"Unfortunately, it's neither. I co with sincerity, and I hope you can show so as well. After all, in the end, you and I are both dogs of the [Gods]. There's no need for hierarchy between dogs, is there?"
"Heh, you see things clearly. Enough nonsense, what is your purpose for seeking ?"
"I want to ask you why Hephaestus suddenly changed his stance. He was originally a [God] on the side of humanity, so why did he suddenly defect at this critical mont? He even sent out a ssenger. What's going on here?"
As soon as [Deception] finished speaking, he felt a strong impact, nearly knocking him off balance. When he regained his composure, he realized that Hephaestus's ssenger had already swung the giant hamr towards him, stopping just a centiter from his cheek!
"You do not have the right to address the God of Fire by his true na. I will not warn you a second ti, [Deception]. Next ti, I'll smash you to pieces with my hamr!"
"Before you smash to pieces, answer my question. Why did Hephaestus do this?"
"...I don't know, and I don't want to know."
[Divine Emissary] was silent for a mont, then suddenly turned away, dragging the giant hamr back to the anvil. He swung the hamr heavily, causing the entire space to tremble.
"The will of the [Gods] is not sothing we can fathom. Besides, as you can see, I have no intention of harming anyone, nor will I take any action. I just want to stay here and forge iron. Don't bother ."
"I'm afraid that's not up to you. The [Divine Emissary] shouldn't appear at this point in ti. Soone is pushing all this behind the scenes. Do you think you can stay out of it? We're all pawns on this chessboard. What makes you think you can stay out of it?
If you want to shut up, it's simple! Tell your purpose! What did Hephaestus convey to you? Don't tell it's as simple as forging iron. Do you think I'll believe that?"
[Deception] walked up and kicked over the anvil, looking at the glowing hot iron embryo.
[Divine Emissary] let out a long sigh and said in a deep voice, "The will conveyed to by the God of Fire is... to join forces with others and bring about the apocalypse."
"As expected..."
[Deception] did not seem surprised by this answer and pressed further, "The reason? Why did the God of Fire suddenly change his mind?"
"I don't know. Didn't you say it yourself? We are just pawns. Pawns are not qualified to question the player's decisions. I am equally perplexed. Otherwise, why do you think I stay here forging iron instead of going out to recruit followers and cause trouble for you?
Even I haven't figured out the true intentions of the God of Fire. How am I supposed to tell you?"
"So, are you really going to be a traitor? Don't forget how we survived! What our ho and our world went through!
Now, you want to see it all happen again?"
[Deception] suddenly surged forward, grabbing [Divine Emissary] by the collar, roaring, "I have finally found sothing to hold onto, and I will not allow anyone to destroy it easily. Do you understand, Kaldaram!"
At these words, [Divine Emissary] was clearly taken aback, a strange light flashing in his eyes, as if shocked or lost in mory.
After a long silence, Kaldaram suddenly let out a long breath and gave a bitter smile, "It's been a long ti since anyone called by my na. Thinking about it, I kind of miss it..."
"A na can be called countless tis. Face my question. What are you going to choose!"
"I have no choice! Do you think I have a choice? The will of the God of Fire is constantly echoing in my mind.
It's driving crazy! Only when I'm forging can I barely calm my mind.
I admit, my mind isn't as sharp as yours, so I can only use this thod to find peace and not think about those things. Therefore, I can't make any promises to you."
"Maybe soday in the future, I won't be able to endure that voice in my head anymore, completely becoming a puppet and standing against you. But what can I do about it?"
Kaldaram was gasping for breath, looking utterly helpless.
So this ti, [Deception] didn't press him further.
"...Good luck, my old friend."
"And good luck to you. If there's anyone among us survivors who is still truly persevering, it's probably only you. I hope you succeed."
"I will. I will definitely succeed. I have already found soone I can trust. He's smarter than , stronger than , crazier than . I will move forward with him towards the end we have always dread of!
And you all, a bunch of cowardly, timid, selfish people, you don't deserve to return to our holand."
...
"So hot!"
At the edge of the mine, Exiled Immortal stomped his feet in frustration.
The heat waves rising continuously from the pit had rendered the heat-absorbing bracelets useless.
The waves of heat seed to almost ignite everything around them!
"Do we really have to go down there? I feel like we'll be lted..."
Helena bit her lip lightly, hesitating to proceed.
Everyone turned their gaze towards John, hoping he would make the right decision at this mont.
But surprisingly, John remained silent.
"John, why aren't you saying anything? Are we going further in?"
"I don't know. You guys decide."
"We decide... John, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I just... don't want to make any more hasty decisions."
Hearing this, Helena hesitated, her lips moving as if to say sothing, but after a long silence, she said nothing and looked away.
"Then... let's continue, everyone. We have to at least try. What do you think?"
"I don't mind. It's hot, but it's bearable."
Exiled Immortal was the first to speak in agreent.
Although he also felt sothing was off with John's behavior, he chose to trust Helena's judgnt.
Following closely behind, Lily and Qing also expressed their agreent.
Old Mac and Elaria hesitated slightly but did not refuse.
"Then let's go and take a look. Last ti, we were swallowed by a mountain toad. Hopefully, we won't be that unlucky this ti. Uncle Mac, is the lift still operational?"
"The lift is fine; it can still be used."
"Exiled Immortal, I know the wind currents are a bit chaotic, but can you try to control them?"
"It's difficult, but I can manage."
"That's good. Let's set off then."
Helena organized everything thodically.
Seeing this, John felt a sense of relief but also an inexplicable lancholy.
He finally understood where his strange feelings ca from.
John just didn't want to see his companions no longer needing him.
They didn't need him to make decisions, solve dangers, or overco obstacles.
They could complete dungeons and continue their journey without him.
Thinking about this made John sad.
Perhaps the so-called protection was a lie, a manifestation of John's ego.
He just wanted to feel needed, nothing more.
Maybe sensing John's emotions, Elaria gently took his hand and looked at him.
"It's okay."
"...You're right, it's okay."
The lift started operating, its rumbling echoing in their ears.
As they descended, the heat waves rising from below beca increasingly intense, making it nearly impossible to breathe and even scorching their airways.
Exiled Immortal had to continuously control the wind currents to keep the heat away from them.
Despite the difficulty, the situation improved significantly, and they finally reached the bottom of the mine.
"This should be the right entrance," Helena said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Due to the increased temperature, the number of players coming to Mine No. 3 has drastically decreased.
Hardly anyone can withstand this heat to explore the maze, which is our advantage.
But Elaria, can you still hold on? If you feel unwell, leave imdiately. Your constitution isn't suited for fighting here."
"I can hold on a bit longer. If I can't, I'll withdraw in ti. Don't worry about ."
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