Chapter 891: Mercury Remnants
That night, while Lolan Hill and Sharin were attending the banquet in the castle,
“Who… are you?”
In the dim candlelight, Lotte looked at the person suddenly appearing before her. He was dressed in dark clothes that easily blended into the crowd, but his sudden appearance revealed his extraordinary abilities, indicating he was not an ordinary person.
“I serve the Basca Family. I greet Lady Xialuoluo,” he said with a low, restrained voice, kneeling half-way before Lotte.
“You…” Lotte was startled by this man who suddenly called out her real name, feeling somewhat flustered.
Seeing this servant of the Basca Family suddenly appear before her, Lotte felt uneasy rather than surprised. This was due to the brutal struggles between the remnants of the Basca Family and the imperial court in recent years.
“Are you truly a descendant of the vassals serving the Basca Family? Why have I never heard of you before?” Lotte looked at him, estimating his strength to be around Sequence 5, which made him a rare expert.
“This is because when the Basca Family fell, you were still a minor, and many secrets and inheritances of the family had not been fully revealed to you, leading to the current situation,” he replied respectfully.
“Although the Basca Family is now being persecuted by the empire, I believe that with Lady Xialuoluo’s presence, many scattered forces will gather again.”
“Gather again…?” Lotte bit her lip, hesitating and feeling uneasy. As a descendant of the Draconic Lineage, she could not easily give up, despite the burden of those who had fallen before her.
“But what can we do now? It’s too late. The family’s legions have been depleted, loyal nobles have been arrested, imprisoned, and eliminated. There is no longer any ground for our family to survive here,” Lotte shook her head.
“No, there is. Everyone is hiding in the shadows.”
“Even though the empire has sent many searchers and patrol teams, we still retain some strength. You must trust the legacy left by the Draconic Lineage in the Southern Region after centuries of operation. We have many hidden networks.”
“As long as you come forward and reveal yourself, those warriors will emerge from the mountains, valleys, and towns to join us.”
“Perhaps you don’t know, but preparations were made on the day the empire decided to abandon the Basca Family. Wealth and treasures were even transferred to safe places ahead of time,” the man reminded her subtly.
“Sigh…” Lotte sighed, sitting silently on a wooden chair by the bed, gazing out the window at the starry sky.
The room fell into a brief silence. The man did not urge her further, standing quietly by her side.
After a long while, Lotte stood up, found pen and paper, and prepared to leave a note telling Mesia about her departure.
[I am very sorry, Sister Mesia. Please forgive my sudden departure.]
Under the quiet candlelight, the metallic nib scratched across the paper, producing a rustling sound. Black ink traced arcs and lines on the yellowed paper until it ended with a long, lingering curve.
After finishing, Lotte pressed the paper with a candle holder so Lolan Hill would see it when she returned. After tidying up a bit, she placed the black sword on the table, finally feeling slightly relieved.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Miss,” and soon the two disappeared into the night.
—
Flames crackled, occasionally exploding into tiny sparks. The torches soaked in pine oil illuminated the forest at night, stretching like a long dragon.
Upon arriving at their destination, Baron Moroz instructed the guards to set up fire pits and stand watch outside.
“This is where the remnants of the past lie,” Baron Moroz stood under a rock, gesturing simply. The butler then led the men forward, pushing the stone aside slowly. They dug down half a meter, revealing a hidden floor door.
“Here?” murmured the crowd in surprise.
“I’ve lived here for decades and never heard of it. Lord Moroz keeps things well-hidden.”
“It’s quite intriguing.”
Seeing the underground passage open, Baron Moroz turned to the crowd, “First, we need to break the seal. This process may take some time and requires the assistance of high-Sequence Extraordinary Beings.”
“Please, all Sequence 4 Extraordinary Beings step forward and enter the underground with me.”
After speaking, his eyes moved to the people present, particularly focusing on the Eastern swordsman, Yan Liuyan.
“Haha, we naturally cannot refuse such a duty,” said the burly man, stepping forward.
“Several military officers, please lend your aid,” Baron Moroz looked complexly at the officers. Though they were helpful, he really didn’t want to see them, as they might cause accidents, such as appropriating sacred relics.
“Agreed,” the officers in red cloaks stepped out, inspecting the underground passage.
“Lastly, we need the help of several strong guests,” Baron Moroz felt slightly better.
At least these mercenaries and adventurers were easy to control; even if they took the sacred relics, he had ways to reclaim them.
“Then let’s go in. And please, friends outside, wait here,” he said, taking a lantern and leading the way down the long stairs into the darkness.
After walking through winding passages for about ten minutes, the walls transitioned from newer modern construction to crumbling ancient stonework. The collapsed steps, broken stones, and other signs indicated the site’s age.
Finally, everyone stopped in front of a gray, mottled stone wall.
The wall bore the symbols of the Mercury Dynasty: skulls, entwined vines, and the crescent moon. At this moment, everyone felt a cold, stagnant magic force, causing a chill.
Feeling the familiar necromancy magic, Lolan Hill thought that if she could regain her Necromancer Sequence, she would likely gain significant power here. But for secrecy, she had to maintain her current War Sequence identity.
“This is it. Although there is a seal protecting it, our family has studied it for nearly a century and understands its mechanism.”
“So, just follow my lead. When the critical moment comes, destroy the seal to enter.”
He glanced at the back of the group where the butler stood, holding a girl wearing a hood.
After a nod, Baron Moroz dispersed the crowd and began explaining the key points and timing of the attack, as well as how to distribute the tasks.
Straightening up, he stood before the stone door, reaching into the seal’s range, causing ripples to spread. He then felt his life energy being drained.
“Now,” he shouted, and Yan Liuyan swung his blade, striking the wall. The intense magic seeped into the stone, even melting parts of the surface into murky crystals.
Seeing this, Baron Moroz extended his hand, carefully sensing. In turn, several people used their magic to attack, eventually unlocking the crucial switch and halting the millennia-old seal.
“Phew, it’s unlocked,” a Sequence 4 adventurer breathed out, exhausted from using powerful skills. Now, only a few had enough energy to continue exploring.
With the seal successfully deactivated without triggering any devices, Baron Moroz felt a great relief.
Next was opening the door. He took out a small, elliptical bottle from his inner pocket, containing mesmerizing crimson blood that shimmered under the torchlight.
Standing before the crowd, he poured the deep red liquid, and the skull on the wall began to move.
With creaking sounds, the mechanism pushed open the sealed stone wall, followed by a cold draft sweeping through, chilling everyone.
The air seemed damp, and the hall was filled with collapsed racks and wooden box fragments, with most of the original contents reduced to ash or barely recognizable remains.
Could there still be treasures left? The initially excited group fell silent, feeling cheated.
“Now, we’ll need those who can move to come down with me,” Baron Moroz looked at the current situation and invited the remaining Sequence 5 Extraordinary Beings.
“Hmph,” one of the sergeants snorted, expressing dissatisfaction.
Baron Moroz ignored him and continued inviting.
“There might be other things below. If there are items that can withstand the ravages of time, they must be extraordinary,” he said.
“Since we’re here, let’s continue together,” Yan Liuyan shook his head and followed.
The others exchanged glances, each with their own intentions.
“I’ll stay here and assist Baron Moroz,” the red-cloaked officer crossed his arms, standing at the entrance, examining the debris and wall paintings.
“Yes, Sir Widdwin,” three military Sequence 5s stepped forward, entering the deep underground.
“Should Miss Mesia come along?” He turned to the girl beside him, not giving up his earlier plan to get to know her better.
“Yeah, since I agreed, I should go,” Lolan Hill said, scanning around for a weapon.
Unlike the officers, she hadn’t carried a blade during the first half of the night. Retrieving one from storage would expose too much.
“Miss Mesia is looking for a weapon,” Sharin, who hadn’t realized it yet, thought Widdwin guessed correctly. As a seasoned warrior, he understood the importance of carrying a weapon in critical moments.
“Here, take this sword. I hope you won’t mind,” he said, untying his own sword and handing it to Lolan Hill.
“Thank you,” Lolan Hill accepted it, not dwelling on the details.
“If Miss Mesia likes it, that’s fine. Haha,” the red-cloaked officer smiled, pleased with her acceptance.
Shaking off the strange implications, Lolan Hill drew the sword and swung it briefly before continuing downward.
Holding a torch, they walked through the cold, dark passages, and a long corridor appeared before them. On either side, numerous rooms connected to the corridor, some filled with black ashes resembling decayed grains, others with rusted fragments suggesting weapon storage, and some with special arrays etched into the floors.
A knowledgeable girl recognized this as a Summoning Array, capable of calling forth spirits or resurrecting corpses into necromancer warriors. Judging by the style and engravings, this was likely the Dynasty’s second-generation Howl Array, unstable and requiring multiple wizards to cast together.
In the inheritance left by Trinasha, by the end of the Dynasty, such arrays had evolved into the sixteenth-generation Mourning Inscription Array, drastically different in appearance and capable of summoning vast numbers of corpses and spirits with a single caster.
Lolan Hill continued forward, noticing fresh footprints and slash marks on the rubble-strewn floor ahead.
It seems the others are quite eager.
She silently observed, then sudden fighting and shrieks echoed, sounding like the wails of spirits.
Well, this was expected. After all, this was a Mercury Dynasty relic. It wouldn’t be strange if there were no spirits wandering around.
With this thought, Lolan Hill released her senses, filtering out unnecessary information, and hurried forward.
“Backdraft Fire · Blade Fourteen!”
With a roar, Yan Liuyan leaped high, his form darting like a flash of light through the dim space. His flaming sword sliced through the dead silence, like lightning.
The scorching flames seemed to be the bane of the spirits. After the fiery blade cut through, several Sequence 5 necromancers screamed and turned to dust, disappearing into the underground.
Baron Moroz, standing nearby, wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had almost been possessed by a spirit, but the Eastern swordsman saved him in time.
“Thank you. Once we return, I will repay you generously, Mr. Yan Liuyan,” Baron Moroz regained his composure after the spirit attack, no longer acting rashly alone.
But his desire for power grew stronger.
If only I had such immense strength…
His thoughts drifted away, hidden deep in his heart.
As the fighting continued, the underground ruins were gradually explored, and everyone approached the central control area.
Meanwhile, outside the ruins,
The night-shrouded forest was eerily quiet, punctuated by occasional hoots of the gray owl.
The guests, once anxious, now sat around the fire, chatting about the rise of the Moroz family and speculating on the future of the empire. Tonight’s sudden action had brought them together, something rare.
In the shadowy depths of the forest, a graceful woman emerged. She had azure eyes like lapis lazuli and wore a long blue-black dress.
Sitting on a horizontal branch, her azure eyes watched over the campsite. A gray owl with brown and white feathers fluttered down beside her.
“Is that so? I understand,” she seemed to comprehend the silent message conveyed by the bird, her eyes glowing with light.
“At last, I’ve found you, our lovely Star Witch, hehehe,” she covered her lips and laughed, her blue eyes growing more intense with each laugh.
(End of Chapter)
