Chapter 135: Gawain’s Perception Problem

For a full five minutes, Gawain couldn’t pull himself together.

When he finally did, he just stared blankly at the fragment of the Eternal Stone Tablet before him, stuck in a long, stunned silence.

An overwhelming flood of information echoed in his mind, thoughts bouncing around like Amber after a few drinks. Gawain felt like he had a thousand things to say choking in his throat—but the blockage was so solid that not a single word could come out…

There was only one thing he was certain of: he had indeed just heard those things. The slight dizziness from the “immersive state” still lingered, making him all the more sure.

So this was the content recorded on the Eternal Stone Tablet? This was the knowledge about the gods?

Gawain looked at the pale golden metal plate as if it were some kind of ghost. The thought had barely formed in his mind before he shook his head in disbelief—impossible. The mortal sages who first founded the religions could not have heard this kind of thing on the Eternal Stone Tablet. Who in their right mind would establish a church for gods who sounded like they’d already been wiped out?

He began to wonder if this was some cruel joke or a brazen scam.

But what would be the point of such a joke? Who would pull off such a con? What kind of person, with what purpose, would fabricate this kind of content? And most importantly—how could anyone in a primitive, medieval society come up with a term like “heavy bomber battleship”?!

Frowning, Gawain mulled over the meaning behind the information carried by the Eternal Stone Tablet, deeply doubting whether ordinary believers who came into contact with these tablets actually heard the same things he did.

After a long moment of thought, he finally made a decision and called out from his tent, “Betty! Go get Philip, Hetty, and Amber.”

A short while later, the three arrived inside Gawain’s tent.

Gawain looked at the three—people he trusted most in his domain and who all had faith. They also represented three different types of believers: Philip was a devout follower of the War God, even baptized; Hetty was a formal but less fervent believer of the Goddess of Magic; Amber was a fanatic devotee of the Night Goddess, the Shadow God.

Between them, you could find almost every mental state a mortal might have after embracing faith…

Gawain placed the fragment of the Eternal Stone Tablet on the table and pushed it forward. “You know what this is, right?”

“Fragment of the Eternal Stone Tablet,” Amber said matter-of-factly. “I saw you tuck it into your chest just now.”

Hetty, who hadn’t been present earlier, looked at the pale golden metal plate with curiosity. She had already heard about the fragment from Gawain, so she wasn’t surprised—just curious about what their leader intended.

“Touch it,” Gawain nodded. “Use your spiritual power to connect with it—Philip, you first.”

He wasn’t worried about the tablet being harmful. He had already tried it himself. Aside from some disturbing information recorded inside, it didn’t cause any lasting physical effects. Even if Hetty and the others heard the gods’ knowledge when touching the fragment, it was so small it wouldn’t brainwash them into fanatics—otherwise, all the kings, nobles, and merchants who kept these fragments as collectibles would have long since become zealots.

Philip looked surprised and hesitant. “Sir… are you really sure? You want to give me this chance?”

“I’m sure. But there’s one thing I need to remind you,” Gawain nodded. “No matter what you hear or see after touching the fragment, stay calm. Even if it contradicts your beliefs… don’t get too worked up. This thing might be fake.”

He gave a precaution to prevent the devout Philip from having his worldview shattered by hearing things he shouldn’t. Philip approached the fragment curiously. “Fake?”

“Could be. Try it and see.”

Philip nodded, placed his hand on the fragment, and activated his spiritual power, tentatively connecting with it.

Almost immediately, Gawain sensed a subtle change in the young knight’s aura. A vast, ancient, and mysterious power seemed to envelop him, elevating him somehow. But this aura might have been an illusion—Gawain didn’t feel any actual change in Philip’s strength, and the strange aura vanished as quickly as it appeared.

After a moment, Philip opened his eyes, his face alight with surprise and excitement. He glanced at the fragment, then stepped back slightly, joy evident on his face. “Sir, I think I heard the voice of the War God. There’s a… indescribable sense of enlightenment and revelation flooding my mind. I feel as if I’ve been blessed in some way—this blessing might greatly help me in honing my martial skills!”

Gawain raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

“Yes. It’s a feeling that’s hard to put into words,” Philip said calmly, then asked curiously, “But you said it might be fake… could it be an illusion?”

“I only said it might be fake. But judging by your reaction, it’s probably the real deal,” Gawain’s thoughts shifted, though his expression remained neutral. He looked at Hetty. “Your turn.”

Hetty nodded and stepped forward, placing her hand on the fragment.

Again, Gawain sensed a subtle change in her aura, but it was even more fleeting and faint. Hetty opened her eyes sooner. “Ancestor, I think I glimpsed some magical mysteries, and there was a faint sense of enlightenment. But it wasn’t as obvious or profound as what Philip described. And I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but the fragment seemed to reject me… When I tried to use that enlightenment to contemplate a spell model, the fragment’s power suddenly withdrew, and I even heard a voice telling me to stop touching it.”

“Actively withdrawing?” Gawain repeated in surprise, feeling the situation had just gotten more complicated.

Could the Goddess of Magic be different from the other gods? Was her legacy not transmitted through the Eternal Stone Tablet?

As he pondered, his gaze shifted to Amber. Before he could speak, the half-elf woman eagerly leaned in. “Hey, hey, my turn! You guys make it sound so mystical. Is this thing really that powerful?”

Before finishing, she pressed her hand onto the fragment and closed her eyes, concentrating hard to connect with the metal plate.

After a moment, her brow furrowed deeply, her hand pressed harder, her face flushed red, and even the table trembled slightly. Seeing this, Gawain quickly said, “I told you to connect with your spiritual power, not to press so hard—if you push it into the table, you’re the one who has to dig it out!”

“No reaction!” Amber suddenly opened her eyes, frustrated, pulling her hand away. “I used my spiritual power! But there’s nothing—no sound, no feeling… Are you two just pretending to fool us?”

Philip said, “No way! I definitely felt a very clear enlightenment!”

Hetty frowned. “I felt it too, though it was weak…”

Amber looked suspiciously at the two, then at the metal plate on the table. “Could it be that this thing’s energy is limited? Every time someone touches it, it weakens, so it’s strong for you two but none left for me?”

Gawain immediately thought she had a point. He let Philip try again on the spot, but the result was the exact opposite of Amber’s guess: Philip was once again enveloped by that strange aura. Gawain even wondered if Philip would ascend to immortality if he kept touching the fragment…

“Looks like Amber, you really can’t resonate with the tablet,” Gawain shook his head. “Maybe it’s related to how devout you are. Philip is a devout believer, Hetty is a casual one, and you’re… a neurotic shallow believer. That’s probably why. By the way, are you really a follower of the Shadow God?”

“Of course! How could I not be?” Amber’s eyes bulged, clearly unhappy with Gawain’s doubt. “I’ve been worshipping the goddess for years! I may not have been baptized or been to church, but I always pray properly when I remember. And the goddess has talked to me several times…”

Hetty eyed Amber skeptically. “Are you sure you’re not just hallucinating from too many shadow potions?”

Amber jumped up. “Don’t think you can say whatever you want just because you have big boobs!”

“Ahem, can you two stop fighting whenever you meet? And always over such trivial things?” Gawain interrupted, rubbing his temples. “Alright, alright, I have nothing else for now. You all go back and take care of your own business. I still have a lot to think about.”

The three left the tent, still full of questions, leaving Gawain staring at the fragment on the table, lost in thought.

Judging by Philip and the others’ reactions, the fragment was probably genuine.

But what they heard after touching it was completely different from what Gawain had heard!

And this “difference” wasn’t the first time.

Last time, the high priestess Sandy appeared perfectly normal to others, but to Gawain, she was a glowing, translucent figure.

This time, others heard divine knowledge from the Eternal Stone Tablet fragment, but in Gawain’s mind, what echoed was a communication record from some fleet of Zenith Star forces seemingly wiping out the entire divine realm.

Gawain rubbed his forehead.

Could it be that whenever it involved “gods,” his perception was somehow different from ordinary people’s? What he saw and heard… was it the truth, or an illusion?

(End of chapter)