"Argos, what exactly have we overlooked?"

The massive inverted shadow in the mirror fell into contemplation.

By rights, they were sworn enemies, and when the reign of the Crimson Queen began to falter, he was the first to initiate a plan to overthrow this world. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

They were very close, almost like the existence of light and shadow, so he knew of the defeat of the King of Gold, and also that the one who defeated the King of Gold had arrived in this realm.

This was the best opportunity for him to take revenge against the Crimson Queen, yet at this very moment, at the enemy's lowest point, he began to listen to his foe's words, even trying to find the answer to the problem as best as he could.

Because he gradually realized that this problem might also be incredibly important to him.

Therefore, he left his kind and walked into the unknown, only to be distracted by the events that followed, causing him to overlook many things.

"You always believed it was I who imprisoned you, using your energy to reshape this world..."

The red-haired girl whispered softly.

The Crimson Queen had become the ruler of the realm, rewriting the rules of the world, turning it into the utopia she imagined. The price was that everyone living in the utopia lost the opportunity to know the truth, where false illusions became reality in their eyes, and all of this had to be sustained by the powers of the Crimson Queen.

If one day the Crimson Queen lost her powers, or died, the utopia she created would accelerate towards extinction even faster.

According to the guild's prediction, after the collapse of rules, this realm is very likely to become an extremely hazardous dead zone.

The red-haired girl walked to the bookshelf next to the bedside table, took down a long-dusty sheepskin book from it. The book had no words on it, yet radiated strong energy fluctuations. She opened the front page of the book, and information about her immediately appeared on it.

"Scarlet," domain: the treetops; civilization: Summoner; faith: Argos.

This was her "adventure book."

Unlike most guild members, it did not contain information like the number of completed tasks, guild points, or ratings. The name of the Crimson Queen spoke for itself.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile.

"Then, let me tell you a secret that only 'we' know."

The mysterious "ancient people," and their "ancient technology" unknown even to the Old Gods, when she extended the sheepskin book toward the mirror, the writhing tube almost immediately accepted the book and pulled it into the mirror world.

Time ticked away, second by second.

The energy fluctuations from the massive inverted shadow in the mirror grew increasingly intense, the entire mirror cracked, while the red-haired girl merely used her index finger to gently smooth the cracks on the mirror surface, restoring it as it was.

This act also took a significant toll on her, the glass cut the skin of her index finger, and the dark red glowing blood droplets slid down the mirror surface, solidifying before hitting the ground, and then transformed into a blooming red lotus upon contact with the floor.

She was very patient, waiting until Argos calmed down.

The turmoil within the mirror world stopped.

"I don't have the power you imagine, 'we' all don't. More accurately, 'we' did not create but discovered some little-known things, isn't that the reason you left them back then?"

As an Old God, Argos was an existence that transcended all things.

"You once stood at the pinnacle of life, until... you discovered an existence that even you couldn't understand."

In Scarlet's view, tracing back to the roots, this was a commonality among every intelligent life.

In most known realms by the guild currently, humans attributed their birth to the existence of Old Gods, while realms where technology and culture developed particularly rapidly had already proposed the rudiments of "evolution theory," starting the path of transition from divinity to humanity. In those books, researchers for the first time understood "God" as certain life forms with immense energy, essentially no different from humans and monsters.

"Then, who created you?"

With this question in mind, Argos left his kin.

Because back then, his kin were still immersed in a lively stage play, believing themselves to be the sole existence that transcended all things.

Argos was the first among the Old Gods to propose the "theory of evolution," destined to be the nonconformist.

For the "ancient people" who held the secret, the answer was already apparent.

Old Gods, like all living beings in different realms, were born from a string of code. The code gave them supreme power, their names, and even such a name as "Argos" was just something thought up one afternoon by a copywriter sipping coffee and relaxing in the air-conditioning.

Perhaps their existence was not as important as they imagined.

Scarlet thought this was likely the first effective communication she had with Argos since she became "the ruler," a very good beginning.

After all, this is a world that emphasizes the bond between Summoner and partner, so as the supreme ruler of this world, her partner must match her status.

"Argos, have you never had such a question?"

Scarlet placed her palm on the mirror surface, the sting closed her eyes slowly, more and more blood flowed down, turning the cabin's floor into a field of flowers, "Maybe the truth you believe in is the fake one, or perhaps, you just jumped from one false world to another false world."