Chapter 650: Act 12 – Siblings I
“Is this the Crystal Mass?”
Princess Grifian watched as Brendel flipped over the body of the gray-robed man, revealing a patch of purple crystalline skin beneath the torn robe. She silently looked up, noting how the neck of the corpse was shattered like broken glass, completely crystallized with not a drop of blood seeping out.
“This is the Crystal Mass,” Brendel replied after staring at the body for a moment. “It is a type of monster twisted by the influence of the Magic Power Moon, formed from living beings within certain Magic Crystals. This kind of monster is rare and is occasionally found in Magic Crystal veins or Crystal Forests.”
“But it looks like a humanoid creature,” Princess Grifian quietly observed the corpse. “And what does this have to do with anything? Mister Brendel, you must know what happened at Yan Fortress?” She stood outside the room, wanting to avoid the bloodstains scattered all around—though the beast’s corpse had long been dragged away. Miss Earl claimed to the Harbor Guard that a demon, fleeing from the Ampere Seale War, had attacked her brother, showing them the body of the gray-robed man. Everyone present felt a pang of sympathy upon seeing Ackle’s grim state, and since such incidents had been happening frequently in the port of Ampere Seale lately, nobody raised any suspicions.
“He was human in life,” Brendel replied without turning his head, picking up a shard of crystal. “But it was the crystallization disease that turned him into this.”
“Crystallization disease?” Princess Grifian lifted her head slightly, looking at him with her beautiful silver eyes.
“I came across a case about this in the knowledge I studied from scrolls. Some creatures living in crystal veins gradually went mad, crystals growing on their bodies, and they became deranged, attacking humans,” Brendel stated, his gaze fixed on the crystal shard as light flickered across his face. “This is the earliest case of crystallization disease; it occurred in the Four Realms Wilderness.”
“That sounds like monsterification,” the princess furrowed her brows in response.
“That is indeed monsterification,” Brendel nodded, then sighed. “Because the concentration of magic in crystal veins makes it easier for magical erosion to occur. But crystallization is quite unique; no one knows why creatures like the Crystal Mass exist. Theoretically, every species in Vaunte has its continuity; however, the history of Crystal Mass is a complete blank. There has been some research on them, but to this day, we still do not know what background exists behind them.”
The princess naturally inferred that when he said “we,” he meant the Black Tower wizards, but in fact, Brendel used the term employed by players subconsciously. In the Amber Sword, the plot players had naturally conducted thorough investigations into the Crystal Mass, but as Brendel said, all inquiries faded into obscurity before the Age of Lost Radiance and then abruptly ceased.
Some believed that a great secret lay hidden within the Crystal Mass, but more seasoned players asserted that before the official further opened the history of the ages prior to Lost Radiance, the origins of the Crystal Mass could only remain a mystery. But pursuing the history before Lost Radiance is no easy task; one major source of information for players is Bud’s library, yet regarding the history before the Age of Lost Radiance, even Bud’s wizards consider it an unreachable knowledge.
Where do Crystal Mass truly come from?
Brendel didn’t care much about that; he was more concerned about why they had suddenly appeared in Erluin. There were no relevant records in history, and it seemed that something in the history of the North was changing, subtly veering away from the path he was familiar with.
After hearing Brendel’s response, Princess Grifian fell silent for a moment. But after a while, she asked, “But Dierphir also mentioned that there is no Crystal Forest near Yan Fortress.”
“That is exactly what perplexes me,” Brendel replied.
Princess Grifian furrowed her brows in unease, looking at Brendel. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I found similar markings on Ackle’s corpse; some crystals were growing on the back of his neck, but it was overlooked by others under the bloodstains.” Brendel turned back to meet her gaze, confidently adding, “This also explains why this guy suddenly went insane; dark magic amplifies the evil that lies within the hearts of men. This is not an isolated case; there must be a spread of crystallization disease around Yan Fortress, and Baron Dale might have already been corrupted.”
The princess’s frown deepened further. “How could this happen? What do you think will happen at Yan Fortress? What should we do?”
“It certainly isn’t good news, and for the time being, there’s nothing we can do but keep this to Miss Dierphir until we resolve the chaos in the North. You know as well as I do the distance from Yan Fortress to Ampere Seale; we can’t and don’t have the capability to intervene in everything at Yan Fortress.” Brendel did not choose to voice his underlying feelings of insecurity, as some matters were merely conjectures to him, and furthermore, he had no way to explain his foresight regarding the future.
He paused for a moment and merely reminded her: “Besides, I don’t think you want anything unfortunate to happen to Dierphir, do you?”
Princess Grifian sighed softly, “When I was younger, Dierphir was my best friend. She had no ulterior motives towards me, and I treated her like my own sister. But when it comes to a crisis, I can’t help her at all. If something happens to Lord Earl, she will surely be heartbroken. I met the Earl of Yan Fortress once when I was a child; he was a good father, and Dierphir must love him very much.”
The tone of the half-elf maiden was slightly weak; Brendel knew it reminded her of her father. Historically, King Obergo VII had doted upon his daughter, so one could say Princess Grifian once had a happy family. But he hadn’t yet thought of the words to comfort her, when the princess had already steeled herself, taking a deep breath and replying:
“We must quickly resolve the turmoil in the North, Mister Brendel.”
Brendel was slightly taken aback, perhaps not expecting the princess to recover so quickly. In fact, he was not skilled in politics, but fortunately, this was a ‘historical issue’. After thinking for a moment, he replied, “Your Highness, the key to resolving the turmoil in the North lies not with us, but with the Temple of Fire. The Temple hopes to pressure us through the northern nobles, but surely the Crusian people evidently do not want to see another war. This is just another gamble between both sides.”
Princess Grifian narrowed her eyes slightly, looking particularly charming, but the glint in her narrowed gaze indicated a certain realization within her. She understood this very well; what irked her was the assumption that the Temple of Fire was apparently playing with fire. The northern nobles were not dogs under the control of the Crusian; instead, they were wolves. These shortsighted beasts might disrupt the balance for a trivial benefit at any time, yet the Crusian arrogantly believed they could control everything, but in reality, they controlled nothing.
Yet she had to consider this point.
Endless compromise was impossible; Brendel assured her this time he would definitely not make any concessions to the northern nobles, which was, in fact, also the princess’s own thought. First, consolidate the forces in the south that are close to the Corvado royal family, and then with the might of thunder, compel the entire North to bow down.
But what kind of price would she have to offer to gain the Temple’s support? Those detestable Crusian, clearly needed stability in Erluin, yet they still sought greater advantages.
Since the Ampere Seale War, she had been trying to find ways to limit the Temple’s influence in Erluin, which was actually also one of Brendel’s ideas, yet the Temple of Fire had evidently caught onto this.
She did not want to make concessions on this matter.
But suddenly, Princess Grifian remembered something; she lifted her head and said to Brendel, “Mister Brendel, could you wait for me here for a moment?”
“What’s wrong?” Brendel asked in surprise.
“Please help me deal with things here,” the princess replied. “I want Earl Yanilasu to look into this matter. Yan Fortress is right next to his territory, and he must have a way to think of a solution.”
That was indeed a good idea. However, Brendel felt that the princess was concealing something, but before he could voice his concerns, she had already gone downstairs. Looking at the corpse at his feet, he could only helplessly check the gray-robed man’s belongings, which consisted of scattered items, but he found nothing that could prove the identity of the other party.
He straightened up, hearing a familiar sound behind him—it was the sound of Dierphir’s wheelchair. Turning around, he indeed saw a maid pushing the baroness out to the doorway.
“Have you sent those people away?” Brendel set down the scattered items in his hands and looked at her with some sympathy. He could hardly imagine what kind of impact this incident would have on the baroness, but it was certain to leave her with shadows for the future.
Dierphir nodded; the Harbor Guard was easy to send away, after all, everyone present were nobles, and there was also a royal princess. Her claims were well-founded, evidence present, coupled with the recent demon activities in the port of Ampere Seale, and no one raised any questions.
After all, who could say there isn’t a being among demons akin to Crystal People? In any case, they definitely wouldn’t be human.
“I knew Ackle was infamous, but I didn’t expect him to be so deranged. Nia just told me some things—it’s all my fault for not protecting her well,” Dierphir sighed with guilt.
Brendel guessed something; he had actually suspected a feud existed when that lady knight earlier made that request.
But after all, this was someone else’s family matter, so he could only awkwardly nod.
“But Mister Brendel, I know Ackle and Baron Dale’s characters very well. I’m very worried about my father, although the princess said so…” Dierphir asked, slightly worried. Clearly, her biggest concern was still this question.
While Princess Grifian had tried to comfort her with her attitude towards the Temple, the baroness was not foolish; she contemplated everything and felt that Brendel’s suspicion was much more plausible. Otherwise, her brother wouldn’t have appeared in Ampere Seale, as the distance between Yan Fortress and this port was considerable. Based on her brother’s departure time, the Ampere Seale War shouldn’t have happened yet, let alone these rumors.
Brendel looked at her and sighed, “Dierphir—”
“You’re going to lie to me again, aren’t you?” Dierphir fixed her gaze on Brendel, asking quietly, “Mister Brendel.”
“I…” Brendel felt a bit awkward, thinking to himself about what it meant to lie to her again. But he pondered it over and felt unsure whether he had told a lie before; after all, his own origins were a grand lie, and during the invasion of this lady’s estate, it seemed unlikely he would have spoken the truth.
He thought for a moment and replied, “Dierphir, may I call you that? Regarding your father’s situation, I actually have some analysis—I wonder if you’re willing to listen.”
“Of course,” the baroness nodded obediently, not knowing which question she was responding to. “Please, don’t hold back, Mister Brendel.”
“Your father has likely already encountered trouble,” Brendel answered.
Dierphir softly gasped; Brendel noticed her grasping the armrest of her wheelchair tightly, her hands turning white from the tension.
“Do you want to return to your territory immediately?” Brendel asked.
“Certainly,” Dierphir took a gentle breath and replied, “Mister Brendel, would you not act if your family, your father, were in danger?”
Brendel shook his head. “Of course I wouldn’t, but I don’t recommend that you return.”
“Why not?”
“It’s simple. Your father’s possible current plight is either being imprisoned or already harmed.” As Dierphir’s complexion began to worsen, Brendel quickly added, “In the first scenario, if you return to your territory, your father would lose his value of existence.”
“And in the second scenario, do you think your current physical condition can avenge your father once you return to your territory? You would merely be adding another trophy to your uncle’s collection.”
After finishing, Brendel stared intently at the baroness, fearing she might faint from the sudden overwhelming news. However, Dierphir showed an extraordinary resilience. After a while, she replied, “If I die, can you avenge me, Mister Brendel?”
“Of course I would,” but Brendel shook his head again. “But what would be the significance of that? If you think revenge can solve the problem, why not take revenge yourself?”
“Take revenge myself?” Dierphir slightly froze, and then grew excited. “Can I? Can I truly take revenge myself in my current state? Mister Brendel, do you have any way?”
Brendel nodded. “Dierphir, you are merely running on borrowed life. Your current physical condition can indeed be recovered. Furthermore, Lord Earl has not necessarily perished; as long as you live, there’s a chance he can be rescued.”
The baroness fell silent.
Brendel observed her take a gentle breath. “I understand now. May I have some time to think about this, Mister Brendel?”
“Anytime,” Brendel replied. “But I must also tell you, regardless of whether you agree, I won’t let you return to Yan Fortress alone. Please trust me; I’m responsible for the heroes of the port of Ampere Seale.”
“Mister Brendel, you…” Dierphir couldn’t help but feel amused and helpless, “Thank you, Mister Brendel. You’re truly too much.”
“I’ve always been too much,” Brendel replied without a hint of embarrassment.
At that moment, he saw Princess Grifian returning from outside. The princess seemed to have finished sending messages; she glanced at the two of them. Although she had already heard their previous conversation, she did not comment but merely said to Brendel:
“Mister Brendel, can you accompany me to meet someone?”
“Meet someone, now?”
The princess nodded.
Brendel paused; he subtly guessed that the person the princess wanted him to meet might be related to breaking the deadlock in the North. At this point, it was the only matter that could stir the princess’s thoughts; only by resolving the turmoil in the North could everything regarding Yan Fortress and the future of this kingdom be unraveled.
“Who?” he asked.
“High Priest Wood.”
……
(PS: Suddenly hit a wall in writing, feeling overwhelmed; after more than a day’s effort, I finally managed to organize a bit of thought, though I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Writer’s block is just like a monthly occurrence, always happening for several days, it’s frustrating…) (To be continued. If you like this work, please consider voting for recommendations and monthly votes on Qidian (qidian.com); your support is my greatest motivation.)
