Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 239 Lao Ba Legendary Pictures
Ethan always felt that Lao Ba's demands were much easier to understand than those of the other old gods. Just like now, when he talked about the idea of ​​the trial, the red-haired woman opposite straightened her body, and her seven eyes burst into light at the same time.

——Okay, let’s do as you say!
Countless whispers came from all directions.

Judging from the number of believers alone, Bazatos is one of the most important evil gods in the world. However, due to his overly loose management style, the internal structure of his believers is extremely chaotic, so that most of them fail to understand the true intentions of their "Father".

Along the way, Ethan has seen several different "variety" of Bazatos believers.

Some people are obsessed with large-scale sacrificial rituals, represented by Jacqueville, the first director of the Asylum Bureau. They believe that "God the Father" desires more souls and uses this as the goal of their actions. This grotesque artistic style has also attracted many bloody and cruel enthusiasts to Bazatos. Their behavior itself has nothing to do with "art". It is purely to vent the animal nature in their hearts, or they themselves have antisocial personalities. These people roam around and commit numerous bloody crimes.

According to Ethan's observation, most of the executives in Dream Eclipse are of this type.

Winter was out for revenge against the Empire, and Rowena was out for money, but they did mention that many of their colleagues were out for the fun of killing.

The largest number of Bazatos believers are ordinary residents who have been persecuted by the Church and the old nobility.

Life can no longer go on, they have lost faith in the rightful gods and can only give up on themselves and hope that the old gods can fulfill their wishes. They often have strong motives, which is to gain power and take revenge on those who persecuted them. In order to achieve their goals, they can do whatever it takes.

Therefore, judging from the results, Bazatos’ real idea has never been well implemented.

In the eyes of believers, "Heavenly Father" is a symbol of evolution, and few people can imagine that He is actually an avid art lover.

To this day, the only one who can understand some of Bazatos's intentions is the Nightmare Witch Lady.

She was the first believer to actively communicate "Bazatosian" art.

This is probably why Lao Ba has high hopes for her and why he can listen to her whispers. Another believer who can satisfy Lao Ba is the blackened Saint Mary, but now she has turned to the arms of the Goddess of Life and given up her pursuit of art.

"First of all, we need to confirm one thing. In fact, 'death' and 'soul sacrifice' are not necessary, right?"

Faced with Ethan's question, the red-haired woman hesitated for a moment.

Death is not important, but the soul is like a battery to every old god, and it is a special type of battery in this world. The seal prevents their power from interfering with this world, so they can only have an impact through the "batteries" produced locally.

In order to promote the Bazatosian art, power reserves are a must.

Ethan saw Bazatos's hesitation and said, "I think these two are your biggest obstacles at this stage. Even your believers find it difficult to truly love them, let alone ordinary residents."

Because of the Scarlet Plague, Ethan carefully studied the history of the Third Age and made a subtle discovery.

Human historians often regard the end of the Third Age as the darkest age. The Scarlet Plague was one of the worst disasters in history, and after the Scarlet King ascended the throne, countless people died and were injured.

Yet “death” in history books is a variation.

The infected people turned into twisted creatures of flesh and blood. They were still able to move, and their vitality even became stronger, and their lifespan exceeded the limits of humans.

The Containment Bureau also has corresponding survey data. The "Limbs" and other Bazatos creations they discovered have longer lifespans. Unless they suffer fatal injuries, they can theoretically survive forever.

However, due to the limited history of the Containment Bureau and a containment breach incident during that time, most of the research materials in this area have been destroyed. To date, there is no official research data that can indicate how long these mutated flesh and blood creatures can survive.

So, this gave Ethan another idea.

What if Bazatos wasn’t a fan of “avant-garde art”?

If his art form could conform to the aesthetic tastes of the general public, and if his flesh and blood could be replaced with a cool appearance, and if after the transformation he could not only gain a longer lifespan than humans, but also superhuman powers, then there would probably be a lot of people eager to become believers of Bazatos.

In fact, many people of this era have made similar choices, with werewolves and vampires being the most representative.

According to the investigation theory of the containment bureau, this type of mutants no longer belong to the category of human beings. In order to obtain more powerful strength, they are willing to abandon their human identity and choose to become mutant creatures with serious negative effects.

And now, Ethan is trying to implant an idea into Bazatos.

"Old Ba, humans are a non-renewable resource."

He is trying to look at humans from Bazatos's perspective. To the old gods, the lives of this group are small and short. To them, it is just a nap, a moment of distraction, which may be the entire life of humans.

——Go on.

Bazatos listened carefully. He had never discussed these topics with anyone except Ethan.

Not only is it difficult for Him to find like-minded enthusiasts, but also because humans are simply unable to communicate with Him. His voice will drive humans crazy, causing them to commit crazy and even self-harming acts, even for the most devout believers.

Ethan mentioned the Third Age in the topic.

Bloody literature, scarlet dynasty.

That was the first time He tried to promote His hobby. He gave those humans stronger bodies and nearly eternal life. In order to achieve these, He prepared for a long time and conducted countless experiments before He maintained "life" in the most stable state.

However, humans do not buy it.

They tried every means to fight against the Scarlet Plague and refused His gifts until the human coalition broke through the Scarlet King's city and an elite assassination team succeeded in assassinating him, thus ending the Scarlet Dynasty.

“On the other hand, humans represent endless possibilities, and their creativity is the most fascinating part.”

--creativity?

“Once the switch of human creativity is turned on, they will achieve results in the field of art that you can’t imagine.”

Obviously, today's Bazatos art style is not suitable for the general public. After all, even art lovers would not want to turn themselves into "limbs" or tentacle monsters in the process of exploring art.

——You mean, I need to change myself?
Bazatos vaguely understood Ethan's intention.

He had also thought about these questions.

He knows what most humans desire, but that is not what He wants.

The only thing is that there is no room for compromise in the artistic style he insists on.

However, Ethan seemed to see through His heart, "This is hard to do, isn't it? So I thought of another plan."

——Alternative plan?
“Creating a new world.”

Hearing this, Lin Dong, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, was stunned for a long while.

She felt that if Ivy were here, she would definitely write this sentence into "Imperial Truth" - this would undoubtedly be the perfect evidence to counter the theory of "I am not God".

Would a human being bring up the idea of ​​“creating a new world” at the negotiating table?
To Winter, this was a negotiation.

Although the process seemed harmonious, the red-haired woman with seven eyes they were facing was Bazatos, a living, autonomous old god.

As long as he has an idea, he can bring unimaginable trouble to the imperial capital.

For example, increasing the frequency of sacrifices by believers, or starting another scarlet plague. Winter has lamented more than once that it was thanks to Bazatos's "not doing his job", holding such power but only thinking about promoting his art. If the old god who possessed this power was Xinkalo, the world would probably have fallen apart long ago.

Even Winter could see that Bazatoth was excited, which was definitely an unusual emotion for an Old God.

"In this new world, human beings, especially those art lovers recognized by you, will become renewable resources. They will not become public enemies of humanity and be attacked after practicing your art. Their art works can influence more people and cultivate more people who love 'avant-garde art'."

——What should we do?
Bazatos was moved.

It’s not that He has not imagined such a world, but humans are unable to recognize His art and are too short-sighted to understand the benefits that evolution has brought.

It was His gift to mankind, and was seen as a curse.

This made Him very sad.

“A virtual world where people can die and come back to life, where they can explore the art in their hearts to the maximum extent, and no one will comment on it, because everyone knows that everything that happens in that world is fake.”

No one actually died or turned into a freak monster.

Once they let go of their psychological burden, they can show their truest side without restraint.

Ethan was convinced of this.

The reason why he can face Lao Ba's art calmly is that he has experienced too much of it in the information age.

Cthulhu, Resident Evil, B-movies that use bloody killings as selling points, and the enduring horror games, he can only say that in the field of imagination, Bazatos is not much ahead of the times.

"Because I have always believed in humanity."

Ethan said, “Once the constraints are removed, the human imagination is much darker and more perverted than you know.”

——How to create such a virtual world?
This sounds so attractive, especially for an elderly widower like him. Communicating art with a group of enthusiasts is an unattainable fantasy.

Before Ethan arrived, Bazatos had almost given up these fantasies. Being able to exchange ideas with like-minded people like Ethan was enough to satisfy him.

But this fellow enthusiast brought more.

He described a virtual new world where countless new enthusiasts would be born.

Bazatos no longer wanted to sit here. He needed to witness the arrival of this new world tomorrow.

As long as He can create such a world, He will do anything as long as He can do it!
"The answer is movies and games. Before coming here, these plans were already on the agenda in the empire. Princess Sophia of the empire is preparing for the first movie, which is a fantasy and magic-themed work. Now is the starting stage of this 'new world'. It won't be long before you can witness its glory."

Ethan was convinced of this.

No matter what time, human beings' pursuit of entertainment will not change.

He looked directly at the red-haired woman and extended an invitation to his old friend, "You can also be the creator of this world."

In his opinion, Lao Ba has a unique advantage in films with "avant-garde art" themes.

Today is the early stage of the film industry. The subsequent special effects and editing have not yet been fully developed. Today's movies are more dependent on the quality of the original film. Even if the director has many wonderful ideas, it is difficult to turn them into reality immediately. However, the participation of Lao Ba can solve these problems.

He can solve most "special effects" problems, provide extras, and work with the director to complete the creation.

"In this virtual world, the 'performance team' possesses the power of God, and you can freely define the direction of the film."

——Let Nightmare go back with you.

Bazatos made a decision immediately.

There was no reason for him not to join, and Nightmare was the only human who could barely listen to his whispers, and he also had a certain level of artistic accomplishment. Although he was far inferior to Ethan, he was more than enough for pioneering.

In order to better complete his artistic creation, He decided to grant Nightmare more power.

He did not misjudge the man.

Ethan is a rare fellow enthusiast, and perhaps he understands "Bazatosian art" better than himself, because only the most fanatical enthusiasts can come up with these ideas.

Ethan saw through His heart at one point.

“Is this… the end?”

Winter was a little confused. She did not intervene in the conversation between Ethan and Ambrose when she was in Ophira. She found it hard to imagine that Lao Ba could be persuaded so easily. The scenes she expected, such as banging the table, overturning chairs, and smashing things, did not happen. She had seen many intense diplomatic occasions. When the negotiations became tense, some people would stand on the table because of excessive excitement.

The diplomacy between Ethan and Lao Ba seemed a little too friendly, so friendly that she was not used to it.

These two...

Now it seems that there is no difference between the real ones and the peers.

This is clearly a gathering for like-minded people to exchange ideas!

This made Winter feel a little uneasy. She thought Ethan came up with these topics just to please Old Ba, but from the moment the topic of "virtual world" came up, the atmosphere was a little wrong. Ethan even took into account many "Bazatos-style" movie details.

Because of this, Bazatos was immediately attracted to the future described by Ethan.

Lin Dong felt that these details were definitely not something that could be thought up by someone seeking to please flattery.

Could it be that Ethan...

Really like octopus face?

Just like he said just now, we have to experience it at least once after the virtual world is released?
"Teacher, every artist has to face a sense of emptiness, especially when there is no one to communicate with." Ethan said, "Imagine that when you have completed a satisfactory work but there is no one to talk to or discuss with, your enthusiasm for the work itself will quickly cool down, and you can only repeat the process in endless emptiness."

Every word Ethan said was powerful, and the red-haired woman stood there in a daze.

She is a puppet controlled by the power of Bazatos, an avatar that is only used when meeting friends temporarily.

Just now, every word Ethan said reached her ears exactly as it was.

These words are like the sound of nature, a hundred times better than all the flattery from all the believers combined!
To the extent that Bazatos' mind fell into a brief blank, and he forgot about his clone who was being controlled by his thoughts.

Oh my god, Ethan really understands Him!
Even the feeling of emptiness after completing a work is described exactly!

There is only one explanation for this, and that is that Ethan was also overwhelmed by such emotions after completing his work, just like Him.

"So, what's really exciting?"

In the silence, Ethan said, "It's seeing other enthusiasts create works that you don't know about. The unknown brings a sense of freshness, which is a constant source of excitement."

The red-haired woman who was out of service finally made a move, but she couldn't even utter a word.

She pointed at Ethan and nodded repeatedly.

It seems that only this way can she express her true thoughts.

Winter had never seen Bazatos behave like this before, and his followers probably found it hard to imagine that "God the Father" was so excited that he was speechless. After all, in their minds, "God the Father" was the supreme ruler, and humans were too small in front of Him. Nothing that happened in this world was enough to stir His emotions.

Now she understands.

She believed that Ethan's words came from the heart, and she also understood the subtle yet strong bond that Ethan and Lao Ba have always had.

Ethan once used the element of fire to blind Bazatos' eyes, rewrote history in the contaminated area, and took away his most favorite believer.

If it were anyone else, this would be an irreconcilable blood feud. Based on her understanding of the old gods, most of them have a strong desire for revenge and cannot accept being repeatedly offended by a human.

But none of this could affect the bond between Ethan and Bazatos.

That's because... they had the same experience!
Ethan's impassioned speech suddenly rang in Lindong's ears:
The human imagination is much darker and more perverted than you know.

Isn't this Ethan's own feeling? And it is very likely that he has had many of the same thoughts!
Come to think of it, she met Ethan two years ago, when Ethan fled to Riverwood as a refugee.

But what before that?
To this day, no one knows his past, where he came from, or why he fled. Whenever the curious Rowena asked him about it, Ethan would cleverly evade the question.

And now, Winter has completely understood.

Ethan is a pervert.

Therefore, those perverted thoughts were destined not to be shared with others. Before he fled to the empire, he must have been wanted for some perverted behavior, so he had to hide his past!

That explained everything, the steadfast friendship between Ethan and Bazatos.

The conversation that just took place was a complete expression of his true feelings.

"Ethan."

Lin Dong took a deep breath and made a difficult decision.

"Ok?"

"Do you have any works about octopus faces and tentacles, the kind that are suitable for beginners to watch?"

Since Bazatos could do it, so could she.

——Yes, I still have a lot of collections!
Before Ethan could speak, Bazatos responded with joy.

The blue-haired girl is already one step ahead of everyone else.

A book appeared in her hand at some point and she was reading it with great interest, her head lowered. Her bangs covered her eyes, but the corners of her mouth revealed a bloodthirsty smile and a somewhat sickly blush appeared on her fair cheeks.

“Tsk, tsk.”

From time to time, you can still hear such sounds.

"We can discuss these matters after we return to the imperial capital."

Ethan always felt that the winter and wind elements seemed to have turned on some strange switch. In order to prevent the topic from continuing to develop in an uncontrollable direction, Ethan brought the topic back to the right track, "In this case, this assessment should be considered passed, right?"

——Passed.

More than just passing?

It was a perfect score. If he hadn't been prepared in advance, Bazatos decided that he should really reward Ethan with a copy of "Bazatos Art Collection" as a commemoration.

But it doesn’t matter. He can prepare it before Ethan and others leave the Abyss and ask Nightmare to give it to him.

But at the same time, a strong sense of regret occupied His heart.

Since coming to this world, He has never been so eager for someone to become His Chosen One. Ethan meets all the conditions, which represents His ultimate imagination of the Chosen One. However, Ethan does not need His power, and he does not need any gifts from the old gods.

This reminded Bazatos of what this world looked like in its original form.

At that time, a being similar to Ethan also appeared, but that person was not an art lover and did not have much in common with Him.

"Old Ba, I want to ask you something."

Ethan asked, "I heard about the magic network during the Trial of Courage. Someone mentioned that it was created by the ancestor of the elemental shaper. That ancestor summoned you in some way."

Ethan trusts Lao Ba more than Xin Kalo, who is disliked by everyone and tells lies all the time.

There is no more direct and effective method than asking the person involved directly.

——That’s true.

But he was not an art lover, and there was almost no deeper communication between them. Everything was maintained on the principle of official business.

——It asked me to bring "evolution" and "death" to this world.

In exchange, he was free to promote his art in this strange place.

"Where is that person now?"

Hearing this, the red-haired woman opposite showed a strange expression.

——Hasn’t it always been there?

——Always by your side.

(End of this chapter)