Chapter 62 Secrets When Jello woke up in a daze on the hospital bed,...
When Jello woke up in a daze on the hospital bed, he was shocked by his father beside the bed.
"Uh, father?" He couldn't remember what happened yesterday for a moment. He just thought that he was caught by his father for staying in bed. He immediately jumped up from the bed and grimaced in pain.
Jero's father sighed, his expression somewhat helpless: "You have a broken bone, Jero. You need to rest well."
"Um... yes, yes, yes." Jello scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. The medicine he took last night contained sleeping pills. He hadn't slept so deeply in a long time. So deeply that when he just woke up, he had strange thoughts about where he was, who he was, and what he was doing.
Memories slowly returned, and Jello remembered that Mary had taken Dorothy to see her brother, Vicarious, yesterday. The nurse on night duty bandaged the bleeding wound on his body, and he fell into a daze in the dull pain until noon.
After taking a few sips of water from the glass on the table, Jero's mind finally cleared. He concentrated on listening to the sounds around him, only to find that the usually crowded hospital was now dead silent. The only sound outside was the patter of rain, as if he and his father were the only ones there.
Gregory seemed to understand Jello's confusion and said, "I'm closing the hospital today for...something." His expression was a little complicated. "I thought I'd tell you before I died, but I didn't expect..."
"Father, could it be that you've always known there was a monster underground?!" Jero shouted in disbelief. "Oh my God, how long has he been under our hospital? Ten years? Twenty years?"
"380 years, to be exact." "What?" Jero was speechless at the outrageous number. He stared at his father blankly, and for a moment he even wanted to treasonously dissect his father's head to see if it was just flesh and blood or just body parts. "You've been keeping this inside for decades? You've never had the slightest desire to speak it out?!"
Jero's father's tone became more serious: "Calm down."
"But father, do you know that guy has already..."
"Jero!"
Biting his lips unwillingly, Jello tried hard to suppress the words in his heart.
Gregory looked at his eldest son. He knew that although his son seemed calm, he was actually in a state of confusion.
His son was too kind and sentimental. He couldn't help but let his compassion run wild, leading to trouble. These qualities could be found in anyone, but not in Jello. Gregory often spent late nights worrying about his eldest son; he knew he couldn't handle the legacy that had been passed down for generations.
If his son really took over his job at the age of twenty-five, he might be completely destroyed in a few years. Both Gregory and his wife were worried about this matter, but now their anxiety was resolved by just a few words.
This is probably what is called a blessing in disguise.
"Now that things have come to this, I will tell you the true mission of our Zeppeli family." Gregory Zeppeli began his lengthy narration: "In this vast land, long before humanity existed, an invincible species emerged—the Pillar Men. This race possesses powers far exceeding those of ordinary humans, near-immortal lifespans, and the ability to rapidly recover."
"It sounds like they're close to being gods," Jello said.
"Yes, our ancestors initially worshipped them as gods, performing sacrifices in their honor and even offering the most talented and beautiful men and women in their tribe in exchange for their protection. But the Pillars are inherently apathetic. They don't seek human worship, nor do they seek supreme power. They huddle in caves, living a secluded existence, gradually drifting further and further away from the ever-evolving human society."
Jello thought of the guy who ate human flesh and blood, and really didn't think he had anything to do with indifference and tranquility.
"But for unknown reasons, one day the Pillar Clan vanished without a trace, leaving no trace of them anywhere in the world. People were buzzing with speculation, some believing they'd moved on to another world, or that they'd found a lost Garden of Eden, isolating themselves from humanity... In short, their disappearance ignited humanity's admiration and reverence for them.
"People began to create myths based on them and carved statues of them. In short, the name of the Pillar Clan was gradually lost in the long river of history and became part of the mythological system."
Gregory stood up, took the kettle from the table, poured himself a glass of water, and then sat back in his chair and continued, "But when everyone thought it was a story imagined by our ancestors, the Pillar Clan returned to the public eye and alarmed the royal family."
"The man is the last remaining Pillar Man, named Kaz. No one knows how he entered the palace, but when the palace servants discovered him, he was trying to pick at the ruby from the king's crown." Gregory frowned. "Not only did he not flee after being discovered, he clearly asked the servants where the Azer Red Stone was. The servants' screams attracted the guards, who rushed towards Kaz, but he easily slaughtered hundreds of them. The entire palace was covered in blood."
Jero Zeppelin blinked his big green eyes, feeling that everything was so magical and unbelievable: "When did this happen? How come I didn't know about it?!"
Gregory was speechless for a few seconds before speaking, "This was once a royal secret. Anyone who dared to spread it would be killed without mercy." He paused. "If this were to become public knowledge, it would cause unimaginable chaos. Concealing these things is, of course, the right thing to do."
"I think everyone has the right to know the truth," Jello thought. "If everyone knew, they could make plans before things get serious—flee or move." But he knew his father would be angry if he said that, so he kept quiet.
"This had never happened before. The entire royal family was on high alert and began a quiet investigation into the identity of the enemy. Ultimately, historians, biologists, and the survivors of the battle at Kaz jointly determined that the enemy was none other than the Pillar People, who vanished into history tens of thousands of years ago."
"Tens of thousands of years ago?!" Jero felt that today's story was constantly refreshing his three views. He was obviously a serious materialist, but now he actually began to believe in ghosts and gods.
"That's right." Gregory nodded. "No one could do anything to Kaz; he was simply too powerful. He was furious at being disturbed by humans. Seeking revenge, he suppressed his rage and deliberately withdrew from the royal family. Just as everyone was about to forget about him and begin a night banquet, he stormed into the kingdom single-handedly, tore off the then-current king's head and hung it on his throne before slowly walking out of the palace."
"From then on, the frightened king's son began to worship and revere Kaz to the extreme, even considering transferring his power to him. This naturally aroused opposition from many. At that time, the country was in chaos because of these events, and the people suffered. But strangely, Kaz disappeared again..."
"Where did he go?"
"No one knows. There are so few records about him, and many things are passed down orally from generation to generation. No one can guarantee how much is true and how much is false." Gregory looked tired, and now he finally had some of the old age he should have. "But when he appeared again, our family's unfortunate relationship with him began."
Gregory Zeppeli looked at his son, Jero Zeppeli: "The following is the secret history of our family. You must swear to me that you will never tell anyone except your own future descendants."
Jero saw the solemnity in his father's eyes. He propped himself up and sat up, saying firmly, "I, Julius Caesar Zeppeli, swear hereby that I will never tell anyone else what I heard today."
Gregory nodded and continued, "The ancestor of our Zeppeli family was a bard."
"Bard??"
"Yes, his name is William A. Zeppelin. There's no way to verify his first half of life, but the only thing our family can be sure of is that he's not a mortal. He even successfully sealed Kaz."
Gregory's eyes gleamed with reverence, finally earning him some popularity. "Once Kaz disappeared, he remained gone for fifty years. But this time, the king no longer dared to forget him. Instead, he mobilized the nation's resources to search for the ruby. After expending considerable manpower, material resources, and financial resources, a massive ruby was finally unearthed. It was then that our ancestor suddenly appeared in public. He demanded an audience with the king, brazenly declaring that no one but he and his fellow disciples could protect the ruler."
"Logically, such people should be punished. Fortunately, the king at the time, though timid, was a rare wise ruler, and he agreed to the other party's request. When our ancestor met the king, he told him that the purpose of his visit was to protect the king and eliminate Kaz, who created so many vampires."
Jello felt a headache. How come a vampire appeared out of nowhere? Why did his world become so bizarre today?
"He said he was inspired by his master to become a Ripple Warrior. Now he wants to eliminate Kaz, otherwise his strength and the increasing number of vampires will surely lead to the extinction of humanity. His master can predict the future and saw that Kaz will visit the palace again within a month and take the giant Edge Red Stone that has been mined during this period."
"The king was terrified upon hearing this. After witnessing our ancestor's miraculous abilities, he naturally agreed to let our ancestor and his fellow disciples remain in the palace. Sure enough, Kaz returned within a month and engaged in a bitter battle with our ancestor. We don't know the details of their battle of wits and courage, as it was a completely confidential matter, even my father knew nothing about it."
"But the only clear thing is that our grandfather died at the hands of Kaz, but they also sealed Kaz away. Because the ancestor died, the king attributed the credit to the ancestor's son."
Gregory moistened his throat with the water in his glass and lowered his head to watch the rippling water in the cup. "Unfortunately, our ancestor's son was just a commoner and didn't inherit the so-called magical ripples. So, the royal family eventually took his place... as executioner. Thus began our story of generations of executioners and guardians of Kaz."
Gregory looked at his young son, whose body was filled with vigorous vitality and the compassion of a saint.
"Now... we've failed in our duty." Gregory patted Jero's shoulder, his expression neutral. "Last night, I told the king about Kaz's resurrection and escape. He was furious and accused me of failing to fulfill my obligations. He gave me two options. The first is for you to capture Kaz and atone for your sin. The second is for us to be dismissed and lose our previous positions."
"Father...?" Jello looked at the other person uneasily, not daring to have any unfilial expectations.
"I chose the second option, Jello."
The smile on Gregory's face was so faint that Jello thought it was the product of excessive self-consciousness, but he was also extremely aware that this was the only time in his twenty-three years of life that he saw his father smile.
"You are free, son. Go and pursue whatever you want. I have no reason to stop you."
The rain was still falling outside, and the father and son, who were still lamenting their fate, did not notice that there was someone outside the window.
Blackmoa stepped on the water droplets and listened to their conversation word for word.
It turns out... the Kingdom of Naples... has such an interesting little secret...
Just as the President said... this world's Kaz still wants to evolve into a perfect creature... This... is really tricky...
But since Mary is here...it's not a big deal.
Blackmoa walked slowly out of the hospital in the rain. Now, he was going to find Mary and tell her the first-hand news he had just received.
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