Zongman: All Heavens and Worlds Begin with the Devil's Curse

Suddenly, a prophecy, like an ethereal song, reached my ears.

"...all those born of water will dissolve in water."

"...The gentle yet resolute god will eventually weep alone in his throne."

'

Chapter 100 A Little Bit of Mischievousness

Some powers signify glory.

Some are born tainted by sin.

All beings born of water will eventually dissolve in water, and the gentle yet resolute gods will weep alone on their thrones.

Seagulls flapped their wings and flew across the sky. Zhou Lan silently observed the city across the pale blue sea.

Fontaine.

This is a corner of the continent called Teyvat.

That prophecy has already revealed everything that is about to happen.

The worldview of this continent is very simple and plain. Under the rule of the original human principles, seven gods known as the Seven Rulers of the Mortal World each govern seven different kingdoms.

Before us lies the kingdom of Fontaine, ruled by the water god of this world.

Zhou Lan's mind raced, trying to recall the plot related to the prophecy.

The former water goddess of Fontaine, Egolia, committed the sin of creating human beings from her followers known as the Pure Water Spirits.

This water goddess died in the War of Kanria five hundred years ago, and her successor was named Fucarus.

But after Agoria's death, this original sin did not disappear; it became the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all Fontaines.

They are just waiting for the judgment of the current water god as foretold in the prophecy.

At that time, the primordial sea, the source of life on this continent, will rise and submerge the entire Fontaine, and all the people of Fontaine will dissolve in this flood.

Zhou Lan's purpose in appearing here is naturally singular.

Possessing three magical spells, he came for the power of the water god.

In this way, the other sister of the eight great demons, the water demon Basha, was replaced from hell.

“The kingdom of water…” Zhou Lan sighed softly as she looked around at the boundless sea.

The same old rules apply.

The sea surged with power, and his true form gradually disappeared into the full moon, the light receding, revealing his magnificent Taoist robe.

The next second, he was speeding across the sea.

Gravity acted as if it were part of an arm, easily tearing through the air, and the city rapidly expanded before their eyes.

The next second, he landed quietly on the ground, at a distance that was barely perceptible to the naked eye.

He was so fast that it seemed as if he appeared out of nowhere.

This is the pier for those heading to Fontainebleau, and the crowd is buzzing with discussion.

Zhou Lan listened briefly; there were two topics being discussed.

Firstly, a fellow named Traveler arrived in Fontaine, where he had recently been warmly welcomed by the water goddess, Lady Funina.

Secondly, Fontaine's famous magician Linni and his assistant will soon be performing magic at the Opipley Opera House.

"Looks like I've arrived just in time!"

Zhou Lan said softly.

Fontaine is known as a land of justice.

Trials and operas are the two most famous things in this country.

Or you could say it's the same, since the form of trial here is rather unique, quite similar to a performance.

The Opicclay Opera House, which undertakes this responsibility, is also the most famous place in all of Fontainebleau.

"This friend!"

Zhou Lan looked at the man beside her who was talking incessantly, "When is the performance of that magician Lin Ni?" The man raised his hand with a hint of impatience; he was not one to like being interrupted.

But after taking one look, he suddenly calmed down.

The other person's demeanor was unusual; they were clearly not someone to be trifled with.

“Uh, my friend from abroad…” The man looked at Zhou Lan’s attire and appearance and quickly said, “There are about ten minutes left. Are you also interested in magic?” Zhou Lan shook her head.

He wasn't interested in magic; he just had the impression that there would be many important characters appearing in this magic show.

"Oh—, I know, it must be for our greatest star and water goddess of Fontainebleau, right? I heard she'll be attending too!" The man frowned: "However, it takes at least an hour to get from the dock to the Opiclay Opera House, so you definitely won't make it if you go now..." Zhou Lan said: "Very good!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to vanish into thin air.

The man rubbed his eyes and looked around in disbelief.

"Magic?" he murmured.

On the other side, the Opizley Opera House.

This is a rather grand building with rows of seats surrounding the main stage in front.

On the stage, a young magician wearing a top hat stood politely in the center.

Linni, with a smile on his face, was delighted that he was about to perform magic on the biggest stage in all of Fontainebleau.

His gaze inadvertently swept over the audience.

Many important people were present.

Directly opposite was a seated man wearing a dark blue long coat that combined elements of European formal wear and suits.

His clothes looked quite luxurious, and his face was calm, revealing a sense of composure and rationality.

Navilette, the Supreme Judge of Fontainebleau, is both the official and the de facto ruler of this country.

Beside Villette was a blond young man, with a small white floating object beside him.

This is the traveler and his guide, Paimon.

At an even higher vantage point, in a private spot with an excellent view, a beautiful girl in a formal dress rested her knees on her hands, adopting an extremely respectful divine posture.

This is the water goddess of Fontaine, Furnessa de Fontaine.

Linni's gaze swept across the entire audience. Suppressing his excitement, he cleared his throat and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the stage is ready. Let's begin today's performance!" He removed his top hat and bowed deeply to the audience.

As the spotlight shone down, the opera house fell silent instantly. Everyone was eagerly anticipating the magic show, their attention focused on the spotlight.

Navelette rubbed her chin with her fingers, her gaze fixed on the stage.

Enjoying performances is an essential skill and form of entertainment for every citizen living in Fontainebleau.

Linni is about to begin her performance.

Just then, a deep voice suddenly asked in his ear, "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Navelette paused for a moment and turned his head to look at the source of the voice.

A middle-aged man dressed in Liyue Kingdom was speaking to him with his eyes slightly narrowed.

When did this happen? Navelette was very powerful; almost nothing in the opera house could escape his perception if he wanted to.

Especially the sound of footsteps.

But the man appeared as if he had teleported.

The man sat down in the seat next to him and introduced himself, "You can call me Zhou Lan, that's my name!"

“Zhou Lan?” Viletmo frowned and asked subconsciously, “How did you appear?” As the Water Dragon King, his strength made him keenly aware of the unusual nature of the man beside him.

More importantly, this person had never appeared in Fontaine before.

He can be sure.

"Don't be surprised!"

Zhou Lan looked at the stage calmly and peacefully: "It's just one of my personal little quirks!"

"What kind of quirks?" Navelette couldn't help but ask.

Zhou Lan smiled: "Appearing suddenly... don't you think that's interesting?"

Chapter 101 Magic Assistant

Navelette shook her head.

He couldn't figure out what made it so interesting.

For ordinary people, it's fine, but for someone with his extraordinary abilities, it's quite frightening to have someone suddenly approach from outside his perception.

Like a ghost that suddenly appeared.

Zhou Lan, on the other hand, became quiet after she appeared, as if she had really only been attracted by the magic show.

Navelette, of course, could not understand.

Because this is Zhou Lan's private matter, a bit of a wicked hobby.

Just like when he appeared next to Kiritsugu Emiya before, he simply found it amusing and didn't have any other special meaning.

Navelette, the humanoid water dragon king, was naturally unable to sense him; his strength was insufficient to face Zhou Lan.

At the same time, he is only about a thousand years old, which is still too young.

On stage, Linni's performance has begun.

As a magician, his every move can arouse the audience's interest.

The performance at this moment is a thrilling water tank escape magic trick, accompanied by his assistant and sister, Lynette, a cute girl with a slightly eccentric personality.

The performance had been going on for a while, but Villette's mind was no longer on the stage.

He glanced at Zhou Lan, seemingly trying to discern something from this suddenly appearing stranger.

"You seem quite interested in me?" Zhou Lan asked calmly, her gaze still fixed on the stage.

"That's right!"

Villette nodded.

He has always been a person who dislikes lying, speaking his mind directly, and even to the point of being somewhat rigid.

Zhou Lan turned her gaze and glanced at the young blond boy who was intently watching the magic show, two seats away.

He raised the corners of his mouth and said subtly, "I'm just a traveler!"

The boy seemed to have heard him and turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.

"Don't be nervous, they're not calling you!"

Navette explained to him, and only then did the other person continue to look at the stage performance.

Seeing that Zhou Lan didn't seem to want to talk to him, he silently memorized her appearance and fell silent.

This is an extremely simple magic trick: Linette, who was locked in a water tank, disappears from the sealed tank through the magician Linnie's trick.

The next moment, he walked out from backstage amidst applause and bowed to the crowd.

The theater was immediately filled with cheers.

But this was just a magician's warm-up act; he had already heightened the audience's interest, so ending it at this point would have been too hasty.

He turned his eyes to the audience and announced loudly, "Next, I will invite an audience member to come up on stage with me for a performance!" "Wow, a new magic trick is about to begin! Who will I choose?" A childlike voice came from the side. It was Paimon, who was excitedly standing on tiptoe in mid-air.

"The performance will be a bit exciting, so please don't be afraid!"

Linni's magic tricks are all about thrills and grabbing attention; as he spoke, his gaze swept across the audience.

"Which audience member should we choose?" he asked with a smile.

"Pick me! Pick me!" came shouts from the audience.

Linni pressed his hands down to signal for quiet, his gaze constantly scanning the audience below, seemingly judging their approximate height and build.

Finally, he pointed to the audience below, and the spotlight instantly descended, falling on the selected audience member.