Chapter 92: Impact

Chapter 92: Impact

It came from a curly-haired baboon…

For a moment, Justice Audrey did not know whether Mr. World was talking about a real curly-haired baboon, or using it as a substitute term for certain humans who did not know how to calculate.

In the Loen Kingdom, curly-haired baboon was a phrase that often appeared when mocking others, frequently associated with jokes about intelligence. (Note 1)

It looks like Mr. World does not intend to explain further. Alright. For now, I will treat it as a real curly-haired baboon…

Audrey did not continue asking. Instead, she said, “Previously, in order to trace the clues of a mind dragon, I went to a place with customs of dragon worship, did I not?”

“But did you not already discover that the mind dragon lived inside the local residents’ sea of collective subconscious, and for your own safety, chose to leave?” the Hermit Cattleya replied.

“You returned there again?” the Magician Fors guessed.

Justice Audrey shook her head.

“No. I left that place long ago. It is only that I recently heard a rumor.

“An archaeological team entered a certain village in that region. One member suddenly went mad during the night, and that mental illness seemed capable of spreading. The other members went mad one after another. They killed one another, or committed suicide. In the end, no one survived.”

The Hanged Man Alger was just about to speak when the Hermit Cattleya had already said, “That matches the traits of a mind dragon.”

“I do not doubt that. I am only somewhat curious whether that mind dragon is still in its original region,” Audrey said, expressing her thoughts.

“No,” the Hanged Man Alger and the Hermit Cattleya answered at the same time.

At the head of the mottled long table, the Fool Klein was reminded of another matter by this:

The “anchors” of the gods!

He suspected that the dragon-worshiping customs in that region were the “anchor” stabilizing that mind dragon’s state.

Before such customs were completely dismantled or uprooted, that mind dragon should no longer need to worry about its “anchor.” After it left, it could completely hide itself within the sea of collective subconscious of living beings in a new region, without needing to take risks entering individual dreams and shaping faith. In this way, for the three great Churches to find it, they would be seriously lacking clues. After all, none of them were specialists in this field. Even if they possessed corresponding sealed artifacts, at most they could enter the sea of collective subconscious to fight or force that mind dragon out… On the other hand, the Psychology Alchemists might be able to grasp something…

As Klein casually thought, he made the dummy, the World, say, “The custom of dragon worship is very helpful in stabilizing that mind dragon’s state. You can have people pay attention to this matter. If a relatively large change appears, it means that mind dragon will create similar traditions somewhere else.”

He had originally intended to say that he suspected that mind dragon was angel-level, at Sequence 2. But after careful thought, he felt this could not be confirmed.

Indeed, humans only needed “anchors of faith” to stabilize themselves and avoid madness once they reached Sequence 2, once they entered the angelic level. But that was a dragon in the true sense—an ancient extraordinary creature with inherited madness. Even if it had been purified generation after generation, and weakened generation after generation, it would certainly still be more prone to losing itself than humans. Therefore, perhaps at Sequence 3, or even Sequence 4, it would already need “anchors” to resist the tendency toward losing control.

“That kind of custom helps stabilize a dragon’s state?” Justice Audrey asked back, both confused and puzzled.

“Yes.” The World Gehrman Sparrow offered no explanation, merely giving a definite reply.

Audrey subconsciously turned her head and looked toward the seat of honor at the bronze long table, considering whether to ask Mr. Fool, and what price she could pay.

Seeing this, the Fool Klein looked around, chuckled, and said, “Why do you think the gods spread Their faith?”

This…

Is it not because gods love the world…?

The standard orthodox answer suddenly appeared in Justice Audrey’s mind.

Immediately afterward, like the Hanged Man Alger, the Hermit Cattleya, and the others, she thought of a second answer:

“Stabilizing Their state!”

No way…

At that moment, the Magician Fors felt that her brain was no longer sufficient. Even if she could invent stories, she could never have invented something like this!

So that is how it is. No—one cannot rule out that Mr. Fool merely mentioned one of the reasons. He is secretly encroaching upon the authority of the Lord of Storms, after all… Is this related to divinity? I can ask the Queen about it later…

The Hermit Cattleya speculated as she adjusted the heavy glasses perched on her nose.

The Hanged Man Alger had seen that mural before. Hearing this matter now, he no longer felt the same shuddering terror. Instead, he seriously began thinking about why faith could stabilize the state of demigod-level beings.

The other members, including the Sun Derrick, were somewhat terrified, feeling as though they had heard something blasphemous. They did not dare think too deeply and did not dare speak.

This was not a matter involving only evil gods like the True Creator. It was closely connected to the seven orthodox gods, and to the state of existence of the Creator once worshiped by the City of Silver!

The Fool Klein said nothing more, letting everyone keep their silence, his posture extremely leisurely.

After more than ten seconds, Justice Audrey barely smiled and said, “That is the only thing I have encountered recently.”

Her implied meaning was: It is your turn!

The Magician Fors and the Moon Emlyn had encountered nothing this week worth telling others and both shook their heads, indicating they had nothing to say.

Of course, the latter actually very much wanted to boast that he had become the final victor of the hunting competition and had obtained a ring crafted by the Ancestor.

After some thought, the Hanged Man Alger looked toward the World Gehrman Sparrow.

“Can that mural be shared with everyone?”

He believed that the mural was directly related to certain matters that had occurred in Afternoon Town and the Giant King’s Court, and that it could allow the Sun to understand in advance what the City of Silver would discover and encounter if it continued its exploration. This would let them prepare early and avoid danger. Because of that, sharing it was a better choice than concealing it.

“I have no objections.” Klein had similar considerations and made the World Gehrman Sparrow respond.

What mural… It seems very important… Is it the mural Mr. Hanged Man and Mr. World saw during the cooperation through which they found the Tyrant card?

Justice Audrey waited curiously for the display.

Under the gazes directed his way, the Hanged Man Alger obtained Mr. Fool’s permission and manifested the mural of the Kings of Angels dividing and eating the Creator of the City of Silver.

The bloody, evil, frightening, dark image instantly stunned the members of the Tarot Club. Even the Hermit Cattleya, who had vast knowledge and extensive experience, briefly forgot to think.

Who are they? What are they doing? This way of dining is far too barbaric. Since the Fourth Epoch, we Sanguine no longer advocate doing things this way… Respect life. Simply drink blood…

The Moon Emlyn was somewhat dazed as he looked at it, because he had never seen the six god statues inside the Tudor ruins and could not recognize whom the three surrounding figures represented.

When the World had shared those six human statues, he had not yet joined the Tarot Club.

However, from the radiant cross, he identified who the victim being divided and eaten was. He was perhaps, probably, possibly the Creator of the City of Silver, the ancient Sun God of myth and legend—the Sun Derrick had previously, during the free exchange segment, displayed the symbolic emblem, holy badge, and sacred objects corresponding to the Lord who created everything.

Th-this… Are those not the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom that Mr. World once displayed? Why are They eating a person? No, They are dividing and eating the ancient Sun God, the Creator of the City of Silver!

Justice Audrey received an enormous impact. She instinctively suspected that someone might be distorting and slandering the images of the orthodox gods.

The Magician Fors trembled slightly from fear while feeling that this mural was filled with dark and sinister beauty, possessing great artistic value.

Inside her mind, she had already thought of a title for that mural:

The Last Supper!

The Hermit Cattleya had likewise not seen the statues of the six gods, recognizing only the ancient Sun God. She subconsciously frowned and blurted out, “The Kings of Angels?”

“Yes. At least the three surrounding figures are,” the Hanged Man Alger gave an affirmative answer. But even he himself was not certain whom the gloomy, pitch-black infant sitting within the Creator of the City of Silver’s chest and abdomen represented.

As he spoke, Alger turned his head to glance at the Sun Derrick and discovered that the youth’s eyes were blank, as though he were thinking of something.

At that moment, the Sun Derrick’s mind was filled with pain and despair.

He recognized that the one being divided and eaten was the Creator worshiped by the City of Silver, and he also recognized that the three figures around Him were the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom!

This made him question the claim that the gods had abandoned the land.

In all the City of Silver’s texts, it was emphasized that God had only abandoned this land for certain reasons, causing them to become the people of darkness. Therefore, as long as they sincerely repented and prayed for forgiveness, one day, God would truly return, allowing sunlight to illuminate the entire world.

No. No matter how much we repent, no matter how much we pray for forgiveness, the City of Silver will no longer obtain salvation…

The Sun Derrick muttered inwardly.

Because God is dead. He was eaten. He can never return again…

This meant that the hope the City of Silver had waited and searched for bitterly was nothing but an illusion—an illusion that could never be realized.

After a long silence, Justice Audrey spoke as if trying to convince herself.

“Is this a distortion of the legend that the three gods were born from the Creator’s spirit?”

Three gods?

The Hermit Cattleya’s and the Moon Emlyn’s eyes both shrank. They now understood the general meaning of that mural and knew what terrifying matter it symbolized.

“Perhaps. But that cannot explain the infant,” the Hanged Man Alger replied.

He quietly glanced at Mr. Fool and discovered that this great existence had no intention of speaking, merely watching calmly.

Justice Audrey could say nothing. The other members of the Tarot Club could say nothing.

This silence lasted until the Hanged Man Alger dispersed the mural and turned to ask the Sun Derrick a question, only then breaking.

“Have you clearly investigated the former Chief’s mausoleum?” Alger asked.

Note 1: Originally, I designed curly-haired baboon only to shape Loen customs, referring to people of low intelligence. As it turned out, one after another of you all began taking it personally, making me too embarrassed to keep writing it that way, so I could only soften it and say that it is associated with intelligence jokes.