Lord of the Netherworld

Bai Wei and Zoey walked in the wilderness, surrounded by Blooming Spirit Flower covering the mountains and fields.

Looking at this scenery alone, it's hard to imagine that this is the land of the dead.

Bai Wei looked thoughtfully at Zoey, who was leading the way.

When he touched Zoey's body just now, a vague memory flashed through his mind, which made him realize that he had indeed had a connection with this little girl in front of him, and a significant one at that, which is why he truly "recognized" Zoey.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened to Bai Wei. Half a year ago, back in Lyra, a memory suddenly flooded back to him, reminding him that the person who had crippled Lyra was none other than Visas.

These two memories, one before and one after, are not part of the game's plot, but rather genuine memories from this body, from Visas.

So here's the question—who exactly is Bai Wei?

Was it the time traveler named Bai Wei, or Visas himself?

Actually, this wasn't the first time Bai Wei had thought about this issue. He had sensed long ago that his relationship with Visas was not as simple as that of a player and a game character.

Many of the things he does and the ways he thinks about problems are quite unlike the nerdy guy who only played video games in his previous life.

So, who exactly is he? And what is the relationship between Bai Wei and Visas?

Did Bai Wei transmigrate into Visas, or did Visas regain Bai Wei's memories after being reborn?

Bai Wei couldn't explain it either, so he asked Zoey, who was leading the way, "Zoey, do you think I'm Visas?"

Zoey turned around and stared blankly at Bai Wei, seemingly not Bai Wei what he was saying.

"I mean, do I look like Visas himself... well, that's not a question for you." Bai Wei smiled and shook his head.

He knew that Zoey had already given her answer when she chose to leave the tree with him, considering that the players at the time had tried everything to get Zoey to leave the tree but to no avail.

So she must have recognized him, recognized him as Visas.

"Really." Bai Wei sighed softly, "I never thought that at this point, I would still be agonizing over questions like who I am."

Bai Wei's sigh left Zoey looking somewhat bewildered. She clearly didn't quite understand what Bai Wei meant. She frowned slightly and pondered for a moment, but still couldn't grasp it.

But the thoughtful expression on her face caught Bai Wei's eye, which surprised him slightly.

Just a moment ago, this girl seemed like a rigid machine, only reacting to specific words, but now she can engage in simple thought processes.

In other words, her missing soul is being revived?

Bai Wei carefully observed Zoey's body and found that it was indeed more stable than at the beginning.

That's really true. Is it because of myself?

Well, that's the only possibility.

In other words, she will eventually revert to the appearance of a normal deceased person?

The phrase "the appearance of a normal deceased person" sounds so strange.

Bai Wei smiled and shook his head; he was in a good mood after meeting Zoey. Zoey sensed his mood, and her previously furrowed brows immediately relaxed considerably.

The two continued walking in this state for a while, during which they encountered many dead people. Just as the Soul Guide had said, they were all full of kindness, warmly asking Bai Wei, this new face, if she needed help. They were also surprised that Zoey had finally left the big tree, but they did not ask why, they just offered their blessings.

Bai Wei could tell that these acts of kindness were not feigned; everyone's kindness came from the bottom of their hearts.

Is this the "paradise" that only good people can come to?

Bai Wei thought to himself.

After walking for a while, Zoey finally brought Bai Wei to a human settlement—a small town.

In the underworld, such towns are rare. Most of the dead live as they please, just as the Soul Guide said earlier. They simply find a place with abundant Blooming Spirit Flower to sleep in, and unless there are some major events, the dead rarely gather together.

Did Zoey bring him here because the Lord of the Netherworld is in this town?

Bai Wei paused outside the town, but did not sense any divine presence.

Hmm... It's really unrealistic to expect a clueless little girl to lead me to God.

But Bai Wei didn't say anything. Zoey continued to lead the way, so he followed her into the town. After another winding journey, they arrived at an old-fashioned building.

The church of the Lord of the Netherworld.

To be honest, this was the first time Bai Wei had ever seen such a simple church. It was only slightly better than the destroyed Senro Temple he had seen during the Wildfire, but not by much. From the outside, it looked like a dilapidated old building that had been neglected for years, without a trace of sanctity.

"You really have a personality, Lord of the Netherworld." Bai Wei smiled and looked at Zoey. "I asked you to take me to the Lord of the Netherworld, not to take me to His church."

Zoey tilted her head, unsure how to answer.

"Well, since we're already here, let's go in and offer our prayers." Bai Wei pushed open the door and entered.

The church was empty, with only the statue of the Lord of the Netherworld standing there alone, covered in dust from not being cleaned for a long time.

Bai Wei walked straight up to the statue, with Zoey following behind him like a little tail.

The statue of the Lord of the Netherworld is different from the statues of other gods. It does not have much of a sacred aura that keeps the living away. Instead, it is somewhat... gentle?

"Lord of the Netherworld," Bai Wei murmured, looking up at the statue. "This treatment is hardly befitting of a living god."

As soon as he finished speaking, a clear female voice rang out from behind him. "There are no living beings in the underworld."

Bai Wei turned around and saw a black-haired woman in a wheelchair at the entrance of the church.

"Hello," the woman said with a smile, "I am the caretaker of this church."

"An administrator?" Bai Wei raised an eyebrow. "This place doesn't look like it's managed."

"There's nothing we can do, not many people come here usually." The woman pushed her wheelchair slowly to Bai Wei's side. "The door is usually locked, and it's only opened when there are events to be held."

"But it opened today."

"Because we have guests coming," the woman said with a smile.

Bai Wei looked at the woman's face.

This is a woman of average appearance, neither particularly beautiful nor ugly, but she gives off a very friendly feeling.

It's exactly the same as the statue behind Bai Wei.

"Hello, Mr. Visas," the woman greeted with a light laugh.

Bai Wei smiled and said, "Hello, Lord of the Netherworld."

After the two finished speaking, the church fell into a long silence.

Bai Wei was watching Ming Tu, and Ming Tu was also watching Bai Wei. Although they both wore smiles that resembled old friends meeting, the tense atmosphere in the air made even the bewildered Zoey feel that something was wrong.

Finally, the Lord of the Netherworld was the first to try to break the silence. "I didn't..."

But before she could finish speaking, she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

A moment later, a middle-aged man with a stubble beard and an angry face rushed in.

"It's happening again! It's happening again!" he yelled. "I've already said it, the church is Open the door before Blossom Spirit Festival! Are you an idiot who can't understand?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Hoggus." A hint of apology appeared in the Lord of the Netherworld's gentle eyes. "We have guests coming today."

"What kind of guest insists on being entertained in a church? Get this straight, I'm the Priest here! You're just the doorman I hired! You'd better behave yourself!" the man continued to yell. "Or you can give me back my keys and get out of here!"

"I'm sorry, Hoggus," the Lord of the Netherworld apologized again, "There won't be a next time, I promise. But I do have something to attend to right now, please give me a little time, okay?"

Seeing the Lord of the Netherworld say this, the middle-aged man stopped pressing the matter and simply snorted coldly, "I hope you keep your word and quickly end this meaningless conversation, then lock this damned door! Don't disturb the Lord's peace!"

After saying that, the middle-aged man turned and left, slamming the door shut behind him.

The church fell silent again, though the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before.

"There was a slight mishap." The Lord of the Netherworld shrugged. "I thought he wouldn't be here today."

Bai Wei looked at the closed door and said, "I originally thought the dead here were all kind, but it seems there are exceptions."

"So this is the first question you asked?" The Lord of the Netherworld chuckled. "Most of the people here are very kind, but he's an exception... Well, his situation is the same as that little girl beside you; his soul isn't complete. This means he still doesn't know this is the afterlife and continues to do the work he did in his previous life, day after day. Yes, he was one of my Priest in his previous life, and he was indeed quite irritable, but please believe me, he was a good person."

"Whether someone is good or bad is none of my business." Bai Wei turned his gaze back to the Lord of the Netherworld, "But he doesn't seem to know your identity."

"Indeed." The Lord of the Netherworld nodded slightly. "My name here is Lynn, and you can call me that as well."

"Is this your peculiar hobby?" Bai Wei asked, "A game of make-believe among the gods?"

"Is that what you think?"

"Otherwise, I can't think of any other possibility," Bai Wei said calmly. "But you're really into this game, you've almost lost all your divinity."

"But you still saw right through me at first glance."

"Because I can feel my own heart," Bai Wei said, gazing at the Lord of the Netherworld's chest, "Beating loudly inside your body."

"Ah, yes." The Lord of the Netherworld smiled and pulled open her collar. Beneath her clothes was not a woman's body, but a chaotic void, with a beating heart at its center. "If it weren't for your heart, I would have been annihilated long ago, and there would be no kingdom called the Underworld. So I have always owed you a thank you."

As he spoke, the Lord of the Netherworld in his wheelchair bowed slightly to show his gratitude to Bai Wei.

"Really? Then are you willing to give this heart back to me?"

"Of course," the Lord of the Netherworld smiled. "You can take it back now, and I won't resist... Of course, I also have no ability to resist you, and you should be able to sense that."

Really.

Bai Wei is now able to clearly perceive the state of the Lord of the Netherworld.

The reason He sits in a wheelchair is not for show, but because His lower body no longer exists; His current legs are merely artificial Prosthetic Limbs.

In other words, His soul was also incomplete. Such severe injuries were undoubtedly inflicted by Visas.

Therefore, the Lord of the Netherworld at this time is even weaker than the previous Star Relic God. If Bai Wei wanted to, he could kill Him without even using both eyes at the same time.

But it was precisely because of this that Bai Wei was even more curious as to why the Lord of the Netherworld dared to appear so openly before him.

"What would happen if I took out my heart?" After thinking for a moment, Bai Wei still asked this question.

What aspect are you asking about?

"All."

"I will die," the Lord of the Netherworld replied, "And the kingdom of the dead will be destroyed as a result."

"I see." Bai Wei laughed. "Are you trying to morally blackmail me?"

"Moral blackmail? Hmm... that's a very apt term." The Lord of the Netherworld laughed as well. "But would someone like you really be stopped by such methods? Back then, my kin used all sorts of methods to deal with you, including threats like this, but you didn't stop. So I never thought of using such a clumsy way to stop you."

"Since it's not moral blackmail, then I really don't know what you're thinking." Bai Wei looked at the Lord of the Netherworld. "I can sense that you've used most of the power in my heart to maintain the operation of this Underworld Kingdom. But you didn't need to do that at all. If you had used that power on yourself, you could have built a Divine Kingdom that was no less powerful than other gods, instead of this ghostly state that's neither alive nor dead."

The Lord of the Netherworld asked with a smile, "So you're curious about me?"

"It's hard not to be curious about you right now."

"So you're not planning to kill me for now?"

"It's been a thousand years already, there's no rush," Bai Wei said calmly. "If you're willing to talk about it."

"Of course." The Lord of the Netherworld closed his robes. "I've been waiting for this conversation ever since you left. A thousand years have passed, and you've finally waited for it."

Bai Wei noticed the Lord of the Netherworld's choice of words—leaving, not annihilation or death.

Could it be that...

"It seems you haven't fully found yourself yet." The Lord of the Netherworld guessed what Bai Wei was thinking and said with a smile, "Do you often feel that you are not Visas, but someone else from another world?"

Bai Wei frowned slightly, but did not speak.

"It's normal for you to have this feeling, but I can tell you with certainty that you are Visas himself," said the Lord of the Netherworld. "It wasn't any of our gods who killed you a thousand years ago, but you who exiled yourself."

"To be precise, it is the exile of one's own humanity."

"To avoid becoming... the next us."