It was obvious that the black cover was photocopied, and it even looked a little cheap.
A photocopying machine had been obtained through illegal smuggling to the Lower District, and with a devoted heart that person accepted the guidance from the god... and made several copies of that book. The power of the book's words didn't decrease at all, and instead was replicated many times.
Making multiple copies of Boss Lin's book was something even Wilde didn't dare dream about, yet these people had actually done it.
However, it wasn't that easy to understand Boss Lin's book. Only two or three people out of several dozen in the Lower District had this book.
The leader of the Lower District monsters, whom Stephanie had called 'Stone,' widened his beastly eyes. The squirming tentacles on his chin seemed to dance agitatedly as if unable to hide his excitement. He had neither eyelashes nor eyelids, and his eyes were glossy like that of a fish.
This was the first time they had set foot in the Upper District. Precisely put, the Village of Dark Night wasn't part of the Lower District but a transition area between the Upper and Lower District.
However, this was indeed the Church of Pestilence's first step. Allowing the residents of the Lower District to step back once more into the Upper District... This was the Church of Pestilence's ambition.
Moreover, the dark elves were just their pawns. The ones who really wanted to open the dark elves' path wasn't Stephanie, but the Church of Pestilence.
The original plan had been for Stephanie to kill Cherry and work with another Ash Chamber of Commerce higher-up to ally with the Church of Pestilence in the Lower District. However, it was laughable how she hadn't even been able to deal with Cherry.
That once ambitious mind of the 'Spider Woman' was now just a puddle of brain mush.
Wilde didn't even need to think to know that the current situation was a dog-eat-dog. However, that jet-black book cover was like a black hole, sucking away almost all of his strength.
The leader of the black cloaks opened his book and continued to read aloud those terrifying words.
Those words were like pieces of molten iron that flew into Wilde's mind, continuously portraying frightening images that far exceeded human imagination. Wilde even moaned in pain as Stone's lips twitched nonstop, the latter speaking so quickly that the corners of his mouth were foaming.
The words turned his voice into a shrill incantation that made the entire room tremble.
Cherry hid behind Wilde and used the Enchanted Heart Alteration to make herself forget her own existence, losing her senses, including her hearing, as she curled up.
Wilde tugged at the hems of the dress he had on, and at the back of Charlotte's head, a face of an old man slowly grew out from within her long tresses.
Wilde took several steps back consecutively and was unable to launch any counteroffensive. He himself might be able to find himself within the scripture that was Dream of Chaos, but Charlotte wasn't able to endure it much longer.
Wilde suddenly let go of himself, taking off Charlotte's skin as if taking off a layer of clothing. His body burst through this tavern, and several of these black cloaks were blown away by the aether released from this 'molting.'
Wilde had turned into a bloody mass of flesh that resembled a giant octopus. Tentacles spread all over the tavern, as if the place had become its nest.
——
The huge commotion at this tavern attracted the attention of all the dark elves in the Village of Dark Night. Silver-haired, dark-skinned elves came out of their hive-like den houses and gathered around the tavern, forming small groups and discussing animatedly.
Stone, who had been thrown out of the tavern by the aetheric force, got back up to his feet. He noticed Wilde's sorry state, incapable of even maintaining Charlotte's will, and scoffed disdainfully. Then, he turned around to look at the dark elves all around.
"The Village of Dark Night will soon become a new gathering spot for the Church of Pestilence," said Stone with a sinister smile. "Kill all these elves."
Having given his order, he turned his sights back to Wilde, who was still struggling in pain, and said, "Accepting our Lord's judgment is painful. If he can't withstand this test, naturally, he will die."
The surrounding cloaked men drew back their hoods in succession, revealing ancient, malevolent faces with beastly eyes and squirming tentacles on their chins.
The dark elves had been scrutinizing these cloaked newcomers strangely, but screamed the moment they saw their faces. Just a look at their appearances would cause a great deal of mental strain to ordinary people.
The sight of these terrified elves gave rise to a great sense of achievement for these Lower District denizens. It was just as their Lord had said—those in the Upper District couldn't even look directly at them.
The reason was simple. It was because this was all a mutation bestowed by the gray fog, and this mutation had chosen them, causing them to evolve.
Just as these dozen were about to begin their slaughter, a shooting star burning with pale flames appeared in the sky beyond the Village of Dark Night, lighting up this place that never saw day.
BOOM—
The entire Village of Dark Night shook violently as if a giant meteor had just struck.
The fleeing dark elves and black cloaks about to begin their massacre were all stunned. Regardless of whether they were the weak dark elves or the fanatical zealots believing in their one true god, everyone stopped whatever they were doing, instead exchanging confused glances caused by this sudden change.
The bright shooting star fell on the 'Forest of Ashes' that lay on the Village of Dark Night's edge. Suddenly, the Forest of Ashes burst into flames as an ancient-looking silver dragon emerged from the blazing fires.
The ancient dragon was as thin as a withered old tree. 'His' four claws landed on the ground, accompanied by silver flames. The dragon had such a dazzling side that it was impossible to look at 'Him' directly. 'He' roared, and the scent of calamity was carried within the breath it exhaled.
Any single person here could understand how horrifying this dragon was, but they were incapable of escaping.
Those aged, indigo eyes surveyed the Village of Dark Night before 'He' started to slowly make for the village.
"What's this..." Stone stared at the massive silver dragon in panic. "Is this the guardian deity of the dark elves?" His question was quickly refuted, but in any case, this silver dragon's power frightened him to the extreme, and his hand that clutched their scripture tightly started trembling.
He swallowed hard and quickly started reciting, "My ancient..." The silver dragon eyed the book in Stone's hand and inclined 'His' head in a strange manner. 'His' doubts lasted for a mere second as the answers he sought came to him at once. If this dragon had eyebrows, 'He' would be furious.
'He' gazed into the tavern at Bella's cold corpse, and Wilde, who was moaning in pain. With a thought, the book held by Stone burned up.
Then, in the next moment, the silver dragon's body seemed to turn into countless threads, and these silver threads were quickly sucked together in an orderly manner to form a small vessel.
And this vessel gradually transformed into the form of a young and refined-looking man.