I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Chapter 630 Sweet Rice Dumplings, Savory Tofu Pudding, Dumplings with Vinegar

"Mr. Browning is a respectable man. He was not my first employer. Before that, I worked for a factory owner in the ruined city. Although it is impolite to comment on my previous employer, I must say that Mr. Browning was a great benefactor compared to that factory owner."

"Oh, of course, we servants also communicate with each other, and we exchange information about our employers. As far as I know, Mr. Browning treats his servants the best. Although his salary is at a normal level, he gives us enough holidays and rest time. Most importantly, he respects us. Gentlemen, even though we are of lowly status and are ordered around all day, we still have our own self-respect, and Mr. Browning will respect us."

"As for his children, as professional stewards, I think it would be difficult for them to continue Mr. Browning's business, not only in terms of ability, but also in terms of attitude. They do not have the awareness of becoming entrepreneurs and are still under Mr. Browning's protection."

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that about my employer, but I just couldn’t help it, and you were the one who told me I could speak freely.”

"Let's get back to the main point. Mr. Browning is a very good man, kind to people. Especially after moving into this manor, he seems to have become even younger. Although his pickiness about food or clothing is sometimes hard to understand, overall, I am very willing to serve him. As for the inheritance you mentioned, I'm sorry, I have never inquired about Mr. Browning's property. His rooms are cleaned regularly by the maids, and I don't think there are any hidden compartments or secret rooms. I have never seen Mr. Browning do anything suspicious."

"I'm sorry, that's all I know."

In a house with its doors tightly shut and the wind and rain raging outside the windows, the old butler answers Stone's questions.

After confirming a few more things, Stone dismissed the steady and honest old butler from the house.

Only then did he put down the magnifying glass.

"This is a contaminated item; I bought it at [Silent Department Store]."

Noticing Lu Ban and Xia Ya's gazes, Stone smiled and explained.

"When I hold it, the other person cannot refuse to answer my questions and can say information far beyond their own understanding. The price is that I will constantly hear the thoughts in these people's hearts, the thoughts of those around them, and some babblings that I don't even know where they come from."

"It seems to work really well, can I try it out?"

Lu Ban asked.

Stone thought for a moment and then handed the magnifying glass to Lu Ban.

Lu Ban took the magnifying glass, and the indifferent and cold words of the Silent Land gradually appeared in his field of vision.

The Soul of the Seeker

【alienation】

In the Land of Night, there are always those who are curious about what lies on the other side of the Black Forest. They build towering towers and raise creatures in captivity, all in search of the answer.

[In this process, some may sacrifice their lives; for those who are curious, "If one hears the truth in the morning, one may die content in the evening."]

What is gained after the soul solidifies is not only their knowledge, but also their thirst for knowledge; the more they crave knowledge, the more they are able to touch the truth.

Hold it, and you will find the answers to all your questions, and much more. A soul thirsting for knowledge will never cease its pursuit.

"Just one more step, just one more step, and we'll have all the answers! Why not take another step forward?!"

Clearly, this is likely a relic left behind by a chosen one who perished. This chosen one was probably from the Night Kingdom, a mage who attempted to understand the origins and methods to control the demonic tides, but ultimately died for unknown reasons, leaving behind this item.

Holding the magnifying glass, Lu Ban heard countless faint murmurs in his ears.

He could barely make out that some of the voices came from Stone and Sia, and some from the servants. The murmurs seemed to be their inner thoughts, or perhaps lies woven by some indescribable being. The voices gradually grew louder, and amidst the noise, Lu Ban seemed to catch some even stranger words.

谷脅

It was like a call from another world, a poem echoing from the stars. Lu Ban listened carefully, and those chaotic words flowed into his brain, impacting every groove of his cerebral cortex.

Lu Ban looked at Stone in front of him and suddenly spoke.

"you……"

Before Lu Ban could finish speaking, Stone felt a pang of anxiety. He was somewhat surprised, but also relieved, because this was a question that should have been asked long ago.

He knew very well that after Lu Ban obtained this extraordinary item, he would probably ask him directly about Trist. If it were Stone, he would do the same.

After all, how did he, originally an enemy, become Twisted Fate's assistant, and how did he inherit his estate after Twisted Fate's disappearance? Stone's account is entirely one-sided, and no one can corroborate it.

If Stone were in their position, he might cooperate while maintaining his skepticism and find various ways to probe and eventually uncover the truth.

With this "Seeker's Soul" present, Stone would certainly use it to investigate the situation.

In fact, he had already used this extraordinary item to roughly confirm Lu Ban and Xi Ya's thoughts.

To Stone's surprise, the two men almost believed his words and regarded him as a companion.

This is very difficult for Stone, who grew up in the treacherous world of the underworld, to understand.

Of course, Stone's previous companions in the cooperative missions all died during the missions, and he had never encountered a companion a second time, so he naturally did not know the importance of companions in the Silent Land.

So when Lu Ban asked to see the magnifying glass, Stone had expected him to do so.

However, since he had a clear conscience, Lu Ban probably couldn't see anything wrong with him.

Lu Ban rubbed the magnifying glass and took a closer look at Stone.

"So you put salt in your fried eggs."

He said.

"what?"

Stone was taken aback, not immediately understanding what Lu Ban was talking about.

"Sweet rice dumplings, savory tofu pudding, dumplings with vinegar... only rice is the same as me."

Lu Ban spoke in words that Stone didn't quite understand, but after a moment, he realized that this was to his liking.

"what do you want to say in the end?"

Stone wasn't sure if Lu Ban was testing him or if he really didn't care, so he asked.

"There's nothing wrong. When I was holding this magnifying glass just now, I heard what everyone in the room was thinking, and then I discovered some problems."

Lu Ban returned the Soul of the Seeker to Stone and then said.

"There are other people in this house whom we haven't discovered yet."

Chapter 631 Eavesdropping on Thoughts

Upon hearing Lu Ban's words, Stone immediately lost his joking mood. Whether the zongzi was sweet or savory, or the tofu pudding was savory or sweet, nothing could compare to what Lu Ban had just said.

"Theoretically, this magnifying glass can hear the thoughts of people nearby. Of course, these thoughts may not be current, but may be deep in their hearts, or even subconscious."

"In other realms, besides humans, there are all sorts of monsters, the offspring of evil gods, those great beings, the Great Old Ones. If you listen carefully, you can indeed use this thing to make contact with those beings."

Lu Ban explained.

He didn't know what the chosen one had done, but judging from the current magnifying glass, it was only a matter of time before the chosen one went mad. His curiosity led him to absorb too much knowledge, eventually causing his sanity to drop to zero. He would either mutate into a monster or die on the spot.

If I keep holding this magnifying glass, I'll probably be able to sit down and have a proper talk with the gods from other lands very soon.

As a tool for gathering intelligence, the best way to use it is naturally like Stone did: to use it only briefly for questioning and investigation.

Of course, people like Lu Ban can learn more information through this thing. Anyway, his rationality is already at zero, so it can't be lowered much further.

"So, I just heard the thoughts of everyone in this manor, and it's clear that there's an extra person, who is neither a servant nor someone we've seen before."

Lu Ban said with certainty.

"Who is he? Is he the will of Daoist Heming? Or is he Byron?"

Stone asked hurriedly.

At this moment, it was already dawn, but in this endless storm, even the daylight could not escape eternal darkness. Candles had to be lit in the house to see the surroundings clearly. In those corners where the candlelight could not reach, monsters seemed to be lurking in the shadows.

"That's not necessarily true. Their thoughts weren't significantly different, but at least it's certain that this is the person who killed Gao De."

Lu Ban replied.

Finding specific words in a cacophony of evil god signals is no easy task. Even if Lu Ban doesn't experience any cognitive confusion from these words, if the connection lasts too long and attracts the attention of some evil god, he'll be in big trouble.

When he held the magnifying glass, it was like an innocent boy shouting loudly in front of a group of fierce-looking, dark-skinned, muscular men. It was hard not to attract attention, making it impossible to do detailed work, target a specific person, or eavesdrop on their inner thoughts.

"So, what happened in this mansion is probably related to that person. He must have wanted to complete a soul-summoning ritual... This soul-summoning ritual should not have brought back Browning's soul, but rather the will of the Crane Cry Taoist."

Sia added.

"Indeed, only by offering a soul as a sacrifice can one possibly summon that alien mud monster."

Lu Ban had read the "Nine Chapters of Crane's Cry Secret Scripture" and knew exactly how to perform the ritual to summon the mud monster.

The specific ritual preparations and the contamination caused by the sacrificed souls are necessary to open the passage between realms. Next comes the names and incantations of otherworldly gods. This is not something that can be achieved by simply reciting a few names. In fact, those incantations contain knowledge about these Great Old Ones. Just listening to them, feeling them, and thinking about them will be contaminated.

"The relationship between Daoist Heming and the mud monsters is not close. Perhaps he used certain methods to control those mud monsters and make their will continue in the mud."

Lu Ban briefly explained to Stone and Xia what had happened in the wasteland: those mud monsters were able to merge the will of the creatures they devoured into their own bodies, thus mimicking the personalities of the other creatures to some extent.

From this perspective, the real Crane Cry Daoist may have already been devoured by the mud monster he summoned, and what remains is nothing more than a monster disguised as Crane Cry Daoist.

谷釮

That's why Lu Ban said it didn't matter who it was; whether they were facing Crane Cry Daoist or that mud monster, it was all the same.

"But we don't have a good way to find that mud monster."

Sia used her detection spell again, but against a mud monster that could perfectly mimic human form, it was impossible to find it easily unless it was attacking someone else.

"...If it really is those...monsters, I might have some way to deal with it."

At that moment, Stone raised his hand.

He glanced at Lu Ban and Xi Ya, remained silent for a moment, and then, after two flashes of lightning, Stone said in a deep voice.

"As you all know, every Chosen One will receive a [Desperate Gamble] after entering the Silent Land, which allows them to roll the dice of fate once in the most critical moment to change their destiny. In addition, every Chosen One will also receive an [Inherent] ability that matches their chosen profession."

"Just like Mr. Tristana's [Mimetic Sunfire], it's a powerful revolver."

He looked at the two of them.

Lu Ban goes without saying; the power of his [Last Words] has been demonstrated many times. As for Xi Ya, although it wasn't explicitly stated, she certainly possesses a similar [Inherent] ability.

"As you know, I had already come into contact with the extraordinary before I became a Chosen One, or rather, I was corrupted by other realms."

Stone gave a wry smile, tinged with helplessness.

He had spent his days and nights with the mud monster that the girl had transformed into, so it was impossible for him to remain completely untainted. If he hadn't become a Chosen One, Stone might have already gone mad from the pollution of this alien world.

Although he's not much different now.

"Therefore, my acquisition of the [inherent] ability in the Silent Land is also related to that pollution."

Stone raised his hand, and out of Sia's and Lu Ban's sight, a small notebook appeared.

"【Summer Log】, one of my 【inherent】abilities is that I can conduct detailed tracking after marking a target, provided that I touch an item related to the target. As long as I can get some clues, I can find the other party's location."