Chapter 183 - The Technology of the Eternal Sleepers (2/2)

“I cannot identify what this thing is.” Sir Philip endured his disgust as he crouched down together with Gawain at one of the stone pillar foundations. He used his sword sheath to point at the squirming and contracting biological tissue at the front. “Even in the records of those ancient books that contained the most insane black magic and the crazy talk of those heretics, I have never heard of the existence of such… life forms. The Eternal Sleepers are not Druids. They don’t have the ability to reform species or to summon life. They must have found these biological tissues from some place and reproduced it, using it to extract the soul. But… where did they find these things?”

“Perhaps these things were bred by the Oblivion Association on behalf of the Eternal Sleepers.”

Gawain frowned and said, “They are associated after all.”

Sir Philip was astonished. “Do those evil cults have such a close relationship?”

“If the reason for their corruption is what I am thinking, their relationship might be far closer than what most people imagine.” Gawain sighed and said, “As compared to that, I am more concerned about the ‘technology’ that the Eternal Sleepers are using.”

Philip was just a soldier and was rather slow-witted in this aspect. “Technology?”

“Viscount Victor mentioned it in the letters he left behind. This is a ‘calculation node’ constructed by the Eternal Sleepers.” Gawain pointed at the nerve cords that were connected to the victims and said, “It seems like they are attempting to replace the real world with a ‘true dream realm’, and using the power of the dream realm to materialize something. It requires a terrifying amount of calculation ability. You can simply understand it as the brain’s capacity. It is a feat that no mage’s brain could accomplish. Therefore, they thought up this insane idea to connect the brains and create a ‘human-brain array calculator’. Do you understand what this means?”

“Does this mean they will kill more people?”

“That is just the surface. The deeper significance is that this group of heretics aren’t just crazy, they are also in possession of crazy technology!” Gawain spoke sternly. “They are rejected by mainstream society and have been hiding in seclusion but are still constantly developing. They have developed a new technology that is far beyond the current era’s standard of magic. The heretics that have insane ideas aren’t terrifying. The terrifying thing is that the heretics actually have the ability to research, and they are very good at it!”

While speaking, Gawain stood up and looked at the entire underground hall.

“The most frightening thing is that if this crazy technology that they created is used in the right place, their technological advancement will be faster and more terrifying…”

After collecting the stone rubbing of the runes and the samples of the remains, Gawain and Sir Philip left this place.

After the dream realm’s power faded, the castle’s main hall was transformed into one of the smallest areas. Apart from the exterior walls, support pillars, and the ceiling that suddenly exposed the signs of 30 years of aging, this place was still brightly illuminated, clean, and fresh. The servants that lived in the castle were actually cleaning the place on a daily basis, but the overlapping trait of the dream realm and reality had ensured that the effects of their cleaning weren’t just restricted to the dream realm.

In fact, due to the ending of the dream realm’s effect, the indistinct and gloomy aura that constantly lingered in this place had also vanished. The castle’s main hall was now much warmer and more peaceful than before.

However, the warm and peaceful atmosphere couldn’t relieve the anxiety of the people gathered in the main hall.

Fear had enveloped everyone’s hearts, including the chief Knight who had guarded this place with loyalty and devotion for 30 years.

When the dream realm ended, everyone in the castle suddenly awakened. Their consciousness and the memories that were obscured had all started to resolve themselves. The moment they obtained the free will to think, everything they experienced for 30 years had turned into a grotesque and variegated nightmare. They had been dream-walking in an ancient castle that didn’t stop aging and had been taking care of an illusion that had been dead for decades. Their ghost-like mistress had been pacing back and forth from the ruined north tower. Everything was so chilling that their blood ran cold.

As for those senior servants, Knights, advisors, and supervisors, things were even more horrific. They clearly remembered when their master and young master’s skeletons were secretly transported back to the castle. They had also clearly remembered that 30 years ago, their mistress turned crazy and used magic to control all of their minds. Everything that happened after the incident, every single transformation that happened to the castle had surged into their minds.

As for the supervisors that lived in the vicinity of the castle that were called back were now immersed in fear. Those people who frequently entered and exited this castle would be affected by the dream realm, but compared to the servants and Knights who never left the castle for 30 years, their fear was slightly lesser.

No matter what, after realizing what they had experienced, no one was able to maintain their composure.

Amber was now standing at the tall platform at the end of the main hall and feeling very anxious.

This place was where the feudal lord would stand normally, but no one raised any objection to the “young lady” that stood atop it. Everyone knew that she was the personal guard of the Duke, and she was speaking on behalf of the Duke in this emergency. Therefore, no one doubted her and were looking at her with eyes filled with expectation.

However, Amber wished for a chance to immediately go back into the shadows. It turned out that the feeling of becoming someone important wasn’t as nice as she imagined!

“Everyone, don’t panic, don’t… don’t panic! The Duke is cleansing the last hideout, and he will be here shortly. Don’t panic. He is on his way here!”

Amber stood on the platform and pacified everyone with futile gestures. Just as she felt that she couldn’t maintain the situation for even a second longer, Gawain and Sir Philip appeared together.

[1] It is a saying to say you have nothing better to do.