This was important information. The Evil God could not listen, but it could speak. This trait seemed to be the exact opposite of the Machine Soul.
The Machine Soul could not speak but could understand human language.
Hughes couldn’t help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Machine Soul and the Evil God were not the same thing, although they did have some similarities.
Moreover, summoning the Machine Soul would not lead to pollution descending.
Speaking of pollution, Hughes looked at Chloe.
"How is it? Were you polluted?"
"A little, but it’s not serious. Hmm, this does seem like a good method. Unfortunately, most people can’t use it. Not everyone has the ability to purify pollution."
Chloe rubbed her temple and spoke with some delight.
"Then I’ll keep guessing. I still haven’t figured out what exactly an Evil God is."
"Completely different? Am I guessing from the wrong angle?"
"I see. If my direction is wrong, am I being misled? For example, summoning an Evil God isn’t actually summoning?"
"It’s not summoning… The Evil God is born from flesh and blood. There must be a reason for that, right? Do Extraordinary get polluted and transform into Evil Gods?"
"Think carefully. You used a shell to summon an Evil God, which means an Evil God can be born through a fixed process."
Chloe shut her mouth.
"At the same time, an Evil God can also take away pollution. An Evil God is nurtured by pollution!"
Chloe shook her head. "The ability of an Evil God to take away pollution is a unique ritual of ours; it has nothing to do with the Evil God itself. You’re getting further off track. Just give up."
"It has nothing to do with pollution? Then does it have to do with Extraordinary? Must a certain kind of Supernatural power be used to summon an Evil God?"
Now this was interesting. An Evil God wasn’t tied to Extraordinary power?
Was it possible for an ordinary person to summon an Evil God? That was hard to imagine.
The Moths Chasing Fire had many Extraordinary present when they conducted their ritual to summon an Evil God.
Speaking of what ordinary people could do...
Hughes rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes.
He suddenly recalled the two crates of soap Alexei had brought that day.
The same production line, the same process, yet they had produced something entirely different.
Those were also entirely made by ordinary people. Hughes called it, Cognitive Interference.
By imposing one’s perception onto the material world, it indeed altered the substance itself but also led to pollution descending.
If ordinary people could interfere with the world through cognition, then could an Evil God be manufactured through will?
Combining it with Chloe’s statement: "An Evil God is born from flesh and blood… a boot filled with water."
Hughes suddenly thought of the worker Hughes’ shell. That body was filled with pollution.
If certain other conditions were met, could Cognitive Interference direct pollution to descend only onto a single shell?
Hughes pondered for a moment, then locked eyes with Chloe and spoke:
"An Evil God is another form of Cognitive Interference. A person’s will interferes with this world, causing an Evil God to descend."
Chloe’s eyes widened instantly, and she pressed her lips tightly together.
Hughes was also stunned, feeling a bit dazed. So Evil Gods came from Cognitive Interference!?
Could the erroneous perceptions of ordinary people actually bring an Evil God into the world?
So cultists weren’t worshipping an existing Evil God—
Their worship was actively creating one!?
The Church restricted people’s thoughts because incorrect thinking could cause an Evil God to descend upon the world!!?!
How could such a bizarre world continue to function?!
No wonder the Candlelight Church wanted to kill the worker Hughes. The stories he told might have created one Evil God after another.
No wonder the Church monopolized knowledge and technology.
These things really could bring pollution and destruction.
Hughes had always been curious, why was a research-driven group like the Moths Chasing Fire considered a cult?
They were clearly rational and cautious.
But now, it made sense.
Knowledge always carried pollution.
Therefore, learning knowledge meant polluting oneself.
To outsiders, they were madly embracing pollution while deliberately distorting their perceptions to create Evil Gods.
Creating Evil Gods to remove pollution.
Removing pollution to access even more pollution.
The most dangerous name on the cult list compiled by the Candlelight Church.
Hughes suddenly had an epiphany.
In a world of madness, the ones who stayed rational were the most insane.
Damn it, he should have figured it out the moment he learned that they used the Candlelight Church’s chapel as their headquarters.
If truth itself was mad, then the pursuit of truth was an act of madness.
As Nora once said, those who discover the world’s truth use ignorance to protect themselves instead of seeking further.
Shit… does this mean I’m actually insane, and I just haven’t realized it yet?
Hughes quickly shook his head.
He suddenly recalled Chloe’s words, "A firm will has always been the strongest wall stabilizing reality."
He needed to solidify his will.
He needed to firmly believe that he was normal and had not gone mad.
This was a world dictated by idealism. Whether he had actually gone insane was irrelevant—
As long as he believed he wasn’t insane, as long as he unwaveringly saw himself as normal, then he would remain normal.
Whether he was mad didn’t matter. What mattered was whether he believed he was mad.
Chloe watched Hughes’ shifting expressions and sighed.
"Actually, summoning an Evil God isn’t that easy. It requires many strict conditions, so there’s no need to worry too much. As long as we’re cautious, we’ll be safe."
Hughes curled his lips.
"Your methods are cautious, but your goal is anything but. Chasing truth, chasing knowledge, how is that cautious in any way?"
"That’s why we are the Moths Chasing Fire."
Hughes was at a loss for words.
"Being cautious is because we are rational enough. Chasing truth is because we yearn for it. This world might be a rotting swamp, but if you lift your head, you can still see the stars."
Chloe smiled and actually lifted her head.
Her gaze seemed to pierce through the ceiling, through the thick soil and stone, through the stained-glass dome, and across the endless cosmic distance, toward the eternal stars.
What was so great about them?
She didn’t know. She just instinctively yearned for them—
Just like how a moth yearned for fire.
If she liked them, why not chase them?
Even if she burned to ashes.
There was nothing to argue about.
And cultists… were meant to be mad.
Cautious, careful, bold, and insane—
That was the Moths Chasing Fire.