My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 184 Brother Tongzi is showering us with gold coins!
After the Demon King's remnant soul finished recounting his story, he let out a rare sigh.

"That's not something you need to know right now."

"Even if I knew, it would only add to my worries, not to mention that I can't recall those key memories at all right now."

"In short... judging from the few memories I have left, the disaster I tried to prevent is far from coming."

"At least in terms of human lifespan, this has nothing to do with you, Roland boy."

"By the time disaster strikes, you will have long since died of old age."

"In short, you now know the reasons for starting the war."

"Although not entirely, and even in retrospect quite arrogant and reckless... the reason is indeed so."

"If you insist that I want to rule the entire continent... well, that's fine too."

"So, are you satisfied with this answer?"

Roland shook his head helplessly: "Of course I'm satisfied. It would be even better if you remembered more details."

Upon hearing this, the Demon King let out a low laugh, then said, "I don't know why you're asking this, kid."

"But just as that flat-chested elf said, the anomaly on the sea comes from the Whisperer of Eternal Silence, Azgrath."

“My intuition tells me… what I was originally trying to guard against is related to the four special evil gods I mentioned to you before.”

"Alright, that's all I have to say. If you want to know anything else, I don't know what to say. You can figure it out yourself."

After the Demon King finished speaking, he unusually did not remain silent. Instead, he began to talk to Roland about the upcoming operation, telling him to be careful and so on.

Roland felt somewhat uneasy about this sudden show of concern, as he sensed that the Demon King's remnant soul's attitude towards him had changed.

However, he was unable to deduce the other party's intentions from those few words, so he had to give up.

But the good news is not without it.

The system's task was at least successfully completed.

However... this mission was completed, but not entirely finished.

Two enormous options appeared before Roland. On the virtual screen that only he could see, three options were now displayed.

[Following the Demon King's beliefs, I will single-handedly unite the power of the entire continent!]

[After I die, I care not for the deluge. I will listen to the Demon King, eat and drink as I please, do nothing that is not my concern, and trust in the wisdom of future generations.]

The Demon King's failure doomed his methods to failure, but perhaps you can find another way to avert the crisis that has yet to come.

Looking at the three options in front of me.

The first option... Roland ruled it out first.

He wasn't an ambitious person, nor did he think he could single-handedly take down the entire world like some superstar.

He is quite aware of his own abilities.

Moreover, the Demon King's success back then was not due to his own efforts, but rather the combined strength of the entire Demon race.

Without the assistance of the various kings of the royal court, the Demon King alone would likely have been killed by the first owner of the Silence Sword from the very beginning.

After all, this was a formidable figure who had severely injured the Demon King even while being besieged.

A ruthless person who can single-handedly break through the Demon King's army lines and storm into the Demon King's city!
If he had been paired with a few teammates of similar strength, the Demon King War probably wouldn't have lasted this long.

If Roland were to actually take such a step... perhaps the Demon King would support him, Kalia would support him, Cellina would support him... and even Iluvia might support him.

Perhaps after she inherits the throne, she will indeed mobilize the entire empire to march towards the northern border.

but……

The cost is still too high.

Moreover, the Papacy and the Society will definitely get involved to prevent a large-scale outbreak of war.

Civil war between humans is undesirable.

This is the consensus reached by the human race after the Demon King War.

It was precisely because humans initially fought amongst themselves, resulting in numerous city-states and small kingdoms, that the demons initially gained the upper hand, which then snowballed and eventually became completely uncontrollable.

Therefore, whether considering the difficulty, the stakes, or personal preference, option one would definitely be the first one Roland would eliminate.

The second one is the same.

He naturally still possesses some moral standards.

He certainly wouldn't actively investigate if he didn't know.

But once they know... they'll still get involved to some extent.

Whether it will succeed or not is another matter, but Roland will definitely give it a try.

If that doesn't work... then Roland can only rely on the wisdom of future generations.

Because of the long time involved, options one and two were too absolute and extreme, and were not even among the choices Roland would have made.

Just after Roland selected the third option, the system beeped again.

[Ding, the host has made a decision.]

The fate of the world thus took different paths...

[(A majestic voice) Anchor yourself to the destiny of this world, just as you once did...]

The sudden appearance of the magnificent sound that rang in Roland's ears inevitably plunged him into a state of dizziness.

Roland didn't come to his senses until the system's rewards were distributed and the subsequent mission instructions were announced.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained a special badge – King of Runes]

[Master of Runes: The host can identify the pronunciation and meaning of any rune through physical touch.]

[When casting rune spells or incantations formed through runes, the cost is reduced by 90%, and the power is increased by 100%.]

[When casting rune-based spells, simply visualize the shape of the rune in your mind to consume mana to cast or inscribe it.]

Your rune inscription (including spell inscription) will always succeed. You can also inscribe it directly from the void using your mental power, imprinting it into the Great Source.

[Special Side Quest Series - The Demon King's Vision, Decision Two]

[Mission Details: You are aware of the Demon King's grand ambition. Although you do not agree with the Demon King's ideology, you understand and admire the actions he has attempted to take.]

Unfortunately, the Demon King has forgotten the crucial memories; he only knows that the crisis threatening the world is related to the four supreme evil gods, but that's all.

[You have successfully persuaded the Night Witch, Kalia, to abandon her plans to destroy the world, and the ruins she once turned into wastelands have now come back to life.]

You cannot ignore a larger crisis.

At the very least, you should try to solve it.

The good news is that the witch, powerful enough to destroy the world, is quite willing to help you with your investigation.

[Iluvia, the decaying witch who has begun rebuilding the Hearst Empire with your assistance, will also provide you with necessary help.]

[You can even collect the remnants of the Demon King's soul contained within the thirteen prototype machines to help him regain his memories.]

[While it's not a great idea... it's at least a backup option.]

[Mission Objective: Investigate the connection between the crisis and the evil god, and then make a decision.]

Roland snapped out of his reverie after reading the system's mission description.

He was more concerned about the magnificent sound than the task itself.

After all, he could guess the details of the mission. But the riddle-like description made him care more about it than the reward itself.

He could barely understand anchoring the fate of the world... but what did "just like you did" mean?
Roland, vaguely sensing something odd about his memories, tried to glean some information from them, but unknown interference ultimately left him empty-handed.

He turned his attention back to the dining table.

In front of him was a meal that Cellina had brought for him.

The food from the cafeteria isn't particularly appealing, but it's well-balanced in terms of meat and vegetables.

Moreover, the head chef appears to be from the North, and the dishes happen to be his favorite stews and various mixed dishes.

Although the food didn't look very appealing, it was still very much to his liking.

This dish, which would normally whet Roland's appetite, failed to arouse him at all this time.

However, he noticed the worried looks on Cherlinina's and Nash's faces.

Even the gauntlet possessed by the remnant soul of the Demon King floated before his eyes, seemingly observing something.

"Why are you...looking at me like that?"

Cherlinina and Nash exchanged a glance, but neither spoke.

Finally, the Demon King broke the awkward silence: "You suddenly started daydreaming, and then just sat there motionless in one position for a full ten minutes."

"If I hadn't been able to sense that your magic flow was normal and that you weren't affected by any strange spells, I would have called that damn flat-chested elf over."

"Ten minutes!" Roland stood up abruptly from his seat.

How could it possibly be ten minutes... The password only contains a few sentences.

Even if I carefully review the task description and rewards, it won't take more than three minutes...

The Demon King then sighed softly, "I told you not to overthink things."

"If the sky falls, the taller ones will hold it up. You're not qualified to bear the fate of the world yet, so just relax and wait to die. Otherwise, what will happen to your girlfriends? You can't let them live like widows."

"Cough cough cough... What are you saying, Demon King!?"

Unexpectedly, Cellina reacted violently and suddenly stood up, pressing the defenseless gauntlet firmly onto the table, trying to cover his non-existent mouth.

"Hey, what are you getting so worked up about! I'm talking about that blue-haired girl and that princess!"

The Demon King complained irritably, then used his little trick to create magical knots that made Cherinina feel pain, thus breaking free from his control.

Seeing that his little trick worked, the Demon King was quite happy and even found Roland much more pleasing to the eye.

This little inspiration, which came from Roland's spell called "Curse Counter - Modified," turned out to be surprisingly useful.

A surprise attack might be effective.

Realizing her lapse in composure, Cellina quickly lowered her head, placed her hands on her knees, and stared at the tops of her feet.

Fortunately, Roland's mental state wasn't very good right now, and he was still somewhat dazed, otherwise he would have completely understood by now.

Fortunately, Roland's thoughts were entirely focused on the rewards given by the system and the anomalies he and the system had encountered.

The rewards distributed this time were somewhat unexpected for Roland. The first phase of the Silent March mission offered no other rewards.

It only has a huge amount of experience points and a small number of skill points.

The reward from the side quest that Roland just completed happens to have the rune recognition function that Roland wanted most.

It's as if... the system is distributing rewards according to his needs.

While this was a smart move, the fact that the system had already been interfered with twice made Roland somewhat uneasy.

But he could only feel uneasy.

The system, this magical little tool bound to his soul, is something he cannot understand at this stage.

"But this time the reward... besides three skill points, it's all experience points?"

"That's enough for me to get straight to the sixth ring road..."

“And that badge… the King of Runes…”

Eager to test the badge's effect, Roland immediately looked at the rune that Cellina had previously carved on the table.

Now he can pronounce this thing!

Then touch your hand to this rune.

The next moment, a magnificent sound, accompanied by a golden ray like the sun, exploded in Roland's mind.

SOWILO

"Sovero..."

As Roland subconsciously repeated the pronunciation that came to his mind, golden light began to spread throughout Cellina's body.

In an instant, Cellina's radiance surpassed all the lights in the cafeteria!
But that's not all.

With the power of the badge, Roland felt a surge of intense and boundless power, as hot as the sun, flowing into his body!

In an instant, the primordial rune that originally existed within Cellina's body flew out of her body.

The next moment, the rune began to radiate its power, and a phantom began to emerge from the dazzling golden light.

Then the phantom began to stare, until it completely transformed into a real object.

Soon, an identical primordial runestone fell into Roland's hands.

The system also provided timely explanations.

[Primal Runestone [Sun] (Projection)]

[Description: A projection tool capable of unleashing half the power of a true runestone.]

The runestone yearns for a true master, but bound by the contract, it can only dedicate its power to serving its master.

[Rune Skill - Gift of the Sun (Passive): Power is enhanced when the sun rises, reaching its peak at noon, and then gradually decreases.]

[Due to the projection state, the skill effect is reduced by 50%]

[Runestone Skill - Radiant Sunlight: Unleashes the power of the runestone, greatly enhancing the host's various abilities. For one hour, the host will receive twice the effect of the Noon Sun Blessing buff.]

[Due to the projection state, the skill effect is reduced by 50%]

Sunlight shines upon the earth! And from this, life is born!

Sunshine shines upon the earth! Evil bows down before it!

Roland: “!!!”

No!

Cellina, you had this amazing stuff all along!

Goodness, this naming convention... it's on par with World Tree!
Moreover, it comes with its own suffix description, which makes it clearly different from medium-grade runes like Thunder Thorns.

Even disregarding the skill effects, it's still incredibly high-class!

Not to mention the skill effects... wow, an all-around amplification buff!

No wonder Cellina was able to directly compete against Cassius, who was a nine-ring player, with her level of seven-ring skill!

It's likely she unintentionally activated the power of the rune! Roland even felt that, based on the skill description, Cellina might not have yet unleashed her true power.

The Primal Runestones are terrifying!
No wonder these parts were salvaged from a creation artifact!

(End of this chapter)