Despite having already made a clear guess in his mind, Bethel still couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted at this moment. He spoke with some difficulty, "Am I corrupted?"
"Yes." Lynn didn't conceal anything and nodded.
Bethel fell silent. A few seconds later, he spoke again, "Mother Tree of Desire?"
Apparently, Bethel's first suspect was the Bitch Tree, which had nearly caught him last time.
"No, it's the Mother Goddess of Depravity," Lynn shook his head.
Bethel's left hand, which was originally on the armrest of the chair, clenched at this moment. Almost instantly, the armrest he was holding turned into powder, but his left hand maintained its original action, trembling slightly. This wasn't due to fear, but because his emotions were too tumultuous at this moment.
One couldn't blame him for this reaction. There were differences even among the outer gods, and as a former pillar, even though its characteristics and essence had been torn apart and were no longer complete, the Mother Goddess of Depravity was still incomparable to other outer gods.
To give an example, the difficulty of removing corruption from a regular outer god was three stars, while removing corruption from the Mother Goddess of Depravity was at least five stars.
Even if Bethel's mindset crumbled a little at this moment. Mr. Door was still Mr. Door. After a few minutes of silence, he finally calmed himself down, at least on the surface.
Bethel looked up at Lynn, his voice somewhat hoarse, probably due to the emotional turmoil just now, "So this is my fate?"
Corrupted by an outer god, dying, or completely becoming a puppet of the outer god, and then harming this world...
Even though he had vaguely guessed it earlier, when faced with the facts, Bethel couldn't help but feel suffocated.
"I thought I could accept it calmly, but I overestimated myself..." Bethel murmured, his smile self-deprecating.
"Clap—"
At this moment, the sound of a hand clap rang near Bethel's ears, pulling him back to reality. He saw Lynn looking at him seriously.
"No, this is not your fate," Lynn said sternly.
Bethel was stunned.
Lynn then continued, somewhat annoyed, "Do you think I'm someone who makes empty promises? I once said that I wouldn't let you die on your way home, and I will make sure of that."
As he spoke, Lynn placed his hand on Bethel's shoulder, his Spirituality spreading out to suppress the corruptive forces that seemed to become more active once Bethel realized he was corrupted. He said:
"Although I can't remove this corruption now, as long as I'm here, it won't harm you."
Lynn could suppress the corruption in Mr. Door, who was completely corrupted by the Goddess of Depravity, and restore his clarity. Naturally, his power could have an even greater effect on Bethel, who hadn't completely become a puppet of It, ensuring that the corruption within him remained dormant and never erupted.
"However..." Lynn seemed to think of something, his expression becoming hesitant. A few seconds later, he said, "You might be bound to me in the future. Until the corruption in you is removed, we need to stay in constant contact. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens and the Spirituality I left on your spirit body is exhausted, it could be dangerous."
Lynn wasn't making things up. The Spirituality he used to suppress the corruption was only a part of his power, not a separated portion of his soul. Just like those extraordinary weapons made of spiritual materials with a usage limit, this Spirituality would also be consumed in the confrontation with the corruption of the Mother Goddess of Depravity, requiring periodic replenishment.
If he couldn't contact Mr. Door when replenishment was needed and couldn't perform the replenishment, the consequences would be obvious.
"I understand. Thank you, Lynn," Bethel expressed his gratitude solemnly. While Lynn suppressed the corruption within him, Bethel could finally feel those hidden corruptions, confirming one thing more firmly—without Lynn, a fate worse than death awaited him, one he was even more unwilling to accept.
Bethel wasn't particularly afraid of death, but he didn't want to become a puppet of the outer god, a tool for invading this world.
Especially... as the foremost Beyonder under the gods, closest to the Lord of Mysteries, Bethel even suspected that the Mother Goddess of Depravity might use him as a medium to control the Lord of Mysteries.
If that happened, the world might be doomed, and he would be the sinner who destroyed it.
Luckily, that wouldn't happen.
Bethel breathed a sigh of relief.
Regardless of whether the corruption within him could be removed in the future, he would never allow himself to become a puppet of the outer god, nor let the Goddess of Depravity use him to control the Lord of Mysteries. If it came to that, he would end his life early, leaving hope to others.
"Can't you be a bit more ambitious? It's just the corruption of the Mother Goddess of Depravity. She runs away like a rat when she sees me. What are you afraid of?" Lynn coldly interrupted, clearly seeing through Mr. Door's heroic death wish, speaking with a tone of disappointment.
"Don't think about death lightly. It only makes your loved ones grieve and your enemies happy. And I don't want to see Amon step over you again, especially not when I'm alive," Lynn continued.
When Lynn read that part in the book, he was furious and would never let it happen in reality.
Bethel was stunned. He didn't know whether to be shocked by Lynn's 'The Mother Goddess of Depravity runs away like a rat when she sees me' or to think about the meaning of 'seeing Amon step over you again'. He remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "I just want to prepare for the worst."
"Then prepare to work for me for a lifetime. This is a promise from your future self," Lynn said seriously.
This left Mr. Door stunned again, and then Lynn continued, "By the way, I'm planning to visit the Trunsoest Empire soon, mainly to see the Eternal Blazing Sun. Bethel, you should come with me!"
"Since you probably don't feel like handling the affairs of the Abraham family now, take this opportunity to relax. Having you with me will also help me better study how to remove the corruption."
(End of Chapter)
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