BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Chapter 892: Lucius Romano (3)

Damn, even knowing that it was basically going to use Erik to reproduce, turning him into another biological supercomputer upon his death would have made anyone say it was parasitizing him, and yet...

Yet Erik didn't feel parasitized at all; on the contrary, he felt like he was taking advantage of the biological supercomputer.

The problem was that if Lucius used that word instead of something else; it meant he knew something.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said," Lucius paused for a second. Whether to catch his breath, think, or simply take strength, Erik didn't know.

"Based on what your friends said, you know I went on the Mur Continent. I bet you also talked to Armand, and he likely said I went there on my own choice."

"He did."

A guilty face appeared on Lucius. "Sorry about that; sorry for having kept this secret from you, but most importantly, for having abandoned you in your situation, but..."

Erik didn't talk; he was only looking at Lucius. Rage, sorrow, pity... All those feelings were swirling within him like a storm brewing in the ocean's heart.

"I had a suspicion that... I had to verify."

Lucius's eyes now turned introspective, clouded with the weight of memory.

His chest rose and fell with a deliberateness that spoke of a mind grappling with long-buried thoughts.

Even in his weakened state, the crease between his furrowed brows hinted at a mind that refused to rest.

He shifted slightly on the bed, the rustle of the sheets punctuating the silence.

"In all those years, there has been a single question that has occupied my mind. Why Hin, of all the places?"

"Are you referring to the reason the Blackguards made their base there?"

"Yes," Lucius said, nodding. "It was odd, really, for them to be there. It is true that Hin and the Mur continent are awfully close, and that could be used by Thaids from Mur to reach our continent."

"That's what they always used as an excuse for them being there. To prevent that from happening," Erik said.

"Yes, but the number of attacks on Hin didn't justify that move. Besides, most of the thaids that reached the island's shores were sea thaids, and they didn't even come from Mur but from the ocean between the northern side of Mur and Hin. It just made little sense. "

"If I didn't know better, I would have said that they went there to be ready in case something the average person couldn't fight appeared. But of course, it's clear that no matter how much I try to justify this from a citizen's point of view, I can't. They went there because they wanted an easy way to access Mur."

Lucius made a pleasantly surprised face. "So, you thought about that too?"

"How couldn't I? Noah and the others should have told you how desperate the Blackguards were to capture me. It is clear they were searching for something, and based on the fact alone, they were searching for me. Among the many people, it is clear they were searching for the only one with the biological supercomputer."

Lucius nodded. Back then, before leaving for Mur, the man didn't know exactly what they were searching for.

He just had the hunch that they were searching for something, and if those guys, the strongest humans in the world, were so hellbent on finding it, it meant that whatever that thing was, it must have been important.

And he understood it once he found it. He understood when Noah, Becker, and Caiden told him what Erik, the son to whom he entrusted that thing, could do.

"They told me, and I wasn't surpri-COUGH, COUGH, COUGH. Sorry..."

"Don't force yourself to speak, dad..."

"No... I must tell you this... its important. I asked Armand to give me a chance to get to Hin, a chance to allow me to reach the Mur continent. He did so by waging war. That's how far he trusted in me, on a hunch I had."

Lucius stopped to think for a second. There was a lot to say, but not enough time to recount everything to his son.

"I reached Hin, and after having stolen a ship, I battled countless Thaids, one more harrowing than the other. I finally reached those godforsaken shores. For a second, I thought I was the first person to set foot on that continent for centuries, but of course, I was mistaken. The Blackguards were there."

"They have a base even on Mur?"

"They have several," Lucius said. "But more often than not, these are just temporary. You see, thaids on Mur are... they are worse than wyverns, and by a lot at that."

"How did you survive, then? I don't think you can kill a wyvern; not even I can."

"Not all thaids are that strong, but the average level is much higher than those of the monsters here on Mannard. Regardless, I survived by shadowing the Blackguards. They had guarded routes, places to rest, and supply lines. I went from base to base, hiding where and how I could. Fleeing Thaids most of the time."

Erik stayed silent, listening to his father's words. He understood his father had faced enormous challenges, much like the ones he encountered when hunting in the forests near New Alexandria or when he ventured to Etrium.

But he knew the scale of his father's battles was much bigger than his own, where he had only fought against lesser thaids.

"Here is the thing, Erik. Ancient buildings were some of the bases on which the blackguards were stationed. They were the remnants of the humans that lived on Mur. What was weird was that, despite the plenty of ruins littered in that hell, they only chose to make camp in some particular ones."