I Pioneered Scientific Magic

Chapter 252: Do You Want the Fish's Belly to Hide Books or a Night Howl of the Wild Fox?

In a daze, Raydell had a bizarre dream, imagining himself as someone else—a poor laborer in a vast empire, summoned to the borders of Yuyang for duty...

"Wake up, come on, wake up!"

An urgent call reached his ears, and Raydell, groggy, opened his eyes to see a scruffy man before him.

It was Wu Guang...

Raydell suddenly recalled the man's name; he was his good brother, someone trustworthy.

Both were temporarily promoted to commanders due to their exceptional abilities, assisting the Qin Dynasty in escorting nine hundred laborers to Yuyang's borders.

And his name seemed to be Chen Sheng.

Raydell felt utterly bewildered; these two names felt incredibly unfamiliar, yet in the dream, he had already forgotten everything before.

He hesitated for a while until the repeated calling of his name brought him back to reality. He looked at the dim sky and the pouring rain outside the barracks, puzzled, and asked.

"What's wrong, Brother Wu? Are we setting off again before daybreak?"

"No, I just got some terrible news," sighed Wu Guang. "The continuous heavy rain has blocked the roads ahead with landslides and floods. Even if we detour, we won't make it to Yuyang within the month."

"Ah, the Qin laws are harsh; if we exceed the deadline and fail to reach the border, we'll face execution by law! I'm afraid our lives are in jeopardy."

At these words, Raydell was startled. He had no clue about these so-called Qin laws and regulations, let alone why he was there. His mind held only vague, unclear memories.

But there was a natural closeness to the man in front of him; his good brother wouldn't deceive him!

In other words, they were about to die soon!

Fear of death surged within Raydell, along with a sense of helplessness.

"Listen, dear brother, since dying early or late is the same, why not go against them?" Wu Guang fervently exclaimed.

"The brutal Qin, constantly waging wars, forcing us common folks to unbearable suffering. Now, with the Dragon Ancestor dead and the Second Emperor reigning, more cruel and conspiring to kill Crown Prince Fusu— who in the world would tolerate this tyranny?"

"If we rise now, many will join us, enough to establish a significant feat!"

"For the people, for the lives of our brothers, for our glory and wealth, let's take the chance today!" Wu Guang spoke passionately, urging Raydell.

Though Raydell didn't quite comprehend, the fiery spirit within him was aroused. He understood one thing—if it's all about life or death, might as well face it head-on!

But this enthusiasm lasted briefly. Being an honest lad, Raydell couldn't act on impulse to rebel against the overseer. He could only weakly seek help from Wu Guang.

"But how? What should we do?"

"Don't worry, I've arranged everything!" assured Wu Guang confidently, handing over a roll of white silk. "Tomorrow, while fishing outside, find a way to stuff this into a fish's belly..."

Raydell carefully took the white silk and noticed, written in vivid red like blood, several large characters—'Rise of Great Chu, King Chen Sheng!'

Raydell was dumbfounded. Did he remember his name as Chen Sheng? This, this... felt a bit off.

How about you take over?

Yet Wu Guang didn't give Raydell a chance to refuse; he immediately presented the extraordinary plan called "Fish's Belly Concealment"!

Honest Raydell never expected a rebellion to be played out like this—wasn't this just trickery?

"Remember, if you want to save them, don't outsmart the laborers, and don't tell them the truth!" Wu Guang reminded.

The next day, as instructed, Raydell stuffed the white silk into a fish's belly. He soon witnessed his good brother's performance.

With 'Fish's Belly Concealment' in the front and 'Wild Fox Night Howl' at the back, bewildering the laborers, Raydell keenly noticed their gaze towards him had changed.

The moment had silently arrived. While a drunk officer led the escort, Wu Guang started his performance, intentionally declaring plans to escape, provoking the officer to insult and whip him publicly, stirring the crowd's anger.

Then, together with Raydell, they seized swords, killing two accompanying officers, rallying everyone together, delivering an impassioned speech.

"The Qin laws are harsh; failing means death! Now, die by their hands or fight for your lives—will you die as slaves or fight against tyranny?"

"For a righteous cause, revolt against the cruel Qin!"...

Raydell stood dazed on the platform. Though the protagonist, the Chen Sheng King, according to Wu Guang, he felt like a puppet manipulated by others.

In a daze, it seemed his soul was departing from his body. Raydell saw himself standing on the platform, raising his hands, shouting a stirring cry.

"Would you rather live on your knees than die on your feet!"

Suddenly, the responsive voices echoed like thunder, reverberating through the heavens and earth. The laborers below raised torches, cheering in unison.

"Rise of Great Chu, King Chen Sheng!"

Startled awake from his dream by the thunderous chanting, Raydell was drenched in cold sweat.

Before him remained the familiar, cold mine. All the lost memories flooded back.

Was it a dream?

Raydell wondered, yet everything he had experienced felt so real, almost indistinguishable from reality. He could vividly remember every detail from the dream.

For a moment, Raydell couldn't tell if he was truly the Empire's Commander Chen Sheng or Raydell...

He didn't understand the concept of the Butterfly Dream of Zhuangzi, but now, he felt a similar sensation!

Suddenly, Raydell noticed something peculiar on his hand. He glanced down to find a finely crafted ring on his right index finger.

He had never seen anything so exquisitely made; the ring bore intricate patterns and emitted a faint glow.

A creation of the devil?

That thought struck Raydell. The church had long propagated the existence of a group of devil worshippers within the Kingdom of Hadralata.

They wielded bizarre sorcery, capable of incredible feats. Any object bearing strange runic patterns, as on this ring, was undoubtedly a trap laid by devil worshippers.

Touching it would bring misfortune, even taint the soul and drag one to hell!

With this in mind, Raydell hurriedly removed the ring, ready to discard it. But recalling the experiences from the dream, he hesitated...

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