Chapter 338 The Long and Winding Road (1/2)

–An ogre that does eat human but mock the monsters who do?

”Starfall Year 834.”

Joshua crisply replied despite being left in slight disbelief by the other's words, before promptly adding after some thought, ”Now it's more than a thousand years after the Glorious Era, with about three hundred years of blank period in between. So there's no way to provide a definite answer.”

”Starfall, huh. So it's been so long, they've even given a new name to a new age… Regardless, for civilization to continue means that we've succeeded.”

Unexpectedly, the twin-headed giant did not react much to Joshua's answer and merely sighed emotionally before walking out of the white crystal screen.

The giant's body was burly and tough—even giant dragons would probably not have such sturdy muscles. His steps were making visible tremors within the underground room, even as its huge frame simply slipped out like a phantom, away from the white crystal screen said to be able to quarantine all contamination.

Soon, it materialized in the underground lab.

–Just a phantom, but so surreal it could replace the genuine one.

Joshua quickly understood that the God of Fortune and Despair had completely regained consciousness, albeit remaining as an illusion within the Divine Dungeon Shroud.

It was a shard of a fallen god, and that missing piece of His skull was the unmistakable evidence of His descent.

Furthermore, even if He were a phantom, He was still the shadow of a deity. If not for that war against the Evil Gods and the Abyss, He would not have fallen.

”Doesn't really compare to the mages in Sky City… Quite a gap, too.”

The twin-headed giant was muttering to Himself with a gruff voice as He used His thick hands to touch and feel the facilities and equipment around the lab. ”Although it's interesting that these circles contained the shadows of elven secret recipes, and the constructs of dwarven runes. Seems like civilizations melded after the Apocalypse.”

”What a relief. To think that world took one step back but turn towards an entirely new path in the process.”

The giant then turned towards Joshua. ”Perhaps mankind has long forgotten my name,” He said, shaking His head, His gruff voice with a shred of carefreeness and self-deprecation. ”The name of fallen gods might bear no weight, but you would still need a name to address me.”

”I'm the traveler of barren lands, the witness of Fortune and Despair – the Lord and Guardian of the Ougels. Human, you may address me as Ogner.”

As He said that, the words of the god named Ogner became a littler ethereal while He fixed His dim gold gaze on Joshua.

”Human, you have the breath of the Soul of the Forests and the Sage about you… Are you Their heir? Perhaps you could tell what became of Them? And my people, those you called ogres… Were they really reduced to such states after civilization's lost?”

To be able to reassemble consciousness from those splintered fragments of divinity from the Dense shroud of Holy Calamity, the Fortune therein was definitely miraculous.

Nonetheless, the God of Fortune and Despair had done exactly that. He seemed to have many pressing questions too—apparently being a phantom does not stifle curiosity.

Joshua was uncertain, but this deity who addresses Himself Ogner definitely did not bear ill-will towards His surroundings. With the black shroud that threatened the lives of the mages gone, there was no harm in having small talk.

”I don't know much about the Sage. Furthermore, the peoples of this world are largely unfamiliar with his name, only a rare few know of his existence. As for Father Nature…”

After considering for a moment, he slowly narrated everything he knew about Father Nature. Compared to the Sage whom he had known from mere bits and pieces of memories and rumors, the warrior knew more about Father Nature since he did come into contact with that elven deity.

”… As for your kind…” Joshua grimaced, unable to make an excuse for a moment. Still, the warrior was never one to hide things. His thoughts were shown clearly on his face—and Ogner was able to surmise what befell his race before he said a thing.

”I should've guessed… That's the reason the offering chest where the shard containing my divinity resided being placed within a human mage laboratory. There's no trace of Ougel within your kind, proving that you've attained it by killing my people.”

Instead of giving his take on Father Nature's desertion, the twin-headed giant calmly pondered as if those existence were not truly His kin. ”They should have been wiped out early on. Indeed, they were never one for the community and never would have survived the Apocalypse.”

While the deity concealed His thoughts well, Joshua could still hear the shred of sadness in His voice, therefore unable to hold back his own fascination. ”Forgive me, I've thought that you were a malevolent deity since the dense shroud spreading from the chest contained strong corruption. Your calm and wise behavior, however, proves otherwise.”

The warrior did not appear to worry about angering Ogner, and indeed, the elderly twin-headed giant was extraordinarily tranquil and possessed great intelligence. He thought about what Joshua said, and steadily offered His own guess, ”Perhaps they carried out a blood sacrifice.”

”Those little ones were so obsessed with reviving me that they used every method once.”

Ogner's tone was flat and slow. He looked at His own body, before speaking with a low voice, ”That could be how they became the ogres that you've spoken of. With the vengeful spirits of the blood sacrifices latching on this chest and eventually leading to such accidents. My divine title—'Despair' isn't exactly benevolent either.”

From His appearance alone, Ogner really did not look benevolent. Joshua own's first impression was nothing good, but His actions afterward proved that He was even wiser than the smarter humans.

A silence then filled the underground lab. Ogner was still looking around the underground lab for data. Then, He turned and considered the seven mages who were still trapped in dreams.

”Apart from one who isn't that bad, the others all fail the basic requirements,” He said, shaking His head. ”Are the spirits of modern-day mages that weak? If it were in my era, they would probably wet their pants in fear even before they met a demon.”

”What actually happened a thousand years ago…” Joshua mumbled in reply, frowning. ”Father Nature did not fight to the end; He led the elves to another world halfway through. So how did the Sage and the other deities triumph against the Abyssal demons and the Evil God of Chaos?”

”A thousand years ago? It was truly an era of despair.” Ogner replied, repeating Joshua words as He turned to the warrior again, while stopping his fiddling around. ”Although He did not fight to the end, Father Nature did not lie—every one of his words bore the truth.”

The giant's gaze suddenly turned distant, his dim-gold glinting and both his heads swaying lightly, as if reminiscing.