Chapter 263: Iconoclasm (3)

[The quest has been completed.]

[All the species have learned their gods’ secrets!]

[The thirty-ninth floor has been cleared.]

In the jungle, the sun sank beyond the horizon. The palm trees seemed to bend down to watch, as if drawn by gravity, but the sun paid them no mind. The pitch-black shade dyed thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of palm trees, turning them into black pillars, so that only the sky and the river had color. There, darkness and color were sharply divided.

Amidst this spectacle of nature, hundreds of thousands of people chattered.

—This is ridiculous! There’s no way our god would do this!

—Our god takes the great form of a dog! But what are these images playing in my head,

laimu?

He’s basically a Puren! This makes no sense!

—Mr. Kekerukker is quite handsome.

—Actually, the love story in the Cavefire play was too intense for him to be just a white lion.

—That was just a disguise, you know. The gods deliberately took on animal forms to approach us more easily. Not just any animal, but unique creatures that stood out. Because of that, we served them like gods, so didn’t things work out well?

—We were tricked!

—We are believers of the Great Dog, not of this strange-looking little boy!

The Inquisitor, watching the hologram with me, tilted his head and asked, “Do I look strange?”

“You certainly don’t look like a snail,” the Black Witch answered.

“Really? I thought I looked quite a bit like a snail,” he replied.

“What are you talking about? Anyway, this isn’t the time for silly debates.”

She was right. The confusion of the species was escalating. The other Hunters and I had no choice but to continue watching the hologram for now.

Although the stage is cleared...

No one could enjoy it. Anastasha, the Countess, and the Paladin all stared anxiously at the hologram.

... nothing is truly over yet.

In fact, this was just the beginning. How would the children react when they learned the truth? The success or failure of this expedition depended on their response. Perhaps the Tower was telling us that our intuition was correct. They immediately presented us with the next task.

[The quest is in progress.]

[All the quest participants will be teleported to the fortieth floor.]

[Upon entering the fortieth floor, the eliminated participants will gain the status of the challengers again.]

[Displaying the fortieth floor’s quest!]

The next floor didn’t take place in the next era. The dragon was in shambles while the children were confused and excited. This time, there was no time skip.

The Shellmount Idol

Difficulty Level: B+

Goal: Inquisitor, you have helped the Shellmounts. Under your devoted care, the Shellmounts emerged as the most successful species in early civilization years! The size of the Slime Empire closely resembled the current empire of Terras.

The Shellmounts assigned jobs according to each species’ unique characteristics, creating a highly efficient labor system. By developing great cities that serve as trade hubs, they continued to thrive.

When the light is strong, the shadow becomes darker. In your empire, non-Shellmounts were slaves. Eventually, the slaves revolted and brought down your great empire along with the proud city of the Shellmounts. After that, the Shellmounts became public enemies of the continent and were forced to wander.

Inquisitor, you have faced both your first triumph and your first defeat. Now, the Shellmounts are aware of who you really are and have come to understand that you aren’t divine. They realized that their glory, luxury, burdens, and oppression have all been caused by you.

How will the Shellmounts treat you now? Let’s begin voting.

Choice 1: “I’m glad you guided us.”

Choice 2: “I hate that you guided us.”

Your goal is to gather as many Choice 1 votes as possible. If Choice 1 gains the majority in the vote, the fortieth floor will be cleared automatically. However, you cannot bribe or make promises to secure your votes. You must win over the Shellmounts’ hearts by conversing with them.

※If you lose the vote, you must exterminate all the Shellmounts on the continent to proceed to the next floor.

Everyone in the waiting room was silent. I slowly turned my gaze to the individual chosen as the star of this quest. The psychopath, who was probably among the top five people who should never have children, smiled cheerfully.

“

Hahaha

, I understand! Well, I guess I’m up first!”

***

Anastasha was panicking. “This is really bad.”

“What’s wrong? Are you anxious because the Inquisitor is the first to meet his species after the reveal?

“Yes.

Ah

, I shouldn’t have fallen for your sugarcoated words. At the very least, I should have implemented minimum safety measures before the reveal. After that, I could have created and distributed propaganda materials to demonstrate how much effort we’ve put for the sake of our species to evoke public sympathy. Damn, that’s one of my specialties.”

“That’s not revealing the truth. We would just be brainwashing them.”

Anastasha was usually calm, but when she found out she could fail, she lost herself. Being a perfectionist seemed exhausting.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry too much,” I reassured her.

“What? What is supposed to be okay? All the work we did for those children and the kindness we showed them will become nothing but oil to fuel their anger.” Anastasha turned and pointed at the Inquisitor. “Or are you talking about how we’re leaving our fate in the hands of that authentic psychopath?”

The Inquisitor laughed.

“Do you seriously think he’ll convince the Shellmounts?” Anastasha asked. “I have no problem imagining him tilting his head and saying he has no idea what his wrongdoings are!”

The Inquisitor just smiled brightly. Meanwhile, the situation in the hologram continued to escalate.

—The divine spirit that guides us is a dolphin with beautiful pink skin! How can a human, who lacks gills or fins, pretend to be our god?

—

Uh

, so the person who can transform into a cat is our god, right? Then it doesn’t seem like there will be much of a problem. The cat god polymorphs into a human form and roams the world for fun. This was also a staple in old Caveplay plays...

—The reason we built a mining city and went underground...

—So that Shellmount god dragged us into the mines and forced us to live like slaves for hundreds of years?

The sunset in the jungle illuminated every face in the crowd. Half of the faces were pitch black, resembling the shade of palm trees, while the other half glowed bright red from the reflection of the setting sun in the sky.

—Why would they do something like this?

—They basically thought of us as toy soldiers!

—No, pay proper attention to the memories. The gods just want to take care of us—

—The problem is that they are humans, not gods!

Some were enraged, mouths open in disbelief, others were shocked, holding their heads in exasperation. A few appeared bewildered, hands on their chins as they pondered. Occasionally, someone would abruptly exclaim, “Ah, so that’s what happened.”

—They are false gods!

—We should bring down the false gods from their temples!”

—They’re humans!

—They always claimed to care for and love us, but in the end, they were only trying to achieve their own goals! They wanted to get to the Tower’s higher floors and incorporate our world into theirs!”

Loud protesters began to emerge, though they were still a minority. People felt betrayed simply because we were human. Some had violent outbursts. To them, it didn’t matter how hard we had tried to help them.

It seemed that finding out we weren’t really gods was enough to make them feel betrayed. Their sense of betrayal led them to curse the gods who had taken care of them for thousands of years. Their curses soon turned into cries for vengeance against us.

—That’s right! Let’s bring down the false gods!

—Let’s question the false gods about our ancestors’ tragedies and everything else that went wrong in our lives!

—Bring down the false gods! Bring down the false gods!

The vast majority of species were still experiencing despair or bewilderment. If we did nothing, the anger of a few would spread like an epidemic and quickly engulf the entire jungle.

“This isn’t good, Gong-Ja. This really isn’t okay,” Anastasha murmured.

Having lived as the head of the Black Dragon Guild, she was used to dealing with public opinion and propaganda more than anyone else. She was painfully aware how bad the situation was, and how unreliable the Inquisitor—who was supposed to resolve this turmoil—was for this job.

“No, when I said it was okay, I didn’t mean that the situation is fine or that the Inquisitor is trustworthy,” I clarified, looking back at the hologram. “Our kids will be okay.”

Snap!

A whipping sound echoed throughout the jungle, shutting everyone up. Hundreds of thousands of people were startled by the noise and turned to look in the direction it came from. There, they saw Saimeslam, the six hundred twenty-ninth chairwoman of the Fire Water Council and the strongest Shellmount warrior.

—You’re too noisy,

laim

u. Be quiet.

Immediately, some species protested.

—What? How can we not talk about this when such a world-shaking incident has just taken place?

—I now submit a bill as the Fire Water Council chairwoman. The bill goes like this: “If you wish to speak a single word about the gods here, you must duel with the chairman. Each time you block or evade an attack, you will be given one opportunity to speak.”

Yes, the council had unique traditions. Regardless of species or origin, anyone among the world's top two thousand strongest individuals could join the council right away. Once they joined, they were treated as a council member and could freely speak and vote in meetings that decided the fate of their species.

However, they had to submit to the victor’s opinions if they lost a duel. As a result, the strongest fighter was generally chosen as the chairman. The votes also typically aligned with the chairman’s intentions. If someone opposed them, they could just challenge all the opposers to a duel and defeat them.

—

Uh...

—Coincidentally, all the council members are present,

laimu.

Those who oppose the bill, raise your hands. Though I’m certain there will be none. Isn’t unanimity a long-standing tradition and pride of our council?

Saimeslam’s voice was nonchalant. The warriors hesitated. In the history of the council, Saimeslam was the first non-Terra councilman. This fact alone clearly showed her prowess as a formidable swordswoman. Many of the Terras had been reluctant to acknowledge this reality, leading to a brief boom in the funeral industry.

—

Ugor...

Chairwoman.

While all the councilmen remained silent, one of the Terras raised his hand. Well, it would be more accurate to call them Asuras now.

The Terras’ shiny skin was now red. Their muscular shoulders, chests, and abs glistened as if they were coated in oil. Their crescent-shaped fangs were so sharp that they instilled fear in anyone who looked upon them.

—It’s not that I’m particularly opposed to the bill you raised...

The fearsome Asura was surprisingly polite. He placed his hands on his abdomen, kept his head at a forty-five-degree angle, and emitted no aura or bloodlust.

Hmm

, what was he doing?

Saimeslam narrowed her eyes.

—What is it then?

—D-Don’t I look a lot different?

Ugor

, I’ve grown a bit bigger. Doesn’t it seem like my amount of aura has increased tremendously? It’s not low-quality aura that would dissipate with one blow. This is the aura of a dragon that created this world. Isn’t that amazing?

—What are you trying to say?

—C-Chairwoman. I think I’m a little stronger now, you know? Maybe today we can install the six hundred thirtieth chairman, and perhaps that will be me...

—Are you requesting a duel?

—Just o-one.

No further words were needed. Saimeslam grabbed her sword with her remaining tentacle, rushing at the challenger. In just one second, she closed the considerable distance between them.

—

Uger

?

But the challenger was no rookie either. He was a warrior who made quite an impression on the council.

Claaaang!

The Asura raised his ax and countered the attack. His red palms went numb from the impact.

—The fuck.

Saimeslam wasn’t fazed.

—Spit it out or not whether you will fight until you die or not. Otherwise, your head—

—No! No! We’re going to stop before that!

The challenger dropped the ax. Saimeslam’s sword was already right under the challenger’s chin. The Asura could only stare at the strongest warrior of his era. His eyes showed disbelief, and sweat streamed down his red forehead.

—We... Terras... evolved.

—Do you think you’re the only species that evolved,

lime

? I, too, have evolved. Do you think you’re the only ones who basked in the dragon’s aura while I only absorbed the jungle’s air?

—Damn it!

—If the Terras and the Shellmounts were to split into two groups and fight, the Terras would win by a landslide. Your evolution seems to have had a far more dramatic effect, but I’m not just a snail,

lime

. I am the strongest snail in the world.”

Saimeslam shook her sword, surveying the hundreds of thousands of spectators watching their duel.

—Is there anyone else?

The spectators were silent.

—If not, I declare that the bill I proposed has passed. This has become the council’s temporary meeting place. As long as the council’s authority holds, everyone who sets foot here has to follow our instructions. If you’re going to speak about the gods, at least try to block my sword once, like the councilman here. This world is too beautiful to be marred by excuses of the weak.

Saimeslam chuckled.

Back in the waiting room, a bright light suddenly began emanating from the sofa where the Inquisitor was sitting, gradually enveloping him. Everyone turned to see what was happening. The Inquisitor realized something.

“

Huh?

Ah. I see. Having to persuade them through conversation means I have to go there and talk to them myself!

Ahaha

. Well, it’s much more efficient for one person to be summoned there than to bring the Shellmounts here!”

The light became a lot brighter. In just a few seconds, the light would completely envelop the Inquisitor and teleport him away. I needed to give him a warning before that happened.

“Mr. Inquisitor!”

“Yes, master?”

“You are the parent of those children! You have to respond and treat them as if you are their actual parent... Wait, even if I tell you this, you won’t understand!”

The Inquisitor smiled broadly. “That’s right!”

Fuck!

“Just think from other people’s perspectives and imagine how they would feel in this situation! Do you understand? If it’s difficult, just ask the kids around you how they feel!”

The Inquisitor saluted. “I will try my best!”

The bright white light enveloped the Inquisitor completely.