Odis read from these old notes that at the end of the Fourth Age, the "demons" suddenly could no longer sense the presence of the "Demon King".
In the era when the kingdom of the gods was still on land, the absence of divine protection meant the beginning of decline.
The Church and the victorious Tronsus Empire seemed to realize that the "Demon King" was in trouble, so the "Demon Family" went from being courted to being attacked.
The only option was to establish the Blood Worship Cult and disappear from public view as a clandestine organization.
Fortunately, the Fifth Age soon arrived, and the seven orthodox gods moved their divine kingdoms to the stars, while the demons found a new faith: "the dark side of the universe."
It was at this time that the three families seemed to be cursed. A figure would suddenly appear next to a family member. No matter how strong that member was, three years later, when that figure gradually approached and came to the family member's side, that family member would rapidly age and die.
The "demons" tried many things but could not solve the problem. They offered sacrifices and prayed to the "dark side of the universe" but received no response. They had to find a solution on their own.
After their continuous research, they speculated that the figure was likely "the world's first demon," a "demon king" representing the "abyss."
Before this, many "demons" had speculated that the "dark side of the universe" was the "demon king," but they did not expect that this was not the case. Their former "king" had actually cursed them.
Upon seeing this, Odis's heart tightened. He had initially thought that the figure might be a projection of some "high-level demon," but he never expected it to be the "Demon King"!
He took a deep breath and continued reading.
Of course, most "demons" see this as an honor. They believe that their "king" must have some kind of plan. The tragic deaths of their family members do not make them feel grief. Instead, they believe that they have helped the "demon king" in some way.
But the truth is that many demigods from the Andranard and Belial families died from the curse of the "Demon King," and even the angels of both families were not spared.
Only the North family's unwavering belief in the "dark side of the universe" allowed them to quickly find a way to escape the curse and preserve their power.
The method is to transfer the curse to one's own child or a blood relative.
Once nine people have died, the curse will transfer to another family.
The other two families also had to accept reality and learn from the North family's methods to prevent their powerful members from being cursed.
However, by this time they had been severely weakened and could only rely on the North family. The Blood Worship Cult had become a secret organization led by the North family.
Odis never imagined that the decline of the two "demon families" was due to this curse.
This left Odis unsure whether the curse was good or bad.
The notes no longer delve into high-level secrets. After their decline, the Andranard and Belial families mostly revolved around the North family, becoming their vassals.
Some of them went into seclusion in various parts of the Northern Continent. They still had some contact with the Blood Worship Cult and would occasionally carry out small-scale blood sacrifices, but they had basically broken away from the Blood Worship Cult.
But the curse did not let them go, and it has followed them like a shadow for more than a thousand years.
Dylan's maternal grandfather's branch was a branch of the Belial family, and they hadn't had any powerful Extraordinary beings for decades.
The curse struck them at that time. Dylan's grandfather's father had several children in succession to deal with the curse, but before he could "gather" nine people, he died in an extraordinary battle.
The few surviving children were too young to have children of their own and died one after another in the curse.
Dylan's maternal grandfather was lucky, because when the curse reached him, it had just ended and moved on to another family.
Because he lived under the shadow of a curse throughout his childhood and adolescence, he deeply hated extraordinary beings. Despite having readily available formulas and potions, he never became an extraordinary being.
The descendants of this "devilish family," though somewhat eccentric, are not much different from normal old men.
But Dylan's grandfather was also unfortunate, because in his later years he experienced another curse. He was over seventy years old at the time and had only two children. This branch of the family could no longer withstand this curse.
In endless despair, Dylan's grandfather died.
The subsequent notes came from Fitch, who had discovered the secret chamber long ago and secretly used the potions there to become an Extraordinary.
Dylan's grandfather, of course, also discovered this, which is why Fitch would go to other counties to commit crimes if he had any evil ideas.
Fitch knew that this would be a good way to hide himself, so he heeded his father's advice, which is why he often went out.
When he learned of the curse, Fitch was already a Sequence 8 "Fallen Angel." After reading the documents left by his family, he realized that he had to save himself.
So he began to pursue his plan, just as Odis described, by first finding women to have children with, and then paying them to raise the children.
At the same time, in order to buy time, he ordered his two nephews to die first.
But all of that ends today! Because the evil Fitch is dead.
"Wizard, do you have any clues?" At this moment, Dylan, who was almost vomiting bile, came over and asked while leaning against the wall.
"There are some clues," Odis said, taking a deep breath. "Things are more complicated than expected, but I happen to have a solution."
He paused and then said, "Now it's up to you to choose."
"One option is for us to call the police now. Um... don't worry, I have connections with the police, they won't arrest me."
"And because I eliminated such an evil...man as Fitch, I might even get some reward."
Dylan's expression shifted, first to surprise, then to helplessness, and finally to relief.
He had just considered secretly calling the police, since Uncle Fitch had killed someone, and the wizard in front of him had killed Uncle Fitch. He was surprised because he hadn't expected Odis to be cooperating with the police.
It was truly frustrating, because calling the police was useless.
He finally felt relieved because he felt that the wizard hadn't done anything wrong by killing a wicked person, so he figured he might as well not call the police.
Odis ignored Dylan's inner thoughts and continued, "When the police investigate this case, they will definitely notice your special status and transfer you to a special official department."
"As your Uncle Fitch said, in the eyes of the officials, the way to completely solve your problem is to kill you!"
"And they are very likely to do that, because that figure is someone important, and they would kill you just to thwart that figure's plans."
Dylan gave another wry smile, thankful that he hadn't gone to church for help without his father and Fitch's knowledge.
Odiston paused for a moment and then said, "The second option is that I will dispose of the two bodies here, and the three of us will pretend that nothing happened."
"Come see me again tomorrow with 200 pounds. I'm pretty confident I can help you solve the problem of that shadowy figure."
"Well, 200 pounds isn't a high price, considering it requires many precious materials."
Dylan nodded without haggling. In his view, although £200 was a huge sum, it was well worth the money as long as it could completely solve the problem.
He said almost without thinking, "This doesn't seem like a difficult choice. I choose the second option."
Odis nodded: "Very well, then I'll deal with the body."
He took out the black cloth with the secondary array of "spatial magic array" again, and took out the corpse-dissolving water, sponges, gas masks, gloves, paper bags and other items from it.
First, they dealt with the bodies in the underground space that Fitch had dissected, and then they went to the living room to deal with Fitch's body.
While waiting for the body to dissolve, Odis completely destroyed the altar and set fire to the scrolls, books, and notes.
Wearing gloves, they put the sponge, soaked in yellow liquid, into a paper bag, and the three of them boarded a horse-drawn carriage to return home.
Inside the carriage, none of the three spoke; they remained silent.
After the "wizard" got off the carriage, Dylan said, "Today's experience felt like a dream."
"Actually, when you told me about your curse, I knew that something strange was going to happen." Payne smiled helplessly and said, "Fortunately, it ended well. We found the right person and were not harmed."
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
If it weren't for finding such a powerful wizard, Payne would likely have been killed by Fitch.
So the next day, Dylan brought enough money and went with Payne to Gandalf's place again.
"Gandalf the Wizard" welcomed them in as he had yesterday, and the three of them sat down on either side of the coffee table, just as they had done yesterday.
Dylan and Pine were both drawn to the dark top hat on the coffee table. It looked very nice, but it was thicker than a normal top hat and looked quite sturdy.
Odis picked up the top hat: "The solution is in this top hat. Although we've tried to use the lightest materials, it's still heavier than a normal top hat."
He handed the top hat to Dylan: "You try it on."
Dylan was taken aback: "This is your solution?"
"Believe me, this solution is unique." Odis smiled confidently. "Although some people may have simpler ways to solve the problem, you will never meet those people in your life."
Dylan recalled the scene of the wizard's battle yesterday, took a deep breath, and put on his top hat.
Odis and Payne looked at Dylan, awaiting his response.
Dylan paused for a few seconds before asking, "How...how can I tell if this top hat is effective?"
Odis smiled helplessly: "Why don't you go and see if the figures outside are still there?"
"Oh, right." Dylan looked out the window, then exclaimed in surprise, "They're really gone."
Odis breathed a sigh of relief. This was exactly his idea for the "God-Avoiding Array," although at the time he intended to avoid the gaze of the "God of Steam and Machinery."
After slightly modifying that magic circle, he created the magic circle for this top hat, which, in theory, could sever Dylan's connection with the "Demon King".
However, since this involved the gods, Odis wasn't entirely confident until Dylan put on the top hat.
"Take it off and try it out," Odis said again.
Dylan took it off: "That figure has appeared again."
"This proves that the top hat is useful, but for the next few years, or even decades, you will have to keep it with you at all times," Odis said. "Even when you're sleeping."
Dylan smiled and said, "This is better than death."
Odis slowly nodded, then looked out the window and said, "If you wear this hat, I won't be able to see you. Do you want to have a chat?"
Dylan suddenly sat up straight: "The figure said: 'Okay, I didn't expect you to solve the problem with such a solution. This reminds me of some humans in the Second Era, who always fantasized about challenging the majesty of the gods with their own weak strength.'"
Odis paused for a moment, then said, "Thank you for reminding me."
In other words, this magic array has some effect, but its effect is limited, and it is easy to anger the gods.
This disappointed Odis somewhat, meaning that the magic circle he had designed could not escape the gaze of the "God of Steam and Machinery".
Or rather, the "god of steam and machinery" may not notice him for a short time, but will find him again soon.
Dylan continued to convey the meaning that "Demon King" wanted to express: "For me, this is also advantageous. Even if you can't see me, I'm still hiding in Dylan's shadow. The only difference is that Dylan won't die because of my existence."
Odis seemed to understand: "This isn't a curse. You just want to use the 'Demon Family' to hide?"
This reminded him that the "Demon King" did indeed seem to be hiding from the "evil god in the starry sky".
"Yes, but no matter who it is, they cannot withstand the corruption of the 'Abyss.' At most, they will die after three years under my influence." Dylan looked somewhat surprised, but still faithfully conveyed the words of the "Demon King."
Odis praised, "That's a very clever idea. You must have used some means to make it impossible for even the gods to see you hiding 'behind' an ordinary person?"
"I used the 'Abyss' as a medium to establish a connection with someone's spirit, destiny, and so on, making them 'outcasts' in this world. Members of the 'Demon Family' are 'outcasts' by nature, and even if they are not extraordinary, they are descendants of 'outcasts'. This will not cause a conflict between life and the world. So at this moment, I am him, and he is me."
Odis recalled that the "Abyss" seemed to hold the power over the "otherworldly," but he never imagined it could be used in this way.
In other words, Dylan was already an "outlier," and now he's just become "even more outlier."
"Demon King" is the concept of "outcast" in Dylan, just as someone commented that "Dylan is an honest person," and at this moment, "Demon King" is his "honesty."
Unless someone's vision can penetrate the "abyss," this cannot be discovered.
With these thoughts in mind, Odis seized the opportunity and said, "I would like to ask a few questions about the Second Age."