Chapter 155: Understanding The Foreign Language Is Important
Just staring at the being, Annan found himself short of breath.
Annan felt that his body shuddered. A sense of laziness was injected into his brain through his eyes. There was seemingly a tangible fear that locked his limbs like shackles. A sense of despair permeated the surrounding air.
—Shudders, fear, laziness, despair.
But unfortunately…
These things happened to be ineffective to Annan.
Even so, Annan could sense them through common sense.
This weird man of tall stature should be the Venerated Skeleton that the players and I talk about every day.
If it wasn’t Annan who appeared in front of him, but anyone else, the best ending now was to run away in a sorry manner.
Those with sharper Perception stats might go crazy in an instant.
That was in the situation of no direct eye contact.
The golden mask completely blocked the Venerated Skeleton’s gaze. Annan only roughly saw his existence in reality and was immediately affected by multiple negative auras.
Annan doubted that his soul could survive direct eye contact with the Venerated Skeleton, albeit his talent to resist negative emotions.
After a short silence, Annan saluted respectfully.
“Can I help you, sir?”
What Annan feared most now was to have the Venerated Skeleton replied indifferently, “No, go to h.e.l.l.”
Then, the being granted him instant death.
But fortunately, the Venerated Skeleton wasn’t so ruthless…
“You seem to be the [Regret]’s Frostborn.”
A low, reverberating old voice sounded in Annan’s ear, “But are you a descendant she recognized and acknowledged?”
It was the moment Annan heard the name [Regret].
He suddenly felt that his body could no longer move.
The creaking sound of freezing sounded in his ears.
Annan noticed that a large area of surrounding buildings began to freeze.
Lines of frost traces formed. They were like ice flowers on windows, appearing on the ground and the walls around the alleys.
“Hu…”
Annan slowly exhaled a visible breath and felt his spine start to become rigid, rendering him immobile.
My breath isn’t hot, but frigid cold…
Annan realized his blood boiling after the name was called. The blood was so active, with a bone-seeping chill running rampant.
Annan looked down and saw that his skin swelled up. The swelling would move for a distance before sinking into his skin again. Its path left frost traces. It was like countless beetles traveled through the skin at great speed and then melted like ice.
Although Annan’s pain sensation was duller, he couldn’t shake off the vague and uncomfortable sensation of glacial cold.
After that, a line of prompt suddenly appeared in front of Annan:
[Health: 1%]
Annan’s pupils shrank immediately.
But the strange reaction in him was still intensifying.
A strong cold air leached on him, and the ground was frozen. Annan’s skin turned paler, approaching transparency. If an intense light struck him at this time, it might even penetrate him to the other end.
His body soon showed crystalized frost traces, covering him like scale armor.
Indeed, it was like scales.
At this moment, a low, indistinct, cold female voice sounded finely in Annan’s ears.
“… Annan… Maria… Annan…”
She seemed to have said a lot.
Hearing this sound, the Venerated Skeleton stopped talking.
The Venerated Skeleton just stood silently and looked at Annan without saying a word.
But Annan didn’t understand that language at all.
He could barely discern two names out from the voices—
Two Annans and one Maria.
Finally, the voice faded away.
Once again, data streamers invaded Annan’s vision:
[Activated: Path of Archaic Bloodline]
[The talent “Winter Heart” is evolving—]
[After meeting “Old Grandmother — Regret’s” needs, “Winter Heart (Reverse)” would evolve to the next stage: Winter’s Harvest (Reverse)]
[Frosty of Winter (Reverse): You will not feel all negative emotions; the damage of your “frost” element will be permanently increased by 50%; you will be completely immune to all harm coming from “frost” elements below the truth level.]
[Acquired mysterious knowledge: the real name of Frost and Tradition Deity “Old Grandmother.”]
[This mysterious knowledge can be used as “Deity Summon Ritual: ‘Old Grandmother,"” “Gold Incantation (Energy Falteration School): Blitz Frost,” “Legendary Material: Frost Core,” “Advanced Influence: Remains of the Frost Deity.”]
[This mysterious knowledge will be forgotten after using “1” times, and it can only be obtained again after “hearing ‘Old Grandmother’s’ voice.”]
—and many more!
I have guessed it. The cold voice seems to come from the upright deity “Old Grandmother.”
But what do Old Grandmother needs?!
Annan was dumbfounded.
It’s not a dialect or Austere-Winter Dukedom language… It’s not a human language at all!
Annan could be 100% certain that human vocal cords could never make such a weird and deep voice.
d.a.m.n it, wait… It looks like something went wrong!
Although Annan bore the blood of Austere-Winter and became Deity Old Grandmother’s Frostborn, he didn’t acquire the language knowledge needed to talk to Old Grandmother.
Then, Old Grandmother seemed to utter his name at the Venerated Skeleton, using it as a medium to give Annan a mission.
But the problem was… Annan didn’t understand at all. So what mission did she give Annan?
This stupid system didn’t display the mission. Probably it couldn’t decode the language either. Anyway, Annan now only knew what the mission rewards were, but he didn’t know what she wanted to do.
This is hard. Forget it; it’s impossible to understand it anyway.
It is better to find a way to study some ancient knowledge in the future, mainly in linguistics, but also in Old Grandmother and Austere-Winter Dukedom.
Anna needed emergency tutoring on this foreign language to a level whereby he would have a rough understanding of it when he summoned Old Grandmother next time.
When Annan felt his body with the chill fading, three minutes had pa.s.sed.
At this time, Annan was still at 1% of health. Therefore, any injury would result in his death.
Worse still, he didn’t understand what Old Grandmother said to him.
—But Annan still had the courage in his heart.
He looked at the Venerated Skeleton again without fear and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, “Excuse me… Is there anything else?”
But the Venerated Skeleton suddenly laughed.
Indeed— Annan was certain. He heard the Venerated Skeleton chuckle slightly!
“Alright, Frostborn. Since you chose this path, we will see you again.”
After Annan woke up from the trance, the Venerated Skeleton spoke more.
The Venerated Skeleton’s tone wasn’t as cold and alienated as at first. Instead, he became a little more friendly, “Your name is… Annan, right? Annan Frost Tongue…”
What’s with this surname that sounds like a certain lich?
Annan paused slightly.
He suddenly realized that the Venerated Skeleton seemed to understand the Old Grandmother’s words.
No way, this trash skeleton is too realistic…
He came over to trouble me in the first place.
But knowing that I have the Old Grandmother’s blood, he changed his mind on the spot…
Annan was a little uncomfortable with that trash skeleton being so decisive.
So he decided to probe, “My name is…Annan Austere-Winter.”
“Sooner or later, it will be Frost-Tongue…”
The Venerated Skeleton just smiled. Then, a deep, hoa.r.s.e, echoing voice sounded in Annan’s heart, “If you are not afraid… When you advance to the truth level, you can also try to use my ritual… If you face a problem, you can also hold my ritual… I know that you know the ritual about me…”
As the Venerated Skeleton spoke, he reached out his right hand wrapped in steel and pointed at the package behind Annan, “But that book, I took it away…”
With that said, the Venerated Skeleton pointed to Annan’s package.
Annan immediately understood which book the Venerated Skeleton wanted.
It must be the one that records the Venerated Skeleton’s real name!
“I’m—”
Annan was kind enough to take down the package immediately, planning to take it out to see the guests off.
“No need…” The Venerated Skeleton’s deep voice sounded.
When Annan looked up again, the Venerated Skeleton had disappeared.
In his package, the book disappeared at some point. The box was completely gone as well.
Annan didn’t even feel when did the weight had drop.
…Perhaps when I was frozen, he had already secretly taken the book?
Annan hesitated to say something and stopped, “Brother…”
You’re pretty frank…