Facing the ladder that he has been thinking about for hundreds of years and fighting for all his life, Bud retreated. He wanted to look away, but his eyes were glued to the translucent steps hanging from the air, and his legs even took a few steps forward involuntarily. Stopstop Unable to control his body, Bud was extremely anxious. "I did not control your body. What drove you to act was the obsession buried deep in your heart." Bray saw through Bud's thoughts at a glance. But I don't want to go up there now. Bard used all his willpower to resist, and finally managed to stop his mental body from moving. "What's wrong? This is the ladder you've been praying for, why are you retreating?" "I" Bray chuckled, making a lifting motion with his hands, and the white sky above his head reflected the images in his consciousness. The refracted image - Hohenheim suspended in the sky, a cyan falcon came riding on the wind, slowly descending to the highest point of the mage city. What greeted it were two mages with different robes, a man and a woman. . Bard took a closer look and saw that it was him and Claire in the image, and the one who landed on the ground and turned into a human was none other than Link. Suddenly, Bud realized that this memory that he had no idea was not real, but the pseudo-Edgar that Bray said Link had experienced in his own world. What Bray showed should be a clip of Link going up the ladder and how he came down. Thinking of this, Bard stared intently at the memory projection released by Bray. He really wanted to know, what was the difference between himself and that alien? "The Great Sage is waiting for you above." Claire turned sideways, and a transparent staircase descending from the sky loomed behind her. No warning? Who descended the ladder? column? Bray? Bud was confused. Link stretched out his foot and stepped on it tentatively. After making sure it was safe, he walked up step by step. None of the obstacles or confusion that Bray mentioned happened. The sky was empty, there was nothing else but the stairs at my feet, and the deathly silence was so oppressive that I couldn't breathe. "Breathebreathebreathebreathecalm down, don't get confused." Link, standing on the ladder, began to mutter to himself: "Such a formal greeting is not a show of force or a joke. This must be a big deal. The test given to me by the sage, the road is here, it must be my problem if I can't see it." Bard couldn't laugh at all, especially the last sentence. "Seeing through invisibility? No, this is not a simple invisibility technique." After a pause, Link tentatively said the word 'divine knowledge'. The originally dead-end stairs began to branch, and countless branches grew like branches. Forked road. "Divine inspiration." Zhu's divine power pointed out the way. "God appears." The divine power of the pillar fixed the path that should not have appeared. Then, Link, who had no power of his own in Bard's eyes, started running quickly along the fluorescent road. Are you going up now? It's that simple? Even if it's just a projection, it should be the same as reality. The next scene couldn¡¯t allow Bud to dwell on it. At the end of the road, an Edgar¡¯s Ring appeared, spinning constantly like an astronomical instrument. "Is there anyone there? Hello, BrayMaster?" Link, who looked much livelier than now, looked around, as if he wanted to find someone on this unmanned ladder. As soon as he finished speaking, a figure appeared next to him. The outline that turned from light to thick was none other than the great sage, Bray. "Young candidate, this is the intersection of the mortal and the holy, the dividing point of the law. First of all, I want to congratulate you for finding the right path." "You specified that you want to see me, why?" Link asked. Bray briefly explained the reason. He needed an uncontaminated source of magic power to become a god. After speaking some dialogue that Bard couldn't understand, Bray proposed that Link could be sent back to the past to find the pillar of water for an uncontaminated source of magic. Then the scene suddenly changed. Link fell from a high altitude into the deep sea, and also participated in the trial of the Naga that has become a legend. When the druids exited, what awaited Link was not the pillar of water he expected, but a side. A strange mirror reflected a room and a seriously ill old man. Bard noticed that Link¡¯s expression changed drastically, and he knew that even if he was not Link¡¯s relative, he was still an acquaintance. ¡¾You have the ability to save him. ¡¿ ¡¾Can you bear to see him in such pain? ] "Show me your identity!" Link shouted, but the voice that bewitched him continued on its own. ¡¾Who I am is not important, what is important is your decision. ] Just by looking at his expression, Bard knew that Link was shaken. "How to save?" "Your divine power, the son of nature has power beyond imagination."?, as long as it is injected into his body, he can be resurrected from the dead. ] Speaking of which, Bard would be a fool if he couldn't guess who the bewitcher was. Death Hicks! Using resurrection to confuse people is his usual tactic. "There is no resurrection after death." Link answered while standing in the water dyed red by the trial. ¡°That¡¯s reality, this is Edgar, anything is possible. You can do it, with the power given to you by the gods. You can, you have that power. Using the power of the soul to shape the body, he can survive in this world. Stop being hypocritical, all you can think about right now is how to resurrect your loved ones. ] The God of Death's words were too deceptive and inflammatory. Just the words he said at this moment made Bard feel that Link couldn't resist. "No, there is no resurrection from the dead in this world. Even if it is resurrected in Edgar, it is false. This world is originally a fantasy and made-up space." "What if it is true? ] Here it comesthis is the key! It seems to be just an ordinary temptation, but the God of Death added a subtle deception to these words. False and true are just two words apart. If what Bray said is true, as long as Link agrees, then the power of the pillar he possesses Will be taken away by death! "If this is a real world, then we can't agree to it! The reason why life is valuable is that it only happens once and cannot be copied, let alone repeated. This is the past in an illusion, and I will never use it. It's not yet determined. The future is already destined to bet on the past. "With Link's stern refusal, all the illusions disappeared, and the old man turned into a skeleton wearing a black robe. His outstretched hand was about to touch Link. The mirror broke and the roaring waves swallowed everything. Link, who sank into the sea, met the real pillar of water. The scales that fell off the tail of the giant fish fell on Link's body and disappeared. The surrounding scene changed again. He returned to the ladder and faced the Great Sage. It was as if all previous experiences were hallucinations. Not to mention Link, even Bard was a little confused. He handed the bottle filled with seawater when he fell into the water to Bray. The other person didn't take it. Instead, he asked Link, do you know what it is? Then, Bray asked again in a surprised tone, do you still want to leave? Do you know where this place is? However, before he could finish his explanation, he was impatiently interrupted by Link. "I have no interest in becoming a god. I can neither interfere with the material world nor am I subject to laws." At this moment, the impact Bard suffered was comparable to divine punishment. "The reason for refusing so simply is that he really has no desire to become a god. Although he doesn't understand Link's thinking mode, what he said makes some sense. He controls the power that overwhelms all sentient beings, but is controlled by laws everywhere. How is it any different from mortals being controlled by gods? It's not that Bard doesn't understand this truth, it's just thatfor a long time, becoming a god has overridden his reason, causing him to ignore this established fact. The image ends with the great sage¡¯s strange and gratifying smile. "You are the first child of nature to pass the test in the past hundred years." The spiritual space returned to its original white color, Bud asked with some uncertainty. "That projection isn't a pillar, right?" "Hey, you actually saw it?" This was somewhat beyond Bray's expectation. Normally, he would mistake this for a test of pillars. As a reward, he generously gave the answer, "It's the Mother of Darkness, one of the six first-generation goddesses, Liz, and the creator of the projection illusion." "So, is the God of Death who tempted Link real? Or is it just for A phantom created to deceive Link? "Bray paused, "Since you already have the answer, why bother asking." I thought that Bard was immortal, but I didn't expect him to think of this level. It's a pity Bray didn't. A clear answer, but Bard already understood. The God of Death in the illusion is of course real, and the mirror is a good revelation. He could not break away from Edgar and enter another world, so he projected his own phantom in the illusion through his followers. If Link really agreed, the consequences would be disastrous. . "I already understand the difference between myself and him." Bard felt bitter in his heart and had to admit that he who had been a sage for hundreds of years was not as clear-minded as a man who only lived for twenty years. "This ladder I won't go up." Bray was obviously a little surprised. No one would refuse the opportunity to become a god, not even him back then. "You have to think carefully. The passage will not be opened to the same soul a second time." "Yes, I have thought clearly." Bud knelt down on one knee, "In this life, I will serve you in the material world as a human being. Until he returns to the flow of life at the end of his life." Bray looked at Bud for a long time, and the anxiety and insecurity on his face disappeared. "Change with your own destiny"When we meet, do you choose to retreat? " "Yes, I am not a gifted mage. I can hold the position of sage only because today's human qualifications are too mediocre and I seek stability in everything. Even if I am lucky enough to enter the Kingdom of God, with my qualifications, I will only be at the bottom among the three generations. I am afraid that I will soon disappear into the conflict between the gods. Rather than end up dying like an undead, it is better to stay on the surface and help Link defeat the enemy. God of Death, do your part for the continuation of this world. "Bard raised his head, his eyes particularly firm. Bray nodded repeatedly and closed the mental space. Bard's spirit returned to his body, and he saw Bray's envoy looking at him curiously. It was obviously him, and the divine visit was over. " You were in a daze for a long time" Maybe it was because you were too close, the young man explained. "I was too tired, so I fell asleep. "For such an apostle who came from another world and is still a novice in magic, it is meaningless to explain too much. Bard made a random excuse. "Hey, you can actually" Thinking of Bard's usual scolding with a straight face. The way he looked, Finn stopped in time and scratched. His actions reminded Bard of Link, who once had such a normal side, and he couldn't help but sigh when he saw that the sage didn't discipline him. After walking away, Finn became more courageous: "Well I heard that Link is back, and I have some questions to ask him, is that okay? " Originally I had no expectations, but unexpectedly, Bard, who had already left, agreed. " I will contact him tomorrow. Whether he comes or not is not up to me. "