After work, start to speedrun the other world-Chapter 609 - 245: Must Return to the Beginning

"Lord Ahtal, do you like my gift?" A gentle yet respectful voice reached his ears, as Xi Mu opened his eyes to see a young maiden with cascading black hair, gracefully kneeling beside him and looking at him with a smile.

Indeed, last night he had received a gift, but that gift was none other than the puppet maiden herself.

"It’s truly an exceptionally unique gift," Xi Mu remarked, while surveying his surroundings. He observed alluringly shaped puppets being drawn into the void by imperceptible threads and silently disappearing.

These alluring puppets were gifts meticulously prepared by the puppet maiden, masterpieces of her puppet artistry, embodying a thousand forms of beauty, a thousand breaths of elegance, and a thousand murmurs of dreams.

As for the black-haired maiden kneeling beside him, she was the puppet maiden’s original form, the master of all puppets, and the... truth behind the puppet maiden.

"May I take that as your satisfaction?" The puppet maiden leaned closer, her inky black hair cascading over her fragrant shoulders and falling onto Ahtal’s face as her voice softly whispered:

"If there’s anything unsatisfactory, Lord Ahtal may voice it. However, I beg you not to request a puppet resembling the Witch of Death."

Though her puppet artistry reached its zenith and she could replicate anyone’s beauty, it was only in theory; crafting a puppet identical to the Witch of Death’s visage was tantamount to courting death.

"And others may?" Xi Mu stood up, casually asking aloud. The puppet maiden paused briefly in response before leaning close to Ahtal’s ear and whispering a few words.

Xi Mu’s expression shifted into something subtle; he hadn’t expected the puppet maiden to be so oddly bold.

"Will Lord Ahtal be staying?" The puppet maiden asked with a cheerful smile, her actions, however, betraying her eagerness—she presented the pre-prepared clothing to Ahtal, dressing him meticulously.

"Whether for days or years, as long as Lord Ahtal wishes, I am willing..."

"Now is no time for years," Xi Mu gently shook his head. The puppet maiden did not seem disappointed at his words, continuing to dress him while thoughtfully steering the conversation to another topic:

"How long does Lord Ahtal intend to stay with the Church of Death?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Xi Mu pondered briefly: "Perhaps just a few days."

"And then you will go to meet the Witch of Death?" the puppet maiden asked.

Xi Mu nodded at her words, indeed needing to meet the Witch of Death and confirm the creation of her realm, the Death Within Death.

If it was determined that he could lead everyone into a new world, it would present another option for him.

A few days later.

The world had changed significantly; many openly began worshipping witches and demons, dragging the ideologies and beliefs born from the simulated world into reality.

This indirectly altered the aesthetics of the world, as many applied what they learned from the simulated realm onto themselves, transforming into Alchemical Puppets, elemental beings, monsters, corpses, or other forms of new life.

And among these varied life forms, corpses became the most common choice.

However.

"What’s the appeal of choosing to become a corpse?" The Corpse Witch slouched at the table, her entire demeanor listless.

She muttered as though complaining:

"I can’t possibly help them survive Ragnarok."

"It’s because your power has the lowest barrier to access," a cold female voice interjected. The Witch of the Moon appeared, her expression weary, holding a towering stack of documents.

"Seeking power from other demons or witches requires certain prerequisites, but you only need a lively corpse."

She added another point:

"Furthermore, turning into a corpse doesn’t prevent them from seeking other sources of power."

"..."

The Corpse Witch became even more dejected upon hearing this.

But she had to admit the truth in the Moon Witch’s words. Now, so many were willingly becoming corpses simply because the threshold was very low; one merely needed to be alive, possessing a fresh, sturdy body, to transform into a corpse.

Of course, this didn’t mean transforming into a corpse bestowed great power; it was simply because many had chosen this path in the simulated world, accumulating ample experience on how to strengthen oneself as a corpse.

Otherwise, a freshly turned corpse might struggle against a dog.

"If you have nothing better to do, bring Ahtal to Hell," the Moon Witch suddenly said, facing the Corpse Witch’s incredulous gaze as she explained coolly, "That man is with the Church of Death; all you need to do is escort him to the Witch of Death."

The Corpse Witch’s focus drifted to another point of interest: "Why does it seem like everyone knows about Lord Ahtal’s arrival?"

"The Witch of Death told me," the Moon Witch said indifferently, "Moreover, that man hasn’t made much effort to hide his whereabouts."

Regarding Ahtal’s location, anyone remotely attuned to information could ascertain his descent. However, given the shockingly ominous nature of Ahtal’s arrival, most who learned the truth chose to keep quiet.

"Alright, I’ll summon Ahtal to descend into Hell." The Corpse Witch deliberately elongated her tone, as if announcing something gravely serious.

The Moon Witch responded with a subtle nod, then turned to leave the castle. She now resided in the deepest layer of Hell, assisting the Goddess of Death and the Witch of Death in creating the Death Within Death.

...

...

The Church of Death.

By the seaside.

Xi Mu reclined on a chair, gripping a cup of juice as he gazed at the people scattered across the nearby beach. Shark Girl Kashute tossed up a volleyball and then smacked it forcefully, causing the air to explode as the ball shot forth like a cannonball.