Brain bloom

On the other side—the secular king intended to pick up the dried fruit from the table, reaching out several times and then withdrawing his hand each time.

He tried to soothe his numb mind with the sugars that had solidified from the dried fruit, but each time he was met with conflicting emotions due to the rising fear within him. The true God must be all-knowing and all-powerful; what if, because of the dried fruit, He were defined as a pleasure-seeking mediocre person…

Having mistakenly offended the true God, will the gods punish him? Will it shake all the current prosperity?

"The only thing to be thankful for is that the calamities that befell the world have been averted..." the secular king said slowly, his head bowed.

"Calamity is no longer a threat."

"I wonder how this will change the fate of our country..."

"Change? That's not something you or I should be thinking about. Don't forget, the true God came first, then your kingship. You are the ruler of the secular world, and I am the agent of the canon. We are ultimately mortals serving the gods."

The king's face grew even paler; he knew these truths all too well, and that was why he was so afraid. His royal power could be taken back at any moment, and in such a vast country, there would be no one to defend him.

The Pope, out of the corner of his eye, saw everything. He knew very well that only those who felt guilty would feel fear.

At this moment: "—Pope."

"It's Master Neil! What good news do you have for me?"

A woodpecker with brightly colored wings flew up to the high platform.

It spoke urgently, "The coffin bearers are collecting some boxes and need your permission."

“It’s not appropriate for me to interfere in such important matters. I have entrusted all the power of this country to the young man who guards the Blade of Chaos… Perhaps you should look for her? I don’t know what kind of box you’re talking about.”

"Well, the coffin carriers gave us some locations... uh, one of them is beneath your bedchamber; perhaps we'll have to dig it up..."

The true god came and said he wanted to excavate his house... Even just delivering a message was a headache for Master Woodpecker. This is a real dilemma, and for the Pope, it could be considered a show of force.

But the Pope's reaction was unusually strong—he stood up trembling, his eyes glazed over.

"The prophecy of the first pope has come true?" His teeth chattered, his throat seemed to have been sealed for decades and was no longer flexible. "I...I agree to all the demands, no—no need to dig, I know...I know what the coffin bearers need!"

"Old man, you've also secretly set up a treasure trove?" the secular king teased from the side. "Looks like you're going to suffer too."

Volume 1 #345 - What You Know

and also?

The woodpecker master pondered the word for a second, then suddenly understood. It had overheard an incredible secret, and instantly felt a fondness for the high and mighty king. And being a scoundrel with similar wicked intentions, it immediately flew to the king's side.

As it pecked at the dried fruit, it whispered—

"Your Majesty, let me tell you, the coffin bearers are short of money, and your treasury is likely to be wiped out."

“…So that’s how it is. The supreme God saw my greed, so He sent you to remind me…” The king’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, seemed to settle down, turning into a peaceful sigh. “Very well, I am willing to accept the punishment.”

Master Woodpecker couldn't help but wonder, could it really be like that?

"Walk……"

The Pope suddenly interrupted them.

He didn't hear the king's words at all, and his bright eyes seemed to be submerged in a swamp of memories, unable to see any of the present reality. Then, he began to mutter as if in a daze.

“My palace? No, that’s not my palace, it’s the first pope’s. We successors have always lived there… because we have to guard that box.”

"what?"

"follow me!"

The Pope drew the Staff of God, a symbol of supreme power, and infused it with spiritual energy to activate the magic. In an instant, he led Master Woodpecker to the palace. It was more of an ancient brick wall, barely habitable.

He walked through the gap in the brick wall; the conditions inside were meager, and the furniture was only enough to sustain a bare minimum of living.

"No wonder you always stay at the church. Everyone says you're extremely devout, but actually you just don't want to come back..."

“What the true God needs is…yes, it’s here…”

The Pope bent down and painstakingly dug up a floor tile, ignoring the flying dirt. He picked up the contents of the hidden compartment: a jet-black box. It was completely undecorated, simply square, and small enough to fit in one hand.

"The first pope once said that perhaps someone who needs it will appear."

"This is?"

“Yes, please take it to the great God… No, I will go myself.” He had many things he wanted to say to the coffin bearers.

“She is very strict about time.” Master Woodpecker looked at his wings and said, “If you approach it with a pilgrimage mentality, bowing down with every step, that won’t work.”

“I possess some divine power, which allows me to open the gates of the world and travel to all places.”

"Let's go then, to Silver Ring City."

……

Mori took the book, which always hovered in the library, engaging in the trade of knowledge, out of the devil's realm. The book, like a tame pet, flew around Mori.

They left the library and, following the instructions of the ancient Demon King, arrived at the market in the Demon Realm.

A group of strange individuals from different races were gathered in front of the large portal, waiting for it to open. Mori took a closer look and realized these people were all craftsmen, presumably there to help.

Sen Shi, an anomaly, stood out among the indigenous people, but most kept their distance upon seeing the abundant foliage on her head. Before the gate to the realm of demons—

"You've brought a... very interesting book." It seemed like a shy young girl, the eyes on its cover even blinking. "Could you tell me about it? Of course, I'll pay you."

"You mean the Book of Trillions of Stars?"

"Is this its name? I don't know, but there's a strange resonance with it."

Sen Shi pulled out her accounting book and proudly showed it to the other person. She gave a brief introduction, summarizing how amazing and incredible the book was, and how she had made it herself without spending much money.

While making the introduction, Mori felt a subtle tension, as if he were arranging a blind date for unmarried men and women.

Does it contain... the entire starry sky?

"Correct."

"The universe." It mentioned this word again.

"The place we are in is also a star in the vast universe, right?" Mori looked at it intently, hoping to get more information.

But the eyes on the cover are closed: "No."

"no?"

"The sky is an illusion... Even if you wave your strong wings and try to touch the heavens, you will find that it is nothing more than an entrance to another world. In that case—do you think that the earth beneath our feet is just a tiny star in a corner of the universe?"

Sen fell silent.

She knew a little about it; the whole world was made up of three interconnected rings: the human world, the realm of demons, and a world she had never visited... which seemed to be the abode of the true god.

"So, the universe doesn't actually exist? Then what are the day and night cycles, the night sky and the dawn we see...?"

"The true God always acts arbitrarily."

The book only provides this one sentence.

But it did not lock the door, leaving Mori with a wrong path to explore the truth.

"You'll have to tell me more, pay a higher price. As long as the Ancient Demon King exists, as long as it still governs the vast laws of this world, then... um? What about reciprocity in the trade? What about the divine authority wielded by the Ancient Demon King? Eh eh eh!"

"Well, he's no longer the Demon King."

Fortunately, this book only has one eye; if it unfortunately had a mouth, it would probably have already started tearing Mori apart.

It was in despair.

Mori had no choice but to explain the background and describe the ancient demon king's heroic appearance. Her speaking skills weren't very good, and her descriptions of the ancient demon king were mostly just "so powerful" and "really super powerful".

Gradually, the passage was opened—

Mori walked forward with the book, slowly joining the ranks behind the craftsmen.

She also noticed that Shu seemed quite depressed. Sen Shi shrugged, worried that if the guy got upset, he might cut off all the clues, so she could only comfort him as they walked.

"Once this is over, I will tell you as much as you want to know about that world. We will still do business according to the old rules... Anyway, that knowledge is not important."

Mori sighed. She wasn't cut out for farming, technological advancement, or territorial expansion. Besides—it seemed someone had already taken care of everything for her? A powerful nation was waiting for her to claim it herself… Come to think of it, that was indeed the case.

"Good, good, you're a good person, Four Seasons."

"Then tell me the truth. What exactly is going on with this universe? I have so many questions for you, like the clock, Eden Bank, this world, the true God, and so on..."

Mori stepped into the chaotic portal, the book following closely behind. The dizziness he had grown accustomed to, and the intense sense of temporal disorientation, assailed Mori's soul.

In this situation, the book calmly uttered a statement that is both unforgettable and enigmatic.

"The answer will be long... but please don't forget that the vast universe you know... may exist because of you."

Volume 1 #346: What about me?

In the square, the people were quite surprised; they hadn't expected the devil's speech to be so moving.

This owl-shaped object also exudes a sinister, decaying aura—at least that's how the supreme coffin bearers describe it, so this thing is a devil. Its speech on human nature is truly remarkable.

This is understandable, as the ancient king of demons is the most senior demon, so it is no surprise that he is eloquent and good at deceiving humans.

But he hates these time-wasting speeches.

It stands on the ice table, with the pocket watch and Fufu, so you can ask for the time when you're free.

The situation is not optimistic.

An hour and a half has passed since the appearance of the mimosa plant, which conveyed the path to repairing the pocket watch.

There were only about three to four hours until the actual sunrise... and ten minutes were needed so that it could die at Mori's hands, having nowhere else to go. It didn't want that ending; it longed to awaken its daughter with its own hands—just like every precious day in its memories.

But is there enough time...? It couldn't help but have doubts.

Perhaps its worries had an effect, and a glimmer of hope appeared before its eyes.

The materials needed by the coffin bearers are being delivered.

The first items transported to Silver Ring City were chests from the Peda Empire. Two arrived in succession, and thanks to the efforts of the space-type mages hidden within their nation's secret stash, the process was naturally extremely efficient. And since these were items needed by the coffin bearers, no one dared to obstruct them.

One of them was a treasure chest made of some kind of strange wood.

The other was an iron box made of silver-white steel.

The ancient Demon King recognized these items at a glance: the wood stained with holy blood, and the pure white walnut steel. These were materials of unparalleled quality, things that shouldn't exist in the human world. He never imagined that the coffin bearers would be able to collect such things…

Upon seeing these boxes, the ancient demon king gradually came to realize that the person who delivered the coffin genuinely wanted to help.