"I have to say, your late suggestion has made my already bad mood even worse, Vivienne."
The girl threw a tantrum, her delicate face filled with dissatisfaction directed at the old woman in the black robe.
The latter, however, merely looked at her with an expression of respectful indulgence, her voice soft as she said, "It seems our Miss Morril encountered something else inside, which is truly what made you unhappy, is it?"
"Yes, a filthy, weak, and vile worm."
The girl crossed her arms and coldly remarked, "Only in the backward and barbaric soil of the South could such dirty and ugly things grow."
"Vile?"
The old woman, Vivienne, immediately caught the rare word the girl used, her withered bark-like face instantly turning cold. The air around them collapsed and twisted in an instant.
"You sound as though you have been terribly offended. Do you need me to do something about it?"
The girl realized her slip of the tongue, and a faint blush appeared on her smooth cheek, though it quickly disappeared.
"Actually, it's nothing too big, Vivienne. You always like to make a big fuss about everything."
The girl waved her hand and flicked a few strands of hair hanging by her ear to cover the momentary shyness and irritation. She suddenly changed the subject, saying, "By the way, what's Selena doing while I was inside?"
Vivienne shook her head and replied, "She hasn't done anything. She's been staying near the unborn Fairy Ancient City... Oh, she had a skirmish with two Southern native geniuses, but it was well controlled, just some expulsion."
A faint light gleamed in the girl's rose-colored eyes. She gritted her teeth and showed an evil smile.
"Our poor Princess Selena, who has been pushed aside by her siblings, had to come to the South and fight with a bunch of country wizards for resources... It's a shame, I won't let her have her way either. Let's go, Vivienne!"
The girl waved her staff like a whip, casting beautiful flames in the air.
"I can't wait to see the look on Selena's face when her plans fail."
"All according to your command."
Vivienne bowed respectfully and then, with a sweep of her robe, concealed the glowing teleportation circle in front of them.
Soon, a ball of flame shot up from the wilderness, resembling a burning comet, and in an instant, it vanished into the clouds, disappearing from sight.
Ronan felt like he had just plunged into a cold, viscous lake of glue.
No, calling it glue was not quite right.
It should be lead water.
Cold, heavy, seeping into every pore of his body, stealing his warmth, making his muscles stiffen, his bones corrode, and his blood stop flowing.
It felt as though he had been trapped inside a hard, cold lead shell, unable to release his mental energy, his consciousness shrinking within the mental space, surrounded by an impenetrable wall.
All he could do was continue to activate the life energy sphere inside him.
At this moment, Ronan was grateful that, during his three years of arduous training in the Silver Ring's secluded tower, he had not neglected his training in the **Ascetic Body Tempering**.
After reaching the Master level with over 1,000 points, the life energy sphere inside him had grown five times stronger compared to three years ago. The vast life energy condensed into a small sphere, almost compressed into a liquid form.
As he activated it, threads of pure white life flame shot out of the sphere, nourishing his body, resisting the terrifying curse power he had never encountered before.
If it weren't for **Purity Body**, he would have undoubtedly turned into a true golden statue as soon as the curse power erupted for the second time.
But even with the **Purity Body** pushed to its extreme, it merely slowed the trend of his flesh turning to metal, while the outer "lead shell" continued to thicken.
Due to the poor external condition of his body, a series of chain reactions started within him.
In the corner of his consciousness space, the remnants of the will of the "Ancient Frost Hydra Hekarto" began to stir. It seemed ready to rise and take over his body entirely.
With this inner and outer turmoil, Ronan was holding on by sheer willpower.
The curse power continued to seep in, gradually affecting his mind, making his thoughts sluggish.
Gradually, Ronan's consciousness started to fade.
Suddenly, Ronan found himself standing in a vast, boundless desert, the ground covered in yellow sand. There was no one around, and the blazing sun hung overhead.
He wandered aimlessly in the desert, unsure where to go, only feeling thirsty, his throat dry, and his body exhausted.
Just when Ronan felt he couldn't hold on and was about to collapse.
Suddenly, a broad hand reached out from behind him, steadying his weakening body.
Ronan struggled to turn his head. In the blinding sunlight, he saw a tall, slender figure dressed in a loose gray robe.
The figure wore a hood, obscuring their face.
Ronan didn't know when or from where this person had appeared. He had been walking alone in the desert for a long time.
It was as if this figure had materialized out of nowhere.
Or perhaps they had been following him the whole time without him noticing.
But at that moment, Ronan didn't have the energy to think about these things.
"Thank you."
Ronan managed to steady himself. The figure in the gray robe said nothing, but under the hood, a gentle and appreciative gaze was directed at him.
"You're the first to make it this far."
The voice was unusually young, clear, and bright. Ronan felt it was familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
But in the current environment, the voice only made him think of an oasis.
"Do you have any water?"
Ronan's cracked lips moved slightly. He could no longer resist speaking, his voice so weak that he could barely hear it himself.
The figure in gray thought for a moment, then replied, "No water, but I have something else."
As if his rusted brain still turned, processing the gray-robed figure's words, the figure released Ronan's hold and took two steps to the side.
The figure took something out of their robe and slowly buried it in the soft yellow sand beneath their feet.
Then, an unbelievable scene unfolded.
Ronan watched as the flat sand began to bulge upwards, and then, a golden sapling shot up from the sand, growing rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, it had become a lush apple tree.
The tree was entirely golden, as if it were made of solid gold. Every branch, every leaf gleamed with a golden luster, dazzling and magnificent.
On the tree, only two golden apples had grown, shining with the same golden glow.
"It's done."
The gray-robed figure clapped their hands, sounding pleased, then stood on tiptoe, carefully plucking the two golden apples from the tree and handing one to Ronan.
"Eat it, it tastes good."
Noticing Ronan's hesitation, the gray-robed figure took the other golden apple and bit into it with a crisp crunch.
The rich apple aroma, accompanied by golden juice, spread out.
Ronan smelled the fragrance, and his throat involuntarily bobbed.
He could no longer resist, taking a big bite of the golden apple in his hand. The sweet, tender juice quickly moistened his mouth like a fresh spring.
Though the texture and luster resembled gold, the taste was a thousand times better than a real apple.
This small golden apple seemed to possess mysterious power. As Ronan finished it, leaving only the unchewable golden core, he felt completely restored.
His energy, his spirit… everything.
"Whew—"
Ronan let out a long breath, eagerly running to the shade of the golden apple tree, sitting down on the soft golden sand beneath it. He looked at the golden apple core in his hand, then glanced up at the gray-robed figure who had been silently watching him.
His eyes shone with a strange light.
He spoke to the gray-robed figure, "Thank you for the apple. Shibiert."
Ronan pronounced the name clearly.
Yes, after his mind had cleared, he finally remembered why he found the voice of the figure familiar.
It was because he had heard it countless times when using "Shibiert's Omniscient Jewel"!
As for where he was now…
It should be in a dream.
Just like the inheritance dream he had experienced when merging with the "Ancient Frost Hydra Bloodline."
He had seen the ancient overlord of frost, so it wasn't surprising to see someone in the desert quench their thirst with fruit from a golden tree.
Ronan sat under the apple tree, his gaze burning as he watched the gray-robed figure, studying the face hidden beneath the hood.
The legendary wizard Shibiert, who had left countless stories across the Upper Realm, was undoubtedly someone Ronan was curious to see in person.
It didn't matter whether it was a dream or not. Right now, Ronan just wanted to witness the face of the ancient legend.
Seeing Ronan's eager gaze and his confident utterance of the name "Shibiert," the gray-robed figure seemed to smile.
He neither confirmed nor denied it.
But he did not disappoint Ronan.
Carelessly, he reached up and pulled the hood back.
In front of Ronan was a youthful face, looking only a few years older than Ronan himself.
Gray hair, black eyes.
The corners of the mouth seemed to always carry a smile, and the eyes were unusually bright, like jewels.
The face revealed under the hood wasn't handsome, nor was it unattractive, but it possessed a unique charm that no one could forget after seeing it.
This face matched exactly with Ronan's imagination of "Shibiert."
That bright, passionate voice seemed to belong to such a clear and straightforward face.
Ronan's eyes slowly softened.
Perhaps it was because of the aura of Shibiert, or perhaps because he knew he was in a dream, facing a legendary wizard, he felt no pressure, even feeling unusually relaxed.
It was as if he had met a traveler in the desert, someone willing to share fresh apples with him.
"Shibiert" bit into the apple and sat down beside Ronan. The shade of the golden apple tree perfectly covered both of them.
"Want to hear a story?"
"Shibiert" looked out at the endless golden desert and suddenly spoke to Ronan.
Ronan nodded, sitting in anticipation.
"Hmm."
"Shibiert" took a small bite of the golden apple and began to speak in a low voice.
"Once upon a time, there was a king…"
With "Shibiert's" narration, the whole desert seemed to quiet down.
The bright, blinding sun above them seemed to fade, no longer so hot.
The entire world seemed to shrink to just the rustling of the golden apple tree's leaves and the soft voice of "Shibiert" speaking.
"…He was wise and powerful, with extraordinary intelligence and mighty methods.
He governed his kingdom well, the people lived in peace, and his army was strong."
"He was loved by all, and he devoted his life to his kingdom and his people."
"He never married and had no heirs. He could be considered the most enlightened ruler in the history of the continent. Elves, dwarves, orcs, barbarians… all coexisted peacefully under his reign."
"He almost ruled three-quarters of the continent."
"However… even such a perfect monarch had his troubles."
"The king gradually realized, as time passed, his hair was turning white, his back was more hunched, wrinkles were forming on his face, his teeth began to loosen, and he could no longer sit on his throne for more than an hour. He…"
"He had grown old."
"Shibiert's" voice suddenly became intense, setting the stage for the rest of the story, where all the beauty would be torn apart.
"The king became afraid.
Because there were still many things he hadn't done, many ideas he hadn't completed.
He had just learned that there were more continents beyond, and there were still many people suffering, waiting for him to rescue them.
He hadn't placed his kingdom's flags in every corner, and he didn't want to leave his vast empire in the hands of someone who would inevitably be more foolish than he had been."
"The king yearned for immortality!"
"So, he sought the help of the continent's greatest wise wizard."
"No one knows what kind of deal the king made with the wizard.
But after the king returned from visiting the wizard, he began obsessively collecting gold."
"Before he turned eighty, he was wise and gave everything for his people.
But after eighty, he began taking everything back from them. Even more."
"The king's quest to collect gold didn't go smoothly. His army killed many people at his command, causing countless families to be broken, the whole kingdom to suffer."
"But the king didn't care, because he had finally gathered all the gold on the continent.
Now, he only needed to follow the wizard's instructions, and he was confident he could repay everything he took from his people—tenfold or a hundredfold."
"The king built a city with this gold!"
"A city made entirely of gold!"
"In the golden city, the king gathered his entire army because his plans had changed.
He no longer wanted to just gain immortality. He wanted every soldier loyal to him to share in it, so he could build an even greater empire than the one he had before."
"Finally, the king sat on his golden throne, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the wise wizard, who would bestow him with true immortality."
"Shibiert's" narration stopped abruptly.
Under the apple tree, Ronan blinked and couldn't help but ask, "What happened next, what's the ending of the story?"
"It's just like the ending of every fairy tale."
"Shibiert" swallowed the last bite of his golden apple, shrugged his shoulders, and said to Ronan, "The evil and foolish king met a tragic end, along with his wicked army."
"Did the wise wizard deceive him?"
Ronan frowned.
"No."
"Shibiert" shook his head. "Quite the opposite. Every word the wise wizard said about immortality was true.
It's just that, before the wizard arrived at the golden city, the aged king unfortunately died in his throne."
"But the wizard did not break his promise. He did grant the king immortality.
He turned the king's body and all his army into eternal golden statues, and buried them, along with the golden city, deep underground."
"Oh."
Ronan nodded, showing a look of "I knew the ending as soon as I heard the beginning," before standing up from under the golden apple tree and looking at the golden desert beneath his feet. He asked, "Is it under this desert?"
"Shibiert" smiled and shook his head. "You take it too seriously.
This is just a story."
"Well then, let me guess again…"
Ronan looked at "Shibiert's" black eyes and calmly spoke, "You're the wise wizard in the story?"
"I told you, it's just a story."
"Shibiert" stood up from under the tree, squinted and stretched with a big yawn. He patted the sand off his clothes and turned to beckon Ronan, "Let's go, I'll take you to the front."
Ronan's eyes flashed, but he didn't say anything. He followed "Shibiert" toward the front of the desert.
After walking for an unknown period, when Ronan could no longer see any trace of the golden apple tree behind them, "Shibiert" suddenly spoke, "We're here."
Ronan turned abruptly.
What followed was a view of an unbelievably grand, immense, and magnificent golden city, so breathtaking that words could hardly describe it.
In that moment, Ronan felt like something had struck him deeply.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, upon seeing the full view of the golden city, he still felt a deep shock that resonated from the depths of his soul.
"You said… it's just a story?"
Ronan stood on top of a high golden sand dune, staring blankly at the golden city ahead, his voice trailing off.
"Shibiert" smiled, passed by him, and as he walked, he softly said, "It's indeed a story.
But I didn't finish it.
Once upon a time, there was a boy, and when he was very young, he heard this story. A golden seed was planted in his heart."
"Shibiert" stood before Ronan, gazing at the distant golden city, his fingers glowing with golden light.
"Later, this seed took root and grew bigger."
"The boy grew up, he gained power, and he finally…"
"Shibiert" slowly extended his hand towards the distant city, as if trying to grab something.
"Could fulfill all the daydreams he once had."
"Shibiert" paused, his voice cut off, as if the story was finally coming to a close.
At that moment, "Shibiert" quickly snapped out of his reverie.
He suddenly turned, standing against the backdrop of the golden city, facing Ronan, opening his arms, and flashing a smile, one as innocent and radiant as a child's.
He called out to Ronan, just like he had heard countless times in the "Omniscient Jewel" space.
He said:
"Welcome to the—Golden Kingdom of Shibiert!"
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