The Record of Unusual Creatures

Those experts seemed to know a lot about the unprecedented war a thousand years ago, especially the black-robed Lamore. He was clearly an authority on the war. Every question he raised was professional and methodical.

Unfortunately, the one sitting in front of them was not a real ancient guardian. Facing the questions raised by the experts, Hao Ren’s answer was limited. He could probably guess the nature of the world or make up his theological knowledge, but when it came to historical background, he could only avoid it on the grounds of memory loss after he woke up from such a long slumber.

However, it seemed that the scholars were not too concerned about his answers. Although Hao Ren avoided at least half of their questions, Lamore still earnestly probed him about other things.

Shortly after, Willie, who had remained silent all the while, decided to cut in, “The Cassouin Grand Temple is on top of the holy mountain, isn’t it? Can you describe the temple?”

“The temple?” Hao Ren looked at the count curiously. “Does this have anything to do with the whereabouts of the Wolfwalker?”

“No.” Willie laughed, feeling a little embarrassed. “I’m just curious. Even though I’m not a member of the Sanctum, my belief in the goddess of creation is beyond doubt. Those lost shrines have an indescribable attraction to me.”

Hao Ren could not find any reason to refuse so he nodded and explained, “Mount Cassouin isn’t very high, but the temple on the mountain is a really magnificent building. It consists of three parts, the center of which is a huge cylinder…”

The scholars nodded as he spoke. At the end of his description, Lamore looked up and asked, “Lord Guardian, I’ve heard that there are two ancient weapons in the Cassouin Grand Temple; the Radiant Disc and the Sky Heart. Do you know them?”

Hao Ren paused for a moment before he smiled and asked, “Why are you asking about them?”

“Every ancient weapon is a powerful weapon against Chaos. In ancient times, countless sacred weapons built an impenetrable barrier in the world. Back then, mortal civilization was strong enough to keep Chaos at bay in all the corners of the world. But as the war continued, more and more sacred weapons were lost. Our world order has gradually shrunk and declined so getting every weapon back is critical. Now that you are awake, there may be a chance to see the two ancient weapons again. Do you know where they are?”

Hao Ren blinked. He then looked at Willie and asked, “Your sister must have told you about our journey through the land of Chaos?”

“Of course. She was very proud of that experience and has told me about it many times.”

“Then you should know that I sheltered all of the knights with a disc, which emitted holy light. That disc could shine on forever, even in the most chaotic places. Its energy is inexhaustible.”

Willie stared at Hao Ren with wide eyes. “Is that…”

“Oh, that’s the Radiant Disc. I haven’t gotten the disk back yet. I think it’s still in the hands of Veronica’s standard-bearer. As for the Sky Heart… I don’t know where it is. It was chaotic when I was asleep. It’s pretty hard to keep even one weapon in that situation.”

Willie’s pupils contracted for a split second, but he soon regained his calm and smiled, nodding at Hao Ren. “You’re right. We can’t be too greedy. I didn’t realize that an ancient weapon had returned to us… I must report this to His Majesty immediately.”

Shortly after, he glanced at a golden clock in a corner not far away and patted his head. “Lord Guardian, please wait a moment. I’ll tell my men to prepare lunch for you. You have seen the banquet prepared by His Majesty, but you will probably like the meal we’ve prepared for you too.”

Count Willie rang a silver bell as he spoke, and soon, an attendant came in. The count whispered a few words to the attendant, who then bowed and left.

The heavy silver door slammed shut after the attendant left. It felt like the world was separated the moment the door closed.

Count Willie stood up and approached Hao Ren with a gentle smile. “Actually, Lord Guardian, I have a question for you,” he said.

Hao Ren looked at the powerful aristocrat and replied, “Go ahead.”

“Do you think the world should move towards Chaos or Order?” Count Willie pinched his cuff, and the black cuff with silver silk reflected a fine silver light. “If Collow has its own destiny, is the struggle of us mortals for over 10,000 years good or bad for the destiny of the world?”

Hao Ren raised his eyebrows and said, “Your question is a bit too much.”

“I’ve met many people in the Sanctum, but you seem to be different from them. Have you ever thought that the world itself should be chaotic? In other words, the truth of the world is chaos, and in that light, are we actually the disease of Collow? We think we are fighting for justice, but in fact, we are the ones who forcibly turn the fate of the world, which has brought even more prolonged suffering to the land of the goddess. Perhaps the goddess of creation would prefer a world mired in Chaos?”

Hao Ren appeared very surprised and angry for a moment. He stood up slowly, clenching his fist. “That sounds a bit heretical…”

Before he could finish, a burning light suddenly flared up and a golden-red ray came from Lamore’s direction. The ray burst out violently around Hao Ren and turned into a storm of fire and light, covering him completely. The next moment, Hao Ren became a burning human torch.

Such powerful searing rays did not ignite anything around them. The fearsome spell limited the full power of its searing rays to a one-man radius, increasing its lethality. Lamore wilted immediately after he shot the ray, as though all his energy had been drained. Willie, who stood only two meters away from Hao Ren, stepped back without any emotions. He was not hurt at all.

“Yes, it contains some heresy.” The count stopped smiling. “Now you can go and complain to the goddess.”

At that moment, however, a voice suddenly traveled from the flame of pure elements. “If I actually go and complain to the goddess about such a trivial matter, she would have me kicked me out of her house.”

Count Willie’s expression changed dramatically. His steadfast, calm posture was gone, and just as he jumped away, a silver lance tore apart the elemental flame formed by the burning rays. A jet of blue plasma glinted at the tip of the lance. It split the long table in two and left a horrible melting groove on the ground where the count had stood.

As the flames faded away, Hao Ren appeared intact in front of everyone. A translucent shimmer surged on the surface of his skin. It was a remnant of the element, not his Steel Membrane Shield. In fact, his shield had not been activated at all.

Hao Ren had nullified the full blow of the sage sorcerer.

“It’s a little hot.” Hao Ren turned to the pale and shocked Lamore.

The old master’s eyes widened as his assistants retreated in shock. Only then did they realize what had happened, and they proceeded to take out their wands as well as their swords. Hao Ren found that they were actually wearing armor under their robes. The robe was just to cover up their full armor inside!

“It’s impossible!” Willie screamed. “No Pope in the Sanctum could have survived Lamore’s full force without so much as a scratch! Y-You’re not a guardian! Who the hell are you?!”

Hao Ren smiled and hurled his lance at Willie’s head. “I’m Hao Ren. I’m a good man!”