Anubis tried to step forward, but he was intercepted by Jormungand and Hela working together, preventing Anubis from stopping Lucifer.
“—You spoiled little princess, you have no idea how many methods he used to ensure you could continue sleeping peacefully in your false dream. But I can no longer endure this; I must tear open the false Dream and throw the Truth he tried to hide right in front of your face!”
“Truth? Lies? A dream?”
A flash of trance and confusion passed through Wood's eyes, a terrifying pain, like being pierced by sharp needles, surged in his heart once more: "He.. you.. who exactly is the Boss? What secrets is he hiding?"
You are his greatest secret.
Lucifer said calmly, "He has always hidden the Truth for you."
Hiding the Truth from me.. My Truth, my Truth is—
Your Truth—
Stop talking right now!
Master's Voice rang out suddenly, immediately after, his figure appeared before Wood and Lucifer, his light illuminating the entire Showroom.
Boss!
Wood, who had been pushed to the brink by Lucifer, shouted in surprise and lunged toward Master, whose form flickered between substance and shadow.
I, I..
I finally made it in time..
Master's hand gently stroked the back of Wood's head, but his eyes looked at Lucifer with extraordinary severity: "You shouldn't have laid a hand on my people while I was away!"
People or things?
Lucifer asked back leisurely.
Master retorted, "The essence of everything in existence is an object; you and I are no different."
“Oh..”
Lucifer gave a meaningful hum and glanced at Hela again: "Are you staying, following me for the time being, or continuing to act with Cain?"
“Papa—"
Hela looked at Wood: "If you want me to stay, I will definitely stay."
“..”
Wood did not dare to look Hela in the eyes, burying his head in Master's arms like an ostrich.
.. I understand.
Hela sighed softly, turned, walked toward Lucifer: "Cain has become Father's enemy; even for Father's sake, it is impossible for me to continue having contact with Cain."
Alright, I understand.
Lucifer smiled and nodded, glancing at Wood: "I hope when we meet next time, you will have walked out of the False Dream and faced your True Self."
Having said that, Lucifer vanished as a streak of black light.
Hela gazed affectionately at Wood, then merged into the black marble floor as he bowed.
“..”
The showroom suddenly became empty, leaving Wood feeling at a loss: "Boss, did I make the wrong decision?"
A wrong decision?
Perhaps I should face the Truth—face the terrifying Truth of who I am, but—
But you are not prepared.
Yes.
Wood bit his lip and said, "Although I don't know what the Truth my true self is trying to avoid is, I am certain of one thing—once the Truth is revealed, I will never be able to return to the past! I will never again be that sometimes muddled, sometimes foolish Wood; I will have a brand new name, a brand new identity, and—a brand new destiny."
You don't want to face your own fate?
Master asked tenderly.
Wood nodded subconsciously, then quickly shook his head, saying in misery, ".. Even if Lilith is willing to be killed by me, even if Lucifer says bluntly that I can no longer evade the Truth.. my heart is still filled with hesitation and unease, I cannot.. I cannot face the Truth.. I am afraid of the Truth.. I fear it from the depths of my Soul.."
Then—
But one day, I will face my destiny!
Wood looked up, his emerald eyes staring fixedly at Master: "I can't keep running away; I must face the Truth! Even if the Truth destroys everything I am."
—Alright.
Master lowered his head, kissed the corner of Wood's mouth, then—
Once the matters regarding the Jungle Pyramid are settled, I will return to New York and tell you everything you want to know—until then, you only need to wait quietly, wait for my return, ensure that you can live long enough to see the day I come back.
Boss! Why would you say such things? Could it be—
Yeah.
Master nods.
The body, existing between reality and illusion, cast a translucent shadow upon the wall under the lights of the Showroom, that shadow took on an inhuman form—with protrusions resembling horns on its head, hair far exceeding the length found in the Mortal Realm, the shadows of its left and right hands flickering with tiny golden flames.
Every word Lucifer said to you was half-truth, but there is one thing He was not wrong about—before long, I will no longer be able to maintain the current Mortal Realm.
“The current world..”
Wood's throat felt strangely tight.
Master's words clearly contained a massive secret that could not be pierced.
In short, that thing that escaped from the Mysterious Stone Cabinet and hid in the New York Sewer—you will need to find a way to deal with it yourself—though, even if the problem cannot be solved, the resulting Cataclysm will not cause you any substantial harm.
As he spoke, Master's figure rapidly faded and vanished.
Wood watched him leave, that highly unusual, strange shadow left by the Boss appeared on the wall before his eyes once again.
(The Boss's true identity..)
(Why is his shadow so.. He is clearly not human, but he is certainly not Lucifer either.. He.. He..)
(What on earth am I worried about? Why am I always so afraid—I..)
[Papa..]
With soft bodies pressed against each other, Wood looked down and saw Jormungand's golden eyes: "Why don't you leave with Hela? You two are—"
[How could there possibly be any affection between siblings who were separated so shortly after birth.]
Jormungand spoke bluntly.
And—just like all the children in the world, I instinctively rejected all my siblings, because I was unwilling to share my beloved Father with anything in this world. Hela was the same.
.. Is that so?
Wood was very surprised.
One must know that in the legends of Ragnarok, Jormungand, Fenrir, Hela are the three children of Loki who fought side by side.
It is the sense of responsibility that 'Father needs us to protect him' that turned us into allies, rather than bloodline itself.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you to the readers "If You Don't Read Properly, You'll Work in a Factory," "Kitten Fishing for Big Fish," "Qing Yun," "Gu De Mao Nai," "Xing Ye," "Chang Ye," "A Rain Hat in the Rain," "Yi Tuo Da Yan," "Milk Beer Milk Beer I am Potato Chips," "Lan Wu," "Min," "Courage is Lifelong Reliance," "Zhen Zhu Xue," "Meng Li Jian," "kiki," "Lei Zhuang," "Shi Yi," "Li Yu," "Riyue Taosan Huan," "Mu," "Click to See Super Beauties," "A Cat's Murmurs," "moonlit," and "Fish Blowing Bubblegum" for the Irrigation Nutrient Solution.
Chapter 75 Quetzalcoatl's Secret Treasure (12)
Night arrived quickly, the Showroom was once again filled with the whispers of the Collections.
Hey~ darling, have you really made your decision?
Without Boss's protection, are you sure you have the ability to face the coming danger?
I heard that Voice, that Voice of resentment and pain from Hell..
[They are rushing here, filled with intense rage~ and you—]
[..]
Everyone, shut up!
Wood shouted impatiently, hearing this, Jormungand Cat opened his Abyss Mouth—
Keep it up! Keep it up and I'll eat you all!
Fine~
The quill, claiming to be possessed by Shakespeare's Soul, jumped into the inkwell. After soaking up the ink, it began to scribble wildly across the white cloth beneath it. Every word it wrote flew into the air, transforming into shimmering golden patterns that swirled around Wood.
What is this?
Wood asked in confusion.
Even though you are simple and foolish, that your legs go weak at the sight of a handsome man, that you spend all day fantasizing about being a little beauty held and pampered in a monarch's arms, you did shelter us after all, you are still our protector—to repay the kindness of your protection, we have decided to give our all.
Beside the quill writing furiously, Medusa, who was embedded in a shield, spoke thus, his frantic snakes dancing in the air and continuously letting out dangerous hissing sounds.
.. You all always tease me and make lewd jokes about me on a regular basis. It feels a bit strange to suddenly have you speak in such a serious tone.
Wood said sheepishly.
[After all, today might be the last time~]
Bastet, who called herself the Egyptian Cat Goddess, flew toward Wood with long bandages trailing behind her, staring intently at him, then—
Stupid Puppy! You must protect your Papa later!
That kind of thing—you don't need to specifically remind me!
The Anubis Dog let out an annoyed huff, its erect, pointed ears proving that its nerves were highly strained.
After all—
As soon as the words were spoken, melodious music echoed through the air.
Wood looked toward the sound and discovered that the massive Black Stone Relief Mural from the Assyrian Empire, which was sealed and protected behind custom-made display case glass, had actually come to life!
To be precise, the people and animals on the relief had all come to life.