Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 243 Red Pill and Blue Pill

Yes, why did Xinkalo trust them alone, allowing them to enter this private space and giving them permission to browse these books?

Every book is Xinkalo's memory. He has lived for too long, and his knowledge and memory of this world are enough to fill the entire library.

Ethan felt that Winter had raised a very good question, and the Demon Lord Xinkalo suddenly became the most terrifying old god in his mind. The vibrating book and the densely packed words with the same meaning brought him psychological trauma, so that he was not sure whether he should open other books.

These books contain incredible secrets.

Ethan felt that he was too young and had too little experience.

He originally thought that the reason why Xinkalo did such disgusting things was because He was more vengeful than other old gods and couldn't let go of this bad breath; or maybe He was simply an antisocial personality who enjoyed disgusting others, even his own kind. But now it seems that the truth is much heavier.

What on earth are these old gods?

Although the two looked at each other and neither answered the question, they already had the answer in their hearts.

"I think He must have regarded you as a substitute."

The meal replacement literature theory proposed by Ethan is still gaining momentum, and compared to Lao An and Lao Ba, Xin Carlo is obviously much more abnormal. It is difficult for Lin Dong to imagine what kind of entanglement he had with his ancestors, so that thousands of years after the souls of his ancestors dissipated, he still couldn't forget them and tried every means to return to this plane.

She stole a glance at Ethan, and suddenly a strange idea emerged in her mind.

If one day Ethan suddenly died or disappeared, what would she do?
This thought made Lin Dong's heart tighten.

Is it possible?
She is actually a rather heavy person, just like Sincarlo?

But it is obvious that the premise of this idea is not valid. Ethan will neither die nor disappear, unless...

Suddenly, a picture flashed before Lin Dong's eyes, and this quick glimpse allowed her to receive enough information.

She seemed to see Ethan walk into a dark door with his back to her.

She didn't know where this door would lead to, nor did she know why it existed. After the door was closed, the chaotic plane finally returned to normal.

She should be relieved, but the opposite is true.

……

Obviously, these were not her memories, and Ethan would never leave without saying goodbye.

Just treat it as a nightmare.

"Aren't you right, Ethan?"

Winter looked up and asked.

"what?"

Ethan was puzzled. She found that Winter's expression was unpredictable and his words became incoherent.

"I mean, how should this disease be treated?"

Winter changed her words and said that she always felt that this disease was closely related to her and was curious about the solution proposed by Ethan. So far, Ethan, as a psychiatrist of the Old Gods, has done his job very well. Both Lao An and Lao Ba gave his treatment five-star praise.

“It’s very difficult.”

There is no doubt that Xin Carlo is the most difficult case he has ever encountered. His wishes are fundamentally different from those of Lao An and Lao Ba. The latter's demands are simple and clear. One is a travel enthusiast and the other is an avant-garde artist. However, from the currently known information, Xin Carlo is very likely to be a mad scientist.

In order to achieve his goal, he would resort to all means, including framing his own kind and conducting experiments on human bodies and souls, just to get his hands on the forbidden art of resurrection.

Ethan was unable to fulfill Sincarlo's wish.

There is no resurrection magic in this world. Even if he upgrades the elements and becomes an extremely powerful elemental shaper, he cannot bring the dead back to life.

Mr. Roxanne, the clown actor from Riverwood, and his daughter.

In this era, shit like this happens every day. Ethan later consulted the holy scriptures of the Church, but even the Goddess of Life could not create such a miracle.

Only Kadra's research touched upon this forbidden knowledge, but it was obvious that the solution he mentioned in his "paper" was not perfect. After inheriting the soul of the fake Kadra, Rowena also obtained information about the "descending" ritual.

The process of preserving the soul is extremely complicated. They need to prepare while the body is still alive, set up a magic circle to separate the soul, and have the recipient stay in seclusion for several months to adapt to the feeling of the soul leaving the body. Then comes the container. Kadra discovered a material that can hold souls and made a clay jar-shaped container.

In Rowena's view, eternal life is not a blessing but a curse.

This complicated procedure reminded Ethan of Voldemort's Horcrux, which had strong side effects. When the body no longer existed, the soul's desires as a human being also disappeared. For a long time, they all observed the world like a bystander.

Because of this, the servants of God must shoulder a mission so that they still have hope. Otherwise, even those as steadfast as saints will get lost in this long process.

The real Kadra failed to complete the research before his death. A great magician of the Mage Tower believed that he had inherited everything from the God of Trickery and made the "descending" ritual come true in him.

"The essence of the séance is preservation, not resurrection."

Ethan pointed out the problem.

What's more, he didn't intend to take such a risky move before he could confirm the true identity of his ancestor.

The sound of Ding Ling's palm trees interrupted their thoughts, and the slogans on the bookshelf changed.

The slogan "Old Sen's Miraculous Bringing Back the Familiar" disappeared, and was replaced by "It's getting late, please have your meal." The noises came from deeper inside the library, and the air was filled with the aroma of food. The two walked towards the source of the sound. Several rows of bookshelves were temporarily removed, and it was as if a red carpet was laid on the floor above the void, leading them to a square table filled with sumptuous food.

The table was also filled with bread, wine, and a wide variety of meats, the scale of which was almost comparable to a palace dinner in the imperial capital.

The candlelight on the square table emits a warm glow.

The two met the first living being in this lonely library—a butler wearing a tuxedo with horns on his head. He also had a long, thin tail behind him, indicating his identity as a demon.

Ethan encountered many similar demons during the Trial of Courage.

It had yellow pupils and said politely, "Welcome, both of you. My name is Behemoth, one of the high-level demons created by the master."

Of all the creations of the Old Gods, demons are the most anthropomorphic.

Now it seems that this also seems to hint at the special bond between Xinkalo and his ancestors.

"In the future, I will be fully responsible for your lives. If you need anything, you can always ask me."

Behind Behemoth is a makeshift counter, which appears to be the librarian's work area.

“Don’t accept food from unknown sources.”

Winter warned vigilantly.

She wasn't worried that Xinkalo had poisoned the food, as there might be something worse than poison hidden in it.

Someone had secretly drugged Ethan's wine at a palace banquet.

The identity of the person who drugged him is not important. What is important is that Ethan must be more vigilant - especially at a time when meal replacement literature is so popular, the old gods may plot against him at any time.

"Please rest assured, the master has no ill will towards you two."

Behemoth heard the winter warning and smiled gently, which was out of place for a demon.

What really concerned Ethan was another key word mentioned by the demon’s butler, “What does the future life mean?”

Until now, Sincarlo has not made his intentions clear.

There are no rules for victory in this trial of wisdom; He simply opens up many permissions.

"You two can settle down here. Although this place doesn't look habitable for the time being, you can always transform it into a home that you are satisfied with."

“But we don’t plan to settle here.”

Facing Ethan's question, Behemoth just smiled and said, "We still have a lot of time. We can sit down and talk while eating. I will do my best to answer all your questions. This is my duty."

A wild land waiting to be cultivated, and a steward who assists them in cultivating the land.

This casual construction game atmosphere always made Ethan feel a little weird.

"Mr. Ethan, with all due respect, I have investigated you."

After the two were seated, Behemoth elegantly laid out napkins for them. He said, "Your original idea was to join the Confinement Bureau and be assigned to work in a less busy department of the General Administration, but then too many things happened, which completely disrupted your plan, didn't it?"

Ethan did not deny that what Behemoth said was true.

He used to be a worker, and his ultimate goal was to live a life of idleness and wait for death.

But plans cannot keep up with changes. His goal had already been shattered by Pope Julius himself, and his ultimate dream in life had long been unbridled and slid into an unknown direction.

But after his trip to Ophira, Ethan regained hope.

He increasingly values ​​magic and the world's unusual technology tree, and perhaps he will see the world evolve into the information age during his lifetime.

In terms of quality of life and material level, he still prefers modern society.

If he could integrate his two worlds, it might be the most perfect state of life.

Behemoth's voice was soft, like a lullaby that went straight to his heart.

This may be the ability that Xinkalo gave to this high-level demon when he created it.

"Don't believe the devil's temptation."

Winter didn't agree with this. She was very satisfied with her current life, and she believed that Ethan must be the same.

"And what about you, Miss Winter Witch?"

Behemoth turned to her. "You originally wanted to take revenge on the Church and those who had framed you. Now they are all dead, and the empire you are familiar with is developing in a good direction. You should have realized it a long time ago, right? Even without you, the empire can still develop well today... The cabinet system, the servants of the gods, the 'roots', and the breaking of the ideological imprint of the Church, you have done enough along the way."

Besmos seemed to know a lot of inside information, including the existence of "Root", which had never been announced to the public.

Ethan suspected that they were facing an intelligence demon.

"So what?" "Miss Winter Witch, what kind of life do you really want?"

Behemoth paused for a moment. "It's actually simpler than most people think, right? Perhaps it's hard for them to imagine that a great elemental shaper like you actually just wants to find a place to settle down with Mr. Ethan and live a stable life. Remember you took Mr. Ethan to the cave in the north, where you lived. What were you thinking at that time?"

This time, Winter did not refute immediately.

Being told what she was thinking, she almost reflexively glanced at Ethan.

She suddenly had an illusion.

Behemoth seemed like a mirror. She could continue to be stubborn, breathing out and refuting were what she was good at, but this mirror reflected her inner heart.

When the events in the imperial capital come to an end, she can retire with honor.

After settling the old grudges, there was nothing left in the empire worth her clinging to.

As long as Ethan is willing, she would be happy to find a place where no one knows them and settle down and live a stable life.

but……

All politics are in order and the people are in harmony, and there is much to be done.

The people of the empire shouted Lao Sen's name, and friends far away in the Western Continent sent them letters for help.

Ethan was so busy that even the old gods seemed to be waiting to meet him.

Winter couldn't be sure whether this was fate.

However, she was a contented person and was always good at making promises for herself - as long as they were done with this busy period and dealt with the matters at hand, they could elope.

The time nodes this time are the academy and the magic network.

Rebuild the magic network and break the shackles that have been binding the elemental shapers. The subsequent exploration and research can be left to the Grand Mage and the elemental shapers themselves, and Ethan can finally retire and live a peaceful retirement life.

However, new troubles arose.

The number one troublemaker Xinkalo, and the ancestors who are closely related to him.

"Miss Winter Witch, you should have discovered it, right? There is no end to the work in this world. Continuing will only make you sink deeper and deeper. This kind of life will never end."

"And what about Doomsday?"

Winter asked.

This is probably the final crisis hanging over everyone's head, and it is also the reason why she convinces herself to sink deeper and deeper into such a life.

Even if they and Ethan find a place where no one knows them, when the day of destruction comes, the resurrected old gods will make their lives fall apart.

However, Behemoth showed a smile on his face, which seemed to be mixed with a hint of irony.

"This is probably the prophecy left by the betrayers."

The betrayers were naturally the chosen ones who had sealed the old gods together. "I don't deny that the seal will loosen sooner or later, and when that happens, the Master and His kind will return to this world. But, if I may be frank, doesn't what you have done so far prove that you don't believe this is an inescapable fate?"

Behemoth looked Ethan in the eyes. "You have already surpassed those betrayers. Why do you treat their prophecies as iron laws?"

Ethan had to admit that Behemoth was eloquent and had the potential to become a psychological masseur.

Lao An and Lao Ba have probably returned to this world. If the seal is broken one day, they probably won't bring destruction.

One is busy traveling, the other is busy making movies. There are so many things they can do. Why do they have to destroy the world?

This is what Ethan has always thought, so in the process of dealing with the old gods, he has always adhered to the principle of active communication.

“And this is where you can really get back to your original ideas.”

Behemoth turned to the bookshelf and said, "You can find the rules for changing this space in the book. From now on, everything here will become what you hope to see. So, there is only one last question left - how can you determine whether all this is real or just an illusory dream?"

Kane faced the same torture during the Trial of Courage.

Winter listened attentively.

She was indeed somewhat moved.

Behemoth said, "Even if I assert to you that everything you create here is real, you will definitely not believe the promise of a high-level demon, but this is not important. What is important is that if the dream world is better than the real world, why should we distinguish it?"

It sounds like a devil's trick, but it is also the devil's most powerful point.

They always paint a beautiful picture for human beings, but even though people know it is false, countless people still flock to it.

In The Matrix, someone once raised the question of the "red pill" and the "blue pill". When the movie developed decades into the future and brain-computer interfaces actually appeared, this question that existed in a fictional movie became a real-life problem.

Before Ethan could really answer, he came into this world.

However, he did not expect that the question of "blue pill" and "red pill" would catch up with him. In a world full of magic and without brain-computer interface, a high-level demon asked him the same question.

"I want to know what Xinkalo thinks. Maybe you should let Him come to see me himself."

"Now is not the time, Mr. Ethan."

Behemoth shook his head. "Although He would like to see you immediately, now is not the time."

"Because 'I' am incomplete."

Ethan expressed his guess. What really interested Xinkalo was not him, but the part of the "ancestors" mentioned by Lao Ba.

Now, while Shinkalo is “realizing his ideal” for them, he is also revealing His true intentions.

Sincarlo wants them to stay here.

Ethan vaguely figured out Xincaro's intention. Thousands of years had passed since Kadra proposed the "descending spirit" theory. He believed that Xincaro would not have stagnated during these thousands of years, and it was even very likely that he had developed a real "resurrection technique."

However, too much time has passed since the ancestor's death.

No matter how strong a soul is, it cannot resist the erosion of time. “So, He is trying to find all these broken parts back.”

As the holder of one of the fragments, he will remain here as a "recycled" fragment, waiting for the moment when all the fragments are collected.

“We are very close to the truth.”

Behemoth was a little surprised. "I finally understand why the Master and His kind value you so much."

The master never revealed his true intentions to anyone, not even to his own kind, but Ethan figured out the master's thoughts after meeting Bazatos.

Rather than being smart...

Behemoth felt that this was more like some kind of innate intuition.

Ethan's existence is special, he can always touch the essence of this world more easily.

"Theoretically, you can't go back. The existence of the Abyss and the dungeon has its meaning."

Now that the topic has come to this, Behemoth does not intend to hide any more.

For someone like Ethan who has a keen intuition, fooling around is the most foolish behavior. "You can understand its existence as a passage that requires a large number of souls to maintain. It leads to a place that no one can find. Therefore, as long as the passage itself is destroyed, you will be trapped here forever."

This was Xin Carlo's original plan, and the main focus of his conversation as the butler was the idea that they should make the best of it.

But Ethan's conversation with Rattler in the dungeon made Sincarlo change his mind.

"If you insist on leaving, the master has also prepared additional trials for you—a true trial of wisdom."

Behemoth's expression became a little more serious.

As an individual, he did not agree with the content of this trial, but as a creation of Xinkalo, he could never disobey the orders given by his master. Their master has never been good at listening to other people's opinions. Once he makes a decision, he will stick to it to the end, even if thousands or tens of thousands of years have passed.

This trial is extremely risky. If Ethan can really pass it...

"Tell me what the trial is about."

Ethan said.

He didn't hesitate long.

"Making rules and creating things is a power that is superior to humans and belongs to the gods. It is also a realm that even those traitors cannot touch."

Behemoth said, "All forbidden knowledge is written in these books."

His master had taken the same risk, only to fail.

The human betrayer found enough knowledge in the library, but ultimately used it to exile the being who had taught him.

In his opinion, Ethan's "threat" was far greater than that of Kadra.

Behemoth knew very well what it would mean once Ethan crossed that last threshold.

Even so, Xinkalo still decided to do it. Behemoth's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible jealousy. "You have three days left. This is the deadline for the passage to be completely closed. During these three days, you can freely read every book here."

In fact, he also investigated many interesting and interesting things.

For example, Ethan is a weird guy who always says "I'm not God".

He rejected the feeling of being worshipped as a god.

But things don't always go as planned.

Only three days left, Mr. Ethan.

Behemoth muttered to himself.

——Can you become a god?
(End of this chapter)