Chapter 1255: Chapter 1255: “Fountain
Margaret provided Shard with the information and smiled as she revealed something she had just learned:
“My brother came to Randall Valley with another agenda, just like me. Do you remember the piece of gold ore you picked up last week? At the time, I was curious about where a gold mine had been discovered locally. I just heard a local rumor mentioning that Ston Osenfort’s subordinates had explored a gold mine here and were collaborating with my brother on its development. Of course, it’s just a rumor for now, and it seems to have some issues, so we can’t rule out if it’s some kind of trick.”
“I heard from Miss Lathis that Mr. Osenfort originally handled some things for your brother that he couldn’t conveniently manage himself.”
“Yes, Mr. Osenfort’s rise is somewhat related to William. He’s a very capable person, and quite lucky too. However, he’s a bit too ruthless for my taste; I wouldn’t employ such people.”
Margaret whispered, and Shard nodded, remembering the warehouse burned by flames this evening:
“Let’s not talk about this. I obtained some intelligence on the Stonemason Guild from Tobesk. Through Miss Galina’s connections, I managed to access some confidential information. Tomorrow or the day after, I’ll bring the documents to you; for now, it’s certain that the collapse of the giant statue twenty years ago had nothing to do with MI6, although MI6 did have a hand in inciting unrest among the stonemasons… last week’s assassination had no involvement from them.”
“That was expected; Miss Benanis’s trials aren’t simple, but we’ll figure out a way. When the time comes, I might need your help; no one around me is as reliable and capable as you.”
“Helping you is my honor, my highness.”
Shard said with a smile, as the blond Princess waved at him and offered her kiss once again.
“Since you have urgent matters with Miss Lathis, you should go quickly. Don’t delay your business.”
The Princess gently pushed Shard and then reached out to wipe the lipstick off his lips:
“Speaking of which, your kissing skills are really…”
Just before the incident occurred, Shard’s inspiration captured the signal of danger. As he suddenly stood and embraced Margaret, the entire house began to tremble.
Books on the bookshelf tumbled to the floor with a clatter, and all the furniture seemed to dance due to the vibrating floor. The teacup fell onto the carpet and clanged against the metal leg of the coffee table, while the chandelier overhead swung dangerously, and the glass lamps collided. Although the chandelier didn’t fall, shards of glass did rain down.
“Earthquake!”
The music from the banquet hall had stopped, replaced by screams. The gas lamps flickered a few times before abruptly going out, taking at least five seconds to reignite, but the light was much dimmer than before.
Margaret felt as if the whole world was shaking, but Shard held her tightly, standing firm on the ground as if rooted.
The earthquake lasted for thirteen seconds before ceasing, leaving the interior in disarray, with only one corner of the framed paintings on the wall still nailed in place. Fortunately, the Earl’s mansion was solid enough that the earthquake didn’t cause structural damage:
“Let’s get out quickly; there might be aftershocks!”
Margaret clung tightly to Shard’s arm; by then, the maids from outside had rushed in but acted as if they didn’t see Shard.
“Margaret, you take everyone outside. Something’s wrong; this earthquake isn’t normal.”
Shard looked seriously toward the back garden of the estate:
“The nature of this land is changing. Margaret, take your people and leave the estate as soon as possible; something extraordinary is going to happen… I sense that this time it’s very unusual, what’s really happening?”
“But Shard…”
“We’re not acting in a knight novel, Margaret; take people outside.”
The Princess bit her lip and nodded, bid a soft farewell before watching Shard push open the window and jump out—the second floor. Margaret wanted to look by the window to check on Shard, but immediately sensed a chaotic force trying to influence and infiltrate her. She knew she couldn’t help by staying, so she hastily led her group away, worried about Shard, uncertain about what would happen next.
By then, Shard landed lightly on the ground after jumping into the back garden and immediately noticed a layer of black mist lingering around his ankles, slowly permeating towards the front of the estate.
The black mist remained at his feet, spreading and infiltrating in a manner similar to Shard’s Power of the Earth: Healing Aura, with its earthy yellow aura. In that mist, he distinctly felt the characteristics of black mud signifying Earth’s crazed nature, something unprecedented before.
He wanted to walk towards the source of the mist, but sure enough, aftershocks occurred. As the ground quaked, the black mist accelerated its spread, though it couldn’t affect Shard. He couldn’t bear to imagine what would happen if the mist reached the ordinary people yet to leave the estate.
“Shouldn’t the people from the True God Church be arriving?”
Observing the flow direction of the black fog, I quickly walked towards its source. I had barely come out from behind the flowerbeds when I heard the sounds of fighting ahead. After confirming my disguise, I proceeded, but the first sight was not the people in combat, but the white stone fountain at the center of the Earl’s Estate’s back garden, now spraying black liquid into the sky:
“Has oil been discovered here?”
As soon as this staggering thought occurred, Shard discarded it:
“It’s that black mud!”
Everyone was evading the assault of the black mud, leaving a circle around the fountain completely empty. Among the more than a dozen Circle Sorcerers present were Miss Lathis and her three companions, as well as the priests of the True God Church.
Two Inner Ring priests were hurriedly arranging rituals and casting Divine Arts to prevent the spreading black mud from extending further. But what they could achieve was merely slowing the mud’s flow rate; they couldn’t stop the black fog emanating from the “fountain.”
The situation here was not as dire as Saint Perry Cemetery, but it’s important to note that the cemetery had seals. The violently surging black mud was the enemy of all fleshly life, and as the reach of the mud expanded, those in battle continuously moved.
At this moment, Miss Lathis and her three companions were fighting against a High Ring Sorcerer and two Inner Ring Sorcerers, with some Circle Sorcerers not recognized by Shard.
Obviously, the priests blocking the black mud belonged to the same team as the Inner Ring Sorcerers fighting. Among Miss Lathis’ opponents, Shard recognized one of the Inner Ring middle-aged men. It was the enemy who appeared outside the city with a High Ring Sorcerer from the Blood Spirit School when he camped overnight with Miss Benanis.
Since it’s related to the Blood Spirit School, Shard was certain the opposing group was his enemy:
“Binding Light!”
Five bright silver rings flew out, although they were immediately shattered by the wind blades of the High Ring Sorcerer, but it bought time for Miss Lathis and the others to move farther away.
“No matter who you are, don’t get near that black mud!”
Miss Lathis shouted loudly to Shard, she recognized him, but Shard also noticed the young lady walking seemed inconvenient. There was no time to talk; the crackling silver lightning was already in Shard’s hand as he intended to join the fray, when a heavy voice emerged from the depths of the gushing black mud.
[Someone’s here.]
An almost three-meter-tall humanoid creature, covered entirely in gray stone, stepped through the black mud from the erupting “spring eye.”
Although the black mud had no effect on the stone itself, normal souls inevitably suffered from the pollution of Crazy Earth’s power, hence the “stone person’s” eyes bore an abnormal red hue, and even its steps were a bit unsteady while barely controlling itself to walk out.
“What is this? An Exotic Creature?”
[No, it’s a human. Felt the power of the Earthly power, this should also be a branch of Earth power.]
“He’s a believer of the Evil God [Stone Heart Demon]!”
As Shard was astonished for a moment, the priest of the church shouted loudly to Shard. And the mentally unstable “Gray Stone Giant” was immediately looking at Shard. It wasn’t due to bad luck but because the opponent also sensed the power belonging to the earth:
“Ha!”
With a loud roar, the stone giant rushed towards Shard through the black mud, its heavy steps seemed to make the ground tremble again. Since each Circle Sorcerer with Earth power might be the Chosen of the earth, Shard was equally interested and thus went forward.
He didn’t summon any weapon, nor did he use Arcane Technique from the Moonlight series that would reveal his identity, relying solely on flesh power for the confrontation.
The raised stone fist swung from high above, while Shard’s tightly clenched fist countered upward from below. But their fists colliding made no sound; Shard’s body was penetrated by the stone fist and dissolved into a swarm of crimson butterflies.
The flying red butterflies scattered small glimmers over the black mud. The “Gray Stone Giant,” in a dire mental state, couldn’t differentiate Shard’s actual position amidst the illusion technique of the red butterflies.
Standing in place, he loudly roared and incessantly swung fist at the butterflies in the air to no avail.
“Elsin! We’ve got what we wanted, don’t get tangled with the enemy, let’s leave!”
Despite his partner loudly calling his name, urging him to quickly retreat with them, it couldn’t awaken the Gray Stone Giant, whose spirit was on the brink of collapse.
The opponent was a Sorcerer of Nine Rings, which also counts as a High Ring, and Shard typically couldn’t contend with such an adversary, but the mental abnormality presented Shard with an opportunity. The dancing red butterflies gradually encircled the “giant,” and simultaneously the silver mist summoned by [Silvermoon’s illusion technique] enshrouded over.