Fantasy Library.

Chapter 370 "The Gorgon Stone"

Looking at Erica kneeling before him, bowing her proud head as she had done before, Aize felt a pang of emotion.

He never expected that at this critical juncture, Erica would arrive in Japan so quietly, right in front of him.

He hadn't received a single message or a phone call, yet Erica knew his location and came to him. Clearly, this confident young woman was proving her abilities to Aize in this way.

Liliana, on the other hand, was also surprised to see Erica's appearance.

She knew her childhood friend and rival well, and knew how proud and arrogant she was.

She considered herself a noblewoman, the epitome of elegance and splendor, so even when facing a god-slaying king, even if he couldn't gain her approval, she would never adopt such a humble posture.

Liliana Kranichal had never seen anyone who could make Erika Blantri bow her head like that before.

But now, she has seen it.

这只只味着一件事。

"Erika, could it be that you've already...?"

Liliana's gaze shifted back and forth between Aize and Erica.

“That’s right.” Erica raised her head, looked at the surprised Liliana, and smiled, “I have sworn allegiance to the great Divine Artifact King and vowed to give him everything as a knight.”

This was definitely not news that Liliana could just listen to and forget.

It's important to understand that although the magic societies throughout Italy have essentially submitted to the Sword King, acknowledging Salbatole Toni as their leader and obeying his commands, everyone knows that this is merely a formality.

In reality, that Sword King didn't care about things like territory, land, or power.

That person only has eyes for battle and is only interested in battle. The so-called organizations that submit to him are just assistants who can provide convenience when necessary, and are definitely not a family business that needs to be protected.

This is why Liliana's grandfather was a follower of the famous Marquis of Vauban, not Tony.

However, if Erica, the prodigy and Grand Knight of the Bronze Black Cross, were to declare her allegiance to the new king, the meaning would be quite different.

This proves that the Copper Black Cross may have a real king backing it up, or at the very least, the Brantley family could receive the king's protection.

As the rival of the Copper Black Cross, the Bronze Black Cross absolutely cannot ignore this situation.

Unfortunately, Erica ignored Liliana's changing expression and turned to Aize instead.

"I have completed the task that Wang assigned me excellently. Please inspect it, Wang."

As she spoke, Erica took something out of her bosom.

It was a badge the size of a fist.

The badge was clearly not made of metal, but something like polished obsidian, with a crudely drawn portrait resembling a human face and patterns of dozens of snakes engraved on its surface.

The dense swarm of snakes resembles the hair of a human face in the picture, and you can vaguely see the eyes of the face shimmering with a demonic light, giving you the illusion that you will be unable to move after being stared at.

This stone badge looks very old, with many parts appearing blurry and the material itself showing considerable wear. Its history likely dates back to a very distant era.

“What, what is this…?!”

As a witch, Liliana was moved the moment she saw the stone.

She sensed a terrifying demonic force.

She felt a terrifying shadow looming over her.

She also sensed ancient wisdom, the stirrings of darkness, and the breath of death.

Even she was like this, so Yuri Mariya next to her suddenly went into a daze, muttering to herself involuntarily.

"The night obscured the stars, replacing the light, and a great being crossed the underworld to descend upon the earth..."

"She is the goddess who rules over darkness, she is the Mother of Death, she is also a great queen with ancient wisdom, demonic eyes, and dragons, serpents, and owls..."

"The last descendant of Mother Earth, leading the dark rulers of death and darkness, a fallen god who rules the sky, the earth, and darkness..."

"Now, the lost part of ancient wisdom is her only pursuit, her only obsession..."

Yuri Mariya's words were obscure and difficult to understand, at least for those who were unaware of the situation.

But for those in the magic world who know what mythology is and all sorts of legends, these words can explain a lot and reveal a lot of truth.

"This is a symbol of the ancient Mother Earth! A signpost that guides many goddesses down the path of disobedience! A symbol of the goddess who has been scorned!"

Liliana exclaimed in astonishment.

"The Stone of Gorgon! A relic from the mythical age! A genuine divine artifact!"

"Why is this thing here?" Divine artifacts—these are not only things from the mythological era, but also items closely related to the gods.

Each of them possesses power beyond human comprehension; even the weakest divine artifact has effects that are beyond the reach of humankind.

In the world of magic, they not only have great research and symbolic significance, but also represent the foundation, treasures, and trump cards that can be used when necessary by every force.

Liliana never expected that Erica would bring a divine artifact with her, especially one that was closely related to the Earth Mother Goddess and could potentially bring death and darkness.

"You actually found it?"

Aize accepted the Gorgon Stone and said to Erica with some surprise.

“This is a test given by the King, and Erica Brantelli will naturally do her best to complete it.” Erica gave Aize a rather smug smile and said, “After receiving the King’s reminder, I have been paying close attention to the developments in various parts of Italy and following all kinds of news.”

"Finally, just two days ago, I discovered something unusual on the coast of Calabria."

At that time, someone salvaged a strange stone from the coast of Calabria.

It is considered strange because when it was salvaged, it was covered with many sea snakes.

The sea snakes clung to the rock, and when someone approached, they displayed unusually aggressive behavior, causing quite a commotion.

Erica, who was keenly interested, noticed the news and immediately went to investigate, eventually discovering the Gorgon Stone.

Erica immediately took him with her and rushed over as quickly as possible. After finding out about Aize, she immediately came over as well.

After all, she hadn't forgotten that Aize had once said that this divine artifact would attract a powerful goddess.

Even Yuri Mariya and Liliana, who were standing nearby, realized this instantly.

"Why bring something so dangerous here?"

Yuri Mariya was somewhat angry and worried.

Liliana also frowned in response.

"Gorgons, the most famous Gorgons in Greek mythology, monsters of the Isle of No Return, are descendants of sea monsters with magical eyes that can turn everything to stone."

"Her real name is Medusa. Her father was Phorcys, the son of Gaia, the goddess of the earth, and Pontus, the god of the sea. Her mother was Ceto, Phorcys' sister. Although she had the blood of a sea monster, she was also a legitimate goddess."

"Although Medusa is a serpent demon killed by the hero Perseus in mythology, her origins can actually be traced back to the most ancient Earth Mother Goddess."

The snake is a symbol of the Earth Mother Goddess.

Medusa, the Gorgon with snakes hair, was actually a part of the Earth Mother Goddess who was degraded by the Steel Heroes, despite being a dragon-serpent slain by a hero.

The Earth Mother Goddess was very ancient and very powerful; she was once the triune queen who ruled the Mediterranean.

Just as the triune god of Korea—the Wind God, the Rain God, and the Thunder God—whom Vauban killed was actually a single god divided into three parts, Medusa was also a part of this ancient queen.

This Gorgon Stone is the manifestation of Medusa's divinity, the part that the queen lost.

Its appearance signifies only one thing.

That is, the ancient queen has appeared on earth and will surely follow it here.

Yuri Mariya sensed this through her spiritual vision and foresaw the impending danger.

Although Liliana did not possess the same strong spiritual vision as Yuri Mariya, she was a witch and knew the legends of the Earth Mother Goddess very well. She immediately realized what was about to happen.

It could be said that Erika's actions were tantamount to bringing a natural disaster to this place, so how could Mariya Yuri not feel angry and worried?
Even Liliana felt that this island nation in the Far East was really unlucky. First, a chief god of Norse mythology appeared here, then an Eastern hero was born, and now they have to welcome a goddess of darkness of the highest rank.
Will this island nation really not sink to the bottom of the sea?

Liliana thought to herself.

But Erika had a smile on her face.

“This is the king’s order, you know?” Erica said dismissively. “Since it is the king’s order, then even the people of this country should obey the fate that the king has chosen for them.”

Since Erica Brantley was already a knight of the king, she naturally had higher priority than the king she served, compared to ordinary people.

Therefore, even knowing the consequences of doing so, she did it without hesitation, even though she was a knight who would risk her life for innocent people.

In this respect, Erica is far more rational and calm than Liliana, and is more likely to adjust her mindset and stance.

"Either do it or do it to the best of your ability"—that's Erika's motto.

Aize ignored the girls' interaction and just looked at the Gorgon Stone in his hand.

No one noticed that there were shimmering gold-plated patterns on Aize's hands.

(End of this chapter)