FWF Chapter 350: The Origin of the Inheritance
Chapter 350: The Origin of the Inheritance
The twelve branches of The Ziegler of Silthos were also recorded in that investigative report from Mordecai Quinn.
In a few swift moves, Wayne Warner had Zachary Ziegler bound hand and foot.
And tossed him into the SUV.
"Let me go! Whatever you want, my grandfather will give you."
Once he found himself in the car, Zachary Ziegler was surprisingly less worried.
’These two must not be killing me because they want to use me for their own gain.’
’They’ve probably kidnapped me to extort a shipment of supplies.’
Nina Jacobs said little, instead finding a hidden, abandoned house in a nearby village.
"Who is Veronica Ziegler to you?" Nina Jacobs asked after throwing Zachary Ziegler inside.
It was only then that Zachary Ziegler started to feel a flicker of fear.
’What did they bring me here for?’
’In the middle of nowhere like this, no one would ever find me if I died here.’
But more than that, he was shocked. ’How does this woman know everything?!’
"Veronica is my cousin. You know her, right? Okay, look, we can talk this out. Just promise you won’t kill me..."
Zachary Ziegler was cut off.
"I don’t know her, but I know she’s in Mornfell looking for the inheritor.
If you tell me what this inheritance you’re looking for is, I can find a way to let you go,"
Nina Jacobs said.
"The inheritance?
The inheritance is... it’s actually a book. Oh, no, it’s a sword, one that can kill without a trace..."
Cold sweat trickled down Zachary Ziegler’s face.
’How could I say something like that? If anyone found out I’d leaked information about the inheritance, the Mystic Sect would hunt me to the ends of the earth.’
"Oh? Is that so?"
Nina Jacobs could tell from his expression alone that he wasn’t telling the truth.
’Looks like I’ll have to resort to that.’
Nina Jacobs felt a pang of regret. She should have asked Sherry Renner for more Truth-telling Talismans.
Now she only had one Truth-telling Talisman left, and she hoped she wouldn’t need to use it again anytime soon.
At a nod from Nina Jacobs, Wayne Warner stomped down and broke Zachary Ziegler’s leg.
Then came the exact same routine.
Zachary Ziegler’s eyes widened. "Why do you have something like this? Is it the Mystic Sect..."
Before he could finish, the Truth-telling Talisman’s effects began to take hold.
Looking at Zachary Ziegler, who was now drooling with a vacant expression, Nina Jacobs asked:
"The person who awakens a Superpower in Mornfell is the one who possesses the inheritance. Is this prophecy true?"
"...It’s true."
Zachary Ziegler took a moment to react before answering.
"What is the inheritance?"
Based on her knowledge from a past life, Nina Jacobs already had a faint suspicion.
But she still needed to confirm whether that suspicion was correct.
She rather hoped her suspicion was wrong.
Zachary Ziegler shook his head. "The inheritance isn’t a thing. It’s most likely a set of all-powerful Magic,
for example, an omnipotent Universal Element."
’It’s the Universal Element!’
Nina Jacobs closed her eyes.
’Just as I feared.’
The inheritance the Mystic Sect was searching for was the "Universal Element" known only to a few people in her previous life.
And the "Universal Element" was very likely her system.
’Looks like I’ll have to be extremely careful around the Ancient Martial Clans from now on.’
"Who discovered the inheritance in the first place?"
Nina Jacobs asked, confused.
"It was deduced by the Ziegler Family’s founding ancestor using the Ziegler Family Inference Map.
The founder’s deductions have never been wrong."
Zachary Ziegler answered, his eyes staring blankly into space.
’So it’s also a Divination Secret Technique?’
And this prophecy was made hundreds of years in advance.
It had also kept the Mystic Sect searching for hundreds of years.
"Do you know someone named Liam Grant?"
"...Liam Grant?"
Zachary Ziegler tilted his head, thinking, then nodded. "A friend from a long time ago."
"Would the Ziegler Clan divine his fate? Or that of the people around him?"
Nina Jacobs asked.
Zachary Ziegler shook his head, then nodded.
"The Divination Secret Technique requires a great deal of energy. Nobodies aren’t divined, but since I remembered his name, it’s highly likely he’s on record."
Nina Jacobs was silent.
’The Liam Grant from my past life was certainly no nobody.’
"How many factions are currently within the Mystic Sect?"
Nina Jacobs asked again.
Zachary Ziegler lowered his head and said slowly, "The Shawn Family, the Shaw Family, the Mornfell Lucas Family, the Hughes Family, the Bai Family of the Snowy Wilds, the... Crowley Family of Mornfell..."
Nina Jacobs frowned, mentally noting each one.
’That’s way too many.’
"Weren’t they affected by the acid rain and the virus?" Nina Jacobs asked.
Zachary Ziegler chuckled darkly.
"Every family has its own means of survival.
Especially our Ziegler Family. Of course, even if the family head knew turbulent times were coming, he wouldn’t have warned the others, hehehe..."
Watching Zachary Ziegler’s laughter descend into madness, Nina Jacobs finished him off with a single Gold Spike.
She burned his body to ashes as well.
"Let’s go. We need to get moving. Maybe we can still catch up to them."
Nina Jacobs checked the time.
The interrogation hadn’t taken long. Her next move was to rendezvous with Mordecai Quinn.
...
Zombies on the roads outside Veridia had once been sparse.
That was thanks to the destruction of a key section of the road.
But Mordecai Quinn had noticed the number of zombies in the area gradually increasing lately.
"This isn’t a good sign."
Daniel Lewis used to kill zombies on this road almost daily.
He suspected the increase was because zombies from the city were closing in on the base.
They were likely facing a huge challenge today.
"Right. Tell everyone to conserve their stamina and Superpowers."
Mordecai Quinn ordered.
They were likely in for a battle of attrition.
After a long, halting journey spent clearing out zombies, the team finally arrived about two kilometers from the massive crater.
Mordecai Quinn ordered the team to stop there.
A large number of zombies were already gathering up ahead.
"What the hell has been happening here these past few days?"
His deputy, Oswin Marshall, frowned.
At the same time, he was glad they hadn’t arrived too late. If they let this continue, these zombies would definitely follow the scent and swarm the base.
"Whatever happened, let’s begin."
Mordecai Quinn had already jumped out of the vehicle.
His usual weapon was a Heavy Blade, which, combined with his Strength Element Superpower, could cut through metal as if it were mud.
ROAR!!
A zombie opened its slime-covered maw, and in the next second, its head was lopped off.
"Commander Quinn, it’s dangerous here. It would be better for you to command from the rear,"
a squad leader from the Defense Soldiers said.
They hadn’t expected Mordecai Quinn to join the fray, let alone charge to the front lines.
While it was inspiring, they were also worried about something happening to their commander.
"No need. I know my limits,"
Mordecai Quinn replied.
Ever since he fell into the serpent’s maw and endured the excruciating pain of its stomach acid, he felt as if his body had been tempered.
His strength and stamina were both much higher.
And just now in the car, he had absorbed the Mystic Ice Core that Nina Jacobs had given him.
He felt like his body had reached its peak. Not only had his Superpower Energy surged, but his strength was practically screaming to be unleashed!
"Does the commander seem way more powerful than before?"
Even the people who were always by Mordecai Quinn’s side had clearly noticed the change.
"People grow through hardship. It’s a good thing."
Daniel Lewis found it strange, but more than anything, he was pleased.