Daily Disposable Persona - CH 113

What was it like to walk in the company of an evil god?

In the past, Zong Yan would have said it was a disaster.

It wasn’t like he’d never tried to live with the three pillars of the original gods before, and he was on edge every day.

For example, when he saw his room filled with blood or signs of an abandoned hospital the moment he woke up, Zong Yan’s first reaction wasn’t to scream but to go back to sleep.

For example, when he went downstairs to the kitchen to make dinner, he sometimes opened the refrigerator and found a plate of bloody human brains or mysterious internal organs that were still wriggling. He would smoothly close the refrigerator door, pull out his phone, and skillfully order takeout.

For example, when he was soaking in the tub and noticed that his bubble bath had suddenly transformed into bright red blood, and the bubbles floating on top were now shredded entrails.

For example, when he was doing his homework in his room, he occasionally heard screams from the living room downstairs. Once Zong Yan had opened the door to take a look. Only then did he discover that this guy Nyarlathotep had lost a game, and he was so angry that he dragged the game designer from another galaxy into his private psychic space to give him a beating. The scene was so bloody it was difficult to look directly at it.

… There were all kinds of things. In short, he just got used to it.

But this time, there was clearly a difference.

Although Zong Yan couldn’t have said what the difference was in the end.

He’d been pondering a question the past few days. Exactly what kind of relationship did he have with Yog-Sothoth?

If you started from an evil god’s point of view, all three original proto-gods stubbornly believed that Zong Yan was one of Azathoth’s streams of consciousness. Zong Yan had never agreed with that before. Now he thought there might be some truth to it, but wouldn’t that mean he was Yog’s father?

… Hold on, hold on, that father-son thing was a little too scary. Fortunately, evil gods didn’t pay attention to familial relationships, otherwise Zong Yan would need to strike himself down with lightning.

But—what exactly was their relationship?

Zong Yan pursed his lips as he thought. Science students were probably all the same. Whenever they faced a problem they had to find an answer, otherwise they’d fixate on it until they came up with a solution.

Zong Yan had been an evil god himself. He knew how ridiculous it was for an evil god to have emotions. For them, being curious or interested in something was far more reliable than mere feelings.

But there was a faint voice inside him that kept saying: What kind of evil god would be bored enough to track down and preserve the corpse of a human? What kind of evil god would bother to celebrate a human’s birthday?

Zong Yan even put himself in an evil god’s shoes for a moment to try to verify his thoughts. If he’d been born as the half-self of Cthulhu, he never would have paid much attention to such an ant-like being as a “human”.

“What are you thinking about?”

While Zong Yan was pondering this, the gray-haired evil god suddenly turned back to him.

As Zong Yan stared into those brilliant golden eyes he realized that none of his hesitation, doubts, or confusion were anywhere to be seen in those eyes.

It was only then that he finally sensed the reality of truly looking at the Master of the Gate.

Of the three pillars of the original gods, Yog-Sothoth was the master of knowledge. He controlled everything. He knew everything. The tentacles and eyes of his thoughts were present throughout every dimension.

It was common for intelligent races to describe the Lord of the Gate as an ancient wise man. After all, the Lord of the Gate who possessed such majestic knowledge was himself a symbol of wisdom. Many of the races that believed in him were higher species that were in awe of learning. They had incredible respect and reverence for the master of knowledge.

“I…” Zong Yan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, then hesitated and decided against it.

No, it wasn’t the right time yet.

He couldn’t help thinking that if he actually said something, he might lose all room to maneuver.

Would the evil god allow him to retreat the slightest bit?

The black-haired young man instinctively ducked his head, and the golden eyes of the Lord of the Gate became even more obscure for a moment.

No hurry.

The evil god slowly withdrew his gaze.

He was a patient hunter. He knew how to weave a net and wait for his prey to gradually walk inside it on its own.

And when that happened, the hunter would be fully prepared. With a paralyzing potion he would drag down his prey to the end of the abyss with him.

Evil gods only know how to possess. Like? Love? What are they…? They’d abandoned those inferior emotions long ago.

They only take what they want and grasp it firmly in their hands.

—

In this somewhat eerie atmosphere, they crossed most of the continent of the Dreamlands.

As they walked, Zong Yan sensed the atmosphere wasn’t quite right.

At first there was a pool of stagnant water before them. Not many creatures dared to reveal themselves.

The Dreamlands was undoubtedly a place of extreme danger.

MU was located on the outskirts of the Dreamlands. The first rule was that students were forbidden to explore the Dreamlands on their own.

MU’s investigators didn’t travel to the Dreamlands through the normal methods. Any human who did so while possessing normal desires would encounter unpredictable dangers. The situation for investigators was even more extreme.

Usually, an advisor would only consider leading a team to explore the edge of the Dreamlands just before graduation. For example, escorting students to the Enchanted Woods or the Jungle of Kled near the border. Occasionally, mentors who had a good relationship with the ghouls would be invited to take their students to explore the world of the ghouls underground. Of course, the nightgaunts occasionally carried out high-altitude development projects of their own.

Theoretically, this realm was inherently full of dangers. But Zong Yan was accompanied by an evil god, so he might as well have been shopping in his own neighborhood. He didn’t feel any threat at all.

“Are there evil gods in the Dreamlands?”

Several times Zong Yan felt a keen sense of being spied on. A moment later, when Yog covered his hand with his own, the feeling disappeared.

So Zong Yan had no choice but to keep his fingers firmly interlocked with the Lord of the Gate’s at all times.

“Yes.” The Lord of the Gate had an incredibly pleased expression on his face as he clasped the young man’s hand, leading him through the wilderness. “Nodens of the Dreamlands is the sworn enemy of Nyarlathotep. Whenever Nyarla comes around, the two of them stir up quite a commotion.”

Zong Yan didn’t understand. “Then how was the Bloated Woman able to enroll in MU?”

Yog chuckled. “That’s because I gave him a cover.

“The Dreamlands is the home of several human gods. According to the inherent properties of space, the Dreamlands is a parallel world built over the Earth. The Elder Gods still receive a powerful bonus here.”

The Lord of the Gate added, “Although Nyarla is far superior to Nodens in terms of rank and power, the Dreamlands is the natural home of the Elder Gods. Besides, there are things Nyarlathotep likes more than fighting.”

Zong Yan immediately understood.

Nyarlathotep just liked to instigate chaos. When it came to actual fighting, he had better things to do. He’d been flying Nodens like a kite for so many years that the old grandfather Elder God got angrier and angrier. When he finally caught up with the troublemaker, they got into a fight and the world turned upside down. Nodens used his home field advantage to defeat one of the three original proto-gods, and from then on he was famous among the Elder Gods.

That was how the feud had started.

“Was that Nodens just now?”

Zong Yan recalled the gloomy feeling he’d sensed a moment ago, but thought there was something different about it.

When he was in MU, he’d once felt the power of Nodens, but it was completely different from what he’d sensed just now.

“No, that was the only Outer God who lives in the Dreamlands, Yibb-Tstll,” Yog said. “He’s also known as the Shadowy One. His eyes can see through time and space. He’s quite knowledgeable.”

Even for an Outer God, to be praised by the Lord of the Gate was remarkable.

Zong Yan’s eyes widened, and he looked at the Lord of the Gate incredulously. He remembered the days when he was still sparring with Senior Tawil in MU. Zong Yan had used the wrong title for the other party, who responded by giving him a mental suggestion to go back and properly read the Necronomicon. In retrospect, it was an amazing interaction.

Zong Yan’s expression reminded the gray-haired evil god of some kind of cute and furry animal. The smile on his lips deepened a little.

“Of course, compared to me, he’s still a long way off.”

Yog couldn’t help but reach out his hand. He rubbed the black-haired young man’s head, then withdrew his hand like nothing happened.

It felt nice, the evil god thought to himself.

Zong Yan: “…”

He was about to say something, but the two had just reached the end of the plain. They stood before the banks of a strange river shrouded in fog.

At that moment, a boatman on a ferry carrying a pole suddenly appeared before them, floating on the water.

The ferryman was by no means a normal creature. He was clad in a black robe and hood, and his hands were a knot of white bones.

The moment the ferryman saw them, he knelt down and bowed deeply to Zong Yan. Only then did he turn to pay tribute to the Lord of the Gate.

“Let’s go.”

Yog didn’t comment on the boatman’s behavior, which could have been considered an insult. He took the black-haired young man’s hand, boarded the prow of the boat, and raised his jaw to signal that the ferryman could start.

“Why doesn’t he say anything?” Zong Yan glanced at the boatman curiously and tugged on the hem of the Lord of the Gate’s sleeve.

“He’s the Lord of the Norman Dead, a low-level Great Old One. Only the undead can hear his whispers.”

Yog didn’t explain too much, not because he had something to hide from Zong Yan, but because he didn’t want his human to be frightened.

The Dreamlands had another famous name. It was, in fact, equivalent to the underworld as humans understood it.

As long as a being had a deep enough obsession, it was possible to gain eternal life in the Dreamlands after death.

But in many cases, such creatures existed in a state similar to that of the undead. They were ruled by a Great Old One, the Lord of the Undead.

Zong Yan paused a moment.

He was following the Lord of Time and Space to the deepest part of the Dreamlands, almost in a daze. All he knew was that he was going to a place called “Kadath” to retrieve some kind of authority. He didn’t have any other details.

But… Even if the person controlling the boat wasn’t that good-looking, he was still a Great Old One!

He’d come face-to-face with evil gods many times, talked and even laughed with them, so you might say he adapted well.

The gray-haired evil god led the black-haired young man by the hand. They stood side by side in the bow of the boat.

The Lord of the Dead escorted them through the river, poling the ferry across the black ripples, bringing them to the deepest part of the Dreamlands.

The fog grew thicker and thicker. As a human being, Zong Yan was only able to see a few meters in front of them.

That was why he had no idea—

Behind them, a throng of otherworldly creatures who dwelled within the Dreamlands seemed to feel some kind of call. They followed like they were making a pilgrimage, lining both sides of the strange, ink-colored river.

The moment Zong Yan entered the Dreamlands, Yog deliberately amplified his own presence.

Confronted with the Lord of the Gate’s undisguised behavior, which might even be called a type of flaunting, all the creatures of the Dreamlands had become aware of something. They fell into thought, gazing at the distant sky.

‘This aura…’

The Sea God, holding a trident, stood in his palace on the Cerenerian Sea, facing the city called R’lyeh which had suddenly appeared in the distance. He paused his attack, and his face wore an expression of astonishment and uncertainty.

By now it wasn’t only the creatures that lived here, it included beings as powerful as evil gods. Elder Gods, Great Old Ones, even Outer Gods, were hurrying to Kadath.

—The throne of the Dreamlands, which had been silent and empty since the day of its creation, was finally about to welcome its master, a being it had never met before but whose coming was ordained at the beginning of the universe.

The sovereign was returning to his throne, and his subjects should kneel to welcome him.

—

The author has something to say:

To review a bit, babies, what YaYa meant is that this arc will be the conclusion. The end of this arc, not the end of this chapter…

This volume has only just begun. There will be at least a dozen more chapters. No rush (holds forehead)

TL Notes:

Transliterated names, titles, and places—new in this chapter:

Enchanted Woods – 迷魅森林

Jungle of Kled – 肯德雨林 – Kěndé yǔlín

Yibb-Tstll – 伊波·兹特尔 – Yībō·Zītèěr – An Outer God. The Patient One.

Lord of the Norman dead – 诺曼亡灵之主 – Nuò màn wánglíng zhī zhǔ