Chapter 70 Man Proposes, But God Disposes
After the last Condor had been dealt with, Thirteen asked Cristopher to make the Troll rip off the monster's wings so that they could use them as beds and blankets for the night.
Having an Avatar was a game changer, and Cristopher was extremely lucky to get one after their first battle.
With the Troll's addition to their party, a lot of things became much easier.
Knowing that the corpses of the Condors might attract several Monsters, Thirteen asked Cristopher to make the Troll rip off the condor's legs so that they could cook the meat and use their sharp talons as weapons.
As for their bodies, they were dumped hundreds of meters away from the Oasis in order to prevent Monsters from swarming the place to fight over the fresh corpses, whose legs and Monster Cores were taken away from their bodies.
After this was done, Thirteen asked Cristopher for more information about his Avatar. Usually, Avatars had active and passive abilities.
Knowing more about their new ally was of great importance to Thirteen because it would allow the Troll, whom the chubby boy named Brutus, to be part of his strategy when dealing with other Monsters or threats.
Since he couldn't see the stats of the Monster, he had to ask Cristopher to tell him everything he could see from his status screen.
"Young Master, Brutus has the passive ability called Evolver," Cristopher said with a big smile on his face. "He can evolve the same as Wanderers as long as he consumes enough Monster Cores. Isn't he amazing?"
"You lucked out big time, Cristopher," Thirteen replied. "Monsters with the ability to evolve are few and far between. Usually, when people get Avatars, the Monster's rank will remain the same until the end of time."
This was also why Avatar Trading was a very lucrative business in both Solterra and Pangea.
Wanderers who had grown stronger than their Avatars no longer had any need for them.
They were useful in the early stages, but their value diminished greatly in the long run.
This was especially true for Rank 1 Monsters, who would no longer be of use after their Masters had stepped into the Higher Ranks.
"Aside from Evolver, Brutus also has the Guts Ability, which prevents it from dying instantly from one-hit-kills," Cristopher explained. "That is all, Young Master."
Thirteen pondered for a bit before looking at Cristopher with a solemn expression on his face.
"Cristopher, when you clear your First Wandering, remember this," Thirteen said. "Do not show Brutus to Terence. If you do, he would likely force you to hand your Avatar over to him. If you don't want that to happen, make sure that you never let anyone know that Brutus has the Evolver ability. This is for your own good."
The chubby boy nodded his head firmly. He was a bit scared, but he also didn't want to hand his First Avatar over to Terence, who was his true Master.
"Let's sleep," Thirteen proposed. "It has been a tiring day. Just ask Brutus to keep watch and wake us up if it senses any danger in the surroundings."
"Understood, Young Master," Cristopher replied.
It had truly been an exhausting day, and both children were both physically and mentally drained after their first day in Solterra.
Because of this, it didn't take long for the chubby boy to fall asleep.
Heck, he even started snoring!
Thirteen was in the same boat. As soon as he laid down on the fluffy and comfortable feathers of the Condors they had killed, he fell asleep after half a minute.
Unfortunately, his rest didn't last long because he felt himself being shaken by someone.
Thinking that Brutus was waking him up because another Monster had appeared in the Oasis, Thirteen's eyes immediately shot open and he immediately propped himself up.
But, just as he was about to scan his surroundings to better understand the situation, he found himself staring at the face of a white rabbit, whom he hadn't seen for two years.
"Laplace Demon," Thirteen muttered before raising his head to look at the giant fireball floating above him. "The One."
"It's good that you still have your wits on you," Laplace Demon chuckled. "I'm sure you already know why you're here, no?"
Thirteen nodded. "What happened? Why was I sent to Solterra? Isn't there a rule that only those that are thirteen years old can have their First Wandering?"
Laplace Demon nodded. "It is as you say. This is the first time that something like this has happened, and it's because of interference from your Father. We didn't know how he did it, but on the Night of the Solstice, he changed your 'age' from seven to thirteen.
"Because of this, the Law of Wanderers deemed you ready to embark on your First Wandering. The One had already confronted your father and given him an ultimatum."
Thirteen arched an eyebrow. "What ultimatum?"
The Giant Fireball hovering above Thirteen's head snorted.
"I told him that if he interferes with the affairs of my world one more time, I will remove all the restrictions on your body," The One stated. "I will not allow outsiders to do whatever they please within my Domain."
Thirteen blinked once then twice after hearing the Omnipotent Being's words.
'Old Man, you did something good for once!' Thirteen almost did a fist pump. 'Now, I just need to trigger him so that he will mess with me again. After that, I will be free!'
"… I can read your mind, you know?" The One said, which made Thirteen cough lightly to his embarrassment. "Also, what you are thinking of will not be happening again. Deus Ex Machina has signed a God Contract with me, and he will not be able to wield his powers in my world any longer. The most he can do is just watch.'
Thirteen clicked his tongue because the easy method to break free from his restrictions had disappeared before he could even start planning to mess with his Old Man.
Laplace Demon, who had been silent, spoke up, pulling Thirteen out of his thoughts.
"Since you were wrongfully sent to Solterra, we will send you back to Pangea," the Laplace Demon said. "Are you ready to go back?"
"What about Cristopher?" Thirteen asked.
"What about him?" the Laplace Demon arched an eyebrow.
"Can you send him back as well?"
"And why would we do that? Cristopher has been chosen as a Wanderer. Unlike you, who was forcefully spirited away, he met all the requirements that we have set since the First Wanderers appeared in Pangea."
Thirteen wasn't able to refute the Laplace Demon's words because that was indeed the truth. However, he still felt hesitant to leave the chubby boy behind because he had made a promise to him.
He promised that he would let him complete his First Wandering and take him safely back to Pangea.
"If that is what is troubling you, I can erase Cristopher's memory of meeting you," The One stated. "You will no longer have to worry about the promise you made because he won't even remember it."
"Don't," Thirteen replied coldly. "Don't erase his memory. Even if you did, I will still remember the promise that I made."
"Then I'll erase your memory of him as well. Problem solved, right?" The One proposed.
Thirteen drew in a cold breath before glaring at the Omnipotent Being that governed Pangea and Solterra.
The One talked about erasing the memories of people as if it wasn't a big deal to him. Indeed, such a thing was very easy for a God to do. However, this also made Thirteen feel very cold inside.
The mere thought of people's feelings being erased completely made him remember many unpleasant memories.
As Cannon Fodders, some of his Hosts had suffered this treatment from the Villains and even Heroes.
Their precious memories were taken away from them, making them forget who they really were.
Although they were still alive, they would no longer be themselves and be like blank pieces of paper that someone could write on and program as they wished.
Deus Ex Machina had done the same to Thirteen's current vessel, Zion.
After the five-year-old died and had Thirteen's core planted inside his body, the System God wiped his state clean, removing everything from him.
His precious memories of his family, as well as his current status and abilities.
Deus Ex Machina had erased them all before rewriting it all over again.
"You Gods don't have the right to mess with people's lives like this," Thirteen said coldly.
His entire body was shaking not out of fear but out of anger that came from every fiber of his being.
He was about to say more, but he knew better than to tell a God what they should or shouldn't do.
Blood flowed from Thirteen's lips because he had bitten his lips too hard out of frustration.
Being human had unlocked the limiters on his being.
Although he was calm and collected most of the time, his sudden outbursts of happiness, sadness, and anger were greater than other people because these were the emotions that he wasn't too familiar with.
Taking in deep breaths, Thirteen wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand.
Instead of being wiped clean, it spread on his face and made him look like a bloodthirsty demon that was out for blood.
"I'm not going to return to Pangea," Thirteen stated. "But since I have been brought to Solterra due to my old man's interference, I want compensation."
The corner of the Laplace Demon's lips curled up into a smirk.
It had been expecting that the brat would demand compensation right from the very start. After all, he already knew how shameless Thirteen was.
Before they summoned Thirteen, they had already discussed this possibility, so they were prepared to at least listen to the boy's demands.
However, listening and agreeing were two different things.
Afterall… Man proposes, but God disposes.
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