Chapter 18: Chapter Seventeen: The Monster's Magic Bone_1
Translator: 549690339
Around the stone walls, there were huge characters carved, and every now and then, there were sculptures of giant beasts. In the middle, there was also a partially collapsed stone door.
On both sides of the stone door, there were two giant statues, stern and awe-inspiring with their armor. One hand on their waist, and the other holding a giant blade, crossed above the stone door.
As Little Loach passed through the stone door, it was slightly terrified, always feeling that the two statues might come to life at any moment. With just one press, the two giant blades would easily cut it in half!
After passing this stone door, it was as if they had crossed some barrier, suddenly entering a space where the river disappeared!
This was an underground hall, dry and with a warmth in the air that drove away the cold poison.
The ground was covered with layers of white bones!
Some ribcages were arranged in rows, more than a hundred feet long.
Some skulls had three eye sockets, with tusks like iron hooks turned outward.
Some had wing bones spread out, densely packed like a large net.
Some were like chain locks, coiled into the shape of a small hill.
Even though they had been dead for countless years, these bones still carried a powerful aura that made Owen Bertram feel a deep-seated dread in his soul.
At the end of the bones, there was a clear open space, with sunlight-like radial lines carved on the stone slabs, and a pitch-black iron spear was inserted.
It was simple in design, without any unnecessary decorations.
When Owen Bertram saw this iron spear, it also sensed his presence, and an unmatched sharpness emanated from the spear.
Owen Bertram felt a strong impulse in Little Loach's body: the world's delicacies!
Owen Bertram was frightened: Don't get yourself killed. These bones on the ground, any one of them when it was alive, was not our match.
All were killed by the iron spear.
Owen Bertram controlled Little Loach to turn around and leave.
But how could Little Loach willingly leave Treasure Mountain empty-handed? A whisker curled up a piece of bones from the ground.
The sharpness broke through the air and came to kill. Owen Bertram quickly escaped, with the sharpness closely chasing behind!
After passing through the stone door and then escaping into the river, they didn't dare to stop for a moment. The chasing sharpness was like a sword hanging above their heads.
Little Loach's tail swam rapidly, and its speed in the river exceeded that of flying birds. It shot out of the water with a thud, rushing to the shore.
That sharpness, however, swished out after them, revealing all its power. Owen Bertram, standing by the river, watched dumbfounded as the entire Great River was cut in half!
One half of the river water gushed towards the downstream, while the other half seemed to freeze, the cut surface extremely smooth and neat.
Exposing the riverbed that had never seen the sun for tens of millions of years.
After a while, the sharpness disappeared, and the river water roared and rolled down, roaring with majesty.
Owen Bertram wiped a cold sweat, if they hadn't escaped, would he and Little Loach be smoothly and neatly divided in half now?
What was the origin of that iron spear?
And who built that underground palace in ancient times in the past?
In retrospect, it seemed that there was an ancient archway behind the iron spear, leading to where? Could it be that the iron spear was just a guardian?
"Eat, eat, eat, that's all you know!" Owen Bertram scolded Little Loach as it opened its mouth and began to devour the stolen piece of bone.
Only then did Owen Bertram see clearly that it was a twisted, curved horn with some faint golden heterotext on it.
"Give me half of the benefits!" Owen Bertram said without hesitation.
Little Loach rolled its eyes at him.
----
Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow increasingly felt that she had discovered a deeply hidden secret.
Extinct Village was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Some big shot was helping Owen Bertram, assisting him in condensing heterotext.
After Owen Bertram's conflict with the government officials, the big shot secretly took action again, killing both people for him permanently.
Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow absolutely did not believe that Owen Bertram, at his age, could possess the cultivation of the Second Level. The person who killed them was definitely someone behind Owen Bertram.
But during these days, when she talked to people outside the village, she found nothing.To uncover this secret, one must enter the village.
However, the cultivators of Waves Prefecture were reluctant to set foot in Extinct Village.
The reason was simple - evil energy.
What the villagers referred to as "cold poison" was actually evil energy, and the evil energy in Extinct Village was incredibly dense and terrifying.
Up until now, no one could explain the origins of this evil energy.
Evil energy was the number one enemy of cultivators in this world.
Once invaded by evil energy, one might not feel any effects at first, and the cultivator might not even be aware that their body had been intruded upon. However, it would always manifest at the most critical moments in their cultivation.
In mild cases, it would cause one to go berserk and die; in severe cases, it would cause them to mutate and degenerate, turning them into mindless and monstrous creatures that committed unspeakable acts beyond logical explanation.
Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow's senior sister had cultivated the Witch God Arm Divine Skill and was initially progressing smoothly. Unfortunately, she somehow became infested with evil energy, which erupted at the threshold of her skill's success.
Thankfully, she was at the Horizon Bureau's government office at the time, and Lord Algernon managed to seal the evil energy within her arm using the power of imperial artifacts. As a result, her arm transformed into that ghostly appearance.
Moreover, they could only temporarily suppress it, not eradicate it.
There were some magic treasures that could defend against evil energy, but their effectiveness varied. They might work against evil energy from one source but could be useless against another.
The cultivators outside the Waves Prefecture were unfamiliar with Extinct Village, but Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow knew well that all cultivators who entered would eventually succumb to the evil energy's outbreak, sooner or later.
She stood at the entrance of the village, waiting for Owen Bertram to return, preparing to have a proper talk with him.
For this reason, her heart was filled with anxiety, excitement, and anticipation!
If there were indeed some "important figures" hidden in the village, they must have a way to counteract the evil energy here - a method that might be able to save her senior sister.
She wanted to tell Owen Bertram that no matter why those people were hiding in the village, she could seek permission from the imperial court to absolve them of their past misdeeds, such as "accidentally" killing two minor government officials and the like.
Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow paced back and forth at the village entrance, recalling her first days at the Horizon Bureau when she had spent two or three days learning interrogation techniques. She was so distressed - she had joined the Horizon Bureau back then simply because its prestige was impressive!
And the uniform looked good on her.
As for doing official business, she had exceptional talents and could fight and kill regardless; she didn't have the patience for those so-called "investigation techniques." Now, trying to recall them felt like she had already returned them to her teachers.
"If only my senior sister were here, she would know what to do."
Looking distressed like a little rabbit, Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow pulled her ears down, only to suddenly notice Owen Bertram casually walking back.
"Hey!" She waved vigorously at Owen Bertram, who looked surprised, "Why haven't you left yet?"
When Owen Bertram came closer, Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow met his eyes and said, "I would like you to help me contact some elderly villagers." She then recited the names of the elderly people on the household register.
This was the only memory Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow had left: The crippled old lord who had taught them years ago had solemnly told her and the others that they must stare directly into the other person's eyes. The eyes were the windows to the soul, and if someone was lying, it could be seen in their eyes.
Owen Bertram looked perplexed, "Who?"
Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow repeated the names, and Owen Bertram shook his head without hesitation, "Stop messing with me; none of those people are in our village."
Why can't I see anything? Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow wondered, baffled.
So, what was the second step taught by the old lord? That's right, it was to suddenly present key evidence, which would cause the target to panic. Then, they could take advantage of the situation and interrogate them to get the desired answers.
"Really? Well, I found those names in the County Government Office's household register!" Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow raised her eyebrows and said loudly.
Owen Bertram turned to leave, "What a shame, such a pretty girl, but not very bright."
"Hey..." Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow was dumbfounded, where was the panic in the face of ironclad evidence?
This kid is so cunning! He's a worthy opponent, not easy to deal with. At least he has a good taste and knows this little fairy is unrivaled in beauty.
"Come back, what do you mean? Why are you saying my mind isn't very bright?" Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow, the little fairy, had completely forgotten that she had previously thought this young man was "dull and strange" and not very smart.
Owen Bertram turned back, spread his hands, "The household register of Extinct Village hasn't been updated for many years, and no one from the County Government Office has entered the village. You seriously believe that register? The people you're looking for are probably from several hundred years ago, right?"
"But..." Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow hesitated, "Some people's household records are updated promptly, like yours."
Owen Bertram blinked, unsure of why this would be the case.
Some literate government officials at the county government office had no idea that it was their fault. When they went to collect taxes at the village entrance and heard that someone had passed away, they took it upon themselves to update the household register...
Since the interrogation techniques didn't work, half-resourceful Vanessa Thoughts of Shadow simply decided to follow her instincts, "Was it someone who helped you condense Heterotext?"
Owen Bertram paused, the characters in my Great Realm? How did she find out?
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone