Shadow of the Beautiful World

The note Merlin found was left over 300 years ago.

Judging from the time, the berserker cane and the note should be the saint written by the French pastor. After leaving the mountain village of Lyon, he lived in the Spanish city of Seville for more than ten years before putting it into the ruins of the church. Below, in a crypt full of medieval bones.

And judging from the meaning of the note, the information about the Berserker's cane may indeed have been released by the mysterious Asgardian himself. Such as wisdom or courage people.

Indeed, from Norway to France, from France to Spain, in the era of more than 300 years ago, this journey was definitely not easy. It may not be comparable to the epic Odyssey in Greek legend, but it is definitely not something that ordinary people can complete.

Merlin packed the parts of the three walking sticks into a black canvas bag. Without hesitation, he rented a car in the city and followed the road signs to the address left on the note.

More than 300 years is enough time for a place to undergo earth-shaking changes.

When Merlin arrived at his destination, he found nothing but a forest in front of him.

This made him a little disappointed.

It seems that even the Asgardians from God's Domain cannot predict the changes of time and world affairs.

He parked the car outside the forest, carried the canvas bag and stepped into the forest. According to the perception of the spirit vision, it took Merlin more than ten minutes to finally find an open space in the depths of the forest. There are traces of the house from that year.

He put the parts of the three walking sticks on the ground, and leaned against the tree trunk next to him, closing his eyes and meditating.

Nearly 4 hours later, at sunset, Merlin suddenly opened his eyes.

The spirit raven Victor, who has been flying in the air, shared with him the visual information overlooking the ground. On the road from Seville to the forest, a speeding car was approaching.

It almost didn't turn a corner, and rushed straight all the way to where the forest was.

After about 30 minutes, the car stopped at the edge of the forest, a man wearing a black suit, a felt hat, and a handbag, dressed like a gentleman, full of bookishness, with round glasses on the bridge of his nose The old man, leaning on a cane, walked slowly towards where Merlin was.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

This old man, to be precise, the Asgardian hidden on Earth, Elliott Randolph, he put his handbag on a rock, and with a trace of apology, said to Merlin who was leaning against the tree trunk :

I have a lecture this afternoon. Although I know you are coming, I must finish that lecture. 300 students are eager to get valuable knowledge from me, and I cannot let them down.

It appears that you are still a respected teacher of, well, a noble profession.

Merlin stood up straight, looked at the Asgardian who was no different from other old men in front of him, and asked softly:

But I'm curious, what class do you teach? History of Asgard?

Well, it seems you know a lot.

The old man slowly took off his glasses from the bridge of his nose, he blinked, and a scrutiny flashed in his blue eyes. He looked Merlin up and down, and after a while, he said:

You are still a demon wizard, no wonder you are interested in what I left behind. Oh, I almost forgot, let me introduce myself first, my name is Elliott Randolph, an honorary professor of history at the University of Seville , specializing in the study of medieval beliefs and civilizations, and also an occultist. This name is not only my identity on Earth, but also my name in Asgard. What about you? Adventurer.

My name is Merlin.

Merlin replied:

As you said, an adventurer who is very interested in aliens.

I mean, you don't look like an ordinary wizard by your profession.

Randolph leaned on a cane and stood 5 meters away from Merlin. He said:

Forgive me for being curious, but I must confirm that you are capable of fulfilling my entrustment. I can't just send someone to die. This is not in line with your and my moral values.

You asked me about my occupation, you should at least tell me your occupation.

Merlin replied:

I mean, your occupation in Asgard, not your current disguise, but let me guess first, you should be a soldier? Maybe a commander or something.

In Asgard, I was a stonemason.

Randolph said frankly:

A stonemason living in Alfheim, my craft is well known, and even the priest Odin has heard of my work.

Later, I felt that smashing the enemy's skull with a war hammer would not be more difficult than my stone carving, so I joined Odin's army. At that time, there was a serious rebellion in the Nine Kingdoms under the command of the God King. The frost giants With the help of their artifacts, they invaded the atrium world Midgard, which is the earth, and I followed the legion into the earth to suppress the rebellion.

That should have happened around 500 A.D. We fought against the army of frost giants on the Nordic plains. The battle was extremely tragic. My Berserker Legion was wiped out. When I wake up from the battlefield, God King Having gone after the defeated frost giants with their legions, they left this world and I stayed.

That's all my story is about.

500 AD

Merlin repeated the timing, and after a moment, looking up at Randolph, he said:

You arrived in the small mountain village of Lyon in 1540, that is to say, you stayed in Northern Europe for 1000 years before you started your travels in the European continent. I am curious, what have you been doing during these 1000 years? What?

You have a sharp mind, Merlin, I thought you would pay more attention to the story of my hometown, Asgard.

Dr. Randolph looked around, pointed to the stone next to him, and made a please gesture to Merlin, he said:

It's a very boring and long story. If you want to hear it, we'd better sit down first. You see, I am old. Standing for a long time is not friendly to the old body.

Merlin didn't refuse. He stepped forward and sat beside the old man. He also took out a bottle of vodka from his pocket and handed it to Dr. Randolph.

As we all know, when telling a story, you need to adjust the wine, this is a tradition!

Well, it tastes good.

Dr. Randolph did not reject Merlin's kindness either. He took the wine bottle, twisted it away easily, and took a sip into his mouth. While breathing, he said to Merlin:

Do you know the origin of the Vikings?

It's not very clear, but they should be a raiding civilization that rose around AD 800. Their earliest, truly large-scale settlements should have been born earlier, around AD 600, etc. You mean, you Those 1,000 years were spent in Viking tribes and kingdoms?

Merlin looked at the old professor beside him in surprise, and said:

Moreover, the Vikings sincerely believed in the priest Odin and the legends of the Nordic gods. It was their plunder on the European continent that spread the belief of the Nordic gods to all parts of Europe. If you think about it carefully, the Nordic countries converted Catholicism, which seems to be about the 14th century A.D., coincides with the time you left there.

So, you spread the Nordic mythology. During those 1,000 years, you were a magic stick in Scandinavia?

Who taught your history?

Dr. Randolph said with some dissatisfaction:

There are mistakes everywhere. The origin of Norse mythology has nothing to do with me. From BC until the 2nd century AD, the rainbow bridge between the nine kingdoms was still connected. Norse mythology was originally sent to the nine kingdoms by the god king Odin As for the collapse of that faith, well, I admit, I tried my best to fight against the invading Catholic faith in the 14th century, but I failed, so I left the land.

As for what I was doing for those 1,000 years, trust me, I'm definitely more than a jerk.

The old man seemed to recall his glorious years. He took a sip of wine and said to Merlin slowly:

At that time, I was the 'god' of those tribes and kingdoms, a god who really walked on the earth.

You? God?

Merlin looked suspiciously at the old man beside him who looked like he could be blown down by a gust of wind, and said:

If this is true, then the chiefs of those tribes are too easy to fool.

You're underestimating me, earthlings.

Dr. Randolph stretched out his left hand and said to Merlin:

Don't look at the politeness I'm dressing up now, it doesn't mean I won't push you to the ground and beat you up. What do you think Asgardians are?

Merlin didn't answer. He stretched out his hand and held it with Randolph's left hand. The next moment, the two of them exerted strength at the same time.

Now that the dark magic power is expanding and the power seeds are constantly sublimating, Merlin's pure power has surpassed the super soldier's strengthening limit. Although it has not been specifically measured, the power when it bursts out at full strength will definitely not be weaker than 1.5 tons.

The problem is, at the moment when the fingers of the two people exert force at the same time, Merlin immediately felt the pain from the bones of his hand.

He was crushed.

for a moment.

This meant that the pure strength of the aging old fellow beside him was far above Merlin's.

Ha, now you know?

Seeing the movement of Merlin shaking his left hand, Dr. Randolph showed a proud smile, and he said:

Ordinary people in God's Domain have 3-5 times the physical strength of people on Earth, and their strength is far superior to yours. What's more, I was also the commander of the elite army under the command of the God King, and I can be regarded as a warrior. I have also learned some rune magic, although I can't hold lightning like in the legend, but it is no problem to release a few electric sparks.

Merlin, people in that era were very ignorant. Superman's power plus some seductive words were enough to make you a real 'god'. What's more, I live on the top of a mountain in Sweden, between the sun rises and When I fell, I defeated the berserkers who came to challenge me throughout Northern Europe for 99 consecutive days, countless people witnessed my 'miracle', and they were willing to follow me in the next hundreds of years.

Speaking of this, Dr. Randolph became a little bit less interested again. He took a sip of wine and said to Merlin:

But playing 'God' isn't that fun, especially after almost 1,000 years, and I'm so tired of it. I tried my best to deal with the onslaught of Catholicism, but I couldn't. Turn the tide, and on the day they proclaim their conversion, I leave that snow-covered land.

You're quite right.

Randolph sighed:

I was really a jerk. Looking back now, that should be 1000 years I wasted. I could have completed my trip around the world 1000 years earlier, but I wasted precious time on things that didn't make sense .”

Then why don't you go back to Asgard?

Merlin asked:

From your description, you shouldn't be considered a deserter. I don't think God King Odin will blame you.

There was a time, Merlin, I really wanted to go back.

Dr. Randolph raised his head and looked at the sky at dusk. He silently drank the wine in his hand and said:

But I can't go back.

The rainbow bridge connecting the worlds is closed. From the end of the war in the 5th century AD to the present, I have only seen it open a few times, but they only lasted for a short time before disappearing.

Something must have happened that caused God's Realm to give up control of Midgard. It must be a real big event, can you understand? Merlin, in the face of such a big event, Odin will not be defeated because of a lost veteran And specially opened the Rainbow Bridge to take me home.

You don't know what happened?

Merlin frowned and asked:

But the French priest said that you can use the cane of the berserker warrior to let him see the scene of God's Domain. Are you lying to him?

No, I didn't lie to him.

Dr. Randolph shook his head, and said:

I just showed him my memory, it's not fake. But the fury warrior's staff is a warrior's weapon, not a witch's weapon, and it doesn't have that magical power. Besides, in 1675, I completed my own round-the-world After sailing, seeing the scenery of Midgard and seeing the different civilizations bred in this world, I suddenly felt that actually living on the earth is not an unacceptable thing.”

He said to Merlin:

When the hope of returning home was slim, I chose to live with the situation. Now I also live well, have my own career, my own students, and my own life. Especially after entering the new century, your technological development has made I have a glimpse of the rise of another Asgard, though you're still primitive to me.

You mean, Asgard is actually a technological civilization?

Merlin asked with interest.

Dr. Randolph nodded, and said:

We are a civilization that develops and prospers with technology and magic, and is considered a very advanced civilization in the entire universe. Alright, enough gossip, Merlin, I have confirmed that you can fulfill my entrustment.

He looked at Merlin, and he said seriously:

When necessary and appropriate, send me a message.

To whom?

Merlin asked.

To my son in Asgard.

Randolph said:

His name is the son of the Skolchi mason.

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