The apocalyptic storm raged for a full day and night. The streets were deserted, with only the relentless downpour and howling winds.
I thought all this would continue until the storm subsided. But little did I know that this was just the beginning.
The earth began to tremble, and the fourteen beacon fires, which had been dormant for an unknown period of time, began to erupt.
No one had anticipated this. Those volcanoes, pacified by the magic of the great dragon kings, had remained undisturbed for centuries. But this time, they erupted almost simultaneously.
No, "explosion" doesn't even begin to describe the scene. I'm more inclined to say, "The Fourteen Beacon Fires exploded!!!"
We were in the shelter, and could only vaguely see a few things. But it still left a deep impression on me. I clearly remember the overwhelming lava, like a tsunami, that swept two giant dragons that didn't have time to take flight into it. They never appeared again.
Flames, ash, and lava erupted, shooting thousands of meters into the sky. The entire sky seemed to boil.
It was truly boiling, because from that moment on, the rain falling from the sky turned into scalding boiling water!
We stayed in the shelter, and could faintly hear screams outside. Falling rocks had destroyed most of the city's buildings, and the survivors were left exposed to the boiling rain. I couldn't imagine their suffering and could only pray for them in my heart. It was then that I realized I didn't believe in any gods.
The disaster lasted seven days and seven nights. By then, the shelter was submerged in boiling water. Seventy percent of the people were scalded to death right before our eyes. The rain cooled very slowly. It wasn't until the eleventh day that we were finally able to escape from the shelter. By then, the Valyrian Freehold no longer existed.
Seeing this, Lu Xuan could roughly understand the despair the recorder felt at that moment. Even he couldn't accept this. Without any warning, the entire nation was dead. And they were boiled alive. This method of death sent chills down Lu Xuan's spine. The recorder seemed to be just an ordinary person, unaware of the deeper secrets of Freedom Fortress. He could only guess that it was all divine punishment, because Freedom Fortress did not believe in gods.
He couldn't verify whether his conjecture was right or wrong, but Lu Xuan knew he was right. The destruction of the Freedom Fortress was definitely the work of gods, and not just one god. It was likely that all known gods had intervened.
Lu Xuan speculated that some of the Valyrians' research might have touched upon some secret of the gods that could never be revealed. That's why they resorted to such ruthless measures. A group of gods hiding in another dimension launched a world-destroying attack. Those gods likely paid a heavy price for it. Just look at their subsequent actions. Except for R'hllor and the Frost God, who are still causing trouble, almost all the other gods have become legends.
The book in his hand continued with stories of how they rescued survivors and united to try to survive. Lu Xuan quickly flipped through it and found the section he wanted.
“We thought it was all over, but the nightmare continued. One by one, the survivors began to mutate, their faces became distorted, and edema and tumors appeared on their bodies. We were helpless and could only watch them die. As time went on, we gradually discovered something even more terrifying. That curse of mutation was rooted in everyone's body. Whoever did all this to us, its only purpose was to wipe us out completely.”
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Chapter 320 Home
Lu Xuan remembered hearing a theory in his previous life: that humans might not be native to Earth. Because throughout history, no other creature on Earth has been as eager to kill its own kind as humans.
These statements are generally considered sensationalist. However, some of the information they reveal is thought-provoking. Upon closer examination, the killing of one's own kind is all too common, even natural. We don't need to kill our own kind for survival to justify it; this is perhaps another difference between humans and animals.
Two world wars, hundreds of millions of deaths. To posterity, it's just a number. But for those who lived through those times, it was a nightmare akin to hell.
Look at what happened to the Valyrian Peninsula—millions were boiled to death by scalding rainwater… Countries around the world have all sorts of cruel punishments, some even more brutal than boiling to death. Countless humans have died from these punishments. But no matter how cruel humans are, they generally wouldn't throw an entire race into a pot to boil. Well, it's not unheard of. The Japanese were capable of such acts, but we generally don't include them among the general population.
This world doesn't practice genocide. They practice slavery, typically enslaving defeated nations and races to serve their own purposes. This kind of extermination stems from a cold and inhumane approach to humanity. Only one being would do such a thing: God.
"Will they treat our country the same way one day?" Upon hearing this, Daenerys even began to worry about her empire.
"Definitely. So, we need to solve this problem before they make a move." Danny's empire was built according to Lu Xuan's standards. Religion is not prohibited within the empire. However, anyone with a clear belief cannot hold any public office within the empire. Even their children will need to undergo multiple reviews before taking the civil service exam.
This left Slaver's Bay without a coherent religious system. Driven by the need for survival and advancement, most religions were eradicated by the people themselves. This pattern is remarkably similar to the policies of Freehold. Therefore, it is highly likely to incur the wrath of the gods. Although the gods were clearly weakened after the destruction of Valyria, with the return of magic, Lu Xuan had no doubt that these beings might resurface and wreak havoc.
"The records don't mention the origin of all this. There were simply too few survivors. They struggled with all their might to barely survive. At first, the mutation was deadly, causing people to die slowly and painfully. But later, they seemed to adapt to the curse and stubbornly survived. However, that was hundreds of years later. They no longer had the opportunity to search for the truth of what happened back then."
“Then we still have to find it ourselves. Isn’t there any useful clue?” Dani was a little disappointed; she thought she would soon find out the truth.
"It's not that there isn't any. Although there's no direct record, the book still gave me some clues. Did you notice the shelters mentioned by the recorder? Under such a natural disaster, the shelters still managed to hold on tenaciously."
"You want to find the ruins of those shelters?"
"That's not all. This shows that the Valyrians had a very sophisticated emergency response system back then. They had extended their emergency response system to civilian use. There must have been even better ones at the official level. Especially those secret laboratories and similar places. They should have had even higher levels of defenses. If civilian shelters can survive, we might be able to find even higher-level shelters."
“I understand. Then we need to go deeper into the heartland, even to the vicinity of the ruins of the Fourteen Beacon Fires.”
"Let's go there first."
When the villagers in the surrounding tribes saw that the two of them were about to leave, they immediately became anxious.
"Great Dragon King, we are willing to return to your command, as long as..."
“Not now. The storm is still raging outside, and I can’t take you away right now. I’ll try to get you out of here once we’ve resolved this.”
It wasn't that Lu Xuan didn't want to save these people, but rather that he was currently powerless to undo the curse upon them. That mutation, while seemingly infecting the two of them, could very well be fatal to ordinary people. Moreover, these people had been here for too long and might not be able to adapt to the outside world.
The two rode the dragon once more, heading deep into the Valyrian Peninsula, the site of the former Fourteen Beacon Fires.
The Fourteen Beacon Towers no longer exist; all they see is a vast basin. The records seem accurate. It wasn't a volcanic eruption, but the entire Fourteen Beacon Towers that exploded! The former volcanic cluster has vanished without a trace, leaving only a huge basin. Filled with volcanic ash and lava over hundreds of years, it is now covered in dense vegetation.
"It seems we won't find any useful clues here." Lu Xuan was also a little discouraged; the destruction was too complete. The entire volcanic cluster had been blown away, and more than four hundred years had passed, leaving them feeling utterly helpless. But at that moment, a voice suddenly rang in his mind.
"Go down there." It was the old dragon soul's voice.
"I thought you would wait for me to wake you up."
"No, actually I was awakened when I entered the peninsula. I even listened to the entire account. But my feelings are different from yours. I don't feel sad about the destruction of this country; on the contrary, I'm glad that those bastards have completely disappeared."
Lu Xuan had no grounds to refute the old dragon soul's viewpoint, because what the Valyrians had done to them back then was undoubtedly inhumane. Moreover, based on Lu Xuan's understanding of this world, there was a law that all who break their oaths will be punished. The destruction of Valyria seemed almost inevitable.
"Is there anything down there?" Lu Xuan asked as he and Daenerys descended. Incidentally, Daenerys knew of the existence of the Old Dragon Soul. However, they hadn't communicated. This was understandable; strictly speaking, Daenerys was a Valyrian remnant.
Old Dragon Soul didn't say much, but continued to offer hints.
"Head east. Then land."
Lu Xuan and Daenerys landed at the deepest part of the basin as instructed. Lu Xuan noticed that the vegetation was sparse, and the deeper they went, the more they could faintly feel a scorching heat.
Before long, a cave appeared before them. Even without the old dragon soul speaking, Lu Xuan could sense a powerful life form deep within the cave. Could there be a living dragon here?
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