Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 279 The past reappears

Ethan felt he had grasped the meaning of the Garog bloodline; those who inherited it would become like the wandering scholar Zhou Zhuo, always able to press a switch at unexpected times.

Princess Vivian's thoughts were simple; she just wanted to figure out where those voices were coming from.

There are no other sounds here.

Cynthia reminded her.

They were located beneath the royal palace in the capital of Sivarandin, a place where no outsiders would pass by. However, she did not believe that Vivian was lying or making up an excuse for accidentally breaking Merlin's relics.

The Golden King has always valued the descendants of the Garg dynasty, a sentiment stemming from the connection Merlin established with them.

Even the guild didn't know why Merlin, as a high-ranking member of the guild, would get involved with a group of natives from different planes, and even go so far as to change the course of history.

Without Merlin's help, Vivian's ancestors might not have been able to rise to prominence in this turbulent era.

Too many unknowns drew everyone's attention to Ethan—the only one among them who could understand ancient languages, and he might very well share the same bloodline as Merlin or even the Golden King.

"This is the riddle left by Merlin."

Ethan put the completely drained smartphone back in its original place. The battery had long since failed over the years, and he was sure Merlin understood this too, and wouldn't expect anyone to open his phone and see the contents of the memos someday.

He was facing the desk in the secret room, with his smartphone placed in the most conspicuous position.

Any fellow countryman from Meilin could recognize this object at a glance.

This is a riddle set for the "ancients," and Ethan is carefully pondering the message Merlin is trying to convey to his fellow countrymen outside the guild.

Merlin must have foreseen his death; when the guild members tracked him down to this plane, he had already prepared for the worst.

When Ethan arrived at the wall that Vivian had mentioned making the strange noise, he found that the wall was solid when he tapped it, and there was no sign of any magical flow inside.

He stared at the pillar beside the wall for a long time, then suddenly thought of something and moved the shelf full of alchemical materials to the side. With the obstruction gone, Ethan finally understood where this familiar feeling came from. Now it seemed that perhaps the name "Merlin" itself was a clue.

That wasn't his real name, but it could evoke the image of magic in any "ancient person."

When they followed the secret of Merlin and Garrog's bloodline to this place, true magic enthusiasts could see the clues.

Exploratory players, avid enthusiasts of adventure and magic, also need keen insight and a wide range of knowledge.

This reminded Ethan of players who enjoy puzzle games.

This reveals a great deal of information.

Merlin's fellow countryman, yet not a high-ranking member of the guild, could he really be so convinced that hundreds of years from now, a time traveler would discover the secrets of this place when the Golden King descends?
Ethan doesn't think so.

Rather than the vague future and the almost impossible coincidences, Ethan felt that Merlin was really waiting for the players. For some reason, he was certain that one day in the future, other players would descend upon Westwaran like locusts, and the puzzle enthusiasts among them would learn the secrets hidden by the ancient Galog dynasty after gaining enough goodwill with the Galog royal family.

No matter how deeply hidden the Easter eggs are, as long as there are enough players, there will always be extraordinary people who can uncover them.

The familiar scene before them was connecting those seemingly trivial clues.

Sivalandin, the lost land of gold, and the Garog bloodline that continues to this day—these are all landmarks left by Merlin for later players.

An epic quest is enough to attract countless players.

However, the players Merlin was waiting for did not appear. Instead, a "transmigrator" arrived before this world "officially opened." Fortunately, Ethan was also a magic enthusiast and saw through Merlin's carefully designed hints.

He even found a trolley piled high with luggage in a lost corner. These items were naturally irrelevant to Cynthia and the others and would never have attracted their attention.

Vivian stood there blankly, and before she could say anything further, a handcart appeared in her hand.

"Push the cart over there and run, remember to run fast."

Ethan reminded her.

Are you sure it's there?

Vivian looked at the solid wall, then at Ethan. If she remembered correctly, Ethan had just confirmed that it was a solid wall.

She also saw the shards of potion bottles scattered all over the ground, and could easily imagine herself crashing into the wall and falling to the ground, her hands bracing against the broken glass. She frowned her delicate brows. Earlier, when she was in the palace, Ethan denied the speculation that he was the incarnation of Bazartos, but that did not mean that Ethan was not an evil god.

There is evidence for this, or rather, it's what Ethan himself said.

He said that Bahrain was his brother, and that they had fought side by side and defeated many opponents.

The more Vivian looked at Ethan, the more he resembled an evil god—the kind of evil god who was full of cunning and rotten to the core.

"If you are scared, you can close your eyes."

Upon hearing this, Vivian looked pitifully at Cynthia and the others, but it was clear that they had also been brainwashed by Ethan, the evil god, and had no sympathy or pity for her whatsoever.

Vivian took a deep breath, put almost all her weight on the handrail of the cart, and strode towards the solid wall.

She had heard that evil gods enjoyed toying with humans, but if it meant driving away the Golden King and restoring peace to Sivarandin, she would gladly have her hands covered in a hundred shards of glass.

The road seemed to stretch out, and it appeared that someone gently supported her shoulder during the collision.

"Bam—!"

What is supposed to come will come.

Along with the sound of a collision, there was also a strange scream.

"Where did this wild girl come from? Can't you watch where you're going?"

This was a strange voice from outside their group, with a heavy accent, but Vivian understood it. The expected pain didn't come, and what she bumped into didn't seem to be anything hard. She quietly squinted her right eye open a crack, and what came into view was a gentleman clutching his buttocks and muttering curses.

The gentleman's buttocks unfortunately became the target of the stroller, but due to etiquette and the fact that Vivian looked like a young girl, the incident did not escalate.

"This is……"

Vivian couldn't believe what she was seeing.

This is the capital of West Varandin, or more accurately, the golden land recorded only in history books, because she saw a flag fluttering not far from the square, bearing the emblem of the Galog dynasty, which existed only before the arrival of the Third Age—the last days of the Galog dynasty's existence.

The gentleman, covering his buttocks, was dressed in an old-fashioned formal suit and looked every bit the aristocrat.

For the princess of Sivarantin, recognizing these elements was not difficult.

"What did you do?" she asked Ethan, her voice trembling. Even though the Garlog dynasty had been destroyed for over a thousand years, it was still a sacred place in the hearts of the West Varandin people. In order to maintain the unity of bloodline and territory, her ancestors had launched several wars against East Varandin, but all of them ended in failure.

Each defeat seemed to remind them that the fallen dynasty was destined never to regain its glory.

Vivian carefully compared the city with the descriptions in history books, and she felt that Ethan simply did not understand what this meant to the people of Sivarantin.

"407 years have passed, and the past is repeated."

Ethan gave Vivian plenty of time, but that was all.

This was not an auspicious year for the "remnants" of the Galog dynasty. Many things happened that year: the old king fell ill and died; and at a crucial time of power transition, all the residents of the Galog dynasty received a shocking piece of bad news—their guardian, Merlin, who had witnessed the glory of the Galog dynasty, was assassinated.

They were a group of assassins who were immortal; time was their friend.

After that, foreign enemies took advantage of the situation and dealt the dynasty its final blow.

In the winter of 407, the young king signed a truce with the invaders, ceding half of the kingdom's territory, which marked the beginning of the division between West Varandin and East Varandin.

It was getting late, and they had arrived at an inopportune time.

A cold wind swept across the face, and the leaves on the trees along the street were almost all gone. In the Golden Land, every leaf that fell meant that the dynasty was one step closer to its demise.

As the conversation continued, the cursing gentleman walked away, and the entire city was shrouded in night.

The streets were deserted, with hardly any pedestrians in sight, and naturally no one cared where the two of them had come from. Many buildings had signs advertising discounted sales at their entrances.

Of course, not all places are deserted.

The invaders' troops were stationed in the southwest corner, and drunken soldiers swaggered down the street, which is why the streets were deserted. According to historical records, during the period of treaty negotiations, these foreign invaders committed all sorts of atrocities in the city.

If they get drunk, they'll barge into those impressive-looking estates, and money, jewels, and beautiful women—once they see them, none will escape.

"You knew all along that wall led here?"

No matter how hard Vivian racked her brains, she couldn't understand the principle behind it. Time travel was something that couldn't be explained by ordinary magic.

Ethan nodded.

He was trying his best to keep his thoughts in sync with Merlin's, imagining himself as a puzzle enthusiast who had accidentally triggered this epic quest and was then teleported to this "dungeon"-like place. For ordinary players, the defeated Golden Land was undoubtedly fraught with danger.

For ordinary players, the invaders are undoubtedly enemies that cannot be defeated at this stage. They become a natural wall, restricting the player's range of movement to a very small area.

If players read the historical texts of Sivarandin carefully enough, they should understand that they should not easily deal with these invaders.

The condition for triggering this quest is to reach an extremely high level of affinity with one of the royal family members of Garlog.

"Hiss, what do you want to do?"

Ethan's gaze made Vivian shudder. She instinctively shrank back and covered her chest with her hands.

"I'm thinking about how to make the most of you."

Ethan was outspoken.

Princess Vivian is a resource left to him by Merlin, and he must make good use of it. If he wants to unravel the secrets left by Merlin, he must follow the mission settings "written" by Merlin.

His answer terrified Vivian even more. "You...you don't mean you want me to act as bait to lure those intruders, do you?"

She had read many tragic novels that contained similar plots.

"Lure intruders? What would you do with them?"

"So what are you planning?"

Vivian breathed a sigh of relief, but she felt it wasn't entirely her fault. If you look like a psychopath when you're thinking, and you recently turned the entire city's inhabitants into flesh monsters, it's hard for others to think the best of you.

"I'm wondering how you're going to convince the King of the Galog Dynasty that you're from over a thousand years in the future and are his descendant?"

As he pondered, he led Vivian toward the palace.

Guards clad in golden armor stood watch at the entrance to the palace, strictly prohibiting anyone from passing through.

"Could you make an exception? We have urgent business to attend to with the King. This is Princess Vivian of Sivarantin. Although it may seem difficult for you to understand, she is indeed the rightful heir of the Garlog bloodline."

Ethan stepped forward and explained to the guard, who was over two meters tall. The guard's face was covered by his helmet, so his expression was not visible.

"Leave immediately."

The guard seemed to be a difficult person to talk to, speaking in a very businesslike tone, and didn't even seem to intend to consult the royal family.

"I advise you to do as he says."

At the critical moment, Vivian stepped forward. Even though times have changed, the royal family still seems to have a bloodline-based suppression of the royal guards.

The imperial guard was stunned for a long while, then a sneer came from under his helmet, "Because you're a princess?"

"Do not."

Vivian displayed superb negotiation skills, sternly warning them, "Don't provoke him any further. He just slaughtered an entire city. Do you want to be strangled to death by tentacles that sprout from his body?"

Her words were powerful and resonant, deeply moving the guard.

The good news is that Ethan and Vivian were able to enter the palace as they wished.

The bad news is that they face multiple charges, including disturbing public order, violating public security regulations, and fraud.

……

Meanwhile, Yoda and Kara looked at each other for a long time before finally making the same decision.

They mustered all their strength, following the example of others, and quickened their pace, running straight toward the wall where Ethan and Vivian had disappeared.

"Boom--!"

Their response was a sound that looked incredibly painful.

And so, the world gained two unlucky souls whose golden masks were knocked askew and who ended up with their hands covered in shards of glass after falling down.

(End of this chapter)