Chapter 419

Chapter 425: Dreams, Girls, and Fishies (Please Subscribe!)

As Izay was greeted by the sight of this small town, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

It was like the uneasy feeling a first-time sailor gets when setting out to sea.

For a brief moment, it felt as though his understanding of something fundamental was about to change.

But it lasted only that fleeting instant.

By the time Izay blinked again, the dizziness had vanished without a trace.

“Hmph… looks like I’ve come to the right place… a dream world so lifelike it rivals reality…”

Other than the “First Beast,” he couldn’t think of any existence capable of crafting an illusion to such perfection.

And Izay could sense it clearly.

The master of this vast illusionary space was constantly pouring immense mental energy into maintaining its stability every second.

There was no intention of initiating an attack, seemingly focused solely on preserving the idyllic image of this harmonious small town.

Even so, the latent mental force within this illusion was potent enough to drive anyone who wandered in here to the point of losing their sense of self.

In fact, before stepping into this small town, Izay hadn’t detected any abnormalities.

He had merely caught a faint glimpse of what seemed to be a space beneath the center of the town. Everything else appeared normal.

“It’s probably the effect of a deity-level mental force.”

Standing amidst the bustling center of the town, Izay quickly deduced the reason why his magic had failed.

The mental force of the “First Beast” surpassed his own, and having absorbed the soul of a star deity, the “First Beast” retained a semblance of divinity in some form.

These two factors combined prevented Izay from utilizing magic for external perception.

However, now that he had entered the illusion itself, his mini-map ability had resumed functioning. Though his range of perception had been significantly reduced; after all, the total amount of mental force permeating here was truly vast.

“Well… my current task is to find that little star deity in this enormous environment and take her away from here.”

Izay strolled slowly along the street, passing by the townsfolk who vividly displayed expressions of surprise.

They seemed genuinely curious about this unfamiliar traveler they’d never seen before, showing not a hint of falseness.

Yet Izay could faintly perceive the fragile edges of their souls.

They relied on this environment to “exist.” In truth, they were already akin to living dead, likely incapable of deep thought or analysis.

(“Getting any leads from them seems… rather impractical…”)

With that thought, Izay retracted his gaze from the townsfolk.

Then, in the next moment, a subtle mental ripple reached him.

“—Come here.” It was as if saying just that, the presence offering guidance made no effort to conceal its location.

Following the sensation, Izay directed his gaze toward the distant church building, tilting his head slightly. “I was just wondering how to find you guys, and here you are delivering yourselves.”

Without hesitation, he quickened his pace to respond to the invitation.

…

On the simple intersecting walls hung a large painting.

The painting depicted a desolate wasteland with exposed soil. About ten indistinct men and women stood huddled together in the field.

Below the painting was a line of annotated text.

[—The gods who came from the distant starry seas stood upon the wasteland.]

A little girl sat cross-legged beneath the painting.

Her fiery crimson hair shone brightly like flames burning vigorously, her height and build appearing to be around seven or eight years old.

Her innocent face partially closed her eyes, looking as if she had yet to fully wake up, her head nodding slightly as if she might drift off to sleep at any moment.

“Master, please do try to stay alert…”

As the little girl nodded off, a voice filled with exasperation reached her ears.

The voice was ethereal, yet conveyed its intent clearly.

Hearing the voice in her half-asleep state, the girl lifted her chubby hands to rub her eyes and mumbled a response.

“…Why? Red Lake? I wanted to keep dreaming…”

“Are you referring to the story of the two little girls who came to the surface a few days ago? It’s rare to see you so interested in fairies.”

The ethereal voice spoke with evident surprise.

“This time, it’s different. Someone unfamiliar has appeared, and I want to continue watching.”

“Though I am glad for your interest, please do stay alert. A long-awaited visitor has arrived. He can resist the mental force of the First Beast, which might be our chance to leave this illusion.”

“Mmmph…”

In response to the ethereal voice, the girl let out a cute, animal-like grunt, clearly dissatisfied at being woken from her pleasant dream.

After grumbling for a while, she eventually obeyed, forcing herself awake and opening her crimson eyes.

“Young man, have you come here to visit a deity?”

An elderly priest, presumably in charge of the church, stood at the entrance and noticed Izay approaching. He stepped forward to greet him.

“If the deity you speak of is the Star Deity, then yes, that’s correct,” Izay replied nonchalantly.

Upon hearing his words, the elderly priest immediately broke into a smile.

“I see… well then, you’ve come to the right place. This is the oldest church in the small town. We’ve believed in the Star Deity for hundreds of years. If you wish, I can give you a tour.”

“That would be appreciated.”

“Not at all. The souls of humanity were originally bestowed by the gods. Passing down the deeds of the ancient Star Deities from generation to generation is our duty.”

With that, the elderly priest turned and led Izay into the church, earnestly introducing him to various items related to the Star Deities.

Such as paintings, records of the Star Deities, and their great and selfless nature.

Among these, what most caught Izay’s attention was the red-haired little girl sitting below one of the paintings.

But the old priest seemed unable to see her, continuing his lecture about the Star Deities as if nothing was amiss.

“Stranger, greetings.”

When Izay locked eyes with the red-haired girl, a massive fish-like figure larger than an adult emerged from the void beside her.

As it spoke, it gracefully flipped its body in front of Izay. Its ruby-silver scales shimmered brilliantly, exuding a wet, glossy luster that was both dreamlike and enchanting.

“A flying fish~? So you’re the one who called me here?”

Izay regarded it with an intrigued expression.

The fish swam around in mid-air but remained close to the little girl.

“Indeed. My name is Red Lake Lord. I harbor no ill intentions towards you but seek your assistance. There’s much to explain.”

“Hmm… I have a pretty good idea what you’re going to say.”

Before the fish could continue, Izay cut it off.

“You want to leave here, but you can’t manage it alone, so you need my help?”

Red Lake Lord: “…”

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