Chapter 787
What Drives Your Elevator?
After Alistair presented Cyril’s letter of introduction, the Black Visage led Alistair and her “daughter,” Leviathan, directly into the Spirit Tower.
Initially, Alistair was a little worried that Leviathan might knock over some Bottles and Jars or hurt a student – one has to leash even a large dog, let alone a shark or a dragon.
But Alistair soon found that Leviathan, despite her appearance, was actually quite intelligent. Although she didn’t speak much, she understood and could speak. And she was certainly more obedient than a real child.
Occasionally, students would pass by, greet the Black Visage, and cast curious glances at Leviathan… Leviathan didn’t intimidate them but remained quiet and polite.
Of course, no students dared to try and pet Leviathan or greet Alistair. For Extraordinarys of the Twilight Path, it was better to stir up less trouble.
They adhered to the principle of “if you can avoid meddling, don’t; if you can avoid being rude, don’t,” firmly believing that “meddling too much leads to an early demise.”
Despite this, Leviathan held her chest high and politely nodded to everyone who passed by. This seemed to be a habit inherited from Alphonse.
“You are… Miss Crowley!”
A somewhat familiar voice rang out, filled with unconcealed surprise. In a school as dispirited as the Spirit Tower, which felt like a corporate office building, this was a rare spark of vitality.
Alistair turned her head and saw a somewhat timid boy with freckles. It was Paul, whom she had met on the ship.
“Yo, Paul,” Alistair said with a gentle smile, her voice friendly. “Long time no see… How is Dimit’s injury?”
*She remembers me and Dimit’s names!*
Paul’s spirits immediately soared. He walked over quickly, saying happily, “His injuries are almost healed… He was previously paralyzed because the Sea Monster’s tentacles broke his Spine. But after returning, the Mentor helped him with repair treatment, and now he’s almost fully recovered. He can already move around, though he’s still resting…”
As he got closer, he completely ignored the Black Visage, his eyes only on Alistair.
“—Hey.”
When he reached Alistair’s side, Adolf, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, startling him.
Paul then noticed the other person’s presence and was immediately shocked, “Ch-Principal?”
“Vice-Principal, student Paul,” Adolf said sternly, pointing upwards. “The Principal is watching you. Speak with caution.”
“Y-Yes, I know…”
Paul’s thoughts were disrupted by Adolf, and he couldn’t remember what he was about to say. But because it was important, he stood there motionless, trying hard to recall, even though he was afraid of Adolf.
Not wanting to appear too foolish, he made small talk: “Ah… this, this big guy is so cool! What’s his name?”
“Leviathan, this is my daughter,” Alistair replied proudly.
“A girl…?”
Paul looked a bit confused but didn’t react much to the title. In his understanding, it was normal for noblewomen and young ladies to refer to their pets as “son” or “daughter.” The servants of nobles also had to show a great deal of respect to those pets, as if they were indeed young masters or young ladies.
He pondered for a while longer and finally remembered, “Oh right—Miss Crowley, my… my Mistress wants to meet you… It might be a bit rude…”
“Your Mistress?” Alistair cut through his polite words. “Blood Coral? Wasn’t she your former Mistress? Did you go back?”
“Yes, yes… I did go back… It would be great if you knew my Mistress.”
Paul was a little embarrassed but also relieved. The boy quickly said, “My Mistress said she has something you’ll be interested in.”
“Oh?” Alistair said nonchalantly, “Go ask her what it is.”
Paul immediately replied, “My Mistress told me to tell you this—she said, Hercules. You’ll agree when you hear that word.”
Hearing this, Alistair’s expression immediately became serious. Hercules… that was the Royal Family of the Hrasal Empire, and Yulia’s bloodline.
Once Yulia was involved, Alistair became serious. “How can I contact your Mistress?”
“My Mistress said that if you agree, she will come to find you. As long as you stay in Leipzig, she’ll find a way to reach you.”
“…I’d better hope so.” Alistair’s gaze grew a little colder. She looked at Paul and kindly advised, “If you can resist the kiss of the Child of the Moon, you’d best stay away from your Mistress.”
“Understood…” Paul lowered his head, ashamed of his wavering will. He had initially escaped his Mistress… though it was under her deliberate indulgence. Blood Coral disliked coercion or mind control; she preferred people to seek her out willingly. Therefore, when Paul desired freedom, she gave it to him immediately. *Go out and play, you’ll come back in the end anyway.* She understood Paul too well. And as it turned out, she was right. Paul had held out for many years, but ultimately couldn’t resist.
Alistair followed Adolf and turned to leave. Not long after she departed, Paul suddenly called out from behind her.
Alistair turned back, looking at him quietly.
“…I’ll try my best!”
“Don’t say that to me, say it to yourself,” Alistair said coldly, turning her head slightly, her body half-turned towards him. “You strive for yourself—not for anyone else.”
For Alistair, this was an old saying she had heard and said countless times. But as the words fell, Paul froze as if struck by lightning.
“Your students talk too much,” Alistair whispered to Adolf. “They’re not like Necromancers at all—too rowdy.”
“You seem to like him quite a bit.”
“He’s alright.” Unlike her previous cold attitude, Alistair gave Paul a rather good review. “This child is a promising talent—it’s probably because of this that Blood Coral didn’t ruin him.”
“That’s why we kept him. After all, he’s a bit of a spy…” The old man chuckled and, while casually chatting, led Alistair and Leviathan onto a remarkably modern transparent elevator. “Let’s get on the elevator.”
Alistair looked at the various cables embedded in the walls of the transparent elevator and asked curiously, “What energy source do your elevators use? Twilight Path Mana? Or Spirit-driven?”
“Elevators use electricity, of course,” the old man replied matter-of-factly. “If it were Spirit-driven, wouldn’t it be called a Spirit Elevator?”
His logic was sound. Alistair was momentarily speechless. “That’s unexpected… I thought those pipes were for transporting Mana.”
“That’s for ease of maintenance, as things here tend to Corrode and get damaged. Transparent ones are easier to inspect… By the way, Necromancy could achieve it, but there’s no need to waste Resources.”
As they chatted, the elevator ascended smoothly and slowly.
On the opposite side of the transparent elevator, corresponding to the Door, Alistair clearly saw a black pillar—this was the main trunk of the Spirit Tower. It was enveloped in a dense Amber Radiance… or rather, it was continuously producing the Power of the Twilight Path, which was the core energy source driving the Spirit Tower.
Even without Necromancy knowledge, one could easily see that its texture was like a skeleton.
“Is that the Spine of the Amber Spirit?” Alistair asked with interest.
“…I didn’t expect you to know such secret knowledge.” The current Black Visage sounded somewhat surprised.
Alistair asked, “Is this some kind of unspeakable secret?”
The old man shook his head. “Not really. It’s just that there’s no need to boast about it… and even I’m not entirely sure where it came from, or why it’s so enormous. If I were to tell the students, and they asked, I wouldn’t be able to answer. But, likewise, I don’t want students to care too much about it… Once one becomes overly attached to something, they stray onto the wrong path of the Twilight Path.”
The Vice-Principal of the Spirit Tower spoke without reservation. “Therefore, we only put this knowledge in textbooks, but we don’t test on it—this way, the process of Bewitchment Dispelling is completed, and students can learn about it without becoming too attached.”
“Where did it come from…” Alistair murmured. She actually knew the answer to this question. It wasn’t from her Past Life memories. It was from Eivass, while studying High-Tier Divine Art at the Church. The textbooks for High-Tier Divine Art were filled with information on the origins and Forbidden aspects of various Heavenly Envoys and Pillar Gods. Naturally, the Amber Heavenly Envoy was also mentioned.
Contrary to general understanding—because the Amber Heavenly Envoy’s appearance was a glowing skull, many believed that the Amber Heavenly Envoy had at least ascended from a humanoid being. But in reality, the Amber Heavenly Envoy was a Monster left over from the “Forbidden” Era. —It was a giant Sea Monster with a human head and a snake’s body!
