A Gorgeous White - Chapter 333: Collapse (1)

They are like knives raining down on his body. The terrible pain would be enough to petrify one man, but Moulin persisted. What was this ache in his heart? It was tearing his insides into pieces—a spear twisting in through his ribs. A colony of ants gnawing on his heart. The youth could imagine anything that could describe what he was feeling, but it never seemed to be enough. It was more. The voices were pleading and begging for something Moulin neither could discern nor give. They were stubborn, ringing inside his head like echoing bells. Moulin almost wanted to split his head open.

Colahn approached the youth beside him, noticing the pained expression on the young man’s face. Worry instantly filled the seer, and he supported Moulin, who was staggering. “Young master? What’s wrong?”

“Make it stop…” Moulin spoke hoarsely, clenching his jaw and his hands covered his ears. However, it was useless. They were louder.

Colahn narrowed his eyes and shifted his attention to the strange artifact before them. It was trembling. An unknown force seemed to emanate from its round body. The texts are glowing. Glancing at Moulin’s state, he knew he had to do something, or the young man would be suffering even more than he already has.

Colahn looked around. His hand reached out, grasped one of the small vases, and instantly smashed it towards the orb in one swing!

CRASH!

The pedestal tilted sideways and shattered as it crashed on the floor. Ceramic shards from the vase flew, falling on the floor with loud clattering sounds. The orb dropped on the floor with a loud thud and rolled several feet away from them.

In the same instant, Moulin’s knees weakened, and he dropped to the floor. With harsh breaths, he held his head. His eyes are wide, and his lips are trembling, oblivious of the leaking mana from his body. It wasn’t long before relief flooded him. He felt as if soothing coldness doused his whole body. The voices had long vanished since the orb fell, and there was nothing but emptiness now.

Colahn stroked the youth’s back comfortingly. Slowly, his eyes drifted towards the orb that had lost its glow. His eyes deepened.

A moment later, Moulin felt a little better. He thanked the Colahn before he rose to his feet. After briefly massaging his temples, anger rose inside his head. The voice speaking to him had gone quiet, and Moulin had the urge to throttle the spirit who dared to mess with him. It looked as if steam was rising from his head. Colahn only looked away pitifully.

“Ao?”

Snow sat on top of a chest, tilting his head as if confused. The golden bands on each of his limbs were gleaming brightly. If Moulin didn’t know better, he’d think that Snow was showing off his charming appearance in front of his troubled master. Even if that was the case, Moulin still felt slightly indignant.

Feeling his master’s angry gaze, Snow hurriedly jumped down the chest and scurried towards Moulin’s feet. The little fox whined, blinking his beady eyes pitifully as if seeking comfort. Moulin almost wanted to squeeze the little one until he would squeeze, but he held himself back with a sigh. Afterwards, he bent down, collected Snow into his arms, and lifted the little fox. Moulin ignored Snow’s satisfied and proud look.

Moulin returned his gaze back to Colahn and decided to confide his worries and experience during the last five minutes. Colahn’s expression fell as he listened and absorbed every word from the aphrodite’s mouth.

Shortly afterward, Snow stiffened. His tiny snout trembled as he sniffed the air. A second after, Moulin and Colahn flinched.

Precious objects fell, and the sound was deafening. Coins jingled, and glass shattered. Something was heading towards them from behind… and fast.

The chests and rare luxuries stacked on top of each other fell with a rumble and a crash. The noise made Colahn and Moulin step back. Their hearts pounded as they braced themselves for what was coming after them. Faced with a dead end, they could do nothing. Moulin wanted to see what it was first before making a move.

It was faster than he thought because, in the blink of an eye, a significant thing swept the luxuries in the area with a single swing, and the crash sounds were frightening.

A great shadow loomed over Moulin and Colahn’s forms. The silver-eyed youth gaped ad the sight before him. Shocked and speechless, he was as stiff as a statue. Even Colahn had the same expression as him.

Giant round amber eyes blinked. Its dark pupils reflected the image of the two men in front of it. The creature tilted its head curiously.

Moulin raised his brows.

A lizard?

A giant beady-eyed red lizard stood before them. Truthfully, it was close to a lizard. It possessed four scaly clawed feet, and a knife-like tail is swishing from behind, perhaps, in excitement. The creature’s robust body looked as if it could pound a boulder into smithereens. From the sight of its huge limbs, its powerful strength was evident. Furthermore, strange golden symbols marked its head.

Its body was savagely built. However, it was its face that made Moulin confused, fearing the creature or petting it. Why? Because of its giant round reptilian eyes that seemed as if it held everything adorable in the world. Purer than a toddler’s gaze, and it was exquisitely charming than a full blooming daisy. Moulin wanted to melt.

“A full-grown Artheian Salamander…” Colahn gawked. “I thought they were extinct? What is it doing here?”

Moulin blinked, glancing at Colahn. He had read before that Artheian creatures only originated from the Skylands of Artheia. The magnificently strange country was a thousand miles away from Meian, across the oceans. Questions instantly swirled around Moulin’s head. Why is it here? No Artheian creature had been able to survive months away from the country.

Suddenly, the Salamander stuck its tongue in and out and wiggled its mouth. Its eyes curiously gazed at the two men.

Colahn flinched, and he backed away a few steps. He warily eyes the lizard with fearful eyes. “Their carnivores.”

Moulin also knew that, but, unlike the seer, he didn’t draw back. Instead, he found the action endearing. Moulin pressed his lips together, suppressing the need to touch it. Honestly, its eyes were too big for a typical salamander. Well, what wasn’t normal in the world? Moulin learned to accept it.

Sensing his master’s inner intentions, Snow huffed and narrowed its eyes at the Salamander as if seeing a threat.

“It doesn’t look like it will hurt us…” Moulin explained. “It’s curious…”

“Perhaps, about devouring our flesh?” Colahn cautiously said.

The youth turned to Colahn with a raised eyebrow before turning away. The seer looked at the young master in disbelief. Was he really not afraid of this dangerous creature?

As if impressed by the silver-eyed man’s fearless gaze, the Salamander drew nearer to the man. Moulin raised his eyebrows in surprise. The little fox in his arms bared its teeth, but Moulin shushed him into silence. The young man took a few steps forward and reached out his hand. There wasn’t any threatening feeling he sensed from the creature.

Colahn sucked in a breath, speechless. He approached to stop Moulin. However, before he could speak, the youth’s delicate hand touched the smooth skin above the salamander’s mouth. Moulin’s eyes softened as the creature closed its eyes and nudged his head. Moulin chuckled lightly.

The silver-eyed maeruthan glanced at Colahn with a smile. “See? It’s harmless…”

“…” Colahn only gaped with an open jaw. Then he remembered, this man had captured the heart of who once was the most ruthless man in Aurona, had two fierce brothers and tamed a rare ancient Mystic Beast. No one had accomplished such unimaginable things as this young man before him. Colahn took a few moments to calm himself down.

‘Ah, I want to name him…’ Moulin said to himself as he patted the creature’s head. ‘Its eyes are bigger than my head.’ He mentally laughed at the thought. Meanwhile, Snow pouted, glaring at his master wh,o was so easy towards cute creatures.

Rumble!

Out of the blue, everything started shaking. The earth shook beneath their feet and the horde of treasures around them!

Alarmed, Moulin abruptly looked around him, watching as the walls and floors trembled. The clinking sounds of gold and precious materials noised throughout the chamber as the quakes turned 3. The youth’s eyes widened as he held on the salamander. ‘What is it this time?!’

Suddenly, dust and tiny rocks from the ceiling began to rain down as giant cracks started to form on the thick stones. Gradually, big rocks began to fall from the top, crashing into the pile of gold beneath. A burst of sparkling gold flew in the air like splashes of water.

“The temple is collapsing…” Colahn said as he shielded his eyes from the dust in the air. The tremors underneath him.

Moulin stepped aside to dodge a fallen rock dropping from above him. They were running out of time. The salamander used its long tail to keep the rocks off the two people in front of him.

Suddenly, Moulin abruptly stopped. His eyes widened. The bond connecting him and Hadrian trembled. He raised his eyes to the ceiling.

“Hadrian?”