Chapter 63 - 62: The Ancestors’ Game
Unleashing an accelerated evolution zone on the Prophet, who had yet to fully grasp the concept of evolution, had an unimaginable impact on him.
It was like showing a Tesla coil to Franklin just after he had completed his kite experiment.
Once he witnessed this knowledge that transcended his understanding, there was no going back.
Just then, the primordial cell transformed into the shape of the Bubble Goddess, floated out of the cell membrane, and came before the Prophet.
Witnessing this miraculous scene, the Prophet began to doubt his own theories.
He could not comprehend what was happening before him.
The Goddess circled around, carefully sizing up the visiting Transparent Race People, then returned to the Prophet. An ethereal voice emanated from within the bubble.
"Would you like to play a game with me? If you win, I will grant you one wish. Any wish," the Goddess said to the Prophet.
...
The Prophet agreed. His wish was for the Transparent Race People to rule the entire Underworld forever.
Between acquiring knowledge and saving his people, he chose his people.
After he stated his wish, the Goddess told him the content of the game—
The Eagle Catches the Chicks.
"Your people are now the eagles. I will place the chicks into this world in a way that is, relatively speaking, quite plausible."
"What you must do is catch all the chicks and drive them out."
At that moment, the Prophet had no idea what kind of taboo he had just touched.
"Eagles, you may return now and wait for the game to begin."
"After the game starts, you will gain sharp fangs and claws, as well as strong wings and feathers."
At the time, the Prophet did not understand the meaning behind the Goddess’s words.
Still reeling from the shock, he led his people back to the village. He then discovered that everyone who had seen the Goddess with him, except for himself, had lost their memories.
They knew nothing about the game.
This made him begin to doubt whether what had happened was even real.
But not long after, the Undying Things descended.
The game had begun.
These Undying Things held a strong animosity toward the Transparent Race.
At the same time, all Transparent Race beings across the world began to hunt the Undying Things.
A hatred, as if for a natural enemy, appeared in the minds of both races. No one could explain where it came from.
An inexplicable animosity also began to form in the minds of the Transparent Race People. As intelligent beings, this terrified them.
Something was tampering with their free will.
But war was unavoidable.
Once the game had started, it could not be paused.
The Undying Things appeared endlessly.
The exceptionally powerful Flesh Race People caught them off guard, and the Transparent Race People suffered defeat after defeat.
It was at this critical juncture that the Goddess’s power belatedly arrived.
A type of knowledge about limb grafting was sent into the Prophet’s mind, allowing the Transparent Race People to use the power of exotic beasts.
Sharp fangs and claws, wings and feathers...
The power of the eagle had truly descended.
Only then did the Prophet realize how terrifying this game was. He hurriedly gathered his people and announced the existence of the Undying Things.
"These are the terrifying ’Undying Things’! They will bring disaster to the world!"
He couldn’t explain it using the rules of the game, so he could only fabricate a false reason to deceive his people.
Unexpectedly, the Prophet’s influence was so great that all the Transparent Race People believed him without hesitation.
The Transparent Race People who had seen the Goddess with the Prophet had lost their memories of the game’s details, but they remembered the Goddess’s appearance.
As if by some unseen force, they recalled that this war was the will of a Goddess.
So they built Temples, carved statues, and resurrected the decadent concept of divine right.
Those stone scriptures, those doctrines carved on heavy slabs, those complex and bloated rites and rituals began to reappear.
Everything that could not be understood was once again attributed to "the work of a god."
The knowledge of grafting shattered the limits of species, casting the once-flourishing theory of the origin of species into the abyss.
Divine right was restored. Under the Goddess’s decree, the Transparent Race People set out to expel the Undying Things.
The common folk of the Transparent Race also found a sort of psychological comfort, using "God" to explain the animosity that had appeared in their hearts out of thin air.
If it was a god’s will, then anything could be explained.
The Prophet could only watch as all of this unfolded, irreversibly.
The Divine Teachings were founded, and the former champion of progressive thought transformed into a religious leader.
The dragonslayer had become the dragon.
He could only drift along helplessly, leading the Transparent Race People into war.
Using the power of the "eagle," news of victory in the war came one after another. The once-invincible Flesh Race People were driven deep into the Underworld.
But the Prophet knew the game wasn’t over. Their task was to drive out the entire Flesh Race.
However, things did not go as planned, and the game’s difficulty continued to increase.
This was also when problems arose with the Hundred Phases Team. The Prophet had to wage war while simultaneously guiding his people’s ideology and resolving the hidden dangers within the Hundred Phases Team.
The matter of the game remained buried deep in his heart...
As the conversation with the Goddess continued, this twisted history gradually came to the surface, and the expressions on the Transparent Race People’s faces grew increasingly strange.
Some of the less resilient Transparent Race People had already started to cry, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Upon learning that it had all been a deception spanning many years, the faith of most of the Transparent Race People present collapsed. They stood where they were, screaming their hearts out.
"It’s all fake! It’s all fake!"
Others clutched their heads as if going mad, their eyes staring blankly at the ground.
"So, your game is a failure. Understand?" The Goddess’s voice was devoid of any ripple, completely unconcerned with the scene before her.
The Transparent Race People present could no longer process the Goddess’s words.
The Goddess continued to explain tirelessly, "The last eagle disappeared some time ago, and you didn’t catch all the chicks. Therefore, the game is a failure."
A crazed Transparent Race Person rushed before the Goddess, clutching her tail and begging, "Goddess, please tell me this is all a lie! The game is fake, right?"
The Goddess explained again, patiently and slowly, "It’s not a lie. I do not lie to you. I always fulfill my promises. The game was real."
The Transparent Race Person collapsed to the ground in despair, panting heavily in disbelief.
"The punishment is coming!" Some of the Transparent Race People scrambled to their feet and fled, stumbling and crawling, toward the village exit.
The Goddess watched them flee without trying to stop them. After a moment, she said, "There is no punishment for this game. You simply lost. I only came to tell you that you have failed."
But the Goddess’s explanation only deepened their despair. The Transparent Race People shrieked, shaking their heads, their bodies contorted beyond human recognition.
The Goddess stood perfectly still in the center. Her transparent, bubble-like body shifted continuously, reflecting the faint light of the Underworld, making her appear so holy.
And yet, all around her was a scene of utter misery, as if a demon had descended upon the mortal world.
Watching this scene, a chill ran down Mo Ling’s spine once again.
Although the Goddess had said there was no punishment, Mo Ling, who now understood everything, knew that the most terrifying punishment had already arrived.
The destruction of their faith...
