‘From the thickness of the fog, it looks like that woman did indeed settle here.’
‘Haha, this is where the defensive scrolls are.’
Marvin sneered and pulled on the Rock Lizard, but he didn’t head for the depths of the Swamp.
They followed the gentle slope and started going east. He would be an idiot if he just went straight into the swamp!
After all, this swamp was a very frightening maze and had been placed there as a trap!
A natural swamp wouldn’t be so dangerous. People died in the Rotten Mushroom Swamp because a snake woman was living there!
She was a Witch who betrayed the Anzeds!
From the information he gained from the game, the snake Witch lost the fight over the position of Witch Queen many years ago. In her fury, she betrayed the Anzeds and even sold the location of the Anzed Witches’ headquarters to their biggest enemy at the time. She then hid in the Underdark, focusing on studying Potioneering and Alchemy.
The Witch Queen stripped her of her supreme Witchcraft Authority, but she still had many fairly powerful spells.
She possessed many kinds of magic, partially because she was a Demon’s descendant. Her aptitude for magic was also very strong. After several hundred years, her Potioneering, Alchemy and casting abilities had reached the peak among those in the Underdark.
But she still had no way to leave the swamp yet.
That was because after the Anzeds settled their biggest problem, the Anzed Queen had found her and put a curse on her.
The curse was that she would forever remain ugly, forever be unable to see the light of the sun, and forever cause anyone who saw her to feel loathing toward her.
The snake Witch was utterly furious, but had no way to get rid of it. Thus, she could only hide in this dark swamp, trying her best to break the Witch Queen’s curse.
And after these many years, she seemed to have reached a small breakthrough.
But she still couldn’t remove the curse alone and needed the help of others.
This was the brief introduction to a chain quest.
Marvin had seen the post on the forum before.
The player was showing off Sodom’s Blades, which he had gotten from the Bloody Emperor’s tomb, and explaining how he’d gotten them.
Marvin now took advantage of that information.
‘If that post wasn’t a troll, then there should be a dark river here.’
Marvin sat on the Rock Lizard, proceeding eastward, before finally finding a meandering brook.
He suddenly felt the temperature in the surroundings drop by quite a bit!
Chapter 577: Candle Boat
Chapter 577: Candle Boat
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
The River Styx, the dark river leading to the Underworld.
There were actually a few such rivers that were called the River Styx and led to the Underworld, but they were typically in the most remote parts of Feinan.
According to official sources, the Styx was the main way to lead souls to the Underworld.
Each River Styx was very wide, and the rivers didn’t just flow through a plane normally. They actually flowed downward through the Universe’s planes.
They ended in the mysterious, cold Underworld.
Marvin knew that this dark river was only a small branch.
There was a white wharf on the river shore, and many [Candle Boats] were drifting near the wharf.
Ordinary souls would be gathered by the Reapers before being transferred down the river through Candle Boats.
Each Candle Boat represented the soul of someone that had passed away.
The River Styx was this world’s most dangerous place.
It was safe to say that even if Marvin was ready to deal with the snake Witch, he shouldn’t approach such a dangerous area.
But there was actually a problem with this wharf!
…
When he reached the moss-covered slope, Marvin quickly jumped down from the Rock Lizard.
He gently patted the Rock Lizard’s back, hinting his intentions.
He would rely on himself from this point on. This rather smart mount couldn’t go with him.
He wanted the Rock Lizard to wait for him rather than run amok.
Although it had been tamed, Marvin didn’t know whether it would work.
But when he turned back after walked a fair distance away, the Rock Lizard had already started running off.
Marvin just shrugged and continued on his own.
After about five minutes, the Styx was already in sight.
Marvin kept going eastward, toward a bright beacon shining through the darkness.
This light would attract the surrounding souls and facilitate the Reapers’ work.
Marvin hid his aura and entered Stealth, slowly approaching the wharf.
As Marvin had expected, the wharf really was crazily congested!
After becoming a Ruler of the Night, Marvin’s body had been transformed to the point that his eyes could see souls, which were normally invisible to the naked eye.
He stood on a hillside, looking down at the bustling souls, which seemed to block almost the entire River Styx.
The row of Candle Boats on the dark river looked like a swarm, slowly drifting on the waves, gathering together.
Seeing this scene, Marvin rejoiced that he had guessed correctly. On the other hand, he also felt deep sorrow.
What caused this situation was naturally the terrifying Great Calamity!
One third of Feinan’s population died in a mere two weeks!
Many of the countless souls were left drifting, so the Reapers should be pretty busy!
Although this was very good news for the Underworld’s Sovereigns, and even though they had been prepared for this before the disaster, they hadn’t expected that the number of deaths would be so high!
The Styx’s wharf was thoroughly blocked!
Great numbers of souls were waiting to be handled by the Underworld’s Reapers. This put a large amount of pressure on the Underworld’s busy staff!
Thus, it gave Marvin a chance!
A chance to sneakily cross the dark river!
…
On the other side of the dark river, there was a large hilly area, occupied by an Arachnee tribe.
As long as he could get past the Arachnee tribe and circumvent the Rotten Mushroom Swamp, Marvin would arrive at his final destination, Devil Town.
The current question was how he should cross the river.
Because of the guide from the forums, Marvin’s work was made a lot easier.
The Candle Boats were made of a very special substance. It was the only thing that could float on the River Styx.
The Styx’s waters would instantly swallow anything that fell inside, regardless of whether it was a living being or a soul.
Even Gods would suffer heavy losses if they were infected by water from the Styx.
So, of course, Marvin didn’t dare to take the risk of going through the water either.
He found an area that was relatively crowded with Candle Boats, and thanks to the Reapers being preoccupied, he easily secured a path!
A faint red line appeared in front of him.
Marvin didn’t stop any longer. He stepped to the edge of the shore and made a big leap!
He was just like a falcon agilely pouncing on a rabbit as he lightly stepped onto a Candle Boat!
A stupefied old man was sitting in that Candle Boat. He couldn’t see Marvin at all!
‘No problem!’
Marvin was very pleased as he proceeded forward.
He jumped from boat to boat following the previously calculated route and the Underworld’s Reapers simply didn’t notice that there was a Human taking advantage of the opportunity to cross the Styx!
After all, it was such a rare situation for so many boats to be seen on the Styx.
For Marvin to meet this incident, his luck was pretty good… Or was it
?
After five minutes, he reached the last Candle Boat.
This time, the distance between him and the shore was more than twenty meters.
With Marvin’s fierce abilities, such a distance wasn’t a big deal.
But just as he was about to jump, he felt a pair of eyes watching him.
He looked and saw that it was a boy!
And his eyes were different from those of the other boats’ apathetic souls. This boy could actually see him.
The boy was staring at him with a look of surprise.
But Marvin was even more shocked!
He recognized a familiar face and a pair of familiar eyes!
Crimson eyes, and an unyielding expression.
This was a Hammon! From the same clan as Isabelle.
This very boy was that Hammon clansman who had fought alongside Marvin in the past!
At the start, Marvin had regarded him only as an important quest character, but by the end of the quest, Marvin had gained a really good opinion of that boy, Jay!
His incredible tenacity and his lack of any fear of death had stunned Marvin.
‘How could Jay have died?’
‘Could it be that he died in the Great Calamity because of it starting earlier than before?’
Marvin was confused.
Jay seemed to also notice Marvin’s surprise. He looked at him and said, “I don’t want to go to that world.”
“As a child, my grandma told me that that place is the coldest place in the world. I don’t want to go.”
“Can you help me, Mister?”
Marvin hesitated, knowing that he couldn’t take long to make a decision.
The Candle Boat was continuously floating downstream, and they might be taken away soon!
He suddenly clenched his teeth and took out the Book of Nalu!
If it had been a random soul that he didn’t know, he might have just continued on his way.
But Jay was different. This small boy had already obtained Marvin’s respect.
Marvin didn’t want this talented Hammon to become an apathetic soul like this as a side effect of his transmigration!
Whatever the case, he would first take him away from the Candle Boat and then decide what to do about him later.
Chapter 578: Book of Nalu’s Information
Chapter 578: Book of Nalu’s Information
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Each soul on the Candle Boats was firmly bound to its boat.
It was impossible to take these souls away by any normal means.
And apart from the Book of Nalu, Marvin didn’t carry a Soul Vessel on him.
He wasn’t a Necromancer, after all. Although he was carrying all kinds of miscellaneous items, he couldn’t cover everything.
After asking for Jay’s consent, he quickly opened the book of Nalu and absorbed Jay’s soul into it!
Suddenly, an alarm rang out from the wharf!
All the busy Reapers were startled as their gazes converged onto that empty boat!
A silhouette had quickly jumped out, leaving the dark river and heading for the shore!
The Reapers’ reaction couldn’t be considered slow, but by the time they tried to pursue, Marvin had already disappeared!
…
At the bottom of a hill, Marvin let Jay come out.
“Thank you, Mister.”
The boy showed a sincere smile before his expression became bland once more. “I have some wishes I want to satisfy, but I don’t know what I should do now.”
Marvin remained silent for a moment.
The previous situation had been an emergency, forcing him to make a decision on the spot. Because he was sure that the boy was Jay, who he had fought side by side with in the past, he unhesitantly snatched his soul from the Underworld.
But he had no idea about how to deal with the consequences.
Maybe Necromancer Fidel would have some ideas.
Marvin knew that many Necromancers in Feinan knew how to inject a soul into a Life Stone or a Phylactery, which turn the person into something like a Lich.
But if that happened, his soul would be forever unable to be taken in by the Underworld.
If he died, it would also mean the death of his soul.
Marvin didn’t know what to do with Jay for now.
He thought about it, before cautiously saying, “If you keep wandering around on Feinan, you’ll be found by the Underworld’s Reapers again.”
“They will take you to the Underworld and you’ll forget yourself… If you believe me, you can wait in this book for some time. If I find a better solution, I’ll discuss it with you. How about it?”
The boy nodded. He hesitated for a bit before suddenly asking, “Mister… Can you tell me your name?”
“I am called Marvin.”
Jay revealed a splendid smile. “Hello Marvin, I am Jay.”
…
After storing Jay’s soul in the Book of Nalu once again, Marvin set off.
Marvin’s Book of Nalu currently hosted three souls, two of which were fragments of souls. Only Jay’s was intact.
Marvin used his strong will and directly ordered the Book of Nalu to not act against Jay. This allowed him to keep going forward without worrying.
Meeting Jay on the River Styx was unexpected, but it didn’t influence Marvin’s mission.
He had to get his hands on Sodom’s Blades!
If he could also obtain the Blood Emperor’s Slaughterer Set, that would be even better!
Although the Slaughterer Set was the best equipment for a Swordsman, a Ruler of the Night could also wear it.
From the attributes shown on the forums, the Slaughterer Set could increase Marvin’s strength by at least 20%.
For an item that wasn’t even for his class, this was already quite a huge improvement.
…
After the River Styx was a hilly area, and west from there was the Rotten Mushroom Swamp, which was always covered in fog. The dividing line that separated the swamp was quite clear: a few rotten mushrooms were scattered, forming a boundary. Not only were these mushrooms stinky, but if a living being got too close, the fungus growing on the mushrooms would automatically explode so violently that a large area around them would be caught in the blast!
According to estimations, the force of the fungus explosion would be equivalent to the Legend Spell, Thunder Purgatory!
And furthermore, the spores in the gas released from the mushrooms had parasitic, corrosive, paralytic, and hallucinogenic properties.
Even if a Legend accidentally got caught in an explosion, they would almost surely regret it!
In fact, regardless if it was the fungus explosion or the rotten mushroom itself, they were all products of the Snake Witch’s outstanding alchemy.
These irregularly scattered rotten mushrooms seemed harmless at first glance, but Marvin could tell that this was clearly a minefield!
He had been drooling for such powerful alchemy items for a long time. That Alchemist in his territory really was too unreliable. If the Snake Witch was sensible, he wouldn’t mind bringing this Legend Alchemist back to his territory!
Of course, he knew that the Snake Witch almost certainly wouldn’t listen to him, so he was actually prepared to kill the Snake Witch!
But not now.
He had to get Sodom’s Blades first.
The terrain ahead of him started to become more complicated.
Aside from the hills, there were also some sparse caves.
The structure of the caves was very strange. They were roughly half as tall as a person, and there were some traces indicating that this place wasn’t deserted.
Marvin crouched, roughly checking the trails.
‘Those are Arachnee footprints.’
‘Seems like the tribe isn’t far from here.’
But at that time, the Book of Nalu suddenly became scalding hot.
Warning signs burst out in his mind!
“What’s going on!?”
Startled by the strange phenomenon, Marvin immediately opened the Book of Nalu.
‘I got a reaction!’
‘There are other pages in the vicinity!’
The Rebirth page of the Book of Nalu seemed to be extremely excited!
“Quickly give me the 11th page, once I swallow it, my ability will greatly increase! And at that time, I’ll also be able to help you deal with your enemy!”
Its voice seemed full of temptation as it urged, “This is what you promised, I helped you hold back the Destroyer, you have to let us fuse.”
Marvin really had promised it.
In the Chromatic Dragons’ Library, he had been forced to helplessly agree because of the circumstances. But fortunately, he hadn’t set a time limit, so he had always let it drag on.
As time passed, he felt the Book of Nalu’s temptation becoming more and more intense.
It also showed a certain degree of desire toward his own body!
This wasn’t a good news.
Marvin made sure to stay calm as he asked, “You should be able to tell, which page is it?”
“2nd Page, [Prosperity]!” [Rebirth] answered very decisively!
Marvin’s mind shook when he realized which page that was!
It was actually Prosperity.
Didn’t that mean that Black Knight Sangore was also in the vicinity?
But just as Marvin was distracted by the revelation, the page in his hand suddenly turned into a scarlet light!
A sinister skull appeared in the tip of the light!
“Woosh!”
The 2nd page of the Book of Nalu, [Rebirth], directly rushed into Marvin’s mind!
In an instant, Marvin felt as if his head was splitting open!
Chapter 579: Counterattack
Chapter 579: Counterattack
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
On the cold hills of the Underdark.
Marvin couldn’t help kneeling down.
The immense pain flooded his mind, and he even felt like he was about to lose consciousness!
But he knew that he definitely couldn’t pass out!
This was the Book of Nalu’s counterattack!
When the 3rd soul entered the Book of Nalu, the evil page decided that it was time to fight back!
It was unwilling to become a Human’s tool. On the contrary, it wanted Marvin to become its servant!
Night Ranger - Full Series - 735 Chapters Page 330