Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 388 Night is Approaching
Despite some setbacks, the exchange led by Ivy with the refuge was remarkably successful. Meanwhile, another research project was also underway. As the Golden Fleet set sail, a research discussion on the soul was taking place in the Empire's Astrologers' Guild.

This conference involved various fields of occultism, including academy professors, archmages from the mage tower, and even witches, high-ranking demons, and war council lords.

The Lofik Foundation became the biggest sponsor behind the meeting, and its purpose was obvious—they were dedicated to giving the residents of the shelter a soul.

When the golden warship returned to the Imperial Capital Royal Airport, the young hero from another world was immediately sent to the intensive care unit of the Imperial Capital Royal Hospital.

After withdrawing from politics, the Henry family did not succumb to despair. Instead, they devoted themselves to popular industries such as medicine, technology, and education, adding the title "Royal" to many of their establishments, which meant they would receive more economic support and resources.

The brave young man was badly injured; an ordinary person would have died long ago.

The doctors at the Royal Hospital believed that some unknown energy within his body had given him his last breath. The energy's state was somewhat similar to that of the Templar Knights of Netheril, whose fighting style involved using battle marks and weapon enchantments. The doctors also discovered another chaotic energy within the boy's body, which was the culprit that had turned his body into a tangled mess.

“Mr. Ethan, our suggestion is to keep the child in the intensive care unit for observation until we have a complete understanding of the two energies. We will provide him with the best medical care.”

The Royal Hospital attached great importance to the arrival of Ethan and his group. As soon as the Astrologers' Guild summit ended, the director rushed back to the hospital without stopping.

After much deliberation, he decided to pursue conservative treatment. "The chaotic energy is causing destruction while also sustaining the child's life, which is quite interesting. Its existence is like that of a parasite. Perhaps what we understand as 'destruction' is, in its eyes, a transformation. It is trying to modify the host's body into the state most suitable for its parasitism."

The dean tried his best to explain the young hero's condition to the group in simple terms: "Therefore, if we eliminate the energy, although it can end its modification of the child's body, it may also cause him to die immediately."

In fact, even for high-level superhumans, surviving such severe injuries is nothing short of a miracle.

In the doctors' view, the brave young man should have breathed his last and died after completing the teleportation.

They could hardly imagine that a young man could have suffered so much. The doctors felt that the boy must have encountered the cruelest enemy. Considering that the brave boy might be a friend of Ethan and the others, the dean, sharing their indignation, criticized, "In addition to sword wounds, he was also attacked by a magic cannon. I can hardly imagine what kind of heartless person would use siege weapons to bombard a child!"

But then, the hospital director noticed that the atmosphere outside the ward had become somewhat subtle.

That's strange.

He had long heard that the Imperial Knight Commander Beyond was a righteous person, so why didn't she join the ranks of those condemning her, but instead bowed her head along with Ms. Rowena and Mr. Yug?

"Yes, yes, that's absolutely outrageous!"

Rowena stammered in response, "But...but the magic cannon shouldn't bear the main responsibility, right?"

"We believe that his coma was at least 80% caused by the magic cannon."

"It's so abominable!"

Rowena slapped her thigh, a sudden action that startled the dean. He could tell that Miss Rowena was a woman full of justice and compassion, but why did her smile look like she was angry?
"On the other side, the perpetrators must be severely punished. Such heinous criminals must be brought to justice! Of course, if it was an accident, that's a different story. Let's go, we'll strengthen the patrols in the capital!"

The dean stood still, lost in thought.

However, he still couldn't figure out what kind of accident could lead to a siege-level magic cannon bombarding a teenager.

"I also remember there was an exchange in the council, right, Lily?"

Yug also began to consider resigning.

The maid sighed helplessly and said softly, "Then we'll be leaving now."

The world is in decline!

Just now, Ethan witnessed the dark side of the Empire: a group of influential officials in the Empire fled the scene after seriously injuring a teenager from out of town.

After the group left, the corridor quickly became quiet. Seeing that the young hero showed no signs of waking up, Ethan bid farewell to the dean, saying, "We'll head back now. Contact us immediately if there are any changes in his injuries."

"Please rest assured, Mr. Ethan, we will closely monitor the patient's condition."

Upon closer examination, Ethan felt that the whole affair was full of strange occurrences.

The Empire rarely encounters events involving spacetime turbulence, but judging from the images reflected in the mirror by Rowena, the boy's homeland is experiencing a world-ending crisis.

Unbeknownst to them, the hospital corridor had fallen silent. The doctor and the priest had vanished. The corridor stretched out endlessly, and the wards they passed through had all turned into empty, monotonous rooms. If it had gotten any darker, this would have become a classic ghost-in-the-wall scenario from a horror movie.

Almost the instant Ethan had this thought, a curtain of shadow fell over the hospital bed, blocking out the light. The energy storage crystal used for lighting also malfunctioned, flickering incessantly in the darkness, as if it might go out at any moment.

"On this seemingly ordinary afternoon, Ethan encountered... Meow—!"

"Xiao An, how many times have I told you, mind reading isn't for this kind of thing!"

Ethan grabbed the black cat by the scruff of its neck. The black cat, its fate in its throat, stiffened instantly, becoming as docile as a delicate cat doll. The sudden "previous episode of a horror movie" also came to an abrupt halt.

In such a situation, suddenly adding horror movie atmosphere and elements is very likely to cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

If it were anyone else, under intense mental pressure, seeing a red octopus face suddenly appear in the corridor ahead, they would likely have just thrown a fireball at it.

However, in the guild handbook's illustration, the red octopus-faced creature is actually just a race from a specific plane, no different from the sea creatures and the familiars of Eonim, except that their skin is redder, making them look like they've been steamed.

In the history of the empire, they were known as "Time Travelers".

Ethan deeply appreciated the value of the saying "knowledge can overcome fear." For example, his nervous, gesticulating octopus-faced colleague was expressing that he meant no harm, rather than baring his teeth and claws to devour them.

“Mr. Ethan, please forgive my abruptness in meeting you in this manner. I am from Transfer Station 003.”

The red octopus-faced mouth moved, and its voice pierced Ethan's eardrums, reaching straight into his mind.

This is an innate racial talent of the octopus-faced individuals. They do not need to learn languages ​​or express their intentions through sound, which makes them a pillar of the guild. The "language translation" module in the guild handbook was created by the octopus-faced individuals, which helps the guild's investigators quickly understand the native languages ​​of any plane.

Unfortunately, their octopus-faced appearance leads them to be regarded as followers of evil gods in more than 70% of the worlds, and their innate communication abilities further confirm people's judgment of them.

It can only be said that prejudice in people's hearts is a huge mountain.

"The station manager of Transfer Station 003 hopes I can contact you as soon as possible, after all, you are now one of the guild's most powerful investigators."

Although the rating is only C because I just joined the guild not long ago.

However, it is well known that Rank C is the rank where monsters are most likely to appear, and there is a high possibility that there will be individuals stronger than Rank S investigators.

"What happened?" For the transit station chief to urgently send someone to the capital to find him, something terrible must have happened. Ethan was well aware of his own limitations. After the incident in the "Crow's Canopy" plane, he had become a dangerous element in the eyes of the guild investigators. Unless absolutely necessary, most of his colleagues were unwilling to get involved with him.

Moreover, there is currently an unconscious traveler from another world in the hospital ward.

Faced with Ethan's persistent questioning, the red octopus-faced creature looked troubled. Its mouth moved, but no new thoughts entered Ethan's brain for a long time.

Because they couldn't confirm the truth of the matter at the moment, but all the investigators could sense that something big was about to happen.

"Overnight, the guild detected decay in more than 17 planes, with varying degrees of natural and man-made disasters occurring there. This has never happened since the guild was founded."

"What about the guild's higher-ups? What did they say?"

Ethan immediately realized the problem.

While the "human body material" for the shelter was being pieced together with the help of a friend, some missing persons came into view.

Besides the special-class citizens who were disqualified from the revival competition due to their previous misdeeds, familiar faces such as Merlin, Zhuang Xiao, and Song Xian were also nowhere to be found. When they opened the cryo-chamber, it was empty, and the members of the "pioneering team" were nowhere to be seen.

They were still in cryogenic chambers when the unrest broke out in the shelter and missed it all.

On a optimistic note, they may have completed the teleportation ritual with Xiao An and seamlessly integrated into their new plane of existence. However, it seems that the situation may not be as optimistic as Ethan imagined.

"The guild headquarters has taken corresponding measures, but so far no founder has appeared."

An uneasy atmosphere quietly spread within the guild.

In the past, when such a serious anomaly occurred, the founders should have held a meeting long ago. However, this time, they have disappeared without a trace, which makes the investigators suspect whether the simultaneous decay of the 17 planes is also related to the disappearance of the founders.

"I see."

"Station manager No. 003 asked me to remind you that danger is approaching, please take precautions... Goodbye, I must return to the transfer station immediately."

Leaving a warning, the octopus-faced creature took a few steps back and disappeared into the shadows.

..............................

At the same time, a fleeting figure slipped through the knights' patrol and entered the inner part of the capital.

It's a really bustling metropolis.

It watched the flow of people coming and going, and it had been some time since it had seen such a scene. Compared to those lifeless cities and towns, the people here seemed to be truly alive.

As darkness fell, the faces of these seemingly frail residents showed no sign of fear. They chatted and laughed, discussing their evening plans and recent major and minor events in the capital. Lights illuminated one street after another, and the darkness only made the city more lively.

very good!

The figure licked its lips in ecstasy.

It loves the feeling of bustling metropolises because only in this way can it fully enjoy the pleasure brought by change and contrast when it instills fear and despair in everyone's heart.

These foolish humans must believe it died from the magic cannon, otherwise they would dare to so brazenly welcome the arrival of night.

Tonight, they will pay the price for their ignorance.

It tracked the golden ship all the way here and witnessed it slowly landing in the city's airport.

But before spreading fear, it needs to convert a few of its followers to help it understand the local situation.

The shadowy figure strolled through the streets, easily evading everyone's gaze. Its eyes swept over one imperial resident after another, searching for a suitable candidate as if it were prey.

Soon, it found its prey for the night.

A young man in military uniform walks side by side with a middle-aged hunter with a stubble beard.

It was drawn to the two people's identities.

The military uniform suggests that the young man is likely serving in the kingdom's army, which would allow him to know a lot about the kingdom's military movements. The hunter represents the adventurers' guild, which must be the place where intelligence flows most freely in every city. This combination clearly indicates that the military is exchanging intelligence with the adventurers' guild.

The dark figure grinned, revealing a chilling smile.

It silently followed behind the two of them.

Let's start with these two humans.

"Argos, did you know? They have the best oat beer in the entire capital, brewed by a master brewer they specially invited from Thunder City."

The shadowy figure listened to their conversation.

Argos?

This name seems a bit strange to a hunter. People living at the bottom of society usually have the most ordinary and inconspicuous names. Peter, John, Jonathan—open the Adventurers' Guild registration list, and nine times out of ten, these are the names.

“I made an appointment with Ampolis, but he said he would come later.”

The old hunter named Argos said, "Kane, it's your turn to treat this time."

"no problem."

Ah, Kane.

The name is ordinary, suggesting that the person comes from a middle-class family.

The shadowy figure knew everything.

In addition, there was the "Ampolis" mentioned by the old hunter...

Night is falling, let's start tonight with the three of you!

(End of this chapter)