Chapter 119: Flame Part 1: Frame-up [VIP]
After reading the flyer, Lias' eyes sparkled.
He subconsciously touched the back of his neck and said to himself, "It's time."
(I want to help them...)
(I want to protect these people and let them distribute all the flyers so that more people can know the truth and stand on the side of justice!)
Lias whispered to himself in his heart.
He wanted to contribute his own strength.
He looked up and said to the knights who had noticed the young men handing out leaflets, "I've seen similar leaflets in the Prime Minister's office. The Prime Minister said that no educated person would believe such absurd things. But if the people handing out the leaflets were arrested, the foolish public would start to believe their contents."
"For the sake of national stability, please leave these people alone for now. Wait until His Majesty hears about this."
Lias added.
"no problem."
The Knight Captain nodded.
After all, the Prime Minister Ulysses, a mage who is deeply trusted by the Emperor, is Lias's adopted brother, and more than 80% of the state affairs are handled by the Prime Minister.
"Well, thank you all for your hard work."
Lias gave a chubby smile and said, "Hurry up and go where you are more needed."
"ha!"
The knight captain nodded repeatedly and left with his men.
In a corner of the lower city, unseen by the knights of the upper city, men and women, old and shaken by yesterday's events, gathered from all directions. Some carried kitchen knives, others long sticks. Women wrapped their hair in rags, and old men dug out the swords they had used in their youth...
They gathered in taverns and by street fountains to listen to speeches given by young men with red cloth wrapped around their arms standing on wooden boxes.
"Rise up! People who love our motherland! Yesterday's tragedy no longer needs to be recounted! The cruel reality tells us that we must use our own strength to save our motherland!"
"Justice is on our side! The gods are with us!"
"Take action! Take back our peace with our own hands!"
"Long live! Long live!"
The grief-stricken crowd shouted in unison, their fists raised high, like wild grass in the wilderness that had finally caught the blazing sparks.
Similar situations occurred in every corner of downtown, and also in some corners of the upper city...
…
…
After completing the task assigned by the emperor to comfort the families of the victims in the Sacred Square, Lias boarded the carriage and came to Ulysses' office.
"Ulysses, do you have a minute now?"
"Um?"
Ulysses looked up.
He was already overwhelmed with the aftermath of yesterday's tragedy at the Holy Square, not to mention—
"…Is it something important?"
“Very important.”
Lias said cautiously, "Your secretary said you've been working since yesterday afternoon. I think you should take this opportunity to take a break and solve my problem."
"All right."
Ulysses stood up and sat on the sofa facing Lias.
"Lias——"
"To be honest, I used to be extremely jealous of you. I was jealous that you, despite being an adopted son, were more favored by your father than me, his biological son... that you, without noble blood, were able to gain the emperor's trust and become prime minister... Of course, I'm no longer jealous of you now. I know you're very capable and that you've achieved everything you have today through your own strength, but..."
"But what?"
"I just came back from the Sacred Square and saw many people who lost their loved ones because of what happened yesterday..."
Lias's voice was choked with sobs. "Brother, I hope you can resign as Prime Minister immediately and stop working for the emperor! He is a cruel man and the people don't like him."
"Lias, are you crazy? How dare you say such a thing!"
"I'm not crazy. These words are the conclusions I reached after careful consideration."
Lias said sadly, "I am a mediocre person, without ability or ambition. My greatest wish is to live a peaceful life. I believe that most people think the same way. So, when I was ordered to go to the Sacred Square and saw them kneeling on the ground and weeping... I was ashamed to be a subject of the Emperor, and even more ashamed that my adopted brother is the Emperor's Prime Minister."
"but--"
"I know you have your ambitions. You worked so hard to become the Prime Minister, but..."
Lias pleaded earnestly, "Become the Julius who loved his country and his people!"
"Lias..."
Ulysses's gray eyes roamed about.
After making sure that no one else was in the office, he grabbed Lias's chubby hand and whispered, "Your Majesty once publicly accused me of frequently visiting the Little Love Palace."
"I've heard about this... Because of this, the sparrows laughed at you for being so ignorant. How dare a stinky bat covet a noble and beautiful princess... Wait! You suddenly brought this up, could it be that—"
Lias was shocked: "What are you doing?!"
,you--"
Ulysses was stunned.
Lias continued to speak to himself, "...Given His Majesty's character, even if he is willing to forgive Your Highness after the rebellion ends, Your Highness will spend the rest of his life in captivity without seeing the sun... At that time, all you need to do is threaten Your Highness, who has lost his freedom and health, with a few words and then promise to improve his living conditions... After all, Your Highness's health is very fragile. Without the personal care of his servants, he will wither quickly like a flower exposed to the scorching sun..."
Lias grew angrier as he spoke, raising his voice: "Ulysses! When did you become a true villain?"
“…Lias!”
Ulysses was so angry at Lias's stupidity that he couldn't breathe.
At this moment, two secretaries were holding a lot of urgent
"Your Excellency the Prime Minister—"
“…”
Taking a deep breath, Ulysses smiled wryly and said, "Tonight, I'll go to your house... I heard... your third child is about to be born."
"Yes, Mia is the best woman in the world, if she doesn't push me to lose weight."
Lias smiled happily when he remembered his beloved wife because of Ulysses' words.
"See you tonight."
"Okay, see you tonight."
Ulysses smiled and sent Lias away. Before leaving, he patted his shoulder and said, "Mia is right. You should lose weight."
“…”
The smile on Lias's face froze.
…
…
Late at night, Ulysses finally finished his desk work, stood up, straightened his messy hair and clothes, and said to his secretaries, "I have some personal matters to take care of. You should go home and rest. Work is important, but health and family are equally important."
"See you tomorrow, Prime Minister."
"See you tomorrow."
Ulysses walked out of his office and sensed Romila's presence as he walked through the corridor.
「Hey, where are you going? Are you going to talk to Lias and clarify things, or──」
"I know the situation outside is a bit tense, and I'm your most annoying type, but you can't completely ignore me..."
[Latest news: More and more people are crossing the Ebola Bridge to join my team at the Tower of Sin. The Dog Emperor will soon take action. What are you going to do? Will you stay by my side and help them, or will you take off your Prime Minister's clothes and join the battle?]
「Hey! Hey! Hey! Please give me an answer! I really──」
【……】
Romila kept talking in Ulysses's shadow, but Ulysses kept moving forward until -
Walk out of the palace and get on the carriage.
"Every development these past few days has been beyond my expectations. I have a vague feeling that something is amiss. I want to stay by the Emperor's side to gather more intelligence..."
[I understand. I'll go to the Sin Tower now and tell them your idea.]
Romila prepares to leave.
"Wait a moment."
Ulysses called to him.
What's going on?
"What has your master been doing lately?"
[Master? Do you mean the old dog?]
Romila M's head popped out from the shadows, a gloating smile on her frivolous and fleshy face.
[The old man died after accompanying Her Royal Highness and me into the mirror dimension. He must have been seriously injured and was hiding in a corner to recover! He's lived for so many years and has made countless enemies. If his enemies knew that his strength has been greatly reduced, they would definitely kill him!]
"You should be careful too."
[Hehe! I'm now clinging to the Princess and my husband's thighs, so I don't have to worry about anything!]
Romila smiled triumphantly, turned around and dived into the darkness.
…
The carriage soon arrived at Lias's mansion.
The old butler jumped up in shock when he saw Ulysses: "Prime Minister, how could you——"
"Lias and I agreed to meet tonight."
“But…but…”
The old butler looked confused.
"What? Has he gone to bed? Or doesn't want to see me?"
Ulysses frowned in confusion.
The old housekeeper said: "The master hasn't come back yet."
"Not back yet?"
Ulysses was even more confused. "He made an appointment with me in my office this afternoon to meet in the evening, and I personally sent him to the carriage... How could this happen..."
"I have no idea."
The old housekeeper stammered, "Maybe he went somewhere else on his way home."
"Even if he went somewhere else, it's already late at night—"
"Yes, I think this is strange too."
The old butler looked distressed.
Ulysses and Lias were children he had watched grow up, and he understood them, especially Lias.
"The master loves his family very much. Normally, he always returns home before dark... so he hasn't come back yet tonight... Everyone thought he was staying in the palace for some urgent matter... I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it..."
At this point, the butler sighed and said, "Let's go in first."
"good--"
Ulysses nodded and was about to go through the door.
Da da da!
The sound of hurried horse hooves could be heard on the empty road leading to the mansion.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
“That’s, that’s—”
"My carriage!"
"Lias!"
Ulysses, feeling something was amiss, quickly ran to the carriage, opened it, and was greeted by—
Lias's body!
The body fell out of the carriage, face up.
In the flickering light of the lantern, Ulysses saw that Lias's chubby face was covered with purple and black spots, with black blood lines at the corners of his mouth. His lace collar was torn due to the pain of dying, and his hands were raised high towards the sky, with his fingers twisted unnaturally.
“This, this…”
Ulysses reluctantly grabbed Lias's wrist, trying to find his pulse.
But it was too late.
…
"No--"
Lias' wife Mia rushed over and saw her husband's body, and immediately let out a miserable scream.
"Ahhh! Why! Why are you—Lias! Lias!"
"Send him back quickly!"
Ulysses ordered the maids to take Mia back to her room immediately.
“Yes! Yes!”
The maids were also panicked at this time. They came to their senses after Ulysses reminded them and helped the limp lady up.
After sending Lias's wife away, Ulysses ordered the butler and others to carry the body, which had obviously died of poisoning and was already stiff and cold, out of the carriage and placed it on flat ground.
He walked up to the driver and shouted, "What the hell is going on?"
"I, I, I don't know! I don't know anything! I, I..."
The driver turned pale with fear.
"Okay, let's change the way we ask questions."
Ulysses took a breath and asked as calmly as possible, "After leaving the palace this afternoon, didn't Lias go home directly?"
"Yes, the master did not come home."
"Where did he go?"
“I went…”
The driver hesitated.
"Answer me!"
"I went to the Sin Tower."
The driver whispered.
"Tower of Sin?"
Ulysses was surprised.
The driver nodded. "After the master left the palace, he asked me to take him to the Sin Tower. But the situation in the Sin Tower... I parked the carriage in the nearest neighborhood, and the master got off alone... I waited in the carriage for a long time, and when it was almost dark, the master finally returned."
"And then? Where did you go next?"
"Then I sent the master back."
"real?"
Ulysses frowned. "It's late at night! Even if the carriage crossed the entire Upper Town, it wouldn't take this long! You're not telling the truth!"
"I, I didn't... I..."
The driver was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and begged, "How could I dare to hide such a big thing?"
"this……"
Ulysses squinted his eyes and thought for a while, then knelt on one knee and touched the back of the driver's ear with his right hand.
The driver was so frightened that he was shaking like a sieve: "Prime Minister——"
"I will now use magical means to examine your memory. If you haven't lied, you won't feel any pain."
"I--"
"Come on! Open your eyes and answer my questions!"
Following these words, the driver slowly raised his head, his eyes dull and empty.
"Who are you."
"I am Ali, the coachman of Lias Sahib."
"Where have you taken Lias today?"
"In the morning, I'll take you to the palace, then to the Sacred Square. In the afternoon..."
The driver answered the questions in detail, and the content was exactly the same as what he had said before.
"...When the master came out of the Sin Tower, it was already dark. I lit the lantern to send him home. Halfway... halfway..."
The driver's face gradually distorted and his body trembled violently.
"What happened along the way?"
Ulysses' voice gradually became stern: "Tell me, what happened on the way from the Sin Tower to the mansion?"
“I… I… I don’t know anything… I, I… I saw… I saw a black, black moon… There was a gap in the black moon, and blood-red, boiling hot magma was flowing out… Ah! Ah! Ah!”
The driver's trembling became more and more violent, and dark red blood flowed from his eyes, nose, and ears.
Ulysses gritted his teeth, pressed his right hand against the driver's ear, and pressed his left hand firmly against the driver's brow. "What did the black moon that oozes blood-red magma do to you and Lias?"
"I... uh... I... ah! The lava rushed towards me and the carriage, and then I, I... I don't remember anything! When I woke up I already... already - ah! My head! My head! My head is going to split!"
The driver screamed in pain.
Ulysses, realizing something was wrong, quickly let go of the driver and took a step back.
result--
As soon as Ulysses let go, the driver rolled on the ground with his hands on his head, repeatedly wailing, "My head is going to split open!" After three consecutive wails...
boom!
The driver's head exploded like a balloon!
Ulysses, who was closest to the scene, was covered in flying brains, eyeballs, bones, and blood. The others were completely stunned by the horrifying scene, and after coming to their senses, they screamed in despair.
“Ahhhhhh—”
"Quiet! Everyone, be quiet!"
After scolding everyone, Ulysses took out a handkerchief to wipe away the blood and brain matter splashed on his face, and solemnly swore to Lias's corpse:
"Lias, my dear brother, I will avenge you! No matter who the murderer is, I will never forgive him! I will kill him and use his blood as a sacrifice to you!"
Then he stood up and told the old housekeeper to quickly take care of Lias's funeral, take care of the pregnant Mia and the two children, and notify Mia's family to come and help overnight: "They are Lias's most beloved people, and nothing must happen to them!"
"Yes."
The old housekeeper burst into tears.
"As for Lias's murderer—"
Ulysses swore again: "I will find the murderer and avenge Lias!"
After saying this, Ulysses boarded Lias's carriage and drove this carriage filled with the breath of death towards the palace shrouded in ominousness.
…
…
The night in the Sin Tower was unusually quiet, so quiet that it seemed as if the entire space had been stripped away from the m world.
Xiao Yun, feeling something was wrong, opened his eyes, eager to see everything around him.
He saw the moonlight shining into the room through the small window, shining on Yaris's pale, almost transparent cheek, and saw Yaris's lips trembling slightly, as if calling out something.
"Xiao... um..."
(Who is Yaris calling? Why did he unconsciously say this note...)
(Humans in this world also call their mothers "Mom," so I'm pretty sure he wasn't calling out "Mom" at the moment, but "Xiao." However, besides me, there's no one else around him who uses this name—but I...)
(The pronunciation of "Xiao" does not have a universal meaning in the language system of this planet. Instead, in the language system of Earth, this pronunciation exists in both English and Chinese. In English, "Xiao Shaw" means freedom, passion, and courage. In Chinese, it is the common pronunciation of two common surnames - "Xiao" and "Xiao". The related "Shawn/Shane" is also a common English name and surname word, meaning that God is merciful...)
(Yaris, why did you unconsciously play this note? Between you and me, what is going on?)
Snap! Snap!
The sound of scales rubbing against each other echoed against the wall, and a faint stench of sulfur filled the air.
(This is……)
Xiao Yun recalled the ancient legend about the "Tower Master" that had been passed down for thousands of years.
Legend has it that there lives a giant black snake called the "Tower Master" under the Tower of Sin.
Every night, the ghosts who were tortured to death in the Tower of Sin would walk out of the walls in groups. With resentment towards death and hatred towards the living, they followed the "tower master" and walked through the floors of the tower, constantly emitting terrifying and strange noises from hell.
Is the legend of the "Tower Master" true? Or is someone trying to intrude into my dreams again?
Xiao Yun laughed at himself.
He opened his eyes wide and looked around, only to find that the transparent moonlight had disappeared without his noticing, and thick darkness enveloped the entire room.
wrong!
It was not the night that drove the moonlight out of the room, but a giant snake, a giant black snake.
It used its huge and hard body to fill every gap from the ceiling to the floor. The iron scales all over its body scraped the walls and floor, leaving scars. Its huge black head blocked out the moonlight, and cold black flames burned in its empty eye sockets.
It was looking at Xiao Yun with a solemn and noble gaze, like an emperor exiled from the world.
"Who are you? Why did you come into my dream?"
【This is not a dream, this is reality. 】
The black snake's voice rang in Xiao Yun's mind, and its iron scales opened and closed, making a deafening roar.
"As far as I know, the story of the 'Tower Master' is just a legend."
[Most legends in the world are forgotten truths, stories that really happened long, long ago...]
Following these words, Xiao Yun's heart trembled violently, and a faint whisper sounded in his mind.
“I…I…”
He looked around and found that Yaris was still sleeping, his pale face emitting faint moans as if he was in unbearable pain.
"...Um...what's going on?"
Xiao Yun felt extremely confused.
If all this really happened in the real world, with the black snake making such a big noise, it is impossible that the people in other rooms were unaware of it.
Besides, Yaris is right next to me.
“So this is my dream!”
[No, this isn't a dream, this is the real world... He can't wake up because he can't. If he wakes up, I'll disappear...]
"What do you mean? What do you mean by that?"
[He is my master, and I am his pet, but we are bound by certain laws and cannot exist in the same dimension...]
"Why? Why can't you exist in the same dimension? Why is he your master? And yet he seems completely unaware of your existence?"
[I don't know... Every time I wake up, I can sense him, and he can sense me, but we can't meet, even when I'm standing next to him... Only you, only you, can allow us to break through the laws of dimension and reach each other...]
The black snake shook its long tail, making a joyful and peaceful sound, and its huge head approached Xiao Yun and the sleeping Yaris like a spoiled child.
[You have a golden eye from the Three-Eyed Tribe. If you place that eye into my left eye socket, it will restore some of my strength and make me closer to my original self...]
“…”
Xiao Yun suddenly fell silent.
(It turned out that its target was the golden gem formed from the eyes of the Three-Eyed Tribe.)
"...I'm sorry, but I won't make any decision until your words are confirmed."
How do you want me to prove myself?
"It's simple. You claim to be Yaris's pet, so your position must be completely consistent with ours."
Xiao Yun raised his voice: "I require you, as the 'Tower Master', to mobilize the full power of the Sin Tower to assist us. Remember, this is not an order, but an obligation you must fulfill as a pet!"
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