Odis watched as the Celestial Master and Adam left one after the other before transforming into a stream of information and catching up with the "Dawn".
At this point, the Dawn was already some distance from the island, but it could still be clearly seen that a vibrant force was rushing into the air, its destination unknown.
Most of the crew members still looked bewildered, not knowing what had just happened.
As soon as Odis stepped onto the deck, Bernadette immediately stepped forward and asked, "Was that the deity just now the 'Lord of Mysteries'?"
She remembered encountering three angels from the church during an operation on the raging sea, and later meeting Adam as well.
At that time, Odis had summoned a majestic being, and Bernadette had always thought that was the "Lord of Mysteries," but seeing the Celestial Master today, she felt that the two gods gave off completely different vibes.
When Odis heard the question, he remembered that this was actually the first time the Celestial Master had made a public appearance in the real world. After becoming the Celestial Master, he seemed to have gone to the Western Continent.
The key to the Celestial Master's image differs somewhat from that of the "Lord of Mysteries," because the "Lord of Mysteries" is Odis in disguise.
After becoming an angel, his reaction speed was already very fast, and in an instant he had found a reasonable excuse: "Yes, this being has different forms."
Bernadette nodded; it didn't seem too difficult to understand that a deity could have different appearances.
Then Bernadette asked, "What exactly happened just now? Why is there a force on the island that keeps shooting into the sky like that?"
Odis glanced at the crew members who were listening intently and smiled. "There was a high level of pollution on that island. The Lord of Mysteries and another god worked together to remove the pollution, but it can't be cleaned up in a short time. The pollution needs to be continuously sent into space."
"What you are seeing is actually some pollution. If you get close to that pollution, serious mutations will occur, and it will immediately get out of control."
The crew nodded repeatedly, feeling that the island was too dangerous. And since it involved the gods' plans, they shouldn't ask too many questions.
Odis added, "Everyone must keep today's events a secret and not tell anyone else what happened here."
The crew readily agreed, having no doubt about Odis's words.
As the Dawn sailed back into the stormy waters, Odis and Bernadette returned to the captain's cabin.
Bernadette said to Odis, "Now you can tell me, right? What exactly happened?"
"Nothing can be hidden from you," Odis said with a smile.
Bernadette laughed along, knowing that Odis was saying it to her on purpose, but she was still very happy, feeling that Odis wouldn't hide anything from her.
"I just received some information myself. When the 'original creator' fell into slumber, he created a barrier around the real world," Odis explained. "This barrier not only separated the real world, but also the astral plane and the spirit world, creating a relatively independent region."
"This protects us from the corruption of the 'gods above' in the starry sky."
"This is very important because since the 'Ancient Sun God' and the 'Sage' fell one after another, there is no longer a level 'above the gods' in the real world. Without this barrier, the advanced characteristics of the real world would have been taken away by those extraterrestrial gods in the starry sky long ago."
Bernadette frowned slightly, her usually imposing brow furrowing. "Outer Gods? There are many beings in the cosmos who are 'above the divine'?"
She paused for a moment and then asked, "The Seven Gods went to the Astral Plane, not to fight against these Outer Gods, right?"
Odis snapped his fingers: "Brilliant!"
He said, "At the end of the Fourth Age, with the fall of the 'Sage,' the battle between the Seven Gods, the God of Death, and the Primordial Witch became extremely fierce, causing some damage to the barrier."
"Therefore, the Seven Gods must go to the Astral Plane and continuously supply power to the barrier. This is why they rarely descend into the real world after the Fifth Age."
Odiston paused for a moment and then said, "And in the starry sky, there seem to be as many as eight or nine Outer Gods spying on the real world. They have been taking advantage of opportunities to corrupt the extraordinary beings in the real world."
"Your father was corrupted by one of the most powerful and troublesome Outer Gods, and the island was covered in corruption."
"Because Uncle Roselle the Great Roselle was once promoted to 'Emperor of Knowledge,' that characteristic is closely related to 'Lord of Mysteries,' and the clue to that characteristic was provided to him by Adam, so both 'Lord of Mysteries' and Adam noticed the corruption in your father."
"So they devised this plan today, creating a special passage between the astral plane and the real world, pulling a portion of the other side's power into the real world, and after transformation, using it to support the barrier."
"This will greatly reduce the pressure on the Seven Gods. After a period of time, when the power of the barrier has recovered, the Seven Gods may even be able to descend without any pressure."
Odis estimated that this was preparation for the war of the gods to take place next year.
He remembered that although the war of the gods didn't last long, the barrier was further damaged because no one was left to guard the astral plane. After the war, the seven gods became six, and one less god was providing power to the barrier. In addition, the barrier had vulnerabilities.
The Outer Gods' power projected into the real world suddenly increased, and extraordinary cases involving the Outer Gods also suddenly increased.
Now, the "Fallen Mother Goddess" is helping to guard the barrier!
It sounds ridiculous, but it really happened!
It's true that those "old guys" are the ones who dare to think and act; at least Odis would never have come up with such a brilliant idea.
Bernadette was surprised to find that there were so many beings "above the gods" in the starry sky, while there were none in the real world.
She pondered for a moment before asking, "'The Lord of Mysteries' and Adam aren't exactly true gods, are they? How could they possibly make a being 'above the divine' obediently provide power to the barrier according to their wishes?"
"No, that's not it," Odis said. "First of all, the power provided by that Outer God is like being bitten by a mosquito; it doesn't cause much of a loss."
"Secondly, this was achieved through his own arrangements. From my observation, if that Outer God were to leave the real world, this plan would fail."
"This was actually done by the 'Lord of Mysteries' and Adam, who knew from their understanding of that Outer God that the other would not leave the real world when the barrier was about to break."
"It can only be said that this is a trick, not that the Outer God had no room to resist."
Bernadette slowly nodded, then asked with a somewhat dim look in her eyes, "You just said that the Outer God who corrupted my father is the most powerful and troublesome one in the starry sky?"
"Don't worry too much," Odis comforted him. "I once spoke with the 'Lord of Mysteries' about this matter. He said that in the future, if we can successfully defeat the 'Hidden Sage' and obtain his unique and extraordinary characteristics, I can suppress your father's corruption to a controllable level."
"At that time, your father will even be able to leave the mausoleum and move freely in the outside world."
Bernadette took a deep breath and suddenly said to Odis, "Thank you."
Odis smiled and said, "You don't need to be so polite with me. I will definitely try my best to help you solve this problem, but it will take time."
Bernadette nodded: "I want to be alone for a while."
Odis said, "Alright."
He hurried out of the captain's cabin, and as he closed the door, he heard Bernadette humming a song from the Common Era. Odis had originally planned to return to Azshara immediately, but now he changed his mind. He decided to spend more time talking to Bernadette on the Dawn and wait until she was in a better mood before making any further plans.
Back in the room prepared for him, Odis reviewed everything he had just witnessed. With the Celestial Master present, he felt that the apocalypse was not so urgent or so terrifying.
At the same time, he realized that, also because of the presence of the Celestial Master, he was losing his God's perspective, and the world was becoming a place he no longer recognized. Moreover, he believed that during the God War next year, the Celestial Master and his friends might cause trouble again.
It's certain that the "Goddess of the Night" will win the war of gods, but who knows what other changes might occur in the outcome of the war?
As he pondered, Odis, feeling somewhat tired, took a short rest.
When he woke up, it was already late at night. The sea had become very calm, which surprised him. It had taken him three whole days to sail through stormy waters on his way to the island where Emperor Roselle's last mausoleum was located!
And now, only about half a day later, the storm has disappeared.
Odis, sensing something, went up to the deck and indeed saw Bernadette standing at the bow of the ship.
Fog has rolled in again at sea, reducing visibility to a limited extent; all that can be seen are rolling plumes of fog.
The Dawn sailed silently forward, as if it were the only ship left on the sea.
Bernadette, still looking ahead, said, "Perhaps after the pollution from that 'above the gods' disappears, the abnormal weather in the nearby seas will not be so extreme."
Odis grunted, "In this awful weather, it feels like a ghost ship could come sailing up at any moment."
Such words are taboo on ordinary ships, but on a ship with two angels—all ghost ships, please come aboard!
Odis stepped forward and embraced Bernadette from behind. Bernadette took his hand and leaned closer to him.
Looking at the scene before him, and with the excellent view from the bow of the ship, Odis suddenly recalled a classic scene from a classic movie about a shipwreck.
He smiled, then thought of a movie about pirates, and said, "Let me tell you a story about Captain Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl."
Bernadette nestled in Odis's arms: "Okay."
Odis cleared his throat before saying, "On the high seas, there is said to be a cursed ship—"
As they were talking, Odis and Bernadette sensed that several crew members were listening quietly behind them, so they turned around, their backs to the ship, and naturally let go of each other's hands.
Bernadette is, after all, the captain of this ship and needs absolute authority. Being nestled in a man's arms would damage her image.
Among the crew members behind, the bosun on duty smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, gentlemen, Mr. Garr's story was just too fascinating. I'm sorry to have disturbed you."
"It's alright," Odis smiled. "I'll continue my story."
"Where were we? Oh, right, the moonlight shone on the Black Pearl, and the governor's daughter, Elizabeth, saw that the entire crew of the Black Pearl were monsters dressed in shabby clothes, with rotting flesh and bones exposed to the air!"
Even the crew members, who had experienced many extraordinary battles, couldn't help but take a deep breath upon hearing this, as if they were surrounded by a bunch of skeletal monsters!
Odis's narration was very relatable: "It turns out that the curse of the 'Black Pearl' turned the ship's crew into immortal monsters. They couldn't feel the wind and rain at sea, nor taste the food. They plundered like demons—"
At that moment, the boatswain suddenly pointed at Odis: "Evil—the devil!"
Odis laughed and said, "This interaction was quite good; even I was momentarily stunned."
Then, the other crew members also showed surprised expressions, pointing at Odis and Bernadette: "Monster demon—"
Odis was taken aback, then immediately understood. Looking back, he saw an island not far in front of the Dawn!
On that island, many gaunt, scaly humanoid monsters were jumping into the sea and swimming toward the "Dawn".
If you don't look closely, those monsters really do resemble the ones described in Odis's story, the ones with the tattered clothes.
A monster with rotting flesh and exposed bones.
Behind those monsters, two enormous demons were driving them away.
That was a true demon, with two curved goat horns on its head covered with mysterious patterns, and a pair of bat-like wings on its back, wreathed in pale blue flames.
Odis and Bernadette's first reaction was surprise, because the two angels had no idea how the island had suddenly appeared.
This is terrifying, because even if it's a sneak attack by a true god, as angels, their spirituality can react in advance.
However, the reason there is no reaction is very likely that the spirit has been disturbed.
Just then, the mist suddenly dissipated, and a crimson moon appeared in the sky.
Odis glanced at it briefly and roughly understood that it must be the power from the stars that had affected their spiritual judgment, so he quietly sent the "Dawn" to sail near the island.
Ah-ming~ Ah-ming~
The roars of wolves echoed across the island as a group of werewolves transformed under the moonlight and raced toward the "Dawn".
Bernadette reacted: "Hard to port!"
With a wave of her hand, a white crown appeared on her head, and a large white banner appeared behind her.
Fairy Tale Magic: The Snow Queen!
The shore of the island was instantly covered with white frost, which then covered the seashore, freezing the monsters that had jumped into the water and were swimming rapidly toward them.
Odis flew into the air, where a young man emitting light, an old man with a long beard, and a middle-aged man surrounded by lightning appeared before him. They were devouring the humanoid figures of light and shadow.
The young man devouring the light and shadow and the middle-aged man covered in lightning suddenly stopped, turning their heads to look at the demons and werewolves, as if glaring at these ants who had discovered their secrets.
Immediately afterwards, beams of blazing white light and streaks of lightning shot out from their bodies, instantly transforming the entire space into a clear sky on one side and a dense cloud cover on the other.
The scorching light purified the monsters, and chilling lightning bolts rained down, bombarding the demons and werewolves.
Suddenly, the howls of werewolves struck by lightning and the cries of demons filled the air on the shore.
In the sea, the monsters, frozen by Bernadette, were struck by beams of blazing white light, causing their bodies to melt like burning candles, while the seawater boiled due to the intense heat of the sun.
Under the attack of the two "sages", the monsters either ran away or died, and were defeated before they could even swim to the vicinity of the "Dawn".
Odis observed that many of the demons and werewolves killed by lightning on the shore were beginning to aggregate extraordinary physical characteristics.
However, neither of them risked landing on the island to retrieve anything. Instead, they used their extraordinary abilities to get the "Dawn" away from the island as quickly as possible.
The bow of the "Dawn" cleaved through the waves with a "whoosh," and soon the island disappeared from sight. Just as Odis and Bernadette were about to discuss their experience, their spiritual senses were suddenly activated, and they looked ahead of the "Dawn" to see another island appear. On the shore, they could vaguely see demons driving away monsters.
Odis hissed: "Ghost Island?"
He glanced again at the crimson moon in the sky. To dare to approach the island of two angels like this, he must have received support or instructions from some being in the starry sky.
Considering that they had just encountered demons and werewolves, Odis had some doubts: was the "Dawn" being targeted by the "Mother Tree of Desire"?
Furthermore, there is the Crimson Moon, indicating that the "Fallen Mother Goddess" also provided some assistance.
Bernadette immediately ordered, "Lower anchor!"
It's not a good idea to move forward until we figure out what's going on.
Odis said, "It seems we should go and explore."
Bernadette hummed in agreement, indicating that she thought so too.
In general, when you encounter such a situation, you can only leave after you figure out what's going on.
If we wait until dawn tomorrow, there is a certain probability that we can sail away from this island, but there are still several hours until dawn, and we are in a very passive position while waiting, not knowing what kind of extraordinary attack we might encounter.
Bernadette ordered her subordinates to stay behind, then briefly discussed the matter with Odis. The two of them then transformed into a stream of information and flew towards the island.
They easily dispatched the two demons on the shore, along with the monsters they were driving.
The two landed on the ground and looked around. The extraordinary characteristics of those demons began to emerge, but they still maintained their demonic form.
Upon seeing those monsters, Odis frowned. He realized that they were not monsters at all, but humans who had been tortured beyond recognition!
Of course, they are no longer purely human, but rather humans whose inner evil has been fully unleashed, and who have become completely corrupted. Conceptually, they are still human, but in reality, they are monsters.
"That's strange," Odis said. "I read in your father's diary that the entrance to the Abyss in reality is indeed in the Sea of Mist, but it shouldn't be around here."
He paused for a moment and then said, "However, it's also possible that they were demons attracted by the abyss, who couldn't find the entrance to the abyss, but instead occupied this island."
Bernadette, who was on guard in mid-air, reminded us, "We just encountered some werewolves."
Odis breathed a sigh of relief, still not understanding what was going on, and could only put away the extraordinary properties extracted from the two "demons": "Let's go inside the island and take a look."
The island was larger than I had imagined; in the moonlight, it seemed to stretch on forever.
There were many fires inside the island, suggesting the presence of some indigenous tribes.
Odis estimated that these humans, who had been tortured into monsters, must have once been natives of this island.
The two quickly flew toward the firelight and discovered that several villages were holding bonfire parties at the same time. People were singing and dancing around the bonfires, and they looked like normal indigenous people.
Odis and Bernadette used their invisibility abilities to arrive at one of the villages, where they listened to the native shaman chanting in a language they couldn't understand and watched the ordinary natives dancing excitedly.
Although it seemed normal, it always gave people a sense of unreality. Odis was not sure why she had such feelings, but she always felt that they were not celebrating for something serious.
So Odis raised his hand, and a stream of information swiftly flowed into the wizard's head. Then, the stream of information flew out of the wizard's head and returned to Odis's side. Immediately afterwards, this stream of information, which had become much longer, flowed into Odis's palm.
This is a flexible application of the "sage's" abilities. The principle is to use a special information stream to fly into the target's head, search for the required information, and then return to Odis's body in the form of an information stream.
This way, you can obtain the information you need from the other party's memories.
Odis had only had this idea before, but today was the first time he used it, and the effect was very good. Although he couldn't understand the language of the wizard, he basically understood why they were having a bonfire party.
It turned out that their god had just sent down a divine message, saying that important guests would be arriving tonight, and that they should dance in front of the bonfire, revel in the festivities, show their enthusiasm, and properly entertain their guests.
Odis then relayed this message to Bernadette, sharing the information with her. The two exchanged a glance, clearly recognizing them as the guests their deity had spoken of.
Odis simply maintained a connection with the "wilderness of knowledge" so that he could immediately stop any contamination.
Whew~
Just then, the campfire seemed to be blown up by a hurricane, the flames suddenly rose higher, and all the natives stopped moving.
Then, led by a masked wizard, they worshipped a thick wooden stake.
Odis then noticed the wooden stake. He examined it closely and saw that it was just an ordinary piece of wood standing upright.
There's nothing particularly special about it.
After a few seconds of quiet worship, the natives suddenly stood up, and many of them let out wild roars. Then they pounced on each other and began to bite each other.
Soon, many people were covered in blood and gore.
The scene of tearing apart was so cruel that even Odis, who had witnessed the carnage of battle, couldn't help but frown.
Glug~
At this moment, Odis's intestines started to rumble; he was hungry!
After becoming an angel, he doesn't feel hungry even if he doesn't eat for several days! The last time he ate was at noon, only a few hours ago.
Then, Odis saw the natives tearing at each other on the ground and actually thought they looked quite delicious!
Bernadette said, "Appetite!"
Odis glanced at the wood on the altar: "This does resemble the authority of an entity 'above the gods'."
The "Mother Tree of Desire" represents all desires!
Odis said, "Let's go and take a look at other villages."
Soon they arrived at the neighboring village, which was like a grand party with constant moans of pleasure.
Appetite and libido are the easiest to stimulate!
Odis was also awakened by the scene before her, a desire deep within her genes.
He couldn't help but glance at Bernadette, and saw that her cheeks were also slightly flushed and her eyes were full of affection. He tried his best to control himself and didn't come over to hug Odice.
"We can't read any further," Odis suddenly said. "Their goal is to arouse our desires."
Bernadette hummed in agreement, and the two quickly moved away from the indigenous villages and onto the beach. After enjoying the cool sea breeze for a while, the scorching heat seemed to disappear.
Odis said, "Let's not go to the center of the island for now."
He had a premonition that the root of the problem could be found deep within the island, and that he could find the clue to leave.
But at the same time, it is also very dangerous there, especially since the "Mother Tree of Desire" had just aroused the desires of the two people, making it even more dangerous.
Bernadette suggested, "We can search along the coast for other 'demons' and see if we can get any more information from them."
"good."
So the two men walked along the coast and soon they saw a tree covered with many iron spikes, on which hung many natives, some with their limbs nailed to the tree, and others with their shoulders nailed to the tree.
The key point is that they did not die; each of them was emitting faint groans.
Blood flowed down the iron spikes and onto the tree, staining the bark a dark purple.
Odis frowned slightly, raised his hand, and the iron spikes transformed into a stream of information, causing the natives nailed to the trees to roll to the ground.
He glanced at the large tree whose leaves had turned red, then a gust of wind blew, carrying away the natives and setting the tree ablaze.
Amidst the raging flames, a stench filled the air, as if a rotting corpse was burning.
The firelight attracted some werewolves and zombies. Odis charged forward, and the werewolves and zombies turned into streams of information, their internal properties rolling off and falling to the ground.
Putting aside those traits, Odis continued forward and saw many natives tied to wooden stakes. They had all been brutally murdered; some had their bellies ripped open, some had their heads ripped off, and some had their blood drained. Judging from their pained expressions, they must have endured inhuman torture before they died.
Odis's expression gradually darkened, and he set fire to the house, burning it all down.
He said to Bernadette, "Fortunately, there was that initial barrier; otherwise, the people of the North and South continents would be in the same miserable state as the natives of this island."
Odis had always thought he was well aware of the dangers posed by the Outer Gods, but only today did he realize that he hadn't been so clear-headed before; he had simply disliked them out of habit.
After witnessing the plight of these natives today, his attitude toward Outer Gods became very firm and clear: Earth must never fall into the hands of Outer Gods!
But for now, we need to get out of here first.
The two continued their search and encountered several more groups of demons, along with monsters being driven by them.
After circling the island, the two gained a general understanding of its situation. The outer perimeter of the island was inhabited by many demons, werewolves, and undead, but the number of demons far exceeded the number of werewolves and undead.
Through the information obtained from these demons, werewolves, and undead, Odis learned that there were many native villages on the island, each with a tall, thick, uncarved wooden log standing in it.
Odis was able to basically determine that it represented the "Mother Tree of Desire".
However, the power that can be projected into the real world is very limited. If it were to take on a concrete form, it would likely be noticed by the seven gods of the astral plane, who would then send people to clean up the area.
These demons and other monsters with extraordinary characteristics were attracted by some kind of force before they came to this island.
They may still be extraordinary beings through the pathways of "prisoner" and "criminal," but after arriving here, under the influence of the "Mother Tree of Desire," they have completely transformed into monsters and can no longer revert to their human form.
At the same time, their thinking gradually became confused and was subject to a certain degree of mental pollution.
As an angel, Odis was not afraid of this kind of mental pollution, but she could not glean much useful information from those chaotic thoughts.
They seemed to be restricted by some force, only able to move along the island's coast, capturing the natives who came to the beach, and then turning them into monsters or torturing them.
Furthermore, in the demons' minds, the indigenous villages seem to have a rather unique area. They don't know exactly what's there, but they often feel the malice or the power of desire emanating from it.
Sometimes the seawater in the surrounding area or the streams on the island would turn into blood, allowing them to bathe in it freely.
The demons felt that the power inside the island was both familiar and strange. They enjoyed the nourishment that power gave them, but after each enjoyment, their mental state became increasingly indifferent, to the point that they no longer recognized themselves.
This was all the information gathered after the circumnavigation. Odis glanced inside the island, but couldn't see anything.
All I knew was that it was a very unusual place.