NABC Page 226
Page 226
After a moment of silence, Luo Xiu looked at the woman opposite him:
You may not have heard this story before.
Chapter 188 The Story of Kanriel 2 (The Final Reveal Chapter 2)
"You say it."
Hearing that Luo Xiu also had a "story" to tell, the woman smiled gently, then sat down with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her white dress lay on the scorched earth like a blooming water lily.
"But let me make this clear beforehand: I've heard far too many stories, and I might know the one you're about to tell."
Luo Xiu nodded and began to recount the "story" he knew:
"The protagonist of my story is the descendant of the old count, and as for the time, it is many, many years after the story you are telling."
The woman listened quietly, her eyes crinkling with a gentle smile. She was already certain she knew the story once she heard the beginning of Luo Xiu's tale.
Because she had been living in Kanriel for many years, she felt she knew a fair amount about things there.
But she listened quietly, because she really enjoyed listening to stories.
Throughout her long life, playing the role of various people and listening to their stories was perhaps her only pastime.
"As time slowly passed, generation after generation of the old count's descendants appeared and took charge of the city."
Luo Xiu coughed twice and began the formal narration:
"Among them are many exceptionally talented individuals who have put forward novel and unique ideas in the face of this sealed fifth-order mushroom monster."
"Initially, some descendants suggested using the mushroom monster's corpse to craft a fifth-tier item to protect the city."
"Later, someone suggested using the mushroom monster's spores to benefit the residents of this land."
"And so, gradually, Kanriel became one of the most unique cities in the kingdom. Its residents were not bothered by monsters and could freely indulge their crazy ideas, living a life of wealth and freedom."
"At the same time, the descendants of the old count formed a tradition that whenever a person with extraordinary talent appeared, they would think of new ways to make use of this sealed fifth-order mushroom monster."
"But as time goes by, human thinking has its limitations, and there is always an end to innovation. Until recently, some descendants proposed to combine mushroom monsters with other species and utilize them."
At this point, Luo Xiu paused, looked at the smiling woman sitting on the ground, and sincerely asked for her advice:
"This part is just my guess, but I think the species is human, I don't know if I'm right."
"It's a human corpse."
The woman smiled and corrected Luo Xiu's statement slightly.
Luo Xiu nodded and continued:
"This innovation is groundbreaking. Monsters cannot be controlled by mind control, so we use human corpses to transform monsters into half-human, half-monster beings to achieve the goal of control."
"However, after that, the old earl's descendants never made such a big, innovative breakthrough again. There may have been some innovations in between, but they were nothing more than minor innovations."
"Until a genius of exceptional talent appeared in the descendants. He was as intelligent and gifted as his ancestors, but he was even more insane than his ancestors."
"Let's call him Xiao Xie."
"Perhaps Xiao Xie's ancestors also had crazy ideas, but they ultimately did not touch the essence of the fifth-order monster. Maybe they were afraid that the seal on the fifth-order mushroom monster would disappear, or maybe they were afraid of uncontrollable mutations. I'm not too sure about that."
"But what is certain is that Xiao Xie is not afraid of these things, and he began experiment after experiment."
"He's crazy, but he's not stupid, so he didn't initially set his sights on the fifth-tier mushroom monsters, but instead focused on the low-tier demon bats."
"He mastered the alchemical potions that allowed him to enter the arena of Kanriel and control monsters through experiments there. At the same time, he began research on monster flesh and blood, hoping to directly steal the power of monsters from living beings."
"I've heard that he even had his top student try to fuse with a monster to obtain the terrifying physique of a demon bat. During the finals of a certain competition, his top student actually spread out a fleshy wing that resembled that of a demon bat."
"Clap clap-"
The woman smiled and clapped:
"A wonderful story, but unfortunately... I've heard at least 80% of this story before."
"There's a second part to the story."
Luo Xiu remained noncommittal, and the woman paused for a moment before continuing to listen.
"Xiao Xie is very smart, but there seem to be some minor problems in his crazy experiments."
"I don't know when it started, but a mushroom disease began to appear in the towns around Kanriel. This disease spreads slowly and is transmitted through food."
"No one cared much at first, but the scary thing is that it seems there is no effective treatment for this disease."
"Once infected, even Xiao Xie hasn't found a solution yet."
The woman thought to herself that she knew about 60 or 70 percent of this story.
"The epidemic is not a big deal. After all, in a crazy city like Kanriel, a new epidemic may emerge at any time."
"So Xiao Xie's approach was to first seal off the main urban area, use stone sculptures to identify the disease, and then gradually develop a solution to the disease."
Unfortunately...
"The disease has entered the city."
"Thump!" The woman stood up from the ground; she had never heard of this part before.
Mushroom disease has entered the city?! When did this happen?
However, Luo Xiu seemed not to notice the woman's reaction and continued:
"The disease has entered the city, which is not good news for Xiao Xie. For some reason, he cannot let the news spread, so he chose to activate the pawns he placed in the Knights."
"The steps are simple: first, quickly detect people infected with the disease, then have the pawns dispose of the infected people, and then disguise it as a missing person case."
Upon hearing Luo Xiu's words, the woman's eyes seemed to surge like a stormy sea, as if a thunderbolt had struck.
This was the case of Kanriel's disappearance, which she had never heard of before.
"It's a pity. As for why Xiao Xie didn't want the news to spread, I have a few guesses, but I can't be sure yet."
Luo Xiu spoke slowly.
……
In some absolutely secluded place.
It seemed to be a dark underground cave, with a "whooshing" sound echoing around.
In the center of the cave was a round table with six seats around it and a candlestick lit in the middle.
All six seats were occupied.
They are the de facto rulers of Kanriel and the most powerful force in the city.
On the round table, the candlelight flickered, illuminating the faces of the six people.
At this moment, the six people subtly split into two groups.
On one side was a tall, thin old man with a long beard; on the other side was a short, petite girl in silver armor; and on the other side was a smiling middle-aged man wearing a black and white mask.
On the other side was a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and a mustache, his expression indifferent; an old woman with silver hair, her eyes lowered; and an unusually tall figure shrouded in mist.
"I reiterate that I recommend suspending Shek's position as Lord of Kanriel."
The one who spoke was an old man with a horse-like face. The orange firelight seemed to coat his bark-like skin with a layer of yellow wax. His sharp eyes stared at Shek opposite him:
"The reason remains the same as before: the mushroom disease has entered the city, and the situation is about to get out of control, but Shek has done nothing about it!"
Chapter 189 The Story of Kanriel 3
Inside the cave, the light was dim, the candlelight flickered, and the damp, earthy smell permeated the air.
After the old man with the horse-like face finished speaking, the remaining five people all remained calm.
Some things have already been said before, but the old man with the horse face is bringing them up again now, which is just going through the motions.
"Those who agree to suspend the position of city lord, please raise your hands. The vote begins."
Faced with the old man's accusations, Shek's expression remained unchanged. His mustache twitched as he spoke, and he immediately announced the start of the vote.
Several hands were raised, hovered in the air for a few seconds, and then lowered back down.
As expected, the outcome remained unchanged: the horse-faced old man, the silver-helmeted loli, and the man in the black and white mask raised their hands, three against three, and still no result was achieved.
"I won't play anymore."
The silver-armored loli slammed her hand on the table, nearly shattering the fourth-tier item. She stood up from her chair and looked at Vivian, with her full head of silver hair, and Tata, shrouded in mist, opposite her:
“I don’t understand why you’re still protecting him. At least four or five hundred people in the city have been infected this time. As the city lord, instead of trying to find a solution, he’s disguised it as a missing person case.”
As she spoke, she looked at Shek with a cold smile:
"Lord Shek, you have quite the skill. Of my ten deputy knight commanders, three of them are pawns you have placed."
Shek didn't speak; he stared at the flickering candlelight on the table, seemingly deep in thought.
Vivian, standing to the side, spoke up, her voice clear and calm:
"It's not that I'm protecting Shek, I'm just wondering, if his position as city lord is suspended, who should take over?"
She slowly looked at the horse-faced old man opposite her:
"Or have you already made preparations to take over the position of city lord, Lucas?"
"I haven't forgotten what you and Hermes did to me a couple of days ago—openly manipulating the outcome of the duel, deceiving the public, and using emotional skills to influence the students of the academy. Do you think you can get your hands on the position of city lord?"
"..."
Vivian's kind voice carried a sharp edge, striking Lucas's sore spot and causing his face to darken abruptly.
The silver-armored loli standing nearby had never heard of what Vivian was talking about. She was somewhat taken aback and turned to look at Lucas and Hermes, who was wearing a black and white mask.
She had been in a standoff with Earl Shek for some time and hadn't even returned with the Knights, so she naturally didn't know much about it.
……
In the lisianthus garden.
Luo Xiu looked at the shocked woman and slowly spoke:
"Although mushroom disease has entered the city, it is not a problem that is difficult for Xiao Xie to control."
"The pawns have already begun to act. The spread of the mushroom disease requires the onset of symptoms before infection can occur. In theory, as long as the infected people in the city are dealt with slowly, this matter will be over."