Chapter 1067: Act 255: The Last Time Underground, Farewell (Part 2: Chapters Combined)
"Actually, it’s not that I don’t want to go out with you, but I can’t leave," Yi Lian smiled at him and gently placed something in his hand, "This is a farewell gift, little fellow."
It was a deck of cards.
Brand held the deck in his palm, somewhat puzzled, "To be honest, I... didn’t quite understand?" For him, he certainly hoped the Deer Demon Sister could leave with him. She hadn’t seen the outside world for thousands of years, was astute, and had nothing to rely on, making her a rare ally. He was at least ninety percent sure he could convince this older sister to join him. As per her own words, her power was just slightly inferior to that of the Clockwork Man. She was definitely one of the strongest beings Brand had encountered at this stage, at least comparable to Andesa in the Wolf Calamity.
But the older sister smiled faintly, said nothing, and turned around, pulling up her hair to reveal her smooth and lovely back. Yet right between her shoulder blades, Brand saw a shocking scar. This wound didn’t appear to be caused by external forces; rather, it seemed to grow outwardly from inside. Remarkably, a layer of crystalline crystals was growing within the scar, exactly like what he’d seen on the Clockwork Man and the crystallized BOSS inside the Stone Coffin.
"What’s going on?" Brand was taken aback.
"You’ve seen it too. Those quartz sands below seem to have infectious attributes. If you stay here too long, you’ll start to crystallize from within." Yi Lian let her hair down, turned back to him, and smiled, "I witnessed first-hand a young noble contracting this illness. When his internal organs fully crystallize, he’ll gradually weaken until death. But even in death, the crystals won’t stop growing, ultimately transforming into the form you’ve seen."
Brand fell silent. These strange symptoms were somewhat similar to those half-crystallized creatures he’d seen in the Crystal Ore of the Dark Forest, although far less severe and malicious. The crystallization was attributed to the infusion of Magic Power, akin to a layer of crystal-like shell growing on the skin. But the older sister explained this was more like a parasitic state; even with the Host’s death, the parasitic state wouldn’t cease.
Momentarily, he thought of the behavior of certain parasitic wasps’ larvae in nature, though the thought sent chills down his spine, compelling him to stop thinking about it.
After a long pause, he asked, "Is there no solution?"
The older sister smiled slightly, everything said without words.
"We have a little time left; let me tell you about the Adversity Heaven card deck in detail." She seemed indifferent to her status but changed the topic, "The deck in your hands contains thirty-two cards, including one Ekronia’s Adversity Furnace, one Radiant Martyr, four Radiant Trumpeter, four Rise, four Lightning Storm, one Thought Acceleration, four Nightmare Furnace Construct, six Guardian of Defeat, one Anrud’s Holy Ring, one Life Holy Scripture, four Dawn, and one Desperate Trojan."
"You should have noticed that this isn’t a complete Adversity Heaven. The complete Adversity Heaven no longer exists. They were sealed underground here to construct this massive Array. What the wooden-brained one and I use is merely a projection of rules. Simply put, only on this Array do I and he count as Travel Mage."
The Deer Demon answered, "So, initially, you asked if we were Travel Mages," she shook her head, "In truth, we’re not even apprentices like you. This Array grants us the ability to wield cards. The wooden-brain and I each control half of the authority—it’s the Dark Adversity, while I hold the Pure White Heaven."
"However, the deck in your hand is an actual entity, left by the master to the Inheritor. Although this deck is incomplete, it bears the essential cycle of the Adversity Heaven deck. As long as you hold onto this deck, I believe someday Adversity Heaven will reappear in your hands."
"So those Destiny Cards in the tomb outside were deliberately placed there by you two?" Brand suddenly thought of something, asking.
"Not deliberately, but I and the Clockwork Man wouldn’t leave this hall. However, it seems like one or two hundred years ago, some tomb raiders came in here. I intentionally let them steal a few cards with the hope of attracting real Travel Mages, but that wooden-brain didn’t agree with my approach. It ordered Leder to execute those tomb raiders," the Deer Demon thought for a moment and answered.
