The god is dead... and now he is finally beginning to rot...
The old man in front of him uttered a seemingly normal sentence in such an ordinary and natural tone, but everyone present felt an indescribable strangeness.
Magnum's hands were already on the table, they were faintly crossed, and his eyes were fixed on the old man who called himself "Duwart": "Which god is the god you speak of?"
The old man smiled and said very calmly: "Who else? Of course the upper-level narrator."
When the suspicious old man uttered the word "upper narrator", the pupils of Yuri and Magnum shrank obviously, but the scene did not appear any abnormality as they imagined, as if everything was just normal The conversation is average.
At this moment, Gao Wen finally discerned some details from the damaged pattern of the worn-out robe on the old man's body. It was the fragmented earth, covered with a symbolic palm...
"You are the priest of the upper narrator," Gao Wen said calmly, "but why do you say that the god is dead?"
Duwart didn't answer immediately, but first took a pastry from the rich food on the table, and put it in front of Naritil. The white-haired girl didn't speak, but just took the pastry and lowered her head, quietly but calmly. Eating very quickly, as if I have been hungry for a long time.
"The gods have been dead for many years. Before the world was destroyed, the gods had already begun to die." Duarte spoke slowly, as if there were traces of the vicissitudes of time in his words. "After realizing the truth behind the world, the gods Just crazy, when God is crazy, He died... He spent a century to die, and another century to rot, and after that, the world became like this."
While speaking, Duarte raised his arms and straightened his overworn robe. Gawain vaguely saw that the edge of the robe was not only tattered and dirty, but there were even some spider webs hanging on it—this indicated that the robe was Not only has the owner visited many dilapidated places, but he even stayed in a certain ruin for a long time not long ago.
If the No. 1 sandbox is regarded as a post-apocalyptic world, then how long has this upper-level narrator priest named Duarte been wandering in this post-apocalyptic world
The other party seemed to just want to chat with someone. Although the situation was somewhat weird, Gao Wen still planned to take this opportunity to get more information, so he continued the topic: "In this world, there are other people besides us. people?"
"People? It's long gone..." the old man said in a low voice, "The world is over, civilization is over, there are only ruins here, and Duvalt and Naritil wandering in the ruins."
"Is everyone dead?" Yuri asked, "or...disappeared?"
"I don't know, probably all returned to the Lord's side." The old man vaguely gave an inexplicable answer, and took another piece of food from the table and handed it to Naritil, who still spoke very quickly and quietly. While eating, it seemed that the conversations happening around her had nothing to do with her.
"How many years have you been wandering here?" Selena also joined the conversation, asking gently.
"I can't remember. I have been stuck here since the end of the world," the old man said calmly. "I still remember some vague things. I remember what this city looked like when it was bustling and bustling. At that time, many people lived in the city. In these houses there were merchants in the streets from the swamps, forests, plains and coastal cities, there were festivals and heroic plays, there were speeches and debates of philosophers on high platforms, and the temples in the cities were bright and spacious, and the sun would shine through the clean The windows spilled over the pulpit, the faithful joyful in peace...
"I still remember news from the south that scholars have created devices that can gaze at the stars, sailors from the west coast are discussing in taverns the strange fish they caught from the deep sea, and a dancing girl from the oasis area has come to town , people in half the city are talking about her beauty...
"Ah, it was such a good time... except, it's all over."
The old man shook his head, picked up the glass of fine wine that Yuri handed him, tentatively took a sip, and made a voice of surprise: "Oh, this is really an incredible taste... Naritil—"
The white-haired girl who was burying her head in eating the cake raised her head, glanced at the wine glass in the old man's hand suspiciously, took the glass after receiving a positive look from the other party, and took a sip cautiously.
In the next second, she vomited all the wine, and vomited for a long time: Obviously, she didn't like the taste very much.
"...I'm curious," Gawain suddenly broke the silence as he looked at the old man with a calm tone and the weird girl in front of him, "What were you eating before we arrived—is there any food in the city?"
"We haven't eaten for a long time," Duarte shook his head with a smile, "That's why Naritil is so hungry."
…
In the territory of Typhon, in the Orlandle region, the night has already fallen, and the stars light up the night sky, reflecting the sparsely lit countryside below, as well as the "Throat of Orlandelle" in the center of the region.
In an unnamed village, a shepherd who just fell asleep was tossing and turning on the bed, as if he was struggling with an invisible dream, but soon he calmed down, his breathing became steady and low, as if the dream was suddenly stripped away, and the whole person had entered Deep, dreamless sleep.
Outside the window, a hazy figure flashed by.
In the village where the lights were turned off and everyone was asleep, two figures in black robes slowly walked across the street, bathed in starlight, walking 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 dream control of the last village has been completed. They will have a good night's sleep. No one will sleep tonight."
The figure next to him nodded, and a calm female voice came from under the hood: "Even so, we must patrol all night to prevent anyone from breaking through the control and falling asleep again—His Holiness has asked us to create an absolute 'no-nonsense' in the entire Orlandle area." Dream vacuum', and as long as there is one person in this area who is still dreaming, his dream may become a springboard, leading to accidents."
"Can such a 'dream barrier' really work?"
"Whether it is useful or not is something that His Majesty the Pope and wanderers outside the territory need to consider. Whether we do it or not is up to us," said the calm female voice. Do not use our arrangement."
"That's true..." said the young male Priest of the Eternal Sleeper, walking towards the outskirts of the village under the shining starlight. Occasionally, there were some wind and grass sounds in the quiet village, but it seemed that the world became more and more silent.
"It is said... the dream priests seven hundred years ago were responsible for doing these things." The male priest said suddenly.
"whats the matter?"
"To walk in the night, to soothe disturbed dreams, and to heal those who have been traumatized, as we are doing today."
"Sounds like... it does."
"I didn't expect that I would come out of the underground palace to do such a thing one day - my great-grandfather once kept a dream priest's amulet, but it was destroyed in my father's generation," said the young male priest Shaking his head, "It is said that after this incident is over, we will have the opportunity to obtain a new identity and be able to act aboveboard—but correspondingly, we will have to move to a new place."
The woman walking beside was silent for two or three seconds, shaking her head as a reminder: "Don't talk about this outside."
"... That's true."
The male priest seemed to smile, and while agreeing, he raised his head, looked at the vast wilderness outside the village, and looked at the end of the wilderness.
A crooked earth slope with broken edges undulates under the far-away night, and the starlight illuminates the edge of the earth slope, revealing that there seems to be a rift or a deep pit there.
Orlandelle, the former imperial capital of Typhon, was quietly buried at the bottom of the huge pit at this moment.
…
In the ancient and deep underground palace, Archbishop Semler, with a serious and gloomy temperament and thinning hair, was inspecting the deepest layer of the containment area.
The newly installed magic net device drives the magic spar lamp, illuminating this once darkest and deepest area, and the bright light seems to be able to dispel the oppressive and gloomy atmosphere brought by the narrators on the upper floor. Sammler walked through the assembly at the bottom In the hall, a priest who seemed to have just arrived came to him quickly, bowing his head slightly to pay tribute:
"Archbishop, the control of dreams on the surface has been completed, and the scope of the dreamless vacuum zone has covered the entire Orlandle area."
"Very good," Semler nodded, "Continue to monitor the dreams of the Orlandle area, and send out the reserve team of the Spirit Knights to support any gaps at any time."
"Yes, Archbishop."
"In addition, send an order to send additional personnel to guard the connection channel at the bottom of Orlandle's Throat. If there is a 'zero-level' leak here... if necessary, blow up the dome."
Facing such an order, the priest hesitated a bit: "Archbishop, in this case, irreparable damage may occur in the upper part of the palace, and the entire underground palace may be exposed..."
"The upper area can be abandoned. All our important facilities are in the middle and lower areas. 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's already It doesn't matter anymore."
"Yes, Archbishop," the priest nodded slowly, but couldn't help asking, "But... just blowing up the dome, can it really block the 'Upper Narrator'?"
"How can a pile of collapsed stones stop the invisible gods?" Semler sneered and shook his head, "However, it is enough for the collapsed stones to stop the 'believers' of the upper-level narrators." gone."
The priest who delivered the order felt an indescribable pressure, but he quickly took a deep breath under the pressure and nodded vigorously.
The priest left, and Sammler stood in the empty and quiet corridor of the containment area, stood quietly for several seconds before shaking his head slightly, and walked towards the area where the psionic choir members were housed.
Wearing thick silver-white armor, the guard of the spirit knight with many mysterious runes inlaid on his helmet bowed his head in front of him: "The Archbishop."
"Is everything normal?" Sammler asked in a deep voice.
A muffled voice came from under the helmet of the Spirit Knight: "Everything is normal, Archbishop."
"Is anyone talking to the outside world?"
"No."
"very good."
Semler nodded, passed the guarding spirit knights, and came to the door of the outermost room of the containment area, knocking lightly on the metal door with runes and inlaid with magic-guiding materials such as mithril and copper. The knocking sound was heard far away in the deep and long corridor.
Two seconds later, a gentle female voice sounded from behind the door: "Who is it?"
"It's me, Sammler," said Semler with a serious and gloomy demeanor, "Ms. Wendy, let me confirm your situation."
"Ah, Archbishop Semler," Wendy, who was leaning against the corner of the room, watching the spiders weaving their webs, stood up, patted the dust on the corner of her skirt, and came near the door, "My situation here is very good— That irritating voice has not appeared for a long time. But this room is really a bit boring, and only the spider can accompany me."
"Be patient for a little more time." Sammler heard the gentle and clear voice of "Spiritual Song" Wendy in the room, and he was in a sane and sober state, and he was slightly relieved. "We have reached a critical stage. The sun will rise tomorrow, and everything will be fine." got up."
"I hope so."
…
Near the temple of Nim Sandro in the desert city-state, in the only lit residential house, a white-haired girl named Naritil was already leaning against the corner of the wall and sleeping in the haystack, while the old man Duwart was sitting like a guard. Not far away, sitting cross-legged on the ground, it seems that he is praying devoutly.
Looking at this scene, Yuri couldn't help whispering to Selina next to him: "To be honest, I was ready to fight when Duvalte said that Naritil was very hungry. I didn't expect that she was really just hungry..."
Selena's answer was very short: "The more normal, the more abnormal."
"... how long are we going to continue 'with' these two?"
"It depends on the opinion of the outside world... Gawain Cecil."
Selena spoke softly, her gaze fell on Gao Wen who was not far away.
Gawain stood up and came to Duarte who seemed to have finished a prayer.
"The gods are dead," he said to the old man full of vicissitudes. "Who are you praying to?"
"I'm used to it," Duvalt smiled and shook his head. "You know, belief...is habitual."
When he said that "faith has inertia", his tone seemed quite complicated.
Gao Wen couldn't understand the psychological changes of a person who had been wandering in the deserted world for many years. He just shook his head and waved his hand to disperse a spider running past a nearby pillar.
"There are a lot of spiders here at night," Duvalt said, "but don't worry, they are all gentle and harmless, and they will actively avoid people."