章 77: Chapter 77: The First Activation of the Main World Mission

Chapter 77: The First Activation of the Main World Mission

After obtaining the intel from Charles, Alex immediately pulled Fina and John aside to discuss the situation. Both of their faces were grim, but this was understandable. It was like a group of police officers catching terrorists, thinking they were trying to smuggle a nuclear bomb from abroad for a terrorist attack, only to find out that the terrorists were planning to build one themselves...

"This can't be... this can't be... that mage must be lying!"

John was in a state of panic. The dark era that once plagued this continent was nothing short of a nightmare for its inhabitants. The mere thought that these cultists were planning to bring it all back made it impossible for John to calm down.

Seeing the paladin completely losing his composure, Alex didn't disturb him. Instead, he turned to Fina to seek her opinion.

"Miss Fina, what do you think?"

"Me? What do I think?"

"Is there any possibility that what the bald guy said could come true? I mean, even in theory, could it be achieved?"

Alex didn't understand magic, and Nym only knew technology. When it came to magic in this world, Fina was the only one he could consult.

"I... I need to think it through..."

Fina was clearly nervous as well, playing with the staff in her hands while furrowing her brow, mumbling softly.

"...The entire Fallen City is covered by the goddess's barrier, so in theory, nothing should go wrong. The surrounding space is stable, and the seal is intact. The seal itself exists in a rift in space-time, so even if the cultists damage the structure from this side, it shouldn't matter..."

"So how did Summer's people manage to open the Gate of Hell before?"

"Eh?"

Fina paused at Alex's question before answering.

"They sacrificed their own people to attract Baub, and after reaching an agreement with it, they were able to open the Gate of Hell..."

"Wait a minute."

Alex interrupted her hastily.

"Are you saying that because Summer's forces sacrificed many souls, they were able to open the passage?"

"Yes, Mr. Alex."

"So, the goddess's seal only blocks the passage? What about communication between the cultists and the demon king? Is that blocked too?"

"That... I'm not sure... However, places tainted by demonic influence do tend to attract the attention of demons more easily..."

"I see."

Alex was beginning to understand how demons were summoned in this world. To him, what Summer's people did was like building a communication tower in an area with no signal, allowing them to "broadcast" to hell. By using sacrifices to boost the signal, they could communicate with the demons. According to Fina, the goddess's seal only blocked the gate to hell but didn't destroy the communication tower itself, just cutting off its power source. So, if someone brought a generator and repaired the tower, it might become usable again.

"So, if those cultists communicate with the demon king from Summer's place and open the gate somewhere outside the goddess's barrier, is that possible?"

"That... that's highly unlikely!"

Fina's entire body trembled as she responded.

"Opening the Gate of Hell requires a massive number of souls. Mr. Alex, there simply aren't enough people around here for such a sacrifice!"

But Alex's line of thought was clearly different from Fina's.

"Does it necessarily have to be souls from this side? What about the souls in hell? If they just set a coordinate here and have hell provide the sacrifices, could they open a new gate?"

"Hell's souls...?"

At this point, Fina looked at Alex as if he were a demon himself.

"The Gate of Hell is simply a passage connecting two worlds. Theoretically, it doesn't matter whether the sacrifices come from our side or theirs. Plus, the goddess's seal only suppressed hell's power. Since Summer's surroundings are already tainted by hell's energy, it would be easier to connect to that world... But why would demons kill their own kind for a sacrifice?"

"Isn't that what demons do?"

Alex wasn't too concerned. The books in the temple described demons the same way he understood them. If that's the case, sacrificing their own kind didn't seem like much of a stretch.

"......"

Fina was stunned into silence, her expression one of shock as if saying, "You make such a good point, I have no rebuttal."

"So, theoretically, it is possible to reopen the Gate of Hell?"

Faced with Alex's question, Fina could only nod repeatedly. After receiving her answer, Alex thought for a moment before making a decision.

"In that case, we..."

"Ding."

Before Alex could finish his sentence, a system notification abruptly sounded in his ear, as if to prevent him from making his decision. Immediately afterward, a line of system information appeared before his eyes.

[Main World Mission Triggered: Gate of Hell]

[The darkness of hell is spreading, and disaster is about to descend upon this world once again. You have uncovered the conspiracy lurking in the shadows and have resolved to stop it (Objective: Prevent the opening of the Gate of Hell, destroy the altar. If the mission succeeds, the time ratio between the main world and the dungeon world will expand to 1:10. If the mission fails, the Map of Myriad Dimensions system will shut down).]

"............"

Staring at the prompt before him, Alex was left speechless.

I've got something to say, but I'm not sure if I should even say it!

Are you kidding me? Can you hear me? Are you freaking kidding me?!

Honestly, Alex had no intention of getting involved in this mess. His previous experience with the Lich Lord had left him deeply traumatized. Just hearing the words "cultists" and "ritual" made him want to keep his distance. And now, these cultists were planning to reopen the Gate of Hell!?

It didn't take much thought for Alex to realize this would be even more troublesome than the time the Lich Lord attempted to unseal the Child of Chaos. After confirming his suspicions, he was all set to back out. After all, opening the Gate of Hell couldn't be that easy, right? With only a little over twenty paladins and one trainee priest under his command, even running a low-level dungeon might wipe them out. And now the system wanted him to tackle a nightmare-level quest? What kind of sick joke was this?

Did they want him dead faster?

Frankly, Alex wasn't even interested in the mission reward anymore. Nothing was more important than his own life. Let the tall ones deal with the falling sky; he was just a trainee knight. Why should he get involved in such a thing? He wasn't even from this world! But what frustrated him the most was the punishment for failure. It was too cruel!

The Map of Myriad Dimensions system shutting down?

System, do you somehow know I don't want to throw my life away and are deliberately forcing me into it? I'm your father! Your biological father! I knew from the moment I drew Arthas that it wasn't a coincidence. You, you traitor!

"Mr. Alex?"

Seeing Alex standing there, lost in thought, Fina curiously asked. Her voice snapped him back to reality, and he barely managed to suppress his frustration.

"…Right. Mr. John, please take the others and escort this bald-headed mage back to the temple for reinforcements. From what I see, the Order Fortress doesn't have the strength to help us right now. However, I believe once the temple learns of the situation, they'll send additional forces."

"And what about you, Mr. Alex?"

"Me?"

Faced with Fina's inquiry, Alex gave a helpless smile. There was no running away, so he might as well play the hero...

"I'll head to the Dark Swamp to track those cultists. At the very least, I need to figure out if they're daydreaming or if they've made any real progress. I'll also wait for reinforcements. Don't worry, I'm not dumb enough to get myself killed."

I don't want to die, but the system seems determined to send me to my death.

Of course, Alex kept that last part to himself.

"I'll go with you!"

At this moment, Fina stepped forward as well.

"I'm a priest. I believe I can be of help to you, Mr. Alex."

"Of course, Miss Fina. I'd be glad to have you accompany me."

In truth, Alex hadn't planned to let Fina off the hook. She was the only spellcaster among them, and she was the only one who understood the temple's sealing spells and magic. If Alex were left to figure things out on his own, he'd probably just get a headache. He had been wondering how to invite her, but since Fina offered to join him herself, he gladly accepted.

As for John and the other paladins, Alex didn't plan on taking them along. Fina was manageable; if things got dangerous, he could always make a run for it with her. But the paladins were another story. They weren't strong enough, and there were too many of them. Bringing them along would only be a burden. It was safer to have them escort the bald-headed mage back to the temple. After all, the mage had already been silenced by Nym's anti-magic measures and couldn't cast spells. There was no threat from him.

Speaking of the bald-headed mage, even though he enthusiastically offered to guide Alex, Alex wasn't buying it. With all the stories of protagonists getting betrayed by traitors in web novels, and the fact that this bald-headed mage was an older man and not a cute girl, Alex wasn't going to fall for it. So, he flatly refused Charles's "offer" and ordered the paladins to take him back for interrogation. Besides, the Dark Swamp wasn't that big, and with Nym's radar abilities, finding the cultists wouldn't be too difficult.

Due to the urgency of the situation, no one wasted time. John soon left with the paladins, knocking Charles out again before dragging him away. Before long, the camp was left with only Alex, Nym, and Fina.

"Shall we set off immediately, Mr. Alex?"

"No, let's wait a moment."

As he gazed at the young priestess, a thought suddenly occurred to Alex.

"Miss Fina, there's something I'd like to ask you."

Author's Note: I see some people are still confused, so I'll clarify once again. In Chapter 2, I mentioned that the protagonist only designed the game's framework and setting. He hasn't worked on the quests or soul stones yet, so he doesn't know where the quests and soul stones are coming from. I've explained this clearly... though it seems many people missed it. If only Qidian had a font enlargement feature...

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