Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 263 The Golden Kingdom

"I don't know, really."

Su lowered her head.

In fact, since she joined the guild, finding the goddess's whereabouts has become the guild's main goal. Before the investigators came to her door, she could not have imagined that there were other planes outside the world, and that these worlds were even on completely different timelines.

These are all blessings from the goddess.

The goddess protected each investigator, making them immortal, allowing them to learn about the existence of different planes, and granting them the power to cross planes. After accomplishing all this, the goddess suddenly disappeared one day.

The guild's founders saw this as just running away from home, but they craved more.

"After all, I'm just a B-level investigator."

She added that this level was far from accessing the guild's core secrets. Information about the guild's higher-ups and those mysterious combat organizations was all hearsay. When they had nothing to do, the investigators would gather together to discuss rumors they had heard from who-knows-where, the truth of which they could not be determined.

She suddenly thought of something, "If you don't kill me, I can recommend you to join the guild!"

As she spoke, Sue avoided eye contact with Ethan.

She started to calculate in her mind. Based on her years of investigative experience, it wasn't hard to tell that Ethan was definitely an extremely dangerous source species. What if Ethan got into a conflict with the other members of the guild...

Anyway, that's not something a B-level investigator like her should be concerned with, is it?
If a conflict were to actually occur, the guild would naturally send out members of that mysterious organization, just as they had done to Merlin.

"Merlin is also a member of the guild?"

The sudden question froze Sue's body like a small animal. She stared at Ethan in disbelief at the cold, eerie 404 number, and her suspicions were finally confirmed at that moment.

"You...you can read minds?"

The worst had happened; she desperately wanted to hear a denial.

Otherwise, wouldn't all her little schemes just now have been exposed in front of the number face?
Perhaps the next second this omnipresent current will penetrate her body and electrocute her until she's dried up.

"If I were you, I would have the same thought."

Ethan said, "It's not a shameful idea to want to survive."

This digital face,
Why do you seem so easy to talk to?

Su felt uneasy, but then she thought that since they met, the other party had never made any aggressive moves against her, and had even thoughtfully taken her to the school clinic after she fainted.

Besides the recent brutal murder of two of her colleagues...

But those were all legitimate self-defense!

Sue mentally defended Digital Face, arguing that in a state of extreme instability in his rationality, he might indeed commit an attack.

She no longer intended to investigate the actual situation; she decided to trust Digital Face, which would greatly increase her chances of survival... In fact, if she could get along well with Digital Face, she might not need to worry about the seven-eyed woman in the academy.

Having only been in this plane for one night, she had already faced two terrifying beings that were beyond the guild's comprehension.

But on the bright side, this could also be an opportunity.

Making good use of the environment is a skill that every excellent investigator must master, as it will make their investigation work more efficient.

"According to the guild's rules, I cannot reveal anything about Merlin to anyone, not even my colleagues."

Su cleared his throat and said, "But there's no one else around now, so the investigators need to make flexible judgments based on the actual situation."

The good news is that her principles have always been flexible.

"You guessed right. Merlin was once a member of the guild, and one of its core elders and one of the original founders. It is said that he broke with the guild due to some ideological conflicts, stole an important item from the guild, and then ran away."

Logically speaking, she, a mere B-level investigator, shouldn't know these things. However, she and Merlin lived in the same plane and on the same timeline, and Golden Country was also Merlin's hometown. "I have to thank him. If he hadn't caused such a commotion, I probably would never have joined the guild in my life."

Overall, she was quite happy with her life in the guild.

Although I often find myself in dangerous situations, most of them are within my control. At worst, I can find a way to escape after dying a few times.

She loves to travel, and exploring different dimensions greatly satisfies her curiosity.

"Although I don't know why you mentioned Merlin, that traitor has been executed by the guild, and the stolen treasures have been recovered by the guild."

This explanation aligns with what Ethan knows about history.

Now it seems that the mysterious spear that pierced Merlin's heart was probably a weapon provided by the guild, and the organization responsible for executing Merlin was probably the mysterious organization that exists in Su's imagination, which only mobilizes when faced with necessary danger.

"Finally, there's the process of recommending me to join the guild."

"...You're really planning to join?"

Sue could hardly believe her ears. Since Ethan had seen through her little scheme, the guild must not be a safe place for him. "Although the guild welcomes any race from any plane to join, for... particularly rare and strange ones, the guild's research department will take action."

"Research department?"

"After you submit your application, they will take you to a special dimension. It is said that there are many tools for investigation and research there. They will conduct a comprehensive examination and study on you. It may take more than a month. I heard that their research methods are not gentle and quite painful."

Taking blood and removing parts of the body's organs and tissues are all examination items confirmed by the investigators, euphemistically called "reducing risks".

If you report this to your superiors, the research department can come up with a series of high-sounding excuses.

In some dimensions, there are serious sources of contamination, and investigators may become infected without their knowledge. In order to prevent them from spreading the contamination to others, they must undergo comprehensive medical examinations.

The evaluation criteria are very flexible—based on the researchers' interests.

Sue glanced at Ethan.

These bizarre digital faces are sure to pique the interest of some people.

“I’ve dealt with some people in the research department, and their thoughts and mental state are somewhat… not quite normal.”

She didn't like dealing with those people; in their eyes, every species was a guinea pig.

"It's alright, I can just come back if I don't pass the interview."

Su was speechless for a moment.

Generally speaking, once you join a guild, there won't be any issues with failing the interview, and there's no such thing as "just come back." For those who know too many secrets but are unwilling to work for the guild, their fate is often the same as Merlin's.

He was dealt with silently by the guild, and they might not even have noticed that such a person had ever existed.

The digital face's mind-reading ability made the conversation much smoother.

Su muttered to herself that all these "slanderous" remarks about the guild and research department were discovered by Digital Face through mind-reading without her consent. She had never said anything bad about the guild in any situation.

"still have a question."

Sue said, "This plane is strange. Since arriving here, I haven't been able to contact the guild. If you intend for me to introduce you to the guild, you'll have to find a way to send me back first."

Meanwhile, at transfer station 003.

Undercurrents were swirling within the city, and a suffocating sense of oppression spread through the crowd.

The tavern was packed with investigators of all ranks, all trying to extract more information from each other. Here, you could even see many A-rank investigators who you could only look up to in ordinary times.

When news of Zak and Zul'ga's disappearance spread, an uneasy atmosphere began to grow. If the news of their deaths while exploring the plane was true, it would be the first such case in nearly a century, and they could hardly imagine the upheaval it would cause among the guild's higher-ups.

Of course, what the higher-ups really value is not Zac and Zul'ga, but the power that can sever the goddess's blessing and take away their immortality.

This means that none of them are safe anymore.

"Brothers and sisters, please have some inside information! Please share it with us!"

The tavern was filled with such pleas; for the low-level investigators who had no connections, all they could do was hope that someone would take pity on them.

Many guild members have noticed that the requests to support the investigation have been withdrawn, but this does not mean that the guild has given up on the investigation. Rather, it means that the investigation will be handed over to the real "professionals".

Several Class A investigators were surrounded by a crowd, and the table was piled high with unfinished drinks.

Exchanging alcohol for information is an unspoken rule within the guild.

Everyone knows about the existence of "professionals" and "mysterious organizations," but these mysterious entities only appear when the guild encounters insurmountable problems.

But in reality, no one has ever seen those people, and they have no way of knowing their identities or ethnicities.

Perhaps in the near future, they will have the privilege of witnessing their arrival at this transit station No. 003!

The investigators imagined how those important figures would arrive.

Descending from the sky riding a giant dragon?

Or perhaps they are using special technology from those dangerous dimensions?

This was the most glamorous way they could imagine to make an entrance, and only in this way could they be worthy of the status of those important figures.

Countless guild points, and access to information about all explored planes—this is the goal of every guild member.

The mere thought was enough to excite them.

The A-level investigators, surrounded by a crowd, wore bitter smiles. This was the highest level an investigator could reach, and each of them had experienced dangers unimaginable to ordinary people. Although the goddess's blessing protected them, the pain of death and the fear and unease of facing those unspeakable polluters were real.

The most dangerous commission he undertook, which led him step by step to his current position, only earned him a glimpse of the heavens.

That was an insurmountable chasm for them.

The roar from the sky drowned out the discussion in the bar. The junior investigators almost immediately covered their ears. It wasn't the roar of a dragon, but the rumble of some kind of machine. A wet, sticky liquid soaked their palms, and blood was flowing down between their fingers.

But they quickly ignored the pain and rushed out of the tavern into the street.

At this moment, no one could utter a sound.

They looked up and saw the torn sky and the dark clouds rolling inward. They could sense that something enormous was emerging from the gaping hole.

The dragon was as small as a small animal in front of this behemoth.

The chairman of Transfer Station 003 also came to the street, looking up at the crack in the sky like many other investigators, his hand holding the scepter trembling uncontrollably.

More than excitement, he felt fear.

The president sensed something and closed his eyes just before the colossal figure in the clouds appeared.

The second roar came.

He slammed the scepter into the ground with such force that half of it was embedded in the earth, but only in this way could he stabilize himself and avoid being blown away by the wind pressure caused by the roar.

He also heard the investigators' cries of pain, accompanied by a series of sounds of people being thrown and falling.

Even with his eyes closed, the brilliance that filled the entire sky still caused a burning sensation in them.

This process lasted for several minutes until the dazzling light dimmed a bit, at which point the president slowly opened his eyes.

His view was obscured by a colossal object above the clouds, even larger than Transfer Station 003, and gold became the only color in the sky.

The chairman glanced at the low-level investigators who were staggering on the street, covering their eyes and ears and groaning.

Once upon a time, he was just like them.

But as his position rose and his understanding of the guild deepened, he became increasingly reluctant to meet those people from the heavens.

But then, a beam of light descended from the clouds and shone in front of him.

The president could only grit his teeth, raise his scepter, and walk towards the pillar of light.

High in the sky, a figure on a throne lazily rested his chin on his left hand, wearing a golden mask that concealed his face.

Those seated beneath the throne also wore the same masks.

His gaze slowly swept across the crowd and landed on one of the women.

It was a smiling golden mask, as if to freeze the expression on her face forever.

"Speaking of which, it's been quite a long time since you've been back."

Upon hearing this, the woman's body trembled slightly.

The figure on the throne said, "From a time perspective, 1647 years have passed since you last left. The changes there must be far greater than you can imagine."

The seemingly relaxed conversation cast a strong sense of oppression over the hall.

"With the passage of time, is it because you are reminded of people by seeing these objects?"

"Cynthia?"

……

In response to the man's question, the woman below the hall simply shook her head.

She didn't make a sound, and no one could see the expression on her face.

Only that golden mask remained, still smiling.

(End of this chapter)