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48.93% Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics / Chapter 2099: Chapter 1412: Return of the Old Days (11)_1

章節 2099: Chapter 1412: Return of the Old Days (11)_1

"Karkosa... Polaris Star System Lake Hally... The dark sun is high in the sky..."

A deep feminine voice echoed in the darkness, as she looked up at the stars and felt a vague response.

She thought that perhaps this ancient being truly was unique, the call came from an unknown source, possibly awakening within her own heart, just as before.

The Ancient One, clothed in her mage's robe, let her thoughts settle as she traced the dark cosmic sound to the depths of her own heart. Before the mist scattered, she took a step into the deepest part of the psychic battlefield, arriving above a vast city.

Is this Karkosa?

The Ancient One stood at the edge of the Sky Island, looking down at the ghostly image of a vast city below, majestic yet imbued with an abyssal terror. The countless spires protruding from the city reminded her of the ruins she had seen on a planet in the Polaris Star System.

Strange patterns emerged from the rolling fog, carrying an element of Gothic beauty, yet not entirely the same. The Ancient One didn't sense any darkness, sadness, or contradictions from them. There was no mystical Gothic core, only tranquillity and harmony.

As the fog thickened, The Ancient One, sensing something, turned around to see a black sun guarded by countless mists. It hung quietly in the sky, wordless, the delicate patterns and swirling particles revealing all answers to her.

The Ancient One brought her hands together and bowed, saying, "I know you won't respond, but as the Supreme Magician, I must thank you for your warning to Earth. Thank you, Ancient One. Humanity has taken action, the old days will not return."

She knew that the black sun would never respond, perhaps it wasn't a life form, but more akin to a machine according to human understanding, operating on fixed logic. However, she firmly believed it had abundant emotions, understanding order, and possessing love.

In her long life, she had encountered many such gods. Not all demon gods were chaotic and mad; many orderly existences genuinely loved their creations, nurturing them like parents, taking joy in their progress.

From The Ancient One's years of experience, the more understanding and the creation of order, the more ancient and powerful the being. Defending the order they created came at a cost. If they weren't capable of crushing all invaders, making self-protection a non-issue, they would have no spare capacity to love their creations.

"We should talk about you," The Ancient One maintained her prayer-like posture, raising her head. "Your call to me is unlikely to be a coincidence, do you want to make a deal with me?"

The black sun didn't respond, hanging silently in the sky like the only darkness condensed from the endless grey. When it was dark enough, the other lighter areas appeared brighter. It seemed paradoxical, but remarkably beautiful upon closer observation.

"What do you want?" The Ancient One asked again, patiently listing what she could offer, "Energy, soul, a portal to the real world, pain and blood, willpower, good character..."

She was familiar with this process. When she placed her bargaining chips on the table, she could judge the nature of the beings based on their choices.

Neutral deities preferred things related to the soul - not soul energy, but the existence's purpose and the truth of cosmic life. They wished for the contractee to offer their soul upon the completion of the contract. They wouldn't absorb souls but desired their company, which allowed them to listen to the pulse of the cosmos.

Benevolent deities enjoyed the peace and tranquillity born from long tests. They often challenged the contractee, perhaps seeking certain fragments or exploring certain knowledge. They favoured the calm strength generated by the contractee's focus, their tranquilizer.

In contrast, chaotic and evil deities often demanded blood, pain, and screams. They drove believers to destroy or simply demanded powerful lives to open the gate for them to invade the real world, so they could massacre freely.

As long as the gods put forward conditions, The Ancient One could see through them, deciding how to handle them. Of course, she wouldn't solely base her decision to annihilate them on their benevolence, everything depended on her needs.

The black sun remained silent, seemingly rejecting her request for a trade outright, yet The Ancient One didn't lose patience. She just stood there, like a statue which could stand through millennia.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, making the fog denser. The Ancient One looked up, squinting her eyes, focusing on the great black sun. There was no light or sound, only a slight change in the flow of sun particles.

The black sun revealed a different pattern to The Ancient One, with various knowledge flooding her mind. After gradually understanding these obscure pieces of information, she showed an expression of confusion.

Emotions?

The Ancient One took a shallow breath, then looked up at the black sun with steady eyes, asking, "You want emotions? What kind of emotions? Joy, pain, calmness, confusion... You want them all? You are too greedy."

It seemed that even she hadn't heard such requests, but she sighed and spoke to the black sun, "In my youth, impassioned emotions left me long ago. After reaching completeness in my state of mind, my emotional fluctuations have been minimal."

"But your timing is perfect, or perhaps my timing is perfect. Not long ago, I indeed felt regret for some of my habitual behaviors. Will this suffice to meet your needs?"

The black sun didn't respond, the solar particles still silently moving according to the previous pattern, but The Ancient One knew this was a posture accepting everything. However, she still had one more question to discuss.

"So, what can you give me?"

The answer sprang into the Ancient One's mind, still without sound or image but a concept, like a sudden thought of the Ancient One herself, yet she knew it was a response.

Knowledge and truth.

"What kind of knowledge? And what kind of truth?"

Then the Ancient One received another answer, she furrowed her brow and softly stated the answer, "…Everything?"

The Ancient One's expression was troubled, the other party didn't seem like a crazy, self-aggrandized, demon god on a mental rampage. Yet, the Ancient One genuinely didn't know how to provide all knowledge and truth.

The Ancient One made the risky decision to give it a try. This was because the black sun was unlike any life form she had met before. It just hovered silently in the sky, grandiose, terrifying, yet magnificent, reminiscent of another layer of nature.

"I will tell my story first, and then I want to hear your own. I will fully open my heart to express my joys, pains, and confusion. I don't ask much in return, just for you to clarify my doubts and let me know what you are, what could possibly be in the depths of the stars..."

After the Ancient One finished speaking, her eyebrows gathered in a slight frown and she drifted into her memories, beginning to tell her story with Jennifer.

"After arriving in that cosmos, I began to roam, until I saw a little girl who was entirely different from the other monsters in the backyard of a house..."

"...then, Jennifer began to shudder incessantly. I realized what a grave mistake I had made; my pragmatism was killing her…"

"This was an accident, but I'd rather consider it a man-made error, an error of my making. I took away the girl as a savior, but failed to genuinely perform the duty of one…"

"Every Supreme Magician must unwaveringly believe in their invincibility. The moment they start doubting, they may potentially bring catastrophe upon the Earth…"

"Yes, you're right. This extreme egocentrism is constantly taming our spirit and personality, but I don't feel it's a torture. Responsibility is the greatest meaning of existence mankind can find…"

"No, I don't think it has anything to do with redeemability. Many uncorrectable mistakes I've made didn't make me as disheartened as this one…"

The Ancient One stared at the changing patterns on the black sun, feeling thoughts continuously welling up inside her. To her surprise, this ancient god was interpreting her feelings and explaining their origins in such a way.

He was providing another type of knowledge, one the Ancient One had rarely paid attention to, knowledge that operates abstractly on sentient beings.

The Ancient One began to vocalize the knowledge provided by the black sun, so as to better understand them in an orderly manner.

"I've always been balancing my humanity and divinity. When I was the Supreme Magician, my divinity was dominant due to my responsibility for the entire human race, which forced me to become a god, making choices that benefit the majority time and time again."

"Perhaps the change occurred when I found a competent successor. The responsibility upon my shoulders was no longer so heavy, hence my humanity gradually returned. I no longer became tangled in profit and loss or troubled about who to protect. Eventually, I became greedy, desiring every little rescue operation to go without a hitch."

"I used to always have a high tolerance for sacrifice, willing to not only sacrifice myself but also a portion of my people without feeling guilt or despair. This was because my divinity suppressed everything, I spared no effort to save what I could and thus bore no guilt."

"But when humanity took over, I hoped there would be no more sacrifices, not Jenny, not the entire human race. If I failed to do so, I would experience the sadness I rarely felt when sacrificing my own kind...the pursuit of perfection originates from the sympathy in humanity, as well as the greed within."

After the Ancient One finished speaking, she fell silent for a long while. Then she gently put her hands together, her robe floating lightly as she spoke, "I have always regarded human emotions as mystical. Sometimes I even think that demon gods are easier to understand than humans."

"But I would say, yes, High One, this is indeed a marvelous type of knowledge, another way of observing the world. If this is your reward to me, I can accept it without requiring additional knowledge. I think this is enough."

Soon, the Ancient One could feel more knowledge forming into pages of a book fluttering into her heart. Focusing her mind on them, she realized that recorded on them were secrets of the stars.

"Asathos, The Nameless Fog, Shub-Niggurath, Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, Cthulhu..."

The Ancient One pronounced the names on each page and was astounded by the vastness and horror of this mysterious deity system hidden in the depths of the stars.

She looked down at the gradually forming cover of the notebook, on it was a black sun and the phrase written in Arabic script—"Necronomicon".

And finally, on the enormous black sun, she saw a very clear piece of information or perhaps it was a warning—"Not to be circulated".


next chapter

章節 2100: Chapter 1413: Return of the Old Days (Twelve) _1

Jessica came out of her daze, feeling a coldness on her cheek. She stretched out her hand to wipe away her tears with her sleeve, trying her best to ignore the concerned gazes of the other three.

"Damn it, stop looking at me like I'm a helpless little girl. You damn men, stop treating me like a weakling, don't try to manipulate me anymore!" Jessica yelled, but quickly covered her face, separating her fingers to reveal her eyes, "Don't take it personally, I'm not talking about you guys, but rather that damn Purple Man who tortured me."

"It's alright." Riley gently pulled her into his arms, "You're the victim. Breaking down and crying are all normal reactions, and we totally understand; you don't need to conceal anything."

Jessica looked dazed again, as if recalling something. Quill asked, somewhat intrigued, "Did you see him?"

"Are you referring to that black sun?" Jessica pressed her lips tight, hesitated for a moment and said, "If you're talking about the surreal visions that felt like a dream, then yes, I saw it."

"What did he say?"

"He didn't say anything; it seems like he can't talk." Jessica shook her head, looking perplexed, "But I instinctively felt that I could trust him, so I shared my story with him… about… "

Jessica took a deep breath, apparently still unable to voice out the words, a pain she had once buried in the deepest part of her heart.

"About how I was kidnapped, tortured mentally and physically, and everything else that happened during the apocalypse… I rambled on like a soccer mom praising her kid. God, I'm lucky he can't talk, otherwise how could he tolerate my grumbling?"

Jessica covered her face, chiding herself, "He kind of acted like a traditional confidante, well, that's how I saw it. I hope he is not offended."

"But, I can confide my secrets to a demon god, rather than to my parents, right? Because my goodness or badness has nothing to do with a god. He probably wasn't listening, nor would he care. However, my parents would be devastated if they found out, so I couldn't tell them."

"Didn't you ever try praying to God?" Quill asked, "Isn't it the same principle?"

"Actually, I did try." Jessica swallowed, "During the times he manipulated me, I would occasionally regain my consciousness, but I knew I couldn't move a muscle, so I would cry out in my mind, 'Please, God, rescue me.'"

"But I knew God wouldn't come. If he truly loved me, he would not have let me fall this low. Though I was easily fooled, if I saw an angel descend upon me, even if it was just a figment of my traumatized hallucination, I would tell him everything."

"Perhaps, that black sun was just a god pacifying humanity with illusions. Even if it was, I would gladly accept it because for the first decade or so of my life, no one even had the patience to humor me."

Jessica wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, and said, "Thank you, you've given me a way to vent. Even though talking about it doesn't change anything about the current situation, I may have wasted an opportunity."

"No, Jessica." Riley gazed into her eyes, "The fact that you can let go of your self-destructive mentality is the greatest help to us. You don't realize how strong you actually are."

Jessica clung tightly to the gun in her hand, but Riley just shook his head and said, "You don't need a gun. I told you, use your fists."

"Give it a try, girl." Quill jerked his chin at Jessica, "Throw a punch at his face, or anywhere else for that matter. Then you'll know how strong you truly are."

Riley stood up, flexing his wrists and ankles. He beckoned Jessica over. Jessica still didn't want to put down the gun. But after what felt like an eternity, she threw the gun to the side and started limbering up her wrists.

Jessica took a swing at Riley, not at his face but his chest. She didn't use her full strength, didn't take flight, but Riley was sent flying back nonetheless.

If Riley had retaliated, he probably could have sent Jessica flying too. But since this was about testing her strength, he didn't fight back.

As Riley scrambled to his feet, dusting off the dirt from his body, he coughed hard twice and said, "God, if only you had used your fists earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess. You're much stronger than Kingpin, and you can even fly."

Jessica muttered under her breath, took her seat next to the campfire and said, "Perhaps you're just too light. You should eat more."

"My muscle and bone density are dozens of times that of a normal person. You basically knocked a truck flying with a gentle punch."

"In fact, I've always known I had this strength." Jessica lowered her head, "But please, believe me when I say that I didn't use it before not because I didn't want to, but because of the residual influence of that manipulative asshole in my brain."

"He wanted me to forget my own strength, so I would not resist him. That's why I couldn't muster the strength before. But things are better now. People always say that sharing reduces stress. I think it's true."

"Maybe this is a blessing on another level." Quill rose from the ground, rubbing his sore forehead, "He gave us three truths, comforted you, and even seemed to empathize with you, didn't he?"

"I always feel that we should not make fun of him." Xu Shang-Chi, too, rose to his feet before coming down again on one knee to extinguish the campfire. Riley assisted him at the side.

"I think he wouldn't mind. Interestingly enough, in many faiths, the presence of a god is always so strong." Jessica shook her head, expressing her opinion. She continued, "It's as if these gods desperately want a place in the hearts of their believers. They demand their devotees' faith through various means."

"They endlessly demand their followers perceive God as an otherworldly entity, suppress their selves as much as possible, and sacrifice everything for Him. Those intricate worship ceremonies, verbose prayers, they all aim to annihilate individuality, making people obedient."

"However, I always feel that the Black Sun wants us to focus on ourselves. He wants us to have belief, but to believe in our belief." Jessica opened her mouth as if not knowing how to explain, but she still expressed with a hint of intuition, "He doesn't want to be seen as another superior object, nor does he want to be held in reverence. Instead, he wishes to become part of us, and then we believe in some aspect of ourselves."

"Perhaps I would choose 'alleviation'." Jessica stroked her chest. "If I believe in my ability to soothe my emotions, perhaps I would be stronger. I think this is what he wants to see."

"But I still couldn't understand, what's in it for him?" Jessica knitted her brows in puzzlement, saying as though she was talking to herself, "Would he need our power at some point? Would he come to reap the benefits one day?"

"I think he might be enjoying the process." Quill sighed lightly, "You guys may find it unbelievable, but the thoughts of the Demon God are beyond our comprehension, their perspective of the world is different from ours."

"Lesser beings of intellect weigh the cost and benefit, but maybe superior entities have long abandoned that. They're like silent observers, their purpose is to watch the changes in the world, and the changes in us and everyone else."

"Like cultivation?"

"Like cultivation."

"I think you've portrayed him as too indifferent." Xu Shang-Chi objected. He clenched his fist and coughed lightly, "Didn't you guys feel the emotional ups and downs when he narrated the story of the cosmos?"

"'Emotional ups and downs'? Look at your choice of words. Who else here would use that phrase apart from you? I really can't understand." Quill shrugged and fed the biscuit he'd taken from the shop earlier to Rocket Raccoon.

Riley also looked puzzled, Xu Shang-Chi frowned and said, "Am I the only one who felt that? The Black Sun dislikes the League of Murderers, but it's more of a contempt for them. He dislikes Ma · Will even more, I can sense a hint of his subtle irritation."

"You mean he has human characteristics?" Riley wrinkled her brows and asked.

Xu Shang-Chi nodded, "Certainly. He is not just a Q & A machine or a wishing well. He must have intelligence, emotion, likes and dislikes."

"How come we didn't feel that? Is this your patent?"

Xu Shang-Chi curled his lips,"Anyway, I resonate with him. I used to hear Captain Marvel was a hero."

What Xu Shang-Chi referred to was naturally the film "Captain Marvel." He didn't have a deep impression of the movie, perhaps because he didn't like it when he watched it, but Captain Marvel should be a superhero, rather than a monster that jeopardizes the entire cosmos to satisfy his own urge for destruction.

"Do you think this could be... a hint?" Jessica sensed something more subtle, slightly tilting her head, "Perhaps he does expect some sort of return?"

"Whether this is his expectation, we will have to deal with Ma · Will anyway. If it would make him happy, that would kill two birds with one stone. I just hope he will be happier. Maybe next time when I have troubles, I can treat him as my sounding board." Riley raised an eyebrow.

"So, we would be acolytes of this ancient one then? No tentacles, no tumors or even obtained any great power, just like this?" Jessica asked.

They were all walking towards the exit along the sewer. Riley shook her head and said, "The more subtle the better. Ever since I worked at the Holy Sanctuary, I've become a thorough atheist. You have no idea how foolish, annoying, and challenging to communicate those Demon Gods are."

"If there really were such a god pointing fingers at me, I might not resist punching him. I like it the way it is now."

"We're back to square one. Now that we haven't obtained any great power, how do you plan to deal with Marvel and the League of Murderers?"

"Knowledge and truth are the most powerful strengths." Riley began to speak. "From this story, we know the weaknesses of the League of Murderers."

Riley continued to explain, "First, we know that this crazy contamination can't infect machines, so Riley can manufacture robots to fight them; second, there are survivors on Earth, they should be a group of robots, we can ally with them against the League of Murderers; Third, they are planning to invade other cosmoses, perhaps we can find a way to distract them."

"Prevent them from invading other cosmoses?"

"Let them invade the cosmoses that we want them to invade."

"But no cosmos should be subjected to... "

Xu Shang-Chi suddenly stopped. He stared at Riley wide-eyed as Riley spread her hands open, smiled and said,

"There must be a cosmos that welcomes them... The gift for this quarter's membership hasn't been decided yet."


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