Echoes of the Past

Chapter 114 Why only now?

Coralina's two large wooden crates were heavy, their weight unlike that of mere clothing. Suiyue tried to lift them and was immediately filled with endless curiosity.

Nan'an thought this curiosity was unnecessary and that it was best not to ask her what kind of double crown "specialty" she was carrying.

The bewildered Suiyue's mind immediately began to wander, wondering what kind of local specialty it was and whether it tasted good.

May Suiyue always remain this adorable.

The two encountered several senators at the Consul's residence.

With the Solitz Senate now openly dissolved, their special status has led to some preferential treatment, including being restricted from leaving the house, but other benefits remain unchanged.

"How should history record this page?" The special envoy, who had tried to mediate that night, shook his head helplessly. "The raging fire ignited by the Bamboo Moon Witch burned away the distant twin crowns, attracting a noble emperor to bow his head and watch?"

Another person couldn't help but find humor in the situation: "In any case, we were both participants and witnesses in the spark that ignited Nora's fusion."

A group of owls, who were inspecting and setting up the welcoming area, suddenly stopped.

"Captain, what's wrong?"

Her hair was snow-white, her eye sockets were slightly sunken, and there was already a cloudy look in her eyes.

Its cheeks were covered with bark-like furrows, the scales had lost their luster, and cracks were visible between the scales, making it dry and rough.

Captain Yaoxiao, the half-dragon, seemed not to hear the calls of his teammates beside him. His pupils reflected Nan'an's back, his eyes filled with disbelief and confusion.

His thoughts churned, sinking beneath the inky black surface of the sea, as if he had returned to a hundred years ago.

"Okay, it seems like—"

"Captain Rango, what are you saying?"

"His back view looks like—"

The team members followed Lango's gaze forward and landed on Nan'an.

"Are you referring to His Excellency Nan'an?"

"Is he the Nan'an that His Majesty wishes to see?"

Rango swallowed hard, staring intently at the figure conversing with the Senate envoy.

The silhouette slowly overlapped with the lingering traces in my mind.

In my memory, the cold seawater splashed everywhere, blurring my vision, and a light mist obscured my appearance.

Nan'an glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then slowly turned around, revealing her profile.

"You—" Rango's breathing quickened, and he outstretched his hand, pointing directly at Nan, "Miss Solissa's summoned creature!"

Suiyue stopped chewing nuts: "My name isn't Solissa."

"The exact same profile, back then—back then you were the one who saved us."

Nan'an was confused: "Back then?"

"The voice, the voice is like—"

Rango's body trembled, his gaze silently drifting downwards to Nan'an's feet.

These are leather boots that even Nan'an doesn't know the exact materials used. They are reddish-brown, very flexible, sturdy, and fit well.

The decorative patterns on the surface have been worn and scratched due to long-term use, leaving behind messy marks that look like brushstrokes.

Nan'an couldn't remember which unlucky guy she had taken it from, but she vaguely remembered that it was a trophy from the first two years of her transmigration.

Because they were so durable, the spare boots were always gathering dust.

The summoning ritual recreated his complete outfit from before his death, and Nan'an then transformed it into clothing that fit the current era in his daily life to ensure there was no sense of incongruity.

This does not include boots, of course.

After all, aside from certain people with unusual fetishes in their past lives, probably no one would look at a person's feet first when interacting with them in daily life, right?

"There's no mistake, you've always been following Miss Solisa. We can only see your back, or, if we look up, we can see your boots."

"Who is Solissa?" Suiyue tilted her head.

The Senate envoy, standing nearby, began to explain, looking rather perplexed.

"One of the three geniuses who repelled the last Dark Tide of Demise, a Dark Elf Priest who reached Rank 8 at the age of 32 and is expected to become the youngest sage since the Black Mist Era."

"Oh?" Nan'an asked curiously, "Can we confirm that the achievements of these three geniuses caused the Dark Tide of Destruction to halt its expansion?"

"Unable to verify." The envoy shook his head. "But after Solisa and the other two entered the darkness created by the Dark Tide of Demise, the undead that it resurrected showed a significant decrease in combat power. At the same time, after they disappeared, the Dark Tide of Demise fell into an inactive state for nearly a hundred years, only maintaining a blockade of the outer seas, without any signs of encroaching on the land, and the airspace blockade that had spread to Chireka Port no longer exists."

Nan'an frowned and looked back at Lango: "So—back then, I followed Solissa and shone brightly in the undercurrent of destruction?"

Rango nodded vigorously.

Perhaps stimulated by the "reappearance" of Nan'an, the long-forgotten memories have become more vivid.

Back then, Rango was just a young 5th-tier mage. In the fierce battle where high-tier mages were collectively filling in the lines, he was an engineer responsible for freezing the sea surface. Under normal circumstances, he would never have had the chance to see the noble Solisa.

Until one day, the undercurrent of destruction surged and roared, shattering the ice and determined to push back into the port of Chireca in one fell swoop.

The young and passionate Rango organized a suicide squad to forcibly freeze the ocean currents against the raging tide, but he was defeated and fell into the water while desperately protecting the ice platform.

As the turbulent eddy pulled his body downwards, and Rango, unable to summon his magic, was about to drown, a pair of large hands precisely broke through the water from the surface of the sea.

Your body is enveloped in bubbles as the suffocating water recedes.

When they came to their senses, most of these hot-blooded fools who dared to face the undercurrent of destruction had been thrown onto the land of Chireka Port.

The male voice that now sounds exactly like the one from Nan'an is trying its best to dissuade them.

"I don't agree with what you're doing. Reaching level 9 would offer a much greater chance of success."

However, Solissa's attitude was resolute—

"Will the Dark Tide of Demise give me that much time? Help me out, I want to take a gamble."

"I will die."

"But Nora might win."

Nan'an's thoughts were in turmoil, and he fell into deep thought.

Rango's memories are not over yet.

Shortly after the debate between Solissa and the "summoned creatures" ended, the Dark Tide of Demise resurrected an unknown 9th-tier elemental mage from the Gray Star era.

Its unleashed rain of fire paralyzed the high-ranking mages on the front lines.

The plan to walk on ice and expand the defense zone has almost collapsed, and chaos has spread to the port dock in front of Lango.

Solisa didn't move; it was her summoned creature that took the lead, seemingly unaffected by elemental damage, and slashed straight at the 9th-tier opponent, plunging into the sea with him in its arms.

The fierce battle between the two sides created towering waves. On the shore, Rango and his group were shocked to see a giant whale fly into the sky from the aftershocks of the magical clash and land heavily not far from them.

It's hard not to be impressed.

This was the first time in Rango's memory that he had directly witnessed a pure magical duel between mages who had reached the pinnacle of the Black Mist Era.

"Really? You old thing, you were resurrected 100 years ago?" Suiyue was losing confidence. "That sounds really strong, no weaker than a 9th rank."

Nan'an pressed his brow; no matter how vividly and detailedly Lange recalled, his memory was a blank.

"You may ask His Majesty," Lango suggested. "Many of those who survived the battle like I did back then became part of the Owl and the Inner Guard. There must be others who have witnessed His Excellency Nan'an's heroic figure!"

Suiyue interjected, "Isn't it public information that Solisa possesses summoned creatures? Didn't you leave any diagrams or records?"

"In fact, Miss Solissa is not known for her summoning skills. It was only during the Dark Tide of Demise that we learned that she was accompanied by a strange humanoid summon."

Rango couldn't wait to report his discovery.

The efficiency of the owl was beyond doubt. Soon, Slatur, who was riding in the same carriage as Gunn, put down the scroll in his hand, his expression showing undisguised surprise.

Some survivors among the frontline mages from that time did indeed report encountering unidentified summoned creatures at the scene.

While the summoned creatures were annihilating the creations generated by the Dark Tide of Demise, they also rescued those who had fallen into the water.

In the museum of history and culture in Angze, all relevant eyewitness accounts are marked as "unverifiable".

Due to the strong hallucinogenic properties of mental magic, many survivors' accounts after the battle contained bizarre and fantastical details, making them highly unreliable.

Some survivors even claimed to have seen a steel behemoth, as long as 10 whales and resembling a ship, slowly rising from beneath the surface.

When Slatur was learning about the history of Onze, he carefully reviewed the descriptions of the large number of survivors multiple times.

His intuition told him that something incomprehensible must have happened at the scene.

As Solissa and her two companions fought their way into the Dark Tide of Destruction, more than one mental mage was wreaking havoc.

More than one survivor reported the devastation that occurred wherever the group of mages went.

However, before Solissa and the other two severely injured the Dark Tide of Destruction, these mental magicians seemed to have disappeared beforehand.

Apart from two with clear kill records, including the earliest confirmed 9th-tier mental mage, the rest of the recreated undead seemed to stop their attack at some point.

The front lines that should have collapsed were barely held together by the sudden disappearance of these people.

The appearance of Nan'an made Slatur examine those "outrageous" records about summoned creatures.

Is it really just an illusion?

Time flew by as I pondered.

As evening fell, twelve silver-winged winged horses, arranged in a wedge formation, pulled a black carriage made of some unknown metal, which appeared in the sight of the people who came to pick them up.

The convoy descended slowly.

On the ground, the welcoming party was already lined up.

The members of the Radiant Owl stood on both sides, their armor gleaming coldly in the twilight.

The Senate envoys straightened their clothes and stood at the front of the line with Nan'an and Suiyue, gazing at the majestic figure descending from the sky.

The car door opened.

Two attendants came down first, one on the left and one on the right, bowing their heads.

Then came the clerk accompanying the motorcade, carrying a thick scroll, who strode quickly toward the gate of the governor's residence and announced the name of Slatur Anze in a loud voice, facing the wealthy district.

Slatur Anze stepped out of the car.

After hearing Huoya's description, Nan'an thought he was a very fat man who could cosplay as an apple when he put on a red velvet robe.

It is somewhat round, but not nearly as exaggerated as popular rumors suggest; it weighs at most around 160 pounds.

Considering that he is the ruler of a country, living a life of luxury and mainly engaged in mental activities, it is not surprising that he would gain weight.

Nan'an had a pretty good first impression of him.

Slatur's somewhat simple and honest face lacked the sharpness of an emperor, instead carrying a hint of gentle weariness. His steps were slow, and the hem of his robe dragged on the ground, making a soft rustling sound.

Before the crowd lined up outside the mansion to greet him could even begin to sing Slaturt's name in unison with the announcer, he spoke first.

"Let's skip the formalities. Karen is a remote borderland, where the dangers of the Black Mist and the Living Erosion are ever-present. Being bound by formalities will only slow down the warriors' ability to draw their swords. Don't you agree?"

Slatur casually tore off his robe and placed it in the maid's hand.

"As the lord of Angze, it is necessary to adapt to local customs. Let's all be more spontaneous."

Seeing the somewhat bewildered Soliz people present, Slatur pursed his lips.

"You know—I abandoned my double crowns and went straight to Kren, yet you are all so reserved. It makes me doubt whether I made the right choice."

Nan'an took a step forward.

Seeing this, Suiyue quickly followed, trying to keep up with Nan'an's position.

"I heard that His Majesty wishes to see me."

Slatur's face immediately broke into a smile.

He pointed to Nan'an and said, "This is the kind of spontaneity I've been hoping for."

Having said that, he casually pushed aside the personal mage beside him and ordered Nan'an and Suiyue to accompany him.

"You've all come to welcome me, and I've satisfied your sense of ceremony by letting you receive me. Now, I need some time to talk with Nan'an. Everyone, please continue with your duties."

Leaving behind a group of bewildered Solize nobles, Slatur led his party through the crowd into the depths of the mansion, chatting and laughing.

Nan'an wasn't the only one granted the right to accompany the others; Gu En, whom they hadn't seen in a long time, was also present.

The three people closest to the most distinguished person in Anze were all former Solitz people.

The closest Anze to Slatu, the personal mage shrouded in a robe, was nearly 5 meters away.

Let's assume that any one of the three—oh, excluding Suiyue.

Nan'an and Gunn want to make the world even more chaotic. All they need to do is strike unexpectedly. Even a 9th-level mage like Slatur would be doomed with the advantage of distance.

"His Majesty really trusts us."

Understanding Nan'an's meaning, Slatu glanced back at the inner guards following at a distance and laughed.

"Trust those you employ, and do not employ those you distrust."

"Not long ago, the Bamboo Moon Witch Society included evil spirits in their accusations against me."

"So I'll send them to walk in the black mist," Slatur said casually. "Executing them would be too wasteful; it's better to demonstrate their value as magicians."

As we strolled along the lush garden paths in the central courtyard, the conversation gradually flowed.

"What does Your Majesty want me to do?"

"I'll give you a greater role," Slatur said bluntly. "Since you possess a suppressive power that even gods and demons find troublesome, you deserve greater assistance."

He smiled slightly: "Those with outstanding abilities do indeed have special privileges with me—I already know about your conversation with Rango, so let's talk about the undercurrent of extinction back then—"

"Do you think it's more heartbreaking to see a generation of elite mages fail so cruelly, or to see three promising new sages perish before even reaching the ninth rank?"

Nan'an bluntly stated, "I have a rough idea; His Majesty is the latter."

Slatur nodded readily.

"In times of peace, I would weep for the pillars of the nation, whose promising future has been swept away, and the painful transition between generations is unavoidable."

"But this is the Black Mist Calendar. History has proven that the wisdom and power of mortals are limited—I am not belittling those who make silent contributions, but countless cruel examples have presented a cold, hard truth."

After gazing at the sky for a long time, Slatur suddenly let out a deep sigh.

"The worse the situation, the more important Solisa and the others become in my memories. I can't help but imagine what would have happened if they had survived, all reached the ninth rank, and were qualified to touch the path to godhood?"

"Does His Majesty consider me the new 'Solissa'?"

"I am willing to believe that you are, and I am willing to offer equal support," Slatur said. "Unlike the Solitz Senate, which is hindering you, Elru, my support is very generous."

Nan'an asked, "For example?"

"I will not impose any restrictions on the secret base you control, that god-demon called Cat Meal."

"You submit your expense reports for the base's operating costs, and I will cover the full amount."

"Although Anze is not yet ready to cooperate with Huoshi, if you think it is necessary to retain the Linshui stronghold, then the person in charge of Keren in the future must cooperate in the Huoshi pilot project."

Slatur thought for a moment: "These are all I could think of on the way. Don't think they're generous enough? Here's your wish list. You can make your wishes now."

Nan'an looked at Gu En as if he were looking at someone eating snail rice noodles with not a trace of chili oil, and he was filled with nothing but confusion.

"Why are you only deciding to surrender to Onze now? What is there about Soliz that you still cherish?"

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