Looking through the narrow and damp passage, in front of the mosaic sun mural made of ancient colored cobblestones, Issyk's old face showed madness, hatred, and uncontrollable sadness.
At this moment, he was soaked in the water, his eyes closed tightly, and he was completely unconscious. He was not aware of the arrival of the two men at all. The injured flame demon was suspended in front of him, invisible tentacles piercing his body, sucking blood.
This is the perfect time for a sneak attack.
Ed put away his cane, fearing that any sound would be exposed, and took out the hunting knife from the scabbard on his waist and handed it to Tia. Tia nodded understandingly and took the hunting knife. As long as Issyk's throat was cut when he was not prepared, all problems would be solved.
Suddenly, Mentilosa's pupils condensed with molten candle tears, and the flowing scorching light radiated forward, exposing the two people in the darkness.
Ed stretched out his hand to block his sight, only to find that double pupils like keyholes passed through his arms, expanding continuously, dragging his consciousness into them.
…
The cabin shook and groaned in pain from time to time. There were patches and scars everywhere, as if it had been on a long voyage. Tia was lying on a straw pile not far away, still unconscious. Ed tried to stand up, but was surprised to find that his left leg had healed.
Is this in a dream?
[Yes, congratulations on guessing it right. 】
Sylvie's flame words appeared on the walls of the cabin.
For Ed, this is not bad news. In the dream, his left leg could move freely, and the power of the Keeper's program could be fully exerted.
But why did he do this? Was it just to delay the ceremony?
Ed was a little confused. As a fourth-level extraordinary person holding a sacred object, Elder Issik should not be so timid even if he was injured.
[In addition, I guess he also plans to persuade your dear sister to side with the Nirvana Cult. If you don’t believe it, just wait and see. 】
Sylvie's flame text stopped abruptly and was dispersed without a trace by a familiar voice:
"Where are we?"
Tia sat up, her face full of confusion.
"We were in a dream, and Issek used Mentilosa's eyes to involve us in the dream." Ed answered truthfully.
"Dream?" Tia rubbed her eyes, a little confused, as if she had just heard a new term.
"It's, uh... the visions we experience when we sleep, you know."
Seeing that Tia was still confused, Ed didn't know how to explain it. Could it be that she hadn't even had a dream?
Looking around, apart from each other, there was no one in the cabin, it was silent and scary.
"I could have killed you, but you should at least have the right to know the truth, kid. Maybe you think we are monsters, but in fact, they are."
Elder Issik's gloomy voice floated faintly, and was transformed into flame subtitles by Sylvie. He specifically used Elvish, obviously speaking to Tia:
"Humanity has tricked you into serving their interests without realizing it, just like they did with that mad dog."
The sound was disembodied and the source could not be found. Tia's ears perked up uneasily, she took a step back, leaned against the cabin and replied:
"What are you talking about?"
"You have studied the history they usurped. Now, listen to the stories they will not tell you..."
Issyk’s old voice was hoarse and long, and he said:
"After leaving the Old World, our people sailed all the way east, and finally passed through the sea full of storms and monsters, and found a new promised land, Arcadia. There, we established a new country."
"With the efforts of those great craftsmen, seven miraculous and magnificent cities rose from the ground, the 'Seven Golden Cities'. The auspicious pieces of the Voluni Empire for centuries, as well as the rare treasures collected in the New World, are all collected in In these seven cities of wonders.”
"Then, the human fleet came. Although they had muskets, cannons and other fancy skills, the number of troops they could project along the long route was extremely limited, and they were not to be feared at all - we once thought so, until they Hiding white plague-contaminated refugees on black trading freighters.”
"We accepted those refugees without knowing it, and disaster ensued. The elves have been away from the Old World for too long and cannot adapt to the horrific plague from there."
The rocking of the ship stopped and the hatch opened without warning:
"Go ahead and see it for yourself, see what I've been privileged to witness, and then you'll understand why I do what I do."
Tia hesitated for a moment and walked out of the cabin. Ed followed, but was shocked by the sight in front of him:
Looking at the dock where they were moored, countless corpses were piled up into hills, no one stopped them, and flies covered the sky. The dead in large numbers had pale hair, blood-red eyes, and skin as cold as snow—these were the symptoms of the White Plague.
Some people have died, some are about to die, and the smell of death is everywhere.
"The impregnable seven golden cities fell, not because of their guns, but because of our own stupidity. We actually believed that these barbarians would change after many years. The facts only proved one thing, they will never learn anything. For the sake of civilization, they will only survive by plundering.”
"Those bandits from Larea broke into the city without any blood and transported boxes of gold, jewelry, and handicrafts to the Old World. The symbol of our blood and tears was incorporated into his 'royal' museum by the Black-Hearted King, and he proudly presented it to the world. The world shows.”
Elder Issyk stood on the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, looking at a little boy, as if looking at his former self:
"People your and Holland's age will never see anything like this. That's why you have a ridiculous empathy for humans."
He stood up and walked towards Tia:
"You're just an outsider in their society and you can never really fit in."
"Go home, child, to your true people..."
