pertwk Page 426
Page 426
"Is simply maintaining the leisure to conform to modern rules something to be praised? Then let's give Lord Matou a proper compliment." Van Fem smiled slightly.
"That guy?" Bai Ruolong curled her lip, clearly disagreeing with Van Fem's assessment.
After all, Matou Ike had left a deep and shocking impression on him during the night robbery incident.
Van Fem nodded slightly, as if he did not intend to explain further, and turned his gaze to Bai Ruolong.
"It's Bai Ruolong, isn't it?"
"Yes." Bai Ruolong shrugged slightly.
"Yes." Bai Ruolong shrugged slightly, her tone somewhat nonchalant.
Luvia raised her eyebrows slightly. She keenly sensed that, unlike his previous indifference towards her, Van Fem's gaze now seemed to contain a deeper meaning.
Soon, she knew why.
"Our conversation has been very interesting, but as I just mentioned, there's not much time left before we set sail. So, I'll get straight to the point."
This dead disciple asked the disciple of the Wandering Sea in this way.
"What I want to ask is about the temple of my old friend Kiz."
Chapter 471 Temple
Temple——
Modern magicians refer to it as a "workshop," meaning the space where magicians occupy their territory, the place where they can perform their magic tricks.
As a child, Luvia naively believed that the difference in these names was simply because the magicians of the Age of Gods had mastered more advanced magic.
However, as she came into contact with the magic of the Age of Gods many times, she gradually realized that the difference in names was meaningful.
The modern workshop was once a temple.
In the Age of Gods.
Magic is something associated with God.
There is no doubt about that.
"Hoo—" Bai Ruolong exhaled softly, crossed her strong hands in front of her chest, and looked at him with a cold indifference.
His clear eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were pondering something. Then, he raised his head and looked coldly at Van Fem: "What if I refuse, Mr. Vampire? This is exactly what Old Man Stinky instructed me to do, and the only thing I can't mention about him is to you."
Van Fem was slightly taken aback, then a gentle smile appeared on his lips, seemingly unsurprised by the provocation, and even more so by it.
"Oh dear, it seems I'm disliked." He said, a smirk playing on his lips, his eyes gleaming with a hint of mockery. "I almost cried and complained to my servants."
The blonde beauty standing next to Van Fem frowned slightly, her face full of disdain, and then she closed her eyes impatiently.
It is said that she is a magical puppet created by Van Fem himself. In that age of gods, Van Fem, a dead apostle whose magic had reached its peak, created one of the magical castles with his unfathomable magical power.
“Hey——”
Bai Ruolong's lips curved like a crescent moon.
Suddenly, an almost imperceptible pressure quietly emerged from behind him, permeating the air.
It seemed to emerge from some invisible dimension, accompanied by an unusual aura that did not belong here.
Phantom Wings.
That should be the extraordinary power that the brown-skinned youth who devoured the dragon obtained. It should have dissipated after being plundered by Matou Pond, but now it has reappeared on Bai Ruolong's body.
That's the theory, but what is the actual situation?
Perhaps even Matou Ike himself couldn't explain it clearly.
“There’s something that’s on my mind.” Van Fim’s voice was deep and steady, as if he had been thinking for a while before deciding to bring it up.
Luvia narrowed her eyes slightly, sensing the subtle tension in the air.
“I know Elgo’s true identity and his relationship with the King of Conquerors,” Van Fem continued, his tone calm, yet carrying a weight that would shake anyone. “Moreover, I have seen Iskandar’s army.”
Luvia frowned slightly, her mind racing with countless thoughts.
Iskandar's conquests date back to before Christ, and the events of that era have become almost ancient legends in the modern world.
Only those things that have existed for hundreds or even thousands of years can mention these things.
Only a Death Apostle like Van Phim could have experienced it firsthand.
The three magicians who created Elgo—Wuzhiqi, Kiz, and others—have lived through the experiments of that time to this day.
Van Fem, on the other hand, possesses a historical foundation that rivals theirs.
“I witnessed firsthand how his army was torn apart, and the tragic War of the Successors ensued.” Van Phim’s words were tinged with emotion, as if he still could not let go of the tragedy of that period of history.
"That was a conflict between many valiant generals and wise strategists, former comrades-in-arms. It was a war caused by Iskandar's dying wish that the strongest man would succeed him."
Luvia's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this; she could already picture the bloody scene of that war.
"Judging by the length and accuracy of that experiment, you should be from a similar era to Elgo."
Van Fem's words carried a certain flavor of reasoning, as if he were constructing an undeniable logic.
“If we take into account the situation of mutual cannibalization, there are even some causal relationships.”
As the statement proceeded smoothly, Van Fem abruptly changed the subject and asked, "But I don't know you, Bai Ruolong."
That one sentence, like a pebble suddenly thrown in, shattered the tranquility of the moment.
Silence filled the air as Bai Ruolong tilted her head slightly, seemingly pondering how to respond.
"Hmm." Finally, Bai Ruolong spoke calmly, "Even Mr. Van Fem couldn't possibly know all the members of the King's Army. Besides, appearances can be changed so easily."
Van Fem was not angry; instead, he smiled gently, his gaze remaining warm.
“That’s true, Bai Ruolong.”
His words contained no blame, but rather carried a hint of appreciation, as if he felt somewhat approving of Bai Ruolong's reaction.
“However,” Van Fem’s eyes sharpened slightly, “the number of people who have the opportunity to meet Alexander IV is extremely limited. After all, he is the son of the conqueror king.”
He paused, as if explaining his next words to himself:
"Iskandar also had a son who bore the name of the great hero Hercules, but Alexander IV was considered the rightful heir to the empire."
Van Fem continued, “Alexander IV grew up in an extremely isolated environment, and after leaving his mother Olympias, he was not allowed to absorb any extra wisdom and had little access to any kind of documents.”
His tone gradually became more serious:
"He was almost always by the side of Olympias, the mother of the conqueror, while he lived with her. After Olympias' defeat, he was imprisoned in the castle of Amphipolis and was rarely able to meet with others until his death."
That was a forgotten name, hidden in a corner of history. Bai Ruolong did not interrupt him, but listened quietly instead.
Although the topic shifted to a nearly insignificant person.
“In that case,” Van Fem’s gaze deepened, “only a very few important figures can have a causal relationship with him. In addition, this person also has the ability to be fed dragons by Kiz, so the options are even fewer.”
Ruolong did not answer immediately.
It's as if they're saddened by something.
Or perhaps...
"Besides, I have a very basic question."
Van Fem lifted his top hat.
What followed were words that could fundamentally shatter any impression one had of Bai Ruolong.
"Are you really... Kiz's disciple?"
Van Fem's question seemed to steal away the little light remaining inside the ship.
During the battle in Japan, when Ruolong and Kiz were together, they did indeed address each other as master and disciple, and no one doubted that.
The most fundamental problem is that I can't figure out what the point of him lying is.
After pausing for a moment, Ruolong asked in return.
“Hey. Why would you have a question about that, Van Fem?”
Chapter 472 Bai Ruolong's Abnormality
"Melvin said he became Kitz's apprentice."
Van Fem's tone was completely unwavering, and his words were straightforward.
“He is indeed Kiz’s disciple. The magic he uses carries Kiz’s influence. So, even if he became a disciple temporarily, he can still be called a disciple, even if there are some hidden mechanisms involved.”
Unbeknownst to them, at the same moment, Matouchi of the Deathline Joy Ship was probing Melvin about the mechanism.
“But your nature is completely different,” Van Fem continued, his words like a knife, easily piercing through his defenses.
"A stinky old man is a stinky old man."
Bai Ruolong shrugged lightly, as if she didn't care about anything.
"In the end, calling someone a disciple is probably just a little linguistic game. Because I, who devoured dragons, and Elgo, who devoured gods, were both subjected to spells. Calling such a relationship master and disciple shouldn't be a lie, right?"
His tone remained nonchalant, as if he were discussing a trivial detail.
Just then, a soft "click" sounded.
That was the sound of Van Fem gently tapping the floor with his cane, steady and powerful.
The tension in the air instantly increased.
“I also know about Elgo’s experiment of devouring gods,” Van Fem said slowly, his voice low and full of reminiscence.
"Oh?"
Bai Ruolong seemed somewhat unconvinced, but the light in his eyes didn't completely disappear. His smile remained, even carrying a hint of self-mockery.
“To be honest, I never thought it would actually succeed.” Van Fem’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Because I witnessed with my own eyes that the Age of Gods faded away midway through that experiment, and the next phase of the experiment would take another two thousand years. Such a long time, even immortal things would decay. Just like the Seven Wonders of the World gradually crumbling."
Those words seemed to carry a deep, lingering resonance, causing Bai Ruolong's eyes to dim slightly.
Like Iskandar mentioned earlier, this 27th Dead Apostle witnessed real history firsthand, including experiments on myth reconstruction, as he now states.