Igola gradually understood why the Grey Fox sorcerers had used such a troublesome yet seemingly pointless mechanism as the Truth Link.
Because they did not just want those who came after them to "know"—they needed them to "believe."
Knowing was far too easy. Just like knowing that the far north had icebergs that felt like burning fire to the touch, knowing that deep oceans harbored whales as immense as mountains, or knowing that a girl's lips were soft—if you hadn't experienced it yourself, you were merely stuck at knowing, and you would quickly forget it.
People knew plenty of moral truths, yet often failed to live good lives because they didn't believe them from the bottom of their hearts. The most intriguing thing about history was how it constantly repeated itself.
From this perspective, the practicality of the Truth Link was in no way inferior to the Shelter or the Twin System: it could allow the young to comprehend social truths that would otherwise take decades of hardship to grasp, all without needing to go through it themselves.
In simple terms, it could truly prevent those who came after from repeating their predecessors' mistakes.
Now, the intelligence Gwen recorded covered several walls.
Igola had initially harbored some worries. After all, the intelligence they had copied down from the Dead City was unverified rumors, no different from hearsay.
Could rumors that had never been seen firsthand truly serve as fuel to deduce the truth?
Of course they could.
This intelligence compiled in Igola's hands slowly unrolled a painted scroll of past God Eras before him. The information left by predecessors was not definitional intelligence like "what the Fire Cat God Era was" or "how the Blue Bird God Era was," but rather messy, chaotic worldbuilding details like "I saw a surviving mural from the Fire Cat God Era in a certain ruin" or "customs and habits of the Grey Fox God Era"—information that, upon careful examination, corroborated one another.
Historical records and observations from different people across different eras constructed an authentic past in Igola's mind. Even though he had never seen primary sources, let alone the ruins mentioned, the rigorous logical relationships among the records were enough to dispel any lingering doubt.
This was the purpose of the Truth Link: it would not tell you the truth, because a truth handed to you was worthless. What it required was for you to convince yourself.
"Which grand law can usher in a God Era has nothing to do with the number of believers, nor with the strength of a faction."
Inside the ruined house, Igola looked around at everyone and said, "The primary deciding factor—the only one—is the will of the Senluo Azure Lord."
"Whatever god He needs, that is the grand law that will unify Senluo."
Gwen turned pale. No one could read the details on Chikala's orc face, but the disappointment in his eyes was plainly visible. The masked Black Crow seemed unaffected, yet when Yaxiu rested a hand on his shoulder, his body still swayed uncontrollably.
None of them objected, for they were the ones who had compiled all the information in this room.
Over a thousand years ago, the Fire Cat Sect was merely an obscure sect across the land. But from a certain point onward, sects that opposed it suffered accidents one after another, and believers even defected to the Fire Cat Sect. When its rising prominence drew sieges from neighboring powers, the major sects Square-Round Cicada and Light Pursuer took the initiative to ally with it, and in the end, the Fire Cat Sect came to dominate the northern regions of Senluo.
Meanwhile, in southern Senluo, there was also a Golden Rule Sect that dominated its neighbors. Its trajectory of rise was virtually identical to that of the Fire Cat Sect: rising from obscurity to dominate the south within a decade. Its doctrine was "let sorcery spirits work automatically," which differed from the Fire Cat Sect's "allow ordinary people to drive sorcery spirits," but yielded the same result—maximizing the productivity of sorcery spirits.
If that wasn't enough, there were the examples of the Blue Bird God Era and the Grey Fox God Era. Because of the Divine Fire system, Senluo no longer needed war to decide a God Era, using something akin to an election instead. Originally, the Blue Bird Grand Law and Grey Fox Grand Law were at the very bottom of the election rankings, but the grand laws competing against them all met with accidents without exception.
Even though the people favored other faiths, the Divine Fire election even saw competing grand laws being extinguished right on the spot—black-box manipulation with no attempt to hide it.
That was why the shock was so great for Chikala and the others: they had always believed that although grand laws ascended into gods, which grand law was worshipped and which sect unified Senluo was determined by the will of the believers.
They believed they were merely engaging in a fair exchange with the Senluo Azure Lord, and that they still possessed the freedom to choose their faith.
Yet the records left behind told them otherwise. What grand law ushered in a God Era had nothing to do with the people of Senluo at all; it depended solely on what kind of god the Senluo Azure Lord needed.
Yaxiu and the others felt this even more deeply.
Whether in the Blood Moon, the Gospel, or Senluo, gods influenced the thoughts of the populace from every angle. Perhaps for more efficient harvesting, like Senluo; perhaps for ease of rule, like the Blood Moon; perhaps to conduct social experiments, like the Gospel.
Without exception, gods turned their personal will into the will of heaven, and they truly possessed the power to forge the worlds they desired.
One could not judge whether this was good or bad, because even without gods, other entities would crowd in to fill the power vacuum—power had no inherent master, yet power always had a master.
"...That little brat, the Senluo Azure Lord! If He wants a specific grand law, why doesn't He just say so? Why make us compete back and forth? If He just spoke up, would we refuse to kneel?" Chikala quickly pulled himself out of the mire of a shattered worldview, cursing, "Someone really ought to take a cane and beat His ass red."
Harvey suddenly chuckled. "Isn't our current situation the best example?"
"Exactly." Igola glanced at Black Crow, a vicious malice in his tone. "If He stated this truth directly, would anyone believe it? If He simply assigned you a faith, wouldn't you resist and reject it? This is an idealistic realm where your will can determine destiny."
"Just as the Truth Link makes us deduce step by step before we can believe the truth, the Senluo Azure Lord has your sects slaughter and wipe each other out to purify your faith, so that you can better aid the ascension of the grand law."
Igola's voice was filled with the cruelty of slow dismemberment. "Ideals were never in your hands. Everything is nothing more than futility. You can only burn yourselves away in emptiness, yet never illuminate the darkness. Only the Senluo Azure Lord has the right to choose which candle to light."
Igola seemed to be speaking to all the people of Senluo, yet everyone knew he was addressing Black Crow.
Because among all the people here, the only one who still held onto his ideals and faith was Tamashi.
The mind sorcerer was so blunt because these words were the most lethal.
*Black Crow, your sect is extinct; Black Crow, the Slay All Crows Grand Law has already been extinguished; Black Crow, you're not even a sorcerer, and after death you'll just be a pile of dry bones; Black Crow, no one will ever follow you...* Tamashi had heard such words until calluses formed on his ears, yet he could still keep walking forward.
Because he believed in the will of the people, because he believed that someone would follow his justice.
That was why he hoped others would remember him, why he hoped other people's sorcerer handbooks would record him. Then, even if he plummeted into the Sixfold Hell, someone in reality would surely inherit the will of Slay All Crows and usher in a God Era of justice...
Though the night was long, though the road was distant, he had at least been able to truly believe from the bottom of his heart that on the far side of darkness lay the light of hope.
Now, it was gone.
There was no will of the people; there was only self-serving compromise.
So long as the Senluo Azure Lord did not need Slay All Crows, there would never be a Slay All Crows God Era, and no matter how he persisted, it was meaningless. If the Senluo Azure Lord one day needed justice, some other grand law would usher in a God Era of justice, and no matter how hard he strove, no one would care.
Yaxiu looked at Black Crow and said nothing.
"I'm fine."
Black Crow's voice suddenly turned shrill and high-pitched, but quickly returned to its usual distorted tone. "I never expected that I would usher in a God Era. I'm fine."
Igola gave Black Crow a glance and said, "Then let's head back and see what's waiting for us."
The group spread their wings and took flight. Yaxiu gestured for Black Crow to climb onto his back, but the next second, his waist buckled directly downward—so heavy!
"Sorry," Black Crow said. "I forgot. I'll reduce my weight right now."
After a few seconds, Yaxiu only felt Black Crow pedaling his legs; the weight on his back didn't decrease at all.
Understanding what this meant, he let out a soft sigh, thinking to himself that he would definitely have to give Igola a beating when they got back.
He gathered his thoughts and said, "Even if the grand law God Era is chosen by the Senluo Azure Lord Himself, it doesn't mean there's no hope for Slay All Crows. What if the Senluo Azure Lord suddenly has a pang of conscience one day? Besides, when pursuing an ideal, the journey is what matters. The outcome isn't really important—after all, you're doomed not to see the result anyway..."
"So what?" Black Crow said. "Whether there is a God Era of justice or not has nothing to do with me, nothing to do with Slay All Crows... Everything we paid and sacrificed was in vain."
"How could it be in vain? Didn't you save a lot of people and kill a lot of bad guys?"
"If we cannot realize our ideal, then it was nothing more than pleasing ourselves by eradicating evil—no different from any other sect."
Black Crow continued, "We aren't madmen. We might derive satisfaction from striking down evil, but torture gives none. Yet for the sake of Slay All Crows, to deter the evil crows, to expand the sect, to pave the way to our ideal, we had no choice but to dirty our hands. Even while holding back nausea and vomit, we had to make every evil crow die in sheer agony..."
Black Crow's body trembled slightly. "Igola once pointed out that most of us in Slay All Crows had psychological problems... Of course I know we had psychological problems! When you grind human hand bones into powder, pull someone's lungs out from their back to make a Blood Crow, or pour mercury into their scalp to flay their skin, how could you not have psychological problems? Are we not made of flesh and blood? Are we truly monsters?"
"Yet we believed it was worth it. As long as we could unify the God Era, as long as all evil crows were slain, there would never again need to be black crows delivering judgment... We were all willing to be the cost. And yet... and yet..."
"Chexiu, Anuoyi, Yelu... They left all their hope to me, but I can't do anything..."
Yaxiu said, "You can rebuild Slay All Crows—"
"I can't."
"You can. How do you know if you haven't tried—"
"I can't!" Black Crow interrupted harshly. "I'm not a sorcerer, and I can't even read! How could anyone possibly be willing to follow me?! I'm just a tool that only knows how to kill! Would you follow a blade? An axe?"
"All I could do was pin my hopes on those who came after... But even if there are successors, it's meaningless now."
*Igola, look at the sin you've committed.*
Yaxiu knew full well that Tamashi's psychological pressure had been building for a long time—or rather, it would be strange if he didn't feel under pressure. As the sole remnant of Slay All Crows, he walked the earth carrying a blood feud, yet his enemy was both his former companion and the ruler of Senluo's most powerful faction. And now, his ideal was completely shattered...
The truth revealed by the second Truth Link was merely the final straw.
Even if not now, Tamashi would have broken down sooner or later.
Even a death-telling black crow needed a branch to rest upon.
Yaxiu spread his wings and forced himself aloft through sheer effort. Black Crow started slightly and gripped his shoulders tighter.
"Tamashi, did you know I'm afraid of you?"
"Huh?"
"You eavesdropped on my psychological consultations with Igola, didn't you? So you should know my romantic relationships aren't exactly... pure."
Black Crow said, "I agree with Harvey's evaluation of you."
"He's completely slandering me! I don't have Veela blood. That remark would be far better suited for Igola." Yaxiu grumbled, then continued, "So do you know why I'm afraid of you now? I'm terrified that if I fool around in relationships, you'll treat me like an evil crow and confiscate my tools of the crime."
"In that regard, it usually depends on whether the woman presses charges. If she doesn't pursue it, we generally don't interfere," Black Crow said. "If she does, we wouldn't harm you either."
"A fine?"
"No. We tie you up and deliver you to her. As for what happens after that, we don't interfere."
"How terrifying."
"If you don't fool around, you have nothing to fear."
"Everyone has evil thoughts now and then," Yaxiu said. "You know Igola and Harvey aren't good people, right?"
Black Crow didn't answer, tacitly agreeing.
"The main reason they've behaved so well in Senluo is undoubtedly because they've been influenced by my noble character," Yaxiu said shamelessly. "But your presence definitely plays a part in it too."
"An incarnation of justice who is cruel, brutal, and even poses a threat to Sanctuary sorcerers—before they try anything, they'll certainly weigh it carefully in their hearts."
Yaxiu continued, "Maybe nobody will follow a blade, but if that blade is hanging over their heads, everyone will be afraid."
"Earlier, when you rebutted that spearmanship Sanctuary sorcerer, you told him not to forget that what he was treading upon was the Glorious Path. But you yourself have forgotten—every step you take now is also the Glorious Path."
"The Glorious Path isn't paved by gods; it's forged by the believers walking it."
"Your mere existence is already deterring the evil crows."
Black Crow froze slightly, remaining silent.
Yaxiu let out a breath. "If that still doesn't work, go see Igola for psychological counseling. I'll give him a beating first to make sure his attitude is straight. He's clearly the one who pissed you off, so why do I have to be the one comforting you..."
"I would never go to him." Black Crow shook his head. "Only you would trust him."
"In that case, I will keep a close eye on all of you. If any inkling of an evil crow appears in you, I'll stop it beforehand," he said. "I will not allow you to turn into evil crows."
Yaxiu blinked, feeling as though he had just dropped a rock on his own foot. "Hey... By the way, can you still not use your weight-reduction martial technique?"
"I can."
"Then why aren't you doing it? You're so heavy!"
"Can't you still fly?" Black Crow said. "Besides... I'm a little tired, too."
Yaxiu and Black Crow were the last to return to the cathedral ruins, and Igola didn't say anything. This time, all of them smoothly entered the hidden shelter, except for one person.
"Why am I still not qualified?" Chikala stood before the blue door and asked in shock, "Is this the legendary racial discrimination?"
Everyone was puzzled as well. Chikala clearly knew the truth, so why couldn't he enter?
Yaxiu suddenly thought of the nature of secret poison and asked, "Do you not truly believe the truth that a grand law ushering in a God Era is determined by the god from the bottom of your heart? Do you still harbor doubts?"
To be infected by secret poison, knowing alone wasn't enough; one had to believe from the bottom of their heart. This shared a subtle resemblance to the effect the Truth Link sought to achieve.
"Well..." A person normally couldn't be certain about a question like this, but Chikala nodded with surprising speed. "Yeah, I still have a bit of doubt."
Before the others could discuss what to do, the orc slapped himself across the face, spinning around several times, then shook his head. "Alright, I have no doubts now."
When they saw Chikala successfully walk through the blue door, everyone was stunned for a moment—is your head filled with water? Can you slap some out with just one hit?
At that moment, Igola was thinking a layer deeper.
When solving the first mist wall, he had wondered: if the hidden shelter held a way to escape the time prison, why hadn't anyone ever left the Dead City?
There were only two possibilities: either there was a way, or there wasn't.
Yet now he realized that the trial of the Truth Link didn't just require deducing the truth—one also had to accept and believe it.
In other words, there was a third possibility: perhaps someone had deduced the final Truth Link, but not a single person could accept the deepest truth.
With this thought in mind, Igola walked inside and discovered that the third mist wall was indeed the last. Behind the mist wall, they could faintly see some equipment.
When they saw the third Truth Link, the exact same question surfaced in everyone's mind:
"What is the ending?"
Chapter 622