Chapter 1219: 206. One Minute
“They’ve shown themselves?”
Muen was surprised. “Where?”
He had only just been wondering when they would come out and cause trouble, yet unexpectedly, they had already jumped out?
Those guys really would not remain obedient like this.
“Searching.”
Her fiery-red long hair fluttered, and her golden pupils were incomparably blazing. Muen could feel an unimaginably powerful mental force suddenly being released, rapidly spreading toward the entire city with that tall figure as its center.
Hamreign was extremely focused, to the point that she did not even have the attention to perfectly suppress her draconic pressure. Part of the pressure leaked out, and even Muen, standing beside her, already felt that his breathing had become somewhat heavy.
The shop owner in the corner on the other side was in an even more miserable state. His entire body curled up beneath the table, holding his head and trembling, almost literally pissing and shitting himself.
Muen sighed softly and was just about to voluntarily move closer to help him share the pressure...
“Huh? Lord Hero?”
But the shop owner suddenly stopped trembling. As if he were searching for something, he raised his head and looked around blankly. “It’s Lord Hero... It’s Lord Clarence! This is Lord Clarence’s voice! Lord Clarence, where are you?”
“...What Clarence?”
Muen’s footsteps froze in place.
The shop owner in front of him seemed to have heard some kind of voice, revealing joy that came from the bottom of his heart. He even ignored the terrifying pressure released by Hamreign...
But Muen had not heard anything.
He subconsciously looked around. There could not possibly be anyone else speaking here.
This was very strange. As a Fifth-Rank warrior, his hearing was far better than that of the shop owner, an ordinary person. If someone really was making a sound, then why could he not hear it, while the shop owner could?
Moreover, the name Clarence immediately made Muen vigilant.
Because that was precisely one of the survivors!
Although he did not know why it was like this, the residents of this city hearing the voices of those survivors at this moment was absolutely not a good thing!
“Miss Dragon! Block the transmission of sound!”
“It was blocked long ago. What do you think my restrictions are for?”
Hamreign did not have Muen’s confusion. She seemed to have heard that voice as well, and precisely because of this, unimaginable fury surged even more violently from that tall dragon body, like a volcanic eruption!
She felt as though she had been toyed with. The voice released by that guy had actually directly crossed the restrictions she had placed to block all mediums!
“That voice entered these people’s ears through another method... No, did it enter their souls? So that is not a voice at all!”
Hamreign’s figure flashed and appeared beside the shop owner. Her palm grabbed his head and carefully investigated.
The more she investigated, the clearer that fury became. Her appearance was still concealed, but Muen seemed to have already seen the irritability and savagery hidden beneath that mist!
“His soul was tampered with in advance,” Hamreign said coldly.
“Could it be Pollution?”
Muen’s heart was startled, and the most terrible consequence immediately jumped into his mind...
If Pollution had already been injected into these people’s souls in advance, then all the effort they had made during this period...
“It is not Pollution. If it were Pollution, it absolutely could not escape my investigation. This is a kind of... mark? Imprint? Fixed point? In any case, it is something like a seed buried deeply beneath the soil, extremely difficult to discover. Because it does not contain any power and does not produce any negative effects, if that guy had not opened his mouth to speak, this thing might never have been triggered.”
“So... this is merely a simple method that allows the residents here to hear the survivors’ ‘voices’?”
“Correct.”
Muen thought rapidly.
Although it only allowed these residents to hear their “voices,” being able to tamper with their souls without even Miss Dragon noticing was already an extremely astonishing method.
And this definitely was not an isolated case. It was not only the shop owner before him who had heard it. Right now, everyone in New Tars must already have heard that “voice” which Muen could not hear!
Muen found it difficult to imagine that this was the ability of those survivors.
Had the so-called Goddess of Light once again provided technical support?
But...
When had Brother Withering gained an Authority ability in this area?
Could it be that after swallowing the Silent Moon, he had undergone a super mutation and evolved something incredible?
“No, now is not the time to think about this. How the survivors completed this thing is not important. What is important is... why are they doing this?”
Muen shuddered and hurriedly forced his thoughts back onto the correct path.
Miss Dragon had already said that the tampering the survivors had done to the souls of the people of New Tars merely allowed these people to hear them speak.
But what use did that have? Could he twist the situation around merely by saying a few words?
Did that Clarence also think he was the chosen son of fate and could solve everything with his mouth?
Muen’s thoughts turned rapidly, but he had no clue. At this moment, a slightly cool, soft palm reached over and held him.
“Miss Dragon...”
This could be considered the first time she had actively held him. Muen subconsciously glanced toward the fiery-red figure beside him.
But Hamreign said nothing at this moment.
It was merely that vast mental force instantly enveloped Muen, allowing him to finally hear that...
“Voice.”
【Here... I address you.】
It was the voice of an old man. Muen was hearing it for the first time. It should be Clarence, whom the shop owner had mentioned.
That voice trembled and was filled with sorrow, like an old man harboring compassion, softly speaking to everyone.
But Muen felt malice.
Enormous malice.
Hidden deeply within those gentle words.
Although he still did not understand the other party’s intentions and purpose, his intuition told him that he absolutely could not allow that guy to continue like this!
“Miss Dragon, have you still not found him?”
“He is hidden very deeply.”
“What about tracing it in reverse?”
“This is a transmission method similar to resonance. It does not require a medium, so there is no such thing as tracing it in reverse.”
“But... since he can make all the residents in the entire city ‘hear’ it, then no matter what, he must mobilize a considerable amount of power. Since there are fluctuations of power, then there must be traces to follow. They are merely hidden very well!”
Muen grabbed Hamreign’s hand in return.
Hamreign’s delicate eyebrows rose. Hugging her legs and pulling her hand before could be ignored, but she had never imagined that a human would be so bold as to directly wrap her hand within his palm. It truly was...
Dong!
Suddenly, an ancient and profound bell rang out, instantly taking away all of Hamreign’s attention.
She immediately realized what the fluctuations and power currently being released from Muen were. It was the lifelong achievement of a certain hateful guy, and precisely the main reason she had brought him on this journey.
Eternal Clock!
“With an absolute difference in power, he has no choice and can only seek another path, so there is a high probability that he will still use that remaining ancient time relic, even if it is only used as support!”
Muen gritted his teeth. In order to coordinate with Miss Dragon’s excessively powerful mental force, his face instantly became pale.
“Use this to trace him in reverse!”
Hamreign looked deeply at Muen and once again temporarily ignored his increasingly presumptuous disrespect. She even took the initiative to gently guide his mental force, as well as the fluctuations of Eternal Clock activated by him, spreading them toward the entire city!
Tick!
Somewhere in the city, Clarence’s expression suddenly darkened.
Because before him, the hands of the clock that should have been moving normally and evenly had actually begun to accelerate!
This meant that his time had decreased, from one minute to less than forty seconds...
No, thirty seconds!
And it was still decreasing!
“Damn it! That hateful brat!”
Clarence cursed in a low voice. “That is why Avik is truly too unreliable.”
At that time, his main task should have been to kill that brat named Muen Campbell. Yet unexpectedly, a dignified old thing several hundred years old had actually failed in the matter of killing a tiny Fifth-Rank warrior!
Although that tiny Fifth-Rank warrior looked somewhat abnormal, and Priscilla had also said that he was difficult to deal with, just how difficult could he possibly be?
Could he be difficult enough to give even Crowned Ones a headache?
They were all merely excuses for incompetence!
Trash!
“It seems that it was right for me to act personally this time. If those two fellows had been exchanged into this situation, they might not necessarily have been able to stabilize it.”
Clarence pressed down on the small clock with one hand. A powerful aura was released, and all of his strength was poured into it. The radiance of the lantern before him also became increasingly bright, completely enveloping the clock.
Under the double enhancement of himself and the Goddess’s blessing, the accelerating hands returned to their original speed. He did not waste any time either, and the following words immediately came out of his mouth.
【People of New Tars, please listen to my prophecy. Do not easily believe any words that dragon... and that dragon’s hound say to you. Within forty-eight hours, she will completely destroy this city and kill all of you!】
“What?”
The shop owner looked as though he had been struck by lightning. He raised his head and looked fearfully at Hamreign not far away, then hurriedly shrank his head back.
“She will destroy this city within forty-eight hours? How could that be? Clearly, that was not what she said... But Lord Hero’s words absolutely cannot be false. N-no wonder she imprisoned all of us. It must be because killing us this way will be more convenient. What should we do? What should we do...?”
The shop owner continued to panic. Clarence’s voice was like a thunderclap, completely shattering the final defensive line in his heart.
“I don’t want to die... Sob...”
“Bullshit! Do not listen to him!”
While enduring the stabbing pain and activating Eternal Clock, Muen became so angry that his face twisted.
What prophecy? What forty-eight hours?
That bastard only knew how to open his mouth and babble complete nonsense.
Who exactly wanted to destroy this city? Who exactly was blindly causing trouble?
If his predictions were really that accurate, why did he not predict whether his future son would be born without a foreskin?
Ah, right.
He was about to die and would not be able to have any son.
So could you, a thing whose son would be born without a foreskin, shut your mouth!
【I know that at this moment, all of you are confused and afraid. You need to seek help.】
【But unfortunately, we are also unable to help you. The evil dragon is eliminating us, eliminating the final strength of New Tars!】
【Right now, you can only rely on yourselves!】
“Rely on ourselves?”
The shop owner cried in despair. “What can we do ourselves? We are completely not a match for this evil dragon... The difference is too great. Lord Hero, what exactly should we do? We...”
【Please do not worry!】
Clarence’s voice suddenly became sonorous and powerful.
【You do not need to be confused, nor do you need to be afraid. I can confidently tell all of you that what you are facing now is not a dead end.】
【Because I already handed the method of obtaining salvation to all of you long ago, did I not?】
“Salvation?”
“He already handed it to us?”
“What is he doing?”
Whether it was the shop owner listening or Muen desperately helping Hamreign locate Clarence, both were stunned at this moment.
They did not quite understand what nonsense Clarence was speaking.
What did he mean by saying that he had already told them everything? Did he truly think he was powerful enough that merely leaving behind a few words in advance could overturn the situation Miss Dragon had worked so hard to maintain...
Wait.
“Words left behind in advance...?”
A certain scene suddenly flashed through Muen’s mind.
Could it be...
“Miss Dragon!!”
Muen roared.
Heavenly Universe Literature, following updates had never been so enjoyable.
That suddenly agitated emotion made even Hamreign look toward him in surprise, not understanding why he had suddenly gone mad.
Of course, Muen had not gone mad. It was merely that at this moment, looking at the scene beside him and looking at that shop owner, he suddenly remembered something.
It had also been this coffee shop.
It had also been that shop owner.
Right here, Muen had once had a conversation with him regarding the city itself.
At that time, when they spoke about whether external forces had participated in the construction of this city, the shop owner answered that Lord Hero had indeed spoken to them about the so-called Goddess.
Muen had asked, “Why do you not believe in the Goddess?”
The shop owner had answered, “Lord Hero said that it is not yet time to believe in the Goddess.”
At the time, Muen had still been confused. But later, as his understanding of this city deepened, he realized that that point in time truly was not the time to believe in the Goddess.
Because for the incomparably wealthy people in this city, believing in the Goddess was completely unnecessary.
So-called faith in gods, if it was not actively spread, was mostly born from suffering in reality and emptiness in the heart. At that time, they were neither suffering nor empty. Instead, they lived happily in this beautiful place created by human hands. They had no need for that kind of thing at all.
Therefore, Muen had asked again, “Then when will it be time to believe in the Goddess?”
The shop owner had answered, “When it is time to believe, we will naturally believe.”
At the time, Muen had been equally confused by this answer. He believed that faith was not some automated thing. Either it was actively spread, or it changed over a long period of time. Suddenly believing in a certain god at any moment was simply a fantasy.
But now...
“The method of salvation has already been told to us... It has been told to us?”
After hearing Clarence’s words, the shop owner was confused for only an instant before immediately falling into desperate thought.
He believed Lord Hero.
He trusted Lord Hero.
He believed that those who built this city and protected this city absolutely would not speak nonsense.
The path to salvation was within it.
It was within his mind!
“Miss Dragon, quickly!” Muen said again.
He had thought a great deal, but only a brief instant had passed.
Hamreign had only just turned her head and exchanged a glance with Muen.
And merely this one exchange of glances immediately caused all her doubts to disappear. Terrifying fluctuations swept in every direction, and the mental force erupting from her body became even stronger!
Muen also directly took out a jade bead and placed it in his mouth, activating Eternal Clock to the greatest possible extent and cooperating with Miss Dragon’s search regardless of the cost.
Dong!
Finally, a low hum came from somewhere.
“Found him!”
The golden pupils suddenly shone brightly, and Hamreign’s figure directly disappeared from where she stood.
When she appeared again, she was already inside an extremely ordinary-looking house.
The house was directly blown apart.
Its location was unexpectedly not far from the coffee shop.
Even Muen could see it with his naked eyes from here.
And opposite her...
Was Clarence!
“Ah... You found me.”
Clarence looked at this figure he had not seen for eight hundred years. First, he was briefly stunned, then he sighed with emotion.
“You seem to have changed considerably. It appears that even upon you, time leaves traces.”
Tick.
Behind him, the ancient clock suddenly cracked, while its hand was still a full ten seconds away from returning to its highest point.
In other words, the time that he had forcibly extended and fought for had once again been forcefully pushed back by the combined eruption of Muen and Miss Dragon.
“This truly exceeds my expec—ugh!”
Hamreign did not waste words. She grabbed Clarence by the neck and simultaneously sealed all of his power, preventing him from using some kind of method to “say” anything more to the people of this city.
After this brief but heart-stopping game, the cat had finally pinned down the fleeing rat.
It appeared that this game was finally about to end, and the rat’s conspiracy would also come to nothing.
But...
“Cough, cough... You caught me.”
The rat grinned. He did not fear the cat before him, who could kill him at any moment, and his smile remained unchanged.
“But unfortunately... you were still one step too late.”
...
...
“What exactly is it?”
The shop owner was still thinking.
At this moment, fear and confusion occupied his entire heart. According to common sense, these emotions would affect his memories and judgment, causing him to fall into chaos from which he could not escape.
But at this critical moment, the result was precisely the opposite.
It was precisely because the continuously accumulating fear and confusion had begun to attack his already fragile heart that he naturally...
Thought in the direction Clarence wanted him to think.
A direction that could only be considered amid despair, pain, fear, and confusion.
“Ah, I understand! I know how to save myself!”
The shop owner suddenly shouted. He was incomparably delighted and directly began waving his arms and dancing.
“I know the method Lord Hero and the others left behind!”
“...”
Because he had consumed too much mental force, Muen had not even had time to catch his breath. He ignored everything else and stared fixedly at this fellow who had suddenly gone mad. Even Hamreign could not help turning her head at this moment.
The shop owner clasped his hands together and began devoutly chanting toward a certain place.
“Great...”
“I’ll great your fucking head!”
Muen, finally able to free himself, rushed over and kicked the shop owner unconscious.
He had believed that doing this would temporarily stop this idiot’s actions.
But...
Even while unconscious, the shop owner’s lips continued opening and closing, slowly producing vague syllables.
“This is...”
Muen’s pupils suddenly contracted.
“Hahaha!”
Clarence laughed loudly. Because his neck was being gripped, that laughter was hoarse and sinister, like the howl of a ghost.
“Do you still not understand? This is a ‘voice’ that only the soul can hear, and also a ‘response’ that only the soul can make. Even if you knock him unconscious... Even if you knock everyone in this entire city unconscious, it will be useless!”
“He can still hear it. He can still respond. What should happen... will ultimately happen. No one can stop it!”
“Great... Goddess.”
The shop owner’s lips opened and closed. His physical body had already fallen unconscious, but his soul devoutly prayed toward an existence radiating endless, blazing brilliance.
“Please listen to my prayer.”