Chapter 136

Chapter 136: Chapter 134: "Her Deity

"Moli" struggled continuously, her emotions seeming extremely low as tears flowed non-stop.

Seeing her unwilling to cooperate, Su Ming’an could only knock her out first and go find Mayor Mitchell.

When he arrived, Mitchell was brewing tea, still half as good as Lv Shu’s tea art.

The room was filled with the scent of incense, and the two spirit tablets on the table had long since disappeared, as if they had never been there.

"Mayor." Su Ming’an entered carrying the unconscious Moli, facing the old man’s cloudy eyes, "... no, Boris."

Boris Mitchell’s body trembled slightly as he looked at the girl, wrapped in a blood-red bridal gown, his pupils vibrating as if dust-covered memories were gradually being awakened.

"Boris... Mayor." Su Ming’an slowly called his name, a sense of absurdity from the causality of reincarnation arising in his heart, "Do you remember now? Your past, which was bewitched by ghosts?"

The old man with white hair slowly turned around.

Su Ming’an saw a teardrop shining in his eyes.

"Who am I?" Mitchell murmured, "Am I... Boris?"

He slowly stepped forward, as if wishing to touch the girl who looked as if she were sleeping, but then his hand abruptly withdrew.

He looked at Moli, at the blood-colored bridal gown on her, slowly watching as if looking at a treasure.

She was still young.

He, however, had long grown old... and had even lost his faith unaware in the monotony of daily life.

"...I remember now." He muttered to himself.

That tone, Su Ming’an was very familiar with; he’d heard this man say it repeatedly by his side:

"—I am Boris, the traveler returning home."

In the altered timeline, Boris had memories from that single-player instance.

"I remember now, on that day, I wanted to find the lost deity and to imprison the innocent Moli—" Mitchell looked panicked, "but why do I still keep her by my side, I... what am I truly believing in? When did my faith... start to change...?"

Su Ming’an set Moli down beside him and took out the Dragon Head Cane, handing it to him.

Mitchell slowly took it, his hands wrinkled like tree bark, gently caressing the cane as one would touch a lover’s skin.

Su Ming’an silently waited on the spot, waiting for what he would say next.

"I..." Mitchell sighed softly and then looked up, gazing at him, "Outside traveler, I must thank you for your help. You have reminded me of my buried past—that even after I had locked Moli in the shrine, I still failed Sharina’s expectations, forgot the waiting her, and even forgot my own faith... I was bewitched by the ghost inside her, leading the whole town to believe in an evil god..."

He clasped the Dragon Head Cane in both hands, his eyes filled with eager anticipation:

"—Now, I will communicate with Lord Deity to release Terrily from the eternal curse."

Su Ming’an didn’t speak.

He knew that Terrily’s deity had long disappeared.

The Dragon Head Cane in Mitchell’s hand flickered, and then, as expected, nothing happened,

— no deity would respond to him anymore.

His demeanor seemed somewhat disheartened, but his eyes expressed tranquility, as if he had anticipated this outcome all along.

"So it was like that all along," Mitchell said. "I should have realized earlier that Deity would no longer forgive us again and again, we children who have forsaken the Faith."

"You needn’t worry too much," Su Ming’an said. "People die every night in the town, the work of the Ghosts. Drive them out, and even without Deity’s blessing, Terrily can still break free from the Curse—there’s no need to say for whom you fight; you are capable of saving yourselves."

Mitchell glanced at him.

That look was profoundly deep.

"Driving out the Ghosts, I, too, once thought of doing that," Mitchell said. "But it was futile... even if we kill Moli, the Ghosts will still choose someone else to possess. We can only continue to lock Moli in the shrine..."

"And then welcome the next Reincarnation?" Su Ming’an said with a soft chuckle.

...He felt sad for these Townfolk’s self-deception.

Ghosts do not die; they would gradually regain their strength.

Even if locking Moli permanently in the shrine, the Ghosts will continue to beguile the Townfolk.

Even if Boris has awakened now, his next successor, the Mayor Mitchell, will still be beguiled, and thereafter, only repeat today’s process.

—And by that time, would they still welcome new Travelers?

Su Ming’an had already exerted his utmost efforts to this point, yet he could not save these people. If they continue to lock Moli permanently in the shrine, waiting for the Ghosts’ beguilement—how would that scene be any different from before his arrival?

"We have no solution," Mitchell shook his head. "Ghosts are immortal; we cannot drive them away..."

Su Ming’an had already traversed Terrily, and he had not found any other clues.

According to the progress of the mission, he was nearing completion; all he needed to do was to drag Moli to the square to expose the true face of the Ghosts, and his mission this time would be Perfectly completed.

He didn’t need to meddle in Terrily’s affairs any longer. Faction and special tasks blossomed simultaneously; this World Replica was proceeding quite perfectly for him.

...He didn’t need to do anything else.

He turned his head, looking at the girl lying on the sofa, her brow relaxed.

She seemed to be in a dreamland, her expression very relaxed, much better than when he had seen her silently weeping next to the coffin.

He momentarily recalled the bright, sparkling look in the girl’s eyes under the dawn, the dazzling gold in her pupils was extremely beautiful.

She was still waiting for the rest of the story.

"..." He fell silent for a while.

He always felt that if it ended like this, it seemed somewhat deviated from the term "Dawn Line".

"Boris, I have a method," he said. "...I do not understand Moli’s emotions, I don’t even know who this would be better for. This method... sounds quite horrendous. But if you want to save Terrily, you might try it."

Mitchell’s gaze slightly intensified.

Atop Banishment Square, Eni watched Su Ming’an holding a girl, walking towards the center.

"...What’s going on?" he watched the scene in confusion: "That’s the Mayor’s daughter, right? How did he manage to get her... What are they planning to do? Are these daft Townfolk about to start another banishment?"

The players’ hostile standoff seemed to be paused too as they watched everything that was happening on the square, saw Su Ming’an handing the Dragon Head Cane to the Mayor.

"Are you a Cloning?" Eni glanced at the Cloning next to him who remained silent. "Do you know what your original is doing?"

"Be quiet," he received a very nasty response from the Cloning.

...Weren’t Cloning supposed to be gentle?

Eni instantly turned his head away; he wouldn’t offer warmth to someone’s cold ass.

Immediately after, he saw that the Mayor’s daughter—was actually tied directly to a cross.

Firewood piled up beneath the cross, reminiscent of an execution.

"What is this... happening," he muttered.

"Today’s subject of banishment is my daughter... no, the ghost residing within my daughter Moli," the mayor suddenly spoke, his voice deep and somber.

His expression seemed fraught with pain as if he were sacrificing his own kin for some greater good.

He looked at the righteously indignant townfolk and said, "—this accursed ghost, it has deceived us, made us forsake our old faith, causing the great deity to abandon us—it is sins are dire and grave, only the flames can burn away its wickedness!"

...It began again.

Eni had seen the townfolk’s fanaticism since he first entered the village; they exiled their own with minds warped as if by some incurable heresy.

Whoever they doubted, they sent to their death, with no regard for past relationships.

Kinship, friendship, love, in their eyes, all were easily forsaken. As long as it complied with the deity’s wishes, they were willing to die themselves.

And now, the suspect was the mayor’s daughter, so the mayor pushed his own daughter onto the execution rack...

This Terrily was a mess, stirred into chaos by various heretical beliefs; he couldn’t understand what was worth communicating with these people.

He watched the scene somewhat boredly, and then watched the girl tied to the execution pyre slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes were like a heavenly lake, pure and beautiful, making anyone who looked into them feel as though their soul had been purified. Eni felt it was a pity—he thought that this girl, like most people, was innocent, yet she was being pushed to a dead end by the mob’s fury.

Suddenly, he saw the expression on Su Ming’an’s face.

This guy seemed to always get along well with NPCs, even involving himself in these messed-up affairs.

He saw the expression on this man’s face—it was quite grave.

"So, is this what you are advocating?" Eni remembered seeing this man leading the way earlier:

"...What are you really thinking?"

"Moli" opened her eyes.

She saw the firewood below and the mayor with an expression full of sorrow.

On the side, were the numbed faces of the townfolk, holding sickles and pitchforks, gathering around her like zealots.

They were eager for her to die—judged just on the mayor’s word.

"...You really want to kill me," she murmured to herself.

She was the ghost, the one that bewitched the whole village.

In everyone’s eyes, she was wicked and deserving of the extreme penalty.

She looked at the townfolk, their faces full of frenzied eagerness for her death, slowly recognizing their features.

These people were still her zealots.

She could control them, naturally, she could manipulate them to save her, to kill the suddenly lucid Boris... she could still control the whole of Terrily like a god.

But the scale in her heart slightly tilted.

She looked at the dragon head cane in Boris’s hand—the cane was dull and lightless.

"..." She fell silent for a moment, then her fists clenched slightly.

The cross trembled slightly, and her entire body was shaking.

It was as if she was making an extremely difficult decision, her eyes gradually filling with immensely complex emotions as she saw Su Ming’an approaching her with the torch.

"Is this your idea, outsider traveler?" she asked.

Su Ming’an looked up at her, hanging from the execution pyre, the heat of the flames slightly scorching his face.

"I’m asking you, outsider traveler," she repeated, "after seeing the truth about Terrily, knowing all this, do you think burning Moli and then watching me possess a new townsperson is the right thing to do?"

"What happens in Terrily has nothing to do with me," Su Ming’an said flatly, his gaze steady as he looked at the ghost:

"All I want is the ultimate victory of this route."

"You’re lying!" the ghost Moli repeated like a suddenly crazed madman, "You’re lying you’re lying you’re lying—"

Su Ming’an’s gaze remained steady, his hand holding the torch unwavering, flames steadily rising.

"You’re not indifferent, Traveler One, I’ve analyzed your actions, you’re lying right now!" the ghost Moli gritted her teeth, "You obviously care, care a great deal. Your actions now completely contradict your earlier behavior; it’s inexplicable that you’d want to set me on fire—knowing it won’t work and will only plunge Terrily deeper into darkness—you care about Moli, you want to save her!"

"Hmm,"

Su Ming’an hummed softly in response.

His hand, slightly lowered.

The flames burned at the end of the stick, radiating scorching heat.

"I just did what seemed natural," Su Ming’an said, "But admittedly, you’d hope so too."

After he spoke these words, the hysterical behavior of the ghost instantly ceased.

Her hair disheveled, her eyes red and swollen, she looked very much like a heretic witch about to be burned at the stake.

Her mouth slightly open, then, tears appeared in her sea-like eyes.

"..." Her eyelashes trembled slightly, then, tear after tear uncontrollably slid down her cheeks.

"Killing Moli, the ghost will seek a new body, and Moli will truly die," Su Ming’an said, "Ghost, I have seen your demeanor during the day and witnessed you suddenly crying when the deity departed. In merging with Moli, you seem to have absorbed some of her emotions—you appeared to enjoy your time with Mitchell, even though he only saw you as a daughter. You had feelings for Edward too, like any normal girl would."

The ghost’s body shook slightly.

She seemed to want to avoid his gaze, to struggle free from the cursed cross, she even briefly thought of calling out to the dear townfolk to protect their deity, but it all stopped in front of the raging flames burning before her eyes.

"You claim to be a deity, but you are no longer just a deity," Su Ming’an looked at her, "Ghost, you must understand, once a deity has a vulnerability, It is no longer a deity."

The ghost had chosen to absorb Moli’s soul and was trapped in her body, bearing her emotions, perhaps the most regrettable thing it had done.

The ghost actually had ways to escape this predicament long ago.

It could control Moli’s body to die during the day, finding a healthier body to absorb a new soul and regain its strength.

...But it hadn’t.

"You have become the deity of Moli, the wandering ghost," Su Ming’an looked at her:

"Of all the people forcibly controlled, she was your only true zealot."