In front of Stone, the expression on the face of the sloppy charlatan gradually became serious, and his every move produced a certain change in temperament, making Stone feel that the person standing in front of him was not a down-and-out wanderer, but a scholar with extraordinary knowledge.

Although such a strange and terrifying sound came out of his throat, Byron quickly closed his mouth.

He looked at Stone.

"Hello."

The voice that came out of Byron's mouth was still the same, but the tone was much calmer, as if even if a gun was pointed at his head, this man would continue to respond without changing his expression.

"You can call me Taoist Heming."

A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Are you Taoist Heming?"

Stone frowned slightly, took out his revolver, aimed at Byron, and did not believe his nonsense.

"Yes, I am the Taoist Heming. Or rather, I used to be the Taoist Heming."

Byron placed his hands on the table, looking very relaxed, as if he was not facing Stone's gun, but a student under his tutelage.

"I went through a lot in the Wasted City, and I finally discovered one thing, that is, the human body can never resist pollution. So, I chose to abandon my body and merge with the followers of the Old Ones. I believe you are very familiar with this kind of creature."

"Are you Byron, Taoist Heming, or a mud monster?"

Stone knew that in most cases these mud monsters would mimic the appearance and will of the creatures they devoured. Except for very few cases, the will of those devoured creatures would be erased, and only a few could control the mud monsters in turn.

Just like Io and Liz at the time, Stone knew that the fact that she was able to maintain a certain level of consciousness was a miracle that could never be repeated.

“These are all me.”

Byron laughed.

"I abandoned the body of Heming Taoist and merged with the clan of the Old One. Then, I controlled this monster and transformed into a new being. However, some beings were unwilling to witness this."

"Some existence?"

Stone asked vigilantly without lowering his gun.

"You may have heard of the Old One who walks the earth and the true ruler of the Wasted City. That lady is not a gentle and kind person. She caused me a little trouble on the day I completely merged."

Byron said, spreading his hands as if helpless.

"Part of my consciousness was split off and remained in this Stormy Mountain Villa. Although I later tried to use some rituals to allow myself to completely sublimate and transform, the incomplete soul could never be integrated, and I could never go any further."

"So, I can only continue to survive in my current form. Fortunately, this body is strong enough and has a lifespan far exceeding that of humans. I can also devour other humans and become their appearance. I can hide in the abandoned city and avoid the detection of that lady."

"Is this the reason why you came back here and wanted to hold the Summoning Night?"

Stone asked in a deep voice.

According to Byron, he did enter here very early, and before that, Browning purchased many paintings of ancient capitals to suppress a certain existence. This might be the resistance made by Browning under the influence of the will left by Taoist Heming in Stormy Villa.

However, Browning died in the end. Gaode, one of the incarnations of Heming Taoist, was slaughtered by the will of Heming Taoist in Stormy Villa, and the last chess piece, Byron, woke up.

"It can control human will, create all kinds of hallucinations, and even control your body through subtle contamination. You should have experienced that feeling, right?"

Byron looked at Stone with a smile. Facing the black muzzle of the gun, he seemed fearless.

"Now, that will may have taken over someone's body and is looking for me. Haha, he tried to replace me and become the real [Heming Taoist], but he didn't know that this was all arranged by that lady. If it takes the initiative, you and your companions will die here on the night of the summoning of souls, and even your souls will be sucked away and become nutrients."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Stone understood that no matter whether the person in front of him was the real Heming Taoist or not, he must have a purpose for saying these words to him.

Considering that he mentioned that he was unable to sublimate because of his incomplete soul, Byron's purpose was obviously to let Stone and others get rid of his lost will.

"It's very simple. You just need to move all those paintings away and break the shackles that Browning has imposed here. Then that childish will will lose its support and my power will increase. By then, I will be able to absorb it back without your help and start the path of true sublimation."

Byron said, spreading his hands, as if to say that this was quite simple, as simple as covering his hands.

"And my becoming one of the Old Ones is not a bad thing for you. You have helped me before. At least, I can help you reshape some of the things you cherish."

"…You mean…"

Stone quickly understood what Byron meant.

Since he was in that state now, he naturally knew about Liz and Io, and knew what the lingering smell on Stone's body meant.

"You know, in the body of this creature, the souls of all the dead will never be extinguished. They will only merge into one, interweaving in the eternal and silent years."

Byron laughed.

"In other words, if I find the remains from that time, with just a little processing, they will stand in front of you intact, with the memories and personality you are familiar with, and even their souls will be genuine."

His voice whispered in Stone's ear, like the devil's whisper of human depravity.

"If you can help me achieve these, I can complete this deal. Isn't this what you expect?"

Stone was silent.

He was thinking about two things.

The first is whether the person in front of him can be trusted. Of course, Stone thinks that Heming Taoist is very dangerous, but at least Byron has no ill will towards him. He may have come here earlier than Browning, and the ghost living in Stormy Villa has indeed caused harm to the people living here.

The second is, can he really allow the dead to be resurrected?

Is it Stone's own arrogance to revive those silent souls now?

He hesitated.

After a long time, after taking a deep look at Byron, Stone slowly put down the revolver.

"Tell me, what do I need to do to fulfill your request?"

Stone's expression remained unchanged, still stern.

The storm outside the window became more violent, and the strong wind blew the window, making a crying sound.