Kane paused, "I don’t like my followers being indecisive as they stir up wars, planning deeper conspiracies."
Kane had already revealed enough information, and Ethan guessed that before this conversation began, the Witch had already met this Old God who had just awakened.
Kane finished his bread and stew, thanked Ethan for his hospitality once more, and then said, "I need to go back and see the rest of that performance. The Reception Bureau is a good place, isn’t it? The frequency of pollution zones appearing is increasing, isn’t it? Pollution zones appear where dead bodies are found, and souls are the best tools to break prohibitions... Just imagine, if all the pollution zones were connected, what would happen then?"
The skull at the center of the circle burned fiercely and turned to ashes in the flames. Kane’s figure faded in the firelight until it vanished without a trace.
This conversation was brief, but it yielded a wealth of information.
Lindong’s expression was somewhat peculiar, "Why do you attract the Evil God’s favor so much?"
She didn’t expect Kane to be so easy to talk to, a pot of stew was enough to win him over.
Thinking back, from the first time Bajatos saw Ethan, he regarded him as a chosen one to be cultivated; from the first time Kane saw Ethan, he treated him as a partner, candidly revealing so much information to him.
The academy’s forbidden books define Evil Gods as the most enigmatic beings, and chaos is the best description of them. They can destroy a nation on a whim. Before this, no one had ever tried to extract information from an Evil God, yet Ethan made the entire process seem simple.
—As long as the Evil God likes you, they will voluntarily reveal the information you need.
Lindong added, "The fact that you became a chosen one is itself highly suspicious. Historical records show that chosen ones need to undergo trials of Evil Gods, and most of them collapse during these trials, only gaining the Evil God’s approval after descending into madness."
But Ethan repeatedly disrupted Bajatos’ trials; he annihilated the Giant Divine Soldier, cured the Scarlet Plague, and even showed a lack of respect towards Bajatos himself.
Besides Ethan, she couldn’t think of anyone else who would call Evil God Bajatos "Old Ba."
"Perhaps they are all enthusiasts of corruption?"
Ethan attempted to explain Lindong’s doubts from a psychological perspective, "Isn’t there an old saying, ’You always want what you can’t have?’ If everyone around you is always obedient, someone who suddenly opposes you becomes especially noticeable."
"Where did that old saying come from? I’ve never heard of it."
But Lindong thought about it more deeply and felt that perhaps there was some truth to it. She tried to put herself in Bajatos’ shoes but felt that the details were somewhat different—if someone almost blinded her at their first meeting, she would chase them to the ends of the earth to give them a kick.
In short, she was a person with a strong sense of vengeance, which was no secret at the academy.
Lindong recalled the "elemental affinity" theory proposed by the academy, a talent that elemental shapers dreamed of. She thought Ethan might have an "Evil God affinity."
Unlike those who were forced into evil by life circumstances, Ethan might be a natural follower of the Evil God.
"Kane’s intelligence network is strong; we can inquire of him more in the future."
Ethan decided to add Kane to his "frequent contacts" group, "He just mentioned the pollution zones, as if hinting that if the pollution zones become connected, the prohibitions set by true gods and middle-level gods will be broken, and then ’Doomsday’ will come."
He could imagine that when the two planes overlapped, everyone would be forced into the pollution zones.
Let alone ordinary people, even low-level transcendents would find it difficult to survive in Layer One for long. There, not only are there many "creations" by Old Ba, but long-term exposure to the pollution zone will pollute humanity’s spirits, making them confused and hallucinate.
"And the necessary condition to achieve this is the outbreak of war; only war can harvest enough souls."
This is a world where Evil Gods exist.
Ethan found it hard to imagine what this continent would be polluted to if a war on the scale of World War I or II broke out.
So here’s the problem.
Even if he drafted a letter with the information he learned and sent it back to the Imperial Capital, would the nobles, the Pope, and the consortiums listen?
Ethan was pessimistic about this.
"The witch has already started her activities."
Lindong interrupted Ethan’s train of thought, raising the energy crystal in her hand, "Ave said a pollution zone appeared at Wolf Head Castle, and that porcelain doll you mentioned has already gone to investigate."
The witch is accelerating the pace of history, making the war come early. This is her purpose in provoking Wolf Head Castle to launch a suicidal attack on Ximu Town—to collect enough souls.
No matter who wins or loses, a large number of deaths will occur.
The pollution zone appearing in Wolf Head Castle at this moment is undoubtedly a trap meticulously prepared for the porcelain doll.
According to Kane’s prediction, she will die in the pollution zone, and then, with the prompting of the motivated, a lot of conspiracy theories will arise in the Imperial Capital, regarding the border areas centered around Ximu Town as unclean.
Lindong felt that if she stood in a neutral and objective position, it would be difficult to defend Ximu Town.
All the residents of neighboring Riverside Town were killed, and a pollution zone appeared; surrounding Haywood Mine went into turmoil, and the red ice turned the inside of the mine into a dead zone; now it’s Wolf Head Castle’s turn, with these three locations encircling Ximu Town at the center, yet nothing abnormal happened in this small town.
If even the members of the Choir were killed in these areas, the royal family and the church would have to reshape their prestige.
She asked, "Well, shall we go say hello to Old Ba?"