Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 249 [Menes]

Ethan had already used his senses to investigate.

There was no hostility emanating from the cave, so it's safe for now.

But caution is paramount.

He didn't let Anya go in with him.

Holding his ascetic staff, Ethan slowly jumped into the cave.

The cave was dark, but the light emanating from the ascetic's staff immediately dispelled the darkness.

The only one suffering was Karst, who was bound to his ascetic staff.

"Could you dim it a little? I'm in so much pain."

He cried out in despair, pleading for help.

Ethan ignored him, still carefully observing the interior of the cave.

There was nothing there, except for a grave that appeared to have been dug up.

"Where's the altar?" "It's behind, behind! There's a trap!"

Karst shouted loudly.

Ethan finally managed to dim the light from the ascetic's staff a little.

Following Karst's instructions, Ethan went to the deepest part of the wall, tapped three times on a very inconspicuous section, then went to the other side and tapped four times on another wall. Finally, he returned to his original position and whispered to the wall, "Open the door."

The door actually opened.

The entire wall split open in the middle, pushing to both sides to reveal the scene behind it.

It was indeed a place that resembled an altar.

There was firelight, which came from torches hanging in the four corners of the room.

The firelight illuminated the entire room.

It is not very large, but it is well-organized. In the center of the room, there is a raised platform on which a female deity with an indistinct face is enshrined.

The entire room was yellowish-brown, and it seemed to be constructed using the purest loess.

Besides the statue, Ethan also saw a place behind it that looked like a workbench or a small laboratory.

"The things are over there, just go and get them."

Because Ethan had been using his ascetic staff, Karst appeared unusually weak, and even his speech was intermittent.

Ethan remained standing at the entrance, not daring to go in easily, even though there seemed to be nothing unusual about the altar room at the moment.

But intuitively, something seems off.

After scanning the room again with his senses and finding no danger, Ethan, holding his ascetic staff high, finally entered the room.

That is at this moment.

Karst, which had been listless in the bottle, suddenly let out a sharp, long laugh.

"Hahahaha, you finally fell for it! You finally fell for it! I'm going to skin you alive, drink your blood, suck your marrow dry bit by bit, and then live your life, stealing your life! Only then can I vent the anger in my heart!"

As he laughed, a yellowish-brown wind began to blow across the altar, and the door behind Ethan closed completely.

The karst was twisting rapidly inside the bottle, as if it were about to break free.

however.

next moment.

He stood there, stunned, as if he had seen a ghost.

Of course, if he still had a face and could make expressions.

That's just how he is.

Since nothing had happened, his angry words sounded like a complete joke.

It's not accurate to say that nothing happened.

Something still happened.

That is, all those earthy yellow winds swept towards Ethan.

"That's right, that's right, that's it! Great goddess, whatever kind of god you are, you son of a bitch, kill him! That way I'll really make offerings to you, you bitch!"

Things seemed to be going as he wished, and a khaki-colored wind enveloped Ethan.

Ethan, however, showed no fear whatsoever.

It wasn't until the wind picked up that he finally understood why he had a gut feeling that something was wrong.

It's not that it's wrong, but rather that it has a sense of déjà vu.

Now he remembered, and the feeling was the same as when he first stepped into Afreya's room with the pool in his dream.

A sense of intimacy.

No, it can't be called a sense of intimacy.

For Afreya, there was a sense of familiarity, a kind of resonance as if there was something connecting them.

In this room, he felt more of a sense of familiarity, like that of a friend, or rather... a kindred spirit?
"help me……"

As the earthy yellow wind approached him, he heard a deep, weary female voice.

It's as if I've been asleep for many years, and finally I've encountered a passing visitor from my hometown.

"who are you?"

Ethan asked a question.

"help me……"

She was just repeating the same sentence.

It seems like this is the only sentence she knows for now.

Can you hear me? Who are you?

Although Ethan already had a guess in his mind.

After all, this place should be considered the altar of the Earth Mother Goddess, so this person can most likely only be the Earth Mother Goddess.

"Ashrakshma, save me!"

Ok?
Ashrakshma, that is the true name of the King of the North Sea.

Since she could pronounce it completely, there is only one answer: she is the Earth Mother Goddess.

"I am Ashrakshma, who are you? Answer me!"

Ethan continued to ask questions because the other party's consciousness seemed to be recovering, as evidenced by the fact that the other party could now pronounce the name of the King of the North Sea.

"I'm……"

As a result, the being that appeared to be the Earth Mother hesitated for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

"I'm……"

"I'm……"

"I...uh..."

A statement that is almost a self-questioning and self-contradictory exercise.

"Menes! You son of a bitch, what are you doing?! Kill him!"

Just then, Karst started yelling and cursing wildly again.

And it seems that his insults inspired the being who was suspected to be the Earth Mother Goddess.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke:

“I am… Menes, yes, I am Menes, Menestis! I am…”

"Mother Earth".

She spoke the last sentence slowly, in an almost calm, indifferent tone, as if she were making a declaration.

"Hello, Menes, are you awake?"

Ethan asked tentatively.

"Thank you, Ashera, thank you for coming, and thank you to this disrespectful junior of mine. Please help me punish him; I am currently unable to do so."

Ethan was surprised that the other party's first request would be this. Of course, he was very happy to do so, so he activated the Ascetic Staff again. The light pierced through the earthen-yellow wind and shone on Karst once more.

The roar of the karst came to an abrupt halt.

"Your mother goddess wants you to be quiet."

What devastated him even more was what Ethan said.

What do you mean?
What is your Mother Goddess?

Could it be that……

No way……

impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
He tried for so many years, made so many efforts, and was so devout, but in the end, he got nothing.

Why! ?

unfair.

(End of this chapter)