Chapter 9: Illusions
Merlin could not help but cry out, and with that sound, he also awakened. However, at this moment, Merlin was lying on the ground, and the relief had fallen to the ground as well, surprisingly not shattered. He lay there, maintaining an extremely strange and complex posture.
Hmm, it was a bit cold just now, but now it feels quite warm, and there seems to be some swelling in the muscles as well. Merlin is carefully experiencing the changes brought about by this posture
Meilin, what are you doing hiding in your room
Kailisi wore a pair of emerald green earrings and had a jade bracelet on her right hand, indicating her fondness for jade products. Despite the fact that this bracelet cost over 100 gold coins, she still gritted her teeth and purchased it
"Huh... it's so cold, let's hurry up and go home! It's really unbelievable that it can snow in September. By the way, Merlin, I'll take you back to Wilson Castle first."
In Blackwater City, the highest-ranking noble is merely a baron, while the lord of the city is firmly controlled by the Ogden family. Although they are all barons, the lord's influence is the greatest. Generally speaking, the baronial nobles in Blackwater City are slightly inferior in status to the Ogden family, much like the City Defense Corps, which is named as such but is essentially the private army of the Ogden family.
Lord of the City
Call ... ... ''
Merlin pondered for a moment and felt that it would be better to attempt the complex pose depicted in the relief while still in a conscious state, as if this action held an irresistible allure for him.
Mei Xue looked at Mei Lin with suspicion, and then she seemed to catch a whiff of a sour smell; it appeared as if Mei Lin's clothes were completely soaked with sweat.
Carrying the peculiar relief, Merlin did not examine it closely any further. This relief was too strange, capable of inducing hallucinations. It would be better to study it in detail once he returned home, when it was safe.
Snow falls in September; this weather is somewhat unusual
This set of movements is very complex, almost extending the flexibility of the human body to its limits. In a haze, Merlin's body unconsciously begins to mimic the actions of this bare man.
Meilin, see you tomorrow, damn it, this cursed weather
Merlin was somewhat shaken and did not dare to look at the relief again. The feeling of being out of control just now was truly terrifying, and even now, thinking back on it brings a sense of dread. The relief is indeed rather eerie.
Well, this relief?
Mei Xue attempted to peek into the room, but Mei Lin stood at the doorway, blocking her view. Unable to see anything, she could only cover her mouth and nose and said, "Let Lucia bring you some hot water. You should wash up first before coming down."
Upon returning to the castle, Merlin let out a gentle sigh. He noticed that a maid was already tending to the fire in the fireplace, making the room quite warm. Merlin took off his coat and lightly brushed off the ice and snow from it.
Half an hour later, Merlin's emotions had calmed down. Although he did not look at the relief again, he had completely memorized the bizarre posture depicted in it.
Merlin squinted slightly, gazing at the sky. Indeed, the cold raindrops from before had now transformed into delicate white snowflakes drifting down.
"Look quickly, it is snowing!" Anson shouted.
Anson, who exactly is this Mr. Naisan? The origins of these antiques are clearly questionable. Although the dealings are conducted discreetly, the city defense corps cannot be unaware of it. Why have they not taken any action?
The entire relief seemed to tremble slightly, and then that familiar sensation returned. Merlin felt a blur before his eyes, as the naked man on the relief appeared to come to life, right before Merlin, beginning to perform a very strange action.
This time, Merlin's consciousness was very clear, no longer in that hazy state; he could also carefully appreciate the uniqueness of this posture.
Hehe, how could the city defense team come to check here? Mr. Nason is merely a figurehead; the real boss behind the scenes is the lord of the city!
Buzz
Relief, there is a problem, a significant problem
Suddenly, a series of urgent knocks sounded at the door
Merlin also sensed it; he broke out in a sweat all over, yet there was a warm feeling within him, and he felt invigorated, not tired at all
What is the purpose of this posture
The chubby Gut tightened his coat and quickly squeezed into the carriage
Hey, fatty, Kelly has already left, what are you still looking at
Merlin was completely immersed in hot water, motionless, with his head tilted against the edge of the wooden tub, staring blankly at the ceiling of the room.
Bang bang bang
It's nothing, it's getting dark, I'll be down shortly
***
Before long, Lucia filled the wooden tub with hot water. Merlin took off his sweat-soaked clothes and jumped directly into the tub. The warm water almost made him moan in comfort.
one hour, two hours, three hours
Anson and Guter waved goodbye to Merlin, and after watching the carriage slowly depart, Merlin walked towards the castle
Pain
Thus, Anson had no choice but to regretfully abandon https://m.hetushu.com, while Kelly chose a jade bracelet. However, Nathan's asking price was even higher, demanding 120 gold coins for it. Such exquisite jade jewelry from the era of the Mortar Empire was very popular among the nobility, so Nathan was not worried about the high price preventing it from selling.
The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of Wilson Castle. Merlin climbed down from the carriage, and despite being wrapped in a plush coat, still felt quite cold
Merlin nodded; the smell of his sweat was truly overwhelming, to the point that even he found it somewhat unbearable
A few people emerged from the passage, and as soon as they stepped outside, they were met by a gust of cold wind that chilled them to the bone
Merlin gently rubbed his eyes, then focused his attention intently on the relief, following the patterns of the relief as he looked downward.
Merlin's face showed a look of surprise, but he quickly calmed down. If Nathan is one of the city lord's people, then the city defense team naturally would not come to investigate here
Next, Anson selected a palm-sized jade artifact; however, Nason demanded a price as high as over one hundred gold coins. Although Anson was also a noble, he had two older brothers above him, and the amount of gold coins he could access each month did not exceed thirty. Over one hundred gold coins was far beyond his means.
Gute approached with flattery, expressing his willingness to buy the bracelet as a gift for Kaelis. According to hetushu.com, the chubby Gute was quite fond of Kaelis; however, Kaelis unceremoniously declined, leaving Gute somewhat dejected
The movements are quite complex and need to be executed gradually, step by step. Fortunately, Merlin had firmly memorized the actions in his mind, so it did not take long for him to completely replicate the movements depicted in the relief.
The sky has gradually darkened, and Merlin seems to have immersed himself in this posture, experiencing a peculiar sensation
Try again
Merlin's gaze fell upon the sculpture wrapped in the coat. After glancing around, noticing that no one was paying attention to him, he proceeded directly upstairs and returned to his room
Meilin, what are you doing? Why are you sweating so much?
After closing the door, Meilin took the relief out of her coat
It was the voice of Mei Xue, and Mei Lin was also awakened. He got up and opened the door, only to find that it had completely darkened outside.
Merlin hurriedly stood up from the ground, recalling the scene from just now, and a bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead
Maintaining this posture for half an hour, Merlin did not sense anything amiss; only the feeling of swelling within the muscles became increasingly pronounced, and it seemed as if something was stirring.
Anson saw the fat man looking dejected and couldn't help but chuckle
Merlin asked in a low voice