"Your Majesty, the ceremony is ready."
Just then, Jacob’s voice rang out: "The teleportation destination is locked."
"Teleport directly."
Annan instructed.
"Yes."
Jacob agreed.
As he removed the cover from the mirror, the various-sized mirrors surrounding the newly built "Teleportation Hall" in the Grand Duke’s mansion all reflected the sa candle.
There were thirteen candles of different sizes and thicknesses.
They were each attached to one of thirteen copper rings, forming concentric circles of thirteen layers. By rotating these rings to different scales, they anchored specific locations like a complex compass.
Countless reflections of candles appeared in the myriad mirrors.
In the reflection of many mirrors, they beca a sea of light.
And the figures of Annan and Sumarokov lvin gradually blurred within this sea of light.
This was also the first ti Annan was consciously experiencing teleportation—he did not lose consciousness during the process, but remained fully aware.
"So this is the principle behind teleportation..."
Annan thought: "In that case, it seems I can also construct my own teleportation ceremony... No, that’s not right, there’s already a teleportation ceremony in the Chariot. Maybe I can optimize that ceremony..."
And precisely because of his lucidity, before landing, Annan noticed—there were many people at their destination. All waiting in silence.
—Have they been waiting here for ?
They couldn’t possibly track the Chariot with divination spells.
It must be so sort of curse mark on Earl lvin that even Annan didn’t notice... able to pinpoint his distance.
So Annan didn’t hesitate.
The mont he materialized, he summoned his own exalted false body—
Just as expected.
The lvin family’s residence was surrounded by layers of people inside and out.
But there was a peculiar sight.
It was that apart from elderly n and won in their sixties and seventies, there were young people in their teens and early twenties. Besides Earl lvin, there didn’t seem to be many youths or middle-aged people here.
And all the "lvins" had hair of various colors—black, brown, red, white, pink, green...
Their hairstyles also looked quite "fashionable," to the extent that they wouldn’t be out of place in the neighboring Night City. For this world, it was clearly an art ahead of its ti.
All of them stared at Annan and Earl lvin with expressionless faces, in silence.
This overbearing quietness would make one think of dolls in a toy store after nightfall.
Their re existence filled the surrounding air with an abnormal and eerie atmosphere.
And Earl lvin’s face had gone ashen white.
The nominal clan leader was trembling, shouting in a high-pitched voice: "Everyone, listen! This has been a trap from the very beginning—"
"You are no longer pure."
An Elder in front of Earl lvin sighed.
It was as if Earl lvin had been choked, losing all his voice instantly.
"You have lost your divinity."
Another Elder behind the Earl, sighed in the exact sa tone as the previous one.
His words caused the Earl to turn his head back in panic, but at that mont a third voice rang out: "You have embraced fear."
A girl of only twelve or thirteen spoke up, her voice like the sound of heaven: "You have begun to fear death."
A serious boy of about seventeen or eighteen continued: "You should depart from this world."
"You should depart."
"You should depart."
"You should depart."
One after another, everyone repeated the sa phrase.
Their emotions were neither excited nor sad. Not angry, nor fearful.
There was neither smile nor frown on their faces, as if they were toys placed on a shelf.
Earl lvin’s face grew paler and paler.
Making gurgling noises in his throat without speaking, his fingertips trembled like Parkinson’s.
But as the sentence was repeated over and over, his fear gradually subsided, and he beca unusually calm again. Even his fingertips stopped quivering—not a single twitch.
He beca no different from his kin around him, who were like lifeless dolls.
"I should depart."
He responded impassively.
The next mont, Earl lvin suddenly stretched out his hand.
Starting from his stomach area, he caressed downward. As if unzipping a garnt, he easily split open his abdon—along with the clothes he was wearing.
Blood covered the fingertips of Earl lvin.
Shackled by chains of light, he spread his arms wide like a scarecrow, solemnly and calmly stating: "And I am opened."
"And you are opened."
"And you are opened."
"And you are opened."
The other lvins repeated the phrase while starting to clap.
There was no excitent, no relief, no hatred, no joy on their faces—just calm clapping, as mundane as a daily chore.
Blood flowed from under Earl lvin, and even though he was but a Wizard, a Transcendent at the silver rank wasn’t so easy to kill.
Yet Earl lvin also didn’t attempt to heal himself... Even his arms spread wide as a scarecrow didn’t shake in the slightest. If he let the bleeding continue, he would eventually die here from excessive blood loss.
Annan, standing nearby, did not stop his actions.
He was not frightened by the lvin family’s strange behavior either.
He just calmly watched it all.
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