Sword of Dawn

Page 321

The crooked wall stretched out in sight, half-destroyed magic net units remained on the wall, and there seemed to be remnants of magic spar lamps still operating in the distance, emitting flickering brilliance. "Technology" modern creations appeared in the dark lair of the End of All Things, and this lair itself was built on an even older mysterious relic. All this produced a sense of time and space interlacing that made Bud quite emotional. He shook his head , carefully avoiding some slippery vines, and advancing in this corridor occupied by giant tree roots and vine moss.

At the same time, he also raised his vigilance and kept an eye on his mental state.

In the depths of this underground palace, there is a strange power called "the reverberation of the gods" by the patriarchs. It may be the erosion of reality caused by the research of forbidden knowledge by the dark druids, or it may be the original power of the underground palace. , as you continue to go deeper, the influence of this strange force will become more pronounced. People with weak minds will have hallucinations in the middle area, and will be infused with terrible and distorted knowledge, and when they go deeper, even flesh and blood limbs may mutate , weird and unpredictable.

Although these forces are theoretically suppressed at the bottom, and there has been no sign of active infiltration over the years, God knows whether the prohibition of this ancient ruin itself will still work after this great change—Bud is not afraid of death, But he didn't come here specially to die.

He came to the meeting hall.

This is the place where the priests of the sect discuss affairs. At the same time, this hall and the area on the same floor as the hall are also the places he visits most often as a middle-level priest.

He vaguely heard some voices, it sounded like someone was whispering, but when he looked intently, the direction from which the voices came was only a piece of intertwined roots.

The "communication device" carried on his chest was running, and the runes and crystals were emitting a faint light. Bud fumbled to find a "button" on its surface. According to the method taught by the soldiers before he set off, he pressed the switch and lowered it. The voice said: "This location is the meeting hall, and I am not familiar with it further down, should I continue to go down?"

There was no response from the communication device, only a hollow and low whistling.

On the surface, Gao Wen, Hu Po and others stood beside the magic net terminal, and a holographic image of the depths of the underground palace was being projected above the terminal.

In the light of the lighting device, the environment near Bard's front is clearly visible.

The screen has not moved for several minutes, but Bud's faint breathing sound is still heard normally, which shows that he is still alive.

Amber scratched her hair and looked puzzled: "Why is he standing there still?"

Chapter 0710 Sleeping

Bud stood quietly in this vast and dead underground space, with tense nerves and solemn eyes.

There was still a hollow whine from the communicator attached to the armor buckle.

Even if he doesn't understand the principle of this device, judging from the perspective of common sense of magic, he can still know that this is the result of the communication spell being completely blocked-but when did this happen?

The crystal was still glowing, and the runes on the surface of the device were still functioning normally. This "business as usual" scene made him relax his vigilance, so that he was not sure when the communication was interrupted at this time... He may have been in the This weird and dark place has gone deep for too long, and the Cecils on the surface probably won't be able to see the picture he sent back for a long time, right?

Bud took a deep breath and slowly calmed down his tense emotions. He didn't make more call attempts rashly or move forward, but took a step back cautiously, preparing to return the same way.

He may have been shielded, or the communication spell may have failed due to the distance. If it is the latter, returning the same way should solve the problem.

But just as he took a step back, the scene in front of him suddenly changed.

Lights suddenly lit up in the dark and cracked meeting hall, and the bright magic spar lamp illuminated the entire hall as bright as day. The huge cracks on the ceiling and nearby walls had disappeared at some point, and the broken stone table fell to the ground. The chairs are also intact, and in this suddenly restored meeting hall, dozens of figures in robes or skirts are sitting around a long table, having a tense and serious meeting.

Bud heard voices coming from around the long table:

"There is something wrong with the body of the false god, we have no way to control it, this is an unexpected change..."

"How is the situation of the Grand Master?"

"Barely broke away from the body of the false god, and is now seriously injured, and is in a deep rest, but consciousness has recovered."

"What about that monster?"

"It's temporarily trapped below, and it shouldn't be able to break free in a short time. Master Bertila is trying to find a way to bring it back into a dormant state."

"Fortunately, there is still a turning point in the situation, as long as we..."

The muscles of Bud's whole body were tense, and he was staring at the weird scene in front of him. Just as he was breathing, he saw the scene in the meeting hall suddenly "shake", and the figures sitting at the table seemed to change instantly. A posture or position is changed, and the things being talked about change:

"...The Grand Priest ordered to suspend the awakening of the body of the false god, and asked to reorganize all the data in the project process."

"According to the current situation, the information from the wasteland is wrong. Fortunately, we discovered it in time..."

Bard's eyes blurred, and the scene in the hall changed again. This time, there were fewer figures gathered than before, and what they were talking about turned out to be how the church should be rebuilt after successfully destroying the out-of-control body of false gods...

He finally figured out what he was seeing:

In this "chamber", things that have never happened in the real world are constantly emerging. All the scenes have one thing in common: if the crucial project at that time did not get out of control, if the priests who performed the ceremony at that time The mistake was discovered in time, if everything is fine, if everything can be restored...

Looking at the figures gathered around the long table, he realized that he was deeply trapped in a dream formed by obsession. In this dark and deep underground, in the deepest part of the root system of this giant tree, he once participated in the false god The death priests who were devoured to death by the body awakening ceremony, their obsessions are entrenched here, and I have unknowingly fallen into the dream they wove together!

Bard realized that he was in great danger, because dreams are always difficult for ordinary extraordinary powers to resist. No matter how strong one's own strength is, as long as one is completely trapped in a dream, unless one is a master in the spiritual field, the normal No matter how strong a transcendent is, they will become powerless—the reason why the eternal sleepers are terrifying is because they have mastered such power, and he himself may have missed the best time to "wake up".

What's more deadly is that the time lapse in the dream world is often out of proportion to the outside world. He doesn't know how long he has been in the dream, and he doesn't know how long he will continue to linger here—maybe it's only been a moment outside, but he wants to be here Trapped for hundreds of thousands of years... before waking up, his soul would die in the dream.

Nervous and frightened, the scene in front of Bud's eyes suddenly trembled again. This time, he found that his perspective shifted from the entrance of the hall to the side of the long table—he himself was sitting at the long table of the conference hall, and in front of him was a simple and heavy The stone table, beside the majestic and steady headmasters...

As a middle-level priest, he is not qualified to sit at this table to participate in the meeting. He has also looked forward to his own promotion, and imagined what it would be like to sit in the meeting hall as the patriarch, but at this moment he Really "sitting here", what came to my heart was a cold chill.

The worst has happened - he is assimilating to this dream.

He began to dream.

……

On the surface, Gao Wen and the others had been waiting quietly for 10 minutes, but the screen sent back from the magic net terminal still did not change at all.

On the screen, there is a room full of runes, and there are two strange black pillars shining with magical light standing in the room.

An emergency response team that had been prepared long ago had already arrived near the entrance, and the druids were also preparing to cast spells on the roots of the giant tree in an attempt to connect and confirm the situation of Bud Wendell through the resonance of the living body, but Gao Wen hadn't given an order yet, everyone was on standby.

The situation below is complicated and the current situation is weird. Taking the next step rashly may lead to further damage, and...Gao Wen is trying to deduce what happened to Bard from the still picture.

The communication device is worn near Bud's neckline, because it is a precision product made by Mr. Nicholas Egg himself (without hands). It has high sensitivity and can record and transmit very subtle movements.

After amplifying the sound, Gawain could clearly hear Bard's steady and long breathing.

The sound of breathing proved that Bud was still alive, and... could also reveal some other information.

"He fell asleep..." Gawain frowned, and said somewhat uncertainly, "Although it's not obvious, he is snoring."

The surroundings were a little quiet, and the atmosphere gradually became weird.

But Amber took it for granted: "It's not impossible to imagine, after all, it is said that he used to eat and drink in the prison of Panshi City, and he also mastered the special skill of using booger to extend the detention period. It is understandable that this kind of character can fall asleep while exploring the underground ruins..."

Gawain glanced at Amber silently. Although he didn't say anything, the half-elf lady felt that Gawain's eyes were caring for the mentally retarded...

She immediately wanted to jump up and punch Gao Wen's elbow, but she didn't dare.

Gao Wen reminded Amber before he spoke to BB: "He should have fallen asleep."

"You can still judge whether a person is dreaming from the sound of snoring..." Amber didn't realize it at first, and subconsciously muttered half a sentence, but she understood Gao Wen's meaning before she finished speaking, "Wait a minute... ...Dream?! The kind of eternal sleeper?!"

The people at the scene were not stupid. As soon as Gao Wen reminded them, they almost all reacted. The female knight Margarita, who had personally led a team to clear several cult dens in the territory, thought of the strange and dangerous power of those eternal sleepers, and her face Immediately showing a serious expression, Pittman next to him stroked his beard and frowned: "So...it is indeed possible..."

After all, this old man is a double-material cult member. He passed the cafeterias of the Eternal Sleeper and the End of Everything at the same time. He can be regarded as a veteran of the second and fifth circles. In the lair at the root of the tree, there is an invisible dream, and Bud Wendell has been tricked.

"But how is it possible?" Pittman showed a puzzled expression on his face, "This is the lair of the end of all things, and they don't know the dream technology..."

Gao Wen frowned slightly, and suddenly thought of what happened when the Sentinel Tower was repaired at the Great Wall——

In the dream connection, he accidentally encountered members of the Death of All Things Society, including Bertila who should have died 700 years ago...

The Death of Everything has dream technology in its hands. Even if there is no technology, there must be related equipment. Among the three major dark sects, apart from the Son of the Storm's behavior pattern, the other two sects have always been closely connected in private. It is normal for the creation of the eternal sleeper to remain in the lair of the society.

As a remnant of a double cult, Pittman didn't think of this for a while. It seems that the old man's heart to participate in the cult was really dishonest, and most of the time he really just went in to make a living.

Pittman raised his head in confusion, not understanding why Gawain glanced at him suddenly, and sighed while watching.

Gao Wen didn't explain anything. After speculating about the situation underground, he already had a rough plan, and this plan was much safer than sending people down.

"I'll try to see if I can pull Badger out," he told the people around him, "This process requires concentration, and you all need to be vigilant around you."

Amber reacted very quickly this time: "Oh, you want to 'meditate' again, right? Dharma protector, I'm familiar with this..."

……

In this endless, obsession-driven dream that repeats the pathetic self-deception of a loser, Bud has lost count of how many times he has been reincarnated.

He sat at the long table in the unchanging council hall, bright lights illuminated the hall, and the patriarchs sat around the table to discuss changes in the situation and follow-up plans.

Bud is also speaking, he doesn't know why he is sitting here speaking, but his mouth is opening and closing by itself, saying some sentences that he has never thought of:

"...The mission in the eastern part of the continent is going well, we are already there..."

People around spoke from time to time, all of them were familiar faces, and Bud felt calm when he looked at these people who spoke.

But he vaguely felt that he shouldn't be so calm, he came here... for some mission.

What is the mission?

The picture in front of me suddenly trembled, a round of meetings ended, and a new scene was quickly generated. In this mixed dream formed by a large number of obsessions, the leader is constantly changing, and the theme of the dream is also constantly changing. Bud Wendell himself is just one of dozens of consciousnesses in this dream.

He sat down at the long table again, and felt his Adam's apple move up and down, as if he was about to speak.

But a hand was suddenly placed on his shoulder, which made him tremble all over.

A long-lost sense of sobriety suddenly flooded into my mind, and a large number of memories that seemed to have been forgotten for a century all ran out at once, together with various emotions such as nervousness and fear before falling into a dream, But before Bud had time to sort out the content that reappeared in his mind, he heard a majestic and steady voice from behind him: "Are you awake?"

Compared to this terrifying dream, this sudden sound made Bud almost startled. He stood up abruptly, and when he turned around, he saw the tall and tall Gawain Cecil standing behind him.

For a moment, the feeling of trance struck again, and he was a little bit unable to distinguish between reality and dreams.

Gawain spoke again, his voice seemed to have some kind of power to make people wake up in a dream: "Keep awake, you are still in the dream, but your consciousness has awakened, as long as you don't make unnecessary doubts and associations, your The mental body is safe."

"Dream? Oh yes, this is a dream..." Bud blinked, gradually getting rid of the sequelae caused by the terrible dream, and gradually regained his ability to think. The next moment, he finally realized the violation of Gawain's presence here. , "Wait a minute, this is a dream...then why are you..."

"I'm still up there, and now I'm talking to you with my consciousness," Gao Wen casually explained, and then looked around the chamber. The "meetings" in the chamber were still going on again and again, but To him, it seemed like a funny drama, "Interesting, I didn't expect that there was a dream at the root of this giant tree..."

Bud looked at Gawain inexplicably in astonishment. He had vaguely realized that this dream was probably related to the "technical exchange" between the Eternal Sleepers and the End of All Things, so it was particularly exciting for Gawain to directly project his own consciousness into it at this moment. He was shocked, he couldn't figure out how the other party did it.

This may be a secret of Gawain Cecil.

And now he had access to the secret.

Bud's heart was awe-inspiring, and he was even more cautious.

Gawain noticed the change in Bud's expression, and he probably knew what the other party was thinking, but he didn't pay attention to it. Instead, he turned his head and looked at the entrance and exit on the other side of the hall with great interest.

A new individual appeared in the dream, and a figure was emerging there.

After seeing the silhouette of that figure clearly, Gao Wen raised his eyebrows.

Bertera Augustus entered the hall.

Chapter 0711 Beltira in the dream

Bertera Augustus entered the hall.

But it wasn't what Bard remembered.

In Bard's memory, the headmistress always wore a dress with all religious symbols erased, her face was cold and alienated, her eyes seemed to be filled with darkness forever, and her lower body was always covered with intertwined roots and vines , the unsettling rustling of her signature footsteps.

But the "Beltera" who walked in was completely different - she was wearing a green and white druid skirt, with the emblem of the Holy Spirit Druid on her chest, her face looked younger, And without feeling cold and dark, she walked into the hall unhurriedly, revealing a pair of normal legs wearing boots under the hem of the skirt.

The appearance is the same, but the difference is very obvious.

Only Gao Wen, who inherited the memory of the original owner of the body, couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity after seeing this "Beltera".

Bertila also noticed the uninvited guest in the hall—as a person in the dream, she actually noticed Gawain and Bard who had theoretically broken away from the dream structure.

She raised her head, with a dazed look on her face, she glanced at Bud first, as if she was looking at a stranger she didn't know, then her eyes fell on Gao Wen, and after a long time, she looked at him curiously and hesitantly. Opened his mouth: "Gao Wen... brother?"

Gawain frowned.

700 years ago, Bertila, who had not yet become a dark druid but was still the favorite "Her Royal Highness" of the Eastern Expeditionary Army, called Gawain Cecil at that time.

They were not brother and sister, but they had a good relationship. Even though Gao Wen was later ordered to sit in the southern border and could not move around freely, there were many letters between the two.In fact, in the memory inherited by Gawain, when "he" learned that Bertila was going to the Ancestors Peak, he received a letter from the other party—that was also the last letter that Bertila sent back. letter.

And then, the end of all things will be born.

Is this harmless-looking Beltira in front of her what she looks like after falling into a dream?Or... a hoax?

Noticing that Gao Wen didn't respond, Bertila hesitated to speak again, this time there was even a little nervousness and worry in his tone: "Brother Gao Wen? What is this place? And...why do you suddenly look so much older? "

When Bertila fell into darkness 700 years ago, Gawain Cecil was not yet thirty. In the following years, Bertila did not appear again. Obviously, the "Bertiera" in this dream "La" still maintains early memories, and Gawain Cecil in her mind should still be that young and heroic brother.

Bertila stood in the hall in a daze. She was visibly alert and confused when she looked at the men in black robes around her. She looked at Gawain again, looking helpless and harmless. Let go of your guard, especially if an acquaintance stands here, I am afraid nine out of ten will be affected by feelings.

But unfortunately, Gawain was not Gawain Cecil.

He has already perceived that the key to this dream should be on "Beltera".

What's more, in the final analysis, the dream is just a dream, and the harmless little princess Typhon... has already gone with the wind.

Gao Wen raised his hand, and a huge shock of data was released, and endless fragments of light and shadow suddenly appeared in the whole dream, and the vast amount of information almost destroyed this unstable false world in the blink of an eye. The patriarchs of the meeting turned into phantoms one by one, and the entire hall quickly disintegrated in the shaking.

Bud felt dizzy in his head, and the dividing line between reality and dream was unprecedentedly clear. He felt that he was waking up quickly, and before he completely escaped from this dream, he heard Gawain's calm instructions: "After waking up, immediately return to sleep. Stand by, do nothing but stay awake, and wait for us to come down to meet you."

The meeting hall began to collapse, and the fragments of earth and stone turned into ethereal shimmering particles and lines that dissipated into nothingness. Bertila, who was standing in the middle of the hall, looked at all this blankly. Suddenly, her eyes became clearer, and her expression instantly changed Come alive.

She seemed to have just woken up from a big dream, but also seemed to be only half awake. With a half-dream and half-awake expression, she looked at Gao Wen whose figure was about to disappear completely, and opened her mouth slightly.

On the surface, Gao Wen slowly opened his eyes, and all the perceptions of the real world quickly returned to his body, and the connection from the spiritual level gradually calmed down. He was not surprised to see Amber's big face hitting him again. In front of him, he stretched out his hand to push it away, but the latter didn't care, and while waving his arms to maintain his balance while retreating, he BB loudly: "Are you awake?"