"This confirms it, I am in the Walking Dead Universe. Even more surprising, as my game avatar." A young boy, around the age of 15 could be seen standing in the skies, littered with stars, as he stared at the prison below.
He had his suspicions when he opened his eyes, seeing such a clean world, after Yggdrasil ended. He was surprised this happened, but seeing is believing and he was definitely seeing proof. However, as someone who acts on facts, he went about confirming his suspicions, which led him to his current location.
The Walking Dead, is an outdated TV series that not many people, if any, watched in the era he is from. He had only watched it out of boredom.
In his view, the series was too repetitive, and the zombies were too ordinary. How anyone in the series died from zombies is confusing, as even an old person could survive with some caution.
The weakness of the zombies and their advantages are clear. Slow speed, no combat ability, no intelligence. Their advantages are only stamina and the lack of fear. Apart from that, there is nothing.
Even when the so-called variant showed up, they still had the same weaknesses, the only difference was that they vaguely remember some things from when they were alive.
"If they are in the prison, that means this should be around Season 3. Seeing as there is no farming done, this should be the start of the season." With a quick analysis, he was able to determine the time period.
This is not the time period he would like to appear in, but it's not bad. None of his favorite characters have died and there is plenty of room to maneuver. That being said, he had no idea what his goal should be.
Since he was his game avatar, a Celestial, he possessed great power. There is a long list of things he can do, but the reason and motivation for doing them, is not there.
Currently, the entire world is littered with zombies and this will be the case until the human race is extinct and the zombies begin to mutate, becoming variants.
With his power, he could snap his finger and the zombie apocalypse would end, but why should he? What would he gain?
Humanity has reached a stage where, even if this virus did not exist, they would still destroy themselves. As long as the desire for power and the advancement of technology exist, this fate would never change.
So, while he could save them, he did not see the benefit in doing so.
Maybe if his original world did not exist as a reminder, he might have helped but he had lived in two worlds and has a depth of knowledge.
Yggdrasil and Earth AD had shown him the truth. Whether humans live or die, the world will still exist. Just like the dinosaur, once humanity is gone, something else will take their place. Survival of the fittest.
Even if he were to take a step back and decide to save them. If someone were to die in the process, they would blame him. And if he saved them once, they would expect him to save them for the rest of their lives.
That is how humans are, entitled and self centered. Give an inch, they will take a mile.
Perhaps this is wrong to say as a former human, but the truth is often hard to hear.
Since his arrival in this world, he saw two paths before him, but since they overlapped, they might as well be one.
Firstly, he could remain a bystander and wait for humanity to cease, before taking the world and reshaping it in his image.
While he is a lone Player, he certainly had the power to take the world. In fact, it required less effort than raising a hand.
If Earth was in its heyday, he would have been cautious, but that is not the case. This was a prime opportunity for him to make sure this world does not follow in the footsteps of his former world.
With the strength he had, he would be a waste not to use it.
As a level 100 Player, a Player that is adept at Time Manipulation and Summoning, he could guide this world from the path of ruin.
While Time Manipulation is powerful, it is impossible to affect the entire world. If it were the case, he would not be in the middle tier of all Players, but instead a top tier Player.
However, Summoning was different. With it, he can call forth powerful creatures, which are strong enough to destroy humanity in a week. Not to mention the many items in his inventory.
The second path is influencing the world and slowly taking it over. Through this path, humanity will not go extinct and would instead become a part of the new world.
Both paths overlapped, but he saw the benefit in the second option. He could go about it the first way, but what after? As a Celestial, time had no meaning to him as he was immortal.
With humanity gone, he would be left with a world full of mindless zombies. Yes, he could summon creatures, but what would the difference be between the zombies and them?
He had summoned creatures to test his spells, and it worked as expected. However, after being summoned, he was able to sense the deep loyalty and devotion they had to him. To them, he was nothing less than God.
The way they addressed him, cemented that idea. They called him, "Lord."
Contrary to what one might expect, he did not feel nervous or excited at the address. Perhaps because he understands the correlation behind it. As their summoner, which is akin to their creator, what else would they call him but "Lord"?
The event was not fruitless, as he was able to learn that summons only last for a certain amount of time, before disappearing. Unfortunately, he was not able to get accurate information on the duration of the summoning, as he arrived at the prison to check his theory of where he is.
But the facts speak for themselves. If humanity disappeared, he would be left with overly loyal summons and mindless zombies.
The advantage of humanity is the freedom to make choices. Unlike his summons, humans would not be restrained before him. Well, he had not tested that theory, but he believed this should be the case.
In a world like this, who hasn't changed and tossed away their past selves? Many people have even forgotten and abandoned their faith in God, that alone speaks volumes.
It is to be expected. In a world of cruelty, holding onto morality is being cruel to oneself. If one cannot adapt, they will die. If faith could help, there would be no such world.
With humanity, his boredom will remain at bay. This is a win-win situation. They get to survive, while he gets entertainment.
He could see that he would eventually get bored with them fighting zombies and would add variables to spice things up.
It is unknown if this was his personal beliefs or him being affected by the Celestial's physiology. However, one thing is clear, he did not see human life as precious!
Even though he noticed this, he did not care. In fact, he was indifferent about it.
He did not think he was doing anything wrong. He already saw that everyone in this world will die, this is with or without him. At least with him, the chance of survival can only go up, not down.
As for his race affecting him? He had some concern but it was not what one would think. He is mainly worried about his emotions. Will they fade? Will he become a puppet driven by his Celestial nature?
His worries are not unfounded but based on what he has observed so far.
Currently, his mind and personality are still intact, but his Celestial part is influencing and changing him to become a full-fledged Celestial.
From his memories, in Yggdrasil, a Celestial is a race that resides between an Angel and a god, having both aspects and differences.
Compared to Angels, Celestials do not believe in a god, as they were their own gods, the source of their divine power. They were gods, as they can allow others to worship them, becoming the source of their divine power.
From this aspect, a Celestial seems more powerful than an Angel and god but that is not the case. The weaknesses of a Celestial are clear and are often abused. In fact, because of these weaknesses, not many Players choose this race.
In Yggdrasil, the moment one reaches the requirement to become a Celestial, they must choose their divine power. There are many kinds of divine power, such as light, fire, water, holy etc.
Once the divine power is chosen, one's weakness will be determined and cannot be changed. Even if one were to wear equipment to bypass the weakness, it will not work.
For example, if someone chooses a water divine power, fire will forever be their weakness and cannot be changed. All fire related attacks will have their effects doubled!
There were other weaknesses too, some that make the Celestial race not so popular. However, only by being a Celestial can one get access to divine power which is around Super Tier Magic in effect.
Once the divine power attribute is chosen, one can do things that most can't. For example, if one's divine power was water, one could manipulate water at will. But there's a price, faith.
Mana is the fuel for spells and stamina is the fuel for skills. However, for divine power, the fuel is faith.
Once one becomes a Celestial, a new stat will appear called faith. In Yggdrasil, it works by converting the amount of people selected as followers into a formula, to determine the overall amount of faith one has access to.
Despite the advantages to this, such as having a Tanker use the divine power of the Celestial, this was not abused. The weaknesses of a Celestial are too well known.
An average Player could defeat a Celestial with little prep time. Becoming a Celestial, simply wasn't worth it.
Not only that, even if one joins a Celestial, there is no guarantee you will be able to use the divine power or get access to it, because everything costs faith.
If a Celestial has a thousand followers, only ten would be able to use divine power at any given time.
Even he thought about changing his race, but since he already reached level 100 and acquired the classes he wanted, he hesitated. However, looking at it now, it might be a good thing.
In the real world, the abilities of a Celestial are stretched far ahead of others. If the Players knew about this, everyone would want to become a Celestial but they didn't and they never will.
He never once thought about returning to his world and even now, he still didn't. In that world, on the brink of death, what can he hope to find? If he had arrived there as his game avatar, he might have saved it or simply waited for humanity to die.
As it stands, his current situation is more favorable for him.
Looking at the prison below, he knew the MCs of this show were there. Honestly, he was still confused about many things.
The virus that spread, he had no idea where it came from. If he wanted, he could know but it was weird this question was never answered in the show.
Secondly is how humanity fell so easily. Yes, the virus was new, but from watching the show, as long as one was a bit observant, it was possible to quell the virus before it truly spread.
Of course, as Rick and his group discovered in the CDC in Washington, the virus was in everyone. The requirement for it to appear is death.
If death wasn't the requirement, with female mosquitoes present and being one of the biggest contributors of viruses, humanity would disappear. The undead, even though they are dead, still breathe and have blood.
This can be seen from their growling and the being able to move. The virus is some kind of lifeform, otherwise, destroying the zombies' head would not cause it to "die."
He has already tested if they were undead or not, and came to the conclusion they were but not the same as in Yggdrasil.
Casting a low tier divine spell, the zombie burst into flames and disappeared. Another thing was, even when he attempted to act the part of a regular person, no zombies dared to come close to him, meaning the zombies fear him.
As a Celestial, he was a being closest to a god. Even an Angel was not that close. His entire being was dosed in divine energy. In fact, if someone saw him, they would kneel down and call him God, because of his appearance.
He had a head full of long moonlight hair, and eyes that shone with otherworldly power. The pupil of his left eye was a golden cross and his right pupil was a purple an-najma. His skin glows in a divine splendor, as if the most sacred being in a world of darkness. On his feet, he wore black sandals.
To beings of this world, perhaps he was indeed God. He has the power to back up that claim after all.
Shaking his head and he reached into his inventory, taking out a blue Sealing Crystal and crushing it.
The Sealing Crystal disappeared in a stream of light and in its place, a four wing angel appeared, causing a wave of holy aura to blast out in the skies.
The Angel was cloaked in pristine white armor, which had beautiful engravings on it. In the angel's hand, a long spear rested, radiating divine power.
As soon as the angel appeared, it knelt down and spoke, "Lord Eridanus, this servant is ready to obey."
Eridanus nodded but was focused on something else. Since he had decided on a path to walk, he had to focus on the task to make the walk enjoyable.
Looking at the Angel, Eridanus asked, "Are you able to use True Resurrection?"
"That is correct, My Lord."
Resurrection Magic is not an easy spell to possess. Those who have it, only have the weakened version. True Resurrection is a 9th tier spell that is the peak of resurrection magic. There are only a couple cases in which it cannot work, which proves its power.
Eridanus can also revive people, without the need of a Resurrection Wand. However, if the second option is to work, he needs subordinates that can also revive the dead.
Many characters he liked died in the show, something he did not want to happen. Of course, he did not intend to be a nanny, everything is based on benefit. If they can benefit him, he did not mind giving a helping hand.
"Go down and try to resurrect one of the zombies." If this is proven to be impossible, he will have to change his plan.
Well, his plan was just decided on, so there is much room to maneuver. However, Eridanus has always been a thoughtful schemer. Once he decides on something, he must plan it out before he acts.
That is how he was able to walk through Yggdrasil without ever dying. That is despite being a Celestial. Because of this nigh impossible achievement, he was granted a World Class Item.
Although it was not one of the twenty, to him, it was a treasure that matched his role playing style.
Descending from the skies, Eridanus landed outside the prison and walked inside, with his hands behind his head, humming a little tune.
As he walked on the ground, some ballsy zombies approached him, disappearing into a pile of ashes.
"I was right. They just arrive from Greene Family Farm, otherwise, the zombies would have been cleared out and farming would be underway." He said, looking at the zombies walking around in the fields.
Using Detect Life, Eridanus paused as he looked at the zombies with even more certainty. They weren't undead, at least not by Yggdrasil's standards.
In Yggdrasil, zombies were truly dead, there wasn't a hint of life in them. However, in this world, although the body lacked warmth and simply moved mindlessly; inside the brain of the zombies, there is a hint of life which was bright in an otherwise dark place.
Many thoughts appeared in his mind, but he decided to shelve it, until he had time.
Teleporting to the area filled with life force, Eridanus appeared in Cell Block C. It looked exactly the same as in the TV show, perhaps the only difference was the sense of life.
Walking up to the cells, he looked inside and saw the characters, who were highly flawed but interesting in their own way, in deep sleep.
"Carol, Carl, Rick, Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, Lori, Beth, and T-Dog. it seems the original group is here."
Eh?
Eridanus looked towards a cell, seeing Hershel looking at him or in his direction with confusion on his face.
Being invisible stops one from being seen but doesn't stop words from being heard. Well, if he used Perfect Unknowable, even sound cannot be heard.
Hershel. To Eridanus, this is a good character. Whether it is from his human or Celestial perspective, he fits well into the world he wants to create.
If he simply watched them die, he would be the same as in the original timeline, a man with warped mortals and beliefs.
Making sure nothing was out of place, Eridanus teleports back to the skies.
Lost in thought, staring at the vibrant stars in the night skies, he was interrupted by the returning Angel, who was kneeling down.
"My Lord, I was able to resurrect the zombies. However, after coming back to life, they killed themselves because it seemed they were aware of everything when they were dead."
Taking the backseat, while the virus drives the body? Well, whatever the reason, this confirms it was possible to move with relative ease.
Turning to the Angel, Eridanus asked, "What is your name?"
"My Lord, I do not possess one."
Thinking for a moment, Eridanus said, "I shall give you one. From now on, you will be called Muriel, the Angel of Rebirth."
Muriel seemed grateful, lowering her head, "Thank you, My Lord."
Eridanus raised a brow as he stared at the Angel. Just now, he vaguely sensed something had changed.
Before, the angel's voice was deep and kind of robotic, now? It sounded feminine, exactly the same as a woman.
He did not think giving an Angel a name would have such power.
Thinking about it, it seems like in the Bible, angels did not have genders. They had names, some which sounded like male but angels are genderless beings.
Curious, Eridanus said, "Remove your helmet."
"Yes My Lord." Without question, Muriel removed her helmet, exposing a jaw dropping face.
Muriel's face seems to have been sculpted by the gods. They probably spent more days on it, than the creation of the world. She had long blonde hair, deep blue eyes and porcelain like skin, which glowed in a similar divine splendor to Eridanus.
A sense of innocence and reliance could be felt from her.
Staring at Muriel, Eridanus could not understand why this face was hidden. It was so beautiful that it made the stars in the skies seem so insignificant and pale in comparison.
He did not think he was overreacting, it was a fact. Earthly things can never be compared to the divine.
"Thank you. You can put it back on."
Muriel obeys and puts her helmet back on, still kneeling in the skies.
If he was still human, maybe he would have urges or lust after her but he did not feel anything apart from admiration at her beauty.
Eridanus wondered if it was because he could sense the reliance she had on him? Or if it was something else.
It was akin to a child relying on their parents.
"I have one last question for you. Can you see souls and capture them?"
Muriel paused, "I can only see it, if I was to conduct a baptism for worshippers and prayers to the deceased. Unfortunately, I do not have the ability to retain a soul. But, I do know Soul Eaters are able to."
Eridanus' eyes narrowed, feeling it was a bit strange. If he wanted to, he could easily create a religion, based on the information he just gathered.
In his inventory, he had summoning scrolls that could summon Soul Eaters.
In the game, Soul Eaters capture souls and eat them. The more they ate, the stronger they became.
Although Muriel might not realize, her words have told Eridanus something. In this world, things of Yggdrasil have changed, ever so slightly.
After all, in Yggdrasil, there is no way a Soul Eater could refrain from eating a soul, thus the so-called capturing of a soul is impossible. But Muriel stated it was possible.
Sighing with tiredness, Eridanus began to free falling from the skies. With all the information he has gotten today, he was looking forward to what he will learn tomorrow.
Muriel looked at her Lord falling from the skies with worry, before teleporting to his side, wondering what he was doing. The closer they got to the ground, the more worried she was but she did not dare to touch his divine body.
Making a decision, Muriel grabbed Eridanus and held him in a princess carry, landing softly on the hilltop below.
She knew her Lord would not be hurt even if he fell, but she acted anyway. A curious action she did not know what prompted her.
Sitting on the hill, while stroking the silver hair of her Lord, Muriel was trying to understand what was so important about that prison.
After being summoned, she had gained some of the memories of her Lord, but she did not have any information about this. But one thing she knew was that Lord Eridanus was afraid of being alone.
————
(Next Morning)
Sitting at a table in Cell Block C, Eridanus looked at the clock on the wall, wondering when they would wake up. He could not fault them, after all, it has been a long time since they truly slept but it was boring to wait so long.
Suddenly, Muriel appeared, dressed in a white one piece dress and wearing a black apron. In her hand, she had a plate of scrambled egg, bacon and hashbrowns.
With a smile on her beautiful face, Muriel placed the plate down and said, "Lord Eridanus, here is your breakfast."
Looking at her, Eridanus was confused but did not say anything. He was curious as to why she cooked for him, but looking at the food, he decided to dig in.
Just as he was about to pick up the silverware, Muriel stopped him, sitting across from him and began feeding him. Eridanus felt weird, but opened his mouth and ate.
Finishing the food, Eridanus awkwardly watches as Muriel wiped his mouth and gave him a cup of milk.
Why was she treating him like a baby? The odd thing was, he did not mind. To some degree, he seems to enjoy it.
With a strange gaze, he decided to let her do whatever she wanted.
Sensing something, Eridanus turned and saw Carl watching him, trying to hide behind the wall next to the gate, but it was obvious.
Thinking for a minute, he asked Carl, "Are you hungry? Come join us."
Carl did not expect to be spotted so soon, and immediately hid behind the wall. Feeling the hammer of his Colt pistol, a sense of safety overcame him. He wanted to shoot but for some reason, he felt that was a bad idea. Like if he did it, he would definitely die.
He could wake up the others, but doing so, seems unwise. Why did they seem unworried? Even eating so close to them. They must have some kind of certainty.
Chuckling, Eridanus said, "I don't bite. Come and eat." While drinking his glass of milk.
Pondering, Carl decides to take the risk. His group was there anyway, if something happened, he could just shout to get their attention.
Coming out of his hiding place, Carl walked over, checking his surroundings out. He was confused. Why did these people seem so at ease? Are they not worried?
Looking at the two, his mind was shocked. He didn't notice it before, as he was far away but these two are not normal.
The woman was extremely beautiful with long blonde hair and deep blue eyes. The boy was extremely handsome with silver hair and strange eyes. Just looking into it made him feel nothing was hidden from it.
Looking at his left eye, a thought emerged in his mind but he did not dare say it.
Approaching the table, the woman, seemingly from nowhere, took out another dish, and sat it on the table.
Sitting down, Carl with a better view of the strangers, did not dare look at the boy. Although he was young, that did not mean he was stupid.
Picking up the fork, Carl devoured the food. It has been so long since he had a good breakfast.
Chuckling, Eridanus said, "Slow down, it is not going anywhere."
Slowing down and wiping his mouth, Carl picked up the glass of milk that appeared at some point.
Seeing that Carl was done, Eridanus asked, "Carl, let me ask you something."
Although he didn't want to speak with him, Carl didn't dare not answer, "S..ure."
Eridanus is not dumb. He noticed the demeanor of Carl from the beginning, which was close off and scared. If he had meant it without watching the show, he might have just assumed he was just a nervous kid. However, Carl was far from that. "If you could have one wish, what would it be?"
Carl pondered. Thinking about what he has seen so far and what is to come, he guesses there is only one thing he wanted. "A home. As things are, a home is more important than anything else."
Eridanus nods in agreement. He did not think Carl would choose this but it made sense. "That is a good wish. I originally thought you would ask for Shawn back."
Freezing, Carl did not say anything. Although the passing of Shawn was unexpected, he did not regret it. Between his father and Shawn, he will always choose his father or at least he hopes that is the case.
"Okay, I have one final question for you. Who do you think I am?" Eridanus asked, trying to understand why Carl was nervous around him. The only things that were different about him, well on the surface, was his hair and eyes. Both of which can be explained by cosmetics.
For the first time, Carl looked at Eridanus deeply. He didn't want to speak about this, plus he was not sure. He only got a strange feeling that he shouldn't do anything towards this person, otherwise he will regret it. Apart from that, he had no proof.
Sticking with that, he said, "What do you want me to say? I don't know who you are."
Eridanus smiled, but that smile did not reach his eyes. "Why lie to me? You know I can tell, yet you lie. It is fine, I understand."
Lowering his head, Carl didn't dare to say anything. He knew he messed up but he didn't regret it.
—--
(Rick and Others.)
Waking up, Rick grabbed his weapon and checked on the others. Yesterday was a long day and everyone must be exhausted. Even though he had placed them at a distance after being betrayed by his wife, he did not wish any harm to come to them.
Walking past the cell next to his, Rick stopped. He should be looking at his son but he did not see Carl!
However, calming down and thinking about it, he figured Carl must have woken up and was somewhere in the immediate area. They, after all, have not cleared the surrounding area, so there are not a lot of places he could have gone.
Checking the rest of the cells before leaving the area, Rick moves towards the cafeteria, seeing Carl and two strangers at the other end of the room.
Concealing himself and observing, he noticed Carl did not seem to be in danger. Knowing his son, if he was in danger, he would have found some means to alert everyone.
Uncocking the hammer on his weapon, Rick slowly backed up, trying not to draw any attention. Moving a certain distance, he turned around and quickly found the others. "Shh, don't make any noise. There are some strangers in the cafeteria with Carl. I do not think they mean harm, but everyone should be ready just in case."
Everyone nodded without hesitation and with eerie precision, grabbed their weapons: guns, knives, machetes and a bow.
It did not take long for everyone to regroup, less than a minute to be exact. Seeing his friends, no, his family, Rick spoke,with experience. "Although we don't know their purpose, if we are somehow forced to leave, let's rally somewhere outside the prison.. Does anyone have a place in mind?"
Glenn nodded, holding Maggie's hand, "The Farm would be a good location but it is too far away. However, the spot outside the fence, so be fine,"
Everyone nodded and began to follow Rick towards the cafeteria.
Hiding behind cover, Rick mind ran non stop, thinking about what he should do. As things were, there was not enough reason to go guns blazing when we don't know the purpose of the strangers. Not only that, a shoot out would put Carl at risk.
—--
Watching Rick walk in, Eridanus glance behind him with amusement. Even if he did not use Detect Life, he could spot them as clear as day. This routine was one that Rick and the others use often. Negotiate until they decide to take you out.
"There is no need to hide, come in and have a seat."
Rick was surprised, however, since they were discovered, there is no point in hiding. Though he would like the element of surprise, with the calmness shown, it might not help them, even if the strangers turned out to be enemies. With this in mind, he spoke. "Everyone come in."
Daryl, gripping his crossbow and the others, holstering their weapons, walked in with their eyes trained on the two strangers.
Signaling at the tables, Eridanus spoke in an even toned voice, "I did not come here with ill intention, I came to make a deal with your group."
Carol, Lori, and Beth took seats but the smart ones stayed ready to move at the slightest hint something was off.
Making sure his group was positioned correctly, Rick, ever so brave, approached the main table and sat down.
Looking at the scene, Eridanus pondered silently: Does having numbers make one so brave? If that is the case, why is it, even if there were a billion of them, I did not think I would cower?
It seems it's not wrong. Before absolute strength, all schemes are useless.
Sitting at the table, Rick got a closer look at the strangers and felt strange. Looking at Muriel, he felt like he was staring at the most beautiful woman in existence. Even Lori, his wife, someone whom he saw as pretty, pale before her.
Turning to look at Eridanus, he froze. Staring into those eyes which are the religious symbols, he has a feeling they weren't cosmetics. They seem to contain a power of their own.
Under those eyes, the feeling of being seen through overcame him, making him feel nervous for no reason.
With everything going on, a crazy thought emerged in his mind. The longer he dwelled on it, the more feasible and shocking that thought became.
The others did not feel what he was sensing because they were too far away but he was sure if they made a move, they would regret it. Maybe not in this life, but surely the next.
Looking at Rick, Eridanus was entertained. He could tell he was thinking about alot, but he was not sure what.
When he was watching the TV Show, he found Rick to be annoying. One second, he would be ruthless, the next, he wants to act like a hero. Everytime he acts as a hero, people die. Well, he cannot blame this entirely on Rick, as most of the characters were like that.
Eridanus' favorite characters were Negan, Carl, Carol and Maggie. Although they have their flaws, they were able to grow as people.
Speaking not at Rick, but the entire group, Eridanus said. "My name is Eridanus and the lady here is Muriel. As I said earlier, I came to make an offer to you and your group."
Rick was about to speak, but Eridanus raised a hand and stopped him. "I know all of you, probably more than you know yourself, so no need to introduce yourselves."
Everyone's thoughts were different but their reaction was to hold their weapons guarded. To them, what Eridanus meant was that he had been watching them.
Ignoring their actions, Eridanus continued, "I will ask for three things and in turn, you will get three wishes from me." At the word 'wish', Carl remembered Eridanus' words when he sat down.
While he was the leader of the group, Rick could not make a decision on his own. Standing up, he said, "I need to speak with my family. I just need five minutes."
Nodding, Eridanus simply watched the scene and began speaking with Carl again. Not about anything important but interesting nonetheless.
After getting a slight grasp on Eridanus' personality, Carl became relaxed talking to him.
Carl's conversation topics made him raise an eyebrow. It did not take long for him to understand how Carl saw him. He felt slightly disturbed but considering it played into his favor, he did not correct it.
When he created his game avatar, he created it with influence from two mythologies of his time, Christianity and Islam. His eyes are reminiscent of that.
In this world however, these were not mythologies but real religions with vast followings. If he were to consume them, his Faith Stat would be off the roof.
Although doing so would make him extremely powerful, Eridanus did not plan to do so.
Playing with two dead religions is not as fun as creating a new one.
—--
Sighing, while looking at his family, Rick hesitated but still decided to tell them the truth. "I know what you are thinking and wondering why we should make a deal. Honestly, all of you should know me by now, I do what I think is best for us."
The others nod. Although they might not agree with everything Rick does, it is true he had been a good leader to them. However, they did not see the point of making a deal. They have just taken over a part of the prison, and have a lot of potential for the future. There is no need to make a deal for no reason.
Rick felt like he could see their thoughts on their faces. If it was him, he would think the same. However, seeing and feeling what he did, he had no choice but to change the way he did things.
"I know this is going to sound crazy but I think that person is either God or related to Him somehow."
Looking at Rick like he is crazy, Hershel asked, "What do you mean?"
"I am the furthest from being religious but if you sat at that table, you would come to the same conclusion as me. His eyes are a cross and an n-najma, the religious symbols of Christianity and Islam. One could chalk it up to contacts but it is impossible for it to see through people as if glass."
Thinking about it, they could understand why Carl did not do anything and was sitting peacefully. While no one would say it out loud, they all know this world has changed Carl in order to adapt. He has become a dark child.
"God?" Daryl scoffed a little. Just like Rick, he was not a religious person. Even if he was, he did not believe God would entertain them.
Whether that person is God or even the dark possibility, it cannot be worse than how the world is now.
"So what does everyone think? Do we agree or not?"
While skeptical, a majority decided to agree.
Returning back to the table, Rick spoke, "The others have given me the power to decide."
"Very well. Like I said before, I will request three things from you and in return I shall grant three wishes. But before that, I will make something clear."
Rick and the others focus, wondering what else Eridanus had to say.
Seeing that they were listening, Eridanus continued, "This apocalypse, although not of my doing, I will not stop it. So do not waste your wish on this."
Everyone's expressions change in disappointment, as they had discussed using a wish for this, along with reviving everyone that died.
They were confused why this figure, the one Rick called 'God' was so indifferent. Shouldn't he want to help them? Not wanting to see such evil in the world?
Daryl's expression was like he expected this. How can a God waste time on them? How could they not see the horrible things happening in the world?
Reality is cruel, it would not be shocking if the zombie apocalypse was his doing.
Oblivious, or maybe indifferent, Eridanus spoke, "My first request is simple. The use of technology is forbidden. I was originally going to watch as humanity died out but decided to give you all a chance. Humanity can survive but no technology is allowed. Oh, you can use your guns."
Turning around, Rick saw everyone's smile. The sadness from a minute ago disappeared.
The world is already messed up, with technology barely functioning. So, to them, this was not a condition but a free wish.
Barely suppressing his laughter, Rick said, "We can promise that."
Eridanus nods, "Good. I must warn you, the moment you go back on your deal, you and the entirety of the human race will face retribution, do you still agree?"
Rick said in a determined voice, "Yes!" If they are dead, why should they care about the human race?
"Very good, state your wish."
Rick did not have to think long, especially since he knew he couldn't change the world, "I wish for a home, not a prison. I want a place where we can thrive for a long time."
Eridanus nodded. "Granted. You will have to decide on the location."
"Okay."
Raising two fingers, Eridanus said, "Secondly, the place you all will live in, must operate the same as a kingdom with a King and Queen. It will be called the Holy Kingdom."
This wish causes everyone to be baffled. Why a Kingdom? What strange conditions.
Although strange, they did not care much, as long as they got a place to live. They were tired of packing up and leaving at a minute's notice.
"What do you want in return?"
Turning to look at Lori's belly, Rick sighed and said, "Can you make it impossible for the dead to enter our home?"
Eridanus nodded but said, "By keeping the zombies at bay, the threat you will face will lessen. To counter that, I will add something else into the equation. But don't worry, your Kingdom will be safe, for now."
Rick and a few others frown. They did not like the sound of that. It seems things will only get more dangerous.
Raising another finger, Eridanus continued, "The last thing I want is church in the Kingdom. This is a church that believes in me and only me."
This is something he had to do, especially since as a Celestial, the more followers he had, the more powerful the faith stat is. Plus, with the plans he has, possessing more power will give humans more chances of survival.
When Eridanus became a Celestial, the divine attribute he chose was holy. This is perfect for healing, cleansing, and fighting demons. However, the weakness to dark and unholy power is big.
But, considering this world does not have magic apart from himself and his summons, it was not a weakness. Even if there is a slight chance his summons betray him, they would not know what his weakness is, because he would not tell them.
They did not expect this was Eridanus' last wish. They expect more. However, this was good for them. The less they have to pay, the better it is for them.
"Your turn."
"We want food, as in animals and plants that we can grow ourselves."
Now it was Eridanus' turn to be surprised but thinking about it, it made sense. With a home, obviously they would need food too. Honestly, he expected them to ask for a lot but they instead asked for so little.
"Granted. Now that we are done, decide on the location for the Holy Kingdom."
Not much to think about, Rick immediately said, "Let it be here. This location."
Eridanus nodded and stood up. "Remember what you promised me today." Looking at Hershel, he continued, "You are appointed the Pope of the Celestial Church." Point a finger at him, a beam of light entered Hershel's mind.
Inside his mind, Hershel saw many miracles and could use them at any time. He could also communicate with the being before him. But curiously, the creed and mission of the Celestial Church is blank.
[Eridanus: You are to create a religion based on the things inside your mind. You are free to grow the religion as you like, no need for my input.]
Hershel heard the divine voice in his mind and felt compelled to kneel, however he did not. The being before him did not require it, so there's no need.
Disappearing from the cell block, Eridanus appeared in the skies again. Looking at the land below, his mind ran as he pictured a functional shape of the kingdom. Although it will not be big, it still needs to function properly.
One might be confused about the requests he made. He made the request about technology because of fear it might ruin the world further. Plus, he wants to forcibly push humans back to the medieval times, hence the kingdom creation. If they are living this kind of lifestyle, technology will gradually fade.
Of course, Eridanus knows people will eventually go against his word, but that doesn't matter. By sending monsters to push humans away from technology, he would not need to worry.
And lastly, the church. Religion is a frightening thing. If he utilized it, even if technology is used again, he had no fear. Just take Christianity as an example, it has been around for thousands of years and even without any miracle, it still stands strong.
Looking down at the prison, Eridanus spoke indifferently. "Muriel, put them to sleep and keep a distance from me."
Just like Eridanus, Muriel became serious, her tone different from when in the prison. "Yes, My Lord."
Finally alone, Eridanus was curious about his ultimate time spell and how it functions in the real world. "Chronos Hourglass!"
At his words, a large hourglass manifested but instead of standing upright, it floated parallel to ground. One side was full of golden sand, which existed over the prison. The other side rested beyond the prison.
Chronos Hourglass is the highest time skill in Yggdrasil. It gave the user the ability to manipulate time freely in the area the golden sand covers. A second may pass on the empty side of the hourglass, but on the other, a billion years.
Well, in Yggdrasil it was impossible to do this. But the lore for the skill seems to have turned into reality in the real world, seeing as how Eridanus could freely control time.
This should be a happy thing for him, but he noticed a problem. If the lore truly affects skills and spells, then his summons are not exactly pushed over either.
Summoning demons should be done with caution, as his weaknesses are darkness and unholy magic.
Spreading his arms open, time began to move rapidly, eroding everything in the surroundings. In a blink of an eye, the prison was overgrown in trees, the building returned to nature, looking like a ghost place.
Pointing at the stream on the edge of the prison, he uses time to erode both sides of it, expanding and changing its direction.
"The prison even after being eroded still exists, let's change that." Pointing his finger, a black hole emerged and devoured the prison before disappearing.
Looking at the depression, Eridanus controlled the stream into it, turning it into a miniature lake before cutting the connection off from the stream.
"A kingdom requires a castle and houses. Oh, can't forget about the walls." For some reason, he was finding this interesting. Creation magic is something he had, but there is a limit on it. He cannot create a castle or can he?
In Yggdrasil, the spell only stopped one from creating powerful items. One could create magic items but they would be low leveled. If he uses that same concept, he should be able to create a castle but it will be a low level magic item. Not that it matters. A magic item, even a low one, is not something this world can handle.
Seeing if his thoughts were correct, pointing at the northern area of the lake, Eridanus used creation magic.
A massive magic circle appeared on the ground, and a black castle began to appear from ground up. It was surrounded by massive walls.
"Indeed feasible. That would mean, my spells need to be studied more." Despite his thoughts, his actions did not. Walking around, magic circles appeared, creating houses, guard towers, taverns etc.
He left a large amount of land, enough to farm and be self-sustaining. After all, even though the kingdom was created here, it was at least twice the size of the former prison.
Going to the edge of the Kingdom, he created tall walls. Even if a hoard appeared, they would not be able to enter.
Looking down at the "Holy Kingdom", Eridanus was satisfied. Although it was a very condensed kingdom, given enough time, it can expand.
"How to solve the problem of the zombies? The wall will function as it should, keeping them at bay. That would be me keeping my word. No, I have always honored my word, I cannot tarnish it now."
Touching the wall, Eridanus could feel the power unique to magic items. It wasn't as powerful as any of his items, but it could be felt.
"Muriel, capture a zombie and have it touch the wall." He would have done it himself, but who asked him to be so powerful? Zombies would simply explode and burst into flames in his presence.
"Yes My Lord."
It did not long for Muriel to return with a zombie in hand. Tossing the zombie at the wall, it sizzled like a crease in a hot pan.
The zombie got up and turned away. Although its growling and posture did not change, one could sense a vague fear coming from it.
"That should be enough of a determent. Zombies won't actively attack the walls once they touch it. Now, there is only one thing left to do." Appearing next to the castle, Eridanus surveyed the area before spotting a location on the western side of the lake with a good atmosphere.
Arriving there and surveying the land, a smile appeared on his face. This is a good spot for the church.
Unlike the castle, Eridanus spent close to fifteen minutes creating a design in his mind before using creation magic. It could be seen how much importance he placed on the church.
From the ground, a massive white building with four temples in each direction, with a small church in the middle, rose from the ground.
The church gave off an air of holiness and divinity. The entire area was covered in the hue.
Eridanus sighed with relief and slight concern at his mana pool. Chrono Hourglass did not use mana, since it was a skill but using creation magic, even if it was a low level spell so many times, is bound to cause his mana pool to shrink crazily!
Giving the kingdom a one over, he found everything was as it should. The only thing missing was the people.
Rick and his group are incapable of having this place function, so they would no doubt absorb other groups.
"You can come back Muriel. Place them below."
Teleporting the humans to the ground, Muriel returns to her Lord's side, dressed in her one piece dress and wearing a black apron. If one was not the wiser, they would assume she was a maid.
Eridanus felt he could not understand this summon of his but found it interesting at the same time.
Shaking his head, Eridanus opened a Gate as Rick and his group began to wake up.