Brain bloom

Say goodbye to your pet.

As for the other evil mists, although neither Fernanda nor she could intervene, others could.

Volume 1, Chapter 250: Coming This Way

As the afternoon drew to a close, the residents of Silvermoon City finally realized they were in trouble.

Something far more terrifying than the rumored Pedah Empire fleet had indeed appeared right beside them.

The origin of this matter can be traced back to the suburbs of the city.

There were many noises coming from those crowded, narrow, dirty, and rarely visited places.

But nobody cared.

Because fights and brawls frequently occur there, with low-level magic flying everywhere and incidents of mutual combat not uncommon. Not to mention, the entire Silvermoon City is too excited today, and no one is paying attention to those little whispers.

Time slowly retired—gradually, it turned into a chaotic cacophony.

Some people heard the commotion and began to complain, but their complaints were not addressed until much later. Silvermoon City's military strength was already weak, and it relied heavily on the high quality and self-discipline of its citizens for maintenance. It was only after Lord Balzac urged them a few times that the guards were finally sent.

He was ready to complain and retort, preparing to offer a few words of advice, telling them not to go too far with their celebration.

But he never came back.

His colleagues had even forgotten he'd gone out, because they'd already drunk quite a bit. The liquor on the table was mostly grain-based, more straightforward and intense than fruit-based liquor. It lacked any of the usual sweetness and flavor, only raw power.

These drinks are so potent that people are either knocked unconscious and fall into a deep sleep, or they vomit and then continue for a second round, continuing their battle with the drink.

It was Man who discovered this. His soul, having drifted back from the ruins, returned without bringing good news, but instead witnessed something even worse.

The ominous fog has already swallowed up that area.

The squalid suburban homes, every alleyway and doorway, were shrouded in a dark, ominous mist. Instead of swirling high above, it lay as close to the ground as possible, avoiding detection by those in other areas.

The ominous fog had long since ceased its rampage; there was nothing left alive here, only a vast number of skeletons.

Man was speechless for a long time.

Throughout Man's long adventures, the Mist of Evil had been a common danger, but its appearance in Silvermoon City, which he was supposed to protect, still made Man's scalp tingle.

Furthermore, it was somewhat different from the ominous mists seen elsewhere, its level of evil being significantly higher. Usually, ominous mists would directly devour souls for nourishment, leaving behind the complete body to use as a puppet, but this one was different; it was even so greedy that it devoured the flesh as well.

If Mann remembers correctly, this area has a total population of nearly seven hundred people...

He fled to the city before the Evil Fog was discovered. He couldn't find Lord Balzac for a while, but he still shouted all the way, announcing that the danger of the Evil Fog was imminent.

His words vaguely reached the ears of an old, powerful man who lived in seclusion in Silvermoon City.

The Messenger of the Far North—that was his title decades ago when he was still an adventurer. If that were to spread, many young people would look on with astonishment. After all, he was quite a famous figure, having conquered the most arduous oceans alone and even met the sea god.

He respected Man, put down his wine glass, and dug out the long fish knife from under the bed.

This was used to dissect large fish, and it was the only weapon he was comfortable using.

He dragged his long sword, walking silently amidst the jubilation and clamor, but his sharp edge could sever any joy. He hurried toward the direction Man had come from, gradually catching the scent of bones and death.

Anyone who has walked the line between life and death for ten years can smell this stench of misfortune.

He needs to be more experienced so that he can judge the scale of the disaster from the intensity of the smell.

"At the current scale, it can still be resolved."

But he never came back.

……

Lord Balzac, upon learning of the spreading Evil Mist, immediately mobilized all forces, demanding that everyone be gathered together to resist it. To scatter and be gradually devoured by the Evil Mist was the wrong approach.

Unfortunately, there were too many drunk people, making the execution process extremely slow.

In the end, it devolved into a very painful urban warfare. Skeleton puppets created by the Evil Mist were constantly sent out to harass the enemy, while the Evil Mist itself was doing something unknown and did not come to devour more people.

Everyone knew something was wrong, but they were already exhausted from dealing with hundreds of skeleton golems and had no way to investigate the problem.

There were also a few people inside who, upon hearing Man's shouts, felt they still possessed their former strength and went to resolve the problem. Unfortunately, they too were turned into skeletal puppets, perfectly displaying their youthful fighting prowess.

Even more terrifying, however, is that night is fast approaching, and those ghosts will soon come to steal the world's night.

……

The winery welcomed a familiar face: the ancient devil king who had suddenly emerged from the sea. Even though they had met several times recently, Dandelion was still amazed.

Since Mori was summoned, she has been able to frequently come into contact with these important figures...

A being like the Demon Queen, whom one would normally look up to, is actually a cheerful girl of similar age. Although they might argue a few times over issues related to Mori, she is very approachable and easy to get along with.

The ancient demon king was even more special.

This time, its visit to the winery made Dandelion feel that there was hope for restoring its kingdom.

Along with it came the smiling Mori, and the terrifying E'long. Dandelion's fear of the latter lessened, because Mori had returned unharmed, and even the branches and leaves above her head were more lush and greener.

"Welcome back, Mori Toki."

"Uh-huh……"

Mori glanced timidly at his princess, and the image of how people were frightened when they heard the name of the Four Seasons Master flashed through his mind.

"What's wrong? Are you unhappy to see me?"

"No, no, no, I'm so happy, so very happy."

"Dad's voice—" Similarly, Melia was also very surprised. She abandoned the political documents piling up in the Chaotic Land and rushed to the door. "Uh, Aunt Fernanda, you...you're back too?"

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, because Mori was still alive.

Strangely, Sen Shi went in alone, followed by Aunt Fernanda. That was understandable, but why did the Ancient Demon King also come out? Before Melia could ask any questions, she received a request from her elders.

"Little Melia, you have to go deal with the Evil Mist, otherwise something troublesome will appear, but don't worry too much."

"...The Mist of Calamity? Where is it? Why are we suddenly dealing with it? Is it from Silvermoon City?"

“Let’s ask the all-powerful devil leader, Ron Stolt. Hey, owl, where are you?”

“Erlong, you know my rules, the price is…”

“It’s no longer in Silvermoon City.” Sen Shi suddenly frowned and pointed in a specific direction. “I think that clump of Evil Mist is heading this way, isn’t it? Is it trying to bring the so-called nutrients back to the ruins? Hmm, this is indeed a necessary route.”

Volume 1 #251 - A Certain Evil God

Earlier, Senshi, Fenanda, and the Ancient Demon King had finally reached a deal, but they were still inside the ruins.

Mori did not succeed.

The small orb of evil mist that Teng carried survived. Although Sen Shi did walk over and directly touch the skull of the first Pope to it, it had no effect. Perhaps the evil of this orb was too high, which left Sen Shi somewhat disappointed.

Teng looked at Sen Shi with a puzzled expression, not understanding why she would do such a thing, deliberately using the skull lamp to rub against the Evil Mist.

"That was... the first Pope of the Holy Coffin Kingdom?" the Ancient Demon King asked.

"Ah."

It wanted to leave quickly because the ancient dragon that tore apart truth didn't get along with it due to some historical reasons, and they might actually fight. Besides, it didn't want to get involved in the mess of the Calamity Mist, since a true god had already personally intervened.

But the Demon King saw Mori's actions.

She held the skull lamp, hoping to use its immense divine power to purify the ominous mist.

Although he failed, he attracted the affectionate gaze of the ancient demon king.

"Also, coffin carrier, those skeletal human claws on your body... I thought they were just decorations."

"It's not just for decoration; it's very effective against the Evil Mist, isn't it?"

Mori didn't explain much; as a coffin bearer, it wasn't surprising that he would use the bones of his own followers. The ancient demon king decided to get involved a little longer, because he saw what hope was.

“I remember this relic set has other parts…”

"Hmm, one set. It's a pity that only this many flew to me. I'll talk about it when I get to the Holy Coffin Kingdom."

"I..." The ancient demon king stammered, his eagle beak sometimes closing, and then he couldn't help but speak again, "I want to borrow the Pope's set of holy relics, and I hope the coffin sender will agree."

"For the sake of desire." The devil could only have this one reason for wanting to use something sacred.

“Hmm. I thought it was useless before, after all, I’m just a mortal… but…” Its big eyes stared at the bone, “After seeing it with my own eyes, I realized that this thing is very unusual, and it may be able to help Yuan.”

"I'm not sure if I can lend it to you, because these things are very important to that country. Once I get there, I'll try to get them and then we can talk about the cost."

"Good good."

While the two were talking, Fernanda was busy threatening: "Little guy, how much evil mist have you released?"

"How could I possibly tell you? Why aren't you leaving yet? Do you want to stay here with me? Or sign up to become slaves of the gods? It just so happens that when I woke up today, I discovered that this generation's slaves of the gods had inexplicably disappeared along with their companions."

"Don't be so wary. We've already been defeated and decided not to interfere. The Ancient Demon King won't pose a threat to your Calamity Mist either. Just think of it as you showing off to us. Anyway, we pose no threat to your Calamity Mist."

Teng's thinking ability was as childish as its appearance: "Hmph, I've released three batches! One batch went to Silvermoon City, one batch possesses sentience and is currently moving freely. And a small batch has already..."

"already?"

Teng's expression suddenly changed: "...A batch is gone?! That was precious Calamity Mist that had been integrated into consciousness!"

The ancient demon king said solemnly, "Perhaps we have encountered a powerful being from the human world. What an unfortunate situation."

"Where did the other batch go?"

"Hodge Theatre".

The word, spoken so lightly, was like a drop of water falling into a pot of boiling oil. Instantly, the Ancient Demon King and Fernanda reacted violently, and even Mori crossed his arms and pursed his lips.

She knew a little about the name—it had appeared in some side stories from the gaming era. It was a theater that would occasionally appear out of nowhere on the high seas, accompanied by a lot of strange rumors.

The floating theater only appears for one night, and if a ship happens to pass by, it may be invited inside.

Then, she was taken by the hand of those glamorous young women in evening gowns on stage, and carefully cared for under their beautiful smiles. Her bones and tendons were pulled out and made into musical instruments, and then the formal performance in the theater began, but the audience remained completely empty from beginning to end.

After one night, the theater vanished like a beautiful dream, but those who had been turned into musical instruments remained alive, fully conscious, and would continue like this forever. There were even adventurers who specialized in salvaging shipwrecks who once retrieved such a harp…

Only by plucking the strings can one understand the other's babbling and learn all this.

The piece performed by those girls was called "Für Hodge," which was said to be so awful that it was pure noise that no words could describe it. Therefore, this phenomenon became known as the Hodge Theatre.

But that's all Mori knew; the other two knew much more.