The Boss King actually disguised himself as a novice village chief?!
Chapter 189 - 175 Harvest, "Ancient Legend of the Twins · Volume Three

Chapter 189: Chapter 175 Harvest, "Ancient Legend of the Twins · Volume Three

Dome, who was gradually recovering, quickly adjusted his attitude and slipped into his role, just as he had done when facing Leon.

Lind suspected that the concept of loyalty did not exist in Dome’s heart, or perhaps Dome only pledged allegiance to those stronger than himself; such loyalty would last until someone more powerful than Lind appeared.

What a harvest!

Under Dome’s leadership, they arrived at a room on the upper floor of the castle.

The hard, cold floor emitted a "thud, thud" sound when the iron boots fell upon it.

Lind’s gaze swept across the room, stopping first at the window; this side of the room’s windows faced the sea, with the pitch-black surface resembling dead water without the slightest hint of life—until someone’s gaze lingered there, causing the surface to ripple slightly.

The funnel-shaped black clouds in the sky, burned red, were gradually dispersing, and feeble beams of light penetrated the gaps in the clouds, falling upon the pitch-black sea, where they were completely devoured by the black waters.

Lind turned his attention back inside the room.

The not-so-large room housed a very conspicuous large bookshelf that occupied an entire wall.

At this time, nearly a hundred books were displayed on the shelves, the scent of knowledge hitting them squarely in the face.

Lind took a deep breath, and his mood improved dramatically.

This was truly a bountiful harvest.

Even more excited than Lind was Miss Miko.

She didn’t look around the room at all; as soon as the door opened, she rushed to the bookshelf, rising on her toes to pull down a thin booklet.

She stood on tiptoe, her heels lifted, her goal very clear, stretching her fingers in an attempt to take a book from the shelf, but alas, due to her height, she always fell just a little short.

Lind walked over and helped her retrieve the booklet.

Made of parchment, it was exquisitely crafted.

Miko joyfully took the booklet and flipped through it quickly.

The natural and unforced behavior of the pair slightly widened the eyes of both Dome and Morena.

Could it be that their relationship wasn’t as simple as that of ordinary superiors and subordinates?

Since the beginning, the two had not communicated with each other, but Morena noticed whether it was Lind’s glance that Miko first reacted to by calling upon her, or Lind naturally reaching out to help when she couldn’t reach the book—it all seemed so effortless.

On the contrary, at the door, Lance acted as if everything was normal; if you could see Lind giving all the Hearts of Calamity he found to Miko, and then see Miko staying up for two or three days straight to brew Magic Potion, you’d know that for them, these were just minor acts of no significance.

Really, who else could kick the Lord in the calf so casually?

Only the two of them thought nobody else had noticed.

After Miko opened the parchment booklet, Lind leaned in to take a look; he was curious why Miko had set her sights on this booklet first—a "subjective" explanation could be that an ethereal voice had drawn her to it.

But Miko pushed at his head with her hand and complained, "You’re blocking the light!"

Lind stood up straight, but still, from his vantage point, he could see the content on the booklet that Miko held.

He recognized every word recorded there, but when they were combined, he felt a bit dizzy looking at them.

Miko turned to ask, "Is this Moon Magic?"

Moon Magic? A fresh concept, oh no, for the people of Rand Kingdom, anything related to magic was considered fresh.

Moon Magic must be some kind of abbreviation, perhaps a type of magic that only the Wizards who follow the path of the Moon Witch could use, Lind guessed.

Dome’s reaction seemed to confirm Lind’s guess.

"Do you also possess Yuni’s power?" Dome acted like a wise old man, leaning slightly forward, his soft white beard gently swaying over his chest, his sagging eyes suddenly gleaming with light.

But somehow, Lind felt Dome’s reactions were a bit contrived.

Had he ever been this enthusiastic before?

Miko coughed lightly, she lifted her chin and clasped her hands behind her back, "I come from Sky Star Magic School."

"Sky Star! By magic!" Dome clutched his beard to convey his astonishment, his eyes filled with envy as he looked at Miko, "I’ve heard countless times of Sky Star Magic School, rumored to be a sanctuary of magic and knowledge."

Miko glanced at Lind, her eyes seeming to say, See, even you didn’t know about Sky Star Magic School.

"Cough cough, not ’rumored,’" Miko shook her head softly, "It really is a sanctuary of knowledge, not just magical knowledge but other knowledge as well."

Morena and Milan, standing to one side, couldn’t care less about watching Dome; the old man was undoubtedly talking up the chat because he realized Miko and the Lord had a close relationship.

The old man truly had no shame.

Lind ignored the self-satisfied Miko, or else her ears might reach the sky. No matter where the Sky Star Magic School was, he would visit it one day.

He approached the bookshelf, hesitated for a moment with a shake of his hand, and then randomly pulled out a book.

"Ancient Legend of the Twins·Volume Three"

This was the book he had chosen in his predestined fate.

"Miss Milan."

Lind turned his head. After they entered the room, Milan and Lanslan had taken the initiative to block the Undead from entering. Of course, since a moment ago, they had been attentive to the movements inside the room.

Upon hearing Lind’s call, Milan promptly came in.

"My lord," Milan said with respect.

"That book we spoke of earlier—is it here?" Lind asked, referring to the anthology related to the Rune Messenger.

Milan scanned the bookshelf quickly, and finally, her gaze rested on the book in Lind’s hands, "It’s the one you’re holding. I remember it clearly; it’s a story that can be described as legendary."

It seemed there was indeed something interesting about fate.

Following one’s instincts led straight to what was needed.

Lind asked, "You’re sure ’Ancient Legend of the Twins·Volume Three’ is the storybook, not a collection of poems or something similar?"

The powers of the Sun’s Testament, the Moon Witch, and the Furnace Lord that he had encountered were all related to anthologies.

With anthologies and the matching Magic Potions providing strength, Lind had formed a fixed mindset. This storybook might appear old, but it seemed quite different from those anthologies.

"Mystic Runes have no religion," Milan explained, "Mystic Runes place greater faith in knowledge and in oneself."

At these words, Lind reopened "Ancient Legend of the Twins·Volume Three." The book wasn’t very long; scanning through it quickly wouldn’t take much time.

He asked offhandedly, "So, is this your collection of poems?"

"Each Rune Messenger’s own legendary experience might well be a poem."

Lind was quite surprised by Milan’s response. He carefully studied her face for a while, recognizing that any person could reveal an unexpected romantic side in a fleeting moment.

He conceded that, in this moment, his impression of Milan had significantly improved; she no longer appeared to be a fence-sitter hastening to surrender at the first opportunity.

It seemed Leon’s subordinates truly did fall into two types: those who would flee at the first sign of trouble and those who would stand firm until death.

Milan and Dome were the epitome of the former, surrendering so quickly that he even felt embarrassed to deal a killing blow.

Lind’s gaze returned to the text; reading a story was indeed much more interesting than perusing anthologies.

"It could just be a senile old man’s delusion, emitting a foul stench, or it might be a legendary experience. In any case, I feel it should be preserved."

"I don’t want to talk about the infusion of Mystic Runes, or how to choose the most suitable Mystic Rune and the best weapon or armor combinations. Once a Mystic Rune is infused, it cannot be changed, it cannot bear more. Each weapon can only retain one attribute—that is the ironclad rule."

"I’ve often wondered, why can’t two magic runes be infused at the same time? I’ve wandered across the Xilu Continent, exchanging ideas with rune smiths around the world. I’ve heard that fairies excel at crafting magic weapons; I even planned to seek a knowledgeable dragon, hoping its millennia of experience could help unravel my confusion."

"Alas, I never found such a dragon. By the way, I did have a two-headed, two-legged Flying Dragon. It wasn’t too powerful, but it was a stable flier with a good temperament. Unfortunately, one of its heads was shattered by thunder while flying through a storm. The two heads were very close, and as long as one was alive, the dragon wouldn’t die. But when one head perished, the other soon followed, dying of grief."

"I ultimately discovered an ancient relic, and within it, I obtained a rule that allowed me to multitask, imagining myself split into two people. It took me a long time to master this ability. Then, I managed to infuse two Mystic Runes at the same time; besides gods, I believe no one else in the world could achieve this. My favorite is that two-handed sword, melding the attributes of frost and death. It’s so cold, silent, yet it makes hearts tremble with fire."

"Until the end of life, confusion still filled my mind. The times are advancing, and we’ve often taken further steps based on the foundations of predecessors, but why is it always ancient magic that resolves our troubles?"

Lind closed "Ancient Legend of the Twins·Volume Three." These books would all be sent back to Star Dragon City.

...

Returning to Star Dragon City, Lind plunged headfirst into the main hall.

He was very curious about the mechanical devices in the castle’s basement that turned the Undead into humanoid batteries, so he pulled Dome aside to inquire about them. This also gave Miss Miko enough time to find a room to properly arrange those books.

Knowledge only feels safe within walls that can withstand the impact of the mighty.

"Those devices come from the Mechanical Cult," Dome said in response to Lind’s question.

"The Mechanical Cult?"

Lind suddenly longed for the simple and beautiful life of the Rand Kingdom, where being a Knight was everything. Unlike now—with magic, dementia, Mystic Runes, Furnace, Green Skins, Abyss, Starlets, and now the added complexity of machinery.

"It must be a civilization lost in the river of time and not belonging to the continent beneath our feet," Dome explained: "They abandoned their human bodies, transforming themselves into mechanical beings, akin to magic puppets. The energy extraction array I built in the basement was made based on the remnants of the Mechanical Cult’s knowledge about magic energy, combined with my own understanding."

"To what extent can it work?" Lind inquired.

The Undead were increasing in number, and the Lion Badge’s functions were growing too. Serene alone couldn’t sustain it, and while using Milan as a second Senior Grand Knight humanoid battery was an option, Lind wouldn’t refuse a better alternative.

"Energy can be extracted from beings with power," Dome said: "There’s also a magic energy storage circle that can be called upon when needed."

"The Fireball you released earlier, did it use energy stored in the magic circle?" The horrific scene of the sky being set ablaze still vividly lingered in his mind.

If the energy used wasn’t Flames but some other attribute, Lind would have certainly turned tail and fled.

"That requires pairing with another piece of knowledge," Dome smiled: "It allows someone else to take over the chanting... My lord, you must know about Mierben from Cazhen Town. It’s from him that I acquired the knowledge—before he went completely mad."