Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1914: Chapter 1909: They Are There

The charm remains, and time hasn’t left a trace on this suspected "young Marco".

There’s even a somewhat intense stress reaction that looks like someone who had just managed to catch their breath, only to encounter more torturers, unable to restrain their aggressiveness.

"Don’t move."

Fortunately, Aike is clearly quite skilled at calming people down, following Old Master Stoss’s instructions by moving forward with a gentle voice before even reaching them.

So much so that he extended his hand, as if to gently touch that slightly pointed head.

Huh—

Sadly, the sense of insecurity is evidently too strong for the other party.

At that moment, not only was there a subconscious evasive action, but a strange sound in the throat accompanied a sharp claw suddenly striking out.

And in this sudden attack, Aike did not dodge; the next moment, he was hit squarely.

"Also, don’t make noise."

Without stopping, and with an unchanged expression, Aike’s hand finally landed on that head, while continuing to speak calmly.

This time, it seemed to have worked; the young Marco no longer retreated, and even the hand on Aike stayed frozen and didn’t retract.

The already skinny arms extended straight out, like bare branches after flowers and leaves fall—almost as if they had truly turned wooden.

Familiar with Aike’s ability, Fu Qian could easily see that the claw and arm had completely lost mobility, even displaying bark-like texture on the surface.

Apparently, upon contact with him, the ability was instantly activated, pushing young Marco towards being a guardian of nature.

...

Indeed, a reasonable way to handle this.

Words spoken are always shallow; it’s better to let him feel with his flesh, forcibly injecting the concept of tranquility into the consciousness from the body.

Isn’t this somewhat cruel?

Such matters depend on comparison.

If Aike hadn’t intervened, it would have been left to Fu Qian and Su Gao, whose reputations aren’t great.

Pulling up past achievements, the methods nearly met the standards of extreme cruelty.

Lord Stoss is definitely not a reckless brute; he selects people with care.

"Seems to be of some rationality."

The final effect was quite impressive.

Taking his hand off that head, Aike carefully observed the stiff figure before signaling to Stoss after a few seconds.

Where she’d touched was now in a miraculous state.

The already not-so-round head showed cracks on the surface, accompanied by a certain crystalline texture, like ice sugar.

Fu Qian could even confirm that it was genuinely "cold," radiating low temperatures.

"Can you understand what I’m saying?"

Lord Stoss didn’t hold back, speaking directly and staring at those eyes, which still seemed somewhat functional.

"If there is even a slightest chance, you must try to respond, or else you will be destroyed."

Adding a reminder, though in a calm tone, it carried an immense persuasive power.

As a result, after staring for about five seconds, the chaotic eyes miraculously calmed down.

"Them..."

Even so, the response seemed not to adhere strictly to Stoss’s intentions.

The next moment, with a voice like a throat full of worms, young Marco struggled to utter a few syllables.

"They’re there..."

...

Hmm?

Though simple, the information was rich.

Coupled with eyes seemingly gazing into the depths of the ark, it was hard not to let one’s imagination run wild, unsettling like a thorn in the side.

"Who are they?"

Before everyone could let their imagination get the best of them, Old Master Stoss continued to ask in a deep voice.

"Those two... just there..."

Unfortunately, the reply was still off-topic.

Though the physical and mental states looked as composed as possible, young Marco’s normal consciousness appeared scant, repeating almost nothing else but one sentence.

"What to do? Should we increase the intensity?"

After waiting briefly, without receiving more information, Aike finally turned to Stoss for confirmation.

"No need."

Shaking his head soon after, Stoss didn’t seem to think the other party was being dishonest.

"Execute them directly."

Though the next sentence seemed to carry a sense of disconnect, showing no hint of mercy.

Knowing more doesn’t necessarily mean more impact.

Fu Qian could understand such choices.

Even if the mental state is in shambles, the person lying on the ground still has one last value.

That is, as the most special case so far, it’s worth seeing if death brings any unique effects to the surroundings, comparing it to previous encounters.

A very practical approach, though with careful guidance, they might extract a few more words later, given the urgency, direct action is far better.

"Alright."

As one accustomed to high positions and familiar with the harsh, the Transcendent Night Watchman Lord Aike could effortlessly suppress some meaningless compassion.

Responding softly, she nearly immediately touched the immobile head with her finger.

In an instant, lifeless.

The already stiff body, like a sculpture, silently seemed to have all connections severed, becoming truly like a deadwood.

...

Good technique.

Though it lacked any resistance, such non-bloody and nearly "transfigurative" expression, at least visually, was much more gentle.

No wonder the Night Watchman representative could attend past royal family banquets in full attire.

Watching the scene unfold, Fu Qian admired while keeping full awareness of the surrounding dynamics.

Conclusion: No disturbance.

Utilization of that poor soul’s final value apparently yielded no new result.

Similar to the Feather and Fish before, their dissipation sparked no turbulence in the ark.

Moreover, Old Master Stoss seemed to feel the same.

"Seems equally mediocre... Looks like our only option is to try finding those ’two people’."

Gazing at the body now a true sculpture, he silently felt for a longer while before finally sighing with a shake of the head.

"...What if we can’t find them? It’s hard to gauge how much credibility his words have."

Though the actual operator, Stoss’s decision based on that sketchy sentence left Aike momentarily doubtful.

"That means we can continue exploring."

For such concerns, Old Master Stoss evidently had foresight, eyeing her as he spoke.

"Otherwise, this operation must cease immediately."