Oscar suddenly made up his mind and pretended to touch his glasses casually. Then he nodded, as if accepting the result, and then sighed deeply.
"I really can't help you, Meredith."
"Wow~ I'm sorry, Ao."
Meredith's eyes were filled with tears, while Oscar smiled and said:
"Okay, I'll listen to your apology later. First—close your eyes."
"what?"
Meredy opened her eyes wide in confusion, but the next moment she let out a cry of pain.
"Everyone! Look over here!"
Oscar shouted loudly. The moment everyone looked over unconsciously, the beam of light from the glasses exploded!
“Ugh!? What!?”
"Eyes! My eyes!?"
Especially the men in black who were exposed to the flash at close range, they all pressed their hands to their eyes and rolled on the ground in pain.
"Meridi! Let's go!"
"Eyes! My eyes~ Xiao Mi's eyes~"
Meredith seemed to be affected as well, and she rolled on the ground in pain.
"You really are a troublemaker!"
Oscar held Meredith horizontally in his arms and ran towards the exit of the casino amidst screams of pain.
"Natsu! He's running away!"
After Oscar called out loudly, Naz's expression was as if he had been granted amnesty, and he immediately came to meet him.
The man in black behind him shouted angrily, "You think you can get away with doing something like this!?", to which Oscar replied, "I once heard that the purpose of borrowing money is to default on it!"
“You lawless fellow!”
Oscar was called lawless by a group of criminals.
After that, the other men in black, after receiving the call, came out to hunt Oscar and the others down to prevent them from escaping, but...
Oscar and his companions used the women on the street as shields, opened a large hole in the wall, forcibly created a passage, and used metal wire to cut the clothes of the men in black, leaving them naked...
They used various means, no, it should be said that they used all means to escape, and finally they managed to escape successfully.
Oscar was therefore called "a man who is more like a criminal than a criminal", "a criminal among criminals", and "the strange gentleman with devil glasses". It goes without saying that he became a hot topic in the palace.
The deep underground of Andika has almost become a maze due to over-mining.
And there was something almost directly below the palace.
To describe it in one word, it would be a "ruined ruin." It was a dome-shaped room built of pure white stone, and a large and intricate magic circle was painted on the floor.
In the center of the magic circle stood a circular, stepped altar and an obelisk-like object. (Editor's note: A common monument in ancient Egypt and Western Asia. It is long and narrow, with a square pillar and a pyramid-shaped top.)
Around the altar, there are little fingertip-sized stones scattered on the ground like stars. This is why it is described as a "ruined ruins" because the small stones are all fragments of the murals on the walls and ceiling.
There is a young girl on the altar of the ruins.
She was about ten years old, with wavy emerald green hair and violet eyes, giving off a pure and gentle impression. She looked dreamy and beautiful in her loose white dress, and her most distinctive feature were her fan-shaped ears. Yes, the girl was a Sea People.
The girl closed her eyes, as if concentrating. She slowly raised her hands and murmured softly.
Immediately, the room was filled with dazzling light, and the pebbles on the ground seemed to be attracted and floated towards the ceiling.
I saw small stones sticking to the ceiling, gradually restoring it to its original mural.
Although it is only within the range that can be covered by an adult's palms, the mural has indeed been restored.
"call……"
The girl exhaled deeply. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and her face turned pale. The spell she had just cast seemed to have exhausted her.
That being said, an expert witnessing what just happened would likely drop their jaws in astonishment. Generally speaking, "repair magic" doesn't exist. While "refining magic" can repair things, it requires direct physical contact. Therefore, what the girl just did was inherently impossible.
The girl looked at the restored part of the mural and then shook her head.
At this moment, unscrupulous footsteps were heard at the entrance of the ruins.
"Hey, how's it going? Did you find anything?"
A man in his late sixties entered the room, accompanied by an oppressive, chilling voice. His black hair was combed back, with only a few strands hanging in front. A cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth, and he was casually dressed in the same high-end clothing as the mainland nobles.
The man with the same purple eyes as the girl was as fierce and sharp as a wild beast. He was the leader of the Dewat family, who controlled Andika - Bahar Dewat.
Standing behind Bahar were his trusted subordinates. A young girl, surrounded by men with menacing appearances, was Bahar's biological daughter, Tigne. She frowned and replied:
"...Father...I'm so sorry."
"Hmm, no progress."
Bahar clicked his tongue in displeasure, and Tigne shuddered.
Bahar glanced at it and smacked his lips even more unhappily.
At first glance, there is no warmth between the father and daughter. They give the impression of being the boss of an organization and his sorcerer.
Bahar ignored Tignes who lowered his head and looked up at the ceiling.
"...The thought of something like that possibly being under this island gives me a headache."
His gaze was fixed on a giant snake-like monster, curled up in the deep sea, sleeping, with an island above it that looked like Antica.
After discovering this ruin about two years ago, they used Tigne's inherent magic, "Restoration," to restore the murals and interpret their meaning.
There were also words engraved on the murals, which were words from the ancient age of gods. As the investigation progressed, they discovered the horrifying truth.
"'The Disaster of Antica'—the Divine Beast Leviathan... I never thought that this island of Antica itself would be the sacred artifact that sealed away the monsters of the Age of Gods."
The mural depicts how, long ago, God heard people's prayers and sealed the "Antica's Disaster" with this island.
"Um, Father, I heard that the sea conditions have been getting increasingly abnormal recently. Sure enough, it's related to the restoration of the murals..."
From Tigne's timid attitude, one could tell what she was feeling. The implication was that she didn't want to restore the murals anymore. Bahar glared at Tigne and said:
"...There must be a connection. The reason such a large island can float in the air and the plants on it grow so rapidly seems to be due to the magical power overflowing from the mythical beast."
This is the secret of Antika deciphered from the murals, and the more the murals are restored, the more abnormal the situation of the sea becomes.
From the unnatural shattering of the murals, it can be inferred that the damaged murals represent the seal of the divine beast, and restoring the murals is equivalent to lifting the seal.
Tignes trembled with fear.
"If we just find a way to control it..."
Bahar said through gritted teeth.
In fact, based on the interpretation of the murals, they learned that "Antica's Disaster" has two meanings. One, which is obvious, refers to a monster capable of destroying Antica; the other refers to a guardian beast that protects Antica from foreign invasion, which is the "enemy's disaster."
Therefore, the people of the ancient Age of Gods may have possessed a method to control the divine beast. However, since the divine beast was ultimately sealed away, that method probably couldn't completely control it...
If such a method could be found, it would not only protect Andica, but also be an effective means of fighting against the external enemy - the Church.
Having said that, it is also true that quite serious adverse effects have already occurred.
Bahar glanced at the frightened Tigne, smacked his lips, and said:
"The plan is temporarily suspended. You can destroy the mural again. You will observe the situation and restore the undeciphered parts bit by bit. Do you understand, Tigne?"
“Yes, yes…”
Tigne nodded in agreement, and since the recovery had been stopped as she wished, her expression brightened slightly.
"But Boss, is this okay? Weren't we discussing whether we could use it to annihilate the recently aggressive pirate group?"
The man who spoke these words was one of Bahar's men, named Ace. He had dull black hair and was a plain, unremarkable man. However, he was the most intelligent of the Dewat family, Bahar's childhood friend, and a trusted advisor, making him Bahar's most trusted confidant.
"Ah, you mean those people? Well, that's true."
Bahar said with disgust, and Tigne trembled when he heard it, but this time the trembling seemed a little different from before.
"It can't be helped. If you awaken an uncontrollable monster and end up getting killed, you'd be nothing but an idiot. As for those guys... the Church might be about to take action. I really want to deal with them quickly, but..."
"Boss, just send me. Just lend me the fleet. I'll slaughter all those pirates."
Another close aide stepped forward, a fiercely militant general named Kelvin. He was a tall man with dark blue hair and three scars on the side of his head.
Kelvin possesses the innate magic "White Claws," which allows him to transform his hands into giant white bear arms equipped with claws that manipulate wind blades. He was supposed to be a follower of the gods, but due to the nature of his abilities, he was deemed a heretic. This experience led him to flee to Antika.
Ever since this man was taken in by Bahar as a teenager, he has sworn absolute loyalty to Bahar.
“…Kelvin, I won’t let you go.”
"Why, Boss?"
Kelvin seemed very dissatisfied, and Ace shrugged helplessly and replied:
"Hey, Kelvin, how many private mercenaries do you think have been killed so far? How many hired pirates haven't returned? While they're hateful, they're no pushovers. They most likely possess inherent magic like you. Acting rashly without intelligence will only lead to counterattacks, especially since you're a simple-minded, muscular guy."
"What did you say!"
Kelvin was furious, but Ace didn't take Kelvin's anger seriously.
The subordinates who came with him just laughed and showed no sign of tension.
Bickering between Ace and Kelvin is a common occurrence, and it is nothing new for the Dewat family. Their relationship is so good that they would quarrel.
Bahar sighed at the two of them, thinking that what he wanted to do was done, and wanted to turn around and leave.
Then he suddenly noticed that Tigne looked very bad.
"Hey, Tigne, how many times did you use your inherent magic today?"
The power of recovery consumes a large amount of magic power, which is a considerable burden for Tigne, whose magic power is only slightly above average. Using it three times a day is probably the limit.
In addition, perhaps this relic has a sealing effect, and the restoration effect is not obvious, so only a small part can be restored at a time.
Having said that, Bahar didn't think the scope of this recovery was so large as to drain Tigne's magic power or even make him look pale compared to the last time.
"Three, three times, I followed my father's instructions and didn't go beyond the limit."
Despite stuttering, Tigne still said this, trying to get away with it, but Kelvin looked embarrassed and reported the reason for her feeling unwell on her behalf.
"Ah~ Boss. Um, how should I put it? Someone was injured in the underground mining area, so Miss cast a healing spell on that person..."
Kelvin was about to say that this was the reason why Tigne didn't have much magic power left, but he heard a crisp voice, which made him shut up.
"Ah, wow."
Tigne groaned, her hands covering her face. Bahar slapped her in the face.
"You bastard! How many times has this happened?! I told you not to use recovery magic behind my back!"
"I'm sorry... Father..."
Bahar's roar frightened Tignes so much that he kept backing away, and his red and swollen cheeks were heartbreaking to see.
"Tsk! ...You should be more aware of your own abilities! Are you trying to spread rumors about the 'Saint' again? If the Church finds out, they won't let it go."
Bahar's stern gaze pierced Tigne. Back when Tigne was younger, she had used her healing powers to heal a member of the Devat family who had been severely injured in a conflict. The title "Saintess," first coined by someone unknown at the time, had spread widely.
The word "saint" is obviously a word favored by the church. Although Bahar immediately blocked the news, people who knew about it at the time would sometimes still discuss it secretly.
"Do you want to be implanted with faith, lose your true will, and live a life like a walking corpse?"
"I don't want to... I'm sorry..."
Seeing Tigne's dejected expression, Bahar clucked his tongue unhappily and hurried out the exit. But before leaving this space, he stopped and pulled out a palm-sized slate made of crystal-clear mineral from his pocket.
Bahar casually threw the stone slab to Tigne, who caught it in a panic.
"That's for today. There's been a commotion at the casino, so it should be more interesting than usual. Go back to your room."
After saying this, Bahar walked out of the room without looking back.
Bahar walked in the underground passage, clicking his tongue even more unhappily.
"Boss... aren't you being too harsh? The young lady is almost crying."
Kelvin trembled in his persuasion, but Bahar let out an "Ahhh?" The terrifying sound and look in his eyes made Kelvin quickly say, "No, it's nothing," and retreat immediately. Ace shrugged and sighed.
"Boss, you really will be disliked by the young lady, you know?"
"Who cares about her?"
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