"My child, you're certainly not foolish," the woman said with a loving expression. "To me, you're the smartest human."
Luo Wei got goosebumps and moved back half a meter. "So you've been treating me like a fool?"
First claiming to be her mother, then her father - did she think she was some kind of self-reproducing wild slug?
Besides, would a god truly fall in love with a mortal?
She would never believe that the descendant of a true god would fall in love with a dark god.
Seeing Luo Wei's skeptical face, the woman showed a hint of regret. "Alright, alright, my little believer, I did deceive you."
"However, what I said wasn't entirely false," the woman lifted her chin and said, "I am an avatar of the God of the Dead, who used Peggy Isis's body as a vessel to give birth to you. From a human perspective of kinship, I am indeed your mother."
Luo Wei was half-doubtful: "Does the God of the Dead's avatar need a vessel to descend?"
"Of course," the woman said matter-of-factly. "Two thousand years ago, all gods made a pact to no longer walk in the mortal realm. Gods cannot descend without borrowing human bodies to escape their notice."
Then why did you come down?
Luo Wei thought sarcastically.
Wait, isn't He a dark god? Aren't dark gods fallen into darkness? What do the true gods' pacts have to do with Him?
"Thinking such thoughts in front of me, young lady, I might get angry. I don't like being called a dark god, nor do I like you calling those ugly creatures up there true gods."
The woman snorted coldly while holding her scepter: "They're merely gods born in the light. Does being born in light make them true gods? What a bunch of despicable creatures."
Luo Wei: ...Aren't you being despicable by eavesdropping on my thoughts?
The woman's gaze suddenly swept toward her, black eyes flickering with light: "What did you say?"
"Ahem," Luo Wei coughed into her hand and said righteously, "I said they are truly despicable, unlike you, God of the Dead, who is so noble and upright."
The woman's lips curled up in pleasure: "That is indeed true."
Such a reaction, such narcissism - confirmed, this really was the arrogant God of the Dead.
Luo Wei believed three-tenths of it and asked with clear eyes: "Great God of the Dead, did you see a white-haired witch when you came in just now?"
"She deceived me saying you were sleeping here, but when I came in I found the Life Goddess's divine core instead. Do you know what happened?"
The God of the Dead answered without any guilt: "Oh, that was me in disguise. The Life Goddess's divine core is mine too. I can't wear it anymore, so I gave it to you."
"I see," Luo Wei showed a guilty expression. "I'm sorry, I accidentally dropped the divine core into the volcano."
"It's fine. Since I gave it to you, you can throw it wherever you want," the God of the Dead said magnanimously.
Luo Wei looked grateful: "Then, Great God of the Dead, does your previous offer still stand?"
"What offer?" the God of the Dead asked casually.
"You said that with your permission, all creatures on the island would follow my commands." Including you.
Of course, Luo Wei was wise enough not to speak the last three words.
The God of the Dead looked at her with an ambiguous smile: "You want this island? What for?"
"Well, on my way here, I saw many refugees. I want to build a shelter for them on this island, let them know that the God of the Dead is their true savior, and make them believe in you."
"Believe in me?"
"Yes!"
The God of the Dead caught Luo Wei's earnest gaze and mentally cursed her as a little liar who had managed to deceive even Him.
However, after a dark light flashed in His eyes, the God of the Dead finally agreed: "Very well, I consent. This island is yours, my child - after all, I am your mother."
"Great God of the Dead, you are the most generous deity I've ever met." Luo Wei smiled outwardly while cursing inwardly.
Still lying to her - forget God of the Dead, more like God of Lies.
She maintained her smile through gritted teeth and asked: "Great God of the Dead, may I leave now? I'd like to check on my friends who came with me."
"You may go." The God of the Dead nodded, rising gracefully with the glowing scepter.
Luo Wei followed her out of the cave as the roar of underground magma gradually faded.
The tunnel that had seemed endless on the way in felt much shorter on the way out. Soon, she and the God of the Dead returned to the small wooden cabin.
The God of the Dead kicked open the wooden door, feeling rather unburdened.
Heaven knows how boring it had been guarding that divine core for a thousand years.
Outside the cabin, the eight mercenaries were still dreaming, though their expressions had changed from ecstasy to terror, with large drops of cold sweat rolling down their foreheads - who knows what they were dreaming about.
Seeing them, Luo Wei finally felt like she was returning to reality from a dream.
Everything that had just happened felt too surreal. Who could have imagined that the white-haired witch hidden on Demon Island was actually the God of the Dead in disguise? No wonder He had said earlier that this island belonged to no ordinary creature - it belonged to a god.
"Can you wake them up?"
When Luo Wei turned around, she found nothing behind her - not only had the God of the Dead vanished, but the cabin was gone too.
Looking around, the yard, fence, and stone steps had all transformed into a wild grassland with tall trees growing on it.
The mercenaries stood in the forest, gradually waking from their nightmares and opening their eyes one by one.
They looked around at their surroundings, confused about how they had ended up here when moments ago they were being chased by monsters in the forest.
Seeing each other, they showed shocked expressions.
Cleveland picked up a stick and wrote on the ground: Weren't we separated at the bottom of the sea? How did you find me?
The mercenaries grew increasingly bewildered and crouched down to write about their experiences.
Samuel: Weren't you the ones who found me?
Alex: I remember fighting a python in the forest, then suddenly I appeared here.
Hamilton: I remember my right hand was bitten off by undead monsters before I escaped to the beach. How am I back in the forest?
"Don't be surprised, you were all dreaming," Luo Wei said to the confused crowd. "I found you."
The eight mercenaries crouched on the ground looked up at her in terror. Samuel's fingers trembled as he quickly scribbled on the ground: Don't speak! Don't make a sound! It's taboo!!!
The frantic writing conveyed his panic. The other seven stood up, gritting their teeth and gesturing to each other: Run! Quick!
The tree leaves rustled, and sounds came from the surrounding bushes.
The mercenaries immediately drew their swords, watching their surroundings vigilantly.
Strange figures flickered between the swaying bushes. Rotting corpses wrapped in tattered cloth suddenly appeared nearby. Meanwhile, unsettling movements came from the black soil as skeleton after skeleton extended their bone hands from underground, clawing their way to the surface.
"Click... clack..."
The stark white skeletons twisted their necks, blue flames burning in their eye sockets as they stiffly walked toward them.
Most of the undead wore common peasants' linen clothes. They had only emerged from the ground after hearing living voices, and such undead posed little threat to them.
However, behind them, about a dozen undead mages in black robes floated over from the distance, holding black wands - these were their deepest nightmares.
In their dreams, these undead mages had beaten them to a bloody retreat.
At this moment, the surrounded mercenaries deeply regretted taking this mission.
They glared angrily at Luo Wei - they had warned about not making any sound! Couldn't she understand simple instructions?!
She was going to get them all killed!
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