CHAPTER 159: CHAPTER 148: MARGARET’S SECRET

This time, Ave insisted on accompanying the trip to the pollution zone.

When Ethan and Lindong arrived at Wolf Head Castle, Ave was already waiting there. The castle was silent and desolate, with remains scattered everywhere, shrouded in the night as if it were a city of the dead.

Seeing the two arrive, Ave approached them, "The anchor point is in the command room of the castle, the cursed artifact is... you should see for yourselves."

The three walked through the blood-scented corridor, which had been radically transformed, filled with Bazatous’s artistic style. Arms swayed slightly from the walls, and upon closer inspection, painful whispers could be heard, each voice distinct, as if innumerable people were trapped on the other side of the wall.

It was mentioned in the "Glossary of Curses and Containment Artifacts," numbered SI-008, called ’Tomb,’ often appearing in ancient tombs, abandoned prisons, etc. Investigators believe they are transformed souls of dead tomb robbers or prisoners, highly lethal. Once caught by it, one would be dragged into the wall.

So far, dozens of investigators have been dragged away by the Tomb, disappearing entirely, and days later, the Reception Bureau declared them dead.

"Let me go, save me..."

The three continued up the stairs, the whispers from the walls never stopping.

"This is a lure."

Lindong commented, "The Witch considering the porcelain doll’s lack of knowledge about the pollution zone, paved a path for her."

This immobile cursed artifact that waits for prey to walk into its net couldn’t harm the Choir of the Church. Its only purpose is to visibly signal that something abnormal is happening upstairs.

The erosion of the pollution zone was becoming more evident; the ground was covered with a layer of flesh and moss. Entering the command room felt like stepping into the innards of a creature. Ethan also saw the cursed artifact Ave mentioned—it was too conspicuous.

The brown brined egg’s head sat in the center of the command room, a head with half the height of a person, devoid of eyes, mouth agape, and with no sign of teeth or a tongue.

"Kill... me..."

The brown brined egg repeated whispers similar to the "Tomb," its expression extremely twisted.

The Witch "thoughtfully" spared the porcelain doll all the decryption work, opening a direct portal to the pollution zone for her. She seemed well-versed with the Choir, which, as emotionless killing machines, wouldn’t experience fear. They’d stop at nothing to fulfill the Church’s orders.

"Get ready."

Ethan reminded the two that the last time he went into a pollution zone, it was full of assemblers.

He was the first to approach the fearsome brown brined egg, closed his eyes. They weren’t blocked on their way, the scent of grass and soil filled their noses, and the air was humid, like after a heavy rain.

When he opened his eyes again, he arrived at an unfamiliar city gate. Even for this era, the city seemed a bit archaic.

Beside him were many people like him, dressed in tattered clothes, a broken cart toppled at the city gate, and a desperate atmosphere spread among the crowd. Some were gravely ill, with blood starting to seep from their mouths and eyes, curled up in corners.

"What is this place?"

Ave, following into the pollution zone, looked puzzled. Everything around contradicted the description of the pollution zone in "Light Messenger Yakwell." According to Yakwell’s definition of Level One of the pollution zone, they should have appeared in an area very similar to but subtly different from Wolf Head Castle.

As they went deeper into the levels, what they saw would gradually become unrecognizable.

Moreover, these refugees didn’t appear to be Bazatous’s creations; they seemed to be ordinary humans.

"This is the Second Era, during the outbreak of the Scarlet Plague."

Ethan had seen this place in Bloody Priestess Mary’s memories. By then, the Red King had been bewitched by Bazatous, leading the Evil God’s army to expand his territory, with few city-states surviving.

To verify his speculation, Ethan discreetly created a Sacred Beetle. The beetle crawled into the mouth of a dying refugee. His body was lifted by an invisible force, unperceived by those around him. The refugee bathed in a golden light and then vanished without a trace.

About thirty seconds later, an identical refugee "refreshed" back in place, still curled up, tormented by the Scarlet Plague, coughing up blood in front of the three of them.

Ethan voiced his suspicion, "We’re seeing images of the past."

They had died centuries ago, the city they saw was destroyed by the Scarlet Plague, and eventually, only plague-transformed flesh creations were left.

"Seems like Old Ba has gotten smarter this time; this is designed specifically to block you."

Speaking, Lindong raised his hand and pierced the city gate with a massive icicle. The surrounding refugees and the guards on the wall were indifferent. The refugees caught in the ice’s path, once killed, reappeared in less than half a minute, and the damaged city gate restored itself as well.

"If it were just sending some creations to attack you, they’d quickly be cleaned as before."

Lindong speculated that the Giant Divine Soldier was Bazatous’s highest-level creation at the moment. After all, in the Red King’s biography, He decimated his once-proud army with only four Giant Divine Soldiers, destroying entire nations.