Novel Full Chapter 123 - Xiaoxiao's Goal
[Child… Has something precious happened in your life? So precious that your whole life turned upside down?]
Goddess Fiana asked with her soft voice. This alone was warming Xiaoxiao's heart as it meant that her goddess believed her and didn't accuse her of betraying her belief! Then, Xiaoxiao looked on the ground.
Something precious that changed her whole life… What else other than Kyoya's game system would suit those words?
She knew that this system and being a 'player' was something too amazing as Xiaoxiao's growth just exploded when she got her first quests and began learning more concepts thanks to the bountiful knowledge of this power.
It was present from Kyoya that allowed her to seek her dreams… and goals…
"Yes... "
Xiaoxiao made a faint smile, then enjoyed the warm and pleasant stroking of her goddess. It never stopped, and the more Xiaoxiao spoke, the longer it would last. Soon, her lips parted as Goddess Fiana indeed couldn't spend a lot of time here.
"Lord Fiana… I became your believer because I hate water."
[I also despite water and its goddesses… We are opposites.]
"But water and fire are both needed in our lives. We, mortals, need those to live comfortably."
Xiaoxiao didn't speak those words out without any reason. Immediately after she explained her reasoning, Xiaoxiao spoke about her goal, to become the strongest adventurer. This desire appeared in her heart when she was young.
When Xiaoxiao was small, and around ten years old, she lived in the village with her sister and parents. Their lives were poor and nonsignificant to the rest of the world. They relied on their farms and lived in poverty, but their hearts always brimmed with happiness and satisfaction.
One day, during the rest of the work, Xiaoxiao and her sister went to the river. Surrounded by the fresh greenery and chirping of the birds, the two girls jumped to the shallow river. They played with the water as if it was their greatest friend to accompany during playtime.
It would be the same day just like the rest, if not the event that changed Xiaoxiao's life.
Her sister suddenly raised the whole level of the river! It was raised so high as if the entire river's water had been gathered in their playground!
Swallowed by the water, Xiaoxiao's sister could breathe and even see through everything with her big eyes. She was like a lady born to be in the water, but contrary to her, Xiaoxiao was close to dying.
This got noticed quickly by her sister, and so the water stopped dancing around them. It hit the ground with a loud explosion, then Xiaoxiao's sister did her best to treat her. Many tears spilled down this day, but both Xiaoxiao and her sister began to enjoy the water from this day onward.
It was because the control over the water was something beautiful…
They made the water pearls during their baths, swam like mermaids, and enjoyed their water playground to the fullest. This stopped when Xiaoxiao's sister realized the consequences of her borrowing the water from the river.
She borrowed so much… those other villages lost the source of water…
Sometimes, even the water was like one of many natural defenses against monsters… So what she did was one of the worst things! By this time, Xiaoxiao and her sister were fourteen years old.
During those four years, Xiaoxiao's sister became closer with water, but to mend the woes of hers, Xiaoxiao's sister simply needed more knowledge related to the water power! This could only be achieved by asking the adventurers for their help!
One day, Xiaoxiao's sister successfully reached out for the adventurers that took the rest in their village. She explained everything, and thanks to their help, Xiaoxiao's sister became the believer of the goddess.
The group then set off on the adventure where Xiaoxiao's sister began to repair her 'bad' but unconscious deeds.
"It was really sad…"
[...]
"Everyone insulted us… They threw stones and bones at us… They treated us like we were the abomination… But I understood why… That's why I just closed my eyes and survived everything with my sister. Once she repaired everything, we would come back to our lives."
Xiaoxiao said while trembling, her little fists clenched. What she could see wasn't the shrine's ground, but the clear memories of her past self. Her sister repaired everything and brought the water anew to the villages; however, unlike Xiaoxiao, her sister had different thoughts.
She didn't want just to repair her village and other ones in the vicinity. She felt like she should go up the floors and learn more about the water. Why was she the one to wield this power? And was it really how she should use this power? Those questions separated Xiaoxiao from her sister.
She went with adventurers… to the special floor… and began the life of an adventurer and believer… Though everyone could go here, Xiaoxiao needed status… and money… and strength…
However, before that, Xiaoxiao continued her life with her parents. One year passed, and Xiaoxiao even lost her parents… They died from an illness… It was merely unlucky for Xiaoxiao as her parents ate the poisoned meat... In the villages of the low floor, one grasped for everything one could… It was hard for villagers to see through the meat, whether it was poisoned or not, as the world pillar knows no bounds.
That was why Xiaoxiao decided to be an adventurer.
On her fifteenth birthday, Xiaoxiao could only rely on herself. She joined the hunting team in her village and began working with the spear… Then, she honed her abilities and heart for one year straight!
On her sixteen birthday, Xiaoxiao set out to be an adventurer and learned the harsher truth… about the world! The floors were so vast… and one couldn't just meet other adventurers on those special floors.
She didn't even know what kind of strength those adventurers had... They were on the low floor just two years ago, so their growth shouldn't be this big… And yet Xiaoxiao couldn't find them nor her sister.
She herself was growing up as an adventurer slowly…
"I want… to reunite with my sister… To not be alone… and tell everything that lies in my heart to her…"
[Child… If you continue to pursue your dreams, anything can happen.]
"Yes… I know… I continued to pursue my dreams, and no matter what, I was myself… Then, I meet… a person who changed my life."
As Xiaoxiao said those words, she confirmed two things. The first one was that she didn't want to expose Kyoya to her goddess. The second was that she knew what exactly happened and was ready to explain it.
The caress of the goddess urged her to speak.
So Xiaoxiao spoke.. about the power that helped her with concepts and understanding… The power that allowed her to grow in strength and made the impossible possible! When Xiaoxiao spoke about this, her voice was bright and happy! Her eyes widely opened as she looked at the divine letters. Emotions behind those were as clear as the divine flames!
[Let me look at this divine energy, child.]
"Yes!"
Goddess Fiana saw that Xiaoxiao's strength was possible only because of the interference of another divine power. This was the system that allowed Xiaoxiao to unlock her potential and just break the world pillar rules.
It was also a system that was made by the special point of the All Creation System. Xiaoxiao had inventory, a friend list, and essential perks that didn't disturb her belief at all. It didn't try to control her but suggested and gave appropriate quests as that was how Kyoya designed this system.
There was no influence of divine energies at all.
And Goddess could see through it.
She then… let out a gasp.
[Ah!]
It was because of the sixth death god's divine energy lingering beneath Kyoya's… It was smaller, but this was the important aspect of the game system that uses the dead monsters' souls to raise the stats.
It was just a pure system and didn't influence anyone, but Goddess Fiana got certainly struck by this finding! She couldn't comprehend why such a god would meddle in the matters of the mortals, though.
The Sixth Death God was already busy with humans' souls, and he even had other races to deal with. He was so busy with the divine rulers, yet his eyes ventured to this special floor!
Goddess Fiana's eyebrows joined up above in the divine lands when she remembered the white-haired god's annoyed face as he came to the meeting about this particular world pillar's new system.
[One disciple of his already destroyed the world pillar… and he has another one… but with Trickster? No… This is… young divine energy… But…]
The loud thinking was kind of disturbing for Xiaoxiao as she couldn't understand her goddess's words. She just respectfully stood in one position by kneeling. Then, the stroking appeared anew.
[Xiaoxiao.]
"Yes?"
[What do you know about me?]
"Goddess Of Fire, Lord Fiana! A gentle and supportive god that lends a hand to every believer in need! Lord's flames are meant to help and get rid of evil!"
[I see… Your knowledge is lacking, Xiaoxiao. The flames I lend to my believers are flames of longevity.]
"Flames of longevity?"
[Flames that eternally burn. I show the path to my believers with my eternal flames, and you, who has learned about the second concept of mine, what path are you going to take? I fondly anticipate that.]
"D-does that mean I can continue using the game system?"
[The game system? Yes, you can.]
Goddess Fiana decided to join the Sixth Death God's game, utterly unaware that he was just tsundere who let his disciple begin a new life in the world pillar. The same went for Kyoya, who was the product of his disciple's stupid rampage.
"Thank you!"
[Xiaoxiao, you don't have to torture yourself with the loneliness. Your heart already knows people you can rely on.]
Just from the way Xiaoxiao talked and avoided speaking about 'Kyoya' was enough to tell this for the goddess. She left Xiaoxiao alone with those words as the dancing flames froze once more. It looked like it would take a while for those to dance like that for the second time.
Though The Goddess just wanted Xiaoxiao to be with the creator of the 'game system' as much as possible, so there was another goal in her words.
"Rely on..."
Xiaoxiao muttered those worlds slowly, then stood up.
She has been relying on her party members for a long time and has saved many people. She was herself and continued to grow in this way! However, Xiaoxiao could tell that her goddess wasn't speaking about her adventurer party.
If she had to say a reason, then it would be because their adventure party was regular and big, so albeit, Xiaoxiao was close with everyone, she had never opened herself like to Kyoya during their stay in the small village.