Chapter 35: The Relationship Between Gods and Humans

Chapter 35: The Relationship Between Gods and Humans

"Close your eyes, take a deep breath..."

"You feel a lukewarm surge slowly rising over your head, like the amniotic fluid when a mother nurtures life—so this place is safe. You can breathe normally, even feeling more relaxed and comfortable than ever before."

At the Ability Management Bureau branch, a young man lay on an examination table with his eyes closed, undergoing diagnosis and investigation by an ability user from the Clairvoyance Domain.

The man was a resident of a town near the foot of the Hornet-Ant Village mountains. After witnessing the inexplicable phenomena among the peaks, he exhibited signs of mental confusion and self-harm tendencies, prompting local police to transfer him to the Anomalous Affairs Bureau for handling.

Shen Yuan sat by the bed, her coaxing voice like a thin mist dispersing into the depths of the man's subconscious:

"Do not be afraid, and offer no resistance. Here, no one can harm you..."

"Now, tell me, what did you see back then?"

The man murmured drowsily: "I saw... a huge tree growing from the depths of the mountains. It kept growing, soon piercing the clouds, blocking out the sun..."

"You must have seen more details. Can you try to describe what else you saw?"

"Its bark was mercury-colored, uneven in texture, with vines hanging everywhere. The leaves seemed ash-pale, convulsing unnaturally in the air..."

Gradually, the young man slowly furrowed his brows, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists, almost tearing holes in the stark-white linen.

His tone grew increasingly frantic and terrified, his voice screeching against the ears of those around him:

"No, no! That was not a tree at all—it was a serpent!"

Waving his hands wildly, the man traced chaotic lines in the air, shrieking even more hysterically: "So many unimaginably huge serpents! The trunk was made of snakes, and the hanging vines were snakes too! They crawled out from the base of the mountain, chasing after prey..."

"Alright, I understand," Shen Yuan soothed him. "Remember? Though what you saw was terrifying, you are now in your mother’s protective waters. Mother will protect you."

"Gradually forget this nightmare, and be born anew—return to normal life as a fresh, healthy person."

In Shen Yuan’s Mind's Eye vision, the negative influence festered in the man’s mind gradually dissipated. The man’s body went slack, his hands slowly lowering as he quieted down once more.

To ensure his full recovery, Shen Yuan observed him for another fifteen minutes. Seeing no further abnormalities, she finally let out a relieved sigh.

The door to the examination room opened, and Wen Sheng stepped inside, clad in a white medical coat.

He glanced at the peacefully sleeping young man and asked, "How is he?"

"Not bad," Shen Yuan replied, adjusting her black-framed glasses. "Fortunately, the entity he witnessed bore no subjective malice, and the distance between them was vast, with clouds obscuring the view... Otherwise, it would not have been as simple as a mental purification."

She shrugged. "Had he truly gazed directly upon a deity, even if the Bureau granted me a century of paid sabbatical, I would not dare attempt any form of 'peering' or questioning."

"Hah, I figured as much," Wen Sheng said approvingly. "Good fortune must be paired with the life to enjoy it."

After some casual conversation, Shen Yuan asked, "How is the investigation going on the captain’s side?"

"I hope they do not come into contact with dangerous corrupting energies... Otherwise, I will be stuck handling their psychic screenings and therapy again."

"Then you had better prepare for overtime," Wen Sheng mused, rubbing his chin with a regretful expression. "After discussion, Captain Jiang decided to personally investigate the site of His descent—I just sent them over."

"Captain Jiang believes that, as an ability user of the Fate Domain, he might observe more details at the location of His manifestation."

Shen Yuan’s expression turned complicated at this. "So workaholic to the point of recklessness. Would it not be better if we all avoided high-level conflicts, coasted along appropriately, and kept regular hours?"

"Looks like overtime is inevitable again..."

Frustratedly ruffling her hair, Shen Yuan pulled out a diagnostic record book and slammed it onto the table, clearly aggrieved. "After I finish this 3,000-word observation report on the townsfolk, I hope I can still make it to dinner by eight."

***

Meng Siyou walked slowly through the mountains. If a group of students were to see this scene now, they would surely be shocked—

The once-lush forests covering the hills had withered entirely, with yellowed, dead grass lying flat atop cracked earth, bearing no resemblance to their former vitality.

The once-verdant mountain range had now become a lifeless wasteland.

For Meng Siyou, who could normally hear the "voices" of all things, the surroundings were oppressively silent, unnervingly quiet.

"The power of the Curse Domain, and..."

Meng Siyou looked ahead, where he could see a faint silhouette of himself. The silhouette moved cautiously, lips moving as if muttering to itself.

"...the residual power of Fate from Him."

Surveying the familiar silhouettes scattered across the mountains—each acting out futures, presents, and pasts—Meng Siyou made his judgment with certainty.

He continued forward, stepping over dried leaves and broken branches, passing through the silent woods until he reached the spot where two vans had once parked.

Here, tire treads still gouged the earth, and many trees had been shattered mid-trunk, as if struck by some colossal creature in passing.

A young man with white cloth covering his eyes stood amidst the wreckage, deep in thought.

Meng Siyou stopped beside him and bowed his head respectfully. "Captain Jiang."

Jiang You acknowledged him with a hum. "You have seen the state of the mountain. Can you confirm it was the same entity you encountered last time?"

"The residual energy is identical. We can be certain."

Nodding, Jiang You murmured, "Having devoured the Moth God, He has essentially mastered three domains—Fate, Time, and Curse. Truly terrifying..." Then he asked, "What about the villagers of Hornet-Ant Village?"

Meng Siyou paused, his expression darkening.

In his mind, he saw the wretched decay of Hornet-Ant Village again, and the flayed hides hanging under the eaves, swaying in the wind...

—Indeed, by the time Meng Siyou and his team arrived, the villagers who had forged deep ties with the Moth God had already peeled off their own skins alive.

"Drip, drip..."

Rivulets of blood trickled from the edges of the suspended skins, their gossamer-thin membranes exposed to the light, revealing the distinct texture of human flesh.

These skins hung like funerary paper lanterns in the windows, rustling faintly whenever the chill wind blew...

Meng Siyou reported the scene methodically, adding explanations:

"By the time we arrived, these people were beyond saving. Even if they miraculously revived, the Moth God’s curse flows in their blood, spreading to their relatives, friends, and descendants..."

"As for the remaining villagers, they have all been influenced to varying degrees by the Moth God’s power and require further monitoring."

"Some villagers, in an effort to demonstrate remorse, gave full testimony to Hornet-Ant Village’s crimes over the years."

"Every decade, under the Moth God’s guidance, the villagers would lure outsiders into the mountains to serve as living cocoons for moth incubation, aiding the Moth God’s divine ascension. If there were not enough outsiders, they would even sacrifice newborns from the village to meet the quota..."

"In just the last thirty years, at least fifty people have died—left no remains, not even bones."

Meng Siyou turned to look at the mountains encircling them on three sides, feeling as though they formed a cage that had trapped over fifty living souls...

The mere thought of such a blood-soaked truth sent chills down his spine.

Jiang You wasn’t surprised and sighed, "The consequences of making pacts with an evil god are often like this—repeatedly turning the blade against one’s own kind, compatriots, even blood relatives, all to grovel for their mercy and blessings, only to still meet an inescapable end, with both flesh and soul annihilated."

"As the team leader responsible for this incident, I’ll apply to the director to try and return the innocent children in the village to society for a normal life—though the chances are slim."

Jiang You’s expression was grave, his tone tinged with pity. "The worst outcome is that all the children will spend their lives under strict confinement, living under the weight of their ancestors’ sins, enduring a living death..."

Meng Siyou sighed as well, his gaze drifting toward the deathly silent mountains in the distance, devoid of birds or beasts.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly remembered that Jiang You had been tasked with communicating with the only gamer among the survivors and couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Captain, how did you get here so quickly? The interrogation must have gone smoothly."

"Ahem, no."

Jiang You coughed dryly, his attitude somewhat ambiguous. "He didn’t need any interrogation at all."

"In fact, just by opening the system forum and checking the hot threads in the newbie help section, any player could see the play-by-play of the incident..."

"This generation really posts everything online."

Jiang You sighed.

Stunned, Meng Siyou followed his advice and found the post, skimming through all the information and speculations in the thread at lightning speed.

The most prominent figure in the post—the one who single-handedly turned the tide—was clearly the "Classmate E" mentioned by the OP. But to Meng Siyou, this pseudonym was about as subtle as a billboard, all but spelling out Yi Fengchu’s identity.

As he scrolled through the post, Meng Siyou’s face became increasingly distorted, his eyes widening slowly, his jaw going slack.

Wait...Divine Son?

Huh? Divine beings?

—Was this really the same clueless, ordinary old classmate he knew?

Previously, Meng Siyou had investigated and found that Yi Fengchu had visited the coastal train station late at night, leading him to suspect that Yi Fengchu might have been guided by some unknown entity.

Now, it seemed his suspicion wasn’t just correct—it had even been too conservative?

At most, Meng Siyou had speculated that a powerful Ability user from the Fate Domain might be orchestrating events behind the scenes for some purpose, subtly steering Yi Fengchu’s actions...

But he never would’ve dared to guess that the being behind Yi Fengchu could be a True God!

He couldn’t believe that his once cold and low-key high school classmate had a hidden identity as the blood scion of a deity...

Or even a "beloved child" capable of directly summoning divine incarnation for protection!

After all, in the eyes of many gods, offspring were nothing more than ever-faithful, expendable instruments—churned out only to fulfill their destined roles before perishing.

If one or two unfortunate descendants died, it was like a flawed unit on an assembly line being accidentally destroyed, unworthy of their attention.

Some descendants were even chosen as god-vessels, born solely to bear divine power and personality before being completely assimilated into the god’s being.

But judging by Yi Fengchu’s hale condition after what appeared to be a "divine descent," he clearly wasn’t some throwaway piece.

In fact, to that "Narrator," that "Samsara Ouroboros," he might hold some extraordinarily special significance...

Just as Meng Siyou was recovering his wits, he heard Jiang You softly utter that known yet alien name: "Yi Fengchu—you know him, don’t you?"

Nodding numbly, Meng Siyou looked at Jiang You. "So... will he be under surveillance and control like the survivors of the Bee-Ant Village?"

Jiang You didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached up and untied the white cloth covering his eyes.

As the gauze slipped away, what lay beneath wasn’t eyes—but empty sockets.

Dried blood and shredded flesh still clung to the depths of the hollows, mingling with the torn remnants of optic nerves, forming a dark crimson hue bordering on black.

The sudden sight struck Meng Siyou with such primal revulsion that he gasped, "C-Captain!"

Jiang You smiled faintly and explained, "In the town, I merely glanced at that 'Divine Son' through the car window, and my eyes exploded into a bloody mess. It took me quite some time to clean out the pulverized remains."

"You know I’m also an Ability user from the Fate Domain—yet a single glance led to this. It was as if the god at the apex of that realm was brandishing a wordless threat."

In Meng Siyou’s understanding, Jiang You’s strength was undeniably among the absolute upper tier of Ability users, whether within the Anomalous Affairs Bureau or across the entire world.

Yet even a being of such might could barely withstand a mere glance, a mere deterrent, from the "Narrator."

At this moment, Meng Siyou finally perceived with crystalline clarity the abyssal divide between that existence and themselves...

They couldn’t even comprehend its might, like a mote of dust destined never to fathom the eternity of a planet.

Jiang You secured the blindfold and continued, "So, we can’t monitor him, control him, nor do we have the means to impose any forceful measures. Trying to make him act against his will is simply impossible—this is the sheer gulf in power."

"The deterrence from a higher existence dictates that the relationship between our Bureau and Yi Fengchu can’t be the conventional one between enforcers and subjects—"

"It’s the relationship between god and man. We must proceed with caution...and reverence."