Chapter Fifty-Three: Mutation – The Calamity of Ancient Magical Civilization

The maid led everyone into the council hall, where three people were already seated. To the left sat a calm-faced middle-aged man; to the right, an elderly gentleman of considerable years; and at the highest seat presided a young woman, her brows gently arched, her features both beautiful and dignified, with a faintly regal air heightened by her bright yellow robe.

Gu Feng stepped forward with a slight bow and addressed her, “Your Majesty!” Mute and the others were taken aback, never having imagined that the Emperor of the Canglan Empire, one of the seven great empires, would be such a young and striking woman. The young woman’s face lit up with delight at Gu Feng’s entrance. “Teacher!” she called out.

Gu Feng inclined his head in acknowledgment and was about to introduce the companions behind him when a harsh voice suddenly rang out, “Who are you people, so bold as to stand before the Emperor and not kneel in respect!”

The speaker was the old man seated to the right of the Empress. Anyone allowed to sit in council with the Emperor surely held a position of high status. Gu Feng’s brow creased as he prepared to explain, but Zigu interjected with a laugh, “Since the day I was born, my knees have knelt to Heaven, knelt to Earth, and knelt to my parents and ancestors—but never to an emperor!”

The old man, incensed, was about to call the guards when the Empress waved her hand, signaling him to be calm. He could only sit back, fuming. Mute, unwilling for Gu Feng to be embarrassed, quickly stepped forward and said, “Please forgive my friend’s bluntness. We’re men of the wilds, unfamiliar with court etiquette. If we have offended, we beg your pardon.”

By now, after experiencing the trials of the science fiction dimension and the hidden character quests, and with a newfound confidence in his abilities, Mute carried a commanding presence that made others hesitate to take him lightly.

Gu Feng promptly said, “Your Majesty, these are friends from my days of cultivation, each a figure of great renown. They are currently guests in my residence, and, seeing the strangeness of the recent guard mutations, I invited them to help investigate the cause. Perhaps together we may find some answers.” He then introduced each one to the Empress.

The Empress, every bit the sovereign, received them graciously. “Since they are friends of my teacher, they are friends to the Canglan Empire as well. Please, be seated. What are your impressions regarding the mutated guards?”

As she spoke, her gaze rested on Gu Feng, her trust in him evident. Gu Feng gestured for Master Gan to step forward and explain. Gan Luo-Fu, whose status in the Empire was not insignificant, bowed and said, “I have already reported to my teacher. We gathered several archmages of different schools to examine the corpses, but found no trace of black magic, sorcery, curses, or any similar effects. We also had alchemists dissect several bodies and found no evidence of special alchemical substances. We simply cannot determine the cause. It does not seem to be the result of magic or magical items.”

“Not a result of magic or magical items? Are you certain?” This question came from the middle-aged man seated to the Empress’s left.

Gan Luo-Fu frowned. “Are you doubting the abilities of the imperial mages, or those of the archmages I summoned?”

The man shook his head. “You misunderstand me, Master Gan. I would never presume to question the disciples of the Royal Protector. It’s just that this affair is so mysterious that, aside from magic, we can think of no other explanation.”

Gan Luo-Fu retorted, “If even the Shadow Division can’t find answers, what more can a mage do?”

This man, it turned out, was Qi Jin-Ren, head of the Empire’s mysterious Shadow Division. It was rumored that every nation on this continent maintained such an organization for handling matters of national secrecy.

Qi Jin-Ren produced a document. “Royal Protector, Master Gan, here is a classified report concerning recent incidents within the palaces of the other six great empires. Curiously, similar events have occurred in their palaces as well, and in some cases have spread beyond. Owing to the unusual nature and common features of these incidents, the Shadow Divisions of our nations have been forced to share intelligence. And indeed, we found a clue.”

“Oh?” Even the Empress leaned forward. “What clue?”

Qi Jin-Ren glanced at Gan Luo-Fu. “Your Majesty, do you recall the recent joint excavation by the seven nations in the uninhabited zone, seeking relics of ancient magical civilization?”

“Of course I remember,” replied the Empress. “No one knows which nation first discovered it, but word soon leaked out. The ancient magical civilization was once glorious indeed, and each country feared another might unearth new magical weapons and gain an advantage. In the end, we formed a joint expedition.”

“Exactly, Your Majesty. Our investigation reveals that these mutated guard incidents are confined to the seven countries involved in the excavation. The smaller nations that did not participate have had no such problems.” He turned to Gu Feng. “Royal Protector, we suspect these events are related to the ancient magical civilization. We would greatly appreciate your assistance.”

“Ancient magical civilization?” Gu Feng was startled. “You mean the items you sent us before? But nothing happened to us, and those guards never even came in contact with the relics. How could that be related?”

“For security, we didn’t use regular troops for the dig, but chose the most loyal Imperial Guards, as did the other nations. These guards never directly touched the magical artifacts,” Qi Jin-Ren explained. “However, we discovered that every mutated guard participated in that expedition. Perhaps they were exposed to something at the site and were infected then…”

“What? If that’s been determined, why haven’t those guards been isolated immediately? Why are they still on duty here?” Gu Feng demanded angrily. “With so many guards outside, are you not endangering Her Majesty?”

The Empress smiled gently at Gu Feng’s concern. “Teacher, none of the guards on duty now participated in the excavation.”

Relieved, Gu Feng frowned. “So you still believe the mutations are magical in origin?”

Qi Jin-Ren nodded. “I would never question Master Gan or the archmages, but the ancient magical civilization surely had its own secrets. It’s possible we failed to recognize something.”

His words were cautious and respectful, and although he still cast doubt on Gan Luo-Fu’s conclusion, no one found it offensive. In fact, his reasoning seemed quite sound. Gan Luo-Fu, too, felt uncertain. What if it was some unknown ancient magic that they simply had no knowledge of?

A heavy silence settled over the hall as everyone fell into thought.

Gu Feng pondered for a long time, but could make no headway. He had never visited the ancient site himself and had no idea what had happened there, making it impossible to connect the incident to the current mutations. As he mused, he caught Mute signaling to him to consult Lu Dao-Xuan.

Of course! With such a brilliant mind present, why not ask him for an analysis?

“Brother Lu, what do you make of all this?” Gu Feng promptly inquired.

Seeing the Royal Protector address him so courteously, the Empress, Qi Jin-Ren, and even the old man all turned their attention to Lu Dao-Xuan.

Unhurried, Lu Dao-Xuan asked, “Were only guards present during the excavation? Who else entered the ruins?”

Qi Jin-Ren replied, “Not only guards. Including Master Gan, a total of eight mages entered.”

“So, you’re saying only the guards mutated, while all the mages remained unscathed?”

“That is so. Presumably, Master Gan and the others were powerful enough that the ruin’s evil magic had no effect on them,” Qi Jin-Ren added with a compliment.

“Powerful, indeed. Were all the mages above the sixth rank, and did you all activate magical shields inside the ruins?” Lu Dao-Xuan pressed further.

Qi Jin-Ren looked at Gan Luo-Fu, who replied gravely, “Correct. All the mages from the participating nations activated magical shields before entering, precisely to guard against danger.”

“A wise choice. Otherwise, you would have ended up like those mutated guards,” Lu Dao-Xuan remarked coolly.

Puzzled, everyone pondered his words. Suddenly, Mu Siyu spoke up, “He’s right—it’s the air… There was a gas in the ruins that caused the mutations.” Her insight, unexpected from someone taken for a mere attendant, drew everyone’s attention.

Mute, recalling his own experience with hidden trial quests, quickly caught on. “That’s it. There must have been a toxic gas in the ruins. The mages’ shields kept it out, but the ordinary guards breathed it in and mutated.” Thinking further of the ruined cities and refugees he had seen during trial quests, he warned, “This could be a much bigger problem than you realize.”

At this, everyone grew tense. Mute turned to Baldy. “Baldy, can you dissect them to determine what kind of virus it is?”

Baldy hesitated. “I can find the cause of the mutations via dissection, but without equipment, I can’t identify the specific virus.”

Gu Feng protested, “That makes no sense—this is…” He glanced at the Empress and the others. “How could a virus exist here?”

Mute understood his meaning: this was a world of magic, not a science-fiction realm, and the ancient magical civilization would hardly have researched viruses—magic and virology were entirely different.

But now was not the time to debate. While they could not be certain the mutations were caused by a virus, Mute advised Gu Feng, “Gather immediately any guards who have been injured by the mutated ones and place them under strict quarantine.”