Chapter 1423: What Was I Doing?

The sand beneath their feet began to change as well.

A powerful gust blasted through the seams in the walls and swept across the ground. Every grain of sand around them was blown away, revealing a circular stone platform with perfectly even edges.

Its surface was completely smooth, surrounded by an almost invisible seam.

A section of the mechanical wall slowly opened, and a massive storage compartment extended from within. Then a mechanical arm reached beneath the platform. Metal supports unfolded around its edge, securing the entire slab.

A deep mechanical hum came from below.

The next instant, gravity vanished.

The moment Ethan lifted one foot, his body floated upward. Auri grabbed the hem of his clothes and drifted up with him. The others lost their footing as well. Some rolled over in midair, some spread their wings to steady themselves, and others simply pushed off the edge of the barrier and slowly swam through the weightless space.

The mechanical arm continued to lift.

The circular platform rose in one piece and slid into the storage compartment in the wall. With it gone, a chamber of interlocking steel panels was revealed below.

Dense lines of circuitry ran between the panels, and a ring of transparent glass surrounded the outer edge.

Still weightless, most of the group was too busy figuring out how to control their bodies to pay much attention to what lay below.

Then an angry voice came from beneath them.

"Did those crabs malfunction again?"

A keyboard clattered, the sharp taps echoing through the metal chamber.

"They didn’t even bring anything back this time!"

A man in a black formal suit stood before a control console, slamming all ten fingers against the keys. The display had lit up, but the containment area appeared empty, so naturally he assumed the mechanical crabs had failed yet again.

A small crab crawled out beside the console.

It raised a pincer, gently poked the man’s wrist, then pointed upward.

Already in a foul mood, the man looked even more annoyed when he saw it. He was about to scold the crab, but still glanced in the direction it was pointing.

A whole group of people was floating above the glass enclosure.

"Oh. I forgot to turn off zero gravity."

His anger vanished at once, replaced by a pleasant smile.

"My apologies."

He held out two fingers to the little crab.

The crab extended one pincer and lightly tapped them. Then they both withdrew.

The man walked over to a control lever and took a cloth from his pocket. First, he carefully wiped the fingers that had touched the crab. Then he cleaned the lever as well before finally grasping its top and slowly pulling it down.

Energy began flowing through the circuitry.

Blue-white light traveled along the seams between the steel panels, and the containment area’s gravity system came back online.

The man elegantly brushed the dust from his black suit, then picked up a black umbrella nearby. Resting its tip against the floor like a cane, he walked toward the observation area.

Inside the glass enclosure, everyone was still happily drifting within the barrier.

None of them paid much attention to the man who had spoken so rudely earlier.

If it was only a misunderstanding, they could talk.

If he truly had something against them, they could simply eliminate him.

Gravity returned to the containment area.

Everyone began to fall. Their wings turned toward the floor, slowing their descent, and a moment later, they all landed safely on the steel surface below.

"Hello there!"

An enthusiastic greeting came from beyond the glass.

Smiling warmly, the man approached at a leisurely pace. Only a transparent wall separated him from Ethan’s group, leaving both sides with a clear view of each other’s expressions.

"Allow me to introduce myself."

The man planted his black umbrella beside him and raised his chin slightly.

"My name is Silas Vane."

He paused, his smile deepening.

"Of course, you may simply call me Silas."

Silas spread his arms, closed his eyes, and raised the umbrella high overhead.

A crisp clattering began.

A huge group of small crabs crawled out from the consoles and steel passageways. In perfect unison, they raised their pincers and struck them together. The rhythmic metal clacking transformed the observation area into a stage prepared specifically for Silas.

Everyone behind the glass watched him in silence.

No one applauded.

There was nothing wrong with Silas introducing himself, but why did he need to strike a pose like that?

Especially with his long golden hair falling past his shoulders, gleaming far too brightly under the lights.

Silas waited, but no response came from inside the enclosure.

He opened his eyes and set the umbrella aside. Several small birds flew down from above, gripped its handle with their claws, and followed behind him.

"You’ve certainly caught my interest."

Through the glass, Silas looked over each member of the group.

"Perhaps you’re the special people I’ve always believed would appear."

His voice gradually softened, and he let out a weary breath. For the first time, the smiling face he had maintained showed the weight of age and hardship.

Silas turned to leave.

"One man, and a whole crowd of women."

He didn’t look back.

"Have fun."

Ethan watched the strange man leave as abruptly and inexplicably as he had appeared, only growing more confused.

He walked up to the glass and pressed his palm against its transparent surface, intending to examine the energy structure on the other side.

The instant his fingers touched it, Ethan froze.

Then he pulled his hand away and returned to the center of the group.

The others watched him curiously.

The entire process had been much faster than they expected. They assumed Ethan had already reached some conclusion, and a few of them even looked impressed.

But Ethan merely stood there.

His eyes were unfocused, his face completely blank.

A long time passed before his pupils finally responded.

"What happened to me?"

Ethan looked down at his hands, then raised his head and surveyed his surroundings.

"No... What was I just doing?"

His breathing grew faster. His memories and the scene before him seemed completely disconnected.

"I..."

Ethan clutched his forehead, then suddenly began shouting at everyone around him. The others immediately realized something was wrong and moved closer to check on him.

White lightning leaped from Ethan’s palm.

He raised his hand and aimed it at the approaching group, his eyes filled with an almost unfamiliar wariness.

Everyone stopped at once.

Before anyone could speak, the strength left Ethan’s body. The white lightning in his palm went out, his eyes closed, and he fell backward.

A branch from Auri caught him just in time.

Andona and Feylora hurried over. Golden divine power and pale green life energy entered Ethan’s body simultaneously, examining him from his head down to his limbs.

There were no injuries.

No backlash from his energy.

No sign of disease anywhere in his body.

Yet Ethan wouldn’t wake up.

At the other end of the observation area, Silas watched Ethan surrounded by the others through a display screen, envy showing in his eyes.

That concern didn’t belong to him yet.

But it wouldn’t be long.

Soon, it would all be his.

Silas left the observation room and followed a metal passageway to a temple.

Several small birds were already waiting at the entrance. They flew to his side and used their claws and beaks to remove his black suit, replacing it with clothing more appropriate for worship.

They also took away his black umbrella and placed a string of prayer beads in his hand.

A deer-shaped statue stood at the center of the temple.

Silas approached the statue, dropped to both knees, and respectfully bowed before lighting incense. Smoke rose and slowly curled around the deer-shaped figure.

As he lowered his head, the string of prayer beads in his hand suddenly snapped.

The smooth beads fell to the floor and rolled in every direction. Several struck the stone steps with a rapid series of clicks.