Chapter 575
“Who... are you... a messenger of...”
“Dare to... intrude... upon my... territory...”
“Stealing... my...”
“Faith...”
“Hmm...?”
A voice, thick and sticky like stirred mud, echoed in Xia'er’s ears...
.
.
.
PS:
164.5 (overdue) - 2 (extra) = 162.5 (overdue)
Burned out!
Tomorrow, aiming for 6, striving for 8!
Good night!
**Chapter 295: Faith, Lies, and Truth (4086 words)**
Listening to the unmistakable confusion in that last statement, Xia'er focused all her attention on the creature before her, echoing its bewilderment.
“Hmm?”
So weak...
But why... does it exude such a strong sense of oppression?
Unless that pressure doesn’t come from it...
The giant, cracked-skinned monster in front of her was not powerful in itself... Its overwhelming presence and oppressive aura stemmed entirely from its “uniqueness”...
It might not even possess the strength of a third-tier being, yet it wields “uniqueness”?
In the Old Days, was “uniqueness” such a worthless thing?
But it seemed... like it could communicate...
As Xia'er pondered how to escape her predicament, the creature spoke first.
“Please follow me... Your Excellency, the Messenger...”
Thud, thud—
The monster stepped back, and as it moved out of the candlelight’s reach, the candles on its body suddenly extinguished, vanishing into the darkness.
Just seconds later, a small green light flickered in the distance, like a tiny lighthouse in the dark.
It just... left?
Xia'er, who had been bracing for a fierce battle, stared at the distant green glow in confusion.
She confirmed repeatedly that her mind was clear... it had truly departed.
What now? Should I run?
As Xia'er contemplated, the village began to light up with a sickly green glow, one candle at a time.
From the dilapidated houses emerged a dozen or so pale, emaciated men and women, carrying candles and glaring at Xia'er with anger. More eyes were fixated on the black Ni in her hand and the broken flowers inside the house.
The middle-aged man who had been kneeling on the ground now stood up, holding a rekindled candle, casting a furious glance at the black Ni and muttering, “Traitor...”
Can I... escape?
Xia'er gazed at the distant ghostly green light, deep in thought.
A creature of low extraordinary rank, possibly wielding “uniqueness,” seemed to harbor no hostility towards her, even after she had killed its “messenger.”
“Charm” must have played a significant role, Xia'er was certain.
Let’s go.
With no knowledge of the Old Days, she couldn’t extract much from commoners like black Ni.
Perhaps from that enormous creature, she could learn something...
Risk and reward coexist, and in this situation, Xia'er leaned towards the idea of a conversation.
Being able to communicate is a good thing.
Xia'er placed black Ni back in the room and snapped her fingers; the ropes binding her dissipated.
“If there’s danger,” Xia'er pointed to the rune stone clutched in black Ni’s hand and said, “use this to call me.”
“Okay... okay, Binds...” black Ni started to say something else but was cut off by Xia'er.
“Don’t call me that name.” Xia'er interrupted, “Just call me **.”
Xia'er noticed a hint of confusion in black Ni’s eyes when she mentioned her name.
She... doesn’t understand what I’m saying?
Interesting.
In the Otherworld, saying “Binds” would trigger a system warning, but in the Old Days, “Binds” was a name one could utter, while her own name seemed to have been erased by some unknown force.
“Forget it, call me whatever you like.” Xia'er smiled, rising and heading towards the door, glancing once more at the distant green glow.
Holding her ethereal, pale green candle, she walked towards the distant light.
...
The foul, muddy ground squelched beneath Xia'er’s feet as she walked, candle in hand, along the treacherous path.
Crack—
A sharp sound.
This noise didn’t make Xia'er stop; she had lost count of how many times she had stepped on the stark white bones, and the closer she got to the green light, the more bones appeared.
Looking back, the village’s green glow was now far behind her, reduced to a few barely visible flickers.
She turned her gaze forward again, and this time, she could finally see what lay ahead.
Bones stained with mud piled along the road, and at the end of this bone-laden path stood a dilapidated church, its top ablaze with a dark green torch, from which burning oil dripped, sizzling as it fell onto the skulls below that served as vessels for the oil.
A few subhuman creatures, resembling the previous messenger, lay on the ground, watching Xia'er with hostility. They parted to make way, but their hostile gazes never left her.
Xia'er stopped before the church’s decaying wooden door, reached out, and gently knocked on the wood.
Knock, knock—
Wooden splinters fell from the door.
With a sharp creak, the three-meter-high door slowly opened, revealing the interior to Xia'er’s view.
It was an almost empty church, where the giant, fat monster sat in the center, gazing at Xia'er with its candle-lit eyes.
“Please, have a seat... Messenger of the Other God.” The monster raised its cracked right hand, gesturing to a peeling wooden chair in front of it.
Thud—
The door closed behind Xia'er. She didn’t step forward but instead looked up at the monster’s face and slowly asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
Xia'er preferred to get straight to the point in conversations.
“That’s what I should be asking... What do you want to talk about?” The monster’s neck split open, revealing a grotesque smile, its eyes glowing with fire as it said, “Long ago, I discovered that one of my followers had been corrupted by the Other God... I have been waiting, waiting for your arrival...”
Did it know from the moment black Ni obtained the rune stone?
Then why did it tolerate the existence of this “heretic”?
“Why wait for me? Do you know who I am?” Xia'er inquired.
“No... I do not know who you are... I am merely waiting for an ascendant who can help me...”
The monster’s sticky voice slithered into Xia'er’s ears, its unsettling tone deepening her confusion.
Looking for someone to help it... an ascendant?
This was a rare term that resonated with the ancient Ansu language, instantly making Xia'er grasp its meaning.
An ascendant.
Wait, is this monster a person?
Xia'er continued to question it, voicing her thoughts about where they were, why it needed to wait for an ascendant, and what was going on in this village...
The “monster” provided detailed answers to nearly every one of Xia'er’s questions, and she gradually began to understand the true situation here.
This was the Abyssal Ruins, a dark, sunless chasm, the birthplace of the eternally silent tongue, Morros.
Originally, the Abyssal Ruins were not like this; although almost cut off from the surface, the presence of the “Cocoon of Light” filled the underground with brightness. The land was rich, and under the catalyst of the “Cocoon of Light,” both soil and plants flourished abundantly, allowing various beings to establish vast kingdoms in the Abyssal Ruins.
The “Cocoon of Light” not only ignited the spark of life but also kindled different civilizations.
As the guardian of the “Cocoon of Light,” Morros generously shared His power with the world, spreading His ways—a gentle, unimaginable force of nature.
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