Ancient Book
The passengers in Xavierâs cabin heaved a sigh of relief after the plane landed safely on the runway. Following that, they stared at him in blame.
âMy apologies!â Xavier held his sisterâs hand and left the cabin, as if running away to the airport terminal.
âHey wait up! Wait!â The man with the watch caught up to them, âYou left your purse behind!â
âOh, thank you Mister!â Jill thanked the man courteously, taking a pink purse with a cartoon bear on it.
âHaha, Iâm just 25. Donât call me Mister, just Crowley is fineâ¦â This man who looked like an uncle with long sideburns smiled wryly, âAnd your names are?â
Xavier gripped his sisterâs hand, and spoke politely, âIâm Xavier, and this is my sister Jill, weâre here to studyâ¦â
Crowley noticed the wariness in Xavierâs eyes, but he smiled without caring, âOh I see⦠This is my number. I have some connections here in Thousand Bears City, so remember to look for me if somethingâs up.â Having said that, he handed a long string of numbers to Xavier and disappeared into the crowd.
âJill, donât just casually speak to strangers in the future!â Xavier reprimanded his sister after seeing Crowley off.
âBut I felt like Mister Crowley was niceâ¦â Jill bit her lips.
âDonât rely on your instincts anymore. Live like a normal person!â Xavier sighed, seemingly relieved of all his burden. He hailed a floating vehicle and boarded it alongside Jill, the wheelless machine converging into the roads that were like a network of arteriesâ¦
Neither Xavier nor Jill realised that a strand of black hair had attached itself to them. It was a power that lay between material and secondary energy, so even with extraordinary powers the siblings didnât detect it.
âI never thought Iâd find the blood of the Snake Dowager while just looking around!â Leylin could sense the bloodline of the Snake Dowager in the siblings, even if it was extremely thin.
The siblings possessed extrasensory powers, able to foresee bits and pieces of the future. Although he hadnât been masking his presence, the ability to sense him was still somewhat remarkable. Because of that, Leylin made an exception and put some attention on this pair of siblings, attaching a tracking spell to them.
Standing amidst the river of people, he observed his surroundings. The passersby walking to and fro did not seem to see him.
The high-rise buildings with over a hundred floors, the apartments, massive billboards, maglev trains and transparent tubes that served as streets⦠Everything gave Leylin a sense of extreme nostalgia. It was like heâd returned to his previous life.
âNo wonder I could see traces of civilisation in the worldâs shadow force. Evidently theyâve undergone a few technological revolutions, and the population has grown to a frightening numberâ¦â
A rough estimate said the population of this Thousand Bears City was more than ten million. The information heâd gathered on the plane told him this was but a middle-tier city of one empire, which meant the populatioin of the entire world most likely fast approached that of the Magus World. And this was inclusive of the subterranean world!
âItâs been proven that science and technology sustain the greatest growth of life for ordinary beingsâ¦â Without any extraordinary abilities, living together as a species and with technology was the best option, especially when there was a mastermind behind the curtains pushing for this development.
âIn relation to the population, the number of extraordinary beings seemed to be suppressedâ¦â Leylin thought of the wristwatch, Rapid Shadows. This device was commonly worn by ordinary citizens here.
âExtraordinary powers have been changed to devices. As long as one is able to fork out a little bit of money, even a child would be able to download a spell from the Shadow Weave?â
Leylinâs eyes conveyed interest, âThis Mistress of the Night, Shar, what is she trying to do?â
He turned his gaze to a giant light screen in the sky. It was made of numerous points of light, currently showing an advertisement for some product. That changed as the time for news arrived.
âA mine containing a new energy source was discovered this morning, causing stock in the energy sector to drop drastically. The market is closed for the day.â
âThe Prime Ministerâs wife will appear at a charity even in the Shangri-La Hotel tonight, donating to the inhabitants of the thirteen coastal cities devastated by Hurricane Darkness. Analysts say that thisâ¦â
âThe authorities have once again asserted their swift, resolute decision to clamp down on all illegal markets of Rapid Shadows 5.0. In a joint effort stretched across various parties, the target this time was the fabrication of false documentation, especially that specifically required to purchase Rapid Shadows.
âEmergency Notice: Amdo City was hit by a meteorite 3 hours and 12 minutes ago, causing an infrastructure collapse. The surrounding tremours were extremely powerful, causing financial damages amounting to 37.85 million. The number of casualties is unknown at the time of this report. The local garrison troops haveâ¦â
The reporter who wore a work outfit explained the disaster in a stern voice, as images of troops entering Amdo City was seen.
âTheir reaction is pretty fast, huh.â Leylin shook his head and did not pay any further attention to it. A newly developed empire with a mysterious entity like the Mistress of the Night controlling it from behind the scenes could unleash extreme power if he stepped on it.
The ancient Netherese were an example. The golden period of the Nether Empire allowed it to rival even the gods!
Leylin had no doubts that, should Shar use some of her hidden cards, his very own voodoo dolls would be discovered sooner or later. However, they were only meant to distract her. He was already satisfied that they were able to last this long.
âHmm, maybe I should watch the news more often, who knows if any news about the Snake Dowager may appearâ¦â Leylin grinned.
According to his observations, the Shadow World now was a completely different world from the one that she spoke of. Just like the differences between the middle ages and 21st century of his past life.
An antique like her may not be tech savvy, captured on some fellowâs camera due to the technological advancement of this world. However, these were all minor details. Leylin believed that even it if were to happen, the Snake Dowager would sense the difference and conceal herself.
âTo put it in other words, after those voodoo dolls, the Snake Dowager will be the one who will divert the attention away from meâ¦â Leylinâs eyes flashed. Although he was invited here by the Snake Dowager, he had no intentions of playing the role of nanny.
âIntelligence is the current priority. I canât connect to the Shadow Weave recklessly, I need to find an opportunityâ¦â Leylin looked at the news that was being replayed, and suddenly got an idea.
â¦â¦
Outside of the city, at the second level of a small villa.
Compared to the outside world which was so technologically advanced, this villa had a rather rustic and unadorned layout. Or in other words, it was old-fashioned.
âI never though weâd be able to live at home even if it hasnât been maintained in so long.â Jill wiped the sweat off her cheek, and her dusty hands left several black streaks on her face. She was like a kitten playing around.
Xavier, wearing an apron, saw his sister and frowned, âYouâre dirty! Hurry and wash upâ¦â
This was their old home, one that had been abandoned for many years. If not for the fact that this place could allow them to communte to school, the siblings would never have stepped foot in this place. It took some dusting and cleaning up to make it fit for living.
âI wonder why Mom and Dad didnât sell this place off back then. Is what they say true, that this is our heritage from several hundreds of years of ancestry?â
Xavier did not believe much of it. Finishing dinner, he placed a video call to a gentle and smiling older couple.
âI have organised the thingsâ¦â Xavier nonchalantly said.
âAlright! Little Xav, you have to bear the burden of an adult and take care of your sisterâ¦â The middle-aged man said, before continuing after some hesitation, âAlsoâ¦In our old home, between the layer of the two bookshelves, there are some things that you can have a look atâ¦â
âOh? That useless book? I have seen it several times since I was threeâ¦â Xavier said in an unperturbed manner.
âWhat?â The voice on the other end was raised by a full octave. The man grasped as his heart as if unable to believe what he had just heard.
âIsnât it just a book written about some strange fantasies, magic and other nonsense? I canât believe you actually stowed it away like some treasure, and the main point is you did not do a very good job of hiding itâ¦â
Xavier rolled his eyes, before exchanging a few more sentences with his parents in a pacifying manner and ended the call.
âThat bookâ¦This brings back some memoriesâ¦â Through some sort of nostalgia, Xavier went to the study room in the upper level and found the book that was hidden between the two shelves.
Due to the accumulation of time, the cover of the book was now extremely faded and obscure, with a thick layer of dust gather on it. This caused Xavier to become annoyed before he cleaned up the place another time.
âItâs so ancient. Iâd believe it even if someone said it was a thousand years oldâ¦â