Chapter 661: Chapter 609: Now all these evil tomes are mine! (5500, second update)_3
In the darkness, the Ghost Valley Knight moved straight ahead, slicing through the office door of the dean with his sword, his gaze immediately locking onto the various tomes of blue, purple, and green.
"The Book of Silver Radiance," "Rite of the Abyssal Pyre," "Chaos Nemesis," and "Twilight Tome"... Such precious books containing special Spirit Energy, just their mere existence was extremely unique and coveted, sat on the bookshelf to the left of the deanâs office desk.
Ian stepped forward, without hesitation he packed all the books and took them awayâhe even carried a large, seemingly lightweight sack with him, clearly intended for the spoils of his venture.
[Actually, if you wanted to know the knowledge in these books, you could have just asked me, I have them all memorized...]
Adalbert followed behind, muttering under his breath, he wouldnât stop Ianâs actions, but still hoped that these tomes, indeed containing various evil knowledge and Spirit Energy, wouldnât see the light of day again.
The soul merging and resurrection used by the Dead River Armament were powerful abilities recombined from the techniques within these books, stirring in him a natural aversion.
"Then your memory is really impressive."
Ian truly meant his praise, but his hands didnât stop moving as he put all his spoils into the sack for safekeeping, "But what I need is this âevilâ power. For research or simply broadening my horizons, itâs all very useful to me."
"Donât worry, I am the disciple of The Empireâs most notorious fugitive, never the kind-hearted type, stealing The Empireâs books is a matter of principle, you shouldnât feel uneasy for me."
âIâm not uneasy about that at all!
Adalbert thought to retort, but in the end, he kept silent... He felt that this Ghost Valley Knightâs personality was probably much more lively than he had imagined.
Of course. Since Ian was ready to reveal his âIanâ identity to Adalbert, naturally, he wouldnât care too much to maintain the indifferent facade of Knight Mahdi of the Secluded Valley.
"Get ready to leave."
After collecting the scattered items in the deanâs office, books or not, Ian satisfiedly hung the sack at his waistâthe few books plus some peculiar Spirit Energy artifacts were about the size of a typical backpack.
The Frost Butterfly peeked its head out of the waist pouch, curiously eyeing its ânew neighborsââit felt a strange Spirit Energy Fluctuation... and even something akin to Fae vibrations?
This was no illusion.
Among the precious tomes stolen by the Spirit Wisdom Institute from the Imperial Capital Grand Library, there was a volume titled "Joyous Fairland," which detailed the unique aspects of the Fae. It is said to have been produced by the Fae of Falling Star City for distribution to every nation as a way to introduce themselves.
Because a conflict soon broke out, there was a deeper understanding of the Fae, leading to no further need for prints, and now it has become a discontinued collectorâs item.
[Eh, this is Fae...]
Although he didnât ask further, Adalbert grew even more curious about Ianâs identityâwho was he, to have a laboratory in the Imperial Capital and Fae as followers?
If only he had paid more attention to the news in the Imperial Capital or stayed current with alchemical publications, he might now understand Ianâs true identity, adding another name to the list of those âwho have seen through Ianâs disguiseâ.
Unfortunately, Adalbert was a shy individual and had been engaging in cloistered research recently, naturally failing to make the connection.
And so, it was.
Ian and Adalbert, two Deceased Monarchs, made their way through the now utterly silent exit of the Subspace Labyrinth.
No Phantasms, no Magical Beasts, no surviving researchersâapart from Adalbert himself, everyone at the Central Research Laboratory in the Avak Domain had perished, all turned into Lost Souls, collected by Duke of Solin.
As they moved, pieces of enclosed paradises collapsed one after the other, shards of Subspace broke apart, as the special environment created by the fallen shards of the Domain of Void in the Silent Abyss was originally based on the resentment of a Multitude of Souls.
When Duke of Solin collected the souls of a million people, the entire Subspace Labyrinth was on the verge of collapse, barely maintained by the mere presence of Ian and Adalbert, the two Deceased Monarchs.
They arrived at the entrance.
A buzz... They could already see, at the junction between the real world and the subspace, a thing like a foggy gate. Looking at the real world through it seemed just like watching a phantasmagoria.
Or perhaps a nightmare.
But now...
"The nightmare is over,"
Ian turned his head toward the young researcher who was quietly pressing his eyes, seemingly wanting to cry, but not a single tear spilled, his body trembling, and said, "Although itâs not a perfect ending, at least itâs better than the worst possible one."
"Adalbert, I know that you never thought youâd make it out alive in the beginning. You believe all this research originated from you, and you think that the deaths of a million people in the Avak Domain are all your faultâjust like the Deceased Monarch and the River of Death."
"You kept seeking me out to talk because you felt shaken, tormented, unable to endure this fear. You feel unworthy of living compared to those who died because of you, who suffered because of you. But you survived, and your conscience is accusing you."
"But even if thatâs true, so what?"
Ianâs voice carried an almost indifferent ruthlessness, but it was exactly the kind of calm Adalbert needed: "If you had died, then everything would have indeed been meaningless."
"Donât be too afraid. You can still stand under the sun, you can still use your intelligence to change the world. Youâve earned that right."
The once terrifying Deceased Monarch was like a child yet to grow upâhe was in fact just a young man in his early twenties, inexperienced with the worldâs harsh realities, handpicked by the Duke of Solin at a young age, sequestered in the ivory tower, devoted to the study of his favored technologies.
He was intelligent, optimistic, extraordinarily gifted, endowed with a sense of justice, and even without joking, he was a good person with healthy moral views.
Such a person should have had a bright future. His involvement in the Avak Domain incident... only showed that Terra and the world were rotten.
[I understand...]
In response to Ianâs words, Adalbert spoke softly, his voice choking: [I just... thought of my mother... Did I live up to my motherâs teachings? Have I truly become the person my mother wanted me to be?]
"If your mom knew of your achievements and determination now, she wouldnât care how many people you killed, how much of the responsibility was yours."
Ian shook his head with a sigh: "Donât worry about your mom; sheâs surely being well taken care of by the Duke of Solin... probably much better than us."
"Letâs go. Itâs time to start the next phase of life."
Ian and Adalbert walked out of the Subspace Labyrinth, and with the crisp sound of breaking, the fragments of the Domain of Void completely shattered.
Dawn was breaking outside.
In the dim morning light, one could vaguely see two moons falling at the edge of the sky, interlacing at the rim of the firmament, one dim and fractured, the other bright and clear.
Even in such a starless dark night, dawn would still come, and there would be the glow of the moon.
"Take it easy, Adalbert."
Gazing at the moon, Ian took a step forward with Adalbert: "There are many more hardships waiting for you in the future, probably just as unbearable as death itself."
"You canât rest yet."