Chapter 44

It really is true that when you try hard to grow flowers, they won't bloom, but when you casually stick a willow branch in the ground, it takes root and thrives.

Herbert squinted, sheathed his sword, and silently followed behind the Desecrator, moving forward with it.

The events of this night were truly unpredictable.

The first half of the night chatted with a hungry dragon, the second half played in the water with the Mermaid Princess, just before dawn I met a fanatic fish lover, and finally got invited to the elf elder sister's boudoir to play cards…

What a fulfilling night!

Though the process was wildly turbulent, the outcome was at least decent—I finally met Svan-ni.

He was quite interested in this prisoner who competed with him for control of the Darkless Prison.

You say Valentina isn't strong?

No, her power is extremely formidable; her destructive capability ranks among the highest of all prisoners.

Does Fu Leimei lack depth?

No, as a descendant of the Sea Monster royal bloodline, she possesses many hidden secrets.

Yet both of them were defeated before the sealing array, unable to resist much at all.

Both are prisoners—why does this Dark Elf Grand Mage possess the power to resist, even to turn the tables? What is the gap between them?

Talent? Experience? Or… wisdom?

Perhaps, it truly can only be said that even among prisoners, there are differences.

No more sounds came from the darkness; only Herbert's breathing and the faint clinking of bones could be heard.

Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack…

As time passed, the power enveloping the Desecrator grew stronger, and its flesh vanished faster and faster.

In less than ten minutes, it vanished completely, reduced to nothing but a skeleton that only knew how to walk.

Herbert had originally been puzzled, wondering where it had been injured.

But once he recalled what places the Desecrator had passed through before arriving in the third zone… Herbert began to guess the origin of its horrific wounds and the corrosive force.

First beaten by Valentina, then forced to listen to Fu Leimei sing, right?

"One handles killing and arson, the other handles destroying the corpse and erasing traces—what a perfect partnership!"

Eww, what terrifying women!

You two did well!

Without them acting, I'd have had to fight the Desecrator one-on-one—and I likely would've lost.

"Still, I didn't expect Fu Leimei's singing could have such a terrifying effect—ordinary people truly couldn't bear it."

Herbert sighed, understanding why Fu Leimei had been so ecstatic once she confirmed he was unharmed.

Even if others were lucky enough to hear it, they'd likely die before finishing—turning to skeletons halfway through.

Over these many years, I'm probably her only listener.

And sea monsters are a race inherently fond of singing; they use their voices to lure passing ships and to communicate with their own kind.

"She must have been holding it in for a long time… Huh?"

The Desecrator walking ahead of Herbert seemed to trip, stumbled forward, lurched a step, and emitted an unsettling crisp sound.

Crack.

"Huh, that little noise was awfully crisp…"

Just as Herbert wondered how much longer the Desecrator could hold on, its body suddenly shuddered violently.

Clatter…

The entire skeleton collapsed in a heap, scattering bones everywhere with a clatter.

The blackened bones appeared to have rotted for years; only a faint aura remained in the skull, with faint blue-purple flames flickering in its hollow eye sockets.

"Moor… Lord…"

The Desecrator tried to speak, but after opening and closing its mouth, no sound emerged.

It could no longer produce sound.

It could no longer rely on its obsession to move forward.

This arduous journey could only end here.

The flames in its eye sockets slowly dimmed, and would be fully extinguished within a few breaths.

But at that moment, it was gently lifted up.

!!!

"I don't know who you are, nor what you sought to accomplish by entering here; in principle, as warden, I should expel you."

Herbert looked at the suddenly flaring soul-fire, nodded, then unceremoniously clamped the skull under his arm like a basketball.

"But since you destroyed this body, I'll reluctantly lend you a hand."

"Come on, I'll take you to see her."

Herbert had some recollection of this Desecrator—or rather, the "Grass Carp Cultivator."

He was connected to certain noble families of the kingdom, planted as a pawn within the monastery, and had covertly targeted Herbert ever since his arrival.

Now seeing him reduced to a pile of bones, Herbert felt no emotion—not even sadness, but a faint urge to laugh.

Meow!

Without the dead weight slowing him down, Herbert, now leading the charge, greatly increased his speed, striding forward through the darkness.

He wasn't worried that Svan-ni would set traps to ambush him.

On one hand, Herbert trusted that Svan-ni wasn't foolish enough.

Besides, if Svan-ni truly had the power to kill him, why wait until now?

She would've acted long ago.

On the other hand, it was because of his dear ally, Nie Nasha — no matter how unreliable she usually was, when things really went wrong she wouldn't just sit by and do nothing.

At the very least, she'd give some kind of warning — whether out of goodwill or malice was another matter, but in any case, she'd make some sort of stir.

Yet now Nie Nasha was not only failing to stop him, she was even, with great interest, urging him to go take a look.

"The ones interested in Sifani are probably not just me."

After walking for a while, Herbert suddenly saw light.

Wait — light?

This was the Prison of No Light; there shouldn't be any radiance here at all.

His brow rose, his steps not pausing, and soon he saw the true form of those light sources.

They were neither the candlelight given off by candle flames, nor the magiluminescent light of magical-energy products.

What glowed faintly in the darkness were some bioluminescent plants.

In this dark world, the bioluminescent plants were like pairs of shining eyes within the darkness.

It was as if he had walked into an underground garden, or perhaps a kingdom of bioluminescent plants.

Above his head, vines hung down from overhead, and on the slender vines, at regular intervals, were nodes emitting a soft blue glow.

Beneath his feet was a carpet of green grass, along with some tiny mushrooms giving off lights of various colors.

Rustle, rustle…

In a daze, Herbert had already found himself standing within a forest.

And at the end of the path, Herbert saw a giant tree emanating a deep blue glow.

As he approached, the center of the giant tree's trunk slowly split open, revealing an ancient, simple wooden door.

"So, dark elves are still elves after all? They all like living in trees."

Very elven in style.

Herbert looked at the beautiful surroundings around him, about to go in, when he suddenly blinked — a thought well worth complaining about had just struck him.

"You deck out your own place this lavishly, and then you just sit there watching your roommate huddle inside a broken coffin."

That really is…

Well done!

(End of this chapter)