Chapter Twelve: The Path to Godhood
“Another ‘miracle’.”
Philosopher, his hunched body supported by a cane, looked up, directly at the sky no one else dared to face. His eyes reddened until the miracle faded, and only then did he close them.
“Such magnificent power…”
He was one of the few humans who truly wielded an Authority, yet he couldn’t manipulate it as freely as these god-like Grotesqueries.
Because, as everyone knew, regardless of the type of Awakened One, they were essentially just thieves.
They stole insignificant power from the Paths belonging to the gods. Even Philosopher, who had reached an unparalleled height, wielding a god’s Authority, was no exception.
However, this situation was about to undergo an unprecedented change.
The White Witch, the first to completely replace a Grotesquery Sequence, was a completely new Grotesquery, not a thief like him.
And before becoming a Sequence Grotesquery, she was just an Awakened One.
This proved that… the path to godhood, which the Harbingers had attempted and failed, wasn’t entirely impossible.
“The White Witch could replace the Puppet Ballad, and so can we.”
Philosopher slowly opened his eyes, his cloudy gaze burning with fervor.
“I personally killed Him, seized His Authority, ‘Traveler.’ I am but one step away from true godhood.”
Jiangcheng County, as an Incubation Barrier, allowed the White Witch to replace the Puppet Ballad. This was the missing piece in their previous failed attempts at godhood.
And now, under Philosopher’s planning and Educator’s execution, an artificial Grotesquery Incubation Barrier of unprecedented scale was about to appear in Victoria.
“That day is fast approaching.”
……
“Hmm… that should be about it.”
As Luo Ling calmly extracted fungal threads from the shredded corpses in the warehouse, carefully placing them in sample bottles, even going so far as to roughly reassemble the dismembered limbs, Eve looked as if she had seen a ghost.
“Miss Luo Ling, you’re a newbie… but not really, are you?”
Not to mention her unflinching composure in the face of such a gruesome scene, she could handle these creepy fungal threads without hesitation. Several members of the initial Company investigation team had developed a phobia of fungi because of them.
“Actually, I’m quite scared,” Luo Ling said calmly. As if afraid Eve wouldn’t believe her, she added, “Look, my hands are shaking.”
Her attempt at feigning fear only made it more unconvincing…
Not only Luo Ling, but Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing also seemed relatively unaffected, even the youngest, Elsa, appeared composed.
Eve had heard about the Jiangcheng County incident, though the Company had released limited information, seemingly concealing something.
Although a part of their memory seemed to be missing, with the current commission at hand, Eve and the others couldn’t delve deeper.
Only Luo Ling retained the memories of the Kingdom. Even Elsa could only vaguely recall her aged appearance, feeling like it was just a dream.
Through investigating the scene, Luo Ling had a rough understanding of the extent of the Harbingers’ stolen Authority.
…Completely out of control.
They couldn’t control this power at all. Among the bodies, Luo Ling found several church members, all killed by the Puppet Ballad’s power.
Raging white fungal threads had consumed their flesh, their shattered faces frozen in expressions of terror.
Ultimately, without a central consciousness to control the Puppet Ballad, after devouring everyone in the warehouse, the white fungal threads had withered, now essentially “dead.”
If any of these individuals had possessed a consciousness capable of containing the Puppet Ballad, they would have become like Li Tianming or the White Reishi Mushroom.
Unfortunately, none of them did.
“However, to say they were all innocent victims… wouldn’t be entirely accurate.”
Luo Ling surveyed the scene, a sense of familiarity washing over her.
It was similar to the Church of Light’s sermons. These people had come here to “worship.”
Beside the church members, there was a “holy son,” his body dismembered and offered as a sacrifice.
The others finished their investigations, compiling their findings and handing them over to Eve.
As Eve had said, this was just a newbie commission.
Although they didn’t know why a precious Sacred Medicine capsule had vanished, they had completed the mission.
…Why did she feel a strange sense of relief?
“By the way, Miss Eve, I’d like to explore Victoria. I’ve been here for days and haven’t had a chance to see the city properly.”
As they prepared to return, Luo Ling spoke up.
Eve, as the team leader, had no objections to Luo Ling’s request. The commission was complete, and they were still within Victoria, what could go wrong?
The others agreed. Even Lu Manqing enthusiastically expressed her desire to explore, though she lamented the loss of her camera film, preventing her from taking commemorative photos.
Elsa, sensing Luo Ling’s underlying intention, knowingly didn’t offer to accompany her, obediently returning with the team.
“I’ll just be slacking off back at the office anyway… but remember to come back for dinner. It’s not just me, everyone complains about the Company’s food, mainly because the food outside is just awful.”
As they parted ways, Eve couldn’t resist complaining about Victoria, seemingly tormented even as a local.
After separating from the others, Luo Ling found a secluded spot.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was standing in the twilight “Victoria.”
The seventy-fourth Kingdom, originating from Victoria’s seventy-fourth Boundary collapse.
Using the backdoor left by “Weave,” Luo Ling had silently returned.
However, this time, she bypassed the memory cage, truly stepping into the Kingdom.
“Still… no change?”
Looking at the grey shadow in the reflection, Luo Ling pondered.
She was currently in her “Naraku Godchosen” form, yet this so-called Kingdom still couldn’t project her image.
However, Luo Ling was certain that the master of this Kingdom, that strange young woman, couldn’t fully control this bizarre Boundary fragment.
At least now, Luo Ling had the means to evade her detection.
Luo Ling hadn’t come here to admire the scenery of Victoria ninety years in the future.
In fact, she had already realized it when the strange young woman casually mentioned Naraku and his followers.
No one in this world knew more about Grotesqueries than the Apostles.
Luo Ling hadn’t forgotten her goal: to uncover the truth behind the “Devour” Authority.
And…
Why the Puppet Ballad had made that choice back then.
After rejecting Naraku’s temptations, Luo Ling could only rely on herself to unravel her own mysteries.
Therefore, interacting with these “Godchosen” was necessary.
However, she needed to find the right opportunity.
Luo Ling looked up, sensing the several Grotesqueries incubating within the Boundary, an idea forming in her mind.
“Senior Apostles, I apologize in advance.”
And to her colleagues at the Company, it seemed they were in for another round of overtime.
However, this time… it wasn’t the White Witch.
Leave a Reply