Chapter 428 - 425: The Depths of the Sea

Chapter 428: Chapter 425: The Depths of the Sea

"This must be the place..."

Mo Ling stood at the bottom of a deep-sea trench, gazing at the strange sight before him.

At the very bottom of the trench was a small opening, only about two meters in diameter, covered by a thin, iridescent bubble-like membrane.

The glass sculptures were continuously squeezing through the membrane and floating upward.

"All that material comes from here. This is the source," the Little Elf explained. "The mirror’s fluctuations cause wear and tear, so it needs a constant supply of materials."

"So, you plan to plug this up and shut down the entire production line?" Mo Ling quickly guessed the Little Elf’s intentions.

"Yes. Without the raw material to support it, the mirror’s fluctuations will gradually slow down and eventually come to a halt," the Little Elf confirmed.

"In this entire vast Sea of Creation, is this the only place that produces the raw material?"

"This is the only one."

Hearing the Little Elf’s words, Mo Ling skeptically picked up a rock and tossed it at the membrane. The rock sank straight through without causing the slightest ripple.

"How do you plan to plug it?" Although the opening wasn’t large, it wouldn’t be easy to block.

"I’m going to use myself," the Little Elf said, its words shocking.

Before Mo Ling could even react, the Little Elf walked toward the opening and jumped right in.

In an instant, a brilliant golden light erupted. The Little Elf’s body exploded, completely filling the opening. A golden, incredibly resilient membrane of light formed over the iridescent one.

The glass sculptures inside the opening tried to float up but were blocked by the membrane of light, unable to move.

Seeing this, Mo Ling rushed toward the opening.

"Are you okay?" he yelled at the membrane of light.

However, Mo Ling received no response from the Little Elf.

In the silent trench, only the sound from his bracelet echoed.

The icy seawater seemed to instantly seep into Mo Ling’s bones, and a chill spread throughout his entire body.

"Little Elf, are you still there?" Mo Ling’s voice trembled as he cried out to the golden light, but it remained motionless, completely unresponsive.

’How could this happen?’

Mo Ling was frantic, pacing in circles around the opening.

The oppressive water made Mo Ling feel dizzy and disoriented. His thoughts were as chaotic as the dust motes drifting aimlessly on the seabed.

As if possessed, Mo Ling crouched down and reached for the opening. In his panic, he had forgotten all about the danger, his only thought being how to rescue the Little Elf.

When his fingertips touched the golden light, Mo Ling called out to the Little Elf again, but there was still no reply.

Just then, the surging iridescent membrane suddenly bulged, wrapping around Mo Ling’s wrist.

Immediately after, Mo Ling felt a powerful suction pulling him down.

Mo Ling had no time to react. His body pitched forward, and he could only watch helplessly as he fell into the opening.

...

’Where am I?’

Mo Ling felt an incredible warmth all around him, as if he were wrapped in a thick blanket.

In his soft, pliant state, he had no desire to move at all. He just lay there lazily, his mind completely blank.

’So comfortable... I don’t want to move at all.’ The feeling was so pleasant that Mo Ling instantly forgot his purpose, his mind going blank.

"You cannot sleep yet."

Suddenly, a vast, resonant voice jolted Mo Ling awake.

He hurriedly looked around, searching for the source of the voice. To his astonishment, he discovered it was coming from within his own body.

Roused by the voice, Mo Ling gradually came to his senses, his thoughts growing clearer.

It was then that he realized he was enveloped in a mass of earth.

’Am I... a puddle of water?’

Mo Ling was shocked to discover that he had become a puddle of water. The warmth he’d felt came from the surrounding earth, which was cradling him and keeping him from dissipating. That was why he had felt so comfortable and safe.

As he reeled from this transformation, the vast voice rang out again: "You have awakened and become aware of your own existence. The simulation will now begin."

"The game of a god now begins."

"Because of your awakening, the world has been shaken. The subjects living upon your body have suffered greatly. They have offered you prayers. The contents of their prayers are as follows..."

"Stop the tsunami, stop the volcanic eruptions, stop the plague..."

"Do you consent to these wishes?"

The deafening voice boomed out from Mo Ling’s pliant, watery body, echoing all around.

At that moment, only this single question remained in Mo Ling’s mind.

’Do I consent?’

Along with the voice, Mo Ling’s consciousness sank into his own body. He saw the subjects living upon him, and they were indeed suffering from terrible disasters.

...

On a shore, a subject covered in wounds knelt before a crude clay idol, weeping bitterly.

"The tsunami destroyed our homes. The rest of my people managed to escape to a safe place and find food, but then a plague broke out. I’m the only one left. Oh, God! Why would you punish us like this?"

"There’s no point in me living on alone! Everything’s gone, it’s all gone!"

The subject picked up the clay idol and smashed it violently against a rock, shattering it to pieces.

Then, he took a sharp stone blade and slashed open his own artery. Blood sprayed everywhere, spattering across the shattered idol as the subject collapsed.

Blood flowed across the sand, but a merciless wave washed ashore, cleaning it away completely.

But the bloodstains on the idol could not be washed away; they seeped into its cracks...

Mo Ling only felt a sudden warmth rise within his body.

The scent of blood flowed with the waves, spreading throughout Mo Ling’s entire being. It was metallic and bitter—the scent of his dead subjects. They had drunk from his body and were now returning themselves to him.

’So I’m an ocean...’

Mo Ling finally understood. He wasn’t a small puddle; he was an ocean. An ocean his countless subjects called God.

And right now, this ocean was in turmoil.

Frequent tsunamis, seismic activity, rampant plagues...

The only one who could stop it all was him, in his role as their god.

"Do you consent to these wishes?"

The voice boomed again, deafeningly, as the pain of his subjects flashed before Mo Ling’s eyes.

He experienced their suffering firsthand, feeling their heart-wrenching sorrow.

"I consent," Mo Ling relented.

He was not a cold, unfeeling wave. He wanted his subjects to live and work in peace, to live happily within this ocean.

He didn’t want to see a land filled with wailing and starvation, nor an ocean flowing with blood and death.

With Mo Ling’s words, a wisp of golden light emerged from within him, instantly blanketing the entire ocean.

"You are now fulfilling the wishes of your subjects."

"God... has answered."