The Hero of Hypnosis

Chapter 518: History lesson

"A-Amazing. Thank you for helping out our village! I would bow, but my back isn’t the way it used to be." The old woman smiled

"It’s all good. Now that the inn is fixed, we’ll stay there."

"Wait, please, follow me." She turned around and started walking over to the largest house in the village.

Kai turned to his girls, who all just shrugged, so they followed the woman. When they entered the house, they were directed to a dining table.

"Would you all like anything to drink?" The old woman asked

"Tea, please."

"Good choice."

’Hmm. I can see temporal fluctuations around her. Was she affected by the beasts?’ Kai wondered

"Mother? What are you doing? Who are these people?" A young woman, around Kai’s age, walked down the stairs and into the living room.

"Mother?" Amaya asked

"Hey! Don’t be rude!" Kyana slapped her arm.

"Ow, sorry."

"Fufu, it’s alright. Believe it or not, I’m only 38 years old." The woman came back with tea for everyone.

"Mother, let me help you." The daughter handed out the tea to everyone.

"Penny, these people saved the village from the Chrono-Beasts; thank them."

"Really? Thank you so much! Your help means a lot!" She bowed to all of them.

"No worries. So, I’m assuming you were affected by the chrono-beasts, huh?" Kai asked

The woman smiled grimly, then nodded. "I am Penelope, the village Chieftess. I protected this village from the chrono-beasts; my family, dating back generations, did as well. But one day, a large beast came, and I was beaten."

"It stole your time, huh?"

She nodded again. "Yes. As I said before, I’m only 38, but my body is around its 90s. Thankfully, I cultivated my upper, middle, and lower dantian before that happened, and I was able to stay alive for longer than expected."

"Hmm. But mana—Ki keeps the body in its prime for a long time, especially if you are in a higher cultivation stage."

"That’s true, but the chrono-beasts don’t care about that. It aged me as if I were a normal person who had never cultivated in their life. My daughter is going to be the next chief, and she’s already mastered everything I can teach her. My time will be over soon."

"No, mother, don’t say that." Penny rushed over to her mother’s side and held her hand.

Kai felt bad, so he got up and placed a hand on the woman’s other hand.

"Do you believe in miracles?"

"Heh, if I did, then the chrono-beasts would have been gone already."

"Good. Miracles are bullshit." Kai restored Penelope’s time, returning her body to the state it was supposed to be in.

"Damn! You’re hot!" Kai blurted out.

"M-My body! I-I’m back! I’m really back! Y-You healed me!"

"Yup, don’t sweat it. Just a little trick I can do." He sat back down.

"This is amazing! Mother, you’re back!" Penny leapt into her mother’s arms.

"I am, my sweet."

"Mother, your hair is still white. It didn’t return to being brown."

"Hmm, you’re right. A side effect, maybe?" Penelope looked at Kai, who just shrugged

"Dunno. I’ve never dealt with this before, so I have no idea."

"I see. Well, thank you anyway. You don’t know how much this means to me."

"As I said before, don’t sweat it. However, I do have some questions to ask you."

"Ask away."

"You said that your family has been protecting this village for generations, right. Can you explain more of that in detail?"

"Of course. You see, one thousand years ago, after the Chrono event that turned the neighboring town into what it currently is, Goddess Aera tasked my ancestor with preventing the chrono-beasts from reaching further into the kingdom. The chieftess’s bloodline was blessed with more power to help combat the beasts, and she had the metal from the mine absorb the time fluctuations in the area, allowing us to create Chrono-Steel."

"I see. And what if a beast escapes? What do you do then?"

"There is a very large barrier around the village that extends for a few miles. It’s big, so the beasts can be lured out of the village if we need to divert its attention elsewhere."

Gwen nodded. "Smart."

"Do you know about the hero?" Kai asked

"I do. I am one of her descendants. She left a daughter behind, and her daughter was my ancestor who was blessed by the goddess Aera."

"Ahh, that makes sense." Kai saw that as a smart move from Aera. By blessing the hero’s family line, no one would question their legitimacy and want to covet that power.

"I’m assuming you six are going to the temple." Penelope leaned forward.

"Temple? We’re just going to the town trapped in time." Kai had no idea what temple she was talking about

"The town is called The Temple."

"Really? That’s a stupid name."

"Heh, I’m kidding. There was a temple built in front of the Town trapped in Time, and before entering the town, you have to enter the temple. There, you have to pass some trials, and if you fail, you can’t enter the town."

"That sounds like a pain. Can’t we just walk into the town? I mean, Telia was the one who sent us on this quest in the first place."

"Telia? As in Empress Telia?" Penelope wasn’t expecting to hear the name of the Empress from Kai’s mouth.

"Yeah. Her."

"Oh. Then you can enter without any trial. I’ll make sure of that."

"Sweet! Thanks."

"No problem. In the meantime, you can stay here in the village and equip yourselves for your journey ahead. I’m just letting you know this ahead of time, but no one has ever made it out of the time prison, and thousands of people have tried over the years."

"Thanks for letting us know. But don’t worry, we’ll be in and out of that place in no time. Haha, saying time is really starting to sound likea pun."

"Very well. Penny, please take them to the inn and make sure they have the best room there."

"Yes, mother."