039: Side Mission

[Mission status updated.]

[Mission: A Marionettist's First Attempt]

[How can a Marionettist not have their own marionettes? Please hurry up and find beings with spirits that can be made into marionettes. Please remember, the quality of marionettes is equally important.]

[Create marionettes that belong to you.]

[Mission completion: 3/3]

[Status: Completed.]

[Congratulations Host, appraisal attempts +5, remaining appraisal attempts: 38 times.]

[Artisan usage +1, remaining crafting attempts: 24 times.]

[Knowledge fragments +100, remaining knowledge fragments: 415.]

[New mission updated.]

[Side Mission: Establish/Join a Secret Organization.]

[With the fall of the deities of the Pale Disaster, the orthodox gods are gradually fading from people's sight; the descent of evil gods, the great will is about to awaken, and when the future comes, when the orthodox gods die, when the unknown erodes the world, perhaps in the next millennium, or perhaps in the millennium after that, the world will ultimately undergo incomparable changes. For this reason, perhaps you as an outsider should make some preparations in advance...]

[Note: This mission has certain biases, please choose your inclination quickly!]

"The descent of evil gods, the awakening of the great will?"

Don stood atop a huge half-open iron gate, reading through the mission prompt given by the system.

This side mission involved prophecy?

"Does this refer to the True Creator, or those things beyond the stars?"

His brow slowly furrowed.

He knew the 'great will' referred to the Celestial Worthy above the gray fog, as well as the Ancient Sun God and such...

As for the death of orthodox gods, it should refer to the God of Combat, right? Or does this foretell the future failure of the gods' defenses, allowing those things from outer threat... or other even more terrifying things to awaken and erode the entire world?

As Don who came from the Seer Pathway, he easily discovered the various ambiguous references in this passage.

He always felt that the system's prompt for this side mission had some serious issues, seeming to say something while also saying nothing at all, might as well stay silent.

And this rhetoric...

"System, why are you acting like a Seer?" Don felt somewhat disdainful, "Speaking in half-sentences, how many Seer's have you devoured?"

System: 'Huh???'

Host, that's just rude.

"Can you give some hints? What exactly does it refer to? Speak more clearly."

The system felt somewhat speechless, 'Don't know don't know, figure it out yourself.'

Shutting down, playing dead.

Seeing the unresponsive system, Don knew the system should be limited by higher-level powers and really couldn't spit out anything. For this, he could only close the system interface, jump down from the iron gate, and look around again.

"Looks like I can only take it one step at a time... Father will 'die' soon, perhaps in a week, perhaps in a month, but it won't be too long in any case. Before that, I must make some preparations first."

For himself, for that big fool Owen, for his mother, there were many things to be busy with.

The 'Theater With Curtains That Never Draw' had been transformed by Don over the course of an afternoon. The top of this theater was no longer a black infinitely high curtain brilliantly adorned with countless 'stars,' but naturally synchronized with the celestial phenomena of the outside world.

This was, after all, the interior of the theater. Expending a certain amount of the Sealed Artifact's own power to simply synchronize celestial phenomena was nothing difficult.

For the theater's core, as long as it didn't touch upon matters of principle, it would yield what it could yield now.

The external sky projected overhead showed the setting sun gradually descending, and a crimson moon quietly climbing up.

At this time, Don was standing on an open space, surrounded by countless encircling building shadows, but they had no substance, hidden behind curtains of shadow, indistinct and vague, seeming like nothingness yet also like reality.

They were merely phantoms produced by 'miracles.' Before true miracles descended upon them, they would maintain this state for a long time.

"Professional matters should indeed be left to professionals."

An afternoon's time could only produce a simple draft.

The theater's core was very cooperative, but the miracles accumulated here were truly not many.

The previous battle had consumed most of the miracles that came with the theater. The remaining miraculous power was also maintaining the existence of the theater itself, unable to spare much power for his large-scale reconstruction.

At this time, the largest building was the huge dark iron gate behind him.

There were no marionettes around, no shouting either. The tranquility and peace of mind and spirit brought by the quiet, broad view was something Don hadn't experienced for a long time.

He had hidden all the marionettes in another space. Without those eerie things staring at him, the environment inside the theater was indescribably refreshing.

"If I lived inside here, it wouldn't be without its enjoyments."

Inside the theater, all 'miracles' would be fulfilled. Living here would be an enjoyment.

Far from strife, far from those pervasive terrifying things, the huge curtain blocked all peering from the unknown. If he could stay in this place until the end of his life, perhaps he could accept it too.

It was an artificial 'Eden.'

Even so, Don still turned around to look at the iron gate behind him.

The dark iron gate was deep and profound, with the other end of the gate connected to reality.

Yet Don stepped out without hesitation.

Passing through the huge iron gate, as if falling into the clouds and returning to the mortal world.

The iron gate behind him gradually closed and dissipated. The huge curtain of the 'Theater With Curtains That Never Draw' floated in the sky, invisible to all. In this area, without the manager's command, it would always remain in a 'curtain down' state, but this state wouldn't last too long.

Because—

[Ring of the Curator]

[Negative Effect: If you cannot bring miracles and surprises to the theater for a long time, then you will be the theater's greatest surprise!]

Benefits and risks proceeded in parallel. Those who cannot bring 'miracles' to the theater and satisfy 'miracles' cannot serve as the theater's master!

Very good, this was very much a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.

Clapping his hands, Don took out his new marionette.

As a Marionettist, although the upper limit was manipulating one marionette, he had the system warehouse, making it easy to switch to a favored marionette anytime and anywhere, without even needing a prayer to summon spirits to bring them above the gray fog and all that complexity.

Look at his new marionette.

Behold, a Traveler!

"Finally don't have to run around everywhere. In the future, going to Tingen won't require taking those bumpy carriages anymore."

This was a female marionette who appeared to be in her late twenties, with a gentle countenance, soft long hair casually falling on her shoulders, wearing a black robe that made her appear somewhat mysterious.

Her name was Ange, from the Tudor Empire, one of the victims of the War of Four Emperors period.

As Don manipulated the Spirit Body Threads, the marionette placed her hand on Don's body. The rich color blocks around them began to become vivid as they entered the Spirit World.

(End of Chapter)