197: The Immortal Cavendish

Duke?

The word 'Duke' entered Wang Dalong's ears, leaving his mind blank. He looked blankly at Lin Feng, only to find that Lin Feng's body had also tensed up.

The elevator rose silently, the atmosphere in the small space oppressive. Wang Dalong stole a glance at the blonde lady leading the way; she wore a professional smile, as if she couldn't feel this eerie atmosphere. He glanced at Lin Feng again; Lin Feng's expression was calm, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Wang Dalong felt as if he had accidentally stumbled into a gang transaction scene, feeling uneasy all over.

"Ding."

The elevator stopped at the top floor, and the doors slid open slowly.

Before them was a corridor covered in a dark red carpet, long and seemingly endless, so quiet that one could clearly hear their own heartbeat. At the end of the corridor was a massive double-leaf oak door, thick and exuding an ancient aura.

The blonde lady stopped in front of the door, raised her hand, and knocked three times softly with her knuckles.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The sound echoed through the empty corridor.

She didn't wait for a response but pushed the door open directly, then stepped aside and made a "please" gesture.

"Please come in."

Without hesitation, Lin Feng took the first step inside.

The scene inside the office completely exceeded Lin Feng's expectations.

There was no massive mahogany desk symbolizing power as imagined, nor any luxurious or flamboyant decorations.

This place looked more like a scholar's private study.

All four walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, packed densely with various thick, hardcover books. History, philosophy, astronomy, physics... it encompassed everything.

A familiar scent wafted through the air.

It was the smell of old paper, identical to the scent in that abandoned study in Africa over seventy years ago.

A figure stood with his back to them in front of a massive floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking Buenos Aires as twilight fell.

He wore a well-tailored gray suit and had a tall, upright posture; from behind, he didn't look like an old man at all.

"You've come."

The man spoke. His voice was steady and gentle, with a refined Oxford accent.

He slowly turned around.

When Wang Dalong saw that face clearly, his mouth hung open, and he let out a cry of surprise.

"My god!"

It wasn't a face covered in wrinkles and nearing the end of its life.

It was a face that looked forty years old at most—handsome, elegant, with a few lines of wisdom etched at the corners of his eyes by the passage of time. He had blue eyes, a high bridge on his nose, and a lip line that was soft yet firm.

Wang Dalong had seen this face before!

In the documents Lady Elizabeth had given them! On that black-and-white photograph left behind from the Old Earl's youth! It was this exact face! Not a single detail was different!

"This... this is impossible!" Wang Dalong's voice trembled as he pointed at the man, unable to speak clearly. "You... you are Duke Howard Cavendish?!"

"It seems my daughter gave you quite a bit of useful information." A slight smile appeared on Duke Howard's face, a smile full of classical gentlemanly charm that made one feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze. He pointed to the sofa opposite him. "Please, sit, Mr. Lin, Mr. Wang."

Lin Feng did not sit.

He simply stood there, looking at the man before him who should have been over a hundred and twenty years old, yet miraculously maintained a middle-aged appearance. The shock in his heart was a hundred times stronger than when he had seen the 88mm cannons firing in the African desert.

"The eye of odin."

Lin Feng didn't beat around the bush and directly spoke those four words.

A hint of approval showed in Duke Howard's eyes: "As expected, someone who can find this place wouldn't be a fool. Yes, it is 'its' gift that has slowed the process of entropy. In your Eastern terms, perhaps it could be called... the Art of youth preservation."

He didn't hide anything at all, frankly admitting the secret of his agelessness as if discussing today's weather.

"What exactly is going on with all of this?" Lin Feng's voice was heavy.

"It's a long story, but I think you should have the time to hear it out." Duke Howard elegantly poured himself a glass of whisky, the amber liquid swirling gently in the crystal glass. He gestured to them as well, but neither of them moved.

He took a sip on his own, seemingly lost in distant memories.

"When I was young, I was filled with a fanatical curiosity about all the mysterious things in this world. I once funded expeditions to the Amazon Rainforest to find the City of Gold, and I personally led a team deep into the Kunlun Mountains' no-man's-land in your China to find the ruins of the legendary Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West."

He mentioned it casually, but it made Lin Feng's heart stir. Kunlun!

"That time, we were almost completely wiped out; we nearly died inside. In the end, I was the only one who escaped alive..."

Wang Dalong listened, not even daring to breathe.

"World War II broke out, and the Germans began to pour their national strength into studying occultism and ancient relics. Their goals coincided with my pursuits. Thus, I became their consultant, and they became my sponsors. We had a very pleasant time collaborating. Until 1945, when the Reich collapsed, I thought the path I was pursuing had also come to an end."

At this point, Duke Howard's eyes were full of fanaticism.

"But just then, they showed me their final discovery—the 'eye of odin'. My God, it was the ultimate goal I had sought all my life! It was the answer to the universe! For it, I unhesitatingly abandoned my title, my family, and everything secular to come with them to that secret base in Africa."

"We studied it for two whole years. That thing... it's like a mass of living energy; it has its own consciousness! We confirmed it can warp time and space, but we couldn't control it. Every attempt led to catastrophic consequences."

"Finally, in 1947, a serious disagreement broke out among us." The Duke's face darkened. "A group of die-hard loyalists wanted to use the eye of odin to establish an eternal fortress within the base, retreating into a shell like a tortoise to wait for their so-called 'Reich' to return. Another group, led by Von Ehrenberg, believed we should take the 'eye of odin' into exile overseas to rebuild their empire in a new world. In the end, the latter won. That poor base commander shot himself in the temple in despair."

"So, we dismantled all the core equipment and came to Argentina."

"But new disagreements soon emerged." Duke Howard took another sip of wine, his handsome face filled with disgust.

"I only wanted to continue studying the 'eye of odin'; I wanted to unlock the ultimate mysteries of the universe, to know where we came from and where we are going. But those Nazi remnants, their ambitions grew increasingly mad and ugly. They were no longer satisfied with establishing a spiritual Fourth Reich..."

He paused, setting down the wine glass; the glass made a soft clinking sound against the table.

He looked at Lin Feng and Wang Dalong and spoke a shocking truth.

"They want to use the power of the 'eye of odin' to..."

"...Resurrect The Painter."