After stepping into the colorful vortex, Lin Ruo first felt a strong sense of turbulence and dizziness, which made him frown slightly in discomfort, barely holding back from throwing up.
Fortunately, as someone who constantly used the Traveler's power to move around, Lin Ruo had sufficient resistance and adaptability in this regard. He quickly calmed the physiological discomfort and looked around.
This was a passage paved with dark stone slabs, and the walls on both sides were inscribed with asymmetric patterns. Lin Ruo took a quick look and, seeing nothing amiss, turned his gaze to the tightly closed iron door at the end of the passage.
However, this glance made Lin Ruo freeze, because there was a sign hanging on the iron door, and on it was written this line of words:
[Medici and dogs are forbidden.]
Lin Ruo:…
Ah, this.
Lin Ruo couldn't help but turn his head to glance at Medici diagonally in front of him. He saw the other party sneer with a sarcastic and disdainful expression. However, after the sneer, he walked directly to the end of the passage and pressed his hand on that sign.
Immediately after, accompanied by a popping sound, the sign under Medici's hand ignited and quickly turned to ash.
"Is there something wrong with this sign?" Lin Ruo curiously leaned over and asked.
Although he couldn't tell, Lin Ruo didn't think Medici did this just to vent his anger.
"There is the power of the Prince of Abolition on it," Medici replied frankly, with no intention of concealing it.
Then, Medici brushed off the ash from his hand and narrowed his eyes slightly, "What I'm curious about now is why there is only the power of the Prince of Abolition on it."
Alista was a Red Priest who had jumped from the Prince of Abolition. Although his previous power would not be directly lost after becoming a Red Priest, it would undoubtedly undergo some changes. This was an unavoidable consequence for those who changed pathways.
Moreover, Alista was different from others in one aspect: due to Solomon's resurrection, he was forced to lose the characteristics of the Prince of Abolition not long after becoming a Red Priest. Logically, after that, he should no longer be able to use related abilities, as Beyonder abilities are downward compatible but not upward compatible. There's no reason to still use corresponding abilities after losing the characteristics.
Hearing Medici's words, Lin Ruo also realized something. He pursed his lips and said, "We'll know if we keep going inside."
Medici was noncommittal. He placed his hand on the iron door and pushed it open with little effort. This time, behind the door was naturally not a colorful vortex, but a spacious hall.
The hall, like the passage, was paved with dark black stone slabs, and eight circular pillars of the same color stood around it.
Many metal cylinders hung from the high dome, their bottoms sculpted into candelabras of different animals.
This was a very typical fourth epoch style.
But Lin Ruo was no longer in the mood to care whether this construction was of the fourth epoch style, because in the center of the hall, on a seat made of piled jewels, an exquisite puppet lay quietly.
Lin Ruo could feel that the thing that had been calling to him since just now was this puppet.
"This puppet…" Medici was naturally also examining the puppet in the center of the hall. He seemed to recall something and frowned with a hint of disgust.
"You know it?" Lin Ruo naturally couldn't fail to notice the change in Medici's expression and couldn't help but ask.
"No, but the puppet's appearance resembles that Lunatic Tudor."
Lin Ruo was stunned. He then looked at the exquisitely crafted puppet, which looked like a real person, and tried to match it with the image of Alista in his mind.
Brown hair, eyes… uh, the puppet's eyes were closed, so that couldn't be seen. The facial features were deeply carved as if by a knife and axe, carrying a faint sense of majesty. Although it was strange to see majesty on a puppet, this indeed matched…
Lin Ruo compared for a while and had to admit that Medici's judgment was correct; this was indeed a puppet very similar to Alista.
But why would Alista leave him such a puppet?
Lin Ruo became increasingly puzzled. He saw Medici already leading the way towards the puppet in the center of the hall. During this process, no accidents occurred. Perhaps when Alista left this ruin back then, he really hadn't set up any dangerous traps inside.
Lin Ruo naturally followed him. When Medici approached the puppet, looking as if he was eager to set it on fire and see what happened, as Lin Ruo stepped into a certain range, the jewel-studded seat suddenly lit up.
Medici didn't seem surprised. He just subtly glanced at Lin Ruo, shifted his feet slightly, and then looked at the puppet, saying:
"Since you're awake, why are you still pretending to sleep? Or are you Sleeping Beauty, and you still need Prince Lil' Black to kiss you awake?" His tone was as sarcastic as it could be.
Lin Ruo was also looking at the puppet. He saw that as Medici's sarcastic voice faded, the puppet opened its eyes.
They were a pair of azure blue eyes.
And at the moment it opened its eyes, the puppet seemed to come alive, transforming from an object into a real person.
"Teacher." The puppet spoke, its gaze falling on Lin Ruo, its voice clear and steady.
"Who are you?" Lin Ruo, however, would not be misled by this address. He looked at the puppet, his gaze calm and scrutinizing, "Alista is dead. Although I have no memory of this, I am very sure he is dead."
"He cannot be resurrected."
The implication was, you cannot be him.
"I am indeed not the Alista Tudor you know." To Lin Ruo's words, the puppet did not deny it, but rather admitted it frankly, merely saying, "But you can also consider me Alista."
Lin Ruo narrowed his eyes.
The puppet continued, "I am a puppet created by Alista, carrying all of his memories and emotions up until his advancement to Sequence 1. In a strict sense, my personality is consistent with Alista's."
Lin Ruo took a deep breath. At this moment, he felt an indescribable anger, looking at the puppet and directly scoffing, "Very good, Alista, you truly are my good student, you clearly know how to anger me!"
Medici's expression also became subtle. As Lin Ruo's most useful tool, he naturally knew what Lin Ruo disliked the most.
"You're angry. It seems the main body's judgment in certain aspects is more accurate than mine." The puppet looked at Lin Ruo's sneering expression, paused, and then showed a thoughtful look.
"Heh…" Lin Ruo scoffed again, but Lin Ruo was still Lin Ruo, and he quickly suppressed the anger in his heart, looking at the puppet and saying, "So why did he create you in the first place? Don't tell me it was to give me a student who didn't betray me."
"Otherwise, I don't mind taking you apart."
"The main body gave me two tasks." The puppet flinched under Lin Ruo's gaze, then pulled a letter from under its bottom and handed it to Lin Ruo, "The first task is to give you this letter."