Chapter 56 - Chapter 56: Chapter 54 The Most Important Place (2/2)

“The most important place? You mean, the most important place?”

“`

The Deputy Sheriff suddenly froze, then his face gradually twisted, he grabbed his head and began to tremble uncontrollably, saying in pain and despair:

“It was there! I couldn’t find it back then! If only I had found it sooner!”

“Please, I beg you, help me! Help me guard that most important place!”

Byrne, Irene, and Grandma Narda were all somewhat astonished, the Deputy Sheriff’s mental state was clearly very wrong, and the regret and despair in his speech were like the wails of the dead, or the unwilling roars of those long gone.

They thought he was going mad, but then they saw the Deputy Sheriff’s figure gradually fading away.

At that moment, the surroundings began to change, the multitude of objects in the room seemed to become a tangled mess of chaotic colors, fragmented, then reformed into a new scene.

They suddenly found themselves next to a city wall.

“Why have we come here?”

Then, Byrne realized that the section of the wall before him was gradually cracking and breaking open, revealing a vast dark hole.

Suddenly, the sounds of battle and screams rose all around, spectral visions of Lorne soldiers appeared in the streets, and flames swiftly engulfed many buildings, dyeing the entire skyline a bright red, like a giant beast of raging flames wildly dancing about.

Irene was stunned on the spot, her gaze slightly heavy, as if she had returned to the night Nasir Town was set ablaze by the jungle natives.

“I understand now!”

Byrne suddenly experienced a flash of clarity, realizing that the “most important place” the Deputy Sheriff referred to was the breach in the city wall.

That year, the city must have been broken open from the outside by an Extraordinary Exponent of the enemy, followed by a multitude of Lorne soldiers rushing in overnight, leading to the fall of the entire city.

He took a deep breath and said:

“The city they initially spoke of, fallen into the hands of the Lorne Empire, with tens of thousands dead or captured, seeking blood for blood, is actually this very city beneath our feet!”

Now, the carnage from the rift in history has begun, the emotions of the entire city rapidly intertwining to a crescendo, with the disaster that led to the city’s utter destruction unfolding inexorably.

Suddenly, Irene’s “Listener” alerted her that Lorne soldiers had noticed their location.

She hurriedly shouted, “We must get inside! We can’t stay here any longer! We can’t fight a disaster that destroys the whole city!”

The three rushed into the pitch-black hole, and after emerging on the other side, the scene before them changed completely once again.

To their horror, they saw an endless expanse of white city ruins.

The air was filled with a scent of decay and desolation, most of the buildings’ walls were covered in cracks and damage, and the wind blowing through the doorways made a mournful rustling sound.

Here was the city’s central square, once a gathering place for people, now only a deserted statue and an empty space remained, covered with dust and broken stones, the fountain in the middle completely dried up.

Byrne calmly observed, and it was clear to anyone that this must be a point in time after the city had been plundered.

In the completely ruined city stood the Deputy Sheriff, head bowed in contemplation, holding a rusted blade in his hand, wearing silver-white armor dented all over.

He looked like a defeated hero, his eyes gradually lighting up with a red glow, his tone also becoming deeper.

“Tell me, why couldn’t I find that most important place?”

Grandma Narda asked anxiously, “What do we do now, what do we do? He seems a bit off!”

Irene lowered her head in thought, intending to consider carefully what to respond.

Byrne stroked the blade on his waist and the flintlock, deducing from what he had read in books that the answer to come was extremely important.

The Deputy Sheriff before them could transform into a kind of monster at any moment, the “Tethered Spirit,” a common mysterious existence in the Spirit Realm. They also exist on the Ouden Continent and possess extremely terrifying malice and power.

If their answer was satisfactory, the other party would disperse into the most fundamental spirituality, completely dissipating in the world, and the three would then avoid battle.

Avoiding battle was naturally the best option. Byrne, after a moment of silence and a respectful bow, sincerely said:

“You have lived up to your identity, you are a true knight, a noble, a warrior, who led the people of the Flame Tribe in this city to resist until the last moment of life, so please, rest now.”

They had thought this answer could avoid battle, preventing the subconscious projection before them from mutating into a “Tethered Spirit,” but the words they heard next plunged their hearts straight down.

“No, I’m not a warrior at all, because I surrendered.”

The Deputy Sheriff’s eyes turned completely dark red, his body twisted and swelled, and a black iron mask with a clown’s face emerged on his face, engraved with expressions of mockery and madness!

“The Empire promised me everything! It was I who carved out that big hole!”