The royal capital

Opal District Atanisa Street

If the Opal District is a gorgeous crown wrapped in the filthy Nika district, the area around Atanissa Street is undoubtedly one of the shining jewels in this crown.

The Earl's Court of Liaton, located in this area, is eye-catching for its magnificent architecture and unique design.

The mansion seems to have stepped out of a fairy tale, completely isolating the hustle and bustle of the world from the trivialities of reality.

The exterior walls of the Earl's Court are made of solid stone blocks that rise into the sky, the walls are entwined with vines and are designed to be safe and beautiful, and the huge walls that surround the entire mansion make it look like a small city in the royal capital.

At the entrance to the mansion is a grand city gate with a large wooden door carved with intricate ornamentation, and in front of it is a wide and ornate avenue lined with tall pine and cypress trees.

At this moment, Bill was standing silently between the two lines of towering ancient trees.

They seem to be the guardians of time, witnessing the passage of time.

His gaze pierced through the treetops and landed on the façade of the majestic castle, where the murals and reliefs were like whispers of history, telling endless stories of the past with stone carvings.

Under the gaze of these delicate arts, Bill couldn't help but grasp the dazzling staff that radiated subtle fluctuations of magic even tighter.

"Whew-"

With a deep, long sigh.

He gathered the courage in his heart, like a warrior in the past, raised his head, and resolutely walked in the direction of a home that was supposed to represent safety and warmth, but was also full of complex emotions.

There are no surprises

At the end of the neat, bright, almost mirror-like marble staircase, stood respectfully an old man with silver hair.

His servants' garments were simple and respectful, showing his loyalty and dignity, and although time had given him a full head of gray hair, every strand was combed flawlessly, showing his unswerving quality and ingenuity.

"Young master, welcome home."

The old servant fell to his knees on one knee and looked up at the rejuvenated youth, his voice low and full of respect.

His manners were so perfect that even the most demanding old nobles of the nobility could not be faulted.

Bill's eyes were intertwined with mixed emotions, staring at the meticulous old servant:

"Lord Will...... Chamberlain. ”

His voice was faint, and his mouth was slightly hesitant, as if echoing in his mind the call of his youth, but in the end he did not say it completely.

The years have passed, the trees have remained, and the old servants have not changed.

But some memories and feelings have gone with time and will never return.

"My lord said last night that if you return, you should go directly to the back garden to meet him."

The old butler said with his head bowed as he unfurled the luxurious purple velvet robe, on which the stars were dotted, and the sun and the moon were shining, symbolizing the glory and secrets of the family.

He draped it carefully over Bill's shoulders, his hands gently and carefully arranging his collar.

It was not until this moment that the silver-haired old man's face revealed a faint warmth, and he gently admonished:

"Spring is as cold as water, young master, please take care of your body."

This sentence is not just a concern, it is the guardian of the condensation of the years, and it is the old servant's wordless love and blessing for this young master.

Bill nodded silently.

Under the watchful eye of the old butler, Bill slowly pushed open the door that seemed to be as thick as a mountain, but was actually as light as cotton wool.

Inside the closed gate

There are no ornate buildings, no expensive collectibles, just flowers that fill almost the whole world.

It's a sea of flowers.

He stepped on the delicate petals of the flowers, bathed in the sun, as if he had entered a world full of life and hope.

The old butler stood silently outside the door, letting the wind blow through his collar and disturb his hair.

He didn't move, just watched the figure step by step into the sea of flowers until it disappeared around the corner.

Just as more than ten years ago, he watched young Bill step by step into the family's forbidden land under the guidance of his father.

"The back garden of the Earl's Court is an absolute forbidden place, and no one is allowed to trespass!"

It was the lesson of countless inquisitive servants with their own lives, and it was the only time the once spirited Lord Earl warned the old butler.

Ay.

What the hell are you doing there, sir, Bill is your own child.

As the castle gate closed again, a wordless sigh gradually dissipated.

He's a steward, but he's just a steward.

Earl's Court

Inside the back garden

Under the warm false sun, Bill seems to be lost in the land of forgetfulness, bathed in a sea of gorgeous flowers.

Every step on this pure land seems to awaken countless fragments of childhood dreams.

His mind has woven a veil of countless fantasies here, building a secret garden of his own, a haven full of life and laughter, where the soul can be freed and forget the troubles of the world.

However, when the door of memory is reopened, in the thick fragrance of flowers, the sleeping past hits like a nightmare, smearing that simple happiness into endless fear and deep hatred.

The real world is always cruel, and even the most beautiful sea of flowers hides dark secrets and forbidden temptations.

Guided by the memories imprinted by time, Bill paced through the labyrinth of the back garden, his steps dignified but mechanical and silent.

Forward and backward are a series of dance moves with extreme precision, each gesture being a farewell to the past.

Until the last step is completed, the pale blue barrier that suddenly appears in front of him is like a portal to another world, quietly revealing its mysterious face.

Bill reached out and touched the barrier, his fingers as if he had crossed the boundary between light and shadow, causing an unusual ripple.

The water rippled, the ripples spread to the end, and the scene in the barrier was revealed.

Looking from the outside to the inside, there is still a beautiful sea of flowers in the enchantment, and the overwhelming flowers seem to gather all the flowers of the entire astral realm, they are blooming, blooming, and withering here

With a numb expression, Bill stretched out his left hand and placed it completely on the barrier, until his palm was completely submerged by the circle.

"Poof!"

Suddenly, ripples like water waves quickly echoed throughout the back garden.

When the ripples dissipated, an abrupt crack slowly appeared on the verified barrier.

Bill lowered his arm, and at the same time subconsciously wiped his hand on the expensive purple robe, leaving no trace.

The action was etched into his instincts, along with those nightmarish memories.

A black entrance to the space slowly opened on the barrier, like a crack in the deep night sky, as if it was about to swallow up all light.

Facing the abyss-like darkness, Bill bit his lip and let the bitter and metallic taste of blood spread in his mouth.

His heart struggled, trying to escape the fear of the past and the unknown.

But Bill knows that escaping is not the way out, and only by facing it can he solve the problems that have bound him for years.

He took a deep breath and stepped through the barrier.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the heavens and the earth reversed, and all the pictures burst open like broken lenses, and the true appearance of the earl's back garden was finally revealed in front of Bill again.

There was no sea of flowers in front of me, only countless giant glass petri dishes.

The cold glow of greenery, the huge glass life-sustaining device, the busy cold structure.

The scene in front of me was in stark contrast to the beautiful sea of flowers that I had just seen outside.

This is a cold experimental field made of glass and metal, a test-tube garden that nurtures terrifying new life!

In the turquoise culture medium, all kinds of demonic beasts of different shapes are floating and floating, they are as quiet as sleeping babies, sealed in huge transparent dishes.

These monsters range from the common Greyhorned Rabbit and Rock Sheep to rare beings with intelligence such as Drow Elves, Merfolk, and even Naga.

They should shine freely under the stars, but at this moment, whether it is a nimble rock sheep or an elegant mermaid, they are sleeping in this indifferent artificial "paradise".

Strangely, these creatures seem to be no different from water creatures, and even the monsters on land can breathe in the water, as if they have been cast some kind of magic.

And in these quietly floating living bodies, there is an even more amazing secret hidden.

"There are more types than before I ran away."

"That guy, has he never stopped all these years?"

Bill gritted his teeth, his fists clenched under his robes, and the staff of the bizarre was nearly crushed by a surge of anger and fear.

Ignore the surrounding structures that are tending to, repairing, and repetitive mechanical tasks.

Bill grasped the staff and slowly descended the steps, one step at a time towards the deepest part of the entire space.

The deeper you go, the higher the level of the demonic beasts you see, and the bigger the petri dish becomes.

In the deepest corners, Bill even spotted a young red dragon!

Although her body length is no more than ten meters, her momentum can vaguely show the king style of her race.

In that turquoise liquid, the young dragon curled its body, sleeping and peaceful, as if waiting in a dream for the moment to return to the sky.

But all this beautiful hope was suddenly shattered by an unspeakable fear.

Because all the monsters, including the female red dragon, had their bellies bulging out - proving that they were not just ordinary breeding grounds, but forced to become production machines, and their bodies were pregnant with unknown new life, which could be a disaster for the future.

Just as Bill stared blankly at all this

Suddenly! The female red dragon, who was bound and imprisoned, opened her pupils violently.

The crimson and furious eyes pierced through the crystal-like glass petri dish, locking on the youth in front of him, and the instant anger and hatred burned the air, trying to break through all the confinement.

The crimson dragon pupil and Bill looked at each other, and the furious killing intent almost broke through the cage.

Years of captivity and rehabilitation have long since made her unable to speak, and even the unruly instinct that belongs to the red dragon has long been worn out.

All that's left is the pure vindictive heart that still supports the skin of the red dragon and keeps it alive.

Bill's heart was touched by the silent cry.

Subconsciously.

He turned his head in a panic, turning his back to the angry eyes, avoiding the red dragon's gaze.

Then, as if sensing the anomaly, the many constructs walked up to the giant glass petri dish and poured some pink mist into the green liquid using displacement magic.

Soon, the red dragon was unwilling to slowly close the dragon's eyes again.

But the monstrous hatred that erupted in that moment just now was deeply imprinted in Bill's heart.

"Who made her like this, and who."

Bill struggles fiercely inside him, fear and desire intertwined into an inescapable web that clings to his soul.

He desperately tried not to speculate on the terrible answer, but the answer seemed to mock his powerlessness and cowardice.

As Bill's mind froze, the constructs who had been indifferent to him collectively froze their movements.

Their heads turned abruptly, their shattered joints making a creepy sound, and all eyes were fixed on the uninvited outsider.

The next moment, from the mouths of these mechanical creatures, came a rotten and old voice, like an echo from the abyss:

"Bill, my perfect son, you're finally willing to come back."

Bill felt a chill run through his heart at his father's call, his fists clenched, and he didn't answer, just staring at the red-glowing crystals above the heads of the constructs.

He knew that his father was now observing himself through these "eyes".

Bill's performance seemed to be expected by his father, and he did not embarrass his son who had returned home after a long absence, but warmly invited:

"Come, my child, I have been waiting for you in our house all along."

Perhaps in the eyes of the Earl of Liadon, Bill's silence and resistance were reasonable.

Instead of coercing his son, he eagerly invites Bill back to this cage called "home" in a seductive tone.

As the words fell

"Bang! Bang! Bang! ”

In an instant, all the humanoids fell to the ground, using their twisted bodies as signposts, carving out a dark path for Bill.

Yes, these constructs, they are both locks and keys to the ultimate secret.

If an outsider breaks in, once any of them are damaged, they will be expelled by the invisible force, and the opportunity to enter the core will be lost forever.

And the Earl of Liadon, the master of the laboratory, will also take the opportunity to escape and return to other hiding places.

That's right, this underground space is just one of his many labs.

Bill looked around, and the sleeping "Sleeping Beauty" made his heart tremble, their silence and peace was so ironic.

But soon, his heart was as strong as steel.

Bill gripped his staff and strode along the dark path laid out by the constructed body, through the dense garden of glass petri dishes, towards his true destination, his "home".

Through endless shadows and undercurrents, Bill came to the end of the road.

A birch tree board engraved with a simple spatial teleportation circle was so straightforwardly displayed in front of Bill's eyes.

Strangely, there seemed to be some kind of delicate decorative text on this circle, which was delicate and profound, and the beauty of the almost art was particularly abrupt in this dark laboratory. (End of chapter)