Chapter 308: Chapter 305: The Overwritten Ghost

Next, Benedict defended his resistance group’s dealings with the Sect: "His Majesty, Elf King Silvanos, is our King. Deryats taught us to maintain the balance of nature and find our path to survival within it, much like our teacher.

"But during the first Divine War, the Elves lost the protection of two Divine Spirits in succession. Silvanos vanished, and Deryats fell. Their power scattered, and their knowledge was absorbed by you Mages. We Elves became an abandoned people.

"So, when Mother Earth appeared with a similar power, it’s not hard to understand why we were willing to accept her, is it? Some suspect she is our King or Deryats returned in some incarnation. Others speculate that she is the Mother Goddess ’Danu,’ a deity even more ancient than the King, returned to the land.

"In short, as long as a Divine Spirit watches over us, the fate of the Gray Elves—and our entire race—will improve! Just like how the Istanis were protected by Is back in the day."

In the eyes of Benedict and the Elven resistance, there was essentially no difference between Mother Earth and Is. As long as the deity could help them overthrow the authorities, that was all that mattered. The sacrifices the Istanis made to Great Is back then were no less than what Mother Earth demands now, nor were they any kinder.

When the Elves reflected on their history, they concluded that whoever had the strongest patron came out on top. Didn’t the short-lived human race suddenly surge in power by latching onto the Lord of Order? So when Mother Earth appeared, the resistance’s leadership didn’t view her as some kind of terrifying beast.

’You say she’s an Evil God? Is wasn’t exactly a saint either, was he?’

However, neither Benedict nor any of the resistance members in Storm City were wholeheartedly devoted to her, nor had they been tainted by the Mother Goddess’s power. If they had, Rorschach would have sensed it from their very first meeting.

"Power resides in the heart, wisdom in the brain?" Rorschach was interested in that phrase. ’In short, that means there’s some good stuff inside the statue, right?’

Caroline added, "If this so-called tomb isn’t completely sealed, then we should be able to find a way out nearby."

They began to explore in earnest. They were already in the stone chamber in the statue’s left breast. Rorschach remarked, "Teacher Caroline, your luck is amazing. You sent us straight to the entrance with a single teleport."

Caroline gave him an odd look at the compliment. "Rorschach, when you were observing the statue, didn’t you see those obvious markings? While not identical, the circuits on the left breast can be considered a variation of a short-range Teleportation Array."

Beads of sweat instantly formed on Rorschach’s brow. He felt like an intern whose professor had just discovered his grasp of the subject material was subpar.

"Hey, I bet that’s the next entrance over there!" Luckily, Rorschach had made a new discovery. One of the inner walls appeared to be constructed from horizontal stone blocks, while the other surfaces were perfectly seamless.

It was covered in more markings, but this time it wasn’t a spatial Magic Array, and even Caroline couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

"Let’s just blast our way through," Rorschach said, raising his staff and preparing to cast a spell.

Benedict panicked, shouting, "You dare!"

SMACK! He was sent flying into the wall by Rorschach’s "Qilin’s Hand." "Cough, cough, cough... I mean... this is an Elven Holy Land. Please, Lord Mage, allow me to try first." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Your Magic Power is negligible. What are you going to do?"

Rorschach’s question was soon answered. Benedict took out a wooden mask and began performing a bizarre dance in front of the door.

As he mobilized every muscle in his body, Rorschach and Caroline both sensed a rhythm, despite the lack of any musical accompaniment. The Magic Power in the environment began to stir in time with his movements.

’An interesting technique,’ Rorschach thought, ’but the Casting efficiency for a single person is far too low.’

Unfortunately for him, Benedict danced until he was drenched in sweat, but the circuits on the door showed no reaction.

"It seems your ancestors don’t appreciate your dancing." After that dig, Rorschach used his old trick again. Blue light flowed, filling the circuits, and sure enough, the door opened. Heavy stone blocks slid to either side, revealing an opening. Inside, a mass of verdant green energy pulsed rhythmically, like a beating heart.

’It really is a heart...’ Rorschach realized a moment too late. ’The giant stone blocks must have been the ribs.’

Benedict stared at Rorschach in disbelief, his eyes repeatedly glancing at Rorschach’s ears.

’Why did the ancestral ruins accept him?’ Benedict began to wonder if Rorschach was an Elf hiding among humans... or if he possessed a trace of the royal bloodline.

"Such harmonious energy... It’s pure, and full of life," Caroline remarked, facing the brimming mass of verdant light.

It was fixed to a brass pedestal, from which faint threads of energy stretched upward, connecting to the upper and lower sections of the colossal statue.

"How do we get to the ’brain’?" Rorschach asked. He didn’t dare make a reckless move toward the mass of energy. ’Leaving it exposed like this is too dangerous. It’s obviously not pure Magic Power; it’s more likely Divine Power left behind by Silvanos. For a mortal, that’s far too hazardous.’

’If I used the [Divine Exorcism Technique], would it revert to pure Ether, or would something else appear?’ Just as Rorschach was itching to act, the energy mass suddenly shot out a beam of light that enveloped him.

"Rorschach!" Caroline reached for his hand again, but it all happened too fast. A moment later, Benedict was also enveloped in light. The two of them were launched upward along the beam at incredible speed, leaving a stunned Caroline behind in the "heart chamber."

...

"Where am I?" Rorschach had briefly passed out when the light enveloped him. When he came to, he found himself in a room with a hemispherical dome ceiling. Soft, milky-white light from Magic Lamps illuminated the floor. In the center stood a stone pedestal holding a milky-white, fluorescent substance that resembled liquid light.

He ventured a guess: he and the Elf had arrived in the statue’s "Skull."

Benedict woke up as well. Their stirring seemed to trigger something. From the milky fluid on the pedestal, a ghostly figure began to coalesce.

The figure wore a large turban and was draped in a Magic Robe. He had a bushy, curly beard, and intricate Runes could be seen shifting and flowing across both his robe and turban.

"Impossible... Why is it a human?" Benedict exclaimed in disbelief. The figure who appeared looked like a human Wise Man from the Kingdom of Sand.

’According to legend, the twelve statues were modeled after the Prophets, Elders, and Great Druids who served the Elf King. They were supposed to store their wisdom.’

"I found this magic you Elves created to be rather amusing, so I just went ahead and erased the original owner. No big deal, he was just a boring old codger anyway..." the Wise Man rambled.

"Your ancestors had some clever ideas—taking a memory fragment, infusing it into refined Soul Sand to create a Pseudo-Ghost... But I think its real potential lies in creating more advanced Tower Spirits. Perhaps ones that could even cast spells proactively..."

Filled with grief and indignation, Benedict drew his dagger and charged the ghostly Wise Man, falling into the stance of a war dance.

The mysterious man frowned. "Are Silvanos’s descendants this insolent? Your King was far more courteous." With that, he flicked a finger. A green crystal shot out, striking Benedict squarely between the eyes. It sank into his forehead, and the Elf instantly passed out again.

"I was going to solemnly transfer the old timer’s memories to him, but I didn’t expect him to be in such a rush." ’Looks like the mysterious man didn’t completely destroy the Elven legacy in this Holy Land,’ Rorschach surmised. ’That crystal must have been a backup of the original owner’s memories, and this device has been commandeered by this new guy.’

’From the Wise Man’s words,’ Rorschach deduced, ’he must be an existence on par with the Elf King. Even though he’s just a remnant soul now, he’s likely a powerful human Mage.’

"Are you a ghost? A memory fragment of some powerful deity? Or..."

"Hold on now, you’re quite the guesser for a young man." The mysterious Wise Man seemed cheerful; the recent interruption hadn’t soured his mood. "I am... *****"

"...?" Rorschach waited respectfully for the Wise Man to state his name, but he only saw the phantom’s mouth open and close, producing no sound.

The figure tried again using the [Communication Skill], but Rorschach still heard nothing.

Giving up, the Wise Man from the Kingdom of Sand grew dejected, his disappointment plain on his face. "It seems ’I’ won’t allow me to state my name," he said finally. "Ah, well..."

The resigned Wise Man quickly perked up, a smile breaking through his bushy beard. "You’re finally here, Rorschach."

’So everyone here knows my name, huh...’ The young man was getting tired of all these surprises.