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

Chapter 322. Evolved Humanity, Eros' Arrow

Star Town.

The Titan puppet Iotes still stands beneath the astral veil that the Titans once created, a substitute for the real starry sky.

Through the veil of stars, he could clearly see the radiant divine kingdom, and also the light that slept within it, growing ever weaker under the scorching flames of faith.

On the other side was a chaotic yet bizarre, earthy-yellow kingdom where all sorts of minerals and magical plants grew, and a figure was also sleeping there.

He gazed at the two kingdoms, and the magical instruments beside him immediately lit up, beginning to record his words:

"Record: The power of the Father of Light is being influenced and gradually squeezed out by the fire of faith of believers. He is unwilling to give his power to believers, but faith is forcing Him."

"Record: The prophesied day of destruction is drawing ever closer."

"Record: The earth will not be able to bear the enormous impact of the falling light, which is roughly equivalent to the legendary magic 'Sunflare Arc' descending upon the human kingdoms of the Zemurian continent."

"Record: Archmage Eurydice of the Astral Council has arrived to assist in the matter."

This is a top secret known only to him and his creators; his existence is to observe and record the changes that occur in this world.

Even as the mages of the Astral Council built tower after tower around him, encroaching on his territory, and the Starveline Array gradually transformed into Startown, not a single mage knew his true mission.

Even the legends of the Astral Council were unaware of this, believing he was created by the Titans to help maintain world stability and act as a guide.

He gazed at the fading divine kingdom, now threatened by the menacing presence of hyenas lurking nearby, and suddenly recalled the words of his creator when he was still just an intelligent core—

"The existence of gods is like a parasite on the world, especially gods related to faith. Only the foolish can believe in them. They control and interfere, seriously affecting the development of the world."

"Our ancestors experienced such changes, and for their faith... they finally endured countless blood and tears before finally finding liberation."

Back then, Iotes was just an intelligent core, completely unable to comprehend the creator's profound meaning. But now, he has observed this world for a very long time and has even left his "bloodline" on the continent.

The thought of the young mage who had become the president of the Mage Association amused him, so he turned the veil of stars in front of him around and began to observe the direction of the Kingdom of Norland.

Unfortunately, even the veil of stars could not penetrate the veil of moonlight covering the Sea of ​​Atlantis, nor the radiant glow that gradually expanded across the North and West.

He observed, muttering to himself:

"Using God as a tool."

"Faith, if applied rationally..."

He thought about it and felt that this might be the most suitable method.

The desires borne by deities are far more exaggerated than those of sorcerers; they must accept the endless "wishes" of believers, and the desires that those wishes represent...

Just like the light now, it is being scorched by the flames formed by the wishes of believers. However, it is hard to say whether the light did not anticipate this or whether the light did so intentionally.

"In the holy scriptures of light, the first to suffer before the end times are the gods themselves."

"Does he know about this? Or is he ignoring it?"

Thinking of this, he looked at the space magic circle that was lighting up next to him and saw a magician walking out of it.

The magician he was gazing at was exceptionally handsome, with a tall, muscular build and a broad chest. His face was like a sculpture meticulously crafted by a master artist, with a high nose, bright eyes, and golden pupils that seemed to hold fragments of sunlight and the power of thunder.

Even the golem Iotes, created by the Titans, had to admit that if Eurydice hadn't become Iris's apprentice, she would have been snatched away by the goddess of love and beauty.

If she were to become an earthly saint or pope, she'd be perfect. Of course, in the end, those gods would most likely get a good beating from Iris.

"So, what did you find?" Iotos didn't mention the question he had been pondering.

"That's amazing."

Eurydice laughed heartily: "I felt the magic of the Sky Ark. I stayed on the Isle of the Vast Reef for so long, and the Ark was unwilling to come out to see me. I didn't expect that Kroa would get Him."

"So you're planning to rob it?"

"Why would I steal it?" Eurydice shook her head indifferently. "I just want to prove that the Sky Ark still exists. Besides, my teacher was entrusted by a friend to take good care of Chloe."

"Maybe he'll be my junior in the future."

"I think he would be willing to let me assist in the research of the Ark's knowledge."

To this, Iotez merely gave a look of disgust—everyone knows that you and your mentor Irist have a penchant for stealing things, from gods to demons, and it's said that Irist has recently been attacking the veil of the underworld.

They only intended to capture the escaped knight.

As expected of Aphrodite's offspring, her pursuit of beauty is simply incomprehensible.

Eurydice, who noticed the Titan Golem's expression, did not offer any explanation. How could such a "machine" possibly understand the pursuit of beauty? Oh, perhaps he knew a little about the beauty of magic runes and mathematics.

Eurydice changed the subject: "I discovered that Chloe has secretly arranged for many people to destroy the foundations of faith in the light and the earth, and he even has many armies operating in the shadows."

"How did they destroy the foundation of faith?" Iotez asked curiously, as he genuinely didn't know the answer.

"The church primarily spread its faith to the nobility, who generally faced illnesses or physical ailments."

"The bards of Chloe gave those sunflowers to the nobles for free. The magical sunflower oil could not only cure some basic diseases, but even lift curses... and some effects that were almost insane for women."

Eurydice opened his palm, and a ball of golden sunflower oil floated quietly in his hand. Within that ball of oil, which appeared to have only a faint magical fluctuation, there was actually a wisp of true golden light, even smaller than a speck of magical dust.

That tiny little thing, yet it's like a sun.

"..."

The Titan puppet's face showed a clear expression of surprise.

That constant, yet vibrant, golden radiance can slow down the aging process, and if there is enough of it, it can even cause complete stillness!

Such miraculous and special magical power is given to just anyone? And to ordinary people no less?

He really didn't know what to say.

In fact, not only him, but even Eurydice, the great mage who had seen many wonderful things in the astral plane, was quite surprised when he first discovered this wisp of eternal magic.

But he was even more surprised after conducting some magic tests and examinations on those people.

"Look at this data." He showed the data about the human body that he had collected to Aiotes, who was shocked after just one glance.

"Is he trying to evolve the entire human race?"

"Has he stopped limiting his research to magical plants and magical beasts?"

The data clearly shows that this eternal magic gradually nourishes the human body and even affects the structure of the astral body. If one receives this magic for a long time, it will have an extremely beneficial effect on the next generation.

The sun's light itself possesses the ability to destroy evil, and in addition, it can extend lifespan. As this is passed down from generation to generation, humanity's sensitivity to magic, lifespan, and even resistance to external magic will increase significantly.

It should be noted that the greatest strengths of the elves are their almost divinely granted long lifespan, innate talents, and physical prowess.

However, the reproductive capacity of races like elves is far inferior to that of humans. If the overall lifespan of humans were to become longer, coupled with their terrifying reproductive capacity...

To put it extremely, this is really not a good thing.

Eurydice, of course, understood his concerns: "We cannot define good and bad, right and wrong, before things happen. Are you suggesting that you try to stop his actions?"

"A monk's curiosity is the hardest to suppress; trying to suppress it will only lead to disaster."

"Besides, we still don't know what he's going to do."

Fear of the unknown is the most terrible thing. Even if the unknown may cause unimaginable results, blind fear is not feasible. Iotus knew this, but knowing and doing are two different things.

"He hasn't returned to this world yet," Iotos said helplessly. "He should still be in the Ark's garden. Are you planning to wait until he comes out before making a decision?"

"certainly."

Eurydice casually found a place to sit down. "Let those servants of the gods wait for now. They're usually idle anyway. We'll deal with them when Chloe comes out."

"I found something really fun at Chloe's Little Heroes's place, and it seems really good."

After saying that, he casually cast a spell, instantly creating a small, beautiful courtyard, no bigger than the palm of his hand. Then he shrank and crawled inside.

"..."

Iotes turned his head and glanced at the cardinals who were waiting at the temple of the goddess of love, but ultimately said nothing.

Anyway, it's really not much different from what Eurydice said. They usually just pray, pray, pray... Now they're just waiting in the place closest to the god they serve, which seems pretty good.

……

the other side.

Inside the Ark Garden.

Kroya had no idea that she was being talked about.

He was currently leading his demon army, following Mia through a peculiar garden—a garden that had been abandoned.

We've been walking for three days and three nights.

This place seems completely out of place compared to the mysterious and beautiful Ark Garden. The entire land is covered with messy weeds, and there are stone tablets cut in half among the weeds.

"What are you looking for by bringing me here?" Chloe and Mia were quite familiar with each other, so Chloe simply asked, "We've been walking around here for three days!"

Miya said slowly, "What's the rush?"

He knew about Chloe's plan. Even if Chloe didn't go out, the plan outside would still proceed smoothly. Wouldn't it be great to see the result when he went out?

"Then you have to tell me what it is."

"We'll be there soon." Miya didn't keep them in suspense any longer: "That's the source of the calamity that once struck another world, a very beautiful thing."

—Just as He finished speaking, an extremely beautiful fruit tree appeared not far away, bearing brilliant golden apples.

It stands quietly in the center of the earth covered by weeds and broken stone tablets, as if it were from another world. It is so beautiful, with every branch stretching out in the fresh air and every apple like a manifestation of "beauty".

It was far more beautiful than the golden apple trees that Kroa planted in Eden; it seemed almost too real to exist.

The contrast was so stark that even Kroya couldn't help but squint slightly, feeling a sense of disgust towards a magical plant for the first time in his life.

"The Golden Apple Tree on the West Coast".

He vaguely remembered something, but it was still as if he were looking through a thin, indistinct mist. He could only imagine that three goddesses were fighting around the golden apple tree.

“That’s right.” Miya approached the golden apple tree. “It was left here by a god and is related to Iris’s ancestors.”

"It created an epic war and affected countless people. It seemed that the goddess was displeased because of an unfair ruling, but in the end it was just because of the instructions of a higher god - it is better to have it all to yourself than to have it all to yourself."

He stood on tiptoe and plucked a golden apple from the apple tree, handing it to Chloe: "Try it and see what it tastes like."

As she said this, Miya's face showed obvious anticipation as well as a well-hidden, playful smile.

Kroa looked at Him suspiciously for a few moments, but ultimately trusted Him and took a bite. With a "crunch," what flooded into her mouth was not sweet juice, but scarlet blood.

Blood gushed out from the gaping wound like a spring, staining the earth crimson. The wild grass stood stubbornly on the ground, yet it appeared so desolate.

Kroya, who had just eaten a mouthful of blood: "..."

The water demon beside him immediately brought clear water to his mouth so he could rinse it. After he spat it out, he stared at Miya with an unfriendly expression.

Miya said calmly, "This is a true divine fruit, a wedding gift from the primordial earth to the God King and his wife."

What you just ate was its last living fruit.

"Um?"

Kroya immediately looked at the golden apple tree, only to find that all the golden apples that had been shining brightly on the tree had disappeared, leaving only branches and no more fruit.

Then he looked down at the apple that was still bleeding. The golden peel covered the pale yellow flesh, but the flesh was flowing with scarlet blood, which was simply bizarre.

"So what exactly is it used for?"

"Bleeding? This doesn't seem to be human or monster blood..."

Just as he was puzzled, the golden apple in his hand faintly emitted a spiritual fluctuation—

"War...atonement."

"The war I started..."

"I will atone with my blood."

Its mental fluctuations were quite weak, and it carried a deep sense of apology. It seemed as if one could vaguely see a figure solemnly bowing in apology.

"It seems it has already made contact with you." Miya then explained, "After it started that war because of its ownership, it was stained with countless blood, including the blood of demigods, mortal heroes, and true gods."

This vital blood was preserved within it, flowing through its veins, and could be used for post-war recovery after the war ended.

"Aren't you helping that little hero William restore the earth? His blood is the best nourishment; all magical plants and beasts can devour his blood and grow strong."

"God's magic will bless the earth."

Upon hearing this, Kroya looked down at it for a long while. "But I sensed that it was in great pain, and the source of its pain seemed to be a god."

—Through the Astral Imprint Technique, Kroa could see that deep within the Astral Body of this apple was an arrow embedded in it, wreathed in an ominous black aura.

Eros's Arrow

The being affected by this imprint will trigger endless battles; it will regret, yet can only offer futile attempts at redemption.

The arrow's shape looked somewhat familiar, and the magic it emitted seemed familiar as well. He remembered seeing it inside Daphne's true form. But there was a difference; they were similar yet not the same.

"Huh?" Miya asked in surprise, "What did you see? Can you tell me?"

"It was an arrow from a god named Eros..." Kroya told Mia about her discovery, hoping that the latter's knowledge could explain it to her.

Unexpectedly, Miya showed a blank expression—she really didn't know that there was a god's curse inside, something that even the power of the Ring of Radiance couldn't detect.

What was even more unexpected was that the Golden Apple trembled violently after hearing Kroya's words, and the blood flowing from it added an indelible resentment.

"He".

Why...?

"My existence..."

The Golden Apple's mental fluctuations were filled with resentment, like a deep and cold fog, full of malice, sending chills down one's spine.

Blood of resentment flowed across the earth, gradually reflecting a tall figure surrounded by blazing fire and icy water, with no fire visible except at the ankles.

But for some reason, Kroya had a feeling that there was an arrow stuck in his ankle...

"The knee has turned into an ankle?" He wasn't scared, just curious.

The tall figure opened its eyes in the reflection of the river of blood and slowly looked at Kroya. There was no disgust or anything else in its eyes, only fighting spirit.

"Apollo..."

A deep voice arose, accompanied by the sounds of war drums and the clanging of metal on metal.

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(End of this chapter)