Lord of Mysteries: The Cultivator - Chapter 28

“Wait, wait, calm down, calm down!”

Anderson’s face drastically changed as he saw Quinn, radiating killing intent and carrying a massive scythe, charge towards him. He immediately plopped onto the ground, lowered his head, and yelled, “I’m sorry, I was wrong!”

He was afraid Quinn hadn’t heard clearly, so he yelled again, “I’m sorry, I was wrong!”

Anderson genuinely wanted to strangle his past self from a few hours ago. Why couldn’t he keep his mouth shut, and why did he have to offend a demigod!

This is too unlucky! Anderson thought, annoyed.

Quinn slowed his pace and walked up to him, momentarily unsure what to say.

Gehrman Sparrow and Cattleya followed and saw the man lying prostrate on the ground in a “fierce tiger landing” position. Their expressions instantly became strange.

“Explain why you are here.”

Quinn twirled the long staff in his hand, asking calmly, looking as if he was saying: If you can’t explain, I’ll plant you in the dirt.

Anderson dared not straighten up, answering the ground: “My companions and I came here to hunt for treasure. However, after entering the temple on this island, we encountered something amiss.”

“There are many well-preserved murals there. This gentleman has also seen them in the dream world.”

He pointed his chin at Quinn.

Quinn’s face darkened, unwilling to recall those unpleasant matters.

“One of the murals was very wicked. It depicted a pilgrimage team walking through separated seawater.”

“The leader of this team was depicted as an angel, with long silver hair down to the vest, and very gentle facial features.”

“I was the first to reach that mural. I stretched out my right hand and habitually sketched various lines in the air. Really, I didn’t touch it; there was at least five centimeters of distance. Who knew, the angel in the painting seemed to open its eyes at that moment.”

“Pffft… cough cough!” Quinn couldn’t hold back a laugh, then pretended to be choked by his saliva to cover it up.

That cover-up was so half-hearted… Klein glanced at Quinn, who was stifling a laugh, and complained in his heart.

“A silver-haired angel?” Cattleya countered.

“Yes, but I don’t know which angel this is. At least, it hasn’t appeared in the various paintings of the Seven Churches. Of course, perhaps the mural artist added it randomly, and it’s not necessarily real.”

Anderson was about to raise his hand to smooth his hair when he noticed that the man opposite him, wearing a round-neck shirt, a brown jacket, and a peaked cap, was staring at him with a cold gaze, as if any slight movement would provoke an attack without hesitation.

Thinking that “Madam Hermit” could simply ask for the answer at the next Tarot Gathering, Klein did not conceal the information and said simply, “Ouroboros, the ‘Trunsoeur’.”

Ouroboros, the ‘Trunsoeur’?

The ‘Angel of Fate’? That King of Angels? Cattleya’s lips involuntarily pursed, and the purple in her eyes seemed a little more pronounced.

The last time she heard this name was at the Tarot Gathering, thanks to Miss Justice’s information.

That was when she first learned of the existence of the Kings of Angels. She hadn’t expected to encounter a clue in the real world just a few months later!

“Ouroboros, the ‘Trunsoeur’?” Anderson chewed on the name with some confusion.

Quinn had heard the legend of the “Angel of Fate” at the Tarot Gathering before. He put on a facade of “I know everything but don’t want to tell you.”

Klein did not speak again, maintaining an appearance of having no interest in explaining.

Seeing that “Admiral of Stars” also did not speak, Anderson could only give a hollow laugh and continued: “At the time, I thought it was an illusion because there were no further abnormalities after that mural.”

“Then, our team split into two parts. Most were frightened by my description and believed we shouldn’t explore that temple. The remaining one-third, eager to gain more treasure, headed into the depths of the temple. We waited for a full day, experiencing the alternation of noon and night three times, but they never returned.”

“We are all excellent treasure hunters and knew something must have happened. After a brief confirmation, we dared not linger or wait any longer. We immediately left the temple and returned the way we came by boat. We had gained enough and didn’t want to risk any more.”

Anderson sighed again: “After leaving that temple, we discovered some changes in ourselves. On the one hand, we became very unlucky. Everything we did went wrong. Even quietly drinking a few sips of ale, we would discover that someone, we didn’t know who, had used the barrel as a toilet and peed in it. Well, that wasn’t my experience; it was my companion’s.”

“Hahaha!” Quinn burst out laughing.

Anderson’s face seemed to flush quite a bit. He pretended not to hear and continued: “On the other hand, we gained control over ourselves in the dream world, no longer hazy, knowing something but unable to take action. So, some of my companions, about one-third of the original number, curiously traveled a distance into the depths of the dream world. Heh heh, they never returned either.”

Cattleya, who had been listening quietly, asked, “What happened to their bodies in the real world?”

“They mutated into monsters, killing many of the remaining companions and most of the sailors.” Anderson took a distinct deep breath. “Although we successfully eliminated those monsters, due to the lack of sufficient sailors and a series of unlucky incidents, we couldn’t reach this island before the storm hit.”

“So, our ship sank, and our gains sank too. The rest of the companions either drowned, were struck by lightning, or were swallowed by monsters in the water. I didn’t witness all of it myself.”

“Only I, who am relatively stronger and luckier than them, was thrown by the waves and successfully swam to this island, where I started trying to build a canoe to leave. But then my axe broke!”

After recounting his experience, Anderson Hood smiled at “Admiral of Stars” Cattleya and the unidentified individual: “Do I have the honor of riding the Future?”

“I will pay the fare.”

He looked as if he was prepared for them to name their price.

Cattleya looked at Quinn and Gehrman, seemingly seeking their opinions.

Quinn turned his head, looking as if he was reluctant but wouldn’t object if she insisted.

Gehrman was still contemplating.

Just as he was hesitating and guessing, Anderson said urgently, “I am very familiar with the upcoming route!”

“I can help you avoid the hidden dangers on the safe shipping lanes, tell you which ruins shouldn’t be explored, and allow you to promptly avoid the Mermaids’ singing!”

“The Mermaids’ singing?” Klein’s eyes nearly gleamed. He barely managed to maintain Gehrman Sparrow’s demeanor.

“Yes, from here, it’s about another day’s sailing—I mean one day in the outside world—around a ruin, turning towards…” Saying this, Anderson suddenly realized something. He smiled and closed his mouth, saying no more.

Quinn sighed, seeming somewhat unable to accept this.

After Gehrman performed a divination on the spot, he nodded, agreeing to Anderson boarding the ship, and Cattleya only nodded after Anderson promised the fare.

“Speaking of which,” Gehrman suddenly spoke up. He looked at Quinn, “Why were you chasing him in the first place?”

Quinn’s face instantly flushed red. He looked left and right, fussing about, but just wouldn’t speak.

How can I tell you that Anderson said I look like a woman?

I have face to save too! Quinn didn’t know how to say it.

Finally, he couldn’t hold back. He turned, squatted down, and many vines immediately sprang up from the ground, enveloping Quinn and weaving a large cocoon. It was as if this was how he could escape the previous question.

“Actually…”

Anderson looked perplexed and was about to explain.

Before he could say the words, countless vines also sprang up from beneath his feet, surrounding him and wrapping him into a large cocoon as well.

This only makes me more curious… Klein’s mouth was slightly agape, unsure what to say.

At this moment, the earth seemed to tremble. Dust rose from the distant primeval forest.

A gap opened in the large cocoon, and Quinn stuck his head out, looking into the distance.

The ground vibrated slightly, and a figure nearly three meters tall appeared at the edge of the island’s primeval forest.

It was entirely grayish-white, seemingly composed of large rocks. Its face was heavily pitted, with no distinct eyes, nose, mouth, or ears.

“Stone Giant…” Quinn and Cattleya spoke in unison.

The two large cocoons disintegrated, releasing the startled Anderson and Quinn, who pretended nothing had happened, and everyone adopted a guarded stance, focusing intently on the monster before them.

Cattleya turned her body to face the Future, which was anchored nearby. She half-raised her right hand and amplified her voice: “Aim!”

The pirates on duty on the ship immediately adjusted the aiming of the dozens of cannons on the port side, making them all target the heavily approaching Stone Giant.

Boom! Boom!

Cannonballs flew out, landing around the Stone Giant. Dust instantly surged up, obscuring a large area.

In the distinct tremor of the earth, flames swirled and fragments scattered, as if everything could be destroyed.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The tall, grayish-white figure emerged through the smoke and dust, seemingly without suffering any serious damage; only the surface was slightly cracked.

“Admiral of Stars” Cattleya said with an unchanging expression, “This is not a type of Giant; it belongs to the Stone Monstrosities.”

“Its core is the main ingredient for the Sequence 5 ‘Guardian’ of the ‘God of War’ pathway, so its defense is extremely high.”

“Then why did you hit it with cannons?” Quinn asked in confusion.

“I hadn’t encountered this type of Beyonder creature before, so I wanted to perform a test.”

What an impressive answer! Quinn’s heart was suddenly filled with respect for this “Scholar” woman.

“This fellow looks quite similar to my Giants!” Quinn said inexplicably, looking at the heavily pitted, three-meter-tall Stone Giant.

“Let me see if it can fight as well as my Giants!”

Quinn crouched low, suddenly accelerated, and charged in front of the Stone Giant. He dodged the heavy punch it slammed down, leaped into the air, performed a flexible spin mid-air, and fiercely swept his foot against the Stone Giant’s chest.

Bang! Crack!

A crisp cracking sound rang out. At the spot of Quinn’s footprint on the Stone Giant, a sudden spread of green quickly covered the original pale white.

“So hard!”

Quinn landed on his butt, clutching his foot and howling. Behind him, the Stone Giant’s three-meter-tall body crumbled inch by inch. Countless branches were vaguely visible in the broken parts. Plants had pierced through every part of the Stone Giant’s body, disintegrating it from the inside out.

“Amazing!”

Anderson’s eyes widened. He did not spare his praise, hoping to slightly improve the demigod’s impression of him.

After giving himself a quick treatment, Quinn heard Anderson’s words.

“Heh heh, it was nothing, really…”

He was stunned for a moment, then smiled broadly and waved his hand, saying with a modesty mixed with a hint of smugness.

He seemed to have completely forgotten Anderson’s earlier suicidal remark in the dream world.

Anderson was dumbfounded. He turned to “Admiral of Stars” Cattleya, his puzzled gaze seemingly asking: Is he a demigod?

Cattleya watched Quinn still smiling foolishly and immediately understood his meaning.

She gently closed her eyes and nodded.

Anderson suddenly felt like he was still in the dream world.