Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 245 Ethan: Let There Be Light
Ethan stared at the words in the book several times to make sure he was not mistaken.

This line of error code almost drove him back to Earth, reminding him of the days when he was eating hot pot and singing songs, and wanted to turn on his computer to relax, but because of the mysterious code he encountered unexpectedly, he had to become a computer repair expert.

He was mentally prepared for Xin Carlo's inner monologue, but he never expected that such a string of code would appear in this book. He felt that this should have nothing to do with Xin Carlo's inner monologue, unless the Demon Lord was a human machine.

"What does it mean?"

Ethan asked.

The blue-haired girl shook her head, "I don't know."

She closed the book and her breathing became more rapid. After this original book was put back on the bookshelf, she sat on the floor leaning against the bookshelf, her petite body curled up into a ball, and her face buried in her arms dejectedly.

Ethan followed suit and sat next to her.

"That's it for today."

The blue-haired girl nodded slightly, she relaxed, and quietly leaned her head on Ethan's shoulder.

The library fell into silence again, which helped Ethan think.

As a modern man, it was impossible for him to turn a blind eye to the mysterious codes in the book. He tried to figure out his conversation with the wind elemental spirit.

He originally thought that Xinkalo had concealed most of the memories from them, covering up the experiences of the old gods before they came to this world, but the wind element said with certainty that this was all of Xinkalo.

Assuming the wind element's judgment is correct...

So, in theory, the old gods have a longer history than the ancestors and this planet. When the creatures of this world first looked up at the stars, they already existed in the vast universe, and the power they possessed was the key to opening this world.

Now the reality is in contradiction with the theory. In the deepest part of Xinkalo's memory, there is an error code that should never exist.

Thinking of this, Ethan called up the skill proficiency panel, and the previous message was still:
"Wind Blade Technique (Chariot), Proficiency: ∞, you have embarked on a road to freedom."

This is the only "golden finger" he has after traveling through time. In addition to completing the four elements of upgrading, he can also view basic skills such as element mapping and fishing.

Ethan had always thought that this "golden finger" was incompetent, impossible to communicate with, and would never proactively provide him with any guidance on skills. Only after he had learned a skill would there be a prompt on the panel. However, this also accompanied him through the first two years in Riverwood Town.

His increasing proficiency in fireball at least reminded him that he was improving every day in this world.

Ethan kept checking the information on the skill proficiency panel. In fact, when he first got the prompt for "Fireball", he always felt that it was a bit like an incomplete version of the game panel.

He should be familiar with Ximu Town, the prophecy of the revival of the old gods, and the many paths brought by the rightful god.

The reason why it remained in theory was that every time he studied it carefully, he could not remember where he had read these settings.

He could only comfort himself that maybe he had played too many fantasy-themed RPG adventure games, so he had a strong sense of déjà vu for the similar world background, but now it seems that this is probably not the case.

Like, there was this one unsolved mystery that he was sure he had no way of knowing—how on earth had he ended up in Riverwood?

At this moment, Ethan finally realized.

There is one more suspect in the list of suspects proposed by Lao Ba.

He originally thought it was the wind element or winter, or even possibly himself, but the one that met the description of "already by his side" was the skill proficiency panel that had never said a word. Its existence also fits Lao Ba's description of being "incomplete".

In this way, the paradox between theory and reality seems to be explained.

If Xinkalo and the other old gods are settings of a certain game, then it is possible that they have existed longer than this world itself, but have no memory of any earlier time, because the people who wrote these settings have not had time to complete all the background, or they simply have not considered that someone will appear here and face Xinkalo's heart.

According to the "rules" of this world, humans cannot confront the Old Gods directly, and any attempt to do so will drive them mad.

As for him, it was equivalent to a BUG.

Friends who often play games know that the world after a BUG is like this. You may see unfinished modeling or a pile of environments with no rules at all, because that is not a place that game developers think players can reach.

They should not understand the thoughts of the old gods, let alone delve into their memory palaces.

Combined with the prophecy of "Doomsday", Ethan speculated that the main storyline of this game should have been that all adventurers joined hands to fight against the evil god. There was also a clear division of professions and combat power levels. For example, Pope Julius and his master Turzan, the giant octopus Eliom of the western continent, and the fake Kadra of the Mage Tower might all be group bosses in the original setting, requiring the gathering of 40 adventurers and the cooperation of many well-known NPCs to defeat them.

Then, the world will spread the story of how these NPCs and a group of unknown adventurers joined hands to defeat powerful enemies.

"You warned me not to stay in the 'Magic Network' for too long last time. Were these the same codes?"

Ethan thought again of the strange space he saw in the Caesaros plane. He thought that place was what the world looked like before it was cultivated, but now it seems that the huge rock floating in the ocean and the whirlpool under the rock are unfinished places that can only be reached by exploiting a bug.

"It's very dangerous there."

The blue-haired girl said, "The same goes for you. Don't go to that kind of place again."

"I believe you."

Ethan certainly knew how dangerous the BUG was. Due to the extremely chaotic scene, players would most likely be stuck in a pit from which they could never get out. According to his observation, this world did not have an "escape from stuck" function to solve these problems.

Ethan looked around and gained a deeper understanding of the books on the bookshelf.

No wonder Xinkalo's memories are fragmentary. These books only record the time nodes that are important to him, because no one would arrange every day that the character experiences in detail when designing a game. Those important time nodes will determine what kind of people they will become.

Perhaps in terms of "character setting", Xinkalo has been a gloomy and heavy person from the very beginning.

After getting along with them, Ethan discovered that Lao An and Lao Ba also had strong personality traits, which was inconsistent with the traditional perception of the old gods who were high above and could not be looked at. Only humans would attach such imagination to them.

Ethan gradually understood everything.

He gradually figured out Xinkalo's dark heart and what he hoped to achieve through the trial of wisdom.

Behemoth's "writing rules" and "creating creations" can be replaced by a simpler and easier to understand game term - builder mode.

This is human beings' imagination of gods.

Ethan could feel that although Xin Carlo did not show up, he had been paying attention to the developments here. Almost at the same time, a beam of dark light shone on him.

Everything is normal, the only change is on the skill proficiency panel.

"Building mode (for testing)".

This is the only skill that does not have any description, and it doesn't need any description because it shouldn't appear on anyone's skill proficiency panel.

The dark light illuminated this skill. From a realistic perspective, Xin Carlo shared some of his power with him.

The Old Gods can change the understanding of the plane. The space they are in is filled with environments and creations that are very unique to their personal style. These investigation reports have been written into the Containment Bureau's description of the contaminated area. It is no secret.

This also seems to be part of Xinkalo's plan.

Almost at the moment of activating the skill, Ethan's vision was thrown into the sky, overlooking the library from a God's perspective that he was extremely unfamiliar with. His perception of his body became weak, and countless information flooded into his mind at once.

The design of the library was extremely crude, it was just a collection of bookshelves neatly arranged together. It was a square area, and darkness was the boundary of the area, meaning it was an unreachable place.

Ethan quickly understood what was really needed here, and he quickly found the corresponding "materials" among the disorganized information.

On the other side, Behemoth's thoughts were interrupted by a strange vision above his head.

Winter's changes made him anxious. He had always claimed to be his master's most satisfying creation and the devil his master trusted the most, which was why he was entrusted with important tasks. However, the appearance of Ethan and Winter made Behemoth realize that perhaps he had never been special in his master's eyes.

Not even as good as those little kittens created by the winter.

He saw Winter playing and frolicking with the kittens in the garden. The kittens rolled on the grass, lay on the ground with their soft bellies exposed, and stretched out their paws to act coquettishly towards Winter. Then they would get a crystal clear fruit as a reward.

These lives are fragile and tiny, but... they fascinate Behemoth.

Since Winter didn't want to pay attention to him, he stayed far away and watched what was happening in the garden.

He is jealous.

This spontaneous thought filled Behemoth's heart with uneasiness, as it went against the survival rules of high-level demons.

He actually envied these weak lives. If they were placed in a pile of demons, they would become food on the table tonight.

This is what has always happened to Behemoth.

He was not the master's first creation. As a new life, the first rule of survival he learned was to eliminate his brothers and sisters who were born earlier than him. If he did not do so, he would be the one to be wiped out.

He also learns that seven seems to be a lucky number for the Old Gods.

When there were only seven high-level demons left, the drama of intrigue and fighting came to an end, followed by endless orders.

As the master's right-hand man, there are still many things waiting for them to accomplish.

If you fail to complete your mission, you will be eliminated.

So Behemoth looked up at the sky.

They are all creations of darkness, and the demons believe that their master has always existed in the deepest part of darkness, looking down... and accompanying them.

But now even the darkness was dissipating rapidly.

Behemoth saw the sudden light above him. In front of the light, darkness was invisible. The scorching light made it impossible for him to open his eyes, and even his heart felt a strong burning sensation.

As the judge of this trial, he knew that Ethan was completing this test paper that belonged to him alone.

However, Behemoth's loss was soon interrupted.

The sun hanging above his head changed, black and white intertwined together, and finally merged into a strange dark red. What came into view was the red sky, and...those existences that seemed to have existed in the sky from the beginning.

He saw the eyes.

Countless, densely packed eyes occupied almost all the darkness, and nothing could escape their sight.

This scene satisfied Behemoth's imagination, and the demons firmly believed that their master was watching them. However, he felt no joy in his heart at this moment. Instead, he felt a strong fear and discomfort.

Behemoth immediately closed his eyes.

Just by looking into its eyes, he could hear the sound of his rationality breaking. Those crazy thoughts kept eating away at his heart, turning into a desire for self-mutilation and destruction, as if only in this way could he satisfy his master's expectations of them. But even if he closed his eyes, the crazy erosion did not stop.

Behemoth heard a noise nearby. It was the sound of the bookshelf shaking. All the books on the bookshelf rejoiced at this moment.

The owner was very excited.

His emotional changes affected everything here.

The books on the bookshelf were shaking, and ink-like liquid was flowing out of the books continuously.

Ethan passed the test.

As a judge, Behemoth believed that the matter had been settled.

According to the agreement, he will help Ethan and Winter leave here and help them return to the Abyss.

The ceremony is over, and the new chosen one will ascend the throne.

But now the master does not seem to intend to end this trial, and Behemoth can sense that the dungeon is also undergoing earth-shaking changes.

This is true.

The people of the underground city took to the streets because of the strange phenomenon in the sky, and everyone saw the sun being eroded.

The golden light was stained with darkness, turning the entire sky into an ominous dark red.

Then, a strong feeling of discomfort enveloped them.

They all began to experience the same symptoms, sooner or later, and eventually even the most steadfast believers were unable to avoid it.

Under the illumination of the dark red light, the lines on the believers' bodies responded uncontrollably.

The burning pain from the depths of their souls ate away at their consciousness, blurring their vision. The unrelieved pain drove them crazy, but also allowed them to hear a distant voice. That voice whispered to them, guided them, and told them that as long as they offered their souls to the dark sun, all the pain would go away and they would find true peace.

It was an unprecedented feeling of being one with their faith.

The whispers made the fanatical believers ecstatic, and they endured the pain and walked towards the altar.

The dark red light was gathering on the altar, opening a door to peace for them.

"Lilith!"

Rattler in the mansion gritted her teeth, and her breathing became more and more rapid. Even if she closed her eyes, she could not stop those crazy thoughts from drowning her.

She rolled up her sleeves, and the lines on her arms were emitting an eerie glow.

"It doesn't matter. I still have plenty of time. I can keep spending time with you like this."

Lilith in the center of the circle shrugged her shoulders. She also closed her eyes tightly. This was the only way to block out the dark red sun.

However, unlike these humans, high-level demons were not included in the list of "sacrifices" from the beginning.

"As a human being, you have performed well. If you are given more time, perhaps you can investigate more."

Lilith said leisurely. Even with her eyes closed, she could guess what Xiangwei was like at the moment. "Well, your eyes should have started bleeding, right? Then your ears and nose will follow. If you start coughing up blood, it will be too late."

"Miss Chloe, peck her!"

In extreme pain, the sound of the rattle became hysterical.

Her sight had long been stained red with blood, and she only glanced at the dark red sun before her vision was taken away.

The rattle was answered with a sharp whine, followed by the sound of flapping wings.

"Ouch!"

Lilith's tone was no longer calm, and she also screamed, "You damn stupid bird, stop pecking my hair!"

She had no idea where the bird came from or why it was not affected by the dark red sun.

What was worse was that due to the special nature of the magic circle, it was her real body that was summoned, and every peck of the big bird really landed on her.

Restricted by the magic circle, she had no way to escape.

"Get this stupid bird away!"

"Ha! Well done Miss Chloe, peck her eyes out, peck her eyes out!"

Rattler covered his face and yelled like a mad fanatic.

She wanted to see whether she would cough up blood first or Lilith would be pecked to death by Miss Chloe first.

As expected, for high-level demons, more extreme measures must be taken.

"Stop, make it stop so we can talk! Hey, I didn't do this either, so what's the point of taking your anger out on me?"

When Lilith heard Xiangwei's order, she covered her eyes in panic, but Miss Chloe was incredibly strong. She heard the sound of flapping wings, and the next moment she was thrown to the ground. She felt the bird riding on her and its sharp claws pressed down on her arm.

She had no doubt that the bird could peck her eyes out.

"This plane and dungeon exist just to complete this sacrificial ceremony!"

Lilith shouted at the top of her voice. Upon hearing this, the frequency of the big bird's attacks really dropped a bit. "It was the Master who created this place together with other old gods. All the rules were set by Him, and all the soul sacrifices were to complete an experiment."

"What experiment? Tell me!"

"I do not know!"

"Miss Chloe!"

"Wait a minute, I only know that the Master needs energy, lots and lots of energy. Only by sacrificing the souls of a whole city at once can His needs be met! That's really all I know!"

"How can we stop this ceremony?"

Rattle realized the seriousness of the problem. This was different from any previous sacrificial ceremony.

There is no need for anyone to set up the altar, and there is no need for sacrifices to go to the designated area. As time goes by, everyone's soul will be pulled out of the body, whether willing or not. As Lilith said, from the moment this city was built, Xinkalo has been committed to turning it into an altar.

That is why believers have these ancient symbols tattooed on their bodies.

"How... do I know? Wait a minute, I might know!"

Under the pressure of Miss Chloe's authority, Lilith could only say whatever came to her mind. This was one of the most important plans of her master. How could she, a mere creation, know the details?

But now, she could only shout nonsense at the top of her voice, "The disease was caused by the sun. If you have time to vent your anger on me, you might as well think of a way to shoot down the sun!"

Shoot down the sun?
is it possible?

Hibiki really wanted to question Lilith like this, but he also realized that this might be their only way.

Rattle, hurry up, if it were Ethan, what would he do?
There will never be an answer to such a question.

She couldn't be Ethan, and no one in the world could be Ethan.

Then, there is only the last resort left.

Xiangwei endured the pain everywhere and folded her hands in front of her chest. As a follower of Xinkalo, she had repeated this action countless times in front of the statue, silently chanting the name of her master in her heart, longing for His guidance, but this time, another name emerged in her mind.

Although she had been convinced by Ethan's theory of mental illness, she now had to make a decision.

Ethan, Ethan!
The owner is beyond help.

Not every patient can be saved.

If you could hear me -

The response to the sound was a sigh.

She felt someone touch her hands, then her eyes.

It was a warmth that was hard to describe in words, and all the pain left her at that moment.

She opened her eyes a little, her vision was still blurry, but she still saw the tall figure turning around with his back to her. She couldn't see the figure's features clearly, everything about him was bathed in golden light.

It was warm, yet it made her feel cold.

Xiangwei couldn't be sure of the relationship between this figure and Ethan.

"Time to get to work, Chloe."

I could vaguely hear a voice like this: "Go, shoot down the sun."

That shouldn't be the color of the sun.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side.

"Don't you think this color is more attractive?"

The book beside Ethan kept vibrating, asking him sharp and harsh questions again and again. Those voices seemed to come from different people's mouths, overlapping together, accompanied by "hehe" laughter.

"You have indeed completed the trial, Ethan, but this is far from enough. Your energy is still too weak."

The book says, "So, accept my gift."

(End of this chapter)