Chapter 145 : Gods and Insects! The Treasure of the Secret Gathering!
Chapter 145: Gods and Insects! The Treasure of the Secret Gathering!
Anthony indeed had not heard such a statement before.
At this moment, as if afraid Leo would not understand, Anthony gave a vivid analogy, “It is said that in another world, there live all kinds of different gods.
Their power is immense and hidden.
To them, this world is merely a primitive forest, and the Humans are like the weakest insects within this forest.”
As Anthony spoke of this, his expression was extremely serious, and a trace of longing unconsciously appeared in his eyes.
“Besides these weakest insects, there are also elves, demons, and those beings far more powerful than humans in this forest.
Humans are merely the weakest insects.
They do not possess the physique of Beastkin, nor the power of laws and long lifespan of elves, and even less the overwhelming strength of dragons.
These insects are like the lowest layer of the world, only able to be trampled under the feet of all other life.
Until one day, when a god was eating snacks, some crumbs accidentally fell from their mouth.
And just so happened, a few insects picked up those crumbs unintentionally.”
Anthony picked up the butter pastry beside him.
“These insects ate the crumbs of the pastry, and then relied on the residual power left by the gods to become somewhat stronger, transforming from insects that could only crawl on the ground into ones that grew sturdy shells and wings.”
Leo understood the meaning behind his words, “So what you’re saying is that knights are the group of lucky insects who picked up and ate the gods’ pastries.”
Anthony nodded, his expression growing even more serious, “Leo, but have you ever thought about it? These insects only picked up some crumbs.
Perhaps the generous gods do not care about these pastries at all. As long as you can stand before these gods and attract their attention with your cries,
they might place an entire piece of pastry, or even better, greater food before you. You could easily obtain power that crumbs could never grant.
That is power bestowed by the gods.”
Leo noticed that when Anthony said these words, his entire demeanor seemed to change.
It felt as though he had seen gods before—firm and filled with faith.
After speaking, Anthony let out a long breath.
He quietly looked at Leo across from him, as if waiting for his reaction.
Leo, at this moment, was also pondering what had just been said.
After a few breaths, he slowly spoke, “So, you mean to say that some insects can stand before those gods?”
“Hahaha, look at how serious you are. I just heard this story from a Bard.” Anthony relaxed again; there were some things he did not need to explain in detail.
As long as he could plant a concept in the other party’s mind, that was enough.
Leo also smiled, “I don’t think so, Anthony. If I were a god, why would I give pastries to insects?”
Leo stuffed another piece of pastry into his mouth and chewed loudly.
Some crumbs fell from his mouth.
“If I didn’t see these insects, that would be one thing. But if I did, I’d stomp them to death immediately. Hahaha!”
Anthony looked at Leo, who was grinning foolishly with a mouth full of pastry, not expecting such a reaction.
On the other side, Leo swallowed the pastry in big bites and continued playing chess, “Anthony, if I were an insect, I’d follow behind that god’s backside, waiting for crumbs to fall, eating every day, eating every night. Maybe by the end, I’d become the strongest insect—an insect god.”
Anthony was speechless.
Eating every day and night, and even becoming an insect god.
He truly didn’t know how to respond to this kid anymore.
He didn’t understand why this boy had such bizarre ideas, yet he couldn’t refute them for a moment.
In the end, it turned into a soft sigh.
“Come on, Leo, let’s play. You’ve already lost five games in a row.”
“I’ve already found a method that guarantees victory, Anthony. I’ll definitely win this round.”
……
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, an entire day had gone by.
“Leo, you’ve already lost twenty games. Let’s stop here for today.” Anthony felt that Leo had already developed a chess addiction under his influence.
And it was even stronger than his own back then—playing all day in one go.
If this continued, his Breathing Technique…
would probably be delayed by chess, and he himself would regress.
That damned insect god…
But at this moment, Leo seemed almost possessed, “One last game, one last game. I just thought of a strategy that’s impossible to lose.”
“There’s no such thing as an unbeatable strategy.” Anthony glanced at the room; he had already been delayed by Leo for quite some time today.
Although he didn’t want to pick up those fallen pastry crumbs, he had no choice.
At this stage, in order to reach the world of gods, he had to pick them up.
That was the foundation for him to one day stand before the gods.
“This round, you absolutely can’t win.” Leo’s eyes gleamed with a strange light as he also glanced toward a nearby room.
Steve’s actions had reached the most critical moment. No matter what, he had to stall the other party.
“Forget it, it’s too late, Leo.” Anthony refused again.
“Alright then, Anthony. Looks like you’re afraid of losing…” Leo no longer cared about appearances and directly used his ultimate move—provocation.
Anthony, who had already stood up, slowly sat back down again.
His fighting spirit had been stirred. “Lose? In chess, I’ve never lost.”
“Didn’t you lose one game yesterday?” Leo responded quickly.
“I…” Anthony choked on his words. Yesterday, he had indeed let him win once.
“Come, come, let’s begin.”
The match was laid out once more, and meanwhile in the room, Steve smoothly placed the last bottle of counterfeit Body Tempering Potion into position.
Then he installed the round wooden board coated with rice paste over the circular opening and fixed it in place.
“All done.”
Under normal circumstances, as long as no one took out all the sealed bottles of Body Tempering Potion inside, it would be very difficult to discover anything unusual behind it.
At this moment, Steve dragged a large sack containing four bottles of Body Tempering Potion and quickly left along the long tunnel.
On the other side, Leo stared steadily at the chessboard before him.
“Well, Leo, it seems your method didn’t work.” Anthony looked at the board, a faint smile of control appearing at the corner of his lips.
Leo’s previous move had been an attempt to feint openly while striking secretly.
But such an obvious tactic was something he had already mastered long ago.
How could he fail to notice it?
At this moment, Anthony slowly stood up, looking somewhat smugly at Leo.
When it came to chess, if he didn’t want to lose, he would never lose.
“Alright, Anthony, you’re indeed impressive. In chess, you’re the best.” Leo gave a thumbs-up, displaying the demeanor of a great general.
“Hahaha, please, I’ll see you out.” Anthony gestured toward the door.
Leo followed him out slowly.
Along the way, several maids looked toward them, only to be glared back by Anthony.
If knights were the lucky insects who picked up pastry crumbs,
then these servants were pitiful insects who didn’t even know what pastries were.
Their existence held no meaning whatsoever.
“Goodbye, Anthony.”
Anthony watched Leo’s figure disappear into the distance.
The timing was already ripe; he planned to proceed with the next step of his plan.
Glancing at the setting sun, Anthony sighed, “That brat, his addiction is even worse than mine. Delayed me for so long.”
He quickly returned to his room, opened the hidden drawer, took out the bottle of Tier 3 Body Tempering Potion, and swiftly began today’s training.
……
On the other side, Leo reached into the mouse hole and took out a bottle of Tier 3 Body Tempering Potion.
Unexpectedly, after going in circles, these potions had returned to his hands.
“Looks like Anthony intends to make me the next Zoro.”
Leo naturally understood the implication behind his words.
Pastries, crumbs.
For him, as long as there was something to eat, that was enough.
As for the Divine Sacrifice Method, he had actually already mastered it.
“What kind of god would be so kind as to give you pastries…” Leo had never believed in free lunches.
The free ones were always the most expensive.
However, Leo had his own panel and could use temporary power, which was already quite good.
He would not place excessive expectations on such opportunistically gained power.
Only strength obtained through steady cultivation was reliable.
But through this, Leo also seemed to have learned something indirectly.
The gods’ pastries—this theory was interesting.
If what Anthony said was a real metaphor,
then he had indeed developed considerable interest in that other world.
Since the Body Tempering Potions were now in hand, the next step was to examine Anthony’s two mysterious drawers.
To see what exactly was inside.
Steve likely had no way to open those drawers.
“If it comes to it, I’ll have to eliminate him.”
At this moment, Leo had also developed killing intent toward Anthony.
Right now, both he and Anthony should be Mid-tier Knights.
Logically, at the same level, with his advantages in swordsmanship and Breathing Technique, along with the additional attributes brought by skills, the opponent should not be his match.
However, what Leo was uncertain about was whether Anthony had practiced the Divine Sacrifice Method, or if he had any other hidden trump cards.
At this moment, as Leo opened the stopper of the potion bottle and began practicing the Breathing Technique, his Second Mind simultaneously entered the Shared State.
In Anthony’s room, Steve cautiously poked his head out of the hole, observing everything around him.
His first special mission had been completed, and next came routine daily reconnaissance.
At this moment, he could hear steady breathing coming from Anthony’s side—Anthony seemed to be practicing the Breathing Technique.
Leo then withdrew his thoughts. If the other party was practicing the Breathing Technique, then he would practice as well.
And he would practice two at once.
……
Time passed quickly. In the following period, Leo helped Lady Manta produce a batch of potions once.
At other times, he was almost constantly cultivating.
With Tier 3 Body Tempering Potions in hand, naturally the first priority was to convert all of them into his own strength.
During this time, Laforin sent someone to find him once.
He said he wanted Leo to assist in completing a hunting mission.
However, Leo knew this was Anthony’s doing behind the scenes.
So he declined Laforin under the pretext of preparing potions.
At present, in Blackstone City, Leo and Lady Manta were the two most important individuals.
Even Laforin would not dare to easily touch Leo, the alchemist’s assistant—after all, his daughter was in their hands.
“This Laforin trusts Anthony too much.
I already tried to remind him, but he still listens to Anthony so much.” Leo frowned.
Sometimes, trusting others too much could bring great danger.
Leo, on the other hand, had no other thoughts—everything was centered on cultivation. As long as he could increase his strength by any means, he was a qualified insect.
However, on this day, from the Dragonblood Horse staying at the Goblin Grand Hotel came a piece of news.
Through the Shared State, Leo saw a scene he had never expected.
……