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

Chapter 298. Flesh and Blood Suffering

The authority of the goddess of the underworld?

Did He know that He was setting up Valhalla?

Kroya remained expressionless. What he didn't know was that the goddess of the underworld had indeed sensed something amiss. As the goddess who ruled the underworld, it was actually quite easy for her to see things.

Although He certainly couldn't penetrate Eden to see the truth, the fact that no souls ever came to the underworld from Chloe's territory, despite the casualties, was enough to make Him suspicious.

If it were anyone else, even powerful forces like the Church of the Seven Gods or the elves and dwarves, He would have attacked without hesitation—the Hades' duty is the death and life of souls, and doing so would be undermining His very foundation.

It's one thing for you to take some believers' souls into the underworld, but if you take all the souls away, will His underworld still exist?

But it's Kroa now.

Even gods tend to be kinder to geniuses with great potential.

Therefore, He wanted to give away this authority.

"Let the dead remain in this world," Kroya repeated, then calmly asked, "In what form can they walk the earth?"

He didn't say much, and the goddess of the underworld, Kreha, didn't ask any more questions either. She simply replied, "The laws of the underworld will no longer forcibly bind them. As long as they have a body to which they can reside, they can continue to exist."

However, I need to warn you.

Even the most powerful magic cannot suppress the accumulation of negative energy within the deceased. They are very likely to harbor resentment towards the world, and if problems arise…”

He didn't say anything more, but Kroya knew that if that day ever came, Kreha might take forceful action to maintain order in the world of the living.

"Can't the River of the Underworld wash away negative energy?" Kroya thought of a method: "If we bathe in the River of the Underworld regularly, could we wash away the accumulated negative energy and maintain normalcy?"

He glanced at Theodore as he said this.

The gray-haired knight and his companions showed no unusual behavior. How did they maintain their stability and the purity of their souls?

Theodore didn't think there was anything wrong with saying it. Before the goddess of the underworld could speak, he said to Chloe, "Actually, the emblem of the Tree of Life is inside my body."

It is the path to eternal paradise, and of course it can maintain my sanity. If Your Majesty the Goddess is willing to help me, I can even return to the world of the living.

He glanced at Kreha.

Kreha immediately curled her lip: "That's absolutely impossible. If you leave the protection of the Underworld, you'll be captured by Ilister again. Do you want to be kept as a pet by her?"

Kroa: "..."

Wait, so you have the emblem of the Tree of Life inside you? I didn't even notice.

What did Theodore use in exchange?

Besides, he has absolutely no interest in the love-hate relationships between you gods and legendary mages. But this Theodore is truly remarkable, to be fought over by both gods and legendary mages… tsk.

Chloe thought to herself, intending to record it in her book.

These secrets belonging to the gods may become invaluable historical materials in the future.

The goddess of the underworld dispelled Theodore's desire to return to the world of the living before answering Kroya's question: "The River of the Underworld can wash away this accumulation of negative energy. I can grant you that permission."

But... Mr. Sun.

"For the River of the Underworld to flow into the world of the living, you need to expend a great deal of effort, and it also requires a very special space to stabilize the magical runes."

He gazed at Chloe.

When His messenger was bound, He sensed what appeared to be familiar magical runes. If it truly was the runes of the Ark… then even in the Astral Plane, there were no more unique spatial runes than those of the Sky-Radiant Ark.

Empty Yao Ark...

So He was willing to grant permission, since He had already promised to send one gift, so sending another wouldn't matter.

"Of course." Kroya smiled without hesitation: "I have a very special small-scale dimensional world that should be able to accommodate a small river of the underworld."

If you're willing to come, you might even see an old friend.

old friend?

Kreha, the goddess of the underworld, felt a sudden tremor in her usually calm heart.

He felt he should be excited, which was unusual for an ancient god whose experiences were so complex as to be beyond description, but He just wanted to look forward to it.

What if?

So He nodded solemnly: "I will personally bring a tributary of the River of the Underworld to await you. As long as you are ready, I will descend."

"My church will cooperate fully with you, dear Sun, lovely Master Mage. Have you considered... finding someone to become my chosen one?"

Yes, just a moment ago, He wanted to invite Kroa to become His Favorite, but to a powerful mage, that would be similar to saying, "Be my son."

Saying this would definitely offend people—Kreha never expected that she, at such a high position, would still have to consider whether or not she would offend people.

This was a rare and novel experience for Him, making Him feel that the whole of God had come alive.

"The one who is attached."

Kroya paused for a moment, then began to consider the question carefully.

The time that can be spent in direct contact with the goddess of the underworld, Kreha, is certainly not very long. There is indeed a divine chosen one to act as a messenger. So who should be chosen?

He thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Let's go with Agatha. That girl is the turning point for us to meet, and I think she's a good fit."

The treatment of the goddess of the underworld's chosen ones is actually quite good. Not only do they receive a lot of power, but they also don't have to worry about dying. In addition, the goddess of the underworld is very protective of her own, which puts her among the top of all the gods' chosen ones.

"Of course." Kreha didn't care who the chosen one was.

This was originally intended for Kroya to decide.

The two, one human and one god, chatted casually for a while afterward.

The first thing Chloe was curious about was why He called Him "Mr. Sun".

Kreha said that it was Illist who told Him, and that the legendary mage described Kroa as as bright and handsome as the sun.

He thought this assessment was quite reasonable, so he adopted that name as well.

Kroya could only sigh in exasperation. He had thought something had been exposed, but it turned out the title was just a description of appearance.

To change the subject of this somewhat awkward topic, he inquired about the reward he would receive if he continued to help the goddess of the underworld end her suffering.

The goddess of the underworld stated that the magical plant in the crystal skeleton is "a gift that is not all good; it will be presented in the most pleasing way."

Before Kroya could even seriously consider what this meant...

He gave Kroa a list of resources from the underworld, along with the number of people whose suffering needed to be ended.

The list includes everything from the most basic earth of the underworld to the light of the underworld gods that is difficult for ordinary people to access.

The list itself is a rare source of knowledge about the underworld, and it could fetch at least a million magic crystals if it were offered to someone else.

The goddess of the underworld's words made it clear to Kroya that what he was doing was important to her, and knowing this, he became more casual in his attitude.

The topic of conversation also changed, becoming what is currently happening in mainland China.

As the goddess of the underworld and the final resting place of all the dead, Clare naturally knows more than Chloe, since the dead do not lie.

He told Chloe that a holy war was expected to break out in the future.

The harvesting of faith always occurs when disaster strikes. The Father of Light and the Mother of Earth will always choose to perform miracles when the disaster reaches its peak, harvesting a wave of faith and forcibly waking them from their slumber.

He also told Kroa that the current gods, such as the Goddess of Life, the Earth Mother, and the Father of Light, had fallen into a deep sleep because of the Ark of the Sky. They would only be able to officially take over their divine duties once they awoke.

Some deities do not wish for them to awaken.

Kreha didn't specify which gods were involved, but He was definitely among them.

He even hinted that some of these gods had participated in the War of the Ark and had a good relationship with the Ring of Radiance of the Sky Ark.

In other words, these deities will provide some assistance.

Kroya suddenly realized why the goddesses of love, moon, and sea had been so generous in helping him—it turned out that the power of the Sky Ark's "face fruit" was also involved.

He didn't find it embarrassing at all. He had only been in this world for a mere ten years, yet he had already become a formidable force. The future was still very long, and he had plenty of time ahead of him.

He was confident that he could also become a powerful figure, and leveraging his influence was not a problem at all.

Why should successful people get bogged down in these details?

……

After a long conversation, Kroya gained a deeper understanding of the situation on the continent and made arrangements for the next steps—contacting the Church of the Goddess of the Underworld, dealing with Agatha, the chosen one, and arranging for the intelligence agents lurking in the outside world…

After taking care of everything, he decided to go and see what was so special about the first gift the goddess of the underworld had given him—the Bone Demon Plant.

Soon, he arrived at the front lines of the pioneering effort.

The druids and beastmen were splashing diluted wine onto the ground, which had already been cleared and only needed to recover before they could begin planting.

Behind them followed small tree-people who, sensing the earth's renewed vitality, tossed the seeds they held directly into the soil and soothed it with the magic of nature.

The progress is rapid; this land is estimated to become a bountiful harvest field full of crops in about half a month at most.

"The matter was resolved so simply."

"How boring!"

Kroya shook his head, without dispelling the invisibility spell, and slowly walked towards the pioneer squad piloting the golem, where he saw Ropas.

At this moment, Lopas was sitting inside the golem, and countless thin, mycelium-like threads extended from his ribs, growing directly into the golem's control core.

Through these mycelia, he could easily manipulate the golem to perform a series of difficult movements, even more nimbly and effortlessly than controlling his own body.

After all, the materials and structure used for the golem were specially modified by Kroa after studying the elf body formed from the World Tree fruit of Mia.

Elves, after all, spend all their time running, leaping, and jumping in the forest, so their athletic talent is naturally extraordinary.

After experiencing the feeling of controlling the golem with his ribs, Ropas felt that even his own body was somewhat superfluous. He wondered if he could work better if he could enter the golem.

I won't feel tired because of hunger, I won't sleep because of tiredness, and I won't miss more opportunities because of sleep...

Such thoughts echoed in his mind.

So much so that he was completely unaware that his spirit was slipping into the golem, with drops of scarlet blood dripping from the mycelium, as if the crystal ribs were detaching from his body.

"..."

Kroya, who had initially thought it was quite good, was shocked when she noticed this. My God, this magical plant can actually contain a person's spirit and soul?

He didn't rush to intervene, but instead carefully observed the structure of these mycelial magical plants, muttering to himself, "Flesh-bitter fungus, what a unique magical structure."

For some reason, a thought popped into his mind—

Flesh and blood are weak and feeble, while machinery soars to new heights.

He had never seen such a magical plant before, capable of containing spiritual power and soul, and even perfectly integrated into the body of a golem.

However, he managed to stop Ropas first.

If we don't stop it, this guy's soul will completely enter the crystal rib and then burrow into the golem!

The stopped Ropas was still a little confused: "Master Aroc, if I can enter this golem, I should be able to get an audience with Duke of Hanju, right?"

This is my only chance!

Kroya knew he might have some complaints, so he waved his hand and said, "I'm not trying to stop you from making a decision, but rather to let you calm down and think it over carefully before making a decision!"

There are far too many people who make irrational decisions in the heat of the moment, let alone relying solely on magical plants, which are still unknown. Nobody knows what might happen.

But Ropas laughed: "Don't worry, I've already thought it through."

"Do you remember what I told you last night? I need to seize these opportunities to move up; only in this way can I prove my worth."

I've heard that Duke Hanjiao is fond of all sorts of strange magical plants. If I fuse with a magical plant like this, will he give me a chance?

I want to strive to climb higher, but it's all too slow.

Kroya paused for a moment: "But that would be using yourself as research material. A mage's research is not as simple as you think."

"—I know." Ropas looked at him and repeated firmly, "I know."

This is the second time that Kroa has been speechless.

He finally understood what the goddess of the underworld meant when she said, "Gifts are not always good; they are presented in the most pleasing way."

Agatha only wanted food, so her gift was simply rice; Lopas, however, wanted to quickly gain a higher status. What consequences would this desire bring?

What would happen if someone else obtained the Crystal Skull?

He suddenly realized that he might have to work hard, at least to keep an eye on all the people who obtained the crystal skeletons to prevent them from doing anything rash.

This is indeed a gift, but if it falls into the hands of an extremist, it could turn into a disaster.

"All right."

He nodded gently: "My friend, as long as you don't regret it."

His answer was Lopas's nimble climb up the golem. The young warrior looked at the metal, technologically advanced golem in front of him and lovingly stroked it with his fingers.

In fact, Ropas had only been here for a day, but he felt that he should belong to the golem. The golem's streamlined design, hard and cold metal structure, and cool movements fascinated him.

"I must get in!"

He clenched his fist, trying to control himself as he burrowed into the core of the golem—the flesh-eating fungus sensed his desire and more quickly enveloped Ropas's soul and spirit, merging them into the core of the golem.

This process is, of course, extremely painful. The soul leaves the body, and one has to force one's consciousness into such a confined space, and finally adapt to the core structure of the golem...

To be honest, at first, Kroya really didn't think he could hold on, and even prepared to rescue him in time.

As it turned out, Lopas actually endured it; his body gradually lost temperature and became stiff. But the golem became increasingly agile, and the indicator light on its chest flashed with a light that pulsed like a heartbeat.

Kroa, who had been observing from the sidelines, could see that the bitter flesh fungus had changed—

【Bitter Flesh Fungus (Possessed by a Spirit)】

[Within this demonic plant resides a complete human soul, yearning for rapid growth, and thus the spirit of the flesh-eating fungus responded to him.]

The relationship between the two is symbiotic.

When a human dies, the flesh-eating fungus also dies; when the fungus survives, the human soul will endure until the fungus withers.

The golem strode up to Kroa.

Thanks to the built-in voice module, Ropas is still able to speak.

"Master Aroc, look, I succeeded!"

He was genuinely happy, feeling content and joyful to be inside this golem made of such a hard alloy.

"Yes," Chloe smiled and said, "You succeeded."

The young mage slowly took a step forward. His somewhat worn robes and cloak disappeared in the dazzling light, and his robes, like the starry sky, reflected a halo of five colors under the sunlight.

Even the sun's light couldn't outshine him.

He could attract all attention simply by standing there.

Ropas: "...!"

The golem was stunned.

Kroa reached out and patted the golem's leg: "My friend, you longed to see me and serve me... so, here I am."

His idea was actually very simple: hard work should be rewarded. Lopas didn't hurt anyone; he just transformed himself into this state to get an opportunity.

It's truly unfair if even someone like that doesn't get a chance.

That's why Kroya appeared as the Duke of the Reef to fulfill his wish.

Thank you to the generous donor, and thank you to everyone for your monthly tickets and recommendations!

(End of this chapter)