Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 383 Your customized VIP package has arrived.

This is the insurmountable chasm between humans and gods.

Merlin wasn't sure if he should call this angel-like creation a god, but that was just a name humans used for things they couldn't understand.

Faced with the all-pervading white light, all human resistance was reduced to nothing, including their own. Even the guards who came with the committee members and Chen Qi, who was caught up in this undeserved disaster, were not spared.

They returned to their original state before they were pieced together.

Perhaps in the face of the Supreme Being mentioned by the Committee, the "puppet's" resistance was as insignificant as an insect's, and Merlin knew very well why he did not suffer the same fate—the Committee still needed someone to arrange the final summoning ritual for them.

And they didn't need to consult him in the first place.

Invisible threads once again suspended him. Despite going against his will, Merlin's body obeyed the will of creation. He lowered his head and stopped looking at the now completely silent Song Xian and Zhuang Xiao. Under the control of the threads, he returned to the committee members and followed behind them.

He regretted that he, Zhuang Xiao, and Song Xian had lost the power belonging to the "other world," otherwise they might have had the chance to explore the true nature of the "angel's" creation. Like the observer who exists as a "probe," it is an existence from the same level. From its appearance, it looks more like a combat-type creation.

Merlin learned the reason for the committee's disappearances over the past few days.

They were setting up a ritual to summon the Old Gods. As soulless and magicless puppets, they naturally couldn't infuse the ritual circle with energy as easily as Ethan and Winter could.

It was located on the lower level of the committee meeting room, and it looked quite different from what Merlin had imagined.

The committee members used many mechanical constructs to replace the energy storage crystals that infused the magic circle with energy, and Merlin also saw a familiar object below the committee.

It was a black lotus that fell into the city when the world was destroyed. It turned out to be the remains of Observer No. 009, which had been contaminated by the energy of a "black hole". It provided important research material for the biological experiments conducted by Chen Zhaoming and now serves as the energy source for the summoning ritual.

Merlin slowly walked to the center of the summoning ritual circle, facing the goat skull that the committee had obtained from who-knows-where.

He recited the incantation with complex and subtle feelings.

He knew that once the summoning ritual was complete, it would no longer be a dispute that he or the committee members could intervene in. Simulation 53 was nearing its end, and this was probably the closest the "puppets" had ever come to victory. They had had enough time to study the energy of the "black hole," and now they believed they were fully prepared and knew exactly what kind of being they were about to summon.

A hunt for the Old Gods, and they believed they had victory in their grasp.

Merlin was curious about how this simulation would ultimately go.

As the final incantation ended, a ghostly green flame ignited in the eyes of the goat's skull.

This is a sign of success, meaning that Ethan has heard their presence.

Seeing this, the committee members finally breathed a sigh of relief.

....................................

At the same time, in a room shrouded in shadow.

The silence had lasted for a long time. Winter and the black cat waited quietly, while Ethan leaned against the headboard with his eyes closed.

The "dream" has ended.

The ending of the City of Truth brought back many memories for Ethan, including the memories he had forgotten after being "hit hard." They had no way of knowing what changes this would bring to Ethan, and even the name "Ethan" was born later.

In that darkness, there was nothing, and naturally, there was no need for human markers like names.

"Hey, I'm telling you, what are you going to do if he goes back to how he was before?"

The black cat broke the silence somewhat uneasily, turning to Winter to ask a question.

Instead of answering, Lin Dong asked, "Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

The black cat choked for a moment and looked very uncomfortable. She admitted that she had indeed had such thoughts when she reunited with Ethan in Darkforge City, and even wanted to leave him in that mirror world. However, in the process of getting along with him in the future, she gradually came to like the feeling of being with Ethan now.

Now, for the first time, she is facing this issue in a formal way.

Which version of Ethan does she actually need?
"I've thought about this issue before."

Compared to the anxious black cat, Winter seemed much calmer, because she had been through it all.

When she first learned that Ethan was involved with the evil god Bazartos, she had the same internal struggle as Xiao An now. The belief in the evil god would inevitably bring unpredictable changes. Among the Bazartos followers she had seen, apart from those witches whose magic was so powerful that they could maintain their youth and reshape their bodies, most of them could only be described as pitiful.

But she already knew the answer.

Even if he turned into an octopus, my feelings for him would not change.

"No, he could never turn into an octopus face!"

These three words immediately made Xiao An furious. Her tail stood up high, and she had inexplicably mastered the skill of hissing. "He could never have turned into such a disgusting creature! The change I'm referring to is his personality!"

Even tracing back to Ethan during the "black hole" era, it still resonates with her aesthetic sensibilities.

Although Ethan didn't have a clear form at that time in a strict sense, her intuition was never wrong.

"But what happened between you and him? Was it because he took you in when you were in Riverwood?"

The black cat looked Winter up and down. She had been playing the role of a cat for several days and admitted that when cats are homeless, being taken in by someone can indeed bring them great comfort. But was Winter perhaps a little too love-starved? She asked.

"Not just those."

A slight smile appeared on Winter's lips; the "dream" had also helped her recall many things.

This slight smile made Black Cat a little jealous, because according to her observations over the past few days, Winter seemed to have a bit of a poker face. She never showed any expression when talking to anyone except Ethan. There were very few things that could make her smile from the bottom of her heart. What bothered Black Cat even more was that she just couldn't see through Winter's thoughts.

This is so strange.

"I figured it out."

The black cat was startled by Ethan's voice. She remained crouched and turned to look at Ethan, who was slowly opening his eyes.

After a brief eye contact, Ethan said, "Awesome, Dark, we once teamed up to stop a terrorist attack!"

How can you talk like that?! That's so uncivilized!
Despite inwardly venting her frustrations about Ethan, the black cat's tense body relaxed.

Ethan would never have made such a remark before.

"Let me analyze this for you. The timing of the Sixth Era was carefully chosen by them. At that time, prophecies about 'Doomsday' were rampant, and people desperately needed someone to help them out of the shadows! Even if the Empire rejected them, that giant sphere of light could still achieve its goal through force!"

Although the people of the empire generally say that the reign of Henry I was filled with talented people, there were only a few saints among them. Their resistance was pale and powerless in the face of an energy being of god-like status.

"It's a pity they encountered the even more formidable duo, Ethan and Dark, before they even reached the Empire." Ethan had also witnessed the power of the giant orb's self-destruction. Had it detonated within the Empire's borders, this dynasty, which had lasted for several eras, would have long since ceased to exist.

Black Cat was stunned by Ethan's words. She felt that the rhetoric was familiar, and when she remembered her tablet computer, she finally understood the source of this familiarity.

That tone is exactly like how they promote "Ethan SP" in those pay-to-win mobile games!
In her dream, when she had nothing to do, she downloaded some games recommended by the store on her tablet, but eventually uninstalled them in anger because she couldn't afford to draw cards and couldn't beat the challenge levels.

For some time now, Ethan has been hearing whispers incessantly.

The whispers came from an unfamiliar place, extending an invitation to him. He guessed it must be Merlin. Zhuang Xiao mentioned that he was conducting another investigation.

"Xiao An, you must have heard that too."

Simulation 53 is over. "Let's settle all the historical issues."

However, when faced with Ethan's invitation, Black Cat turned her head away and changed the subject in an extremely awkward way, "I'm glad you're alright. I want to eat Winter's fried chicken today. Let's go to the market and buy some chicken legs."

Naturally, no one responded to her call.

Faced with Ethan and Winter's suspicious gazes, Black Cat said somewhat guiltily, "Ignore those voices, they'll disappear soon."

"You should know the rules."

Ethan felt that this was not a common-sense mistake that the Dark Ones would make; it was a law set by the Old Gods, which even they themselves could not violate.

When the summoner meets all the summoning conditions, the Old Gods will inevitably descend upon the summoner.

Ethan interviewed Mr. Kane, the summoned being, about his actual experience. According to Kane himself, if you don't respond to the summons, the chatter will go on and on all day, forcing you to notice its presence.

This fully demonstrates that the summoning ritual itself is a trap, explaining the numerous cases of summoners being killed after successfully summoning evil gods. The followers of the evil gods believed that those devout believers had sacrificed their souls, but in reality, they were slapped to death by the evil gods they summoned because they talked too much.

Now he and Xiao An are facing the same problem.

"I feel terrible, don't respond."

The black cat's voice lowered even further.

She had never felt this way before, and her sixth sense kept warning her.

Trust me this once.

However, Ethan gave her a reason she couldn't refuse.

The black cat looked up at the young man approaching her, sniffed, and after a brief hesitation, she raised her paw and reached out to him.

Then her vision distorted, and time and space were twisted together.

When his vision cleared, Ethan saw the goat's skull. The eerie green flames went out the instant he landed, and then, for the first time in a long time, he truly felt the cool air from the air conditioner outside of his dream.

Many familiar faces came into view. He was at the very center of the summoning ritual. Merlin, having completed the ritual, leaned weakly against the altar. Here, he had no magical energy to supply him; the summoning ritual had placed an immense burden on his soul.

Ethan was surrounded by seven old men.

"We've finally met, Mr. Ethan."

Ethan could recognize them without any introduction.

The members of the Democratic Parliament are also seven "special citizens".

"Without further ado, we have commissioned a large-scale spatial teleportation spell for you. This is a diamond package customized by Mr. Merlin and Ms. Zhuang Xiao for the refuge. You will be teleported to the forest region between the Empire and the Kingdom of Garlog, where the climate is pleasant year-round. Although there are occasional monster attacks, the Empire and the Lofik Consortium are willing to provide you with security services until you have completed the reconstruction of the city..."

Ethan introduced the contents of the Diamond Package to everyone, believing that there could be no more generous service available on the market for the shelter.

But clearly, these seven insatiable old people were still not satisfied.

"However, you do not intend to do so."

Ethan saw white chains formed of energy hanging from Little Dark's body, and the black cat weakly hugged his neck, curling up on his shoulder.

It became the natural enemy of shadow energy.

He still saw the withered black lotus. It was not hard to see that the shelter had been actively studying this fragment from outer space all these years, and the beings that created them would do the same. They may have collected other scattered fragments and eventually developed this creation that could restrain the shadows.

The entire city has become a birdcage, with unimaginable energy gathering on the surface—the source of these chains.

"Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Ethan."

The old man said, “You are different from them; you are a potential ally of the Holy City. Please allow us to pay you our sincerest respects.”

"This is not how you treat allies."

Ethan pointed to the chains hanging from Little Dark.

"Your friend's power is too great for us. This is just a necessary precaution. Rest assured, after we have studied it thoroughly, we will ensure that it returns to you intact. In the meantime, we also hope that you will act as our envoy to convey some... diplomatic strategies. We believe there is no one more suitable than you."

Out of courtesy, Ethan carefully considered the demands made by the Democratic Parliament.

First, they became very interested in the shadow energy and demanded that she be taken away for research.

Next, they hoped to act as lobbyists, persuading all the native inhabitants of the empire and even the plane to accept the arrival of the outsiders.

No matter how you look at it, this doesn't seem like a request that a group of people who have experienced the destruction of the world would make.

This reminded Ethan of the story of the Little Match Girl.

The members of the Democratic Parliament lit match after match, expressing their hopes and aspirations.

But to others it might sound more like a will.

"Perhaps I've overlooked something: what are the benefits of doing this for us?"

“You can be one of us.”

The old man's tone was full of pride and self-satisfaction: "To truly become a member of this eternal and perfect empire!"

(End of this chapter)