Volume 6, Chapter 55 – Behind the Light Screen

“As you can see, my true identity is a Darkborn.”

With only calmness on her clean face, Helian, possessing the bewitching beauty of a succubus, stared quietly at Nola below. She showed no trace of the wretchedness when she was chased by Fia around the Elf Royal City—at that time, not only was one of her arms disabled by Fia’s maximum-power [Lightning Spear], but her wings were also broken by the [Punishment Seal]. In the end, although the Elf God bypassed Fia when breaking free from the Holy Tree’s restraints, she crashed into Claire and was completely suppressed by Claire. It could be said she had the worst luck.

Even the scapegoat Demon General summoned by the Demon General of Absolute Death wasn’t as unlucky as her.

Calm on the surface, Helian was quite apprehensive inside. She wasn’t Nola’s Goddess, but a fake posing as the Goddess. She knew nothing about most of the things Nola said. For example, she had never heard of the Flame Greatsword glowing upon encountering Darkborn. She could only go along with Nola’s words. If Nola set a trap and deceived her with lies, she would be exposed immediately.

However, she was helpless about this. Nola’s strength was weaker than hers. If she wanted, it wouldn’t take much effort to keep Nola in this land forever. But killing Nola would make subsequent matters very troublesome. Her position as a servant didn’t allow her to cause trouble for her master, The Sovereign. The Goddess favoring Nola wasn’t an ordinary person; even if not an existence at the level of a god, she was very close. God knew that woman’s attitude toward Nola.

Even if it was keeping a pet, pets were divided into important and unimportant ones. If Nola happened to be that woman’s important pet, killing her easily would undoubtedly anger the other party, creating enemies for her master, The Sovereign. Therefore, brazenly fooling Nola was the safest choice.

As for the reason why Nola must be blocked here, it was because the gray light screen hid The Sovereign’s secret. Only by taking advantage of the absence of this land’s owner, Nola’s Goddess, did they have the opportunity to experiment here.

Helian watched Nola nervously. If Nola was dissatisfied with her identity as a Darkborn, she really couldn’t find a good solution. Pretending to be Nola’s Goddess had already offended Nola’s Goddess. The bigger the lie, the more it damaged the image of Nola’s Goddess, and the easier it was to turn the two parties, who originally didn’t interfere with each other, into enemies.

It wasn’t until she witnessed relief appearing in Nola’s purple cat eyes, as if a suspended heart was put down, that she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this fire cat, whose development just reached the passing line, didn’t seem very smart; otherwise, she would be the one in danger.

She gradually understood why Nola’s Goddess chose Nola as a pet. The reason should be valuing this beastman’s straightforwardness and lack of scheming.

Nola stammered with a complicated expression.

“You really are a Darkborn…”

“Exactly. There is no problem with your Flame Greatsword.”

“But why did you conceal your identity—ah, I know!”

Huh? What do you know?

Helian was confused, staring blankly at Nola who seemed to have figured everything out. As a fake, this was the scenario she feared most; she had absolutely no idea what Nola was thinking.

Fortunately, Nola began to mutter to herself. Helian hurriedly pricked up her pointed demon ears quietly, carefully catching Nola’s whispers.

“You were worried that if you explained your identity as a Darkborn from the beginning, you would scare the immature me at that time, so you called yourself a god. Moreover, the title of a god is also more conducive for me to explain to outsiders why I could come out of the Weeping Mountains alive. To make me accepted by outsiders, you even granted me a God-Given Weapon… You are truly a gentle person. Even though you could have said directly that you are a Darkborn, you lied for my sake…”

By the end, Nola’s upturned eyes had more watery luster. She was deeply guilty for suspecting the Goddess didn’t trust her. Everything the Goddess did was for her, yet because of a mere Fog Demon’s words, she ran to disturb the Goddess, even making the Goddess appear in person to explain.

Barbaric to a heinous degree.

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However, in Helian’s eyes, it felt completely different.

If not for maintaining the majestic image of a goddess, she would definitely have laughed out loud. The fire cat in front of her was cooperating too well.

She emitted a soft hum from her throat to suppress the laughter already at her lips.

“Originally, I wanted to keep this secret forever. I didn’t expect you to detect it in advance. Being able to stand calmly in front of me shows that you have no fear of my identity as a Darkborn… Truly unexpected. There are still people in this world who don’t fear us Darkborn. You beastmen should believe in the Goddess of Polar Night and the Goddess of White Night.”

“I cannot guarantee other beastmen won’t fear you, but I absolutely won’t. You are my benefactor who saved my life and gave me a new lease on life. For us beastmen, as long as it’s someone who has helped us, whether demon or human, we must repay kindness with kindness. What’s more, Darkborn also has good and bad ones.”

“You mean, I am a good person?”

“Even if you can’t be considered a good person, I can’t think of anyone else who can be called a good person.”

So being called a good person feels like this.

Although she was an imposter, Helian unexpectedly felt satisfaction and happiness in her heart. People in The Sovereign’s camp were afraid when they saw her, secretly calling her the Prince’s vicious dog, and never sincerely praised her as a good person. Therefore, the more she looked at Nola, the more pleasing she found her.

Pity I can’t recruit her to my side.

Helian felt regret.

About time to send her away. The more I say, the greater the possibility of exposure.

She curled the corners of her mouth in a smile. Her bewitching appearance made even Nola dazed for a moment.

“Do you have other matters?”

“Yes, one more!” As if afraid the Goddess would disappear, Nola hurriedly reached out her hand. The Goddess hadn’t left; she must confirm some things only the Goddess knew with the Goddess. “May I ask if you know why the Fog Demon and the Crystal Golem ran out of the Illusion Barrier? When I fought them, there was Chaos on them. Didn’t you say Chaos hasn’t run onto the World Tree Continent yet? Did it happen ahead of time?”

Hmm?

You know that thing is Chaos?

Helian almost blurted out the question. The people on the World Tree Continent were protected so well by the barrier that for tens of thousands of years, people had forgotten the terror of things like Chaos. Even among Darkborn, only a very small number had seen what Chaos looked like.

Probably this fire cat’s Goddess told her what Chaos looks like, Helian comforted herself.

She wouldn’t tell Nola that the Chaos on the Fog Demon and the Crystal Golem was her doing. Most areas within the Illusion Barrier were dead silent lands filled with the aura of death. Undead creatures would subconsciously gather in dead silent lands; this was the most suitable living environment for them, so they wouldn’t leave the Illusion Barrier.

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But she granted them the Chaos improved by Father, turning them into semi-undead creatures, so they could temporarily leave the Illusion Barrier full of death aura, which was most comfortable for them.

Helian didn’t answer Nola’s question but looked puzzled. She tilted her head slightly to stare at Nola, not missing any slight change in expression.

“I was busy with preparations and wasn’t clear about the Fog Demon and Chaos… What happened to that Fog Demon later?”

“I solved it. It didn’t cause chaos for the time being. But after cooperating with Chaos, its strength was much greater than before. If this situation continues, I can’t guarantee there won’t be casualties in the future…”

“Solved by you?”

Along with those massive ghost hordes?

If only the Fog Demon was solved by Nola, Helian would just think she underestimated Nola’s strength. However, there were tens of thousands of small ghosts around the Fog Demon. Although those ghosts themselves had little strength, don’t forget the characteristics of undead creatures. When an undead creature dies, it autonomously absorbs surrounding life force. Even if a beastman’s life force was stronger than most creatures on the World Tree Continent, Nola couldn’t possibly possess life force equivalent to a seventh-rank ghost plus tens of thousands of ordinary ghosts. Not to mention the current Nola was standing alive beside her without any sign of overdrawing life force.

Did she use human wave tactics to share the ghosts’ negative life? But tens of thousands of ghosts isn’t a small number. This fire cat would have to organize an army of at least seven or eight thousand people to ensure everyone wouldn’t overdraw life force. And I didn’t detect the existence of an army of this scale.

Strange.

“I didn’t solve the Fog Demon alone; someone helped me.” Speaking of this, Nola twitched her fiery red cat ears, and embarrassment appeared on her beautiful face. “No… accurately speaking, if not for her, I would have been in trouble. An elf named Dofilia helped me.”

“Do—!”

Finally unable to hold back the shock in her heart, Helian’s eyes widened instantly, and panic appeared on her face. Fia almost killed her twice. The second time, if she hadn’t had a final life-saving means, she would have died at Fia’s hands.

I actually met this Reaper again.

The third time! The third time!! The World Tree Continent is so big; why do I always meet this monster!

I must urge Father to speed up the progress, or even abandon this place and move elsewhere. Terminating the experiment would waste the preliminary preparations, but if everyone gets caught in one fell swoop, there will be no chance at all. I’m not in peak condition, and my primary task is to protect The Sovereign’s safety. I can’t bet on Fia not discovering me.

She couldn’t care about disguising flawlessly anymore and asked with a serious expression.

“Is that woman named Claire here too?”

“Yes.”

Damn it, both monsters are here!

Just one person is difficult for me to deal with. If two attack together, I will definitely die here!

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Veins bulged on Helian’s forehead, and her heart began to ache. She had no more life-saving means. Thinking of this, Helian became restless, as if her whole person was roasted on a fire rack. Her soles hurt so much she wished she could flee this red-hot iron plate quickly.

“Lord Goddess, you…”

Helian’s performance was too abnormal. Nola couldn’t help looking up in confusion, looking at Helian curiously.

But at this moment, Helian couldn’t continue acting. Her purpose in standing here was to stop Nola from advancing, lest Nola see things she shouldn’t and disturb the continuation of the experiment. But now knowing Fia was here, the gray light screen was a huge target. They risked exposure at any time. The experiment could no longer continue, so naturally, there was no need to continue blocking Nola. She just wanted to go back early.

Deep purple streams of light, as if having substance, wrapped around Helian’s body. With a stiff face and tone, she urged Nola.

“I will leave the World Tree Continent tonight. Time is tight; there is no other way but to reinforce the Illusion Barrier. Go back. After the Illusion Barrier is reinforced, monsters won’t be able to come out again.”

“Then… then can you grant me immunity to the Illusion Barrier? Just leave such a small matter to me; how can I trouble you…”

“I have my own arrangements. Goodbye, Nola.”

Seems like a different person.

Even Nola noticed something was wrong. She instinctively wanted to say something, but Helian was already completely shrouded by the deep purple streams of light, disappearing rapidly before her eyes.

At the same time, the muddy, viscous suffocating feeling in the air also disappeared. Silence returned to the pitch-black mountain forest. Even the thin layer of clouds dispersed, revealing the scattered stars behind, like flawless, undefiled gems.

The sudden parting left Nola stunned on the spot. She tried her best to appear calm in front of Helian, but inside she was already a mess.

First, the Goddess appearing before her eyes and speaking to her with her true voice brought her a huge shock. Second, the Goddess didn’t know what happened in the Weeping Mountains, which contradicted the Goddess’s previous omniscient image. One must know, her Goddess once claimed the Weeping Mountains were her territory, knowing every creature inside like the back of her hand. How could she not know the mutation of the Fog Demon and where Chaos came from?

Although being busy could explain everything, how to explain the stiffness the Goddess showed at the end? Nola could clearly feel the sense of distance from Helian at the end. That strangeness of being strangers and being shut out made her feel hated by the Goddess. But did she say anything offensive to the Goddess?

She believed she hadn’t misspoken.

She remained hovering above the mountain forest, reviewing the conversation with Helian just now step by step. Until fully reviewed, she couldn’t find where she spoke wrong. At most, her act of coming to find the Goddess was wrong, but she didn’t voice her inner thoughts; the busy Goddess shouldn’t know her thoughts. Moreover, the speed of the Goddess’s attitude change was also strange. Since hearing Dofilia’s name, she seemed like a different person, even showing a moment of loss of composure, making one feel this was no longer the aloof Goddess, but an ordinary person.

Did Fia and my Lord Goddess have a conflict? But this is Fia’s first time here.

It must be that I said words that I didn’t realize were offensive to the Goddess, so the Goddess distanced herself.

The more she thought this way, the more Nola believed this was the case. A person only believes what they want to believe. From the moment she felt it was her fault, she fell into a vortex of self-doubt. She increasingly felt things were terrible and she was unreasonable. Then she thought of apologizing and begging for Lord Goddess’s forgiveness, then felt that disturbing Lord Goddess would waste Lord Goddess’s time and make her Goddess even angrier.

Not explaining clearly would let the misunderstanding continue forever; explaining might make her hated even more. The dilemma put so much pressure on her that it was hard to breathe, and her hand unconsciously clutched her chest tightly. She wanted to slap herself hard. Why did she choose to find the Goddess to confirm the truth? If she hadn’t come to the Weeping Mountains, she wouldn’t have provoked Lord Goddess’s disgust. However, there was no medicine for regret in the world. Besides racking her brains thinking about how to choose, she had no other thoughts. Hesitation and regret occupied her entire brain.

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Go back and ask Claire or Fia to help me think?

In the past, she would have flown back to Brinkat immediately. But Helian happened to say she would leave tonight, and time was so tight she couldn’t even investigate the Fog Demon’s mutation. Going back now, she might miss the last chance to explain to the Goddess.

Wait, since hesitation will miss the chance to explain, don’t I have only one choice?

I must clarify to Lord Goddess that I didn’t mean to offend her. She must have misunderstood a sentence I said just now. As long as I explain properly and make things clear, Lord Goddess will definitely forgive me. Hesitation now will only become regret in the future!

The Goddess’s departure became the overwhelming push. Like keeping a lover about to run away from home, Nola flew desperately toward the gray light screen. She had a premonition that this might be her last chance. Thus, her heart pounded, as if about to jump out of her chest in the next moment. Hot sweat seeped from every pore of her body, her face incredibly red. Tension and apprehension occupied her whole body, making her body weak yet her limbs full of strength, causing her to fly with all her might at unprecedented speed.

Seventh-rank strength allowed her to arrive in front of the gray light screen in just a few minutes. This light screen, flashing back and forth like an aurora, emitted extremely strong magic power fluctuations. It seemed another world existed behind the light screen.

Time allowed no hesitation. Without thinking, she reached her hand toward the gray light screen. Then, her entire arm passed through the light screen easily, as if reaching into storage magic. She could only feel the existence of her arm but couldn’t see it.

I can pass through!

Joy flowed through her body. Nola stepped into the light screen. Then, another world suddenly unfolded before her eyes.

First was the bare, completely desolate rust-colored earth. The bleak dry wind was filled with a rotten smell, the unique scent of death, signaling the earth had lost vitality. Then came the gray stone buildings standing on the earth in her vision. These buildings were grand and primitive, like palaces. If humans lived there, they could fit tens of thousands of people. She had never seen such gray-style palaces revealing evil, simply like places for demons to live.

Then, she saw some people coming out of the palace. Leading them were several large demons with strange appearances. Like escorting prisoners, these demons led a team of shackled humans, elves, and beastmen out of the palace, walking straight toward the end of the rust-colored world—there was a cliff. Nola had seen the same scene in Blossom and knew below was the abyss. Once fallen, one would be smashed to pieces and never return.

What are these people doing? Is this really the place where Lord Goddess lives?

The rust-colored sky and earth made Nola feel exceptionally depressed. She instinctively sensed danger, and uneasiness gradually climbed into her heart. She looked back at the gray light screen. But in the next second, an aged voice appearing beside her instantly made her whole body shudder. A strong sense of danger spread from her heart to her whole body, making her hair stand on end.

“Oh my, a visitor? It’s just that I don’t remember inviting Your Excellency. Very few people can cross the Weeping Mountains alive. May I ask what Your Excellency came here for? There is no value worth sightseeing here.”

A hunchbacked old man gradually emerged beside Nola. He wore a priest’s outfit with a white base and gold threads embedded at the edges. His smiling expression was also full of an elder’s kindness. However, it was such a person that raised Nola’s sense of crisis to the peak.

She realized her situation.

She had come to a place she shouldn’t have come.