The explosion in the direction of the college shook the entire college town and the port under the hillside. The locally deployed Odessa Coast Guard blew the horn and began to send troops to check.
Not long after the tragedy of Odessa paving the road with flesh and blood passed, Beyeland's fleet was still wandering in the high seas, and the locals were as cautious as mice passing through an old cat's milk bowl to touch the cheese. Hearing the earth-shattering noise and the military horn, the town and port immediately became chaotic. Some merchant ships immediately set sail and rushed to the waterway out of the port without asking, preparing to escape directly into the sea.
The three brigs of warships waiting in the harbor also took action. In order to avoid misjudgment, they did not conduct regular patrols, but the tension did not loosen during their stay in Hong Kong. The sailors were running around, raising the sails and moving the ship at the captain's command. However, the port was full of small boats rushing back and forth, and the pilot was nowhere to be seen. After struggling for a quarter of an hour, they could not get to the port.
It happened that at this time, two small boats were still coming from the outer sea towards the port. They were swaying, relying entirely on the oars of the sailors, and almost collided with ships leaving the harbor. This naturally aroused a wave of shouting and yelling, and everyone on the ships that were busy leaving the port cursed these guys who came to cause trouble.
What's even more outrageous is that the two ships did not enter the port, but parked directly next to the breakwater next to the outbound channel, lowered the deck, and pushed several vehicles covered with tarpaulin up until they reached a simple warehouse near the entrance of the outbound channel. Stopped, as if to set up something there.
Some people with keen minds feel something is wrong when they see it. However, the officials and guards at the port were in chaos, and no one went up to inquire for a while.
…
Taking advantage of the sudden chaos, the five-man commando team hiding in the carriage under the outer wall of Metini College swarmed out. As soon as they left the carriage, mysterious power surged around them, covering them with a layer of mist, making their figures illusory and elusive. Wearing cloaks, they passed by like a dark cloud and went straight to an empty wall. When they got there, they immediately threw up the lasso with a pickaxe to hook it to the top of the wall, and quickly climbed up.
This five-person team was extremely skilled in their movements. Climbing the seven or eight-meter-high city wall was as easy as stepping over a small mound of dirt. They crossed the wall and headed straight into the academy. They walked through the corridors, stairs and rooms with familiarity, as if they had rehearsed it countless times, and headed straight for the Tira Gate where the secret vault was located.
"Who is it! Stop!" A wizard who was guarding the only way to the entrance to the secret vault and his immediate followers noticed the menacing commando and ordered them to stop while drawing out their wands.
Before he could chant, five sharp crossbow arrows were fired towards him. Three of them smashed into his shield, and the other two shot his followers to the ground.
"Come and support me!" The wizard just shouted, and someone in the team that rushed toward him threw several smoking metal balls at him, which landed at his feet.
"What's this!"
"boom--!"
In the huge explosion, fire and metal fragments flew everywhere. The wizard's shield flashed and almost collapsed on the spot, and the followers around him also fell down. He was frightened and pulled away to the side corner. The team that attacked him didn't even look at the injured people struggling on the ground, and just passed through the passage and entered the secret vault.
The commandos dispersed several encountering patrol groups one after another, and arrived at a cold metal gate without any hesitation.
…
"Nara, what are you doing? We can't get close to the Gate of Tira!" Neferti screamed, trying to break free from her brother's hand.
But Naila did not answer her question. She led her sister through the deep passage with an extremely determined attitude and ran towards the dangerous secret vault.
After turning several times on the rotating stone steps, the two came to a wide hall. The heavy door had been opened to allow one person to pass through. The dim light flickered behind the crack in the door, looking at the living person in front of him maliciously.
There were two tall leaders guarding the door. They were naked and had strong muscles, but they used blood-like liquid to draw twisted patterns. They stood there in silence, and the stone statues in the garden were more lively than them.
Before Neferti could see the patterns clearly, a rickety old man appeared behind the crack in the door. He was wearing a black wizard robe, his cheeks were as skinny as a skeleton, and he was holding a lantern like a will-o'-the-wisp. The candlelight shone on the faces of the two brothers and sisters. The old man looked at them with cloudy eyes and said hoarsely:
"Come."
Neferti was astonished. The Gate of Tira is an absolutely forbidden place for students, and even professors must go through strict procedures before coming. However, the wizened old man seemed to be waiting for the brother and sister, leading them through the crack in the door without any obstruction.
The girl held her brother's hand tightly, or was dragged into the Gate of Tira. The moment he walked through the crack in the door, an unspeakable coldness penetrated into his bones, and the coldness that even froze his spirituality and thoughts went straight into his bones.
A group of people in black robes gathered around an incomprehensible magic circle. They raised their hands in the shadow of the candlelight, and their elongated silhouettes looked like villains in ghost stories. These people muttered words in solemn and deep tones, but they immediately reminded people of filth, sin, and fear.
Neferti was terrified. She had no reason to think that the mysterious people in front of her might be sacrificing something, and she looked like a sacrifice...those shady things must not be shown to minors and could only be spread quietly among girls, and were used as sacrifices. Young girls are always the victims of unspeakable tragedy.
"Squeak~"
The door behind the door suddenly closed. The jerky voice made Neferti jump up in fright, and she ran away, but she was held tightly by her brother.
The girl wanted to scream, but strangely she couldn't; she wanted to break free, but Naila's hands were like cold chains and could not be shaken at all. The people in black who were present all turned their heads and stared at the brothers and sisters, and the surroundings became extremely quiet.
"He is calling us," Naila's eyes were deep, and her somewhat casual expression since the morning had subsided, becoming cold and full of vitality, "What are you waiting for?"
The wizards under the black robes returned their attention to the magic circle, chanting loudly as they gathered around. At the core of the circle is a heavy lead box. However, even though it was wrapped in thick materials, Neferti still felt that there was a very strong vitality in this thing, which was going through cycles like flowers blooming and falling and the seasons changing.
This abnormal vitality of life is incomprehensible and frightening.
At this moment, a nearby stone cabinet suddenly made a rustling sound. The sealed objects kept here seemed to be stimulated by some kind of stimulation, and roared like boiling water being poured into a pan.
Neferty's whole body trembled. This deep underground cave has an indescribable dampness and stickiness. She inexplicably missed the arms of the strange knight who hugged her just now. It was embarrassing, but very warm and hot. In the fear of the unknown, she couldn't help but gather her spiritual energy and use her spiritual vision to look around.
Then, she saw illusory black lines. They were tangled and intertwined, growing out of the gaps in the lead box like dense hair.
Neferty then saw Professor Lafayette, who had been depressed about his fate not long ago, approaching the ceremony. When the professor saw the brothers and sisters, he immediately wiped away his previous frustration:
“The revelation of the Lord has come, and the appointed time has come!
"He sees everything in the distant starry sky, high above, peering into people's hearts."
A look of boredom flashed across Naila's face. He asked, “Has the authority given by the Lord been prepared?”
"Right now." The professor waved his hand, and groups of strong men walked over from the darkness. They were naked to the waist, dragging heavy sacks, and wearing sacks smeared with unknown grease on their heads, with only two small holes poked out for their eyes. The exposed eyes were full of a stupid and sluggish expression, like a mindless walking zombie, and exuded a thick, almost solidifying bloody aura.
The hired workers came to the magic circle, opened the sacks, took out the bloody corpses and threw them into the magic circle. Each of these corpses was horrifying, the skin on their bodies had been peeled off, and the blood stains had not yet solidified. The moment the flesh and blood splashed to the ground, streaks of blood-colored smoke evaporated from the magic circle. If there was life, it would wrap around the corpses and drag them underground.
Neferti screamed, but was strangely unable to make a sound. She felt like she was like a cold stone, trapped in the control of the unknown and mysterious, and she couldn't help but tremble even harder.
More than a dozen corpses sank slowly and disappeared without a trace. This bloody sacrifice scene was disgusting, but the wizards of Medini were indifferent to it. A moment later, a huge roar came from the magic circle, and something huge and terrifying was crawling and chewing under the stone slab.
When all the corpses disappeared from sight, fierce winds surged in the vault, and the whistling sound was like the roar of a giant beast. The strong wind blows on people's faces, and there is also a cold pain that penetrates into the bone marrow.
"Nara, let's get out of here!" Neferti was frightened and did not dare to think about the scene in front of her. She even had a deep fear that she would be sacrificed.
Her brother didn't answer her, but was talking quickly with the professor. They spoke so fast that Neferti felt like she understood every word, but had no idea what they meant.
Finally, all the wizards present showed satisfied and noble expressions, as if their gods were favoring them at this moment. A wizard turned to Naira and said:
“I can feel Him flowing through my veins and we have lost so much and it’s time for this to end.
“We can’t wait to break the shackles and create unprecedented miracles.
"The King of Decay and Resurrection is watching us, and the time of destiny has arrived! Our cause is unstoppable!"
The lead box in the magic circle slowly opened. The man in black robe took a book, a short sword and a ring and placed them in the magic circle. Soon, these artifacts all emitted similar auras.
The wizards present were mainly professors and associate professors from Metini. They had obviously been planning these works in the sealed artifact vault behind the Gate of Tira for some time, and everything was going in an orderly manner.
At this time, another extraordinary wizard with a powerful aura appeared. His status was so distinguished that even Professor Lafayette on the side bowed to him first and introduced him to Naira and Neferti:
"This is the host of the ceremony, Professor Julian, the Secret Peeper."
Professor Julian nodded to Naila, and his eyes fell on Neferty's face. His pure and wise eyes were like two torches, almost burning through Neferty's cheeks. He stared at the girl for a while, showed a satisfied look, and said solemnly:
"Time is already running out. We have weakened the remaining seal on the Lord's Holy Limb to the limit and are in a state that can be activated at any time. Unfortunately, the enemy has discovered our plan and must immediately enter the next stage. Only Only in this way can we maintain the power to the truth and the future!”
Naila didn't seem to be flustered or nervous at all. She walked straight to the outside of the magic circle with a calm expression, pointed at the lead box and said, "This is prepared for me. What's its name?"
"The call of the ancestors."
Professor Lafayette's tone was full of awe and piety: "It has been activated twice and collected enough information, but lacks energy. Next, you need to follow its guidance to the agreed place to find the secret of my Lord. This It will be an extremely difficult and dangerous journey, and I hope the other four sealed artifacts can help you."
The shaking of the ground becomes more violent, and an attack from outside may have approached the Vault. The wizards present all felt the ferocious murderous intent that was like a wild beast, rushing in like a pouring flood.
Naila stared at the heavy lead box, with a hint of dissatisfaction on her face: "From what channel was the information about today's ceremony leaked? How many enemies came?"
The high-ranking wizards present had no plan for his rudeness, and some even said with a guilty look on their faces: "The preparations for the journey require the power of the army and nobles, so there is no guarantee that there will be no mistakes."
Seeing that the question yielded no results, Naila could only shake her head and said, "Will it show me the way to the door of truth?"
"There is no doubt, my student, there is no doubt," Professor Lafayette nodded. "The call of the ancestors will awaken the sleeping mysteries, and they will be revealed one by one.
"You'll see subtle clues, clues that we can't see, and follow the clues, and that would be..."
"Okay, I know," Naila raised her hand, interrupting the professor's speech, "I'm ready."
