Chapter 51: The Fifth Epoch, Year 1068
Stepping through that door of white mist, he felt nothing unusual; it was just like taking a normal step forward. Beneath his feet was still solid ground, and everything around him was shrouded in white mist, as if he had arrived in an illusory world of dreams.
And in this hazy, strange fog, just as Professor Garcia had said, the whispers in his ears seemed to have never spoken so much at once
【Outsider, you have stepped into the "Corridor of Time."】
【A message from the Ancient God, "Father of the Infinite Tree":】
【Autumn, 1068th Year of the Fifth Epoch, Southern Continent, Hope Town.】
【Event: The fall of the Old God, "Creator of Innocence."】
【Duration: 10 minutes.】
Aside from the sudden appearance of the proper nouns "Corridor of Time" and "Ancient God," the information so far was the same as what Professor Garcia had described.
【You have obtained additional information.】
【The figure of the Father of the Infinite Tree is watching you.】
【The Ancient God of Time grants you a trial.】
【Before the Old God, "Creator of Innocence," falls, witness His final wish.】
【The Father of the Infinite Tree will grant you a reward: Thaumaturgy - Blade of Chaotic Time, Miracle Spirit Rune - Echo.】
The voice ceased. Hade’s eyes widened, and he stood in the white mist, startled and suspicious
"Ancient God? Corridor of Time? What is all this?"
【Your soul is sensitive, so the information I obtain is more than that of an ordinary Ring-術士's 'other self.' I do not understand the meaning behind it.】
"Then the mission?"
【The Ancient God of Time grants you a tri...】
"No need to repeat what I heard; I know you aren't a tape recorder. I mean, what does this mean? Did I encounter the extremely rare situation Professor Garcia mentioned? And this... Ancient God, why is His 'figure watching' me? Could it be that He still exists and hasn't fallen?"
He stared wide-eyed into the depths of the white mist, but could see no clues, as if this world known as the "Corridor of Time" consisted only of fog and endless void. Thinking of this, Hade felt a strange sense of horror. This world was definitely not as simple as it appeared.
【The Ancient God has given you a mission; complete it to receive the Ancient God's reward. This at least seems to have no downsides. Also, there are 9 minutes and 23 seconds remaining.】
"Can't you explain it more clearly?"
【I would like to tell you, but I cannot provide the answer.】
Hade lifted his leg and walked forward. With just a single step, the surrounding white mist vanished. Professor Garcia had clearly stated that for an investigator traveling through time, being wrapped in white mist was the normal state of affairs.
Even more serious was that Hade found himself standing on the street of a town that looked like a backward medieval village. The streets were covered in sewage, gravel, and mud, and the air was thick with the stench of animal feces and rotting food. The nearby houses were low and dilapidated, and the sky was unusually gloomy, covered by dark clouds threatening rain.
The thin, indifferent townspeople, dressed in dark, tattered rags, turned their heads to look at the well-dressed young man. This was nothing like the theory that one wouldn't interact with the past if they didn't initiate contact.
The people of the past had observed the person from the future.
"What is this..."
【Look up.】
Looking up, he saw a large, colorful sign that read "Hope Town Toy Store," which seemed to be the only color in this black-and-white, dilapidated photograph of a scene. Hade understood his goal; before the townspeople could surround him, he reached out and pushed the door open to enter the shop.
The townspeople were shut outside; it was as if the inside and outside of the door were two different worlds.
The bell at the entrance chimed, and the sweet scent of candy permeated the shop. All kinds of colorful wooden, metal, and ceramic toys filled the shelves, and the sleepy young man behind the counter looked up.
He was dressed in bright, clean clothes and wore a ridiculous clown hat with white dots on a red background. His attire was a stark contrast to the numb, corpse-like townspeople on the street. If not for the fact that he could still see the outside through the toy store's window, Hade would have doubted whether this was still "Hope Town."
"Welcome to the Hope Town Toy Store, how may I—"
The words of the young man in the ridiculous hat stopped abruptly. He locked eyes with Hade, who stood frozen at the door. The detective from the future felt, at that moment, as if his heart were about to stop beating.
A massive pressure emanated from the man behind the counter. The sensation of falling, as if facing an abyss or an infinite sky, made Hade involuntarily step back and lean against the door.
Blood suddenly appeared in his vision, and he realized his eyes were bleeding. He reached up to touch his face and found that his ears, nose, and even the corners of his mouth were bleeding. His internal organs throbbed with pain, his head swelled, and his spirit began to scatter. Although the entity before him occupied the space of a normal person, the position this entity held in the world was by no means that of an ordinary person.
The toys in the shop came to life in his vision, and the eerie laughter composed of children's voices echoed in his ears
"Saint..."
Knowledge regarding gods was the first thing Hade had looked through after obtaining his textbooks.
Gods were high-dimensional beings. If they did not wish to distort the rules of the material world upon appearing, they had to possess a vessel in the material world to descend; this was known as the "Saint" form of a deity. The person behind the counter was undoubtedly the Saint form of the Old God, [Creator of Innocence]. If the other party had not been devoid of malice and their power reduced to the lowest possible level, the damage Hade sustained would have been far worse.
He leaned against the door behind him, barely able to stand. Hallucinations and auditory illusions occupied his senses, but his spirit was exceptionally focused at this moment, even giving him the illusion that it was about to leave his body. He actually heard singing—a song composed of childish voices—constantly tempting his spirit toward madness.
The "miracle" element mentioned by the whispering voice in his ear appeared, but there was no "profanity," indicating that this deity was a benevolent god.
"Interesting, person of the future."
The young man behind the counter said softly. This was certainly not Delyrian, but Hade could understand it.
"Didn't Professor Garcia say I only needed to witness? How did I end up facing an Old God directly?"
He leaned painfully against the door. The woman's whispers in his ears seemed to be saying something, but he could no longer distinguish the words. However, the woman's whispers seemed to carry a certain power, helping him at least not to pass out immediately.
"What do you wish to do?"
The ancient deity asked softly. Although he appeared as a young man, Hade inexplicably felt that the other party was already aged. Seeing Hade's painful expression, he reached out and pointed at him.
There were no light or shadow effects, but the pain in his flesh and senses vanished. Hade, as if waking from a dream, felt as though his entire body was soaked in sweat, with only faint memories of the pain remaining in his brain.
"I want to... witness your final wish. Thank you for the healing."
Hade said with a trembling voice. Although the pain was gone, the terrifying pressure he had perceived still made his body feel instinctively uncomfortable. The gods of this world were truly high-dimensional beings, not just powerful mortals. Mortals could not look directly at gods.
The Saint shook his head
"I only protected you from being affected by the essence of a god; this protection cannot last long. As for my wish? No, you are still too weak. You need at least the lingering radiance of a god to do such a thing. Go back. At least for now, you should not be here."
"What is the lingering radiance of a god?"
"I cannot say. This is a secret of the gods. Knowledge has weight, and you cannot bear it."
The Saint's voice was very gentle.
"Then, could you at least answer one question of mine? Just one question."
Hade held up a finger. This was a rare opportunity; he could not let it pass. Despite the feeling of his head swelling from a lack of oxygen, he remained clear-headed and understood what he had to do
"What is an Ancient God?"
PS: The god can understand the Sixth Epoch Delyrian language used by Hade. Of course, this is because the god is "omniscient," not because Hade and the god possess the same language-comprehension ability.
However, for a god set as a high-dimensional being, understanding the language of future commoners should not be something that requires explanation.
(End of chapter)