The Calamity Seal actually knew that more than a hundred years later, a transmigrator would be brought into this world by the "Pure White Eye," and that they would follow the "Reader" pathway?
I always thought this was something Roselle had 'prophesied'...
But according to my previous speculation, a new transmigrator is only introduced when the one bound to the "Pure White Eye" dies...
Did it already know it was going to die back then?
No, how could a Sealed Artifact formed from a Sequence 1 characteristic even die? Even the "Pale Death" wouldn't be able to accomplish that... unless a True God intervened!
Or is the Calamity Seal special, simply because it's not human?
Come to think of it, when I saw the "retraced" vision of the Calamity Seal, I didn't experience that inexplicable sense of familiarity...
Hearing the giant lord's words, Ebner was momentarily dazed, lost in thought, and completely forgot to answer the previous question.
It wasn't until Lord Levin's deep, resonant voice sounded again, asking, "So, what is the power entangling my nightmare?"
Ebner snapped back to reality and pondered for a moment. He had a vague feeling that Miranda and Azik had refrained from answering this question back then not because it was dangerous, but because of "Secrecy"—they had been unable to speak of it.
But now, he felt no such "obstruction" at all. It was as if he could utter those two "honorific names" without any hindrance.
So, the Goddess has tacitly allowed me to reveal it?
This has been a secret hidden for over fifteen hundred years, even absent from the Church of the God of Combat's records... A secret of this magnitude... If I reveal it to this lord who is so desperate for an answer...
And he was guided to me through the "Calamity Seal" and the "erudite" reputation I built by resolving the nightmares of the giants...
This aligns perfectly with the act of "playing" the Polymath... So, the Goddess has begun investing in me as well? Has She borrowed from Roselle's and previous transmigrators' arrangements to set this up?
For a moment, Ebner felt flattered and honored. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his gaze was filled with unwavering determination. He then raised his head and looked at the giant lord, declaring:
"You died because of a divine battle between the Evernight Goddess and the God of Combat!
"The forces entangling your nightmare are the remnants of Their divine power!"
Whether it is Lilith or the Goddess... whatever they may seek from me in the future, I will bear it... If I choose to accept their gifts, I must also accept the responsibilities that come with them.
After all, I could have chosen not to tell Lord Levin the truth...
Levin had no idea what decision Ebner had just made in his heart. He merely stood there in a daze, unmoving, but an imperceptible ripple emanated from his body, sweeping across the entire castle, completely purging the "monsters" lurking in the darkness and hiding within the light!
Because the obsession that had bound Levin for so long had been resolved, he was completely freed from the nightmare that had enshrouded him. And along with him, the castle—once dragged from reality into the depths of the collective subconscious—was also freed...
Thus, as he fully awoke, those creatures that could only exist within a "nightmare" found themselves without a place to hide and were utterly eradicated.
At the very moment the giant lord emerged from his nightmare, Ebner also received an unprecedented feedback, causing his "Polymath" potion to be fully digested in an instant!
He half-closed his eyes, feeling something within him shatter and dissolve, transforming into specks of starlight that merged into his "Learning Space."
This is nearly a month ahead of schedule...
In terms of potion digestion speed, I might actually be even faster than Mr. Fool!
Ebner sighed inwardly at this realization. Just then, he saw the giant lord, whose single eye was no longer dim, take out a card from his pocket. The card had intricate floral patterns around its edges, but its center was blank. The giant laughed heartily and said, "My sincerest gratitude, Doctor Strange. You shall forever be a friend of the giants!
"This card was something Roselle exchanged with me the last time he visited this castle... Now, I give it to you as my token of appreciation.
"You can seal any object you can lift within this card... If granted permission, even living beings can be sealed inside and carried with you.
"As for how to unseal them, it's quite simple. Just hold the card in your hand and loudly call out the true name of the sealed object or creature.
"My friend, since you wish to craft a 'bone dragon,' I imagine you will find this quite useful."
With that, he handed the card to Ebner.
Your Majesty, are you sure this isn't a Clow Card or some kind of Yu-Gi-Oh! card?
No wonder you designed a similar mechanic in the "Dream Labyrinth Tower"—you actually made a real-life version of it?!
Speaking of which, once I finish crafting the bone dragon, should I name it "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" for the occasion?
Its ghostly fire burns blue, and its bones are white... Yep, Blue-Eyes White Dragon it is...
Although he couldn't help but complain in his heart, Ebner was actually quite pleased with the gift and immediately stored it away carefully.
After expressing his gratitude for the giant lord's generosity, he began to subtly inquire about Miranda, Azik, and the "Calamity Seal."
Unfortunately, Levin knew very little about them. The only useful information he provided was regarding the Calamity Seal—it had given him many "suggestions" at the time. For example, the final words written in the Giant's Notebook and the method to slow the giants' descent into deeper nightmares had all come from it.
So, the Calamity Seal had already been laying the groundwork back then... A mere "Conqueror" characteristic has this level of strategic planning?
Is this an advanced application of the "Conspirator" ability?
I remember reading in one of Roselle's diary entries that the Calamity Seal had "dream" abilities as well... Which Sequence does that align with? Or is this Seal simply unique?
After pondering for a moment, Ebner shifted the conversation toward the "Underworld" ruin connected to the castle.
At this, the giant lord shook his head and said in a deep voice, "As the guardian of the 'Underworld Gate,' appointed by His Highness Miranda, I must warn you—unless you are at least a demigod, do not attempt to enter. You will truly die.
"Even demigods should avoid it unless they belong to the 'Corpse Collector' pathway.
"One year ago, a demigod from the 'Spectator' pathway came here. She merely looked at the 'Underworld Gate' from a distance and promptly left without stepping into the castle."
A demigod who came here a year ago... That must have been Ms. Closfia. So the reason she never entered the castle was because she got scared off.
Though Ebner mused over this realization, he had no intention of recklessly barging into the Underworld himself. Seeing that the giant lord had little more to share, he prepared to bid farewell and go collect the dragon's skeleton and the "Five-Colored Radiance Stone."
But just then, a massive bronze door adorned with countless intricate patterns suddenly appeared out of thin air.
The next moment, a man with bronze skin, black hair, and brown eyes stepped through it.
It was none other than the Hoy University history professor who had brought Ebner into this dream—Azik Eggers.
However, this usually gentle and composed man now bore an expression of utter coldness. He cast a single glance at the giant lord, and the towering Levin immediately fell to his knees and pressed his lips to Azik's shoes in reverence.