DOTM: Chapter 582/583

Chapter 582: Differential Treatment

"When you've lived long enough and become strong enough, you'll find that fewer and fewer things can pique your interest."

Madeleine, who looked like a middle-aged noblewoman, gently waved her hand, and the space around them changed drastically.

The gloomy underground parking lot disappeared, replaced by a bright and spacious luxurious hall. A table and chairs stood between them, laden with black tea and desserts.

"Please, have a seat."

Ethan sat down naturally. He wasn't worried that this Main God named Madeleine had any ulterior motives. As long as he possessed the ability to traverse space, he was untouchable. The spatial energy in his hand remained active, allowing him to leave at any time.

Madeleine glanced at Ethan's hand, clearly aware of what he was doing, but she didn't mind. She maintained her warm smile and sat opposite him.

"Young man, there's no need to be so tense. Direct battles between Main Gods are extremely rare."

"Oh?"

Madeleine lifted her teacup and took a sip. Her movements and manner of speaking fully embodied what it meant to be elegant, noble, and pretentious.

"To grow into a Main God, one must possess countless means of self-preservation, resurrection, and reincarnation. You could say that death to us is like an ordinary person catching a cold. It's not some terminal illness that can end a Main God's existence."

She placed her teacup back down and looked directly at Ethan.

"In this situation, no one is really interested in fighting seriously. It's difficult to truly kill another Main God, and doing so would only bring endless trouble. Main Gods have infinite lifespans and far too much free time. If one decided to constantly harass another, it would be quite a nuisance."

Ethan gave an awkward laugh. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Madeleine seemed to treat him as a young Main God, but he wasn't—at least, not yet. He had only just conceived the idea of imitating a Main God space and then happened to encounter a real one.

From Madeleine's words, he also learned that there was an entire group of Main Gods here. This world was more terrifying than he thought.

"Judging by your aura, it seems you've only recently awakened your divine power, still exploring and learning, and haven't constructed your own Main God space."

"Mm."

Ethan took a sip of tea, silently acknowledging that what she said was true. He had indeed only recently awakened his divine power and had no idea how to construct a Main God space yet.

"It reminds me of my early days. I didn't understand anything either and wandered around, entering countless Main Gods' worlds and messing up many missions... Thinking back, I really did cause a lot of trouble for many Reincarnators."

"..."

Ethan remained silent. It wasn't a good topic to comment on. Calling Madeleine a troublemaker wouldn't be wise, though the Reincarnators she mentioned were certainly unlucky.

"You don't need to worry about those Reincarnators. Their souls were preserved and later became the first batch of Reincarnators in my own Main God space."

"Oh?"

Ethan was genuinely surprised. This Main God named Madeleine seemed surprisingly humane.

"I really miss those days. Although I can still disguise myself as an ordinary person and participate in missions, it's hard to recapture that feeling."

"So..."

Ethan instinctively sensed there was more behind her words.

"So... now I create a clone identical to an ordinary person, giving them an average personality and memories. I let them experience reincarnation firsthand. When they die, I retrieve that part of the memory."

Ethan's eyelids twitched. He suddenly understood what she meant.

Madeleine maintained her graceful posture and gently tapped the marble floor with the heel of her shoe. A moment later, the floor beneath Ethan's feet turned transparent.

They appeared to be floating high above the ground, looking down at a small town below.

"Zhao Ying is my clone."

"As expected."

That wasn't surprising at all.

"So you called me out alone to avoid ruining that experience?"

Madeleine shook her head slightly.

"No, that's not the reason. As I mentioned earlier, I need your help with something. Otherwise, I'd be happy to keep watching. Having a young Main God mixed into the team is quite a rare experience."

"..."

Madeleine lowered her head again, watching with visible amusement. Though they were high above, the town below looked tiny, and the people were almost invisible to the naked eye.

However, Ethan was no longer an ordinary person. Seeing the situation below was effortless for him. He could clearly make out Chen Peng and the others, who had arrived at the library. They were busy clearing out the zombies and sealing the broken windows and doors—leaving some emergency exits open, of course.

"This team's mission seems unusually difficult. Did you intentionally make it that way?"

"Of course. Since they aren't destined to become ordinary Reincarnators, their trial must be harder than usual."

"Not ordinary Reincarnators? What's the distinction?"

Madeleine patiently explained why she had given this group such a challenging mission.

Her Main God space was largely similar to those Ethan knew about. Likewise, the loopholes Ethan had heard of were also known to others, and many Reincarnators exploited them—forming farming teams, bullying newcomers, exploiting system flaws for profit, or avoiding missions altogether.

While such actions weren't technically against the rules, Madeleine, as a Main God, disliked them. So, she specifically recruited a group of special Reincarnators to eliminate those who exploited these loopholes.

"I see."

In this world filled with Main Gods, Reincarnators continuously trained to improve themselves, aiming to become Sub-Gods under the Main God who created their space. Many Main God spaces didn't openly state this, leaving it for Reincarnators to discover on their own.

Compared to ordinary Reincarnators, these specially selected individuals had a much higher starting point. They directly served the Main God before even becoming Sub-Gods, making them more likely to gain favor and achieve higher status.

One could say that those people below were extremely fortunate to have caught the attention of their superior.

After chatting for a while, Ethan gained a general understanding of Madeleine's Main God space and the relationships between Main Gods. He began to wonder what she really needed his help with.

"You mentioned needing my help with something?"

"Yes."

Madeleine noticed that Ethan had barely touched his tea and guessed it wasn't to his liking. She raised her hand and conjured a cup of coffee, placing it before him.

"Thank you. Personally, I prefer being straightforward. Just tell me what you need. If I can help, I'll do it. If not, I'll be honest about it. I just hope you won't take offense."

"No, I actually appreciate your directness."

Despite her gentle smile, Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that Madeleine wanted to devour him.

"It's not a major problem. A world I recently created has been invaded by a despicable thief."

"Ah?"

Ethan's first thought was that she might be referring to him, but he quickly realized she meant someone else.

"We Main Gods possess many worlds, but they don't appear out of thin air. They're either discovered in the endless Sea of Worlds or created based on certain prototypes, built from our understanding of reality. Once a world is complete, it serves as a template to replicate countless mirror worlds for Reincarnators' missions."

Ethan nodded. This was new information for him—it explained why Reincarnators never entered the real worlds. They were only entering copies. No wonder Main Gods were unconcerned about the damage done during missions.

"This time, I had just finished creating a new world and was about to complete the final step—finalizing its predetermined plot. But suddenly, someone barged in. If he disrupts the storyline, this world will deviate from my design, making it useless as a template for future missions."

As she explained, Madeleine's tone grew sharp, full of irritation toward the intruder.

Ethan finally understood. In simple terms, a traverser had accidentally entered a world Madeleine had just created, disrupting its plot. Once the story was ruined, the world could no longer serve as a proper model, which naturally angered her.

It sounded quite similar to his own situation. He had also barged into Madeleine's "territory" and derailed her original script. So why was she so friendly toward him but furious with that other person?

"How can you compare the two? You are a young deity with limitless potential," Madeleine said with a kind smile, though her words carried a cold edge. "That other one is just a filthy pest who broke into someone else's home."

"..."

So that was the reason. Madeleine's attitude toward him came entirely from the difference in strength.

If he were like that other person—just an ordinary "pest"—Madeleine wouldn't be treating him to tea and snacks. She would have destroyed him without hesitation.

"This treatment... really is a world of difference."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 583: Guardian of the Scales

Ethan wasn't unsettled by the vast difference in treatment. Wasn't this exactly what he had been striving for by becoming stronger? Being treated like a pushover everywhere he went wasn't enjoyable—he wasn't a masochist.

Still, he couldn't understand why Madeleine wanted his help.

"Why not handle it yourself? Against an ordinary person like that, you could probably kill him with just a thought, right?"

Madeleine wasn't surprised by his question.

"Newly born worlds are extremely fragile. If I were to act directly, I might accidentally destroy the entire world. I've spent so much time and energy on it, I don't want all that effort wasted because of one insignificant bug."

Ethan nodded. That was a fair explanation.

"What about those specially trained Reincarnators of yours? They should be ideal for this kind of task, right?"

A rare look of awkwardness appeared on Madeleine's face. Since their meeting, she had always maintained an elegant, noble demeanor, so this slight awkwardness was already the most "out of character" reaction she had shown.

"Most of them are occupied, and their circumstances are quite special. They're not suitable for entering such a world."

Madeleine explained that worlds still in the process of "creation" were extremely sensitive to outside forces. Every Reincarnator under her command carried traces of her divine power, which could easily cause an unnatural disturbance within the new world.

This kind of interference was a form of pollution, and a polluted world couldn't serve as a viable sample for replication.

"So, you want me to go deal with that intruder for you?"

"Yes."

Ethan still found it strange, because several things didn't quite add up. And when something didn't make sense, it made him suspect that Madeleine might have hidden motives.

"Wouldn't I also cause pollution to that world?"

"Of course you would."

"Then why send me?" Ethan spread his hands. Since the result would be the same, wouldn't it be better for her to send someone she trusted completely?

Madeleine sat gracefully, her hands resting on her knees, her back straight. Tilting her head slightly, she looked down thoughtfully.

"Do you know why, even though I already have many capable Sub-Gods, I continue to train new ones? And even cultivate Reincarnators who are completely different from ordinary ones?"

Before Ethan could respond, Madeleine continued.

"Besides assigning them special tasks, the main reason is that once someone's strength reaches a certain level, they are no longer as obedient as before."

Ethan immediately understood. It seemed that Madeleine's powerful Sub-Gods weren't easy to order around. They'd become picky about their missions. Meanwhile, the weaker ones were more obedient but lacked the strength to handle the problem.

"Furthermore, for a world still in its early stage, even I, as the creator, don't have full control over it."

In other words, if she sent her powerful Sub-Gods, they might end up dominating the world and becoming its rulers?

Ethan didn't speak, but his gaze conveyed the question, and Madeleine nodded, confirming his assumption.

"Why go through all that trouble? Can't you just decide whether your Sub-Gods live or die?"

"Some are due to sentiment. We got along quite well back then, and I don't want things to end that way. As for others, although they are my Sub-Gods, our relationship is more like a contractual partnership. The terms were written by me personally, and I prefer not to break my own rules."

"That doesn't seem to answer my question..." What Ethan cared about was whether Madeleine, as a Supreme Main God, lacked coercive means.

"I do have them," Madeleine replied calmly. "I just prefer not to use them."

"So you'd rather come to me for help?"

"What does it matter? As a young deity yourself, you need to travel around and learn the laws of different worlds. With a nascent world right in front of you, shouldn't you be delighted?"

Madeleine had expected Ethan to readily accept, but to her surprise, he was far more cautious than she had anticipated.

"I am interested, but I want to make sure there's nothing strange about it."

Madeleine nodded, not at all offended by his straightforwardness.

"Caution is a good thing. I've seen countless young Main Gods fall into trouble before they've even matured, many of whom never reached the final step and eventually became vassals of others."

She took another sip of tea.

"Caution and prudence will take you further. Perhaps you'll soon grow into an excellent Main God."

After finishing her tea, Madeleine looked directly at him.

"I'm happy to lend you a bit of help during this stage. In the future, when you become a true Main God, you can repay me."

"So this is an investment?"

Ethan glanced at himself. Was his potential really that extraordinary in a Main God's eyes? Worth investing in ahead of time?

"You could say that. After all, your aptitude... is something I've never seen before."

Madeleine glanced at Ethan's left hand again.

"So, will you accept this commission?"

Ethan noticed her gaze. He lifted his left hand and placed it on the table. "I think we should be clear about one thing. What you're interested in isn't just my future, is it?"

Madeleine didn't deny it. In fact, she answered him directly.

"The reason I'm seeking your help is because your power is unique. It might help restore my world to its original state. That way, once the intruder is removed, I won't have to expend too much power reorganizing it. A few simple adjustments will be enough."

"Is that so?"

Madeleine continued sipping her tea.

"That's exactly it."

Ethan still felt slightly suspicious, but since she had answered every question openly and politely, pressing further would only seem like provocation rather than caution.

Although he wasn't afraid of conflict, he didn't want to offend a Main God without reason. Besides, exploring a nascent world didn't sound too bad.

He had come out this time to pass the time anyway. If he could learn something new in the process, all the better.

"I'll take the job. I'd like to know what kind of world you need me to enter."

Madeleine smiled. It was her most radiant smile yet, though even then it remained perfectly elegant—Ethan couldn't even see her teeth.

"It's quite an interesting world, and if you're going, you'll need to take on a very special identity."

"Ah?"

Madeleine briefly explained the world's background. After hearing just a few sentences, Ethan immediately recognized it.

"I know this world."

"Even better."

Madeleine nodded approvingly.

"Shall I send you now?"

"So soon?"

"After that intruder appeared, I compressed the time flow of that world as much as possible. But that doesn't mean its time has stopped."

Madeleine rubbed her temples, looking slightly troubled.

"As time passes, the interference grows worse, the pollution deepens, and the world becomes less useful to me."

"Then let's go."

Everything that needed to be said had already been said, and Ethan saw no reason to linger.

Besides, despite Madeleine's noble, elegant, and intelligent appearance, as well as her seemingly kind and affectionate attitude, there was something hidden beneath the surface that made him uneasy.

So even though he agreed to help, he stayed alert. When Madeleine initiated the teleportation, he quietly wrapped himself in spatial energy, just in case she tried something unexpected.

As the teleportation activated, the scenery around him shifted rapidly. It felt as if he was leaving one space and entering a void containing countless worlds.

In this void, there was nothing—no matter, no energy, pure emptiness. Yet within that emptiness, Ethan could see an infinite number of "worlds." They weren't separate entities, but rather like a massive sphere with countless smaller orbs attached to its surface. After watching for a while, Ethan realized that the central sphere was the so-called "source world," while the attached orbs were the replicated worlds used for missions in the Main God Space.

Looking around, he saw countless worlds being born and destroyed. But after observing for some time, he realized these scenes weren't truly "real." The endless worlds, source worlds, and replica worlds were all conceptual. What he was "seeing" so clearly was actually a gift Madeleine had granted him in advance—a sort of perception reward.

"Was I really overthinking it?"

While perceiving the birth and destruction of the replica worlds and sensing the rules within them, he finally saw his destination.

It was a solitary world, a single sphere without any replicas attached. It floated quietly in the void, still incomplete.

As Ethan focused on it, a voice suddenly echoed in the depths of his mind.

"I shall declare here. Your body shall serve under me..."

(To be continued.)