Above The Sky
Chapter 628 - 628 595 I am a Seeker of Truth 5300_3

628: Chapter 595: I am a Seeker of Truth (5300)_3 628: Chapter 595: I am a Seeker of Truth (5300)_3 [But they first used it on their own citizens…]

[It shouldn’t be this way…

I need to ask the Grand Duke, I need to understand exactly what’s going on]

[…The Grand Duke told me, though it’s hard to accept, that they wouldn’t sacrifice the people without a reason.

If they didn’t want to face tens of millions of deaths, then the sacrifices now are necessary]

[As malicious as the Spirit Wisdom Institute’s technology is, they indeed developed a specific cure and vaccine for this virus by studying the old woman’s case, and right now the medications being distributed in the major cities of The Grand Duchy for various reasons are these constantly updated vaccines]

[Though they are crazy, in the end, they are still a part of The Empire, and it’s impossible for them to simply allow such a deadly weapon to spread across their own territories]

[The Grand Duke told me that he knows the kind of person I am; he knows I’m afraid that my mother will become one of the experimenters, one of the victims…

I can’t deny that I’m just scared my mother will become one of them, and I feel a moral injustice toward these deceased experimenters, but I don’t have the courage to put a stop to it all]

[I don’t have the courage to confront a nation…

even if it’s just a Duchy]

[The Grand Duke sensed this, and he told me that my mother is now very safe and happy, well protected]

[And if I truly don’t want to, I can also leave the Avak Research Institute and do the research I want — my contributions are greater than I imagined, and after I reach Second Power Level, he will arrange a Barony for me, elevating me to nobility, so I may live out my golden years in peace]

[As a price, I would be forbidden from conducting related research for life.

Someone like me, who chooses to retire courageously, should have been secretly killed to keep the technology completely confidential, but the Grand Duke swore he would never do such a thing to any of his own people]

[I believe the Grand Duke’s words, I know that this is probably the best outcome]

[But in the end, the Grand Duke said to me, with profound meaning]

[He said]

[—Adalbert, if you really are dissatisfied, why not try to oppose and abolish it?]

[Why choose to remain silent, step back, and pretend to not see everything?]

[With a better plan, to replace a plan everyone thinks is wrong — if it’s you, I believe you can do it]

[I don’t believe in myself]

[But if the Grand Duke believes in me, maybe…

I really can?]

At this moment.

Following the path cleared by the Phantom Legion, Ian passed through numerous courtyards and finally arrived at a vast expanse of land.

This was a circular fortress, the very heart of the Central Research Laboratory where Researcher of Grand Duke Sorin was stationed, and outside the lab itself, layers upon layers of the densely packed Phantom Legion surrounded it tightly, with a black spherical shield enveloping the lab.

Viscount Avak stood at the top of the laboratory, undoubtedly a high-ranking official as the local Lord of the Central Research Laboratory.

The numerous Phantasms confronted him in silence.

Ian lifted his head and saw at the center of the Phantom Legion, a man clad in Ice Armor, his hands gripping a frosty greatsword, eyes crimson as blood, emanating an aura of dead silence akin to his own.

He stood amidst a sea of Phantasms, yet seemed to be utterly alone; the whole area was brightly lit, but around him, there seemed to be overlapping shadows.

And what he gazed upon was not the fortress laboratory before him, nor the phantasms, or even Viscount Awak, but rather the deadly silent darkness in front of himself—a path with no end.

In front of Ian, the Phantom Legion parted to form a path; they silently stared at the second Deceased Monarch and then disappeared with a light sound, turning into a pale white light.

They transformed into surging rivers of lost souls, flowing into the man’s body.

Then, above his head, there condensed a crown that was nearly substantial, making a peculiar diamond-shaped mark emerge on his forehead.

Tens of meters away from Ian, the man named Adalbert turned his head, and their eyes met.

Pure cyan, tinged with a hint of silver, rose within the Foresight View, causing Ian to slightly squint his eyes.

“Why have you come?”

The first king of the dead looked at Ian, looking at his own kind.

Their eyes, crimson red, faced each other.

Although it seemed like a standoff, he was the first to reveal a smile.

It was a smile, but it was more like a self-deprecating one: “You are not from Duke Sorin’s Domain, nor from Avak Domain, and you have no direct connection to these tragedies and the deceased… So, why did you make your way all the way here?”

“You have already obtained the power of the Deceased Monarch, haven’t you?

Even if the lost souls dissipate later, and this power leaves, the sense of power you have gained will not fade… You are the future’s Third Energy Level, or even higher.”

“With that said, why come here instead of leaving?”

“I am a seeker of the truth,”

replied Ian, his tone natural, “It’s you, right?

You freed the souls in Awak’s laboratory that had endured endless torment, but you inadvertently caused the fall of the Domain of Void, creating the Silent Abyss, and directly or indirectly caused the anomaly in the Avak Domain, which led to nearly a million deaths.”

“Don’t think I am some saint who came for vengeance on behalf of these lost souls.

I am indeed angry, which is why I killed those beasts from the Spirit Wisdom Institute, gaining the power of the Deceased Monarch.”

He continued slowly, gazing into the man’s eyes: “But essentially, I just want to know the truth behind all this, and the real meaning behind every ultimate plan.”

“For instance, this project involving The Monarch of Bygone Days… whether it is indeed one of the many ‘legacies’ that Inega II originally intended to transform this world with.”

“That’s all there is to it.”

Ian’s gaze was anything but bewildered; even when previously facing the myriad phantasms of the Phantom Legion, he was fearless, let alone now, when he only had to confront the man before him.

The Deceased Monarch examined the young man before him; his face was blurry, his features indistinguishable, as if thousands upon thousands of different faces emerged and vanished at the same time.

However, Ian could feel that the other’s expression had softened a bit: “You face your heart’s deepest desire without any doubt, not deliberately flaunting your morality…

nor scorning it, but rather accepting that it exists as it should.”

“You are a good person…

a better person to be the Deceased Monarch than me.

Rather, it seems destiny has guided you here, perhaps so that you can become a true Deceased Monarch.”

As he said this, King of the Dead Adalbert lowered his gaze, his tone turning icy: “But precisely for this reason, now, at this very moment,”

“You should not be appearing here.”