Chapter 35: The Doll's Wedding (2)

"I've been thinking about taking up a faith recently, so I came by to have a look," Mo Jiang said, pulling out his wallet and producing a few hundred-gold bills. "Let me buy you all some tea."

"Thank you, sir." The security guards, who were also responsible for welcoming guests, were accustomed to receiving tips and immediately beamed with pleasure. "Sir, would you like me to tell you about the history of the Morton Cathedral? I believe that once you know its history, you will be convinced of our Lord's greatness."

"I would appreciate it."

"The cathedral was built three hundred years ago, during the decline of the most feudal dynasty. Our Lord's missionary, Morton, crossed the seas to bring the gospel. With the permission of the officials at the time, this cathedral was constructed. From then on, the Lord's radiance began to spread. Anyone who was single or lonely and believed in our Lord would surely find a life partner. Anyone who was lost or suffering and put their faith in the Lord would regain confidence and live optimistically." The guard spoke with remarkable eloquence, rivaling that of any bank security guard.

"Oh?" Mo Jiang was intrigued and glanced at the statue. It was a common enough figure, no different from other religious statues except for its unique countenance and posture.

Yet Mo Jiang was already certain something was amiss. However, the Gate of Realms had lost its true spirit and could no longer directly probe the “Ruins World.” Only when he made contact with it himself could tasks be generated and entry allowed.

And by completing those tasks, he would provide clues for the Gate of Realms to lock onto heresies.

He asked, "May I stay here for a few days?"

"Of course. All the facilities have recently been upgraded to three-star standards. The only thing is, it's a little more expensive than places outside," the guard replied with a slightly embarrassed smile, though who could say if he was being honest.

"That's fine." Mo Jiang didn't mind; he was flush with cash and didn't care for such trifles.

Behind the cathedral lay the lodging quarters, much like hotel rooms, and there was also a dining hall. When Mo Jiang entered, he saw quite a few people eating—always one man and one woman together, seemingly couples or families, though strangely, there were no children, and some looked to be nearly forty.

A thought struck him, and Mo Jiang suddenly understood: "Clay figurines... they probably can't reproduce..."

At that moment, a priest approached. Mo Jiang recognized him as the one who had been offering prayers earlier. Only now did he realize—so far, he'd seen only this one priest.

Was there only one priest in the entire cathedral?

The question barely flickered through his mind when a familiar voice sounded in his ear.

"Target locked: heretic. Task generated. Eliminate the heretic. God of Dolls!"

At the same time, Mo Jiang saw the priest's expression stiffen before he looked at Mo Jiang and suddenly broke into a smile. "How remarkable! I didn't expect an Executor of the Gate to appear again. The Gate has been severed, a force for ill rather than good. I suppose you've already received the mission to eliminate me, haven't you?"

"God of Dolls?" Mo Jiang eyed him, uncertainty and suspicion flickering in his gaze.

It was the first time the Gate's prompt had mentioned the word "god," which made it impossible for him not to speculate.

"The god is he—I am merely his priest." The God of Dolls gestured to the statue, then looked back at Mo Jiang. "Executor of the Gate, since you have your mission, it's either you eliminate me, or the Gate eliminates you. There is no room for negotiation between us. I have walked the main world for three centuries, and lately, I've taken an interest in one of your human inventions. Please, step inside and help construct the final piece of my world!"

As the God of Dolls spread his arms, Mo Jiang's surroundings abruptly shifted.

A light drizzle began to fall, the sky overcast and gray. Countless black particles floated in the air, mingling with the foul-smelling atmosphere, inhaled unnoticed with every breath.

Mo Jiang found himself standing in the middle of a street. All around were buildings scarred by time, shop doors yawning open, the ground strewn with debris. Trash cans lay upended, fire hydrants smashed by cars. Abandoned, scorched vehicles littered the area. Here and there, fragments of withered bones could be seen—barely recognizable as human.

He immediately tried to summon his bone armor, only to find an invisible restraint binding him, preventing him from retrieving it.

"Is the God of Dolls really this powerful?" Mo Jiang wondered, half in awe.

He steadied himself and continued to observe.

"This shouldn't be the Ruins World," he concluded, since the Gate hadn't generated a new task. Perhaps it was because the Gate had already locked onto the heretic.

Moreover, there was something absurdly familiar about this place!

Suddenly, the God of Dolls' voice echoed in his ear.

"Welcome to my game—Monster Apocalypse. Here, you will experience an omnipresent nightmare! Hahaha! Enjoy yourself, Executor of the Gate! All of you, accomplices to the source of all evil, deserve to die! No, not yet—you still have your uses. My world still lacks a core power, one that only you Executors possess!"

"Hahaha, once I devour your strength, my game will come to life. Then I can freely drag living people from reality into this world, forcing them to live here!"

At last, Mo Jiang realized where he was: this was a game world created by the God of Dolls, similar to the "Supreme Immortal" game zone.

“There must be a timeline here... so what is this core power he’s after?” Forcing himself to stay calm, Mo Jiang wondered if he could abandon that so-called core power to save himself.

If he could identify it, perhaps he could escape this world.

“Wait... escape...”

A sudden inspiration struck him. His expression turned odd as he tried activating the Gate—and succeeded.

He reached out and knocked three times, as if rapping on a door.

“Well then, goodbye...”

No sooner had the words left his lips than Mo Jiang vanished from the world the God of Dolls had created.

At the same time, in the "Supreme Immortal" game zone, Mo Jiang's figure reappeared.

“The power of the Gate must be above that of the God of Dolls. I’ll return to the main world first and settle accounts with his true body...” A ruthless gleam flashed in Mo Jiang’s eyes. He donned the bone armor, gripped the bone-handled axe, and instantly felt the passive augmentation surge through him.

He activated the Gate, knocking three times.

His figure disappeared.

When he reappeared, Mo Jiang’s face changed.

He had not returned to the main world. Instead, he found himself back in the Monster Apocalypse game world!