Chapter 989: Act 162 – The War Tablet: Dragon Skin VIII
The golden flames in Bai’s eyes split into layers of flame patterns, resembling flowing lava. She forced out a few words from her throat, “What are you saying?”
“Because of this.” Brendel raised his hand, and a crystal traced a graceful arc before making a crisp sound as it struck the ground, then rolling to Bai’s feet. Bai hesitated for a moment before laboriously bending down to pick it up. It was a pitch-black crystal devoid of luster, emanating a chilling aura from her palm, with a hideous blank at its center.
Bai observed it closely for a while and finally recognized that this crystal was indeed one of the culprits behind the earlier ambush. Her brow furrowed deeply. “Is this the Soul Crystal?”
“This is indeed the Soul Crystal,” Brendel replied. “It once stored a spell called Soul Spike, a form of necromancy.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
Brendel looked up, surveying the empty circular hall. The towering arch was covered with thorns and shadows, and gargoyles stood gloomily atop stone columns. It was said that a prayer like ‘Atsh s von’ (Radiance of All Kings) was inscribed on the top of each column, praising the supreme light, the sun god Perkin—architecture could manifest the time that belonged to its era, and this hall was steeped in over a hundred years of history. “It shouldn’t have anything to do with you,” he said, “But how could a devotee of the sun god practice black magic and hide such evil objects within its sanctuary?”
Bai’s eyes revealed a contemplative expression, and she noticed Baijia stepping out from behind Brendel. Baijia smiled at her politely and took over Brendel’s words in a gentle tone: “Sir Roslin was a true devotee in life, a righteous and noble knight, but he also had his own story. Many may not believe that this honest knight had never severed ties with the term ‘heretic’ throughout his life, but it is true. He was exiled because of this stain, never to return to his homeland and family. Of course, this secret was buried deep; outsiders thought that this knight left out of weariness over the struggle for power, and his family did everything they could to cover up the truth that brought shame to the clan, causing the real history to be forgotten day by day, just like this hall, which sealed away all past matters beneath the dust. But history is silent; time will tell everything, and even the most deeply buried secrets have moments when they resurface unexpectedly.”
“Long after that, a ranger named Cangcui discovered a diary in the ruins of a castle in Granou. He opened the diary, bound in crimson sheepskin, and the first page bore the elegant inscription of its owner’s name: she was Gelasi Petty, the true identity of Roslin’s wife, a tree guardian.”
She paused here, seemingly unwilling to continue. Brendel continued, “I was pondering a question earlier: no matter how ferociously the tide of magic rages, stirring up towering waves on the sea, how could Perkin tolerate so many undead roaming within his sanctuary? But upon seeing this round hall, I understood that this hall was not Perkin’s prayer chamber, but rather a holy crypt, an altar used by Perkin’s devotees to seal evil creatures underground. Thus, the reason for the presence of the undead here is straightforward; they have long existed in this place—”
“Even so, that doesn’t explain anything.”
“Indeed, but the issue is you let your tail show; don’t forget that the spiritual summoning spell you previously applied to Roslin.”
“That’s not surprising,” Bai said coldly. “I am the dark lord of Madara; it’s perfectly normal for me to seek powerful undead as my subordinates.”
“Then you could have commanded the undead; why bother awakening Roslin’s intelligence?”
“That’s because advanced undead with intelligence are much stronger.”
Brendel shook his head. “In theory, that might be true, but Roslin’s undead still retains the heart of a saint and is a true saintly soul. Even if it awakens and cannot attack you due to the powerful magic of the summoning spell, it would still choose self-destruction. What you would obtain is not a powerful subordinate, but merely a pile of bones. The summoning spell scroll is quite valuable; the Madara Empire hasn’t yet grown strong enough to squander such resources. The reason you dared to do this is that you need Roslin to recover his memories from life. Only as the architect and builder of this holy crypt can he qualify to provide you with what you desire—the method to unlock the seal of this holy crypt and release Gelasi Petty’s soul.”
“I can hardly commend your brilliant hypothesis, human. I didn’t expect you to know about saintly undead. Your understanding of the realm of the dead is indeed deeper than I ever imagined. I’m curious; at your age of just around twenty, what drives you to learn the secrets of the dead? I would believe you are a wizard specializing in necromancy and black magic, yet you are merely a swordsman, the youngest sword saint in a thousand years.” Bai said flatly. “It’s a pity that hypotheses are ultimately just hypotheses. While they may share many similarities with reality, they are, after all, mere subjective speculation, and you still have no evidence to support anything you have said.”
“Nobles of humanity condemn others without the need for evidence,” Andrigraphis suddenly interjected impatiently. “To me, all of this is nonsense. In any case, you can’t resist; whether this human wants you on the gallows or in bed, it’s just a matter of words. Why waste such pretense and time? So your understanding of humanity is just that, far inferior to mine.”
Brendel nearly choked on the words, genuinely unsure whether it was praise or an opportunity to speak ill of himself, but the vampire princess appeared sincere about her statement. Bai smiled faintly but coldly, saying, “Others might act that way, but I know that your lord will not.”
Brendel recognized that Bai was trying to provoke him intentionally, but he did not mind. He shook his head. “I maintain a reserved view of you. In certain specific circumstances, I wouldn’t care about the means. Otherwise, I would never have listened to you, a heretic, talk for more than half a sentence. However, for now, I am not yet low enough to be on the same level as you. When I say you are a tree guardian, I will naturally have accurate evidence. By the way, that evidence was actually handed to me by you.”
Bai’s complexion darkened. Anyone described so scornfully would feel anger; after all, she was such a proud person. However, she was not so angry that it would overwhelm her, just somewhat displeased.
Brendel continued, “Miss Tiamas, do you remember that you once said something to me?”
“That question sounds familiar,” Bai replied. “And my answer will be similar; I’ve said many things to you, which one are you referring to?”
“The sentence itself isn’t important; it’s just that when I took out the God Slayer and Evil Breaker spike, you mentioned Amann.”
Bai’s expression changed instantly. “So what? Speaking of which, you killed a high-ranking clergy member of the temple and still dare to appear so openly within the Empire; that’s quite audacious.”
“There’s no need to beat around the bush, Miss Tiamas. Since I mentioned that name, you should understand that I am already aware of Amann’s other identity. He is a high-ranking member of the Everything Returns Society. I dare say there are no more than ten people in this world who know of his dual identity at the same time, including myself. But you were able to call out his name the moment it was mentioned, indicating that you knew he died at the Loop of Trade Winds and what he was doing there.”
The dark knight of Madara’s face was ashen. “That fool!” she cursed in a low voice, readily conceding to everything Brendel had hypothesized. Her pride did not allow her to continue denying it because she knew it was meaningless. Some things might be considered coincidences, but coincidences cannot explain everything. Bai looked at Brendel with golden eyes and curiously asked, “I have one more question I’m curious about. Since Amann is a member of the Everything Returns Society, why are you so certain that I am a tree guardian and one of the twelve patriarchs?”
Brendel hesitated for a moment but still answered. “Actually, the reason is quite simple: the Everything Returns Society does not accept the undead. Members of the Society have always looked down on the undead and necromancy, believing it to be a fall from grace influenced by dark magic. They pursue the truth of chaos, which is true eternity, and it cannot be compared to the skeletons of Madara. Amann’s state raised my suspicions; although it only indicates he was secretly practicing necromancy before dying and transformed himself into an undead, it was enough to draw my attention. I had always believed Amann went to the Loop of Trade Winds for the legacy of the Duskgazer Dragon until you called out his name earlier, which finally made me realize something. His goal was the same as Andisha’s, to seek the divine blood of the Duskgazer Dragon, the bloodline of the true descendants of the gods, which is absolutely incomparable to the junk divine blood you cultivate.”
Brendel had one more sentence unspoken, which was that he had personally experienced this, giving him a stronger voice than anyone else. As for why he suggested Bai was a patriarch, that was another story. A person might be able to hide a secret for a while, but it’s hard to conceal it forever. In the game “Amber Sword,” many players suspected Bai of being the Tree Guardian, the Grim Reaper Juka among the twelve patriarchs, who wielded the power of life and death. Although Bai, as the dark knight of Madara, often showcased her exquisite skills in the realm of the dead, including her ability to manipulate hearts, it was well known that she had many trump cards that had never been revealed. The fact that she, as a lone wolf, managed to maintain her position at the bottom of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse was enough to explain many issues.
So the assertion that Bai was a patriarch was merely his tentative guess, and at this moment, that guess seemed to have been confirmed. Brendel could imagine that this title must have also been inherited from the blood of the evil dragon. One could tell that it too was a form of divine blood just by the name of the inheritance.
Bai fell completely silent, perhaps because it was rare for her cards to be entirely exposed, leaving her at a loss. After a long silence, she slowly asked, “Since you already know my identity, if I choose to cooperate with you, can you grant me my freedom?”
“Of course not,” Brendel answered candidly. “But all that you said to me earlier was nothing more than wanting me to cause some trouble for Constance and that individual because ‘you’ don’t want to see civilization and order reunified under the name of an empire. Only chaos meets your demands; you’re paving the way for the Duskgazer Dragon, and the Everything Returns Society is no different. Since this is the case, why not be straightforward? Since you hope for me to be a stumbling block to the revival of the Mardos Empire, why not expect me to do even more?”
Bai looked at him with a complicated expression. “Do you think you can compete with those two? One is the embodiment of the Duskgazer Dragon reborn upon this land, the rightful sovereign foretold in prophecy, while the other is the king that Madara has awaited for a thousand years; she will usher in an era belonging to the Moon of Death. These two are the echoes of order in this era. This is the trend of civilization; no one can be the enemy of the Duskgazer.”
“Indeed, I may be overly ambitious,” Brendel responded.
“That’s true.”
“So if you want me to create enough trouble for Constance, please tell me more details.”
“Very well,” Bai said with a cold smile. “What do you want to know?”
“I said, everything.”
“Alright, you can breathe easy for the time being, human. The Silver Queen has no plans to mobilize the undead in the Altania Mountains yet; she currently doesn’t have that capability. But in the eastern part of Mezz, the territory that has belonged to tree guardians for hundreds of years, there lurks a vast dark power. Roslin was merely a casualty in the struggle between the dark forces and the church over the past century. The relationships here are far too complex for me to elaborate on, but you only need to understand one thing. There are definitely more than just one person like Roslin’s wife in this place; their identities vary—dark wizards, heretics, or others. A hundred years ago, the church suddenly initiated a great purge, leading to the complete uprooting of our forces here. The Everything Returns Society suffered heavy losses, but we also did not let the temple come out unscathed. The subsequent decades of strife and the later holy war among the three great empires were all instigated by us.” Bai spoke with some pride. Yet the audience nearby felt a chill run down their spines; this conflict between light and darkness ultimately led to rivers of blood flowing across the continent, driven by the ambitions and vendettas of a few individuals. Brendel had secretly determined that he could not allow this woman and the tree guardians to continue to exist.
Even if she might indeed have a connection to Medisa.
Bai might have perceived his intentions or perhaps was completely unaware, but she didn’t mind and continued, “Returning to the great purge a hundred years ago, a small portion of those dark forces that were uprooted were executed, but the majority were secretly imprisoned or sealed. For instance, the Lord of Contaminated Blood, Rockleir, was captured during that time. The reasons behind this are complicated, but mainly because the dark forces had completely corrupted the aristocracy of the empire. If this scar were to be fully exposed, the empire would not only become severely injured but could even bleed to death. The end result was that the church’s unilateral actions provoked a backlash among the nobles. At that time, the internal conflicts within the empire were severe, and the truth and lies intertwined, making it so few truly understood what happened during that period of the empire. In summary, the end result was that the church’s influence fell drastically, and imperial authority returned to the church under the support of aristocratic power.”
Only then did Brendel grasp the truth behind the struggle between church and royal authority. Perhaps it was from that moment that the Cruz Empire began its inevitable decline, allowing the Everything Returns Society to recklessly infiltrate the nobles and even the church. Everything in this world must have its cause and effect; nothing is an exception.
“…In the end, the result was that most dark creatures have been deeply buried underground—hidden with the nobles’ secrets in the light, just like this holy crypt. And those who were eroded by darkness, as well as the fallen saints in the struggles, after they die, they are among the easiest to be transformed into undead by dark magic. The Silver Queen obviously knew this long before. I came here to find back that person’s power on her behalf.”
“Power?”
Brendel found the term somewhat confusing.
