Chapter Forty-Six: Documents

Before leaving, he made a deliberate inspection of the teleportation array in the laboratory; as expected, it was intact. Returning to the Sanctuary of Offerings, he tossed the unconscious king to the ground, then deployed a set of three elemental shield generators to guard the teleportation array. Only then did Lando turn his attention to the newly acquired soul.

Because he had actively suppressed it, the remnant of destiny’s soul remained quiet and docile. Lando considered for a moment, then issued a command to the system. In the next instant, wisps of strange energy were drawn out from the soul—Lando felt a surge of joy at this. Soon, all the peculiar energy was extracted; these were the very manifestation of this world’s destiny. Lando guided them to merge into the vessel of the “Child of Destiny.” The innate talent [Shattered Fate (Purple)] now glowed with even greater intensity.

He tried to summon the remnant soul. A cluster of pale blue light appeared in Lando's palm.

“So, it worked. Hm?”

Perhaps because the soul had already been registered by the system, after summoning it, Lando could clearly sense its state. With the passage of time, the remnant soul was slowly “evaporating.”

Lando returned it to the system’s space, and the evaporation immediately ceased.

He understood at once: for a soul to be preserved for any length of time, it needed a vessel—either a physical body or some artifact.

Glancing at the guards stationed outside, he noted that their numbers were steadily increasing, but some restriction prevented them from daring to cross the threshold.

Lando felt no urgency. He wandered leisurely through the sanctuary, observing that the central stone monument was carved with the Earth King’s great deeds. It seemed the people of this world had a fondness for such things; on either side, plaques commemorated the reigns and achievements of successive monarchs.

Circling back to find the king still unconscious, Lando considered, then conjured a harmless sphere of water and flung it into the king’s face.

The sudden chill brought the king around; he blinked groggily, disoriented and unsure of his situation.

Gradually regaining his senses, he saw Lando standing before him. The memory of what had happened before he lost consciousness made the king’s face turn ashen.

Through clenched teeth, the king spat, “Who are you?!”

Lando regarded the bewildered king, conjured a ball of wind, and sent him flying. As the king spat blood, Lando said, “I may not be skilled in interrogation, but I know a few punishments. Answer whatever I ask—do you understand?”

“Damn you! Cough... Who are you?! What do you want?! Do you know who I am?! You—” Furious and frightened, the king ignored Lando’s words.

A sphere of water, controlled by Lando, enveloped the king’s head. The king immediately began to struggle frantically.

Lando recalled that in his previous life, humans could hold their breath for up to twenty-two minutes under professional training and with special equipment. The king, even as a knight, wouldn’t last nearly as long. He set the scanner to constantly monitor the king’s vitals, lest he actually suffocate.

After three minutes, the king’s struggles weakened; five minutes in, his body convulsed, his consciousness fading.

Lando dispelled the water sphere. While the readings suggested the king could have lasted another two or three minutes, he had surely learned his lesson.

When the semi-conscious king finally came to, Lando was smiling pleasantly at him. The king shrank back instinctively, terror in his eyes.

“Now, answer whatever I ask—do you understand?” Lando repeated.

The king nodded frantically. After a moment’s hesitation, he stammered, “I... I understand.”

“Good. Tell me, what is this?” Lando pointed at the teleportation array.

“That... That is the entrance to the ruins discovered by my family’s ancestor, the Earth King. It leads to the ancient forebears’ secret domain.”

Ancient forebears?

“What did you find within?”

“There is an altar of the ancient forebears, and some books recording their knowledge. To decipher their wisdom, our family has long devoted itself to expanding the royal library and inviting scholars from across the kingdom. Unfortunately, the gains have been slight.”

“Where are those books now?” Lando’s eyes brightened, and he asked eagerly.

The king hesitated, but seeing the water sphere forming in Lando’s hand, he blurted, “They’re hidden in a secret compartment beneath my bedchamber. But, alas, my bedchamber just collapsed! If you wish to see them, perhaps—”

Lando had no patience for his schemes. He simply grabbed the king and walked out.

“Look, someone’s coming out of the sanctuary!”

“Who is it?!”

“That—he’s carrying His Majesty the King!”

“Hurry, protect the king!”

Ignoring the uproar among the guards, Lando soared into the sky on the elemental shield generator, leaving chaos in his wake.

Arriving above the king’s bedchamber, Lando dropped down. The shield generator expanded, enclosing the entire room and forcing out all servants and guards.

With a surge of earth elemental energy, a dark metal box pushed up through the rubble to appear before Lando.

Lando sneered at the sight; it was clearly not of this world’s craftsmanship.

“Open it,” he gestured to the king, making no move to approach himself.

But the king—whose cowering had just moments before seemed so pitiful—now regained his composure, his face still ashen but his manner calm. His previous display had been an act.

“How did you know?” the king asked coldly.

“Oh? So I was right. The box requires a special method to open, or it will trigger a mechanism—a trap, perhaps, or the destruction of its contents? Most likely the former. Honestly, I was just guessing. Better safe than sorry.”

“Very clever. Peerless strength and a cool head—you are a worthy adversary. We discovered this artifact in the ancient ruins and spent years trying to unlock it, even with the original documents to guide us. Now, with those documents locked inside, I alone in this world know the method. Perhaps you should try your torture again—maybe I’ll break this time!” The king’s lips curled into a mocking smile by the end.

Lando merely sighed. “Why are all you villains like this? Can’t any of you be a little less cunning?”

“Villain?” The king looked genuinely confused.

A transparent void appeared in the center of the king’s brow. His eyes widened in disbelief. Even as death claimed him, he could not comprehend—did Lando no longer care about the contents of the metal box?

“You truly were remarkable—in both mind and performance, a worthy overlord. In a stronger world, you might have amounted to something. But this world was too small for you, and fate did not choose you.”

Lando tossed a ball of elemental fire to the king’s corpse.

He had intended to question the king further about the laboratory, but under such circumstances, it was better to end things cleanly.