Chapter Twenty-Five: The Mural of the Evil God

The other item dropped by the Six-Eyed Preacher was a piece of enhancement material meant exclusively for armor, called “Dark Patterned Cloth.” Its effect was quite ordinary, offering only a fifty percent boost to defense, but it was a special material capable of strengthening abnormal armor!

Abnormal equipment was extraordinary, and so its upgrade requirements were especially strict.

“Here! Take it!” Having been the first to see the enhancement effect, Wine Ever Deep handed it directly to Ash, saying, “I was lucky and leveled straight up to seven. You probably didn’t get much contribution, so consider this your compensation.”

“Ah! Miss Wine Ever Deep, you truly are a principled and noble person!” Ash praised with exaggerated sincerity. Wine Ever Deep shot him a resentful glare, but there was nothing she could do about this fellow. She could only respond half-heartedly, “Hmph! With this kind of accelerated leveling, you’ll keep losing out on contributions. It won’t be long before I surpass your level!”

“Who’s to say?” Ash shrugged, glancing at his almost full contribution bar, entirely unconcerned. “Even if I don’t get much contribution, a principled beauty like you wouldn’t make me work for free, would you?”

“Hmph!” Wine Ever Deep wrinkled her nose at Ash. “And who says I wouldn’t?”

Ash just smiled and stopped teasing her, instead turning his gaze toward Little Bob, who was crouched by the chains, focused intently on deciphering the second inscription. This time, however, it was taking much longer than usual. Such an anomaly reminded Ash once again that even a deep affection wasn’t enough for Little Bob to completely open up.

Still, he tried to encourage him: “Having trouble? Don’t worry, since we promised to help you with your revenge, we’ll see it through with you.”

“Thank you.” Little Bob turned to look at Ash, gratitude shining in his eyes. Then, gazing once more at the words his father had left behind, he decided to slowly reveal their meaning.

…

Little Bob, my child, when you read these words, you should feel proud of yourself, and of me as well!

The decision to relieve my burden in this way was a wise one. It means I need not die with secrets in my heart!

You are a genius, not meant to waste away in the wilderness. You have your own bright future!

Though I long to see that stirring moment with my own eyes, I’d rather see you rise higher—even at the cost of my life.

Recently, my explorations have borne great fruit. Not only did I find crucial records in the secret vault of the Six-Eyed Synod, but I also discovered a way to restrain the Bloodvine.

Fire!

Who would have thought that fire was the Bloodvine’s greatest bane?

Alas, the flames I possessed were neither strong nor grand enough. Even with the rare materials from the vault, they could only help the Gardener regain a trace of his old self.

But that’s enough. The records of the Six-Eyed Synod finally gave me the confidence to unravel the secrets of the Forbidden Life Zone and the Sunlit Staircase!

Whether you keep the answer for yourself, sell it to the Great Tree Institute, or another syndicate, it will help you achieve the life you always dreamed of.

Above all, do not mourn for me.

This secret passage was built by the Six-Eyed Synod. At the end, it leads directly to the heart of the ruins. Don’t hesitate—go quickly.

Otherwise, the Six-Eyed Preacher will revive.

…

[Notice: You have helped Little Bob locate the second inscription in the inner ring. Find the last one to complete the second phase of the hidden quest “Little Bob’s Revenge”!]

This message once again revealed Old Bob’s high spirits. As if, at the very moment he left this message, the clouds parted and a bright future lay just ahead, needing only a step forward.

Yet after listening to Little Bob’s account, Ash frowned deeply. The old questions remained unanswered, and new doubts only multiplied.

What secret could be so thrilling that Old Bob would trade his life for it? Was Little Bob’s reluctance to speak related to this?

The reappearance of the Six-Eyed Synod further complicated an already chaotic situation. What role would such a cult of blasphemous gods play in this trial?

And why, of all things, would fire restrain the Bloodvine?

With precious, unidentified materials, Old Bob could suppress the Bloodvine within the Gardener using only ordinary fire. So what effect would striking a match imbued with a trace of greatness have?

The questions only grew, making Ash gaze into the depths of the tunnel. As long as they pressed on, they would find Old Bob’s final inscription.

“Let’s hope all our questions find their answers there.”

The three set off again at a brisk pace, following the torches for more than two minutes before reaching the tunnel’s end.

“This passage is immense! Looks like we really did travel from the inner city’s outskirts straight to the heart,” Ash remarked. He had Little Bob check for any anomalies at the exit. When it was safe, he pulled the lever to open the mechanism, and they stepped into a solemn palace. Here, the rough stone floors were gone, replaced by meticulously polished black jade. The walls were covered in intricate carvings. Ash’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the style out of professional habit—only to his surprise, he was hit with a Willpower Check!

[Notice: Your Willpower has reached five. You have avoided the resulting sanity damage.]

Jerking himself from the momentary daze, Ash carefully examined the carvings, so engrossed he forgot to warn Wine Ever Deep.

“Wow! Just one glance cost me ten sanity points?” Wine Ever Deep cried out, quickly turning her back. “Good thing my sanity had recovered from the Witch’s Howl, or I’d have died for no reason!”

Ash ignored her, for what he saw on the walls was utter chaos: countless tentacles, eyes, twisted bodies, and fanged maws, wildly entwined without regard for composition or clarity, seemingly meant only to display one horrifying entity after another.

Madness!

Defiance of reason!

And yet, utterly captivating!

That was Ash’s assessment of the carvings. As he studied them, he found what seemed to be the Six-Eyed Heretic God, and in a corner, a vine.

Not being sure of the Bloodvine’s features, Ash asked Little Bob, “Doesn’t this look awfully like the Bloodvine?”

Wine Ever Deep, afraid to turn around, pricked up her ears. “What?”

“It does seem to be the Bloodvine. The arrangement of leaves and the vine’s texture all match exactly,” Little Bob replied.

Sensing an important discovery, Wine Ever Deep pressed, “What?”

“This is interesting! For the Bloodvine to be depicted alongside those abominations suggests that if cultivated further, our Bloodvine products could become truly extraordinary!”

“What?”

“It’s very difficult. Most Bloodvines only have potential through their juvenile stage—those that reach maturity are rare, and a complete form is almost unattainable. Even with biotech advances, making the leap to completion is nearly impossible. Even the Great Tree Institute, which first developed Bloodvine products, may not possess a perfect Bloodvine. So even though your Bloodvine jewelry has boosted potential thanks to the Gardener’s bloodline, it’ll be hard to find another Bloodvine of similar strength to absorb.”

“Can someone please explain things to me?” Wine Ever Deep was nearly losing her mind. She longed to study the carvings, but her survival took precedence. Being ignored by the others left her indignant.

So what if your Willpower is high? Let’s see how you compare in Agility!

“Trouble,” Ash replied offhandedly, then checked the progress of his main quest. After his Bloodvine Bracelet reached its complete form, he received the fourth stage mission: to cultivate it into its ultimate form. The problem was, the Great Tree Institute’s contract never mentioned how to do so—even the method for achieving completion was only vaguely described as “following previous methods.”

Ash figured the Institute’s biotech had hit a bottleneck and couldn’t specify a higher-level cultivation path. There had clearly been success stories, though, so naturally, he set his sights on the Great Tree Institute.

“In that case, we should find a chance to approach the Great Tree Institute ourselves! I bet they’re already deep in the inner city. We’ll have to work for the last inscription.” Ash looked resolutely at the now-pouting Wine Ever Deep. “Be ready for battle. Your Bloodvine Ring should soon reach completion, but until then, you must stay alert. Even with my protection, you need to keep your guard up.”

Ash’s earnestness made Wine Ever Deep nod repeatedly, instantly forgetting her earlier displeasure.

“Endurance, fury, intellect—each of us embodies a different trait. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence. To finish this quest, we’ll need all three. We must give everything we have. It wasn’t easy getting this far—wouldn’t it be a shame not to see the journey’s end?”

With Ash’s passionate declaration, both Wine Ever Deep and Little Bob were inspired anew. The three set off again, following the leaf markers and carefully avoiding increasingly frequent patrols, drawing ever closer to the final inscription—until Little Bob’s expression suddenly changed.

“Trouble! Personnel from the Great Tree Institute ahead—unknown numbers—are engaged in a fight with the patrols. Both sides have casualties, but the Institute has the upper hand. However, the patrols are putting up a resistance. What should we do?”

He quickly described the situation, then looked to Ash, who had thoroughly become the group’s core.

“What else?” Ash waved his hand, making his decision at once.

“When the cake comes to you, why let it go?”