Chapter 1220: Section 1221: The Ancient Wei City in Winter
After Wodell explained, Angel finally understood that what is called the “whisper of death” is actually a kind of death sign.
Those struck with the death sign would have all their senses interfered with, witnessing illusions such as agents of death, and would also be relentlessly tormented by the “Whisper of Death”, falling into endless madness. Eventually, led by the whisper of death, they would pass through the entrance of the sad and mournful land, arriving at the Continent of Yuantan.
Angel always found it all to sound too fantastical, but Wodell’s description matched almost exactly what had happened to Gussia at the time.
If what Wodell had said was true, then Angel could only lament the extreme misfortune of those marked by the death sign.
Because that was just an instinctual act of Garm.
Those tainted by Garm’s breath of death typically meet only one end: death, and such a death is by being devoured by Garm, with even their souls dissipating. If Kulangduo were here, he would act on Garm’s behalf to execute them, in which case, at least their souls might remain.
“Why not intervene with Garm, make it move to another location, wouldn’t that avoid people dying?” Greerwu, who spoke, wasn’t sympathizing with humans, but was concerned because it wasn’t just humans who disappeared at the Ancient Cold Ruins; many demons were affected, too.
“Why move it? There’s no need.” Wodell’s tone remained unrippled, as calm as ever, but for some reason everyone felt an indifference to life that was chilling.
They were considering from the perspective of the victims but had not taken into account Garm’s strength and influence. Even if it acted recklessly, what of it?
Greerwu bit her lip: “You mean to say, nobody survives?”
Wodell: “Actually, there was one person who escaped Garm’s breath of death.”
“Who?”
“Let me think,” Wodell mused for a moment, “That seems like something from a hundred years ago, a man claiming himself to be Pusio escaped from the maw of Garm.”
Pusio? The others hadn’t heard the name before, but Angel just so happened to know of the man.
“Sin City Walker, Pusio!”
Popota and Greerwu looked over, and Angel began explaining in a low voice.
Actually, long before, the Frostmoon Alliance had wanted to turn the Ancient Cold Ruins into Stronghold City because there were no demons or magical creatures troubling it, and although rumors of “humans disappearing now and then” were rife, Frostmoon didn’t pay it much heed.
In the end, until a hundred years ago, when a True Knowledge Wizard of exceptional talent, known as a prodigy — “Sin City Walker” Pusio, disappeared at the Ancient Cold Ruins, Frostmoon finally took notice. They later discovered that in the recorded thousand years, more than a thousand people had vanished there.
This made Frostmoon abandon their plans of establishing Stronghold City at the Ancient Cold Ruins.
“So in the end, where did this human named Pusio go?” Greerwu asked curiously, according to Angel, Pusio had been missing for a hundred years, which meant he hadn’t returned to the Southern Domain’s Wizards’ Realm.
Wodell didn’t respond but raised his head, his gaze piercing through the totem mask towards the skeletal gate high in the sky.
“Pusio went to a different phase of existence?” Greerwu suddenly realised.
Wodell nodded: “He offered some items to trade with me for an opportunity to go to another phase of existence. I eventually agreed.”
Angel didn’t ask what items Pusio had used to trade for this opportunity but recalling all the conversations and the details worthy of scrutiny since he had met Wodell, Wodell likely hadn’t lied.
Even if there were lies, Angel believed that at least more than half of it was true.
This, in turn, made Angel somewhat puzzled and anxious.
He ventured to ask, “Does that mean we can leave after Garm awakens?”
Wodell nodded again: “Yes.”
“When will Garm awaken? We won’t be affected by the breath of death, will we?”
“Although Garm’s awakening is very short, perhaps only for a few seconds, the frequency of awakening is quite high, sometimes every two or three days, and at the latest no more than half a month.” Wodell paused: “As for your concern about the breath of death, with the gift from Kulangduo, you won’t be affected.”
Angel glanced at the raven feather in his hand and said nothing more, while Popota, who had been silent along the way, suddenly asked, “What price do we have to pay?”
Wodell had been too amiable on the journey, and even if it was truly because they had helped save the continent and indirectly Wodell, for such a powerful ancient being to be so agreeable still made them feel it was overly friendly.
Especially given Wodell’s indifferent attitude towards humans killed by Garm outside. The contrast was too stark.
Wodell fell silent, and in the quiet, everyone felt a creeping chill on their spines.
After a long while, Wodell spoke calmly, “There is no price to pay, this is my repayment to you, the Savior.”
Upon hearing this, Greerwu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Popota and Angel, however, were not so optimistic.
“Garm is still sleeping now, why not rest in Wei City for these days?”
…
This was a circular stone chamber with a carpet laid out in the shape of a hexagram in the center of the room. At the center of the carpet, there was a small, delicate desk on which a silver candlestick held a white candle that burned with a dim yellow light.
Greerwu lay in front of the desk, intently gazing at the “Eyes of Light” in his hands.
Popota sat a little farther away, where the candlelight was just enough to illuminate his vague outline but not enough to reveal him more distinctly.
Angel sat opposite Greerwu, with his eyes closed, quietly sensing the changes within his body after the fusion with his right eye.
This quiet scene lasted for nearly half an hour.
Popota suddenly broke the silence, “I think this Wodell might have ulterior motives. It’s a bit too strange for him to let us go without asking for anything in return.”
“Strange for letting us go? Didn’t he say that he was thanking the shop owner for saving the continent?” Greerwu immediately shot a sideways glance.
“Even if Angel dispersed the True Spirit Force throughout the continent and even if Wodell’s fate is intertwined with the Continent of Yuantan, that’s not a reason for him to go out of his way to summon Angel here. He could have just ignored our existence. But he didn’t do that; instead, he deliberately called Angel to the Darklands. There must be a reason,” Popota said.
Upon careful thought, Greerwu found it made sense. However, in the face of Popota’s argument, he wouldn’t show weakness, “Who was it that said we’d be fine taking this direction? Who decided based on some fortune spell, and now doesn’t trust their own fortune spell?”
Popota was silent for a moment, “Even fortune spells can be blocked.”
“Wodell is an ancient being, does he really need to do that? If he really wanted to harm us, a single finger would be enough to crush us,” Greerwu retorted.
The back-and-forth debate between Popota and Greerwu created a stalemate, with each holding contradictory views and yet finding some validity in the other’s arguments.
This only made the situation even more elusive.
The mystery surrounding Wodell deepened even further.
Seeing that their argument was growing more intense, Angel stood up, “I’m going out for a while. Continue arguing if you wish, but no fighting,” he said.
The last sentence was a warning to Greerwu.
Seeing Angel leave, Popota also didn’t stay. He wasn’t a match for Greerwu now, and Greerwu deeply wanted to kill him. While Angel was present, he could suppress the situation, but with Angel gone, facing Greerwu would be purely disadvantageous. Although he didn’t care much about death, he hoped to see his sister one more time before dying.
Popota went to a compartment on the other side of the stone chamber, which was his private room.
Angel, on the other hand, pushed open the great doors of the stone chamber and stepped outside.
Upon exiting the doorway, Angel saw a platform with a balustrade. Walking up to the stone balustrade, the vista of Wei City spread out below him.
This was the highest point in Wei City, and according to Wodell, it was where the religious personnel of the city once lived.
Beneath their feet was the Prayer Church that soared dozens of meters high.
Wodell had arranged for them to rest here because first, the Prayer Church wouldn’t be assaulted by the undead; and second, it was rumored that Garm lay sleeping in the basement of the Prayer Church.
Leaning on the railing, Angel gazed at Wei City.
Wei City was not the most exquisite city Angel had seen, but being entirely built of stone without any wood, it embodied a majestic and archaic style. In Angel’s mind, only the Ashenrock Giantstone could compare to Wei City in its grandeur. However, the Giantstone was filled with the wizard’s ingenuity and stood amidst the clouds, bathing in golden light that naturally added to its magnificence. Wei City, in contrast, was a pure, primordial impact; the indigenous people of the Frostmoon era had taken stone to its limits, blending the rustic and the delicate seamlessly. Moreover, the city’s architectural density was the greatest Angel had ever seen, lending the city a grandeur distinct from that of the Ashenrock Giantstone.
As Angel admired, he couldn’t help but be moved.
However, architectural art was not what Angel was most concerned with; his gaze ultimately returned to the Dimensional Gate amid the sky.
Originally, Pusio was able to trade his way through the Dimensional Gate to other dimensional planes.
Could Angel do the same trade?
Angel fell silent for a while and then shook his head.
Considering other dimensional planes was still premature at this point; there was no need to think too much about it.
However, Angel believed that if the other wizards of the Southern Domain knew there was a Dimensional Gate here, they would probably go mad… The entrance to the Continent of Yuantan was on the surface of the Abyss, and Wodell seemed to be an indigenous person open to trade, having both the geographical advantage and the support of the people. That was enough to attract the gaze of all wizards.
While Angel’s thoughts raced, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.
Angel turned his head and saw it was Wodell wearing the Totem Mask.
“Savior, I have something I’d like to discuss with you,” he said.