"I see." Damien looked at the Water Celestial in surprise, clearly amazed by how knowledgeable he was. "How do you know all of that, grandpa, and what was your part in it?"
The Water Celestial's lips curled into a smile, which showed that he felt happy being called grandpa again and again by the little boy.
"I witnessed their fight and also helped them establish the ancient agreement that is still in effect even though 870 years have passed," he replied to Damien calmly.
"I have never heard about it." The fact that there was a pact between humans and beasts wasn't known to everyone. But Vivia and Arnard knew. Naturally, because Damien was too young, they hadn't said anything about that to him. "What kind is it?"
Instead of answering his question, the Water Celestial questioned him in return: "Why do you think Lords of the West don't invade our portion of the land, and why is it that we don't attack their realm to try to expand our territory?"
Damien: "I don't know."
The Water Celestial: "Try to guess."
The young boy's eyes narrowed, and a thoughtful look flashed on his face for a few moments before he said, "Maybe it is because of the ancient agreement made between the king of the Great Forest and the Human Monarch. He raised his head and looked at the man holding him with bright eyes, "Am I right, grandpa?"
The Water Celestial praised him, "Indeed, you are."
"It's also because of that that the beasts helped the humans who have lost their land settle in the Great Forest 850+ years ago. It also divided the Great Forest into different zones."
"Can you explain it to me?" Damien asked.
"Yes, I can." The Water Celestial immediately replied.
How could he say no to his grandson whose childhood he has missed?
He continued talking to Damien, "Namely, they are green, blue, red, and black."
"I will explain it only once, so listen carefully. The green zones are called the no-war zone because, in green zones, Realm Lords and their armies can't engage in a war with the Lords of the West. In this era, the parts of the Great Forest owned by the Glorious Sun Emperor, the Four Heavenly Dukes, the Two Divine Marquesses, the Seven Counts, the sixteen Viscounts, and the many barons of the empire, as well as the realms belonging to the Lords of the West, are counted as green zones. This stays effective until one side finds a justification to attack the other side. But that can't be acquiring more benefits. It has to be something personal or deeper. Only internal wars can be fought for the sake of benefits. That's why there have been countless cases of humans fighting other humans and beasts fighting other beasts in the Great Forest."
"Outside of these green zones, there are many blue, red, and black zones."
"In blue zones, humans can hunt beasts and vice versa."
"Red zones are those areas where dungeons are found, and black zones are forbidden grounds of the human and beast races. Unless invited, you shouldn't step in any of these places, or you will offend countless powerhouses, and they will chase you down even if you run to the edge of the world and punish you." The Water Celestial warned him.
"I understand." Damien blinked his eyes in curiosity and asked him, "What exists outside these zones?"
"The small and fragmented worlds of the Far West Major World and the Uncharted Land."
"Grandpa, I have a question for you. Is it the Uncharted Land, which we used to own?"
The Water Celestial's eyes blinked, hearing his words.
"Yes," he responded after a while.
"Since the undead now occupies the uncharted land, could it be their existence forced us to abandon it? But how did they come there? It's impossible for them to just pop out of nowhere. Someone must have summoned them there. But who is it, and why did they do that? Did they have some kind of enmity with the human race?"
'Did he seriously come to such conclusions by connecting the pieces of information I just provided him?' Damien's innocent questions rocked the Water Celestial to the core, shocking him so much that not only did his eyes widen, but his jaw also threatened to drop. The ripples in his heart disappeared as quickly as they formed, as he didn't want his unsightly self to be seen by Damien. He only wanted his grandson to know him as that cool grandpa who filled the gap in his knowledge and enlightened him. 'He is too intelligent. He is a genius!'
The Water Celestial thought in his heart as he looked at Damien in a new light.
"Grandpa, you have lived for so long." The little boy's words were caught by the old relic's ears, "You surely must have an answer to them, right?"
"It's easy for this god to answer the questions you asked, but some things can only be known when certain conditions are met, or else there's a chance of encountering misfortune or worse disaster. And you haven't met any of those conditions."
Damien tugged on his arm, asking him, "What conditions do I need to meet to get the answers I seek?"
"When the time comes, you will naturally know." answered the water celestial in a mysterious tone.
"Do you have any other questions?"
The water celestial asked Damien.
As a result, he was given a head nod.
"Chaos. How long has it been scheming against me? What was it planning to do to me?" asked Damien in a calm voice, but the intense emotions in his eyes betrayed his thought. He looked calm on the surface. However, there was extreme hatred for Chaos in his heart. He was taught to hate it and be wary of it since he was young. And when the chaotic beings harmed him and killed his benefactors, he started hating Chaos.
"It has been finding ways to corrupt you since you were born, and it has a hand behind every tragedy you have faced."
The Water Celestial answered the boy, causing him to shudder.
'So it's as I have guessed.'
Damien had guessed that it was the reason why he had been targeted by the Alliance of Evil, which was created by Rebels shaking hands with the Crimson Mages and Chaotic beings.
And… his grandpa's words validated it.
'Chaos… I will skin you alive.'
Damien's hands tightened into fists as his eyes blazed with an intense hatred for Chaos. His hatred for Chaos multiplied after he heard what the Water Celestial said. His nails that pierced his skin and drew blood reflected it.
"Ease up." The Water Celestial uncurled Damien's fists and healed the skin wounds of his palms with just one move.
After a moment of silence, he went on to expose another secret to his grandson, "As you already know, Chaos grows by feeding on negativity. Hence, it causes misery and sows discord. Without war and bloodshed, it simply can't exist. A prolonged period of peace is like slow-working poison to it and slowly kills it. Unless terrible things keeps on happening, it will simply disappear. That's why it incites conflicts, and because it needs pawns to do that, it corrupts people and converts them into chaotic beings. People have different reasons for becoming monsters. Some simply do it for fun. They indulge in killing humans. They are the worst type. Some accept its embrace to escape the hardship of life. They are weak-willed by nature and can't accept that someone is living a better life than them. Some are so obsessed with strength that they sell their soul to Chaos to acquire it. Some have no choice but to become its pawn. They become its follower to survive. But they all have one thing in common. Do you know what that is?"
Damien shook his head, "No."
"It's that they have all been fooled by Chaos." The Water Celestial revealed, profoundness twinkling in his eyes.
"How so?" Damien questioned.
"Once you get corrupted by it, sure, you will gain chaotic energy that's stronger than the mana present in nature and become stronger than a human at the same level as you, but at the same time, you become Chaos's source of nourishment and replenishment.
"You may think you are free like the wind, free from all rules working under it, but that's not true. It's only an illusion it presents to you.
"The truth is, anyone corrupted by Chaos is like a pig being fed and raised so that when it's slaughtered, Chaos will get the most meat, in other words, benefits." The Water Celestial answered.
"By that, do you mean it presides over the life and death of the corrupted?" Damien asked.
The Water Celestial nodded, "It can suck the life force, skills, abilities, class weapons, inner world, or magic sea of the beings it has corrupted at any time, irrespective of the distance between them. That's what makes it truly terrifying! And this is related to why it took the long route to corrupt you."
