In the depths of the inner realm, within the hidden divine throne domain.
Amidst thick, pale purple mist, beside a grand yet ruined scroll, Dorothy and her companions floated leisurely. At this moment, a profound look of confusion surfaced in the eyes of many among them.
"This... We're out? When did that happen?"
Observing their surroundings, Nephthys voiced her curiosity. Meanwhile, Artcheli, who was maintaining a vigilant posture, looked around carefully and spoke with seriousness.
"The insects have vanished... We left that world... but when exactly?"
Artcheli was puzzled. Just moments ago, she vividly recalled standing amidst dark space, facing countless trillions of insects swarming toward her. Suddenly, all had disappeared, and she was back in the mysterious space from before.
Realizing the situation, Artcheli turned her gaze toward Dorothy. Only Dorothy possessed the ability to freely traverse the world within the scroll, thus she must be capable of explaining the current circumstances. As Artcheli looked towards Dorothy, she noticed she wasn't the only one doing so.
"What exactly happened? I felt the power of the Divine Mentor, and then we were abruptly brought out. What just occurred?"
Setut asked Dorothy with a grave expression. At this time, Dorothy was floating solemnly in place, clearly lost in deep thought. She remained silent for a moment before finally responding.
"The end..."
"The end? What end? What exactly do you mean?"
Setut continued his inquiry, and Dorothy gave another brief response.
"It's hard to explain clearly at this moment... many things remain mere speculation. Let's keep moving... If everything goes smoothly, we'll find plenty of answers at the Throne of Fate."
As she spoke, Dorothy maintained a serious demeanor and drifted forward into the distant, pale purple mist. Seeing Dorothy had no intention to elaborate further at that moment, Setut refrained from asking more and silently followed her. The others quickly did the same.
Following the guidance of the divinity within her, Dorothy drifted steadily through the mist. Her mind was filled with repeated contemplation about the extraordinary scene she had witnessed within the insect-infested realm and the shocking conclusions she had reached.
Within the realm of the insect apocalypse, at the very moment when the end descended, everything froze. Although Setut and Artcheli were outsiders like Dorothy, they too became stagnant along with that space. Dorothy alone remained active after the freeze, because the power causing that stagnation shared a common origin with her divinity, both derived from Heaven's Arbiter.
Following that great stagnation, Dorothy, the sole remaining consciousness, observed the Eye of Judgment stretching across the cosmos. She witnessed the divine's final judgment on a doomed universe, simultaneously realizing the source of the "arbiter" within the title Heaven's Arbiter.
Heaven's Arbiter adjudicated history itself!
Histories wherein the universe marched inevitably toward annihilation due to catastrophic disasters had all been negated by Heaven's Arbiter. The entire universe had been repeatedly reset through Heaven's Arbiter’s judgment. Perhaps the reality in which they currently lived was itself a product of countless resets and new beginnings.
"From the initial Elven World, then the Immortal Cultivation World, to the Interstellar World... Each of these worlds represents a past version of our present reality—a path our universe could have taken."
"These worlds all seem to have faced or were destined to face disasters severe enough to lead to annihilation. These catastrophes likely involved a loss of control and violent upheaval of certain foundational spiritualities. From the clues, the Elven World relates to Shadow, the Immortal Cultivation World to Silence, and the Interstellar World to Chalice."
"Each world, perhaps due to such disasters, eventually faced destruction. These calamities easily bring to mind the concept of 'Fall.' Fall leads to the gods' deterioration and madness, eventually spreading to everything symbolized by their spirituality. The end indicated by fall is always annihilation—at least within normal cosmological views."
"If the cause behind the annihilation of other historical lines is also the fall... then the conflict between Heaven's Arbiter and the original gods against falling spans far longer than just tens of thousands of years over a few epochs. It spans countless historical lines, countless epochs."
"When a historical line inevitably reached its doom, they reset the universe and started again, reconstructing their own spiritualities into new cosmologies, new frameworks, to replay time and space, forging new destinies and histories. Perhaps their goal was ultimately to break free from fall’s shackles and sustain the universe."
"The original gods have probably attempted different world settings, composing different destinies. When one failed, they swiftly moved to the next. Under similar settings, history lines might resemble each other. For instance, the Immortal Cultivation World and Interstellar World differ greatly from ours, showing little resemblance. However, the Elven World is strikingly similar to ours, even sharing a portion of common history during the Second Epoch. The historical line of the Elven World is likely quite close to ours, possibly even the preceding or the one before that."
As she swiftly glided through the purple mist, Dorothy felt Heaven's Arbiter’s divinity within her, her expression becoming increasingly solemn.
"Another point worth noting is that the scale of the 'real world' differs significantly between each historical line. Our current world... and the Elven World, have civilizations largely limited to one planet. The Immortal Cultivation World seems somewhat larger, and the Interstellar World's civilization extends across the entire universe. Even earlier, scales might have been even greater."
"The scales of worlds created by the original gods vary greatly. If my speculation is correct, a terrifying possibility arises... the reset of the universe is not without cost! Even Heaven's Arbiter can’t indefinitely sustain this cycle. The civilizations' scales across these universes are steadily shrinking; worlds with active civilizations are progressively diminishing, perhaps indicating the original gods themselves are becoming weaker."
Precisely! According to Dorothy's conjecture, the process of constant universe resets might also be the process of the original gods' gradual weakening. Variations in civilization scale among historical lines might be mere superficial evidence. More critical was the grim state of the original gods in the current historical line.
In the current line, the God of Chalice had completely fallen. The conditions of the Gods of Stone and Lantern were unknown; the God of Shadow was secluded from the world, the God of Silence had lost their will, and the God of Revelation had been long dead. Some original gods weren't even first-generation; their divine thrones had obviously changed hands. The God of Revelation who presided over judgment resets now lacked an appropriate successor, even facing the risk of a corrupt evil god ascending.
Given the current state of these original gods, it was hard to imagine this as a stable and functioning team. Clearly, repeatedly resetting history could renew the universe but failed to renew the gods themselves...
"The original gods may be continuously weakening, or perhaps their power remains unchanged, but their states have grown abnormal. Whatever the cause, continuously resetting history clearly isn’t sustainable forever..."
"Heaven's Arbiter... chose me as successor. Could the ultimate purpose be for me to initiate judgment at the end, negating history, resetting the universe, perpetuating this increasingly arduous cycle?"
"If I fail now, and that fledgling god successfully ascends, they might not initiate judgment or reset the cycle. This universe would entirely succumb to the fall, greeting ultimate doom."
"So, is this my fate? Ascend the Throne of Fate, initiate judgment at the end, and salvage the universe from fall's grasp, allowing it to scrape by again..."
Thus, as Dorothy glided through the purple mist, profound thoughts collided endlessly within her, her expression unprecedentedly solemn.
“Whew… In any case, let’s focus on handling the present first…”
After a deep exhale, Dorothy shook her head and muttered softly. The conclusions she reached might be stunning, but for now, they held no immediate significance for their current actions.
The judgment of history and the struggle against the fall—these objectives were still too grandiose for Dorothy at this point. Such challenges would only be confronted once she truly ascended to become the God of Revelation. For now, seizing the Throne of Fate from the fledgling deity remained her most pressing priority.
After all, if she failed this time and could not ascend without claiming the Throne of Fate, this universe's current historical line might very well become its final one...
Feeling the burden grow heavier on her shoulders, Dorothy quickened her pace, swiftly gliding deeper into the mist. Her companions, sensing her urgency, similarly accelerated behind her.
After an indeterminate amount of time flying through the fog, Dorothy suddenly sensed the divinity within her responding more strongly, signifying the nearing of their destination. She increased her speed once more, halting abruptly only when the supposed "destination" finally appeared before her.
“Miss Dorothea... what's wrong?”
Vania curiously asked, noticing Dorothy's unusual reaction. On another side, Artcheli also halted, observing the scene ahead. Seeing yet another vast, ruined scroll, she spoke seriously.
“What? Did you sense danger again? Do we need to hide inside this scroll world for a while?”
Listening to Artcheli's words, Dorothy remained silent briefly before responding candidly.
“This... is our destination.”
“What? You're saying here? This historical scroll?”
Aldrich questioned, eyebrows knitted in confusion. Nephthys similarly scrutinized the scroll in curiosity.
“Hmm... this scroll looks no different from the others. What's special about it?”
Nephthys expressed her doubts. Visually, there appeared to be nothing remarkable distinguishing this scroll from the previous ones. She had anticipated that the Throne of Fate’s location would be far grander and more spectacular—but was this really it?
“Are you certain about this? The divine mentor’s power is pointing here?”
Setut drifted to Dorothy’s side, asking intently after carefully observing the scroll. Dorothy nodded slowly in affirmation.
“Yes... according to the guidance of my divinity, the Throne of Fate should be inside this scroll’s world.”
“Inside the scroll world? That would mean... within the fragments of history? But rumors say the Throne of Fate is supposed to be atop a mountain made from piled historical fragments… Are the rumors incorrect?”
Upon hearing Dorothy's explanation, Setut became visibly contemplative. Just as Dorothy was about to speak further, the brass staff she held emitted another sharp warning signal.
"Again..."
Dorothy thought internally with some exasperation.
"This White Craftsmen's Guild artifact gives constant warnings but has yet to offer a single useful hint."
Regardless, imminent danger approached, and the Throne of Fate might lie within this scroll. It was best to enter first and worry later.
“Everyone follow me—we're going in.”
Speaking decisively, Dorothy swiftly approached the scroll, activating Heaven's Arbiter’s divinity to open an entrance in it.
"Let's first see what kind of world houses the Throne of Fate, then decide our next step," she reasoned internally.
With this thought, Dorothy entered the newly created portal, her companions quickly following her into the scroll’s world.
When everyone had entered the new scroll space, silence settled once more—until a massive, shadowy figure slowly emerged from the distant fog, exactly as forewarned by the brass staff...
…
As the hazy radiance gradually receded, Dorothy once again felt firm ground beneath her feet, reality solidifying around her.
Having successfully entered the new scroll world, Dorothy raised her head to examine her surroundings, revealing an enchanting scene.
Dorothy stood atop a rolling hill overlooking a boundless, verdant grassland stretching endlessly ahead. Vivid, emerald grasses carpeted gentle hills, interspersed only by sparse stones and occasional trees. Beneath bright sunlight, a gentle breeze rippled through the fields, making the lush landscape resemble waves on a tranquil lake.
Refreshing... expansive... vivid... incredibly soothing, with an unreal, dreamlike quality—these were Dorothy's immediate impressions. Undoubtedly, the beauty of this new world far exceeded that of previous worlds she had encountered.
“What lovely scenery... It hardly feels like an impending apocalypse,” Dorothy remarked with genuine admiration, then proceeded to inspect her attire.
As expected, her clothing had changed: she wore an elegant, form-fitting robe of pale lavender, embroidered with stars. Removing the wide hat atop her head revealed it as a classic pointed witch’s hat.
"So... this time, am I a witch?"
Dorothy silently noted with amusement before looking around for her companions—only to realize none were nearby.
Dorothy frowned slightly, then quickly activated her information channel to contact the others.
“Vania... Are you alright? Where are you?”
“Ah... Miss Dorothea, it's wonderful you're still here! I'm currently in a small forest, completely alone—it’s quite strange...”
Vania responded straightforwardly. Dorothy paused briefly before continuing her inquiries:
“Nephthys? Where are you now?”
“Oh, Miss Dorothy! I seem to be by a large lake. There's a big city across the water—quite old-fashioned. People around here dress so archaically...”
After successfully establishing contact with Nephthys, Dorothy proceeded to reach out to Artcheli, Aldrich, and Setut, eventually confirming the safety of each. None had disappeared or been harmed.
Dorothy felt relieved, though a question lingered in her mind.
"In previous scroll worlds, we always arrived together in the same place. Why are we separated now?"
After confirming her companions were merely scattered without other serious issues, Dorothy turned her attention toward pinpointing each person's location.
“I’m somewhere in the north, frozen yet still bearing signs of civilization. I'll look around...” Setut responded.
“I appear to be in a barren mountain range, but I found some roads to follow—I’ll explore along them,” Aldrich replied after observing his surroundings.
“The land around me is corrupted, trees withering... scattered bones and weapons everywhere, like a battlefield…” Artcheli reported somberly.
Listening to their reports, Dorothy personally connected to each person's senses through the information channel, directly viewing their environments, eventually reaching a definite conclusion.
Dorothy and her companions were indeed widely separated. Each of them occupied radically different landscapes and climates, clearly scattered to opposite corners of this new world.
Far... Dorothy truly felt the immense distances separating her from her companions. She couldn’t understand why, despite entering simultaneously, they had become so widely dispersed. At present, everyone was far away, except for Vania.
Analyzing the imagery from Vania’s perspective, Dorothy noted their environments were strikingly similar, indicating close proximity. After further confirmation, Dorothy successfully pinpointed Vania's exact location, greatly uplifting her mood.
“Vania, stay put. I’m coming to you.”
“Yes, Miss Dorothea.”
After briefly instructing Vania, Dorothy levitated and accelerated rapidly, soaring swiftly above the grassy plains.
Continuing at high speed, she soon spotted a forest ahead. Upon entering, two massive grey wolves suddenly leaped from the bushes, lunging toward her, unexpectedly launching invisible wind blades from their jaws.
“Element-controlling beasts?”
Effortlessly dodging the wind blades, Dorothy counterattacked with swift lightning strikes, instantly electrocuting both wolves into charred husks, then continued flying forward without pause.
“The lightning... felt somewhat strange just now...”
Dorothy mused internally while glancing at her hand, recalling the odd sensation experienced during her attack. Dismissing further contemplation, she quickly resumed her rapid flight toward Vania’s position.
Not long after, Dorothy saw Vania ahead. She was dressed in white ceremonial robes, resembling a priestess or cleric, kneeling on the ground performing healing. Two men lay before her, both wearing leather armor and looking like warriors. Vania was tending to one of them, while beside her stood a woman with golden braided hair and a green cloak, carrying a longbow on her back—clearly an archer.
“All right... the treatment’s almost done. You can try standing now,” Vania gently instructed.
“Oh… thank you, Priestess,” the treated warrior said gratefully, slowly sitting up and stretching his limbs.
“Great! I feel much better! We sure lucked out, encountering a healer when we made a mistake in the Beast Forest.”
The warrior thanked Vania as he inspected his body, quickly rising to his feet.
“It’s nothing, just my duty… But unfortunately, your other companion was too severely wounded. He had already passed by the time I arrived, and I couldn’t save him,” Vania explained softly, glancing toward another warrior lying motionless nearby, his body rigid with eyes staring blankly at the sky, evidently deceased.
Yet the adventurers appeared surprisingly untroubled by their companion’s death. The archer spoke up lightly, shrugging as if it were commonplace.
“It’s fine, Priestess. Once we’re back in town, we’ll just revive him at the partnered church of the Adventurer’s Guild. He’s a careless fool, always costing us extra gold for resurrection.”
“Huh...? Adventurer’s Guild...? Resurrection?”
Vania repeated, startled by the archer’s casual remarks. The warrior beside her chimed in cheerfully.
“That’s right. You look like an adventurer yourself, Priestess, though we haven’t seen you around before. You must be new here. It’d be best for you to register at Shield City’s Adventurer’s Guild—it’ll make things easier in the future.”
“Anyway, thanks again, Priestess. We’d better hurry back; if we’re late reviving him, he’ll just complain endlessly.”
The warrior and the archer waved goodbye to Vania as they quickly departed, leaving behind even their companion’s corpse. The unusual scene left Vania utterly bewildered.
“Vania…”
At that moment, Vania heard a familiar voice. She spun around to see Dorothy slowly stepping out from behind a large tree. Relief filled her voice as she quickly spoke up.
“Miss Dorothea, you're here! Listen—I just encountered something very strange, it’s like—”
“No need to explain, I saw everything just now,” Dorothy interrupted directly.
Hearing Dorothy’s words, Vania hesitated briefly before dropping her intended explanation and asked earnestly.
“Then... isn't it very odd? This world actually has institutions where people can casually resurrect others for a fee… and it doesn’t seem restricted to the wealthy either...”
Dorothy glanced briefly at the corpse nearby, then toward the direction the adventurers had gone, responding thoughtfully.
“Let's first head into that city they mentioned and see for ourselves.”
“All right…”
Soon after, Dorothy and Vania departed the so-called “Beast Forest,” quickly arriving at the outskirts of a town encircled by tall city walls—this was Shield City, the town mentioned by the adventurers earlier.
As Dorothy walked along the wide road toward the city gates, blending in with the incoming crowds, she carefully observed the surroundings. Most of the people here wore simple, modest clothing, seeming slightly less advanced than those from the genuine historical line’s real world. Before the imposing city gate stood several vigilant guards in armor, watching carefully for any potential threats.
Entering through the gates, Dorothy’s eyes met clean yet quaint streets, without high-rise buildings or gas streetlights. Structures were low, mostly no taller than three or four stories, featuring slanted, tiled roofs and chimneys, resembling older districts of major cities in her own reality.
It reminded Dorothy of cities during the Renaissance era.
“Only developed to this extent… it feels far behind the current reality’s standards. Did civilization here already face an apocalyptic crisis at this level of advancement? I wonder what kind of disaster caused the destruction of this historical line…”
Dorothy quietly pondered the situation as Vania’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Miss Dorothea, where should we go now?”
“Let's check out the Adventurer’s Guild first,” Dorothy replied decisively.
Thus, they moved together through Shield City, asking directions occasionally while heading toward the Adventurer’s Guild, simultaneously observing the bustling cityscape.
The streets of Shield City were bustling. After some observation, Dorothy noticed two distinct groups of people: ordinary civilians dressed plainly, and a second group—individuals in strange, elaborate armor, robes, protective gear, or even flamboyant costumes. These peculiar individuals numbered just as many as the civilians. Their clothing was exaggerated and colorful, their weapons and armor often glowing with a magical sheen. Some even rode wolves or leopards as mounts, others followed by strange creatures like large hamsters, presumably pets.
These unusual figures acted oddly as well—not only shouting loudly in groups of two or three, but also climbing walls openly, parkouring across rooftops, or casually barging into and out of private homes without eliciting surprise or disapproval from bystanders, whether commoners or other strange adventurers.
“These people... seem very strange, don't they? Who exactly are they?”
Vania wondered aloud, fascinated by the bizarre sights around them. Dorothy replied quietly.
“Perhaps… they’re all so-called ‘adventurers.’”
Dorothy glanced forward, prompting Vania to follow her gaze toward a lively scene ahead.
There, on one side of a small plaza, stood a tall building with a spacious lobby supported by numerous grand columns, topped by six additional floors. Above the entrance was a sign clearly reading “Adventurer’s Guild”—words unfamiliar to them yet easily comprehensible. Across from the guild building, separated by the plaza, stood a sizable church. Adventurers constantly streamed between these two landmarks.
“So… this is the Adventurer’s Guild they mentioned? All these people—including those strange figures from earlier—are adventurers? Why are there so many? Is this world full of dangers to be adventured?”
Vania spoke with genuine curiosity, while Dorothy answered thoughtfully.
“I don't know… Let’s gather some information first.”
Dorothy led Vania toward the guild building. Approaching its entrance, Dorothy spotted the group of adventurers Vania had previously helped. They had returned to their original trio; apparently, the deceased member had indeed been resurrected.
“Cain, how many times have you died already? And you still expect us to join you on the Dark Continent to fight the Demon Lord’s army? You know we can’t revive you if you’re killed by the Demon Lord’s minions!”
“T-this time was just bad luck! The beast was hidden in the grass; I didn’t see it in time… next time, I swear it won’t happen again!”
The adventurers continued arguing loudly outside the guild’s entrance. Dorothy listened to their debate with interest until Vania suddenly spoke up urgently beside her.
“Miss Dorothea, quickly! Come over here and look at this!”
Dorothy turned her gaze toward Vania, who appeared visibly shocked. Following her, Dorothy entered the grand lobby bustling with activity, moving toward one side of the hall.
Finally, Vania led Dorothy to a wall where images were projected, much like a movie screen. Dorothy stared at the images displayed, abruptly frozen in astonishment.
“This is... Hafdar!?”
Indeed! The man displayed prominently on the projected screen was precisely their long-pursued target: Hafdar, the legendary Sage King from the First Dynasty!
Currently, he wore luxurious robes fitting this world’s style, delivering a speech from the projection, with his identity clearly labeled by several floating letters beneath.
“Archmage and Grand Sage Hafdar, Chief Sorcerer of the Dragonhawk Kingdom...”
Bearing such a prestigious title, Hafdar was now giving a speech through the screen.
“Adventurers from every corner of the kingdom, now is the hour of your calling! The Demon Lord of the Dark Continent has awakened, its armies are already on the march. The kingdom's forward outposts have fallen, and soon the demon horde will cross the seas and invade our homeland!”
“Though our kingdom has suffered temporary setbacks, fear not. The Demon Lord’s awakening heralds the rise of new heroes. Adventurers, now is the time! Gather your strength and venture forth to the Dark Continent! Vanquish the Demon Lord, and you shall emerge as new heroes, new legends! Set out immediately, adventurers!”
Hafdar delivered his solemn declaration earnestly through the projection. As the speech concluded, it replayed continually, clearly an announcement recorded for repeated broadcast rather than a live message.
“Miss Dorothea, it looks like Hafdar has become some sort of ‘Grand Sage’ in this kingdom... If he’s here, does it mean we’ve come to the right place?”
“And the Demon Lord he mentioned earlier... could that be the disaster of this world? Something like the insect swarm we encountered before?”
Vania curiously asked Dorothy, who fell into a brief silence before finally answering.
“I need to verify something first...”
Dorothy immediately reached out through the information channel to her other companions scattered far away, instructing them to stay alert and gather as much intelligence as possible. Meanwhile, Dorothy and Vania also started gathering local information around them. Soon afterward, they both sat down at a café beside the Adventurer’s Guild, beginning to compile their intelligence.
“I’ve confirmed my location,” Setut reported first during their intelligence exchange.
“The area I’m in is called the Principality of Northfrost, apparently a vassal state under the southern Dragonhawk Kingdom. I found an Adventurer’s Guild here as well, and I saw the same projection of Hafdar calling upon adventurers to head south to fight the Demon Lord.”
After Setut’s report, the others began sharing their discoveries one by one.
“My location is a city called Barbarian Hill,” Aldrich explained.
“It seems to belong to a tribal region west of the Dragonhawk Kingdom. Historically, they’ve had conflicts with Dragonhawk, but they’ve temporarily put aside their differences due to the Demon Lord’s threat. I also saw Hafdar’s image broadcast here, rallying warriors to fight the Demon Lord.”
“I seem to actually be on the Dark Continent itself,” Artcheli said succinctly.
“I’ve located a human outpost here, mostly filled with adventurers from the north or kingdom soldiers. Morale is severely low; it seems they've already suffered several crushing defeats.”
“Additionally, I heard intriguing rumors that spies might have infiltrated the allied high command. Many of their secret operations and strategies have repeatedly failed due to leaked intelligence, presumably because of these traitors,” Artcheli finished.
Nephthys quickly chimed in, adding details.
“Yes, exactly! Spies! I’m currently in the capital city of the Dragonhawk Kingdom. Dragonhawk seems to be the strongest country here, acting as the core of the alliance against the Demon Lord’s army. But due to increasingly dire circumstances on the Dark Continent, spy rumors are widespread here too. Many people suspect high-ranking alliance members of secretly serving the Demon Lord, continuously leaking crucial information.”
Using the convenient information channel, Dorothy had linked everyone together, allowing them all to listen and communicate as a group discussion.
“According to our collected information,” Vania said, “this Demon Lord apparently revives once every thousand years or so, posing a massive threat to the world each time. It seems akin to some evil deity... Every time the world suffers greatly before a hero emerges to defeat the Demon Lord and restore peace. But this time, the Demon Lord appears stronger than ever. I’m really worried about this world's fate...”
Setut quickly responded to Vania’s worries.
“There’s no need to concern ourselves too much. This world is merely a fragment of history, perhaps an endlessly replaying scenario from the past. Attempting to alter the fate of this world is pointless.”
“Our primary objective remains Hafdar. Since he has now become the Grand Sage of the Dragonhawk Kingdom, our task is clear: approach him, investigate his motives, and discover where he’s hidden the Throne of Fate.”
“Yes,” Artcheli immediately agreed, elaborating further.
“After all, our ultimate target is still the Undead Monarch. I’m also beginning to suspect that the rumored spy among the allied leaders might indeed be Hafdar himself. Perhaps he aims to hasten the Demon Lord’s invasion for his own hidden agenda.”
Nephthys spoke up again with enthusiasm.
“So, our target is confirmed as Hafdar, then? Hafdar’s here in the capital—Golden Feather City. How about everyone gathers here first? We can begin investigating Hafdar carefully. I've heard every major city here has teleportation magic circles. You just need to find one, and you’ll be able to arrive easily.”
Nephthys’ suggestion gained quick agreement from everyone. Their meeting concluded with a decision: they would gather in Dragonhawk Kingdom’s capital, thoroughly investigate Hafdar, and once everything was clarified, take decisive action against him.
After the discussion ended, Vania sighed slightly in relief, then turned her gaze toward Dorothy, who still wore a peculiar, thoughtful expression, clearly deep in contemplation.
“Miss Dorothea, what’s wrong? You didn't say much during the group discussion earlier... Do you disagree with our decision somehow?”
Looking at Dorothy curiously, Vania asked softly. Dorothy remained silent for a short moment before responding quietly.
“No... Your analysis is correct. By all logic, we should indeed go to Nephthys’ location and investigate Hafdar... it’s just that...”
“Just that what?”
“I just feel that something’s strange...”
“Strange? Strange how? Miss Dorothea, what exactly feels odd to you?”
Vania pressed with curiosity. Dorothy turned her gaze to the street outside, eyes narrowing slightly at the eccentric adventurers wandering by, her brows furrowing progressively deeper.
From the intelligence gathered by her companions, nothing appeared inherently incorrect. This historical world seemed set against a Renaissance-like backdrop, featuring a classical swords-and-magic setting, and the primary disaster in this scenario was undoubtedly the repeatedly awakening Demon Lord.
Considering the inevitability of each abandoned historical line’s ultimate destruction, this Demon Lord would inevitably bring doom. It made sense that Hafdar, as the Grand Sage within the alliance, might secretly act as a spy for the Demon Lord’s army, deliberately hastening this apocalypse for his own purposes. Investigating him should logically be their primary concern and the correct next step.
Yet Dorothy still felt something inexplicably off. A pervasive sense of wrongness lingered in her heart...
“Something’s off... extremely off about this world,” Dorothy mused silently.
“From the moment we entered, we scattered rather than staying together as before. Then there’s the incredibly cheap resurrection, numerous odd adventurers, strange sensations when using abilities... and Hafdar himself, who is normally secretive, now so openly broadcasting himself.”
“Something is undoubtedly wrong... but where exactly is the issue?”
Countless possibilities swirled through Dorothy’s mind. Suddenly, she stood up and stepped out.
“Miss Dorothea, where are you going? Are you heading to find a teleportation circle?”
“No... I'm going to verify something...”
After briefly responding to Vania, Dorothy approached a common vendor on the street, initiating a deep mental appraisal and quickly dominating his mind.
“What’s your name?”
“Dika Meide...”
Dorothy interrogated the man thoroughly, posing numerous questions. Each question received perfectly logical and coherent answers. After completing her interrogation, Dorothy nodded slowly and released her mental control. The vendor continued about his day as if nothing unusual had occurred at all.
Dorothy then moved quietly to a corner, finding a resting female mage adventurer. She hypnotized her as well, quickly seizing control of the adventurer's mind.
“What’s your name?”
“Judith, the Azure Flame…”
Dorothy questioned the adventurer in detail, just as she had with the commoner. While the adventurer answered her questions, her responses were noticeably brief and vague.
For some inexplicable reason, this adventurer could vividly recall every detail of her adventures, yet only offered generalized responses regarding her childhood and upbringing.
After finishing the hypnosis, Dorothy released her psychic hold, intending to leave. Suddenly, the adventurer behind her gasped aloud.
“You... you just controlled my mind?! Such powerful mental abilities—you're a high-level class user!”
Surprised, Dorothy turned around, observing the adventurer's astonished expression as she fled in panic, running off into the distance.
Watching this scene unfold, Dorothy’s eyes gradually filled with a resolute certainty, as though a particular suspicion had finally been confirmed.
Taking a deep breath, Dorothy closed her eyes and mentally called out.
“System!”
“Yes.”
“Hello, how can I assist you?”
Dorothy’s summons yielded two distinct replies: one cold and mechanical, the familiar voice that accompanied her through all her journeys; the other was gentle and feminine.
Dorothy hesitated briefly upon hearing both voices, then continued her attempt.
“I want to log out!”
“Understood. Initiating logout procedure immediately. Please ensure you’re currently in a safe area...”
Accompanied by that gentle, feminine voice, the streets around Dorothy rapidly began to lose color, transforming into frameworks constructed from dots and lines, swiftly disintegrating…
Soon, the entire world crumbled before Dorothy’s eyes. Following a dazzling flash, darkness enveloped her vision. Her body suddenly felt heavy, shifting from standing to lying down.
Dorothy opened her eyes, struggling weakly to rise. With a beep, the glass canopy covering her opened slowly, allowing Dorothy to sit up and climb out of the capsule she was in.
“Haaah...”
Taking a long, deep breath, Dorothy glanced around. She found herself inside a highly modernized room, complete with electric lights, wiring, and sleek flooring. Behind her stood several pod-like capsules, one of which she had just exited. Looking into a nearby pod through its glass cover, she saw Vania’s peacefully sleeping face.
Slowly walking to the room’s edge, Dorothy pulled open the curtains, allowing outside light to flood the room. The view that met her gaze was entirely different from her first arrival.
Beneath a bleak, overcast sky, endless rain poured relentlessly onto an equally endless cityscape. Countless skyscrapers stretched toward the horizon, their dull gray silhouettes merging into an indistinguishable mass, completely devoid of vibrant color. It was a massive, silent metropolis, reminiscent of a dying beast crafted from iron and concrete.
This was the real-world of this historical line—the actual place Dorothy and her companions had entered.
“Whew… the adaptive effect of the Heaven’s Arbiter charm really is remarkable…”
Dorothy sighed softly, now fully aware of Hafdar’s deception.
“If it weren’t for the charm's blending effect, we’d likely have been discovered immediately upon entering this world... And precisely to counteract the charm's concealment, they created this virtual reality, a fully immersive online game designed to keep every citizen trapped within...”
Dorothy murmured thoughtfully, gazing solemnly at the grim cityscape.
“This… must be the true apocalypse of this world.”