CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 37: ANCIENT RACE

The daily life in Bizarre Realm is quite calm.

In the afternoon, the Butcher escorted Shawn to Lady Hecate’s Maze Library. Passing through the long suspended corridor once again, Shawn saw the mountain peaks in the distance that had been flattened by some great force.

There used to be several monastery-like mausoleums there, but now even the peaks have been completely erased.

"These past days haven’t been peaceful in Bizarre Realm," Shawn thought silently.

The Butcher noticed Shawn’s gaze, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him, "It’s alright, it’s all over now."

While the traces of a great battle have been covered up, the flattened peaks cannot lie.

Shawn hesitated slightly and asked softly, "What happened?"

The Butcher pondered for a moment before speaking, "There are some things you currently do not have the capacity to know."

"I can only tell you that all of this is related to the Ancient Race."

Some secrets in Bizarre Realm are accompanied by deadly danger; knowing too much can be a bad thing if one doesn’t have enough power.

It’s easy to attract indescribable falsehood.

Ancient Race?

Shawn’s expression gradually became grave.

"Still, I should tell you something," the Butcher shifted the topic, his voice deep, "Someone took advantage of Lady Hecate’s absence and wants to eliminate you, the souls of the Otherworld!"

Hm?

Eliminate the souls of the Otherworld?

Shawn furrowed his brows, listening intently to the Butcher’s words.

"I didn’t expect them to act so quickly either," the Butcher glanced at the high walls in the distance, speaking slowly, "I was just out ’hunting,’ and they planted a Mind Suggestion on all of you without a trace."

Transcendent of the Mind Path?

Shawn’s expression was startled; he never realized he had been subject to a Mind Suggestion.

"There was nothing I could do."

"At that time, I could only play along with the scheme, letting you exit the high walls, become infected by the madness of the Evil Object, and use this as a reason to send you back to the real world to take refuge."

The Butcher’s voice carried a hint of killing intent but was calm, "Everything will wait for Lady Hecate’s return."

Now Lady Hecate has returned.

Which means,

The Butcher has already cleaned up everything before Shawn returned to Bizarre Realm.

Something seemed to flash in Shawn’s mind.

He recalled that during his first conversation with Lorice, the latter used some kind of Secret Communication Spell, even reminding Shawn not to speak, only to nod or shake his head in response.

At that time, Lorice appeared very cautious.

But later on, they seemed to have forgotten this point, conversing and planning their escape using entirely normal methods.

After the seed of suspicion was planted, Shawn always had a surge of desire to see the truth with his own eyes.

Reflecting on it now, the situation at that time seemed bizarre.

"The Butcher always knew, he was secretly following me back then."

"That’s why Death Retrospect didn’t trigger."

At this moment, Shawn, who had linked many details, only felt the terror of the Mind Path; he even suspected Lorice’s memories had been tampered with.

"That’s why Lorice entirely distrusts them!"

Mind Path.

In Bizarre Realm, your thoughts may not necessarily be your own.

If you were on Earth, suddenly wanting to take a spontaneous trip, it’s truly suffocating.

But in Bizarre Realm, if one day you suddenly feel like taking a spontaneous trip, you must first consider whether you’ve been affected by Mind Path abilities or summoned by some ancient indescribable force.

The biggest difference between Shawn and Lorice is that the Butcher is Shawn’s guide; he has someone to protect him, but Lorice’s guide never showed up from beginning to end.

Shawn remained silent for a long time, took a deep breath, and asked, "Why do they want to eliminate the souls of the Otherworld?"

The Butcher replied calmly, "Because of interests, resources, paths, etc."

"The souls of the Otherworld possess excellent talents, yet they lack a sense of belonging to this world. Even with the blessing of Soul Resonance, they find it challenging to have a stable anchor in this world."

"To some of you, they are the natives."

"They distrust the souls of the Otherworld."

"Once the souls of the Otherworld lose control, the destruction they cause far exceeds others!"

The Butcher seemed to recall something, his expression showing a hint of regret as he said softly, "The souls of the Otherworld will occupy the resources of the Path of Destiny, and they prefer to have power in their own hands."

"But the existence of the souls of the Otherworld is also protected by the rules here."

"They dare not act openly, so they want you to go to your death voluntarily."

The Butcher is Shawn’s guide; he only ensures Shawn’s safety.

The life and death of others are not within his consideration.

Upon hearing the other’s words, Shawn suddenly thought of that doll-like girl.

She wanted Shawn to rest voluntarily.

But in the Soul Resonance, she tried her hardest to rescue him.

"It’s not Checia." The Butcher seemed to have guessed Shawn’s thoughts, calming him by saying, "She was the first to notice you were planted with the Mind Seed."

Not her?

Then who?

"The initial ritual."

"The opened door should have sent the living."

"Unfortunately, we miscalculated."

"They envy the souls of the Otherworld and fear them as well."

The Butcher sighed, "In the end, some of them were exploited by the Ancient Race, converted into Polluters of Chaos Clan."

The Butcher’s words stopped there.

Meaning that subsequent matters are questions Shawn shouldn’t ask; some things are safer not knowing.

Dead? Alive?

Has the method by which the souls of the Otherworld descend also been distorted by Bizarre Realm?

"Did Lady Hecate return in the end?"

"Did they complete the reckoning of these people?" Shawn still had many questions in his heart, "And what about the real world? Those dangerous Extraordinary Relics that flowed into reality from Bizarre Realm?"

"Are they trying to bring them in as well?"

"Are there human traitors?"

Ahead is the Maze Library of Lady Hecate, with an Undead Beldam already waiting at the door.

"My lady is waiting for you."

A Banshee Maiden with a pale face but beautiful looks whispered, "Please follow me."

Shawn stepped into the maze corridor once again.

Everything here was unchanged from the past, except Shawn seemed able to vaguely sense the busy Undead Banshees without having to remove his confusion.

Lady Hecate’s elegant silhouette sat at the desk, working.

She raised her hand and tapped the table.

Shawn obediently and meekly sat in the seat next to her.

Lady Hecate, at this moment, appeared as a vibrant young woman, her looks lovely, her voice pleasant. She showed a hint of approval and said, "Your performance in Dorne City was commendable."

"I’m considering whether to give you a little reward."

Shawn stood up respectfully and replied, "It’s all thanks to your guidance, teacher."

Lady Hecate chuckled lightly at his words, "Well then, since you don’t want it, forget it."

Shawn suddenly became anxious.

He glanced stealthily at Lady Hecate and mumbled, "In my homeland, there’s a saying: ’It’s improper to decline a gift from an elder.’

Lady Hecate’s appearance as a young woman should be the easiest to get along with.

She even seemed a bit lively.

One expressionless Undead Banshee after another placed a number of heavy books before Shawn. He noticed that some books on the top shelves were also placed in front of him. These books were different from the ones he’d seen previously. Some had faint purple spectral tentacles extending from their pages; others had dark red blood-like traces covering their parchment covers.

These are Magic Books!

Soon after, Shawn did not have the privilege to read them. But now, the Banshee Maidens had placed them before him.

"Today we will discuss ’24 Professional Sequences.’"

Lady Hecate knocked on the desk, and Shawn immediately sat upright, assuming the manner of a diligent student.

The lady was very pleased.

She paused for a moment, picked up the black-framed glasses beside her and put them on, suddenly looking knowledgeable and scholarly. She spoke slowly, "Professional Sequence is its own law, the Path of Myth is the world’s law!"

"Before you embark on the Path of Destiny, you must first learn to master your own laws."

.........