Night Talk

Night fell, and Luo Wei sat alone on the rooftop, gazing at the stars.

The nightscape here was unlike anything in Saint Callen—the sky stretched deep and ink-black, dotted with countless shimmering stars, breathtaking in its beauty.

Light footsteps sounded behind him, and Eleya settled beside Luo Wei, joining him in stargazing.

"You can’t see skies like this where you’re from," she remarked.

"Saint Callen?" Luo Wei chuckled. "Too many factories. The sky’s practically blocked out..."

Saint Callen was just too urbanized.

"Get ready," Eleya continued. "We leave for Blackwater Town tomorrow."

"That evil god sealed there... seems to be stirring," Luo Wei said, turning to her. He recounted what had happened earlier while fishing.

"I know," she nodded.

"So you’re going there for that thing?" Luo Wei asked curiously. "When you said the will of the gods was calling you, you didn’t mean that abomination, did you?"

"Of course not," Eleya frowned. "It’s the light guiding me. The will of the gods is the God of Light, not some dark, malevolent entity."

"I was joking," Luo Wei said. "But what I’m more curious about is—why does the God of Light insist on sending you there? And what’s the secret behind the gods’ fall? Didn’t He flee? Ran away because He couldn’t beat those outer gods?"

"The being buried deep in those woods was the last evil deity sealed by the God of Light," Eleya explained. "After that, He never appeared again. To the world, it was as if He had perished—but that’s not the truth. Because... the calling I felt wasn’t false. He wants me to go there and retrieve something."

"What if it’s a trap? What if He’s lying to you?" Luo Wei had never held a favorable view of this world’s gods.

The God of Light, as Eleya and the Church described Him, sounded too benevolent. If their version of events was true, then hadn’t the God of Light simply lost to that "Mother Goddess of Abundance" in Blackwater Town, gotten corrupted, and met His end? If such a selfless god truly existed, Luo Wei might’ve been moved enough to convert to the Holy Light Church himself...

"No, this isn’t about deception," Eleya shook her head. "Ever since I received the divine revelation, this path was set in stone."

There it was again...

Luo Wei remembered her saying something similar back at the old house. Even as the divine influence eroded her humanity, she remained stubbornly committed to this path.

She clearly cherished their past together, the lively memories of their family in that house—yet she never regretted her choice. It was contradictory.

But if he considered what she’d said three days ago—"for the end of this story"—

The answer became obvious.

The so-called "divine revelation" had accelerated her power, transforming her from a priestess into the Church’s Saint, and eventually, the next God of Light. The process was irreversible.

Maybe she’d been chosen. Maybe there was another reason. But one thing was certain—

Her time was running out.

No wonder she’d wanted to retrace their journey from four years ago, to complete the trip that had been abruptly cut short...

No wonder she was so fixated on returning to Blackwater Town with him...

Eleya was trying to leave this world without regrets, to have him accompany her on her final journey.

She was saying goodbye.

Luo Wei suddenly felt a surge of anger. "Going to Blackwater Town—it doesn’t seem like you’re retrieving something. More like you’re delivering something. And that something is you."

Or rather, the last remnants of her humanity. By then, even if Eleya still existed, she wouldn’t be her anymore.

The Eleya of the past, the one Luo Wei remembered, would be as good as dead.

"This is fate," Eleya said impassively. "When the Holy Light envelops the world, it will restore order and radiance."

Luo Wei stared at her hollow gaze and scoffed. "The God of Light couldn’t defeat that thing thousands of years ago. You think it’ll be different now?"

"Can you?" Eleya countered.

"I don’t want to talk to you," Luo Wei said coldly. "You’re not her. Let her speak to me."

"I am her, and she is me."

The divine aspect of Eleya remained indifferent. She stood and left, abandoning Luo Wei beneath the stars.

Alone on the rooftop, a cool breeze swept across the wilderness.

No matter how stunning the starry sky, Luo Wei had no heart to admire it now. His mind raced for countermeasures.

If the God of Light was involved, then he wasn’t just dealing with one deity.

But two—a true god and an evil one...

Luo Wei pondered the feasibility of containing Eleya. Right now, she had dual aspects—one with maxed-out affection but high corruption, the other with zero corruption but zero affection...

Complicated...

As he racked his brain, a mocking laugh drifted on the wind.

"~The Dark Goddess of Abundance, the Supreme Mother, Shub-Niggurath—she’s not someone you can handle, you know~"

Luo Wei turned. Naya perched on the roof’s edge, her bare feet swinging playfully, that trademark mischievous grin on her face.

"Any deity who wields ‘Authority’ is an outer god. She exists on the same level as me~"

"Did you come just to warn me?" Luo Wei glanced at her. "Consider me terrified. Thanks for that."

"Tehe~" Naya slid beside him, giggling. "But the one in Blackwater Town is just an avatar—an Elderitch-level one. So your death won’t be too gruesome~"

"So if I use my Authority, maybe I won’t die?" Luo Wei played along.

"Exactly! Exactly!"

"Honestly... this might actually work." Luo Wei scanned the desolate wasteland around them. He could wreak havoc here without a shred of guilt.

Naya’s smile widened.

"For your most devoted follower—Luo Wei, the loyal servant of the Crawling Chaos, the God of a Thousand Faces, Nyarlathotep—could you spare a little more intel this time?" He made an exaggerated praying gesture.

"If you want to know more, trade me your body and soul~" Naya leaned in, her voice dripping with temptation.

"I’m already your chosen. Isn’t that enough?" Luo Wei frowned.

"No, no, not enough~" Naya blinked. "I still don’t know your secret. You humans are so amusing~"

Luo Wei froze. The conspiracy theory in his mind edged closer to reality.

So her interest in him wasn’t so simple after all...

Damn that system!

Probably in all the world—no, the entire universe—he was the only one whose depths she couldn’t fathom.

Had He noticed something? Or was He trying to achieve some purpose through me?

Luo Wei admitted he might be overthinking things, but Naya’s next words instantly dispelled all his doubts.

“You were restricted in the royal capital, weren’t you?”

“Otherwise, your actions wouldn’t make sense. Back in the vampire’s castle, you had no problem wielding my power...”

“Using authority in Saint Callen carries too much weight. I wasn’t certain it would lead to the outcome I desired,” Luo Wei replied solemnly.

Yet Naya seemed entirely unconcerned now. He simply gazed at Luo Wei with a playful, probing smile.

“Whose will do you truly represent?”