Xyrin Empire
Chapter 506 Seeker of the Way

Chapter 506: Chapter 506 Seeker of the Way

A colossal energy storm raged within the tiny church space, some entity that had lost its restraints was released from the imaginary layer into the real world, causing a conflict that nearly tore apart the space. Amidst this unprecedented impact, the source of it all, the golden-haired Heroic Spirit Girl, was already embarrassingly pressured onto the ground, yet she still had the energy to loudly curse, "Lowly subjects! Idiots! Stop! I, the King, command you to stop immediately!"

But her protest was meaningless. The Xyrin Host, which had successfully brute-forced the form of Wang Zhicaibao, was now busy sharing the spoils with the Little Goddess. The tiny girl in a white princess dress lay half in the air, her upper body completely immersed in the ripple-like spatial passageway, continuously throwing out dazzling treasures and other strange things. One half of her body was in a physical state, while the other half had entered another’s mental space in a data form, a phenomenon that should have been impossible. However, Little Baobao managed to do this by extremely quickly calculating spatial functions and changing her body’s form. And floating beside the little girl, tumbling up and down in mid-air, was Stupid One, our beloved Pet Goddess.

"Dingdang wants this, Dingdang wants this big cup to use as a bed when we get back!"

"Goo-ah!"

Does that mean agreement?

The few of us, bracing against the energy storm that had gone rampant due to the Demon Rune’s loss of control with Ghost Energy Shields, watched the farce unfolding before our eyes, each of us unable to decide whether to laugh or cry. Sandora even had the leisure to sigh and remark, "This Heroic King sure has collected a lot of stuff."

But it seems that she’ll soon be plundered clean by Little Baobao.

Little Baobao rummaged through the Heroic King’s personal collection for only a few minutes before she had piled a massive heap of random items on the open ground in the church. However, very abruptly, a few minutes later, she stopped her actions and leaped down from the air.

The abrupt intervention ceased, and the energy storm also came to a halt, but by this time, the Heroic King was completely drained of strength and had even fallen into a brief faint.

We looked at Little Baobao, puzzled, not knowing what she had planned, then saw a cartoonish light bulb suddenly pop up above the little girl’s head, accompanied by a "ding" sound.

What had she thought of now?

In my bewildered gaze, Little Baobao approached the prostrate Heroic Spirit Girl, then bent down, grabbed the other’s arm, and started dragging her straight toward us with big steps.

What a clever little girl, she decisively figured out that if she wanted all the shiny things, she should still capture the biggest Golden Shining, right?

"Ugh... my head hurts so much..."

Having been dragged all the way by Little Baobao, bumping her head on the ground, the Heroic King finally awoke from her brief unconsciousness, then rubbed her head and looked around at the circle of "invaders."

"Ah! What are you doing! Stay away from me, the King!"

The disheveled Heroic Spirit Girl immediately showed a very panic-stricken expression, crossed her arms over her chest and scooted half a meter backwards on the ground, her face displaying the helpless look of a young girl encountering a creepy uncle.

I was confused. Is this really Gilgamesh? Could this personality truly belong to the oldest King of humanity?

It’s not that I was perplexed by the notion of the oldest human king being a girl because according to historical timelines, during Gilgamesh’s ruling period, humanity was in a matriarchal clan era, so it’s understandable that the strongest king couldn’t have been a man. What I really couldn’t accept was that her intelligence seemed to be on par with Little Baobao’s, and along with Dingdang, she could form a trio of idiots...

But regardless of why a perfectly good Heroic King had mutated into such a peculiar creature, the fact remains the fact that not only has Golden Shining turned into Silly Lady Shanshan, but now, she’s also gloriously become the private pet of the Little Princess of the Xyrin Empire.

Watching the disheartened "Little Jin" (a nickname Dingdang had privately bestowed upon this shiny new companion) trailing behind Little Baobao, I couldn’t help but marvel at the unchanging truth that there is always a bigger fish. Now, the Heroic King was utterly petrified of Little Baobao, who had completely dominated her time and again. Upon realizing that any resistance on her part would merely be swatted away childishly by the other, she finally gave up resisting. Although her face was still a mask of anger, at least she had quieted down significantly.

"I never would have guessed the Yanfeng Church hid such complex passageways underneath." Guided by Little Baobao’s new pet, "Little Jin," we entered the underground tunnels of the Yanfeng Church. The layout was surprisingly complicated, and as we walked, I even felt like I was navigating a maze. To be honest, I had a sudden urge to sneak into an inconspicuous corner just to check it out, but to my disappointment, I didn’t come across any treasure chests or hidden bosses...

Our leisurely pace was intentional. Vega had already sent back information that Yanfeng Qili had been subdued by Tohsaka and their allies. The latter seemed to lack any special powers; Vega didn’t even need to make a move before the unlucky Priest was taken down by Berserker with a strike that broke two of his ribs. By now, all factors of instability were under our control, and all known resistance had been neutralized—there was, naturally, no reason to hurry.

"That lowlife always loves hiding things away, just like a rat. For nearly the past decade, he’s been digging tunnels under the church nonstop. That guy even exploited the immature powers of the Red Moon to create a batch of Enslaved Demons for this dirty work. Ugh, he’s nothing but an insect."

Little Jin (...) scoffed, expressing undisguised contempt. Clearly, despite being allies and, nominally, master and servant, the golden-haired girl held nothing but disdain for Yanfeng Qili.

In the original "story," those who survived the fire in Fuyuki City ten years ago were the ones providing Magic Power to Golden Shining. Yanfeng Qili turned them into the living dead, using their Life Force as the source of Magic Power for Gilgamesh. But in the Yanfeng Church’s basement, of course, we found no such place. Not to mention that this version of Gilgamesh was just a silly and proud girl who probably held no interest in consuming the Life Force of living people. With just the Red Moon, Yanfeng Qili could provide endless Energy to countless Heroic Spirits. So, when I curiously inquired about the condition of those living dead used as sources of Magic Power, I gave Gilgamesh quite a scare.

And then, I was branded as a "pervert" by her...

After winding our way through numerous turns and circles, we finally arrived at the bottom layer of the church, likely dozens of meters beneath the surface. A Magic Formation designed to keep the air circulating was etched along the pathway, but upon reaching this place, one couldn’t help but feel stifled, though that might have been just psychological.

"Reporting, Commander! Yanfeng Qili has lost his combat ability. His ribs are completely shattered but have been treated; he’s temporarily capable of bearing the pain to respond to your interrogation!"

Vega was the first to greet me, saluting as she spoke.

Lady Shining glanced at the battle-ready Scorpion Sister and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! Are you a descendent of Pabil Sager?"

Sandora leaned in and whispered, "Divine Beast Pabil Sager, with a human body and scorpion tail, guarded the Sun Road leading to Marsh Mountain. Gilgamesh conversed with it on his journey seeking the Elixir of Eternal Life."

And there I was, having human history explained to me by an Alien!

"These are my soldiers," I explained briefly, then nodded at Vega, "Gilgamesh is no longer an enemy... uh, she’s now part of Little Baobao’s collection."

Scorpion Sister immediately snapped to attention with a military salute, "Hello, collection item. I am the Legion Commander of the Imperial Armored Scorpion Corps, Vega!"

Gilgamesh paused, then awkwardly imitated a salute, "Hello, I am... Hey! Who are you calling a collection item!"

Ignoring the dense girl who couldn’t keep her thoughts in line with her actions, I proceeded to the center of the great hall. It was a very ordinary round hall, bereft of any decorations or furniture except for a central chandelier. Yanfeng Qili lay on the bare concrete floor, while Tohsaka, Ilya, and their Servants stood in a circle around him like onlookers at a grisly spectacle.

"Is anyone hurt?"

My first concern was for Rin and Ilya, as Yanfeng was already "playing dead" on the ground, but it was not clear if he had made any last-ditch counterattack.

"No worries," Ilya chirped, shaking her head with vigor, "He was busy conducting some ritual and couldn’t move at all, so Berserker knocked him down in one fell swoop."

"He shouldn’t be in any trouble, should he?" Tohsaka seemed somewhat concerned. Although she always referred to him as "Fake Priest," after all, he was her guardian and senior brother from childhood to adulthood. No matter how strained their usual relationship was, seeing him in this state, she couldn’t help but care a bit inside.

"Vega, how did you treat the injury?"

I turned to ask Scorpion Sister, who stood quietly to the side.

Vega immediately answered loudly, "I cut off his spinal cord, that way he won’t feel pain anymore."

Us: "..."

This is even more ruthless than Uncle B; no wonder, even after being treated for his injuries, Yanfeng seemed to be on his last legs.

Vega’s approach, utterly devoid of any carbon-based biological physiology knowledge, was naturally unfeasible. Fortunately, due to the occasional high-speed collisions with Sandora human bombs, Little Baobao human bombs, and the like, I always carried some treatment devices with me. Under the influence of these molecular repair-level devices, Yanfeng, who by this point had been chatting with his grandmother on the Santu River for quite a while, finally came to his senses.

"Hey, you’re awake, Mr. Boss."

Yanfeng’s eyes stayed blankly wide open until, after about a dozen seconds, he suddenly blinked twice, focusing his gaze on the circle of people in front of him. After a long while, he smiled wryly.

"I was so close, I didn’t expect you all to interrupt me..."

"As of now, all your plans and pieces are ruined," I said, glancing at Lady Shining, who was behaving herself in the corner, out of the corner of my eye, "I’m very curious, what exactly are you trying to do? Surely it’s not just for that so-called Holy Grail, right?"

After lying on the ground for a long time, Yanfeng finally regained consciousness and struggled to sit up halfway. His priest robe was stained with blood and dust, looking extremely ragged.

"I just wanted to see the truth of this world, but I didn’t expect that the Holy Grail War, which should have been all according to plan, would suddenly have you... Aliens? Ha, what is going on!"

Indeed, I do sympathize with you. In any world where we get involved, the local boss would have this kind of lamentation; we’re used to it.

Interrogation and the like are not really my forte, but fortunately, Yanfeng was quite able to face reality. Perhaps he believed the secret was not worth dying to protect; he did not hesitate too much to answer our inquiries.

Never would have I imagined that mere curiosity could drive him to such lengths, even indirectly creating the "Roman Spirit Army"—a horrifying entity capable of overturning the world, nearly making the whole Holy Grail War spiral out of control.

"I want to know the truth of the world."

That was Yanfeng’s original intention.

Lin Xue’s prediction was not wrong; Yanfeng was indeed peering into the Red Moon, but his goal was not solely to gain power—although he openly admitted that the energy that could make humans into gods would also make his heart flutter. But his main purpose was to search for the truth of the world.

"The other world, why does it exist?" Despite his pallid complexion, when it came to this topic, his face carried an enthusiasm that even the most energetic person would struggle to show, "A world that is completely the same as where we live, what does that mean? The other side of a mirror? A clone? Or something else? The two great Suppression Forces should be the origin of the world, so which of the two does the world under the Red Moon account for? What was the Inner World like before it was destroyed? Could there be another me there, has he already seen the truth of the world’s destruction and birth? What is the meaning of my existence? Isn’t this a fascinating mystery?"

Seeing Father Yanfeng before us, as excited as a seeker fanatic, we could only look at each other in astonishment. We never imagined that the real Father Yanfeng would be... well, a research enthusiast?

Ahem, that analogy isn’t quite right. Strictly speaking, he should be considered a seeker, right?

Seeking to know the truth of the world, or rather, to find the meaning of their own existence through this, the seeker spared no effort to search for the truth.

Not even knowing the meaning of their own birth, they could only rely on such an awe-inspiring goal to determine the direction forward, without any concept of good or evil, solely to explore the value of their existence. Although Father Yanfeng Qili caused us some trouble, honestly, such a person evoked more pity than anything else.

"Throw him into the reactor," Sandora sighed, "and simmer on low heat."

I stared at her. I glared at her fiercely.

"Ah haha, I’m just joking~~~" The Queen, who had suddenly switched into playful mode, scratched her head awkwardly and giggled sheepishly.

As for what the Red Moon of the Inner World truly was, with Father Yanfeng Qili’s abilities, of course, he couldn’t investigate it thoroughly. He allowed Medea, who had knowledge of ancient secrets, to enter the Inner World, hoping to uncover the Red Moon’s secrets through ancient and lost lore, but instead, she chose to summon a gatekeeper and then secluded herself with her lover for a quiet life. He let Makoto Zangyan enter the Inner World, hoping that the crazy old man could use his obsession and extensive knowledge of demon arts to explore the mystery of the Red Moon, but the man was only interested in the "trivial goal" of using the Red Moon’s power to gain eternal life. That is the whole story, the beginning of which is so simple it could be summed up in two sentences; yet the result turned into a chaotic and ridiculous farce.

"So what did you find in the end?" I asked, with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, looking at the unfortunate man before me who had tried so hard to "seek the Way," only to have his plans chaotically upended by "accidental" alien photographers. I didn’t harbor much dislike for him; he wasn’t a purely evil person. In some ways, he seemed like a simple preacher, indifferent to good or evil—although his methods were wrong.

"The Inner World is the other side of our hourglass world!" Father Yanfeng’s eyes shimmered with an indescribable light, confidently interpreting his own speculation, "The world is an hourglass, and prosperity and glory are the grains of sand within. Our world and the Inner World are situated at either end of the hourglass. Right now, we are enjoying the prosperity of the world, while the Inner World is on the brink of depletion. But outside the hourglass, there is a hand that turns it. When one end’s sand runs out, everything will reverse. This extravagant and mad world will gradually decay, and the barren Inner World will once again thrive. This is the world’s ultimate truth that I have discovered! The Red Moon is the projection of that hand in the world, its boundless energy growing stronger as the world it resides in becomes more desolate, until after a certain threshold, the hourglass will need to be inverted, and this time is drawing near. Soon, we shall witness the rebirth of the world."

I listened dumbfounded as he proclaimed his doctrine, then I shrugged, "Then how do you explain the problem with the two Suppression Forces? Which end of the hourglass do they belong on?"

"They are the Red Moon," Father Yanfeng Qili said, his face glowing with a radiant smile as if he were Jesus Christ about to save humanity, "The Suppression Forces have merged into one and taken the form of the Red Moon. This is the world’s true purpose—to reintegrate humans and the world through cycles of destruction and rebirth and return to Chaos!"

... Is that your Instrumentality Project?

Father Yanfeng Qili’s wild speculations left us agape, but we still had to admire him. For a mere human to make such an interpretation of the essence of the world, with extremely limited resources, even though it was riddled with errors, it was still an astonishing achievement.

With that in mind, I waved my hand in front of Father Yanfeng to calm him down, but before I could speak, the information that suddenly came from the Spiritual Connection made the faces of both Sandora and me change instantly.

"Alien uncle, what’s wrong?" Rin asked worriedly, seeing the odd expressions on the bunch of "alien photographers."

"Bad news, it turns out Father Yanfeng’s speculation might actually be true," I said with a wry smile, spreading my hands, "Our headquarters has sent information, the energy fluctuations of the Red Moon have just started to skyrocket."

(To be continued, for those who wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)