Chapter 37 Chapter 37 The Third Wish
The experiment was successful. The pharmacist excitedly poured the white liquid into a container. It was an exquisite glass bottle, the size of a palm, covered with a wooden stopper, and no different from other medicine bottles.
Seven days had passed since the city lord declared war. Compared to the initial high spirits, people gradually began to doubt the Avengers' true arrival. Perhaps they were afraid of the Holy City, which had defeated them four times. During this period, System 05, apart from visiting the palace to see the city lord and handling necessary matters at the Investigation Bureau, spent most of his time with the dwarf pharmacist.
In just a few days, they had become familiar with each other. The dwarf pharmacist would occasionally recount stories from the Holy City's past, but mostly remained silent. After the experiment was successful, System 05 breathed a sigh of relief and asked the pharmacist, "Would you like to go out for a walk with me?"
"The Avengers will show up at any moment."
"When the Avengers show up, it doesn't matter where you are."
The pharmacist's expression shifted slightly as he accepted System 05's invitation. The two packed up and headed out. The weather was pleasant, the sky clear and the clouds light. It should have been a perfect day for many people to relax and stroll outside, but the streets were deserted. Even the laughter of children was silenced inside. The flowers and decorations outside, unappreciated, seemed dull and desolate. The pharmacist hadn't been out for a long time, and his gaze was complex as he walked. The Holy City had changed a lot, yet some places remained unchanged, easily evoking memories.
They came to the center of the square and looked up at the flamboyant statue of the Lord of Ross. Every day the fountain would wash away the dust on it, so the statue was always as clean as new, but it was severely worn.
The pharmacist stared at the statue for a long time, stroking his chest, and muttered, "Holy City, Holy City..."
System 05 had been by his side the entire time. The pharmacist slowly withdrew his gaze after a long time. He solemnly handed the bottle of medicine to System 05 without saying a word, but his eyes were extremely heavy.
After System 05 took the bottle of medicine, the pharmacist turned around and walked back. System 05 wanted to see him off, but was waved away. So System 05 watched the elderly pharmacist leave and never looked back.
That night, System 05 sat by the window. The night was exceptionally dark, so the fire on the edge of the Holy City was particularly dazzling. Even the inky darkness couldn't completely swallow the bright red flames. System 05 held the cold potion bottle in his hand. The fire had been set by the pharmacist himself. The pharmacist had died at home, having no desire to participate in the war between the Holy City and the Avengers, no matter the outcome.
System 05's brows suddenly jumped. The intense flames suddenly became smaller and dimmer. It was not because someone was trying to put out the fire, but because the power of darkness was strengthening and gradually engulfing the sea of fire.
When the last trace of fire disappeared, System 05's heart skipped a beat and his eyes suddenly widened.
The darkness has awakened.
The Avengers are coming!
…
The smell of blood filled the palace. At this time, the palace was empty. In the most secret underground chamber, on a huge summoning circle, the city lord knelt on the ground with his hands clasped together and a pious expression.
The ground had become a pool of blood. The blood of the dead in the palace piled up three inches high in the secret room, so the city lord's knees were almost soaked in blood, but his upper body was still clean and tidy, and his expression was calm and solemn.
[The price I paid is unprecedented, so you need to respond to me with your strongest strength.]
The Worm Mother's voice rang out in his mind: [Not enough, not enough...]
[Enough, the insect nest has matured.]
[I'm injured and need more blood. I want the blood of your loved ones... Give it to me. Only I can help you...]
The city lord's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm: "My blood is more precious than his."
Looking closely, blood was also flowing out from the city lord's wrist and into the blood pool. The blood pool was not calm, but was constantly surging, as if it were a living thing, full of desire to eat.
[Not enough, not enough...]
The Worm Mother repeated this sentence. The City Lord lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment, his hands pressed against his forehead. Then he stood up. The blood loss had not affected his movements or consciousness. He left the underground chamber and went to Federer's room. Federer had his back to him, donning his armor. His younger brother had grown taller and more powerful than he. If he died in this war, the Holy City would belong to Federer in the future, but only if the Holy City still existed.
"Federer," the city lord called softly. Federer didn't look back. It was better not to. There was no need to cause more trouble. The city lord gently walked over. The two were very close. He said, "The Holy City needs you."
The dagger in the city lord's hand was enchanted with a guaranteed hit and fatality. He had never failed, so he didn't need to worry about missing the target. But surprisingly, Federer dodged the stab, and the city lord showed a slightly surprised expression. Only then did "Feederer" turn around, pointed outside, and said to the city lord, "I'm sorry I can't die in your hands."
The city lord stared at him as if he saw a stranger.
"The blood used to summon the Insect Mother is enough. My blood is not a good thing for the Insect Mother." Chen Mu said that the Avengers had already started a massacre in the city. With the summoning array, the blood would continue to flow into the blood pool. The city lord had prepared this summoning array a long time ago to save the holy city with the blood of the people of the holy city.
"You are not Federer, who are you?!" the city lord asked warily.
Chen Mu only said: "Someone needs me more than you."
He took his heavy sword and shield, walked past the city lord, and left the palace.
…
After the Avengers appeared, System 05 didn't waste a second and immediately equipped himself, taking all the potions, scrolls, and magic items that he had obtained from the church. Then, he held the potion bottle tightly and resolutely walked into the darkness.
The Avengers instantly targeted him, roaring and charging. System 05 didn't hesitate to expend his tools to protect himself. But there were too many Avengers, and with the Lord of the Avengers also present tonight, they became even more powerful.
It only took a quarter of an hour to walk from his home to the central square of the holy city during the day, but now it was impossible to move an inch.
System 05 had used up all the items he had brought with him, and after only walking two hundred meters, he began to pull out his own item cards. His inventory contained quite a few combat-related items, but each world had its own rules, and the effectiveness of combat cards in different worlds would be greatly reduced. System 05 could only find some universal item cards, so the lethality was not great, barely enough for him to protect himself.
After another two hundred meters, System 05 was forced to use the expensive prop card. He looked up. The Avengers had completely surrounded him, and the entire Holy City as well. The Holy City was their prey. Fires blazed everywhere in the city. People set their homes on fire. Red flames rose and fell, reflecting the people's screams. Darkness continued to devour the flames, but the sea of fire burned fiercely.
At this moment, System 05 heard footsteps coming from behind him. The sound was heavy and decisive, and it came to his side in the blink of an eye.
"You're finally here." System 05 said.
Chen Mu spread his cloak, protecting him. His heavy sword shone brightly, dissolving every Avenger it touched. Even if System 05 hadn't said anything, Chen Mu knew his destination.
"The city lord activated the summoning array." Amidst the battle, Chen Mu still had the energy to explain to System 05: "He imprisoned me in the palace. He killed everyone in the palace to summon the Insect Queen."
"He had previously promised to escort those people out of the Holy City if they were willing to leave, but in reality, he killed them all. He couldn't tolerate traitors. The more someone tried to escape, the faster they died."
"He also wanted to kill me."
System 05 used item cards and spells to assist him in the battle. Upon hearing this, he thought that the cost of summoning the Worm Queen was so high. How could Weber think that he could summon the Worm Queen with just his own blood? Weber was still too naive, but he did summon something.
He summoned something.
System 05 felt slightly uneasy when he thought about what happened when he first came to this world, but now the war has begun, he must complete his plan and has no time to consider those minor details.
Although Chen Mu was powerful, his power in this world was ultimately limited. Even with the help of System 05, he was already struggling and struggling. Federer's body was just that of a mortal, while the number of Avengers was infinite. In the last fifty meters, Chen Mu had already been devoured by the Avengers.
System 05, who was being protected by him, remained unharmed. As they got closer and closer to the statue, System 05 said, "I'll give you a shield skill card. Protect yourself, and I can run over."
Chen Mu turned his head and looked at him with a smile, then suddenly reached out and picked him up horizontally, completely giving up on defense and rushing to the statue at lightning speed. His steps made the entire ground tremble. When he placed System 05 in front of the statue, he could no longer support his body and half-knelt on the ground.
The Avengers rushed forward.
"Don't be afraid, I won't die." Chen Mu raised his head and said to System 05, which was shrouded in an orange-yellow protective shield. "I've thought about it for a long time, and the only way is for me to help you complete tasks until I pay back all the points I owe you. How about it? I think this is a very good idea. So next time you see me, don't be angry, or be less angry, okay?"
He held the sword with one hand, his body being constantly devoured by the Avengers, so he became weaker and weaker, and he couldn't even maintain a kneeling posture, but he still looked at the golden soul seriously and asked gently again if he was okay.
System 05 gritted his teeth and said, "Okay."
Chen Mu then smiled and died in front of him.
System 05 hated Chen Mu very much. He hated his stubbornness and paranoia, his constant nagging, and the fact that he ruined his mission. But what he hated most was Chen Mu's death.
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