Chapter 216: Whisper

"The scent of evil."

Holy light pierced the floor; Li En used Detect Evil as a radar for the first time.

This evil lurking underground, however, bloomed with dazzling red light.

"Crack,"

The sensation beneath his feet felt somewhat familiar to Li En.

A glance confirmed it: he had stepped on broken bones, many stained with dried, dark, turbid blood.

The scattered bones and the pile of skulls nearby revealed everything.

The stench of flesh, corpses, and some unknown liquid mixed together reminded Li En of the filthiest sewers, but more than that, the "aura of evil" rushed toward him.

The feedback from Detect Evil repeatedly reminded Li En of what kind of monster lay before him.

The scent of death? Shattered particles of necromancy? A place of negative energy strong enough to form undead but forcibly scattered.

This place seemed to be a monster's dining hall.

"Awooo!"

The low growl from behind the massive door not far away seemed to be issuing a warning to the intruder in its territory.

"Hah."

But for Li En, this was actually a familiar flavor.

Problems that can be solved by combat are not problems at all.

With a slight swing of the tightly gripped holy sword, the lowest layer of its radiant power swept through, greatly reducing the stench in the air; this meant the smell itself might be a supernatural attack.

"Come, let me see what 'Whisper' is." He stepped through the door; behind it, light seemed to faintly glow.

"Silence! No noise in the library!"

The sudden rebuke made Li En pause, instinctively stopping.

He looked left and right, only to realize the door had vanished and his surroundings were completely different.

It was a vast library; countless books lined the white walls, various books of unknown paper quality placed within.

The one rebuking Li En was a monster, or rather, a "person" who looked like a monster.

He was tall and strong, yet wore a strange and magnificent golden-yellow gown.

Above the lower body, which resembled a small war chariot, the upper body was forked.

He had two upper bodies: one resembling an inflated tumor, the other a miniature assembly of a clock tower.

He sat before the largest table in the center of the library, and in front of him stood a line of people, all wearing white robes, signifying they were visitors seeking knowledge.

"Eh, how do I know?"

Li En looked down and noticed that, somehow, he too was wearing a white robe.

He suddenly understood: this was respect for the library's master and for knowledge itself.

This was a hall of knowledge capable of revealing all; to obtain it, one had paid countless costs. A little etiquette and patience were the necessary path to acquiring knowledge.

Li En instinctively walked to the end of the line, watching the strange-looking creatures ahead move forward slowly.

They were murmuring among themselves, discussing the librarian's preferences, but in this hall of knowledge, no one dared to speak loudly; whispers and soft speech were the most basic etiquette.

"So, we are the Whisperers."

Li En also communicated quietly with the long creature ahead, quietly negotiating the "price" for obtaining knowledge.

"It hasn't rained in my homeland for over three hundred years... If this continues, the new generation won't hatch."

Li En then noticed this was a creature resembling a loach, sticky all over, with bulging "abscesses" appearing from time to time. Li En felt no disgust; he inexplicably sensed the surging life force within, which must be his children.

The line advanced slowly and steadily; one by one, the "Whisperers" received answers from the librarian.

They vanished, either joyful or astonished, making way for the next.

Even so, everyone maintained their whispers; before knowledge and truth, all must remain humble.

Soon, the line reached the front before Li En.

"The cause of the drought in your homeland? Very well. One skull, and your children."

That twisted and massive "library administrator" proposed a quite evil price.

But strangely, even the paladin Li En felt this was only natural.

Knowledge and truth, of course, have a price!

"So cheap?" The long creature happily agreed.

"Slap!"

The two-bodied library administrator's tumor half expanded directly.

A massive mouth, reeking of blood, tore down; the "Whisperer" who had just spoken with Li En instantly lost half his body and fell backward.

His mangled flesh fell amidst spraying blood, and the "tumor" on his body was sucked one by one into the great mouth.

"The cause of the drought in your homeland is a Star-Base Earth Dragon at the planet's core. It is awakening, instinctively sucking dry the moisture from your planet's ecological chain. Kill it, and the moisture returns; but kill it, and your planet will suffer heat death and perish just the same."

Part of the librarian's clock tower gave the answer.

Li En then noticed that beside the sacred desk, there was already a pile of various flesh and fragments.

Yet he still felt nothing was wrong; on the contrary, he felt great joy.

This was the price of knowledge. So many devout seekers of knowledge in the multiverse, willing to trade everything for knowledge and truth, truly brought joy.

"What do you wish to know? You may ask only one question."

The librarian finally looked at Li En. What do I wish to know? What am I seeking? Li En instinctively searched for his own desire.

"Owl, how to deal with the Owl?" This was the most important question at present.

"One arm."

The librarian glanced at Li En; the clock tower portion made its judgment.

A part of its flesh and blood seemed slightly dissatisfied, yet it appeared this question was worth only that price.

But the next moment, Li En shook his head, regretting it. Was it too wasteful to trade a single chance for this answer?

I still have four limbs and a head, a body; perhaps I can purchase more.

"What was the truth of the Kingdom back then?"

"Two arms! Plus one foot."

This price perhaps explained the "weight" of the truth.

Perhaps this was the price to accept? Li En was just about to confirm, yet hesitated again.

To waste a single chance like this, was that really right?

What does the Kingdom's well-being have to do with me? Why should I save a Kingdom that has little relation to me?

If there truly is an "answer," I certainly must ask what I most want to know.

"Can I ask anything?"

"Yes, the Whispering Library knows all."

Li En pondered for a moment, then voiced his answer.

"What is the Dragon of a Thousand Faces?" This was the answer he sought for himself.

His calm words had been his greatest doubt all along.

That was the source of everything; that was the unknowable truth.

Why did the Dragon of a Thousand Faces come? Why did it constantly regenerate? What was the reason for his transmigration to another world?

Li En did not worry the other would misunderstand, nor did he fear the Librarian would twist the answer or give only part of it; within this Library of Truth, the answer must be complete according to the Whisperer's needs.

"The Dragon of a Thousand Faces... The Dragon of a Thousand Faces."

Unlike the immediate response before, this time, after the "question" was input, the "answer" fell into hesitation.

"The Dragon of a Thousand Faces..."

Both heads of the Librarian chanted this word.

Countless books in the Library opened on their own, as if searching for this answer.

"The Dragon of a Thousand Faces! Dragon King! The Weeper! The Liar! The Reincarnated One! The Guardian! The Slayer! The World-Destroyer! Outer God! Old God! The Ancient One! Evil God! Righteous God..."

They all seemed to have found their answers; countless words echoed back and forth in the hall, and the original rule of "Whisper" seemed to be gradually breaking.

Those knowledge-seeking Whisperers, at some unknown time, also began to murmur, chanting this ancient and majestic sole existence.

"Crack!"

The sudden sound attracted the gaze of all the Whisperers.

The clock tower symbolizing omniscience cracked open.

He did not obtain an answer!

"Liar!" The Whisperer standing behind Li En suddenly roared.

"You actually don't know!" A monster like a lion also rebuked the Librarian's incompetence.

"You know! You know part of it!" A feathered Whisperer pointed out the truth.

"You dare not speak!"

"You dare not!"

"You are not worthy to be part of 'Him,' you are not worthy."

For some reason, Li En suddenly felt filled with rage; this fellow was not a true knower; it was merely a...

"You are not omniscient; you are merely a fake!"

Li En pointed at it; rage made him completely forget the rules of "Whisper," and his roar echoed throughout the entire hall!

"Crack!"

Thus, the entire world shattered.

"Aaaaaah!"

"Drip, drop!"

When the eerie radiance dispersed, the Library, which had once resembled a temple, was utterly gone.

In this stench-filled cave, there was only an assembled monster spewing blood.

One body was a broken clock, another body was a ghoul tied to a pillar; this was a fake stitched together from flesh and blood.

The ground was covered in flesh fragments and bones, and this monster was covered in cracks; as shards constantly fell, blood sprayed everywhere.

"Cough, cough."

Li En gasped deeply; the foul stench he had unconsciously inhaled made him cough incessantly, nearly causing him to vomit on the spot.

But the Holy Sword he gripped tightly began to radiate holy light.

The oath, the oath to protect humanity and human nature, was fully activated by the existence before him!

(End of this chapter)