[Comprehensive British and American] The vest system of the son of hell

"My ancestors?"

Old Pete now absolutely trusts Matthew and his partners. Hearing this, after much deliberation, he finally gave the answer: "My grandfather is Irish. Because of the Irish famine, he brought his family to North America and took root here."

"really……"

Matthew glanced at Catherine's red hair.

In medieval Europe where religious trials prevailed, red hair was considered a characteristic of witches, and they were often dragged to the square by a group of religious lunatics and burned to death without doing anything.

Besides, old Pete's family was Irish.

Before Ireland was conquered by England, it already had a mature local belief system. After being forcibly incorporated into the Kingdom of England, it suffered from oppression and exploitation from England for hundreds of years. Social conflicts, ethnic conflicts, and religious conflicts superimposed. The English dare not say that they hate each other, but at least they are mortal. There have been endless uprisings and assassinations against the English rulers, and the resistance of the English rulers to the Irish "mob" has always been bloody suppression and more cruel exploitation.

One of the most heinous is the Irish famine.

Within five years, the population of Ireland dropped by nearly a quarter, most of them died of starvation and disease, and about 100 million Irish people risked emigration due to the famine.

"When your grandfather brought your family to North America by boat, did you bring anything from your hometown?"

"I brought the souvenirs left by my ancestors..." Old Pete said, "and some soil from my hometown."

"May I see the mementoes of your ancestors?"

"can."

……

Old Pete was handicapped, but both Strange and Matthew were magicians.

With the blessing of magic, he quickly found the key to retrieve the treasured ancestor's belongings from the box in the attic.

Two beautifully glazed plates.

"These two plates are what grandpa brought with him when he came to North America."

Old Pete looked at the plate affectionately, and explained: "In Ireland, we believe in God, and we also believe that there are good elves living in the woods. Every night, we put a loaf of bread and a little milk on the window sill on the plate, and leave it for possible An elf passing by the house.

Of course, to young people, it's just an old folk custom, and if elves do exist, how can the Irish—"

"These two plates do have magical remnants on the surface."

Strange spoke suddenly, interrupting Old Pete's words.

Old Pete was stunned: "Is the fairy legend true?"

"I don't know what the elves in your family are like, but the Irish elves I have seen have nothing to do with the description 'little'. In fact, they are not only tall and strong, but also have a bad temper."

"This one……"

Old Pete couldn't accept it.

In his imagination, the elf who took the bread and milk left by the owner in the middle of the night should look like the elf in a children's book illustration, slender and beautiful.

Or, like the elves in "The Lord of the Rings", they are beautiful and elegant, noble and reserved.

result--

"Elves have no obligation to grow into what humans want. They exist in the natural world in the image they should be..." Strange said, "All the beautiful delusions about elves are ridiculous."

"Well, I……"

Old Pete thought for a while, and decided to accept the setting that the elf might not be pretty or slender for his daughter.

Strange had already checked the surface of the plate for any remnants of magic.

He did not restore the image of the elves who took food from the plate on the spot, which indirectly hit the beautiful fantasy of Irish elves deep in Old Pete's heart.

He returned the plate to old Pete and asked, "Did your grandpa tell you the legend about the Irish elves borrowing time?"

"Borrow time?"

"Yes, borrowing time..." Strange explained, "borrowing the time of those who believe in it, but will give this family something special in return."

"You mean Catherine was in a coma for 20 years because she was borrowed by our family's guardian spirit?"

Old Pete shook his head frantically: "Impossible! Impossible! This is not true! How could elves do such things to us who enshrine it!"

"In the world of elves, there is no gratitude, only equivalent exchange..." Strange said, "It accepts your grandpa's food, so it protects your grandpa and safely crosses the ocean to North America to start again. This is The deal between the Elf and your grandfather, and the deal is over."

"But--"

Old Pete was flustered when he heard this: "I didn't take the initiative to make any deals with elves! I didn't even enshrine elves!"

"Never made an offering?"

"Yes, not once."

Old Pete said truthfully: "When I was a child, my grandfather passed away, and the legend about the Irish elves was heard from my parents.

I don't believe in the so-called Irish elves. If elves really exist, how could the Irish suffer such a tragic famine? "

"So you put away the ancestral plates dedicated to elves?"

"Yes."

Speaking of this, Old Pete suddenly panicked: "Catherine has been in a coma for 20 years, is it the elves' punishment for me to stop worshiping? If this is the case! The elves are too much! The number of people in the world who do not worship elves is counted in the hundreds of millions! Why? To punish my Catherine!"

"Old Pete, calm down, things are not as bad as you think."

Matthew said reassuringly, "The Irish elves will not punish Catherine just because you stopped offering them."

"Are you sure? They're elves! They're not humans!"

Old Pete was yelling in a hurry.

Strange pressed Old Pete's shoulder: "Because the elves are not human, I'm more sure that they won't punish Catherine just because you stopped worshiping."

"Why do you say that?"

"Humans pay attention to the calculation of interests, and elves will only exchange at equal value."

"All right……"

Old Pete was a little emotionally broken.

If the magical force that kept her daughter unconscious for 20 years wasn't an Irish elf, what could it be?

"In fact, it was the power of the elves that kept your daughter unconscious for 20 years, but her body functions are still functioning normally..." Strange added, "Because your daughter used to enshrine the elves in private."

"This this……"

Old Pete's eyes began to cloud.

Matthew glanced at Strange and said to Old Pete, "Old Pete, you go out first, Strange and I are going to prepare for the summoning ceremony."

"Summon what?"

"An Irish elf who guards your family."

After speaking, Matthew sent Old Pete out of the attic room.

When he returned to the room, Strange had already drawn the magic circle, and was kneeling on the ground with one knee, holding the Eye of Agamotto in his hand, hanging above the plate, reciting the summons at a slow and steady speed.

As he recited, the magic circle gradually shone brightly, and the Eye of Agamotto slowly opened, forming an important part of the magic summoning circle, acting on the medium plate.

A ball of light appeared in the plate, and in the light, a face that resembled a human was looming.

The Irish elves who guard Old Pitt's family have arrived.

It opened its eyes and looked at Strange who summoned it and Matthew standing behind Strange.

【You guys summoned me? 】

"Well, we came here to ask you something."

Strange cut to the chase: "How much do you know about Catherine?"

[Catherine? 】

"The red-haired girl who would have bread and milk on the kitchen windowsill of this home."

【It turns out her name is Catherine...】

The elf showed a nostalgic expression.

Strange took the opportunity to ask: "Do you know why she fell into a deep sleep for 20 years?"

【Know a little bit...】

"Can you tell us all you know?" Matthew asked.

[As long as you pay the same price, I will tell you everything I know. 】

"What price?" Strange asked.

The elf looked up and glanced at the Eye of Agamotto in his hand.

【It, I want it. 】

"You should change to another trading item..." Strange blurted out, "This gem won't work."

【Except it, nothing on you is enough to exchange my secret. 】

The attitude of the elves is also very tough, and they will not tell secrets unless they give the Eye of Agamotto.

Strange was a little speechless: "You can see my gem at a glance, so you have a certain understanding of my ability. Are you not afraid that I will cast a coercive spell on you and force you to tell the secret?"

[Don't be afraid, because your coercive spell can't make me, who holds this secret, yield. 】

The elf looked at Strange with a subtle smile.

Strange's heart trembled for a while.

He asked Matthew, "Is there something you can do to handle this situation?"

"Why do you ask me? I just—"

"You are not an ordinary magician, and you are not just a demon. If it were you, maybe you could—"

"You want to get the secret without paying the price?"

"It's not that I'm breaking the contract, it's that the asking price is too expensive, and I have to change the payment method."

Strange admitted it quite frankly.

Matthew then took a step forward, squatted down and asked the elf, "Can we talk?"

【Think about it……】

Different from the calmness when he was bargaining with Strange, facing Matthew, the elf was actually a little panicked

"I want to know the truth and, of course, I will pay enough."

Matthew looked at the elf "kindly", and after being reminded by the system, he deliberately released the light of the double king sword.

The elf trembled suddenly.

【I...I...you can't force me!Forced transactions do not follow the rules! 】

"I didn't force you, I just want to ask you to lower your offer and not take away Strange's Eye of Agomotto."

Matthew's tone was very kind.

But the elf's mood was—

[I...I...I...don't have the Eye of Agamotto as a trade item, so I dare not tell this huge secret!Please, don't force me again! 】

"Don't dare to tell? Huge secret?"

Matthew chewed on the key words, and slowly got up: "Strange, the real situation may be worse than we expected."

"But exchanging the Eye of Agamotto is too—"

Strange couldn't make up his mind.

Seeing this, Matthew remembered the multiple super vests in the system's favorites, and had an idea, and asked the elf: "How about I pay the transaction for him?"

【You...you...】

The elf's tongue was trembling.

Matthew: "Can't you? We are in the same group."

【but……】

"I just want to know if it's okay or not!"

【this……】

"Give me a definite answer!"

Matthew pressed on.

The elf was forced to be speechless by him, and the summoned body trembled uncontrollably, and it might——

"It's just a secret, why are you so persistent?" Matthew pressed further.

【because--】

"yes or no?"

【I……】

"I just want an answer!"

[Yes! 】

The elf who was driven to a dead end finally endured the humiliation and accepted Matthew's request for a deal.

It looked up, looking into Matthew's eyes with fiery eyes.

[I will take your magic black wolf as a transaction price, they are useful to me. 】

"Can……"

Matthew accepted this condition, and even felt that the elf's transaction request was far lower than his expectations for the transaction.

[Then you must protect me, if I encounter high-level hunting for revealing this secret. 】

"Sure enough, high-level magical creatures are involved behind Catherine's incident." Matthew said suddenly.

At this time, Strange also forgave the elf's arrogance for asking for the Eye of Agamotto, and said sympathetically, "You are just an ordinary family elf, how could you come into contact with god-level magical battles?"

[If I had the qualifications to choose, I would never let myself get involved, but unfortunately I didn't——by the time I found out that I couldn't intervene, I was already in the game.Well, you can sign a contract with me now!Take my secret, protect my life! 】

"it is good……"

Strange and Matthew agreed with one voice.

Immediately afterwards, the contract magic circle rose up, closely connecting the spirits and elves of the two.

In this way, when the elves encounter a death crisis, they will be reminded immediately and arrive in time to save the elves.

And, from now on, Matthew's magical black wolves become servants of the elves.

In return, the elf transmitted into their minds all the information it had of what had happened to Catherine.

The shocking facts almost broke the spirits of Matthew and Strange!

"how come……"

"I didn't expect it to be..."

The two people who were frightened by the incident looked at each other bitterly.

Especially Strange.

"I got involved in things that I simply couldn't handle," he said in self-deprecating words.

"It's too late to say anything now..." Matthew said, "Since we have been involved, we can only go on with the wind and snow."

"You are right. This matter is a game of endless gods. As a mortal, I have no right to choose...but you...you..."

Strange looked at Matthew: "You still have a chance to choose."

"Why do you say that?"

"Behind you—"

Strange paused meaningfully.

Matthew: "He hardly intervenes in the real world, and will not make an exception for me. Besides, I don't think we have reached a desperate situation."

"Not in desperate situation? Our enemy is—"

Strange didn't say that name.

He is so powerful that as long as His name is spoken, He will hear their voices and notice their presence.

Even thinking of His existence frequently in his mind will attract His attention!

"But there is one thing I really can't understand. Since He is so powerful that it will never die, why would he set a trap against Catherine, an ordinary girl?

With his strength, whether it is killing Catherine or torturing Catherine for life and death, it is easy to do. Why let Catherine fall into a deep sleep for 20 years and allow the elves to keep Catherine healthy? "

Matthew asked his own question.

After all, it was Him who put Catherine to sleep.

With his strength, there must be a deeper purpose for such a complex design!

"Why do you think he did this?" Strange asked.

Matthew shook his head: "I can't guess."

Strange smiled wryly, and said, "I can't guess it either, but I think it has something to do with the sudden appearance of Dream Whirlpool."

Matthew nodded.

He also thought of this possibility.

He let Catherine fall into a deep sleep, perhaps only for Catherine to give birth to a daughter who could become the host of the dream whirlpool.

As for Catherine who has been asleep for 20 years—

For the truly eternal endless gods, there is no essential difference between 20 years and 10 minutes in the human world.

"If the information provided by the elves and our guesses are correct, Catherine should wake up naturally in the near future."

"Yes, so we must hurry up."

Strange said: "It must be done before Catherine wakes up!"

"You want to enter Catherine's dream world? But in the past 20 years, although she has been in a deep sleep, she has no dreams... No! No! It's not that she has no dreams! It's her dream that was put into her 20 years of long sleep by Him... …I get it! I finally get it all! I know what happened to Catherine!"

Matthew exclaimed with joy: "Strange, your idea is right! We really should enter Catherine's dream world! The key to solving the whole thing is hidden there!"

"How do I get in?" Strange asked.

Catherine's dream is protected by a mysterious force that even Dream Whirlpool can't break through!

"This one……"

Matthew thought for a while and said to Strange: "The Eye of Agamotto and the Dream Stone should be able to send us into Catherine's dream world!"

"But in doing so, our bodies in the real world will—"

"Damian, Can Luo, and Stark can be trusted..." Matthew said, "Although Harley is capricious, she is the patron of madness. As long as madness does not take the initiative to interfere, she should not intentionally cause trouble." Make things difficult for us. The only thing we need to worry about is Catherine's dream world, where there may be a bigger crisis!"

"But we don't have a second choice, do we?"

Strange said calmly, and accepted Matthew's suggestion.

……

After a simple communication, Matthew and Strange walked into the sleeping Catherine's room again, preparing to enter Catherine's dream world.

Damian dragged a stool and sat in a corner of the room, together with Can Luo to protect the bodies of the two during the out-of-body period.

After receiving Matthew's "instructions", the fox in front of Yuzao had to lie on the door of Catherine's room with a depressed face to act as a caretaker fox.

As for Harley—

After she heard that Tony Stark was working with the mayor to decorate the auditorium of the town high school, she ran out excitedly with a sledgehammer on her shoulders and hasn't come back yet.

Old Pete sat on the sofa in the living room, waiting and praying anxiously.

Time passed silently.

The large magic circle surrounding the sleeping Catherine was quickly completed.

Charlene, who was the key to casting the spell, walked anxiously beside Catherine, held her sleeping mother's left hand, and whispered, "Forgive me, Mom, I..."

"start!"

Strange spoke suddenly.

As soon as the words fell, the Eye of Agamotto and the Dream Stone placed in Catherine's heart glowed together and rose into the sky.

The magic circle on the ground then rotated.

Matthew held Charlene's left hand, and Strange held the sleeping Catherine's right hand. Under the guidance of the dream whirlpool power, they attempted to leave their bodies collectively and enter the sealed dream world of Catherine!

result--

"What is this place?"

Strange, whose soul successfully came out of his body but found himself trapped in a vast white mist, let out a speechless roar.

Later, he found Charlene who was as confused as he was in the white mist.

"Charlene? Where's Matthew?"

"I don't know...he just disappeared when I entered this world..."

Charlene looked at Strange in fear.

There is nothing here except white mist.

she's scared...

Strange actually felt a chill running up his spine at this time, but he was the Supreme Mage after all, even if the danger was already on his back, he would—

"Follow me and I'll take you home!"

……

Unlike Strange and Charlene who fell into the boundless white mist, after the light of the magic circle faded, Matthew found himself standing on a piece of green grass. Creatures that only appear in the story:

A puppet lion lying on the grass lazily basking in the sun; a cowboy scarecrow wielding a broom to clean;

Dr. Rabbit, dressed like a human gentleman but still less than [-] centimeters tall including ears;

Poker soldiers with slender limbs are patrolling in neat lines...

"This is Catherine's dream world? Why does it look like..."

Before the words were finished, the door of the fairy tale cabin opened, and a beautiful girl with brilliant blond hair in a blue skirt and red cloak walked out.

The girl's face looked exactly like Catherine's, but Matthew knew that she was not Catherine.

At least, in this fairy tale-like dream world, her identity is not Catherine.

She is--

"Alice? Is that you?"

Matthew pretends to be part of the fairytale dream, and walks up to Catherine, who has turned her red hair into blonde to play Alice.

Catherine tilted her head to look at Matthew when she heard the words: "You are... are..."

"Can't remember who I am?"

Matthew asked Catherine deliberately.

He wanted to use Catherine's answers to ascertain the extent of her control over the dream world.

Catherine was already immersed in Alice's identity. Hearing this, she "suddenly realized" and walked around Matthew, saying, "You are the Red Prince!"

As soon as the words fell, Matthew's image changed accordingly.

The leather shoes became riding boots, and the modern tailored clothing became exaggerated and complicated ancient court attire, with a red cloak on the shoulders, a sword in hand, and a crown on the head.

He became the Red Prince of Catherine's fantasy world.