Chapter 949: Era Archives

The King of Silver had always been a results-oriented individual, caring little for the process. Chi Tong was well aware of this, yet when reporting on Chen Ling, the "World Destroyer," he couldn't help but feel a touch of nervousness.

Seeing that the King of Silver did not intend to pursue the matter further, Chi Tong immediately changed the subject.

"Besides that, Your Majesty, I have something else to report!"

"Oh?"

"While Chen Ling was dealing with Spade Eight, I interrogated Fang Liangye..."

The King of Silver paused slightly in his beef-cutting, as if trying to recall who Fang Liangye was.

"The ordinary person from the civilian resistance group, held in the detention center. You swapped his memories with Chen Ling's," Chi Tong explained.

"Ah, him..." The King of Silver's interest was clearly piqued. "And what then?"

"Fang Liangye is an ordinary man; he's never even killed a chicken in his life, nor has he had many arguments with people. He's the kind who prefers to write letters to explain his views. His personality is too gentle and peaceful, while Chen Ling's memories are far too stimulating and violent. After the swap, he's been in a constant state of confusion, going mad in the detention center and giving the officers a difficult time." Chi Tong paused briefly.

"But I thought, since he inherited the memories of Heart Six, interrogating him might yield unexpected results. And it did; I managed to extract some information."

"What?"

"When I went, he seemed to be suffering from a split personality. One moment he was softly muttering names like 'Lord Aurora,' 'Lord Hongchen,' and 'Lord Wuji,' and the next he was abruptly calling them by their full names, along with Lu Xun and others, as if he knew them intimately.

I thought to myself, while Chen Ling is quite well-known, he isn't a figure from before the Great Cataclysm. So how could he speak about the Nine Lords' past with such detail and clarity? I therefore guided the conversation with more questions and discovered that his consciousness seems capable of traversing between the pre-Cataclysm era and the present day.

This traversal isn't a power of the 'World Destroyer,' but rather is based on an item... he seemed to refer to it as an 'Era Archive.'"

Upon hearing this, the King of Silver's eyes narrowed slightly.

He set down his knife and fork, gently tapping his knuckles on the table as if deep in thought.

"The goal of the Twilight Society is 'to reverse the era and restart the world,'" the King of Silver slowly stated. "I knew they must possess some kind of key to restart an era, but I never imagined it could allow a person's consciousness to traverse two different eras..."

"There seem to be three of these 'Era Archives,' but I couldn't ascertain who possesses them. After that, when I tried to ask him other questions, he became completely disoriented, muttering strange things like, 'You did very well, child,' and 'I lost a heart, and my brother's life,' along with 'My name is Jian Wubing' — utter nonsense."

Chi Tong shook his head in resignation.

The King of Silver did not resume his meal. Instead, he rose from his seat and began to pace.

"Allowing consciousness to traverse two eras... interesting."

A sharp glint appeared in the King of Silver's eyes. He immediately raised his hand and made a gentle grasping motion towards Chen Ling's room.

Pieces of paper, an opera robe, a boning knife, banknotes, bedsheets, a pillow... countless miscellaneous items began to flicker before the King of Silver's eyes. They were momentarily drawn towards him, then instantly returned to their original positions. In just two seconds, every item on Chen Ling and in his room had been "stolen" and inspected.

After a moment, the King of Silver withdrew his hand, a look of confusion appearing in his eyes.

"Strange... there's nothing? If he's traversed two eras, he should have an archive on him. Could it be that he traveled previously and then returned the archive to someone else?"

"I'd imagine so," Chi Tong shrugged. "Chen Ling's rank is merely Heart Six; his position in the Twilight Society isn't high. It's unlikely he'd be entrusted with such a treasure, one of only three in the entire Twilight Society. My guess is that the Red King probably allowed him to use it a few times before it was retrieved."

"Three archives... The Red King, the Grey King..."

The King of Silver stood by the window, gazing at the moonlight completely obscured by the haze overhead, sharp glints flickering in his eyes.

After an indeterminate amount of time, he slowly turned in the dim light, his gaze fixed on Chi Tong as he spoke calmly:

"I will be leaving for a while."

"Where are you going?"

The King of Silver cast a glance at Chi Tong, who, understanding the unspoken warning, dared not ask further.

"But if you leave, what will happen to the Domain?" Chi Tong's brows furrowed. "Lord Wuji, Lou Yu, Emperor Ying Fu, and 'World Destroyer' Chen Ling... they all rely on you to keep them in check."

"Chen Ling is no longer a threat. Ying Fu's goals align with mine, so he won't cause trouble. As for Lou Yu..."

The King of Silver paused. "I have my own arrangements for Lou Yu."

BOOM—

A deafening roar echoed from afar.

As the bed subtly vibrated, Chen Ling, who had been sleeping, abruptly opened his eyes.

"...What was that noise?"

Chen Ling mumbled to himself as he walked to the window and drew back the curtains. Under the dim sky, a faint hint of dawn was slowly rising from the east. Simultaneously, a building nearby, resembling a police station, was spewing thick plumes of smoke.

Chen Ling glanced at the time; it was a little past five in the morning.

He hesitated for a moment, then decided against going back to sleep. Instead, he put on his opera robe and headed towards the corridor.

Although it was still early, many in the cathedral had already been startled awake by the explosion. Maids stood bewildered along both sides of the corridor, while Chi Tong, his face grim, hurried forward.

Seeing this, Chen Ling immediately followed him.

"Chi Tong, what happened?" Chen Ling asked, patting his shoulder.

Chi Tong was in a terrible mood. He initially wanted to tell Chen Ling to stay away, but remembering his persona within Chen Ling's memories, he replied with a touch more patience: "The detention center was attacked. It's likely the work of those wizards hiding in the shadows..."

"The detention center?" Chen Ling mused.

In the Wuji Domain, the detention center functioned much like a police station, responsible for urban security and housing ordinary criminals who didn't possess divine powers. However, Chen Ling had always believed that the wizard factions within the Wuji Domain had been largely eradicated. Even if remnants remained, how would they dare to brazenly attack the detention center?

Weren't they afraid of the King of Silver's intervention?

"Damn it... Why now, of all times?" Chi Tong gritted his teeth, nearly shattering them.

The King of Silver had just departed late last night, and at dawn, the detention center was attacked. Chi Tong would refuse to believe, even under duress, that there was no connection between these events. It seemed those wizards possessed some method to ascertain the King of Silver's whereabouts.

And why did they specifically target the detention center instead of other locations?

Chi Tong reached the cathedral entrance and saw several Flame Usurpers hurrying towards him. He immediately asked:

"What's the situation?"