Chapter 474
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Chapter 474: The Stone of the Wise
The Alott Refinery.
A massive refinery with a rich history, it stood on the outskirts of Hoth City, not far from the edge of town. The constant booming sound of massive magic-powered machinery, extracting magic stones, echoed through the area.
Kaluoer, Bai Yan, and Evie stood outside, gazing up at the enormous factory, perplexed about the reason they had been brought here.
While Evie craved an explanation, Kaluoer didn’t feel the need for one.
Bai Yan spoke slowly, his voice almost a whisper. “The problem this time lies here, yet it doesn’t lie here.”
Evie scoffed, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Your words sound like something from the Kingdom of Dark Light. It may seem logical, but in reality, it lacks substance.”
The Kingdom of Dark Light was notorious for its leadership of “riddlers.” Evie, having grown up with such cryptic talk, was used to it—but she certainly didn’t enjoy it.
Bai Yan smiled faintly. Over the course of their journey, Evie had spoken to him with a calm tone, but now, her true nature was showing.
He understood the reason.
It was simple—he hadn’t responded to Kaluoer’s expressions. He considered the feelings of others, but his own beliefs were never shaken.
The world was about to face another doomsday in less than a month, and time was running out. Bai Yan’s mental and physical energy was limited. Frankly, he had enough strength for physical tasks, but he had no time or energy for romance. If he were honest with Kaluoer, it would mean being open with more than just one person—and that would complicate matters.
Kaluoer stood quietly, her expression blank as she gazed at the factory. It seemed as though she could see beyond the walls, perceiving things that others couldn’t.
“Go.”
With a single word, Kaluoer vanished without a trace.
In the next breath, she and Evie were inside the factory, their hands tightly clasped together.
Bai Yan followed suit, finding himself inside in an instant.
The innermost, most heavily guarded room of the Alott Refinery was completely empty. All the work here was done by automated magic machinery.
Though the world of Enos had advanced, automation remained a luxury. These magic devices were expensive, and their cost had never dropped, so they had yet to be fully popularized.
Bai Yan observed the numerous devices around him. They were extracting something from enormous transparent vessels and funneling it into a series of complex alchemical and magical apparatus. The process required several dozen intricate refining steps.
But at that moment, the transparent vessels were empty, and the expensive machinery was performing pointless tasks.
Evie, confused, spoke up. “What’s going on? What are all these things?”
Bai Yan pointed at the empty vessels. “There used to be a large amount of liquefied souls inside.”
“Liquefied souls?” Evie froze, unable to comprehend how something intangible and invisible like a soul could be liquefied. How could that even be possible?
“Yes,” Bai Yan nodded. “From the memories of the factory owner, I learned that they’ve been doing this for hundreds of years. Generation after generation, they’ve been refining magical stones from already liquefied souls.”
“As for how the soul transformed into a solid form in the material world, that’s something the factory owner never knew. Their responsibility was only the final step.”
Evie’s expression turned panicked. “Wait! After a person dies, their soul is reincarnated. That’s the natural law. If these liquefied souls are refined, does that mean they completely cease to exist in the world?”
“Yes,” Bai Yan replied again, his face impassive.
Evie’s fear intensified. In the Kingdom of Dark Light, even the lowest sinners, despised by the gods, would at worst be physically slaughtered, but their souls would never be obliterated.
Unless they were immortal deities, no one could leave the multiverse without leaving traces. Once a soul was gone, there would truly be nothing left.
Her voice trembled as she asked, “You mean this family, this refinery, has been doing these things for hundreds of years? Are there thousands of souls whose existence has been completely wiped out by them?”
Bai Yan’s face remained emotionless as he spoke, “The amount of liquefied souls in the container was originally vast. The number you mentioned might be just a small fraction… or maybe even less than that.”
Kaluoer stood silently by, listening without saying a word.
Evie frowned, her voice filled with disgust. “Who could be doing such evil things?”
Her temper was short, her character sharp—but deep down, her soul leaned toward goodness, which was why her title included the word “pure.”
Bai Yan thought for a moment before answering. “It could be connected to the ancient queen from a thousand years ago, Aphrora.”
Evie was taken aback, her confusion clear. “Wait, how do you know? We’ve only been here for a short time, and I don’t even know how to navigate this city. How could you already be aware of such secrets?”
Bai Yan remained silent, offering no explanation.
He didn’t need to say anything. Did she really need to know about the Babel Tower?
Evie glanced at him, silently puzzled, as she tried to decipher the mysterious Viscount Edmond.
“Oh, maybe this is the kind of thing that captivates little sisters,” she thought.
Evie, realizing the container was empty, suddenly understood. Bai Yan, who had already noticed these things, must have released all the “ingredients” ahead of time. So, the liquefied souls he spoke of were never actually seen by her.
“How can we find this ancient queen?” she asked.
Just then, Kaluoer spoke, her tone indifferent. “What are they trying to create?”
Bai Yan answered, “They want to create something with immense power—the Philosopher’s Stone.”
Evie was unfamiliar with the term, but Bai Yan had heard many legends about it from the knowledge granted to him by the “Projection.”
“The Philosopher’s Stone is the manifestation of the ‘power of miracles,’ the ultimate goal and purpose of everything in the world. It is the perfect essence of all elements, an indestructible object that cannot be harmed or destroyed by any element. It is a dual, living mercury with a spirit, capable of transforming any weak and imperfect metal. It is eternal radiance, a healing elixir for all diseases, the blessed phoenix of the heavenly kingdom, the most precious treasure among all riches, and an essential possession of the entire nature.”
Evie was taken aback. “Is it really that powerful? What practical use would creating it serve?”
Bai Yan continued, “The Philosopher’s Stone is the manifestation of the ‘power of miracles’ among the four great extraordinary powers. Once combined with emotional energy, it can catalyze endless and terrifying power. It has many practical uses, but behind the scenes, creating the Philosopher’s Stone consumes countless souls. So, only a few things can be accomplished with such vast energy.”
Evie was momentarily stunned, but then a small moment of clarity passed over her. She didn’t ask any further questions.
After Bai Yan finished speaking, he turned and began to leave, saying, “Let’s go take a look inside the imperial palace of the Enos people today. Maybe the ancient queen is still hiding in her own home.”
“Go straight ahead like this? Shouldn’t we investigate other things first?” Evie was full of questions. Kaluoer had already grabbed her hand, ready to follow.
The mission had begun, and Kaluoer didn’t mind how Bai Yan wanted to proceed. Even if it meant walking out of here and starting to kill, she would still obey.
Bai Yan simply replied, “We’re short on time. Let’s capture the Emperor of Enos directly.”
His casual tone didn’t reflect the difficulty of capturing the ruler of a nation. Even Evie, who was skeptical, began to understand—this might just be the most straightforward method.
Bai Yan, Kaluoer, and Evie moved swiftly. Enos’ current capital wasn’t far from Hoth, and by the afternoon, they had arrived at their destination.
Meanwhile, on the other side, inside the Babel Tower, Bai Yan frowned. Unexpectedly, a message popped up on his phone—a new “emergency mission.”
It wasn’t about something within Enos, but a foreshadowing that in the near future, the three of them would face an attack from a third party!