CHAPTER 457: CHAPTER 457: THE OFFSPRING OF THE TRAITOR

"What else is special about Star Eye, and why did the Demon King celebrate so much after taking your eyes?"

On Yang Yu’s task panel, there was a task named "Elf and Goddess"; completing this task would unlock a hidden task— "Stars Reflected in Eyes."

Yang Yu had always suspected that this task related to Star Eye, and now, hearing from Yi Zuo about the Demon King’s attitude towards Star Eye, he was sure this task concerned Star Eye.

Yi Zuo was the only person in that era who possessed Star Eye, and Yang Yu greatly desired to obtain some clues from him.

However, Yi Zuo helplessly shook his head. "Concerning this, I have never heard anything from my father or mother.

As for the Demon King...

In the dark depths of Hell, the information I could gather was minimal.

One thing, however, I do remember vividly.

When the Demon King was gouging out my eyes, he said that we are all offspring of betrayers, that the offspring of betrayers do not deserve to live in this world.

He would show no mercy; he would crush everyone who stood in his way and complete the undertakings that his ancestors failed to finish."

Feeling he had heard some explosive information, Yang Yu looked at his task panel, which was extremely calm and displayed no new tasks.

"Offspring of betrayers, did your clan ever interact with the Demon Clan?"

"The era is too distant. Even if there were interactions, my family, to avoid suspicion, would have erased all traces."

Yi Zuo slightly furrowed his brow.

"The legend of the Hero and the Demon King existed in our era too.

It’s an age-old legend.

The Demon King appeared on this continent more than once, and when he appeared, the arrival of a Hero seemed inevitable.

In any era, upon facing a formidable enemy, there would always be some who would turn traitor at the last minute like weathercocks.

The arrival of the Demon King brought out madness and longing in some, after witnessing his power, which was also inevitable.

Perhaps, one of my ancestors was among those who switched sides to the Demon King.

But he then betrayed again, returning to the forces of light.

This may have indirectly led to the failure of the Demon King’s campaign, which is why the Demon King harbors such deep hatred towards us."

As a descendant of his era, Yi Zuo had not been able to obtain more secrets about Star Eye from his ancestors, and Yang Yu scratched his head vigorously.

Indeed, the secrets behind Star Eye were not easily uncovered.

Even the owner of Star Eye knew not its secrets—whom could he turn to uncover these secrets? Surely they couldn’t just dig up the ancestral graves of past Demon Kings and drag one out to clarify everything, right?

Feeling that the truth was still far away, Yang Yu decided to focus on gathering intel on Hero Lox.

Including Yi Zuo, this marked the third companion personally killed by the Hero.

During his time at the All Things Library, Yang Yu had also investigated Hero Lox, but much of what he found were legends similar to those of the Goblin Emperor, difficult to distinguish as true or false.

Just like the Catastrophe Witch, in legends, she was said to be seduced by Demons and hidden within the Hero’s team to fulfill her long-held wishes by awakening Demons and deliberately sabotaging the Hero’s journey.

This was entirely different from the story Yang Yu heard after battling with the Catastrophe Witch for several hours.

As for Amon, he, too, was rumored to have been seduced by Demons, which ultimately ushered in the Dark Age.

Once one embraced Darkness, regardless of the deeds they had accomplished previously, people would turn a blind eye.

People were only busy cursing; no one explored the deeper reasons behind it. It was simple enough to blame everything bad on the demons.

Regarding the death methods of the Catastrophe Witch and Amon, Yang Yu also found different versions in the All Things Library.

Some said that after making their wishes, they were completely devoured by demons; others said that they were overthrown by a coalition of people, with no mention of the Hero personally taking them down.

In the vast majority of legends, Hero Lox was portrayed as loyal and righteous, capable of anything.

Such a character naturally was set as "someone who, even if their companions fell into darkness, couldn’t bear to personally eliminate them."

However, this was just one of Yang Yu’s guesses.

Legends often became more bizarre the more they were passed on; one couldn’t rule out the possibility that early legends spoke the truth.

Then, who could have altered the legend, and for what purpose?

"The Hero, even if his own companions fell into darkness, couldn’t bear to personally slay them," if interpreted differently, suggested that the Hero was not perfect, well aware that his former comrades had fallen into darkness, yet he did nothing.

Yang Yu turned to Yi Zuo and asked, "In your perception, what kind of person was the Hero?"

"In my perception, he was someone who, no matter the difficulty, would face it with a smile and always keep going for the sake of the people. Whenever he saw someone in trouble, he would rush to help; you could say there were many good things about him."

Yi Zuo’s face unconsciously smiled as he reminisced about his past travels with the Hero,

"Of course, he had his flaws. He saw issues in black and white, and sometimes he was overly kind, which caused us quite a bit of suffering."

Indeed, a very typical Heroic character, whose corruption could have dire consequences.

Muttering to himself, Yang Yu asked further, "What about the last time you met him? What did the Hero feel like to you then?"

At this question from Yang Yu, the smile that had appeared on Yi Zuo’s lips became somewhat inscrutable, as if he was unsure how to describe his feelings,

"Back then, he seemed weathered by life, giving off an impression of unseen maturity and steadiness, but..."

"But, what?"

"No, it’s nothing." Yi Zuo’s worried look flashed by, turning into complete trust, "That must have been just my imagination."

Seeing Yi Zuo reluctant to doubt the Hero, Yang Yu felt that pressing further would not yield a definite answer. After pondering for a moment, Yang Yu began his next question:

"Can you tell me what the purpose of these underground mazes built by the Hero is? What exactly are these keys in my hand used for?"

"The exact reason for building the mazes, I never heard from Lox."

Yi Zuo looked at Yang Yu, sharing his own conjecture,

"Lox once mentioned that entering this world from the Demon World requires opening a door.

That involves a super large magic, and these underground mazes could sense the construction of that super large magic in advance, taking root in this world.

Their appearance also signifies the imminent descent of the Demon King.

Thus, these mazes are likely meant to prepare those who could be the Hero’s companions or the Hero himself.

As for the keys..."

Hearing about the use of the keys, Yang Yu instantly perked up.

"The keys, once a certain number is gathered, will guide you."