Chapter 429: Companions

"You're here?"

With his hands moving constantly, Ander greeted the figure in the distance.

At this moment, for some reason, his mind was a little erratic.

Since he had made a mistake and came to this day, this place has become his other home.

But he had to leave after all, and he couldn't stay here forever.

Just before leaving, Ander remembered the story Mr. Ryan told him when he lived in the prototype of this city, Aurora City in the Bronze Age.

"Well..."

"You're here."

"I'm here."

"You shouldn't have come."

"But I still came."

"What a pity, what a pity."

"What do you pity."

"I pity that you're going to die here today."

"..."

"Hahahahaha..."

Suddenly laughed, even though it was a story from a long time ago, this strange style of writing still made Ander feel very interesting.

The past days were better...Ander then fell silent again, looking a little disappointed.

At that time, Ander was still an innocent child, he even remembered what he was thinking at that time. But now, he is no longer that.

Not only because of the betrayal, but also because blood sacrifice and faith do have an impact on the soul of life.

Although the godhead can shield them to a certain extent, it also requires the user to reach a basic lower limit.

For example, 'Legend' is the lower limit of authority that mortals can reach even with the help of the power of the godhead.

But unfortunately, until the day that Ander died, he did not touch this field.

"Swoosh--"

A sound of breaking through the air sounded, and a black shadow instantly broke Ander's memory.

Without looking up, Ander knew that it was a black iron rod.

Obviously, the young hero was very dissatisfied with his behavior, and he was expressing his anger with his actions.

"Ka--"

"- Bang!"

There was no resistance, and the iron rod hit.

In Hercules' eyes, the incarnation of the evil god who was suspected of directing everything was directly turned into powder by his angry blow, and turned into sawdust all over the sky.

However, the young hero did not relax because his intuition told him that the other party was not dead at all.

"Don't be so violent, young hero, you have passed my test."

Another 'Ander' walked out of a small house beside the street.

Hercules narrowed his eyes slightly, and then punched out.

Bang——!

Including 'Ander', the whole long street was destroyed by pure power.

However, almost at the same time, another door opening sound came from behind Hercules.

Turning around, the young hero did not act rashly this time.

Looking at the third 'Ander', he had to admit that some things could not be solved by brute force.

"Who are you, the legendary evil god of the north?"

"You control the giant lion of Nomisa, and now you want to avenge it because I killed it?"

Hercules asked coldly with anger hidden in his voice.

His anger was not without reason, nor was it just because of those weird puppets.

What really made Hercules furious was that he felt like he had become a chess piece being manipulated by others.

The other party should have been eyeing him since he stepped into the forest, and the seemingly ferocious demon was just a puppet.

Even this evil existence wanted to control himself - with those "threads" that are difficult to see with the naked eye but can affect the soul.

"Revenge? Did you make a mistake - young hero, didn't you come to me first?"

"What made you come to my territory and make such a choice?"

"Just because I am the 'evil god', because the Nomisa giant lion is a 'demon'?"

Shaking his head, Ander asked back:

"But I have never left the North, and since I controlled it, the giant lion has not left either."

"All the people who died here took the initiative to step into my territory, not me. So young hero, why are you here?"

"... This is a test given to me by God, and I also want to seek answers to some questions."

After a pause, Hercules' anger was reduced a little after hearing Ander's question.

It seemed that what the other party said made some sense. He had indeed never heard of the other party's name in the famous evil god sects on the mainland, otherwise he would not know nothing about it.

Without a sense of existence, naturally there would be no famous evil deeds... But since this is a trial arranged by the gods, there should be no problem with his behavior.

"God's trial... So you came here in accordance with God's will, and you are his believer?"

Ander asked, tilting his head slightly.

"No."

He denied it. Although he was not a non-believer, Hercules only had basic respect for most gods.

To say that he was a believer of a specific god was nonsense.

"No... But since you are not his believer, you accepted his "trial" simply because he is a 'god'."

"Then I am also a god, so I also arrange a test for you, what's wrong with that?"

"You——"

He was a little stunned at the first time, but soon, Hercules reacted from Ander's sophistry.

Different identities, different situations, how can they be confused.

What's more, if he hadn't made a mistake, how could he have accepted Zeferos' request and completed the so-called mission he assigned.

For Heracles, the only one who could punish him was himself, not any other rules.

"Don't be sophistical. The God of West Wind is the true god of Olympus, and he also promised me that he can help me resurrect the dead. How can you be like him?"

"Evil God, if you can't give me a reasonable explanation today, then in the name of Hercules, I will make you pay the price!"

Hercules' voice was firm and unceremonious.

But having said that, his rejection of Ender was actually not entirely because of Cheferros' so-called promise, but more because of traditional concepts.

Just like the countries on the mainland generally do not recognize that Silver Moon City and they are of the same race, and feel that the countries on the sea are somewhat different from them, they also do not feel that the barbarians in the North are the same as them.

Therefore, in their eyes, the so-called ‘evil gods’ looked somewhat like foreign gods, so Heracles did not feel that there was anything wrong with his behavior.

Whether it is the gods of Olympus or the evil gods, they seem to care about the faith of the world.

Although the young hero did not think he could kill the gods, he was not afraid if it meant destroying everything they had on earth.

No one can control his destiny, not even the gods!

"...death...resurrection."

"So this is what you wanted."

Silently reciting this word, Ender felt it was a bit of a coincidence at this moment.

It turns out that he actually longs for the miracle of resurrection from the dead. If there is any place in this world where the dead can be resurrected, is there any place more suitable than the spiritual world?

And the answer you are looking for can also be found there.

"Well... Heracles, evil god or good god, just have different powers. Your so-called good gods destroyed an era of mankind, and I have never even taken the initiative to step into the kingdom where you grew up."

"Modern humans have long forgotten that the Bronze Generation once established a glorious civilization... Heh, the reason why the so-called 'barbarians' in the north have stronger bodies, do you really think it's because of the 'evil sacrifices' Is that just a lie, and the truth is that their bloodline is closer to the original [life] than yours.”

"As for what the so-called Olympian god promised you, I can also help you complete it, and it is definitely a feasible solution."

The reason why human beings' natural abilities are not as good as one generation after another is precisely due to the source from which they are composed.

Recalling the 'stories' he had heard and what he had seen over the past thousand years, Ander continued.

"Heracles, I don't know who you want to resurrect, but what I am sure of is that all living things are reincarnated through the [Well of Reincarnation], and traces of all life in the world are also recorded there."

"As long as you can find there, extract the corresponding traces of life, and then find the legendary high-level artifact [Spreem's Mirror] that controls [space], then you can find traces of the soul of any mortal in the world. ”

"Then you only need to use this as a medium to guide him and let him drink the well water that symbolizes 'life' in the [Well of Reincarnation], then he can be reincarnated from death and come back to this world."

Spiritual world!

It’s the spiritual world again!

After hearing the name of the spirit world for the third time, Hercules finally no longer doubted it.

The polymaths of Athens, the righteous gods of Olympus, and the evil gods who are rejected by mainstream culture all believe that "resurrection from the dead" can only be completed in the spiritual world.

It can be seen that although their methods are all different, at least on this point, there should be no problem.

"What about 'immortality'?"

He asked subconsciously, but Heracles immediately remembered that the two sides should be enemies at this moment.

But in front of him, Ender didn't care. He just shook his head to express his ignorance.

"If it's just 'immortality', then the water in the [Well of Samsara] itself has such an ability."

"It allows the drinker to escape the shackles of life and death and possess almost infinite vitality. If you can take a sip, you can actually live a long life."

"But 'immortality'...then I don't know."

"Simply being difficult to kill, having an invulnerable body like the giant lion of Nomisa can actually be considered an achievement."

"But true 'immortality' is not an area I understand - I can only give you the opportunity to experience it for yourself."

"Experience it yourself?"

"Yes, I can give you the opportunity to experience it, but it is up to you to decide when to try it."

"Think of this as your reward for completing my 'test', and the grudges between us will be wiped out. What do you think?"

After sizing up the 'evil god' in front of him, Hercules finally nodded.

In fact, he himself didn't know what 'real immortality' was like. Since the other party could let him experience it, he would give it a try.

What's more, since they can't do anything to each other, and they haven't really suffered any loss, then this result is not bad.

However, his vigilance has not diminished at all, especially since he still doesn't know the other party's purpose.

"As you said, I can no longer care about your previous actions, but alien gods, what is the purpose of your so-called test?"

"An alien god...?"

Seeing that Hercules' hostility finally subsided, Ender smiled, returned to the starting position, and found the previously carved wooden sculpture from the ruins.

He took out the carving knife and continued his unfinished process.

"My idea is very simple, that is, choose a companion for yourself."

"Travelers?"

"right."

Nodding slightly, Ender did not hide his thoughts.

There was a hint of admiration in his tone, because Hercules did meet his requirements.

"Just as you set out on a journey seeking the secrets of immortality, I also have something I want to know."

"However, most of the secrets in this world are hidden behind the scenes. The answers can only be found in a few places, and the spirit world is one of them."

"But as you can see, although I have various special means and even made the gods of Olympus defeat here, it does not mean that I can defeat some powerful enemies head-on."

"So I hope to find a companion, someone with extraordinary abilities. Although we may go with different purposes, at least we are on the same journey."

"But I don't trust you, and I don't feel comfortable walking with a strange being."

Speaking bluntly, Hercules did not shy away from his distrust.

But Ender was already prepared for this. After all, he didn't quite trust this young man who had just met him.

"Let us sign a contract and bear witness to the will of the great ancient spiritual world. We cannot hurt each other along the way. You provide force, and I will be responsible for telling you something other than force. What do you think?"

Reaching out and taking out a piece of transparent paper, the young man asked solemnly.

"……good."

After a moment's hesitation, Hercules wanted to refuse.

But thinking about today's experience, he hesitated.

Not everything in this world can be solved by force, unless his power is enough to overthrow everything.

Maybe he really needs a helper, and if there is a contract guarantee, then the existence in front of him may be a choice.

"very good."

Nodding with satisfaction, the young man smiled.

He and Hercules signed their names in turn, and then watched the paper soaked in the water of the Styx turn into fly ash.

From then on, they became companions... So the young man fumbled around and took out a small golden box.

"What's this?"

"This is me."

Ender replied casually, then opened the box.

And in the middle of the box, there was an exquisite little man lying.

······

As the sun sets and the sun rises, over the unknown forest, the God of the West Wind spins crazily in the sky.

Several days have passed since I lost my direction, but there has been no useful progress.

At this moment, he was already considering whether to use some extreme measures.

After being trapped in a small forest for so long and unable to find a way to leave, it was natural that Cheferos's heart would inevitably become frantic.

Until another night passed, the patience of the God of the West Wind finally ran out.

If it really doesn't work, I can only admit my mistake... There is nothing I can do about it.

However, just when Zeferos was about to inform Zeus directly in desperation, he suddenly noticed a familiar aura.

Not close, faint but clear, almost exactly the same as what he had been looking for.

"Um?"

"Hercules?"

His expression changed, and his face was immediately filled with joy, and Cheferos immediately flew towards the place where the breath came from.

After so long, he finally found someone.

He was just a hair away from giving up, but ultimately avoided the problem.

Sure enough, his luck was always good.

At critical moments, he can always solve his own troubles.