Chapter 79 Post-War Sacrifice and Fanatics
"Wow, that's amazing."
Shen Xijing followed behind Cai Chunyu, curiously looking around at her surroundings. The black cat in her arms weakly turned its head, clearly also very curious about this space.
It looks like the real world, but everyone here knows the map of the City of the Sun by heart. It's impossible for such a place to just appear out of thin air. Moreover, there is a misty atmosphere here, although it is very faint and does not have the oppressive feeling that comes with the mist. But can ordinary people survive in the mist?
A thin, grayish-white mist hung over the mountaintop, and the sky was a false, pale white. In this strangely bizarre world, a group of ordinary people dressed in ancient clothing were... farming, led by the only person with superpowers?
In the City of the Sun, all food is produced by factories in District 03. Farming is a very niche and retro activity, so much so that Black Cat stared wide-eyed for a long time before he could figure out what these ordinary people were doing.
Welcome to Redwood Village.
Following Bishop D's instructions, Gu Yinglan had the villagers hand over the prepared supplies to the group. "The mahogany church has been built. Fellow believers, you are welcome to come and join our morning reading when the sun is just rising."
Cai Chunyu looked down at the familiar supplies in her hand: ...
Isn't this the very thing they sacrificed to the Lord of Listening? They never expected that what they gave up would inexplicably return to their hands.
As Cai Chunyu's gaze swept over the group of villagers who showed no signs of spiritual energy fluctuations, it dawned on her. If the existence needed to feed such a group of ordinary people in this barren space, it wouldn't be surprising that it would require these ordinary supplies.
Shen Xijing curiously peeked out from behind her: "Morning reading? What are we reading? Is it the sacred texts?"
If word got out, no one would believe it: they'd believed in an evil god for so long, and even committed a crime that would surely shake the whole city, yet they didn't even know the doctrines of the Lord of Listening.
"The sacred texts are being compiled. The Lord said that justification is by faith, not by empty rituals... We have recently been studying the sacred books given by the Lord."
Standing behind Gu Yinglan, Xiao Qi took out a book from her bag upon hearing this. Shen Xijing looked at it curiously, and the words "Basic Mathematical Principles" almost filled the entire cover of the printed paper.
Everyone: ...?
Mountain top.
Having confirmed that Catwhisker and his group were settled, Du Yu, whose avatar was already on the verge of collapse, simply found a boulder, sat cross-legged, and slowly lowered his head to stare at the little black dog lying motionless on the ground. He then found a twig and tapped it on the furry head:
"Shall we chat?"
"Waaah."
The black dog let out a few whimpers and shook its head violently as if to relieve motion sickness. The force was so strong that it swayed to the side. Du Yu was not fooled by its seemingly soft and harmless appearance. She knew very well that the dog in front of her was no longer the one she had taken out.
Although it was unclear how he did it, when Du Yu was considering whether she could take Xiao Yi No. 3 away, the imprisoned giant beast sensed her thoughts, directly abandoned its body, and infused its spirituality into the little black dog.
Although the little black dog's appearance hasn't changed much, Du Yu estimates that the little thing's energy is more than ten times stronger than before, and it's no longer the frail creature it once was.
Xiao Yi's clone not only changed the energy intensity within her body, but more importantly, it added something that Yu couldn't yet explain. It was this thing that made the clone's "thickness" greater.
If one had to give this abstract process a metaphor, in Du Yu's perception, those incomplete spirit fragments were like grains of dust, while the previous Xiao Yi was like a thin sheet of paper, and the puppy he separated was a scrap of paper, slightly stronger than spirit fragments, but still not as good as normal ability users like Cat Whiskers.
The flimsy, fragile feeling of the two-in-one dog has been greatly reduced. Although it is not as thick as concrete, it has transformed from a thin sheet of paper into a book, and the spirit has become much more substantial.
Sure enough, after the two were combined, the little black dog's intelligence improved considerably. Recovering from his dizziness, he opened his golden eyes wide and stared at Du Yu with an exceptionally wise gaze:
What would you like to know?
Du Yu raised an eyebrow, remaining silent for a moment. The tiny puppy struggled to sit up straight, its tone surprisingly composed compared to its appearance:
"You don't need to doubt me. As long as it can help you, no matter who I am, I will do my best."
"Why?"
Du Yu spoke calmly. At first, she had many questions to ask, but now she was more curious about the attitude of the person in front of her towards her.
Those with supernatural abilities have a deep-seated wariness of evil gods, and this wariness is not without reason, judging from the connections established in their brains after reciting the prayer.
Although he recited his prayer, Xiao Yi's state was clearly not right. Why was this sub-body, which seemed to have retained more rationality, still so respectful to him?
Based on information gathered from various sources, 001 is likely the insurgent leader who, according to rumors, instigated an unprecedented riot and ultimately died at the hands of Christina, the head of the security department.
Although it's unclear how he ended up in this situation, Du Yu couldn't believe that the real person behind this powerful ability—who single-handedly instigated a riot that nearly shook the foundations of the conglomerate's rule and whom even the evil god couldn't defeat—was the same silly, adorable little Yi in the temple who only cared about eating.
"With false gods in power, I've come a long way, with companions separated by life and death, old friends and relatives turning against me, countless people killed, and countless others dying for me. I've done many wrong things in the name of justice, and the only reason I'm still alive is—"
"We are waiting for your arrival, waiting for the sacred flames to lick away all illusions, waiting for the merciful gaze of the gods to once again fall upon this land..."
"Stop, I said stop."
Du Yu had been listening attentively to the little black dog, his elbows propped on his knees and his chin on his hand. But as the dog's words became increasingly childish and cringeworthy, Du Yu got goosebumps and quickly interrupted him, asking a question that had been nagging at him for a long time:
"You just mentioned 'false gods'... What's the difference between a true god and a false god?"
The concepts of true god and false god are frequently encountered, and strangely, the definitions of these two terms are different almost every time.
When she first met You Shi, she called herself a "false god" for unknown reasons. However, at the secret laboratory built by the Bald Man's Association at the Furensa Wharf, You Shi sacrificed nineteen fragments of the Holy Grail. When she went mad at Li Yueyuan, she called herself a "newborn great being" and believed herself to be a true god.
In the description of the special composite material [Dream Petri Dish] that Du Yu obtained during his first journey through the spirit world, the system referred to [Heartless Eye] as a "fallen false god".
In the series of missions issued by the system, "The Evil Sacrifice - Part 1", the evil god "Mimi Yin" is also called a "false god". Mimi Yin's messenger, Wu Shixian, initially believed that he was a "false god" who was close to the city-state, but then denied it. At the same time, he was surprised by his identity as a "transcendent", believing that a "true god" could not tolerate a believer who was a transcendent.
Later, in the past records seen in the Holy Grail fragments, Bian Shaoyan mentioned the method of judging "true god", "false god" and "human god" proposed by the Ocean Research Center. "True god" can master two superior elements, while "false god" can only master one. Moreover, after choosing a "tendency", the path is fixed and there is almost no possibility of becoming a "true god".
Bian Shaoyan's explanation was the clearest among all the explanations Du Yu had heard, covering the concepts of "true god" and "false god".
However, after encountering Chen Xing in the Tai Sui instance during the system's weekly quests, she dismisses the notion of "true god" and "false god," believing that "a god is a god," and there is no distinction between true and false gods. Furthermore, she believes that there is only one path to godhood—transcendence.
"Seize the three elements of different inclinations, and ignite a lamp in the darkness; elevate your divine kingdom until it becomes the stars in the spirit world; finally, reach the end of each inclination, and your divine position will manifest itself, welcoming the eternal night, and all calamities will end—"
Du Yu felt a chill run down his spine, and the words Chen Xingzhi had spoken before disappearing suddenly echoed in his mind: the concepts of transcendent, god, and false god were intertwined, and it seemed that each person had a different interpretation depending on their perspective.
Why do you care about this?
"Huh?"
The black ball on the ground tilted its head, seemingly puzzled by Du Yu's question: "No matter how mortals quarrel and despise each other, the gods will not care about the mortals' definitions. After all, no one knows better than you what a god is."
This... is an answer that seems to say nothing, yet somehow makes sense.
"As for the so-called 'true gods' and 'false gods,' no matter how they claim to be, it's nothing more than mortals boasting."
"You mean that the so-called evil gods worshipped by those cultists haven't even transcended the realm of 'mortals'?"
Du Yu was slightly startled. Names like "Mi Mi Yin" and "Xin Ri" flashed through his mind...
"Yes, even that Lord of the Pure Sea, she hasn't been able to 'transcend' and is still stuck at the last step... otherwise I wouldn't be alive now."
The bold guess was confirmed. Du Yu glanced at the little black dog, his purple eyes deep: "According to what you said, if 'true gods' and 'false gods' are just concepts fabricated by mortals, and mastering one or two superior elements still keeps one at the mortal stage... then how exactly does one become a god?"
"Sorry, I don't know either."
The black fluffy ball trembled, its golden eyes glistening as it looked at Du Yu. Du Yu, unfazed by its cute appearance, raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when the black fluffy ball continued:
"You don't need my answer. What belongs to you will naturally come back to you, no one can take it away. You just need to follow the guidance of your heart."
Du Yu frowned, about to say that all he had encountered along the way were riddle-makers, and he had never heard of any "inner guidance," when a thought suddenly struck him.
A game system that follows you after you travel through time, and whose prompts are only visible and audible to you, isn't that another kind of "inner guidance"?
What exactly is this so-called "Dudu Loves Merging" game? Throughout its journey, it has never said anything, but every task it releases seems to be intentionally guiding itself in a certain direction.
"Congratulations on logging into the game! Let's use the power of synthesis to build a more beautiful world together! (Left parenthesis: heart; Right parenthesis:...")
This is what 166 says when he appears after the game loads. I've seen too many of these kinds of game clichés, so I didn't pay attention at first, but now that I see it... The purpose of this game is to build a "more beautiful world".
The key question is, who defines this "beauty"? Is it only by becoming a god that the world can become more "beautiful"?
Du Yu pondered the game's intention, couldn't help but ruffle the little black fluffy ball's head with one hand, then casually put his hand behind his back and took over the topic of gods:
"And what about the transcendent? What does this so-called transcendent mean?"
Du Yu had heard the word "Transcendent" no less than ten times in various places, especially after the divine messenger Wu Shixian of [Mi Mi Yin] said that a true god could not tolerate a believer under his command being a Transcendent. For some reason, this sentence made her particularly concerned.
Chen Xingzhi also refers to the process of becoming a god as a process of "transcendence".
Moreover, according to 001, true gods do not need guidance from others, do not need to rely on external forces, and do not bother to find a way to become gods. They will follow the correct path to godhood based on their inner guidance.
If the system is indeed the so-called "inner guidance," then is Chen Xingzhi, whom I met in the game instance, a well-known archaeology professor in the original world, or rather, a notorious world destroyer, someone the system deliberately arranged for me to meet, so that she could teach me the knowledge to become a god?
If that's the case, then the word "surpass" that Chen Xingzhi mentioned many times needs to be considered more seriously.
Surpassing...
The little black fluffy ball pondered for a moment, then looked up at Du Yu's hands behind his back. Its fluffy face wrinkled, and after a moment of thought, it didn't answer directly, but instead posed a question:
"What do you think is the most fundamental difference between mortals and gods?"
Du Yu frowned. Although she was recognized as a true god by various forces, her understanding of the concept of a god was actually quite vague. She was becoming increasingly proficient at entering and leaving the spirit realm, using her spiritual vision, and wielding divine fire.
But to be honest, compared to the battles of her previous life, apart from being a bit stronger and having purple fire that could burn anything, she really didn't feel any fundamental difference in her strength.
Could it be...?
Du Yu paused, her gaze lingering. She had always thought that becoming a god only began after she transmigrated into the novel world and became bound to the synthesis game. After all, it was only then that she established the altar, gained her first believer, and thus ignited the divine fire.
But believers have always been the ones who worship gods, and Du Yu has never heard of gods existing because of believers.
Since she didn't feel any fundamental difference between herself and her previous self after igniting the divine fire, she realized that she hadn't experienced any significant change in her self since then.
So, does this mean that I had already crossed the line between mortals and gods before I even entered the novel's world?
Surpassing...
Du Yu pondered the word over and over in his mind, continuing to think along the lines of that bold yet remarkably reasonable conjecture.
The system classifies synthetic materials into levels just like the City of the Sun classifies ability users, from low to high, from the lowest level E to the highest level A. However, the system also sets up a unique level K above level A.
【Gluttony】, 【Golden Will】, 【Exile】—recalling these three unique talents related to K-rank in the talent slots, Yu's gaze darkened.
"The so-called transcendent are those whose strength surpasses the limits of mortals and touches the realm of gods?"
"That's right."
The little black ball of fur nodded heavily. But then it changed its tone and corrected, "Since they have already transcended, the transcendent are naturally no longer within the realm of humanity. Even if they fail to complete the final step, ascend to godhood, and become true gods, the transcendent cannot return to the realm of mortals."
Du Yu lowered his head slightly, tossing and catching pebbles with one hand, pondering his words.
The meaning of 001 is very clear: the transcendent can be understood as the transitional stage between mortals and gods.
Between mortals and gods, there is a vast chasm. Mortals, at best, reach only an A-level, unable to touch the realm of the gods. But transcendents are different. Although their strength is not yet sufficient to become gods, as beings who have transcended mortals, transcendents already have the qualifications to pursue godhood.
It's no wonder that Christina, the Director Fisher, was able to affect him with her powers. After all, in a sense, he's just a transcendent being who's gone a little further than her on the path to godhood, and hasn't truly crossed that boundary yet.
Since "surpassing" is an action, there must be a pre-existing state of accumulation before "surpassing".
Du Yu's mind raced as he tried to recall his memories from before he traveled through time.
If I had achieved "transcendence" in my previous life, the key would probably lie in the three terms: [Gluttony], [Golden Will], and [Exile].
The key is that of these three states, she only vaguely remembers the one called "饕餮".
This talent likely stems from a psychological disorder she developed during her long years in the wasteland, a result of prolonged hunger leading to cannibalism. When she first saw this talent, she joked that almost any wasteland dweller who transmigrated would possess it. Logically, since Du Yu's past experiences were solidified into a talent after her transmigration, [Gluttony] should only be a negative state.
However, with the system's support, although there are still limitations, the ability that "if your satiety exceeds 150% within 10 minutes, you will break through your physiological limits and gain the 'Iron Stomach' effect, digesting and absorbing nutrients from any 'food'" can almost be understood as devouring everything without any negative effects. This can be described as a terrifyingly powerful talent.
The fact that the purple flame can burn and devour energy from any source is probably closely related to the [Gluttony] devouring talent.
Du Yu's eyes darkened slightly. If the K-level talent of "Golden Will"—"unwavering and unretreating"—came from his experience in the previous world, then...
The state of "survival" is a curse, but it is actually a blessing. It is a state that Shiwei has blessed himself through sacrifice.
So this sudden appearance of the incredibly powerful talent [Taotie] is probably related to his traits from his previous life.
However... despite having such an important superpower, Du Yu can't remember what her superpower is at all, and the battle scenes related to it are all blurry; at the same time, she can't find any trace of memory of Shi Wei's sacrifice in her mind.
Perhaps... all of this is related to the memory I lost in the later stages of the apocalypse.
If, in the later stages of the apocalypse, one has achieved so-called "transcendence" in that lost memory, breaking free from the limitations of the mortal body and standing at the pinnacle of human evolution, who could possibly tamper with one's memories without being detected?
Is it a mysterious game system? Or a... god with unclear motives?
Du Yu felt a chill, like a herbivore staring at a powerful predator, and could even smell the fishy stench emanating from the predator's nostrils, causing his breathing to quicken.
She remembered her past life, in that wasteland world, where the Fallen race was generally not of a high level. Unlike the novel world, where they were even divided into six levels.
Du Yu didn't encounter any decent enemies in the later stages, but what if all of this was based on the premise that a god with unclear intentions was secretly watching her every move from a place she couldn't see?
Her choices, her interactions with those around her, and even her random thoughts when she's alone, may all be meticulously displayed under the surveillance of that unknown entity...
Du Yu shivered inexplicably. Her biological instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm screamed wildly, urging her to quickly forget this terrible conjecture. But her thoughts inevitably continued to race, as if falling into an abyss and irrevocably heading in a certain direction.
Since there are gaps in her memory, and signs of tampering, can her memories still be considered reliable? Should she believe everything from the past, those fragments that remain in her memory?
A person is made up of memories and the past, but if even memories are unreliable, and everything in the past disappears into the fog, or the past on which one stands is simply a falsehood, is one still the same person from the past?
Or rather, if everything is false, and memories are fabricated, then who is Du Yu? And who am I?
Du Yu took a deep breath, suppressing the thoughts that kept wandering in his mind, as well as the deep unease and self-doubt that had been buried in his heart since he discovered the problem with his memory.
Her past life of wandering in the wasteland left her with an extreme sense of insecurity, and she only wanted to control everything herself. Now, the gaps in her memories are like a time bomb. She knows that the bomb exists somewhere within her, but she not only has no way to find it, but she also doesn't know when it will explode.
But... thinking about these things now is pointless. Without information, the human imagination is boundless, and indulging in idle daydreams will only immerse you in endless fear, scaring yourself unnecessarily. Only by constantly becoming stronger and striving for power can a piece possibly leap off the board and confront the player.
The black furball watched Du Yu ponder silently, not urging him even as the golden light in his eyes faded. After a while—or perhaps a few minutes—the young god, lost in his thoughts, suddenly asked a strange question:
"If the transcendent beings are the transitional stage between mortals and gods, then what about those evil gods?"
Du Yu tried to clear his mind and changed the topic to one he wanted to know more about.
According to 001, the major and minor evil gods of the city-states, including the famous "New Sun," "Mimi Sound," and even the powerful "Lord of the Pure Sea," have not been on the correct path to godhood.
However, the fear of evil gods among the people of the lower city was not unfounded. If one insists that those humanoid pollution emitters, capable of turning ordinary people into monsters in just a few breaths or glances, are merely mortals, then the definition of mortals is far too broad.
Moreover, when Du Yu was wandering in the spirit world before, she encountered an avatar of [Mi Mi Yin], and the other party could still make her feel pressured. As her rationality gradually returned, Du Yu couldn't help but wonder if these evil gods really belonged to the realm of mortals.
The black furball pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Although they did not follow the correct path to godhood, they did break through the limits of mortals in some areas. But compared to those who transcend, the distance between them and godhood is even greater than that between mortals and gods."
"Therefore, rather than mortals, or perhaps more accurately described as: fallen ones."
"The Fallen" and "The Transcendent".
This statement seems more precise than the abstract concepts of "true god" and "false god".
Du Yu pondered for a moment, looking at the serious-looking black ball of fur on the ground, and felt an irresistible urge to touch it again. Suppressing this sudden impulse, he asked a series of questions:
How can an ordinary person become a transcendent being? Or rather, what exactly does transcendence mean? And how do you become a transcendent being?
Power is certainly a boundary between the transcendent and the mortal, but it is certainly not the only boundary, otherwise there would be no distinction between the transcendent and the fallen.
Du Yu had no recollection of how he became a Transcendent. But right now, wasn't there a powerful Transcendent who had once wreaked havoc on the entire City of Sun Chasing? Since the other party was so open with information, Du Yu naturally wanted to take the opportunity to ask a few more questions.
"The so-called 'transcendence' refers to the superpowers of mortals reaching the pinnacle—that is, after the group of people in the City of the Sun Research Institute classifies them as Grade A. Through some method or ritual, the superpowered person breaks through the limits of mortals, produces a qualitative leap, changes the origin of life, and thus gains the qualification to contact the realm of gods."
"Regarding the levels of Transcendents, the sample size is too small to classify them yet. The original body had previously planned to increase the number of Transcendents, but failed... However, in a misty rift that preserved the information from before the Great Cataclysm, the original body once found a record about 'Transcendent'. In that document, that senior classified the Transcendent level as K-level."
K-level.
Du Yu's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. Wasn't this the system's rating for his talents [Gluttony] and [Golden Will] in his talent bar? Even this rating corresponded to the ratings in the novel world? It seemed that the overlap between the system's ratings and the novel world's ratings was definitely not a coincidence.
"Yes."
The little black dog stretched out its furry paw, its claws snapping out, and under Du Yu's suddenly serious gaze, easily carved a straight vertical line into the rock. Then, in the middle of the vertical line, it drew two symmetrical diagonal lines—a perfect "K," one of the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet that Du Yu had learned in his previous life—in the world of the novel, this would be one of the lost ancient languages from before the so-called Great Cataclysm.
As expected, after the little black ball of fur drew the letter on the rock, its further explanation indeed mentioned the ancient language from before the Great Cataclysm: "It is said that this level originated from the lost ancient word 'King,' which means 'king.'"
King?
Before Du Yu could recover from the shock of suddenly hearing English words, the little black dog tilted its head, seemingly recalling something, and slowly and uncertainly spoke:
"Even in the nut, I still is the king of the infinite universe."
The little black dog's fur stood on end, its tail was taut, its beady eyes stared into the void, and its throat kept emitting strange noises, but it still managed to utter a sentence with a strange tone, which Du Yu could still recognize as English.
Without him needing to explain further, the meaning of this 'ancient saying' automatically came to mind: "Even when confined within a nutshell, one still considers oneself the king of infinite space." (Note)
Inside the nutshell...
Du Yu was stunned. It was as if a refreshing rain had fallen on his mind on a hot summer day. A sudden realization flashed through Du Yu's mind, but just a second before Du Yu could grasp it, the realization slipped away with his flowing thoughts. Du Yu could only focus his attention on this sentence.
"Even if he were in a nutshell, he would think himself the king of infinite space." This is a famous quote from the playwright Shakespeare, which was very famous in her previous life, so she had naturally heard of it.
But that's not the point.
This wasn't the first time Du Yu had heard sentences from the wasteland world in a novel.
Previously, when she was eavesdropping in the secret laboratory of the Bald Heads Club at the Flène de Follère dock, You Shi, that lunatic, also told Li Yueyuan the story of Chaos dying after having seven orifices drilled into him. This story also came from her previous life, originating from the ancient philosophical book "Zhuangzi".
Besides the two stories mentioned above, Chen Xingzhi and Gu Yinglan, both from the wasteland world, inexplicably appeared in this spacetime rift. The Blue Grid Company, with its ambiguous relationship with the [Lord of the Pure Sea], also got involved in this spacetime rift.
Du Yu stroked his chin, wondering if this was good news—the wasteland world he originally lived in and the novel world he had now transmigrated into were connected much more closely than he had thought, rather than as simply as he had transmigrated into a book.
But what exactly is the connection between these two worlds?
For the characters in the fictional worlds of 001 and You Shi, these sentences from the wasteland world represent knowledge from before the so-called Great Cataclysm.
Could it be that my world is before the great cataclysm of this world, and I've traveled through time to the future? No, that doesn't seem to make sense...
Or perhaps the two worlds are parallel worlds, where the same world, at the pivotal moment of the Great Cataclysm, branched into two different paths. One world became a wasteland, ultimately leading to its demise. The novel's world, however, rapidly developed AI technology before its destruction, successfully constructing the magnificent City of the Sun, temporarily isolating it from the dangerous gray fog and buying civilization hundreds of years to develop.
This explanation seems more reasonable, but if that's the case, what is the purpose of the system deliberately setting this spacetime rift as an ancient story about worshipping Tai Sui in the weekly tasks it releases?
Du Yu's mind raced, several hypotheses arising only to be rejected a second later, as she pondered the relationship between the two worlds. However, she currently possessed too little information, consisting mainly of a few scattered quotes from famous figures, proving nothing. Any further conjectures were merely assumptions.
After failing to get answers to several important questions in a row, Du Yu pinched the bridge of his nose, made a mental note of the problem, and sighed softly.
The little black fluffy ball of fur wisely refrained from pressing Du Yu about what he had been thinking. Once it was clear Du Yu had regained his composure, it continued:
"The Fallen are the opposite. For a Transcendent to achieve transcendence, they must first reach the pinnacle that mortals can achieve, which is the peak of A-level. This is an almost impossible task for some gifted individuals who have difficulty advancing in level."
"But there is no such limitation for Fallen. An ordinary Transcendent, that is, a new K-level ability user, can only barely fight to a draw with a Fallen being of the Dark level, and those who are not good at combat may not even be able to win. But an E-level ability user, even if he has just fallen, is at least a Fallen being of the Dark level."
"If transcendence is the pursuit of biological advancement, a difficult climb towards the summit; then degeneration is the instinct of a creature to fall downwards, like plunging into an abyss, which can be completed in just a few seconds."
Du Yu seemed to be deep in thought: "In other words, in your opinion, some so-called powerful evil gods are nothing more than slightly stronger fallen beings."
Du Yu couldn't help but recall the anonymous user on the forum who mentioned "Sequence: Month" in parentheses.
Judging from the subsequent statement by the director of the Ocean Research Center, this anonymous user is highly likely to be the mysterious evil god, the "Lord of the Pure Sea." And "Moon" happens to be one of the highest ranks among the six levels of the Fallen, the fifth level. In other words, the mysterious Lord of the Pure Sea is actually a Fallen being of the "Moon" level?
Du Yu pondered for a moment, feeling that something was amiss, but he suppressed this thought and gestured for 001 to continue:
"As for how I surpassed it... everyone uses different methods for those who surpass, so my method probably won't be of any use to you. Moreover, those who surpass don't currently have a clear path to advancement, unlike the Fallen who have a clear hierarchy. This is also why evil gods are currently in power, while those who surpass are being hunted down."
"and……"
The black ball of fur paused after speaking, and Du Yu strangely saw a hint of sadness in those beady eyes: "The original body has been imprisoned for too long, and we are not sure if the original body's memories have been tampered with. You'd better not believe too much what I say."
As the man and the dog continued their long conversation, the avatar of Du Yu's skin pulsed with a brilliant purple light, and its figure would suddenly become illusory—a sign that the avatar was over-consumed with energy and was on the verge of collapse.
The little black dog in front of Du Yu was still a tiny ball, but the golden light in its eyes was fading, losing the sharpness that seemed to pierce through everything and almost made people afraid to look directly at it.
"You've said so much, but what about you?"
Having asked all the questions she wanted to ask, the topic returned to where it started. Du Yu shifted her arm to prop up her chin, staring at the tiny ball of fur in front of her, her voice devoid of any emotion:
"What are you thinking? Why do you pursue true gods? You are also a transcendent being, so logically you should also have the opportunity to become a god, shouldn't you?"
The little black dog looked up and stared at Du Yu for a few seconds. Suddenly, the golden light in its eyes, which had faded to almost yellow, shone brightly. A phantom, almost indistinguishable from a living person except for its slightly illusory appearance, materialized in front of Du Yu. This phantom looked exactly like Xiao Yi, but their temperaments were completely different. Anyone with eyes would not confuse the two.
Her black hair was casually draped over her shoulders, slightly obscuring her eyes, yet it didn't appear messy. Combined with her slightly narrowed golden eyes and drooping eyelashes, it gave her a somewhat melancholic air—an expression that Xiao Yi, that fool who only knew how to eat, could never make in her entire life.
The illusory figure, unaware of Du Yu's inner thoughts, slightly bent its left leg, bowed slightly, and knelt before Du Yu. It raised its head, its gaze moving upwards, lingering for a moment before falling back down.
From this angle, the other person's eyelashes were incredibly long. Du Yu couldn't help but click her tongue in her heart. In her previous life, when Wen Xi was watching idol dramas in the dormitory, she had never seen that look of "deep affection for dogs" on those popular young male stars, but she had just seen it.
The figure, palm up, gently pulled Du Yu's hand.
Du Yu narrowed her eyes, somewhat curious about what he wanted to do. She didn't stop him, but looked down at the shadowy figure pulling her hand. Her gaze lingered on the first knuckle of her middle finger for a moment, then she leaned down slightly and brought her face close to his.
Even though the person in front of him wasn't real, Du Yu felt as if a slightly damp breath brushed against his fingers. The cool touch was fleeting, like the kiss on the hand that a knight would give when swearing allegiance, which Du Yu had seen before.
“I have said that the only reason I am still alive is to wait for the arrival of a merciful deity like you, and then… to offer you my everything, including my insignificant life and faith.”
"Why?"
Du Yu was stunned, unable to comprehend his way of thinking. Excluding Xiao Yi, Du Yu's contact with this 001 sub-body was limited to the few minutes spent intercepting the car.
Even when intercepting the car, Du Yu's mind was mostly focused on Bian Shaoyan's security team. In just a few minutes of what could have been a mere exchange, how could Bian Shaoyan possibly see what made him worthy of loyalty?
Although Du Yu didn't know how he did it, as he completed that ritual, Du Yu could clearly feel that the connection between her brain and this clone had become much stronger. She even suspected that she could control the other party to die with a single thought—clearly, his words about offering everything were not just empty talk.
But that's exactly what brings us back to the question: why? Why offer loyalty to a deity you've only met a few times?
001 was very tactful. He held Du Yu's hand for a moment, then quickly let go, gently placing Du Yu's hand back to his side. His eyes were focused, and his movements were as light as if he were holding a glass work of art—even though a single spark of the uncontrollable purple flame leaping from that hand could shatter the large rock Du Yu was sitting on.
After doing all this, he raised his head, his gaze slowly rising and landing on those purple eyes. Even though his face remained expressionless, there seemed to be a hint of a smile accumulating in those golden eyes.
"No proof is needed. The traces of your compassion and generosity in your followers are the most direct manifestation of your kindness and generosity."
Du Yu was slightly taken aback.
The assassination attempt on Bian Shaoyan went so smoothly not only because of her own contribution as the strongest fighter, but also because of Kou Qingyi and Kou Qingman, who used [Twin Reversal] to cut off the AI Alpha's signal; Le Feiyou used [Daydreamer] to take away the enemy's support-type ability user, reducing the enemy's endurance; and Cat Beard and others helped her buy time.
This led to the seemingly one-sided assassination attempt. During the preparation phase of the assassination, in order to make the most of their characteristics, Du Yu deeply studied how to lend his divine power to believers through prayer.
The unique superpower, combined with the support of the powerful divine force, resulted in a synergy that was almost greater than ten. After implementation, the power of the superpower exceeded even Du Yu's and their own expectations.
Is this what he meant by the aura of transcendence?
After all, surpassing human limits is an extremely difficult thing for an individual. But for someone who has already crossed that threshold and gone a certain distance on that path, it is very likely that a little help can help the former break free from constraints and experience the power of K-level ahead of time.
As Du Yu understood this point, he also learned why Wu Shixian, the messenger of the [Mi Mi Yin], said that no god would allow its believers to be transcendent beings.
Ultimately, both the transcendent and the god they worship are on the same level until they cross that threshold. There are only nine higher-level elements in total, although Du Yu is still unclear about the specific methods for mastering them.
But it's clear that, regardless of the type of competition, eliminating your competitors is a universal solution that significantly reduces the difficulty of competition.
If a believer breaks through their limits and becomes a transcendent being right under the nose of a deity, it is no different from courting death for those evil gods who disregard everything for power.
Du Yu, on the contrary, not only did not control her followers, but also lent them her divine power, helping them temporarily break through that boundary.
This isn't a simple matter of borrowing divine power and then taking it back. You see, for a superhuman to break through a long-standing bottleneck, sometimes all they need is a very simple trigger.
Now, Du Yu has allowed them to grasp the next realm ahead of time. Even if it can't help them break through directly, it's still a significant boost to their abilities. At least for now, in Du Yu's perception, Le Feiyou, who is still sleeping in a room, has had her ability level directly increase by one level in the recent impact.
From this perspective, 001's description of her as compassionate doesn't seem like an overstatement. However, Du Yu, having grasped this point, was still not satisfied with his answer and shook her head in exasperation.
“My ‘colleagues’ are really not smart. If their employees are more capable, they can work better for the company and the boss. You have to think about yourself. If there’s no benefit, why work so hard for a monthly salary of three thousand?”
Although the battle had lessened the resistance to him, Catwhisker and the others no longer felt the tension that had appeared in their previous contacts, even near the church.
But this was something Du Yu earned through their time together these past few days, and through the assassination attempt that just helped them take revenge.
No matter how benevolent a god may be, he is still a god. Praying to him is tantamount to entrusting one's life to an unknown and powerful being.
Aside from people like Tian Yinuo whose minds are only occupied by prostitutes, and some lunatics who cannot be judged by common sense, normal people will not easily pray to evil gods unless they are forced into a critical situation.
It was one thing that Xiao Yi was in a state of intellectual disability before, but now this clone has obviously inherited most of the main body's memories and has even made the same choice as Xiao Yi, who was only in an instinctive state, and even more radical. How could this not make Du Yu curious and surprised?
"Me? That's not important."
The figure seemed very surprised by Du Yu's question, its eyes widening slightly. Those golden eyes stared quietly at Du Yu, and whether it was genuine or a well-disguised pretense, Du Yu could not see any selfishness in those eyes.
"Man is a born rebel; how can a rebel be happy? All I've wanted to live this long is for the false gods to abdicate and for the truly benevolent deities to return to their rightful place. I ask for nothing more; you may use me as you please."* (The Grand Inquisitor)
"Use?" Du Yu frowned, pursed his lips, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Seemingly sensing Du Yu's indifference, the illusory figure paused slightly, its tone extremely sincere: "You don't need to feel any burden. Sacrificing everything and dedicating everything to achieve that goal is exactly what I want, what I've endured endless pain to see. For your successful ascension to godhood, any sacrifice is acceptable."
"What I hate most is people who sacrifice themselves for me under the guise of doing what's best for me."
The avatar of the deity before her seemed to recall something, its tone quite displeased. 001 remained unmoved. Even in the moment before the figure dissolved into scattered specks of light and vanished completely, those golden eyes continued to gaze at her silently, filled with a fervor that Du Yu could not comprehend at this moment:
“Then I must hate sacrifice a hundred times more than you do, hate that true holiness is difficult to walk on because of compassion, while false gods arrogantly sit high in the clouds, sucking the blood and flesh of mankind.”
Du Yu frowned even more deeply. She had now realized that although the man in front of her was always willing to answer questions and had a humble attitude, when it came to stubbornness, probably ten Tian Yinuos couldn't match him.
Before this avatar completely collapsed, Du Yu shook his head, straightened up, opened the spatial door, picked up the unconscious puppy Tuan, and returned to the temple.
[Ding-dong.]
The system pops up at opportune moments to increase its presence:
[Your follower [Xiao Yi]'s faith status has changed from [Devoted Follower] to [Fanboy]. Congratulations on gaining your second Fanboy! Keep up the good work and continue to expand your follower base!]
"You're back—oh."
"Eat up, eat up."
Du Yu handed the sleeping dog bundle to Xiao Yi, then took out two steamed buns made by the villagers and put them in his hands. Looking at Xiao Yi's face, which had become thinner after splitting into puppies, his eyes unconsciously showed a kind of affection that he himself did not realize.
I initially thought you were easy to fool because you were low on energy, your brain was offline and you were relying entirely on instinct. I never expected that you, with a brain, would still be so easily fooled. How can you be so starved for love?
"Eat more, so you don't get lured away by someone with just a steamed bun later."
...
Have you heard?
"That matter? That was truly remarkable!"
"Yes, we can't believe it. We never expected those sick cats to have such audacity..."
In a dilapidated bar in a remote part of the downtown area, under the dim light, on a table in a secluded corner, bottles were overturned and cloudy liquor spilled all over the floor. Several drunkards were slumped on the table, completely drunk and unconscious, no different from corpses except for the faint rise and fall of their breaths.
But if you get closer, you'll be horrified to discover that even though their lips aren't moving, they're communicating in extremely faint voices, sharing something unspoken.
"Boss, a bottle of Dark Montenegro, please put it on my tab."
A muscular woman, almost as tall as the door and probably over two meters, pushed open the bar door. Amidst the stares of the crowd, whether overt or covert, she waved casually at the bar counter. As she turned around, the two large, distinctive submachine guns behind her instantly silenced the blatant stares.
The woman's hair barely reached her ears, the ends looking like they'd been chewed by a dog—a messy jumble. She wore a slightly worn red combat uniform and walked familiarly into the depths of the bar.
Approaching the secluded table, the woman frowned, kicked a drunkard off the table, wiped the chair with his coat in disgust, then sat down, crossed her legs, and squinted at the group of drunkards, a hint of impatience flashing in her eyes.
After the waiter put down the bottle, the woman gave an impatient sneer, tapped the table heavily with her finger, and the subtle glances from all around vanished instantly. The waiter, who had just left, paused, looked around in confusion, his gaze seemingly passing right through the group of drunkards at the table, finding nothing. He scratched his head in bewilderment, picked up his empty plate, and left.
"Alright, alright, stop pretending and stop beating around the bush. I just got back from outside the gray fog. Tell me what happened, I'm busy taking on another job!"
"Sister Hong, my dear Sister Hong, you absolutely must not rush to accept any commissions right now."
A drunkard who had just been so drunk he looked like he was going to sleep for three days and three nights suddenly sat up, his eyes clear as day. He gave the strong woman a fawning smile while patting his companions around him a few times: "Hey, all of you, hurry up and stop pretending. With such pathetic abilities, you dare to show off in front of Sister Hong?"
After giving the drunkard a perfunctory lecture, the leader glanced at the woman in red, and within a second his expression changed completely. A hint of distress flashed in his eyes, and he feigned begging for mercy:
"Sister Hong, it's not that we're bragging, but we've been working together for so long, you know what we're like, and we trust your abilities. But this news is truly something else, Sister Hong, you should check if your protective barrier is up to par..."
At the man's gesturing as he rubbed his fingers together, Qin Xinhong impatiently snorted and snapped her fingers near her ear. The figures of the group blurred for a moment, and realizing they could barely sense their own presence, the drunkard in the lead relaxed and explained ingratiatingly, "Our Sister Hong is truly capable. No need for you to rush me; I'll tell you right now what major event happened in the lower city."
“Sister Hong, you have no signal in the gray fog, so you don’t know that a major case has recently occurred in the lower city. Those white-hatted gray rats are going crazy, arresting people everywhere. Isn’t it ridiculous? Now, if you steal something in the lower city, you’ll be arrested by the police station. Quite a few of my men have been arrested as well. It’s not that I don’t trust your abilities, it’s just that we have to be careful these days.”
Major case?
Qin Xinhong frowned. As soon as she returned to the lower city, she noticed that something was wrong with the environment. Not only was there no fighting, but she didn't even see any robbers blocking the road.
So instead of rushing back to the mission center to submit the mission, she sought out several well-informed intelligence brokers to try and find out the current situation.
However, the few people she often dealt with either disappeared or abruptly announced that they were retiring from the business and would never take any more jobs. She also wouldn't find this man in front of her. The drunkard Montena had a wide intelligence network and was quite tight-lipped, but he was too timid. Not only did he change the meeting place several times, but he also made her activate her shielding ability to combat level during their conversations.
As the woman frowned, even with the woman's supernatural power protecting him, the drunkard Montena subconsciously lowered his voice, keeping it within the smallest range that a supernatural being could hear:
"Sister Hong, you don't know, that Quark CEO, the young master of the Bian family, what's his name, Bian something, for some reason, he came to the lower city, and as a result... hey, his head was cut off, and it's in some enemy's collection."
"What did you say?"
Qin Xinhong was stunned, and almost dropped the wine glass she had just picked up. Even the powerful warrior, who remained unfazed when facing a monster of the Stun level, now had her hand trembling slightly.
"Don't make fun of a conglomerate's name. Quark Company is all over the Upper City... how could that be..."
Looking with concern at the spilled wine Qin Xinhong had accidentally caused, the drunkard Montena patted his chest, looking hurt by the criticism.
“Sister Hong, you know me. How could I not do this business and make this money? I wouldn’t lie to you with false information. You can imagine, who but a young master from the upper district could command those gray rats who look down on people and don’t even glance at the lower district?”
Qin Xinhong barely managed to regain her composure from the shock. Indeed, although they were nominally in charge of the Lower District, the people from the Lower District Police Station seemed to have their eyes glued to Districts 04 and 03. She had never seen so many police officers on duty in the Lower District before, which was the most unusual thing to her.
Although Bian Shaoyan's death was unbelievable, but... apart from those high-ranking people in the upper city, who could command those sheriffs?
Qin Xinhong's eyes darted around, the pungent liquor failing to soothe the shock in her chest. She tried to grasp the impact of this turn of events on the lower city and on herself, but could only stare blankly. Suddenly, the muscular hunter, over two meters tall, abruptly stood up, her eyes gleaming with joy. Regardless of the turmoil in the lower city, this was a happy occasion for her.
Qin Xinhong tossed down a few bright red, shell-like objects and was about to leave when she suddenly remembered something. Looking at the overjoyed drunkard Montena, she said urgently, "Alright, you'll have plenty of time to count your money later. Tell me, where is the Cat Beard Pirates' newest base?"
With the sheriff cracking down in batches, even though the Catbeard Pirates, a hunter's guild that operates on the fringes of the law, rarely accept illegal commissions, given that person's cautious nature, they would probably immediately change their base and act with caution. Fearing that she might have missed her target, Qin Xinhong turned to the information brokers who facilitated the flow of information.
"this……"
Drunkard Montena and his companion looked at each other for a moment: "Sister Hong, how long have you been in the gray fog? How come you don't even know this?"
A sense of foreboding welled up in Qin Xinhong's heart. Her brows furrowed even more, and her physique gave her a fierce look: "We encountered some troublesome degenerates, which delayed us for a few more days... What happened to Cat Whiskers and the others? Tell me! I can afford to pay."
Knowing that the other party was prone to outbursts of temper, the drunkard Montena dared not question whether her "a few days" actually meant several months, and honestly said, "I won't charge you, consider it a free gift—the Cat Whiskers Pirate Gang was wiped out by those despicable bastards from the Bald Head Society a month ago."
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
Qin Xinhong's mind was buzzing, and for a moment she couldn't understand what the short information broker was saying. She suddenly spoke, her voice authoritative without being angry: "With their leader's special abilities, how could the pirate group possibly be defeated by those scoundrels from the Bald Head Society..."
Halfway through her sentence, Qin Xinhong closed her eyes, her thoughts in turmoil, unable to speak. If she didn't have definite information, how could this information broker, the drunkard Monat, have told her so confidently?
There's no point in lying to yourself about something like this, after all, nobody in the lower city knows about the story between him and Cat Whiskers...
The drunkard Monat sized up the tall, muscular woman before him, his eyes darting around. "Sister Hong," he said, "I have some news, related to the pirate crew and recent events, it's about the price..."
The man rubbed his hands together, his meaning clear. Qin Xinhong's facial muscles tensed, and she gave the information broker a deep look before speaking in a low voice: "Speak. I will pay you the appropriate reward based on your information."
"Great, Sister Hong is so generous!"
The man grinned broadly, then nervously lowered his voice to a whisper, “It’s said that not all the pirates are dead… The one who assassinated that young master Bian was none other than Captain Cat Beard.”
"Did Cat Whiskers do this?"
Qin Xinhong almost laughed out of anger at this information broker who would say anything for money. Although the man had his motives, who was Bian Shaoyan? Even if he came to the lower city on a whim, how could he not have a dozen or so security guards with him?
Although Catwhisker hated him, he wouldn't risk the lives of the entire pirate crew and his companions.
Despite the intelligence broker's attempts to persuade her to stay, Qin Xinhong sneered a few times, then turned and left the bar without a second thought. As she walked through a dimly lit alley, the woman suddenly stopped, staring at the slender, dark figure at her feet: "Who sent you?"
"Oh, don't be so nervous, I don't mean any harm."
A voice suddenly drifted out, spouting nonsense that even the speaker himself didn't know if he believed: "I saw you were looking for news about Cat Whiskers, so I kindly came to tell you."
Qin Xinhong tensed all her muscles, but before she could speak, the chilling feeling of being watched vanished abruptly, and a small note was tossed out from the shadows:
"Someone asked me to pass on a message to you: 'Cat Whiskers doesn't keep cats, and the new red is an old scar—if you want to see Cat Whiskers and the others, recite the prayer above.'"
Cat Whiskers doesn't keep cats, and the new red is an old scar... This is a sentence that only she and Cat Whiskers should know!
-----------------------
Author's Note: I originally planned to write until the very last event of this volume before posting, but I've written so much and haven't even started yet, so I'll post it now, lol.
15,000, that's five chapters! This week's task has been exceeded.
The illustration was approved yesterday, and you can admire Dudu's beauty by clicking on the text!
Once it's finished, I'll find a platform to upload high-resolution images.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
