The Sin Realm began sinking due to contamination? Was that the real reason the rescue arrived so late? It truly was a brush with death.
According to the records Eros had read, a "small-scale" world like this still spanned over five million square kilometers. Add to that the concentrated pollution from a deity’s gaze, and the weight was astronomical. If the Storm High Priest of the Church of the Sea hadn't happened to be in Hydalam, the sinking of this realm likely would have been unstoppable.
Had the realm plunged into the Abyss, everyone except Eros would have been instantly corrupted by the concentrated sins of the entire world. Even Eros wouldn't have lasted long—the Abyss was a place where one could not retreat into the Shadow Realm.
He had truly been walking on the edge of a precipice. Realizing this, Eros expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the High Priest.
Regexima waved it off nonchalantly. "Even if you were just an ordinary student, the Church has a responsibility to rescue you from such anomalies. Moreover, you are the God-Son of the Church of Reincarnation. As allies, I naturally couldn't let you fall into such peril."
Regexima proceeded to ask a few more questions, and Eros answered with carefully filtered information. Half an hour later, Eros stepped out of the office. Behind him, Regexima leaned back into the sofa, his brow furrowed in deep thought.
Eros knew exactly what he was pondering: the reason for the Red Moon's sudden awakening. Eros knew the answer, but he wasn't telling. Heh.
Once he was a safe distance from the office, Eros began questioning Barbara in his mind. Was that 'Ancient Evil God' the High Priest mentioned related to the Tentacle Bro in my soul space? Or are they the same being?
Barbara responded quickly: "The mists at sea are indeed an extension of His power. And that habit of responding to every prayer He hears... it's very much His style."
So it really is him. But responding to every single person who calls out? Isn't that a bit much? Is this guy that bored? Eros’s mouth twitched.
As if sensing his thoughts, Barbara added: "His responses aren't actually malicious. It’s just that His level of existence is so high that even a benign response causes people to instantly collapse into madness and loss of control."
So that’s how it is?
Eros recalled his first meeting with Tentacle Bro in his soul space. He had thought the entity was there to kill him, but later realized it was just curious. It really didn't harbor any ill intent. Looking back, did the entity enter his soul because he had looked at it one too many times during the Bloodline Baptism?
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Given His habit of responding to anyone who "notices" Him, it made sense: Eros saw Him, so He came over to see Eros.
It was highly probable. And the "mist" at the upstream of his bloodline that the High Priest mentioned? It likely wasn't placed there by the Elven Goddess at all. Instead, when Eros had looked at the source of the Elven bloodline, he had simultaneously seen Him. Thus, the mist lingered there.
Because He is there!
But why did He give Eros a skill back then? Did He see the other gods giving things and decided to join in? It was entirely possible!
"But does He not realize that even a 'non-malicious' response is more than people can handle?" Eros asked, genuinely curious. As a being beyond gods, He should know better.
Barbara’s answer left him stunned: "He doesn't know. He is unordered, chaotic, and pure."
Eros blinked. Wait, so... He’s a bit dim-witted? Combined with the image of that giant eyeball floating around his soul space, peeking at everything... yeah, He definitely seemed a bit "slow."
Eros chatted with Barbara as he walked, arriving back at his temporary quarters. As he reached for the door handle, he asked one final question:
"History books say the Sea Mist only appeared at the start of the Third Epoch. What about the first two? Was there no mist?"
"Mm. Before the Third Epoch, He was slumbering in the deep sea. At the end of the Second Epoch, after the Master fell, the traitors fought a Divine War to seize the Source within the Master's body. During the chaos, someone’s divine spell accidentally hit Him and woke Him up. Then... the Divine War ended."
Eros: "..."
Matters concerning gods were supposed to be solemn, but for some reason, he really wanted to laugh. He shook his head and opened the door.
Inside, Undine was standing right there, her big eyes blinking with curiosity. "What did the Storm High Priest want with you?"
Eros cut off his mental link with Barbara and gave Undine a mysterious smile. "You want to know?"
"Mm-hm!" Undine nodded vigorously.
"I'm so exhausted... You have no idea. Facing a High-Positioned One, my mind was on high alert every second, terrified of making a mistake." Eros sighed, putting on a show of total fatigue.
Undine immediately rushed over to support him, diligently guiding him to the sofa. She had him lie face down and then sat across his back to massage his shoulders.
"Is the pressure okay?" "It's good." "How do you feel now?" "Not bad." "Then can you tell me now?" "Tell you what?" Eros asked, feigning confusion. "What the High Priest wanted!" Undine’s intuition sensed trouble. "Not telling!" Eros chuckled.
Undine ground her teeth. This brat! She stopped the massage and immediately put him in a headlock. "You little...! Are you going to talk or not?"
"Sister! Mercy! I'll talk! I'll talk!" "Hmph~" Undine tilted her head up, looking triumphant.
Eros proceeded to give her a heavily edited, exaggerated version of the encounter. By the end, Undine’s face was full of tension and worry. Eros rolled over, looking at her heart-stricken expression, and let out a tragic sigh.
"I navigate the high circles of the Church and face these terrifying High-Positioned Ones over and over again—and for what? For the family! For you! And yet, you put me in a headlock!"
Undine felt a wave of guilt. She leaned down and whispered into his ear apologetically: "I'm sorry! Forgive me, okay? I'll massage your shoulders again right now."
Eros snorted and turned his face away. Seeing this, Undine gritted her teeth, pushed through her shyness, and continued to coax him in a small, sweet voice:
"Good brother... I was wrong~ Please forgive me~ Good brother... Onii-sama..."
Eros’s pupils dilated. Undine’s eyes also went wide as a crimson flush exploded across her cheeks. For a moment, both of them froze like wooden statues.