Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 708 - 92: City of Lies

"How do you feel?"

Professor Karl heard the noise and saw Ethan close the sheepskin book, so he eagerly asked.

"City of Truth" had been banned in the Empire since the time of Henry III. Most people believed the city had never truly existed. Even within the Truth Society, believers were divided into several factions. The most mainstream belief now is that the so-called "dream" is actually the Saint's imagination of the future, creating an ideal state through words in his later years.

Unlike blind fanatics, the believers of the God of Truth believe in objectively existing things. They hold respect for the Saints but will never regard them as truth.

Professor Karl was part of the minority in the society.

He didn't believe such detailed depictions in the book originated from imagination. He believed in the stories in the book and that the people of the City of Truth had sent out a spaceship, although for some unknown reason, the spaceship failed to reach the Empire.

After speaking, Professor Karl glanced at Lindong. Although she hadn't expressed a clear view before, he could tell she belonged to the majority in the society.

"You don't have to hide it. Just express your most genuine thoughts."

Professor Karl didn't find it hard to speak of. From an objective standpoint, the majority's argument was also self-consistent. The Saint once hoped to assist Henry I in establishing an ideal state, but ultimately failed. Such stories occur in every era and every kingdom.

"It truly existed."

Ethan's answer shocked Professor Karl, making his aged body tremble and his lips quiver when speaking, "You... believe it? I mean, I'm glad you think so, but even Vince, she doesn't believe the stories in this book."

"I've been to similar places; only those who have been there can depict the same scenery."

"Plop."

The sheepskin book fell from Professor Karl's hand. After a long while, he excitedly grasped Ethan's arm, "You've been there? You've also seen the City of Truth?"

"A similar city."

Ethan expressed his inner thoughts, "However, I have a different view from that sage. I don't think it's the true ideal state."

Especially at the end of the book, when the story is about to come to a sudden stop, that city, equivalent to the modern technological level he knew, suddenly built a spaceship—a technology for interstellar travel that only exists in science fiction works.

"Professor Karl, you must have heard of the preconceived notion."

"I'm interested to hear more."

With an almost solemn expression, Professor Karl dragged a chair to sit opposite Ethan and even picked up a blank sheepskin book, murmuring a spell, making a quill swiftly fly to his side.

"The sage believes the Democratic Assembly spared no effort to help them. They are symbols of enthusiasm and friendliness, with the book repeatedly using the phrase 'without expecting anything in return.' This isn't a term commonly found in political scenarios."

In Ethan's view, when the writer couldn't explain the Democratic Assembly's many actions with a logic consistent with reality, he could only imagine them as selfless benefactors. Only this way could he justify their attitude towards the Empire and him.

If the writer of the City of Truth encountered a shorts-wearing youth on the roadside, perhaps such terms could barely explain their altruism. But the book explained in detail the Democratic Assembly's relationship with the City of Truth, being the city's highest rulers, with their every decision impacting countless residents' lives.

"On page 43, it depicted a summit of the Democratic Assembly, which he was fortunate to attend as a diplomatic envoy. There, he elaborately explained the Empire's extraordinary path to the assembly, discussing mainstream True Gods and Middle-Level Gods, as well as mentioning Bazatous and several Evil Gods."

When the Imperial People talked about the existence of Old Gods, "Apocalypse" was an unavoidable concept.

It was the blade hanging over everyone's head. Even the most ardent believers of the True Gods acknowledged that when "Apocalypse" arrives, it would be the moment human civilization stands on the brink of destruction.

"If you were a member of the Democratic Assembly, would you really continue to promote exchanges after hearing about the Evil God and 'Apocalypse'?"

Over the past three years, Professor Karl had reread this book countless times, naturally contemplating the questions Ethan raised. In fact, this was also the reason why the majority questioned the City of Truth's rationality.

"Humanism spirit—he had annotated on page 46."

"But the Democratic Assembly also mentioned several times that the City of Truth was established after the third war, a conflict that almost destroyed the entire world. They had no resources left to face more severe disasters."

Ethan felt this was the benefit of having lived in modern society. It developed an immunity against the flowery words of politicians. He would never believe the Democratic Assembly simply raised the flag of humanism, working together wholeheartedly with 'otherworldly' outsiders to jointly combat the Old Gods.

Ethan conservatively estimated that if he disregarded the book's sudden spaceship ending, the writer's depiction of the City of Truth wouldn't need the arrival of Apocalypse to cause chaos. Just Old Ba alone would be enough to turn the city upside down—where people neither had the weapons to fight the Old Gods nor the experience to deal with the Old God's Followers.

Moreover, the book's depiction of sustaining a happy and prosperous life in Truth City was vastly different from what he understood about modern society.