti and others outside thought that he had died again, it would be troublesome. The two granddaughters might bury him again, and Amber would take the whole thing away when he was buried again.
Damn, it's scary just thinking about it.
Gwen's mind was filled with all kinds of thoughts. He did not know how much time had passed in this imaginary space. Then he suddenly saw an illusory glimmer in the darkness in front of him.
It seemed that the "existence" who was quietly watching finally could not help it.
Gwen smiled as he watched the light in front of him become more and more solid, getting closer and closer, and finally turned into a figure in a white robe and a smooth white mask on the face. He could not tell whether the figure was a man or a woman. He heard a deep voice under the mask. "Duke Gwen Cecil, you are more patient and calmer than I thought. You deserve to be the great hero of 700 years ago. I have never seen your temperament in others."
"Your patience is much worse than I thought," Gwen said faintly. "I thought you would spend a hundred years here with me."
"Please don't be angry. My way of inviting Your Excellency may be a little rough, but my main purpose is to have a good talk with Your Excellency. Perhaps a change of environment will make you more comfortable?"
The white-robed figure in the white mask said as he waved his hand. Then, countless colors and lines appeared in the surrounding dark space, and these colors and lines instantly combined into all kinds of things. Gwen found himself standing in a vibrant garden, surrounded by lush flowers and low shrubs. Some servants who looked vaguely familiar were busying around in the garden, and not far away, he could see the tall main building of the castle.
All of this looked somewhat familiar.
Gwen thought for a moment before he found the corresponding image from the memory of the original owner of this body. He looked at the white-robed figure in front of him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
"Is it because I did not restore it to the right place?" The white-robed figure pretended to be surprised. "I have tried my best to restore this place according to the ancient memory fragments. Look, those servants, don't you know their faces? Most of the scenes of this castle were extracted from their memories. Look at those plants and those buildings … Is there any difference from the Cecil Castle in your memory? "
Before Gwen could answer, the white-robed figure continued, "Yes, the memory extracted from the dream may be distorted. Such an unrealistic castle may make you unhappy, but what about this environment?"
As the white-robed figure's voice trailed off, the scene before Gwen's eyes changed again. The Cecil Castle and garden of 700 years ago disappeared, and in their place was a platform in the sky. On the platform were exquisite round tables and chairs, and on the round tables were all kinds of snacks and tea. Beyond the platform, one could overlook a magnificent city.
There were countless gorgeous white buildings in the city. Tall mage towers and floating crystals dotted the city, and blue streams of light filled with magic flowed between the buildings, making the entire city look like a paradise on earth. A huge translucent shield with countless floating runes could be faintly seen above the city, and further away, a blue pillar of light that connected the sky and the earth could be seen rising from the ground outside the city. It was like the legendary Tower of Babel on Earth that went straight into the sky …
The ancient capital of Gondor, and … the Deep Blue Well?!
"Do you like this scene better?" The white-robed figure sat down at the round table. There was no expression on his smooth white mask, but there was a smile in his voice. "After all, you are also a person who has experienced the glory of Gondor. Perhaps you would prefer to recall the magnificent scenes of the human empire's heyday?"
"Sorry, when the Kingdom of Gondor was at its peak, I was just a Knight's apprentice at the northern border of the empire. I don't know what the prosperous imperial capital looks like." Gwen casually sat down at the round table opposite the white-robed figure. "But the scenery is really good. I can see what the Deep Blue Well looked like."
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