There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

Chapter 818: Chapter 689: The Decline of the Mystery

Only she, an Ice and Snow Elf, was left.

That sentence seemed to wield some kind of magic, causing the Ice and Snow Elf to stiffen in place, even forgetting to rise from the ground, just staring blankly at the snow in front of her.

Just then, shouts of anger from other Ice and Snow Elves came from the sky.

“Catalina! Don’t let him disturb your mind, we are here with you, and we will always be here for you!”

“Catalina! Get up and fight!”

“Catalina—”

Several shouts came from the air.

But soon, those voices stopped.

Because, taking advantage of their distraction, the Duke of Silver, who had originally been surrounded and restrained, rushed up and with one hand per elf, shattered their already translucent and fragile bodies completely!

Seeing this, the Ice and Snow Elf who was shackled on the ground by Zuo Fang quickly looked up towards another mountain peak.

She frowned deeply and shouted, “Catalina, leave this place quickly, go back to the Holy Tree! You must protect the Holy Tree!”

Perhaps hearing a certain word, the Ice and Snow Elf who was still dazed suddenly came back to her senses.

She looked up and glanced at the empty sky, passed over the Aura of Light nearby, and finally, her gaze fell once more on the ground beneath the mountain.

After exchanging a look with the Ice and Snow Elf below, Catalina suddenly turned around, not looking back as she retreated into the blizzard, her figure quickly disappearing amidst the wind and snow.

The Duke of Silver arrived with the wind, but by the time he got there, the Ice and Snow Elf had already vanished into the distance.

Xu Shuo came over slowly.

“No need to chase.”

“What do you mean by saying she’s the only one left?” The Duke of Silver abruptly turned to look at him.

“It means exactly what it sounds like. You find those Ice and Snow Elves strange because they don’t have real bodies to begin with,” Xu Shuo looked down at the captive below.

“Then what have we been fighting?”

“The Dawn Belief, I suppose.”

“No wonder these elves have no effect on my bloodline’s suppression,” remarked the Duke of Silver thoughtfully at last.

After all, if they no longer possessed bodies of the Elf Clan, then where would their bloodlines be?

The two descended from the peak and landed on the mirror-smooth icy ground, looking towards the lone Ice and Snow Elf.

The Ice and Snow Elf was initially glaring at Zuo Fang, but noticing Xu Shuo’s approach, she abruptly turned her head back, her pale white eyes glaring hatefully at him.

“Staring at me like that, what have I done? It was your Dawn Belief who provoked the war a thousand years ago; it’s only natural for you to pay the price,” Xu Shuo said with a sneer.

“Is that so? And you think your Holy See of Light has it any better?”

The Ice and Snow Elf stared at him with a cold laugh: “The Dawn Belief might be fading, but your Light faith won’t last either. Your God of Light hasn’t been seen in the world for a thousand years, has he?”

Xu Shuo’s gaze shifted slightly as he looked at her.

Then he said with an amiable smile: “What our Holy Court pursues is different from what your elves seek. A deity is but a placeholder term; what people need is not a physical savior, but spiritual comfort and transcendence. Thus, as long as gods are in the hearts of the people, then gods will always exist, regardless of the Power of Faith, and irrespective of whether they truly exist in the world or not.”

Upon hearing these words, the Ice and Snow Elf was dumbfounded.

Perhaps these words were beyond her grasp, and she couldn’t immediately understand their meaning, but she felt that…

This man seemed to be driving away her own god.

…

“Won’t you get penalized for saying such things?”

Zuo Fang also expressed his speechlessness over the matter.

Xu Shuo smiled: “It’s the truth. Deities have always been an elusive existence, and instead of saying that people believe in Them, it’s more accurate to say they believe in the wonderful bywords associated with Them.”

Moreover, this is how the Holy See of Light has been preaching for the last thousand years.

The Scriptures paint an indefinite picture of the deity, turning a fixed individual into a broad objective.

Perhaps this is because the Holy See of Light also realized long ago that their Power of Faith was lacking, or maybe, a thousand years prior, the God of Light had already foreseen today’s situation.

Because today, a thousand years later.

The world was void of the vitality and blood power that could cleave waves and sunder mountains, as well as the magic power that could move mountains and overturn seas. The fabled giant dragon clan faced extinction, and the Elf Clan was also on the verge of disappearance.

This was not a simple omen; it was a shift that had occurred since the faith war a thousand years ago.

This was a time when mysticism was on the decline.

This was the most ordinary of times.

Xu Shuo lamented, “Perhaps after this battle, there really will no longer be those bizarre things on this continent, where royal power is just an ordinary form of ruling, and theocracy is also just another form of ruling.”

Zuo Fang stroked his chin thoughtfully, “Then do you think, could it be because they fought too fiercely in the faith war a thousand years ago, that they suffered the world’s backlash?”

“Who knows,” Xu Shuo smiled faintly.

This was not a question worth pondering.

Because it was ultimately unrelated to them.

…

As they talked, they walked toward the Holy Land of Elves on this icy land, while Duke of Silver silently dragged a fiercely struggling Ice and Snow Elf behind them.

“Let me go!”

“You blasphemous wretches!”

“The Holy See of Light won’t end well either!”

“I won’t let you off!”

“Stop!”

“Stop! Don’t go any further that way!”

“What on earth are you trying to do?!”

The Ice and Snow Elf’s shouts changed from initial furious outrage to a latter fearful dread; the transformation in her voice was deeply moving.

Even amid the extreme noise, the Duke of Silver’s face remained expressionless, as though he had heard nothing.

All of a sudden, the Ice and Snow Elf burst forth with ferocity, and because her hands were bound with ropes, she quickly lunged forward and kicked at the person in front of her!

Nevertheless, the Duke of Silver seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.

He deftly sidestepped the whip-like kick, ducked to evade the rope the Ice and Snow Elf swung trying to entangle his neck, and then circled behind her, kicking her behind the knee.

Thump!

The Ice and Snow Elf was forced to kneel on the ground.

Because of this incident, the two people walking in front also stopped and turned back to look at the Elf.

“What’s all the fuss about? Bringing you home and you’re still making a fuss,” Zuo Fang said impatiently.

“I will not let you get close to the Holy Tree!”

The Ice and Snow Elf roared furiously, hoarse with effort, and immediately, her body began to emanate frost, as an aura of Extreme Frost surged forth.

Seeing this, Xu Shuo simply commented in a light tone, “Even if you self-detonate, you can’t stop us. Just now, so many of your people exploded and it didn’t seem to do any good. It’s better to save some energy and wait until you reach the Holy Tree to detonate.”

Upon these words, the Ice and Snow Elf’s aura faltered.

The words were unapologetically blunt.

And it further distressed the elf’s heart.

She bit her lower lip, seemingly struggling with something, then as if she had made up her mind, she looked at Xu Shuo with an almost pleading gaze.

The Ice and Snow Elf said quietly, “The Dawn Belief poses no threat to the Church of Light now, and because of this Power of Faith, our Ice and Snow Elf Clan is nearly extinct. There’s no need for you to exterminate us.”

Xu Shuo chuckled lightly, “That may be true, but your people have still sneaked onto the human continent. What’s the reason for that?”

Hearing this, the Ice and Snow Elf fell silent.

Her silence lasted a long time.

So long that it seemed as if she was deliberately wasting time.

Just as the others grew impatient and were about to continue forward, she, anxious at heart, quickly spoke up, “Wait!”

…