Divine Beast Creator
Chapter 1353 - 1354 The Guardian Castle

Chapter 1353: Chapter 1354 The Guardian Castle

The gigantic castle was covered with flowers and vines. Despite the passage of time, everyone could still sense the immense power emanating from it, as if the castle were a living entity merely slumbering now. The wind stirred the leaves of the vines, making it seem as if the castle was breathing gently. Flowers bloomed, welcoming the arrival of the visitors.

"This... if I’m not mistaken..."

Feng Yuan paused for a moment and looked at Agunas. Perhaps due to the presence of Agunas and others, he had been lax and hadn’t bothered to look up information about this place beforehand, only to find these unexpected encounters.

Agunas swished its tail and said,

"You should know, right? Enlivening."

"I see, an Enlivened Castle, huh? I was only aware that such a thing existed here, but I didn’t know they used it here. However, Ernis’s methods seem to have led to the loss of that technology."

Scratching his head, Feng Yuan understood. No wonder he felt something was off. The Enlivening Technique was a terrifying skill from the Omeilia Region before Ernis caused chaos and pushed technological development, allowing for the creation of treants from trees and enlivened castles from castles. But thinking about the conditions for its use, Feng Yuan shook his head and said,

"Perhaps losing it isn’t necessarily a bad thing, otherwise why wouldn’t Arnis, who held the complete knowledge, not disclose it."

The origin of the Enlivening Technique lies in the magical creations represented by Arnis. After Arnis retreated, Ernis emerged and pushed the magic civilization-like Omeilia into the path of technology. Yet, Arnis’s strength was inherently greater than Ernis’s. If it didn’t consent, the other side couldn’t suppress it.

"It doesn’t seem to be a very good thing,"

Veronia whispered as they twirled the parasol. It could perceive that while the castle appeared alive, it had long succumbed to a deep slumber. Without special means, there might be no way to awaken it, and Veronia inexplicably felt anxious when Feng Yuan mentioned the Enlivening Technique.

Belusir surveyed the castle, reaching out to touch it but then recalling something, retracted their hand, shook their head, and said with bowed head,

"No, I can’t do that..."

"It shouldn’t have any fates to alter, right? Can’t we just let it sleep like this?"

Feng Yuan sighed helplessly after glancing at Belusir, knowing this was their old habit acting up again. However, he was relieved they didn’t directly awaken the castle, or he’d suspect they’d all be asked to leave.

"My apologies..."

"No need to apologize, just restrain yourself. If it’s really not feasible, why not ask Veronia before taking action? Although she’s not always reliable, she should be in situations like this~"

"What do you mean not very reliable?"

Veronia looked at Feng Yuan speechlessly and patted Belusir, saying,

"It’s alright, don’t worry, I’m here."

Dou Yanlan saw this scene and leaned towards Qi Chen. The other was taken aback, scratching his head with an awkward smile, unsure how to console her. Seeing Qi Chen like this, Dou Yanlan chuckled and turned around, nervously stroking Cotton, eliciting a dissatisfied cry from it.

Yang Hongzhi looked confusedly towards Najia and said,

"This Enlivened Castle, it won’t attack on its own, will it?"

"You’re right, in a sense, the castle can be considered a Spirit Beast. Hmm, with its accumulated power, it can probably match a Legendary Level Spirit Beast currently. Of course, it may differ in actual combat."

"That powerful?!"

Upon hearing Feng Yuan’s words, Yang Hongzhi was shocked, but moments later, he was puzzled as to how such a technology was abandoned. Logically, a technology that could provide such formidable combat power wouldn’t be forgotten. Noticing Yang Hongzhi’s puzzled gaze, Feng Yuan smiled wryly and said,

"You just need to think about how the Enlivening Technique imparts wisdom to inanimate objects to understand."

"Grant wisdom to inanimate objects? That’s impossible, right? Not to mention, where would they get the ability to create souls?"

Stunned, Long Boduo asked in confusion. Wisdom is inherently connected to the soul, and an inanimate object devoid of a soul can never possess wisdom. But creating souls? That’s absurd. Even the Ghost-type Divine Beasts lack such Authority. How can mere humans have such means?

"Could it be..."

Dou Yanlan was startled, and she realized something as she looked at the castle and whispered,

"That would be too cruel..."

"Hmm, that’s not the case. It’s a willing embodiment of protective intent, willingly transforming into a castle to guard descendants. That’s probably the Enlivening Technique of this castle. It’s similar elsewhere; unwilling sacrifices only result in a mindless weapon of slaughter."

Feng Yuan shook his head, saying he didn’t want Dou Yanlan to misunderstand, especially since they were staying here tonight. In truth, it was also why Belusir dared not touch it, fearing to awaken and disturb its rare slumber.

"A willing sacrifice, huh... In their era, choosing to do so wouldn’t be surprising at all."

Veronia twirled the parasol and whispered. At that moment, applause rang out, and a noble-dressed gentleman walked over and said,

"No wonder Miss Anna reminded me not to play mysterious in front of you all. Hello, I’m Middel Vilren, the current owner of this castle."

"The soul of this castle is our ancestors. In every generation, someone joins it while their life wanes. Thanks to it, the Vilren family has survived to this day..."

Looking at the castle, Middel whispered, his expression somewhat agitated. Feng Yuan wasn’t surprised, as this entity would inevitably be influenced by the original souls retaining their obsessions upon enlivement, preventing the abuse of such technology.

The heart cannot lie; malicious use only leads to one’s destruction. In the Dynasty Era, the conflict in the Omeilia Region induced by Ernis was more intense than the Divine Land Region’s battles. Without this castle, the Vilren family might not have survived till today,

With a smile, Feng Yuan refrained from revealing the unspoken truth—that even in diminished life state, relative to Spirit Beasts, the souls that joined with such great strength must have all been Legendary Level Beastmasters. Feng Yuan deeply admired them, considering they did it for their family’s continuity...

The man saw Feng Yuan merely smile without a word, realizing he knew everything, and shook his head, saying,

"Miss Anna’s assessment truly is accurate, but never mind, this isn’t anything significant. Quite a number of people know about our family’s castle."

He said, performing a noble bow to everyone, continuing,

"I hope you all enjoy your time here."

After seeing Middel turn and leave, Qi Chen scratched his head, feeling a bit puzzled about what the other was planning. Najia, sitting on Xiao Hei’s head, said,

"Vilren family members? Just like before, they’re not unlikable, but they’re not easy to get close to either..."

"Yes, recognized us at a glance. I guess he questioned Lady Anna in detail,"

Veronia twirled the parasol and said. It’s no surprise the other could recognize her given her unique attire, but Belusir? Ha, even for Long Boduo, most people would struggle to identify it, considering its human form, let alone Belusir, which has lived with humans for quite some time.

Long Boduo might expose some habits, but Belusir’s habits are almost entirely human-like. Veronia doubted the other had the skill to recognize Belusir by habit in a short time, suggesting he obtained information from Miss Anna. Yet, she couldn’t believe Anna would relay details that specific in conversation.

"The Vilren family has always been cautious, but perhaps it’s this very quality that sustained their noble status into the present day,"

Najia nodded, acknowledging they were an old noble family in the Omeilia Region. It had heard of them back then and knew their conduct, though it harbored no particular dislike for them.