The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Finally, she knelt down on the white sand outside the cabin, lost in thought. When she came to her senses, she found her eyes were already brimming with tears...

A gray-haired girl, carrying a small silver suitcase, stood quietly outside the cabin, dressed in black and looking travel-worn.

A bluish-green sun slowly rose behind the girl in black, at the edge of the horizon.

After the pale silver sunlight completely illuminated this desolate land,

When daylight once again descends upon this desolate planet that was once shrouded in eternal night,

When Eileen snapped out of her daze, long-lost ripples were once again awakened in her auditory world.

It was a human voice, a language she was familiar with. Although only five days had passed since her companions died, it felt like millions of years had gone by.

“Miss Eileen Scherney, is that right?”

"Yes, I am Erin Scherney."

When humanity is awestruck by something mysterious, she dares not disobey His will.

Eileen was in that situation at that moment, so she confirmed her name aloud without thinking.

In Eileen's eyes, she was a girl who looked even younger than herself, who was only twenty years old. Her long gray hair was tied up with a light blue ribbon and coiled at the back of her head. Her delicate features were like a creation sculpted by a god. Her snow-white skin was slightly pale with a hint of illness. Her sleepy purple eyes revealed a coldness. Her cold and beautiful face also revealed a trace of childishness. She wore a well-tailored black leather hunting outfit and a cloak of the same color. Her curves were perfect and slender, like a strong female leopard.

The contradictory elements of maturity and naivety appear in the same person. Ignoring the thorny, crisscrossing, pale blue demonic patterns covering her left side, everything seems as beautiful as if it were just the beginning of a three-year period.

The girl's voice was equally cold and aloof, just like her purple eyes, which would inevitably evoke images of a snowy northern land.

He gave Eileen a slight bow and then spoke softly.

“Miss Eileen Scherney, it’s a pleasure to meet you here. Let me introduce myself—”

"My name is Hearn, Charlotte Hearn. I'm here to settle a debt."

……

Chapter 153 Cinderella and Snow White (Part Two)

In the distant past, when the primates of the planet Karen first gazed at the night sky through their intelligent eyes, their "god" descended.

God gave them fire from heaven, which freed them from their primitive, bloodthirsty ways. The fire lit up the long night, driving away the wild beasts lurking in the darkness. Eating cooked food led to a gradual increase in the physical and intellectual abilities of the primate population. By avoiding parasites and some diseases, the infant mortality rate was kept at a relatively low level.

The gods endowed them with the most primitive tools and smelting techniques, from sharp blades to cut animal bones to pulley mechanisms that could easily lift heavy objects, thus enabling the establishment of the first walled settlements...

[God] granted a minority of them the ability to communicate with the ether, and taught them to purify elements from the high-energy crystals buried deep within the mineral veins of Karen Star, guiding the evolution of the four elements of earth, fire, wind, and water. Therefore, the [majority] of the race regarded these [minorities] as divine messengers and worshipped them, and the first spellcasters and religions came into being...

The messengers of God established a prosperous earthly kingdom in Karen, performing miracles, praising divine grace, and proclaiming divine decrees...

God said that He is the Creator, the Beginning, and the inextinguishable sun that shines upon Karen…

God says that He is destruction, the end, and the supreme divine punishment that purifies sin...

God said that Karon is the last Eden in the eternal universe, and He created all things upon it. He also made the people of Karon the crown of creation. Therefore, the people of Karon should believe in His teachings, keep His ways, and walk in His paths...

God said that if the people of Karon dared to step out of the gates of Eden, they would be reduced to sinners and would be subjected to the heavenly fire that would destroy the world...

God said that the cat is the most perfect creation in the world, therefore the people of Karen should honor Him, worship Him, build temples for Him, and make idols for Him...

……

……

……

God said, “The people of Karon, praise His name, which is called Baal.”

Miss Eileen Scherney snapped out of her somewhat prolonged reverie.

During that brief moment of distraction, she briefly reviewed the ancient sun god worship culture of her hometown, Karen.

On that shattered moon, the civilization of the Karen people is inextricably linked to the sun god known as the "Undying Sun." From theory to practice, from technology to invention, almost all the pioneering discoveries that laid the foundation for civilization and determined the course of history are related to that god.

That deity was undoubtedly the foundation of the prosperity of the Karen civilization—the founder of a crystal civilization built around high-energy crystals.

Whether it's technology or magic, everything Karen has built upon crystal civilization; even the extraterrestrial exploration rockets launched by the Xue Ni family use extremely purified high-energy crystals as solid aviation fuel...

From the time Eileen could remember, her parents told her that the star that illuminated the entire galaxy was called "Baal".

From the moment Eileen first opened her geography textbook, her teacher pointed to the second page and told her that the star system inhabited by the Karen people was called the "Baal System," and that the giant planet that stretched across the sky, visible to the naked eye both day and night, was called "Morag Bal Star." Karen Star was one of the three moons of this desolate planet.

Later, when she was older, Eileen learned that in 1132 AD, long after the dawn of civilization, every Sun God Church in the land of Karen still preserved the ancient blessing ceremony of offering pure maidens as human sacrifices to the [Undying Sun], and this ceremony was officially endorsed by Karen.

As Eileen grew older, she learned that among the many businesses of the Xue Ni Energy Group was a shady aerospace technology company—a blatant act of heresy considered a religious transgression by the Sun God State Religion on Karen Planet. This was because the doctrine of the [Undying Sun], which had been passed down for nearly ten thousand years, clearly stated that "if the people of Karen dare to step out of the gates of Eden, they will be reduced to sinners and will be subject to the heavenly fire that destroys the world"—an ancient, almost apocalyptic, teaching.

Until its final moments, the political system of Karen Star maintained an extremely idealistic theocratic model, with the pope being the monarch and the monarch being the pope. As for its so-called technology, it never deviated from the core of the four elements and ether, and could only be considered an alternative form of magic, or rather, just a different form of elemental theory.

In addition, as a public believer in the Sun God, Erin Scherney would go with her family to the Imperial Cathedral of the Church of the Undying Sun to pray from a young age. On the dome murals of the Imperial Cathedral in Karen, many miracles of the Undying Sun were faithfully depicted and recorded by devout believers and artists.

In the murals and scriptures that record the sun god Baal descending to earth in Karen and bestowing miracles upon the Karen people, His incarnation is often depicted as a golden cat radiating divine light, or as an ancient monarch with a cat's head and a human body.

In addition, thanks to the explicit doctrines written into the dogma, and through various circumstances, cats have enjoyed an extremely high social status in Karen since the dawn of civilization.

From ancient imperial homes to modern single dormitories for employees of the Xue Ni Group, almost every household keeps at least one cat, and in most cases, the cat's status is far higher than that of the owner.

……

……

……

Boom—boom—boom!

The knocking, spaced precisely at two-second intervals, pulled Eileen Scherney back to reality from her reverie. She stuck out her tongue somewhat awkwardly, once again acknowledging her current situation—the fact that she was now standing in the plaintiff's seat.

Thanks to her father, the president of her own conglomerate, Erin Sheryl attended more than one hearing or trial at the young age of twenty.

Of course, this was the first time I had stood in the plaintiff's seat, usually as an observer or a jury member.

Where there is a plaintiff, there is naturally a defendant; where there is a defendant, there is naturally a judge.

Erin Scherney was in a solemn and dignified setting, like a courtroom.

The location remains the same: outside the small cabin converted from the orbital module, on the open ground atop the hill, the graves of the four companions stand to one side, looking remarkably like a jury in the dock.

The pale silver judge's bench was faithfully recreated, and by all accounts, the layout was identical to the courtroom that Erin Scherney had personally experienced, except for the absence of external frameworks such as ceilings and walls.

Holding a pale silver gavel and striking the base, the judge who was bringing order to the courtroom was none other than the mysterious lady who had introduced herself as Charlotte Hearn. She had changed into a pair of thin-rimmed blue glasses, revealing an intellectual air that had not been seen before. Her black cloak now resembled a real judge's uniform, but judging from the casual way she sat with her legs crossed on the bench, Eileen deduced that she probably didn't do this job professionally.

Directly in front of Eileen, in the center of the courtroom, a large, fat orange cat—so fat it was hard to call it a pig or a cat—was bound by several pale silver chains extending from a rift in the void. The spikes at the ends of the chains, like holy nails, firmly pinned it to the defendant's dock.

However, Eileen felt deep down that the pale silver holy nails seemed to be driven into the wrong place. Although securing the limbs and spine was just as important, what was more bothersome at the moment was obviously that big, golden orange cat's foul mouth...

"...You insane bitch, you damned wretch of Heaven, you meddlesome hypocrite, you sanctimonious charlatan! This is my legitimate business, what right do you have to drag me down from my divine realm to this place?! Do you think this is still the era of the dualistic opposition of the Lord of Light and Ether?! You haven't been back to the Upper Realm in a long time, have you?! Let me tell you, you ignorant little wretch, times have changed! The Lord of Light has long since fallen! Now is the great era of 'Nothing is true, everything is permitted,' the Great Age of Exploration where all order has returned to chaos, a new era ushered in by our supreme god, the great King of Hell, the King of Kings..."

One incomprehensible word after another came out of the cat's furious mouth. Although Eileen couldn't understand its meaning, it didn't stop her from understanding its message: "I have connections, so you better not be ungrateful."

That being said, the fact that a large orange cat/pig can speak and utter human language is already an extremely terrifying thing in itself.

A cool, clear voice interrupted the orange cat/pig's rapid-fire, refined greetings.

Although this big orange cat/pig, who seemed to have plenty of knowledge and could probably rant for another ten minutes, its expression betrayed its true feelings in an instant.

It was genuinely afraid of the judge sitting on the bench, so it stopped its insults the moment the other party opened his mouth.

"What is the second half of the sentence?"

Eileen heard the gray-haired judge sitting in the dock ask such a question in a cold voice devoid of emotional fluctuation.

"Huh?" The orange cat tilted its head in a very human-like manner.

What is the second half of the saying, "Nothing is true, everything is permitted"?

This time, the judge's voice was still cold, but it clearly carried a distinct emotion somewhere between anger and murderous intent.

If the previous question was about ice, then this question is undoubtedly about a glacier.

Eileen thought to herself.

The orange cat/pig trembled for a moment at the second question, clearly sensing the thick, dark killing intent that filled the air. Its fur stood on end under the stimulation of the killing intent, making the whole cat look like an orange pom-pom.

Soon, the orange pom-pom let out a meow that was so timid it was barely audible.

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted, except for the exchange of equivalents, taxes, and death..."

Ms. Erin Scherney, sitting in the plaintiff's seat, felt that she could finally understand a little bit of the proceedings, thanks to the few words that finally appeared that she could also understand...

"Morag Bal, the 279th generation descendant of Grand Duke Bal, the head of the four supreme pillars of the seventy-two demons of Hell, your crimes are [embezzlement], [concealing assets], [tax evasion], and [maliciously spreading rumors and slander out of context]! The circumstances are extremely egregious and the consequences are extremely serious. The verdict is now announced—confiscation of all illegal income, forfeiture of property, death penalty, and the combined punishment for multiple crimes, to be carried out immediately."

The gray-haired judge read the verdict on the parchment almost without hesitation. The only time he showed any overt emotional fluctuation was when he read the part about "taking things out of context"—which shows that was the crime that angered the judge the most.

Eileen guessed instinctively.

"Wait, wait, wait...wait a minute, officer! Wait, wait a minute! So you...you...you're not a lackey of heaven? You're a tax officer from hell, aren't you!?"

The big orange cat, its fur standing on end, struggled and screamed.

"It was my fault for being blind and mistaking you! Yes, you could never be a lackey of Heaven! If you were, those hypocritical, hairy bitches of Heaven would only list a bunch of false accusations against me, such as 'civilization extinction,' 'hiding in the material world to raise pigs,' and 'harvesting souls through pig slaughter scams,' not only taking all my property but also dumping a bucket of dirty water on me so that I can be cursed after death—my dear friend, we are family, officer! Only our fellow citizens in Hell would disregard good and evil and only care about the profit from souls. You must be a devil like me! You are so beautiful..." "A beauty of unparalleled grace and charm, you must be a direct descendant of the Asmodeus family! I am a descendant of the Baal family, though of a lower generation, I am still of direct blood! A true citizen of Hell! Our Baal family and the Asmodeus family are the Four Pillars of the Supreme Court, and have been on good terms for generations. For the sake of Grand Duke Baal, please grant me this favor! I will immediately return to Hell to declare my assets according to regulations. The portion of public funds I embezzled as start-up capital will be returned to the company's finance department in full, with interest. As for… cough cough, I will also pay the late taxes to the tax department as soon as possible. You can rest assured…"

Erin Sheryl had never seen such a fawning, licking, and human-like orange cat, but its eloquent, or rather, smooth-talking, flattery came to an abrupt end after a few moments.

She saw the judge pull a pale silver pocket watch from under his cloak. Almost simultaneously, the chains binding the orange cat and the holy nails driven into its limbs and spine ignited with blazing blue flames. Enveloped in the blue flames, the feline completed a silent transformation before death. In its last moment before turning to ashes and disappearing, its form froze in the shape of a cat-headed humanoid skeleton with two horns on its head and fleshy wings on its back. Its terrifying size was more than ten times that of an ordinary Karen male.

Eileen was so frightened by the deformed humanoid skeleton that she fell out of the plaintiff's seat, but she quickly calmed down.

The alien skeleton vanished into ashes along with the disappearing blue flames.

Throughout this terrifying process, the sound of gears rotating at high speed never ceased.

Eileen could tell that the sound came from the pocket watch in the judge's hand, and it finally stopped as the alien bone disappeared.

The gray-haired judge put away the silent mercury pocket watch and dispersed the courtroom decorations. Soon, only the vast white sand and the four graves remained on the hilltop.

The girl in black, having stepped down as the presiding judge of the provisional court, walked towards Eileen, her eyes carrying a slight hint of apology.

“Miss Eileen Scherney, I originally intended for you, as the last Karen, to appear in court as the plaintiff. However, the defendant—the creator and destroyer of the Karen civilization, the so-called Immortal Sun Morag Bal—seems to have never relinquished his arrogance as a higher-dimensional species, even in death. Furthermore, given the limited conditions at the scene, I have skipped the plaintiff stage and will proceed directly to the execution.”

Please forgive any delays.

This was the last sentence that went in one ear and out the other in Eileen's vacant mind.

Simply because of that utterly absurd fact.

Erin Sheryl, as the last Karen, attended the trial of the Karen civilization's creator and witnessed the death of that sun god.

……

Chapter 154 Cinderella and Snow White (Part 3)

"teacher."

"Ok?"

"Why would the teacher say that heroes are meaningless just because they are not human?"

"Emmmmmm, because heroes who are not human will eventually turn into dragons."

"Evil dragon?"

"Yes, the evil dragon. Of the hundred heroes who left the village to slay the dragon, fifty died at the hands of the Four Heavenly Kings, forty died at the hands of the fifth Four Heavenly King, eight died from the dragon's breath, and one, after overcoming countless hardships, successfully killed the dragon, but soon became the dragon himself."

"But isn't there one left?"

"Yes, the last hero perished together with the dragon, so he eventually became a true hero. His epic dragon-slaying saga will be compiled into songs by bards and sung for future generations."

"Can't a hero be made if the brave never die?"

"Haha, there are also heroes who can become heroes even if they don't die, but they can only fight in the human world for three minutes each time. After three minutes, they have to leave the human world and fly to the stars."

"Can't heroes stay on earth forever?"

"If you keep your identity secret, it should be possible."

"What if we didn't keep our identities secret?"

"Then he will soon become a burden on the world and eventually be turned into a dragon."

"burden?"

"Yes, a burden."

Heroes are meaningless if they are not human;

A hero is meaningless if he does not rise like the morning star and fall like a shooting star;

An immortal hero, just by standing there, thinking nothing and doing nothing, would become a burden to the world.

People will try to figure out his intentions, falsely convey his will, claim to be his messengers, and establish his earthly kingdom.

If heroes were immortal, they would be worshipped as gods by all living beings;