"..."
Adam's hostility toward the True Creator wasn't about destroying each other—it was about devouring each other.
Given that in the future Adam would merge with the Hanged Man ahead of time…could it be that this time, when Adam told me to pray to the True Creator, He already had that plan in mind?
Why though?
Was it because He dealt with the Ancient Dragon King ahead of schedule? Or…because of me?
But why would I be the reason He made such a decision?
Damn it, I really want to march straight over, grab Adam by the neck, and slap Him a few times until He stops talking in riddles and gives me a proper explanation!
Amon mused, "Oh my, you sound like you know quite a few things that I don't. Care to share a bit?"
"You should go back to playing in the mud," Edward replied flatly, "I'm leaving."
"A friendly reminder," Amon said lazily, yawning. "Be careful of Adam."
"I don't need your reminder. And we're not friends."
"My, how cold-hearted."
As Edward's figure faded from view, Amon lowered his voice and chuckled softly.
"I admit that paranoid zealot inherited some of 'Father's' greatness and selflessness. I also know of His resolve to resist the Outer Gods. But as a paranoid, He doesn't allow anything—or anyone—beyond His control to exist. And you…just so happen to be such a person."
"Heh. How exciting."
———
Fog Sea.
After two days and two nights of nonstop sailing, the Black King finally left the Abyss behind and reentered the safe sea routes.
As the adrenaline faded, exhaustion blanketed the entire ship. Yet this was the treacherous, ever-changing sea—no matter how tired everyone was, they could only rest in shifts.
As captain, Roselle was of course the first to rest.
He slept like a piece of dead wood. If Edwards hadn't suddenly woken him up, he might've kept sleeping for hours more.
"What's the matter? How long have I been out?"
Roselle rubbed his aching temples. His body still felt heavy and weak. He turned toward the window—the sky outside was clear, no clouds in sight, an expanse of deep blue.
"Almost twelve hours," Edwards replied, handing him a glass of water. "Here, drink some."
"Thanks."
Roselle drained the glass in one go. "So? Why'd you wake me?"
"We've spotted an island ahead. Grimm said we can stop there to resupply fresh water. What do you think?"
"Still on the safe route?"
"Yes."
Roselle jumped out of bed and strode out of the cabin, frowning. "How come we didn't see that island on the way here?"
"Maybe…the route we took to get here and the one we're taking back aren't exactly the same?"
"Uh." Roselle smacked his forehead. "Right, guess my brain's still half asleep."
Soon, the two reached the deck. After greeting the other three 'Knights,' Roselle took the telescope Grimm handed him and looked ahead.
It was a sizable island, shrouded in low-hanging mist, faint outlines of forests and mountains visible within.
"Are you sure there's fresh water on it?"
Grimm nodded repeatedly. "Yes. And there seem to be quite a few wild animals living there too."
"Good!"
Roselle lowered the telescope. "Then we'll go check it out. Everyone, stay alert. If anything seems off, we withdraw immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
——
Twenty minutes later, the crew stepped onto the island.
They passed through a lush, shaded forest until the scenery opened up—before them lay a small, crystal-clear lake. The sailors cheered with excitement.
After reminding everyone to move freely but protect the water source, Roselle crouched by the lake and scooped up a handful to wash his face.
Out at sea, there was no shortage of water—but that was saltwater, heavy with minerals and impurities. Drinking it was impossible, and even using it to bathe or wash your face left your skin stinging and sticky once it dried. Sometimes, washing only made it worse.
Clang!
Just then, a clear chime echoed across the island, crisp and lingering.
In an instant, everyone tensed, ready for battle, scanning for the direction the bell had come from.
Roselle looked up and saw, on the opposite shore of the lake, hidden amid the dense trees, a white-walled building. He immediately raised his monocular and peered through the gaps in the foliage. Through the branches, he could faintly make out what seemed to be a small chapel.
Why "seemed"?
Because its architecture looked truly strange—unlike any church of the Seven Gods he had ever seen. The only reason he guessed it was a church was the man standing by the entrance, dressed like a priest.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a simple white robe, his pale-golden beard long enough to cover half his face. His eyes were a soft golden hue, and even from this distance, Roselle could faintly sense a kind of serene clarity within them.
"Captain, should we order a retreat?"
Roselle hesitated briefly, then shook his head. "If it's really an enemy, retreating or not won't make a difference. Since he struck the bell himself, it's clearly an invitation."
He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said, "...Let's go take a look."
———
The next day.
Mars.
Yes, you read that right—by the next afternoon, after lunch, Edward had wandered his way to Mars.
In reality, Mars—the planet onto which humanity had projected countless dreams, the one the world's richest man had sworn would host interplanetary colonies—was even more barren than imagined.
Though it shared remarkable similarities with Earth—rotation period, seasons, atmosphere, even traces of water—most of that was past tense. Maybe life really had existed there once, but in the current era, it was as dead and desolate as it had been millions of years ago.
Edward walked slowly across the red wasteland, his body constantly bombarded by cosmic radiation particles. Yet the "Wanderer" potion granted him the ability to traverse the cosmos in the flesh—such levels of radiation were harmless to him.
As he felt the Wanderer potion slowly digesting within him, Edward sighed. Though no sound could travel in the vacuum, he still spoke to himself, words lost in silence:
"The digestion of the Wanderer isn't hard, but there doesn't seem to be any shortcut. Just wandering from planet to planet, digesting it bit by bit."
He suddenly halted mid-step.
"'Wandering,' huh? Literally, it means roaming without purpose, travelling for fun. But if I'm just running around on a bunch of barren planets like this...can that really be called fun?"
Then again, maybe.
Some people did enjoy trekking into uninhabited lands, admiring the beauty of nature untouched.
Still, that gave him an idea: apart from the starry sky, Wanderers could also travel into the Astral Realm—a place that actually had 'inhabitants.'
The only reason he hadn't gone there yet was the risk of running into deities and causing unnecessary trouble. But thinking about it now—given everything that had happened recently—if the other gods didn't know, at least the Evernight Goddess had to.
Since nothing bad had happened so far, maybe it meant that while those gods were aware of his existence, they didn't know he was from the future.
If that was the case, playing and digesting his role in the Astral Realm might not be such a bad idea.
"Man, I wonder how Miss Salted-fish in the original story digested the Wanderer potion…"
"Could really use a walkthrough right about now."
After that, Edward continued his journey, alternating between wandering and teleporting. In just half a day, he'd covered nearly the whole of Mars. During the process, no Outer God appeared—mainly because Edward had been extremely cautious, concealing his presence. Even a powerful Outer Deity wouldn't easily notice him unless they deliberately cast their gaze upon Mars.
As for the grand conclusion of his Martian expedition? Three words summed it up nicely: not fun at all.
———
By the time he returned to Earth, dusk had already fallen.
At No. 7 Rose Street, little Snake Will's family had just returned from closing up their spice shop.
After a long day, Will's mother was relaxing in the bathtub, while his father reclined on the sofa with a newspaper, waiting for dinner to be served by the household staff.
Will himself sat in the garden on a wooden bench, reading a fairy tale book. Chin propped on one hand, face filled with focus, he looked for all the world like a perfectly ordinary child—no one would ever suspect he was an ancient monster in disguise.
Suddenly, he froze mid-page, turned his head sharply, and blinked in surprise.
"Huh? You…who are you?"
Edward sat down beside him. "It's me."
Will mumbled, processing for a moment before his expression froze in disbelief. "You…what kind of trick is this? Don't tell me you're trying to imitate me?"
Edward rolled his eyes. "I'm not that bored. It's a curse."
Will's eyes lit up with interest as he leaned closer. "That's quite an intriguing curse. Seems it doesn't just alter your body, but your soul as well—you've actually become a child?"
"Yeah."
Since the topic had come up, Edward decided to ask, "Every time you reset and turn into a child, does your soul also revert to that age?"
"Exactly."
"And your behaviour, personality, habits—they all change along with it?"
Will nodded. "Of course. You act according to your age, after all."
Edward quickly followed up, "Then can you resist that age-based change?"
"Uh," Will scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "I think you've misunderstood. My personality changes because I choose to change it. You could say it's a kind of 'role-playing.' I don't need to resist anything."
A grin tugged at his lips. "So, your curse actually forces your personality and habits to change too?"
"Yeah."
"So right now, you're basically a real brat?"
Edward's face darkened. "Not that bad. It's just…sometimes I get more emotional, easier to irritate, that kind of thing."
Will asked curiously, "Who cursed you? I can't think of any pathway that could cause that effect."
"…A backlash from my own research into Beyonder powers," Edward said half-truthfully. "Forget it, I'll deal with it myself. I actually came today to ask you about something."
"Oh."
Will kicked his legs idly, as if expecting this. "Go ahead and ask. But I can't promise I know the answer. Even if I do, I might not tell you. And even if I tell you, I might not tell you everything. And even if I do tell you everything, it might not—"
"Stop!"
Edward looked helpless. "I haven't even asked yet, and you've already stacked yourself so many buffs. Was that really necessary?"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.