I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Drizzt fell into thought.

Telling him that he was about to die was too shocking, and then Sia said things that could save him; he really needed time to process it.

"However, doesn't Old Cui's situation also confirm a conclusion, that is, he will definitely be able to leave the Night Kingdom from this mission, which means that our mission will definitely succeed?"

Lu Ban then spoke, turning his gaze to Trist.

Even if you say that, I can't be happy.

Trist instinctively reached for his pipe, but then remembered that there was a lady in the carriage, so he put it back in his pocket.

"No, that won't happen."

Xia spoke up, denying Lu Ban's words.

"This is the ancient Night Kingdom, before the Gray Tower was built, while I come from the Night Kingdom of the future. The fact that I can stand here and use magic means that the construction of the Gray Tower was an inevitable event, a closed loop of fate."

"Moreover, there is also the possibility that the construction of the Gray Tower was inevitable, but it may not have been built with our help."

Stone reminded him.

Indeed, based on the history that Hia can observe, the establishment of the Gray Tower is beyond doubt. Therefore, even if they fail this time and manage to escape, others will come to help build the Gray Tower. At most, it will only be a difference of a few years or a dozen years. Judging the future of the mission based on existing history is not rigorous.

"No, the construction of the Gray Tower was inevitable, and it will definitely be our achievement."

Lu Ban suddenly spoke at this moment.

Chapter 696 Sucking the Marrow from the Bones

Having experienced Feng Yu taking him to Pohnpei Island, Lu Ban had a general understanding of the nature of these missions in the Silent Land.

That is, the true gods took a piece of history from another land, used it as a stage, sent in their chosen ones, achieved the results they wanted, and then put that history back in its original place.

Each mission in another realm is, for these gods, an unexplored part of the story. They can freely jump to the beginning or the end, and throwing the chosen ones into it is a black-box operation.

They are observers of a higher order than the Chosen Ones. If mortals are like NPCs in a story to the Chosen Ones, unable to perceive the timeline, then to the gods, the Chosen Ones are like toys, unable to perceive the changes in the timeline.

If you want to truly take control of yourself, you must step outside your own timeline and take a bird's-eye view of other worlds.

This is probably the concept of "sublimation" that Daoist Heming mentioned.

Only when one has left countless imprints in a foreign land, becoming a law without a concept of time, is it possible to truly break free from the shackles of time and gain true freedom.

Therefore, Lu Ban and his group are currently in the period before the "Grey Tower of the Night Kingdom was built." Eventually, the Grey Tower was indeed built, but countless Chosen Ones may have entered the mission and failed in the meantime.

The reason Lu Ban believed that the successful chosen ones were them and not others was because if they had failed, they would have had an absolute difficulty surviving in this demonic tide.

Moreover, Trist is currently still a detective. Although he has mastered some extraordinary powers, he will definitely need a qualitative change to become like Xuanjun, who can seal the ancient rulers. He will gain something in these missions before he can finally grow into Xuanjun.

Upon hearing Lu Ban's words, Trist was taken aback but did not ask any further questions.

"That's good, then we can relax a little."

He avoided discussing his own death.

"Coming."

Stone glanced out the window; the trees were gradually thinning out, and signs of human habitation were becoming more and more apparent.

How much do you know about this era?

Lu Ban asked Xi Ya.

"not much."

Xia shook her head.

"In this era, since the Gray Tower had just been established, the demonic tides were still raging. Records from most regions were lost in the repeated demonic tides. When the kingdom was destroyed, most of the written records were lost."

In her words, this is the barbaric era, roughly equivalent to the battle between Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang against Chiyou, a mixture of legend and history with little detailed description.

"Then you should also know the name of the founder of the Gray Tower, right?"

Stone pressed for an answer.

"No, we don't know his name. The Gray Tower doesn't record his name, and I don't know why."

Sia denied it.

“I once asked my teacher about this, and he thought it was because many people built the Gray Tower at the time. The establishment of the magic system was not the achievement of one person in a short period of time. Moreover, the magic network itself represents that everyone has an equal opportunity to come into contact with magic. That’s why the Gray Tower avoids mentioning the name of the original builder.”

"But I think that perhaps the creator of the Gray Tower did not want his name to be deified. When a great achievement is attributed to a person, he will gather faith, just like the Crane Cry Taoist, and become a mark, which may become a god. The creator created the Gray Tower to fight against those gods who released demons, so he refused to become the same."

"So, do we still need to find the creator?"

Trist couldn't help but ask.

"That's a good thing. At least in Sia's case, the creator hasn't completed the closed loop yet. As long as we can find someone to help him build the Gray Tower, then he is the creator."

Stone quickly realized.

This is similar to Lu Ban's idea. He doesn't need to search for the first brick of the Gray Tower; he can just find one when it's being built.

"Your Excellency, we have arrived."

The sound of soldiers could be heard outside. Lu Ban peeked out and saw relatively simple defensive fortifications and some towers in the forest. There were few pedestrians on the road and the buildings were low. Soldiers wearing old leather armor were advancing in loose formations. Perhaps because it had just rained, the ground was muddy and the wheels of the vehicles were about to sink into the mud.

A stench of cow dung mixed with soil permeated the air, enough to make even the most refined modern person vomit on the spot.

Lu Ban jumped out of the car and found that he was on a slope. Looking down, he could see a large area of ​​farmland, and many farmers were busy in the fields, sowing seeds and looking forward to the harvest season.

"Your Excellency, I will take you to see the Baron."

The soldier who had initially wielded the sharp longsword spoke, leading the way. After a few steps, he led Lu Ban and the others to a mansion that was still dilapidated, but at least appeared somewhat dignified.

Most of the other houses in the town were made of wood, but this mansion was made of brick and stone, which showed its nobility.

There weren't many guards at the mansion. When Lu Ban and the others entered the courtyard, they saw a man in a red robe sitting there, feeding chickens and holding a handful of coarse grains in his hand, looking quite absorbed in his work.

Just as Sia was about to speak, Stone gestured for her to wait a moment.

After the man had thrown away all the coarse grains in his hand, he clapped his hands, stood up, and turned to face Lu Ban and the others.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Food is scarce right now, and these chickens are still too small. I want to raise them a bit bigger before using them to entertain you all."

He was in his early twenties, about the same age as Lu Ban, with dull blond hair and a thin build. Clearly, even as the person in charge here, his treatment wasn't much better.

“You can just call me Jero. The title of Baron is just something I bought. I knew from the first day I got here that I had probably boarded the wrong ship.”

"Bought?"

Stone raised an eyebrow.

“I have indeed heard that in the last days of the Old Kingdom, the royal family was corrupt and titles were sold for money. Most of the people who bought titles would exploit and squeeze every last drop of blood from the people in their fiefdoms, otherwise they would lose money.”

Sia explained in a low voice.

It seems that Baron Jero wanted to buy a title to make money, but he didn't expect that the town was much poorer than he imagined. Even if he squeezed, he couldn't get any profit out of it and ended up losing money here.

"However, the scenery here is quite nice, and it's close to the forest. It's just a pity that there isn't much manpower. Otherwise, according to what I said when I bought the title, we could make a lot of money by developing the resources in the forest."

Baron Jerro sighed.

Suddenly, an explosion rang out from the house behind him.

Chapter 697 Court Mage

The explosion felt somewhat familiar to Sia, and she looked behind Baron Jerome.

"I'm sorry, my guests can be a bit noisy sometimes."

Baron Jero gave a wry smile and went into the house, followed closely by Lu Ban and the others.

The house, built of brick and stone, was not large; it was just an ordinary dwelling. Lu Ban saw that thick smoke was billowing out from a room on one side.

The smoke had a foul odor, like feces being heated and boiled, which was nauseating.

As soon as Xia raised her hand, a sudden gust of wind swept away the smoke.

She was able to see what was happening inside the house.

A weathered wooden table stands in the center of the room, covered in burn marks, corrosion, and cuts. It's a miracle that it still stands there intact on all four legs.

There were countless bottles and jars on the table. Compared to the table itself, the bottles and jars were much more exquisite, clearly made by professional craftsmen.

The translucent bottles contained solutions and powders of various colors, some of which were even constantly changing color and emitting an alluring glow.

On one side of the table, a bottle of black solution heated by a burning candle appeared to be the source of the stench. It was now quietly rolling on the fire, reflecting the image of the person in the room.

He had short, dark hair and was about the same age as Baron Jero, but due to the explosion, his hair stood up and became a classic afro. His face was covered in dirt and he looked filthy.

"Let me introduce you. This is Jost, my good friend. When we first met, we were still playing with pee and mud."

Baron Jerome coughed twice and introduced himself, adding a final sentence at the end.

"He is a court monk."

Upon hearing Baron Jerro's words, Sia looked at the man.

"Not quite like it."

Soon, the young mage shook her head.

Since a court mage had appeared here, Sia naturally thought of the creator of the Gray Tower.

However, Jost still looks rather inexperienced, and it seems he will need many more years before he can become a fully-fledged mage.

Shea herself is more inclined to believe that the Grey Tower was created by a group of people, rather than by one person.

Neither the Gray Tower nor the Magic Network could have been created by a single genius mage. Only through the painstaking efforts of countless mages could such a massive miracle have been created from scratch.

She is a sorceress who uses reason to deconstruct the world and understands that the laws of nature cannot be changed at will by one or two people.

Jost had no idea what Sia was thinking. He just stared at her blankly, his eyes wide, and then he rushed towards her, saying in an incredulous tone.

"No incantation cast, instant response, no ritual prepared—how did you do that just now?"

He was clearly incredulous that Sia had simply raised her hand and blew away the thick smoke.

"A little trick."

Shea did not give Jost a direct answer.

She wasn't quite sure how mages cast spells before the magic network was established. According to what her teacher had vaguely mentioned, it probably required a complex ritual, specific incantations, and a will strong enough to withstand corruption.