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Chapter 578 2049

　　Arthur stood alone inside the runic chamber of illusions. It might have been because of his predictable choice of choosing the ice path or the fact that the ruins scanned his body, but this was an excellent trap for him to give them his powers.

　　The Ghost Ruler did not respond but stood there without moving. Their long ashen robes touched the ground as the bony mask of a goat did not move an inch. Arthur was about to believe they were a statue until their arm moved to point in a specific direction.

　　The long bony fingers pointed toward a pillar, where a small item was embedded. Arthur frowned as he saw the item, and after a glance toward the ghost, he moved to snatch it.

　　The item embedded in the pillar looked like a pocket watch, but it was lined with runes. Arthur stopped in front of it as he began to recognize the artifact's appearance, and when he turned to look at the Ghost Ruler, they were still there.

　　"You know the owner of this artifact?" asked Arthur with a frown, and the Ghost Ruler nodded in response. Arthur glanced at it, but that was enough for the ghost to disappear.

　　Arthur was the only one left in the hall with his cold rage. But then, his anger began to calm down as he realized what was happening. Unfortunately, his father has not given up, and the change in the timeline also changed the aim of his enemies.

　　As he examined the watch, he noticed it connected to the illusion runes on the wall. The runes on the watch altered the illusion, and it seems this was what the Ghost Ruler wanted him to know.

　　His father has altered the illusion, which must have resulted in the trap appearing inside it. However, it made little sense why his father wanted his powers.

　　"Has that delusional man joined the seven guardians?" muttered Arthur as he glared at the watch. "His glorious goal must also justify this pathetic attempt to fool his son," Arthur gritted his teeth.

　　His father was a manipulative man. Arthur realized that when he used Diana to make Arthur meet Gaia and, quite possibly, hand over his powers to save his love. It must also be in the name of the greater picture that he pursues without regard to his son.

　　However, even his father was not foolish enough to join the seven bastards who would rather sacrifice most of the world to live safely in meaningless spaces. Of course, the selfishness of the gods was infinite, and his father might also believe that some sacrifices were necessary.

　　Arthur was not an idealistic person who believed he could save everyone. However, the seven guardians had no regard for the weaker people they were leaving behind in the name of survival.

　　The questions should be answered when he activates the pocket watch as he did before and met his father. However, Arthur did not want to meet that man at the moment.

　　His anger has yet to subside.

　　Arthur decided to keep going since the ruins were not a trap but simply tempered with. He has a message to read, and the next one should be on the doors at the far end of the hall.

　　When Arthur approached the door, the runic encryption lit up. It was the same as before, but much more complex. This should be the second layer and the one which the runemasters were dying to solve.

　　Arthur did not destroy it but instead looked for the Alvan words inscribed within it. Unlike what he expected, Arthur did not find another sentence. Instead, four Alvan numbers were written inside the encryption, with words instead of their form.

　　"Nine, Four, Two, and Zero," the words confused Arthur as he read them. Everything inside the ruins so far can only mean that Diana was the one to build them, but these numbers did not mean anything to him.

　　Arthur then tried to rearrange them according to their runic depth and found two, zero, four, nine. His eyes squinted because it was the current year, 2049. The date's appearance inside the ruins alarmed him because it could only be a warning about the future.

　　"Alexie," a voice called from behind him, and Arthur turned to find Grandmaster Casca standing at the far end of the hall. "You disabled the illusion with ease, it seems," said the man with awe.

　　"It was just luck," said Arthur with a frown. His appearance was far from ideal. But, if there was a date inscribed inside the ruins, Arthur must know what it was. "I am still working on the second layer of the encryption."

　　"I reached it as well, so let us work together," said Grandmaster Casca with a smile as he walked toward him. Arthur had the mind to knock him out, but it was hard to estimate this man's true strength.

　　Runemasters were different from normal humans because their strength was measured by their knowledge instead of their stats. So if Arthur attacks him and gets into an ugly situation, all of Runera would turn against him.

　　Grandmaster Casca stood beside him as he began to examine the encryption. It was fortunate that Arthur was not in a rush to break into it, even though he was at the moment.

　　Whoever left a message inside these ruins must be in urgent need to contact him but unsure of where to find him. However, Arthur did not know why they wanted to make things difficult for him until he saw Casca studying the encryption.

　　If someone who knew the Alvan language got a hold of this message, it could compromise the warning and the sender's safety. If the Enders were the ones to come across it, it might be even worse.

　　"You are too quiet, Alexie," said Grandmaster Casca as he turned toward him. "Are you feeling unwell?"

　　"It was too cold inside the illusion," replied Arthur with a smile. "I might need a moment to recover the mental strain. I will return to the first hall."

　　"As you desire," nodded Grandmaster Casca and returned to his work. It seems he was comparing the two encryptions for a pattern, but Arthur needed to learn the rest of the message as soon as possible.

　　After returning to the first hall, Arthur sat on the ground with the pocket watch. His fear made him reconsider his decision to postpone meeting his father, and a dark figure leaped out of his shadow.

　　"Meow," said the black cat while sitting next to his leg. Arthur frowned because it had made an appearance again, with no pattern for him to understand its reasons.

　　"You made me meet my father before, which gave me the Isotox," smiled Arthur. "You were also there when I met Hana on the ship, which gave me a shipping fleet. So I can only assume you are my lucky charm."

　　Unlike Reece, the cat did not answer him but stared at him with its three golden eyes. Arthur did not attempt to touch it and smiled helplessly at the pocket watch.

　　"Show me the mess you have created, old man," said Arthur as he activated the artifact, and it began to glow before pulling his consciousness inside.

　　After a moment of dizziness, Arthur found himself inside the same old house they had. However, this time, it was left unattended and full of dust. Arthur scanned the house, but there were no signs that someone was living there.

　　"Seref," called Arthur for his father, but there was no response except for a squeaking sound coming from the depth of the house. "Show yourself."

　　After not being answered, Arthur decided to march forward. The rooms were empty and messy, as if a hurricane had struck the house. It was different from the warmth he felt last time. There was nothing but a home infected by time.

　　Arthur followed the squeaking sound until he reached the farthest room inside the house, which was none other than his father's study. The door was opened to reveal the old books surrounding a desk and chair.

　　"You arrived at last," came a cold voice beside the window. Arthur stared at the rocking chair and the person sitting in it. His black hair had strips of gray, and the clothes he wore were a lot shabbier than before. "What have you done to me, Arthur?"

　　His father turned to stare at him with a pair of golden eyes. However, his wrinkled face was not pleased to see Arthur after so long, and Arthur's face was also apathetic.

　　"We meet again, father."