The World Corresponding to Floor 121

"I understand, but not completely," Feng Xue answered frankly. Aoyagi Lantern wasn't surprised; after a moment's thought, she explained:

"To put it another way, what do you think Divine Authority is?"

"Compared to the Faith Investiture of the Gods System, [knowledge] is [faith], [Element] are [divinity], [Tag] are [divinity], and condensing [Trait] is igniting [divine fire]. In this sense, the [powers] of Weird Tale should be [Divine Authority], right?"

Feng Xue stated her previous speculation, Aoyagi Lantern nodded slightly, confirming it:

"There are no major problems, but there is a small paradox here. The [ritual] of the Tower of Babylon is about going from man to god, not from god to god. But the Weird Tale is essentially about being a god."

"So the Tower of Babylon went through all that trouble just to make us human first?" Feng Xue switched the salt in her hand again, but Aoyagi Lantern gently shook her head:

"It is actually meaningful. After all, the biggest limitation of Supernatural Tale Itself is that they cannot produce [consciousness] on their own, but humans can produce [consciousness]. In other words, the process from human to god is essentially the formation of a perfect life that can be self-sufficient, able to grow by absorbing the faith of others, but even without faith, one can produce [consciousness] to maintain existence."

"I see." Feng Xue sensed it for herself and immediately showed a look of realization. Actually, it couldn't be blamed on him. Originally, his [Libra - Oath Keeper], [Martial Transmitter - Mo Ju], [The First Kamen Rider], and [Xuan Jun] Weird Tale all real producers of knowledge. After [Heavenly Court - Heavenly Emperor], his income skyrocketed. His own output was only about 100,000 per day, which was not even as much as the number of words he generated per second, so he naturally didn't care.

Having been deeply rooted in the culture of the entire Eastern Kingdom for many years, Aoyagi Lantern's Hundred Tales naturally understood Feng Xue's situation. Instead of being bothered by his Versailles-inspired display, she continued the conversation:

"In short, the task on the 121st floor is to obtain the Supernatural Tale Entry in that world as a human, and successfully gain the qualification of a god."

"It doesn't sound too difficult?" Feng Xue frowned slightly upon hearing this, not thinking it was a big deal. However, thinking about her human identity, a sense of unease immediately arose. "Could it be that I can't use my powers?"

"That's not quite right. It's just that there are already too many [gods] in that world, so [consciousness] has been basically divided up. In other words, once you enter that world, using your powers indiscriminately will immediately attract the attention of gods who possess similar powers, and you'll be targeted by them. If you're not careful, you might cause a fusion of Weird Tale. And if you want to obtain the power of a god, you must find a way to bring one down with you, otherwise there won't be any [vacancy] for you in that world."

Aoyagi Lantern began to explain, but Feng Xue still didn't find it too difficult. Seeing his expression, Aoyagi Lantern's face showed a hint of realization, and she said in a slightly sighing tone:

"That's true. If someone like you, with no identity, could break through the tightly controlled management system and even make a comeback in the Hundred Tales, then this world surrounded by countless Weird Tale is probably just an even bigger Hundred Tales for you."

Hearing Aoyagi Lantern's first obvious display of resentment, Feng Xue didn't care at all, and simply smiled:

"So, you're revealing such important information because you're planning to cooperate?"

"Pretty much. Some things are hard to understand just by talking about them. Let me tell you this: the first time I entered that world, I only survived for seventeen seconds before my first death." Aoyagi Lantern's words became particularly clear here, as if she was afraid that Feng Xue would misunderstand.

Sure enough, upon hearing the time limit of seventeen seconds, Feng Xue's expression finally turned serious. He didn't know about other things about Aoyagi Lantern, but her survival ability was definitely guaranteed. Even if she relied on her Resurrection Authority to give up first blood like Uncle A at the start, she shouldn't be dead in seventeen seconds, right?

Seeing the expression she wanted on Feng Xue's face, Aoyagi Lantern then explained:

"The rules in that world are very... well, strange. Because there are so many Weird Tale, there are a huge number of unspoken rules. And I don't know if it's because of the previous probing by other floor masters, but the place has a very sensitive stress response to Outsider. I just asked a chubby little boy for directions, and the little boy exploded, and the entire city was instantly leveled. When I was resurrected, the local gods had already started guarding my body."

"That's incredible? That little boy was a believer in God? So all the common people in that world are fanatical believers? Or were you just unlucky enough to run into him?"

Feng Xue tapped her fingers lightly on the table, but her mind was racing. If this kind of door-opening attack was a common phenomenon, then it would basically lock up the possibility of obtaining intelligence from the natives. After all, if contact resulted in an explosion, there might not even be a chance to slip in a coin or say "yes, yes, yes."

Upon hearing this, Aoyagi Lantern simply shook her head and said:

"I don't know, but that explosion was not only powerful, it also had a special effect on Weird Tale. When I was killed by the explosion, a Tag on my body was shattered along with it, and it didn't regenerate until I returned to the Infinite City."

"An explosion that can even shatter Tag? Would that be useful against existing Trait?" Feng Xue's expression grew increasingly serious, while Aoyagi Lantern simply shook her head.

"Only the Tag was destroyed, but the power of the Trait formed by that Tag can no longer be activated after the Tag is destroyed. However, as long as we return to the Infinite City and reconnect with the world that condensed this Tag, the Tag will be quickly reconstructed, and the Weird Tale will return to its original state."

"I see. Well, it's not unacceptable." Feng Xue nodded gently. He had quite a few Weird Tale in his possession, and they contained a large number of functional and Growth Potential powers. Losing one or two wouldn't have a significant impact on his strength. Besides, although he appeared to be a Martial Grandmaster, his real skills lay in his Phantom Object.

Oh, right, Phantom Object!

"Can the Phantom Object from that world be used?" Feng Xue asked as soon as she thought of it, Aoyagi Lantern nodded:

"My Night Parade of a Hundred Demons Picture and Ukiyo Blue Lamp can be used normally, but these two are my Companion Phantom, so I'm not sure if non-companion Phantom Object can be used."

"So, one last question."

Feng Xue pondered for a moment, then slowly asked:

"Can the challenge of the Tower of Babylon truly be tackled collaboratively?"

As they spoke, the Mirror of Clarity was activated to its maximum, and the computing power of the Haotian Mirror was fully unleashed, recording every micro-expression.

Aoyagi Lantern made no attempt to conceal her identity, simply replying naturally:

"The entire 121st floor is the construction ceremony of the Tower of Babylon, or you could call it Weird Tale ceremony, or even a godhood ceremony. As long as a Weird Tale of someone becoming a god in human form, the ceremony will be completed. It's like a Divine Weapon that hasn't been forged yet. Even if everyone plans to seize it after it's finished, no one will damage its structure. Moreover, in that world, we outsiders are the weaker party. Isn't it the right path for the weak to band together to resist the strong?"

"That makes sense." Feng Xue nodded slightly, tentatively agreeing with Aoyagi Lantern's words. She was about to discuss when to form a raid group when she suddenly remembered something, and a grin spread across her face.

"By the way, is it convenient for you to talk about the Tag that got blown up?"

Aoyagi Lantern was slightly surprised by this, but still replied, "There's nothing inconvenient about it. That Tag is [Eastern Country]."

"Oh, this..."

Stitching Element 1: The World of Gods

Stitching Element 2: Hell Joke

Wind and Element 3/4: Not yet revealed