A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 322 A Hundred Demons' Daytime Parade

Before the detonation, they evacuated, and the passage to Storm City was opened to its maximum extent. At this time, Storm City and Shadow City gradually overlapped and merged together.

Freddy was filled with emotion: "It still takes a mage to do this job!" His previous attempts had all failed, but Rorschach had managed to bring the entire city back to reality in about a week after arriving in the Shadowlands.

While these residents had no other choice, this was the best solution at the moment. It is foreseeable that the semi-dead, like the original inhabitants of Jiaomaoding District who depended on the shadowy land for survival, will face complete demise. This is for the best, after all, they deserve to rest in peace, and it is time to end their inhuman and ghostly state.

But Rorschach's words to the people from the air, "say goodbye to the shadows forever," caused serious misunderstanding and panic—the residents of the core area did not think that the Shadowlands were going to perish, but that the evil red-robed wizard was going to reap their lives.

It was mainly Rorschach's responsibility. He was in a state of extreme pain and excitement. After the "anti-spell" that the sage had laid in advance was activated, the two parts of the soul and the alien matter were frantically crushed and mixed together, just like being put into a high-speed blender. Then, a high-throughput magic power was poured in and fused together, forcibly elevating the boy's life essence to the level of an archmage.

At this moment, the Arcane Perspective is no longer a simple aura, but a clear view of everything in sight—all energy, its processes, and its rules, including the life force of everyone: if Rorschach so desires, he can temporarily reverse the energy metabolism of a living being. And the soul. He can forcibly alter the neuronal connection patterns in someone's brain.

Wait a minute, these are all necromancer skills. Rorschach examined his thoughts and shook his head.

The integration was still ongoing. On the surface, there was only one Rorschach, but he could feel a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind, as if two inconsistent ideas were vying for power within him.

Rorschach's magic was escalating, even putting a sense of pressure on Caroline. Even though the process was still ongoing, he could now move on to the next step of his plan.

Due to the "small misunderstanding," the crowd on the street began to panic, making it extremely difficult for the Rat Whisperers and Grey Elves to maintain order. They wanted to run to a place where the evil red-robed mage could not see them, and wanted to return to their dwellings or caves.

But everything changed: a gray sky, unfamiliar streets, and pedestrians more terrified than the inhabitants of the shadowy land.

They returned to Storm City, back to the real world.

The royal palace, a routine roundtable meeting.

As the kingdom's overseas colonies continued to expand and become increasingly turbulent, more and more knight commanders were absent. At this time, only the Golden Rose and Iron Crown, the permanent garrison in the capital, the Burning Lion who were fighting against El, and the Elf Legion of Leaf Song and White Ash were able to attend.

With only five seats in the twelve regiments, which is less than a two-thirds majority, theoretically this meeting might not even be able to reach a resolution. However, this is only in theory, and today's topics are focused on Storm City.

"I have come to a deep understanding of my mistakes. My immature behavior in the past has tarnished the reputation of Her Majesty the great and glorious Queen, as well as the reputation of the Knights, and has had an extremely negative impact on the social stability of the kingdom."

"Here, I sincerely express my deepest apologies to all the individuals and groups affected." Alfred read his prepared statement without any emotion.

"Alright, alright, it must have been ghostwritten." The Iron Crown Commander impatiently interrupted the Golden Rose Commander's self-criticism. Alfred's outburst in Parliament ignited public opinion, and even the royal mouthpiece could only offer a subtle explanation:

The defeat on El Isle was entirely the council's fault for its incompetence and poor logistics. The "straightforward" Golden Rose, Alfred, in a fit of anger, expressed her dissatisfaction to these cowardly wimps in the wrong way. The whitewashing newspapers even reminded the public that Alfred was the youngest commander of the Knights, implying: he's still just a child!

Then the Grand Master of the Iron Crown Knights cleaned up his mess, answered questions from the House of Commons, apologized to the frightened members of parliament, and coerced and bribed the parties involved to stop making a fuss about the matter.

The Queen sat regally on her throne, her hair obscuring her ears. She said, "That's enough of this matter. Alfred, go on holiday to the countryside starting tomorrow."

Alfred was genuinely terrified: "How long?"

"Wait for further notice before coming back."

The leader of the Golden Rose Guild nodded with difficulty: "As you wish, Your Majesty."

The next agenda item was the real business. The Iron Crown Knights reported that the number of people going missing in the city had recently increased, and many claimed to have suddenly remembered missing relatives or friends. Furthermore, the file of the nameless third Earl Elgin had been found, and everyone remembered his name.

"All signs indicate that a major change has occurred in the Shadow City, and it is very likely that the 'Curse of Name Removal' has become ineffective and the old seals have been broken."

The Queen was slightly moved, and the leader of the Iron Crown Knights offered his idea: "Your Majesty, please give the order. The Iron Crown Knights are willing to form an investigation team to delve into the Shadowlands."

The elf team showed extraordinary enthusiasm, with both team leaders willing to participate in the investigation.

"Any news from the Order? And the Magic Guild?"

Just as the Iron Crown Commander was about to answer the Queen's question, the small bell on the round table suddenly rang rapidly. No one else was allowed to be present at the round table meeting, which meant there was an emergency.

"Come in!" After obtaining Her Majesty the Queen's consent, the Iron Crown Commander suspended the meeting, opened the door, and let the guards in.

The guards reported to the kingdom's rulers: "A large-scale riot has broken out in Storm City, with numerous suspicious figures and creatures appearing throughout the city!"

A commotion arose outside the window, an eerie sound somewhere between singing and noise echoing through the misty streets and city. The important figures approached the window, and the first thing they saw was a small hill, as tall as a building, slowly moving, carrying an ancient wooden staff and a bell that seemed to send the soul away.

There were also many strangely dressed people surrounding the shepherd, including small people with rat skin who looked more like skinny goblins than dwarves, each holding a newspaper trumpet and screaming and singing.

Carriages and pedestrians alike were forced to a halt, some even swept up by a procession that suddenly emerged from the shadows, accompanied by cries of pain from the trampling. A group of people, their bodies burned and resembling zombies, darted through the streets; when sunlight pierced the fog and shone upon them, they burst into flames, igniting a fire throughout the city.

The coachman and passengers abandoned the carriage in a panic, and the rat whisperer established communication with the horse, clumsily attempting to steer it. The bard climbed onto the roof and, surrounded by magical horns, continued playing his songs:

"The stage is empty, so why do we exist?"

"In the forgotten land, I already knew the ending."

Regardless, the show continues, and we are invincible!

For some reason, most of the residents who had fallen into the Shadowlands returned to Storm City and were teleported to the place where they had lived the longest.

Some of the lucky ones were even able to go home and see their families, embracing each other excitedly.

Others were mistaken for burglars, beaten and driven outside by strangers, and then witnessed the streets overrun by ghosts.

The two cities overlap. The buried and forgotten Storm City of the past drags the present, the real Storm City, into a massive chaos and revelry.

Amidst fog, screams, and the joys and sorrows of life, the royal capital of Istani experiences a daytime parade of demons.

(End of this chapter)