From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 449: The Druid's Scale of the Heart

If Edwin's answer was the ultimate conclusion to a life of careful deliberation, then Livia's answer was the final response of pure innocence.

This beginning and end, bordering on destiny, was already enough to leave many deep in thought, but it was still not the end.

The remaining trial-takers, numbering less than seven hundred, arrived at a brand-new testing ground almost without a moment's rest. Here, they saw countless acorns hanging down from the sky, along with words from an unknown God.

"Wear the acorn and complete the selection!"

Hearing this, everyone appeared somewhat suspicious. With so many of them left, the selection was already over? So fast?

Some also came to a sudden realization, "We only passed the preliminary selection. In the end, we still have to go to Buckingham Palace to pull the sword!"

This statement actually drew agreement from many people. They still had to draw the sword to select the final King. This was merely the beginning.

Thus, everyone stepped forward and grasped that acorn in their hands.

Then, everyone's minds went blank.

The scene shifted once again. Even though these people were clearly in an illusory space, they still entered another special layer of space. Here, they became isolated individuals once more.They all stood in Buckingham Palace. Under the watchful eyes of countless onlookers, they approached that massive stone and grasped the sword resting upon it!

In the next second, the sword was pulled out. The one who drew the sword became the new King under everyone's witness. Thus, applause erupted, flowers bloomed, and power and wealth followed in rapid succession.

Everyone was smiling, welcoming this grand welcoming ritual.

However, in the eyes of the outsiders, this scene was a bit more illusory, because they saw that the exact same scene was playing out on everyone's screen.

The smart ones quickly understood. "This is still a trial! It's just that before, it was a test of the heart, and now, it's observing their words and actions!"

"They have already become Kings now. I'm afraid we will soon be able to see their true inner selves!"

All the viewers felt a sense of shuddering with fear. They looked at the divided screens and could even see over seven hundred livestream rooms on a single platform, each one broadcasting the life of a trial-taker.

This special interrogation rooted in human nature, that process of practically placing someone under a magnifying glass and dissecting them piece by piece, was enough to make anyone's heart palpitate!

Especially since, in that accelerated evolution of life, some people had already exposed their true nature.

Power was the easiest thing to corrupt a person. For instance, a man who looked like an ascetic, in less than a week after becoming King and obtaining power akin to King Arthur, had already begun his journey of worldly desires!

He began to use the power in his hands to turn the pain and resentment he had once suffered into the pain of others. The mixture of the machinery of violence and power allowed him to experience the pleasure known as cruelty for the very first time.

As a result, this situation became increasingly out of control, causing his screen to take on a peculiar bloody red hue!

It wasn't until he held up the Sword in the Stone, grasped a pure gold scepter, and stood before his citizens, watching everyone kneel prostrate on the ground, that the scene finally ended.

The man also woke up from that dreamscape-like future. Looking at the fellow participants around him who were still intoxicated by the illusion, a flash of despair crossed his eyes.

'So, it's already over? I've been eliminated, haven't I?' He thought about it and realized it made sense. In that dreamscape of becoming a King, he had barely done anything humane. He enjoyed everything he could possibly enjoy, but didn't do a single proper thing, relying almost entirely on cruelty to instill fear.

However, a ferocious expression still flashed across his face. "But so what? I am the King! I deserve to enjoy all of this! No, I have to make them fail too!"

The man was clearly unwilling to accept this and wanted to take action. He wanted to try again. After all, that kind of life was simply too exhilarating. He felt that if he could just have one more chance, he could definitely do better!

Thus, he moved, walking quickly to another person's side, preparing to wake them up.

But just as he was about to reach them, he suddenly reacted and whispered, "They are all in the trial, which means they are in a dreamscape. If I kill them, won't I become the only one left?"

As he uttered those words, his eyes were almost entirely filled with ferocious desire and greed, giving every fan who originally supported him a sudden fright!

"Why? He was clearly such a hardworking and gentle person. Why would he turn into a monster like this now?"

Bullet comments popped up. Those were the confused questions posed by his fans.

"Because power alienates people, turning them into ghosts!" "Ultimately, it's an internal imbalance that gave rise to his greed!"

"Greed is truly the most fatal thing of all!"

Following this bullet comment, other people's explanations drifted across the screen. After this man had thoroughly enjoyed the benefits brought by power, he had already been completely corrupted.

In the next second, just as he was about to make a move, the acorn in his hand was crushed by his grip. That originally plump fruit was now nothing but an empty shell, completely pulverized in his hand.

The man then dazedly realized that he was actually still holding that acorn.

"Hah! This fruit can let me experience that feeling again? I understand now!"

He looked at the acorns hanging down all over the sky and wanted to grab another one, only to find that, at some unknown point, he had lost the ability to walk.

The man looked down at his own body. This flesh and blood, exactly like the crushed acorn, was thoroughly turning into fine dust...

"So the acorn wasn't the experience, it was me all along..."

His final words became his own concluding death knell in this world, and also showed everyone the consequences of trying to use underhanded tactics.

It wasn't just him. As the scenes came to a close, this group of trial-takers made complete fools of themselves in the illusion of power:

Some lost all sense of reason in slaughter, some lost themselves in money, some were extremely troubled by family relations, some lost their very identities in the machinations of the world, and others fell into endless traps of lust, becoming the playthings of other nations...

In almost just this brief span of time, they all lived out an entire life and became pathetic losers.

Among these people, it wasn't that all of them died. Aside from those whose minds were truly blinded by greed and who perished by their own hands, the rest simply stared blankly at the hollowed-out acorn shells in their palms, utterly speechless.

Of course, apart from them, there were also outstanding individuals among the remaining participants.

Some managed to exercise self-restraint amidst endless rights. Not only did they fulfill their promises, completing the rule and reformation of this realm, but they also successfully broadcast the Celtic divine faith to the entire world.

Some relied on their own influence to spread their ideals, fulfilling their hopes for peace and their responsibility to the people, truly allowing them to live in happiness.

Still others sacrificed themselves for the future of the nation, truly becoming the divine faith and the emblem of the country!

They were all people worthy of becoming Kings. Their performances even made the current citizens of Great Britain yearn for them! If they truly had such a wonderful King, they would undoubtedly become much happier!

Added together, there were still quite a few of these individuals—a full hundred or more.

Among them, the ones who performed relatively well were Edwin and Brolly. One of them fulfilled his promise, allowing ordinary people to live better lives. The other was practically a carbon copy of the former King Arthur; relying on his own power, he raised an army, challenged Europe, and established a new nation of Great Britain!

As for the young girl named Livia, she appeared neither exceptionally good nor bad among them. After all, she merely promoted agriculture to ensure the people were well-fed.

They woke up. Under the envious gazes of everyone, they raised the acorns in their hands. The acorns, which should have been a brownish-gray, had already transformed into vibrant jade fruits, shining with radiance in their grasp.

Before their eyes, an elderly man slowly materialized and gave them a slight bow. "Congratulations, everyone, for completing the Trial of the Druid's Scale of the Heart. Now, everyone who has obtained a jade fruit can use this fruit to exchange for a dose of the Mistletoe Elixir of Immortality with me!"

"The Elixir of Immortality will allow you to share the same origin as the Tree of Life. As long as the Tree of Life does not wither, you will never face death!"

"This is the reward you have earned for fulfilling your promises!"

The moment they heard these words, almost everyone's heart gave a violent thump. After all, they could treat money like dirt and view power as worthless weeds, but in the face of eternal life, what did any of that amount to?

Many people probably knew that this was the beginning of yet another test, but who was to say that a test couldn't be real?

Could a throne be exchanged for eternal life?

Meanwhile, the observers were much more concerned with what the man had just said. What exactly was the "Druid's Scale of the Heart"? Was it the Druids weighing the physical heart, or rather, weighing the human heart?

This was truly... a difficult choice to make!