1615 A Giant Water G.o.d!
Mousse watched Xia Fan and the others make their way down the steps, headed toward the sacred pool. He then backed away, and headed toward the outskirts of the city, toward the large graveyard where every tombstone rose in the shape of little golden pyramids.
Their sharp tops were pointed to the sky, as if pointing in the direction they wanted their souls to go: up! All the way up until they reached the mainland above, and could see the fields of blooming flowers and the legendary ocean and its rolling waves.
They were the s.h.i.+mmers. Trapped deep underground as a species, their wish was very simple. They did not harbor dreams of becoming dominators of this world, but merely wished to live somewhere with green gra.s.s and sunlight.
Mousse arrived at Jiri’s tombstone. He could find the tombstone even with his eyes closed, because that was where his beloved wife was laid to rest.
!!
Mousse had been the one who had buried her personally. Every character on her tombstone was carved by his own hands. Though it was just a short row of words, Mousse had spent an entire week carving it. Every time he finished each character, Mousse would cry for a very long time.
There were not many plants in Holy Spring City. The only kind that grew easily was a tough wildflower that could bloom in the cold and darkness and not die.
Mousse had randomly picked a wildflower and placed it on Jiri’s grave. Flowers were very precious in the underground world, and though Mousse was the Holy Spring Guardian, the most powerful man among his race, he was only willing to pick one flowerstalk at a time.
But just now, Xia Fan and everyone with him had practically received a tenth of all the wildflowers in the city from the citizens. Truly, the s.h.i.+mmers were very generous to the Demon Slayer Legion. When their own people were only willing to pick a single flower to commemorate their loved ones, they were more than willing to give those precious plants to a group of strangers. It was really cute just thinking about it.
A match was lit. There was no shortage of phosphorus here underground, so making matches was easy. Mousse placed the match near the tip of Jiri’s tombstone, and a small flame instantly ignited.
If Xia Fan had looked closely, he would have discovered that on the tip of the tombstones of the s.h.i.+mmers, there was a little oil lamp hidden there. Those oil lamps would be lit during festivals, so they all looked like stars from their flickering glow.
“We who like underground are like weak flames, but even weak and feeble flames can give off a bit of light and warmth in the endless darkness.”
Mousse thought about the first lesson the princ.i.p.al had taught him when he was young, where several dozen children aged six or seven would nod vigorously, their eyes glowing ever so slightly like these tombstones.
That was a time when Mousse still truly believed in the faith of the s.h.i.+mmers, and truly believed in the Covenant with the Demon Subduer Legion. He believed that the most powerful humans would one day descend from the skies wearing their golden war armor, saving Holy Spring City from drowning in the darkness.
Nevertheless, he ultimately grew up. Mousse lived for thirty-seven years with staunch faith, until he finally became the strongest male among the s.h.i.+mmers, inheriting the role as the Holy Spring Guardian.
Only then did he learn the truth of the matter from the Princ.i.p.al: that there was no covenant, and the Demon Slayer Legion were no more than strangers that occasionally pa.s.sed by. Plus, it was their ancestors that had begged them to make the covenant, so as to grant their people some hope to carry on living.
Thinking about it, it was truly a cruel fate. You are already old, and after many years living in the darkness and cold, your knees would often ache in the middle of the night. Fighting with all your life all for the sake of your faith, to the point that even your most cherished person had been sacrificed for the cause. You had given everything for that covenant, only for them to tell you that it never existed in the first place. IT DIDN’T EXIST!
When Mousse learned of the truth, it was as if he had fallen deep into an icy cavern and then struck by lightning from the heavens. It was a violent blow to his body and soul as he felt everything that he knew instantly crumble before his very eyes!
—
Leaving the graveyard, he crossed the suspension over the moat. Mousse entered the darkness and leaned against an icy cold boulder, staring at his city from afar.
“They are here, a trio. The leader’s name is Xia Fan, and the other two go by the name of Nikai and Traveling Buddha,” Mousse expressionlessly said to the empty darkness.
“Since they’ve survived, I thought it might have been that old b.a.s.t.a.r.d Dresden, or maybe the young masters of the Dongfang Clan. But hearing the news that Nikai is still alive gladdens me. That woman is the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen my entire life.”
Unexpectedly, the darkness replied to Mousse. The voice sounded as if it came from somewhere far away, impossible to tell which direction. But hearing Mousse’s tone, he had to be very familiar with this person hidden in the darkness.
Mousse shrugged, “They had no knowledge of the covenant, and when they heard the truth, I could feel them get very sad over it, almost as if they were ridden with guilt.”
“That is only natural. Humans have always been so ambiguous. When they see a stray puppy, curled up under the eaves of a roof, drenched by the rain, famished to the point that it would be shuddering, every human being would feel pity and sympathy toward the little puppy.
“They would appear to be very caring and kind, bringing the little puppy back home and feeding it, treating its sickness, combing its hair, play with the puppy, looking like they would be inseparable with one another.
“But in the blink of an eye, the puppy would grow, and their fangs would become sharp, and a long tail would drag on the ground. Every night, that big dog would howl at the night sky, revealing a faint glimmer of green in its eyes.
“That would be when the human discovered that what they raised was not a friendly dog, but a wolf. A wolf’s personality was that of independence and strength, naturally alienating humans with its aggression.
“All of a sudden, the warmth and affection that once existed between the two would vanish. The human would pull out a wooden stick and beat the wolf that he had clearly raised since it was little. The sharper the wolf’s fangs, the fiercer a beating the human would give it with his stick. But what they won’t know is that a wolf would not forever be a dog. Dogs would bear the beating and beg for forgiveness, crying, but the wolf would bare its fangs at its enemies, no matter who they are. This is the wolf’s innate personality.
“Humans like pets that rely and obey them, and will never accept a pet with their own personality, or one that is overly independent. In the eyes of the Demon Slayer Legion, all of you are no different from that little puppy s.h.i.+vering vigorously which they felt pity for. If the s.h.i.+mmers wish to join the world the humans hold dominion over, they will forever have to act like a subservient dog, forever listening to their orders, never displaying any disobedience.
“You understand what I mean now, right? Forget humans giving your people what they want, as even if they do, it would be as charity. Meanwhile, I plan to give you freedom and independence. You’ll be able to stand in this world by your own strength as the s.h.i.+mmer people, and not depend on anyone’s charity, or like a child that has to rely on others, never growing up,” the voice in the darkness said.
…
Xia Fan was stunned. Traveling Buddha was actually being pushed back by a flow of water. This water seemed to have a body of its own; it was powerful and struck squarely against Traveling Buddha, who was turning red from exertion!
Traveling Buddha was an outstanding warrior. Though Xia Fan had never seen Traveling Buddha train, he was always firmly ahead of Xia Fan in terms of his cultivation. He had always been secretly training when no one was watching, and would later act carelessly in front of Xia Fan, as if to say, “What about it? Yours truly can be fooling around, but I still have a higher cultivation than you.”
Secretly training and then provoking Xia Fan afterward was just one of the many ribbings that Traveling Buddha would give him. But right now, it was clear that Traveling Buddha was losing. The speed of the water’s flow was getting faster and faster, and the greater the force became, the more Traveling Buddha was pushed back by it.
“This little Buddha shall go all out against you!” Traveling Buddha bellowed, his eyes wide. A golden Light wrapped around his entire body, ignited by his special ability. Traveling Buddha hated to admit defeat, and he was betting his entire self in this compet.i.tion of strength!
The water flow was still increasing in speed. Its strength seemingly came from below the water, surging with the force of a volcanic eruption. Traveling Buddha was not giving up even when faced against it, but his slightly chubby body was suddenly sent flying, creating an arc in the air as he shot off, landing dozens of meters away. His back landed heavily onto the water, creating a splash several meters high!
“F*ck me! What the h.e.l.l is that thing?” Traveling Buddha cried out as he stood up. He wiped his face indignantly, trying to see just who it was that he was comparing strength against. The power of the water was terrifying, and yet it had retracted its power at the final moment, almost as if it had been afraid to injure him.
Xia Fan was also curious as to what could push Traveling Buddha off so easily. Nikai was in the corner, a sliver of fear appearing in her eyes. An ent.i.ty that could easily beat Traveling Buddha would definitely be powerful!
*Gurgle Gurgle*
Laughter rang from inside the water, a laughter that was very carefree. It made Xia Fan think of it as a cheerful laugh while Traveling Buddha had made a fool of himself, as if it had not been a big deal while watching from the sideline.
The surface of the water spurted upward, slowly rising to reveal a transparent head completely made of water. It had distinct features, the top of his head being bald. There was no hair, looking something like a monk.
It turned out that a Water Elemental had been hiding in the pool!
Xia Fan had met Water Elementals before. Star in Water and Moon in Water from Xia Geng’s team had been magical sapient lifeforms, but Xia Fan had never seen a Water Elemental as large as this one before. Just his head alone was the size of Star in Water and Moon in Water added together!
If Star in Water and Moon in Water were both normal people, then the one in front of them would be like the legendary Giant Water G.o.d, capable of tearing apart mountains with his bare hands!