Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 1723: Chapter 1718: Bitter Fruit (12)

”Very well.”

Maintaining the same interval, when Dorian managed to knock for the fourth time, Fu Qian finally nodded slightly and let go, allowing him to fall.

No surprise, as a pragmatic atheist, his level of composure is commendable.

The reason for the change in actions earlier was simple; before the counter-attack was complete, he realized that a person who could grasp the neck like that was not someone he could handle using body techniques.

Thus, almost instantly, he decided to express his restrained posture and willingness to communicate in this way.

Even though the communication had actually finished.

Fu Qian believed this casual hint would greatly help him recognize his own situation.

”...Who are you really? I’m looking forward to your good news.”

As expected, upon landing, Dorian only struggled to utter a few words before quickly correcting himself and refrained from asking any more impolite questions.

And Fu Qian’s response was to simply leave, holding a puppet, without taking advantage to inquire further due to his change of attitude.

I am the dignified Abandonment King; amiability is one thing, but I still recommend you position yourself correctly.

The nature of this mission is special, requiring a careful grasp of scale, but it does not imply mere low profile.

A mysterious and powerful outsider, with unclear purposes and uncertain temper, such a display could impact the situation more than directly killing Dorian.

Though the target for containment hasn’t yet appeared.

Hope Doctor Dorian will bring more surprises to me afterward.

...

It was indeed daytime, yet the clouds remained so thick above that they left no gaps.

The door of the clinic was closed behind him as Fu Qian surveyed the scene outside.

At this moment, he found himself in a human gathering area, with a style similar to the interior of the clinic.

Copper railings, stone walls, red bricks, moderately tall buildings, all in complete classical style, showing no signs of modern traces.

And the atmosphere within was entirely consistent with Brother Dorian’s description.

Through the crisscrossed, slightly narrow streets, not a single walking human was visible.

Meanwhile, the various broken tiles, shattered windows, and even traces of wooden houses being burnt down, led to speculation whether they did this to obtain a moment of light during the ”night.”

Walking through the ruins filled with almost palpable fear, Fu Qian quickly discovered a domed building among various rooftiles.

No doubt, it was identical to what had been seen in the healing dream.

So much so that just by standing there and looking, he could sketch out the internal scene in his mind.

Akons’ Sanctuary, an abandoned place of worship.

According to Dorian, Hilary, who was also rejected in the dream, remained steadfast there.

...

Indeed a wondrous place.

Walking through the somewhat untidy streets, though his vision was filled with desolation, Fu Qian, who was always adept at discovering bright spots, quickly expressed admiration.

The reason was simple; the Clear Dream Ring in his hand was apparently in an active state.

Although he had escaped from the healing dream, this place still didn’t seem like a place that exists in reality.

However, surprisingly, not only could the ring indeed be activated, but the dream it formed was astonishingly stable.

Even from the perspective of the Master of the Dream Realm, there was little to criticize.

It wasn’t repulsive; there was even a hint of dream affinity.

Although, in this way, Dorian’s ability to design such a treatment plan seemed much more reasonable, it also heightened the curiosity about what exactly this place was.

Additionally, though outwardly desolate, Dorian was right; the place, which once seemed somewhat prosperous, still had people present, only sporadically concealed behind tightly closed doors and windows.

Even as he passed by that wooden house burned to ashes, Fu Qian could clearly confirm that not far away, on the second floor of the street’s corner, eyes were stealthily peering through the curtain gaps.

Without deliberately restraining his footsteps, they still sounded too loud in this desolate place.

In response, Fu Qian amicably waved a greeting in that direction.

Unfortunately, almost instantly, the gap, which was only the width of a finger, was completely shut from the inside.

Just as Dorian said, everyone’s sense of security is indeed lacking.

Fu Qian certainly didn’t mind such a small discourtesy; he even shut off the Clear Dream Ring in the next moment to avoid accidentally disturbing the residents.

Finally, passing before the building, Fu Qian easily noticed some incongruous marks on that small window’s frame.

As if something that had been there was forcibly removed.

...

Not surprising, the devoutness to directly name this place after the deity, having some faith-related elements on the buildings is quite normal.

It seems that Lord Akons was quite deeply abandoned, likely to the extent that even such traces were deliberately erased.

The foundation of this place is not entirely flat, and while comprehending the analysis, Fu Qian was already stepping onto a stone stairway going uphill.

In fact, that’s also why the church could be seen at a glance; its height wasn’t exaggerated, but it was almost at the highest point.

And from this angle, no obvious damage was noticed.

Apparently, everyone had some grasp of the scale; even if the gods didn’t show their power, there was no real offense executed directly on their turf.

Of course, this was only a preliminary observation, still uncertain of the internal situation —

Fu Qian’s commentary paused for a moment, as his observation was affected.

The originally gloomy sky suddenly turned dark.

Indeed, with no warning.

His steps didn’t change at all, and his curiosity about the place intensified again.

Experiencing such a sudden shift, being engulfed in familiar darkness, inevitably drew associations with ”it.”

However, Fu Qian had no intention of changing course, continuing to advance toward the highest point.

Interestingly, this behavior matched inexplicably with the healing dream — to hide in the church when it gets dark.

However, this time, it seemed he was the only one moving like this.

The living people in the surrounding buildings appeared only to light weak lamps, still hiding behind thick curtains.

”Pardon the intrusion.”

With this sentiment, Fu Qian finally reached the distinctive wall ahead.

The iron gate above was even half-open, allowing him to reach the church archway unobstructed, pushing it open casually.

And during this polite greeting, a figure crawling on the empty building’s ground looked over in astonishment.

Dressed in a black veiled gown, pale and slender, there was no doubt it was Hilary.

The only difference was that the style of her gown was much more conservative compared to the one in his hand.

While Fu Qian confirmed by a glance downward, he easily noted that the individual’s gaze was also fixed on the puppet.