As Linde gradually moved away from the Eternal Silent Forest, he controlled the "Starry Sky Apostle" to maintain an extremely high cruising speed until the suffocating feeling of the "active vacuum" completely disappeared from his perception. Only then did he slowly breathe a sigh of relief and reduce the speed to a normal level.
Inside the cold metal cabin, only the deep hum of the energy core and his own almost inaudible breathing could be heard.
When dealing with these walking legends, you can never be too careful.
This time, he was there in person. Although he had the "Starry Sky Apostle" and his own strength to rely on, the consequences would be unimaginable if he were drawn into the core of Esmeralda's bizarre power, which was completely beyond reason and directly denied "existence" itself.
Fortunately, the reaction was quick enough, and thankfully, Valack issued a warning at the last minute.
The final, pained, and terrified roar of "Deep Roots Old Man" still echoed in his mind.
"The Silent Saintess... Esmeralda..." The meaning behind this name is far more terrifying than the brief phrase "walking magic-free zone" in Narosh's information.
Linde steadied himself, and the data stream in his purple eyes lit up again.
He retrieved the scattered data fragments about Esmeralda that the [Deconstruction Halo] had captured and forcibly recorded in that final, thrilling moment.
The data is extremely chaotic and incomplete, mostly depicting the violent collapse of the "active vacuum" edge and a pure "annihilation" characteristic that cannot be defined by existing energy systems.
A complete analysis would require a significant amount of time and computing power.
However, when Linde attempted to trace the source of this power, a discovery that greatly surprised him emerged—
[Energy Trait Analysis: Underlying rule perturbation pattern matching... Matching database in progress...]
[Comparison Result: Highly Matching Sample – “Oracle Fluctuation of the God of Magic (Echo Files - Number: mG-001)”]
[Similarity: 78.41% (Note: Signs of significant variation and dimensional advancement exist, but the core rule imprints share the same origin)]
"The God of Magic?"
A genuine look of astonishment flashed across Linde's eyes.
His "Deconstruction Aura" did indeed originate from "intercepting" and system-transforming a divine oracle bestowed upon him by the god of magic, which can be seen as an indirect and alternative use of divine power.
But Esmerald's power... is completely different! It's not an indirect use, but more like... a more direct, more extreme, or even... a product of distortion and mutation?
It's as if all the parts of "magic" related to "order," "construction," and "energy flow" have been extracted, denied, or even reversed, leaving only the ultimate, empty "opposite"!
One steals and transforms the fire of God, while the other seems to embrace the shadow of God, or even... the wound of God?
"Why?"
Linde fell into deep thought, his fingertips unconsciously tapping on the console.
"The Silent Saintess Esmeralda, her core power originates from the same source as the God of Magic? Then why is she there? And why is she targeting Valak?"
This is by no means a coincidence.
An ancient legend representing "the fusion of life and the cycle of nature," and a silent saint symbolizing "the denial of existence and the utter silence of all things."
The two have almost completely opposite power attributes.
Is it a personal grudge?
It doesn't seem like it.
Valakna's final fear was more like a fear of some inevitable fate than a simple encounter with an enemy.
Was it the will of the god of magic? Did the gods send (or create) Esmeralda to eliminate Valak?
That doesn't seem to make sense either.
Why would a deity interfere with an ancient legend who had not clearly violated its territory, and could even be described as living in a remote corner?
Although Valak's "Path of Deep Roots" and the God of Magic's "Path of the Magic Web" are different, they are not in direct conflict.
Unless... Valak's very existence, or the path of "fusion" he has taken, touches upon some kind of taboo? Or perhaps his state—the "blockage" and "deterioration" of his energy—is itself a kind of "contamination" or "error" that needs to be cleansed from the God of Magic?
Or perhaps... Esmeralda's actions didn't originate from a divine oracle, but rather from some kind of... loss of control? A kind of loss of control phenomenon that originated from the same source of power, but went to the exact opposite extreme and began to indiscriminately eliminate all "discordant" existences?
Lind recalled Esmeralda's blurry figure, composed of absolute silence.
It didn't seem like a being with a conscious will; it was more like a phenomenon, a living catastrophe, a wound in the rules.
If her power truly originates from the same source as the God of Magic but has mutated, then what does her existence mean to the God of Magic? Is it a failed experiment? An out-of-control weapon? Or... the dark side of her own divine duty, which even the god himself cannot fully control?
A series of questions swirled in Linde's mind, but he lacked enough key information to connect them.
The only thing he was certain of was that the waters on this continent were far deeper than he had imagined.
Legendary powerhouses are not isolated beings; there seem to be hidden connections and conflicts among them, which may even involve power struggles or upheavals at the level of gods.
The "Soul Forger" Kamran is relatively stable, but is bound to the ley lines.
The "Deep-Rooted Old Man" Valak has a unique path, but he falls into a deep illness and is attacked by the "Silent Saintess".
The "Silent Saintess" Esmeralda possesses terrifying and bizarre power, the source of which points to the God of Magic.
Each of these legends contains immense value, but also comes with enormous risks.
To safely "sample" and study them, the original plan had to be significantly adjusted.
We cannot allow ourselves to easily venture into unknown legendary territories in our true form, as we did this time.
Linde's gaze became deep and calm.
He packaged and encrypted the data about Esmeralda and Valak, stored it in the deepest database of Iron Sky, and marked it as a "highest priority research project".
At the same time, he issued new instructions:
"Aster, inform Narosh. I need the Shadowbinders to use every secret channel, at any cost, to gather all information related to the 'Silent Saintess' Asmera, even the most outlandish legends, the oldest forbidden records, and even fragments of heretical literature."
The investigation will focus on her potential connection to the God of Magic, as well as all her past activities.
The "Starry Sky Apostle" adjusted its direction and accelerated towards Black Rock Territory.
Linde leaned back in the driver's seat, gazing at the sea of clouds rushing past the window.
Although this trip did not allow for a deeper exchange with Varak, and even nearly resulted in some mishap, the information gained was revolutionary.
Esmeralda's appearance was like a key; although it had not yet unlocked the door to the truth, it had already allowed him to glimpse a corner of the intricate and astonishing scene behind the door, a scene of interwoven light and darkness.
His legendary journey seems destined to be inextricably linked with these ancient secrets hidden in the mists of history and the shadows of divine power.
The next step for him is to have more information, more power, and... more thorough preparation.
Perhaps it's time to delve deeper into the legacy of the Zedu civilization, or... consider limited contact with some "relatively safe" legends?
His gaze inadvertently swept over the list provided by Narakush once again.
Behind each name, there seem to be endless stories and dangers.
The path to legend is also a path to unveiling secrets. And this path has only just begun.
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