fynovel Chapter 89 The Secrets of the Past, The Pursuing Enemy
Chapter 89 The Secrets of the Past, The Pursuing Enemy
"..."
When Gu Chen heard the stone tablet say "The bloodline of the Lorian royal family is the key," he wasn't exactly stunned, but his heart started beating very fast.
This means he is thinking rapidly, and his brain is working at lightning speed.
To be honest, I have many secrets around me, and these secrets are all connected to many issues.
Then comes the key point: it seems everyone knows these secrets, but you yourself know very little.
And... he's always being pushed into another new, new, new secret...
Therefore, Gu Chen was no longer surprised that the stone tablet in front of him, which called itself the "gravekeeper," knew about Antinoya and the Lorian royal family.
However, he didn't mind putting on an act... appearing confused, which would help him conceal what he knew while trying to extract more information.
"What...what did you say?"
Gu Chen's voice trembled slightly, as if he hadn't expected to hear this secret here.
The stone tablet spoke again, its voice still very deep: "I say, the blood of the Lorian royal family is one of the keys to unlocking the seal here."
"You have that faint smell of blood on you, but I can still smell it."
"...But it's obvious you're not of the Lorian royal bloodline. There's someone with royal blood by your side... Ah, I see."
"..."
Gu Chen fell silent.
What does it mean to know?
What did you learn?
What kind of riddle-solving person are you here for?
Are you kidding me?
Does he know Jim? Or does he know some arrangement by the Lorian royal family? Or does he know some ultimate secret?
You're not even bothering with acting, you just went straight to it, right? You know everything? What do you mean by "smelling something and knowing there's someone with royal blood nearby"?
While feeling a chill, Gu Chen felt even more speechless and helpless, and he immediately thought of Jim.
...No, just how big of a deal is Jim involved in?
Is this reasonable? How could the heir to a mortal kingdom have such a profound influence on Gray Tower Academy?
Although it's just the outer area... according to this stone tablet, these skeletons are the original people of the Gray Tower. Just how original are they?
And weren't the initial group of people a bit too weak?
A mere third-ring wizard?
I've heard there are already seventh-circle wizards in the inner courtyard of the Grey Tower!
According to the book, a seventh-ring wizard can even manipulate space and time; moving mountains and filling seas is just a simple idea... something they can do with ease.
How credible is the statement on this stone tablet?
Moreover, the language is ancient, yet the topics it touches upon are so... recent.
So much has happened since I transmigrated here, and it hasn't even been a week!?
Gu Chen clenched his fist, his face serious and solemn. He stared at the black stone tablet and asked:
"...I can't trust you, and I don't know what your purpose is. I want to know, how do you know these things? Or rather, who are you... what are you?"
"Leaving aside whether Gray Tower Academy is as virtuous and righteous as you describe, the more important thing is that Gray Tower Academy's inner courtyard is full of extremely powerful wizards. I've heard their stories; their strength is so great it can only be described as unbelievable. And now you're telling me that these skeletons, who are only at the third ring level, are actually the founders of Gray Tower?"
"Or even setting aside the founders, could the very first group of people, with their level of strength, have built such a massive academy on the edge of the Black Forest?"
Gu Chen kept asking his questions. Since the other side hadn't killed him yet, they probably wanted something from him.
The gravedigger did not answer directly; his response always seemed to be slow and deliberate:
"Who I am is not important. I am just an old man left over from history, insignificant."
"As for how I know these things?"
"I stayed in the Black Forest for a very, very long time... so long that I can hardly remember. I have many ways of knowing things."
"For example, Joe Baker."
"..."
Row,
Gu Chen was really starting to lose his composure; his lips twitched, revealing a helpless, bitter smile.
Well, who is this great immortal now?
Judging from the description, this person, uh, this stone tablet, could open his box so easily?
Even Joe Baker knows?
What do you want to know next?
What color is the inner garment worn under your robe?
While Gu Chen was brainstorming, the stone tablet continued to wander, with some saying:
"The important thing is that someone wants to use you, or someone like you... to break this seal. The Antinoya family, the people of Lorian, and some people in Grey Tower Academy, they've been looking for the key."
Gu Chen thought back to that camp. Since this stone tablet could open his box so easily, it meant that he had many ways to obtain information in the Black Forest.
So he asked, "...You mean Joe Baker is here? Can you tell me what he's doing?"
"He's looking for the way."
The gravedigger's voice still sounded slow and leisurely, but it seemed to carry a hint of weariness.
"I know what he's trying to do... He and his group are trying to find a way here, and they're almost there. Plus, he has something with him that can weaken the seal's power..."
"However, he needs a key to fully open it."
Gu Chen turned his gaze to the glowing bones on the ground... Although these were all powerful wizards in his eyes, they were still too weak compared to the powerful wizards in the inner courtyard of the Gray Tower.
"You said they died here to guard the seal, so can you tell me what's beneath the seal? And why did those people want to open it?"
"And their strength..."
"Ugh."
A very melodious sigh came from the stone tablet.
"Sometimes, ability doesn't determine everything..."
"They were weak at the time, but they were able to do things that benefited many people."
"Now..."
The gravedigger paused again for a moment, then said:
"never mind."
"As for what's inside the seal? It's too dangerous to tell you now. The name itself has power."
"All you need to know is that there's a reason it's locked up. If it gets out, something terrible will happen."
Gu Chen felt that the tomb keeper hadn't told the whole truth.
"I know there will always be some people who are willing to sacrifice for the greater good."
"It is indeed a minority, but if all of this is true, I am willing to apologize to you."
"sorry."
Gu Chen reached out, removed the hood from his cloak, and performed a solemn wizard's salute.
Although I still find it hard to believe that such a thing could really happen, if these acts of dedication are true, then it would be better for me to apologize.
"fine."
The stone tablet didn't seem to care much.
Then Gu Chen continued to ask:
"Grey Tower Academy was originally established to imprison this thing? But the Grey Tower now seems to be different, it's definitely not like that."
"I simply cannot imagine a Gray Tower where so many people are willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good or to protect others."
The question is indeed very straightforward!
“Yes,” the gravedigger admitted, “too much time has passed. The Grey Tower has changed. Many have forgotten why it was built in the first place, or they’ve deliberately forgotten. They only wanted to seal away the power beneath.”
"Ha ha……"
Laughter could even be heard coming from inside the stone tablet; it sounded rather tragic.
"The most ridiculous thing is that the powerful figures in Gray Tower Academy don't care at all about this monster that was initially sealed away at the cost of countless lives..."
"And those mediocre wizards actually want to release the monsters they risked their lives to stop, just for that power."
Just then, Gu Chen's mind suddenly sounded an alarm; his mental sea, which had been quiet before, was now becoming restless...
Feeling a sense of impending crisis, Gu Chen immediately looked towards the passage he had entered through.
The passage was dark, with only the green stones glowing. But Gu Chen heard a sound. It was the sound of water, and... the sound of something scraping against the stones.
"She's caught up with us."
Gu Chen's heart sank. He knew it was that giant spider, the Spider Queen.
The gravedigger also sensed it:
"That thing outside? It's angry. It's been modified, it bears the mark of the Lorian royal family... A very interesting modification. Perhaps whoever modified it wanted to artificially create a key?"
The stone tablet continued to speak.
But Gu Chen didn't have time to think about it further. The scraping sound was getting closer and closer…
The sound grew louder and louder! A tremendous sound entered my eardrums; clearly, the Spider Queen had caught up with me from the direction I had come from and was crawling into the tunnel!
Gu Chen quickly looked around. The round hole was large, but apart from the stone tablet and the bones on the ground, there was nowhere to stay. The two sides were smooth stone walls, very high, and impossible to climb.
However, the spider could definitely climb up there.
It seems he has no choice but to face the Spider Queen.
"What should I do?"
While asking the tomb keeper questions, Gu Chen began to guide the magic power within his body.
"Don't be afraid of her..." the gravedigger said quickly, "She... is just a failed experiment. Those people were trying to create a controllable living key or guardian by fusing a small portion of royal blood with a spider."
"But it was clear that the result was a failure. This thing only has the instincts of a beast and the residual marks, and is far less useful than the true royal bloodline. It is now just a monster driven by rage."
The gravedigger's voice suddenly became urgent: "I don't have much power left... This spider is strange!"
"Be careful! Don't get too close to the stone tablet, especially when it's glowing!"
Before Gu Chen could understand what "when it glows" meant, the Spider Queen's enormous black shadow appeared at the entrance of the passage.
She crawled in. Her body was wet and dripping.
It was obvious that she had been washed and thrown around by the water; she looked a bit disheveled...
But all of this clearly aroused her ferocity!
She became even fiercer, the Spider Queen staring intently at Gu Chen with her remaining five green eyes, filled with hatred!
If only she had known, her child would have died because of her! The nest was flooded!
And more importantly... he just wanted to kill this human in front of him!
Gu Chen blinded her, and instead of bright red blood, a thick, black liquid flowed out.
The Spider Queen hissed, a harsh sound. It opened its mouth, and purple venomous mist began to gather again. It was about to spew its poison!
Gu Chen immediately ran to the side, trying to hide behind the stone tablet. He couldn't stand in the open and become a target.
Just as he ran towards the stone tablet, the Spider Queen suddenly spewed out poisonous mist from her mouth! A large cloud of purple mist shot towards Gu Chen like an arrow.
Gu Chen lunged forward with all his might. The poisonous mist grazed his back and struck the black stone tablet in front of him.
With a "poof," the poisonous mist hit the stone tablet and vanished instantly, like water hitting red-hot iron, leaving no trace.
But something strange happened.
The surface of the stone tablet rippled like water where it was struck by the poisonous fog. Then, the entire tablet suddenly emitted a light! Not reflected starlight, but a strong, dark purple light emanating from within!
The light was very bright, instantly illuminating the entire large hole. The bones on the ground, illuminated by the light, also emitted a faint white glow.
Gu Chen felt the Soul-Eating Death Qi in his arm suddenly throb and become very active, as if it were excited.
At the same time, a tremendous, icy power surged from the glowing stone tablet, suffocating him. This power was ancient and terrifying.
The tomb keeper's voice echoed in his mind, filled with warning: "Get away from the stone tablet! The seal has been activated! It's unstable!"
Gu Chen tried to run away, but the force was too strong. He felt very heavy and his movements slowed down.
To make matters worse, when the Spider Queen saw the stone tablet glowing, her five pairs of green eyes widened instantly.
She seemed terrified, yet also...excited? She stopped looking at Gu Chen and stared intently at the glowing stone tablet, making strange, low noises.
What does she want to do?
Gu Chen saw the Spider Queen begin to move towards the stone tablet! Although she climbed very slowly and very carefully, her goal was very clear!
She seemed to have forgotten about Gu Chen, completely captivated by the glowing stone tablet.
The gravedigger's voice grew more urgent: "Stop her! Don't let her touch the tombstone! Especially now!"
Gu Chen knew the situation was dangerous. He had to stop the giant spider. He took a deep breath and prepared to charge at the Spider Queen.
The Spider Queen, who had been stunned by the light of the stone tablet, seemed to have adapted somewhat at this moment, and the fear in her five eyes was suddenly replaced by a deeper madness.
She stopped looking at the stone tablet and instead fixed her gaze on Gu Chen, the man who had blinded her and caused her immense pain!
And... this human is in her way! This stone tablet is very important to her!
The Spider Queen let out a sharp screech, and with a sudden burst of power, her massive body charged toward Gu Chen like a chariot, her mouth wide open, sending a stench through the air!
Gu Chen's eyes narrowed. Although this monster was a failure, he had to deal with it or get rid of it to leave safely!