What's wrong with me, a mage, loving to farm?

Chapter 297. The Exchange of Suffering, the Benevolence of the Goddess of the Underworld

"Gah!"

Before Kroya could react, the Merlion King beside him was enveloped in azure ocean light and charged directly toward the source of the sound.

Despite his seemingly innocent and adorable appearance, he now appears as brave as a warrior.

Although the fishtail sea ducks are among the oldest in Kroya's forces, their potential is not high, so they managed to push themselves to the fourth level of magic power under these circumstances.

Its combat power is certainly very strong.

The waves and storms that surged up as it rushed past forcefully knocked down the surrounding trees, and even the shadow in the center swayed slightly.

But unfortunately, that's all there is to it.

As a favorite of the goddess of the underworld, the Withering Messenger was far more powerful than any mere magical beast could contend with. Her arms moved like strips of cloth, instantly wrapping the Fish-Tailed Duck King into a dumpling.

The poor sea duck king struggled desperately, but like an insect caught in a spider web, it had no chance to fight back.

"Gagaga!"

—If it were just itself, it would surely be miserable.

But its owner was still there.

Kroya gently stroked the strings: "Miss Witch, it's really too much for you to sneak in like this and bully my pet."

A dazzling light instantly appeared around him, and the halo, which was almost rainbow-colored, flickered before landing directly on the witch's arms, neck, and ankles.

This technique comes from the space warp and confinement magic of the Ark, the latter of which was used to imprison the power of gods.

It's equivalent to having a special attack enhancement against gods.

In addition, the light of his "Poem of the Rainbow" is somewhat incompatible with death and has a restraining effect, so even the Withering Messenger was easily controlled by him.

If it weren't for the inability to manipulate the light of the constellations, Kroya would have loved to shower her with a meteor shower from the sky, letting her experience the consequences of being a riddle teller and bullying her own pet.

After escaping its predicament, the Merlion King pitifully ran to Kroya's side, hugged the latter's leg, and seemed to have tears glistening in its big eyes.

Kroa found it amusing and ruffled the sea duck king's hair: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

The Sea Duck King immediately hugged it even tighter and rubbed against it several times.

"..."

The withering messenger in the distance never expected that he would be trapped.

She possesses the blessing of the goddess of the underworld, enabling her to travel between the worlds of the living and the dead—equivalent to the highest-level spatial blessings.

Now she was caught in a dilemma—should she tell the whole story, or should she simply die and return to the River of the Underworld to be reborn?

For the first time, the witch, who usually acted arrogantly because of her blessings, tasted bitterness.

"Sister witch!" Agatha exclaimed in shock.

In the blink of an eye, she hadn't realized what was happening and thought that giving the map to Kroya was the reason for this consequence.

The girl had never seen anything like this before, and was momentarily flustered.

"Don't rush," Chloe reassured her. "I just want to chat with this witch..."

As he spoke, he took out a delicate little house from his spatial magic ring and tossed it gently into the distance.

The house began to grow larger as soon as it was built, eventually becoming a three-story mansion with bright windows, wooden walls, and lifelike metal flowerbeds made with exquisite craftsmanship.

"Wow!" Agatha's attention was immediately drawn to the mansion.

Let alone her, even some low-level superhumans probably don't have the chance to see such a mansion. This thing is just too valuable.

However, this was something that Kroa casually carved when he was bored.

No matter how skilled the elves were at creating mansions, they could never compare to the spatial folding technology of the Sky Ark. Therefore, using the same materials, this mansion was twice the size of the one made by the elves.

It's a full 300 square meters, and the entire interior is designed according to his ideal of a smart home. You can say that once you're inside, you only need to move around, and everything else will be handled by the smart modules.

After the mansion was fully unfolded, he used his strength to pull the Withering Messenger, and then led Agatha and the Sea Duck King straight into the mansion.

Upon entering, the lights in the room slowly illuminated, accompanied by a magical glow and a voice: "Welcome back, Master."

"We will process your request now..."

"Activate the magic binding array..."

A special magic rune slowly lit up on the floor, completely isolating the interior of the mansion from the outside world. Once the magic rune was formed, Kroya released the restraints on the Withering Messenger.

He sat down on the soft sofa, first gesturing for Agatha to go to another room, then hugged the Sea Duck King: "Now you have no way to escape, Miss Witch."

Tell me, what exactly is this so-called equivalent exchange?

The Withering Messenger was well aware of her current situation. After much deliberation, she said helplessly, "Mr. Sun, in the extraordinary world, the more you know, the more dangerous it becomes."

She tried to dissuade Chloe in this way, but the goddess hadn't explicitly said she could tell Chloe, and she really didn't dare to.

However, Chloe laughed nonchalantly: "Since it has already happened, and I don't care how much I know."

He is still cautious now, but not as cautious as before. He always needs to understand things in order to deal with them better.

With his power, he no longer needed to care or be careful; he could see the reality of the world as he pleased.

"..." The Withering Messenger's faceless face "stared" at Kroya, and finally chose to speak.

She spoke aloud, "That is the legendary Tree of Life, which my goddess of the underworld obtained from the celestial realm."

"It is one of the most original alchemical systems, and the vast majority of our transactions are built around it."

"That is, equivalent exchange."

She slowly stretched out six arms as soft as strips of cloth, drawing in the air, which immediately formed an upside-down tree that shimmered before Kroa.

"You only need to pay a price to receive a gift; the higher the price, the more precious the gift."

Kroa looked at the shimmering tree before him. "Heh, isn't that just a sacrifice? A sacrifice to receive a reward. This tree... isn't just from the Astral Plane, but also from the power of an extraterrestrial god, right?"

"I'm curious, do you and Clare have any connection?"

—Kreha is the former goddess of life.

"!!!" The Withering Messenger was shocked; his face, devoid of features, turned deathly pale. "How do you know the goddess's name?"

There was one more thing she didn't say: Kroya actually knew that it was the power of the outer gods of the starry sky...

It's no wonder she was so shocked. God's real name is actually a high-level esoteric knowledge. Reciting God's name can directly establish a connection with God.

Generally speaking, deities do not reveal their true names.

Not to mention the name Kreha...

"Heh, I knew that." Chloe appeared relaxed and at ease. "I also know you're a remnant of Northumbria."

"..."

"!!!"

The Withering Messenger was at a loss for words. Luckily, she had no facial features, otherwise she would probably be twisted into a grotesque mess by now.

Who exactly is this Sun Mage? How does he even know these secrets? Will there be any problems if the Goddess sends him to the western border of the Kingdom of Norland for a trade?

Upon sensing the unusual fluctuations in the mental energy of the Withering Messenger, Kroya knew she had guessed correctly; the goddess of the underworld was indeed the former goddess of life.

As for the so-called survivors of Northumbria, it was just something Cloa tried asking, but unexpectedly, she actually managed to trick them into revealing it.

It's just unknown what He went through from life to ruling the underworld, and what He wants to do now.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask another question.

But the Withering Messenger interrupted him directly: "Neither my goddess nor I have any ill intentions. The crystal skeleton will bring benefits to your territory, Mr. Sun. This was decided by the goddess and a knight."

Even if you kill me now, I still can't tell you anything more.

After she finished speaking, she simply stood there quietly, seemingly indifferent to being killed or tortured at will.

Anyway, you can be reborn in the underworld after you die.

"Knight? Could it be..." Kroya pondered for a moment, then glanced at the Withering Messenger who was already waiting to die, but did not ask any further questions.

However, he was also certain that this was a good thing. In any case, no matter what those gods were thinking, as long as it brought him benefits, he wouldn't care too much.

"Then, the power of the crystal skeleton..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Withering Messenger impatiently said, "The Crystal Skeleton is a special magical plant system. Each of the 206 bones represents a magical plant."

"Summoned?"

"That's right."

"What is the price?"

"..." The Withering Messenger hesitated for a moment: "Suffering, take that girl Agatha for example, she experienced unimaginable suffering in the first half of her life."

That's why she was able to obtain the finger bone from this rice tree with fangs; it was as if she had traded her suffering for a future free from food worries.

Cloa exclaimed in surprise, "Suffering?"

This was something he hadn't expected. The suffering he had endured in the past could actually be exchanged for such a special treasure. Then... how many people in this world suffer?

If all of them could be exchanged for treasures, how many could one actually obtain?

The Withering Messenger could see what Kroya was thinking and reminded her, "Some people live their entire lives in suffering, but the value of such an exchange can only be measured when the suffering has completely ended."

Kroya understood what she meant: her current large-scale construction in the West was a radical change for the natives, which would completely separate them from their previous lives.

That's how suffering ends, and only then can it be exchanged.

But other people on the mainland may never have such an opportunity in their entire lives; suffering will continue until the last moment of their lives, and there will be no chance to exchange it.

This was something that Kroa had never heard of before.

"Then what's the point of all this suffering?" he asked, increasingly curious. "Since you believe it's an equal exchange, then it must be equal, right?"

"That's right."

"For the goddess, it is indeed equivalent."

"He has seen far too many souls at the end of the River of the Underworld who have lived a life of numbness and suffering, never able to enjoy true happiness, and destined to endure the suffering of the next life."

Therefore, He desperately wanted to help those people escape their suffering, and throughout the entire continent of Zemuria, only you, Mr. Sun, have accomplished this.

The Withering Messenger waved its arm, revealing a scene—a deep, flowing, pitch-black river, in which floated numb souls, their souls even blacker than the river itself.

It seems... that the river is gradually turning black.

This scene greatly surprised Kroya: "I've heard that the River of the Underworld is pitch black. Could it not have originally been black?"

"Yes. The River of the Underworld wasn't originally this dark color, but as more and more souls wailed and suffered, it turned into this."

Whether it was genuine joy or not, the Messenger of Decay revealed more secrets: "The souls of the living will pass through the River of the Underworld, washing away everything that belongs to the world of the living, but suffering is the heaviest and the hardest to wash away."

The goddess once said that the River of the Underworld's purifying power is getting weaker and weaker, and suffering will exist permanently with the soul, eventually being completely dragged down by the heavy suffering.

At that time, even the goddess herself would be unable to maintain a normal soul, and the world would descend into suffering and desolation.

"..."

This was truly the first time he had heard of such a secret matter. After thinking about it carefully, Kroya suddenly realized that it seemed to be true.

He has been in this world for nearly ten years, and every time he looks out, he sees people struggling in suffering. This is, of course, due to the world's structural system.

But more than that, it seems they were born into suffering.

Now he can understand some of it.

"So you should thank me? I've helped so many people escape suffering; that should be a great help to your goddess, right?"

"You're right, so I'm willing to trade with more people in your territory..."

"Preaching on the side?" Chloe interrupted her with a half-smile: "You deliberately let Agatha get that picture, don't you really think any faith will flow to your goddess?"

He had actually sensed that the painting contained extremely special magic, the kind of power that could teleport and transfer regardless of distance, and the ability to absorb faith.

If this continues, it might eventually form a "Tree of Life Cult," taking root and growing into a great tree in the Western Regions.

"..." The Withering Messenger chuckled awkwardly, clearly having been guessed by Kroya. Her goddess wanted to break free from the constraints of the world and needed the help of external forces.

This "Tree of Life" is the helper chosen by the goddess, who can help her break free from the shackles of the world and enter the astral plane to become a true great god, a ladder to godhood.

Kroa was indeed considering whether or not to accept the goddess of the underworld's offer.

To be honest, quite a few denominations are indeed trying to expand into his area. A peaceful, tranquil, and prosperous region would be beneficial for most churches' missionary work.

Rather than letting those with ill intentions in, it's better to cooperate with the goddess of the underworld—this goddess's church is actually quite domineering, after all, since death is involved, other churches dare not have too much contact with them.

Moreover, he also heard a lot about the goddess of life, Kreha, from Mia, who is a rare kind goddess.

It's better to be able to get along with someone like this, who you can at least somewhat understand, than with those strange deities, especially since he has the upper hand in this relationship.

The goddess of the underworld needs his ability to alleviate suffering in order to better repair the river of the underworld.

To put it bluntly, in the entire continent of Zemuria, absolutely no one could do better than him.

With that thought in mind, he said to the Messenger of Withering: "I can ignore your missionary work, but if I find that you are glorifying suffering, or are leading people astray..."

I'll capture you all and put you to the sun.

Kroya's smile remained warm, like the morning sun.

But in the eyes of the Withering Messenger, they were more terrifying than the demons and devils of hell and the abyss—to make them bask in the sun? What a cruel punishment!

She trembled slightly and quickly assured them, "You can rest assured that everything we do is in accordance with the guidance of the Goddess and Mr. Theodore, and even our current communication is under their watchful eyes."

"Hmm?" Kroa blinked and waved her hand, scattering a cloud of powder floating in the void. The powder seemed to have a life of its own, quickly surging in a certain direction.

then……

Space seemed to be eroded, gradually revealing the image of Cleopatra, the goddess of the underworld, and Theodore, watching from a great distance through their believers.

Kreha: "..."

Theodore: "..."

The two were chatting in a garden full of black and gold flowers when they were completely surprised that someone would find them by following the divine power. Their surprise was no less than when they saw their online friends find them by following the internet connection.

For a moment, both a god and a legendary knight seemed somewhat stunned.

The knight with the gray hair was the first to react, waving to Chloe and saying, "Hello!"

Theodore's ability to be targeted by the legendary mage Irisviel while he was alive, and to so quickly enter the eyes of the goddess of the underworld after his death, must have been due to something special.

Despite the eerie atmosphere of the place, his wave and smile exuded a sunny and cheerful aura, no wonder he was so popular.

What a jerk!

Kroya, however, had a sullen face. He really hated the feeling of being watched. No wonder he felt something was wrong earlier; it turned out someone really was spying on them.

"Your Majesty."

"I hate being spied on the most."

He warned sternly, "If you continue like this, I will make you and your church pay the price."

This is certainly more than just a threat.

The Underworld is actually surrounded by the Astral Plane. Theodore has his Rock Note on him, which is why he was able to discover it so quickly and launch a remote attack on the Underworld Goddess's divine realm.

What would happen if the power of the sun came into contact with death? He was actually quite curious about it.

The goddess, shrouded in black mist, never expected to be threatened, but she was genuinely worried about the sorcerer who could so quickly cross the barrier between reality and the underworld to find her…

Well, I can't afford to mess with them.

So He laughed: “My followers cannot decide such an important matter, which is why I am watching over this place.”

Sun Mage, to express my apology.

I will grant you authority.

You would definitely need an authority that allows the deceased to remain in the world forever.

Thank you so much for your monthly tickets and recommendation votes! I'm extremely grateful!

(End of this chapter)