Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 221 You Can Replace Me

"Do you know?"

The innkeeper held his words for a long time before finally saying something.

He felt that the atmosphere was a bit tense and needed to be eased.

"know."

Ethan didn't comment. "When I opened a shop in Hearth Bay, Miss Rattle helped me a lot."

Hearing this, the boss finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It turned out that they had met when they opened the shop. Seeing the tense look, he almost thought that Ethan owed a lot of debt to the Lofik Consortium, and was discovered by the other party after hiding in the abyss. Such things are not uncommon in the underground city. He has heard many rumors about this vicious woman, and the way she treats those debtors...

Creepy.

What she is even better at is inducing ordinary people to fall into depravity step by step until their debts are so great that they can no longer repay them.

Xiangwei smiled slightly and continued with Ethan's words, "Didn't Mr. Ethan introduce him to you? He is a very remarkable master of magic scroll making. The magic scroll shop he opened in Hearth Bay is one of the most popular shops. Many people are eagerly waiting for them to launch new magic scrolls and props."

After that, she half-jokingly asked Ethan, "Many customers in Hearth Bay are waiting for you to come back to the store. Some customers have been waiting for several months and hope to meet with you."

"You know, there have been some delays recently."

What he was referring to was naturally the matter of Ophira. Tycoon Flor and Rattle were also present at the time. She finally fought with Winter on the coastline, and as expected, she was shattered into ice chips by Winter's ice elemental magic, the kind that could not be put back together.

Old An also mentioned that after they left, Flor took advantage of the unstable seal of the valley to break in and self-righteously negotiated terms with Him.

But unfortunately, Mr. Flor was seriously lacking in negotiation skills. The conditions he proposed were not only unattractive, but also angered Old An and Old Ai. As a result, his soul was squeezed into a ball of meat and eventually became nutrients for the little octopus.

Therefore, when Ethan learned about these two people again in the dungeon, he couldn't help but want to give them the title of the King of Endurance.

These two should be the most tenacious beings Ethan has ever encountered in this world.

As for the affairs of Lao Sen's Magic Technology Store, the temporary clerk he hired, Shepherd, and his younger brothers and sisters, were very worry-free. They had a good business sense and treated the store as their own home, devoting themselves to its operations. Bi'an and Rowena would return to the store from time to time to add their latest research results to the store's merchandise list.

The electric wheelchairs produced by the Craftsmen's Guild are selling very well, and guests from various countries have felt the charm of imperial culture. Now the manufacture of motorcycles has been put on the agenda, and it is expected to be officially released to customers in the second half of the year.

Ethan had to admit that it felt good to make money without doing anything. This was something he had never dared to imagine in his previous life.

What surprised him was that after the incident with Ophira, he thought the Lophik Group would make things difficult for his shop. After all, that was the Lophik Group's territory, and they even asked Rowena to provide the shepherd family with an emergency escape scroll. However, his business was as usual and was not affected at all.

The only explanation Ethan could think of was that Flor was overwhelmed after the incident in Ophira, and now he could barely protect himself and had no time to deal with a store in Hearth Bay.

"Of course, Mr. Ethan is a very busy man. You can be seen all over the empire and abroad. I just wonder if I can borrow half an hour of your time now?"

"You can talk upstairs in the hotel. I'll have the staff watch over you and not let anyone else go up."

The boss took the initiative to speak, his voice trembling a little. If it weren't for Ethan, he probably would never have the chance to talk to a big shot in the upper city like Rattler in his life.

At this time, the advantage of a store without customers is reflected.

When they learned that Ethan's main job was a legendary magic scroll maker, they looked at him with respect.

"What do you think, Mr. Ethan?"

Rattle waited for Ethan's response.

Ethan nodded and took the initiative to walk upstairs.

The two chose the innermost compartment.

"Regarding Ophira's actions, they were the result of Flor's willful behavior."

As expected, Rattle directly pushed all the problems onto Flor, but Ethan was destined to never know the true situation among the Xinkalo believers.

However, the turmoil in Ophira has passed, and the people there have reached a reconciliation with Old An. At least they no longer have to worry about the existence in the deep valley intending to flood the entire Western Continent. Old An's current attitude towards the Western Continent has become indifference - which is also the best result Ethan can get.

The psychotherapy was a great success, and Ethan couldn't help but wonder if he was born to do this.

Now, under the leadership of the reorganized Deep Sea Council, the residents of Ophira are intensively engaged in the restoration of the city. Yug calls them every night to share with them the process of Ophira's reconstruction. After the construction work is completed, he will visit the Empire on behalf of the Deep Sea Council.

Of course, there are other topics besides this.

For example, he felt that the head maid had been acting more and more strange recently. She would change into different colored stockings every day, and would talk to him with disgusted eyes and a somewhat bad tone from time to time. She also seemed to be becoming more and more bold, and sometimes would directly ask questions like "Do you want me to step on you?"

Yug asked Ethan if he had any clue about Lily's transformation.

As a friend and Yug's mental health counselor, Ethan encouraged him to bravely accept his XP, which was nothing to be ashamed of. It was also a happy thing that Lily was willing to cooperate with his hobbies.

On the phone, Ethan used a friend as an example, saying that this hobby is actually very common.

As for why Yug and Lily awakened such a hobby, Ethan had no idea. As he said in mental health counseling, it was probably innate.

However, after hearing about Yuge's troubles, Ivy's expression became a little unnatural. The golden hair on her head hid in her hair guiltily. She blushed and used her work in the cabinet as an excuse, and ran away with her head down.

Their good friend Yuge sounded happy on the phone, so Ethan didn't care whoever caused the unrest in Ophira. He said, "Let bygones be bygones."

Rattle didn't expect Ethan to answer like that and was stunned for a while.

This person's temper...

Would it be a bit too good?

She had prepared herself mentally before coming to meet Ethan. The worst-case scenario was that when they met, before she could even open her mouth, Ethan would use fireball or ice arrow to send her back to the pool of rebirth.

She is one of the few people in the consortium who knows that Ethan's attainments in elemental magic are even higher than those of Winter.

"Of course, I'm just trying to iron out our differences."

She used the word "we" instead of Ethan and the Lofik Group. Coming to meet Ethan was not the decision of the group, but her personal behavior.

The Hydra is the emblem of the Lophik Group. However, the irony is that the internal structure of the Xinkalo believers is really like a Hydra. Each faction has its own ideas, so that she cannot see the future development direction of the Lophik Group at all.

Until a new leader emerges who can replace Flor, this infighting will continue endlessly.

What's worse is that, in her personal opinion, although Flor made the wrong decision, he was still the most suitable person to lead the consortium, and the so-called replacements proposed by the top management were more powerful than the last.

It feels... not as good as Flor.

This is what Xiangwei really thinks, but on the other hand, she also hopes that Flor will fall. After all, if Flor overcomes this hurdle, her previous gloating behavior will definitely be punished.

Until she heard the news today.

A drunkard who could drink up a whole room of War Father's believers came to the dungeon, and there was also a bird that could cook. Ethan's face immediately appeared in Xiangwei's mind.

At that moment, her amazing wisdom came into play.

The problem that had troubled her for a long time suddenly had a new answer.

If the consortium must replace a new leader, why not choose someone who is better than Flor and has defeated Flor head-on?

This person happened to come to the underground city - is there anything more coincidental than this in the world?
In the words of the top executives of the consortium, this is clearly the guidance of the master.

The demon lord Xin Carlo has already made a decision. The new leader of the consortium is neither Flor nor a misfit pushed by the top management, but a person who has truly proved himself with strength and brains!

Of course, there are some minor issues here.

For example, Ethan is not a follower of Shinkalo.

Xiangwei sorted out her thoughts. Ethan didn't treat her to a fireball when they met, which was undoubtedly a good start. "Remember what I mentioned to you about the Western Continent when we first met?"

"remember."

“That was actually the plan I proposed.”

As Flor's secretary, she had participated in discussing many of the consortium's past strategies. The corrupt empire was about to fall, and this was a reality that anyone with a discerning eye could see. Therefore, their strategy was to squeeze as much wealth and resources from the empire as possible before the "sun sets" and then look for a new habitat.

The rich western continent across the sea is undoubtedly the best place to settle.

This is how they have been preparing all along. The Lofik Group has close ties with the Deep Sea Council. They have already placed many industries in various parts of the Western Continent and have spent a large amount of money to support the development of various parts of the Western Continent. The only requirement for this kind of economic support is to let the residents of the Western Continent know about the existence of the Lofik Group through different occasions.

So they also bribed the congressmen and provided financial support for their campaigns.

In just twenty years, Lofik has infiltrated every city in the Western Continent, and even many members of the Deep Sea Council were fostered by them.

This is the part that Xiangwei is best at, and she spent most of her time on the "Western Continent Transfer Strategy".

Until one day, the leader of the consortium, Mr. Flor, was kicked in the head by a donkey.

Xiangwei still finds it difficult to imagine how Flor came up with the plan to awaken the old god of the valley and cause a flood to submerge the entire western continent.

She remembered that she was feeling dizzy in the office and the tinnitus caused a brief blackout in her consciousness.

There were their properties, their capital injections, and the transfer plan into which she had invested countless efforts over the years.

If the Western Continent was really flooded, the Lofik Group would first have to pay incalculable economic losses, which would be difficult for Xiangwei to accept personally.

Senior executives of the consortium also pointed out the hasty nature of the plan.

However, Flor gave a reason that no one could refute or reject.

——This is the master’s order.

No matter how huge the loss is, no matter how much people's hard work is destroyed, it is nothing in the face of the master's orders.

At the same time, Rattler witnessed the empire's transformation.

On the other hand, the empire that they had believed would eventually be destroyed was given new life after a coup.

Xiangwei's attitude was very sincere, and he told the story of the disputes within the consortium over the past few months.

Ethan gradually understood why the various actions of the Lofik Consortium were like headless flies and a makeshift team after the turmoil in Ophira. He specifically asked Yuge on the phone about the movements of the Lofik Consortium in the Western Continent and learned that the consortium's reputation had long been ruined. Now all the old members of parliament had been kicked out of parliament. They had recently carefully reviewed various documents, and the bribery of the Lofik Consortium was exposed at a glance.

Some even believe that the turmoil in Ophira was caused by the Lophik Group.

Regarding the experiments of the old gods and the shadow creatures that emerged from the cracks, Flor disappeared after the turmoil without leaving even a single explanation.

So, under the secret promotion of diplomat Richard, the public opinion situation in the Western Continent changed.

The Western Continent welcomes the people of the Empire to travel and exchange.

Except for the Lofik Group.

Under the guidance of such public opinion, the action to boycott the Lofik Group is in full swing. It is not difficult to imagine that Xiangwei must have had a hard time recently.

"But perhaps this is really your master's order?"

Ethan pointed out the problem.

After all, Flor has been in charge of the consortium for so long that he must be aware of the losses that this plan will bring. However, believers cannot disobey the orders of the old gods, and even asking or bargaining is an unforgivable transgression.

The conversation reached a deadlock.

Rattler certainly knew the problem.

It couldn't be possible that Flor's head was really kicked by a donkey?

Seeing how sincere Xiangwei was, Ethan also revealed some inside information to her, "Xinkalo seems to have a plan to break the seal and release the old gods, but the condition is that Ionem needs to be sacrificed."

It was natural that Ampolis would not agree to Flor's proposal, and his evaluation of Xinkalo was full of aggressiveness.

A bunch of replies.

This is a universally recognized evaluation among the old gods.

He would never believe that after several epochs, Xinkalo suddenly changed his ways and intended to apologize for everything his followers had done.

The so-called plan to break the seal is most likely just an unproven experiment.

Xinkalo wanted to take advantage of His anger towards the Western Continent and Ionem as an "energy consumable".

Perhaps Xinkalo did not hate the residents of the Western Continent, they just happened to become victims of the experiment.

If events in Ophira could develop as Sincarlo expected, and Empolis eventually tore apart the seal of the valley, then Sincarlo would truly be able to bring the world back to the dark ages before the First Era.

Rattle lowered his head and fell into a long silence.

This is the crux of the matter, and it is foreseeable that no matter who eventually replaces Flor, he will still be Xinkalo's puppet. As long as Xinkalo does not give up his plan, Ophira's failure may happen again.

She also realized that the hard work and faith they put in as believers seemed insignificant in the eyes of their master.

unless……

In the dark eyes, a bold plan is taking shape.

Unless, this problem is solved from the root.

That means changing the owner!
But before Xiangwei could open her mouth, an unprecedented feeling of oppression enveloped her. Endless shadows poured into the room, and all the light was extinguished in an instant.

She could no longer see Ethan clearly.

In the deep darkness, she vaguely saw a frightening existence, an existence she had never seen before, which could not be described in words or understood. In front of Him, she was even deprived of the right to beg for mercy.

She was facing the shadow itself, falling into its grasp.

The gathered palms were constantly shrinking, as if they wanted to crush her body and soul into pieces.

And this time, after her consciousness fell into darkness, she would not wake up in the Pool of Rebirth.

Because the master saw through her thoughts.

Rattle closed his eyes, but heard another voice from the depths of the darkness, "Old Xin, there's no need."

The light returned to this world, at first it was just a spot. When the shadow was pierced by the golden light, more and more light rushed in, tearing the world apart at a speed visible to the naked eye, leaving it in pieces.

Xiangwei stood there in a daze, she was in a trance, and when she returned to the inn again, what she saw was a being bathed in golden light.

It is the opposite of darkness.

"Put aside such thoughts. Your master is angry."

Guangming said, "I helped you persuade him this time, but I'm afraid you won't be so lucky next time."

Ethan guessed that Xiangwei must have had some disrespectful thoughts in his mind just now. Theoretically speaking, the old gods were different from the upright gods who only had "human-machine rules" left. They really existed and were still alive. They could really listen to the inner thoughts of their believers. In addition, the Abyss was essentially a polluted area closer to the old gods, so the old gods could more easily influence everything here.

but,

While confronting the shadow cast by Xinkalo, Ethan made a subtle discovery.

On the edge of light and darkness...

Someone is messing around here.

He vaguely caught a glimpse of a meaty object taking advantage of the chaos to punch Xinkalo.

Lao Xin’s popularity is really worrying.

"There is no turning back."

A smile suddenly appeared on Xiangwei's face. Under extreme fear, she saw her true thoughts clearly. Compared with the destruction of her body and soul, she really cared more about her decades of hard work being swept into the trash can like garbage.

To their masters, they are just tools that can be discarded at any time.

She said, "I have a way to make you a candidate."

This was exactly the purpose of her trip, and she did not regret it even after being "reminded" by her host.

No, perhaps she is the one who truly carries out the master's will.

Their masters encourage suspicion and challenge, and when those in power are proven to be failures, the masters give them the power to drive the losers out of power. Even the chosen ones are not unquestionable.

Blind faith is the enemy of wisdom.

Well, this means that the owner can also make mistakes.

Since the Master was in error, why couldn't He be corrected?
You can't just make your case when things don't affect you - that's what Xiangwei thinks. She has never felt that there is anything wrong with her beliefs and judgments. The "Western Continent Transfer Strategy" is a policy recognized by all believers, and they have implemented this policy very well. If it weren't for the master's plan that disrupted everything, this should have been their unshakable achievement.

It's all over, it's all over.

"There is something wrong with the master's faith. He is too obsessed with old grudges and cannot look at the changes in the world from a wise perspective!"

Ethan admitted that he was shocked by what Rattler said.

This rattle seems to be trying to carry out religious reform.

Especially after darkness fell, her fiery eyes did not waver because of fear. She clenched her fists and her body trembled slightly.

Maybe it's because of excitement.

She asked Ethan, "Please correct the master!"

If the master insists on having his own way and follows in Flor's footsteps, then... follow the tradition of Xinkalo, let him step down and take his place!

Ethan witnessed the most outrageous scene since he came to this world.

A follower of Xinkalo bravely stepped forward and sharply criticized His wrong line and policy, but Xinkalo, who advocated wisdom, faced the challenge like a feudal ruler and tried to solve the problem with force.

"But I'm not a believer of Xinkalo."

However, Ethan had to question Rattle's plan.

According to his understanding, the candidates for participating in the festival were all recommended by high-level believers, and he had no plans to participate in the festival.

"As long as you agree, these problems are easy to solve."

Rattle said, "Moreover, you can reach deeper space and even see the master's true self. In return, after becoming a candidate, you can enter and exit the temple freely, and all the knowledge inside will be open to you."

She vaguely deduced the purpose of Ethan's visit and offered a fair bargaining chip.

"As far as I know, Miss Winter will also participate in this festival. If you go together, you can take care of each other."

Looking at Xiangwei who was getting more and more excited, Ethan felt that she was indeed a businessman. From a businessman's perspective, she offered him many attractive bargaining chips.

The knowledge in the temple might allow him to truly understand the existence of the old gods. Before that, he had planned to learn from his teacher and use the invisibility potion to sneak in and take a peek.

As for exploring deeper contaminated areas, he had already included it in his plan.

only……

He always felt that the current situation looked a little strange.

A follower of Xinkalo invited him.

The invitation was for him to correct Xinkalo's thinking or even replace him.

He couldn't help but ask.

Ms. Rattle, is your faith truly pure?

(End of this chapter)