Prostrate on the ground, Old Book felt as though that indifferent gaze was cutting into him like a knife. It was not only agonizing, but terrifying.
Without the slightest hesitation, Old Book revealed the secret in his heart.
"Lord Ryan, I have never deceived you!"
"I can confirm that something happened three hundred years ago, but I have no memory of it. That is precisely why I became something like a 'false god.'"
"The Walnut Tree Master can vouch for me!"
Old Book pointed at the dense woods nearby.
He could sense the Walnut Tree Master's presence.
Though gravely wounded, the master was not dead.
Coming out to testify should have been no problem.
Yet the next moment, the woods simply vanished, leaving nothing but one empty tree pit after another.
Clearly having learned from Old Book's mistake, the master had not left behind even a trace of scent.
Old Book froze, then pointed at the crystal-clear stream winding down to his left.
"The master of Dar Stream can vouch for me too!"
Whoosh!
Barely had he finished speaking when the flowing stream abruptly stopped, leaving only a damp riverbed.
"And! There's also Dolder Cave..."
Rumble!
Old Book turned as he spoke, but before he could finish, before he could even raise his hand, a low hill behind him collapsed.
Old Book was utterly stunned.
He had never imagined that these gods, so arrogant in their everyday dealings, would prove so unreliable.
The thought of the offerings he had given these fellows every year pained him. What hurt even more, however, was that he seemed to have run out of bargaining chips.
Gulp!
The sound of Gluttony swallowing rang out.
Old Book shuddered from head to toe.
Then...
He burst into tears.
"I know five hundred years of knowledge and