Chapter 267 117. The Witch King’s Immersive Experience
“There must have been an earthquake here, or it must have been impacted by an unusually powerful magic.” Malekith stopped where he was and looked at the surrounding environment thoughtfully.
"Of course, during the Great Invasion, the Chaos Legion attacked these cities with powerful magic. For a long time, the Lizardmen were attacked by endless waves of Chaos until the establishment of the Maelstrom." Darkus Seriously speaking, when talking about this period of history, his attitude is correct.
The ground creaked under his feet as Darkus spoke, as if he were crossing a huge swamp.
"Is there no patrol or guard stationed here in Zultech?" Darkus asked, looking at Chupa Coco next to him.
At this time, Chupa Coco also entered a fighting state. In his right hand, he held the staff given to him by Darkus, and in his left hand, he held the Sword of the Supreme God Zongqi that Naika risked his life to obtain. He looked at him warily. around. He is a Skink Priest, not a Skink Oracle riding a troglodyte, and there is great danger for him here. A black panther lurking in the shadows can kill him.
"As far as I know, there are some, although the number is very small. Do we need to bring them here?" Chupa Coco turned his head, moved his head back, and hissed in Elvish with a message in his mouth.
"No, I'm just asking casually. After all, the protagonist of this adventure is..." Darkus said casually, and at the end of the sentence, he turned his head forward and pointed at Malekith's back.
Zultek does not have the little sun above Spicazuma. It was washed away by the rainy season and showed signs of flooding, but fortunately it was not flooded for the time being.
"Looks like a flood?" Malekith asked while walking hard, obviously he was already involved in the adventurous atmosphere.
"Yes, it is the rainy season in Lustria now." Darkus nodded in response.
"Then let us pray that this ruins will not be submerged." Malekith said while still walking hard. He did not ask Darkus what the so-called gift was, although he still did not know what the gift was. What, but he knew it was definitely not gold or gems or anything like that.
"Do you still remember Belsarius? That's right..." Darkus grabbed Chupa Coco who almost slipped and continued to chat.
"I know, of course I know. I once met that guy when I was in Esso Talarian. He has not only been to Lustria, he has been to many places in the world." Malekith did not look uncomfortable. He said patiently, but slowly.
"The city where he once met with the Slann Demon Priest is not far away. Zultek is the City of Ashes and a satellite city of Pahuasko." "
Then we should move slowly and cautiously, and try not to cause any commotion. Once we find gold, take it and run!" Malekith nodded and said jokingly after hearing this.
"We are looking for a very special treasure! Believe me, this treasure is very meaningful to you!" Darkus was amused by Malekith. He laughed loudly and said after he finished laughing.
"Oh?"
The trio of two oddities and one lizard walked through the streets of Zultech and through the low trees.
Malekith, who was walking at the front, kept slashing with the Destroyer, clearing a passage to the front from the dense bushes.
Darkus walked behind easily, with no intention of stepping forward to help Malekith. He would occasionally joke with Chupa Coco and talk about stories that didn't happen during his time.
Malekith suddenly stopped slashing and stood studying his surroundings. He thought it would be a perfect location for an ambush, with the jungle and the ruins of ancient buildings providing plenty of cover. The sound of rain drowned out the sounds of footsteps moving in the jungle, as well as the natural noises of the jungle itself.
There are also the screams of birds and the chirping of monkeys. Of course, these are secondary. There are actually the roars of large beasts nearby as they search for prey.
The atmosphere around him made Malekith uneasy, as there were few places in the world that could have that effect on him. He is an elf, and he is used to staying in places with ancient atmosphere, but this place belongs to the lizard people!
Malekith didn't like this place, so he turned his head and glanced at Darkus suspiciously.
Darkus stopped when he saw Malekith turn his head. He knew Malekith very well. He knew that Malekith was ill again. He spread his hands towards Malekith and shrugged. shrugged.
Malekith nodded and continued walking. He didn't think Darkus would find some lizardmen to ambush him here. If Darkus wanted to do this, maybe he would have done it yesterday.
The three giant toads yesterday were not something that Malekith could handle alone, and there were also so many lizards and giant beasts with strong melee combat abilities. Although the prophecy of destruction said that he would die at the hands of a male warlock, To put it bluntly, if there was a conflict yesterday, he wouldn't be able to escape. He didn't think those three big toads didn't have the ability to counter his teleportation spell.
Malekith turned his attention back to his surroundings. The place looked older than anything in Ulthuan, and the strange geometry of the buildings was beyond his comprehension. He had seen the structures of humans and dwarves, and he could see that those structures were the product of an emotion, even if he couldn't relate to it.
Malekith had spent thousands of years in Eshor Talarian, which was the most unique of all elven colonies. The architectural structures of elves and dwarves were mixed, but that was not the case here. What he saw yesterday was The same goes for PicaZuma.
These buildings were created by creatures based on a very different system, with a different way of thinking.
There was a pattern here, but Malekith didn't know what it was.
Maybe it has something to do with numbers, the ancient sage who built this place was obviously obsessed with it. Malekith even counted the number of statues on the side of each building. He found that this seemed to conform to some kind of numerical formula. He suspected that it was related to basic mathematical operations. Although he did not know what this formula was, in short It was more complicated than the digital expression that Darkus had asked him to design before.
The trio made their way through the shadows of the massive stone buildings, under the dazzling light of large, uniquely shaped head carvings that looked like some strange combination of human, elf, and toad. Obviously these were not lizard men, nor were they the three giant toads Malekith saw yesterday. The trio moved along a huge causeway, along which they passed through huge ponds. In the murky waters of these ponds, strange and scary things were swimming, but the trio paid no attention to them and continued on. OK.
"I see a gap there! Although I don't need to take shelter from the rain, let's go in!" Malekith said, pointing to an entrance that appeared on the side of a collapsed step pyramid that the trio had just passed. .
"Listen to you!" Darkus said. As he gradually went deeper into Zultech, he could already estimate the approximate location of the treasure, because he sensed the existence of the stone slab, but he did not say anything, but cooperated with the horse. The Adventures of Rekis.
From Darkus' point of view, Malekith has been sitting in the throne room of Naggarond all year round. After finally coming out once, Morathi did something and came out. In the future, as the preparation process for the subsequent plan to rule Ulthuan deepens , Malekith is even less likely to come out. Malekith needs to stay in Nagarond and keep an eye on Morathi and those unreliable Druchi dignitaries.
So since it was so difficult to get out once, why did Darkus ruin Malekith's interest? Although he knew the outline of the plot and its ending, spoilers were not a good idea. Wouldn't it be better to let this adventure become a precious memory for Malekith?
Warm water rolled down the sides of the pyramid and poured at the entrance to the gate. But the water did not slide from the back of Darkus's neck to under his jacket. Chupa Coco had already applied the rain protection spell to him after teleporting here.
The deep passages smell of mold, rotting leaves, and ancient dampness. But fortunately, Malekith cast a light spell, which illuminated the surrounding environment.
The large, smooth stones were cold, wet, and in some places infected with some untouchable fungus.
"Is this kind of passage specially built for skinks or dwarves? Why is it so short?!" Malekith bent down and walked at the front cautiously, complaining as he walked.
"Maybe the builders lack the ability to predict the future. They know that your arrival will definitely raise the top here." Darkus, who was walking behind, said jokingly.
After finishing speaking, Darkus turned his attention to the story carved on the wall. He held his pipe in his mouth, lit the remaining tobacco, and began to look at the wall that told a different story every other section.
Each stone is engraved with lizard-man writing that Darkus can understand, and depicts some Schrödinger stories that he can understand but cannot understand.
Malekith didn't say anything else. Now, his mind fell into a trance. He was using his soul to touch this magical and strange country just like last night. He didn't need to carve a pentagram and mystical circle into the damp ground, with all the runes associated with it. He has escaped that category and no longer needs these auxiliary items to perform magic.
Malekith also didn't need to speak the right spell, make the right gestures, and bind the winds of magic to his will. He didn't say anything or do anything. A spell similar to the Devil's Eye was formed directly.
After the spell took shape, Malekith closed his eyes. But he could still see, though now from the perspective of the magical eye he had created, and he saw a completely different world than before.
The ruins were no longer a dark place lit by the fire of the sun or enveloped by the coldness of the moon.
Here, Malekith saw the flowing threads of magical winds and the souls of creatures. The surrounding stones did not block his view, but something else blocked his view, and he saw a spell that protected and guarded the ancient ruins.
Under the influence of willpower, Malekith moved the magic, and his perspective also changed. He passed through the walls, as if the walls did not exist, and the magic rose into the air. But that's the extent of it. Unless he has more space and more preparation to complete this spell, he can't keep his eyes too far away from him. He raised the magic as high as possible, overlooking the flow of the magical wind around him like a bird.
As Malekith had seen yesterday, the ruined city itself gathered and radiated magical energy. He saw a network of beating spiritual veins beneath him. He knew what the purpose of this huge magical structure was, but now the network structure no longer worked.
Part of the network structure is gone, it's incomplete now, something is wrong. Malekith guessed that the entire city was like a giant rune, and that parts of the rune had been destroyed by the ruined buildings and jungle that covered the city.
No matter what role this network structure had in the past, this city no longer has the ability to serve as a node in the spiritual vein network. What is currently functioning is only the remnant of that huge network structure.
Although all this fascinates Malekith, he is not here to study ancient magic. He was looking for a specific object, and soon he saw a flickering light somewhere in the distance. He moved his magic in that direction as much as possible, and he found a magic mark made by an elf. This mark was very unique. . Stands out among all the Lizardman stuff, like a ruby on velvet.
Malekith's heart, which had stopped beating for a long time, began to beat wildly. He couldn't even remember the last time it did this. What he saw must be some kind of omen! Now all he has to do is head in that direction until he finds it! He dispelled the magic and turned to look at Darkus.
Darkus didn't say anything, but raised his eyebrows and looked at Malekith. "I know where we should go. There may be some dangers on our way." Malekith knew that Darkus must know what it was, but he did not wait to ask Darkus what it was. he said casually.
"Oh, that's right! Maybe things won't be simple, but it's good that you're here, isn't it? Let's continue." Darkus said in a pretentious manner.
The trio continued to march. After walking for a while, a huge pyramid appeared in front of them, covering them like a mountain. This is the largest tower they have seen so far in Zultek, and its condition is slightly better than the other pyramids. But that's all. To put it bluntly, this is just a satellite city. No matter how big, eternal, or indestructible it is, it can't compare to what they have seen.
The rainstorm stopped slightly at this point, but water was still dripping from the leaves as the trio pushed them away, the moisture running down the human's face like tears.
At this time Darkus could see hundreds of statues on each step of the pyramid in front, but most of the statues were crushed. Either it was destroyed by a major invasion, an earthquake, or it fell into disrepair. But the main structure is completely intact, which is not surprising. Because the pyramids were built of stone, and each stone must have weighed several tons, he knew how these pyramids were built.
At this moment, Malekith had other thoughts. He tried to imagine what it would be like to build this huge building in the unbearable heat of the tropical jungle. He found it hard to believe that the giant toads and lizards could build such a large structure.
Now the lizard man fell into loneliness again, and he thought that something similar might happen to his own people one day, which shocked him. Maybe this has already begun, the dusk of this world has arrived. He recalled what Darkus once said to him, and he seemed to understand Darkus' eagerness.
The trio began to walk up a huge ramp in the pyramid. There were both steps and ramps, but it was easier to walk on the ramp because the distance of the steps was not suitable for Druch.
Finally, the trio came to a huge arched cave entrance.
"Let's go in!"
Malekith stopped to think. After a while, he nodded and pointed to the arch.
A strange rotting smell rose from the entrance, even stronger than the smell that pervaded the jungle, like the stench of some undead.
It felt like Darkus had entered the mouth of a giant monster, something that could devour them. There is something supernatural and sinister about this pyramid, as if it is waiting for some huge prey. It was the first time he saw such an evil pyramid in Lustria.
Chupa Coco seemed to feel something was wrong with the pyramid under his feet. He stopped and looked at Darkus beside him.
Darkus nodded to Chupa Coco, signaling Chupa Coco to feel at ease.
A ball of light appeared in front of Malekith. After the ball appeared, it floated forward, floating around like a ray of light, illuminating the dark passage with dim but sufficient light.
"Are you ready?"
"No problem!" Darkus shrugged and said casually. He then said with a smile, "However, this spell makes it impossible for us to sneak in." "
You know me. ! I can see in the dark!"
"That's good."
The top of the passage was still very low, and Darkus had to bend down in some places, but Chupa Coco, who was walking hunched over next to him, was fine.
"Follow me!" When they reached a fork in the road, Malekith stood there and looked around and said.
"Ah~ we need to be extremely careful here! I think this pyramid is the center of this ruins, which means we are entering the core area of this ruins." Malekith, immersed in the adventure, was minding his own business said.
Before Darkus could say anything, Malekith continued.
"With the existence of the sacred Umac, we don't have to worry about attacks from the lizardmen, but I believe that before this ruin was abandoned, those big clams... The Slann priests must have set some spells here to prevent outsiders. Entry, and there are probably physical traps, plus possible magical defenses, I think the next adventure will be very interesting!" "
So what do you think we will face? Chaos demons? Rolling stones? Magic ? Or a strange rune that can emit deadly poisonous clouds?" Darkus said cooperatively, knowing that Malekith, who was walking in front, was completely immersed in this adventure.
"As you said, these temple cities were built on the nodes of the spiritual network and were built to collect the huge wind of magic. This pyramid is also the focus of the wind of magic." Malekith did not After paying attention to Darkus's words, he continued. He paused and then continued, "I think something tainted the gathering magic wind, causing it to corrupt the darkness. This may be the reason why this place was abandoned." "
Yes, yes! During the great invasion The power of the Chaos Demon has polluted the incubation pool here, and that evil power is in the incubation pool." Chupa Coco took over and began to speak in broken Elvish.
Just like that, the trio continued to delve deeper while chatting away.
The interior of the pyramid was deliberately designed to be a vast maze, but Malekith was not bothered by the way the corridors were organized. He had mastered the rules, and Darkus asked him how he did it.
"This may be built based on the magic principles of the Slann Demon Priests. Maybe I should find an opportunity to have an in-depth communication with them. Most of the buildings in these temple cities may be arranged according to the same pattern. You know I don't have to I'm sleeping, I walked in that pyramid all night yesterday."
Darkus' heart skipped a beat when he heard this, maybe he made a mistake in letting Malekith come! It seemed that Malekith had to get out of here immediately and go back to where he should be, or else he would have to dig a big hole out of him soon.
"Why did you suddenly stop talking, Darkus? I know you are as suspicious and jealous as me! But I have promised you! This is the last time I say this!" Malekith said with some annoyance, But he didn't stop or look back, but continued to walk forward.
"Just like what you promised Grim Brindel?" Darkus didn't say this out loud. He was just thinking about whether to slap someone in the face or expose someone's shortcomings. He estimated that he would have to say it out loud. There was a fight with Malekith in this narrow passage.
"No, it's just the carvings on the wall that attracted me. You know I can understand lizard language."
"Ha!" Malekith snorted, obviously he didn't believe what Darkus said. He continued, "We are very close! I feel a strong magic force in front of me, be prepared! The trap may be waiting for us there!"
The trio walked for a while and came to a huge stone wall. The end of the block.
The stone walls were engraved with lizardman hieroglyphs, and even Darkos could feel the magic in them. The stone wall was too heavy to lift with sheer force, and too thick to break even with a battering ram. But he didn't think that he had reached a dead end under Malekith's leadership, because he had already felt the presence of the stone slab, just behind the stone wall!
"Damn it! Our target is behind this wall!" Malekith put down the Supreme Magic Shield and said after touching the stone wall with his iron hand.
A strange light flashed in Chupa Coco's eyes, which was keenly captured by Darkus who stood beside Chupa Coco. He knew that Lord Mazdamudi had been watching the three of them.
Just when Chupa Coco was about to take a step forward, Darkwus pulled his shoulder. One of his feet stopped in mid-air and did not fall down. He turned his head and looked at Darkwus inexplicably. Si, Darkus shook his head at him and motioned for him not to move.
After Chupa Coco stopped there, Darkus leaned against the wall next to him, watching Malekith's next performance in front of him.
Malekith stopped in front of the stone wall, its mass and thickness not bothering him. What troubled him was the wind of magic within it. The powerful wind of magic gathered here and flowed around him. The Winds of Magic had a strange taint, a taint that came with the power of Chaos, and he could not fully understand the magical principles of the Slann Magisters, even though the iron circlet allowed him to capture the veins and threads of the Winds of Magic.
The winds of magic here are changing, adding some outside power. Malekith wasn't sure what the purpose was, but he was sure something was going on.
Malekith concentrated on using his steel ring to observe the entire stone wall, the real world gradually fading from his vision. Now he saw the whole world painted in the bright vividness of the magical winds, whose realm he had entered. He could see the winds of magic flowing through the stone walls, twisting and intertwining. He knew very well that the lizard man's words on the stone wall were the switch of the stone wall. As long as he read these words, the stone wall would automatically open.
Malekith sensed the surroundings again. He saw the power of Chupa Coco, and saw Darkus leaning on the wall, waiting for something. He knew that Darkus and the skink could easily open this door. Stonewall, but he had his pride and he didn't let it! He once again concentrated on studying the magic of the Slann Demon Priest. He could see that as long as the magical wind node was unlocked, the door would also open! What made him hesitate a little was the magical wind energy flowing out of the Taoist text.
Malekith looked at the Wind of Magic again, wondering what would happen if the connection to the Wind of Magic was severed? Maybe this whole complicated spell is completely harmless? Maybe just fulfilling some ritual function? Will some protections be triggered? Will some Chaos Demon be resurrected? He didn't know and couldn't know. This kind of magic was so foreign to him that he seemed to understand it and not understand it. He knew that he was beginning to be suspicious and suspicious again, and he thought of Darkus' relaxed and comfortable look. Maybe opening the stone wall was a simple matter, and he just thought too much.
Malekith hesitated for a moment, knowing that waiting was futile, and finally chose to cast the spell roughly.
The stone wall began to shake after Malekith cast the spell. After a moment, the stone wall slid sideways and disappeared into a recess. The lizard man perfectly combined magic and mechanical structure!
Malekith heard Darkus hold his breath the moment the stone wall opened, and he drew his weapon and took a step forward. But he ignored it and looked at the interior behind the stone wall.
Human corpses were lying everywhere in the room, and the presence of magic prevented the corpses from decaying, making them look dry.
One of the corpses held a long sword in his hand. The energy bursting out from inside the long sword had been sensed by Malekith's magic and vision. He knew, understood, and was too familiar with this sword! This is the sword of his father, the first Phoenix King Aenarion!
"Sun Flame Sword? Impossible! How could the Sun Flame Sword be here!" Malekith lost his mind at this moment. He didn't even think about what would happen if the stone wall closed again after he entered. He ran directly towards Sun Flame Sword. The direction of the sword passed.
(End of chapter)