69novels Page 314
Page 314
The test lasted less than five minutes before ending quickly. Upon detecting the "Heaven and Earth Manifestation" ability within you, the "Trainer" was once again shocked. After the test, she approached the leading magical puppet, and both fell silent.
You glanced at the drenched "Trainer," who covered his face in embarrassment. Thankfully, it was only a mild activation; you hadn't used too much power. Otherwise, a single burst of energy would have ripped through the puppets' armor, and a real fight might have broken out.
You skillfully changed into a new robe, only to suddenly realize that Jennifer behind you had woken up sometime earlier. She had slightly risen to her side behind the extinguished campfire, one arm around the still-sleeping Leafa, the other resting on the hilt of her sword. When you turned your head, she winked at you in a questioning manner.
You shrugged and shook your head, equally unsure of the situation with these magical puppets, but they seemed safe for the time being.
"I don't know why, but it feels kind of familiar..." you muttered to yourself, glancing at the gate of the ruins, which was now fully open, revealing a faint outline of gold paved with the stone.
You paused, rubbed your eyes, and suddenly realized that it wasn't entirely out of the question to try and take advantage of these ruins. Of course, a gentleman loves money, but he acquires it ethically. You certainly wouldn't engage in any destructive or looting activities; if you're going to take it, you'll take it all...
[Just as you were lost in thought, the lead magical puppet slowly approached you. Her body looked quite strong, and although she didn't have as much armor as the other puppets, her exposed body was covered with extremely complex magical runes. Even on the surface of her skin, you could vaguely see a 36D effect without glasses.]
The word "Decision Maker" was written on her chest, and she certainly looked like the leader of this group of magical puppets. You scratched your head and habitually reached out your hand.
The "decision-maker" ignored your outstretched hand. After a moment of silence, she reached out and touched the necklace around your neck.
"Waaaah, Daddy, save me! I'm being sucked away!"
[After a quiet morning, Lilia suddenly screamed in agony. Startled, you instinctively took a step back and clutched your necklace.]
The "decision-maker" glanced at you calmly, then took a step forward, his finger suddenly poking at a longsword lying across your path, producing a clang.
"Don't touch my monarch!" Jennifer stood in front of you, sword drawn, glaring angrily at the "Decision Maker."
The "Decision Maker" frowned slightly, looking at the longsword imbued with pure light in Jennifer's fingers, then at Leafa beside her, who was gathering divine power, and Serfal, who was preparing to unleash dragon breath. She took a step back.
"You... need to return her."
Just when you thought the fight wouldn't break out, the "decision-maker" suddenly spoke, her voice hesitant and halting, as if she were using her language skills for the first time:
"Advanced individuals can...receive rewards. However, only legendary individuals...can take over the ruins, the descendants of the Titans."
Upon hearing the last word, you were suddenly taken aback, finally understanding the source of that strange sense of familiarity you'd always felt. This building, piled high with materials to an inhumanly extravagant and outrageous degree, could only be found in the Palace of your cheap ancestor, Emperor Powva, besides the Mage Guild!
"Wait, are you subordinates of King Phowa?"
You pressed down on Jennifer's shoulder to signal her to relax, then quickly asked, "The ruins behind you are... the palace of Emperor Pova?"
[Speaking of which, you suddenly realize that, looking at it this way, the shape of this ruin is unmistakably that of a bull! You hadn't thought much of it before, but the thought that this is the work of you Titans makes this inexplicable association creep in!]
"Here..." The "Decision Maker" flipped her wrist, and a small booklet suddenly appeared in her palm. She handed the booklet to you and said, "Legend... come again."
[As soon as she finished speaking, an extremely terrifying force of gravity struck you all. Before you could react, you all collapsed to the ground. Then, you struggled to your feet and saw a pair of slender, artifact-armored boots approach you. The "Decision Maker" bent down and placed her fingers against the necklace around your neck.]
"Why...?" you asked, gritting your teeth as you propped yourself up.
The "decision-maker" stared at you in surprise for a moment, thought for a moment, and then said:
"You're not qualified...you're not qualified."
"Damn it!" You couldn't hold your breath and instantly collapsed back to the ground.
[In the last moments before Lilia was sucked away, she said in an extremely sorrowful voice, "Dad, I'm leaving. Don't pick up and eat random things anymore. When you see the 'Executioner' again, remember not to hit me. I'll definitely level up when I get back, and you might not be able to beat me... Waaah! Dad, you must have a happy old age. Goodbye, Dad—"]
The crisp, chattering voice, enough to raise your blood pressure, made you clench your fists. You couldn't help but look up and yell, "Hey, remember to give her a good talking to when you take her home, those brats!"
The "decision-maker" visibly paused for a moment, exchanged glances with the other magical puppets, and left with a puzzled expression.
Five minutes later, you suddenly felt a lightness in your body, and with a somersault, you jumped up.
After checking that all the teammates were alright except for the one who had smashed a crater in the ground with the dragon, you glanced at the ruins with their doors tightly shut and, with a very puzzled look, opened the booklet.
[Unexpectedly, the booklet didn't contain any pages, but rather a one-time illusion spell. You all immediately gathered together, intently watching the illusion spell's demonstration.]
[It turns out that these ruins were indeed the palace of Emperor Pawa, but after the passage of time, many things have become worn and ineffective, leaving only Emperor Pawa's former armor and a group of magical puppets.]
[However, to your surprise, this palace wasn't originally owned by Emperor Pova himself, but by one of his wives who was skilled in alchemy. The entire palace, including the magical puppets within, was created by that great-grandmother.]
As a descendant of the Titans, you naturally have the right to take over this palace. However, you still need the strength of a legendary-level warrior to gain control of the palace. Although you are only a level four warrior, the "decision-makers" still granted you Emperor Pova's corresponding aid to his descendants based on your true strength—a mid-level level six.
[You gaze at the potion the puppets placed beside you before they departed, sense it for a moment, and then fall into deep thought.]
The tremor in your bloodline quickly made you realize that although this potion smelled a bit expired, it could still greatly enhance your bloodline abilities. You had always thought that the Titan bloodline could only be used after the Holy Grail was filled, but now it seems that the Titans are meant to be bloodline warriors.
[However, it's true that although you've always been treated as a tyrant, you've always solved problems with magic. After all, wisdom can indeed solve problems, but whether brute force alone can overcome all magic is something you, as someone from a civilized society in your past life, weren't entirely sure about.]
Therefore, you haven't delved deeply into the warrior system.
The question you need to consider now is whether to use this potion now, or save it for your real self after the simulation ends.
Without wasting too much time thinking, you decided to take it now. After all, in reality, you could easily regain the same opportunities after learning this information, while in the simulation, you need to try your best to gain more advantages.
[You used "the potion made by your great-grandmother," and I don't know if it's nearing its expiration date or has expired, but you seem to feel rather unaffected, except that your blood is flowing a little faster, without a large amount of waste seeping out of your pores like in the novels.]
With this question in mind, you noted down the location and set off again with your companions.
[A day later, you successfully emerged from the primeval forest and arrived at a sparse woodland. Only then did you realize that you weren't far from Lundia; after taking off, you could even see the outermost mage towers of Lundia. You had simply deviated from your course and mistakenly entered the easternmost uninhabited area of the Forest Sea Territory.]
[You begin to ponder. Although this disorientation was merely an accident, you realize you have a golden opportunity to become the "Latis Titania" trusted by all—that is, to obtain the relics of Emperor Pova… no, he's not dead yet.]
In the Kingdom of Norard, there are many such uninhabited areas, far from trade routes and cities, so it's not unusual for a family remnant from a century ago to appear there.
[Your group has taken off again and is heading towards the floating island.]
This is your first time traveling to Hines City via a route other than the Sky Ladder and the Reception Island; the route is completely different from what you imagined.
[You initially thought that Jennifer simply indicated a height, allowing Serfal to fly to that height and then fly horizontally across, but the reality is far more complex.]
[The floating islands are not islands stacked one on top of another, but rather independent city-states suspended in the air by some mysterious force. You learned about this force in the previous simulations; it is the gravitational pull towards the stars maintained by the residual force after the original path to godhood in the starry sky was shattered by Powalodden.]
This force is dispersed across various islands, which try to avoid getting too close to collide or repel each other. Therefore, they float and intertwine at different levels, and each island has its own wind tunnel and protective shield. As a result, as a team entering from the air, you will have to navigate almost a winding 3D maze to reach Hines City.
[At this point, you might be wondering why you don't just go to the receiving island to teleport to the corresponding island. That's because the receiving islands are all teleportation arrays! Have you forgotten what happened last time Serfal entered a teleportation array? Small fry!]
Guided by Jennifer, you flew into the wind tunnel of the floating island closest to the mainland. You glanced at the island through the dense, overlapping clouds and protective shield, but saw nothing.
[Sefar did say he smelled gold coins; you figured it out, probably from some merchant family on the continent.]
Jennifer tells you that it's the 49th ranked floating island family. She's forgotten the exact surname, but the last-ranked families change hands frequently; sometimes she doesn't even have time to pay attention before they've already changed hands three or four times.
Ignoring the island that passed by, you continued flying along the wind path.
Gradually, you finally understand why Jennifer has a naturally poor sense of direction, and why Serfair was able to circle the world when flying to Hines.
[Damn, the wind tunnels on this floating island are way too complicated!]
[At almost every intersection of islands, several wind tunnels appear, each facing a different direction. These wind tunnels don't necessarily allow you to fly straight along; some even lead you in circles! The complex, one-way passages, coupled with the ever-changing density of clouds and fog, make it even more difficult to discern directions.]
Simply put, each island has an outer region that resembles an irregular sphere. Where several regions overlap and intersect, a difference in gravity creates wind flow. You need to navigate the appropriate wind paths to gradually ascend and penetrate deeper into the interior...
Fortunately, Jennifer possessed the bloodline resonance and token of Hines City, which gave her a general direction to refer to; otherwise, you...
[It's likely that Serfal spent an unknown amount of time circling around here during the previous simulations, finally managing to fly a full circle by simply following the wind tunnel leading outwards.]
[You inwardly sympathized with the poor, silly dragon from before, and also with Jennifer who occasionally had to ride flying monsters, before finally letting out a wicked grin.]
But your laughter will soon fade, because you'll discover that the expired potion you used not long ago seems to have suddenly taken effect!
[Right now, you sometimes have bulging biceps, sometimes voluptuous breasts and buttocks, sometimes a pointed head, and sometimes a split spine.]
The power of the potion has awakened your bloodline, and the mighty Titan bloodline is gradually fusing your body and warrior abilities. You can foresee that once the potion takes full effect, you will possess a powerful body that is as responsive as your own limbs.
At that moment, amidst Jennifer's teasing gaze and Leafa's screams as she covered her eyes, you sighed softly, took off your robe—once again ripped apart by the bull—and put on the "Golden Panties" that Yashutia had given you.
"Never mind, we're all family, and Leafa is still young, it's alright..." you thought to yourself, a habitual resolve to die evident in your eyes.
[The golden panties are indeed very sturdy. However, I wonder what kind of dramatic scene will unfold when the fully strengthened Golden Bull reappears.]
Chapter 314 Meeting your father-in-law in a bathhouse seems a bit odd, doesn't it?
After meandering through the wind tunnels of the floating island for half a day, you finally arrived at Hines City before nightfall. You managed to control your body's unusual movements in time and began to familiarize yourself with your suddenly powerful warrior body.
[Hines City ranks seventeenth among the floating islands, which isn't considered high, but it's still a prestigious city.]
According to Jennifer, Hines City was originally ranked only in the twenties, but Herold City's decline lasted for over a decade, plummeting from its peak and triggering countless conflicts. Hines City, by remaining uninvolved, miraculously avoided many crises and thus rose in the rankings.
In her memory, although Herod's floating islands were completely sealed off, they were ultimately destined to be attacked by passing islands. Since the floating islands were independent of each other, when Herod City was unable to control its own descent, all the floating islands were severely affected.
[Nowadays, Hines City is somewhat shrouded in conspiracy, so Jennifer empathizes with Herold City. Therefore, she doesn't want to compete with Artemis, and their occasional private beacon communications are generally relaxed and pleasant.]
After a warm welcome, you and your group entered the city of Hines. Looking at the bustling houses and streets around you, you couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.
[You didn't exchange for memories in the last simulation about Hines City, and in subsequent simulations you gradually became the center of your own life, so everything here is new to you right now.]
According to legend, Hines City was originally a small country on the mainland. It wasn't until the path to godhood was shattered by Powaloden that, after careful consideration, they finally settled on the floating island.
Currently, the continent of Atlantis is divided into several kingdoms: the Kingdom of Norard, the Kingdom of Andora, the United Nations of Yanium, and the disorderly region in the southeast. If the city of Hines were still on the continent, it would likely be a noble territory under the rule of the Kingdom of Norard.
In short, while the quality of life may not be as good as Londia and its surrounding areas, the freedom of the floating islands, isolated from the world, is far superior.
For some reason, you always feel that the people of Hines City are a bit too carefree. You've barely entered the city gates when someone stuffs three skewers of cured meat, a bucket of green beans, and two bags of potatoes into your hands. Looking back, you see that Serfal, who hasn't yet transformed back into human form, is already being fed a buffet by the Hines people. Even the naive little Leafa is carrying a heavy basket of corn with a pained expression.
"…What's going on?" You couldn't help but glance at Jennifer beside you. Admittedly, you were traveling with Miss Hines, but was she really that enthusiastic? Why did Hines seem a bit…?
You gasped, suddenly recalling the tragic history of Hines' nation being harmed by mentally retarded magic. Could it be that everyone in this entire city had been infected by the lingering effects of this magic?! What about Jennifer...?
"What are you thinking!" Jennifer gave your shoulder a hard punch, decisively refusing the gifts the citizens around you were trying to stuff into your clothes, before saying with a slightly flushed face, "These are all things they think should be given to you... as part of your dowry."
[“?!?!” You were taken aback, and quickly glanced at Jennifer again as if seeking confirmation. Under her confirming gaze, you looked down at the cured meat in your hand.]
[Well, even though it's the eldest daughter of Lord Hines who's marrying him, it's only natural that these citizens, who all know her, would come over to express their own sentiments...]
The problem is, how did they know? You and Jennifer have only been dating for a week or two!
[Amidst your utter astonishment, Jennifer explained the reason to you, not without a hint of sarcasm.]
So, it turns out that the Pope was behind all of this.
Ever since Jennifer received a risk warning for promoting doujinshi featuring the goddess on the internet, the Pope has been very concerned about her mental state, fearing that she might ruin the reputation of the entire Church of Light. Therefore, the Pope specifically instructed Jennifer, "If you cause trouble in the future, never tell anyone about the Pope."
Fortunately, Jennifer later realized that engaging in online harassment was indeed very risky, so she switched to simply observing without commenting, and even when she wanted to discuss something, she would only do so privately in the Beacon group.
[But this still didn't put the Pope at ease. After all, Jennifer was a ruthless woman who dared to sacrifice her own god. She wasn't afraid of any of the legendary divine punishments or thunderbolts. So the Pope began to secretly communicate with Lord Hines. Both were secretly anxious, fearing that this lawless young knight might one day turn into some kind of tyrannical bully.]
Fortunately, you appeared at this time. Not only were you willingly accepted by Jennifer, but even the God of Light showed no opposition. Furthermore, the Pope sensed a mysterious aura of the Lord of the Magic Network in you.
In short, the two old men discussed it, and it turned out that even before Jennifer put the magic ring on your finger, champagne was already being popped in Hines City. Even the Pope, under the curious gazes of the priests, was beaming for days, saying, "I remembered something happy."
As you pinch the red dragon's mouth shut to stop her from gorging herself, you silently continue walking forward with the chattering Jennifer. For some reason, you increasingly feel that few of the old men in this world are reliable.
No wonder there are no nursing homes in this other world. If they were full of these kinds of people, it would be practically a terrorist organization.
Not long after, your group arrived at the city lord's mansion in Hines. Just as you were about to head to Jennifer's residence, the guards of the mansion suddenly stopped you.
"Young Miss, um..." The guard hesitated, gesturing wildly. Realizing his limited sign language skills, he reluctantly admitted, "The mages who can cure intellectual disabilities are all ready. You can go directly there... Also, the Master wants to see him."