Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Chapter 415 The Condensed Heart

Amid cheers from the audience, Mr. Raymond dragged the rag-like Mr. Darkness back to the stands, then with a flick of his wrist, hung Darkness back on the flagpole. Still fuming, Raymond sulked and returned to the Dean's "guardian" seat.

Lyle stared, speechless, at the large, bandaged, black, disc-shaped object fluttering in the air. In the shadow cast by the "black flag," Sister Elian watched Lyle. Their eyes met, and the beautiful Sister Elian gave a serene smile—a serene smile that sent chills down Lyle's spine.

Elian had once been a member of the Church, so she was well aware of Mr. Darkness's abilities and wouldn't misinterpret Lyle's so-called curse. Especially since, within Andrei's Holy Light forces, the quiet nun was the most perceptive.

The prank has been discovered, and I'm going to die.

Fear climbed up Lyle's spine, turning into a chill that shot straight to the top of his head.

"Ariana, I'm not feeling well, um... I need to leave the arena and rest for a bit."

The lich blinked her eyelashes. "Next up is Elian's gladiatorial match. We're one of her few friends. Aren't we going to stay and cheer her on, Lyle?"

“I’d like to, but I’m just too uncomfortable. I’m sorry, Ariana.”

Yes, Sister Ariane doesn't have many friends, and if she doesn't leave soon, she might lose one more.

Ariana nodded helplessly. "Alright, but don't forget to meet at Benny's bar. When the radiance of the Eye of Arcane shines upon the Andrei district."

In the heart of the City of Wanderers, there is a magical eye belonging to the Secret Council, which observes different neighborhoods at different times to determine the time.

It was exactly seven o'clock at night when it was watching the Dark Seventh District where the Lich was located.

Lyle fled as fast as he could, with Nia extending her tentacles in close pursuit.

Ariana sat upright in her seat, her gaze shifting to the skull chain left behind by Nia.

"Anna! Anna! We're friends! Help me, please!" the gentleman cried out from the top of the bone skewer. If the pale blue soul flame could express such sorrow, the gentleman would surely do so.

Ariana was a gentle lich, and the beautiful skeleton left a deep impression on the gentleman after he arrived in Andre. As the president of the Cup of Extravagance, Ariana must have also harbored feelings of compassion for this.

As he expected, Ariana removed his skull, and the gentleman enjoyed the envious and sinister looks from the other unfortunate men as he held it in Ariana's hand.

"Gentleman, is the Hellfire exhibition match interesting?"

"Hahaha, of course, that's our masterpiece." As soon as he finished speaking, the gentleman regretted it.

Because he had little personal experience with witches, he subconsciously overlooked the worst aspects of them. Ariana was paranoid about her family, and this excessive favoritism was evident in her sisters.

But it seems that someone has also been categorized as belonging to the Naslan family.

The gentleman's soul began to flicker, accompanied by an increasing squeezing sound from his skull.

Ariana agreed to Lyle's departure intentionally, not wanting him to witness her menacing appearance.

A sinister whisper, like that of a ghost, murmured beside the gentleman's skull.

"When Lyle was in hell, I felt like my heart was being squeezed tightly by a hand. It was a truly awful feeling. Gentleman, could you feel it...?"

Ariana's five fingers pressed hard against the fragile skull, and a horrifying crack grew on the pale bone with a teeth-grinding cracking sound.

"It's going to crack! It's going to crack!" The gentleman's screams were drowned out by the cheers of the Black Abyss Arena.

His slender figure ran along the path of the light and shadow, as if his shadow was chasing him.

Lyle even hallucinated a sinister woman's voice cursing in a chilling tone, which made his body temperature drop even further.

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die. I hope Elian will spare me."

It wasn't until the cool, swirling sensation on his neck that Lyle's nervous tension was relieved.

The white tower stands tall in the center of the garden, its highest point adorned with the Mystic Eye, gazing down upon the city.

Lyle ran to the center area.

As the place in this city with the strongest humanistic spirit, it attracts a constant stream of tourists, who condense time into a shimmering glass bottle.

A warm and peaceful atmosphere, carrying the cheerful fragrance of flowers, wafted over, freezing smiles on people's faces.

Lyle took a deep breath. "Thank you, Medusa."

A white creature peeked out from the collar, hidden in the shadow of Lyle's chin. Lyle couldn't see it, but could feel the coolness of its scales rubbing against his soft flesh.

“It’s no trouble at all, Lyle. Even if I don’t do it, ‘that guy’ will help you wake up.”

Following the direction of the little white tail, Lyle saw the so-called guy.

A white rock golem with a deep purple gem on its head. Flowing magical patterns support the golem's movement, and its job is to maintain traffic order.

"Come on, you blind idiot." The traffic puppet said the hurtful words emotionlessly, raising its arm to give the guy who tried to climb over the flower bed a hard flick on the head.

The force was so great that it almost knocked the man unconscious, but he did not faint.

Blue-purple electricity flickered on the puppet's arm.

“Get up, you lazy, wasteful thing! This isn’t your pigsty to sleep in.”

As the person convulsed and bounced while enduring the electric shock, they didn't forget to avoid the white roadside line.

This calmed the dazzling purple light on the rock golem's jewel.

"Personnel training, successful, 152 people."

Lyle took a deep breath and thanked Medusa again.

As the owner of the City of Wanderings, the arcane mage was also immersed in the joy of the celebration.

Most people had gone to the Black Abyss Arena to watch the matches. The old man sat on a bench along the street, watching the young children play in the grass. The arcane mages were decorating their central spire; spiderweb-like magical supports would suspend the mages from the surface of the tower like busy ants on an anthill.

What they held in their hands were spherical, glowing objects, which, undeniably, resembled the arcane bombs of the Magic Research Society. But probably not; all the spellcasters who jumped around like that ended up in Andrei.

Before long, the central white tower was covered in a shimmering, colorful coat. Magic threads connected each individual element, forming a beautiful, frosted net on the tower's surface.

The enormous arcane eye atop the tower also transformed into a captivating color under the influence of magic.

Just as that energy reached its peak, the Eye of Arcane Art left behind a "tear"—a dazzling teardrop-shaped gem suspended in mid-air.

"That is the heart of solidification."

Chapter 416 We Are Still Young

Lyle turned his head and saw the late King Leviser in his formal attire, with Echer standing beside him. The emerald green robe, embroidered with gold thread, resembled a pair of shimmering cicada wings, except that beneath those wings lay a bear. The olive branch crown looked out of place against his disheveled hair, yet its incongruous physique created a kind of incongruous perfection.

Echer's stubble had been neatly shaved, and his slightly overweight belly had been stuffed into cloth. Although it was a disguise, the swollen belly was a part that Echer had originally ordered, because it was something he had never had in his life; the King of Rangers, even with a protruding belly, was as agile as a monkey.

With this attire, Echer certainly exudes an exotic kingly aura.

He stood beside Lyle, both of them looking at the gem that floated in the Eye of Arcane Power.

"What is the heart of solidification?"

"That's what the great poets of Twilight Memories called that thing. As for its real name, it seems it doesn't have one." Echel habitually stroked his chin, but without his greasy mustache, it didn't feel quite right. "I remember asking that guy Irian before, what was that thing called again?"

"Chaotic Magic Bolt? That sounds like it. That thing is a crystal formed from the chaotic magic energy deposited in the city's magic array. Because the powerful magic energy has nowhere to go, this chaotic magic energy condenses in all the magical crystals that form. It needs to be cleaned once a year, otherwise, it will cause problems sooner or later."

It's like a blood clot or a blockage in a blood vessel. If magic is like blood, then magic is like the blood of a spellcaster. Lyle thinks this is a fitting analogy.

"The cerebral thrombosis in this city is really beautiful."

"Pfft, it really is quite beautiful." Echel chuckled, crossing her arms as she gazed at the radiance of the Arcane Eye. "The meaning behind it is also quite beautiful."

"That's proof that the City of Wanderings has survived once again. If I haven't forgotten, it's an escaped city built by a group of spellcasters. Since this city has the ability to create a Condensed Heart, it means that this city hasn't suffered much external attack in the past year. This is because no magic power was consumed by the defensive array."

"Therefore we call it the heart of solidification. The heart of a wandering person that has settled down and found peace."

Lyle gazed at the shimmering crystal, its allure surpassing any gemstone, radiating a soft light.

“I have seen this rock form many times, but this time, I am really looking forward to the upcoming flying competition. Because I will be watching the end of another year and the beginning of a new year together with the people of Levis.”

"Flying competition?"

"One of the celebrations of the Wandering Conquest, for some reason, it won't appear in any brochures. A competition to seize the Heart of Condensation, however, one of the prerequisites for participation is being a flying race who has lived in the Wandering City for a year. Lyle, you happen to be excluded."

“That’s great news.” Lyle tilted his head back at a ninety-degree angle; the height of this tower was enough to make anyone suffer from acrophobia.

Echel gave a mysterious smile, hooked her huge arm around Lyle's shoulder, and led him into the depths of the garden as if she were holding a chick hostage.

"We'll talk about the flying competition later. Since you're here, why not participate in the Twilight Memories' group activities, if you're even considered a member of Twilight Memories?"

As Lyle walked through the courtyard with its trellis grapevines, he heard laughter coming from not far away.

He felt as if he had returned to Hamlet's castle and heard similar laughter.

The difference is that in Hamlet, it was the twisted vampire nobles who laughed, while here, it's the skeletal royalty disguised in flesh and blood. Huh? Why does it feel like the danger level has increased instead of decreased? It's just a minor issue.

Before Lyle appeared a group of handsome men and beautiful women dressed in gorgeous clothes, chatting and laughing.

The former kings of the Twilight Era, after obtaining the disguise of flesh and blood, indulged even more recklessly. It must be said that the royal bloodline endowed them with remarkably handsome genes, coupled with their noble demeanor, which made them invincible in social situations and the focus of everyone's attention.

Wait a minute, something doesn't seem right.

During the Twilight Memories, because of their shared pride as kings, there would be no instance of one side fawning over the other, and they would maintain basic etiquette towards each other, even if they harbored feelings for one another.

And now, indeed, within every small circle, there are people lavishing praise on those members of Twilight Memories who are disguised. Upon closer inspection, Lyle discovers that those seeking to curry favor are not members of Twilight Memories, but ordinary human nobles with flesh and blood.

This...this is the former king of Twilight Memories. In a moment of youthful exuberance, the old man launched a royal family's collective hunt for beauties.

Although their physical appearances were indeed perfect, like goddesses descended to earth, Lyle knew their inner selves were all old monsters.

Your Majesty, Harrington, those men who are completely infatuated with you, their grandfathers could be your grand-nephews! How could you do this?!

Your Majesty, Lord of Russell, weren't you just reminiscing about your deceased wife last month?! How come you've now found two young girls who have just come of age?! And they have absolutely nothing in common with the deceased wife you described?!

Your Majesty, King of Sarat!!! Did the legend of male homosexuality in the court originate from you?! I have absolutely no sympathy for Sarat's fate of having no heir and being destroyed!!! You shameless old man!!!

The young man's hormones practically filled the entire courtyard. Lyle watched as these scenes of love between humans and ghosts unfolded before him. Poor souls, those ghosts were just playing around.

Lyle turned his gaze back to Echel, ready to see which little girl the Leviathan Ranger King, a scoundrel like himself, would favor.

Echel understood what Lyle meant and got furious.

"You cannot insult my innocence! Lyle! My love for my queen is as clear as day! I am not one of these seductive vixens! I... I am deeply in love, an absolutely devoted and unparalleled man! There is no room for anyone else in my heart!"

Echer suddenly yelled a long string of words at himself, before Lyle could react.

Soft, golden hair came into Lyle's view—it was Kayla. She was standing behind Echel with a smile, and he didn't know when she'd appeared. The ranger's senses were truly sharp.

“Welcome back, Lyle. Come on over.” Kayla smiled and looked at her grandfather. “I’ll trust you for now, Grandpa Echel.”