From Prisoner to Si Chen

Just from the name "Firstborn Son Sacrifice System", Gilan can easily think of "Firstborn Son Sacrifice System".

They all originate from a custom of the old god belief and belong exclusively to the religious culture of the first Si Sui "Scar Father".

The two are quite similar, but fundamentally different.

The "Firstborn Son Sacrifice System" requires the eldest son to be eaten alive in a "sharing ceremony" at a specific time and place, in a cruel way that violates human ethics and morality, to please the old gods in exchange for gifts of strength, body, or lifespan.

This evil doctrine was born out of the "firstborn son sacrifice system", but it has been greatly modified and distorted.

The irony is that this extreme approach makes it easier for the "scar father" to pay attention and obtain gifts.

As the original doctrine, the "primogeniture sacrifice system" seems a little more "normal".

This religious system is that if the eldest child in the family is born and is found to have a congenital disease or obvious defect, then a "glorification ceremony" will be held to allow the baby to die without any pain.

In exchange, the future children will be healthy and safe.

Although this is equally deformed in Gillan's opinion, it is slightly less abominable than the "firstborn son sacrifice system".

But no matter how he said it, Gillan felt that "Scar's father"'s belief in the old gods itself had problems.

It seems like an invisible hand, playing with human desires and emotions.

This sense of déjà vu disgusted Gillan.

It's just that this belief has a long history and is deeply rooted in the western region, especially the Stuttgart Empire.

For the people of Stuttgart, sacrificing their eldest son and newborn with obvious defects in exchange for the health and safety of their future children is a very cost-effective "exchange".

At the same time, for the eldest son himself, it is precisely because of his "sacrifice" that his younger siblings can thrive. And it will die "honorably" without pain.

This is the destination that all warriors long for.

Therefore, for thousands of years, the "firstborn son sacrifice system" has never been prohibited in this land. Instead, it has become a religious tradition.

During the meal, Duke Hawkes frankly stated that his eldest son, Carlo Barbaroche, had been "sacrificed" at birth.

Because of differences in culture and concepts, even if Gillan disapproved of this approach in his heart, he did not express his position.

Even the members of the envoy group did not make any comments on this.

While everyone was eating, they suddenly heard a rush of footsteps outside the restaurant.

Gillan turned to look.

I saw a strong man with gray hair and beard, wearing leather shoulder pads and a white robe, rushing towards him with an anxious look on his face. Behind him were four or five elite guards wearing armor and carrying swords.

This person didn't even bother to say hello. He walked straight to Duke Hawkes and whispered to him.

Jilan has excellent hearing and easily caught the whispers.

"...Your Excellency, something happened at Rude Mine! More than 300 miners and more than 100 soldiers all fell into a coma, and more than half of them died immediately and turned into dust and disappeared!"

"There seems to be a high-risk 'Nightmare Monument' deep in the mine, and it suddenly erupted!"

"Huh?!" Duke Hawkes was startled and his face changed slightly. But the first sentence he asked was:

"Where's Sheriff Cuole?"

"The Sheriff also fell asleep."

The strong man replied.

Duke Hawkes suddenly fell silent.

After a few seconds, he slowly stood up from the chair. Although he tried his best to hide it, Gillan still saw anxiety from his expression.

"How can there be... under the mine?"

Duke Hawkes' tone was low, with anger hidden behind it.

"Didn't the Royal Court's 'Desert Patrol' just come here a few days ago and conduct a mysterious exploration of the territory? How could they not find anything?!"

"This..." The strong man was speechless for a moment.

"Immediately send someone to ask for help from the Royal Court! At the same time, evacuate the Rude Mine and the surrounding people, and seal it off!"

Duke Hawkes quickly ordered.

"This is simply not something we can handle!"

"Yes, Your Majesty the Duke."

The strong man bowed quickly and led the people out.

After they left, Duke Hawkes frowned, but turned around and said to Gillan and others with a forced smile:

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Gillan, envoys... something unexpected happened in the territory, which disturbed everyone's interest."

"It doesn't matter." Gilan put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and shook his head. "Duke Hawks should deal with the urgent matters at hand first."

"Thank you Mr. Gillan for your understanding... In that case, please excuse me."

Duke Hawkes breathed a sigh of relief. After speaking to Gillan, he called a few servants and hurried out.

Only the members of the envoys were left in the restaurant to look at each other.

This sudden accident also surprised everyone. Fortunately, the housekeeper of the villa was extremely responsible and continued to entertain the Duke warmly after he left.

The envoy group had enough to eat and drink.

After the meal, they followed the servant's guidance upstairs and checked into the guest room.

Each room is quite spacious and luxurious, and equipped with independent bathroom.

The travel-stained group took a good shower and swept away their original fatigue.

The night is getting darker.

Near ten o'clock, there was a knock on Gilan's door.

Tuk Tuk.

Jilan, who was sitting by the window with his eyes closed and concentrating, slowly opened his eyes and glanced in the direction of the door.

"Which one?"

"Sorry, Mr. Gillan, to disturb your rest. I am the Duke's butler. I have something to ask you..."

Click.

The door opens.

Gillan saw outside, standing the butler who had entertained them at dinner. The other party looked respectful, lowered his head and said:

"The Duke has returned. He asked me to bring you a message... He said he has something important to discuss with you and is waiting in the study."

Ji Lan thoughtfully said:

"Lead the way."

"Yes, sir."

After the butler finished speaking, he stepped forward and led the way.

Gilan followed him up the wooden stairs and continued upstairs. Soon he reached the innermost side of the aisle on the third floor.

When the housekeeper knocked on the door, the tired voice of Duke Hawkes came from inside:

"Come in."

The housekeeper opened the door and stood silently outside the door without going in.

Ji Lan nodded to him and walked in alone.

The housekeeper then slowly closed the study door and guarded the outside.

"Mr. Gillan, I'm sorry to disturb your rest."

Duke Hawkes, who was sitting on the sofa, saw this, stood up, and said in a deep voice.

Jilan waved his hand and said:

"Why did the Duke invite me here?"

"Please sit down, sir."

Duke Hawkes stretched out his hand to signal.

Ji Lan nodded and sat down.

The Duke made him a cup of tea and handed him an expensive cigar. After Jilan declined, he whispered:

"To be honest, the accident in the territory is related to the 'Nightmare Monument'..."

Although Gilan knew it in her heart, she pretended to be surprised.

"Nightmare Monument?" He had superb acting skills and frowned slightly. "Is the situation serious?"

"Quite serious!" Duke Hawkes rubbed his temples. "This is by no means an ordinary level of 'Nightmare Monument', it has reached at least level three!"

Hearing this, Ji Lan raised his eyebrows.

The third-level nightmare tablet is what is left after the death of the sixth-level long-lived person.

The degree of danger can be imagined.

No wonder Duke Hawkes is so sad.

But what Gillan was more curious about was why Duke Hawkes was so late and why he called him to the study alone.

It’s not just chatting over tea.

"The support from the Royal Court could not arrive in a short time, but the nightmare energy could not be contained in time. At this time, it has spread outside the mine..."

Duke Hawkes looked sad.

He raised his eyes with hope.

"Mr. Gillan, before your visit, I learned about your deeds in detail... You are not only Bremen's foreign minister, but also a high-level member of the mysterious investigation committee."

"You must know more about mysterious matters than I do... I would like to ask, do you have any way to temporarily curb the spread of nightmare energy and wake up the sleeping people?"

Gillan was silent for a moment.

"There are three ways to contain the nightmare energy."

he said.

"First, kill the nightmare guards and completely eradicate the nightmare monument; second, defeat the core of the nightmare and shrink its nightmare energy; third, use special alchemical creations to seal and isolate the nightmare energy."

The Duke suddenly looked disappointed.

Even a hint of despair.

Jilan caught the other person's expression and comforted:

"The Duke has evacuated the people around the mine. Even if the nightmare is still spreading, the support from the Royal Court should be able to handle the matter before subsequent casualties and losses occur."

Duke Hawkes fell into a long silence.

Finally, he sighed.

"Sir, I'm sorry... Actually, I hid something from you during dinner."

The Duke was quite disheartened, leaning back on the sofa, smoking a miserable cigar.

"Actually, my eldest son was not 'sacrificed'... At that time, I created a scam to hide it from the 'Church of Scars' and let him survive."

Hearing this, Jilan realized something.

He seemed to have figured out why Duke Hawkes had such a big reaction.

"Could it be that, Duke, your eldest son happened to be affected by the disaster of nightmare energy?"

Jilan narrowed his eyes and asked.

Duke Hawkes smiled bitterly.

"Yes... he is a peace officer under my command, and he does not know his true identity."

"Now, he is still trapped in the mine, his life and death unknown."

Gillan immediately thought of the "Sheriff Cuole" the Duke mentioned during the dinner.

Obviously, this man is the Duke's eldest son, Carlo.

It's no wonder that when the Duke heard about the "Nightmare Monument" outbreak, he would be the first to ask about this person's situation.

Purely instinctive.

"Mr. Gillan, I have kept this secret for more than ten years..."

Duke Hawkes' fingers were trembling, and the cigar had long ash and clumps scattered around it.

"I implore you, if you can think of another way."

"If you can rescue Kallaw, I, Hawkes Barbaroche, will never forget this friendship!"

bite!

A clear and familiar voice suddenly sounded in Jilan's ears.

He knew that this was the "Golden Sigh" mission being triggered.

"Trigger mission: Stop the nightmare."

"When you first arrived in the Stuttgart Empire, you stayed in the Royal Court Elder and the Duke of Hawkes, but you encountered the 'Nightmare Monument' disaster that suddenly occurred in the territory's mine."

"Hawkes Barbaroche told you the secret that you have concealed for many years. His subordinate Sheriff Kuole is actually the eldest son Carlao who escaped from the 'Glory Ceremony'. He is currently trapped in the Rude Mine, and his life and death are unknown."

"He implores you to rescue Ku'olai."

"Time limit: 12 hours."

"Reward: Moderate improvement in gnosis, spirituality, and physical body (choose one from three)."

Ji Lan glanced at the colorful words that appeared in front of him and said to himself:

‘Accept. ’

Ding!

The words disappeared.

“Duke Hawkes, I’ll give it a try.”

Gilan pretended to be silent and said slowly.

Hearing this, the white-haired duke looked happy.

“Just tell me what you need, Mr. Gilan, whether it’s manpower or supplies…”

“No need.” Gilan waved his hand. “The danger level of the third-level nightmare monument is such that ordinary people will surely die if they approach it. Not only can they not help, but they will also hinder us.”

“The Duke will send someone to prepare a carriage to take me to the mine.”

“Sir, you…are going alone?”

Duke Hawkes was startled.

Gilan smiled and did not answer.

The duke’s understanding of him was obviously not comprehensive enough. He only knew that he was a senior member of the mysterious investigation committee, but he did not know that his position was the head of the “gravedigger”.

He was professional in dealing with the “Nightmare Monument”.

“I will go with you.”

Duke Hawkes gritted his teeth and stood up.

Gilan did not refuse and followed him out of the study.

Afterwards, the Duke asked the butler to urgently prepare a carriage, and the two of them rode together and headed straight to the Rude Mine.

There was no moon tonight, only a few lights.

The carriage galloped on the dim road, and after more than half an hour, it arrived at the outskirts of the destination.

As soon as Jilan got off the car, his spiritual knowledge began to warn.

He opened his spiritual vision, and a thick, distorted scarlet fog instantly appeared in his "eyes".

Not far ahead, there was a hill that had been dug up for a small part, and some machinery and trailers were placed around the bumpy roadside.

The environment was dead silent.

Soon, an army of hundreds of people rushed over.

Duke Hawkes went forward and talked to the leader for a few words to understand the situation.

At this time, Jilan looked at the red fog in the air and said without looking back:

"Duke Hawkes, the nightmare is still spreading, you'd better take your people back a little further."

The Duke was just an ordinary person, without spiritual vision. After hearing what Jilan said, he had to take a deep breath and ordered to stay away.

Before leaving, he asked Jilan in a deep voice:

"Sir, what are you going to do?"

"This is just a simple diplomatic visit, and the entourage did not bring any relevant equipment."

Jilan shook his head.

"I can only venture in and see the situation first."

"You... must be careful."

Duke Hawkes was quite moved and said quickly.

Jilan nodded.

Then, under the gaze of the duke and many guards, he walked towards the dark mine alone.

A moment later.

Jilan walked in from the temporary entrance of the mine frame, relying on his strong night vision ability, shuttled through the dark corridor.

No one could be seen here.

Jilan sighed.

Anyone who was killed by the nightmare and died in the nightmare would have their bodies in reality disappear and turned into nutrients to be devoured by the "Nightmare Monument".

It can be seen that several hours have passed since the outbreak of the nightmare, and there are few survivors among those affected by the mine.

It's just that the mission did not prompt failure, which proves that Kuole is not dead yet...