Ke-style law enforcement officers

Chapter 786 The End of Guidance

"what happened?"

"nothing."

...

Milo didn't pay too much attention, but he was still wary.

While the idea of ​​deities descending to earth to share joy with mortals is an ancient legend, traditional rituals that have continued for many years must have their reasons for existing, and perhaps there really are deities involved.

I wonder if all the gods of this lost land actually entered the dreamscape of the tombstones that Milo built for them, or if some gods were so engrossed in pleasure that they forgot about it and missed the last train...

Although it sounds absurd and ridiculous, because under those circumstances, it was impossible for any deity to resist the temptation of the power of the Star Core Azadi, if there really was a one in ten million chance that a deity would fall behind and not keep up, then Milo would not be far from death.

After all, as the instigator of that calamity of the gods, he had no confidence to say that all the gods of the dream had fallen into the abyss.

The truth is that there are indeed deities-level beings in various remote corners who did not participate in that catastrophe.

One of them is the father of the serpents that hiss from the depths of the earth.

The Watcher Vovados, who had been hanging in outer space, was also one, although he was beaten to death by the Four Horsemen after landing...

This is indeed an era in which the gods have lost their way, but Milo still needs to proceed with caution.

The gaze that came from the island just now was a kind of warning and admonition.

There is another crucial but easily overlooked detail—since entering the Southern Territory, there has been no sign of faith manifesting as insects. What does this mean?
...

Around midnight, the two-headed serpent Woti Ig caught up with the ship and appeared in the current behind it.

He looked somewhat injured, with many fresh scales falling off his body, revealing gruesome flesh. However, the main reason was that his original complete exoskeleton scales had been completely destroyed by Milo and Yan, and these scales on his body had only recently grown back, so it was normal for them to be a bit fragile.

However, they were just a group of lower-level psychic followers, and they've probably all been swallowed by Voti by now.

...

Yan glanced indifferently at the long black snake swimming in the sea behind him from the deck.

Milo then said:
"Washing it clean makes it look weaker."

...

I originally thought the Southern Territory was the stronghold of the snake people, where I could roam freely.

The planar location was correct, but the spatial location at altitude was wrong. The snake people's stronghold was underground in the southern region, not on the surface.

The strange beliefs and self-contained power order here are extremely exclusive.

Moreover, the Southern Territory is a rare human-dominated region. The species here are no less numerous than in the bountiful West, but no other lower-level civilizations or races have emerged. It is somewhat similar to the situation in the Awakened World, where it is a human society.

Although Ig, the father of the serpents, is in the pantheon, he is not affiliated with Mount Kadas, nor has he ever held a seat on Oribar. The bloodline of the gods worshipped there does not include the serpent faction. In short, the majesty of the King of the Darks is of little use on the southern surface.

Therefore, there should be quite a few more Southerners who become food for Woti.

...

But we still have to go to Oriba Island. According to Wotie Ig, there is something similar to the Eye of Thinking in the Golden Law Temple, or a weaker version of the Eye of Thinking, that monitors the entire Southern Reach.

Another reason Milo couldn't turn back was on a new island they encountered ahead.

“Salaren”.

This is a huge island, much larger than any we've encountered on our previous voyages.

Furthermore, the people of the Southern Territory are not a race that has nothing to do except worship gods and engage in sexual acts; there is a normally functioning social system here.

That is, the relatively well-developed island city in front of us – Sararen.

It can't be considered a city, or even a city-state; it's more like a large settlement.

...

Unlike the small tribes who would hide at the mere sight of the snake boat, the Salaren were numerous and didn't need to be so timid. Besides, the four people who disembarked from the snake boat were, at least, human-looking. It's just that one of the two ladies was rather tall, and the other had red skin…

In contrast, Milo and Yan are the two who are most like normal people.

As for Woti Iger and his crew, Milo left them at the port.

...

Sararen lacked a complete urban development system, and in terms of architecture, it was not even comparable to the mixed-race city-state of Salub.

But at least it's a civilized society, where activities like farming, fishing, hunting, and trading can be seen.

Although as outsiders, Milo and his group inevitably faced scrutiny from wary eyes as they walked the streets, they were somewhat surprised to find that they did not see a single believer on Salaron Island.

To be precise, there are no longer any psychic-level believers with runes tattooed all over their bodies like before. In order to distinguish them from believers among the general public, these combat-capable believers will henceforth be collectively referred to as Bloodborne believers.

I thought that once I got to the island, I would be surrounded and questioned by this kind of person again.

However, while temples dedicated to deities can be seen everywhere on the island, no true bloodline believers serving the deities have ever been seen.

Milo paid special attention to this.

.........

After delving deeper into the Salalen neighborhood, Milo quickly found the reason.

The shrines dedicated to the gods did not house the deities he was familiar with, but rather three clay female figures…

“Milo”.

Upon entering the shrine, Yan immediately noticed the problem and turned to look at Milo.

Milo squinted and carefully examined the three clay statues whose heads were covered with cloth.

They were indeed three human-looking women, and all three had obvious signs of youth: a girl, a young lady, and an elderly woman.

...

As Milo paused to gaze, several visionaries entered from behind him. They prostrated themselves at the feet of the statue with utmost devotion, then began to roll their eyes back, as if they had received some kind of empowerment.

Others approached the statue with stones in their hands, crushed the stones in front of the statue, and instantly raised their spiritual vision level by a grade...

...

Isn't this just like the absurd bounty system in the final stages of Tombstone Dream?

The wanted poster from the abandoned printing plant, the "dripping stone" obtained after killing the wanted target...

The identities of the three clay sculptures enshrined in the shrine need no further explanation, right?
...

"They're here?"

Milo was puzzled for a moment and frowned.

Freya, who was standing nearby, was the first to notice his unusual behavior. She gently touched Milo's clenched fist, but didn't say anything.

Instead, Yan asked him, "What do you mean? Smash this temple? We're just waiting for your word."

……

The Tombstone Dream was Milo and Emma's remedial measure in response to the Blood Moon incident. Their original intention was to never abandon anyone, but all the planning and schemes within schemes, at the last moment, after Milo realized the existence of the Three Ladies of Sorrow, he was left with only one feeling: that he had been ruthlessly manipulated.

There were many people he couldn't save during this process, but Enid, a girl who had nothing to do with any of the mysterious events from beginning to end, inexplicably became the key bargaining chip at the last moment, and even now, Milo doesn't know if she is dead or alive.

Meg said they killed Enid, cutting off the gods' escape route.

But in the end, when the three ladies of sorrow passed by him, Milo definitely sensed Enid's presence. He even felt he could hear her voice, so he chased after her and plunged into the dream world, where he remains to this day...

...

From the Cold Plains to the West, to the South, there were various guidances, some obvious and some subtle, along the way, but Milo never expected that the end of those guidances would be the place where the Three Ladies' order would take root.

They inherited the bounty power order that spread from the abyss and used it for their own purposes. This also indirectly made the Chaos Visioners under Milo's command stronger in the battle, which to some extent promoted the escalation of the battle in the Tombstone Dream. In the end, their goal was to force the gods to intervene.

Along with the Four Horsemen, they are among the million Favored Ones, seemingly harboring some deeper conspiracy, and always remaining behind the scenes, never revealing themselves. Milo only discovered their existence at the very last moment.

...

There are clearly two orders existing in the Southern Territory today.

The traditional belief in bloodlines, and the bounty system brought about by the three ladies.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, these two forces should be irreconcilable.

...

The three grieving ladies are in the forgotten southern land.

This is one of the reasons why, as mentioned earlier, it was absolutely impossible to turn back and leave.

Milo came here specifically for these three old bitches. If he doesn't dig three feet into the ground and find them, he's not a true Valrocan.

……

BANG!!!!

Thus, the peaceful atmosphere on Salalun Island was completely shattered by a sudden loud noise.

The local Southerners were filled with confusion and panic, believing that Bloodborne cultists from Oribar Island had attacked.

But it wasn't over yet; that first loud bang was just the beginning.

The vast island of Salarán is dotted with dozens of shrines dedicated to the Three Mourning Ladies, or, as the locals call them, the "Three Graceful Goddesses."

Anyway, the situation is that in less than half an hour after arriving on the island, Milo and his group smashed up all the shrines of the three ladies. This wasn't just vandalism; they were clearly aiming to incur divine wrath.

In all the ruins of the mausoleums that were crushed, the heads of the clay sculptures of the three goddesses were smashed, some were placed in various obscene and blasphemous poses, and others were simply burned to ashes.

All the shrines on the entire island of Salalun were destroyed; none were spared.

When believers who came to pray for blessings or exchange for spiritual vision saw this, they naturally tried to stop them, and their skulls were smashed as well.

(End of this chapter)