Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 496 My Girlfriend is from the “Future”

After a brief greeting, the two fell into a long silence.

They have the same face, but exude completely different auras.

"Surely it doesn't have to be this cold-hearted?"

Finally, "Winter" couldn't hold back any longer and pouted somewhat sullenly. Just a few minutes ago, she had clearly witnessed Ethan and Bazalian sitting side by side in front of someone else's jewelry store window, chatting happily. But after seeing her, her nominal boyfriend suddenly transformed into the person he had described as "afraid to talk to strangers."

She forced a smile. "I know you probably have a lot of questions for me. Now we can begin."

What has changed?

"Ok?"

The unexpected question startled "Winter" slightly.

"I guess the reason you chose to see me at this time after a year must be because something big has happened."

The guild had been out of contact with the "Goddess" for a long time, and the "adventurers" represented by the Golden King and the Crimson Queen were unable to see her again until they left this world.

Ethan then asked, "Was it the fall of the God of Truth, or the events at the underground shelter that prompted them to take action?"

All indications so far suggest that his girlfriend is not actually from the "future," which is not even a parallel universe, but more likely a real place millions of light-years away from this planet.

"Nothing escapes your eyes, does it?"

"Winter" sighed, "To be honest, I still prefer the innocent and clear look in your eyes when we first met."

"Is the Holy City already planning to launch a war?"

Not yet—

"Winter" suddenly changed the subject, "You're trying to trick me into talking. You've really gone bad."

A simple yes or no question can reveal a lot of hidden information: "This means I come from the Holy City. Not only that, you can also deduce that I know the movements of the Holy City's high-ranking officials, which means my identity there is extraordinary..."

A helpless smile appeared on her face.

This way of thinking is exactly the same as hers. If she were in Ethan's position, she would probably also try to find out the other person's identity by asking some unexpected questions.

Whether it was due to her influence or Ethan's nature, she couldn't be sure for the time being.

That being the case...

"This conversation needs a fair set of rules."

"Winter" straightened her expression. "After answering a question, everyone has one chance to ask the other person a question. Now it's my turn—how did you guess?"

“I went to the underground shelter. Some of the experiments there didn’t make sense. According to the experimental records, after the surface was destroyed, they gathered many children in the shelter to conduct drug experiments in order to extract energy from the ‘Black Lotus’.”

Mei Lin, Zhuang Xiao, and Song Xian were all outstanding individuals selected from that group of children.

"Drug trials? The story there should be quite complete."

"Winter" asked in confusion.

In a world on the verge of collapse, the higher-ups of the underground shelter desperately pinned their hopes on human experimentation. After countless sacrifices, they finally produced a perfect test subject.

A child who can fully contain the energy of the "Black Lotus," a child who can communicate with the "Black Hole," a child destined to become a god.

After this child, skilled at disguise, arrived in another world through a consciousness transfer device, she unilaterally severed ties with the underground shelter, kicking away those who had controlled her and used her as an experimental subject. After the desperate people were kicked away, they had no choice but to send out another group of "adventurers" to find her whereabouts.

This is a story and character design she came up with based on the stories of three games from different years. If it were made into a game, it would definitely be a huge success in the following year.

"The most direct evidence is that you are different from Zhuang Xiao and the others; your body was not left in the consciousness transmission device in the underground shelter."

Although Merlin found the answer he longed for, many vague details still remained.

They were ultimately unable to locate the successful experimental subject in the shelter's biological laboratory.

"Hmm, that is indeed a loophole."

“Winter” pondered, “However, we can patch it up later. We can say that the machine malfunctioned during the first consciousness transfer, causing the test subject’s death, but her consciousness was miraculously preserved and successfully arrived in another dimension. The ‘death’ caused the consciousness to lose its memory. These are all very common settings. If there are any inexplicable bugs in the plot logic in the future, we can use amnesia to fill in the gaps.”

She noticed Ethan's gaze and said, "What kind of look is that? That's what all the recent AAA games are doing!"

"Also, the story's premise is too far-fetched. Why would an orphan suddenly appear in the shelter and be able to perfectly contain the energy of the 'Black Lotus'?"

There's nothing we can do about it.

"Winter" shrugged. "I can only say that the protagonists in stories usually have their own special characteristics."

"Or perhaps, a higher-level force has intervened in their research regarding the shelter."

In this way, many loopholes that Ethan could only explain away as coincidences became perfectly logical.

This explains why the Holy City didn't exterminate the council and the refugees after the initial destruction of the surface, allowing them to hide on the surface and eke out a living for so long.

For a civilization with such advanced technology that it can directly create synthetic humans from raw materials, it's hard to believe that they wouldn't be able to count the number of deaths in a city after a disaster, and that once they've been there, they would discover the secrets hidden beneath the surface.

"The council thinks it has escaped a disaster, but in reality, it has been under the watchful eye of the Holy City since the moment they hid underground. At least that makes a lot more sense to me."

"receive."

"Winter" showed no sign of embarrassment at having her lie exposed. Instead, she diligently recorded Ethan's feedback, which she considered insightful so that she could improve her storytelling skills in the future.

"Anymore?"

"Frost's character in the story is seriously inconsistent with reality."

Upon hearing this, "Winter"'s eyes lit up. She lightly traced a line with her fingertips, and starlight projected a pale blue shadow in front of her. She asked impatiently, "Tell me more."

"In the story's setting, the councilors of the underground shelter believe that she is a cunning and two-faced traitor who is good at disguising herself."

But the Winter he knew was straightforward and never liked to keep things to herself.

In Ethan's view, once she gains power, she is unlikely to feign compliance with the expectations of the refugee people and patiently play the role of the god in their hearts. Instead, she will blow up the biological laboratory the moment she absorbs the energy of the "Black Lotus".

There was no such thing as a forgiving smile. He knew that Winter would always seek revenge, and even if she couldn't do it immediately, she would sneak into her enemies' homes under the cover of night and kill them after two or three years.

Ethan had seen Winter's assassination list with his own eyes.

Two years after the Violet Commune movement failed, she eventually joined Dream Eclipse. The first thing she did after recovering from her injuries was to begin her revenge—the traitors of the Commune, Julius's cronies, all of their names appeared in Winter's "Death Note," and none of them would escape.

"That doesn't count. Although your conclusion is correct, only those who truly understand me can know these things."

"Winter" shook her head and said, "Others can't tell."

"It's my turn."

Ethan's expression turned serious.

He did not feel joy at the confirmation of his conclusions; instead, he felt a deep unease. As he had said in his previous conversations with Leon, Grave, and others, every answer he received gave rise to ten new questions.

What exactly is your relationship with her?

Ethan took a deep breath and finally asked the question that had been lingering in his heart for so long.

If the current winter isn't from the future, or from another timeline, then with the technology he possesses, he can only generate unsettling associations. For example, does his girlfriend, whom he knows well and sees every day, actually exist?

She could be a synthetic human, a clone, or simply an electronic signal generated by some kind of technology.

This is nothing to the rulers of the Holy City. Their technology far exceeds human imagination. Just like the people of this world will never know that the gods they have worshipped for six eras are actually super signal receivers created by that ruler in order to get closer to the old gods.

Even all the history they were familiar with was an experiment initiated by the God of Truth following the will of the Sovereign.

To more intuitively observe the changes in humans and other living beings here under the influence of the Old Gods.

“Honey, the opportunity to ask questions is very valuable.”

"Winter" took Ethan's right hand and pressed it against her heart. "What you really want to ask is whether 'I' truly exist, right?"

Then came a long silence.

Ethan felt the warmth emanating from the other's body, felt the beating heart, and...

A syringe-like object was handed to his palm.

"This is an omega-blocker."

Before Ethan could ask any questions, "Winter" took the initiative to explain, "Just one injection can block all unwanted memories and allow you to fully immerse yourself in another world. Isn't that cool? It's practically the best choice for 'time travel'. It can save you a lot of unnecessary trouble. For example, if you unfortunately lose in another world and fall into the hands of the Cult of Life, they won't be able to retrieve the spaceship from your memories using Holy Word. Of course, there's also when you're reporting to the company's board of directors. Sometimes you don't want them to know every detail of your research."

At this point, "Winter" paused slightly, "Of course, the blocker also has its drawbacks. For example, amnesia may cause the user to encounter danger during the 'time travel' process, and even some cats and dogs may step on your head."

Ethan knew that the "cats and dogs" referred to Julius.

Perhaps out of instinct, the amnesiac Winter threw herself into the Violet Commune's movement and almost fell into the hands of the Vatican.

In this respect, Mr. Julius's life was worthwhile; he could not even imagine how terrifying a being he had defeated.

"So, this is the necessity of my existence. Please call me Super Little Winter."

“Winter” stood tall and proud, “When the research process goes against expectations, someone needs to bring it back on track. You can think of it as an information loophole that even the Overlord doesn’t know about. It’s worth mentioning that the last time I appeared was because the development of your relationship was not going as expected.”

"So, this time, something has once again exceeded your expectations?"

"That's another question. Now it's my turn to ask, darling. After learning the truth, how do you view me?"

Her expression looked very serious.

Despite her efforts to maintain a calm expression, Ethan could still sense her increasingly rapid heartbeat.

"You guessed right, I'm from over there."

She methodically tackled the issue, saying, "I've received a lot of investment, have many key research projects, and countless students want to study under me every year. From a positional standpoint, I might become a very troublesome enemy for you."

His complexion remained normal, but his heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.

only……

She seemed to be an intelligent person, and Ethan had no way of knowing whether the frequency of her heartbeat was also pre-programmed.

"Nothing has changed."

He chose to follow his heart.

Winter's heart eased, and she squeezed Ethan's hand a little tighter.

"My next question hasn't changed either."

“...Generally speaking, I shouldn’t invest too much emotion in my research subjects.”

She hesitated for a long time, her mind racing, as if a wisp of smoke were rising in her head: "Once things get out of control, I should get things back on track."

Clearly, this research has long since crossed the line.

Especially during this sensitive period when war could break out at any moment.

But now, every single cell in her brain seemed to want to jump up and stop her. This was the first time in "Winter's" life that she had faced such a situation, and she vaguely heard the sound of reason being crushed by emotion.

And just now, the last trace of unease hanging in her heart was also destroyed.

"Ethan."

Her voice was soft, "I am very happy now."

Would you like to talk about your research?

"You've broken the rules again... Tsk, what am I expecting? When have you ever followed the rules?"

"Winter" took a breath. "The story begins with a fool who wanted to talk to a black hole..."

..............................

Meanwhile, in a city shrouded in night.

The air pressure doors hissed open, and the first group of researchers poured out of the elevator. Their white anti-static suits were wrinkled with fatigue. They formed small groups and merged into the wider flow of people in the atrium.

Another workday has come to an end.

Above the atrium, a holographic projection spanning a hundred meters floats silently—the image of a white-haired girl with eyes as bright as rubies. She wears a simple black researcher's uniform, and the projection's face is expressionless. Her gaze sweeps over every moving point of light below, silently proclaiming that this building and even the entire block exist because of her.

"Don't you guys think the Doctor looks younger and younger lately?"

Someone looked up at the projection in front of the company building and started a conversation.

Getting together to chat about gossip is one of the few forms of entertainment in their otherwise monotonous lives.

"Hey, do you think the professor is in love?"

Someone quickly responded.

"A PhD? In a relationship? You're new here, aren't you?"

"how?"

"Don't even think about it, that kind of person is incapable of being in a relationship."

The speaker waved his hand, paused for a moment, and said in an almost solemn tone, "The Doctor has long since transcended the base desires of humanity and dedicated her life to research. Even if she does get married one day, the one who marries her will surely be a black hole or dark matter."

"Speaking of which, I heard that the doctor is working on an important research project, and it's been a long time since I've seen her in person."

"You want to confess your feelings to the professor?"

"No thanks, I don't want to experience that kind of look again, like I'm being treated like a cell or an egg."

"It is said that the brains of geniuses are structured differently from ours."

"This is pseudoscience."

……

(End of this chapter)