goddess of revolution

Chapter 397 Journey to the River Styx with the Dead Saint Alishan

Outside Beta City, beside a certain stream, a pure black curtain separated a space, and a black carpet was spread on the ground.

The girl with long flaxen hair took off her robe and all the fabrics on her body, revealing her slender and green body.

She knelt down on the carpet, took the bowl from the woman in black, and drank the liquid in the bowl.

Moments later, she started throwing up, rolled her eyes, and fell on the carpet in convulsions.The woman standing next to her just looked at her without any words or movements.

After she had finished vomiting what she should have vomited and got up, her youthful pink skin had turned pale, with no trace of blood visible.

The woman helped her to wash in the creek, not sparing any place.

After washing, she returned to the carpet that had been changed, and the woman rubbed some ointment on her body, and her snow-white skin changed to a death-like blue.

Putting on the black robe directly, the girl was supported by the woman to the outside of the curtain, where a long and narrow pit had already been dug, and a thin coffin was placed beside the pit.

"Alison..."

The Archbishop of the Eastern Church, Lord of Death, and the girl's father, Duncan, stroked the girl's shoulders and said in a slightly trembling voice, "This is your glory."

"Yes, father," Alishan said lightly.

Lying in the coffin, the girl folded her hands on her not plump chest, took a deep breath, closed her eyes and said, "Let's get started."

Duncan asked: "The epitaph..."

"Wait to engrave it when you come back," the girl's tone was trembling.

Duncan was stunned: "Come back?"

He realized again, sighed: "It should."

The coffin was covered and then moved into the tomb. The black-robed believers silently shoveled and tamped the soil, and inserted the unlettered tombstone in front of the tomb.

Duncan began to pray, and the believers surrounded the tomb and followed suit.

Gradually, a slight whirlwind rolled up on the tomb, and some invisible force was constantly gathering, making the tomb emit a slight fluorescence.

Then there was a muffled bang from the tomb, the fluorescence dissipated, and all the strength was taken away by something.

Duncan stopped praying and whispered, "She... went down."

………………

Li Qi spat out the dirt in his mouth, the feeling of being buried alive just now was really scary.He felt like he was about to suffocate and opened his mouth to shout, but he ate a mouthful of dirt.Then the consciousness was in a trance, and it changed from lying down to standing up.

It seems to be teleported to the kingdom of the Lord of the Dead, which has a very simple name: the necropolis.

"Yangtze River～Long～Fragrant～"

Little Red Riding Hood's call has become ethereal, and it's the same as when she first entered the Storm Islands, no, it's more serious than that, and her perception of her has become blurred.

Opening his eyes, Li Qi almost cried out.

He was in the middle of a crowded road, and pedestrians rubbed shoulders, walking silently in one direction.Everyone slid away strangely when they were about to hit him, as if the space where he was standing was cut off from it.

Looking at the fine light and dust emanating from his body, Li Qi realized that this must be the aura of the underworld protected by the Lord of Death.

Looking at the pedestrians around him again, Li Qi calmed down, it was okay, and he did not exceed his previous expectations.

Pedestrians, old or young, all looked haggard.The body is still clean, it should be from old age, sickness, and blood dripping, missing arms and legs, and some even have nothing on their necks, and their heads are in their hands.

Even people without legs were "walking". On both sides of the road, dark figures could be seen waving whips to drive away the crowd.The whip didn't fall on these people, as if it was whipped on some kind of air current, making the whole road like a conveyor belt, carrying the flow of people forward.

These people are not living people, nor physical bodies, but the souls of mortals who sink to the bank of the underworld and are about to throw themselves into the river after death.

It was dark all around, but there was cold light shining, like a moonlit night.

Li Qi looked up, thinking he could see the moonlight, but what he saw was a stream of light gathered by the lights, extending forward and endlessly.The sky is still faintly rippling, more like the surface of water.

Those lights are probably the reflection of these souls on the road...

The flow of light keeps flickering, and disappears rapidly bit by bit, corresponding to the disappearance of the light spots, souls in the flow of people are constantly struggling and gradually dissipating.

This must be the gods and demons preying on souls, just like a group of refugees walking on the grassland, being preyed by wild beasts, and those who finally reach the Styx, I don’t know how many will be left.

Li Qi squeezed out of the crowd, and when he got to the side of the road, a black figure stopped his whip and bowed to him.

This is the god attendant of the Lord of Death, in the Chinese world, it is a role like a bull's head and a horse's face.

The black shadow didn't speak, and stretched out its arms, silently pointing forward.

There was a light on the ridge in the distance, the light was orange, with a warmth that was very different from here.

Li Qi walked towards the ridge, secretly thinking that the Lord of Death is really troublesome. In his own kingdom of God, he couldn't teleport at a fixed point, and he had to work his legs.

Climbing up the ridge, I found a small temple with a simple and simple shape standing on it.There was a short and thin figure standing outside the temple, holding a lamp, wearing a black robe and a hood, and his face could not be seen clearly.

"Duke Prior?"

When he got closer, the voice opened his mouth. The voice was delicate and tender, and it turned out to be a young girl.

She took off her hood, and the light reflected a very ordinary face: "I am Alishan, and I am waiting for you here by the order of my lord."

The long pole in her hand shook, and the lights flickered, and she said in a firm tone that Li Qi couldn't understand for a while: "I will accompany you across the River Styx and enter the realm of the dead."

"You are……"

Li Qi looked at her, resisting the urge to touch her: "A living person?"

"Yes, I am the saint of my lord." Alishan pursed her lips and said, "If the Duke has any other questions, you can ask them as you walk. My time is limited."

Also a saint?No wonder he is so cold and arrogant.

Li Qi followed behind the girl a little awkwardly, and advanced along the ridge to the depths.

"Didn't it mean that the time was urgent? Why didn't your majesty take me directly to the river Styx? Do you have to lead the way?"

"Even if the Duke is a voter, it is impossible to adapt to the plane of the underworld immediately. If you go directly to the river under the underworld, your soul will be frozen and cracked. Walking will make you adapt slowly."

"Why do you have to cross the River Styx? Is the other side of the River Styx the real realm of the dead?"

"Yes, before the souls of mortals have crossed the Styx River, they are not really dead, they can only be counted as living souls. Those souls that have crossed the Styx River and have not been resolved will only become dead when they enter the realm of the dead."

Li Qi's understanding of the undead comes from Youzan's lich. Unfortunately, after that guy became a heroic spirit, he forgot many things.

So he had endless questions, Alishan answered seriously at first, but gradually became impatient.

"I don't know much about this business, so don't laugh at me if you ask such naive questions, what's the difference between a dead person and an undead?"

"There's no difference, it's just called differently."

"I thought there would be a very strict academic distinction, and there were a lot of things to say...well, the background, so that's it."

"..."

"Those in the sky are the reflections of living souls, right? The number is constantly decreasing, are they plundered by the gods?"

"Yes……"

"Why is it called the Necropolis?"

"You'll soon see..."

"Alishan, you are also a saint, what kind of life do you usually live?"

"Eat, sleep, practice, pray..."

"Then how did you become a saint?"

"My Lord favors..."

"Why is it favored?"

"..."

"Haha, don't be angry, since we have to walk a long way, and there are all dead people except us, I always feel nervous if I don't talk about it."

"I can't talk to living people..."

"That's right... your church only deals with the dead. What kind of life is that? Is it similar to a gravekeeper? Or is it always ready to suppress the disturbance of the undead in the cemetery?"

"you……"

Alishan quickened her pace, and said as if she was suppressing her anger: "It's annoying!"

Nobody did that to me!
Still a girl!
Li Qi felt his self-esteem was hit...

He was really a little apprehensive about this place, and being able to chat and laugh happily with the holy saintess could greatly relieve the uneasiness in his heart, and he had no other intentions.

But I didn't expect that Her Royal Highness would not call him...

For the rest of the journey, he was silent.

As we walked, the terrain suddenly opened up in front of us, and it was a large plain.Looking carefully, the plain is covered with dense mounds and tombstones, and they are all graves!
Alishan is right, you can tell why this place is called a large cemetery at a glance, what a huge cemetery!
He finally couldn't help asking: "Sorry, I really want to know, why is there a cemetery here?"

Those "people" on the road are actually souls, on the way to sink, and their bodies are also in the mortal world, so what else is there to bury?
Alishan's tone was still indifferent: "Just look at it."

ok let me see...

When Li Qi looked at it, he really saw the clue.

As soon as the living soul entered this plain, it was like being blown by an invisible wind. The clothes, skin and even the face were blown away, leaving only a gray, simple human body similar to those in animation.

Those things that were blown away fell to both sides of the road, piled up new tombs, and pushed the original tombs back.The plain is endless, as if no amount of tombs could hold it.

Those things, like memories of living souls?

Alishan confirmed Li Qi's guess: "The human soul is like an apple, and the peel and flesh are the memory, character, emotion and other things that belong to the personality. If they all sink in the Styx, it will hinder the flow of spiritual matter in the Styx." Therefore, the wind of the River Styx that blows on the bank of the Styx will peel off the skin and flesh first, and let only the core, which is the source of the soul, sink into the River Styx."

These tombs are full of personalities and memories of living souls?

Li Qi clicked his tongue, how big is this plain, can it accommodate all mortals who have ever lived?

Alishan said: "Not everyone's personality and memory will be buried here, and powerful souls will not be affected. Moreover, when the era changes, the Styx will set off a tide, and these tombs will be washed away."

Another era change...

Li Qi asked worriedly: "Does this wind affect the living?"

Alishan is very sure: "Yes, even someone like the Duke will be lost."

Li Qi was stunned: "Then how do we get there?"

"Put it on, you will need it when you arrive at Styx..."

Alishan handed him a necklace. The pendant was a gray gemstone with no discernible history.

She continued: "My lamp is for shelter from the wind."

Li Qi was heaving a sigh of relief, and heard her say: "Carry me on your back."

What?
"I'm tired from walking, carry me on your back," Alishan said in a stiff tone, "This will make it easier for the light to cover us both."

When you meet the Lord of Death again, you must complain to him, your little sister's service attitude is bad!Bad review!
Li Qi sighed and squatted down.

Just recite it, it's just a little girl.

His body, which was not much heavier than Fei Ni's, was on his back, his thin arms were wrapped around his neck, and his hands were holding his thin thighs. The unhappiness in Li Qi's heart dissipated in an instant.

Are you not a saint?Malnourished and immature, how much did your gods abuse you?
"Alison, how old are you?"

"...Seventeen..."

"The size is wrong, ahem...Your family was very poor when you were young, didn't you have enough to eat?"

"My father is the Archbishop..."

"Didn't your father give you enough to eat?"

"Our church is all vegetarian..."

"Vegetarians? That's not good! Girls have to eat meat, and meat will grow where there should be meat."

"..."

"Okay, let's talk about something else. Apart from eating, sleeping, practicing and praying, don't you have anything else you like to do?"

"..."

"It seems that you don't like making friends very much. There are many saintesses in our church who are about the same age. When things are over, I will introduce you to them. They like to make new friends."

"... long-winded..."

His self-esteem was hit hard again, Li Qi stopped rambling, carried the lithe girl on his back, went down the ridge, and stepped into the plain full of graves.

On the avenue where Li Qi first arrived, people in red clothes began to appear.

These men in red were bloody and bloody, with staring eyes and raised hands, as if they were still wielding weapons to fight someone, but there were no enemies besides comrades-in-arms.

They were mixed in the crowd, like dead leaves in a stream, drifting towards the River Styx ahead.

(End of this chapter)