[Vol. 5] Chapter 9: A Secret Talk of the Travelers
In the end, Violet’s proposal to use the Divine Tree to bear the Source of Magic and sustain the Illusionary Realm was unanimously approved.
After that, Tiyelu, looking disheartened, silently stood up and left, leaving Violet and Minchen alone to continue their conversation.
When the sound of the butterfly girl’s footsteps faded away, Minchen shook his head with a bitter smile.
“Sorry, Miss Violet. Tiyelu is great in many ways, but once it involves the demon god and the responsibilities left behind, she becomes very stubborn and difficult to communicate with. I don’t quite understand the emotions tied to faith, but please forgive her. She’s had a hard time these past years.
“I’ve only guarded the portal for three hundred years, but Tiyelu has lost her faith and endured millennia of loneliness.”
“It’s alright, I understand.”
Though Violet hadn’t experienced such profound faith and dependence herself, she could imagine what it would be like if she and Xiao Guang were in the same position.
After nodding silently, the priestess glanced at the white wolf pup lying on the bed, who had rolled over and fallen asleep out of boredom. A strange look flashed in her eyes.
“I heard that during the suppression of the Illusionary Realm riot half a month ago, there was a presence suspected to be a demon god. Is that true?”
The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.
Minchen sighed lightly and nodded slightly.
“Yes, if not for that, Tiyelu wouldn’t have such unrealistic fantasies. Although I can’t explain it fully, Novia can’t possibly be a reincarnation of the Demon God Olivia. Gods certainly have great powers, but they can’t contend with the true force of the world. The age of gods has long ended.”
“Oh?”
Violet had heard similar statements before. Previously, she had repeatedly heard Sethlin mention the conflict between gods and the world, referring to it as “malice.” However, when asked for specifics, Sethlin couldn’t explain clearly.
Minchen was a traveler like the priestess, yet different in some ways. Could it be that he...
“What is this force of the world exactly? Does the world itself have consciousness that actively opposes the gods?”
Faced with the black-haired girl’s undisguised curiosity, the gatekeeper pondered for a moment before slowly nodding.
“Yes, but not in the way an individual might understand it. Since you, Miss Violet, are also a traveler from another world and possess such strength, it’s likely you’re connected to this in some way... I’ll make an exception and explain it to you.”
Minchen took a deep breath, seemingly making a resolute decision, and said, “Actually, like you, Miss Violet, I’m not a native of this world either. I came from a game or I would say a distant world known as the ‘Illusory World’.”
“Oh...”
Though it was information she had long suspected and had ample evidence for, hearing it confirmed by the person in question, Violet couldn’t help but feel a faint sense of nostalgia and warmth, like meeting a fellow countryman in a foreign land.
From her interactions so far, Minchen’s carefree and unrestrained personality indeed made him a suitable friend. If they had met in the game, they would likely have become friends.
Nodding subtly, Violet responded, “And then?”
Slightly taken aback by her unexpected reaction, Minchen gave a helpless smile.
“Miss Violet, you truly have a calm demeanor and an exceptionally steady mind. Hearing such news and remaining composed is admirable. Even Tiyelu was stunned for quite a while when she first heard about this.”
“Uh, hahaha...”
Not wanting to make the priestess feel any more awkward, Minchen continued the conversation after a brief comment.
“The ‘Illusory World’ is a very magical place. If we explain it using concepts from this world, it’s a special spiritual space that is attached to the main world but exists independently. People living in the main world can transfer their consciousness to the ‘Illusory World’ through special means and experience a completely different new life there. It’s similar to the ‘Upper Dimension.’ Does that make sense to you, Miss Violet?”
“Yes.”
The priestess nodded in acknowledgment and thought to herself. Not bad, being able to describe the concept of fully immersive virtual games in such a straightforward and understandable way shows effort.
After all, in this almost medieval fantasy world, talking about online video games would probably just make the locals think you’re a lunatic with wild ideas.
Seeing that Violet didn’t seem to have any questions, Minchen continued without elaborating further.
“After ‘Illusory World’ connected with the main world, I arranged with a few friends to enter it together and enjoy this fresh and magical alternate world. After some time traveling there, we successfully gained a basic understanding of that world and even made some progress.
“But... something utterly unimaginable happened shortly after.
“During a collective space transfer, we unexpectedly ended up in an endless, void-like white space instead of our intended destination. There, we encountered the 【Will of the World】.”
“The 【Will of the World】?” the black-haired girl repeated, frowning. Minchen nodded again, his expression equally serious.
“Yes, the 【Will of the World】. At least, that’s how it identified itself. It had no form, and its voice seemed to come from everywhere, omnipotent. It chose us and decided to grant us power and a mission.”
“It said that in another world, shadows are stirring with the intent to resurrect an evil entity and overturn everything. While the 【Will of the World】 possesses nearly limitless power, it lacks a physical presence and cannot intervene directly to maintain order. Therefore, it needs the help of agents like us.”
“It called us ‘Conquerors from Another World’ and gave us the choice.”
“Conquerors... I see...”
Possessing demi-god-level strength, Minchen’s hearing was naturally very keen. Though Violet spoke in a low voice to herself, he immediately caught it and couldn’t help but look surprised.
“Miss Violet, have you encountered this term before? Could it be that you also heard the voice claiming to be the 【Will of the World】?”
“Ah? No... When I arrived here, there were no signs. It was the result of an unusual transport, but when it ended, I was directly in the forest of this world. As for the term ‘Conqueror,’ I heard it from a friend.”
“I see...”
Feeling somewhat disappointed, the gatekeeper nodded and continued.
“The 【Will of the World】 gave us two choices. The first was to accept its commission, come to this new world, embark on adventures, and exterminate the enemies of the world. As a reward, it would provide us with many forms of assistance and grant us protection to some extent. If we ultimately completed the mission successfully, we could choose to return to our original world.”
“The second choice was to be sent back to our original world immediately, with all memories of our encounter with it erased, and return to our previous lives unchanged.”
Violet raised her head slightly in surprise, gently rubbing her smooth chin in thought.
“So... did you all accept?”