Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

If she hadn't just endured such inhuman torture, any young girl would have felt genuinely content to live in such a princess-like room. But the silver-haired girl felt no joy whatsoever. The door behind her was slammed shut, and there were people watching from outside at all times. The windows inside the room had also been welded shut; the specially reinforced tempered glass was not something a frail girl like her could easily break, not to mention that she currently didn't even have a shred of strength left in her body.

"The next experiment will be in three days."

The person outside announced in an unquestionable tone, completely ignoring the response from inside, and left. The silver-haired girl didn't answer, closed her eyes, and fell onto the bed.

At that moment, she didn't want to do anything but fall into a deep sleep.

Her exhaustion was quickly overcome by the soft bed and the overwhelming sleepiness, and she drifted off to sleep, but she seemed to hear a strange voice echoing in her mind:

"Do you want to escape, my child?"

"I can help you."

The girl's lips trembled slightly, and she squeezed out a simple syllable in a soft, whimpering voice:

"think."

The next moment, the lingering sounds of the world in my mind seemed to suddenly receive guidance, the cacophony abruptly faded away, and a real, magnificent, and awe-inspiring symphony abruptly pierced through the quiet and peaceful night sky.

Volume 1: Chapter 181 It's Better to Arrive at the Right Time Than to Arrive Early

[Ta-da!]

The powerful opening music, like a bomb, shattered the silence of Violet City. Roy was jolted awake and stepped out of his room, bumping into Margaret, who was pushing open the door with a puzzled look on her face. Margaret nodded slightly, then asked Nightfall, who was on night duty:

"What happened?"

Ye Tan shook her head decisively: "I don't know. But explosions are not uncommon in Violet City. If there are no accidents, it should be another problem with some Originium mage's illegal experiment."

The Violet City was able to develop in the barren Gaulish wasteland not only because of those vicious criminals or illegal immigrants, but also because the city still had a considerable number of Lytanian specialties—Originium sorcerers.

In Letania, Originium Arts practitioners enjoy a relatively high social status. If you are deemed to have good Originium Arts aptitude, you will receive free education, and your parents and family will also receive subsidies. However, this status is only considered "relatively high"—just above ordinary citizens and Infected individuals. Above them are the Tower Arts practitioners and their retinues residing in the towers.

Under the laws of Letania, the magical experiments permitted to a free Originium mage are quite limited. If your Originium skills reach a bottleneck and you need experimentation or guidance, the best way is to become an apprentice of a Tower Mage and conduct experiments using their magical tower. Otherwise, unauthorized operations are illegal.

Clearly, this was intended to select talented individuals and strengthen the status of the nobility.

However, where there is oppression and inequality, there is resistance. There are always some free Originium Sorcerers who are unwilling to accept the strict, gloomy, and conservative system of the Tower of Letania. They migrated to Violet City in large numbers and became the core residents of this free city, as well as the main candidates for the city's council.

Nightfall's deduction was not unfounded. Any experiment involving Originium Arts was extremely risky. Before Roy and Margaret arrived, there was an explosion like this almost every month, and Rhodes Island always helped with the cleanup. It was just that this time the commotion was particularly large.

Otherwise, where would Rhodes Island's office get the connections to help Roy and Margaret enter the city illegally?

"Generally speaking, the sorcerer conducting the experiment or his neighbors will quickly come to Rhodes Island for help to deal with the potential risks of Oripathy infection and Originium dust spread. I'm used to it."

Ye Tan calmly replied, walked into the inner room, opened a cabinet, took out a set of filtering suits required for entering high-concentration Originium environments, and then peeked out to look at Roy and Margaret:

"I plan to go directly there. Do you and Miss Nearl want to go check on them? If so, I have extra protective suits here."

Margaret nodded decisively: "I'm a combatant. If something really happens, there might be out-of-control casters or Originium artifacts on the scene. It's safer if I go with you."

An out-of-control warlock or an Originium creation?

Roy's first thought was of the Wizard Colossus. While not as resilient as the Mudrock Lord's stone golems, those things could hurl rocks at high platforms, stunning anyone who landed. Roy was quite curious.

Just then, Margaret invited, "Roy, what about you? Want to come along?"

Roy readily agreed.

...............

Violet City, Simon Avenue.

Surrounded by lush greenery and crisscrossed by streams, the area boasts a beautiful and serene landscape, making it a renowned residential district in Violet City. Most residents here are middle-class, while a smaller number of wealthy individuals purchase properties here to house their secret lovers.

At this moment, nearly half of Simon Avenue has been reduced to scorched earth. Flames dance among the ruins, and black smoke rising from the rubble completely obscures the elegant double moon, leaving only a deep shadow.

If someone were to observe from the air right now using a drone, they would surely see that the area of ​​Simon Avenue that is now destroyed is like a tiny speck on the scale of the entire city.

The one playing the notes, a silver-haired girl, stood atop the ruins. Her hands were empty, yet she still struck the perfect pose of playing the violin. Her pale, delicate face was expressionless, and her brown pupils held no light; she moved mechanically like a puppet. Each unseen bowstring pull, accompanied by strange music, unleashed a destructive spell, blasting an area to smithereens.

Not far from the rubble and ruins, a middle-aged gentleman in a suit and tie was watching the scene with great interest, listening to the report from the security personnel beside him.

"Lord Russell, the experimental subject has gone out of control. The cause is currently unknown. But she seems to have lost her self-awareness."

"Lost self-awareness?" Russell glanced around. "And yet he could cause such massive destruction without harming himself?"

Another note from the piano rang out, and Roussel closed his eyes, listening intently to the music that, amidst the chaos, retained reason and rhythm, and even possessed a certain beauty. He then gave the instruction:

"Did you bring the master tape? Record this part for me."

"Enter it?" The security guard was taken aback.

Lucelle frowned slightly: "Do as I say. I suspect this is the true earthly voice of our king."

The true sound of the mortal world?

A look of understanding crossed the security guard's face, but he quickly added anxiously:

“No, Lord Russell, this is already part of the inner city. With such a commotion, the Citizens’ Council and the police will soon send people to investigate. If they find out, it might even attract the attention of the Twin Kings.”

"Hmph." Russell chuckled dismissively, his disdain for the so-called Twin Queens evident in his expression. He said calmly, "Don't worry, I already spoke with the council members before I arrived. They've agreed that as long as I take responsibility for compensating for and repairing Simon Avenue, and sincerely apologize to the council members who manage the city, they'll turn a blind eye."

"That means they won't be coming tonight. You can record without worry."

The security personnel gave Luselle a respectful look, nodded respectfully, and then ran back to the base to retrieve the recording equipment and master tapes.

Lussel stood still, closed his eyes, intending to appreciate the true face of the Witch King's music one more time, but soon, a few untimely noises interrupted his good mood.

His magical scouts, which he had set up around the area, detected the approach of the stranger.

Someone's here? I already let them know, who's so ungrateful?

Somewhat irritated, Russell raised his cane and, with his notoriously bad temper, looked toward the location of the scout alarm and strode toward it.

Volume 1: Chapter 182 We are responsible for eliminating the threat

Ultimately, it's just a fragment; how long can it last?

A dull voice echoed in her mind, and a flicker of fear flashed in the silver-haired girl's empty eyes. She opened her mouth, but before she could utter a sound, the voice in her mind already knew what she wanted to say.

I know, child, I won't let you go back.

His voice was soft and gentle, as if a kind elder were comforting his timid descendant. Yet, his words were filled with helplessness and sorrow.

He seemed to be able to sense what the silver-haired girl was thinking, and he also realized that she would rather have her own consciousness suppressed than return to her prisoner status and continue to be imprisoned and experimented on.

He was determined to fulfill his wish, which is why he stirred up this magical storm. However, the worldly voice in the girl's mind was only a small fragment. Even he could only bring this small fragment to its current extent.

If no official sorcerer is brought in to take the girl away, he will be powerless to do anything once the event is over.

Thinking of this, the owner of the voice seemed to let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

"I never imagined that one day I would have to place my hopes on those traitors who feared me like a raging flood."

Although he did not possess all of that person's memories and abilities, he knew his own identity: he was the Witch King, or more precisely, the first half of the life that the feared emperor of Letania had cut off from himself.

The Witch King, the pinnacle of human magic and the longest-reigning emperor of Letania, was not the tyrannical and unpredictable ruler he would become decades later when he was elected by the Electors. He was a humble, peaceful, refined, handsome, and generous wise king, embodying almost all virtues. In the first ten years of his reign, he accomplished numerous reforms that previous emperors had failed to achieve, revising new legal provisions, standardizing the aristocratic system, and even leading Letania to catch up with Victoria, who initiated the first Originium-Steam Revolution, thus achieving initial modernization.

But all of this began with that ascension atop the tower.

Now, even the Witch King in the girl's mind can no longer recall what happened during that unprecedented magical ritual, or why he can't remember any of his own memories. He can only vaguely sense that after that, the person who wore the mask, although looking exactly like him, was completely separated from him.

He was more like another person, an exceptionally powerful magical machine after a complete reversal.

But at this moment, the Witch King even envied that unfamiliar version of himself. If it were him who had awakened, with his research and application of magic, even this small fragment would probably have been of greater use.

The chaotic power was gradually dissipating, like the final chapter of a long song. The Witch King's consciousness had awakened and would not disappear, but without the power to intervene in reality, he was nothing more than an old man who knew many noble secrets, offering no help whatsoever to his pitiful, imprisoned descendant. And until now, he believed he had seen the figure of an official Lytanian sorcerer.

These good-for-nothings should have been laid off back then, just like Victoria did, by implementing a civil service system.

A wave of angry curses echoed in her mind, and the girl's final thought arose.

We can't just sit here and wait to die; we have to seize this last chance and do something.

The illusory violin in his hand was played again, and a stirring melody once more resounded in the night sky.

........

Somewhat strangely, Ye Tan stopped in front of the ruins and raised her hand to stop Roy, Margaret, and Skadi who had come up behind her.

As a member of the Rhode Island office with extensive rescue experience who frequently visits various accident scenes, she keenly sensed the unusual nature of the scene before her.

"There are no security lines, no sorcerers, not even a single guard. What's going on?"

While the Letanians weren't particularly enthusiastic about their work, their efficiency was undeniable. They were like punctual clocks, always meticulously completing their tasks. Logically, if even a civilian rescuer like Ye Tan could walk from several blocks away, the scene should have already been sealed off by the city council's guards and sorcerers. Yet, Ye Tan could still hear the powerful sounds of musical magic emanating from the depths of Simon Avenue—something was amiss.

Roy seemed to have sensed something as well, and said before Nightbloom:

"Let's wait a bit, I feel like something's not right."

Margaret frowned, somewhat anxiously saying:

"But the affected area is so large, there are probably many injured people inside. If we leave it unattended, the infection rate of Oripathy will rise sharply."

Rescuing patients suffering from mineral poisoning is Rhodes Island's mission, perfectly aligning with Margaret's unwavering commitment to chivalry. As for the trouble that might result from such rescues, that's not something Margaret considers. Even if she knew the risks beforehand, she would still do it.

This reckless behavior brought her a lot of trouble, but it must be said that it was precisely because she did this that she became the Margaret Nearl that Rhodes Island and Roy both recognized and loved.

After all, who wouldn't want someone who, when they're in adversity, is willing to risk everything, ask for nothing in return, and do everything in their power to save them?

"I'm not afraid of Oripathy, shall I go in and take a look?"

Skadi spoke up first. Her words drew sidelong glances from Nightfall and Margaret.

Nightbloom stopped me with a hint of helplessness:

"What are you talking about? There's no one who's immune to Oripathy. This kind of thing should be handled by professionals like us. Miss Skadi, you and Knight Heng stay at the exit. Margaret and I will go in. We'll call you if anything happens."