Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

Chapter 289 The Price

Almost simultaneously, the group looked toward the center of the table, where a book bound together from yellowish-brown parchment lay open.

Splash!

The book was turned by an invisible wind, reaching the last page, and Klein and the others then saw the ending:

"With the help of the Ringed Knights, the hero of the ancient dragon-hunting war, Grosser fulfilled his promise and led his teammates to kill the 'King of the North,' Julian, but their story is not over yet."

"Will the story continue?"

Mobert Zoroaster, a nobleman from the Solomon Empire of the Fourth Epoch, clicked his tongue, his tone somewhat displeased:

"It's as if our fate is still in its hands."

"Shatas, where do you want to go next?" Mobert asked, suddenly turning his head to ask the elven singer.

Shatas's gaze faltered for several seconds before she said firmly:

"I……"

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly saw Mobert burst into flames!

It truly got 'burning'!

The warm flames completely engulfed his body, leaving only a blurry figure visible through the flames.

Shatas instinctively reached out to touch it, only to find that her own body was also covered in flames.

Shatas felt a pang of anxiety. Looking around, she realized that it wasn't just her; the Rune soldier Longzel, the ascetic Snowman, and the giant Grosser had all ignited at the same time.

In contrast, the three remaining individuals, including Yu Jin, remained normal.

Mobert stopped Shatas from erupting, looked at Ember with confusion, and asked:

"What's going on?"

Although his body was covered in flames, he did not feel pain, but rather a healing warmth.

The changes they underwent were clearly related to the embers; it was he who, at the last moment, transformed the icy gate into a fiery gate.

Ember took out the Holy Bell of You'er Sheikah and said calmly:

"The warmth of the fire provides continuous healing, ensuring you don't die for the time being."

Mobert's heart sank, and he pressed on with the question:

What does "temporary immortality" mean?

Ember asked in return:

"How long have you lived in the book?"

Mobert fell silent immediately; he had clearly realized what was happening.

Normally, while Sequence 5 Extraordinary individuals have a slightly longer lifespan than ordinary people, it's only a little. Unless they are Extraordinary individuals or extraordinary beings obtained through special means like vampires, living for one or two hundred years is already their limit.

He was trapped in that book during the Fourth Age, which was still the time of the Solomon Empire. But now it is the 1350th year of the Fifth Age, meaning he has lived for at least 1350 years!

In comparison, Grosser and Châteauroux lived longer.

They were already trapped in the book during the Second Age, and have lived for at least three thousand years!

Snowman was a little later, but still trapped in the book at the beginning of the Tertiary period, nearly or even more than three thousand years ago. Even Ronzel, the last of them to be included in *Grossell's Travels*, had been trapped inside for over a hundred years…

Under normal circumstances, they should have died long ago, and their bodies would probably have turned into dust by now.

"Is it just a guarantee that you won't die for the time being?"

Shatas murmured softly. Although she didn't know the source of this extraordinary ability, every ability has its limits. The moment this extraordinary ability failed, they might face their own death…

"Mobert".

Shatas whispered, "I..."

"Don't say a word!"

Mobert abruptly interrupted him, his gaze fixed on Ember, and said in a deep voice:

"You can save us, right? What price will it cost?"

Ember knew all this all along, and knew that they would die once they left the world in the book.

That's why he was able to prepare in advance and temporarily save their lives with that unknown, extraordinary ability. But the other party's purpose in entering the world of the book was to have Grosser serve as their guide in exploring the Giants' Court.

Therefore, the other party must have a way to save them, or at least the ability to save Grosser!

Since they were able to save Grosser, saving them was just a side effect.

But the other party didn't do that, which only shows that they didn't pay enough of a price!

Even the giant Grosser realized this, and spoke in a low, booming voice:

"Aish, they are our comrades..."

Ember did not deny it, and frankly stated:

"This is actually very simple. Any god can save you. You can try praying to the god you believe in."

Mobert countered:

Do you believe that the God we worship is still alive?

He worshipped the Black Emperor Solomon, but Solomon had long since died with the fall of the Solomon Empire.

Shatas worshipped the Elf King Suniasolem, while Grosser worshipped the Giant King Ormir. Both of these ancient gods had died at the hands of the ancient sun god, who himself had perished thousands of years ago.

Ember was not surprised, and said at a moderate pace:

"Therefore, I can offer you three options."

"One is the goddess of night, one is the god of knowledge and wisdom, and the other is 'the Fool'."

As Yu Jin spoke, he conjured three slips of paper on the table.

The names of the three gods are recorded in Giant's language, Elvish language, and Ancient Hermes respectively.

Klein's eye twitched instantly; he knew it!

"I'm going to the bathroom," Klein said in a low voice, preparing to quietly leave the room.

"Let's go later."

Yu Jin called out to him.

"it is good."

Klein raised an eyebrow, immediately understanding, and nodded slightly.

Mobert gave Ember a deep look. It seemed the other party had offered three choices, but in reality, they had only given one…

Mobert held Shatas's hand and tried to speak calmly:

"We choose 'The Fool'."

Although he is an "ancient person", Long Ze'er is not.

He knew that the Fourth Age worshipped seven gods, six of whom already existed during the Fourth Age.

But in those days, all living beings were subject to the Black Emperor Solomon.

Even the gods, in order to counter hostile forces, acknowledge His Majesty the Emperor's rule.

Night, War, and Death are locked in a standoff; Storm, Sun, and Wisdom are deeply at odds; Earth's attitude is ambiguous but leans more towards War. This makes it impossible for them to cooperate stably and resist the alliance of the Black Emperor and the True Creator.

Of course, from a historical perspective.

The six finally reached an agreement, and thus the Black Emperor fell, and the Tudor-Trensost United Empire was established...

Therefore, in a sense, all six gods are enemies of Mobet, including the goddess of night and the god of knowledge and wisdom.

of course.

Mobert's choice of "The Fool" was not for such a superficial reason.

Although in theory all six gods are his enemies, the six gods may not even know him and wouldn't care about such a minor character.

Mobert was also very clear about his own abilities and never had any intention of seeking revenge against Liu Shen.

Even the Black Emperor and the Solomon Empire have been destroyed, so what's the use of him wanting revenge? Who does he think he is!

Even setting aside these factors, Mobert didn't believe that the goddess of night or the god of knowledge and wisdom would answer their prayers.

They may be the protagonists in the world of books, but what are they in the real world?

How could the gods possibly care about them?

The embers' invocation of the goddess of night or the god of knowledge and wisdom is clearly a pretext; only the final "Fool" is what he truly wants to say.

They had no other choice but to pray to the "Fool" from the very beginning.

"The Fool?"

Ember seemed somewhat surprised; he had originally thought that at least two other people would choose the Goddess of the Night.

For example, for Longzel, a former soldier of the Rune army, choosing the Goddess of Night was not an unacceptable choice, given his past faith in the Lord of Storms.

After all, the Goddess of Night is also the orthodox faith of the Kingdom of Rune, and the three major churches do not oppose each other's conversion.

Edwina remained calm and showed no dissatisfaction that no one had chosen the "Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom".

Mobert noticed that some of the others were resistant, and he patiently explained:

"It's just prayer; there's no need to force a change of faith."

This is their only chance to survive, so please don't do anything foolish at a time like this!

Especially you, Shatas!

Mobert frantically tried to signal to the elf with his eyes, regardless of whether the elf could see him through the flames.

Ember turned his gaze to Snowman and said:

"You can try praying to Urolius, who now serves the true creator, the embodiment of the residual power of the ancient sun god, and whose name has been changed accordingly."

Edwina took the initiative to cooperate with Ember, writing the name "Angel of Destiny" on the paper.

For this ascetic, praying to other gods might be somewhat unacceptable.

The ancient sun god he worshipped had already fallen, so praying to the ancient sun god was unrealistic.

But his angels are still alive.

If he really resists, he can try praying to the angel of fate.

After all, Shinzo and he are now in a cooperative relationship.

Whether Snowman can accept the fact that the true creation is the ancient sun god is none of Ember's business.

The ascetic Snowman was silent for a moment, then whispered:

"Thanks."

Unlike the others who were still hesitating, Snowman did not hesitate at all and skillfully recited the name of the Angel of Fate:

"The lingering spirits of heroes,"

The true Creator's chosen ones,

"Gazing into the eyes of fate..."

As the name was being chanted, Snowman hadn't even had a chance to utter his own prayer.

A figure suddenly appeared in the room.

He was a tall, slender man dressed in a simple, plain linen robe, with long, silver hair reaching his waist. His features were gentle, his face beautiful, and his silver eyes held a tender yet slightly indifferent gaze.

"Forgive my disrespect, My Lord, Angel of Destiny!"

Snowman immediately knelt down, his posture one of utmost devotion.

Because he recognized the man in front of him as the 'Angel of Fate' who served by the Lord's side!

For most people, when the eight archangels are mentioned, their first reaction is the "Imaginary Angel" Adam and the "Time Angel" Amon.

But for devout believers, they know very well that among the eight archangels, the one whom the Lord trusts most is the "Dark Angel" Sasriel. He is the leader of the angel kings, the left hand of God, the vice-ruler of Heaven, and the one closest to the Lord!

Besides these, the one whom the Lord trusts most is the "Angel of Fate," Urolius.

Even if everyone else betrays them, these two will still serve the Lord!

So he was certain almost instantly that the true creator was the incarnation of the ancient sun god!

Ulorus swept his gaze indifferently over everyone in the room, not even lingering on Snowman, but instead looking at Ember.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then suddenly nodded slightly to the embers.

The next second, He and the devout Snowman disappeared simultaneously.

It was as if it had never existed.

"..."

Mobert's expression shifted slightly, showing some hesitation.

The True Creator was once an ally of the Black Emperor, so theoretically, it's acceptable for him to pray to Urolius now, right? After all, the True Creator was once the orthodox faith of the Solomon Empire, which is more acceptable to him than some "Fool".

But when he thought of Ulrich's nod to the embers before he left, he felt a little uneasy.

The other party clearly has a close relationship with the True Creator; even the King of Angels treats him as an equal. If he were to change his address to Urelius or the True Creator, the True Creator, not wanting to offend the latter, would likely ignore his prayers…

"I'll go first."

Grosser said in a muffled voice.

Because of his height, he had to crouch on the ground and stagger forward, trying to pick up the piece of paper with the name 'Fool' written on it. But just as he was about to touch the paper, Grosser suddenly remembered that he was still 'burning', so he hesitated and withdrew his hand, only glancing at it briefly.

"Fools who do not belong to this era"

The mysterious ruler above the gray fog

The King of Yellow and Black, who holds the key to good fortune…

Grosser looked somewhat bewildered; he hadn't received a response like Snowman's.

"It would be a miracle if there was any response..."

Klein silently complained to himself.

Indeed, layers of illusory prayers echoed in his mind, but would he dare to respond to them?

Fortunately, he didn't need to lift a finger, and he didn't think that Ember needed 'The Fool' to handle such a small matter... After all, if even Ember couldn't handle it, 'The Fool' would probably have to shut it down himself...

Reciting the name of the Foolish One is just an excuse.

He simply wasn't going to let Grosser and the others receive 'redemption' unconditionally; they would have to pay something for them to cherish it.

As he silently grumbled, the flames on Grosser's body quietly dissipated, and the feeling of being healed vanished without a trace.

Grosser felt incredibly weak. His body began to age at an unimaginable speed. His skin became wrinkled and withered in the blink of an eye, and his muscles atrophied rapidly, making it difficult for him to support his massive body. He knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his hands.

But the next second, an even more powerful life force surged forth, quickly filling Grosser's body.

This allowed his body to recover to its peak condition in a short period of time, and eventually stabilized thereafter.

Mobert asked in a low voice:

"How are you feeling?"

Grosser scratched his head and said in a simple and honest manner:

"It feels great, I think you should all try it."

"Shyatas..."

Mobert breathed a sigh of relief and immediately wanted to persuade the elf beside him again.

I'm not as fragile as you think.

The elf, who had remained silent throughout, glanced at him and spoke calmly.

"This is a good thing."

Mobert didn't care and shrugged with a smile.