Chapter Fifty-Two: Parallel Worlds

“This thing shouldn’t just be left unattended, should it?” Returning to the surface and gazing at the colossal passage, Yin Seventeen pondered quietly. Below lay the stronghold of the cultists of the evil god. Though the cultists had been completely eradicated, there was no guarantee the evil god wouldn’t return. Furthermore, such an enormous cavity beneath posed a tremendous hazard to ordinary lives.

With this in mind, he gathered the power of his microcosm into his right foot and stomped down fiercely. Instantly, the region within several hundred meters sank deeply. The vast passage and the hollow of the underground city, forged by the pyramid’s penetration, were thoroughly buried.

“That should do it!” he nodded, satisfied, and turned to leave.

When Yin Seventeen returned to the earlier lodging with two Sacred Cloth boxes, Gamian still hadn’t woken up. Ruolan leaned against the wall, drowsy and barely awake.

Bang bang bang!

Yin Seventeen knocked hard on the Sacred Cloth box and shouted at the girl, “The Cloth is recovered. It’s time to go!”

“Huh?”

Startled by his shout, Ruolan almost rolled straight onto the ground.

“So it’s you, Lord Seventeen!”

Recognizing him, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“The Cloth is found. We’re heading back!” Yin Seventeen repeated.

“Oh!”

The girl replied, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she stood up.

“Now, you have two choices!” Yin Seventeen raised two fingers, speaking seriously. “Either help him back to Sanctuary, or carry the Sacred Cloth box back.”

He pointed to the unconscious Gamian lying at the base of the wall, and then to the two one-meter-square metal boxes beside him.

Only those acknowledged by the Cloth could inject their microcosm, transforming the box for easy carrying. Others could only haul the large container.

“Then I’ll carry the Sacred Cloth box!” the girl answered without hesitation.

“Alright!” Yin Seventeen nodded, saying no more. He walked over, propped up the unconscious Gamian, and gently slung him over his shoulder.

“Let’s go!” he called, heading toward the door.

Passing through the city center, Yin Seventeen slowed his steps, lost in thought as he gazed at the shattered pyramid split in two, unwittingly falling behind Ruolan.

On this campaign, he had encountered what was called an evil god.

Coincidentally, these evil gods came from beyond the skies, sharing the same names as those from his original world’s pantheon.

Even more coincidental, this host of gods appeared in the same place—the Nile River basin.

“Could it be that my original world and this one are parallel, so the same deities appear in the same places?” he boldly speculated.

This world was strikingly similar to his own. The continents’ names, the countries upon them, even the rivers’ titles—all were identical.

Names could be mere coincidence, but even the geographical distributions and climate patterns matched. That was something coincidence alone could not explain.

He sensed that these two worlds must share some extraordinary connection. The parallel world theory offered a neat explanation for these uncanny similarities.

“But, why would the gods of the Nile River civilization appear here?” Yin Seventeen hurried behind Ruolan, pondering as he walked.

In the stories he knew, in this world of Saints, only the Greek gods existed.

The Greek gods and those of the Nile belonged to entirely separate systems, utterly different pantheons. The gods of the Nile should not appear here.

“Wait, shouldn’t appear here?” Yin Seventeen seemed to realize something, repeating the phrase within his mind.

“Shouldn’t appear, shouldn’t appear…”

After dozens of repetitions, enlightenment struck.

“I was mistaken!”

“The gods of the Nile in this world came from beyond, while those from my original world were native to their civilization.”

“The Nile gods here are invaders!”

“That’s why their presence feels so out of place—they don’t belong. They are evil gods!”

Having untangled this web, Yin Seventeen immediately thought of his own origins.

He too did not belong here; he came from beyond.

In other words, the old sage who sent him, and the pantheon or extraordinary beings the sage represented, were, from this world’s perspective, evil gods.

Looking at Death God Anubis and Crocodile God Sobek as examples, he suddenly understood the old sage’s purpose in sending him here.

To break the world’s barrier and welcome the gods!

They intended to invade this world!

No wonder the old sage was so confident, certain he would grasp his mission.

If such an obvious answer escaped him, he truly ought to have his head examined.

Yet, realizing this, Yin Seventeen felt a pang of anxiety.

This task was overwhelmingly difficult.

Not to mention the Olympians high above—even the Sanctuary, guarded by the Gold Saints of the Twelve Zodiac Temples, would be more than enough to handle.

How could he possibly have the ability to break the barriers and welcome the gods?

“I suppose I’ll set this aside for now. Judging by that old man’s attitude, he probably isn’t counting on me too much anyway,” Yin Seventeen mused silently.

He distinctly remembered the sage’s words: countless seeds had been planted; he was but one.

Success would be welcome, failure no cause for disappointment.

He was merely a dispensable existence in the eyes of the other.

“But then, why would that old fellow go to such lengths to send me here? Wouldn’t it be easier to simply find a local agent?”

Yin Seventeen’s heart raised another doubt.

Judging by Anubis and Sobek, it was extremely difficult for these foreign gods to interfere in this world.

Therefore, sending someone from outside was clearly harder than choosing a native.

Yet, the old sage preferred to spend greater power to bring him in, defying logic.

“Unless, I myself am so special he’s willing to pay a greater price to choose me?”

Immediately, Yin Seventeen reached a new conclusion.

“If I must compare myself to the natives, the difference lies in my origin!”

“I was born in another world—I know this world’s story!”

“I possess a far greater intelligence advantage than the natives!”

“With that advantage, plus this so-called one-in-a-million talent, my chances of success really do seem much higher than those clueless native agents!”

Understanding this, Yin Seventeen felt he had found the answer.

Yet, he faintly sensed there was still something he overlooked.