Zongwang: Unspeakable fear!

Chapter 958 The Rules and Gods of the Forgotten Realm
Gao Yang, along with You Miao and two cat spirits, stopped in an inconspicuous little town, seemingly like people from this world.

After a day of quiet contemplation, You Miao and Fei'er began to venture out of their inn and start gathering general information about this world.

Half a day later, You Miao returned to the room with a serious expression.

Inside the room, Gao Yang sat cross-legged in mid-air, meditating with his eyes closed.

Sensing You Miao's return, he opened his eyes and looked at her. The latter nodded slightly, then sat down at the table and chair in front of him and solemnly said:
"Boss, there's news about the immortal giant turtle on the Sea of ​​Oblivion."

Gao Yang raised an eyebrow, then asked, "What do you mean?"

"In the Realm of Oblivion, a Trial of Heroes is held every thirty years. All the heroes go to the Sea of ​​Oblivion in the far east of the continent to find the Immortal Giant Turtle and try to stop it by using their own methods."

The problem is that there are still three years until the next Trial of the Hero.

"Do we really have to wait here for three years before we can go to the Sea of ​​Oblivion?"

Milofina was somewhat puzzled. The Undying Giant Turtle was in the Sea of ​​Oblivion, so logically they should be able to go there at any time.

"Not really."

You Miao shook his head, then continued to recount the information he had gathered: "The Trial of the Brave takes place once every thirty years because the Undying Giant Turtle will travel to the place closest to the far eastern coast of the continent at that time."

Furthermore, in that sea area lived many eight-legged sea beasts that were a delicacy to the immortal giant turtle.

Having satisfied its once-every-thirty-years ravenous craving, the Undying Tortoise would no longer kill these legends for their offenses.

Gao Yang nodded and concluded, "In other words, if you try to stop the Undying Giant Turtle at other times, you will be attacked by it, and might even be killed outright?"

"That's right!"

You Miao nodded seriously and said, "Moreover, according to records, none of those who went to stop the Undying Giant Turtle outside of the Trial of the Brave have returned alive."

Milofina turned to Gao Yang and asked, "Gao Yang, are we going to have to wait here for three years?"

Actually, Milofina already had the answer when she asked that question.

Based on her understanding of Gao Yang, she knew that Gao Yang could not possibly stay here for three years.

He will complete his goal as quickly as possible, and then rush to the next goal without stopping.

As she expected, Gao Yang naturally shook his head and said, "Of course not, we can't waste three years here."

The situation is still unclear. Let's gather more information for two more days. Even if there's no solution without destroying the giant tortoise, we can still gather information from other sources.

Moreover, while the Undying Giant Turtle is incredibly powerful, it is not necessarily doomed to die.

You Miao nodded, indicating that she understood.

Now, all he can do is gather information as much as possible, complete his own work, and play a tiny, insignificant role.

Milofina suddenly thought of Phil and asked, "Hey! Where's Phil? Why hasn't he come back yet?"

You Miao shook his head. Phil and he had acted separately, so he did not know Phil's whereabouts.

"Honestly, they keep running around in unfamiliar places," Milofina muttered to herself.

As for concerns about Phil's safety, she wasn't actually that worried.

Phil is not a weak cat spirit; he aspires to the way of the sword and is a cat spirit of extraordinary strength.

Moreover, there aren't many powerful entities in this small town that are virtually unmatched.

Gao Yang had already investigated this point when they chose this location.

Gao Yang glanced at Milofina, his mind stirred slightly, and he began to sense the sword intent that had previously been attached to Phil.

A few seconds later, Gao Yang sensed the sword intent emanating from Phil.

The sword intent was moving, and its trajectory was heading towards the inn where they were.

He opened his eyes, looked at Milofina and said, "Don't worry, Phil is on his way back and will be there in a few minutes."

"That's it~"

Upon hearing this, Milofina stopped paying attention.

Three minutes later, Gao Yang looked towards the door, which opened automatically, and Phil appeared in the doorway, flying on his sword.

His cat-like face was now cold and serious.

"Phil, why do you always have that 'keep away' look on your face?" Milofina rolled her eyes, looking at her cousin with a hint of exasperation.

Phil glanced at Milofina but didn't reply. He then turned to Gao Yang and said, "Sword Master, I've returned with the information."

"What information did you find out?" Gao Yang asked curiously.

"We are located in the southwest of the Forgotten Realm, which is a long way from the far east of the continent."

Phil paused for a moment, then continued, "That's not the problem. The biggest problem is that the Forgotten Realm is governed by various cults."

The people here need to believe in a god and receive the god's protection in order to live here.

Otherwise, they will lose their memories.

"Lost your memory?" Milofina exclaimed in surprise, and You Miao also looked over.

Under their gazes, Phil's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "The gods protect the entire Forgotten Realm, and the intelligent life here is able to retain its memories because of their divine protection."

Those who do not have faith in gods and do not receive divine protection will have their memories disappear rapidly in a very short time.

It felt like being swallowed up.

As Phil spoke, he unconsciously recalled the ragged beggar he had seen on the street corner earlier, and then he recounted what he had seen and heard.

"I saw a beggar on a street corner. He was wandering aimlessly in the alley, like a walking corpse. But what was most terrifying was that he had complete rationality and thinking ability, but had simply lost all his memories."

This caused the other person to want to rush out of the alley, but every time he was about to rush out, his eyes would become confused, and then he would walk back into the alley in confusion, and then this process would repeat itself.

A passerby told me that this man had angered the gods and thus lost their protection. Everyone around him was disgusted by him, and even his own family abandoned him here.

Because associating with those whom God has forsaken will cause others to gradually lose divine protection.

"Isn't there any other way but to believe in gods?" You Miao frowned and asked unconsciously.

As a Chinese son and daughter who has received a complete compulsory and higher education, You Miao is not actually opposed to believing in a god, provided that the god can bring him tangible or spiritual benefits.

But he, and not only him, the vast majority of young Chinese people, reject being forced to believe in a god, especially one that cannot bring them any benefit.

After listening to Phil's description, he instinctively connected the matter of the forgotten memories of the intelligent life in the Forgotten Realm to the idea that it was created by these so-called gods, whose purpose was simply to efficiently harvest the faith of the intelligent life in this world.

This situation, where being forced to offer one's faith, or even where not having faith is tantamount to death, is something You Miao finds hard to accept.

You Miao looked at Gao Yang, and in the instant their eyes met, he understood that Gao Yang's thoughts were basically the same as his.

Phil shook his head and said slowly, "There's no way around it. As long as you're in the Realm of Oblivion, you'll be threatened by the loss of memories. But the stronger you are, the slower you lose your memories."

Phil leaped off his flying sword, squatted on a round stool, and continued, "I've investigated. Those who are abandoned by the gods below the level of the extraordinary will forget their memories completely within a month at most."

Those who lack the strength to become legends will completely forget their memories within three to five months, depending on their strength.

As for legendary powerhouses, it will take a maximum of three years.

You Miao frowned: "So, if we really are waiting here, we have to offer our faith to a certain god in order to seek protection?"

Even if it doesn't take three years, our memories will be completely lost within three to five months.

Phil also looked at Gao Yang, waiting for his decision.

Feeling the gazes of the two men, Gao Yang stood up and said casually, "In that case, let's resolve this matter within three months."

He then added, "Let's find out about the memory recovery issue first. If the memory cannot be recovered after being forgotten, then You Miao and Phil should go back to the floating city."

If it can be restored, then the choice is yours.

You Miao and Phil exchanged a glance, both seeing determination in each other's eyes.

"As for now."

Gao Yang strode outside and said, "Let's first learn about the forces in this world and some secret information. You can act as you please."

Gao Yang stepped out of the hostel and strolled leisurely towards the large, tall, and sacred church in the center of the small town, as if he were a tourist.

A moment later, Gao Yang arrived at the main entrance of the church.

It was midday, and the church doors were wide open, allowing a clear view of the female stone statue facing the entrance at the back of the church. The black rock surface seemed to shimmer with a faint light, but upon closer inspection, nothing could be seen.

Beneath the statue of the goddess, there is a tall but rather thin elderly priest. He wears a blue robe with a beautiful five-leaf clover embroidered on his left chest. His silver hair is neatly combed in a classic two-eight part.

Gao Yang didn't know what kind of religion's emblem it was, but that didn't matter, because he would find out soon enough.

He reached out and gently tapped the air in front of him, as if there were a tightly closed door in front of him.

A slight sound wave rippled outwards, reaching the ears of the pastor inside the church, causing him to pause slightly in his prayer.

The pastor turned around and looked at Gao Yang. To his surprise, Gao Yang's eyebrows were also white and sharp as knives, and his eyes were gleaming.

"May I come inside?"

Gao Yang pointed to the interior of the church and asked softly.

"Our Lord welcomes all the homeless."

A deep, resonant voice came from the pastor, who made an inviting gesture toward Gao Yang.

Gao Yang took a step forward and walked inside. When he reached the church door, a thin layer of light appeared and blocked his body.

Gao Yang seemed oblivious, his footsteps moving without the slightest hesitation.

He stepped onto the white, jade-like floor tiles inside the church, and the light barrier in front of him distorted violently because of his movement.

The pastor inside the church's eyes narrowed. He looked up at Gao Yang, who was still smiling despite being blocked by the light barrier, and was deeply shocked.

It's important to know that all churches have this kind of holy light protection, but even those with legendary strength shouldn't think they can easily break in.

Not to mention, like the stranger in front of them, who directly twisted and deformed the protective gear with his terrifying brute force.

With that kind of strength and protection, it won't hold him off for long.

After thinking for a moment, the priest pointed with one hand, and the light membrane in front of Gao Yang instantly disappeared.

Gao Yang took a step forward, let out a comfortable breath, and said, "Phew~ That makes things much easier. My name is Gao Yang, may I ask your name?"

"Green Jemin".

The pastor remained standing beneath the statue of the goddess, calmly gazing into Gao Yang's eyes.

Gao Yang nodded slightly to him, then sat down in a chair in the front row and said directly, "Pastor Jemin, please don't mind, I'm here just to ask you some questions."

“If it’s not a secret within the church, I think we could have a long talk,” Green Jemin said.

"Of course, it won't involve any rude things."

Gao Yang smiled and then asked, "Pastor Jeming, how many cults do you think exist on the land of the Forgotten Realm?"

Green Jemin looked at Gao Yang with some confusion. Isn't it common knowledge that there are twelve main gods of the Forgotten Realm? Why would this man ask such a question?

Could this person before me be a forsaken one of God?
Green Jemin suddenly gripped the doctrine in his hands tightly, and his gaze toward Gao Yang became more scrutinizing.

If someone is a person abandoned by God, then he needs to be even more cautious.

"Pastor Jemin, don't you know either?" Gao Yang asked casually, unaware of what the old pastor was thinking.

Green Jemin reached out and brushed his hair aside, and slowly said, "The twelve main gods of the Forgotten Realm: light, darkness, thunder, storm, earth, ocean, sky, life, death, reproduction, and fortune and misfortune. These are the twelve main gods."

The Twelve Main Gods Cult is distributed throughout the Forgotten Realm, Mr. Gao Yang; this is very common knowledge.

Gao Yang nodded, then continued, "Thank you. How many people with your abilities, Pastor Jieming, are there in your church?"

Don't get me wrong, I meant, is anyone going to participate in the Trial of the Hero?

Green Jemin was taken aback. Although he did not understand the meaning of Gao Yang's words, he was very familiar with the Trial of the Brave.

“Every time the Trial of the Hero is held, more than thirty priests from the church will go to participate.”

"More than thirty pastors? Did Pastor Jemin participate?" Gao Yang asked again.

Green Jemin shook his head slightly, a hint of regret in his eyes.

Seeing this, Gao Yang nodded and got up to walk outside.

After he had completely left the church, Green Jemin's tall body suddenly hunched over, his chest heaving violently, and his heavy breathing echoed in the church.

He looked up at the church entrance, his eyes filled with deep horror.

The feeling of "die if you don't answer" was so strong that it suppressed his reason, leading him to do this bizarre thing that was almost a "you ask, I answer" situation.

When Gao Yang left, that feeling suddenly disappeared, allowing Green Jemin's rationality to abruptly return to his body.

It also made him realize the profound and intense pressure he had felt earlier.

Green Jemin gazed at the church doors, murmuring to himself:

'Who is this? Why have I never heard of him before?'

(End of this chapter)