God is dead. Now, He has finally begun to rot.
The old man in front of them said something that seemed normal in such a normal tone, but it made everyone present feel an indescribable strangeness.
Magnum had placed his hands on the table, clasping them together. He stared at the old man who called himself Duwalter. "Which god are you talking about?"
The old man smiled and said frankly, "Who else can it be? Of course, it's the Upper Narrator. "
When the suspicious old man said the words "Upper Narrator," Yuri and Magnum's pupils shrank. But there was nothing unusual as they had imagined. It was as if everything was just a normal conversation.
Gawain was finally able to discern some details from the tattered patterns on the old man's robe. It was a shattered land, and above it was a symbolic palm.
"You are the priest of the Upper Narrator, right?" Gwen said calmly. "But why did you say that God is dead?"
Duwalter didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a pastry from the sumptuous food on the table and placed it in front of Nareltyr. The white-haired girl didn't say anything. She just took the pastry and lowered her head. She ate it quickly and quietly as if she had been hungry for a long time.
"God has been dead for many years. Before the world was destroyed, God had already begun to die," Duwalter spoke very slowly, and there seemed to be traces of vicissitudes in his words. "When God realized the truth behind the world, God went mad. When God went mad, He died. He used a century to die, and another century to rot. After that, the world became like this."
As Duwalter spoke, he raised his arm and tidied up his tattered robe. Gwen vaguely saw that the edge of the robe was not only tattered and dirty, but there were also some cobwebs hanging on it. This showed that the owner of the robe had not only visited many abandoned and dilapidated places, but also stayed in a ruin for a long time not long ago.
If Sandbox No. 1 was regarded as a post-apocalyptic world, then how long had this Narrator of the Upper Echelon named Duwalter been wandering in this post-apocalyptic world?
The other party seemed to just want to find someone to chat with. Although the situation was somewhat strange, Gwen still wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to get more information, so he continued the conversation. "In this world, other than us, is there anyone else?"
"Human? It's long gone … "the old man said in a low voice." The world is over, the civilization is over. There are only ruins here, and Duart and Naretil wandering in the ruins. "
"Is everyone dead?" Yuri asked. "Or … have they all disappeared?"
"I don't know. They've probably returned to the Lord's side." The old man gave an inexplicable answer. He took another plate of food from the table and handed it to Nareltyr. Nareltyr continued to eat quickly and quietly, as if the conversation around her had nothing to do with her.
"How many years have you been wandering here?" Selena joined the conversation and asked gently.
"I can't remember. I've been here since the end of the world," the old man said calmly. "I still remember some vague things. I remember how the city looked like when it was bustling. There were many people living in these houses. There were merchants from the swamps, forests, plains, and coastal city-states on the streets. There were celebrations and heroic dramas. There were philosophers speaking and debating on the high platform. The temples in the city were bright and spacious. The sun would shine through the clean windows on the pulpit. The believers were calm and happy.
"I still remember the news that came from the south. The scholars had created a device that allowed one to look at the stars. The sailors from the west coast were discussing the strange fish that they had caught from the deep sea. A dancer from the oasis entered the city, and half the people in the city were talking about her beauty.
"Ah, that was a wonderful time. But it's all in the past."
The old man shook his head and picked up a glass of wine that Yuri handed to him. He took a sip and exclaimed, "Oh, this is an incredible taste. Naretil —"
The white-haired girl, who was eating cake, looked up and glanced at the wine glass in the old man's hand. She took the glass and took a sip cautiously after getting an affirmative look from the old man.
The next second, she spat out all the wine and spat for a long time. Obviously, she did not like the taste.
"… I'm curious." Looking at the old man and the strange girl, Gwen suddenly broke the silence. "Before we came, what were you eating? Is there any food in the city?"
"We haven't eaten for a long time." Duwalter smiled and shook his head. "That's why Naretil is so hungry."
…
In the Aurandale region of Typhon, night had already fallen. Stars lit up the night sky, illuminating the sparsely lit villages below and the "Aurandale Throat" located in the center of the region.
In a nameless village, a shepherd who had just fallen asleep was tossing and turning on his bed, as if he was fighting against an invisible dream. But soon, he calmed down, and his breathing became steady and deep, as if the dream had suddenly been taken away from him, and he had entered a deep, dreamless sleep.
Outside the window, a hazy silhouette flashed past.
In the quiet village where every household had turned off the lights and gone to sleep, two figures in black robes walked slowly through the streets. They were bathed in the starlight as they walked from one end of the village to the other.
A young male voice came from under the hood of one of the black-robed figures. "The last village's dream control has been completed. They will have a good night's sleep. No one will enter the dream tonight."
The figure beside him nodded. A steady female voice came from under the hood. "Even so, we still need to patrol the night to prevent anyone from breaking through the control and entering the dream again. His Holiness the Pope has asked us to create an absolute 'dreamless vacuum' in the entire Aurandale area. As long as one person is still dreaming in this area, his dream may become a springboard and lead to accidents."
"Will such a 'dream isolation zone' work?"
"Whether it works or not, that's for His Holiness the Pope and the extraterritorial wanderers to consider. Whether to do it or not is our business," the steady female voice said. "Instead of worrying about this, it's better to hope that tonight's operation goes smoothly. It's best if our arrangements are not used."
"That's true …" The young male priest of the Eternal Sleep said as he walked towards the periphery of the village under the starlight. Occasionally, the sound of wind rustling could be heard in the quiet village. It made the world seem even quieter.
"It's said that … the dream priests seven hundred years ago were responsible for these things," the male priest suddenly said.
"What things?"
"Walking in the night, soothing the disturbed dreams, healing those who have been hurt, just like what we are doing today."
"It sounds … very similar."
"I never thought that I would come out from the underground palace to do this kind of thing. My great-grandfather once kept an amulet of the dream priests, but it was destroyed in my father's generation." The young male priest shook his head. "It's said that after this incident, we have a chance to get a new identity and can move about openly. But in return, we have to move to a new place."
The woman walking beside him was silent for two to three seconds. She shook her head and reminded him, "Don't talk about this outside."
"… That's true."
The male priest seemed to smile. He looked up as he nodded and looked at the vast wilderness outside the village. He looked at the end of the wilderness.
A crooked slope with broken edges rose and fell in the distant night. The starlight illuminated the edge of the slope, revealing what seemed to be a rift valley or a deep pit.
Aulandale, the former capital of Typhon, was now quietly buried at the bottom of the huge pit.
…
In the ancient and deep underground palace, Archbishop Semler, with a solemn and gloomy temperament and sparse hair, was patrolling the deepest part of the reception area.
The newly installed magic network device powered the magic crystal lamp, illuminating the area that was once the darkest and deepest part of the city. The bright light seemed to be able to dispel the depressing atmosphere brought by the narrators on the upper level. Semler walked through the assembly hall at the bottom level. A priest who seemed to have just arrived quickly came up to him and bowed slightly.
"Archbishop, the dream control on the surface has been completed. The Dreamless Vacuum Zone has covered the entire Aulandale area."
"Very good." Semler nodded. "Continue to monitor the dreams in the Aulandale area. Send out the Spirit Knight's reserves to support the areas where there is a gap at any time."
"Yes, Archbishop."
"Also, send an order. Send more people to guard the connecting passage at the bottom of the Throat of Aulandale. If there is a 'Level Zero' leak here … if necessary, blow up the dome."
In the face of such an order, the priest showed a hint of hesitation. "Archbishop, in this case, the upper level of the palace is likely to be irreparably damaged, and the entire underground palace may be exposed …"
"We can give up the upper level. All our important facilities are in the middle and lower levels. These two areas have elemental blessings and reinforcement spells, which can resist the collapse of the dome. We can slowly solve the problem after sealing the underground palace. As for the exposure … that is no longer important. "
"Yes, Archbishop." The priest nodded slowly, but he could not help but ask, "But … just blowing up the dome, can it really stop the 'upper level narrators'?"
"How can a pile of collapsed stones stop an invisible god?" Semler sneered and shook his head. "But the collapsed stones can stop the 'believers' of the Narrator from the upper echelons. That's enough."
The priest felt an indescribable pressure, but he quickly took a deep breath under the pressure and nodded vigorously.
The priest left. Semler stood quietly in the empty corridor of the reception area for a few seconds before he shook his head slightly and walked to the area where the psionic choir members were housed.
The Spirit Knight Guard, who wore heavy silver armor and a helmet inlaid with many mysterious runes, bowed his head in front of him. "Archbishop."
"Is everything normal?" Semler asked in a deep voice.
A muffled voice came from under the Spirit Knight's helmet. "Everything is normal, Archbishop."
"Is anyone talking to the outside world?"
"No."
"Very good."
Semler nodded. He walked past the Spirit Knight and came to the outermost door of the reception area. He gently knocked on the metal door inlaid with runes, mithril, purple copper, and other magic-conducting materials. The knocking sound spread far in the deep and long corridor.
Two seconds later, a gentle and sweet female voice came from behind the door. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Semler," Semler said with a solemn and gloomy temperament. "Madam Venti, I'm here to check on your situation."
"Ah, Archbishop Semler." Wendy, who was leaning against the corner of the room and observing the spider webs in boredom, stood up. She patted the dust off the corner of her skirt and walked to the door. "I'm fine here. That irritating sound hasn't appeared for a long time. But this room is a bit boring. Only the spiders can keep me company. "
"Be patient for a while." Semler heard the calm and clear voice of 'Spirit Song' Venti in the room. She seemed to be sober. He was slightly relieved. "We have reached the critical stage. Everything will be fine when the sun rises tomorrow."
"I hope so."
…
Near the shrine of Bonim Sandor in the desert city, in the only residential building with lights on, the white-haired girl named Nareltir was already fast asleep in a haystack in the corner of the wall. Old Duarte was sitting cross-legged not far away like a guard, seemingly praying devoutly.
Yuri looked at this scene and could not help but whisper to Selena next to him. "To be honest, when Duwalter said that Naretil was very hungry, I was ready to fight. I really didn't expect that she was just hungry …"
Selena's answer was very brief. "The more normal it is, the more abnormal it is."
"… How long do we have to 'accompany' these two people?"
"It depends on the opinion of the extraterritorial … Gwen Cecil."
Selena said softly. Her eyes fell on Gwen not far away.
Gwen stood up and came to Duwalter, who seemed to have finished his prayer.
"God is dead," Hao Ren said to the old man. "Who are you praying to?"
"I'm used to it." Duwalter smiled and shook his head. "You know, faith … has inertia."
When he said 'faith has inertia,' his tone was quite complicated.
Gwen could not understand the psychological changes of a person who had wandered in a deserted world for many years. He just shook his head and waved his hand to disperse a spider that ran over a nearby pillar.
"There are a lot of spiders here at night," Duwalter said. "But don't worry. They are gentle and harmless. They will actively avoid people."
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