Grindelwald had left the Underworld's Bridge of Past, but Hoffa was facing an unprecedented challenge.
If someone had told him that there was a bridge built underwater, he would have thought that the person was crazy or completely ignorant.
But now, a real and strange scene was happening in front of him.
Countless souls of the dead flowed through the air a hundred meters above the Hörheim's ancient bridge, forming a river of souls.
Below the torrent of souls, on the bridge, a cold wind whistled past. The temperature was like ice, and the speed was unknown. The wind was so strange. It blew forward one moment, then backward the next.
Because the steles on their backs were so heavy, Hoffa and the people carrying the steles in Hörheim could not even turn around. They could only move forward due to inertia. At first, they were still relying on their own legs to move forward, but gradually, the strong wind made their entire bodies lie down.
He could see with his own eyes that the bodies of the people carrying the heavy steles in front of him were blown away by the strong wind bit by bit. Some body fragments were peeled off from the fog — after a closer look, he realized that they were ears, fingers, ribs, or maggots. They rolled in the air and hit Hoffa's face. In the blink of an eye, they were turned into ashes by the strong wind. It was as if it was not the cold wind that blew past, but flames.
There were even some who could not bear the burden and perished on the ground. They were swept into the air together with their steles and disappeared. Even their screams were drowned out by the strong wind.
On the Bridge of Pasts, Huo Fa was trekking with great difficulty. Thanks to his superior spiritual power, he was barely able to maintain the integrity of his body. He looked at the ghosts that flew past above his head and knew that as long as he let go of the chains and was willing to throw away the stone tablet, he would be able to fly into the sky just like those ghosts.
But he instinctively knew that if he did that, he would lose all his memories. Whether it was Aglaia, Miranda, Chloe, Grindelwald, or Silby, all the things he had experienced and all the stories would be forgotten in an instant. This was something he could not accept.
Thus, like the others on the Hörheim Bridge, he had no choice but to stagger forward even though it was extremely difficult. They advanced towards the giant eagle that was looking left and right in the distance.
No one knew how much time had passed, or how many crazy gusts of wind had passed.
By the time Hoffa reached the edge of the Bridge of Past, there was no one else beside him. Those who had carried the monument with him had all been reduced to ashes by the strong wind.
Finally, he arrived at the end of the Bridge of Past, in front of the giant eagle.
The gale blew away the fog, and in the calm between the gale, he saw the eagle clearly.
No, it wasn't accurate to say that it was an eagle. It was actually a ten-thousand-meter-tall giant draped in feathers. At first glance, it looked like an eagle, but it actually had a face that was even larger than a mountain. It was solemn and dignified, and one of its eyes was black and the other white.
The giant stood in the abyss filled with thick fog. The lower half of its body could not be seen. The upper half of its body was larger than the entire Mount Everest. Anyone who saw it would feel fear.
The entire Hörheim Bridge of Past was born from its mouth, extending into the distance that could not be seen. And the strong wind on the bridge was the breath of the giant as it breathed.
Such a shocking scene made Hoffa almost unable to breathe. Compared to the grandeur of the Death God's Secret Realm, everything he had seen in the past paled in comparison. He stood in front of the giant like a mosquito beside an elephant.
The scene lasted for less than a second before the giant started breathing again. He opened his mouth, and a powerful suction force came from the giant's mouth. This time, due to the close distance, Hoffa had no room to resist at all. He was sucked into the giant's mouth on the spot by the strong wind.
In the midst of the tumbling, the monument was about to fly away.
Huo Fa clenched the chains tightly when he thought of the crushed Tablet Carrying Men. He didn't want his memories to vanish.
Huo Fa wasn't able to hold on for long, and the wind changed direction again. The giant's breathing turned to exhalation, and Huo Fa was sent flying in the opposite direction. This time, he crashed into the giant's teeth and barely stopped.
"Let's end this quickly … How long will it take …"
Hoffa groaned. From the first second he entered the Underworld, everything that happened was out of his control. This feeling was terrible.
As if hearing his prayers, after a long time, the strong wind stopped. Even the whistling of the wind disappeared. The giant stopped breathing, and only the pleasant sound of metal clanking was left in his ears.
Hoffa, who was pressed down by the monument, raised his head and opened his eyes. At this moment, he was lying in the giant's mouth. The teeth on the top of his head were like an upside-down mountain range, and the rough tongue under his feet was like a red grassland.
Clank clank clank, clank clank clank clank …
Accompanied by the pleasant sound of metal clanking, a pair of shockingly long black legs came before Hoffa.
It was a black man who was not wearing anything. He was frighteningly tall, at least four meters tall. His whole body was brightly painted, and there was also a golden ring on his head. Looking sideways, the person's ankles were as long as an ordinary person's thigh.
"Come, let me take a look."
The black man spoke in a pleasant voice. It was impossible to tell if he was a man or a woman.
The black man, who was almost four meters tall, bent down slowly. His slender fingers, which were like a stick insect, were dipped in saliva, and slowly slid them across the monument that Hoffa was carrying.
"Hmm, what an exciting life. No wonder you can't bear to throw it away."
The black man licked his fingers. "There aren't many who have a similar life as you, and even fewer who can reach this place."
"Who are you?"
Hoffa, who was pressed under the monument, asked, unable to bear the burden.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Awada, the manager of the Underworld's Recycle Depot, the servant of the Death God."
The tall and skinny black man said happily. He patted the monument on Hoffa's back, and the bracelets clanked and made a pleasant sound.
"The big guy outside is Horaswalger, the Soul Devourer. He lives by devouring souls. Those who can reach this place have the taste of the Death God's favorite."
Hoffa suddenly felt the weight on his back lighten. He could stand up now.
(With his height, he could only reach the base of the black man's leg. He raised his head, trying to identify the man's gender, but Awada did not have genitals. There were only some golden patterns on his bare crotch.)
A group of extremely short dwarves took down his monument from his back, carried it, and disappeared into the giant's mouth happily. In the blink of an eye, they were nowhere to be found.
"Where are they taking my memories?" Hoffa asked.
"To the Death God," Awada said.
Hoffa sucked in a cold breath.
Awada crossed his fingers. "The Death God is a very lonely God. The only thing he likes to read is all kinds of stories. The stone slab you carried over is not bad. I think you have a chance to settle down in Hörheim. "
"Settle down in Hörheim?"
"Yes, that's the only choice, or give up the past and enter the cycle of reincarnation. But since you're willing to carry the monument through the wind, you definitely don't want to give up the past. "
"Am I … dead?"
Hoffa could not believe it. Mille was still waiting for him at the Hogwarts. Maybe his body was still breathing. Judging him as dead was a little arbitrary.
"You're so humorous. Once you enter the Underworld, aren't you dead?"
Awada, who was as thin and tall as a bamboo pole, said with a smile. "But don't worry, some people are alive even after death, and some people are dead even after life. Follow me."
Awada walked forward with large strides. Hoffa finally saw someone who could talk to him calmly. He had a hundred questions to ask, so how could he not follow?
But without any warning, a stone fell beside his feet and rolled twice. Hoffa stared at the stone for a while, then looked back. All he saw was the giant's tooth, and no one.
He shook his head and hurriedly followed Awada's footsteps.
The two went all the way down and passed through the giant's mouth. They came to a bronze arched door carved in the shape of two snakes. The arched door was ten thousand meters tall, and the scales of the two snakes were exquisite jade, obsidian, and celestial.
They should correspond to the giant's throat.
Awada extended a finger and inserted it into a small hole in the door. He turned it like a key, and the huge bronze door slowly cracked open.
"Let's go."
Awada said happily as she squeezed through the doorway.
Hoffa did not know if it was an illusion, but when he passed by the two snakes, he seemed to see the snakes smiling at him.
They passed through the bronze door and arrived at the giant's abdominal cavity.
All sounds disappeared. Looking up, in the sky, a black and white sun and moon shone at the same time. Those were the giant's eyes.
The steps on the ground were made of blood-red sandstone, and there were carvings of all kinds of animals: snakes that slithered and crawled, kites that spread their wings and flew, fish that slithered and swam, and there were also packs of wolves, zebras, and elephants in the red wilderness.
Everything here was too out of the ordinary. The soul-devouring giant, the black and thin bamboo pole that called itself the servant of Death, and this strange world with the sun and moon in the sky.
Hoffa did not dare to say a word. He felt that this was probably the state a country bumpkin would be in when they entered the city.
They went all the way down, and the steps floated in the air. On both sides of the steps was a bottomless abyss, and in the abyss, there were many floating island-like buildings. They should correspond to the organs of the giant's body. From afar, the buildings were of different shades, and they presented a solemn and dignified shade of violet and brown.
Gradually, the steps under their feet diverged. They branched out in all directions like blood vessels. Figures other than Hoffa and Avada appeared on the steps. They were of different heights and wore clothes from different eras. Like ghosts, their feet did not touch the ground. When they saw Avada walking towards them, they showed a fearful expression. They lowered their heads and floated by Avada.
"They seem to be very afraid of you," Hoffa said weakly.
"You're not afraid?"
Avada asked back with a smile. "You seemed very calm when you saw me."
"If I'm already dead, what's scarier than death?" Hoffa muttered.
"Is that so?"
Avada clapped and laughed. "I really hope you can maintain this attitude forever."
When he laughed, there was a gurgling sound.
Another stone rolled to Hoffa's feet. He was shocked and immediately turned his head to look.
He looked around and could only see some transparent and pale figures floating slowly. He had no idea who threw the stone at him.
"What's that?"
Hoffa pointed at a floating island in the shape of a heart in the distance.
He saw the transparent figures all walking towards the heart-shaped floating island. Even though he was ten thousand meters away from the abyss, he could still hear the crazy screams coming from the heart.
"Over there, an entertainment place."
"Entertainment place?"
"Entertainment is an instinct, whether dead or alive." Avada shrugged. "Let's not talk about this first. I'll take you for a walk nearby."
Avada led Hoffa through a huge arched street and came to one of the floating islands. As soon as they entered the floating island, they could see countless ancient heroes standing on white and green marble pillars. They were three times the size of real people. They looked like real people, but they did not move.
"There are many souls like you in history," Avada said. "Perhaps they achieved too much, or had too many unforgettable emotions, or … some lawless madmen. In short, they can never abandon their identity. We have to give such souls a place to rest in peace, don't you think so?"
As Avada spoke, the ancient heroes on the stone pillars turned their heads and looked at Hoffa. They smiled and nodded in greeting.
After experiencing the strong winds of the Bridge of Past, everything here was so peaceful that it was delightful.
However, Hoffa felt a little uncomfortable. He muttered, "This place is like … an exhibition cabinet in a museum."
"What nonsense are you talking about? The exhibition cabinet is for people to see, but this is Death's treasury. It's not open to outsiders. "
Avada bent down and whispered in Hoffa's ear, "Even gods can't enter."
Then they passed through a market. The market was located in a huge building with many openings. Compared to the absurdity of the Nightmare World, every building and house in the Death World was unusually solid and stable.
On the walls of the buildings, there were lifelike carvings of war scenes. Swords and knives clashed, contradictions struck each other, arrows rained down, heroes were fighting, babies were being slaughtered, and burning torches burned from the sky to the ground.
Inside the bazaar, thousands of colorful birds were flying about. The platform above the garden was covered with dense trees and flowers. There were many shops with a dazzling array of goods. It seemed that everything created by the gods could be bought and sold, and it was no different from the real world.
"What do you think of the environment here?" Avada asked. "Can you live here peacefully?"
"Can I ask you about someone?" Hoffa could not help but ask his most uneasy question.
"Just do as you wish. I might not answer."
"Aglaia Dracath. She died 53 years ago. Is she still here, or has she reincarnated? "Hoffa asked. Under the four-meter tall Avada, he looked a little humble.
"Eh?"
The servant of Death revealed an unfathomable smile. After scrutinizing Hoffa for a moment, he said calmly,
"In Hörheim, you can get anything you want. Money, honor, status, and also information. But the premise is that you … "Avada bent down with a smile and slowly turned his head ninety degrees." You are willing to play a game with Death. "
"Play a game with Death?"
"That's right."
"What game?"
"Oh, everyone is different. Death will adjust the content of the game according to the characteristics of each person's soul …"
As Avada spoke, Hoffa's heart suddenly twitched, as if a disaster was about to befall him. Something cracked, merged, cracked, and merged. Avada's voice became unclear. Hoffa had difficulty breathing, and his heart twitched. One second felt as long as ten thousand years.
Then, a strong sense of deja vu pushed his head slightly to the side by a centimeter.
Smack.
The sound of a small stone falling to the ground was heard again.
This time, the stone hit his head.
Hoffa turned his head abruptly. This time, he saw a figure flash by behind the floating island building.
"… What do you think? Mr. Bach. "
Avada bent down and asked.
Hoffa's attention shifted away from the stone. "What?"
"I said, are you willing to play a delightful and unforgettable game with Death?"
"Can I, think about it for a while?"
Hoffa suppressed the surging tide in his heart and said with some difficulty.
"Of course." Avada slowly straightened up, and the smile on his face disappeared. "But you better give me an answer soon. After all, Death's time is very precious."
He turned and walked into the street. "You can think about it here. Call me when you're done."
"I've thought about where to find you?"
The naked black man in full color did not answer. He walked forward slowly, and soon, like a ghost, he disappeared into the air without a trace.
After Death's servant left, Hoffa immediately moved. He picked up the small stone on the ground and looked around. Soon, he locked onto a figure in a narrow alley in the distance.
He ran over with the stone and saw a young man with ginger hair squatting between two unknown plants. He was squatting on the ground and looking at him with a silly smile.
"Buddy Jr?"
Hoffa saw the young man in front of him and was shocked. "Why are you here?"
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
