Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 172 Ending
The familiar scene transitions, the black and white tones accompanying everything as everything comes to a standstill. This time, Haven, experiencing it again, doesn't show much shock. He even has the mood to joke that such a high-energy and cool scene is a bit of a letdown because there's no background music.

"Hey, long time no see~ Havent, you seem to be doing well lately, you've grown quite a bit taller, and hmm~~~ your strength has improved a little bit too."

As the deep, magnetic voice faded, tentacles with countless eyes appeared out of thin air in the carriage, the largest eye in the center staring intently at Haven.

Although he had prepared himself, when Hermes Mora's indescribable body reappeared, the hairs on Haven's body still stood on end. Sure enough, this indescribable thing was not something he could accept just because he was prepared, even though those big, bright yellow eyes seemed to be smiling at him.

"Um... hello there, Mr. Tentacle Monster. What brings you here? Have you finished your business?"

"What wind blew me here? Hehehehe~ What an interesting way to put it~ Havent."

"what?"

Just as the two were talking, the previously frozen spacetime began to slowly tremble from Serena's side, which surprised Hermaeus. A tentacle pierced through Serena's body.

"I see. That lady is really stingy."

Seeing Havent staring wide-eyed at the tentacle he had inserted into the girl's chest, Hermes slowly pushed the tentacle out.

"Don't worry, your little girlfriend is quite formidable. Our last meeting clearly made her creator feel threatened, so they added something to her body."

As Hermes' tentacles retracted, the previously fluctuating spacetime returned to its original black and white color scheme.

"Of course, I didn't hurt her, you can rest assured about that. I just don't want anyone to interrupt our conversation so soon."

Hearing the tentacle monster's words, Haven breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the difference between the two was beyond description. Such a powerful and mysterious god had no reason to deceive a child like him.

Seemingly having adapted to the strange force field emanating from the tentacle monster, Haven carefully checked to make sure Serena was really alright, then turned to look at Hermes.

"May I ask what brings Mr. Mora to see me this time?"

"Hehehehehe~ As expected, Mr. Mora sounds much better than Tentacle Monster."

If you ignore the swaying tentacles and the eyes of all sizes on them, the two people's tone of voice is like a kind old man chatting with a polite child.

"Uh... I just said it offhand, offhand. You know, we humans tend to act more naturally when we're around kind elders or familiar people."

"Hehehe~ What a talkative little fellow. Alright, time is tight. That old dragon isn't so weak that it can't manage anything."

Seeing that the tentacle monster was about to get down to business, Haven immediately dropped his playful demeanor. This was out of respect for the strong; otherwise, it would be a real shame if the old squid suddenly got angry and attacked him, causing him to die so easily.

"Is there something you want to tell me this time?"

"Yes, Haven~ According to your thinking, another good show is about to begin. As a participant in this drama, since we are the same kind, I am naturally here to remind you."

"A good show?"

Although he could understand each word Hermes spoke individually, he didn't quite understand what it meant when put together.

"Yes, your choice will determine the development of many things in the future. Of course, you can also choose to observe from the perspective of an outsider, which I believe will also be a very interesting thing."

"So what do you mean? Could you elaborate?"

It seems this old squid is about to transform into a riddle master. Haven isn't going to waste his brain cells, after all, who knows how long this guessing game will take.

However, when faced with Havent's question, the constantly writhing Hermes did not answer directly. Instead, the golden eyes on its tentacles stared at Havent for a long time, until Havent felt uneasy, before it continued:
Are you sure you want to know right away what will happen next?

"Of course, it would be best if you could tell me directly, that would put my mind at ease. By the way, when will I be able to become stronger? I want to travel around the Forgotten Realms after I become stronger, and see the world map. There are many interesting things in this world."

Hermes paused for a few seconds before his deep voice rang out.

"You asked a lot of questions, and of course, as someone in the same profession, I will try my best to answer all of them."

"First, it depends on your definition of becoming stronger. If we're talking about the strength of that little wild dog not far away, it'll probably take about two years. As for your desire to travel around the continent of Faerûn, believe me, you'll be able to go to many places in the future."

The astute Haven quickly noticed the order in which Hermes answered the questions and couldn't help but ask curiously;
"Huh? Shouldn't you normally answer what will happen next first?"

"Hehehehe~ That's because the two things I mentioned earlier were destined to happen and wouldn't change because of any circumstances. But what's going to happen next will change depending on your decision, so I plan to save it for last."

Looking at the old squid talking in a mystical way, Haven couldn't help but become more and more curious about what had happened next that would make such a mysterious deity come all the way to see him.

"So what is it?!"

The old squid did not answer Haven's question directly. Instead, it waved its tentacle, and two images appeared. One image showed Sindin using Helsing's hunting spear to blast Carlos into a skeleton. The other image showed Frederick IV running towards the dock on the shore, surrounded by a group of armored knights.

"This werewolf is the pup of that drowned dog from Helsing, but this little puppy's faith is very deep and pure, almost reaching the level of being chosen by God."

"And the other person is none other than the monarch of your human empire. In the normal course of development, this guy named Frederick will be killed by this little puppy today, and then your humans will begin to experience various upheavals. During this upheaval, your strength will grow rapidly, and you will also go to many places."

Hearing Hermes' words, Haven's brow twitched. If what the old squid said was true, then Alice's father would die today. It would be quite tragic for the little girl to be fatherless.

And this werewolf called Sindin is quite strong. He managed to kill Frederick IV despite being protected by so many construct knights. He seems even stronger than his father. He wonders if Hermes's statement about reaching the level of a wild dog in two years refers to this werewolf. If so, he'll be quite formidable. "What if things change after I save His Majesty Emperor Frederick IV?"

"Ah~ Of course, that's obvious. So Haven, why don't you lend a hand? Your little girlfriend can definitely beat those little puppies from Helsing if she puts in a little effort. Of course, if you want to take action yourself, I don't mind lending you my strength."

Listening to Hermes' words, Haven stared at the scenes in the two pictures and pondered. Although it sounded like a simple multiple-choice question, the unease from the bottom of his heart still made Haven feel a little uneasy. He subconsciously felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong.

"If I save Frederick IV, what will happen next? Will it change the fate of other people and things?"

"Hehehehe, of course. As for what will happen next, I don't know. Such predictions that deviate from the main plot are not very accurate, especially when applied to you."

Feeling that the other party had backtracked on the issue, Haven's brows furrowed. This was truly a perplexing situation. When a real opportunity to change the future was presented to him, deciding what choice to make was indeed a difficult one.

But Hermes didn't give Havel much time to think. Just as Havel was hesitating about what to do, the black and white image slowly regained its color.

"Havent, you can make whatever decision you want. I'm going to see an angry lady now. We'll meet again in a while."

As Mora's last words faded away, the space returned to its original colors.

"Havent~ I smell that awful, repulsive smell again. Huh? Is Mom here?"

Feeling a bit strange, Serena looked up at the roof of the carriage, her gaze falling on the sky shrouded in dark clouds, but clearly, Serena didn't see anything.

"Mom? Your mom's here?"

More than whether or not to consider changing what was about to happen, Serena's cry of "Mom's here!" made Haven nervous. After all, he looked exactly like a blond guy who would use delicious food to fool an innocent little girl. Serena was already so powerful; what if her mother came and didn't like him? He'd be beaten to a pulp.

High above, where no one can see.

"Hermes Mora~~~ You have repeatedly violated the agreement and restricted my executors every time. Aren't you afraid of angering us?"

Hermes's afterimage slowly materialized, and he looked at the woman of light and shadow standing inside and said slowly:
“Ms. Misra, don’t get too excited. You know I haven’t done anything, especially compared to the others. I’m very quiet. Compared to those guys, I prefer to observe and watch things develop. Isn’t that a very interesting thing?”

As the light and shadow solidified, the figure of a human woman with black hair, who bore a resemblance to Serena, materialized. Looking at the constantly writhing tentacles in front of her, a clear, cold female voice rang out.

"Hermes, you should know the rules. Are you trying to influence his decision? It's pointless. Don't go after him or them anymore. This is the last piece of advice I can give you. The mastermind will eventually fall on his own chessboard."

"Hehehehe, Ms. Misra, I did not change my interference with him. On the contrary, I smelled a lot of things about you. It seems that I am not the only one who cannot stand loneliness."

As for them... hehehe~ it's too early to talk about that now. Okay, instead of worrying about me, I think you should focus your energy on what matters, since your current situation isn't optimistic.”

As Hermes's tentacle phantom disappeared, the figure of the goddess of magic, who had been silent for a long time, also gradually faded away.

"Huh? Mom's gone?"

Unable to sense the strange aura or her mother's presence, Serena's immense magical power quickly dissipated, and she returned to her seat.

Hearing Serena's words, Haven breathed a sigh of relief, and a thought suddenly came to mind: this thrilling and heart-pounding feeling must be what it's like to meet your mother-in-law.

Heman watched Serena suddenly float up and then fall down, and for a moment he didn't know what had happened.

"Um, what happened to Havent?"

The chubby boy's words successfully pulled Haven out of her reverie.

"Wait a minute, I need to think about something."

"what?"

Seeing Haven stroking his chin in thought, Heyman had no choice but to roll down the driver's side window and signal to stop.

As the saying goes, saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. However, on the other hand, if one changes the course of events, could things become better or worse?

However, if he didn't save him, Frederick IV would be killed by the gray werewolf with a single spear, according to the plot development. In that case, Alice would become a little girl without a father, which would be quite tragic.

Thinking about this, Haven scratched his face, feeling conflicted. Should he watch things unfold quietly or try to make a change himself?

After hesitating for a moment, I still felt a little sorry for Alice when I thought about how she was crying so hard.

That damn tentacle monster, it's so powerful and it didn't even tell me what would happen next. Oh well, I'll handle it myself. I just wonder if this incident will be over in twelve hours.

"Heman, did you bring any potions to restore your mental energy? Preferably the kind that can restore fatigue and vitality. I need to drink some later."

"Huh? Haven, why are you drinking that stuff? Are you feeling unwell?"

"It's okay, you don't need to worry about it. Just be ready."

A desolate abyss
"Ah~ little guy, let me see what your choice is."

(End of this chapter)