Only God

"Because I am certain that after I die, I will go to the Great Plain to enjoy bliss and happiness. Why? Because I am a philosopher, a great philosopher!"

Veldor nodded slightly, then asked:

"What kind of philosopher? Of which school?"

"You see, with my unremarkable appearance and the plain clothes I wore at death, I am of the Ascetic Sect; I also yearn for beauty, adore beauty, and respect the gods, so I am also from the Lun'er School; at the same time, I am charitable and devoted to every Divine being, therefore I belong to the Yonar Sect, and finally, I am willing to spread knowledge and praise the truth, if you show even the slightest curiosity, I could talk to you all morning, so I am also from the Forget Sorrow Sect..."

The old scholar named Oren chattered away, almost dizzying the less knowledgeable Veldor.

"So you're saying you don't belong to any particular school?"

Veldor asked.

Oren nodded earnestly,

"Indeed, you really have an eye for talent. As the saying goes: 'In the pursuit of wisdom, who cares about the school?'"

Oren spread his hands,

"You could say, I take the best from all schools."

Veldor was taken aback. He exclaimed,

"Then you truly are a philosopher."

After a pause, Veldor decided to ask the question he cared about most.

"So... in the more than two months you've been here, have you found any clues or traces?"

This dwarf was desperate to find his own trace of evidence that he hadn't died, and he didn't care in the least about the old man's origins, knowledge, or anything else.

Veldor really didn't believe that a True Believer like him who converted would still have to spend time in the Netherworld after death. Such a thing was never mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, nor in the Creed, let alone the teachings.

Rather than staying in the Netherworld, Veldor would even prefer to go to Hell, since in his life, he had never committed serious sins like murder or adultery—his misdeeds were minor thievery at worst, and after his conversion, he had sincerely repented for a long time.

Suddenly, Oren coughed, straightened up his human chest, and said with pride:

"No."

Veldor was shocked. He had thought that the old man, so sure he hadn't died, must have had something up his sleeve, but it turned out the old man hadn't found any clues either.

"But I can be certain that someone like me will definitely go to the Great Plain after I die,"

Oren began to explain,

"You know, the Great Plain is the place for the Supreme Good and Heroes, and look at me, despite being old, I am most certainly both a Supreme Good and a Hero.

I have been charitable since childhood, and during my adult life, while traveling, I came across a pregnant woman in labor in a cave. I unquestionably helped her give birth, saving two lives. She was grateful to me and gave herself to me.

But over a decade later, she passed away. I buried her, and by that time our daughter had also married off. I gave her all of my savings, a full chest of dowry.

Afterward, I resumed traveling around to teach. Along the way, if I met poor people, I would help them out, giving away my most valuable possessions—essentially scattering a fortune.

When I was over sixty, I went to the battlefield, using my knowledge as a Priest to prophesy and deliver Divine Revelation, and under my leadership, our army won a hundred battles without a single defeat. Even the Legion Commander revered me, saying he would erect a statue in my honor, but I refused and left the army the very next day, henceforward living a life obscured from fame and accomplishment.

Do I not count as both a Supreme Good and a Hero?"

Oren went on and on, recounting his life experiences. Veldor, seeing that he did not appear to be lying, kept nodding,

"You are indeed both a Supreme Good and a Hero."

Oren was very satisfied with Veldor's reply.

Then, he slowly said:

"I know you are like me, eager to find traces, but as you can see, everything here is very normal, just like the Netherworld of the legends."

Veldor nodded. He and Gomu had been searching for a long time without finding any clues; instead, they discovered that this afterlife town was even more like the Netherworld than they had imagined.

"It seems the creator of this place has made thorough preparations. If we keep searching blindly like before, we will gain nothing,"

Oren said.

"You mean?"

"We take the initiative, cause trouble, and make those people overwhelmed by it, eventually forcing them to show their weaknesses."

Oren proposed a bold idea.

Veldor was first startled, then had an epiphany.

Indeed, the town had clearly been crafted with meticulous design; its creator must have anticipated that some people would not believe they had died, so they made the town flawless.

Rather than continuing to search as before, it would be better to force the town's managers, such as the Netherworld servants and the guides, to reveal their weaknesses.

Oren's suggestion was like a wake-up call in a dream, and Veldor became excited.

"So, what should we do?"

Veldor pressed on:

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Ideas? Of course, I have ideas, philosophers are never short on ideas."

Oren declared loudly,

"Have you ever heard of a hero who returned from death to the Mortal World in the Netherworld?"

A hero returned from death to the Mortal World?

Veldor was taken aback; this was the first he'd heard of it.

"It seems you are not very well-informed."

Oren proceeded to explain briefly,

"Baird, the hero mentioned in the True Religion Scriptures, is said to have made a wager with the Netherworld Judges. If he completed nine trial challenges in various places in the Netherworld, then the Netherworld Judges would have to let him return to the Mortal World."

Veldor nodded, now he'd heard of it.

"So… what does this have to do with our plan?"

Oren held up a finger and said:

"It's simple. We cause disruption here in town, forcing the Netherworld Judges to meet with us in person, then we propose the trials.

You know, Baird completed nine trials in different places, so if we also participate in the trials, we could thus use this as a condition to leave the town. If there are no other Netherworld realms outside of this town, then it proves this is not the Netherworld, and that we are not dead."

Veldor understood Oren's proposal.

In short, participating in the trials would involve going to different places. If the so-called "Netherworld Judges" did not allow them to leave the town, to go to different places, then it would prove that other places do not exist, and hence this place is not the Netherworld.

Veldor couldn't help but admire Oren's plan.

"In two or three days, we'll start acting, the sooner the better. I do not wish to remain in this godforsaken place any longer."

Oren stood up, resolutely.

Veldor clenched his fists, solemnly nodding in agreement.

............…

After leaving Oren, Veldor shared this plan with Gomu, and to Veldor's surprise, Gomu had no reaction.

It was known that when they first arrived in this so-called "Netherworld," Gomu had reacted almost as vehemently as he did, but now…

"Is that so? May the Lord protect you."

Gomu's reaction was lukewarm, as if it were none of his business.

"Aren't you excited?"

Veldor was stunned.

"What's there to be excited about? I have already come to believe that this truly is the Netherworld."

Saying so, Gomu paused,

"It's you, on the other hand, who's been exerting yourself in vain. Veldor, listen to my advice, stop this. Wally said that, sooner or later, we True Believers will go to Heaven."

Seeing Gomu like this, Veldor was first infuriated. He clenched his fists, muttering "The Lord shall see all your deeds.", but after a moment, he calmed down. Once he saw he couldn't change Gomu's mind, he said, "May God forgive you. No matter what you think, I have to try."

Gomu had no response to this either; he offered Veldor a stiff blessing and told him he would pray for him. As for how sincere that prayer was, perhaps only God would know.