"Strange," she wondered, "Why do I feel like there are so many people missing?"

Although the village was not too big, Chris still remembered that there were many children of her age in the village.

However, today, she found that there were inexplicably fewer friends gathered in their "secret open space" than usual.

Some people who were more informed came up to Chris and whispered, "It seems like something has happened and they won't let them out."

"I also heard from my family not to go out today, but I still secretly hid it from them and sneaked out of the house!"

"Did you see that guy from the city? The clothes he wears are different from ours!"

"Oh, I also heard from my family that this person seems to be a priest!"

In this era, priests are basically the most knowledgeable group of people.

When Chris heard that the man might be a priest, she immediately felt a certain closeness to him. This feeling even eliminated her fear of that guy: "Then he must know a lot!"

"That's right! I heard that he was hired specifically to solve problems that we can't solve!"

Even Chris had heard about the problems in the village.

It is said that the village has been infested with rats since some time ago.

The small animals in their village are not the same as ordinary mice. According to many witnesses, some of those mice are very large and very fast. At night, they run through the bushes like a gust of wind.

Someone even said that he encountered a giant rat almost as big as a child one night.

The mouse was actually standing on the edge of the field, staring at the man with a pair of red eyes that seemed to be able to glow.

According to that person, when he looked into the eyes of the mouse, he felt like he was looking at a scary noble lord. He was so frightened that he couldn't move and his whole body was stiff.

After both sides stared at each other for a long time, the mouse quickly jumped back and dived into the bushes, and soon there was no sound.

When faced with this story, most people in the village thought that the man had made it up.

After all, how could there be a mouse that is so big and looks like a human?

But before long, everyone gradually began to realize a problem.

There were indeed too many rats in their village.

These damned little animals would hide in cold and damp crevices, set up camp in places that humans could not detect, and then sneak into people's barns or houses to eat their food and property bit by bit.

Although no one has counted the exact amount of property lost due to rats, every day when people pass by, most of them will say a few words about how their homes have been gnawed by rats, or that some things are unusable.

Finally, some people couldn't stand this kind of life anymore.

They found the village chief, Chris's father, hoping that he could come to them to seek a solution to the problem.

Of course the village chief was at a loss.

It's fine if you ask him to report to the nobles who collect rent that a few more households have been lost today, but if you ask him to go to the higher-ups and ask them to send an army that specializes in catching rats to eliminate these "pests"...

Although there is indeed a profession called "rat catcher", most of them are wandering artists or vagrants. How can they settle down in one place? Therefore, the village chief was at a loss.

Just when they were worried about the rat infestation in the village.

One day, a well-dressed, handsome man suddenly came to visit, carrying a heavy box.

He introduced himself as a priest from a nearby city, and claimed that he had special mouse-catching skills that would allow him to completely eliminate those monsters.

"These guys are demons and enemies of God," he said. "I can help you solve this problem, but after the work is done, you need to pay the corresponding reward."

Hearing this, the village chief was overjoyed and immediately asked what the reward was.

He originally thought that the man wanted money and property, but to his surprise, the man rejected the money offered by the village chief and instead made a confusing request: "I need each of you to provide me with a 'thought fragment'."

"This thought fragment can be an important memory, a 'belief' that you persist in carrying out, or a 'dream' that you are determined to achieve," the man said with a smile, "The important thing is that it must be a part of your 'spirit' and must be deeply rooted."

Thought fragments?

The village chief didn't understand: "I roughly understand what you mean, but how do you want us to give you this...thinking?"

Faced with the village chief's doubts, the man smiled easily.

He quickly pulled out a sealed container filled with liquid from his pocket and handed it to the village chief: "Please dilute this in water and let everyone drink it. When you fall asleep, I believe you will have a happy experience."

"During that wonderful experience, I will collect your 'spirit'." He said lightly.

Holding the strange container, the village chief wanted to refuse at first.

But thinking about the trouble the whole village was in, the village chief finally gritted his teeth and nodded heavily: "Okay!"

"I can agree, but you have to solve this problem first," the village chief said, "Only after you solve it can we fulfill our agreement!"

Hearing this, the priest nodded slightly: "No problem."

Both sides got the desired results in this meeting.

After getting the container, the village chief temporarily left the place - although the village was small, he did not have nothing to do.

Only the priest was left sitting there alone, leisurely sorting out the strange bottles and jars in his backpack.

After a while.

A voice came from the priest's side: "So this is how you use the law of the soul? A fragment of another person's spirit. With this fragment, you can connect with other people?"

Facing this voice, the priest did not even raise his head: "The law is like a simple hub, and everything else is the core extending from this hub. You can use this hub to do things around it, but if you want to accurately locate an individual, it will be very difficult."

"In the final analysis, individuals are too weak. In the face of the law, they are almost like a speck of dust and the vast universe. How can you accurately find a leaf in the endless universe? Therefore, the spiritual fragments of other people are a tool for positioning."

As he spoke, he finally raised his head: "But this probably has nothing to do with you. After all, 'time' is not a complex and rigid thing like 'soul'. Not to mention, time is the king who governs all laws - even more powerful than our current emperor."

Opposite him.

A pale man suddenly appeared and sat down on the chair steadily.

"What do you think time is?" the pale-faced man sneered. "A master? An individual? No, no, no, time is not such a confusing thing. It is unique, and therefore, the person who inherits time is also unique and indivisible."

He said this as if he didn't want to continue.

Looking at the priest, he turned and asked, "When do you plan to go to Tianyuan?"

Faced with this question, the priest paused slightly.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at the man in front of him: "Are you ready?"

"Of course," the man said with a relaxed look, "I didn't have it originally, but after entering this village, I made sure I found it."

interesting.

The priest smiled and said, "It seems that I came here at the right time."

The man also smiled: "This is the decision of fate - just like I told you before, fate is always a spider web that you can never break free from. Most of the time you think you have escaped fate, but in fact you are just trapped in a bigger and deeper web."

There was a mysterious air about him when he said this, making people feel as if they could see through him and see the even more vast world behind him...time.

However, the priest has long been accustomed to it: "Do all prophets like to say things that sound mysterious but actually have no nutritional value?"

"Of course," the prophet spread his hands, "Don't you think it's interesting if others get so anxious and rack their brains over a word from you?"

"After all, being a riddler is just so much fun."

What a bad interest.

The priest sighed and said, "As for Tianyuan, just wait until I have completely resolved the matter at hand."

"You know, in order to successfully realize my wish, I need to create a hybrid of humans and aliens," he said, "Stealing time is only the first step. How to further control time is the key."

"Humans and aliens are like twins with two sides of the same coin. Aliens are born from human thoughts and ideas, clinging to human bones like maggots. This is a very strange phenomenon. You must know that the laws of aliens were born after the laws of humans, but this law can be born and nourished by relying on another law..."

With his hands folded and resting on his chin, the priest said softly, "It's hard not to wonder if there is some existence that deliberately caused all this. Otherwise, isn't it strange that a parasitic thing like the alien species could actually be produced, and continue to grow and become stronger, and even threaten the laws in turn? There were countless times when it would have been wiped out by the laws, but it relied on its own dependence and concealment to avoid several catastrophic disasters, and finally produced a monster like me..."

"It's so coincidental that it makes people wonder if someone set everything up," the priest concluded.

Facing his summary, the prophet just smiled and said, "It's a pity that it's [beep] years now. If it were a few hundred years later, you would probably become one of the founders of objective idealism in history textbooks."

With his chin on his hand, the prophet glanced out the door.

"It's so slow," he said to himself, "It seems that the time needs to be adjusted a little faster, otherwise it will be painful to keep people waiting."

The words fell.

It was like something was catering to his voice.

Under a wave that seemed like a tidal wave, the priest looked out the window.

At this moment, he could see with his own eyes the sun rising and setting outside the window, the moon shining brightly and then being obscured by the sun.

Looking at the sunlight that had returned, the priest murmured to himself: "This is time..."

“This is what I crave.”

Looking at the priest, the prophet shook his head: "It's just a crude use of time. Don't you understand the principle? Use yourself as the coordinate system, change your perception of time by affecting your memory, and jump through time to a certain extent."

The priest had a bitter expression as he listened to the prophet's understated explanation.

"Although you say it's simple," he sighed, "this simple thing is a wish that has lasted for thousands of years for me."

The prophet sneered disdainfully: "What's the point?"

"The true controller of the law of time should be able to observe the infinite future at will, just like a bystander observing time thousands or even countless times," the prophet also sighed, "This is the person who truly controls the law of time."

"Such a person... does he really exist?" the priest muttered to himself.

The prophet shrugged and said, "It's impossible. The human body cannot bear the cost of time. Even I need to use this power as little as possible. Like making countless time observations in an instant? I can't do it. I definitely can't do it."

"So this is why no one can control time," the prophet took a bottle from the priest, uncapped it, and took a sip of the liquid in the bottle. "The only thing that can control time is time itself, and... the 'contradictions' that cannot exist in the world."

"Normal things are subject to the control of time. Only abnormal things can jump out of time. It's like a screw that jumps out of a production line. It no longer belongs to this logical system. Therefore, only it can turn around and become the key and core to completely destroy this system."

The prophet said, pouring the bottle directly into his mouth, mumbling as he poured: "Just like the opposition between humans and aliens, if something can exist in a contradictory form, then I'm afraid it can touch time. Let me think about it, it must be at least the level of 'good' and 'evil', right?"

"But, that's just a touch. To truly control... heh, you probably need 'life' and 'death'."

The prophet sneered, "And it has to be in a human body, because alien species cannot exist in this world. All 'origins' are ultimately just nutrients of time. After all, the laws of alien species are too fragile. Individuals born from these laws will probably be wiped out by the aftermath of time before they even encounter time."

"So how is that possible? A living dead person? Ha! Don't make me laugh."

Hearing this, the priest remained silent.

On the other side, as if seeing the priest's hesitation, the prophet patted him on the shoulder and said, "But don't be anxious. I know you are anxious, but don't be anxious yet."

He said something that the priest couldn't understand, and then continued, "If you can blend humans and aliens together, taking into account the strengths of humans on the one hand and taking advantage of the advantages of aliens on the other, then you may still be able to get the cold butt of time."

"If your face is hot enough, you might even be able to light it all on fire!"

Listening to the prophet's undisguised laughter, the priest sighed.

He had no way to deal with this wanton and dissolute guy in front of him.

No matter how many plans you make for a guy who calls himself a "prophet" but has no hope for the future, it will be meaningless in the final analysis.

Because he has wanted to die for a long time. If your plan is clever enough, perhaps the prophet will applaud and calmly put his neck into the noose.

In the final analysis, he is a man who has lost hope, and even his standing here is a blasphemy against time.

Unfortunately, I still need his help.

With a sigh, the priest glanced at the door.

"It looks like it's over," he stood up, looking relieved, "Now the only ones left are the children who can serve as prime bodies."

Looking at the priest who stood up, the prophet shook his head: "You are such a scum, Hermes."

"You killed dozens of people without any reason, and now you're planning to conduct human experiments on those children," the prophet said, holding up the bottle. "If it were me, I would have torn your head off long ago."

Hearing this, the priest, or Hermes, just smiled.

"But you are the same kind as me now, aren't you?" Hermes asked back.

When the prophet heard this, he was slightly stunned at first.

Then the next second, he grinned and said, "The same kind of people? No, although you can say that... just treat it as that!"

"I am different from others. I cannot bear the responsibility," the prophet shook his head. "Instead of being a saint, I'd rather be a villain who deserves to be cut into pieces! At least being a villain is easier, and what I hate most is trouble."

"Anyway, our final fate is to be killed by heroes, so why not be a little more pretentious and sing praises to the gray lives of bastards?"

As he spoke, the prophet raised the bottle and shook it at Hermes: "Cheers!"

After saying this, he drank the entire bottle of %*V@ from Hermes.

The liquid coming from the change of rules slowly flowed down his throat, and soon an intoxicated expression appeared on the prophet's face.

"This must be paradise!" He laughed and danced, "A perfect world where no one dies!"

He must have gone completely crazy.

Hermes thought so and left the room.

He needed to go and see the "experimental subjects" who were about to undergo surgery.