Chapter 590
"Before the host enters the Old Days, they should establish a Companion Contract with their fellow travelers. ^^"
"If there is a valid contract in the Old Days the host enters, they can activate it, allowing the contracted beings to erase their memories and descend into the Old Days—though their actions won't be entirely free."
"Oh, and if the host wants to establish a contract, they might need to make several, otherwise, there could be a situation where there isn't a single valid contract in the Old Days. ^^"
"A contract won't be valid at all? What does that mean?" Xia Er pressed for clarification.
"The Companion Contract essentially allows the Ascended Ones to return to their original bodies in the Old Days... If the bodies of the Ascended Ones in the Old Days are already dead or have yet to be born, the contract naturally won't take effect."
To let the Ascended Ones, or the Transcendents, return to their original bodies...
The system's words confirmed one of Xia Er's suspicions...
That is, the Transcendents in the Otherworld originally lived in the real world... They existed in the Old Days, during the Age of Chaos.
What cataclysmic event occurred between the Age of Chaos and the Age of Holy War that led to their "banishment" to the Otherworld, resulting in the disconnection of all divine pathways?
Yes, Xia Er used the term "banishment" with a negative connotation.
Because Xia Er had been to the Otherworld, and she certainly didn't consider being trapped in such a mad place as "ascension."
What kind of power could imprison all the Transcendents in the Otherworld... and the stronger the power, the less likely they would be to break free from it...
Xia Er didn't have time to ponder this now; she had to quickly attempt to establish a Companion Contract with either the An Worm or the Pure White Knight.
She had only met the An Worm and the Pure White Knight a few times, and their relationship wasn't particularly deep... Xia Er wasn't sure if they would be willing to form this Companion Contract with her.
Moreover, after establishing the Companion Contract, the An Worm and the Pure White Knight would have some of their memories sealed upon entering the Old Days. With this side effect in play, Xia Er felt the chances of them agreeing to her request were very low.
But she had to try, and she had to do it quickly.
In her mind, Xia Er began to search and found the flame that symbolized Xiao Zuo.
Right now, Xiao Zuo was still calling out, "Xia Er-daren... Xia Er-daren," repeating the few words it had learned, fully aware that this term referred to Xia Er.
"Xiao Zuo." Xia Er began to attempt communication.
...
Meanwhile, in the ancient castle of the Otherworld.
The Pure White Knight was tinkering with a complex mechanism in the castle's hall. It looked like a semi-circular brass chamber, but its purpose was unclear.
The An Worm, on the other hand, lay on a dark green mass resembling a flowerbed at the castle's entrance, seemingly more comfortable in this sticky, damp environment.
Suddenly, the Pure White Knight looked up at Xiao Zuo, who was pacing back and forth at the door.
Xiao Zuo, shaking the chains hanging from its body, quickened its pace, as if it had received some kind of response.
"Xiao Zuo?" A mechanical hum resonated from within the Pure White Knight. Upon hearing its voice, Xiao Zuo immediately raised its metallic finger, its compound eyes peering in the direction of the Pure White Knight.
Xiao Zuo turned to run, but the voice from the statue it carried made it stop. Reluctantly, it approached the Pure White Knight and handed over the pendant.
Is it that esteemed one?
The Pure White Knight's hand trembled slightly, a cloud of white steam bursting from the gaps in its armor, before it reached out to take the pendant.
"Hello?" The Pure White Knight's voice was uncertain.
The runes on the pendant glowed red, and Xia Er's voice echoed in its mind.
After listening for a while, the Pure White Knight, who had been sitting, suddenly stood up, letting the parts in its hands scatter to the ground without bothering to pick them up.
"Good..."
"The memories of beings from the Otherworld are inherently fragmented..."
"I am willing..."
"Good..."
Steam erupted violently from its body, yet its voice grew increasingly calm, as if intense emotions surged within.
The white armor on the back of its hand was rapidly corroding, a silver rune forming on its once pristine surface.
"Alright..."
It slowly raised its hand, offering the pendant to Xiao Zuo in front of it.
After receiving the pendant, Xiao Zuo listened for a moment before bouncing excitedly toward the door, quickly reaching the slumbering An Worm, gently tapping the green "brain bed" with its claws.
The Pure White Knight remained standing in a daze, complex thoughts swirling chaotically in its mind.
Return to... the past...
Its hands slowly clenched, trembling uncontrollably.
"Is there anything to eat..."
"Okay."
The An Worm's ethereal voice echoed faintly from outside, but those sounds no longer reached the Pure White Knight's mind.
...
The contracts had all been established...
Xia Er slowly opened her eyes.
The process of forming the contracts had been surprisingly easy, which caught Xia Er off guard.
Upon hearing about the possibility of returning to the past, the Pure White Knight seemed unusually excited; the flame symbolizing it in Xia Er's mind began to flicker vigorously, yet it still agreed.
As for the An Worm, it merely asked if it could be given something to eat, and upon receiving that, it formed the contract... It seemed that all it could think about was Xia Er's blood, which appeared to it as some kind of supreme delicacy.
Xia Er did not form a contract with Xiao Zuo for two reasons.
On one hand, to summon a Companion to the Old Days, she would need to spend 100 Destiny Points... Spending 100 Destiny Points to summon Xiao Zuo was not a good option for her.
On the other hand, Xiao Zuo was a creature born in the Otherworld, unlike the An Worm and the Pure White Knight, who had existed since the Old Days. Making it a Companion would yield no information or intelligence.
After securing contracts with two familiar beings from the Otherworld, Xia Er wasted no more time.
The altar could extinguish at any moment; she had to respond to it...
Xia Er looked toward Tara and Persi, saying, "Tara, remember what I told you before."
"Yes, Xia Er-daren, Tara will obey all your commands." Tara sensed the gravity in Xia Er's tone and bowed her head in response.
After receiving Tara's reply, Xia Er focused all her mental energy and attention on the burning altar in her mind...
The agonizing flames enveloped her once more, igniting her until she was completely consumed...
...
"......"
"(An Su language) You are the embodiment of the future illusion... the echo of the Old Empire..."
"(An Su language) With my blood, I offer this sacrifice..."
"(An Su language) Please descend here..."
"......"
In the dark dungeon, a figure covered in scars held a rune stone that emitted a faint glow, praying over and over again.
Her lips were cracked, her teeth nearly falling out due to malnutrition, and she was using the last of her strength to pray to the "evil god" that had tainted her.
This was the last thing she could do.
"You've gone mad! You're praying to the Outer God! Do you want us to die faster?"
An angry figure approached, but was blocked by iron bars—he was a man whose face was so gaunt it was almost unrecognizable. He reached out to snatch the rune stone from her hand but couldn't reach it.
"We can't let him... inherit the powers of the God of Death..."
The woman struggled to stand, saying, "Get away... Galvin..."
"Madwoman!" The man stepped back, cursing, "You're all a bunch of lunatics!"
He hurried to the edge of the cage, pounding on the iron gate, shouting, "Watcher!!! Someone here is trying to summon an evil god!!! Watcher!!! I report this!!! Let me out!!!"
The woman slowly raised her hand, desperately squeezing out more blood from her wrist, smearing it onto the already stained rune stone.
This action sent another wave of dizziness through her, but soon she felt her body growing numb—her limbs were gradually turning cold, and even the simple act of raising her hand became impossible.
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