Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
As usual, the cold Arctic wind blew past Hoarfrost Sanctum, rolling up snowflakes outside the temple. The dark gray spires of the temple were glowing with cold blue light, as though a monstrous beast was blocking all living beings from getting close to it. Despite that, there were warm spots inside the temple. In the grand guest room, the fireplace was crackling with flames, and the heat from it was guided to the entire place by a few simple runes engraved on the walls. It made the room warm. The current abbot, Elder Gregowen, and Elder Hasse, accompanied by White Flame, were receiving Hao Ren as well as his entourage. The faces of the three demon hunters looked unusually somber.
The demon hunters’ obsession with retro decor made the room look like a medieval fortress. The delicate brass lamp holders and portraits on the walls reflected the light from the fireplace. The swaying fire was hypnotizing—at least, Rollie so thought. She spread her favorite blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace, curled herself up nicely and purred. Rollie peeked at Hao Ren.
“Big Boss Cat’s life is so dull,” the cat maiden mumbled. “He doesn’t know how to get warm.”
Meanwhile, Hao Ren had already explained the situation regarding the divine spells to Hasse, whose “dead” face looked even more stolid now. “Divine spells? I wouldn’t have believed that demon hunters possessed this ability if not for the many things that I encountered in the past. Religion has no place in the tradition of demon hunters in the first place. We don’t believe in God and so-called divine power.”
Hao Ren nodded as a sign of understanding. For several thousand years, cutting the heads of deities in half was what the demon hunters did the most. This violent gang had overrun the various realms of gods, from Olympus to Asgard, until hardly any gods from the Mythological Era were left. It would be strange if they believed in God.
However, gods truly existed. After the Battle of Coldpath, the senior demon hunters finally knew this and started to hint at it from the top down. Hasse knew that the god of their universe was a goddess, whose name had a nice five-digit number. It was easier for him to accept the truth of divine spells than other demon hunters.
“We are only guessing. But since your original source of divine power—the goddess of creation—is dead, and with the Wall of Reality acting as a barrier, all of you have lost the ability. Verification would be very troublesome. Not everyone can be like Lily, whose soul can be reborn and receive new abilities.” Hao Ren nodded at Lily, who wagged her tail proudly. “So we need the help of purebred demon hunters with the sampling test.”
“No problem,” Elder Gregowen said. “The demon hunters have always been a closed community. We have a pure bloodline. Purebred demon hunters are abundant here.”
“Not just any demon hunter but the earliest generation, if possible,” Vivian said. “Being purebred alone is not good enough. We must find the earliest sample of demon hunters.”
“That will be difficult. A large number of demon hunters died during the Mythological War. The Battle of Coldpath has also led to the death of our ancestors, including twelve of the Sages. I’m afraid we won’t be able to find any first-generation bloodline. Even seniors like me are not of the first generation.”
“As early as you can trace back.” Vivian frowned. “You guys brought this disaster upon yourselves. To hell with the Mythological War. It was because of the war that the whole generation of a long-lived race died. And for what?”
Hasse and Gregowen could only force a smile. The subject, too subtle and sensitive, had been a taboo among some circles of the otherworldlings and even the demon hunters. Only Vivian, the 10,000-year-old vampire, could casually grumble about it.
“There is another thing,” Hao Ren quickly said. He had noticed the awkward atmosphere. “It’s about the family-visit plan.”
“Family visit? What a name for such a serious operation, Mr. Landlord!” Lily buried her head in her hands.
The three demon hunters found the name funny too. The two seniors were composed, but White Flame could not hold her laughter; she quickly looked away to prevent Hao Ren from seeing her disrespectful demeanor. Since White Flame had sworn allegiance to Hao Ren, who may have forgotten about the matter, she was too embarrassed to ask him to change the name of the operation. “We are very interested,” she said instead.
“Oh yeah.” Hasse had a rare smile on his stolid face this time. “Homeworld in another universe… Who would have thought of that if not for the irrefutable evidence! I have tried to imagine what the Plane of Dreams looks like countless of times. As much as I can’t remember a thing about that world, I also can’t control my curiosity.”
“Many demon hunters must be interested to go there,” Gregowen said. This elder was more reserved.
“But it’s not just a sightseeing tour,” Vivian reminded them. “The name of the operation may be misleading, but I believe all of you understand the purpose behind it.”
“You want to show us how the otherworldlings are doing without the influence of innate hostility?” It was not hard for a wise old man like Gregowen to decipher the reason for the trip. “And for the test as well?”
Hao Ren nodded. “You guessed it. The Mythological War is over, but the relationship between otherworldlings and demon hunters is still tense. It’s not an exaggeration to say that hatred still exists. But with the Shadow Council, Vivian, the reality, and also the human society putting a lid on it, this conflict hasn’t bubbled up to the surface. Nonetheless, I know that the friction in private has never ended; some people die every now and then. I don’t expect this hatred of nearly 10,000 years to be easily resolved. I’d be too naive to think so. But I think I should do something to cool things down. After all, whether it is the otherworldlings or the demon hunters, both sides hope that the situation will improve. I will not only bring the demon hunters. I will also invite some of the more open-minded otherworldlings to join us. I believe that when you guys see your homeworld, figure out your origin, and understand why you’ve landed where you are today, you will see things in a new perspective.”
Hao Ren paused for a moment before he continued, “As for the test, you are also right. You already know the story of the goddess of creation, whose residual power is still working. Her power still influences the universe in a way that I still cannot comprehend. The priests in Holletta can still gain the ability to cast divine spells through the Branding Ceremony. I need to figure out what this residual power is all about, and whether it will react to your return.”
The otherworldlings were sent to Earth by the goddess of creation using Yggdrasil, a so-called hyper ark. Since the goddess could make such an arrangement, it would not be her last and only one. Vivian had lost her memories, and the First Borns as well as the guardians, were of no help. Unable to determine what the goddess’ next plan was, things came to a dead end. Nevertheless, Hao Ren was determined to break the deadlock. After careful consideration, he decided that he needed to do something.
The plan to bring some otherworldlings back to the Plane of Dreams carried some risks, but it would be worth it. A small team of fewer than 100 people would not cause too severe of an impact on the Wall of Reality, but it may trigger some settings that the goddess of creation left in the universe if there were any.
No matter what it was, Hao Ren could only study them when they surfaced.
It was a shame that Gregowen and Hasse’s knowledge was limited. Plus, it would take a long time to explain the Mad Lord, the four eras, and the deicidal war in detail to both of them. Hao Ren did not have to disclose everything, so he merely talked about his thoughts.
“Organize a family visit for the leaders of the demon hunters and the otherworldlings?” There seemed to be a smile on Hasse’s stiff face once again. He shook his head and sounded helpless. “You are the only one in this world who can come up with such a crazy idea. But I can’t guarantee what will happen on that day. What’s your plan when both sides meet?”
Hao Ren smiled. “Easy. Whoever doesn’t behave will be shot at point-blank, or less severely, tied up with a chain, put it in a glass jar and transported to the Plane of Dreams in my car. Everyone will get a chance to see their homeworld. I have many high-grade ropes, which even Lily would find hard to break. It may sound like a family visit, but don’t mistake us for a tour agency—we don’t care about user experience.”
When Hao Ren finished, Vivian said, “Don’t worry. I may be weaker than I was in the past, but few on this planet can fight me. I will help Hao Ren.”
Cold sweat trickled down Gregowen and Hasse’s forehead. Both of them quickly said, “Don’t worry about it. I don’t know about the others, but we will guarantee that the demon hunters will be cooperative.”
Gregowen and Hasse had not experienced Hao Ren’s ruthlessness, but they all knew how violent Vivian was, especially during the early days. No one dared to say that they had not been beaten by Vivian before. With such a deterrent force, cooperation was guaranteed.
The same was true for the otherworldlings. Those who knew Vivian were afraid of her.
