Chapter 660: Vigilance
The Interrogation
In the vast underground space, only Luke's voice echoed. To show sincerity, he first introduced himself in Ancient Chinese, then switched to Ancient Greek, Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Indian, and the less-fluent Mayan.
He felt like a nervous schoolchild being questioned by teachers.
After his introduction, the air fell silent. After a while, someone spoke in Ancient Egyptian, "Is Anubis still alive?"
Luke quickly replied, "He cannot be counted as alive. Only a wounded corpse remains, and his True Spirit is nearly extinguished."
Another asked, "You are from the Eastern Celestial Court?"
Luke raised his finger, and golden light flowed from the tip. The light shifted, turning sometimes to flame, sometimes to frost, and sometimes to lightning. This ability was a manifestation of his divinity.
"That is correct. It is indeed the legacy of the Eastern Celestial Court."
As he spoke, Luke clearly felt the eyes of some of the Gods soften, no longer as aggressive as before.
"The equipment on your back: the Sword of Hephaestus and the Lasso of Truth."
A tentacle flew closer, the woman at its tip glaring at Luke with an unfriendly expression. "How are those items in your hands?"
This woman? Luke frowned, feeling he had seen her somewhere before. The situation was critical, leaving no time for deeper thought, so he quickly replied,
"These items belong to my friend, the Princess of the Amazon tribe. Like me, she is trapped in the Underworld and desperately wants to leave."
"Why didn't she come?"
"Until the situation is clear, it's enough for me to take the risk alone. These artifacts are simply to prove my identity and express my sincerity."
The woman said no more, giving the Sword of Hephaestus a long, meaningful look.
For a period, Luke was bombarded with all manner of questions: Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, Humanity, civilization, Divine-kin, and more. He answered what he knew and refused to answer what he didn't, maintaining complete honesty throughout.
The abilities of these Gods were diverse; he couldn't risk one of them being adept at lie detection.
Through the questions and answers, Luke was able to understand the state of these "Human Gods." While they possessed self-awareness, their memories were fragmented, and their minds were unstable, comparable to that of a three- or four-year-old child.
The conversation ended, and the tentacles withdrew. Luke let out a sigh of relief. With fear but no major incident, he had passed the first test.
Hanyue whispered, "Come with me. The Old Woman wants to see you."
The Old Woman! Luke was immediately curious. Who could she be, to be called "Old Woman" with such reverence? Could she be the mastermind?
Hanyue led the way to a stone door.
"Go in. She's inside."
Luke took a breath, pushed the stone door open, and walked in.
Four glowing orbs floated in the four corners of the room. In the center, a shriveled old woman sat on a stone bed. Like the others, she had only her upper body, which was fused to the bed. Unlike the others, she was clothed in a large coat made of some unknown animal fur.
Luke hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked,
"How should I address you?"
The old woman said indifferently, "I have no name. Just call me Old Woman."
Luke continued, "Which civilization's God are you?"
"I am not a God."
Luke grew more confused. "Then you are..."
"My former self was a sorcerer proficient in alien magic. After death, I merged with the Gods' fixation (or obsession). You can regard me as a Thought-Form."
"Did you create those tentacles?"
"Yes. Do you have anything else to ask?"
Luke shook his head. "I've asked all I needed to. Now it's your turn."
The old woman looked up, revealing eyeless sockets.
"You want to return to Earth?"
"Yes. The exit of the Valley of No Return is sealed, so we could only take the risk of seeking your help."
"I cannot help you."
Luke pressed on, unwilling to give up. "I heard the exit of the Valley of No Return was sealed by the Gods. Can you unseal it?"
"No," she replied, her tone cold and absolutely final.
"Then do you know any other way to leave the Underworld?"
"The only entrance to Earth is the Valley of No Return."
Hearing this, Luke was profoundly disappointed, his face etched with dejection. "I apologize for disturbing you, Old Woman. If there is anything you need, please tell us. We are from Earth, just like you, and we have no place to belong in the Underworld."
He nodded slightly, turned, and left the stone room.
Hanyue leaned forward curiously. "How did it go? Did the Old Woman agree?"
Luke instinctively moved to the side. Although the girl was incredibly beautiful, the sight of the petal-mouth filled with fangs was too jarring.
"No. I think she doesn't trust me."
"But, I will prove my sincerity." Luke raised his fist, looking very determined.
Hanyue giggled. "I believe you. You will definitely succeed."
Luke smiled, curious.
"Why do you believe in me so much? Just because I'm from the Celestial Court?"
"Yes! The Celestial Court should be united and help one another."
Luke felt a strange twist in his mind. If he recalled correctly, among the seven divine systems, the Eastern Celestial Court was the most prone to infighting, with the number of Gods who died from internal conflict being almost the sum of all other systems combined.
This girl keeps saying the Celestial Court is united. Could she have suffered some kind of trauma?
Hanyue personally escorted Luke out of the sinkhole, telling him to "come visit often" before they parted, clearly treating him as a close friend.
After bidding Hanyue farewell, Luke returned to the Valley of No Return, where Clark and the others were waiting. Seeing him appear, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Diana quickly asked, "How did it go? Did you meet them?"
"I have good news and bad news."
Luke handed back the Sword of Hephaestus and the Lasso of Truth, then erected a protective barrier before lowering his voice.
"The good news is I passed their interrogation and successfully established contact. The bad news is the master of the tentacles holds a deep suspicion of us."
"What kind of God is that master?"
"Not a God. She said she's an old sorceress proficient in alien magic," Luke shrugged. "I think she's lying."
"What about the other stuff? How many tentacles are there?"
"I estimate at least a hundred. Frankly, if a conflict were to break out, our chances of winning are extremely low, unless we find a weakness."
Over a hundred Gods, all with different powers. Even with only their strength and no physical bodies, the resulting attack would be unimaginable.
Diana said gravely, "I think something is definitely hidden here. Have you forgotten what Nephthys, the Goddess of Fertility, told us? She wanted us to kill that monster. I ask you, if she truly just wanted to go home, like the other Gods, why would she want us to destroy the monster? It contradicts itself."
That was a very valid point, prompting deep thought.
J'onn sighed softly. "I have a feeling we've encountered something truly terrifying, something even more difficult to handle than Parallax Sinestro."
Clark suddenly spoke.
"Luke, we should leave the Plain of White Bones first. This is their home base. If a conflict breaks out, we will be at a massive disadvantage."
Luke frowned slightly. Clark's suggestion was based on safety, but if they left now, the Old Woman would surely become suspicious, and the fragile foundation he had established would collapse. That was not a result he wanted.
But if they didn't leave, they would remain exposed, with an enemy's gun pointed at them at all times.
To stay or to go—it was a painful dilemma.
Just then, a powerful soul fluctuation came from the distance. The aura was coupled with death, emitting an extremely terrifying psychic pressure.
"This aura... could it be?"
Luke's pupils contracted, his expression becoming extremely serious.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!