Chapter 7 The Beginning of the Story is Mostly Similar
“Now can you tell me about it?”
“Your plan.”
The two walked side by side in the deep night as Hiltina asked.
“Actually, you should have guessed it too.”
“Although the one descending in the evening is undoubtedly an Evil God… at this current time point, what exists in Deep Blue Harbor is not the complete form of that ancient deity.”
“That is merely a fragment of divinity, a remnant will.”
“Or perhaps, it is just an aura left behind casually.”
Upon hearing Rast’s answer, there was a glimmer of contemplation in Hiltina’s eyes.
This was indeed her guess.
If what exists in Deep Blue Harbor at this moment is truly a complete deity, then everything they are doing now is meaningless.
With their current sequence levels, facing a fully powered Ancient God is akin to an ant confronting a dragon; it is a gap that cannot be crossed merely by experience, skill, or repeated trial and error.
In the face of an absolute hierarchy difference, let alone attempting tens of thousands of times,
even attempting hundreds of thousands or millions of times would not change the outcome by a bit.
“According to current world explorations of Night World historical fragments, the traces of deities almost run through the entire history of human civilization.”
“However, apart from a few periods when gods walked the earth… in most cases, whether they are righteous or evil gods, the interference with the current world has significant limitations.”
Hiltina pondered for a moment and spoke.
“Scholars in the empire studying Night World history speculate that perhaps those deities exist in different dimensions from the current world, or are separated by some insurmountable barrier.”
“Only through certain specific means, such as sacrificial rituals, missionary work, and mundane faith… can power temporarily descend into the current world.”
“That’s right.”
Rast spoke softly, “What happens in Deep Blue Harbor is the same.”
“A regular fisherman inadvertently fished up an ancient sculpture during a fishing trip.”
“This sculpture is quite extraordinary; it can fulfill many wishes of its owner, not only curing diseases but also bringing good luck, prolonging life, and preserving youth… it is almost omnipotent.”
“Relying on the sculpture’s wonders, that fisherman quickly changed his life and used the sculpture to help many other civilians tormented by ailments, and those helped by the sculpture naturally felt gratitude and willingly became his companions.”
“Compared to the miraculous effect of the sculpture, the price it required was insignificant.”
“As for what happened later, I probably don’t need to say.”
Hiltina nodded.
She was not unfamiliar with this process; whether in the current world or in the Night World, she had heard it too many times.
The origins of those secret forces and cult organizations were mostly like this—
some lucky individual accidentally obtained an object infused with divine aura… and then was gradually bewitched and fell into depravity.
Until they fell into the abyss, personally opening the gates of hell for the Evil God to descend.
“If that sculpture had come from a righteous god, the fisherman might become a sage and founder of some future church, celebrated as a divine initiator by later generations,” Hiltina spoke softly.
The beginnings of stories are mostly similar, yet they end up with totally opposite conclusions.
“In fact, even now, many members of this cult still believe they are using the power of the sculpture to save this dilapidated city and decaying nation… as for the price demanded by the sculpture, it’s merely a necessary sacrifice in the process of changing the world.”
“Unfortunately, there are no ‘ifs’ in this world.”
Rast’s words were calm and unruffled.
“We have arrived.”
His footsteps halted, and he slightly raised his head, gazing at the blurred outlines of buildings in the night.
“This is one of the strongholds of the underground cult I mentioned.”
“And right now, it is also where that sculpture tainted by the Evil God’s aura is located.”
……
No. 17 Loning Street was a rather large estate, with a detached courtyard, quite distant from the surrounding houses.
As soon as Rast and Hiltina approached the estate, two figures in similar black robes at the entrance looked at them warily.
“Password…”
“Red Oak Tree in Central Park.”
Before the guards at the entrance could finish saying the word “password,” Rast immediately interjected.
As he spoke, he quickly walked towards the two, his deep, hoarse voice carrying urgency.
“Lori, Davi, we were spotted by the inspection bureau at the outpost on East Street, and I need to report to the leader immediately.”
Upon hearing the visitor accurately utter the code and directly mentioning their names, the vigilance in the eyes of the two at the entrance noticeably eased.
However, seeing Rast swiftly approach them, one of them maintained a stern expression and stretched out a hand, blocking him: “No, the leader said he won’t see anyone today…”
Puff—
This was the sound of a dagger entering flesh.
“You…”
Puff—
Before the other person could react, a second sound of a blade piercing meat followed.
The two bodies silently fell, but Rast caught them in midair.
“Give me a hand.”
After saying this, Rast lifted one of the bodies and walked into the estate, hiding it in a concealed corner.
Hiltina did not ask any questions, merely dragging the other body and following Rast.
The outside courtyard of the estate was pitch black and eerily silent.
But the central building was brightly lit, and through the glass windows, shadows could be seen flitting about.
“From now on, you are Lori, and I will be Davi.”
Rast hid the body in the corner and looked at the brightly lit main house.
“The lighting inside the main house is bright, making it easy for faces to be seen; you can’t disguise your voice and can’t fool them as easily as in the dark.”
“So you should wait outside in the estate for now, until I use the drugs in the ventilation duct and food, and then you can come in.”
Hiltina glanced at Rast, who was weighing two bags of powder in his hand: “How long do we need to wait?”
“Three to four hours; the cultists inside the estate are mostly young adults, and many of them have suffered flesh pollution due to exposure to the aura from that sculpture, giving them some level of drug resistance.”
“Deep Blue Harbor’s security has always been fine, at least on the surface; even the black market doesn’t have particularly potent narcotics, and at this late hour, I don’t have the means to concoct them on the fly.”
Rast shrugged.
This cycle of his was originally intended to be treated like a Host Simulation Game; whether encountering Hiltina at the working hotel or the spontaneous decision to clear Deep Blue Harbor in this cycle was all just coincidental.
These two bags of powder were the strongest anesthetics he could find in a short time.
“Actually, it doesn’t have to be so troublesome…” Hiltina thought for a moment.
“We have an easier way.”
(This chapter ends)
