Chapter 6: The Four Warriors of Yesteryear (2)
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In a brilliantly lit restaurant, the only remnants of the evening were a chaotic mix of dishes and an eerie silence.
The servants stood quietly at the door, resembling a row of statues, as they awaited their master’s permission to enter.
Monroe raised his wine glass, seemingly relishing the brief tranquility that followed the feast.
Trissa remained similarly silent until Monroe chugged down the wine.
“Father, I think you might have had a bit too much.”
Monroe shook his head with a sigh, “Too much? Not at all! Who knows when I’ll get a chance to drink such fine wine again.”
“Please don’t say that, Father.”
Trissa, a bit annoyed, walked up to Monroe and snatched the wine bottle from his grasp.
“You still haven’t explained why you suspect Lord Lin’s visit to the Empire has anything to do with the Four Warriors.
Is it just because he asked you about them during the banquet?”
Monroe chuckled, “That’s just part of it.
Honestly, I’ve been mulling over the whole situation today, especially your bizarre experiences beneath the Sky Tower. It piqued my interest.”
Trissa poured a glass of fruit tea for Monroe, who cleared his throat and continued,
“Over four hundred years ago, our ancestor Aiven, who, mind you, shared the same bloodline as the Four Warriors, boldly entered Black Stone City right after the Monster Race had lost to the Human Race, which was in complete chaos.
He was perpetually curious about the Goddess of Destiny.
According to legend, the powers of the Four Warriors were granted by the Goddess of Destiny, and as the Empire’s greatest warrior of his time, Aiven was confident he could reach the heights his ancestors once did, maybe even chance upon meeting the Goddess herself.
Fueled by this belief, he charged headfirst into the Sky Tower.”
Trissa exclaimed, “Father, you’re forgetting? You’ve told me all this before.
Our ancestor Aiven faced unimaginable difficulties within the Sky Tower, leaving behind a dying message that if the demons hidden beneath the Sky Tower resurfaced, the entire world would be doomed.
Otherwise, how could I have so conveniently joined the embassy to stop Morris and his gang from entering the Sky Tower?”
Monroe nodded, “True, that’s exactly what I told you. But… do you want to know what Aiven actually saw in the Sky Tower?”
“Of course!”
Monroe held up his empty wine glass and smiled at his daughter.
She made a pouty face that only appeared in front of her father and topped off his glass with a splash of red wine.
“In the last week of his life, Aiven’s wife stayed with him the entire time, documenting every word and whisper he uttered, both conscious and unconscious.
Thus, as Aiven’s descendants, we are lucky to know exactly what trials he faced under the Sky Tower.”
Trissa supported her chin with her hands, sitting next to her father, but her slightly trembling fingers revealed her anxious heart.
No doubt, what her father was about to say would be something completely unheard of before, possibly even touching the core secrets of the Empire.
“Our ancestor Aiven descended further and encountered undead creatures along the way that were as flimsy as paper, presenting no challenge whatsoever.
Thus, he smoothly reached the 50th underground level.
The enemies there were no match for him; within just a few minutes, the guardian’s head was smashed and silence fell.
Aiven, filled with vigor, then proceeded to the 60th level.
Unlike the Small World you encountered, Aiven’s enemies consisted mainly of endless hordes of undead creatures.
Moreover, the further down he went, the more enemies he faced.
Aiven exerted monumental effort and finally arrived at the entrance of the 60th level.
Based on his previous experiences, he knew that the 60th level had to feature a formidable opponent. Defeating this foe was the only way to advance.
Just thinking that he was walking the same path as the Four Warriors pumped him up.
What’s more, Aiven inherited the pure bloodline of the armored warrior Cliff, growing stronger in the face of adversity. His bl**d and will unleashed his fighting spirit.
But… upon defeating the boss of the 60th level, he shockingly discovered that beneath the powerful helmet was the face of a demon!”
“A demon’s face!” Trissa gasped in surprise.
Monroe replied, “Yes, I was shocked at first too, but the records left by our ancestor are crystal clear—there’s no way I could doubt them.
Moreover, Aiven also found a coat of arms representing noble status among the dead’s belongings.”
“A coat of arms?”
Before the Demon Race unified into an Empire, numerous small nations scattered across their vast lands constantly fought over territory and population, putting their citizens through hell.
This is why the Four Warriors left the Demon Race territory, seeking a solution for their plight.
Eventually, they were gifted powers from the Goddess of Destiny and became formidable warriors.
After the Four Warriors returned to the Demon territory, they led an army that decimated all the old powers, uniting the fragmented Demon Race into what is now the great Demon Empire.
Of course, that’s the official version.
As for whether there were any hidden agendas, perhaps only the involved parties would know.
“Father, did our ancestor bring that coat of arms back to the Empire?”
Monroe nodded, “The coat of arms is kept in our basement.”
“Which noble house did the corpse belong to?” Trissa asked, curious.
“There’s no matching design among the existing noble coats of arms within the Empire.”
“How can that be?
No… it might belong to some grand noble from before the Empire was established.”
“Just like I raised you, my dear daughter. Correct, you got it right.”
Monroe dropped his wine glass, gazing up at the chandelier hanging from the restaurant ceiling, illuminated by dozens of flickering candles, their flames swaying in the gentle breeze. The shadow below danced as if it had gone mad.
In the now-empty restaurant, the tension in the air thickened suddenly.
Trissa felt her throat grow dry, swallowing hard before asking, “Have you discovered which noble the coat of arms actually belongs to?”
Monroe said, “I mentioned this to you today because we finally have some leads on it.
I never guessed that after four hundred years, the coat of arms, long buried in the basement and dismissed as an ancestral relic, just two days ago, finally unraveled all its mysteries.”
Trissa exclaimed, “What a coincidence!”
Monroe sighed, “Indeed. I’ve been collecting ancient texts at high prices for twenty years, regardless of their condition, and finally today it paid off.
Come, I’ll take you to the basement.”
