Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 884 - 177: Mary, I Will Definitely Come to See You

"We can start the investigation from the Goddess of Life, Bazarian."

Ave suggested.

Among the many Old Gods, Ethan had especially close relationships with Old Ba, Old An, and Old Kai. The empire was established on the Life Divine Teachings, and although both Pope Julius and his mentor Turzan were eliminated, they did make contributions to the empire before their deaths.

"Remember? They summoned Saint Mary, who is the closest saint to the Goddess of Life according to the Holy Scripture of the Life Divine Teachings."

Saint Mary ended the crimson plague that swept across the Third Epoch, and at that time, people described her as:

"Her existence was like the Goddess of Life walking among humans." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Moreover, before she disappeared, she told you the location of her relic, so you could find her."

At this point, Ave's eyes were somewhat subtle, "It's been a year and seven months now."

This was typical Senzi.

Who else would dare to stand Saint Mary up for more than a year?

This act was tantamount to the weighty "Pidgeot, I will definitely come back for you."

The golden hair on Ave's head sprouted two small buds, mimicking a spread-hand gesture, and she shook her head.

What else could she say?

Senzi did it too.

"Yeah?"

With Ave's reminder, Ethan was startled.

He recalled that indeed such an event took place, and Mary's eager eyes before her disappearance surged into his heart at this moment.

Ave held her head in her hand.

She was the author of the "Imperial Truth" and had always believed that Ethan had a great plan, and every decision he made had its own profound meaning that most people, including herself, could not immediately see through due to limited vision.

But now it seems, at least regarding Saint Mary, Ethan's delay in not going to the relic to find her was not for some profound reason; he simply forgot due to being busy.

"Senzi is like that."

Little Dark's head emerged from the shadows again, sparing no effort to denounce Ethan's conduct, "He forgot about me just as quickly back then, stood me up too. Do you think Senzi is getting old and suffering from dementia?"

"We can arrange a thorough checkup."

Ave followed Little Dark's words, "Senzi, do you have time this afternoon? Let's go to the Imperial Capital Royal Hospital, and I'll make an appointment for you."

"I'm meeting with Old Ba tonight."

Ethan tactfully declined, clearly, he was still young and couldn't possibly have dementia. But before heading out to visit Old Ba, there was something he needed to confirm, "Ave."

"Hmm?"

"Just hypothetically, don't overthink."

"Hmm."

"Let's say someone you're not really close with had arranged to visit you, but stood you up for a year and seven months. In this case, what kind of gift should he bring to make you forgive him?"

"Want the truth?"

"The truth."

"I would probably consider him dead."

Ave answered seriously. After all, according to the empire's customs, if someone doesn't show up within three days of arranging to meet, it's basically assumed they were murdered—this was the "golden time" her mentor Valerie proposed in disappearance cases.

As for a year and seven months without any news, it's basically assumed they were destroyed without a trace.

"What if he's not dead?"

"I hope he doesn't come to see me, so I can continue pretending he's dead."

Ave blinked several times at Ethan, "Hopefully, Miss Mary's temper is better than mine, after all, she is a believer of the Goddess of Life and might be a gentle, considerate, and forgiving woman."

Leaving the new cabinet, Ethan was deeply troubled; even he admitted he might have gone too far this time. Worse yet, his visit to Mary wasn't just a courtesy call, but he actually needed to consult her about a matter, which would undoubtedly give Mary a terrible impression of "only remembering her when he needed something."

In this situation, a fruit basket definitely wouldn't suffice.

He entered the teleportation array with a heavy heart, heading to the academy, hoping to get some insights from his friend Old Ba. After all, Mary was also a woman Old Ba once admired and had become a Bloody Priestess in "unofficial history," holding an extremely high status among the Evil God's Followers. Old Ba should know her temperament well.

Night fell, and the academy was bustling as ever.

Midway through the semester, various academy activities were unfolding one after another, especially with magicians' apprentices joining the academy, making the mysticism exchanges more frequent. As Ethan emerged from the teleportation array, he immediately saw Professor Wabul giving a speech beside a Christmas tree adorned with colorful illuminating crystals.

With Lindong gone, Professor Wabul's hair restoration project was progressing very smoothly.

Bazatous wasn't idle either, as one of the most popular professors at the academy, his office was constantly filled with students passionate about the arts. Moreover, wealthy merchants and nobles occasionally came, hoping to become partners in Bazatous Legendary Film investments.

Under the leadership of Third Princess Sophia, the empire's film industry was thriving, with the third installment of the "Heisenberg Series" already in the planning stages.

Ethan waited at the door until the last visitor left before knocking and entering.

Seeing an old friend visit, the seven-eyed woman enthusiastically brought out the fruit candies she had prepared—Halloween gummy candy (limb flavor).

Though it looked like orange gummies, it emitted an ominous aura that reminded Ethan of the inhibitors produced by the investigation bureau.

That stuff was not to be consumed casually; just a small bottle nearly sent his good friend, Banker Mr. Marshall, to meet his great-grandmother.

"You want to know about Bazarian?"

Bazatous was slightly surprised.

He couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd last heard that name; the believers knew of the Goddess of Life's deeds and those of other True Gods, so no one dared mention this inauspicious name in his presence, fearing their Celestial Father might throw them into the plague pot in a fit of anger.

But in reality, he didn't hate Bazarian; he was even somewhat comforted after witnessing Bazarian's growth.

"I don't know how others see it, but to me, Bazarian is like a daughter."

Bazatous opened a bottle of honeycomb worm extract and narrated the wondrous encounter to Ethan, "From the moment I heard her call, I knew she was destined to become my believer. Only two have ever made me feel that way."

At this point, Bazatous looked at Ethan, his gaze heated, "The other one is you, Old Sen... though you're different from her, you're a trustworthy partner."

In fact, he couldn't even explain where this feeling originated from. After Bazarian's soul dissipated, he'd had countless believers, even establishing a state religion at one point, but never again did he meet anyone as unique as Bazarian.

Ethan didn't find this surprising, since Bazarian was a creation of the Divine Kingdom, fused with the genetic makeup of the Kania people.

She had been modified—from appearance to personality to aura—to cater to Bazatous.

"And what about Mary?"

"That's not fair of you."

The seven-eyed woman rarely frowned at Ethan, and before Ethan could explain, a bottle of honeycomb worm extract was handed to him.

Punishment drink.

The seven eyes all conveyed the same message.

Mary was once a favored human of his, possessing a resilient soul, and her aura bore some resemblance to Bazarian's.

Originally, becoming his believer would have been a natural course, but Ethan stepped in unexpectedly.

At that moment, Ethan experienced the feelings of his friend Banker Mr. Marshall when tricked into drinking an inhibitor, but Old Ba seemed resolute; without drinking the honeycomb worm extract, he wouldn't divulge more.

Resolute, Ethan held his breath and downed the thick, ominous liquid at once.

Seeing this, the seven-eyed woman finally relaxed her brows, "I first noticed Mary when she executed a city officer who stood her up because of drunkenness."

Ethan's vision darkened momentarily, suffering a double blow within seconds.

Bazatous, however, continued speaking to himself, "Who would've thought that human girl appeared kind and gentle but had a temper as fierce as Kaisaros's."