Chapter 119: Truth of the World
The ghosts around Lea hid behind her, scared of Charlotte for some reason. Lea is scared of her for how much of a brutal person she is...
But to the ghosts, it was an entirely different reason.
"Thank you for riling up those muscleheads. You can have your ship now, it's in Erosen Harbor, Anesota Republic.", with ease, she dropped a key on Lea's table, "My Knight should've been the one handling it, but I came instead, how nice I am?"
Just as Charlotte was about to leave, Lea called out.
"Wait! You need to tell me... what the hell is going on with this world?! What the hell is the Fog Wall?!", she demanded an answer.
I could use the protection from the Steam Bat... she thought. She has a little to a thousand years of protection, after all.
Charlotte merely stares at her with an amused smile. Then she spoke after sitting on the table.
"Like I explained when we first met, Attributes, or what you call Paths, are the fundamental building blocks of an individual. But this world lacks exactly that."
Similar to what Sinclair said that night...
"The Demise Ground you encountered is one such individual from beyond, an Avatar of a star from far away. Not just mortals, but celestial bodies also possess these Attributes, having complete mastery over them the moment their Core is fully realized."
Then Lea realized something. That time when Dawn asked what Akasha Monodrama was trying to resurrect, she pointed at the Sun...
The light that illuminates the world, and the dots that cover the sky. She gained an insight.
"The Sun... is a star?", Lea wondered out loud.
Charlotte chuckled, "Yes. But that isn't what you should be concerned with now."
"It all came back to the question I asked you. Do you trust me or that Jester of Light?"
Lea stayed quiet... between the very suspicious cosmic clown and the very suspicious alien...
She thought back to what Auger said, he does not trust Charlotte, but he respects her...
So the right option is...
"I trust Bashie Mahzala.", that was her answer.
To be honest, she doesn't feel too good about it. Refusing to believe Charlotte means that Charlotte is two sides of the same coin, was that thing a dark reflection of the person in front of her? Or something else entirely.
"Your suffering, everyone's suffering, is because of this world.", she said plainly, "Trial is the main Attribute of this world, unlike Earth, where effort is not always rewarded, this world rewards you with every step."
"The mystical system I created is an application of this world's rules. Another trial for the people here..."
"But?", Lea felt like some plot twist was coming.
"But the true Ego of the World was usurped by the Fog Wall, using the very Trials of the world, beating this world at its own game."
There it is...
Lea could feel a painful headache coming. She had received too much forbidden knowledge. She doesn't know how much more Curiosity she has to face Mystery.
The truth about the primordial god, the nature of her own world, the usurper inside the Fog Wall... it was clearly too much to handle at once.
But her eyes were still fierce, staring at Charlotte.
"Then... how many Star Gods are in this world... and how come some of them became True Gods of this world and some didn't?", there are the cases of the Steam Bat and The Demise Ground, after all.
"Compatibility, mostly.", Charlotte answered, "Some are just built so different the reverse happened, the Divine Domains gravitate toward them."
Like Charlotte herself, who made an elaborate persona as Lady Keter just to not become a god. Like the Steam Bat who became a god of this world.
"The Great Old Ones, those who existed at the beginning yet remain to this day. The Strongest Star who burns so resolutely, the Star who understood the True Value of the universe, and the First Star to be reborn."
"Those are the ones who came to this world and were chosen by the Divine Domains."
Lea could feel the headache coming closer, feeling like she was about to go mad. It was then that Charlotte delivered the final nail.
"And the Fog Wall is becoming unstable. I expect other Star Gods will come out of their hiding spots."
Like those who became gods in this world. Like The Demise Ground, who set up a game of misery...
There will be a lot more coming, as many as the stars shining brightly in the sky.
Before Lea could even look up, Charlotte was already gone.
"Fuck...", she let out a long sigh.
The ghosts came around to comfort her, making her smile a little.
I am never truly alone...
"Our world is small, right?"
Even in this underground city, now learned the truth, Lea felt like that fact didn't matter much. Yet this world is ruled by trials and errors, her suffering has a meaning, it rewards her for her determination.
Yet in her heart, filled with hatred and pain, she cannot help but hate this world.
"My suffering is supposed to be meaningful. But the reward I got...", Lea looked at her hands, she could only see blood on them, "Is it worth all the things I went through?"
The ghosts stayed quiet, not knowing what to say. She could only vaguely understand them, anyway.
Shaking her head, Lea stood up from her bed. She would wait for a commission from the Anesota Republic...
A knock echoed from below, someone was waiting in the front. Lea only seals it when she goes outside; it is fully unlocked.
There is no reason to knock.
Entering the mirror world, Lea tried to find who was knocking... and she soon found out quickly. Through the eyes of a surveillance guard hired by the Adventurer's Guild, she could see the person waiting for her.
In a neat black and gold suit in Lacrosa style, and a tophat on her golden hair.
It was Qaeidat, the Steam Bat...
Returning to reality, Lea commanded the ghosts to open the door as she hurriedly went to welcome the ruler of this city.
"Congratulation!! Someone had bought this mansion for you!!", her voice was overly enthusiastic, arms up in celebration, "With the price of 253,000 Cee, this mansion is now officially yours!!"
Huh... Lea realized very quickly.
"Charlotte... bought this place?", she felt uneasy.
"Yes~! Quite generous, isn't she?", Qaeidat winked, "Unlike her usual better-than-all narcissistic attitude, she bought someone a whole mansion!!"
"A haunted mansion.", Lea corrected, "And I don't think she did it out of her kindness."
The Steam Bat gave her a strange look.
"Huh, Charlotte isn't like that at all. She acts on impulses, true there may be a plan, but only a skeleton. Buying you a house might mean nothing to her, just a random act of goodwill that she'll soon forget.", she explained, "She is her desires and her desires are her, there is no distinction."
"...", Lea has nothing to say.
Seeing her not saying anything, Qaeidat bowed, "I would love to stay longer, but I have other business to attend to. There is an apocalypse about to happen~!!"
With that, she walked away with a hum.
Lea looked around, at this decrepit mansion... it was now hers. Way too easy, yet her intuition was screaming a storm would come. Like when "Miss Mashhith" appeared and overturned that clown's game, yet the Tome of Light was summoned. When she was becoming a demigod, the Wondertainment Troupe attacked. Like when she was hoping for a fun adventure, she encountered a being from another world.
Everything she got a chance to breathe, a disaster hit her.
I must take the initiative...
=0=0=
Lea bit down on her energy bar, munching on it as she went through the streets of the Outer Zone. After converting all of her earnings, Lea is a little closer to two hundred thousand Cee.
With the money, she went all out.
Going to a Gathering she found via surface reading. She blew most of her money to get Water Path sigils to ease water pressure, Air Path sigils to generate air for breathing, and a single Imaginary sigil.
In the 142 Paths, there are those who is easy to obtain and those hard to obtain. Like her Malediction or Judgement, they are relatively easy yet powerful. The elemental Paths' requirement is to indulge in those elements.
But Imaginary is different, the requirement for it is 'To sink yourself into your mind, and rewrite your perception of the world'. Unless one is an artisan with extreme mental strength, achieving the First Step is impossible.
Getting this was lucky, the Imaginary sigil can 'command reality' for a few seconds.
I will use this to locate the Labyrinth of the Mind...
The power of imagination is not to be messed with. Though she could not secure some sort of diving suit, this is the best she could do with the time she has. With all of that done, Lea looks forward to her next destination.
Erosen Harbor, Anesota Republic.