A meeting

This is a question that's unlikely to be answered quickly; Remembrance and Forgetting are like Divination and its Anti-Divination, making it difficult for Neph to explore the past hidden behind the fog.

After transforming the Canvas into Crystal Heart with Neph's help, Klein set off for City of Silver.

Although the main focus of exploration was on the "Giant King’s Court," there were actually regular patrols around City of Silver responsible for periodically checking the Monster situation in the area and preventing overly powerful Monster from appearing around City of Silver.

Klein had hoped to encounter such a patrol, but he didn't see one until he reached the walls of City of Silver.

But going any further was no wise move. Both Little "Sun's" tale and Neph's warnings told him that these people living in the "Forsaken Land of the Gods" were extremely wary. Even though he was human through and through, heading straight for City of Silver and stepping through its gates would still invite attack.

Although Klein himself was neither afraid of battle nor concerned about losing a Historical Projection, he didn't want to make a first impression in this way.

Besides, I'm still Gehrman Sparrow, so I should be mindful of my manners... Hmm, speaking of which, I should probably think about my next pseudonym...

He set up his account in a position that could still be considered polite, waiting to be spotted by a passing patrol, though in fact, they had already seen him from the city wall.

Even though it wasn't the first time encountering outsiders, and even though the most popular food in Silver City originated from them, the figure standing silently in the wilderness carrying a lantern was still enough to startle anyone. This news was delivered to Chief Colin Iliad as quickly as possible.

Colin, who had deliberately avoided leading a team out in the past few days, immediately made connections to the person who had arrived upon receiving the news.

He climbed the city wall and saw a person standing in the wilderness. The figure was dressed strangely, completely out of place with the clothing of City of Silver, seemingly possessing its own unique style. The material of the clothes was unidentifiable, but it was definitely not animal hide.

With his suspicions almost confirmed, Colin immediately gathered his team and went out. When Klein met Colin Iliad, he wasn't alone; he had brought "The Sun," Derrick, who had only been on patrol duty for the past few days, and Lovia was also stranded, with him.

The three men walked up to Klein together. Colin Iliad, who was leading the group, stepped forward with a solemn expression.

"I am Colin Iliad, Chief of Silver City. Your Excellency, may I ask what brings you to Silver City?"

"I've heard your name before," Klein replied with a deliberately enigmatic tone. "When the Bitter Winter’s Breath lingered in my ear, it spoke of you."

Klein removed his hat, bowed respectfully without changing his expression, and at the same time, didn't forget to berate Neph one who wrote that line.

... Does the Oracle have to speak like that?!

Regardless of how dissatisfied the Oracle himself was, outwardly he showed no signs of dishonesty, and simply began his self-introduction:

"You can call me Gehrman Sparrow. In the outside world, I'm an Adventurer."

"The date foretold in the oracle is approaching. I have come to ask you: are you ready to push open that door?"

Colin's gaze darkened, and he did not answer immediately.

If no one urges them, Colin plans to depart after Waite Chirmont advances to Sequence 3, with him leading the team to the "Giant King’s Court," while Waite Chirmont stays behind.

This is for the future of City of Silver. This way, City of Silver will have two Sequence 3, meaning that even if something happens to him in the "Giant King’s Court," Waite Chirmont, who remains behind, can still guarantee Silver City's safety.

Colin, however, clearly interpreted the Oracle's arrival as a form of urging, hesitating whether to bring it up, even though neither Neph nor Klein actually intended to urge him.

Although Neph never explained the whole story to Klein, Klein knew that this door couldn't be opened until a certain time had passed, and that time was clearly not yet ripe.

--Neph knew the timeline should actually be Adam's ascension to godhood. Although the exact time of Adam's ascension is uncertain, the "God of Combat" is still alive and well, so there's no way He could have become a god.

>p/<: The time frame for determining the next step of the "God's" exploration was based on the fact that the original back of the Link was unknown.

>p/<. The front door panel is ready, but we are not afraid. We are not yet fully prepared.

"... to ensure their own safety and security, we need to investigate the surrounding situation more thoroughly, and it would be best to review some materials before we begin our exploration."

>p/<! They had no way of knowing whether or not the "King of the Court" was involved, but those materials, even the second part of the history, and even the third part of the history, were preserved in the Silver City. Everyone knew this was a lie.

>p/<. They even understood the strange creatures within the "King of the Court," but what about those materials? What kind of broken and dilapidated things are they now? The "King of the Court" was at its peak, as recorded in the annals of history.

>p/<: Dao Ran Dan nodded slightly, a smile playing on his lips. He seemed to be probing Link 'Enlake thoughts.

>p/<. There is still some time to prepare, but of course...

>p/<". There's another incident, besides reminding you to speed things up, I'm here."

>p/<: He continued, "Only after Enlake's words did he reveal his demeanor, his expression turning icy Link."

>p/<. There's still one person trapped in the city, on the other side of this piece of land, you should know that."

"... They are monsters who live on flesh and blood, trapped in darkness for months and years, and because of this, they grow a kind of black grass that cannot be made, and there is no land that bestows abundant blessings upon them, unlike you."

>p/<. The shock and astonishment clearly revealed Klee's "!?"

The heavy burden on the body is inevitable, the food period is long, the emergency response period is short, and there is also a huge amount of pollution and toxins. It is feared that the flesh and blood of the monster has been processed. They all know clearly who they are. They also know what that taste is like. Although Krystal has never tasted the flesh and blood of the monster, he has not. Although grass and black face are the main food.

p>

These words touched Lovia's expression slightly, while Colin's expression remained unchanged, though he himself was weighing the matter in his mind.

The Boon of Abundance upon silver the Black-Faced Grass, but this was also a Curse. In their land, if a person had not been killed by Blood Relative within three generations, they would mutate into a terrifying Evil Spirit after death.

This is one of the Affliction endured by City of Silver. Fortunately, City of Silver's population isn't too large, and being confined to one place, thanks to the arrangements made by the higher-ups generation after generation, many people are related by blood. Even if the limit is to three generations or less, quite a few can still be identified.

Besides affecting marriage and childbirth, this Curse also impacts patrol squads. When compiling patrol squad rosters, the responsible Beyonder must first consider blood ties to prevent unforeseen circumstances.

The requirements for Exploration Team are less stringent, as their missions often venture deep into the darkness, far from City of Silver. Even death or mutation wouldn't affect their safety.

Once a resident has no Blood Relative within three generations, he will be subject to strict surveillance. If he becomes seriously ill or shows obvious signs of aging, he will be immediately sent to the depths of darkness, far from City of Silver.

As the Chief, Colin Liat knew that this Curse was unique to their City of Silver, the price they paid for obtaining the Black-Faced Grass. At this moment, Colin couldn't help but weigh the options: which was more unacceptable, the Kin-Slaying Curse or the consumption of Monster flesh?

For Colin personally, the answer is undoubtedly yes, because he knows perfectly well that it was the Black-Faced Grass Black-Faced Grass allowed them to persevere until today; without it, they might have already vanished into the darkness.

As the Chief, the continuation of the City-State was paramount to him.

"Their descendants..." Lovia hesitated before speaking, "Children born in this environment, are they... normal?"

She had clearly considered the consequences of accumulated pollution, and Klein shook his head slightly, confirming her guess.

"Pollution has been passed down and accumulated in their blood from generation to generation; in this generation, it's almost impossible to find a normal Newborn."

"..." Lovia stopped speaking and remained silent.

The atmosphere quieted down, and Klein continued:

"That city was called Moon City, where Bitter Winter was first born. They took in the newborn Bitter Winter, still in her weak stage, and cared for her meticulously. Once Bitter Winter had begun to grasp Authority, they immediately left that land."

Before departing, He separated a part of His own flesh and blood, which combined with a barrel to form a Sealed Artifact.

"This Sealed Artifact possesses the power to Purification pollution. Bitter Winter left the Sealed Artifact with them and then embarked on her Pilgrimage Path."

"He returned to the Creator's side, and under the Creator's gaze, he traveled again. When he set foot on this land once more, he brought a food that could grow on this land..."

Klein recounted the story again, the content of which was largely the same as what Colin Iliad knew. He listened and nodded until the Oracle finally got to the point:

"Now, the day promised by my My Lord is drawing near. Bitter Winter has heard the whispers from my My Lord and has sent me to this land in His place to bring you the message."

"At the same time, He also hopes that City of Silver can temporarily accommodate the residents of Moon City, because Moon City's original location is too far from the Exit. He doesn't want to wait until everything is ready before going there to bring the Moon City people out, but rather hopes that the Moon City people can come here now, join the exploration team, and do their part to leave this Curse land."

This was something Colin Iliad already knew. He listened quietly to Klein's explanation, nodded slightly, and replied:

"I am aware of this, but we still need to discuss the details further."

This was all planned long ago. Klein's Historical Projection followed Colin Iliad to City of Silver, while at that moment, Neph and Klein's true form were huddled in the Historical Void, eating Watermelon.

Seeing that things were finally over and he no longer needed to focus on acting, Klein couldn't help but ask Neph:

"You can easily find those delicious meals yourself, why do you insist on making me do it?"

Neph answered him while chewing:

>p/<. I already know the taste and flavor of it, and I'm sure I've succeeded in making it a culinary creation. To be honest, I'm quite certain of that.

>p/<. The taste lingers, but I can't help but think about it. Although it's true that some of the food was delicious, it's still worth the effort... I've tasted delicious food myself countless times, and it's like a memory that comes back to me. This feeling..."

>p/<"... The old man was foolish, you only found him some fresh food, so he wanted to eat something new."

"... I remember that movie clip, like the one you edited, I remember it," a thought flashed through Enlake's mind... Ah, like that.

>p/<"? What happened?" nodded, Funa", "Is it true?"

>p/<"... The taste and flavor of beef are like that of soybeans, but can it be made into something else? When you have that kind of food, can you recreate it?" He asked curiously, "Is that what Enlake is thinking?"

"!? Okay, okay, I want to ask you to let me eat something when I'm hungry... Please, Mr. Fountain, I beg you," A frozen expression appeared on Fountain's face.

>p/<: The sentence refuted the other party's understanding, and the image of those foods that he had tasted flashed through his mind, making Enlake's expression stiffen.

>p/<"... It can still taste and... the mistake is not that there are still some things to come out and mess with him in fact"

>p/<: A slight smile and a cold expression from Lufna

>p/<. The same kind of things are not the same as those of humans. When humans are present, the ancient breath of life is tainted with your soul. He told me at dawn.

>p/<". I've told you this, and it's not that I've given you all the great power of your own soul. I hope you will ask for help in your great deeds and for the common good of humanity.

>p/<"? He's already researched the next level of soul... he," Enlake said, a hint of fear showing on his face. He swallowed hard. "?..."

"I always felt that I wasn't satisfied with the things I had created, and I confided in him about my confusion and distress. I prayed in the most recent place," Funa grinned, "Good question."

Something's always missing.

Neph paused, Distortion, her face contorted:

"If I'm not mistaken, the perfection he sought was to imbue creation with a soul—imagine you pick a bunch of plump, glistening grapes from Grapevine, take a bite, and the grapes scream, the Grape Vine cries and whips you, begging you not to harm its children..."

As she described it, the corresponding images appeared in Klein's mind, filling Klein with horror.

"Don't describe things in such detail here!"

"Weren't you thinking it was fine just now?" Neph reached out and tossed the Watermelon aside. "Give me a bunch of grapes."

>p/<"? The grapes are ripe, but I'll give them back to you," she said, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked at Enlake. "???"

>p/<: He let out a chuckle and glanced sideways at Funa.

>p/<. You need to think carefully about the 'waiting for the meal', the 'feast' of 'delicious food' is ready for them -- you're kicking me into the city's silver-white body, I'll just say whatever you want."