From the end of the world

Chapter 437 Common Fear
"Why can't I appear in a place like this?" I asked.

Seeing that I didn't intend to kill him right away, the "Preacher" should have realized that I wanted to get information from him next. He closed his mouth while looking at me in fear, and showed hesitation. I think he probably wanted to keep the secret, but he knew that he couldn't do that in front of me, so he began to consider whether he should confess voluntarily.

Without waiting for him to make a decision, I used the power of words to order him to tell the whole truth.

In the past, I needed to use the Black Rope Lock Heart Ring to extract information from my opponents, but with the power of the Word Spirit, I can get the same effect even if the Black Rope Lock Heart Ring is not at hand. The "Preacher" can only honestly tell the information he knows, and cannot add lies to it, nor can he remain silent.

I asked questions while examining his body, and then found the "white book" mentioned in Xiao Qiao's story. As Zhu Shi said, the cover of the white book had the words "Taohuayuan Ji" written on it, and the content was a lot of words describing and praising how beautiful the "paradise" was. There were also some runes with mysterious power interspersed in the text, which could affect the viewer's consciousness.

The power of this influence is not strong. After all, it is just a prop used to interfere with the minds of ordinary people, and the performance does not need to be too strong. It is no wonder that the evil-repelling wood carving that Zhu Shi gave to Xiao Qiao can resist its interference.

In addition, according to the "Preacher", he also used the white book to persuade two agents who were originally responsible for patrolling the abandoned construction site. Although the agents were ordinary people who could not manipulate magic power, they all had self-defense props like Xiao Qiao. Unfortunately, unlike the situation with Xiao Qiao, the "Preacher" knew very well that the agents had self-defense methods, so he first removed all their protective gear and then forcibly "brainwashed" the two people.

The two agents who were my believers turned to Taoyuan Township. Although some people may think that their faith is not firm enough, from another perspective, people who believe in gods are usually dissatisfied and disappointed with their real life and choose to place their hopes on the other side. Even I cannot deny that I have such a tendency. Compared with the current, realistic life, I want to pursue unrealistic adventures.

The "paradise" of Taoyuan Township is the embodiment of the world on the other side.

As for why the "Preacher" had the guts to attack Xiao Qiao, a junior student of the Saltwater University where I was studying, and even dared to use this unfinished building that was related to me as a trap location to fight others, and thought that I would not appear here, I also got the answer. At first, I was still wondering if there was some complicated reason behind this, but it was not the case at all.

To put it bluntly, it is very simple. In his mind, Da Wuchang is a super big shot far away in the world, and it is difficult for him to consider him as a real threat.

He was too small for me, and I was too big for him. While he regarded ordinary people as boring mortals, he had a clear understanding that he was just a small mortal compared to the god-like Great Impermanence. Therefore, in his intuitive feeling, he and I were like characters living in different universes. From a rational point of view, he did think about whether his actions would provoke me, but in the end he still couldn't picture in his mind that his actions would really provoke me to take action.

He could not imagine that he was worthy of coming into contact with the gods, nor could he imagine that the gods would condescend to cause the failure of his actions with their own hands.

If it was a master demon hunter living in Luoshan, a place with a long history, he would definitely be more sensitive to such things; but the "Preacher" was outside of Luoshan and was only a resident demon hunter, so he lacked this sensitivity.

"As expected of a man who named his weapon 'Zhuang Cheng's Blade', this naming idea really seems like that of someone who has never thought about the possibility of meeting the real owner in this lifetime." Zhu Shizheng made a comment that hit the nail on the head.

While I was interrogating the "Preacher", Zhu Shi also took the opportunity to briefly "popularize" the meaning of the words that appeared in our conversation to Xiao Qiao, such as Luoshan, Taoyuan Township, demon hunter, agent, etc., and told Xiao Qiao that her future destiny might not be able to escape the shadow of the weird world.

Junior sister Xiao Qiao looked at the "preacher" with complicated eyes. I guess she still yearns for supernatural powers, or at least hopes that she can get enough power to protect herself and those around her in the future.

"Can I ask a question?" asked Xiao Qiao.

"Just ask," I said.

Xiao Qiao looked at the "Preacher" and said, "You should have gained more powerful power through the so-called Dreamland Token, right? But according to Xiao Zhu, the stronger the power, the deeper the connection with the weird world, and the easier it is to encounter dangerous weird things. Many demon hunters died in this way... Why do you still want to become more powerful?"

"Answer her question." I was curious too.

"...The attraction is determined only by the frequency of encountering strange things. It doesn't mean that as long as you keep yourself at a weak enough level, you won't attract strange events that are beyond your ability to handle." The "Preacher" answered honestly, "From the beginning of the living realm, some even start from the bad realm, they can get a lifespan far beyond that of ordinary people, but there are still many monks who die young, and the same is true for the successful realm monks... Even the great monks can hardly escape this disaster. "It is so difficult for a great monk to become a great impermanence that it is almost impossible. However, there can be more than ten great impermanences in Luoshan, but there are only less than twenty great monks so far. How do you think this unreasonable numerical ratio came about?

"If you think that you can gain safety by remaining weak, you will only die faster and more miserably. In fact, didn't I fall into the hands of the Great Impermanence here?"

There was a hint of self-mockery in his voice.

Zhu Shi seemed to share the same feelings. When Lu Chan chatted with me before, he also mentioned that the reason why Agent Kong became a weirdo who killed people and refined souls was because he was afraid that he would die in an inevitable weird incident one day. The common fear of demon hunters and agents about the vortex of the weird world is a concept that occupies an extremely heavy position in their collective consciousness, but it is also a part that I have never deeply touched upon. Because in this regard, my sensibility is completely opposite to theirs. What they are always afraid of is exactly what I always yearn for.

If we cannot understand their common fear, we may not be able to truly understand the core consciousness of the demon hunter community. And it is hard to say that Luoshan's death worship culture does not have their fear of the inescapable horror of death.

They may see my attitude towards issues that they consider serious as frivolous, but I don’t think I take risks frivolously.

"So... is this why you joined Utopia?" I asked, "In Utopia, you can find the safety and peace of mind you want?"

“Isn’t this possible?” The Preacher seemed to have given up hope. “I have finally gained the power I have now, but those mortals can live more peacefully than us. They don’t have to worry about inexplicable horrors befalling them without warning, and they don’t have to worry about losing their lives without anyone noticing…

"If we just die normally, then it's fine. We may not even know that we are dead, and become something that is not ourselves. We may even fall into a strange situation where even death is a luxury. In a literal sense, we can neither live nor die... Who can bear such a thing!

"Is this what should happen in the real world? Even if I just fall asleep and have a dream, it would be more reasonable than this shitty reality!

"There may even be an apocalypse in the future. The world will be destroyed within ten years! But as long as you enter the 'paradise', you can get endless life and happiness. Is it a nightmare reality or a vivid dream? Which one is the right choice? Is there any need to say it?"

Junior schoolmate Xiao Qiao said in amazement: "What... the end of the world?"

"I'll explain this to you later."

I first said something to Xiao Qiao, then looked at the "Preacher" again and asked, "What you said sounds reasonable, but there is a very important premise for all of this, that is, the "Utopia" can really be established.

"But are you so sure that the Taoyuan Village Master will fulfill his promise and truly complete the 'Utopia'? In other words, even if he completes the 'Utopia', will it really be the perfect afterlife that meets your expectations?
"Perhaps that place is not the beautiful dream promised by the Taoyuan Village Lord, but a sweet lie made up purely to achieve his own ambitions. In his eyes, you may all be just the materials necessary to realize his ambitions.

"Have you all seriously considered this issue?"

Hearing this, the "Preacher" did not show any hesitation or doubt on his face. Instead, he nodded and admitted, "We know very well that the ultimate goal of the Taoyuan Township Lord is not to build a 'paradise'.

"For us, Arcadia is an end in itself; for him, it is merely a passing point, a necessary means.

"This is an open secret within Taoyuan Township. He has never concealed it from the beginning."

(End of this chapter)