The Record of Unusual Creatures - Chapter 371

Chapter 371: The Roots

Everybody rushed to Lily when they heard her scream. Hao Ren immediately thought of the underground tentacles that the husky and bat encountered the previous night during their tunnel investigation. His heart pounded: his speculation was right. The karst cave beneath the Blood Lake was connected to the roots of the Gnarled Grove!

With this in mind, he took the shield and ran to the front, ready for a tough fight and cover for the others to retreat. According to Vivian and Lily, those tentacles attacked foreign enemies!

However, after he got to Lily, there were no enemies attacking them.

“This is…” Big Beardy was standing behind Hao Ren. As an ascetic, his heart still pounded when he saw the spectacular scene. Then, he said, “Is this the legendary underground part of the Gnarled Grove? And this cave is actually connected to them?”

There was a huge cavern at the end of the cave. Its size was slightly smaller than the one with the pool in it but, it was still surprisingly wide. The most shocking thing in the cave was the countless, impressive huge roots that grew from the rock formations above them!

Even the smallest roots were one metre in diameter. They emerged from the rocks above them and grew uncontrollably, criss-crossing and forming a structure like a big net. This “big net” obscured almost three quarters of the top of the cave. It was so dense that they could only see the rock formations from the gaps between the roots. Most of the roots grew irregularly. A small portion of it hung down to the ground and even penetrated deeply into the ground. A large number of roots were also attached to the walls of the caves, gradually spreading and merging into the hard rock.

The top half of the entire cavern was covered by the giant roots. Hao Ren looked up and felt an indescribable magnificence from those black roots. It was definitely psychologically frigtening for him as well.

“…This is the Gnarled Grove’s actual body…” Hao Ren muttered to himself. Despite all his previous speculations, he did not expect the underground part of the ancient plant to be so thrilling. “This should just be a small part of it… Maybe this whole underground cave system is being used to hold these roots!”

Big Beardy’s face quivered. He could only put his hands on his chest and whispered, “Goddess, have mercy…”

The young ascetic next to him was more optimistic. “Never mind, it’s all made by the goddess. According to the Sacred Scripture, all are creations of the goddess. We are brothers and sisters. And, the Gnarled Grove is the oldest sacred creature. Our faith is devout and we’ll be safe here.”

Becky was almost in tears. “Goddess… You made the brother a little too ugly,” she said.

So, four of the ascetics immediately glared at the mercenary.

“Seems like they can’t move,” Lily said after she finally calmed down. The experience of being hunted by tentacles the night before really scared her. As soon as she calmed down, she adjusted her posture and pretended to be an expert. “Well, it seems like the tentacles are also divided into different kinds. The tentacles buried deep won’t move.”

Vivian glanced at her and said, “Stop pretending, your fur’s still standing on end. Smooth them down first.”

Lily wagged her tail. Instead of exploring her theory about the “advantages” of having a big tail, she ran into the cavern and observed the roots closely.

“Why aren’t the roots here moving?” Hao Ren was seriously thinking about this problem. He looked at Vivian and asked, “Are you sure this is the same thing you encountered last night? Is it possible that what you encountered last night was not a root?”

“It was one of these things.” Vivian was very sure of it. She took out the fragment samples she collected and said, “You can compare them.”

After their comparison, the result was unequivocal. These huge roots were the tentacles that fought with Battie and the husky for 300 rounds the previous night. However, the roots inside the cave clearly had a different function. They were not moving.

“The life forms of the Gnarled Grove have transcended the general sense of the plant.” They strolled gingerly through the cavern covered in roots. Vivian walked and thoughtfully analysed everything at the same time. She said, “The roots are probably divided into many kinds. Some are used for exploration, some for absorbing nutrients, and some for fighting. The one I encountered with Doggie last night was probably in charge of exploration.”

“You’ve already encountered these roots?” Big Beardy asked. He just realised what Vivian meant.

Hao Ren then told them about the information they had discovered the night before. At that moment, they had only told Ophra about it. However, compared to Ophra, the four ascetics were almost like one of them so of course, they had to tell them.

“A cult!?” The four ascetics had a stronger reaction when they heard the word “cult”. The older nun even gritted her teeth and asked, “They denigrated the teachings of the goddess, and even created a false god!?”

“And a fool can easily see that it’s a demon.” Hao Ren said as he spread his hands, “We can’t let those dangerous people go on. The giant brain they summoned is extremely dangerous, and the whole ritual is insane. I’ll take care of it.”

Elson glanced at Hao Ren and thought that his last sentence was a little exaggerated. How could the chief of an ordinary mercenary group say that he wanted to be in charge of heretics in front of the four masters? Nonetheless, the four ascetics did not think so. They knew Hao Ren’s real identity so, they just nodded lightly, and Big Beardy said, “That’s good. We’re glad that you want to help us. But, it’s better to let us solve it. This is our problem here.”

He deliberately emphasized the words “our” and “here” in his tone. Even if he had been forced to leave The Plane of Dreams just like Becky, deep down in his heart, this world was still his home.

“Of course. We have reported this to Marshal Ophra and soon, the bishop will know of it as well. Then, there should be a massive manhunt because of this cult. The rituals of the cult are brutal. They need a lot of flesh and blood, and they also summon monsters. As long as the search team hunts for them carefully, they will not be difficult to find.”

Big Beardy nodded. Suddenly, he began to look worried and said, “I just didn’t expect there to be corrupt men among the Royal Knights of the Kingdom and within the Church… The degeneration is shocking. I wonder how long they have been secretly developing it. I’m afraid Bishop Gelton has to take great responsibility for this.”

As Hao Ren was not familiar with Gelton, he had no comments and just kept walking.

At the same time, he asked the MDT telepathically, “Where are we now?”

The Data Terminal immediately sent a picture to Hao Ren’s mind and said, “We just left the Blood Lake’s range. We have not entered the Gnarled Grove’s area. The roots we encountered are only a small part that spread out from the Gnarled Grove. I just increased my power and scanned our surroundings. I’ve found that more roots are directly spreading to the depths of the lake.”

The real huge part of the Gnarled Grove was below the ground. Its body had already gone deep into the Blood Lake. Hao Ren could also completely affirm that there had to be a similar “root cavern” under Dragonspine Ridge.

If the opportunity arises, maybe, he could explore Dragonspine Ridge through this channel…

Hao Ren was deep in thought so, he allowed the Data Terminal to record the spatial coordinates of the cavern.

The old werewolf had maintained a high degree of vigilance after he entered the giant cavern. Whether as a former mercenary or as a soldier, he had the most malicious opinions of any strange place. “It’s said that a group of dwarf miners dug too deep into the mountains and accidentally dug up a root of the Gnarled Grove. They all ended up going crazy. According to the speculation of this lady from the Blood Clan, these roots have a wide variety of functions. We must be careful of roots that can release neurotoxins or roots that are able to mentally attack their enemies.”

The female members of the team are being cautious of the tentacles, Hao Ren thought. But, he wondered if these tough girls were really attacked, because the tentacles were the ones who should be afraid… Even the little mermaid, who was sleeping in the Dimensional Pocket was not necessarily afraid of these roots. Lil Pea would definitely take this place for a tasty and delicious fairytale fortress, similar to a candy house…

Hao Ren’s mind wandered as he walked on. A strange sensation suddenly struck as he was about to leave the cave occupied by giant roots. It made him shiver all over.

It felt like an invisible spy coming from all directions, with countless eyes staring at him; fleeting but, extremely clear.

Hao Ren was horrified and looked around. He still remembered how he felt when he first walked into the Gnarled Grove.

Was it the same feeling? Were the roots capable of thought?

Chapter 372: The Core of the Cavern

The feeling of being spied on from all sides by something huge just lasted for a few seconds. Once Hao Ren reacted, the sense of being watched vanished, leaving only the hair on his back standing to remind him that it was not an illusion. Lily had a sharp sixth sense. At that point, she was already standing in front of Hao Ren. She stared at Hao Ren’s face and said, “Landlord, you got goosebumps too?”

Hao Ren thought it was impossible to communicate with the weird husky about something like this.

He dragged Lily aside, recalling the feeling earlier and how it felt when he first entered the Gnarled Grove. He finally confirmed that the two were the same thing. He looked at the huge, tangled roots in the cavern, sensing more and more that they were emitting an endless stream of thought. He recalled the legend of the dwarf miners who dug up tentacles that made them go crazy, and then he thought of Vivian’s theory… An ancient creature that detached itself from the rest of the plants and animals; maybe, it really did notice their arrival.

And it was thinking and watching, just not taking action.

“What’s wrong?” Vivian noticed Hao Ren’s reaction and looked at him with concern.

Hao Ren described how he felt just now. He then looked at them with a strange expression and asked, “Weren’t you guys aware of it?”

“No,” Becky said. She got goosebumps and scratched herself. “Don’t scare me. This place is already eerie enough.”

The exploration of a gloomy cavern, deep underground made everyone nervous. Plus, now that Hao Ren told them about a huge entity enveloping the entire cavern and spying on them, suddenly everyone felt creeped out. This also made Lily’s hair stand on end again.

The husky was also very unlucky. Since she came to The Plane of Dreams, she kept encountering scary things. She really felt that sooner or later, she was going to have a loose, fluffy, big fox tail… Hmm, that seemed like a good thing because it made her tail look bigger!

“Anyway, this place is very strange and we have to be careful,” said Big Beardy. He did not view it as a safe place just because it was the sacred cavern from which the Church originated. The more ancient and mysterious, the more dangerous the place. He knew better. However, as a devout believer, he viewed the crisis as a test from the goddess. “Everyone has a means of escaping, right? We have divine teleportation.”

“I brought the teleportation stone,” the old werewolf nodded and replied.

Hao Ren and his teammates did not worry about that. Their public identity was that of teleporting wizards and scholars, but ones with little experience…

They left the great cavern quietly. Big Beardy decided their next step according to the ancient knowledge and they led the team into a winding cave. The shadows of the giant roots could be seen everywhere in the cave. Some of them emerged from the rocks, some of them lay across the walls, and some even completely encroached on their surroundings. The entire cavern was entangled with roots.

This was an underground world completely ruled by roots. Hao Ren found himself gradually entering the heart of an ancient plant. He could almost hear some kind of throb, coming from the thick roots around him.

At this moment, a stone gate with obvious artificial traces appeared abruptly at the end of the cave.

The stone gate, which blended in seamlessly with the surroundings, looked like it was carved directly from the rock strata. This most probably resulted from the integration of the stone gate with the surrounding rocks by a sorcerer, who was excellent in earth magic. The stone gate was 5 or 6 metres tall and nearly 10 metres wide. Its frame was carved with different shades of patterns in relief. Even after thousands of years had passed, these reliefs were still there. When Hao Ren saw the patterns, it first reminded him of the Disciples of Glory’s sacred painting, which he saw in the small church. He speculated that the Disciples of Glory used this particular pattern to symbolize their goddess. The most special part of this stone gate was that it had no door. In the doorway, there was only cloudy, white fog. They could not see beyond the white fog clearly. They could just vaguely sense an unstable dimension behind the white fog.

Hao Ren had already tried different brands of teleportation devices, including those that utilised magic as well as technology, and even copycat versions. Though he was not really experienced in teleportation, he was still able to sense it. He knew that the gate was a teleportation portal. It was likely the core of the sacred cavern.

Hao Ren, his teammates and the four ascetics were not surprised but the old werewolf, who was always in the dark, could not help but exclaim, “It’s man-made? This…”

“I’m afraid we’re in a relic from the early days of the Disciples of Glory,” said the young ascetic. “This is a holy lake. So, it’s not surprising to see some ancient ruins here. The world was in turmoil when the Disciples of Glory was founded. They built underground strongholds in many places. Perhaps this is one of the abandoned ones. ”

Hao Ren was surprised that the ascetics could easily make up a reason. Do not be fooled by their appearance, you can never outspeak an ascetic…

The old werewolf did not suspect him. He just looked at the magic door, which still operated, looking worried. “It could be a teleportation device. It’s been in disrepair, and neglected for a long time. If we touch it hastily…I’m afraid we’ll be teleported to some abandoned place and won’t be able to get out.”

Big Beardy nodded and looked at the dimensional door sternly. At the same time, he was surrounded by a layer of pale, golden glow, echoing the relief on the stone gate. Then he got up and said, “The dimensional door is functioning properly, and can still be used. This place is sacred, and we, as believers will be ashamed to meet the goddess if we are deterred by this door. The rest of you can find another way, but we must go inside.”

Of course, everyone wanted to go in and see. Big Beardy took this opportunity to “remind” everyone, “Most of the internal teleportation doors left by the Holy See are somewhat special. It may send people who can’t pass some kind of test, to other places randomly but, it’s basically harmless. If anyone of you find yourselves teleported to an area alone, don’t be nervous. You should be able to return to this place along the route with specific markings.”

Hao Ren immediately knew that this reminder was for the old werewolf… Big Beardy was being dishonest!

It turned out to be so. As they walked into the teleportation portal, Hao Reen felt a slight dizziness. After that, he realized there were only the four ascetics and his teammates with him. The old werewolf had been tricked, and was teleported somewhere else.

“Is it alright for us to fool the old werewolf?” said Hao Ren with a weird expression. He did not really mind getting rid of Elson, but he felt a little uncomfortable and sorry that such a famous general was fooled by the four ascetics.

However, Vivian just waved and said, “I don’t mind. It’s like fooling a little kid.”

Compared to Vivian’s age, Elson was indeed a lot younger than her.

Hao Ren was speechless. Big Beardy smiled and explained, “Don’t worry. According to ancient records, the cave he was sent to is safe. And with his abilities, he won’t be in danger. Now, let’s go to the depths of the sacred cavern.”

After they passed through the portal, they arrived at a strange cave. The cave was clearly several times wider than the tunnel that they previously passed. Giant roots and luminous fungi were all over the stone walls. They lit up their surroundings, giving the place a great, eerie atmosphere. Hao Ren could not help but touch the roots beside him. Unsure if it was an illusion, he felt the roots quivering, and at the same time, they were expanding and contracting as if breathing.

But, when he tried to feel the roots carefully, it was like nothing happened.

“Why is that only the Pope and a few ascetics can come here?” Becky asked nervously. She was a small potato, and afraid to touch this secret thing, which she had previously seen as extremely dangerous. Now, as she approached some old secret, she became increasingly worried. “It’s a secret that even the Bishop can’t come into contact with… Is it okay to let us know?” she said.

“What are you worried about?” Big Beardy asked without turning his head.

“I am afraid I’ll be beaten to death after leave this place…”

Big Beardy explained, “…You’re thinking too much. It’s mainly because the sacred cave is sealed together with secrets that the goddess directly passed down. Many of these secrets are not suitable for direct disclosure and must only be embraced by the most determined believers as well as “Chosen Ones” from another world. These secrets would likely subvert your perceptions and even bring about power that is enough to change the world. Just like 3,000 years ago, the world was shocked when the first pope obtained divine power with his mortal body. Maybe we’ll find some new miracles this time at the core of the cavern. We are here to explore them and also to ‘test’ them, to the extreme…”

Big Beardy paused for a while, and then continued, “Even if we’re unable to bear the goddess’ inheritance, and die from it, just let the four of us handle it.”

Hao Ren understood why Big Beardy could confidently lead them to the sacred cavern. The people at the scene were either devout ascetics or “travellers” from another world. It did not matter if there were any great benefits or secrets in the cavern, he did not have to worry about it being leaked.

Anyone from Holletta, even the king, may have had to go through several rounds of tests. But, to a group of visitors who did not belong to this world…being an “outsider” was the most legitimate reason!

For the first time in his life, he thought being an outsider was a good thing…

At this moment, he noticed that the cave had come to an end, and there was a bright light ahead. At the same time, there was a faint sound of a beating heart.

*Thump… Thump… Thump… *

Chapter 373: Heart

*Dub—dub, dub—dub, dub—dub…*

He was not imagining it. The sound of a heart beating just ahead was real, and it gave Hao Ren goosebumps. He checked his Steem Membrane Shield instinctively like he was approaching some ancient being of horror.

He knew he had a pretty accurate sixth sense but he hoped it was wrong this time.

Leading in front and having forgotten about their previous creepy encounter, the husky screamed again. “Whoa! What’s this?”

Hao Ren inched closer cautiously. His stopped breathing when he saw what was outside the cave.

It was another gigantic, ellipsoidal karst cavern, which had many similar smaller caves distributed evenly on all sides. The one Hao Ren was standing in was just one of them. Roots grew out from the caves, the walls, and the ceilings, joining into a giant lump in the centre of the cavern. The mass, which looked like a crater-laden meteoroid was roughly a thousand metres across. Dark-red skin tissue could be seen through the gaps of the entangled roots spread over a mass that emanated a red, light pulse. The tissue danced with the “lub-dub” sound like it was a heartbeat, or breathing.

The “heart” had its roots spread out into the earth and up to the surface.

Surrounding the heart was a pool of surging, dark-red fluid. It was like the water in Beinz Blood Lake, but darker. Its liveliness made it look like it was also some kind of living creature.

Even Y’zaks choked in awe. “There isn’t such a ridiculous thing even back in my home.”

Everyone knew the entire Gnarled Grove was a single life form. What they had seen back then was just a part of it—only the trees and the roots, which were pretty normal stuff. But this bundle of roots in the shape of a heart with its constant beating in the cavern was out of this world. It was a horrifying ancient creature.

Becky clenched her sword instinctively. But, she quickly doubted her weapon. She said, “Do you think I can jab this thing with my sword and see if it hurts? By the looks of it, the skin of this thing may be as thick as 10 metres!”

Cold sweat flowed down Hao Ren’s forehead: he could not fathom why the maiden’s first thought was to jab the thing…

Lily’s eyes lit up in a golden glow as she raised her claws of ice and fire, all the while remaining behind Big Beardy. “Are you sure this is the sacred cavern?”

Although Big Beardy and his company were also half-stunned. However, they quickly regained their composure and became as cool as cucumbers again. “It looks exactly like the drawing in the ancient record, which the first pope drew when he found the goddess’ sacred patrimony here. Guys, put down your weapons. This must be the sacred ancient one. We cannot afford to offend it.”

Vivian pondered for a second. Then she took out a bat, shoved it into Hao Ren’s hand and said, “Keep it in your Dimensional Pocket.”

Hao Ren was flabbergasted. “What for?”

“If things go wrong, your Dimensional Pocket is the safest place to be.” Vivian said, looking serious. “I could then transfer my consciousness to the bat—it’s a way to stay alive, though a lot of fresh blood and energy may be needed.”

Hao Ren never knew Vivian had such an ability—this bat was a fetish. As he pinched the bat a little before putting it into the Dimensional Pocket, he noticed a subtle change in Vivian’s expression. Vivian said, “You should segregrate the bat from Lil Pea, the kid’s grinding her teeth…”

“…”

He was sincerely curious about what was in Vivian’s mind, and how she dealt with schizophrenia when she was split into a swarm of bats.

Everyone moved closer to the heart, which lay in the centre of the gigantic cavern. And they began to feel the pressure in their minds. The constant thuds of the heart sounded like it was pounding directly in their chests. It could drive a weak mind insane. The pulse of red light in the heart was ominous just by looking at it. So, what was underneath its skin? Blood?”

The heart was surrounded, or rather half-submerged in a pool of liquid. The surging, sticky fluid was another interesting part of the heart. The young ascetic nun took out a crystal bottle as large as her palm and carefully scooped up some liquid.

The sticky fluid surged even when it inside the bottle, dancing to the pulse of the heart.

“What is this?” Hao Ren asked, frowning and looking at the fluid in bottle. “Is it alive?”

“It’s a liquid life form,” the MDT replied. It got out of Hao Ren’s pocket and analysed the fluid in the pool. “Amazingly, this fluid is a part of the Gnarled Grove, an organ of the heart. But, it can live on its own. Once it leaves the pool, it’s an independent creature on its own.”

Hao Ren’s blood ran cold, imagining the possibility of the surging fluid-creature jumping on him suddenly. He took a step back instinctively—he shuddered just from looking at it.

Vivian glanced at Hao Ren, half smiling. “Oh really? My blood magic has a lot more fun than this thing.”

Suddenly, the young ascetic monk called out from nearby. “Here! I’ve found something!”

Everyone scurried over. A pillar, or rather a stone altar of sorts was beside the pool. They did not notice it earlier as they were obsessed with the gigantic heart.

It was well-shaped and carved out of white stone. At three metres across, the altar had mysterious symbols and messy reliefs of the Disciples of Glory on it. Black and heavily weathered substances, probably residue of things used in rituals along with a black, dust-covered, perfectly-preserved, small box were on the altar.

“This is the item left behind by the first pope!” Staring at the altar in awe, Big Beardy said, “True to the holy words, a patrimony which would only be revealed in 3,000 years!”

Hao Ren was equally excited. “So, what is it? A forbidden curse? A new fetish? Another progenitor?”

Big Beardy rubbed his hands in excitement— there goes his characteristically cool composure. “I don’t know. However, we must open it and bring it back to the Pope… as per the sacred decree…. By the goddess’ mercy, the box is still in one piece though everything else was destroyed. This must be the will of God!”

Hao Ren rolled his eyes; he almost could not stand Big Beardy—it was obvious that the box was intact simply because it was well built…

Big Beardy held the box in his hands carefully. As he opened it up, he found a few parchments. They were heavily faded, but well preserved.

There were black writings—probably messages written by the first pope—on the parchments.

Both Big Beardy and Hao Ren took a deep breath; one was imagining some new oracle or sacred words, while one was expecting some secret recipe left behind by some older, white bearded man.

Vivian was not interested in the moldy skins at all. She sauntered thoughtfully along the pool surrounding the heart. Looking down at the pool of red fluid, she was fascinated as it made her think of her own blood magic.

She released a bat out to take a sip from the pool. She was not worried about the red-liquid creature in the pool suddenly attacking her. Because, she had a feeling that the liquid would be easy to control like normal blood.

Vivian’s knitted her brows together as she found it a little salty.

Meanwhile, Hao Ren and Big Beardy had successfully deciphered the writings on the parchment. Big Beardy read it out in his low tone of voice.

“We… came from the stars…”

Chapter 374: The Truth of the Apocalypse

The ancient parchment, which was specially treated, stayed soft yet tough even after 3,000 years. Though faded, it suffered no damage. The handwriting was blurry, but it was legible under the careful eye.

The ancient written language of 3,000 years ago was different from the language of present-day Plane of Dreams. The ascetics, who studied ancient religious texts in the ancient language had no problem in understanding them—so long as the handwriting was still recognisable.

The manuscript in the sacred cavern was not a fetish or a patrimony from the goddess, but the last words of the first pope intended for his successor.

Big Beardy read it out slowly. “…We came from the stars… All of life in this world originated from the stars… The goddess created all of life. But in the beginning, she only created the seeds…”

“What does that mean?” the young nun asked, getting confused.

Being an interstellar traveller, Hao Ren understood its meaning better than the four ascetics. “It basically says all of life on this planet came from space, brought by the meteoroid and things like that, y’know?” he explained.

“The goddess created the seeds.” Big Beardy pointed at the text with his index finger. “She sowed the seeds on the various planets and the seeds grew on planets that were hospitable to life. We are sons derived from the seeds—the creation of the goddess, but we are also just remnants of the system.”

So far, the only difference between these writings and the texts of the Disciples of Glory was in the wording. But everyone’s face turned serious when Big Beardy continued with the subsequent paragraphs. “…I am leaving this message in hopes that when the cavern is opened for the second time, all races in this world would have risen up, not to surpass the Ancient Magic Civilisation, but to be strong enough to delay the powerful ancient creatures, our furious ‘brothers’…

“Before time began, the world was just a barren place where planets were desolute, dead, and lifeless. Then, the goddess was conceived out of the darkness. She was the first life of spirit and knowledge, the king of kings, blood of bloods, soul of souls. But, the goddess was not happy that the stars were lifeless. So, she created the seeds and sowed them on the planets. When the seeds fell on the earth, they began to evolve into a blood tide, from which the most primitive life forms evolved and subsequently ruled the earth. I called that earliest seed the ‘Original Seed’. It is the origin of all life on this tiny rock in space. From great men to servants, from demi-gods to nobodies, you and me, and all plants originated from this seed.

“The felony of the Ancient Magic Empire was not the creation of perfect life form or their encroachment into the realm of the divine; what they did was far more serious than that—they found a remnant of the Original Seed, drew power from the flesh and blood of the remnant, then attempted to play God!

“The Original Seed is the blood of the goddess, an extension of her body which contains the most primitive, direct divine power, and can even be regarded as the goddess herself. The mage emperors were mesmerised and arrogant. They attempted to use her flesh and blood to regenerate their own bodies. They even tried to erode and control the sacred remains with their mortal will so that they could become God. Their blasphemy against the Original Seed was the root cause of their destruction.

“What I am going to reveal, no matter how unacceptable or unbelieveable, is the truth; the truth of the evolution of all life on this planet…

“We are not the first to be born—after the Original Seed landed on Earth, it did not just give birth to a single sowing. During the height of the Blood Tide, the oldest and strongest guardians were born. The First Sowing thrived in the early days and took on a more primordial strength. It had the most steadfast loyalty and conviction to the mother—the goddess. I call these oldest beings the ‘First Born’. The First Borns ruled the earth for millions of years until they got tired of it and went into collective slumber. Subsequently other smaller beings—including us, were born from the already thinned out Blood Tide. We, the little mortals were the Second Born.

“The arrogance of the ancient mage emperors had infuriated the First Borns who were asleep in the depths of the earth. They sensed that people had spoilt the structure of the Original Seed, so they rose from their sleep and launched a bloody massacre.

“The dysfunction of the Original Seed caused the Blood Tide to go haywire. The remaining life force of the Blood Tide evolved into another apocalyptical disaster, during which an extremely corrosive, hateful but short-lived monster, whose sole purpose was to destroy the rebellious son emerged. So, according to the evolution calendar, this would be the Third Born.

“This is the truth of the apocalyse: the world was not thrown into a sea of fire, but an ecological extinction.

“The event of extinction almost destroyed all of the Second Sowing and the furious First Borns as well as Third Borns vowed to rebuild the planet’s ecosystem. We were supposed to be totally exterminated in the apocalypse, but the merciful goddess saved us: she built a safety switch in the Original Seed, which was triggered when she sensed an apocalypse was imminent, and forcibly halted the action of the First Born. The Third Borns ran out of life and died shortly after that. That was how our world was spared.

“It was fortunate that the foolish mage emperors did not spoil the Original Seed’s safety switch. This was the only good thing they had done. I found the safety switch, which was still running from the cavern and took it out from to prevent the First Borns from damaging it while they sleepwalked. But the safety switch must not be too far away from the seal, so I have placed it somewhere within 100 cassavas (an ancient measurement for distance) of this cavern. If things go as planned, the safety switch should be known as the life progenitor and it will work well during your era.”

There was a quiver in Big Beardy’s breathing and everyone else’s. It was not just due to the explosive truth, but also because they were having a bad feeling about it. The young nun held up the final piece of the parchment and her suspicions were confirmed.

“The safety switch is just an organ of the Original Seed. As the Original Seed was seriously damaged, the organ could no longer function perpetually as intended. According to my estimate, it only has 3,000 years of life left.”

*Gulp*

Becky swallowed.

“The First Borns are about to wake up. When the safety switch—the restraining signal of the life progenitor stops, the First Borns will resume their action and reset the ecosystem. After the apocalypse, there were three surviving First Borns, which are currently being restained by three corresponding life progenitors. The restraining signal will stop in sequence. According to my understanding, the first one to stop is the one here. The other two will follow suit in one and three years respectively. But one First Born will be sufficient to cause total apocalypse.”

“But, do not lose hope. We still have allies. According to some ancient records, some higher civilisations from other galaxies have made a covenant with our world; they are the Second Borns from other planets, who know the secrets of the goddess and First Born better than we do. When the restraining signal goes out, their armies and spacechips will come to our rescue and help us destroy the First Born. However, the First Borns can only be killed during their awakening stage. Not prior, not after.

“I compiled this intel from various ancient records. Though not very comprehensive, the key message is pretty accurate. Due to the explosive nature of this intel, which may bring despair to humans, I have discussed with my old friends; we all agreed to not reveal the entire truth to the world at one go. If things go as planned, I will build churches, set up a will for each generation and tell the truth bit by bit over a span of hundreds of years. So, I am hoping that the mortal races will rise and be strong enough to defend themselves against the First Born 3,000 years from now. But in the event that my plan fails, there may be people who find the various inductions and arrangements, which I have left behind in this cavern. With my last words, you will be able to know the fate of this world.

“And lastly, if someone has indeed read this, please send my regards to the brethren from other planets and thank them for sticking to the covenant—even though the sinful mage emperors were the ones who made the covenant, at least our world may be saved.

“If anyone can survive this event, I hope they will remember this: the fall of the First Born does not mean we mortals can become arrogant again; we should instead hold a fearful heart lest we repeat the mistake of the Ancient Magic Civilisation, the wrath of the goddess will sooner or later consume the world.”

The parchment slipped from the nun’s hand and dropped on the altar. The young nun mumbled to herself, her voice sounding coarse. “…The inheritance of the outside world… has already been broken a long time ago…”