Having concluded a transaction that was all gain and no risk, Eros was in quite a good mood—especially considering he had scored a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact for free.
What followed was the long process of the night watch. The Sin Realm tonight was unexpectedly peaceful. Generally, there were more wandering evil spirits at night than during the day, but for some reason, not a single spirit had appeared within his line of sight for a long time.
The crimson moon drifted slowly across the firmament, moving from its slanted position toward the zenith. As the night deepened, the deep red moonlight grew increasingly eerie and malevolent. Eros glanced at the sky; estimating that his time was up, he began walking toward Saliba. His portion of the watch was finished; it was time to swap.
At that moment, ripples suddenly appeared on the surface of the red moon hanging over the Sin Realm. An invisible power, carried by the blood-red moonlight, began to influence the entire realm.
As if sensing something, Eros’s footsteps faltered. He frowned, a sliver of doubt rising in his heart. He had just felt as though an invisible thread had hooked onto his body and tried to pull him upward. Then, seemingly because he was "too heavy," the thread couldn't lift him and snapped under the tension.
Simultaneously, Eros noticed the vision before him suddenly turn blurry, as if a thick layer of "mosaic" pixels had been plastered over the world. Mist began to permeate the Sin Realm; under the illumination of the deep red moon, the fog was stained a bloody hue.
What on earth is happening?
Eros’s mind raced through the information he had gathered from the Church regarding this Sin Realm, using his authority as a Child of God. However, he found nothing. The Church’s records contained no description of such a phenomenon. Had he encountered a situation beyond the scope of official documentation?
"The world rules of this Sin Realm have changed!"
Suddenly, Barbara’s crisp voice rang in Eros’s ear.
"The world rules have changed?" Eros repeated in a low voice, then asked solemnly, "What exactly is going on?"
As his voice fell, Barbara’s figure manifested beside him. She looked up at the crimson moon in the sky, her tone slightly grave. "A certain existence on the red moon has awakened. He just caught a glimpse of this place through the moon."
Eros’s pupils constricted. An existence referred to as "He" by Barbara was undoubtedly a deity. In other words, a god had just glanced at this Sin Realm.
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Are you kidding me? Eros thought. I'm just taking an exam. How did I run into an 'out-of-syllabus' event like this?
But why would a deity suddenly look at this place? Was there something special about this Sin Realm? Otherwise, how could it attract a god’s attention? The assessment was feeling significantly more dangerous now. He wondered if the Church outside had noticed the changes within.
Seeing the worry on Eros’s face, Barbara thought for a moment before speaking: "The situation isn't as dire as you imagine. That being only glanced at this realm and then looked away. He isn't constantly watching this place; the sudden change is merely caused by the residual power of that single glance."
The residual power of a mere glance can warp the world rules of an entire realm... so this is the power of a god.
Wait, that’s not right, Eros thought. When the Elven Great One and the God of Reincarnation and Death gazed at me before, why didn't the world rules change? Is it because the Sin Realm is just a fragment of a world?
Eros voiced this question. Barbara explained in her clear voice: "That’s because on those two occasions, They suppressed the power within Their gaze. Otherwise, Their gaze would have contaminated the entire area. The one on the red moon, however, is likely the God of Crimson from the Abyss. He is a pure Evil God, so naturally, He would not bother to suppress the pollution in His gaze. Thus, the rules of this Sin Realm have been contaminated by His residual power."
"Why would He suddenly look here?" Eros was deeply confused. After all, a Sin Realm used by the Academy as a testing ground wouldn't have high-sequence spirits. How could a place without even a single high-sequence entity attract a god?
"I don't know! Perhaps He just saw it by accident," Barbara answered bluntly.
Eros’s mouth twitched. An accident? That’s comforting.
"By the way, why did you come out?" Eros finally asked. He had been so distracted by the Evil God that he hadn't had time to ask Barbara about her appearance. Although the mist obscured vision now, it would be a hassle if others saw her.
Barbara replied nonchalantly, "When the rules changed just now, spatial positions were inverted. Everyone else was moved elsewhere by that rule-power. But because of your unique constitution, you remained in place."
As if knowing what Eros would ask next, she continued without pause: "Don't worry. I used the power of shadows to shield your sister and the others from that rule-power, so they are still where they were."
Hearing this, Eros breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately turned around and walked toward his vine hut. Arriving at the door, he opened the small entrance woven from vines and ducked inside.
The moment he opened the door, the three girls inside snapped their eyes open. In the inner room, Ayesha also quietly sat up. By the faint crimson moonlight from the doorway, they saw it was Eros, and their wariness vanished instantly.
Undine pouted and said softly, "What took you so long?"
Joanie’s face turned pink, her eyes darting away, embarrassed to meet Eros’s gaze. After all, they were about to sleep together. Syphreya, meanwhile, wore a faint smile, her light brown eyes filled with a tenderness like water.
Seeing them like this, Eros smiled. "Get some rest. We'll talk about everything tomorrow."
He took off his coat and lay down on the bed woven from vines. Joanie’s body was a bit tense; after a while, seeing no movement from Eros beside her, she gradually relaxed.
Outside, an invisible force suddenly enveloped the small hut, completely isolating it from the rest of the Sin Realm.