Passing through the open-air corridor, climbing several spiral steps, and entering dark archways.
Saul followed Ona all the way to the most solemn main hall of the entire castle.
Along the way, he saw several more Ophelias.
He could only say this woman was indeed much more insane than her sister.
When entering the main hall Ona had mentioned, Ona didnât go in, only making a gesture for Saul to enter alone.
The great doors opened, revealing an unexpectedly dim room inside.
However, with his excellent vision, Saul could easily see the interior.
The spacious main hall was carpeted in red velvet, with a huge and ornate chandelier overhead.
The walls on both sides also had exquisite bronze-colored candle stands.
Only the light from overhead and both sides was rather dim.
Below each candle stand sat a round-bottomed, thin-necked white porcelain bottle, but the bottles contained no decorative items.
Just bare bottles.
These white porcelain bottles lined the path with the candles all the way to the end of the main hall.
At the end were thirty-three steps.
On the high platform above the stairs sat a gorgeous throne woven with gold and silver.
But strangely, no one sat on the throne. Instead, a white porcelain bottle of the same size and shape was placed in the center.
Where a person should sit, a bottle sat instead.
Amusing, yet somewhat spine-chilling.
The midday sunlight could barely enter this roomâwindows on both sides were hidden behind heavy curtains.
The main hall was extremely dim.
A solemn yet eerie atmosphere crawled like a spider into every corner of the room.
âClick!â
When Saul fully entered the main hall, the great doors behind him automatically closed.
Yet the roomâs light and darkness levels showed no obvious change.
Now the entire main hall seemed to contain only Saul.
After waiting a moment, Saul broke the silence.
âLady Ophelia, are you, or one of your clones, here?â
âSplash splash!â
The first response to Saul was the sound of water.
Then came murmuring laughter.
âHehe!â
A skull top suddenly rose from the white porcelain thin-necked bottle on the high platform, then continued rising, revealing a compressed and deformed forehead, brow bone, eyesâŠ
Until an entire human face squeezed out from the white porcelain bottle, the accumulated flesh began writhing and twisting, gradually transforming into the beautiful face of Ophelia that Saul had seen several times.
Only her neck remained frighteningly long, more like an intestine.
âWelcome, Wizard Saul.â
Saul bowed with hand to chest. âPlease forgive my uninvited arrival.â
Ophelia smiled with pursed lips. âHow could I blame you? Ever since you single-handedly resolved the storm eye eruption without harming anyone, Iâve always wanted to invite you to Sky City as a guest. I just worried that the Borderland couldnât do without you, so I didnât presume to invite you.â
Saul was silent for a moment, then said, âThe Borderland wonât have storm eye troubles for a short time, and Iâm constantly monitoring the situation there.â
âThen why did you travel thousands of miles to come to Sky City?â Ophelia tilted her head, her neck bending like a wheat stalk.
âI came for the Wind Sprite.â
âHehehehe, Wind Sprite?â Ophelia laughed againâshe seemed to enjoy laughing. âWhy be so formal? What relationship do you have with her, donât you think I already knew?â
Saul didnât become embarrassed by Opheliaâs teasing, but instead became somewhat serious.
âYou naturally know what relationship Peiâer and I have, but Iâm not certain what relationship you have with the Wind Sprite.â
One sentence made the playful smile disappear from Opheliaâs face.
âOh, youâre blaming me for letting others send my own sister to the sky?â
Ophelia didnât get angry but sighed lightly.
âWhat choice did I have? Peiâer had long been targeted by the Stargate Council. According to plan, she was originally supposed to become Clarkâs stepping stone for advancement, but unfortunately Clark wasnât capable enough and died at someone elseâs hands.â
She glanced sideways at Saul. âYou should know that someone too! Thinking about it now, besides him, who else would be so decisive?â
Could Ophelia have already guessed that Gorsa was the one who killed Clark?
Would the Stargate Council and Tribunal also discover this?
Since their last parting, Gorsa had said he was going to advance to fourth rank and hadnât been heard from since.
Saul didnât doubt whether he could advance to fourth rank, but worried whether he would be schemed against again.
Ophelia lightly probed Saul with that comment. Seeing him lost in thought about something, she continued, âAlthough Peiâer escaped disaster due to Clarkâs death, the Council, having failed in their plan, didnât intend to truly let her go. No choiceâwho told her she carries a small amount of wind sprite bloodline? Thatâs too easy to be targeted.â
âThinking about it now, when the Stargate Council and Tribunal agreed to help Peiâer advance to third rank and reside in the Borderland, they probably already planned how to use her later.â
After listening, Saul didnât argue but asked, âAccording to what youâre saying, if not forced by circumstances, you wouldnât want to sacrifice Peiâer?â
âOf course.â
âThen your feelings for Peiâer are actually quite good?â
âWe do have some bloodline from the same man in our bodies.â
Saul clapped his hands. âThen, if thereâs a chance to bring Peiâer back, would you be willing to help me with a small favor?â
Ophelia slowly straightened her neck. âOh? So you were waiting for me at this point?â
Saul immediately felt mental pressure like a boulder crushing down on him, making his body sway twice.
This pressure came not only from in front but also from behind, from those identically shaped white porcelain bottles.
âActually, this would be a good attempt for you too.â Saul said under pressure. âAfter all, Peiâer is now among the stars, and I think you should be very interested in that side.â
Ophelia wasnât moved. âI do yearn for the stars, but that side is also very dangerous, completely beyond my control. And just the attempt to bring Peiâer back could attract very dangerous enemies.â
âMoreover, Peiâer might not even have a corpse left over there.â
Ophelia was right about thisâthe other side of the stars was very dangerous, and Peiâer really didnât even have a corpse left.
Saul wasnât in a hurry. âWhat if I said Iâve already contacted Peiâer once, and sheâs temporarily not in danger over there? Would you be willing to take a risk?â
Opheliaâs head suddenly extended in front of Saul, her thin and pale neck making several turns in the air.
âYou contacted the world beyond the stars? How did you do it? Do you control another stargate?â
Saul leaned back slightly, avoiding Opheliaâs beautiful yet terrifying head.
âI established a special relationship connection with Peiâer and briefly communicated once. But when I tried to contact her again later, I couldnât do it anymore.â
Saul turned his head and unhesitatingly leaned close to the left ear of the head-only Ophelia, whispering softly.
âLady Ophelia, actually Iâm also very curious about the world beyond the stars, so⊠how about we cooperate?â
(End of Chapter)
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