Lord of The Mysterious Realms-Chapter 56: Question and Answer
The first to try would certainly bear some risk, a fact both Professor Burns and Mr. Sanders understood well. But instead of forming an alliance against "Papa Oliver and his apprentice," they eyed each other with suspicion.
Mr. Sanders grinned, his right hand snapping up. An impossibly fine, transparent thread shot from his wrist and latched onto the professor's chest.
The professor went rigid.
"You go first, or I'll kill you."
he commanded, then turned to Papa Oliver, his eyes narrowed in a smug smile. "I'll be second. Is that acceptable?"
He seemed to know full well that he was no match for Papa Oliver, especially in a Mysterious Realm where every ability could only be used once. Reading the situation correctly was the only way to survive.
Papa Oliver remained silent, a clear sign of his tacit approval.
"You might not know what these threads are."
Mr. Sanders warned the professor, "but you can surely feel that tightness in your chest. Don't try anything clever!"
The professor pursed his lips, adjusting his glasses. He didn't glance at Papa Oliver or Jenkins for help, but simply gave a slight nod:
"I am a believer in the Legacy Sage, but I do not believe that knowledge can be so simply equated with gold."
The figure on the throne remained silent, seeming not to be a living person at all. Yet, its golden eyes continued to rove. When they fell upon Jenkins, he felt a sharp jolt. The gaze was almost tangible, and while it lacked the crushing pressure of a Righteous God's attention, he was struck by the sudden, bizarre feeling that this being was... like him.
"Ha, have I finally lost my mind?"
he muttered inwardly, just as the professor began to speak:
"Three years ago, I had a dream. In it, I received a method for accumulating Spirit, which is how I became an Enchanter. My question is: who was it that gave it to me?"
His expression was utterly grave, yet held not a trace of fear.
"I know, but I cannot say."
The stilted words echoed from the throne. The tall, thin old man extended a finger toward Mr. Sanders. "Next!"
"Professor Burns is an unregistered Enchanter," Jenkins realized. "And the rules don't require all three questions at once!"
he concluded internally, a chill of fear running down his spine as he wondered just what kind of entity the professor had encountered in his dream.
Mr. Sanders looked positively smug. He gave a respectful nod to the throne, adjusted his hat, and then asked in a booming voice:
"How does one become a god?"
"He's courting death!"
Jenkins recoiled instinctively, taking several steps back. He saw that Papa Oliver and the professor had reacted in the exact same way.
The old man on the throne nodded. His mouth opened and closed, forming silent words that Jenkins could not hear.
Suddenly, Mr. Sanders burst into crazed laughter.
"Hahaha! So that's how it is! So that's it!"
He threw his arms wide, and his head exploded like a burst watermelon. But it wasn't blood and brain matter that spilled to the ground; it was a shower of gleaming golden beads, clattering against the floor.
A moment later, his headless body crumpled to the floor, dissolving into golden sand that mixed with the treasure already scattered about, leaving no trace that Mr. Sanders had ever existed.
"Mortal!"
The word echoed from the throne. Though the tone remained placid, it was laced with an inexplicable mockery.
"That thing didn't kill him," Jenkins thought. "He couldn't handle the answer. The secret to godhood... it's not something we're meant to know!"
As the thought crossed his mind, Jenkins felt a sudden shove from Papa Oliver.
He scrambled to speak. "I want to know—"
Papa Oliver smacked him on the back of the head. "What are you doing? I was telling you to heal the professor!"
Startled, Jenkins whipped his head around to see the professor collapsed on the ground, clutching his chest.
"You thought I was forcing you to be the next one to ask."
Papa Oliver's mocking tone followed him. Jenkins's face burned with embarrassment as he rushed to the professor's side without looking back. He had no idea what was wrong, so he simply pressed his hand firmly against the man's chest and activated his ability.
"It's a spell—[Heartvein Rupture]. It's similar to a curse and instantly severs the target's cardiac veins. In the outside world, it would require the victim's blood and hair, plus extensive material preparations for a ritual. But in here... all it takes is a touch of Spirit."
Papa Oliver explained from behind him, adding a stark warning. "Don't ask me anything in here. If it's mistaken for a question to the throne, you're dead."
Jenkins's heart leaped into his throat. He had been on the verge of asking, "What happened to the professor?"
The color began to return to the professor's face. He nodded weakly. "Thank you... for saving me."
"We are both believers of the Sage. It was the right thing to do."
Papa Oliver answered for Jenkins, giving a discreet shake of his head to signal that they shouldn't reveal their official connection to the Church.
Jenkins had always seen Papa Oliver as just a shrewd, unscrupulous merchant. Now he realized that an Enchanter who survived this long did so through far more than just luck.
"Thirty-eight years ago, during the Month of Earth and Flowers, I was camped with my team at Witch's Lake in the Cursed Forest of the Third Republic of Sangwei'er. What was the phantom that killed thirty-two of my comrades that night?"
The Republic of Sangwei'er was a remote nation, far from the three major kingdoms. Papa Oliver had been there in his youth?
The tall, thin elder on the throne gave a stiff nod, his lips moving rapidly. As he listened, Papa Oliver's expression grew heavy.
"So it was..."
He turned his head to Jenkins, his body already beginning to turn to gold. "Survive!"
The golden sheen crept up to his head, and in the blink of an eye, a silent, golden statue of the old man stood in his place.
"Papa Oliver... is dead?"
The reality of it echoed relentlessly in Jenkins's mind. He reached out a hand to touch the golden statue, but Professor Burns caught his arm.
The professor shook his head, warning Jenkins not to do anything foolish, then motioned toward the throne. The tall, thin old man's gaze was now fixed on Jenkins.
Jenkins still couldn't accept it. Papa Oliver was dead?
In all the time since his transmigration, the person he had grown closest to wasn't his family—it was Papa Oliver. Jenkins couldn't accept what had just happened. "This is some kind of sick joke, right?"
He wiped his damp eyes and activated his Eye of Reality.
The golden statue no longer showed the points of light that represented abilities, but around its waist, he could see a faint, dark glimmer.
"Papa Oliver had a Mysterious Object?"
Jenkins froze, startled. Then, a spark of hope ignited within him.
He took a few deep breaths and faced the old man on the throne. It was his turn.
Since this being knew the path to godhood, any question he asked had to be on a similarly cosmic scale. Or, he could ask something the being wouldn't dare to answer, just as Professor Burns had done.
Of course, some questions, like the chicken and the egg, were unanswerable philosophical paradoxes. But what if, in this illogical, magical world, there actually was a definitive answer? He'd be done for.
Chapter 56: Question and Answer
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