Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 867

The old man in the wheelchair had a human form, but his ears were distinctly angular. They weren't shaped like those of an elf or a human, but belonged to an exotic species known as the Fangesi sprites, a race locked in a generational feud with the Frost Giants.

The Fangesi sprites were a truly peaceful race. The entire species believed in the Righteous God, the Legacy Sage, and their ultimate goal in life was to spend their days at home, lost in books.

Jenkins could identify the old man's race, and naturally, so could Silver Flute Miss and Magic Miss. The three of them hesitated, none daring to speak, unsure what to make of this man who looked like he belonged at the steps of city hall, smiling as he collected relief rations.

"Welcome... Oh, all three of you are from peace-loving races. I welcome you. But you, the little wooden puppet over there," he added, "please keep an eye on your cat."

Chocolate let out a defiant roar, though to anyone else it sounded like a kitten mewling for attention.

"As much as I'd like to just let you go," he said, his voice trailing off, "this is a Mysterious Realm, after all..."

The old man clasped his hands together on his lap. If not for the terrifying, forbidden books lining the shelves and the dense thicket of eyes dangling from the ceiling, he might have passed for a genuinely kind librarian.

"Young ones, the drinks are on the shelf behind you," he gestured. "But getting me to drink them won't be quite so simple."

"Let's exchange knowledge," he proposed. "If you can satisfy me, you may leave... assuming you truly wish to."

The threat in his words was twofold: first, they had to provide knowledge that would satisfy him, and second, they had to be capable of withstanding the knowledge they would receive in return.

Jenkins felt a strange sense of deja vu, as if he'd witnessed this scene somewhere before. After a brief, hazy moment, he finally recalled the golden man who had proclaimed, "Knowledge is power!"

He was about to say something, but an ethereal arm tugged at his sleeve. Magic Miss, standing behind him, shook her head. Then, she released the runes that swam within her body. They flew out, coalescing in the air to form a strange and magnificent ritual circle. Three pointers spun rapidly within the formation, a sight that reminded Jenkins of the destroyed grand clock. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel[f]ire.net

"Time reversal..." the old man mused. "Interesting knowledge."

The old man nodded, then his tongue seemed to unfurl completely from his mouth, licking his entire face in one long, grotesque motion. This was not the behavior of a Fangesi sprite. While they were an exotic species, Jenkins knew their tongues were identical to human ones, and they were certainly incapable of such a repulsive act.

So, what in the world is this creature? Jenkins wondered.

Things seemed to be progressing smoothly, but a faint yet persistent shadow of unease still weighed on Jenkins's mind.

"I accept your knowledge," the creature declared. "Very interesting indeed."

As he spoke, a stack of blank paper materialized in mid-air, and the runic circle Magic Miss had just revealed was instantly imprinted upon the top sheet. The old creature coughed sharply, then suddenly bellowed:

It was a string of sounds meaningless in the common tongue. But if one discarded the conventional concept of language, the phrase could be understood as:

This is a fragment of the Pool of Humanity!

The instantaneous psychic assault was so powerful that even Jenkins swayed. He heard the snap of the runic chain on Silver Flute Miss's arm breaking behind him, followed by the sickening sound of someone coughing up blood. In front of him, Magic Miss's ethereal body flickered violently, showing signs of imminent collapse.

For a few seconds, her form vanished completely from the space, but she managed to stabilize. The color of her energy body had faded to near transparency, and less than a tenth of the intricate runes that once filled her form remained.

Magic Miss was the lucky one; under the impact of that forbidden knowledge, Silver Flute Miss had fainted yet again. The incident reminded Jenkins of the time Audrey had spoken the words "Master of the Mysterious Realm" in the Qi Luo tongue. The phrase the creature had just uttered was undoubtedly an ancient language, every bit as potent as Qi Luo.

He asked, first pulling the unconscious Silver Flute Miss to the side of the room and using his Life Source ability to treat her injuries. He then reached out a hand to steady Magic Miss, but his wooden fingers passed straight through her incorporeal form. He could see that the runic necklace at her throat was now riddled with cracks.

Magic Miss swore, a surprisingly unladylike curse, and pushed herself up from the floor. She shook her head, swaying as if she'd lost her sense of balance. Her body was now completely detached from its material form, meaning Jenkins's Life Source ability would likely have no effect on her. That was why he had focused the precious healing on Silver Flute Miss instead.

She looked to be in no shape to fight, but it was a miracle she was even still conscious.

"Go look after Silver Flute Miss," Jenkins said softly to Magic Miss. Then, with his cat at his heels, he walked over to the bookshelves and faced the creature in the wheelchair.

"The Pool of Humanity?" he began. "I wonder which master's world this fragment belongs to."

He forced down the rising nausea and discomfort, feigning a calm he did not feel.

"Right now, you are the one giving knowledge, not I," the creature retorted, its voice dripping with malice.

Jenkins's heart skipped a beat. He had long suspected that Mysterious Realms were fragments of other worlds, but this was the first time he'd received anything close to a direct confirmation. Since the creature hadn't refuted his question, it meant their current location had indeed been sheared from the world of some powerful master.

As I thought, he mused. Questions that have no answers in the material world can only be answered within these realms... I've wasted so many opportunities in the past...

As he considered this, he knew what he had to do next. Taking a deep breath, he first activated his Wooden Body ability. Then, drawing on his memory of the 'Song of Nature'—knowledge gained during a Month's End Whisper—he began to hum the gentle tune.

Jenkins possessed no particular musical talent, and his humming was less than sixty percent faithful to the original melody. But it was enough. As the tune filled the air, the wooden structure of his body began to transform.

He didn't grow taller or wider, but the grain on his wooden skin deepened, and its color darkened, taking on an ancient hue, even developing a rich patina. By the time he finished the tune, Jenkins felt the hardness of his body could rival that of forged steel.

"The complete 'Song of Nature'?" the creature murmured, a new note of interest in its voice. "How interesting. The material world is truly full of remarkable individuals... Now, let me think... what knowledge should I offer in return..."