Chapter 223 Chapter221-Departure
The death of Haviss brought about a shock that was immensely profound.
Lehman and Eileen gazed fervently at the Golden Divine Dragon hovering in the sky, its golden scales appearing incredibly dazzling and noble under the illumination of the sunlight.
The corpse of the Angry Dragon under its claws, coupled with the flowing magma on the ground, only augmented the dragon's sense of power.
Just how strong was he?
This was the common question lingering in both Lehman and Eileen's minds.
Ethan's performance had clearly surpassed that of an ordinary person.
However, this question was destined to remain unanswered, since even Ethan himself could not provide a response.
With the elimination of Angry Dragon Haviss, the underground command post fell into a long-lost tranquility.
Free from the oppression of the Angry Dragon, and with the monsters swept away by Ethan, it was hard for such a massive assembly to reoccur in a short span of time.
The command center could now reverberate with the joyous laughter and chatter of soldiers.
In his free time, Ethan even took a moment to visit the other stele.
On that monument, which recorded the kills of the monsters, his name was conspicuously listed.
Besides Ethan, there were names of other individuals he was familiar with, such as Dark Lord Rock and Dark Lord Blood, as well as Lana Mokos.
As for those who had passed away, their names would not be engraved on the stele.
Time flew swiftly, and more than ten days passed in a blink.
Devoid of the disturbance from the monsters, everyone in the command post found themselves in a state of leisure.
Old John started to embrace his role as a mentor, tirelessly instructing Ethan on the intricacies of alchemy, and occasionally guiding Sherry in her cultivation.
"You're nearing the time to leave, aren't you?"
One day, after imparting knowledge of alchemy to Ethan, Old John suddenly asked.
Taken aback for a brief moment, Ethan then nodded and replied, "Yes."
Old John sighed, saying, "Time truly flies."
Despite having been in each other's company for just over ten days, Old John had come to regard his student Ethan as his own child.
However, he understood that Ethan's departure was inevitable, and he was unwilling to restrain him from it.
"Mr.John..." Ethan too felt a certain reluctance to part ways.
He had perceived the affection and care that Old John harbored for him.
During the teachings, Old John had been wholly generous, imparting various kinds of knowledge and even some extremely secretive techniques of alchemy.
"Alright, don't be sad; it's not like we will never meet again."
"Before you leave, take all the books in this room with you. Remember to read them carefully and to study diligently. The next time we meet, I will properly gauge your progress." Old John said, comforting Ethan with a smile despite his own lingering reluctance.
The books in the room filled four large bookshelves, all painstakingly collected by Old John. Many of them were rare, solitary copies, immensely valuable.
"This is a colossal wealth of invaluable knowledge. Mr. John, these books are the results of your arduous collection." Ethan voiced his refusal.
However, Old John had anticipated Ethan's refusal. Shaking his head, he said, "These books are of little help to me now, and it is your time to learn."
"Take them."
After persistent persuasion from Old John, Ethan finally accepted this generous gift.
He stored the books directly into his Space Ring.
Observing this, Old John exhibited no signs of surprise.
As an alchemist commanding the Eye of Alchemy, he had recognized from the beginning that Ethan wore a Space Ring, discerning both Ethan's true identity and bloodline.
Yet Ethan's genuine talent remained something he had not fully grasped.
"Remember to visit Rhine later; she has a gift for you as well."
Having said this, Old John then exited the room.
Ethan nodded, gathering all the books before leaving the room to head towards Rhine's quarters.
A few minutes later, Ethan knocked on Rhine's door.
"Come in," a slightly aloof voice called out.
As Ethan entered and Rhine saw that it was him, a smile broke across her face as she asked, "Are you here to say goodbye?"
This caught Ethan somewhat off guard, leaving him unsure how to respond.
Fortunately, Rhine continued, "Old John must have told you that I have a gift for you too, right?"
"Mr. John mentioned it to me," Ethan acknowledged.
"That's good," Rhine nodded, gesturing for Ethan to sit before continuing, "I can see that your current strength has reached a certain pinnacle. Next, you are on the verge of stepping into the divine realm. However, Ethan, are you aware of the true nature of a deity?"
This question plunged Ethan into a thoughtful silence.
Records of deities were incredibly scarce, and even the fragments of information that could be gathered were too disjointed and fragmentary to construct a true understanding of what a deity is.
It was as if someone had deliberately erased this information.
Seeing the confusion on Ethan's face, Rhine elaborated, "In reality, a deity is not much different from a human."
"The essential distinction lies in their power — even at the peak of human potential, one stands no chance against even the weakest deity."
"And even amongst deities, there exists a hierarchy."
"The most powerful deities govern the rules of the world, capable of defying the natural laws and treating the world as their plaything."
"Whereas weaker deities merely possess a trace of deity potency."
"Moreover, the rule each deity presides over varies, meaning the strength of a deity cannot be determined solely by their power. It also depends on the advantages and restrictions imposed by their respective rules."
"There are also numerous paths to becoming a deity."
"As a reward and a parting gift for you, I am offering a token for the trial of the god. With this token, you can directly participate in the trial of the god. If you pass the assessment, you will ascend smoothly to deity status. However, the final outcome still depends on your own efforts."
After speaking, Rhine brought out a crystal. The crystal emitted a water-blue glow, seemingly with oceans flowing within, profoundly deep and mesmerizing.
"This is the Crystal of Aquaman. Through this crystal, you can participate in the Trial of the God of the Sea," Rhine explained.
Ethan took the Crystal of Aquaman, curiosity twinkling in his eyes.
Yet before he could ask further about the details of the trial of the god, Rhine preemptively stated, "You will have to discover the specifics of the trial of the god yourself once you enter it. What I can assure you is that, whether you succeed or fail, it will be greatly beneficial for you."
Ethan nodded, understanding that Rhine had no intention of elaborating further. He then prepared to leave.
However, just as he was stepping out of the door, he suddenly turned back, asking, "Ms. Rhine, may I ask you one question before I leave?"
"Go ahead," Rhine replied, her curiosity piqued as she looked at Ethan.
"I wish to know, is Maya City truly real, or is it a construct of someone's imagination?"
Ethan hadn't forgotten that he was still in the trial within the Hot Spring Ruins, yet everything in Maya City and the underground command post felt too real, easily sowing seeds of confusion.
Hearing this question, Rhine didn't provide a straightforward answer.
She only offered an equivocal response, "Reality and illusion are a matter of perspective. Moreover, they aren't always mutually exclusive. Sometimes what your eyes perceive as real might be an illusion, yet under certain circumstances, those illusions can turn into reality."
"As for the existence of Maya City, that is something you will have to investigate yourself."
"If you are truly intrigued, I can share an additional piece of information. In later generations, in the future, Maya City might be known by a different name. It has a special moniker — The Lost City!"
"The Lost City? The future?" Ethan exclaimed in sudden delight.
He caught onto Rhine's phrasing — The Lost City was a name Maya City would adopt in the future. Did that mean he had traveled back in time, or was he existing in the present, with The Lost City being a future nomenclature?
Ethan was immensely puzzled, turning his gaze towards Rhine, but she refused to elaborate further. Left with no choice, a befuddled Ethan could only take his leave.
Not long after leaving, Ethan walked along the main road and unexpectedly bumped into Dark Lord Rock and Dark Lord Blood, who were actually on their way to find him.
Seizing the opportunity of this fortuitous meeting, they gratefully said, "Black Dragon, we owe you a great debt of gratitude this time."
Their appreciation was profound, for without Ethan, they surely would have perished amidst the monster uprising.
Ethan brushed aside the thanks nonchalantly, posing a question instead, "Where do you plan to go after leaving? Return to your own domains, or continue to stay in Snowy Plains?"
"It's probably back to our domains…" Dark Lord Rock hesitated as he responded.
After Ethan had slain numerous monsters, Dark Lord Rock had managed to harvest a considerable amount of monster materials. These resources were more than enough to concoct the reagents he needed.
Acknowledging with a nod, Ethan inquired once more, "Could you possibly share your domain addresses with me? There might be opportunities for collaboration in the future."
Sharing the exact location of one's domain rashly did not align with the conventional protocols of the Dark Lords, as it could easily draw unwanted attention, potentially leading to assaults from heroes and other Dark Lords.
However, at this moment, both Dark Lord Rock and Dark Lord Blood didn't hesitate to provide their domain addresses.
They were unsure about the exact nature of the cooperation Ethan had hinted at, but judging by Ethan's character, they were certain he had no intentions of coveting their territories.
After his conversation with Dark Lord Rock and Dark Lord Blood came to an end, Ethan encountered another individual — Eileen.
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