0535 Chapter Twelve: The Not Eternal Dusk (Section 2)
"You know...my father?"
The man put down the gun, his eyes full of confusion.
Zhen Cheng could see that this name seemed to be full of profound meaning not only for him, but also for everyone present.
"No way? That old guy can actually give birth at such an old age..." Sister A mentally calculated the age of the strong man in front of her and the time that had passed in her hometown, and blurted out in surprise.
As soon as the words came out, they immediately aroused the glares of everyone present.
Some of the guns that had been lowered were now pointed at Logansi.
Sister A shrugged and said nothing.
Now that Zhen Cheng has decided to solve the current problem without killing people, that is not her area of expertise.
"So, Epilens finally survived the apocalypse?" Qu Yun brought the topic back on track.
"Not only did he survive, he saved all of us."
"As a mortal, he fights against the great terror in the darkness! He is a saint!"
"Mr. Epilens...he is the hope of mankind and the dawn of salvation!"
There was a lot of chatter among the crowd, and Zhen Cheng was stunned for a while.
Then her eyes suddenly opened and she blurted out: "Iberens...isn't he still alive?!"
Considering the old guy's age and the years he has experienced in his home world, this is almost impossible.
But after witnessing the magical vastness of all the heavens and realms in the Blood Candle Castle, and even now that he has ascended to the realm of immortality, Zhen Cheng's vision is certainly not limited to the common sense of mortals.
The disaster of world destruction is undoubtedly the most tragic suffering in the past civilization years.
But at the same time, is it not an opportunity for some people to bring a large amount of mysterious power to the end of this world?
If this is the case, then the guy must be very excited to see each other again after the two of them parted ways in the detective game.
And based on the previous friendship between the two and Epilens's reputation among these people, many subsequent things can go smoothly.
"My father has been dead for many years," the strong man's answer broke Zhen Cheng's calculation: "Now, tell me, who are you?"
"It's the goddess," Justice strode forward without Zhen Cheng's shyness at all, as if she had already become accustomed to her identity: "Come to save the world and protect your goddess."
In the suspicious eyes of the strong man, Justice drew out her sword, knelt on one knee, and prayed in the posture of a paladin:
"The good fool, the self-sacrificing saint, the redeemer.
May your love favor the people before me, may their fatigue and pain be healed, may their bodies and souls be redeemed.”
There is no holy light filling the sky, no auspicious clouds descending from the sky, and no harmony of the sounds of nature singing in unison.
In the cold dusk, it was as if nothing had happened.
Just as the strong man's brows furrowed more and more, bursts of exclamations came from behind him:
"Oh my gosh! I feel like I've had a good night's sleep in a long time."
"My wound! Where is the big gash that I got when I fell off the cliff? Is it all healed?"
"Mom, I'm not hungry at all."
"Miracle! All three of my mutated extra fingers are gone!"
The successive exclamations made the leading strong man no longer able to remain reserved. He bowed his proud head to Justice, who was blowing in the spring breeze, and then stretched out his hand to Zhen Cheng: "Gretel, son of Epilens."
…
Half an hour later, the group arrived at the temporary camp set up by the group in the ruins of the town.
There are more people here, totaling four to five thousand. Most of those left in the camp are those who have completely lost their ability to fight.
Among them are the elderly, the disabled, and the weirdos with serious mutations that affect their normal lives.
What pleased Zhen Cheng the most was that she actually saw a lot of babies and young children in the camp.
The people who grew up in the wasteland have the most tenacious and precious character. They never gave up hope from beginning to end, just because the despair in this land is their daily life.
On the way here, Zhen Cheng chatted with Gerrit, who was now obviously the leader of the camp, about his past acquaintance with Epilens, and about saving his father by the way.
Considering the many details involving Epiron in the conversation and the age Zhen Cheng now looks like, the matter about the identity of the goddess has become much easier to accept.
Because he planned to rule this land for a long time in the future, Zhen Cheng did not reveal the details about Blood Candle Castle and all the realms.
An appropriate sense of mystery is conducive to the spread of beliefs and myths.
"Are you related to those guys who hope Thetis?" Gretel invited Zhen Cheng and the others into his cabin.
Without the eyes and ears of his subordinates, Gretel also put away his superficial respect for the goddess and got straight to the point: "I have repeatedly thought about the young lady's prayer just now.
That name should be the existence that those guys in Hope Thetis believe in."
It was a converted corner store with the roof still intact. The inventory inside had mysteriously disappeared long before darkness still covered this large island.
"You still don't believe our identity?" Zhen Cheng laughed when he saw this guy changing his face faster than turning the page of a book.
Gretel waved his hands repeatedly: "I have seen so many miracles, and I am not a fool. You are goddesses, it should be true. Or at least you are a superior being of similar status.
But since you rescued my people and followed me all the way, it means that you should have something that we need to do.
Provide faith? Fight for you? This is not a problem. I can feel your kindness, and I don't expect you to end this damn apocalypse.
We will obey as long as it heals my people and protects us from the deadly darkness and strange rain."
It is obvious that people struggling to survive in the apocalypse have already developed a completely different cognitive concept of myth and transcendence than that of Zhen Cheng's era.
They do not fear the gods like their ancient ancestors did, nor do they ignore the gods like the modern people before the end of the world. Instead, they accept the existence of the gods calmly, but regard them as more powerful extraordinary beings.
In the eyes of people like Gretel, gods are invincible, but not invincible. They can be used, they can exchange benefits, and they can surrender or resist if necessary.
But the best situation is to maintain a good relationship and obtain maximum benefits based on mutual respect.
Wastelanders are just so practical.
It took Zhen Cheng a while to wake up to these things. After all, they were very different from what she had in mind.
But having said that, if she still has a vague concept of her identity as a human-god, how can Zhen Cheng directly understand how mortals in various circumstances view gods and herself?
"Have you ever... seen other gods walking on the earth with your own eyes?" Zhen Cheng was slightly confused, but still couldn't suppress his curiosity.