Chapter 492
Return to the Silver and Tin Hall
The shelter of the Lord of Scales and Feathers was exceptionally effective at night.
Despite Avalon and Star Antinomy engaging in battle, Eivass, his Advisor, Grape, and Olive managed to evade both sides and safely reach the Silver and Tin Hall under the cover of night.
However, the Silver and Tin Hall had completely lost its original form.
The royal palace, now occupied by Flame Demons, had completely transformed into their stronghold. The walls and floors were scorching hot, making it difficult to breathe just by entering. The soles of their boots melted slightly from the high temperature, making a sticky, tearing sound as they walked. Touching the walls directly with their hands would result in immediate blisters.
They could still see patrolling knights and servants wandering within the palace.
The commonality among them was that they had all been assimilated by the flames. The knights’ armor burned with raging fires, yet these flames did not make the armor brittle or melt it. Even the wandering servants in tattered clothes wandered aimlessly like living corpses. Flames continuously overflowed from the cracks in their skin and their features, but did not ignite the sparse clothing they wore.
The only good thing was that the palace had become quiet. There were no sudden bursts of flame, nor any sudden scorching and collapse.
It was as if the palace had merged with the Flame Demons, falling into a deep slumber.
“…If Master Nobel were here, that would be great,” the Advisor couldn’t help but grumble. “He should have come with us…”
Grape, not understanding what the Advisor was saying, simply nodded obediently in agreement.
If that kid Lore was here, he could have distributed alchemical potions to resist the high temperature for everyone.
Mages’ bodies were too fragile; he was the only one among the four present who could not withstand the high temperature of this environment.
The scorching airflow had reached a level lethal to ordinary people. The walls of the Silver and Tin Hall contained a large amount of metal, which now acted like a smoldering boiler. Adding some water would probably be enough to steam them.
Hot air from their noses and mouths, down their tracheas, and into their lungs, made the Advisor immediately feel an incomparably clear heat.
Based on the Advisor’s understanding of the human body, prolonged exposure to such an environment would lead to inhalational damage of the respiratory system. The mucous membranes of the trachea and bronchi would become congested and blister, potentially causing pulmonary edema and insufficient oxygen intake, leading to a drop in blood pressure and cognitive function. This would also reduce their spellcasting ability.
Moreover, a distinct smell of sulfur could be detected in the air. If the hot air contained sulfur, it would cause even greater damage to the mucous membranes and lungs.
Therefore, even with a bishop nearby who could provide immediate treatment, the Advisor dared not remain in such a dangerous state for long.
If combat suddenly broke out, a disoriented him would be unable to resonate with the Path of Wisdom and cast spells, rendering him powerless.
Fearing that he might attract the patrolling Flame Demon knights, the Advisor dared not cast large-scale spells. He could only shield his mouth and nose with his hand, condensing a purification circle of Water Attribute mana in his palm to filter and cool the air.
The drawback of this was a continuous loss of mana. Although not significant, he could not sustain it for too long.
“Let’s hurry and search,” the Advisor’s low voice carried a hint of anxiety. “If we can’t find it, we’ll leave first.”
“Mr. Hermes, if you can’t stand staying here, you can hide outside.” Eivass kindly reminded him.
The Advisor immediately fell silent.
Outside?
—It was a battle outside!
Golems fought Gryphons, knights battled Demon Scholars, and the dead rose again as Undead. It was already a stroke of luck that he was able to approach without being discovered. He absolutely did not want to go out and stir up trouble, or see if they could see through his invisibility.
Even if he wasn’t discovered, being swept away by a Golem would be unbearable!
Thought is fire, requiring information as fuel.
No matter how intelligent a person is, they cannot forcibly derive anything from nothingness. In most cases, intelligent people are intelligent because they are keen enough to gather more information. “Keenness” is not a characteristic of the Path of Wisdom; it is a talent of the Path of Adaptation.
Currently, the Advisor’s information was blank. He could only elevate his perspective, analyzing from a higher level—outside the Ascension Ritual.
Based on the Advisor’s experience, the rituals designed by the Pillar Gods were not like reality, filled with randomness and inscrutability. The essence of an Ascension Ritual was simulation. Future Ascension Rituals indicated that the Pillar God must particularly want to see something or convey a secret, otherwise, there would be no need to put in so much effort. Any period from history could be used for ascension.
Analyzing from this perspective, at least some speculation could be made. That is, by assuming that “the Lord of Scales and Feathers’ designs and arrangements must have meaning,” and then working backward to infer what kind of plot he would set up.
Although two days had been skipped in time, the Ascension Ritual must still have internal logic that would push them forward even if they were clueless.
Moreover, the Ascension Ritual must have a main focus, that is, the plot the Pillar God who designed this dream wanted to see. It was like a reporter’s interview, where the spotlight always falls on a particular person.
There were six people left, half of whom were on their side. This meant that escorting the princess to the Church was only half the mission; the “Eivass” the princess was looking for was the other quest line.
As long as Eivass was indeed the native inhabitant of the Ascension Ritual, everything would be clear. Since Eivass was the only native among their group, it meant that the current “plot spotlight” must be on him.
If they simply followed Eivass, they would only encounter foreseen trials and dangers. It might be difficult, even life-threatening, but there would certainly be opportunities to resolve it, and they would not die from inexplicable accidents.
However, if they were far from him, they might die in some unknown corner.
—Therefore, even if he had to cling on, the Advisor did not want to leave. Even if he had to be shameless, as long as he wasn’t exposed, he had to follow Eivass.
This way, he could at least survive until the final battle, and then each would rely on their own abilities.
The premise was that Eivass was a native and not an Ascender. Otherwise, all his deductions would be wrong. Because of this, after being reminded by Grape of the possibility that “Eivass and Isabel might have seen through his pretense of sleep and were acting,” he had developed a slight suspicion.
But now he thought about it carefully. Whether Eivass and Isabel were acting had nothing to do with whether they were Ascenders. Even if they were Ascenders, where did they get the information about “Shadow of Avalon”?
Grape’s final personal mission was “assist in completing a ritual to end the Star Antinomy invasion,” and this information aligned with “Shadow of Avalon.”
Thus, he remained silent and followed Eivass into the Queen’s bedroom they had left earlier.
This room was now almost completely destroyed—it was the room where the Flame Demon hatched, and also the place of General Karl’s final battle before his death.
Fortunately, the Flame Demon’s main body was not here. But Eivass’s uninhibited actions made the Advisor’s heart pound.
Eivass searched carefully again, but the short sword was indeed not here.
“Could it have been destroyed during the battle?” Olive proposed a possibility.
Eivass shook his head. “Impossible. The Flame Demon doesn’t have the power to destroy a Holy Weapon. If it were that easy to destroy, the Red-Hilted Sword wouldn’t need to be sealed.”
“I’m going to try using prayer to find it. It might disturb the Flame Demon, but it’s hard to say…” Eivass warned. “Prepare for battle.”
(End of Chapter)
