MMB Chapter 197, Section 196: The Ancient Pact! Conquering Death!
Chapter 197, Section 196: The Ancient Pact! Conquering Death!
Chapter 197, Section 196: The Ancient Pact! Conquering Death!
Does the bathwater of the black-robed skeleton carry the scent of this "priestess"?
Ian's reflexes weren't fast enough to circle the Earth; he realized almost immediately what kind of identity the "priestess" in front of him really was.
Her past as a black-robed skeleton! A... goddess! Ian rarely felt truly panicked when faced with something, but his heart still skipped a beat when he realized he had unexpectedly confronted the truth of a deity.
"So this is what dangerous ancient times are like!"
Ian came from an era when the gods did not appear, and to be honest, he never expected to encounter a similar scene. For a moment, he felt that the bizarre and magical filled his mind.
Faced with the little wizard's astonished reaction.
The priestess raised the medicine bottle in her hand and shook it gently a few times.
"Did you skin me and remove my bones? Oh, you're really horrible. I'm curious, does my flesh taste good?" She could clearly tell that this was a product made from boiled bones.
but.
Judging from her slightly teasing tone, this unknown goddess was not angry at all. Her nose was high and delicate, adding a touch of three-dimensionality to her face. Below it were soft and full lips, with a light color, and the slightly upturned corners of her mouth even carried a faint smile.
of course.
Although the "priestess" appeared relaxed, Ian dared not let his guard down. He knew many women, or girls, and if he had learned anything from them, it would be that women are capricious creatures, and it is very difficult for a normal person to discern a woman's true inner thoughts from her face, expression, or even tone of voice.
The "bad woman" Morgan is a very typical example.
The older a woman gets, the harder it is to understand her inner thoughts.
Not to mention that the "goddess" in front of him is definitely much older than Mr. Morgan.
"No, no, no, I'm not that kind of evil person, and I've never eaten your flesh. I think I can explain what's going on." Ian quickly took several steps back and pressed himself against the wall.
"Perhaps it all started with why I came here..." The little wizard organized his thoughts, preparing to use his special talent, omitting why he made soup from the big bones, omitting that he often chased after the "black-robed skeleton" and knocked on his head, only describing his pleasant interactions with the "black-robed skeleton".
however.
He had barely uttered his words when...
next moment.
In the blink of an eye, the "priestess" who was standing more than twenty steps away suddenly "teleported" in front of him, just like before.
"The first element of time travel... little guy, don't spoil it." The "priestess" with her face close raised her slender hand and placed her index finger directly on Ian's lips as a "shush" reminder.
A faint smile remained on her face, and when she spoke softly, her gentle voice was like a melody, seemingly able to soothe all the noise and turmoil in the world.
"Forehead……"
Ian's eyes were only a hand's width apart from the "priestess's" eyes.
He could see clearly that the goddess's eyes were constantly changing color, like two ancient, mysterious wells, so deep that they seemed to be able to see the essence of all things in the world and the secrets of their souls.
A young wizard who has never been in contact with the gods knows absolutely nothing about them.
perhaps.
His worries were actually unfounded. It's possible that not only was Ian's origin already known to the goddess, but even the "misunderstanding" that Ian felt he had might not exist.
time.
It could not stop mortals.
But it might not be able to stop the gods—Ian didn't know if the goddess knew her own fate, but he found that the contract connecting him to the "black-robed skeleton" had appeared on his hand holding the wand at some point, which alone probably revealed a lot of information to the god in front of him.
just.
Ian couldn't tell from the other person's face how much they knew. The only thing that made him feel relieved was that the appearance of this contract at least meant he wouldn't be attacked.
The contract that restricts the black-robed skeleton will also restrict the goddess before her.
"Quickly, go and fetch me a basin of warm water!"
Ian tentatively spoke in a low voice.
"??????"
The goddess, who was impersonating the priestess, suddenly changed her expression from calm and elegant to astonished and incredulous, as if she had never expected the little wizard in front of her to be so audacious.
A hint of reluctance appeared on the goddess's face, but she gritted her teeth, silently turned around, and walked out of the underground room, quickly heading towards the stairs.
Clearly, he was to obey Ian's "command" to serve him—you gave me flesh and blood with love, and I will serve you for ten thousand years. This was the content of the contract that the black-robed skeleton had once told Ian.
As the goddess who was once the black-robed skeleton, she was indeed impossible to defy.
of course.
Ian also knew the principle of leaving a way out for others, so he loudly explained why he needed a basin of hot water, mainly to explain to Priest Ryan who was still in the room.
"This is to cast a spell to test the source of the curse on Patient Zero. Of course, if the goddess can tell us the truth, all the troublesome procedures can be avoided."
Ian appeared to be speaking to the prostrate priestess Ryan, but he deliberately raised his voice to ensure that the "priestess" in the distance could hear him.
only.
His little scheme failed to work. The mysterious goddess must have heard his hint, but instead of turning around, she quickened her pace up the stairs.
Her silhouette suggested she was sulking.
"Perhaps I could get her to take off her flesh and give it to me, then bring it back to the future and attach it to her skeleton, perfectly solving the problem of giving flesh and blood to the skeleton."
"It's my own flesh and blood, so it can't be rejected and can't be attached, right?" The little wizard stared at the "priestess's" back, and he felt that he was indeed the real genius.
Giving himself a little emotional comfort, Ian looked down at Priest Ryan, who was not responding to him; the high priest of the temple was still lying there.
It's not just that they didn't respond.
Moreover, he didn't look well overall.
Why are you shaking?
Ian tried to help Priest Ryan up, but when his hand touched the other's arm, he clearly felt the other man tremble violently as if he had been electrocuted.
It snapped to its limit instantly, like being electrocuted.
"Please forgive my previous offense, Your Majesty, who is infinitely great..." Priest Ryan's voice trembled, and he refused to get up, remaining prostrate on the ground with his face pressed against the ground.
Perhaps only the high priest of the temple himself could understand the turmoil and terror he felt at that moment. His silence did not mean he had not heard Ian and the goddess's conversation.
Upon discovering the goddess's descent, Priest Ryan realized something was amiss. He recalled the Dream Queen's address to Ian and realized his initial assessment might have been utterly wrong. Cassandra, perhaps, wasn't confused at all; in fact, she was probably the only one with a clear understanding!
The person in front of me who looks like a child is actually the incarnation of the deity enshrined in the Temple of Dream Guardians! He is the figure who can be called a legend in countless myths and stories!
An embodiment of misfortune!
The ruler of the land of the dead!
The great terror that has been mentioned in countless myths, always accompanied by disaster... the end of all things!
……
The underground of the temple.
Priestess Ryan was having a wild imagination.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Pompeii, in an alchemy shop that served not only wizards but also ordinary people, a handsome young man was promoting the shop's products.
"Madam, this skincare magic potion is definitely the most suitable product for you. Although it is not cheap, it is definitely worth the price and will make your already beautiful face even more radiant."
"Friend, perhaps you just want a hair loss treatment, but I think this erotic fragrance is just as good for you. Your wife and your lover will be captivated by you once again."
"Oh, you've come to the wrong place. We don't sell dark magic items, at least not during the day."
……
The eleven-year-old boy, who came with great enthusiasm, became the store's top salesman in just half a month, as if he were very good at this kind of sales.
It is especially favored by shop owners in the trade of black magic items.
"You must have done this kind of work before!"
The shop owner, whose skin was blue and who had clearly undergone magical modifications, looked at the empty shelves and felt a deep sense of respect for the poor child laborer he had taken in.
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching. If I remember correctly, I haven't formally thanked you for taking me in yet." The polite young man bowed slightly to the shopkeeper who praised him.
He appears humble and polite.
The blue-skinned shopkeeper patted the boy on the shoulder with great delight.
"You will definitely achieve great things in the future. I will teach you well so that you can be as outstanding as me in the future." This was clearly the shop owner making empty promises to the boy.
"I look forward to that day."
The boy responded with a smile.
He turned to look at the clearly visible volcano outside the window.
"I think that day isn't too far off."
The boy's words were ambiguous.
The shop owner was slightly taken aback.
However, the shop owner didn't think much of it. He assumed the boy believed his promise, so he happily patted the boy on the shoulder and went back inside to work overtime on the products.
"What a wonderful world! I will... begin from here." In his spare time, the boy liked to gaze at the volcano from the window. He was the one who had traveled here before Ian.
Tom Marvolo Riddell.
Having taken over Malfoy's body and returned to the age of eleven, Voldemort probably never imagined that he was hiding in this shop as an ordinary worker.
Well, how should I put it?
This was a part-time job that Riddle was quite comfortable with. He had been here for a while, looking for opportunities to use the power of this era to enhance himself.
They were calculating when the end of the world would come.
Riddle's heart was filled with anticipation and longing.
And that's when he was observing the volcano.
A group of people dressed in bright red robes, with runes engraved on their faces, walked in.
"Outsider, our leader wants to see you."
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
The lead Night's Watchman spoke to Riddle in a serious voice.
Riddle, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, paused for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face.
"Oh? Is that so? That's my pleasure." Riddle's expression was gentle and calm. He didn't touch his wand, but stood up and straightened his robes.
"We don't have much time left, let's go."
He maintained his elegant manners.
The Night's Watchman glanced at him, and he returned the glance with a gentle smile.
"Keep up."
Several Night's Watchmen surrounded Riddle and led him outside. Riddle shrugged and followed them through narrow streets to a secluded building. Several guards in red armor stood at the door; they weren't wizards, but Riddle glanced at their longswords several times.
"Good technique."
He made a comment.
He was led into the house by the Night's Watchmen. Riddle entered the building and found it furnished with extreme luxury, unlike anything he had ever seen in this era.
"What a luxurious experience!"
Riddle saw a petite woman sitting in the center, her face covered by a silver mask, revealing only a pair of cold and sharp eyes.
After Riddle was brought to the room, the other Night's Watch members withdrew.
"You who don't belong to this era, what is your purpose in coming here?" The leader asked bluntly, and her direct address made Riddle's eyes narrow slightly.
"What do you mean by that? I don't understand." Riddle's face remained calm, but he showed a slightly confused, just-right expression of bewilderment.
His acting skills are quite good.
but.
The leader sneered, "Stop pretending. From the moment you stepped into this city, I sensed your broken and dark soul."
She was clearly a powerful wizard as well.
"I'm just someone who wants to live."
Riddle's expression remained unchanged, his gaze sincere.
"I don't care about your background or your past... I just want to know if the unusual disasters in the city are related to you." The female leader stood up.
"What disaster?"
Riddle was genuinely puzzled.
"You can't hide anything from me." The female leader stepped forward, raised her hand, and was about to press down on Riddle's head. She clearly wanted to use Legilimency on Riddle.
Riddell would certainly not agree to such behavior.
"I will never allow anyone to discover my secrets." Riddle initially seemed compliant, but as soon as the female leader approached him, he immediately drew a wand from his sleeve.
"The soul leaves the body!"
Riddle wanted to use the Imperius Curse to control the city's law enforcement leader in front of him.
His plans and performances were excellent.
however.
Despite chanting the incantation loudly and with great force, not a single glimmer of light appeared on his wand, causing Reid's pupils to shrink in disbelief.
"You're a terrible dark wizard."
The Night's Watch leader showed no surprise whatsoever. She remained calm, glanced at the wand in Riddle's hand, and gave a dismissive assessment of Riddle's spellcasting technique.
"What's going on?!"
Riddle quickly retreated.
"Damn it! How can something like this exist!"
He looked around and his gaze settled on four stones in the corner of the room.
"It seems you're not among the worst." The female leader watched Riddle's actions, knowing that Riddle could tell that magic couldn't be used in this room.
"If I said it was a misunderstanding, just to lighten the mood, would you believe me?" Riddle swallowed hard, ready to run away at any moment.
He is indeed the Dark Lord.
However, he still lacks confidence when it comes to hand-to-hand combat.
The female leader was getting closer and closer.
Sweat beaded on Riddle's forehead as he desperately tried to come up with a lie. But just then, spacetime suddenly began to distort, and Riddle stared at it in astonishment.
He found himself being pulled into an unknown realm by a powerful force. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dark temple.
"What's going on here?"
Sixteen-year-old Riddle lacked the most in terms of understanding and knowledge of magic; otherwise, he would have been aware that rooms with anti-magic zones actually existed in this world.
The young and inexperienced Dark Lord warily looked around and saw a person dressed in black robes standing with their back to him in the center of the temple. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and cast a spell on the black-robed figure.
"Avada Kedavra!"
It was still his signature move. However, to Riddle's astonishment, the Killing Curse dissipated like fireworks the moment it touched the man in black, having no effect whatsoever.
The man in black robes was still standing there with his back to him.
"Impossible! A killing curse can't possibly fail once it hits!"
This is the second cognitive shock Riddle has experienced today.
He exclaimed.
At this moment, the man in black robes slowly turned around.
"The Killing Curse will indeed not fail, but you cannot kill someone who is already dead." The black-robed man's face, hidden in the shadows of his robes, spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Who are you!"
Riddle's wand shone brightly once more.
The next moment.
His magic was abruptly halted at the incubation stage.
"I am just like you... a wizard who is unwilling to die."
The man in the black robe removed his hood.
"To future students, I am your teacher."
He revealed a snake-like face that filled Riddle with suspicion.
"My name is Herbo, the angel who has conquered death."
The face of the man in the black robe.
It caught Riddle's eye.
Like a kind of mark.
(End of this chapter)