First Year of the Holy Calendar, Escarnia.
Below the heavens, above the earth.
The pitch-black invincible metal transformed into a flowing liquid.
In Shiayar's eyes, the tiny Runes formed by the Alchemy Matrix slowly rotated.
The spells of alchemy were applied to this flowing invincible metal. Under Jayee's control, it gathered beneath Shiayar's feet, forming one pitch-black metallic platform after another, each as dark as ink.
These dark platforms floated in the void. With every step Shiayar took, the platform behind him would dissipate into scattered particles, only to congeal into a new step ahead of him.
One by one, metallic staircases materialized in the void.
And so, Shiayar ascended these stairs, walking step by step towards the night sky.
Amid the starry night, a hazy city appeared intermittently in the ocean of stars.
Is this the Millennium Castle spoken of in the legends of Escarnia?
Shiayar's pace was unhurried, yet his speed was not slow at all.
One could only say that his decision to use the 5th Soul Pact to bond with Jayee was indeed the right move.
Utilizing the Alchemy Matrix to control the liquid invincible metal significantly compensated for his previous shortcomings.
He had truly achieved high mobility in sea, land, and air combat.
Forget about the sky—after Shiayar had introduced the blueprints for a submersible vehicle to Jayee, even if one day he needed to dive to the deepest depths of the sea, it wasn't entirely impossible.
While Shiayar indulged in these wandering thoughts, the roaring high-altitude winds buffeted his face, disheveling his dark hair.
However, his pace remained unchanged, firmly and determinedly heading towards the city shrouded in the night.
Clearing the final act of an Echo of History wasn't an easy task.
According to the system description, the Echo of History of the Ancient Dukedom Azure Garden was just a beginner's mission. Yet, despite thorough preparations, the final battle with Norton—or rather, the Twilight Half-Body occupying Norton's body—had utterly drained Shiayar. He remained unconscious for three full days.
And this time, Escarnia was even more exceptional.
Merely after two entries, the enemies had already evolved from pseudo-Titled Ranks—comparable to Norton, who had only reached 6-Ring with Divinity's enhancement—to bona fide Legendaries, and there was more than one.
Not to mention the historical effects triggered by Shiayar's actions.
This Echo of History had completely deviated from its original path.
The Abyssal True God "Crimson Red Moon," and Isadella, now more divine than human... both might stand against Shiayar.
And Shiayar's mission this time wasn't simply to complete a system task, but to correct the errors of history.
Simultaneously, he had to safely return Isadella, who had become the King of the Imaginary Zone, to the correct historical timeline.
This was an incredibly difficult task, bordering on the impossible.
Fortunately, Shiayar's greatest advantage was information.
If the original Echo of History of Escarnia had been shrouded in historical mists, making it difficult for Shiayar to discern the truth, that was no longer the case. Now, having acquired the Knowledge Holy Chalice, the mists of a thousand years ago had dissolved for him like clouds.
Before re-entering the Echo of History, Shiayar had stayed in a hotel room in Lokiya, the Arcane Arts Capital, for several weeks, constantly questioning the Knowledge Holy Chalice.
He grasped every piece of information, all intelligence concerning Escarnia from a millennium ago, down to the last detail.
Then, with Jayee's computational power aiding him, this information underwent millions of simulations and deductions in Shiayar's mind.
In the end, from over a million "Bad End" paths that led only to destruction, he had filtered out the one correct path to the "Happy End."
And at this very moment, what Shiayar needed to do—was to take the Echo of History known as Escarnia... and 'speedrun' it.
Shiayar's steps were steady, yet his speed did not falter in the slightest.
Originally, the City of Eternal Night in the sky was just an indistinct shadow above the clouds.
But soon, the outline of the Millennium Castle became clearly visible.
Shiayar gently leaped down, landing on the fragmented stones at the periphery of the floating city. The Alchemy Matrix Runes in his eyes revolved slowly, causing the dark invincible metal "Dragon Serpent Mercury" behind him to dissipate and retract into his Spatial Pocket.
PATTER. PATTER.
Shiayar moved among the massive rubble on the outskirts of the City of Eternal Night, occasionally leaping, much like traversing an asteroid belt in space.
A moment later, the giant floating rubble vanished, replaced by a grand bronze gate.
This was the entrance to the City of Eternal Night.
Through the gate, the silhouettes of the palatial complex behind could be glimpsed.
And as Shiayar arrived, the great bronze gate of the floating palatial complex emitted a creaking sound, then slowly swung open to the side.
Clearly, the master of the Millennium Castle had already noticed Shiayar's arrival.
Shiayar was not surprised by this; he calmly accepted the invitation, stepping into the Night Palace.
Given the dark architectural style of the palace's exterior, it would not have felt out of place if the interior revealed rows of guards in heavy armor and a lofty Throne, upon which sat a majestic ruler.