The sun is high

From the mouths of Alexandra and all the souls who jointly constituted the "Family Will", the details of the arrangements made by the Black Sun Society in the Ernst family were finally revealed.

The time when Countess Alexandra died and "became" the will of the family was more than two hundred years ago.

In fact, when she died, these souls hidden under the Ernst Manor had been tortured by the rituals of the Black Sun Society for a long time. As a latecomer, Alexandra had no knowledge of this place. From those more distant ancestors.

"It felt really strange at that time..."

Alexandra described her feelings when she had just passed away: "I originally thought that the human soul would return to the world as the Legal Committee and the St. Steele Life Sect said, but soon I Then I found that under the power of that ritual, I 'awakened' again, and I began to think and feel everything around me..."

The countess's smile was slightly bitter: "At that time, I didn't realize what would happen next."

"The permanent ritual set up here is always in play. It is like a huge mill, and our souls are the grains thrown into it. Under its crushing and grinding, all the dead It will all end up like that..."

"Becoming a rat pack?"

"Yes, Rat Pack."

The countess nodded: "But the association regards this process as a blessing."

"Can you tell me the details?"

"Those members of the association who are responsible for maintaining the ceremony told us that the permanent ceremony set up here is actually the favor secret ceremony of the 'Mother of the Earth'. They believe that the benevolent 'Mother of the Earth' will use this secret ceremony to bring peace to the world." Her own power is given to the supplicant, and at the same time, the 'Mother of the Earth' will also give all the ritual participants eternal power and grant them permission to become their own..."

When speaking of this, Alexandra hesitated for a moment, obviously she was not quite sure what words should be used here.

So Xiuge whispered: "Family?"

"Yes...that's the word."

Alexandra glanced at Shuge in surprise, then nodded and said: "This is how they explain the race that is favored by the gods."

So Xiuge raised his finger and pointed to the corridor outside: "So according to you, all the rats that appear here are essentially the ancestors of the family?"

"Yes, including me."

The countess said softly: "We have no way to resist the transformation brought about by the ceremony, so in the end we can only be forced to accept that transformation."

"Do you remember the process?"

Shuge asked: "I'm sorry, I don't want you to recall the past, but this process may be helpful to my next decision-making... After all, I also have those ancient evil magic and magic powers in my body. .”

"I understand, kid... Although that process was scary, I remember it very clearly."

The Countess smiled, and then said: "At first, I just thought it was an ordinary deep sleep. However, when I woke up from my deep sleep, I found that I was bound to my own stone statue. Then I started to feel pain. It was as if my spirit had been cut by sharp threads, and it was forced to split into countless individuals. I began to hear the screams of rats in my soul..."

She described her feelings at that time in detail: "At that time, for the first time, I felt the influence of the secret ritual mentioned by the association so deeply. I felt as if I had become a plant seed that was sprinkled into the soil and they were taking root. , sprouted, and was gradually shaped into the shape of a mouse."

"I feel like my will has been divided into countless parts. I want to control them, but I don't know where to start. Those rats have their own instincts and ideas. They want to gnaw and devour everything in front of them. Like real beasts, and my own thoughts were no match for them.”

Listening to Alexandra's narration, Wei Lin's face became a little ugly. She remembered the previous encounter between herself and Shuge in the spiral staircase. If those rats were indeed just some kind of ferocious magical creatures, then that would be the case. It was still acceptable, but after knowing that there were actually countless human spirits and wills in the bodies of these beasts, Weilin felt a strong sense of powerlessness.

The feeling of being hunted by a wild beast is completely different from that of being preyed on by the same kind.

"If according to your statement, this entire underground mansion should be filled with rats that choose people to eat, it seems like something happened next?"

"Yes."

Alexandra sighed: "I have been in that chaotic state for a long, long time. It may have lasted for several years or even more than ten years, but one day, the 'Mother of the Earth' secret The instrument's operations appear to have been severely disrupted."

"So, during the short period of time when there was a flaw in the operation of the secret ritual, the rats that housed our soul fragments finally succeeded in being controlled by our own will, so all the members who were still awake gathered together and made a decision A bold resistance... We launched an attack on all members of the association in the underground mansion as well as the servants and assistants who served them."

Through only verbal narration, it is really difficult for Shuge and the two of them to know the specific process of that incident, but judging from the look on Alexandra's face, it is difficult for these deceased people who were forced to split their souls and spirits. In other words, it must be an important victory worth remembering.

"It was very chaotic at the time. Everyone... gathered in a pile, like an ocean, but we all knew what we were going to do. We not only needed to attack the association casters who had mastered magic, but we also needed to find a way. Dealing with other family members who have been completely lost in their animal instincts."

"So you succeeded in the end?"

"It was not a success, but it is not a failure..."

The countess explained: "The situation is too hasty. We don't know when the secret ceremony will be restored, and we don't know how to completely solve these problems. Therefore, we can only do our best to destroy everything in front of us. , in the end, we succeeded in destroying the circuits of the secret instrument on the fourth and fifth underground floors...but after that, other parts of the secret instrument successfully resumed operation, so we were restricted here."

"In other words, the fourth and fifth floors of the underground mansion are actually controlled by you now?"

"That's right."

Alexandra clapped her hands gently, and tiny rat noises immediately came from every corner of the room. Shuge saw many rat figures emerging from it. They did not attack, but settled down. They lined up quietly, as if in a queue.

"Among the members who have successfully escaped the control of the secret instrument, I have the clearest will, so I make decisions for everyone most of the time... Occasionally, members with relatively stable conditions will control a part of the rat group to explore the outside world. Case."

"Hasn't the Guild thought about repairing the secret ritual?"

"They tried more than a hundred years ago. The association spent a huge amount of money to clear out the 'Fourth Floor Underground', and all the family members living there were also cleared out by the association, but they were unable to repair the damaged circuit. "

Wei Lin nodded and said: "Because the damage to the ritual was caused from within, if the Black Sun Society wants to repair it, a considerable part of the underground mansion must be rebuilt... This is where most permanent rituals exist. It seems that the secret ritual of 'Mother Earth' that the association calls has no way to escape from this restriction."

"Indeed."

The countess nodded and affirmed: "After that, the association seemed to have given up on this underground mansion and the maintenance of the secret ceremony of the 'Mother of the Earth'. It was not until recently that their members visited again."

"You mean not long ago?"

"About three years ago, right? Sorry, we've become very insensitive to time."

Shuge silently calculated the time points in his mind, and then he realized that three years ago should be the important time when the Black Sun Society regained its influence on the Ernst family and began to plan the Salem City incident. It was at that time that I was forcibly persuaded to leave the Walter Academy of Magic and was sent to Salem City.

"What did they come here for?"

"I don't know. They don't seem to be planning to repair the secret instrument again, and they have not set foot on our floor again. But similarly, we have no way to follow and interfere with their actions in detail... The only remaining secret instrument is still there. It had an impact on us, and during that time, many members completely lost their will."

Alexandra sighed: "We have thought of many, many ways. We use our own power to influence those sent by the association and turn them into our own servants. At the same time, Jacob and Christie Na and the others are also constantly trying to find ways to convey the message here, and they want to disrupt and interfere with every heir selection ceremony as much as possible, but we have no idea whether such efforts will be effective."

"So those magic ornaments in the hotel room..."

"Jacob and the others found a way to send it up. Those who can detect these anomalies are destined to be spellcasters who have mastered magic and magic. In this way, they can identify important targets that need attention...and those with weak minds and vulnerable to secret rituals Children who are eroded will also be expelled and eliminated by Jacob and the others."

This topic obviously made Alexandra a little sad. She shook her head and said: "It's just that our power is constantly weakening. Once we leave here, we will start to be affected by the secret ritual again. Those hidden among the rats. The wild nature will also revive... In that case, Jacob and the others can easily cause serious damage to the children of the family. Even I, now infected with some quirks, I collected these lamps just for Let them remind me that I am still a 'person' who needs light."

After listening to Alexandra's narration, Shuge nodded somewhat heavily.

He had previously felt that the behavior of the rats that were obviously being controlled by human will was very strange. Now it seemed that the source of this strangeness lay in the conflict between the interference of the secret power and the human will itself - if Alexandra said It is true that the predecessors of the Ernst family really cared about the descendants of the family, but after all, human will was unable to compete with the power of the secret rituals of the ancient gods. This was already their limit.

Xiuge looked at the rats gathered in the room. Although they had weird and deformed bodies, they did not show any aggression at all. Then he looked at the legendary countess in front of him who had used magic power to barely construct her own body. He squeezed out gave a smile.

"I think your efforts will be in vain... My grandfather has noticed something strange here, and it is precisely because of him that I am here."

Shuge said: "If I guess correctly, he is taking more actions. If everything goes well, maybe the Ernst family will be able to completely get rid of the control and influence of the Black Sun Society in the future, at least on the surface. .”

Before she finished speaking, a sound suddenly came from under the chair where Wei Lin was sitting. It was the sound of many mice opening their mouths at the same time. Although it was very messy, you could vaguely hear it was a deep and hoarse man. Voice.

"Son, who is in power now?"

Shuge turned his head, looked at the group of rats gathered together, and replied: "My grandfather Zeke Ernst, he was Votel's former marshal."

"Well... I know that only soldiers can have such courage and brains."

The hoarse voice said: "Unfortunately, there are still too few people in the family who can become soldiers and officers. If there were more people, perhaps this dilemma could be solved long ago!"

The countess said dissatisfiedly: "Grandpa Bernhard, don't forget, that poor kid Ludwig is also a general, but he couldn't withstand the erosion of the secret ritual!"

Obviously, the Ludwig she was talking about was the stone statue that Shuge and the two saw in room 203 before. As Alexandra said, the famous General Votel did not succeed in the end. Like them, they persisted under the influence of the secret ceremony, but completely turned into a pack of rats following their instincts.

"Is he also considered a general?"

The hoarse voice known as Bernhardt refuted angrily: "As the brains of the army, as the commander of the army, he could not learn how to protect himself, and was killed by a crystal cannon explosion while patrolling the position... Heh, what is this?"

"Okay, Grandpa Bernhardt."

The countess sighed helplessly: "Hasn't everyone already reached a consensus? What we really need are outstanding talents who understand magic, especially evil magic. Now that they are in front of us, please don't repeat those mistakes again. Talk!"

"You mean him?"

The rats under Wei Lin's chair made dissatisfied noises. Although they had no eyes, they could obviously "see" Xiuge's appearance: "Humph, carrying a crystal gun on his back is like that, but..."

Before he finished speaking, a shadow flickered on Xiuge's shoulder. Following his call, the running rat Snicki, who had been hiding in the metal disc, was summoned, and it just appeared and started to attack. The "foreign" people in the room let out intimidating neighs, which made Bernhardt, who was originally commenting on Shuge, shut his mouth.

All members of the Ernst family, including the Countess, caught a very familiar feeling in this rat with three long tails.