The Record of Unusual Creatures

To be honest, Lorrisa’s description was rather lacking in reference. A vast, twisted consciousness, which she barely glimpsed as she passed by… These descriptions were too general. Hao Ren, of course, did not plan to get the whole story from what the Elven Queen’s clone had seen. He only needed to be certain of one thing: that the “oracle”, which descended on the planet 10,000 years before, was 100% false.

He had crucial witnesses: Muru, Lemendusa, and Heve. Those who lived through the deicidal war could attest that the goddess of creation had never sent such an odd oracle. And even if the testimony of these guardians were unreliable, Hao Ren could also rule out the possibility of the oracle based on his knowledge of the true God. It was not required for a true god to interfere in the evolution of human civilization in this way because it was unnecessary and harmful. Additionally, the level of development in Holletta’s magic civilization in those days was never enough to attract the attention of the goddess of creation.

“Do you think that ‘consciousness’ has anything to do with the Mad Lord?” Vivian looked at Hao Ren and whispered.

“The Mad Lord has no ‘consciousness’, but I’m not sure about whatever extends from it. We’ve seen Lockmarton, and it’s impossible to tell if there’s another infected otherworldly being lurking deep in the universe. For the magic empires of the past, they were unable to discern the subtle differences between the supernatural powers. So as long as the forger possessed one or two items of the goddess of creation, the mage emperors would have certainly fallen for it.”

“The question is, what’s the point of this scam?” Lily had seen enough of the scenery outside and now joined in on the conversation. “So much work; a false oracle and collusion with the treacherous children just to cheat those mage emperors into a few years of funding? Even though the demon hunters they’ve created were powerful and had touched the edge of the realm of ‘divine power’, they were not strong enough to fight in the deicidal war.”

Lily’s question was exactly what Hao Ren had thought of before. He frowned, instinctively sensing that the truth of the deception had been revealed. Under the fog, the deception itself transcended the biochemical experiments and the “demon hunters” who accompanied them. “Making a perfect life form” was probably just the tip of the iceberg. The real purpose of the mastermind behind the scenes was far greater than that.

And most likely it had something to do with some unsolved mystery of the deicidal war.

“Who taught you the runes you set up in the central lab?” Vivian asked suddenly. “Is there any third party contact with you?”

“No,” said Lorrisa, shaking her head. “The runes are the knowledge that came with the oracle.”

“Awoo? The runes were also taught to you by the goddess of creation?” Lily’s eyes widened as she jumped up. “Do you know what those runes are for?”

Hao Ren held down Lily, who was a little overreacted. She was certainly not indignant, it was more likely that she was just looking for a chance to howl. After all, it was forbidden for large dogs to bark in the royal quarter. Hao Ren then added in a low voice, “The runes were created by the god slayers to go against the goddess of creation, but they should not be able to imitate her oracle. This requires not only the combat prowess but also theological knowledge. Based on what I know about the god slayers, I don’t think they’ve cracked the divine power quite yet.”

Lorrisa was dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long time. A few minutes later, she gave a faint sigh and said, “What a big lie. The proud magic empire has been fooled for so many years.”

“I thought you’d be a little angrier,” said Vivian. “You don’t look like a mage emperor.”

“I’m not… Well, it does confuse me a little bit from time to time, but for the most part, I still know who I am. And what’s the use of anger? Ten thousand years have passed, and I still have to think about where I should go. Who has the time to dwell on the past?”

The carriage had passed the famous red rock road in front of the royal quarter. Hao Ren saw the palace’s towering outer walls have appeared in the distance, and gradually approaching the carriage. They were passing through King Mhoren’s gate, and the old king had been waiting for them for a long time.

“Do you have any plans for the future?” asked Hao Ren.

“The first step is to understand the times now and find a way to survive. It shouldn’t be hard, and then I might try to find those countries the elves have founded. Although the kingdom of Holletta is also a place of many races, I think it would be more convenient for elves to live with elves,” Lorrisa said softly without expectation or confusion as if she were really just planning a short trip.

Hao Ren raised his eyebrows and said, “Ah, it’s a good plan. But first, you have to think about what you’re going to do with the king in there. He doesn’t necessarily want someone like you to be an uncontrollable factor.”

Lorrisa’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Oh? You mean… The human king here is going to ‘keep’ me?”

“Perhaps not directly force you to stay, but I don’t think His Majesty would want you to just walk out and get out of his sight.” Hao Ren smiled. “So should the Elf Kingdom. As far as I know, the elves are far from being a race of sages.”

Lorrisa was not the real mage emperor, but she was also a smart person. So she quickly understood what Hao Ren meant and showed a thoughtful look.

“A ‘mage emperor’ from the past…” said Vivian. “It would be a shock to any country on this planet. It’s difficult for you to understand the fame and influence of the ancient mage emperors in Holletta today. For most people, you are synonymous with disaster. His Majesty may not think so, but he wants to think more about the security of his kingdom. I think any normal king would be disturbed by the sudden appearance of one who holds the ancient knowledge, and is powerful beyond the realm of mere mortals, and more importantly, supreme ruler of the last epoch.”

Lorrisa frowned. “Stupid.”

“But it’s human nature,” Hao Ren said. “You don’t belong to this era, but you are back in this era.”

“What do you suggest?” Lorrisa looked at Hao Ren.

“It’s very simple, you just have to emphasize that you’re just a clone,” Hao Ren said. “You’re just a clone, having the same name as Lorrisa, but otherwise you’re just a normal elf, sleeping for ten thousand years. You don’t have any ancient knowledge, and you don’t have any insight as a mage emperor. You were involved in the experiment but you’ve been sleeping since the accident. Don’t say anything more than that.”

“Is that all? Will he believe it?” Lorrisa wondered. “Any ruler is prone to suspicion…”

“He won’t believe you, but if we also say the same, then he probably would.” Hao Ren smiled and pointed to himself. “We are professionals in this field and have already helped Holletta ward off an ancient scourge. We have the best say in matters left over from ancient times.”

He there was one thing that he did not say: Mhoren had seen the spectacle of a fleet of Aerymian diggers drilling holes in the planet. Compared with a mage emperor who popped out of nowhere, it was obvious that Hao Ren needed his attention more…

Lorrisa nodded thoughtfully and had no other opinion.

Now they had entered the palace.

The king still looked the same as Hao Ren remembered. Or, he looked older and more tired. It seemed that the task of rebuilding the kingdom after the planetary sores and guardian crisis had been too much for His Majesty’s energy. Facing an “ancient mage emperor” from ancient times full of doubts and unknowns, His Majesty did not hold a grand reception ceremony but gathered a few confidants and church leaders to participate in the meeting.

Among them were Marshal Ophra and the new pope, as well as several ministers whose names Hao Ren could not remember.

Things were going as Hao Ren expected. Mhoren was, indeed, extremely wary of the “ancient mage emperor.” Though he tried to conceal his attitude, Hao Ren could still sense it. However, this vigilance was greatly alleviated after Hao Ren explained Lorrisa’s situation.

Just a clone.

However, Ophra showed particular interest in Lorrisa.

The marshal looked curiously at Lorrisa from head to toe, and she stayed after the meeting was over.

“You created the Ancients?” Ophra asked directly.

“The Ancients?” Lorrisa had apparently never heard of it.

“It’s the ‘perfect creatures’ you guys developed,” explained Hao Ren. “In our world, it’s called demon hunter. It’s called the Ancients over here. The woman in front of you is the Ancient. Logically, she’s the descendant of the ‘perfect creatures’ you guys developed.

“I see.” Lorrisa nodded, looking quietly at Ophra and then asked, “Anything you wanna say to me?”

Ophra looked at Lorrisa for a moment with a slight frown, and then shook her head and said, “Well, I had a lot to say just now, but now I don’t feel the need. After all, I have the chance to see the creator of our race… Not bad.”

And then she left.

When no one else was around, Lorrisa asked in a low voice, “Was she trying to kill me?”

“Ahem… I don’t think so. But you guys create them, then leave them alone. That’s not quite right.”

“…What can we do? No one ever thought that the world was going to end all of a sudden.”

Hao Ren pondered a while and felt speechless.