The young man stood above the entrance of the tunnel, with a dragon standing at the entrance of the tunnel at his feet.
Unlike the young man who was full of energy and motivation, the dragon coiled around a little sluggishly, and was a little unmotivated by things outside.
The young man's eyes looked at the farmland, lakes, and the Black Iron Tribe that already had the appearance of a city in the distance.
Seems to be waiting for something.
Although he looked down on the existence of mortals, when he saw the city, he had to sigh because of it.
When so many mortals gather together, these seemingly useless "materials" create something like a miracle.
In the north, he saw various mortal tribes.
He even saw some large tribes with more than a thousand people born for various reasons, but the mortals there were like bugs in the ditch. In his eyes, they were just a group of wild beasts living in caves.
And here.
He saw those mortals mastering writing, saw them build what could be called magnificent buildings, and saw the farmland they cultivated.
They follow certain rules in an orderly manner, they help each other and love each other and have stronger emotions. They begin to record their lives instead of letting everything be forgotten in an instant after death.
At this point, humans have completely broken away from the group of beasts and become another kind of existence.
The young man didn't know that this kind of thing was called civilization, but he longed for it.
"Longing for?"
"You asked me what I yearn for?"
"I don't envy those materials, nor do I yearn for that... Herfas said it was a city, right?"
"I was thinking of us."
The young man waited alone and suddenly spoke.
He actually started chatting with the dragon below, but the dragon didn't respond at all, so it seemed more like he was talking to himself.
But for him, only this dragon can "talk" to him.
The person who created him abandoned him. This land is filled with mortals and weirdos, but it is difficult to find a being as unique as him who is willing to accompany him.
That's why he wanted to create another existence like him.
He said to the dragon.
"I'm thinking, if existences like us can increase in number, we can also live in groups like this."
"It would be great if we could build a place like this."
After saying that, the boy became excited.
He was even a little impatient, his eyes were full of strong desire, as if he hoped that this moment would come in the next second.
"Most definitely."
"I will find a way to create our tribe."
"We will build a city a hundred times and a thousand times more magnificent than this one, as long as we want, and then we will live there together."
What he yearns for is not this civilization built by mortals, but a strange country.
He talks alone, dances alone, and performs his own drama.
Like a madman.
This is a lonely monster.
He jumped down onto the dragon's head and sat on it swaying.
"So why do I have to ask Helfas to send people from his tribe? He seems to be a little obsessed with playing the role of a mortal leader and has forgotten which side he belongs to."
"I want to tell him that those mortals are just materials. He can have as much as he wants and consume them as he wants. They are not worth what he pays for."
"He has so much power, he has the ability to control other weird things, and he has unique black hair and eyes."
"He is so smart and different, as if he does not belong to this era and world. Look at him, the materials in his hands can create such a picture."
"What if it's us?"
The young dragon did not hide his admiration for Helfas at all. In his eyes, Helfas was his ideal best partner, and the dragon under his feet seemed to lack something compared to him.
"He has such power and wisdom that no mortal man deserves what he has given him."
The young man lowered his head, sat on the dragon's head and looked into its eyes.
"I want him to be part of us and build our city with us."
The dragon would not answer, but bowed his head because of the similar high-level coercion emanating from the opponent.
The young man was getting a little anxious while waiting, but at this moment, there was finally movement from the distance.
The young man raised his head and smiled.
"Look, he's coming."
——
On the path next to the lake.
Several peak-backed dragon beasts are pulling several wooden two-wheel trailers. This is something that appeared after the popularity of caravans. There may have been similar things used for short-distance transportation before, but few people combined the vehicles with the peak-backed dragon beasts.
Combined.
Because the tribe that raises dragon beasts doesn't know how to make carts, and the tribe that makes carts doesn't know how to raise dragon beasts.
The cart was loaded with heavy black iron blocks. It was difficult to walk when the dragon beast was pulling it, but under the threat of the whip, it could only move forward.
Helfas led a dozen people to set off, and everyone seemed very calm, as if this trip was just an ordinary transportation trip.
Helfas walked in front, pulling a peak-backed dragon beast, followed by a businessman.
Helfas asked about the scene when they first met: "That was eight years ago!"
The businessman remembers it clearly: "It's been nine years."
Helfas: "Has it been that long?"
Businessman: "It's been a long time."
Helfas said: "At that time, I didn't know anything, I didn't understand anything, so I stupidly walked towards the bipolar insect and was almost eaten by it."
Businessman: "But you sealed it in the end and trapped it in the mask forever."
The two of them talked about each other, and finally Helfas finally said.
"You can still regret it now. You are not from my tribe, let alone my subordinate."
"This is our plan, you don't need to participate."
The businessman looked at Helfas: "Actually, I have been waiting for this."
Helfas: "What are you waiting for?"
The businessman said: "I know what you will do. You will not sit back and let the dragon do whatever it wants, just like you did before. Sure enough, you can still find a way even when facing such a terrifying monster."
"And I also want to do something, because if I don't do something I'm going to go crazy."
Helfas: "Do you understand the consequences?"
Businessman: "Have you forgotten what you said?"
Before setting off, Helfas told them what the dragon wanted to do. Helfas did not explain the function of the ritual in detail to them, but he told them about the flaws in the ritual. In fact, it was
It's not really a flaw, because that's what the ritual is, but it's just a breakthrough for them.
It was a battle between man and monster for power and wisdom. Whoever can carve his name on the pillar can become the owner of extraordinary power, and whoever can break through the eternal darkness and enjoy the wise life and future.
Helfas also told them some techniques, about the soul, and about the engraving of pillars.
But for people.
Even if you succeed in suppressing the weirdness with your real name, it does not mean success, but it means that you will always be with madness.
Putting weird seals into objects is unbearable for the controller, let alone sealing weird things directly into one's own body.
Of course Helfas knew that he had said it, but that was not what he meant by asking.
The businessman said: "It's always good to have one more person. Maybe I will be able to carry it to the end?"
Helfas: "My witchers are all the strongest. They have fought against the most terrifying existences, and they can persist in fighting even if they are seriously injured without making a sound."
Businessman: "I don't know how many times I have faced danger. Every time I did business, I was on the verge of death, and I was left with scars all over my body."
"And another thing is, they don't have my unforgettable hatred."
"They can face death without making a sound, but I...must make that dragon die."
At this point, Helfas was completely speechless.
After walking out of the farmland, no one spoke anymore, only silence remained.
Gradually, large and small falling rocks appeared at the end of the road in the distance, and a mountain rising above the ground appeared in front of us.
"arrive."
Helfas looked at the merchant and everyone.
It seems to be saying that there is no way out from here.
Helfas led everyone to the tunnel. The dragon guarding the cave suddenly stood up and lowered his head to look at them.
When Helfas raised his hand, everyone stopped and lined up like an army.
The young man jumped down from the dragon's head. He looked at these people as if he was a little suspicious.
The young dragon looked at Helfas: "Do they know you gave them to me?"
Helfas's voice sounded very arrogant and condescending, as if he had become an inhuman existence at this moment.
"In their eyes, I am their god."
"If God wants them to die, they have no choice but to die."
The young man Long nodded, his eyes looked very clear, and he said extremely arrogant words with a nonchalant attitude.
"indeed."
"For these mortals, there is no difference between us and gods."
"We can show them strength and majesty, or we can make them kneel on the ground and worship us."
The young dragon walked around those "materials" and finally looked at Helfas.
"I occasionally heard those mortals talk about you. You seem to have a good reputation among these mortals?"
"You won't be so addicted to it, and then gradually think of yourself as a person, right?"
Helfas glanced at the young man, and his voice suddenly appeared in the other person's mind, talking to the young man in a strange way.
"so what?"
"When I want to be a benevolent leader, I can become a benevolent leader; when I want to show my majesty, I can also become the most terrifying existence."
"It doesn't matter what they think. My will is overriding theirs."
Helfas's power was revealed in order to show his "weird" side.
Sure enough, this force startled the young man in front of him.
However, compared to the magical power, the young man paid more attention to what Helfas said. He felt that this sentence was so appetizing.
He couldn't help laughing up and down, saying that what Helfas said was really great.
"Ha ha ha ha."
He kept nodding.
"Yes, yes, that's it."
"We can do whatever we want, nothing can constrain us."
The dragon was completely relieved. He might be a little worried that the same kind in front of him would be assimilated by mortals, but all he could think of was that Helfas would refuse.
If that was the case, he would have no choice but to go to war with Helfas.
However, he was not planning to kill Helfas, but was planning to kill everyone in the Helfas tribe, so that in his opinion Helfas would be completely on his side.
But now it looks like.
It's completely unnecessary anymore.
Because only beings like them can experience this feeling and say such words.
He walked towards Helfas. If he was sure that Helfas was a weirdo physically last time, now he was sure that Helfas was also a weirdo psychologically.
"You are indeed the same as me."
In fact, in Long's view, as long as Herfas comes, it means that he has made a choice, and this is his purpose.
The dragon completed the "deal" with great satisfaction, and drove out a hundred and dozens of captured mortals from the tunnel, and Helfas took them back.
Helfas clicked the numbers with a smile, and then walked back.
Before leaving, he passed through the crowd and the figures he brought with him.
He didn't open his mouth, but his words rang in their minds.
"Remember your name and never forget it."
The businessman and the others did not speak and could not speak.
He just looked at Helfas and looked at his back quietly.
But when Helfas was about to leave them, the businessman suddenly shouted angrily and rushed towards Helfas, cursing angrily.
"Helfas, you monster, we regard you as our leader, but you..."
The young man immediately looked at the group of businessmen, his pupils shining with light.
Accompanied by an angry shout and the shock of the dragon's power, all of them knelt on the ground unable to move.
"Mortals, dare to roar at great beings like us?"
"We let you die."
"You will die."
Helfas turned back and glanced at the businessman.
He said expressionlessly: "There is no way, there are always people who are stupid enough to dare to say no to us."
The young man imitated the person in front of him, using the same expression and posture to say the words Helfas had just said, only adding one word.
"It doesn't matter what they think. Our will is above theirs."
Herfas is gone.
The young man looked at his companion who had not yet possessed wisdom and said happily.
"look!"
"I knew he would be on our side."
Taking all the "materials" that he could not resist, he entered the largest cave in the tunnel and came to the ritual array.
"Now, we have to find ways to make more."
"us."
——
After being frightened by the power of the dragon, the businessman felt that his consciousness was muddled. His body, which was once strong enough to wrestle with the dragon beast and chase and hunt beasts in the jungle, became weak.
It wasn't until he was thrown into a huge ritual formation that he finally came back to his senses.
He saw the dragon squeezing in and crawling in, coiling itself in the center of the ritual formation.
And they were surrounded by each other.
Looking at the formations arranged around him, he already knew from Helfas's mouth what this thing was used for.
He raised his head vigorously.
With some blurry eyes, you can see a figure in the shape of a god standing vaguely in the dark depths of the cave.
He knew that the monster in front of him wanted to let another monster take over their body and gain wisdom.
A monster with intelligence has caused such a terrible disaster. They can't imagine what it will be like when two dragons with intelligence are wreaking havoc in the sky.
The businessman knew what would happen next, but instead of being afraid, he was a little happy.
"Successful."
"Helfas deceived the dragon without making him suspicious."
The rest is theirs.
The young man stood at the edge of the ritual circle, pressed his hands on the ground, and began to recite the incantation.
His expression was solemn, as if he was praying to the gods.
After reciting a long spell that was difficult to pronounce and the young man himself didn't know if it was useful, he shouted out the most critical passage.
"In the name of Ji Zhu, give the existence in front of you the power of anchoring."
Sealing and anchoring appear to have similar forms from the outside, but they are two sides of the same force.
The ceremony radiates light.
Symbols lit up one after another, and then a force led to high places, ignoring the mountains and rushing into the sky, connecting to another world.
The dragon began to struggle painfully under this force. It felt as if its body was being burned and roasted by an extraordinary flame, and its body seemed to melt.
Its power began to leak out and spread along the ritual circle.
And this power happens to act on the "materials" in the ceremony.
Soon you can see that their bodies begin to metalize little by little, and the color of brass begins to spread from their feet, spreading in the form of spots.
A sharp pain surged into their bodies, like countless steel needles and knives poking into their bodies.
Some of them wanted to shout in severe pain, but they immediately held back. They remembered the rows of "copper shell statues" they had seen.
"I can't move my legs."
"It turns out that this monster turned them into bronze statues."
"How many people has it killed using this method? How many people have it killed? How many more people will die at its hands in the future?"
They raised their heads and looked at the dragon fiercely.
"There is no future. Master Helfas said there is no future."
Some people couldn't help it anymore and started yelling and screaming.
"You monster, you have to die..."
"I'm going to kill you...I'm going to..."
"ah!"
Some people began to struggle to get up, but found that their feet and lower body could not move at all, and they could only watch as they became metalized little by little.
The young man Long listened to the wails of these people without being moved at all, and was completely focused on the ceremony.
However, he also kept his eyes on these people all the time.
Soon, he discovered that some people were in pain and had their eyes pulled out, as if they were tortured to the point of losing their minds.
These people from the wild tribe era seemed to be crazy, laughing and roaring, and then did crazy things that even the evil dragon could not imagine.
Although Helfas has led them to establish the initial civilization, the animality and cruelty of the past are now vividly displayed in these people. They are not afraid of death and pain, and just want the dragon in front of them to pay the price. .
I just want everything to go back to the way it was before, without this dragon.
"dragon!"
"Evil dragon, you deserve to die!"
"You will have retribution, you will have retribution."
While cursing, they stared at the evil dragon that had turned into the form of a god with its terrifying blood holes.
as if.
Just look at the dragon and imagine its ending.
It would make all the pain in their bodies disappear.
The young man was a little stunned. Although various situations had occurred during the ceremony, he had also tried to make the "material" coma before, but later found that it was best to be awake.
He tried with men, women, old people and children, he tried with pregnant women, newborn babies.
But I have never seen anything like this.
Maybe they saw something very scary during this ceremony?
However, half of the people may not be able to make up their mind to be cruel, or their bodies may be completely stiff and unable to move, and eventually turn into statues bit by bit.
But the young man Long had no time to think too much, because when these people took out his eyes one after another, until one of them, the ritual changed again.
To be precise, it is not a ritual, but the power of the life species, feeling the wisdom body that can be accommodated.
At this moment, the dragon who was in the same agony in the center of the ritual circle no longer struggled.
It was attracted by something unprecedented.
The attraction of that thing is so powerful, so irresistible.
No matter how painful it is, no matter how much it is broken into pieces, we will pounce on it desperately.
Since the arrival of the ancient Creator, life and wisdom were born at the same time, and they are like twins.
The existence of the species of life requires the shed body of the species of wisdom to get rid of chaos.
The dragon roared, and in its eyes there was only desire and greed that penetrated deep into its soul and will, because it understood that it was about to break away from the eternal haziness and see the real "light".
And with the roar of the dragon.
The power of the pillar and the phantom came.
The young man Long looked at the sky, saw light falling from the sky, and shouted in ecstasy.
"That's the one!"
The conditions of the ritual were completely fulfilled. This was the first time the boy succeeded. He found a complete method of making companions.
The dragon in the center of the ritual formation melted directly under the power of the pillar, and streams of brass-colored light rushed to the other end and poured into a body.
——
The businessman can't feel his body anymore.
Likewise, I no longer feel pain.
He saw that he was standing in an endless dark void, and there seemed to be nothing around him, or perhaps he just couldn't see it.
All he could see was a huge pillar in the distance.
"column!"
He finally saw the pillar Helfas was talking about.
There was wonder and disbelief in his eyes.
He had never thought that just a pillar standing there could be so spectacular. It seemed that it should not exist in this world, and standing there seemed to be weighing down on space and time.
Just by looking at it, you can feel its antiquity.
It is so ancient and sacred that it seems to transcend the concept of time. Apart from the eternal stars and the sun, there seems to be no existence older than it in this world.
Even the ground beneath their feet has been ups and downs and changing over the years, and the ocean has turned into peaks again and again.
But that stone pillar has transcended the years and still exists.
He was addicted to it and couldn't extricate himself.
An idea came to his mind. He wanted to see what was carved on the pillar, just like the blind girl.
But soon he woke up from his addiction and remembered something.
Because a voice appeared in his mind: "Remember your name and never forget it, businessman."
Those were the words Helfas etched in each of their minds with their psychic abilities when he left.
"no."
"I'm going to carve my name on that pillar."
But as soon as he started to move, he felt something was wrong.
He lowered his head.
You can suddenly see that your body is covered with metal scales.
He is clearly a dragon, not a person.
In an instant, the chaotic and disordered memory of another existence immediately flooded into his mind. The long and long-lasting memory swallowed him up in an instant, trying to completely occupy his mind and erase his past.
And this is only the second thing, because right after that memory, a crazy consciousness also came up, greedy and crazy to take away everything from him.
The businessman's mind went blank in an instant. As soon as the dragon's body took a step forward, he vaguely forgot his original intention of setting out.
"Whose name is engraved?"
"Engrave my name on it."
"who I am?"
"I am a businessman, I am a bearded man, I am an outcast."
"No, I am a dragon and I live in a forest."
The two consciousnesses are constantly colliding in the mind.
One side was in chaos, like a huge storm.
The other side is very weak, but as hard as stone.
The businessman was surrounded by strong winds and huge waves, and could not penetrate through it. He could not see outside, but the shadow of the dragon was walking towards the direction of the pillar little by little.
It spread its wings and soared high.
At this moment.
The voice suddenly sounded in the businessman's mind and he repeated it again.
"Remember your name and never forget it."
"merchant!"
Only this time, the voice was weaker.
But the dragon's figure gradually turned into the appearance of a businessman in a trance.
"Roar!"
Just right after.
However, his mouth let out an uncontrollable roar, which was the cry of a dragon.
The businessman's appearance turned into a dragon again.
Crazy consciousness attacked again, and various long-standing memories appeared one after another.
He saw the ancient times of the land of the full moon, saw more ancient people walking on the earth, and saw the decline of thousands of years of tribes.
The battle between the two consciousnesses began again, and the shapes of humans and dragons were constantly changing.
The huge waves tried to crush and drive the stone away, but the stone stayed firmly in place.
Although weirdness has powerful power, in this place, pure madness and desire may not be able to completely defeat an intelligent will.
One moment, the merchant saw himself leading the caravan walking on the earth, and the next moment he saw himself spreading his wings and soaring in the sky.
A large number of memories kept emerging, but they were overwritten by more powerful and confusing pictures.
The closer to the pillar, the less the merchant remembers.
"Remember your name and never forget it."
"Remember...your name...for sure."
"Remember...remember...remember..."
The voice in his mind repeated over and over again, constantly reminding the businessman that he could forget everything, but he could not forget his own name.
Although the voice continued to weaken, the businessman's wisdom that still occupied his body in the violent storm was not taken away by the strangeness.
But at the same time, many things he remembered gradually became blurred.
Suddenly, several pictures appeared in front of his eyes.
It was also about to be submerged. At this moment, the businessman suddenly became extremely excited.
"No, we can't forget these."
He would rather forget his own name than forget all of this.
At the last moment, he discovered that the most unforgettable thing about him was not his name.
But a few memories.
in the screen.
He saw a young man with black hair carrying a backpack and waving to him behind a mountain familiar to the tribe's residence.
He saw a woman sitting on the Earth Dragon Beast, looking back and smiling at him.
He saw a child reaching out to him and falling into his arms.
Madness and chaos flowed in endlessly.
In an instant, he forgot who he was, and only these few images were repeated, but they never disappeared.
"who I am?"
"I am……"
"I don't seem to remember."
at last.
In the picture, he saw himself standing in the forest and raising his head, and saw the head of an evil dragon sticking out of the jungle, looking down at him with disdain.
He suddenly woke up, and boundless hatred and malice were projected from his heart.
That evil thought not only occupied his body, but even began to cover up another chaos. Even if he forgot everything, he could not forget his hatred for the dragon.
"Yes!"
"That's not important anymore. It's not important that I can't remember my name. Everything is not important."
"As long as you absolutely can't make it succeed, you can't make it succeed even if you die."
"If you want it to die, if you want that dragon to die, if you want that dragon to live a life worse than death."
That hazy consciousness finally struggled out of the chaos.
The dragon flying towards the pillar opened its eyes, and the look in its eyes was obviously not weird but belonged to a person.
It pounced on the pillar.
Let out a heart-rending roar.
"Salon!"
It means kill, kill that person.
In other words, kill the dragon.
real world.
The ritual magic circle was completely activated and successful. The power of the ritual and the words of the true name were entangled and finally blended into one.
After crossing the endless distance, I appeared on that ancient pillar. ()