绝代双骄 林志颖

“…The wounds…can’t find…”

“Is he awake?…”

The quiet conversation said in whispers seemed to come from far away, drifting around his hazy mind, wafting like smoke, hard to catch.

Ge Xiu raised his eyelids with difficulty, the sun’s dazzling rays shone through the gaps between the green leaves, swaying on his eyelids and cheeks, bringing a needle-like burning pain, he subconsciously turned his face to avoid the strange light above his head.

A surprised voice suddenly sounded in his ear:

“He is awake! He is awake!”

Immediately, a series of chaotic footsteps quickly came over from a distance, with their shadows the blazing sunlight above his head was blocked, and the words of concern sounded from all directions “Are you okay?” “How are you feeling?” “Is there any discomfort?”

The noise and chatter made Ge Xiu feel dizzy, and his whole body felt as if it was being crushed by a heavy object. All the bones in his body and every muscle connected to it were clamouring with pain. It made it hard to concentrate. He raised his arms heavy as if filled with lead to block his eyes, he squeezed out two broken syllables with difficulty from the hoarse throat:

“…shut up.”

The chaotic voices around him suddenly stopped, seemingly surprised at his unexpectedly rude attitude.

At this moment, an elegant and low male voice came from outside the room: “What is everyone gathering here for?”

The speaker seemed to have a lot of prestige. The people who surrounded Ge Xiu instantly fell silent and obediently made a passage, to let that person walk in.

Ge Xiu turned his head to the voice subconsciously.

His eyes had long been accustomed to the darkness. Now, suddenly in the bright daylight, it was difficult to see anything. Physiological tears filled his eyes with the stinging pain, making his vision become even narrower.

In his blurred misty vision, Ge Xiu could only see the other party’s bright blonde hair and the tall silhouette wearing a silver-white mage robe.

——All in bright colours.

Ge Xiu cursed in his heart and quickly moved away his painful eyes.

Fortunately, the other party didn’t know the thought that went through his head just now.

The man came closer to him and said gently: “Hello, I am Dreiter*, the magic teacher of the Light Magic Academy. Last night, when Adam and Emily went to patrol the surroundings, they encountered you attacked by some unknown dark creature, so they rescued you and brought you back to our camp.”

He explained the previous process clearly in a few words, and then asked with concern:

“Do you need anything now? Water or maybe food?”

Ge Xiu thought about his hungry body and nodded slowly.

Immediately afterwards, he suddenly remembered something, he swept his blurred vision over the tattered clothes that got torn during the previous battle, and then he added succinctly in a hoarse voice:

“…… clothes”

Dreiter nodded, whispered a few words to the person behind him, and then waved his palm, the sunlight above his head seemed to be suddenly blocked by something, and his vision became dark.

Ge Xiu blinked away the physiological tears in his eye sockets, and immediately felt a lot more adapted.

Only then did he realize that he was not outside at this moment. There was a huge tent above his head. The inside of the tent was white and brown like a cowhide. The texture is soft, the shape was unusual and with an exotic accent. The sunlight that fell on his body before seemed to be shining from the window at the top of the tent, added in order to make inside brighter, but now the window was closely covered by a curtain of some kind.

While Ge Xiu was looking around, the person from before walked in again with a tray in his hands.

On the tray was exquisite silverware, the silver wine glass was filled with water and fruit wine, on the plate was honey bread, a small amount of bacon, and a plate of fresh fruits and vegetables with dew – a world apart from the squirming and beating pieces of meat waiting to be absorbed at the bottom of the Abyss.

……The memories and scenes from before rushed like a tide.

And the last thought that flashed through his mind before he fell unconscious:

he was the key to the center of the mainland.

Ge Xiu blinked his still blurry eyes thoughtfully, propped up his body with some difficulty.

——Actually, when he was being chased by the demons, he already had some vague guesses.

The higher demons were the existence at the top of the food chain on the entire opposite side of the continent, and they actually spent so much time trying to find the location of an ordinary human being, which in itself was certainly worth thinking about. What’s more, in the initial short-term encounter, the demons who first discovered them had no intention of harming his life. Even among the magic puppets that were completely dismantled by him, spells written on the magic stones included prerequisite instructions to ensure his survival.

So, after being forcibly sealed on the opposite side of continent, in the harsh environment for 30,000 years, what would these dark races desire the most?

Of course it is to leave.

And he was obviously the key to opening this door.

And another element related to it must be the moon phenomenon.

Ge Xiu slowly swallowed the food in his mouth, and reached out his hand for the silver glass to moisturise his lips. The light red fruit wine in the cup was filled with sweet fragrance, and his dark eyes were reflected on the surface of the flowing wine.

The question now was…

Would the juries who expect him to suffer endless torture give him such a convenient and important identity?

Dreiter left the tent silently.

The dazzling golden sunlight sprinkled through the dense cover of the tree, and fell on the bottom of his hair, like a bright sky, bringing an indescribable calm and gentleness.

A tall man in a silver armour stood under a tree not far away, and his breastplate was engraved with a holy white crown symbolizing the God of Light. He walked quickly towards Dreiter, the elegant silver pattern on his armour gleaming with holy brilliance alongside his the movements, and he asked:

“How was it?”

Dreiter shook his head calmly and leisurely: “There was a small amount of holy water mixed in the wine, but there was no unusual reaction after he drank it.”

The solemn expression on the man’s face did not disappear: “This doesn’t mean anything. Ordinary humans may also become servants of the the Dark God followers…”

“Ed “Dreiter interrupted him.

He frowned and added an emphasis on the pronunciation, “An ordinary human with scars.”

The knight called Ed did not seem to be convinced: “You’re not unaware of the dark elemental aura on him. The Detecting Spellstone that I carried on my body began to warn several miles away, and the horrible creature you described to me—the black wolf with wings on its back. I have been a Templar for twenty years and I have never heard of such a creature. In addition to the wounds on his body… As far as I know, no magic of the God of Light can cause wounds of that form.”

He held the iron hilt with his fingers and said: “Dreiter, let me take him to the nearest Temple of Light and leave it to the bishop to judge.”

Dreiter’s frown turned deeper: “A human being tortured by the dark elements can’t march with you for so long, not to mention, don’t you still have a task on your hand?”

Ed was silent for a while, his face quickly turned ugly.

Dreiter looked at the other party’s expression, sighed lightly, and broke the stagnation in the air: “…Is the situation so bad now?”

Ed nodded solemnly:

“In fact, in the last hundred years, the Holy See has found active traces of dark elements intermittently throughout the mainland, but the Templars dealt with it in a timely manner and rarely let them threaten the people, but it has been different recently…”

He paused and said in a low tone: “In the past three months, there has been way too much.”

Dreiter was shocked and asked, “What do you mean?”

“The Templars are now recruiting on a large scale, because the manpower is far from enough. This week we already found evidence of the existence of at least three necromancers. Although the Holy See did not clearly state it, rumours are now everywhere…” Ed took a deep breath and continued: “The 30,000-year seal may be loose.”

Atmosphere turned silent for a while.

“What about you? What is your mission this time?” Dreiter asked suddenly.

“This time it’s just to check the abnormal fluctuations of a nearby dark element.”

Dreiter thought for a long time and slowly said, “In that case, let us go with you.”

“Why?” Ed was puzzled.

Dreiter raised his chin to the tent behind: “We found that the place where was the injured human being is not far away from your mission target, he is likely to know some information related to your mission. Besides, you can walk with us to prevent him from any hidden dangers. It is the safest in terms of safety and efficiency. And…”

He slowly exhaled a suffocating breath, an anxious light flashed in his eyes and his voice suddenly lowered by a few degrees:

“In fact, my teacher had predicted the possibility of the seal loosening 80 years ago. The future situation is definitely more precarious. I would rather me have my students face it early, to get used to it in advance, instead of panicking when the danger strikes.”

However, Dreiter still had concerns.

He looked at Ed: “Is the risk factor of this mission high?”

Ed shook his head: “It’s only Bronze. I have dealt with five cases just in the last month.”

Dreiter nodded: “It’s good then”

The two walked toward the depths of the woods, discussing this as they walked. The specific plan of this action gradually disappeared.

In the gap between the creamy white tent and the floor, a small pitch-black sphere quietly retreated into the tent, and quickly rolled forward under the gap of the cover to the carpet, It jumped onto the slender and pale fingers and finally stopped rolling forward in the palm.

Ge Xiu leaned against the small table beside him, with one hand propped on his cheek, his eyes slightly drooping carelessly, and he absent-mindedly played with the pitch-black ball with his fingers.

He was not in a good mood.

It wasn’t because of the other party’s distrust and calculations – after all, if it were him, he’s afraid that he would have made the same choice. No one would be so stupid enough to believe someone who fainted by the lake and was covered with traces of dark elements.

The key point he cared about is – he managed to raise a pet for so long and now it run away like this?

Ge Xiu toppled down, laid down on the table bonelessly, and sighed.

If he still had a chance to return to the previous world, the first thing he had to was is to completely destroy the book that taught him how to get along with pets… whether it was electronic data or physical archives!

——It’s just misleading!

·

The temple of the god of war had long been transformed.

The god pattern on the wall was chiselled off and replaced with a holy white crown. The image of god was torn down and rebuild. Only the rough and huge pillars on the outside can vaguely were like what it once looked like.

In the gap under the dark golden gate, a pool of dark red blood slowly extended, flowing down the stairs step by step, dyeing the white stone surface into a dazzling bright red.

In the sanctuary, the bright sunlight fell through the colourful windows, making the bright statue standing on the altar appear more holy and compassionate.

A man with black hair, dressed in a black robe, stood under the idol, looking up at the pale and cold stone statue, just like an ordinary pilgrim.

——If it weren’t for the blood of the chief priest spreading under his feet.

The paladins guarding the temple rushed from outside the temple fully armed, and the deep dome was suddenly filled with the crisp sound of iron weapons clashing and noisy footsteps. Tips of countless swords blessed by spells of light element were shining with cold white light, full of hostility, pointing directly at the mysterious stranger.

“I don’t like the changes you made here.”

The man didn’t look back, only commented lightly.

His voice was deep and magnetic, like a pure silver harp dedicated to the gods, a subtle and elegant accent vibrated slightly at the bottom of his tone. The plain words carried some kind of indifferent, cruel subtext, which brought people terrifying heart palpitations.

To him, the clamours and warnings of the paladins were like background noise, similar to the murmur of the breeze and gurgling of the water—

Simply irrelevant.

The next second, the man raised his finger lightly.

——All the sounds in the temple stopped.

The entire huge temple was filled with deathly silence, and the quietness was almost scary.

Immediately after that, the huge bright statue suddenly shattered and disintegrated, and the white powder fell into the pool of blood that dyed the entire hall with the silent wind.

The man climbed up the steps gracefully and slowly. The black robe that reached to the ground billowed like dark clouds behind him. He lifted the corners of the robe and sat on the high seat of the God, in his blood coloured vertical pupils reflected the door of the temple and pillars stained with blood and floor littered with broken limbs.

Elinor curled up his lips carelessly:

“That’s much better.”

————————————————-

*meaning bright, promising

Bamboo has something to say:

Ge Xiu was right: he used the book to raise a pet and raised a husband instead. Useless book!

(by the way sorry I’m late QAQ I was busy yesterday)

Little Theater:

Believers of God of Light: we are here to save you!

Ge Xiu: *squints* what are you, lightbulbs?

Believers of God of Light: …he must be from the fraction of Dark god!