chapter 27: The truth
When Ethan opened his eyes, he saw the large chandelier on the ceiling. He realized it was his room and tried to get up. Eleanor, lying on the couch, also woke up from the noise.
As Ethan slowly got up, he was shaken by dizziness. For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was and why he was here. However, the warm and familiar atmosphere of the room started to jog his memory. While trying to recall why he spent the night here, Eleanor slowly sat up from the couch and looked at him. "Ethan, are you okay?" Eleanor asked with concern. The genuine concern in her voice brought a sense of relief to Ethan. Nodding his head, he said, "I think so," his voice a bit strained. The fatigue in Eleanor's eyes indicated she hadn't slept much during the night.
" how long have I been unconscious?" He asked, sounding puzzled. "About a day," Eleanor replied. Ethan was quite surprised to hear this, but the pain in his body confirmed it was true. "Can you tell me what happened there?" Eleanor asked, her voice tinged with concern. "I don't know... we encountered a fierce sword, and when I touched the sword... I'm not entirely sure," he said. He didn't reveal the whole truth because he still didn't fully trust Eleanor. Even though he didn't know exactly what he experienced himself, he couldn't risk giving Eleanor an advantage.
Ethan got up, dressed, and went outside with Eleanor. After having dinner, Ethan retreated to his study. After a while in the study, Evelyn knocked on the door and entered, asking Ethan what happened to him. Similarly, Ethan didn't trust her, but Evelyn seemed to know something about it. Ethan asked, "What do you know about this?" giving her a questioning look. Evelyn said, "I'm not sure, but if what I heard from the workers is true, this could be a bit troublesome, and if there's something you haven't told me, please do. I'm the only one here who can help you."
After some thought, Ethan chose to tell the truth. After all, if Evelyn betrayed him, she wouldn't hesitate to kill him. After recounting everything he had experienced, Evelyn's eyes widened. replied, "I wasn't sure at first, but what you've told me dispelled most of my doubts. However, what I know is merely based on legends. Therefore, it may not be accurate." She then began to explain.
"Long ago, when demons lived in our continent, humans waged war against the demons under the leadership of humans. In this war, the demons were defeated, and they abandoned our continent, Penumbralia. However, some demons were so powerful that humans couldn't deal with them. No matter how hard they fought, there were demons who wouldn't die and wouldn't surrender. I don't know why these demons were so powerful. Later, humans and various other races held a meeting to decide how to stop these demons. According to legends, this meeting lasted for forty days, and eventually, they found a solution. The solution was to imprison the demons in their own weapons. This way, they could stop these extraordinary demons, but there was a major flaw in this solution. If someone touched the weapon they imprisoned the demons in, the demons could possess that person. That's why the people of that time hid these weapons in the most remote places where people couldn't reach. So far, a few people rumored to have been possessed by these demons have caused quite a bit of trouble." She said, looking at Ethan with concern.
Ethan asked, "So how can this demon possess me?" Evelyn replied, "It will attack you when you are weak. At least that's what I know." After a moment of thought, Ethan asked another question: "Doesn't this have any benefit for me?" In his previous life, he had heard many stories of people gaining power by making deals with demons. Evelyn replied, "Well, as far as I know, you can use the weapon you're possessed by, and as far as I know, it's a sword." Ethan asked, "But how do I use it?" Evelyn shook her head, "I don't know either, sir."
As Ethan tried to digest Evelyn's words, he began to form a plan in his mind. If he could control the power of this demon, maybe he could use it for his own purposes. However, this came with great risk. The possibility of the demon possessing him and leading him down a dark path was always there. But Ethan felt he had to take the risk. After all, he had no other choice. He had to live with this.
Ethan bid farewell to Evelyn and returned to his room. When he entered his room, he wondered how he would summon this sword. He sat on the bed and tried to think of the sword he saw in the tunnel, but it didn't work. Then he imagined the sword in his hand, and indeed, the sword materialized in his hand within a few seconds. The handle of the sword was a dark red color, and as it progressed towards the sharp end, the color gradually lightened to a blood red. There was a place for the eye he had seen before on the handle of the weapon. The eye was closed now. After struggling for a few more seconds, Ethan made the sword disappear again.
The next day, Ethan spent the whole day in the training hall to test the weapon. In the evening, he told Evelyn not to tell anyone about this incident. Especially not to Richard.
A few days later, Ethan returned to the stalled tunnel project. After all, it was quite important for the city. And they continued to dig the tunnel. Occasionally, there were rumors in the city about what Ethan experienced in the tunnel, but they were nothing but nonsense, so Ethan didn't care much. As work progressed rapidly, Ethan didn't hesitate to hire new workers to open the tunnel.
A few months later, the opening of the tunnel finally came to an end. When Ethan looked back, he was sure the tunnel was as he had imagined. It was wide enough for two carts to pass side by side, and they had made extra efforts to ensure its safety. After the tunnel was opened, now it was only left to straighten the road inside the tunnel and connect this road to the trade routes. After giving his workers a good bonus, Ethan retired to his mansion. He didn't need to work anymore. He had already hired someone to build the road and illuminate the tunnel.
The next day, Ethan set off for his other project, the port. The shipyard had already been established at the port, and prototype ships had even begun to be built. These prototypes were made by a shipwright using the knowledge Ethan had from his previous life. The shipwright approached Ethan with a smile and briefed him on the latest developments. The ship was almost finished, but Ethan had only made it for testing purposes. His idea was to build a steam-powered ship. After all, it might be easier to do this in a world where magic existed.
After talking to the shipwright, Ethan returned to his mansion. He and Eleanor went out for dinner and spent some time together. They had managed to get a little closer, but Eleanor always maintained a certain distance. Ethan chose to let their relationship progress naturally and patiently. In the following days, Ethan continued to train with his new sword and accelerate his projects.
As time passed, Ethan became more adept at wielding the sword, harnessing its power with each practice session. He also made significant progress with his projects, overseeing the development of the port and ensuring the completion of the tunnel's infrastructure.