Chapter 180: The World is a Dream
As the front line advanced to the central area of the imperial capital, the resistance faced by the imperial army became more intense. Some rebel forces that were originally stationed near the imperial capital also spontaneously rushed over to launch attacks on the imperial army.
Forced by circumstances, Loria could only slow down her forward charge.
The good news is that despite the fierce resistance from the enemy, they were still steadily advancing towards the location of the seal.
At this pace, they might reach their destination by noon the next day.
Overall, this progress is quite satisfactory.
However, everything went so smoothly that it felt unreal.
Not to mention clever people like Charles and the guildmaster, even Loria noticed something unusual.
Are the people in Hidden Leader really that weak? Is the empire barely held together really that strong?
No matter how you think about it, it seems impossible.
Otherwise, the capital city wouldn't have been captured in just two months.
But the reality is that no matter how Hidden Leader's people struggle, they are still being pushed back.
Something's not right.
"Could this be a trap?"
Loria's gaze turned to Vita, who had been with Hidden Leader for over a decade, perhaps she knew something.
Vita shook her head, "I don't know many people, especially those in charge of administration. I haven't really met them, but..."
"But what?"
"All the extremely powerful people I saw at Hidden Leader have joined this time. If this is a trap, then the cost of setting up this trap is too great. Even if they manage to kill all of us, Hidden Leader will have very few people left. Those who have been hiding and the monsters will definitely not miss this opportunity."
"The condition is that this world still exists."
Loria frowned.
The leader of Hidden Leader is a madman who is willing to destroy the world just to meet the gods.
If it's him, he would definitely do things that would make everyone around him go to their deaths.
But the rebel army of Hidden Leader is a very large alliance. Inside this alliance, there is a mix of good and bad people. The majority of them joined the alliance to get a share of the empire's resources.
How could these people willingly sacrifice themselves for the leader of Hidden Leader?
Unless they are all being controlled or threatened.
Or maybe, the leader of Hidden Leader showed them a more enticing picture, making them willing to risk their lives.
The first option seems unlikely.
"If he could do such a thing, why bother making it so complicated and just control all of us directly?"
Loria nodded secretly.
I wonder what this guy promised that could make these people willingly give up their lives. Could it be something like going to heaven after death?
In this world, it's actually possible to go to heaven after death.
Never mind.
At this point, it doesn't make sense to retreat anymore. The only way to survive is to move forward.
Along the way, Loria has already broken two large swords.
Even though she had great endurance, she had to stop and catch her breath, as her opponents were all strong, at least B-level adventurers.
After this battle, the overall strength of the entire Ozel continent will decrease by at least thirty percent.
"the guildmaster, are you alright?"
After slaying the person blocking her path with a single sword strike, Loria immediately turned to look at the guildmaster, who had been drawing the enemies' attention for her.
The guildmaster shook her head.
But she wasn't fooled by this gesture, and quickly walked up to the guildmaster, placing her hand on the guildmaster's stomach.
Sure enough, there was a wound the length of a pointing finger.
"Doris."
Loria quickly called out to Doris.
Doris's healing magic is generally very effective, even though it can't immediately restore the wound completely, stopping bleeding and alleviating pain is not a problem.
The wound quickly healed.
Loria didn't feel relieved because of this.
If even the guildmaster got injured, what about the others?
Not everyone has unreliable but ultimately useful healers like Doris by their side.
Loria turned around to look.
She saw a vast expanse of ruins reaching towards the sky.
On the ground, there was flowing blood, dead people, and collapsed civilization.
When she first arrived, she was followed by dozens of people.
Now, even though there were still a few people behind her, they all looked dirty as if they had just come out of a coal mine and their faces were tired.
Loria's heart quickly sank.
The morale was rapidly decreasing.
As a result, the enemies weren't afraid even though they were being pushed back.
Will they really be able to reach the vicinity of the sealed place like this?
She quickly turned around to look at the place where Charles was. It was clear that Charles also realized the problem, and he was constantly cheering up the people around him.
But even cheering up can fail sometimes.
People have their limits.
"Are you worried?" the guildmaster suddenly said.
Loria made a sound of agreement.
The guildmaster didn't continue talking, she just suddenly held her hand.
The warmth from her palm immediately relaxed Loria's tense body.
"Let's continue forward."
From late night to dawn, from dawn to sunrise, the battle made this bustling land even more shattered. Under the devouring of that crimson island in the sky, the emperor's city and the surrounding areas had become two different worlds.
When the sun rose to its peak, Loria finally arrived at the place she had been longing to seal with exhaustion all over her body.
It was a grand cathedral that had been perfectly preserved.
Underneath the statue of a goddess on the cathedral square was a small fountain.
At this moment, a person wearing a black robe stood quietly facing the statue of the goddess, with their back to everyone who had rushed over.
If the surroundings weren't so chaotic, people would think he is a devoted worshiper of the Goddess of Dawn, Wind, and Sky at first sight.
Loria secretly sighed.
As Charles prepared to step forward, the person suddenly raised his right hand.
"Shh."
He made such a soft and lingering sound.
"It will wake up the goddess."
Charles stopped and didn't immediately act. Along the way, he also acquired many colors on his body.
"Are you the leader of Hidden Leader?"
The person slowly turned around, wearing round glasses, squinting his eyes with an unmistakable smile on his lips. "I prefer you to call me the Prophet rather than the symbolic title of the leader."
"Are you the head of the Dakhla Parish?!"
In the crowd, Sharon widened her eyes and couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.
"Indeed."
"I have met him before."
As people broke through obstacles and arrived at the sealed place, they whispered among themselves.
Loria was shocked. So, this person is truly a follower of the goddess.
The head of the parish is considered high-ranking in the goddess' religion. How did you, as a head of the parish, become the leader of a cult?
The self-proclaimed prophet, Head of the Dakhla Parish, looked up at the goddess' hands held up high. His gaze suddenly drifted away. The midday tranquility was out of place with the surroundings.
"I believe you must be wondering why I am the only one here, and why those people would risk their lives to stop you."
"Why?"
"Let's start with my nickname, the Prophet."
The Prophet placed his hand on the goddess statue.
"What is this world really like? Many people are chasing after this answer. When I was still a young boy, I was pondering this question. Later, I came into contact with the Goddess religion. According to its teachings, this world was created by the Goddess with the wind of freedom. What a romantic answer it is."
Suddenly, the Prophet bowed to the goddess statue.
Loria was completely puzzled by his action. Could this person be insane?
"Because of this sentence, I became a follower of the Goddess, entered the Church school, and after graduation, became a priest in Dakhla. It took me twenty years, but I finally became a diocese leader. I thought I could constantly listen to the whispers of the Goddess, but one day, I met Weaver."
"I think you must have heard many people say that I am a fanatic believer of Weaver, willing to destroy this world just to see Weaver once. But that's wrong. Whether it's in the past, present, or future, I will always be a follower of the Goddess."
"..."
You said where is your mother?
Loria was speechless.
Facing the angry looks from the crowd, the prophet showed no fear or shame.
"I know you don't believe, but it's okay. You'll understand once I explain. First, let's discuss how this world came to be."
His gaze swept over the people, and a wizard stood up.
"The world was born from nothingness, that void world, it is a collection of energy."
The prophet shook his head. "Have you ever had a dream?"
Loria couldn't help but roll her eyes. Are there really people in this world who don't dream?
The prophet said, "Even gods dream. Of course, the dreams of gods are completely different from ours."
He slowly raised his right hand and a magical water ball appeared in the palm of his hand.
"Long, long ago, the goddess fell into a deep sleep. We don't know how long she slept for. In one moment, a world was born in her dreams, and that world is the one we live in. In simple words, we are the people living inside the goddess's dream. But one day, when the goddess wakes up..."
Snap!
The water ball in the prophet's palm suddenly burst.
"The world we live in, along with ourselves, will collapse and disappear just like this water ball."
The water slipped through the prophet's fingers.
These simple words shook the hearts of everyone present like a thunderclap.
"How is that possible?"
"Don't spread false rumors here..."
The prophet interrupted the crowd and said, "The reason those people listen to me and risk their lives to stop you is because they understand my words. We live in a world that can collapse at any moment. To solve this problem fundamentally, we must find a way to make our world real. In order to achieve this goal, we have to rely on the power of the ancient gods."
He smiled and opened his heart, showing kindness.
Most people, including Charles, were confused.
Believe.
Still don't believe?
Loria was also shocked, but compared to others, she was much more accepting as she came from a different world.
The world is a dream, she had seen this concept in a game.
She quickly calmed down and asked, "If that's the case, why didn't you tell others about this discovery? Instead, you created the Hidden Leader and started a rebellion in the empire."
The prophet continued to smile, "When I learned all this, I immediately told my deputy, but he couldn't understand me. He said I had gone mad and lost my devotion to the goddess. I also told the old parish priest, but his reaction was even more intense. He wanted to hand me over to the church for punishment. At that moment, I realized it was better for fewer people to know this secret, so I killed them all."
"！"
"Don't misunderstand, I don't hate them. I just suddenly thought that if this secret becomes widely known in the goddess's dream, the goddess might be stimulated awake. In that case, I won't be able to make this world real."
"Where is the evidence for what you're saying?"
A brave adventurer shouted out.
The prophet pressed his hand downward and said, "It's very simple."
He turned around, facing the crimson solitary island in the sky.
"As long as we wait quietly for one hour, everything will become clear!"
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