Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 722 - 666 Posuwa, Land of Chaos
The sky of rust and brass receded, the Evil God spawn and the Pact-Maker concluded their mysterious trade. Lyle received coordinates that used the Andrei Academy as the origin point. This secret direction pointed to a region, a place where the key to his ascension to Four Locks awaited, a tribe suited to his talents.
[A Fair Trade]
The crazed expression on Mister Reporter’s face seemed to read Lyle’s mind, and before silence fell, he uttered this phrase. Returning to his usual state, Mister Reporter was once again covered by the tablecloth, and the two holes in the checkered pattern stared at Lyle for a few seconds. He didn’t speak and left the Cup of Luxury in haste as if something terrifying were chasing him from behind.
Lyle pursed his lips, recalling the secret he had just learned, feeling a sense of strangeness.
The price was too light.
Indeed, all he received was a vague set of coordinates, no specific intelligence—all the details shrouded in a fog of uncertainty and risk. Yet Lyle felt as though he had made a steal. Perhaps the Andrei Liches were not particularly keen on magical power levels and did not judge based on strength but on scholarly achievements. However, if these coordinates held the secret of the Evil God’s ascension, they seemed like something that would demand a hefty price.
Trading Evil God knowledge for Evil God knowledge, Lyle approached the trade with this mindset. At the instant the secret conditions were met, when the brass clock hands moved and the rusty chains made noise, Lyle felt as though his thoughts and lips were no longer under his control, and he involuntarily spoke that secret.
Now, upon reflection, it should not matter greatly; his relief at seeing the path ahead was paramount. Lyle didn’t linger and used the teleportation circle to return to Naslan. The coordinates lay to the southwest, a location already beyond the furthest boundary Lyle had reached. Lyle needed more information, and Ivan the Wanderer might have some answers, running here and there as he did.
After enjoying a dinner in Naslan, Lyle saw Nia playing with Chaichai on the opposite side of the lake.
Beatrice yawned, holding a goblet while sitting in the castle courtyard. The Specter Maid was combing her long hair as the increasingly bright moonlight fell on her bared skin. The gradually alerting vampire shook the bell gently, watching the Frost Specter coachman converse softly with Lyle.
Ivan the Wanderer stood on the frozen river, looking at the small dot marked on the map. He first showed surprise, then a puzzled expression, and finally, he replied with some uncertainty.
"That place is likely the vague boundary of Posuwa, the untouched woods. Although I’ve chased winters around the world, regretfully, I’ve never set foot in that region, and..."
"Posuwa is a sinister place, my master," the Frost Specter interjected as if remembering something, the spirit horse that shared his consciousness neighing twice, causing the frozen lake surface to expand slightly.
"That region once had a complete nation, Posuwa, fairly stable and intact. But then, its people, as if possessed by an evil, fought among themselves, destroying their own country and homes. Eventually, only two professions remained for humanity: bandits and refugees. Since then, no complete towns or villages have existed there, nor has a new government been born to claim sovereignty over that area. The name of the defunct nation, Posuwa, continues to be used to this day."
"The land there is cursed. Anyone who steps into Posuwa’s territory has their heart corroded; the vile become irate, turning into relentless persecutors, while those with good intentions become weak-willed, lacking the courage to resist and can only flee in all directions like sheep before a lion. No one likes that place, and over time, only demons in human skin remained... that’s just a metaphor."
Lyle listened calmly, unsurprised, without so much as a single raised eyebrow. Such a land of extreme malice fit well with the rise of an Evil God; Ivan’s repeated emphasis on its ugliness only served to bolster Lyle’s confidence.
"Ivan, has Posuwa affected you in any way? Is the evil aimed exclusively at humans, or does it affect everyone?"
"Everyone. Roaming through Posuwa makes me restless; I cannot appreciate the beauty along the way, only feeling irritable. There are hardly any races not affected by it, my master. It is said that researchers from Andrei Academy once set foot there, but they didn’t stay long, designating Posuwa as an unwelcome wasteland. No one can be at peace there, not even the Liches."
After a moment of thought, Lyle felt that the curse of Posuwa probably wouldn’t affect his own mind too much. According to Ivan’s description, there were few spellcasters in Posuwa; no one liked the direct irritation to their mind, so all he needed to be wary of were some deranged bandits.
Lyle returned to the Naslan castle, handed a magic letter to the Specter Maid, and his message of temporary departure would be received by the Blue Dragon Kristo, and passed on to a few in the Dream Forest. Dreamland had officially launched, and it was said that those adventurers who had just entered the instance were already in a frenzy, tortured to death and back by the Three Pigs Dragon Slaying Formation. The novelty should last a while longer. Andrei Academy hardly ever needed his concern, as the highly autonomous Necromancer Figure Club barely listened to him. Red Dragon’s idol proselytizing was in full swing, Green Dragon was lost in somnambulism, Black Dragon’s conspiracy was still brewing, White Dragon was slacking off, and Blue Dragon was working to death.
All was in good order.
Lyle took the carriage of the Wanderer that very night, heading towards Posuwa without any companions. The Naslan sisters all believed that Lyle would not encounter any trouble in Posuwa that he couldn’t resolve.
They traveled through the dark, and Ivan was an excellent travel companion. Previous interactions hadn’t highlighted this because of the crowd, but once Lyle entered the specter carriage alone, Ivan would chat with Lyle while driving, sharing some of the sights he’d seen on his long travels. They wove through the deep woods under cover of night, disturbing frost that woke wild beasts from their nightmares, ghostly in form, leaving only coldness behind.
"Aside from winter, I generally avoid human dwellings, hahaha, after all, having been alive for dozens of years, I still remember that bone-chilling feeling. Sometimes, there would be young lads who stay up late crouched on the windowsill, gazing at the starry sky in a trance. They themselves are as warm as a stove, their daydreams brighter than the stars. I’d climb onto their roof late at night, show just a sliver of shadow, push away the snow, and let the fallen snowflakes drop into their wide-open mouths of surprise. That was truly amusing."
Lyle suddenly realized.
"No wonder, there were rumors in the City of Wandering that on Christmas Eve, a Satan in a carriage would lift their rooftops."
