Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

The evolution continued, and blood trickled from Sheriwu's eye.

His senses had entered a new world; he saw the screams of living beings, heard the frenzied dance of spirits, smelled the clatter of offerings, and felt the terrifying gaze residing among the distant stars.

The mere urge to be watched made Sheriwu feel his blood burning, turning into some kind of gel-like substance that blocked his blood vessels, causing his whole body to swell and ache.

Darkness ultimately dominated all his senses.

Just as his soul was about to sink into hell, or to some place beyond hell, a voice echoed in his heart.

"My child is the brightest star in the sky."

The grotesque Sheriwu roared, its vocal cords altered by the twisting of its flesh, and no one knew what it was trying to say.

nobody.

“I am Sheliu, the star I have ordained.”

"It is said that every shining star is a god who watches over ants."

"You aloof and indifferent god, make a deal with me."

The lack of response, the relentless, agonizing devouring pain, is the best irony of the Sheriwu ritual. The body rots, consciousness is erased.

In the void, terrifying anomalies began to pollute reality; they were numerous twisted tentacles.

Blind arrogance and reckless behavior.

Black tentacles plucked the head from the coral-like mountain of flesh, raising it high like a grotesque, twisted flower blooming at midnight.

The dark clouds were mysteriously torn apart, and the starlight appeared in those eyes.

Chapter 363 The Night That Cannot Be Remembered

Lyle had a dream: beneath a sky where emerald green and deep blue devoured each other, two enormous monsters stood before his tiny, insignificant figure.

Bubbles floating in the ocean and twinkling lights in the starry sky coexist in the deep environment, and Lyle doesn't know whether he is breathing air or seawater.

The deep-sea giant's body, with its barnacle-like surface, had tentacles extending from the hollows within, and it approached Lyle step by step.

The Omen Giant crouched in the void, black malice flowing from its empty eye sockets, watching Lyle with a sinister smile.

Unlike before, perhaps because his will was now strong enough to bear their filth, Lyle simply looked calmly at the tentacle with hooks and claws, its surface inlaid with barnacles as dense as eyes, which occupied his entire field of vision.

There was no fear, or rather, Lyle already knew what was going to happen.

From a distant place beyond the reach of sight, from a corner where perception vaguely touches, came obscure songs and distorted hymns, which began to echo throughout the world.

It affected Lyle, and it affected the two giants.

"Goodbye."

The deep-sea giant retracted its tentacles that were about to devour Lyle, and a grotesque mouth like that of a lamprey emerged from its arm, spraying the salty sea breeze onto Lyle's face.

With each movement, it stirred up fine sand and silt, and the deep-sea giant moved away from the place where the hymn existed, disappearing into Lyle's dream.

A sense of relief washed over Lyle, and he turned his gaze to the other giant.

The giant's tentacles were plucking stars from the night sky, like plucking fruit from a tree, and scattering the crushed light dust onto its dark body.

Aren't you leaving?

The holy light in the distance gradually rose higher, carrying a kind of magic, inviting all the [strange] beings.

The ominous giant's body began to tremble, and combined with his sinister grin, he seemed like a man laughing hysterically.

[Expectations]

Lyle

Two words were etched into Lyle's consciousness, and the Omen Giant's body began to twist, forming a "hole" in the sky that swallowed the dream.

Lyle opened his eyes.

An unimaginable stinging pain appeared in my mind, especially after inhaling the cool, bitter-smelling air, the stinging pain became even more intense.

Lyle slowly lifted himself up from the hammock, feeling like a sailor on deck during a storm, with the whole world shaking.

"What...what happened to me?"

A pungent herbal juice with bits of leaves floating on top was placed in front of Lyle.

Ralph's cold gaze held a hint of helplessness.

"You were drunk last night, drink some of this to sober up."

Lyle took the bowl of strange herbal juice, and every cell in his body was rejecting the smell.

"Wow, what is this? It smells even worse than medicine."

"Bitter grass juice is used for detoxification."

poison?

Lyle felt the stinging pain in his head and looked at his uncle in surprise.

"Could someone have poisoned my drink last night? But I survived thanks to my exceptional constitution?"

Ralph rolled his eyes, snatched the bowl, and forced the horrible liquid down Lyle's throat.

"Everyone has been poisoned."

Lewesser only had fruit wine, but to stimulate the market, they developed their own specialty wine business.

Zhen wine, also known as poisoned wine.

Every drink contains a trace of toxins that can irritate the body and enhance the drinking experience. The Lewesse people, who have long lived in the jungle, have developed a certain tolerance to plant and animal toxins, so a little bit of poison mixed into their drinks is considered a pleasant remedy.

However, Lyle is still a normal person.

Ralf breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at Lyle, whose face was contorted in pain.

“King Echer was negligent; we are not from Lewesse, so you have been infected. We have to stay in Lewesse for a few more days to allow them to continue your detoxification treatment.”

Ralph looked at his frail nephew with regret, seemingly blaming him for his thin physique.

Lyle was speechless.

"Then why are you alright? Ralf, you're not a Lewesser either."

Ralph pulled his hat down low, crossed his arms, and leaned against the stake, his eyes gleaming in the shadows.

"Because I am Ralph."

"..."

Interrupting Lyle's questioning, Ralph walked towards the door.

"Anyway, you should rest well. I will stay in Lewes for a few more days to make sure you are fully recovered before going back."

Ralph disappeared from Lyle's sight.

Lyle looked at the empty bowl beside him and felt the urge to die resurface.

He roughly understood the situation.

This was absolutely not an accident; it was definitely Echer's doing. He deceived Ralph, and he deceived Lyle.

Echer's intention wasn't to get Ralph drunk, but to poison him!

He did succeed. Even though Ralph resisted the poison for some reason, Lyle, who was serving drinks, was also affected, and Ralph had to stay and take care of Lyle.

This is the strategy devised by Lewesser, the King of Rangers: poisoning.

What a treacherous old geezer.

Lyle inwardly condemned Echer for harming his ally, but he had no choice but to accept it. It was all for Uncle Ralph's happiness, so as his nephew, he should just silently bear it.

King Lewesser, who will stop at nothing, will surely be able to stop Violet's wedding with this much-needed time.

Lyle's house was still swaying slightly, but the dizziness had lessened considerably thanks to the herbs.

Lyle looked at the window beside him, but due to the angle, he could only see the shadows of the trees swaying in the wind outside.

Then a red and black claw rested on the windowsill, its five long, white bone nails biting into the wood like puppy teeth.

"Heave-ho."

Nia's big eyes appeared on the windowsill, and she squeezed in through the window with a cute interjection.

Nia's body transformed into fluid and connected to Lyle's body. She first glanced around.

"Ralph is not here. It's safe."

Nia raised her arms and spun in the air, the bizarre skirt hem made of grille tentacles drawing a strange arc in the air.

"Nia! Enter the stage!"

Lyle clapped his hands in a very gracious gesture. He was overjoyed that Nia, who had spent the night battling with delicious food, still remembered him. Lyle was moved to tears.

"Lyle, you're poisoned? Nia will help you get rid of it." With that, Nia transformed into shadow tentacles and burrowed into Lyle's body to devour the poison.

"No, no, no, let's forget it." Lyle stopped Nia. In order to hide Echel's plan from Ralph, Lyle would definitely drink the bitter herb juice for the next few days, no matter what, even if it meant death. Since that was the case, it was better to remain in a state of poisoning to avoid being detected by the perceptive Ralph.

Nia nodded, then, as if suddenly remembering something, her body trembled, and she began to pat Lyle's cheek with her tentacles.

"Nia has something very important to tell Lyle!"

Lyle noticed that Nia was unusually serious; her chest eyelid was narrowed, leaving only a slit of light, which could be interpreted as a serious expression.

"What's so important?"

The large eyeball suddenly opened and stared straight at Lyle.

“Nia forgot.”

"..."

"But it's really important! Nia just can't remember!" Nia's arms and tentacles waved wildly in the air, looking anxious.

“Okay, no rush, Nia, take your time thinking.” Lyle reassured her, preventing the enraged Nia from tearing down the treehouse.

In the sunlight, Kayla's soft body swayed through the forest.

Her leather boots landed silently on the wooden board, like falling leaves.