Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 494 Belief is existence

Faith was a familiar yet unfamiliar concept to Mary.

Everything she has done so far has been to play the role of an excellent believer. Although many people in the Vatican believe that she is the reincarnation of the goddess of life and her contemporaries worship her, Mary knows very well that she is not the goddess of life and has never really come close to her.

Just now, Bazatos revealed the secret.

If it were a true goddess of life descended to earth, she would never need to travel between cities, often going for days on end without sleep, searching for a cure for the scarlet plague.

For the rightful gods, all they need to do is notice human calamities, then snap their fingers, and all the calamities and suffering will vanish.

All believers in the Church of Life firmly believed this, including Mary.

"I think your team members should avoid the following conversation."

Ethan glanced towards the door. "The Demi-human Merchant Guild is preparing a party. Ginny is a warm and hospitable leader; you should be able to fit in with them quickly."

"But why?"

Salman asked, puzzled.

Every conversation at the table was challenging his understanding; he hadn't heard enough.

He planned to go home that evening and brag to his wife about what he had seen and heard that day. Oh, and more importantly, even the evil god Bazartos played bridge. They met at the bridge table, which showed that playing bridge was an excellent social activity. He believed that as long as he mentioned Bazartos's name, his wife would never stop him from playing bridge again.

"Have you heard of magic?"

"You mean the magician?"

"Grave asked."

The followers of the god of trickery established many astrological guilds in the empire and searched for talented children throughout the empire. By the end of Henry VI's reign, magicians had surpassed elemental sorcerers in status within the empire. However, they were always seen as a threat by Julius, and Carlo, being of the same lineage, never allowed them to set foot on this land.

"It's not that complicated, it's just magic."

Ethan picked up the wine glass on the table, waved it in front of the group, and then snapped his fingers. The wine glass vanished instantly, landing steadily on Salman's head before everyone could react.

"Holy crap, how did they do that?!"

Salman was startled.

"That's what makes magic interesting. If you knew the principles behind it, it wouldn't be magic."

Ethan winked at him mysteriously.

The price of their relentless pursuit of knowledge is that they will receive a dry and tedious spell that will be included in the academy's textbook, "Elemental Shaper Theory." Every student has a copy, but few students study its contents with the same excitement they would show a magic show.

Because it reminds them of exams, and the sullen faces their parents would give them when they get home if they fail.

You mean 'believe'?

Lyon said thoughtfully, "The more we understand the principles behind it, the harder it is to believe."

He had this feeling for a long time.

It is difficult for students of the Truth Society to become excellent believers, even if their faith in the God of Truth is full of restraint. They are also the only ones who dare to study the rightful God. "Someone in the society proposed a theory that the moment we truly understand the structure of God, He is no longer God."

Ethan was very pleased. "See, that's why you always get high scores."

"However, the scholar who proposed this theory was soon burned at the stake."

Lyon added to this.

Julius believed this was a great disrespect to the rightful god, and that only a follower of an evil god would make such seductive remarks.

However, these theories had a profound impact on Lyon.

In particular, the scholar described the upright deity as a "more powerful saint" or a "higher energy being beyond the human realm," both of which have many real-world supporting arguments.

In fact, for the past six eras, the limits of human exploration of power have stopped at the level of saints.

There were no further titles after that, and each saint was so powerful that they could rival an entire legion single-handedly. In their later years, they would often restrain their power, which scholars believe was an important reason for their limitations. Another important reason was that there were no more systematic training materials after the saints.

No one in this world can guide a saint in their spiritual practice.

However, various paths have recorded some maverick saints who were clearly more powerful, but due to the lack of a corresponding evaluation system, they could only be given some additional titles to highlight their difference from ordinary saints.

For example, "Saint" Mary, or the "Scarlet King" whom she fought against throughout her life.

The research on advanced energy bodies originated from the academy.

According to the academy's records, a very small number of elemental sculptors in history have accomplished the feat of becoming one with the natural elements. Their bodies became the elements themselves. A saint who is proficient in the electric element can teleport to another corner of the city in the blink of an eye without the aid of spatial teleportation spells.

"What if the true Gods simply went further than everyone else on their path? All the paths that exist today are actually a manual for future generations to follow."

The opportunity was rare, and before leaving, Lyon raised the question that had been lingering in his mind.

Before this, this was not only a taboo topic, but no one could really answer the question.

Even the scholars who proposed this theory were unable to find any subjects to observe, and they were unable to advance their theory any further until they were tied up and burned.

And now, the evil god Bazartos is by their side, along with Ethan, who is recognized as the most powerful elemental energizer in the history of the Academy.

No one is closer to the truth than them.

Although Grave did not speak, his eyes were sharp as he listened intently to the conversation.

That wasn't a compliment.

Ethan said, "Those who can get high marks in the Truth Society basically fail the occult subjects."

He glanced at Mary with a hint of sympathy. "And two of your team members are outstanding graduates of the Truth Society. Getting them to genuinely believe in something is like climbing Mount Everest."

The game starts at a hellish difficulty level.

In contrast, Larry, a downtown resident who had never been "contaminated" by the Society of Truth and was filled with hatred, was practically a chosen believer.

As long as Larry's wish can be fulfilled, he would believe you even if you told him that eating this fruit would turn you into a Transformer.

This also indirectly shows that Bazalian understands faith and was already far ahead of Mary from the start. Even without any advisors and at a disadvantage in numbers, she believed that she would definitely win this "mayor election".

Lyon is still waiting for Ethan's answer.

Bazarus did not speak. He did not understand these theories. As He had just said, He did not need any human understanding to accomplish whatever He wanted.

"This is the dilemma faced by the followers of the Truth Society."

Ethan said, "Assuming your theory is correct, then where does this energy come from? And why does it exist?"

In fact, even the God of Truth himself could not know the true reason for the birth of the Old Gods. He could only observe their descent through the destroyed civilizations. Even at the end of the Kania civilization, two completely different theories existed: the radicals believed that their pursuit of immortality gave birth to Bazartos, while the humble believed that their prayers attracted Bazartos's gaze. However, Bazartos himself used the best answer from Baidu Knows to explain Ethan's question.

—He doesn't know.

Because "existence" is also a concept proposed by humanoid civilizations.

"To some extent, both sides have their merits."

"how come?"

Even Salman, the only designated non-Truth Society member, couldn't help but raise questions.

"The Kania civilization was the first time that Bazartos came into contact with other living beings. If we use humans as the benchmark, then it was indeed the first time that it was observed. And 'existence' can be interpreted as the first time that a chaotic state of being produced concrete thought."

Ethan guessed that this might be why Bazartos found humans interesting, even though their individual strength was far too insignificant to the Old Gods, they had accomplished many things that even they could do.

For example, defining all things in the world.

“Even the terms ‘evil god’ and ‘old god’ originate from language; otherwise, this conversation would never have happened.”

The result is that everyone greets each other with "V'cu shaa'thee!", and before Bazatos connects you to the "brain-computer interface", no one knows what the other is saying. Even the concept of the "brain-computer interface" that connects everyone's thoughts comes from the Kania civilization.

“The Kania may not have created Bazartos, but they definitely reshaped him and made him aware of his identity as an old god.”

Before the name "Barzathoth" came into use, people could only describe Him as vaguely sensing that something existed there when they tried to reach the depths of the universe.

In fact, Bazartos has always respected the Kanya people.

From His perspective, He never intended to destroy the Kania civilization; the plagues occurring on different planets were His way of returning the favor to the Kania people.

Their ultimate wish was fulfilled, and they truly achieved immortality.

"You mean turning into a ball of flesh?"

Mary frowned. Ethan's topic involved the Scarlet Plague, and she realized that compared to the destruction of the Kania civilization, the disaster that occurred in the Third Era was nothing.

Unbeknownst to her, not only humans, but the entire planet had been transformed into a giant ball of flesh by the Scarlet Plague.

"'Destruction' is the definition of humanity."

Ethan said, "Imagine if the Kanya people didn't look different, if they simply maintained their youthful appearance and could still dedicate themselves to their ideals and careers, would you still say they were destroyed?"

"That will be... a blessing."

Lyon muttered to himself.

Moreover, he believed that in this illusory assumption, the footprints of the Kania would spread across every planet, and the name of Bazartos would be known far and wide.

He will become the most benevolent deity in the world.

"Judging from the results, Bazartos's return gift did not meet the Kania people's expectations, but Reiko, have you ever been a meatball?"

"What? Of course not!"

"Eternal lifespan, the ability to fully understand each other, and from what I've observed, there seems to be no class division. Every individual is the same, they don't have to go hungry every day, nor do they have to work overtime until late at night. All they have to do is find a place to lie down, and maybe they're quite happy."

"But they contracted the plague, and their internal organs failed... Wait, you mean the life of the fleshballs was actually quite happy?"

Mary fell into thought.

If anyone else had made these remarks, it would probably mean they wanted to get their head hammered... But Senko?

Although he often makes statements that defy common sense, he is often proven right in the end.

"How would I know? I've never been a meatball."

Ethan shrugged, and Mary's face stiffened. "You're kidding me!"

It's a shame she even had a moment to reflect on whether she had been too arbitrary in the past.

Mary decided to retract her previous opinion.

Sometimes, just like everyone else, Senzi might really deserve a good beating.

"The important thing is that you must choose to believe in a position in order to continue."

Whether as the "Scarlet Priestess" favored by the old man, or as a saintly figure of the Papacy who will be remembered for generations.

“He was saying this to us.”

Lyon continued, "He said it to me and Grave."

"For every answer you get, ten new questions will arise. Ultimately, you still have to choose a side to believe, unless you can solve all the mysteries of this world, but that's impossible, because even the God of Truth himself..."

Ethan suddenly paused, and the conversation came to an abrupt end.

Under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, he stood up and walked out of the bustling inn.

He walked through the snow-covered streets, gradually blending into the crowd and immersing himself in the clamor of the lower city. He heard people calling for distrust of the corrupt officials in the upper city, while others argued against it, believing they should try again, since this time the one in charge was the Holy Maiden of the Papacy—the being closest to the Goddess of Life.

News of the prison riot reached the lower town, and people had differing opinions about it.

At the end of that murmur of voices, Ethan found that familiar voice.

People came and went around her, but it seemed that no one noticed her presence.

The beautiful woman was standing in front of a jewelry store, examining the rough handmade items in the display case.

Most of these pieces of jewelry are made from inexpensive materials such as bone and wood.

"Anzi."

Ethan strode forward. "You didn't seduce Carlo, and you never mentioned your resurrection plan to him."

Bazalian turned her head to the side, smiled, but answered irrelevantly, "Good morning."

"morning."

Ethan, however, didn't want to skip the topic. "Is this your answer?"

“I never said I did that, but you have to believe something, don’t you?”

"Who else has been 'resurrected'?"

In response to Ethan's question, Bazarian's smile widened, and she gave Ethan a teasing look, "Guess."

(End of this chapter)