Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 225 I Think I Will

When Ethan and Rattle arrived at the temple, Flor was kneeling devoutly in front of a brazier with his back to them. Black flames were burning in the brazier and a strange incense aroma was spreading throughout the hall. The stone statues here looked a little strange, and there were two long black marks under the eye sockets of each statue.

Flor had changed a lot since the last time they met in Ophira.

From a passionate orator, he turned into a charlatan, which was somewhat like the CEO of a listed company who was impeached by the board of directors and fired, and then found a place to live in seclusion and ignore worldly affairs.

"You are here."

Flor opened his eyes and said without turning his head, "Welcome, Mr. Ethan."

Heisenberg's name could deceive the top management of the consortium, but it couldn't deceive Flor, who had dealt with Ethan several times. However, this time their positions were no longer hostile, allowing Flor to remain calm and look at this terrible but respectable opponent from another perspective. He took the initiative to introduce him to Ethan, saying, "This is the mark left by the master in this world, which always brings me enlightenment."

Over the years, whenever he needed to make an important decision, he would lock himself in the temple.

He could occasionally hear echoes here coming from nowhere.

Sometimes he was the master, sometimes he was a high-level demon created by him. He had also listened to the teachings of the previous chosen ones.

It's a bit ironic that the relationship between Xinkalo believers is always delicate. Each of them is a potential enemy. There is no love and friendship here. Once a flaw is revealed, those who were once regarded as your right-hand men will turn into greedy hunting dogs and squeeze all the value out of you when you fall.

Flor glanced at Rattler.

His secretary is the best example.

Rattle is the person he trusts the most, and also the one who dealt him the fatal blow after the Ophira incident.

However, now is not the time to talk about this. Flor still looks very young, and the years have not left obvious marks on his face, but the tone of his voice is already old and frail. "Rattle, I want to talk to Ethan alone."

Rattle looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

She subconsciously wanted to refuse, reminding Ethan that he was facing the most dangerous and cunning person in the world. Countless people accepted Flor's ideas and even were brainwashed during the "talk", and were pushed into the abyss step by step by Flor.

But she quickly realized that this had crossed a line.

Since Ethan agreed to come to the temple, he must know Flor's character, and he also knows that this is the place in the abyss closest to the Demon Lord. The black flame in the brazier is the symbol of Xinkalo's power.

Thinking of this, she could only nod and walked out of the temple without saying a word.

When the footsteps completely disappeared, Flor said, "She hasn't changed at all, she is the same as when I found her in Thunder City."

Flor's brows relaxed a lot, as if he had let it go.

Ethan followed his words and started chatting, "Is she also from the Empire?"

Thunder City is one of the central cities of the empire. It is a very special place, famous for its wine.

"That's where I'm from, too. When I first met her, she was trying to sell me a premium oat beer."

Flor seemed to recall some interesting things. At that time, he had become the winner of the festival and the apparent ruler of the Lofik Group. Even the nobles of Thunder City were cautious in front of him. But after a cocktail party, this fearless little girl ran out from nowhere and made him spend 5 gold lions to buy a glass of oatmeal beer.

For someone like him, 5 golden lions are nothing, but they can allow people living at the bottom of the empire to live a comfortable life for a long time.

"The story is a bit cliché. Her father was a brewer, but he lost his ability to work due to an accident. Later, the family was taken care of by her mother. Not long ago, her mother fell ill due to overwork, so she needed money to treat her mother. She taught herself her father's brewing notes and brewed oatmeal beer that was no less delicious than her father's."

Flor knew everything about it. He had forgotten many things over the years, but he could always remember the scene when he met Rattle in Thunder City. Especially recently, it made him feel mixed emotions.

His vision has always been accurate, and Rattle has indeed grown to the level he expected.

“It may sound old-fashioned, but when she said to me, ‘Would you like to invest in me, a future talented brewer?’, I bought her oatmeal beer for 5 Golden Lions without any hesitation.”

The taste of the wine was mediocre, just like the ones sold in any tavern in Thunder City, and had nothing to do with the title of "genius".

However, he subtly felt that the money was well spent, as if it had gone beyond the oatmeal beer itself and become an investment in the future of a genius.

"This kind of thing was common in the past empires."

Ethan responded. According to cabinet statistics, the proportion of orphans in major cities in the empire is 22.1%. If you take a walk around the slums, you will see that most of the children in groups are like this. This is closely related to the old system of the empire in the past. When Pope Julius was in power, you could disappear at any time because of an ambiguous statement among the spokespersons. Coupled with problems such as death from overwork and homicide, a newborn child can easily become an orphan.

As for the families on the verge of collapse, there are so many that it is difficult to complete the statistics.

The only thing Ethan didn't expect was that Xinkalo's believers also had a "kind" side.

"So you'll also spend 5 gold lions on that bottle of beer."

"maybe."

Flor didn't respond immediately, but he suddenly laughed.

Ever since he became the Chosen One, he couldn't remember how long it had been since he had laughed like this. It was not the ecstasy of a conspiracy succeeding, without any impurities, but the comfort of finding another "unlucky guy". At least in this matter, he found a "companion" like Ethan.

"Then you will be deceived just as I was."

He smiled and revealed the answer, "She is an orphan. She made up her brewer father and sick mother to sell oat beer. The owner of the tavern said that one day this little girl suddenly came over and said that she could help them sell oat beer. She would only take 5 out of the 1 gold lions sold, and the other 4 gold lions would belong to the tavern. In exchange, they had to protect her safety."

By the way, I also have to find a way to cover up her lie.

At first, the tavern owner thought that the girl must be crazy. No one in Thunder City could sell oatmeal beer for 5 golden lions. However, what happened next overturned his perception.

Rattle sold a lot of wine and helped the tavern make a lot of money.

And the last time, the tavern owner thought that Rattle had provoked the Lofik Group, so he didn't dare lie to him and put all the blame on Rattle.

And Flor, as the winner of the festival, stood out from many Xinkalo believers, and also designed to kill two other candidates during the festival. However, he was deceived by a young girl in his hometown.

If other people in the consortium knew about this, they would definitely laugh their heads off.

But he feels much more balanced now.

Because if it were Ethan, he would also be the victim.

"For you, these 5 Golden Lion Flowers are not unfair."

Ethan commented.

This was indeed a successful investment. With only 5 golden lions, a secretary was discovered who would be able to handle all the major and minor matters of the consortium in the future.

Flor was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "It seems that I have made a profit again."

It had been a long time since he had talked to other people so relaxedly. Ever since he returned to the dungeon, he lost interest in speaking every time he saw the gloomy faces of the "elders". But in front of Ethan, the outsider who had thwarted his plan, he put down all his burdens.

It turned out that Ethan was more suitable to be the Chosen One than him. Their master had never cared so much about a human being.

He even asked to meet with Ethan in person to ensure that he could pass the assessment set by Bazatos and Caesaros. After Ethan returned as the winner, he could officially announce his retirement.

That's retirement in the true sense of the word.

Looking back at the history of the Lofik Group, no one in power had a good ending after stepping down, and Flor felt that he would be no exception.

However, he has already calmed down these days and no longer lets these distracting thoughts interfere with his thinking.

"Rainbow is very good at lying. Sometimes even I don't know what's going on in her mind."

"Are you implying that I shouldn't trust her?"

"No, of course not."

Flor waved his hand. "When your interests coincide, she will be your best helper. As for how to balance positions, that is the most subtle art among the Master's followers."

If Ethan didn't show up, Flor felt that the only outcome he could accept was that Rattler would take his place.

Even though he still harbored hatred for Rattle's betrayal, what was even worse was letting a idiot take his place.

Flor has been wavering until today on the issue of whether to get rid of Rattletail to vent his anger, and it was his master who helped him make the final decision.

"No one here can be completely trusted, including me. For example, I am going to tell you what you will encounter at the festival."

After chatting, Flor pushed the topic forward. "The first level is a test called 'Courage' left by the Father of War, Caesarus. When you pass through the gap and reach the other side, you may find yourself in the center of a battlefield. It is a battle that once took place in this world. The condition for victory is to lead your troops to win this war."

At this point, Flor changed the subject and said, "However, the real test is not the war itself, but how to consume your opponent as much as possible while winning the war, and even give them a fatal blow at a critical moment."

He saw the true nature of this ceremony earlier than the other two candidates.

That is the home ground of the followers of the Father of War. The followers of Caesarus firmly believe in their own strength and the weapons in their hands. However... their stubbornness and arrogance will bring them disaster.

"The second level is a trial called 'Evolution' left by Father Bazatos. You cannot predict what you will encounter in the trial. It may be a world made of flesh and blood, where you will encounter some lives beyond your cognition and imagination. The key is that you must not regard them as enemies. Any malice will be sensed by those creatures, which will bring you disaster. The key to passing the trial is whether you can meet the criteria of 'reborn'."

The second level is undoubtedly the home ground of the followers of Bazatos.

They have the most fanatical beliefs in the abyss. They worship nameless creatures and are even willing to offer themselves as bait to them.

Blind faith, this is the cause of death for followers of Bazatos.

Flor briefly reviewed the celebrations he had participated in. "If you are lucky enough to completely get rid of your competitors in the first two levels, the master will reward you with wisdom in the third level, where you can know the truth of this world."

His eyes suddenly became serious, and his dark pupils seemed to be burning with black fire that could see through everything.

"The Chosen Ones, the Righteous Gods, the Old Gods, the Elemental Spirits, and even this world itself..."

Flor's voice seemed to merge with some more distant echo. "That's what you came for, isn't it?"

Ethan did not respond. After about ten seconds, the fire in Flor's eyes went out. He seemed to have lost his memory of what happened just now, and once again spoke about the content of the third level. "This is the last trial of the festival. The situation is somewhat special. The only condition for victory is to eliminate the other two candidates."

Only one person can come out of the ceremony alive, and he will be chosen by the old gods to become the ruler of the abyss. This is a rule that has existed since the day this world was born.

"Mr. Ethan, I hope you can be the ultimate winner."

Flor once again faced the brazier and closed his eyes.

He wouldn't have to wait long.

In a few days, the chosen ones of the old gods will come back from the cracks. Before that, he just needs to wait patiently.

"Anyway, thank you for sharing."

Ethan thanks Flor.

For a moment, he seemed to hear the voice of the demon lord Xinkalo.

This made the wind element a little nervous. She raised her little hand and almost hit Flor.

Everything for the festival is ready, but before everything begins, there is an old-fashioned and explosive segment. In Ethan's words, it is like a WWE exhibition match. Before the contestants go on stage, they often have to talk nonsense with each other and create some gimmicks to heat up the atmosphere.

As a veteran bloodthirsty audience, Ethan understands this tradition very well.

Whether it’s the fans’ verbal battles before the match or the boomerang session after the match, it’s an event that people can’t help but appreciate and always makes them smile.

This time, the festival was unprecedentedly grand because of the arrival of the Winter Witch.

The Elder Council of Mengshi had already made a harsh statement, allowing the followers of Kaisaros and Xinkalo to temporarily replace the candidates and send out two idiots to act as scapegoats.

After all, the outcome of the festival was already clear—everyone else was here to compete for second place.

There is no difference between dying first and dying later.

Ethan heard from Xiangwei about the practice of the Dream Eclipse Elder Council to open champagne at halftime, and in his heart he criticized the unprofessionalism of this "operation team" on behalf of Winter. No matter how the game is played, opening champagne at halftime is a taboo. It seems that there is some kind of mysterious power in this world that can always give those champagne people a head-on blow through unexpected means.

The War Council also seemed to have been led astray by the Council of Elders.

Not willing to be outdone, they immediately announced that their candidate this time was the "strongest in history", bar none; even the Winter Witch was nothing compared to him.

Xiangwei came specifically to consult Ethan's opinion on whether he should prepare some eye-catching slogans, such as "Empire Destroying Dragon".

Ethan naturally declined, leaving Xiangwei with only the title of "store owner".

He has always followed the principle of seeking truth from facts. Although he comes from the empire, he has never caused any damage.

The Winter Witch and the gimmick of "the strongest in history" pushed the atmosphere of the festival to its peak. Tonight was the important night of the three parties' meeting before the festival began. According to convention, the top leaders of the three parties would set up a sumptuous dinner to send off the three warriors. At this time, most of the residents of the dungeon would gather outside the banquet hall to catch a glimpse of the candidates.

Before leaving, Ethan called Winter.

The Nightmare Witch had just finished dressing her up, and Winter's boring tone suddenly became excited when she learned that Ethan had become a candidate for Xinkalo's side.

"Teacher, maybe we should respect the atmosphere of the festival."

This was a carnival for the believers of the old gods, a grand celebration that might only take place once every few decades. As a guest, Ethan did not want to spoil the fun of the natives.

Fortunately, he invented the telephone, which allowed them to make preparations in advance before setting off.

He thought for a moment, recalling the pre-match rants he had seen, and his amazing wisdom came into play, "Teacher, can you talk big?"

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the line.

Lin Dong sat upright on the soft big bed in the mansion, his brain working so fast that he tilted his head involuntarily.

What kind of mouthpiece are you talking about?

She wanted to ask, but she quickly reviewed her impure thoughts.

Because Ethan is a serious man, and a serious man with grand plans, how could he call to talk about such a thing just before going to the banquet hall?

Winter pinched the back of his hand hard, forcing himself to return to his cold and pure mode.

"teacher?"

"Ah."

Isn't it just empty talk?
Winter responded, "I think I will."

"It's settled then. See you later."

"See you soon~"

……

After the call was hung up, Ethan looked at the setting sun, took a deep breath, and put on the mask.

In fact, he was a little worried about Lin Dong. After all, his teacher always seemed to be the type who would only use her hands but not her words. If you provoke her, she would never point at you and yell at you, but would instead stab you with an ice arrow before you could react.

This is the experience he summed up from his interactions with Lindong and Rowena.

Rowena was the most eloquent girl he had ever met, but she was repeatedly captured by Winter's icy arrows. Perhaps this was a reflection of the teacher's wisdom - never fight with the opponent in an area where the opponent was good at.

However, Ethan believes that human emotions are interconnected.

He began to summarize the classic trash talk he had read. If his teacher was not good at talking trash, he would be the one to give the assist!

If he started to irritate the teacher with trash talk, even someone as cold as Winter might show off her ability to insult others in a fit of rage.

"Mr. Heisenberg, are you all right?"

When Rattle saw Ethan's appearance as he walked out, he asked worriedly, "Did Flor say something to you?"

Why did Ethan's aura seem so aggressive after just a few hours of not seeing him?

She had never seen Ethan so aggressive before, as if he would say at any time, "Let this sad world come to an end."

Isn't this more militant than the followers of Caesareus?
"No, it has nothing to do with him."

Ethan shook his head. “I’m just stewing in my emotions.”

He was rehearsing in his mind the conversation he would have with Winter when they met soon, but in fact, although he had a rich theoretical foundation in trash talk, he was not good at face-to-face combat. He had rarely even engaged in keyboard arguments before, and usually just liked to watch two unknown netizens arguing with each other for hundreds of floors over trivial matters, as if they were sworn enemies.

Which starting move is better?

Come to think of it, although Rowena always complained about Lindong's bad temper and his habit of breathing out, in front of him, Lindong never seemed to lose his temper with him.

This touched upon Ethan's blind spot in knowledge, and he couldn't think of any opening move that could inspire Winter's desire to trash-talk him.

He was immersed in his own world all the way, while the outside world was noisy. With still a few hours before the banquet began, the residents of the underground city gathered here, and even the air seemed to be filled with a bloodthirsty atmosphere.

Ethan seemed to hear comments like "It's a rare opportunity to witness a battle between powerful men. It's worth it even if I die this time."

This gave Ethan strength, and it seemed as if the bloodthirsty spirit had returned to him.

Perhaps it was fate, but when he arrived at the banquet venue, a familiar figure was walking towards him from not far away.

She was wearing a purple evening gown, her silver hair was delicately braided together, and her iconic red eyes were filled with a coldness that kept people at a distance.

Beautiful, powerful, and inaccessible.

With every step forward in winter, the air became a little colder. Even though they were so cold that they had to fold their arms and shiver all over, the audience members who had stared with their eyes wide open were unwilling to look away.

The distance was getting closer and closer, and Ethan could already smell the familiar fruity scent on Lindong.

At this moment, they have become the focus of the residents' attention.

Inspired by the bloodthirsty crowd, Ethan recalls his past self and becomes one of them.

Now, he wants to stir up a dispute on behalf of the bloodthirsty audience.

He clenched his hands.

However, before he could launch an attack, Winter stepped forward and revealed the lower half of his mask before he could make any sound.

A passionate kiss followed.

Ethan could feel that the bloodthirsty audience was getting more excited, and there were even imaginative shouts such as "Wow, this is what I want to see!" or "The woman beat him to his knees..."

However, all of Ethan's prepared attacks were caught off guard by Winter, and his momentum collapsed instantly.

"you--"

Thousands of words stuck in my throat.

Those red pupils were filled with arrogance, like a victorious general.

"Didn't you say that?"

Even his tone was provocative, "You are just talking nonsense."

(End of this chapter)