Chapter 91 The Demon's Visit [Miracle].
When Ist saw the players looking at him with resentment the next morning, his heart, which had been so happy he didn't want to leave, felt a little pain.
Yesterday, players who arrived in the city of Cyrus received a strange quest. The main content of the quest can be summarized as follows: no matter what method is used, they must conceal the fact that their king is not in his residence.
Upon seeing this quest description, what don't the players understand? It's clear that their king has secretly gone out to cause trouble without their knowledge—is there no justice in this world? Their little king has secretly gone to places they don't know about, and the players are heartbroken, vowing to find their little king in the wilderness. This has caused a surge in the number of players in the royal city.
Some players believe this is the beginning of a prequel storyline or a special mission. Regardless of the specifics, players diligently complete the missions they have been given.
But who could have imagined? The next morning, their little king acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to do whatever he was doing as before, without offering a single explanation for his outing the day before.
As the only player who knew the truth, Cai Cai was incredibly frustrated. It's satisfying to be the only one who's sober while everyone else is drunk, but it depends on the situation. In cases like Esther's, he would rather have been kept in the dark.
“Son, you need to understand, chasing after someone isn’t a good deal,” Cai Cai pulled East into the small kitchen again and said earnestly, “Don’t be a simp, don’t be love-struck. I don’t see any captivating charm in him. He’s so charming that you can’t find your way home.”
"I didn't object to your relationship from the beginning, but why is your behavior so strange?" Cai Cai was also puzzled. What was going on? How could a perfectly normal person become so stupid from being in a relationship?
East thought that his little player was better suited to be a relationship counselor than a chef.
“Thank you, I understand.” Easter wouldn’t refuse his little player’s good intentions. “You and he are so alike, both of you feel that I owe you something in this relationship.” He couldn’t help but sigh.
“Isn’t that right?” Cai Cai retorted. This state of Esther’s was typical of someone who was obsessed, taking emotions too seriously, to the point of losing his will, and willing to give everything.
“No,” East said calmly, “I have received more than anyone else.” A homeless bird has found a home, a rootless duckweed has found a place to rely on—is that weight too light?
Cai Cai suddenly realized that their king might not be what they saw.
Easter regained her usual gentleness and kindness, and said with a smile, "My love is undoubtedly a wonderful and talented person."
When Cai Cai saw East's expression, he suddenly didn't want to say anything more. He said, "I've said too much. You two know best what your relationship is like."
“No, I’m very grateful to you,” Easter said.
“You’ve been in here too long,” Cai Cai said, changing the subject from her relationship advice. “Let’s try today’s new food and see if it suits your taste.”
East ruffled Cai Cai's little tuft of hair, then carried upstairs the exquisitely crafted crystal buns, which looked and smelled incredibly tempting, along with a beautifully cooked porridge.
Arip was lounging lazily on the sofa when Easter walked in and said, "Honey, we have a guest." He said "guest" but then added sarcastically, "I wonder who else broke into your window like me?"
East put the breakfast on the table, and before he could speak, another voice rang out in the room, "What an rude and impolite child."
"Tap tap~" The leather shoes made a crisp sound as they stepped on the floor.
Looking over, Ist saw that it was indeed the demon entering from the balcony. His entrance was strikingly similar to their first meeting—arrogant and haughty, surrounded by raging flames.
“Sir, Arip is my partner. Your words are even more rude than the ‘rudeness’ you mentioned.” East was 100% certain that Asan knew Arip was here, otherwise why would he make such a fuss?
Asang clicked his tongue lightly. "What kind of spell did he cast on you? Tell me and see if I can cure you."
East sighed helplessly, "Sir, what exactly are you here for?" The implication was clear: if you have something to say, say it; if not, get lost and stop interfering in their relationship.
“I sent you an invitation,” Asan said, “but you didn’t reply for a long time, so I had no choice but to come and see for myself.”
East looked at Asan silently, his eyes saying bluntly, "I believe your nonsense."
“To be honest,” Asan said, “I’m worried you’ll get so caught up in romance that you’ll forget all about serious matters.”
“It’s not that urgent,” Easter said, no longer pressing the issue. “It’s only been a day, what’s the rush?”
"How much longer do you want to last?" Asan asked. "If I don't come soon, you'll only be able to enjoy this momentary pleasure."
East was about to ask Asan if he wanted something to eat when he heard this, so he abruptly changed the subject, "What do you mean?"
“Literal meaning,” Asan said casually. Under normal circumstances, he would be willing to play around and keep people in suspense, but he wouldn’t do that in front of Easter. He told them the news he had just received, “They can’t hold on much longer, we have to proceed with the next step of the plan…” As he said this, he looked directly at Areper.
Aripor's expression remained unchanged, a dismissive smile appearing on his face. He casually remarked, "That's it?"
Assange raised an eyebrow. "Should I say this? No wonder they're from the Sanset family." He sat down on the sofa opposite the two of them, his hands resting on the armrests, lying down comfortably and at ease, as if he were in his own home.
East pretended not to see it and said, "Your Excellency, I don't think you're here to talk nonsense."
“Of course,” Asan said, “since you two are both here, you can hear about that history together.” He looked directly at East and said, “You will understand why I disapprove of your relationship.”
"How about we finish breakfast first?" East suggested tentatively. It would get cold if we didn't eat soon, and he didn't want to waste his player's good intentions. More importantly, he didn't want Areber to go hungry.
Asan's eyes were filled with disappointment and frustration as he said, "Your Majesty, can you please be a little more serious? Can't you have some ambition? Can't you give me enough respect?"
East shrugged and said, “Sir, you just came at the wrong time. Besides, what can a breakfast take? You can try the cooking of my summoned creatures; it’s quite good.”
Asan, "..."
Arip leaned against East, laughing uncontrollably; it was really hilarious.
The sight of the three of them eating breakfast together was incredibly eerie and incongruous.
"Alright, alright?" As soon as he finished breakfast, Asang spoke up. He admitted that it was indeed delicious, but in this atmosphere, "tasteless" was the most appropriate word.
East stopped trying to make things difficult for them, mainly because he felt that if things continued as they were, Asan and Arip would end up fighting, so it was better to let him be the bad guy.
The two shrewd individuals could easily see the problem, but since Easter was the most important person to them, they could only grit their teeth and accept it. At worst, they would fight behind each other's backs if they really wanted to.
East brewed tea, brought out some snacks, and set up a tea party-like setting.
Asan chose to avoid seeing it and not wanting to be bothered. Where did the well-behaved and polite Ist go? Just thinking about it made her feel suffocated. The Sansette family members are all bad people.
He stared blankly at the steaming tea for a while, and when he was about to speak, he realized that those scenes seemed like they happened just yesterday.
"Do you know that a man can become a god?" He began with this question.
Silently, layer upon layer of magic circles enveloped the small room, demonstrating just how important what he was about to say was.
Ignoring the surprised expressions of East and the other, Asan was lost in his own thoughts. Time had truly passed for far too long, so long that he had almost forgotten his identity—a chosen one of the gods, truly favored by the gods, receiving their personal blessings, possessing lifespan and power comparable to the gods, and being the gods' most beloved child. In the past, he had countless opportunities to become a god whenever he wanted.
He personally gave up this readily available opportunity because he wanted to stay in the human world to serve his god. But no one expected the accident to happen. It was only when everything was beyond redemption that he realized the truth. The real reason was no longer verifiable, but it was nothing more than his own selfish desires. Humans, even if they become gods, they still cannot erase their humanity. They are forever insatiable and their desires are never satisfied.
The fall of a god should have been as silent as the fall of gods, but a true god is different. He preserved a spark for this continent. Magic crystals were never there from the beginning, and the existence of the "Source" was never without reason. The sealing of the demons may have cost more than anyone could imagine.
The Age of Godfall was a chaotic era, an era that buried many secrets. No one has ever seriously calculated how long this era lasted. It was a period of time that even the gods could not give an accurate answer to. It was far too long, and in order to hide the secrets of history, it resulted in incomplete history. Therefore, many things became taken for granted and commonplace over time, such as the existence of magic crystals, the sudden appearance of "Source", and the complete fall of a god.
It was a colossal lie, a taboo no one dared touch, a conspiracy by a group of selfish and despicable people to steal credit, steal faith, and vainly seek greater power.
Even if a person becomes a god, they cannot rid themselves of selfish desires; thus, they will forever remain just a human being.
This is the premise and the root of everything. The twelve gods of today besieged the thirteenth god for His divinity, His authority, and His irreplaceable divine position. But in the end, they gained nothing. His divinity shattered, His power dissipated, and His authority returned to heaven and earth. In the instant of His fall, He vanished completely, as if He had never existed. His existence was gently buried, and even His name was never mentioned again. That was a miracle! It was the most incredible power, a power that no one could refuse.
Given this premise, even the most baseless rumors will attract a large following. The Felix family is such an existence. Even the gods cannot ignore them, let alone humans. With the scheming and suppression from a thousand years ago, and the forbidden spell set up by the twelve gods together, no matter whether it is true or false, even if there is only a slight possibility, it cannot be allowed to exist.
The history of deities in the past is too distant, and it feels irrelevant to oneself. Unless one is directly involved, one can never truly empathize with the pain and sorrow of those involved. However, when one's own interests are truly at stake, the change in attitude becomes clearly visible.
After the gods fell and the continent entered a period of stable development, the demon chose to slumber. He had thought about taking revenge on the twelve gods, and he was capable of fighting to the death, but this was the continent that his gods wanted to protect even in their fall. He could not be the executioner and destroy it with his own hands, so he had no choice but to slumber.
He didn't know how much time had passed before he awoke a thousand years ago. The world had changed drastically, and the continent had become unfamiliar. Many things he knew were no longer applicable.
Every god has favored a few races or families, much like the Earth Mother Goddess's preference for elves, the Sea God's care for mermaids, and the Sky God's protection of the Sinclair Empire... And [Miracle] is no exception. He has a favorite race and a favorite human. The facts are quite obvious: the race is the demon race, and the human family is the Felix family. The demons possess the power He bestowed upon them, and their most prominent feature is their red pupils, just like those of the gods. Felix—just looking at that surname, isn't it enough to explain His favoritism? "Rebirth" and "immortality" are incredible miracles, a pseudonym that [Miracle] once most often used when traversing the mortal realm.
This also aroused the gods' suspicion. Who could know if the "miracle" could truly "rebirth"? They had not received His power, and even if they knew that He had not left a trace, no one could gamble on that probability. How could Felix, a human family, possibly cope with a divine decree personally bestowed by the gods? Of course, they could only decline step by step.
That would have been the end of it; Felix, like countless other families, disappeared into the annals of history. But then, by sheer coincidence, Patrick emerged from the Felix family. A rumor, of unknown origin, spread that the Felix family should be completely wiped out at that time. Faced with death, no one was willing to offer their neck for slaughter, and thus the war began.
Asan joined with a casual attitude, but Patrick was truly capable and resourceful, especially with his unparalleled personal charisma. How to put it? Even gods were moved by his emotions, whether real or not. This example might not be the most appropriate, but the fact is that many enemies who fought Patrick were defeated by him and then sincerely submitted to him, becoming his subordinates, friends, and trusted supporters.
Asan couldn't predict how far Patrick would go. At that time, he even thought that Patrick might not be able to end this chaotic world. The gods should no longer exist in the world. They were the culprits that shackled the development of this continent.
Their contributions are undeniable, but they are also part of the mainland, sharing its life and death. Their contributions can only be described as being for their own benefit.
This could have been explained with the saying, "A gentleman judges by actions, not by intentions." But there is a secret more terrifying than that of a man becoming a god: gods must fall, and there must be no gods in the world. This is probably a secret known only to Assange and Patrick, except for the gods themselves. Otherwise, why would they have gone so mad?
The exact date of the appearance of the monsters is during the Pantheon. They were forged from the power and emotions that dissipated after the fall of the gods. They are chaotic and violent, feed on flesh and blood, and have an extreme aversion to life. If you want to weaken their power and make them disappear completely, the method is simple: just make sure there are no gods in the world.
Unfortunately, although they are gods, they cannot be considered gods. They cannot be without sorrow or joy, without emotion or desire. This is the difference between natural gods and gods born of nature.
Naturally born gods are nurtured by the world, following its laws and will, and have virtually no personal likes or dislikes. But acquired gods are different; they are gods made by humans, and their human will dominates. So, in order to survive, they can drag themselves down with this continent, sweeping away all obstacles that prevent their survival. Patrick is a glaring target, and "Felix" is a thorn in the god's side forever, an insurmountable mountain.
[Miracle] As the only natural god who has survived since the birth of the gods, it is inevitable that he will be feared and coveted. Even if he is indifferent to the world and lives in seclusion, even if he has made a clear promise, it cannot change the situation. Even the little bit of his remaining will cannot be ignored by the twelve gods.
When their power was restricted, they sent down divine pronouncements to bewitch the humans on the continent into fighting for them. They even personally engaged in a love game with humans. How ridiculous! How ironic! [Liar] Saying he loves you is too absurd... too absurd.
Their cautious approach was correct. Patrick could have succeeded, he was just one step away. The problem wasn't that he was soft-hearted and fell for the love game, but the distance between man and God, the disunity of human hearts. Gods survive on the faith of humankind. If everyone were determined to stop believing in God, humanity could bridge the gap between man and God. Unfortunately, he fell short of that one step. Patrick collapsed on the eve of dawn, and Felix was completely cut off.
The family that stood against Patrick to the very end in this battle was the Sansette family, the family favored by the sky god.
"Do you understand now? Do you understand why I hate the bloodline of the Sansette family?" Asan sneered coldly. "Patrick shouldn't have died, Felix's bloodline shouldn't have ended, and the gods and demons could have completely disappeared from this continent. But it was all because of the Sansette family that things were ruined. To put it bluntly, they are the sinners of the continent."
Both East and Arip were digesting the earth-shattering information Asan had given them; such secrets could probably only be known by someone who had truly experienced that era.
“I can tell you the truth, your understanding of ‘failure’ is probably incomplete.” Areper’s expression was indifferent, his pupils, like those of the blues after sunset, were mysterious and vast, and the emotions within them were unfathomable.
"Oh~?" Asan said with a hint of sarcasm, "You're saying that I, as the person involved, don't have a comprehensive understanding? Then who do you think you are?"
East looked at Asan with disapproval. He knew that Asan's intentions were not wrong, but his relationship with Arip was nothing more than that he had the blood of the Sansette family flowing through his veins. He was not a direct participant. Asan's attitude was clearly a case of taking his anger out on others.
Arip pressed down on East's hand, pursed his lips, and hesitated nervously. He sighed slowly before saying, "I received a bequest called 'The Bequest of the Rebel,' which was left by Cyrus Sansette."
The fact that Cyrus, the capital city, is named after him is enough to show how influential this person was in history.
He was a legend of the same era as Patrick, and the leader who fought Patrick to the end in that war and even turned the tide of the war. The reason why he was not as famous as Patrick was that he also passed away not long after that war, that is, not long after Patrick died. After he left, the Sansette family could only compete with all the other forces on the same starting line to divide the spoils.
Cyrus was the last territory that Patrick failed to conquer. It was here that Cyrus confronted Patrick and ultimately won the war.
It's not surprising that this place is named after Cyrus.
Historically, the relationship between the two was one of irreconcilable conflict, but looking at the legacy that Aripó received, the name alone is enough to make people think deeply about it.
Asan's expression changed. He knew what what Arip said meant: that he was a complete fool, being played like a puppet.
He admitted that he hadn't given Patrick his full trust and strength in their collaboration, that he hadn't given his all, but he had still given quite a bit. He hadn't concealed anything about Felix's connection to the demon race, about the god they both needed to worship, or even the fact that humans could become gods. What he hadn't made clear was simply his identity as a chosen one of the gods, his obsessive desire for revenge, and perhaps many other trivial matters, but he had said everything that needed to be said.
The above is information sharing, not to mention any real help. The demon race's submission, and the submission of other races related to the demon race, and even most magical races, were all due to Patrick's influence. But look, look, what did Patrick give him? Complete distrust, completely keeping him in the dark. He thought himself superior, but he never expected to be made a fool of like a monkey. It's just too ironic.
"Should I praise him? He truly lives up to his name as Patrick, humanity's last hope, the darling of heaven and earth. His mind is truly brilliant." Asan said these words with a smile, but one could only detect sarcasm and disdain, without a trace of genuine amusement. His previous statement that he and Patrick were enemies was merely out of resentment; at this moment, however, he truly felt dislike for him.
Arip sighed again. Asan's attitude did indeed annoy him. After all, his arrogance was no less than anyone else's, but when facing the gods, they shared the same hatred.
“It’s not what you think,” he said, unusually showing more patience to someone he didn’t even like. “Every contact leaves a trace, so they actually only had one contact, long before the war started, long before the gods turned their attention to Patrick…” He glanced at East as he said this, “If things had gone through the normal process, there was a good chance they would have become a couple.”
Asan remained expressionless, seemingly calm, but his blank stare revealed his astonishment.
As he recalled Patrick and Cyrus's interactions, he couldn't tell that they were going to be lovers. They were more like mortal enemies. Every confrontation and every battle was a fight where they wanted to kill each other. He could tell the difference between a real fight and a fake one. So he wanted to ask, how could two people who wanted the other dead almost become lovers?
"Dealing with gods isn't as simple as you think. They're more than just one step away," Areber said again. "If it were that easy, why would they have ended up in a life-or-death situation? Two brilliant geniuses joining forces—you should know what that meant back then."
“It means the unification of the continent,” Asang murmured.
“That’s right, it’s about unifying the continent,” Areber said. “But so what? How can the gap between humans and gods be changed simply by not having faith? And the demons won’t disappear just because the gods have fallen. It just means that there won’t be more demons on the continent. But if the gods fall, the seal will no longer exist. What they want is a win-win solution, to wait for the right moment to preserve the spark.”
"Your strength is undeniable, but humans and gods are not in the same space. Fighting and attacking are just empty talk. We must wait until their power is weakened and depleted, and they can no longer spare more power to make a move. That will be the right time to counterattack." The last sentence he said was full of ruthlessness.
Easter glanced at the two men and realized that his own secrets were utterly insignificant. Damn! Could someone tell him what special day it was today? What was with all this information that was enough to overwhelm him? Before, they were all hiding it away, afraid of being discovered, but today they were unusually generous, revealing one thing after another. Anyone with a weak stomach probably couldn't handle it.
Asang remained silent. He knew better than anyone the difference between humans and gods, but none of the twelve gods present were true gods. What he thought he could do easily turned out to be fraught with difficulties and obstacles.
Those who can survive repeated "purges" and those who can ambush him and remain alive are never easy to deal with. He took it all for granted, and his arrogance and indifference were also at play. He didn't take it seriously enough and didn't understand it deeply enough. After all, he was once only one step away from the position of a god, so it's understandable that he would feel contempt. But after he made the decision to give up, the distance between him and them was destined.
It's impossible for him to regret it. Asang would never regret his decisions. If he had truly become a god back then, he would probably have died before his godhood, and he wouldn't even have the chance for revenge he has now.
The main problem is that he wasn't serious enough. Having learned his lesson once, he won't be willing to suffer losses in this area again.
“I understand,” he said. To think that this was all he could do was to underestimate him. No one knew what he knew. He looked at Arip and said, “I won’t ask about your plans, but you can ask me anytime you need help.”
Arebo nodded. He had his reasons for being willing to explain clearly. Who wouldn't want the assistance of the leader of the nine demon lords? Those who don't understand alliance and cooperation when they have a common enemy are fools. Compared to Asan, their age and strength are only those of toddlers who have just learned to crawl.
“Then I’ll be going now,” Asan said. “Today has really given me a lot of surprises.” To call it a shock would be an understatement. In all his years of life, there have been very few things that have caused him such a strong emotional reaction.
East didn't bother with any pretentious pleasantries and let him leave. As Asan left, the layers of magic circles were withdrawn, and he felt that the air circulation was more natural.
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