Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 511 - 147: Illusion_2

...

The hustle and bustle belong to the living, and have nothing to do with the dead, at least for Nuo at present. Although many matters related to him were still ongoing, they were no longer of any consequence to him.

Perhaps with the coming of the Third Era, some souls with strong obsessions from their lives could linger in the Mortal Realm after death, transforming into a different kind of life. But fundamentally, this was not a continuation of their lifespan.

Without the balance of a physical body, the characteristics of the spirit were manifested a thousandfold. Those souls that stayed due to extreme emotions were naturally influenced by said emotions, and before long, they could be considered a different entity with the same memories.

Clearly, Nuo was not among them as he harbored no intense reluctance, resentment, or regret, so like a soul as ordinary as any other, he was drawn by some invisible guiding force to the Underworld and then fell into the waters of the River of Oblivion.

The icy waters rushed over his soul, and the current that should have gradually sapped his memories was suddenly blocked. Traces of Sacred Power surged from Nuo’s soul and easily isolated that force. But under the chill stimulation, the originally transparent soul-body quivered slightly.

Memories were awakened, just like a cool handful of water wiping one’s face in the morning, instantly causing his previously sluggish thoughts to spring back into action.

"Is this... the Underworld?"

With a perplexed expression, Nuo shook his head.

In the past, he had heard of the Underworld more than once, and even when Bronze Humanity was still around, there were rumors that the plagues and diseases in the Mortal Realm, though released by Pandora, had their origin in the gods of the Underworld.

Therefore, Hades was viewed by mortals as a deity leaning towards the malevolent side. Even in human city-states that revered the Olympian Gods, the existence of Hades was deliberately ignored. No one would carve his statue, as it was considered an ominous symbol.

But this had nothing to do with Nuo, who just looked up at the Nether Moon in the Sky over the surging currents of the Styx River. He had not seen the archangel before, but he had certainly heard her name more than once.

The River of Oblivion rushed forward, and scenes that existed only in legend flashed before Nuo’s eyes.

"Great Lord of All Spirits, Source of Time and Space, Your faithful follower presents himself to You!"

"Your incarnation in the Mortal Realm guided humanity away from Destined Destruction, and now I have finally fulfilled the mission You entrusted to me, sustaining the spark of civilization in the Mortal Realm."

"Now, I have once again come before You."

Laine bowed his head, looking at the person prostrated in the void. Just like hundreds of years ago, he could still see that kindness in the other person.

But contrary to what the other person believed, he actually did not care about all that he had done in the Mortal Realm, whether it was leading humans away from disaster or establishing Silver Moon City; he had not paid much attention to it.

What he truly cared about was that Nuo, after having seen it all, after witnessing the near-worshipful reverence some people of Silver Moon City held for him, still retained his unchanged faith.

Laine himself had never been a devout person, neither in the past nor now; he had never had a firm faith in anything, existent or nonexistent. He had once thought that devout faith came from backwardness, from a lack of knowledge, from ignorance and fear, but reality had proved otherwise.

Even Cohen would begin to question the gods as the years passed... Why hadn’t Nuo? That’s what he thought, so he asked. The reason he had summoned Nuo here was just for this question.

"Why do you have faith in me?" the deity asked.

Nuo was slightly taken aback; he had never thought about this question. But in this moment, feeling the breath that seemed like all truths, he believed he should have an answer.

"Because I think all life in this world needs beliefs to survive, whatever those beliefs may be."

"It can be the will to live, it can be greed, it can be the good will to help others, or it can be the evil to destroy everything."

"Nothing in this world can encompass all of these at the same time, except for the world itself."

With a slight smile, Laine didn’t know if he was satisfied with the answer. He simply raised his hand lightly, granting the response its deserved reward.