Now it was a curious thing. Not only the fact that he was meeting a progenitor in itself, but also because of the being itself? Himself? Herself?

What?

Theyself?

Come on!

Noah didn't even know how to define Evadam. The creature seemed to be a strange mix of both man and woman. It was tall and slender, human-shaped with two arms and two legs. Its face had that touch of femininity that was jarring — eyelashes longer than normal, deep pink lips, and a small, sharp nose that fit perfectly on its delicate features. But there was always a trace of masculinity too, an Adam's apple clearly visible at its throat.

Its form was almost curvy, but not quite. It retained a whisper of manhood within it. Its eyes and long hair were deep brown, as if molded from clay and sand. It wore a simple T-shirt that any Earthman could wear, along with shorts and sandals that looked perfect for a beach.

On its lips was a candy.

It sat on a steel chair glowing with all colors, both real and imagined, surrounded by an assembly of flickering screens and electronic devices scattered in organized chaos around it.

The strange creature, Evadam, seemed to notice the heavy, scrutinizing stares it was receiving from both Noah and Virgo as it finally spoke,

"Have you looked enough?"

Again, that strange voice. Noah truly couldn't stop himself from cringing every time it echoed through his ears.

Shaking his head, he offered Evadam a small smile. "Did we stare too long? Sorry, but it's just…" his smile turned silly, "it's our first time seeing a creature of your genre."

Evadam looked at him as if he were a fool. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" It shook its head in disdain. "I'm a goddamn progenitor. Of course you won't see anything like me anywhere else."

Then it tilted its head, and the sound of bending steel echoed faintly around them. "Are you a fool?"

Noah's lips twitched at the affront. He opened his mouth, ready to show this… whatever-it-was who the real fool was, only for Virgo to interrupt him with a light laugh, trying to disperse the tension.

"How should I address you, O great being?" Her voice faltered slightly.

Noah snapped his head toward her, staring as if wondering who the hell this woman was and what she'd done with Virgo. But Virgo ignored his stare, her attention fixed entirely on Evadam…or rather, on something inside Evadam's mouth.

Evadam was no fool. It noticed.

"I won't give you my goddamn candy, little foreign girl. Don't bother." It waved its hand dismissively.

Virgo's lips twitched. "I don't want the one you're eating. But maybe you have another one around you could give me, great being?"

Noah was dumbfounded. 'Is this girl serious?'

But Virgo was absolutely serious.

"I do," Evadam said, and Virgo beamed like a child about to receive her snack time reward. But immediately after, the light in her eyes dimmed as Evadam added, "but I won't give it to you."

"But why?"

"I don't want to."

"I have points! I can buy it! But… but can I get a discount, please?"

"No." It shook its head.

Once again, a refusal. Virgo cursed under her breath, then turned to the only person who could help her — Noah. She immediately noticed how he was looking at her… like she was some cheap girl in a bad street deal.

Her eyebrows twitched. "I just wanted the candy."

"I know."

"It was nothing else."

"I know."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"I know."

Virgo fell silent, glaring at him like she'd been wronged by the entire universe. Noah ignored her and turned back to Evadam, who was now watching them while munching popcorn, its mouth stuffed full.

"Are you really a progenitor?" Noah finally asked.

"I am." It nodded.

'Doubtful.' he thought.

Then he looked around the room, recalling what Evadam had said earlier…that Earth was his world.

A progenitor of a world without even an ounce of mana? What was the point of such a world? Was there anything valuable in a place where mana didn't exist at all?

It was a curious thought, and he had the perfect being to ask. But first…

He raised his hand and showed the strange device embedded into his skin. "Will you please remove this thing from me? It's kind of uncomfortable, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, and for her too." He gestured toward Virgo with his chin.

Evadam stared at him silently.

It didn't like any of this. But it knew there wasn't much choice left now that it had revealed itself.

It hadn't even wanted to, to begin with.

But it did because, at the moment Noah spoke earlier, it had felt the oppressive gaze of The Records. Whatever this man was planning, it was going to involve them heavily… and it was always a pain to displease The Records.

They had rules, yes… but hundreds of ways to twist them.

'This is why the universe hates them, the Records.' Evadam shook its head subtly, calling The Records idiots.

Because a day would come — a day when beings willing to die just to drag those spoiled bastards down to hell would rise.

No, in fact, those people already existed. They just hadn't found the perfect opportunity yet. But once they did…

'They'll have no one to blame but themselves, and the Records.'

Thinking that, Evadam clicked its slender fingers — nails sharp and glinting — and the devices embedded in both Noah's and Virgo's skin detached and fell to the ground with a metallic thud.

Instantly, they both felt their full power returning. Noah smiled.

"Now give me back my clothes, and we can talk."

…

"Are you a he? A she? Or…" Noah smiled, "a they?"

"No offense, but it's quite hard to define you by your… appearance."

Noah was sitting on a chair — a massage chair, to be exact — with Virgo at his side, eyes closed, enjoying the wondrous rhythm of the chair's massage as if it were the greatest invention ever conceived.

Behind Evadam stood a screen showing the room where Aurelia and Asaemon were. And they were…

'What the hell are these two doing?'

It was a legitimate question, because Aurelia was surrounded by mountains of books — novels, to be precise — sitting in the middle of the bed and reading as if her life depended on it.

Asaemon, meanwhile, was on the floor rolling and laughing, playing with a small snow-white direwolf puppy whose eyes were a deep, vivid red.

'Did we have the same experience here? 'Noah wondered, about to ask Evadam if it was playing favorites when the progenitor's voice cut through his thoughts, answering his earlier question.

"I have no gender," Evadam said flatly. "Call me whatever you want. It hardly matters. Now stop wasting my time, ask your questions and get out of my place."

Noah tilted his head at those last words.

"Ancestor, I didn't ask you to drag me here, did I? Why are you complaining now?"

Evadam scoffed. "Do you think I wanted to bring you here? I had no choice, Third Abomination."

"How so?"

Evadam didn't hesitate. There was no longer any reason to.

"I needed to do this if I wanted to keep intruders away from Earth. Or do you think you're the only ones who've wandered here?"

It shook its head, its pink lips pressed into a hard line. "Many have before you, and many will come after you. But Earth is my main world. I can't allow people to enter it."

Now it was Noah's turn to be surprised. Main world? A world without mana was the main world of a progenitor?

"Did I hear correctly? Because it seems I just heard some nonsense," Noah said, his tone incredulous.

All the while, Virgo was eating sweets and relaxing beside him. Noah almost envied her insouciance.

Ignorance might truly be bliss.

"You heard correctly. Earth is my main world," Evadam said simply.

"And so this place…?" Noah asked, the question that had been gnawing at him since earlier finally leaving his lips.

"This place…" Evadam said, then paused.

It looked around the room, its eyes carrying a faint hue of nostalgia and pain. Then, with a small, wry smile that showed teeth as white as milk, it spoke again.

"This place is a small part of Earth. But the Earth from a distant time lost across the clouded histories of the universe."

Noah immediately straightened, his eyes widening.

"What?" he asked, his voice thick with surprise.

Evadam shrugged lightly, then made a slow, graceful motion with its hand, gesturing around the room that surrounded them.

"Take a glimpse, Third Abomination."

"Take a glimpse of what my world was… before my own creation dragged it all to destruction."

—End of Chapter 356—

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