Chapter 181: The Outcome Staked on Everything
What will the world look like in one hour?
Many people really wanted to know the answer.
But when they turned around, the prophet didn't answer any questions, no matter how others asked.
Suddenly, the world around them fell into silence.
A huge whirlpool constantly swallowed everything on the ground, one thousand meters away from the crowd. It was like a never-satisfied demon, proclaiming the end of the world.
Will the goddess really wake up?
Will the world really disappear once the goddess wakes up?
Loria first looked down at her own hands, then turned her head to look at every familiar person.
Everything felt so real, so real that it didn't seem like a dream at all.
Normally, no one would believe the words of the prophet.
However, the situation now is not normal.
Along the way, everyone faced difficulties and obstacles, finally only leaving the enemy with one person. At this moment, when they should have been enjoying the joy of victory, the enemy said something unsettling in a superior manner.
Therefore, in the silence, cracks started to appear among the united attackers.
Some people firmly believed that the prophet was lying, intentionally saying such things just to buy time for their own deceptive plans to succeed.
After much inner struggle, some people believed that what the prophet said was true. In order to live without any worries, they couldn't kill the prophet.
Some people were caught in a state of confusion. They thought it was highly likely that the prophet was lying, but what if the prophet wasn't lying and they killed the prophet? Once the goddess wakes up, everything would be ruined.
The atmosphere started to feel off.
Charles' face became increasingly unpleasant.
He prepared multiple times to draw the knight's sword hanging at his waist, but the glances from behind made him hesitate to make any sudden movements.
Not long ago, he was the leader of this army, but now it's uncertain.
If he makes a wrong judgment, not only will he die, but also the soldiers who have come out of the sea of corpses and blood with him will suffer a bad fate.
As they suspected each other, suddenly no one spoke.
Time passed slowly like this.
Loria thought about it and decided to open the simulator.
On this journey, she didn't hesitate to take valuable things from the people she killed.
Inside, there are valuable magical props, a variety of healing medicines, as well as money and jewelry.
By putting some effort, she managed to gather hundreds of thousands of Oder coins, enough for her to conduct six consecutive simulations.
Because she was on the edge of the crowd, and everyone's attention was on the prophet and the red solitary island in the sky, nobody noticed that she was lost in her thoughts.
Because the simulation involved gods and towns, Loria didn't have high expectations for the simulation results.
But as long as they could obtain even one useful piece of information from these six simulations, it would be worth it.
"Start."
[Day 1: In order to reclaim the capital, you followed Charles and fought all the way until you reached Westley Cathedral, which was originally deserted. Under the bright sunlight, everyone's faces were tired but filled with genuine joy. Victory! You successfully reclaimed the capital, and a brand new era began.]
"Hmm?"
Looking at the words displayed on the simulator, Loria was stunned.
No one there?
A brand new era has arrived?
There was still a living person standing in front of her.
Before, the simulator could only simulate the impact that the gods bring to this world. Now, it can't even simulate people.
[Day 2: Despite the lively celebration, you know it's not time to relax. the guildmaster's troubles still await you, and you're ready to embark on an adventure to find a way to defeat the demons.]
[Day 3: You bid farewell to the guildmaster and Vita and set off on the road back to the small town.]
[Day 4: You were excited and joined the guildmaster in the evening.]
[Day 5: You were excited and joined the guildmaster in the evening.]
[Day 6: Excitement fills the air...]
"？"
[Day 7: You successfully returned to the small town and celebrated the victory with Miss Plump Sheep. During the meal, you shared your future plans.]
[Day 8: ...]
From the 8th day onwards, the rest of the simulation was filled with random things, sometimes with a hint of something inappropriate.
Loria wasn't in the mood for anything inappropriate right now.
Watching the peaceful daily routine, she always felt that something wasn't quite right.
It's perfectly fine to be obsessed with sticky notes with the guildmaster.
It's also fine to be halfway through sticking notes with the guildmaster and get caught by Miss Plump Sheep.
It's equally fine to be halfway through sticking notes with the guildmaster and Miss Plump Sheep and get caught by Vita.
And...
"Hey, where's Doris?"
Loria read through it all again from beginning to end and realized that Doris was never mentioned in this simulation.
This is obviously unreasonable.
Given her personality, although she may not be greedy like Doris, she would never leave the capital without bringing along Doris, who is a cash cow.
Could it be that something happened to Doris?
That's not right.
If Doris really had an accident, how could she remain indifferent?
So, there is only one truth--
In this simulation, Doris doesn't exist at all!
"Ha, wasn't she normal in previous simulations?"
Loria patiently waits for this simulation to end, and then immediately starts the second simulation.
This time she was prepared ahead of time, but in the simulation, she still "ignored" Doris's presence and eagerly ran over to the guildmaster to talk.
"There is a problem."
Loria turned off the simulator and kept glancing between Doris and the prophet.
The simulator couldn't simulate the prophet anymore, as the prophet had already become bound to Weaver. Maybe now the prophet's physical body was the only thing left, and internally it completely took on Weaver's shape.
But Doris's situation puzzled her.
She knew Doris was unusual and had the Hollow Stone that the Hidden Leader wanted, but strange things like this hadn't happened before, right?
"Doris."
Loria called softly.
Doris, who was standing not far in front of her, trembled violently for a moment and then slowly turned around.
"Huh?"
Loria immediately noticed something was wrong.
Doris, who used to always be full of energy, suddenly became extremely tired. As she turned around, she kept rubbing her right eye.
"Want to sleep."
Doris took unsteady steps forward and directly hugged Loria's thigh.
"What's wrong with you?"
Loria asked anxiously.
This sentence directly caused ripples on the surface of the surging lake.
"Don't know, just very sleepy, very sleepy."
Doris held on tighter.
Her peculiar action even caught the attention of the prophet.
Loria's face changed several times. She quickly pulled Doris behind her, then lifted her head and fearlessly met the gaze of the prophet, making sure he didn't discover Doris's secret.
"Actually, I've had a question all along."
This sentence successfully diverted everyone's attention.
"What question?" the prophet asked with a smiling squint.
Loria asked, "Did you learn that this world was born from the goddess's dream after meeting Weaver, right?"
"Yes."
"So, the concept that this world was born from the goddess's dream was told to you by Weaver."
"Do you mean to say that I was tricked by Weaver?"
Loria nodded, "Of course, we can't ignore this possibility. You may say that you didn't feel controlled, but Weaver is a god, and it should be very easy for a god to deceive your senses."
"..."
Charles and the others exchanged worried glances.
Loria quickly waved her hand, "I'm not intentionally questioning you. Actually, I think the possibility you mentioned is quite likely. I'm just pondering Weaver's motives. As a superior god, why would he tell you all this? If we don't understand this, it will be difficult for us to turn a blind eye to your actions."
"That's right."
Charles realized this was an opportunity and immediately agreed with Loria.
Loria continued, "This world has seen many false gods, most of whom had ill intentions. What kind of god would Weaver be? He now claims to help us get rid of the goddess, but what will he do after? Will he simply leave, or will he rule this world, or even destroy it?"
The prophet's smile disappeared from his face, "Do you know how I made those opportunists obedient and used their lives to stop you?"
Loria shook her head.
The prophet said, "I gave them a chance to choose: to defy me and wait for the world to be consumed by ruin, to die a violent death, or to take a gamble and believe in me. Although they may die now, there is a chance for them to be resurrected once the world breaks free from the control of the goddess."
"They chose the latter?"
"Most people chose the latter."
"And now you want us to make a choice too?"
"Yes, which path will you choose?"
Charles couldn't hold back and shouted, "If it weren't for you following Weaver's command to unseal the seal, we wouldn't need to make this choice. It's because of you that everyone is suffering!"
The prophet asked, "Don't you want to see the truth of the world? Aren't you afraid that at any moment, you might be abruptly wiped out by the awakening of the goddess?"
Someone stammered.
The goddess may not wake up immediately. I'll just focus on living my own good life. I don't care about the chaos after I die.
Now it's bad, the situation is terrible.
The prophet suddenly sighed and turned to walk towards the fountain.
"I really want to know, and I'm also worried. The limits of humans shouldn't stop here. There is a wider world outside waiting for us to explore."
Three gems emitting a shimmering blue light appeared out of thin air in the palm of his hand.
Loria had sharp eyes and immediately recognized it as the Stone of Enka.
"You..."
She had just opened her mouth when she saw the gem slip from the prophet's hand and fall into the fountain.
Buzz-
Suddenly, a column of water sprayed up from the fountain, with a swirling void in the center that was a deep blue outer ring and a fiery red inner ring. Everyone present was fascinated by it.
"What have you done?" someone exclaimed in shock.
The prophet smiled again and said, "Nothing much, just threw the Stone of Enka into the ruins. Although there are still many Stones of Enka hidden in the world, it will be impossible for you to seal this entrance again in a short time. As a result, this world is doomed to be devoured by the ruins."
"Are you crazy?"
"Are you trying to kill everyone?"
"You, you, you!"
The crowd in the square became excited, and the prophet's actions completely enraged those who already disliked him or had doubts about him.
Even those who believed in him were shaken.
"Will it really be possible... to resurrect?"
The prophet didn't answer.
This kind of attitude made those who believed in him waver.
"Answer, please answer! Are you willing to gamble with everyone's lives for a possibility?"
The prophet said, "Why not gamble? If I win, humanity wins the future. If I lose, it doesn't matter much. This world is destined to end, whether later or now, is there a big difference?"
"Nonsense, all of this is nonsense!"
"If this world wasn't born from the goddess's dream, and you have been deceived, then what you have done is harming everyone!"
"What, you want to kill me? Aren't you afraid of disrupting the ongoing gamble, leaving only one path in the end?"
Just then, Vita suddenly stood up and said, "I don't think killing you means the gamble ends. Weaver won't easily give up at this point. If someone is willing to take your place, He will definitely agree gladly."
"！"
This sentence blew through everyone's hearts like a hurricane.
The people who didn't believe became even more determined to get rid of the madman, the prophet.
Meanwhile, the people who believed in the prophet realized it was an opportunity, a chance to replace the prophet and become the new "god" of the era.
"Kill this madman!"
It's unknown who shouted the first sentence, but in the next second, an arrow shot out from the crowd, heading straight for the prophet.
The previous calm was completely shattered, and others followed suit.
However, the prophet remained calm and raised his right hand high. In that instant, the earth trembled uncontrollably.
The enormous spider that everyone believed to be a sculpture in the imperial city suddenly trembled and came to life.
"Even if I have to sacrifice my own life, I am willing to do so in order for this gamble to proceed smoothly!"
