The space-time gate that led to the Forest of Demons, Natravos' demiplane, was still protruding near the valley. The bizarre-shaped trees inside could be vaguely seen.
The young man in a black magic robe, on the other hand, was leading Danisos, Dracula, Lucien, and the other legends to approach it in fear.
"Did anything strange happen after Natravos closed the top floor of the magic tower? Or did anyone come to visit you? "Ogre, the King of Shadows, asked the student of Natravos while they walked.
The young man thought about it carefully and shook his head. "Just like usual. There were no guests, and nothing strange happened."
Pausing for a moment, he gnashed his teeth and said, "As a matter of fact, because my teacher was too 'harsh', I stayed as far away as I could after he closed the top floor of the magic tower …"
As a student, speaking ill of their teacher behind their back was a crime punishable by death in the ancient Magic Empire. It was highly disliked even in the Congress of Magic today. However, it was of great importance and involved the real cause of his teacher's death. Therefore, the young man described the situation truthfully.
The black cape covered Ogre's face in shadow. Only two spots of green brilliance leaked out, which seemed to be from his eyes.
At first, he circled the young man with the green brilliance emotionlessly, making him sweat hard. Then, he said hoarsely, "Natravos is a lunatic. He could've been modified into anything, but he just had to rely on the irrational and brainless demons."
It was mainly because his legendary class was the Lord of Abyss in the first place, and it was more likely that he would've been modified into a Demon Lord. The young man defended himself in his heart, but he did not object to the fact that Natravos was a lunatic.
While they walked to the space-time gate slowly, Ogre, the Elder Mind, the Six-Armed Inquisitor, Dubenal, Danisos, Dracula, Milereis, and Seth all asked the young man questions now and then to confirm the results that they had reached through astrology, prophecy, and deduction. Fitia, on the other hand, stayed in the Valley of Fiery Stone to watch over the headquarters of the Dark Congress.
The short journey was a communication process for the experts who could flash. That was why they walked so slowly. However, no matter how slow they were, they soon reached the front of the space-time gate. Danisos, who was flying in midair, flapped his enormous gray wings and raised his head, roaring softly.
The time and space around immediately shook, and the illusionary gate was suddenly expanded. Then, Danisos' enormous body was thrown in as if he were swimming in an ocean.
At this moment, Lucien, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly asked, "What's your name?"
"Me?" The young man pointed at himself in confusion and said respectfully, "Your Excellency, you can call me David."
It was a very common name that could be seen everywhere.
The other legendary experts all looked at Lucien in confusion, not knowing why he suddenly asked such an unimportant question. Perhaps, it was just a courtesy before asking the question. But Lucien's Pope Lucien, and the other day Emperor Lucien?
However, Lucien just nodded and said, "David, lead the way." Then, he did not say anything else and remained silent as before.
Although the anomaly was just a minor interlude, most of the experts on the spot were sophisticated fellows. So, they cast their powerful willpower and weird spells on David to make sure that he was alright. Otherwise, it would be the greatest humiliation if they were fooled by a sorcerer who hadn't even reached the senior-rank yet.
Several seconds later, they looked at each other and nodded slightly, indicating that there was no problem. Then, they stepped into the space-time gate together with David and went to the Forest of Demons.
Time and space changed, and the scene before his eyes turned from blurry to clear. A weird forest appeared before Lucien's eyes.
The trees in this forest only had two colors. One was as black as ink, and the other was as red as blood. However, they all came in different shapes. Some were humanoid, some were filled with eyes, and some had a mouth with white teeth on each of their leaves. Some were inverted, with the crown at the bottom and the roots reaching into the dark clouds. There was also a huge leaf that fluttered in the wind, and the veins on it extended in all directions into tree trunks, branches, and fruits …
Natravos' demiplane was even more chaotic than the abyss. All kinds of creatures seemed to have been jumbled up randomly.
However, those terrifying creatures were only relatively speaking. In the eyes of the members of the investigation team, they were so weak that they were almost negligible. What really deserved their attention was the "chaos" that spread out in the mud, the air, and the water. It was the core of the demiplane and the source of everything. Even the legendary experts would be affected if they were not careful.
David cast a spell and opened a broad path in the forest. At the end of the path was a pointy magic tower that rose to the sky. It was dark and twisted, looking very similar to the trees in the forest.
Danisos dived to the magic tower from midair. Invisible winds blew away all the chaos. The other legendary experts were unwilling to be left behind. They all entered the magic tower in their own ways.
The hall at the bottom floor of the magic tower was paved with black carpets. There were no chandeliers, but silver candlesticks that were embedded on the walls were burning with dark red flames, creating a dim view.
Next to every candlestick, different items were hanging. Some were whips that were full of barbs, some were clubs that were bristling with iron thorns, and some were tiny, weird silver needles. All in all, all the items that shouldn't have appeared in a legendary sorcerer's house were placed there.
"Those are Natravos' tools for self-abuse, but they were used a long time ago. They can't satisfy him now …" Ogre, who was rather familiar with Natravos, introduced the place to the legends who had never been here in a coarse voice.
Nobody said anything, because they did not know what to say.
Lucien shook his head in amusement. He turned his eyes to the front of the hall, where an oil painting was hanging. On the painting was a middle-aged man with a special appearance.
The man had a solemn expression. He had a pair of demon horns that were full of patterns on his forehead. His eyes were white, his pupils were crimson, his nose was collapsed, his mouth was protruding, and his cheekbones were high. He was full of disharmony.
"This is Natravos' self-portrait …" Noticing Lucien's eyes, Stanis introduced the painting to him casually.
As it turned out … Lucien guessed that it was Natravos too. He secretly chuckled. It was sort of a portrait of his last life …
"Your Excellencies, starting from the ninth floor, it is the four-floored magic tower that has been destroyed." David led the legends to the top. "Let's go to the crime scene right now."
Although the magic tower did not have many floors, every floor was extremely spacious and high. Even though Danisos had only shrunk his body, there was still plenty of room.
"There's no need to rush. Let's examine the floors one by one. Maybe we can find some clues." Ogre interrupted David. They could find a lot of good stuff that way.
Naturally, the other legends wouldn't let go of the opportunity, especially Stanis who had come for Natravos' books and notes. Therefore, the investigation team moved forward very slowly and didn't approach the crime scene until several hours later.
During the process, Lucien and Stanis both learned a lot. They copied and recorded a lot of useful files. Although they were not the core of Natravos' studies right now, they were still the distinguished achievements of the blood power synthesis studies in the ancient Magic Empire.
"Next will be the ninth floor …" Standing on the stairs, David was faced with a gray stone gate that was full of messy patterns.
Dracula, wearing white gloves, covered his nose as if he were obsessed with cleanliness. "Let's open it."
As the stone gate was slowly opened, the appalling view inside was exposed to everybody. The ceiling and floor from the ninth floor to the thirteenth floor had only a few remnants left.
The hall, the autopsy room, the synthesis room, the alchemy room, the binding room, and the study that were separated could no longer be seen. There was nothing but debris everywhere. The middle part had been completely shattered and was even showing signs of vaporization.
"I'm afraid that the files have been destroyed too …" Stanis sighed in a low voice.
Because of the overall protection of the magic tower, the windows on the outer wall were still intact, but they were in a completely different style from the popular ones. They were unusually narrow and rigid.
Through the window, the Forest of Demons outside could be seen. The clouds in the sky that had been corrupted by the air of abyss seemed even dimmer and gloomier.
"Let's move together in case somebody destroys the clues," said Ogre, who seemed not scared of Danisos and Dracula.
Danisos said emotionlessly, "Then, let's check Natravos' phylactery first."
Nobody objected to the proposal. It was indeed the thing that was most likely to leave clues.
Natravos' phylactery was in a hidden floor between the twelfth and the thirteenth floor of the magic tower. However, it had completely collapsed under the storm of destruction and was no longer invisible.
"The explosion took place from the inside to the outside …" The Elder Brain picked up a dark object with his two dry hands. It seemed to have been embedded with gems, but there were no traces of gems at this moment. "This is also the place of the initial destruction."
As the phylactery of a legendary sorcerer, it was not hard to imagine how solid it was. Therefore, even though this place was the center of the explosion, there were still pieces left.
"Either Natravos blew it up himself, or somebody affected the phylactery through his soul with weird spells …" Dubenal made a conclusion.
The other legendary experts secretly cursed. Among them, Danisos and Dracula seemed to be avoiding suspicion. They were both standing further away from the place where the pieces of the phylactery were gathered.
Lucien looked out of the window. The chaotic, dark clouds were rolling.
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