yasinovel Chapter 196, Section 195: Gods Descend, Time Misalignment
Chapter 196, Section 195: Gods Descend, Time Misalignment
Chapter 196, Section 195: Gods Descend, Time Misalignment
Ian's expression was grave.
Using the knowledge he gained at Hogwarts and his keen sense of magic, he determined that these patients were suffering from an extremely ancient and powerful curse.
He had never experienced the power of this curse in reality, only vaguely hearing about it in ancient magical texts. It was said that only legendary wizards could cast such a terrifying curse.
Yes.
This is a curse of memes spread by a legendary figure.
Needless to say.
Its structure was exactly the same as the one Ian had seen in Slytherin's notebooks in the restricted section of the library.
At least in terms of presentation and characteristics, they are completely consistent.
Of course, Ian couldn't really explain this to the priests here—two thousand years of different understandings meant that everyone's thoughts and ways of understanding knowledge were different. It couldn't be said that the priests' statements were completely wrong, after all, legendary methods were indeed beyond the realm of mortals.
legend.
That is the closest person to God.
Its magic and power are beyond the reach of ordinary wizards. Perhaps it can indeed break through the protection of divine favor, since the gods never protect their believers without reservation.
To resist the weak divine power.
It's highly likely that a legend can indeed achieve this. Ian isn't entirely sure about this either, since he hasn't truly become a legend yet, or rather, for such a long time he's only been considered a half-legend.
Even those who are half-step experts in the fantasy novel system would call him an expert, but in essence, Ian can only be considered a peak wizard, and he has not yet been able to explore the methods possessed by the legends.
"How can I make the images in my mind clearer?" Ian would think about this question whenever he had free time. He knew that the images in his mind were closely related to his legendary path.
Now that he has witnessed the work of a legend in ancient times, the young wizard is even more concerned about the path to becoming a legend. He doesn't think he can fight against a legend now.
Just as Ian was lost in thought.
"Did you find anything?" Priest Ryan couldn't help but ask, watching the young wizard moving back and forth among the patients, his eyes, weathered by time, were incredibly deep.
"Your expression tells me you've discovered something." Priest Ryan still covered Cassandra's eyes with his hands, preventing any possibility that Cassandra might glimpse the unseen shadow.
"You've been targeted. It's an extremely powerful being, and I think it's definitely not just trying to curse these few people." Ian's deerskin boots crunched over the broken pottery shards scattered on the ground.
He looked around.
The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant mixed with the scent of rotting laurel blossoms. The flickering torches on the stone walls of the clinic cast long shadows of him, as did the shadows of the twenty-seven patients on their beds.
but.
They all appeared as eerie snakes in the shadows. If Ian knew anyone who liked snakes, the first name that comes to mind would undoubtedly be Voldemort, the Dark Lord, and his ancestor Slytherin.
Could this be the work of Slytherin?
Not too possible.
Although Slytherin was indeed a legend, his era was a thousand years removed from our time.
Surely Slytherin couldn't have seen such a powerful time machine.
"We are aware of this as well, but our gods haven't given us any enlightenment. They're too busy," Priest Ryan sighed, not forgetting to defend the god he worshipped.
This is perhaps a defining characteristic of our times: the gods reside in the clouds, and even wizards must follow them. Ironically, the gods' most fervent followers are those who also wield magical power.
Too busy?
Ian gleaned some information from Priest Ryan's words: this priest might possess the ability to communicate with the gods, just like in many stories from ancient texts.
"Child, it's not just us who have to deal with the hardships of life; even the gods have their own troubles and things to deal with. Right now, we can only rely on ourselves." Priest Ryan's tone was somewhat heavy, but he didn't reveal much information, after all, to him, Ian was just a stranger.
"This style matches the guy I'm looking for, but—he shouldn't have such power and means." Ian's eyes were filled with confusion.
He chased Riddle to this era. It's not impossible that Riddle arrived a few months earlier than him. After all, a span of two thousand years is too long. A difference of a few months is not a big ripple in this era that is longer than the history of Hogwarts.
However, despite this, Riddle, being merely a remnant soul, could never have obtained such power in Ian's eyes, enough to enter the legendary gate that still troubled him.
Who are you looking for?
Priest Ryan suddenly looked at Ian with a wary gaze.
"A wisp of dark, remnant soul."
Ian didn't hide it either.
He gave Priest Ryan an honest answer, which dispelled the wariness in the priest's eyes. This clearly indicated that Priest Ryan was certain that Ian was not lying and had ruled out the possibility that the disaster was caused by Ian and the person Ian was looking for.
How strong can the remnant soul of a child around ten years old be?
and.
"Even the darkest remnant soul cannot do this." As a high priest of a temple, Priest Ryan is also an outstanding wizard with extremely profound magical knowledge.
He may not be particularly powerful, but he has the backing of a temple with a long-standing heritage, so he possesses a knowledge base that is difficult for ordinary wizards to match.
"Yes, he can't do it. The question is, if it's not him, then who is it? Who would have their eyes on your city, which is destined to be... destined to suffer many disasters?"
Ian's youthful face was furrowed with worry, almost making him look like a little old man, but he still couldn't find any clues. He couldn't find any information related to this kind of curse in the history he knew.
This is the strangest thing.
Ian couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't very good at magical history, and he wouldn't look at the books much until the final exams, which made him somewhat unconfident about his historical knowledge.
"If William were here, that would be wonderful."
The young wizard couldn't help but miss his roommate, the green-hatted boy who always helped him with his history of magic assignments. Ravenclaw had its own know-it-all.
to be frank.
If it's truly a problem with Ian's own lack of knowledge, then it's not a big deal. What's scary is that the information he has is correct, which means that similar curses must have been buried in history.
This is the most chilling question to think about.
Voldemort was very clever.
He could come up with a way to not interfere with history and then strengthen himself in the face of disaster, but he might not be the smartest dark wizard; perhaps someone had already done it before him.
"You seem to have no clue what to do. Perhaps we can take you to see Patient Zero," the priestess, who had been fiddling with the holy oil, suddenly looked up and spoke.
Her words startled Priest Ryan slightly.
"That's too dangerous! The source of the curse possesses a darker power far stronger than these infected! Don't forget why our friends and comrades sacrificed themselves!"
Priest Ryan frowned and rejected the priestess's suggestion. It wasn't that he wanted to hide any secret, but he felt that a junior wizard shouldn't be involved in such danger.
Although Ian was an outsider to him, he was, after all, a priest of the Temple of Escorabius, a believer of the god of medicine who was skilled in medicine and loved healing and saving lives, and had a kind heart.
"That's because back then no one knew how the curse spread. Patient Zero's eyes are now covered up, so he's even safer than the patients we're taking care of, isn't he?"
The priestess remained steadfast in her opinion.
Watching the two of them argue.
Ian's gaze lingered on the priestess's face for a moment.
He was also taken aback for a moment.
However, she quickly recovered and raised her hand, saying, "I think this is a good idea. Have I told you that my teacher is also very proficient in the research and countermeasures of dark magic?"
The young wizard quickly corrected himself; he didn't want to be mistaken for an apprentice of some dark wizard.
Dark wizards in this era are even less popular than they will be in the future.
"He's telling the truth; he really understands the knowledge we lack in this area." The priestess also strongly supported Ian, though it was unclear how she discerned the truth in his words.
"Of course I'm telling the truth, I love telling the truth." Ian was quite curious about the so-called Patient Zero.
He might be able to trace the origin of the curse back to the patient who experienced the most fundamental event.
"this.."
Seeing his priestess and Ian working together in unison, Priest Ryan hesitated, perhaps because he had great faith in the priestess's ability to judge the truthfulness of others' words.
This is a natural mind-stealer.
"You must believe in him! He is my god!" Cassandra, whose eyes were covered, suddenly spoke up, her childish voice filled with determination and trust in Ian.
Priest Ryan's expression was unusually strange.
The priestess gave Ian a deep look.
"Over here."
She didn't continue arguing with Priest Ryan, but instead led the way for Ian, heading deeper into the dungeon. A narrow, winding stone staircase seemed to lead to the depths of the earth.
"You can't go!"
Seeing that the priestess had already led the way, Priest Ryan had no choice but to stop Cassandra from following, and signaled to a priest beside him to take Cassandra out of the area.
"I don't want to be separated from my god yet!"
Cassandra tried to resist, but how could an eight or nine-year-old girl be a match for a strong adult? Wizards of this era were generally stronger than wizards of later generations.
"Examine the Dream Queen's body and see if she has been affected by magic that confuses her senses," Priest Ryan instructed the priests with a grave expression.
He clearly couldn't understand Cassandra's situation.
A rather bad suspicion has arisen.
Seeing his own people leading Cassandra away from the dungeon, Priest Ryan withdrew his gaze.
After looking around at the patients who looked neither human nor ghost, he sighed heavily.
"Criminals love to come back and enjoy the victims' suffering. I hope it's not what I think."
He murmured to himself as he caught up with the priestess and Ian, who had already walked away.
"What kind of criminals were imprisoned here before?" Ian followed behind the priestess, his footsteps echoing rhythmically on the dungeon's stone path. The air in the dungeon was cold and damp, carrying a mixture of musty and rusty smells that seemed to seep into one's bones, sending a shiver down one's spine.
The walls on both sides were inlaid with faint magic lamps, emitting a dim blue light that barely illuminated the path ahead, but could not dispel the low temperature and the smell of mold. The lower the stone steps went, the colder it became, and a chill crept up from the soles of their feet, as if an invisible hand was gently tugging at their clothes.
After walking for about ten minutes, the stone steps finally came to an end, leading to a narrow corridor. On both sides of the corridor were rows of tightly closed iron doors, "the doors were rusty and looked as if they hadn't been opened for many years and were in disrepair."
Each door was engraved with intricate runes, faintly radiating magical energy.
It seems to be to prevent something from escaping from inside.
"have no idea."
The priestess's answer was very straightforward. Her figure appeared exceptionally tall and mysterious in the firelight. She wore a long black robe embroidered with intricate patterns and a pointed hat inlaid with jewels. Part of her face was hidden in the shadow of the hood, revealing only her tightly pursed lips and the strong lines of her jaw.
"I think it must be for imprisoning non-humans, maybe giants." Ian looked up and saw a much heavier iron door at the end of the corridor. This door was much larger than the others, its surface covered with mottled rust, and the runes on it were more complex, though some of them were already blurred.
It has clearly long since lost its usefulness.
"Anyway, this is where Patient Zero is being kept now." The priestess stopped and took out an ancient key from her robes, its runes shimmering eerily in the firelight. She slowly inserted the key into the lock, and with a metallic scraping sound, the iron door slowly opened.
The iron gate emitted a deep, long creaking sound.
The sight behind the door made Ian involuntarily hold his breath. It was a small, dark room with only a dim oil lamp hanging in the corner, casting a dim, flickering light. In the center of the room, a figure lay on a simple stone bed, completely covered by a thick blanket, with no skin exposed.
It's like a white coin covering a house.
There was an unsettling atmosphere beneath the white blanket, as if something was waiting for them behind the door.
The oppressive feeling made Ian unconsciously pull out his wand.
"You actually used the word 'store,' that's interesting." Ian gave the priestess a deep look, and only after she entered the room did he slowly walk in.
The room wasn't large, and the walls were riddled with cracks, as if they might collapse at any moment. Patient Zero lay there quietly, just as still as the body Ian had seen before, the one sitting on the throne.
"What other words can I use? He, like those who were infected seven days later, is no longer them, no longer human. The ferry of the underworld has already taken their souls." The priestess shrugged, her tone flat, not like a compassionate priestess, and her eyes were extremely calm.
"You're right."
Ian did not refute. He approached the stone bed and used his wand to lift a corner of the blanket. Lying there was a emaciated man, his body almost completely dried up, his skin clinging tightly to his bones, giving him an eerie gray-black appearance, like a decaying, dried-up corpse, with no trace of flesh or blood on his body.
"Their appearances are exactly the same; all infected individuals are transforming into the same form, including this patient zero. So—what exactly did he discover?"
As Ian prepared to examine the magical traces on Patient Zero's body, a body resembling Chika suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Stop fooling around."
Ian simply swung away the arm that was reaching out to him; he knew these bio-alchemy creations had lost their souls.
All of these actions were unconscious.
"You've got some nerve."
The priestess moved a stool and sat down next to Ian.
"I'm not only bold, I'm also meticulous. Of course, what's puzzling me right now is that no one else seems to react to this?" Ian pointed the wand he had raised at the priestess.
"Kamika"
The priestess is cracking open some kind of nut.
She didn't pay attention to Ian's wand, but her gaze towards Ian was filled with surprise—at that moment, the late-arriving priestess Ryan happened to see Ian aiming his wand at the priestess.
"What are you doing!"
He clasped his hands together and rubbed them together sharply, causing them to crackle with white light, like some kind of electric arc. The elderly priest stared at Ian with a wary look.
"I just wanted to ask if she was disguised as Magus." Ian turned to look at Priest Ryan, chuckled, and put away his wand, while Priest Ryan looked on in bewilderment.
"Of course not."
Priest Ryan remained wary of Ian.
The magic in his hands did not stop.
His response froze Ian's smile on his face.
"So, there really is a problem, isn't there? Didn't you guys notice she changed her face? And her personality has changed too." Ian turned his head and looked at Priest Ryan with great surprise.
Upon hearing this, Priest Ryan...
I was suddenly stunned.
He turned and glanced at the priestess several times.
"I don't know what nonsense you're spouting. Are you trying to cover up what you just did?" The elderly priest frowned, his gaze toward Ian unusually wary.
Ian has not yet explained.
"No, no, he's actually right. You see, it's different." The priestess put down the nuts in her hand and moved her hood further behind her head.
She circled her face with her slender fingers. It was an exquisite and beautiful face, with an exotic charm. Every inch of her skin revealed a warm, jade-like luster, so white as to be almost transparent, yet containing a faint, healthy blush, like a newly blooming snow lotus, untouched by dust, pure and flawless.
Her eyes were deep and bright, like two clear springs—clearly different from the previous priestess, yet no other priestess had noticed.
"????"
Priestess Ryan was initially stunned.
Then his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Oh no! Good heavens!"
He seemed to realize something was wrong only then, and immediately knelt down and prostrated himself before the priestess. This action left the young wizard completely bewildered.
"You're not the guy who sneaked in?"
Ian was very strange.
"This is my home, or more precisely, my brother's home. Coming here feels like coming home. Of course, I'm not actually here; I'm using someone else's body."
The priestess glanced at the prostrate priestess, Ryan.
"To be honest, I confused reality, but it didn't affect you at all, which really surprises me." After saying that, the priestess turned to look at Ian again.
Just as the little wizard blinked.
next moment.
The priestess then appeared before Ian.
That face was inches away.
"Of course, there must be something extraordinary about you that attracts me here, child. Tell me, why can I smell my scent on you?"
She pressed her face against Ian's ear.
The tone was gentle.
His hand had somehow slipped inside Ian's robe.
E.I. swallowed hard.
He realized something.
His expression began to stiffen.
He watched as the priestess took something out of her robe, but he didn't do anything—he saw that the priestess was holding a bottle of milky white potion in her hand.
That was the fertilizer Ian used to water the mysterious seed.
It was also the bathwater of the black-robed skeleton.