Chapter 137: Apostle

Sebastiana, the true-sense custodian of the Black Castle during this period, was much like the old wizard before her; she was required to step forward for any necessary affairs of the Black Castle, including Mulan's advancement.

After Mulan completed his advancement, this First-Circle, red-robed transcendent who almost never revealed her true face returned to her own residence.

This was a withered giant tree. Although it did not appear particularly tall, its trunk required at least eight or nine people to embrace. If it were still alive, it certainly would have possessed a canopy of lush, verdant leaves. Unfortunately, it seemed to have died long ago, and its withered branches looked like grasping claws.

Upon the dead tree sat a series of bizarre and slightly warped houses. They connected in a staggered cluster of highs and lows, linked to one another by stair-fitted passages. From some of the houses, intermittent flickers of light spilled outward.

This was precisely one of the forbidden zones of the Black Castle—the residence of the red-robed Professor Sebastiana. The room she was currently in was filled with circular bookshelves. In the center, a special oil lamp rested on a round table, surrounded by stacks of overlapping or opened books, along with unfurled pieces of parchment and aged paper.

Sebastiana's withered fingers, wrapped in bandages, traced across the characters on the paper before her, her gaze then shifting to compare them with the book beside it.

"An echo of the Netherworld? Quinas barely ever exhibits resonance with the Netherworld..."

With a beckoning of her withered hand, another black-bound book flew from the bookshelf and landed on her desk. A grimace was painted on the cover of this book, looking particularly chilling.

Sebastiana reached out and touched the book cover, and the grimace came to life. At first, it was merely lines twisting on the surface, but then it slowly bulged and grew increasingly three-dimensional, resembling a withered, pale face embedded in the leather cover. The skin twitched slightly, while its eyes were mere slits, as if kept permanently closed.

"Hehehehe, Sebastiana, you've come to find me again. Surely you haven't forgotten anything, have you?"

The bandages on the red-robed figure's right hand slowly unwound themselves. Her thumb gently pinched the tip of her index finger, and she then hovered her hand over the book cover, letting a drop of bright red blood fall. The face on the cover opened its mouth to catch it.

"Mm, truly delicious. A little more, give me a little more."

"Alright, enough nonsense. Answer my question: within the Quinas language, does Xilusas hold any other meanings? You know I don't mean the conventional sense, but a meaning imbued with magic."

The expression on the face upon the book cover was utterly intoxicated. Savoring the aftertaste, it spoke.

"To learn of magical language, such a tiny offering is not enough. However, since it happens to be a topic that interests me, I shall make an exception and tell you."

The face on the book cover opened its eyes slightly. Within them seemed to be a pitch-black void, but upon closer inspection, a faint radiance shimmered within those depths, resembling weak stars in the dark.

"Let me think, is it *Xilusas*?"

The pronunciation by the face on the book cover was exceedingly strange, sounding entirely in the fourth tone, yet a gleam appeared in Sebastiana's eyes.

"That's right!"

In reality, when Mulan advanced last night, the echoing sound bore a close resemblance to the pitch of the face on the book cover. What she had told Glanda, however, was the conventional pronunciation. Yet, juxtaposed against the scene of a Radiant Knight's advancement and the similarity in pronunciation, it was easy for Sebastiana to associate it with the normal term "Xilusas."

Yet at this moment, there seemed to be another interpretation.

The grimacing face on the book cover wore a bizarre smile.

"Hehehe, as a scholar in this field, you should understand that Quinas, much like certain ancient tongues, is a language of worship that originated from sacrificial rites."

Sebastiana remained silent, quietly waiting for the other party to continue.

"*Xilusas*—the word 'Xi' possesses the meaning of light in Quinas, but to be precise, it can represent the setting sun, and by extension, the boundary between light and dark just before the descent into ruin. The word 'lusas' represents power and also refers to mighty warriors. However, that is the standard literal meaning. If it is pronounced in the manner I just used, hehehehe..."

"Stop chattering!"

Sebastiana found herself unable to endure the laughter of the book cover's grimace. The latter truly ceased laughing and repeated it once more in that bizarre, entirely fourth-tone intonation.

"*Xilusas* can also mean a messenger. But ancient languages, especially Quinas, were originally used for sacrifices, so from the perspective of sacrificial significance, the meaning of a messenger is far more sublime—translating to 'Apostle' is more fitting. Combined with the conventional usage of Xilusas, it translates to: Apostle of the Abyss."

"If a person undergoes metamorphosis into a transcendent and such cries echo around them, what does that signify?"

"Merely a title, nothing more. As you know, the Netherworld holds many thoughts of the deceased of the past; it is normal for Quinas thoughts to exist there as well. One can only say it resonates with certain phenomena—for instance, perhaps this individual possesses some prominent attribute that aligns with the fantasies of the ancient Quinas people, making them prone to stirring the resonance of the Netherworld. It is not common, but neither is it strange."

After saying this, the book cover grimace began smacking its lips again, seemingly still reminiscing over the taste of that single drop of blood.

"Of course, if you were to bring that person for me to see, I might be able to discern things more clearly. Well, now you'd best give me some more offerings, give me a bit more."

Sebastiana said nothing. She picked up the black-bound book and gave it a gentle toss, throwing it back onto the bookshelf, causing the grimace's voice to cut off abruptly.

Even if it fell within the normal scope, favored by the ancient consciousness of the Quinas people, this Professor Mulan Jouster would likely possess some special magical power—Quinas-system magic.

Sebastiana was now seriously considering whether she, as a researcher deeply fascinated by Quinas-system occultism, might invite Mulan Jouster to participate in certain excavations.

While the red-robed professor was lost in thought, Mulan himself had already arrived at the main building area of the ancient castle. Wearing a trench coat and gripping his cane, he did not walk straight in upon approaching the main building. Instead, he surveyed his surroundings, his gaze sweeping across some of the sculptures along the upper edge of the castle.

The distance between the Netherworld and reality appeared exceptionally close here.

The next moment, Mulan drew his fangs and gently slashed before himself, as if tearing an opening in a hazy curtain. With a single step forward, he walked right into it.

This could not yet be considered the Netherworld; it was the boundary between the Netherworld and reality. As Mulan stepped into it, he noticed the surrounding colors rapidly fading. Within mere seconds, everything seemed to be cast in shades of grey and white.

Yet, when Mulan looked down at his own person, his clothing, cane, and other items remained fundamentally indistinguishable from the outside world—they possessed "color."

Mulan had now crossed beyond reality, becoming a complete and true transcendent.

When he looked toward the castle once more, it appeared even gloomier. The gargoyle statues along the upper levels were more numerous, with some even unfurling bat-like wings and flying through the sky, while many others stared directly at Mulan.

Mulan pulled back the inner pocket of his overcoat, revealing a badge engraved with a special rune—the emblem of the Imperial Ministry of Magic. He then walked straight toward the castle and stepped inside.

The interior of the castle was brighter than the outside; torches burned continuously around the halls, and the colors were vivid.

Mulan walked steadily forward. Within the massive castle, only the sound of his footsteps and the presence of his breath existed. He passed through one doorframe after another, traversing corridor after corridor, seemingly without encountering any other defensive measures.

When Mulan stepped into the basement and reached the end of the basement corridor, he finally beheld a golden-yellow door. Its surface was densely carved with intricate patterns; some were runes and caster constructs he recognized, while others were formations he could neither understand nor had ever seen before.

Above the doorframe coiled a golden serpent statue.

*This must be the so-called Door of Taboos.*

With this thought, Mulan reached out to touch the door. The golden serpent, which had originally been a statue, came to life; its head extended downward, forking its tongue as a pair of cold serpentine eyes stared at Mulan.

"Ministry of Magic member Mulan Jouster requests entry through the Door of Taboos."

As he spoke, Mulan once again displayed his insignia badge. The golden serpent stared at the badge for a moment, then shifted its body aside, and the golden door slowly swung open.

Mulan's mood at that moment was slightly stirred. As a formal member of the Imperial Ministry of Magic, Mulan possessed viewing privileges, though not operational authority, but for today, that was already enough.

Inside the Door of Taboos lay a circular, golden-walled hall covering a floor space of over a hundred square meters. The walls were densely packed with storage niches engraved with spell arrays, piled together like countless grid cells. Outside each cell lay a layer of glass.

Some of these compartments were empty, while others contained various items, ranging from rare materials to special elements.

Furthermore, grey doors were set into the walls at regular intervals—eleven doors in total. These doors were likewise covered in inscriptions. Mulan knew that each door represented a Sacred Relic.

Adhering to the principle of proximity, Mulan selected a door beside him. With just a gentle touch, the door turned translucent, though it could not be opened; a pale blue halo rose and fell within it like breathing.

Sacred Relics manifested in specific forms here, which accounted for this distinct radiance, whereas on the physical plane, they might appear utterly unremarkable.

Seeing this light felt akin to a special kind of beauty, involuntarily stirring a desire to possess it.

This was the Sacred Relic known as the Breath of the Sky. During the previous great war, the royal family of Dilga had utilized it to counter Basman's terrifying fleet of airships.

Mulan reached out, making a distant grabbing motion toward the Sacred Relic, as if he could scoop it into his palm. In his mind, he deliberately let his spiritual desires unfurl, sending forth a genuine and intense yearning.

*You will be mine sooner or later!*

As if sensing Mulan's desire and responding to it, the radiance of the Sacred Relic fluctuated all the more violently.

Coming quickly and departing just as fast, Mulan soon stepped out of the Door of Taboos. He needed to ponder another layer of the problem: how could one truly, in the truest sense, destroy a Sacred Relic?

Perhaps alchemists held the answer?