Night Journey

Chapter 161 Soul Forging
Cillian's words exploded like thunder in the library. Rolf's playful yet icy expression froze, and his pupils behind his glasses seemed to be truly re-examining the "clerk" before him, who was soaked to the bone and driven to the brink of despair.

The air in the study was sucked out, leaving only the crackling of the fireplace flames and the silent, tense standoff between the two men.

In fact, from the very beginning, Cillian did not expect to be able to persuade him.

His goal had always been simply to obtain some more powerful Source Contract weapons or some Spirit Craftsman creations from Rolf.

Even a single high-explosive charge, enough to send an entire block flying into the air, would be a huge asset to Cirion.

Rolf slowly took off his glasses and gently wiped the lenses with the corner of his shirt, his movements so slow they were almost suffocating.

He remained silent, a silence more oppressive than any roar, weighing the value behind Cillian's insane proposal, and... the possibilities contained in his desperate determination.

"According to my intelligence, Dekar has stockpiled a large number of corpses in various river channels. These corpses contain spores with the power of Nirvana."

As Rolf spoke, he put his glasses back on, and behind the cold lenses was a dangerous interest that had been completely ignited.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Dekar is probably planning to take advantage of the rising water levels during the rainy season to detonate the spores in the riverbed and use the power of Nirvana to completely erase the existence of the entire city of Hel from the world."

He gave a serious evaluation.

"From a certain perspective, this plan can indeed allow Hel City to extricate itself from the chaos of evil, and Dekar can also use this opportunity to advance his rank, perhaps even surpassing several ranks in one go."

Upon hearing these remarks, Cillian was completely stunned, but what shocked him even more was yet to come.

Rolf continued his explanation.

"But the problem is that Dekar cannot precisely control the scope and extent of the power of Silence. I predict that at least half of the citizens will be completely erased from existence under this power and become unknown living corpses."

Of course, Dekar probably wouldn't care about such things. Defending Hel had become his obsession. As long as the 'Hel' in his mind hadn't fallen, then sacrificing any number of lives would be worthwhile.

Cillian stared intently at Rolf, overwhelmed by the sudden revelation of the truth and Rolf's earlier contemptuous and disdainful attitude...

Are you asking me why?

Rolf guessed what he was thinking and explained, "If you had just retreated and gotten out of my mansion, then I could have enjoyed the credit for saving the city all by myself, wouldn't I?"

"I have virtually no hope of becoming a Master of Laws in this lifetime, but every little bit of merit counts, so I can have something to show for it when I return to the Foundry."

"Besides... I really hate you, Cillian."

He went on to emphasize that.

"No, it's not just dislike anymore, it's a hatred that's almost hostile."

Rolf casually revealed his malice, but Cillian felt no fear. On the contrary, he felt inexplicably relaxed, and even a little amused.

Cillian guessed, "Is it because I reminded you of your past self?"

Rolf glared at Cillian fiercely, then said nostalgically.

"Yes, youthful impetuosity, full of anger and hatred, is like a burning meteor, either brilliant or shattered... It's incredibly stupid."

He laughed helplessly.

"Maybe this is what growing up is all about: constantly betraying and hating your past self, and even being unable to empathize."

Rolf hesitated for a moment, then suddenly rang the dining bell, its shrill, continuous ringing echoing repeatedly in the empty library.

The sound of heavy, stiff footsteps echoed from all directions of the library, along with the creaking of metal joints and the faint hum of servo motors, creating an unsettling cacophony.

Rolf's body, which had been tense just moments before, suddenly relaxed, like a deflated balloon, and he slumped heavily back into the soft embrace of the sofa. He reached out and picked up an exquisite photo frame, stroking the glass surface almost greedily, as if touching a lover's skin.

“Cillian, do you know? She died in great pain.”

Cillian's heart was suddenly gripped by an invisible hand, almost suffocating him.

Rolf's gaze remained fixed on the photograph, as if he were speaking to the person in the picture, or perhaps talking to himself.

"Chaos gnawed at her flesh and soul. She lay there on the bed, watching helplessly as her fingers twisted and deformed like melted wax, and disgusting pustules swelled under her skin, emitting a rotten, sweet, and fishy smell."

Rolf's tone suddenly shifted, becoming eerie and gentle, mimicking the voice of his dying wife from his memory.

She said, “Don’t be sad for me, Rolf. I love you, I will always love you, but you must forget me and live your own life.”

He abruptly looked up, his gaze like a poisoned needle piercing Cillian.

"Standard tragic love story lines, deeply moving, right? But in the end... in her final moments, when she had a brief moment of brilliance before death, all that bullshit love! All that bullshit resilience! It all collapsed!"

Rolf's voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement.

"She burst into tears, like a helpless child, screaming and cursing chaos, cursing fate, cursing everything! She said she didn't want to die, didn't want to leave, and kept begging me, saying I must have a way to save her..."

Cillian was shocked by this sudden outburst of madness, his whole body turning cold, a chill creeping up his spine like a venomous snake from the soles of his feet.

Rolf lowered his voice and murmured.

"Few people can remain calm and dignified in the face of death, and that's okay."

Before she was completely corrupted into a demon, I ended her life with my own hands, but strangely enough, I didn't feel any pain afterward, at least not as much as I had expected.

I felt only anger. A fury that could burn through reason! I had to do something… I had to!

His gaze refocused, becoming sharp and cold.

"So, just as you said, I became a councilor of the city-state and the chief of technology."

Using power, using technology, to change, to control… I thought this would quell the anger, but it's far from enough.”

He clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, making a slight cracking sound.

“I’m too respectable, too damn much like a powerful, well-dressed civilized man. I should be like a drunkard who’s lost everything, like an enraged street thug! I should… vent.”

Cillian sensed that something extremely terrible was about to be revealed, and the surrounding air became thick and heavy.

A childlike, innocent, and pure smile suddenly bloomed on Rolf's aged face.

“I’ve started killing, Cillian.”

He said it lightly, as if he were sharing a fun game.

"I'm so happy. With the power I have, I easily got my hands on the list of suspects."

What a load of bullshit trial! What a load of bullshit evidence! A waste of time! I killed them all, one by one, like cleaning up trash, and the world is much quieter now, isn't it?"

As if a mask had been peeled off, Rolf's face darkened, and his eyes became extremely sinister and obsessive.

He deliberately kept his voice extremely low, his whispers sending chills down one's spine.

“These are just appetizers; I did things far more terrible than murder.”

Cillian's heart pounded wildly, almost as if it would jump out of his throat.

"In the Wanji Tonglu Academy, each casting chamber possesses a forbidden technology that violates ethics and should be permanently sealed away."

For example, the Forging Court of Myriad Machines and Giant Cauldrons possesses a forbidden technique called Nightmare Corridor.

This technology can preserve the spirit craftsman's consciousness through a special method and inject it into a steel shell, allowing him to continue fighting in a near-ghostly manner. However, the preserved consciousness is like falling into an endless nightmare, with no end or relief.

Similarly, the Myriad Veins · Knot Forging Court also possesses a forbidden technology, which I happen to know a little about.

As Rolf narrated, the clockwork servant emerged from the shadows and picked up the heavy box.

"The technology is called Soul Forging and Spirit Melting."

By throwing living beings with souls into the reactor in a near-sacrifice manner, and using their souls as a basis to transform matter, a special alloy called the "Divergent Soul" is produced.

The memories of the person being melted will form flame-like patterns on the Soul-Slaying Alloy, like a series of murals.

As for the Soul-Binding Alloy, it possesses the terrifying ability to bypass the physical body and directly kill the soul.

However, prolonged use of the Soul-Merging Alloy can cause users to experience hallucinations of the memories of those whose souls have been melted, and even result in the alloy's backlash, damaging their own souls until they collapse.

Rolf opened the box, inside which lay a section of a dark blue chain blade on a dark red velvet cloth. The tip of the blade was covered with vein-like patterns, and faintly floating were distorted human faces, like the remnants of the Soul Fusioner's memories.

Cillian instinctively held his breath.

He remembered the sword.

This sword is made up of segments pieced together, like a chain that can be extended and stretched at will.

That night, the sword blade nearly cleaved his head in two.

The clanging of the clockwork servant's gears amplified in the deathly silence like a death knell, while the fireplace fire stretched Rolf's figure to the dome, twisting him like a monstrous beast ready to devour its prey.

"Unfortunately, this forbidden technology is far too complex, and besides, I only have a general understanding of it."

Hundreds? Or thousands? I can't remember.

In short, I poured almost every villain into it to forge a small piece, which I then crafted into the tip of the sword and placed at the end of this lockblade.

He handed the chain-blade sword to the bewildered Cillian, and then took a six-eyed winged helmet from the clockwork servant.

“I hate you, Cillian.”

I hate your anger, I hate your vengeful heart that's so similar to mine. Damn it, seeing my former self is disgusting.

Rolf cursed incessantly, making no attempt to hide his disgust.

“Go, Cirion, take these weapons and kill Dekar… If you die at his hands, I will avenge you; if you are cowardly and disgrace the name of the Rebel Falcon, I will kill you and Dekar together.”

Rolf patted him hard on the shoulder and gave him some instructions.

"As for the city-wide crisis caused by the power of Silence..."

he sneered.

"This city has been given new life by the spirit craftsmen, and it will continue to be so in the future."

(End of this chapter)