《Low Dimensional Game》


 1 Two-Dimensional Painting Space

    "I am sorry to tell you that you have lung cancer. But, if you receive treatment, there is still a chance of recovery. Does your family know about it? We suggest that you be admitted to the hospital and receive treatment!"


    "How long do I have left?"


    "You have most likely contracted it for some time. But, there is still¡­!"


    Lu Zhiyu walked out of the hospital in a daze. It seemed unreal, like a dream. The people who walked past him were like from a different world, as if there was an invisible boundary that separated him from reality.


    Lu Zhiyu had no intension of starting any treatments. He had cancer¡ªthere was no point in wasting money to treat it. Even if he were to die, he did not want to die in agony on a hospital bed, with tubes inserted into his body.


    Since his youth, Lu Zhiyu''s lungs had not been healthy. He coughed often. After having worked in the capital for a few years, whenever there was smog, his cough


    would get worse.He had wanted to leave the capital for a while but he had reached the height of his career, so he kept putting it off. Recently, his symptoms had become more severe, but Lu Zhiyu had shrugged it off. He had not expected things to turn out this way.


    After he resigned from his job, Lu Zhiyu bought a flight ticket and made his way home, back to Jiangcheng. Lu Zhiyu was born in Jiangcheng, and his home was an old house with its own entrance and courtyard. It looked very modern after some renovations, but because no one was living there, the courtyard currently looked unkempt and lifeless.


    Lu Zhiyu''s parents had passed away a long time ago and he did not have any close relatives. He had also gradually lost touch with his good friends from school after he entered the workforce. When they had run into each other again after a number of years, the once close friends had become calculating and distant, not as they were before. Some things were just better kept as memories in the past. As for his colleagues, they were friendly to each other in the office but Lu Zhiyu could no longer open up his heart as easily as he did in his youth.


    After giving it some thought, Lu Zhiyu felt that his life was very pointless. It seemed like there was a standard life template, which had been applied to millions of others, was also forced on him. Other than this cancer incident, he had been living like a puppet, directed by people, society, and fate.


    The house had been vacant for a long while and was filled with dust. After removing the furniture covers, he started to clean up. He found quite a number of old items. Toys, textbooks, and drawings were revealed and they brought back many memories from his childhood.


    Hmmm, what is this?


    He found an old, red, wooden box on a shelf in the storeroom. After opening it, he found that it was filled with several things. There was a badge of the head of a peasant, an ink slab, and a red book. What most caught Lu Zhiyu''s attention, however, was a white scroll.


    The scroll was unusually white and without a single blemish. The quality of the paper was so fine that it shimmered as if it had been brushed with a layer of oil. When a piece of paper had been around for a long time, the color would change, and this scroll seemed to have been left in the box for a long time without proper care, but it was surprisingly well-maintained.


    These items must have been left behind by his grandfather. Lu Zhiyu was curious to find out what had been painted on the scroll. He slowly spread it out on the table in the living room, but his anticipation quickly turned into disappointment.


    What? It is empty!


    As Lu Zhiyu was about to store it away, he realized that there was a black dot on the scroll. As he took a closer look, he realized that it was a tiny grasshopper. Lu Zhiyu let out a laughter.


    "This is such a big scroll, but such a tiny grasshopper has been drawn on it. What a waste!"


    After taking a good look at it, Lu Zhiyu touched the grasshopper with his hand. At this instant, a shocking thing happened. It was as if his hand had moved into another space and he felt something.


    Lu Zhiyu was shocked and withdrew his hand. He was even more shocked to see a grasshopper now in his hand. He exclaimed with surprise: "What the heck is this?"


    As he let go of the grasshopper, he saw that it immediately jumped up and hopped around the living room. Lu Zhiyu stared at it in disbelief. He rose to his feet and looked at the scroll. The grasshopper that had been painted on the scroll had now disappeared.


    Have I taken it out? Was it alive?


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the painting, then looked back at the grasshopper. His jaw dropped, and he realized that he had found a treasure.


    Lu Zhiyu liked to read on internet. In fact, he had the habit of reading for an hour every night, so he was no stranger to such things happening.


    A fantasy has come alive? A magic item that can store things? A treasure that can open to another world?


    Although he was about to die, Lu Zhiyu did not give up on himself, nor did he complain. Life had to go on, especially when his remaining days were numbered. He wanted to live a fulfilling life and was elated to find such an interesting item at this moment.


    Lu Zhiyu spent a few days experimenting on the scroll. It was clear that there was a space in the painting. However, it was different from what he had at first thought. He called it "the painting space."


    The surface of the space was flat. From a scientific point of view, this was not a three- but a two-dimensional space. All the things that had entered this space would automatically be sealed and collapse into a two-dimensional form. However, after leaving this space, they would return to their original form. Lu Zhiyu found it hard to understand how this all happened. This was his first discovery. He came to this conclusion after putting different things into the painting space.


    And his second discovery was that, in the two-dimensional world, it seemed like time did not exist. Everything that went in, seemed to have gone into an eternal rest river and even if they had been kept inside the scroll for a long period of time, they remained the same.


    The third discovery was that the painting space seemed to reject living things. Lu Zhiyu had tried to put living things into the space, but it could not take living things that were too big. He had put a chicken and a duck into it, but they had been torn apart and had disappeared. Lu Zhiyu suspected that the entrance of the space could not support their sizes and had caused them to go into a dimensional gap. However, when he put a few ants in the painting space, this same predicament did not occur. The ants stopped moving and had been sealed.


    Lu Zhiyu found it puzzling that time did not exist in the two-dimensional space. If time had existed, it would have become another world. The painting space would have been more meaningful, rather than just acting as a storage space.


    Einstein''s theory of relativity had classified time as an independent dimension. According to this theory, mankind should be living in the four-dimensional space. However, man was unable to observe the fourth dimension¡ªtime, so they belonged to the three-dimensional space.


    The two-dimensional world was similar. Even if one could not observe time, it should still exist and should not just disappear like this. Lu Zhiyu had decided to look at it from a different perspective and to confirm if this was so.

 2 My Two-dimensional World

    Lu Zhiyu had decided to look at it from the three axioms of the theory of the universe:


    Time (T), Space (U), and Matter (M).


    Time, space and matter were tightly related to each other one another. The three elements were independent yet inextricably linked. The relationship between space and time was U=U(T), and M=M(U) for matter and space. Time was found in space, and space was filled with matter. Thus, time and space were related to matter.


    Among the three elements, matter was the primeval element. If there was no matter, space would never have existed. If space did not exist, time would never have existed. Lu Zhiyu suspected that this painting was the entrance to a two-dimensional world. As matter did not exist in this two-dimensional world, space and time likewise did not exist.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the painting, finding it inconceivable. He seemed to have found the entrance of a new world. He wondered¡­


    If I place large amount of matter into the Two-dimensional space, would I create a stable two-dimensional world? A two-dimensional world with time and space, and also be able to sustain lives?


    Lu Zhiyu felt excited at this thought, so he started to make a plan. He would first try to put a pipeline into the painting space, then transport sand and other things into it. At this moment, someone pressed on the doorbell. He looked down and saw that the courier was there.


    "Are you Lu Zhiyu? Please sign for the parcel!" the courier requested, in a friendly and polite tone.


    The parcel contained the camera that he had ordered. After linking it up with his computer, Lu Zhiyu put the camera into the painting space. He wanted to find out what was inside the painting space instead of observing it from the surface of the painting.


    The moment camera was put inside the painting space, the computer screen went dark. Lu Zhiyu''s heart sank, but he had anticipated this reaction. Firstly, there was no light in the two-dimensional space, so he was prepared to see nothing. Secondly, he had a feeling that most likely the signals could not be sent out from the two-dimensional world, otherwise it would be too inconceivable. Although Lu Zhiyu felt this way, he still just wanted to give it a shot.


    After Lu Zhiyu clicked on the mouse and turned on the light on the camera, the computer screen brightened. Lu Zhiyu''s jaw dropped in surprise, then he moved the camera around.


    I can''t believe something actually showed on the computer screen!


    The images on the screen looked strange. The camera seemed to have captured the images, but what he saw was a flat side-view. The camera had captured its own image.


    What angle is this?


    There was nothing on the screen except darkness and a straight ray of light. It was like a 2D horizontal animation or a caricature. At this very moment, Lu Zhiyu saw a shadow flash across the screen.


    What was that?


    He quickly shifted the focus and found that there was a special sigil on the screen: a horizontal 8. Lu Zhiyu knew that this symbol meant infinity. However, in the capital city, the mark also represented smog.


    Lu Zhiyu was certain that he had seen it correctly. It must mean infinity. The sigil was in the center of the painting space. No matter from which angle Lu Zhiyu looked, he could only see the front view.


    He found the situation in the painting space mysterious. He was certain that it was a two-dimensional space, but from what the camera had captured, it did not seem like a two-dimensional perspective. However, it was definitely not a three-dimensional one.


    Lu Zhiyu had never entered a two-dimensional space, so he did not know exactly what a two-dimensional space should be. He retrieved the camera and saw that the part of the camera that had disappeared into the painting space seemed to be rebuilding itself until it finally re-appeared in the three-dimensional world.


    This occurrence was nothing new to Lu Zhiyu, so he was not surprised. After pondering things for a while, he decided to remove the horizontal 8 to have a closer look!


    This was the first time that Lu Zhiyu had placed his hand inside, and it had required much courage. If he could not pull his hand back out, he would be in deep trouble. He felt strange, when his hand was in the painting space. He seemed to have lost his sense of touch, yet he could still feel his hand. His hand became light, like a piece a paper.


    I have caught it!


    Lu Zhiyu was elated, and quickly pulled the thing out. However, when he looked at his hand, it was empty.


    What happened? Where is it?


    Lu Zhiyu turned his hand around and saw the silver ¡Þ. It moved between the surface of his skin and his flesh without resistance as if his flesh and blood did not exist. It flopped around on his hand like a fish, then moved up his arm.


    F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! F*ck!


    Lu Zhiyu was frightened, so he kept hitting and scratching his arm, but was unable to feel the thing. He saw it crawling up his arm, so he quickly dashed into another room and held up a mirror. The thing had reached his neck, crawled up to his face, and ultimately, entered his brain.


    Bang!


    Lu Zhiyu felt as though something in his head had exploded, and he lost consciousness. It was as if he had seen the explosion of the universe, resulting in endless of information being sent to his brain. However, the information was too much for the capacity of his brain. The information passed through his brain but could not be kept. Ultimately, only a small, vital portion remained in his memory.


    When Lu Zhiyu got up from the ground, it was dark. He felt that although he had remained calm to face death, but was still quite terrified by the fact that something so strange had gone into his body. However, after giving it some thought, he was able to shrug it off. It was just like the cancer cells: worst case, he would die.


    The thing that had entered his brain must be the controlling power of the painting it represented the ownership and the control center of that two-dimensional world. Lu Zhiyu could sense that there was tons of information, such as detailed explanation and operation manual, available to him. He felt the information was as much as what was stored in the National Library of China, yet he was unable to load all of it into his brain at the moment. He only learnt some simple operations, but had left the rest behind.


    That being said, he now understood how to open and enter the two-dimensional space, and how to set up the the internal rules and variants for it.

 3 Designing a World

    During the night, Lu Zhiyu drove his BYD to Mulanshan, which was near the lake where land was rich and fertile. Lu zhiyu had even felt the soil with his hand.


    After he had chosen the place, Lu Zhiyu started to carry out his first plan to steal some soil. He had intended to use agricultural soil to prevent infestation problems, but it was too costly. With the amount of soil that he needed, even $10,000 would not be enough!


    The air in Mulanshan was fresh, so it would be very nice to come in the morning. However, it was in the middle of the night at the moment. As the cold wind blew, it sounded like the moaning of spirits, and made the place quite scary.


    Lu Zhiyu was a bit nervous, but not because he was stealing the soil, but because he was about to open the entrance to the painting space. This also happened to be the entrance to a two-dimensional world which was trapped by the forcefield of the Scroll of the World. Yes, Lu Zhiyu decided to name the painting the Scroll of the World.


    The moment that the entrance opened, there would be a gap in the forcefield. If he was unable to control it, the consequences would be dire.


    Earlier, Lu Zhiyu had sought advice from others in internet forums, questioning them about how to best design a two-dimensional world. When he asked what could go wrong after opening the entrance, someone from the forum asked him warily, "Hey, buddy, have you ever heard of the Dual-Vector Foil?"


    When Lu Zhiyu thought of what he had in his hands, he swallowed hard. This thing could destroy the solar system at any given time.


    When he was ready, the silver sigil in his brain flashed. He saw a black whirlpool appear on the Scroll of the World. Its powerful suction pulled at everything within the radius of half a mile.


    "Enough! That''s enough!"


    During the few minutes the wind whipped through the air, Lu Zhiyu found it difficult to keep his eyes open. He even found it hard to breathe. Much of the air within a radius of one kilometer had been drawn away, causing the air to thin.


    After opening his eyes, Lu Zhiyu saw that the gigantic hill had turned into a cliff. The water of the lake was at its base, but the water level was slowly rising.


    Lu Zhiyu was stunned, and quickly stored away the Scroll of the World for safekeeping then left the hill by a detour. After reaching the foot of the hill, he hopped into his car and hurriedly left.


    The following day, it was reported in the news that, after the analysis of the experts, it had been concluded that a syndicate had stolen the soil. The experts strongly voiced their displeasure over such an action.


    However, none of this had anything to do with Lu Zhiyu. He had hung his Scroll of the World, which was now no longer empty, on a shelf in his bedroom. Pictured upon it was a small island, surrounded by the swaying sea.


    The water had been drawn from the lake so there should have been numerous fish in the water, but they had all disappeared. It was apparent that the painting space could only bear the weight and girth of tiny living things.


    With the help of the sigil in his brain, Lu Zhiyu had spent the whole night separating the objects from the water, completely setting up a stable world. However, the sigil had gradually lost its silver color. It used to be bright, but it had faded, as if the changes made to the painting space had consumed its power. But even now, Lu Zhiyu still remained baffled over its power.


    As he looked at the painting, he saw ants crawling within it. He jumped up with excitement, exclaiming, "This is exactly what I thought. Space is determined by matter, and time is determined by space!"


    Finally, there was stable space established within the scroll. As Lu Zhiyu observed the ants, he realized that they were moving around like the characters in 2D video games. There was nothing unusual about their behavior. They had probably lost their three-dimensional senses, as they were living within the two-dimensional world. Another possibility was that they were two-dimensional creatures.


    However, the two-dimensional world still seemed lifeless. It was nothing like the real, human world. In the twinkle of an eye, the ants began to die. Lu Zhiyu knew this was due to the lack of sun, lack of warmth, and the lack of fresh air. As soon as time started to pass in the painting space, the ants and some bugs started to die and disappear, which took Lu Zhiyu by surprise.


    Warmth? Sun?


    Lu Zhiyu found it bizarre. He could not create a sun¡­


    Or could I? Why not?!


    Although he had control over the painting space, he was unclear about the logistics of its overall operations. With the power of the silver sigil, it just might be possible to create a sun.


    Since it is the two-dimensional space, can I just draw a sun!


    Lu Zhiyu had a whimsical thought, leading him to quickly draw a sun in the sky with red paint. Upon doing so, he immediately felt a depletion of energy in the silver sigil - a third of the energy was consumed.


    He was excited to see that the sun in the painting space started to move in accordance with the parameters that he had set. He then added a blue moon, and the sun and the moon followed a circular path, which formed night and day.


    The two-dimensional space had started to stabilize in accordance to Lu Zhiyu''s design. He took things one step further, starting with bigger, bolder plans.


    Since the parameters in the two-dimensional world could be adjusted, time should also be adjustable. Time was the reflection of the movements of an object. If there was no object or energy in space, time would not exist, and hence, it would be meaningless.


    Only when were objects in the world, and the movements of the objects compared to each other, the meaning of time could then be represented. The movements of the molecules, atoms, electrons and photons were the components that created the aging process. From the small changes such as miniscule decaying process caused by mold and the ticking of the clock, to the significant changes such as rotation of the earth and the changes in the Milky Way, all these movements formed the concept of Time.If the objects did not move, time would stop. If the objects moved at a faster speed, time would then sped up. If the objects slowed downed, the passage of time would likewise slow.


    Lu Zhiyu was filled with excitement.


    If I can increase the movements of the objects in the two-dimensional space, time would speed up, too. One day in the outside world could be equivalent to one year, or even 10 years, in the two-dimensional space. Is this possible?


    I will give it a try!


    Lu Zhiyu started to research on the internet, jotting down his ideas in a notebook. He then crossed out and ticked off some of these ideas. After spending two weeks on this project, he had finalized his thoughts. Whether or not he would succeed, that was still in question.


    As he sat in front of the Scroll of the World, he shut his eyes. He focused on the sigil in his consciousness, sensing the world inside the painting space. The entire two-dimensional world was set up based on the parameters and changes he defined. The size and data of the two-dimensional world all flooded into his brain, including how much is the gravity, the temperature of the sun, the time of the day, and the change of four seasons.


    Lu Zhiyu felt that he was like a god creating a world. He injected his thoughts into the silver sigil and exerted control over the two-dimensional world. As he did so, the energy of the silver sigil continued to deplete. Only now did Lu Zhiyu set up the two-dimensional world based on his design.


    Suddenly, he heard the clock strike. Time had started to move like the pointer in the timepiece. The speed became faster, and when Lu Zhiyu opened his eyes, he saw that the realm within the two-dimensional world had filled with colour, started to function, and had come to life.


    Time continued to move faster, but before Lu Zhiyu had used up all of his energy, he stopped and fixed the Time parameters. every amendment to which required large amounts of energy.


    Lu Zhiyu had set time to a pace which moved 10,000 times faster than the outside world. Time and the four seasons had been set according to the data of the outside world. Hence, one day in the outside world was equivalent to 27 years in the two-dimensional world.


    Now, one hour would be equivalent to more than a year in the painting space. As Lu Zhiyu looked at the land in the painting space, he saw that the seeds among the trees and plants had started to sprout. In one hour, the entire island was filled with green.

 4 Observations

    Lu Zhiyu took a bottle, went to the courtyard, and filled it with some ants. Time and gravity were present in the painting space as were the sun and moon, the four seasons, and plants and oxygen, but there were no animals. Lu Zhiyu decided to put some specimens into the painting space himself.


    At this moment, he heard a voice outside the gate, "Lu Zhiyu, what brings you home?"


    Lu Zhiyu stood up and saw a girl with a wine red helmet, sitting on a motorbike outside the gate. She was staring at him, surprised. Lu Zhiyu put down his short-handled hoe and bottle and walked to the door. "You are?"


    The girl removed her helmet at once and said, "I am Xia Fan!"


    Lu Zhiyu was embarrassed. The girl was pretty and looked familiar, but he could not remember her and did not know what to say. Suddenly, he remembered a joke that he had read from the internet. A teacher met a student, but both of them could not remember each other''s name. The student could only say, "I remember you, that¡ªteacher!"


    "You are that student!"


    Xia Fan looked at Lu Zhiyu in disappointment for a while then she put the helmet under her armpit. "Hey, don''t you remember me?"


    Lu Zhiyu was extremely embarrassed. "I''m getting old and my memory has failed me. Can you tell me who you are?"


    "I am Xia Yan''s younger sister!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at her and said, "Xia Yan''s sister?"


    Lu Zhiyu gestured with his hand and said, "You have grown up!"


    Xia Fan immediately replied, "Of course, I''m in high school now!"


    Xia Yan was Lu Zhiyu''s first love. Given his situation, Lu Zhiyu had no wish to meet any old friends or relatives and just wanted to spend his remaining days alone, not to mention a person like Xia Fan. When Lu Zhiyu was dating Xia Yan, Xia Fan was in primary school.


    Lu Zhiyu had not contacted Xia Yan for six or seven years. Ever since they graduated from high school, they had gone their separate ways. Xia Yan went to Peking University, and Lu Zhiyu had gone to a normal university. Xia Yan had made things very clear when they broke up. Lu Zhiyu had not been able to get over it back then, but during the past two years, he was able to come to terms with it. However, that did not mean that he wished to see her again.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and said, "Oh, I remember you. Is there something you need? I have quite a lot going on here!"


    Xia Fan knocked on the security grille and demanded, "You remembered me! So why haven''t you opened the door! "


    Looking confused, Lu Zhiyu opened the door, and Xia Fan pushed her motorbike in. "You have such a big courtyard. I''ve always thought of it as my ideal playground since young. Every time I pass by your house, I take a peep at it, but I never expected to see you here. What were you doing in the courtyard?"


    Lu Zhiyu put away his tools and said, "Nothing, I was just tidying up. Since you are here, come in and have a drink!"


    Xia Fan was wearing a pair of tight-fitting jeans and a large vest. Through the armholes, one could see her bra. Her outfit was sexy and daring. Lu Zhiyu did not expected the little girl to have grown up to be so sexy. Suddenly, he felt old.


    "My family moved to the development nearby. From the street outside your house, you can make a detour to the back of the development. I just came back from Carrefour, and did not expect to see you in the courtyard!"


    Xia Fan rattled on. Lu Zhiyu placed two bottles of drinks and some snacks on the table. "Time flies. How is Xia Yan? Is she married?"


    Xia Fan looked dubiously at Lu Zhiyu and said, "Why? You still can''t get over your old flame? Are you trying to to back to her?"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head and smiled. "It has been a few years, and the memories have faded. I asked only because we are still friends, and you happen to be here."


    Xia Fan immediately replied, "My sister is studying in the United Kingdom. You won''t be able to see her at the moment. Why are you back? I heard that you were doing pretty well in Beijing."


    Lu Zhiyu tried to avoid the question and asked, "How did you know that I was doing pretty well? I was just an employee!"


    Xia Fan narrowed her eyes and said, "Isn''t everyone an employee? Don''t tell me you want to be a boss!"


    Xia Fan stayed in Lu Zhiyu''s house for quite a while, leaving satisfied after finishing up a big packet of walnuts. Lu Zhiyu suddenly felt that the air had become fresher with Xia Fan''s presence.


    Lu Zhiyu let the ants into the painting space, but all of them died in an instant. This was not due to the environment. Those were natural deaths. He slapped his head and felt like a fool. Although the lifespan of a worker ant could reach six to seven years, it would be dramatically reduced if the worker ant left its colony and lived without its queen. Furthermore, time moved 10,000 times faster in the painting space. These worker ants could only live for a few seconds. It was not possible to form a colony.


    Lu Zhiyu immediately turned to the internet. Hardly any of the items that he needed could be bought over the internet so he searched through the agricultural cultivation forums, found some people that worked in the related fields, and ordered from them after some discussion.


    Two days later, Lu Zhiyu received his package. It was a special jar with lots of intersecting tunnels, where ants crawled around, and at the bottom of the jar was the queen ant. It was an ants culturing jar.


    Lu Zhiyu opened the jar and let the queen ant into the painting space. The plants bloomed, and colorful trees and shrubs filled the area. The trees seemed to have shrunk, which could be due to the gravity and other environmental factors.


    It was a pity that there was no sign of any animals. With enough time, Lu Zhiyu believed that the painting space might be able to generate its own two-dimensional animals. However, time was not on his side.


    Lu Zhiyu buried the ants jar shallowly in the soil of a hillside and started making observations. He saw that under the accelerated time, the ants had started to spread out, filling up the hill.


    The days and nights came and went, making one feel as though they were watching a fast-forwarded documentary movie. In less than two hours, two to three years had passed in the painting space and a new generation of the ants had replaced the original ones. It looked like the ants formed a unique civilization. They had precise and detailed segregation of duties. Just like human beings, each of them was like a screw that could not be removed from a machine. Should any ant leave the colony, it would not survive.


    "Ants are amazing creatures!"


    Four seasons had come and gone, and time passed by quickly. After a day, the original queen ant died, and new queen ants took over. However, there seemed to be two different colonies under two queens. Lu Zhiyu also found that the two colonies took difference evolutionary paths. One colony went down into the ground while the other had wings and built their nests on the mountain peak. Lu Zhiyu named them ground ants and flying ants.


    On the fourth day, there was a huge transformation in the two colonies. Originally, there were the worker ants, soldier ants, male ants, and queen ants, but gradually, there was a further breakdown of their roles. The flying ants occupied the sky and took on a different form. If Lu Zhiyu had not been observing them, he would not have known that they were of the same origin.


    The flying ants evolved into a species similar to bees. The color of the ground ants faded, turning golden, and then they went deeper into the ground. With this evolution, the two colonies split-up further. The different colonies gradually spread out to the entire island.


    On the sixth day, some ants started to move close to the sea. The limbs of those ants started to become vestigial, and the ants evolved into a species that was able to survive in the water. The painting space was flourishing and diversifying. It amazed Lu Zhiyu that a small colony of ants was able to produce such a large variety of strange lives.

 5 The World of Insects

    "Let''s go out, relax, and have a drink!"


    Lu Zhiyu had been dragged out by Xia Fan to join her friends for dinner. After dinner, they went for a karaoke session and had beer and liquor. At first, Lu Zhiyu had felt embarrassed to be with the high school students, but he soon realized that there were also university graduates and adults there. Many of them were couples. Lu Zhiyu was shocked to find that modern high school students were much more open-minded than his generation.


    After drinking a bit, a pretty and innocent-looking young lady started to make out with her university boyfriend. After a while, they excused themselves to the restroom and disappeared. The rest of the group started to get even wilder, especially Xia Fan. She sang and screamed. She also kept kissing Lu Zhiyu''s neck with breath filled with the smell of liquor, which terrified Lu Zhiyu and made him quite uneasy.


    As Lu Zhiyu supported the stumbling Xia Fan, he could feel the stares of the people on the street. He had not kidnapped this girl, nor did he have any intention of taking advantage the drunk. Although Lu Zhiyu knew he did not do anything wrong, when he saw the police at the intersection, he could not help but stopped walking as if he was guilty. He then waited a bit further up the hill, some distance away, for the taxi.


    While in the taxi, he was scrutinized by the taxi driver. When they were finally near Xia Fan''s house, Lu Zhiyu gave Xia Fan a tug and said, "Wake up, wake up!"


    Xia Fan opened her eyes and asked, "Why?"


    Lu Zhiyu remembered that Xia Fan lived in the development to the left of his house. "We''re back. I''ll see you home!"


    Xia Fan pulled Lu Zhiyu''s collar and said, "No, I can''t go back. If I go back in this state, I''ll get scolded!"


    Lu Zhiyu replied, "If you don''t go home, your parents will be worried."


    Xia Fan immediately replied, "It is alright. I am in boarding school and only go home every few days. My parents won''t know that I''m not staying at school today. Your house is big, isn''t it?"


    With groggy eyes, Xia Fan looked at Lu Zhiyu and said, "Will you try anything funny with me, the sister of your first love?"


    Lu Zhiyu pinched Xia Fan''s two cheeks and pulled them in opposite direction. He said, "Stop your nonsense. You are not even developed yet¡­"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at her sexy body. She was wearing a mini skirt and stockings, and her white halter top showed off her cleavage. Her style of dress was very bold.


    Xia Fan caught Lu Zhiyu looking at her and she straightened up. She squeezed her slender arms together in front of her body and said, "They''re big, aren''t they?"


    "..." Lu Zhiyu was speechless.


    There were two bathrooms in his two-story house, so they each took one. After taking his shower, Lu Zhiyu took out a clean blanket and tidied the room. He then realized that Xia Fan was still in the other bathroom.


    "Hey, say something. Have you been flushed away?" he called out.


    Xia Fan had a towel wrapped around her as she walked out. "Wow! It is nice to have a bathtub. It is so relaxing!" she said, smiling.


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head and said, "I am not used to using that!"


    He brought Xia Fan to the room that had been prepared for her and said, "You will sleep here tonight. The blanket and sheets are¡­"


    The following morning, Lu Zhiyu carefully climbed out of bed and saw Xia Fan as she walked out of her room. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair and said, "Good morning!"


    Xia Fan took out a set of clean clothes from her bag. After cleaning herself up and putting on her clothes, she left for school. Before leaving, she kissed Lu Zhiyu and said, "Thank you!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked blankly at Xia Fan as she opened the door of the courtyard. Before she left, she turned to smile at him, leaving him in a daze.


    After Lu Zhiyu returned to his study, he spread out the Scroll of the World, and looked at the scene in the painting space. It was winter with heavy snow and the sea had become frozen. There were now new and strange creatures under the sea.


    This was a world completely formed by many different kinds of insects. Some occupied the sky, while others occupied the forest, the ground, and the sea. They were all over the place.


    The queen ant was an amazing being. With her pheromones, she could change the genes of the younger generation, and thereby control the entire ant colony. Such ability made her a god-like being within her colony.


    As the number of the colonies increased, space become limited and food also became insufficient, thus the environment became unsustainable. The colonies fought continuously, and each day there were colonies were wiped out and some queen ants were dragged out and killed.


    However, today was very different. Lu Zhiyu realized that a group of insects kept crawling out from a strange-looking nest on a small hill in the painting space. There were many different kinds of them. Some flew in the sky, some swam in the water, and some went underground.


    These were not born by the queen ant, but were produced using the nest. Lu Zhiyu felt that this was very strange. It seemed like that colony had evolved and developed intelligence and it tried to take control over its direction of evolution.


    Lu Zhiyu found the situation abnormal, so he turned to the internet. He found a similar species, which was known as the "Zerg" in StarCraft.


    As Lu Zhiyu looked at the painting space, he became puzzled.


    Have they evolved? Who is controlling the insects? Is it the queen? Where did the intelligence come from? Is the queen the only one with intelligence or is each insect now has its own intelligence?


    Lu Zhiyu activated his power and the silver sigil started to glitter. He immersed himself into the painting space and focused on this special group of insects. Lu Zhiyu found that his conciousness seemed to have separated from his body. He felt he had spent one whole day in the painting space, but in the outside world, only a few seconds had passed!


    Lu Zhiyu saw a long, thin queen insect, with a huge head and four long limbs. The tail was long and a black exoskeleton covered its entire body. The queen insect had spared itself from being a machine of reproduction and possessed intelligence entirely of its own.


    From his god-like perspective, Lu Zhiyu saw that the queen insect constantly sent her thoughts to the other insects, so that she could instruct them to attack the other insects, produce, conquer, combat, and self-supply.


    "The world belongs to us!"


    Lu Zhiyu could feel the ambition of the queen insect. However, he was even more surprised to find out that she could sense and control all of the other insects from her colony.


    What power is that? Is it mind power? Or willpower?


    After observing the queen insect for a while, he started to see the silver light emanating from her brain, and he started to see her thoughts.


    The queen''s mind was able to channel to a special dimensional space!


    Lu Zhiyu immediately dove into it and he felt his consciousness was alienated from the painting space. It had been compressed into a line! Lu Zhiyu followed this line to get to its end, and he felt his consciousness was swimming forward. Finally, he passed through an endless source of information before entering into a world that was filled with light.


    Lu Zhiyu felt as if he would be assimilated by this silver light. With his entire consciousness becoming corroded and tainted, he was afraid that he might completely lose his own consciousness if he stayed any longer. Struggling, he tried to get out of this strange place, and after a long while, he finally returned to his body.


    Utterly exhausted, Lu Zhiyu finally fell into a deep sleep.

 6 Mind Reading

    Lu Zhiyu slept for a day and a night. When he woke up the following day, he felt that the whole world had changed, he had become more sensitive to his surroundings. When he tried to reach out for his disposable cup by the side of the bed, the cup fell to the floor, before he could touch it.


    When he looked at the Scroll of the World, he found that the battle inside the Scroll was growing more and more fierce. After the first queen insect had appeared, the rest of the colonies had started to evolve as well. Fights, evolutions, and new insects developed as a result of the catalyst.


    Although Lu Zhiyu would have liked to continue with his observation, he changed his mind when he realized he was starving. After walking around his neighborhood, he settled down at a caf¨¦ across the street from Carrefour. It was late in the afternoon and quite a number of people were having afternoon tea.


    "Sir, are you alone or¡­" the waitress asked him, immediately struck by his handsome appearance.


    This guy is quite good looking, but he does not look wealthy. Oh, it is such a tiring day!


    "Ah!" Lu Zhiyu looked at the waitress, stunned. Why did she say such a thing in front of me?


    Why is he looking at me? Don''t tell me that he likes me¡­ the waitress was thinking in her head.


    "I am alone. I want a set of¡­" Lu Zhiyu looked at the menu and ordered his meal. After the waitress had written down his order, she turned and left.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at her back and was baffled. He did not remember seeing her talking, as she did not move her lips. However, he had heard some strange sound, as if the waitress was talking.


    Another cute waitress in uniform arrived, bringing his meal, thinking of her own life''s dilemma... How I wish I could knock off from work now. Zhou Hao has asked me out for a movie. Should I go?


    "Don''t go. When a guy asks a girl out for a midnight movie, they usually have an ulterior motive. They would have planned it well in advance, and are waiting for you to take the bait," Lu Zhiyu said.


    The waitress immediately looked up, stared at Lu Zhiyu and asked, "Oh, I''m sorry. Did I say that out loud?"


    The waitress was flustered and quickly walked away. As she was walking away, she turned to look at Lu Zhiyu with a strange and confused expression.


    Lu Zhiyu lowered his head and ate his food. He was smiling. Finally, he could no longer contain his joy and burst into laughter.


    Mind reading? It is mind reading! I know what others are thinking. This is amazing!


    Lu Zhiyu recalled what had happened to him. When he was in the low-dimensional world, his consciousness had gone into an Inner Space and absorbed strange energy that allowed him to have such power.


    He was like the queen insect, which was able to control the entire colony through its mind power. However, Lu Zhiyu had just acquired this power, so it was inferior compared to the queen insect''s. He could only hear the thoughts of the people around him.


    On his way home, he passed many people who had just left work. As he passed by the people, he could hear different voices.


    I haven''t finished the report. I must get it done tonight!


    School should have ended. I wonder if my honey has gone to pick up Le!


    My boss is too much. I need to fly again tomorrow. I have been traveling for more than half of this month!


    I need to send allowance to mom and dad tomorrow. How much shall I send? I think I will send more!


    ¡­


    Lu Zhiyu heard many voices in his brain. There seemed to be a buzzing sound in his head, as if his brain was exploding. After getting out of the crowd, he felt better, and was now walking along the small path toward his house.


    It''s really mind reading. Its effective distance is limited, no further than 2 meters. However, this power will be a problem, if I can''t to shut it off!


    Lu Zhiyu was extremely excited to have acquired a special power. As he thought of how the queen insect had evolved and created offsprings with diverse morphology through its pheromone secretion, he wondered if he could do the same. His cancer might possibly be cured because of this.


    That''s right. Who knows? I might be cured!


    Lu Zhiyu became very excited. Although he had accepted the fact that he had a terminal disease, it would be great if he need not die from it.


    For the next few days, Lu Zhiyu continued to observe the happenings in the Scroll of the World. He realized that the scroll was an entrance of a low-dimensional space. His painting space used to be a two-dimensional world, but ever since he introduced the elements and concept from the three-dimensional world, the dimensions of the painting space may have been increased.


    However, it hadn''t reached three dimension yet, but was in between two-dimensional and three-dimensional. This made the painting space unique and unpredictable.


    When Lu Zhiyu entered the painting space with his consciousness, the long tunnel that he saw must be an one-dimensional space. The two-dimensional space was a flat surface, and one-dimensional world at most could be just a line. In this case, it would be even more difficult for living things to survive in an one-dimensional world than in a two-dimensional space. Such space may not even be able to contain basic elements.


    Lu Zhiyu guessed that the Inner Space should be a zero-dimensional space, a highly condensed singularity. In this world, there could be nothing except the source of power. No material things, but the source, the existence of a concept.


    If in a two-dimensional world, life could barely survive in the flat surface, then how about in the one-dimensional world? Or even zero-dimensional? In such low-dimensional spaces, the only thing that could exist probably were some conceptional things such as the consciousness or soul.


    There was a tunnel leading toward the low-dimensional spaces in the Scroll of the World. As the dimensional space reduced, the life forms found it became closer to their origin.


    Life in the zero-dimensional space could be counted as being the source. Life forms existed in the form of consciousness, or soul. Both Lu Zhiyu and the queen insect had gained access to the low-dimensional space through the Scroll of the World. Through absorbing energy from the source of power, they had strengthened their consciousness and eventually developed something like mind power.


    The living things in the higher dimensional space were more complex and thus were farther away from getting in contact with the origin of life. Lives below the two-dimensional space made use of the source energy and activate their souls.


    Lu Zhiyu named this power the Source Form. He started to imitate the queen insect, making use of the tunnel to bring his consciousness into the zero-dimensional space through the Scroll of the World and to absorb the Source Form to further increase his consciousness and mind power.


    However, his consciousness could not last long in the zero-dimensional world. After absorbing a small amount of Source Form, he had to get out quickly. Later, he was able to maintain the structure of his consciousness in the zero-dimensional world through meditation and visualization. This helped him alter the situation slightly.


    Lu Zhiyu started to read up on meditation, Taoism, visualization, and cultivation, hoping to gain something useful from these subjects.

 7 Cai Jiajia

    "Hello, teacher. I am here for the yoga class!"


    "Mr. Lu, I am your instructor. From now on, please put aside two hours each day for yoga practice. Since you have never done yoga before, we will start with the basics!"


    Cai Jiajia was a 25-year-old yoga instructor. She had her long hair twisted up into a bun and she exuded an air of classic elegance. Lu Zhiyu had signed up for a VIP package, which included personal yoga training sessions. He came to learn about meditation, and had never expected to meet such a beauty. Lu Zhiyu had a crush on Cai Jiajia, but he had certainly paid a high fee for it!


    Lu Zhiyu felt that, when he was practicing meditation, he could feel his blood circulating. On top of that, he could gradually sense every part of his body. He realized that he was able to focus and control his mind power as time passed by. Originally, he could only send his mind power toward the outside world, as he strengthened it, he was also able to conceal the power.


    That was his reason for taking up yoga meditation, as it could help him control and sense things better. Not many people were able to grasp the essence of meditation, and it was after much research that he had found this class.


    Ever since he had started to meditate, Lu Zhiyu became able to discern the thoughts of others when he wanted. After he released his mind power, he could still sense the brainwaves of others. This was mind reading!


    Take the instructor, for example. Lu Zhiyu knew that she had just broken up with her boyfriend. Although she was smiling, her mind was in turmoil and she was not concentrating.


    Lu Zhiyu followed Cai Jiajia''s instructions and began to move through the postures. He felt that yoga and qigong were similar. Both were good for blood circulation and enhanced the senses of one''s body.


    This was exactly what Lu Zhiyu was looking for. He took up yoga, not because he wanted to improve his health, but because he was hoping to gain insights into his body through meditation.


    After following Cai Jiajia''s instructure and going through the postures , Lu Zhiyu was able to sense a bit of what he was looking for. Entering meditation through postures seemed to make it easier for Lu Zhiyu to observe the status of his own body. The two-hour class quickly came to the end, and Lu Zhiyu noticed that it was almost night time.


    "Coach, you look troubled. What is bothering you?" Lu Zhiyu asked, as he stood up and relaxed his body.


    Cai Jiajia was shocked and asked, "Oh? It is so obvious? I''m so sorry!"


    Lu Zhiyu quickly replied, "It''s alright. But, if you are troubled, it might be better for you to go out and take a walk. If you keep it in all bottled up, it will be worse for you!"


    Cai Jiajia smiled and said, "Thank you, I''ll keep that in mind!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked out of the window and saw that it was getting dark. "Is it time for you to finish work? Shall we have dinner together? I would like to treat you to a meal to show my appreciation. I will need plenty of your help in the future!"


    Is he interested in me? Although he is quite good-looking, he is not really my cup of tea. Moreover, he is too direct. And I do not want to eat unhealthy food.


    As Cai Jiajia was about to reject him, Lu Zhiyu quickly asked, "Am I being too blunt? I know of a restaurant that does organic vegetarian food. The style and ambience are also quite nice. This place came to mind since you are not in a good mood. It might do you good to have a change of environment. What do you think?"


    Upon hearing this, Cai Jiajia became interested and said, "Alright. Why don''t you wait for me downstairs? I can leave in 20 minutes!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and said, "I will wait for you downstairs!"


    The two of them had an enjoyable dinner together. As Lu Zhiyu had expected, Cai Jiajia liked the style and food of the restaurant. During their conversation, Lu Zhiyu found out what interested her and made her laugh. Her unhappiness and dazedness from earlier in the day completely disappeared as she laughed.


    "Let me tell you, when I was in college back then, I did something stupid exactly like that!"


    "Really?"


    "Really! Back then, I was with a¡­"


    Throughout the night, Lu Zhiyu was humorous, confident, and a bit artistic. He was good-looking as well. Suddenly, Cai Jiajia felt that Lu Zhiyu knew her very well. Never had she enjoyed talking to someone so much. She felt that it was even fine for her to pour her heart out to him.


    When they left the restaurant, they were already very comfortable with each other. They were chatting and laughing. Lu Zhiyu drove her home. As Lu Zhiyu was about to leave, she suddenly turned back to ask him, "Would you like to come to my house?"


    Lu Zhiyu was taken aback. He was only trying to build a good relationship with her, so he had not expected things to move so quickly. He knew that Cai Jiajia felt empty after her broken relationship and needed someone to lean on. He had come at the right time to capture her heart. Lu Zhiyu did not want to miss this opportunity.


    "I am actually quite curious. What kind of person is a goddess like you like in real life?"


    "Oh no, I think I am having some regrets now. A woman should not let a man know her personal life!"


    Cai Jiajia lived in a relatively large place compared to the rest in her development. She had probably lived here with her boyfriend previously. Her place was classic European style, and the furniture had been carefully chosen. One could tell that Cai Jiajia was very particular about the way she lived.


    What happened after that came naturally. Both of them cuddled together and rolled onto the bed. This was different from the time Xia Fan was drunk and Lu Zhiyu had to take her home. This time around, Lu Zhiyu felt very strongly toward his partner. Especially since Cai Jiajia practiced yoga and had an athletic figure. She was like a leopardess, leaving him wanting more.


    After leaving Cai Jiajia''s place the following morning, Lu Zhiyu felt that he was despicable. He had used mind reading to go after girls. It was similar to cheating in an examination. This was truly a powerful weapon!


    After getting into the car, Lu Zhiyu looked at the rear-view mirror and tidied his hair then saw a love bite on his neck. Cai Jiajia was wilder in bed than she was in real life. Lu Zhiyu quickly buttoned up to cover the mark.


    At this moment, his mobile phone rang. Lu Zhiyu looked at his phone and saw that it was a message from Cai Jiajia, which read: I love being with you!


    Lu Zhiyu shrugged his shoulders. She was happy, he was happy. They had both gotten what they wanted.


    After all, one should not make the relationship between men and women too complicated. Only youngsters would pledge their undying love for each other and be madly in love. Both of them had passed such an age! He remembered what Xia Fan said.


    "Enjoy life when you can. If you wait until the end of your time to figure out what was missed, you wouldn''t have any opportunity to make it up to yourself!"

 8 Health Restoration Projec

    Thump! Thump!


    Lu Zhiyu could hear his own heartbeat. He mentally ran through his whole body. He could feel his blood circulating, and the senses that seemed vague previously had now become clearer. Ultimately, a strange looking picture appeared in front of his eyes.


    There were no colors, only structures in this picture. It was like a three-dimensional model or a planar graph created using CAD. The skin, muscles, bones, arteries and internal organs were all shown in the picture, formed by multiple sub-units.


    Lu Zhiyu could even feel the thickness of his skin, the length of his bones, and the sizes of his internal organs. However, as his mind power was not powerful enough, he was still unable to reach the cellular level. He could only vaguely sense it.


    Lu Zhiyu could see the dark shadow in his lungs. The cancer cells, which had been separated from the healthy cells, had been increasing. Amassing, they had started to form a tumor.


    I have succeeded!


    The moment that Lu Zhiyu became excited, he found himself coming out from the God-like Perspective, and was no longer able to maintain stable meditation or calm state of mind. Instead, he immediately went to his study table, which was filled with medical and cancer-related books.


    Lu Zhiyu was prepared for his experiments. He had read up on a number of books, and ever since he had awakened his mind power, he felt that he was smarter and more wired to learn. Previously, he had to read through things a few times in order to comprehend what was written, but now he just had to scan through it once, and he was able to remember and understand it.


    When the body experiences a long period of sub-optimal health conditions, the cells start to resist the body, and that is what causes cancer. It was not a pathogen. Previously, Lu Zhiyu had given up hope on beating his cancer, but after understanding it, he realized that it was not as terrifying as he had first thought.


    As cancer cells were not considered a pathogen, the body''s immune system would not kill these cancer cells. Man contracted cancer not because they were infected by a pathogen, but because the body was in a state of perpetual decay. As such, when one became unhealthy, some of the cells began to resist the body, in a sort of mutiny. Should the condition persist, the "rebellious army" would expand, form a tumor, and gradually spread through the body.


    Therefore, killing the cancer cells would not solve the root of the problem. If the problems of the body have not been resolved, one would develop cancer again. When the body becomes healthier and the person''s state of mind gets better, his cancer would then be under control. In fact, there were a number of cases, whereby cancer was cured on its own.


    In light of this knowledge, Lu Zhiyu had decided to make adjustments to his body''s condition. After which, he would urge his body to destroy the cancer cells from within in order to treat his lung cancer. From what Lu Zhiyu knew, this method should be feasible.


    For the next few days, Lu Zhiyu read a great deal of medical related books. He even got a copy of the class schedule of the Medical Faculty in Jiangcheng University and sat in the classes for the topics that he was interested in. During his free time, he would go on dates with Cai Jiajia.


    After coming up with a plan, Lu Zhiyu started to carry out this plan to heal his body.


    Different glands released different hormones. The eight glands in the human body controlled the growth, development, metabolism, and puberty of the body through the hormones they secreted. He figured that, as long as he could control his glands, he would be able to control his body, height, size, shape, strength, stamina, sexuality, intelligence, and much more!


    Lu Zhiyu had decided to stimulate the glands in his body in order to produce hormones that could control his development and health. He wanted to adjust his hormonal system to improve his health, which was suboptimal due to work and other environmental factors, to that of a professional athlete. Through these adjustments, he hoped to get rid of the cancer cells and cure his disease.


    Through his mental strength, Lu Zhiyu first stimulated and controlled the secretion of the growth hormone from the pituitary gland. This would stimulate his development again.


    After which, he stimulated his adrenal, pancreas, and thyroid glands in order to secrete a reasonable amount of hormones to adjust his body to a perfect condition. Naturally, he had stimulated his sex gland as well. He tested out the list according to his plan.


    After he exited the Introspect status, he recorded the data and changes that had taken place after he examined his body. Although he could see the changes inside his body, he could not feel anything yet. It was as if nothing had happened.


    In the next few days, Lu Zhiyu felt a tremendous change in his body. His body ached all over, this indicated that his body was re-developing. His bones were growing again. Previously, he would cough when it was cold at night, but this condition had improved. Furthermore, although he did not train, he was building up muscle.


    Through research, Lu Zhiyu knew how each gland affected the different parts of his body. Through the stimulation of each particular gland, he would also gradually adjust his body''s condition. This adjustment would take a long period of time, since he had to take it slowly, just in case it backfired.


    Initially, Lu Zhiyu felt numb, even when he was walking. He ached all over and felt extremely itchy. For a number of days, he laid on his bed and sofa, not feeling like moving. He also had an increase in appetite. When Lu Zhiyu gradually adjusted the level of the secretion of the hormones, these conditions became milder.


    Lu Zhiyu realized that, during this period of two weeks, he had grown taller. And, where there used to be blemishes on his skin, his skin had now become soft and fair, like a baby''s. His muscles had also become more defined. Although Lu Zhiyu did not work out, he felt as though he had been exercising every day. His muscles had been stimulated and were growing healthily.


    Most importantly, Lu Zhiyu realized that the dark shadow in his body had started to fade. A large amount of cancer cells in his lungs had already died off, having then been released through his excretory system. He was no longer coughing either.


    As he stood before the mirror with his shorts on, Lu Zhiyu barely recognized himself. He saw a tall and handsome man in the reflection! His body was proportioned with Golden Ratio, with well-defined muscles. His face had softened and he had clear-cut feature. His eyes looked bright and full of energy. He looked like a celebrity or model. He had become better looking than all of those celebrities, even compared to their photoshopped images.


    Lu Zhiyu had not looked at himself in the mirror for a long time. He was surprised to see such a great change. It explained why Cai Jiajia had told him that he had changed a lot, when he went to his yoga class the day before.


    Is this really me?


    Lu Zhiyu stood in front of the mirror, wondering, with his jaw hanging open.

 9 The Change in Body and Life

    Over the past two weeks, other than attending the personal yoga classes and going to Cai Jiajia''s house, Lu Zhiyu had been mostly staying at home. Today, while he was out, he found something amiss.


    Everyone who walked past him turned around to stare at him. There were even a few times when he actually caught sight of people secretly taking photographs of him.


    He looks so handsome! Is he some comic character?


    Is he a celebrity? He is so elegant!


    He seems to have a mixed ethnicity. He looks so gorgeous. His eyes are so charming!


    Oh no! I have been lovestruck. He''s looking at me!


    Along the way, weird thoughts flooded Lu Zhiyu''s mind continuously. When Lu Zhiyu looked at himself in the mirror, he only felt that he looked good and was not really bothered. However, when others looked at him, it seemed that Lu Zhiyu had undergone an astonishing change.


    For instance, when he went to the caf¨¦ for a meal, the waitress actually secretly passed him her mobile number, and many girls came up with different excuses to get his contact information. Lu Zhiyu found this all very puzzling. Even if he was handsome, he should not be receiving so much attention.


    After he finished his meal with Cai Jiajia, she glanced at the seat on the left. Lu Zhiyu immediately asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Cai Jiajia pouted and said, "That girl keeps peeking at you. You are very charming, aren''t you? Recently, you have changed a lot. Hmm, because I am always with you, I don''t feel anything. But you seem different from the first time I saw you. You look too stunning now!"


    Lu Zhiyu immediately teased her, "Have I become more good-looking?"


    Cai Jiajia touched her red lips and said, "You could say that, but it is more than that. You exude a charm, no, a scent. It smells good and is so captivating!"


    Lu Zhiyu was taken aback. "A scent?" He quickly sniffed himself and said, "I don''t smell anything."


    Cai Jiajia laughed at once and said, "Only women can smell it. It''s the manly scent, the smell of hormones!"


    Lu Zhiyu lost control of himself and burst into laughter. However, he remembered what Cai Jiajia had said.


    Have I adjusted my body into a perfect state, whereby it exudes a special scent that has caused this scenario?


    After dinner, Lu Zhiyu naturally went to Cai Jiajia''s house. He took out a bottle of red wine from his car, and after enjoying two glasses or so, their desires were quickly ignited.


    After everything, Cai Jiajia was still in a daze and took quite a while to recover. Then, she looked at Lu Zhiyu and said, "I nearly died just now!"


    Lu Zhiyu quickly said, "I will take note next time. You frightened me just now!"


    Cai Jiajia shook her head. "The feeling is great! Lu Zhiyu, you are the most perfect man that I have ever met!"


    Cai Jiajia lay in his arms and scratched his chest like a kitten. After a while, she said, "Lu Zhiyu, let''s end our relationship!"


    "What?" Lu Zhiyu could not understand what had just happened. They were having a good time in bed earlier, but things suddenly changed. Just as Lu Zhiyu was about to use his mind power to explore Cai Jiajia''s thoughts, she opened her mouth.


    "My boyfriend is back. He has looked me up and talked to me for a long while. He wants me to go back to him!" Cai Jiajia stared at Lu Zhiyu, looking confused. She seemed to have made a tough decision.


    Lu Zhiyu cuddled Cai Jiajia and asked, "Why? Is he better than me?"


    Cai Jiajia shook her head and said, "He is not as good looking or charming as you. You are much better than him in all aspects. But he loves me!"


    Lu Zhiyu immediately asked, "Do I not love you?"


    Cai Jiajia forced a smile and asked, "Do you love me?"


    Lu Zhiyu was dumbfounded. After a while, he slowly stood up and put on his clothes. He bent down and kissed Cai Jiajia on her forehead. "I''m sorry. I truly enjoy the time that I have spent with you. I will not interfere with your life anymore. Also, I wish you and your boyfriend all the best!"


    Cai Jiajia looked affectionately at Lu Zhiyu. She could not bear to part with him, but Lu Zhiyu could tell that she was resolute with her decision. While he was in the car, Lu Zhiyu felt a bit lost. He felt that he was somewhat despicable.


    Nevertheless, this had ended quite well as his relationship with Cai Jiajia had come to a close. Moreover, his cancer had been cured and he now had a perfect body.


    After having gone through so much, Lu Zhiyu felt deeply that he should do something that he liked. He should live for his interests and hobbies, and not live like a dog, like how he used to!


    By the time he reached home, it was already midnight. He parked his car and was about to open the door when he saw someone squatting outside, scaring him out of his wits.


    Lu Zhiyu slowly walked up and realized that the person looked familiar. It was a girl who was squatting with her head low, just like an ostrich. He pushed her shoulder and called out softly, "Xia Fan?"


    Xia Fan lifted up her head and looked at Lu Zhiyu, tears filling her eyes. In a hoarse voice, she cried out, "Lu Zhiyu, where have you been? Why are you not home at such a late hour?"


    Lu Zhiyu curled his lips and said, "Who would know that you would be squatting outside my house in the middle of the night? Come in; it''s windy outside!"


    After taking a hot shower, Xia Fan walked out of the bathroom and carelessly wrapped herself up in a towel. Her hair was still wet as she sat down on the sofa.


    Lu Zhiyu asked, "What happened to you? Why did you not dry your hair?"


    Xia Fan lowered her head, not saying a word. As Lu Zhiyu dried her hair with a towel, Xia Fan cried out, "I have broken up with my boyfriend!"


    "Okay."


    Xia Fan was extremely dissatisfied. Right away, she lifted up her head and said, "Can you be a bit sympathetic? I have broken up with my boyfriend. Can you not comfort me? You are¡­"


    Xia Fan did not finish her sentence, but instead looked at Lu Zhiyu with her jaw dropped. "Who are you?" she gasped.


    Lu Zhiyu took out a hair dryer and plugged it into the electric socket. He then said nonchalantly, "Who else? Clearly I''m Lu Zhiyu."


    Xia Fan shook her head continuously and said, "Impossible. The Lu Zhiyu I know is not so good-looking. Tell me honestly, are you a monster?"


    "..."


    "Here is the hair dryer. After you have dried your hair, go to the room that you went the other time, and have an early night!"

 10 Physical Examination

    Lu Zhiyu was lying on his bed, playing with his mobile phone when Xia Fan suddenly approached him. Staring at his face carefully, she asked, "Why did I not realize earlier that you are so handsome? You were good-looking before, but now you are stunning¡­"


    "Tell me honestly, did you have plastic surgery?"


    Lu Zhiyu pushed away Xia Fan''s head which was almost touching his face. "Previously, my work environment has greatly affected my health. Now, I am recovering and I have been training every day, so that may explain it."


    "It''s such an amazing transformation!" Xia Fan was simple-minded, so she believed what Lu Zhiyu told her. However, because of Lu Zhiyu''s flawless appearance, she still stayed beside him.


    "Hey, Lu Zhiyu, I have just broken up!"


    "Oh!"


    "Should you not comfort me?"


    "Should I? I don''t think so!"


    Lu Zhiyu put down his mobile phone and glanced at Xia Fan, feeling somewhat strange. Ever since he was able to control his mind power, he did not really read another person''s thoughts unless it was absolutely necessary because he felt that it was quite meaningless.


    "Wait¡­ Are you asking me to be your back-up?" he asked.


    Xia Fan sat up and yelled, "Hey! What do you mean by that? I''m very popular and have many suitors in school!"


    She then looked at Lu Zhiyu and her look changed slightly. "I have never thought about it in the past, but now¡­ If you are willing, I can consider letting you take advantage of the situation so that you can be my boyfriend!"


    Xia Fan was only wrapped up in towel at the moment, so there were hidden meanings when she used the words "take advantage." However, Lu Zhiyu immediately rejected her righteously, after which he chased Xia Fan out of his room and locked the door.


    The high school students nowadays were really crazy. Lu Zhiyu felt that if he had allowed her to stay in his room any longer, his only bottom line would collapse!


    The following morning, before Xia Fan left, she still pestered Lu Zhiyu. Because of her, Lu Zhiyu spent over ten minutes just to brush his teeth. Even his body almost broke down from her consistent shaking.


    "Promise me. It will be embarrassing for me not to have a boyfriend at my birthday party next month!"


    Lu Zhiyu finally snapped and asked, "What is there to be embarrassed about? At your age, it is only normal not to have a boyfriend. If you were my daughter, I would have spanked you!"


    Xia Fan replied scornfully, "You are so old-fashioned. Which century are you living in?"


    In the end, because Lu Zhiyu had more pressing issues to attend to and could not afford to waste more time with Xia Fan, he still agreed to her request, but he would only go as a normal friend. He was determined to not fall for her tricks. Xia Fan was elated and even took out her mobile phone. After taking a few photos of Lu Zhiyu, she left proudly.


    Lu Zhiyu went to the hospital and felt that he had received special treatment there. From the moment he reached the hospital and queued up, many people were already staring at him. Many of the nurses even seemed to have received news that he was here. Standing in the distance, they looked at him, oohing and ahhing.


    "Wow, he really is so good-looking! I thought it''s a lie!"


    "He is so elegant and polished, and has a great body too!"


    Lu Zhiyu felt that his illness had already fully recovered, but he was afraid that he might be wrong. Hence, he had decided to get a full physical examination in the hospital to see if he had really recovered or had any other problems.


    When he took tests on the eyes, blood, and blood pressure, as well as an electrocardiogram, it all went quite normal. However, when a female physician was checking on him, she touched him all over, causing him to feel very awkward.


    "Take off your clothes!"


    "??? Take everything off!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the female physician who had glasses on and dropped his jaw.


    The female physician looked sternly at Lu Zhiyu and said, "What are you waiting for? Quickly, take your clothes off."


    Just as Lu Zhiyu was hesitating about whether to take off everything, the female physician finally added, "But leave your undergarments on."


    After checking him, the female physician said, "Your body is fine. You are very healthy indeed. The results of the blood and urine tests will be back in a few days. We will inform you when the report is ready!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed like there was indeed nothing wrong with his body anymore. Even the minor lung illnesses he had were absent at the moment, which caused him to be very excited. Before leaving, the female physician suddenly passed him her business card and said, "In the future, if you feel unwell, you can call me at this number. I can come to your house and check on you!"


    Taking the business card, Lu Zhiyu was flabbergasted. Do doctors in hospitals now provide such services? He glanced at the card and realized that the doctor''s name was Li Wei.


    Seeing the way Lu Zhiyu was bending forward, Li Wei suddenly put her hand into his T-shirt and pressed on his spine. After hearing a cracking sound, Lu Zhiyu immediately felt an awesome sensation rush up to his head.


    "You should straighten your back. Don''t keep bending forward like that, or else you will look weak. Besides, it is not good for your health!"


    This was a bad habit of Lu Zhiyu, the result of him sitting in front of the computer for so many years. In this modern society, this was also a common problem. However, Lu Zhiyu felt that Dr. Li Wei was behaving in an unusual way towards him. At once, he sensed her thoughts.


    Lu Zhiyu thanked Li Wei with a smile and quickly walked out from the door. As he stood at the door, he wiped the cold sweat on his forehead. Ever since he was able to read the minds of others, he realized that everyone projected outwardly much differently from what they actually were thinking. Most were, in reality, very wild inside!


    When Lu Zhiyu returned home, he heaved a sigh of relief. Cancer and death had been hanging over his head like a shadow, but now he could finally stop worrying about them and be at ease.


    He took out the Scroll of the World. Just as he opened it, he realized that the measure of the silver sigil in his mind rose suddenly. Lu Zhiyu knew that the measure represented the amount of the Source Form.


    Previously, Lu Zhiyu had used a huge amount of Source Form to change the rules and regulations of the painting space. He had basically completely drained the Source Form. After that, there had been no changes to it, but the measure had just suddenly increased. He knew that there must be a reason for this.


    Although Lu Zhiyu could not directly use the Source Form from the sigil to enhance his mind power and spirit, he could make use of the Source Form to change the rules of the painting space. This was extremely important to him, because with sufficient Source Form, he could change the painting space at his will, just like a true god!

 11 The Female Physician—Li Wei

    Lu Zhiyu entered the painting space and immediately discovered that the very first queen insect had died. It was jointly attacked by a few other queen insects that appeared later on, dragged out from its nest, and died a horrible death.


    It was precisely at the moment the queen insect died that the measure of the Source Form in Lu Zhiyu''s brain increased. Lu Zhiyu then brought his consciousness into the painting space and gradually discovered that the Source Form''s increase did not only occur when the queen insect died. In fact, every time a living thing died, the measure of the Source Form would increase subtly.


    He did notice that there was a great difference between an ordinary insect and a queen insect. As the changes were minimal for ordinary insects, Lu Zhiyu had not noticed the difference before. It was only when the queen insect died, and the measure shot up, that this great difference caught his attention.


    The entire space in the painting became the playground of the insects. These insects were extremely different from the ants that Lu Zhiyu had placed in it earlier. In fact, various very strange-looking insects, which had never existed before in the real world, popped up continuously. Moreover, they were seen everywhere, in the sky, on land, and in the sea. Among them, there were dozens of queen insects which possessed intelligence and mind powers.


    The development of the insects was way beyond Lu Zhiyu''s imagination. The internal structure of the different insect colonies kept developing. At the beginning, the different insect worker types were around a dozen, but then it evolved into hundreds or even thousands of worker types. In addition, these insects were getting increasingly intelligent as well. They started to communicate, cooperate, conquer, develop, research, and create different weapons. Lu Zhiyu felt that they could even be called "the civilization of the insects!"


    Lu Zhiyu saw the insects that were flying in the sky like airships throw acid into a few nests, immediately setting them ablaze. There were beetles that looked like armored vehicles firing missiles into the sky. The battle and collaboration among the insects were actually very modernized.


    Lu Zhiyu found this all very scary. If not for the confined space and restrictions of the painting space, the insects would have come into the world of mankind. If this happened, it would absolutely destruct humanity!


    The lifespan of a queen ant was around 20 years in the painting space, but in real life, it was less than a day. However, from the birth of the first queen insect to the current moment, 27 days had past, which meant that this queen insect had lived around 700 years. What''s more, it did not die a natural death; it was killed by its enemy!


    Lu Zhiyu found this amazing, wondering how the queen insect could live for so long. Lu Zhiyu took out his notebook once again and recorded down the information of these queen insects. As he did so, he realized that when the mind powers of the queen insects had reached a certain level, their mind powers started to get more refined and made it possible for the queen insects to observe and control their own genes.


    These queen insects had actually been modifying and developing their own genes. These insects were way ahead of mankind, at least in terms of genetic development.


    If the strength is equivalent to one Source Form unit (SFU), when my mind power was initially awakened, after practicing medication for such a long while, my mind power should have reached six SFU. It probably needs seven SFU in order to break through the bottleneck, and reach the point where I am able to freely control the power and therefore influence the external world just like the queen insects.


    Lu Zhiyu estimated that, if he gave it his all, he would be able to break through in five days. He was excited to think about experiencing what it felt like to have a mind power that would allow him to observe his genes!


    Other than taking medical classes, Lu Zhiyu also got the curriculums of the Department of Biology of Jiangcheng University, and went to the classes daily. In addition, he bought some books on biology to increase his competency in this area.


    As he was auditing the classes only, Lu Zhiyu did not disturb the lecturer or the other students. He sat quietly at the back of the classroom, trying to remain incognito. However, he still could not stop the girls from swarming around him. Lu Zhiyu did enjoy the special treatment, though, as he had never had anything like it during his previous college years.


    In fact, from the moment he had stepped into the classroom, all eyes were fixed on him. Many girls screamed with excitement, but the guys only looked at him with animosity. This made Lu Zhiyu feel embarrassed.


    "Hi, are you a biology student? Why is it that I have never seen you before?" The moment Lu Zhiyu sat down and turned to the page that he had bookmarked previously, a few girls gathered, surrounding him and bombarding him with questions. They were pretty and all seemed quite confident¡ªotherwise, they would not have come over to chat him up.


    "No. I''m only auditing the class. I''m here because I have an interest in this subject!" he said.


    Lu Zhiyu was surrounded by the group of girls, but at the same time, he also suffered from the killing looks from the guys in the classroom. The girls only left once the class started, but even during the lesson, Lu Zhiyu kept receiving notes on which either their mobile number or WeChat ID was written.


    In the afternoon, Lu Zhiyu went to the hospital to collect his medical report. For some reason, he waited at the reception window for a while, but the female hospital worker kept dawdling and just would not give him his report. Eventually, thanks to the physician Li Wei he had met last time, he obtained his report.


    Before he could leave the hospital, Li Wei held onto his arm and told him that she was leaving early from work, and would like to buy him dinner. Before Lu Zhiyu could reject her offer, Li Wei had already dragged him to a fancy Hunan Restaurant.


    "Hi, I''d like to order this, this, and this. All of these dishes must be spicy!" Li Wei took the menu and ordered just like how she would usually do. However, she then immediately looked at Lu Zhiyu and asked, "Do you like spicy food?"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, "I am fine with it. In fact, I actually do like my food to be a little spicy. But, aren''t doctors supposed to be more particular about their food? How come you like such spicy food?"


    Li Wei replied with a question of her own. "Who told you that spicy food is bad for your health?"


    "You doctors usually tell us to watch our diet and not eat spicy or oily foods!"


    "That''s only when you are sick. It is fine to eat these things when you are well!"


    It was interesting talking to Li Wei. She was an aggressive and outspoken lady, and was two years older than Lu Zhiyu. She spoke her mind and was very direct, so Lu Zhiyu would not need to guess what she really meant, which made him feel really at ease.


    Compared to Cai Jiajia who was reserved and graceful, Li Wei was someone on the other end of the spectrum. Lu Zhiyu had taken the initiative to go after Cai Jiajia, but now Li Wei was going after him; the feeling was different, better somehow. In any case, Lu Zhiyu was enjoying every moment of it.


    "Hi, two more bottles of beer please!"


    "More!"


    Lu Zhiyu knew what was on Li Wei''s mind. However, when both of them left the restaurant, it was Lu Zhiyu who carried Li Wei out. Taking off her white coat, Li Wei did not have an athletic figure from years of exercises like Cai Jiajia, but she was still mature and hot. In particular, when she pressed herself against Lu Zhiyu, he felt as though his whole body was burning!


    "Where do you live? I will take you home!"


    "It''s alright. There is a hotel nearby. Just get me a room there!"


    After checking in the room with Li Wei, Lu Zhiyu did not come out until the following morning, when both of them left the hotel together, behaving very intimately. Lu Zhiyu found it thrilling to date a female doctor who was two years older than him.

 12 Genetic Template

    Lu Zhiyu felt that something was about to grow out from between his eyebrows. Finally at the end of his meditation, with sufficient mind power, the thing broke through and came into the real world.


    Lu Zhiyu saw the external world, not with his eyes or with the introspective senses that he had been using earlier. Instead, he was actually observing the world from an entirely different angle. His mind power had broken through the limitations of his body and was influencing the real world.


    The real world that he saw through his mind power was made up of information formed by dots and lines. There were no colors or light, only information in the form of dots and lines.


    From the moment Lu Zhiyu extended his mind power to explore the world, he could feel a vast amount of external information flooding into his brain. The humidity of the air, the size of the room, and the length, structure, quality, and density of his bed all continuously gushed into his brain.


    Suddenly, Lu Zhiyu realized that he had never understood his room so well. However, the huge amount of information was too much for him to handle, causing him to feel as if his brain was going to explode.


    Is this how the world looks like using mind power? The world is created from information!


    After withdrawing his mind power, Lu Zhiyu felt dizzy at once. Information from the whole world kept entering his brain. Although he enjoyed the feeling, he found it unbearable at the same time.


    After Lu Zhiyu calmed down, he started to carry out his initial plan. He began to observe the inside of his body and the deep parts of his cells, just like how the queen insects did.


    His mind power turned more refined and went deeper into his body. Lu Zhiyu could see his body become continuously enlarged. He saw his muscles, blood vessels, blood, and then, his cells flowing. They looked like bubbles that converged into an endless stream of river, rushing into the distance.


    As Lu Zhiyu''s mind power ventured even further, he could see what was happening inside the cells. He found the nucleus, which was the small walnut-shaped tissue in every cell. The function of each cell was carried out by its cytoplasm, while the nucleus was its core.


    Lu Zhiyu once again made his mind power even finer. At this stage, it was already extremely tough for him. His mind power had reached the realm of the microscopic world. This was the most magical and mysterious corner of the world. As compared to the macroscopic universe, humans were more interested in the microscopic world.


    Finally, Lu Zhiyu saw his own DNA. It was like a spiral staircase, and contained the greatest secret of the human body. Human genetic materials were found here, as was all the information in the body. This was a mystery that mankind had always wanted to unravel but could not do so completely.


    Lu Zhiyu was elated. He went straight in and saw an endless amount of information flooding into his brain in the form of visible texts. He felt as though he was standing naked in front of a long stream of information. An infinite amount of information dating all the way back to the beginning of life presented itself beneath his feet.


    What is this? The memories of life?


    Lu Zhiyu saw the information about his ancestors and the beginning of mankind. As he moved up the stream, Lu Zhiyu could even see the shadows of people which were his ancestors. As he advanced further, their faces became simpler and unadorned. Their clothing also kept changing, and ultimately, he saw the primitive period.


    He moved all the way from homo sapiens to homo erectus, homo habilis, and Australopithecus. Then, Lu Zhiyu realized that the road ended abruptly. This was the first template of man and no more genetic backtracking was available.


    Perhaps, this was actually the origin of man. The other species further up the stream already had nothing to do with mankind. Lu Zhiyu could see directly the origin and evolution of man. It was like an enormous slideshow which greatly astounded him.


    At the moment Lu Zhiyu withdrew his mind power, he felt wobbly, nearly falling down from his bed. He covered his face and panted non-stop. It took him a long while to recover.


    After some time, Lu Zhiyu roared with laughter. He felt that he had been to the edge of the evolution of man, and finally understood the secret of genes.


    Lu Zhiyu realized that the insects had actually changed their genes through pheromones after observing the secret of genes. Lu Zhiyu had a more frightening thought, all because he had seen the genetic template of the ape-like ancestor in the deepest part of his genes.


    What if I change the template? If I change the source of the genetic information and tell the gene that its ancestor is not an ape, but rather a Titan, or a god, or even a dragon in the legend, what will happen to mankind? Will it cause atavism, with man suddenly becoming extraordinary beings?


    The thought thrilled Lu Zhiyu, but he also felt that the task would be extremely challenging. Countless experiments would have to be done before he could realize his goal. Lu Zhiyu was not even sure if it was feasible.


    Lu Zhiyu had set up a laboratory upstairs. It was not professional, but he had bought many pieces of biology-related equipment, which were expensive and hard to get. Fortunately, he only required a few basic facilities, as his mind power was much more powerful in terms of accuracy and fine tuning. In particular, during observations, Lu Zhiyu could accurately detect the changes in the experiment.


    There were a CO2 incubator, biological safety cabinet, ultra-low temperature freezer, and other equipment, as well as a wide range of consumables. Lu Zhiyu had used up all of his money, including the funds that his parents had left behind for him, in order to purchase all these items.


    When Lu Zhiyu made the investment, he had asked his primary school classmate, Wang Yi, for help. Lu Zhiyu attended primary school in his hometown. Back then, both of them had lived only a few hundred meters away from each other, and they were on good terms.


    Wang Yi was currently working as an assistant in a research institution that was jointly owned by a pharmaceutical company and the university. Lu Zhiyu and Wang Yi had not seen each other for a long time, so Wang Yi was rather amazed when Lu Zhiyu suddenly contacted him.


    Lu Zhiyu started his experiment with mice. That was right. A pitiful mouse lay on the lab bench, and Lu Zhiyu started to play with the root genetic template of the species according to his own imagination.


    However, every time he altered it, the entire genetic chain would collapse at once. The blood in the culture flasks would also lose its bioactivity and was unable to tolerant such random alterations.


    Lu Zhiyu realized that the root genetic template must be logical. It must be something that he could understand too, or else it would result in a chain reaction that would cause the genes to collapse.


    He started to try putting the information of the human''s root template into the animals'' . After a few trials, Lu Zhiyu successfully created the genes of mouse-people, a hybrid between mice and humans.


    Using polymerase chain reaction, Lu Zhiyu immediately duplicated the genes of the mouse-people, using which he created the first generation evolution plasma. He named it the Mouse-people Blood Plasma.


    However, when Lu Zhiyu exultantly injected the plasma into the bone marrow of the mouse, it exploded right away! Immediately, Lu Zhiyu''s heart sank.


    After being depressed for quite a while, Lu Zhiyu felt that he might be able to breed a new generation of life from the embryo, instead of directly and brutally trying to modify the genes of a mature animal. It would just be like the way cloned sheep were created!


    At this time, a tremendous change in the painting space was noticed!

 13 The Destruction of a Civilization

    "Hey, what has happened? Why are you all dead?"


    Lu Zhiyu had been too busy over these few days to observe the painting space, and when he looked at it, he found that a huge amount of insects had started dying. Lu Zhiyu realized that two days ago, the insects had actually developed bioenergy.


    A queen insect had created a new generation of nests and begun to continuously spawn soldier insects. It then managed to control all the other queen insects, effectively unifying the entire painting space.


    After that, the queen insect that had just unified its world went onto a road of self-destruction. The endless creation of soldiers eventually used up all the resources of the painting space. The seas had been contaminated and dried up, and the lands had turned into mere deserts. The insects had started to devour one another, resulting in continued deaths.


    Lu Zhiyu saw for himself the total collapse of the huge civilization of insects. The queen insects and ordinary insects died one after another, and the painting space was being ruined.


    "No! Don''t die!" Lu Zhiyu nearly went berserk. However, the measure on the silver sigil in his brain continued to rise rapidly as the insects died. Finally, the measure broke through its bottleneck.


    Lu Zhiyu could feel the silver sigil transform from a horizontal eight to a silver-colored hourglass. At once, a huge amount of information charged into his brain, and Lu Zhiyu, once again, received part of the information on how to manipulate the Scroll of the World. Specifically, he received the method on how to create and open the dimensional channel from the outside world.


    Lu Zhiyu glanced into the painting space which had already turned into a desert. Even the dead bodies of the insects were being devoured gradually. However, Lu Zhiyu realized that the queen insect that had controlled the painting space had disappeared; it did not die and actually just vanished!


    What has happened?


    After some prompt investigation, Lu Zhiyu realized that it was at the point when his control of the space had been enhanced that there was instability in the dimensional channel. As he was adjusting the dimensional channel in an attempt to save the painting space from total destruction, the queen insect had grasped hold of the opportunity to escape from the painting space, exiting the two-dimensional world.


    However, Lu Zhiyu had no idea where she had escaped to, or whether it was a lower dimensional space or a higher dimensional one. She might even have escaped to the three-dimensional space where he was currently in.


    Has she escaped? This trickster destroyed my painting space and just disappeared. This is too rude!


    Lu Zhiyu felt the loss, but there was nothing he could do. He knew that this would eventually happen one day, given the characteristics of insects. These extremely aggressive insects would devour all resources in order to enhance their lives. The painting space was just too small for them.


    After the living things in the painting space all died, Lu Zhiyu retrieved the Source Form from it, which filled up only around one tenth of the hourglass. If Lu Zhiyu''s original measure when he had first obtained the painting space was 100 units, the quantity of the Source Form at the moment would be about 1,300 units. To fill it up again, he would need 10,000 units of Source Form.


    Previously, Lu Zhiyu had used 100 units of Source Form to create the painting space. Now that he had 1,300 units, he might be able to come up with another plan to create a more stable, larger space. Perhaps, it would even be a world that could accommodate various civilizations and living things.


    Lu Zhiyu suddenly realized that he had missed out an important detail. He could trace back the memories and origin of his ancestors through his genes. Hence, the queen insects might be able to do so as well.


    That would mean they might have already discovered that they did not belong to the painting world. Instead, they were from another universe and their ancestors were but a group of ants on the ground.


    Lu Zhiyu''s expression changed.


    Could the insects have already felt my presence, and have been scolding me behind my back? Something also seems to be wrong with the queen insect. It seems like she has prepared to escape from the painting space long ago!


    At the moment, in a distant and unknown Inner Space, the queen insect that had curled up like a worm and traveled through spacetime in a cocoon sent out a wave.


    The world of God. Tse tse, looking for the presence of God!


    We insects are from the world of God, the kingdom of God!


    The Almighty God, Sunika is looking for You. I have many questions¡­


    As Lu Zhiyu waited outside the hospital, a few women suddenly came by to chat him up, but he rejected them. When Lu Zhiyu saw them walking away reluctantly, he could only smile wryly.


    At the moment Li Wei appeared, he immediately waved at her. Li Wei smiled and bid her colleagues farewell, after which she leaped into Lu Zhiyu''s embrace.


    Noticing a few female doctors and nurses gossiping at the door, Lu Zhiyu held Li Wei in his arms and said, "This is a public place. Don''t be so affectionate. Your colleagues are all watching us with a scary look!"


    Li Wei gave a humph and said, "They are trying to seduce you and are envious of me. In the future, don''t look for me inside the hospital; just give me a call when you are here."


    Lu Zhiyu shrugged and said, "Alright, alright. I''ve got it. I promise that I''ll be good and not fool around."


    Li Wei said proudly, "That''s right. As my man, you have to be virtuous!"


    Lu Zhiyu opened the door of his car and Li Wei sat on the passenger seat. Then, Lu Zhiyu made one round and hopped into the car as well. After he started the engine, he said, "I didn''t know that you get jealous so easily. You''re so petty. By the way, the word virtuous is used for women!"


    Li Wei immediately argued, "Who asked me to fall in love with such a handsome guy like you? If I am not careful, those vixens outside will swarm you!"


    Over this period, Lu Zhiyu had gradually understood why women were so attracted to him. Other than his outstanding look, another important factor was the smell of hormones that exuded from his body.


    When his body had adjusted to the optimum level, Lu Zhiyu realized that not only could his physique be compared to professional athletes, but his now perfectly healthy and balanced body also released this smell that would attract women greatly.


    This was something that Lu Zhiyu had no solution to. He could not possibly destroy his physical attributes only because of such a small flaw. Moreover, if this was even considered a flaw, all the men in the world would most likely want to have it!


    After going through the ordinary process of having their dinner, going on a date, and watching a movie, Lu Zhiyu brought Li Wei to his house. This was the first time that Li Wei went to his house. They had been to the hotel a few times together and then to Li Wei''s house, but not Lu Zhiyu''s house.


    "Your house is quite nice. It is detached and the location is great. Did your family refuse to leave when the developers tried to chase you out in the past? I am surprised they allowed you to stay!"


    "..."


    Li Wei''s guess was somewhat close to the truth. As Lu Zhiyu''s house was situated at a corner, after rejecting the offer for a few times, the developers had given up and did not demolish the house without their consent.


    At night, after the exhausted Li Wei took a shower, she saw Lu Zhiyu who only had a towel around him watching television on his sofa. She quietly came up from behind, hugged him, and said, "You are great!"


    Lu Zhiyu pulled her down onto the sofa and laughed. "Am I that great?"


    After playing around with each other, Li Wei asked, "It has been quite a while since you resigned from your job in the capital. What''s your plan?"


    Lu Zhiyu pondered for a while and replied, "Hmm... I plan to open a pet shop. What do you think?"


    "Oh? Do you like pets?"

 14 The Idea of a New World

    Lu Zhiyu came up with plans for the future of the painting space based on his ideas. Since he had 1368 units of Source Form, Lu Zhiyu had decided to create a world with a bigger framework of rules, so that he would not need to keep changing and adjusting it in the future. Of course, that was merely the framework. Lu Zhiyu would not be able to design a large scale world for the time being even if he wanted to.


    Lu Zhiyu had spent a long time thinking about it. Initially, he had thought about the universe, planes, parallel worlds, worlds with different timelines, gaming worlds and many others. But in the end, Lu Zhiyu realized that making these worlds into a reality would be too difficult.


    In the end, Lu Zhiyu adopted a more practical type of space, a Krynnspace world. The Krynnspace world was made up of multiple planes and was completely different from any of the worlds found within his universe. Anything outside of these planes could be considered the Ethereal Sea or astral plane!


    Lu Zhiyu had thought of implementing the concept of the immortal-heroes or an element of fantasy, but after some thought, realized that he would need a much bigger framework. It would be difficult for him to control and setup such a world. Most importantly, Lu Zhiyu was fearful that a cool guy might appear within the world he created and come after his life in the other dimension, claiming that he could slay God or what not!


    That thought was just to humor himself though. The setup for the immortal-heroes would be closer to his current personal cultivation system.


    What Lu Zhiyu wanted was a system that could motivate its people to cultivate their abilities, a system that would bring about the enhancement of civilization. A world like this would help him to harvest Source Form, yet not make its people too powerful. Ideally, a system of gradual enhancement would be better for Lu Zhiyu.


    Thus, Lu Zhiyu would like to set up a world with low amounts of magic that could compliment science. This would provide him with a continuous supply of Source Form as well as large amounts of new, improved thoughts and ideas.


    After all, he was currently the only one doing the work, and thus, naturally had limited ideas. It was better to be able to gather the ideas from a larger group of people. As it was now, Lu Zhiyu had gotten whatever Source Form he had currently from the few ants he created in the past!


    After filling up an entire notebook with plans and setups, he closed it and took out the Scroll of the World. He opened it to see that there was nothing on the scroll. The world within the scroll had become a barren desert with nothing left.


    Lu Zhiyu closed his eyes and cupped his face. He directed his consciousness into the map, linking it up with the silver hourglass and taking control of the space within. He could immediately see that the situation inside the map starting to change.


    The world within the painting space kept reducing in size, eventually becoming pitch-black. It was as if a huge dark vortex had consumed everything.


    As the painting world changed, Lu Zhiyu could sense a Krynnspace world being formed in the scroll. The initial world in the painting space had been reduced to a black dot, a tiny bubble. It then gradually moved from the center of the world to a corner.


    Lu Zhiyu exhaled and opened his eyes. He knew that the procedures had gone smoothly. However, the measure of Source Form in his brain had instantly dropped by 930 units, leaving him with only 438 units.


    Merely setting up the framework for this new world had used up a large amount of Source Form. Lu Zhiyu turned pale when he saw this, as the Source Form had been hard to get. He had to be more prudent.


    Lu Zhiyu used his mind power again and saw that, at the center of the scroll, a bubble had been formed within the dark vortex. The structure of the space had been stabilized by Lu Zhiyu. He would have to fill the space with material energy in order to decide just how large the world would be.


    Lu Zhiyu went to the rooftop, where he saw a strange symbol. It looked very complex, like the blueprints of a building where all the details from the exterior to the interior was clearly stated. After spending a few days on it, Lu Zhiyu finally managed to draw it out.


    Lu Zhiyu had gained control of the method to open the dimensional door when he acquired the rights to control the space within the painting. The painting itself was meaningless. The most important thing was the guidance for his mind power. Lu Zhiyu had to follow the blueprints and inject his mind power into the space in order to activate the dimensional door.


    Everything remained unchanged even after he injected the mind power. However, his mind power could sense the vibrations under his feet. The instant Lu Zhiyu completed the structure using his mind power, he saw a giant black hole under his feet, extending and spreading all the way up into the sky!


    Boom!


    At this instant, all of the people in the world stopped whatever they were doing, not knowing what to do. The sky had turned dark, leaving the entire world in darkness.


    "What happened?"


    "Is there an eclipse?"


    "Why did the sky turn dark so suddenly?"


    A few scientists from the Institute of Astronomy, Chinese Academy of Sciences gathered together and wondered aloud, "What''s going on, why is there a sudden eclipse? We did not predict such a situation!"


    "It is not an eclipse!"


    "Not an eclipse, how is that possible, what''s going on!"


    "It looks as though the light from the sun has vanished!"


    A group of people in uniforms were gathered together. They were from NASA. Among them were Caucasians, Asians, and Africans.


    A few guys were typing on their keyboards, while the rest of them stared blankly at the big screen, commented among themselves.


    "This is not a natural phenomenon. Something is devouring the energy from the sun!"


    "Devouring the energy from the sun? How is that possible? Are you crazy?"


    "I would like to say that I am crazy, but that is what the data shows!"


    "What is the area that has been affected? Is this man-made?"


    "The area has not been confirmed, but we can be sure that it affects the entire planet, possibly even parts of the solar system. Man-made? If this could be done by a person, then it would have to be God. Oh my god, the entire earth can be easily destroyed by this person in an instant!"


    "It might be done by an alien!"


    At the same time, the Netherlands Institute for Astronomy, other astronomical institutions around the world, and the Space Sectors were also caught by surprise by the sudden change in the sky. Many of them looked out, only to see the entire world covered in darkness.


    The traffic patterns were in chaos, people on the streets screamed and squatted down.


    The darkness brought fear to them all. Many of them turned on the lights and looked up at the sky. Using their mobile phones and binoculars, they tried to catch glimpses of the eclipse, but nothing could be seen.


    "Why can''t I use my phone? What''s the problem?"


    "The light has dimmed!"


    "The Internet has been cut off!"


    Those that knew the true cause of the darkness were struck by panic. The energy from the sun had been devoured and the world had descended into darkness, yet no one knew the reason for it, nor could they guess when everything would return to normal. Should this continue, the order and stability of the human civilization would crumble within a few days. The human race would die off in less than a month.


    "My God, is this the end of the world?"


    "It has not recovered yet. Just what''s going on? What is the reason for this? We must find out. We cannot lose the sun!"


    "Is this punishment from God?"


    Lu Zhiyu, who was currently on the rooftop of his house, instantly tried closing the entrance of the dimensional door. He had wanted to open the entrance completely, but did not expect how powerful the energy devouring capabilities of the massive entrance was, as well as the impact it had. The entire sky had turned dark.


    This was much more than what Lu Zhiyu had wished for when he tried to absorb energy from the outside world! After a few minutes, Lu Zhiyu finally managed to close the entrance. The world became bright again.


    Lu Zhiyu could not help but wipe the cold sweat off his face. Fortunately, Lu Zhiyu had set up the dimensional door to absorb energy, and was directed at the sky. If he had directed it to the ground, if he had aimed it under his feet, Lu Zhiyu was worried that even the planet might have been devoured!


    Lu Zhiyu heaved a sigh of relief as he saw the color gradually returning to the sky. He did not know how large the area of influence was, or if he would attract the attention of the rest of the people.


    Lu Zhiyu would never have known that by releasing the dimensional channel and allowing it to devour the photons of light according to his requirements, he had put the entire planet into darkness for more than 10 minutes. This had caused the world''s institutions to become panic-stricken. Everyone was now guessing if the cause of the phenomenon just now. Was it a natural phenomenon, or God playing a joke on them?

 15 Maria’s World

    Lu Zhiyu looked at the space within the Scroll of the World. He had never thought that the planes could be blown up like a balloon. It was so huge that Lu Zhiyu could not even see the boundary of the plane. It seemed boundless, Lu Zhiyu felt as though it was a real world.


    Lu Zhiyu could feel a large amount of energy and matter welling within the plane. He could simply applied the rules and he would have been able to sculpt this world to how he wanted it to look like and create the world that he wanted.


    Lu Zhiyu started to work on the most crucial step. It was similar to how he set up the previous world. He revamped the rules and immediately, the sky, land, sea, sun, moon, stars, gravity, air, clouds and wind appeared on the plane.


    Lu Zhiyu sowed the seeds that he had prepared in advance, and under the acceleration of time, they started to grow and proliferate. Very soon, the greenery had filled the earth.


    Lu Zhiyu could sense that this world would no longer reject the introduction of larger creatures. This was because the plane was sufficiently stable and large. He no longer limited to only putting insects into this world, since he could now freely insert other living things, including himself.


    However, Lu Zhiyu had no intention to enter the painting space at the moment, as he still had no idea if this world was suitable for living for both man and animals. Although he was the one that had created this world, he had done so using the powers of the Scroll of the World, the silver hourglass that was in his brain and the foolproof methods of operation, and not by his own powers.


    The power did not belong to him, and hence, he should not consider himself to be omnipotent like God. If he did that, Lu Zhiyu would be too pretentious.


    It was similar to how Lu Zhiyu could, in theory, tap into the power of the Scroll of the World to destroy the world and bring it to an end. However, that did not mean that he had the actual ability to do so. A three year old holding the button to launch nuclear weapons could also destroy the world, but does that mean that he is in control of nuclear power? Could the three-year-old freely control its power?


    Currently, Lu Zhiyu was like the three-year-old child with the button to launching the nuclear weapons, but he had no insane intentions of pressing the button, nor did he have the guts to conquer the world and become its leader. All he wanted to do was to fulfil his dreams and goals using this weapon. As such, he had been exploring on how he could completely transform the power of the scroll into his own power.


    It was as though Lu Zhiyu was using a gigantic hand to draw on the painting space. But he realized that the acceleration of time he implemented began to slow down after it peaked at 10,000 times that of normal. It seemed as though the required amounts of energy in order to maintain the acceleration of time would increase the more complete and complex the world was.


    When the plants started to grow, Lu Zhiyu realized that time had gradually slowed down from 10,000 times that of normal to about 9,000 times. This downward trend seemed to continue.


    The dimensions of the space seem to have been enhanced from the time I created the painting space. This Krynnspace can be known as the dimensional space. Although it has not been upgraded to the level of the Three-dimensional universe, the structure and rules of this world are more complete than the previous one!


    When the structure and rules become more complete, the criteria for time acceleration becomes stricter. Hence, I will not be able to change it as I like!


    Lu Zhiyu was suddenly enlightened. After the rules had been set, the measure of the Source Form Lu Zhiyu possessed dropped down to 108 units. Lu Zhiyu did not force the world to return to his desired flow of time, that would require a large amount of Source Form in order to change the rules. This was because he no longer had enough Source Form to use. He also had to reserves some for special circumstances.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the huge Krynnspace in the Scroll of the World. It was empty except for two bubbles, one big and one small.


    The small one was the previous painting space, which had become a barren world. The big one was the newly created world.


    Let''s call you Maria''s World. We shall let the goddess of light, Maria, create the world!


    Lu Zhiyu gave the new plane a name and started the initial setup. He wrote down the words, Maria''s World, in his notebook.


    After that, he proceeded to the next step of his plan, which was to let Maria''s World have a complete ecosystem. He would like to form a world that could contain different living things, not one that could only support the weird life forms of insects like the previous world.


    ----------------


    "Yesterday, before dawn, there was an eclipse. The experts have said that this could be a one-time¡­"


    "The eclipse had caused the country to slip into chaos. An unidentified magnetic field had appeared and caused the world''s communications network to go down in a mere 10 minutes¡­"


    "It is very rare to see a global eclipse¡­"


    Lu Zhiyu held Li Wei''s hand and watched the news in the hall of a pet shop. The news was broadcasting on what had taken place the day before.


    Lu Zhiyu had not expected his actions to have such a large impact. It had affected the whole world. However, Lu Zhiyu felt that it was to be expected when he thought about the vast space in Maria''s World.


    Li Wei was playing with her mobile phone, which she then passed to Lu Zhiyu, "Look, there are a lot of rumors on the internet. Yesterday, there was a commotion in the hospital when the sky suddenly turned dark. But it does not seem to have been an eclipse."


    Lu Zhiyu gave an awkward smile. He had read the news. Many people were certain that it was not an eclipse.


    At that point of time, the orbits of the earth, moon, and sun did not meet the conditions of an eclipse. Moreover, more than one area had been affected. In fact, the entire world had been affected, with every corner of it having lost its light.


    With all of the different views going around, many people were making guesses and many discussions were being held. Other than the television''s and mainstream media''s speculation on the eclipse and other rumors, many scientists and students, who were studying astronomy, stood up to express their views.


    There were even many people who speculated that it was a warning of an alien invasion on Earth. Some said that God was going to destroy the world, and that this was a rehearsal. There were far-fetched information circulating amongst the population, but most of these information were not of too large a concern to an average person. Most of the people took it as a joke.


    As Lu Zhiyu was hugging Li Wei and looking at the phone, the door of a room in the pet shop was pushed open. A middle-aged owner took out a contract and said, "It is ready. Please take a look. I have all the equipment and facilities. The pet grooming equipment and renovations are still in good condition. But you might need a pet groomer. If you need recommendations from me, I will be happy to help. I can even introduce you to suppliers!"


    Lu Zhiyu was elated, and said, "Really? That will be great!"


    This pet shop was not far away from Lu Zhiyu''s home. There were small communities and parks nearby, making the area and location quite desirable. Furthermore, Lu Zhiyu liked the style of the decor and the checkered imitation wood flooring. It had a rather ecological style, a little cartoonish, yet refreshing as though they were in a natural setting. The space was also rather large, about eighty square meters in size.


    After Lu Zhiyu looked around and made up his mind, he managed to get the price reduced greatly, as he knew the thoughts of the owner.


    "I will keep the name of the shop, Cats and Dogs Pet Shop! For the renovation, just a bit of a touch-up will do!" Lu Zhiyu said after giving it some thought.


    The owner needed a week to hand it over, so Lu Zhiyu could only take over the shop after a week. He decided to take a break during this period.

 16 Completion of the Ecosystem

    Lu Zhiyu drove alone to Shennongjia, Muyu Town. Although this was not the peak season for traveling, the town was bustling with people from all walks of life. There were people distributing leaflets, as well as shops holding various events to attract customers. There were many performances at night as well.


    After enjoying himself, Lu Zhiyu settled into a hotel. He went up to the mountains the following day. He had chosen a less traveled path, so that he could select different kinds of plants, animals, and materials for Maria''s World. This would complete the selection of animal and plant species in Maria''s World as well as its ecosystem.


    Lu Zhiyu had tried to put a mouse into Maria''s World, into one of its five different continents. By this time, the seeds of the plants that he had sowed had spread across the entire world.


    The air seemed to be much fresher than what Lu Zhiyu had imagined, and the mouse lived comfortably. There were even types of algae that Lu Zhiyu had never seen before growing in the sea. These plants had all grown naturally on their own.


    Lu Zhiyu had introduced large amounts of different species of fish, as well as stray dogs and cats into Maria''s World. There was already a small group being formed. However, the cats and dogs had turned feral. The fish had proliferated in the ocean. As Lu Zhiyu had sealed up the Zero-dimensional channel, the creatures did not share the same conditions as the insects, so they evolved under normal conditions.


    Lu Zhiyu had been a little obsessed with Maria''s World recently. He had manically purchased seeds of different plants. He would also take with him species of bugs, birds or animals he had never seen before in order to enrich the diversity of living things in Maria''s World. Lu Zhiyu left it for nature to decide if they would survive or not. It was survival of the fittest.


    Lu Zhiyu did not wish to allow every race in Maria''s World to share the zero-dimension channel or freely pass through the authority he had over that space to extract the energy within the zero-dimension space. At the very least, he wanted to prevent the creatures from drawing on that energy without him allowing it.


    His intention was to release control of the Zero-dimensional channel gradually in the future via his own methods. He did not want a repeat of how the insects freely used the energy for their own developments.


    Shennongjia was a world cultural heritage site. When they first applied for the title, its success hinged upon having a lot of natural resources, such as animals and plants. To Lu Zhiyu, this was a massive treasure trove.


    There were 11 types of vegetation distributed around Shennongjia. It was one of the three largest distribution centers for seed-bearing plants in China. Empirical research had confirmed that there were at least 3,767 vascular plant species in Shennongjia, 590 temperate plant genres, 205 local species, two unique genus, and 1793 species unique to China.


    Many rare animal species had also been preserved in the ecosystem. In fact, it had been recorded that there were more than 600 vertebrate animal species, including 92 types of mammals, 399 bird species, 55 types of fish, 53 types of reptiles and 37 types of amphibians!


    Its mountainous terrain had even become the habitat of some endangered species. It had been recorded that there were more than 1,300 golden snub-nosed monkeys, leopards, white cranes, white snakes, great bustards, giant salamanders, and more found in this place. In total, there are 67 types of wild animals that were under the protection of the country.


    This place was also a haven to different types of insects. Currently, 4,365 species had been found.


    As Lu Zhiyu moved along, he collected the resources that he needed with the help of his mind power and strong physique. He had collected grasshoppers, different types of snakes, monkeys and Asiatic black bears. He had no idea if it was legal or not, or if what he was doing was immoral, but since no one was watching, he couldn''t care less.


    It was nice to be able to move around freely and fearlessly in the forest, especially when one had a strong physique. Walking freely in the forest like that had never crossed Lu Zhiyu''s mind. He would not be able to do so under his previous poor health condition. Moreover, without his mind power to anticipate danger, his constantly uptight nerves would have made him very fatigued. After all, Shennongjia was not a safe place and was filled with danger.


    Without the help of his mind power to explore the area, Lu Zhiyu would not have been able to find the animals and plants species that he needed so quickly. He had also found a few old ginseng gatherings, as well as some rare herbs, which he carefully tucked away.


    Along the way, Lu Zhiyu continued to migrate the various uprooted plants. He also found traces of wild animal species as he continued on the journey. He followed the trails, found them, then put them into Maria''s World.


    After Lu Zhiyu dug up the nest of moles and tossed them into Maria''s world, he saw the footprints of a bear on a path nearby. Some of its fur had fallen to the ground and Lu Zhiyu was surprised to see that it was white in color.


    Hey, what have we found here? An adult albino bear that has lost its way. Let''s try to catch it!


    An albino bear can give us¡­


    Lu Zhiyu laughed out loud as he was thinking to himself. These past few days, he had caught many animals from Shennongjia.


    He had run after these ferocious animals, like tigers, leopards, and bobcats, with the Scroll of the World in his hands. He did not even spare the monkeys. Even a bear would pose no threat to him, so Lu Zhiyu was in high spirits!


    Lu Zhiyu used his mind power to explore the footprints and collect information about the bear. According to his estimates, the bear most likely had been here half a day ago and should still be around here somewhere. Indeed, after tracking it for some time, Lu Zhiyu finally found the albino bear in an uphill area of the forest.


    An albino bear was a rare albino species of the Asiatic black bear. There were less than 10 existing in the whole world. It was very different from the polar bear. Its fur was not as white, in fact, it was highlighted with a little brown.


    As Lu Zhiyu watched the albino bear, he realized that it seemed to be pregnant. It was probably grumpy at the moment.


    It would be easily agitated should Lu Zhiyu approach it. The ears of the bear were standing upright, attached to its rather big head, its tail was hiding between its butt, making it look quite cute. However, when it turned around, its ferocious expression and sharp teeth showed that it was not to be messed with.


    But Lu Zhiyu was no ordinary man. He dashed out toward the albino bear with his Scroll of the World. The bear was shocked at first, then became enraged.


    It stood up and roared furiously at Lu Zhiyu. The sound of its roar filled the entire forest, alarming the birds and animals. Leaves even fell down onto the ground.


    Lu Zhiyu did not hold back. He aimed the Scroll of the World at the albino bear and absorbed it inside the scroll. He threw the albino bear near the Asiatic black bears that he had captured earlier.


    After all, Lu Zhiyu could not miss this opportunity to capture a pregnant bear! It was like a "buy one, get one free" type of thing!

 17 Dinosaur Egg

    Without realizing it, Lu Zhiyu had stayed in Shennongjia for a week. He had spent the week drinking fresh spring water and enjoying the roasted meat of the animals that he had hunted inside his tent.


    He had enjoyed the relaxing life. He was even able to communicate with some of the animals in Shennongjia using his mind power. However, they had little intelligence and their thought processes were very scattered. Sometimes, they would not answer questions posed to them, but Lu Zhiyu still found it all very interesting.


    Lu Zhiyu knew that it was time for him to leave. He had collected enough species of animals and plants, a good number of which have now been proliferating widely within Maria''s World.


    This was especially so for the plants. The fact that Shennongjia had so many plants had helped Lu Zhiyu complete the plant ecosystem in Maria''s World. The ecosystem had gradually taken shape, but comparatively, the rules and completion of the world had slowed down its flow of time, reducing it to approximately 7,000 folds.


    Lu Zhiyu prepared to leave now that he had reached his target. After all, he had many tasks awaiting him back home.


    He packed his belongings and looked at his map. Lu Zhiyu walked toward the direction of Laojun Mountain. Walking in that direction would allow him to find his way and return home successfully. This route was said to be among the favorite hiking trails taken by tourists. The road was more developed and safer, offering assurance that he would have a smooth journey home.


    On his way, Lu Zhiyu saw a group of tourists taking pictures of some monkeys. They looked cute and had captured everyone''s attention.


    Lu Zhiyu also took out his camera and started to take pictures of the monkeys. If not for the people around, he might even have captured a few of them. But one of the tourists seemed to have agitated the monkeys while he was feeding them, prompting the monkeys to start attacking the people.


    These monkeys had sharp claws and teeth, able to pull off a piece of flesh with every scratch. They scratched the male tourist at a number of places. The male tourist cried out pitifully. Another man from the group tried to save him, but his actions only agitated the monkeys further, causing them to start throwing stones at the people.


    At this moment, Lu Zhiyu stepped out and blew on his whistle, causing the monkeys to run away, as if they had encountered their mortal enemy. All of the people in the group shifted their attentions to Lu Zhiyu.


    A few girls, who had been frightened by the violent encounter just now, turned to look at Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu looked nonchalant. He kept the whistle as he saw that the monkeys had run away. That was just a gimmick tool that he had used when he was hunting for the animals. He would blow on the whistle whenever he came across animals that he did not wish to capture, or those that he had captured before. He did this to catch their attention, and at the same time, used his mind power to release an aura of a predator in order to scare the animals away.


    To an average person, what he had done looked amazing. Lu Zhiyu looked at the few tourists who had been injured by the monkeys and asked, "How are you? Is everything fine? I have a first aid kit. Do you need it?"


    At this moment, the tour guide stepped forward and said to Lu Zhiyu, "Thank you. We have a first aid kit with us. I am the tour guide, Xue Kai!"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his hand and said, "I am Lu Zhiyu. I also came on a trip. I was just passing by and am glad to be of help!"


    Xue Kai sent a few people to tend to the injured tourists. Most of them were not seriously wounded, but the wounds looked gory and frightening. The tourists continued to look at Lu Zhiyu with curiosity. He looked gorgeous, and a few female tourists could not take their eyes off of him.


    After Xue Kai had settled the tourists, he went to Lu Zhiyu and offered him a packet of cigarettes. "Would you like to have a puff?"


    Lu Zhiyu had had weak lungs since his youth, and thus had never smoked. He immediately rejected the offer and Xue Kai kept his cigarette, also refraining from smoking for the time being.


    He was chatting with Lu Zhiyu when suddenly, Lu Zhiyu saw a strange stone on the ground, as big as the size of his fist. He bent over and picked it up.


    This stone seemed to have been thrown by the monkeys just now. There was still mud on it, probably due to it having just been dug out. Lu Zhiyu gave the stone a closer observation and found that it looked round and pretty. There were even some large cracks on the stone.


    Xue Kai took a look and said, "Hey, this looks like a fossilized dinosaur egg!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Xue Kai with excitement and asked, "What? A dinosaur egg? Really?"


    Xue Kai nodded and said, "It should be. I have seen things like this before. An ordinary dinosaur egg only costs a few thousand yuan and while it is not very expensive, it is a good collector''s item. What you have here should be a dinosaur egg, but I do not know what dinosaur it is from. It does not look too big, so it should not be from a huge dinosaur!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded his head. Regardless of the type of dinosaur it was, it was still a dinosaur, and this was its egg!


    "Is there really a dinosaur egg here?" Immediately, a few tourists came over and stood beside Lu Zhiyu to take a look. Lu Zhuyi shared the dinosaur egg with them, letting them inspect it. He had found it, and according to Xue Kai, it was not expensive. More importantly, this was something unique and worth collecting.


    Everyone was amazed by the fossilized dinosaur egg, as if they could see from it how the overlords of the world millions of years ago looked like within the egg. After they returned it to Lu Zhiyu, he carefully stored it away.


    As some of the tourists were injured, the group decided not to continue with the hike. They took a shortcut, boarded the bus and went to a nearby clinic to get treated. After all, they had been clawed by the monkeys and would not want to contract any viruses or infections.


    Lu Zhiyu left Shennongjia with the group and got along well with them. These people loved to travel and were mostly outgoing and cheerful. Everyone took pictures with Lu Zhiyu, which brightened up his trip even more.


    Although the few girls in the group were not very pretty, they were very candid and not pretentious. They took many pictures with Lu Zhiyu. A fat girl even kissed him out of nowhere, causing his shocked look at that moment to be captured by the camera. The entire journey back home was filled with much laughter.


    Before they departed, Xue Kai gave Lu Zhiyu his mobile number, along with an invitation. "We are from Hubei Province, and we usually conduct tours and organize some projects. You can join us if you are interested. Our events are very interesting!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and said, "I like that idea. I will definitely join you if I have the time!"

 18 The Dimensional Castle and Mouse-people

    After signing the contract, settling the payments, and dealing with some documentation, the ownership of the pet shop had been transferred to Lu Zhiyu. The documentation for the pet shop was rather simple and only ended up costing a few hundred yuan.


    Lu Zhiyu started becoming busy after taking over the pet shop. He got a contractor to carry out some minor renovations for him, and just like that, the new Cats and Dogs Pet Shop was ready for business. The previous owner had left his pet groomer in Lu Zhiyu''s employ, and since she was experienced, she was also familiar with how to tend to the pet store. She had been a great help to Lu Zhiyu, who was new to the business.


    "Xiao Le, thanks for helping me. I am new to the business and have many areas to learn and handle. Do feel free to come to me if you have any problems!"


    "Yes, boss!" a girl with curly hair said politely to Lu Zhiyu. After bidding goodbye, the girl turned toward the road and disappeared into the crowd.


    Lu Zhiyu finally ended his first day of business after a busy day at work. He had not yet sold any pets, but there were many customers who had brought their pets for grooming and a bath. Xiao Le was rather young, but loved pets. She was also very good at trimming the fur of the pets. Every untidy looking cat or dog that came in left the store looking like a model.


    Lu Zhiyu stayed later that evening at his pet shop, spending some time reading his book before heading home. Once home, he went straight to his laboratory that he had set up.


    But at this point in time, the laboratory was empty. He took out the Scroll of the World and spread it out, revealing the Krynnspace within. The Krynnspace looked different. There was now an additional tiny bubble that was not visible to the naked eye.


    This bubble was a small dimensional plane that Lu Zhiyu had created for himself. The space within it was very small, only about 1,000 square meters. The space was about the size of a house, and was filled with stones, which had been fitted together to form nine levels. Its style took after western historical architecture and resembled a castle.


    The small dimensional plane was not independent. It was embedded above Maria''s World, their surfaces latching tightly on each other. The internal resource circulation system as well as the energy, and even the air, were all extracted from within Maria''s World. Hence, it was not an independent world.


    Lu Zhiyu had used only three scales from the Source Form to complete the small dimensional space. He planned to use it as his secret base, and he called it the dimensional castle.


    Lu Zhiyu kept the Scroll of the World and looked at the floor. There was a complex magic circle on the floor. He injected his mind power and activated the dimensional door. As his shadow flickered, he disappeared from the earth and entered the dimensional castle. The moment he appeared in the dimensional castle, the lights rapidly turned on and the entire place lit up.


    Lu Zhiyu stood on the first level of the hall, feeling a little lost. He looked at the crystal lightings, the decorations on the wall, as well as the switches. Some of the decorations was created using Source Form, some bought on Earth by Lu Zhiyu, and some obtained from within Maria''s World. They were then put together when he created the rules for this space, and it had now turned into a castle.


    This was the first time that Lu Zhiyu had entered the inner parts of the space in the Scroll of the World. It was only when he stood there, that he felt that the world he had created was not a sham or an illusion, but rather, that it truly existed!


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the glass that was mounted at the top of the huge living room and light it refracted. He explored the surroundings and walked up to the second level. He saw the rooms, which had been constructed according to his blueprint.


    However, there were not many furnishings except for the basics. After all, even with his Source Form, Lu Zhiyu could only create what he understood.


    Lu Zhiyu knew that he had to use the Source Form sparingly, even if it was only 0.0001. The Source Form was the world''s most basic form of energy. Without the Scroll of the World, there was no way that Lu Zhiyu would be able to come into contact with such a high level existence.


    As one went up the levels, there was a conference hall, library, restaurant, indoor swimming pool, restroom, bedroom, laboratory and prison. There was even a botanical garden at the very top level


    There were five levels above the ground floor, and four levels down to the basement. The entire place was big beyond imagination!


    The current power supply was produced by a diesel generator, which was just sufficient enough for operation. Lu Zhiyu suddenly had another thought. The queen insect had left behind a bio-nuclear energy machine in the painting space. It had been hidden in the inner parts of the hive that has since dried up.


    It could devour any substance, even water, and turn it into nuclear energy. Previously, the queen insect, Sunika, had relied on it to keep up the insects rush strategy and control the world.


    However, this thing was dangerous even though it had no intelligence or consciousness. Lu Zhiyu only had the thought in his mind. It would take a long while for him to realize this thought!


    Lu Zhiyu went up to the top floor, which had rounded glass ceilings revealing the sky overhead. He intended to make this place a botanical garden, but it was currently empty.


    He switched on the light, revealing a translucent protective layer outside the glass. That was the wall of the plane. Ordinary people would not be able to go near him or touch him. Those who entered would automatically be turned back. The folds in the space made one feel as though he was in a maze.


    Outside the multiple folds of the wall of plane was the Ethereal Sea, or the astral world. This place was void of anything, and no living thing could survive within it!


    After touring the dimensional castle, Lu Zhiyu returned to the bedroom that he had prepared for himself. He took out the Scroll of the World and hung it on the wall. Unless there was a need, Lu Zhiyu would not take the Scroll of the World away from this place. After all, this would be the safest place to keep it. Since he had full control over the scroll, it did not matter where the scroll was. He could easily access it using the dimensional door!


    After adjusting the angle of the Map, Lu Zhiyu saw Maria''s World continuously being enlarged. One of the green continents gradually appeared before his eyes. Lu Zhiyu saw a group of undersized human figures in the valley. These fellows had short white fur, long beards, small eyes, and their limbs had evolved, now similar to those of a human.


    This was the result of Lu Zhiyu''s experiment, the mouse-people. Lu Zhiyu had created an intelligent race, which had formed a colony in Maria''s World. Lu Zhiyu had implanted the genes of a mouse onto the genetic template of a human in order to create the genes of the mouse-people.


    Following that, he created an artificial embryo through genetic engineering, which he then impregnated a dog with. He had never expected to successfully create an intelligent race from it.


    The adult mouse-people were about 1.3 meters tall and were in the era of a primitive society. They were able to use tools and fire, and they made their clothes out of animal skins. They possessed the things necessary for the beginnings of a civilization.


    Lu Zhiyu observed their behaviors and looks through the Scroll of the World. His pupils were dilated, as though he was witnessing the miracles of life.


    I never thought that I could create intelligent beings! Lu Zhiyu felt as though he had reached the realm of God!

 19 Ant-people Helpers

    In basement two of the dimensional castle, Lu Zhiyu stood before a huge beehive-like thing. He felt somewhat shorthanded after beginning to carry out his plan.


    Therefore, he immediately took out the smallest insect nest from the painting space and placed it in basement two. Since Lu Zhiyu was not a queen ant, he did not have the mental ability to control all the insects and be the superior ruler in terms of genes.


    Lu Zhiyu''s mental talent was information transmittance. That is, he could transmit a huge amount of information through his mind power, which not everyone could. Every individual who had entered the zero-dimensional Inner Space would have his mental talent awakened. Lu Zhiyu only discovered this after observing the queen insect.


    His talent was different from the queen insect''s. If an ordinary insect had not entered the zero-dimensional world, but only had its consciousness awakened by extracting Source Form, its mind power would only act as a special sensory organ. It would not be able to transmit information, or sense and modify genetic information like what Lu Zhiyu had done. Only being such as Lu Zhiyu and the queen insect who had entered the zero-dimensional world before could do such things.


    In addition, there was a great difference between the mental talent of the queen insect and that of Lu Zhiyu. Lu Zhiyu named the queen insect''s mental talent as insect control, and his as information transmission. Although he could not control all the insects like the queen insect, he could still create and control part of the insects via the nest.


    A species like insects would only be scary with a queen. Without a queen insect, the ordinary insects would pose no threat to Lu Zhiyu, because they were not intelligent at all and would only carry out their given duties mindlessly, from the time they were born until the day they died. This was the life of the ordinary insects.


    As long as Lu Zhiyu had control over the nest, he could make changes to the pheromones when he created insects. In this way, he could create the types of soldiers he wanted, and they would take orders from him.


    However, Lu Zhiyu was not a queen insect, and the nest was also partially damaged. Therefore, he clearly could not create insects endlessly like the queen insect. At the very most, he could create only a few insect servants.


    Moreover, Lu Zhiyu did not think very highly of the insects as they had such a low intelligence. Those races with high intelligences would contain a large amount of Source Form. Among the insects, there was a significant polarization between the ordinary insects and the queen insect. However, beings such as the queen insect were too terrifying for him to have.


    After activating the nest, Lu Zhiyu could see that the nest devoured at once the compounds which he had placed within it. After a short while, many black slimy balls were born from the nest and they struggled to approach Lu Zhiyu.


    They looked like aliens; they had black shells, slender bodies, big heads and eyes, and antennas on their heads. These were the ant-people created by Lu Zhiyu!


    This second generation nest was very powerful and these insects that had just been created were all already mature. At the moment they were born, they could go straight to the battlefield and become continuous consumables.


    The ant-people popped into existence one after another. Very soon, Lu Zhiyu saw thirty to forty ant-people, each almost two meters tall, stand before him. They knelt down on the floor to receive orders from him.


    Using his mind power, Lu Zhiyu could not sense any four-dimensional waves. These ant-people had extremely low intelligences and almost no self-awareness. They would only act according to the instructions given to them by the queen insect.


    At the moment, Lu Zhiyu became their highest commander. Of course, should the queen insect of the nest appear, it would be able to take control of the ant-people right away.


    With his mind power, Lu Zhiyu injected various tasks, processes, and precautionary measures into the brains of the ant-people. Then, they started to line up and walked out from the basement in an orderly manner.


    They acted according to the tasks given to them by Lu Zhiyu. Some were in charge of cleaning up the place, while others were in charge of construction. Every ant-person had its own task to carry out.


    Lu Zhiyu heaved a sigh of relief. With the help of these ant-people, he would be relieved of many tasks, allowing him to then carry out his plan accordingly.


    With the creation of the 40 ant-people, the internal energy of the nest had been totally depleted and it stopped working again. Then, Lu Zhiyu walked out from the basement as well. Also, he locked the metal gate outside basement two; the thing inside was really too dangerous.


    With the ant-people, the castle looked somewhat more lively. They moved around, busying themselves with their tasks. They tidied up and decorated the castle, and created many furnitures and utensils. Before long, the once empty castle was filled up with things.


    The resting area was on the third level. The shelves in the library here had been constructed, but they were still empty. Lu Zhiyu planned to fill them up with books gradually in the future.


    At the moment, Lu Zhiyu was at the back of the library which could be reached by walking along the corridor outside. He was sitting on a wooden chair, reading a book. Suddenly, an ant-person appeared, and Lu Zhiyu quickly stood up.


    Although the ant-person did not say a word, Lu Zhiyu knew from the four-dimensional wave released from its antennas that the constructions in the castle had been completed. In particular, the prison at level one and the laboratory at level four had been built.


    Lu Zhiyu first went to level four to take a look at the laboratory, after which he walked to level one to inspect the prison. At the end of the stone prison, there was an area that looked like a huge altar.


    On the floor, there was a picture of the channelling array for the dimensional door. However, Lu Zhiyu was already more experienced now. Even without the array, he could still carve it out with his mind power.


    The altar was surrounded by the prison gates and looked like a special prison cell. This was a special transmission formation that Lu Zhiyu had prepared to capture the beasts in Maria''s World. He stood on the altar with two ant-people, and when the doors of the cell were closed, they disappeared together from the altar.


    Lu Zhiyu appeared on top of a hillside. Behind him, there was a big stretch of forest, while at the foot of the hill there was a vast prairie. A large river flowed mightily from the valley below his feet into the distance.


    Many animals were drinking by the side of the river. Birds were chirping in the woods, and as a goshawk flew past, the rabbits in the grass hurriedly ran away. Lu Zhiyu could see numerous familiar species, many of which had been brought into the world by him earlier. There were also some that he could not recognize. In this large piece of land, many species had evolved into new ones as they adapted to the different environment over many centuries.


    Herds of sheep and cattles were moving on the prairie, while wolves and jackals were hunting for their prey. The blue sky was embedded with white clouds, and there was a high concentration of oxygen in the air. The entire world seemed to be uncivilized and yet full of vitality.


    Lu Zhiyu and the ant-people went downhill to the river. The animals quickly ran away, looking strangely at the two-legged monster with weird clothings before them.


    Lu Zhiyu stepped into the river and looked at the fish in the clear water. Then, he lifted up his head and grinned. "This is Maria''s World!"

 20 The Orcs

    Lu Zhiyu put on a white lab coat and watched in much anticipation as a wolf give birth to its four new-born pups. He glanced at the wolf, which gradually sank into deep sleep. This was a knack he had using his mind power. It was hypnotism, which he had only learned recently.


    Then, Lu Zhiyu opened the cage, went in, and carried the pups out. The small pups had four limbs, just like mankind. Other than their wolf ears and short tails, they looked just like human babies.


    I have successfully bred the wolf-people too!


    Lu Zhiyu stood up. Along the two sides of the long stone corridor, there were closely fitted prisons, caged with tigers, dogs, cats, lynxes, bears, and other wild animals. As he walked past the animals, they roared madly, and some even charged towards the cage doors.


    However, after Lu Zhiyu left and closed the iron gates, all the roaring sounds died down. He carried the pups up, away from the prison in basement one which Lu Zhiyu had created. He went all the way up the stairs to the laboratory in level four, where one of the lights was lit.


    Lu Zhiyu walked in through the door. The room had white walls and warm lighting. Many small baby cots filled up the big room, and some strange figures were moving around. They were the ant-people, who were taking care of the pups inside the room.


    Every cot had been labeled with a serial number, together with the pup''s race and gender. These ant-people would be bringing the pups up, which would become the very first generation of the orcs; they would form the beginning of the orcs.


    Lu Zhiyu hoped that every race would be able to multiply in Maria''s World. Every one of them would be a new race, a miracle of life. Lu Zhiyu had checked their brains and found that they were similar to mankind. They were very developed, and he was certain that their intelligence levels were also comparable to mankind.


    Lu Zhiyu counted and checked the health conditions of all the pups. The ant-people would be monitoring the pups around the clock. Everything seemed to be good at the moment.


    The various races of orcs that had been born included wolf, fox, tiger, cat, dog, bear, sheep, and several others. Including the mouse-people, there were a total of 18 races. However, this was far from enough. In Lu Zhiyu''s vision, the human race had to be present as well.


    Lu Zhiyu had no intention of duplicating and incorporating the humans on Earth into Maria''s World as it would be meaningless and uninteresting. Instead, he wanted to create a human race that was totally different.


    Lu Zhiyu had stayed in the dimensional castle for a few months and was somewhat drained of energy and enthusiasm. Although what he was doing was extremely exciting, it was very stressful to be living in such an environment alone.


    The orcs had been successfully bred. With the ant-people around to take care of them, Lu Zhiyu had nothing to worry about. After a few years, he would let the first generation of the orcs return to the wild and carry out their mission, which was to form their own civilized tribes. However, it was no longer necessary for him to stay here. He only needed to return to the outside world and wait patiently.


    When Lu Zhiyu returned to the outside world through the dimensional door, he realized that It was still in the night. Although he had stayed in the dimensional castle for a long while, back in the outside world, only tens of minutes had passed.


    Lu Zhiyu could have stayed inside for decades, used up his lifespan, and become old, but here, in the outside world, only two to three days would have passed. This made him realize even more clearly that he was not God, but rather just an ordinary, lucky man.


    As he opened the window and lay on his bed, he gazed at the stars outside. The urban air was much less fresh than the air in Maria''s World, and the starry sky was also not as brilliant as the one which Lu Zhiyu had created. However, Lu Zhiyu felt more comfortable and familiar here.


    After lying on his bed for only a short while, the phone rang. He took his mobile phone and realized that Xia Fan was calling him.


    When he answered the call, Xia Fan''s youthful voice was immediately heard. However, it was filled with anger. She shouted at Lu Zhiyu, "Lu Zhiyu, why did you not reply to my WeChat? You also ignored my messages!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at his mobile, seeing now that there were really many message notifications. He immediately said, "I didn''t notice them. At night, I usually read all my messages together and reply at once. What''s up?"


    Xia Fan shouted right away, "I know you have forgotten! Tomorrow is my birthday, my birthday!"


    Lu Zhiyu suddenly recalled he had promised Xia Fan that he would attend her birthday party. However, he had been so busy and had forgotten about it. In addition, he was not really keen to attend a party with just students, but since he had promised Xia Fan, he had to go. "Who told you I have forgotten? I remember. It is still early."


    Xia Fan exposed him and said, "If I did not remind you, you would not have shown up tomorrow. Let me tell you this. You have to come tomorrow; if not, I will come to your house and bite you to death!"


    Lu Zhiyu found himself quite dirty. When Xia Fan said that she would bite him, he became distracted and started fantasizing. "Alright, I know, I know. Send the address over. I will be there on time!"


    "Don''t forget my present!"


    The following afternoon, Lu Zhiyu drove his car out onto the streets. After searching for quite a while, he still could not decide what to get for Xia Fan. Should he get her a necklace, or a bangle? He did not want to give her something that would cause any misunderstanding. In the end, he chose a Tissot ladies'' watch for her. It was not the biggest brand, and cost around 4,000 yuan. This was not too expensive and also quite appropriate.


    By the time he reached the site of the party, a mid range restaurant by the riverside, it was already dusk. After checking with the staff, he went up to a private room at level two where Xia Fan was in. Before he even reached the room, he could already hear noisy cheers and laughters from it. He opened the door at once and looked inside.


    As Lu Zhiyu stuck his head in, he saw everyone looking at him. Many girls started to scream, with one of them shouting, "Hey! Handsome, who are you looking for?"


    "Is this Xia Fan''s¡­"


    The moment Lu Zhiyu spoke, Xia Fan jumped up and shouted, "I''m here. You are finally here! I was about to call you!"


    There were many people mingling about, with many couples. Most of them were students. Xia Fan rushed up to Lu Zhiyu and hugged him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, after which she held his arm and said, "Let me introduce you to my boyfriend, Lu Zhiyu. See? I did not lie to you. He is very good-looking!"


    Lu Zhiyu dropped his jaw and looked at Xia Fan. When did he become her boyfriend? As he was about to raise his hand to explain himself, Xia Fan whispered in his ear, "I have already boasted to my friends that I have found a super handsome boyfriend. You better not make me look bad and lose my reputation! If you do so, I would die!"

 21 Daily Life

    Xia Fan dragged Lu Zhiyu to the side to sit, and the two were immediately surrounded by Xia Fan''s friends. At once, her friends began bombarding him with questions that were quite private, most of which Lu Zhiyu did not know how to answer. This caused him to feel very awkward.


    "You do look super handsome!" one of the girls said. "You''re not a celebrity, are you?"


    "This is the first time I''ve met someone so handsome. What''s your skincare routine? It just looks too good!" another asked.


    "Are you mixed-race? Your facial structure looks like mixed-race."


    "How did you know Xia Fan? Have you two..."


    "Xia Fan is really a winner in life. She looks so pretty and hot herself. Moreover, her new boyfriend is even more attractive than her ex! Man, I''m so jealous!"


    On the other hand, Xia Fan started making up the love story between the two of them, and it sounded as though it really happened. Her friends were mesmerized by her story, looking at her and Lu Zhiyu with wide eyes. In particular, when Lu Zhiyu gave Xia Fan her gift, she immediately put it on and asked him for a kiss as if they were in love. Lu Zhiyu actually did know how to respond.


    During the dinner, Xia Fan''s male friends also hounded him with alcohol. He was asked to drink throughout the dinner¡ªthe glass in his hand was never empty the entire night.


    After the dinner, the group continued the party at a karaoke bar. After that, they went out to have barbecue, followed by a late night supper. The party started before it was dark, and did not end until two in the morning, when everyone left.


    Lu Zhiyu again had to carry Xia Fan on his back to take her home. However, as soon as they rounded a street corner and were out of the sight of Xia Fan''s friends, she jumped up as if nothing had happened.


    "You were faking it?" Lu Zhiyu asked with his eyes widened.


    Xia Fan rolled her eyes. "What do you think? I didn''t even drink that much. You did most of the drinking for me."


    Xia Fan strolled down the road, feeling the breeze on her face. The breeze was rejuvenating and enough to clear her head. "I am so happy today! Did you see how they looked at me? Their eyeballs almost fell out in envy!" she said as she walked. "God, it was such a good idea to take you. They''ve been talking behind my back. Now those little b*tches are clear who is the most attractive girl in the school!"


    Xia Fan strolled proudly on the street. Then, she turned around and walked with her head facing Lu Zhiyu, chatting with him as she walked. She was indeed very happy today since Lu Zhiyu had made her look better than the rest of her friends. Nevertheless, Lu Zhiyu himself did not quite understand this kind of competition among young girls.


    Suddenly, she seemed to have recalled something and raised up her hand. "By the way, I like your gift a lot. Thanks!"


    "No problem," Lu Zhiyu said at once. After he stopped by his car, he asked, "Want a lift home?"


    "Sure," Xia Fan nodded, "to your place." Seeing Lu Zhiyu freeze at her words, she laughed and said, "Don''t worry, I didn''t mean it. My mom said that I have to go back tonight. Otherwise, she will kill me tomorrow!"


    Lu Zhiyu twitched his lips. "Alright, get in. I did have some alcohol, though. Do you trust me?" He had originally intended to call someone to drive for him, but he did not feel very drunk. Furthermore, it was in the middle of the night and there would not be any police around. Xia Fan lived nearby, so he would rather drive himself.


    He dropped Xia Fan off at her apartment. Xia Fan jumped out of his car and asked, "You felt something when I said I wanted to go to your place, didn''t you?"


    Lu Zhiyu frowned in disdain and immediately wanted to explain, but he was stopped by Xia Fan. "Don''t try to find an excuse. I saw that you were going to agree. You pervert!"


    "..."


    The two stared at each other in silence, after which they burst into a fit of laughter together. "You should go back now," he told her. "Call me if you need anything."


    He did not notice the missed calls from Li Wei until he got home. His phone was dead, so he did not receive the calls at all. Sh*t! She is so prone to jealousy and will definitely get mad at me tomorrow...


    More importantly, he did not have a good reason for not picking up her calls. Could he tell her that he was at a birthday party of another female and was playing until early morning? In that case, Lu Zhiyu might as well kill himself.


    As expected, Li Wei interrogated him the next day. After that, the two spent a few days together. For Lu Zhiyu, the break was very relaxing and his mood turned much better.


    His pet shop was booming as well. He would only purchase an animal for his pet shop after careful inspection, making sure that its bloodline was good and there was nothing wrong with it. Even if there was, he could always make them healthy again himself. Therefore, the animals in his shop looked better than those in other shops. He also tried some slight modifications to the animals'' hair colors and pupil colors, and his customers all had very pleasant experiences buying pets from him.


    In particular, training the pets was also a very easy task because of his mind power. All the animals that were trained by him were more intelligent and could perform many ordinary actions. Because of this, it was only normal that his shop was becoming more and more popular.


    Lu Zhiyu managed to sell two dozen pets in just a few days, which included cats, dogs, hamsters, and parrots. The money he made in these few days was as much as what he would make in a few months in the past. Lu Zhiyu did not expect this job to earn him so much. His original intention was only to study and understand these animals, and practise modifying genes, but the business in his shop was actually booming.


    "Xiao Le, are you ready to clock out? Is Lu Zhiyu here?" Today, Li Wei was wearing a Bohemia-style long dress and a pair of burgundy heels. Paired with her slender body, she looked really charming and elegant. She had a bit of makeup, and her temperament was just amazing.


    "Wow," Xiao Le exclaimed, looking at her. "You look great today."


    Li Wei grinned. "Really?"


    Xiao Le nodded. "The boss is inside," she said. "He''s training the two Golden Retrievers."


    After Li Wei walked in, she saw Lu Zhiyu sitting on a bench. He was commanding two Golden Retrievers like a commander.


    "Raise your hands!"


    "Spin. That''s right!"


    "Lie down!"


    "Shoot, shoot. Bang!"


    If the puppies followed the command correctly, he would immediately toss them a piece of beef jerky.


    Li Wei sat down next to him. "They''re so smart. Why don''t you keep one at home?"


    "Having them here is pretty much the same thing," Lu Zhiyu immediately said. "Plus, I don''t have time to take care of a personal pet." He put the two puppies back into their crate and quickly inspected the shop. Then, he closed the shop so that he could accompany Li Wei home.


    Li Wei stood gracefully in front of Lu Zhiyu. "What do you think of me today?"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at her face and eyes sternly. "You look beautiful today!"


    "I''m talking about the dress. Why are you looking at my face?" She slapped Lu Zhiyu''s shoulder in dissatisfaction.


    "The dress is not important." Lu Zhiyu shrugged his shoulders. "Your face is the key!"


    Li Wei giggled. Carrying her bag, she grabbed Lu Zhiyu''s hand and leaned against his shoulder. Then, the two began walking home together. Lu Zhiyu had to admit that he was enjoying this moment.

 22 New Human Creation Plan

    Lu Zhiyu sat in front of his computer, trying to figure out a good plan. When he was changing the hair and eye colors of animals previously using blood plasma, he had already come up with an idea about how he wanted to humans in Maria''s World to be like.


    He knew he could not make large changes to the human genetic composition, but he should be able to make small changes to the root genetic template. However, small changes alone would not be able to satisfy Lu Zhiyu.


    "If it''s not just small tweaks, but rather I add different powers to the inheritance information on the genetic level, what would happen?"


    "For example, I can add genes for powers like eagle''s vision, adrenaline burst, dynamic vision, absolute calmness, and super speed and strength. These genes can be uploaded onto the ancestral genetic template. According to the rules of inheritance, different individuals would be able to have different abilities awakened, just like people with superpower. On the genetic level, these abilities would have been possessed by an individual''s various ancestors anyway. He is only activating them!" He shot up from his seat, filled with excitement. A brand new idea had popped out in his mind.


    "Not just superpowers: even intelligence, body features, and certain skills could be added. Human ancestors would also pass down their skills by carving them in their genes. If I can add skills like operating a smithy, sword skills, or gun skills to the genes, they can be passed down too. I can also insert these abilities into their genes like a plug-in!"


    Lu Zhiyu stood at the center of the room and closed his eyes. "Ordinary people or people with weaker bodies would certainly not be able to take such a change. I must set a rule, an obstacle to awakening when I''m adding the genes. It will only be activated by the brain when a person''s body has reached the upper limit of normal humans, which will then change his body or allow him to inherit some of the memories of his ancestors. Only at this time, the body will be strong enough and supply sufficient blood for the brain to withstand such a major change."


    The more Lu Zhiyu thought about it, the more he felt like it would be similar to the knights in novels. Their powers would only be awakened when their bodies had reached a certain level of strength. This was just like a Bloodline Knight.


    "Right. This is the new mankind I want, the mankind unique to Maria''s World, and not just mere copies of normal humans!"


    Lu Zhiyu hurried to his study room and activated the dimensional door at once. Again, he appeared in the dimensional castle. Despite having been away for only a few days, more than a hundred years had passed in the world of Maria. As a dimensional space above Maria''s World, the time of the dimensional castle was synchronized with Maria''s World.


    At the moment, in the castle, the ant-people he had created originally had already died. The ant-people did not have a long lifespan. After raising the first generation of orcs and releasing them into the world, they had completed their missions.


    The ant-people in the castle now were created later. There were only a few of them, and their task was to maintain the castle. After all, Lu Zhiyu would also enter the castle once in a while to check on the changes in Maria''s World and record down his observations. At the moment, Lu Zhiyu returned to his room and found the Scroll of the World.


    Through the scroll, he could see what was happening in the world. On the continent Alen, there were already many tribes of orcs. After more than a hundred years, these tribes were slowly expanding and multiplying, spreading along the rivers and across the continent.


    Moreover, Lu Zhiyu discovered that the tribes also had their own languages, and there were prototypes of cities. He believed that soon, the first city of the orcs would appear on Alen. The civilization of orcs was slowly but surely coming together.


    The first real city was created by the mouse-people. They had their own language and culture, and had begun trading and communicating. In fact, the mouse-people were the first glimpse of civilization in this world. On the other hand, the other tribes and races had too few members; a tribe with a thousand members was already considered as very big. Only the mouse-people managed to have more than ten thousand members and they seemed to be significantly stronger than the other clans. However, the mouse-people were not great fighters, and in addition, the world was really extensive. Therefore, even if there were conflicts, they were only minor ones. The conditions at the moment were insufficient to create a large-scale war.


    "I must hurry. Humans must come into existence soon, or else they will be crushed by the orcs!" Realizing that he did not have much time, Lu Zhiyu hurriedly made his way to his lab on the fourth level, ready to begin his new plan, the "New Human Creation Plan!"


    "Squeak!"


    "Squeak!"


    Lu Zhiyu glanced at the monkeys in the crates which were grimacing at him. The crates were large and had everything the monkeys needed, such as food, water, and caves and branches to lounge on. Each monkey had an identification number on it so it was easy to tell them apart. These would be the ancestors for the humans of the world of Maria. As for whether the humans in the future would admit this, Lu Zhiyu could not be bothered.


    "Monkeys, you should be proud of yourself," Lu Zhiyu said. "You''re going to be humanity''s ancestors in this world. Don''t you think it''s an honor? Don''t worry. I will let you go soon enough and will not kill you."


    Lu Zhiyu had been making significant progress with altering and adding things to the monkeys'' genes. After adding the human template, he also added many other traits and talents. Then, he took many skills from some other species and uploaded them into the genes, for example, certain characteristics of animals and insects. It took him more than a month to create 48 kinds of plug-in templates which encoded various talents. After that, he finally made the first embryo of a new human.


    Now, the monkey numbered 0582 was carrying this embryo, and it was developing healthily. He just had to wait for eight to nine months to see the first human to be born to this world!


    After he made the first human, Lu Zhiyu began to design the plan to change his own body. His success with developing an embryo gave him the confidence to do more things with his body. He would not alter the entire genetic template and make major changes. As long as he only uploaded some talents into sections of his genes, he would be fine.


    Lu Zhiyu named this plan as the Evolution Plasma Creation Plan. Since many aspects of his new plan coincided with the plan to create humans, he decided to combine the two and work on them at the same time.


    After observing the development of the human embryo, Lu Zhiyu charged the ant-people to take care of the monkeys before leaving again. He was thankful that he had these ant-people to help him, or else his plan would not have gone so smoothly.

 23 Sub-Brain Intelligence

    Lu Zhiyu looked at the tube of plasma in his hand and felt very hesitant. Even though he had tested this plasma a few times before on lab rats and it had worked every time, the success rate was only close to and not really one hundred percent. Therefore, he was still somewhat anxious to use it on himself.


    The tube of plasma he was holding was precisely an evolution plasma, which he named the Sapient Sub-Brain Evolution Plasma. He had added a talent to his existing genes to make himself evolve. Specifically, he wanted to segregate the part of his brain tissues which he was not actively utilizing and develop it into a sub-brain. In addition, he would upload the operation mode of a computer into the sub-brain to improve its computing powers. In this way, he could become as powerful as a computer.


    With such a computer-like sub-brain, his ability to learn and his intelligence would be greatly enhanced, which was what Lu Zhiyu wanted at the moment. The sub-brain intelligence would not interfere with the personality and emotions on the main brain. It would be more like adding a chip to his brain. Lu Zhiyu was not interested in superpowers like spewing fire, water, or super strength, and he also felt that such powers would not be very useful to him. Intelligence and the brain is the most powerful weapon to a human after all.


    "I have already made it perfect. There''s nothing to fear!" he told himself. Then he took a deep breath and pointed the plasma at his spine. His mind power immediately pinpointed the correct position and injected the evolution plasma into his bone marrows. At once, he felt his entire body grow cold, as if his body was experiencing a chain reaction just like a machine. Under the continuous stimulation of the plasma, his bone marrows started making a whole new set of cells to replace the old ones.


    After removing all his clothes, Lu Zhiyu stepped into a pool of nutrient fluids that he had prepared and submerged himself in it. In this way, the fluids would provide him with the large amount of nutrients his body needed to evolve.


    Lu Zhiyu only woke up after a long while. Once he opened his eyes, he pushed himself up from the pool, panting heavily. He glanced at the few ant-people around him which had been guarding him. Just like robots, these ant-people would only act according to their given tasks. He stood up, dried his body, and wore his clothes back on. Right then, the ant-people carried over some food and water.


    After the starved Lu Zhiyu wolfed down a hearty meal, he began to inspect the changes in his body. He realized that other than the structure of his brain, there were no significant changes to his physical body. His brain seemed to have shrunk a little and also become more vigorous. The main brain was fused together with the new sub-brain, forming a perfect arc. Among the pair, the sub-brain actually had a different color; it looked redder and also seemed to be glittering like a piece of metal.


    "Sub-brain activated. Permission to activate visual nerves." A voice appeared in Lu Zhiyu''s brain.


    "Permission granted."


    As soon as he agreed, his vision changed greatly, as if he had just opened up a tab on a computer. The vision from his eyes could also be zoomed in and out freely, just like a camera.


    Lu Zhiyu knew that he could now use his eyes like a camera, taking images he saw and storing them in his sub-brain. He felt like his entire world had become much clearer, and his brain was working more smoothly as countless new ideas appeared in his mind. Many things which he could not understand before now became easy problems. Similarly, many things which he could not remember before were now clear in his head!


    "Sub-brain, create an archive for all the information," he ordered, "and classify them accordingly."


    "Order confirmed."


    "Sub-brain, create a section for research plans: New Human Creation Plan and Evolution Plasma Creation Plan. Organize the relevant information and research directions for me!"


    "Confirmed. New Human Creation Plan has entered phase two and is thirty-two percent complete. Evolution Plasma Creation Plan has entered phase two and is twenty-one percent complete."


    "Sub-brain, create¡­"


    After giving a few more orders, Lu Zhiyu disconnected from the sub-brain. Only then, he exited from the robotic and superman-like state. Lu Zhiyu felt that his thoughts were as fast as light just now and he was about to turn into a superman.


    With the sub-brain, he could solve problems that would usually take an hour or even a day in a minute. He could finish learning what he would normally need a few days in a minute. He could do many things that he was not able to in just a minute!


    It was very liberating and appealing, but terrifying at the same time. Under that state, he could no longer be considered as a human. Such a robotic mind would affect his own personality and emotions.


    Lu Zhiyu was glad that he had only wanted to create a sub-brain to assist him in his research plans, instead of changing his entire brain. Although they had roughly the same effects, the outcomes would be totally different. He did not want to become a robot, and still wanted to keep his personality and desires!


    With the sub-brain, the New Human Creation Plan progressed very quickly. Before this, he had spent a month only to develop 48 types of genetic inserts. Now with the sub-brain, his speed of reading biology and medicine books increased significantly. The advanced books and academic articles he had placed in the library were already all in his mind.


    Using the sub-brain, Lu Zhiyu could list out an endless amount of reference materials at once. Then, he could design many possible paths to try. At the moment, countless biological templates and genetic chains were in front of Lu Zhiyu, blinking and changing their positions rapidly. Lu Zhiyu could use these to design various genetic inserts. Finally, by the time the first new human was born, he had already developed thousands of different genetic inserts.


    Despite having all these inserts, Lu Zhiyu was not planning on giving any single embryo everything. It would only be normal for different people to have different talents. Therefore, he would distribute the inserts among various embryos. It would suffice to give each person dozens of inserts as it would be enough for them to inherit and activate the talents.


    Further, different races should have different talents and skills as well. However, after completing all these, he stopped the New Human Creation Plan, for he had reached his goal for now.


    Nevertheless, the successful creation of the embryos, as well as their development, was only the first step. There was still a long way to go until humans could form stable tribes. He spent close to half a year in the dimensional castle, after which he designated the ant-people to carry out the rest of the plan.


    The ant-people would take care of the monkeys. After the first generation of humans was born, the ant-people would raise them up in the castle. Of course, Lu Zhiyu would not teach them any knowledge or how to inherit the talents. The humans should develop their own language and civilization. Lu Zhiyu felt that this was the correct progress of a civilization and he should not interfere with it.


    Once again, the dimensional door of the castle was connected with the outside world, and Lu Zhiyu fixed the portal in a lush forest. These ant-people would hunt and find food, so there were no problems at all with their survival. All Lu Zhiyu needed to do was to wait patiently!

 24 Secrets to Immortality

    "How can I extend life? How can I achieve immortality?" Lu Zhiyu said to himself. He was sitting in the yard, sunbathing. He felt that no matter how smart or how powerful he was, he could never dream of fighting against the flow of time. He would die sooner or later. Even though he could add inserts into his genes to strengthen himself and give himself different talents, he could not extend the maximum limits of his lifespan. Put aside the limitation of the genes that controls lifespan, he was unable to even prevent the failure of his organs over time - one of the primary reason why people died.


    The first step to preventing death would be to prevent the organs from shutting down. And after that, the metabolism and cell renewal could come into the picture. However, those were only the initial steps. If he would like to achieve true immortality, there would be a long and difficult way to go.


    Even though Lu Zhiyu had a sub-brain, it was only for calculating things he already knew. He had to give the sub-brain directions and plans, and the sub-brain could then help by providing speedy calculation and expansion. He was perplexed and had no idea which direction he should go in for immortality. Without his directions and orders, the sub-brain wouldn''t be of much help.


    Lu Zhiyu had done his research. He knew that there was a part of the genetic code called FOXO3A that controlled human lifespan. If a mutation happened to that part of the code, human life could be extended, earning this gene the name "longevity gene." However, the genetic code could only do so much. It could only allow the person to live a little over a hundred years old, but even then, it was still limited. This gene that governed lifespan existed inside the DNA of every living creature.


    Other than that, Lu Zhiyu, through his observation of human genes, knew that there were a few dozens other parts of the genes that could affect human lifespan. All these genes took different paths to prolong life, but they all had their limits. There was still a cap on how long he could extend his own life. This kind of longevity would be something an average person would dream of, but Lu Zhiyu felt it was completely meaningless.


    "Wait a moment. How did the insect queen live for so long?" he wondered out loud. He began to recollect how the insect queens extended their lives. Normally, those queens should only have been able to live a little over twenty years, but he knew that some of the dead queens he had seen had lived for more than seven hundred years. If it wasn''t for the war and them dying in battle, they might have lived even longer.


    That was extending their lifespans tenfold, even hundredfold. That was not a normal case of longevity, nor were their lifespans within a normal boundary. They had changed themselves fundamentally. The insects had achieved true immortality. Lu Zhiyu felt a little scared thinking about the insects. Lu Zhiyu was shocked by how little he knew about genes compared to the insects.


    "How did they do it. Recall it, recall it, Sub-brain. Find everything we have on the insects!"


    "Here''s the outcome!"


    "These are the gene structure of the insect queen. But there wasn''t anything specific in their genetic code that was related to the lifespan!"


    The intelligent sub-brain instantly gathered Lu Zhiyu''s memories about the relevant insect queen. Lu Zhiyu immediately opened his eyes, "What was important was not to prolong the lifespan, but to maintain and repair, and to totally rewrite the genetic code itself."


    His memories were slowly returning. He looked over all the information he had back and forth. Finally, he found what he needed from the trove of information.


    "That''s right, there is a limit to the lifespan set by the genes no matter how long one tries to extend it. The only way to prevent that is to constantly change and rewrite the genes, making sure that the genes are always active. I have to think of the body as a machine that needs constant maintenance. Otherwise, even if I could extend my lifespan, the organs in the body would gradually shut down which makes death inevitable. Only by continually repairing and maintaining the genes can one stay young eternally!"


    This was the first step toward extending the lives of the insect queens. But these queens understood that immortality achieved that way was an illusion, a machine would eventually break down one day, no matter how well it was maintained. Their solution to that was to change the very composition of their genes.


    If a body was a machine that was originally made of wood that could easily decompose, then the queens would swap out the wood and rebuild it with iron, steel, or other more durable materials. This fundamental change would ensure that the machine would always survive, no matter how much time has passed, or how harsh the living conditions were.


    However, the insects were only at the early stages of their experimentations. Even though Lu Zhiyu had found traces of this in their genes, he knew that they had not took the critical step forward. But he also knew he was still far from achieving anything like what the queens had achieved. He was far behind compared to the insects.


    What he knew right now was merely fixing and maintaining the current state of his genes, which could extend his life by thousands of years. At this moment, this was good enough. This was just Lu Zhiyu''s theories. It would probably take a long time to make these ideas a reality. But with a direction and a goal in mind, time, in Lu Zhiyu''s hands, was nothing but a toy!


    ¡ª


    Li Wei and Lu Zhiyu were in the honeymoon phase of their relationship and were completely infatuated with each other. They hardly wanted to be apart from one another. Lately, Li Wei had begun thinking about moving in with Lu Zhiyu. This was right up Lu Zhiyu''s alley. Since he had moved everything into the dimensional castle, he wasn''t worried about Li Wei finding anything.


    Lu Zhiyu was constantly in a good mood and really wanted Li Wei to move in with him, but he knew that it wouldn''t happen anytime soon. Moving itself was difficult enough. Lu Zhiyu''s place was far from the hospital where Li Wei worked. Li Wei didn''t have a driving license, which meant Lu Zhiyu would have to drive her to work and back every day if she moved in.


    This day, Lu Zhiyu was toiling away at the pet shop and playing with the cats and dogs. He bathed the dogs and groomed their hair. Lu Zhiyu quite liked these animals, or put it another way, he liked the vitality from them. The energetic creatures were the proof that life was a miracle. After working with genes for a while, he now appreciated life so much more than before.


    The only bad thing was that Xia Fan had been visiting his shop a lot lately. Whenever she came, chaos followed. She would play with the animals despite Lu Zhiyu''s warnings, and she flirted with him right in front of Xiao Le. Her flirting had made him feel uncomfortable, and he didn''t know how he should react to it. However, he did not feel frustrated, nor did he push her away. Instead, he felt quite flattered. This made him feel as though he was born to be a scumbag!


    At noon that day, a car stopped in front of the shop. A bespectacled man in a suit walked into the shop. He looked around and found Lu Zhiyu, "Old Lu, Old Lu, come here quick. Get in the car!"


    "Wang Yi? Why are you here today?" Wang Yi was his old friend from elementary school who worked at a research center. Lu Zhiyu had asked for his help previously when he was in the process of purchasing equipments.

 25 Reunion

    Lu Zhiyu tossed the shop key to Xiao Le and said, "Keep an eye on the shop. Call me if anything urgent happens."


    Xiao Le was in the midst of playing with a kitten. She turned around and nodded, "Alright, I understand. Don''t worry, boss!"


    Lu Zhiyu put on his coat and got into the car with Wang Yi. Even though he already knew what Wang Yi was there for using his mind power, he still asked, "What''s the urgent matter? Why were you looking for me so suddenly!"


    Wang Yi got into the driver''s seat, closed the door and said, "We''re having a reunion, an elementary school reunion. Someone called me suddenly this morning and asked me to attend, and so I thought about you. I then immediately came to fetch you!"


    Lu Zhiyu thought back to the days. "Elementary school reunion? Can you even remember what they look like? I might not even remember their names!"


    Wang Yi immediately replied, "Really? You don''t remember Xiao Pang, Four-Eyes, and Liu Datiao?"


    Lu Zhiyu laughed instantly, "Well, now that you told me about them, I do. Are they really all here?"


    Wang Yi said with a laugh, "Xiao Pang isn''t, but Four-Eyes and Liu Datiao are. Four-Eyes was the one that called me."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, "I can''t believe you still have their contact numbers. I lost touch with them a long time ago!"


    Lu Zhiyu had gone to elementary school in another town, where his grandparents lived. It was a small town about two hours out of the capital city of the province. After he left, his grandparents'' home was sold, and he hadn''t returned since.


    As the car drove towards where he lived when he was a child, Lu Zhiyu found himself getting excited. However, when they reached the town, Lu Zhiyu saw that it was much like the town he currently lived in, with skyscrapers and busy streets. He suddenly realized that he could not recall any memories. This place was nothing like the small town in his recollection!


    "So much has changed, I don''t remember this at all. This should be where the old bridge used to be. Did they rebuild it? I remember that it used to be a stone bridge!" Lu Zhiyu gasped. Seeing the changes in the town, Lu Zhiyu felt strongly the fleeting passage of time.


    Wang Yi immediately asked, "When was the last time you were here? Of course you don''t recognize anything. Let me see, they booked a table at the Palace Cuisine. En, it''s this way. Do you remember the Palace Cuisine? I used to have my meals there frequently when I was studying in middle and high school, usually for my classmate''s birthday parties or something like that!"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head. "I left after elementary school, so I don''t have any recollections of the place!"


    Lu Zhiyu and Wang Yi saw a big man standing by the door as soon as they got out of the car. After he saw Wang Yi, he hurried over. The man spoke in the local dialect, which made Lu Zhiyu felt a sense of familiarity. "Wang Yi, you''re finally here. Hurry upstairs, they''re in the second room to the left on the second floor."


    Wang Yi hugged the fat man and they gave each other friendly pounds with their fists. He laughed heartily, then spoke to Lu Zhiyu, "Li Hao, the class monitor, remember him?"


    Lu Zhiyu immediately remembered, his expression turning into that of an understanding. He did not expect that the class monitor of the past had grown to be this fat. Li Hao was a skinny little kid. Now, Lu Zhiyu could only found the little familiarity from his eyes and eyebrows !


    Li Hao looked at Lu Zhiyu and asked, "And this is¡­?"


    "Make a guess?" Wang Yi laughed.


    Li Hao observed him closely, then immediately shouted, "Lu Zhiyu? You are Lu Zhiyu aren''t you!"


    Lu Zhiyu felt a sense of familiarity and joy well up in his heart. It was the feeling of being recognized by an old classmate he had not seen in many years. He hugged Li Hao and said, "That''s right, class monitor. How did you gain so much weight? I remember that you would not gain an ounce no matter how much you ate when you were young!"


    Li Hao released the hug and looked at Lu Zhiyu, "Let me see, let me see, oh my! You were the most good-looking kid in class when you were younger. The way you look now, I would not be able to recognize you even if I run into you. Why haven''t you come back all these years? We all missed you!"


    Lu Zhiyu felt slightly embarrassed. "I''ve been studying somewhere else, then went to work in the capital. My old house over here also got sold. But this is indeed my fault. I''ll drink three glasses of beer later as my punishment!"


    "How is three glasses enough? I''ll show you what punishment is when I head up later. You guys should head up quickly, I am still waiting for a few of our classmates!"


    This should be the best restaurant in town. It was rather posh. Lu Zhiyu noticed that the decor and facilities were all pretty good, and the waiters were also very well-mannered.


    The two had just reached the room when they saw that there were already a lot of people inside. When they saw Wang Yi, several people stood to greet him.


    "Wang, even a great scientist like you have come. Here, here here. Sit next to me!"


    "Old Wang, you''re late! Come on, drink as your punishment!"


    "Wang Yi, he''s right, drink!"


    A young man with glasses and a man with a shaved head were the loudest. Wang Yi immediately shouted, "Four-Eyes, Liu Datiao, don''t try to play with me tonight. Look who I brought!"


    Everyone noticed Lu Zhiyu, who was standing behind Wang Yi, but no one could recall who exactly he was for the time being. After all, Lu Zhiyu had changed a lot. But Four-Eyes immediately shouted, "Lu Zhiyu, I can''t believe you''re here! Gosh, how many years have it been since I last saw you!"


    As soon as Four-Eyes spoke up, everyone else remembered him as well. Lu Zhiyu had been pretty popular when he was a kid. He had good grades and was rather handsome. He had been good friends with a lot of people, much to the fancy of his teachers and classmates.


    Many people crowded toward him and began chatting about old times. As he chatted with them, Lu Zhiyu''s memory of his childhood began to return as well. He was soon able to match the names to the faces in front of him. Having lived out of town for so many years, he thought he was all alone. But to his surprise, he still had so many classmates and friends back here!


    "Wow, you''re married? Four-eye?"


    "That was nothing! Liu Datiao''s son is already in kindergarten!"


    "How about you? Since you''ve grown such a face, how popular you would be! Why didn''t you bring anyone!"


    "I''m not married. My girlfriend has to work today. It was too rushed, and so I couldn''t bring her."


    There were plenty of girls there, but most of them were married. The boys were mostly married as well. In a small town like this, people tended to marry early, a few of them already had kids in their families.


    Just then, the door opened and a young woman walked in. She had short hair and was wearing a uniform. She looked as though she had rushed over here from work. She looked quite thin and her face was a little pale.


    Lu Zhiyu turned to Wang Yi and asked, "Who''s that?"


    Four-Eyes immediately shouted, "Lu Zhiyu, have you forgotten? That''s Ai Shu."


    Lu Zhiyu was shocked, "What?"

 26 Mining and Civilization

    Lu Zhiyu felt memories returning to him. He had been very proud when he was young. Because of his good grades, good looks and a well-to-do family, his actions had been rather arrogant. He had been somewhat of a bully.


    Ai Shu had been very pretty when she was young as well, but she was shy, introverted and did not interact much with others. Lu Zhiyu was very interested in her, but that wasn''t a good thing when you were a kid. Children could have very strange ways of expressing fondness. It mostly started with him bullying her.


    At first it was just Lu Zhiyu bullying her, but because of Ai Shu''s shyness and her reclusive nature, the rest of the class began isolating and bullying her as well. Once, Lu Zhiyu accidentally broke one of Ai Shu''s belongings and angered her. A fight broke out between them. Lu Zhiyu used his backpack to hit Ai Shu, forgetting that he had a flashlight in his bag that day. The flashlight struck Ai Shu''s head and injured her.


    After the fight, Lu Zhiyu was punished by the school. Since he was close to graduating, his family took him out of school and sent him away to a middle school in the capital city of the province.


    Seeing Ai Shu again brought back all the shame and guilt Lu Zhiyu had felt back then. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, unsure of what to do. He thought that he would have let go of his childhood stupidity as he grew up, but not sure why, maybe this incident was especially memorable to him, or maybe due to some other unknown reasons, Lu Zhiyu still felt uncomfortable till this day.


    During the dinner, Lu Zhiyu repeatedly glanced at Ai Shu and caught her attention. Ai Shu stared at him, confused. Noticing the two looking at each other, the girl next to Ai Shu whispered something to her. Ai Shu frowned, then turned her head, no longer looking at Lu Zhiyu again.


    "She still remembers the things I did to her back then!"


    Lu Zhiyu lowered his head in shame. His mind was not fully on the reunion. Most of the people in the reunion were catching up on old times, exchanging contact information and asking about what they were doing recently. As most of his old classmates were already married, they all returned home after dinner.


    As they bade each other goodbye, many of his classmates gathered around Lu Zhiyu and asked for his contact number as well as his current address. They agreed to meet up with Lu Zhiyu whenever they went to the city


    "Sure, come find me if you ever come to the city!"


    He was talking with a few of his female classmates when he noticed Ai Shu was about to leave by herself. He excused himself and immediately chased after her.


    Lu Zhiyu stopped in front of Ai Shu. Ai Shu stopped in her tracks and looked at him doubtfully. Lu Zhiyu took a deep breath and asked, "Do you remember me? I-I''m Lu Zhiyu, I was in your class¡­"


    She wore her hair short and stood with her back straight. She was tall. With her heels, she was almost as tall as Lu Zhiyu. She nodded but did not speak. Lu Zhiyu realized that he was very nervous. "I just want to apologize. I am very sorry for what I did to you back then. Even though this apology is very late, but I feel that I would be more comfortable after I say it aloud." He pulled a business card out of his wallet and continued, "This is my number and contact information. Please, if I can help you with anything, don''t hesitate to call."


    "Alright," Ai Shu said. That was the first words she said to him all night. She then turned to leave. Lu Zhiyu heaved a sigh of relief watching her walked away.


    Wang Yi walked over and pat Lu Zhiyu''s shoulder, "So? Have you made up? That happened so long ago, would Ai Shu be so petty as to still hold a grudge against you?"


    "I don''t know." Lu Zhiyu shook his head. "She only said alright, but she did take my card."


    Wang Yi nodded. "Don''t think too much about it," he said. "She''s like that. She doesn''t talk much, nor does she like to interact with people. She hasn''t changed after all these years!"


    Lu Zhiyu got onto Wang Yi''s car and began his journey back. He was glad that he had came to the reunion. He had not only reconnected with his classmates and got back beautiful memories of the past, he was especially happy to see Ai Shu and finally apologize to her. What happened between the two of them had always been a sore spot for him.


    ¡ª


    In the dimensional castle, the bookshelves of the library were gradually being filled up with Lu Zhiyu''s recent purchases. Because of the different flow of time, some of the books already appeared old and yellowed, as if they were ancient tomes.


    It had been two hundred years since Lu Zhiyu made the first human. There had been human tribes appearing on the southern part of the Alen continent. Two hundred years was enough for a dozen of generations of humans to proliferate. The first few generations was long gone. The current humans, in their memories, all thought that they have lived on Alen continent since the beginning of time.


    The number of humans had increased significantly, from the initial hundreds to now tens of thousands. The original small tribes split off and spread throughout the entire southern half of the continent. Like the ever-growing humans, the orcs in the north were developing as well. The tribes slowly developed into cities and civilization was formed. The humans, through their exploration, had already made contact with the orcs, and knew that they were not the only intelligent beings living in the world.


    These two hundred years were only two weeks to Lu Zhiyu. Ten days ago, as he was observing the development of civilization within Maria''s World, Lu Zhiyu realized that he had made a serious mistake. Even though Maria''s World was rich in resources, it did have a fatal flaw - lack of mines.


    When he created Maria''s World, he had placed plenty of resources, but the distribution of the materials was too even. This meant that mines could not have developed underground. The tribes were content with using stones as their primary resource. The few metals ingots that were discovered were hailed as gods'' rocks and worshipped. Without metal, civilizations couldn''t enter the Bronze Age or Steel Age, delaying the advancement of civilization.


    Seeing no other way round, Lu Zhiyu used Source Form again and changed the rules of Maria''s World. He shifted the distribution of metal from within the earth and created mines for several different kinds of metals, such as gold, silver, copper, and iron. He also created other kinds of resources like coal and oil. Some of the mines were located near the tribes, exposed above the ground. The discovery of these mines would jumpstart the progress of civilization.


    Lu Zhiyu had 108 units of Source Form before he spent three units of them on the dimensional castle. Lately, as the development of the civilization and the deaths of lives in the Maria''s World, he had accumulated 176 units of Source Form. Creating the mines used up 47 units, leaving him with 129 units. However, it was all worth it. With the help of the mines and the copper smelting technology, copper started to be widely adapted to all the tribes. The civilizations grew very fast, which led to the rapid development of the orc cities. Soon after they entered the era of cities, the first king to ever exist was established: the Orc King of Sarga City.

 27 Orcs and Men

    The orcs had already built cities and entered the bronze age, but humans were still in the early stage of developing their civilization. Meanwhile, the fighting among orc clans intensified. This clashes and melding of cultures helped spark off the improvement of the orc civilization. The first generation''s Orc King was from the clan of rats, but by the fourth generation, he was from the clan of tigers. Other clans, like the clan of dogs and the clan of bulls, had succeeded the title of the Orc King as well afterwards. The current Orc King, the twelfth generation orc named Costa, was from the clan of wolves. Cities were appearing in other places as well and were slowly replacing tribes. The intermingling and combining of orc tribes were taking place!


    This had Lu Zhiyu worried. He thought that the orcs were developing too fast while the humans were in the beginnings of their development and barely had their own language. He was worried that the orcs might one day wipe out all humans before the humans had a chance at developing their own cultures. He had spent a great deal of time and effort developing and modifying genes for this species of human, and he did not want all that work to go to waste. So far things did not go as Lu Zhiyu had expected. He wanted to push the development of the humanity, at least to the point where they can hold their own against the orcs.


    Currently, there were about a hundred thousand humans in the Maria world. However, because of the fertile lands, there was no need for trade, and communication between human tribes was minimal. Lu Zhiyu had to use two methods to boost the development of the human race. The first was to introduce an external threat, the second was to create an internal unity between the humans.


    The external threat came when the orc tribes came in contact with the humans. The friction between the orcs and the humans were escalating as time went by. In order to help the humans unify, Lu Zhiyu decided that he would appoint a King of All Men.


    ¡ª


    The plains near the center of the continent was hailed by the humans as the Red River Plain. It was located between the Red River and the ranges of the Heavenly Mountains. The plain had fertile lands and lush forests, and beasts of all kinds ran loose there. The forests were full of fruits and other kinds of food. It was paradise to the humans.


    Many round, tent-like straw huts stood on the area under the mountains. Primordial men wearing pelts of beasts returned to one of the villages carrying food. The leader of the village was a man who had already broken through the limits of the physical body and awakened the power Lu Zhiyu hid in his genes.


    However, the paradise had turned into hell when an army of orcs from over the Heavenly Mountains descended upon the village. Even though the leader of the village had awakened his genetic power, it was merely an ability to control his adrenaline.


    The army that attacked was from the clan of wolves, the most powerful clan of orcs in the world. The fierce soldiers rode large, wolf-like beasts and chanted their battle cry in Sofawk, a language first developed by the clan of rats. After hundreds of years of refinement, Sofawk had developed into a complete language system.


    "Kill them all, this fertile plain should belong to us and not these beasts!"


    "Kill these undeveloped swines!"


    The war was cruel. The leader of the village led his men into battle with a stone axe. He used the massive strength and fast reaction he got after activating his adrenaline to strike down many orcs. However, he was still no match for the clan of wolves. His enemies had lances and swords made of bronze, while the best weapons his people had were rocks and wooden sticks. Soon, the human villagers lost the battle. The wolves spared no one, not even the women and the children. The war between species was extremely bloody and cruel. The leader of the village was the last one standing. He was exhausted and finally failed under the spear of the wolves!


    The leader of the village lay on the ground and cursed the orcs with his dying breath in the human language that was still in the early stage of development. "You b*stards! God will punish you!"


    After killing everyone in sight, the wolf soldiers set fire to the remaining huts and disappeared on their mounts in high spirits.


    As the soldiers disappeared into the distance, a figure appeared near the village. He wore a grey linen cloak, simple shirt and trousers, and a pair of plain boots. He held a silver staff with strange carvings, his face covered by a white mask with a drawing of a red sun.


    That was Lu Zhiyu. Lu Zhiyu had been searching for a place to start his plans when he saw the atrocity committed in the village. Then he had fixed his gaze here. He had already saw how tragic the battlefield was through the Scroll of the World, but it did not prepare him for how bad the situation truly was now that he was here in person. The smells of burning corpses almost made Lu Zhiyu retch.


    But Lu Zhiyu realized that other than slight discomfort, he didn''t feel anything else. Was that because he did not feel a sense of kinship with the humans in this world? Or could it be due to some other reasons?


    He walked towards the burning huts in the center of the village. It was already consumed by fire, and it was emitting thick, black smoke. Lu Zhiyu raised his staff and opened the dimensional door to link to a river from far away, channeling a large amount of water to extinguish the flames. He had made the staff himself and carved the channeling array for dimensional door on it. This way, he could simply inject his mind power into the staff and instantly activate the dimensional door instead of needing to draw the channeling array every time when he needed to connect to a different space.


    Lu Zhiyu could open a dimensional door anywhere within this krynnspace and transport any objects at his will. This was also the only spell that Lu Zhiyu had mastered so far with his mind power. The other powers such as mind reading, changing genes, etc were all talents associated with his mind power, something made available to him through the flow of information. His exploration of his mind power was rudimentary at best. He could not fully understand it. He didn''t know exactly what mind power was. He had no idea what a soul was either. Even though his mind power had become stronger through his continued meditation, he still could not discover additional powers, nor did he have any defined goals or directions to work toward. As for the dimensional door, it was something Lu Zhiyu would not comprehend. It was lucky enough that he was able to draw the channeling array on the staff properly.


    The water put out the fire. Lu Zhiyu approached the still-smoking hut and heard someone was coughing inside. He pushed aside the burnt remains of the hut, and saw a young human boy climbing out from inside a hole on the ground. The two stared at each other in silence.


    "Wo lu mo, mo see ca? (Who are you?)" the boy asked, his words slurring.


    Lu Zhiyu had collected information about the orc language, but could not really understand the fledgling human language as it was still in its early stages of development, and did not have a complete system of words. Thankfully, Lu Zhiyu could understand what the boy was asking using his mind power. In fact, the boy''s fear and animosity were also clearly conveyed to him.


    "I am a messenger from the gods. Ahenaten, oh, future King of All Men!" He held out his hand toward the young boy, and used his mind power to beckon him forward. After Ahenaten understood Lu Zhiyu, he even felt interested and somewhat emotionally connected to Lu Zhiyu due to the influence of the mind power.


    The stranger seemed to be wrapped in the glory of the sun and his body was radiating a divine white glow. Ahenaten pulled himself to his feet and was comforted by the stranger''s presence.


    "Sent here by the gods, you are the messenger of the gods? I, Ahenaten, pay you the highest of respects. Are you here to punish those evil orcs?"

 28 Order and Civilization

    "You must be the one to avenge the lives of your loved ones with your own hands," Lu Zhiyu said, leading Ahenaten away from the hut. "I am only here to provide you guidance from the glorious Goddess of Light, Maria."


    "But why won''t the gods kill off the evil wolf-men?" Ahenaten asked, clearly unsatisfied with Lu Zhiyu''s answer. "Why did the gods watched the orcs killed my parents and my clansmen? How could gods who stood by and watched these things happen still be called gods?"


    "What do you think gods are? Your servants?" Lu Zhiyu turned back and looked at Ahenaten. "They gave you lives, intelligence and power. They also gave you lush lands and a world to explore. Do you still want them to watch over every second and every aspect of your lives? Fulfil your every wish and desire? You are too greedy!" Seeing that Ahenaten didn''t say anything in response, Lu Zhiyu continued. "The gods gave you hope and a future, but it is up to you to decide which path to take."


    He lowered himself to look Ahenaten in the eyes and said, "The gods are just, Ahenaten. Humans and orcs, as well as every living being in this world, are the children of the gods. They created this world, but they gave you the power to choose your own destiny. The gods are not responsible for your lives, you are. Remember, you hold your destiny in your hands!"


    "Then why are you here?" Ahenaten paused then asked. "Why did they send you? Who are you?"


    "I am Faross, the archangel of Maria, the Goddess of Light," Lu Zhiyu said. "I am tasked with maintaining the balance of this world. If this course of events continue, humans will be wiped out by the orcs. Thus, I am here in hopes that you can carry the responsibility of uniting the human race and stopping the invading orcs. You shall become the king of all humans!"


    "Of course, you have the choice to accept or refuse this fate."


    Ahenaten looked at Lu Zhiyu, then at the burned village around him and the corpses on the ground. His eyes burned with hatred. He felt as if he could see thousands of humans dying under the orcs'' blades. He felt as if he could hear their dying cries.


    "No, not like this, our kind cannot be wiped out!" Ahenaten looked toward Lu Zhiyu, "Archangel Faross, you have my word, I agree. What do you need me to do?"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head, "I do not need you to do anything. You have to grow and become more powerful. You are too weak now!"


    "Is it mighty strength?" Ahenaten asked hurriedly. "Like my father who has the strength of the gods?"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head. "One man cannot fight an entire army no matter how strong he is, while an army will have to submit to order. Power does not only lie within strength. What I wish of you is to create order and civilization among the scattered human race. Order and civilization. That is what can save your kind."


    "Order and civilization?" Ahenaten asked as if he couldn''t understand the words.


    Lu Zhiyu held out a hand to grab Ahenaten''s. The two walked toward the east, toward where the sun rose. Lu Zhiyu raised his staff. He summoned a dimensional door with a flash of light. The two stepped through the formless screen and arrived somewhere in the distance.


    The northern part of the continent had already entered winter. Lu Zhiyu gave Ahenaten a cloak. Ahenaten fumbled to wrap the cloak around himself, but he never took his eyes off of the grand city in the distance, "What is that?"


    "That is the capital of the orcs," Lu Zhiyu said. "It''s called Sarga. Twelve kings have built up this city over the course of two hundred years. Twelve generations of kings that have come and gone. Many tribes fought for the right to call this city theirs. Two hundred years of fighting and expansion gave birth to this city in front of you."


    "A city?" Ahenaten asked, his eyes reflecting his excitement and awe. "Will our kind have this too?"


    "Of course," Lu Zhiyu said with a nod. "You will be the first King of Men. You will lead mankind to an age of cities. You will spark the flames of civilization, and your name will be on the tongue of every man, woman, and child for hundreds of years to come."


    "Come with me!"


    He started walked again with Ahenaten following him closely. A moment later, the two appeared on top of the city wall of Sarga, looking down on the city unfolding beneath. The city was bustling with people. There were many people walking on the streets, such as soldiers who were carrying weapons and civilians in simple clothing. They dressed simply, mostly a few pieces of cloth covering their bodies. Only the nobles could own fancy clothing made from pelt.


    The orcs had developed the class structure and segregation of duties. There were merchants, commoners, nobles, farmers, hunters, troops, craftsmen and the like. Craftsmen were responsible for erecting opulent buildings. There were sharp bronze swords in the hands of every soldier. What they were wearing were all incredibly pretty in Ahenaten''s eyes as they were clean and tidy. There weren''t only wolf-people residing in the city. There were dog-, tiger-, and lion-people as well. Different races mingled in the streets.


    The city seemed endless to Ahenaten. There were many streets and seemingly an infinite amount of people living within. Ahenaten felt at awe. The desire for progress was coded into the very bones of humans.


    Soon, the two were discovered by the patrols on the wall. "Who are you? What are you doing here? How did you come up to the city wall!"


    Hearing the soldier''s call, more guards swarmed over and raised their weapons at the two. Seeing a spear was aiming at him and a guard was charging towards him, Ahenaten started to shake in fear. Lu Zhiyu turned to look at him with his masked face. He waved his staff and the two disappeared in a flash of light. This was why Lu Zhiyu made the staff and carved the channeling array to summon the dimensional door on it. It allowed him to react quicker to an emergency situation like this.


    "This is their language," Lu Zhiyu said. "It is called Sofawk. Words and language gave the orcs the ability to communicate and develop culture. This is the basis for a unified civilization!"


    They were standing under a large statue of the Orc King. The pedestal that held the statue was covered in words that described the accolades of the Orc King. Ahenaten couldn''t understand what Lu Zhiyu told him, but Lu Zhiyu knew that he would remember his words.


    Lu Zhiyu then took Ahenaten to the market. The crowded market and the different vendors fascinated the young boy. This was the center of commerce for orc cities in the north. One could find almost anything there. Lu Zhiyu walked the boy through the market, telling him more about gold, currency, wealth and merchants.


    "Gold? What is gold?" Ahenaten asked when Lu Zhiyu brought it up.


    A gold coin appeared in his hand, and he handed it to the boy. "This is the currency of the orcs. I''ll give it to you as a souvenir!"

 29 Ahenaten

    In the next few days, Lu Zhiyu took Ahenaten to all the other few cities which the orcs had just built. He showed the boy the cities of the tigers and the leopards, which were designed like military bases. He also showed the boy the city of the foxes, which was the orcs'' largest center of commerce in the North. Then, Lu Zhiyu took Ahenaten to visit the tribes of the dog-people and cat-people, which were still primitive and not yet cities.


    After that, he showed the boy the orcs'' farms and ranches, and told him that he could domesticate animals and raise crops too. Humans had been doing these as well, but because the South was filled with natural resources, they did not carry these processes out fully and also did not understand why they had to.


    In these few days, Ahenaten finally had a basic idea of how powerful the orcs were and how weak the humans were. The orcs were already an army equipped with weapons and civilization, while humans were only a group of wild monkeys in the forest.


    A few days passed. Finally, Lu Zhiyu took Ahenaten back to the plain where he had lived. It was the end of the day, and the sun was setting slowly. "Do you understand now?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    Ahenaten nodded, "I understand. In the name Goddess Maria, I will bring light to humans!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, "Before I go, I want to give you something."


    Ahenaten looked at Lu Zhiyu in surprise. Lu Zhiyu held out his hands; in his left hand there was a bag of seeds, while in his right hand there was a longsword. The sword was a customized order Lu Zhuyi had obtained online. Made from alloy steel, it was strong, durable, and resistant to friction and corrosion. Its appearance was even more astonishing, with special patterns and a blood groove on it.


    To someone like Ahenaten who had not even seen the Bronze Age, such a sword was just like a divine artifact. He took the sword with much excitement and asked, "Is such a divine artifact really for me?"


    He stared at the gleaming mirror-like surface of the sword. The sword was sharp and strong, and only gods could have created it. He knelt down on the ground. "Praise Goddess Maria!"


    "Another thing," Lu Zhiyu said. Right then, Lu Zhiyu tapped on Ahenaten''s hand with his finger. In these few days, he had lied to Ahenaten and given him a pill to eat, telling him that it was a divine medicine, when it was actually just a piece of candy. That way, he could secretly strengthen Ahenaten''s body with his mind power so that he would be able to unlock the abilities in Ahenaten''s genes before he left.


    Lu Zhiyu unlocked the restrictions Ahenaten''s brain had on his body, activating two powers in Ahenaten''s genes, namely mastery of swords and the Golden Eye. The so-called Golden Eye was an ability formed from the fusion of eye-related abilities such as dynamic vision, eagle''s vision, and night vision.


    Lu Zhiyu believed that with the sword, his extraordinary sword skills, and his eyes which could detect any incoming attacks, Ahenaten would be able to defeat a hundred normal humans easily.


    With these powers, it would pose no challenge for Ahenaten to become the leader of a tribe. In addition, with the knowledge that Ahenaten had gained from the trip with Lu Zhuyi, he would also be able to easily build a human city. As for resisting the invasions from the orcs, as long as Ahenaten could build a civilization which was strong enough to fight against the orcs, everything would be fine. After all, the orcs might be strong, but they were not unified.


    If I fail this time, Lu Zhiyu thought, I can still select someone else.


    Lu Zhiyu watched as Ahenaten collapsed onto the ground with many hormonal changes occuring in his body. Even his pupils slowly turned gold. Lu Zhiyu picked up the boy and placed him on a haystack, after which Lu Zhiyu turned around and vanished under the sunset.


    When Ahenaten woke up, he felt extremely hungry and thirsty. At the moment, it was already nighttime, but he still felt that the world actually looked bright to him. Although it was not as clear as it would have been in the daylight, he could still see everything very well.


    He picked up the sword Lu Zhiyu had given him, and put the bag of seeds into his clothes. Then, he walked into the forest and found a small stream right away. Just as he was lowering his head to drink, a dark figure appeared beside him.


    Ahenaten was able to react immediately. He quickly drew his sword, realizing that the attacker was a black leopard. His pupils contracted, and his golden pupils seemed to shine in the darkness. The leopard''s lightning-quick, deadly attack was actually rapidly slowed down in his eyes.


    Ahenaten quickly bent down, turned around, and pierced the sword into the leopard''s neck, as if he had practised this action with the sword for thousands of times. The whole series of movements was very smooth, as though he was a top-tier swordsman!


    Panting, he stared at the leopard in bewilderment. Even his father would have had a tough battle with such a wild beast in the forest. How did he kill the beast so easily?


    Ahenaten gripped his sword tightly. The sword felt like his closest buddy, as if he had already practised sword skills for tens of years. Using the sword had become one of his instincts.


    After glancing at the already dead leopard on the ground, he lowered his head to look at the river. Moonlight poured down and he could see his reflection on the surface: red hair, a firm face, and a pair of golden pupils.


    "My eyes?"


    As soon as Lu Zhiyu returned to the castle, he took his mask off. It did not feel great to go down and do some work himself. Lying was an art, after all. Although he could read minds and was especially powerful in Maria''s World, he was still an ordinary human.


    Moreover, his Immortality Gene Editing Plan was entering a critical stage. The development of Maria''s World would only affect the growth of the civilizations inside, his World Reform Plan, and how much Source Form he could get.


    On the other hand, Immortality Gene Editing Plan would directly determine how long Lu Zhiyu could live. If he could solve the lifespan problem, he could even stay in the castle for as long as he wanted to speed up his research and various plans. In other words, he did not to have to worry about staying in the castle for too long and forgetting about time. If that happened, by the time he returned to the outside world, he would already be old!


    From the insects, he had learned some of the secrets to immortality genes. In particular, maintenance and constant restoration were the key factors. At the moment, he already had some preliminary ideas and results, and was still implementing them. However, several of his experiments had gone wrong, proving his ideas wrong. That had made him slightly discouraged.


    Where should I start? Strong restorative powers and vitality, not needing tons of energy, and able to maintain the processes in the body...


    Lu Zhiyu was sitting down in the large laboratory, looking tired. He got up from his chair, walked to a door on the side of the room, and opened it. It was a freezer room he had specially built. The room was filled with various labelled animal and plant genetic templates. The temperature in the freezer room was almost equivalent to outer space, and the room was isolated from its surrounding.


    As he sealed away a few failed templates, he suddenly noticed a small plant in a bottle with his peripheral vision. "Huh? What if I insert sections of plant genes into animal genes?"

 30 Tree of Life

    "Fetal movement undetectable. Signs of life undetectable!"


    "It''s not working¡­ it failed again!"


    Lu Zhiyu watched as the few lives that had just been born vanished before him, causing him to be very depressed. Genetically, there was nothing wrong; their life templates were complete and their designs were logical. He did not know why he kept failing over and over again.


    After he had begun the Immortality Gene Editing Plan, he had been trying to create an intelligent species with an extremely long lifespan. To achieve this, he had been adding sections of plant genes to existing genes of new humans.


    The self-repair abilities and vitality of plants far exceeded that of animals. Even if a plant was chopped up into a few pieces, as long as there were water and sunlight, it could grow out again. Whether it was underwater or on land, cold or hot, plants could be seen; they were even found in harsh environments such as deserts. Plants had a long lifespan, and more importantly, they could always remain in their best condition until the very moment they died!


    Lu Zhiyu was precisely trying to design a species that had a plant''s longevity. These organisms would be able to live a thousand years. Like plants, these creatures would be able to maintain their youth and would only start aging in the last hundred years of their lives.


    They would not need to consume a lot of food to provide themselves with enough energy to survive. As long as they had sufficient sunlight and water, they could continue living. This would be an extremely perfect creature, and Lu Zhiyu considered it as his masterpiece. The only problem was that he could not successfully create it!


    "Could it be because of the mother?"


    Lu Zhiyu suddenly realized that he may have made a serious mistake. This organism was very different from ordinary animals, so it would be impossible for this organism, which had plant characteristics, to grow in the wombs of other animals, unlike normal species. Because of its plant characteristics, it would not be able to receive the nutrients it needed in other animals'' wombs.


    He immediately turned his research in another direction and began to plan the creation of a plant that could give birth to such an organism. This unique, long-lived species he was creating would grow out straight from this plant!


    "My idea is mad! Intelligent life growing out of a plant!"


    He stood up from his chair at once and left his lab in the fourth level. Then, he hurried into the library downstairs to read the books regarding this area. Lu Zhiyu had to spend some time thinking.


    There were a lot of ant-people hurrying about in the castle, doing their assigned daily chores. They never talked on their own or asked Lu Zhiyu any questions. After a long time, Lu Zhiyu had begun to think of them more like robots. Therefore, he was often oblivious to their presence.


    After entering the library, Lu Zhiyu immediately said to an ant-person who was sweeping the floor, "Number 23, get the plant samples numbered 1289, 2358, and 256, and put them on my desk in the lab. Also, get the kitchen to make me some food." The ant-person lay down its broom and trotted out of the library.


    Lu Zhiyu continued towards the book shelves. After checking the shelf with plant-related books, he reached out his hand. Right away, a few books on the shelf flew towards him and landed on his hand. Lu Zhiyu''s mind power at the moment was already strong enough to influence reality and move objects. However, it was only limited to items that were small and light.


    The entire library was carpeted and very clean. The fine carvings around and the dropped ceiling on top were all made from wood, making the place look very artistic. As long as they had proper instructions in their brains, the ant-people were excellent workers and artisans. They could achieve most things that Lu Zhiyu wanted in a perfect way. Of course, it only included work that did not require much intelligence.


    Lu Zhiyu sat down by the wooden table located at the center of the room. Below the table, there was even a rug made from bear pelt. He snapped his fingers and the lights above him came up at once. Then, he began reading the few books he had taken. Lu Zhiyu scanned through the books very quickly, as if he was only flipping through them, and all the information was already recorded down by his sub-brain. Then, his sub-brain would extract the information Lu Zhiyu wanted and release it to him.


    "This plant will be somewhat like the insects'' nest. Perhaps I can learn something from the structure of the nest."


    Lu Zhiyu tapped on the table with his fingers continuously. As he thought about various ideas, the sub-brain constantly sent new information to him. Soon, the bare bones of the whole plan formed in his head.


    Just then, an ant-person appeared with a platter of food in its hands. It put the food on Lu Zhiyu''s table, after which it left to continue the task of cleaning.


    Two weeks later, Lu Zhiyu picked the other relatively large continent in Maria''s World and landed there. Among the five continents in Maria''s World, the largest two were the continent Alen and the one he was on at the moment. The other three continents either had unique terrains, harsh environments, or were too small. Of course, there were also many islands on the surface of the sea, but he would not count them in.


    He had mapped the entire Maria''s world and hung the map in his bedroom in the dimensional castle. However, he had yet to name most of the places on the map. Apart from naming the few major continents so that he could remember and differentiate them easily, he was not planning to name the other places. Instead, he would wait for the lives in Maria''s World to name them!


    The continent he was standing on at the moment was named Yala, which was located to the east of the world, in the direction where the sun rose. Its climate was very fit for most lifeform. The continent was filled with forests, and wild animals roamed the land freely.


    Lu Zhiyu walked into a flat wetland forest on the continent. The forest was filled the chirps of birds, the aroma of flowers, and many densely packed trees. The place did not seem to know winter and was certainly a paradise for animals.


    At the instant Lu Zhiyu entered the forest, he saw many different organisms and plants, some of which he could recognize, but not the others. After such a long time, the plants and seeds that Lu Zhiyu had brought in that time had also been mostly localized. Due to the different biotic environment and terrain, their appearances had changed.


    Lu Zhiyu entered the central region of the wetland forest and found a beautiful valley. In the valley, there was a mirror-like lake. The ground was covered with grass, and many colorful flowers were blooming. A breeze blew by, scattering the seeds of dandelions throughout the valley.


    "This is the place!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, satisfied with the location. A sapling appeared in his hand, and he carefully planted it in the meadow in the depth of the valley.


    "This will be the birthplace of life on this continent. You will be called the Tree of Life!"

 31 Unreliable

    "What''s wrong?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    He had gone to the mall with Li Wei and was having lunch with her, when he noticed that she looked like she wanted to say something but was holding back. Therefore, he put down his chopsticks and looked at Li Wei.


    Li Wei shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "It''s just that every time I see you, it always feels like you have become a bit distant and unfamiliar, even though we have just met up not long ago." Lu Zhiyu knew that this was because he had been frequently entering the Scroll of the World, where he would spend a few months each time. Whenever he met up with Li Wei, only one day would have passed for her since their last date, but to Lu Zhiyu, it would be a reunion after parting for a long time.


    "Doesn''t that make me seem more mysterious? I feel different every time!" Lu Zhiyu remarked with a smile.


    Today, Li Wei seemed to have lost her usual queen-like temperament and was somewhat sentimental. "But I feel like you''re never really with me, you know? You always know what I am thinking about, what I like, and all my hobbies."


    "But I realize that I don''t know anything about you. Sure, you are burly, good-looking, and sweet. You can give me the romantic love that I want and also give me all the fantasies I have about men. You''re perfect, but I can never tell what you''re thinking. I have thought through it carefully. I realize that I don''t understand you at all; I don''t know what you like, what you hate, and I don''t even know anything about your family, background, or past!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked her in the eyes and the two stared at each other. "Why are you suddenly thinking about such a serious topic today? What''s important is that we''re happy together, isn''t it?"


    Li Wei lowered her head. "My mom called me. She said that I have to get married this year. I''m not getting any younger, you know. I''ll be thirty in two years. You should know that women aren''t like men. Once I''m over thirty, I''ll really start to age. Plus, you''re younger than me."


    Lu Zhiyu was momentarily stunned, after which he reached over and grabbed Li Wei''s hand. "Do you want to marry me?"


    Li Wei looked at him blankly, but she pulled her hand away from Lu Zhiyu for the first time. "I don''t know!" she admitted.


    Lu Zhiyu waved his hand. After paying the bill, he said, "Let''s go and walk around a bit. Didn''t you keep saying that you have no clothes to wear recently? I have also bought two movie tickets for your favorite action film. This evening, we can go and watch it together!"


    The two then went shopping. In a shoe store, Lu Zhiyu waited for Li Wei at the reception with many bags in his hand, when the few saleswomen there started gossiping about him. One of them even pretended to be playing her phone and was actually taking a picture of him discreetly, but she forgot to turn off the flash. As Lu Zhiyu turned to look at her, she immediately blushed with embarrassment.


    "Lu Zhiyu? What are you doing here?" Suddenly, Lu Zhiyu heard a clear voice behind him. He turned his head around and saw a familiar face.


    "Cai Jiajia?"


    Cai Jiajia was wearing a pair of tight jeans and a gym shirt at the moment. Paired with her glasses, she looked healthy and also somewhat playful. She pushed her glasses up and said, "I haven''t seen you at the gym lately. That membership you''ve gotten isn''t cheap. Do you plan not to go at all?"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head and said, "I didn''t go because I don''t want to disturb your life. How are you doing? Still working there?"


    Cai Jiajia nodded, "Still there as an instructor. How about you?"


    Before Lu Zhiyu could say anything, Li Wei who had already finished trying the shoes walked out from behind. "Who''s this?" she asked when she saw Cai Jiajia.


    "I''m his friend," Cai Jiajia explained before Lu Zhiyu could open his mouth. "You must be his girlfriend. Nice to meet you."


    Cai Jiajia did not even say her name. After nodding, she said to Lu Zhiyu, "I won''t hold you any longer. See you!" Lu Zhiyu also nodded and Cai Jiajia turned around, leaving.


    However, Li Wei suddenly frowned. "Who is she?" she asked. "She''s not just your friend, is she?"


    "She is," Lu Zhiyu said at once. "We didn''t even talk much. How can you tell that we''re not just normal friends?"


    Li Wei immediately said, "I can tell from the way she looked at you. Also, she looked at me with some hostility. Is she your ex?"


    Lu Zhiyu wanted to deny it, but when he looked at Li Wei''s eyes, he sighed. "Fine, I don''t want to lie to you. But we''ve never contacted each other since we broke up. Just now we only met by coincidence!"


    "How many exes do you have?" Li Wei demanded, suddenly angry. "You''ve never told me anything about your past. What are you trying to hide from me?"


    Lu Zhiyu was at a loss for what to reply. "I''m not hiding anything. At my age, what''s wrong with having a few exes?"


    "A few? There''s her, and that Xia Fan that goes to your shop every day to look for you. You even flirt with Xiao Le!"


    Li Wei was very emotional and started arguing with Lu Zhiyu on the street, attracting the eyes of many. Lu Zhiyu picked up the bags that she had thrown on the ground, after which he looked at Li Wei and said, "I have already said that I have never done anything unloyal to you. Please stop guessing randomly like this. We need to calm down and have a talk!" He tried to hold her hand, but she pulled her hand away again.


    The two walked along the road, with one of them in front and the other at the back. After a long while, Li Wei finally said, "Didn''t you say that we''re going for a movie?"


    The two watched the entire movie in silence. Despite it being a comedy and everyone else laughing, the two did not speak at all. Lu Zhiyu did not try to sense what Li Wei was thinking. Just like what Li Wei had said, he knew everything about her, but she knew nothing about him. This made Lu Zhiyu feel that he was very despicable.


    "Let''s break up."


    "Why? There''s nothing wrong with our relationship, right?"


    "Maybe it''s been wrong since the beginning," Li Wei said. "I was attracted by you, but we really do not suit each other. Moreover, you''re a few years younger than me."


    "That''s it?"


    She remained silent for a long while. Then, she said what Lu Zhiyu had heard before, "I feel that you do not belong to me. You don''t love me!"


    Outside the theater, Li Wei wrapped her arms around Lu Zhiyu''s neck and kissed him for a long time to end their relationship. In the past, Lu Zhiyu would probably find it romantic, but now he only felt forlorn.


    As the night fell over the city, he sat in a square, looking at his phone. He realized that Cai Jiajia had sent him a few messages on WeChat, so he casually replied her.


    Ding Dong!


    Just after he sent the message, his phone rang again. Lu Zhiyu checked his phone and saw Cai Jiajia''s reply.


    Since you''re free, do you want to grab a drink with me?


    Soon, Lu Zhiyu was sitting in front of the counter of a casual bar with Cai Jiajia. There was some gentle and soft italian music, although Lu Zhiyu did not understand any of the lyrics.


    "You guys broke up? It isn''t because of me, is it?" Cai Jiajia was sitting beside Lu Zhiyu with her legs crossed. Under the light, the side view of her face was somewhat alluring.


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head. "It has nothing to do with you, but the reason is almost the same!"


    Cai Jiajia immediately giggled. Lu Zhiyu said resignedly, "What are you laughing at? Is it so funny?"


    Cai Jiajia covered her mouth and said, "Because it''s true. You''re unreliable!"


    After remaining in the bar for a while, Lu Zhiyu took his coat and stood up. "I''m leaving first. If you have anything¡­"


    Before he could finish, Cai Jiajia grabbed his hand and jumped into his arms. "You''re leaving? Just like that?"

 32 Long-lived Race

    On the bed, Cai Jiajia clung onto Lu Zhiyu''s back, her hands roaming over his lean muscles as if she was not willing to let him go. Lu Zhiyu turned around and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. With their bodies touching, they stared into each other''s eyes.


    Cai Jiajia grinned and said, "I kept having dreams about you after we were apart. Lu Zhiyu, you''re a perfect lover to me!"


    "A lover? What do you mean?" Lu Zhiyu immediately questioned.


    Cai Jiajia smiled at once. "It means that you''re not a suitable husband or boyfriend for me. Whether it''s me, your Li Wei, or your future girlfriends, we''ll all feel that you''re unreliable!"


    "..."


    Lu Zhiyu suddenly remembered something. "Wait. I thought you said that your ex-boyfriend came back. So why are you here now?"


    Cai Jiajia held out her right hand to show Lu Zhiyu the ring on her slender finger. "That''s right. We''re back together. We just got engaged last week and are planning to choose a date to get married!"


    "Then why did you sleep with me?" Lu Zhiyu asked, surprised.


    Cai Jiajia kissed him on the lips. "Because you''re unforgettable," she said. "Whenever I think about you, I''ll feel my body burning!"


    When Lu Zhiyu left Cai Jiajia''s hourse, he felt like he had just received a heavy blow. After he returned home, he sat on his couch, staring at the empty apartment. Suddenly, he felt that he was somewhat lonely.


    After sitting there for a while, he finally remembered that he still had unfinished businesses in the world of Maria. Right away, he stood up and went back there through the dimensional door in his utility room at the top of his apartment.


    At the moment, dawn was breaking in Maria''s world. Lu Zhiyu went straight into the forest on Yala and saw that on the once empty clearing next to the lake in the valley, there was now a huge tree towering into the clouds.


    The tree was hundreds of meters tall, with a crown large enough to block out the sky. Its thick branches radiated liveliness. The branches were broad enough to be used as roads and people can easily run on them. On the crown, many buds could be seen. They looked like blooming flowers that were enveloping something within their layers of skin.


    Apart from the Tree of Life which now looked like a divine tree, a large number of trees had also grown out on the extensive, once grassland-like valley. The trees surrounded the lake, guarding the Tree of Life.


    Lu Zhiyu returned in time to see a bud ripening and blooming. He teleported directly onto the tree and walked on the branch which was a few meters wide. Opening the bud, he finally saw a baby within layers of young leaves.


    The baby had pointy ears and delicate facial features. It was still connected to the pistil of the bud through its umbilical cord. Lu Zhiyu carefully cut the cord and carried the baby with his arms. The little baby immediately began crying and stared at Lu Zhiyu with its gem-like eyes.


    "You''re the first the long-lived races in Maria''s World. Your race shall be called the elves!"


    He went back onto the ground with the baby in his arms and tapped the air gently with his staff. Right away, the space around him started to fold and many ant-people appeared.


    With their powerful limbs, the ant-people could climb trees as easily as walking on flat ground. In a few days, many wooden houses were built under the Tree of Life.


    After the first elf, more elves were born one after another. In the year, a few dozens of elves were born, and more would appear in the years to come. However, the Tree of Life that Lu Zhiyu had created also had a finite lifespan. One thousand years later, this Tree of Life would reach the end of its life. Therefore, it would still be up to the elves to reproduce and keep their race alive.


    Nevertheless, such a long-lived race also had its own flaw in terms of reproduction. They must come of age before being able to reproduce. Moreover, reproduction would be much harder for them as compared to humans. Since they had such a long lifespan, they also had to bear this flaw which actually was not really a big problem.


    Twenty odd ant-people were in charge of raising these elves up. Lu Zhiyu also stayed for over half a year to observe if this long-lived race had any flaws genetically, as well as whether their life template was self-consistent. After all, when he finished his Elixir of Life Plan, he would use the product on himself.


    Lu Zhiyu walked out of the treehouse and made his way to the ground via a rope. Recently, he had been living in the largest wetland forest on Yala and breathing the freshest air every day. Feeling the wind which was filled with the aroma of grass and flowers, and listening to the chirps of birds and the sounds of insects, Lu Zhiyu felt as if he was living a perfect life at some countryside.


    Lu Zhiyu turned around and left, while the ant-people stayed behind. They would stay here to raise the elves up until their death. This was the mission Lu Zhiyu had given them.


    On the other hand, the faraway continent Alen was in turmoil and experiencing great changes. With the divine sword and powers bestowed by gods, Ahenaten had led his men and conquered all the tribes around. Then, he built the first human city on the Red River Plains, his hometown. He named it the City of Gold.


    Ahenaten claimed that the gods had chosen him to be the king and created the first human dynasty, calling himself the Golden King. He created a system for the human language and taught humans how to farm and domesticate wild animals, bringing them into the agrarian age.


    Ahenaten created a hierarchy system. Those with the powers of gods were referred to as the "descendants of gods." He said that they were noble and would form the ruling class. These people were superior, while ordinary people were deemed as peasants. Below the peasants were those he had conquered and enslaved, whose statuses were the lowest.


    Ahenaten created a commerce system and used gold and silver as standardized currencies. He brought the human race out of its primitive tribal age, creating civilization and order. Nevertheless, Ahenaten was not a kind king, or perhaps even a brutal ruler. He created the hierarchy and on the other hand, he enjoyed everyone''s worship as the king which had golden blood in his veins.


    He commanded hundreds of slaves to build him a palace and wore lavish clothing. He even used gold to cover the floor of his palace. However, the human race was unified under him and rapid developments took place. In a few dozens of years, the human population quickly multiplied and there were already hundreds of thousands of them at the moment.


    In the thirteenth year of the Golden Dynasty, the tension between the humans and the orcs escalated. The City of Gold and Sarga City saw their first real conflict. Both sides sent out tens of thousands of soldiers, starting the first large-scale war between the two races.


    The humans were far inferior to the orcs in terms of military strength and weapons, and were therefore easily crushed. At the most critical moment, Ahenaten put together a small cavalry that he led personally. They assaulted the base of the orcs and slew the twelfth Orc King, the Wolf King Costa!


    The human race won the war, but only barely. However, due to the death of the Wolf King Costa, a greater chaos erupted between the various orc tribes. The ensuing fight for control of the throne led to another round of civil war between them. On the other hand, humans retreated down south to recover from the war. Ahenaten was also severely injured during the war and lost his will to fight. He spent his days expanding his palace and enjoying a life of comfort!

 33 Fear of Death

    As he grew older and closer to death, Ahenaten became increasingly fearful. He feared the feeling of growing weak and knew that death was creeping closer and closer. Recalling his glorious life, he did not want it to end just yet.


    Ahenaten remembered the burly man he had encountered when he was young, the archangel Faross that had held his hand and told him he would one day become a king of mankind. He was the messenger of the gods that had given him his divine sword and godly powers, and the man who had bestowed him knowledge of the gods. Ahenaten wanted to meet the angel again. Even if he had to die, he wanted to go to the Divine Kingdom and become an immortal being like that angel!


    He began commissioning many temples dedicated to the Goddess of light Maria. He became a pious believer, spending a large amount of time praying in front of the statue of Maria every day.


    During the last two years of his life, he took all the gold he had accumulated and ordered the best sculptors in his kingdom to make a large statue of the goddess of light out of pure gold. He ordered his entire kingdom to begin building a temple more beautiful than his own palace. In addition, he announced the state religion as the Church of Light and became the most devoted believer.


    Behind every statue of the Goddess of light was a statue of a messenger with a mask on his face and a staff in his hand. He was the archangel Faross under the Goddess of light who had given Ahenaten the prophecy and his powers many years ago.


    Each temple was populated by many priests and priestesses in white robes, all serving the goddess. However, despite everything he did and all the prayers he said over the few years, the Golden King Ahenaten did not manage to meet the angel, until the night of his death!


    Inside the huge palace, a great fire roared in the fireplace. A rug of rare white bear pelt lay on the ground. Ahenaten sat in his great chair with a glittering, gem-filled golden crown on his head.


    His hair was all white, and his face full of wrinkles. Moreover, his eyes were murky with cataracts. At the moment, he was gently cleaning the divine sword the angel had given him. However, the man who had once heroically challenged the world no longer had the strength to wield that sword.


    Ahenaten sighed. In the shadows, he saw a figure approaching him. Immediately, he looked up sharply. Part of him, despite his age, was still a king.


    "Why do you want to see me, Ahenaten?"


    Ahenaten saw the figure who was in a white robe and a white mask decorated with the sigil of the sun in front of him. Ahenaten''s eyes widened when he saw the familiar person.


    "It''s you! Are you really here? Or am I dreaming?" His voice was hoarse, but he sounded very excited.


    Lu Zhiyu stood in front of Ahenaten and stared at him, sighing in his heart. The young boy that time was already so old at the moment. Time waited for no one; even great kings were at its mercy. "Ahenaten, you''ve done well," he told him. "You are the first king of mankind. Your name will forever go down in history."


    "That''s not what I want!" Ahenaten protested loudly.


    "That''s not what you said back then," Lu Zhiyu said, puzzled. "You chose this path yourself, and you are a king now. You have everything you could have ever wanted: power, status, reputation, women, wealth. Why are you not satisfied?"


    Ahenaten looked at Lu Zhiyu and pushed himself out of the chair shakily. With his eyes burning with enthusiasm, he stared at the young man before him, at his lean figure and strong hands. Time did not seem to have left any trace on Lu Zhiyu''s body.


    "But I will still die," he said. "I finally understand, now that I am old myself, that this is all only as transient as a fleeting cloud. Only you, and the gods, are eternal! I want to be like you as well; I want to live forever!"


    Lu Zhiyu could not help laughing and said the exact same thing he did many years ago, "You''re too greedy!"


    Ahenaten took a step forward and roared angrily, "No. I did what you asked of me. It''s time for you to reward me!"


    "But we never asked you for anything," Lu Zhiyu shook his head and said. "You can determine your own fate, and you chose this path yourself. I once told you: the gods gave you life and land. They gave you wisdom, powerful abilities, and abundant food. Are those not sufficient to satisfy all your needs and desires?"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Ahenaten in his eyes. "The gods are not your servants. We gave you the ability to change your destiny. If you''re not satisfied with it, you must do something to change it. You cannot blame the gods for it."


    Lu Zhiyu sighed. "You never did anything for us; you did everything only for yourself. But greed has blinded you. Only the things that you cannot obtain are the best!"


    "I can trade anything with you!" Ahenaten shouted at once. He danced around wildly and insanity filled his eyes. "Power, money, women, everything. I just want my youth back!"


    "We gave you your everything," Lu Zhiyu said, smiling. "Are trying to trade with me using something that I gave you?"


    Seeing no point in talking with the old king anymore, Lu Zhiyu turned and his figure rippled and disappeared.


    Seeing this, Ahenaten lunged forward. "You cannot leave!" he roared wildly in his palace. "I finished the mission you gave me! You cannot do this! You owe me this much! You liars!"


    He thrashed around in rage, grabbing and smashing everything around him. In the end, he fell onto the ground like a child. "Don''t leave me! Don''t leave¡­"


    Hearing the loud noises inside, the guard posted outside the room hurried in to check on the king. When he entered the room, he saw the king lying on the ground. His eyes had already lost their focus, and he was clearly no longer breathing. In his arms, he was still holding tightly onto the sword he had received from the angel, while his cold, lifeless eyes were staring at the mural of a man giving a sword and a bag of seeds to a boy under the dying sunset.


    "The king is dead!" the guard screamed in terror, hurrying out of the room.


    The news of the king''s death spread across the nation like wildfire. Soon, Ahenaten''s son was coronated and took his place as the king, continuing his father''s dynasty and legacy.


    Lu Zhiyu had gone to see Ahenaten purely on a sudden whim. So many things had changed over the dozens of years. The flow of time was different for him, and this was the first time he had a real sense of that.


    Ahenaten longed for immortality, but the only reason Lu Zhiyu had managed to retain his youth was because of the different flow of time. Ahenaten did not know that Lu Zhiyu was not immortal, either.


    Nevertheless, seeing how weak Ahenaten was in the face of time had made Lu Zhiyu more afraid of death as well. "Can I really achieve immortality?" he questioned himself.

 34 Elixir Of Life

    This was the second time Lu Zhiyu was trying to alter his body, and he was getting more practiced at it. The biggest difficulty when it came to creating the elixir of life was solved when the elves were created. The only thing left to do was experimenting with the elixir and trying to get the success rate as high as possible.


    Lu Zhiyu injected the elixir into his body and immediately felt his body changing. He was experiencing an immense change straight from within his genes. However, it was different this time. He was changing his entire body, not just a specific part of his body, and thus this attempt was much more risky. The elixir was not directed at altering a specific organ in his body. Instead, the elixir was made to change the very genetic components of his body, turning his genetic makeup into something akin to the elves.


    This transformation was much more difficult than the ones he tried out before. In the past, he could never even dream of attempting something like this. However, after experiencing many alterations to his body, Lu Zhiyu now had a greater understanding about the mysteries of the genes as well as what the building blocks of life entail. The skill that went into creating the elixir of life was the peak of Lu Zhiyu''s abilities!


    He felt pain coursing through his body, his nervous system then shut down. Lu Zhiyu quickly laid down in the pool of nutrition liquid and almost stopped breathing. The liquid in the nutrition pool would make sure that his body would receive proper nutrition during his transformation.


    Lu Zhiyu noticed that he had become thinner when he came out of the nutrition pool. His entire body felt much lighter, and his senses were heightened. His eyesight became much sharper. He took one sniff of the air and seemed to be able to distinguish various different scents that were present in the room. He felt as though he had shed a layer of skin, and was now more closely connected to the world. He knew that this ability was due to the plant genes.


    Lu Zhiyu stood up, then felt as though he could not stand stably by himself. He was still not used to the changes made to his body, and his movements were restricted. He stumbled out of the tub and sat down on a nearby wheelchair. He used his mind power and got one of the ant-people push him out of the lab. Lu Zhiyu only saw how he looked like in front of a mirror in the corner of the room. He had become skinnier and his skin was soft as silk. His features had become more defined. He had undergone a huge transformation. If he was described as handsome before, he might be able to topple nations with his appearance now. Sure, those words should be used to describe beautiful women, but Lu Zhiyu was so beautiful that he might be called a demon. Lu Zhiyu had not wanted to turn himself into an elf; this was only an unintended side effect of the elixir.


    Lu Zhiyu stood up, feeling the vigor of youth. He cut himself on the arm with his nails purposefully. Even the bright red blood on his pale skin looked beautiful. But within a few seconds, the wound pulled itself together and healed. "I really have such powerful regenerative ability, and have inherited the powerful life force of plants. More importantly, my circulatory system and metabolism have become more comprehensive and harmonized. My heartbeats are stronger, the energy in my blood increased and became more pure. This blood can provide my brain with a better environment and energy, making my thoughts faster and more nimble!"


    Lu Zhiyu felt for his body''s vital signs. It was different from observing others. Observing himself was more delicate and accurate. Now, the most important thing:


    "Sub-brain, estimate my lifespan based on my current body template!"


    "Confirmed! Calculating!"


    Lu Zhiyu saw the model of his body start to age in the simulation only after 900 years. His body approached its end after 1050 years in the simulation!


    Lu Zhiyu was very excited. From this point on, he was no longer an ordinary human. Instead, he was now a true long-lived race. The human history was only a few thousand years. Every twenty years or so, a new generation of human could be born, yet Lu Zhiyu could live long enough to witness fifty generations. He now had a longer lifespan to achieve all of his goals and plans. He believed that with his thousand-year life, he would have no problem figuring out a way to extend his life to ten thousand, a hundred thousand or more years! In the end, even if the universe would be destroyed, Lu Zhiyu would still arrive at the eventual eternity. Even though Lu Zhiyu knew that it would not be that easy, but at this point, he knew he could continue to live on, at least until he was bored of living!


    Lu Zhiyu sat on his wheelchair and went through his library. He recorded and organized all the information he had used for this experiment. After that, he checked on Yala again. The elves were still in their infancy, and were still under the ant-people''s care.


    After a few days, Lu Zhiyu gradually got more used to his body. He opened the dimensional door and returned to his home world. The light in his storage room was still on. It was still dark outside, and he could see the lights of other buildings near him. It had not been long on Earth, however, it had been more than a year that he spent in Maria''s world.


    Every time he came back, he felt strange, as if he was a stranger in his own world. It was more serious this time as Lu Zhiyu''s appearance had undergone a huge change. He already had difficulties using his ID in the past, now that his appearance had become more exquisite, it might become even more challenging. He would also attract too much attention.


    He also knew that he would need more money and resources in the future. He had ways of getting money, but his current identity was a major limiting factor. It was probably a good time for him to get rid of the identity of Lu Zhiyu and start a new one. He would have freedom afterwards. No one would be able to track his background and his past, and he would be freed to do whatever that he desired going forward!


    But Lu Zhiyu found it hard to give up his identity and name that he had used for the past twenty plus years. It represented his past and experiences.There were also his friends and classmates. Thinking about Xia Fan, Wang Yi, Li Wei, Cai Jiajia and Xiao Le, Lu Zhiyu realized that he needed more determination to to give up his past. He would have to totally end all the connections he had. All families and friends would have to be disconnected and never be part of his life again. Emotionally, Lu Zhiyu was still a normal human-being, and he hadn''t been able to give up his heart yet.


    He made some dinner and watched the TV for a while, then took a shower. In the shower, he looked at himself in the mirror, at his foreign face. He touched his face, his beautifully exquisite face. He looked as though he was an angel that had descended from heaven, or an elf that had came from the forest. He might even be falling for himself.


    "I have already become like this, I guess I don''t really have a choice?"

 35 New Identity

    Lu Zhiyu walked out from a police station in a small town in Nanyun County, Chuan Province. He had contacted a friend of his that was selling forged identities and procured a list of people who had died, but had not yet been recorded by the authorities. He highlighted a few men that was of the same age as him, then went to the cities they lived in to apply for a replacement national identification.


    Lu Zhiyu''s method was simple. All he had to do was slightly hypnotize the officers with his mind power to take his cues, and they would approve the application. After that, the officers took new photos of Lu Zhiyu, and issued him the replacement national identification and the household register.


    He used his mind power to affect the optic nerves of the officers, then used his sub-brain to create an image that he wanted the officers to see and sent it directly into their optic nerves. Thus, whatever they were seeing through their eyes were all things that Lu Zhiyu wanted them to see. In the eyes of an average person, the method Lu Zhiyu had used was akin to the fabled illusory spells. The security footage here was only kept for half a year. It would be hard for anyone to check up on him if something were to happen in the future.


    However, since he was on Earth, he did not have the power of travelling through space like he did in the Scroll of the World, unless he left a channeling array to summon a dimensional door in that place. He would have to travel like any other normal person. He created four new identities. Even though the identities would not hold up if anyone wanted to investigate them, they would be enough for now.


    After that, he went to the bank and closed all of his old bank accounts. He then created bank cards under his new identities. Now Lu Zhiyu had four different identities, as well as a bank card under each of the identity.


    After he got the new bank accounts, he entered a gold exchange store with a wooden crate. There were quite a few places one could exchange their gold for cash. Some jewellers would also provide such a service. Even some banks would buy gold from customers. But these shops usually had strict criterias on the purity of the gold, mostly asking for high purity gold. The one Lu Zhiyu went to was rather reputable and orthodox.


    The gold Lu Zhiyu had was from Maria''s World, a stock from the treasury of the City of Gold. While he had only spent two weeks on Earth, hundreds of years had passed in Maria''s World. The Golden Dynasty had ended. The palace and the Temple of Light were gone and forgotten. Lu Zhiyu found the vaults from Ahenaten''s time and took a part of the deposits, which were all gold bullions.


    But these gold bullions were all refined using ancient methods, its purity not up to Earth''s standards. But as long as Lu Zhiyu had control of Maria''s World, it was easy for him to create gold.


    A middle-aged man from the store checked the colour, the sound and measured the density of the gold using a machine. He assessed each piece of the gold bullions carefully and spoke to the manager quietly for a few minutes. The manager nodded and turned back to Lu Zhiyu, "This gold is not quite up to our standards, only being 90 percent pure, may I ask where did you get this gold? Sorry for the questions, but this is quite a large amount of gold. You''ve got more than 50 kilograms here!"


    "It was passed down through my family," Lu Zhiyu said immediately. "It''s been lying in my basement for years." The man nodded, "Oh! There should be no problems then. But since its purity is not quite up to our standard, we cannot pay you as much as normal..."


    Lu Zhiyu said it was passed down through the family because he knew no one would question it or ask for a certificate. A lot of people had valuables inherited from their family, so there wouldn''t be any certificates. He did not know of anybody who would not buy these things just because there was no certificate!


    After a few rounds of back and forth with the manager, Lu Zhiyu managed to figure out what the best price the man would pay for them with his mind power and they finally agreed on a price that also met Lu Zhiyu''s expectation. After they made the deal, Lu Zhiyu instantly said, "I have some more in my car. Since I''m here already, why don''t I just sell it to you as well?"


    The manager gaped, "How much more do you have?"


    Lu Zhiyu said immediately, "Not much, about a hundred kilograms."


    "Ah!"


    After this deal, Lu Zhiyu went to several different cities, dividing up nearly a ton of gold then sold them under his four different identities and depositing the proceeds into his different bank accounts. After these deals were done, the money in his bank accounts totaled around two hundred and thirty million yuan.


    This was the first time he had seen so much money. It did not feel difficult obtaining these riches. If not for fearing that he would attract too much attention, Lu Zhiyu would be able to produce a few more tons of gold. Since he owned Maria''s World, gold, silver, and diamonds were like the grass by the side of the road, easily obtainable. Lu Zhiyu sold a ton of gold this time under his different identities. The most attention he would get would be amongst the circle of gold buyers. He would deposit a few million into his account at a time. It might be a large amount of money to an average person, but in the context of a nation, no one would take note of such a thing!


    He picked an identity with the name Mu Tao and decided it would be his daily identity. According to the records, this person had graduated from a university in Shanghai. He spent some time studying overseas. He went missing during a tragic incident and his body was never found.


    He was an art major and was a bit of a recluse without many friends. He studied oil painting overseas. As an art buff, his personality was not like an average person''s. Lu Zhiyu had decided to use this identity for his daily life. The others would be used as backups when needed.


    He used Mu Tao''s identity to purchase a flight ticket to go back home. He needed to tie the ends regarding the identity of Lu Zhiyu. This way, whatever he did from now on would be independent from Lu Zhiyu and would not affect any of his family and friends.


    With two hundred million in his possession, Lu Zhiyu felt his heart thump wildly. He told himself that he was practically a god that had created a world and can manipulate destinies, and that he should not be flustered by money. However, he still felt excited. This was the first time he''d ever possessed this much money. He had also created for himself four new identities, ready to erase his past. He felt like he was in a Hollywood movie. In the Scroll of the World, he could pretend he was only playing a video game, but here on Earth, in the real world, Lu Zhiyu''s sense of belonging and feelings were on a completely different level!


    On the plane, Lu Zhiyu felt anxious and excited at the same time. It was as though he had finally taken a true first step forward in long journey of his new life!


    Once he got home, he saw that he had several calls from Xiao Le. He hadn''t been showing up at the pet store lately, and Xiao Le had been very busy. As soon as he picked up, he heard Xiao Le''s angry voice, "Boss, where have you been?"


    Lu Zhiyu thought for a moment, then said, "Xiao Le, something came up. I might not be able to come to the store anytime soon."


    Xiao Le said in shock, "What? Then what would happen to the store?"


    "I don''t think I have time for it," Lu Zhiyu said with a chuckle. "If you''re interested, you can have the store. You have done a good job taking care of the store. To tell you the truth, I bought the store because I was bored and I wanted to find something to do. You have been doing most of the taking care of the store. It''s been hard on you!"


    "What?" Xiao Le said, shocked. "But I do not have¡­"


    "You don''t have to pay me," Lu Zhiyu said. "It''s a gift, like I said. After all, I didn''t spend too much on the store, and have broken even already. I don''t need anything in the store, nor do I have the time. It''s settled, Peng Xiaole, you are now the boss of the Cats and Dogs Pet Store. I trust you. I''ll send you the contract later. I have to go now. I''ll see you around!"


    Peng Xiaole hung up the phone and looked at the store full of chatting customers and noisy animals, still confused about what had just happened. This store is mine now?

 36 Around the World

    Lu Zhiyu sat in front of a bar in his hotel in London, wearing a newly made suit he had ordered. It was custom made by an old and famous shop frequented by the riches. He wanted to avoid wearing famous brands again because he was called "parvenu" with his luxury-branded outfit in Russia. He was wearing a very expensive watch that cost him fifteen thousand euros. Lu Zhiyu had spent one hundred and fifty thousand euros, or close to a million yuan. Even though he did not know why the watch was worth that much, it was expensive, and Lu Zhiyu just wanted to enjoy the feeling of spending money like water!


    He had spent almost a month traveling the world. He had arrived first in London. When he was learning English at young age, the first book his mother bought him was Harry Potter, and he became very interested in England. Because of this, he made England and Scotland his first stops. He had toured every place that Harry Potter featured.


    After that, he went to Seattle and experienced the captivating night scenes and sunrise, finally seeing the famous Space Needle for himself. He spent a few days in Las Vegas, spending most of his time in the casino. He first lost ten million dollars, and then won it all back with another ten million more, shocking his fellow gamblers.


    After Vegas he headed to Kyoto and visited the famous shrines and witnessed the wonders of geisha performances. In the Maldives, he spent his days on the beach, swimming with the dolphins, getting massages, and dancing with the natives on the beach.


    He also went to eastern Africa, watching the sunset from a hot air balloon in the Serengeti National Park. He went to admire the ancient architecture in Marrakesh. Then he went to Russia''s Saint Petersburg and saw the ancient palaces, taking in the Russian architecture and artistic atmosphere!


    On this trip, he could spend as much money as he wanted and had the time of his life. He only flew first class, lived in five star hotels and ordered the most expensive food and wine. He tipped extravagantly. He drove only luxury cars. He had pretty models accompany him on the yacht parties at sea. He finally knew what it was like to be rich. He did everything he could think of. He had done everything he wanted to do when he was poor. He let down his prudence as if he managed to free himself from the restraints he placed on himself in the past with his new identity.


    Because of his long hair, coupled with his appearance, it was hard for someone to tell if he was male or female. Lu Zhiyu opted for a very energetic crew cut, but would often still be mistaken as a woman. For example, in the bar Lu Zhiyu was at now, there were still a good amount of men looking at him, making Lu Zhiyu rather unhappy.


    "Anthony! You''re back." Someone tapped Lu Zhiyu on the shoulder and called. Lu Zhiyu instantly turned and saw a foreign woman with dark hair sitting down next to him. She waved at the middle aged bartender, "Ayer, a glass of whiskey!"


    The bartender shrugged his shoulders, "Coming right up!"


    Lu Zhiyu turned to look at the beauty, "Zoe, you found me as soon as I got back. Also my name is not Anthony, you gave me the name, but I haven''t accepted it yet!"


    The woman was called Zoe Sharp, the manager of the hotel. Judging from her last name, she was likely much more than just a small hotel manager. Lu Zhiyu didn''t want to get tangled up with someone like her. But she''d been constantly hovering around him ever since he moved into this hotel. She smiled at Lu Zhiyu and said, "Why won''t you accept it, your chinese name is too hard to pronounce. What is it again? Something like¡­ Mo Ao?"


    Lu Zhiyu lifted a brow, "It''s Mu Tao. Alright, you can just call me Anthony. Even though I think it makes me sound like a wizard or something."


    Zoe looked at Lu Zhiyu, "How long are you going to stay this time?"


    Lu Zhiyu thought for a moment, "I''m thinking about buying a house in London and staying here for the time being. Do you have any suggestions? I want a quieter, bigger house!"


    Zoe said in surprise, "You''re staying in London? That''s great! I''ve told you, this is the best city in the world!"


    Lu Zhiyu smiled, "Well, I think that this is a good place for a wizard to live in."


    The two talked for a while, then Lu Zhiyu returned to his room. Lately, he felt his mind power had been quite unsettled, as though he was approaching a breakthrough. He had only come to that point once before, when his mind power reached seven Source Form units (SFU). That breakthrough had allowed him to start using his mind power on people and objects outside of himself.


    Counting his time in the dimensional castle, he had spent several years practicing his mind power. Because of this, his mind power was much stronger now, reaching 127 SFU. When he used his mind power before this, he could only pick up very light objects, like plastic water cups. As he worked more on strengthening his power, he began to be able to move heavier things like books and water bottles. Now, he could easily use his mind to pick up bigger objects such as the wooden chairs and table in his hotel room. When he released his mind power, it could cover a larger area instead of being restricted to just a few feet around him.


    He sat on his bed and closed his eyes with his mind power enveloping his body. He saw himself floating a few inches above the bed, suspended in the air. Lu Zhiyu opened his eyes and looked at himself, "I guess I can fly now!"


    He took a few laps around the room and shook his head. "This won''t do, flying is too slow. I would rather run!"


    Lu Zhiyu landed on his bed. Over the days, Lu Zhiyu had felt as though his mind power had reached a bottleneck. He felt his mind power and his brain syncing. This weird phenomenon had attracted Lu Zhiyu''s attention. He felt that something special would happen when he finally reached that stage. His mind power had a lot of uses he was just discovering, even though it wasn''t at the supernatural level he was expecting yet. He was excited to see what this breakthrough held for him.


    He closed his eyes, and with his mind power, immediately opened the door to the different dimensional spaces using the timeglass in his mind. He quickly entered the zero-dimension space and started meditating. He had already developed a system of how he liked to meditate. He had a set of experienced and very mature method. He could stabilize his mental structures within the zero-dimension space, and extract Source Form to strengthen his mind power to the largest extent. This was why it only took him a few years to reach the level he was currently at.

 37 Deified Cells

    The Source Form flowed into Lu Zhiyu''s mind structure, and he felt his mind power growing again. He could feel himself approaching his limit of his meditation, and he knew that if he kept going, he could become assimilated into this zero-dimension world. At this moment, Lu Zhiyu realized that he could not pull back his mind power. His mind power had an intense transformation in this unique space. All of his mind power clamored like water approaching the boiling point.


    He felt his mind power and his consciousness melding together. As the two began fusing, every shred of his consciousness became imprinted with his mind power. It seemed like his mind power was enough to hold his mind. Before, even though he had his mind power, his mind, thoughts, and memories were still dependent on his brain. After breaking through into this stage, it seemed as though his mind power could store all of Lu Zhiyu''s consciousness.


    "I didn''t expect that my consciousness and mind power are starting to fuse together! The current strength of my mind power is strong enough to carry my consciousness?"


    Before this, even though Lu Zhiyu possessed mind power, his will, thoughts, memories and feelings were all stored within his brain. His mind power was merely a sensory ability that was an extension of the brain. It did not represent Lu Zhiyu.


    However, from now on, Lu Zhiyu could place his conciousness on his mind power, allowing his mind power to carry his thoughts and will. This was an idea in Lu Zhiyu''s mind. It was just a possibility, but Lu Zhiyu had not began his experiments.


    Once the change of his mind power was completed, he immediately retracted his mind power from the zero-dimension world and recovered to his original state.


    Lu Zhiyu stood up. When he felt the change, he thought of a lot of things, especially the more important ramifications. If he could really store his will, personality and memories onto his mind power, then Lu Zhiyu would truly have stepped into a supernatural state and possess true supernatural power.


    Normally, there was a limit to how much information a brain of a human being could hold. An average human''s brain could only hold around five-hundred million books'' worth of content. However, this also included everyday memories like images, sounds, the subconscious or the like. These things took up a large portion of a person''s memory capacity! The brain was not infinite, and it couldn''t hold infinite knowledge. There was also a 0.1 second lag between the brain firing a neuron and the information that was perceived. Human intelligence and the speed of the brain in processing information is also limited by this 0.1 second lag. There would be a 0.1 second wait everytime one deliberated a question.


    If there was no limit to how much the brain could hold and the lag time between sensing and perception was decreased, boosting the speed of processing information to 0.001 seconds or even faster, that would mean that he could complete a day''s worth of calculation and thinking in a just a minute. It would be a breakthrough in human intelligence.


    This thought excited Lu Zhiyu, "How can I store my consciousness and will onto the mind power? A person''s consciousness and memories are all stored within the brain. If I were to change anything for my consciousness, I would have to start with my brain. What if I imprint every cell in my brain with my mind power?"


    He immediately began his work. He sent his mind power to infiltrate one of his brain cells and left an imprint. He could immediately feel the connection between this cell and his mind power. It was as if he could control the cell, and he could feel it even if it was out of his body.


    "It''s working!"


    He could feel his mind power welling out from a nameless and magical spot, slowly infiltrating into his brain. It wasn''t just entering the organ; it was entering each of the individual cells. He wanted to control his power, but found that he could not stop it. The mind power was like water rushing through a broken dam, and he could only watch it change his brain. He had changed his brain once before, dividing it into a main brain and a sub-brain, but this time it was completely different. He could sense the mind power permeating each cell, leaving an imprint on every cell''s nucleus. He realized that this was not a bad thing, and he stopped trying to prevent the mind power from doing so. The mind power immediately began assimilating his brain. All the cells in his brain were infiltrated and imprinted by his mind power. It was as if his brain had been enveloped by a ball of clear water, and every single cell was cleansed by his mind power.


    Physically speaking, there was no change made to the cells in his brain. However, from the mind power perspective, his entire brain now was imprinted with his mind power. Each of his brain cell was now merged into his mind power.


    Lu Zhiyu could feel his brain was completed activated. Countless memories and emotions, thoughts, his personality, and even the sub-brain programming became one with his mind power. Lu Zhiyu called these cells the mind-power-activated cells, or deified cells for short. After his cells were deified, he could sense every single cell. If one day half of his brain got destroyed, he would still be able to fix it using the power of deified cells from other parts of the brain. This was not about controlling his cells. It was more about how every single cell represented his very will.


    When all the cells were deified, Lu Zhiyu felt his brain rumble, as if something had exploded within the brain. He slipped into darkness. He saw that he had fallen into a strange and unknown dimension. He could see limitless information in the darkness. That was all of his memories, from the time when he was a child up until now. Lu Zhiyu raised his head to see a large silver hourglass floating in midair, and he himself became a figure of light, standing in the middle of this world.


    "This is my mind power space, I can also call it my mind dimension. As for myself, this being of me is made up of pure mind power, or should I say that I have materialized my own soul? I might be the first person on Earth to fully materialize my soul!"


    Lu Zhiyu acted immediately. The fusing of his mind power and brain had created a wonderful transformation. Lu Zhiyu shouted, "Sub-brain!"


    "The sub-brain is awaiting orders!"


    A translucent window appeared in front of him. Lu Zhiyu was elated to discover that not only was his normal brain deified, his sub-brain was also deified. The abilities of the sub-brain had also been brought over.


    "Record the characteristics of the mind power and start developing and expanding the applications of the mind power!"


    "Recording in progress!"


    Lu Zhiyu smiled. Prior to this moment, the sub-brain could not feel mind power, nor could it document anything related to mind power neither. Lu Zhiyu was quite reactive when it came to the development of his mind power previously!


    "Reorganize my memories. Categorize them along with all other information!"


    "Set up a mind power information library!"


    Lu Zhiyu could feel that his brain was working much faster, almost twice as fast as before. There was still a limit, but that was inevitable due to the limits of his cells, as well as the limits of his mind power. He knew that he would only get stronger from here, with the evolution of his cells and improvements of his mind power. His calculation speed would become faster and faster!


    He jumped out of his bed, feeling as though he was wrapped by a spiritual glow and that he was now much smarter than before. His originally already captivating eyes seemed to be able to glow. He could tell that three people were walking by his room without using his mind power, a waiter, a man and a woman. He could also tell their height and weight through their footsteps. A man was upstairs watching soccer and a couple were taking a shower downstairs. He walked over to the window and pushed it open. He sniffed the air, and sensed through the humidity and pressure of the air, "It''s going to rain at night, um...about five hours from now."

 38 Elven Kingdom

    It had been almost eight hundred years since Lu Zhiyu left after creating the elves. The acceleration of time had also gradually decreased to about 4000 times that of normal. It had only been shy of two months on Earth, but in Maria''s World, dozens of human dynasties had risen and fallen. Even the first generation of a long-lived species like the elves were entering their final years.


    It had been almost fifteen hundred years since the birth of the orcs and twelve hundred since the birth of the humans. Over a thousand years of development, because of the large amounts of trade, coupled with the birth of religion and Bloodline Knights, the division between classes, as well as the rich and the poor, became wider. The civilizations also gradually went from a primordial era of cities and tribes to an era of nations. Countries of different sizes started to appear on the Alen continent. Throughout the constant separation and merges, the territories of the humans and orcs gradually expanded.


    The two races expanded outward from the center of the continent. There were traces of humans and orcs on every corner of the continent. The humans and the orcs also developed more technologies as they moved from the age of tribes to the age of kingdoms and cities. Finally, iron slowly replaced copper. The two races also increased their rate of excavating mines, developing their own steel refineries.


    Iron swords and armor were now used as weapons. Metal hoes, shovels and picks were now used for farming. Various powerful armies also started to appear, conquering the wilderness. These nations commanded a large amount of slaves to help gather iron ores. The world had officially entered the Iron Era from the Bronze Era!


    More and more farms dotted the land, the skills of farmers improving. Artists were also thriving. Metal coins were becoming popular and heavily distributed. Lu Zhiyu watched everything unfold on the Alen continent through the Scroll of the World and was amazed. Right now, the civilizations on Alen resembled Earth''s civilization at around 500 B.C.


    Especially, the appearance of a large amount of Bloodline Knights, who had awakened the abilities in their genes, had created powerful families as well as religions. Their abilities were not limited to the abilities Lu Zhiyu had coded into their genes. Many abilities were also created due to the proliferation of sword techniques and the intermingling of their genes. A lot of powerful men and women even passed on their skills through their genes to their children.


    What surprised Lu Zhiyu was that Bloodline Knights were even generated within the orc civilization. Over the thousand years, both races captured the other race to act as slaves. They fought with each other, and meanwhile the constant clashes and melding of cultures also produced decent number of mixed-bloods within the orc civilization, and allowed the creation of orc knights who could awakened their bloodline capabilities. In addition, some orcs also awakened the powers of ancient animals that dwelled within their genes. Since the orcs were generally stronger than the humans, the orc Bloodline Knights seemed to be even more powerful in battle!


    Lu Zhiyu walked through the continent of Alen wearing a cloak, observing the transformations of the continent. The people were all wearing clothes, their clothing starting to develop various styles. In the different areas of the continent, people began developing different cultures, their cuisines also undergoing a transformation. There was the appearance of various artists, architects, sculptors, painters, musicians and even unique musical instruments. The orcs were behind in terms of cultural development. They were more adept in battle, material refinement as well as smithing technology.


    Lu Zhiyu finally arrived at the edge of the ocean. Humans and orcs had settled near the ocean as well. They started to make simple boats and fish in the shallow parts of the sea, which was populated by the descendants of the fish Lu Zhiyu initially brought over. There were many different kinds of fish in the ocean now, including other creatures like coral, starfish and jellyfish. The only regret was that there were no large creatures in the ocean. The ocean was boundless, but without any large-sized creatures, Lu Zhiyu felt ocean did not live up to its name. How would it be called a fantasy world if there was no giant creatures or sea monsters?


    Lu Zhiyu walked on the beach and watched the fishermen on the coast. "The humans and orcs are beginning to come into contact with the ocean. Perhaps in a few hundred, or a thousand years, they would start on their journey to conquer the sea!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the ocean and creased his brows, "The ocean feels too boring. It would not be difficult or exciting to conquer!"


    After finishing his observations on the transformation of Alen, Lu Zhiyu immediately went to Yala via a dimensional door. The once nameless rainforests now had its own name, the Forest of Life.


    Elf was the lucky species that Lu Zhiyu had given most of his attention to. Compared to humans and orcs, elves were blessed with more advantages. They were born with naturally long lives, beautiful appearances and exceptional intelligence. Lu Zhiyu even gave them the feature of heredity through genes, a trait unique to humans. From all perspectives, other than the fact that it was harder for the elves to have children, they were a perfect species.


    Nearly a hundred thousand elves resided in the Forest of Life. All of the elves lived in this forest without a worry in the world. Their exceptional intelligence and peaceful environment allowed them to develop a culture which was different from that of humans and orcs. They created an elegant language. They created a harp unique to the elves. Music became popular throughout the kingdom of elves. They had master sculptors and master painters, and they could create intricate elven longswords and arrows. One could see that the elves were a race that worshiped and loved art from all aspects of their lives.


    Lately, however, the elves harmonious environment started to change. Fear was spreading throughout the world of elves. This was because their divine tree was showing signs of withering. The divine tree that had birthed countless elves, the divine tree that carried the elves'' hope and faith, was entering its final years along with the first generations of elves. Ever since a few years ago, the Tree of Life had been unable to bear new elves. The elves were unable to stop, nor were they able to salvage this decline.


    The elders had continued to investigate the reason for the withering of the Tree of Life, as well as a way to rescue it. They had tried many methods, continuously praying to the gods, but to no avail. Even though the tree still looked strong and healthy, but every single elf could feel that it was dying slowly. This led to countless agitated arguments between the elders. Losing the Tree of Life would be similar to every single elf losing a place that they could depend on spiritually.


    The elves were originally divided into two parties. One party believed that the elves should forever stay in the forest and guard the Tree of Life, while the other party argued that they should expand and explore the outside world. Originally, the side that insisted on staying with the Tree of Life was more popular, but currently, the withering of the Tree of Life caused the clashes between two factions to intensify.


    Lu Zhiyu walked into the forest. He spotted the elegant forms of several elves hiding among their treehouses with their bows and arrows, awaiting a prey. They coexisted with the forest, living within it, yet depended on each other. He walked past a large cluster of huts and through small villages before arriving at the capital city of the elven kingdom, Sylve. This was originally a valley, and had became a large forest. The elves had built their city around the holy lake and the Tree of Life.


    The city was built into the cliff, half hidden by the lush forest. There were no walls to this city, and many buildings were carved straight out of the rock. The buildings and the trees were tangled together and formed a unique sight. Lu Zhiyu could see many bridges, fountains and spiral stairs. Behind the moat were unique towers and beautiful architectures, where lived lots of beautiful elves. They spent their days playing the harp, singing, and doing whatever their hearts desired. Their longevity and peaceful lives allowed them to have enough time to accomplish everything they wanted.

 39 Lord of Natural Order

    Lu Zhiyu walked through Sylve, admiring the beautiful city. There were finely made statues everywhere on the street, and even the pavement had beautiful carvings on it. Every wooden building seemed to blend perfectly into nature. It was a city of forest and flowers.


    The most impressive thing was the enormous tree that stood in the middle of the city. Its height had doubled since Lu Zhiyu had last seen it. The tree was like a pillar that held up the sky. The area around the Tree of Life and the lake was sectioned off. An altar was placed there, and it was considered a holy place by the elves.


    Beside the lake, Lu Zhiyu stood under the Tree of Life and placed a hand on the tree trunk. Indeed, he could feel the tree starting to age slowly. What was surprising was that he could actually sense waves of consciousness in the tree, and moreover, it had a very powerful consciousness. This tree, a creature bearing both animal and plant genes, was sentient, though it had not yet gained sapience.


    "Why can it develop consciousness without a brain? Maybe it was because of the elves'' prayers, or perhaps its size had allowed it to become the entire forest''s hive mind?"


    Lu Zhiyu was sure that if he did not seal the path to the zero-dimensional space and forbid the creatures in Maria''s World from extracting Source Form, the Tree of Life would have connected with the zero-dimensional space using its powerful consciousness. It would have evolved, just like the queen insects.


    Unfortunately, the tree''s consciousness was locked inside itself and it could not develop any mind power. Once the tree reached its maximum lifespan that Lu Zhiyu had set when he had created it, its consciousness would die with the tree.


    Lu Zhiyu felt tempted. The tree had a powerful consciousness, but no mind power or intelligence. It could be a very good specimen available. After Lu Zhiyu had deified all of his brain cells, he had been wanting to create other deified creatures. This was one of the reasons he came back to Maria''s World. Before he proceeded to do so, he wanted to check the changes in Maria''s World first.


    However, he also knew that it would be hard for ordinary creatures in Maria''s World at the moment to achieve what he had achieved. Without a sufficiently powerful consciousness, one would not be able to extract and absorb the Source Form, so one''s mind power would not be strong enough to allow a change in its quality. In that case, the creature could not leave any imprints in its cells. In addition, according to the sub-brain''s calculations, unexpected outcomes may occur if Lu Zhiyu tried to forcefully deify any cells. Deification was not something that an ordinary person could experience!


    "Sub-brain, record the tree''s life template and all of its waves of consciousness," Lu Zhiyu ordered. "Develop the process of creating a deified life, and calculate its success rate!"


    "Loading!"


    "It will take up half of the operational capacity of the brain, and will take three days, five hours and forty three minutes to complete!"


    "Confirm?"


    "Yes!"


    Lu Zhiyu had only wanted to inspect the changes in the world, and the tree was an unexpected discovery. He withdrew the hand he had placed on the Tree of Life. Then, he was just about to leave, when he suddenly felt someone approaching from behind.


    "Who are you?"


    Lu Zhiyu turned around and saw a middle-aged elf whose face had already begun to show signs of oldness. Because he had started aging, he must be one of the first generation of elves to be born. Lu Zhiyu realized that the elf was wearing a robe of the Council of Elders and wore a badge with three leaves on his chest.


    "It''s you!" Lu Zhiyu immediately recognized the old elf as the first elf born from the tree, the child he carried down all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, so much time had passed and the child was already old and dying. It was like Ahenaten all over again!


    "Who are you?" the Elf President Mehare asked, staring at Lu Zhiyu in confusion. "No one can approach the tree without permission. Do you not know? Who are you..."


    The elf suddenly paused and glanced at Lu Zhiyu''s ears. "You''re not an elf? Who are you? What''s your race?"


    The elves had always thought they were the only intelligent creatures in the world, and this was the first time an elf came in contact with a species other than themselves. Mehare seemed to be both excited and alarmed.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Mehare. "What''s your name?" he asked in the elf language.


    Mehare found this man very familiar. "Mehare," he said. "I''m the president of the Council of Elders."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, after which he glanced at roots of the tree. He sensed with his mind power that the ant-people he had left behind were buried under the altar after they had died.


    "Don''t go near it!"


    Lu Zhiyu walked towards the altar. He turned his head and looked at Mehare. "You buried them here?"


    Mehare looked at him, astonished. "How did you know?" he asked. "Impossible! Other than the oldest elders in the council, no one knows where those messengers of the God were buried, not even the early elves!"


    Mehare asked in excitement, "Who exactly are you?"


    "You''re the first elf on this land, the first life born from the Tree of Life," Lu Zhiyu said with a light chuckle but did not explain. "You also have the closest connection to this tree. You can even sense its consciousness and presence, but it also tied you to this place!"


    Lu Zhiyu continued, "The world is so vast. Why don''t you go out and explore it?"


    Mehare''s eyes widened, recalling the man from his distant memories. "It''s you!" he exclaimed. "You''re actually here again, the all-powerful Lord of Natural Order! Did you come because you heard our prayers?"


    Mehare''s face was wet with tears. He lied down on his belly, kneeling in front of the Tree of Life and before Lu Zhiyu. "God, please, the Tree of Life is dying. You have to save the tree. We cannot lose it!"


    "Why?" Lu Zhiyu asked, curious. "You do not need it. The tree''s purpose was to create the elves, and it has fulfilled that purpose. Your kind is growing rapidly and is strong enough to sustain itself. The tree is no longer necessary. In fact, it has become a prison that keeps you here!"


    Mehare straightened his body, but he was still kneeling on the ground. Looking at Lu Zhiyu, he said, "No, it is everything for us, and also our spiritual pillar. If we lose the tree, the kingdom of elves will be gone and we''ll lose everything!"


    "An end is just another beginning," Lu Zhiyu said, shaking his head. "It should not be the reason for you to keep yourselves hidden away. The tree''s purpose is done. It can no longer give birth to any elves."


    "Please¡­" Before Mehare could say anything else, Lu Zhiyu interrupted him.


    "Saving the tree is only your own wish. You cannot represent all the elves," he asked. "There are many who want to explore the world out there. Can''t you feel that?"


    Lu Zhiyu held out his hand. At once, the consciousness of the Tree of Life was pulled out by his mighty mind power. It gushed towards Lu Zhiyu''s hand continuously, eventually forming a figure made from light. Just like what he had guessed, the soul of the Tree of Life was naturally formed. On the spiritual level, it was a being very much like Lu Zhiyu. However, it did not have a brain or other organs that would allow it to think and have emotions. The soul was born from the Tree of Life, but the two were not closely connected.


    Nevertheless, the soul did not have any intelligence or mind power, but rather only faint instincts and consciousness. It was indeed an interesting natural soul. Lu Zhiyu approached Mehare and handed him three emerald-green seeds. "These are seeds of the Tree of Life," he told the elf. "Whenever the elves are in danger, or you face an unsavable situation, you can plant a seed. A new Tree of Life will grow there and give your kind new life."


    Mehare was so excited that he could hardly keep his body straight. He accepted the seeds gingerly, as if he was holding the most precious treasures in the world. "Thank you for your gift, Lord of Natural Order!"


    When he raised his head, however, Lu Zhiyu was nowhere to be found. On the other hand, leaves began raining down around him. He looked up into the sky and realized that the enormous Tree of Life was aging suddenly, as if all of its life had been drained in an instant. All its leaves turned yellow and poured down onto the ground!


    The leaves danced through the air, producing a spectacular, dream-like sight, and at the same time also lamenting the misery of death. All the elves sensed the change and looked at the dying tree!

 40 Terrifying Deified Creatures

    Lu Zhiyu placed a sequoia tree in his lab and put the soul of the Tree of Life into the sequoia. Every day, he observed and examined the tree to understand more about the characteristics of souls.


    At the moment, there was a fresh drop of blood in a test tube. It contained the deified cells which Lu Zhiyu had created, and he had been observing it carefully for a while now. They were his own cells, deified using the mind power he had obtained after a few days of meditation.


    Ever since he had deified his brain and obtained the mind power space, the efficiency of his mediation had grown significantly. His mind power and consciousness had fused together to form his soul, which had a very stable structure. Now he could enter the zero-dimensional world for a long time without worrying about being assimilated.


    Originally, increasing his mind power by one would take over ten days, and his mind power had only managed to reach 128 SFU after several years. Now, he could gain one SFU mind power increase in a day of meditation. As compared to the past, it was over ten times faster. Indeed, it was a major improvement!


    Even so, Lu Zhiyu had calculated that it would take about 6400 SFU mind power to deify all of his cells. The cells in his brain only accounted for two percent of his whole body. With his current progress, it would take him at least seventeen years to deify all his cells and enter the next stage.


    After some research, Lu Zhiyu now knew some characteristics of deified cells. One of them was that no changes would occur to the ordinary parts of a deified cell. The only difference was the deification. To be more precise, on the cellular level, the cell would have the characteristics of mind power and also Lu Zhiyu''s spiritual imprint.


    The second feature of a deified cell was that the cell was extremely invasive. Regardless of what organism the cell came into contact with, it would immediately start to corrode the cells of the organism, changing the organism''s form closer to Lu Zhiyu''s form.


    The third thing he observed was that deified cells could be easily shaped and controlled. He could control and adjust his own deified cells freely. In this way, Lu Zhiyu could change his genes and strengthen himself according to his own imagination. He could even give himself various abilities that would otherwise only exist in legends!


    When he first figured out these characteristics of deified cells, Lu Zhiyu was very excited. Such powerful plasticity and controllability¡­ Once I understand the genetic template of some powerful creatures, I can actually turn into them. I can change myself into a dragon which can change its size and shape freely.


    Lu Zhiyu thought about something else immediately. No, not just that. As long as I can understand the laws of nature, and understand how electricity and fire are formed, I can burn them onto my genes. In this way, I can possess various extraordinary abilities. It will not just be abilities from my physical body obtained via genetic inheritance. Instead, I can really control lightning, fire, metals, magnetism, gravity, and temperature!


    Of course, normal cells would not be able to tolerate changes like this, but deified cells were not normal. He would be able to control his deified cells up to the smallest details, and adjust, strengthen, and modify them according to his will. Moreover, his strong restorative ability could also help him to endure such changes.


    As long as his mind power was strong enough, he could truly be like a real god; he could change the laws of nature, control the elements, create massive destructions with the flip of his hand, and crush stars in just one punch.


    He also knew that if he deified his entire body and became a totally deified creature, his body would no longer have any weaknesses. Even if most of his body was destroyed, as long as some of his cells managed to escape, he could revive. He could actually become an invincible, god-like being only heard in legends!


    This was why Lu Zhiyu wanted to deify his entire body as soon as possible. Looking at the deified cells that he had created, Lu Zhiyu felt like he had just opened a Pandora''s box.


    Of course, he was still very far away from becoming a deified creature, and he would not be able to complete it anytime soon. Nevertheless, Lu Zhiyu could also start to try other things at the moment, or begin collecting information so that he would know what to do after getting deified.


    Lu Zhiyu waved and summoned an ant-person who had been guarding at the doors into his lab. He hesitated for a second, after which he extracted the blood containing his deified cells with a needle and injected it into the ant-person.


    Then, he opened the nutrient pool made from a freezer at the side and made the ant-person lie inside. He closed the tub off and began observing the changes to the ant-person attentively.


    Immediately, Lu Zhiyu saw the body of the ant-person collapse. Then, its lean body began to expand. Lu Zhiyu could feel that the ant-person''s cells were changing rapidly and drastically.


    Lu Zhiyu''s deified cells were assimilating the ant-person''s entire body rapidly, affecting all its cells like radiation. The deified cells changed its cells and regrouped its genes. One drop of blood was all it took to completely change the ant-person.


    Lu Zhiyu could feel his human genes and longevity genes assimilating the ant-person, turning it into a being that more closely resembled himself. The ant-person shrank in size, and muscles began growing around its joints. Its shell was slowly replaced by many muscles, and a layer of skin began developing over the newly-formed muscles.


    "This is amazing. How can a drop of blood achieve this?" Lu Zhiyu muttered. "The invasiveness of deified cells is terrifying!" Lu Zhiyu could imagine that even if a real deified creature was dead, its corpse could still turn a barren piece of land into a hotbed for thousands of lives.


    If the deified creature was powerful enough, maybe a person would be affected on the most fundamental level by just looking at the creature or being close to it. The person''s form would also change towards that of the creature and become its spawn. In fact, he would never be able to escape its control. With such an ability, what could better describe the creature other than the word "demon?"


    "Oh no!" Lu Zhiyu suddenly seemed to have felt something.


    The ant-person''s body began to quickly collapse. Within a few seconds, the ant-person''s body fell apart, turning into bloody lumps on the ground.


    Lu Zhiyu raised his hand and many pinpricks of microscopic cells rose out of the ant-person''s body, converging back into a drop of blood in the air.


    Lu Zhiyu sighed, "I failed."


    Just now, Lu Zhiyu could feel that his spiritual imprints in the deified cells were invading the ant-person''s cells, but they were met with resistance. The fusion was unsuccessful, and it caused the ant-person''s genes to fall apart.


    Lu Zhiyu put the deified blood back into the test tube and sealed it off with a cork. Then, he sat on his chair and started thinking. Ant-people are not very intelligent, but they still have their own minds. It is only natural for their bodies to instinctively resist any foreign invasion.Therefore, there was a conflict with my spiritual imprints.


    So this means that if I can find someone who will not resist my will at all, I can change him, on the most fundamental level, into a spawn that carries my bloodline¡­ Why does this sound like creating a mad religious believer?

 41 Settling Down

    "What do you think of this one?" a man in suit asked. He was standing beside Lu Zhiyu and his face was filled with a bright smile.


    Lu Zhiyu inspected the villa before him carefully and walked around its huge yard. It was a townhouse in Kensington, London, and it was over three hundred square meters in size. The villa had six floors including the basement and was very secure because Kensington was filled with many rich people. The public transport around the house was also very convenient. In addition, there were plenty of facilities around the house.


    After inspecting, Lu Zhiyu found out that most parts of the house were painted white with great attention to details. It had the elegance of European designs, and the furnishings inside were also very modernized. Moreover, the yard was huge and one could sunbathe or play in it to relax.


    "I''ll take it," he said with a nod. "How much?"


    The man''s smile immediately became more friendly. "The house originally costs nine million and three hundred thousand pounds, but since Ms. Sharp recommended you here, and the owner of this house is a friend of Mr. Sharp, you only need to pay nine million!"


    Lu Zhiyu calculated and found out that it cost around eighty million yuan. He knew it was a very expensive villa, but he really liked it. Moreover, he was not so concerned with money anymore. He had just won ten million dollars in Vegas, and he could use that money for this home.


    "Okay, I''ll buy it" Lu Zhiyu nodded. "When can I move in?"


    "Anytime that is good for you, of course," the agent said, bowing. "It is fully furnished and ready for its new owner. If you need any services, you can contact me as well. I''ll settle everything for you!"


    Being rich really was great. Lu Zhiyu could get anything he wanted at any time. After spending nine million pounds, he became the owner of the villa. He sat down on the couch in the living room and looked around. Sunlight came into the living room through a large window. The living room was combined with the second floor, so the room looked very high and spacious. At the center of the room, there was a staircase leading to the second floor.


    Over the fireplace was a taxidermied deer head. In addition, there were many abstract paintings and embedded bookshelves on the walls, giving the room a unique taste. Lu Zhiyu had not even sat down for long when the doorbell rang. He looked in that direction and saw Zoe Sharp standing in front of her car. She was wearing a black dress and looked graceful and charming. Lu Zhiyu walked over and welcomed her into his house.


    When Lu Zhiyu was traveling throughout the world, he had his sub-brain record down all the common languages in the language section. With the hints from his sub-brain, Lu Zhiyu had managed to learn those languages very quickly. "How did you know I chose this place? It seems like that agent is the spy you have placed here!"


    Zoe said at once, "I''m here to give you the information you need. I asked a shipyard, and these are the models they provide. Take a look."


    Lu Zhiyu thanked her and took the folder. He did not have many friends here, so without her, it would be very hard for him to get everything he needed.


    Even though Zoe was interested in Lu Zhiyu, she was not the passionate type of woman. Furthermore, she had some background and was probably a troublemaker. Lu Zhiyu did not want to be tangled up with someone like her. Therefore, he kept his distance with her all the time. He quickly showed her the rooms, and the two only had a brief conversation before Zoe left.


    "This one is too small!"


    "Not this one."


    "This one looks decent enough."


    Because the mind power and deified blood Lu Zhiyu could use at the moment were too little, he had decided to go in another direction to find out the characteristics of deified creatures. First, he wanted to see if he could do something to change the soul of the Tree of Life into a deified creature.


    Because such creatures were too dangerous, and the space inside the dimensional castle was too small, Lu Zhiyu decided to do his experiments on the seas in Maria''s World. However, he needed a yacht so that it would be easier for him to go out to the sea and carry out his experiments. Clearly, he could not keep using his mind power to sustain himself on the sea, carry out experiments, and at the same time observe the creatures closely!


    Apart from that, Lu Zhiyu also used another identity to order a set of professional medical equipment from Paul''s Medical Equipment.


    Previously, Lu Zhiyu had run through quite a lot of such equipment so he had chosen the cheapest supplies possible. However, this time, Lu Zhiyu planned to use only the best equipment available. He also talked with some people on the internet on how to build hibernation chambers and nutrition chambers. These things would be very useful in experiments involving changing and combining different live specimens, and they were also essential for Lu Zhiyu himself.


    He was not one hundred percent certain whether he would succeed in building these chambers or not. At the moment, he had ordered some materials from Paul''s Medical Equipment and several other companies, and would soon try to build them.


    The hardest things to make were actually the nutrient and restoration fluids. Of course, he already had plenty of those on hand. When he was changing his own body, he had considered about similar problems. After all, during both modifications to his body, he had used nutrient fluids. Hence, Lu Zhiyu was quite confident that he would be able to build the seemingly high-tech nutrition and hibernation chambers.


    He had already confirmed his order, but the items still needed time to be delivered. He felt that the logistics overseas was not as developed and timely as his own country. While waiting for the medical supplies, he decided to look at which yacht he would buy first.


    It was not simple to purchase a yacht as there were many procedures. After Lu Zhiyu made his order, the factory would still need to spend time making the yacht perfect. After that, he would need to obtain a certificate of competency to actually operate the yacht and a place in the harbor to park the yacht.


    More importantly, after browsing through the information he had just received from Zoe, he realized that most of the yachts were not actually ready for sale. From ordering to actually getting the yacht, Lu Zhiyu had to wait for half a year to one year. He really did not have that much time to wait!


    "Forget it, if I have time to go through so much trouble, I might as well choose one at the pier and steal it. Anyway, I''m not going to operate it in this world!"


    Lu Zhiyu finally decided to go to the seaside and choose one that he liked. However, because he did not know much about ships and also how to actually sail a yacht, he decided to do some research on the internet first.


    Lu Zhiyu read about the descriptions of various yachts, as well as the precautions during saling. Looking at yachts of different models and sizes, and many other details about sailing, Lu Zhiyu realized that it was all quite complicated and was not something he could understand fully by reading a single book. In particular, some of the bigger yachts could not even be operated by just one person.


    As Lu Zhiyu surfed the internet, his interest suddenly peaked when he saw something accidentally. At the instant he saw it, his eyes sparkled with excitement.


    "Wow! This looks amazing. It''ll be fantastic if I can get it!"


    Lu Zhiyu enlarged the image with his mouse. On his screen, there was a picture of a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with the USA flag on it. Lu Zhiyu felt that this was the king of the seas and all men would want to possess it!


    However, if he really stole this, the whole world would be stirred up. He lay his chin on his hand and thought carefully about whether he should do it. Even if he could not operate the carrier, it would still make a great base and laboratory on the sea. In the meantime, he could examine the carrier as he was very curious about such things, not to mention that it was nuclear-powered.


    Should I do it? he thought.

 42 Biological Chamber

    The Port of London was located along the banks of the River Thames to the southeast of London. Lu ZHiyu drove to the port in a brand new Range Rover Evoque, and he could see the London Bridge and the beautiful night scenery in the distance. This was an important arterial road of London. Ships were coming and going very frequently, and it was still very busy here despite the falling darkness.


    From faraway, Lu Zhiyu could already see the liveliness of the port. There were still many ships out on the sea. In addition, there were also many ships docking, loading or unloading their cargos. Ships of various sizes packed the dock, creating a busy scene.


    Lu Zhiyu walked around until he found where the medium-sized and small-sized ships were docked. The port was twisting and turning. Lu Zhiyu walked down a straight path and saw dozens of ships docked around. Among them, there were quite a few yachts!


    This one looks good!


    In the distance, Lu Zhiyu saw a yacht with three floors. It looked luxurious and extraordinary. With its white streamline body, it looked as elegant and graceful as a shuttle!


    Lu Zhiyu did not go closer to the yacht and only looked at it, knowing that going any further would cause him to be caught by the security camera. He looked around a little bit more before turning to leave. Before he left, he took out a one pound coin from his pocket. Tossing it gently, the coin was pushed with his mind power onto the yacht that was a few hundred meters away. The coin rolled on the deck and eventually turned into a corner.


    The coin had Lu Zhiyu''s spiritual imprint on it. The channelling array for the dimensional door would be activated at dawn, bringing Lu Zhiyu the yacht that he had chosen!


    Lu Zhiyu walked back to his car and left the harbor. He thought about stealing the aircraft carrier. Moreover, he even checked online for the harbors where the Nimitz-class carriers were docked and almost bought the ticket to go there!


    However, after thinking about it, he still felt that this would be too crazy and there was also no point in stealing that kind of ship. He did not know how to operate it anyway, and it would very likely bring him unnecessary trouble he would not be able to deal with.


    After Lu Zhiyu left, the night deepened. Suddenly, somewhere in the depths of the Port of London, air blurred and space folded. A yacht immediately vanished with it!


    The next morning, a group of people were standing on the harbor, arguing. Everyone was discussing and making wild guesses about the weird incident that had occurred the night before.


    A furious white, fat guy was standing there, cursing all the workers of the port. "Where''s my White Shark?!" he roared. "I didn''t pay you all that docking fees for you to lose it!"


    "We apologize, Mr. Babo" the harbor worker said. "We looked up the security tape, but strangely, it seems that your yacht disappeared by itself during the night."


    The man was clearly raging. "By itself? You''re saying it grew wings and flew away? Do I look that stupid to you? I''ll sue you; it must have been you all! You just wait, my lawyer will send all of you idiots into jail!"


    On the other hand, at the moment, Lu Zhiyu was operating the yacht leisurely in his beach shorts. He had found the instruction manual and operation manual in the yacht and read over it carefully. Then, he immediately managed to sail the yacht according to the manuals.


    Lu Zhiyu had to admit that it was a cool experience. It was a very large yacht with a lot of utilities and three floors. The bottom floor had the master room, a guest room, and a restroom. The middle floor contained the bridge, the deck, a living room, a kitchen, a karaoke room, and a video game room.


    On the top floor there were the meeting room and a small bar. It seemed like the original owner was a businessman who liked to see his clients or have meetings on this yacht. Lu Zhiyu found a bottle of Hennessy which had been collected by the previous owner.


    "Its color is beautiful. The wine looks crystal clear! Oh, I think it''s made in the year 1865. How did this guy get it? Anyway, he hid it so well and was reluctant to drink it himself. Let me try!" Lu Zhiyu looked at the wine and realized that there was even a signature on the bottle.


    Lu Zhiyu had sampled a lot of expensive liquor lately, but he really liked the color of the alcohol in front him at the moment. Moreover, this was something that one could not obtain by just money. He was curious how it tasted like. Lu Zhiyu walked onto the deck with that bottle of Hennessy and sat down. He set up a fishing rod and fished while eating some food leisurely.


    After he got rid of his old identity, he felt the restraints he once had being lifted off. He could now do everything he wanted to without having to worry the way he used to. Under this new identity, he felt braver and freer.


    He observed the creatures that swam across in the ocean quietly. As compared to Earth, the marine life in Maria''s World was really monotonous. Without any major predators, some fish could reproduce unchecked, and it felt like they were going to occupy the world soon!


    With this many fish around him, fishing was easy. Soon, Lu Zhiyu had an entire bucket of fish. He went through the bucket, looking for ones that would be fit for him to fuse with the soul he had and create a deified creature!


    The medical supplies he had ordered, as well as the components needed to make the nutrition chamber, had arrived as well. Lu Zhiyu planned to assemble the nutrition chamber while looking for the life template he wanted. In the following period of time, Lu Zhiyu would be completing his Deified Creature Creation Plan!


    The ocean in Maria''s World was very peaceful. Lu Zhiyu spent the next several days on the sea in the yacht, looking for the creature he wanted. Whenever he looked out, he could only see the endless blue sky and ocean.


    He took the time to alter the layout of the yacht and change the bottom level into a laboratory. At the same time, he also managed to create the biological chamber that he needed.


    The biological chamber had combined the functions of both the nutrition chamber and the freezing chamber. It could provide the necessary nutrients to a growing life and at the same time freeze the biological activities in the organism. Thankfully, the generator on the yacht provided plenty of electricity.


    Lu Zhiyu built two of those chambers in the yacht''s laboratory. At the moment, they had already been completely installed in a cabin on the lowest floor. He also cleared out the unnecessary things in the cabin that used to be the entertainment room and installed a test-bed and many medical equipment. The entire room now seemed to be filled with coldness and lifelessness!


    Lu Zhiyu stood in the lab and watched the biological chamber. After his modification, the biological chamber now looked like a glass pillar. This way, he could observe whatever creature he had placed in the chamber easily. The top and bottom of the chamber were metallic with a lot of wires and a panel.


    He fished out a seahorse he had caught a few days ago and injected it with a sedative. Then, he opened the door and put it into the chamber. He wrapped the cords around the seahorse using his mind power and pressed a button. Nutrient fluid immediately began flowing into the chamber from the top and surrounded the seahorse. The seahorse closed its eyes and floated in the biological chamber.


    Beep!


    Lu Zhiyu saw the panel lit up, showing the life stats of the seahorse, including its body surface temperament, heart rate, and various others. Lu Zhiyu smiled, knowing that he had completed the biological chamber successfully.

 43 Sakun

    Lu Zhiyu poured a test tube of blood plasma into the slot at the top of the biological chamber. He pressed a button and the blood was injected into the seahorse. A day later, the seahorse''s consciousness and memories were wiped completely. Then, Lu Zhiyu tried to place the soul of the Tree of Life into the seahorse. However, the soul was met with strong resistance, and the seahorse died almost immediately!


    As he extracted the soul of the Tree of Life, Lu Zhiyu found that the soul had been weakened as well. The soul, which had been pure and without any form of consciousness before, had become tainted by the seahorse''s mind. As Lu Zhiyu observed it, he sensed some very chaotic and confusing waves of consciousness being emitted.


    Lu Zhiyu tried the same thing with several different kinds of sea creatures and failed every time. The contamination of the once-pure soul was becoming increasingly severe. Lu Zhiyu knew that if he kept failing, the soul would fall apart.


    "Sigh. It''s such a waste, but I have no other choices. I don''t know anything yet, and my research about souls is not sufficient either. I''ll just take the soul as the price to pay for learning!"


    "Why does this keep happening¡­ Why will there be resistance? I have wiped their consciousnesses and memories!" Previously, Lu Zhiyu had also tried plants and those did not work as well. At the moment, when he gathered all his results, he realized that the problem might not just be the consciousness of the organism resisting the soul.


    He paused the experiment because he knew that it would be useless to keep trying until he found a solution to this problem. Lu Zhiyu paced up and down the laboratory anxiously and thought about the problem for quite a while. "Maybe it''s not just the resistance from its consciousness. In addition, the organism is also resisting other minds from controlling its body on the genetic level. It''s just like when I first modified an organism!"


    "Should I try to create a deified creature from the embryo?"


    Lu Zhiyu immediately began his plan. This time, he chose a squid. Instead of putting it into the biological chamber, he placed it in an aquarium, ready to breed the first generation of deified creatures.


    He picked one of the eggs the squid had laid and placed the soul of the Tree of Life into the egg. Just like what he had guessed, the fusion was successfully, and Lu Zhiyu was elated by this. It was like the soul of the Tree of Life was being reincarnated into a new life.


    Lu Zhiyu activated the creature''s consciousness and opened up the path into the zero-dimensional world, guiding it to extract the Source Form in the space. As expected, the creature which had a powerful soul skipped the first few steps which Lu Zhiyu had spent years to complete.


    It started as a simple soul, but it quickly developed its own mind power. The strong structure of its soul allowed the creature to stay longer in the zero-dimensional world, so that it could extract more Source Form. Its mind power grew rapidly, often several SFU every day.


    Using an analogy, Lu Zhiyu was like a fully-filled bucket which was trying to expand its volume all the time. On the other hand, the creature was like an empty bucket which only needed to fill itself up!


    Lu Zhiyu could feel that the originally pure soul was slowly transforming into mind power. When it turned into pure mind power, it had 150 SFU of mind power, which already surpassed Lu Zhiyu!


    When the transformation was complete, Lu Zhiyu noticed that the white egg containing the soul was invaded by its mind power and its cells were deified. Lu Zhiyu watched the creature hatch from the egg.


    A strange, grey creature resembling a young squid appeared in the biological chamber. As soon as it was born, the creature began rapidly draining the nutritions in the biological chamber and grew rapidly. In a minute, it grew into a black squid the size of a human head.


    By this time, it had used up all of its mind power and reached its limits. Unlike Lu Zhiyu, however, its entire body was made up of deified cells. It might be much smaller and looked very unassuming, but its nature was very different from Lu Zhiyu. It was a true deified creature!


    As soon as it finished growing, Lu Zhiyu and the creature stared at each other across the glass of the chamber. The creature seemed to be very angry, and its mind was very chaotic. At once, it began smashing against the wall of the biological chamber. However, the wall was extremely strong. The creature might have been deified, but it did not know how to change its own genes. It only possessed the immortality and plasticity of deified creatures.


    "Do you want to come out?" Lu Zhiyu asked, staring at the creature inside the chamber in amusement.


    "Sakun!"


    "Sakun!"


    At the instant when Lu Zhiyu looked at the creature, he realized that its appearance started changing. It actually imitated Lu Zhiyu and quickly developed vocal cords. Then, it started making meaningless, weird shrieks at Lu Zhiyu. Its voice was very ear-piercing and dragged.


    Lu Zhiyu felt the creature''s mind and found that it did not have a dominant personality. In addition, its consciousness was in chaos. There seemed to be dozens of consciousness within the creature''s mind, fighting for dominance. It did not even know how to control itself!


    The voice and the mimicking were also done unconsciously and did not mean anything. Lu Zhiyu frowned. This was not what he had expected, but he indeed managed to create the first deified creature.


    "Why is it like this? It should be that the soul has been contaminated because I have failed the fusion multiple times."


    "I''ll call you Sakun then," Lu Zhiyu said. Since this was the sound the creature first made, Lu Zhiyu would name it after this. Even though it did not have a complete personality and intelligence, Sakun was truly a superior lifeform.


    After the successful creation of a deified creature, Lu Zhiyu would also start trying to change his own genes. He wanted his life template to become one which really had extraordinary powers. Lu Zhiyu decided to call such a high-level life template a mythical creature template. He changed the name from deified creatures, but it was appropriate anyway. These beings were no different from the creatures in legends!


    Lu Zhiyu did not know how to do it yet. After all, he had never seen such a superior lifeform before. He could only try and explore based on his own imagination.


    Sakun, the first deified creature he had created, was a perfect sample for him to try. For Sakun, he could create the life template of a superior lifeform. He could use the plasticity of deified creatures to create a truly extraordinary life!


    Lu Zhiyu smiled as Sakun. It looked small and frail, but its nature was so different from ordinary organisms. As long as it could obtain the life template of mythical creatures, its power would increase significantly.


    "How should I do it?" Lu Zhiyu started thinking. "Clearly I cannot use the ones I have designed in the past. They will only open up the normal powers of the body."


    Normal creatures might be considered as powerful after obtaining more strength, speed, god-like perspective, dynamic vision, or obtaining the powerful sword skills or memories from their ancestors. However, these were really useless for a deified creature. In other words, these powers would not make full use of the plasticity of deified cells!

 44 Supernatural Power

    What is supernatural power?


    That was the question that had been bothering Lu Zhiyu for a long time. To him, this kind of creatures shouldn''t be limited to be able to control only its own body. They should be able to interfere with the world and lives around it using mind power as well. This was what a real supernatural creature should be able to do and how mind power should really be used.


    This required a lot of knowledge about rules of the world. Temperature would be an example. What was temperature? General speaking, temperature was a physical quantity that expressed how warm or cold an object was. But on microscopic level, it measured how violently particles vibrated or moved. According to the kinetic theory, temperature represented the average kinetic energy of the constituent particles. Temperature was a result of the thermal motion of a large amount of particles collectively.


    Lu Zhiyu thought that a mythical creature would be able to detect the speed of the particles. For creatures on his level, it would be very difficult to control particles. There were simply too many of particles. How powerful would the mind power had to be in order to control so many particles at the same time?


    Lu Zhiyu thought maybe there were other ways to control temperatures. There was no need to increase or decrease the speed of all of the particles. As long as the mind power was able to push or change the momentum and speed up the movements for the particles within a small area, the impact would be extended to the other areas and thus increase the temperatures without any limits. The stronger the mind power was, the temperature of the larger area could be impacted. And vice versa, stopping some particles could cause the other particles to slow down and the temperature to drop. The more powerful the mind, the larger the area could be impacted. A strong mind could lower or increase temperature indefinitely.


    Lu Zhiyu was excited by this idea. He felt that he was getting closer and closer to developing his first template. He looked at Sakun, who was still lurching around in the life chamber and shrieking, radiating chaotic messages with its mind. It of course did not know how to control anything yet, but Lu Zhiyu did, and that was enough.


    Lu Zhiyu needed to develop a genetic template that could carry the code for controlling temperature. He could then insert it into Sakun''s genetic codes and turn it into a mythical creature that could control the temperature. If it worked, it would become a natural thing for Sakun and Sakun didn''t have to know the theory behind it.


    "It seems like I am the only one who could alter the genes. Without the ability to change genes, even if one could use the mind power to handle atom, they still would not be able to make specific modifications to the genes, let alone creating life templates!"


    "For the other mythical creatures, their mind power couldn''t change their own genes either. If they wanted to evolve, the only path would be to seek out other mythical creatures'' genes and fuse the two genes, or to adjust their genes based on the genes from other mythical creatures."


    Lu Zhiyu finally realized just how powerful the ability to transmit messages really was. It might appear very weak because it would only convey messages and modify messages. This was not something that had direct physical impact. However, to Lu Zhiyu, it was an invaluable power.


    He took Sakun to the dimensional castle for a few months and began developing the mythical creature template for Sakun. Sakun was based off of an octopus and could control temperature. He named the template Zero Degree Sea Monster. He took deified cells from Sakun and began experimenting. He found that when he tried to prod the cells with his mind power, the cells resisted him. As soon as he made contact, Lu Zhiyu could feel the conciousness of Sakun was trying to interfere him. Lu Zhiyu did not want to fight against it, knowing that the only part of him that was deified was his brain, while the rest of him was still normal. He did not want to risk getting assimilated by Sakun''s mind. If he came into contact with Sakun''s cells, the cells may invade his own.


    He remembered that he had some of Sakun''s undeified cells, but he immediately pushed the thought away. Those normal cells couldn''t handle a mythical creature''s template and would be crashed instantly.


    Seeing no other way, Lu Zhiyu used the mind power to convey his friendly intentions to Sakun, asking it to let down its guards. He built a large pool in the castle so Sakun could have a place to swim and play. He also tried to show his friendliness by feeding Sakun every day. Maybe Sakun could feel his friendliness, or maybe the conflicting minds drove Sakun to madness. Slowly, Sakun''s mind stopped resisting him.


    Once that happened, with his mind power, Lu Zhiyu reached into Sakun and found its genes. Like Lu Zhiyu, after becoming a mythical creature, most of genes from Sakun''s ancestors were eliminated, and only the necessary genes were left behind. Lu Zhiyu took the advantage of this time, and imprinted the Zero Degree Sea Monster template into Sakun''s life template. Then he immediately withdrew. Lu Zhiyu extracted one drop of blood from himself. He could see that the blood he placed on the template began to change drastically.


    He injected the blood into Sakun''s body and saw that its body changed drastically as well. Its head became narrower, and its tentacles grew longer. Its skin and organs were all changing as the cells realigned themselves, and formed its special organs and hardened shell. It became the dark, beautiful sea monster Lu Zhiyu wanted.


    It worked!


    The monster looked exactly like what Lu Zhiyu had designed. Dark, hardened skin and a fluid body structure. It looked beautiful, and its body was even harder! Sakun swam around in the pool, smashing into the wall of the pool, leaving large holes on the stone wall. However, these hits did not harm the body at all. The shell on Sakun''s body was almost as hard as titanium. Lu Zhiyu was very satisfied with Sakun''s appearance, but he still hadn''t seen the most important part.


    Suddenly, Sakun jumped out of the pool and shrieked at him. Lu Zhiyu felt a strong wave of mind power slamming into him. He knew that Sakun had used its power. He summoned his own mind power to protect himself from being affected. The temperature in the room rose significantly as the water in the pool reached a temperature so high it caused a small explosion in the room. The temperature was high enough to heat the rocks. The temperature in the entire floor was raised a few hundred degrees and ordinary human would not be able to survive.


    However, Lu Zhiyu walked out from the steam. The power he gave to Sakun, he himself of course would also use. Although Lu Zhiyu didn''t imprint the power into his deified cells, and it was troublesome for him to use such power, he had only needed to balance the temperature around himself, so it was not a problem. Afterall, Sakun would not be able to harm Lu Zhiyu.


    Sakun waved its tentacles around, and the ground its tentacles touched froze over. In the blink of an eye, the boiling room was turned into ice land.


    Lu Zhiyu smiled, satisfied with Sakun''s power. "Not bad, not bad. This is what a mythical creature should be!"


    Right now, Sakun was still young, and it was already very powerful. It would only grow more powerful as it matured mentally and grew physically. One day, it would be able to do things that were only heard of in legends, such as boiling the ocean or freezing an entire continent. Of course, that day was still tens, hundreds or even thousands years away!

 45 Changes in the Sea

    "Sakun¡­ Sakun..."


    "Boom!"


    "Rumble!"


    Sakun was ramming into the stone wall, continuously launching attacks while controlling its power, manically trying to escape from its underground water dungeon. As it used its power, the water in the dungeon evaporated again and again, but fresh water kept flowing into the cell.


    Lu Zhiyu observed Sakun in its prison from a fist-sized small window above. It had been a while since he sent Sakun into the water dungeon using a dimensional door. Lu Zhiyu had been trying to find out the limits of Sakun''s power. "Right now, the highest temperature Sakun could control was 783 degrees Celsius. The lowest was negative 70 degrees Celsius."


    Sakun discovered where Lu Zhiyu was and began launching its attacks toward Lu Zhiyu furiously. However, Lu Zhiyu was the one that gave Sakun his power. All he needed to do was control the particles in his surrounding area with his own mind power. Sakun controlled its body using its mind power and charged continuously around the water dungeon, as if it did not know what fatigue was!


    Lu Zhiyu was slightly disappointed, "Indeed, the life template was too simple, the power too simplistic. There are too many restraints. But it was mostly because Sakun didn''t have intelligence and did not know how to use its own power optimally."


    However, Sakun was only harmless to Lu Zhiyu. With its ability to control temperature and its powerful mind power, it would be able to destroy several seaside villages and kill thousands of people with little trouble. Its sturdy shell and powerful regenerative abilities also allowed it to ignore most attacks. If it were to barge into a city, it would spell disaster to the average person!


    After observing it for a while, Lu Zhiyu had basically uncovered all the secrets regarding Sakun. He released Sakun into the southern sea and followed it in his ship.


    Even though Sakun could fly, it could not leave the water for extended periods of time and spent most of its time submerged. It was rare for Sakun to leave the water. After Lu Zhiyu spent a few days observing its swim patterns, he completely shifted his attention away from it. Once it got away from Lu Zhiyu and his tortures, Sakun disappeared into the sea of Maria''s World.


    Sakun was the first mythical creature in Maria''s World, a creature that could truly control its supernatural abilities. It did not have predators, nor did it have any opponents in the ocean. It became the unparalleled king of the ocean. Because of its chaotic consciousness, it was like a wild beast, merely charging along around the world. What Lu Zhiyu did not expect was that Sakun would begin to pollute other creatures living in the ocean.


    Unlike Lu Zhiyu, Sakun didn''t care to control or restrain its deified cells. Even if the cells somehow got out, Sakun didn''t try to collect them. It often ran into rocks under the ocean or islands and injured itself. The cells that it released while it was injured flowed continually into the ocean. Many creatures that came in contact with the cells started to mutate due to the deified cells. Larger creatures started appearing in the sea. They were called sea monsters, while Sakun was heralded as a god of the sea.


    While Sakun was roaming the oceans, its spawn were called the Children of the Sea. There were large octopi, squid, and even jellyfish that could release freezing vapors explosively. There were also missile-like fish, their bodies massive beyond comparison. They could move tens of meters with a single stroke.


    Sakun was much smaller than most of the sea monsters, but Sakun could easily lower or increase temperature within hundreds of meters around itself. It could turn a person''s body to ash, or freeze it into an ice sculpture. It didn''t matter how big it was. To an average person, it was god, a god that they could not fight against.


    Even the Children of the Sea were impossible to defend against for an ordinary human. These Children of the Sea would also spawn a large amount of offspring. After a few decades, any large sea monsters could be considered to be Sakun''s children. Some of these sea monsters had inherited some of Sakun''s abilities through the small amount of Sakun''s Blood within them. Some could freeze things, others could use fire. Some had strong skin while others were very large.


    While outside the ocean, people on the continent of Alen were growing more fascinated by the ocean, as they caught more and more fish from the ocean. The mysteries of the ocean attracted more and more fishermen and explorers from Alen.


    More nations appeared on Alen. After a thousand years, both humans and orcs had developed their own nations and gave birth to various cultures and civilization. The two races had gradually spread their areas of influence throughout a large portion of Alen, and now set their sights on the vast ocean.


    The boundless ocean was rather romantic to man. There was fear in the unknown, but there were also fantasies. Other than the harvests brought about by the fishermen, people discovered that by sailing, they could easily reach northern nations from the south.


    From the practical point of view, trading using land routes would mean that one had to traverse countless mountains and pass through many different nations. The taxes and tolls along the way was enough dampen the excitement of the trade. But the ocean was different. It could save them a large amount of money and time.


    When the first explorer returned carrying precious spices, animal pelts, plants, herb and other items and made a fortune, more people flocked to the ocean and kickstarted using sea routes for trade.


    Fleets of ships began heading into the ocean, carrying wealth and hope. For a time, the ocean became the world''s hope. Nothing made more money than going on a journey to sea. If one was lucky enough to discovering a safe sea route previously unknown, they would be able to elevate the status of their family.


    Merchants, nobles, peasants, even slaves and government officials all began heading toward the sea. Harbors sprang up everywhere, and seaside villages expanded and grew into cities, cargo filling their piers. This growth in sea trade also led to a growth in the shipbuilding industry. People used their experiences from sailing and improved upon the simplest wooden boats, creating ships with masts. At first, the masts couldn''t move and the ship required oars. Soon, ships with moveable masts were created as well, allowing ships to steer forward despite the wind blowing from the other direction.


    Currently, there were ships that were thirty meters long, six to eight meters wide, large enough to carry sixty tons of cargo across the ocean. People piloted these ships across the seas, but they still couldn''t completely conquer the ocean. Whenever a fleet sailed into a dangerous area or got caught in a storm, there was still the risk of the entire fleet sinking.


    And as people ventured even further into the ocean, they encountered the deepest nightmares in their memories!


    A fleet sailed on the peaceful ocean. The strong, study ships had three masts. Even if they got caught in a storm or a small tsunami, the ships should have been able to survive. This fleet belonged to the Luhmann Kingdom''s Rosa d''Oro family.


    The captain Shorde stood on the deck, watching the peaceful sea. There was no sign of any storm today. Everything was going very well, and Shorde was in a good mood. Days at sea could get very boring. There were no women, nor were there any leisure activities. His sailors were playing card games popular amongst the humans on Alen. The game was called Sailor''s Cards, since the person who invented the game was a sailor.


    Most of the crew were playing cards and drinking on the deck. Some sailors on duty were scrubbing the deck and checking the masts. Soon, it would be lunch time. The kitchen was busy playing cards. The people on the fleet were like a small community.


    A bored sailor who was standing on deck suddenly perked up at the sight of a dark shadow in the water. He rubbed his balding head and asked curiously, "What is that?"

 46 Children of the Sea

    As the ship drew closer, the sailor immediately saw the giant dark shadow under the water and shouted in panic, "There seems to be a rock up ahead!"


    The call startled everyone, and more sailors appeared on the deck, searching the open water for hidden rocks. The captain hurried to the front of the ship. "That is impossible, this is a very safe route! We have sailed this route many times! How can there be rocks all of a sudden?"


    Even so, they saw the dark shadow under the water slowly grow larger. A circular black area gradually appeared from under the water. Confusion filled the minds of everyone present, "What is that?"


    Boom! The water exploded as a large head rose up from the ocean into the sailors'' view. A huge black octopus erupted from under the ocean, its long tentacles immediately entangling the ship. The large suction cups on its tentacles were terrifying to look at it.


    "My God, what is that?!"


    "Goddess Maria above, what kind of monster is that?!"


    "Help!"


    "Mummy!"


    The sailors gaped as they watched the huge tentacles grab their ship, tilting their ship toward the bottom of the ocean. Sailors stumbled across the deck, being flung this way and that by the octopus''s force. A chorus of screams and cries rose from the ship.


    Shorde lost his footing and was sent flying out the deck toward the monster. The octopus opened its pitch black mouth, and Shrode saw the flickering flames within it. Shorde slipped into a daze, and could only mutter one word, "Monster!"


    The fire sprang forth, instantly igniting the ship and incinerating Shorde. The other ships in the fleet attempted to get away, but they were all easily capsized by the octopus.


    After this incident, more and more fleets began running into the Children of the Sea. Sometimes it was giant octopi, sometimes it was massive whales, other times it was large sharks with hard head capsules that could destroy a ship simply by ramming into it. Each of these creatures were enormous, and not something an average humans could deal with.


    The further the ship went into the ocean, the more likely it was to run into these creatures. These creatures were massive and rarely appeared near the land or shallow waters. But their presence became a great obstacle for sea trading and put a large dent in the merchants'' and nobles'' income.


    People began employing Bloodline Knights to deal with them. But even the Bloodline Knights were unable to kill them. The powers from their bloodline could cause great damage to the monsters, as could large crossbows, but it couldn''t kill them. After all, these Children of the Sea were creatures that could use supernatural powers.


    These monsters were like gods. Some could spew fire, others could instantly freeze a large area of the ocean. Some had the ability to let out strange sounds that could put sailors to sleep. Each one of them possessed a powerful vitality and sturdy skin. Some monsters even formed groups, swimming in certain areas of the ocean, patrolling their deep-sea territories. None of the fleets and Bloodline Knights that set out to kill these creatures had ever returned. Even the most powerful warrior seemed powerless in front of these monsters. The ocean once again descended into darkness. People gave these creatures the name Children of the Sea.


    Other than the various natural disasters, seafarers were now faced with an unavoidable obstacle. The deep sea became something humans couldn''t, nor dare, venture into.


    ¡ª


    After creating Sakun, Lu Zhiyu began thinking about working on himself again. However, he wasn''t planning on making a mythical creature template for himself. He could only try adding some special power to his own genes. In that respect, he was more like the creatures who were affected by Sakun''s blood. Without deifying his entire body, he wasn''t a deified creature and was full of weakness. But he could not rush things. Forcefully trying to use a mythical creature template on himself would cause a large amount of his cells and genes to crumble. Lu Zhiyu did not want to just exist as a brain.


    Deifying his entire body would only take seventeen years. It had already been a year, and he could afford to wait. Plus, he could use this time to consider what kind of mythical creature template he wanted. The first thing he considered were weaknesses of a mythical creature and ways to kill one. So far, it looked like mythical creatures were highly modifiable and immortal. They could continue becoming more powerful indefinitely and their potential was limitless. But were they really that perfect, that invincible?


    "As long as I cannot kill all of a mythical creature''s deified cells in one attack, then it would not die. It would then have a chance to be reborn!" Lu Zhiyu shook his head. This was easier said than done. It was very likely that the mythical creature would have a clan of other creatures it had affected, intentional or not. There would definitely have been other life forms that were assimilated unintentionally by the mythical creature, or fused with its deified cells. These creatures were all spawns of the mythical creature. Even if the main body were to be killed, the mythical creatures would be able to be reborn from the body of their spawns. In order to kill completely the mythical creature, one would have to kill not only the mythical creature itself, but also all of its spawns in order to prevent it from being reborn. Otherwise, given enough time, they would be able to return once again!


    "They sure lived up to their name as mythical creatures!"


    He spent a long time thinking of a weakness and couldn''t think of any. It sure was congruent with Lu Zhiyu''s expectations of a higher order being.


    "So what is the most important thing to a mythical creature? What is the core of their existence?"


    Lu Zhiyu had decided to approach the question from another angle. The time he spent experimenting on Sakun had increased his understanding about souls, mind power and the existence of deified cells.


    The soul was the purest form of consciousness and thought. It could be fused with the Source Form to become mind power. Mind power, in some sense, was the product of the fusion of the soul and Source Form. Deified cells were then the product of fusing mind power and cells. The most important thing to a mythical creature should be its consciousness and thought. Lu Zhiyu immediately wondered if there was a way to skip past the mind power and deified cells and directly attack a mythical creature''s consciousness and thought.


    "Thought in itself is a form of power. Would I be able to develop this kind of power for my mythical creature template and become a mythical creature that could control thought and consciousness!"


    Thought and consciousness, in some sense, was a collection of information. It was the carrier of the soul and mind. Lu Zhiyu immediately formed a connection with how he created the mind dimension after he deified the cells in his brain. That was the palace that stored his will and collection of information!


    Lu Zhiyu felt that he could change his deified cells and strengthen his mind dimension through that, transforming it into a more powerful space of consciousness. This way, no matter how powerful a mythical creature was, he would be able to disregard its powerful mind power, deified cells and genetic ability and drag its consciousness and thoughts into his own consciousness space.


    In his realm, Lu Zhiyu would have various ways of erasing their consciousness. As long as their consciousness was completely erased, the mythical creature would not be able to resurrect itself no matter how power its mind power and deified cells were. It would, in essence, be dead, similar to how a human could become brain dead. Their bodies would not have died, but existentially speaking, it would have died!


    Of course, a method like this was very dangerous. Lu Zhiyu had only considered one angle and still needed a few experiments to figure out what exactly he had to do. However, he knew that if he succeeded, even mythical creatures could be completely killed. This was also beneficial because it alerted him of his own weakness, in case someone else tried to do the same thing to him in the future. Lu Zhiyu got to work immediately.


    "I should make use of my mental talent, the ability to transmit thought. This would have a great effect on the creation and guidance of a mind dimension!"


    In Lu Zhiyu''s eyes, a person''s consciousness and thoughts were all information. The dream world he wanted to construct was a world made up completely of information. But this space would exist within him. It would be a mind world that was rooted within his deified cells.


    If Lu Zhiyu wanted to construct a world like this, his deified cells must have the ability to control and alter information. He would then be able to control and guide the consciousness space through his cells!


    "I''ll call it the dream world, a space made up completely of consciousness and information!" Lu Zhiyu had made the decision.

 47 Dream Space

    "Assimilate!"


    "Copy the genes!"


    Lu Zhiyu could sense that after he set up the templates in the first cell, the rest of his deified brain cells were loading the power for controlling information. As the deified cells finished loading, Lu Zhiyu felt a change in his mind space. His control over his power was completely different now. His cells could now handle a large amount of information at any given time, and he could change or alter his entire mind space whenever he felt like it. At this point, it no longer felt appropriate to call the space his "mind space" anymore. This was the "dream space" he had aimed to create.


    Lu Zhiyu stood in his dream space. This space was pitch black and directionless. There was nothing around him, not even time existed in this realm. A thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately saw the space changing with the passing of the thought. He could see land starting to form under his feet. Everywhere he swept his gaze, buildings began to slowly appear within his dream space. Gradually, a small ancient village appeared before him. Lu Zhiyu looked at the sky. A crimson moon entered his field of vision. There was finally light in this world, but this crimson moon made the small village look strange and eerie.


    Lu Zhiyu felt that it would be difficult to continue creating things within this space. Currently, his mind power was already at its limit at which it could control information. If he wanted to expand the dream space and make it more vivid and lifelike, he would need more mind power.


    "It is indeed possible to create a world made purely out of information. The dream space, I did it!"


    Lu Zhiyu was excited by the sight of his success. Even though this dream world he created was very tiny and made up of only information, completely different from Maria''s World which he created in the past. A comparison could not be made between the two. However, this was the first time he had created something without getting outside help. This world was completely his own. He knew how he created it, he knew its logic, structure, as well as every detail about this world inside out. This was not a world that was to be controlled using the Scroll of the World and his authority over it. This world meant something completely different to him.


    Lu Zhiyu walked through the small village in the dream world. The town was completely empty and sat quietly under the night sky. This was an ancient village, with old wooden buildings along a single dirt-packed road. The dirt road was the only road in the entire village, the rest of the ground were all small yards that belonged to the houses. There was a dilapidated inn, a smithy, and a grocery store. Inside the smithy, there were all the tools that were commonly found in real smithies, like farming tools and knives. The grocery store was stocked full with groceries needed by a populated village. The inn''s kitchen was fully stocked with food and drinks, its wine cellar filled with barrels of different kinds of alcohol.


    But there was no one in this world. This was Lu Zhiyu''s dream world, a world that he had just created. He walked around the dream world alone, observing the world. The ground felt solid under his feet, and the buildings looked like they could be found in a real town. The food and drinks resembled the real world''s as well. He had created everything based on information he could find in the real world. Even though they were not real, but speaking from the perspective of information, they are the same as real. In this world, one could never differentiate the boundaries between what''s real and what''s not.


    "It''s a little boring and too small, but since this could work, it means that my guesses and ideas were not wrong. I am on the right path!"


    Lu Zhiyu walked as his deliberated, "There are many things I could improve on. As of now, the deified cells could only load information. I still have to develop it into an ability that could affect the outside world. I also have to have the ability to drag other intelligent beings into this dream world. Otherwise a dream world like that would not have too much of an effect!"


    Lu Zhiyu immediately committed his thoughts into memory. His genes could not merely have the ability to control information, it also had to assimilate information, to assimilate and pull others into his own dream world without them noticing. It was hard to guard against an attack on the information level.


    Lu Zhiyu left the dream world, his consciousness once again controlling his body. He stood up in the library of the dimensional castle and started to design the genes needed to assimilate information and loaded these genes onto himself. This way, Lu Zhiyu''s ability to control dreams was basically complete. It was the first supernatural power he had.


    However, this was merely the first step. There was still a long journey ahead of him. Adding gene segments one by one would eventually form a perfect life template. Lu Zhiyu would like to find a way to create his own mythical creature life template.


    ¡ª


    Lu Zhiyu had spent a few months in the Scroll of the World creating Sakun. After that, he spent a few months observing and recording its movements. This took about a year to complete. After he released Sakun, he spent another year developing the genes that could allow him to control information, from experimenting with cells that could control dreams to its refinement. In the blink of an eye, he had spent almost two years in Maria''s World.


    He was reading when he suddenly closed his eyes. The world around him darkened, and he sensed six ant-people within a two hundred meter radius from him.


    "Dream world, activate!"


    Lu Zhiyu saw a wave of information spread across the castle. His mind power swelled and dragged the consciousness of the six ant-people into his dream world.


    A few white dots appeared in the small village under the crimson moon. The white dots wandered the streets, confused. The ant-people''s minds were very weak, and they could not assume a physical shape in the dream world. Lu Zhiyu could sense that they were rather confused. The ant-people did not have much intelligence and did not near what fear was. They were simply lost as to why they suddenly appeared here. Lu Zhiyu shut off the dream world and released the ant-people''s consciousness back into their own bodies.


    Lu Zhiyu stood. It looked like the supernatural powers he had developed, the control of his dream, was rather successful. However, that was only toward the ant-people in the castle. He needed something more powerful to experiment on.


    "The flow of time seemed to have decreased again!"


    Ever since he created Sakun, the difference in the flow of time between the real world and Maria''s World had been impacted. The world seemed to be more complete now. Lu Zhiyu could sense that the once 4000 times acceleration has now decreased to just shy of 3000 times. One day in the real world was only about eight years in the world of Maria now under the influence of the acceleration of time.


    Lu Zhiyu did not expect the presence of mythical creatures like Sakun to affect Maria''s World so much. He hadn''t paid much attention to Maria''s World lately. When he checked on the world, he discovered that the sea was filled with sea monsters and large sea creatures. A large reason for their creation was because of Sakun.


    Lu Zhiyu was prepared to set out and capture Sakun. He wanted to test his new ability and see if he could deal with a mythical creature using his dream world the way he had intended.

 48 Swirl

    Lu Zhiyu arrived on the southern sea, looking for traces of Sakun. He knew the whereabouts of the creature using the Scroll of the World, but he did not want to capture it with a dimensional door. He wanted to catch it off guard and see if he could draw it into his dream world.


    His boat shimmered and disappeared. He used the dimensional door to teleport himself hundreds of miles and reappeared in another area of the ocean. Lu Zhiyu immediately discovered Sakun. It was currently playing under the ocean, boiling the area of ocean hundreds of meters around himself. A layer of dead fish floated on the water, and Sakun began feasting happily. Water vapor hung over the ocean, covering the world in a layer of mist. The water of the ocean was bubbling. Lu Zhiyu approached Sakun slowly on his boat. Sakun did not notice anything!


    Lu Zhiyu found that Sakun was five to six times bigger than the last time he saw the creature. Sakun now looked about half as tall as a full grown person. It was a lot of growth for two years'' time. It looked like Sakun had drawn a lot of Source Form from the zero-degree dimension to fuel its growth. This was another reason why Lu Zhiyu wanted to catch Sakun again. He had originally opened up the zero-degree dimension to Sakun. Now, he needed to get Sakun back. If he was going to open the dimension up again, he would definitely set a limit to how much Source Form one could draw from it.


    Sakun seemed to have felt something, it felt Lu Zhiyu''s presence. He turned and saw Lu Zhiyu approaching quickly on the white boat. Sakun was furious and wanted to activate its ability, but it was too late by then.


    "Dream world, activate!"


    Lu Zhiyu locked in on Sakun. Sakun could immediately feel its world changing. A large pulling force and information was continuously assimilating its consciousness, dragging it into Lu Zhiyu''s dream world.


    Sakun resisted with all its might, but it was useless. It had already failed the moment Lu Zhiyu locked in on its consciousness. If it had some sort of warning beforehand, Sakun might have been able to escape from Lu Zhiyu. However, it was caught off guard and couldn''t do anything but enter Lu Zhiyu''s world.


    Sakun entered the dream world, turning into a giant squid. It began manically attacking everything in this world. As the small town got destroyed, the dream world collapsed. Sakun''s mind collapsed alongside the dream world. The dream world began to regenerate and rebuild. The world was restored, and parts of Sakun''s mind seemed to have been assimilated into this world. The form of its soul seemed to have changed. Sakun began attacking it once again.


    This cycle of destruction and death happened over and over again, until finally the creature''s consciousness was completely assimilated by the dream world. In the end, Sakun''s form was also gradually interfered with Lu Zhiyu''s information, turning it into a middle aged man. It no longer had its chaotic thoughts and its anger. Sakun wandered the streets of the town aimlessly, confused and unsure of what to do.


    Suddenly, Sakun saw the smithy by the road. A mysterious force drew him in. He picked up a hammer, turned on the bellows and began to work as any normal blacksmith would. It seemed to have become a puppet, a part of the dream world. It had become a blacksmith whilst being lost within the small village. Its consciousness had become a part of the information within the dream world.


    Lu Zhiyu shot up into a sitting position in his boat. He was sweating and panting. What he just did was more dangerous than he had expected. Lu Zhiyu had done battle with Sakun in his dream world. He had almost failed, and Sakun had almost successfully escaped the dream world. If Sakun really had successfully escaped, the dream world would truly have shattered and Lu Zhiyu''s mind would have taken a great hit. But in the end, Sakun was not able to continue to fight, its consciousness assimilated into the dream world. Lu Zhiyu also realized that his own soul had grown more powerful after he had assimilated Sakun''s consciousness. However, it would take several years to completely assimilate Sakun''s consciousness. The dream world would slowly wear away Sakun''s consciousness imprint. Even though it looked like a dangerous and laborious process, but once done, Lu Zhiyu''s mind power would instantly be boosted by at least seven to eight hundred SFU, equivalent to two years of meditation.


    Meanwhile, all of the Children of Sea all sensed the loss of Sakun. They felt it through Sakun''s blood in their bodies. They lifted their heads, letting out a chorus of shrieks, as if they had lost something important. The Sakun''s Blood in their bodies had lost its master. They have gained full freedom, truly becoming Children of the Sea. Without Sakun, some sort of restraint was removed from them. Maybe one day one of them could gather enough of Sakun''s deified blood and become the new God of the Sea.


    Lu Zhiyu was elated. Triumphing over and completely killing Sakun had showed him exactly how powerful his dream world was. Sakun was relatively weak, basically a simplified version of a mythical creature that Lu Zhiyu had created. It was a mythical creature born by shrinking its body size and reducing the number of deified cells needed. In terms of mind power, it was only about equal to Lu Zhiyu''s.


    However, fundamentally, it was still a mythical creature. Even another mythical creature of the same level would have a hard time trying to completely kill it. But Lu Zhiyu had managed to do it despite not being a mythical creature himself!


    "It looks like the consciousness and the soul are indeed the only weaknesses of a mythical creature. I''m lucky that I have noticed this early and have become aware of this weakness. Otherwise, I would not be able to survive in the future when someone uses this against me!"


    He walked onto the deck and waved his hand. A meter long black squid appeared under the ocean, the surface of its body coated with a metallic glow.


    "This is a treasure!"


    That was Sakun''s body. Even though it had lost its consciousness, Sakun''s body was still alive, the cells in its body were still alive. Sakun was technically ''alive''. This was a full body of deified cells owned by a mythical creature. If Lu Zhiyu allowed the body to dissolve into the ocean, it could affect thousands of creatures.


    Slowly, the mist over the sea dispersed. The water began to return to its normal temperature and the entire ocean calmed down. Through the thinning mist, Lu Zhiyu saw a shadow. It was long and continuous and looked like a large land mass.


    "Didn''t realize I was so close to this place," Lu Zhiyu said to himself. He approached the land with the boat. This was the first time he had approached this part of the world.


    This was a miraculous island called Swirl. It looked like an island, but it was big enough to be called a continent.


    Swirl was much smaller than Alen and Yala. It was only about a tenth the size of Alen. The island looked like a circle of land surrounding a large lake. The lake was connected directly into the ocean. It was a very interesting landscape, an uncanny workmanship by the nature. But Lu Zhiyu didn''t have anything to do with it, and it had formed naturally.


    "There should be no life sentient creatures here yet, only plants and a large amount of bugs. Even animals are a rare sight here!" Lu Zhiyu observed the island the moment he set foot on it. When he saw the giant saltwater lake in the middle, he felt that it was no different from the ocean¡ªthere was no end!

 49 Mermaids

    Because of how useful the biological chambers were, Lu Zhiyu returned to Earth to order more components. After four days, the materials finally arrived. He took them back to Maria''s World and finished assembling them.


    Lu Zhiyu''s laboratory changed significantly again. The room was now filled with standing biological chambers, various medical equipment, drawings of genetic templates, and a freezing chamber filled with many labelled genetic samples. It really looked like the kind of laboratory only an alien would have!


    Lu Zhiyu put Sakun''s deified body in one of the smaller biological chambers. He had forbidden the ant-people from approaching the particular biological chamber. Even though it had lost its consciousness and only the instincts of its physical body remained, it was still very dangerous.


    On the other hand, in another larger chamber was a more beautiful creature. It was the result of his experiments for the past few days. Inside the biological chamber, there was a beautiful woman with long, sky-blue hair that fell down to her waist. From the waist down, she had a slender fish tail which was two meters long.


    She was as charming as a fairy, and her facial features were delicate and pure. Her eyelashes trembled as if she was about to open her eyes at any moment. She was a mermaid. Below her cheeks were two tattoo-like blue lines. They were the gills that would allow her to survive underwater.


    "Indeed! As long as an organism doesn''t resist the will of the deified creature, it would be assimilated!"


    Sakun had dispersed its cells all over the ocean. As he wandered about, his deified cells had caused countless sea creatures to explode, until finally the Children of the Sea were created. After some experiments, Lu Zhiyu confirmed his hypothesis.


    Lu Zhiyu used a human template and added fish genes onto it, after which he mixed in some of Sakun''s blood. This was the first spawn of a mythical creature that he had created. In some sense, the mermaid in the biological chamber could be considered as a deity, a descendant of a god-like creature, although from Lu Zhiyu''s point of view, it was a bit low to be a deity as Sakun''s descendant and not classy at all. Nevertheless, even though Sakun was not the coolest of mythical creatures, it was still a real god-like being to a normal person!


    In any case, the mermaid was truly an extraordinary life. It could be considered as the first extraordinary intelligent being.


    Lu Zhiyu walked one round around the mermaid, inspecting it carefully. Then, he nodded in satisfaction with the perfect life template that he had created. "I do have some artistic cells in me. With them around, this world will finally have some taste of magic. It''s so ugly to only fight with swords in close-range combats!"


    Suddenly, the mermaid submerged in the nutrient fluid in the biological chamber opened her eyes and stared right at Lu Zhiyu, who was startled by her sudden movement. "What''s happening? Didn''t I inject a sedative¡­ Oh right! She has just received Sakun''s blood and sedatives are clearly no longer effective."


    The mermaid who had just woken up still had a lot of tubes attached to her. She had opened her intelligent eyes and stared at the world around her curiously. She was like a newborn baby, observing the world outside as well as Lu Zhiyu.


    Waah!


    She started crying in the biological chamber like a baby. She pressed her hands against the glass wall and stared at Lu Zhiyu with her huge eyes. This caused Lu Zhiyu to feel somehow uncomfortable!


    Lu Zhiyu and the mermaid stared at each other and he actually did not know what to do. This was the first time he made eye contact with an intelligent lifeform in a biological chamber, and he felt very awkward!


    Lu Zhiyu activated his dream space and waved his hand gently. The mermaid slowly lowered her eyelids under his influence and fell back asleep. Then, he moved on to create around a dozen more mermaids. Lu Zhiyu only stopped after the process had used up about half of Sakun''s deified cells.


    The mermaids were born and would grow up completely in the biological chambers. Lu Zhiyu only had to provide them with enough nutrient fluid for them to grow from infancy all the way to maturity.


    In particular, after he injected Sakun''s blood into them, he used his dream space to guide them so that their instincts would not resist the invading cells. The deified cells were able to catalyze their growth, allowing these mermaids to grow from babies into adults in a few days!


    Soon, around a dozen sleeping mermaids with tubes attached to them floated in the cold biological chambers in the laboratory. The whole room seemed to be filled with evilness. In addition, Lu Zhiyu who was wearing a white coat looked like a doctor in stories who was doing some evil research!


    "I thought I''d be a good guy," he said, amused by his own thoughts.


    He walked in front of every mermaid, checking their body conditions and health statuses. He paid close attention to how well the deified cells were assimilating into these mermaids, making sure that there were no signs of any resistance or backfiring.


    "Specimen number two, deified cell assimilation rate at 42%. Her ability should be control of fire."


    "..."


    "Specimen number five, deified cell assimilation rate at 37%. Her ability should be charming sound waves!"


    The mermaids had inherited Sakun''s abilities, but only some of them. It depended on what abilities they had obtained when they were being fused with Sakun''s blood.


    Some could control fire, while others could control ice. Some had power over water, or the ability Charm, which was an ability formed from the fusion of Sakun''s mind power and the charming appearances and voices of the mermaids.


    Out of all these mermaids, specimen number one showed the highest rate of assimilation, which was over 70%, and was the most powerful. She had most of Sakun''s abilities, especially those that could control temperature, though she was not as powerful as Sakun in terms of the ranges of the abilities.


    Sakun could easily evaporate all the water within hundreds of meters, or freeze it into ice. After some training, the mermaid could at most affect the region up to twenty or thirty meters away from her.


    After checking the conditions of the mermaids, as well as the assimilation of deified cells, Lu Zhiyu released the mermaids into the large, saltwater lake which was connected to the ocean on the Swirl Continent. This was the place he had chosen for these mermaids. From now on, the Swirl Continent would belong to the mermaids, the first extraordinary intelligent race to be born on Maria''s World!


    After Lu Zhiyu removed the seals he had placed on the mermaids'' minds, they immediately woke up. They surfaced from the water and looked at the scene over the lake, taking their first view of Maria''s World.


    White clouds dotted the clear, blue sky above them, and the lake stretched out infinitely. In the distance, lush forests rose in rank, and seabirds flew across the sky occasionally. The mermaids gazed at the outside world like a group of newborn babies, curious about everything


    The only one who looked confused was number one. This world was different from what she saw just now. She still remembered the strange, cold box she was in, and the weird man staring at her outside.


    However, she almost immediately left her confusion behind. In comparison, this new world around her was so much more interesting than the previous one. The colorful Maria''s World, fresh air, and vast waters were enough for her to forget what had happened.


    The mermaids played in the beautiful lake like sprites of water. They danced amongst the waves and explored the floor of the lake. Then, they swam along the side of the lake, heading towards the unknown distance!

 50 Mansion

    Zoe had invited Lu Zhiyu to an upper-class party in London. The party was held in a mansion just on the outskirts of the city. Lu Zhiyu had accepted her invitation because he had spent a few years in Maria''s World, doing nothing but experimenting with different creatures. When he first came back to the real world, he couldn''t quite remember how to interact with others and even his facial expressions were unnatural.


    He felt that if he kept doing this to himself, he would forget how to act like a proper human being, so he wanted to take this opportunity to get away from his experiments a little and relax. He was also very curious about the British upper-class. He had only seen such parties in movies, and he wanted to see what a real one was like.


    After changing into a nice suit, he drove out to the outskirts of the city. As he drove toward the mansion, he used the time to enjoy the view along the way and took a deep breaths of the fresh country air. At one time, London was one of the most heavily polluted cities in the world but now, there was no sign of pollution in the country. The air was fresh and the surroundings were clean and beautiful.


    As he approached the mansion, he could see a large building standing alone at the foot of the mountain, there were no other buildings around the mansion and its grounds. When he arrived at the mansion, he saw that many people had arrived already. Getting out of his car, he took out his invitation.


    A few guards stood at the gate. They checked his invitation and allowed him inside. The grass in the garden was neatly trimmed and a variety of trees and flowers adorned the garden as well as fountains and statues of angels. A few gardeners were still working in the garden, taking care of the plants.


    Even though the garden looked very new, the mansion itself looked like a castle and appeared very old. It was clear that the owner of this mansion was not only rich, but also came from a privileged background.


    He entered the mansion through a pair of glass doors and saw a large group of people already gathered inside. As soon as he walked in, the attention of the room turned to him. The good looks his genes had blessed him with made him the center of attention wherever he went, and this place was no exception. Everyone was looking at him, curious about who he was. A young woman wearing a black dress smiled at him as she walked over.


    She held out her hand and said, "I''ve never seen you here before. I''m Lisa."


    "Anthony," Lu Zhiyu said with a smile. "Nice to meet you."


    "No offense intended," Lisa said after they shook hands. "But are you a man, sir?"


    Lu Zhiyu frowned a little, then nodded. By then, there was a small crowd had gathered around them. Everyone was looking at him, curious. Seeing his response, Lisa''s eyes widened. "You are indeed very handsome," she said. "Dare I say, even women would be jealous!"


    "Thank you," Lu Zhiyu said awkwardly. Suddenly, someone grabbed Lu Zhiyu''s hand. He turned and saw Zoe standing behind him.


    "This is my friend, Lisa," Zoe said with a smile. "I have to talk to him about something." Lisa frowned, but she didn''t say anything as she turned to leave.


    Zoe led Lu Zhiyu to a corner on the left side of the room. The two found a red couch and sat down. Immediately, a server came over with some champagne and snacks and Lu Zhiyu and Zoe each took a flute. They clinked their glasses and Zoe asked, "You came alone? Didn''t you bring a date?"


    "I don''t know a lot of people here," Lu Zhiyu said, shaking his head. "I just wanted to know what your parties are like."


    Zoe glanced at him as if she found his words hard to believe. "Oh my God, you''re not...gay, are you?"


    Zoe looked at him as if confirming something. Lu Zhiyu waved his hands frantically and said, "No, no, no. Don''t make such jokes, Zoe. They''re not funny."


    "Alright," Zoe said with a small smile and nodded. She grabbed his hand and said, "Then I will be your date tonight. Promise me you''ll dance with me?"


    "I''m not a good dancer, though," Lu Zhiyu said with a shrug. "I might step on your feet."


    Zoe smiled. "Don''t worry," she said with a small wave. "Come on. I want to introduce you to someone."


    In the middle of the room was a thin man with a small beard. He was very slender, but he looked very energetic and proud and seemed to be a good friend of Zoe''s. As Zoe walked over with Lu Zhiyu, he first waved at her, then glanced curiously at him. After Zoe introduced Lu Zhiyu to him, he smiled and said, "Greetings, Mr. Anthony. I''m Charles Andrew. Welcome to my party."


    "The honor is all mine," Lu Zhiyu said, shaking hands with him.


    The party was more fun than Lu Zhiyu expected. Charles had hired a professional band, and the band performed some very interesting and unique music. Amidst the elegant music, the moon rose and its light poured into the room through the large windows. The entire mansion was lit up for the party and the attendees in suits and elegant gowns danced together under the mingling party light. The atmosphere made one feel like they had been transported to the Middle Ages.


    Lu Zhiyu walked onto the dance floor with Zoe, who unexpectedly tugged him into a waltz. The two waltzed across the floor with such ease that the dancers around them stopped to glance at them. When the song ended, the two concluded their dance with a professional pose and applause erupted around them. Zoe looked at him with a wide smile, her cheeks flushed. "I thought you said you couldn''t dance," she said. "You were being modest, weren''t you?"


    Lu Zhiyu grinned mysteriously. Of course, he wouldn''t tell Zoe that although he had never danced the waltz before, he did have his sub-brain do some research about dancing. That, combined with his absolute control over his own body and attention to detail, made it easy to learn how to dance and pretend that he had been learning it since he was young.


    After talking for a few more minutes after leaving the dance floor, Lu Zhiyu said, "I''ll be fine. You don''t have to stay with me the entire time. I think I''ll walk around a little. I''m pretty interested in this castle."


    Lu Zhiyu knew the reason Zoe came to this party was to network and expand her connections. She was the daughter of a businessman and had several siblings. If she wanted her family business and more resources, she would have to fight for it. She needed more friends and more people who knew her face and name. This was why this party was so important to her.


    Lu Zhiyu walked through the hallway of the castle alone, looking at all the paintings in the hall. The paintings showed the previous owners of this mansion, and there were brief descriptions about each one of them under their portraits as well as some descriptions of the castle''s history and some of the important events that had taken place there. This mansion had a long history, and Lu Zhiyu was very interested by it.


    "That''s my grandfather," a voice said as Lu Zhiyu stared at a painting of an old man. He turned and saw Charles standing behind him. "He was a devoted Christian," Charles said.


    "Do you believe in God, Mr. Andrew?" Lu Zhiyu asked, curious.

 51 Invitation

    Charles smiled mysteriously. "My beliefs are¡­ slightly different from my grandfather''s. I would like to tell you more, if you''re interested."


    "Of course," Lu Zhiyu said earnestly with a nod. "I am very interested."


    "Do you believe in the blood race?" Charles asked in a hushed whisper.


    "Vampires?" Lu Zhiyu said, surprised.


    There was a difference between these words, so Charles shook his head. "No, the blood race!"


    Lu Zhiyu narrowed his eyes. Charles''s questions had made him very curious. He glanced at Charles. "There are many legends about the the blood race," he said. "One can go as far back as thousands of years ago, to the Mesopotamian civilization. There are records of them in ancient Jewish texts and from the Roman Empire. Some say they are descendants of Cain, the first murderer according to the Bible, who murdered his brother due to jealousy. Others say they came from Judah or the Wallachian ruler Vlad Dracula."


    He paused for a moment. "Ever since the middle ages, the Catholic Church has issued several decrees regarding the blood race, acting as if the blood race was a great enemy. This seemed to validate their existence. It was as if these blood-sucking creatures had been hidden among humans for centuries." Lu Zhiyu paused, then said, "Of course, no one knows whether that''s real or not. These are all rumors and legends passed down through generations. No one has actually met them before. It''s just a legend!"


    Charles shook his head. "No, it''s not just a legend. If you are willing, I can show you a whole different world."


    "Really?" Lu Zhiyu asked, intrigued. "I am very interested."


    The two exchanged their business cards and Charles disappeared with a mysterious smile while Lu Zhiyu frowned. He was certain that Charles was a normal man without any form of special abilities. However, he had probed at Charles''s mind and found out some of the information that Charles was talking about.


    Charles was a loyal member of a cult called the Vatican Clan. He joined this cult when he was still attending college and became an official member of it after he graduated. There were many famous people in the cult. There were several wealthy businessmen and politicians, as well as scientists and artists. There were even some actors and famous authors among the cult''s members. This cult clearly wielded very significant influence.


    There also seemed to be some mysterious and powerful forces and people behind this cult. Charles'' memory also contained some miraculous events. Did these supernatural forces and powers really exist on Earth?


    But then he remembered the Scroll of the World, and he became even more interested. He wanted to learn more about this cult.


    As for why Charles invited him, Lu Zhiyu was interested too. It seemed that the appearance of members was very important to this cult. All the members were very beautiful humans. The more beautiful one was, the more likely they were to be invited to join the cult. It was as if only attractive beings fit the requirement for the blood race!


    This was why Charles had approached Lu Zhiyu. He looked at the card Charles had given him. Even though Charles didn''t say anything when he left, Lu Zhiyu knew that his name would be on the list next time the cult gathered for a meeting. Lu Zhiyu decided that he would join the next meeting. He was set on discovering what was up with this cult.


    After leaving the manor, he and Charles spent some time chatting together. Zoe looked at the two of them with an even stranger expression on her face as if she''d determined Lu Zhiyu''s sexual orientation.


    "Anthony, did you keep rejecting me because you really do like men?" As Lu Zhiyu was about to drive away from the mansion, Zoe suddenly squeezed into the passenger seat.


    "Of course not," Lu Zhiyu said. "He just told me some interesting things."


    Zoe frowned. "He''s not inviting you into some cult, is he?"


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t expect Zoe to know about the cult as well. "You know about it too?" he asked, surprised.


    Zoe shook her head. "Not much," she said. "But Charles and my brother went to the same university, so I know a little about things. I just want to tell you not to get in too deep."


    "Is it dangerous?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    "I don''t know," Zoe said with a shrug. "But these cults are always so mysterious and private. You can''t be recognized officially and you must hide yourself. Why hide if there''s nothing wrong? You should at least be cautious."


    The two stayed in the car and chatted for a bit longer before Zoe bade him goodbye and slipped away. She got into her own car with a professional chauffeur-bodyguard who escorted her away.


    Lu Zhiyu thought about Zoe''s words. He thought that even if it was dangerous, it wouldn''t really be a threat to him. Of course, he would still be careful because he wasn''t sure what was hiding under the surface of this world.


    Speaking of Zoe, she''d seemed interested in Lu Zhiyu all this time, but she never initiated anything. She seemed like a hard-to-get woman and was a strong and independent woman in reality!


    He sat in his car for a bit longer, then drove away from the mansion. This party had been very interesting and it helped revitalize him. Humans were indeed social animals. All sorts of psychological problems would appear after being separated for too long!


    Once he got back to his house, he spent some time watching TV before returning to the dimensional castle. Another dozen of years had passed since he left, but the ant-people had kept the castle tidy. Lu Zhiyu didn''t need to rest for energy now, but he still had the habit of sleeping. Resting his mind could help adjust his state.


    Ever since he developed supernatural creatures, he began planning his next move. He wanted to open up the path to the zero-dimensional space, so that the supernatural creatures could flourish in Maria''s World. He wanted to use Maria''s World as a testing ground for these organisms.


    He was only one man and have limited speed and energy. He would sometimes make mistakes or have loopholes in his thoughts. If he got more people to do the same thing as him, he could progress much faster and more efficiently. Other people might even point out the correct path for him.


    George Bernard Shaw had once said, "You have an apple and I have an apple. If we trade, we still only have one apple each. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we trade, we will each have two ideas!"


    This was how knowledge was. Lu Zhiyu could receive knowledge discovered by others without having to steal them. This was a mutually-beneficial thing.

 52 Magic Network

    "What should I call a group of people who make discovering supernatural forces their goal? They almost sound like wizards or something!"


    Lu Zhiyu decided that he would name this civilization system. Yes, he considered this a civilization system because once the usage of mind power and deified cells was spread, it could form a culture that wouldn''t be inferior to the scientific and technological system.


    He wanted to call it the Magician civilization, but that sounded too exclusionary and mysterious. In the end, he decided to use the name Wizard civilization.


    The first step would be opening up a path to the zero-dimensional space throughout the entire Maria''s World. But instead of letting it be freely open, he would adopt an indirect method.


    He prepared to construct a passage from the one-dimensional space and use it as a requirement to access the Source Form from the zero-dimensional space. When the strength of a person''s mind met the requirement, he or she would be able to connect to the one-dimensional passage, through which one could absorb the Source Form in the zero-dimensional space to strengthen their mind power.


    "Let''s call it the Magic Network. Sixty percent of the Source Form a person draws from the zero-dimensional space using the Magic Network would come to me. The person will only receive forty percent of that. This can also be a means for me to harvest Source Form!"


    Lu Zhiyu''s Source Form in the hourglass had grown significantly. After a thousand years of collecting Source Form, the measure had increased from 129 units to 1363 units. At the beginning, the first two hundred years only yielded less than a hundred units'' worth of Source Form. The growth rate had become faster and faster. Now, every year would yield about eight or nine units worth of Source Form.


    Admittedly, a normal organism contained very little Source Form. Lu Zhiyu had gathered several hundred scales of Source Form from the insect queens. The amount of Source Form a normal life contained was minuscule compared to an insect queen.


    Following his own thoughts, Lu Zhiyu used the Scroll of the World to revise some of the rules in the one-dimensional space from there, covering the entire Maria''s World with the one-dimensional passages. And because it was an overlapping of a lower dimensional world, unless one could detect the dimensions, neither humans nor supernatural creatures could sense the changes!


    Lu Zhiyu could feel the secret passages of the network appear one after another, expanding across Maria''s World. He could also feel his Source Form slowly being drained by this process, like water flowing out. It was shocking.


    He knew that it would take a lot of Source Form to create a network that covered the entire world, but he did not expect this. Creating Maria''s World had only used about 1000 units of Source Form, but the consumption now was even more than that.


    Of course, he had used material energy from the outer universe when creating Maria''s World. Lu Zhiyu''s own Source Form was mostly used to change the rules and convert the material energy into a world. Now, he was using his own Source Form to create paths that would bear and extract the Source Form to build a supernatural network.


    However, this network was only for transporting energy. To take the Source Form from the providing zero-dimensional space, it required the organism to have a conscious mind. There was no other way to extract Source Form.


    Thus, Lu Zhiyu was only setting up a framework so far. Afterwards, the other supernatural creatures must connect to the Magic Network to extract the Source Form and allow Lu Zhiyu to get some "toll fees."


    As the network spread bit by bit, he found that the Source Form he had collected had been reduced to less than 1000 units. More than 1000 years of hard work had been reduced to nothing in an instant.


    Because the network didn''t cover his castle, he decided that he would go check on the world itself. Before going down himself, he used the Scroll of the World to check what had been happening and what had changed in Maria''s World.


    On the elfin continent, the overpopulation of elves placed a strain on the Forest of Life. The realm of the elves became divided due to this problem. Two Elders, originally members of the council, took a seed of the Tree of Life. Together with those who were willing to follow them, they left the Forest of Life. They began exploring Yala and looking for a new place to settle down and call home.


    On Alen, the humans and orcs were still locked in never-ending conflicts. There had been several wars. However, this fighting increased the exchange of culture, and both human and orcs civilization was growing stronger. The vast continent was home to many different styles of life and cultures. Many different groups and countries formed in both human and orc civilizations as well.


    There were multiple large human kingdoms, like the Batko Empire in the desert, the Mara Kingdom in the forests, the Tuten Dynasty to the east, the Lumen Kingdom that came to power through sea trade, and the most powerful Crete Empire in the heart of the land. There were also smaller kingdoms and duchies between these large kingdoms. These smaller nations made alliances with the larger kingdoms and formed a pyramid of power.


    Among these nations, the Crete Empire was not the most powerful but had the strongest military. It occupied the plain in the center of the continent where human civilization began. Thus, it was considered to be the purest bloodline, and its ruling dynasty was referred to as the Iron Dynasty.


    Since Ahenaten''s Golden Dynasty, there were multiple wars that divided the empire he created. These empires were broken up and united over and over again. The Crete Empire was the fourth to unite all the small kingdoms. Before that, there was also the Silver Dynasty, called the Pyroris Empire, and the Copper Dynasty, called the Tylen Empire.


    The Crete Empire started about a hundred years ago, when the middle plain was fractured into dozens of nations. Elliot I of the Crete Empire had defeated the Nossos Kingdom, the Fatu Kingdom, the Nia Kingdom, the Caslot Federation, and various other nations to unite the plains.


    For over thirty years, the trading fleets on the sea were affected by the "Children of the Sea." Because of this, no ship was willing to venture into the deep sea. At times, a single safe passage could cause internal conflicts in a small kingdom.


    Lu Zhiyu wanted to check out the sea when he was distracted by movements in the valley. He refocused the Scroll of the World, curious. Many workers were working in a valley, digging for something. The entire mountain seemed to have been upended.


    Finally, one of the slaves dug too deeply and the ground beneath him collapsed. He fell in immediately. People looked down and saw a circular point. The slave happened to have fallen right on top and was killed.


    A man dressed as a noble walked over. A few guards pushed aside the bystanders. The man lay on the ground, looking down. He immediately recognized the designs on the rocks inside.


    "This is it! I recognize this style of architecture! This is the Golden Dynasty''s marking. And that sigil of the sun is from the legends. Apparently it''s the mark of God''s blessing to them! We found it! After such a long time, we finally found it!" The man was so excited that he was practically shaking.

 53 Ahenaten’s Grave

    "Hurry up, open it!"


    "Everyone start working on this, now!"


    No one cared that one slave had died. As soon as the body of the slave who fell in was retrieved, it was tossed aside. All the workers were redirected to the hole in the ground and resumed digging. Soon they found a large domed building. However, they found that their progress was stalled by a large rock that blocked the entire entrance.


    A Bloodline Knight appeared. He stopped before the rock, holding a hammer almost as tall as he was. Using his power, he swung the hammer and shattered the rock. After the dust settled, the entrance was revealed to everyone. The knight opened the gate, revealing a world where no one had set foot in a thousand years. A winding staircase leading down into the mountains appeared.


    "Prepare yourselves," ordered the middle-aged nobleman that was in charge, Viscount Tena.


    Everyone quickly prepared themselves for the descent. After an hour, the soldiers that were supposed to descend into the mountains stood in front of the gate, waiting for further orders.


    "Where are the torches?!"


    "You! Go first!" the nobleman roared. His guards drew their swords and pointed them at the slave shaking in fear. Seeing no other choices, the slave grabbed a torch and began his descent. His footsteps echoed in the dark, empty hall. Seeing that there was no danger, the soldiers and the nobleman began following the slave.


    Suddenly, the slave who was leading the way stepped on air. He fell into a trap and was impaled by a spear. The soldier behind him was knocked off of the staircase by a large rock that rolled out of another hidden trap.


    "A trap!"


    "This is the curse of the Golden King!" one of the workers cried. "We can''t do this!"


    "We are offending the gods!"


    The nobleman raised his sword and cut down one of the screaming slaves. "There''s no curse!" he bellowed. "Those are all false rumors! You belong to my family and I am your lord! You will all follow my orders!"


    Surrounded by a dozen trained knights and three awakened Bloodline Knights, the slaves couldn''t do anything to defy the viscount''s orders. They kept going, triggering more traps along the way. They pressed on at the expense of human lives. Once in a while, screams of slaves who stumbled into traps would echo in the dark, dank mountain. At the bottom of the stairway was a long hallway.


    "Look!" someone called. "There''s something on the wall!"


    Tena took a torch and inspected the hallway they were in. Under the flickering light of the torch, he saw that the walls of the hallway were covered in murals, depicting different people and events. He studied them, his fingers grazing the walls lightly.


    "I can''t believe it." He turned to his men and announced loudly, "This isn''t just a grave from the Golden Dynasty! This is the grave of King Ahenaten! The first king of men!"


    Everyone stared at the murals in shock. To them, Ahenaten belonged to the early history, to the legends and songs and epics. Seeing history unfolding right in front of them made these men very excited.


    Tena led his men deeper down the hall. "Look, these depict scenes of the Golden Dynasty. The Battle of Red River Plain, the foundation of his empire, him slaying the Orc King Costa, and¡­"


    He saw a statue of a god. It had a mask with the sigil of the sun and he was giving a young boy a sword and a bag of seeds. Everyone gasped at this.


    Tena gripped the torch in shock. "So it''s true? The Golden King really did meet a god. This is the Sword of the King from the legends. According to legends, Ahenaten''s family had the golden bloodline given by this God--Archangel Faross!"


    He stared at the God in the murals in a daze. A beat later, he finally turned around. "Hurry, let''s go! If the legends are true, the Sword of the King must be somewhere in here! According to legend, the reason the Golden Dynasty fell was because Ahenaten took the Sword of the King into his tomb. Whoever finds the sword will unite the Alen Continent and be the true king of the world!"


    The group pressed on through several chambers full of traps until they finally reached where Ahenaten was laid to rest. The moment that the gate was opened and the torches'' light touched the room, everyone was blinded by a flash of golden light.


    "It''s gold!"


    "This is all gold!"


    "So much gold!"


    Tena laughed maniacally, his heart pounding in his chest. Since his grandfather''s generation, his family had dedicated themselves to finding this tomb. After all these years, he had finally found the hidden treasures of the Golden Dynasty.


    "Hurry, light all the candles!"


    When the candles were lit and the entire chamber was illuminated, everyone gaped. Platinum, silver, and diamonds and crystals of all colors covered the entire room.


    The most eye-catching was the coffin on a raised platform in the center of the room. It was made completely out of gold with hundreds of colorful gems. The opulent designs and golden shine stole their breaths.


    The people waded through the gold coins. Their feet seemed to sink into the treasure; some As even seemed to slip right into their boots. Everyone stared at the treasure with gaping mouths, their thoughts completely taken by the treasure.


    Instead of looking at the treasure around him, Tena was staring at the coffin. He ran right up to it. "Go, open it."


    "Are you sure, my lord?" one of the men asked. "This is the Golden King''s coffin. He''d interacted with God before. Do we really want to open it? Wouldn''t that be¡­"


    Tena didn''t care. He just wanted to verify if the legendary Sword of the King really existed. "I said, open it" he roared.


    The knights glanced at each other, then walked up to the coffin and opened it. Inside was an old man wearing a golden mask. He held a longsword in his hands. Even after thousands of years, the body still looked alive.


    Fear creeped into everyone''s hearts. Especially since they were in a dark underground tunnel, the strange atmosphere ate away at them. As soon as outside air touched the body, it slowly weathered and turned to smoke.


    This made everyone even more fearful, but Tena did not notice that at all. "What are you scared of? He''s dead. What can he do?"


    Tena stared at the sword. "It really is here, the legendary sword given by the gods!"


    He picked it up and slid the sword from the elegant golden sheath. White light flashed in everyone''s vision. He struck his guard''s sword with it. The guard''s sword snapped in half, but the sword in his hand didn''t even have a nick.


    Tena laughed heartily. "It really is the Sword of the King, a sword from the gods. Even after thousands of years, it is still sturdy, white, and sharp, as if it had just been forged. I can''t believe it''s in my hands now!"


    Suddenly, another thing in the coffin drew his attention. He didn''t know what it was, but if it was important enough to be buried with Ahenaten, then it must be something as powerful as the sword. It might be at the same level as the Sword of the King.


    What kind of treasure can it be that was as powerful as the sword? The sword was a gift from the gods, so had Ahenaten been gifted with something else from the gods too?


    In addition to Tena, this thought also hit every other person in the chamber.

 54 He Who Drinks the Blood of God

    Viscount Tena reached into the coffin and grabbed the gemstone peeking out. Everyone was attracted by it. This gemstone shone with a bright, golden light. Under the torches'' light, it looked almost like a small piece of sunlight. What was even more stunning, however, was that there was some red substance rippling in the middle of the gemstone.


    "What is this?" Tena wondered out loud.


    Suddenly, a beam of light projected from the gemstone onto the wall. Everyone in the room jumped, their eyes following the beam of light. A film appeared on the wall. It was a scene of a plain under the sunset with a rushing river. A young boy knelt before a man wearing a mask and glowing with white light. The masked man gave a sword and a pouch to the boy.


    Everyone in the room held their breath. They knew that they were watching a depiction of the moment the Golden King Ahenaten received a revelation from God one thousand years ago. The scene was right before their eyes.


    Even though there were no words accompanying this projection, everyone knew what it meant. They could sense the God''s language. It was a mysterious and strange feeling. Seeing Ahenaten take the sword, everyone knew that he would then build the first human empire and become a great king. Even today, his bloodline was one of the most powerful in the world.


    However, the projection did not end there. Viscount Tena saw the God pick up a stone and drop some blood onto it. The stone turned into the golden gemstone Tena was holding in his hand.


    The God''s lips moved. The film was silent, but a line resounded in everyone''s minds. He who drinks the blood of God will become a descendant of God, and will wield the power of Almighty!


    This utterance crashed in everyone''s minds like a crack of thunder. Everyone''s breathing quickened. Only this sentence remained in their minds.


    He who drinks the blood of God will become a descendant of God!


    The Bloodline Knight behind Tena was the first to make his move. He raised his sword and brought it down over Tena''s head. Tena raised the Sword of the King and blocked the attack. "Sova!" he spat angrily, "How dare you betray me! Everyone, take this traitor down! In the name of the Tena family!"


    He activated his bloodline power and his hereditary swordsmanship skills¡ªthe Storming Blades¡ªand began fighting with the Bloodline Knight, Sova.


    While fighting, Sova turned and called, "What are you waiting for? Kill him and everything is ours! The sword, the blood, all the treasure in the room! It''s all ours! Why are you still working for him? Don''t you want to have the power of God?"


    Sova''s words resonated with the Bloodline Knights and the other knights in the room. These men came forward and joined the fight against the viscount. The slaves began stuffing their pockets with the treasure and making a run to the exit.


    The fight between slaves and guards, between the viscount and his knights turned the underground tomb into a living hell. Cries and screams echoed in the empty chambers. The treasures and promise of power were more than enough to wake the deepest desire and greed within everyone in that chamber.


    Viscount Tena fought three of the Bloodline Knights and was finally slain by his own men, with two swords piercing his chest. After his death, the remaining knights began fighting amongst themselves for the divine blood.


    Blood soaked into the ground, and bodies began piling up amidst the treasure. In the end, the final victor was Sova, the Bloodline Knight who''d first attacked Tena.


    He had taken a dozen injuries and was covered in blood. However, with the resilient bloodline power he had awakened, he survived his injuries. He could keep his mind clear even in a situation like this.


    Sova grabbed the Sword of the King and pried the gemstone out of Tena''s hand. His blood-covered hands bloodied the gemstone as well. His eyes filled with greed. His entire being seemed to drown in the gemstone''s beauty.


    "You''re mine, hahaha! You''re mine. I''m the ultimate victor, the one chosen by gods!"


    He stumbled out of the chamber with the sword as his support and began making his way outside, leaving a long trail of bloody footprints behind him. He soon disappeared in the underground tunnels.


    But just as he about to make it out of the underground tomb, he forced his head up and saw a rock flying towards him, as well as a dirty yet excited face.


    The rocks came until Sova''s features were like ground meat and he''d stopped breathing. There were two slaves. One grabbed the Sword of the King and the other took the gemstone from Sova''s body. After that, they made a run for it along the forest path, trying to get out of the mountain range.


    Lu Zhiyu appeared in the tomb. Looking at the bodies in the tomb and the gold on the ground, he found it ironic. He didn''t understand why these ordinary people existed.


    After he found out that these people were looking for Ahenaten''s tomb, he put his own blood into a gemstone and placed it in Ahenaten''s tomb. He wanted to release his deified cells into the world through these people''s hands. However, he did not expect for greed and desire to fill these people''s hearts and shed blood due to this.


    Of course, this had served its purpose, which was to take his deified cells out to create its own spawn. He hadn''t deified his entire body or created his own mythical template yet, but this would be good preparation for later.


    Without a unique mythical template, his cells could only create his spawn. He couldn''t use them for his reincarnations. Only someone with a unique mythical template could influence the life form of other organisms by their own and alter them to become the same organism as itself.


    It was alright though. He could get ready beforehand and establish his spawn. Some ten years later, when he completed the template, he could then use his deified cells to influence and assimilate them.


    Lu Zhiyu had done plenty of experiments on Sakun, and he had figured out how to create spawn for a mythical creature when he was creating the mermaids. He was confident that he knew what he was doing.


    As he was walking through the tomb, he wondered who would get his blood. His power wasn''t just any normal power. Anyone that received it could achieve great things with his power.


    He walked up the platform in the chamber to Ahenaten''s coffin. He looked at the empty coffin and felt a sudden rush of sadness. In the blink of an eye, it had been over a thousand years already since Ahenaten had died. Even the first generation of elves that he had created were dying now.


    Lu Zhiyu still remembered clearly how Ahenaten had begged him for immortality the night of his death. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the coffin, watching the mural on the walls and the flickering shadows under the candleholders. He suddenly felt very empty, as if he had just lost something very important.


    "Ah!"

 55 The Church

    A few days later, another group of knights entered Bull Mountain Range. They were heavily armored, wearing cloaks and carrying swords. Each of them bore the sigil of the sun on their cloaks.


    An old man wearing a long dark red cardinal robe walked out of the group of people surrounding him and into the tomb. He immediately saw the bodies littered on the ground and the empty golden coffin. The underground tomb was in chaos.


    A few filthy slaves were tossed in front of the red-robed cardinal. A few knights carried forward a few gold coins along with some gold and silver wares, among which was the mask worn by the Golden King.


    The red-robed cardinal looked at the items and nodded. If the slaves weren''t trying to sell these items, they wouldn''t have discovered this place. The cardinal looked at the kneeling slaves, "Did you find these here?"


    The slaves were trembling. Before them was one of the ten red-robed cardinal of the Church of Light. The number of people in such a high position can be counted with the two hands. His name was widely spread within the Alen continent. Even the emperor of the Crete Empire would have to treat a red-robed cardinal of the Church of Light with respect.


    Normally, the slaves would never have the opportunity to meet a person like the cardinal, who claimed to be people closest to God; not to mention get the opportunity to talk to them. But at this moment, there was only fear in their hearts.


    One of the knights put a sword to a slave''s neck and said, "Speak!"


    The slave could not handle the pressure and shouted, "I''ll speak. We''re Viscount Tena''s slaves. We entered the Bull Forest a few months ago. Over these few months, we have always been following the master''s orders and excavating here. At first, we did not know the reason for what we were doing, but later we found out that the Viscount was searching for the tomb of the Golden Dynasty!"


    The cardinal nodded. This was information he already knew. The Tena family was the master of this area, but the Bull Forest was not under their control. They have already violated the laws of the empire, but that was not the red-robed cardinal cared about.


    "What did you see here, tell me everything!" Even the red-robed cardinal was at awe of the large amount of treasures before him. But he appeared collected. He was not a small noble by the countryside that have never witnessed such a scene!


    The slave continued with a shaky voice, "That day, we excavated a pit and discovered this place. There were many traps along the way, and many of us died. But the master continued commanding us to go forward. We opened the door and found this room. We found the coffin of the Golden King!"


    "Get to the point. What else did you discover?" a priest wearing a black robe standing behind the cardinal asked hurriedly.


    The cardinal turned his head and stared at his subordinate, causing him to retreat in embarrassment, "You need not hurry, take your time."


    The slave nodded, "Viscount Tena said we should open the coffin, but Lord Sova objected, saying God would curse us. After all, this is the tomb of the Golden King. But that didn''t stop Lord Tena. They then opened the coffin."


    At this point, the slave''s eyes revealed an expression of extreme fear, " Back then, the Golden King seemed to be alive. He did not seem dead. But after we opened the coffin, he disappeared like a ghost!"


    "Then, then they were all struck by a curse they started killing each other. They killed each other manically!" The slave was immensely frightened as he recalled the scene.


    The cardinal frowned. "What did they find in the coffin?"


    The worker thought about it and said, "First, they found a sword. They said it was a divine sword given to them by the God. It still had a cold glow, able to slice a knight''s sword into half with a strike. It was still shiny as snow despite being in the tomb for over a thousand years!"


    His words shocked everyone present, including the knights of the Church. Everyone had a longing and excited expression, "It is the Sword of the King. God has given us the authority of the king and had chosen the emperor. It must be a true divine weapon since it was found here!"


    The red-robed cardinal was very excited. A divine weapon that had been gifted to them by God could truly represent the orthodoxy of the Church of Light. They had to obtain it. That was the whole reason why they had come here in the first place. If he was successful, it was highly possible that he would take the position as the next leader of the Church.


    At this moment, the red-robed cardinal suddenly remembered something, "You said they first found the sword. What else did they find?"


    The slave realized that he had chosen the wrong words, his gaze wavering. The red-robed cardinal''s voice became stern, "Speak!"


    Nervously, the slave shouted immediately, "They found... ichor!"


    The atmosphere instantly became quiet. The cardinal shivered as he asked, "What?"


    The slave quickly continued, "They later found a golden gemstone in the coffin. There was ichor sealed within. When they took the gemstone out, a picture was instantly projected onto the wall. It was a picture of a scene that happened a thousand years ago, the scene of God giving the Golden King his divine mission. Back then, God did not only give the Golden King his divine sword and seeds. He also gave him ichor. God told the Golden King¡­he said...!"


    "What did he say?" the cardinal could not help but grab tightly on the shoulder of the slave. He did not care if the slave was filthy anymore.


    The slave shivered as he said, his voice becoming shriller because of his fear, "God said, ''he who drinks the blood of God will become a descendant of God, and will wield the power of my Almighty!''"


    The red-robed cardinal reacted immediately. He shouted manically, "Kill all of them, kill all of them, as well as all who knows about this. Leave no one alive, kill all of them!"


    "No you cannot do this! We did everything you said!"


    "Oh Goddess Maria above, you''ll face the punishment of God¡­"


    "Spare me, don''t kill me!"


    The knights charged forward and killed all of the slaves. The heavy atmosphere made breathing difficult. Some time later, the red-robed cardinal finally collected himself, "Send a message back to the Church. This is top secret, no one here is to speak a word of this. Anyone who speaks a word of this will be hunted by the Church of Light for the rest of his life!"


    "Also, lead the knights of the Church and find all the slaves that were here back then. We must find the sword and the ichor!"


    "The rest of you are not to leave this place. Seal this place. Do not allow anyone to enter or leave the Bull Mountain Range!"

 56 Stormy Developments

    Although the Church of Light tried its best to hide the information, news still began to spread. There were not just one or two slaves that escaped that day. The rest of the escaped slaves had leaked the news.


    The rumor that the tomb of the Golden King was discovered in the Bull Mountain Range quickly spread through the entire Crete empire, as well as into many of the neighboring countries. But, an even more mysterious and terrifying piece of news was hidden within the rumor.


    The capital of the Crete empire, Virginia, also known as the Lion City, had its palace situated around the center-north side of the city. Though it was not the wealthiest city on the continent, it was the cultural center of humanity, as it was the city with the richest cultural history.


    This could be seen from the architecture of the city, as well as the clothing of the inhabitants, population density, and trade activity. It was a lively, bustling city, with sophisticated laws and institutions. Most of the people lived above the poverty line. Even so, it had a hidden dark side¡ªslums and a large number of slave districts.


    The palace of Virginia was a towering and magnificent structure of white marble. It was the culmination of the efforts of all of the Cretan craftsmen, over three generations, and was built upon the foundations of the original Crete empire palace. It took several decades to complete the palace.


    A youth carried a sword in hand and walked straight into the palace. He put down his sword at the door and headed toward the deeper parts of the palace. He walked past the opulent corridors and palace garden to a small yard. One could see a middle aged man taking a rest and sipping on milk tea in the building beside him.


    "Your Majesty!"


    A youth stepped forward and greeted the Emperor. Emperor Elliot VII put down the book in his hand and glanced at the youth, "Earl Ivens, why have you come visit me today?"


    Earl Ivens peered at the book in the Emperor''s hand and raised his head, "Your Majesty, is that the Epic of Totle?"


    Elliot VII nodded his head. "The Epic of Totle records information on many ancient civilizations. We have much to learn from it, especially on the topic of the rise and fall of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze dynasties!"


    Ivens immediately replied, "Then, does Your Majesty remember Ahenaten?"


    Elliot VII broke into laughter. "Golden King Ahenaten, the first recorded ruler in history, the great hero who brought humanity into an era of civilization? No one would forget him!"


    Elliot VII frowned. "Why did you mention the Golden King? Also, surely you must have some official matters to discuss with me today?"


    Earl Ivens immediately replied, "Your Majesty, today, the matter I am here to report has direct relations with him. Your Majesty, the tomb of Golden King Ahenaten was discovered in the Bull Mountain Range of Castro Province. Viscount Tena excavated the tomb of the Golden King and stole the Sword of the King from the tomb. Your Majesty, the fabled Sword of the King has reappeared. Currently, Cardinal Hodap of the Church of Light has already headed to Castro Province and sealed the Bull Mountain Range. Should we also take action!"


    Elliot VII frowned, unamused. "It is only a sword. We cannot take all of the words of legend as absolute truth. If the Church of Light desires it, they can have it. However, for Viscount Tena to dare commit such an act, he has thrown the face of all the nobles. He must be punished!"


    Earl Ivens said immediately, "Viscount Tena is already dead. All of his Bloodline Knights and warriors killed each other inside the tomb, as if they were under a curse. Only a few slaves managed to make it out alive. One of them has the Sword of the King, and we have been tracking him with all of our power. Currently, we have located him in a small town of Castro Province, and we are fighting the Church over custody of the captive. But, that is not the most important part. We have heard of an even more important news from the slave!"


    Elliot VII was intrigued, immediately asking, "What news?"


    Earl Ivens drew in a long breath. "In the coffin of Ahenaten, they discovered ichor, the blood of God. According to the legends, when Ahenaten received the prophecy from the angel Faross, the angel sealed a drop of ichor into a gem and gave it to the Golden King. It was by using this power bestowed by God that the Golden King managed to defeat the orcs and unite humanity! According to the slave, at the time, they could see a film that was recorded within the gem, depicting the Golden King''s receiving the prophecy from God. They saw the appearance of God, as well as his message!"


    "What did he say?"


    "He who drinks the blood of God will become a descendant of God, and will wield the power of the Almighty!"


    Elliot VII clenched his hands, as his pupils dilating. "Bring me that slave at all costs!"


    Ivens was thrilled. Hadn''t he come to impress the Emperor? If he could succeed in this task, he could gain the favor of the Emperor and improve his status, "So what about the Church of Light?"


    Elliot VII waved his hand. "Ignore them. This is a matter of the Crete empire, so the Church of Light cannot interfere!"


    Ivens left immediately, leaping into action. Other than the Church of Light and the Emperor of Crete, every noble family and hidden power of the underworld also received this intel and began acting at once.


    The news of the ichor spread like wildfire, especially the words of the prophecy: "He who drinks the blood of God will become a descendant of God, and will wield the power of the Almighty!"


    The public was enraptured. Everyone wanted to become the descendant of God, turning themselves completely into the messenger of God. They also wanted to wield the power of the Almighty! During that time, legends about the ichor and epics of the Golden King were exaggerated indefinitely. Even the children in the countryside were singing the words of the prophecy.


    The news had even spread to neighboring countries, their allies within the Crete Empire taking action. There were numerous attempts of robbery when the forces of the Crete empire were transporting the Sword of the King back to the capital, Lion City. Countless people acted in the shadows. Even the armies in the frontier began secretly moving their forces, with countless eyes directed at the little province in the Crete empire.


    Within these stormy developments, news concerning the slave by the name of Mark caught everyone''s attention. It was reported that he was the one who took the ichor from the tomb of the Golden King. The province of Castro was turned upside down in pursuit of him.


    Meanwhile, in a rural village in the mountains of Castro, a large group of sheeps were grazing on the green grass. A girl, who appeared to be around 12 years old, was herding a large group of sheep. She was a slave of the lord. She was dressed in a torn rag that hardly qualified as clothing. Many spots on the rag had been mended, but it was kept very clean. With slightly dark skin and a face full of freckles, she exuded the youthful aura of a maiden!


    As the sun began setting and the last rays of twilight fell on the mountainside, the sheeps started to call. It was like a beautiful rustic painting. But, at that moment, a man drenched in blood crawled out from the foot of the hill.


    "Kelly! Kelly!"


    She looked up, as she was counting the sheep on her way home, only to discover the the figure of her father Mark. She saw that Mark had a large sword wound, and appeared to be on the verge of death!

 57 Blood of God

    Kelly cupped her mouth in shock. She threw down the whip in her hands and hugged her father Mark, "Father, what happened?"


    Kelly was crying. She saw the blood on her hand, her voice sour, "Why¡­ why... are you covered in blood?"


    Mark had wanted to sell the gemstone with the ichor. All he asked for was a thousand gold. With the money, he could escape his identity as a slave and take his daughter away from this life of servitude. He could buy a large piece of land and an identity as a free citizen, forever freeing himself from the shackles of a slave. From then on, he could perhaps become a merchant, or a craftsman.That way, his children and grandchildren would never have to become a slave.


    However, he was betrayed. He was stabbed from the back while he escaped in a fluster through the window. After a simple bandage, he spent an entire day trying to reach his daughter at the village, as the partner that betrayed him knew where his daughter was. He had to reach this place faster than him!


    Kelly helped her father into her dilapidated house as she chased the sheeps into their pen. There were not many things in the house, not even a bed. There was only a rug on the ground.


    Kelly got her father to sit on the rug. Mark leaned on the wall, unable to stop coughing, "No, Kelly, we have to leave immediately!"


    Kelly immediately said, "Why? We''re slaves, it''ll be hard for us to survive even if we escaped from this place. We have no land, and nobody would take us in!"


    Mark smiled, "It''s alright. We have this."


    Mark took out a golden gemstone from his robes. There was a drop of golden-red blood suspended in the gemstone. Mark instantly revealed a smitten look. Kelly asked out of curiosity, "A gemstone, how beautiful. Father, where did you get that? You didn''t steal the leader''s item, did you?"


    Mark shook his head, "No, not just a gemstone. It''s ichor. No one is worthy enough to own it. The nobles, even the emperor, would become the descendent of God and inherit his power if they drank the ichor inside!"


    "Cough! Cough! Unfortunately, I do not know how to open it and could only think of ways to sell it. Kelly, we''d never have to be slaves again. We can have a rich, free life. I can marry you off to a respectable person, and not keep you here to shepherd sheeps, then be violated by those filthy people!"


    "That''s my biggest wish. Unfortunately, your mother''s dead, killed by those nobles. I really want our family to live happily together and have a piece of land to our name!"


    Suddenly, there were noises outside. Mark was worried, immediately propping himself up against the wall. He looked through the window and saw a group of soldiers on horses, heading toward the small hut. The person that betrayed him had changed into a set of presentable clothes and riding on a horse, giving the group directions to this place!


    Mark was very flustered, his expression that of shock, "They''re here! They''re here! Kelly, run quickly. Jump out from the window at the back and hide. Don''t come out, no matter what!"


    Kelly instantly hugged her father, "No, father, let us run together!"


    Mark shook his head, "No, my injuries are too serious. I cannot run much father. Oh, yes, take this. Run, and do not look back!"


    Mark stuffed the gemstone with the ichor into Kelly''s hand, then pushed her out of the window. Mark blocked the window no matter how much Kelly cried. Soon after, the noise outside the window stopped, while the sounds coming from out the door became louder and louder. Mark wiped his tears. At this moment, he saw the door to the hut being kicked open. A few soldiers burst into the room, quickly suppressing Mark and dragging him out the hut to the front of a knight. The armored noble youth lowered his head and looked at Mark, then tilted his head.


    Another man immediately came forward and searched Mark. Mark spat on him. "Ian, you traitor!"


    Ian kicked him onto the ground, "In front of money, be it you or me, friendship is worth nothing!"


    Ian searched Mark but found nothing. His expression changed, "You clearly had it with you, where did you hide it. Wait, where is your daughter?"


    Mark laughed, "She''s long gone. You''ll never find the ichor. You despicable people, The ichor landing in your hands is simply polluting the ichor!"


    The young nobleman leapt off his horse, slowly drawing his sword with his gloved hand, "A slave like you dare to kill a nobleman, betray his master and steal a holy treasure bestowed by the God. Mark, your name has even reached the ears of the emperor. You may be a slave, but I will give you the honor of dying at the hand of a nobleman!"


    "I curse..."


    Mark had not completed his sentence when his throat was pierced by the sword. He slumped to the ground, dead. The nobleman wiped down his thin sword, "Search the area, she couldn''t have gone far. Capture her immediately!"


    Soon after, a few knights riding horses followed the tracks and found Kelly in a wheat field under the mountain. Kelly screamed as she was being dragged back to her hut by the shoulder. She then saw her father''s corpse thrown to the side, pinned on a wooden stake!


    "Father!"


    Kelly had a dazed expression, "Father?"


    But Mark could no longer answer her. His lifeless eyes looking on the ground like a dead fish''s. His head hung low, his entire body pinned on a wooden stake, as if a broken puppet.


    The nobleman walked up to her. "A sheep shepherd? You sure are a despicable slave. Where''s the ichor? Hand it over. How can a person with dirty blood flowing in their body handle an item bestowed by God!"


    But Kelly could not hear anything now, her gaze fixed on her father''s corpse. She suddenly felt that her world had turned gray, her consciousness seemed to have floated into the sky.


    "Father''s dead? Why did such a thing happen?"


    "Oh God? Is this real? Why must they do that. God, why do you tolerate the existence of such evil, why do you not punish them?"


    The nobleman was furious at Kelly''s unresponsiveness. But he saw the gemstone from the corner of his eye!


    "It is indeed in your hands, hand it over!"


    The young noble was greedy and lustful. He extended his hand, wanting to snatch the gemstone away from Kelly''s hands. Suddenly, the gemstone Kelly was grabbing tightly onto started to release a golden glow. It released an intense light into the night sky. The ichor in the gemstone pulsed, then flowed into Kelly''s body!


    Everyone was shocked when they saw Kelly floating into the air. She was undergoing an intense transformation. Deified cells are flooding into her body, but she did not appear to be resisting the changes. Her entire being was starting to fuse with the ichor. Her skin started to change, her appearance becoming more exquisite. Her figure became more slender. But the changes in her internal organs and brain were even more intense.


    Outside of Maria''s World, Lu Zhiyu, who was flipping through books about the humans within Maria''s World in the library of his dimensional castle, could also sense this scene. He instantly stood up. It was as though he could sense Kelly despite them being in separate worlds!

 58 Saintess

    "Someone has already activated the ichor crystal and assimilated the deified cells!"


    The condition for activation Lu Zhiyu designed was very simple. As long as the user had a strong wish and no resistance to the process, cell assimilation would be achieved. The assimilation by the defied cells went beyond introducing the cells into the body. The deified cells would reconstruct the living organism and consume a large amount of energy. But the defied cells Lu Zhiyu modified contains a large amount of energy within themselves, so it was sufficient to complete a full body transformation!


    Everyone stared at Kelly, who was floating in the air as she currently influenced by the mind power within the cells in the ichor. She transformed from an average looking girl into a maiden with fine, ethereal features and waist-length raven hair.


    The young noble gaped, as if he was witnessing a miracle. He stared at the young girl floating in the air, "How, how is this possible? God and miracles actually exist!"


    Everyone retreated in shock. Ian, the comrade that had betrayed Mark, fell to the ground, "Impossible, it was real? How could this be real?"


    The young noble awoke from his shock and began screaming wildly, "Quick, kill her, kill her!"


    All of his knights hesitated in stepping forward. After seeing this scene, which was akin to witnessing the descent of God, all of them acquired a sense of reverence for the young girl. "Sir, we can''t, she just received the attention of God!"


    The young noble roared in fury, panicked. "You just killed her father. If we leave her, we all will perish, so hurry up and kill her!"


    Egged on by the young noble, a few soldiers charged toward the young girl. They pulled out their longswords and sliced toward the young girl. At this moment, Kelly suddenly opened her eyes, peering at them with fathomless black pupils and an air of condescension, as if she stood above them with the coldness of the divine!


    In that moment she opened her eyes, all of the longswords coming at Kelly came to a halt. As her gaze moved, a few of the soldiers discovered that they had completely lost control over their bodies, as they now turned their longswords toward their own necks!


    "What''s happening? I can''t move!"


    "My hand, what''s going on? I can''t control my hand!"


    "Oh God, what''s going on?"


    Slowly, those soldiers each slit their own throats, killing themselves under the moonlight, with helpless eyes that were drowned in despair. Everyone felt a chill go down their spines, their legs buckling under them. This sort of power was far beyond their imaginations, and could only be attributed to the realm of the divine or the devil!


    After witnessing this chilling scene, all of the people present were trembling. Immediately, someone could not stand the pressure any longer, and tried to run. But, within a few steps, he fell to the ground, his eyes losing their luster!


    "Run, everyone, run!"


    "This is not the power of God, but the power of the Devil! It''s a demon!"


    The girl swept her gaze over the others. All of those in her line of sight froze, before slowly drawing their longswords and slitting their own throats. Dozens of soldiers and knights, including seven Bloodline Knights, died at the same time. Their bloodline powers were worthless in the face of the power of the divine!


    "Forgive me, I have sinned, but I did not kill your father!"


    "Spare me!"


    The young noble collapsed to the ground, unable to believe the scene of carnage unfolding before his eyes, as dozens of people commited suicide simultaneously, their lives ebbing away beneath the new light of the rising moon and the dancing light of the torch in front of the wooden hut.


    "How is this possible?"


    "This? This is the power of God?"


    The dark haired girl approached the noble, the moon shining behind her back, dragging out her long shadow. The young noble lifted his head in a daze, like a frightened child.


    "Don''t¡ªdon''t come any closer! You can''t kill me, I am...I am¡­"


    The noble shrieked with a feminine squeal, only to discover that his body was no longer under his control. He was being manipulated into lifting his hands to his throat, and then strangling himself, as if he had been caught by the claws of the devil. As the force continuously increased, he strangled himself to death!


    Kelly only came to her senses as she was watching the agonizing death of the young noble, whose face had turned blue and purple, like a demon. Instantly, she freed herself from the supernatural state she was in, only to discover, to her utter shock, the corpses littered on the ground around her.


    She then saw her father''s body, nailed upon the wooden pole. She sprung to him, held him in a tight embrace, and wailed loudly, "Father!"


    ------------------


    The next morning, the devastation of the scene was discovered by the locals. Utterly traumatized, Kelly was still hugging the body of her father. The hillside that was covered by the carcasses of the soldiers and knights she had slaughtered. Such a scene was like the descent of the devil. No one dared to approach her!


    In the afternoon, a team of Temple Knights rushed over, led by Cardinal Hodap. In the Bull Mountain Range, the Temple Knights were facing off against the emperor''s troops. Though the Church had stated their authority over the Golden King''s tomb, due to the presence of divine relics, the Church was facing immense pressure and would not be able to hold out much longer!


    Since the Crete empire had obtained the Sword of the King first, the Church of Light had lost the initiative. But, to their great fortune, Hodap had discovered news about the location of the ichor, only to find that the ichor had already been consumed!


    The Church of Light had already predicted this scenario. No matter who it was, as long as they possessed the bloodline of God, the Church would recognize them as a saint or a saintess. As such, the Church would be able to act as the mouthpiece of God here in this world. Thus, Hodap had to be the first to find the Saintess. The Saintess must belong to the Church of Light!


    As Hodap dismounted by the hill, he saw the corpses of those who had committed suicide, including the entire squad of knights and Bloodline Knights. They had all died without the slightest signs of resistance. It chilled him to the bones. He couldn''t feel the slightest warmth even though the sun shined upon him.


    Hodap turned his eyes to the beautiful maiden, who was clutching the body of a man up on the slope. Though she was drenched in blood and dressed in dirty rags, her exquisite appearance and goddess-like demeanor made the spectators feel as though they were witnessing the descent of an angel!


    Hodap knew that this must be the Saintess, as no ordinary women could ever achieve that level of beauty. In fact, Hodap had never encountered any woman of such unearthly beauty. Though her body had yet to fully mature, she already possessed an allure that could topple nations. The entire squad dismounted and knelt to the ground. Hodap went to the forefront, bowing before Kelly.


    "Cardinal Hodap of the Church of Light Crete Empire East Division greets Your Holiness. Saintess, we have come to receive you!"


    Kelly lifted her head and looked at the crowd in a daze. She discovered that she could read their very thoughts, from each of their minds. It would only take a single thought on her part to deprive them of control over their bodies. They would not be able to resist her in the slightest. This was the power she had received from the ichor, the power granted to her by God!


    "The Church of Light? Is that the place closest to God?"


    Kelly stood up. Though her small stature did not even reach Hodap''s chest, in the face of this black haired maiden with unearthly beauty and unfathomable powers standing amongst a pile of dead bodies, Hodap felt a tendril of fear.


    Kelly raised her head, "Are you all afraid of me? Am I not the messenger of God? Why are you afraid of me?"


    Hodap looked into Kelly''s eyes. He felt that those bewitching black eyes seemed to see into the depths of his very soul, and he could not help but take a step backward. "God, this is truly the power of the divine!"


    Looking around, all of the haughty Temple Knights, who could each rival ten men alone, were trembling before the young girl. It was as if those black eyes had the magical power to instil fear


    Kelly murmured, "It turns out that all of these men have hearts that are tainted by such filth and foolishness!"

 59 Kingdom of the Church of Ligh

    In the 136th Year of Iron, the Church of Light changed its calendar to the Years of Holy Light. This year, the Church officially declared itself to be the representative of God, and its position was solidified by the presence of the Saintess. The Pope and the Saintess were both seen as messengers of God. The Church''s power expanded exponentially. By then, it had begun to control even more human kingdoms and even affected the kingdoms of the orcs as well. The Church''s power began to overshadow the monarchy. The Saintess''s supernatural power and status as a descendant of God were more than enough to convince the human rulers and noblemen of the Church''s legitimacy.


    In the 3rd Year of Holy Light, Crete Empire''s Elliot VII renounced the Church of Light. Saintess Kelly led an army into his capital and easily captured the emperor without any casualties or actual conflict. They removed him from power, announced him as a heretic, and executed him publicly. After that, they crowned his nephew as the new king, Elliot VIII. Fearing the powerful influence of the Church, other monarchs and noblemen allied themselves against the Church.


    In the 5th Year of Holy Light, the Church Knights defeated the united army of Luhmann and Mara Kingdoms in the city of Rus, forcing the two kingdoms to bow before the Church''s power. The two kings were also forced to go to the Church to receive its blessing and coronation. The Church also had the rights to station troops in these kingdoms, monitor their activities, and collect taxes from their people.


    After that, the numerous human kingdoms in and around the central province began to follow the Church''s orders, and the Church reigned supreme. Abdications and the passing of the crown could only be carried out by attending the Church''s ceremony. Events like coronations had to be performed in front of the Pope and the Saintess of the Church in order to be legitimate. The Church had the rights to remove any king or governmental official from power. It also had the power to preach anywhere in any kingdoms, and the kings could not reject them with any reason!


    That same year, the Church built the Kingdom of the Church of Light, and the city of Rus was renamed as St. Sarl. The kingdom covered the entire Bull Mountain Range and most parts of the Castro Province of the Crete Empire. In addition, several cities of Luhmann and Mara Kingdoms, as well as two smaller nations, also joined the new kingdom. This marked the height of the Church''s power and reputation. More than half of the human kingdoms were under the Church''s control.


    At the same time, the Church also denounced all other religions and formed organizations to capture any heretics. In this name, it captured many people who tried to resist the Church. It also created a special organization consisting of many Judges of Light who would monitor the activities of all the kingdoms and spy on their internal intel. The Church''s power seemed to be at its peak, and no one could object to it. No one, not even kings, noblemen, and Bloodline Knights, could fight against the Church''s ruling!


    Delmatina was located within Luhmann Kingdom and covered mostly by forests and mountains. It was where Luhmann Kingdom''s most ancient mountains were located. Surrounding the mountain ranges was a huge, primal forest. Due to the tall trees, the landscape within the forests was dark and unpredictable, and it was filled with many swamps. The heavy fog common in this forest and the treacherous terrain made traveling there almost impossible. Many explorers had disappeared into this forest, leaving numerous horror stories behind. Therefore, the place was also known as the Black Forest.


    Lu Zhiyu placed his newly constructed insect nest in the depths of the Dark Forest, on a lonely cliffside that was very difficult to access. He had reconstructed this insect nest, turning it into an organism with an independent mind. Then, he assumed control over this new organism through his dream space. This was the only intact insect nest left over after the deaths of the insect queens. He had wiped away the insects'' spiritual imprints and assumed full control over it.


    From then on, this insect nest which once represented the height of the insects'' biotechnology belonged to Lu Zhiyu. The most important thing was that this nest would act as a life-generating machine. As long as he had control over it, he could design any form of life and place the template into the nest. The organism would just grow out of the nest!


    Previously, he had to go through all the trouble of breeding the embryos, finding a suitable mother, and helping the mother to deliver the organisms. Before he had the biological chambers, he even had to raise them up slowly. Now, as long as he could provide a complete template, the nest would return him with a fully mature organism!


    This was almost like entering an industrialized civilization from a primitive one. The insect nest was like a processing plant for living things. As long as it had sufficient energy and compounds, it could work continuously!


    After the reconstruction, the nest appeared as a black circular ball that was over ten meters tall. It had a very strong outer shell that would allow it to stand even after receiving significant damage.


    After Lu Zhiyu had turned the nest into an organism, he had originally wanted to call it Life One. After a while, he abandoned that name and renamed it Gaia, which meant the mother of earth and life!


    Gaia had basic intelligence, and Lu Zhiyu even used the sub-brain''s template on it, turning it into something akin to a large organic computer. Any organism born from Gaia would always be under its control.


    Since the beginning of the Years of Holy Light, Lu Zhiyu had been meditating a lot and trying to create a mythical creature template at the same time. From then to now, five years had passed, and he was progressing smoothly, especially now that he had finally assimilated Sakun''s soul into his dream space. This act boosted his mind power significantly. At the moment, Lu Zhiyu had 4203 SFU of mind power. He only needed another five years to deify his entire body.


    So far, however, he had not succeeded in creating the mythical creature templates. Most of his attempts had ended in failure, even though according to his sub-brain''s calculations the life templates were complete and stable.


    In addition, Lu Zhiyu did not have any mythical creature specimens to experiment on. Clearly, he would not experiment on himself. Until he was completely certain that the procedure was safe and perfect, he would not risk his own life. Only after he tried the experiment on other organisms and was confident enough, he would do it to himself.


    Lu Zhiyu tried to recreate the soul of the Tree of Life a few times but failed as well. He found that forming a soul was not as easy as he thought it would be. It seemed to be closely related to the power of faith only heard in stories. However, Lu Zhiyu still could not feel the so-called power of faith. It was a fundamental power, one that was related to the basic laws governing the universe and formation of awarenesses of living beings. At the moment, he could not yet understand something so arcane.


    Therefore, Lu Zhiyu had taken a step back and begun working on magical beasts. These so-called magical beasts were effectively spawns of mythical creatures. However, Lu Zhiyu was planning to use Sakun''s deified cells. After modifying them suitably, he would turn ordinary organisms into magical beasts. Because Sakun was dead, these beasts would not be bound by Sakun''s life imprint. Furthermore, Sakun''s original life template in its deified cells would also be changed, so these beasts would be nothing like the Children of the Sea!


    Lu Zhiyu had decided to call them magical beasts, but he had yet to create any. Because the dimensional castle was not an appropriate place to create them, Lu Zhiyu had decided to move his laboratory to the Black Forest. He would create magical beasts and carry out experiments on them in order to complete his mythical creature template. At the meantime, he would realize his Wizard Civilization Creation Plan!

 60 Constructing the Wizard Tower

    "Gaia, create 1,000 second-generation ant-people. Then, load the artificial intelligence and the smithing template!"


    "Sub-brain, transmit the smithing template!"


    "Received! Loading complete!"


    "Received!"


    Lu Zhiyu watched as the black steel ball started squirming and the valves creaked open, one by one, releasing the steam inside. Like a beehive, ant-people were continuously produced from within then stood in formation on the black peak of this unnamed mountain. The mountain was barren, completely treeless. As far as the eye could see, the mountain range was formed only by empty ridges.


    The shape of the ant-people had changed. The second generation of ant-people appeared to be even stronger than before, and they were much shorter. Their glossy carapaces made them seem like black armored warriors, exhibiting a complete deviation from the usual appearances of ants and insects.


    Their hands had also become deft and agile, with fingers capable of delicate manipulations, like human hands. They had also gained simple vocal cords, though this only gave them the ability to reply with stilted, pre-programmed responses. As such, any content outside of the character recognition template was beyond their abilities. But most importantly, their lifespans were extended.


    The ant-people put good use to the large amount of tools that Lu Zhiyu had brought. Under Gaia''s control, 1,000 ant-people divided up the labor, then began working according to Lu Zhiyu''s designs¡ªflattening the ground, excavating rocks, logging trees, and collecting materials.


    Lu Zhiyu had placed Gaia in the black forest, on top of this unnamed peak, in order to create his own wizard tower. Using this location as a base, he wished to recruit apprentice wizards in Maria''s World, and then begin disseminating the art of witchcraft.


    Since Lu Zhiyu had already expended so many resources in developing a magic network, of course, he wished to utilize it as soon as possible. According to Lu Zhiyu''s plans, he would build a wizard tower, just like those in fantasy novels. In the future, hordes of wizarding apprentices would come to this mountain, and they would walk out with the knowledge of how the magic network worked, as well as having their mind power awakened.


    These wizard apprentices would then gradually expand the study of witchcraft and explore new ways to use mind power, thus paving Lu Zhiyu''s path towards evolution by collectively gathering knowledge and creating a great wizard civilization. This would be much faster than Lu Zhiyu carrying out research alone. To be honest, Lu Zhiyu had hit a wall at this point on his journey, and wasn''t sure how to proceed!


    Lu Ziyu knew that it was far too difficult for him to understand the intricate workings of mind power on his own. What this required was a civilization and millions of people dedicated to pooling their wisdom to pave a path to knowledge!


    After placing Gaia within the black forest, Lu Zhiyu returned to the dimensional castle. In order to construct the wizard tower, he compiled a list of all the people with strong mind powers with no limitations to age, barring those far too old. He also included the criteria of having strong learning abilities and vivid imaginations, unrestrained by rigid conventions.


    Only this kind of person fit Lu Zhiyu''s definition of a wizard. For this first batch of students, Lu Zhiyu didn''t limit his list to the human race alone, but also included elves and orcs. As for the mermaid race, the numbers were very low at the moment and additionally, they were, by nature, spawn. However, Lu Zhiyu had other plans for them!


    Lu Zhiyu found his ship, anchored in a cove on an island. Several decades had already passed, so the ship had long since become rusted and unusable. Lu Zhiyu had barely had the opportunity to use it, and yet it was already out of commision!


    "No no, even if it wasn''t broken beyond repair, this still will not do. I must find another ship, this one is far too small!"


    Lu Zhiyu wanted to take a ship and sail the seas between the Yala and Alen continents, recruiting apprentices along the way, then journeying to the black forest by sea, before heading straight to the wizard tower. He wanted to buy a ship, or to commission one from a human shipyard. After all, the construction of the wizard tower and its accompanying structures would take a few months.


    "Currently, they have only constructed barges for seafaring. In the deep seas of Maria''s World, sailing in those boats is still relatively dangerous, especially with Saqun''s descendants roaming the oceans. Without me aboard, the ship is sure to sink under the attack of all those large sea monsters. And it would be impossible for me to go personally every time!"


    Lu Zhiyu found this very problematic, but getting a ship from the real world would be even more troublesome. A round trip wouldn''t be a matter of decades, centuries would have passed by the time he returned.


    "Wooden ship? if I can create magical beasts, why can''t I create a magical reinforced ship? I can create a ship which is a supernatural being by life alchemy. I can start off with a plant, with it cells deified, then give its life template the shape of a boat. It would be programmed with enhanced speed, and would even have the power of flight!"


    As he thought of reinforcing beasts with magic, of course, he had also considered reinforcing plants with magic but he had not created any magical beasts yet. As for plants, there was even less to say there. He had never considered the incredible idea of creating a ship with deified cells through alchemy!


    Sometimes, breakthroughs in human intelligence were the products of these flashes of inspiration. Lu Zhiyu believed that his idea was very practical, so he returned immediately to the dimensional castle to prepare for this project. As he did so, he pulled out the Scroll of the World to search for possible wizard apprentices throughout all of Maria''s World.


    Lu Zhiyu combined the genes of the iron birch with the genes of the Tree of Life, creating the ideal seed for his ship. He then buried the seed within the black forest to form the embryo of his life alchemy ship.


    Every day, Lu Zhiyu poured his mind power into forming the tree for the ship. Because the seed inherited the lifeforce and the development speed of the Tree of Life, the ship tree reached full maturity in a few months.


    Due to Lu Zhiyu''s interference, the shape of the tree was extremely strange. It grew horizontally, with continually reinforcing cells, like cancer cells. Then the body of a gigantic ship grew from the trunk of the tree!


    With a width of almost 40 meters and a height of 20 meters, the ship had a huge cavernous space inside. The outer skin of the tree was white, with a host of wild branches jutting out. Lu Zhiyu had never seen a tree with such a bizarre appearance before.


    Lu Zhiyu brought a dozen ant-people with axes to the tree and commanded, "Go, cut it down for me!"


    The ant-people began chopping at the trunk of the bizarre tree, removing all of the branches. Peng-peng-peng! Lu Zhiyu saw the embryo of the large seafaring ship wrapped within white bark begin to emerge. It was a completely natural process, with no manmade points of connection. From the outside, the silhouette of the ship looked like a bullet.


    At this point, the tree had not died yet as the powerful life-force of the plant continued to sustain its life but the life alchemy ship''s embryo was already completed. Lu Zhiyu then began preparing for the second step of the process, the reinforcement of this life alchemy ship!

 61 Life Alchemy Ship

    Lu Zhiyu had already finished preparing the deified cells he needed for the life alchemy ship. He used some animal genes alongside plant genes in the life template. This ship was a combination of plant and animal genes.


    Using his mind power, he rose into the air and jumped onto the top of the broadside of the ship, from where he could saw a hole in the middle that led directly to the cabin below. Lu Zhiyu opened up a dimensional door and took this ship to the ocean. The ship splashed into the water and floated calmly.


    He retrieved the deified cells and poured them onto the deck. The small puddle of blood dropped onto the deck and seemed to have its own life. It started wriggling and went for the inside of the plant cells.


    Lu Zhiyu could immediately feel the drastic changes in the ship. The blood triggered a series of drastic chain reactions in the plant cells. He could see the white outer shell of the ship grow quickly, covering any signs of the cut recently made to the ship. At the end of the ship, two propellers appeared. The deck wriggled as well, becoming more refined.


    Even more strangely, two eyes appeared on the front of the ship, as well as a mouth full of sharp teeth. It was as if a plant had become a carnivore and could hunt prey! It didn''t have to rely solely on water and sunlight anymore. It could also hunt other organisms in the ocean. At the same time, the ship''s weak instincts from the plant genes were rapidly developing to the level of intelligence of a normal animal.


    Lu Zhiyu opened up his dream space and dragged the mind of the ship into the dream space. He wanted to assimilate the ship''s mind. This ship was born from magic, but its mind was far off from Sakun''s mind. Because of this, it only took a few moments for Lu Zhiyu''s dream space to completely assimilate the ship.


    Then he walked into the cabin of the ship. It was completely empty, with no walls to divide it into rooms. He reached the front of the ship.


    There, he poured another test tube of blood onto the ship and immediately a large volume of blood with deified cells flowed out. To create this life alchemy ship, he''d really sacrificed a lot. Not much of the deified cells from Sakun remained. A few more experiments and it would all be gone. The blood pooled on the ground started to erode the wooden deck at once, forming a small brain-like lump on the ground.


    Lu Zhiyu put the mind of the ship he had assimilated into the lump and it responded immediately as if it had been activated, "Intelligent sub-brain II, await orders!"


    Then he immediately ordered, "Take control of the life alchemy ship! Set my authority as the highest!"


    "Completed!"


    "Sub-brain I, transfer the first model of the SS Eternity alchemy ship!"


    "Sub-brain II, accept it! Construction started!"


    Originally, Lu Zhiyu wanted to use his own deified cells to build this ship. However, he soon discovered that was not possible. All deified cell templates would automatically synchronize, meaning that if he used his own cells, his life template would become a ship. He didn''t want this to lead to his body breaking down and becoming a ship. He would become a laughingstock!


    However, using Sakun''s cells meant that he did not own the ship and couldn''t control it. If the ship decided to override his orders, he couldn''t do anything about it. He had to use his dream space to control the ship by assimilating its mind and transforming it into another sub-brain to control the ship. This way, the ship became a sub-brain that was independent from Lu Zhiyu''s body. Its life template was independent from him, as well. It was like a computer that existed apart from him. Its growth wouldn''t be limited by Lu Zhiyu''s mind power level and could grow as it would naturally do.


    Lu Zhiyu had originally wanted to use Sakun''s soul to control this second sub-brain, turning the ship into a real mythical alchemical ship under his control. However, it would be hard to extract Sakun''s soul, as he had already completely assimilated the soul. Extracting it would mean that his mind power strength would decrease a lot, and he did not want that to happen.


    SS Eternal began its first reconstruction mission under the command of sub-brain II. The ship utilized its plant cells and began generating energy using the sunlight it gathered and the water from the ocean, which were then stored in the plant cells.


    The entire ship was changing again. Lu Zhiyu could see that where sub-brain II was located before was now covered by wood, the sub-brain itself sinking deep into the bowels of the ship. The hole under his feet was soon filled up.


    The empty cabin was sectioned off into three floors, with an additional floor over the deck. However, there were no sails on this ship. The windows on the wall turned into round pores. They were like an animal''s shell but transparent. One could see through them.


    The bottom level was the control room. This level included the living space Lu Zhiyu designed for himself and a storage unit. The second level contained the guest quarters, with almost three dozen small bedrooms and ten larger bedrooms. There were also numerous bathrooms.


    The first level contained a large dining room, a library, and a small bar. There was also a meeting room, a living room, and some entertainment rooms. The topmost level was meant mostly for viewing the sea and relaxing.


    Lu Zhiyu walked up the newly formed stairs, inspecting the alchemy ship''s insides. Just as he had predicted, the ship''s wood had inherited the iron birch''s traits. It was very strong, and several more times durable than iron. With a structure like this, even if the ship was caught in a storm, it would be very hard to sink.


    Right now, the inside of the ship was still empty, since it had just finished constructing itself. There were no furnishings in any of the rooms. Other than the rooms that had grown windows on the walls, the rest of the rooms, the hallways, and the staircases were all left with no lighting. This would be taken care of later.


    Lu Zhiyu walked onto the deck and saw the propellers were spinning very quickly, pushing the ship to sail over the calm sea surface smoothly. The white tree bark covered the entire ship and looked like he had just given the ship a new coat of paint. The eyes on the bow were like two large floodlights, but they moved occasionally, letting everyone know that they were not just decorations.


    The mouth was open, catching any fish unfortunate enough to be near. Instead of a ship, this was more like a huge beast in the sea. Lu Zhiyu had added two abilities to the life template. One was to control the water flow so it could make a quick getaway if something happened.


    He tested it. In ordinary situations, the speed was at eighteen knots. In this era, no ship could catch up to it. If the water flow control was activated, the ship could reach thirty knots.


    It wasn''t just a ship though. After standing a while on the deck, Lu Zhiyu returned to the cabin. Then the cabin doors closed tightly and the ship started sinking, going under the sea surface to the bottom of the sea!


    This could also become a submarine. Lu Zhiyu returned to the command room. He could see the front through the ship''s eyes. The two eyes on the ship could serve as lights to be used to observe the front.

 62 Wind Ravens

    Lu Zhiyu piloted the SS Eternity along the ocean floor. This was Lu Zhiyu''s first time exploring the ocean floor. He saw sea creatures of all sizes, passing through the tides, as large schools of fish glided in every direction amongst the teeming sway of the seaweed, the coral reefs, and all sorts of strange sea monsters!


    Among all these creatures, Lu Zhiyu also encountered some descendants of the Children of the Sea. Though they did not have deified cells or special abilities, they carried on the large body type characteristics of the Children of the Sea!


    These creatures seemed to be able to detect the threat of the SS Eternity. One of the monsters that looked like a large starfish approached the SS Eternity with its humongous suction cups.


    As Lu Zhiyu saw the huge maw approaching, the throat of the monster began changing immediately. Extremely strong vibrations spread from its mouth until the ocean seemed to be shaking. The starfish was torn beyond recognition by the sonic vibrations, turning into ground meat!


    This was the second ability of the SS Eternity: sonic vibration. This was a skill that Lu Zhiyu had only recently developed. Though he had been contemplating it for a long time, he had only devised a working model within the last few months!


    Lu Zhiyu was glued to the windows, looking outside at the magnificence of the fantastical sea floor as the SS Eternity cruised through the deep sea. Lu Zhiyu had loved Jules Verne''s novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea as a child. Right now, Lu Zhiyu was enjoying that undersea adventure in real life!


    As the ship sailed swiftly through the depths of the sea, Lu Zhiyu gazed, enchanted by the scenery. Finally, Lu Zhiyu steered the SS Eternity back to land on the shores of the Black Forest.


    Yet, the shoreline of the Black Forest was lined by imposing cliffs. Lu Zhiyu''s SS Eternity could dive into the sea, but it did not yet have the ability to fly, so it could only stop there for now.


    Lu Zhiyu had equipped the SS Eternity with sub-brain II, which Lu Zhiyu had renamed as SS Eternity itself. He gave the SS Eternity the command to remain there and await further orders.


    Afterwards, Lu Zhiyu went through the dimensional door into the depths of the Black Forest. By now, the wizard tower was almost completed. Within these past few months, not only had the main body of Lu Zhiyu''s wizard tower been completed, but the castle surrounding the wizard tower was also also approaching completion.


    At the moment, the densely wooded chain of dark mountains, without a single spot of greenery, looked like the territory of a demon. Jutting out from the craggy rocks was a white castle. It spread across half the mountain with a neat path leading to the foot of the mountain.


    At the summit, a colossal black tower rose into the clouds. The wizard tower featured twelve levels, each of epic proportions. The castle on the hill was meant to act as the students'' dormitory, while the tower was to be used for classes, experiments, and reading. Within the tower, Lu Zhiyu had already organized all sorts of study materials in Phinks, the most common human language.


    Organized into neatly printed books, with over a thousand years'' worth of rare tomes from the ancient human and orc dynasties and the knowledge of the elves, the library was stocked with all of the knowledge necessary to broaden the worldviews of the wizard apprentices.


    Lu Zhiyu was certain that no one could rival his collection within the entire Alen Continent. It was a full two floors with mountains of books that people could get lost in if they weren''t careful!


    Lu Zhiyu''s lounge and laboratory were located at the very top of the tower. Its construction and decoration had already been completed. The walls were decorated with art pieces from all over Maria''s World, the floor was carpeted and and he had installed a lion head fireplace by the stained glass windows. However, when Lu Zhiyu opened the windows, he saw the sky covered by a large flock of ravens that were circling above the entire mountain range.The eerie croaks of the ravens seemed especially sinister in the fading glow of twilight.


    This was the product of several months of Lu Zhiyu''s hard work: the first magical beast, the wind raven. There was a reason why he made them. Lu Zhiyu implanted an affinity for mankind, as well as loyalty within their genes. Like the dogs on Earth, they were also a lifeform that was close to humanity by nature, and a useful creature that would follow the commands of humans!


    The wind ravens were fairly intelligent and had the ability of the wind scythe. Lu Zhiyu had originally wanted to give them the power to control air currents, but since that was from the template of mythical creatures, it was weakened when placed upon a magical beast. As such, their ability ended up being the compression of air currents into highly pressurized blades of wind.


    However, the power of the ability was still impressive. A single hit was enough to split a large tree in half. If it was aimed at the average person, they would be completely unable to resist it.


    Lu Zhiyu trained the wind ravens using his dream space and taught them how to talk. In a sense, they were equal in intelligence with human beings. Currently, they resided in a nest on the precipice of Lu Zhiyu''s tower.


    "Hello Anthony!" a wind raven larger than the rest greeted, as it landed on Lu Zhiyu''s window.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Hello Blackjack!"


    Blackjack nodded. "Thank you for providing a nest for us. It is wonderfully warm and comfortable. My children and I all like it very much!"


    Lu Zhiyu shrugged his shoulders. "That is wonderful. Blackjack, I need the help of the wind ravens with a task!"


    Blackjack thumped its chest as it hopped on the windowsill. It was remarkable how a black raven could convey such rich expressions through vivid motions, just like humans. It replied solemnly, "Definitely, what task do you speak of?"


    Lu Zhiyu immediately replied, "I wish for you to deliver letters to a few special individuals!"


    Within the last half year, Lu Zhiyu had finalized the list of the first batch of wizard apprentices with around two hundred individuals. But by Lu Zhiyu''s estimates, he would be lucky if a hundred of them actually showed up in the end. Currently, no one knew of the existence of wizards and witchcraft within the entirety of Maria''s World.


    There were people of all sorts of backgrounds on the list, but most of them were from relatively good backgrounds. Lu Zhiyu required at least a basic level of education from them. They would have to be literate, at the very least, with extraordinary minds.


    Within these people, there were the children of lesser nobles, the heirs of merchants, and some sons of smiths. There were also a few adults and slaves that Lu Zhiyu thought highly of. In addition to the human kingdom, there were also people from the kingdoms of the orcs and the elves of Yala continent!


    Lu Zhiyu had prepared the acceptance letters for the apprentices with simple introductions to the origin and existences of wizards and the significance of the wizard tower. If they chose to accept, they could tell the wind ravens. The ravens would notify the SS Eternity, which would then go fetch the apprentices!


    Each person on the list had a chance to completely change their fate by embarking on a journey to search for the path of truth. Whether they would grasp this opportunity or not would depend on their individual choices!

 63 Special Delivery

    "Those going to Alen for postal service in the human kingdoms, gather before me!"


    Lu Zhiyu stood in the castle, holding a stack of letters. Many wind ravens flew around the room and perched on the ground, the lights, windows, and tables. The entire place was as noisy as a market!


    The wind ravens were all talking like humans. Each one also had a small satchel as if they were mailmen.


    "That''s me! Out of the way."


    "Hey, I think I''m going to the humans!"


    "Not me. I deliver to the orcs!"


    "I heard some are going to the elves. I want to know what the elves look like!"


    Seeing that the situation was out of control, Blackjack raised his voice and called, "Everyone be quiet!"


    The chattering quieted down. All the ravens stood straight without daring to say anything. Blackjack nodded. "Now you''re only allowed to speak if called on. Those going to the humans, come to the table," he said with authority.


    A whole row of ravens stepped forward. Lu Zhiyu grabbed the letters and gave them to the ravens. He had already picked the ravens and had used the dream space to send their targets and specific location to their minds. Now, Lu Zhiyu only had to give the letters to them!


    "Leves Bicto of Luhmann Kingdom," Lu Zhiyu called.


    A wind raven immediately jumped out. "Me, me!"


    Lu Zhiyu patted its head and the raven happily puffed up its chest. Their genes made them feel kinship to humans and loyalty to their owners. Lu Zhiyu put the letter into its satchel and then read the next name. One after another, all the letters for the human kingdoms were sent out.


    Lu Zhiyu stood and smiled. "Thank you for your hard work, wind ravens. Bring back our apprentices."


    "We will complete the task!" the wind ravens said in unison. Then they flew away, circling around the tower once before flying towards their destinations. The closest was the Luhmann Kingdom while the furthest was the Tuten Dynasty.


    Lu Zhiyu then moved on to the letters that would be sent to the orcs. "Those for the Alen Continent and orcs, come before me!"


    He waved his hand and a circular dimensional door appeared in the room. The wind ravens all flew through the door. They arrived at the orc kingdom and spread out. Lu Zhiyu sent out the 200 letters one by one, ensuring that the wind ravens could send them to the targets.


    Suddenly, Lu Zhiyu heard the sound of the bells outside the castle. The sound was graceful and melodious. Lu Zhiyu walked out and saw the huge bell on the tower ringing, indicating it was noon.


    "It''s twelve o''clock. I should go check how SS Eternal''s furnishing is going."


    The sub-brain I in his mind immediately reminded him of the plan and tasks for today. In order to use his time efficiently and combine his work and thoughts, he''d designed a task. Whenever it was time, the sub-brain I would remind him.


    The list was very long and already reached into the next year. Looking at it, Lu Zhiyu realized that he actually had so many things to do. His efficiency had increased, but living this kind of planned life was like being a robot.


    After he inspected the ship, Lu Zhiyu assigned a dozen ant-people to be the crewmen. However, their brains were simpler so they could only perform simple conversations. The ship didn''t need the ant-men to take care of though. They only had to take care of the wizard apprentices!


    He then checked the entire wizard tower. By now, most of the construction, both inside and out, was already finished.


    ¡ª


    For the next few days, other than working on his experiments and waiting for the wind raves to return, he also bought some obedient slaves. After all, the ant-men weren''t suffice. Many things still required humans, such as buying groceries and everyday items. He also needed humans to take care of the apprentices.


    In Lu Zhiyu'' plan, he would not allow the slaves to leave the tower. He could even allow them to learn witchcraft, but they wouldn''t be allowed to leave. They had to stay in one area of the wizard tower forever.


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t have to worry about them escaping either. The slaves all had brands and no escaped slaves from any country would have a happy ending. On the other hand, they wouldn''t have to worry about daily essentials here and the work wasn''t heavy either. It was practically a job they couldn''t be fired from. For a slave, nothing could be better than the life Lu Zhiyu gave them!


    In addition, the slaves he''d bought were all in families. Maybe one could escape, but the entire family couldn''t. Furthermore, the entire Maria''s World belonged to Lu Zhiyu. Where could these guys run to?


    He also created a new kind of camelids. Rather than supernatural creatures, they were just regular camelids. They looked like the alpacas. However, their fur was golden and they looked quite powerful, so he called them goldpacas.


    These goldpacas were very strong and could carry more things than most creatures. They were very fast as well. The goldpacas'' hooves also allowed them to easily traverse more difficult terrains.


    He built a pen under the mountains and had a few slaves take care of these goldpacas. Lu Zhiyu patted the goldpacas'' necks. These guys were very gentle and stared at Lu Zhiyu with their funny eyes. For some reason, they made him want to laugh!


    "Master, I''m going to buy supplies down the mountain. This is the list you said earlier. Please check it!"


    The middle aged man behind Lu Zhiyu kept his head bowed, not daring to look. This was the only slave that Lu Zhiyu bought that could read Phinks. His name was Sargon and had the Tuten Dynasty''s lineage. Lu Zhiyu placed him in charge of the slaves and he was doing quite a good job. Everything was orderly.


    At first, the slaves were terrified by the ant-people Lu Zhiyu had placed in the tower. They all thought Lu Zhiyu was a demon from the legends. After all, this was deep in the Black Forest, he had such an eerie castle, and commanded a bunch of beasts. They even thought that Lu Zhiyu ate humans and had bought them to eat!


    However, Sargon had comforted them and brought order to them. He''d even discussed with Lu Zhiyu, making him satisfied.


    "Sargon, good job. You can take a dozen of the goldpacas and some helpers. Depart now and return soon!" Lu Zhiyu told Sargon.


    The black forest was very large and would take a long time to travel through. Even if one was familiar with the geography and paths, it would still take at least ten days. The entire trip would need around 20 days. The goldpacas were the only possible forms of transportation.


    "Yes, Master! I will hurry back!"

 64 Invitation

    Early the next morning, Sargon bade his wife and daughter farewell and set out with two slaves and a few ant-people. Each of them, including the ant-people, were wrapped up tightly in gray cloaks.


    Lu Zhiyu returned to the castle, entered into the main hall, and pressed a switch by the fireplace, which opened a secret passageway within a side wall. After lighting a torch, Lu Zhiyu followed the steps downward. After descending quite some distance, he came into a large underground cavern, which seemed to be some sort of a relay point.


    There were four tunnels that were visible from this location, each leading off into the distance. Lu Zhiyu had used the Source Form to create this sturdy tunnel here after initially choosing the Black Forest as the location for the wizard tower.


    Lu Zhiyu chose a tunnel leading to the south. It was laid with track, like an ancient mining tunnel. Along the tracks, parked by its side, was a modified train-like mine cart.


    Lu Zhiyu had began designing the tracks ever since the initial construction of the wizard tower began. It had taken half a year and only one route was completed. The other three routes were still awaiting construction. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have sent Sargon and the others out on the goldpacas.


    As soon as Lu Zhiyu got on the cart and closed the door, the cart started speeding into the darkness at a breakneck pace, bouncing down the bumpy tracks. The ride was quite terrifying and exhilarating, feeling almost like a rollercoaster, as the cart sped along in the darkness.


    Two hours later, Lu Zhiyu finally arrived at his destination. He got out of the cart, left the tracks, and pushed away a hidden rock. As the rock rolled away, rays of light from the outside flooded in.


    "Not bad. That mining cart is quite interesting after all."


    Lu Zhiyu stepped outside and saw a canyon with a river flowing through it. He followed a muddy riverbank out the canyon. He was met with the SS Eterntiy anchored by the seaside. Its white exterior and bullet-like silhouette gave it a sense of modern beauty.


    As he embarked on the SS Eternity, he discovered that there had already been many changes on board. All of the displays inside were already set up, and around ten ant-people crew members were already busy completing the finishing touches.


    The bookshelves in the library were filled, and the bar was stocked with an ice bucket and exquisite glassware. The tables in the dining room and furnishings in the kitchen were ready, and the storage cabin was filled with food and water. The SS Eternity could desalinate sea water for its drinkable water store, and the cellar was equipped with an auto-cooling function to preserve food for longer periods of time.


    There were four beds, two long tables, and a large closet in every room, similar to the style of a college dormitory. Overall, it looked pretty decent. Lu Zhiyu nodded with approval. After confirming the conditions within the rooms, he went to the control room at the bottom of the ship in order to set their navigation route.


    The first stop for the SS Eternity was Luhmann Kingdom. On the way, a few in-land wizard apprentices would be picked up by the shores of some of the larger rivers, before the ship continued heading off toward the land of the orcs and crossing the oceans for the Yala continent of the elves!


    -------------------


    Bohr was a doctor, who owned his own clinic in the city of Masta. Bohr''s father and grandfather were both doctors before him, so their family was quite well-known in the city. Bohr had inherited the clinic at the age of 19 due to an outbreak of the plague the previous year. Though Bohr''s father had managed to contain the outbreak of the epidemic, he still had caught the disease himself, and later succumbed to the affliction.


    As such, Bohr still felt quite lost in life. Doctors were priceless commodities to human civilization at this point in time, so medical knowledge was usually closely guarded within family lines. Due to the value of such knowledge, it was kept under tight wraps!


    Hence, Bohr only had some basic herbal knowledge to cure colds and fevers, as well as limited skills to treat minor wounds, such as bandaging, and staunching blood flow with simple coagulants. Even so, he had garnered a reputation as being a famous doctor in the region, so even nobles would come to him for treatment!


    Ever since taking over the clinic, Bohr had encountered too many diseases beyond his understanding, each with no traceable source. Other than that, what was even more terrifying, was the continued existence of the plague! Although Bohr had read numerous volumes of medical books, diligently recorded every case study, filled his home with resources and spent all waking hours agonizing over these questions, the cure still remained elusive!


    Bohr rejected the notion that illness was God''s punishment and their curse upon mankind. Instead, Bohr believed that disease originated from within the human body. Hence, as long as the source of the disease could be identified, it could be resolved. Yet, in this era, where diagnoses were based on experience and inherited knowledge for classifications, there were often misdiagnoses, so Bohr did not yet have a good solution!


    At this time, a black raven appeared in the sky, circling a few times around Masta, before slowly descending onto a flag post on top of the roof of Bohr''s clinic.


    Bohr was closing up the clinic, preparing to go home after a long day at work, when he saw a strange raven staring at him. It had disconcertingly clever eyes, conveying emotions just like human eyes. Bohr shivered.


    "Go away, and stay away from my clinic!"


    Ravens were a symbol of death. In fact, they were called heralds of the reaper. As the owner of a clinic, Bohr was uneasy about such superstitions. The raven completely ignored him and continued with its staring. Bohr was quite disturbed, and ran away in a hurry.


    The raven murmured to itself, "Yes, it''s him. I finally found him. This man must be Bohr Kelermo!"


    Bohr returned home and made himself some potato soup. Then he started to read from his bookshelf while recording the symptoms of his patients of the day. Sometimes, the same disease would have different symptoms while different diseases would have similar symptoms. They would require different treatments. Bohr thought that for his treatment, he could create a tonic in order to cure the coughing symptoms of lung disease.


    Bohr recorded his thoughts, while consulting his books under the light of an oil lamp. Slowly, night descended. Just then, a thump came upon his door.


    "Thump, thump, thump!"


    "Thump, thump, thump!"


    Bohr put on a jacket and walked toward the entrance while saying, "Who is it? It''s late, is anything wrong?"


    At that time, a strange, raspy croak drifted through the door. "Open the door, I come bringing a letter!"


    Bohr was quite puzzled. A letter? Who would write a letter to him? Also, what sort of courier would deliver a letter at this hour? Bohr pushed the door open. Cold wind rushed in through the entrance and Bohr shivered, looking around. There was no one there!


    "Eh? No one''s here!"


    "I''m right over here. You have such big eyes, but you can''t see me?"


    Bohr peered down, seeing now that the voice originated from the strange raven, the exact same one that he had seen on the roof of his clinic! Bohr''s mouth fell open!


    "Boom!"


    Bohr slammed the door shut. He broke into a cold sweat as he leaned against the door. "Heck, by Maria''s name! What did I just see? A talking raven!"

 65 Your Letter

    Bohr prayed, but the raven outside did not leave him alone, continuing to knock on his door.


    "Hey! Open the door, you rude fellow!"


    "I, Piquat, have been flying for half a month to deliver this letter to you. Open the door quickly, do you hear me!"


    "Bohr Kelermo, open the door, or I''m breaking the door down!"


    Bohr felt his knowledge about world crumbling. He trapped inside his house by a raven. The raven even claimed to be a mailman, that its name was Piquat and that it was here to deliver a letter!


    "Boom!"


    A strong gust of wind blew past him. Bohr felt the door to his house being sliced into two while the sharp dagger of wind flew right past his head. The door crumbled, bringing along with it the furniture and painting around it. The debri buried Bohr. The house had been ravaged!


    Piquat jumped into the room and stood on Bohr''s head. It then lifted a small bag and opened it with its steel-like feathers.


    "Hey Bohr Kelermo, your letter is here, please come and receive it!"


    "Hm, where is he?"


    Bohr, who was buried in the debri, was at a loss. He trembled as he took out an exquisite letter from within the bag. There was a golden seal on the letter. On the seal were two circles intersecting with each other, as if two snakes intertwined. There was also his name was written on it.


    Bohr gaped, "You''re really a mailman? No, bastard, what did you do. You destroyed my door!"


    This was the first time Bohr had ever since such a strange mailman. He had also never heard of someone that would send a raven to deliver letters. Furthermore, this bird could talk and release a mysterious power that could destroy his door!


    Bohr nailed a few pieces of the door back to the frame in order to block out the cold wind. He could get someone to fix the door a few days later. Even though he still felt as though he was in a dream, Bohr still opened the strange letter delivered by the raven and carefully finished reading its contents.


    "Greetings, Mr. Bohr Kelermo. Congratulations, you''ve been accepted into the Wizard Tower as an apprentice. If you are willing, please inform your mailman. It will then guide you onto a vehicle. You''ll then head to the Wizard Tower and receive a five year apprenticeship!"


    "The Wizard Tower is a¡­"


    "Gain mastery over knowledge, understand the world and you would be able to do anything!"


    Bohr finished reading the letter in a daze, generally understanding its contents. An organization called the Wizard Tower had given him an invitation and had requested for him to head to their organization to learn and become an apprentice wizard. The Wizard Tower was akin to a school and an organization for wizards.


    Wizards are a group of people who learn and control witchcraft. The letter told him that they were a group of people who understood the world, knew the world and could control the laws and basic forms of energy of this world!


    But Bohr did not fully understand this. He turned his head to the raven called Piquat, "raven, what is a wizard?"


    Piquat jumped onto the table and extended its wings under the light, "My name is Piquat. I''m not a raven, I''m a wind raven, a magical beast that can control wind. I am a higher order life form, not a dumb creature like a raven!"


    Bohr''s face twitched, "Alright, Mister Piquat, what in the world is a wizard?"


    Piquat nodded in satisfaction, "En, since you asked so sincerely, I guess I''ll give you an explanation!"


    Piquat moved his wings. Two blades of wind intersected as they got released, slicing the table behind Bohr into four quarters. Its power was precise and incredibly accurate!


    Bohr jumped, "My table, that was something my grandfather left behind. My God, what are you trying to do?"


    Piquat blew on its wings, "Didn''t you ask me for an explanation? This is the power of the wizards. Wizards understand the power hidden within the world, and they control supernatural powers. As long as you understand the power behind the wind, you would be able to control the wind. If you understand lightning, you''ll be able to control lightning. If you understand the fundamental nature of water, you would be able to swim freely within the ocean. That is a wizard!"


    Bohr gaped, "You''re saying that I could control power like that?"


    "Of course. If you go through the education of the Tower, you would be able to grasp the true nature of this world and gain limitless knowledge. You would become a wizard!" Piquat nodded.


    "Then, if I understand the mysteries of the human body, would I be able to cure all the diseases in the world and everything about the body?" Bohr asked eagerly.


    Piquat couldn''t really comprehend Bohr''s question as it was merely repeating what Lu Zhiyu had taught it. It instantly said, "Of course! There is nothing the Wizard Tower can''t do!"


    Bohr became very excited, "Then how can I head to the Tower?"


    Piquat turned its head and did a little calculations, "I have to send a signal to the ship. According to the plan, we leave a week from today at midnight. The ship will be waiting for us at the port. All we have to do is board the ship and head to the Wizard Tower with the other chosen apprentices."


    "There are others?" Bohr immediately asked.


    "Of course there are, do you think you are unique?" Piquat said with a little disdain in its eyes.


    Bohr rubbed his nose, but he had made his decision to go have a look. He was only twenty now. He didn''t want to live in this small town and be a mediocre doctor for the rest of his life. He loved medicine and wanted to know as much as he could about the human body. He wanted to understand the mysteries behind the human body!


    Thus, the invitation from the Wizard Tower was an amazing opportunity. He was very intrigued by Piquat''s words and the world described within the letter. The craving of a human for knowledge and adventure is endless!


    There was even a strange life form like Piquat presented right in his eyes, giving him a glimpse of the secrets this world held. A magical beast? What is that? To be able to release supernatural powers!


    It was wondrous that a raven could possess intelligence and speak. Bohr looked curiously at Piquat. Piquat was displaying its wings and alluring posture under the light. In its daze, it turned its head to see Bohr''s longing eyes!


    "Oh my God, what are you doing. I have a girlfriend, you know. Amongst the wind ravens, I am the famous casanova. Do not look at me with your dirty, lustful eyes!" Piquat lowered his wings an tiptoed as he looked at Bohr defensively.


    Bohr smiled awkwardly. He would never admit that he was curious about Piquat''s brain and how a small brain like his could gain intelligence! But he did not dare say it. Piquat was a raven with supernatural abilities, while he was merely an ordinary person, not even a knight. But in Bohr''s eyes, even a Bloodline Knight who has awakened his abilities might not be a match for this raven!

 66 Boarding the Ship

    Bohr arrived at the dock on the Mesmer River at 2 a.m., carrying two large suitcases. He had sold everything of value in his house. His suitcase held all of his research results and equipment. In a sense, Bohr had nothing left to lose.


    "Hey, Piquat, where''s the ship you were talking about? I don''t see anything."


    A cold wind tore through the docks. It seemed strong enough to blow people away. Even with a thick jacket, Bohr felt frozen to his very bones, as the wind crept in through his collar and the gaps in his clothing.


    Piquat quipped from Bohr''s shoulder, "Relax, the ship will arrive right on time. It definitely will not be late. It''s your fault for being so anxious and setting off so early."


    Right then, Piquat seemed to have detected something. It lifted its head, "The ship has arrived."


    Bohr whipped his head toward the river, glancing around anxiously. "It''s here? Where is it? Why don''t I see it?"


    Piquat lowered its head and pecked at Bohr''s collar. "Where are you looking? Look down."


    Bohr shifted his gaze downward to discover a huge shadow within the surface of the river. Amid the reflection of the moon and stars, a black mass was slowly getting closer, like a giant sea monster rising out of the depths.


    "My God, what is that?"


    Bohr gaped, dumbfounded. His suitcases fell to the ground. Gradually, a huge seaboat floated to the surface and entered his field of vision. Its white, streamlined silhouette invoked a sense of indescribable beauty.


    "Oh Goddess Maria above, this is a ship? I''ve never seen a ship that could appear from underwater. Also, why doesn''t it sail? I don''t even see any oars!" Bohr felt as if a new fantastical world was opening up before him.


    Piquat immediately replied with a sense of pride. "This is a wizard''s boat. Of course an ordinary person has never seen it. Stop dawdling, the wizard servants are here. Hurry onto the boat."


    "Wizard servants?"


    Bohr looked over to see two black-cloaked figures approaching on a small boat to pick them up. Bohr carefully placed his suitcases on the small boat, then turned to face the two cloaked figures. "Thank you, sorry for the trouble."


    It was quite dark, and the hoods of the two figures were quite deep. Bohr didn''t look too closely at the appearance of the two. As the small boat made its way toward the larger boat in the middle of the river, Bohr carefully inspected the boat he had never seen in his life. It was white on the outside, made of a material that he could not yet discern, though it seemed to be heavy and sturdy. Bohr suddenly noticed that there were two large eyes on the bow of the ship, staring at him.


    "What?" Bohr was terrified. He had thought they were mere decorations and did not expect them to move, "Did you all just see that? The eyes of the ship just moved. The eyes moved!"


    The servant, who was rowing at the front of the boat, turned back and replied with an eerie voice, "That ship was created through life alchemy, so of course its eyes can move."


    Bohr felt a chill in his heart. Under the hood of the cloak was a face that seemed to be masked with armor. It''s body seemed to be covered in a black shell. It was evident that the servant was not human. Bohr suddenly felt as though he had got onto the wrong boat. Was it too late to turn back?


    Stupefied, he boarded the ship. He then entered the cabin under the command of the servant. The two servants pulled up the smaller boat and entered the cabin too. The SS Eternity sunk back into the depths. This was the last apprentice of the region, so the SS Eternity was returning to the ocean and heading to the land of the orcs.


    Bohr followed the stairs down the cabin, behind the servants. The room inside was huge. The wizard servant gave him a basic introduction of the cabin while it led him downstairs.


    "The first level includes the dining room, the conference room, the living room and the entertainment lounge. There are also some other apprentices within the other parts of the cabin. You can go interact with them later. The bar is right over here¡­"


    The servant started doing its own work according to the introduction sequence it was programmed with. In Bohr''s opinion, the wizard servant in front of him had an intelligence almost equal to humans. Although in actuality, it was only operating according to a program. If he had asked a question outside the database of the program, the servant would have ignored him.


    "Wow, this ship is amazing!" Bohr felt that this trip was rather amazing.


    "The library is this way. Within it are books on general knowledge, history of the continent, the biographies of famous figures, et cetera."


    Bohr''s eyes lit up as he entered the library. He rushed straight inside. There were many shelves, all of which were completely piled with books!


    "I can read all of these books to my heart''s desire?" Bohr was ecstatic. On Alen, books were extremely precious. The average household definitely couldn''t afford any books. Some books could even be treated like precious heirlooms. A family that possessed a large collection of books would definitely be a noble family!


    The servant nodded. "You can read and borrow these books as you like. But you are not allowed to take them with you when you get off the ship. Other than that, there shall be no fights or deliberate conflicts on the ship. All rulebreakers will be kicked off the ship!"


    Bohr immediately nodded his head, "I''ll definitely abide by the rules."


    Bohr looked at the books in excitement. He couldn''t wait to dive right in. Piquat gave him a look of disdain, "Look at how pathetic you are. The library inside the Tower is much bigger. The shelves extend far past what the eye can see. You would not be able to finish reading all the books there even if you spent a lifetime there!"


    "Really? I sure look forward to reaching that place!"


    Bohr walked in and immediately spotted a person sitting in a corner of the library. The person was reading by the weak light of a lamp. It was past midnight, and everyone should have been asleep by now, but this person was still reading.


    "Hello, I am Bohr, the newest wizard apprentice from the kingdom of Gracchus!"


    The person reading lifted her head and looked at Bohr, "Hello, I am Catherine from the Mara Kingdom!"


    She was a beautiful young woman with blonde hair, and appeared to be a few years younger than Bohr. He blushed. "Pleasure to meet you. From now on, we''re comrades!"


    Catherine nodded, then went back to her book. Bohr followed the servant to the rooms on the next level. There was already another apprentice there, but they were asleep. Bohr was also extremely tired, so he went straight to bed after dropping his luggage. He took off his clothes and pulled up his blanket. The covers were warm and comfortable. Bohr quickly fell asleep.

 67 Journey

    Bohr stood by the window and stared out into the ocean at the strange creatures he had never seen before. Under the illumination of the sun, the bottom of the sea shone with stunning colors!


    Standing next to him was Uruk, a hunter from the orcs'' boar clan. He had arrived after Bohr and was also staring at the ocean with wide eyes.


    Even though Bohr did not like the orcs, because humans and orcs had always been enemies, Bohr''s father had often visited the kingdom of the orcs before. Because of his father, Bohr understood Sofawk. This made him the only human in the room that could communicate with Uruk.


    The boar clan was a clan that preferred peace. Because of this, the boar clan was not a very powerful clan among the orcs. That caused the other orcs to isolate Uruk and as Uruk was a very talkative person, he had latched on to Bohr.


    During their conversations, Bohr had discovered that Uruk was actually a very likable person. Since they were living in the same room, it was natural that they would strike up a friendship.


    "What is the Tower like, I wonder? It''s so magical," Uruk said excitedly, leaning against the window. "Also, this ship has no sails, but it can still go as fast as any other ship and it can even go underwater. There are so many monsters in the ocean! No one has ever gone so deep in the ocean before."


    "We did run into a monster ten days ago," Bohr said. "It was even bigger than this ship. When it opened its mouth, it could swallow a house whole. It was as terrifying as a demon and it had some demonic power that boiled all the water around it. All the fish within dozens of square meters died but when it reached this ship, it was killed instantly!"


    "How?" Uruk asked, curious and excited.


    "I don''t know," Bohr said shaking his head. "At the time, I just heard a loud roar. Then, the next thing I knew...The monster was dead! The entire ocean turned red with blood, it was like hell."


    Uruk''s mouth fell open. "You said that this ship gave a loud roar?"


    Bohr nodded. "Did you not know? This ship is alive. I heard the wizard servants outside say that this ship is made of life alchemy. What''s more, no one operates this ship, it sails itself!"


    At this moment, the door opened and a pale young man called Akkad, also Bohr roommate, walked into the room. "Come on, it''s meal time. I heard we''ve almost reached the last stop, next we''re heading to the Wizard Tower."


    The ship had been sailing for over a month now, and still no one knew exactly where they were heading. The only thing they knew was that they were heading towards somewhere mysterious, where few had ever been.


    Most people aboard were people who were unsatisfied with the status quo and intrigued by the Tower''s promise. There were bastards and children of servants, daughters of musicians, and even a traveling bard. They were also all very young, the oldest of them being only twenty-five. Each of them hoped to reach the Wizard Tower as quickly as possible.


    Bohr, Uruk, and Akkad headed towards the dining hall. En route, they were joined by several other apprentices.


    A month on the ship had been long enough for the apprentices to separate into cliques. Some groups consisted of the children of nobles and rich men. Other groups contained merchants'' children. People from the lower classes, like Bohr and Akkad, formed their own groups as well.


    Other than Bohr and Uruk, the orcs and the humans did not interact, particularly as they did not share a language. In fact, there was even some hostility between the two races and there had even been fights, stopped only because of the ship''s strict rules and the guards'' intervention.


    As the three of them walked towards the deck, they saw many wind ravens. The wind ravens would also be returning with them. Bohr heard Piquat before he saw the bird. "Hey, Bohr!" the wind raven called.


    "Hey," Bohr said. "I heard we''re getting ready to stop at another destination. Are we stopping for the orcs?"


    Piquat shook his head. "Of course not," he said. "Short-sighted humans, your continent isn''t the only one in the world. We''re headed to a different continent to find the elves of legend now."


    Piquat''s words caused everyone to stop in their tracks. A young man turned and asked, "What other continent?"


    Piquat glanced at the young man and said, "Look, if it isn''t Onion Head from Luhmann! I refuse to speak to you."


    "Damn bird," the young man whispered. He was called Leves Bicto and was born of a noble household, so usually, he referred himself as a noble and did not mingle with the other students in the ship. However, he was actually just the son of a Luhmann viscount''s concubine and had no right to inherit.


    "Hm¡­" Piquat glanced at Leves unkindly and Leves immediately retreated a few steps. He remembered that these ravens had supernatural powers that even Blood Knights could not stand against!


    Bohr raised his voice and asked, "Tell us, Piquat. What are they like?"


    Piquat sighed and said, "I guess I can tell you a little bit. We are going to Yala, the realm of the elves. It is the most beautiful place in the world. It is always spring there, and the entire continent is full of exotic foliage and beautiful animals."


    "Tell us more," Bohr said. "Yala? There are actually other continents out there? I want to know more about the elves."


    Piquat immediately straightened his neck and began to show off what his tribe leader Blackjack had learned from Lu Zhiyu. His entire body became proud and even his tone changed. "They are a magical race of creatures," Piquat said, "They all live very long lives and are extremely beautiful, their ears are pointy and have eyes as bright as jewels. They are lovers of peace and art, and they celebrate life and the forest they live in."


    "Wow!"


    Everyone became intrigued by the elves. "How could there be such a perfect race? How is this all possible?" one of the apprentices asked.


    "How can they live for so long? Are they favored by gods?"


    "I want to meet them so badly!"


    After the meal, all of the apprentices gathered in the library, waiting for the ship to reach its destination. Everyone wanted to see the elves for themselves!

 68 End of the Fantastical Journey

    As the ship approached the shore, a group of apprentices climbed up to the deck. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and waves crashed onto the beach as two slender figures approached from the forest in the distance.


    "This is the Yala Continent? How beautiful!"


    "They''re coming, are those elves?"


    "Should we greet them?"


    No longer being the center of attention left Leves feeling very annoyed. "What''s the big deal? So what if they''re a bit pretty?"


    No one bothered to acknowledge him, as they all turned their attention downward. Everyone was curious about the long-lived race of legends, the so-called favored species of gods. Even Bohr''s squad of three had edged to the front in an attempt to get a look!


    In the distance, the two figures boarded the wizard servant''s boat, before grabbing the ropes and lightly leaping onto its deck. The pair landed with the grace like falling blossoms and they wore long silk robes with mysterious instruments carried on their backs.


    Their clothes and patterns were completely different from what was seen on the human continent. Currently, on Alen, the trend was close-fitting top and bottom garments. Loose garments were usually only worn only by the clergy. But the garments the two elves wore were far more elegant and magnificent than that. The wicker suitcases they carried also seemed extremely intricate!


    In the soft glow of the sun, the two elves revealed their faces hidden under their robes, beautiful and flawless faces. Their delicate features gleamed, almost blindingly, in the light. All of the people present were awestruck into silence, and collectively held their breaths. Even the haughty Leves'' eyes glazed over!


    The two elves, one male and one female stood in front of them like angels descended from heaven. They had soft pointy ears and glossy silver hair, which flowed well past their shoulders. Their heavenly beauty and immaculate pale skin made all of the spectators shrink back self-consciously. The charming auras they possessed was something entirely foreign to the Alen continent!


    Like celestial fairies visiting from the forest, the two elves also examined the wizard apprentices on the deck. They had never encountered humans before. The female elf introduced herself. "Hello, I am Wendy, and this is my older brother Wofter!"


    However, Wendy''s introduction was in the Sylr language of the elves, so no one was able to understand it. At this time, Leves blustered forward with a blush and introduced himself. Of course, Wendy looked at him in confusion but was then completely startled, when Leves leaned forward after his introduction to give her the noble courtesy of a kiss on the hand. Wofter was immediately enraged and he pushed Leves to the ground!


    All the people there broke out in laughter, as Leves trembled in rage and embarrassment. At this time, the wizard servant made an announcement. "If everyone is alright, then please do not loiter on the deck. The weather is pleasant today, so we will be sailing on the surface. Please be careful!"


    As the ship set forth again, the apprentices, who had been shut inside the ship for quite some time, all went to the kitchen and grabbed some food, before heading back to the deck to rest in the sun. Quite a few apprentices tried to get closer to the female elf, Wendy. One of these apprentices was Bohr, who was shamelessly using the excuse of wanting to learn the elven language of Sylr in order to approach her!


    On the other hand, a few female apprentices had locked onto Wofter. After all, people always desired beauty. And, most of the apprentices onboard were quite young, so naturally, they were at that age!


    After that, the SS Eternity looped around the Yala Continent once more, before setting off on the return trip to the Black Forest of the Alen Continent, thus ending the journey!


    Within the Black Forest, the castle beneath the wizard tower was bustling with many ant-people and slaves, all of which were busily preparing for a great banquet.


    In the main hall, the table was covered with food and plates and the fireplace was lit. Although Luhmann Kingdom was in the south, it was already late in the winter, so it was very cold!


    The SS Eternity had docked around an hour ago. Soon, the first batch of apprentices of the wizard tower would arrive and partake in the banquet that Lu Zhiyu had prepared for them as members of the wizard tower and as one of the members of the first five year wizarding apprentice plan!


    At dusk, as evening began setting in, everyone aboard the SS Eternity disembarked on the coast of the Black Forest. For the apprentices that had been picked up first, it had been a long journey of more than a month. After getting off of the ship, everyone was relieved to step on solid ground again.


    "Are we here?"


    "Have we finally arrived?"


    "Is this the wizard tower? Why can''t I see anything?"


    After everyone disembarked the ship, they only saw a simple shoreline and a newly constructed dock. On the dock, Sargon was already waiting. Seeing that the ship had finally arrived, he approached immediately. "All of the wizard apprentices, look this way and follow me."


    Following a stone paved path and a wooden bridge over a river, Sargon led them to a stone door. Everyone followed him into a large cave, which was lit by torches that lined the wall. Each of them felt a sense of mystery within the dimly lit environment!


    This feeling was intensified by the strange carts that they now saw before them. It looked like a series of connected, horseless carriages. "What is this? How does it run without horses?" one of the group asked.


    Bohr had a bit of knowledge on the matter, since he was a bit older. "This looks like a mining tunnel and a mining cart. But I''ve never seen one like it. Where does it lead? The wizard tower isn''t built underground, is it?"


    All the apprentices followed Sargon onto the carts, each with undisguised curiosity. After all of the few dozen apprentices were in the strange looking carts, Sargon went to the front of the train and pulled a lever. Soon the carts began to move and accelerate on the tracks, before reaching a breakneck speed!


    Immediately, the wizard apprentices in the carts screamed. The combination of the darkness and the acceleration made them feel like they were floating in a cloud. Sargon lit a lamp, which lit up all the carts and revealing the fact that quite a few apprentices had fallen to the ground in fear, which made everyone laugh heartily!


    Soon after, everyone got used to the speed, which then became exhilarating rather than terrifying. A few apprentices even stuck their heads out and made strange screams, leading to harsh reprimands from Sargon.


    The carts progressed relentlessly from the border of the Black Forest toward its core, as it steadily approached the black mountain of the wizard tower, where Lu Ziyu had been waiting for a long time!

 69 Wizard Tower

    When the vehicle arrived at its destination, everyone felt like they had just experienced one of the most thrilling experiences in their lives. Those who had stuck their heads out of the windows found their hair completely blown out of shape by the wind. The apprentices stepped out of the carriages with their luggages. Sargon and a few other workers ushered the group of apprentices up the staircase and towards the castle up ahead.


    The mechanical wall that acted as the gates opened and everyone walked into the hall of the castle. The castle was brightly lit and elegantly furnished. Luxurious stained glass windows lined the walls and a large dropped ceiling embedded with hundreds of crystals hung above everyone. The large taxidermied head of a ferocious animal was hanging over a great hearth and dozens of artistic oil paintings were on display on the wall.


    "Wow!"


    "That''s a painting by Frant! It''s about the Golden King Ahenaten killing the twelfth Orc King, the Wolf King Costa!"


    "That''s a sculpture by Laco!"


    "And the works of master Palinb, too!"


    Some of the apprentices who were born into wealthier families were more knowledgeable in the history of art. Immediately upon seeing the things around them, they let out a few shocked breaths. The hall was filled with many priceless artifacts. Even though some apprentices were nobles, they were not the most important or the wealthiest of nobles. Moreover, most apprentices were from families in the middle or lower social classes. No one had ever seen so many expensive and luxurious items on display in the same room.


    In the middle of the room were three long tables full of food. Silverware was already set out, waiting for the guests. Since the apprentices had not eaten anything since noon, their stomachs began to growl.


    The entire castle was filled with flickering flames and glittering shadows. All the apprentices who had entered the castle looked around them continuously, feeling somewhat dazed. Suddenly, Lu Zhiyu walked out through a ring. He had passed the dimensional door and appeared in front of them.


    "Is everyone here? Why are there only so few people?"


    Realizing that only over forty apprentices were present, Lu Zhiyu frowned. This figure was way below his expectation. He had sent out more than two hundred letters, but less than a quarter of the recipients chose to respond. It seemed like more people had decided to give up.


    All the apprentice wizards stared at Lu Zhiyu who was standing in front of them. He looked almost like an elf, and his black hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of his head. He was wearing a long white coat with silver linings. Under the coat, he had a simple white shirt and black pants. On his feet was a pair of white boots.


    "Let me introduce myself," Lu Zhiyu said. "I am Anthony, the owner of the wizard tower and, from tomorrow on, your mentor. I am sure you have a lot of questions, but I am also certain that this place will provide you with sufficient information soon enough. Class starts tomorrow, and you will be living here in the castle, spending the next five years of your lives studying with me."


    He clapped his hands. "Well, my dears. Since we''re all here already, let''s eat. I''ve prepared this feast specially for you. Please enjoy yourselves all you can. Then, you should have a good sleep. After today, your lives will never be the same again!"


    Lu Zhiyu was speaking in Phinks, but he used his mind power to project his voice and the meaning of his words to all the apprentices. Even though the orcs and the elves did not understand Phinks, they were able to understand the meaning behind Lu Zhiyu''s words. Therefore, they all looked flabbergasted.


    Lu Zhiyu sat down by the table. Then, all the apprentices sat down along the long table in order. Although three tables had been prepared, one was enough to accommodate everyone. Seeing no need for the other two tables, Lu Zhiyu waved his hand and the other two tables disappeared along with all the food on them. It was just like when he suddenly appeared in the room. This action prompted a series of oohs and aahs of shock from the apprentices. To them, power like this was something out of a legend.


    All the food was carefully prepared by the ant-people. The apprentices had never even heard of the ingredients used and the cooking methods. After all, on Alen, salt was already considered as an expensive item, while spices could only be afforded by the richest families. Only wealthy people could eat meat for every single meal.


    The apprentices had never seen a meal like this. They wolfed down the food laid out for them, almost swallowing down their own tongues. Everyone felt that this meal was something only available in the kingdom of gods. It must have been, since only gods could afford to eat as lavishly as this.


    After the dinner, Lu Zhiyu clapped his hands to gain their attention. "Have you all finished? That''s great. This will be your first class. For wizards, the most important rule is quid pro quo. You reap what you sow, so without paying anything, you''ll get nothing. That dinner you just had is worth one gold coin, hmm, in the standard of the Luhmann Kingdom currency, Malon." The apprentices all gasped. A single gold Malon was enough to support a normal family of five for an entire month. Nobody could accept the fact that they had just eaten a meal equivalent to that price.


    "The boat fare is ten Malons," Lu Zhiyu continued. "The tuition fee each year is two hundred. This includes the library materials, your accommodation, food, charges for using the laboratory, and standard experiment facilities. Apart from that, you''ll have to pay for everything else! "


    The apprentices all widened their mouths in astonishment. All these fees would add up to over a thousand Malons. Even a noble family might not have that much money in total, let alone the apprentices present.


    "But, Mr. Anthony, we can''t afford that," Bohr said, standing up.


    "You do not have to pay me right now," Lu Zhiyu said, squinting. "You can pay me after you graduate."


    "This is a scam!" Leves said, standing up. "It''s a usury! How could the things here be so expensive? Even after we graduate, we''ll never be able to pay such a debt in our entire lives!"


    "You''re Leves Bicto, right?" Lu Zhiyu said, somewhat stunned.


    Leves immediate straightened his body. "That''s right. I''m from the Bicto Family, a noble family!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, "Once you graduate, you will discover that the so-called nobleness, throne, power, and money are all completely unattractive to you, just like the soil on the ground. That''s because these are things that you can get by simply moving your fingers. You can''t pay the fees? That''s fine, too. I will chase this kind of idiot out of the tower. In the future, he will never be allowed to mention the tower or call himself a wizard, because he will only humiliated the word ''wizard''!"


    "I''ll only using this method to tell you that if you don''t pay a price, you''ll never get anything. Quid pro quo. Such is the rule of the world, and as a wizard, it''ll also be a rule that you shall abide to!"


    Leves flushed, but he could not refute. The magical things he had seen along his journey¡ªthe strange wind raven which could speak and easily kill a group of Bloodline Knights, the life alchemy ship which could cross the vast ocean and kill the Children of the Sea, the mysterious wizard servants, the train which could travel underground, the extremely luxurious wizard tower, and Lu Zhiyu''s supernatural abilities¡ªcaused him to be both bewildered and speechless!


    To a person like Lu Zhiyu, the apprentices were like a group of frogs in the well. For the first time in their lives, they discovered that the world was so vast, the sea looked like this, there was another continent and an entire race outside Alen, and there were wizards which could control all kinds of magical powers!


    After dinner, everyone started chatting among themselves. Under the allocation of the few administrators appointed by Lu Zhiyu, the apprentices found their rooms, their new homes in the castle. Everyone had a single room so that they would not be disturbed during meditation. It would also be more convenient for them to learn and read.


    Nevertheless, everyone was too excited to fall asleep. The magical and magnificent journey these few days had filled them with enthusiasm. In particular, the dinner they had had just now and the words of Lu Zhiyu kept echoing in their minds. They tossed and turned in their beds, unable to sleep!

 70 The Concept of A Wizard

    The next morning, everyone woke up precisely when the tower bell started chiming. The first thing that they did was to change into the gray robes of a wizard apprentice then they hurried to the wizard tower on the precipice.


    White stone steps led to the summit, like a path to heaven. All of the apprentices looked up as they ran toward the tower and by the time they reached the top, they were all out of breath. The full glory of the tower could only be felt when they stood at its apex!


    The tower had been built by a thousand ant-people workers, laboring day and night without rest for half a year. It would be impossible to calculate how much labor and time would have been necessary, should the tower have been built by humans instead.


    Gradually, the apprentices passed the main hall on the first floor, entering into a room that faced the sun on the second floor. The room was a bit like a small theater, large and comfortable, with seats surrounding a lectern. Each apprentice then settled into their seat.


    Lu Zhiyu appeared before the lectern and scanned the room of apprentices in front him. He saw that all 46 students had arrived, and were being distributed their textbooks. Each apprentice soon had a stack of heavy textbooks, covering the subjects of: language, mathematics, and geometry, as well as the philosophy of being wizards, the magic network, and mind power!


    Lu Zhiyu stood at the podium. "In the future, I will give a lecture to you all once a month. Feel free to raise questions during them. For the rest of the time, you will conduct self study with these books and carryout your own research. The library on the fifth and sixth floors are open to you, however, the one on the seventh floor is off limits to you unless you obtain permission first."


    He continued, "The ninth floor is a botanical garden, housing both common plants and specially cultivated specimens. The eighth floor contains the beast menagerie, filled with all sorts of animals and magical beasts. I will take you there later for relevant classes. The tenth and eleventh floors are laboratories. When you become official wizard apprentices, they will also be opened to you. In fact, each person will get their own laboratory."


    "The second to fourth floors are all classrooms, multi-purpose rooms, and conference rooms. Use them freely as you wish. Beware, though, there is absolutely no fooling around allowed anywhere above the seventh floor. Oh right, from the fifth floor on, each floor will be guarded by magical beasts. Please wear your apprentice badges at all times, or they will attack you. I will not save you, if you get eaten."


    After all the students took in Lu Zhiyu''s introduction, it was time to get to the core of the first lesson. "Our first topic explores the definition of being a wizard. Specifically, how does one become a wizard?" Lu Zhiyu asked rhetorically, before continuing the lesson.


    "Wizards are seekers of the truths of the world. We do not perform tricks, nor do we seek to learn superpowers. We are the prophets of truth and the seekers of knowledge. Witchcraft is nothing more than the application of our understanding of the world, as well as a byproduct of the manipulation of the world''s rules. The all-knowing is the all-powerful. If you understand the weather, then you can control the wind and thunder as you please. If you understand the structure of life, then you can create life. Thus, if you can understand the truths and laws of the world, then you are a god!"


    Lu Zhiyu continued, "What are gods? Gods are the all-knowing. What I will teach you is how to step onto the path to become a god. That is what it means to be a wizard!"


    Immediately following these words, Akkad stood up and called out, "Tower Master Anthony, I must disagree. This is blasphemy toward gods!"


    Wendy of the elves also stood up. "The Lord of the natural order will not tolerate your teachings!"


    Lu Zhiyu started laughing. " Disagree?! Who do you think you are? What do you think gods are? Do you see yourselves as being the followers of gods? Do you think gods need your prayers? To gods, you are nothing. The gods up above do not need veneration from mere ants on the ground. You think the gods would care about whether ants looked at them with respect or rage?"


    Lu Zhiyu continued his lecture. "Your beliefs and prayers to gods are what a beggar''s offering of two moldy pieces of bread from a trash heap is to a king. To gods, all of you are worth less than a copper coin, because you are nothing in His eyes. The entire Maria''s world, you included, is like a mere pebble on the ground to gods. You all are nothing but a bunch of self-deceiving idiots, living in a bubble. A group of liars, touting the name of gods!"


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t let up as he continued. "To me, you are all trash as well. Your only redeeming quality is your intelligence. Without your intelligence, you are no different from rotten meat on the side of the curb. What do you have? Beauty? A noble background? Endless wealth? No! To me, you have nothing! Your existence only has value based on your knowledge and wisdom!"


    Lu Zhiyu''s opening speech shocked all of the apprentices to the core of their souls. After listening to the speech that was so filled with vitriol, like the words of the Devil himself, the apprentices trembled in fear. Quite a few students wished to rebut Lu Zhiyu, yet none of them could muster the strength to stand up to him.


    Become a god? Not a single man, orc, or elf had dared proclaim this sort of blasphemy. Yet Lu Zhiyu had dared to do so. He needed these people to disregard everything and open up the path in front of him.


    Lu Zhiyu was countless steps ahead of them. And with the exceptional advantage brought by the Scroll of the World, which was like a cheat code, by the time they became gods, he would have walked even further along the path. If he could figure out the source of the Scroll of the World, he would be able to cross freely between dimensions and create worlds. The Scroll of the World would become useless to him!


    Lu Zhiyu had daring and ambition. The further a person dared to venture, the more profit they could hope to achieve. Without the daring to try and change the two dimensional space into the painting world, Lu Zhiyu might still be using the Scroll of the World as a portable pocket dimension alone, and he might have become a downtrodden smuggler, earning a few million per month.


    If he had not stepped outside of the box time and again, Lu Zhiyu would have most certainly died of cancer by now. And, even if he didn''t die from cancer, he would be over 50 years old by now, and would eventually die of old age, as the body became too feeble to move more than few steps at a time.


    So, what if one had the Scroll of the World? One would still age and die. Lu Zhiyu rejected this future. Even outside of the existence of the Scroll of the World, he wanted to be a god! That was what he desired.


    Don''t be afraid of the excellence of others. Have the self-confidence that no one can surpass you. Even if no one surpasses you in the krynnspace world, what about beings outside the universe? In another dimension? What about higher beings that go beyond the laws of the world? Are there no secrets on Earth? There are always existences stronger than you. Rather than trying to put other people down, it is much better to further yourself. This was what Lu Zhiyu believed.


    Rather than hiding away as the king of a tiny krynnspace world, Lu Zhiyu wanted to see how far the evolution of life could go. For instance, he wanted to figure out the limits of knowledge and wisdom. That was why he had built the wizard tower, to collect the intelligence of the masses, so that he could walk a path of evolution!


    Furthermore, this was a path built completely on materialism and knowledge. Hence, no one could reach the summit alone via a sudden epiphany, to become a god and suddenly surpass Lu Zhiyu.


    As the situation stood, Lu Zhiyu could observe the accumulation of knowledge around the world. He also controlled the wizard tower. Under these conditions, no one could accumulate knowledge faster than him!


    Lu Zhiyu''s first class was about explaining the concept of wizardry to the apprentices, so that they knew what wizards did, how to become one, what mind power and the magic network were, what meditation was, and how to obtain mana by accessing the magic network through meditation. Lu Zhiyu talked for an entire morning, then personally handed out a small pamphlet to each student.


    "This is a basic introduction to meditation. Once you are done reading the three books ''Introduction of Being a Wizard'', ''Basic Knowledge on the Magic Network and Mind Power'', and ''Introduction to Geometry'', you can try meditating!" he instructed.


    "Also, all these books are written in Phinks. For those who do not speak Phinks, the wizard servants will be hosting language lessons tomorrow. You can also go to the library to borrow books on languages. Please learn the language within a month. Every day the servants will host all sorts of classes. They are all electives. You can choose whichever classes you wish to go to, but my classes are mandatory. There will be no absences or tardies. Violators will be heavily punished. If there are multiple violations, the individual will be expelled from the tower!"


    Lu Zhiyu concluded his instructions by saying, "If you have any questions, ask me next month. All of those who cannot master basic meditation and connect with the magic network to awaken their mind power within three months will be expelled from the tower!"


    After Lu Zhiyu finished speaking, he left immediately. All the apprentices present suddenly felt a sense of urgency. Many of the students that did not understand Phinks were quite anxious. Individuals like Bohr, who could understand both Phinks and Sofawk, were quickly surrounded by people looking for their help and guidance!

 71 Library

    After their lesson, the apprentices were free to do what they wanted. Some went looking for the workers for their class schedule, some decided to spend some time exploring the Tower, others took their textbooks back to their rooms and began studying.


    Bohr decided that he wanted to go to the library on the fifth floor. He was eager to see this "world''s largest library" that Piquat was talking about. The Tower''s stairs were long and winding, and as he climbed up the stairs, he felt his legs burning. He thought he might actually die on those stairs. By the time he reached the fifth floor, he was panting heavily. However, he didn''t have time to collect himself. As soon as he stepped onto the fifth floor, he felt a chill running down his back. Cold sweat dripped off of his forehead, and he felt like he might just collapse onto the ground.


    In front of him, in the hallway leading to the library, was a giant creature. The monster was lying on the ground, blocking off the hallway. It had the body of a lion and large wings on its back. It had large claws and sharp teeth. Its body was lean and strong, clearly designed so that it could charge with great speed. It was clear that this would be considered an apex predator. He would later find out that it was called a griffin.


    The griffin glanced at him and stood up. As it approached him, Bohr remembered that the Tower''s owner, Anthony, had told them, "Starting from the fifth floor, there will be magical beasts guarding the floors. You all better have you apprentice badges. Otherwise, the beasts will attack you. I won''t come save you if they eat you!"


    Bohr hurriedly found his badge and held it up. "I have a badge. I''m a new apprentice, I''m new¡­"


    The griffin stood up. Bohr was only up to its chin. Feeling the hot breath coming from its nose, Bohr felt his legs go weak. But the griffin just circled Bohr and then went back. It got onto the ground, closed its eyes, and continued napping.


    Bohr felt like he was about to collapse. Walking with a hand on the wall to support himself, he passed down the long hallway. Finally, he reached a large door at the end of the hall. He pushed the door open and entered the library on the fifth floor. As soon as he saw what was inside the room, his jaw dropped open.


    Shelves up to four levels high reached from the door to the depths. He couldn''t see the end. Books filled the entire space of the library. The entire room was filled with the sweet scent of paper and ink.


    Bohr padded across the thick red carpet. Noon sunlight streamed into the library through the large glass windows on the sides of the room. Sunlight bounced off the gleaming wooden shelves, lighting up the entire room. Delicate curtains hung in front of the windows, tugged by the gentle breeze of wind.


    Bohr felt like he was a small human who had accidentally stumbled into a world of giants. In a space full of shelves and knowledge, he felt tiny and insignificant.


    "My God, is this what heaven looks like?"


    ¡ª


    Lu Zhiyu left the Wizard Tower after the first lecture and returned to the dimension castle to continue his experiments. He didn''t care if the wizard apprentices studied hard or not. The ant-people and the workers he placed in the Tower would be responsible for the apprentices'' lives and needs. If they failed their classes after three months, they would be tossed into the Black Forest. Lu Zhiyu didn''t care if they could find their way out or not. He was their teacher, not their parent. He wasn''t responsible for taking care of them.


    He had made several different species of magic beasts according to his ideas, like the wind ravens that could control wind and the iceblue snakes that could control water. Others included the magic wolves that could use air cannons, the earth bears that could control the earth and produce giant earth thorns, and the griffins that could use supersonic booms as their weapon.


    He also made some other magic beasts that had very peculiar appearances. Some of these magic beasts could control their skin color and turn invisible. Others could change to mimic another organism''s appearance. The sphinx, which could break the molecular bond of compounds by its power of disintegration, was his proudest creation. He had commanded the sphinx to guard the twelfth level of the Tower, which was where his chamber was located.


    Lu Zhiyu had created all of these beasts. He kept the magic beasts he liked and released the rest into the forest, allowing them to reproduce as they wished.


    He gradually figured out the limits of some of these deified creatures. Their cells all came from level one mythical creatures like Lu Zhiyu and Sakun. The powers were limited to the molecular level and so their development could only involve the molecular level.


    Lu Zhiyu also discovered something very interesting from these beasts and was inspired by it. Originally, he thought the second generation of magic beasts wouldn''t be able to inherit the deified cells. He thought they would only inherit their predecessors'' special genes and abilities.


    In reality, that wasn''t so. The invasiveness of deified cells were more powerful than he''d imagined. In addition to cells, they invaded the mind too. Starting from the first generation, the second generation of magic beasts would be completely assimilated by the deified cells. In other words, the second generation were the true magic beasts.


    They were unified with the deified cells. The imprint of the deified cells were completely melded to the beasts'' minds. They even swallowed their mind power to grow!


    Therefore, spawns could be passed down because the influence of the deified cells on the lineages was irresistible and inevitable. This imprint would be passed onto the minds of the next generation through the genes. The bloodline might be thinned out, but it wouldn''t go extinct. As long as atavism occurred and the deified cells were awaken, the beasts would be able to re-learn the abilities!


    "Scary. So terrifyingly powerful!"


    These deified cells had only sprouted from an odd idea, but the more one thought about them, the more frightened and impressed one would feel. Did he really develop this?


    He was also very interested by the combination of mind and deified cells. He wanted to create a different method of leveling up for the wizards.


    Wizards practiced mind powers, which Lu Zhiyu divided into three stages. The first stage required a mind power of seven SFU in minimum, with which a person can be officially referred as a wizard. When they reached this step, they could be let outside the tower. They would be able to use some tricks. With the help of certain materials, they could use their mind power to cast low-level spells or modify their bodies. At this level, regular lives were nothing to them. Even Bloodline Knights wouldn''t be able to resist them! Those with mind power measures of under seven SFU were wizard apprentices.


    Wizards with mind power measures of seven to 129 SFU could be divided into three levels. Level one to level three wizards would have big differences in the strength of their mind power and precision of manipulation, but their essence would be unchanged.


    Level four was the start of the second stage. These wizards had over 129 SFU of mind power. They could enhance their minds and create their own witchcraft space. (Lu Zhiyu called this the mind dimension and spiritual dimension before.) Here, they would be free from the limits of ordinary beings. They could change their body structure, wipe away the marks of other deified creatures, and inherit supernatural abilities. Lu Zhiyu was currently in level six.


    Level seven would be the third stage. Wizards at this level would have deified their entire body Lu Zhiyu called them mythical wizards. They were already supernatural beings and, in layman terms, had immortal bodies. They would have their own mythical creature template! However, these wizards didn''t have Lu Zhiyu''s mental talent of information transmission. They could only choose from the mythical creature templates Lu Zhiyu had created or modify a mutant to inherit. They didn''t have the ability to create their own!

 72 Witchcraf

    Other than the wizard system route, Lu Zhiyu felt that he could create a leveling system for the spawns based on their blood inheritances. Instead of developing mind power, they would discover the power within their blood, which would then allow them to eventually take on the power of their mythical creature ancestors via atavism!


    For the days after that, other than occasionally giving lessons to the apprentices of the wizard tower, Lu Zhiyu dedicated all of his time to this research. Following this train of thought, Lu Zhiyu created a mythical creature template that incorporated many complex special abilities. This template was completely different from incomplete existences, like Sakun, which only had simple abilities and many weaknesses to exploit.


    However, Lu Zhiyu did not have the strong souls and deified cells that were needed to create true mythical creatures again, so he could only disassemble this mythical creature template into groups depending on their abilities. Their consciousness was identical to deified cells, so they could become a specialized organ.


    Through this organ, it was possible to access the source form from the magic network, and then strengthen the body in order to conduct continuous atavistic evolution. Through every evolution, it would be possible for these monster races to acquire the special abilities of mythical ancestor templates with their blood inheritance. They would become stronger until eventually becoming mythical creatures themselves!


    Lu Zhiyu named this race the dragon raja. As for the combination of their consciousness and deified cells, he called that dragonglass!


    Lu Zhiyu''s creation of the dragon raja was just a test. If it was successful, Lu Zhiyu would be able to complete another one of his projects. It would exponentially increase Lu Zhiyu''s own abilities. Every one of Lu Zhiyu''s experiments could benefit himself. He never carried out experiments just for the sake of experimenting.


    Three months later, Lu Zhiyu stood before the class again. He watched all of the apprentices, while both of his hands rested on the lectern. "Honestly, I''m very disappointed. All of you passed the meditation exam. I thought I would be able to kick a few of you out, to weed out a few weaklings. Honestly, was three months too much time?"


    Everyone beneath the stage started laughing. Living beings had strong cravings for power and evolution. The individuals Lu Zhiyu had chosen all had excellent potential and superior intellects. Naturally, the higher the intellect of a being, the better their self-control and the harder they would work. Therefore, as long as they didn''t slack off, passing the meditation exam within three months wasn''t hard at all!


    However, most of the apprentices had only just awakened their mind power. Only three or four apprentices had reached two SFU of mind power, and only Bohr alone had reached the three SFU!


    Bohr had attracted Lu Zhiyu''s attention from the beginning. Lu Zhiyu thought that Bohr was very similar to him in regards to way of thinking and thirst for knowledge!


    The apprentices couldn''t extract source directly from the zero-dimensional space and 60% were lost from the magic network. So with their current rate, other than people like Bohr, most would need at least 100 years of continuous meditation to become a level four wizard. In order to do so, they also had to awaken meditation space, change the nature of their mind power and awaken their brain cells. Both were trials of death, which only offered extremely low chances of success.


    Even by transplanting the cells of mythical creatures, their lifespans would be very limited. Without becoming a true mythical creature, it was impossible to live beyond a thousand years. Without supernatural intelligence and abilities, Lu Zhiyu thought it''d be impossible for them to become mythical wizards!


    And those with poor potential? Becoming a level one or two wizard, who mastered a bit of low-level witchcraft, wouldn''t be too bad. After all, there''s nothing wrong with only being a wizard apprentice. With a bit of knowledge, and some crude witchcraft, the least they could get was a wealthy lifestyle. Most of the people had weak senses of their consciousness, so they couldn''t even feel the magic network!


    Lu Zhiyu scanned all of the apprentices, feeling that it would be a miracle if there were even one or two geniuses within this batch that satisfied his requirements. It seemed that civilization did need the accumulation of a large number of experiences in order to advance. This group probably could only pave the path for future generations!


    The apprentices below were chatting excitedly. After awakening their mind power, they felt as if they were now different from ordinary people. Though their mind power wasn''t strong enough to materialize yet, it was strong enough to affect their own bodies, and to observe the interiors of their bodies!


    "Silence. Today I will teach the first technique in witchcraft, the Body Modification Technique!" Lu Zhiyu announced. "This technique is for modifying your body into the most perfect state. For example, each and every one of you may have a few, or many, health issues. Perhaps you aren''t happy with a part of your body, or maybe you''re too short or too fat, or you have no muscle or are inflexible. You can fix all of those things with self-modification and even prevent more illnesses. If you get sick or injured, you can heal yourself, and you will be able to live to the limits of a normal lifespan, well past a hundred years!"


    When Lu Zhiyu concluded his speech, he realized that his entire audience was holding in their breaths in anticipation. To these young wizard apprentices, this technique seemed godly beyond their wildest dreams. Just like how Lu Zhiyu had felt at the beginning, it seemed to open the door to a new world for them. Lu Zhiyu saw that all of their faces were a bit flushed in disbelief. They could hardly believe that this sort of ability was only a basic, low level technique of witchcraft!


    Lu Zhiyu laughed. "Though it is a basic technique, it has endless potential. I don''t want you to follow my instructions to the dot, but rather to express your own will and creativity in order to further develop its uses and applications. Apply all of the knowledge that you''ve learned to create new spells. That is what a true wizard is!"


    A boar-person from the orc race named Uruk stood up. "Mr. Anthony, does this mean I could lose weight to become a warrior?"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Of course. You can easily modify yourself into a strong warrior!"


    Catherine immediately asked, "Does this mean that I can make myself prettier? I think my legs are fat!"


    Lu Zhiyu laughed. "I think you look fine, but if you want to, you can modify yourself however you wish. I wouldn''t recommend a big modification at the start. First, you must completely understand the essentials that I''ll tell you and grasp this spell. Otherwise, if you fail at modification, the consequences can be extremely severe. Every spell carries its own risks. Even for the simplest techniques, if there is not a complete mastery, you will have to bear the brunt of your failure!"


    Bohr followed up with a question. "Mr. Anthony, you said we would be able to heal our own diseases. Does that mean I would be able to heal the diseases of others too? I have recently begun observing the physical processes of my own body, working to gain a better understanding my organs in order to find the causes of diseases, as well as their treatment methods."


    Lu Zhiyu looked Bohr directly in the eye. Compared to the other questions, Bohr''s question was much deeper, reaching to the core of the topic. "Yes, Bohr, a brilliant question. That is the essence of the Body Modification Technique, which is what you all will be developing. What I just stated was the basics of Body Modification. If you have enough knowledge and mind power, you will be able to modify your body as you wish!


    "Disease occurs when problems arise in the body. As long as you can find the cause, it can be healed. When your mind power reaches seven SFU, you will become a full-fledged wizard. Then, you can heal the diseases of others, and even modify their bodies, too!"


    Leves stood up, unwilling to be bested by anyone. He tried to attract Lu Zhiyu''s attention. "Instructor, you said that we can become stronger than warriors. Does that mean we can also awaken our bloodline talent?"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Yes, you can easily become Bloodline Knights, if you wish."


    Leves continued, "Then, since we are altering our bodies, can we observe the abilities of other Blood Knights, and then imitate them onto ourselves, or even modify and enhance those powers?"


    Lu Zhiyu chuckled. "Of course. I see there are a couple of smart ones in this group. Body Modification is only the very basics. I wish for you all to see it as a fundamental skill, and use it to create many varieties of modification techniques, or even more advanced modification techniques!"


    Leves proudly saluted Lu Zhiyu, before returning to his seat. Lu Zhiyu continued speaking. "Other than that, if you create a new witchcraft technique, you can go to the library management center to exchange it for points. Points can be exchanged on the seventh floor of the library for special witchcraft techniques, equipment, raw materials, laboratory time, magical beast blood, beast cubs, and more. All exchanged techniques and knowledge are exclusive to the wizard tower. You cannot pass those techniques down to outsiders! However, your own techniques and information systems can be shared with others!"


    Lu Zhiyu pulled out an anatomical model, depicting both genders, and hung it on the wall. He then began explaining the principles behind the Body Modification Technique, as well as its methods of usage!

 73 Titan Dragons

    Lu Zhiyu placed the dinosaur egg on the shelf and researched the origins of the egg. It was from a small carnivorous dinosaur called Sinosauropteryx. Lu Zhiyu took the dinosaur genes from the egg, then combined the dinosaur genes with bird and insect genes. This way, he created a template for Titan Dragons.


    The bodies of the Titan Dragons were created based on aerodynamics theories and a bird''s body structure. Lu Zhiyu used a sleeker model, giving the dragons a beautiful form. Paired with the shiny scales, they had the feeling of a fantastical epic.


    On top of this foundation, Lu Zhiyu also fused the deified cells of a mythical creature called the Ancient Dragon God with an ovum to eventually produce the dragon egg. From the very moment the dragon egg''s consciousness developed, he combined the deified cells and the consciousness of the Titan Dragon. The complete Titan Dragon template and the imprint containing memory inheritance were all flooded into the consciousness of this tiny fetus.


    Lu Zhiyu could feel the mind immediately become active. Despite not being born yet, it already had all the memories and traits it would inherit from the Titan Dragon. According to Lu Zhiyu''s design, they were an ancient race of dragons from the astral world and had their own language. Even the newborn dragons would be able to use spells of the dragon language.


    Because a real Ancient Dragon God''s template was way too powerful, Lu Zhiyu decided that he would divide the Titan Dragons into five subspecies, each of which would have a different color and a different power. Other than the slight difference in their appearances, there would also be clear differences in abilities. Lu Zhiyu had also modified their throats so they could digest food and spit out fire.


    The different subspecies would have different personalities and mental capacities as well. Lu Zhiyu also added in the greediness and affection of treasures of the dragons into the genetic level.


    The white dragons could control ice and water vapor. As these dragons evolved, they could even control air and the atmosphere. The red dragons could control fire, green dragons could control wind, black dragons could control water, and blue dragons that lived in the deserts and could control the earth and sand. All these dragons were real sapient creatures with high intelligence.


    Because of the differences in the dragons'' living environments, Lu Zhiyu wasn''t planning on placing them in specific locations. Instead, he used the dimensional gate to send them out. Of course, he would place them far away from where people were located, such as the unnamed and uninhabited islands in the middle of the ocean, the vast, empty deserts on the continent of Alen, and the deep, dark forests on the continent of Yala.


    He spent a few more months observing these dragons and collecting stats relating to them. He verified that he had not made a mistake in creating deity this way and was satisfied.


    All the deities and magical beasts he had created before had supernatural power as well, but they didn''t have room for growth. All of them were very powerful when they were born, and they would remain that way. Their strength was set in stone when they were born, and they could never increase it.


    Lu Zhiyu combined the dragons'' cells with the imprints of deified cells and then placed imprint the inheritance into the defied cell. This way, he made sure that these dragons could continuously grow stronger and form an evolution system for the deities.


    The shells of the dragon eggs were all very strong, almost as strong as metal. But when the dragons were ready to be born, the eggs would secrete a special fluid that would soften the eggshells, allowing the baby dragons to be born. After they were born, the dragon babies would consume the shells. The special components in those shells would help the newborn dragons grow their scales.


    After some more experiments, Lu Zhiyu scattered the eggs throughout the world and only kept a red dragon for himself. Most of these dragons were very developed in the eggs already. Soon, these dragons would hatch and become the first generation of Titan Dragons in Maria''s World.


    ¡ª


    The Luhmann Kingdom''s Rosa d''Oro family was the first marine family a hundred years ago and were among the first to gain riches from sea trade. Back then, they were a top family in Luhmann Kingdom that had countless riches and fleets. Their control over the sea routes especially helped the eighth head of the Rosa d''Oro family, George Elvis, become the king''s Master of Coins.


    Back then during their richest times, it was rumored that the Rosa d''Oro family was rich enough to buy the entire kingdom if they wanted to.


    However, the family started going downhill ever since the time of George Elvis. Thirty years previous, the brother of the head of the family, Shrode Elvis, was killed by the Children of the Sea during one of his expeditions, and the ships disappeared. Another fleet also went missing. This was a great hit to the family. They lost a dozen ships and goods, as well as sailors who''d been loyal for decades.


    The family lost their sea routes as more Children of the Sea began to appear. The family''s entire trade coalition was built on sea trade, and it fell apart due to this. Their old enemies also resurfaced and kept attacking them. Because of this, they not only lost a vast amount of wealth, they also lost the Master of Coins position they''d gained over the years.


    In less than thirty years, the prosperous family had gone from able to buy the country to being too insignificant to speak of. The earl of Elvis had become a mere baron. The lord of a huge territory became the overseers of a few small border villages. Two of the fishing villages couldn''t even afford to pay taxes.


    The large family dwindled down to not even two dozen members, and its heirs had lost their pride as they fought over a position with meager income. They''d completely forgotten about their past glory.


    The last remaining members of the family were all gathered in a broken castle, discussing who the family seat should go to. The baron''s wife stood on a podium and announced loudly, "The person that can conquer the ocean will become the patriarch!"


    "What does that mean?"


    "What constitutes ''conquering the ocean''?"


    "Go into the sea and kill a sea monster. Bring its corpse back," the baroness read from the will. "That is his last wish. Anyone who can accomplish it will be the next baron!"


    The castle instantly fell into uproar. One of the heirs went forward. "Was Father mad? It''s impossible! We have no ships; we only have small fishing boats. We have no sailors; we only have fishermen. We have no powerful Bloodline Knight guards either. There is no way we can kill a monster!"


    "That is impossible. Does he think we''re the Rosa d''Oro family from before?"


    They all discussed animatedly. The entire family seemed to believe the late baron was mad. He''d always fantasized about their previous glory. The Elvis family had risen because of the sea and then fallen due to the sea monsters.


    The baron wanted the family to recover its name, so he made this crazy will to find someone who could help the family get back on its feet again. But to the current family, it wasn''t possible. It was only to kill one sea monster instead of the supernatural Children of the Sea, but it wasn''t something a regular man could do. They would at least need a powerful fleet, powerful weapons, and strong Bloodline Knights to accomplish it.


    Suddenly, a young man wearing armor burst into the room. He hurried over to the baroness and took off his helmet. It was the third son of the late baron who''d gone to the army. He''d rushed back after learning of his father''s death.


    "I, Rooney Elvis," he announced loudly, "am willing to complete father''s quest."

 74 Going to Sea

    After Rooney Elvis accepted his father''s dying will, he officially joined the inheritance battle to become the Baron. He brought a few servants and sailors, then boarded a small sailboat, launching out to sea in search of sea monsters!


    "Bring the crossbows, harpoons, longswords and other weapons!"


    "Check the sails, ropes, food and weapons. We must be prepared for everything!"


    "You, you''ll be the navigator¡­"


    Rooney was yelling orders on the deck. The skies were pitch black as if the gods were looking down at his clan with disdain. Everyone thought that Rooney was courting death like an idiot. No one thought that he would return alive!


    It started to drizzle. It had been sunny but suddenly changed right before Rooney''s departure. All the crewmen cried, "This is a warning from gods. We cannot go to sea; if we go to sea at this time, we definitely will not return!"


    Rooney just looked at the sky and then glanced at his navigator, Depp. "Depp, do you think we can go to sea today?"


    Depp looked up at the sky and thought about the weather of the previous few days. "This rain should only be temporary. It will pass quickly. It''s not the windy season and the condition at sea isn''t bad, but this sign is rather foreboding¡­"


    Rooney patted Depp''s shoulder. "There is no sign. Everything is fine, trust me!"


    Rooney stood on a platform on the deck as he looked down at all of the crewmen. "Lil Jack, Rhode, Johann and Depp! You all were in the army together with me. We''ve fought together in the battlefield. We climbed our way up from the bottom. Now, we have become members of the Royal Guard. I have even become a Bloodline Knight. We are exceptional talents among millions, so I believe that this time, like countless others, we will come out victorious!"


    Rooney continued, animated, "From here, we will spread the insignia of the Rosa d''Oro throughout the Luhmann Kingdom. My friends, you shall accompany me to stand above men as true nobles! I, Rooney Elvis, swear to God that I will not forget you all if I ever achieve success!"


    Rooney''s words inspired all of the people before him. Depp immediately yelled out, "That''s right! We will definitely achieve victory. Rooney will become Baron Elvis!"


    Rooney lifted an eyebrow. "No, I won''t stop at becoming just a Baron!"


    The rain stopped then and the clouds parted. to reveal the sun. The rays of dawn hit the deck, blinding everyone. Rooney stood aboard the deck as if he were being blessed by the heavens!


    Rooney embraced the sunshine and knelt to the ground, kissing the deck. "May your blessings descend on us. Now, raise the sails, we''re going to sea!"


    The sails were raised and the anchor was pulled up. Slowly, the sailboat started moving with the wind toward the direction of the rising sun!


    The boat sailed for nearly a week. Rooney and the others used nautical maps, searching for locations where sea monsters could appear, but they didn''t encounter any. This sort of thing was like a cruel joke from the Goddess of Fortune. Those who carefully avoided the unsafe areas to avoid all the sea monsters and Children of the Sea would definitely encounter them!


    But now, on this journey, when Rooney had come to search for them so conspicuously, there wasn''t a single one to be found. After floating on the sea for over a week, there were still no rewards for their efforts. Rooney''s crew was running low on food and water. If they couldn''t find a target, they could only go back empty-handed, and become laughingstocks!


    On the eleventh day, they wandered into an area on the map, where a huge leech was said to be active. This sort of sea monster was relatively easy to deal with. Though it was large, its intelligence was low, and its attacking pattern was simple! As long as you were careful to drag it onto the boat, it was possible to tire it to death! That was the plan of Rooney''s crew, but in order to accomplish that, they had to encounter the giant leech just as it surfaced which required a bit of luck.


    That afternoon, Rooney and company were on the deck observing the surface of the seas, looking for traces of the giant leech and scattering bait into the seas. Yet, all that they attracted were normal sea creatures like fish and shrimp.


    Johann climbed onto the mast to look into the distance. Suddenly, he saw that the water below the boat had drastically changed colors. It seemed to have darkened instantly.


    Johann looked down and saw a huge shadow, several times larger than the sailboat, which then disappeared instantly. The pipe Johann was smoking fell into the sea, leaving faint ripples.


    Johann''s complexion changed. As the experience settled upon him, a chill went through his body, freezing up his back. He yelled with a shrill scream, terrified, "Monster, Monster!"


    Instantly, all the crewmen, who were scattered over the deck, looked at Johann. Suddenly, a huge impact battered the body of the ship. The force of the hit tilted the ship violently, causing all of the crew members to tumble on the deck from the impact!


    Boom!


    A huge tail appeared with the sound, which created a massive wave. The seawater was flipped into the air, as water droplets drenched all the crew members that were on deck. The giant tail made a heavy sweep over the deck, causing heavy damage to the area. All of those people present saw the giant tail, which looked like God''s whip. Each scale was as big as a grindstone!


    "Sea monster, it''s a sea monster!"


    "Oh God, what is this?!"


    "Monster, monster!"


    The crew lost all composure, as they began blabbering strange chants that even they themselves couldn''t understand.


    "Quick, grab your weapons and prepare for battle!"


    Rooney recovered the fastest. He was the first one to crawl back up again and yelled at his crew to get back into proper stances. Fear filled all their souls. When faced with a real sea monster, they finally understood what they were dealing with now. This was a monster, a natural disaster. Humans were hopeless and weak before it.


    Rooney wrestled with everyone until his crew snapped out of it and stood up to carry out their battle plan!


    "Rhode, Lil Jack, you two man the crossbows!"


    "Depp, you''re in charge of the harpoon. Aim at its eyes and mouth, toward its vitals!"


    "Johann, you steer the boat to avoid its attacks!"


    The crew immediately moved into action. The crossbow they had brought was similar to a ballista. Rooney climbed upon the mast, looking down for the monster''s location.


    Rooney was agitated, his face flushed red and his breathing hastened.


    "Where is it? Come on out darling. Where are you¡­"

 75 Come

    Before he could finish his words, a shadow appeared in the water in front of the ship. A large head covered in silver scales appeared in front of them. Its head was as wide as the ship. The monster had a mouth full of sharp fangs and large, ferocious eyes that stared at the ship, ready to devour it. Its pupils stared straight at the people on the ship.


    The monster''s head alone was taller than the ship. It looked down on the ship as if it were a toy. This was a sea eel that had inherited Sakun''s blood. One blow from it was more than enough to send them to their graves!


    "My God? This is a sea monster?" Johann was completely frozen, as if he was seeing a creature of the legends appear before him.


    Rooney''s expression changed. He was not inexperienced. The Rosa d''Oro family had the most knowledge about sea monsters and Children of the Sea. He recognized the creature immediately.


    "No, it is not a sea monster. This is a Child of the Sea! It¡­ It¡­ is true."


    "This is a Child of the Sea!"


    Rooney''s face was contorted. He did not realize that his voice had become raspy and distorted. He had become a little insane due to despair.


    Rooney had never expected to run into a real Child of the Sea on this trip. Looking at the ferocious beast of the legends, the fabled Child of the Sea, and its giant pupils, no one had the courage to fight back.


    Rooney felt a surge of anger well up in his chest. He did not want to die here. He was determined that even the Child of the Sea would not be able to kill him that easily.


    "Roar!"


    The giant sea eel opened its mouth and let of a loud roar, spraying droplets of spit and seawater onto the bodies of everyone on the ship as well as the deck.


    Lil Jack''s legs buckled and fell onto the ground. He could not stand up, his eyes losing their focus. The giant eel wrapped its tail around the ship, wanting to pull it down into the sea.


    At this moment, Rhode let out a loud bellow. He adjusted the aim of the crossbow and shot toward the giant eel. The arrow pierced through the air. At such a close distance, the arrow crashed onto the scale of the giant eel with huge force.


    "Clanks!" Following the tremendous impact, the eel tilted its head. One of the scales on its side was sent flying along with some flesh!


    Such a strong strike would be able to pierce through even a heavily armored soldier on the battlefield. But it was only able to knock off one piece of the giant eel''s scale!


    Everyone was shocked. Even Rhode, who had launched the attack, was shocked. Unfortunately, the attack had completely angered the creature. It swung its head around and crashed down toward the ship. Faced with such a situation, Rhode shot an indecipherable gaze toward the dazed Rooney who had turned to look at him.


    "My God!"


    Rooney watched as Rhode got devoured by the giant eel in a gulp. The tremendous force of the giant eel even sent a few sailors overboard. Rooney, who was standing on the mast, also suffered a direct attack. The impact caused him to spit out blood. The entire deck was flipped over, revealing the cabin beneath.


    The eel seemed intent upon dragging the ship down with it. Faced with such a powerful enemy, Rooney could only feel despair, without any hopes of winning. He did not see any possibility of him living.


    Despair gave rise to fury. Rooney got up with difficulty. As he recalled Rhode''s death, he immediately grabbed the spear and shield he had prepared earlier and charged toward the Child of the Sea. It was as if he was a lone warrior fighting an army.


    "Come, I, Rooney Elvis, shall me be the first person to slay god!"


    Rooney charged to the front of the giant eel and activated his bloodline power of monstrous strength. He saw his body expand, as if he was being pumped with blood. His muscles became stronger and his blood felt like it was boiling.


    Rooney planned his attack. He wanted to jump onto the creature''s head from and stab its eye. The eel was trying its best to drown the ship, seawater slowly infiltrating the ship. It did not seem to notice Rooney.


    Rooney was elated, as if he had an opportunity. He quickened his steps, jump stepping on a gill under the eel''s head and jumping upward.


    "Die, monster!"


    But the eel seemed to have predicted this move. It immediately turned its head, its eyes mocking Rooney. The electric currents within its mouth!


    Rooney looked at the giant mouth. It looked like a black hole that could devour anything. Rooney shouted in despair, "No!"


    The currents struck Rooney. Rooney felt as though he had descended into darkness. He turned into a rather fragrant piece of roasted meat and fell into the creature''s mouth.


    Lil Jack, Depp and Johann, who were grabbing on a driftwood at sea, looked helplessly at Rooney being devoured, as if the monster was swallowing a piece of candy!


    "Child of the Sea!"


    The giant eel let out a satisfied roar. The sun was shining on the sea, the waves reflecting its light. The beautiful weather and scene felt like hell to them!


    Suddenly, light appeared in the sky. The light dragged with it a tail of flames, its speed incredible. It was Johann who first noticed this, "What is that?"


    The comet flew across the sky, rapidly approaching the area. The eel seemed to have realized something was amiss. It immediately turned around, but it was too late. The immense power and powerful blast of air crashed onto the body of the giant eel.


    In that instant, half of the giant eel''s head had disappeared. The heat wave had evaporated the ocean and its flesh. The world seemed to have been covered by a layer of fog.


    Some time later, they saw a giant corpse floating on the water. Its head had been pierced through. The giant eel couldn''t have been more dead!


    "The Child of the Sea¡­ is dead?"


    Johann and Lil Jack felt that whatever happened today was a miracle that no one in Maria''s World had ever witnessed.


    Depp immediately shouted, "Rooney''s still inside its stomach. We should hurry over and get Rooney out!"


    Even though the deck and the first level of the ship had suffered massive damage and the mast was also broken, the main body of the ship was still intact. It had not sunk into the sea.


    The sailors used ropes and tied the eel to the back of the ship. Lil Jack steeled himself and climbed into the mouth of the eel. He managed to drag Rooney out. Rhode had been chewed into several pieces, his form no longer human.


    They placed Rooney on the deck. Johann inspected him and sighed, shaking his head. The visions of the three turned dark. But at this moment, Lil Jack saw Rooney''s skin on his hands regenerating. His body then started to transform. At first, his hair started to drop incessantly, then bright blue hair started to regrow on his head. His body also became more lean and muscular.


    "Cough cough, cough!"


    Suddenly, Rooney''s eyes snapped open and he jumped up. The others stared at him, shocked and confused. They couldn''t understand how he was still alive, nor could they understand the intense transformation of his body!


    Thinking back to the scene of the death of the Child of the Sea, everyone thought as though Rooney had been possessed by gods. It was as if there was a layer of golden light enveloping Rooney.


    Rooney was very confused, "Why am I not dead? Where''s the monster?"

 76 God Kin Rooney

    Johann pointed at the gigantic corpse floating on the sea. After recounting what had just happened, everyone thought that it was unbelievable, as if god had protected them. They couldn''t believe that they had made it out alive.


    Rooney pressed his hand on the deck, only to discover that it was starting to freeze. The ice was spreading on the soaked deck, having already stretched over several meters!


    "What''s happening?"


    Rooney and his crew were scared out of their wits. Rooney fell back two steps, then touched the mast, only to see it start freezing. Rooney seemed to have an epiphany, which prompted him to try something. He realized that he could control this mystical power, just like the legendary Children of the Sea. He had gained a supernatural ability.


    Lil Jack immediately said, "This must be a power given by gods. It''s the God of the Sea, a power granted by the God of the Sea! This is the true power of God!"


    All of them looked at Rooney with excitement. Depp said with a shaking voice, "Maybe you are the real Child of the Sea. All of this was the guidance of God. Rooney, you are truly a man chosen by God!"


    Rooney was excited beyond belief, as he looked at the other three. "Depp, Johann, and Lil Jack, as well as Rhode, who we will always remember... You all have taken the risk and journeyed out to sea with me, and you have also saved my life. I swear that I, Rooney Elvis, will share all of my glory with you!"


    The three of them fell to the ground, kneeling as they also pledged to Rooney, "These humble servants pledge our loyalties, without regard for our lives or deaths, to our liege and master, Rooney Elvis. We will fight for your honor, unto our deaths!"


    At this exact moment, a huge black egg floated out to the surface of the sea. It was about the size of a bucket. Johann pointed to it and said, "It''s that thing. It just fell out of the sky and killed the Child of the Sea!"


    Depp also spoke with reverence, "This fell from the sky. This must be a star from the sky, a genuine treasure!"


    They immediately moved to scoop up the object in order to observe it more closely. But, they were unable to discern its identity. Rooney could sense that it was something extraordinary, so he carefully stowed it away. After fixing the mast and the sails, they steered the ship that could break at any time on their journey back.


    At the time, Lu Zhiyu sat within the dimensional castle, looked at those people, dumbfounded, "Damn, what the heck? These guys should be the main characters! Did they activate some sort of hero template?"


    Lu Zhiyu had just randomly dropped a dragon egg through the portal. Before hatching, the dragon egg''s hardness was incredible. As such, the egg would be fine, even if it was to be thrown from a great height.


    But Lu Zhiyu hadn''t anticipated that, at this very moment, there would be a few humans battling a descendant of Sakun. Or, that this black dragon''s egg that he had tossed would coincidentally kill that descendant of Sakun, while there was a person still alive within its stomach! Neither did he surmise that that person would have a chance to touch the deified cell organ within the descendant of Sakun!


    To sum up the exact scene, the deified cells within the electric organ of this giant eel had lost their master after the death of the descendant of Sakun. In normal cases, the deified cells would have died shortly after the death of the main body, due to the loss of their source of energy!


    Yet, in this case, there was a person present, who had coincidentally touched the deified cell organ. Since the natures of the deified cells were quite ravenous, they must have immediately merged with his body, thus saving the person who was on the verge of death, and granting him a supernatural ability. Although this descendant of Sakun had a very diluted bloodline, with pitifully few deified cells, it was still a real supernatural monster!


    After this guy survived, he also picked up the black dragon egg that Lu Zhiyu threw. One had to wonder what sort of devil''s luck such a person must have. It was completely unreal!


    This series of events made Lu Zhiyu drop his jaw in complete shock. Normally the success rate of becoming a spawn of a mythical creature was miniscule at best. Lu Zhiyu had tried countless times, with both amazing experimental conditions and the dream space, in order to dull the resistance of the other creature. Only then could he create the spawns of mythical creatures and magical beasts. Even so, the failures of these attempts were numerous. And yet, here was this guy, who had become a spawn of a mythical creature by sheer luck, without any manipulations on the success rate. He had succeeded just like that?


    As the dragon eggs spread across the seas, islands, and continents of Maria''s world, like comets, the Titan Dragon race began to appear in Maria''s world. Lu Zhiyu could feel the flow of time, which had been slowing down gradually, begin decelerating to only a bit more than a thousand times the pace of the time outside. The entire Maria''s world began formally incorporating supernatural abilities into its structure. The laws of the world were gradually becoming more nuanced and complete, like a true supernatural world!


    With this deceleration of time, a day on Earth became equal to around three years in Maria''s world. Lu Zhiyu had completed his experiment with brilliant results. Now, other than wizards, Maria''s World also had another supernatural system that was closely tied to himself.


    With the successful creation of the Titan Dragons, Lu Zhiyu immediately began planning the creation of his supernatural system of the spawn of deities. This was essential for furthering Lu Zhiyu''s future plans!


    ----------


    Rooney and his crew returned to the Elvis Territory on the battered ship, with the giant eel in tow. They shocked the entire Elvis clan. But what shocked the Elvis clan even more was that Rooney now had the bloodline of God and had become a true deity!


    Currently, the only deity on the entire Alen continent was the Saintess of the Church of Light, which controlled over half of the human countries. She was the representative of God to mankind, the symbol that proved gods exist. The status of the Church of Light could even be said to extend beyond religion!


    The God of the Sea was not recognized on the Alen continent, having only a few followers among the fishermen and sailors. It had no church of its own and was reviled by the Church of Light as being an evil god. But Rooney was still a real deity, a person that wielded the power of God!


    The Elvis family saw that through Rooney, a hope that the Rosa d''Or family would rise to power again. They even saw the possibility of surpassing the achievements of the Eighth Clan Leader, George Elvis!


    Rooney Elvis naturally became the Thirteenth Clan Leader of the Elvis clan, before taking over its territories. At the same time, the news of Rooney Elvis'' killing the Child of Sea spread throughout the entire Luhmann Kingdom!


    All the wandering poets started singing odes about Rooney Elvis'' adventure, solidifying his status as a legendary hero, who killed a deity with a mortal body. This sort of achievement was beyond belief, especially in the Luhmann Kingdom, which had many sailors, as well as a highly developed maritime trade industry!


    Everyone was talking about Rooney Elvis¡ªin the bars, on the seas, everywhere. As the first deity slaying human and the conquester of the seas, the entire human world, as well as even many orc nations all learned of his name. His adventures were even recorded within the historical annals!


    And just like the Goddess of Light''s kin, Rooney Elvis became known as God Kin Rooney, and received an initiation ceremony from the Church of Light. Rooney also gave the body of the Child of the Sea to the King of Luhmann, who mounted the skeleton within the plaza of his palace!


    Hundreds of people gathered to watch when the giant eel was transported to the capital of Luhmann. All of them saw the giant sea monster, feeling terrified. Though it was already dead, its massive body still inspired awe and fear. Furthermore, this was one among the Child of the Sea from the legends, each of which possessed the power of God!


    While feeling fear towards the Child of the Sea, their admiration for Rooney, who had killed the monster, grew exponentially. Riding on this trend, the reputation of the Luhmann Kingdom also skyrocketed. Due to his contributions, the King of Luhmann gave Rooney the title of Viscount!

 77 Legends

    In the seventh year of the San calendar, Rooney Elvis used his newly found power, which allowed him to control some of the monsters in the sea, to build a powerful merchant fleet. He then allied with many merchants and nobles and quickly accumulated a huge amount of wealth through sea trade.


    A year later, the Elvis family brought a dukedom and a large piece of contested land through the tribute of large amount of wealth to the Luhmann Kingdom''s monarch. Then Rooney Elvis personally led forth an army and conquered this territory and became a true duke.


    Another year later, the king of Luhmann Kingdom passed away to an illness. Immediately after he passed, the oldest prince and the third prince began fighting for the throne. Rooney led the military in support of the third prince and fought all the way to the capital of Luhmann Kingdom.


    The city wall of Luhmann Kingdom''s capital was very old and sturdy. During this time, there were few ways to attack a city. Trebuchets and wall scaling ladders were set up and they attacked for a number of months, resulting in countless casualties but the wall remained standing. Furthermore, the inside of the city had plentiful food and sources of water, enough to hold a siege for a few years.


    If the present situation persisted, the eldest prince might be forced into sacrificing a great deal to make an alliance with the Church of Light, the Mara Kingdom, and many other small countries. At that time, the one to die would be the third prince and Rooney!


    Before the other armies could arrive, however, Rooney appeared, flying over the capital on a black dragon. The dragon was still young and relatively small, but it was large enough to carry Rooney. And, even though the dragon hadn''t awakened its powers yet, it was still able to breathe fire. With the dragon, Rooney easily broke through the wall.


    This was the first time that any dragon had ever appeared in the world and it left an indelible mark in human history with its powerful posture and supernatural abilities. When humans talked about this creature in the future, they were enveloped by darkness and fear. Each of the black dragon''s breaths could burn an entire squadron of people, leaving them screaming in agony. The dragon charged into the soldiers and easily tore open a path and with the addition of Rooney''s supernatural abilities and reinforced body, they were like heroic figures of legend, completely unstoppable. They opened the city gate, charged in, and killed the eldest prince.


    However, at the feast that night, the third prince attempted to poison Rooney, as he was afraid of Rooney''s power but Rooney saw through his plan and in his anger, Rooney killed the third prince at the feast. The entire city descended into chaos. Leading the military, Rooney took the opportunity and occupied Luhmann''s capital city.


    In the same year, Rooney Elvis quelled the rebellions in Luhmann Kingdom and made a deal with the Church, promising them more benefits as well as the conditions the Church previously agreed with Luhmann Kingdom in exchange for becoming the new king of the kingdom.


    Rooney then renamed the Luhmann Kingdom to the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, and he became officially known as Rooney the First. From herein, Rooney had an extra title, Dragon Rider. The story of how the Elvis family had risen from being a small noble family to the ruling monarch family spread like wildfire, soon becoming legend.


    Rooney established the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro and left his fair share of legends, as well. His fight with the sea monster, the origin of his dragon, and all the stories about him were enough to write a serialized novel. In his life, Rooney became like a hero of legends, recorded in the annals of history!


    ¡ª


    Lu Zhiyu was very excited, because he had finally deified all of his cells. All of the cells in his body were within his control and had become one with his mind power, consciousness and will. Lu Zhiyu could feel that he could change his appearance at will, however, because his gene template at the moment was that of humans combined with elves, he still maintained his past form.


    However, he had been developing mythical creature templates for years and he already had a framework set out a few years back. All he needed to do since was to fix a few more things, to make it perfect!


    He had also become a level seven wizard, which meant that, as long as he could use the Source Form, he could maintain his body''s youth. In this way, he had achieved his original goal of immortality!


    The influence of a mythical wizard after deifying all of their cells could go no further than the molecular level, it was just finer and more detailed. Thus, the supernatural abilities Lu Zhiyu had were nothing more than the abilities he developed earlier. At most, it was an accumulation.


    However, given the strength of Lu Zhiyu''s presently deified cells, the information they could store was still finite. So, even if he used all of the mythical templates, he could not use all of the powers they contained. He could only selectively design his mythical creature template!


    Actually, even if Lu Zhiyu did not have the template, he could still use its power. However, each detail would have to adjusted and buffered, it would not be instantaneous. Furthermore, his control would not be intricate enough compared to someone who used the template. In a fight, he would definitely be at a disadvantage and the slightest difference was the difference between life and death!


    Lu Zhiyu spent a great deal of time thinking about this and modified his initial mythical creature template again and again. In the end, they still did not satisfy him. In Lu Zhiyu''s eyes, these normal supernatural abilities were full of flaws because he had designed them himself. He knew all of the weaknesses and counters. No matter how powerful such a power was or how much area it covered, it was always very easy for someone to target it.


    After trying a lot of different combinations of abilities, he finally figured out the best which formed a perfect cycle of self-compensation. This way, it would not be easy to be targeted or have a clear weakness. Lu Zhiyu had believed that this was the template most suited to him.


    That was until three years ago when an ingenious idea bumped to his head.


    Why the life form has to be based on flesh and blood? Why does it have to be like that of a normal living being? No, a mythical creature didn''t have to follow the rules of a normal living things.


    Lu Zhiyu wanted to expand on the thought he had in dream space earlier to create a creature without form or weakness to control dream space. This creature would live in dream space and the mind and it could interfere in reality through controlling information!


    According to Lu Zhiyu''s thoughts, in the future, he could materialize everything in the dream space into reality and interfere the reality on the information level. Lu Zhiyu named this mythical creature template Dream Controller!


    Lu Zhiyu had even planned the next few steps. If his control could reach the the atomic level, or even smaller to the ion and electron level, he could then truly materialize information into reality. He would be like a true god of creation and the dream space would become a true world. At that time, he would be known as the Master of dream space!

 78 Dream Controller

    Lu Zhiyu picked up a test tube. Within the test tube, a few tiny objects were dancing in the air, shimmering with a light that was undetectable to human eyes. These were the deified dream controller cells that Lu Zhiyu had designed!


    As soon as Lu Zhiyu opened the test tube, the bright spots were immediately incorporated into Lu Zhiyu''s body. Lu Zhiyu felt his body expand, as his entire being became light and floaty. If his body was observed on a molecular level, then it could be seen that the deified dream controller cells in Lu Zhiyu''s body were rapidly inducing the evolution of all of Lu Zhiyu''s cells.


    Standing within the dimensional castle, Lu Zhiyu noticed that his hands were disappearing, bit by bit, as if fading into foam and transforming into speckles of floating stars. Lu Zhiyu''s entire body changed into sparks of light, which then disappeared within the dimensional castle!


    Lu Zhiyu felt as if he had turned into a gust of wind and had merged with the world itself. He left the laboratory and circled the entire castle. It really felt as if he was at one with nothingness!


    Lu Zhiyu had completely separated into dispersed dream controller cells, also known as dream elements. As he soared freely, Lu Zhiyu opened the dimensional door, which would allow him to explore further within Maria''s World.


    Currently, it was night in Maria''s World, with the clouds obscuring half of the moon. Lu Zhiyu transformed into a gust of faintly glowing wind and weaved through the clouds, soaring high above all else. This was Lu Zhiyu''s first time seeing the world from the skies, soaring above thousands of bright little houses in tiny cities. It was an exhilarating sense of beauty!


    Lu Zhiyu broke past the first stratus of clouds, then started frolicking in the white mistiness under the illumination of the moon. It was a refreshing freedom that could make one forget all of their worldly woes.


    He proceeded to visit the forests, whistling along with the night wind, as he listened to the chirps and cries of the insects and beasts of the woods. He then dove down close to the mountains. From afar, it looked like a clump of fireflies that were dancing through the forest, like a scene out of a dream!


    Lu Zhiyu passed through a lake in the woods and suddenly emanated a light that covered the entire surface of the lake. He watched as it made the lake, roughly one kilometer in length, evaporate immediately. This was the only special ability that Lu Zhiyu had encoded within the Dream Controller template, other than dream control: he called it Disintegration.


    This ability allowed him to destroy structures of molecules. The entire lake was completely torn apart, as the steam hissed upwards. It was beautiful, but also terrible.


    Next, Lu Zhiyu headed to a village by the foot of the mountain. Lu Zhiyu rushed inside, then covered the entire village with the dream element. Each element circulated the aura of life within it, seeking out every man, woman, and child, right down to the youngest and oldest beings there.


    Each person was invaded by the consciousness of Lu Zhiyu''s dream elements, as he took control over their consciousness and dream spaces. He linked them up into a huge joint dream space!


    Within the dream space, it was still a small village. Yet, it was daytime in this village, and Lu Zhiyu was sitting on a great tree on a hill, which was located right outside of the village. It was a bright sunny day, and the village was bustling with activity. All of the villagers had brilliant smiles on their faces!


    Within the dream space, everyone''s dreams had come true. Old Man Nurkse''s son, who had died in a war, was now back home, baking bread with him! The carpenters of the Rand family finally got pregnant with a son. Chancy, the little beggar on the streets, finally found a family that was willing to adopt him. Damon had become a rich and successful merchant. And Ned¡­and on it went!


    Everything was perfect, no one had any worries in this wonderful life, where all their dreams came true. It was an utopia with no conflicts, no wars, and no stress. All of the villagers had smiles of pure joy.


    "Kelly, are you happy here?"


    Lu Zhiyu was looking at the girl, who had wandered through the town to the hill, all the while wearing a face of confusion. Sunlight filtered to the hill and the leaves swayed in the wind.


    She was the Saintess of the Church of Light, named Kelly. When Lu Zhiyu completed the mythical template, Kelly, as one of Lu Zhiyu''s deities, had also been affected, and she was also dragged into the dream space that Lu Zhiyu had created!


    "Where is this? Who are you?"


    Kelly had never encountered anything like this. She should have been in the Temple of Light within St. Sarl City. Why was she suddenly in this beautiful, quiet village of peace, this Heaven-like place? Even the winds here had a gentle warmth to them!


    Within the dream, Kelly couldn''t see Lu Zhiyu''s appearance clearly. Lu Zhiyu appeared like a collection of starlight, floating down from the tree to stand before Kelly, wearing the sun-patterned mask of Faross!


    Kelly''s mouth fell open in disbelief, as she stared at Lu Zhiyu. Lu Zhiyu stood on the hill, gazing town onto the village. Kelly muttered, "Is this a dream? Am I dreaming again? But, this dream feels so real!"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head. "This is not your dream. This is my dream. I dragged you all into my dream, so that everyone could experience this happiness. This should be something that satisfies everyone."


    He continued, "People can only be happy within dreams. In reality, humanity is embroiled in greed and conflict. They will always be constrained by these intangible falsities, without knowing what they truly want. Happiness is only the temporary stop of this greed."


    Kelly stared at Lu Zhiyu blankly. She had fantasized about the appearance of God countless times in the past, and thought about the God, who had granted her his own bloodline, and about Him welcoming her to His kingdom after she died.


    "Lord Faross, you, you have finally come to see me!" Kelly said with tears running down her face. Kelly hurriedly wiped her tears, as she faced Lu Zhiyu again. "Lord, I have always been praying to you. Have you heard my voice? Thank you for granting my mission and my powers¡­"


    Kelly was extremely excited to be in front of Lu Zhiyu, so much so, that she kept stringing her words together. In fact, she felt that, in her excitement, she had lost the ability to make coherent sentences.


    Lu Zhiyu chuckled after listening to her recount, her helplessness, as well as her admiration for him. "You are searching for your sense of purpose and the reason for your existence. I didn''t give you any mission. You chose to succeed my bloodline, my black hair and eyes, all by yourself. You do not have to bear such a heavy burden on your shoulders. It is meaningless to us."


    He continued, "We do not need your belief. It does not matter if you revere us or debase us. It is meaningless. Gods do not need your belief, but we also will not deny the meaning of your existence."


    Kelly panicked. "Yet we need you! We need you to save our souls, and to allow us to repent for our filthiness and our ugly sins. We need your guiding light and glory to clean the sins of this world!"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head. "I like the effort you put in for your mission. Though humans are weak, you can always blossom with the light of wisdom and the beauty of the heart. The co-existence of ugliness and beauty is one of the true faces of humanity."


    Lu Zhiyu looked into Kelly''s eyes. "Though you have the ability to read the minds of others, you cannot understand your own heart. You look at them with hatred, so everything you see through your eyes is biased."


    Lu Zhiyu pointed to the location of his own heart. "You should be looking at your own heart, not only the hearts of others."


    Kelly flushed with a sense of shame. As the rays of dawn broke out, the people within the dream space began waking up, and the large group dream space began to dissolve. Though Lu Zhiyu could forcefully lock their consciousness inside, doing so would be meaningless.


    As a fog descended, the entire dream space started collapsing. Kelly looked at the tree that she was standing by in a panic, then at Lu Zhiyu, who was quickly fading from her sight. "Lord Faross, I will follow your words, as I wish to create a Holy Kingdom to worship you, a Heaven on Earth, so that the souls of the people can be purified. I hope you can respond to our prayers!"


    Kelly ran up the hill, trying to chase him, but discovered that the hill was endless, as the tree simply became further and further away, while Lord Faross turned into a ray of light and disappeared from below it.

 79 Mask of Faross

    The Church''s influence on culture was at its peak. Over the past ten years, the Church had made many new plans and constructed many buildings in the beautiful and rich St. Sarl on the foundations of the old city Rus. Now, St. Sarl City was one of the wealthiest cities in the human world. Churches were everywhere in the city, and every single resident was a pure believer.


    In the city, the streets were filled with clergy members in robes of black and white. On the back of each of their robes was the sigil of the sun, and they also had an accessory with the same sigil in front of their chests. Statues of Lady Maria and her archangels and angels filled the streets. There were always believers gathered together, praying under these statues.


    When the city was initially being constructed, one of the most famous human architects, Faragrant, was commissioned to do the city planning. Faragrant made sure that the city''s layout was as efficient and aesthetically pleasing as possible. It had wide streets, many parks and small churches, and a complete drainage system. The buildings all had very iconic statues on them. In addition, outside the St. Sarl Clock Tower and the St. Maria''s Square was the most distinguished building in the city, the Temple of Light.


    The Temple of Light was the central institution of the Church of Light. It was where the two messengers of the gods, the Pope and the Saintess, resided. It was guarded heavily by the best of the Knights of Light. Moreover, it was where the Church ruled over half of the human kingdoms and one of the focal points of power within the human world.


    Deep inside the temple was the white chamber of the Saintess which looked like where only gods could live. Inside the room, there was a huge white bed. Delicate silk curtains hung from the windows, and a white bearskin rug was on the ground. Apart from these, the room was quite empty.


    The most eye-catching object in the room was a mural on the wall. Legend had it that the mural was taken from the palace of the Golden Dynasty by people of the Silver Dynasty. The Golden King Ahenaten had asked someone to carve it according to his own memory. The mural was called Revelation, and it depicted the archangel Faross giving King Ahenaten the divine revelation. The Saintess was very fond of the mural, and thus it had been hanging in her room for a long time.


    "Lord? Lord!"


    "Lord!"


    Wearing her silk nightgown, Saintess Kelly sat up, out of her velvet duvet. Her voice startled the four female knights standing guard outside. All four of them hurried inside at once and knelt down beside her bed.


    "Is something wrong, my lady?"


    All four knights were very respectful towards her. Kelly was the Saintess, a descendant of God who had divine blood in her veins. She was the one that had led the Church to glory and gave the Church its power. After growing up indoctrinated by the Church, these knights all idolized her, not to mention that they had been following the Saintess for so many years. Even if Kelly asked them to slit their own throats, they would not hesitate.


    Covering her face with her hands, Kelly glanced at them and jumped out of bed. She walked around her bedchamber, searching for something with her feet bare.


    "Are you there, Lord Faross?" she called, wandering around her bedroom.


    "Lord."


    The knights glanced at each other in shock and fear. Kelly was the closest thing to divinity among the living, and no one dared to doubt her words. If she said so, it must be true. Did God really just visit her chamber?


    The knights lowered their heads and did not dare to move a bit. The entire bedchamber seemed to have turned into a holy church. Even the air seemed to be somewhat divine because of the God''s visit.


    Kelly called for a while, but did not receive any response. Then, she sat down on her bed, disappointed. "Was that a dream?" she whispered, looking at the mural.


    "No," she said, shaking her head. "It couldn''t have been. I never dream. Furthermore, dreams can''t be that realistic." She stood up and saw something falling to the ground. It fell right in front of one of the knights, and she was just about to pick it up to give to Kelly.


    "Don''t!" Kelly called loudly, as if someone had just touched something which only belonged to her. "Don''t touch it!" The knight hurried back away anxiously.


    Kelly knelt down and picked the object up carefully. She realized that it was a white mask with a red sun sigil on it. It was not made from gold or iron, but it felt like a metal. In her hands, it glowed faintly, and it was clearly extraordinary.


    This was a mask Lu Zhiyu made using dream elements. In order to make it, he had used a large amount of dream elements. The mask contained some of his powers, and only someone with his deified cells could activate and use it. At the same time, it was also embedded with the channelling array for the dimensional door, so anyone who used it could contact him through it.


    Kelly put the mask onto her face. She could immediately feel the ichor inside her flowing, and her power grew significantly. Not only that, she felt that she had gained several more powers as well.


    The first power was dream chains. Through this mask, she could observe anyone''s consciousness and lock their minds with the dream chains. She could even destroy their consciousnesses if she so wished. Even wizards and magical beasts could not block this attack easily with their mind powers. The other power was Disintegration.


    With the mask on, the slender Kelly extended her hand and pointed at the side of the room. After a flash of white and a loud boom, the wall and the air exploded at once, and a large hole over ten meters wide appeared in that place.


    She walked out through the hole and found herself in the yard outside. The knights who were kneeling stared at the scene and the mask Kelly was wearing with wide eyes.


    "Wha, what''s that power?"


    Kelly was powerful enough before, but this mask had granted her more power and made her terrifyingly strong.


    "The mask?"


    They suddenly turned their heads and looked at the mural on the wall. Realizing that God in the picture was wearing an identical mask, everyone was astonished.


    "It''s a mask of God!"


    "It''s a divine artifact!"


    More guards were coming this way due to the noise. Many guards and clergy members hurried over to the Saintess''s chamber, when they saw Saintess Kelly standing in the yard with a white mask which had the sigil of the sun.


    It was still early in the morning. The Pope had just woken up and hurried to Kelly''s bedroom as well. The Saintess was the most important figure in the Church, and even though there was a lot of infighting within the Church for power, no one had ever dared to touch the Saintess.


    Firstly, she was a deity so she was sitting firm in her position. Secondly, she was powerful enough that no one could touch her. In addition, it was because of her power that the Church had gained control over half of the human kingdoms. The two parties depended on each other for survival. The Church would never allow any harm to come her way.


    The current Pope, Hodap, had become the Pope because he was the one that found the Saintess, which was another reason why he cared so much about her and came immediately after hearing about the commotion in her chamber. When he arrived, he saw Kelly standing in the yard. Noticing that she was unharmed, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    "What''s going on?"


    Everyone looked to the ten-meter wide hole in the wall, and the large patch of soil in the yard which had been overturned. All the people present were intimidated by such a power, and they turned to look at Kelly.

 80 System of Divine Incantations 1

    The last mask that Kelly possessed surprised them even more. Hodap, who knew very well the history of the Church, as well as its myths, quickly recognized the mask. His face changed immediately.


    Hodap stuttered, "This, this wouldn''t be?"


    Saintess Kelly unveiled the mask. "This is the Mask of His Lord Faross."


    Kelly raised the divine artifact into the air. The white mask sparkled, sending a dazzling rainbow halo into the light, causing all the people at the scene to look away with a sense of blinding dizziness.


    All of the people at the scene fell to the ground. Everyone, including the Pope, started kissing the ground. Kelly spoke solemnly. "God pities humankind. After my ardent prayers, God not only granted me his artifact, but He also gave me the method of passing on divine incantations. Only faithful believers can master divine incantations to enter His Kingdom after death."


    The Pope was beyond himself. As he stood up, he couldn''t even hold his staff properly, as his entire being seemed to shudder. "Can I also use these divine incantations of God?" he wondered aloud.


    Though Kelly did not like Pope Hodap, whose mind was permanently filled with filthy thoughts, his dedication to God was unquestionable. "Of course, as you are God''s representative on Earth, Pope of the Church of Light. But, this would require a grand ritual and many sacrifices. Though our sacrifices are nothing in the eyes of God, God has still expressed his pity and magnanimity towards us. Hence, it is out of the question for us to dedicate any less than our very best to Him."


    Only the faintly shimmering mask remained within Pope Hodap''s eyes. As he approached the mask, it was as if he could feel the eyes and presence of God. The Pope shouted loudly. "Of course. Praise the generosity of God. May your Kingdom prosper on Earth, as it does in Heaven. This is your nation. We will announce your existence to the world. The eyes of God have never left us, and He will continue to watch over humanity."


    "Divine incantations can only be controlled by the most dedicated believers. Disloyal believers will be roasted to death within the sacred flames, their souls doomed to eternal suffering in Hell. Your Eminence, please choose a list of your most dedicated believers to undergo this Saint Baptism ritual. Other than you, the first group of God''s Saints will number twelve people."


    Saintess Kelly put the mask back on and left. All of the clergy were beyond themselves. The usual displays of power from the Saintess were already overwhelming. Now that she had exhibited even greater divine abilities, and said that these divine incantations could now be shared with other disciples.


    Everyone wanted to become one of the Twelve Saints, to become the true messengers of God, with existences that wielded the power of divine incantations, who were much closer to the divinity of God. These figures could even be guided to God''s Heavenly Kingdom after death!


    The Saintess never interfered with the politics of the Church of Light, so Pope Hodap held the sole right over the list of candidates. Everyone started to devise their own plans immediately.


    News about the Saint Baptism ritual immediately spread everywhere. It went beyond St. Sarl City itself, out into the entire Kingdom of the Church of Light, and to all the Cardinals, who were spread throughout many different countries. All of the people who received the news then began speeding back to St. Sarl City, in order to vie for the candidacy positions.


    Everyone knew that these twelve people would hold the true power of the Church in the future, acting within the highest echelon of the Church of Light. Without the title as the Messenger of God, how else could one prove their piety and closeness to God?


    All of the highest ranked clergy of the Church, no matter how far they were scattered or how important the matters they were dealing with were, dropped their things to head to St. Sarl, travelling both day and night. Although many people within the Church wanted to contain the news, the attempt to do so was completely futile. Though the date for the Saint Baptism Ritual wasn''t set yet, the candidacy competition was already in full swing. Returning a single day late meant complete elimination from candidacy.


    Finally, Pope Hodap set the official day of the Saint Baptism Ritual to a day three months hence. It was the first day of the new year, which was also the day that the Goddess of Light, Maria, was said to have created the world. At that time, the entire Church would be in the throes of the festivities, and St. Sarl City entered its busiest day of the year.


    Pope Hodap also invited the rulers of various large human kingdoms to the celebration in St. Sarl City. He did this to create closer diplomatic relations with these countries, as well as to display the might and influence of the Church of Light. This would also demonstrate that the theocracy of the Church of Light was legitimately recognized by God.


    As the news of the Saint Baptism Ritual spread abroad, the rumor that Saintess Kelly had received a divine artifact also reached the ears of those in many human nations. All of humanity was shocked that Saintess Kelly had obtained the divine artifact of Faross'' mask.


    This mask had a great influence, as it had been spread through legends by the Church of Light. All of the statues of Faross wore the mask. It was a divine artifact that always accompanied God, and now that it was possessed by the Church of Light. Who knew how strong its power could be?! Originally, Saintess Kelly already was a figure that struck fear into the hearts of the rulers of the human kingdoms. How powerful, then, was the Saintess now?


    How terrifying would the Church of Light be after the Saint Baptism ritual, if it became even more powerful? Would the human kingdoms even have room to survive? All of the original rules of law and methods of survival may be shattered by the Saint Baptism Ritual.


    With all of these issues on everyone''s minds, the Saint Baptism Ritual this year did not only concern the Church of Light, but would also directly affect the power balance of all human kingdoms. In an instance, as consciousness of the Saint Baptism Ritual spread, all of the human kingdoms began taking action in the shadows.


    Rooney, who was in the capital of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Or, had just become the King. He had confirmed that he was receiving a baptism at St. Sarl City next year, where he would also undergo his crowning ritual to confirm that he was a believer of the Church of Light and a messenger of God. Yet before his baptism, he received another invitation from the Church of Light.


    The Cardinal, who was posted to the Kingdom of Rosa d''Or, personally came to invite Rooney to the New Year celebration and the Saint Baptism Ritual at St. Sarl City, along with all the other rulers of the human kingdoms and their ambassadors, including the Emperor of the Crete Empire, the Emperor of the Batko Empire, and the Monarch of the Tuten Dynasty.


    The original crowning ceremony was rescheduled for that day as well. The Cardinal believed that this was a great favor granted to Rooney by the Church of Light, to allow his crowning ceremony to take place on the same day as the ritual, which had such an intimate relation with God. It was the utmost honor.


    Yet Rooney also felt a faint sense of unease. The bloodline within him was the blood of the God of the Sea. Would it really be okay to attend the Saint Baptism Ritual of the Church of Light? However, he couldn''t possibly refuse. The current Rooney could not resist the power of the Church of Light. Furthermore, this was his own crowning ceremony, which would solidify his position within the Kingdom of Rosa d''Or, a power move that would soothe the anxious nobility within his Kingdom.

 81 System of Divine Incantations 2

    Lu Zhiyu transformed into a stream of lights, then flew through the mountains and rivers of the Crete Empire as a Dream Controller. He darted through the skies, hidden among the clouds by the sunlight, before returning to the former Luhmann Kingdom, which was now known as the Black Forest of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro.


    While he flew far above the clouds, Lu Zhiyu spotted the Black Forest. He entered the Wizard Tower through a window to his office. The Dream Controller template began to condense before converting back into Lu Zhiyu''s first life template.


    Although he possessed the mythical life template of the Dream Controller, Lu Zhiyu kept his ordinary life template instead of deleting it. Although the Dream Controller template was far more powerful and not nearly as vulnerable, the living like an ordinary being suited Lu Zhiyu''s way of life and philosophy much more.


    Lu Zhiyu emerged from the nothingness that was formed by the gathering of starlight, as if the specks of those dreamy lights had condensed to form a human being. After he landed, he turned around and lowered himself down to lounge on his chair with ease. The light faded gradually, condensing into Lu Zhiyu''s features.


    "The Dream Controller mythical template isn''t bad at all. It has already met its initial goals. There are no defects while using it and the convenient data storage is also up to par. But, I didn''t expect to have Kelly drawn into my dreams. Oh well, at least this way I can progress with my other plans simultaneously. I can start implementing the first phase of the divine system!"


    Lu Zhiyu had given the mask to Kelly, along with the a divine magical system he had developed at the same time. This was another system of special abilities that Lu Zhiyu had created while producing the Titan Dragons. It was still very rough, so it would definitely take some time to cultivate it.


    Lu Zhiyu wanted to use the method of creating deities to turn his own special deified cells, the Dream Element, into divine seeds. But unlike deities, the divine seeds consumed a meager amount of deified cells. Thus, they would only grant a tiny amount of supernatural abilities. This meant that they needed to evolve over time in order to become stronger.


    The divine seeds would assimilate with the consciousness of their possessor. They would then be able to completely upgrade their life template. In this way, even if the user only had a miniscule amount of divine seeds, they would still be able to strengthen themselves over time with certain techniques. By strengthening their consciousness with the divine seeds, they could potentially access the Source Form, allowing them to become mythical beings.


    Whether or not they became mythical beings, their consciousness would essentially be under Lu Zhiyu''s control, since their consciousness would have assimilated with Lu Zhiyu''s divine seeds, which are derived from his cells. After they died, their consciousness would be automatically absorbed into Lu Zhiyu''s dream world. This process would strengthen Lu Zhiyu''s dream world, just like how Sakun did.


    This was Lu Zhiyu''s goal. By creating his own kin, he was strengthening himself. As these spawn strengthened themselves through cultivation, they would then gradually fuse with Lu Zhiyu''s divine seeds. This way, the assimilation process would be skipped over, as they would become perfectly acclimated to his dream world, essentially becoming dream world information entities.


    Moreover, the more devout these priests were, the higher their compatibilities with the divine seeds would be. They would also be faster at extracting Source Form from the magical network, which would allow their special abilities to awaken faster as well.


    As they grew in strength, their consciousness would also be transformed. Upon their deaths, the consciousness of these divine seed users would be far beyond the realms of ordinary people!


    Lu Zhiyu''s divine system was basically a cultivation tool. The more people cultivated with it, the more he could benefit. In this way, Lu Zhiyu would also be able to create his own dream world, according to his designs. It would be a world with an endless source of souls who believed in him!


    "It feels like a Divine Kingdom!"


    Lu Zhiyu felt that his dream world already resembled some aspects of Heaven, but the difference was still tremendous. Lu Zhiyu knew that he would need some time, since it required the souls of an unbelievable number of believers to create the dream world he imagined.


    Lu Zhiyu pushed open the door, then walked down the corridor, passing several laboratories and his messy study. When he came to the great hall, he saw a sphinx inside with androgynous features.


    When the sphinx reached its prime, it would automatically produce its heir through asexual reproduction. Their supernatural ability was Destruction, which Lu Zhiyu based his own special ability, Disintegration, on in the future.


    "Hello, sir!"


    "Hello, Pyros, good work."


    The sphinx, Pyros, shook his head. "This is my responsibility and duty, according to the contract that I signed with you. To us sphinxes, our contracts and missions are our greatest duties in life."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. The wind raven was the first race that he had tried to modify with set species characteristics. The most successful case had to be the sphinx. They adhered to their contracts and missions, regarding them as their everything, even valuing them above their own lives.


    As such, Lu Zhiyu was also completely horrified by the thought that he had created them this way. He questioned whether it was one''s wills or bodies and cells that controlled one''s emotions and desires...


    He knew that hormones inside the human body controlled one''s feelings and desires. For instance, the secretion of phenylethylamine could make people fall in love, while dopamine controlled the feelings of excitement and joy.


    Norepinephrine created the heart-throbbing effect within people in love, endorphin could make lovers feel lasting happiness. Also of note, the hormone from the posterior pituitary gland was the key hormone in regulating faithfulness within a relationship.


    Thus, if your will rejected a person, but your body and its cells secreted phenylethylamine to your brain, you would still fall for that person because of your reproductive instincts!


    Likewise, you may not like a song or a particular genre of music, but dopamine could give you a sense of elation, making you fall in love with the song instantly. In this way, many of your feelings weren''t really from your will but summoned when your body liked something, which could create an illusion that you actually like that same thing.


    Are you really who you think you are? Do you really think that all of your thoughts are derived from your own will, instead of the physical and cellular instincts controlling you like a marionette?


    Do you really like what you think that you like about your own will? Or, are you simply giving in to what your body is telling you that it likes?


    "You can only control yourself after you have tamed your own body. Only then, will you be able to accurately understand your own desires and thoughts, thus gaining mastery over your own consciousness. Otherwise, you will always be a slave to your body."


    After he became a mythical lifeform, Lu Zhiyu felt as if he had broken free from some invisible shackles. He had achieved the freedom of the will, enabling him to start understanding why he had been so anxious to become a mythical lifeform. His will had craved liberation.


    As he had told Kelly before, those were his real thoughts, after he broke free from the shackles. "In reality, human beings are full of desires and conflicts. They are always shackled to false ideals, never knowing what they truly desire."


    However, even after breaking the chains of his body and emotions, it didn''t necessarily mean that he had no feelings and desires. His character as an intelligent being had already been formed, and it was imprinted on the soul, unable to be erased. Yet, from then on, all of his thoughts and desires truly stemmed from himself.


    Conversely, natural mythical creatures were extremely indifferent to their emotions and desires. Thus, their consciousness would be closer to Lu Zhiyu''s understanding of the gods from the myths and legends.

 82 A New Generation of Wizards

    As Lu Zhiyu walked down the steps, the bell of the wizard tower chimed. All of the students of the tower had long since gathered inside the classroom. Today was the last lesson that Lu Zhiyu would give to them.


    After five years, all of the original forty wizard apprentices had gone through earth shattering transformations. Each one exuded a glow of wisdom and self-confidence, with a charm that was only granted to possessors of knowledge and power. No beggar nor ignorant fool would ever have that sort of presence.


    As Lu Zhiyu walked inside, he saw that all the apprentices had stood up to greet him, each with a deep bow. Lu Zhiyu scanned them. All of them had matured over the last five years, but the biggest changes were in their appearances. Even many of the average looking students had also become breathtakingly beautiful. All of the apprentices looked as if they had stepped out of paintings.


    All of the apprentices'' mind power had exceeded seven SFU and had the ability to actualize mind power physically as official wizards. Less than ten apprentices had become level two wizards, with an average mind power of around 29 SFU. Only Bohr''s mind power had reached 63 SFU, becoming a level three wizard.


    The aptitudes of these people were relatively high, as they were the elites that Lu Zhiyu had picked out from among all the continents. Yet so far, only Bohr had true potential. The level two wizards had basically no room for improvement, unless they made a special encounter or had dramatic intellectual revolutions. As for the level one wizards, it was likely that they would never reach level three, which was Bohr''s current level, in their lifetimes.


    Lu Zhiyu finished their final lesson. Lu Zhiyu rarely taught them witchcraft techniques because at their level, they could only use low level witchcraft techniques. To Lu Zhiyu, they were basically like child''s play.


    Lu Zhiyu had never developed any low level witchcraft techniques, and he didn''t put too much emphasis on them. He mostly taught the guiding principles and the core fundamental techniques of witchcraft so they had the tools to explore on their own time.


    Currently, Lu Zhiyu divided witchcraft into four stages. The first was apprentice witchcraft, which was applied to oneself in order to modify one''s own body and to awaken the powers in their blood.


    The second, basic witchcraft, involved techniques of level one to three. They were realized through using certain chemistry reactions. They included the modifying of mind power and bloodline powers, and the crafting of simple alchemy tools.


    Intermediate witchcraft touched on supernatural special abilities, the transplanting of mythical creature bloodlines, the creation of magic artifacts and life alchemy, etc.


    Advanced witchcraft delved into the process of becoming mythical creatures. It was necessary as wizards started touching the rules and laws of the universe and manipulated them.


    All of the apprentices were currently existences that exceeded Bloodline Knights. Ordinary Bloodline Knights were not their opponents. Within the last five years, they had created many basic techniques too.


    Some of those techniques utilized supplemental materials, such as the Fireball Technique, the Explosive Flame and Poison Gas, as well as Space of Absolute Death.


    The Space of Absolute Death was a technique created by Leves. Lu Zhiyu had once said in class that ordinary life forms could not survive without air, so Leves had thought of a way to instantly create a large space of death through combustion and the creation of an instant vacuum. Akkad, who had talent with alchemy, had created a high energy fuel, which was then incorporated into the technique.


    This technique was extremely frightening and made Lu Zhiyu recall the thermobaric weapons and fuel air explosives in the Earth world that could spontaneously annihilate millions of people. For the average man, death was unavoidable. Yet for a wizard, it wasn''t too special. The technique was basically a deadly weapon against ordinary people.


    Akkad wasn''t able to easily produce this combustible fuel anyway. Due to the overwhelmingly terrifying nature of the technique, Bohr recommended sealing the technique so that it would not be shared easily.


    Some techniques dealt with the use of mind power, like Hand of the Wizard, Charm, Illusionary Control, Mental Probe, Lie Detection, etc. These witchcraft techniques related to mind power were largely developed by Catherine and the elves, Wendy and Wofter, who were very gifted in this area of study.


    Other techniques involved the manipulation and synthesis of life, including Healing, Disease Curing, Bloodline Talent Awakening, Kelermo Body Transformation, Limb Regeneration and Wisdom Reinforcement. These techniques were mostly proposed by Bohr individually, or brought about through joint collaborations with other apprentices, such as his friend Uruk, the boar-person.


    The Kelermo Body Transformation and the Wisdom Reinforcement techniques especially confirmed Bohr''s overwhelming talent in this area to Lu Zhiyu. The latter could even rival Lu Zhiyu''s own Sub-Brain Intelligence technique. It adjusted the structure of the brain to strengthen one''s memory and wisdom.


    The Kelermo Body Transformation technique was based on Bohr''s suggestion in the very first class. It mimicked the bloodline powers of other Blood Knights and modified them. Though the technique was incomplete, it had spawned many modified versions of specific bloodline skills.


    Many students present had learned this technique. Each of them knew, at the very least, several practical bloodline skills. Even without witchcraft, the power of their bodies and the bloodline skills could make them the strongest warriors on the battlefield.


    The last category was the underdeveloped, new field of alchemy. It''s main researchers were Akkad and Bohr, both of whom were very passionate about it. Bohr invented many medical tonics, including healing tonics, body modification tonics, and his newest work, the meditation supplement tonic.


    On the other hand, Akkad was born into an artisan''s household. As such, he had created many strange mechanical alchemy objects, and had a strong interest in math and geometry classes. He had attended every single class on those subjects and was the best in his class for those areas.


    Akkad specialized in the purification of metals by using flames controlled through mind power. After satisfying other conditions, he would create alchemy products, such as gunpowder and high combustion fuel. He made a large cannon, and later tried to miniaturize it into a hand cannon. He had even begun researching the predecessor of what Lu Zhiyu knew as a handgun, though he hadn''t had any results with it yet.


    Some of his other inventions included intricate crossbows, gloves that released lightning bolts, mind power operated mechanical puppets and glowing crystals, among others. Some were quite practical, while others were completely useless. Lu Zhiyu thought very highly of Akkad, and even thought that Akkad may be the father of alchemy for the wizarding civilization of the future.


    Lu Zhiyu studied everyone present. After he concluded this lesson, he did not leave immediately, as he usually did. Below the stage, everyone held their breath, as they all knew that the five year term had ended. When they had arrived, they had been clueless youths. By now, every single one of them had matured into wizards.


    They believed that wherever they went now, they would rank among the highest tier. With the knowledge in their minds and their witchcraft, they would create storms if they returned to the human world.


    Before today had arrived, all of them had waited for this day with anticipation and bated breath. For five years, they had been isolated from the world, away from home, as if trapped in a cage. Yet now that they were about to leave, it became difficult. The Wizard Tower was a palace for knowledge, the holy land for wizards. And, most importantly, it was the home of their cherished Mr. Anthony.

 83 Graduation Ceremony

    "This is my last lesson to you all. The five-year deadline is up. All of the wizard apprentices can leave in three days. The SS Eternity will take you back to your hometowns. In these five years, I believe that each of you has learned many things. I hope that, after you leave here, you will not forget your thirst for knowledge, especially as you continue to explore the unknown."


    Lu Zhiyu''s eyes swept over everyone. All of their eyes were a little red-rimmed. Over the last few days, the apprentices had bid each other farewell. Many of their hometowns were separated by thousands of miles; some even spanned across continents. Thus, it would be quite difficult to meet each other again.


    "Every ten years, the Wizard Tower will recruit up to 100 students. You can use your badge to recommend a wizard apprentice to enter the Wizard Tower. Each person is limited to one time. Of course, please prepare their tuition, including the portion that you each owe me for your own studies."


    After Lu Zhiyu finished speaking, the crowd burst into laughter. It was a completely different vibe from when they had first arrived. No one cared about such a meager amount of money anymore.


    "Your apprentice badges have a dimensional door that I have set up. By injecting your mind power, you can connect to the library management portal. The points you have earned are still valid. You can continue exchanging them for knowledge, as well as for materials within the library of the Wizard Tower. This represents your status and rights as an apprentice of the Tower."


    He continued, "I hope that everything that you have experienced at the Wizard Tower in the past five years can become the best memories of your life. I hope that each of you will keep my words in your heart. Even if you are not here, you are still great wizards."


    Everyone then stood up, giving a warm round of applause. Lu Zhiyu read out each person''s name as he handed out a set of gifts to each of them: a set of wizard robes, along with a few books that targeted their interests. This was their graduation ceremony.


    When all of the level one apprentices had left, Lu Zhiyu looked at the eleven remaining people in the classroom. "Do you know why I left you all until the end?"


    Leves raised his hand to answer. "No idea!"


    Lu Zhiyu replied with a chuckle. "It is because five-years of study alone is not enough to make you into full-fledged wizards. You are the best and most promising of the apprentices. Although your five-year student career has now ended, I hope that you can return again in five years. At that time, I will accept you eleven people as my disciples, chosen to inherit my craft."


    Everyone in the room held their breaths. To them, being a disciple was completely different from being an apprentice. The mysterious witchcraft and power of Lu Zhiyu, as well as the endless secrets that were hidden within the Wizard Tower, had left an earth-shattering impact upon them over the last five years as apprentices.


    The more one understood, the more unfathomable it all felt. No matter how they tried imagining it, they couldn''t fathom Lu Zhiyu''s existence. In private, many people still discussed the race of Lu Zhiyu.


    The elves thought that Lu Zhiyu was very similar to them, but the humans were sure that Lu Zhiyu was human. On the other hand, the orcs were sure that Lu Zhiyu was some race beyond their knowledge.


    Thus, they did not know his origins nor understand his capabilities. But his strength and profound knowledge were enchanting nonetheless, so all of them were extremely excited upon hearing that he was taking on disciples.


    Lu Zhiyu continued. "You will go back with the other apprentices this time. After five years have passed, the ship will pick you up again. You will then return as instructors of the Wizard Tower, charged with educating the next generation of wizards. After becoming an instructor, you will have complete freedom regarding your chosen coursework and take on your own disciples as you wish. Also, you will be able to leave the Wizard Tower whenever you like. You won''t be restricted."


    Lu Zhiyu then asked, "Do you know where the Wizard Tower is?"


    Lu Zhiyu''s question had been discussed among the apprentices for a long time. They thought that they basically knew the answer. In the beginning, some had speculated it was on another continent entirely, or perhaps a large island at sea.


    "We are still in Alen, right, Mr. Anthony?" Bohr answered immediately. "We came to this conclusion after taking into account the environment we live in, as well as the time it takes for the staff to restock the tower."


    Akkad added, "I think we are either in the Mara Kingdom or the Luhmann Kingdom. I have studied astronomy, so I shouldn''t be too far off."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Leves, who immediately spoke up. "We are in the Black Forest of the Kingdom of Luhmann. I have repeatedly approached the servants inside the tower. They never communicated with us or disclosed this information and only Sargon has access to the outside world, but I determined our location based on some of their conversations, as well as from the specific food and items that they purchase."


    Lu Zhiyu clapped. "Yes, well done. The tower is indeed located within the Black Forest. However, the country is no longer known as the Luhmann Kingdom, but the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. The original Luhmann Kingdom fell this year. The Black Forest used to be inaccessible because of its strange terrain and harsh environment. But now, the Black Forest is full of magical beasts and various witchcraft traps. It is dangerous, and I have set up various enchantments in the surrounding forests around the tower. The wind ravens also surveying the skies. Thus, even for wizards, it is impossible to break in here."


    He continued to explain. "But, I have established a passage underground, so that you all can enter and exit at will. It is the same passage that you all took when you had just arrived at the tower. After you become instructors of the tower, you will receive the relevant authority, allowing you free passage to and from the tower. All of the labs and library permissions will then be open to you as well, including the menagerie and the botanical gardens."


    The students'' mouths fell open. They knew how much these privileges were worth. The access to this knowledge and materials was not something that money could buy. In fact, these were conveniences that they could only enjoy at the Wizard Tower. These resources were essential for continuing down the path of becoming a wizard in the future.


    "Okay, let''s hold your graduation ceremony now...Wendy!"


    The elf, Wendy, immediately stood up. As she did so, even the large, loose robes of the wizards could not hide her elegant and graceful figure. She walked up to Lu Zhiyu, who looked at her. "Congratulations, you have graduated as the first class of the Tower."


    Wendy was elated, beaming as she took her gifts from Lu Zhiyu. He pinned a badge to her chest. "This is a Tower badge, which has the same function as the student badge. It can be used to communicate with other badge owners, and it has the ability to summon the ship. Use this badge to enter and exit the 11th floor and below within the tower, as well as the main gate of the tower. None of the guardian beasts or the red dragon at the gate will hurt you. It is also a sign of your identity. From today on, you are my disciple!"


    Wendy bowed to Lu Zhiyu. He nodded, then continued the ceremony, handing out badges until he had reached the very last student, Bohr. Lu Zhiyu didn''t give him any special treatment but just patted his shoulder.


    "Okay, since you have been away for five years, surely you miss your friends and loved ones. So, I will say no more. I hope that all of you will be able to return here in five more years."


    After they completed the ceremony, the first batch of apprentices of the wizard apprentice education program had finally completed their coursework. In the succeeding generations, the knowledge of the wizards would become increasingly developed within the Wizard Tower''s system, gradually building up. The operation of the tower no longer required much effort on Lu Zhiyu''s part.

 84 Saint Baptism Ritual 1

    Lu Zhiyu watched the departure of the SS Eternity as the graduates of the wizard tower waved their farewells at him before gradually disappearing into the horizon. He had no doubt that this group of students would bring a storm of revolutions to the continent, just as Ahenaten had before them.


    "Sargon, please take care of the tower." Lu Zhiyu was draped in a magnificent silver white long robe. The sleeves billowed when he turned around.


    "Yes Master, do not worry. I definitely will not allow anything to go amiss in the tower. The rules that you have set and your wishes will be faithfully adhered to." Sargon saluted Lu Zhiyu earnestly.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at him. "Good. You all have done very well over the last six years. I have forbidden you all from ever leaving the tower. However, from the next generation onward, your descendants will have no such restrictions. If your children are talented, I will allow them to become apprentices of the tower. If they are not blessed with talent, I will send them out and provide them with a life of wealth."


    Sargon stared at Lu Zhiyu in disbelief. He knew the significance of Lu Zhiyu''s words and the power of witchcraft. Over the last few years, the slaves had also gained a keen understanding that it was a truly supernatural ability and existence that surpassed everything. With those abilities, it was easy to awaken the powers within the blood, to manipulate the body and perform godly actions. If the descendants of the slaves could become wizard apprentices, they could leap straight into a class beyond the existences of the nobles.


    Sargon fell to his knees, as his voice became choked in tears. "My utmost gratitude, Master! We will never forget your magnanimity. My daughter does not have the talent to become a wizard, so I wish to send her out to marry into a good family. It seems that my son may have the potential to become an apprentice, so I wish you would allow him to study within the tower. I understand the rules, so I will find the tuition for him."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "No problem. I''ll allow it."


    Lu Zhiyu''s body rippled and the corner of his sleeve disappeared. Sargon was already unfazed by Lu Zhiyu''s mystical powers. To the slaves, the wizard apprentices already felt like a completely different species from ordinary human beings. As for Lu Zhiyu, the slaves viewed him as being on the same tier as gods and demons.


    Lu Zhiyu had stayed some decades in Maria''s World. He had finally completed the goal he had set for himself of becoming a level seven mythical wizard. Lu Zhiyu planned on taking a break after taking care of some miscellaneous tasks. He wanted to do nothing and relax for a bit. After all, for the past twenty years, he had been working tirelessly, and even sleeping in the laboratory, as he was developing his research. Lu Zhiyu felt that the stress within him had reached a breaking point.


    Lu Zhiyu yearned to go back to the Earth, the world of humankind. He wanted to return to experience the feeling of living in that kind of community again. Though he was used to the life of solitude, it was still uncomfortable for him.


    "Soon, it will be New Years in Maria''s World. Calculating by the new calendar set by the Church of Light, it should be in about a month."


    Lu Zhiyu remembered that the first day of the new year was when the Church of Light was going to hold the Saint Baptism ritual at St. Sarl City. The creation of the Saints and the appearance of the divine system was very important to Lu Zhiyu, as it was a way to balance out the wizards.


    Without competition, there would be no progress and no elimination of the weak. In such a scenario, the quality of things tended to be the absolute worst.


    As such, both the wizard and divine systems were essential to Lu Zhiyu. Though the divine system was crude, it still had great potential when compared to the wizard system. Lu Zhiyu looked forward to seeing which system would flourish within the competition.


    ------


    In the days preceding the New Year, there were countless carts and crowds heading to St. Sarl City of the Kingdom of the Church of Light. Many believers of the Church of Light had started the pilgrimage, kneeling after every step. It would take countless months to reach St. Sarl City, their holy city.


    On the wide roads, not only were there large car brigades, but there were also large numbers of believers on both sides, wearing simple robes and serious demeanors, their eyes shining with pious fervor. These believers were everywhere on the roads heading to St. Sarl City.


    All of these people were there to attend the Saint Baptism ritual, to witness the miracle of God. Even if they could only catch a glance of it from very far away or breathe the same air as God, it was their purpose in life and an utmost honor.


    At the same time, the leaders of many nations and their nobles were also heading to St. Sarl City with the invitation from Pope Hodap from the Church of Light. All of the eyes of humanity were aimed at the holy city of the Church of Light: St. Sarl City.


    The huge number of people crowding around St. Sarl created chaos. Other than the most skilled Knights of Light provided by the Church, there were also three other large armies stationed around St. Sarl City, each ready to be deployed at any time in order to prevent any incidents during the ceremony.


    On the road, a cavalry team suddenly appeared. Hundreds of knights guarded a carriage that was heading to St. Sarl City. Behind the cavalry, there was a fleet of carts carrying a large number of resources.


    It was obvious that this was not an ordinary figure, as they were allowed into the Kingdom with hundreds of guards. Only the leaders of countries could receive such treatment, so all of the people hurried to clear the roads, not willing to offend the mysterious leader by running into their brigade.


    "Another king. Which one is this? The insignia on the carriage is unfamiliar," one of the merchants remarked, as he watched the brigade proceed slowly from the side.


    One of the other merchants from the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro immediately replied, "That is the Golden Rose, the royal insignia of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. The one in the carriage would be Rooney the First, who recently ascended to the throne. He is the legendary kin of God, the master of dragons, a true legend and an absolute hero."


    After he spoke, all of the people present gasped. Even three year old children knew about the legend of Rooney Elvis. His epic tales were lauded within the human kingdoms. Known as the man who killed a deity with a mortal body, he rose from being a lesser noble and took the throne from the powerful Luhmann dynasty, creating his own kingdom. This sort of legend, where an ordinary man rose to become a hero for the ages, wasn''t the plot of some novel, but actual real life.


    Yet almost no one had seen Rooney the First in person before. After hearing about his arrival, all the people looked at the luxurious carriage with extreme curiosity.


    The brigade of carts holding gifts also attracted the attention of the crowd, especially the goldpacas. Their shining golden fur, quirky heads, and unique expressions attracted the crowd as if they had spotlights.


    "What''s that? It seems strange."


    "It''s fur is really pretty."


    The merchant from the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro spoke up again. "Never seen much of the world, have you? That beast is called the Goldpaca, and it is an camelid that is special to the Kingdom of Rosa d''Or. Some people caught them from the Black Forest a few years back and tamed them. They have spread within our country."


    "Goldpacas are very excellent camelids. They have a good speed. They can even run on mountainous grounds. They are strong and easy to raise, with very gentle natures. It''s only a pity that they''re a bit timid and a bit dumb. So far, many merchant teams have been buying them. I tried to buy some, but the competition was very fierce, so I didn''t get any."


    "Black Forest? Isn''t that the legendary land of the demons, the kingdom of devils? It''s said to be filled with monsters and demons. People can actually return from there alive?"


    "They''re that awesome? Then I must buy a few when I visit next time."

 85 Saint Baptism Ritual 2

    Rooney looked at the multitudes of fanatical believers of the Church of Light crowding the streets. He deeply felt the influence and control of the Church in various countries.


    Before, these things would only be gossip, totally unrelated to him. However he had frequently relied on the power of the Church of Light when he was building his empire.


    Now, things were different. He was now the King of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. As a monarch, he certainly did not want to have such an overbearing presence controlling him to their whims. Even the succession of the throne and the coronation ritual were controlled by the Church of Light!


    But the influence of the Church was extremely dominating. Under such a circumstance, countries could not resist it, only being able to acquiesce to all things. In light of these circumstances, the influence of the Church of Light upon the people was naturally tremendous. Even kings seemed to become complete puppets, bowing down to the Church''s authority.


    "The Church of Light."


    Rooney sat in the carriage, silently murmuring the name, his eyes closed. This Saint Baptism ritual was said to allow the Church to grasp the power of God through a technique called divine incantations. If this was true, the power of the Church of Light would expand again. If this continued, would there still be a place for the king and nobles a few years later?


    Rooney was extremely concerned. Now that he had another role which brought along more responsibilities, he had different things to take into consideration. While he was on his way to St. Sarl City, Rooney developed a strong aversion to, and dislike of, the Church.


    The selection for saints in St. Sarl had just concluded. There were winners and losers within this hidden struggle. This also served as a reshuffling of the highest leadership of the Church. Many failed candidates chose to step down, while others were banished in exile.


    As the ceremony and the New Year approached, the entire city was decorated with lights for the festivities. Within the great hall of the Temple of Light, as well as in the surrounding plazas, countless believers knelt in prayer.


    These prayer rituals had begun over half a month ago. The prayers weren''t only conducted by the clergy, but also were led by devout believers from the city itself. Glancing down from the top of the temple, one could see that the stream of believers was endless. Yet, even with so many people, there was absolute silence, as if the entire city was enchanted.


    Music resounded within the temple, as the holy hymns continued endlessly, their melodies being carried out for miles around the temple. It seemed like a true paradise on earth. The people seemed to be able to feel the light of God blessing them as they knelt in prayer.


    Even at night, the temple and surrounding streets remained brightly lit. The believers were extremely reluctant to leave. The serenity at the scene increased during the depths of the night. All of the new visitors to the city could sense a quiet thrum of power.


    After Rooney arrived at the city of St. Sarl, he left his cavalry outside. He then entered the city with a few guards. A black-robed priest attended to him and showed him his living quarters. Rooney immediately expressed his desire to meet the legendary Pope Hodap and Her Holiness, the Saintess, but the priest told him to await the summons from the Pope, which should occur the next day.


    Although the black-robed priest was quite polite in expressing this, and there were no problems with his quarters, Rooney still felt humiliated. As a king, and the ruler of his own country, he had journeyed thousands of miles to become canonized and crowned by the Church of Light, in order to become a true king.


    Furthermore, after arriving here, he was not able to have an immediate audience with the Pope! The person who attended to him was a mere black-robed priest! To Rooney, who had just ascended the throne, this was a huge blow to his pride.


    To the Church of Light, his status as a king appeared to be completely insignificant and not highly regarded. After wallowing in arrogance in his new identity in his kingdom, he now found a complete reversal of sentiments here. A sense of complete shame overwhelmed Rooney immediately.


    Rooney wanted to turn around and leave, but the chaotic situation in his country held him back. Many of the nobles still disliked him greatly. Rooney needed the power of the Church of Light to help him establish and further stabilize his rule. Rooney was very clear of this. His actions were guided by logic. However, he still felt quite dissatisfied.


    "Maybe I should try to meet up with those people who contacted me before..."


    ---------


    Pope Hodap sat in the spacious main hall of the temple, meeting with a pale-faced middle-aged man. He was the nephew of Elliot VIII, the current emperor of the Crete Empire, Elliot VIII. Back when he had succeeded to the throne, Elliot VIII was still a demure looking young man. Now, he had become middle-aged, and aging fast.


    Compared with his uncle, Elliot VII, Elliot VIII was cowardly, lacking in both wit and courage. In fact, it could be said that he was completely useless. In the beginning, even after Elliot VII was ousted by the Church, then hung in public, Elliot VIII was not slated to become the emperor.


    However, Pope Hodap, who had met him at that time, chose him. Amid the protests and rebellions of the nobles of the Crete Empire, the Church had provided him with iron and blood in order to pave his way to the throne, subsequently opening the way for the rise of the Church of Light.


    Without the support of the Church, it would have been impossible for Elliot VIII to stay on his throne. Once weakened, countless people would have tried to drag him down. Elliot VIII understood his own inabilities and weaknesses. He knew that his fate was tied to the Church of Light, so he had always clung to its support.


    "I''ve heard that the health of his Majesty has been failing lately. That is not good news. You are still a young man, unlike me, with my old bones. You have to pay more attention to your health."


    Holding a staff, Pope Hodap finished the regular daily formalities before guiding Elliot VIII into a nearby conference hall. Elliot VIII and Hodap were quite familiar and casual with one another. "It''s nothing serious. It''s been cold lately, and it has been snowing in the north. My old ailments are just acting up again."


    Elliot VIII peered around, speaking carefully to Hodap, "Has the Pope heard the recent news?"


    Hodap looked at Elliot VIII, "What news?"


    Elliot whispered, "The news about the Gathering of Nobles."


    Hodap laughed, "Your Majesty, you don''t have to be so careful. You are currently in the Church of Light''s St Sarl City, in the Temple of Light. This is the stronghold of the Church of Light. No enemy can infiltrate here, and besides, our brilliant Church should never fear petty criminals who lurk in dark corners!"


    "Of course, I have heard of the Gathering of Nobles. I had sent people to investigate them when they were just established. Although their members remain unknown, they''re still not worthy of much attention. I will let them know that the power of God is unstoppable."

 86 Saint Baptism Ritual 3

    "Of course, with Goddess Maria above, no one can escape the judgement of God. Those who oppose God will be punished." Elliot VIII was also a devout believer of the Church of Light. He not only had relations with the Church of Light, he was standing in front of the head of the Church of Light. He immediately showed his standpoint to Pope Hodap.


    At this time, an elegant young priest walked in and whispered a few words to Pope Hodap, before handing a piece of paper into his hands. The Pope turned immediately to face Elliot VIII. "Oh, what a coincidence, I just received news that is quite relevant to the topic we were discussing. I believe Your Excellence would also be very interested."


    Elliot VIII showed a trace of bewilderment. "Am I allowed to know of this matter?"


    Hodap nodded. "Of course. Continuing on the precious topic, these are details of the Gathering of Nobles. The initiator of this gathering is someone from a certain strong noble clan from the Crete Empire. Many of the members are your officials. I just heard that this group is plotting a heinous plan. The target is you, Your Excellency."


    Hodap placed the paper on the table. "They have placed an assassin by your side and will most likely take action by tomorrow night."


    Elliot VIII picked up the paper with a face full of skepticism. As soon as he saw the text, his expression changed dramatically. The name on the slip of paper was his lover of many years. He had brought her with him to the Church of Light this time. "What? Them? How dare they to do this?"


    The lover, who he had a relationship of many years and trusted deeply, was actually an assassin sent by someone else, the key element in the plan to kill him. This enraged Elliot VIII. His privacy as the Emperor, and especially the matters of his bedroom, were probably closely monitored by these people.


    Thinking about the evil forces surveilling him from the shadows, Elliot was both embarrassed and extremely fearful. They had probably begun planning these matters many years ago.


    Hodap gave a frigid laugh. "Of course they dare. They want to actualize their plan in St. Sarl City and assassinate you, the great Elliot VIII, then blame the death on the Church of Light. After causing chaos within the entire Crete Empire, they would usurp your throne, the position that should belong to your son in the future."


    Elliot VIII looked at Pope Hodap. "Your Eminence, you definitely wouldn''t allow such a thing to occur, right?"


    Hodap nodded immediately. "Of course, this sort of filthy schemes would not be tolerated by any man of God, especially when the target is a gentle, heroic emperor, who is so loved by his people. I will deploy a guard from the army of the Knights of Light for your safety. Please cooperate with us. This time, we will not only catch all of the gutter rats, but also the mastermind behind them."


    Hodap looked back at Elliot VIII again. "Of course, even heroes are susceptible to the temptation of beauty. How you handle this matter is in the hands of Your Excellency."


    Elliot VIII had a rather soft personality in general, but since his life was being threatened, he hardened his heart and his expression grew distant. "It''s fine, as Your Eminence has stated, we must catch all the gutter rats at once, along with this covert Gathering of Nobles."


    Elliot VIII never thought that this group would actually target his life to usurp control over the Crete Empire. His life was on the line. Elliot VIII had originally just thought of the Gathering of Nobles as a threat, but now, they were enemies that would hunt each other down till death. They were not only targeting his life, but his throne as well. That was something he definitely could not give them.


    Hodap and Elliot VIII continued to talk about other topics. Though they did not mention the subject of the Gathering of Nobles anymore, they had already reached a consensus: Elliot VIII needed the support of the Church of Light, while Hodap hoped to deepen his relationship with Elliot VIII.


    This meeting concluded within one short hour. Pope Hodap met a few other Grand Dukes and a King, as well as an ambassador from the Tuten Dynasty afterwards, finally completing all he had to do for the day. The Gathering of Nobles might be a grave event endangering lives and the position of the emperor to the Crete Empire, but to Hodap, it was not something that required much of his attention. Right now, for the Church of Light, the Saint Baptism ritual on New Year''s was of utmost importance.


    Other than that, there wasn''t anything worth doing for his great Church of Light. San Calendar Year 10 would soon turn into San Calendar Year 11, meaning that Hodap had already been Pope for eight years.


    Over the last ten years, Hodap, who was not young anymore, had aged beyond his years. His eyes had become murky. He could no longer ride a horse for days, as he had been able to with his former vigor.


    From his position, things like money and power no longer swayed him the slightest. The closer he was to death, the stronger his faith toward God became, as he was certain that he would ascend to the kingdom of God after his death and become his Disciple.


    The ritual this time was an opportunity for Hodap. Death was unavoidable, and therefore there was nothing to fear. But being able to live a little longer as a Saint and spread the message of God was one of Hodap''s deeply held desires. Hodap had dreamt of Heaven countless times. He was extremely jealous of the Saintess, who had become a deity and was constantly watched over by God.


    That combination of envy and jealousy exploded when the Saintess was summoned again by God and received the mask of Faross. He thirsted for the attention of God, and he, too, wanted to receive divine revelations and incantations. If he could meet God, Hodap was willing to pay any price.


    After finishing his duties as Pope, Hodap immediately changed into a plain gray robe and headed to the main hall of the Temple of Light. The ritual and chanting had already begun.


    Within the temple, there were many kneeling members of the clergy. There were rows of white robed priests on the steps below. Even further away, the mountains of believers were shocking. But the only people who could pray at the very front were the Saintess and her maiden acolytes.


    These acolytes were picked from a young age, chosen among the daughters of believers to follow beside God, and to dedicate their lives to God.


    After the arrival of the Saintess, all of the handmaidens were reassigned under her name. The Saintess managed them. She was also in charge of the ritual and ceremony within the Temple of Light, as she was the blood kin of God.


    Hodap approached the statue of God, his hands crossed in prayer, and knelt before the figure.

 87 Saint Baptism Ritual 4

    As it got closer to the Saint Baptism Ritual, more and more people entered St. Sarl City. With this many people, the logistics of maintaining law and order, as well as assignment of living quarters, became more massive and bottlenecked. Since a week ago, no one else had been allowed to enter the city unless they had a special status or permission.


    A large number of believers were now stopped outside the city, didn''t want to go back. They began praying toward the direction of St Sarl City. There were many tents set up along the way. All of these people, who were gathered outside the city, were trying to get closer to God, hoping to feel His glory.


    The architect Faragrant did a great job with the urban planning and design of the city. He had considered various problems. His city could accommodate this many visitors without crumbling!


    Within the city, there were people everywhere. Bards were singing about the legend of the gods, as wandering musicians played happy melodies. All of the shops within the massive St Sarl City began hosting free activities and programs as well. It was a festival that would be remembered for centuries. In the square, under the statue, in the street alleys, the merry crowds gathered everywhere to drink and have fun.


    The church had temporarily lifted its prohibition of alcohol, so that everyone could feel the grace of the God and fully celebrate the festivities. As the strings kept strumming and the beautiful melodies filled the air, the ancient legends were recited again and again. The cheers within the city could be heard from many miles away.


    On the last day before the New Year, the Pope cancelled all of his duties. In a grand ceremony, he entered the Temple, where they would hold the ritual with the twelve other Saints. The Saintess would preside over the ceremony, welcoming the arrival of God.


    Flowers were scattered over the ground, as bells tolled in the background. In the Temple, all of the clergy stood at attention, as the Pope and the twelve selected Saints arrived. In the back, many rulers stood with crowds of nobles. No matter what these people thought in their hearts, they were all presenting themselves publicly as believers of the Church of Light.


    All of them walked through the steps and cloisters of the Temple, past the angels carved on the white stone pillars. The Temple was dozens of meters high. Its high dome depicted a painting of the kingdom of God. Those who enter will be overcome with a sense of devotion.


    As they walked into the huge temple, it felt as if they were dwarves, entering the kingdom of giants. Suddenly they felt oddly small. When they entered the main hall and approached the tall and solemn statue of God, they couldn''t help but be awed.


    As everyone took their positions, the Pope walked up and saw the Saintess standing under the statue, wearing a mask. This was the first time that most of the people present had seen the Saintess after she had received God''s revelation. Their attention was drawn to the mask she wore, which was a legendary divine artifact known as the Mask of Faross. Many people at the scene could not help but whisper in reverence.


    The mask glowed and seemed to cover the Saintess with a soft halo of light. As the Saintess looked over, many of the clergy felt their knees go soft, and could not help but fall to the ground.


    Ever since Kelly had received the mask from Lu Zhiyu, her deified cells were synchronizing with Lu Zhiyu''s cells. Her cells had become refined by this mask, allowing her to gain complete control over the mask. The power that she wielded now was definitely far beyond what she was able to accomplish when she received the Mask of Faross three months ago.


    When the Saintess saw Rooney, she suddenly looked back despite having swept her gaze past him. Her gaze fell onto Rooney as she whispered. Rooney immediately lowered his head. The legendary Saintess was a true kin of the God. Moreover, she was wearing a divine artifact granted by God.


    He was just a man, who had obtained a thin inheritance from the Sea God out of sheer luck. He knew that, even if there were a hundred of him, it was absolutely impossible for him to be a match for her.


    What''s more, this was still the stronghold of the Church of Light. If he dared make any funny moves, or disrespect the Saintess in any way, the Church of Light would not have the slightest hesitation to strike him down immediately even if he was a king.


    Feeling the look coming from the Saintess, Rooney''s heart thumped in panic, as he feared that the Saintess may have seen something. Kelly was also confused, since she couldn''t read his mind. But, right now, the most important thing was the Baptism Ritual. There must be no mistakes to the ritual. Kelly had some doubts, but she immediately retracted her gaze.


    As the Saintess took her place at the front beside the Pope, the twelve selected Saints followed behind them, stopping at the foot of the statue. There were many clerics and members of the nobility, who were trailing far behind them.


    They fell to the ground, then crossed their hands in prayer. With their eyes closed, they then began to pray to the God. Even if some of them weren''t actually devout, at this moment, no one dared to think any sacrilegious thoughts in their heads.


    Within the shrine, the choir and clergy ensembles on both sides of the temple began to play, as flowers began falling all around them. The melodies, coming from strings of various instruments, wove together like the opening of a grand symphony concert. Solemn, soothing music brought all of their thoughts to the heavens.


    Pure virgins sang hymns with the church orchestra, praising God. The sacred melodies held a gentle beauty. It felt as if these melodies could lift themselves straight into the heavenly kingdom. The pure, simple voice of the girls'' singing seemed to wash over the hearts of the audience and cleanse their souls.


    Everyone bowed their heads. The expressions of the Saintess, the Pope, and the twelve saints at the very front were solemn and sincere.


    As Kelly had demanded, all twelve of the selected candidates were to be devout believers. Otherwise, they may be rejected when they tried to inherit the divine incantations. Those whose will did not align with God would immediately crumble and get devoured by the divine incantations. Only those who could fully accept the will of the God as true believers could become Saints.


    Half of the candidates were Cardinals. After the reformation of the church, those who were called Cardinals were dressed in red and wielded immense authority. Most of them were responsible for all of the duties within an area of the Church.


    In addition, there was also in attendance the leader of the Knights of Light, the Chief Justice of the Judges of Light, and four Archbishops. They were responsible for assisting the Pope in managing the affairs of the entire Church. These twelve people were members of the College of Cardinals. The selection of the Pope was also conducted via their votes. Thus, they represented the highest echelon of the entire Church of Light.


    The music was endless. As night fell, the temple lit up immediately. The lights stretched far into the distance. The orchestra and choirs had also changed a few shifts, as they dedicated all sorts of different music to the God.


    At this time, the crowd that was gathered outside the Temple was several times bigger than it had been any of the previous days. People from all over the city gathered around the Temple of Light to pray.


    As time passed, when the bell rang at midnight, the first day of the New Year of the eleventh year of the San calendar officially began. The bell tolled, as a glimmer of light appeared from the horizon. The dark clouds above scattered away, as light shone onto the ground, as if the Holy Light was enveloping everyone present.


    The warm light dispelled the chill of the night. When the first ray had begun to glimmer, some people noticed it instantly. They immediately looked up at the sky, seeing a red sun that was dispelling the darkness of the moon, gradually illuminating the entire world.

 88 Saint Baptism Ritual 5

    "How is this possible?"


    "It should be night right now, so how could the sun be out?"


    As the light spread gradually, the entire world was lit up. All the people stood in shock and stared in disbelief at the sun in the middle of the sky. The warm rays of the sun felt soothing, without any sense of artificial fakeness. This was real.


    All of the people reacted immediately, looking toward the main hall of the Temple of Light, to see that the ray of light was shining directly above the Temple.


    Someone shouted, "This is Holy Light! It means that God has descended!"


    All of the people there felt shocked. Of course, it must be God, as only God could achieve this feat and freely interfere with the operation of the world. Only the descent of God could disperse the night and bring light to the world.


    "Really, have you truly descended?"


    "God, please grant me your blessings."


    "May your Kingdom on the ground flourish, like it does in the skies."


    "Praise be Goddess Maria, I offer you my most sincere prayers."


    All of the believers at the scene were beyond themselves, crying as they clutched the sigil of the sun tightly to their chests, and throwing themselves at the ground in their most dedicated positions of prayer, prostrated before the rays of the sun.


    At this moment, all of them could feel the warmth of God. Was the Sun in the sky not the greatest proof of the miracle of God?!


    All of them looked directly into the light of the Sun, an indescribable emotion welling up in their chests, as endless tears streamed down their cheeks. No one could remain calm, not after witnessing such a scene.


    In other places, throughout all of the human kingdoms, the orc kingdoms, and Sylve of the Elf Kingdom on the Yala continent, all witnessed the same phenomenon. Even the mermaids of the Swirl continent peeped their heads out in order to glance at the sun shining in the sky.


    The Temple of Light was completely bathed in a halo of white light, as if the rays went straight through the roof and into the halls, lighting up the originally dimly lit Temple, just as if it were daytime. The crowds, who had closed their eyes, now felt a change and slowly opened them, one by one. The performing orchestras and choirs had also grinded to a complete halt.


    All stared at the statues of the deities. Other than the statue of the Goddess of Light, Lady Maria, which was at the very front, all of the angels started glowing with a blinding milky white light, illuminating the entire space. Even the dust in the air was visible, as it floated within the glimmering light.


    The entire temple was filled with a dreamy atmosphere, as a light fragrance floated through the air accompanied by an indiscernible melody. This music was not heard by the ears, but rather directly by the hearts of the people. They had never heard anything like it, and it felt as if their innermost souls were swaying along with the beat.


    During this entire scene, no one made a single sound. All of the people were frozen, like statues, without making a single move, as they stared at the statue of the deities, as if they were standing before the presence of the Gods.


    The statue of the archangel Faross started pulsing, as it shined behind the statue of the Goddess of Light. When Pope Hodap witnessed this scene, his entire body began trembling, and he was driven to tears from over-excitement.


    He felt paralysis from his chest to his throat, as his muscles froze up and his entire body became sore. Though he was thrilled, he could not say a single word, and tears could only gush endlessly from his eyes.


    Behind him, the other twelve Saint candidates were experiencing the same sensations. Some straightened their backs, looking at God with reddened eyes. Some curled up into pitiful balls. Still others clenched their sigils tightly, kissing the ground.


    The glow from the statue pulsed out from the statue, until it was almost blinding. At last, a huge white figure of light, tens of meters tall, seemed to come out of the statue. It looked down on the kneeling believers.


    All the people there felt serene, as the original senses of excitement, joy, and shock dissipated completely. Only peace and quiet were left, along with a calm sense of well-being, as if they were infants in the embraces of their mothers.


    The white figure of light was completely blinding. No one could see the true appearance of God, they could only feel a sense of quiet serenity, devoid of happiness and sadness.


    God gently extended his hand forward. His palm alone was enough to block everyone''s vision. Then, thirteen pure white feathers floated down, which were then absorbed into the bodies of the Pope and the twelve Saints in the hazy holy light.


    They immediately felt as if their consciousness were dragged to another dimension, as if they''d been summoned to the world of God, resulting in deep feelings most likened to a combination of piety and devotion.


    The divine seeds meshed with their minds, replacing their original consciousnesses. In their brains, right between their brows, a new unique organ sprouted. This was their unique divinity organ, which released divine incantations and affected their entire bodies.


    They then immediately received the instructions for using these divine incantations. Through rituals and meditation, they would be granted divine power to nurture their divine seed, so that they then could receive even more powerful incantations.


    So far, it only held two basic techniques. The first one was healing, which was a variation of body modification and strengthened body regulations. The second one was Judgement Ray, a weakened version of Disintegration.


    Not only that, if they strengthened their divine incantations, in later stages, they could try splitting their divine seeds, so that other devoted believers could undergo another round of baptism, allowing them to then pass the ability on to new generations. Thus, the users of divine incantations would keep multiplying! Through this increase of users, the Church of Light would also become more powerful.


    Within the first generation of Saints, the youngest was the Captain of the Knights of Light, who was nearing forty. The oldest was Pope Hodap, who was over seventy, nearing the end of his life.


    As they absorbed the divine seed, their bodies experienced huge changes. They quickly became much younger, all of their wrinkles and calluses disappeared, and their white hair turned raven black. Pope Hodap turned into a man nearing forty years old, while the Captain of the Knights of Light became a youth of just twenty years old.


    This shocking power had returned youth to the old, stunning the clergy and the nobles at the scene, and bringing about a wave of envy, which now boiled within their blood.


    Why? Why isn''t it me on that stage?


    After granting the divine incantations, God immediately retracted his palm and the rays of light. God sent a last look to Saintess Kelly, then spoke a few words that only the two of them could hear. The other people only saw God''s line of sight turn to Saintess Kelly. Other than that, there was a ray of blinding light, which completely obscured their visions.


    "I have granted your wish."


    After saying these words, the figure of light disappeared, like a crowd of dispersing fireflies. The temple gradually returned to its previous state, as the light of the torches returned and the interior of the temple regained a semblance of normality.


    Outside the temple, the sun disappeared, as if it was following the departure of God. One by one, darkness, the moon, and the stars appeared in the night sky, as if nothing had ever happened.


    But what had happened today would be engraved within the hearts of all humanity. From the ancient times, God had blessed humanity, by bringing it into civilization. Today, God had once again descended upon the world.

 89 Saint Baptism Ritual Conclusion

    After God had left, the Saintess still remained in the divine palace, kneeling with the Pope and the twelve blessed Saints. They all continued praying to God.


    They did not stop praying there until after dawn. Within a single day, they had undergone many earth-shattering transformations. Newly rejuvenated, the Saints and the Pope Hodap now seemed to be emitting divine radiance.


    Although they did not speak or test their new powers, everyone knew that the Saints were no longer ordinary humans. They had now become completely new existences.


    Pope Hodap stood at the center of the crowd, making an announcement. "I declare the first day of January as the Baptism Day of the Church of Light. It will be the most important festival of the Church of Light. On this day, everyone must pray to and praise God, thanking them for bringing us into the new year with hope and glory."


    As baptism ritual ended, news of the events of the day began spreading. Many people gossiped about the appearance of God and the midnight sun which the whole world had seen. The entire continent was talking about it, making the influence of the Church of Light even more formidable.


    Moreover, the influence of the divine incantations and the Saints extended even further. As time passed, their influences would expand, gradually affecting all of Maria''s World.


    The Healing ability of the Saints could bring patients back from the brink of death, which caused the whole world to go wild. However, even though this ability had miraculous effects on physical wounds, it was somewhat useless against certain diseases. Nevertheless, since it was effective enough on most common diseases, most people found this more than adequate.


    The Church proclaimed that the divine incantations could cure all diseases and bring the dead back to life. For those who could not be treated, they were said to have reached the end of their destined lifespan, similar to those who died of old age.


    The other divine incantation was called the Judgement of Light. It was the legendary divine spell used for slaying devils. All heretics and sinners who possessed evil within their hearts would be burned by the Judgment of Light, until not even the last particle of their ashes remained. Even their souls would burn for eternity within the holy flames.


    The Saints demonstrated their divine incantations. Then, the baptized bishops rushed back to their parishes in order to exhibit their miracles. The believers of the Church also increased dramatically, and former skeptics were converted into devout fanatics. This sort of orchestrated charity for the sick and the poor was very effective in convincing the lower classes into believing in the existence of the gods. They were taught that, as long as they believed in God, they would eventually escape from their suffering and ascend into the kingdom of gods.


    The Church of Light was on track to conquer the entire human world. After Elliot VIII suppressed the rebels and the Gathering of Nobles within the Crete Empire, the leadership of the entire empire went through a huge period of change, from top to bottom, which even affected some of the smaller surrounding nations.


    During this period, a large number of nobles were captured and killed, including many high ranking nobles, such as the earls and the marquises. The Gathering of Nobles suffered heavy losses, but due to the quick reaction of the secret leaders of the Gathering, they avoided total annihilation. In particular, they were able to maintain their secrecy and prevent their list of members from being exposed. In this way, the rest of the organization quickly hid themselves and were not captured.


    The other faiths that had been hiding and protected by the Gathering of Nobles could no longer survive in the central province or any of the nearby human kingdoms. Under the intense persecution of the Church, many of their high ranking clergy were arrested and tried by the Judges of Light. Obviously found guilty, they were then tied to execution platforms and burnt alive. Those few who managed to survive fled to the Tuten Dynasty in the east and the Batko Empire of the desert.


    The Church of Light was constantly trying to extend their reach into those two countries, but they were always strongly rebuffed. On the other hand, within the orc nations, the orcs believed in the various orc gods. They had gradually formed their kingdoms from tribes, so their civilizations were unique and quite different from the humans. Therefore, although the Church already had a group of firm believers, they had been unable to expand outwards.


    In light of this situation, the Pope Hodap and Saintess Kelly created a new outreach strategy. Every six years, on the first day of the first month, there would be a Saint Baptism Day.


    On this day, the most devout believers from within the Church would be invited to St. Sarl City to inherit the divine incantations. The Saints would spread the divine seeds and nurture priests, who would become the new generation of shepherds of God, tasked with continuing to pass down God''s glory from generation to generation. It was imperative that God''s light was able to shine from every corner of Maria''s World.


    Lu Zhiyu hovered over St. Sarl for a while, watching the bustling city. He was in awe of the creativity of these human beings, as well as their civilization. No one could have imagined that the uneducated humans that had once survived in wilderness would one day build such a great city. They had developed from a weak marginalized race into a civilized culture that had spread throughout the entire continent of Alen.


    Lu Zhiyu believed that divine incantations and wizardry would gradually also spread throughout the entire continent, just like how Ahenaten had brought civilization to mankind. These people would bring Maria''s World into a true era that was dominated by supernatural abilities. Lu Zhiyu had no idea what kind of era it would become, but he was looking forward to seeing it all unfold.


    In the end, will the truths of the wizards conquer the world, through the spread of alchemy, witchcraft, and knowledge?


    Or, will the divine system win out, creating an era that is dedicated to the gods in the sky?


    Which of the two would become the pioneer of the next era?


    After observing the prosperity of St. Sarl City for a while, Lu Zhiyu left again. As he passed through the dimensional gate, he traveled across millions of miles, returning back to his dimensional castle. Sargon was taking care of the wizard tower, after all, and there were also many second generation ant-people there to maintain order. Hence, there was not much to worry about in the short-term.


    Since the creation of the magic network, the wizards, and the dragons, the laws of Maria''s World had been refined. The flow of time within the dimension had slowed down again, becoming a thousand times faster than Earth. Thus, the many years that Lu Zhiyu had spent here were only equal to three or four days in the outside world.


    The first generation of ant-people in the dimensional castle were still alive, so they were tasked with maintaining the castle. Lu Zhiyu took Gaia from under the wizard tower. He intended to give it a second upgrade, which he had labeled as the Gaia Life Engineering Transformation Plan 2.0.


    However, Lu Zhiyu was truly tired. He wanted to go outside to look around and take a break. Deciding to do so, he determined to implement this plan afterwards. After giving the ant-people a few more orders, and bringing or sealing off the essential items, Lu Zhiyu hurried through the dimensional gate, returning to Earth.

 90 Wizard 1

    Bohr wore a long scholar robe, along with his self-invented gold-rimmed glasses, a special alchemy artifact, as he rode a carriage in a merchant team that he had employed. He was following the merchants back to Gracchus. After almost two months, he was finally back to his own kingdom.


    Bohr had fallen in love with his fellow apprentice of the tower, Catherine. Though Catherine was a few years younger than him, from the moment Bohr met her on SS Eternity, he had fallen for her.


    Therefore, when SS Eternity reached Mara Kingdom, Bohr snuck off the ship. Immediately, with the backdrop of the setting sun, he knelt on one knee and confessed his love romantically, even using witchcraft fireworks.


    However, it was completely useless. The outcome proved that, unless affection was 100% confirmed on both sides, there was only one sort of conclusion for such love confessions.


    Bohr, who had gathered all of his courage for the event, was promptly placed in the dreaded friend zone by Catherine, who said that she merely respected him as a good man and an elder brother. Then, she stated that he could visit her any time in Mara Kingdom.


    Aye, it was a tragic tale; poor Bohr was completely depressed and stranded in Mara Kingdom. SS Eternity had long departed, so Bohr had to spend many months journeying over rough roads to return to his own hometown.


    Bohr got off the carriage with four suitcases when he arrived at the city of Masta by the Mesmer River. The suitcases contained the books that Bohr had copied and his own notes, as well as some spellcasting materials and his medical tonics.


    These things were very rare in the normal human world. They had required his wits to create and manufacture. In fact, some of the specialized equipment was completely impossible to make in the human world.


    Hence, before their departure, each of the apprentices had carried many large suitcases and exchanged a lot of notes and materials. They had also used their accumulated points to exchange some experiment equipment. However, some of the more advanced equipment required an astronomical amount of points to obtain.


    Even Bohr, who often came up with new techniques and discoveries, did not manage to obtain enough points through the library to exchange any of those equipment, so he could only look at them. He would only be able to freely use the equipment if he returned to the wizard tower as a mentor.


    Bohr alighted as the carriage approached the city gate, amid the bustling merchants that were heading towards the market by the south of the city. After Bohr bid them farewell, he went towards his old residence, the house by the Mesmer River.


    The beautiful Mesmer River wound its way around the city, with channels that nurtured all of Masta. When Bohr was assaulted by the pure, clear sight of the river again, he could not help but be captured by its charm.


    After five years away, the city of Masta had changed greatly. The people on the roads were unfamiliar, and even the familiar people Bohr occasionally encountered seemed to have aged many years. Though five years was not too long, it was enough to change teens into adults who had already married and had kids.


    "Bohr? Are you Bohr?"


    Occasionally, Bohr would recognize some acquaintances on the road, and every single one of them would exclaim in surprise. Other than the changes to his appearance, Bohr''s temperament was also completely different from the rest of the city, which attracted everyone''s attention. Even the children walking past were staring at him, while many of the young women were pointing at him furtively. Whenever they saw that Bohr had observed their glances, they would immediately walk away, blushing.


    After five years of residence within the wizard tower, Bohr was already completely used to being around those handsome and beautiful. Even the ethereal beauty of the elves and Mr. Anthony was quite common.


    When wizards wished to identify one another, it was much easier to read the waves of each other''s mind power, since each person''s mind power fluctuations were unique. This was far more precise than relying on one''s outer appearance.


    As such, Bohr had never paid much attention to his own appearance. However, when he returned to the human world, it was different. After attracting the attention of the public, Bohr felt out of place. At this instant, Bohr realized that over the last few years, a gulf had been created between him and ordinary people. Now, he was a completely different existence.


    His old house was already in a state of extreme disrepair and all the rooms were covered in dust. After cleaning up, Bohr rested for a few days. Then, he opened a clinic in Masta again. Bohr wanted to fulfill the dream of his father and grandfather, which was to make history as a doctor who spread the true art of medicine and become a name that would be remembered throughout the ages.


    Compared to the old him, Bohr''s understanding and mastery over the human body had improved drastically. In the wizard tower, the dozens of students had created varieties after varieties of the Body Modification Technique, and developed many uses for the variants.


    The medical knowledge that was taught in the tower also gave them a deep understanding of the structure of the human body, including its components and the causes of diseases. Even if Bohr did not use his mind power and witchcraft, he could easily find a way to cure common illnesses.


    Therefore, almost all of Bohr''s patients were completely cured after his treatment. Even the patients diagnosed with fatal diseases were returned from the brink of death under Bohr''s watch. After a few such cases, especially after Bohr cured a high noble of Gracchus, his reputation quickly soared.


    Everyday, the stream of patients at the clinic was near endless. Some even traveled thousands of miles to the city of Masta just to see Bohr. The sheer number was overwhelming and Bohr was too busy to do anything else. Hence, he had to build a larger clinic in Masta and find a few medic apprentices to pass on his medical knowledge.


    Nevertheless, Bohr knew that he could still only help a certain number of people. Only a minority could be fully healed. Even though Bohr had lowered the fees to the absolute minimum, the ingredients, equipment, tonics and labor were all very expensive. Moreover, the medicine used to cure rare diseases was not cheap. Thus, Bohr could not save all of his patients.


    Bohr decided to write a medical encyclopedia, with specialized knowledge on the human body and the causes of diseases. It would also include the causes and preventions of common illnesses, as well as their treatment methods. Then, he would share this book with doctors in the world.


    This was an act that was centuries before its time. Its impact on the field of medicine and the community of doctors was immeasurable.


    Medicine, at this time, was not a science, but rather a type of theology. Most of the doctors were even partially frauds. The scholarly pursuit of medicine was mixed with large amounts of guesswork regarding the gods, and was completely unsystematized. For example, there was not even a medical anthology that could allow people to understand and cure various diseases.


    Even if there were, these books were usually closely guarded by doctors as lineage secrets which would never be passed around. As such, the development of medicine was extremely slow and difficult. Bohr had felt this frustration from his personal experience in the past.


    These were the reasons why Bohr had decided to write his own introductory anthology. The contents would not be too difficult, and there would be no mention of witchcraft. Yet, this type of systematic approach to understanding and treating illnesses was sure to create a huge impact in the world. Bohr decided to name the book after his own family name, calling it the "Kelermo Medical Coding."


    Just like Kelermo, the other wizard apprentices had settled down in their homelands. Some of those with the passion for power and wealth quickly developed, changing the societies around them.


    For those who kept lower profiles, such as Bohr, even though they did not actively do much, they still deeply impacted the world through their actions subconsciously. This was because the knowledge and power they held were completely beyond the level of the current world.


    Every one of them was like a butterfly in the Amazon forest. With just a tiny flap of their wings, they would eventually create a huge storm in the world.

 91 Wizard 2

    "Extract 2.3 grams of liquid from moonlight grass, then filter out the fluorescent components."


    "Dry the red chrysanthemum, then grind it into a powder..."


    Bohr was examining the compositions of various plants and flowers in the top-level laboratory that he had fashioned within his new mansion. He was identifying the characteristics of these plants, as well as recording the plants that could be used for treatment. Some plants could even be used to make specific potions to strengthen wizards, while others could aid them in their spellcasting.


    Bohr had started these experiments while he was in school. It was a large-scale project, which had involved many apprentices, and it was still a work in progress to this day. Each of them had been assigned their own tasks. Then, at the end of each month, they would communicate via their badges in order to continue advancing the project.


    According to the Instructor''s explanation, their badges had mind power transmitters and receivers. Each of them had imprinted their mind power signal on each other''s badges. Everyone had unique signals. If they used their own mind power, they could activated the transmitter and communicate with the others who''d left imprints. This was a recently developed use of the badge, which was based on the signature attribute that had been discovered by Wendy and later perfected by Instructor Anthony.


    They could also contact the library of the tower through the apprentice badge. They had each left their signature in the library of the tower, and through this, they could redeem merit points from the library, the latest knowledge and various resources. These items would be delivered by the wind ravens. This was an exciting new additional offering, which was a privilege granted to all of the graduates of the Wizard Tower.


    The last ability within the badge regarded a dimensional door that was left by Instructor Anthony. When a huge amount of mind power was input into the badge, it would activate the dimensional door channeling array, connecting to the library of the Tower. However, the badge would also be destroyed. Hence, this was strictly a one-time use formation. The wizards of the Tower would never use it, unless they were faced with extreme situations of life and death.


    Bohr was conducting his own daily experiments, when the bell beside him rang. The sound was coming from a simplified phone that he had made. The Wizard Tower had it and Bohr felt that it was quite convenient, so he made one for himself. The servants couldn''t go upstairs without his permission.


    However, it was already late at night, and Bohr absolutely hated for people to disturb him at this time in the evening! He grabbed the phone impatiently. "Who is it? Didn''t I say not to bother me at night?"


    The maid downstairs was terrified into whispering meekly. "Mr. Kelermo, there are two people outside. They claim to be your classmates."


    Bohr was shocked. "What? Did they say their names?"


    The maid replied immediately. "One said that his name is Leves."


    Boer hung up immediately and grabbed a coat before running downstairs. He rushed past the living room, his maid in tow, then shuffled through the garden to the front gate.


    There, he saw two men standing at his doorway. One of them was tall and handsome, with a mighty presence. He was completely different from Bohr, who was more the slender and elegant type. The other one was obviously a noble, as he was clothed in a gorgeously brilliant white cloak. He looked as if he were just over thirty, his hair and mustache meticulously groomed.


    The two men had arrived in a horse-drawn carriage. They had even been accompanied by a few more carriages, as well as some guards, who were now waiting outside.


    Bohr immediately greeted them. "Hey, Leves! How come you guys just dropped by, with no warning? I haven''t prepared anything for you!"


    Leves laughed. Different from when they''d had first entered the Tower, they had developed a deep friendship over the five years. Compared to their differing social statuses, it was their shared identity as wizards that was by far the most important bond between the pair.


    "Bohr, we haven''t seen each other for almost a year! Your reputation this year has soared. I have seen your encyclopedia, the ''Kelermo Medical Coding.'' It is considered to be groundbreaking for the field of medical history! It''s a masterpiece that can indeed revolutionize the human world. I still can''t compare to you in regards to knowledge of the human body and the life witchcraft."


    Leves and Bohr hugged briefly and separated. Reuniting after a year, they were delighted. Bohr then replied to Leves. "You are more interested in developing witchcraft techniques. After all, every terrifying technique that has ever dealt the most damage has been developed by you! Although I don''t like the type of witchcraft that you create, even I must admit that your genius is beyond question!"


    After Bohr caught up with Leves, he immediately looked at the middle-aged man. "This is?"


    Leves immediately introduced his companion to Bohr. "This is Viscount Hudson of the Crete Empire. We are here to discuss a few matters with you."


    Bohr looked at Leves skeptically. "Why do I feel that this can''t involve anything good for me?"


    Leves quipped back. "Hey, Bohr, you''re hurting my feelings, old friend. Rest assured, this will definitely be a good thing for you. This is also an important opportunity for the wizards."


    Viscount Hudson immediately bowed to Bohr. "Mr. Kelermo, please believe us. We have goodwill towards you and all wizards. We come bearing friendship, and we hope to have a frank talk with you."


    Boer nodded. "I welcome you, Sir Hudson. Since you are a friend of Leves, I will believe you. Please come in. We can talk inside."


    After the three men entered, Boer told the maid to bring some tea and snacks. He then closed the door and forbade anyone to enter. Sitting down, he looked expectantly at Leves and Hudson. "Speak! Why are you two looking for me?"


    Hudson looked to Bohr. "Mr. Bohr, do you know of the Gathering of Nobles?"


    Bohr paused in thought before nodding. "I know of it but am not familiar with the details. When I first returned, I often heard about the church arresting members of the so-called Gathering of Darkness. It seems that the real name of this organization is the Gathering of Nobles. At the time, many of their members were killed. I didn''t hear much about them afterwards. Were they eradicated by the Church of Light?"


    Hudson shook his head. "No, it still exists. Although the Church of Light used all of its power and was aided by the forces of the Emperor of Crete, they still could only deal heavy damage to the Gathering. As such they did not catch our core members. The members list was burned and most of our members went directly into hiding. Even so, our resistance to the Church of Light will never disappear."


    Bohr assessed Hudson with a careful look. "We?"


    Hudson nodded. "Yes, we. I am here to invite all of the wizards in the human kingdoms to join our cause."

 92 Wizard 3

    Hudson would not forget the power that Leves demonstrated before him. That was not the power of divine incantations. And yet one man was able to easily face off with a trained squad.


    The witchcraft they released could activate from ten to twenty meters away, with explosive flames that could kill tens of people. It could release whirlwinds of poison gas that could attack entire armies with the precision of handheld puppets. They could release metallic storms with metallic shards, and other even stranger techniques. That was the existence they called witchcraft.


    They also had abilities beyond the Bloodline Knights, with incredible speed and power. They could easily tear past the defensive line of the army with just their raw strength. They seemed to be able to sense the approach of weapons, whether arrows or swords, and effortlessly avoid them. This, combined with their unique witchcraft, made them unstoppable.


    If they were given sufficient time to prepare, they could also release even more terrifying large scale techniques, such as the Space of Absolute Death, which Leves had shown them. With that technique, an entire village could be completely decimated.


    Through special methods, they could control or charm people. Hudson saw Leves control himself in order to fly in the skies for a short while, allowing him to strike down enemies from above, while taking no damage.


    This wasn''t even the scariest part. According to Leves, what they had was knowledge of the laws of the world. If given enough time, they could create an entire army of Bloodling Knights, craft tools that could even be used by ordinary people that would allow them to achieve extraordinary feats, and increase a country''s fundamental strength not just the power of individuals.


    This was what Hudson desired, as well as what moved him. Behind him, the Church of Light was swiftly closing in, turning kings and nobles like him into mere puppets. If they did not take action, they might be slandered as being the next heretics.


    If it was only the nobles there was no hope of resistance, as the Church of Light continued expanding. It was completely depressing, when their people and their subordinates were all followers of the Church of Light. This despair continuously gnawed at them.


    "We need the power of the wizards. Even if their power looks like the power of the devil, it is magic. If it can resist the regime of the Church, it is worth it."


    Hudson had already made up his mind, and looked expectantly at Bohr. According to Leves, Bohr was even stronger than him, and was a much more talented wizard. As long as he got closer to Bohr and dragged the other wizards into the Gathering of Nobles, they could restart their resistance plans with the aid of the wizards.


    "Mr. Bohr Kelermo, as long as you join the Gathering of Nobles, you will definitely receive one of the nine highest positions. You will receive the backing of the Gathering of Nobles in order to spread the word of the power and existence of wizards throughout the world. Whether it is money, authority, or any other form of support, we will provide whatever you need. You would never be able to guess the extent of our influence. Whether it is materials for experiments or other things you need for witchcraft research, we will scour the continent, searching for it at your word."


    Bohr looked at Hudson and laughed, as he removed his glasses. "So you want to start a war against the Church of Light?"


    In Bohr''s eyes, though Hudson was a Viscount, he posed no threat and had no authority to negotiate with him. Bohr looked at Leves in anger. "Are you insane? To declare war against the Church of Light, against gods? Who do you think you are? Mr. Anthony?"


    Bohr drew in a deep breath. "Leves, we are only low-level wizards. We have not reached a tier where we stand above all existence. The Church has tremendous influence, with the power of the twelve Saints and the legendary Saintess and her divine artifact. What basis do you have for your arrogance?"


    "We both witnessed the descent of God on New Year''s. Have you not realized the terror of God? That is a being that has complete control over the laws and truths of this world. This world, the sun, the moon and stars are only toys in his hand. What are we? Ants under His feet? Dust?"


    Recalling the day of the descent of God, it was also when the entire Maria''s World changed. The wizard apprentices had witnessed the phenomena aboard the life alchemy ship. To this day, Bohr still felt deeply shocked. Even Leves'' heart trembled. What sort of existence could wield that sort of power?


    Hudson was infuriated by Bohr''s dismissive attitude. As he opened his mouth to rebuke Bohr, Leves lifted a hand. "Mr. Hudson, please relax. I will convince him. You can leave now. I will find you tomorrow."


    Hudson calmed down and saluted Bohr. "Mr. Bohr, please consider this offer carefully. The Gathering of Nobles is extending this offer with the utmost sincerity."


    After sending Hudson out, Leves closed the door. Bohr then jumped back into the conversation again. "Leves, you can''t convince me. We are not a match for the Church of Light. We''re using eggs to break a rock. Did you not consider the consequences? With the power and knowledge we hold, the entire continent will be embroiled in the conflict. Do you know how many people will be sacrificed in the turmoil?"


    Leves stood up. "Of course I know that we are no match for the Church. But we are wizards. We seek the unknown and uphold the truth. As wizards, there is nothing for us to fear."


    Leves looked at Bohr. "Do you remember what the teacher said during our very first class?"


    Bohr froze and recalled the memory. "Of course, I would never forget it. I remember every one of his words and expressions. They are engraved within my memory. That lesson opened our path to the pursuit of truth."


    The two started reciting together: "Wizards are seekers of the truths of the world. We are the prophets of truth and the seekers of knowledge. Witchcraft is nothing more than the application of our understandings of the world, as well as a byproduct of the manipulation of the world''s rules. The all-knowing is the all-powerful. If you understand the weather, then you can control the wind and thunder as you please. If you understand the structure of life, then you can create life. Thus, if you can understand the truths and laws of the world, then you can become a god!"


    When they finished the last word, there was a moment of silence. Leves immediately began pushing his agenda again. "Whether it is gods or the Church of Light, they cannot stop our pursuit for the unknown, or our search for the truth. Wizards will come to control the world, for we are the true controllers of the world."


    Leves looked at Bohr and spoke with great passion. "Come Bohr, together, we can dethrone the arrogant Church of Light and bring down the gods that are looking down on us from the skies. We shall rule this world."


    By this point, Leves'' passion had reached a boiling point. His face was completely flushed. "Even if we cannot do it now, one day we can do it. Whether it takes fifty years, a century, or even five centuries, one day, we will succeed. Bohr, my brother, do you not wish to see a world ruled by wizards, a nation that belongs to us?!"

 93 Wizard 4

    Bohr looked at Leves, feeling the passion bubble up within himself. He slowly calmed down, then said, "I am very moved by what you have said, but have you considered the number of people that would die, if we follow your plan?"


    Leves did not care about this at all. "In order to carry out reforms, there will always be sacrifices. But they will be worthwhile. We will bring knowledge and truth to the world, as well as save humanity from its short-sighted ignorance. We will bring them hope by showing them the true world."


    Bohr rebutted Leves'' argument. "You are right, but we don''t have to use such drastic measures. We can change the whole world slowly, bit by bit. We have more than enough time. Both of us have the potential to become level four wizards, so we can extend our life to a thousand years."


    "As such, we don''t have to bring war to the world. We can subtly influence the world through our knowledge and strength. People in the Church of Light are also human beings. We are the same, not enemies. Truth and knowledge will come, sooner or later. They will not change because of any single person. History has always proven to be this way."


    Leves looked at Bohr with disappointment. "Bohr, you disappointment me. I didn''t expect you to be this naive. The Church wouldn''t ever think of us as being like them. They''re like Hudson. They regard us as being messengers of the devil. To them, we wield demonic powers and are the ultimate evil existences. We are the natural enemies of the Church of Light. They do not tolerate our existence, and will never tolerate our continued existence in the future."


    The two debated this topic fiercely in Bohr''s home. Neither could convince the other to concede. In the end, they parted in bad humor, but Leves still did not give up his ambitions.


    By the end of the eleventh year of the San Calendar, Leves had gathered a group of like-minded wizards and formed an organization called the Wizarding Alliance within a remote inland duchy named the Duchy of Creer. He did this with support from the Gathering of Nobles.


    Backed by the financial support of the Gathering, they quickly established an underground city within the northern wasteland of the Duchy of Creer. By making the most of their special underground terrain, they built a strong base and began their human experiments, aimed at creating a powerful augmented army.


    However, even with the research of other wizards, the research progress ran into many obstacles without Bohr. The pressure from the Gathering was incessant, as the persecution from the Church increased. They needed the Wizarding Alliance to divert the Church''s attention and raise a flag of opposition, as well as the skill of the wizards to strengthen their army.


    Under great pressure, Leves chose to combine the Bohr''s Wisdom Reinforcement and Kelermo Body Transformation techniques with his own Plague witchcraft. The result of these experiments was the regiment of the Owl Knights, which was the first witchcraft augmented regiment in Maria''s World.


    These Owl Knights were each augmented according to a specific template. They possessed a series of bloodline talents, including echolocation, super strength, agility, and heightened endurance. They also possessed the ability to move silently in complete darkness.


    Leves had modified their brains with Wisdom Reinforcement, so that they could quickly memorize combat swordsmanship and other various military arts and become the most powerful cavalry, infantry, and archers on the continent. He did this all within a relatively short amount of time.


    But, at the same time, Leves erased their emotional system, making them knights with no fear of death. As such, they would fight for Leves as his most loyal fighters. No matter how many casualties there were, they would never cower. These emotionless soldiers would execute orders till their very last moment.


    The Plague technique was witchcraft developed by Leves that was based on the the Poison Gas technique. It was a byproduct of Bohr''s research on the Plague, which Leves had taken note of and modified to suit his own needs. The Poison Gas technique was a little trick that used spellcasting materials to create a poison gas, then utilized mind power to control it.


    The Plague was on a completely different power level. Leves used part of Bohr''s research and his Poison Gas technique to create it. Whenever the Owl Knights were on the verge of death or awakening, they could self-destruct and activate the Plague.


    The plague that was hidden inside their bodies would then spread rapidly through the air. All infected beings would die within the hour. The plague virus would continue to spread, until it reached the limit of its divisional capabilities or the end of its lifespan.


    The virus would then die off within twenty-four hours. But, within this timespan, its range and speed of transmission were terrible beyond imagination.


    Aside from the Owl Knights, all lifeforms would perish before the onslaught. No one, not even Leves, knew how to treat this virus. He could only prevent its infection.


    These soldiers were each powerful individuals with comprehensive skill sets. Each of them was capable of night raids and endurance battles, even without rest. As skilled warriors trained in military strategy, they were already formidable enough, not to mention the amount of damage each of them could do. The Owl Knights seemed like demons that had come straight from an abyss in Hell! They would bring horrible disaster upon all of humanity!


    In the autumn of the 14th year of the San Calendar, the Duchy of Creer suddenly sent a large army towards their border with the Kingdom of the Church of Light. With the hefty support of the Gathering of Nobles, the Duchy of Creer raised the flag of rebellion against the Church on a chilly autumn night.


    They did this completely out of the blue, without any warning. The ruler of the Duchy of Creer had invited the local Bishop from the Church, who was stationed within the region, to a banquet. At the banquet feast, he had poisoned him, then immediately purged all of the Church forces within the Duchy.


    On that night, eight wizards, led by Leves, raided the border of the Kingdom of the Church. Three thousand Owl Knights were quietly deployed from the northern hinterlands and moved west.


    They took over the Church''s border fortress, Lekburg, within a single night. The entire defending army of Lekburg, numbering tens of thousands of people, were all killed in one night. Not one escaped to tell the tale.


    The Owl Knights proved their peerless combat capability to the world with their unstoppable speed. Leves led the Owl Knights, tearing a path of blood relentlessly forward. Within a few days, six cities had fallen. Not a blade of single grass was left in the ashes of their path. Their black capes and armor spread death over the entire land.


    A province directly subordinate to the Kingdom of the Church fell. The Duchy of Creer seemed to have anticipated this event. The army immediately entered the region, contained the situation, and suppressed all resistance with iron and blood. It seemed as if they had already prepared for the takeover in advance, and were ready to swiftly erode the influence of the Church, destroying it completely.


    Blood marred the earth and corpses littered the landscape. The Church finally began to panic. At the same time, forces within several countries began to stir restlessly, as if they were all coordinated. Although several emergency recall edicts issued by the Pope were sent to the clergy that were stationed within several countries, no reinforcement armies returned.


    Pope Hodap was forcefully limited to the church corps that were stationed by the border of the Crete Empire. Archbishop Martin Nord led 50,000 troops to meet Leves'' Owl Knights at the city of Attica.


    Attica was not a fortress, but it was the last big city before St. Sarl. After taking Attica, it was an open road directly to St. Sarl. If the invading army reached St. Sarl, the reputation of the Church would be completely destroyed.


    As the army approached, the 50,000 troops of the Church met the 3,000 strong Owl Knights led by Leves, along with 20,000 men from Duchy of Creer at Attica. The Church of Light was in an unprecedentedly precarious situation.


    All of the human kingdoms were observing the situation keenly, as the fate of their race had become unpredictable. All of them could sense an imminent all-out war, especially as the orc nations of the north began to stir as well.

 94 Wizard 5

    The crimson flag adorned with a gold sigil of the sun fell to the ground. The city of Attica was littered with corpses. Most of the bodies had experienced gruesome deaths, evidenced in their opened eyes and locked tongues as they stared toward toward the sky. The hollow eyes seemed to ask why God had chosen such a painful death for them, or perhaps they were showing anticipation and yearning for Heaven


    The piles of bodies extended from the foot of the mountain all the way to the city of Attica, into the city and onto its walls. Some died to swords, some to witchcraft but more than that were the deaths resulting from Leves'' Plague technique. Leves had ambushed the city with an explosion that disseminated the Plague over the entire army of the Church and the city of Attica.


    The bodies piled up into mountains, inspiring terror, like a Hell on Earth. Despite the stench of all of the corpses, there was not a single rat or raven scavenging the bodies. It was as if they, too, feared the terror of this scene from purgatory. The world was deathly silent, not a sound to be heard.


    On the city walls were a large number of Owl Knights and in the middle of their huddle was Leves, clad in armor, as well as a few other black robed individuals. Among the black robed crowd, two of the individuals were injured. One was missing an arm, while the other had no legs, so he could only sit in a wheelchair.


    On the city walls, there were marks made by multiple explosions, the remnants of witchcraft and divine incantations. The collision between Inferno and Disintegration was terrifying, especially on the east wall of Attica, which had completely collapsed, as if it had been struck by the fist of a giant.


    Henry was also an apprentice wizard, and originally one of Leves'' followers. He was the son of a court musician and, although he did not have as much talent as Leves, he was one of the strongest among the level one wizards. When Leves sought him ought to explain his ideals, Henry had joined him without a second thought.


    Leves patted Henry''s shoulder. "Good work, Henry. Don''t worry, I will use Limb Regeneration on you later to help you regrow your legs."


    Though Henry was in a cold sweat from the extreme pain, he gritted his teeth and bore it, as he still had adequate mind power left. Though this was a state near death, with no chance of recovery for normal people, to a wizard, this was nothing.


    Henry rested against the city walls, as he looked down upon the corpses. "This is nothing. However, I didn''t expect such power and special abilities from the Saints of the Church of Light. What principles are at work here? Our witchcraft was actually forcefully blown away by their divine incantations. It was quite terrifying!"


    Leves nodded. In the encounter with Saint Martin, he had used divine incantations to bear the brunt of the attacks of Leves and two other wizards, without losing. In the last attack, using the Judgement Ray, he had actually grievously wounded two wizards. If Leves had not preempted the attack and fled to the skies, he would have also suffered heavy injuries.


    Leves never thought that the taking of the city of Attica and the battle against the fifty-thousand-strong army of the Church would go this successfully. It was definitely going to his head.


    Leves stood on the city wall of Attica and looked at St. Sarl City in the distance with great ambition. "The holy city of the Church of Light, the Holy Land of countless followers. You are my next target!"


    The wizards around him chimed in, alarmed. "Leves, that doesn''t seem to fit with our plans. We only want to show that we are a strong threat to the Church of Light, and to conquer the Moore Province. As long as we can hold down the Kingdom of the Church of Light, all of the other human countries will rise up, and the influence of the Church of Light will implode."


    "We do not need to be that aggressive. As soon as the influence of the Church of Light collapses, we can join together with the other countries to lock the power of the Church within its own territory. At the same time, the influence of the Gathering of Nobles within the Crete Empire will develop exponentially. Eventually, the Kingdom of the Church will be completely deadlocked, with no chance of ever rising again."


    Henry spoke from the side. "Yet, we did not expect that the Church of Light was this weak. If this is the case, why don''t we just take over the Kingdom of the Church of Light in one push?"


    Henry''s words went directly to Leves''s heart. Levi directed with confidence. "That''s right. What we''re aiming for isn''t only the Duchy of Creer. We want to conquer the world and create a nation for wizards."


    "Exactly. Even if the other cardinals receive the news, they wouldn''t be able to head back in time, especially as the other large countries are trying to delay them. Within the city, there are only the Pope and the Saintess. If we can take St. Sarl City, we can start the first step of our plan for world domination. The age of the Church of Light will be of the past, as we step into the age of wizards!"


    Since Leves had made up his mind, all of the Owl Knights and the other eight members of the Wizard Alliance began preparing for departure. Though they had originally wanted to set up camp here, that plan was scrapped, as they prepared to head to St. Sarl City, equipped for war.


    Since victory had come so easily, they had already forgotten their fear of God and the Church. They had also forgotten that the Church had more Saints and powerful Knights of Light lying in wait for them, as well as the legendary Saintess, who wielded the divine artifact.


    In Attica, there was a river of blood in the aftermath of the battle. All fifty thousand of the troops of the Church, including an Archbishop, had died within the city. His body was tacked to the city wall in order to display his horrifying manner of death.


    In the dead of the night, within the Temple of Light in St. Sarl City, Pope Hodap received the message that the army of the Church had been obliterated in a single battle. He was completely shocked and in disbelief.


    The elites of the Church''s army had lost in a battle of fifty thousand against a mere three thousand troops, and had been completely obliterated. Even worse, the enemy was already heading to St. Sarl City, placing the entire Church of Light in existential danger.


    Pope Hodap had not slept for the entire night, as he watched over the situation in Attica. Yet, he did not expect as fast a loss as this complete obliteration.


    What were these existences, who called themselves wizards? How did they wield so much power?


    With the power of the Duchy of Creer, the Church could only call up a mere twenty thousand scattered troops of dismal quality. All of this mayhem was due to the existences of these wizards and the members of the Wizard Alliance, as well as their leader, Leves, and his Owl Knights.


    A few days ago, Hodap had already scouted out basic intelligence about this new power, the Wizard Alliance, as well as information about their members and their ties to the Gathering of Nobles. The so-called Owl Knights were an army consisting entirely of Bloodline Knights. Even within the Knights of Light, the Bloodline Knights were a rare existence that were only found in specialized squads. All of the other troops were ordinary knights, who had trained to the pinnacle of their physical limitations.


    The combat ability of three thousand Bloodline Knights was far beyond that of the fifty thousand soldiers of the Church. At this thought, Hodap felt a chill, causing him to stand up immediately and gesture to a white clothed priest by his side, saying urgently, "Go to the temple. I want to see Her Holiness, the Saintess."

 95 Wizard 6

    Within the temple, Saintess Kelly stood below the statue of God. She was staring at the divine artifact, the Mask of Faross. Her slender white fingers gently stroked the red sun on the white mask, as if caressing the face of a lover.


    The divine palace remained brightly lit in the dead of the night. It illuminated the entire temple. The prayers to gods were endless. The Saintess and her acolytes, as His servants, were maintaining the divine palace.


    There was a rush of hurried footsteps behind her. But Kelly did not turn around. Instead, she carefully placed the mask onto her face, asking, "Our army has lost, hasn''t it?"


    Pope Hodap''s hurried footsteps immediately halted the moment that he saw the Saintess. He felt instantly relieved at just the sight of her.


    "Yes, we lost. The wizards and the Owl Knights annihilated our 50,000-strong army at Attica. Even Martin, who was a saint, died."


    Kelly turned around. She had put the mask on, which immediately made her seem like a completely different person. It was as if she had been touched by the spirit of God, becoming aloof and high above.


    She then said, "Whether it is the existence of evil, the darkness within the human heart, or the powers of darkness, none of these are worth mentioning before the power of God and His light."


    Kelly raised her head to look out toward the hall. She then walked outside. Pope Hodap followed behind her. They stood at the top of the steps that were outside of the Temple of Light, overlooking the entire city of St. Sarl.


    "Light will eventually dispel the darkness. Evil will be annihilated by the power of God. Let the Holy Light shine down, burning their tainted souls forevermore. The Kingdom of God is only open to believers of God and the light. Every single one of these heretics will pay for their actions!"


    As Kelly spoke, she stood before Hodap, her in white robes, as if she was one with the cold moonlight. Yet, her frigid image strangely put Hodap at ease, assuring him that evil would indeed be vanquished by the light.


    Although the forces of the Church were more than prepared, their consecutive defeats and the rumors about the wizards and the Owl Knights had struck fear within all of the people of the Kingdom of the Church.


    "Wizards are the messengers of the devil. They borrowed their power from the devil, then crawled out from the abyss of Hell. They look toward our holy land with their evil eyes."


    "We can''t let them succeed. They want to sink the world in darkness as they drag us all to hell."


    "We will never be defeated. We will eradicate them. Her Holiness and the Holy Father will judge them. The light of God will turn them into ashes."


    The situation within St. Sarl City was fine at the moment. Most of the citizens were extremely pious. Even if St. Sarl City was taken, they would be more than happy to die together with the Church of Light. But, outside of the city, in some of the smaller allied nations nearby, the situation was far more complicated.


    This was especially the case for the refugees from the Moore Province. Hundreds of thousands of refugees had fled everywhere in fear and panic. There were no more smiles, as all of them shook in fear, their faces ashen. Those who had seen the scenes that were left by the Owl Knights passed on tales of the horrific wizards and their legions, which seemed to have climbed straight out of Hell.


    Everywhere, these people were screaming on the streets. "Darkness has descended. Hell is upon us!"


    "They are devils! No one can resist them!"


    "They killed everyone! Not a soul was spared."


    "Plague, death, war, famine! Darkness will envelope us again."


    In the many kingdoms and cities around the Moore Province, the refugees crowded the streets, trembling as they recounted the disasters brought on by the wizards. The few people, who had survived the onslaught of the Owl Knights, had become mad. They now only screamed frightening things about death and devils.


    The land was filled with wild-eyed women, the soulless eyes of the children, the shattered madmen and the endless waves of refugees. Moreover, there were errant plumes of smoke and countless bodies on the road. All of these sad sights only served to reinforce the terror of the wizards and the Owl Knights within the hearts of all.


    The names of Leves and his wizards spread throughout the human kingdoms. For the first time, everyone had now heard about wizards, who were being described as if they were the embodiments of the worst nightmares and terrors. In fact, "wizard" became a forbidden word of darkness.


    Everyone feared wizards. But, at the same time, there were even more people who, while fearing the terrible power of the wizards, also yearned for such power.


    Even the Gathering of Nobles had not anticipated such power! No one had thought that just Leves and his eight wizards would have the power to push the Church of Light to the brink of destruction, as they went straight for St. Sarl City.


    Within the Crete Empire, in the capital of Virginia, Earl Ivens entered a secret tunnel from the bottom of his house. After walking through this long tunnel with a torch, he came to a secret meeting place that was hidden deep under the city streets.


    Though Earl Ivens was loyal to the previous sovereign, Elliot VII, he was still the most trusted person of the current Emperor, Elliot VIII. He also maintained close ties with the Church of Light.


    As a shrewd man, he had maintained his position at the highest levels of power. He had been the first to surrender to the Church of Light during the succession struggle. He led a large number of turncoats to the faction of the Church of Light, where he was responsible for bringing Elliot VIII to the throne.


    Although many people despised his character, even more people admired his uncanny ability to adapt to every changing political situation. No matter who was in charge, he seemed to be able to somehow remain in a position of power.


    Wearing a mask, Earl Ivens entered a spacious underground conference room. The torch that he was carrying illuminated the secret meeting room. In addition to Ivens, there were six others present in this secret meeting. They also wore masks similar to Earl Ivens''s.


    One person was sitting at the top of a long table, while the other five were arguing fiercely as if something had frightened them greatly. Their emotions had obviously been recently stirred up.


    "How dare they? Didn''t we tell them to occupy the Moore Province to shrink the influence of the Church? To think that they now have their sights on St. Sarl City!"


    "The Church armies within the various kingdoms cannot be suppressed any longer. The Third Army within the Kingdom of Mara and Cardinal Peter have both turned their forces around at maximum speed. The Mara Kingdom will not be able to stop them. "


    "The Fifth Legion within the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro is the same, acting under Cardinal Emile. Regardless of the forces Rosa d''Oro has mobilized to stop them, they are heading back at all costs. The wizards are trying to destroy the Church, but we have not yet finished our preparations. It is impossible for the major kingdoms to actually start fighting these legions directly yet. We have not been able to obtain full command over them."


    "As I have said, these wizards, who just popped up out of nowhere, are unreliable. According to the original plan, they only had to stall the Church, which is tantamount to cutting off the tentacles of the Church to all the major powers. Then, we would overthrow Elliot VIII in the Crete Empire, thus becoming independent from the Church. That would allow us to then eat away at the Church, bit by bit. But now, these guys have arbitrarily attacked St. Sarl City!"


    Every one of them at the table was expressing anger at the reckless actions of the Wizard Alliance. Yet, hidden behind their words, their fears of the power of the wizards were palpable.


    No one thought that Leves would be able to create such a powerful army, especially in just a few short years. The Duchy of Creer had completely fallen under the control of the Wizard Alliance.


    Ivens sat in the first position on the left side of the long table, looking at the man in the black robe, who was at the head of the table, "Can we still stop the Wizard Alliance and Leves?"


    The man in the black robe shook his head. "It is impossible, as they have already thrown in their lot. The ambitions of Leves and the wizards are too big. They have betrayed us."


    Ivens''s eyes have shrunk. Compared to his previous youthful self, he had become a middle-aged man. His gaze had become more resolute and cruel, similar to the vision of a hawk. "Then we must begin preparing immediately. We don''t want to deal with the rise of the Wizard Alliance after the Church of Light."


    The man nodded. "You all should start preparing. Once the Church of Light is on the brink of destruction, all of us will send troops. We will immediately assist St. Sarl. The wizards are even more terrifying than the Church of Light. But, they still don''t know the rules of the game."


    The man from another seat replied, "Shouldn''t we send troops immediately? The 50,000 main forces of the Church were all slaughtered. Currently, there are only 10,000 Knights of Light left in St. Sarl City. How would they resist the wizards'' Owl Knights?"


    Ivens sneered. "Wait a bit longer. The Church of Light wouldn''t die this easily. You have to know the forces behind them. No one knows what trump cards they have hidden away."


    Everyone suddenly sucked in collective breaths, as they thought about the Saintess and the Pope, who had never been in action before. As God''s representatives in Maria''s World, no one knew what would happen in the end, should they act.


    Ivens didn''t know why, but he felt expectation welling up within him all of a sudden. "The power of God and the devil. Which is stronger? This will be interesting! I''m really looking forward to it!"

 96 Wizard 7

    There were thousands of black warhorses and black robed knights in St. Sarl City. At last, they had arrived at St. Sarl City at dawn. Each of their gazes were ice cold, without any trace of emotion. Even the breaths of the horses seemed to have traces of the darkness of the magma of Hell.


    As soon as the sun appeared on the horizon, an enormous pressure wrapped around St. Sarl City. A heavy scent of blood seemed to have floated into St. Sarl City from miles away.


    Within St. Sarl City, the preparations for battle were long complete. As soon as the Owl Knights were spotted on the horizon, the alarms in the city were sounded.


    No one had slept that night, as they had instead gone to the temple to pray. From the day before, everyone knew that the Owl Knights would arrive today, yet no one expected that they would be this fast.


    Did these devils head on over without sleep?


    As soon as the bell sounded, all of the people in St. Sarl looked at the city walls. Though they could not see the army, it was as if the strong bloodlust had solidified the air, making it difficult to breathe.


    "They''re coming! They''re almost here." Someone trembled as he knelt in the plaza.


    "The army of the Devil is upon us." A person wailed, holding up the sigil of the sun.


    "Don''t worry, God will punish them. We have the Pope and the Saintess. We have the Knights of Light."


    Many people had brought their children to the Temple of Light to hide. It was as if the closer they were to the Temple, the closer they felt to God and his aura. The presence of the Pope and the Saintess also gave them a strong sense of comfort.


    On the walls of St. Sarl City, the soldiers were getting into meticulous fortifications. The archers took their places with hot oil and stones. They knew that it was impossible to break into the city with only the cavalry before them. They had no siege weapons. It was impossible to climb the walls, which were over twenty meters high. Yet, these wizards would be able to easily destroy the fortifications.


    Leves and the other eight members of the Wizard Alliance went to the front of the Owl Knights and looked upon the city in the distance. This city that was originally called Jan Boris. This was the holy city of the Church of Light, the holy land of all of the believers.


    Leves felt overtaken by an urge to destroy. By now, Leves''s eyes were bloodshot with murderous intent, and he cared about nothing except for the city before him. By decimating the city in front of him, he would be able to replace the Church of Light and become the most powerful man in the human realm.


    He would no longer be the bastard of a Baron, or the son of a cook, but the ruler of human realm. All would kneel before his sword and his soldiers.


    Leves drew his longsword from his waist. "This is not our final destination, but the start of our adventure. We will build the era of our greatness, the glory of the wizards, and the glory that belongs to every member of the Wizard Alliance."


    The other members of the Wizard Alliance began cheering. All of them were completely loyal to Leves. He had brought them to this path of victories, to this moment. By taking this last site of St. Sarl City and eradicating the Church of Light, they would stand at the summit of the continent.


    Most of these wizards were born from the lower classes. They had never thought that they would one day experience such glory.


    Within a few days, Henry''s legs had regrown. Though the process was excruciatingly painful, by now, the feelings of pain had been replaced with hope and bright expectations for the future.


    "The country of wizards! We will create a nation for wizards here!" Henry shouted with passion.


    The other apprentices also whispered among themselves, shooting to each other looks of excitement, "This is the last step of years of planning. It''s all about to come true."


    "Leves, you were completely right. We did it."


    Leves pointed his sword at St. Sarl City. "This is the last one. Let''s move out."


    As the Owl Knights and wizards approached, all the people on the city wall awaited Leves''s attack. Seeing the approaching black mass, where even the footsteps of the horses was synchronized, all of them felt an immense amount of pressure.


    When they were around two hundred paces away, all of the soldiers stopped. If they went any closer, they would be in the range of the arrows. The entire army of the Owl Knights halted, as if waiting for something.


    Leves and the other eight wizards leapt into action, spell ingredients in hand. Large amounts of mind power were interlocking in the air. This was a large scale group technique. By now, it had been ten years since they had begun training. Leves had already become a third level wizard last year.


    Level one wizards could learn basic witchcraft. Level two wizards could learn flight. Level three wizards could form mind power force fields. This was the simplified division of the levels of wizards. Among the nine of them, other than Leves, there was only one level two wizard. The other seven were still stuck at level one, with no breakthroughs.


    As the nine chanted together, a fireball appeared. It grew from the size of a fist floating high in the air into a sphere that was tens of meters in size, like a sun suspended in the sky.


    The soldiers on the wall gaped in complete shock, as they looked at the huge fireball that was like a small sun. Even the hand they carried their weapons in started trembling. "My God, what is that?"


    "It''s a sun. They stole the power of God. These demons, they can steal the power of God?!"


    "My God, what heinous evil!"


    The city walls were in chaos. Large amounts of arrows were shot, but they melted as soon as they approached the fireball, having absolutely no effect. The tremendous heat was being continually condensed. All of the wizards had broken out in cold sweats, and Leves, who was the main controller of the fireball, was straining with effort.


    "Rise."


    The huge fireball lit up the sky, as the condensed ball of extreme heat released blinding light. Under their control, it flew toward the city gates in an arc, then fell toward St. Sarl City with great speed and intensity, like a comet from the skies. The air crackled as it passed through, as if knocking on the doors of the souls of all observers."


    "My God."


    "Quick, run, get away!"


    "Everyone, get down!"


    Only now did they realize that the target of the wizards was actually the city walls. All of the troops hurried to dodge the onslaught of the fireball, but it was already too late. The fireball was right before their eyes.


    The powerful attack was completely unstoppable. The huge fireball descended like a meteor. It struck the city wall, and the dozens of archers on the wall couldn''t escape. Doomed, they saw the embrace of the light, then lost all sensation immediately.


    An intense light exploded out for tens of meters, covering the area with a white flash. Even the ground rumbled, as if the entirety of St. Sarl City was shocked into jumping up. The sound of the explosion rang through the ears of all the people in St. Sarl City.


    Everyone finally snapped out of their dazes and looked at the wall, only to see the impregnable fortifications breached with a huge hole. Through the smoke from the hole, they could vaguely make out a dense mass of the black troops. All of them were masked, looking toward the city. All of their bodies of the people in St. Sarl City were frozen in complete, chilly fear.

 97 Wizard 8

    From the side of the hill, a large number of knights, each clad in white armor, suddenly appeared. It was an army from the Knights of Light, numbering 10,000 strong.


    Originally, they had been hiding outside the city, waiting for their opportunity to attack. They had planned to wait until the wizards were completely focused on the attack of the city, then attack them with their army within the city, thus defeating the wizards and the Owl Knights in one fell swoop.


    Yet, no one could have anticipated that the wizards would use such a powerful combination technique to destroy the city wall. Charles, the Captain of the Knights of Light, who was also one of the Saints, reacted quickly. He immediately rallied his troops, not waiting anymore for the opportune moment, but it was already too late.


    The Owl Knights were now only a few hundred paces from the city. As soon as they rushed into the city, with their guerilla tactics and their devastating techniques, death would most certainly rain down upon St. Sarl City, transforming it into hell on earth. Then, not even a cat or dog would be left alive.


    After seeing the destruction of the city wall, Leves let out a deranged laugh. He could already see the fear and terror of the believers inside the city.


    Leves, who had already been tense on his journey of slaughter, had now fully descended into a state of madness. "Owl Knights, go forth! Don''t leave a single one alive."


    The Owl Knights moved forth quickly in unison, like a single, fighting machine. They were like a neat and organized painting. It looked like an immense black wave, crashing terrifyingly towards St. Sarl City.


    The Knights of Light spurred their horses on, chasing desperately up to the Owl Knights. However, it was too late. Charles let out a shout of despair, "No!"


    Leves led eight other wizards to the very front. He drew his longsword, heading straight into the city through the hole in the wall. There, amid the smoke and the debris, Leves spotted a blurry figure.


    "Who''s there?"


    Leves was pondering this question, when he suddenly became overwhelmed with a sense of danger. Leves dismounted in a panic, then immediately controlled his body and flew away. Instantly, a flash of white light flew out, like a wave crashing upon the ground.


    Leves had quick reflexes, but three wizards beside him, as well as several dozen of the Owl Knights were unable to react. They all took a direct hit from the white light. Wherever the white light swept past, it seemed as though a sharp blade has sliced through. All of them fell to the ground, cut into two, right down their middles.


    Time seemed to have stopped, and no one could react. In a area of a hundred meters, all of the people and horses were in chaos. Many of the horses were terrified, and the army was in complete disarray.


    "Agra, Dellas, Blair!" Henry pulled his reins and shouted, while looking towards a spot where a large chunk of ground had just been vaporized. He couldn''t believe his eyes. This power was beyond the Judgement Ray of the previous Saint. The Judgement Ray only had a powerful tearing force, able to rend its enemies in an instant. But the power just now brought instant destruction, annihilating everything in its path! The people who died just now had been erased.


    Everyone stopped in their tracks, looking at the three dead wizards. The trio''s bodies were torn into shreds. Two had died immediately, while the other had awakened a life-type talent wailed for a while before finally succumbing to his injuries. From the very beginning of their training at the Wizard Tower, the three had been inseparable. They shared a close bond that went far beyond family.


    "They''re dead?"


    "How is that possible?"


    "Who could have done this?"


    The formation descended into chaos, as all of the people were frightened by the unexpected change. The knights retreated in order to reform their formations.


    Leves landed, then looked at the figure walking out through the gaping hole on the city wall. The smoke cleared, revealing a tall, slender figure.


    The figure before them in a long white robe. It was a woman, yet she was taller than most men. She was over 1.8 meters in height. Her loose robes conveyed a sense of exquisite beauty upon her.


    Her feet never seemed to touch the ground while she was walking. She seemed suspended in the air. Her face was covered with a white sun mask that emanated a sense of immense power which radiated in the air. In this situation, all of the wizards, including Leves, could only think of one person: the legendary deity, the kin of God.


    "Saintess Kelly of the Church of Light."


    Leves stood in front of the Owl Knights, as thousands of eyes looked at the strange woman in the mask. They could feel distinctly that there was a strange sense of pressure in the space.


    The attack from before had been beyond their imaginations, easily decimating a range of a hundred meters. The actual range of the technique was unfathomable. This was an unprecedented amount of mind power!


    The dawn sun rose behind the Saintess, lighting up Leves and the rest, bit by bit. As the light of the dawn interspersed with the darkness of night, it was an extraordinary sight to behold.


    Sensing the ripples of mind power emanated by the Saintess, which was vast like the ocean, as well as the sun sigil mask on her face, the army could feel a huge formless pressure with her very step forward.


    "The Mask of Faross, a divine artifact?"


    Leves''s expression changed repeatedly. The army of the Knights of Light were almost here. If they could not deal with the woman and rush into the city, the Owl Knights would be attacked by the Knights of Light outside the city and suffer heavy casualties.


    With this woman was blocking the entrance, many people would die if they rushed in forcefully. Leves raised his hand and made a gesture. The other wizards immediately sent out a command. "Archers get ready. Everyone else, surround the city and storm in from the sides!"


    The disrupted formations had already reformed, so they immediately moved according to the commands. A large number of knights dismounted and took up the position of archers. Leves wanted to use this tactic to pressure Saintess Kelly. If she moved aside and allowed them passage, then the situation would be beyond her control.


    Even the wizards would not face such a shower of arrows. Leves had become a level three wizard. As such, he could defend his entire body with a mind power forcefield. But, even he would be unable to maintain his forcefield under such a relentless attack.


    Each of the wizards began preparing new techniques. Leves refused to believe that this Saintess, even with her mask, was truly invincible and could disregard the entire army of the Owl Knights and the wizards combined.


    Leves looked at the Saintess who was blocking the entrance, then took in a deep breath. He roared fiercely, "Shoot!"


    The sky became covered by the rain of arrows, flying quickly toward the city wall. Leves was determined to force the Saintess off to the side, yet she did not seem to have any intentions of moving.


    The arrows descended like rain. But, as they got within a dozen or so meters from the Saintess, they seemed to become bogged down by water. They started moving slower and slower, then completely froze in the air, before falling to the ground.


    The soldiers on both sides intersected to surround her. Drawing their longswords, they stared at the Saintess. They had no emotions nor fear, as they only understood and obeyed commands.


    They had been destroying everything under the orders of Leves. When they got within a hundred meters of Saintess Kelly, all of them froze immediately, then fell to the ground, dead without any traces of injuries.


    As the knights approached, it seemed as if they just dove into an abyss of death. One by one, they died on the spot. It was as if their souls were being devoured. They died instantly, losing consciousness.


    To the eyes of the wizards, it was a different world. They saw that the mind power of the Saintess had spread into an area with a radius of a hundred meters, forming a strong force field of mind power. It was as if she had her own spiritual domain, within which, she could control certain laws.


    "What is that?"


    "What happened?"


    "Is it another divine incantation?"


    Leves understood exactly what he was seeing, "Supernatural ability, controlling the laws of the world."

 98 Wizard 9

    Leves had seen exceedingly great power before. Even though the magical beasts had extraordinary power, their powers were still comparable to the witchcraft that they had released. The natures of the two were different, but the powers each held were similar.


    The main difference lay within the mind power. Leves reckoned that the mind power of the Saintess was beyond level four wizards. When Leves was at the tower of the wizards, he had heard Mr. Anthony talking about the abilities, as well as other horrifying things regarding the level four wizards. However, he had never encountered them personally before.


    The Knights of Light, traveling from more than 10 miles away, had finally arrived. The delay of one to two minutes caused by Leves and the Owl Knights had resulted in them missing a great opportunity. They now had nowhere to retreat. There was only one way out for them. Perhaps, from the moment Leves formed the Wizard Alliance, he could only move forward. Thus, there was no retreat for him.


    Ten thousand knights dashed forward from the hillside like a tsunami, defeating the Owl Knights. Leves'' face darkened like charcoal. He felt that the situation had snuck up on him, suddenly changing without warning. He had been too carried away by success, and by the time he realized the change, it was too late.


    Leves looked at the woman standing alone at the city wall. She was surrounded by crumbling fences and dilapidated buildings. There were also a number arrows and dead bodies of Owl Knights as well. "Go, kill her. We have to kill her," he ordered.


    As a Knight of Light swept forth on his horse, Leves killed him with his sword. He then threw himself over the horse as he shouted out to the members of the Wizard Alliance. All eyes were fixed on Saintess Kelly. As long as they could kill her, they would be able to turn the tables in this battle.


    The five remaining wizards charged toward Saintess Kelly alongside Leves. The situation at the city wall was chaotic. The Owl Knights and the Knights of Light were fighting with one another, and although the Knights of Light had surrounded the Owl Knights, the battlefield had been divided into many small battlefields. The individual combat strengths of each of the Owl Knights was powerful and they formed small groups, fighting aggressively against the strongest troop of the Light Clan.


    Members of the Shaman Group dashed toward the city wall. Everyone took out their spellcasting media, preparing to use the new spells. Leves was at the forefront, a huge fireball forming in his hands. He bombarded Kelly with it, as Henry flew up on the other side. Henry was a level two wizard, able to fly already. Using his unique witchcraft, alchemy equipment and magnetic iron pieces surrounded Henry as he flew. These pieces could be used as a protective layer as well as assault weapons.


    Everyone used their individual witchcraft and the six of them jointly attacking Saintess Kelly. Saintess Kelly moved her hand, sending a bright ray flashing across the sky. The three beside Leves, took precautionary measures to avoid the ray. However, Leves was the Saintess'' main target.


    Leves''s mind power transformed into a mental forcefield, countering the Judgment of Light released by the Saintess. However, the forcefield was instantly destroyed, leaving him vulnerable and injured, making his head feel as if it had been hit by a hammer, and his focus had relaxed.


    The Judgment of Light swept past the Explosive Flame Witchcraft displayed by Leves, dissolving it. At this moment, the rest of them had no time for Leves and disregarded him as they moved forth to jointly attack the Saintess.


    Four of them attacked the Saintess together. The divine incantation, which was used by the Saintess to influence man''s consciousness, had no effect on the wizards. The Saintess activated the Judgment of Light, but it could only attack the wizards superficially. Their enhanced bodies and mind powers were extremely sensitive, allowing them to speedily avoid the attacks. These people regularly fought with wizards, and hence, were familiar with the combat methods they used. Thus, they avoided the attacks and continued to approach the Saintess.


    As the Saintess was counteracting their witchcraft, Henry made use of the opportunity to attack the Saintess with his alchemy weapon. More than 10 patches spun around and cut the Saintess'' throat, like blades.


    The Saintess suddenly turned to look at Henry, her cold gaze shooting past the mask and making Henry feel as if his mind was frozen. The mask on her face spread out, transforming into rays of light and merging into the world. Everyone, including those on the battlefield, felt the world go suddenly quiet.


    "Realm of god!"


    Lu Zhiyu''s dream world spread out. Everyone within the radius of a few thousand meters was brought into the dream world. The dream element spread across the entire battle field. Everyone stopped moving, including the Knights of Light and the Owl Knights, as though they had been frozen in time. Then, hundreds and thousands of Owl Knights suddenly died.


    The mind powers and consciousness of the wizards had been suppressed, and they could not move. Henry was now near Saintess Kelly. Just one move, and he could have killed Kelly, but he could now only look at her, unable to mobilize himself at all.


    Kelly''s hair blew up in the wind as she looked at Henry with her dark pupils. She was expressionless, like a statute of god. She lifted up her hand gently, sending shivers through Henry. Finding himself unable to break free, he let out a desperate cry, "Oh, no!"


    A white ray engulfed Henry, causing him to gradually disappear into the air, like vapor. Leves was the first to come out of the dream world. He tried to escape. He was afraid. He was fearful. There was no way to fend off such great power. He could not even comprehend what it was exactly. The other wizards did likewise, while the ordinary people were still unable to move. A wizard''s mind power surpassed that of ordinary people, it could not be compared.


    "Run, Run!"


    "Leave this place quickly. As long as we are alive, we have a chance. We have our teacher and classmates."


    "That''s right. Leave this place. Next time, next time we will be able to¡­"


    Everyone fled in a panic and shared comforting words to calm themselves. Kelly looked coldly at the members of the Wizard Alliance as she started to rise up above the city wall. Suddenly, the space behind her became hazy and illusory, and a number of golden chains constantly extended from her back.


    "Chain of god!"


    Following Kelly''s cold voice, the chains passed through the sky and chained everyone up, including Leves. Leves had wanted to use his witchcraft, but he realized that not only was he unable to do this, but his mind power was being confined. The chain had sealed his mind power. He had wanted to control and destroy all the Owl Knights. He also wanted to release the plague incantation on the entire St. Sarl City, even though it would mean that he would perish with them, but he could not do anything.


    "What has happened? Is this the power of the artifact?"


    "Let go of me, let go of me!"


    "Oh no! We are going to die. What should we do?"


    "The badge. There is a guide on the teleport matrix that our teacher left behind in the badge. We can use it to leave this place!"


    "Our mind power has been sealed. It''s impossible. We cannot activate it. We are going to die!"


    All those within the radius of a few miles were now chained up and started to rise up to the sky. The Saintess had transformed into a white ray, her body becoming invisible. One wizard after another started to cry out before dying on the spot. They cried and wailed, but they could not change their fates.


    The Saintess came before Leves, the white ray engulfing her body. Leves was bound by the golden chain, causing him to hang helplessly in the air. He was like a prisoner of god, the goddess now looked at him.


    "Hahaha, is it my turn?"


    "Kill me, kill me!"


    Leves shivered in fear. He tried to act brave, but he was frightened. As the Saintess clenched her fist gently, the golden chain entered Leves'' body. He had no control of his body, leaving him unable to release any witchcraft. He was bruised all over and was at the mercy of the Saintess.


    There was a stationed legion at the city wall, and the Knights of Light were watching from afar. They stared at Saintess Kelly who looked like a goddess. Many of them knelt down atop the city wall. No one had expected Saintess Kelly to use Faross'' mask to control such a great power. This was no ordinary power. It belonged to the realm of god.


    The Saintess withdrew the realm of god and saw that the dream element had retreated and returned to her. It had gathered together to form a mask with the print of a sun. She put it gently on her face and lifted Leves, who had been immobilized. They landed on top of the city wall, and the entire stationed legion knelt down on the floor. They paid obeisance to the Saintess, treating her like a god.


    "Get the soldiers to kill the rest of the Owl Knights, and send these demons to hell."


    Without the control of Leves and the Wizard Alliance, and the help of witchcraft, more than half of the Owl Knights had been killed by the Saintess. Although they continued to fight fearlessly, they ended up being killed in St. Sarl City. The elites of Light Clan, the Knights of Light, also suffered great losses. After this battle, they would require a long while to recuperate.


    The Wizard Alliance and Leves'' rebel army had been destroyed. The Owl Knights that had created chaos among mankind had come to an end. The following morning, the red cardinal bishops rushed back from their different countries. Upon their arrivals, they saw that St. Sarl City was in order, and that the Wizard Alliance and Owl Knights had been destroyed by Saintess Kelly. They also heard the news that the leader of the Alliance, Leves, had been captured by the Saintess.

 99 A Fiery End

    News that the Owl Knights and wizards had been destroyed at St. Sarl City spread throughout the entire human world. The once formidable and terrifying troop, and the spokesmen for the demons, the wizards, had been destroyed by the Saintess and the gods.


    However, the fear and death brought on by the wizards had been imprinted into the hearts of all the people. No one could forget the dark army that had brought, like a tsunami, such death and suffering to mankind. Many of them were impressed by the power of the Light Clan and Saintess Kelly. They found it unbelievable that Kelly had single-handedly destroyed the Wizard Alliance and Owl Knights.


    The countries that were preparing to take action calmed down. After the battle, the Light Clan had suffered great losses, yet they did not ask the countries to be held accountable for what had happened. Instead, they doubled their efforts in capturing the wizards, as well as those who had participated in the noble assemblies. Those who harbored and housed them would also be deemed as having gone against the Light Clan.


    The Crete Empire, and other countries, once again underwent a purge. Many scapegoats, and people who seemed like wizards, were captured and sent to the guillotine. The fervor of going against the Light Clan gradually died down.


    In Virginia, the capital of the Crete Empire, there was an underground secret meeting room. The key members of the noble assembly once again gathered. There were more people, but none were talking. The atmosphere was so grave, that it was almost suffocating.


    "Failed. We have failed. We have lost our influence. A portion of our primary allies, who trusted us, are now keeping their distances."


    "It is all because of Leves and the wizards. They acted on their own and ruined our plans."


    Ivens said, "We failed, there''s nothing we can do about that. In any case, we still have other opportunities. Let''s start planning again. We know what Light Clan is capable of now. No one expected that the Saintess alone was enough to defeat them. The power of the artifact is indeed very powerful. Ordinary people will not be able to defend against it."


    The man who was seated on the main seat had his face hidden in the dark. He muttered, "The mask of Feross!"


    One month later, at St. Sarl City in the Light Clan Country, St. Mary''s Square was crowded with people. At the center of St. Mary''s Square, a man, badly bruised, was tied to a stone pillar. He was heavily guarded by the Knights of Light and the Commander, Charles. His white coat had turned reddish black, his pants were torn, and one of his toenails was missing. The man was Leves. He looked pathetic and weak, and could not move. Firewood had been placed under his feet, and his body had been splashed with kerosene.


    Everyone looked at Leves. It had been rumored that he had sold his soul to the devil. He was the most evil person in history, many people had died at his hands. The entire Moore Province had been empty because of him. Thus, many had come to watch him be consumed by the sacred flame. Among these people, some had had their friends and families killed by Leves, and many had been victimized personally by him in some way.


    Leves was tightly chained to the stone pillar. His mental strength was being confined by the divine incantation, preventing him from releasing any form of witchcraft. He was weak, his blood not circulating. His eyes swept the crowd, everyone looked at him with hatred, fear, and anger.


    "Burn him to death, burn him to death!"


    "Burn this demon to death. We curse you, and your soul will forever be burnt by the sacred flame!"


    "Oh God, please give this evil man the most severe punishment!"


    Everyone was talking at once, and it sounded as though a huge wave had swept over St. Mary''s Square. Leves laughed crazily, as he looked out at the people. Everyone wanted him dead.


    As Leves laughed, the entire St. Mary''s Square quieted and looked at him. When Leves gazed around, no one dared look him in the eye.


    "Hahaha, hahaha, hahahahahaha!" Leves laughed, tears starting to flow his eyes.


    After a while, he said as he laughed, "Ignorant and stupid. You are a bunch of stupid people. You will never know what I am doing. I am the one here to save you. I am the one bringing light to you!"


    "Hahaha, all of you are pigs, bred by the gods. How can you understand our greatness? You will never understand our desire for freedom and truth. You are just a bunch of pathetic people, begging the gods for food."


    Leves'' laughter became louder and crazier and his voice rang throughout the entire square. His compelling aura drew a shadow over the thousands of people, subduing them. Charles'' face turned pale. He could not allow such behavior from Leves, and immediately shouted:


    "Execute him, execute him!"


    "Burn this devil. Let him talk no more!"


    A few torches were thrown into the firewood, and a fire swept across the execution ground, consuming Leves. Leves continued to shout, "One day, you will know the truth. The world of the wizards will come to man. I have failed, but there will be thousands and millions of people, who will fulfill my dreams for me. You will not be able to stop them. No one is able to stop¡­"


    Bohr stood under the stand, watching his classmate from afar. His once good friend was consumed by the fire. After much raving, Leves died. His voice resonated in the entire square, sweeping past everyone, like the shadow of a devil. His words had a deep, terrifying impact on all who were present.


    Although he had personally watched Leves had died, Bohr had no intention of attacking. The Light Clan and Saintess were sitting at the forefront, waiting for the wizards to take action, so that they could capture all of them.


    Moreover, as Bohr passed by Moore Province, he had seen the mess and bodies that Leves had left behind. He was extremely disappointed with Leves. Bohr had never expected Leves, who had studied together with him at the Wizard Tower, to change so drastically after gaining power. He had been overwhelmed by the power of the wizards, and had forgotten that he was once just an ordinary man.


    There were other wizards among the people. Bohr saw a few familiar faces. However, no one wanted to save Leves, or else they dared not to. The Saintess, who possessed the artifact, was sitting right there. Those who dared to create a scene in St. Sarl City would be courting their own deaths.


    Bohr looked at Leves, who had gradually turned into a mere pile of ashes, and put on his hat and left. "Everyone has to be responsible for his own actions. Leves, you deserve this end. From the moment you were overwhelmed by the power of the wizards, you were destined to be consumed by the same power."


    Bohr quickly left St. Sarl City but Leves'' parting words had a deep impact on him and made him feel lost. He did not know the future of the wizards, or where he should go.


    During that winter, in the 14th year of the San calendar, Leves'' and his wizard''s alliance had come an end in St. Sarl City. However, Leves''s name was deeply imprinted in the history of mankind as the one who had started the war between the wizards and Light Clan. From this day forward, the wizards and Light Clan would be arch-enemies. This was not the ending, but merely the beginning of their strife.

 100 A Relaxing Holiday

    Lu Zhiyu sat in his living room and looked out of the window, while leisurely having his cup of coffee. He looked comfortable and relaxed although felt estranged from the world, as though he did not belong here, but was, rather, from Maria''s World.


    Lu Zhiyu had been in Maria''s World for more than 10 years, but in the outside world, only a few days had passed. Everything looked the same as it had the day he had left.


    "I should be almost 50 years old by now. A normal person should be entering old age at this time."


    When Lu Zhiyu returned to the world this time around, there was a tremendous change in his mindset. He no longer felt tense, but was relaxed and calm. When one was no longer under the bondage of materialism, money, and even society, one needed to find a new purpose in life. Lu Zhiyu found that he would like to take it easier in life, and simply do something that he liked.


    He did not want to do something that went against his conscience or that he disliked. He would like to lead an ordinary life, and to live for himself. He did not want to be anxious about anything, as he could live a long life, and thus, had sufficient time to fulfill his wishes.


    Suddenly, a ringing sound broke the peace. It was his mobile phone, which was on the television set. He stretched out his hand and watched as the phone came within his reach.


    It took him a while to prepare himself, before he answered in English: "Hello, who''s this?"


    The deep voice of a middle-aged man sounded on the other end of the line. He politely said, "Hello, are you Mr. Anthony? I am Charlie Andrew. Do you remember receiving my invitation?"


    After searching through his memory, he remembered. Lu Zhiyu had attended a banquet previously, where he had met Charlie Andrew and he had invited Lu Zhiyu to attend a secret clan, known as Vatican Clan. It was rumored that it was related to the legendary blood race. Lu Zhiyu had found it interesting at the time, and so had accepted his invitation.


    "Oh, of course! You told me that I would be able to see a different side to this world. I am curious!" Lu Zhiyu replied.


    Charlie Andrew sounded secretive as he said, "That''s great. If you are keen, a car will pick you up in about 10 minutes. I hope you will keep this event a secret."


    "No problem. I am looking forward to the upcoming events."


    Lu Zhiyu was indeed keen. He finished his coffee and stood up then he disappeared into a ball of light and appeared in his wardrobe, on the upper floor of his home. After changing into a new set of clothes, he disappeared again and appeared at his door.


    He walked to the main road, and after a while, a Bentley came to a stop in front of him. A man, dressed like a special agent, stepped out of the car. He sized Lu Zhiyu up, as he opened the door of the back seat.


    "Mr. Anthony? Mr. Charlie has sent me to pick you up. Please get into the car. Boss is waiting for you." This bodyguard was like a robot with a build was like the governor''s. He should be Charlie''s bodyguard cum chauffeur.


    Lu Zhiyu said teasingly, "Do I need to cover my eyes, or put on a blindfold?"


    The bodyguard replied with a rigid voice, "No need."


    Lu Zhiyu shrugged, finding him immediately uninteresting. The car did not travel out of the city, as Lu Zhiyu had expected, but rather had stopped at The Shard, near London Bridge.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the building, using his mind power. The structure and the names of the all the people in the entire building appeared in his sub-brain. Very quickly, he located Charlie Andrew.


    "Boss is in¡­"


    Before the bodyguard could finish his sentence, Lu Zhiyu was already on his way up. The service staff led him to a gym on the 52nd level, where Charlie Andrew was waiting.


    Charlie Andrew was working out under the guidance of a lady trainer. When he saw Lu Zhiyu, he stopped his workout and wiped away his sweat. He said, "I believe Mr. Anthony has not yet eaten. Please wait for me while I get changed!"


    "There is a modern Chinese style restaurant here. They serve the finest Modern European cuisine with an Asian twist. I believe you will enjoy it."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded with a smile. After a while, he followed Charlie Andrew to the restaurant, known as TING. The food tasted good. The chef had mixed in many Chinese flavors and the place was decorated in a Chinese style as well. One could see the entirety of London from it, it made one feel as though he was dining on top of the clouds.


    As Lu Zhiyu was having his meal, he kept looking at the rooftop of The Shard. The building was 310 meters tall, and was one of the famed landmarks of London. He had been to the building before, but had never gone up to its top. As his mind power surrounded the entire building, he found a place that was very unusual. There was something on the rooftop of the building that emitted was a strong unknown forcefield that had shielded itself from Lu Zhiyu''s telepathic power.


    Lu Zhiyu was curious. He was certain that the secret gathering place of Vatican Clan was on the rooftop. He could read the minds of others, but could not read their memories. When he had met Charlie Andrew previously, he did not yet know the location of Vatican Clan.


    Although he had many questions, since he was there, he would be able to see what he wished to see. There was no hurry.


    However, Lu Zhiyu had not expected Vatican Clan to be located in such a place. He had thought that they would gather in some secluded castle, an enclosed old-fashioned alley, or on old Regent Street.


    It should not be located in one of London''s most renowned buildings. As someone once said, the greatest geniuses often hid in plain sight. Was this the case? As Lu Zhiyu was having his meal, he chatted with Charlie Andrew when suddenly, Andrew started to talk about the building. "Anthony, do you know who owns this building?"


    Lu Zhiyu thought for a while and said, "This building was built in 2012. I have heard that it was funded by the Qatar royal family. Don''t tell me that they are the owners?"


    Charlie Andrew shook his head and said, "Although they are one of the shareholders, the main holding company belongs to the Dutch Debye family. They are the owners of this building. In fact, most of the properties in this building belong to them. I will introduce you to some of them later."

 101 Vatican Clan

    Charlie took out a card and put it into a slot in the lift. A button panel immediately turned over, displaying a few buttons that led to the higher levels. Charlie pressed the button, sending the lift up to the top floor.


    When the lift opened, Lu Zhiyu saw an anteroom with a Western classical style. Girls dressed in maid uniforms were standing on both sides of the room. On the wall facing him, was a red inverted cross with the words, VENTURE, inscribed below. This translated meant Vatican. Lu Zhiyu was curious as to how the Vatican Clan first came about.


    They had borrowed the name from the thirteen clan in a novel. Lu Zhiyu had thought that its formation was only for fun, but it did not seem to be so. He could feel a field emitting out from the top of his head, and had never experienced such power before, even the mental strength was totally different.


    As a maid ushered both of them forward, they each put on black cloaks, and walked past a corridor filled with oil paintings. The oil paintings were painted by renowned artists, and were mostly depicting subjects like hell and the dark continents. In fact, most of the scenes were derived from Dante''s Divine Comedy.


    Soon, a dark golden world appeared before them. It was a huge hall. This should be the rooftop of The Shard, where only authorized personnel could enter. The floor level was not reflected on the lift button, nor was there any staircase leading to it.


    This appeared to be a sacred place. There were dark golden pillars, carved with ancient myths and legends of the dark. The atmosphere was grim and mysterious, its people wearing black cloaks with their faces hidden in the dark.


    On top of the dark dome, hung paintings of the angels and the gods. However, their eyes looked evil. They seemed to be smiling, but their smiles made one shudder. There was no gentleness or light in them, and they seemed to be staring at the souls on earth as if they were laughing at them.


    The only windows were on the utmost top of the hall. As the sun shone in, its beams could only brighten up some of the areas. Hence, the lights were hazy and dreamy. Yet, underneath was utter darkness.


    Suddenly, a light shone in the center of the hall. A man in a black robe was sitting beside a piano on the stage. As everyone looked at him, he started to play a melodious piece of music. Lu Zhiyu recognized that it was the prelude of Croatian Rhapsody. The rhythm carried a tinge of gloominess, and in the darkness, anger was being aroused. Lu Zhiyu seemed to see the ruins at sunset, the lonely figures, the graves, and sadness.


    Many people started to chant. A special, sacred atmosphere filled the entire hall. It was not an aura of Divine Light, but instead, of the Dark.


    "The beginning of the world. Millet or sheep, man had been expelled from the Garden of Eden."


    "Sent into exile, banned from power. The descendants had filled the earth."


    "Under the moonlight, light bloody sweetness. Who has awakened the dead?"


    "¡­"


    The rhythm became faster, as the fingers on the keys became heavier. Seemingly, melodies akin to pilgrimage music filled the hall, and everyone, in black cloaks, gathered toward the stage. They looked quietly at the man playing the piano. Many of them lifted up their hands to pray. Everyone was holding an inverted black cross.


    As the pair of hands on the keys moved quicker, the rhythm was filled with indignation. Lu Zhiyu could sense that the man''s emotions were getting stronger. It was like a volcano that could explode at anytime. He had used music to stir up the emotions of everyone, matching perfectly with the atmosphere.


    "I want you to sacrifice your most precious thing in life, your joy and glory."


    "Once again, come to me, and enjoy the madness of ruling eternal life."


    When the music ended, no one applauded. Everyone looked solemn and dignified. Many of them drew the sign of an inverted cross, using the cross that they were holding in their hands, as they prayed to the man. When the man walked to the front of the stage, Lu Zhiyu saw that he was only a little more than 20 years old. He was slender, handsome, and graceful, and seemed to be a nobleman.


    "We have a few more brothers and sisters today. I hope that we can unite altogether. No matter where you are from, or which race you belong to, since you are here, you are one of us. I would like to invite our new members up to the stage."


    As Charlie signaled to Lu Zhiyu, Lu Zhiyu walked up to the stage. There were three other people with him, and around one hundred people down at the base of the stage. The four of them removed their caps, and when everyone saw Lu Zhiyu''s face, they screamed.


    Even the youth on stage looked at Lu Zhiyu and said, "Oh, perfect. You are born to be in our Clan. Perfect. Beautiful. You are without blemish."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded his head slightly, then shifted his gaze to look at the other three. He recognized two of them. One of them was a renowned female singer. She was the most recent number-one singles artist on the United States Billboard chart.


    When Lu Zhiyu recollected himself, he saw the man on stage saying a prayer and placing a black inverted cross each around each of their necks. After the initiation rite had ended, he walked away.


    The rite seemed simple. However, before one could become a member, he must be recommended by an existing member. The Clan would then run a check on the person. Those who did not qualify, or who seemed suspicious, would not be accepted into the Clan. Logically speaking, Lu Zhiyu could not be accepted into the Clan.


    However, the man seemed interested in him. After looking through his particulars, checking on his background, and finding out his problems, he had invited Lu Zhiyu to join their Clan after all.


    After the initiation rite, they came to the highlight, the prayer ceremony that Lu Zhiyu had been looking forward to. They held this ceremony once a month. This was the Vatican Clan''s secret prayer ceremony, which had attracted so many renowned people, as well as the rich, to join them.


    According to Charlie Andrew''s memory, every time they had this prayer ceremony, their lifespan would be extended. They would be younger and healthier, and their diseases would be healed. The man who stood before Lu Zhiyu was a living example. He was Nicholas Debye. Although he looked only a little more than 20 years old, he was actually nearly 50 years old. He was currently head of the Debye Group. All these were possible, due to the power of the ceremony.


    This power must be what Lu Zhiyu had sensed earlier. It had shielded itself from his telepathic power. Lu Zhiyu had read it in Charlie Andrew''s mind. It was the legendary¡ªCain''s Left-hand.

 102 The Palm of Silicon-based Life

    After the initiation rite, Nicholas Debye conducted a series of religious rites. As is customary with the legends and mysterious culture, the people knelt on the floor and chanted "The Book of Nod". It was said that this was the vampire''s sacred book.


    Lu Zhiyu became impatient, waiting as they were going through the series of rites. There were so many people around, and no one would have noticed if he went missing. He kept looking at the dome. He was certain that something was there, but a special field had prevented him from looking in.


    As the light rays shone in from the windows above, a hazy light appeared at the very top. Lu Zhiyu could feel something moving, a strange force spreading out. They were using electricity!


    Lu Zhiyu knew that something was at the top, and that the movement had been triggered by electricity. In the middle of the dome was the shadow of a huge, black inverted cross. It was about a few meters long, and it seemed to be mounted in the middle.


    Following the appearance of the black inverted cross, the angels that were hanging there seemed to have suddenly come to life. Then, they quickly turned into devils! This was a special light effect used to heighten the atmosphere. Lu Zhiyu''s eyes brightened up, as he realized he saw what he had wanted to see.


    The black inverted cross had been created by man. There was a black palm hiding in the center, and it was emitting golden lights. The palm was bigger than ordinary palms, and Lu Zhiyu estimated that it must be around three meters tall.


    As the black inverted cross had been activated, Lu Zhiyu could feel a special field spreading out, covering the entire hall. This field consumed all the lights, leaving the entire hall in total darkness.


    Other than the other three members, who had just joined the Clan, the rest of the people gathered were not at all surprised. They had obviously experienced it before. The field had been emitted by the black palm, which did not belong to any human or carbon-based life. Rather, it was formed by a fine, golden structure, which had life within it.


    The field that it emitted contained a special energy, which not only disrupted Lu Zhiyu''s detection power, as it affected everyone''s magnetic field within their body. It was this rite that would prolong the people''s lifespans and heal their diseases.


    After having lost visibility, due to the darkness, Lu Zhiyu forced his mental strength to check on the black palm. The power of the black field immediately clashed with his mental strength and was dissipated. Lu Zhiyu could now see the inner part of the core, but he was still blocked by the black palm. It had obstructed him from receiving any information.


    Lu Zhiyu finally realized that Cain''s Left-hand was compiled of technology and a higher life. It was unlike the blood race that Lu Zhiyu had at first thought of linking it to. He had thought that he would be able to see something supernatural, like the vampire or, perhaps something even more frightening. He had even wondered if those legendary gods existed. He had definitely not expected such an outcome as this.


    This was the silicon-based life that Lu Zhiyu had thought of before, but had never actual seen. Scientists had thought about it, and there were prophecies regarding it, but now, Lu Zhiyu had seen it for himself.


    Vatican Clan had researched it, or else they would not now be able to use it. They knew that the energy field could regulate and aid in the growth of the body, and they had used it to heal the body. This was a similar technique to what Lu Zhiyu had developed.


    Lu Zhiyu was curious. If research had found this metal-based life, could he create metal-based life as well? Such as a real metal alchemist life, unlike the eternal life alchemy boat that he had previously created? He had then used plant cells to surround his, but now, he could directly use metal.


    After much observation, Lu Zhiyu decided to get ahold of the object, in order to research materials, so that he could take a better look at it. His interest in Vatican Clan grew, and he hoped to be able to have a talk with Nicholas Debye.


    He was also interested in the energy field that could shield and influence his mental strength. How could a palm do such a job?


    As soon as the life field of the palm had been released, it had been dissipated. All the members of the Clan screamed, and Nicholas Debye hurriedly pressed the earpiece onto his ears. He instructed the staff to charge up the inverted cross. Very soon after, the dark energy field had been activated, resuming operation.


    After the rite had ended, Lu Zhiyu could see that the diseases in the people had been healed. Their complexions and muscles became more taut. Wrinkles on the older folks had also smoothed out. The new members found it unbelievable, starting to scream in shock.


    No one had expected the prayer ceremony to be so powerful. Many of them had seen the black inverted cross, but they did not know the reason for its presence. They could only give credit to Nicholas Debye, for having such a supernatural power. He belonged to the race of the vampires, just like Charlie Andrew. They trusted Nicholas Debye completely, hoping that one day, they could also become one of the blood race via the embrace rite.


    After the rite had ended, all the members left happily. Many of them went down for a drink, or just to have fun. It would be more appropriate to say that Vatican Clan was a prestigious club with a mysterious tinge of religion, rather than to classify it as being a religious group. The monthly prayer ceremony was more like a mega Cosplay.


    Attendees came more for socializing, rather than to participate in the prayer ceremony. They wanted to widen their circles and influences. When faced with a difficult situation, a phone call to a friend might just settle the problem. Moreover, opportunities might arise out of it.


    Charlie Andrew finally found Lu Zhiyu in the crowd. He said, "Anthony, why are you here? Come. Come with me. Mr. Debye would like to see you!"


    Lu Zhiyu pretended to look shocked and said, "Mr. Debye? Is he the one who was standing on stage?"


    Charlie nodded and said, "That''s right. Other than the prayer ceremony, very few people get the chance to see him. It will do you good to know him."

 103 Nicholas Debye

    Lu Zhiyu met Nicholas Debye in one of the offices on the top floor. He had taken care of himself very well. With the help of the special field from the black palm, although he was already past 50 years of age, he could still pass as little over 20 years old. Should this continue, Lu Zhiyu believed that he could live up to the age of 130, and even 140.


    However, no matter how youthful one looked, the body would not function so well, as one aged. No matter how healthy one was, he would not outlive the lifespan of man, nor would he have the vitality and energy of a young person.


    Nicholas Debye sat on a chair beside the window and said to Lu Zhiyu, "Mr. Anthony, please take a seat."


    Lu Zhiyu sat opposite Nicholas, facing the window. He could see the street. This is the tallest building in London, and as one looked down, all the tall buildings appeared small. Men and vehicles looked like ants crawling on the street.


    "When a man possesses wealth, status, and women, he will need to reach even a higher level in order to fulfill his spiritual needs. Is Mr. Anthony happy with the event?"


    Lu Zhiyu found Nicholas interesting. He said, "Is that why you have used the palm of silicon-based life to set up Vatican Clan?"


    Nicholas was stunned for a while, then laughed loudly. "You have found out! There''s nothing bad about it. I have fun, and everyone has benefited. All of us get what we want. This is a party for the blood race."


    "That was indeed Cain''s Left-hand. A few hundred years ago, when it was being found, that was what people called it. It can be called the claws of Satan, or the devil''s hand. You can call it anything. Cain was indeed the legendary silicon-based life!"


    After Lu Zhiyu had finished talking, Nicholas Debye looked at him curiously and said, "Who are you, Mr. Anthony? Where do you come from? Are you Mu Tao, Zhang Xing, or Lu Chen?"


    Nicholas had run a background check on Lu Zhiyu. According to the information received from his network, as long as a person existed in this world, he would leave behind some traces. However, this man, known as Anthony, had left no traces behind. The identities that he had used were real, but they did not belong to him. Nicholas had, based on his looks, height, and data, run a check on Lu Zhiyu, but he could not find anything.


    This man seemed to have appeared from out of nowhere. Nicholas found Lu Zhiyu to be extremely mysterious. He seemed to be related to the mysterious force that Nicholas had shown interest in ever since his youth.


    Lu Zhuyi found Nicholas to be amusing. Nicholas had linked him with the werewolf vampires in the Western world. Instead of explaining, Lu Zhiyu imitated Charlie Andrew and said, "Would you like to see a different kind of world?"


    Nicholas was taken aback. Lu Zhiyu smiled mysteriously and flicked his fingers. Immediately, he and Nicholas disappeared together, along with the chairs that they were sitting on, and appeared at the pyramid in Egypt. When Lu Zhiyu had toured around the world, he had left behind a tactical deployment circle to the dimensional door.


    Nicholas seemed to be in a trance. He saw that the world had changed. As he looked at his surroundings, he felt weak. He tried to stand up, but he felt a bit wobbly on his legs. He looked shocked and said, "How can this be? This is an illusion. This must be an illusion, right?"


    Lu Zhiyu said, jokingly, "Is this an illusion?"


    Nicholas could feel the sun shining on him, his feet on solid ground. He smelled the special air in the open space. He had been to this place three years ago. This was the Great Pyramid of Giza. He had even seen the Sphinx. He looked at the view of the surroundings and the familiar vast sky. It was similar to what he remembered. When the tourists were taking pictures, they noticed Lu Zhiyu and Nicholas and started to scream.


    "Oh no, we have been discovered."


    Lu Zhiyu sat on the chair and flicked his fingers again. Both of them appeared on the top of a mountain. As long as Lu Zhiyu had left behind the tactical deployment circle to the dimensional door, he could enter at any time.


    Their location at present was a mountain in the Serengeti. At the foot of the mountain was a prairie. As the wind blew past, the fresh air made one feel relaxed. Lu Zhiyu looked at Nicholas, seeing that he was still in a daze.


    "Don''t you like it? How about this?"


    They appeared in a blue world. The sky and sea were in a line. As the wind blew, the waters rippled on the surface of the deep sea, flowing toward a faraway place. There was total silence, and it made one feel calm.


    Both of them were sitting on their chairs, floating on the sea. However, it did not seem like there was water under their feet. They felt as though a solid object was supporting them. At that moment in time, it seemed that there was only the two of them in the entire world.


    Lu Zhiyu stood up and stepped on the surface of the sea. He looked down and saw his own reflection in the water. "The earth is a beautiful place, isn''t it, Nicholas Debye?"


    Nicholas recovered from his surprise and said excitedly to Lu Zhiyu, "Who¡­who¡­are you? How did you do it?"


    Lu Zhiyu disappeared into thin air, then reappeared behind the sofa chair that Nicholas was sitting on and said, "This is just a simple transmission technique. Are you curious?"


    Nicholas stood up excitedly and said, "Of course. I am very curious. I find it unbelievable, and I cannot understand how you manage to do it."


    Nicholas stood on the surface of the water, realizing immediately that he did not sink. He put his fingers into the water to confirm that it was indeed the sea. He could even see Lu Zhiyu''s reflection in the water.


    Both of them were facing each other, as Lu Zhiyu said, "This world does not consist solely of mankind. You have already known this, haven''t you?"


    "You can say that we are astral businessmen. We shuttle between the universe and the dimensional place, and trade in the different worlds. A few months ago, our starship crashed onto the moon. We are now looking for a way to repair that starship."


    Upon hearing this, Nicholas suddenly came to a realization, before inquiring of Lu Zhiyu, "Recently, the world went into total darkness. Was it caused by you? You are so powerful. How did you do it?"


    That incident caused an uproar all around the world. Many had attributed it to God switching off the lights. Many scientists and the science fanatics had studied the incident from different angles. This had been a hot topic until now. Needless to say, Nicholas knew of it. Lu Zhiyu nodded, not feeling the need to explain any further.


    At this moment, both of them had returned to the office in The Shard. Lu Zhiyu disappeared into thin air, reappearing in front of the bar. After looking around, he took out a bottle of brandy, then appeared back in his seat. He then poured the brandy into two glasses.


    "We are looking for partners. What do you think, Mr. Nicholas Debye? Are you interested?"


    Although Nicholas was a great fan of the occult, he was no longer a young man. However, he was still adventurous and energetic. He was totally different from the businessman that Lu Zhiyu had first thought he was. He was crazy, yet sensible. He asked, "What will I gain from it?"

 104 The Astral Businessman

    Nicholas had been deluded by Lu Zhiyu with his stargate transfer, anti-gravity technology, gene-editing technology, bio-technology warehouse, and the antimatter starship, using positron as fuel. Lu Zhiyu had quoted a series of highly technological stuff.


    He had successfully gained the trust of Nicholas Debye, thanks to his supernatural powers and promises. Both of them had come to an agreement that Nicholas would register a new company, AB Technology Company Limited, which was the abbreviation for astral businessmen.


    Nicholas had transferred two of his companies under AB Technology, one of which was Bio-technology Company Limited. Lu Zhiyu had requested for the laboratory staff and researchers to be transferred as well. Another was a company in the United States, which dealt with satellite communications.


    This included a private island that Nicholas had owned in the South Pacific, known as Byrne Island. This island was a private property of the Debye family, and did not belong to any country. It took its name after Nicholas'' great-grandfather. It had been built for many decades, and had a small landing field. Yet the area itself was big.


    Lu Zhiyu would build his base there, and try to repair and rebuild his starship. After which, he would return to his planet. This was what Lu Zhiyu had told Nicholas Debye. What he truly wanted, however, was to build a starship, which he did not possess currently, that was able to fly out into the universe.


    A man''s dream, including Lu Zhiyu''s, was to conquer the starry sky. He hoped that one day, he could travel to the sky and widen his horizons. He would like to see the beauty and fantasies of the entire universe.


    With his own efforts, he would not be able to achieve this goal. He would need money, resources, knowledge, technical staff and many other things. This would be a big project. Lu Zhiyu had thought of this all before, but since he had met Nicholas Debye, he could now tap into Nicholas'' resources to realize his dream.


    Although Lu Zhiyu was extremely powerful, his power could not help him realize these things. With Nicholas Debye''s help, he would be released of much of the burden, and could build his starship more quickly. Nicholas would also get what he wanted. Lu Zhiyu had promised to provide him with the evolved plasma, which was the legendary longevity pill. It would be developed by Biological Research Institute, owned by AB Technology. During the initial stage, they would supply the evolved plasma only to the members of Vatican Clan.


    Nicholas Debye would like to make use of this opportunity to influence the whole world, from a high-end social club to an organization that could control the world''s economy. Nicholas believed that no man could resist the temptation of immortality.


    Nicholas and Vatican Clan would supply the necessary resources, money, and talents to AB Technology, and AB Technology would provide them with the evolved plasma. They would share part of the space technology, gene-editing technology, and life engineering technology to promote and help man in the development of civilization.


    Although Lu Zhiyu had nothing on hand at the moment, since he had already bragged about it, he would think about that problem later. He had to get his hands on the things that he wanted, now. As long as Nicholas Debye would supply him with the money and manpower to build his starship, nothing else mattered.


    When things got out of hand, it would be too late for them to do anything him. At worst, Lu Zhiyu would simply have to escape from the earth in his starship. These ignorant people would not be able to go after him.


    Lu Zhiyu lifted up his glass and said with a smile, "Come, let''s cheer our success."


    Nicholas Debye quickly lifted up his glass and said, "Of course. I am honored that you have chosen me to be your spokesman. I hope that we can continue to work together happily."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded his head in satisfaction. "Of course. I believe we will be the best partners. I will visit you in a week. By then, I hope you will have prepared what we need. Similarly, we will bring the evolved plasma to you, as promised."


    Nicholas Debye asked, "Can I name to this special evolved plasma?"


    Lu Zhiyu was stunned for a while, and then said, "Of course. Those who inject the evolved plasma will have their lifespans prolonged to more than 1,000 years. Everyone will look beautiful and graceful. They will have strong bodies and great recovery powers. As long as the head is not hurt, they will not die. We will give you some special powers, so that you can release special waves to hypnotize, brainwash, and give out commands."


    Nicholas Debye was extremely excited. "That is great. That is awesome. This is like the blood race that I have imagined. This is the dominating technique that I have thought of. I would like to name the evolved plasma Embrace."


    Lu Zhiyu stood up and said, "As you wish. I will see you in a week''s time."


    Before he finished his sentence, Lu Zhiyu had disappeared from Nicholas'' office. Nicholas was extremely excited and could not sit still. He had never thought that he would come across such a great opportunity through a normal prayer ceremony. It could help him fulfill his wish and, at the same time, provide another great opportunity to the Debyes.


    "I have met an astral businessman, of the real interstellar civilization. I must grab hold of this opportunity." Nicholas Debye did not realize that he was mentally abnormal. He trusted Lu Zhiyu completely, and had no qualms about what Lu Zhiyu had said. Lu Zhiyu''s actions and words had excited him greatly, and this was also due to the fact that Lu Zhiyu had influenced him mentally.


    "Perfect. Beautiful. Flawless. I can be a perfect being as well."


    "No. I must play a piece of music. What shall I play? Let''s¡­"


    Nicholas sat down and found traces of water on the floor. He looked down and saw sea water and mud on the legs of the sofa chair.


    -----------


    Lu Zhiyu was in a good mood. He had never expected himself to get such a good bargain. He would be getting the remains of a silicon-based life, and had obtained a sponsor for building his starship. He had gained more than he had expected.


    Although Lu Zhiyu had not received the remains of the silicon-based life, Nicholas would have it delivered to Byrne Island. There was no hurry.


    "One more thing. The construction of the space exploration research base and the development of the starship must be well-planned, from scratch."

 105 The Second Batch of Wizard Apprentices

    In the hall of Wizard Tower, Lu Zhiyu looked at the apprentices. They were about the same in number as had gathered the previous year. Some of them had even been recommended by the previous batch of apprentices, which themselves had been the original elites selected by Lu Zhiyu himself. Some of them had extraordinary abilities, like Bohr and Li Weisi.


    For this batch, many of them had started with meditation. They had used the meditation methods, which some of the wizards had modified, and those ones taught at Wizard Tower. If he could find one or two apprentices of Uruk''s caliber, Lu Zhiyu would be happy.


    Without saying a word, Lu Zhiyu hosted the admissions ceremony. All the apprentices left the hall of the castle looking happy. Lu Zhiyu looked at both sides of the seats. There were nine students. The first one, sitting in the front row, was Bohr.


    Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look Lu Zhiyu in the eyes. The atmosphere was intimidating. Lights were glittering in the castle, and no one dared say a word. Bohr was the first to stand up. After taking a deep breath, he bowed to Lu Zhiyu.


    "Teacher, Li Weisi had come to me previously. It is my fault that I was unable to stop him."


    "How many people have died, Bohr?"


    Bohr dared not look at Lu Zhiyu. He said, "Li Weisi, Henry, Agra, Dellas, Blair¡­"


    Lu Zhiyu was familiar with the list of people that Bohr had named. Li Weisi and Henry were the first batch of trainers, who had been appointed by Lu Zhiyu. Other than Bohr, Li Weisi was one of the most talented wizards. Li Weisi was creative, and also was the next to breakthrough to level three wizard.


    "Besides this, the entire Light Clan and other countries have started to suppress us. Even the orcs do not welcome us. The saints of Light Clan had ordained the first generation of priests, and they possess extraordinary ability. They have been searching out and capturing our people."


    "We can only hide ourselves from them. There are not many priests, and unless the saints are here, they will not pose a threat to us. However, Li Weisi''s behavior had caused us to be ostracized by the people. Be it the nobles or ordinary people, none of them welcome us."


    Bohr was about to continue, when Lu Zhiyu shook his head and said, "Bohr, sit down. I have nothing to say about it. It is fair that Li Weisi has died. Man has to take responsibility for the silly things that he has done. The price is too dear for Li Weisi, and he can only repay it with his life."


    "I know that there are people who agree with Li Weisi and Henry. However, I hope that all of you will think before you act. You must ask yourself if you are prepared to pay the price."


    As compared to Li Weisi, Lu Zhiyu favored Bohr more. Li Weisi was too somber, materialistic, and overly anxious for success. Although Lu Zhiyu did not think that Li Weisi was wrong, he did not like it.


    As for Bohr, he was similar to Lu Zhiyu, in terms of his character and many other aspects. He was meticulous, optimistic, objective and systematic in his work. He was patient, and had planned well for his life. However, he was not a risk-taker, like Lu Zhiyu, and he abided strictly by the rules. He dared not challenge conventional ideas.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at his nine students in white wizard robes. They were the first batch of trainers in the tower. Lu Zhiyu nodded and said, "From tomorrow onward, you will be conducting the trainings. Other than the highest level in Wizard Tower, which needs to be authorized, you can have free access to all levels."


    "Bohr will be in charge of the laboratories in levels 10 and 11. When I am not around, he will be acting on my behalf."


    "Wendy and Wofter will be in charge of the botanical garden in level nine. You will also be the trainers for phytology and teach the apprentices how to use their mental strengths."


    "Uruk will be in charge of the beast prison in level eight."


    "Akat will teach alchemy."


    "¡­"


    After assigning the tasks, Lu Zhiyu got ready to leave. Bohr asked, "Teacher, are you not staying in the tower?"


    Lu Zhiyu usually visited the tower a few times a month. Bohr and the rest were used to this routine. He nodded to Bohr and said, "The few of you will be in charge of the tower from now on. I will visit you more frequently."


    Wendy stood up and asked, "Teacher, where are you planning to go?"


    Lu Zhiyu thought for a while and said, "I will be going to the astral, outside Maria''s World. Other than this world, there is a huge astral. It is a plane full of stars. Maria''s World is a small, insignificant world."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at his students and said, "One day, when you reach level seven and become mythical wizards, then I will bring you to the astral. Level seven is the beginning of the wizards'' journeys. It is only then that you will be able to survive in the astral."


    What Lu Zhiyu had said had caused his students to talk excitedly among themselves. To them, Maria''s World was huge beyond their imaginations. There were the lands and the deep sea that they had not yet explored. They would need to use their entire lifetimes to explore the world. There were also many secrets that they would like to explore and seek out.


    They had never thought of other planes and the astral besides Maria''s World. They had never even heard of them. Maria''s World was everything to them.


    Wendy opened her mouth wide and said, "Astral? Plane? Does that mean that the world that we are in is insignificant?"


    Bohr found it amazing and unbelievable as well. What kind of world had his teacher seen? As compared to him, Bohr felt like a frog in the well. What he and the others had seen was only a small part of the world.


    Lu Zhiyu had humbled everyone with what he had said. They started to hold the world in awe. Bohr could barely wait to travel to the planes and see a different world. He wanted to see these amazing things that his teacher had mentioned.


    Lu Zhiyu stood up and put on his blue and white checkered robe. The fire in the fireplace was burning fiercely. He stood before the flames and said, "Bohr, I will leave Wizard Tower under your care. I hope you will be different from Li Weisi. Bring the true light to the world."


    Having said that, Lu Zhiyu disappeared before the fireplace. Bohr bowed and said, "Teacher Anthony, please believe me. I will definitely let you see a different world, and a different Wizard Tower."


    Bohr stood up and stood before the long table. His eyes were filled with hope and enthusiasm.

 106 Transition to an Extraordinary World

    Bohr took over the duties of taking care of the tower from Lu Zhiyu. As he had been practicing medicine and compiling medical books for a number of years, he was already familiar with the structure of the human body and the mysteries inside the body.


    When he was in his hometown, Bohr had completed his elementary studies in medicine within a few years. Many professional doctors arose from the Duchy of Gracchus. There were even large clinics in the area. The Kelermo Medical Coding, written by Bohr, had been accepted by the doctors as being likened to the bible of medicine. Within five years, the information therein had spread throughout the entire human world. Even the orcs had heard Bohr Kelermo''s name.


    Bohr Kelermo had also been known as the founder of medicine. He had been traveling to the different countries in order to practice medicine and promote healing. Other than training medical students and setting up clinics, Bohr seldom appeared in public. Beyond this, he was quite secretive with his whereabouts. Many had thought that Bohr was busy promoting medicine or writing his book, but no one had suspected that he was an evil wizard, who had gone to the Wizard Tower and become a trainer for the wizards.


    These years, Bohr had developed many ways to alter the body. He had improvised the plants illustration handbook as well. What he wanted most, was to collect the characteristics of the plants in Maria''s World and change the illustration handbook completely. This could not be easily done by just one or two generations. Rather, it required a lot of people to work on it continuously.


    When the plants illustration handbook had been improvised, Bohr broke down the items on alchemy further, and expanded on the study of pharmacy. Bohr had invented a large amount of medicine that was practical, much of which could be used on the wizards.


    After returning to the Wizard Tower, Bohr gathered all the wizards and his ex-classmates, and proceeded with the development of his second big project. He wanted to collect the illustrated handbook of the animals in Maria''s World, including those magic beasts, which were to be listed out separately. This was the most important task of all.


    In the 16th year of the San calendar, an extraordinary power existed in Maria''s World. It had been a few decades ago, 50 years ago in fact, when the descendants of sakun appeared in large quantities on the surface of the sea. These were extraordinary sea beasts, which, as they grew and mutated, gradually turned into sea monsters.


    The sahagins, dragon rajas, and the different types of monsters that Lu Zhiyu had created, had gradually appeared in the human world and in the lands these few years. Specifically, they had appeared in the eastern prairie, the swamps of Maria Kingdom, deserts, and many other places.


    These monsters crossbred with other species, most of them producing deformed offspring. Some were ordinary wild beasts, but a new monster race continued to be born from it as well.


    These extraordinary monsters started to move around, and had been discovered by mankind. Men called them monsters, which meant that they were wild beasts that had the power of the devil. They were vicious and powerful, and were notorious among mankind. As they had only started to multiply in the past 10 years, only a small number of them had appeared before men. Although they had affected the people''s lives, they did not create trouble.


    The dragon rajas, which Lu Zhiyu had bred, had turned into youth. They were the intelligent race. They knew the dragon language, and were able to use special witchcraft that belonged only to the dragon rajas. As they grew, their extraordinary powers would slowly be awakened, and they would become more powerful.


    Those that were below five years old were known as whelps. Those five to 15 years old were known as fledglings. Those who were over 15 years old, and about to enter into their youth, could only fight with their breath and claws. To the ordinary men and wild beasts, they were powerful. However, to the wizards, priests, and monsters, they were weak. After they were past their youth, the extraordinary powers of the dragon rajas would be awakened. As they became even older, they would be more powerful and formidable. It would be then that they would display their dragon characteristics.


    They were now hiding in the remote mountains, oceans, and deserts, training their claws. When they had matured, and possessed the different extraordinary powers, this group of sensitive people, including the wizards, would sense a drastic change in the world.


    Bohr was starting to feel the change, which was why he had started to create the animals illustration handbook, the most important of which was the monsters illustration handbook. He started to research on the source of the monsters'' extraordinary power, and during the process, he researched more into the animal cells and human cells. Bohr had hoped to develop a power system that belonged to the wizards from the research.


    The Wizard Tower and the beast prison (or it should be more appropriate to call it the beast circle, or base for breeding the young), when Lu Zhiyu built this prison, it was not meant for locking up the monsters. He had meant to use it to breed and observe the monsters. Most of them were young or impregnated beasts. He observed their growth and corresponding extraordinary powers within the prison.


    After they had grown up, they would be released into the dark woods. Sometimes, Lu Zhiyu would capture special beasts or new monsters, locking them up in the prison if they were destructive. When Lu Zhiyu built the beast prison, he had built different beast circles for the different types of monsters. He had designed it specifically to ensure that they would not be able to escape from the prison.


    The beast prison had not been of much use to Lu Zhiyu in the later stages. Those monsters that had been locked up were low level monsters. He had let the students in the Wizard Tower use it in order to identify the different species, and to study the extraordinary powers of the monsters.


    Bohr knelt beside the prison of a small monster, writing on the sheep scroll with his quill. "Mountain rift beast, extraordinary power, break down rocks, pedigree of monster¡­"


    "Pipi demon, extraordinary power, control the skin color and visibility¡­"


    Uruk stood beside him, bored, and said, "Bohr, you come here daily, and whenever you are here, you spend the whole day watching them. I don''t think you can find out anything. What are you trying to do? Are you trying to mix the blood of the monsters? Have we not tested this before? It is useless. Those few apes have all died."


    Bohr shook his head and said, "I have a new discovery. The abilities of the monsters were not as what we had first perceived. They were not stimulated from the blood, but from their organs. Every monster has its own special casting organ."


    Bohr looked at Uruk and said, "If we can discover their secrets, we will be able to merge their strengths and control their extraordinary powers. We will then be able to develop a new field of witchcraft."


    Uruk was stunned for a while, then asked, "Do you think this is possible?"


    Bohr nodded and said, "I have a theory, but I have to try it out. What do you think I have been doing for the whole day, while watching them? I have decided to name this witchcraft the Blood Witchcraft. This witchcraft has been developed from the body transformation technique created by Teacher. This body transformation technique was indeed all-powerful. We can derive multiple witchcrafts from it."


    Should Bohr be able to develop the Blood Witchcraft, they would then reach the level of extraordinary power, placing them on the same level as the priests and monsters, and giving them the ablity to release their witchcraft through any media. This power would be truly extraordinary.


    Bohr had not known that his discovery would cause the first division among the wizards. Previously, the wizards had released sub-standard witchcraft. However, when the Blood Witchcraft had been developed, a large batch of real Blood Wizards would be formed.

 107 The Development of Blood Witchcraf

    In the 17th year of the San calendar, when Bohr Kelermo was compiling the illustration handbooks for the animals and monsters, he found the secret as to how the monsters released their extraordinary powers. From then on, he started to study about transplanting the blood of the monsters.


    By autumn, he had carried out many tests on transplanting the organs of the monsters in Wizard Tower. However, the rate of success was extremely low. The death rate was more than 50 percent, and even when there were no deaths, the organs that had been formed by deified cells countercharged, turning one into a terrifying creature.


    In the 18th year of the San calendar, Bohr went to the Batko Empire, a Desert Kingdom, together with Wofter and Uruk. They had captured a strange creature that had devoured the people of many villages. It was known as the Double-headed Magic Eagle. Its body was strong, and its wings were as hard as steel. Ordinary arrows, and even witchcraft, were not able to hurt it. Its claws could even leave deep marks on steel.


    As long as the villagers saw the Double-headed Magic Eagle flying within the borders of the Batko Empire, they were panic-stricken. And the being was not only notorious in the Batko Empire, as all the neighboring countries knew of its existence, too.


    Although the Double-headed Magic Eagle was not as powerful and destructive as the monsters, its cannibalistic characteristic was more horrifying than many other powerful creatures. Moreover, it could fly, so this made it extremely difficult to capture. This had been a great problem for the Batko Empire. They had sent the Blood Knights a number of times to capture it, but they always failed to track it down.


    A wizard, who was living in the nearby village, had told Bohr about it. After understanding its characteristics and abilities, he set forth to the Batko Empire with Wofter and Uruk.


    What caught Bohr''s interest, was the Double-headed Magic Eagle''s ability to regenerate. He believed that this ability could increase the success rate of transplanting the organs of the monsters. Bohr had also found that, when transplanting the organs, if the recipient was calm and did not show much resistance, the success rate would be higher. It was similar to the state of meditation. Bohr felt that, if the recipient was meditating when receiving the transplant, the success rate would be higher.


    Bohr had chosen the Double-headed Magic Eagle as the first to transplant its spellcasting organ, due to its strong body. It was highly ranked among the monsters. Moreover, it could fly, and its extraordinary power was to regenerate its cells.


    Its heart was its spellcasting organ, and it contained a large amount of energy. When it got hurt, it could regenerate its cells. As long as its heart and brain were not damaged, it would not die. Previously, a small troop of highly ranked Blood Knights from the Batko Empire had tried to trap the Double-headed Magic Eagle. It had been pierced by the ballista, burned in the fire, shot with poisoned arrows, and still, it did not die. Although it had been badly injured, it had killed the troop of Blood Knights before escaping. Later, it took revenge, killing the people of a few villages at the border of the Batko Empire.


    Its strong living power was astounding. Bohr, Uruk, and Wofter tracked the Double-headed Magic Eagle''s nest using witchcraft. They set up a trap and injured it seriously, but it still escaped. The three of them flew and pursued it, using their mental strength. Although the speed of a low ranking wizard was slow, they had no problem in pursuing and fighting. Finally, they caught up with the Double-headed Magic Eagle and captured it.


    Bohr broke its wings. The Double-headed Magic Eagle was exhausted, and they brought it back to Wizard Tower. They prepared themselves to transplant its spellcasting organ. Previously, they had used animals to test it out, but this time around, Bohr would be testing it on himself, a wizard, a human being.


    Although some of the trainers had tried to persuade Bohr to choose a man or apprentice for the test, Bohr refused. He insisted on being the first guinea pig.


    "Are you ready?" Uruk was Bohr''s good friend. Other than Bohr, he had been deeply involved in the research on body transformation technique. Naturally, he would be the one to perform the operation, transplanting the spellcasting organ.


    Bohr laid on the bench and looked at Uruk and the few trainers. Although some of them did not agree with Bohr, so far, he had been fair to everyone, so they respected him and his wishes.


    Catherine looked worried and said to Bohr, "Bohr, why don''t we wait for Teacher Anthony? It is too dangerous for you to do this."


    Bohr shook his head and said, "It is all right. I have done many tests. Moreover, Uruk will be the one to operate on me, so I have no worries. Let''s start, Uruk. We have run through the steps. Everything will be fine. I trust you."


    Uruk removed Bohr''s heart, then placed the heart of the Double-headed Magic Eagle into Bohr''s body. When Uruk had completed the transplant, and was about to sew up the wound, Bohr''s body began to shiver violently. It seemed to be under tremendous stress. Everyone could feel Bohr''s mental strength surging crazily.


    "What is happening?" Uruk dropped his scalpel on the floor, at a loss. This was unexpected.


    Wofter was the first to recollect himself. He looked back and shouted, "Have we failed? Quick, proceed with our backup plan. We must save Bohr."


    The few trainers quickly prepared themselves. Catherine took a deep breath and said, "That''s right. As long as Bohr is alive, Teacher Anthony will be able to save him."


    The wound on Bohr''s chest started to heal by itself. Very soon after, a large amount of feathers started to appear on his body. A great transformation took place, and Bohr started to look half human and half eagle.


    Bohr stood up and his clothes tore apart. His palms and feet had turned into sharp claws. The feathers on his arms kept growing, then turned into a pair of wings. With a howl, Bohr broke through the wooden door and flew away from the window in the hall.


    All the wizards in Wizard Tower were flustered. They ran out and saw Bohr''s half human and half eagle look. He circled around Wizard Tower and flew up into the sky of the dark forest. After a long while, he flew back to the laboratory of Wizard Tower.


    All of them crowded around him and asked, "Bohr, how do you feel?"


    The feathers on Bohr''s body were black in color, and his palms and legs were covered with scales. There were long hooks on the sharp claws of his toes. When he walked, he left long scratches on the floor. He had turned into a horrifying creature that was half human and half eagle. The moment Bohr sat on the long chair, the feathers on his body shrank, allowing him to then take back the form of a man.

 108 The Blood Wizard

    Bohr''s clothes had been torn apart and he was naked. A few female trainers blushed upon seeing it. Uruk immediately took the bedsheet and wrapped it around Bohr, who now seemed extremely tired as he lay on the long chair. It took him quite a while to recover. He held the bedsheet and stood up. As he stood on the floor, the scales on his legs disappeared, and he got back his human feet. The feathers and scales on his cheeks had disappeared, and he became normal.


    When Uruk saw Bohr''s current look, he was excited and said, "Bohr, have we succeeded?"


    Bohr nodded and said, "That''s right. We have succeeded. I have the heart of the Double-headed Magic Eagle. I can now understand. The monsters have inherited a special blood, just like us. However, they are more powerful and have extraordinary power."


    "The cellular structure of their spellcasting organs is similar to the deified cells of level four wizards that Teacher has mentioned. The cells control the mental strength and possess special properties of the mental strength. In the process of transplanting the spellcasting organs, we are transplanting the mental strength as well. It''s no wonder that, when one starts to resist, the operation will be a failure."


    Bohr said excitedly, "I feel that the blood of the Double-headed Magic Eagle is compatible to mine. Its ability is to control the cells and regenerate them. I have a strong recovery power and can transform myself into the Magic Eagle. I also have strong combat power now."


    When a wizard had the ability and body of the Magic Eagle, coupled with his mental strength and witchcraft, it would turn the world upside down. The extraordinary power would have different effects on the monsters and wizards.


    Akat looked at Bohr and said, "Not only this, but the ability to regenerate will have a strong impact on the body transformation technique, too. Previously, we did not dare try the transformation technique, as the success rate was extremely low. Now, we can use it on ourselves. This is very powerful to you, as you are specialized in body transformation technique. Moreover¡­"


    Akat was about to continue, when he saw the looks on Bohr''s and Uruk''s faces. "Forget it. Both of you have already known this. When you decided to transplant the blood of the Double-headed Magic Eagle, you must have already thought of that. I have been talking too much."


    Bohr laughed and said, "We have succeeded this time, but there are still a lot of problems. I cannot be taking the form of the Magic Eagle for long. I might not be able to change back. We have to research more into it, and increase the success rate of transplanting spellcasting organs. If we have more knowledge on the various methods of transplanting the spellcasting organs, that will increase our power."


    Bohr looked at all the trainers and said, "In the future, not only me, but all of you can try transplanting the different spellcasting organs. You can have extraordinary powers too."


    After seeing that Bohr had succeeded, all the wizards had the wish of possessing extraordinary powers. Although some of the witchcrafts were more powerful than extraordinary powers, they had to be performed through a media, and were not as convenient. The extraordinary power could be released any time and no media was required. It would be a great breakthrough for self-protection and for handling different crises. The power of the wizards would be greatly enhanced as well.


    Uruk said with much excitement, "Bohr has said before, this type of witchcraft is known as Blood Witchcraft. The wizard, who has received the transplant, will be known as Blood Wizard. Congratulations, Bohr. As what Teacher Anthony has said, you have developed a path that belongs to the wizards'' out of the body transformation technique."


    Bohr was extremely happy, but he immediately said, "Teacher Anthony''s realm is beyond us. I have only started my journey as a wizard. I am just touching the tip of the iceberg."


    In the 18th year of the San calendar, Bohr Kelermo created the line of Blood Wizard, the most orthodox line of wizards in Maria''s World. These wizards specialized in researching the abilities of monsters, breeding them, and cultivating the offspring of the different monsters. The wizards crossbred them, and even merged them together, then transplanted their extraordinary organs into their bodies. The wizards developed different extraordinary powers, and even those in the lower levels possessed some basic extraordinary powers. They no longer have to depend on the media to release their extraordinary powers.


    ---------------


    Teacher Anthony, who was the most respected in Wizard Tower, was in the outer realm of Maria''s World. He was in the astral, circling and exploring the outer part of Maria''s World in the form of a dream.


    As Lu Zhiyu had said, he would like to go out to the astral. After he had built the krynnspace, there was one and a half planes. One was Maria''s World, and the other half was the dimensional castle that was hanging onto Maria''s World. The astral in the krynnspace was empty, with only darkness and nothing in it. Lu Zhiyu could only check on the situations in Maria''s World using his mental strength.


    The condition in the astral was extremely harsh for living things, including deified beings. One would gradually die in such a world without matter and resources. The dream control that Lu Zhiyu had used, could absorb light. Based on the light, the deified cells could tap into its energy. In the astral, there was no light, energy, or matter. The deified cells would gradually die. Previously, sakun had to feed on food to enable its deified cells to mutate. Without food, it would have starved to death.


    During this period, other than carrying out tests in the dimensional castle, Lu Zhiyu would be checking on the outer part of Maria''s World. From the exterior, the entire Maria''s World looked like a duck''s egg that had been surrounded by a thick layer of bitwall.


    The bitwall was not formed by any matter. Rather, when Lu Zhiyu created Maria''s World, a dimensional wall had formed naturally on its outer portion. The layers of dimensional folds would allow one to enter, but never to leave.


    The sun, moon, and stars in Maria''s World hid within the dimensional folds. They traveled around the orbits that were created by Lu Zhiyu, and would rise and set. The four seasons would rotate, and the tides would come and go. These formed the basis of Maria''s World. Lu Zhiyu had been curious about the bitwall, but had no idea how it first came about till now.


    From the back of Maria''s World, Lu Zhiyu entered the dimensional door and went to the top of Maria''s World. He could see a source of light coming out from the top. The light brightened up Maria''s World, and even passed through the multiple dimensional folds to the outer part of the world. Lu Zhiyu could feel the warmth coming from it.


    This was the sun in Maria''s World. It was noon, and the sun had rotated on the orbit accordingly. From the exterior of the world, it looked beautiful.


    For two years, other than shuttling around in Maria''s World, Lu Zhiyu had been trying to create his ''Divine Kingdom'' in the bitwall.

 109 Gaia 2.0 Transformation Projec

    Every life had its own awareness and fusion source, which would transform into mental strength. It could originate from a simple level of awareness. After which, it would then be influenced by reality, and project it out. When the awareness became stronger and complete, it would enter level seven mythical wizard and become a soul. The ordinary lives in Maria''s World possessed their own awarenesses. After they died, they would automatically be assimilated by the Map of the Universe, thus filling up the hourglass. They would then become the Source Form of the Map of the Universe.


    When some of the powerful wizards, priests, and deities passed away, as their awarenesses were way beyond the ordinary people, they would still linger around in Maria''s World and maintain a special form. Without a body, the awareness was without memory, and thus, could not hold any information. It would just wander about, which would create problems in Maria''s World.


    Lu Zhiyu was thinking of a way to solve the problem and make good use of them. His plan was to create a divine kingdom and hell. The first step would be to create the divine kingdom.


    The divine kingdom that Lu Zhiyu was referring to was the dream world, which had been formed by the dream element. It would only house his disciples and deities. As the awareness of this group of people synchronized with the dream world, they could naturally merge into it.


    Should other awareness enter into the dream world, the number would be too huge for Lu Zhiyu to handle, which would destroy the dream world. Lu Zhiyu would like to build the first dream world, the divine kingdom.


    He would house other types of awareness and souls in hell, since that could accommodate a large quantity. After Lu Zhiyu had gained experience in creating the dream world, he would proceed to create hell.


    According to his imagination, the divine kingdom would be hanging in the sky. It would be glittering like the stars in the sky, allowing everyone to see its greatness.


    The scales of Lu Zhiyu''s mental strength were around 8,000. With these scales, he could create a world close to the real dream world, about the size of a city. As compared to the small villages he had created, its quality would be better. However, to create a huge divine kingdom was unimaginable.


    Lu Zhiyu thought of an orderly and progressive approach. The insect nest, Gaia 1.0, had the ability to create a new generation of ant-people. It had a sub-brain, and could assist Lu Zhiyu in completing much of the construction work and plans.


    Lu Zhiyu planned to merge Gaia into his dream element, and then transform it into a medium to form his dream world. It would be the prototype of his divine kingdom. This was the first step.


    After he had decided on the place''s location and coordinates, he returned to the dimensional castle. A large amount of the second generation of the ant-people were busy working, completely ignorant of the fact that they would be eliminated once Gaia 2.0 projected was completed.


    The height of the current Gaia was about 20 meters tall. As the light shone on it, the silver sphere emitted bright rays. Lu Zhiyu had transformed it into a special life form that belonged to the dream controller, his second life form.


    Lu Zhiyu had added the bio-nuclear energy machine, left behind by the queen insect, Sunika, onto Gaia. It had a functional portion of the aircraft and satellite. It could float in the sky and spy on the people. Lu Zhiyu had preserved the ability of the insect nest. He had intended to use it in the later stage in order to preserve ability, or to create powerful angels.


    In the core of Gaia was a sub-brain, formed by the dream element. It controlled Gaia 2.0, and would be the prototype for Lu Zhiyu''s divine kingdom. Lu Zhiyu had used up much of the dream elements to create the deified sub-brain. However, he believed that this was a low investment. He would have good returns in the later stage.


    "It is about time to start. This is the moment, after two years of preparation." Lu Zhiyu activated Gaia''s deified sapient sub-brain. He could feel its form and information flowing together with his thoughts. The entire silver sphere started to float.


    The bio-nuclear energy machine within it started to activate. The second version of the insect nest started to show part of the scene, when the insects were powerful. It had a tinge of Lu Zhiyu''s character.


    Gaia was about six to seven levels tall. Lu Zhiyu activated the dimensional door, sending it to the sky of Maria''s World. It went into the bitwall.


    The stars were glittering in the night. Lu Zhiyu passed through multiple levels of dimensional folds and finally, he landed on a mysterious place. Stars were hidden in the dimensional folds. They were visible, but it would be difficult to touch them.


    It was tough to break through the bitwall. Even if one managed to enter, one would not be able to find his way in the dimensional folds. There were no normal routes that would lead one in a straight line. One might think that he was moving toward a direction, only to find out later that he was moving further away from it.


    Together with Gaia, Lu Zhiyu appeared on the brightest star and landed on the moon. The sun had passed through the bitwall and set down at the bottom of Maria''s World. Part of its rays refracted on the moon and emitted silvery white rays.


    Lu Zhiyu stood on the moon, which was the most desolate star that had nothing in it. However, among the stars, it was the biggest. It had controlled the tides and influenced the four seasons in Maria''s World. Thus, it played an important role in getting Maria''s World to operate in an orderly manner.


    The surface of the moon was vast. It was comparable to the moon in the real world. Lu Zhiyu walked far out, around the moon, with the huge Gaia sphere floating on top of him. After a long while, he finally found a spot. "This is the place."


    Lu Zhiyu controlled Gaia, landing it on the moon of Maria''s World. Its shape immediately changed. Like an auger machine, it drilled itself into the moon.


    Lu Zhiyu looked happy. "Great. I have completed the first step."


    According to his plan, after Gaia''s deified sub-brain had absorbed a large amount of awareness from the clergies, who had the divine seeds in them, it would gradually strengthen. Its body would be deified and become the second life form of the dream controller.


    After which, it would start to devour the moon in Maria''s World and continue to grow. Ultimately, it would replace the moon and become the silver moon of Maria''s World. It would transform itself into the form of a divine kingdom.


    After placing Gaia on the moon, the last step would be to activate the sub-brain to form the dream world. When the dream world had been fixed and had formed the prototype of the divine kingdom, it would accept the awareness of the clergies into the divine kingdom. In the later stage, a divine system would form around it. The clergies would even be able to tap into its power.


    "Activate!"


    Lu Zhiyu immediately saw Gaia being lit up. The power from the dream element and Lu Zhiyu''s awareness and body spread out. His body turned into dream elements and entered into Gaia in order to lead and construct the dream world.

 110 The Prototype of Divine Kingdom

    The rays of the sun covered the entire world. The sunshine was gentle and warm, and clouds were hanging around it. A huge divine palace appeared in the sky, with clouds surrounding that as well. It all looked mysterious and magical.


    Martin had been dead for a long time. He had lost his memory, but he did not forget to show reverence to the gods. He had a longing to enter into the divine kingdom. Under the guidance of a light, he floated toward the divine kingdom.


    Martin''s awareness was scattered and out of form. After entering the divine kingdom, he took back his form and his looks. He wore a white robe, and became a saint. He stepped on the clouds and saw the divine kingdom that he had been longing for.


    As the holy music sounded, he felt calm and peaceful. He had no troubles or sorrows, only joy. In fact, there were no sorrows, sufferings, tears and even death in this place at all. As Martin moved up the clouds, he reached the palace of god. A beautiful divine palace appeared before his eyes. The fountain of life was in the square, which was made with flawless cloud slabs flooring. Angels with wings were laughing, having fun among the clouds. The handrails of the aisle were made of pure gold. There were beautiful paintings and holy prints all around. The river under the bridge was flowing with sweet milk.


    On one side of the clouds, many exotic animals were running about. The legendary Pegasus, unicorn, and other animals could be seen. In the center of the divine palace was the legendary holy tree, which was shining brightly. The rooftop was too tall to be seen, and the ground was filled with golden slabs. Gems were hanging at the top, exuding gentle rays of colorful light. As Martin walked up the stairs, he reached the peak, then entered into the inner hall of the divine palace. It was huge, making Martin felt like an ant in comparison.


    There was a heavy, silvery door, engraved with holy pictures. It was about 100 meters tall. After passing through the door, Martin saw a god on the divine seat, floating in the air. The archangels and the angels that had been recorded in the Scripture of Light were standing in two rows to welcome him. Although Martin had lost his memory, he was filled with a strong sense of satisfaction. He knelt down, feeling blessed. He had entered into the divine kingdom and become one of them.


    Following closely behind Martin was another person. He was pious and moving toward the divine kingdom in a prostrate position.


    Lu Zhiyu could feel the majesty of the divine kingdom. Although it was not big, the basic structures were present. He would continue to improve it in order to turn it into a real divine kingdom.


    The controlling force of the divine kingdom would be Gaia''s sub-brain. It would be Lu Zhiyu''s avatar. However, it only possessed some basic programming, without intelligence. After Lu Zhiyu had fixed the framework, structure, and directions, he would then hand it all over to Gaia''s sub-brain, entrusting it to then manage the kingdom. It would be competent enough to do the job.


    After the divine kingdom had been formed, it had received the awareness of three disciples. Other than Martin, who had died at the hands of Li Weisi, there were two other priests who had died recently. One of them had died in a conspiracy of the wizards and nobles, and the other had died in a battle with the monster.


    The three disciples had the divine seeds in them, and their awarenesses had entered into the divine kingdom. The strength of the divine kingdom immediately went up by one tenth, and the scales increased to around 30. The small, divine kingdom was beginning to expand.


    "Good. This will do. I will let it develop by itself." Lu Zhiyu was looking down from the sky of the divine kingdom. He had quietly appeared among the clouds, watching the three disciples entering into the divine kingdom and becoming part of it.


    Awareness alone had no memories and identity. When it entered into the divine kingdom, it would become part of it. It would not live forever. As time passed, and the divine kingdom disappeared, it would need to agglomerate its soul in order to stay in the divine kingdom. When the awareness had a complete structure and power, it could even remember who he was, as well as memories from his previous life.


    Every disciple was important to Lu Zhiyu. They not only could strengthen and expand the divine kingdom, they could also help to manage it and assist Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu was extremely pleased with the establishment of the divine kingdom. His goal had been achieved. It would play an important role in increasing his influence, and specifically, it would hasten his power. When the divine system became more complete, and the number of priests with the divine seeds increased, his objective would be met more quickly.


    The moon rose and set in the bitwall. After Lu Zhiyu had finished his job, it was past midnight. The moon in Maria''s Word ran on its track, and set down into the earth. There were two main stars, the sun and moon. They were circling around Maria''s World in the bitwall. The rest of the stars ran on their own tracks in the bitwall.


    Lu Zhiyu opened the dimensional door and disappeared from the bitwall. Many people, who were looking at the moon, felt that some changes had taken place. They now noticed that the moon looked dimly lit.


    -------------


    In the northern part of Allen Continent, lived the orcs. From the plains of Red River toward the north, one could hardly find any trails of man. After 1,000 years of development, the orcs had changed tremendously. From a tribe, they had evolved into a civilized world, and had reached the era of feudalism.


    As compared to mankind, they developed at a remarkable speed. They knew about civilization much earlier than man. When they became a state, man was still ignorant about civilization. However, the situation had changed completely.


    As compared to man, the orcs were a large population with many races. There was no sense of identity and belonging among the orcs. Even after a thousand years, most of them were still living in tribes.


    Man''s civilization and culture had been progressing, but the orcs were still fighting and killing one another in the northern region.


    Ever since the orcs ended the city-state era ruled by the king and entered into feudalism, they went through the Sophoc Empire, the Charo Empire, and the Saelvig Empire. However, these empires took over only part of the land of the orcs. They had not united the orcs. Hence, most of the areas were still backwards and primitive.


    More than 10 years ago, after the fall of the Saelvig Empire, there was chaos and division among the orcs. As man continued to develop, they had occupied 75 percent of the Allen Continent, whereas the orcs continued to live in the cold northern part.


    A few hundred years ago, the orcs could still fight and contend with the human race. However, should there be a fight now, man would definitely win, as the orcs had never even stepped past the plains of Red River.


    If the northern part of Allen Continent had not been desolate and cold, and there was no civil war in the human race, the orcs would not be able to lead a peaceful life. Moreover, there had been recent fights among the Light Clan and the monarchs.


    With the continuous wars, massacres, merging of the tribes, and the establishment of cities, the orcs had started to live in harmony with the different races. They gave birth to mixed-blood, half-orcs, and it was difficult to tell which race they belonged to.


    With the war that had stretched out to last a thousand years, coupled with struggles among the tribes, fights among the states and massacres among the races, the orcs that had fallen apart started to unite themselves together, and to make peace with one another. No one had expected the orcs, who were going downhill, to move toward a great change. They had the desire to change, and it required only a little spark to set the fire going.

 111 Kingdom of Orcs

    Lu Zhiyu stood before the ruins. Stones, collapsed walls, and pillars were scattered around. The past glory was gone. All that was left behind were ruins.


    One thousand years ago, this place used to be the royal city of the orcs, Saga City. It used to be bustling with activities, and was the thriving cultural center. The bronze civilization, the iron age era, started in Saga City. It was the center of trading, and the ancestors of the orcs had left their traces behind. They had led the orcs out of the primitive era, leaving a legend behind them. They had become heroes of their own mythical epic.


    The orc kings had died by now, bringing along with them the city and its glory. The city that had been built over the span of 200 years, had now been reduced to ruins. One could only read about the magnificent city in books, or hear from the orcs about its majesty. One thousand years was a long time to an ordinary person. In fact, it was like infinity.


    Lu Zhiyu walked past the ruins of Saga City. It was late winter and extremely cold in the northern region. Even the air that had been breathed out turned into frost.


    Saga City was within the borders of the Kingdom of Menkaure. It was part of the Saelvig Empire, built by the Grand Duke, Menkaure. It belonged to the territory of the leopard-people. There were many races who looked up to the leopard-people in the Kingdom. This region had become the accommodation quarters of the cat-people and the dog-people. Hence, many of their tribes were nearby.


    Ayers Mountain was also not far from here. The largest city was at the foot of Ayers Mountain. It borrowed its name from Ayers Mountain, and was known as Ayer City. This province was directly under the rule of the royals of the Kingdom of Menkaure. They had sent a consul to oversee the city. As compared to the Kingdom of Orcs, this place was different. It was quiet and peaceful.


    Lu Zhiyu put on a black cloak and carried a big piece of luggage with him. He followed a group of merchants to Ayer City. As they were approaching the main street, and were at a T-junction, he alighted from the carriage and left the merchants.


    The merchants had set forth from the human world, the Crete Empire to be exact, and had gone over the plains of Red River. They would be passing through the valleys of Ayers Mountain, then traveling to the trading center of the Kingdom of Menkaure.


    They had obtained their permits from the royals of the Kingdom of Menkaure. These were, in fact, the noble merchants of the Crete Empire, and could, therefore, move around freely in the Kingdom of Menkaure.


    Every year, they would send large amounts of tributes and goods from the Crete Empire to the royals of Menkaure. They were well received by the Kingdom of Orcs. In fact, the pottery, paper, herbs, tea leaves, sweets and other artworks were the best selling items in the Kingdom of Orcs.


    The gemstones, jewelries, gold and spices of the orcs were hard currencies in the Crete Empire. Thus, one trip alone could bring much wealth to the merchants. These merchants not only did their normal trading while visiting, but they also brought in goods strictly prohibited by the Crete Empire.


    These contraband goods included armaments, armor, weapons, crossbows, books, horses, camels and beasts. Due to their nature, these transactions had been carried out privately, and the stakes were high. The nobles and merchants would stop at nothing, as long as it was profitable.


    Lu Zhiyu joined the merchants as a doctor. He hitched a ride from them and set forth to Ayer City. He had been staying in the dimensional castle and Wizard Tower all year round. Although he had been observing the developments in the human world and the orcs from the outside world, it was different from being there to actually find out things for himself.


    In fact, Lu Zhiyu felt bored, so he had decided to get out and have a closer look. He would find a spot in the city to settle down for a period of time. In any case, he could carry out his experiment anywhere, and at the same time, be able to better understand the situation of the orcs.


    The weather was cold. The stationed guards in Ayer City were hiding behind the door due to the frigid wind. They shivered and stomped about as the wind blew onto their faces. There was not much traffic at the city gate. The people queued up as the soldiers impatiently checked on them.


    Lu Zhiyu got in line behind the people, carrying his luggage. Many of them standing in the queue were the cat-people and dog-people. They had their iconic ethnicity literally on them. They either had fine furs on their faces or possessed noses that looked vastly different from man.


    The dressing style of the orcs was also quite different from man. Their attire''s tops and bottoms were joined together, like a dress. Even the male''s among them put on such clothing, to enable theirs tails to move more conveniently.


    "Hey, remove your hood. What are you hiding inside?"


    The soldier who was guarding the city gate cupped his hands together. The sword that was hanging on his waist had turned rusty, and it looked as though it had not been polished or used for a long time. This was the sign of a peaceful city.


    Lu Zhiyu removed his hood, and the people around him shouted, "It is a human! Are humans coming here again?"


    "Is he a merchant? Sir, merchants usually come in a group. He is alone, and only has one piece of luggage with him."


    "Oh, he is so good looking!"


    Many of those who were present had only heard of humans, but they had never actually seen one. They did not know what a human looked like. The children secretly watched Lu Zhiyu, as their parents carried them in their bosoms. The soldier suddenly became alert, and two other soldiers, who were standing beside the fireplace, walked over.


    "Who are you? Why are you here?" they questioned Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu put down his luggage and spoke fluently in the Sophoc language, "Hello, I am a doctor. I am bringing the art of healing from the human world, to promote it to the people here. I hope that those who are suffering from diseases can be treated."


    The eyes of all the people brightened up after hearing this. Ever since Bohr Kelermo had written the Kelermo Medical Coding, many from Gracchus Duchy had become doctors.


    Many countries valued the clinics and the nurturing of doctors. Although the Light Clan discriminated against the doctors, many having tried to oppose and suppress them, they had to eventually let them go about freely upon the orders of the higher authority.


    There were many rumors about the doctors in the Kingdom of Orcs. In the tribal areas, medical science was lagging behind. When one fell sick, they either resigned to their fate, or waited to be healed during their tribunal rites. Those who performed the rites were usually doctors as well. They treasured Kelermo''s Medical Code, regarding it as being the holy code.


    Even in the Kingdom of Orcs, the doctors had been rumored to be able to resurrect the dead, including those who had died of plagues. All of them hoped that they would have doctors in their tribes or cities to bring healing and light to them.


    The number of deaths from accidents and diseases had been extremely high recently. Many did not live to full age. Thus, their desire and hunger for a doctor was beyond the imagination of ordinary persons. After Lu Zhiyu had mentioned his profession, the eyes of all the people lit up.


    The soldier was stunned as well. After a long while, he rubbed his palms together and said, "You, are you really a doctor?"


    Lu Zhiyu smiled, nodded his head, and said, "Yes. I hope to be able to stay in Ayer City to promote medical science and healing. At the same time, I will nurture a few trainee doctors."


    Everyone shouted out with joy. The soldiers immediately showed due respect to Lu Zhiyu, inviting him into the city. Very soon, Lu Zhiyu received an invitation from the governor, who was the official consul sent by the king.

 112 The Temporary Stay in Ayer City

    The name of the governor of Ayer City was Elias. He was a member of the leopard-people race. He had leopard spots on his skin, and his eyes looked fierce. His strong body made him look dynamic, and he robed himself in royal apparel. He was refined and courteous, yet he gave off an aura revealing that he was ready for action.


    Lu Zhiyu saw that Elias was half-man, as he had awakened his blood. Pure orcs would not be able to awaken their blood. They could only do this if they were mixed-blood. The orcs had tried to suppress this aspect, and had said that the blood of the orcs came from the gods.


    Elias had been confirmed as a knight, and was sent by the Imperial City to Ayer City. He did not have his own domain, and was thus considered a noble official, sent by the royals. His mannerisms were different from the orcs. He was graceful and knowledgeable. His accent in the Sofawk language was close to the ancient tones, but he still managed to communicate well with Lu Zhiyu.


    Ayer City was a small city located in Ayers Mountain. It was neither a town near the border, nor a prosperous place. Elias did not receive much attention from the top ranking officials. He would have had to show some results, if he wished to be promoted to baron status. This fact had made Elias extremely concerned with the developments of the city.


    The arrival of Lu Zhiyu was an opportunity for Ayer City. If Elias could keep him in the city, and set up a clinic to promote healing, it could help with the developments of the city. If those in the human world knew that a man was in Ayer City, they would then come to the city to trade. This was the reason that Elias held Lu Zhiyu in such high regard. If Lu Zhiyu was just an ordinary doctor, Elias would not have been interested in him.


    After a good conversation at the governor''s mansion, Elias gave Lu Zhiyu many promises. "Don''t worry, Mr. Randhir, we will help you to set up a clinic. For the trainee doctors, we will provide them with subsidies, bearing all of their expenses."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded his head happily and said, "Thank you. I will also fulfill my promise of introducing merchants to you."


    Lu Zhiyu left the manor and saw that the snow was getting heavier. He put on his hood, and gazed up at the grand and magnificent Ayers Mountain. In comparison to it, Ayer City looked run down.


    There were more than 10,000 people in Ayer City. There was no iconic structure to be found there, and most of the people were not rich. They lived a self-sufficient life, tapping into the resources from Ayers Mountain and a small market in the city.


    However, Lu Zhiyu liked the tranquility there. All the people were simple-minded, and stood aloof from the world.


    There were more cat-people and dog-people among the orcs. They had the most tribes, but they were the least powerful among the orcs. In this era, there were less than 100 wizards and priests in total. The Blood Knights were the most powerful among the countries.


    It was similar to the Kingdom of Orcs. The cat race and dog race were scattered, not united. They did not have their own blood knights or methods to train up their knights. Hence, they could only be subordinate to the other races.


    The Kingdom of Menkaure had built their kingdom with the help of Hurricane Knights, formed by the leopard-people. They had become one of the great powers in the Kingdom of Orcs after the Saelvig Empire had fallen apart.


    The city was not big. As such, it took Lu Zhiyu only a short while to cover all of the streets of Ayer City. Pedestrians were walking on the uneven muddy roads. There were only a few shops in the west section of the commercial street, only some of which were open.


    Under the recommendation of one of the people, Lu Zhiyu purchased a two-story building in the west section. It was quite a magnificent building, which had a small courtyard attached to it. It used to be owned by a merchant in the city. After he had become wealthy, he went to the big city in Mobis Province, and had never returned.


    After paying for the building, Lu Zhiyu opened the door of its entrance. It was well furnished and clean. However, some of the things were old and decayed. For instance, the cabinet seemed to be infected by termites.


    Lu Zhiyu summoned the ant-people from the dimensional castle and, with their help, transformed the building. The second level was totally transformed, with new carpets, chairs, and a table. When Lu Zhiyu lit the fireplace, the room immediately became warm.


    He laid on the arm-chair that was beside the fireplace. He felt good there, as compared to the cold dimensional castle. At the least, he could hear the comforting noise of the children playing outside the building. In the dimensional castle, he could only hear his own voice. Other than carrying out their duties, the ant-people would not initiate any conversation.


    That''s it. I will stay here for a while to observe the orcs. They seem to be doing badly recently!


    Lu Zhiyu covered himself with a blanket and started to think. He had to decide what to do next.


    I have not created the evolved plasma that I have promised Nicholas Debye. This will be easy, as I will be providing for just one person. However, in the later stages, when they process it in their biology laboratory in order to roll it out, there will be problems. The chance of rejection in the evolved plasma is extremely high now. I must try to improve it. The effectiveness and functions have to be reduced as well.


    Not to mention, there is still the construction of Byrne Island and starship to consider. This is a big project. I have no idea where to begin. I need more knowledge, tons of experience, and ideas.


    Also not to forget, I still need to improve the divine system. It is simple and inferior. I have no idea how to improve on that either.


    Lu Zhiyu felt that he had tons of things to do, some of which were more urgent than others. He would not be able to rest for a while. He would have to stay in Ayer City for a long period of time in order to complete the more urgent projects, especially.


    In the next few days, Lu Zhiyu had selected the location of his clinic. It was not far from his house. There were three levels, and the location was good.


    The shops in this region did not require such a big area and, as the rental was a bit steep in price, it had been left vacant. After renting it, Lu Zhiyu started to renovate.


    He had turned the ground floor into a medical hall. He would sell some strong hemostatic powder, mild hemostatic powder, and some general medicine for common diseases there.


    The clinic would be on the second level. There would be an outpatient department, a consulting room, and a simple operation theatre. The wards and lounge would be on the third level. It was pretty good for such a small clinic to be able to provide these services. Lu Zhiyu intended to recruit a few trainee doctors, and then hand the clinic over to them to manage in the later stages.

 113 Winter Nigh

    After locking the doors of the renovated clinic, Lu Zhiyu was preparing for opening the next day, as well as for the recruitment of assistants and clerks for the pharmacy. After he took care of those details, he would then find apprentice medics.


    On the way home, the skies were already dark and a heavy snow was falling. It was already late winter now. As the snowflakes danced in the air, they covered the earth in a flurry of pure white.


    As he passed the stores, many shopkeepers greeted Lu Zhiyu. They had gotten close over the last few days, and Lu Zhiyu was happy to feel that he had already begun to integrate into the community.


    Lu Zhiyu wore a navy blue leather trenchcoat, which seemed quite exotic to the locals of Ayer City. After awhile, many people began to recognize his distinctive presence.


    Passing through the orc family residential area, all the houses were alight with laughter and activity. The lights emanating from these houses created the most beautiful skyline in contrast with the night.


    As Lu Zhiyu arrived home and opened the door to his house, he suddenly heard a noise outside. He traced the noise to a nearby alley, where he discovered a collapsed figure on the ground. The figure lay dead in a pool of blood, but it was holding an infant!


    With a deep sadness, Lu Zhiyu frowned, turned around, and returned home. He waved his hand, causing the lights and fireplace to immediately light up. Light and warmth filled the entire living room, banishing the chill of the outer world.


    Lu Zhiyu sat for awhile and drank a cup of coffee. He looked out of the window again. At last, he stood up and walked out of the yard, back into the dark, bloody alley. The dead body was now covered by a thick layer of frost, and the tracks of blood were freezing into a layer of crimson ice.


    The dead body was a faun, a goat-person orc. It was tall and strong, but both of the horns were broken. Also, its body was covered with seven or eight gaping wounds, of which included some arrow wounds and sword wounds. He had clearly died after withstanding all of these heavy injuries, revealing that he must have been a true man.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the bundle on his chest and opened it, only to discover that it was an infant with golden locks and beast ears! It was extremely cute, and its cheeks were flushed red from the chill.


    "A fever?"


    Lu Zhiyu took the swaddled baby and rubbed it in a soothing motion. Meanwhile, he cast a healing spell upon the infant. Instantly, the redness of the skin disappeared, and the baby''s cries eased. A pair of large eyes oogled at Lu Zhiyu, as it gurgled for a bit, before falling into a delighted fit of laughter.


    The corners of Lu Zhiyu''s mouth crinkled as he looked at the little one. "You really are cute, you little trouble maker."


    Then, around ten shadows darted down the street. Two figures suddenly entered the alley and looked at Lu Zhiyu. The two of them stopped and joined the other ten shadows, swiftly relaying information as they darted between the alley and the rooftops. From the front, back, and both sides, Lu Zhiyu was surrounded.


    Each of these figures was dressed in loose black cloaks. Underneath the cloaks, they were in leather armor with longswords. Although a hood covered their faces, it was still possible to discern that they belonged to the wolf orc tribe.


    A wolf-man with a scarred face walked forward, looking at Lu Zhiyu. He spoke in brusque Sofawk. "A human? Why is a human here?"


    A flash of confusion darted over his face, as the wolf-man hardened his eyes and stated harshly, "Kill him and take the child. "


    All of the people started moving and drawing their swords. Figures descended from above from multiple angles, locking on all of Lu Zhiyu''s escape routes. The technique and cooperation of this team were at the pinnacle of training. This was definitely not a normal troop of soldiers.


    Wheew!


    Lu Zhiyu lifted his head to look the wolf-man in the eye. The wolf-man immediately tingled, sensing danger and his own impending danger. It was extremely ominous! As he opened his mouth to say something, he heard a wave of light ring out from Lu Zhiyu''s body, covering all of Ayer''s City in an instant.


    In a single second, more than half of Ayer''s City was frozen, as all time had stopped. Even the snowfall from the skies was suspended in mid-air. Wherever the halo of light touched, all of the people halted immediately. Even their consciousnesses were frozen.


    All of the assassins attacking Lu Zhiyu were frozen in midair. Their longswords were only a few centimeters from Lu Zhiyu, with the closest ones being only millimeters away. Yet, they were completely frozen.


    The easy laughter of the other wolf-men was also frozen now, and the surprise on the scar-faced wolf-man was only just beginning to show, as he discovered his consciousness drifting from his body, completely out of his control.


    Within Ayers City, the families were stopped also in an instant, all while enjoying their dinners, sitting together, smiling. The shopkeepers, who had been closing up, had their hands on the doors. Several guards'' glasses were seen in the bars, raised in a toast. The servants stopped in the halls of the city manor, and Mayor Elias''s goose quill was still raised, dots of the ink swirled in the air.


    Within the radius of several miles, everything was synchronized and dominated by the dream space that was being controlled by Lu Zhiyu. Not even the smallest fly could escape Lu Zhiyu''s notice and control.


    "One, two, three, four¡­ twelve!"


    After every number that Lu Zhiyu recited, a figure would be set ablaze by a white light. The process would go from the bottom to the top, like glass shattering under high pressure. The figure would then instantly become glittering powder. By the time he had counted to twelve, each scar faced figure would have been wiped out, without leaving a single trace.


    "Only twelve."


    Lu Zhiyu checked and discovered that the group had no reinforcements within Ayers City, so he retracted his dream space. The glow shrinked back within Lu Zhiyu''s body. As it did so, the snow continued drifting to the ground, and the people resumed their activities. Busy, bustling, and happy, the city returned to its normal state.


    Lu Zhiyu lifted up the infant. As she was held up, she began laughing continuously, as if she was delighted to see Lu Zhiyu. She appeared to be oblivious to the dangers from before. In fact, she seemed to have completely forgotten about the person who had protected her until his death.


    "Look at you, still laughing. What a troublemaker."


    The infant had no idea what Lu Zhiyu was saying, but she felt that being raised in the air was extremely entertaining, so she kept giggling loudly. Though he didn''t know why, Lu Zhiyu began laughing with her.


    As he laughed, he held the baby close to his chest. After checking the body of the corpse once more, he discovered a badge and a longsword, but nothing else that was worthy of note.


    There was an insignia of the lion that was branded on both the longsword and the badge. Lu Zhiyu saw them and immediately recalled the origin of the mark. He stood and used Disintegration to wipe away the trace of the body, then carried the child home.


    There was now another person in Lu Zhiyu''s house. It added a welcome touch of life. Though it was only a child, it gave the house a sense of normalcy and warmth.

 114 Hidden Depths

    "Daddy! Daddy! What are you looking at?"


    "Daddy, Daddy! It''s raining outside!"


    "Daddy! I''m hungry."


    The voice of a child echoed throughout Lu Zhiyu''s house.


    Tatata!


    Rapid footsteps were heard, as the child ran up and down the stairs without the slightest break. The child had short, blond hair, which was quite messy and shorn to the ears. Because the child was so young, it was impossible to discern its gender with just a quick glance. If judging by the hairstyle alone, one would assume that the child had fairly delicate and feminine-like features.


    The footsteps pattered to the study. After coming inside the room, the child jumped at Lu Zhiyu''s legs. Lu Zhiyu was sprawled over his desk, looking over complicated diagrams that were filled with maps and strange symbols.


    Currently, within the entire Alen continent, the counting system went by a base of twenty. The three symbols used represented the numbers 0, 1, and 5, which could then be combined to form other larger numbers.


    Only wizards knew the Arabic numeral counting system that utilized a counting system with a base of ten, which is the one that Lu Zhiyu also used. This was still unknown knowledge to the majority of those within Maria''s World, so no one would recognize Lu Zhiyu''s numbers, let alone his writings.


    Lu Zhiyu put down the charcoal pencil in his hand and looked at the little child, Verthandi, who was now clinging to his leg like a baby sloth. She was wearing pants with white deerskin boots. Her top stretched all the way down to her knees, like a dress, and her tiny bum darted in and out of sight, hidden by the flare of the shirt.


    Lu Zhiyu lifted his leg into the air as she dangled from his leg, hugging it tightly as she giggled, swinging her legs back and forth.


    "What is it, you little troublemaker? Didn''t I tell you not to bother me when I''m working?"


    Verthandi pouted. "But I''m hungry."


    Lu Zhiyu picked up a plate of snacks from the desk and brought it to Verthandi, who he had taken to his chest. Verthandi was three years old.


    When Lu Zhiyu was choosing her name, he had taken inspiration from the Three Norns of Fate. Verthandi was the Goddess that ruled over the Present. Lu Zhiyu figured this was the best choice, because the past is gone and unobtainable, and the future is forever changing. Hence, only by controlling the present, can one control their own fate.


    Likewise, Lu Zhiyu also hoped that Verthandi would seize her own present, and treasure all of the time and experiences that she has. Over the last two years, many people came to the Mobis Province seeking information.


    Apparently, some men were sent from the Engido Kingdom, which was near the Ayers Mountains. Lu Zhiyu rarely let Verthandi go out. And when the two were in public, he "officially" had a son named Will, not a daughter called Verthandi. With the help of this ruse, no one suspected that Verthandi was partially mixed blood.


    "Your Auntie Cassan will be here soon. She''ll make yummy food for you. I''ll teach you something right now. If you learn it, then I''ll give you these two pieces of cake."


    Lu Zhiyu held Verthandi as he picked up a copy of the Epic of Totle from a bookshelf. It was a selection by Totle, detailing the most complete history of the human race. The text also held all of the most widespread odes and poems, complete with countless wandering bards who were singing about ancient heroes, thus passing their fame onto future generations.


    "Verse one is the verse about the Golden King Ahenaten. It is the legend about the human, Golden King Ahenaten, receiving a divine prophecy¡­"


    Lu Zhiyu, who had been reading aloud to this point, now stopped, surprised. In his lap, Verthandi pretended to pay attention, but her eyes were glued to the snack tray on the desk.


    Her hands crept towards the tray, but Lu Zhiyu smacked them away lightly. Verthandi pouted, but stayed sitting on Lu Zhiyu''s lap, listening to him read a few of the first verses until she happily got the cake as a reward!


    Right then, the door downstairs opened. Verthandi instantly perked up. "Auntie Cassan''s here."


    Lu Zhiyu also stood up and put on a large coat, locking up the study before heading downstairs. There, a dog-woman orc stood by the entrance with a basket. She hugged Verthandi and kissed her cheek.


    "Little Trouble, did you see the goodies I brought you?"


    "My name isn''t Little Trouble, hmph! And, I just ate something yummy!"


    Lu Zhiyu headed down the steps and spoke to the maid Cassan. "Cassan, please take care of Little Trouble. I am heading to the clinic. There are a few special patient consultations today. I''m afraid Tler and Paisy don''t have enough experience to handle them alone. Take care of the house, please."


    Cassan looked at Lu Zhiyu respectfully. "Don''t worry, I will take care of Little Trouble and the house. When will you be back?"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "I''ll be back tonight. Don''t wait for me for lunch. You two can go ahead and eat first."


    Outside, the people on the road hurried along in the drizzling rain. Lu Zhiyu headed to the clinic.


    In the bottom level of the clinic, two apprentice medics staffed the pharmacy. Quite a number of people were already there, lined up by the staircase. Some of the merchants from nearby stores chatted under the roof, while some patients with ordinary injuries and simple colds waited inside the pharmacy. Only patients with severe or unknown ailments would be treated upstairs.


    "Hi Mr. Randhir. We didn''t know you''d be dropping by!" The owner of the bar greeted Lu Zhiyu. It was still morning, meaning the bar hadn''t opened yet, so he was completely free to shoot the breeze and socialize.


    In the last few years, Ayer City had undergone a dramatic transformation. Lu Zhiyu had introduced a few human merchant teams to stimulate the economic development of the city. The specialties of the Ayers Mountains, medical supplies, pelts and the tonics from Lu Zhiyu''s pharmacy, all made for wildly popular merchandise.


    The original clinic was also becoming a bit crowded. Many patients and merchants came from all over to buy the tinctures and tonics from the Randhir Clinic, due to its great reputation. All of the apprentices were busy enough to pass out at the end of every day, exhausted. So, the plan was to buy another storefront nearby in order to expand the clinic.


    The once empty Western Shopping District had also become extremely popular, now boasting not one single empty storefront! It had even been expanded by the addition of an entire street!


    Many ordinary orcs had also moved to Ayers City. In fact, the development of the entire city was improving by leaps and bounds, which brought good reviews for the prefectural capital of Elias. As the person who changed Elias and had saved countless patients, Lu Zhiyu was naturally one of the most popular people in all of Ayers City.


    "Have you heard yet?" murmured a few those gathered around.


    Lu Zhiyu saw a few people whispering secretively and asked them. "I saw that you all are discussing something. What has happened?"


    The owner of the bar replied with care. "There might be a war!"


    Lu Zhiyu stopped abruptly in his tracks. "Why?!"


    A young person chimed in. "There is domestic unrest in the Crete Empire. The Church of Light of the humans has sent out its strongest fighters from the Knights of Light to investigate something. Apparently, many human nobles from the Crete Empire are heading here. The Church of Light and the Crete Imperial Army are moving by the Red River Plains. I just came back from there, and someone had encountered a scout from the Church of Light."


    Lu Zhiyu pushed for further information. "You are absolutely certain of this? What if it was a knight serving under an ordinary Crete Empire noble?"


    The young person replied, "Of course not. They were in snowy white armor, and they had swords forged from humanity''s most expensive Ur steel. Those, along with the sigils of the sun were dead giveaways."

 115 Theft of the Sword of the King

    Within St. Sarl City, at the Temple of Light, the hall had a display showcasing the Sword of the King. This was called the Divine Hall, and it was created expressly for displaying the sword granted by the Divine. On both sides of the hall were paintings with the imagery of Heaven. In the front, was a painting depicting God himself. Specifically, it showed the image of Him granting the first king of humanity, Ahenaten, the legendary sword.


    Originally, the Sword of the King that was depicted within the mural on the wall was only used by the Church for large scale ceremonies and the coronation ceremonies of leaders. Only then would the sword be taken out. By possessing the sword, the Pope had a symbol representing the legitimacy of the Church of Light.


    Understandably, the protection on the Divine Hall was extremely tight. Every day there would be specialized clergy chosen to guard and polish the sword, checking it to make sure that it was in pristine condition.


    The identity of each security person was set, and throughout the year, only these individuals were allowed to interact with the blade. No other personnel were allowed to approach the sword. Even these chosen clergy members had to go through rigorous checks every time they entered.


    At this time, Pope Hodap stood at the center of the Divine Hall, just below the feet of Lord Faross. His face was so dark, it seemed to drip water. He had no courage to face God directly, apparently. All of the guardian knights and clerical members were kneeling on the ground, not daring to utter a single word.


    All of them knew that Pope Hodap was already completely enraged. A lot of relevant personnel were trembling, with cold sweat dripping down their foreheads.


    The Sword of the King that Hodap held looked identical to the real one. However, it had recently been proven that the handle was fake. The real Sword of the King had already been switched, having been taken for several days before anyone even discovered that something was amiss. The reason for this was that it had been an actual clergy member that had swapped the sword, then promptly disappeared!


    Hodap gripped the duplicate Sword of the King tightly. He squeezed it with his fingers, causing a white light to shoot forth from his palm. The sword shattered into pieces.


    Hodap then turned around to say, "All of the members who failed their jobs must be dragged out and interrogated. Don''t dirty the floor of the Divine Hall."


    Immediately, dozens of Executioners from the Judges of Light appeared. They then dragged all of the trembling guards and attendants of the Divine Hall away.


    Everyone knew that those who were dragged away by the Executioners would never be seen again. Even if they had not betrayed the Church of Light, they would have to take responsibility for allowing the theft of the Sword of the King.


    Archbishop Arthur opened his mouth. Although it was the best opportunity to attack Hodap, to lose the Sword of the King was a serious offense. It was one of Pope Hodap''s main responsibilities to protect the Sword of Light, which was a symbol that displayed his God-given authority to rule. It was impossible to sum up the significance of the Sword with only a word or two, as its standing in the Church was only second to the Saintess and the Mask of Faross.


    If Hodap was attacked at this time, with the support of the College of Cardinals, or even the Saintess herself, it would be possible to dethrone him from his position as Pope. To the other members of the College of Cardinals, this was an important opportunity.


    Yet, for now, it was essential to reclaim the Sword of the King. No matter who took the spot of the Pope, the Sword of the King could not be lost. All of the members of the Church of the King knew the extreme importance of this vital fact.


    Archbishop Arthur hesitated, then completely gave up trying to reprimand Hodap. They could find the Sword of the King first. "The Judges of Light have already been notified, and they are investigating the matter. Sean will most likely report back soon."


    Sean, the Chief Justice of the Judges of Light, stepped inside. He was clothed in a severe black priest robe that had an insignia of the Judges of Light on it. That insignia was a symbol out that was synonymous with terror and nightmares of the people of the Kingdom of the Church of Light, as well as every surrounding nation. Sean''s grave countenance carried the same sinister quality as an eagle out for a hunt.


    Hodap saw Sean and immediately questioned him anxiously. "How is it? Is there any news?"


    Sean approached Hodap. "Your Holiness, according to the investigation, Peter Rodman, the thief of the sword, has headed towards the Tuten Dynasty. But, according to sources, the day before yesterday, which was the day he swapped the sword, he had a secret meeting with several individuals. We think these people may have been from the Crete Empire. Therefore, the Sword of the King may have already fallen into their possession."


    Sean continued his report. "The escape of Peter Rodman to the Tuten Dynasty is a diversion, bait. According to my estimates, this affair may be an action of the Gathering of Darkness, another scheme targeting the Church of Light."


    Hodap erupted into another bout of rage. "Those dirty rats! Heretics, hiding in the alleys! How dare they target the Sword of the King? And, what shames me the most, is that they actually succeeded and attacked the inner circle of our Church, the core of the Temple of Light! Does this mean that even the interior of the Temple has fallen under their control?!"


    Mad with rage, Hodap scanned the people in front of him. All of them lowered their heads, including the highest ranked clergy. "Everyone must be searched! I want to weed out all of their pawns within our ranks. The rats of the Gathering of Darkness must be eradicated!"


    Sean nodded. This loss of the Sword of the King would lead to a dramatic hit upon the name of the Church, especially if the public were to get wind of the affair. All of the coronation ceremonies of kings needed the Sword of the King. If the Church of Light tried to conduct a coronation ceremony without the Sword of the King, they would definitely be rebuffed and mocked by the kings and nobles.


    Sean spoke. "According to my investigations, their original targets were the Mask of Faross and the Saintess. However, due to errors, they abandoned that plan. Our internal affair intel is definitely full of loopholes. Yet, we do believe that the Sword of the King has a great chance of being in the Crete Empire. I will go personally to investigate this matter, but I will need the assistance of His Excellency, Elliot VIII."


    Hodap looked at Sean, his gaze changing into one of panic. It took some time for him to regain his calm.


    Once calmed, he said, "Good, good. These guys are completely audacious. What is even more hateful are the traitors in our midst. I will ask for the Saintess herself to step out of her shrine and personally search. Sean, due to the importance of the task at hand, I do need you do go personally. Go to the Crete Empire, which has a core that has already escaped our grasp. During your visit, investigate both the disappearance of the Sword and the activities of the rebel schemers. They must all be found and annihilated."


    Hodap thought that wasn''t quite enough, so he then added, "I will also command Charles to bring the Knights of Light to assist you. Remember, you must bring back the Sword of the King and not let a trace of this information escape."


    Sean frowned. "That may be difficult. The nobles and the kings of the surrounding nations may have already received this information. If so, they will quickly spread the information of the theft."


    Hodap scrambled to speak. "And we will deny it! So, do you understand the importance of your mission?"


    Sean gave a heavy nod. "Rest easy, Your Holiness. I will definitely bring the Sword of the King back and return it to the glory of God."


    All of the Knights of Light that were stationed near the Crete Empire were deployed. After the incident of the Wizard Alliance, the Church had canceled the independent stationing of the Knight of Lights squads and redistributed them into three armies to deploy in rotation. Yet, the emblematic legendary status of the Knights of Light remained unchanged, as being something that none of the other armies could compare to. It was still the most elite corp of the Church of Light.


    At the same time, in various countries, the rumor of the theft of the Sword of the King was being spread throughout every street and alley. Many people started debating in murmured whispers.


    The Sword of the Light was seen symbolizing the God given right to rule, as well as it being seen as the guarantee of the authenticity of the Church. The impact of losing this divine artifact was clearly no small matter.


    But, since this most chalked this up to being nothing but a rumor, the believers of the murmuring were few. Yet, as the amount of rumors increased, many more people began to adopt a stance of skepticism. Then, after a push was given by malevolent actors from the shadows, it seemed as if everyone knew about the theft of the Sword of Light.

 116 Conspiracy

    "Gathering of Darkness! It''s the Gathering of Darkness again!"


    Elliot VIII had just sent away Chief Justice Sean from the Judges of LIght, before exploding within the main hall in fury. Apparently, the organization that was previously called the Gathering of Nobles had now renamed itself the Gathering of Darkness.


    No matter how many times Elliot VIII had attempted to wipe them out, he was unable to completely extinguish them! These disgusting rats would always get wind of his actions and escape every time!


    Just like that, they had grown and regrouped, right under the watch of Elliot VIII! What''s worse, they had struck at the core of the Church of Light, as even the clergy members of the Church of Light were bought by them.


    This betrayal had caused Elliot to now look at all of the people around him with suspicion. He was understandably terrified. After all, these bastards didn''t only want to overthrow the Church of Light, but they also wanted to take his throne!


    As Elliot VIII grew more agitated, his coughing worsened, wracking his entire body with shudders. The severe coughing fit made it seem as if he could keel over and die at any moment. Earl Yi Wensi immediately headed over to support him, gesturing for an aide to come over as well.


    The aide approached with an ivory cup that was filled with water, while making eye contact with Yi Wensi. With a tacit understanding, he helped Elliot VIII drink the water and take a pill. Elliot VIII''s symptoms were immediately alleviated.


    Elliot VIII calmed his breathing and sat up, saying, "I heard that the court physician is an apprentice of the legendary Bohr Kelermo. As expected from a direct apprentice of Mr. Kelermo, if he wasn''t this skilled, I probably would have died a long time ago."


    It was already Year 21 of the San Calendar, and Elliot VIII was just past the age of forty. Although this was not so very old, his previous ailments could not be cured, so he had aged far beyond his years. Even with the expertise of the pastors from the Church and the apprentice of Kelermo, it was impossible to find cures. Hence, he could only maintain his current state.


    Yi Wensi spoke. "This time, with the arrival of Chief Justice Sean, the Knights of Light have already entered our borders. If we add the numbers of Cardinal Leon''s garrison, there are over forty thousand well-trained soldiers here from the Church. Should we really grant them such freedom? Though they are here to investigate the Gathering of Darkness, who knows what else they may be planning."


    Elliot VIII''s face darkened. His relationship with the Church of Light had always been quite complicated. On one hand, he had secured his position as the Emperor of Crete through the support and the authority of the Church. On the other hand, as the head of the Crete Empire, he could not let the Church interfere with domestic affairs and eclipse his own power.


    However, this time the Church had stepped way out of line in sending the Chief Justice of the Judges of Light here. The elite squad within the Knights of Light had marched into the borders of Crete without his authorization, completely disregarding his position as the Emperor. This was also one of the factors that fueled his earlier tantrum. He just didn''t dare say it aloud.


    Elliot VIII could still barely suppress his rage. "Ignore them, the Church has lost the Sword of the King. Pope Hodap is only panicking, as he is becoming reckless with worry over losing an artifact granted by God. Nothing can stop them."


    After he spoke, Elliot VIII barked out a chilly laugh. "Now that they have lost the Sword of the King, let''s see how they conduct the next Coronation ceremony. Yi Wensi, put all of your efforts into watching the movements of the Church. This time, three Saints will be gathered in our empire. We must be very careful!"


    As Yi Wensi left the palace, he encountered a carriage and a man dressed like a driver at the entrance. Yi Wensi''s face changed color, as he quickly boarded this new carriage, being informed that his original carriage had been driven to his estate already.


    Yi Wensi hurried to the underground meeting room and saw that all the other three members within the Crete Empire were already assembled. Yi Wensi promptly took his seat.


    "The Church of Light definitely will not give up until they find the Sword of the King. What''s more, they have a fierce determination to annihilate us. This isn''t the same as the scuffles we have had before."


    "What we did this time was too risky. Why did we take the Sword? Did we take it simply because it is said to hold supernatural powers in the legends? Even stealing the Mask of Faross would have been better than taking the Sword of the King!"


    "Exactly! Why were we not notified about such an important plan? I only found out about it just now. The Three Saints are here, including the most terrifying one, the Chief Justice of the Judges of Light. Even the elite squad from the Knights of Light have entered our borders. Everyone has been thrown into complete chaos!"


    "Well, that''s not true. The symbolic meaning of the Sword of the King is far superior to the Mask of Faross. It symbolizes the God given right to rule. Without it, the authority of the Church is deeply impacted. The next Coronation would definitely go wrong."


    The man at the head of the table spoke. "It was my decision, I have already started the plan. We will definitely succeed this time!"


    There was a sudden silence. The black hooded man across from Yi Wensi swallowed, obviously excited, then faced the speaker. "It has already started?"


    Yi Wensi was also thrilled. "We have waited for over twenty years, and now we finally have our chance. Elliot VIII''s health is already failing. I will order them to increase the dosage. He definitely will not last past this spring."


    The man at the head of the table lifted his head, causing his hood to fall down and display features almost identical to those of Elliot VIII. He was the younger brother of Elliot VIII, Duke Vortigen!


    The legendary founder and head of the Gathering of Darkness was actually the younger brother, who Elliot VIII trusted the most! Upon recognizing him, all of the people there lowered their hoods in respect, one by one.


    Other than Yi Wensi, who served as the Prime Minister, all of the other men were Elliot VIII''s most trusted ministers. Including Duke Vortigen, all those gathered represented the highest levels of authority within the Crete Empire.


    Vortigen looked everyone at there, his eyes finally coming to rest upon Yi Wensi. "Yi Wensi, this time the Church of Light has moved the Three Saints and lost the Sword of the King. The Crete Empire must answer for this. We need an important figure to stand out and attract their attention, and to make a sacrifice for the Gathering. At the same time, this is a very important stage for us. In the future, we will truly take the stage into a new era, and the Gathering of Darkness will follow you name, Earl Yi Wensi, to its death."


    All eyes were now focused upon Yi Wensi. He paled immediately with unease. It seems that his presence today was a mistake. Yi Wensi had never thought that he, as a person who treated everyone else as sacrificial pawns, would ever end up being the one in such dire straits!


    "No, you, you''re all joking, right?" Yi Wensi said, shaking. Yet the looks the others were giving him, as if they were gazing at livestock being prepped for slaughter, were chilling to the bone.


    Yi Wensi broke into a cold sweat and tried to stand up, yet his entire body had lost its strength. Failing in his attempt, he fell to the ground. "No, you can''t do this to me."


    Yi Wensi tried to turn toward the tunnel behind him and escape. He had to leave and expose the plot to the Emperor! He had to show these bastards the consequences of betraying him!


    Yi Wensi had just managed to get up, when a thin woman walked out of the tunnel behind him. Two weakly glowing eyes emerged from the darkness and locked onto Yi Wensi, causing him to immediately freeze up.


    The thin woman grabbed his throat and lifted him up with one hand. Yi Wensi struggled with all his strength, but could not escape her grasp.


    "Wizards! You actually sought out the wizards again, you.." Yi Wensi''s shrill voice flattened out into a whine as he trembled in terror.


    The woman extended a hand, and a black insect jumped from it and crawled into Yi Wensi''s ear. Yi Wensi gave a horrified scream and convulsed, causing him to fall to the ground until his entire consciousness fell into darkness.


    After a long time, Yi Wensi crawled up from the ground. His eyes were deadened with a hollow gaze. Vortigen clapped as he looked at the female wizard. "Please take care of the rest."

 117 Conspiracy 2

    In the spring of San Calendar Year 21, due to the tightening of the noose that was set forth by the Church and the King of the Crete Empire, the mastermind behind the Gathering of Darkness was finally revealed. The Prime Minister of the Crete Empire, Earl Yi Wensi, was exposed under pressure from the Church.


    Backed into a corner, Yi Wensi had started a revolution with the army. Their attacks left the palace washed with blood, as their rampage killed the two sons and daughter of Elliot VIII. Even with the protection of ten imperial guards, Elliot VIII still took an arrow, which eventually led to his death.


    During this crisis, Elliot VIII''s younger brother, Duke Vortigen, stormed into the palace with his personal corp, defeating the rebel army and killing Yi Wensi. Just before his death at the hands of Duke Vortigen, Yi Wensi screamed of his loyalty to Elliot VIII.


    The capital of the Crete Empire, Virginia, descended into a state of extreme chaos. There were a large numbers of military movements, torches, and armored men constantly strategically moving in the nights.


    Chief Justice Sean had gone to the palace with Duke Vortigen in order to rescue Elliot VIII. Immediately, he had attempted to heal Elliot VIII''s injury with his entourage. However, although the injury had healed, Elliot VIII fell into a coma, due to excessive blood loss paired with his original ill health.


    Duke Vortigen watched Elliot VIII on his deathbed. He was heartbroken and cursing the Gathering of Darkness that Yi Wensi had created. "I never thought that Yi Wensi could be the head of the Gathering of Darkness. We must execute the bastards of the Gathering of Darkness, as well as the accursed wizards."


    Sean stood behind Vortigen, looking at the bloodless face of Elliot VIII with a expression of unease. He was an expert on intelligence gathering and punitive measures, yet he had no experience with politics. He was here to investigate the Gathering of Darkness and the theft of the Sword. Never had he expected this sort of a development to occur. It was wildly out of his area of expertise!


    With the deaths of all of his children, the only royals left were Elliot VIII and Duke Vortigen. If anything happened to Elliot VIII, only Duke Vortigen would be able to step in.


    Currently, the Church was completely unprepared for the succession of the Crete Emperor. In fact, Duke Vortigen wasn''t even on the shortlist of the Church''s candidates for the throne. So, for the time being, Sean simply could not yet allow the death of Elliot VIII!


    Sean also felt that everything was a bit too coincidental. It was unnatural to him, as if it were a scripted scenario. As soon as Yi Wensi was investigated, he started a revolution and killed all of Elliot VIII''s children. It appeared that Yi Wensi''s madness stemmed from his loyalty to Elliot VIII and his desire for vengeance. But, again, it all still seemed very unnatural.


    The way that Vortigen had killed Yi Wensi also seemed a little too deliberate and rushed. The large number of these coincidences, which were starting to really add up, smelled like a conspiracy to Sean.


    Someone from the Judges of Light rushed in and whispered into Sean''s ear. Sean''s expression transformed dramatically. "What? Not a single person was there?"


    After Yi Wensi''s failed rebellion, Sean had immediately sent people to surround Earl Yi Wensi''s estate in order to track down the whereabouts of the Sword of the King. Since Yi Wensi was the head of the Gathering of Darkness, he must have known the location of the Sword. He may have even kept the Sword for himself!


    What Sean didn''t expect was that, within the Yi Wensi estate, other than a few servants, all of his family had already escaped. Even their documents were all destroyed. The leftover servants were completely clueless as well, saying that their master had given them the day off.


    Sean couldn''t remain seated, but quickly bade Duke Vortigen farewell instead. While doing so, he relegated all of the palace affairs to him, leaving two pastors in charge of taking care of Elliot VIII.


    He then left and headed immediately to the Yi Wensi estate. As he saw Sean''s hastily retreating figure, Duke Vortigen let out a sinister smile.


    "This is how they left the city."


    As it turns out, this wasn''t the estate of Yi Wensi, but rather an old water tower, which was quite far from his estate! An executioner from the Judges of Light had tracked the location down, finding that the kin of Yi Wensi had fled there while they were on the run from the city. Sean took a torch and gestured below. "Have you all been down there yet?"


    The executioner replied. "We have already sent people down there to investigate. There is a meeting room and a few other tunnels, some of which lead to other parts of the city, as well as to the outside."


    Sean led a few executioners down into the dark meeting room, which had an ominous sense of mystery. Seam slammed his fists down on the table.


    "So, Yi Wensi was the leader of the Gathering of Darkness. This time, we finally caught him. However, he died before we could ask him any questions. Now we must search, find out where each tunnel leads and determine the identities of every member of this table!"


    A few people dragged in a middle-aged man in a coarse cotton shirt. "Chief Justice, we have a new lead."


    Sean glanced at the man. "Who is this?"


    "Yi Wensi''s driver. He has said that he often saw Yi Wensi getting in a special carriage always headed to an unknown destination. And then, a while ago, when he picked up Yi Wensi, he said that he saw Yi Wensi bringing back a strange package."


    Sean looked at the driver. "What package? Tell me the details."


    The man looked terrified. He trembled, not daring to raise his head as he answered Sean, "Around ten days ago, on one late rainy night, the Earl had me wait for him at the second alley by Lir Street. He had arrived there empty-handed, but came back with a strange package."


    "What package?"


    "It seemed like a sword. No, it was definitely a sword, because I saw its grip. It was a beautiful snowy white, and it had strange symbols on it."


    Sean and everyone else at the scene now stood a little straighter, glaring at the driver. Sean drew a few symbols. "Did they look like this?"


    "Yes, I remember. They looked exactly like that. There''s no mistake." The driver affirmed, still shaking.


    "The Sword of the King!"


    Sean waved his hand and white light flashed, destroying the table. Sean then roared in fury. "So it was Yi Wensi! The old fox has been proclaiming his loyalty to our Church while being a complete heretic!"


    "How long has it been since the escape of the Yi Wensi household?"


    The executioner had already investigated the matter, so was ready to answer the question immediately. "Over half a day. They may already be quite a distance away by now."


    "Then chase them!" roared Sean. "The Sword of the King must be in the hands of Yi Wensi''s children. We must catch up to them. Send word to Captain Charles and Archbishop Leon. We will use all of our forces to track them down!"

 118 Border Conflic

    "Don''t be afraid. As long as we escape to the land of the orcs, we''ll be saved."


    "Mother, what happened? I don''t want to live in the filthy country of the orcs. Why are we going there?"


    A carriage that was protected by a few knights was crossing the Red River plains, headed on its way to the orc lands. A slightly pudgy mother was holding her younger son, while her older son lifted the curtain to peer outside from time to time.


    During the journey, there had been several close calls, but nothing had gone drastically wrong yet. Although the Church of Light had set up numerous barriers, through some of her husband''s connections and friends, the little family had managed to leave the Crete Empire.


    They were so very close now, for as soon as they crossed the Red River plains, they would be safe. Once they arrived there, people from the Kingdom of Menkaure would come to receive them.


    A squad of knights clad in shining armor crossed through a Crete Empire frontier town, following the carriage tracks. They had already gone for two days without rest, each person switching between horses in order to keep heading onward. The horses were understandably exhausted and reaching their limits.


    "Quick, quick, they''re not far now. We must capture them before they reach the land of the orcs!"


    The stallions puffed out hot breaths, speeding up after being whipped across the channel by the knights. They sped out past the town on the road, the guards of the local city not daring to stop them after seeing the insignia on the horses and the knights. Instead, all of the guards simply stood stick straight, staring at the knights as they headed off into the distance.


    Following the Red River across the rolling plains, they finally saw a line of carriages that was fleeing along the horizon. All of the Church of Light scouts, who had been chasing them for two days, displayed expressions of frenzied delight.


    The escaping carriages also saw the pursuers on the horizon, causing them to also begin pushing their steeds in order to gain some distance. The mother in the carriage crawled out with her younger son and screamed for her older son, Pazak.


    "Pazak remember... run! Cross that line over there into the land of the orcs! Take Allen and run!"


    Yi Wensi''s wife quickly thrust a package into the chest of her younger sun and passed him to Pazak. Pazak, who was covered in armor, looked at his mother as he caught Allen.


    "What about you?"


    His mother was impatient and wildly pushed at Pazak to go. "There is no time! I can''t escape, so you two must go on ahead. Use the package as a treasure to exchange for your safety. Remember to give it to the King of Menkaure. Do not trust anyone else. Quick, go now. Don''t worry about me, and take care of your brother!"


    Pazak saw the pursuers hot on their tails, as they were almost right upon them. He hardened his heart and hugged Allen, who was howling with tears. He then pulled the reins, hurtling towards the border of the Kingdom of Menkaure.


    By the time the Knights of Light had arrived, there were only a few servants, who had been left behind to buy time. As the cavalry stormed ahead, they drew their swords to attack the servants. Blood flew through the air as the servants collapsed, one by one. Defenseless, they had been completely annihilated.


    The knights opened the carriage drapes to find the corpse of a woman. "This is the wife of Yi Wensi. The Holy Sword is not here. It must have been taken away by the other two."


    "If we go any further, we will be in the borders of the Kingdom of Menkaure. That would trigger a war between humanity and the orcs. Should we continue?"


    All of the scouts looked at their leader, waiting for his command. The captain made a gesture. "Continue, no matter what. We must get the Holy Sword back."


    Pazak''s horse had already crossed into the Kingdom of Menkaure. A huge stone tablet was erected at the border, marking his entrance into their official lands. At first, he thought he was safe. However, he did not expect that the pursuers would actually ignore the possibility of provoking a war between the orcs and humanity, and cross straight into Menkaure in pursuit of him.


    "Shuu---"


    A sharp arrow cut through the wind and crossed over a hundred meters at once, goring straight through Pazak''s shoulder and hitting his horse. Pazak fell to the ground with his horse, due to the momentum from the sudden halt.


    The pursuers closed the distance swiftly. Pazak struggled to stand up and dragged his brother into a run. Yet, this was futile, as humans could run faster than horses, especially the specially raised warhorses of the Knights of Light.


    The scout soldiers drew their blades and focused all of their attentions on the escapees. Just like hawks that were circling over rabbits, all of their eyes glittered with a cold killing intent.


    Yet, at this time, on the slope ahead, a commotion erupted. A leopard man soldier had appeared on the slope, followed by the appearance of more and more cavalry. Ahead, they formed a long, dense line, with even more soldiers lined up behind that.


    The soldiers leading the horses on the mountain shouted. "Stop, human soldiers! This is the territory of the Kingdom of Menkaure. You humans do not belong here."


    It was as if Pazak saw his salvation! He sprinted towards the hill and pulled out a badge, shouting, "I am a friend of Menkaure, a member of the Yi Wensi family of the Crete Empire."


    The leopard-man, who was clad in chainmail armor and was leading the soldiers, looked at Pazak and nodded. The cavalry parted the line, allowing the two brothers to head to the back in a gesture of goodwill and acceptance.


    The faces of the scouts of the Knights of Light were ashen. All of them recognized the identity of these troops as being the Hurricane Knights of the Kingdom of Menkaure. As the elites of the entire Kingdom of Menkaure, it was definitely no coincidence that they were there. They were here to welcome the escapees.


    The leader of the scouts stepped forward. He could not speak Sofawk, so he spoke to them in the human language of Phinks. "Soldiers of Menkaure, we are members of the Church of Light''s Knights of Light. As you know, the people you are protecting are traitors of the Church of Light. They have stolen a treasure of the Church of Light. Your actions are the same as a declaration of war against the Church of Light."


    The head of the Hurricane Knights didn''t think that, after trespassing into Menkaure, the Knights of Light would mock him. It was already a humiliation that he had not ordered his troops to wipe them out. The Knights of Light were completely looking down on him now.


    The captain raised his head and bared his fangs, then shouted out a thundering angry roar. "Get lost or die here!"


    The leader of the scouts gripped his longsword hard as his veins popped out. All ten of the proud Knights of Light behind him were also infuriated. Yet, they only had a bit over ten people, while the opponents had an entire squadron with hundreds of troops. Their side stood no chance of winning.


    The scout leader swept a cold gaze over the orc cavalry. "You will pay for your folly."


    "We''re heading back!"

 119 Prelude to War

    Compared to the human kingdoms, the architecture of the orc kingdoms was much more simple, with an emphasis on large, open designs with high ceilings and big halls. Pazak brought along his brother, Allen, as the two crossed the large simple hall of the palace and knelt before the King of Menkaure.


    Beneath a giant stone pillar, at the top of a row of stairs, there was a huge throne. The King had a pair of eyes that were completely different from those of regular humans. These eyes had an animalistic quality that chilled Pazak to the core. Pazak lowered his head, not daring to look up at the orc King, who was rumored to enjoy feasting on humans.


    "Oh Great King, we are here to offer you the greatest respect. We come bringing a gift, with the hope that you can accept us."


    The King of Menkaure was a middle-aged leopard man. After receiving the Sword of the King, his gaze glittered with enchanted greed. He was so focused on the sword, he did not look at the two humans at all.


    He only had eyes for the beautiful long sword. He dismissed the two with a hand wave, causing them to retreat at once. "So, this is the legendary Sword of the King? Whoever holds it will have mastery over the Alen Continent?!"


    A cat-person official approached. "Exactly! In the legends, whoever could activate the power of the Sword of the King would be the king chosen by God. So far, not a single person has been able to activate its power. Even the legendary Pope of the Church of Light has not been able to activate its divine abilities. Even so, the Church of Light has borrowed its authority in order to rule over half of the human nations. And now, it has fallen into your hands."


    The King of Menkaure laughed. He was delighted. He could already feel the extreme power of the sword. "Ah, I feel as if the eyes of God are upon me."


    A minotaur general approached. "Your Majesty, it is only a sword. Why would we want it, if it will offend the strongest force in humanity, the Church of Light? Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but this does not seem like a wise decision."


    The King looked at the general, displeased. His green beast eyes glowed with irritation. "Are you calling me a fool?"


    The general fell to the floor, fearful now. "I would not dare! Only, the Church of Light is likely to start a war with us over this Sword of the King. We have not fought with humanity for many decades. Why would we start a war now, after enjoying so many years of peace?"


    The king harrumphed. "Be at ease, the Emperor of Crete Elliot VIII has died, so the succession may occur at any time. Thus, the Church will be unable to move any of the Crete nobility and forces at this time."


    The king continued his speech. "As for the four platoons stationed within the Kingdom of the Church, there have been 10,000 cavalry deployed with one army. Of the other three armies, at least two of them would not yet have been deployed. Considering the present unrest in the Crete Empire, there is nothing to fear, as they are unable to start a war with us now."


    "As for the Church, since they would like the Sword back, they will be willing to pay any price. Haha, why wouldn''t I take this sort of amazing bargain that has fallen from the skies? I will definitely ask the Church for gold, riches, weapons and horses. This time, we can get everything that we have always sought at once. I know for certain that the Church is completely swimming in wealth."


    The King of Menkaure raised the Sword of the King, stepping on the beast skin carpet as he returned to his throne. "With this, we do not have to fear the Church''s refusal!"


    -----------------


    A week later, within the Kingdom of the Church, at St. Sarl City, a stream of letters arrived from afar. The letters were delivered with haste to the meeting room, where the Pope and four Archbishops were seated.


    Archbishop Arthur was the first to speak. "We cannot agree to the demands of the Kingdom of Menkaure. This is about the glory of God. What are they thinking? They stole our divine artifact to blackmail us? If we capitulate to their demands, we will lose all of our dignity. Our reputation will be completely destroyed."


    Another Archbishop remarked also. "But, we cannot declare war against the Kingdom of Menkaure. At most, we can deploy the Knights of Light and the Knights of Holy Glory, which is a total of 30,000 people. Even adding to that Cardinal Leon''s forces, that is still only a total of 50,000 men. The Kingdom of Menkaure definitely has at least 80,000 in their regular army."


    "Even if they are not as skilled as our men, it will be enough to block our advance. The longer this drags on, the more forces they can gather, maybe even up to 100,000 or 200,000 men, especially if reinforcements are sent by the other orc nations or clans."


    At that moment, a thin Archbishop, who was newly anointed, shared his opinion. "According to the information sent by Chief Justice Sean, the affair in the Crete Empire, as well as the sudden emergence and destruction of the Gathering of Darkness, seem too sudden and too good to be true. He feels that there is a conspiracy, because it seems too easy. I feel that this is completely different from the careful style of the Gathering of Darkness from before."


    "According to Chief Justice Sean, all of this may be related to Duke Vortigen of the Crete Empire. According to the report, His Majesty Elliot VIII has reached his limits. His health was already approaching the limit. So, with the recent injury, even with a priest giving him life support, it is likely that¡­"


    Pope Hodap closed his eyes, still listening to their conversation, but also lost in his own thoughts. At this time, a sound entered the meeting room from outside. Saintess Kelly entered, accompanied by a few acolyte maidens. Compared to a few years ago, the Saintess appeared to be more mature, having a pure aura and appearance. She seemed like a living statue of the Goddess of Light.


    "The Sword of the King cannot be lost. I will go personally to ensure this. No matter what conspiracy is in the Crete Empire, and regardless of the orcs of the Kingdom of Menkaure, we cannot allow the shaming of the Church of Light."


    Pope Hodap stood up to greet the Saintess. "Oh no, you are the nucleus of the Church of Light, the descendant of God and the symbol of divine authority. As long as you are here, the Kingdom of the Church and St. Sarl City will definitely be safe. If Your Holiness leaves, or even has any accidents, the entire Church would be thrown into chaos. It has not yet reached that stage. However, I have already made preparations."


    Hodap turned around. "Issue a Church proclamation to Duke Vortigen of the Crete Empire, crowning him as the next Emperor of the Crete Empire. Arthur, you will represent me, going personally to Virginia City to host a coronation ceremony for him."


    "You will also carry my message to him. He should use all of his forces to support us in attacking the Kingdom of Menkaure. I will order the Knight of Holy Glory and the Executioners to accompany you, while sending the same order to Charles. This time, we are aiming for a swift victory."


    Hodap''s tone was ice cold, completely forgetting that the previous Emperor of Crete, Elliot VIII, was still technically alive. Yet, no one there treated him as a living being.


    "We are activating the Executioners? This eases my mind. This time, I will let them know the fear of holy judgement." Arthur stood up to carry out the order.


    The Saintess looked at Hodap, who immediately replied. "I understand the intentions of Your Holiness, I already messaged Chief Justice Sean to investigate whether Duke Vortigen is connected to the Gathering of Darkness and the theft of the Sword. But, for now, it is more important to stabilize the situation and retrieve the Sword first. This way, we can also preserve the authority of the Church."


    "If he really is involved with this incident, he will soon come to know the dark punishments that result from such misdeeds." Hodap thumped his scepter on the ground, his countenance turning incomparably frosty.

 120 Destruction of the Kingdom of Menkaure

    In the Spring of San Calendar Year 21, Elliot VIII of the Crete Empire passed away at the age of forty-two. Since all of his male offspring had died in the rebellion, the first in line to the throne was Duke Vortigen, who succeeded his brother''s throne as the Emperor of Crete with the title of Vortigen I.


    Afterwards, the Church and the Crete Empire formed an allied army with Charles, the head of the Knights of Light, acting as the Commander. They declared war against the Kingdom of Menkaure with over 80,000 knights and around 100,000 recruited soldiers. The army of over 200,000 crossed the Red River Plains and attacked the Kingdom of Menkaure, which had not made any preparations for war.


    The Crete Imperial Army was skilled in uphill battles, while the Menkaure troops were very weak in the area of siege defense. Hence, the human allied forces quickly stormed into Menkaure and instantly set the nation aflame.


    Among the 200,000, other than the ordinary soldiers, there were many soldiers that had been conscripted by the nobles, as well as knights from their retinue. These people participated in the war for one reason, and it was not by the orders of the Church and the Emperor. Instead, it was solely with the aim to pillage.


    As such, they did not carry much food with them, and earned their livings on the battlefield, sustaining their lives with their lusts for wealth. This ambition boosted both their morale and battle prowess.


    Wherever the allied army swept through, the ground would be littered with bodies. The human army had become a group of pillaging thieves, who burned all that they saw to the ground.


    Sometimes, there was no difference between these soldiers and the bandits, especially when facing a different race. They left a steady trail of blood, all the while stuffing their wallets, the entire way to the capital of the Kingdom of Menkaure. In fact, the entire kingdom was filled with screams and crimson blood.


    The king and the nobles of Menkaure had never thought that the Crete Empire, which was on the verge of chaos itself, would stabilize so quickly, much less complete a transition of power to form an allied army with the Church of Light, and then declare war on them! As the war continued and the army approached, they all fell into complete hysterics.


    The Kingdom of Menkaure hastily scrapped together an army of 70,000. They then decided to use the geography of the Kary Valley in order to stop the advance of the human army, while seeking reinforcements from the other orc kingdoms and large clans.


    Within the first three days, the Menkaure army successfully delayed the human allied army. But by the fourth day, the human side sent out their first special abilities team, the Ministers of Execution.


    Dozens of priests with special abilities led the Knights of Light in destroying the entire orc army. Holy light and longswords swept the battlefield. In their wake, numerous bodies littered the ground.


    They were unstoppable. The beastmen army scattered in terror, while the allied army chased them. From the Kary Valley to the capital of Menkaure, the path was paved with discarded armor and dead bodies.


    A large amount of bodies of the fallen orc soldiers floated down the Kary River. The fish in the river grew fat feasting on their bloated corpses. The entire river was dyed blood red.


    From the beginning of the war to its current progress to the capital, only half a month had passed. The human allied army was already pushing the Kingdom of Menkaure to the brink of destruction.


    Before the allied army arrived, news of the defeat of the large orc army had spread to the capital. The capital of Menkaure descended into absolute chaos, as all the nobles, officials, merchants and citizens scrambled to pack their belongings and escape.


    Even the servants and guards of the palace were in a panic, and crowds of people were running around. A lot of servants even started looting the palace as they prepared to flee. The morale of the entire kingdom was completely gone, as the signs of annihilation were eminent.


    The King of Menkaure sat on the throne with soulless eyes, holding the legendary Sword of the King in his hands. The throne room was empty, without a single lit lamp. It had lost all feeling of its past glory. Footsteps were heard as the minotaur general approached.


    "Your Highness, the preparations are ready."


    The King of Menkaure, now aged beyond his years, lifted his head and asked, "How did this happen? How did it come to this so suddenly?"


    He stood up, his leopard eyes narrowed. "They deceived us. It was the Gathering of Darkness! It was those wizards! You have tricked us! It was you, all of you! Otherwise, how would they dare attack us? How would they do this with such speed? It''s not my fault, not me!"


    The King fell into a state of near madness. At last, he could only laugh a long bitter laugh, morose and broken.


    The royal capital was ruled by frenzied chaos, as the citizens ran and screamed up and down the streets. The allied army wasn''t even here yet, but it seemed as if the Apocalypse had already descended. The streets were packed. People could be heard screaming at one another, crushing each other in a mad scramble to get out of the city.


    The King led his son through an underground passage out of the city. Outside the city, there were a hundred knights stationed. Since the prince was born late in the king''s life, he especially treasured the child. After hugging him, the king handed him to a leopard-man knight.


    The child bursted into tears. "Father, what''s happening? I don''t want to leave you."


    The king''s heart ached, and he wrung his hands in grief. The knights saluted the king and departed immediately. The king only looked back after the knights had departed. As he did so, he could no longer hold back his weary tears.


    "The Church of Light would never let me go. I will run this way to avoid attracting their attention."


    The King of Menkaure led the remaining ten soldiers and departed. By dawn, the capital could be seen in the distance, alight in flames and descending into a blazing inferno. The king and his knights were completely shocked.


    "What are they doing? It''s a massacre. What do they want?"


    "Humanity, the Church of Light, and the Crete Empire!"


    The King of Menkaure fell from his horse and struggled to stagger back up. He gnashed his teeth in pure hatred and regret, as he repeated these three things over and over again.


    This scene made all of the people present shed unbidden tears. By then, they were upriver by the Kary River. As soon as they crossed the river, they would be far enough away. Yet, at this moment, fleeing was not on their minds. Many orc soldiers dismounted and knelt down, facing the city.


    From afar, the sound of hooves and armor gradually drifted closer. These were the pursuers of the allied army. They looked like a black mass, approaching like a shadow of the night. They would not forget the King of Menkaure nor the Sword of Light he held.


    The minotaur general drew his longsword, but he did not look at the enemy. Instead, his steady gaze never left his king. "Your Majesty, do you regret your decision?"


    The king was silent, and the general did not wait for an answer. He led his ten knights into battle against the enemy, as the sound of clashing blades and battlecries resounded with the rise of dawn.


    Surrounded by the human army, no matter how brave these warriors were, they all died, one by one. The minotaur general was taken down by three people, as multiple swords gored through his chest and back. As he fell to the ground, he knelt towards the capital and closed his eyes one final time.


    Only the King of Menkaure was left. He stood by the Kary River with his crown and beast skin robes, looking at the neat squadron approaching him. All of them glared at him with icy killing intent, observing this fallen king. Whoever fetched his head and brought back the Sword of the King, would receive wealth, glory, land and everything beyond imagination.


    The King of Menkaure turned around and held the Sword of the King tightly as he looked at the army surrounding him. His shocked expression turned unbelievably sinister, the hatred and fury in his eyes radiating out from his entire being. When he spoke, the muscles in his neck were trembling. "Humanity, I curse you! I curse you!"


    His gaze swept past all of the humans at the scene, imprinting their ugly features as it went, including the longswords and armor that was tainted with the fresh blood of the orcs. Their bodies were drenched in the lifeblood of the orc. As the light of the rising sun fell on them, it felt as if an aura of blood had started rolling outwards. Even their voices had transformed into echoes of despair.


    "You will pay for your sins. You will never get this Sword of the King. One day, it will belong to a King of the Orcs, who will return this pain to you a thousand-fold."


    After finishing this sentence, the King of Menkaure turned around and threw himself into the torrents of the Kary River. The Sword of the King disappeared within the rolling waves of the river.

 121 Traveling Around the World

    San Calendar Year 21, the human allied forces attacked the Orc King of Menkaure. In the wake of the war, heavy taxes were levied on food and living expenses, causing chaos. All order within the city was lost, as humanity devolved into committing acts of arson and robbery.


    In the end, the entire capital was annihilated. The hundreds of thousands of orcs that had yet to flee the city were massacred by the allied forces, and the entire bustling capital of Menkaure was burned to the ground.


    The King of Menkaure ended his own life, jumping into the Kary River after being chased by the allied forces. The war had exhausted the resources of the Menkaure Kingdom. It collapsed shortly thereafter, and was now just another name in the history books.


    In Ayer City, a team of human cavalry soldiers, dressed in armor and helmets, trekked along a small path.The orc farmers retreated to the sides of the roads, staring down at the ground, as they were afraid to make eye contact.


    The entire city had been emptied. Some had fled to the mountains, while others had fled back to their former clans. All of the shops in the west side of the city had been closed. Only Lu Zhiyu''s clinic remained open. It was filled with many injured patients, who were lying in bed.


    The expedition force held up its golden red flag, which showed the insignia of the Knights of Light. They entered the city, finding the gates wide open. There were no guards left. In fact, almost all of the people of Ayer City had long since fled. Even the officials, who had been running the city, had abandoned it.


    The cavalry was boisterous, as it paraded through the streets. All of the buildings'' doors were shut tightly, as those in the few remaining households watched them through their doors and windows in horror. Finally, they stopped in front of the doors of Lu Zhiyu''s clinic,looking at him.


    "Hey, Saint Maria!"


    "Saint Maria!"


    The knights exchanged greetings with Lu Zhiyu, as their hands were laid on their chests, according to the common mannerisms of the Church of Light. "Mr. Randhir? I have two soldiers, who have been seriously injured, and I would like to seek your help. I can''t believe I have found a human doctor here!"


    "As long as there are patients who need us, we will be here. However, we save people, while you only kill them. This is just a simple little town. All of the rich people within the city have long since fled. All of the remaining citizens are only some kind, poor folks. So, please do no evil here!" Lu Zhiyu stared sternly into the knight''s eyes.


    The knight replied immediately, "We are not the dogs and executioners of the nobles. We are the shepherds of the gods. My name is Brian. I am a knight from St. Sarl City. Rest assured, we are not like those other robbers. We only came here to accomplish a mission."


    Lu Zhiyu took them inside, then moved the two wounded men to the second-floor clinic. The other orcs in the hospital watched them with hostility. Lu Zhiyu had to treat them personally. Both of them were seriously injured.


    One had lost a hand and suffered from excessive blood loss, while the other had an arrow that was lodged in his abdomen. Though part of the arrow was cut off, the rest of it was embedded deep within him, making it quite difficult to pull out.


    After Lu Zhiyu had treated them, they were in much better states. After taking their medicine and getting bandaged up, they fell asleep.


    "I didn''t expect to find such a skilled doctor here. You are much better than the court doctors!" Brian exclaimed, as he thanked Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu sat and chatted with him for a bit. "I am quite close to Bohr Kelermo."


    Brian sat up immediately, utterly in awe now. "You are a friend of Mr. Kelermo? I have always admired him! Due to his research, we now have cures for many diseases. As such, a doctor was recently able to save my mother!"


    During the conversation, it was easy to see that Brian was very friendly to doctors. He was also extremely angry and dissatisfied with the actions of the armies, which were led by the nobles among the human coalition forces.


    He had come here with a mission from the upper reaches along the Kary River, ordered to look for something. Brian did not elaborate on the exact details of the item.


    Ayer City was already downstream of the Kary River. If they went any further south, they would reach the tributaries of the Kary River, including the Red River. As such, it seemed that they had failed to accomplish their mission.


    In the evening, Lu Zhiyu came to the deserted Kary River. This was quite a far distance downstream, so the river was relatively slow moving. From time to time, in the last few days, a large number of bodies would float by from upstream, their blood dying the water red. Those incidents cast a sinister feel upon the entire river. Even the fish in the river seemed ghastly.


    After waiting for a long time, Lu Zhiyu saw something that was approaching from the distance. It went against the current, then leapt out of the water to hover in the air. It was a silvery-white holy sword.


    On top of the longsword, Lu Zhiyu''s inscribed runes could be seen. The general meaning on the inscriptions were: humility, honesty, empathy, courage, fairness, sacrifice, glory, soul. They were the Eight Virtues of the Knight that Lu Zhiyu had chosen. The holy name of Faross decorated the sword''s hilt.


    Lu Zhiyu reached out, the sword falling directly into his hand. Lu Zhiyu held it flat in his hands, as he traced his finger across the blade. He hadn''t expected the sword, which he had made as a bit of a joke, to provoke so much conflict within the Alen Continent. The originally unremarkable sword really did seem to hold some sort of strange mission, as it was currently shrouded in a sacred light.


    After decades beside Ahenaten, it had been sealed for more than a thousand years inside his tomb, before finally falling into the hands of the Church of Light. After all these twists and turns, it continued to cause remarkable turmoil upon the continent. Each appearance and disappearance seemed to influence the lives and deaths of countless people.


    Now, it was back in the hands of Lu Zhiyu. It had been well-maintained, and it appeared not to be much different than how it was when he had originally awarded it to Ahenaten. Only now, it somehow felt heavier, as if it had obtained the weight of a thousand years.


    Lu Zhiyu mused, "Isn''t this just an ordinary longsword? Why fight so hard for it?"


    After the departure of Brian''s squad, the last wave of the human armies also withdrew from the Kingdom of Menkaure. The armies of the other orc kingdoms and the nearby large orc tribes immediately descended on the ravaged land, aiming to gain territory. They were just like wolves that scavenged the body of a buffalo. They only brought more disasters upon the already traumatized people of Menkaure.


    The entire Kingdom of Menkaure was in a state of complete chaos. Multiple forces rose up, as other tribes and kingdoms invaded and divided the land. The kingdom''s original peace had completely disappeared.


    The city of Ayer had also completely fallen. One by one, all of the people in the remaining households departed. Gradually, it became an entirely empty city.


    Lu Zhiyu stood outside his clinic in the sun. He carried a large suitcase. The winds carried sand and dust through the deserted shopping street. The empty shop doors and windows were boarded up, having long since been abandoned. The late spring breeze and the soft sunlight would have normally felt warm and intoxicating, but at the moment, it could only be described as a bleak scene.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the familiar streets, shops, and the furnishings on his door. All of them held many memories, but now, everyone was gone. Lu Zhiyu was the last to leave this empty city.


    Since the Kingdom of Menkaure was destroyed by the humans, as they had conducted many mass killings. They had also looted, while burning the cities. Even though there had previously been goodwill towards Lu Zhiyu, his relations with the orcs became more strained with each passing day. Lu Zhiyu was gradually isolated, as he became more unpopular. In fact, many people in groups had left without telling Lu Zhiyu, much less inviting him to come along.


    Verthandi clung to his thigh. "Daddy, I don''t want to leave our home!"


    She pouted, as tears swirled in her eyes. "Why was there a war? Everyone was fine, so why did everything change?"


    Lu Zhiyu knelt down. "There are many reasons to start a war. Revenge, interests, desires, greed... All of these things have caused wars. But most importantly, remember that the result of a war cannot be controlled. Once a war is initiated, it is like a beast that has been released from its cage. All of the evil hidden within creatures is released, which eventually leads to irreparable results. The people who initiate wars always think that they can control everything. They always hope to gain something through the war, but in most cases, it does not go as planned. Most times, both sides just sustain grievous damages."


    Verthandi raised a small fist. "I will be a virtuous knight in the future, like a hero from the stories. I will stop the wars. I want to protect everyone, including you, Daddy!"


    Looking at Little Trouble''s innocent face, and hearing her childish words, Lu Zhiyu could not help but laugh. "Sure, you can protect Daddy in the future."


    She immediately made a strong, proud pose, but with her tiny and cute face, she looked nothing like a knight. Lu Zhiyu lifted the suitcase, then took the her hand, as they stepped out of the clinic onto the road.


    "Daddy, where are we going?"


    "Hmm? Us? Let''s travel around the world!"


    The sun''s rays shone on the two of them, one big and one small, as their two long shadows stretched along the empty streets. The laughter of the little girl echoed on the streets.

 122 Evil Dragon

    Thirteen years had since passed. It was now the fall of San Calendar Year 34.


    A large ship approached the city of Danello in the Kingdom of Engido. It was a port city that had grown within the recent years. Though sea monsters and Children of the Sea were still almost impossible to kill, humanity had already devised methods to avoid them, developing safer seafaring routes.


    This orc city, which had developed due to trade, had incorporated the opposing influences of humanity''s elegance and attention to detail with the orcs'' tastes for more basic simplicity, creating a surprisingly wonderful combination. From afar, the outline of the city could be seen from the seas, its port lined with several merchant vessels, including an array from both the human and orc kingdoms. A large number of dockworkers were constantly bustling around the port, creating a lively scene.


    The stone buildings within the city were surrounded constantly with the daily crowds of passersby. A tall clock tower and a beautiful church could be seen clearly, even from the docks. In fact, they could even be seen from the far off horizon.


    At that moment, two people approached. They were dressed in identical sky blue pullovers, black pants, and boots. For the shorter figure, the pullover seemed to be quite long, extending past the knees. Both of them had identical short hair and handsome features.


    The tall figure was a bearded man. He had black hair and black eyes. The shorter individual was a blonde lion orc youth. Both of them carried backpacks and longswords. As the pair lifted their suitcases down from the ship, they made their ways into Danello.


    There where many races on the roads of the trading city, including several types of orcs and human merchants. Within a church in the city, Lu Zhiyu met a dog-person orc that was clad in a black priest''s habit.


    This signified that he was a member of the Church of Light within the orc kingdom, however, unlike the human version, they called themselves the Faith of the Sun and believed in the Sun Goddess Maria. The variation was not only revealed in the name, but even their beliefs and rituals of worship had major differences.


    The Faith of the Sun, or the orc adaption of the Church of Light, stemmed from an attempt that occurred a few decades ago, when the Church of Light tried to expand within the orc kingdoms. Although it was effective to a certain extent, it still wasn''t popular.


    However, after the battle that destroyed the Kingdom of Menkaure, the Church of Light and the Executioners had demonstrated an overwhelming power. Not only did many orcs start hating the Church of Light and humanity, but it was also extremely effective in spreading the faith of the Church of Light in the lands of the orcs. This combination of fear and power had made for an unexpectedly effective conversion tactic.


    Religions within the orc kingdoms also went through countless changes, fights, and mergers on their way to forming the Faith of the Sun. Though its roots were much weaker as compared to the Church of the Light, its development was still extremely fast. Within a little more than a decade, the Sun Faith had spread throughout most of the orc kingdoms. Many tribes had also converted, thus embracing the Sun Faith.


    After walking into the church, Lu Zhiyu hollered a loud greeting. Immediately, an orc Sun Faith priest turned around. "Hello! If it isn''t Baron Randhir Eranbell and our handsome Will! You''re all grown up! The two of you are quite alike, even if Will is just a bit too short, unlike you and most lion-people!"


    Verthandi rolled her eyes upon hearing the old orc''s teasing. Her height had always been a bit of a sore spot that Lu Zhiyu teased her about. Now that the old orc had brought it up, she behaved a bit like a cat whose tail was just stepped on. She scowled at the older orc, feeling more than a bit sensitive.


    Lu Zhiyu gave the old orc a warm hug. "My old friend Cory, I am glad to see you."


    "It''s been ten years, yet you still have the same energy."


    "I have already grown old, but you haven''t changed at all."


    After a bit of small talk back and forth, Cory invited Lu Zhiyu into a guest room in the back. The two talked as they walked. "I heard you will soon be promoted to become a bishop?"


    Cory seemed very happy after hearing Lu Zhiyu''s words. He smiled as he replied, "All of the Bishops have been transferred to other locations, so I am already the acting bishop. As soon as the higher ups send the order, I''ll be able to wear the white robes."


    Lu Zhiyu was also quite happy for Cory. He was a devout believer, who had been around since the founding of the Faith ten years ago, back when it was still being suppressed. After being transferred to the city of Danello, he had been promoted. Now, as the acting Bishop of Danello, he wielded considerable influence within the Faith of Sun.


    "Congratulations, you have finally gained control over the Grand Church of Danello. This is the dream of quite a few Faith of Sun clergy."


    Cory accepted Lu Zhiyu''s well wishes. "If I have the chance, I wish to visit St. Sarl City for a pilgrimage. I''d like to see the legendary kin of god, Her Holiness the Saintess, and the divine artifact, the Mask of Faross, which is a true sign of God. I hope one day, we too will receive a divine artifact and divine blessings from the Heavens!"


    He continued. "Haha, but maybe that is me being too greedy. I will honestly be quite satisfied if I can enter the Kingdom of God after my passing. Even that is too much to ask for."


    Lu Zhiyu knew that the Sun Faith has been searching tirelessly for divine artifacts, as they often tried to contact the divine. Yet they had not received any response. Besides, they had been searching for the Sword of the King, which had been lost over ten years, without results.


    After getting seated and chatting for awhile, Lu Zhiyu jumped into the main topic, his upcoming visit to the Kingdom of Engido. "I heard that an evil dragon has appeared within the Kingdom of Engido."


    Cory''s expression instantly changed. "Do not speak of the matter. It is rumored that this dragon is likely to appear, once it is summoned."


    Cory then got up and closed the window superstitiously, speaking very carefully. "But, yes, that is right. It is an evil white dragon that appeared about a year ago. After its appearance, it has pillaged many villages and robbed merchant vessels. After that, it became even crazier, raiding cities. Last month, it even stole away our princess, escaping with her to the Amos Icefield. It has demanded a ransom from the king, who has now set a bounty on the head of the dragon for the rescue of the princess."


    Of course Lu Zhiyu knew that he was able to pinpoint the location of the dragon. However, the purpose of this time''s journey was to set up a trial for Little Trouble, while raising her abilities to give her a chance to grow.


    Yet, Lu Zhiyu had never expected this dragon to be so arrogant! Its personality and deeds were identical to the evil dragons of legend. Lu Zhiyu had to wonder if this was all due to the initial designs that he had programmed within their genes? He had given all the dragons a love for gold, but they had also received variations according to their subspecies. If Lu Zhiyu recalled correctly, white dragons seemed to be programmed to be...lustful?!


    So, why did it capture the princess of the orcs? The size and species were a wrong fit for such a scenario. What did the white dragon want to do?


    Lu Zhiyu''s head spun with these questions, while he pressed onwards. He then turned to ask Cory, "What is the most convenient route to the Amos Icefield?"


    Cory looked at Lu Zhiyu. "You''re not thinking of slaying the dragon to save the princess, right? My God, you''re full of surprises old fella! But, I wouldn''t recommend leaping towards your own death in such a way!"


    Although Lu Zhiyu was miffed by the tone of the old orc, he knew that his friend was only teasing, so he decided to ignore it and continue on. Seeing his reaction, Cory gave a huge laugh, then explained. "If you want to get to the Amos Icefield, it would be best to follow, or hire, an merchant team. I do know a caravan that frequents that route. I even believe that you are already quite familiar with its owner."


    "Who?"


    "Elias..."

 123 Caravan

    "Up!" Lu Zhiyu was teaching Verthandi swordsmanship. The two raised their swords, posed with the exact same stance. Even their subtle movements were exactly the same.


    "Pay attention to your footwork. Lower your center of gravity. Don''t mess up. Look at my eyes, while looking straight ahead," he instructed.


    The two swords were intertwined and clashing intermittently, as the pair practiced in the center of the backyard of the cathedral. Lu Zhiyu carefully adjusted Verthandi''s footwork, wrist, stance, spirit and gaze.


    Verthandi was very talented. Although she had not yet awakened her blood talent, she had reached the peak of swordsmanship in regards to pure technique. She had basically reached the highest limit that she could master at present, so all that was left for her train in was skill level.


    After finishing a complete set, Lu Zhiyu put down his sword. "Yes, there is nothing to teach you in the future. Your physical condition has almost been raised to your limit."


    Verthandi sat down next to a pillar, exhausted. After hearing Lu Zhiyu''s words, her two furry ears immediately perked up. "Dad, does that mean that I''m almost ready to awaken my bloodline talent?"


    After Verthandi had grown up a bit, Lu Zhiyu began growing a beard, so he was no longer Daddy, but just Dad. Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Almost, and after awakening your bloodline, you will be a real knight. Although you''ll be a tiny knight, you''ll be a knight nonetheless!"


    Verthandi hissed and pounced at Lu Zhiyu, showing her fangs. She pouted and stomped her feet. "I''m only sixteen years old. I can still grow taller!"


    As Lu Zhiyu was considered to be on the tall side. Verthandi, by comparison, was relatively petite, which made her particularly frustrated, because she wanted to be a great knight! In order to join the cavalry, there were height requirements, and some of the more exacting squads'' criteria were pretty strict!


    Verthandi waved her fist at Lu Zhiyu, who reached out and held her head down. Due to his height advantage, she couldn''t reach him, no matter how hard she tried. Their hands entangled, but Lu Zhiyu kept a hand firmly on her head, laughing teasingly.


    Lu Zhiyu and Verthandi were waiting for the arrival of the Elias Merchant caravan that the Bishop of Cory had mentioned in the Grand Church of Danello. They would travel together through Engido''s capital, journeying to the northern lands of the Amos Icefield.


    Over the past ten years, Lu Zhiyu had been traveling with Verdanti to many human and orc kingdoms. Through a coincidence, Lu Zhiyu had received an honorary title of Baron from the Kingdom of the Church of Light. Though he had no land attached to it, it had made him an actual noble now.


    For more than 10 years, the two of them had relied on each other. It had really made Lu Zhiyu feel like a father. Compared to his old life, these days made Lu Zhiyu much happier. He could even forget his true identity, his powers, and his goals, as he wallowed in this newfound happiness.


    A few days later, Lu Zhiyu waited outside the bathroom, standing guard. Autumn in the north was very cold, so the steam from the hot water covered the room. Training to become a knight required extremely specific conditions, including a special exercise method to temper the body to the limit. Afterwards, the brain would sense changes in the body, then unlock the bodily limits to awaken one''s bloodline talent.


    This required both a steady supply and large amount of food, and a supply of various medicinal materials and tempering methods. Otherwise, the body would not be able to receive the energy necessary for such rigorous training, thus making it vulnerable to injury.


    Lu Zhiyu supplied Verthandi with the best of the best. There was never a shortage of supplies. As for the tempering methods, Lu Zhiyu felt that they were completely useless.


    In his mind, anything that he randomly made up would be better than these human methods. As far as tonics and medicinal materials were concerned, Lu Zhiyu had a free, unlimited supply of them.


    However, the awakening of the bloodline only occured when one''s physique was almost stabilized. Recently, Lu Zhiyu felt that Verthandi''s talent was about to awakened, so he immediately prepared a nutrient solution for her eminent breakthrough.


    At this time, from behind him, the door clicked open. Verthandi entered the room, squirming in her simple nightgown. It seemed that Lu Zhiyu''s preparations had paid off, and the awakening had been successful.


    Verthandi shyly held the robe tightly. Lu Zhiyu looked her up and down. "What are you shy about? I''m your dad! Either way, you''re so thin and bony. What is there to hide? Other people are hiding their goods. You have nothing to hide!"


    Lu Zhiyu dealt a brutal hit to Verthandi, who shrieked as her blond hair swayed. She threw the vase on the table towards Lu Zhiyu, cursing him by name. "Randhir, you old pervert!"


    Lu Zhiyu steadily caught the seven or eight things that Verthandi had thrown at him, without missing a single one. Just as he was gloating, he saw a bucket of bath water splashing towards him.


    After playing around for a bit, Lu Zhiyu checked Verthandi''s awakened bloodline talent. He was astonished at the results!


    "The Golden Eye? Unexpectedly, you have inherited Ahenaten''s Golden Eye. So, you now carry his bloodline!"


    Verthandi was elated. She knew that she had awakened a visual ability. She had looked into a bronze mirror, seeing some subtle changes in her eyes. They had changed from their original brown shade to a more beautiful gold color.


    When she looked at things now, she saw that the entire world had undergone tremendous changes. Not only had it become clearer, but her observations had also become sharper. Even the faces of the people, who were ringing the bells on the towers in the distance, could now clearly be seen. Even the vibrating wings of the bees that were flying by the window could all be seen clearly.


    This would be a powerful ability in the battlefield, and could be used as a weapon of destruction. She felt that she would gain a decent ability, but she did not expect it to be the Golden Eye of the legends. News regarding this talent had non-existent for a long time. The ability to awaken this rare legendary talent was called the bloodline of the kings.


    Verthandi was very happy. "Isn''t this the bloodline that you passed to me? Dad, don''t you know that you are the descendant of Ahenaten? Therefore, I am also a descendant of the Golden King!"


    Lu Zhiyu had a very awkward expression on his face. "It seems like I do have a passing connection to Ahenaten."


    At this time, there was a knock on the door downstairs. Lu Zhiyu opened it. It was a young orc cleric. "Sir, the bishop wants to see you."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "What did Bishop Cory say was the matter?"


    "It seems that the Elias Caravan has arrived. Sir Elias is currently in the front hall, chatting with the bishop."

 124 White Dragon Fros

    They were passing through a well-trodden path in a dark forest. The path had been packed down hard by a constant barrage of carriages, horse steeds, and footprints.


    A large caravan was passing through the woods, with many alpacoids and guards trailing far behind. The Elias mechant team was quite famous within the Kingdom of Engido. It was quite large and conducted the most business. In fact, its enterprises were known to extend throughout all of the orc nations.


    Lu Zhiyu was riding a horse. He was flanked on both sides by Golden Alpacas with twinkly eyes. It was an oddly embarrassing experience, as it felt like the alpacoids were somehow laughing at him. Lu Zhiyu had never thought that the Golden Alpacas and alpacoids would become so popular, back when he was designing them. Today, they had become so popular, they were common even in the orc nations!


    The caravan left the shadows of the woods, encountering the sun once again. Just below the slope ahead, in the distance, loomed a huge city. It was the capital of Engido, the city of Primonius.


    It was a large and exotic ancient capital. Lu Zhiyu could see many people gathering to enter the city. The collective line looked like a long river, filled with countless horses and alpacoids.


    Within the city, there were many structures. These building were impressive, boasting circular domes and high towers. Stone castles and structures linked one by one as they got closer and closer. It was an awe-inspiring city indeed. Standing at its foot, it seemed as if the city wall extended even beyond the horizon, where the sky and clouds became one.


    "Wow, I didn''t expect such a magnificent city to be found within an orc nation!" This was Lu Zhiyu''s first visit to Primonius, and he had not expected it to be such a majestic metropolis. It definitely would not be outdone, even by St. Sarl City of the Kingdom of the Church!


    Elias'' steed trotted behind Lu Zhiyu. "Of course, the King of Engido is an ambitious ruler with grand ideals. He has developed the Kingdom of Engido to its current state over several decades. He brought it to this age of prosperity by building up the strongest army this country has ever known. We had once believed that he would be the next Emperor of the orc nations. It''s a pity!"


    Lu Zhiyu was puzzled. "What''s a pity?"


    Elias pointed to the sky. "He is too old, so he will soon have to return to God''s embrace. He is only a mortal, after all. No matter how ambitious we are, we can not defy fate or old age."


    Ever since the destruction of the Kingdom of Menkaure, after losing the title of the mayor of Ayers, Elias had become a merchant. By the looks of it, his business was thriving. As he had said, though, he had also aged. In fact, he was probably going to retire soon. In preparation for this, he had brought his second son this time around, who was to succeed his caravan and noble rank.


    Passing through the steel spiked arch, sounds of the passing crowds were near deafening. People were bustling everywhere. On both sides of the crown, there were armored guards with spears, attempting to maintain order. Occasionally, patrol teams would flit through the passageways, also making their rounds.


    Elias spoke to Lu Zhiyu. "We will rest here and purchase some necessities. We will then depart again in three days. You two can wander around in the meantime. Welcome to Primonius, my friend."


    After thanking Elias, Lu Zhiyu led away his horse and began touring the city with Verthandi. Lu Zhiyu was enhoying the local culture and architectural style, while Verthandi was more interested in finding souvenirs and good food.


    Both of them carried longswords and were dressed very smartly. In this era, ordinary people were unable to purchase decent swords. At the very least, such luxuries were beyond the means of ordinary villagers and farmers. Furthermore, only a knight would be able to assemble a full set of armor. Normal folks definitely could never aspire to attain one. Of course, with the traveling pair''s attire, it was easy for them to be targeted by thieves. Hence, Lu Zhiyu remained vigilant.


    The city was built against a mountain, so the roads were also rolling and uneven. Most of the roads were on curving slopes, causing any attempt to traverse them to be very tiring. As such, the buildings were also scattered in uneven heights, creating a beautiful asymmetrical skyline.


    Lu Zhiyu and Verthandi shopped around before heading to the entrance of the palace. It was a large white palace, which was built with white marble and was guarded with many soldiers. A large number of archers and spearman were also patrolling above on the palace walls.


    By the entrance, a poster of the head of the evil dragon was tacked. Many people crowded around it. Most of them were outsiders. Suddenly, a heated discussion arose among them.


    "The bounty has risen again! Now it is officially up to 10,000 Gold Lycans, with the rank of Baron and any land desired to also be awarded to the dragonslayer. It''s a single step to glory!"


    "So many people have died. Even One-Armed Duncan has died, along with all one hundred of his mercenaries. After taking this mission, not a single person returned alive."


    "Of course, they were facing the dragon, that evil dragon Frost!"


    "According to the rumor, it is tens of meters long, with a wingspan of over twenty meters. Men can only reach its ankles, and it has scales that are impervious to swords. Its breath is the flame of hell, and it can manipulate ice to freeze people into sculptures. No one has been able to defeat it. All of those who have seen it, have ended up dead!"


    "Over ten rounds of people have attempted this feat. Not a single one has returned, as they all perished in the Amos Icefield, becoming food for the dragon. All of them were famous adventurers and fighters, too. So, now, no one dares go, as it is only seeking death! No matter how high the bounty is, it is meaningless if it is unobtainable!"


    Verthandi spoke from Lu Zhiyu''s side. "Then, why isn''t the king sending the army to kill it? Why is he offering a bounty reward instead?"


    All of the people turned and saw that the speaker was only a runt. Not giving her a second thought, they all looked back in disdain, muttering.


    "What does a kid know? The evil dragon can fly, so even great numbers do not help in defeating it. The king has sent his army and the Blood Knights to surround the evil dragon many times, but the dragon is quite sly and refuses to engage them in direct combat."


    Verthandi, seeing how she was being dismissed, became very peeved. "Isn''t it just an evil dragon? What''s the big deal?"


    The crowd saw the arrogance of the runt, continuing to ignore her. Lu Zhiyu crossed his arms and stood behind Verthandi. "Go, take the bounty down for me."


    Verthandi turned to look at Lu Zhiyu with starry eyes. "Dad, you''re going to personally defeat the dragon and save the princess, like the heroes in the storybooks?"


    Lu Zhiyu straightened his back and looked into the distance, as if he was possessed by a heroic aura. He let out a haughty harrumph.


    "Hmph."


    Verthandi rushed forth with great enthusiasm, grabbed the bounty, then turned back towards the crowd. She then yelled at them in sheer delight. "Who dares to look down on us? You bunch of cowards are all talk and no action! This time, we''ll show you what real chivalry is! Dad, let''s go dragonslaying! Eh, Dad? Where did you go?"


    Verthandi took down the bounty posting, but saw that the figure that was in the crowd had disappeared. The soldiers on the sides were approaching, surrounding Verthandi.


    "Hello sir, the king would like to see you," a soldier demanded.


    Verthandi''s face paled. She tried to explain, then began to back away, only to discover that the road before her was blocked. She looked to her left and right in a panic, not knowing what to do next.


    "Whoever takes down the bounty posting automatically makes a contract with the king. Whoever betrays that contract will lose their head, which will then be hung on the city wall." The countenance of the soldier was extremely stern. He pointed to a flagpole on the city wall, where several severed heads were already hanging, each covered with dried blood. Their eyes were like dead fish, staring lifelessly at the ground.


    Verthandi swallowed hard.

 125 Verthandi the Knigh

    "Now, on this side, we have a mysterious wandering knight. This is the genius swordsman, also known as Will!"


    "On the other side, is our court swordsman, the captain of the King''s Guard, the great knight of Engido, Glaucus!"


    In the Colosseum of Primonius, two concurrent rings formed stadium seats. They were filled with the people of the city. People from all walks of life, including businessmen, knights, and nobles, had come to watch the battles. Though the fight had yet to begin, the scene was already bustling.


    At the top of the stands, there was a special seating area for the nobles. At the moment, the king and queen were sitting inside it. There were also several counts and princes present. Today was the last and most intense battle, so the king had come in person.


    Verthandi did not see the king after taking down the bounty, but she had interacted with his agent, a court official. Verthandi signed a contract that provided her with a luxurious place to stay.


    Several competitions were arranged for her the next day. As long as she had a winning streak, Verthandi would be recognized by the king as a knight, and she would receive a thousand Gold Lycans before setting off as the Dragonslayer.


    If she could return successfully, she would become a baron. She would then receive the remaining nine thousand Gold Lycans.


    At first, no one thought that this short, young knight could win, but Will defeated several powerful opponents in rapid succession. As such, she became famous throughout Primonius instantly, and like her first sixteen predecessors, she became the hottest topic in the city!


    As long as she defeated the King''s Guard Captain today, she would become a knight, then journey on to slay the dragon and save the princess. Lu Zhiyu stood in the stands, watching Little Trouble struggle in a difficult battle.


    There was a gambling station by the king at the entrance. Anyone in the audience could participate.


    Every fight earned a lot of money for the king. Each fight was enough to generate at least a few thousand Gold Lycans. Several hundred fights had already been held, which made Lu Zhiyu deeply suspicious. He wondered whether this guy really wanted to save his daughter, or if he was simply relying on this venture to make money.


    "Come on, Little Trouble; Dad is proud of you!" Lu Zhiyu waved a gambling scroll while cheering for Verthandi, who was preparing for battle. Suddenly, her footwork fumbled as she looked up at Lu Zhiyu with murderous eyes.


    As the opening bell rang, the two began moving immediately. Their swords clashed, thus beginning the fierce battle. The orc''s great knight, Glaucus, was a wolf-man. Though he was not as tall as the lion-people, he was still a good half a head taller than Little Trouble. He was using his physique to pressure her, and his sword swung in large arcs.


    Verthandi''s swordsmanship had been specially designed for her by Lu Zhiyu. At the same time, Lu Zhiyu had also taught her how to face enemies with several different body types, as well as how to face different styles. He had even schooled her in capitalizing on some of the weaknesses of the wizards and priests.


    Her swordsmanship was closer to the human styles, with its emphasis on close-range speed. It utilized the least amount of strength and the greatest speed, when facing opponents much greater than her. This helped her to find her opponent''s flaws immediately, so that she could deal a fatal blow.


    At this moment, the two fighters danced in the center of the colosseum. Their speeds were incredible. Both of them were knights, who had been trained to their physical limits with awakened bloodline talents.


    Their speed and strength far exceeded any ordinary people. To normal folks, this seemed like a fight between gods. Even the after-images of the swift clashing swords appeared blurry.


    The two continued to attack and avoid each other. They tried to pressure each other through various methods in order to seize the advantage. Yet, under Glaucus''s wide-swung assault, Verthandi continued to retreat.


    Verthandi was completely suppressed by his brute strength. He was not only powerful, but also quite fast. It seemed that he had awakened a bloodline talent that boosted his speed, which nullified Verthandi''s previous advantage. Furthermore, she had just awakened her bloodline talent, while her opponent was an experienced blood knight.


    The longsword swept past her blade, edging alarmingly close to Verthandi''s face repeatedly. Verthandi seemed to be in jeopardy, as if she was about to break from the pressure. And yet, Verthandi was always able to somehow avoid the fatal blows at the most crucial moments. Her longsword would always appear at the exact right moment. Also, her defense was remarkably impenetrable.


    The longer the battle went on, the more the battle swayed in Verthandi''s favor. The Golden Eye gave her too much of an advantage by his seeking weak points. She gradually became familiar with his power, then finally her eyes burst into light.


    Suddenly, she saw a gap in her opponent''s movements. She had found a flaw, and the world seemed to slow. This was due to the partial activation of the potential of her Golden Eye.


    Verthandi knocked away Glaucus''s longsword and cut his chainmail, exposing his neck. A faint trail of blood appeared on Glaucus''s neck. Verthandi had initially held back during this attack. Otherwise, Glaucus would have already been dead!


    Glaucus looked at Verthandi in disbelief, as he touched his neck. Then, he stopped moving. "I have lost. Congratulations."


    As Verthandi gave a knight''s bow, the crowd went wild. The people, who had bet on Verthandi, roared in excitement, while the losers cursed in anger. The others would relay the news of this amazing battle, spreading the name of a mysterious young knight named Will.


    As the winner received her honor and glory, the losers exited in frustration. Verthandi was knighted by the king, as he placed a longsword on her shoulder before the crowds, giving her the official title of a knight of the Kingdom of Engido. She also received a Knight''s ring, as well as a set of armor that was made by Ur Steel, along with a large bag of gold coins.


    Verthandi walked out in a gorgeous skirted armor, a longsword at her waist, a helmet in her left hand, and a bag full of gold coins in her right. She left the colosseum, feeling like a true hero and looking like an epic knight, straight out of a painting.


    Lu Zhiyu, Elias, and many acquaintances from the caravan were waiting outside the colosseum. When Verthandi came out, they cheered in unison, as Lu Zhiyu laughed at the front. "Great job, Little Trouble, Dad is proud of you."


    Verthandi slammed her helmet to the ground, then drew her sword, slashing it towards Lu Zhiyu and gnashing her teeth. "Randhir, you jerk!"


    Lu Zhiyu blocked the sword from behind. No matter where Verthandi attacked him from, all of her attempts were easily deflected by one simple flick of Lu Zhiyu''s wrist. Even Verthandi''s Golden Eye had absolutely no effect on him.


    However, Verthandi''s sword was very fast, and Lu Zhiyu''s sword seemed extremely slow. It didn''t seem to move with a purpose, but only slowly moved to blocks the attacks. Yet, regardless of how fast Verthandi moved, she would be always be bested by that slow sword! It was as if Lu Zhiyu could guess all of her attacks, thus blocking her every attempt in advance!


    Lu Zhiyu stepped forward into the clashing swords, then tapped Verthandi''s back with the back of his sword. He swept Verthandi to the ground with a kick, then broke out into raucous laughter. "You want to win against your old man now, after defeating two mooks? You need to train for another eight hundred years!"


    Verthandi was really angry this time, and she refused to get up. Lu Zhiyu was stumped. "Get up, we''re departing tomorrow for the Amos Icefield. It''s time to prepare to kill the dragon. Don''t you want to be a real knight? Dragonslayer, epic knight, hero... Don''t you want those fancy titles?"


    Verthandi turned her head, exclaiming in indignation, "I know how powerful I am! I can''t beat the dragon. I will die, and become dragon dung, like the 16 idiots before me."


    Lu Zhiyu patted his chest. "Don''t you trust me? This old man still has some treasures at the bottom of the suitcase to pass on to you!"

 126 God Given Power to Rule

    Silicon is directly below carbon on the periodic table. As such, the two elements share many properties, such as their abilities to form long chains and polymers. Thus, silicon is seen as being a very promising alternate element as the basis for lifeforms.


    Besides carbon-based lifeforms, silicon-based lifeforms are seen as being the most likely to occur naturally. Silicon can form metallic cells with iron and other metallic elements that possess stable cell structures and excretion systems. Those cells can then obtain energy from the outside world in order to maintain life. Lu Zhiyu had previously observed silicon-based life, but this case already seemed very different from what Lu Zhiyu had previously discovered.


    Similar to the way that Lu Zhiyu had investigated evolution from carbon-based lifeforms, then modified his own genes to become more adaptable and powerful, this lifeform was also searching for a way to evolve.


    In fact, it had already begun its own journey. It had even reached a status of mechanical life, with all of the individual cells being on par with, or beyond, the nanorobots that humanity was researching!


    This type of lifeform had an even greater range of habitats, which enabled it to survive in vacuums. Also, it only needed energy, but not food.


    Moreover, it could easily achieve what humanity could not: a status of immortality! Even if the structure was compromised, as long as the broken parts were replaced, then it would be able to regain function. These factors alone truly reveal it to be a higher lifeform, with technology far beyond Earth''s imagination!


    From early on, Lu Zhiyu had begun researching the conditions necessary for forming metallic cells. The first test subject was the Sword of the King, which Lu Zhiyu integrated metallic cells upon via alchemy, so that it would later on be able to serve as a base for true metal alchemy lifeforms.


    Compared to carbon-based lifeforms, metallics cells were much closer to Lu Zhiyu''s initial goal, which was to change the fundamental nature of cells. Carbon-based cells were weaker and required more pristine conditions in order to survive. Hence, they''re completely unsustainable in harsher conditions, such as vacuums and extremely low or high temperatures.


    Deified cells were developed from carbon-based lifeforms, so although Lu Zhiyu could modify them in order to repair cells with their special properties, their development was still limited by the weaknesses present in the carbon-based cells. As such, Lu Zhiyu''s powers were restricted. Therefore, even enhanced divine creatures were unable to survive in extreme conditions. As soon as they expended all of their energy, they would die.


    If the base was switched to metallic cells, with their properties, it would be possible to store more information and have more potential for development for a new generation of mythical creature templates. Lu Zhiyu would then be able to become even more powerful. He could even become an eighth ranking legendary wizard after creating a mid-ranked enhanced divine creature!


    Compared to the low-ranked enhanced creatures, these divine creatures would have more comprehensive abilities and a stronger lifeforce, when compared to carbon-based lifeforms. Also, their information retention capacity was higher, so even if they were to be trapped in outer space for an endless amount of years, they would not die easily. In fact, they now possessed the remarkable ability to survive all sorts of extreme conditions!


    However, Lu Zhiyu was still developing this subject, so it had only been tested on the Sword of the King, which was enhanced based on inspirations that Lu Zhiyu had gained from silicon lifeforms that had evolved into a higher state of life. So far, Lu Zhiyu could not completely understand them, but he was able to grasp some of their characteristics by understanding their structures. Thus, he could use that information to conduct enhancement on metallic cells, which would then allow him to create true mythical alchemy items!


    ---------


    The collectd group was about to set off for the Amos Icefield. Stopping at the tavern in Primonius, Lu Zhiyu went to his room and opened his suitcase. The room was dimly lit by an oil lamp.


    Lu Zhiyu took out something from the very bottom of the suitcase. It was a longsword that was wrapped up in layers of white cloth.


    This was the Sword of the King that Lu Zhiyu had reforged with metallic cells. If it was magnified, the sword''s interior structure could be seen to far surpass any ordinary weapon. The remarkable characteristic that these metallic cells held was, in fact, Lu Zhiyu''s dream controller life template. The template of the enhanced cells remained unchanged, so it was only the vessel, the Sword of the King, that had been upgraded.


    This had been Lu Zhiyu''s initial attempt, which was also meant to test the specs and stability of deified metallic cells. After making sure that there were no issues with it, Lu Zhiyu was planning on developing higher state versions of metallic cells, then exploring the mysteries of silicon shell lifeform remains from Earth. He would then attempt to breakthrough to the eighth level of wizardry!


    "Enter and close the door."


    A knock had sounded on the door. Lu Zhiyu slowly unraveled the white cloth that was surrounding the Sword of the King, revealing the silver longsword. The magnificent sword had an ethereal snow white grip. On both sides of the blade, there were mysterious markings. The name Faross was also engraved on the handle. The entire sword was emanating a clear, soft glow.


    As Lu Zhiyu traced along the blade with his finger, he reminisced about the journey through the history of the entire Alen Continent. Within Lu Zhiyu''s hands, this sword had a different significance and held endless memories.


    This holy sword, after having existed throughout centuries, had been upgraded once more by Lu Zhiyu''s hands. Lu Zhiyu planned on giving it to his next chosen king. He had already decided that its new master would be the one who succeeded Ahenaten. Currently, she may be a bit too young and immature, though, and may not be quite ready for the responsibility...


    Verthandi peeped her head inside at that very moment. She seemed to have completely forgotten how Lu Zhiyu had just been teasing her. "Dad, what are you being so mysterious about?"


    Lu Zhiyu turned around, still holding the Sword of the King in his hand. He looked at Verthandi, his face not wearing its usual easy-going manner, but rather a solemn expression. Verthandi''s expression also changed. She had never seen her father like this before.


    "What is that?"


    Verthandi could now see that Lu Zhiyu was holding a glowing silvery-white sword. She could even see the sigils on it, which were pulsing with a strong and pure power. The mysterious sword''s pulsating power engulfed the entire room in a dreamlike glow. Anyone would be able to clearly see that this was no ordinary sword!


    Then, the lamplight flickered. In the background, there was a picture of an angel that was descending from above. After being stunned for a bit, Verthandi finally recognized the sword that Lu Zhiyu held.


    After all, the sword was too famous an artifact, with so many legends and heavy symbolic meanings, to not recognize it! With the destruction of the Kingdom of Menkaure and the curse of the last King, its was a story that anyone could retell continuously.


    No matter whether it be among humans or orcs, the sword carried a holy element and had a sacred place in the hearts of all. In fact, all faiths, as well as the kings of various nations were looking for it, desiring to possess it. Of course, once Verthandi recognized it, her mouth immediately fell open. She was shocked speechless!


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Verthandi''s amazement, revealed in eyes and her face, then said with a sense of approval, "Kneel."


    Verthandi knelt before him, a little confused and hesitant. Then, Lu Zhiyu held out the Sword of the King and recited lightly. "Humility, honesty, empathy, courage, fairness, sacrifice, glory, soul! Be fearless before the strong, resolute and faithful before the divine. Be loyal and upstanding, and go to your death before yielding. Protect the weak and follow the laws of heaven!"


    He then turned to look Verthandi in the eyes, asking, "Verthandi, can you do it?"


    Verthandi could not believe that Lu Zhiyu was literally standing before her eyes, with the legendary sword within his hand no less! After all, this was the most legendary divine artifact! Her eyes glowed with enthusiasm, as she straightened her back. Even her lowered hands started trembling. "I will engrave this into my heart and never forget it!"


    Lu Zhiyu then passed the sword to Verthandi, who was still kneeling. She received it with both hands, calmly and evenly. As soon as Verthandi took the divine sword, Lu Zhiyu slapped her cheek with the back of his hand. It was a very loud and quite painful strike.


    "Memorize this pledge!" he ordered.


    This marked the completion of the ceremony of knighting and coronation. And, although there were no witnesses to be found within this remote hotel, and the conditions were very shabby, this was still a proper and traditional representation of the expectations that Lu Zhiyu had for her.


    After the ceremony, the power of the Sword of the King enveloped her body, releasing a brilliant light throughout the room. The light was so bright and powerful, it could not even be contained by the room. It burst forth from the door cracks, spreading to the outside.


    The Sword of the King then became scattered into countless specks of light, which poured into Verthandi''s body. Verthandi instantly merged with the longsword, transforming into a half-mythical lifeform. She then floated up into the air, covered in a silvery-white glow.


    After a long while, she fell back to the ground, now holding the Sword of the King. She was a bit disoriented, as she drifted out of a daze. She had officially become the complete owner of the sword!


    "The right to rule and to heal the nation of God."


    Verthandi was quite groggy. She felt as if she was in a dream. "Dad, why was it in your hands? This is the legendary¡­"


    The commotion from before had now attracted attention from outside. Lu Zhiyu immediately remarked. "People are coming! Quick, hide it."


    Lu Zhiyu walked towards the door, then turned back to gaze at Verthandi, nodding. "No matter how you choose to use it, I hope you make the choices that you believe are right."

 127 The Clan and the Chief

    The closer they got to the Amos Icefield, the colder it became. The snow and ice were permanent fixtures in this northernmost tip of the Alen Continent. Beyond this point, there was only ocean. In the depths of winter, even the sea would freeze completely.


    On the edge of the icefield, there lived some orc tribes. They subsisted by gathering the specialties of the region, including the antlers of Amos white deer and the fur of the ice bears. There were fish and shrimp under the ice layer, which were unique to Amos, as well as musk leopards. These were some of the most sought-after goods in all of the orc and human kingdoms.


    Elia''s caravan would visit the icefield several times per year, in order to trade with the clans. He would bring them food, weapons, clothes and other daily necessities in exchange for their local products. It was an extremely lucrative trade.


    It was now late fall, and the Amos Icefield had already descended into wintry weather. Even the borderlands were covered in a thick layer of snow.


    The frosty winds sliced the faces of the travelers. Regardless, the caravan proceeded forward, braving the wild. The tracks of the carriages and the horses revealed the mud under the thin veil of snow.


    Lu Zhiyu and Verthandi were wrapped tightly in thick fur cloaks. Finally, they saw buildings in the distance. As they approached closer, they saw that they were round buildings, stacked from stone. In fact, it was a little village of a clan!


    The round forts were built at the base of a mountain. They rose and fell along its gentle slope, covering the entire valley. The snowy mountain was also dotted with black trees. But right now, the whole scene was dyed in a snowy white. This was the home of the local orc clan.


    Elias waved for them to stop, as he saw two young man approaching from the front entrance tower. Soon after, a dozen hunters also approached, gathering together before Elias.


    "Hey Elias! I knew it was about time for you to come! What took you so long?" A tall lion-man with golden locks approached and hugged Elias. He thumped his back twice, hard.


    The power of his thumps was enough to knock the breath out of a normal person, but Elias was a knight, so he simply returned the favor to the lion-man. As he did so, it sounded as if he was pounding steel with a hammer!


    "Hey, Ibu! I haven''t seen you in months. You seem to have gotten weaker. This time, I have brought you a lot of good things."


    "Haha, then I will have a good look at them later. Our young hunters also got us a great harvest, but it pales in comparison to last year''s, due to the other tribes and that evil dragon within the Icefield! We''re lucky to have you, or else our tribe would find this winter unbearable."


    The lion-man Ibu sighed and waved his hand. "Never mind with these troubles of mine. Let''s head inside and welcome our friends."


    This was a large orc tribe with tens of thousands of members. The caravan moved into this tribe, which was based at the foot of the mountain. Many orc children were watching them, as mothers and the elderly also came to spectate the arrival of these visitors and their goods that they brought. All of the villagers'' eyes were glittering with hope.


    It could be clearly seen that a lot of the youth were wounded. It seemed as if this clan had recently been involved in an intense battle, which had caused all of the young people to walk away with injuries. Also, all of the children seemed sickly and weak, as if they had not eaten in a long time.


    Unlike the orc tribes that Lu Zhiyu had seen before, this one was made up of completely different orc races. Specifically, the tribe was composed of lion-people, minotaurs, faun and even some boar-people.


    This kind of harmony between different races in a single clan was very rare. This was not a major cultural center of a major kingdom. Here, the competition between each tribe was generally very intense, which meant that they were usually prone to war. As such, most of them relied on race and blood ties to hold their clans together.


    Verthandi seemed to like it here quite a bit. She dismounted, then quickly passed two pastries to a gaunt little lion-boy. After the child took it, she lifted him up in a great big hug. It seemed that the little boy really liked her, perhaps because they were of the same race.


    "Where are your parents?" she asked.


    The little hand holding the cake stopped in mid-air. The little boy''s eyes then became teary and red. Verthandi immediately knew the answer.


    The caravan started settling down, as Lu Zhiyu, Verthandi, and Elias entered the largest building. Each of the buildings looked like a mini-fortress, resulting in the entire village''s looking like the staggered mesh of a beast''s fangs.


    If an enemy tried to invade them, it would be easy to surround them and retaliate from within the safety of these forts, the logistics of which made killing the enemies from the roofs or the windows effortless. This was a common structural setup for orc clans.


    Inside, the food was already prepared. Elias and Chief Ibu chatted for awhile, then Lu Zhiyu was introduced to Chief Ibu by Elias. "This is baron Randhir Eranbell and his son Will. They are my old friends. Guess what they are here for?"


    Lu Zhiyu and Verthandi nodded lightly to Ibu, who scrunched up his face, while looking at Elias. "They can''t have sent more people to come deal with the dragon, right?"


    Elias shrugged his shoulders, then nodded. Ibu stood to his full height, showing a physique that could kill a cow with a single punch. "You want to defeat the dragon with just the two of you? Have you ever seen a dragon before? Do you know how terribly powerful it is?"


    Lu Zhiyu smiled, then said, "We are very eager to see it!"


    Ibu slammed the table in anger. "I''m afraid that you won''t be able to. You''ll perish on the Icefield. You have no idea how harsh of an environment it is. The evil dragon is also extremely sly. It is quite smart, maybe even smarter than most of us. We have tried countless times to find its lair, yet we have only returned in defeat."


    "Several times, we even designed traps to kill it, but all of them failed, leaving us with a high price to pay. It will seek revenge. I''ve seen many idiots, like you two, who rush blindly into the Icefield. Not a single one has returned alive.."


    At last, Ibu looked Lu Zhiyu dead in the eyes. "I''m telling you, go back right now with your son. Don''t be stupid."

 128 Dragonslaying Squad

    The inside of the Chief''s fort was lit by bonfires, and a feast of food was arranged on every table. All of the important individuals of the clan were there, along with Elias, his son, and the higher-ups of the caravan.


    All of them were enjoying the feast, but at that moment, their eyes were at the center of the ringed fort. There, a fierce battle was taking place. Standing on each side, were dozens of defeated youth from the tribe.


    "Peng!"


    Verthandi used the sheathed Sword of the King to knock the tall Chief Ibu, sending him flying with a single sweep. All of the people within the fortress looked at the tiny knight in shock and awe. No one thought that this tiny knight, who looked so thin and weak, could easily defeat the strongest warrior of their tribe, without even unsheathing a sword!


    Ibu rushed at Verthandi in a rage. He lifted his huge warhammer, but Verthandi easily deflected his attacks, striking the warhammer and sending it flying.


    Lu Zhiyu walked up, effortlessly catching the handle of the gigantic warhammer. It was so huge, it could smash the skulls of elephants!


    The hammer had been flying with a great force, yet Lu Zhiyu caught it effortlessly. He then gave it a twirl, while taking a bite from the leg of lamb that he held in his other hand.


    He joked with a laugh. "Chief, your hammer."


    Ibu was both embarrassed and enraged. He did not think he would be defeated so easily. The other side didn''t even send out their strongest fighters! He could not defeat this son, even with all of his strength, and even after shamefully sending out many warriors against a single person in the rounds!


    Verthandi took back her sword, looking at Ibu proudly. "I have won. I hope you will do as you promised, allowing us to stay here temporarily and assisting our efforts to slay the dragon."


    Ibu flushed as he stood. After grabbing the hammer back, he looked at Verthandi. After looking her up and down, his eyes glittered with respect and approval.


    "I recognize that you are very strong, but that is useless. You do not understand what you are up against. This is a huge dragon that is dozens of meters long. Standing before him, you are only a weak little mouse. It can easily tear through your guard, while the attacks you are so proud of will be completely useless against it," Ibu warned.


    Verthandi lifted her head, unphased. "Evil must be punished!"


    Ibu responded seriously. "Do you think that we don''t also want to get rid of the evil dragon? Yet, no one can do it, at least no mortal. You don''t know, but many of our youth have already become its food. It has even demanded that I provide it will treasures and sacrifices every month. Otherwise, it will flatten our tribe and kill us all."


    After Chief Ibu''s words, the rowdy feast was instantly silenced. All of the people''s eyes were filled with fear and hatred. They had already lost too many people, yet they could not do anything about the evil dragon. They feared the godly power that it possessed.


    "Sacrifice? What sacrifice?"


    Verthandi looked around, confused. She saw the women and children sobbing silently. Then, suddenly realizing the significance of it all, she looked Ibu dead in the eye with disbelief and rage. "You''re actually providing it with sacrifices? You''re sacrificing your own tribe to the evil dragon?!"


    Chief Ibu howled in rage. "You think I want to? But what choice do I have? We have to survive! The tribe has to continue. I am responsible for all the lives inside this tribe. Unlike you, with all of your pretty words, to us, this is survival, and this is fate!"


    Elias approached from the side. "Ibu has not offered his own people to the dragon. Instead, he has offered the orcs of other tribes."


    Verthandi finally understood why so many tribesmen were injured, and why there was so much sadness in the village. Even the children were going hungry. Verthandi looked at Elias, then turned her head to look back at Ibu. "So, by sacrificing the lives of orcs from other tribes, your heart can be at ease?"


    Verthandi kicked out the bonfire at the center of the fort, scattering the sparks far and wide. "I cannot accept this!"


    Verthandi stormed out of the fort. The wind was mostly blocked from reaching the valley, but it was still quite a chilly night, especially since a blanket of white snow was floating through the skies.


    Lu Zhiyu walked out of the fort and spotted Verthandi by the water tower just above it.


    "What is it? Are you angry?" he asked her.


    From here, they could see the entire tribe, as well as the whole valley. It was a very primitive clan, and without the bustling scene of a large city, this place in which they lived was quite simple and pure. Every single ring fort, every single lit place, represented a family.


    Verthandi lowered her head. "I''m not angry. What Chief Ibu did was correct. He was very responsible and protected his tribe. He is a true hero. I am, as he said, just a person full of pretty words."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Verthandi. "So?"


    Verthandi looked at the entire clan, remembering the faces that she encountered. Visions of all of the cute children, the diligent women, the youths returning from their hunts, all the children who had lost their parents, all the wives who had lost their husbands, as well as all the elderly who were alone in this snowy winter filled her mind.


    Verthandi then stood up. "I have decided, I must slay this wicked dragon!"


    Verthandi looked into Lu Zhiyu''s eyes. Beneath the short golden fringe of hair was a delicate face with sharp brows and a stubborn expression. "I must do this not for glory, nor to be a hero, but to protect others and to listen to my own heart."


    Lu Zhiyu felt that a dramatic transformation had occurred within Verthandi. Never again would she be the clumsy little trouble that he once knew, who would yell about becoming a knight. Now, she would embrace the hero she knew that she would be since she was a child, the Verthandi that wanted bards to sing of her legends!


    Lu Zhiyu smiled and started reciting. "Be fearless before the strong, resolute and faithful before the divine. Be loyal and upstanding, and go to death before yielding. Protect the weak, and follow the laws of heaven!"


    Halfway through the verse, Verthandi joined in. After finishing the pledge, Lu Zhiyu nodded. "You will become a true knight, or maybe even a true king."


    A shadow emerged from behind them. Lu Zhiyu saw a human youth, who he identified as one of Elias''s guards.


    "Hello, I am Allen. Can I join you? I also wish to join the Dragonslaying team."


    The two turned around to see a solemn youth with brown hair. Verthandi stood, excited. "Of course! We welcome you! What are your skills?"


    Allen replied hastily. "I can set traps, and my swordsmanship isn''t bad. I''m also good at tracking and hiding my presence. Trust me, I will definitely be a helpful companion."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Allen curiously. "Why did you choose us? As you know, most people believe that we are foolishly courting death."


    Allen looked at them. "Risk and opportunity always co-exist. To me, this is a very important chance. I have something that I must accomplish, so I welcome this risk. I also have a feeling that you two will succeed."


    Lu Zhiyu stood up and patted Allen on the back. "Welcome then. But, I must tell you that this time, the only one heading there to slay the dragon is the wee knight."


    Allen was dumbfounded, as he looked between Verthandi and Lu Zhiyu. Verthandi also could not believe her father. "Dad, aren''t you going with me?"


    Lu Zhiyu shrugged. "Of course not, why would I? I wasn''t the one who took down the King''s bounty posting!"


    A few days later, at dawn, the entire dragonslaying team was packed, ready to depart with Verthandi and Allen. And, although Ibu still said that Verthandi was being reckless, he also joined the team. Other than that, there was also a minotaur named Tiridan. The four of them formed a squad, then embarked on the dragonslaying expedition.

 129 Death of the Evil Dragon 1

    The cerulean sky of the Amos Icefield was like a mirror. Its light wispy clouds extended to the horizon. The further they ventured into the Amos Icefield, the more it seemed as if the entire world was covered in frost. There was not a single plant. All that was left was the endless white of a world of snow.


    At this moment, a few black dots appeared on this blank white canvas. The dragonslaying squad was quite eye-catching. They had been on the Icefield for half a month already, tracing the clues that Ibu had left, then following his lead. They had finally caught traces of Evil Dragon Frost''s tracks.


    "There are signs of activity here. Look at this footprint. I heard that the evil dragon lived deep within the Icefield in a hidden underground palace of ice. He enslaved some dragon rajas. There were a lot of knights, who were sent here by the King of Engido. They had wounded the dragon, yet that all died in the end. Apparently, many of their bodies came back to life, after being bathed in the dragon''s blood. They are now servants of the dragon."


    Ibu illustrated the tale with a face of horror. This was only a rumor, but looking at the huge footprint now, it seemed quite believable. This sort of evil dragon was completely unimaginable to the ordinary person.


    Verthandi carried her longsword. She was wrapped so tightly in cloaks and hoods, even her face was hidden. "He doesn''t even let their souls pass on?" she asked.


    Allen pointed to the north. "Let''s head over there. According to the footprints, the lair of the dragon should be in the valley behind that mountain."


    The Minotaur Tiridan carried the heavy luggage, as the four of them crossed the peaks and headed towards the large chasm. They moved forward gingerly, as this Icefield was a quiet world, and they did not want to disturb the stillness. Plus, they knew that it was likely that they would soon meet the evil dragon of legend.


    At the entrance of the valley, they saw a huge ice cave, just within the belly of the mountain ahead of them. As the light shone upon it, it refracted into beautiful orbs, like a crystal. They could almost make out the trappings of a grand palace within the mountain, appearing as if it had been sculpted from ice. The Evil Dragon Frost had actually hollowed out an entire mountain to make its lair!


    Around the valley, there were many wooden houses, which were built by the mountainside. Those were the residences of the dragon rajas.


    In the distance, dozens of dragon rajas could be seen patrolling the area. There were also two watchtowers by the entrance of the valley.


    On top of those towers, there were only two dragon rajas on duty. They seemed to be in deep sleep, as no one actually believed that an enemy would appear this deep within the Icefield.


    These dragon rajas had completely abandoned their original appearances and abilities. As such, there was not a strand of hair left on them.


    Scales covered their bodies in a sinister fashion, as miniscule amounts of deified cells ate away at their bodies. While it saved their lives, it also enslaved them to the White Dragon. It even wiped away their memories and made them into the impure existences of dragon rajas.


    Dragons naturally had their own inheritance, with their own intelligence and language. They were not dumb beasts, nor were they ordinary magical beasts. They were at the apex of the food chain.


    All of these things were exactly what defined White Dragon Frost. He loved collecting treasure, while residing in his clean and magnificent lair. He enjoyed eating good food, especially humans. Compared to other creatures, humans were much more to his liking.


    Frost believed himself to be the greatest and most powerful existence in the world. No one was stronger than him, with his powerful body and his dragoncraft, which could control snow and ice. He was free to do as he pleased in the orc kingdoms, including robbing caravans and swallowing people alive.


    He had started off carefully, but went completely wild once he saw how powerless all beings were before him. Now, he would fly directly into cities to plunder treasuries. All of the people would cower in fear before Frost''s power.


    Finally, one day, he sized up the richest person within the orc kingdom, the King of Engido. He knew that, within the city of Primonius, there was one wizard that could use the same witchcraft as him. There were also blood knights with sharp crossbows, which also posed a strong threat to Frost.


    The sly Frost did not dare face them directly. After raising a ruckus in Primonius, he snatched away the Princess of Engido Kingdom, so that the king would deliver the coins that Frost wanted to fill his treasury. But, it seemed that the king wasn''t too obedient, because he would often send people to harass Frost, as the king was unwilling to part with all the treasures and gold.


    Frost grew a bit impatient and decided to eat the Princess. Afterwards, the king made a large ruckus, telling the foolish orcs to start properly offering up tributes and sacrifices to Frost.


    Deep within the palace of ice, where only weak rays of the sun could reach, Frost laid upon a small mountain of gold coins. There were also large amounts of gold silverware and shiny jewels. Every time that Frost would move, huge rivers of coins would cascade down, the sound of which would echo around the chamber.


    Within the valley, a huge fire blazed. All of the residences of the dragon raja had been burnt. Dozens of them were suddenly ambushed. Either Verthandi''s sword had pierced their swords, or Ibu''s hammer had bashed their heads in.


    Two of the lookouts had been taken care of without a sound. The rest had been attacked within the sudden fire, seven or eight of whom died immediately. The remaining were swiftly disposed of by Verthandi and the rest. This excited them greatly. The plan was successful, which made them feel more confident about this entire operation.


    After entering the palace, they saw the high ceilings. It was like entering a giant''s castle. Above and below them, they saw a world made entirely of crystalline ice. This unmelting ice shone crystal clear, with a faint blue tinge, like the color of the sky.


    Two more dragon rajas approached to face them. They appeared to have been some of the strongest elite warriors before. After transforming into dragon rajas, their bodies had become stronger, yet they had lost all of their experience and techniques, so they actually had become weaker. As such, the former elite of the Engido Kingdom were easily defeated by even the amateur Dragonslaying Squad.


    "Great, so far so good. Perhaps Evil Dragon Frost is out right now. Let''s hurry and release the imprisoned citizens and the princess. Our mission will be complete then." Allen was very excited. Perhaps they did not need to face the dragon, since they were only here to rescue the princess and get the reward from the king.


    Ibu nodded. "I figured that Frost may not be within the lair, but he could return at any time. Let''s hurry. As long as we find the princess, our clan can leave this godforsaken wilderness."


    The Minotaur Tiridan said nothing, but only followed Ibu''s commands.


    Verthandi looked blankly at her team, then said, "None of you are here to try to slay the dragon?"


    Ibu patted Verthandi''s shoulder. "Sorry, the dragon isn''t here. Rather than dragonslaying, I think it''s more important to save the lives of the people and the princess. Isn''t that right, Will?"


    Ibu shouted, "Hurry! Let''s quickly search his lair. We must do it before the evil dragon comes back¡­"


    Before Ibu could complete his sentence, a rough voice reverberated within the halls. "Oh? What were you planning to do before I returned? What do you want to do to my precious treasures?"

 130 Death of the Evil Dragon 2

    All of them turned back to see the gigantic head emerge in the palace. It had snow white scales and fangs, and glared at them with cruel sapphire eyes. The head alone was almost two meters in length, appearing as if it could swallow them easily, like mere snacks.


    All of them got chills, after being glared at by the apex predator. They didn''t even have the strength to move a single toe! They now finally understood what they were facing.


    White Dragon Frost emerged from the depths of the cave, exposing its enormous body entirely before them. The body, which was over ten meters tall, looked like a looming castle before them.


    Standing at Frost''s feet, it was difficult to even see his head. The fluid lines of his body conveyed not only his size, but also his tremendous speed and power. It was evident that his silvery scales could defend against any ordinary sword attack.


    Before such a fearsome creature, even Verthandi''s confidence waned, as she felt helpless before the monster. As for Allen, Ibu, and Tiridan, the three of them couldn''t even muster the courage to run away. All of their pipe dreams had scattered upon their seeing Frost.


    "As I thought, it''s just more fools sent by the orcs. I will eat every single one of you."


    Roaring its taunt, the White Dragon then lifted its head and pointed its snout at the four of them. Ibu, who had witnessed the fury of Frost before, yelled out immediately. "Run, Dragon Breath!"


    With a deafening roar, rolling hot flames shot out of the White Dragon''s mouth, lighting up the entire Ice Palace. The temperature of the entire scene shot up instantly. The dragon then spread its wings to launch out into the air.


    Soaring within the huge palace, the dragon chased down the four people, who were scurrying for their lives. The dragon then moved to block the exit, trapping them.


    Verthandi looked at a crevice that was located deeper in the ice cave. "We''re heading there."


    Ibu howled. "Where? That place is so tiny! Is that just another way to seek death?"


    Verthandi had already headed towards the crevice, which went straight down for tens of meters, and leapt in. The four of them followed. Once they leapt, they fell straight into a little mountain of treasure. The entire floor of this new space was covered by gold and silver, dazzling the eyes. From above, Frost peeped his head in.


    "You dare to enter there? You must want to die! There is nowhere for you to run!"


    Roaring its threat, the dragon stepped lithely down. Then, just like a cat chasing mice, it steadily approached, flapping its wings. In the air, water vapor and ice were gathering, forming lances of ice, which began shooting towards them.


    However, they were no match for the dragon. No matter what they did, they were doomed to struggle against the more powerful dragon''s attacks.


    The Minotaur, Tiridan, found a chance to leap onto the dragon, as he tried to look for its weakness. Yet, he was knocked off by its wings, after receiving a heavy blow that swept him into the mountain of treasure and out of sight.


    "Tiridan!"


    The rest of the team yelled out after him, but the dragon continued its steady approach. They sensed that they were doomed.


    At this time, from an icy cell on the right side, a voice echoed out. "Did Father send you all to save me? It''s useless. This is a dragon, so mortals are helpless before him."


    They turned and saw a young girl in dirty clothes, who was trapped within the icy jail cell, which was sealed behind a thick pillar of ice. The cell seemed to be a natural cave.


    Verthandi dove over and hacked at the cell with the Sword of the King, then started to crawl inside it. The cave looked rather deep, so the group of four crawled over immediately, as the White Dragon''s attacks continued to land from outside. The sinister head of the dragon peeped in, glaring at them and laughing cruelly.


    "Die together!"


    The four of them were running as fast as they could toward the cave, hoping to escape the onslaught, when the dragon let out another fiery breath. Fireballs were whistling through the air towards their backs, drowning them in their fierce heat.


    Allen let out a terrified scream. "We''re dead!"


    Ibu dropped his sword, an odd sense of relief and peaceful surrender filling his heart. "Maybe it''s time for me to pay for my sins."


    The crimson flames carried searing heat, and though they were still somewhat far away, they gave a feeling like they would burn everything in their path into ashes, and cause the whole crevice to melt into steam.


    "Sheen..."


    Verthandi raised the Sword of the King. Instantly, a silvery white light shone, as the light from the inscribed sigils gleamed throughout the cave. The unseen force from the sword completely blocked the evil dragon''s breath.


    Verthandi gripped the sword with both hands and gritted her teeth. Her golden blond hair flew up, as she let out a roar. A ray of white light radiated from the sword, reflecting the dragon''s breath. As Verthandi rushed forward, she slashed the dragon''s eyes with the holy light.


    Everyone was completely shocked, both by the entire scene and by the silvery white, holy sword in Verthandi''s hands. The sword shone radiantly, lighting up the entire cave.


    This was Verthandi''s first time using the Sword, and she could have never imagined that it held such power. She felt as if it was a part of her, like she was born to wield its power.


    "What is that?"


    "Ha?"


    "Roar!"


    As the dragon had taken a lot of hits, it let out an agonized howl of fury. Its giant body staggered backwards, hitting a wall as icicles, causing them to fall from the ceiling. It then let out heavy breaths, as its roars resounded throughout its lair.


    "My eye, my eye!"


    Verthandi wielded the Sword of Light, as she stepped out of the jail cell, her eyes glued on the evil dragon. Frost had slowly begun to recover. Now single-eyed, it glowered at Verthandi with anger and utter loathing, as its entire body trembled. Even its scales were rippling like the surface of water.


    Frost let out a bitter laugh, as he extended his neck, his eyes locked onto Verthandi. "Hahahaha, haha, it actually blinded me? I...I will swallow you alive!"


    Verthandi looked at the dragon evenly with narrowed eyes, positioned for battle. Due to the Sword of Light, she was enveloped in a light glow, as if she was embodied by a divine power. "Try and see, if you can!"


    The howl of the furious dragon had made the entire cave tremble, as countless gold coins on the ground started shaking. The dragon leaped towards Verthandi. Unlike before, the injured Frost had begun to be wary of Verthandi.


    Now, he was pulling out all of the stops in order to kill her in his rage. The dragon raised its four rough claws into the air, readying to stomp her to death.


    The face-off between a monster that is tens of meters in height against a tiny knight that is barely 160 centimeters tall seemed almost laughable, like a rabbit charging a lion. Yet, Verthandi had merged completely with the Sword of the King, and thus transformed into the state of a half-mythical being. So, in a sense, she was the lion of this scenario!


    The Sword of the King danced in the air, as a huge white light emerged at Verthandi''s will. The light headed towards the claw of the dragon. In a flash, the white light entirely severed the front claw of the dragon with ease, as if cutting through soft tofu.


    The two figures clashed, yet the tiny figure ultimately walked away victorious, as a huge claw fell to the ground like a stone pillar, shaking the ground with a deafening thud. Dragon blood pooled all over the ground.


    "How is this possible? What is that power? What is that sword?" The evil dragon wailed in agony, as it backed up continuously. "I''ll kill you, I''ll kill you. I am the White Dragon, Frost! I will eat you alive!"


    The evil dragon continued its mad howling, yet its eyes let out immense terror and fear, as it saw Verthandi had lifted the Sword again. Dashing over with incredible speed and power, she leapt over thirty meters into the air towards the dragon.


    The dragon was casting dragon witchcraft to create ice lances to hurdle at Verthandi. As it prepared to do so, it released its breath. The two clashed again and again, as light fought with ice and fire. The pair''s special abilities lit up the entire ice cave.


    The others were dumbfounded, as they had never expected such explosive power to come from the tiny knight that traveled with them. It was already beyond that of the mortal realm. They were witnessing the knight fighting toe-to-toe with a gigantic dragon, and even pressuring the beast!


    At this time, the imprisoned young girl recognized the holy sword that Verthandi was wielding. She lifted her head and let out a gasp of awe, as her wine red hair and wolf ears fell out of her hood.


    "The Sword of the King!"

 131 Death of the Evil Dragon 3

    The intense battle was causing the entire space to begin breaking up. The walls started cracking, revealing a space behind them. There, Verthandi discovered another level that held an even deeper cave.


    Within the cave, a pile of human bones towered up to the ceiling. The Evil Dragon had devoured all of the offered sacrifices.


    Seeing the bones, Verthandi froze for a second, her attack speed and movements halting. Seeing this chance, the dragon swung its huge tail at her, sweeping her into the wall.


    The dragon''s body was currently littered with wounds. He had also been blinded in one eye. Many of the wounds had pierced through his entire body. A few of them were almost lethal. The dragon breathed heavily, as it stood within the ice palace.


    "Dead yet?"


    Within the mist, a figure approached at a leisurely pace, while holding a longsword. The aura surrounding the figure glittered, like a silvery white halo. It was as if the air currents were wrapping around Verthandi''s body to protect her.


    There was blood at the corner of Verthandi''s mouth. Her head was also bleeding. Then, as the Sword of the King emitted a glow, the blood began to wind its way back into the wound, healing automatically.


    Her golden gaze had turned chilly, as her footsteps clinked over the gold coins. The dragon sensed danger, so it attempted to escape outside. It was afraid. The dragon did not think that it was this person''s equal opponent. As such, the dragon figured that it could truly die here at the hand of one of the orcs, which he had thought were so weak.


    "By God''s name, I will pass judgment upon your sins!"


    Verthandi raised her head, looking at the evil dragon that was fleeing the scene. She emphatically stabbed the Sword of the King into the ground. Instantly, a bright light spread from the sword, covering the entire cave. Immediately, a dream space was opened,and all of the people at the scene were transferred inside it.


    The Evil Dragon had lost its escape route. It saw itself in the sky. All of them were now within the clouds in the sky.


    Also within the clouds, a large heavenly kingdom could vaguely be seen. Its huge shadow covered the entire sky. A holy light shone from the city, lighting up the entire world.


    During her rage, Verthandi had linked up to Lu Zhiyu''s Divine Kingdom through the Sword of the Light, which inserted a projection of the kingdom within her dream space. The Sub-Brain that Lu Zhiyu had left within the Divine Kingdom could also sense this connection.


    All of them felt the presence of the kingdom, which came in and out of view. As they looked at it, they felt as if all of their secrets had been exposed before the city.


    After all, there was nothing that they could hide from the greatness of God. Moreover, just holding his attention was already an honor for a mere mortal.


    White Dragon Frost had shrivelled into a pile. It grovelled, as its very soul was being pressed upon by a powerful pressure. It could not muster any of its strength.


    All of its cells had seemed to freeze up. He had never imagined that such a powerful existence could exist!


    Even just seeing this little bit, all of them were awed by the scene. None of the world seemed to operate in this same scope of intense pressure. The holy light and music penetrated their souls, carrying away all of their fears and worries.


    All of them knelt to ground, as they stared longingly at this Divine Kingdom in the clouds. This was their Holy Land, the dream of all believers, the Kingdom of God.


    Ibu knelt on the ground, looking at the Divine Kingdom and praying in wonder. "My God, what am I seeing?"


    Allen felt as if he was in a dream, as he muttered, "So, this is the Kingdom of God?


    The young wolf-girl looked at the sword wielder in shock. "Who are you?"


    But, soon after a little corner of the kingdom popped into view, it disappeared. The clouds also began disappearing into nothingness. Even the mysterious observing gaze had disappeared. Before Verthandi, there was only the dragon.


    The appearance of the dream space suppressed all of the dragon''s special abilities. Even its soul was locked down, so it could only look in horror as Verthandi got closer and closer.


    "This slash is for all of the children that lost their parents!" Verthandi cut off Frost''s front leg.


    "This slash is for the wives that lost their husbands!" Verthandi lifted the sword with both hands, as a white blur passed the dragon. A large number of its scales flaked off. Frost was in severe pain, yet it could not utter a sound.


    "This slash is for the elderly, who lost their children!" Verthandi looked at Frost with contempt, again raising her sword!


    At this time, the Evil Dragon managed to free itself from part of its restraints. As it did so, it wailed a terrible scream.


    "No!"


    The sword fell, and the huge head of the dragon was chopped off. Frost lost consciousness and descended into the darkness.


    Verthandi closed her eyes and put down the Sword of the King. The dream space dissipated, then turned back into the original dark underground ice cave. Even the shining holy sword seemed to take its light back in. In fact, it seemed to turn into a normal sword, yet one carved with strange markings.


    But no one there would think of it as a regular item. Even a fool would be able to see what it truly was. The existence of the Sword of the King was something everyone knew about, regardless of how isolated or uneducated they may be.


    Ibu, Allen, and the young wolf-girl looked at Verthandi, who was standing in the center of the cave.


    Who was this man, who could manipulate the Sword of the King, and even summon the Kingdom of God?


    The three of them couldn''t help but recall the legends regarding the Sword of the King and the curse of the Kingdom of Menkaure. All of them saw Verthandi with new eyes. This unremarkable tiny knight seemed to be completely covered by a blinding holy light.


    At that moment, Verthandi seemed to lose her strength, as she fell to the floor. She couldn''t even hold the sword up anymore. Ibu rushed over to support her. Verthandi scanned the area, then asked, "Where''s Tiridan? Find him and see if he''s alive!"


    They began searching on the mountain of treasure, where they found Tiridan, dragging him out. The powerful minotaur had broken countless bones, as blood gushed from his mouth, his eyes fading.


    Verthandi held up the Sword of the King, then placed it on Tiridan''s body. The mysterious symbols on the sword shimmered and carried a healing effect. Instantly, Tiridan''s injuries improved. His color also improved. It seems that he was in the safe zone again.


    Verthandi looked at the wolf-girl. "So, can you introduce yourself? Who are you?"


    The wolf-girl nodded lightly. "I am April, the Princess of the Engido Kingdom and the daughter of the Narando King. Thank you for saving me. May I ask your name?"


    Verthandi frowned. "I am Will Eranbell of the Kingdom of the Church of the Light, son of Baron Eranbell!"

 132 Dragonslayer

    The team finally left the lair of the dragon. They found the Amos white deer that they had left outside, and began dragging the huge white dragon head along with them on their journey back. Not much time had passed, but to the team felt like it had been eons. After their near glances with death, everything that happened inside felt like a dream now.


    All of them were injured. April had also been trapped for several months. Although the dragon raja servants had provided her with food, her state was still fairly weak from being trapped in the ice cave for so long.


    It was winter, so the Amos Icefield would be engulfed in snow storms from time to time. They journeyed for almost twenty days to get to the edge of it.


    As the ice began to give way to more familiar woods, they knew that they were close to home. At this time, Ibu called out to Verthandi. "Will!"


    Verthandi''s condition was also less than ideal, but as she held the Sword of the King, it would provide her with spurts of warmth from time to time, so she didn''t look any worse for the wear. By contrast, Allen and April both had frostbite. April also was running a high fever.


    "What?"


    Ibu hesitated for a second before speaking. "We cannot let April leave the Amos Icefield alive."


    Verthandi looked at Ibu with rage. "Why? She is our companion."


    Ibu replied. "I know, but she is also the Princess of the Kingdom of Engido. Now that she knows that you have the Sword of the King, if she were to live, you will be embroiled in all sorts of trouble."


    Ibu continued. "If you so wish it, Tiridan, Allen, and I can become your loyal sworn men. Then, after you get the rank of Baron, we could become your knights. And, with your word, I would move immediately..."


    Before Ibu could finish his sentence, Verthandi gave him an instant rejection. "She is our companion. I am a knight, who is under the orders of the king to slay the dragon and rescue the princess. I refuse to let this act of justice be tainted with evil."


    Ibu sighed, as they reformed the team and headed out of the Amos Icefield. Verthandi was still worried, so she approached April, who was being carried on a sled.


    April was running a high fever, so Verthandi used the Sword of the King to heal her everyday. Even though this healing was extremely effective for wounds, its effects for injuries was much weaker, especially since April''s condition was so vulnerable, due to this frigid climate, where adequate nutrition was lacking.


    The sleeping April awoke, then looked at Verthandi, coughing. "They told you to kill me, right?"


    Verthandi gave a start, then spoke carefully. "Your Highness. Don''t worry. We will bring you safely before His Majesty."


    April was wrapped up tightly. She laughed with flushed cheeks. "You really are a true knight!..Cough!...Come over here, I have something to say to you!"


    When Verthandi got close, April kissed her lips. "Thank you, pretty lady knight!"


    Verthandi''s face turned a bright red, as she had become suddenly embarrassed. She then stood in a hurry. She had no idea how April had discovered her!


    Verthandi had followed her father''s warning, hiding the fact that she was a female via special information waves and redirections, thus making others ignore her identity.


    When Verthandi was younger, she used this method for hiding from possible enemies. Yet, while touring the Alen Continent, it was utilized because a male identity was more convenient. Hence, Verthandi was extremely puzzled as to how April was able to tell!


    They were approaching the valley, and even met some of the hunters that were heading back, as well as nearby tribesmen. All of them saw the carcass of the dragon''s head, gasping at it as they swarmed by. Even though they weren''t at the village yet, there was still a considerable gathering.


    "It''s them! They really came back alive!"


    "They actually did it!"


    All of the people had thought that they would die in the Amos Icefield, or by the hand of the dragon. None of them thought that they would return alive, much less accompanied with the Frost''s head!


    Within the village, Lu Zhiyu stood by the water tower. From there, he could spot the team from afar. He could even see Verthandi at the very front.


    Lu Zhiyu stood on the wooden handlebar of the water tower. As the harsh wind blew through his hunting hood, the Lu ZHiyu at this moment looked completely different from the man he had been before.


    "It''s almost time to go." Lu Zhiyu removed his hood. His beard had been completely shaved off. He looked almost ten years younger now. He sighed, then turned to leave the water tower.


    "Dragon! It''s a real dragon! They killed the evil dragon!"


    "The evil dragon Frost has died, it''s finally dead!"


    "They did it!"


    The village was swarmed with people, each of them exclaiming over the dragonslaying squad, which was now dragging the dragon''s head into the valley.


    Ibu stood up, announcing with pride, "Will did it, he slayed the dragon. He is the true dragonslayer, the strongest knight!"


    "Will! WIll!"


    "Dragonslayer!"


    All of them cheered, as the entire tribe looked at Verthandi. Immediately, they swarmed her and raised her into the air, carrying her back to the village. The children of the village even gave her a crown of flowers. Everyone cheered, as they brought their hero into the valley of the village.


    Verthandi finally spotted Lu Zhiyu. She immediately leapt into his embrace, like an excited child showing off her treasure.


    "Dad, I did it! I killed the evil dragon! Huh, why did you shave off your beard? Didn''t you treasure your beard the most? Your beard was your pride as a man!"


    Lu Zhiyu burst into laughter. "It''s nothing! Dad''s proud of you."


    That night, the tribe threw a wild celebration with bonfires everywhere. All of the people danced around the bonfires and the dragon''s head, feasting and drinking.


    Verthandi was overjoyed, but she couldn''t hold her liquor. After a single toast, she was pretty drunk and woozy.


    That night, Lu Zhiyu had a long talk with Chief Ibu about how he had found Verthandi and obtained the badge. At the sight of the badge, Ibu let out emotional tears.


    "I knew it, I knew it was him, with that golden blond hair and those gold eyes. The people of the Sevill Empire have been awaiting his appearance. God is all merciful, and you have finally delivered him before us."


    The tribe consisted of the remnants of some of the most loyal retainers of the Seville Empire. In other words, the ten or so tribes that lived on the Amos Icefield, and the hundreds of thousands of orcs, were once the loyal retainers of the Seville Empire, before its dissolution. The ruling family of the Seville Empire had been betrayed and slaughtered, and the remaining forces were all driven to the farthest lands in the north.


    Years ago, when he took Verthandi in, Lu Zhiyu had figured out her true identity from the badge. It had revealed that she was a surviving royal from the ruling house of the Seville Empire. And, as all of the orcs on the Icefield were the loyal retainers of the former Seville Empire, that meant that they were also Verthandi''s people.


    Ibu looked at Lu Zhiyu. "I express my utmost gratitude towards you. Verthandi is truly a ruler chosen by God. I, Ibu, pledge to serve Verthandi for life!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and removed the ring that granted him the Baron Eranbell title, as he took out another letter. "I prepared this to bid Verthandi farewell. I know Verthandi belongs here. Please hand these two things to her for me!"


    Returning to his room, he saw Verthandi sleeping noisily, as she mumbled something about, "Dad this, Dad that¡­" Lu Zhiyu found it very endearing, as he sat on her bedside and gently smoothed her messy blond hair.


    Over the last ten or so years, he had seen her grow from a child. Lu Zhiyu had really forgotten that she was a child that he had taken in. He had almost really become a native of the Alen Continent, known there as Randhir Eranbell, not Lu Zhiyu, the Creator of this world and a human from Earth.


    Lu Zhiyu''s gaze was complicated, as he looked at Verthandi''s face. Looking at her, he reminisced about their life together. He thought of her cute side, her mischief, all the times when she got mad, and of all the times when she was embarrassed. He knew everything about her, yet she knew nothing about him.


    Children will always grow up, and he always knew that he would have to leave her one day. Yet, now that the day had come, Lu Zhiyu couldn''t bear to do it.


    He stood by her side, until the horizon glittered with the first traces of light. Lu Zhiyu let out a long sigh, then his entire figure transformed into a shroud of light.


    He whirled around Verthandu, before the glittering lights changed into a hologram of a head. He then kissed Verthandi''s forehead and disappeared.


    "Good luck, my daughter, Verthandi!"

 133 Entering Primonius

    Two lines of ceremonial soldiers saluted in rows before the palace. Verthandi, wearing a skirted armor and a shiny silver helmet, kneeled before King Narando.


    Instantly, all of the citizens in front of the palace began cheering. The Dragonslayer Verthandi became the hero of the kingdom. The fame of Dragonslayer Will had spread across the entire kingdom.


    As they had made their way to the capital, wherever they passed, Verthandi and her team were treated like heroes. They received applause, flowers, and cheers. Admiration accompanied them everywhere. By now, everyone in the kingdom knew of Dragonslayer Will.


    "I, King Narando of the Engido Kingdom, declare Will Eranbell as a Baron of the Engido Kingdom. He is now in charge of the dominion of Valtu."


    After a series of ceremonies, Verthandi received a ring and an award certificate from the king. From then on, she became the master of Valtu, which was the largest northern territory of the Engido Kingdom. The region was permanently chilly, yet it had many forests with mining resources.


    It was also one of the most unruly places within the Engido Kingdom. Many of the exiled convicts of the kingdom were dumped there. Due to its proximity to the Amos Icefield, there were also hundreds of thousands of orc clans nearby. As such, no one was willing to take over the role of Lord of the territory, since most people who ventured there never returned alive.


    Despite all of this, Verthandi was adamant in choosing this area during her commendation ceremony. April stood behind the king in an elegant dress. Instantly, she had transformed herself into an elegant, pure princess.


    Verthandi put on the ring, which represented her status, before standing up. All of the people were chanting one name...


    "Dragonslayer Will!"


    She had leapt from her original status as an average person into the role of knight. Then, she had transformed again into a Baron!


    After killing the Evil Dragon and saving the princess, she had earned her own noble title. This sounded like a fantasy tale, but it had truly happened, right in front of this crowd''s eyes. They had seen a poor boy with nothing approaching the peak of his life, step by step. The inspiration that had been provided to them by this experience was enormous!


    Everyone was talking about Dragonslayer Will. They all wished to become the next hero, just like him. It was almost as if they believed that his experience could be replicated, as long as the cheering people could be brave and have a bit of luck on their sides.


    Now, they could also be the next protagonists! Anyone could now think that they were the special ones, too! No one thought that their luck was terrible anymore, thanks to Dragonslayer Will!


    After a few days of enjoying their reception as heroes in Primonius and reveling in their newfound fame, the Dragonslaying Squad prepared to depart north to their territory. Verthandi rode a handsome horse and carried her longsword.


    Behind her were Ibu, Allen, and Tiridan, who were her personal knights. The four of them lined up to prepare for departure. Ahead of them were a few cloaked figures, who were leading a white horse up the mountain slope.


    Ibu and Allen immediately pulled back on their reins, as their horses whinnied in protest, then halted. They looked at Verthandi and whistled. Verthandi''s face burned red. She was embarrassed at the sight of April, who had ridden out to meet them.


    Verthandi was puzzled and flustered, as she looked at April and asked, "Why are you here?"


    April smiled craftily. She looked more like a fox than a wolf-girl. "To send you off!"


    April then asked, "What''s your real name?"


    Verthandi hesitated before replying. "Verthandi!"


    April nodded, satisfied. "Verthandi, we will meet again!"


    At this moment, Allen looked over to Lu Zhiyu , then turned to face the east. There, the lands of the orcs extended quite far into the distance. After that, the human world was vaguely visible.


    Suddenly, Verthandi''s usually carefree face became strangely solemn and cold.


    "The Crete Empire and the Church of the Light. I will return what you''ve done to us a thousand times better!"


    Verthandi then led her knights to begin her new adventure...


    It was year 35 of the San Calendar. According to the records of a human scholar from the Totle family, Nimson Totle, this was the most important year for the rise of the orcs.


    In the northern Amos Icefield, Will Eranbell, who grew to have countless titles, began his saga. As the Baron of Valtu, the Lion King Will had unified all of the hundreds of thousands of orc clans within the Amos Icefield. She then cleaned up the disorder around the northern border and became a wise lord.


    In San Calendar year 37, the Lion King wed the Princess of the Engido Kingdom, April Narando, and became the Earl. Her title then became the Lord of the Northern Territories, and she became one of the leading figures of the kingdom.


    In the same year, the last King of Engido died. April''s brother Lemegeton received the old king''s crown and scepter as the new king. The new king was a tremendously arrogant guy, who was extremely jealous of Will''s fame and influence throughout Engido and within the other orc countries. Will even had many soldiers under his command. As a relative, who was married into the Engido royal line, he also possessed the ability to inherit the throne.


    This made the new King Lemegeton despise and fear his brother-in-law greatly. From the day he took the throne, he started trying to pressure Will Eranbell.


    The friction between the two continued to escalate during many political spats and debates. Lemegeton finally began to lose in each. This dealt Lemegeton''s authority a great blow. Many of the lords and aristocrats, who had originally supported the new king, gradually lost confidence in him.


    In San Calendar year 38, Lemegeton declared Will Eranbell as a traitor, then took away her position as the Lord of the Northern Territories, thus declaring war against Will.


    Almost a year of war followed that moment. Lemegeton was finally defeated, forcing him to abdicate from his position as king. He was sent to a convent of the Faith of the Sun, so that he would face the cold statues of God, reflecting upon his arrogance and sins for the rest of his life. From that moment on, Lemegeton had become known as Mad King Lemegeton.


    The horses'' hooves thudded and kicked up huge storms of dust, as the majestic Northern Army, carrying the red lion flag, entered Primonius. Strong knights filed by on handsome horses. They followed behind Verthandi, appearing like an endless stream as they settled into the capital city of Engido.


    All of the citizens lowered their heads in respect. They secretly stared at Verthandi. This was the new master of the capital!


    They knelt to the ground, chanting her name. April Narando took over the throne that Lemegeton had lost, becoming the first female ruler of the Engido Kingdom and the third king of the Engido Kingdom!


    Primonius, the most prosperous current city of the orc nations, was said to take up a sixth of the land of Engido. Thus, its completely having changed hands was indeed a momentous occasion!

 134 Coronation

    In the royal palace of the Kingdom of Engido, there were crowds of royals and nobles. Outside, the cheers of the people could be heard.


    All around the palace, murals detailed the achievements and battles of the founders of the Engido Kingdom. Within the huge palace, past the gates and numerous structures, stood swarms of flag raising northern knights, waiting to crown their master as king.


    Within the crowd, other than nobility from various nations, there were also clergy from the Faith of the Sun, including Bishop Cory, although he had already been promoted to Archbishop status. Verthandi was a devoted believer of the Sun Faith, so they were likewise invited.


    They all were gathered here to attend the coronation of April and Verthandi. Since April was the Queen, Verthandi also shared her glory and the crown.


    All of the lavishly dressed nobles watched her, dressed in her skirted armor and purple cloak, as she approached the top of the platform. Over the last couple of years, Verthandi had matured.


    She wore her golden hair tied behind her head, and her gaze was much stronger and sharper than before. As she made her way to the top of the platform, all of the audience lowered their heads in deference.


    April, who was the queen now, was waiting at the summit, a crown on her head. The queen crowned Verthandi, announcing, "I, April Narando, appoint my husband, Will Eranbell, as king and the successor of the Kingdom of Engido!"


    "May God bless him!" shouted the onlookers.


    Verthandi kneeled to receive the crown, then sat on the throne. The young king then glanced at the crowd.


    Archbishop Cory erupted into a cheer. "Long life King Will!"


    Instantly, the palace resounded with cheers, like a tsunami. "Long live King Will!"


    Outside, the entire army knelt down at once. They knew that a new king had descended, one who would bring them into a new era.


    "Long live the King!"


    The cheer echoed throughout Primonius. Verthandi sat on the throne, holding the Sword of the King and looking far away into the horizon. Her eyes grew even more distant, as if she was seeing a scene from many years ago, back when her father had first brought her to this city. Verthandi reminisced for a while longer, before standing up to complete the last step of her coronation as the King of Engido, which was the knighting of her most accomplished and loyal warriors.


    Six warriors stepped up to the front. Not only were they from different races, but there was even a human among them. These were the comrades that had accompanied Verthandi through all her battles to unite the Northern lands. Among them were Ibu, Tiridan, and Allen, who had known her and followed her from the very start.


    At last, Verthandi unsheathed the Sword of the King before the masses. As a symbol of the divine right to rule, the sword let out a dazzling light that lit up the entire palace.


    All of the people their were awestruck by the scene. As for the bishops from the Faith of the Sun, they were completed dumbfounded by the glowing holy light of the longsword. Archbishop Cory was the first to recognize it.


    "It''s the Sword of the King, the lost sword! It is a true divine artifact that Human King Ahenaten had gotten from God!" Archbishop Cory was trembling with overwhelming emotion.


    For the Faith of the Sun, compared to the Church of the Light, they had no way to prove their ties to God. They did not have the same deep roots as the Church. Hence, they thirsted more for recognition from God. Thus, any object that could be related at all to God was enough to be considered as a sacred object.


    This Sword of the King was what they had sought for a long time. Indeed, it was considered to be the divine artifact that was beyond their reach.


    Now that it was before them, they were all beside themselves with overwhelming emotion. Many of the clergy from the Faith of the Sun were even prostrating themselves on the ground, bestowing endless kissed upon the stone floor. Under the rays of the holy light, they felt as if they were in the sacred embrace of God.


    After Archbishop Cory''s words, the entire audience stared up at the King of Engido. Many of the believers of the Faith of the Sun knelt to the ground.


    "A true king, chosen by God! A king chosen by a higher power!"


    "A proxy chosen by God! There''s no doubt, this king is God''s messenger on earth!"


    "No one has been able to awaken the Sword of the King! Only those with the blood of God and His approval are able to use it!"


    All of them looked at Verthandi, holding the utmost belief that she was the legendary king, destined to bring the orcs to an era of glory, and the true king that would unite the land.


    "Kneel!"


    The six warriors knelt on one knee before their master and king. Verthandi put the sword on Ibu''s shoulder. Immediately, the holy ray of the sword enveloped Ibu''s body. From the skies, a shroud of light descended upon Ibu.


    "Humility, honesty, empathy, courage, fairness, sacrifice, glory, soul!"


    "Be fearless before the strong, resolute and faithful before the divine. Be loyal and upstanding, and go to death before yielding. Protect the weak and follow the laws of heaven!"


    "Ibu, can you pledge thus?"


    Ibu''s breathing hasten with emotion. "I promise thus, unto eternity!"


    "By the name of God, I grant you the position of Holy Knight, to protect the glory of God!"


    As soon as the sentence was finished, a huge amount of power surged into Ibu''s body. This was identical to the power that was granted through the Saint Baptism ritual of the Church of Light. Immediately, Ibu appeared much younger, as the white streaks in his golden hair instantly receded.


    All of the clergy of the Faith, including Archbishop Cory and all of the nobles there, had craved this scene for ages. This was the most coveted holy ritual that belonged to the Church of Light.


    "Allen...by the name of God, I grant you¡­"


    "Tiridan¡­"


    This was year 38 of the San Calendar, when Lion King Will proved his divine authority to rule. The Faith of the Sun also began moving towards the Kingdom of Engido, acting as its center. Within Primonius, the Holy Temple of the Sun was built, as Lion King Will was recognized as a messenger of God.


    From then on, Verthandi became the icon of royal and divine authority. Within all the orc nations, a storm began brewing.


    Everyone believed that Verthandi would be the first king to unite all of the orc races together, ending over a thousand years of rife. She would then become the beacon of hope that would bring peace to the orcs, who could no longer bear their disastrous fortunes.

 135 Wizard’s Dilemma

    The bell at the top of the Wizard Tower tolled. By now, the new fourth generation of wizard apprentices didn''t yet know what the sound of the bell meant, but they knew it was something important, as the faces of their instructors immediately changed. Many of them were elated, as they quickly headed towards the top of the Tower, apprentices in tow.


    Bohr was wearing glasses. His features had not changed too much over the years, although he did seem a bit more mature and age-worn, perhaps even a bit wiser and more rational. At a glance, he seemed quite similar to his mentor, Anthony.


    The wizarding culture had undergone a significant transformation ever since Bohr had created Blood Witchcraft. The news of its creation had quickly spread throughout the wizard community, causing the culture to flourish.


    The development of Blood Witchcraft had expanded from the basic Body Transformation technique, which was every wizard''s first learned technique. Many wizards began devoting their time to Body Transformation and magical beast bloodline research.


    All of the wizards were researching how to safely and successfully transplant the spellcasting organs of the magical beasts, in order to gain their powers. However, the number of successful experiments and the number of transplantable abilities were still few and far between. This could be seen via their success rate, which was only around 50 percent or less.


    When a transplant failed, it would cause the subject''s genetic structure to collapse. Some of the severe failures would even cause immediate death!


    So far, only a few Bloodline Transfusion techniques existed, and the techniques needed to extract stabilized samples were only available within the tower library for a large number of points. The requester must also be an official apprentice of an instructor.


    The Wizard Tower also began researching the taming and raising processes for magical beasts. By specially breeding magical beasts with excellent mature bloodlines, they sought to develop better Blood Witchcraft techniques in order to transfer those abilities.


    Bohr and the others even wanted to target the dragons, but they could not even defeat the ordinary young dragons. Each time they had tried, they had returned grievously injured, after being chased several thousand miles by the enraged dragons.


    As for the red dragon that guarded the Wizard Tower, it was too proud to even acknowledge them. Other than the Tower Master Anthony, all of these wizards were meaningless to the creature.


    After so many years of growth and four generations of students, the wizarding culture was gradually growing stronger. Other than the official apprentices of the tower, there were also a large number of graduate wizards, who passed on their skills to unofficial apprentices on the outside. But the number of official wizards was still quite small, numbering less than fifty people, most of whom remained within the Wizard Tower.


    Comparatively, there were a growing number of priests of the Church of Light, wielding the divine seeds as they gained power. Their presence, along with the unfathomable influence of the Saints and the Saintess, still suppressed wizard activity within the human kingdoms.


    Lu Zhiyu put on a silvery-white wizard''s robe to transform into the wise Wizard Anthony, as he stood at the pinnacle of the Wizard Tower. All of the managers and students of the tower were lined up before him. Other than Wofter, who had not yet returned from the Elven Continent, and Wendy, who was out collecting research materials, all were present.


    Lu Zhiyu eyed all of the students present. Most of them had reached level three. Only some of the ones with meager potential had stagnated at level two. But, what surprised Lu Zhiyu was that Bohr was still at level three. Lu Zhiyu''s scan showed that Bohr''s mind power scale was already past 300 scales, yet he still hadn''t broke through to level four!


    "What''s wrong, Bohr? Why are you stuck?"


    All of them were extremely excited to meet Instructor Anthony. They each had endless questions for him. To them, this mysterious mentor was invincible and all-knowing.


    All of the students surrounded Lu Zhiyu, who plopped down at a table. "So, tell me about it, Bohr."


    Bohr nodded. "Instructor, you once said that, in order to reach level four wizardry, one must use mind power to deify one''s own brain cells, so that one can separate out one''s brain, consciousness, and memories. This, you said, would then allow one to become an extraordinary existence. At that time, the level four wizard would be able to form his own wizarding space."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "That''s right, your memory serves you well."


    Bohr replied instantly. "Yet, we discovered that we are unable to deify our brains. The mind power and our brain cells seem to exist in two different worlds, which are completely incompatible. At first, we thought this was because our mind power wasn''t strong enough, but even after reaching the threshold for advancement, 129 scales, we still couldn''t do it."


    Lu Zhiyu closed his eyes, thinking back to his own breakthrough. Lu Zhiyu remembered his own mind power structure, recalling how it completely immersed in the zeroth dimension and pulled in a large amount of Source Form to induce a transformation.


    That''s right, a transformation.


    Lu Zhiyu suddenly recalled that it was precisely because of this transformation that he was able to incorporate mind power into his cells, thus making it interact with reality. He had made the imaginary force affect actual existences.


    Lu Zhiyu had initially stumbled past this dangerous phase accidentally via trial and error. By doing so, he could have easily caused his consciousness and mind power structure to collapse and disappear completely from the world.


    The activation of mind power!


    Lu Zhiyu then focused on this one important detail. This was the crucial criteria for advancing to level four and the true first step for embarking on the path to mythical wizardry. Without this step, mind power remained in the imaginary plane, without any power over reality.


    Once the mind power and consciousness merged, the strength of the mind power could hold the consciousness. Every bit of mind power was branded with the individual''s consciousness. This was what allowed Lu Zhiyu to awaken deified cells, while Bohr''s mind power and consciousness had failed to do so.


    A high density of Source Form was necessary to stimulate the merging of the mind power and the consciousness. Lu Zhiyu immediately found the root problem of the issue.


    Within the magical network, the Source Form was too thin. Therefore, the magical density of the wizards was very low.


    Due to this, which caused minimal access, it was not enough to induce the transformation of the quality of their mind power. This was why Bohr and the others had been unable to advance to level four.


    Lu Zhiyu opened his eyes and looked at Bohr and his other expectant students. Although only Akkad had reached the bar for advancement, all of the rest were still hopeful about reaching this point one day as well. As such, all of them were very concerned about this issue!


    Lu Zhiyu stood up to announce his findings. "I know what the issue is!"

 136 Philosopher’s Stone

    Lu Zhiyu stood up and waved his hands in the air. Though there was no change to the naked eye, to the wizards at the scene, there was an immediate change in the mind power within Lu Zhiyu''s hands. The amount of mind power continued to soar, as it formed a complex webbed mind power forcefield.


    Forcefields were used for meditation, as a way to stabilize mind power structures. Level three wizards also used them to build their own forcefield blocks. As for the forcefield within Lu Zhiyu''s hands, it was complex enough to make one dizzy, as strands of mind power weaved together to form an intricate geometric pattern.


    This structure whirled continuously in Lu Zhiyu''s hands. The whole crowd felt it palpably when Lu Zhiyu linked onto the magical network and pulled out Source Form. However, he did not integrate it within his own mind power.


    Immediately, a silver droplet appeared out of thin air. It was tied securely with Lu Zhiyu''s mind power lattice and spun rapidly in the center of the structure. At last, it condensed into a silvery white crystal the size of a grain of rice.


    Bohr''s mouth fell open as he looked at Lu Zhiyu. "Mana? Mana can be materialized?"


    Lu Zhiyu gazed down. It was a single scale of Source Form. Although it was only a crystal that was the size of a grain of rice, it would take Bohr around a month of meditation to create. As for the other wizards, it would be hard to imagine how long it would take for them to attempt such a feat.


    Lu Zhiyu passed it to Bohr. "Put some mind power into this!"


    Bohr did so without hesitation. The condensed Source Form crystal gave Bohr''s mind power an instant boost, like a crashing wave. Immediately, some of his mind power began transforming its very nature. However, since the crystal was too small, it wasn''t adequate to awaken all of his mind power or to induce the combination of his mind power and consciousness.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "So this was the issue!"


    "A transformation of mind power requires an environmental stimulus!"


    Bohr had felt a part of his mind power change. If there were enough of these Source Form crystals, he would be able to meld his mind power and his consciousness together to complete the transformation. Yet, since each person had access only to a limited amount of Source Form every day, Bohr felt that it would be quite difficult to create a crystal that was large enough for his purposes.


    "So, in order to complete our mind power transformation, we need a large mana crystal? Is that right, Instructor?"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. They did not have to absorb the mana crystal itself, but rather use the crystal to assist them as they created an environment conducive to transforming their mind power. In other words, the mana crystal could be used repeatedly, because although its power would diminish after each use, the change was still insignificant.


    Lu Zhiyu spoke. "I will give you all the methods for condensing this crystal. You can then combine your powers to create it. However, this stone is no normal mana. It is mana actualized into a stone. Hence, calling it a mana crystal wouldn''t be correct."


    Lu Zhiyu thought for a second. This stone could allow mind power, a theoretical existence, to change its nature into something that can interact with reality. It was very similar to something that Lu Zhiyu had heard of before. Lu Zhiyu chuckled. "Let''s name it the Philosopher''s Stone."


    Witnessing Lu Zhiyu holding the rice-sized crystal, the wizards felt as if they were seeing a truly wise man, passing on his wisdom to them. Lu Zhiyu held the Philosopher''s Stone with both hands, the mind power continuing to condense, as he explained the steps for creating the Stone.


    To Lu Zhiyu, this wasn''t anything too special or complicated. Bluntly speaking, it was even somewhat worthless to him. But to the others, this Philosopher''s Stone was the gateway to a whole new world.


    To them, this simple stone could transform their mind power and allow their brains to actually begin the deification process, which would then allow them to step into the realm of level four wizardry. That would be their first true step towards achieving mythical status, as they ventured on their journeys to level seven status as mythical beings.


    Thus, the appearance of the Philosopher''s Stone had solved a large obstacle. For Bohr especially, this was an immense relief.


    In the time remaining, Bohr and the other wizards began researching the Philosopher''s Stone. The strength and control of their mind power were far below Lu Zhiyu''s, so it was impossible for them to easily create such a complex forcefield.


    As such, they came up with another method. Within the Wizard Tower, they created a designated area, where they drew a formation to assist their casting. Like Lu Zhiyu''s first attempt at creating the dimensional door, the pattern was made to be extremely complicated in order to better guide the mind power structure into a set location.


    Lu Zhiyu stood by the side, providing instructions as he observed the large formation''s construction. It covered the entirety of a hall. When dissected, the formation, which was the size of Lu Zhiyu''s palm, actually covered a space of many dozens of meters.


    The ground was completely covered with intricate formations. This area belonged to Lu Zhiyu, as it was considered to a part of the penthouse. From now on, it would be used for the creation of the Philosopher''s Stone, designated as a forbidden area within the Wizard Tower. Without Lu Zhiyu or the deputy tower manager''s permission, no one was allowed to trespass.


    The Sphinx Pyros that was responsible for guarding the penthouse was relocated to the library. The library was one of the core areas of the Tower and was one of the locations that Lu Zhiyu valued highly. As such, Lu Zhiyu remade the Sphinx into one of his own kin species.


    It could now memorize all of the knowledge within the library, saving and updating all its new discoveries. It was responsible for all of the knowledge within the Tower, and as such, all point redemptions must go through him.


    At the same time, any wizards from the Tower, who had already graduated, would use their badges to communicate with him in order to exchange knowledge or materials, which would then be delivered to them by a raven.


    As such, its existence itself represented the library. When it died and left behind the next Sphinx, it would ascend to the next dimension, continuing to transmit the information that Lu Zhiyu desperately desired back. This lineage would be an important source of information for Lu Zhiyu. To the wizards, they only saw an extraordinarily intelligent beast, which seemed to be like a living prophet of the library, knowing all of the information that they sought.


    For the next few days, Lu Zhiyu was syncing the knowledge within the Sphinx with his own Sub-Brain. Over the last few decades, the techniques of witchcraft had undergone tremendous revolutions, especially in regards to Blood Witchcraft. Although most of it was useless to Lu Zhiyu, the creativity and innovation of these wizards and apprentices was still an inspiration to him.


    Finally, Lu Zhiyu was reaping the benefits of creating the Wizard Tower. Lu Zhiyu believed that, with the continuous progress of wizards, this beneficial return would continue to increase exponentially.


    --------------


    "Begin!"


    Lu Zhiyu watched carefully, while his students gingerly began to create a Philosopher''s Stone. Seven wizards stood on the formation and began combining their mind power into a forcefield. They started by drawing mana from the magical network. Then. immediately, at the very center of the forcefield, a silvery white rice-sized object appeared and glittered.


    It grew gradually, at a pace that would not be discernible to the naked eye. Even when the group had exhausted their mind power, it had still not grown much.


    Bohr grasped the crystal with exhaustion. "It seems that this would require a few years to complete. But, it''s fine, as we have enough time to spare."


    Bohr was almost fifty already. But, he had integrated the spellcasting organ of the Double-Headed Magic Eagle within himself, so he had active cells that gave him a lifespan of around two hundred years. As such, there was truly no hurry.


    Lu Zhiyu walked over and clapped. "Not bad, you all have taken another step on the road of wizardry. Bohr, your work over the last few years has been brilliant. Your progress on developing Blood Witchcraft has impressed me. Hopefully, by the next time I return, you will be a level four wizard, who will bring the development of wizardry to new heights."


    Bohr and the other students looked at Lu Zhiyu. "Instructor Anthony, are you leaving already?"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head. "I will leave in a couple of days, but time flies. If you all have any other questions or thoughts, consult me while I''m here. It will probably be a long time before I return!"

 137 Metallic Cells and an Alchemy Ship

    Over the last few decades, the Wizard Tower had changed quite a bit. Beginning from its original foundations, it had expanded greatly.


    Originally, there had only been the tower itself, as well as the castle that was halfway up the hill. Afterwards, many other smaller towers were constructed to provide the instructors with experiment facilities and locations to mentor their proteges.


    Only official proteges were counted as being bonded to their instructors and chosen to carry on their inheritances. Just as it had been when Lu Zhiyu had chosen a few apprentices, these chosen few had received an elite education, while the other apprentices only underwent basic training.


    However, they were not raised in the carefree manner that Lu Zhiyu had adopted. Lu Zhiyu was only interested in accumlulating knowledge, and thus, had no interest in building or managing a large-scale organization like Bohr and the other wizards.


    The entire tower looked more like a small city, which covered the entire mountain. With all of its new buildings, and the countless number of wizards and apprentices bustling around, its atmosphere was much livelier than it had been with the first graduating class.


    Lu Zhiyu''s magical beast smokescreen was later strengthened by Bohr and the others, allowing it to now incorporate illusions. Not only normal people, but even wizards would now be hard-pressed to deal with the miasma, as such illusions could kill formlessly!


    The only entrance was at the bottom of the mountain, at a cave that was magnificently decorated. It was connected directly with the underground tunnel. Not only was the entrance above ground, but due to the underground connection, all sounds would alert the Red Dragon, which was guarding the cave.


    Lu Zhiyu found Sargon''s grave in the cemetery behind the mountain. Lu Zhiyu had seen his son the day before.


    Sargon''s son wasn''t very talented. In twenty years, he had barely achieved the status of an official wizard, and Lu Zhiyu doubted that he would progress much past that in the future.


    Thirty years had passed since Lu Zhiyu had originally brought in the slaves. Most of them had died by now, and the second generation ant-people that he had brought in were beginning to die off too. Their work was being replaced by the wizards and apprentices.


    Standing before Sargon''s grave, Lu Zhiyu recognized some of the names, but all of them seemed at least somewhat familiar. What Lu Zhiyu had not expected, was that he would see the names of Li Weisi and Henry, as well as some of the other first generation wizards. Bohr had constructed these graves for them, using their items, to reaffirm that they were members of the Wizard Tower.


    Within the cemetery, Lu Zhiyu glanced at the rows of graves. He suddenly had an epiphany. The scene before him would repeat again and again in his future. As time passed, all the people that he knew would die, and an enormous mountain of graves would rise up beneath his feet.


    He would stand atop this mountain of endless gravestones, which were filled with familiar names. Lu Zhiyu suddenly felt a chill run up his spine. Lu Zhiyu had only just started down this road of evolution, yet he had already felt the frigid loneliness of this path.


    Would he rather be like Sargon, who was busy his entire life, only to die the death of an ant after a calm life? Or, would he fight for eternal life through evolution, thus progressing alone?


    "Is it worth it?"


    Lu Zhiyu wondered aloud, as he smoothed Sargon''s, Li Weisi''s, and Henry''s graves, one by one. He did not know whether he was asking them or himself. He stood in the cemetery for a long time, remaining there until it turned dark. He then left with a long sigh, and headed out into the night.


    --------


    A few days later, Lu Zhiyu left the Wizard Tower with the SS Eternity. Currently, the wizards had mastered several special abilities through blood witchcraft by transplanting spellcasting organs. As such, they had gained the ability to traverse the sea. So, leaving the the SS Eternity behind would be a waste, especially since Lu Zhiyu had a specific use for it in mind.


    In the future, when the Wizard Tower would recruit apprentices, they would go pick them up themselves. The apprentices would also be handpicked.


    Over the past few decades, some of Lu Zhiyu''s plans had begun to flourish. Special abilities really began to appear everywhere, as the world began to transform from being merely ordinary to being a world filled with extraordinary power.


    Lu Zhiyu sailed the SS Eternity over the surface of the sea, and began revamping its functions. The white life alchemy ship hadn''t changed much since Lu Zhiyu had first made it 30 years ago. The external details, the internal structure, and the decorations within it were practically the same.


    However, compared to its initial time of creation, its current mind power scale was much higher, having reached a level of 500. Although it was far from being a mythical life alchemy ship, it was stronger than ever.


    When he was first began building the ship, Lu Zhiyu had hoped that one day, the alchemy ship would not only be able to sail above the sea, but would even fly in the sky as an airship. In the end, he intended for the boat to even serve as a starship and sail in the universe!


    He would ride it between the stars and the sea, or between the astral planes. But, this was not an easy goal to fulfill.


    To build a starship, the technical difficulty was enormous. The aerospace science and technology of various countries were needed to develop this project. As such, its production could drive the development of a large number of industries, and even promote the growth of their economies!


    If Lu Zhiyu tried to design it himself, building an airship would be possible. However, in regards to starships, Lu Zhiyu doubted that he could design something that would reach the second cosmic velocity rate needed to escape the gravitational constraints of the earth. So, anything regarding reaching the third cosmic velocity and heading out of the solar system was beyond his realm of expertise and capability.


    Moreover, this wasn''t something that you could simply make with a blueprint, as the details of its execution required all sorts of professionals to ensure that no problems arose. After all, such scientific epiphanies, which were made from Eureka moments, belonged only to the legends!


    In order to realize the first step of his dream, he had to transform the ship into a complete alchemy lifeform. After all, one wouldn''t expect a normal wooden ship to sail in the universe! So, Lu Zhiyu spent ten years upgrading the Sword of the King, while he charted the structures of the metallic cells to complete their template.


    Now, it was time to apply the metallic cells onto the SS Eternity to refine it into a real alchemy lifeform. At the same time, Lu Zhiyu also made a new life template for the SS Eternity.


    The original SS Eternity was just a ship that sailed on top of and under the water. It had two special abilities: the power to control currents and the power to control sonic waves. However, this skillset was about to be completely revamped.

 138 SS Eternity 2.0

    Lu Zhiyu was not planning to add more complex supernatural designs onto the redesign of the SS Eternity, but rather to increase the capabilities it already had. For a metallic alchemy ship, as long as it had the prerequisite technologies and knowledge, it would have limitless possibilities.


    The deeper Lu Zhiyu got into his research on the usage of deified cells, the more he felt that the secrets surrounding deified cells and mind power were beyond his imagination! The first issue that Lu Zhiyu faced was discerning how deified cells passed information between each other.


    Even if Lu Zhiyu was outside of the bitwall, as long as he willed it, he would be able to feel his deified cells and receive information from them. Even if this effect was temporary, wherever Lu Zhiyu was in the krynnspace world, he would still be able to connect with the kingdom that he had left on the moon.


    But, as soon as he left the krynnspace world and returned to Earth, the connection would be broken. From this information, Lu Zhiyu deduced that the connection of deified cells stretched across space, but not across dimensions.


    As such, Lu Zhiyu wanted to imitate some of the traits of dream control in order to release the inhibitors on the forms of deified metallic cells. In other words, metallic alchemy lifeforms would become extremely adaptable. Lu Zhiyu would be able to control each metallic cell, almost like a super mini robot. He would be able to combine them in endless combos to create a desired form.


    The cells seemed to possess a connection between them that appeared, so far, to be immune to disturbances and virtually indestructible. This made the cells'' potentials and applicabilities seem terrifying to Lu Zhiyu. He decided that he would name these metallic life templates "metal controllers."


    "Sub-Brain II, enter Silent Mode, shut off the consciousness and the system."


    Lu Zhiyu docked the SS Eternity by an island, then brought it into the Dimensional Castle in order to begin upgrading it into the SS Eternity 2.0. He turned off the Sub-Brain II within it, which consisted of a basketball-sized cluster of deified cells.


    He then removed the entire deified brain from the SS Eternity. As he did this, the ship lost all of its consciousness and abilities. It changed completely, becoming a normal wooden ship.


    Within the laboratory of the Dimensional Castle, Lu Zhiyu began the metallification of the Sub-Brain. Lu Zhiyu provided elements like silicon, iron, and tungsten, which where then infused with mind power to form metallic cells. These new metallic cells, which had just been created, then merged with the Sub-Brain II.


    After this entire process, the entire Sub-Brain II had transformed into a silvery-white metallic brain, which looked like a strange metal pimple. Lu Zhiyu then began to fix its life template.


    Some time ago, Lu Zhiyu had already prepared a metal controller template to insert into the Sub-Brain. Once he did this, the Sub-Brain II instantly went through a violent change. The entire metallic ball began squirming, before completely melting!


    Lu Zhiyu watched as the Sub-Brain II moved like mercury, spreading all over the ground within the great hall of the Dimensional Castle. It kept spreading, as the basketball-sized ball of metal writhed around, exploring its surroundings.


    "Sub-Brain II, activate!"


    Lu Zhiyu saw as the Sub-Brain II awakened and replaced the instincts of its body. The entire mercury-like lump of metallic cells leapt up, like a water vapor. It then covered the entire great hall, transforming it into a dreamy silvery world. As light hit the dispersed metallic cells, it created a pretty halo of glittering colors.


    Lu Zhiyu controlled the Sub-Brain II and input a form into its consciousness. Immediately, the metallic cells rearranged themselves, as countless silver specks condensed into a complete metallic bone structure of a tiny ant-person! All of this happened, right before Lu Zhiyu''s very eyes!


    Lu Zhiyu extended his hand, as saw it approach him from mid-air. He then began changing his commands. As he did so, he watched as the Sub-Brain II continuously transformed its state to follow his wishes, changing from an ant-person to a mini-car, then to a house, then a Rubix cube.


    Now, the Sub-Brain II was considered to be a mythical creature too, though its current abilities were admittedly rather pitiful for a mythical creature. In fact, it was even weaker than Lu Zhiyu''s first generation mythical creature, Saqun. Yet, its potential for development was far beyond the likes of Saqun.


    Lu Zhiyu let it go, then watched as it returned into a dispersed state, swirling around the entire Dimensional Castle. Then, there was a sudden change on the walls of the castle. A painting had appeared!


    Lu Zhiyu, bringing the painting with him, then returned to the uninhabited island. Once he arrived, he was able to provide the island with lots of metallic materials.


    Thus began the duplication of the metallic cells continuously. Though there wasn''t enough mind power to deify all of the cells, this basketball-sized metall controller mythical lifeform was still voraciously devouring the metallic cells.


    It continuously devoured these metal materials, swallowing, merging, and constructing in accordance to the program that Lu Zhiyu had designed. Each individual cell was an independent constructor, operating at a speed that amazed Lu Zhiyu!


    On the tiny pier of the uninhabited island, the furious construction continued, getting increasingly faster by the moment. From the initial barebones of an alchemy ship to the completion of the project, the metallic cells worked endlessly to form a complete metallic alchemical ship.


    Lu Zhiyu watched as the SS Eternity 2.0 , which he had imagined for so long, materialized before him. It wasn''t too different from the original version, except that its color had changed to silvery white.


    After boarding it, it was easy to see that the structure hadn''t changed much either. The biggest change was that the original plant cells had been replaced with the much stronger and capable metallic cells.


    Lu Zhiyu stood aboard the SS Eternity 2.0, controlling the new metallic life alchemy ship. Its silver exterior and complete metal structure looked magnificent and extremely sturdy. After switching to metallic structures, Lu Zhiyu could sense that the speed of the Sub-Brain II was much faster. He also sensed that its calculation abilities had also improved greatly.


    Its control over the alchemy ship was also more precise, as the deified cells had disseminated throughout the entire ship. Each of the cells were under the control of the Sub-Brain II, which could be adjusted according to Lu Zhiyu''s will at any moment.


    After cruising for awhile, Lu Zhiyu sailed the ship though a murky dimensional door, leaving Maria''s World and returning to Earth once more.

 139 War of the Empire 1

    After Lu Zhiyu left Maria''s World during the San Calendar Year 38, the wizards began to influence the whole world. Beyond the Alen Continent, even the elven Yala Continent showed traces of their activities.


    The Church of Light was also making impressive progress. The pastors with Saint capabilities also prospered on the mainland, serving there as representatives of the gods. They wore their holy sun patterned robes, as they preached across the entire realm.


    Various magical beast races also began to emerge, as the dragons grew up and awakened, having been born with new and extraordinary talents. Giant beasts roamed the earth, as dragons soared through in the sky. It was the true beginning of an extraordinary world!


    Extraordinary power blossomed everywhere, as the Faith of the Sun also started training their own Holy Knights. The one who unified both divine and royal power, Lion King Verthandi, had begun her reign during this time. Holding the Sword of the King that Lu Zhiyu had given her, she began to unify the orcs as the messenger of God.


    Verthandi suppressed the prejudices between the races, as she created new laws and rules. She also began to vigorously promote many human governance programs and business development plans, while maintaining the traditional orc clan model. Over the years, the tribes began to form cities and promote racial integration.


    After following Lu Zhiyu across the continent and witnessing the systems within various human kingdoms, Verthandi had a far broader worldview than anyone else in her era. Perhaps most impressive, she could think ahead, allowing her to be well-prepared to deal with the problems between orcs that arose.


    However, a large number of orcs tribes were against Verthandi''s laws. The tribes had ruled for more than a thousand years, and the reforms that Verthandi wanted to instill would strip power away rights from many among the ruling class of the tribes. This was unacceptable in their eyes.


    At the same time, a large number of nobles and Northern military personnel, who were loyal to Verthandi, benefited from these laws and reforms. Thus, Verthandi made sure to suppress the powers of the old tribes in order to pass her own policies.


    At first, the implementation of Verthandi''s Tribal Reform Act caused the Engido Kingdom to erupt in a violent unrest. All of the old tribes and nobles felt that they were losing their rights, their lands, and even their own subjects to this new upstart monarch.


    Many Chiefs, preachers, and local aristocrats all united to fight Verthandi''s Tribal Reform Act, and the newly peaceful Kingdom of Engido began to descend back into the old flames of war.


    In the San Calendar Year 40, in the Engido Kingdom within the city of Primonius, Verthandi wore a black robe, which was embroidered with the pattern of the sun. The gold silk was extremely conspicuous, as it glittered in the daylight.


    The robe represented the approval she had from the Faith of the Sun. It granted her the status of being the spokesperson of God, while the crown on her head symbolized her identity as King of the Engido Kingdom. Her bright blond hair, distinct from an ordinary lion-person, was tied in a ponytail behind her head. She would look quite intimidating, were there not two playful lion ears on her head!


    At the moment, Verthandi was frowning, as she looked over various letters with a quill in her hand. Most of them were from the nobles, who were complaining about trivial things. Some were greetings from the kings of other orc kingdoms. Of course, the majority were complaints about the Tribal Reform Act.


    Suddenly, quick footsteps were heard, headed straight towards her door. A tall armored wolf-man knight entered the room. The two guards at the door did not stop him. Verthandi looked up and recognized the knight to be Lanto, who was one of her six Holy Knights.


    "Lanto, weren''t you out promoting the Tribal Reform Act? Why did you return?" Verthandi saw that Lanto was extremely agitated. His body armor was stained with blood. It wasn''t his own, but it was apparent that he had rushed back in a great hurry, since he had come to see her in this state. Something big must have happened.


    Lanto fell to the ground, his armor making a soft thud. "Your Majesty, Earl Umos has rebelled. He has been secretly contacting the other major tribes to form an alliance, while he promised us that he would promote the Tribal Reform Act..."


    The knight continued his report. "When I went to see Earl Umos, they designed a trap to murder me. From the moment I got there, it didn''t feel right. I wanted to capture Earl Umos and calm the rebellion, but he was extremely sly. Thus, I failed. I could only escape with some of the cavalry. Right now, all of the tribes in the south have begun to mobilize their troops. Your Majesty, I''m afraid that we have a complete rebellion on our hands!"


    Another messenger came to announce the arrival of the Faith of the Sun''s Patriarch Cory. Verthandi had Lanto step aside, as Patriarch Cory entered. Cory breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lanto.


    "It is a blessing that Lord Lanto has returned."


    Verthandi looked at Cory, who was both Lanto''s elder and an important assistant to her. "Uncle Cory, do you already know?"


    Cory nodded. "The boar-people in the south are leading a 50,000-strong army over. They have already started ransacking the land. They have killed a large number of nobles, who were loyal to you. They also attacked some of the generals of the Knights of the Thorns, who were stationed in the south. Currently, there has been no news of any movements from the Knights of the Thorns. It is very likely that they joined the rebels. The army has already started marching towards Blanc from Wyst."


    Cory glanced at Verthandi, finding that Verthandi''s expression remained calm and serene. "I also heard that Mad King Lemegeton Narando has disappeared!"


    Lanto, on the side, voiced his shock. "What?"


    Cory spoke gravely, "Your Majesty, they are not only trying to force you to amend and abolish the Tribal Reform Act. They want to usurp your throne."


    "Due to the Tribal Reform Act, many tribes are livid, and the western Beira Kingdom has suddenly mobilized their army. We have dispatched several Holy Knights to stave them off, as well as all of their men. Currently, we are in Primonius. There are only 3,000 Knights left. Including the garrison, we have less than 8,000 men."


    "Blanc is the last line of defense before Primonius. After that, they would be able to head directly to the capital. If they capture Blanc, Earl Umos, the Earl of Boar-people, would be able to get reinforcements from the other tribes in the kingdom. The situation would then quickly collapse out of control.


    Cory was very anxious. In his opinion, the reason that the situation was so bad, was because Verthandi had been impatient when transitioning into power over the Engido Kingdom.


    Verthandi stood up and looked at Lanto. "Lanto, I will give you three thousand troops. Can you hold Blanc off for me for ten days?"


    Lanto knelt before her. "Of course, your Majesty. As long as I remain alive, Blanc will belong to Eranbell!"

 140 War of the Empire 2

    "Boom!"


    A gigantic fireball was descending onto the city of Blanc. As the giant flaming rocks descended, and waves of dust rolled into the city, the fire spread out.


    Instantly, some of the orcs that did not have the chance to dodge the rocks were crushed into mincemeat. These rocks, which were coated in flaming oil, caused numerous roaring fires, which set surrounding structures aflame.


    Many people, who were dosed directly by the flaming oil, were lit on fire. These people struggled in agony, before burning to death. Meanwhile, people on both sides rushed about frantically, attempting to put out the fires.


    As the flaming rocks continued to descend, trails of fire rained down ceaselessly from above, landing within the city. Following the trails of fire outside the city, there were a row of catapults, which were barraging the city wall continuously.


    Also outside the city, a huge orc army stood. Beneath the sun, the layers of their armor flashed blindingly. They seemed to be an endless sea of warriors, when seen in a single glance.


    With over tens of thousands of soldiers, their ranks seemed to limitless, especially since another large army of fifty thousand stood off in the distance as well. In fact, the armies now surrounding Blanc extended all the way beyond the hills.


    With their numerous spears and shields shining, dense like a forest, all of the soldiers looked at Blanc with a ravenous hunger in their eyes. As the catapults kept striking the city, all of them could feel the pressure of the black smoke, pluming from the attack.


    This sort of warfare had first originated from the human kingdoms. It seemed that the origin was based off of the weapons of human wizards.


    The first time such methods entered a large scale battle was during the destruction of the Kingdom of Menkaure. The tactics were seen for a second time during Verthandi''s succession battle against Mad King Lemegeton Narando.


    With the support of the Faith of the Sun, Verthandi had taken the designs of the catapults and commissioned large numbers of craftsmen to create them. Only then did she achieve overwhelming victory in all of the siege battles, forcing Lemegeton''s surrender of the throne of the Kingdom of Engido.


    After witnessing that battle, everyone recognized the power of these catapults. As a result, many nearby kingdoms began purchasing catapults from the human kingdoms.


    These orcs from the south of Engido had actually procured a large number of catapults, which they were using to bombard Blanc. Luckily, Blanc was a defensive fortress with over a hundred years of history. As such, its wall was tall, sturdy, and definitely difficult to breach.


    The shape of the city wall was also different from the traditional squares and circles, taking the shape of a polygram instead. As such, no matter which direction the city was attacked from, its inhabitants could return fire. This way, the structure was also sturdier, a true fortress. That was why Lanto could attempt to hold the city with only three thousand knights, along with those scattered soldiers and fresh recruits from within the city.


    "Sir!"


    "Sir!"


    Lanto was pacing within a channel inside the city wall. Under his chainmail, he was clad in a purple robe with the sigil of the sun embroidered on it, representing his status as a Holy Knight.


    Wherever he passed by, the surrounding soldiers and archers would stand in attention and salute Lanto. He nodded lightly, as the endless barrage of the catapults continued in the background. A few of his attendants could no longer hold back from addressing this situation.


    "Sir, should we arm our own catapults and return the attacks? This way, we can disrupt their rhythm. Perhaps we can even destroy some of their catapults, too!" A young dog-man general, dressed in chainmail, spoke impatiently, while standing before Lanto.


    Lanto did not answer him, but mounted the city wall to look at the opposing army. The mere sight of the majesty of the large, dense mass was enough to scare a person until they were weak-kneed, not to mention the specks of fireballs that were whizzing overhead. Even some of the soldiers were shaking.


    At that moment, a stone landed on the city wall, not far from the group. Immediately, the entire section of the wall began shaking violently, as the group felt their footholds becoming unsteady.


    Finally, Lanto grabbed the dog-man general and patted his shoulder. Only then did his answer his question. "It''s not time yet. Right now, they are only testing us. Their catapults are the large models, with a range of four hundred meters. We only have mid-ranged catapults, with a maximum reach of two hundred sixty meters. What''s more, based on the current direction and speed of the wind, they have the advantage, since we''d be shooting against the head wind."


    Lanto continued his explanation. "If we shoot now, we will fall right into their trap. They would find the locations of our catapults, then destroy them immediately. Then, we would truly be in an hopeless situation."


    Lanto had fought during the succession battle for Verthandi, so he was very familiar with the usage of catapults on the battlefield. This experience allowed him to speak now with such authority and confidence.


    The continuous barrage of the catapults was disastrous for the morale of the soldiers within the city. As such, Lanto and the generals continuously paced around the city, boosting their morale and encouraging them to hold down the fort.


    As expected, the opponents tested them via a round of pressuring shots, before moving into siege warfare. The masses of soldiers rushed at the city wall with all sorts of weapons. The human tactics of siege warfare had slowly disseminated through the orc nations, following the destruction of the Kingdom of Menkaure. These insights had also revolutionized warfare and strategy within the orc nations.


    At this time, the catapults within the city immediately began their counterattacks. The three thousand knights that Lanto brought were all elites, who had been through the succession war. Luckily, there were soldiers, who were capable of assembling and controlling catapults, among them.


    The accuracy of the catapults left much to be desired, but their timing control and their distance from the enemies was excellent. Compared to their opponents, their control over distance and wind was much more precise. After a few rounds, the battlefield outside the city was in a scene of complete chaos.


    After a few rounds of test shots, the opponents had initially thought that there were no catapults within the city. As such, the opponents were completely defenseless to the sudden activation of the city''s catapults!


    Large sections of the opponent army were pulverized by huge stones, as their blood dyed the battlefield a crimson red. Many of the siege machines and ladders were also completely destroyed, one after another.


    However, since the other side had a force of fifty thousand strong, they continued pushing forward by brute force. As more ladders were wheeled towards the wall, the battle stagnated, reaching somewhat of a temporary stalemate.


    Still, objects rained down continuously upon the enemies, including stones, wood, oil and boiling water. Orc soldiers screamed piteously, as they fell from the ladders.


    The archers in the city pelted an endless torrent of arrows downwards, yet the other side kept rushing at the city wall. They rushed forward with no regard for life or death, like a stormy wave.


    Beneath the city walls, the bodies of the dead were already piling up thickly. A few of the invaders had made it onto the city wall, and as the skirmishes moved onto the city wall, the defenders of the city attempted to keep knocking the intruders off. So it continued, wave after wave.


    Lanto led his troops with his own Sword of the Holy Knight, which glowed white. Brandishing it proudly, he weaved through the soldiers on the wall, knocking the invaders down.


    The Holy Knights had received the same divine seed inheritance as the Saints. However the Holy Knights did not strengthen their bodies, but rather strengthened their weapons, which were transformed into deified metallic cells. As such, they wielded a power called ki. It was essentially the same as the Judgement Ray of the Saints, with only a few differences in scale.


    Battles erupted all over the wall, as the enemy soldiers continuously struggled onto the wall. The sound of slaughter rang throughout the entire around. Every moment, someone died. The resulting smell of blood was enough to make people vomit.


    Lanto was bathed in blood, as he pushed a hammer-wielding bear-orc down the wall after stabbing him to death. Finally, the enemies began retreating.


    However, Lanto knew that this was only the first wave of a battle of attrition. The invaders would continue to storm the city walls, and he had promised his King to protect Blanc for ten whole days.


    He knew that this would be a tremendously difficult siege battle. Yet, he was not going to give his enemies a single inch!

 141 War of the Empire 3

    A bloody sun hung in the sky. The city of Blanc was completely scarred. A blazing flame had been extinguished between the inner and outer walls of the city, and black smoke drifted in the air.


    The city interior and exterior were pockmarked by destruction. The city walls were dyed a dark brown by the dried blood of the orcs from the siege. After nine days, every corner of the city had been stained with blood.


    Many city walls had been severely damaged. Several sieged cars were burning in raging fires outside the city, and the walls were littered with dead bodies. The stench was unbearable, and a large number of crows and vultures hovered in the sky, waiting.


    Every soldier on the wall had blood on their face. They didn''t even have the strength left to wipe it off, as their mental states had reached the brink of collapse.


    Almost all of them were wounded. They held their longswords and shields with dead eyes, as they watched the sun set. Its last bright red rays shone on their bodies, like a ray of doom.


    Lanto walked along the wall. All of the soldiers were on the verge of collapsing in numbness, having suffered through nine days of intense fighting, watching bodies fall all around them. They had only barely been able to hold on through sheer will.


    If the King''s reinforcements had not arrived the very next day, they would have quite possibly suffered defeat. What needed to be said had already been said. The morale boosting had also been done. By this point, any more attempts at easing their pain would be pointless.


    As the defenders, Lanto''s men had sustained severe casualties and injuries, yet the number of deaths on the rebel side was even worse. They were even more distressed than Lanto and his men.


    After Lanto patrolled the wall, he went down the stairs and returned to the inner city. Within the fortress, the people of Blanc trembled in fear. Many of them were crying. Some children were curled up in the arms of their mothers. Under the faint lights, cries of grief echoed throughout the city''s streets and halls.


    The bodies that had burned in the city over the past few days were sons, husbands, and fathers. War was always a tragedy to the people. There would never be a so-called righteous party in war. Lanto could only harden his heart and armor up the farmers, blacksmiths, craftsmen, and slaves, encouraging them to take up their swords and shields as he sent them to replace their loved ones at the wall.


    By now, the rebels outside the city had been attacking for nine days straight. Each day was more vicious than the last, as they became more and more agitated.


    Once the city was taken, these soldiers were sure to vent their mounting frustrations by burning and pillaging the city. Inevitably, their actions would escalate into a massacre, and even the commander of the rebels wouldn''t be able to stop them. This fatal progression was something that an experienced commander like Lanto knew very well. As such, he couldn''t let them enter the city.


    But, even in this situation with the rebels, where he and his men were surrounded and cut off from the outside world, Lanto knew that King Will had reversed many previous crises. He had the assurance that the king was rushing over. So, as long as Lanto could hold the city, the rebel forces outside the city could only await their deaths!


    Lanto walked along, suddenly seeing a few generals gathered around. "Lord Commander, will the reinforcements really come tomorrow?" one general asked him.


    Lanto turned to look at them. All of them had bloodshot eyes, which were tinged with fear and expectation. He nodded seriously. "The Lion King Will would never abandon his subjects. Tomorrow, the reinforcements will come."


    Lanto took a deep breath, then continued his assurances. "Early tomorrow morning, the rebels will form their strongest attack. They don''t have much time, since they must take Blanc. Only then would they have the ability to fight against the king. Thus, tomorrow will be the fiercest battle yet."


    ---------------


    Inside the tents, which were set up outside the city, several orc generals were arguing endlessly. A young wolf-man stood in front of a middle-aged boar-man and shouted, "I said, we shouldn''t care about Blanc! If we had given up on Blanc and gone directly to Primonius, we would have captured the capital already!"


    The leader of the boar-people, Earl Umos, was sick of placating the brainless former king, Mad King Lemegeton Narando. He spoke bluntly, "Then, we would have left a strong thorn in our rear, and once we showed any openings, it would have cut off our retreat, thus allowing the enemy to thwart our escape and take our lives!"


    "Blanc is more important than Primonius. As long as we occupy this place, we have access to all the roads in the country. The supplies around us can then be transported continuously, and our contact to the other tribes will open up. With that, we would at least be able to divide the country with King Will."


    Lemegeton screamed in agitation. "But I don''t want to have only half of the land. The Engido Kingdom is mine, I am the king of the Engido Kingdom, and as your king, I want Will Eranbell''s head. I will make him suffer the shame that he has thrust upon me!"


    Earl Umos patted Lemegeton''s shoulder, cooing, "Your Majesty, it will definitely happen. Don''t rush into anything. The victory will belong to us."


    After Lemegeton''s departure, Earl Umos'' eyes immediately revealed a sinister look.


    What an idiot!


    An emergency report rushed in. "Earl, the kingdom of Beira has been lost on the western border. Its army has been defeated. The prince of Beira and tens of thousands of his remaining troops are trapped inside Landen Castle. They have surrendered to Lion King Will. The King of the Beira Kingdom and Lion King Will have signed a treaty, with Beira ceding Lion King Will their eastern Redstone Province."


    Earl Umos'' expression changed greatly upon hearing this news. His alliance with the Beira Kingdom was one of his trump cards. The Beira Kingdom had also begun to invade the western part of the Engido Kingdom, while he was rebelling from the south. They had developed this strategy, since even King Will, who was a famed warrior, would not be able to fight them on both sides.


    "When did this happen?"


    "Three days ago."


    Earl Umos'' face suddenly paled. If the report was three days old, then the Lion King must be heading over with a large army right now! Before, some reports from the west had said that the Lion King had led 50,000-Knights with five of his Holy Knights against the 100,000-strong army of the Beira Kingdom. The fact that he had actually defeated the other army was enough to make Umos worried, but to think that the other party had lost so badly, and within such a short period of time, was completely terrifying!


    That was why Earl Umos was so eager to take Blanc. As long as he took Blanc, the situation could still be reversed. Right now, Blanc was his only chance. By taking Blanc, he would secure his last chance to compete against Lion King Will.


    Earl Umos stood up and looked at the other aristocrats and tribal leaders. They were a coalition army, so the forces were formed by various parties. There were various squabbles and conflicts between them, and occasionally, they would drag their feet. Earl Umos had had enough of such bickering and pettiness over the last few days.


    "As you all have heard, three days ago, the Lion King defeated the Kingdom of Beira, then forced the King of Beira to sign a humiliating treaty. Thus, his actions show that he will never let us go. We have nowhere to retreat to. He will not sign any treaty with us. All of us will most likely be hung on the city wall."


    Earl Umos pointed to the great walls of Blanc to emphasize his words, then continued. "At the crack of dawn, we will either take the city or face our deaths!"


    All of their eyes changed, igniting with inner fire, as they roared alongside Earl Umos.


    "Take Blanc!"

 142 War of the Empire 4

    "Boom, boom, boom!"


    The sun had yet to rise, but all of the people on the wall were awakened by the alarm. The soldiers prepared their weapons and ran to the wall, getting into position.


    This time was different from the previous battles. Although the opposition had yet to take action, all of the soldiers could sense that the enemy''s aura had undergone a dramatic transformation. Illuminated by the weak light of dawn, the enemy army stood in perfect formation, without making a sound.


    This unnatural silence was terrifying. This silent determination to take the city exerted a strong pressure on all the soldiers in the city, who swallowed collectively with anxiety.


    It felt like a decisive battle. Everyone knew that this was likely to be the last battle. After this battle, either the nation would be wiped from the map, after the city was taken, or they would successfully be able to stall until reinforcements arrived and the enemy army was defeated.


    The battle had yet to begin. All of the readied longswords were shaking, as the soldiers flushed red, filled with adrenaline.


    Lanto rushed to the city wall. He hacked off his Holy Knight robe, which was dyed beyond recognition with blood, as he changed into new chainmail. Energized, he appeared once more before his soldiers.


    Over the last few days, Lanto had been at the forefront of the battle on the front lines, leading every charge, and turning the tide in many seemingly hopeless situations. This earned the respect and admiration of all his men, especially when he let out the flashing holy light of his qi, slaughtering the enemy in a breathtaking show of power.


    All of his men felt that this Holy Knight embodied the glory of God. As long as they followed him, their faith and dedication would be conveyed to the Kingdom of God.


    The enemy camp watched the city walls with bloodthirsty gazes. The final battle was about to begin.


    "Dun-dun-dun!"


    "Thud!"


    As the sound of the catapults'' creaking into action descended, a large wave of flaming rocks immediately stretched across the horizon, descending on the city wall. Meanwhile, the enemy began a new round of barrages.


    All of the defenders had already become extremely skilled at dodging the projectiles and finding cover. Compared to the initial panic, many of the young recruits had become hardened veterans, masterfully adept at maneuvering with efficient calmness.


    "Boom!"


    "Thud!"


    Whistling sounds of the flying projectiles intertwined with the thuds of their impacts. Any ordinary castle would have long since fallen under such a mad assault, but Blanc was a bastion, a fortress designed a hundred years ago by some unknown genius.


    Its strengths were fully utilized during this battle. In this pre-modern era, without firearms, no matter how the other side barraged them, the city stood as firm as a mountain.


    The rebel army continued to utilize rocks from the surrounding mountains. The daily bombardment of Blanc did not have the effect that they had desired. Instead, Lanto''s own catapults from within Blanc had caused them to suffer many heavy losses.


    Sure enough, as soon as the bombardment of the catapults began, the sun peeked out from the horizon, just as the rebel army began moving. This time, they moved without reserve. All of them pressed forward towards Blanc, like a dense wave of ants, covering the entire plain outside of Blanc.


    "Arrows, fire!"


    The archers on the wall immediately began shooting arrows as the enemies approached, raining them down in endless waves. The arrows continued to descend, as multitudes of enemy soldiers fell under their onslaught. Yet, even more enemy soldiers hunkered down under their shields, reaching the city walls despite the assault.


    The enemy archers began firing back with their longbows, lining up in formation behind a line of shields. The arrows from both sides interlaced in the sky to form the illusion of a dense grid, which then covered the entire sky.


    The sound of whistling arrows was deafening. One by one, soldiers with shields pushed forward, as stones, wood, and boiling water were thrown down from above. The soldiers forced their ways up the ladder onto the wall. Many of them lost their grips and fell directly into the city.


    The sounds of death rang out loud, as orc soldiers roared furiously, their eyes locked on the city wall, as they rushed desperately up it. A boar-man warrior was gored through with several swords by the defenders on the wall. He gritted his teeth, spat out blood, then managed to throw them onto the ground, holding them down, so that his fellow rebel soldiers could climb the wall.


    All of the soldiers were invigorated. It was as if they had no consciences anymore, after creating so many scenes of carnage. All that was left within them was the desire to massacre their enemies. The sounds of clashing swords echoed, accompanied with the occasional squelch of a successful blow.


    Flag bearing rebel soldiers boarded the wall, one after another. Their presence greatly invigorated the morale of the rebels. It looked as if they had already taken the city.


    Lanto stood in the middle of the throng in heat of the battlefield, quickly disposing of the endless stream of invaders. He became the target of many of the rebel soldiers, who gathered, before rushing towards him. His loyal knights fell, one by one, beside him, but even more of his men continued to gather around him, protecting their master unto death.


    A small mountain of bodies formed on this section of the wall. Lanto was soaked with blood. His face was streaked red. Even his eyes were covered with specks of blood.


    He continued fighting, like a demon straight from hell, as the sword in his right hand let out a bust of shining ki, taking down a wolf-man Blood Knight. Meanwhile, his other hand waved a black lion''s flagpole, spearing through a boar-man with a huge axe. The muscular boar warrior fell down, representing the triumph of the banner of the Lion King Will, which flew gallantly above the city, swishing in the wind.


    "Owoooooooooooo!"


    Lanto stood atop the pile of bodies and gave a rallying howl. All of his muscles shook, as the veins on his face and neck bulged. The wolf''s howl carried throughout the battlefield, awing all the soldiers on the wall.


    The soldiers began moving with renewed vigor. As their morales rose, they pushed the enemy back, turning the situation once again in their favor. The fortress defence began succeeding!


    The rebel army began to despair. This scraggy fortress, which was shaped like the jaws of a beast, seemed like it was a door straight to hell, intent upon devouring their lives! Their attacks had failed again and again. It looked as if they would never be able to take this city.


    Boom!


    Suddenly, a huge explosion occurred at a city gate. Smoke obscured the sky. Lanto had sealed all of the city gates with stone, in preparation for the battle, in order to prevent any entry.


    However, Lanto hadn''t known that Earl Umos had obtained alchemy explosives from human wizards through special channels. They didn''t have much of a supply of them, however, since Umos had only purchased some as insurance. It had seemed fairly ordinary to do so, so he wasn''t sure if it would be useful.


    Luckily, the power of the alchemy explosives far exceeded the imagination of Earl Umos. They had not only blasted through the sealed gates, but had also destroyed part of the city wall, which filled Earl Umos with wild glee.


    When the smoke dissipated, the opening in Blanc''s defense was in full view. There was a sudden silence. For the rebels, it was an unexpected surprise after a bout of utter despair. For the royal army, which was defending the city, this was a scene from hell.


    The rebels rushed towards the city gate with shouts of glee. Of course, Lanto had already setup countermeasures for such a situation. Immediately, squads of soldiers blocked the entrance with shields and spears.


    Even more soldiers headed towards the destroyed city gate under Lanto''s roaring command, aimed at blocking the invasion. But, alas, the gate had already been lost, so the invasion was imminent. Lanto was also beginning to fall into deep despair.


    At the small opening of the city gate, a large number of soldiers collided in a frenzy of spears and shields. Soldiers fell left and right, as each incoming wave stepped forward on their dead bodies. The entire scene had become a meat grinder, a collision of mad carnage. All of them knew that the final moment of this battle was nigh.


    Shields collided with one another viciously, as spears were jammed at enemies. An enemy''s sword would severe a comrade''s throat, while the enemy would then be smashed in turn by his own axe. Everyone was consumed by the insanity of it all, as they rushed towards the slaughterhouse to die, one after the other. At that moment, it seemed as if their lives were worthless, like mere straw, which was blown away in the wind. No one cared about their own lives, as their eyes were all locked on this gate''s opening.


    "Stop them! Do not falter, as behind you lay your families. You are the only thing between these intruders and your wives and children. If you falter, all of your loved ones will be slaughtered!"


    Lanto blocked the gate in an insane frenzy. He slammed the two rushing dog-men into the ground with his shield, before killing them with a swing of his sword. Lanto had lost track of how many orcs had died at his hands in the last few days.


    Was it a couple hundred? A few thousand perhaps?


    Lanto was also covered in wounds. Several injury scars were littered across his body. His old wounds had burst open after the explosion. Ordinary people would have succumbed to these wounds many times over, yet Lanto pushed onward with his power as a Blood Knight, as well as with the vitality that he possessed as a Holy Knight. Yet, by now, even Lanto could sense his own imminent demise.


    "Perhaps, this shall be my final resting place!"


    Lanto seemed to sense something foreboding. "God! I have killed so many! Am I still allowed into your Kingdom? Am I fighting for you, God? Am I fighting for justice?"


    The killing continued, but the defenders were beginning to struggle. They began falling to the relentless rush of the invaders.


    Soon, the rebels would enter the city and release their anger and desires upon its citizens. The symphony of death echoed across the battlefield, but Lanto was deaf to it all. He felt as if time had slowed down, like the entire world had become a cruel painting of a frozen battle.


    Whooooooo! Whoooooooo!


    The sound of a low and somber horn sounded in the distance. Everyone looked up, spotting an army on the hillside a dozen of miles away. They carried a strangely familiar flag, which was black with a gold lion.


    A large cavalry was approaching from the distant hills, marching in a uniform line. The cavalry formed an army that spread to the ends of the sky, covering the rolling hills in the distance.


    A path was opened within the army, as a blond knight in skirted armor appeared at the forefront of the army, riding on a white warhorse. She was guarded by several Holy Knights, clad in armor and cloaks with the sigil of the Sun. The army trailed behind their king, watching the fierce battle before them.


    Verthandi drew the Sword of the King, then pointed to the center of the battlefield. She then shouted out, "To certain victory!"


    Hearing the command, the army came to life. The movement of the cavalry kicked up a dust storm, as they rushed toward the battlefield. The thunderous sound of their horses'' hooves was sharpened with a wave of killing intent, as it headed towards the city and swallowed the rebel army.


    The invaders completely lost their morale and wills to fight. This was a real army of battle-hardened elites. The inexperienced rebel army of locals collapsed easily. Earl Umos, who was within the battlefield, paled at the sight, his complexion taking the quality of leathery paper.


    Looking at the king''s army, which was approaching from the distance, their blond sovereign at the lead, Earl of Umos''s lips began spasming in terror.


    He managed to utter a few words, "It''s over! It''s all over!"


    The remnants of the defending forces were almost crying in relief. Lanto leaned against a wall for support, as he looked into the distance. He felt so weak, a single gust of wind may have taken him down. But, his previously tense posture suddenly relaxed. Lanto looked at the rushing figure of Verthandi, smiled, then raised his longsword high into the air.


    "Victory to his Majesty!"


    Everyone joined Lanto''s cheer, as they rallied together.


    "Victory to his Majesty!"


    All of the soldiers now raised their weapons.


    "Victory to his Majesty!"


    The soldiers on the city wall lifted the fallen flag from the ground. The black and gold lion soared majestically. The tide of the battle had changed, but Lanto was past his limits. He fell to the ground amid the sound of the approaching reinforcements.

 143 War of the Empire 5

    All across the city, swarms of soldiers were cleaning the battlefield, rounding prisoners up on the sidelines. Specifically, the soldiers were searching among the captives for aristocrats and the leaders of the rebellion.


    Within the temporary church in the city, Verthandi and five Holy Knights stood around Lanto''s body with their men. Outside the tent, a large group of knights, dressed in white robes, lowered their heads in silence. Verthandi shut Lanto''s eyes, as everyone finished saying their prayers for him. It was a solemn and dignified farewell.


    Afterwards, several priests immediately covered the body with a sun-patterned cloth, as Lanto was a Holy Knight. According to the law, he was a knight of the Faith of the Sun, so after his death, he was to be buried in the cemetery that was dedicated to the Faith of the Sun.


    Ibu looked at Verthandi, whom he had followed since she was young. In some ways, Ibu, who was her senior, could feel Verthandi''s anger and grief.


    "Lanto is just returning to the arms of God. Remember, everyone will die. This is our fate from the moment we are born. Thus, this is God''s will!" announced the elder in charge of the ceremony.


    Ibu looked into Verthandi''s eyes. "Lanto completed his mission and has gone ahead to the Kingdom of God. Remember what you said, when we sent troops from Valto? Did you forget your ideals and vows already? We all believe that you are the champion, who was sent by God to end the millennium of war. You will bring unprecedented glory to all of the orcs. Isn''t it precisely because of this belief that we could reach where we are now?"


    Verthandi blinked her red-rimmed eyes and bit her lips, agitated. "But, what I see now is only war and slaughter. It is just death after death. You can even say that, as the leader of the war, all of the wars started because of me. I never brought light to anyone, only death and disaster."


    Ibu spoke sternly, "Isn''t that the responsibility and weight that a king should bear? So many have died already. Lanto has always chosen to believe in you. All of us, hundreds of thousands of warriors from the North, have laid down our lives for you, precisely because we believe that you can unify the orcs and end the wars. Only then will the warring tribes merge together, forming one race."


    He continued, now questioning her. "Now what? You''re talking about giving up? Is this the extent of your resolve? From the moment you picked up the Sword of the King and began fighting the king for the throne, you forfeited the option of giving up."


    Verthandi looked at Lanto''s body within the sacred casket again. She turned her head and closed her eyes, then took a deep breath. She then looked back at Ibu with determined eyes, then walked out.


    Outside, the rebel leaders were brought before Verthandi, who stood on the steps and looked at the familiar figures below her. There was Earl Umos, the former King Lemegeton, and the Southern lords, all of whom were tied up like lambs to be slaughtered, shivering before her.


    Verthandi looked at Lemegeton, who looked back at the little blond knight, suddenly recalling some terrible memories. "No, you can''t send me back to that da*ned monastery! I am the king. I am the true king of the Engido Kingdom."


    Verthandi looked at Lemegeton. "No, I won''t send you back to the monastery this time."


    Lemegeton gave a sigh of relief. Anywhere else would be fine, as long as he was not locked into that maddening monastery again!


    Verthandi looked at Allen, then commanded, "Take the king away and give him a decent ending!"


    Allen made a respectful salute, then looked at Lemegeton with interest. Lemegeton did not think Verthandi would actually kill him. He was about to yell, but Allen kicked him in the gut, after which, he could only vomit as he lay twitching on the ground. Lemegeton was then gagged and dragged away, terror filling his eyes.


    Verthandi then looked at Earl Umos, giving her command regarding his punishment. "Hang him over the city. Let everyone see what end awaits such treasonous basta*ds."


    Earl Umos went to his death with dignity. From the beginning to the end, he did not say a single word, only showed his honor as a noble. Thus, a king and the head of a province were killed on that day. The rest of the southern lords shivered. No one dared to look up and meet Verthandi''s stone-like gaze.


    Verthandi played the role she had chosen for herself. She didn''t want to kill all of the people there. Although it was natural to kill all of them, based on their actions, doing so would not be conducive to the reunification of the South, as they were all tribe leaders and Chiefs.


    So, if they were all killed, reorganizing the tribes in the South and implementing the Tribal Reform Act would be nearly impossible. In fact, some of the other regions had already accepted the reform bill, when they saw how the situation was going.


    Verthandi hated these liars and traitors, but she could only choose to wisely let them go. However, she also knew that she couldn''t just let them go back to their territories. So, she decided to bring them all back to Primonius as captives.


    In year 40 of the San Calendar, Verthandi implemented the Tribal Reform Program in the Engido Kingdom after breaking up all of the tribes. A series of decrees then set forth major migration policies, moving a large number of landless serfs, thieves, and criminals from the South and North towards the Western Plains and the province that Beira Kingdom had ceded in the West. These areas were sparsely populated, and the migrants had established a new city and town among them.


    The original tribal and ethnic lifestyles were gradually changing within the Engido Kingdom. The different races began to intermarry and procreate. At the same time, the power within the Engido Kingdom began to gather, as the fame of the Lion King increased.


    In year 42 of the San Calendar, the Princess of the Duchy of Schinlas was kidnapped by the Prince of the Misea Kingdom and died after being humiliated. This raised the wrath of the Grand Duke, who rallied the most powerful tribes in the vicinity to attack the Misea Kingdom.


    Then, powerful and strong army of the Misea Kingdom, which numbered over 100,000, lost to the army of 50,000 that was led by Grand Duke Schinlas. They were so badly beaten and defeated, even the capital was battered.


    The King of Misea Kingdom fled to the Engido Kingdom with the King of the Engido Kingdom, Will Eranbell, who promised that he would send troops to aid him in retaking the throne. Verthandi immediately dispatched the Holy Knight Ibu and 100,000 men to help Misea to force back the coalition that was led by Grand Duke Schinlas.


    In the end, they were able to retake the capital of Misea, yet they did not return afterwards. Instead, they turned on the King of Misea and took over the kingdom, which they then incorporated into the Engido Kingdom.

 144 War of the Empire Conclusion

    In Year 45 of the San Calendar, the kingdoms of Engido and Misea sent troops to invade the Duchy of Schinlas. In the crisis, the Duchy joined forces with the various large clans that were scattered on the eastern lands of the orcs, raising an army of 120,000 to face the Engido and Misea allied army.


    Nearly 300,000 troops from both sides met and fought in Ramun. The Misea army, which had arrived first, began attacking the city immediately. The hasty Misea army was dealt a severe blow by the Grand Duke of Schinlas, when it was driven out to the Valley of Ramun in tatters.


    The Schinlas coalition was chasing them down. At that time, Engido''s King Verthandi divided her forces into two sections. She led one section to rescue the besieged army of Misea in the Valley of Ramun, while Allen lead the other section, detouring to the rear of the Schinlas forces to cut off their escape route and supply chain.


    The Schinlas coalition, which had surrounded the Misea army, immediately reversed its course. It fell into a heavy encirclement itself, trapped within the Valley of Ramun. The army of 100,000 was trapped for an entire month, before their supplies ran out. The Grand Duke committed suicide, and the army surrendered to Engido.


    After that defeat, of the five orc nations of Menkaure, Engido, Beira, Misea and Schinlas, only the kingdoms of Engido and Beira remained. The Kingdom of Engido occupied most of the orc lands.


    Other than the lands belonging to the Kingdom of Beira, there were only some scattered lands that were unclaimed by the nations,which were inhabited by a few isolated orc clans. They lived alone, removed from the world, and rarely communicated with outsiders.


    In the same year, the King of Beira died from an illness. A month after the prince succeeded him, Beira surrendered to the Kingdom of Engido. From then on, all of the orc lands were unified by the Kingdom of Engido. This was an unprecedented affair.


    Many empires had occupied up to half of the orc lands, before halting. The halting was due to the age of the founding monarchs, the internal rebellions, and the increasing pressures from within. As such, they lost the chance to unify the land.


    Verthandi relied on the combination of her divine authority and leadership as a ruler to take advantage of the orcs'' strong desires for peace, after so many wars. All of the orc lands finally fell under her control as one unified empire.


    Sarga City, the thousand-year holy land of the orcs and the birthplace of the first King, had lain abandoned since the Twelfth Orc King, Wolf King Costa, had perished in battle against the human Golden King Ahenaten. It had been rebuilt as a teeming metropolis.


    The magnificent city now stood as a strong fortress. According to Verthandi''s old strategy, the Tribal Reform Program was implemented in the orc lands. A large number of landless poor were relocated to the south, with the goal of having them inhabit the lands that used to form the Kingdom of Menkaure, while forming new cities and villages.


    More than 100,000 people were relocated to the city of Sarga, set to begin rebuilding the new royal capital. Perhaps it should not be called a royal capital, but rather an imperial capital, which eventually became a huge metropolis. Many people wished to live here, but even more people gathered to seek the lucrative potential that was available within the capital.


    Gradually, merchants arrived, as markets and shops began popping up. People from all walks of life began to settle there. Throughout its construction, little by little, it really became a large city with a diverse population.


    Verthandi had led a large army through the Ayers Mountains, arriving at the sacred city of the orcs, which had slept for a millennium, as its next master. The city''s towering walls, its hefty majesty, and its gate that could allow ten carriages to enter at once, was now all hers.


    All of the people in the city came out to look at the legendary Orc King, the master of the Sword of the King, and God''s chosen messenger. A large number of soldiers kneeled by the city gate, waiting for Verthandi to enter her new capital.


    But, Verthandi was looking elsewhere. Her gaze rested at the foot of the Ayers Mountains.


    There once was a small town called Ayer there, which was a sparsely populated town, filled with simple and kind people. There had been many cat-people and dog-people living there at one time.


    In fact, it had been her childhood home. She closed her eyes, as many wonderful memories appeared vividly in her mind...


    Daddy! Daddy! What are you looking at?


    Daddy! Daddy! It''s raining outside.


    Daddy! I''m hungry!


    Daddy, where are we going?


    Verthandi could almost see the tall, handsome man before her, with his usual calm and gentle smile, only for her.


    Little trouble, you again...


    Dad!


    Verdanty discovered that she had never really understood the man called Randir Eranbell. He was full of mysteries.


    What''s his real identity? Was that his real name?


    He had profound knowledge that was far beyond anyone else''s on the continent. He would smile that faint smile of his, while effortlessly completing tasks far beyond what others could ever hope to accomplish.


    Over the years, no matter how hard Verthandi had tried to track him down, he had left absolutely no traces. It was as if he had completely vanished.


    At this time, Queen April broke into her reverie, giving her a push on her shoulders, gesturing that she should enter the city. Unlike before, there was a motherly glow on April''s face.


    A few months ago, she had secretly sought out a boar-man wizard named Uruk, agreeing to some of his conditions. In exchange, the wizard agreed to let her birth a child for Verthandi.


    To Verthandi, wizards were extraordinarily evil. Their sort of witchcraft, which went against the natural laws of life, felt extremely sinister to her. Yet, April was her Queen and her greatest pillar of support. This fact alone resulted in Verthandi''s having extremely complicated feelings about the child in April''s belly.


    However, in the eyes of the people, now that their king finally had his own child, it seemed as if the empire, which they had fought so hard for, was truly stabilizing. The birth of an heir to her legacy was indeed something to celebrate.


    Verthandi''s thoughts had traveled a thousand miles within a split second. Now back in reality and fully alert, she immediately led her knights toward the capital. A large number of soldiers stood at attention, while the streets overflowed with people, cheering and welcoming their King.


    "Welcome, our beloved Emperor!"


    "Long live His Majesty!"


    "Praise be!"


    Flower girls sprinkled their petals over the crowd. Verthandi straightened her back and walked forward in a pure white-skirted armor with a gorgeous cloak. She waved at the crowds, who received her with adoration all the way to the palace.


    Within the palace, a large number of Faith of the Sun clergy members awaited. Dressed in their white robes, they formed two rows on both sides. Patriarch Cory stood at the top of the steps, while a large audience watched within the plaza. Above them, many nobles and aristocrats, who were knighted for their loyalty to Verthandi throughout her conquest, were seated.


    Verthandi finally dismounted. She then approached the summit, moving towards Patriarch Cory. A sudden silence descended upon the scene, as all the cheers died down at once. Everyone held their breaths, waiting to witness this sacred moment.


    "In the name of God, I crown Will Eranbell as the Emperor of the Holy Seville Empire!"


    The Patriarch of the Faith of the Sun personally crowned Verthandi. Verthandi turned to face her people, showing them her visage. Instantly, all of the knights and nobles fell to the ground. All of the civilians cheered in unison.


    "Long live the Holy Seville Emperor!"


    "Long live Your Majesty!"


    The cheers grew louder and louder. The entire city was cheering, their hands waving in the air. Wave after wave of people surged forward. All of the orcs were excited to welcome the first common king, the first emperor to end a thousand years of conflict. She was the ruler that would be the light to all of the orcs!


    Verthandi had unified all of the orc lands at the age of twenty-seven. She had established the Holy Seville Empire, as its first emperor. From then on, the orcs began to walk towards true unification under a centralized power.

 145 Base

    "Next up on the news, in England, the Debye AB Bio-Technology Company announced last week that they made a major breakthrough in gene-editing technology. They have developed a blood plasma for human genes that can induce evolution. Currently, they are experimenting with clinical trials, which is causing an uproar around the world. Two volunteers already tested out the first live injections yesterday. The pair remain in good condition, and have not experienced any side effects," the news anchor reported.


    "This morning, following the AB Bio-Technology Company''s successful experiment, they have announced that the time has come for human beings to enter a new era. This major breakthrough in gene technology has made most human diseases theoretically treatable. But, while some are cheering for this new and promised longevity, many more scientists worry that this technology will bring calamity to humanity, along with its benefits."


    Lu Zhiyu was lying on the sofa next to the window with a cup of coffee. He looked at the beach outside. In the distance, he could see the endless ocean. He was at Byrne Island in the South Pacific. From time to time, the sound of planes would buzz overhead, as they landed at the airport in the middle of the island.


    An unbelievable amount of materials and personnel were being transported to the islands. There was also an incredible number of robots that were working on the islands, constantly transporting the new materials, as well as ferrying about people underground. Currently, people could only enter the island, but couldn''t leave. This was in order to maintain top level secrecy, as no one else knew about the events that were happening on these islands hidden in the South Pacific!


    Lu Zhiyu was drinking coffee while he looked at the newspaper. The newspaper had an exaggerated headline, "In this new era of longevity, our expected lifespan will reach two hundred years!"


    He picked up another newspaper. It featured a picture of the spokesperson of the Debye AB Group, who was quoted as saying, "We are not only breaking through the secrets of life, but we are also investing in space exploration and space technology. In the future, AB Technology Ltd. will be at the forefront of human progress, as we lead the world into a new, interstellar era."


    Lu Zhiyu put the newspaper down. How Nicholas Debye was using publicity to increase his power and expand his influence was of no interest to him. The blood plasma solution that Nicholas had named "Embrace" could only be tailored to specific people right now anyway.


    Only Lu Zhiyu could manufacture it. So far, Nicholas Debye had only injected it. Even the Prototype 01 solution that could give subjects a two hundred year life span was still not ready for mass-production.


    The Prototype 01 evolution blood plasma was a product that was prepared exclusively for the rich and famous. Ordinary people could not afford that sort of luxury. To Lu Zhiyu, this product was not just some so-called herald of a new golden era. On the contrary, he believed that this product would only solidify the existing human hierarchies and form a wider gap between ordinary people and those in power.


    The Vatican Clan and Nicholas Debye were using the technology that they had acquired to rapidly expand their power base. They had even gotten the support of the reigning political parties of several countries.


    After all, the the promise of longevity and healthy bodies was irresistible for powerful men, who were facing death and disease. Thus, they did not hesitate to meet Nicholas Debye''s conditions and requirements, just to get a place on the list of recipients.


    Under Nicholas Debye''s ambitious direction, the Vatican Clan continued to expand. They began to construct a technological empire of legends. From bioengineering and blood plasma research to other fields, they began to dominate the market by creating monopolies. They were even stepping into the fields of human space exploration and aviation technology.


    Lu Zhiyu''s AB Technology Co. Ltd. was funded by these donors. The Vatican Clan provided whatever Lu Zhiyu wanted, as well as supplied an unimaginable selection of talent and resources.


    They also had partial ownership of the AB Technology Co., Ltd. via stock shares, as well as access to the company''s technology, which, in Nicholas Debye''s view, was a great bargain. But, no one knew that Lu Zhiyu basically had no technology to speak of.


    More and more, Lu Zhiyu began to feel that the Earth wasn''t an attractive place for him anymore. The vast infinities of the universe were the real future.


    Lu Zhiyu was itching to build a starship that would, at the very least, be able to travel within the solar system. That exploration would fulfill some of his initial goals, but so far, it seemed that Lu Zhiyu''s plan had been far too optimistic.


    After all, space technology was a complex and multidisciplinary endeavor. It involved basic science, applied science, and engineering. It was not a unilateral technical field.


    As such, in order to create a starship that could be used for travel through interstellar dimensions, calculations in computer technology, thermodynamics, mechanics and materials science, as well as a series of other technologies, were essential.


    Due to this, some smaller countries did not even have the qualifications to dream of such research, as this sort of research required both money and a large pool of scientific talents, as well as knowledgeable experts and a powerful industrial base.


    The manufacture of an engine alone involved scientific theory that was complicated enough to make people dizzy. So far, even with the most advanced engine and taking the best route, it would still take more than six months to reach Mars from Earth. Traveling out of the solar system was still impossible.


    Lu Zhiyu wanted to complete his own plan to build a starship. In order to do so, he needed a large number of talented researchers to help him.


    These talents were each unique leaders within their fields. Many of them were regarded as national treasures, with their movements being closely monitored. As such, Lu Zhiyu had to get the Vatican Clan to locate them and snatch them away discreetly.


    Lu Zhiyu stood up and pressed a glass door open to reveal an elevator. Lu Zhiyu entered through the door, then went dozens of meters underground before swerving to the left. Finally, after descending a few hundred meters more, the elevator stopped.


    He was in what appeared to be a huge underground cavity. It seemed like it was a location that was straight out of a science fiction novel! A large number of robots and automatic vehicles were moving back and forth inside it, and fluorescent panels, which were placed overhead, gave the entire underground space a white tint.


    Within the underground base were various buildings, spacious roads, and several specialized structures. The entire underground base was built according to the specifications of the professionals. As such, it had countless experimental spaces, all of which only had one purpose: to design and manufacture a spacecraft that could travel throughout the universe!

 146 Spacecraft Construction End of the Trip to Reality

    "David, take me to Fabio!" Lu Zhiyu pressed the headset on his ear, immediately connecting to the central supercomputer. The entire base was controlled by this supercomputer. Its origin was the Sub-Brain of the SS Eternity.


    Currently, it took the form of this supercomputer. Thus, all of the robots and equipment were under its control. The restructuring of the base and the island were all completed through its power via his commands.


    "Received!"


    Lu Zhiyu saw a rail car arrive instantly to pick him up. He took off towards one of the laboratories within the base.


    This particular lab specialized in robot manufacturing research and testing. It also housed the first group of researchers that was recruited by Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu walked in and saw several people observing the trial stage of their newly manufactured second model construction robots. Compared with the first model robots, these were much more flexible, having capabilities to engage in more responsibilities and more important engineering tasks. They also had a longer operation limit. Currently, they were planning on replacing all of the first model construction robots.


    Fabio Rossi was the director of the Robot Manufacturing Research Laboratory. He was the former head of the gear planning research team at the Italian National Bionic Research Institute. He had later entered the laboratory of Nicholas Debye for research on silicon-based life palms. In other words, he was specially recruited by Lu Zhiyu for his outstanding research skills.


    Lu Zhiyu was very curious about the origin of silicon-based lifeforms. According to the available information, the remains of silicon-based life were unearthed from an ancient temple in the Americas. As such, the remains of this silicon-based lifeform should have crashed onto Earth thousands of years ago, which led Lu Zhiyu to wonder many things¡­


    How did it reach Earth? Were there more of its kind? Where was it from?


    To Lu Zhiyu, there were many puzzles to solve, which he wanted answered. But so far, there hadn''t been much progress towards that end.


    Fabio Rossi was staring at a magnified image on his computer. His black eyes focused on the metallic cells in front of him. He watched as the nanobots constantly formed designs according to his demands.


    An Asian man was also observing by the side, and the two stood up when they saw Lu Zhiyu approaching.


    "Boss, you''re here!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, then looked at the Asian man on the side. "Dr. Gu Chaoran, you''re here, too?"


    Gu Chaoran was a male, who was around forty years old. He had been the head of several important projects at NASA, making him one of the top experts in his field. His expertise in aerospace technology almost unsurpassed any others in the world. He was well-known as being among the elite.


    But, Nicholas Debye had used a few tricks in order to drive him out of NASA. It hadn''t been difficult, since Asians were often excluded and treated with suspicion within NASA.


    Thus, he had disappeared without a trace. No one knew that he had been recruited by a mysterious organization that was hidden on a secret island in the South Pacific.


    Gu Chaoran nodded. "We have a few ideas right now!"


    The two of them looked at Lu Zhiyu. This mysterious man was the owner of the entire island. He seemed to know a little bit about everything, though he wasn''t an expert on much of anything.


    But, in regards to raising funding and creating the research environment that had been provided, he was unsurpassed. In particular, the supercomputers, metallic cells, and the nuclear fusion technology (obtained from the bio-nuclear energy machine from the Insects of the first world) were beyond their wildest imaginations!


    In addition, the laboratory provided them with a research environment and conveniences that were far beyond their expectations. They had construction robots, which were assembled through metallic cells, at their hands, as well as access to any research that they wanted, from all over the world!


    Even Gu Chaoran was here. Everything was now in place. This lab had miraculously transformed from an empty shell into a super base that could even construct and research spacecrafts!


    "According to your feedback, our current robot technology has been completed. I think we should now start building a space station in space. We can then assemble our spaceship around this space station. As long as we can launch the components of the spacecraft into space and assemble it there, the difficulty of my mission will be greatly reduced."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Have you finished the preparations for these plans?"


    Dr. Gu Chaoran shook his head. "Not yet, it will take some time, but it shouldn''t be too difficult. The most difficult thing is the nuclear power engine problem. Although you provided some of the related technologies, there are quite a few processes to go through before we can move them onto a spacecraft."


    Gu Chaoran wanted to say that the difficulty was insanely high, but in the face of the futuristic robotics and the almost magical metallic cells, the difficulties of making a spacecraft was simplified by countless steps.


    When they had first talked to Lu Zhiyu, they had felt like they were listening to fabricated myths. It didn''t sound like the design for a spaceship, but rather the blueprint for a Transformer, a living metal ship with evolutionary capabilities and self-awareness.


    To Gu Chaoran, supercomputers like David had already broken through the toughest obstacles in manufacturing a spaceship. The rest of the tasks did not require any technological innovation. As long as he applied his experience from NASA, it would be simple.


    This made Gu Chaoran very excited. It was a lifelong dream of his to make a large manned spaceship. He had once thought that he could not complete this dream within his lifetime. He had never thought that it was about to be fulfilled, thanks to Lu ZHiyu''s support!


    Lu Zhiyu was also very happy. Apparently, it had gone even more successfully than he had expected. "So, do you need anything else?"


    Gu Chaoran immediately replied, "We still need a rocket launching platform. I came to visit Fabio to discuss this with him. As for the manufacturing of the rocket, it will be conducted by Fabio''s robotic production line. Molly is in charge of the rocket design, as she is our best rocket system control expert. She is also currently leading the design team!"


    "Everything is in the design phase, which will take some time. But, as long as there are no errors in the details, we should be able to launch the first rocket test soon. Afterwards, we will proceed with the design of the space station and the overarching design of the entire spacecraft."


    Lu Zhiyu patted Gu Chaoran''s shoulder. "You can request whatever you need from David. He will relay it to me, so that I can satisfy your requirements. I will be gone for a while. In the meantime, Dr. Gu Chaoran, you will be in charge of the base. I hope to see our own spacecraft as soon as possible."


    Gu Chaoran nodded seriously. "You are my boss, and I will report directly to you!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. The real manager of the base was David. If anything happened, David would immediately lock down the entire base and capture the target. All contact with the outside world was carried out by robots. These people could not leave the base. Their families had been placed there by Nicholas Debye from the Vatican Church. Hence, there was nothing for Lu Zhiyu to worry about.


    After surveying the progress throughout the entire base, Lu Zhiyu returned to the ground again. Immediately upon his arrival, he saw a message from Nicholas Debye.


    "There is news on the ruins of the silicon-based lifeform, I have already sent people to investigate. There should be results soon."


    Lu Zhiyu''s face lit up with a slight hint of joy. He put down his phone. A small, almost invisible dimensional gate opened in the living room, which emitted a faint glow.


    With a flash, Lu Zhiyu once again disappeared from the face of the Earth...

 147 The Princess’ Birthday Party

    In Sarga City, the orcs rebuilt their capital within their holy land. The magnificence of the Holy Seville Empire''s capital was displayed in front of Lu Zhiyu.


    It was at least ten times bigger than it had been a thousand years ago. The wall and buildings were large and majestic, and the people in the city wore northern orc-style robes, which hid their beast ears. First-time human visitors would be dazzled by such an exotic atmosphere.


    Not only were the orcs present, but human beings were there also. Ever since the Kingdom of Menkaure was destroyed by the human Crete Empire and the Church of Light a few decades ago, human beings had been despised within the orc lands. But, the two sides had finally begun to cooperate via large-scale trade again recently.


    When Lu Zhiyu had left, it was the end of San Calendar Year 34. Now, it was already San Calendar Year 59. When he arrived in the Earth Universe, Lu Zhiyu had checked the time and found that, because the supernatural systems of Maria''s World had stabilized, after the emergence of the Divine Kingdom, the acceleration of time had slowed down even further to a speed that was now only three hundred times faster than the Earth.


    Thus, a day in the Earth universe was a year in Maria''s World. This meant that Lu Zhiyu had stayed outside for more than 20 days, so two decades had passed in Maria''s World!


    However, by now, the time flow rate had completely stabilized and no longer fluctuated. As long as Lu Zhiyu did not make any major changes to the internal rules of the world, there should be no more major fluctuations.


    Twenty years was both too long and not much time at all. It was enough time for a newborn child to become a father, yet to Lu Zhiyu, one generation was just a blink of an eye.


    The crowds filled the city with traffic, as Lu Zhiyu saw blue linen cloth draped all over the city. Walking down the street, the whole city was very bright and lively. From time to time, nobles from all over would enter the city, followed by hordes of knights.


    This was because today was the birthday of Her Royal Highness, the Princess Delmedi. She was turning 12 years old this year, and so the Emperor was holding a grand banquet to celebrate. The entire capital was also celebrating with a carnival.


    Lu Zhiyu wandered the streets and looked at Verthandi''s subjects. He could sense a thriving populace, full of vitality. Verthandi had governed her country quite well. From this aspect, she had proven herself a qualified king.


    As night fell, Lu Zhiyu entered the palace, following a gorgeous carriage past the palace''s gates and the layers of guards. No one stopped Lu Zhiyu. In fact, no one even seemed to have seen him!


    The palace was built in stacked layers, all of which were covered in beautiful slate roofing. After passing through the outer defensive area, one could see the gardens, fountains, rockeries and forests. The gardens on both sides were filled with flowers, which were currently in midsummer bloom and had intoxicatingly delicate fragrances.


    Behind the gardens, the main castle was filled with guests. Candlelight flickered on the walls and overhead, illuminating the entire hall with shining yellow light. The clinking cups and echoing laughter in the banquet hall gave the scene a dreamlike feel.


    The table was covered in delicious food, and most of the guests were high ranking nobles of the Holy Seville Empire. At the very least, they were provincial leaders and big whigs within their regions.


    Yet, none of them had any interest in eating and drinking, as they were either here to network socially or to handle various political initiatives. Some were also extremely loyal to the emperor, so this was an opportunity for them to meet him.


    Lu Zhiyu sat alone in the corner, tasting the wine and food. From time to time, he would tease the maids, who stood by the side of the room, as he looked very dashing. Lu Zhiyu seemed very relaxed, but he was actually a little nervous and overwhelmed, as he didn''t yet know how to face Verthandi.


    Verthandi was doing quite well right now. She already had her own life, and Lu Zhiyu was not her real father anyway.


    Lu Zhiyu felt that he had spent the happiest days of his life with her, and that he had left at the perfect time. If he had stayed any longer, he would only have been a hindrance to her path, thus destroying the life she wanted.


    The letter that Lu Zhiyu left also told Verthandi about her background. As such, Lu Zhiyu didn''t know how to face her now. He just wanted to see if she was doing well, and to tell her that he was very well and that she should not worry.


    Lu Zhiyu also wanted to see her daughter, who was his granddaughter. Lu Zhiyu already knew that his disciple, the boar-person wizard Uruk, had made a deal with the Empress of the Holy Seville Empire to lessen the persecution against wizards within the Holy Seville Empire. This had created a much better environment than the lands ruled by the Church of Light. In exchange, the heir was born through Blood Witchcraft.


    When Lu Zhiyu first got the scroll, before he created witchcraft, he could already use mice cells to breed embryos to create the mouse-people. To Uruk, who had mastered the most sophisticated Blood Witchcraft techniques, this was mere child''s play.


    Although he did not have Lu Zhiyu''s information-type mental talent, it hardly required gene manipulation to create special bloodlines. It was just a simple cloning technology. For a mind power using wizard, as long as he had the relevant biological knowledge, anyone could do it.


    Yet, too ordinary people, this witchcraft was extremely evil and strange. To Lu Zhiyu, though, there was nothing wrong with it. After all, didn''t all the life in this world come from this process?


    Lu Zhiyu wandered the castle, going all the way up the stairs. The two guards did not stop him, as he went straight to the windowsill on the second floor, where he could see the entire city, which was illuminated by the silver light of the full moon.


    "It''s beautiful!" Lu Zhiyu sighed, as he sipped from a glass of wine.


    "Hey, you stole my spot." A young girl grumbled from behind Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu turned around and saw a young girl with a head of fluffy blond hair and two red wolf ears. She was wearing a complex pleated skirt and looked like a little princess. But, at the moment, she was flashing two small fangs as she glared at him.

 148 Presen

    Lu Zhiyu turned around and looked at the little girl with interest. She was around ten years old and was about 140 centimeters tall. She was almost identical to Verthandi at this age.


    She looked at him impatiently, with her hands tightly wringing her skirt. Lu Zhiyu was hit with a pang of nostalgia. He had already guessed the real identity of the little girl. After looking her over, the corner of his mouth curled up involuntarily.


    Delmedi was very grumpy. She had planned on sneaking out to go hunting with a few knights, but her mother was watching her very closely. Not only was she not allowed out, but she also had to wear this annoyingly heavy skirt. Her hair was pulled up primly, as she had been dolled up to greet all of the guests.


    She had just escaped from her room, having thrown a tantrum, and was readying to hide away on her favorite balcony. Yet, here was some random man, having the nerve to take over her favorite hiding spot! He was also looking at her with a gross look. The results are never pretty when this Princess was angry!


    "A human! How did you get in here? This is a restricted area! Who are you? I''ll call the guards!" Delmedi put her hands on her waist. Her image, which was previously a cute little princess, was instantly destroyed, as her arrogance now shone through.


    "Guards!"


    Lu Zhiyu put his hands on his chest, then shrugged his shoulders. "Call them all you want. You can scream till your throat bleeds, but no one will come, hahahaha!"


    Delmedi kept yelling, but no one could hear her voice. Delmedi sensed that something was wrong, as she looked at Lu Zhiyu with a sudden hint of fear. Her arrogance shrunk rapidly, as she immediately began backing up, trying to escape. Yet, no matter how far she tried to retreat, it felt as if she was frozen in place.


    Delmedi was so scared, she huddled into a ball. She finally realized that the handsome man before her was not an ordinary person. He had to have a special ability. The only people, who could use special abilities, were priests, Holy Knights, kins of God and the mysterious wizards!


    No matter which one of these existences this man was, he was most certainly a dangerous person. Delmedi had witnessed the power of these beings before, and right now, she was only a little girl, who had yet to awaken her blood strength. Although she was of noble birth, she was alone right now.


    "What do you want to do? I''m the Princess of the Holy Seville Empire!" Delmedi revealed her identity in a panic. She thought that this revelation would scare the strange man into showing her proper respect.


    Yet, he did not show an ounce of respect, as he lifted her up by the scruff of her neck. Lu Zhiyu held the small girl in front of him, looking her up and down.


    "Hmm, they''re really quite alike. It''s just like her when she was a kid. Even the wicked temper is exactly the same. It''s time for some education!"


    After careful observation, Lu Zhiyu could feel that she was indeed of Verthandi''s blood. Uruk''s blood witchcraft was second only to Bohr. There were no side-effects.


    Lu Zhiyu had conducted a simple mind power scan, which saw things from a different perspective than the human eye. Mind power observed things purely based on data and lines. Therefore, mind power only showed detailed blueprints of the lines that made up a figure.


    This perspective had nothing to do with beauty, nor could it see anything at all. In other words, all it could see was the data of the human body. But, to Delmedi, the guy in front her was eyeing her strangely, as if he could see through her entire being. She felt chills run down her spine.


    She had been caught, lifted into the air, and stared at creepily. Delmedi was frightened into tears. She clawed around in a panic. "Let go, let me go, ah, help!"


    "How dare you treat me like this? My father will definitely kill you! He is the strongest knight ever, a spokesperson of the Gods, and the owner of the Sword of the King!" Delmedi kept sobbing, her two wolves ears drooping down. It seemed that she really had been terribly frightened by Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu hadn''t expected this, and immediately put her down. "Don''t run away. I will lift you up again, if you try to run away. Rest assured, I won''t hurt you!"


    As soon as Lu Zhiyu finished speaking, Delmedi, who had just been prepared to make a run for it, immediately relaxed. She felt that the person in front of her had no ill will towards her.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at her and said, "I was the one who gave your father the Sword of the King. When she was your age, she was even naughtier than you are right now. Every time she made me angry, I would give her a good beating, and she''d immediately behave."


    Delmedi looked at Lu Zhiyu in disbelief. In her eyes, this guy was simply bragging now. She would not allow Lu Zhiyu to debase her father.


    "You''re a liar! My father is very majestic, and he is the strongest person in the world! A thousand men, just like you, wouldn''t be a match for him! But, he doesn''t seem to like me very much."


    Lu Zhiyu looked strangely at Delmedi, as he pondered whether he should tell her some of Verthandi''s embarrassing childhood stories. Lu Zhiyu sat on the balcony and chatted with the kid. The little girl was quite arrogant. In fact, she would talk back every time Lu Zhiyu said something.


    Lu Zhiyu patted her head and played with her ears. She immediately began clawing at him, and even trying to bite him. The time passed quickly as they chatted. Lu Zhiyu noticed that someone had already started looking for Delmedi. He stood up and grabbed the dragonglass pendant that Delmedi wore.


    It was a three-centimeter-long, diamond-shaped dragonglass. Depicted on it, was the young white dragon that Verthandi had slain.


    Generally, the average White Dragon would approach maturity at around eighty years of age as an adolescent dragon. After that, it would stop growing, then gradually increase the amount and power of its deified cells. However, due to their body structures, reaching the level of mythological creatures was more difficult for them, compared to other ordinary lifeforms. Thus, it would take an endless dedication to carefully cultivate this potential.


    The dragonglass was the core of the dragon species'' inheritance, as it was the crystallization of their deified cells. Delmedi immediately panicked, when she saw Lu Zhiyu taking her pendant. It was her treasure. "This is a present from my Father. Give it back!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Delmedi. Immediately, a powerful force field was formed. The whole world transformed.


    Delmedi found herself standing on the surface of a body of water, which showed her own reflection. Yet, it also reflected a larger shadow.


    "What''s this?"


    Delmedi immediately looked above her, where she saw a huge door that was hidden in the depths of the clouds. Before her eyes, hidden behind the clouds, a vast heavenly kingdom stretched to the end of space and time. Delmedi had no idea what she was seeing, nor could she understand what had just happened, but she felt very relaxed. She also felt very happy and at peace.


    The two stood together on the water, as Lu Zhiyu stood before her. They were surrounded by endless blue sky, white clouds, and the ocean. Lu Zhiyu picked up the dragon crystal, saying, "I will also give you a present."


    The dragonglass glittered in Lu Zhiyu''s hands, as it blurred and blended in between Delmedi''s brows, before gradually merging with her body as one. The dragonglass would integrate into her body as she grows, allowing her to gain the inheritance of the White Dragon.


    Although she wouldn''t enjoy the longevity of a dragon, with the powerful dragon witchcraft of White Dragon alone, she would be far more powerful than an average level three wizard. At that moment, an intense light shrouded in Delmedi''s body for a long time, before dispersing.


    "My name is Randhir Eranbell."


    Delmedi stood on the balcony in shock. Not long after this, a few maids came over to find her. She kept muttering something on the balcony, until finally, Verthandi rushed over in a blue robe and a crown. Her appearance hadn''t changed much over the decades.


    Verthandi shouted Lu Zhiyu''s name anxiously on the balcony. Lu Zhiyu also gazed at her. The little trouble, with her familiar golden locks and appearance, had really become an Orc King! She was no longer the same old Verthandi, who followed her Dad around mischievously. Now, she was a true Emperor of Holy Seville.


    Lu Zhiyu felt satisfied, after seeing her. He then turned away, disappearing into the night.


    Verthandi was crestfallen, as her crystal-clear golden pupils showed her despondence. Yet, the Sword of the King began glowing with power. Verthandi drew the Sword of the King. The divine artifact seemed to have felt its former master nearby, as it now took a long time for her to calm it down.


    In addition to the scene that Delmedi had just described, Vethandi had vaguely guessed the true identity of Lu Zhiyu. She was agitated, as she recalled her memories, bit by bit.


    She straightened the Sword of the King, letting the faint glow wash over her. Then, Verthandi suddenly felt a warm and familiar sensation.


    "So, you are always by my side!"

 149 Alchemy Doll

    Beneath the Wizard Tower, many apprentices were walking back and forth. Countless young wizards had walked into this tower, filled with admiration and dreams. Some would become formal wizards within five years, while others would leave without even graduating.


    The structures of the school sprawled over the dark mountain ranges, surrounding the central tower. The wind ravens hovered in the skies. Occasionally, a dragon''s roar would resound throughout the area, shocking all of the apprentices and forcing them to cover their ears. When this happened, everyone knew that the violent red dragon, which had been raised by the owner of the tower, was angry again.


    Meanwhile, within the alchemy laboratory of the wizard tower, Lu Zhiyu was conducting a crucial experiment. All of the tower instructors were present to observe.


    Bohr was almost eighty years old now. He had become a level four wizard after enhancing his brain and assimilating the life template of the Double-headed Magic Eagle. In doing so, he had gained the lifespan of the Double-headed Magic Eagle, which was close to eight hundred years! If he had not completed this step, he might have already died a natural death by now.


    Without breaking through as a level four wizard, a wizard''s lifespan could only be partially extended by refinement, using the deified cells of the Double-headed Magic Eagle. Even then, it would only grant a lifespan of around two hundred years at most.


    So far, only Bohr had broken through to the fourth level. The others had integrated some deified cells, but by now, their bodies had already begun to show signs of aging. Their consciousnesses were also becoming more rigid and sluggish. If they didn''t hurry, it would be unlikely that they would be able to break through.


    Lu Zhiyu stood on top of the experiment platform, manipulating an alchemical doll. After spending the past twenty days in the real world, Lu Zhiyu''s harvest was significant. In particular, Fabio Rossi, who was the was the foremost expert in robotics manufacturing from the Italian National Bionic Research Institute, had taught him many significant things.


    But, what the prototype that they had built on the base of Byrne Island was still only a robot. What Lu Zhiyu ultimately wanted to be able to create was alchemical life.


    His aim was to create a true alchemical lifeform, an existence on the same class as silicon-based life. Although it wouldn''t be on the level of the silicon-based life wreckage that he had encountered before, Lu Zhiyu knew that it was still an important step to take for making forward progress on the research on alchemical lifeforms.


    The most important element would be the construction of the brain from metallic cells, which would then allow him to develop sentience. However, this was still not artificial intelligence, as Lu Zhiyu still had no idea how to create artificial intelligence. The sub-brain system that Lu Zhiyu had first developed, was just a simple imitation, which was based on the operating system and processing model of computers.


    It was also different from the SS Eternity''s sub-brain, David, which was created with the soul of Sakun. A true alchemy lifeform had to naturally develop wisdom and awareness.


    The alchemy doll was lying on Lu Zhiyu''s experiment table. Its shape had been fashioned after humans'' forms. It had a silver face with a streamlined body. It was clear that, when it ran, it would definitely exhibit similar beauty as that of a professional athlete.


    The entire body was made from a titanium skeleton. Lu Zhiyu had put a bionic skin on the outside, so it was similar to a normal human epidermis. Lu Zhiyu was only using metallic cells for its brain.


    Nerve fibers were implanted into its ears, and the signal was transmitted to the brain through soundwaves. The arms and feet could rotate freely. The heart was a supercapacitor battery. The eyes were hyperspectral cameras, and the throat was an amplifier. There was a solar panel in its back.


    Needless to say, this was indeed a high-tech product. In Maria''s World, it could even be called a miracle, as no one else could create such a thing!


    In the eyes of all of the students, who were seated behind Lu Zhiyu, this kind of thing was simply a miracle of the gods! All of them stared at the experiment with wide eyes.


    Meanwhile, Akkad, who specialized in mechanical alchemy, was looking around like a madman. For him, the figure on the table was simply the most beautiful thing in the world.


    At that moment, a large number of scattered parts flew through the air. Lu Zhiyu used his mind power to controls these small parts to, bit by bit, assemble the alchemy doll.


    After checking every detail, he let out a deep breath. Now it was time for the most important step, the activation process. This process involved the activation of the brain, not the body, and took place in order to actualize the birth of the alchemy doll.


    Lu Zhiyu wanted a doll that posessed both emotions and awareness. It would be the first alchemy lifeform born in Maria''s World, and would thus be a major breakthrough in the mechanical alchemy field.


    Lu Zhiyu cautiously pressed the activation switch on the alchemy doll, and began to stimulate the brain. This brain was composed of a pure unrefined metallic cells, instead of enhanced metallic cells, which have a higher plasticity.


    As such, Lu Zhiyu was careful to follow David''s calculations, ensuring that he built a life template that was able to seamlessly imitate human neurons and glial cells. According to the derived template, this project was feasible, but Lu Zhiyu was still not sure whether it would succeed.


    The doll lying on the alchemy platform suddenly moved. Lu Zhiyu could see that, deep within its brain, a weak mental energy current had begun to flow. The signal was obviously being transmitted!


    Finally, the brain''s awareness began to form. Lu Zhiyu could feel the power flowing from an unfathomable place, then gathering to form an awareness within the alchemy doll. Lu Zhiyu had guessed a long time ago that the birth of a lifeform''s awareness was intrinsically connected with the highest law of the world. As such, every time a life was born, it would extract some Source Form from which to derive its awareness. Such was the scene that was occurring before Lu Zhiyu''s very eyes!


    The alchemy doll stood up slowly and looked at Lu Zhiyu. It was like a child just born, observing the whole world. It looked at Lu Zhiyu with its hyperspectral camera eyes, then glanced around the entire alchemy laboratory. It then peered curiously through the window at the world outside.


    As they watched it move, the noisy laboratory suddenly grew silent. Akkad''s whole body shivered in excitement, then he shouted, "It''s beautiful! This is a true work of art!" This is the miracle of life, the highest realm of alchemy, the realm of God."


    Akkad was deliriously happy. He was eager to learn this alchemy technique that he now saw in front of him. This was the true future of alchemy. His teacher Anthony had shown him a door to the supreme path!


    Before, he had been ridiculed by the others for being a heretic and following an unusual path. But now, his teacher had just proved to him that this was alchemy was truly of great worth!


    Lu Zhiyu was also smiling, as the silvery doll stood in front of him. The two looked at one another, the doll''s gem-like eyes continuously zooming in and out. Lu Zhiyu then nodded. "From now on, I shall call you Eva. You are the first alchemy lifeform in the world!"

 150 A New Wizard Academy

    In the main hall of the master of the tower, a smiling beauty was preparing refreshments. She had a slightly stiff expression and silver-white hair, and was wearing the black and white long gown of a maid.


    As she placed the drinks on a table in the middle of the hall, she spoke with a slight mechanical delay, "Your black tea!"


    Lu Zhiyu took the tea from Eva. "Thank you!"


    Bohr sat on the side, nodding at Eva. His appearance hadn''t changed much. He was still wearing the same black-framed glasses and long blue robes. His gaze had sharpened, however, perhaps revealing him to be a bit more world-weary these days.


    "So, it''s already possible to engage in regular conversation and identify mannerisms?" Bohr asked Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. Since Eva had been made, Lu Zhiyu had dressed her in bionic skin, and had customized her outer appearance into her current form.


    Lu Zhiyu sipped the hot black tea. "As soon as some common sense and basic knowledge has been entered into Eva''s memory, she''ll become truly alive. She has a well-developed brain that can process information and independent thinking capabilities."


    "But, she isn''t without her flaws! No, it shouldn''t be called a flaw per se, but she is still a little different from human beings. As a lifeform, she is far closer to perfection than humans. But, this sort of perfection can actually be a flaw. The emotions of alchemical life are far colder and reduced, when compared to humans. Perhaps the structure of metallic cells weakens the desires of its lifeforms. Because they don''t need to eat, they receive no pleasure from eating, and therefore, they posses no desire to do so. Also, without possessing the normal vulnerabilities to disease and death, they have no will to pursue longevity and strength. Likewise, without pain and pleasure, it is impossible to have joys and sorrows, or feelings such as love, affection, and friendship. Hence, without ambition, there is no motivation to move forward in life."


    Bohr nodded. "Instructor is quite right. Weak beings often drive the advancement of life. Overly perfect creatures can often stagnate on the path of evolution, due to their perfection. The two-sided blessings and curses of every trait are worthy of our careful considerations indeed."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Bohr. "There''s no comprehension in your words. You''re just parroting me! Don''t flatter me with small talk. You didn''t come to me about this matter! After all, you''re not Akkad! That rascal! He keeps heading over to see me, while his eyes are really only glued on Eva!"


    Bohr laughed. "When you gave that lecture on the basics of mechanical alchemy a few days ago, Akkad was completely enthralled. But, compared to your achievement with the life alchemy dolls, that information was nothing."


    "He is also making his own mechanical dolls, but it seems that he is still far from making them move. So, alchemy life is out of question at the moment. Hahaha, no wonder he''s always heading over here. To him, Eva is the most beautiful woman in the world. Yet, it seems that Eva simply ignores him!"


    Bohr, upon remembering Akkad''s antics over the past few days, was unable to hold back his laughter. Lu Zhiyu also laughed. "He can''t even walk yet, and he wants to learn to run! First, he should understand the basics, before delving deeper. Well, even if I explained Eva''s creation process to him right now, he wouldn''t understand any of it. So, tell me about your matters. What do you want?"


    Bohr was silent for a bit, before speaking. "Uruk wants to establish a wizard school for the orcs, while Wofter and Wendy want to return to the elf continent to establish a wizard tower for the elves."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, looking at Bohr without any change in his expression. "So, what are your thoughts?"


    Bohr immediately responded, "I think this is a very meaningful moment for all wizards. I believe that they can guide their students down the road of wizardry. So, I think this is wonderful."


    Lu Zhiyu quipped back. "But if this occurs, Uruk, Wofter, and Wendy will no longer be mentors in the Wizard Tower, and they will definitely bring a large number of their wizard followers with them when they leave. Such a mass exit might drastically weaken the power of the Wizard Tower. The Wizard Tower would then be divided into three factions. Your power as the Deputy Master would also be reduced. Are you willing to follow through with all of this, now that you have considered all of that?"


    Bohr nodded seriously. "As long as it will benefit the development of our civilization as wizards, I am completely willing."


    Lu Zhiyu was relieved. "It seems like you all had this idea, even before I came back. Why wasn''t it implemented before now?"


    Bohr stood up and gave a Lu Zhiyu a salute. "Our knowledge was given to us by you, Instructor. You also established the tower, so we felt that your opinion and approval on this matter was essential, before we proceeded."


    Lu Zhiyu was very pleased at this answer. He gestured for Bohr to sit. "My thoughts are the same as yours, Bohr. I don''t have the time to manage the affairs within the Wizard Tower, but I still hope to see advancements to our culture. Bohr, you are better at those matters than I am. I also know how much time and effort you have spent in managing the Wizard Tower these past years. Many wizards oppose your rule, as they feel your policies are too weak and peaceful. They want to influence the world, acting as more forceful masters."


    He continued. "They are moving in secret, with many schemes, manipulating the situations in the human world. But Li Weisi''s folly, as well as the power of the Church of Light, cow them into inaction. Since you have also been mediating these tensions, there thankfully hasn''t been anything too horrendous happening. Right now, wizard culture needs to develop slowly, rather than jumping out recklessly, competing for dominance of the world."


    Bohr heard Lu Zhiyu''s words and felt extremely moved. Many of his ideas were opposed by everyone, including his classmates. Yet, Instructor Anthony understood and supported him. Bohr was silent for a long time, then he spoke again.


    "Li Weisi has been dead for decades. The new generation of wizards has long since forgotten the things of the past. The emergence of blood wizards has enabled the wizards to become far more powerful. This power is a great temptation, and I can no longer suppress the ambitious ones. Recently, many strange events have occured within the Kingdom of Mara. I suspect that the wizards, who are scattered outside, are involved. So, I have sent people to investigate."


    Lu Zhiyu patted Bohr''s shoulders. "The power of wizards can promote the progress of civilization, if it is used for good. It can also destroy the sources of civilization, if it is used for evil. There is no evil in the power itself, or in its development, but I hope that civilization will continue to advance, instead of devolving. I even hope to see the civilization of wizard culture appear in Maria''s World one day."


    Bohr''s eyes also lit up with desperate ambition. "A civilization that belongs to us wizards? I vaguely remember Li Weisi mentioning this in the past. Will I really be able to witness it?"

 151 The Thrones of God

    In Maria''s World, among the layered dimensional folds, Lu Zhiyu''s figure appeared above the silver moon. It was not Lu Zhiyu''s first time being here.


    At the moment, Gaia''s silver egg was attached to the moon. And, while there were no changes to its size on the surface, Lu Zhiyu could sense that the Divine Kingdom had expanded within it.


    Originally, Gaia had a mind power that rated around three hundred. Over the last few decades, after absorbing the consciousness of dozens of priests and Holy Knights, its rating had now reached nearly three thousand! Thus, the original Divine Kingdom had expanded tenfold! Within it, were a large number of believers, each of whom were Lu Zhiyu''s most devoted disciples, and who had built the prototype of the Divine Kingdom.


    Standing under the huge silver egg, Lu Zhiyu looked up at the Divine Kingdom. A faint glow shone throughout the silver dome. Suddenly, the huge Divine Kingdom resonated and pulsed with a strange energy. This signaled that the Kingdom, which was originally a large information body, had expanded again.


    In the pure blue world, the clouds within the heavens slowly rotated. All of the devotees raised their heads at the same time. When they did so, they saw a light shroud the central temple. At that same moment, the Divine Kingdom also exuded a dazzling light, as if welcoming its owner.


    Gleaming white buildings surrounded the entire Divine Kingdom. Other than the outermost gates, the rest of the layers of the structures were stacked towards the center, as if they were paving the way up a tall mountain. The higher and bigger a building was, the closer it was to the center.


    Following this proverbial ladder all the way to the central sanctuary, which was the highest point of the Divine Kingdom, one came to the white throne of God. This was where, at the moment, Lu Zhiyu had just appeared as a huge shroud of light.


    His brilliance covered the entire space. From his lofty location, all of the devotees could see him as the majestic figure of God that he was. The throne was even above the clouds!


    In addition to Lu Zhiyu''s main seat, there were more than a dozen empty thrones. These unoccupied thrones formed a circle, floating above the center of the Divine Kingdom. Each one was gigantic and was shrouded in huge rays of light.


    Each seat also represented a god. These gods were part of Lu Zhiyu''s main sub-brain. With this main sub-brain, some of the settings of the scroll could be adjusted, and the Source Form could be consumed, both of which would help to enable the changing of some of the rules inside Maria''s World.


    Lu Zhiyu gave the right to control Maria''s World''s to this Divine Kingdom. As long as someone was willing to integrate themselves into Lu Zhiyu''s Divine Kingdom, Lu Zhiyu could share the authority over Maria''s World''s with them. This would mean sharing the throne, or more specifically, the unoccupied thrones.


    Once someone was integrated into the Divine Kingdom, it was the same as being a part of Lu Zhiyu. As such, they could then no longer be separated from Lu Zhiyu, and would serve always as Lu Zhiyu''s assistant in managing Maria''s World.


    However, no such person was there to share his throne at the moment. And even if someone had been there to help, in order to have the power to change and manipulate the rules in Maria''s World''s, they would have to at least be a level seven mythical wizard.


    Luckily, the timing wasn''t too crucial, as Lu Zhiyu was still developing the concept. Lu Zhiyu had transferred some of Maria''s World''s authority to the Divine Kingdom through his main sub-brain, but the specific roles of the thrones were yet to be divided.


    The Divine Kingdom had been consolidating for decades. Now, there were over ten devotees within it. Before, there had been nothing inside, making it like an empty shell, prone to collapse in the slightest wind.


    Lu Zhiyu hadn''t thought much about the division of the thrones. He simply assumed that, as the extraordinary powers emerged, they would show up to claim the thrones. They would then become the maintenance staff of Maria''s World and help to uphold Maria''s World''s laws as it continued to evolve.


    They would also have the ability to preach and gather their own disciples. The faiths of these powers would spread throughout Maria''s World, and their disciples would also merge into Lu Zhiyu''s Divine Kingdom. Through this process, a true realm of God would be established, while the power of Lu Zhiyu would continue to strengthen with the growth of the world.


    The entirety of Maria''s World would be driven by these powers to develop into a world dominated by the gods. As for the wizards, who also originated from this world, they would develop an original wizard civilization. Lu Zhiyu also envisioned a specific future for them.


    With all of this in mind, Lu Zhiyu had come this time not only to observe his Divine Kingdom, but also to prepare for his breakthrough to level eight mythical wizard.


    In order to accomplish this, Lu Zhiyu had to develop a mythical life template for level eight mythical wizards. In regards to the Divine Kingdom, Lu Zhiyu was ready to transform all of Gaia via metallification, thus creating a stronger, adaptable metallic life form.


    As he knew that it would take quite a while for all of Gaia to metallize, Lu Zhiyu decided that he would develop the level eight mythical wizard template in the meantime. Lu Zhiyu knew that the level seven mythical wizard corresponded to low-level mythical creatures, while the level eight mythical wizard corresponded to mid-level mythical creatures. So far, the hadn''t found any real mid-level mythical creatures in Maria''s World, but the most crucial step was the existence of metallic cells, which he had already accomplished. So, the emergence of the level eight mythical life template was still a feasibility on the near horizon!


    Lu Zhiyu sat on top of the throne, his mind''s eye moving to observe the outside of the Gaia''s silver exterior. Immediately, the sub-brain at the core of the silver egg began to extract large amounts of metallic materials to replace its deified cell structure...


    Silver spots covered the enhanced sub-brain, slowly at the beginning. As the enhanced metallic cells continued to grow, the process became faster and faster. Finally the organic cell material of the enhanced sub-brain was entirely replaced.


    The metallic cells were continuously manufactured, with the metallic cells being found at the enhanced sub-brain in the center. It then spread to cover all four sides, as the silver metallic cells replaced the main substance of the entire structure of Gaia.


    Constant movement rippled throughout the silver egg''s surface, like waves, flowing from the top to the bottom. A large number of metallic cells were being made as Gaia metallized.


    Lu Zhiyu''s closed eyes finally opened, and the huge shroud of light let out a gleaming ray. The Divine Kingdom became more stable and compact, as the deified cells were replaced with metallic cells. The metallic cells could then control a large amount of information, which could be used to bring the entire Divine Kingdom closer to reality.


    "I have finally completed the second step of the Divine Kingdom! All that''s left now is to become a level eight mythical wizard. What should I call the mid-level mythical creature template? The Lord of Dreams?" Lu Zhiyu marveled aloud.


    From that moment on, the giant silvery egg would continue to extract and engulf the silver moon. With the speed of metallic cells, it would then gradually replace the moon, before completely metallizing the entire moon.


    Lu Zhiyu''s next task was to build upon the low-level mythical creature template, Dream Control, to create the mid-level mythical creature template, which would be a true metallic lifeform. By that time, Gaia would have become Lu Zhiyu''s main body.


    Gaia would also have become a huge mythical metallic lifeform, carrying the Divine Kingdom within the skyline of Maria''s World. That would officially mark the beginning of the country of God!


    .

 152 Destination Mara Kingdom

    The Wizard Tower suddenly became rather deserted. The boar-man Uruk had taken some of his students to the deepest part of the Amos Icefield to establish a wizarding school for the orcs. Though it was a difficult task, Uruk felt that, if he couldn''t pass this trial, he didn''t deserve to be a wizard. Thus, he insisted on establishing the wizard school in the most remote region within the Amos Icefield, crossing the ocean with his protege in order to do so.


    In the meantime, Wofter and Wendy returned to the Elven Kingdom on Yala. They had lived on the human continent, Alen, for decades, but had never really gotten used to their new environment. So, they were more than willing to return to the Elven Kingdom to live their preferred lifestyle.


    Wofter and Wendy brought the elven wizards on their return to the Yala continent. Wendy told Lu Zhiyu that she wanted to build a beautiful Wizard Tower in the land of the elves, then work to incorporate witchcraft into the daily lives and arts of the elves. She explained to Lu Zhiyu that she envisioned it to be a tower of elegance and beauty as well.


    Lu Zhiyu pretended to be dissatisfied with her plan and remarked, "Are you calling the Wizard Tower that I built ugly and unartistic?"


    Wendy didn''t say anything in reply, but batted her eyes playfully and stuck out her tongue. Lu Zhiyu couldn''t help but smile. "Okay fine, I really don''t have any artistic talent. I hope I can one day visit your beautiful, natural, and artistic Wizard Tower in the Forest of Life."


    Wendy replied with hesitation, "Definitely! I will welcome you always, Anthony."


    In the early hours of the morning, he watched Wendy and Wofter depart, both wearing gorgeous elven robes. He stood on the pier and waved at them.


    Wendy and Wofter stood on the side of the ship, waving back and shouting Lu Zhiyu''s name. For some reason, this filled Lu Zhiyu with an inexplicable sense of sadness.


    When he returned to his room, Lu Zhiyu sorted his things and packed a suitcase. Eva followed behind him, wearing a black cloak with a light flower pattern and a maid''s outfit. She also had on a hat, and was carrying a suitcase.


    Lu Zhiyu checked that nothing was missing, then prepared to depart. Suddenly, he saw a man hurry up the stairs and open the two metal gates.


    Lu Zhiyu looked up to see that it was Bohr, who was heading toward him at a great speed. Even his glasses were askew, as the glossy black feathers on his arms were still shrinking back inside his frame. It was clear that he was dissolving a half-eagle transformation.


    Bohr had been patrolling the magical beast menagerie outside when he had suddenly heard news that Lu Zhiyu was about to leave. This explained why he was in such a hurry.


    Since the emergence of Blood Witchcraft, wizards began to focus on researching the various bloodlines of magical beasts. Recently, this had begun to involve the hybridization and synthesis of magical beast bloodlines, as well as the breeding of new magical beast variants.


    Once bred, these magical beasts would mutate and develop new abilities. Most of these new abilities were quite useless, but there was a small chance that a very powerful ability might still emerge.


    In order to pursue this research, the tower opened up a large area in the Black Forest for breeding magical beasts. The Black Forest stretched over several mountains and connected them to the sea. In terms of size, it was on par with a small Duchy.


    Bohr immediately looked at Lu Zhiyu upon arriving within speaking distance. "Instructor, are you leaving again? Where you are going?"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Bohr. "You seem too unstable when you rush around like this. You are not young anymore, so how come you are behaving in the same way as you did when you first entered the tower?"


    Bohr''s current rank and title was the Deputy Master of the Tower. As the pioneer of Blood Witchcraft, he was one of the most prominent figures within the wizarding community.


    Yet, at the moment, Lu Zhiyu was scolding him like a child. After a few awkward chuckles, he said, "Instructor, why are you leaving, when you have just come back!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Bohr. "I didn''t want to say goodbye. I always feel that every goodbye is sad. You have enough here for you at the Wizard Tower. You are doing very well. I am very pleased. The Wizard Tower is developing very well. I don''t need to be here, as you are the current Master of the Wizard Tower."


    Bohr looked at Lu Zhiyu hotly. "No, the Wizard Tower needs you. Even if you don''t do anything, your presence settles us. With you here, no one would dare..."


    Looking into Lu Zhiyu''s eyes, Bohr suddenly couldn''t speak anymore. Finally, he sighed. "Well, I am no longer a child, but every one of your students will always want you to stay near."


    Lu Zhiyu patted Bohr''s shoulder. This student was very similar to him in many ways, so he was the one that Lu Zhiyu liked the most.


    "I will not leave Maria''s World this time, as I am going to walk around and observe it. Perhaps I will stay in Maria''s World for a long time. I am going to journey through the Kingdom of Mara, from Babus of Mara, along the Nami River and through the Kingdom of the Church of Light to Crete. Then, I will journey through Crete to the Batko Empire to experience the culture within the deserts. If you want to find me, you can go to Alen''s largest desert and find me in the Sea of Death, the Great Kafra Desert."


    Lu Zhiyu did not want to travel directly there with the dimensional door, but desired instead to walk the whole way. Especially since there weren''t any pressing matters to deal with, he did not want to rush.


    As he lifted his suitcase and prepared to go, Bohr spoke up behind him. "Oh right, Instructor, I meant to tell you that there have been some strange things happening in the Kingdom of Mara. I sent my youngest student, Edward, to investigate. Since you are passing through there, I hope you can take a look."


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t even turn around, as he waved his hand toward Bohr. The wave was his way of acknowledging Bohr''s words, then he promptly left.


    Eva lifted her suitcase in front of her knees, then bid farewell to Bohr, before following behind Lu Zhiyu. She would accompany Lu Zhiyu to take care of Lu Zhiyu''s daily life and schedule. Bohr raised his hand and waved at Lu Zhiyu, watching him disappear down the stairway.


    Below, several Instructors of the Wizard Tower were waiting. According to their abilities, it was improbable that they would be able to break through as level four wizards. After a few decades or a hundred years, they would simply die, one after another. Thus, it was possible that this might be the last time that Lu Zhiyu ever saw them.


    Lu Zhiyu had wanted to leave quietly. But, now, as he was standing there and looking at each of their faces, he couldn''t help but grow a bit sentimental. When they had first arrived here over 50 years ago, they were still young. Now, they were growing old, and the wear of age had already begun to show on their faces, as the natural law of age was something that even ordinary wizards could not resist.


    Lu Zhiyu shouted out each of their names. As he spoke to each and patted their shoulders, it was just like when they had first arrived at the Wizard Tower, when Lu Zhiyu had stood on the high platform and solemnly shared his knowledge with them.


    Everyone looked at Lu Zhiyu, who looked unchanged, even after all these years. They couldn''t help but reminisce about the old times. Some even shed tears, while others thanked Lu Zhiyu for what he had done for them. All sorts of emotions were being shared, as Lu Zhiyu bade farewell to each of them individually, then left.


    As he rode on the railcar in the underground passage, Lu Zhiyu could see the red dragon on the outside. It also recognized Lu Zhiyu. Its eyes were full of fear, as it shrunk its head back in silence. It had been stationed in the dragon cave to guard both the upper and lower tunnels.


    The Black Forest was located in the Rosa d''Oro Empire. The northern part of the Rosa d''Oro empire was where the Duchy of Creer and the Duchy of Gracchus were located. Even further north, were the Crete Empire and the Kingdom of the Church of Light. And to their west, was the Kingdom of Mara. At this time, he was heading to the Western Kingdom of Mara.


    The Mara Kingdom was full of swamps, numerous forests, and rugged mountains. It had no plains, so Lu Zhiyu would first travel to the capital city of Babus in the Mara Kingdom, where he would then take a boat along the Nami River, crossing through several countries, before finally entering the Crete Empire. His ultimate destination was the Batko Desert Empire.


    Lu Zhiyu got on the railcar, Eva following. Lu Zhiyu pulled a lever, sending the railcar speeding along the underground tunnel towards the west.


    "Destination ¨C the Kingdom of Mara!" he announced loudly.

 153 Northern Wilderness

    The region of the northern wilderness that was made up the Duchy of Creer had remained desolate for the last few decades. It had been the base of the ill-fated Wizard Alliance, which Li Weisi had led decades ago Utilizing the complex mountainous terrain and underground caves, he had created an underground city in the northern desert.


    Today, there were still monsters left over from the experiments of the Wizard Alliance. Also, the entire northern wilderness was covered with thorns and weeds. Yet, there were barely any trees, with only two or three arbors scattered along the horizon.


    In the autumn of San Calendar Year 14, Li Weisi had led the entire Wizard Alliance and three thousand Owl Knights from the Duchy of Creer, slaughtering his way through the Moore Province of the Kingdom of the Church of Light to St. Sarl City. In the end, they were wiped out by the hand of Saintess Kelly and the Duchy of Creer was cleansed by the Church. Now, the Grand Duke of Creer was ruled by the grandson of Pope Hodap.


    In the northern wilderness, Li Weisi and the horrible legend of his dungeon still lived on, making it a forbidden land. As such, no one dared step inside it.


    Due to the lingering effects of the experiments, experimental monsters and chimeras roamed free in the region. From time to time, they would devour passing merchant caravans and eat villagers from isolated villages. Even now, in Year 60 of the San Calendar, the tales of Li Weisi and the monsters of the northern lands were enough to terrify people and silence the cries of children.


    There was a small team at the moment, which was moving inside this forbidden area. The composition of the team was quite complicated. There were ordinary people, some Blood Knights, some scholars and hunters, and of course, some mysterious wizards.


    After passing a mountain of thorns, they came to a rock wall. They then parted a thick patch of dense and dry vines to reveal a cave.


    There were many such caves within the northern plains. In fact, their number was such an inestimably large one, people unfamiliar with the road conditions would often fall into the complex underground cave system. This would result in many of them falling to their deaths or wandering around, injured, and lost.


    Without guidance or a decipherable navigation route, ordinary people would often die inside, unable to find their ways out. At the front of the group, walked a handsome young man with a book. His skin was very pale, causing him to look as if he was completely bloodless. His eyes were dark green. At first glance, he looked like a corpse!


    If Bohr had been there, he would have recognized the individual right away. It was his former student, Adonis Monar.


    Adonis'' had a great talent for Blood Witchcraft. He and Bohr shared an interest in physical transformation and exploration.


    This had made Bohr think that Adonis would be his protege. But, during an experiment, Bohr had discovered that Adonis had tried to use a live human being as a test subject, which made Bohr livid. Thus, Adonis was expelled from the Wizard Tower, never graduating.


    But, before his departure, Adonis snuck into Bohr''s laboratory, stealing some of the inheritances of the Wizard Tower. He then disappeared without a trace.


    Bohr was very angry about all of this, of course, but he still had a tender affection for his former apprentice. Since Adonis hadn''t stolen anything really important, Bohr did not pursue the matter further.


    At the moment, Adonis stood in front of the cave, looking into its dark depths. He took out a map, which had been drawn on roll of worn sheepskin. After looking through it, he verified the landmarks nearby and nodded.


    "Yes, it''s here. Light the torches. Everyone, be careful. There many dangerous modified beasts here, as well as leftover witchcraft traps," Adonis warned them.


    He then walked to the forefront of the cave with a torch, constantly checking for traps. He was careful to remain vigilant.


    The scholar among the group explained some of the secret notations on the map. As he did so, Adonis distributed his mind power to create a simple witchcraft technique, called the Mental Probe, to scan his surroundings.


    The information about the terrain was constantly streaming into his mind, as he pushed downwards into the darkness, guided by the torchlight. The group members'' shadows stretched out behind them, while they continued to move down the cave corridors.


    Water dripped down from the cave''s ceiling. The further down they went, the darker and more humid it became. Other than having to avoid the troublesome traps, their journey was relatively uneventful.


    "Sssss..!"


    Adonis'' ears immediately perked to attention, as he heard a strange noise. He then raised his hand, signaling to the group to stop. All of them immediately sensed something afoot, so they grabbed their weapons. The two Blood Knights immediately moved closer to guard Adonis.


    "Ssssss...!"


    The people at the front of the group could feel a slight vibration at their feet. Everyone stared at the front of the cave and lifted their torches. All of them could feel the tension in the air.


    The reputation of Li Weisi was very fearsome, and this was his base camp. Even though decades had passed, and most of the monsters that he left behind should have long since died, they still had a strong fear in their hearts. After all, the things that he had left behind terrified even the most battle-hardened warrior.


    Adonis also looked towards the front of the group, seeing that the unknown thing was approaching them at an incredible speed. It had definitely sensed their existence somehow, even without seeing them. He wondered how this was possible, guessing maybe that it was due to its keen sense of smell.


    All of them looked deeper into the cave. Adonis suddenly shook, as he lifted his head. Above him, staring down into his own eyes, he could see a pair of chilly eyes. Adonis immediately shouted, "It''s above us!"


    "Sssss...!"


    It was already too late. The monster jumped down, its long legs slicing through the scholar''s chest like a sickle. The monster had picked the weakest one to kill first. It was obviously very sly and sinister.


    They could finally see that the monster was a giant spider, which had the head of a woman and the face of a gorgeous beauty. The creature clung tightly to the rock wall, hissing at them. It was completely horrifying!


    Adonis showed an surprised expression, as he said, "It''s a chimera. As expected, Li Weisi has reached the pinnacle of this field! I definitely want to obtain the things that he left behind here!"

 154 Ghoul

    "Fire, fire!"


    The guards behind him immediately pointed their crossbows at the spider, then let their arrows fly. However, the human face spider moved swiftly and had extraordinary sensory abilities. As such, it seemed to detect the movements from the air currents instead of through its vision.


    So, as soon as any arrows were shot, the creature could sense the objects and evade them. At the moment, it was as if the arrows were following behind it. Every time an arrow would land just after the creature had moved to avoid it, and the thuds of the arrows hitting the empty wall reverberated throughout the air.


    Seeing that their arrows were having no effect, the entire squad was retreating backwards, while the human faced spider circled around them. Every time it attacked, at least one of the squad members would be injured. They were like prey, trapped within its web, each of the creature''s steps bringing the squad closer and closer to death!


    All of them knew that they had to take the initiative. One of the Blood Knights, who was guarding Adonis Monar, chose to rush out and stab at the abdomen of the spider.


    As he did so, the spider smiled in a chilling way, as if it had long predicted this very action. It immediately sprayed acid at the incoming guard.


    "Arghhh! My face! My eyes, I can''t see! It hurts!" The guard reeled back in pain, screaming.


    All of them watched, horrified, as his body began to melt into a puddle. Two more knights tried to charge in, but were blocked by the two front limbs of the spider, which were as sturdy as steel. The friction of the collision caused sparks to fly up in the air.


    The spider pushed through with brute force, cornering the two. It then extended two more of its limbs, as it prepared to choke them to death. All of the group stared at the scene in fear, terrified of this monster that made even their knees tremble!


    "Clap, clap, clap!"


    Adonis Monar couldn''t help but applaud, as he saw this giant spider monster. He then sighed.


    "Perfect! This creation is perfection. To think that Li Weisi could create a perfect experiment like this, along with the Owl Knights! As one of the current generation, I feel humbled by his achievements!" exclaimed Adonis Monar.


    He had been analyzing the chimera that his forebears had created. Li Weisi could be counted as a senior mentor of sorts to him, after all. It seemed that his talents were only slightly below his master, Bohr. He had also been a strong contender to succeed rulership over the tower.


    The spider stared at him, as it let out a terrifying howl. Its creepy gaze was locked onto Adonis Monar, who simply grinned back. He then tilted his head to the side and returned an equally disturbing expression to the spider. His dark green eyes began glowing in the dark, as if a green blaze were setting them on fire.


    The rest of the people felt even more terrified now. To them, both of these figured before their eyes seemed like monsters. As the two faced off, it was as if two demons were communicating through some demented exchange.


    A strange power surged in the air. Even the simple act of breathing became significantly more difficult.


    For a split second, the spider had a chill run down its spine. It quickly let the two knights go and backed away. The smile on Adonis Monar''s face widened, as a ray shot out from his eyes and hit the spider.


    "Curse of Death!"


    Instantly, the head of the spider exploded, causing it to lose all of its power. Its heavy carcass fell to the ground, stirring up a huge cloud of dust.


    Adonis Monar turned around and looked at the rest of the group. The green light in his eyes had yet to dissipate. It was enough to send shivers down all of their spines. To them, this strange power was even more sinister than the devils of legends!


    Adonis Monar elected to ignore them at the moment. This strange power was from the bloodline of the ghoul that he had transplanted onto himself. Compared to other legendary creatures, it was stranger and had a more fantastic and sinister power.


    Compared to other magical beasts, which had special abilities that were focused on object manipulation, ghouls had the power to cast curses. The Curse of Death was put on the recipient''s spirit. As soon as the recipient became aware of the curse, it would take effect. Those who could not withstand the curse would die immediately, as their vitals would have been irrevocably damaged.


    This was also a witchcraft that Lu Zhiyu had originally created. After creating the ordinary magical beasts, Lu Zhiyu began to develop his own dream controller template. At the same time, he had developed the dream witchcraft system. In addition to the Hand of the Wizard, Charm, and Illusionary Control, he had created curse witchcraft.


    This kind of witchcraft was an important manifestation of the mind power, which allowed it to interfere with reality. When the curse succeeded, the mind power would interfere with reality and directly cause damage. Thus, the ability of the ghoul was directly derived from Lu Zhiyu''s original dreamcraft research.


    Compared to the other beasts, which derived their abilities from their spellcasting organs, ghouls would cast spells from their blood. Adonis Monar had inherited his teacher''s blood transplantation theory, and after several human experiments, he finally succeeded in transplanting the blood of the ghoul.


    After a large surgery, Adonis Monar replaced all of his blood with the blood of a ghoul. That was why he had appeared in this state, cold to the touch, with no body heat whatsoever, just like a corpse!


    In addition to curses, ghouls possessed a special form of immortality. As such, ghouls'' bodies could not be damaged, as their extraordinary powers stemmed from the blood. None of ghouls'' body parts, including the brain, were vital body parts. So, as long as the brain wasn''t completely decimated, a ghoul would not die.


    Similarly, because ghouls'' powers were derived from their blood, Adonis Monar also discovered their abilities to control corpses. Ghouls could use their blood to resurrect a body.


    However, it could only be the corpse of a lesser existence, since things with a consciousness would collapse under their strong power. As such, things on the same level of existence as Adonis Monar were beyond ghouls'' control.


    After having such success with the ghoul experimentation, Adonis Monar gave birth to a series of ideas via experimentation on dead bodies. The first thing he thought of were the Owl Knights led by Li Weisi, who had mastered the Body Modification Technique and chimera technology.


    The manufacturing and transformation of the Owl Knight group not only sensationalized the entire continent, but it also caused many great repercussions within the Shaman Group. The largest impact was the legendary technique that Li Weisi and the Wizard Alliance had crafted: Mind of the Undead!


    It was for this reason that Adonis Monar had come here to the base of Li Weisi and the Wizard Alliance. He was determined to acquire their experimental records and notes! As long as he could see them, he would be able to complete the witchcraft system that he had been longing to finish.


    Adonis Monar deactivated his cursed eyes, then peered at the group, all of whom were still looking at him with horror, expressionlessly. He wasted no more time, before shouting, "Let''s move on!"

 155 Mind of the Undead

    After seeing Li Weisi''s chimera, Adonis Monar knew that he couldn''t waste any time messing around. He couldn''t wait to find Li Weisi and the Wizard Alliance''s old laboratory so that he could make use of their experimental records and notes!


    The group started pushing forward aggressively. This cave truly was exactly like what the rumors had said; it could be called an underground city in the northern wasteland! The deeper they went, the more they found glowing moss on the sides of the walls. Soon, they did not even need torches, as the moss completely lit the way.


    The fluorescent moss looked like twinkling stars in the dim cave. As they peered down the path, it was as if they were looking deep into a star-studded galaxy.


    The group continued on and various landmarks began to appear. Some were normal buildings, while others were passages marked with wooden stakes and numbered entrances. Many of these places showed traces of previous occupation, such as several kerosene lamps that were found in some of the houses.


    They also began to encounter more bodies of the monsters. These monsters could not reproduce. Hence, after so many years, most of them had died. Although there weren''t too many left, those which remained were the most powerful of them all. The team also encountered several crises, but under the leadership of Adonis Monar, there were no casualties.


    They soon arrived at a fork in the road. The map pointed to the left, but Adonis Monar continued straight ahead. He then took some spellcasting aids from his bag and gathered them towards the wall, which was straight ahead of him.


    Immediately, a dark whirling fireball appeared in his palm, then headed straight for the wall. The wall was quite thin, so it exploded on impact. It scattered outwards, the dust blowing towards them like a strong, gritty breeze. As the dust cleared, a passage was revealed.


    Cough, cough!


    "Give me the lamp!"


    After taking the lamp, Adonis Monar tossed it inside the passage. The path had opened into what seemed like a huge and bottomless abyss. The lamp lit the surroundings as it fell, allowing Adonis Monar to briefly observe the interior from the entrance.


    The space inside was indeed quite large. There were many buildings that had been built along the rock wall. There were also many entrances and exits, which connected the entire cave, forming a transit point for the huge underground city.


    Adonis Monar imagined that, at the height of its heyday, tens of thousands of people had once lived here. Li Weisi had controlled all of them, as they were facilitating his experiments. Countless people had lived here, without ever seeing the light of day. It was here that Li Weisi had first embarked on his descent into the madness that ended up shaking the entire continent!


    The oil lamp fell to the ground and cracked open. The scattered oil then quickly ignited into a flame. All of them could clearly see that a dark castle had been constructed at the bottom of the abyss.


    Adonis Monar was delighted and exclaimed, "Found it! This is it!"


    Adonis Monar ignored the people behind him, immediately jumping off the cliff. He was already a level two wizard, so he had the power to fly.


    He hovered in the air like a giant bird. The distance from the bottom of the cave was not too far away, less than 100 meters. So, Adonis Monar landed at the bottom shortly.


    The others took out some ropes that they had prepared and followed him down, while Adonis Monar went straight into the castle. The gates of the castle had already been destroyed. There were the bodies of a few apprentice wizards strewn about. It seemed that there had been a riot here.


    The others came in with torches and looked around the castle. There were terrifying traces of battle everywhere, including bloody marks on the walls, marks from unknown weapons, monster bodies, human corpses, and numerous strange devices. The entire place was horribly eerie.


    After heading upstairs, they found the laboratory of the wizards of the Wizard Alliance. The laboratory was like a slaughterhouse. They found various crystals, glass, precious stones, and gold, which had been used as currency and precious treasures in the human world. Here, they seemed to have been used to make a variety of experimental equipment to enclose what looked like animal entrails. Many of the large vessels were broken.


    Adonis Monar, who was standing in front of a vessel, said, "This was used to create chimeras, but after Li Weisi''s death, chaos ensued. The beasts escaped and killed the rest of the people here. The apprentice wizards here were poorly trained and recruited by the Wizard Alliance to guard the base. Thus, they never had any formal wizard training. So, they definitely couldn''t defeat these monsters, which explains why all of them died here."


    As he continued upstairs, Adonis Monar saw traces of human experimentation. This made many of the others retch in disgust, but Adonis Monar was thrilled, as he started checking everything out.


    "So, they used this tool, and modified this one here¡­ And this was where they conducted the modification of the Owl Knights!" he exclaimed in delight. "Where are the experimental records? There should be detailed documents!"


    Adonis Monar looked around the huge laboratory, finally finding a large number of parchment papers and books in a bookcase that was covered with dust.


    "It''s here!"


    He carefully wiped away the dust, not at all concerned with the filth that got onto his luxurious silk robes. In his eyes, these experimental records and notes were far more valuable.


    Within the book, Adonis Monar found several dissection diagrams and various notes on experimental data, including specific records and summaries of the causes of failed tests. The meticulously kept records and processes detailed entire experiments.


    Adonis Monar skimmed the book all the way to the end, as if he was looking at the world''s most precious treasures. After Adonis Monar put the book down, he continued to rummage around on the shelf. He seemed to be looking for something in particular.


    "Found it! So, it really does exist! These are Li Weisi''s handwritten notes. So, Mind of the Undead really exists! They actually developed it. The legendary Owl Knight group was based on this experiment!"


    Adonis Monar held the notebook and shuddered. At last, he burst into a fit of maniacal laughter. "Ha ha ha, it''s wonderful, beautiful! Li Weisi, you really are a genius!"


    With these notes, Adonis Monar could build the wizarding path that he had wanted for so long. He packed the notes into his bag and looked at his followers. "Take all of the things on this shelf. Don''t miss a single sheet of paper. We''re returning to Babus!"


    "As you wish!" All of them saluted him, as they were his vassals, sworn to protect him unto death.

 156 Babus and the Strange Corpse

    A wide river ran through the valley, then merged into a lake. A city was built beside the lake, its boundaries arranged in the shape of a crown. A giant bridge cut across the lake, with many boats bustling along under it.


    Emerald-hued mountains and meadows could be seen all around the city. The rolling mountains showcased layer upon layer of vast forest. It was a green land, and this city by the lake was like the glimmering pearl in the heart of the forest.


    Eva carried the luggage behind Lu Zhiyu, as they stood on a hillside. A breeze rustled the green hillside, lifting the edge of Eva''s cloak. Even her hat was blown off by a strong gust.


    Lu Zhiyu reached out qucikly to grab the hat. Then, Lu Zhiyu gently adjusted Eva''s silver hair, while setting her hat back on her head.


    As he did so, he chided her, "How do you always lose everything? This is not a good habit."


    Eva put her hands on her knees and bowed. "Sorry, Master!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Eva in surprise. "Master? Where did you learn such a strange term?"


    Eva immediately replied, "I know assume that I am your possession. Therefore, you are my master."


    Lu Zhiyu frowned, uneasy with this term. "Just call me Anthony!"


    Eva gave Lu Zhiyu a serious look. "That would defy the definition, Master!"


    Lu Zhiyu put a hand to his forehead, feeling a headache developing. "Why are you always so earnest about such a strange things?"


    Eva put her hands on her knees and bowed again. "Sorry, Master!"


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t want to speak to Eva anymore, so he turned around and looked at the city below. "Wow, it''s beautiful. No wonder everyone else calls Babus the Gem of the Forest. It does seem like a fitting name."


    They were descending along the grassy hillside now. The view was unexpectedly wondrous.


    Walking across the bridge, the wide river could be seen underneath it. The boats were constantly sailing past them and entering the city through the various tributaries. Many of these small tributaries flowed straight through the city itself.


    The rows of ships that were cruising along the river formed the distinctive cityscape of Babus. Shouts would ring out from time to time, as large ships from afar arrived to the port. The unloading process of each was always intense and lively!


    The Babus Bridge had been built a hundred years ago, but a large renovation was conducted on it about thirty years ago.


    Currently, there were an endless number of carts being used to unload the ships. They then were driven towards the city by alpacoids. Among those transporting goods were businessmen and farmers from surrounding villages, as well as dock workers and local craftsmen.


    Lu Zhiyu followed the waves of people into the city. The Kingdom of Mara was located in the forest and had many swampy areas. Although it had a lot of land, its population was comparatively low.


    Most of its territories were ruled by autonomous lords. The status of the King of Mara Kingdom was basically equivalent to that of a lord of a large territory. Other than Babus, the other territories were only nominally allegiant to the king.


    As such, the strength of the Kingdom of Mara was on a completely different scale versus countries like the Crete Empire and the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. Even if they fought with a small duchy, like the Duchy of Gracchus Principality, it was likely that they would be defeated in a war.


    But, once the kingdom reached a state of crisis, the nobles would unite together to fight the foreign threat. As such, even the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro would not dare to fight the entire Kingdom of Mara.


    Babus was the largest city in the Kingdom of Mara, and was also its trading capital and commercial port. As such, a large amount of wealth flowed into the city of Babus, making its ruling family, the Monar family, the richest within the kingdom. Thus, they also became the royal family of the Kingdom of Mara, as their ties to trade supported and maintained their rule over the country.


    "Move aside, move aside! Don''t block the path."


    "Step aside!"


    A group of knights, who were guarding a carriage, were passing through the Babus Bridge. These knights were fully armored and wore silver helmets. They were the elite force, and as they passed by, a path was immediately cleared for them. Then, the luxurious carriage entered the city under their watch.


    "Who is it?"


    "Didn''t you see the insignia? It''s the royal family, the Monar family!"


    "It was probably a prince or princess!"


    "Which Royal Highness has returned this time? The king is still quite healthy. Why did they come back? Isn''t that the equivalent to giving up their inheritances?"


    "Shhh, don''t gossip lightly about the royal family!"


    Ever since the previous generation came to rule, the Monar royal family would send all of its heirs away to govern their own areas. Regardless of his or her gender, only the most capable heir would gain the throne.


    Rumors said that the Monar family had created the system while it was faltering. At that time, King Charisse hoped to stabilize the situation by encouraging his descendants to continue to expand the influence of the royal family, so that, eventually, all of the kingdom would truly be under the rule of the Monars.


    The current king was quite old. Although he was still in excellent health, the battle for the succession of the throne had already begun. Lu Zhiyu looked at the carriage and felt an unusual shift within the atmosphere.


    "A ghoul? How interesting!"


    Lu Zhiyu could sense that the carriage was holding a woman in her twenties. Her outer appearance was normal, and she was clearly breathing, which showed proof of life. Yet, Lu Zhiyu could not feel her consciousness.


    Others may be confused over such an odd occurrence, yet the ghoul was originally created by Lu Zhiyu. As such, Lu Zhiyu immediately discerned what had happened to the woman. She was obviously a ghoul!


    He hadn''t expected anyone to transplant the bloodline of the ghoul, as this bloodline had a higher rejection rate, when compared to ordinary magical beast bloodlines. Moreover, even if the transplant succeeded, it had huge side effects!


    First of all, the transplant recipient would slowly become a corpse, as they gradually lost all kinds of sensations that a normal human should have. These losses ranged from the senses of taste and touch to the ability to procreate, even various desires were gradually lost.


    As such, Lu Zhiyu had not expected that any wizard would actually attempt it. Yet, he thought that this kind of decision was also somewhat reasonable. For wizards, the exploration of strength and knowledge was the most important thing. Everything else was secondary for them.


    He took a boat through the city. After docking, Lu Zhiyu entered a hotel. After booking a room, he asked the boss, "When is the next ship sailing to the Crete Empire?"


    The chubby innkeeper, who was also responsible for the shipping business, hurried to look at the schedule. "Well, there will be a boat leaving for the Crete Empire in two weeks, but it may be two days late. Do you want to book a ticket? In the meantime, you can enjoy your time in Babus. It is truly a paradise, as there are all kinds of..."

 157 Maneater

    Blergh!


    Splat!


    The splattered blood felt warm. A beautiful woman, a child in her arms, was fleeing from a magnificent palace, which was framed with marble columns. Her chest had just been pierced by two knights.


    The child was then taken away from her. The woman fell into a puddle of blood, as she struggled, reaching towards the child, her eyes filled with despair and pain. Blood gurgled out of her mouth, as she clung onto the leg of one of the knights.


    "Give my child back to me! My child, my Adonis, give him back to me..."


    Splat!


    The soldier raised his sword and stabbed it down on her again.


    "Ahhh!" Adonis Monar jolted awake from his dream. Even though the ghoul''s bloodline had ensured that his body no longer could produce sweat, he still trembled in agitation and cradled his head.


    Adonis had no idea how many times he had seen this horrifying scene in the depths of the night. His mother had been killed by his father because of a power struggle.


    The simple woman was naive, so she had remained unknowing about the darkness of the world, at least until her tragic death. She had never seen through the guise of Adonis'' cold-blooded father. As such, the Monar line had never really been a true family.


    Adonis had never been able to properly fall asleep, ever since that day. Everyone, including his father, had thought that he had been too young to remember what had happened, but Adonis had never forgotten it, not for a single moment.


    Although he didn''t forget it, with his limited power, he also knew that he couldn''t do anything about it. Yet, one day, he discovered the existence of wizards. Adonis applied to the king for a trial in an outer province, then tried everything he could to get into the Wizard Tower and gain the power of the wizards.


    "It''s almost here. It''s almost time. I want to clear away all of the sins of this world. I also want every single one of you to pay for your sins," Adonis muttered, as if he was comforting himself, almost like a mad man. He was crying and laughing at the same time, as if he had gone completely insane. It took a long time before he calmed down.


    --------------------


    It was dawn, the sky just brightening. A boy of around eighteen or nineteen years followed the footsteps of the city guards, then quickly headed towards an alley in the Eastern District. By now, there were already many onlookers gathered, all of whom were gossiping.


    "Another one dead. Bitten to death."


    "How terrifying. An entire chunk of the head is completely gone! What sort of monster did it? One that actually eats people?"


    "Did some wild beast sneak into the city?"


    "The city guards are useless. They haven''t found anything, even after all this time. This is the fifteenth body! Now, a new one pops up every two or three days it seems. This is far too terrifying."


    "Maybe, it isn''t a beast!"


    "What is it then?"


    "Who knows? But I have heard others say that..."


    All of them were watching in fascination and horror. Many of the well-dressed women had covered their eyes, not daring to look directly at the corpse in the dark alley.


    The face and neck of the corpse had been completely mauled. A large piece of flesh was torn back to reveal the muscle tissue and the white bone inside. It was ghastly. If one looked close enough, teeth marks could even be seen.


    "Passing through, passing through. You can''t gather here, so hurry on home," the captain of the City Guard said, while he pushed through the crowd.


    He was wearing a sleeveless tunic, with a rhombus Babus badge and chainmail. His lower body was clad in a pair of black pants and boots, and he had a long sword at his waist. He looked pretty heroic. Yet, the other guards were not nearly as impressive.


    The city of Babus had not been involved in any wars for many years. Hence, most of the people of the city were businessmen and nobles. The usual tasks for the City Guard involved some routine inspections, maybe catching a thief or two, and a murderer, if they were lucky. Very few people actually trained regularly.


    "What''s the point of looking at it? They haven''t found anything yet. They are just a group of locusts!"


    "Yes, they act so tough, at least when they''re collecting taxes. Now that we actually need them, even a piglet is more useful than them."


    "I think we need a new City Guard captain."


    "Yes, get rid of him and hire a capable one."


    The grand entrance of the City Guards did not serve to disperse the crowd in the slightest. Instead, the guards were completely disregarded and insulted.


    Most of the crowd were wealthy businessmen, who lived nearby. There were also some fallen nobles among the spectators. Although they weren''t important figures within the metropolis of the Mara Kingdom, a mere captain of the City Guard was still nothing in their eyes.


    Since more than a month ago, people in the city had been disappearing and dying. In the beginning, no one cared or noticed much. After all, Babus was not a paradise on earth and these things happened.


    The people also were well aware that there were also a lot of dark transactions and dirty dealings, with all kinds of people lurking, among the city''s underside. Hence, a few missing and dying people was not such an abnormal thing.


    However, when a human body that had been half eaten appeared, it immediately caused a sensation in the whole city. A maneater was definitely bad news! The thought that such a cannibalistic monster could travel through the city without a trace struck fear within the hearts of everyone.


    As time went on, the number of dead people continued to increase, and the sense of panic and depression began to spread like a contagion. The City Guard still had not done anything, even after all of these deaths. Due to this recent threat, the usually bustling nightlife of Babus had basically gone, as most people didn''t dare to come out after nightfall.


    The captain of the City Guards was sweating buckets. "I promise to give you all an explanation within ten days," he said.


    After much cajoling, the crowds finally dispersed. However, Captain Tucker knew that, if he took too long to catch the murderer, his position would be in jeopardy.


    What''s more, many of the men in power, including the king, had heard about this incident. Because of this incident, many gambling houses, brothels, and other places of business in the city had been greatly affected, all of which were the sources of income for the most important nobles.


    Naturally, his boss had ordered him to solve this matter immediately, giving him also the directive to restore order within ten days. Otherwise, he would be fired.


    Tucker looked anxiously at the youth next to him. "Mr. Edward, you promised me that within ten days, you will definitely figure out the truth."


    Edward nodded. "I promise, but you have to help me. Of course, the credit will be yours. I only seek the truth."


    Edward was the boy, who had come with the City Guard. He was the youngest student of Bohr.


    He had set off a month ago, but was delayed on his way. So, he had just arrived. The first person he had sought out was Tucker, who was currently overwhelmed. Edward assured him that he could help him crack this case.


    Tucker certainly wouldn''t believe him at first, but after he illustrated a series of clues and results from his search, Tucker reluctantly invited Edward to investigate the scene. Arriving there, edward checked the body, then reported his findings. "The cause of death is the severing of the trachea. The teeth marks are similar to human teeth marks."


    Edward smelled the wound and frowned. "Everyone, be careful. This body is poisonous. I don''t know what the poison is, or in what way the body was poisoned yet, so be careful!"


    Tucker and the soldiers, who were standing to the side, immediately paled. "What? Poison?" They had been cleaning up the bodies just before, none of them paying much attention.


    Tucker immediately replied, "What is this poison? Have we also been poisoned?"


    Edward glanced at them, sweeping over them with his mind power. "No, it shouldn''t be the type that spreads through skin contact. It might be instead spread through blood and bodily fluids."


    Tucker quipped back, "Didn''t you say that those are human teeth marks? A human being killed these people?"


    Edward nodded. "I didn''t say human, but that it''s similar to a human''s. This is not an ordinary event. We must be very careful."


    Edward checked the ground and immediately frowned. Many places on the scene were destroyed. There were footprints everywhere. There was nothing left to analyze. He could only sigh and stand up. "Where is the first witness?"


    The one who found the body was the owner of the nearby flower shop. She was still quite unsettled about the whole affair.


    She had found the body in the alley, as she was setting up her shop. It had been around five in the morning.


    The streets were empty. Edward pressed on, yet he didn''t discover anything else. The woman had been too terrified to pay proper attention to the surroundings at the time, so had proven not useful for garnering more information.


    By the end of the investigation, it was already noon. Edward stood up and prepared to leave.


    Tucker was moved by Edward''s methodology, and thought that Edward really could help him crack the case. If he could really crack the case this time, then Tucker would become famous throughout the city of Babus. He would then not lose his position of captain of the City Guard, and may even be promoted!


    This thought made Tucker warm up to Edward, saying, "What should I do with this body?"


    Edward asked, "Where are the bodies from before? I need to look at them, too!"


    Tucker immediately said, "In the cemetery outside the city, being guarded by Old Chuck, the old gravekeeper."


    After answering Edward, he immediately gave an order to the other soldiers, "All of you, carry the body to Old Chuck."


    Edward put away his equipment, then walked with Tucker out of the city. After he turned the corner, he suddenly found something. He stopped, then immediately knelt down on the ground.


    Tucker stopped too, puzzled. "What''s wrong?"


    Edward pointed to the tiles on the ground and knocked at them a few times. The sound produced was hollow. "The tiles here have been turned over before. What''s hidden below them?"


    Tucker immediately looked at one of the slates, which was relatively large and not quite the same as the one next to it. "Oh, this is the entrance to the sewer."


    Edward''s finger knocked on the slate thoughtfully. "Alright, I''ve got it. Let''s go to the cemetery."

 158 Mutation

    Edward and Tucker were hurriedly walking down the street, when they passed by a man and a woman. The woman had silver hair and held a variety of large and small purchases in her arms, while a raven-haired man ate an apple. He leisurely strolled in front of her, the woman following closely behind.


    Edward''s gaze stopped on the couple, as he sensed the trace of wizardry from the pair''s aura. Edward was a wizard, who grew up in the Wizard Tower. Hence, after living around wizards for so long, he was very sensitive to their presences.


    Although the two individuals seemed to display no abnormalities, their unique presences were enough for Edward to take notice of them. Edward immediately tried to launch the Mental Probe device to find out more, but the figures were already gone by that time.


    Edward turned around, puzzled. He searched for a long time, but still couldn''t find them again. This placed a great pressure upon Edward, who felt that the task that his teacher Bohr Kelermo had given him was probably much more difficult than he had first imagined it would be.


    Although the unknown cannibal monster had not been thoroughly investigated yet, it was clear that the matter was related to wizards, and Cardinal Peter from the Church of Light, who just happened to be stationed nearby, had also sent people to check it out. These recruited forces were expected to arrive in a few days.


    At the present time, all of Babus city was shrouded in a wave of darkness. The king''s health had been subpar recently. At this time, it was very likely that the throne would be transferred to a new ruler. As such, all of the aristocrats and the successors of the throne had been rushing back to the city, while the entire Mara Kingdom had been watching.


    At this critical time, Edward encountered an unknown wizard. He felt that the city of Babus had become a muddy swamp that could engulf him at any time. Yet, Edward had no intention to giving up.


    On the second floor balcony of a bakery nearby, Lu Zhiyu and Eva looked down at the frowning teen among the crowd. "Look at those eyes narrowed. They are so focused, just like Bohr''s. He might as well be Bohr''s bas*ard son! Perhaps Bohr was too embarrassed to tell me about him, so he gave me the pretext that this is his youngest student..."


    The apple in Lu Zhiyu''s hand had been replaced with bread. Eva, who was holding a lot of items in her arms, then commented, "Based on the color of his hair and the color of his eyes, as well as his facial contouring, which are all very different from Bohr, the probability of his being a descendant of Bohr is less than 10%."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the alchemical maid, who spoke quite stiffly, then said, "I was only kidding. You have no sense of humor!"


    Eva went on to say, "I don''t understand! But, I do know that it is immoral to say bad things about others behind their backs, Master!"


    Lu Zhiyu was speechless for a moment, then said, "You go back first. I need to go through some things, then I will return later."


    Eva nodded politely. "Okay, Master. The ship that is heading for the Crete Empire will leave in the early morning, so please come back soon."


    Lu Zhiyu waved his hand and walked downstairs. "Got it."


    Lu Zhiyu had waited for Edward for ten days. He thought that Edward would have already arrived long before him, but had discovered that Edward still wasn''t there yet.


    Upon his arrival, Lu Zhiyu had basically already figured out what was happening in the city. This was a tale with no hero or villain, and with no clear right or wrong. As such, Lu Zhiyu had no interest in interfering with the current affairs.


    However, if things kept developing like this, the city would descend into chaos. After all, a genius wizard, who seemed to have no moral compass, was moving all of his powers! The damage that he could cause was astronomical!


    Lu Zhiyu did not normally like to interfere with normal historical advancements and wars, but the things that were being developed were just too terrible right now. Lu Zhiyu didn''t want to see the development happen yet, because it was too soon within the timeline he had originally planned.


    Plus, Lu Zhiyu had been expecting Edward, the student of his own student, to have arrived by now to deal with this matter...


    ------------------


    "Gone? How is that possible?"


    Tucker grabbed Old Chuck''s collar and his sword. Old Chuck was a wizened old bachelor in his fifties. The man was mostly bald, and he cowered as he replied, "Really I don''t know what happened. The bodies just ran off by themselves."


    Tucker felt that Old Chuck was trying to humiliate him.


    How could the bodies run away? By Maria''s name, the dead could now come back to life?!


    He had never heard such a ludicrous tall tale before...


    "Do you think I''m an idiot?" Tucker slashed the table, then slammed Old Chuck onto the ground, demanding, "Tell me the truth! Where did the bodies go? Who is the culprit? What are you hiding? I knew there was something fishy about you, you old bastard..."


    Edward held the raging Tucker back, then asked Old Chuck, "You mean the bodies moved themselves, after they were shipped here?"


    Old Chuck nodded his head insistently, recalling his memories. "Yes, I have been watching over the cemetery for many years, and I have never seen such a thing before. It is the power of the devil, and those bodies have climbed back from hell!"


    Edward frowned. "You mean they came back to life again?"


    Old Chuck''s hands trembled, as he pointed outside. "No. They are not human. They are monsters! I heard something move outside one night. I thought it was another one of those dam*ed grave robbers, so I lit a lamp and headed over to check it out. And then, then..." Old Chuck stuttered, before bowing his head and stopping for a long time.


    Tucker lowered his body and asked impatiently, "What happened then?"


    "And then...and..." Old Chuck trembled, as his body swayed grotesquely. Even his voice had became low and hoarse.


    "Hurry up and spit it out! What happened?" Tucker grabbed Old Chuck''s hair and tried to lift his head up.


    Old Chuck''s head righted itself, his blue veins popping out on his face. His eyes were bloodshot and his skin took on the pallor of a dead man''s pale hue. Then, he snapped his jaw open and bit Tucker''s hand!


    Roar!


    Tucker screamed and Edward immediately knew that something was wrong. He slammed Old Chuck into the wall of the wooden house. A large chunk of Tucker''s hand was missing, and the blood was spewing everywhere!


    A few members of the city guards heard the commotion and immediately surrounded the men. Several people came to hold down Old Chuck down.


    Apparently, the originally weak and thin Old Chuck had gained an explosive power that required several strong young men to hold down. Everyone had to use all of their strength to tie him down with a rope!


    No one had ever seen Old Chuck like this before. A living person had become a monster, right before their very eyes. Old Chuck kept chewing on Tucker''s flesh and blood, gargling in an eerie voice that struck terror in their hearts.

 159 Ghoul

    Old Chuck was tied tightly to the chair. He was struggling violently against the bonds. Even though his hands and feet were chafed and bleeding, he continued to writhe. His eyes had turned even a darker crimson color, as fresh blood ran from his eyes. He was also gnashing his teeth noisily.


    "Why? You have everything¡­ women... children..."


    "I... I don''t have anything... nothing... I don''t want to... be a gravekeeper..."


    "I am so hungry, so hungry, eat you... I want to eat..."


    Old Chuck''s eyes were out of focus, and he seemed to be talking nonsense. At the moment, his consciousness was already gone. All that was left were his memories and instincts.


    Tucker bandaged his wounds, then pointed at Old Chuck in horror and panic. "What happened to him? Is he crazy? What is going on?"


    Edward checked Old Chuck''s body, while rolling up Old Chuck''s pant leg. He immediately found a bite mark on his calf. The bite had clear teeth marks and the wound was black and disgusting.


    Edward did not bother turning his head, as he answered Tucker''s question, "He died!"


    Tucker stared at Old Chuck, who was still slobbering at everyone, and retorted, "How is that possible? You mean, he... isn''t he still alive?"


    Edward shook his head. "That is just an illusion. He is already dead. Although there is no problem on the surface, his body is stuck in a strange state between death and life. His breathing and heartbeat can be maintained, but he cannot be officially called alive. I can feel it. He is dead."


    "What the heck is this? Witchcraft? I have never seen or heard of anything like it! Is it a new witchcraft technique?"


    Edward was skeptical. After all, he was a student of the second generation Master of the Tower, a direct disciple of the founder of Blood Witchcraft, Bohr Kelermo. As such, he had access to the largest library and center of knowledge within Maria''s World.


    So, he knew of the most comprehensive witchcraft inheritance within the Alen Continent. Yet, even he could not see the origins and lineage of this particular witchcraft. So, it was likely that very few people in the world would be able to trace it.


    Edward grabbed Tucker''s palm, declaring, "The bandage is useless, as the toxin has already spread through the wound inside your body."


    Tucker jumped up at once. "What?" He looked at Edward with wild eyes. "You... you mean... I have been poisoned?"


    Edward nodded and moved his hands. "Isn''t that obvious?"


    Tucker swallowed and looked at Edward, then asked, "What will happen to me?"


    Edward gestured at Old Chuck, causing everyone else to look at the Old Chuck, who had turned into a ghoul. Tucker''s throat trembled, and he swallowed loudly.


    Tucker knelt in front of Edward. "No, Mr. Edward, I don''t want to turn into a monster. Please save me! I''ll do anything you want."


    Edward frowned and looked at Old Chuck. "Although I still haven''t figured out what kind of monster it is, judging from the wound and what he said before, Old Chuck was bitten about six or seven days ago. This means that we still have less than a week...This toxin is mainly used to target living people. As you can see, the toxin became more active, spreading more quickly through the whole body, after Old Chuck died. Before that, nothing abnormal occured."


    Tucker immediately said, "Then, how did Old Chuck die?"


    "Well, as it is poisonous, ordinary people have no defense against it. I need to take the blood of Old Chuck. You also need to help me investigate some things, including the identities of the bodies, their locations of death, and others things, like how many bodies have gone missing in total..."


    Edward took advantage of this opportunity to seize control of the City Guards and mobilize all of their power according to his own arrangements. After all, he had come to Babus without support.


    Moreover, the Wizard Tower had no influence here, and the nearest gathering place for the wizards of Mara was also quite far away. Hence, he had so far only been able to rely on himself!


    Edward used the experimental equipment of the wizards to analyze Old Chuck''s blood. As viruses and cells are very different, for wizards, this was also a very new research topic that they had only recently discovered. Viruses were an species that were both living and nonliving, both organic and inorganic.


    During an infection, these simple organisms could self-replicate, using the host''s cellular system, but they could not grow and replicate independently. As such, a virus could infect almost any living organisms with cellular structures.


    Edward could see that Old Chuck''s blood was infected with a certain virus. The virus'' infection mechanism only targeted the deceased, but it spread very quickly. If the host did not die, it would not initiate the infection mechanism. But, even if it did not activate the infection mechanism automatically, it was fairly easy for the host to still die from the poison of the bite shortly thereafter.


    Moreover, the shape of this virus cell was quite similar to the shape of deified cells, which allowed Edward to conclude that the source of this virus must be a wizard. There weren''t too many wizards on the Alen Continent that could transplant such special bloodlines, and most of them were registered in the Tower ledgers.


    "Was it the two that I met earlier?" Edward immediately remembered the two mysterious people whom he suspected of being wizards earlier that day.


    Edward had no way to kill the virus, but figured that there could still be a way for him to remove the virus from a living body before it proliferated. Edward knew that Babus already had more than a few victims, who were already infected with this virus. If he didn''t work fast enough, he was afraid that the occupants of the entire city of Babus would all become monsters like Old Chuck!


    Edward anxiously carried out various experiments on the ghoul virus overnight. Finally, he found some targeted methods and developed a drug to cleanse the virus from infected people, whose conditions had yet to metastasize.


    After working tirelessly the whole night, Edward felt a little light-headed. Yet, he had a test tube of the anti-venom that he had just prepared, ready to go! In fact, a slender hand reached out at that very moment to pick it up.


    "It''s very good. You''re a talented wizard. It didn''t take you too long to make an anti-venom. Although it''s on the rough side, it will do."


    Edward stood, staring in shock. This man had actually snuck in! He didn''t know how long the intruder had been there, since Edward hadn''t detected the slightest trace of him.


    It seemed that this man had been watching him for a long time. If the man had attacked him, Edward wouldn''t have even known what hit him! Edward broke into a cold sweat, as he thought of this.


    As soon as Edward registered the presence of the intruder, he fell to the ground, hitting the stone bricks on the floor. All of them immediately disintegrated, like sand, then immediately reconfigured themselves into stone spears, which then flew straight at the intruder! Edward did not bother to see the results of their flight, as he leapt straight for the exit.


    Lu Zhiyu swiped the air, immediately causing the spears to disintegrate. All of the stones from the surrounding walls of the house quickly transformed into huge stone palms, which gathered to slam Edward against the wall.


    "I admit defeat! I surrender!" Edward yelled in terror.


    Lu Zhiyu, whohad been preparing to dole out some punishment on him, immediately stayed his hand. "Not bad. You attack like lightning and run like a rabbit. You''re also pretty good at begging for forgiveness."


    Edward, who was still being pressed tightly against the wall by the palms, grinned. "Well, I didn''t recognize your esteemed presence. You appeared so suddenly. I was terribly shocked."


    Lu Zhiyu teased Edward. "Do you know who I am?"


    Edward immediately said, "I transplanted the bloodline of the earth bear, which controls the transformations between mud, rock, and dust. This particular bloodline transplant has just been developed. So far, I''m the only one who possesses it. Not even my master, Instructor Bohr¡¤Kelermo, can use it yet. The only person, who can use such extraordinary witchcraft at will, would be the founder of the Wizard Tower, the Sage Anthony. My Master Bohr is your student. I have heard him describe your appearance, but I didn''t recognize you before."


    Edward never expected to meet this legend, especially here. This was the mysterious wandering Sage, the originator of the wizards, a legend, whose power rivaled the power of the Gods. Although he looked calm, Edward was sweating bullets.


    Lu Zhiyu took a chair and sat in front of Edward, who was still stuck on the wall. Edward couldn''t move, so he just looked at Lu Zhiyu awkwardly. He did not dare to ask Lu Zhiyu to let him down.


    "I was passing through the Kingdom of Mara, when your teacher Bohr told me to look after you. But, I didn''t expect you to be so late in arriving, after accepting your Instructor''s mission a month ago."


    Edward hastily replied, "That is because, while I was on the road, I caught wind of Adonis'' whereabouts, so I went to investigate and lost a lot of time."


    Lu Zhiyu blinked. "Adonis? The student Bohr expelled from the Tower? Are you familiar with him?"


    Edward nodded. "I heard that he appeared inside the Duchy of Creer, but still wasn''t able to locate him. Although he was expelled from the tower by Master Bohr, who was very angry about his behavior, Master Bohr is still very concerned about him. Thus, I wanted to persuade him to return to the tower."


    Lu Zhiyu laughed. "Ah. The forbidden lands of the Duchy of Creer. In the undergrounds of the Northern Wilderness, lies the old base of Li Weisi. The Owl Knights were born there. In a sense, the Owl Knights and the ghouls that you saw are very similar."


    Edward frowned. "Ghouls? Is that the official name of the monster that I saw before? That''s quite fitting! Mr. Anthony, what is happening in Babus? What is going on? Do you know?"


    As Edward said this, he hesitated to look at Lu Zhiyu. He was worried that Lu Zhiyu may be responsible for the affair.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Edward. "I know quite a bit, but this is a task that your Instructor gave you. It''s also a trial, so I don''t want to help you. Therefore, I will leave the Kingdom of Mara soon, just after dawn."


    Edward immediately sulked. Lu Zhiyu, with a twinkle in his eyes, went on to say, "But, I can still give you some essential information..."

 160 Witchcraft Tome

    Lu Zhiyu began to explain to Edward, "It was a ghoul. The monster you saw before is not a complete creature. They can only be regarded as low-level monsters with infections. After losing their will, they retain their memories and instincts. Only the high-ranking ghouls that are equipped with the Mind Of the Undead can be truly called real ghouls.They have a powerful remodeled body that can control ordinary ghouls. With their powerful bloodline powers and adept combat ability that is immune to fear and fatigue, they form the formidable undead army."


    He continued. "Compared with the Owl Knights, which were an isolated platoon, the ghouls have become a race. They are a more terrible and powerful incarnation of the Owl Knights. Individually, they aren''t all that impressive, but they can proliferate endlessly if they are not restricted or contained."


    After Lu Zhiyu finished, he saw Edward thinking hard with his head down. This student of Bohr''s looked quite smart. Although he didn''t seem to have as much innate potential as Bohr, as he was a mere ordinary wizard right now, Lu Zhiyu still felt that he may go even further on the road on the road of wizardry than Bohr. This was because he was more open-minded and his thought process was much more far reaching.


    After thinking for a long time, Edward looked up. "So, how should I contain it?"


    Lu Zhiyu said, "The source of the special abilities of wizards can be traced back to various magical beasts. For ghouls, which were are created by wizards, we can trace the witchcraft techniques to a species called the superior ghoul, known as the Mortuus Magna. The power of this mythical creature stems from its blood. Within this blood, there is the power to cast curses. Curse witchcraft is a derivation of illusion witchcraft, and is also an important intersection point between mind power and reality. Someone has taken the bloodline of the Mortuus Magna to create the ghouls."


    Lu Zhiyu paused for a moment, then added, "Ghouls have no wisdom or consciousness. They just act on instinct alone. If no one coordinates or directs them, even an ordinary army could easily destroy them."


    Edward jumped in at that moment, saying, "So, as long as I find the person behind the ghouls, I can resolve the crisis that is plaguing Babus?"


    Lu Zhiyu snapped his fingers. "Yes, the wizard who has the bloodline of the superior ghoul is relying on the power of its deified cells and cursed blood to maintain control over the ghouls. As long as you incapacitate him, the blood curse will be destroyed, along with its host. Then, those ghouls would revert back to their dead bodies. In fact, their very existence depends on the blood of the superior ghoul, and when the curse wielder dies, they will disappear together!"


    Edward nodded. "I understand now, so rest assured, I will complete that task!"


    Lu Zhiyu sat up straight and looked into Edward''s eyes seriously. "Are you sure you are ready? I am afraid that the scene you will face is far beyond your imagination."


    Edward replied, "No matter what kind of scene I see, no matter what decision I need to make, I will tell myself that the lives of Babus'' 100,000 civilians are innocent. No one has the right to deprive them of their right to live!"


    Edward truly was proving himself worthy of being a student of Bohr''s. Although there were some differences in their personalities, his basic worldview and ideas were exactly the same as Bohr''s. Yet, Lu Zhiyu didn''t know if he would make the same decisions, according to the ideals he had just espoused.


    Lu Zhiyu stood up and patted him on the shoulder. He didn''t say anything more, just looked at him with a complicated expression on his face. "When Babus City is completely transformed into a city of the dead, in order to not let the situation get any worse, I will personally obliterate Babus. I hope you will not force me to make such a cruel decision."


    Edward remembered the thousands of faces he had seen in the city, from the old people to the women, and the children, loggers, sailors and businessmen, Babus was no paradise. From the outside, it was seen as the Gem City of Mara.


    But, after getting a deeper look, you could see the sins and blood that stained the city''s dark underbelly. Yet for thousands of ordinary people, this was their hometown, the place that they depended on for their livelihoods.


    Edward looked at Lu Zhiyu. "Why don''t you solve this problem yourself? With your strength, no matter who the opponent was, no one could resist you."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Edward, then said, "Actually, I think that you are more suitable than me to handle this. When you find the culprit, I believe that you will agree with me. Besides, I have other things to take care of!"


    "Mr. Anthony, can you enlighten me as to what those matters are?" Edward wondered what could be more important than the imminent destruction of Babus.


    Lu Zhiyu turned and headed outside. He pushed the door open, and the cold wind gushed at Edward''s face. Edward could only hear a light voice, saying, "I am going to save the world, so saving Babus must be done by a young man like you!"


    Edward had once thought about the nature of the great Sage Anthony.


    What kind of existence was the strongest wizard? Solemn? Wise? Rational?


    All sorts of images akin to the Gods appeared in Edward''s mind, but he had never thought that, when they finally met, the Sage would actually be so strange! But, the aura around the Sage had been very comfortable and soothing.


    Edward was clever enough to connect the dots of who the culprit was from what Lu Zhiyu had told him. From the ghouls and the Mind of the Undead to the Owl Knights and the Duchy of Creer in the northern wilderness, where Edward had discovered traces of Adonis, combined with Adonis'' modus operandi, although Lu Zhiyu did not say who the culprit was, Edward was pretty sure that it was his own fellow apprentice, Adonis.


    Adonis was Bohr''s first student. The two of them had the same master, so when Edward was a child, he had lived with Adonis for several years. They were very close and shared one of the closest relationships within the tower. Adonis was a few years older than Edward, so he took care of both Edward''s daily life and his education from an early age.


    Edward still remembers the days when he wore a huge wizard''s robe that drooped all the way to floor, while he locked arms with Adonis, just like brothers. They would explore the castle, the classrooms, the caves, the forest and through every corner of the Wizard Tower together.


    Therefore, Adonis'' betrayal and subsequent escape from the tower had always been a matter close to Edward''s heart. Edward hoped to find Adonis, so that he could question him directly about it. But, he also wanted to persuade him to return to the tower to beg forgiveness from their Master, Bohr.


    A young Edward had long ago sat on the window of the castle, one foot dangling outside of it. "Adonis, I want to be a wizard, just like Bohr. I want all of the wizards to know my name! What about you?"


    Adonis was indifferent, which was clearly evident as he looked at the sky outside with Edward. "Me? I want to figure out the meaning of life. I also want to create a world without death."


    Edward laughed. "Isn''t that basically like the Divine Kingdom that those scammers talk about? Adonis, why would you yearn for this kind of thing? Do you want to become a god?" Adonis had smiled and didn''t speak, but the corners of his mouth had clearly lifted a tad.


    Edward didn''t know why he had suddenly remembered this scene from the past. He sat down slowly on the chair. By now, everything in the room was restored to its original state, as if nothing had happened.


    "Is it really you? Adonis?"


    Edward gave a soft sigh, then sat with his head in his hands. He did not believe that he could do what he had promised to Lu Zhiyu, but he was grateful that Lu Zhiyu given him this opportunity. If the culprit really was Adonis, then he hoped to handle this matter by himself.


    Edward felt something on the table and immediately looked over and saw a notebook there. The leather cover was embellished with gold lettering, which spelled out the words in Phinks "Dream Witchcraft!"


    Huh? What is this?


    Edward was stunned for a second, then he got extremely excited. The only person who could have left these witchcraft notes was the person who had just left! It was the master of his own teacher, the founder of witchcraft, the most powerful wizard in the world!


    This precious tome that he had left behind would be invaluable to any wizard! It was something that people could only dream of possessing! Edward''s hands shook, as he carefully picked up the notebook, his exhaustion completely disappearing in an instant.


    Dream witchcraft? This is a branch of witchcraft that I have never heard of before. What is this power?

 161 Ghoul Army

    The royal palace of Mara was built in the south of Babus on the shore of a lake. It was not as majestic as the palace of the Crete Empire, nor was it a holy sanctuary, like the Temple of Light in St. Sarl City. It did not carry the bearing of a millennium of history, like the orc lands in the St. Seville Empire.


    Though it wasn''t a large palace, its luxury was unrivaled. The entire Kingdom of Mara was built in layers, with many cascading gardens, which were filled with exotic flowers and grasses and rare animals.


    Waterways were built in-between the gardens, and an artificial lake had also been created. The decorative stones within the rock garden had all been painstakingly hauled in by hand.


    The intricate design made the entire palace seem like a water garden. The stones, flowers, and gardens were like lovely paintings among the waterfalls and fountains. Small and exquisite buildings were interspersed in the greenery.


    Inside the palace, the artwork that the Monar family had collected over many generations were displayed. Each of the murals and paintings had an illustrious history.


    Adonis was the third prince of Mara. Currently, there were six people with inheritance rights to the throne. He ranked sixth, making him the last in the line of succession. From the very day Adonis was born, his father had no intention of giving him the throne.


    Currently, the luxurious palace was completely silent. The armored guards had their heads bowed as they watched over the palace. All of them were deathly silent, without a whisper of movement. They were scarcely even breathing!


    An old man with graying hair was lying on a large bed. His mouth trembled, as he looked at Adonis, who was sitting beside him. Fear filled his eyes.


    Adonis stared straight into the old king''s eyes. He had watched the man for two days already, observing as his eyes went from initial disbelief to anger, then finally to fear and panic.


    Adonis looked at the hourglass on the wall. "It''s almost time," he said.


    The old king trembled and mumbled incoherently. He then managed to whimper, "Why... are... you... doing this?"


    Adonis poured a glass of wine and sat down with a faint smile. "I want you to feel the fear and despair my mother felt when she died."


    The old king struggled to support himself, his face twisted in pain. He screamed at Adonis in a hoarse voice, "But, what does that have to do with your older sister and brother, your two younger brothers, and Aisha? They are all your siblings! Don''t you feel the slightest bit of remorse? How could you bear to do this? Do you hate me that much? No matter what, I am your father!"


    Adonis looked into the eyes of the old king and scoffed. "It is exactly as you told me! The Monars do not feel familial affection. Yes! At first, I thought this was only hatred talking. Hatred was the cornerstone of my world, my cage. Hatred was my food and sleep."


    Adonis continued. "People often hide their devilish hearts under a sincere and devout facade. I am different. I never hide or pretend, like a hypocrite. By now, it has become more than just hatred. A part of my heart is missing, and I want to get it back."


    "Maniac! You''re mad! You are crazy and insane! This is madness!" The old king was horrified.


    Finally, he laid down and surrendered to helpless laughter. Two lines of tears leaked from his eyes. There was no more panic, fear, or anger. There was only a mocking sneer, directed not at Adonis, but at himself.


    "This really is, haha, hahaha, retribution..."


    Cough! Cough!


    The old king coughed fiercely. He spat blood from his mouth, then stiffened on the bed and died. Soon after that, the old king''s body slowly crawled out of the bed.


    He had become much paler, and the luster from his eyes was gone. Yet, his body had become visibly stronger, as the blood under his skin squirmed. The originally thin body had become well-muscled as it had awoken the ability of a Blood Knight!


    After returning from his trip, Adonis immediately began to combine Li Weisi''s notes with the Mortuus Magna bloodline and his own research in order to create ghouls. Through the deified cells and curses of the ghouls, he was able to control the ghouls that he created.


    Adonis then combined Li Weisi''s research on the Plague with the powers of the ghoul to develop the zombie virus. Once a target was infected with this virus, it would slowly morph into a ghoul!


    Ordinary ghouls were easy to make. That process didn''t even require deified cells. But, in turn, they would have no intelligence nor bloodline powers.


    Although they would retain their memories, their combat abilities would be extremely low. Thus, they could only really be useful as cannon fodder.


    The higher-classed ghouls that Adonis had personally crafted were equipped with the Mind of the Undead. These ghouls had a strengthened body and the ability of Blood Knights.


    The Mind of the Undead ensured that, even after their awarenesses were gone, they retained highly efficient mechanical minds and learning abilities, as well as all of their combat potential and experiences from their lifetimes. As such, these soldiers were the optimal warriors!


    Above that, there were also king-class ghouls, which Adonis had crafted with a significant amount of his own deified cells, which were combined with the Mind of the Undead. Each of these ghouls had inherited some of Adonis'' power and also possessed their own special abilities.


    However, such a transformation required an extremely high compatibility rate with his blood. Adonis discovered that his immediate kin were the most suitable candidates to retrieve this from.


    After their original awareness dissipated, the ghouls became mere tools. Surprisingly, the ghouls that only had instincts gradually developed a new sort of awareness, due to a combination of their deified cells and the Mind of the Undead. It was precisely this trait that made Lu Zhiyu identify Adonis'' ghouls as a new race, since he was able to create a life form with its own awareness, which qualified it as a brand new species.


    By now, all 1,000 of the King''s Guards of the Kingdom of Mara had been turned into high-class ghouls. The Kingdom of Mara had a smaller army than most of the other kingdoms.


    Its unity was loose, as the king was actually the most influential noble. As such, having an army of a thousand people was already considered to be the greatest strength of the king.


    Adonis knew that governance required wisdom and order. Yet, he was only interested in ruling, not governing. For that, he would only need raw strength. In light of this fact, from the moment that he gained control over the army and created his high-class ghoul troops, he had seized most of the power within the Kingdom of Mara.

 162 Death of the King

    Retch!


    "This smell is revolting!"


    Within the dark waterway, the sound of boots stepping through the stinky sewage echoed in the tunnels. After Edward discovered the truth about the threat of the ghouls, he immediately contacted Tucker from the City Guards and met with his superior.


    After presenting convincing evidence, Edward got their assistance to begin looking for places in the city that the ghouls may be lurking. They also agreed to help him find those people who had already been infected so that they could be immediately isolated and treated.


    Edward then had all of the details and intelligence from the previous attacks forwarded to him. The identities of the bodies, their places of death, and all other information was sent to Edward, who began diligently analyzing it.


    The deceased represented all classes of society, from the nobles to the slaves, and officials to boatmen. There was no pattern or obvious connection, based on their revealed identities. The only similarity was that all of them were young men with good physiques.


    Perhaps that was why they were chosen. The culprit was selectively creating ghouls en masse, then filtering out the stronger ones to upgrade into high-class ghouls...


    Edward had no idea how many ghouls were already in the city. So far, there had been more than a dozen recorded deaths. When the investigation was widened to include disappearances, the number rose into the hundreds.


    Tallying the unreported deaths within the underbelly of society was difficult. There were too many undocumented people in the city with complicated backgrounds. As such, investigating those matters was almost impossible.


    Edward immediately remembered the slate tile that he had discovered before, which led to the sewer. The city of Babus was a mid-career work designed by Faragrant, the famous architect who later went on to design St. Sarl City.


    Edward navigated the semicircular tunnels of the sewers with the aid of an oil lamp. The tunnels had a sloping curve in the center, with high sides. Their width was close to four meters.


    The whole structure was made of stone. Like a developed irrigation system, it connected the entire city. Even if a downpour hit Babus, this canal system could easily purge the torrents from the city.


    "I didn''t expect that there would be such a large space underground. Master Faragrant truly considered all of the practical aspects of urban planning, as he designed such a developed underground drainage system! This is truly the work of a master."


    From this stunning underground drainage system, one could sense how ahead of his time Faragrant was. The same underground drainage system was later used in the sophisticated designs of St. Sarl City.


    Although Edward was neither an architect nor an artist, as a learned wizard, he was well-versed in many types of knowledge. Hence, Edward had a great admiration for these true masters of their crafts.


    Edward began exploring from the suspicious location he had found before. He closed his eyes and used his mind power to navigate the underwater channel, while comparing the scene with the map of Babus in his head.


    Blood stains?


    There are also some blood stains here!


    It''s headed over here!


    Edward''s keen eye instantly tracked the clues he sought, as he found the recent traces of a large number of people. There were muddied footprints and traces of armor having rubbed against the stone walls.


    Edward followed the tracks and gradually approached the core of the sewers. The passages here had become more and more complicated. The connecting passageways were much wider, as he headed deeper and deeper within.


    Normal people would have lost their way in such a complicated network of tunnels, yet Edward could easily navigate the routes. He found more and more traces of people and was sure that he had found the hideout of the ghouls!


    Whoosh!


    The sound of rapid footsteps treading water approached from all directions, coming straight toward Edward. Edward immediately frowned.


    How is it possible? They found me?


    As the steps approached and surrounded Edward, he became sure that his location had already been given away. Edward also surmised that he was quite close to their nest. Edward recalled the previous few moments.


    So, it was a witchcraft alarm!


    Edward saw that the horde was bearing down on him quickly. Within the blink of an eye, several red-eyed ghouls with ragged clothes appeared and rushed towards him.


    Roar!


    Edward was standing in the corner of a passage as more than a dozen ghouls suddenly attacked him from three different directions. Edward immediately pressed his palms on the wall, and the entire underground waterway transformed into interlinked stone spears, which gouged through all of the ghouls and nailed them to the walls!


    Yet, they still did not die but continued to struggle. Edward turned and ran.


    He sensed countless ghouls chasing him. He chose to escape, but as he turned the corner, he ran into another horde of them. After running through a few more passages, Edward discovered that he was surrounded.


    Edward knew that the number of ghouls probably far exceeded his imagination, as the great ghoul army filled every corner of the sewers! Edward immediately used his special ability and Blood Witchcraft to wipe out an oncoming ghoul horde with a large number of stone spears. As he did so, a road of blood opened before him.


    Edward reached out and his hands were covered with a layer of stone. His arms turned limestone white and hard like marble.


    Edward rushed through the path, his heavy stone fists smashing the remaining ghouls into pieces and knocking them away. Though they continued to rush him, Edward did not care, as he dealt with them easily, his hands covered in that thick layer of stone.


    At this time, a figure in a black cloak rushed towards Edward. He immediately drew a sword, slashing at him. Edward immediately used his armored hands to catch the sword. The exchange caused a loud clatter.


    However, Edward immediately discovered that his opponent''s sword was actually oozing a strange mind power fluctuation. His own stone armor was being disarmed.


    Realizing this, his complexion changed.


    "A special ability!"


    By the time he moved to react, it was too already late. His opponent grabbed the sword from Edward''s hands, nicking his hand and slicing up from below. Edward quickly dodged to the left, but he was still grazed and fell to the ground.


    Edward had received a long wound, which ran along his chest. Fortunately, he had taken quick measures to avoid the brunt of the blow. Otherwise, he would have been gutted.


    While he was incapacitated with this serious injury, Edward slammed the stone wall and immediately, the ceiling of the entire passage collapsed. A large number of ghouls were crushed to death, and their path was closed off.


    He opened a slate tile that led out to Babus. Edward climbed out, soaked in blood, and collapsed on the ground. He was rattled, and although he applied some emergency treatments with witchcraft and dressed his wound, his face was still ashen.


    His fatigue was not due to the injury alone. He could also sense a strange force, which was constantly eroding his body and suppressing his mind power. When his mind power could no longer resist it, this strange force would interfere directly with reality and transform his body.


    Edward immediately remembered the curse witchcraft that the great Sage Anthony had told him about. It probably referred to this exact strange power.


    Edward supported himself with the wall as he slowly limped out of a dark alley and back onto a main street. He was preparing to go home to deal with the injury and research a method to counteract this sinister curse witchcraft when an alarm suddenly sounded throughout Babus. Edward didn''t know the bell''s meaning, but the crowds on the street panicked as the answer became devastatingly clear.


    "The king has died!"

 163 The New King

    "Mr. Edward? Mr. Edward? What happened? Please wake up! Oh my god! What should I do?"


    A worried voice awakened Edward from his dreams. Edward was staying in the house that he had rented.


    The one who woke him up was his temporary maid, Hathaway, who came every day to cook for him and to clean the room. After entering the yard, she had seen the door ajar, with Edward laying on the ground in a pool of blood. She was scared witless!


    Edward''s room was a ransacked mess. The bookshelves and desks had been knocked over, their contents scattered all over the place. The witchcraft tome that Lu Zhiyu had gifted him had fallen as well and was currently flipped open.


    Before he lost consciousness, Edward had been using his knowledge from the dream witchcraft techniques that were written within Lu Zhiyu''s notes to conduct a targeted lifting of the curse witchcraft, which had been leeching on his awareness. It was trying to consume his mind power and constantly attacking him.


    The sinister power was difficult to dispel, even for a trained wizard. Edward had been attempting to use a crude understanding of dream witchcraft to enter his own dream space and cleanse the curse witchcraft.


    Now that he had been awoken, Edward sat up immediately, scaring the little maid. She was a girl with freckles on her nose, who greatly admired the tall and handsome Edward.


    As she was at an age that was quite susceptible to lovesickness, the mysterious and confident Edward, who exuded a scholarly charm and possessed an elegance far beyond ordinary people, was naturally someone that Hathaway could only fantasize about. Now that Edward was suddenly this close to her, her face flushed crimson red.


    "Mr. Edward!" She was so flustered that her voice trembled.


    "It''s okay. I''m fine. Don''t say anything about this matter." Edward was still dazed and his awareness hadn''t fully returned yet.


    This was the initial cultivation method for dream witchcraft, or dreamcraft. He was trying to create his own dreamspace. It was said that this space was a simplified version of the mind dimensions that level four wizards used.


    According to Lu Zhiyu, constructing a dream space was basically the same thing as building an information space. As such, as long as one''s mind power, will, and computing ability was sufficient, anyone could construct a complete dream space. Other than the fact that it was immaterial, it would be exactly the same as reality.


    After building the dream space, he would then gain the ability to directly interfere with reality via his mind power. Of course, for wizards below level four, their mind powers were too weak, as their unactivated mind power couldn''t change the rules of physics and matter. Yet, it was enough to use dream witchcraft as a conduit to develop curses that could be carried out through the dream space in order to attack a target''s awareness and mind power.


    As long as the target''s awareness was not strong enough to withstand the initial wave, the curse power would immediately use the strength of target to interfere with reality. For example, if the curse was made to hex someone to death by freezing them, a special type of mind power would invade their awareness and hypnotize them, causing them to believe that their own imminent death was approaching.


    The curse would then actualize that belief and actually be able to freeze the individual solid, as if the corpse had died from extreme cold in the depths of winter, even if it was in the middle of the summer! Although it wasn''t superior to a special ability, it was far more sinister and difficult to defend against.


    In fact, if Edward had not received the notes from Lu Zhiyu, he probably would have succumbed to its power already! At this thought, Edward felt a shudder run through his whole body.


    When he was constructing his dream space, he constantly recalled his past memories. As such, the dream castle he had built was based on the tower, but it was completely empty. Its architecture felt as if it would collapse from the slightest breeze. Even so, it was at least a very good first attempt, especially based on the current extent of his mind power.


    The memories he shared with Adonis were the highest in number. Yet, he also remembered the ghouls that were hidden underground. Each ghoul had once been a living person...


    How many families were destroyed by the tragedies caused by Adonis'' actions?


    Edward wasn''t sure, but the number was considerable. For example, his current maid, Hathaway, was only fourteen years old. Because her father went missing, she had been forced to come to work for Edward to earn money. It was likely that her father was one of the ghouls...


    Now that the ghoul army was this large and even had ghouls that were armed with special abilities, if Edward did not take action, he was afraid that even more tragedies would strike the land.


    "No matter what, I have to find this culprit right away and stop him!" Edward stood and declared.


    However, he had stood up too quickly and pulled open the wound on his chest. His face turned ashen white, as he spasmed in pain. Although some healing had already taken effect, he had lost too much blood from the gaping wound. A complete recovery wouldn''t be so simple.


    The little maid Hathaway said in distress, "Mr. Edward, you have lost so much blood! You can''t go out right now! You need to rest. I will go find you a doctor."


    "No, it''s alright, I am the best doctor here," he said, declining her offer.


    Edward took off his outer jacket and began to clean the wound. He redressed the bandage and put on another coat, then walked towards the exit by sheer force of will. He was almost at the door, when he suddenly thought of something and turned back towards Hathaway, saying, "Oh right, Hathaway, if possible, it is best not to go out right now. If you want, you can stay and live here with me."


    Hathaway was stunned, then suddenly thought of something. Her face flushed crimson and she wanted to reply, but Edward had already disappeared.


    -----------


    "You''re saying that there are a lot of monsters lurking in the city, and that there are even stronger ones out there? Also, that there is a mysterious culprit behind these monsters, who controls them? And, they are preparing to attack Babus and turn it into a city of the dead?" The Head of the City Defense Force, Hans, stared at Edward with skepticism.


    In his opinion, Edward, who was to him an unknown, mysterious and strange nobody, was not worthy of his trust. Yet his words concerned the safety of Babus, so Hans could not afford to dismiss them entirely.


    Hans was a bald man with a built physique. He was a powerful Blood Knight, who had started his career in the King''s Guards. After he had aged out of the guards, he took over as the Head of the City Defense Force.


    He was an important figure, who had won the trust of the king. Though he was not of high status, he had immense power. Hence, Edward believed that it was very important to get Hans to stand on his side.


    Edward nodded. "The sewers of the city have been completely occupied by these monsters. They are waiting for an opportunity to rush out and infect all of Babus. If that should happen, all of Babus'' people will become part of their forces, as ghouls. Babus will then become a true purgatory!"


    Hans looked at the wound on Edward''s body, as well as the evidence he had brought from the underground site. He analyzed the strange event that had been happening in the city and the odd atmosphere inside the palace, even the sudden death of the old king. As he had been suspecting that some sort of conspiracy was behind all of this, he was now convinced by Edward''s sincerity.


    "Wait for an opportunity? Since the old king has died and several of the other heirs have given up their inheritance rights, the throne will be succeeded by the Third Prince, Adonis. A grand coronation ceremony will be held by the Church of Light''s Cardinal Peter to crown the new king. All the lords of the kingdom will come to pay their respects. Is this the aim of the culprit, to seize control over all the nobles of the Kingdom of Mara at once?" Hans asked.


    After he laid out his hypothesis, he suddenly felt faint and broke into a cold sweat. But, Edward was not paying attention to this, as he was focusing on the strange name that he has just heard.


    "What did you just say? What is the name of the next King of the Mara Kingdom?" he asked, refusing to believe his ears.


    "Prince Adonis. Adonis Monar."

 164 Foreboding Thunderstorm

    Edward knew Adonis'' first name, but he had never heard him mention his last name. No one at the tower knew of Adonis'' true identity as the prince of Mara and a true royal.


    By the time he left the headquarters of the City Defense Force, Edward had already reached a cooperation agreement with Hans. They both believed that the goal behind the conspiracy should be the Coronation Ceremony that was taking place in seven days. Through Edward''s encouragement and his own suspicions, Hans had developed a deep belief that Adonis was involved with the incidents.


    According to Hans, the entire palace had been tightly sealed by the King''s Guards. Furthermore, when the king''s will and successor had been announced the previous day, neither Hans nor any of the other nobles and royals had been permitted into the palace.


    Moreover, Hans felt that the changes in the kingdom were too unnatural. First, there was the sudden death of the king. All the other heirs then gave up their succession rights.


    As such, the third prince, Adonis, who had originally been sixth in line of succession, suddenly became the new king. This also caused an uproar among all the nobles.


    Then, the entire King Guards swore allegiance to Adonis, so Adonis instantly grasped the most powerful military force within Babus. Hans, who had a background in the King''s Guards, knew this very well. He knew something had gone terribly wrong when he, as a veteran of the King''s Guards, who had close ties with the troops, completely lost contact with them. He knew that this was a clear indicator that their allegiances had dramatically shifted.


    This series of abnormal events were linked together to form a bone chilling conspiracy. The entire city of Babus was caught in a shocking crisis. If they did not act and allowed the coronation to go forward as planned, the entire ruling class of the Kingdom of Mara would be taken in one fell swoop and the country would be completely finished!


    This made Hans'' hair stand on end.


    Who could do something so devilish?


    The purpose of the culprit was obviously not to rule, nor was it a desire for power or revenge. Instead, it was a pure intent to slaughter and kill, to drag the entire kingdom into hell!


    "Why does he want to do this?" Hans'' face was red and his breathing was choppy.


    "No clear reason. Perhaps it is based on some strange ideal, or maybe this is just an experiment to explore the meaning of life. There are many possible reasons. Only the mastermind knows the real reason behind his actions. What we need to know is what he has done, and also what we need to do to stop him," Edward replied.


    Edward and Hans came up with a strategy at once. Edward would seek out the mastermind behind the conspiracy and verify how his plan. Edward could then mobilize the power of the City Defense Force.


    Meanwhile, Hans would spend the next few days checking out the City Defense Force to find out whether there were high class ghouls already mixed within their ranks. Hans was sure that some moles were already planted inside his forces and wanted to deal with them as soon as possible.


    He would use his men to investigate and block the sewers, according to the original construction plans of the city. The monsters underground must be completely sealed within the underground passages. They could not be allowed out.


    In addition, Hans had to contact some trustworthy aristocrats to confront this disaster. If, as Edward said, the other party had taken over all 1,000 knights from the King Guards and transformed them into a strengthened undead army, it would be naive to believe that they would be able to face them with only two or three thousand men from the City Guards, most of whom had never experienced wars and usually slacked off in training!


    More importantly, they had to notify Cardinal Peter from the Church of Light. Out of all of the local lords, who had long been attached to the Monar family, Hans trusted Cardinal Peter the most. In order to face the power of the devil, depending on the power of the priests of the Church seemed the most reliable course of action. Although Edward did not like the Church, right now, he was willing to accept any support that he could get.


    --------------


    The city of Babus was stained with a blood red sunset. The wide Nami River was so beautiful that it was intoxicating. The returning ships carried goods to the melodious chimes of the night bells. A young sailor above the bow waved at his wife, who was holding their child on the pier. He jumped down and they leapt into her arms.


    Also on the pier, an old fisherman and his young son lugged a box of fresh fish home in the shadow of the setting sun. Ships came and went from under the bridge, creating an extremely lively scene.


    Edward observed the lives of these people until the darkness finally arrived. As he walked home, his expression became more and more somber.


    Seven days later, the Coronation Ceremony would take place. Although the people in Babus were still living peaceful lives, Edward had an unusual sense of foreboding. As the feeling of an imminent war persisted, Edward felt weighed down by its pressure.


    As he got closer to his home, Edward found a crowd standing in front of the small building. They pointed inside constantly, as if debating something. Members of the City Guard also stood in the yard. The small courtyard seemed lively, but the atmosphere was very strange.


    The entrance had been destroyed. When he saw this scene, Edward suddenly realized what had happened, so he hurriedly ran inside.


    "What are you doing? No one is allowed to enter! Stop..." one of the the City Guards shouted.


    They wanted to block Edward, but then recognized him at once. They knew that this person was an acquaintance of their boss, Tucker, so they parted ways and allowed Edward to rush into the small building.


    Edward burst in and suddenly stopped. His footsteps slowed, as if his body had gone completely numb. He seemed to be afraid to go forward and face his fear.


    Edward stalled for a long time in the short corridor, before he finally entered the living room. He turned his head slightly and immediately saw a girl lying on the ground, a familiar shy smile on her face.


    She looked like a delicate flower, lying there in a pool of blood. Bright red streaks stained her gray skirt.


    Her death had been painless. The curse witchcraft had killed her instantly. When she had died, she was still looking forward to Edward''s return, immersed in her shy little crush.


    The smile on her face had not changed. A silver dinner plate had clearly been knocked over to the side, with the dinner that she had been preparing for him still on it, long having grown ice cold.


    This was the first time Edward had left the tower as a young wizard. He grew up in the tower, so this was the first he had ever seen someone that he cared deeply about die in front of him.


    Looking at Hathaway''s brilliant smile, he felt like he was seeing a delicate flower suddenly wither before its time. Edward suddenly felt a pang of nausea. He was completely overwhelmed.


    Edward wanted to approach her, yet he was unsteady and instead fell to the ground, losing his footing. He then struggled to stand up again, like a man who had lost his soul. He stumbled to Hathaway''s body and knelt before it.


    For more than half a month, Hathaway had been taking care of him. This girl was of low birth, but she was hardworking and kind. After her father''s disappearance, she had supported her two younger brothers. Edward was very fond of her.


    Like Hathaway, Edward was also an inexperienced teenager. After all, he was presently chasing Adonis for a friendship and brotherhood that he couldn''t bear to forfeit.


    Edward held Hathaway''s face and finally broke down, crying like a child. At this time, Tucker, who had arrived before Edward, patted his shoulder and could only sigh. "My condolences!"


    Edward looked down, noticing a line that seemed to have been burnt on the table, then commanded, "Leave now!"


    That act was Adonis'' final warning to Edward. He had even killed Hathaway to show his utter determination to force Edward leave immediately. He would not even be moved by their old times together.


    Edward clung to Hathaway''s body. He didn''t care about the blood. He gently shut Hathaway''s eyes, as he tilted her limp body into his arms.


    Edward''s head bowed deeply. His whole body was stiff with tension and the muscles in his jaw trembled. He managed to spit out a single word, "ADONIS!"

 165 Coronation II Prelude

    The gates of Babus City was wide open, as all of the nobles streamed in from every corner of the Mara Kingdom. They had come to witness the coronation of the new monarch king.


    The entire city was decorated with many lights. As this was an important time for the monarchy, all of the forces in the city were on maximum guard.


    Cardinal Peter from the Mara Kingdom had already arrived last night with a squad of knights and priests. Many other lords had already gathered in the city. Warhorses and soldiers also numbered in the thousands.


    It was almost dawn. An urgent meeting was taking place within the City Defense meeting hall. The attendees of the meeting included both members of the Defense force and various nobles from the Mara Kingdom, as well as an aged priest from the Church of Light.


    "The other side has a large army of high-class ghouls, as well as an unknown number of ordinary ghouls. At the very least, they are two-thousand strong. I surmised the headcount from the number of missing persons. It is alarming that we didn''t notice such a large number of disappearances."


    "The enemy is very cautious, as they had chose targets that few people would pay attention too. We never expected them to target populations that came from outside of the city."


    "Are our people already in place?"


    "They are already in place at several locations. I can guarantee that the ghouls in the sewers will not be able to crawl out."


    "So, what about the King''s Guard, since they are above the high-class ghouls?"


    All of the meeting participants began expressing their opinions. However, when the topic of the King''s Guard came up, a representative of Cardinal Peter spoke up.


    "The third army of the Church has already deployed 3,000 knights. They are currently stationed in the forest nearby. We also have thirty members of the priest corp within the city of Babus. They can coordinate with your actions at any time. Cardinal Peter has stated that our priority is to keep civilian casualties to a minimum," the priest said firmly as the crowd began to settle.


    The City Defense chief Hans rubbed his bald head with relief. "That means that victory is already within our grasp. So, we must focus on minimizing civilian casualties. With the slightest error on our part, tens of thousands of civilians may perish. I don''t want to end this operation like that."


    The sky was getting brighter, but there was no time for rest. All of them were a bit fatigued, but they dared not relax. Instead, they looked at the setup of all of their troops from all angles, searching for the best way deal Adonis a fatal blow during the Coronation ceremony.


    Edward suddenly spoke up, assuming the role as Hans'' consultant. "The plan is well thought out, but there is one issue."


    By now, Edward looked as if he was beyond his breaking point. He had not slept in a long time. Perhaps Hathaway''s death had affected him more than he had realized.


    Edward knew that his sole purpose in life was to find Adonis and question him as to why he was committing such heinous acts. At the same time, he also knew that, in terms of wizardry and power, he was not Adonis'' match.


    After all, Adonis was a level two wizard, while he was only at level one. Furthermore, Edward was far from leveling up.


    Although the mind power gap between them wasn''t too big, the level gap that existed between the two men had a tremendous impact on their combat abilities, especially since Adonis specialized in lethal witchcraft and had developed his own path with the Mortuus Magna bloodline and the strength of the ghouls.


    As such, the likelihood of Edward''s defeating Adonis was extremely low. However, armed with Lu Zhiyu''s dream witchcraft notes, Edward just might be able to accomplish the impossible.


    Edward had been pouring through Lu Zhiyu''s notes day and night. Although the booklet was fairly thin, it was crammed full of complex witchcraft concepts and equations that detailed the uses and taboos of dream witchcraft. Thus, dreamcraft and curse witchcraft would be Edward''s secret weapons in his confrontation with Adonis.


    He was even creating his own trump card according to Lu Zhiyu''s dreamcraft. Although it was incomplete and he had no idea about its power and side effects, he knew that it should be quite effective. This would be Edward''s last option and he was hoping that he would not have to use it.


    Edward''s interjection had caused all eyes to fall on him. Before, he had provided a large amount of intelligence about ghouls, which had allowed them to take the initiative. It was also Edward''s antidote that had saved countless infected civilians and controlled this terrifying epidemic. As such, people began to respect his views, especially because he had been a disciple of the progenitor of medicine, Bohr Kelermo.


    Hans asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Edward immediately replied, "Although the enemy does not know our specific plans, they definitely know that we''re onto something. As such, they will not wait around like sitting ducks as we coordinate our plans. That would be illogical. I am afraid that they will have already formed numerous countermeasures against us."


    The crowd murmured. At last, Hans replied, "So far, we haven''t detected any enemy countermeasures. Our men are also surveilling their actions day and night, taking note of the changes happening within the city. It would be difficult for the enemy to act without alerting us. So, our current plan should be the safest one."


    By the time everyone left after the meeting''s conclusion, it was already bright outside. A large number of men were discretely deployed within the city. The ordinary people of Babus continued on with their lives, utterly oblivious to the forces moving in the shadows.


    --------------


    Hidden in a valley deep in the woods, there was a temporary military camp with countless armored knights. Many of them had brought their steeds to the creek for water at the break of dawn.


    Several of them had taken off their helmets. The creek was close to a swamp, and they had chosen this site precisely because of its easy access to drinking water. After all, with thousands of troops and their steeds, clean water was a must.


    "Gyaa.."


    An oddly deep voice echoed from the rocks beside the swamp. The soldiers went to check the situation, finding that it was only a red-eyed crow. Yet, since the crow was a symbol of death, they still felt a sense of unease.


    "Go away!" The soldiers hit the water to scare it away before returning. What they did not notice was the specks of crimson in the water that gradually faded away.

 166 Coronation II Middle

    Flower petals adorn the ground as sunlight shone upon the temple. The elegantly dressed nobles and armored warriors stood by the sides, as a young choir sang on the stage.


    Adonis was lavishly dressed, entering through the room with the most important leaders of the country with an air of confidence. On the other end of the room, dressed in a large red robe with the pattern of the sun on it, Cardinal Peter awaited him, holding the crown.


    Rays of light were shining on Adonis'' feet and covering his visage with gold. As he made his way, his feet tread upon beautiful blooming petals. His aura exuded a solemn religious authority, yet the corner of Adonis'' mouth was slightly curled in derision.


    Raucous cheers and claps filled the space as the crowd went wild. After all, Adonis was their promised king. As he boarded the platform and lowered his head, he kissed Cardinal Peter''s hand.


    Peter looked at Adonis with a complicated gaze, while he delivered his prayers before crowning him. "As the cardinal of the Church of Light, by god''s name, I crown Adonis Mara the King of Mara Kingdom."


    Adonis sat down on the throne, watching the sea of people cheering his good name. As he sat, illuminated by the bright sunlight, he laughed hollowly to himself. Adonis felt as if his own life was but a dream, as if he was playing a role within a fairytale movie.


    -----------------------


    Suddenly, outside the city, a large number of people started rushing towards Babus. The merchant caravans and ships outside the city gate were terrified, as the bridge leading into the city was being swamped. Many people fell into the water below, hurrying to escape on their alpacoids. Even their merchandise had been discarded and trampled.


    In the distance, a large number of knights appeared. It was obvious that they were not normal soldiers, as their silver armor glistened in the sun. No one knew who these soldiers pledged their allegiance to, or their purpose.


    But, it was clear that they were not just out for a leisurely stroll! Thus, all the people panicked and they tried to escape into the city.


    "The knights are coming!"


    "What happened? Why is the army invading Babus? If it is an enemy army, then why weren''t the alarms sounded?"


    "Where did they come from? Why didn''t anyone sense their approach?"


    "Scram! I have to get into the city!"


    "Get out of the way you peasants! I am a Baron! Let me through!"


    The crowd rioted, screaming and yelling angrily as the gates were closed and the drawbridge was raised. With its high walls and the river surrounding it, the city of Babus had been outfitted for siege warfare during its construction. So, even if there were only a few thousand men from the Defense Force with a thousand from the King''s Guard, they would be able to fend off hundreds of thousands of enemies for at least a few months. In the meantime, reinforcements from all over the Mara Kingdom would rush to their aid.


    Of course, if there were no reinforcements, any attempt to hold out would be meaningless. Therefore, the Mara family had forged strong alliances with the regional nobles. As such, the decentralized Mara Kingdom was more like a tight chain of alliances.


    "An enemy army is attacking the city!"


    "With such a large army, this is probably means war!"


    Yet, as the army approached the city, not a single alarm went off. Although the soldiers at the city wall still stood guard, there was no sign of panic. This confused the civilians that were rushing home. All of the street vendors celebrating in the city cleared the streets as everyone evacuated.


    Many people were pushed to the ground, with many women screaming, their lovely skirts torn by the stampeding crowd. The streets were cleared in record time, now completely bare, from the palace to the plaza to the main avenues to the alleys.


    "Emergency warning! No one is allowed on the streets!"


    "Hurry home. Do not step outside until further notice! Otherwise, you will be jailed!"


    "Everyone go home. This is an emergency notice¡­"


    All of the city guards headed out immediately. They cleared the crowds swiftly, while announcing the emergency protocol throughout all of the streets and alleys.


    The fear of war was imprinted within the hearts of all the people. Eyes darted out through the cracks of doors, as the civilians stared fearfully at the patrolling soldiers.


    All of the troops were guarding the entrances to the sewers. Several of the entrances had already been sealed during the last few days. The ones that they had left open were either essential to the citizens'' daily lives or were impossible to secure discreetly.


    As they were sealing the entrances, many personnel had become infected, then had to be quarantined and treated. During this period of time, the number of disappearances within the city continuously decreased and no more strange deaths occurred.


    Meanwhile, the city''s Defense Force was monitoring an entrance near the city center. This was an important channel to the main waterway of Babus. According to Edward''s estimation, it was the largest ghoul lair.


    Based on the blueprints of Babus'' sewage, the entire sewage system was a maze. Beneath their feet, under the central plaza, there was a large cavern space that was split into many levels. It was large enough to hold tens of thousands of people. It was via this complicated network of channels that the ghouls were able to find their victims.


    It took dozens of men and horses to remove the seal stone of this entrance. After they did so, a gigantic space was revealed far below the entrance. A ring of patterns could be seen circling the stones of the entrance.


    This entrance had clearly not been opened since the inception of Babus. As the sunlight hit the opening, monsters emerged, howling.


    Scurrying footsteps were heard, as they crawled towards the surface. Eerie beast-like screams from countless bodies also filled the air. The sounds got closer and closer as the monsters gathered.


    "Everyone get ready to pour the oil! Don''t let a single one escape!" the Defense Force commander ordered.


    The city Defense force was ready. None of them had the intent to descend into or peep inside the hole. They had prepared the oil beforehand, which they swiftly poured into the darkness. This caused many of the ghouls to slip.


    Countless carts of the oil were poured, without regards to cost. A soldier stood by the entrance, holding a torching as he looked down. He could already see the sinister scowls of many ghouls below. They scaled the walls like four-legged beasts, each with glowing red eyes and an intent to consume the living.


    Their numbers extended far into the darkness. When the first ghoul emerged into the sun, the men threw down their torches all at once.


    "Light it up!" the commander shouted.


    The flames quickly expanded, then extended downwards and turned the cavern into a sea of flames. The ghouls, now drenched in oil, turned into undead torches, screaming piteously as they fell further down.

 167 Coronation II Conclusion

    The tunnel became a cremation site, the cavern having filled with flames. The figures writhed in pain, screaming before perishing.


    These humanoid monsters made bone-chilling sounds of despair. Even within the heat of the summer, all of the soldiers within the city felt as if they had been drenched in ice water. They shivered from head-to-toe.


    Along with the roars and howls, an alluring scent of roasted meat filled the air. Although it smelled delicious, all of the people felt disgusted but it, even as their stomachs rumbled.


    BOOM!


    The men were confused. After the silence returned, they continued to issue orders, determined to corner any remaining ghouls that may be crawling around the surroundings.


    Then, the sound of warhorses, carrying fully-armored troops, was heard. Within the Mara Kingdom, with the exception of the King''s Guard, only the Church of Light had the finances to equip their troops with armor.


    The troops were lined in a neat formation and no sound could be heard, except for the occasional shuffling of their feet. They moved uniformly without orders and their silence was terrifying.


    Not only did the City Guards not sound the alarm, but a captain gave the order to open the gates and welcome the army inside. The deputy commander, who was representing Hans, and another general were waiting by the entrance.


    Both sides followed the predetermined signals to allow the third army of the Church inside. Together, they were to forge a temporary alliance, tasked with defeating the ghoulified King''s Guard.


    The middle-aged commander swallowed hard as he looked at the approaching figures, who looked oddly oppressed. He then asked, "This is the army of the Church, right?"


    As the cavalry crossed the Babus bridge, the commander immediately bowed towards the approaching figures, saying, "Hello, I am the representative of the Defense Force¡­"


    DUM! DUM!


    The middle-aged commander suddenly heard strange noises. When he lifted his head, he discovered many traces of blood on the knights'' longswords and armor. The crimson drops of blood fell onto the ground. As he looked into the knights'' eyes, the gazes that met him were the familiar scarlet eyes of beasts!


    All of the knights lifted their heads at once, countless scarlet eyes landing on him. The commander trembled, then immediately turned around to warn the others. However, it was already too late!


    A spear extended out like a silver dragon, piercing his chest with the power of a Blood Knight. As coldness spread throughout his body, he fell.


    The leader of the Blood Knights lifted the corpse into the air, then bathed himself in the gushing blood in pure delight. Every cell in his body was craving the blood, which caused him to laugh maniacally.


    He appeared to be a complete monster. Yet, this monster was also an armored Blood Knight, who could kill a commander before he even had the chance to scream. To make matters worse, he was accompanied by thousands with the same capabilities.


    All of the guards were completely shocked, when a shrill voice sounded from above the city walls. "Close the gates! Close the gates! Hurry up! They are no longer human!"


    But, it was too late, as the horde of Death Knights had already stormed into the city. At this time, the City Guard finally sounded the alarm across the city.


    -----------------------------------


    Within the palace, Adonis was still basking in the adoring cheers of the citizens. An attendant was solemnly presenting him with the King''s scepter, which was the last part of the ceremony. As soon as Adonis took the scepter, he would rise to the throne as the new ruler, thus being officially accepted by the Church of Light and the nobles of the Mara Kingdom.


    However, just as the exchange happened, an unexpected incident occurred. The young attendant pulled out a dagger and stabbed Adonis in the heart! Most of the guests gasped in shock, while a small portion of the nobles looked on with a twinkle in their eyes.


    Adonis clutched his chest and stumbled back in shock. He then collapsed on the throne and took his last breath.


    An outraged man drew his longsword, then screamed, "Everyone, join me in killing this assassin!"


    All eyes fell on the assassin in fury. At this moment, Peter stepped out to test whether Adonis was also a monster. Even if he was not, Adonis had a dubious relationship with the wizards and the monsters inside the city. To the forces behind Peter and the nobles, it would be unacceptable for this disfavored prince to ascend the throne.


    "Enough, Adonis Monar! Stop pretending! You have forsaken your humanity and chosen eternal damnation in Hell as a demon!" Peter shouted.


    Through his own divine seed, Peter could accurately sense that Adonis was still alive. Although he showed all the signs of being dead, his mind power remained detectable. As no living person would be able to survive a stab to the heart, Peter knew that Adonis was beyond a mere human. The only ones able to utilize such a mind power were wizards!


    The crowd froze. Most of them were confused. Adonis Monar, who had just been lying dead on the throne, appeared to have come back to life!


    "My God! What is happening?"


    "He came back to life! What?!"


    "What in the world?!"


    Adonis'' blood immediately flowed back into his open wound, which then closed up completely, revealing pristine skin. If there wasn''t for the evident tear in his clothes, the previous events would seem like a complete illusion.


    Adonis stood up and looked at Peter in disapproval, then said, "You kill joy. I wanted to enjoy the show a bit longer."


    Peter squared off against Adonis, Peter being on the ground and the latter on the throne. Their eyes met in a fierce standoff, then Peter said, "Wicked wizard! Your end is near! You''ve been exposed as the demon you are! It is time for you to go back to the depths of Hell where you belong!"


    Adonis sat of the throne and began laughing maniacally with abandon, his eyes glittering green and his skin taking on the pallor of a dead man.


    "Monster! Monster!"


    "My God, what is this?!"


    "The king is a monster! We chose a monster to be king!"


    The crowd descended into a panic, as many people retreated into a corner. Adonis'' transformation had made him appear like an undead monster!


    Adonis gazed down onto the crowd imperiously from the throne, cackling like a crazed lunatic. "HAHAHAHA! That''s right, I am a monster, and now, all of you will DIE!"


    Outside, a huge explosion sounded and the ground trembled. Immediately after this, an alarm from the city wall sounded. It was the bell reserved for only the most dire of emergencies!

 168 Death Descends

    "What happened?!" Someone from the crowd gasped in terror.


    All of the people were disturbed by the sudden shockwave and alarms. Many of them had no idea that the king was a monster, so they were caught even more off guard.


    They tried to escape outside, as the palace was in complete chaos. A large number of troops from the King''s Guard surrounded the palace. Then, thirty robed priests jumped out of the shadows to intercept them.


    The hold of the King''s Guard was located in the north of the city. Peter and Hans had planned to use these thirty priests and three thousand assorted knights to secure the base of the King''s Guard there and destroy the thousand high-class ghouls.


    According to the plane, the city Defense Force would be in charge of maintaining order and eliminating low-class ghouls, while the priests and the knights would be responsible for the King''s Guard. Peter would personally face off against Adonis. Yet, nothing went as planned.


    The three thousand knights did not arrive on time, as the King''s Guard had made a sudden attack to disturb the palace, which forced the priests out of hiding. High-class ghouls, armed with bloodline powers, recklessly rushed forward. The thirty priests faced them with their steel longswords.


    A blade gouged one of the ghoul''s chest, yet the ghoul continued to bite down. The priest used his other hand to press down the ghoul''s head. Just then, a white light flashed and the ghoul''s head splintered into pieces.


    As all the other priests attacked at once, the strong holy light swept across the scene and numerous ghouls were torn into pieces. An ordinary army would have lost their morale, yet the ghouls charged forward.


    These high-class ghouls had powers beyond imagination. Each of them had multiple bloodline talents and moved in formation at lightning speed. If any of the old veterans, who witnessed Li Weisi''s insurrection, had been there, they would instantly have recognized this tremendous power and eerily neat formation characteristic that the Owl Knights were displaying.


    But the church of today was different from the church of the past. The thirty priests within Mara Kingdom all had divine seeds and were equivalent to level one wizards. All of the official wizards of the tower barely numbered one hundred.


    But, in terms of combat ability, wizards had more techniques than priests, even without considering the geniuses like Adonis and Edward. Yet, in terms of cultivation speed and numbers, the wizards could never compare.


    As the ghoul army continued upward, the priests were pushed back. The ghouls ignored the white light. Armored bodies fell constantly, but they continued charging, like moths drawn to a flame.


    After being hit, they would crawl back up immediately, especially since they would only die if their brains were destroyed. They were also relentless in their attacks, moving at speeds that the priests were not prepared to counter.


    These low-level priests could only use Judgement Ray, but after repeatedly using the skill over a large area of space, fatigue began to show and they retreated into the castle. After many high-class ghouls were killed, a few Death Knights, dressed in pitch black armor, appeared.


    These knights were even stronger and had augmented speed and power. Their movements left afterimages, as they were specialized ghouls that Adonis had modified to incorporate the cells of Mortuus Magna. This made them superior to the rest of their kind.


    The priests did not even have a chance to use Judgement Ray before the enemies were upon them, dragging along black shadows as their swords pierced through the chest of one of the priests.


    "This is witchcraft!"


    "Quick! Dodge!"


    The priests immediately took countermeasures as they protected their cursed brethren and defended against the enemies'' barrage. But, it was useless.


    The dark spot on the chest of cursed priest expanded, his entire body blackening like charcoal. The Death Knight had cast Burning Hex. From the mind power level, it could be sensed that the Death Knights were continuously emitting a black mist, casting curse witchcraft on their surroundings.


    The six Death Knights, leading thousands of high-class ghouls, surrounded them. The original situation had transformed dramatically.


    Although the other side did not have many special-class ghouls, their power was unparalleled and difficult to defend against. They also had a wealth of combat experience and an augmented physique.


    These factors, combined with the thousands of ghouls streaming in from behind them, caused the priests great difficulty in holding their position. After all, the other side could suppress them with numbers alone, so it was like a cat playing with a mouse.


    "My God! What is happening?!"


    "Why are the King''s Guard and priests killing each other!?"


    "Those are not the King''s Guard! They are monsters, all of them!"


    The nobles within the palace had escaped outside to witness this scene. All of the entrances and exits to the castle were blocked by the Death Knights. Over a dozen nobles were killed on the spot, the gory scene shocking everyone.


    After the citizens fled outside, they turned around and ran right back inside, as a large number of Death Knights had followed them. These armored monsters all revealed themselves as they took over the palace. The remaining nobles were trapped inside like caged birds.


    Within the city, the three thousand ghouls of the former army of the church had begun a full-on massacre. The hastily deployed City Guard troops were meeting them in battle. Meanwhile, the ghouls within the sewers took this chance to emerge and attack the civilians.


    The sound of slaughter, screaming, and fear permeated all of Babus. Blazing infernos raged and many people died at the hands of the Death Knights and the swarms of low-class ghouls.


    The stampede of the escaping crowd''s darkness and smoke enveloped Babus. Then, death descended.


    --------------------------------


    The ordinary knights within the palace and the priests continued their battle. Several nobles also picked up swords. As Hans was attempting to hold off the ghouls, he wondered to himself where the plan went wrong.


    The enemy was supposed to be cornered by my own men. How did all of this happen?


    But, Peter understood what had happened immediately. The crux of the issue lay in the three thousand knights.


    Why were they late? Where were they? Why did the alarm sound?


    "What have you done, Adonis?!" Peter''s white hair stood up tall, wild like a lion''s mane, and his gaze blazed in fury.


    Behind them, several of Adonis'' attendants and a few enraged generals were entangled in battle. Adonis and Peter had a lot of space, since the rest avoided them because of their duel.


    Adonis extended his arms and could not help but roar with laughter. "Still haven''t thought it through yet. Your army is mine! HAHAHA!"


    Peter finally understood, as he clutched his great red robe and threw it on the floor. He stomped on the stone steps and looked towards Adonis. Although he did not say a single word, his aura of fury heated the air around him.


    Adonis also abandoned his playful attitude and took a more serious demeanor, while standing on his throne. Adonis'' crimson eyes glittered green as he prepared to fight against Peter, who was enshrouded in holy light.


    As Adonis powered up, the red strands of his aura started dancing around him. The two of them stood about a dozen meters apart, the air between them growing stagnant from the pressure.


    Both of them clenched their jaws in concentration, while they circled around, dodging the other''s attack. Even the battles of the priests and the Death Knights in the background eased up, as if they knew that this was the battle that would decide the fate of the entire Mara Kingdom.


    "In the name of God, I will judge your sins!"


    "What a pity that wizards don''t believe in god!"


    BOOOOOOOOM!!!

 169 Death of the Sain

    The white light and the red strands clashed, creating a huge explosion. The white light obliterated the stairs above the hall, as well as the throne and a section of the back wall.


    However, Adonis somehow managed to dodge the attack. The slithering red strands covered the ground in front of Adonis'' throne, cutting through large stones. The strands were moving like highly pressurized water and stemmed from Adonis'' own blood.


    The Judgement Ray instantly disintegrated everything before it, as it wiped away Adonis'' offense and pressured him backwards. The red and the white engaged one another, over and over again, devastating the entire great hall.


    The two of them were moving at incredible speeds and had physiques far beyond that of an average Blood Knight. Peter was an old man with white hair, yet he was also a muscled warrior that stood among the elite of the Blood Knights.


    The two continued to battle, skirting around the hall at lightning speed and testing each other''s limits. Adonis was dispersing red string from his body, which covered the entire space and even encroached upon Peter.


    All those who made contact with the red string would be sliced into bits. Although this technique was not quite as wide in its range as traditional witchcraft, it was remarkably precise and hard to block. As such, it was a truly lethal type of witchcraft.


    Wherever Peter''s hand went, a white light would tear the area into shreds. Adonis kept dodging Peter''s Judgment Rays, while Peter danced within Adonis'' Blood Wires.


    As the two battled, the entire hall was destroyed. The sturdy marble became like fragile tofu before them.


    Several knights that planned to ambush Adonis were instantly sliced by the red wires, their bodies divided into dozens of pieces. Their blood splattered all over the hall, while Peter cleared an entire passageway full of ghoul knights easily, using a single thrust of his Judgement Ray.


    Wherever they passed, no bystander came out alive. By now, they were fighting for their lives, so of course they were going all out.


    "Is there really a difference between the power of the Devil and that of God?"


    "Are they still human?"


    "Don''t get close to them!"


    "Out! If we stay here, we will all perish!"


    "Oh no, this place is about to collapse! We have to go!"


    All of the remaining people were crying out to one another, as they tried to flee outside. Even though there were also scuffles happening outside, where the Death Knights roamed in the chaotic battle with the Priests and Blood Knights, it was still better than staying within the hall. After all, the two inhuman creatures were far more terrifying!


    A strong light swept across the hall and destroyed several humongous pillars. Then, a large section of the wall fell and the entire hall finally collapsed.


    This collapse caused a huge wave of dust to rise up and many humans and ghouls were buried underneath the rubble. The luxurious palace had been turned into a pile of ruins.


    Cough, cough!


    "Are they dead yet?"


    "They shouldn''t be able to survive that, right?"


    "Drats, how many did those monsters kill? What happened? What''s the situation like outside?"


    The people weren''t even able to finish their questions, when two blurry shadows darted out once more and the flash of clashing abilities reappeared. All of the commenters were silenced once again.


    Peter had tried to finish Adonis off with the Judgement Ray multiple times, but Adonis had either adroitly maneuvered away or had depowered the attack with his wires. This was a unique defensive technique that Adonis had created by imitating the mind power Force Field Barriers of higher level wizards. This was Peter''s first time facing such wizard techniques, which were powerful enough to block his holy light.


    The coverage of the Barrier''s range shrank as the wires continued to be depowered. As the area of blood decreased, the range of the wires also lessened.


    Peter exclaimed, "Wizard, you are done for!"


    The two of them stood above a large field of rubble, while the outside light began to stream in. The amount of the living kept on decreasing, as many ghouls invaded the abandoned palace.


    The remaining hundred or so survivors huddled in a garden behind Peter. They were on the brink of death and total despair. Only Peter, who was locked in mortal combat with Adonis, could provide them with a last strand of hope.


    Adonis stepped on a broken pillar that was lying on its side. Not far from him were the black armored Death Knights that he controlled, who were surrounding the palace. In terms of the bigger picture, Adonis seemed to have the advantage, since he was surrounding his foe. Yet, the true finale could only be settled between Peter and Adonis.


    Adonis smirked. The blood of many Death Knights began seeping out, taking the form of a bloody mist, which then merged with the blood on the floor and snaked into his body.


    Adonis then straightened his body, smiling as if he was in great ecstasy. He opened his eyes and looked at Peter, then asked, "What about now?"


    "You! No, my body, my divine power! What happened?" Peter suddenly discovered that his body was rapidly aging, as a sinister power had invaded his body. Peter immediately recalled kissing Adonis'' hand during the Coronation ceremony.


    Darn it! That was the opening...


    Peter discovered that, as he rapidly aged, the extent of his divine powers were also being restricted. His strong, invincible body was instantly being corroded by the power of the curse. As he got closer and closer to death, his skin shriveled up and liver spots popped up all over his face.


    Peter wanted to deal Adonis one last blow before his power completely disappeared, but by now, even his steps were wobbly. Peter hobbled over the broken stones, using all of his strength to get closer to Adonis.


    "By God''s name, I will grant you¡­" Peter rushed up a mound of rubble, as if revitalized, then attacked Adonis with a weak holy ray. Adonis easily deflected it and grabbed Peter''s head.


    "It''s the end!" Adonis announced, while he stood amidst the ruins and held Peter''s severed head. Peter''s blood poured over the rubble, while his headless body fell to the ground.

 170 Life and Death

    In a small city near the border of the Crete Empire, Lu Zhiyu stood by the side of the Nami River. This wide river had nourished countless people across many countries.


    Housewives had washed their clothes in its waters, while children played along its shores. One would hardly believe that, on the other end of its waters, lay a scene of total carnage.


    Countless people, who were fighting to protect their city, had died within the slaughter. Flames from the carnage burnt the heavens crimson, as Babus became a city of the dead. Neither sadness nor fury would lead to the city''s salvation.


    Lu Zhiyu sighed with great disappointment in his eyes. He looked towards the heavens and located the weak rays of a star, which was less than a kilometer wide, in the bitwall. It was one of the countless stars from Maria''s World.


    Suddenly, the star, which was floating far away in the great nothingness, was condensed, as if it was being controlled by a greater power. It was then guided away from its original route, as if drawn to the earth, and fell.


    As it crossed the space of the bitwall, it accelerated until it reached Maria''s World. It then passed through the ozone layer, creating a bright light from the intense friction. The path of the star was dazzlingly beautiful, as it made its way to its final destination, the southwest region of the Alen Continent.


    ---------


    Within the Monar Palace in Babus, after Adonis had left, the remaining Death Knights surrounded the survivors. The original 30 priests had been severely incapacitated by the army led by the six special class Death Knights. Less than ten of them were left, all of whom had grievous wounds.


    "Please, please don''t kill me!" an elaborately dressed noblewoman shrieked.


    A moustached aristocrat then turned toward Adonis'' departing figure and asked, "Why are you doing this, Adonis? Aren''t you our King? Why are you treating your people like this?"


    "I don''t want to die!"


    "I beg you, spare me! Please spare me! I''ll do anything you want, please!"


    No matter what kind of prayers or curses were flung at him, Adonis did not even pause. Many Death Knights formed his entourage, their long swords drawn and their crimson eyes staring coldly at the crowd. They were in the center of the magnificent royal garden amid countless rows of armored Death Knights.


    The last one hundred survivors were in the throes of despair, many having collapsed on the ground, not even having the guts to stand up again.


    "Enough, Adonis!" A familiar voice was heard from the distance. Adonis turned back. Although the owner of the voice''s figure wasn''t visible yet, he could sense a familiar mind power frequency.


    Boom!


    The wall of the garden instantly collapsed, as the Death Knights outside were gored by stone spikes. The entire corridor was covered with the bodies of Death Knights, as they had been impaled by the spikes.


    Edward stepped over the corpses. moving towards the opening within the garden. He was walking towards Adonis. As he made his way, the Death Knights parted to allow his passage.


    Edward hadn''t changed his outfit for several days and the bags under his eyes were extremely dark. He looked as if he hadn''t rested in a very long time, as if he had been diligently preparing for something. Yet, he was not too fatigued for his eyes to continue holding a strong sense of determination.


    The elaborate King''s robe, which Adonis was wearing, had already become tattered. As he watched Edward approach him, Adonis suddenly burst into laughter for some reason, as if he was greeting an old friend.


    Adonis dug through the rubble to uncover the throne. It was unscathed, even after the battle, so he sat atop it and looked at Edward. After a casual greeting, he asked, "Why didn''t you leave?"


    Edward stood before him and looked at the face that he knew so well. It was both familiar and mysterious to him, having the greenish pale tint of a monster and eyes that were bloodshot and crimson.


    Staring at the speechless Edward, Adonis began to mutter to himself. "Haha, this throne really is both hard and cold. How boring."


    As if he finally saw Adonis for what he truly was, Edward finally spoke. "Was it worth turning yourself into this wretched form? To give up sunlight, poetry, the warmth of the earth, even to give up all of the desires of humanity, just to live forever in an icy prison?"


    Adonis lounged on the throne, then tilted his head to look at Edward. He then asked, "If life was tied to a pile of rotten meat, wouldn''t it be quite meaningless? What is called life, is merely the pursuit of the meaning of your existence. I have found that."


    Adonis continued to explain. "I want to become stronger. I want to control my own fate. I want all of my fears, my hate, and my pains to disappear. That requires immense power, as only the strong can master their fates. Wizards were not meant to lead the people..."


    Edward lowered his head, then lifted it again after a long time. His face was twisted and warm tears fell from his face. He was so agitated, spittle flew out when he spoke. "Does your strength come before the lives of others? Is that a reason to kill millions of innocents? To turn the world into a living hell?"


    As Adonis solemnly met Edward''s gaze, he saw his fury, pain, and sadness. Adonis then licked his lips and enunciated two words clearly, with deadly serious eyes, as he stood up from the throne. "Of course."


    Adonis looked toward the survivors and the Death Knights. Then, almost as if all of the Death Knights within the palace could sense his gaze, they each stopped mid-step and kneeled towards Adonis.


    The civilians of the city were extremely confused, as they looked towards the direction that the Death Knights were kneeling towards, then spotted the palace. It was as if these demons from hell were welcoming their king. Yet, theirs was not a king of men, but a ruler of the dead.


    "Life is brief and insignificant. Only death is eternal. As such, I will bring everyone into an eternal kingdom of death. All shall join my kingdom and bow to my power, as I am the Master of Death!" Adonis decreed.


    Edward pursed his lips and spoke with red-rimmed eyes, "You''re wrong. Your path is wrong!"


    Adonis spoke back, unphased. "I am right, and I have always believed it to be so!"


    Edward pointed at Adonis as he roared, his voice breaking. "I will not let you succeed! I will never let you turn your delusions into reality!"


    Adonis looked at Edward and finally screamed his name. "EDWARD!"


    Then, a few frigid words were minced out from the ghastly white teeth. "You cannot save anyone!"

 171 Starfall

    The eyes of the two men hardened as they walked slowly towards each other, their footsteps gradually accelerating in speed. The green glow within Adonis'' eyes grew, as the black aura of curse witchcraft filled the space space and encroached upon Edward.


    Edward''s mind power had begun to spread his blurry dreamspace into the surroundings. The dream element seemed to cancel out Adonis'' curse.


    Compared to Edward''s, Adonis'' mind power was far more powerful, and it gushed towards Edward like the sea. Edward''s own dream power was like a strong fortress, shielding him from the impact.


    "You shouldn''t have come, Edward. I know you too well, as I was the one who taught you all about witchcraft," Adonis said, then asked, "Do you really understand me, though? Did I ever really understand you?"


    At that moment, a large number of stone spears jabbed towards Adonis. After practicing dreamcraft, the precision of Edward''s Blood Witchcraft had become far more sophisticated. He approached Adonis, who continued to dodge his attacks.


    The stone spikes blocked his retreat, and the two men began to battle around the huge ruins. This was a real battle between wizards.


    In addition to Blood Witchcraft, all kinds of other witchcrafts, which were based on casting materials, appeared in their hands. In the aftermath of volleys, fireballs, and huge flames, the ground had been charred black. Another section of the ground was covered by a thick layer of frost, the space''s low temperature being enough to cause the rock face to splinter instantly.


    The sound of explosions intertwined with the echoes of collapses and rapid footsteps. While attacking each other, the pair continued to use illusions to interfere with each other''s judgments. As such, a tiny mistake was enough to determine the entire outcome of the battle.


    Edward suddenly pulled out a long sword from his robe, then forced Adonis into close-quarter combat. Adonis immediately reacted by drawing two short blades from his sleeve.


    Edward swung down with a heavy blow, while Adonis parried him with a single arm. The sword was diverted, sending out a loud clunk and a trail of light, which resulted from the friction.


    Adonis pushed Edward back with one hand, while he sliced towards Edward with the other. Edward retreated, so Adonis chased after him.


    Both of them were proficient at Blood Witchcraft, as they were fellow disciples who had accepted Bohr''s inheritance. As such, they had both transplanted the bloodlines of magical beasts to gain strong bodies and heightened endurances.


    Moreover, they had awakened nearly ten kinds of bloodline abilities. These abilities were not necessarily the strongest, but they were chosen to match each other as perfect combos. No matter their strength, speed, perception or reaction, their mastery over their bodies was raised to the limit.


    Thus, ordinary long-range attacks could only delay them. Even so, it was still quite difficult to actually launch those attacks on them.


    The two men were fighting in close range right now, signaling that the testing phase was over. While they were in close range, they also used witchcraft constantly, with Edward manipulating the sand and Adonis controlling his blood.


    Adonis made a solemn face, then said, "You have made great progress. Though the power scale of your mind power is the same, your control over your mind power is far better than mine."


    Because of his cultivation of dream witchcraft, Edward''s accuracy and precision had improved and he was able to control a large number of sandstones to swirl and collide with Adonis'' torrent of blood. After the two forces cancelled each other out, the two of men clashed in the center. They moved fast enough to leave after images via passing flashes of special abilities and witchcraft. It was a dizzying sight.


    Edward, having suddenly found an opportunity to use the sword to his advantage slashed at Adonis, who immediately stabbed a short blade into the gravel to avoid being blown away. Edward then used the trick that Lu Zhiyu had taught him, levitating two huge stone palms from behind Adonis and holding him down.


    As Adonis was tightly bound, his unique blood witchcraft activated. A large number of blood-red ribbons suddenly extended from his back, instantly tearing the stone palms apart.


    Adonis jumped up and, as the dense blood-colored vines behind him began to surround Edward, he shouted, "Enough!"


    Edward looked at Adonis, intensifying the usage of his dreamcraft. He was on the verge of materializing his artificial dream space. Then, as black mist was appearing from his Edward''s dreamspace, Adonis'' face changed.


    "Curse witchcraft? How would you know of it?" Adonis asked.


    At that moment, a steady stream of powerful curses poured out from Edward''s dreamspace and enshrouded Adonis. Although Adonis fought hard against this, it was already too late. This persistent mind power chased after him like the most bone-chilling poison. To make matters worse, it was continuously being released from Edward''s dreamspace!


    Screams of regret echoed within the skies, each of them filled with cold malice. Adonis fell from the sky, his entire being clouded in disbelief.


    "What is this?" Adonis roared, while looking at Edward in fury.


    "You were the one who told me that a prepared wizard is invincible. Since I dared to seek you out, of course I have prepared some countermeasures!" Edward looked at Adonis, then added, "The so-called curse power is just a variant of mind power that interferes with reality. In the macro scale, it can manipulate and change the laws of the world. In the micro scale, it is derived from the inner strength of each person, such as their inner feelings and resentments."


    Edward continued to explain. "I arrived late because I was at the central tower of Babus, collecting the curses of all of your victims who died while still harboring resentments towards you. When people die, their awarenesses are broken down and their souls disappear. But, their residual emotions will remain for a brief period of time. Can you feel that? Those are the curses of every victim in Babus!"


    The curses aggressively whittled down Adonis'' mind power and invaded his awareness. Adonis heard the anger and resentment of over a million vengeful souls in his head. This hatred and resentment was aimed at him alone!


    Adonis felt his own awareness dissipating, while his control over his body faded. His mind power and awareness were also being polluted and destroyed.


    Adonis felt his death approaching. Strangely, this made him suddenly become calm. As he got closer to death, he seemed to even surge with a sense of delight.


    "So this is death?! Ah, Death! How beautiful! This is true eternity!" Adonis stood within the ruins, ranting like a madman.


    He was filled with a sense of morbid appreciation of the death and destruction around him, as his body was being eroded by the curse. Then, as his awareness could no longer withstand it, he gradually collapsed. The mythical cells of the Mortuus Magna died and his flesh began to follow suit.


    Adonis did not seem to care, however, as he was immersed in his own world. He held his hands high and looked through his fingers at a fireball descending from the sky. It was heading straight for the city of Babus. The fireball radiated intense heat and had a long tail that left a trail of rolling black smoke in its wake.


    The huge fireball continued to fall and got closer and closer. Soon, it covered the entire sky above Babus. The huge shadow obscured the sun''s rays and caused Babus to descend into total darkness.


    This phenomenon wasn''t a fireball, but a huge star. It was an ancient star that had fallen from the sky to accompany Adonis'' death, as if it was some sort of celebration of his destruction.


    Adonis seemed to go completely insane at that moment, letting out a maniacal laugh. "I found it! This is the feeling and the true meaning of death! It''s beautiful and lovely. Hahaha, it''s truly beautiful!"


    The power of the curse spread all over Adonis, causing his flesh and blood to disappear, leaving only bones. All of the Death Knights and ghouls in Babus also ceased to exist.


    As Adonis'' awareness completely dissipated, his power over the Mortuus Magna also disappeared. The Death Knights within the palace fell like dominos and the thousands of troops of the undead legion fell to the ground as true corpses.


    All the ghouls lost their abilities, as the control over them had now disappeared. They fell to the ground, then followed Adonis in death.


    Not a single person cheered for the defeat of Adonis'' undead army. This was Babus was still sitting in the darkness, quivering in fear. As everyone raised their heads and looked at the fireball towering over Babus, they saw that it was heading straight for them.

 172 Salvation from the Gods

    The star fell from the sky in a beautiful arc, descended millions of miles. The arc of light in the sky was as beautiful as it was shocking.


    As it rapidly approached Babus, it grew bigger and bigger. All of the people saw the burning flame and the star hidden inside the flame, which were both beautiful and deadly. This tremendous power completely exceeded everyone''s imagination. Although it was stunning, there was an eerie destruction hidden within the beauty.


    They had just escaped Adonis'' undead army, only to see this dangerous scene before them. All of them fell to their knees, many hiding their faces and crying in despair.


    All of the surrounding streets were burning. Many people fell to the ground, terrified by the descending asteroid. Even though they were petrified, they seemed to have accepted their destiny. A large number of believers of the Church of Light kissed the silver coins they wore around their necks, while silently reciting prayers.


    "This is a punishment from God for our sins."


    "God, I repent for my sins, please forgive me and allow me to enter your Kingdom."


    Many of them could not accept this cruel turn of events and descended into a state of crazed lunacy. One such old man stripped off his top and exposed his thin ribs. He then ran down the ruined streets, which were littered with corpses, like an orangutan, laughing and crying in hysterics.


    Houses burned in the backdrop as he ran. He then extended his arms and faced the asteroid at the city gate.


    "Dead... Hahaha... Everyone is dead!"


    "We''re all going to die! All of us!"


    "This is not a punishment, this is fate, fate! It is the destiny that God has ordained!"


    His sharp and frenzied voice was heard all around, causing a sense of desolation and despair to well up in the hearts of many at the scene. These people fell to the ground in tears after hearing his hopeless rant.


    Within the palace, the surviving aristocrats had yet to recover from their elation upon hearing of Adonis'' death, when they discovered this new existential threat. Some fell down, as their knees had given way, while others cursed in anger.


    Even more cried and screamed. Finally, they all settled down and the priests began to sing hymns. They then began to repent for their past sins and reminisce about their lives.


    Edward was holding Adonis'' body, while he stared at the asteroid. He suddenly remembered what the great Sage Anthony had said before he had left..."If Babus transforms into a city of the dead, in order to make sure the situation does not get out of control, I will personally destroy the entire city."


    Is it already too late?


    Edward''s eyes had lost their luster and he cast his head down. His throat was trembling. He swallowed again and again, yet could not get rid of the acrid taste in his mouth. He could not believe that, even after doing everything in his power and giving up so much, this was all he had gotten in return.


    "In the end, I could not save Babus!" Edward''s tears gushed down his face


    "Adonis, you were right, I could not save a single person!"


    "I should die with you here!"


    Edward held Adonis'' corpse and straightened the crown on Adonis'' head, then stood in the middle of the palace to welcome his last moments with everyone else. Many onlookers saw this and could not help but voice their surprise.


    "Look, what is that?"


    "My God!"


    "Lord above, what is going on?"


    The asteroid that was originally headed straight for Babus had suddenly diverted from its target, as if a mysterious force was guiding its trajectory. Just before it was about to hit Babus, it had deviated from its course, hitting the mountains nearby instead.


    BOOOOOOM!!!!


    The earth quaked and the impact of the huge asteroid instantly vaporized everything within dozens of kilometers of ground zero, setting off a violent chain of explosions that reached ever further away. Countless trees and mountain ranges were destroyed and smoke and ash were blown in all directions as the flash blinded all of the bystanders.


    The violent impact even affected Babus, as half of its lakes evaporated into mist from the impact. A lot of lake water then fell back into the city like rain, dousing many burning houses.


    Everyone looked into the distance at the scene. The shock numbed them for awhile, until they were finally overwhelmed by a sense of relief and joy. The sudden whiplash made them feel as if what had happened before was all a joke.


    "We have been saved! Praise be and long live the Gods!"


    "This was a warning from God and his salvation! Everything belongs to the Gods!"


    "Our sins have been redeemed!"


    All of the people let down their burdens and ran down the streets in wild abandon. For the time being, there were no distinctions based on rank or class, no slaves or nobles. All of the people were shouting with joy, while they celebrated their near brush with destruction and more importantly, exulted in having received God''s mercy and salvation.


    Many mothers held their children tightly, overcome with tears. Elderly fathers hugged their sons. As they did so, the rain drenched all of them, as if it was providing them a holy baptism.


    In Year 60 of the San Calendar, The Church of Light records show that the Undead Prince Adonis sold his soul to the devil. He then sacrificed his father and siblings in order to summon a deathly army from hell. Saint Peter then summoned the power of the gods and destroyed Adonis'' army, banishing him back to hell at the cost of his own life...


    The crater of the asteroid had now formed a lake. When paired with the original lake under Babus, they two appeared like a pair of moons above the earth. They were known as the Lake T¨ªr na n¨®g and were considered to be symbols of the light of the stars and the Gods. However, most people just referred to them together as the Holy Lake.


    --------------


    Edward selected a plot in the corner of Babus'' cemetery. The original gravekeeper, Old Chuck, had died. So, at this moment, the entire cemetery was vacant.


    Due to the heavy casualties in Babus after most of the buildings had burned down, an urgent reconstruction was underway. Perhaps it was due to the redemption from the gods or because of the hope borne from the fluctuation from despair to salvation, but the city did not wallow in sorrow for long. Instead, the people quickly buried their dead and started to build a brand new Babus.


    What Edward hadn''t expected was that Adonis had not killed all of the royals. He had left his youngest sister, Aisha Monar, alive.


    She had been found in a corner room of the palace. In order to stabilize the situation of the Mara Kingdom, and more importantly, to benefit the Church, the new Cardinal had appointed the little girl, who was barely ten years old, as the Queen of Mara.


    Edward finished digging the grave and had placed Adonis'' remains into an irregularly shaped coffin. It was only then that a silvery-white, diamond-shaped crystal, which was about the size of a bean, fell from the chest of Adonis'' remains. Edward immediately recognized the crystal.


    A Philosopher''s Stone! Adonis must have managed to steal its manufacturing method and then succeeded in creating it by himself!


    This was one of the most highly guarded secrets within the tower. It was also a very difficult witchcraft to master. Many Instructors could not master it, so his single-handed creation of the stone was a testament to Adonis'' genius.


    Edward sighed, not daring to remove it. Instead, he put it into the coffin with all the other belongings of Adonis and buried them all together in the cemetery. He didn''t notice that this Philosopher''s Stone had let out a faint glow as it made contact with Adonis'' bones, almost as if it was about to literally merge with the remains.


    Edward kneeled on the ground and fashioned a tombstone for Adonis, yet he did not write a name on it. He only signed his own name in the lower right corner as being a relative of the deceased. The inscription read: Erected by his brother, Edward Kelermo.


    Edward stayed by Adonis'' tombstone until the sun set, then he finally stood up and left Babus. He never returned to the city again.


    Time flew by, until 10 years had passed..


    In an unmarked plot in the cemetery, the ground suddenly shook. Then, a mound of soil was quickly kicked up and the sound of a smashed coffin rumbled from below it. A pale hand of only white bone broke through to the surface.


    Creak, creak!


    Dundun!


    The tombstone collapsed and crumbled as a skeleton with a crown emerged from the grave. It stood in the darkness of the knight within the cemetery, buffeted by the frosty winds. In the background, the ravens shrieked among the shadows of the trees.


    The skeleton had a sinister green fire within hollow eyes. Its bone structure was different from that of a human''s, as it had a metallic color to it. Its joints were also wrapped in a strange layer of bone-like tissue, which allowed it to freely rearrange itself at will.


    The monster looked around in a daze, yelling aloud to no one...


    "Where is this?"


    "Who am I?

 173 Domain

    "Master, you seem to be very happy!" Eva stood in an old building, wearing a gray scarf that covered her silver hair, her mouth, and her nose.


    She also wore a simple long skirt. At the moment, she was sweeping a room near the stairs. They were in Virginia, the capital of the Crete Empire.


    Compared to Lu Zhiyu''s last visit thirty four years ago, the city had become far more prosperous. The previous emperor, Vortigen, had passed away a few years back. The current reigning Emperor was Zolman II, who was the son of Vortigen and great-grandson of Zolman I.


    During his reign, Vortigen had gradually weakened the influence of the Church. He had also minimized the presence of the Church of Light within Crete and weakened the gentry class in order to consolidate the imperial family''s power.


    Although the Church of Light still had men stationed within Crete, received religious taxes, and retained the power to surveil the nation, Vortigen''s rights and freedoms had been much greater than those of Emperor Elliott VIII before him.


    He was also much more capable than his brother Elliot VIII had been. Vortigen had pushed the Crete Empire to develop both its economic and military strength, his power increasing gradually as the empire prospered. The signs of his achievements could still be seen all over Virginia.


    However, his ultimate goal to cancel the garrison and taxation by the Church of Light, which zoned the districts within his empire, had never been realized. So, when his son, Zolman II, inherited his throne, he also took on his same ambitions. However, Zolman II did not possess the same abilities as Vortigen, who was a ruler who defined an entire era.


    In fact, at the time of Vortigen''s death, his designated successor wasn''t Zolman, but rather his younger brother, Owen. Sadly, Owen suddenly died of the same illness as Vortigen.


    Zolman was then pushed to the throne by his uncle, the Prime Minister, Tembor. Right after ascending the throne, Zolman killed many of the other princes, his own brothers, which caused an uproar among many nobles.


    After that, he dictated many new decrees and bills that courted the displeasure of the public and lost their respect. Tembor then took the chance to solidify his own power. As such, the situation within Crete was quite volatile and unique.


    Lu Zhiyu stayed for a few days by the border of Crete, then headed straight for the capital. He decided to stay there for a while before departing with a caravan towards the desert empire of Batko.


    Further to the east, past Mica Province, two mountain ranges and the Sea of Death, was the Great Kafra Desert. Only the top caravans could cross the Sea of Death because it required not only navigation through the vast area, but also the fortitude to adapt to the climate and also to survive the sandstorms.


    Within the desert, there were also various magical beasts and monsters. Hence, no ordinary person would be able to survive.


    This special route to the Batko Empire was named the Golden Road, since anyone who could pass through it would receive tremendous wealth. As such, only the wealthiest and strongest caravans would dare brave it.


    Lu Zhiyu had booked one of these caravans. However, they needed some time to prepare before departure.


    During the meantime, Lu Zhiyu would stay where he was. In this era, it was quite difficult to cross between provinces and countries merely for the sake of tourism. As such, people who wished to cross almost half of the Alen Continent for leisure, like Lu Zhiyu, were quite rare.


    Lu Zhiyu then recalled that he actually had a house within the city. He had bought quite some time ago while he was traveling the world with Verthandi. It had been a long while since he''d been back there. So, Lu Zhiyu immediately had Eva bring the suitcases to his old mansion on the southern outskirts of the city and settled in to stay for the time being.


    Of course, once they''d arrived, Eva did most of the cleaning. Lu Zhiyu started enthusaistically working in the study, drawing blueprint after blueprint. The entire desk was soon covered in his notes and ideas.


    The Kingdom of God in the skies, Gaia, was not only God''s Kingdom, but it was also Lu Zhiyu''s sub-brain. The stronger it got, the more his calculation abilities would improve. Every time he came up with an idea, he would forward it to Gaia, which would process the likelihood of its success and projected progress rate.


    Lu Zhiyu had been working on his mid-level mythical creature template in order to break through as a Level Eight mythical wizard. As mid-level mythical creatures possessed metallized cells, with stronger and better rounded abilities, this placed them on a different tier compared to low-level mythical creatures. This difference is made even clearer by their ability to absorb stronger ability templates, which then allows each of their cells to process a larger amount of information.


    Lu Zhiyu had been considering several designs for the template. To improve upon the original single or multiple special abilities possessed by low-level mythical creatures, he was aiming to develop complex and dynamic skill sets that would allow a higher degree of control. Also, as the current low-level mythical creatures could only affect some of the atoms, he wanted to allow for his new design to affect wider areas and control entire zones with their mind power.


    Domain?


    This was Lu Zhiyu''s initial thought after observing the battle between Edward and Adonis through Gaia. He found that the battle between the two seemed to be less of a competition of techniques and more of a fight to control each other''s domains. They had continuously invaded each other''s mind power control range and probed these domains for weaknesses in order to land that one fatal hit.


    Wasn''t this sort of ability equivalent to having achieved the mastery over the movements of atoms within an entire domain? If so, it could be honed to allow the formation of a personalized dominion, where all of the atoms would be free to manipulate!


    Lu Zhiyu''s dreamspace was also moving towards the direction of being a domain, yet he felt that, at present, it was merely a dimension of information and awareness. It was the mid-level mythical lifeforms that would be able to control atomic laws within the physical realm.


    At this point, Lu Zhiyu was bursting with excitement. He had been stuck for quite a long time, so this tiny breakthrough was tremendous!


    As Lu Zhiyu was beyond himself with delight, he was interrupted by Eva, who was cleaning the room. Lu Zhiyu looked at Eva and suddenly remembered that she was a metallic lifeform.


    Her brain was completely made of metallic cells, so unlike regular lifeforms, she naturally had the disposition to ascend to Level Eight mythical status. Yet, she had not undergone any witchcraft training, nor did she possess mind power. However, to Lu Zhiyu, those were not big issues.


    Lu Zhiyu immediately stepped towards Eva, who was standing below the stairs. He smirked deviously at her and asked, "Eva, do you want the power of God?"


    Eva stared at Lu Zhiyu in confusion. Her innocent eyes could not detect his ill intentions, so she quickly replied, asking, "The power of God? Is it useful? Can you eat it? Oh right, Eva doesn''t need to eat!"


    "Eh?" This was not the answer Lu Zhiyu had expected...

 174 Freezing Time

    Lu Zhiyu knew that atoms could exist as gases, liquids, or solids. Generally speaking, simple molecular control concerned only the movement of those atoms.


    A much more difficult task would be the manipulation of the atom''s internal rotations and vibrations, which could occur in various patterns. Those complex manipulations were still too hard to realize as of yet. Even mid-level mythical creatures did not have that capability since the rotation and vibration inside molecules occurred simultaneously in a linked and inseparable process.


    Hmm, so suppose a user has complete control over all molecules. That would grant the user the ability to stop all molecules from moving. So, practically speaking, if the motion of an ordinary life-form was frozen, wouldn''t that be the same as freezing it in time?


    Lu Zhiyu thought to himself about the possibility of creating a temporally static pseudo-domain based on this hypothesis. At the same time, he also thought about a design for a phase-change ability, which would allow the change between solids, liquids, and gases.


    After he finished the first template, allowing the incomplete ability to stop motion, Lu Zhiyu named it the Time Freeze Domain. However, it would not yet allow a true mastery over time, since he still wasn''t able to freely modify the laws of physics as he wished. To complete this ability, Lu Zhiyu would have to gain total control over all atoms and the 62 elementary particles.


    But, even without God''s omnipotent grasp over time manipulation, at this point, with this ability, a Level Eight mythical wizard should be able to exert some degree of control over the laws of space. By using this mythical template, a wizard would be able to modify the laws of time within their own domain.


    Metallic life-forms truly are quite impressive!


    Lu Zhiyu looked in front of him. Eva was using her mind power to make a large number of silver coins dance before them. He curled up by the windowsill, soaking up the warmth of the sun as he watched her demonstrate the new abilities that she had just learned.


    Eva was wearing a long black dress, and her short, silver hair was blowing messily in the air. A row of silver coins was dancing delicately in the air, trailing behind Eva''s dainty figure.


    He wasn''t sure if this monstrous learning ability was a strength that was common to all metallic life-forms or if Eva was just particularly gifted due to the modified metallic cells that he had inserted within her. Certainly, her awareness was far stronger than any ordinary person''s.


    With just a little guidance, Eva was already on par with Level Four wizards who had been training for decades. This discovery of her brilliance was almost as unnerving as when Lu Zhiyu had found Sakun and his spontaneous generation of a soul though brute strength!


    Yet, even though Eva demonstrated promise, the weakness of metallic life-forms in general was their incapability of spawning through natural means. It was far more difficult for this process to occur naturally, at least when compared to carbon-based life-forms.


    Even Lu Zhiyu''s creation of Eva was based, in part, on some level of luck. This luck had been necessary, even though he had a cheat level mind power ability to process information.


    After watching Eva complete her dance with an elven grace, Lu Zhiyu couldn''t help but clap in admiration, declaring, "It''s beautiful and amazing! How wonderful!"


    Eva bowed to Lu Zhiyu and replied, "If Master desires it, I will perform again for him at any time."


    "No hurry. In the past few days, you have extracted enough mana from the magic network for your awareness to transform into mind power. Now, you are at a very critical juncture. You must completely merge your mind power and awareness. This is an important step within Level Four."


    Then, Lu Zhiyu suddenly stood up. He took out a fist-sized, silvery-white, and diamond-shaped crystal from his chest area.


    The crystal had a light transparency to it and looked as if there were mountains and clouds contained within it. It was almost as if there were countless magnificent scenes and secrets sealed inside it. The crystal also generated a deep sense of desire within the hearts of all who observed it.


    These qualities became even more prominent when a light was shone upon the crystal. The refraction of the light rays created countless shadows that covered the surroundings with a layer of silver and white illumination, which gave out soothing waves like a pulsing and life-filled ocean.


    Eva crossed her arms and stood in the middle of the living room. She looked curiously into Lu Zhiyu''s hand at the crystal, then asked, "What is that?"


    Lu Zhiyu replied, "A Philosopher''s Stone. It is something Level Four wizards must use in order to break through."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Eva, the corners of his mouth curling up and his eyes dancing. "Even if you break through Level Four, you will still be far from a mid-level mythical creature. You will not receive immortality either. But, as a metallic life-form, you should have no problem with mastering some of the domain control abilities soon."


    Eva looked at Lu Zhiyu and said obediently, "I will do anything, as long as it is useful to Master. I am your possession."


    Lu Zhiyu replied, "You would have reached this step in the future anyways. Evolution does not stagnate. It always moves forward. Eva, you are the first metallic life-form that I have made, so you have been born with an almost eternal life and superior capabilities for evolution. Of course, I also have my own selfish motives in pushing you toward this path, as I hope that you can stay with me forever as my assistant on my long journey to explore evolution."


    Eva''s eyes showed a glimmer of light as she nodded, then said, "I am more than willing to do this!"


    The level up went very smoothly. The mind power stabilizing formation, which was drawn on the ground, streamlined Eva''s mind power as the Philosopher''s Stone glowed and floated in the air. Lu Zhiyu''s mind power could sense Eva''s mind power as it diffused like rays of light and poured into the Philosopher''s Stone. Her awareness and mind power stimulated the powers inside the Philosopher''s Stone.


    Finally, after all of her mind power had been activated, it poured back into her brain. The original metallic cells then eroded and synthesized into mythical metallic cells.


    Lu Zhiyu stood in front of her and watched the mind power flow into her witchcraft space. He then branded the Time Freeze Domain template into Eva''s metallic cells.


    Immediately, all of the metallic cells began to assimilate with the life template into each of her mythical cells. From that moment onward, Eva possessed the Time Freeze Domain, which could already be called a godly power. Eva had officially become an existence that could interfere with the laws of God as naturally as she could breathe.


    When Eva opened her eyes, a violent light shone out of her jewel-like eyes. It shone through the room and created a powerful force field that instantly covered the entire courtyard.


    Thump!


    With a crisp sound, two exquisite clocks appeared in front of her pupils. They were both fixed at zero, as the moment that the forcefield appeared, everything in the space had stopped moving. The mosquitoes, the flies, the worms on the ground, the birds in the sky, all of them stopped moving, as if they had been frozen by the clocks.


    A frog in the backyard had just leapt into the air, and the splashes it left were now frozen specks of ice in the air. Everything was motionless. The wind in the sky, the flow of the air, every single movement from molecules had halted, as if all beings were in a snapshot.


    Tick-tock!


    The clocks suddenly began to move. After a slight stutter, they began to move faster and faster. The water in cups began to evaporate and all of the birds and beasts died instantaneously, then began to decompose immediately. All sorts of objects, including the furniture, the stone walls, the gold and silver tableware and the candlesticks, began to destabilize as well.


    Lu Zhiyu tapped Eva''s shoulder, urging her, "Wake up!"


    Eva finally regained her bearings and stared at Lu Zhiyu and everything around them. If Lu Zhiyu hadn''t stopped her, the clock would have rotated clockwise and she would have accelerated the time inside the space. Then, everything inside the space would have been destroyed!


    Eva looked at Lu Zhiyu, completely at a loss. "What was that power?"


    The corners of Lu Zhiyu''s mouth crinkled. "The Time Freeze Domain!"

 175 The Ambassador from the Holy Seville Empire

    Eva was picking out Lu Zhiyu''s clothes. She chose a light red pullover with a belt, which she then paired with a white undershirt, white trousers, and black boots. It was a very popular style in the capital.


    Eva then brought him breakfast. Though Lu Zhiyu had no real physical need for food, the habit of eating had remained with him, so he continued the ritual regardless.


    "Master, where are you going today? The National Library again?" Eva asked, while she poured him a glass of wine.


    The National Library was the largest library in the city of Nia. As such, it had collected some books within the last few years that Lu Zhiyu hadn''t yet seen. This was why Eva had assumed that he might be heading there.


    "Not today. Let''s join the fun in the streets instead," he replied.


    The streets within the city were very lively. This was because the ambassador from the Orc nation, the Holy Seville Empire, was coming to meet the Crete Empire Emperor Zolman II.


    This would be the first diplomatic meeting held between the Crete Empire and the Holy Seville Empire. It would also be the first diplomatic meeting between human and orc countries in many years. The meetings were intended to help the two sides ease the tension between their races, so everyone present was in a great and hopeful mood.


    Since the formal exchanges between their countries had been almost non-existent, trade had only been carried out privately by individuals. As such, both sides wished to improve the situation by negotiating a series of border trade regulations, as well as a series of bilateral cooperation initiatives.


    At the same time, the Holy Seville Empire was struggling to combat the orc slave trade. This time, the ambassador had come with the added goals of having the Crete Empire ban orc slavery in exchange for the return of a large number of enslaved orcs.


    However, this goal would affect the profits of many stakeholders in both the Crete Empire and the Holy Seville Empire. A small minority of the orc nobility also engaged in the slave trade by secretly trafficking some of the weaker orc ethnic groups to the humans. As such, these slave traders had amassed a large fortune by making a huge enterprise. It''s also worth noting that, at the same time, many human slaves were also imported into the land of the orcs.


    Added to all of this, the upper echelon of the Crete Empire intended to establish diplomatic relations with the Holy Seville Empire in order to exert further pressure upon the Church of Light for more concessions and compromises on their part.


    As this was the first diplomatic meeting between the humans and the orc kingdom, there was naturally a large amount of interest. The Holy Seville Empire was a powerful dynasty, as it was the first ruling power to unite all of the orcs in the northern Alen Continent.


    A large number of civilians stood on the streets, awaiting the arrival of the ambassador and the meeting with King Zolman II. In the early morning, the gates of the city had opened early, and the crowds had immediately streamed into the streets.


    People were everywhere, in the streets and alleys, and on the houses and roofs. Many women huddled together, shouting down from their perches above street-level.


    The last war between humanity and the orcs had taken place forty years ago. At that time, the Crete Empire and the Church of Light had joined forces and invaded the Kingdom of Menkaure. It had taken less than a month to ransack the country and terrify all of the orcs. None of the orcs had dared to venture south since then.


    Since that time, forty years had passed. Among the orcs, there were still some who were hostile towards humans, yet humans had long forgotten the threat of the orcs. For them, the lands of the orcs were merely some distant cold, barren, and desolate regions in the north.


    They also considered the orcs as being a weak and barbaric race. Compared to the prosperity of the humans, the orcs could only play a supporting, minor role.


    This arrogance and contempt was present in the hearts of all the members of the Crete Empire. This time, they were not here to witness the arrival of the ambassador, but to see a vassal nation pay tribute!


    They had long forgotten that the orcs were an intelligent race that had formed city-states long before humanity had even heard of civilization! In fact, a thousand years ago, the orcs had almost pushed humanity to the brink of extinction.


    If the first emperor, Golden King Ahenaten, had not united humanity and defeated the twelfth orc king, Wolf King Costa, at the Red River Plains, humanity would never have even had the chance to develop!


    Instead, the orcs would have likely invaded the south and occupied the entire Alen Continent. In that case, humans would have become either a marginalized vassal state or been completely annihilated!


    At the moment, a large number of soldiers blocked the road and were maintaining order at the gate. This was in preparation for the reception of the orc ambassador.


    Although the Crete Empire looked down upon the orcs, the Seville Empire was still a powerful dynasty that had unified the entire race of the orcs. Also, its army numbered within the hundreds of thousands! So, no matter how much the humans looked down on them, they paid careful attention to etiquette, so as not to offend the other side.


    The gates opened and many armored lion-people knights advanced inside. They entered the city in a striking and imposing manner. The rows of the human soldiers standing at the sides could sense the battle-hardened aura that was being emitted from the lion orc knights from the north. They were stunned.


    As the people of the city also witnessed the cavalry entering the gates, they gazed in awe at the hundreds of knights marching in unity. They held their breaths until the procession had passed, then began engaging in fierce debates.


    "Was that the cavalry of the orcs? It seems like they''re about to eat us!"


    "Yeah, I heard that these savage orcs actually love eating humans."


    "That''s so scary! The orcs aren''t as weak as I thought!"


    "They don''t look too different from us. Their faces are a bit hairier though."


    "The leading general is also an orc? I couldn''t tell at all!"


    Their leader was Allen Yi Wensi, one of Verthandi''s original Holy Knights. He was a direct subordinate of Verthandi, and was one of her earliest followers, ever since the conquest of the Amos Icefield on the quest to slaughter the dragon Frost. He was also one of the greatest generals and central figures of Holy Seville.


    Moreover, unlike Verthandi''s other Holy Knights, Allen Yi Wensi was a human being. As such, he had a very unique position within the upper echelons of the orcs.


    He was chosen this time precisely because of his status as a human being and his illustrious career. By sending a high ranking official like him to Crete, Holy Seville was demonstrating its commitment to building a relationship between the two countries.

 176 Return of the Devil

    Lu Zhiyu and Eva stood in the crowd and watched the brown-haired middle-aged knight pass by on the King''s Road. There was an air of gravitas and dignity about him as he headed to the palace.


    As the group traveled along, the crowds surged forward, trying to catch a glimpse of the legendary Holy Knights and the famed Northland Cavalry.


    "Master, do you know the person at the front?" Though everyone else was watching the cavalry and the Holy Knights, Eva''s focus was on Lu Zhiyu''s suddenly changed facial expression.


    Lu Zhiyu tilted his head and looked at Eva. "You know me very well! Did you guess by looking at my expression?"


    Eva nodded. "Master is usually always smiling. However, when something is on your mind, or you are reminiscing about something from the past, you tend to have a placid expression no your face."


    Lu Zhiyu wasn''t too happy to hear her words. "Hmm? I smile from my heart, so it sounds I seem insincere in your opinion..."


    Eva didn''t speak, her silence basically affirming this notion. Lu Zhiyu then rolled his eyes and said, "I have met him once before. At that time, he was just a very young boy, but..."


    Lu Zhiyu''s words trailed off, then he was silent for a long time, while watching Allen Yi Wensi pass by. Allen Yi Wensi did not lower his gaze or notice the two. Lu Zhiyu looked on as Allen Yi Wensi headed towards the palace, then he finally spoke.


    "Looks like the Crete Empire will be thrown into a flurry!" he said.


    Lu Zhiyu had met Allen Yi Wensi, while he was a guard for Elias'' merchant caravan. Elias had taken pity on him, hiring him when he was less than twenty years of age and had a face that seemed worn far beyond his years. Now that the man had become middle-aged, he seemed sharper and more reserved than ever.


    The owner of the caravan, Lu Zhiyu''s old friend Elias, had long since died. Since then, Allen Yi Wensi had become a Holy Knight of the orc''s Holy Seville Empire and the Commander of the Northern Army. He also just happened to be one of the leading figures of the land of the orcs.


    Moreover, Allen Yi Wensi was the youngest son of Count Yi Wensi, the former prime minister of Crete Empire. Count Yi Wensi was once an influential figure of the Crete Empire during the reign of Elliot VII. After the ascension of Elliot VIII, he had been promoted and given a generous pension. During the entire reign of Elliot VIII, he had been the prime minister of Crete and stood among the top powers of the Crete Empire.


    However, he had participated in the Gathering of Nobles and launched a conspiracy against The Church of Light. In the end, he had been made a scapegoat, being sold out by Duke Vortigen.


    After the coup, Duke Vortigen successfully took over as the emperor, while Count Yi Wensi followed Emperor Elliot VIII into death. Most of Yi Wensi family was also slaughtered, with only two of Yi Wensi''s sons surviving. The older son, Pazak, died in an accident in the empire of the orc, which left only the young Allen Yi Wensi to carry on the family legacy.


    Allen Yi Wensi had often dreamed of returning to his home city, as Nia was where he had grown up. Yet, at the same time, this place was the origin of his nightmares, the reason why he woke up in horror amid so many sleepless nights.


    Looking at Nia, he was flooded with memories. Since his childhood days spent there, many decades had passed. Countless buildings had undergone renovations. The difference was immense. Even the King''s Road had been expanded, although traces of its old form could still be seen.


    Allen¡¤Yi Wensi had thought about his return many times, but he had never thought that he would return to the Crete Empire as an ambassador of the orcs. Right now, he felt like a complete outsider, as he was not representing the humans, but the orcs empire.


    "The Holy Knight leading the orcs doesn''t seem to be an orc!"


    "I heard that the ambassador is a human!"


    "How is that possible? How could a human being become a dog of the orcs?"


    "Why else? For the sake of power! Some people would even sell their parents for power, so why would it be strange to sell out to the orcs?"


    After finally arriving at the palace, Allen Yi Wensi dismounted amid the fierce murmurings of the crowd. His eyes were filled with a sinister darkness as he looked upon the magnificent palace hall and the prosperity of the kingdom.


    The faces of all of his slaughtered relatives appeared before him, the bloody faces of his father, uncle, aunt, mother and brother. He had never forgotten the grievances that the Crete Empire had dealt upon House Yi Wensi under the rule of Emperor Vortigen and the persecution from the Church of Light.


    Allen Yi Wensi remembered clearly how Vortigen had ascended the throne by stepping over the dead bodies of his family, and how the Knights of Light had hounded his mother and brother, forcing them to flee to the lands of the orcs. Finally, he could not forget how his mother gave up her life in order to save him and his brother.


    Each memory was like a knife stabbing into his heart. In fact, these acts of injustice were the driving forces for his continuous advancement. He had been working hard for decades, awaiting this very moment.


    As he crossed the King''s Road, Allen Yi Wensi''s mouth curled up. His head lowered as he remembered the deaths of his mother and brother. His brother had uttered these last words before he had perished: "When I return, darkness will hang over the entire Crete Empire. The earth will be torn apart, and blood and fire will stain the heavens!"


    The closer he got to the palace, the more genuine the smile on Allen Yi Wensi''s face became. His mount was stopped at the palace entrance, where the Prime Minister of the Crete Empire, Tembor, stood waiting to personally receive him at the top of the palace steps.


    Allen waved his hand, and all of the knights dismounted neatly in sync. At the same time, Allen took off his gloves and walked up the steps to greet the waiting Prime Minister Tembor.


    "Hello, Lord Holy Knight Allen, His Majesty is waiting for you." Tembor was a fat middle-aged man, but he was charismatic and polite.


    Allen Yi Wensi looked at Tembor and recognized immediately that he was the real power behind the current Crete Empire. In fact, it was already commonly said that he had more power in the Crete Empire than even Emperor Zolman II himself!


    "Duke Tembor. Our Holy Seville Empire came here bearing the flag of friendship. We hope to resolve the trade dispute and thus end the friction between our two countries. This is a win-win situation for both of us. As such, we hope to get the full support of the Duke," Allen said, while he shook Tembor''s hand.


    Duke Tembor replied calmly. "Of course, His Majesty also hopes to be a friend of the Holy Seville Empire. He will be hosting a banquet for you tonight. We hope that you will attend."


    Allen Yi Wensi nodded happily. "I would be very honored!"


    "Great, the emperor is waiting inside!" Tembor said.

 177 Canal and Slavery

    Crack!


    "Hurry up, we''re approaching the deadline! If you can''t finish by the end of this month, you''ll be used to fill the canals as sacrifices to the gods!"


    "Work faster!"


    As the guards yelled menacingly from above them, the scorching sun was hitting a large number of shackled slaves at the foot of the mountain. They were digging stones and carving out a canal under relentless whippings.


    Thousands of slaves were working on this incomplete river canal day and night. It was a grand canal, the construction on which had been started three years ago. At that time, the Crete Empire had gathered nearly 200,000 slaves from all over to use for free labor.


    The grand canal stretched from the south of Crete and led all the way to the Red River Plains. Ever since the beginning of its construction, it was doomed to be a river made of blood and tears, as it was the flesh and blood of countless slaves that fueled the huge project.


    The bodies of slaves were littered along every stretch the road within the construction site. It was as if the blood and tears of these hundreds of thousands of slaves had stained its every corner.


    This was also the largest man-made project in the history of the Alen Continent. It was created under the auspices of Prime Minister Tembor. Once completed, it would connect the southern Nami River with the Red River in the north, then pass through Crete. The three major lakes in the territory would then form an essential transportation route that would link the northern and southern regions of the Crete Empire.


    Salt City, which was located not too far from the Red River Plains, was also enveloped within the scope of this canal, as it was the largest salt producing area in the Central and Northern regions. In fact, it was a natural salt field.


    As all living beings required both water and salt, if the migration patterns and settlements of the ancient tribes were tracked, it would be clear that they had migrated along both the sources of fresh water and the salt production areas. After all, without salt, it would have been too difficult for them to survive. Hence, since ancient times, salt has been seen as a necessity for survival, making it like a true currency, comparable to gold!


    The Red River Plains were the largest natural salt field in the middle of the continent. Since ancient times, the orcs and the humans had launched repeated wars and massacres, fighting over control of the salt field.


    As such, the ownership of the Red River Plains changed constantly throughout history. It could even be said that the war between Golden King Ahenaten and the Wolf King Costa had stemmed from the conflict over this area.


    The establishment of the canal was due, in part, to the geographical location of Salt City and the increasing demand for salt in the Crete Empire. The original salt transportation route spanned several thousand miles, so even if the Crete Empire specially built roads for transporting salt, they could not satisfy the needs of the entire empire. For this reason, many business-minded merchants began to transport salt for a living. However, even then, they still could not meet the growing demand.


    After decades of peace, the population of the Crete Empire grew exponentially, finally exceeding 15 million! However, the Crete Empire still had no major salt production sites besides Salt City.


    In order to meet the growing demand for salt and increase the connection between the northern and southern regions of the Crete Empire, thus developing commerce and trade, Duke Tembor issued a project to build the canal. At the same time, in order to win popularity with the people of Crete and most of the nobles, Tembor released the bloody and inhuman Orc Slavery Bill.


    Originally, a large number of half orcs had resided within the empire. After the emperor and the prime minister signed the bill, all of them became slaves.


    As a result of the bill, hundreds of thousands of orcs inside the Crete Empire went from living within a negative environment of rejection and suppression to being held captive as slaves, having all of their freedom and rights stripped from them overnight. As this occurred, a large number of those orcs were shipped straightaway to the construction site of the canal.


    These slaves were brought in with ropes and shackles. Day after day, they built the project that would bring happiness and development to the humans of the Crete Empire. Yet no one would remember the tears and misery of these orc slaves.


    No one had ever thought that their happy and stable lives had actually been built upon the pain and sacrifice of others. The humans were drunk on the glory of their own lives, unaware that every drop in their feasting cups was stained with the blood of the slaves!


    Jorkins was a hard worker from a family of cat half orcs. At his tender age, he should be at home helping his mother do farm work. Instead, three years ago, after Tembor had signed the Orcs Slave Bill, earth-shaking changes had occurred in Jorkins'' world. He was sent to build the canal with his father and younger brother, while his mother and younger sister were sent to other places to serve as slaves of the Crete Empire.


    Two years ago, Jorkins'' father had died because his aged body couldn''t keep up with the workload. Six months ago, Jorkins'' younger brother was struck in the head by a falling boulder, which killed him instantly. Jorkins knew that it would be his turn next.


    If it continued on like this, he was sure that he would definitely die here. He was already deemed as a replaceable product, as no one treated the orc slaves as people. It was impossible to change their destinies, unless...


    Jorkins immediately remembered the orc slaves that had contacted him a few days ago. They were different from the other orc slaves, as there were quite a few of them. They were tall and had strong muscles and the eyes of tigers and wolves.


    If they are not slaves, how did they get in? What are they here to do? Jorkins was sweaty and felt dizzy from fatigue. He felt like a zombie. At this moment, he remembered these words: "Orcs will never be enslaved!"


    This sentence was like a quiet scream, bringing peace to his mind. The notion gave a rush to Jorkins, one that worked its way through his entire body. He trembled involuntarily and echoed the line in his mind repeatedly. It was like a slogan that reignited the passion in his heart.


    It was already late at night, but there were still lights illuminating the way. Many people were lurking in the shadows, all of them still busily working on the canal. This was because the deadline for the project was near, and if they could not finish it on time, most of them would be killed.


    Moreover, the guards and officials responsible for the river project would also be punished. As such, over the last ten days, the humans had been working them non-stop, urging them on angrily with whips and lashings.


    Many slaves could not bear the burden of such relentless labor, so overworked and diseased corpses were strewn all over the site. These bodies would be dragged into the pits and discarded, whether the beings themselves were dead or alive. After all, it made no difference to the guards, as all of those who couldn''t keep up would be treated as dead bodies.


    In light of such harsh circumstances, no one dared speak up. They just continued in their drudgery, as the construction workers and soldiers stared at them like vultures. Their slightest move would be treated as an act of rebellion and swiftly suppressed.


    It was because of this horrible mistreatment that Jorkins could sense a hidden anger within everyone''s hearts. They only needed a small spark, and everything would instantly detonate, releasing all of that hidden anger and resentment!


    "Fire! Fire!"


    Suddenly, a fire appeared in the distance. Everyone looked up and looked towards the flames, shouting and causing a real ruckus!

 178 Rage and Shame

    "The camp is on fire! I wish all of those abominable human soldiers would burn to death!" Someone from the crowd suddenly rushed towards the river and pushed one of the soldiers into it.


    He then stole the sword of that soldier with his other hand, immediately turning around to slash the throat of the chief supervisor! One by one, the other slaves followed his lead and wrestled the supervisors beside them to the ground.


    If they had been ordinary slaves, with no formal military training, then even if they revolted, it would be difficult to organize an effective resistance within such a short amount of time. In that case, if they had attempted to do so, they would have been defeated by these well-trained troops in an instant.


    However, this was not the case, as the slaves who started the revolt had planned it out meticulously. Thus, they were able to easily kill the trained soldiers. Even the blood knights were quickly dealt with!


    "Kill them all! I won''t be a slave!"


    "For freedom!"


    "We must avenge our brothers and sisters!"


    Jorkins picked up a rock and smashed it into the head of a middle-aged human, whose head caved in immediately. The blood splattered all over Jorkins'' face. As it did so, Jorkins recalled the deaths of his father and brother, which only fueled his rage.


    It felt as if all of the grievances and fears that he had accumulated throughout the past few years converged, and he howled out loudly. Then, countless other orcs joined his howl.


    The chaos quickly spread through the surroundings, as all of the orc slaves continued to kill their human guards and steal their weapons. In fact, the entire canal project region was out of control, as tens of thousands of orcs slaves rushed out of the river area towards the camp.


    Once the arrived there, they killed the troops stationed there, then armed themselves with their weapons. Several of the leaders brought men down to the other canals to liberate the other slaves.


    It was clear that this slave rebellion would be a sensation all over the Crete Empire. Specifically, the slave rebellion of millions of slaves would bring a storm to the Crete Empire, which had been peaceful for many decades.


    ------------------------------


    Capital of the Crete Empire


    A drizzling rain was falling upon the city. Inside the palace, a fierce quarrel was taking place.


    Allen, the messenger of the Holy Seville Empire, had reached an accord regarding the border trade regulations, as well as a series of bilateral collaborations with the Crete Empire. Yet. they remained at an impasse over the issue of slavery.


    Allen had delivered a handwritten letter from Lion Emperor Will of the Holy Seville Empire to Emperor Zolman II of Crete. He had passed along the word that Emperor Will hoped that Crete would abolish the Orc Slavery Bill. In this case, the slaves would either be given corresponding rights, or the Holy Seville Empire would accept these slaves for an appropriate price.


    Emperor Will hoped that Crete and Holy Seville would severely crack down on the slave trade between both sides. Only then would a measure of equality and fairness exist between the humans and the orcs. This would also enable the facilitation of smooth trade and fair regulations between the two countries.


    However, this request was strongly opposed by the nobles of the Crete Empire. Duke Tembor, in particular, completely flipped out. He said that, although the other conditions could be fulfilled, this one was absolutely impossible.


    The reasoning he gave was that the canal investment had been going on for three years and involved the interests of many people. In particular, this project was promoted by Prime Minister Tembor himself. As a result, he had gained a lot of public support from the nobles and the upper class.


    Hence, if the Orc Slavery Bill was abolished, it would deal a severe blow to his authority. As such, it was absolutely impossible for Tembor to allow the passage of Allen''s proposal. This was why Tembor had voiced such vehement opposition to it.


    Allen stood in the middle of the hall, which had long tables that were filled with Crete''s nobles on both sides. Emperor Zolman II sat on the throne, like a statue.


    He was idly watching the dispute between the Prime Minister and Allen. The friendly scene of peace and harmony was gone. Clearly, the Emperor was almost a complete puppet in Duke Tembor''s hands.


    As the aristocrats on the sides were having hushed discussions, Allen pointed at Duke Tembor, agitated. He then said, "My apologies, Duke, but in order to cooperate with the Crete Empire, we must have a guarantee that every orc in the Crete Empire will receive fair and equitable rights."


    He paused for a moment, then continued. "As I can''t see any trace of goodwill in your Orc Slavery Bill, it appears that you are simply using orcs as slaves, treating them as mere property or goods. Furthermore, within the Crete Empire, there are all sorts of measures that discriminate against orcs. As such, we can only cooperate when we are all on an even playing field."


    Duke Tembor completely tore off his amicable mask and arrogantly ripped Emperor Will''s letter to shreds. He then disrespectfully tossed the pieces onto the ground, saying, "Sorry, I don''t think you know where you stand."


    Duke Tembor then turned and looked around, spreading out his hands. "Humans are the lords of this land. You orcs are just some barbarians on the borders. In fact, you are weak races that are unworthy of even our consideration!"


    Duke Tembor looked at Allen, then added, "Did you forget how our iron steeds crossed the Red River Plains and destroyed the Kingdom of Menkaure? The fire in the capital of Menkaure burned for three days and three nights. We gallivanted through your lands, while your people cowered like pigs!"


    He gave him a withering look, then continued his tirade. "The weak are not worthy of discussing equality with us. We have shown you our generosity and toleration, however, you are ignoring our goodwill. Report back to your Emperor, then hopefully he will be able to face reality."


    When Duke Tembor finished speaking, the nobles on both sides roared with laughter. They were looking at Allen as if he was a clown, all of them snickering among themselves...


    "How dare the orcs try to impose conditions upon us?"


    "Yes, we have already been so magnanimous, but these animals actually want more?"


    "If they annoy us, we can always slaughter our way into their lands again!"

 179 Overcast Clouds

    All of the people around Allen laughed wildly, while Duke Tembor stepped on the letter that his master had written in his own hand. They all held their bellies and jeered at Allen.


    Allen was furious. As he unsheathed his long sword, a white light flashed across Duke Tembor''s body. The marble floor was instantly split like tofu, a crack over ten meters in length opening on the ground.


    The scene suddenly became silent, as Duke Tembor felt a chill creep upon him. He fell to the ground, unable to stand up for a long time. Several people immediately shouted in unison, "Protect the Duke!"


    At that moment, a large number of soldiers rushed in and surrounded Allen. As they did so, Allen sheathed his sword inside its scabbard and exclaimed, "I am a Holy Knight of the Holy Seville Empire. As such, I represent not only the emperor, but also the gods! His highness obtains his powers from the gods. If you dare insult the authority of my king, you will be smited by the gods."


    Allen looked at the soldiers around him, then demanded, "What do you want to do? Do you want to fight the Holy Seville Empire? Hundreds of thousands of our troops are currently stationed in the northern border..."


    At this time, Emperor Zolman II stood up and said, "Let it go."


    Duke Tembor stood up, stared at Allen, then finally said, "Return!"


    Allen turned around and walked down the steps of the palace, surrounded by the elite knights. Later that same evening, Allen immediately took his elite guards and fled the city before the gate closed.


    ------------------


    Dark days followed, as the capital was barraged with wet weather. It drizzled for several days. Amid the deluge, a merchant caravan with a rose insignia approached the city.


    The caravan was quite large, and upon entering the city, it went directly to a dilapidated old castle in the south district. This castle was originally the ancestral home of an old noble family.


    The home had been sold to the merchants after the family had fallen on hard times, and had thus become their main base ever since. There were many elderly and women taking care of it, while the men conducted business outside.


    A large number of armed young men immediately unloaded the caravan''s goods and entered the castle. The entire caravan held nearly 100 people in it. As it was such a large envoy, men and women of all ages came to watch.


    "Be careful to not let it get wet, you little daredevils! These goods are worth more than ten of your lives!"


    "Hey you! Be careful!"


    Among the shouts of the caravan''s workers, Lu Zhiyu found the leader of the merchants. He was a large man, who looked somewhat shifty.


    His image did not fit the impression given off by the team''s rose insignia. However, when Lu Zhiyu handed him a letter and a few gold coins, he smiled and agreed to let them accompany the caravan.


    Lu Zhiyu''s goal was to travel to the desert empire Batko, while observing the local customs along the way. He also wanted to let Eva gain actual experience beyond the textbook knowledge in her head.


    Lu Zhiyu thought that this would be more conducive for the development of Eva''s wisdom and education. Currently, although she was quite intelligent, Eva had a tendency to do some very stupid things because of her lack of common sense.


    "You must travel around and gain more life experience to become wiser! That''s what I did with Verthandi, and she became the emperor of the Holy Seville Empire!" Lu Zhiyu said to Eva.


    The leader of the merchants, after agreeing to allow the pair to join them, said with a wide grin, "We will leave in three days. Come over before dawn, and I will arrange a carriage for you, with two meals per day."


    The leader of merchants looked Lu Zhiyu up and down, then commented, "You look like a nobleman or scholar. Why are you going to the Batko Empire? I can tell you this will be a hard and dangerous journey, and it is definitely no place for someone delicate to fool around."


    Lu Zhiyu laughed. "I am a scholar. I want to go to the Batko Empire to learn about the culture and customs of its people, then bring what I learn back to share with everyone. Also, since I am an awakened Blood Knight, I think I''ll be able to help you."


    The owner''s face brightened immediately upon hearing this. He then said, "That''s even better! You are welcome to join our Rosa Bianca Caravan. Our merchants are very powerful, as our team belongs to the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. As such, we can definitely give you a great experience!"


    Lu Zhiyu took a closer look at the logo on the carriage, seeing the insignia of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. But, after looking around, all he saw were elderly and weak people, as well as a few guards who had undergone only basic training. Although there were many merchants, there was not a single person that had awakened bloodline abilities. Many thoughts began to run through his mind at that moment...


    How could such an insignificant merchant team be related to the Rosa d''Oro royal family?


    The leader of the Rosa Bianca merchants did not tell me the full truth, but it doesn''t seem to be a complete scam either...


    Apparently, their merchants had no direct relations with the royal family of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. Instead, it was a small team that was operating under the umbrella of the actual Rosa d''Oro royal caravan that had gotten affiliated to the actual team after paying a lump of money. As such, it was not weak, but it was also worlds away from being the actual Rosa d''Oro caravan!


    Although their use of the Rosa d''Oro royal flag was a flagrant violation of the rules, the insignia was really useful. In many places, no one dared to offend the royal family of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, so it saved them a lot of money and also protected them from many dangers.


    Lu Zhiyu had trouble wrapping his mind around the thought that this unreliable looking caravan wanted to challenge the Gold Route, even though the leader of the caravan had apparently once led other merchants through the Sea of ??Death. Now, he was mustering up his courage to lead his own little team to brave the road to gold and fortune!


    Despite his past experience, Lu Zhiyu knew that the man had drastically underestimated the dangers of the Gold Route. After all, just being familiar with the route was not enough, as the dangers and the sandstorms in the Sea of ??Death were things with which small caravans could not cope.


    Lu Zhiyu had not imagined that the team that he had just found would be inexperienced, this being their first time braving the route. It was for this reason that he was almost certain that, once the team set out, they would be destined for complete annihilation in the Sea of ??Death...


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the large number of the old and weak, who were now living in the dilapidated castle, then turned to look at the sly but well-intentioned big man in front of him. Despite his many misgivings, he agreed to travel with them anyway.


    "Do not worry, we will protect you and your little girl. Our merchants are the best in the industry!" The leader confidently patted Lu Zhiyu''s shoulder.


    Lu Zhiyu couldn''t help but smile. "Okay, I believe you."


    As he was leaving, Lu Zhiyu suddenly remembered something and said, "If you trust my words, then you should try to return the elderly and the very young in this castle back to the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro."


    "Why?" The leader asked, puzzled.


    Lu Zhiyu replied, "A war between the orcs and the humans is likely to erupt soon!"


    The man immediately frowned. "Even if there was a war, it would not spread here. After all, this is the imperial capital of the Crete Empire, its most impregnable city!"


    Lu Zhiyu said no more, only nodded. He then turned around and left, Eva following close behind him.


    The brow of the merchant furrowed, as he contemplated Lu Zhiyu''s words for a long time. For some reason, Lu Zhiyu was very convincing and had gained his trust easily. Due to the recent state of affairs in the city, as well as some bad news that he had received, the merchant leader began to also have some doubts...

 180 Dream Lord

    "Open the city gate!" In the early hours of the morning, a soldier who had rushed for three days and three nights on horseback finally arrived at the capital, calling out to be let in. He was allowed inside after showing his credentials.


    Panting, he handed over a letter from the governor of the northern Urabell province, which was controlled directly by the royal family. The letter was immediately sent to the palace.


    Apparently, in the middle of the night, all of the top officials of the Crete Empire were notified about the uprising of hundreds of thousands of orcs slaves, as well as the chaos that had ensued in the aftermath.


    The governor of Urabell quickly mustered thousands of his troops in an attempt to suppress the orcs before they could completely organize, but his men were defeated by the rebel leaders, who led tens of thousands of mutinous slaves. The governor had been killed in the chaos, and as a result, the entire Urabell province had fallen.


    Emperor Zolman II and Prime Minister Tembor had held an emergency meeting overnight, within which, Emperor Zolman II seemed extremely agitated. He kept demanding for troops to be sent out immediately in order to silence the rebellion at Urabell.


    His urgency could be explained by the fact that the Urabell province was an important source of tax revenue for troop recruitment. In recent days, Emperor Zolman II''s power had been severely weakened due to a series of bad political maneuvers on his part. As a result, his uncle, Duke Tembor, had seized power, even gaining partial control over the military.


    In addition, Zolman II''s relationships with most of the royal family were strained at best. So, if he lost these royal territories, then he would fall completely out of favor with them. Although it had not been long since the last emperor, Vodigan, had passing away, Zolman II had already destroyed the progress he had made during his reign.


    However, during the meeting, the Duke of Tembor and the other nobles were not as impatient as Zolman II. The way they saw it, this was only a rebellion that had been started by mere slaves. Among these slaves, there was not even a single trained soldier, much less any Blood Knights!


    Instead, two hundred thousand peasants had simply picked up weapons, divided themselves into several factions belonging to different forces, and launched a revolt. In light of this fact, they would only need to send some of their knights to easily suppress them!


    Moreover, these slaves were not human, but were only some orcs! As such, they would never be able to get any support in the Crete Empire, nor would they get any sympathy from the commoners!


    Most importantly, the current chaos had not occurred in their territory, as most of the participants of the conference were direct allies of Duke Tembor. As such, they were more than happy to see the influence of Emperor Zolman II weakened. At the same time, this matter also dealt a major blow to the prestige of Duke Tembor, who immediately began looking for a scapegoat.


    In actuality, this group wasn''t worried about the rebellion of the 200,000 slaves, but rather the attitude of the empire of orcs in the north. The diplomat from the orc empire had taken a strong stance against Crete, which had ended in discord. Soon after, these slaves began a rebellion, which now posed an unbelievable coincidence.


    "We must first suppress the rebellion initiated by these darn orcs!"


    "Yes! No matter what conspiracy the orc empire is orchestrating, whether they have sent troops to our empire or not, we must first suppress these slaves!"


    "Who are we sending to clean this mess up?"


    "Have the nobles from the nearby territories sent troops? Ask them to annihilate these rebels in the name of His Majesty the Emperor!"


    Amid a wealth of commentary, several documents, which had been signed in the name of the Emperor, were immediately distributed from the capital. Within a day, most of the people in the city had learned of the slave rebellion.


    "I heard that the slaves had rebelled! There were 200,000 of them! They scorched and looted the province of Urabell. The entire Urabell province fell, and even the governor was killed." People continued whispering everywhere, even in pubs and alleyways!


    "They''re only mere slaves. The emperor and Lord Tembor have sent troops that will quell the rebellion soon."


    "What about the orcs empire? Some time ago, the messenger of the orcs empire had asked us to release the orc slaves, which led to a dispute. A small misstep in this situation is likely to lead to a war."


    Meanwhile, Eva changed her outfit, putting on a cloak and a hat. She then dutifully followed Lu Zhiyu, listening to the chatter en route.


    "Master, why do humans have strange things like war?" she asked.


    After looking at Eva, Lu Zhiyu said, "Because of their desires. Since human beings have desires, they will have disputes and differences, which will lead to wars. As long as desires exist, wars will as well."


    Eva frowned at Lu Zhiyu, then thought for a long time. Although she had some thoughts on the subject, she did not fully understand it.


    After entering the old castle of the Rosa Bianca caravan, they saw that the merchants were all packed up and ready to go. Many people, who seemed to have been living in the castle, were also packing up their things. In fact, it seemed like they were leaving the capital.


    The leader of the merchants had heard about the recent rebellion and the conflict between the Crete Empire and the Holy Seville Empire. So, he had chosen to abandon their base here to return to their hometown in the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. Lu Zhiyu would be travelling with them through the Mica Province and the Sea of ??Death to the mysterious desert empire, Batko.


    Lu Zhiyu was careful to not interfere with the war between the humans and orcs. After all, he was solely focused on his breakthrough to level eight mythical wizard and the mid-level mythical life template design.


    After Eva had gained the ability to interfere with the Time Freeze domain, he was finally able to move this agenda along. Although Eva''s Time Freeze domain was very powerful, it was still inferior to the abilities of a mythical wizard. As a level four wizard, her degree of control, her range, and her environmental effects were heavily restricted.


    However, it was clear that this sort of mid-level mythical ability was formidable. In the range that she could control, all of the special abilities of the other party were completely neutralized. Thus, she was the master and ruler of her domain!


    For comparison, Lu Zhiyu could utilize the Divine Kingdom Gaia in the sky to create an impossibly huge domain. Lu Zhiyu was going to upgrade his low-level mythical life template, Dream Control, to a mid-level mythical template.


    Lu Zhiyu would then combine this area of effect ability with his ability over dreamspaces, since they were extremely compatible. In this way, the originally intangible dream space could directly change the real world by interfering with reality and manipulating the laws of the world!


    This was not the same as the previous dream field, which had been created from his awareness and was based on the information plane. Instead, this one was based on a true interference upon reality. As such, its existence was projected upon reality. Now, Lu Zhiyu''s ability was finally both illusory and real!


    Lu Zhiyu was going to call this ability Dream Projection, and then name the mid-level mythical template Dream Lord. The Dream Lord mythical life template was still based upon the calculations of the Sub-Brain on Gaia in the Divine Kingdom.


    This meant that, as soon as the construction of the template was complete, Lu Zhiyu could finally become a level eight mythical wizard!

 181 The Winds of War

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 182 The Fall of Maples

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 183 Slaughter of the Orcs

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 184 War and Glory

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 185 A Battle for the Epics

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 186 A Battle for the Epics II

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 187 A Battle for the Epics III

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 188 A Battle for the Epics IV

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 189 A Battle for the Epics V

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 190 A Battle for the Epics End

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 191 Level Eight Mythical Wizard

    Above the clouds, although there was no sun, dazzling lights shone from the pale blue sky, reaching every corner of the Divine Kingdom. A crowd of onlookers gazed in awe as Saintess Kelly slowly ascended above the kingdom in a holy white robe.


    Many prayers were being offered, as the onlookers lowered their heads in respect and devotion. The God''s body looked down and gazed at Saintess Kelly, as Lu Zhiyu''s mind instantly connected to the sub-brain of the Divine Kingdom, his consciousness now appearing inside of it.


    Saintess Kelly looked up at the God''s body of Lu Zhiyu, but could only see the giant seats that were levitating and orbiting around the sky, like small islands. Despite this, Saintess Kelly could still sense that he was the god that had made her the descendant of God, Lord Faross. This had been the second time they had encountered each other, as the last time was in her dream.


    Saintess Kelly had thought of this moment countless times, wondering what she would say and so on. But now, all she had in her mind was a feeling of complete peace. Besides, simply being near him would already be an honor that could never be surpassed by anything else.


    Lu Zhiyu was sizing up Saintess Kelly, as she was the first believer to ascend to the Divine Kingdom in spiritual form. Today''s situation was unexpected, as normally, to climb up to the God''s seats, level seven had to first be reached, thus completely transforming the individual into their mythical creature form.


    The sudden death of Saintess Kelly had completely interrupted this plan, but since Lu Zhiyu was no real god, he had to not be too controlling and unbending. After all, only gods could control everything, especially fate!


    "By my name, you are now the leader of all of the angels. You must guide the ascended ones to the Divine Kingdom and guard the gate!" Lu Zhiyu pointed his giant finger that was condensed by light towards her forehead.


    "Your will is my everything!" she eagerly agreed.


    The light of the Divine Kingdom quickly condensed around Saintess Kelly''s body, then transformed her into a holy angel form, as she was now in charge of a part of the Divine Kingdom''s authorities, as well as the gate of the Divine Kingdom. Most importantly, through the control of these authorities, Saintess Kelly could now strengthen her soul.


    Lu Zhiyu hoped that she could one day reach the God''s seats by herself, thus being able to take on partial authority over Maria''s World''s. This meant that she would be helping him maintain and run Maria''s World, while also strengthening his Divine Kingdom. As for now, this leader of the angels position was merely a stepping stone.


    Saintess Kelly flapped her wings and orbited once around Lu Zhiyu''s God''s seat, then stood in front of his God''s body, staring into his eyes. As Lu Zhiyu nodded at her, a joyful smile blossomed on her face.


    She was the first angel in the kingdom of Lu Zhiyu, and she was also the embryonic form of the angel, making her the level 7 mythical creature that Lu Zhiyu had envisioned from the beginning! Once Gaia improved even more, these angels would even have the chance to be reborn into brand-new forms!


    Meanwhile, the whole inner part of the Divine Kingdom of Gaia was also undergoing some changes. Lu Zhiyu''s middle tier mythical creature template, the Lord of Dreams, had finally been completed.


    Also, after the death of many priests, temple knights, and a few saints, their ascensions had further strengthened and improved the Divine Kingdom. Now that the kingdom had its first generation of archangel, Saintess Kelly, who possessed a complete soul that would enable her to assist Lu Zhiyu in managing and protecting the Divine Kingdom, the mind power scale of the Divine Kingdom had reached near ten thousand!


    The mythical metallic cells of the Lord of Dreams had been constantly replacing the original Gaia, as it was also constantly consuming the silver moon, wanting to modify the entire silver moon with metallic cells. According to Lu Zhiyu''s calculation, it would take about a thousand years before Gaia could consume the whole moon and replace the silver moon in its current form. By then, Gaia would become a giant object, floating in between the sky of Maria''s world and the bitwall, just like a moon!


    However, when that time comes, it will be an even more unbelievable task for Lu Zhiyu to transform the entire silver moon into its mythical creature form by enhancing the metallic cells within it. This was because the current Divine Kingdom of Gaia only had a very small portion mythical metallic cells.


    To be able to consume the whole silver moon, then have it undergo metallification to prepare it for use in the completion of the Divine Kingdom, that is too astronomical!


    Lu Zhiyu had his doubts, but was determined to stay positive.


    Currently, the process of replacing the old template with the new one had been underway in the inner part of the Divine Kingdom of Gaia. The ability to project the Divine Kingdom before, meaning projecting the kingdom across the sky above the Elan Continent, was made possible by the power of the new template, the Lord of Dreams.


    Even though most of it was unreal, Lu Zhiyu could feel that it could already influence the material world. Once his mind power scale had reached a high enough level and the Divine Kingdom had become strong enough, he could even summon the true Divine Kingdom into the material world!


    Moreover, with this progression, Lu Zhiyu''s Divine Kingdom, as well as the hypothesized divine system, had been improved drastically. In the future, the Lord of Dreams would drastically improve the divine incantation of the temple knights and the priests!


    Unlike before, they could only simply borrow part of the power given by Lu Zhiyu''s deified cell template to channel simple healing, the judgement of light, and other minor abilities that were brought by the dreams. If they were faithful enough, they could then directly link to the Divine Kingdom and project some strong abilities to it in order to aid them in battle. They could even summon the gate of the Divine Kingdom or some strong prayers into the material world!


    As the replacing processes came to an end, the entirety of Gaia was illuminated with an intense light, and with the power of projection, it overshadowed a large region of the silver moon. If one were to look at the silver moon from the earth at that moment, they could see that it had slowly changed from a crescent moon to a full moon!


    This meant that Lu Zhiyu had advanced from level seven to become a level eight mythical wizard!

 192 Sea Of Death

    Sea of Death, Great Kafra Desert¡ª


    The Great Kafra Desert was at the edge of the core region that belonged to the Crete Empire. It was also a border line between it and the legendary Batko Empire.


    A hundred years ago, the existence of the Batko Empire was just a legend to the humans that were living in the southern and the western parts of the world. The desert empire in the legend was full of mysteries.


    According to legend, people in the Batko Empire lived in the desert. Many people in the central province thought that, as they were living in such a poor and lifeless land, they had to have a special bloodline that enabled them to survive.


    It was during this time that the talented and genius first emperor Yip Ima Batko had assimilated his tribe and clan into the surrounding smaller tribes, infusing them with power. Under Yip''s command, they conquered and united the whole Batko area, then built this huge nation, which is now known as the current Batko Empire.


    However, the Batko Empire had been decaying for over a century. This was no real surprise, as it was only natural that an empire that was maintained and controlled by tribes and bloodlines would decline as generations passed. As such, the emperor was no longer capable of holding the entire empire together.


    During this time, many tribes had risen up and declared their independence and were starting to refuse to follow the king''s orders. They even stopped paying taxes. Soon after this, the city of Fanse from the Tuten Dynasty invaded the Batko Empire.


    The Tuten Dynasty was an alliance of cities, the city of Fanse being the most powerful of them all. In the 46th year of the San Calendar, an alliance was formed by the city of Fanse, which had been killing and robbing their way, pillaging all the way up to the political center of Batko, the city of Baber.


    In a short period of time, they took over the city, officially marking the end of the Batko Empire. They burnt down the palace, killed the last emperor, and took everything from the city.


    The death of Batko''s royal family and the loss of the city of Baber had spelt the end of the dynasty of the desert empire. The Batko area had now returned to being governed by tribes and families.


    The tribes constantly fought and killed each other, fighting over the limited sources of water and farmland. The chaos and conflict soon spread across the entire area.


    Meanwhile, as The Church of Light had just started their own uprising, there were many other religions being formed. Since these newer religions were isolated and harshly suppressed by The Church of Light, the believers of these new religions had gradually escaped from the central province and the west, fleeing to the Batko area and other exotic nations in the south.


    As for the Tuten Dynasty in the east, due to the way that the nation was being governed by the alliance of cities, their special religious and cultural structure made it very difficult for these religions to fit in. In the following dozen or so years, these religions were slowly integrated into the tribes and clans of the Batko area.


    In fact, religion was the only thing that had seemed to bloom in this poor land, as people began to crave something to believe in even more when faced with suffering and disastrous conditions. As such, many temples were erected, which added an unique dynamic to the area.


    Presently, Lu Zhiyu was riding on a camel, while Eve followed along behind him. Both of them were wearing cloaks and had cloths over their faces. The desert was not completely lifeless, as they would occasionally see cactus and shrubs appearing, some of which were actually special landmarks that the traveling merchants used for navigation.


    Everyone in their group was spiritless. Back when they had just entered the desert, some of the people had found the surroundings new and refreshing and were be constantly asking questions. However, that newness had now faded, and the entire group was just moving forward like mindless drones now, having fallen into a dead silence.


    As of now, Lu Zhiyu and the Rosa Bianca merchants had already been in the desert for a month. If Lu Zhiyu hadn''t found an oasis with the special water finding method that he read from a book, they would surely have died of dehydration and exhaustion in the Sea of Death already! Fortunately, aside from encountering a magical sand snake beast that kept attacking them, plus a guard''s being stung by a scorpion, they hadn''t encountered any real dangers.


    As for Lu Zhiyu and Eva, they had been treated with the utmost respect. In fact, many of the people from the group thought that this couple was as pretty as a painting.


    However, as the journey progressed, everyone was reaching their limits. It also didn''t help matters that all that they could see the whole day was just an endless amount of sand.


    At first, one was drawn in by the unique beauty of the desert. Yet now, all they could feel was fear and terror.


    Every step they took, their feet sunk down into the sand. Then, as they would try to extract their feet from the sand, the movement of lifting their feet up and down made their feelings of heaviness and lethargy even worse! Many of them soon drifted into daydreams of delusions and despair...


    Where are we?


    How long will it take before we can get out of this desert?


    Why does this place feel so familiar? Are we walking in circles?


    Everyone felt sweat trickling out of every pore in their bodies. They were so exhausted, anyone could pass out at any moment. In fact, a few of them were already showing symptoms of heat stroke.


    However, at this moment, someone started screaming. This was because a strange noise had just been heard, coming from the rear of the flank.


    They looked towards that direction, only to see that a yellow dust had covered the sky! What''s more, it now rushed towards their direction, like a monster with an open mouth!


    "What is that?" someone asked.


    "Sandstorm!" someone else shouted in reply.

 193 Another Group of Merchants

    The arrival of the sandstorm scared a lot of the horses, which bolted. This turned the entire group into a chaotic mess, as many people were running away to escape the affected region.


    "Do not run away! Everyone, stay calm! Stop them! Do not panic!" Grumman, the owner of the merchants, shouted as he attempted to stop the runaways.


    It was an extremely foolish idea to try to escape the massive sandstorms, anyway! After all, one''s escaping aimlessly would only lead to his getting lost and ultimately dying in the storm!


    While Lu Zhiyu was hurrying the camels along, he said to Grumman, "We need to find some cover, anything that can shield us from the wind."


    Grumman nodded and shouted, "You''re right! We need to find something like that. Let''s head this way, then once we get over the sand dunes, we should be able to find a hiding place."


    "Follow us, do not fall behind!"


    "Everyone, look around yourselves, do not fall behind!"


    As Grumman and his guards shouted out orders, the merchants immediately headed in the opposite direction of the sandstorm. However, it didn''t take long before the storm caught up to them and the whole group was swallowed by the yellow storm!


    Everyone covered their noses and ears faces with cloths, while the wind and the sand swallowed the whole world. The yellow sandstorm took over all of the visible space, making them all feel like their ears had been placed next to a roaring sound machine!


    They then lost their eyesight and hearing, and all their skin that was exposed to the storm was in agonizing pain. In fact, it felt like it was being cut by countless little knives!


    The merchants were moving away, while hurrying their camels and horses along. The camels were trying their best to keep up, while the bells on their necks were ringing constantly in the wild sandstorm. Everyone was focused on sticking with the group, because they knew if they were to fall behind, they would surely die.


    At that moment, Lu Zhiyu and the many merchants, including Grumman, noticed that a group of blurry shadows had appeared within the sandstorm, coming from another direction. At first glance, no one had any clue as to what they were, but as the shadows came closer, they realized that it was another group of equally unfortunate merchants that had been caught in the sandstorm.


    "@#£¤%%"


    "&**@##"


    They shouted in some language from the Batko area, desperately trying to communicate with the Rosa Bianca merchants, but their language and accents didn''t make any sense to the western merchants.


    "They are the Batko merchants! They are speaking the language of the Pusuote Clan! So, that means that they must be among the tribes of Pusuote!" Grumman thought might have understood their language, so he quickly answered back.


    The Batko merchants also had a big group of camels and people, so the two groups combined forces and kept moving forward together. As the sandstorm had grown even worse, their visibility had also gotten worse.


    Also, the sky had gone completely dark. Then, a hurricane that was carried in by the sandstorm almost blew them off their feet!


    "Get up! Get up! Run, you godda*n animals!" one of the merchants screamed. Now, even the camels refused to move, as they sat completely still on the ground, no matter how hard the merchants whipped them.


    Grumman asked anxiously, "What do we do? I remember there was a rocky area around here before, so why is it not here? Oh my God! Maybe we went in the wrong direction amid all of the panic!"


    A man who was wearing a hood and was wrapped in cloth explained to Grumman loudly in his strange language, then proceeded to hold his own head as if he had gone mad. Lu Zhiyu happened to be around and clearly understood the man in the language that had branched off the Batko languages.


    "The rocky hills here were buried under the desert! We are doomed!" another merchant shouted out.


    Everyone had fallen into despair, as ordinary humans were no match for the power of nature. The wind speed had reached one to two hundred kilometers per hour, and many people started to feel dizzy and began to suffocate.


    "We are all going to die here!"


    "This is the God of the desert''s will!"


    Those from the Batko group had one by one given up and accepted their fates. It was as if they had lost their wills to live.


    However, Grumman still ordered everyone to form a circle with the camels and horses. He was trying his best to lead this group to survive this sandstorm. But, looking at the situation now, it did not look good.


    Eva followed closely behind Lu Zhiyu. When she saw the slight change of expression on his face, she quickly asked, "Master, would you like me to block the sandstorm?"


    Grumman had fallen into painful despair by now, when he just happened to hear Eva''s voice.


    Grumman moved towards the two of them with great difficulty amid the sandstorm, as he tightly pressed the cloth against his mouth and nose and asked furiously, "What are you two babbling on about? Go hide somewhere quickly!"


    He then put his hands together and said, as if praying to the gods of the skies, "Please, let us survive this disaster!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Eva and Grumman, squinted his eyes, then patted Eva''s shoulder and said, "Let me handle this. Your ability is not fit for a situation like this!"


    Within the sandstorm, the wild wind was still constantly carrying sand, but as Grumman saw Lu Zhiyu open his arms wide, the power of the middle tier mythical creature Lord of Dreams'' realm quickly started covering the surroundings! Soon, the whole earth was covered in mind power force fields!


    "Projection!" Grumman shouted in awe, as he looked at Lu Zhiyu as if he was weaving the fabric of the world!


    Huge stones orbited around, surrounding the merchants. They then accumulated to form thick walls. The sandstorm had been blocked, as the stone walls were erected and the harsh sand and wind that was torturing everyone could not penetrate them!


    Suddenly, everyone looked at Lu Zhiyu. This kind of control over the world amazed them all, causing most of the people cheer joyfully!


    Grumman took off his cloth and was blankly staring at Lu Zhiyu, as he never would have thought that this noble-looking young man who had been alongside him throughout the whole expedition had such great power!


    This power far surpassed his imagination. It was almost as if it was the power of the gods!


    Many of the Batko merchants had all kneeled down, and their leader, who was a skinny middle-aged man with short hair, even thought that Lu Zhiyu must be a prophet of the God of desert. Hence, he had knelt down on the ground before him.


    Then, right before everyone''s eyes, a stone castle-like structure was built around them. For Lu Zhiyu, this was something that he would have easily been able to do before, but was not such an easy feat in his current form.


    His abilities of realm and projection, since his becoming a level eight mythical wizard and the Lord of Dreams, now allowed him to edit the rules of the normal plane within the realm at will. So, if he knew the working mechanisms of the rules, then he could freely control and edit nature, as this was only the most basic of applications.


    Lu Zhiyu opened his arms, manipulating the walls like he was playing a piano. The walls built up higher and higher, and finally, as his hands closed together, a luxurious white stone castle appeared in the middle of that crazy sandstorm!


    As for the Rosa Bianca merchants and the Batko merchants, they were now all under this castle''s protection. The sandstorm was still ravaging outside the castle, but everything and everyone within it was calm and safe!

 194 Origin

    The sandstorm continued to blow through, but when it reached the stone castle, only the sound of the wind blowing through the stone wall could be heard. However, it was clearly getting more severe, as it showed no signs of stopping.


    Inside the huge stone castle, torches and a bonfire were lit. Unlike the fears that had filled it in the past, the stone castle was now filled with cheers. Everyone was relieved that they barely escaped with their lives. Laughter could be heard everywhere.


    Slowly, more people started looking at Lu Zhiyu and Eva with great curiosity, as well as shock, fear, and even respect in their eyes. Nobody expected that Lu Zhiyu would have such power!


    Merchants who had been in contact with with Lu Zhiyu before were now too scared to come and greet him. They only looked at Lu Zhiyu from a distance, avoiding eye contact.


    They did not even have the courage to discuss Lu Zhiyu''s power and identity. It was almost as if they were afraid that he would hear them with his superpowers.


    Grumman, the owner of the Rose Merchants, stood behind the campfire near Lu Zhiyu and Eva, yet dared not approach the pair. However, when he met Lu Zhiyu''s gaze, he plucked up enough courage to sit distance across from Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu smiled at Grumman, who was bold and a bit aggressive. He looked nervous.


    "Who are you, anyway?" Grumman finally opened his mouth for the first time to ask the simple question.


    He found this so-called scholar, who had paid a lot of money to follow him to Batko, was quite mysterious. Grumman did not know his true identity, but he did know that he was absolutely not a nobleman!


    After all Grumman was not an ordinary villager! He had some knowledge of the world, as he had traveled to the south and north, which were journeys that revealed many secrets of the world to him.


    "Are you wizards?" When Grumman asked this, he was trembling.


    The existence of wizards, for ordinary people, was a major terror. Just hearing the words was enough to make people shiver.


    Lu Zhiyu couldn''t help but laugh. "Is this important?"


    Lu Zhiyu bowed his head and played with the fire embers. "I pay, and you take me to the Batko Empire. We have a contractual relationship. That''s all, isn''t it?"


    Grumman listened to him with relief. "I understand. Thank you for your help in explaining. Both I and the Rosa Bianca merchants will always remember your kindness!"


    At this time, the Batko merchants, who had suffered through the sandstorm together, took out some dried meat and shared it with the others. Then, everyone ate the food and laughed together.


    As they were eating, a teenager in a ragged shirt was holding a silver plate that was filled with meat. He kneeled in front of Lu Zhiyu, offering him food and goat''s milk.


    Lu Zhiyu hesitated, while he looked at the leader of the Batko merchants in the distance. At that moment, Grumman was looking at him piously, then bent his head down to salute him. After seeing this, Lu Zhiyu nodded and accepted the food that the teenager had just offered him.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the teenager, who was a typical Batko citizen with dark skin, dark brown hair, yellowish pupils, an extremely thin body, and a mark of slavery on his clavicle. The teenager, with fearful and longing eyes, looked carefully back at Lu Zhiyu.


    What had just happened before had led all of the Batko people to believe that Lu Zhiyu was the messenger of the god of the desert. This was because, in their minds, only the messenger of such a god could have such power.


    This was also because the people in Batko had never seen church priests, and even wizards hardly came around. So, when they see magical beasts that have extraordinary powers, they believe that they were sent as punishment, living disasters that were brought by the gods.


    Lu Zhiyu asked the boy, "What''s your name?"


    The teenager heard Lu Zhiyu, then pointed anxiously to his ears and mouth. Only then did Lu Zhiyu discover that the teenager was deaf and mute.


    "Don''t move. Just relax!" Lu Zhiyu looked at the teenager and put his hand over his ears. The teenager''s back muscles tightened up immediately, as he was too nervous to move.


    Lu Zhiyu was using the Body Modification Technique, which was the first witchcraft that he had created, as well as the first witchcraft of the Blood Wizards. The whole structure of the teenager''s brain immediately appeared in Lu Zhiyu''s awareness, while the teenager closed his eyes.


    At this time, everyone around Lu Zhiyu was watching him with this deaf and mute person. They did not understand what Lu Zhiyu was doing.


    When Lu Zhiyu released his hand, the teenager immediately felt that something shocking. It was something that he had never felt since his birth, and it was pouring into his head constantly! It was sound, wonderful sound!


    People''s voices, the sounds of the flames cracking, and even the sound of the wind rushed into his consciousness. All of these sounds were so beautiful, he could not help but tremble.


    The teenager opened his eyes and looked around him. All of the voices kept coming into his ears. He stood up in the middle of the castle. It seemed as if the whole world was spinning around him, its myriad sounds constantly in his ears.


    "Ah! I, I hear...!" The teenager constantly adjusted his voice until he could finally say a complete sentence.


    Everyone began talking at once, as they were amazed at what they had just witnessed. For the ordinary people of this era, being deaf and mute was considered as a punishment from the gods that could not be cured. Watching Lu Zhiyu cure the teenaged slave was like watching someone break god''s curse on them!


    The Rosa Bianca merchants and the Batko merchants immediately knelt on the ground and saluted Lu Zhiyu. The young man just looked at Lu Zhiyu in amazement, not knowing what to say.


    He was not very tall, so he only reached Lu Zhiyu''s shoulders. At the moment, his eyes were filled with tears. In his view, Lu Zhiyu was the incarnation of the gods, the one who had come and rescued him from hell!


    After wiping away the tears on his face, the young man knelt on the ground to kiss Lu Zhiyu''s boots. He then stuck his head to the ground respectfully. This was the most pious courtesy that could be shown.


    "My name is Cetisius," the teenager said.

 195 Rumor in Pusuote

    The wind lasted for most of the night, only stopping when the sun was about to rise. It took more than a month for Lu Zhiyu and the Rosa Bianca merchants to leave the sandy and deadly quiet of the Great Kafra Desert to reach the Batko border.


    Once they arrived, they saw small oases, large palm-like jujube trees, and numerous Batko people. The men and women here either wore simple clothes, such as long gowns that were made with whole pieces of skin, or blouses with short sleeves and long skirts. Some of their unique clothing even exposed their thighs and belly buttons!


    When the Rosa Bianca Merchants rode their camels through these small oases and villages, the hot women with bare thighs flirted with the merchants. As the women approached them, the guards all straightened their backs and puffed out their chests, as these beautiful women made them want to strut their stuff!


    Lu Zhiyu quietly observed the people in Batko. Compared with the people in the western world, the people in Batko had much darker skin. Most of them were also very lean.


    In fact, there were hardly any fat people there. This was not only due to the lack of food, but it was also because most of the people were not rich enough to be able to buy food, even if it was available.


    When Lu Zhiyu designed had designed their race, he gave them different gifts from the West. In addition to those differences, long-term isolation from the West had also resulted in their being a very different race from the Crete Empire, the Golden Rose Kingdom, and the Mara Kingdom.


    "Look, it''s Pusuote! We Pusuotes are the largest tribe in this area. We have a large area for keeping cows, and we rule the place where the Hashe River flows. Hence, we''re the strongest!" Anke pointed to the city in the distance.


    The city walls were made of yellow earth, and the buildings in the city were made with a mixture of earth and stone. Some of the large buildings had been built with stone, while the houses of ordinary people were built with simple earth.


    The Batko Empire had a unique architectural style. As such, there were few western-inspired wooden houses here.


    Anke was a slim middle-aged man with short hair. He was a nobleman in Pusuote. Most of the merchants that he led were soldiers, while the rest were slaves.


    As the group of merchants went into the city of Pusuote, a large number of pedestrians and camels were walking along the street. On both sides of the street, there were also many peddlers, all of whom were selling pots, gold and silver ware, fruits, and salt.


    Today was the monthly market day, so the city was very busy. Everywhere, the sound of bargaining could be heard.


    "Here we are. We will do business here, then go to the next city. After that, we return to the Church of Light. Do you want to come back with us?" Grumman asked Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu got off of his horse and stroked its neck while letting it drink some water. "No, I just may stay here for a long time!"


    Lu Zhiyu found himself somewhat fond of the unique culture here. He now preferred to be around a crowd rather than doing experiments in the laboratory alone.


    Even looking at the bustling city, he felt instantly comfortable. Compared with being called a god, Lu Zhiyu much preferred to be called the explorer of life evolution!


    His plan was to gradually complete the divine system here, improve the level eight Mythological Wizards, and intermediate the mythical creatures'' and the Lord of Dreams'' powers. In addition, Lu Zhiyu wanted to work with Eva to improve mechanical alchemy.


    Back in the wizard tower''s library, Pyros had collected a lot of ideas about the new generation of wizards and new witchcraft. Lu Zhiyu would often read through these materials. Although they were mainly about low level wizards, some of the fantastic ideas and creations always gave Lu Zhiyu unexpected inspiration.


    At this time, the teenaged slave Cetisius stood behind Lu Zhiyu and said in a respectful way, "My master, Anke Pusuote Huru, would like to invite you to his castle in the city."


    Ever since he had known of Lu Zhiyu, Anke both feared and revered him. As such, he dared not speak to Lu Zhiyu ever.


    This was why he had relied on Cetisius to deliver his message. Pusuote was his surname, Hulu was his fiefdom, which was located in a small village in Pusuote.


    Lu Zhiyu turned his head and looked at Anke, who immediately bowed to Lu Zhiyu. Then, he spoke to Lu Zhiyu for the first time. "Honorable messenger of god, I hope that you can accept my hospitality. It would be a great honor!"


    Lu Zhiyu thought about it, then nodded. There was ecstasy on Anke''s face, as everyone in Pusuote believed in the god of the desert and worshipped the ancestors of the other gods.


    In Pusuote, there were many temples. The priests in these temples had great power in the city. In Pusuote, the tribal leaders, priests, and nobles formed the special ruling authority.


    "Thank you. Everything is ready!" Anke said.


    Anke''s earth castle was similar to Crete''s castle, but was much shorter, having only three floors. Aside from the temples, it was the main building style in Batko.


    A large number of soldiers and slaves in the earth castle were busy unloading commodities for the castle''s use. Anke quickly arranged for Lu Zhiyu and Eva to stay in the master room.


    The spacious upper floor had a bathroom, living room, and bedroom. As they entered, several tanned, beautiful Batko maids opened the windows, through which they could see the scenery of the entire city of Pusuote.


    After Lu Zhiyu bathed, several maids helped him change into white clothes that looked very similar to a large sacrificial robe. Lu Zhiyu found this fact quite interesting.


    The Batko maids who changed Lu Zhiyu''s clothes were clearly smitten with him. When changing his clothes, they even snuggled Lu Zhiyu''s chest, while their faces flushed. All of this aroused Eva''s discontent.


    Both within the West and in Batko, nobles did not undertake manual labor. As such, household slaves and servants were responsible for every trivial thing, such as bathing, cooking, and so on.


    In the evening, Anke sent Lu Zhiyu food and books that were related to the god of the desert. It seemed that Anke really regarded Lu Zhiyu as the messenger of gods, so he was being a very cautious and perfect host.


    "This desert god''s theological propaganda is full of Western style, but also with some local color. It is estimated that it was founded by a religious believer who escaped from the West. Now, it seems that it is still developing well." Lu Zhiyu flipped through the books, while he chatted with Eva.


    However, Eva wasn''t speaking. Lu Zhiyu closed his book and looked at Eva. "I didn''t think you were learning to be jealous and angry. It seems that emotions come not only from the body, but also from memory and experience."


    "I''m not angry. I just feel that the human women don''t respect you." Eva sat stony-faced, while talking to Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu laughed, then moved on in the conversation, giving her time to simmer down from her temper tantrum. "I like Pusuote. We''ll stay here for a while."


    After the return of Anke''s merchants, rumors of the messenger of the gods spread throughout the city. Stories that were filled with a huge stone castle that suddenly emerged in the desert, a slave named Cetisius who could suddenly speak and hear, and other merchants that had seen the castle all proved to everyone who heard them that Lu Zhiyu was indeed this messenger.


    In fact, everyone was talking about it! The common people, the slaves, businessmen and nobles spread the news. It even reached the ears of the senior priest of the palace of the god of desert and the leader of the Pusuote tribe!

 196 The Palace of the God of the Deser

    The leader of the Pusuote Tribe was also the tribe''s governor. Originally, this position was appointed by Yep Ima Batko, the early king of Batko, but in the later period, the tribal leaders naturally became the governors.


    The original rotation system was thus abandoned, giving way to a lifelong inheritance system. However, it was not the offspring, but the young brothers who became the next leaders and governors.


    The governor''s house was like a palace. Within the palace, a large number of colorful murals covered the walls, each depicting gods and sacrifices. At this moment, the leader of the Pusuote Tribe was in a meeting.


    Someone asked about the messenger. "I don''t know if you''ve heard of the recent emergence of the messenger of the desert god?"


    Several other tribal leaders and some of the noblemen in Pusuote were not interested in this topic of discussion. One of them said, The palace of the desert god should take care of it. Beliefs and sacrifice are their business, while the territory and the population are our concerns. This is the agreement we signed long ago!"


    After all, this was not The Church of Light. Basically, since no one had witnessed any miracles here, there was no single, unified belief here.


    This meant that religions and beliefs were not simple here. Instead, they were quite intricate. Moreover, apart from the common people, most of the others did not care so much about beliefs at all!


    Someone else in the room piped up, "But, that was a miracle! He clearly had the power of god!"


    After a long debate, the governor said, "Let the high priest deal with it. As for whether he really is the messenger of the gods, they will find that out!"


    The palace of the desert god was luxurious, and it occupied several times the amount of space that the governor''s house did. The palace was situated in the south, and its tall stone pillars were engraved with monsters, beast heads, and human bodies. There were also rows of kneeling statues that lined the aisles inside the palace.


    The grand gate was inlaid with dazzling jade and gemstones. There was also statue inside.


    The statue depicted a monster, which had a human body and hair like countless snakes intertwined. This was the legendary god of the desert statue!


    If Lu Zhiyu came to see it, he would feel that it was someone with whom he was already familiar. This was because the statue monster looked exactly the same as the monster that he had created earlier, Medusa!


    Although Batko was originally rich in gold, after hundreds of years of mining, not much gold remained. However, this tall statue was made of gold, which only made it more priceless. From the luxurious style of the palace, one could tell how much manpower, material resources, and money had been spent to build and furnish it.


    Sadly, most of the resources that were used for the palace came from a large number of greedy priests, who would take a large amount of money from the lower class people every year. Those poor, faithful, and underfed people gave everything they had to them, which was how this palace had become so ornate and posh.


    Now, in the side lounge of the palace, Hatton, the high priest, was in a rage. Rumors were circulating in the city that were very threatening to him.


    Supposedly, a messenger of god had come along. As such, Hatton''s authority to host sacrifices and explain the will of god would be severely threatened. If the lower class people and nobles in Pusuote believed this so-called messenger, it would greatly limit his power as the high priest!


    What made High Priest Hatton even angrier was that, not only were the common people believing in the power of this liar, but a large number of nobles were also buying into the hoax! Even inside the palace, some priests secretly went to the messenger''s residence to pray.


    As these various legends continued to spread throughout the city, more and more people began to believe them. If the whole city believed that it was true, Hatton would be in an awful fix!


    "Da*n that liar! I am the only spokesman of the gods, the one who was chosen by the god of the desert! Only I can represent the authority of God! That fellow is just a blasphemer. It''s the evil god who sent him here to try to divide us!" Hatton was really having a fit now.


    Hatton was a fat man, which was rarely seen in Batko, and he kind of looked like a person from the northern Crete Empire. At the moment, the fat on his face was jiggling as his cheeks shook with rage.


    He then shouted, "I can no longer tolerate this demon that was sent by evil gods. I need him to know that the honor of the god of the desert is at stake!"


    A bald priest next to him asked, "What should we do?" The Pusuote people agreed not to interfere with our affairs. Shall we go straight to catch the liar ourselves?"


    On the other side, another priest said faithfully, "Yes, such a liar who defiles the god of the desert must be buried alive in the sand and suffer eternal punishment from the god of the desert."


    Hatton wished that he could go right away! After all, he knew more than ordinary people and nobles in Batko. There were a lot of extraordinary people in the far western region of the Church of Light that he could recruit for his cause!


    He defined extraordinary as one who transcended a bloodline''s limitations. This was the power of gods and devils. It was something that mortals couldn''t understand. Ordinary people, no matter how strong they were, couldn''t hurt them at all!


    Many within the Church of Light were considered to be extraordinary saints and priests. One of the most powerful of these was Saintess Kelly.


    As some of these Church of Light members had gained their powers from the devil, they also claimed to be masters of witchcraft. But, Hatton was more convinced that they had simply traded wickedly with the devil in exchange for their powers.


    In light of this fact, Hatton guessed that the liar was probably a wizard from the West. So, he dared not confront him.


    Although Hatton claimed to be the spokesman of the gods, he knew that he was just bluffing and lying in the name of the desert god. In the face of evil magic, Hatton felt scared, and he dared not face it head-on!


    Hatton thought for a moment, then pulled over several of his most trusted priests in order to make plans secretly. "You...And you, when the right time comes, announce this news to the whole city of Pusuote¡­ Then, I will come out, and the swindler will have no place to hide, not within the entire city of Pusuote!"

 197 Fear and Suspicion

    Belief and worship, and suspicion and fear were the same things. As such, ordinary people would naturally follow the masses. Basically, people tend to easily believe what others say, but it is difficult for them to stick to their own ideas.


    A few days ago, when Lu Zhiyu stood near the window, he could see a large number of people coming towards him, including nobles and wealthy businessmen. When they arrived, they knelt down and wanted to get a blessing from him, but were stopped by Anke.


    A few days later, the pilgrim-like believers dispersed like smoke. Not only that, those people who had respected Lu Zhiyu so much were now suspicious of him. Many people were discussing Lu Zhiyu in secret, most of their conversations being highly unfavorable.


    On the third floor of the castle, Lu Zhiyu flipped through the books that he had been brought. He marked certain pages and highlighted others.


    The structural drawing on the book was Eva''s body structure. Lu Zhiyu made many notes about important data and things in need of attention.


    Lu Zhiyu had been wanting to further improve Eva''s metal alchemic lifeform for some time now. As she was the first super metal alchemic lifeform, her model obviously had its weak points.


    Lu Zhiyu also wanted to know the requirements for the formation of alchemic lifeforms, as well as for the formation of awareness and wisdom in the brain of metal cells. This was because Lu Zhiyu had never succeeded again after initially making Eva.


    Eva was sitting quietly beside Lu Zhiyu. If there was nothing to take care of, she would not move.


    Eva suddenly without being asked a question, which was rare for her. "Master, don''t you care about them? They are speaking ill of you in private!"


    Lu Zhiyu simply bowed his head and said, "Don''t bother yourself about them. They are just ordinary people who are following other people and believing gossip."


    Eva then said, "Cetisius came to me yesterday and told me to be careful. There are rumors circulating in the city that do not bode well for you. It is likely that someone will do something bad to you! But, at least he and his master, Anke, still believe in you unconditionally."


    Lu Zhiyu raised his head and asked, "Why do they believe in me? I didn''t tell them who I was or where I came from..."


    Lu Zhiyu paused, looked out of the window and said, "As for what happened in the city, don''t worry. At least they are about to do something finally!"


    --------------


    Within the following few days, many strange incidents happened in the city. Many people were killed.


    What was even more strange was that every deceased man had his heart dug out! Their deaths were horrifying and terrifying. In this city with tens of thousands of people, this immediately caused a sensation, leaving everyone to murmur among themselves...


    "They are devils who devoured their souls!"


    "This man is no longer able to go to heaven."


    "His soul is cursed, and he will always be tormented by evil."


    People couldn''t stop discussing what was going on. The businessmen, who watched as bodies that were covered in white cloths were carried away, looked pale.


    They were thinking how sad it was that the hearts had been dug out, as the heart had a special meaning in Batko. Specifically, the people believed that their souls existed in their hearts.


    Although many people might not be afraid of death, they believed in the world after death, which they called the afterlife. If the heart was swallowed up by the devil, people could not enter this world. This was the most frightening thing for them.


    At this time, neither the common people nor the nobles dared go outside at all. Rumors about monsters and endless dark evils spread rapidly throughout the city.


    "It is the evil being who ate their hearts!"


    "The monster is still in town. It''s staring at everyone, and soon it will devour you, or maybe me!"


    "We have to kill this monster!"


    Some people took this opportunity to spread all kinds of ill-intentioned remarks, which only heightened the panic.


    "Why hasn''t this happened before?" In the streets and alleys, many people ask this same question.


    Immediately, someone seemed to know what had happened. "It''s the man. All of these things only started happening when he came!"


    Then, a series of unfavorable remarks about Lu Zhiyu spread throughout the city...


    "Yes, he has been hiding in the castle and refuses to come out. He must have a secret."


    "He''s making evil plans. He''s been sent here by evil gods!"


    At this time, the priests of the palace came and preached to the people. One of the priests said, "The great god of the desert has sent down an oracle. He told his spokesman on earth, high priest Hatton, that this man was not a messenger of gods, but a blasphemer of gods!"


    The square where they were at was crowded with people. After the priest''s speech, even more rumors started to circulate in the city, instantly being accepted as truth in all of the people''s minds. People who were already fearful immediately felt as if they had been fooled by Lu Zhiyu, and anger surged into everyone''s hearts.


    "That servant of the evil god was sent by the pagans. He will only bring disaster and death to us. This is only the first step of his abominable plan. If we can''t stop him, the city of Pusuote will be ruined. All of our souls will fall into the abyss and suffer eternal torture." The roar of one of the priests ignited fury in everyone''s hearts.


    The crowd on the square was enraged! Many families of the victims came out and shouted...


    "Burn the evil god''s servant! He must be punished!"


    "Yes, kill him! May the god of the desert bless us. We are not afraid!"


    "Expel the evil villain."


    Everyone held their fists high. They all had red eyes, as if they were all being controlled by something beyond this world.


    "Here comes the high priest, Lord Hatton!" one priest announced.


    At this time, Hatton, accompanied by a large number of priests, walked out of the palace. As Hatton came among the crowd, the entire square immediately became quiet.


    "God told me that this villain will bring us disaster!" Hatton spoke with a loud voice that could be heard throughout the square. "We must get rid of him. Only by getting rid of him can we then return to our peaceful and happy lives. Then, the glory of god will shine on us again."


    Hatton held up his golden scepter, his facial fat shaking. "I am god''s spokesman on earth. In the name of god, let''s go punish him!"


    "Kill him!" All of the people in the square roared with Hatton, "In the name of god!"


    The people then turned and swarmed the streets, heading straight for the castle where Lu Zhiyu lived. As every household had a weapon, each person approached the palace, armed and angry!


    These people were like angry hooligans. Everyone was steaming mad and headed straight for their target, which was Lu Zhiyu!

 198 Heavenly Palace

    "On no! The priests of the desert palace were stirring up people in the city, inciting them to kill you!" As Cetisius had run to the palace from a distance, he was out of breath when he arrived to warn Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu put down his quill pen and saw Cetisius kneeling at the door. After saluting him, Cetisius looked up at Lu Zhiyu and said in a hurry, "Anke sent me to you to let you know that he has arranged a way for you to escape. Follow me now please. Now that everyone believes Hatton, there is no time to waste! However, you can rest assured that Anke and I have absolute trust in you still."


    Lu Zhiyu did not seem worried. "Don''t worry!"


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t care too much about this new piece of news, neither did Eva. So, Cetisius could only kneel outside the door.


    In contrast, all of the other people inside the castle were in a panic. After getting the news, they all ran out of the castle immediately.


    The maids accidentally smashed the pots that they had been holding, as they were in such a hurry to run away. The slaves hid in the cellar in the backyard. After all of the chaos, there were only three people left, Lu Zhiyu, Eva and Cetisius.


    Soon, a large number of angry Pusuote people poured into the castle. Many of the people outside surrounded it. It was almost as if they were afraid that the evil guy inside might escape by some dark magic!


    Thousands of agitated people filled the broad streets outside, all of them shouting, "Kill him!"


    Under the command of several priests, people kicked down the wooden castle gate and broke into the castle. Those hiding in the dark trembled as they were listening to the roars.


    The people who broke in came straight to the center of the castle, which was exactly where Lu Zhiyu was! Cetisius was very nervous at the moment.


    He was guarding the door that led to Lu Zhiyu''s room, holding a spear that had been hanging on the wall. He was trembling with fear.


    As Lu Zhiyu heard some rushed footsteps, several big men ran up the stairs towards him, each of them holding either a dagger or an ax! As Cetisius recalled the moment that Lu Zhiyu gave him the chance to hear and speak, he became fearless and screamed, "You can''t hurt him!"


    As these agitated mobs would never be afraid of such a small fellow as him, they thought he was a mere twerp of a fellow who had turned to evil gods. So, they raised their axes at him immediately.


    As the young slave rushed towards the group of men, a big man kicked him to the ground and pointed his sword at him.


    That''s it. I''m dead!


    Cetisius had only one thought in his mind at the moment. It was too late for him to escape! He could only watch the shimmering dagger coming at his neck.


    "Stop!" Suddenly, a voice, accompanied by a force that seemed to be coming from out of nowhere made all of the people stop. Even the grim looks on their faces were fixed and unmoving.


    Eva, wearing a black robe, went out and saw a large number of people frozen. No one could move.


    People who were just coming in from the outside were shocked. All of those people who had rushed into the castle in front of them now stood still like stone statues!


    "Don''t go in! It''s the power of the devil!" an onlooker shouted in terror.


    The crowds who were moving towards the interior of the castle trembled with fear at this strange sight, then quickly retreated back. Several mobs who were near the gate of the castle crawled away in horror.


    A beautiful woman, who was much more graceful than any human being, suddenly emerged from the castle. The mobs, after seeing the strange scenes inside the castle, dared not to make any moves. Several priests outside wanted to flee, but they found that they could not move one step at all!


    Eva held out her hand, then clenched it tight. As she did so, one of the priest''s bodies shrunk in the middle. The squeaky sound of his shrinking, mixed with his cries, made all of the others'' teeth tremble and their legs weaken.


    Eva then looked at another priest. Like she was pinching the ends off of string beans, she pinched that guy to death too! Then, many others collapsed and screamed wildly.


    "Don''t kill me! I''ll tell you everything! It was Hatton who made us do it. He made us kill people in the city, pull people''s hearts out, then blame it on you!" The words of this priest confused everyone present, and all those who were agitated finally felt like fools.


    "How could it be Hatton?"


    "You killed people!"


    "Liars! You are all a bunch of liars!"


    Everyone felt that their beliefs and trusts had been violated. Realizing that they had been deceived, many people fell on their knees in despair.


    After the third priest confessed, the other two surrendered. But, Eva still did not stop, but pinched all three of them to death! At this moment, everyone lost their trust in the desert palace and Hatton.


    "Why did they deceive us?"


    "Why did the high priest do this? Why did he kill my brother!"


    "My child!"


    Having hurried to the scene, Anke cried out from among the crowd, "Because the real spokesman of god is inside, Hatton is just a liar who is falsely speaking in the name of god!"


    Anke pointed inside the castle, then said, "Look, that''s the power of god! Can Hatton build a huge castle overnight in the Sea of Death? Can Hatton cause Cetisius to hear and speak? Can he save me and my merchants from the sandstorm? No! Only the messenger of god can do such things!"


    As Anke''s words were very convincing, everyone once again looked inside the castle, as if they had found meaning to their lives again. Then, they immediately cursed Hatton...


    "That Hatton is the real blasphemer, as he deceives us in the name of god! His sins are unforgivable!"


    "Yes, god''s messenger is inside the castle. We need to welcome the real spokesman of god."


    "Punish Hatton!"


    "We need to listen to the commandments of the true god!"


    As Lu Zhiyu hadn''t shown up yet, the people looked to Eva. They immediately knelt down and worshiped her devoutly, as if they had completely believed Anke''s words that Eva and Lu Zhiyu were the spokesmen of god.


    Lu Zhiyu watched the farce outside quietly. He had achieved his purpose. When Anke invited him to stay here, Lu Zhiyu had a simple plan, which was to apply to the east of the Alen Continent an extraordinary power and divine system.


    This was a desert of extraordinary power! Neither divine incantation nor witchcraft had been spread to this area. Wizards and priests seemed to have no regard for this barren and uncivilized region. Instead, they chose the prosperous central province as the core area for their own development.


    With more and more ferocious magical beasts emerging here, people found no way to resist them. Even many religions worshiped magical beasts as gods now.


    Moreover, the eastern population was no less than that of the West. Once the divine system spread here, the developmental speed of Lu Zhiyu''s Divine Kingdom would be further accelerated, which was part of the reason why Lu Zhiyu had come to Batko.


    Lu Zhiyu hadn''t even had to make an effort, and the whole situation had turned out so favorable! Lu Zhiyu then joined Eva, and the both of them, dressed in a white robe and a black robe respectively, then went into the desert palace.


    Amid all of the confusion, the clueless high priest Hatton had not yet figured out why he was suddenly surrounded by the same people that he had just incited to kill Lu Zhiyu. Hatton wanted to escape, but he was caught by the angry people and sentenced to the cruelest criminal punishment in Pusuote! He was cast alive, made into a kneeling bronze statue and placed in front of the palace!


    Then, Lu Zhiyu, who had been previously denounced as the villain of evil gods, was greeted respectfully by the nobles, the tribal leaders, and the remaining priests of the desert palace in the city. Lu Zhiyu then became the spokesman of god on earth.


    He soon had hundreds of thousands of followers. Then, Anke was chosen by Lu Zhiyu to be the new high priest of the palace.


    In year 62 of the Holy Calendar, the desert palace was renamed the heavenly palace, and Randil, who was called the god of gods, ruled over all of the gods. A polytheistic sect now dominated Batko, and its unique belief system was vastly different from the Church of Light on the west coast of the Sea of Death and the orcs'' Church of Light in the northern part of the Alen Continent.

 199 The Emergence of Dream Wizards

    Within the wizard tower, a large number of wizard apprentices were in a hall on the second floor. Everyone was talking with each other.


    There were many former apprentices who had graduated from the wizard tower that were sitting in the back seats. They had now become wizard staff members or mentors.


    Edward stood in front of the stage to speak. Although he was young, he had already completed his courses in the tower, thus graduating from the tower to become a wizard. In fact, just a few days ago, he had successfully achieved level four!


    But even so, he was still not quite qualified to stand here. This time was a rare exception, as he was giving speech on behalf of the Master of the Tower, Bohr Kelermo. The speech was to focus on some of his pioneering discoveries and progresses that were likely to pave an exciting new path for future wizards.


    "Today, I stand here to talk about the idea that, in the future, there will be a new generation of wizards, the Dream Wizards! Most of what I''m going to talk about today comes from the teachings of Anthony, the founder of the wizard tower. Anthony''s notes say that the origin of dreamcraft can be traced back to the divine incantation. It is related to the rules of origin and mind power interference in reality. Like the Philosopher''s Stone, it relates to the mystery of mind power."


    He took a breath, then continued. "Since the end of the war between the orcs and the humans, wizards have once again come into contact with priests and Holy Knights. Their divine incantations have developed, becoming more complex and flexible. They can now call up divine creatures and even powerful saints who have passed away. Priests, though they look weak, have great fighting power. They can actually interfere with reality via illusions, thus being able to cause harm to our bodies and kill us!"


    As he watched the audience''s eyes widen, he continued. "Their divine incantations are only becoming more and more powerful. In fact, they are not even inferior to our Blood Witchcraft! Also, the Church of Light, after the end of the war between the humans and the orcs, though it lost its artifacts and its beloved Saintess, didn''t decline. Hence, in the face of such power, we are still at a disadvantage."


    Edward gave some examples of this in order to illustrate the possibilities of dreamcraft, which immediately aroused the interests of a large number of wizards. As Edward was very young, even though he had earned some reputation among the students, in the eyes of most of the older wizards, he was only an apprentice with some gifts.


    Most of the wizards who come here were just curious about the so-called new witchcraft, and they had also come out of respect for Bohr. As such, Edward was also under a lot of pressure to impress them.


    Although his mentor, Bohr Kelermo, gave him high praise for his new research, Edward was not completely sure if he could get others to see its merits.


    At the moment, everyone quieted down and became interested in what he had just said. He felt relieved and went on to discuss the main topic. "Dreamcraft is complex, and it includes illusionary techniques, curse witchcraft, and combining witchcraft with mind power force fields. It is a major research tool for all witchcraft. When done right, interfering with reality by using mind power is limitless. In fact, the only limits are our imagination!"


    He went on, hearing amazed gasps from the audience, "We can project the scenes in our dreams into real life, thus involving everyone in our dreams. The stronger your mind power, the more powerful your illusionary technique will be."


    He then concluded, "I believe that there are many techniques of dreamcraft that are just waiting to be developed. But, I can''t do it all on my own. This requires numerous wizards to study and explore, just like Blood Witchcraft."


    Everything Edward had just said caused the audience to erupt in a round of big cheers. Everyone seemed to be able to see the great future of dreamcraft. With such a positive reaction, it was very likely that it would become an important branch of witchcraft!


    Many people were reading the brochure that Edward had handed out when they entered the stage area, which recorded the characteristics and applications of dreamcraft. Although Lu Zhiyu had given Edward''s dreamcraft notes a glance and had offered a few insights, Edward had relied mainly on his his talent, as well as his contacts with and observations of the priests to complete the rest.


    Part of Adenos'' thoughts and research on the Ghost Witchcraft had also been included in Edward''s notes. This was something that Lu Zhiyu had never thought of incorporating in his own practices. As such, he knew that Edward was a genius, and so was his fellow student Adenos.


    A mentor suddenly stood up and said, "As far as I know, it''s very difficult for a wizard below level four to have the ability that you have just described. After all, their mind power has not been activated. Although they can use curse witchcraft to impose physical harm, it''s just a lie that one of their illusions could interfere with reality."


    The mentor took a breath, then criticized Edward loudly, "It is impossible to achieve such a thing at all!"


    Another wizard stood up. "It''s not difficult for wizards to build perfect dreams and illusions, but dreams are like sandcastles, as they can be destroyed easily. Besides, it''s not practical at all. Do you mean to tell us that every time you use dreamcraft, you have to make a lot of preparations in order to build your dreams?"


    Many wizards immediately started to find loopholes in Edward''s premise. After all, this was the wizard tower, where wisdom and knowledge was held above all. As such, any imprecise idea would not be recognized or accepted.


    But, Edward didn''t panic. He waited for all of them to express their opinions, then picked up a silver crystal that was the size of a bean.


    "Here''s the key!" As Edward raised the crystal, he immediately attracted the attention of everyone present. Some could not recognize what it was, but several of the mentors stood up and turned to look at Bohr.


    "The Philosopher''s Stone!"


    "That''s the Philosopher''s Stone!"


    Some of them shouted out at once, immediately recognizing the rare treasure. Everyone had heard of the magic stone! For the wizards, it was holy!


    It could transform mind power and make people step into level four. It had originally been prohibited by the wizard tower, but after the return of Uruk, when Wolfe and Wendy went to Yala, the prohibition was rendered null and void.


    For most wizards, this was the most prized artifact. Without it, wizards couldn''t break through the significant threshold of level four, even if they were strong enough. Thus, it represented the dream and hope of all wizards!


    When he realized that the audience did not understand what he meant, Edward went on to say, "Everything you said just now can be solved with what I have in my hand. Yes, it''s the Philosopher''s Stone, but not the original one, as it has been transformed!"


    He waited a moment, while many people gasped, then said, "Like Blood Witchcraft that needs magical beasts'' spellcasting organs and bloodlines, dreamcraft also needs something special. That is what I have in my hand! I call it the Stone of Dreams, and it has been made from the Philosopher''s Stone."


    He smiled, then continued. "The Philosopher''s Stone can interfere with reality by creating an illusion, which immediately reminds me of dreams. I then use mind power to consolidate my dreams within the Philosopher''s Stone, then transplant the stone into my body. Then, it becomes the Stone of Dreams, which allows my dream to be projected into reality. At that point, the dream that originally was only an illusion will now become a stable dream space!"


    As Edward spoke, he pointed to the middle section of his forehead, between his eyebrows. This was where he had transplanted the Stone of Dreams and where his mind power emanated from his brain.


    Immediately, a silver wolf appeared in the hall. It was being projected by his mind power!


    The silver wolf''s image was vivid, and it looked fiercely at all of the wizards, emitting a low roar. Even its fur was waving in the wind that was coming in from the open window nearby.


    Many of the students were shocked and turned to discuss with one another what they were seeing...


    "What?"


    "Is this an illusion?"


    "It''s not a simple illusion. It really interferes with reality! It is really just like he said."


    "This is dreamcraft?"


    A large number of mentors and tower staff gathered around and carefully looked at the silver wolf. They watched him run around the hall and jump at Edward, just like a real wolf! But, while it was in the air, it turned into a silver light and disappeared! Only then did they know for sure that it was not a living creature, but an illusory projection!


    Edward went to the front of the stage and bowed to everyone. "This is dreamcraft!"


    A big round of applause issued forth from the excited crowd. This young man, along with his mentor Bhor, had pioneered a brand new wizard branch!

 200 Bronze Statue Ghos

    Edward followed Bohr to the top of the wizard tower. He felt very excited. Now that he had the dreamcraft practice materials, he was ready to go to the tower library and convert them into points!


    "Thank you, mentor. Without your help, I would never have been able to accomplish so much!" Edward said.


    Bohr replied immediately, "Thank mentor Anthony. I didn''t think you would be lucky enough to be chosen by him. Although he taught you how to practice dreamcraft, you have perfected the whole system, consolidated several basic theories, and lowered the threshold for learning and using dreamcraft. I''m also glad to see that you have created a new branch of wizards."


    Bohr was very proud of his protege''s achievements. Bohr looked forward to seeing wizards become even more strong and powerful.


    Edward immediately recalled the mysterious man and the event that took place in the Mara kingdom. The encounter with Anthony, the great sage, and the beginning of his dreamcraft had transformed Edward from an impetuous little wizard to a real wise man. Edward felt that this was destiny at work.


    They soon arrived at the gate of the tower library. The huge stone door of the library was open and the library floor was covered with carpets. Its luxurious decorations were quite different from before.


    The library had a lot of partitions, which were finely separated by wooden shelves. Each partition was three or four meters high, ten meters wide, and had five layers. There were also many stairs and spiral ladders inside the library. The wizards would walk on these partitions, looking for the books they wanted.


    This was a real world of books. The huge library was filled with the smell of the books and the taste of knowledge. This fantastic atmosphere made people feel like they were inside a paradise of wisdom.


    In the middle of the entrance hall, a three-meter-high creature, which had a human head and a lion''s body, was standing near the circular workbench. While responding to the inquiries of several wizards, the creature used its mind power to control other things. As the creature was working, several goose brushes were constantly writing, while all kinds of lists and files were flying into the cabinet behind it!


    The lion-faced creature was Pyros. This creature was in charge of the tower library.


    It was said that Anthony, the founder of the tower, brought Pyros back from the astral. Pyros was known for its commitment and responsibility. The creature was also as knowledgeable as wizards, with some wizards even accepting it as a member of the wizard group.


    Moreover, it ran the tower library and could recite all of the books in the whole library. As such, Pyros was extremely important.


    In fact, as long as Pyros existed, the inheritance of the tower would never be lost. Moreover, even if everything was lost, with its memory, a wizard tower could be rebuilt anywhere.


    "Hi, Pyros!" greeted Edward.


    "Hi, Edward!" Pyros smiled in reply.


    As soon as Edward arrived, he greeted Pyros. It seemed that the two knew each other well.


    "I need you to help me evaluate my witchcraft system. This is the fruit of my painstaking labor, a new system of witchcraft. Hence, it cannot be underestimated!" said Edward.


    "Fairness is what we abide by. If you think my judgments are unfair, you can ask your mentor for a second opinion!" Pyros replied.


    Edward leaned over the counter and said, "Okay, I''m kidding! Pyros, are you the only one left in your family?"


    Pyros looked through the materials of dreamcraft and nodded. "Our family is unique in the Marian world, as we only have one member per generation, and each generation is the manager of knowledge."


    The sun was setting, and boats floated pleasantly in the wide glittering Hashe River. Many strong young men were leaning against the wooden boats that were docked along the shore, enjoying the sunset. They had been busy working all day, so now was their time to explore the beauty and tranquillity of Mother Nature.


    The Hashe River was a branch of the Assei River, which flowed into the territory of Batko from the south. It was this river that supplied fresh water to countless Batko people and nourished the barren land.


    Pusuote was close to the desert and had been eroded by sandstorms throughout the year. The Hashe River was the widest and longest river in the vicinity, forming the largest human gathering place in this area.


    On both sides of the river, numerous fields lot of barley and wheat had been planted, as these were staples in Batko. In fact, most people in Batko typically used these two commodities in every meal, along with fruits, such as dates. Meat, like beef, mutton, and fish could only be enjoyed by the nobility and the upper class.


    The original desert palace had now been expanded several times, making it a truly beautiful palace. The high priest in the palace, Anke Pusuote, had claimed the royal rights of the original Pusuote family and turned the palace into the only true place of authority in Pusuote.


    Currently, a large number of monks were busy compiling classics in cuneiform, which was a totally different language than those used in the Western world. Cetisius, who was the priest of the palace, was also present.


    They were compiling the holy scriptures of the heavenly palace, as well as the legends of the gods. The whole heavenly palace had been completely renewed and rebuilt. Also, besides the addition of Randil, who was the god of gods, the gods of death, the wind, and the moon were also being added, among others.


    In the deepest corner of the palace, Lu Zhiyu was sitting on the throne in a white gown. There were white stone slabs that were covering the ground, and the high walls were decorated with colorful paintings, which had a simple and wild style that was exclusive to Batko.


    Rows of bronze soldiers with long swords on their waists stood at attention within the palace, as well as outside the doors. Several giant bronze statues of silver wolves were also placed outside the palace.


    At this moment, these metal castings were shuttled into the palace, as if they were patrolling soldiers and guards. If there were any intruders or any strange occurences, they would immediately wake up and kill anyone who posed a threat. Even though they did not have any extraordinary powers, their invulnerability and lethality could rule the entire battlefield!


    Their existence was actually a recent failure of Lu Zhiyu''s. Specifically, he had attempted to create life out of metals, which had been totally unsuccessful.


    This was because these creatures had no wisdom or consciousness. But, he was at least still able to use these monsters as guards and for general labor.


    As long as the creatures were exposed to light, they could move and fight according to orders. Then, when they were not needed, they would become real statues again.


    Lu Zhiyu felt that these creatures were somewhat similar to the legendary stone ghosts, yet they were not made of stone. So, Lu Zhiyu named them bronze ghosts.


    Even though his creatures were useful somewhat as they had turned out, the successive failures still discouraged Lu Zhiyu. He could not think of a proper method for creating consciousness and wisdom. Originally, he had wanted to create real life by using metal, but in the end, he could only make a group of bronze ghosts to guard the gate!


    Meanwhile, within the palace, several maids in the hall were playing harps. Pottery pots had been placed all over the palace, as well as a few lovely potted trees. Eva danced to melodic songs, which had become her hobby since she had first danced for Lu Zhiyu.


    While Lu Zhiyu rested on the throne, a bronze statue ghost that was shaped like a lion was crawling beside him. It would raise its head occasionally to look around.


    At this time, Lu Zhiyu suddenly realized that, since Pyros was a mythical creature, it could communicate with God. After the knowledge system was sorted out by the sub-brain Gaia of the Divine Kingdom, it would be transmitted to Lu Zhiyu.


    Then, Gaia would timely remind Lu Zhiyu of some important information and knowledge. Moreover, any news of dreamland wizards and the new witchcraft system would be immediately transmitted to Lu Zhiyu as well.


    "Huh?" Lu Zhiyu straightened up, startled.


    His sudden movement stirred up a group of maids, who suddenly lost their rhythm. All of them then fell on their knees in alarm, and even the golden lion statue that was next to Lu Zhiyu roared.


    Eva looked at Lu Zhiyu and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head and said, "Nothing. I just thought of something¡­.Can we interfere with spirits by using the Philosopher''s Stone? I didn''t think that was possible!"


    The thought had just occurred to Lu Zhiyu. This gave him hope, as maybe, with a little inspiration, he could think of something truly brilliant!

 201 The Underworld

    A few years after the Year of Holy Light, extraordinary powers began to emerge. In addition to this, wizards, priests, Holy Knights, magical beasts and others began to appear in Maria''s World, and even more strange phenomena of spirit also gradually appeared.


    Ordinary life forms lose awareness when they die, which is the most basic natural rule of the world, but these extraordinary lives were different. Their awarenesses were strong and stubborn. Even if they lost their flesh and memories, their awarenesses would stubbornly remain.


    In the early days, this was not obvious, but with more extraordinary lives being extinguished, there were more and more awarenesses being born, especially those of level 4 and above, which had stable structures.


    Their memory and awarenesses were thus tied together. As such, death was not their end, and their awarenesses could still stubbornly stay in the world.


    In this way, the human world would gradually be full of awarenesses with the passing of time. Lu Zhiyu had thought about such a problem long ago, so he had tried to create an underworld, but had never succeeded. However, he found that Edward might be able to help solve this problem.


    At this moment, a huge half bitwall was constantly forming and eventually expanding into the bitwall of Maria''s World. In an instant, the entire bitwall became abnormal. The stars seemed to dim at this exact moment.


    Although not many people discovered this scene, the astrologers in the various kingdoms and principalities were all very shocked by it.


    "The stars have been hidden. Natural disasters are coming!"


    "The moon and stars dimmed! This is a catastrophe!"


    "Is there going to be a terrorist attack? Where will it be?"


    People in the Kingdom of Mara were shouting. They all believed deeply in astrology, after all.


    At this moment, the sound of rushing footsteps echoed in the court. Among them were the young queen''s.


    She wore a gorgeous long dress and her crown. She went to the top of the castle and leaned on the uneven wall to look at the dark sky. The stars and moon couldn''t be seen at all, and everyone''s faces became pale.


    "My God, what is going on?" someone asked.


    For the people of this era, the stars represented the gods and indicated one''s destiny. All wizards, pastors, and wise men attached importance to the observation of stars, but no one could truly understand their meaning.


    "Do you know what is happening?" the Queen asked anxiously.


    Two astrologers wearing star patterned robes were flipping through their star maps and ancient records. They were sweating heavily. One replied, "Your Majesty, this has never happened before!"


    "Never?" the Queen asked.


    "Not since humans began to write," that same astrologer replied.


    Meanwhile, in the cemetery outside the city of Babus, under the nameless tombstone that had been worn down by the wind and rain, a skeleton was undergoing a magical change.


    The king of the Church of Light felt uneasy. Between the battle of the humans and the orcs a few years ago and the collapse of the Crete Empire, he was already fearful.


    Other than the formation of the half bitwall, no more strange things happened, and at this time, Lu Zhiyu had already entered the half bitwall with Eva. She followed behind Lu Zhiyu, both exploring the area, only to find that there was nothing to it.


    "Master, where are we now?" she asked.


    Lu Zhiyu said, "It''s a new half bitwall. Here is where the land of the dead will be."


    When Lu Zhiyu reached out his hand, they both saw the light blooming in his them continuously. The last huge illuminant, which was made up of metal deified cells, formed, expanded, then flew into the sky.


    Eva watched it into the sky, then stabilize in the sky, illuminating the whole world. She whispered with surprise, "Is that the sun?"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head. "That is the sun in the underworld, which is not the same as our sun in reality!"


    Eva looked at the sky and put out her hand, then asked, "Because there is no temperature?"


    Lu Zhiyu looked down. "The sun in Maria''s World shines and gives warmth to the earth, the underworld''s only projects images of the underworld!"


    As Lu Zhiyu''s voice fell, the sun of the underworld instantly burst into huge lights, and the projection appeared hundreds of meters under the ground. With the glowing of light, which was its assimilation of information, the whole world seems to be woven by countless lines, quickly forming into a seemingly real world.


    Then, they immediately saw the dark and barren land, the flowing rivers, the mountains and the plains. The whole world was desolate, dark and full of feelings of death.


    Moreover, the feeble light that glowed from the underworld sun did not have warmth. Instead, it only made people feel gloomy.


    The two then walked in this underworld, through the land and along the river. The underworld was quite small, since it had just been formed. So, the two quickly traveled across the whole land.


    Eva felt that everything was real, but the strange sun stopped her from trusting her instincts. She asked, "Master, is it real? Or, is everything just an illusion?"


    Lu Zhiyu explained, "This is a world on the edge of reality and illusion. It is the place where the dead can stay and where reincarnation is started."


    Based on the Stone of Dreams, combined with the Divine Kingdom of Gaia, Lu Zhiyu had created the sun of the underworld, which projected the underworld as a place between reality and illusion.


    Since it was impossible to let all of the awarenesses and souls stay in the Divine Kingdom, he thought that it might be a good idea to project a world of the dead and put them all there. At the same time, these souls and awarenesses that were unwilling to leave would also be finally absorbed into the sun of the underworld, so the underworld could continue to expand.


    Then, over time, the sun of the underworld in the sky would become more powerful and the underworld would expand to a massive size, just like a real world.


    Lu Zhiyu stood in the middle of the initially formed underworld, looked at the sun in the sky, then meditated for a while and said, "The underworld needs a lot of management personnel to maintain order."


    Lu Zhiyu immediately recalled the heavenly palace in Batko. He was considering its divine system in particular.


    The inhabitants of Batko had many mixed beliefs and many gods, but they all had one interesting thing in common, their faiths and their devotions to death.


    They believed in the afterlife and the world after death. Every god shared the power to govern the world of death and control souls of the dead. Even the recently compiled holy book in the heavenly palace recorded a god of death.


    "You mean the divine system in the world of death? That sounds great! " Eva smiled.

 202 Priests in the Underworld

    The sunlight came into the hall, and the golden murals shimmered. Although Lu Zhiyu was respected by many people as being equal to a god and countless believers were willing to give up everything to follow him, it was the first time that he had been worshiped as an incarnation of God.


    This gave Lu Zhiyu a novel feeling. Lu Zhiyu had lived for almost a hundred years, which normal people couldn''t achieve. Although there were no signs of aging on his face, time had still shaped his mind. For instance, he was no longer naive, and he had no sense of excitement while doing things that he used to like doing.


    The foundation of the palace was ten meters high, so it could be seen by everyone in the city of Pusuote. if he was standing on the outer corridor of the main hall of the palace, a man could also see the whole Pusuote city.


    He could also see the Hashe river, as well as merchant ships and fishermen who were arriving at the docks. The merchants and the tax officials of Pusuote could even be seen as they were putting different seals on shipped goods, which indicated that the proper taxes had been collected.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Eva, who was standing next to him. He then asked, "Who do you think I should choose as the lord of the underworld?"


    Eva glanced at Lu Zhiyu, then answered, "I feel that master does not care about this matter. After all, the lord of the underworld is of no importance to you."


    Lu Zhiyu smiled, It was as if Eva had read his mind. He then said, "You are right."


    Lu Zhiyu turned around. Then, after a bit of thinking, he asked, "Eva, do you want to be the lord of the underworld and take control of the world of reincarnation and death?"


    Eva shook her head and looked at Lu Zhiyu. "I don''t want to, because where you are is where I want to be." Lu Zhiyu actually saw a slight smile on her face as she spoke.


    Lu Zhiyu curiously asked, "Aren''t you curious about who I really am? I have never told you, and you''ve never asked!"


    Eva stood in front of Lu Zhiyu, blinking her jewel-like eyes at him. She then said, "You are my creator!"


    Lu Zhiyu stood silently for a long time, wanting to say something. Then, he finally looked out of the hall and announced, "There are guests coming!"


    Outside the main hall, young Cetisius was wearing a ritual robe. He walked up the high ladder, then bowed.


    Immediately, he saw the statue ghosts, each with a rifle, step away. Cetisius passed through the bronze statue ghosts and went into the palace.


    Cetisius had suffered a lot, but his experiences had only made him stronger and better able to understand the suffering of the lower-class. After all, he did really care about others.


    Anke had been a generous and good master of Cetisius, and he had even allowed Cetisius to study with his son.


    As a result, Cetisius really liked to read. Even before he could speak, books had been his whole world.


    When he met the incarnation of god, Randil, he felt that his world was completely turned upside down. He had then begun to forge his own beliefs and go after his own pursuits. He had even found his life goal, which was to spread the belief in god to the entire Batko region and the entire eastern world!


    "I''ve been saved by God, but that''s not enough. Everyone in the world should be loved by God and should be the proof of a miracle! Compared with physical pain and suffering, the lack of belief is the most horrible thing. Everyone should have beliefs!" More than once, Cetisius had expressed similar musings publicly, both in the palace and in the city of Pusuote.


    As a result, many poor people and laborers became his faithful followers, as they liked to listen to his speeches about God.


    While he was awaiting the arrival of Cetisius in the divine palace, Lu Zhiyu stood on one side of the main hall. Cetisius arrived in a rush and greeted him with polite and proper etiquette.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Cetisius, a slave who had gradually become a young qualified priest. Compared to other priests, Cetisius was much more interesting.


    Cetisius was a firm believer, but his belief was not only in God, but in saving all beings. He wanted to spread his beliefs throughout the world and build a country based on his ideals.


    "I am confused, so please enlighten me. With so many gods, and each god having a different power and philosophy, then how can we find our own belief among them?" Cetisius asked Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu thought a bit, then said, "The establishment of our god system represents the unity of thoughts and beliefs. Therefore, there may be many gods in the god system, but there is only one unified belief. This is why I asked you to compile the holy book. The inheritance of the belief is the foundation of the god system."


    Cetisius then asked, "So, what kind of belief should it be?"


    Lu Zhiyu said, "It is what you believe in your heart!"


    Cetisius said excitedly, "You agree with what I believe!"


    Lu Zhiyu said, "You are the inheritor of my will. You are guided by gods without fear, panic, or doubt. You must build an ideal nation, one where good will be rewarded with good and evil with evil, where people no longer seek pleasure and enjoy fighting, and where there is no prejudice or hatred..."


    As Lu Zhiyu continued speaking, he gently stroked Cetisius'' head. Cetisius bowed his head devoutly.


    He found that the light in his hand brought a glow that covered his whole body, and a large number of mysterious characters also flowed over his body. A mark that was similar to the sun of the underworld then appeared on his forehead.


    This mark was a divine incarnation, one that was much different than that of the Divine Kingdom of Gaia. This was because it was from the underworld.


    The underworld divine system was established in accordance with the underworld rules. It had trials, curses, summonings of the underworld creatures, the projection of the underworld and the divine seeds that would gradually form a unique space in the underworld, each of which would have special powers.


    After priests in the heavenly palace died, they would be absorbed into the sun of the underworld and become governors of the underworld. Now, as the underworld was currently empty, as more priests died priests, the whole underworld would continue to expand.

 203 The Sun of the Underworld

    As Lu Zhiyu put his hand on Cetisius'' forehead, Cetisius felt the infinite knowledge and power from Lu Zhiyu''s palms pouring into him. An inexplicable feeling and joy surged in his heart.


    "This is a revelation. God has chosen me to be His spokesperson!" he exclaimed.


    The dark sun of the underworld gradually became full, and Cetisius opened his eyes and immediately saw the projection of the sun of the underworld in the sky. It was expanding.


    At this time, people in the city of Pusuote discovered that, as the sun set, a strange sun rose slowly from the top of the heavenly palace and a large number of priests poured out into the palace. At this moment, all of the monks looked at the great palace that rose high in the center, many of them exclaiming in wonder.


    "What is that?"


    "Is that a sun?"


    "How can there be a dark sun?"


    All of the people of Pusuote walked out on the streets. Nobles, businessmen, hawkers and farmers were all shocked as they looked at the rising dark sun. They didn''t understand how this could be happening. But, they knew that the sun was rising from the direction of the palace.


    The heat and light of the sun radiated throughout the city of Pusuote, making the deepest parts of everyone''s souls feel touched. This was the awareness that was attracted by the sun. Living people couldn''t feel the light of the sun of the underworld, but one''s awareness and one''s soul could feel its warmth!


    "That is coming from the direction of the palace!"


    "This is a miracle!"


    Many people shouted, and at the moment, the noise of the outside world was in sharp contrast with the silence in the great palace. At that moment, Lu Zhiyu saw Cetisius stand up slowly. They looked at each other, and Cetisius began to shed tears.


    "Are you leaving?" he asked Lu Zhiyu.


    As he was standing outside the palace, the night wind blew Lu Zhiyu''s robe, and the stars all over the sky seemed to shine again.


    "The God of the sky is in charge of the space world! The God of death is in charge of the underworld, and you are in charge of the earth!" When Lu Zhiyu said this, he saw his body and robe blowing with the wind and gradually turning into smoke. They then disappeared into the air.


    Cetisius looked at Lu Zhiyu as he was disappearing. His whole body was shaking with excitement, while his breathing became more and more heavy.


    "Please don''t leave! Everyone in Batko needs your salvation!" Cetisius begged.


    As Lu Zhiyu did not say a word, Cetisius looked in the eyes of Lu Zhiyu and suddenly understood something. A gentle smile spread over his face, holy and innocent, like a newborn child. He then exclaimed, "Gods are in heaven, the dead are in the underworld, and the living are on the earth. I am the one who will save Batko!"


    Then, following the disappearance of Lu Zhiyu, all of the bronze statue ghosts within the palace also disappeared, and the heavenly palace began to expand rapidly. It was as if it had broken away from its shackles.


    Cetisius managed to get the holy book of the heavenly palace finished and divided into three volumes: the book of the gods, the book of the living, and the book of the deceased. The book of the living was widely publicized as being the rulebook for the guidance of gods to the human world. The priests of the heavenly palace also used it as their guiding book to spread the beliefs of the heavenly palace to all believers.


    The holy book depicted the ideal world in Cetisius'' mind. People would go to the underworld where the trial would be held. Good people would then start a reincarnation, while the wicked ones would suffer forever. There were also a lot of debates about law and philosophy in this book, which Cetisius used to regulate believers'' behaviors.


    The book of the deceased recorded the divine incantations of the underworld''s and the present world''s priests. He decided who would become priests to master the divine incantations.


    Only Cetisius knew the contents of the book of the gods. It was said that this book recorded the keys that could access the Divine Kingdom, which was beyond the reach of ordinary people. This was especially important because in the Divine Kingdom people could avoid the trial of good and evil.


    Following the completion of the three holy volumes, the beliefs of the heavenly palace were completely rebuilt and the prestige of Cetisius grew even more. Everyone revered his noble qualities and all of the believers in the Pusuote region knew his name and called him a saint on earth.


    At this time, the high priest of the heavenly palace was still the Anke Pusuote, which was the first high priest who was selected by Lu Zhiyu. Now, Anke became the one who limited the development of the heavenly palace. He was also an important obstacle for Cetisius in expanding the belief of the heavenly palace.


    Anke Pusuote was not only the high priest of the heavenly palace, but he was also the leader of the Pusuote family. As such, he had great influence over the Pusuote region and held a great amount of both religious and bureaucratic power.


    The growing prestige of Cetisius and the legends about him that were circulating among the ordinary people made Anke Pusuote become suspicious of his loyal subordinate. In fact, from the moment that Cetisius received the inheritance of the gods, a deep jealousy was ingrained within him.


    After all, Anke Pusuote was afraid of losing his position. He liked the feeling that he was high and that everyone was looking up to him.


    All of this had made him afraid that Cetisius would take everything away from him. So, he began to suppress Cetisius''s power and prohibit his speeches and beliefs from being spread inside the heavenly palace.


    However, with the completion of the holy book, the influence of the heavenly palace was gradually increasing. Hence, more people in Pusuote began to accept the beliefs of the heavenly palace, and everyone began to become believers.


    They all contributed this to Cetisius'' teachings. After all, it was he who, at all costs, personally guided the priests of the heavenly palace to various poor villages and towns and proclaimed his beliefs.


    This made Anke Pusuote angry to the extreme. In the eyes of everyone, he was just a high priest who sat by doing nothing. Yet, no one knew the great efforts he had made for the development of the palace. Plus, several wins in diplomatic warfare were to his credit, but all of this was unknown by the masses!


    "The development of the palace was my doing! He is lucky to get the inheritance of the gods and help compile the holy book. Why him? And why was my effort not recognized?" Anke was obviously feeling sorry for himself.


    The competition between Anke and Cetisius had become even more fierce. Inside the heavenly palace, the people had also split into two groups.


    Cetisius remained respectful of Anke, as he was his former master, not to mention that Anke was the first high priest appointed by god and his position was unshakable. As such, Cetisius would never deal with Anke unscrupulously.


    However, with the increasing hostility inside the heavenly palace, something Cetisius feared and was unwilling to see was bound to happen...

 204 Soul Eater

    "I have to get rid of the! Only, I am the spokesperson of the gods!" Anke Pusuote was plotting to kill Cetisius, while the priests who supported Cetisius were preaching against Anke Pusuote!


    One of the priests yelled, "The High Priest should give the position to Cetisius, as Cetisius is the true spokesperson!"


    Meanwhile, Anke Pusuote had bought a poison that was made by a wizard, then had a waiter put it in Cetisius'' food! This plan had been meticulously made, and hence, Cetisius did not notice anything unusual about his food when it was brought to him.


    However, because Cetisius had been transcribing the scriptures until very late, working straight through his dinner hour, his pet lion ate the food instead! The poison eroded its body, rotting it away entirely.


    Cetisius was sad and angry. He knew that if he did not do anything, the heavenly palace''s beliefs would collapse and his dreams would never come true, which Cetisius could not bear to see.


    So, he launched a coup against Anke Pusuote. He had the guards in the city of Pusuote replaced by his followers, then killed the leader of the palace guards, thus igniting a cleansing.


    In the middle of the night, more killing ensued. In the faint light of the night, bodies fell with piercing screams. Blood flowed through the cracks in the slate and dyed the whole palace red.


    "Cetisius, you are so arrogant! You will be punished by the gods!" Among the violent killing spree, a priest took up a sword and roared at Cetisius.


    Cetisius led the people all the way into the palace. On the way, many of the underworld priests who had learned the divine incantation fought with the priests of Cetisius, but Cetisius eliminated all of those incantations effortlessly.


    All the way up to the gate of the palace, the killing continued. Above it, in the residence of the god''s incarnation, which was the holy place of the divine palace, many statues of the gods stood.


    Cetisius stretched out his hand and, with a flashing light, a priest was who was standing in the palace immediately fell. He fell down the ladder and struggled for a long time, then screamed, "You kill your own brothers and sisters! You will be sent to hell to be punished by the most severe laws!"


    So far, the whole temple of the sky had fallen completely into the hands of Cetisius. The priest who was part of the conspiracy that failed to poison Cetisius was the guardian of the sacred fire, along with several of his men, now stood in front of Cetisius.


    These people all looked at Cetisius with intense hatred. In their views, Cetisius was just a big talker and madman who was willing give up his life to achieve his goals.


    They also saw him as being a round peg in a square hole, sticking to his own so-called moral standards. Most people couldn''t keep up with his harsh standards and didn''t agree with his practices and ideas.


    "You are just a liar using the name of the gods!" After saying this, a man was immediately beheaded.


    The door of the palace was open, and across the tall stone pillars and the white threshold, you could see the copper oil lamps on both sides of the walls gleaming with light. The light illuminated the entire palace, and Anke Pusuote was kneeling in the center of the palace before the god of Randil.


    The men who followed Cetisius into the temple were about to come forward, but Cetisius stopped them and waved them out. When the people withdrew, they also closed the thick stone gates of the palace.


    With a harsh sound, the hall was closed, isolated it from the outside world. Now, there were only Cetisius and Anke, staring at each other.


    As Cetisius walked forward, the sound of footsteps in the silent room was particularly clear and loud. Cetisius walked to the statue next to Anke and looked at it as if he could feel the gods watching.


    "Anke Pusuote, are you ashamed of yourself?" Cetisius asked.


    Anke Pusuote stopped praying and replied, "Why should I be ashamed? I am the high priest, appointed by the gods. I am the spokesperson of the gods. I am also the apostle who guarded the gods and followed the gods. As the first follower of the gods, I should be the most respected and most recognized. So, after all of my efforts, how could you take what was mine?"


    In Anke Pusuote''s view, all of this was what he deserved and Cetisius was the one who had taken it from him. He couldn''t accept this.


    Cetisius looked at Anker Pusuote, whose facial muscles were shaking and whose eyes were deep and red. Cetisius suddenly felt so disappointed. He then replied, "I was wrong, as I thought you were like me, a devout believer! But, you are just a businessman. In your eyes, there are only exchanges and interests! You will not fight for faith and salvation! You may be a good businessman, but you are not a qualified high priest and lord!"


    He took a breath, then continued. "Anke Pusuote! We are different. I am no longer the humble slave. I have everything, the whole of Pusuote! There will be more in the future, but you are still pursuing ridiculous things. You have become a saint, standing at the feet of the gods, but you still behave like a mouse in a street corner, shortsighted and ridiculous!"


    Anke Pusuote did not wait for him to finish talking, but asked with fury, "Why do we have to be like you? Are you a god?"


    Cetisius said, "I am the successor of the will of the gods!"


    "Hahaha!" Anke Pusuote could only laugh.


    At this moment, blood continually flew out of his mouth and he fell onto the ground. Then, after some effort, he finally moved to one side.


    Cetisius did not expect this. He watched Anke Pusuote leaning against the feet of the gods, the blood rushing out of his mouth. Anke Pusuote was the spokesperson who was appointed by the gods, so Cetisius was not qualified to kill him. In the end, he could only be placed under house arrest, but he had not expected Anke Psout to make such a choice!


    Anker Pusuote looked at Cetisius with a smirk and said, "I... I won''t accept your pity. I am the high priest. Only the gods can judge me. You have no such qualification!"


    When Anke Pusuote finished his words, he died, and Cetisius stood still for a long time. Suddenly, he felt that his path was far more difficult than he had at first thought. Facing opposition, killing, and betrayal would accompany his whole life, and Anke was just the first test.


    Back in the inner hall of the heavenly palace, a large number of corpses were gathered together, then put into gorgeous coffins, including Anke Pusuote. After all, he would still be buried as the first high priest in the heavenly palace, and this strife would be not mentioned in the history records.


    After this civil war, there were only five priests from the underworld left. Cetisius and several priests of the heavenly palace prayed silently with them.


    The bonfire was flashing, and they were constantly reading the scriptures in the book of the deceased silently. This strange scene made other people feel a little creepy and panicked.


    What their naked eyes couldn''t see was that the awarenesses that had been left by the dead priests'' bodies were dancing around the fire! Under the guidance of the book of the deceased, these floating awarenesses had sensed the place of death in the depths of the earth. They had then passed through a mysterious passage, leaving the world of the living.


    They then penetrated into the underworld, and in the projection of the sun of the underworld, they had appeared on the land of the underworld, wearing black robes and holding sickles.


    After they came into the underworld, the whole underworld became bigger. In the center of the underworld, there arose a palace of death, the throne of which was still vacant. These priests then entered the palace.


    Immediately after the awareness of Anke Pusuote entered the underworld, far away from the vast land of the underworld, at the end of the river, a huge gate of the underworld rose up. At that moment, Anke Pusuote''s awareness became a huge monster that had a sheep''s lower body and a human''s upper body.


    It was ten meters tall and had huge tusks and long hair. It also held a huge black fork and guarded the gate of the underworld.


    Many years later, it was called the guardian of the gate of the underworld, the soul eater, and sheep Heim. It guarded the gate of the underworld to prevent someone from breaking into or fleeing from the underworld.


    It liked to devour souls, and it also liked order, not chaos. So, when an awareness entered the underworld, it must line up with the standards. Otherwise, Heim would pick it up with a giant fork and swallow its soul!


    It was said that Heim was extremely greedy. As long as you gave him bribes, you might pass through the gate of the underworld. He was also proud and arrogant, not allowing anyone to say bad things about him. This was also Heim''s weakness.


    With the coming of the first group of priests into the underworld, the underworld finally began to function as a well-oiled machine. The expansion of the sun of the underworld immediately made the powerful ghosts who disobeyed rules in the present world feel a strong attraction to it.


    These ghosts finally felt the call of the world of death. Some of the weak ghosts couldn''t resist this attraction to the underworld and escaped the present world to come to the underworld.


    These muddleheaded ghosts had no memories, only some instincts, but they could still sense danger here. They looked up and saw the towering underworld gate and the soul eater above the black steps.


    "Line up or die!" Heim''s voice echoed throughout the underworld.

 205 Moving Castle in the Deser

    In the 66th year of the San calendar, Pusuote gradually formed its special political and religious systems under the leadership of the high priest Cetisius. The heavenly palace divided the world into three parts, which were the heavenly world, the underworld, and the human world.


    All of the gods lived in the heavenly world and were under the control of Randil, the god of the sky, while Cetisius, the spokesman of gods on earth who claimed to be the inheritor of the will of gods, supervised the world of the humans.


    A large number of tribes and clans and believers of the heavenly palace were under the management of Cetisius. They built the Pusuote Kingdom, which was not ruled by the tribal leaders or clan leaders. Instead, the high priest held the position of kingship and ruled over it.


    In the 66th year of the San calendar, under the leadership of Cetisius, the Kingdom of Pusuote started a conquest campaign against the surrounding tribes and clans. Soon, Cetisius conquered the surrounding regions and spread the beliefs of the heavenly palace to all corners of Southwest Batko.


    He then unified all of the tribes and clans of the Hascher River before setting his sights further afield. The army of the Kingdom of Pusuote then crossed the Aro River into the tribal area of Inpot. It took less than a month to destroy this ancient tribe, which had hundreds of years of history and traditions.


    At this time, the Pusuote Kingdom occupied nearly a quarter of the area of Batko, which shocked everyone. However, some people discovered that, in the barren southwest portion of the Batko region, a powerful country had arisen.


    Apparently, the conquest movement of Cetisius and the rise of the kingdom of Pusuote had immediately caught the attention of these surrounding tribes. So, a war soon raged between them, filling the whole land of Batko. It was not only a struggle for land, but also a confrontation between vary different beliefs and cultures!


    -------------------


    In the heart of Harraf, the Sea of Death, the hot air was able to melt everything. As such, there was nothing there but sand.


    The whole area looked somewhat hazy and vague due to the sizzling heat. It was so hot, when people stepped on the sand, they could hear the sound of their feet burning.


    This was the forbidden place of the Sea of Death. In that place, no living creatures survived. If ordinary people entered there, they would become dehydrated and die within a few hours. Moreover, because of the unique geographical environment, people could not tell which direction they were facing at any given time.


    The most terrible thing was that there were a lot of monsters there, all of which had adapted to hostile desert environments. As such, these monsters had extraordinary powers and enjoyed living there very much.


    Boom!


    Strange sounds echoed throughout the Sea of Death. Instantly, in the depths of the dunes, among glowing lights, a castle arose.


    The castle was a dozen meters high and was built with iron. It was exquisite and magnificent. It had ample space, and all of its available space had been smartly utilized.


    It was a movable grand castle, dashing across this desert''s forbidden land, looking down on everything. It had a caterpillar base, which was several meters high. In a modern person''s view, the castle looked like a huge caterpillar truck!


    The castle was running fast in the desert, blowing sand and dust everywhere. A group of giant iron-headed lizards were chasing it, as if they were chasing enemies on the battlefield.


    However, as the castle turned around, its giant base crushed past the iron-headed lizards, crunching them into pieces as it went. The few surviving panic-stricken lizards immediately fled.


    Finally, the castle went deep into the desert''s forbidden land and stopped at a huge mountain ridge. The bare mountain ridge was black and it stretched hight into the sky.


    As this mountain range formed a natural blockade against sandstorms, inside it, a calm small world existed. There was a pure supply of groundwater that gushed out of the ground and formed lakes.


    This was especially significant because water was the source of life. Thanks to this water source, a small green zone had gradually appeared in the center of this forbidden desert area.


    However, Lu Zhiyu was still not satisfied with this big toy that he had made. He had attempted to master alchemy, but all he had been able to make was this bizarre castle!


    "I can''t believe that after failing to make a floating city, I even can''t make something that runs with two feet! The caterpillar base is so ugly. In fact, it''s abominable!" Lu Zhiyu mumbled to himself.


    After his breakthrough in mechanical alchemy, Lu Zhiyu had made this castle, which had been a dream of his since childhood. However, after driving it around the desert a few times, Luzhiyu was no longer interested in it.


    When Lu Zhiyu was trying to make a floating castle, he realized that it was almost impossible with his current capacity. So, he had given up and made this castle instead. To keep it moving, he had added the caterpillar.


    But, the final product turned out to be totally different from what he had imagined. But, Eva was very interested in this big toy, so she drove it around all day through the desert, and she and Lu Zhiyu lived together within it.


    As the whole Sea of Death was uninhabited, they could drive fast without bumping into any obstacles. However, some businessmen who passed through nearby regions of the Sea of Death, as well as Batko residents who lived in the nearby oasis, could see the moving castle from afar.


    The story of the moving castle had spread to the remote areas of Batko via traveling merchants. Everyone was saying that there was a mysterious and horrible mobile castle that was kept deep in the desert. People who saw it were warned to not approach it, as once anyone entered the desert, they would never be able to get out!


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t care about all these silly stories and only focused his attentions to his own affairs at present. He and Eva drove around all day, seeing different scenery, racing with animals in the desert, running along the water source and observing the rising and setting of the sun. As such, he found these days to be very pleasant.


    One day, the mobile castle stopped at a black ridge. Once it stopped, the caterpillar folded itself up and went inside the bottom of the castle, which was located next to the ridge.


    Eva, who controlled the mobile castle, walked down the stairs and saw Lu Zhiyu in the laboratory, playing with a bronze statue ghost. This ghost had undergone tremendous changes compared to the original bronze statue ghost!

 206 Letters from Bhor

    The transformed bronze ghost was lighter than before and was able to fly. Its combat capability had also improved, so much that hundreds of flying bronze ghosts could be dispatched at any time within this mobile castle!


    Unfortunately, its metal brain cells still couldn''t replicate. Lu Zhiyu had yet to discover the reason for this limitation.


    Although Lu Zhiyu had made some progress in developing mechanical alchemy, it had failed in the end. However, It was gratifying to note that Lu Zhiyu''s Lord of Dreams of mid-level mythological template and domain projection had both gradually improved.


    This indicated that the underworld would develop as planned. Since the underworld had welcomed the first batch of underworld priests, the whole underworld began to operate smoothly. Following this, a large number of dead wizards, demons, and monsters died, and powerful awarenesses began to enter the underworld.


    Although mere projection couldn''t produce anything, it could interfere with the changing of substances. This was the ability of illusion to interfere with reality. With a large number of awarenesses merging into the underworld, over time, the whole underworld would change dramatically.


    After the trial in the underworld, good awarenesses were imprinted, then sent to reincarnation. After several reincarnations, they would gradually be assimilated into the underworld sun.


    The wicked were sent to purgatory, then gradually assimilated into the underworld sun after suffering greatly. Some impurities couldn''t assimilate to the sun, so they stayed in the illusory underworld, which made the underground world undergo some changes.


    The Lands and rivers of the underworld were gradually solidified by the power that the awarenesses and souls brought. Because of these scattered impurities, the whole underworld began to change from the illusionary form to a specific form.


    In the entire half bitwall of the underworld, unexpected changes had taken place, and this was only the beginning! As the awarenesses of the deceased continued to increase, Lu Zhiyu looked forward to what the underworld would look like in the future!


    After the prototypes of the bronze statue ghost version 2.0 were completed, Lu Zhiyu immediately started to use them. They unfolded their huge wings and rushed out of the window into the sky. They were extremely fast and flexible!


    "They''re good!" Lu Zhiyu became excited.


    He looked at Eva. Only then did Lu Zhiyu discover that there was a raven perched on Eva''s shoulder!


    "Hello, Mr. Anthony, the master of the tower. I''m your postman, Piquat!" the raven said to Lu Zhiyu.


    Its appearance made people laugh. It stretched wings, as if in a salute. Its pair of bright eyes looked smarter than the average person''s.


    Lu Zhiyu recognized that this was a good friend of his student Bohr!


    Bohr had Piquat deliver important letters. When Lu Zhiyu saw the bird, he knew that Bohr might need help. This was because he had told Bohr before that, if he ever needed help, he could come to Sea of Death and find him.


    "I was just saying that, but I didn''t really expect this guy to come to me. He has been the tower master for so many years. Is there anything that he can''t solve?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    Piquat laughed, but its laughter made people feel thrilled. The bird then said, "Bohr was very mysterious about this letter. He did not tell me what it was about, but it should not be a bad thing!"


    Piquat opened his bag and took out two gilded letters, the first of which was written in Finnish.


    "Why are there two copies? Who is the other one for?" Lu Zhiyu asked, while he opened one of the letters.


    "Sure, it''s a good thing!" he announced after reading a few lines of it.


    Eva asked curiously, "What good things does Bohr want to tell you, master?"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head and said, "It''s not from Bohr, it''s from Wolfe and Wendy. They have built a wizard academy in the elf kingdom in the Yalan Continent, and it has made some impressive achievements. So, they couldn''t wait to send letters to tell me all about it."


    He then added, "Wendy named the academy the Corolla White Academy. I remember how this little girl laughed at me and said that my wizard tower was dark and ugly. I''ll go and see what kind of wizard academy she built."


    "Ah, that fairy girl! I don''t like her. She always said that I was ugly. How could that be? I was the most beautiful one! Look at my beautiful tail, so soft and shiny, and among all of the others, I could still say the that I''m the most eloquent!" Piquat said.


    Lu Zhiyu pinched Piquat''s mouth. He knew that the bird could talk for days and nights if it was not stopped.


    Lu Zhiyu then opened the other letter from Bohr, in which Bohr greeted him and explained the recent situation in the wizard tower, as well as the changes happening in the whole Western world. Bohr also mentioned his student Edward, who was very grateful for learning dream witchcraft.


    There were not many blood wizards in the wizard tower at present. The reason for this was that every blood wizard needed a spellcasting organ of a magical beast, and magical beasts were extremely wild. Even an extraordinary wizard found it difficult to catch one.


    Therefore, there were not enough blood wizards. Much of the same effect was occuring with the dream wizards. To become a dream wizard, one must first have the Philosopher''s Stone, then transfer it into the Stone of Dreams.


    Whether it was the acquisition of the Philosopher''s Stone or the making of the Stone of Dreams, for ordinary wizards, it was almost impossible to collect all of the necessary materials! Adding to the difficulty, the current production process of a dream stone was very difficult and had a success rate that was extremely low. This further restricted the likelihood of becoming a dream wizard!


    But Lu Zhiyu knew that, as time went on, it would become easier. For instance, for the process of becoming a blood wizard, at first, only Bohr had succeeded. Yet, now the number of blood wizards was growing constantly!


    Over time, dream wizards and blood wizards would become more and more common. Then, the blood wizards would eventually become the typical category of all wizards!


    When Lu Zhiyu finished reading the letters, he was in a very good mood. Eva took the letters from Lu Zhiyu and folded them carefully. She then asked, "Master, are we going to Yala to see Miss Wendy and Mr. Wolfe''s wizard academy?"


    Lu Zhiyu thought for a moment and said, "Don''t worry, wait till I finish upgrading of the mobile castle, then we will drive the castle there."


    Eva asked in surprise, "Ah, but didn''t you say that, in order to build a floating city, there are insurmountable problems that couldn''t be solved in a short amount of time?"


    Lu Zhiyu immediately replied, "Of course, as it is not yet possible to create a floating city that could stay in the air. But, we can still think of some way to let it fly for at least a short period of time. I have already made some progress regarding this. Once I finish, I will drive the whole castle through the sky of Maria''s World and land directly on the mainland of Yala!"

 207 Revived Ghos

    An elliptical-shaped castle had been formed under Lu Zhiyu''s manipulations. The beauty of mechanical alchemy was that its products were made up of metallic cells. Even though these products did not contain any intelligence, consciousness, or the ability to think, they did possess some life characteristics.


    For example, they had the capabilities of growing, repairing, maturing and modifying themselves. Since Lu Zhiyu had been the one who designed their life template, aside from the insufficient technology to develop a metallic cell brain, which rendered them a bit empty-headed, everything else had grown exactly according to how Lu Zhiyu had wanted!


    To decrease some weight off the iron castle, Lu Zhiyu had designed a plan to modify it. Now, aside from the top part that still resembled the shape of a castle, the lower parts currently looked like a giant egg. Also, aside from the metal bottom and the main structure of the castle, the interior houses and rooms had all been built using a light wood.


    After modifying the flying castle, a large number of bronze gargoyles had then decorated and constructed its interior, and just like that, a brand new castle appeared in front of Lu Zhiyu''s eyes!


    Everything that was happening on the outside could be seen from within the control center that was located in the middle of the castle. Since he had stopped the castle in the oasis in the middle of the forbidden group within the Sea of Death for a while already, it would take some time for him to get going again.


    Lu Zhiyu sat in the middle of the control center, while Eva stood beside him, curiously watching Lu Zhiyu as he fiddled with the controls. She was very interested in seeing how Lu Zhiyu could fly this thing!


    "Start the engine!" As he gave the order, the track-wheel in the bottom surface of the castle retracted into the castle and blue flames shot out of its bottom. The heat of the flames melted the soil and sand on the ground, while the castle rose up to the sky.


    "Transform to flying mode! Unfold the wings!" he shouted.


    Then, two mechanical wings popped out from both of its sides, while the castle glided up into the sky. From the ground, it looked like a giant egg with wings had just flown into the clouds.


    Soon, the flying castle was surrounded by clouds. Then, the flying castle finally reached above the layer of clouds and was exposed to the lights from the sun.


    At this moment, the flying castle was driving directly on a layer of clouds, and the sunshine was no longer golden as usual, but had instead became a mottled color.


    Eva was so amazed by this scene, she let her tiny mouth fall wide open. In fact, no one who had come from the ground would not be amazed after seeing such a beautiful heavenly view for the first time!


    While Lu Zhiyu was laughing, he patted the metal ball in front of him and opened up a map of Maria''s World projected, which was projected in front of him. On the map, aside from the endless sea, there was the Alen Continent, Swirl, and Yala. The Arctic, which was covered in ice all year and the dragon island that had recently appeared in the volcanic island region where the dragon rajas gathered was also depicted on the map.


    Compared to when Lu Zhiyu had first created this world, the whole world had since become much more lively. This was because everything was developing further and improving day by day.


    In fact, its evolution was so fast, it even surprised Lu Zhiyu! Now, looking back, he honestly felt like he had created this world only yesterday!


    "Target is Yala, Forest of Life!" he instructed.


    -------------------


    In the southwest region of the central province, which was the Kingdom of the Church of Light, and next to the Mara Kingdom, there was a triangular gap that existed. Within that gap was a mountain called Andromeda Mountain. Its named came from its shape, which resembled that of a lady who was lying on her side.


    On the peak of Andromeda Mountain, there was a massive snow mountain. The water from the mountain would flow down into the Mara Kingdom and form large areas of wetlands in the northern part of the kingdom. This is actually what had created this dense forest and enriched environment in the first place.


    Even the largest river in the kingdom, the river of life, also known as the Nami River, had originated from here. The flow of the river had flooded a large area in the south region of Andromeda Mountain, soaking everything with water. As such, the whole area was full of thick water condensation and had a very rotten smell.


    This place was called Rotten Marsh, and it was full of danger, as many dangerous beasts resided within it. Since this area was not fit for humans to inhabit, it had become a no man''s land.


    In Rotten Marsh, a person in a black cloak and was tightly wrapped in bandages. From underneath his hood, his hollowed eyes that contained green flames were shockingly terrifying.


    This was a ghost with no goals or memories. He was walking on earth after having woken up. As such, he had lost everything. Even the fragments of some of his memories were so disjointed, they seemed like mere scenes or flashbacks from another person''s life.


    Who am I? Am I Adenos?


    No, no, I am not him! Or am I?


    Yes, I am Adenos!


    Now that the lonely ghost had returned from his long rest, he hated humans. As he soon discovered, his current power could easily kill any human because of how fragile they were. So, if he could remember any of his old tricks from his memories, he could effortlessly destroy many of them!


    He had walked out of the city of Babus and had travelled through many cities and villages, but wherever he went, he never fit in. This world could not accept him. So, he had nowhere to go but to this forsaken place.


    Adenos stepped onto the muddy ground, while avoiding the deep holes in the swampy land. Then, one step at a time, he walked into the depths of Rotten Marsh, slowly leaving behind all of the human societies that refused to accept him.


    At that moment, a strange humming noise came down from the sky. Adenos could clearly sense it, and as he looked up, the green flames in his eyes flickered. He saw a flying castle, which had just separated from the clouds.


    Its metal body and its two huge wings made it look like some kind of strange bird. It then flew across the sky above Rotten Marsh and slowly disappeared.


    As Adenos stood in the middle of the swamp, surrounded by flooded grasslands, the wind blew in from Andromeda Mountain and lifted up his cloak. Adenos looked up at the sky and wondered...


    What on earth was that?


    Meanwhile, the flying castle also triggered another being on top of Andromeda Mountain. The being reached out its head from a cave within the snow covered main peak, then shouted towards the sky.


    Within the flying castle, Lu Zhiyu was currently sunbathing in a room on the top floor, while Eva was making coffee for him. They could see the sunshine and the beautiful views from the glass window, but they were not at all aware of the revived ghost below, much less the familiar looking black dragon!

 208 The Fate of the Ordinary

    In the 71st year of the the San Calendar, ten years had passed since the last war between the orcs and the humans, which marked the the dissolution of the Crete Empire. After the end of this dynasty, which was once called the Bronze Dynasty, the Crete Empire had become an area with no ruling king.


    Eight years after Saintess Kelly''s ascendance to the Divine Kingdom, Pope Hodap, though not as gifted as her, had developed the Church of Light to its peak. After achieving that historic milestone, he had passed away.


    The chaos and conflicts of power within the realm, along with the losses that it suffered in the last war, including the destruction of many armies, resulted in the Church of Light''s no longer being capable of controlling its central province.


    The powerful king of Rosa d''Oro fought and died in the Sumerian Plains of the Crete Empire. The Mara Kingdom only had a young queen, which left it quite vulnerable in the eyes of most people. As for the other nations, they didn''t even have the military power to send forces into the central province.


    As such, all of the major noble families had declared their independence from the central province, which had brought even more chaos to the entire region. The half-orcs that were sold as slaves and then exiled, had now moved to the central province and set up their own factions. Joining them were some orc tribes that took the chance to move in from Red River Plains. Thus, the central province had now become a region inhabited by humans, orcs, and half-orcs.


    As a result of the central province''s constant conflicts, many practices that differed from any other human nations and orc nations were born. While many orc merchants and human merchants had been trading here, as this area had become a somewhat safe zone for humans and orcs, the line that had previously divided them had been blurred.


    As such, there were many unusual occurrences. For example, humans were living together with orcs, half orcs were conducting business with humans, noble human families were hiring orcs as guards, and orc tribes were hiring human academics as advisors.


    The Holy Seville Empire of Orcs, as promised in the peace treaty that was signed ten years ago, restrained themselves from invading any human nation. Thus, peace had finally seemed to arrive.


    In the capital of the Holy Seville Empire, Sarga City, Verthandi was inside the palace. She was wearing a blue gown and her blonde hair was tied back beneath her crown. Outside the spacious palace, numerous guards stood at attention, while inside the palace, many priests of the Faith of the Sun were praying.


    Behind layers of curtains, an extremely weak woman could be seen. She seemed to be on death''s door, not having much time left. She was a woman from the race of wolf-people, with wine-colored hair and red wolf ears.


    She was about forty to fifty. This woman was none other than the wolf-people princess, April!


    In stark contrast to Verthandi''s youthful appearance, April''s had deep wrinkles on her face. However, as one could still see, she had once been an alluring beauty.


    For women, especially pretty women, aging was the most terrible thing that could happen. Hence, April''s looking at herself aging, while her loved one''s appearance remained unchanged was the biggest punishment she could possibly have been cursed with.


    Part of why these signs of age and wear were so evident on April was that, when she had given birth to Delmedi, even though there was nothing wrong with the witchcraft of the boar-people''s wizard Uruk, this kind of rule-breaking witchcraft had taken a great toll on her body and drastically decreased her lifespan. Even though Uruk had warned her about this possible negative effect, she had still insisted on going ahead with it.


    Because the witchcraft had damaged her so badly, even the healing of the church or normal wizards couldn''t cure her. In fact, none of the ordinary methods would help treat her condition at all.


    Verthandi leaned on the side of the bed, holding April''s hand. Her skinny shoulders were trumbling, which made her seem so sad and helpless. In contrast, April seemed very calm and peaceful, as if she had already resigned herself to her approaching death.


    "It is fine, Verthandi. Don''t be sad, okay? It is really fine. I am already over fifty. Death is a part of life..."


    April touched Verthandi''s face and ran her fingers through Verthandi''s shiny blonde hair. Her lion-like shining pupils were now constantly constricting, keenly watching Verthandi. Then, she suddenly laughed.


    "Everyone will one day reach the end of their lives. Besides, I am afraid of getting old, as my beauty would only continue to fade, while others stay so vibrant. I am very happy to go now, Verthandi!"


    Verthandi couldn''t hold herself together any longer, so she burst into tears. "April, thank your support all of these years! Thank you for everything you have done for me. Really, thank you from the bottom of my heart!"


    Verthandi held April''s hands tightly, as April struggled to pull herself up. She then stuck her face next to Verthandi''s and kissed Verthandi''s lips, just like she had back in the Amos Icefield, when Verthandi had carried her while she was sick. Thus, everything was like a loop, having started with a loving and nurturing kiss, then also ending as such.


    "I now have to thank you, and I also have to thank God for me allowing me to fall in love with a Son of God!" As she finished her sentence, it was as if April had lost all of her strength. She let go of Verthandi''s hand and dropped back onto her pillows.


    As Verthandi leaned her head over the bed, her crown dropped and her soft silky blonde hair scattered everywhere. At the same time, her usual majestic expression suddenly became soft and weak.


    Meanwhile, the priests of the Faith of the Sun, who had been waiting outside and praying, rang the bell that represented the ascension of one''s soul to heaven. Then, they recited the words of mourning from the Scripture of the Sun, praying for April''s soul. Many knights guarding this area also got down on one knee to show their respects.


    At that moment, some noise came from the corridor outside. It was Delmedi, who was walking with rapid footsteps. As she rushed into the door, this sad scene met her eyes.


    Delmedi was wearing a full suit of armor and holding her helmet in one hand. She had just returned from the border. Arriving upon this scene, she suddenly dropped the helmet on the ground, revealing her hair blonde hair, which was the same color as Verthandi''s, but was kept even longer. However, her face bore an uncanny resemblance to April''s.


    Delmedi then knelt on the ground, clearly emotional. She didn''t know what to do. Then, she suddenly lifted her head and turned to demand an answer from Verthandi... "Why didn''t you save her?"


    Verthandi answered in anger, "This was your mother''s choice, so how could I have saved her? This is the fate of all mankind. These are nature''s rules that even Saintess Kelly and the Pope of the Church of Light can''t escape."


    Delmedi got agitated and her pretty face turned red. "But, you are the Lion King Will. You are the son of God. How could there be something that you cannot do?"


    Verthandi said, "I couldn''t do anything because that was her specific request!"


    Delmedi wiped away her tears and pointed her sword towards Verthandi. Immediately, a group of guards rushed forward and surrounded her. Verthandi signaled them to back off and quietly looked at Delmedi.


    "Lion King Will, I Hate You!" Delmedi shouted.


    She had grown up listening to the legends of the Lion King Will and had been proud to be the successor to the emperor since her childhood. However, Verthandi had never acknowledged her as her own child. Therefore, she had never received those maternal feelings from Verthandi. Hence, her admiration and affections were never reciprocated.


    Her admiration for Verthandi had now been replaced with rage, as she now suddenly burst out and slammed the door behind her.

 209 The Change in the Kingdom of Elf

    The thick clouds accumulated into layers, and they were changing into many shapes as the wind blew. The flying castle flew past the clouds amid the night sky, finally arriving near Yala.


    The flying castle wasn''t fast or flexible, so Lu Zhiyu had deemed it useless for battle or other applications. However, it was pretty good for transportation.


    In this era, there was not much danger in the sky anyway. Aside from some rare flying magical beasts, nothing would suddenly attack the castle, so it was a very peaceful trip.


    Within the flying castle, Eva was resting in bed. As for Lu Zhiyu, he had closed his eyes in the bedroom and started to meditate. His consciousness flew into the world of zero degree dimension to feel the mysteries of another dimension, as well as the power of origin held within that world.


    Meanwhile, the wings of the flying castle glided through the sky, separating the clouds. Under the night sky, the stars twinkled and the whole world was calm.


    -------


    Yala hadn''t changed much. The elves who used to all live in the Forest of Life had now split into three groups. The separation of the Kingdom of Elf allowed them to leave the Forest of Life and build different cities in Yala. However, the whole continent was still like a desert in regards to civilization.


    The entire elf population was no more than twenty hundred thousand, which was not much more than a slightly populated larger human city. Hence, it was barely worthy to mention.


    The elves'' long lifespans and their lack of threat of being invaded, had provided no motivation for them to change their way of living. In fact, the last time something happened that brought about any change to the elves was the death of the Tree of Life. Its destruction had brought huge calamity upon them, which made them reconsider their futures.


    Soon after that, the seed of the Tree of Life was given to them by Lu Zhiyu, bringing with it hope. At that time, many of the elves decided to leave the Forest of Life to go and seek a brighter future. This was when the Kingdom of Elf had split into three groups.


    This was also the catalyst for the establishment of wizard schools. This made sense, as the majority of the elves were curious about the wizards, and they were especially amazed by their strange witchcraft and extraordinary powers. Most importantly, they admired their talent and wisdom.


    From the elf wizards, they could learn things like music, architecture, art, literature and smithing. This was mind-blowing, especially for the elves that were into art and culture!


    The elves who hadn''t even finished exploring the whole continent of Yala had realized that, in this vast world, they were not the only civilization, and that on the other side of the ocean, there was an even more enriched and colorful world!


    Deep in the Forest of Life in Yala, near the grand canyon in the south of the city of Sylve, there was the Hagrid Grand Canyon. It was this grand canyon that had once changed the elves'' hearts, prompting them to explore the east.


    In this area, a wide river flowed, then formed a huge waterfall as it reached the Hagrid Grand Canyon. The river quickly fell into the grand canyon, like a stream of white silk, creating thousands of layers of white fog.


    As for the high ground that stood next to the waterfall, a snowy white beautiful tower had been erected there. The river flowed next to the tower, and an S-shaped stone bridge went over the river, leading to the gate of the tower.


    There were flowers blooming everywhere, and birds and animals would drink from the river. Underneath the tower was an abyss, and on the other side was an endless dense forest. Seeing the tower from the river side, with the white clouds as a background, it was almost like the tower was actually connected to the clouds in the blue sky.


    The main body of the tower was a castle, which had a high tower that was surrounded by other buildings. Between the tower and buildings, there were stairs and bridges that connected them, and even more stairs spiraled up through the insides of the castles.


    At this moment, many elves were walking within a special tower. This was the wizard school of the elves, which was held in the Corolla Tower.


    At this moment, Wendy was teaching a class within one of the great halls of the Corolla Tower. They were on level three and the waterfall could be seen right outside the windows. It was terrifying, but equally breathtaking.


    "The witchcraft from the wizard tower mostly originated from a basic witchcraft called the Body Modification Technique. Therefore, we do not take basic witchcraft lightly, as it was these things that built the basis for the higher levels we have attained ever since!" Wendy said.


    She then added, "What I am demonstrating now is the basics of alchemy, known as the Hand of the Wizard. This is also one of the most basic witchcraft techniques, and it is essential for the study of alchemy!"


    Wendy''s voice spread across the great hall, while the elves in white robes listened to her carefully. Sylr, a language that was very different from human languages, echoed within everyone''s ears.


    There were not many wizards within the Corolla Tower. In fact, there were only about ten qualified wizards and a few apprentices present. The ones that were in the Corolla Tower now were mostly newcomers, and on top of that, a lot of them wouldn''t even be considered as wizard apprentices! Instead, they had come here to study music, architecture, art and literature from the human world.


    "Look at the sky!"


    "Something is dropping from the sky!"


    "It is not dropping, but flying down!"


    In the middle of Wendy''s lesson, the great hall suddenly became noisy, with many of the students talking at once. Wendy got very angry at first, but then she noticed that everyone was looking out of the window, and as she looked too, several big things with wings slowly descended from the clouds!


    A giant iron castle, which had lowered down from the clouds, was slowly coming closer to the Corolla Tower. Meanwhile, everyone in the Corolla Tower walked outside and looked up to the sky.


    They opened their mouths widely, as they had never seen anything like this before. It was far beyond their imaginations.


    However, Wendy could see that, underneath the base of the castle, there was a silver mark that represented infinity and the wizard tower. After remembering the letter that she had sent earlier, Wendy knew right away who was controlling the giant iron castle.


    "Alright, be quiet everyone! No need to panic. This is mechanical alchemy, a product of witchcraft from the wizard tower!" Wendy spoke very calmly to the other elves, her words immediately raising many comments from among them.


    "The wizard tower? They were already able to build something this big in the sky?"


    "Oh my God! If they can send a castle up into the sky, do they live in the sky as well?"


    "Then, how are they any different from the gods?"


    At that moment, Wendy might have seemed calm on the surface, but she was very shocked as well, as she thought, Oh my God, did the teacher actually drive that thing around half the world to get here?


    Every elf was leaning their head to get a better look at the flying castle, which was getting bigger as it was getting closer. It then went in a circle around the tower.


    As it flew, blue flames were constantly coming out from behind the castle. It then landed in some nearby grassland.

 210 The Corolla Tower

    As the giant flying castle landed, a dozen wizards immediately flew from the Corolla Tower and stopped in front of it. They already knew that the castle was from the wizard tower, as they had recognized the symbol at the bottom of it straightaway.


    Aside from Wendy and Wolfe, the majority of the wizards had never seen Lu Zhiyu before, but they had already speculated who the person flying the castle was. It could be none other than the founder of the wizard tower, the legendary Great Wise Anthony!


    If they weren''t just now seeing the flying castle with their own eyes, there was no way that they would believe that someone else could have managed to produce something like this! Then, as the two giant double-layered wings slowly retracted into the castle, its gate opened and flipped down, turning into a staircase that reached to the ground.


    A black haired man wearing a silver-edged white robe came down the staircase, followed by a silver-haired girl who was wearing a black robe. They then looked towards Wendy and Wolfe.


    The sister and brother gathered in front of Lu Zhiyu and hugged him. Wolfe was the more mature of the two, so he didn''t say much, but Wendy behaved like a giddy little girl, hanging onto Lu Zhiyu''s neck in excitement.


    "Teacher, you actually came! I missed you so much! You should stay here longer!" she said and smiled.


    Lu Zhiyu started laughing and patted Wendy''s back. "I came right when I got your letter!"


    After Wendy let go of Lu Zhiyu, she looked at Eva. She already knew that this was the alchemical lifeform that he had created. As such, she was amazed by her.


    "Hi Eva, we meet again!" Wendy said kindly.


    "Hi, Ms. Wendy!" Eva replied.


    Lu Zhiyu looked around the Corolla Tower, seeing that everything there, from the composition to the scenery, and even the choice of location or the architects were all superior to the school he built. In fact, looking at the Corolla Tower felt like looking at a garden from the dream world, which was surrounded by rivers, green mountains, and the blue sky with white clouds. The waterfall only further reinforced this feeling.


    Wendy carefully observed Lu Zhiyu''s expression and then, like a little girl, she proudly asked, "What do you think? Isn''t it pretty, just like the fairyland?"


    The elf apprentices were also curiously looking at Lu Zhiyu, as many of them had never encountered a human before. Furthermore, Wendy''s girl-like behavior was equally shocking to them, since Wendy had always been a strict teacher in their eyes. They never imagined that she could have such an innocent and romantic side!


    Lu Zhiyu carefully looked around the Corolla Tower and realized that he couldn''t find any flaws in it. The Corolla Tower was indeed more sunny and well-designed than his wizard tower!


    "Ahem, this looks like you copied mine. Doesn''t it look similar to my wizard tower?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    "Aw, teacher...." Wendy didn''t know what to say, so she just blushed shyly.


    "Alright, I won''t tease you. It is indeed very pretty. Congratulations on finally establishing your own wizard school!" While they were small talking, Lu Zhiyu followed Wendy into the tower.


    Along the way, many good-looking elves were giving him curious looks. The wonderful tower was inhabited by equally pretty elves, and wherever they arrived, many elves bowed down and greeted Lu Zhiyu and the Instructors, allowing him to once again appreciate the culture and beauty of this race.


    While the elves curiously observed Lu Zhiyu, he was also observing them. He noticed that the elf wizards were more interested in creations and illusions, as well as the study of things like mechanical alchemy, plant breeding, magical beasts, animal breeding and pharmacology.


    As for Blood Witchcraft, it was not as popular here, since the majority of the elves thought that this kind of witchcraft was blasphemous. Also, due to their long lifespan, they wouldn''t be very keen on life-extending techniques


    The elf race was much more compatible with the witchcraft system. Aside from some elves that lacked the abilities to connect to the magic network, all of the other elf wizard apprentices could become qualified wizards with their long lifespans alone! As such, the ratio of level four wizards here would far exceed that of the humans. However, humans excelled in both raw power and in the advancing of the wizard system when compared to the elf race.


    Lu Zhiyu walked across the white great hall, which was decorated beautifully. There were many plants placed within it, and the hall was decorated with many delicate paintings and statues. Even the rails for the spiral staircase looked like artwork.


    "Instructor, a new branch has appeared in the line of the wizards, the dream wizards. Did you know that?" Wolfe suddenly asked Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "I had heard about this from Bohr and his student Edward. He completed the dreamcraft system. His idea for the Stone of Dreams was truly brilliant, as it lowered the training difficulties and raised the efficacy of dreamcraft."


    Wendy heard this and said, "We think that dream wizards are very compatible with the elf race."


    After they pondered this for awhile quietly, under the guidance of Wendy and Wolfe, Lu Zhiyu visited the entire tower. The overall model was copied from the system of the wizard tower, so it was quite well-done.


    Later, in the lounge on the top floor, Lu Zhiyu sat down and asked, "Just say it, what did you two call me here for really?"


    Wendy hesitated, then said, "Me and my brother have been preparing to become dream wizards, and we also know how to create the Philosopher''s Stone, so we have been preparing for that for a long time. However, we were hesitant, because if we fail, our minds will suffer a lot of damage. So, we figured that since you are here, we thought that we could¡­"


    Lu Zhiyu knew what she was getting at, so he immediately agreed. "Sure, let me have a look at the Stone of Dreams. How far has your preparation gone?"


    Both Wendy and Wolfe had become level three wizards a while ago. Even though they were still far from breaking through to level four, it was time for them to choose their paths, and compared to being a blood wizard, the path of dream wizard would be better for both of them.


    After staying in the Kingdom of Elf for a while and helping them improve some of the system and the techniques to create the Stone of Dreams, Lu Zhiyu took Eva and drove the flying castle away from Yala once again. Along the way, Lu Zhiyu looked around the whole word, particularly focusing his attention on the current situation with the dragon raja in the dragon island, as well as with the mermaid race in Swirl.


    These two races had been born far later than the humans and the elves. As such, their groups were still weak, and there was no system. However, they were still slowly developing.


    It just needs some time¡­


    After Lu Zhiyu observed quietly for a while, he left those areas as well.


    After having wandered around the whole Maria''s World, Lu Zhiyu landed the flying castle on an island somewhere in the south. He then handed over the controls to Eva and went through the dimension door, returning to Earth.


    -------------------------


    Roar!


    Adenos, who had only his skeleton remaining, had just gotten burnt to a crisp, charred black. He was currently fleeing from the main peak of Andromeda Mountain.


    As he slid down the mountain and landed at its base, most of his bones scattered. He then kneeled, trying to put himself together, bone by bone.


    At that moment, the monster-like roaring had appeared behind him again, shaking the entire snow mountain. At the main peak of the snow mountain, a black Titan Dragon was hovering in the sky, roaring with rage and looking for the being that had just provoked it.


    The fight that had Adenos had put up against the Titan Dragon had been an utter defeat. No matter which witchcraft he had tried to cast upon the dragon, it had no effect at all, as the scales of the Titan Dragon had extraordinary resistances and could easily block any small witchcraft that Adenos possessed.


    Even the curse that he cast with all of his power could only cause a little bit of damage on the dragon, which was not enough to take its life! Adenos wasn''t expecting something this strong to be in this world, yet he had no intention of giving up or feeling discouraged.


    This was because he had his eyes on that Titan Dragon, especially the body that the dragon was guarding, both of which really excited Adenos! If he could get his hands on them, he certainly could obtain an even stronger power!


    Adenos still felt a bit hazy and was struggling with retaining his memories...


    Think! What other powerful witchcraft was in those memories?

 211 The Fire of Ghos

    Witchcraft?


    Curses?


    Forming an army of ghosts with the Ghoul Modification Technique?


    Which is my strongest power?


    Adenos was wearing a completely torn and broken black robe and was being followed by a dozen normal soldiers that had been turned into normal class ghouls by the Ghoul Modification Technique. These ghouls had traveled across the wetlands of the Andromeda Mountains.


    In fact, these "soldiers" were only hunters and farmers who had come to hunt or had mistakenly entered the wetlands, so they could only be modified into normal class ghouls and not into Death Knights, let alone be transformed into super powerful king class ghouls! Even though his mind power had reached the level of level three wizards as soon as he had woken up, since he had lost his blood witchcraft, his army of ghosts and the king class ghouls, Adenos'' power levels had now been weakened to the minimum.


    As his skeleton foot stepped over the vines and splashed in the dirty pond of the forest wetlands, his skeleton head suddenly looked down into the pond. From the reflection of the rippling water, he had just noticed the pale green flickering flames inside his eyes.


    What is this?


    Adenos suddenly realized that he had not been focusing on the flame inside of his head since he had risen from the grave. As such, he had no idea as to how the flame was formed nor what the flame even was!


    Adenos squatted over the water and continued to look down. At this moment, he noticed that his life had undergone the most strange transformations and that his structure of consciousness was completely different than that of an ordinary human.


    Is this a soul? Why does it take the form of a flame?


    It looks similar to the form of the Philosopher''s Stone, but why does it transform like this?


    The Philosopher''s Stone was the materialization of Mana, so is there a correlation between Mana, the Philosopher''s Stone, and the soul?


    Adenos felt that if he could solve this mystery, he could discover and gain the most original and strongest power in the world! As Adenos pointed his finger to his forehead, he saw the flames in his eyes flicker even more intensely before slowly breaking out. It was as if his soul was being torn apart!


    In this moment, he realized that his soul was burning and his soul flame had not yet reached the complete structure of a level four wizards! This was because it was flawed. Or, it could be said that, for the structure of one''s soul, the form of the flame was abnormally mutated to begin with, or it was not the right path of evolution for a soul...


    Do I only have ten years?


    Adenos had just realized that the power of the soul flame could only last for ten years, and after that, Adenos would die. However, his mutated soul flame was far stronger than normal souls''. In other words, it possessed an extremely strong devouring power.


    As such, it could devour and turn others'' consciousnesses and souls, then turn them into nutrients. However, this extreme power had a drawback, as it would hurt others, but also would harm him in the process.


    Even knowing this, Adenos didn''t feel any fear. Instead, he felt a hunger and strength surging constantly from within his soul. This was a power that was surpassing the last Adenos, the power that involved the origin of souls and the power of the gods!


    So, this is the power of the origin of death!


    I have discovered the truth of this world!


    Adenos kneeled down in the dirty pond, rubbing his face excitedly with his skeleton hands. The soul flame within his eyes felt like the warmth of his soul burning.


    Hahahaha!


    His sharp laughter was like the squeaking sound of old doors closing. Adenos laughed towards the sky while holding his face with both of his hands.


    I really am the lucky one!


    I will bring the honor of death upon everyone in the world, then let them all taste its beauty!


    How very interesting! This is such a wonderful world!


    ------------------------------


    Meanwhile, the black dragon Giska was resting in a giant cave within Andromeda Mountain. Giska was a strange one. As Titan Dragon''s were accustomed to, Giska had been raised by a human, his master, Rooney Elvis. Giska was fiercely loyal to Rooney Elvis, which was unimaginable for an evil and greedy black dragon!


    The black dragon lay on the cold, hard snow in front of a cave. In the depths of the cave, there was an ice coffin and the body of an elderly old man who was wearing a golden mask. He was none other than the founder of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, the dragon riding king that had ended and replaced the Luhmann Kingdom, the legendary gifted man, Rooney Elvis!


    Since his death ten years ago in the Sumerian Plain, after he was pierced in the head by the spear of Delmedi, his body had been brought here by the black dragon Giska. The loyal dragon had wanted to protect his body.


    After Giska awoke from his nap, he looked at Rooney Elvis'' ice coffin. He then turned back to lick his wounds. The curse of Adenos had damaged his body, but with the strong regenerating power of the Titan Dragons, the wounds should have healed by now. However, there was a strange power that was hindering this process.


    Giska had never met a strange being like this before. He knew the existence of wizards, had seen magical beasts with extraordinary powers and priests with the power of God, and had even fought temple knights on the battlefield, however, he had never seen a skeleton that could still move!


    That da*n skeleton! Next time, I am going to twist his skeleton head off!


    Giska was licking his wounds, while letting out raging dragon roars, when a sound emerged from just outside the cave. Then, a giant fireball came straight into the cave!


    The light and the fire suddenly brightened up the whole cave. Giska reacted in an instant, breathing his fire to stop the fireball. The two flames collided, instantly melting an area of snow before they dispersed into a ring of fire. After Giska stopped breathing fire, he couldn''t hold in his anger and rushed outside with his wings.


    "This power, this scent¡­. Godda*nit, it''s you again! This time, I will let you taste the wrath of the black dragon Giska!" Giska rushed outside the cave and then quickly opened his wings, surging into the sky.


    Soon, Giska spotted a man in a black robe. Amid the white snow, his black robe was eye-catching, just like a fly in soup!

 212 Zombie Dragon

    The black dragon Giska spread its giant wings and looked down at Adenos. Its fearful vertical pupils stared right into the skeleton that was standing in the snow.


    "You da*n thing! How dare you show yourself in front of me again? This time, I will burn you to the ground!" The black dragon turned its long neck and opened his mouth. As soon as it lifted its head up, an intense fire instantly moved across the sky and, striking down onto Adenos like a pillar of light.


    "This time, I am not the same as I was last time!" Adenos yelled.


    As he lifted his head, the cold wind on top of the snow mountain made the torn black robe shake violently. Adenos quickly concentrated his mind power to his hand and blocked the dragon''s fire with a mind power force field shield.


    Thus began an epic battle between a Titan Dragon and a skeleton on top of a snow mountain. As Adenos'' round shield collided with the dragon''s fire, it was weakened, then starting being consumed gradually. Adenos then lightly jumped away before zooming around the mountain.


    The ice and snow got carried along the wind, forming into upward torrents that flooded towards Adenos in an attempt to trap him and pin him down. The whole snow mountain was surrounded by a huge water tornado! All the while, the Titan Dragon was attacking Adenos from above.


    The force of just one of Giska''s tail strikes would be enough to scatter the skeleton of Adenos, and if he were to be held down by the claw of the Titan Dragon, he would not be able to get away, no matter how rigid his bones were. Thus, there were no good ways for a wizard to fight against a Titan Dragon!


    The Titan Dragon kept chasing Adenos, suppressing his survival space, while the curses, fireballs, and poison gases that were cast by Adenos continuously disturbed the Titan Dragon''s vision, preventing Giska from catching up to him.


    Adenos then rushed into the cave. Seeing this, Giska let out a loud roar, then also zoomed inside the cave.


    This completely triggered Giska, who shouted, "Don''t you dare to touch my master! You da*n skeleton! If you dare to touch him once, I''ll chase you to the ends of the earth!"


    Giska''s loud roaring had shaken the entire cave, and in the heat of his anger, the Giska didn''t realize that he was not speaking in the human language anymore, but in the ancient dragon language of the dragon raja.


    At the moment, Adenos was sitting on top of Rooney Elvis''s ice coffin, which was fixed in the wall more than twenty meters above the ground inside the cave. Adenos looking down onto the raging Titan Dragon that had just crashed into the cave.


    "Who said you could sit up there? Get down!" The dragon lowered his body and lifted up his neck, and his scales were opening and closing because of his intense rage.


    Adenos looked at the black dragon and asked, "So, this is what you cared about? Truly interesting! A dragon that was raised by a human!"


    Adenos'' attitude was quite high and mighty. He tilted his head to look at the black dragon, then opened his jaws wide in laughter. "Do you see him as your father? Are you a dog? Hahahaha, a dragon dog!"


    Giska looked at Adenos, completely filled with rage. He then tightly blocked the exit of the cave with his huge dragon body. He looked once again at Adenos and shouted, "You can''t run! I am going to tear you into pieces and put your da*n head in my feces! I will shame you forever!"


    While the Titan Dragon was speaking, flickers of fire were coming out of the corner of his mouth. He was clearly waiting for the best time to strike.


    Adenos stood up and looked down at Giska, again showing the same level of pride as the last Adenos had. He then asked, "Why would I need to run? The only thing you should be worrying about is you, little puppy!"


    Adenos opened both of his arms and stared into the black dragon''s eyes. In the dark cave that was brightened only by flickers of fire, his eyes collided against the Titan Dragon''s raging pupils.


    "You arrogant b*stard..." The black dragon jumped up, trying to trap Adenos.


    However, Adenos had no intention of running away. Instead, he jumped down and struck straight towards the black dragon''s face. Giska was shocked by this sudden move and screamed, "You are looking to die!"


    The black dragon then opened his huge mouth, ready to spit out flames and burn Adenos to cinders. However, Adenos was covered in his green flame, and suddenly, before Giska could release his fire breath, Adenos broke into Giska''s shocked pupils and reached his brain!


    Adenos laughed madly. "Come! Be one with me! Be a part of me!"


    Giska suddenly felt like his brain had been ignited in flames! The burning sensation had soon filled up his entire body!


    "What is this? How is this possible? My dragonglass, my consciousness, my mind power!"


    "What did you do to me?"


    "Are you eating me?"


    Giska uttered the questions in agony. He felt like this was the most sadistic torture in the world! Giska proceeded to crash around in the cave, roaring in pain.


    He felt the power from Adenos constantly devouring him and assimilating him into Adenos'' very being, turning Giska''s power into his own power! Giska wanted to escape outside to cut off the connection between him and Adenos, but he noticed that Adenos had grabbed him tightly, not allowing him to escape.


    At that moment, Giska came to the terrifying realization that he would die here. The cunningness of his opponent had completely superseded Giska''s imagination.


    "Monster! You''re a monster! I am going to kill you!" Giska crazily charged into Adenos, trying to take his life along with him. However, as Giska spread his wings and tried to fly up to reach Adenos on the top of the cave, he was to weak and simply fell back to the ground.


    Giska struggled for a while, yet was still unable to get up. Then, his body shape started to transform into his ghost form, while his consciousness and strength were slowly devoured by Adenos.


    However, the last thing that Giska saw was the ice coffin of his master, Rooney Elvis. Giska''s shiny vertical pupils were leaking out human-like emotions at this moment, as tears began to leak out from the corner of his eyes.


    "Master! My father! Rooney Elvis!" Then, Giska''s giant head was finally crushed into the ground.


    The giant dragon body shrank down immediately, turning into a black and horrifying zombie dragon! Adenos then levitated in the air and finally completed his ghost witchcraft.


    Countless memory fragments, as well as Giska''s personality and consciousness had all flowed into Adenos'' mind, and as his soul flame strengthened, even its color deepened. The zombie dragon then spread its wings and flew away.


    After Adenos extracted the ice coffin on the ice wall, he jumped on the zombie dragon and rushed out of the cave.

 213 The Skull of Silicon-based Life

    The Amazon rainforest in northern South America stretched over eight countries. I fact, it was the largest, most diverse rainforest in the world, resulting in its being called the Lung of Earth.


    A few motor boats were going down the river at the moment, entering the depths of the rainforest. This particular river was the Maranon River in Peru, which was the source of the Amazon River.


    As Lu Zhiyu passed the valley of the Mountain Andes in a helicopter, he saw a wondrous multi-layered waterfall. This place was already in the depths of no man''s land, making it a paradise for animals and other strange species.


    "Why do we have to get out of the helicopter here?" Lu Zhiyu asked?


    "Because there is an unknown magnetic field that will interrupt helicopters and other transports, so we can''t access there, sir! Instead, we have prepared boats and paddle!" While Lu Zhiyu was listening the instructor''s reply, he was disembarking from the helicopter and boarding an awaiting boat.


    There were seven to eight mercenaries already sitting in other boats behind theirs. As they made their way to the depths of the rainforest, Lu Zhiyu observed all kinds of animals, including colorful insects, snapping turtles with sharp teeth, and some other beasts that were drinking on the side of the river.


    Lu Zhiyu also noticed that the beasts here were all bigger compared to the size of the ones outside of the rainforest. They were also much more aggressive. In fact, their wooden boat had already been attacked by giant crocodiles and bull sharks multiple times!


    After they continued down the river, once they stopped their boats and were camping that night, they were then attacked by many giant otters! Luckily, they survived the attack! However, Lu Zhiyu soon began to realize that the closer they got to their destination, the more frequently they encountered the giant beasts!


    Lu Zhiyu had been tracing the remains of the silicon-based lifeforms all along the way, as he was very curious about their origins especially. He also wanted to understand how they got their powers, as they were clearly not from Earth!


    According to the information that was gathered by Nicholas Debye, the remains of silicon-based life forms were initially discovered by an ancient indigenous tribe, but with further research, he found that in ancient times, these remains were worshiped as gods by the indigenous people.


    After even further research, they had discovered a temple that was hidden in the depths of the Amazon rainforest, which was supposedly right around this area...


    Bling!


    A strange life force field and wave resonance immediately spread out and covered a large area of the forest. Even though neither the instructor nor the mercenaries noticed it, Lu Zhiyu clearly felt it.


    "The place you were talking about, is it in this direction?" Lu Zhiyu, who was wearing a full camouflage suit, turned around and asked the instructor.


    The instructor looked amazed. "Yes, how did you know?"


    They soon arrived at the ancient temple, which was covered in green vines and moss. But, when they lightly brushed the vines away, they could see the ancient marks on the temple.


    Lu Zhiyu scanned the temple with his mind power and instantly had an image of its 3D structure in his head. He could see that this temple was about thirty meters tall, but that twenty meters of it were buried underground. Moreover, all of its entrances were blocked by collapsed walls or were buried in the ground.


    The instructor quickly said, "This is it. However, if we are going to dig into this place, we might need more manpower."


    Lu Zhiyu quickly responded, "No need!"


    There was no way Lu Zhiyu was patient enough to wait for the slow process of digging. So, he put up his hands and the ground immediately started to wiggle.


    Then, the surrounding soils gathered at his feet and the ground was slowly elevated! The temple that was buried underground was slowly being raised up!


    "Oh my God, what''s happening?" The instructor was panicking.


    "Wow, are you a wizard?" When the mercenaries noticed what Lu Zhiyu was doing, they were so shocked, they had their mouths open!


    "This is a supernatural power! It''s so cool! You''re like a mutant!" One black guy was cheering and shouting like crazy.


    The miles of soil that had been covering the temple were lifted up by Lu Zhiyu by brute force, and finally, after being buried for a thousand years, the temple was revealed once again! The huge temple was made of stone, and there were giant statues, a stone gate, and some broken stone pillars at its main entrance.


    The moment Lu Zhiyu lifted the temple up, he felt that there was a change in the temple. All of a sudden, as a strong power condensed within it, a strong wave came out of the temple, causing changes to the magnetic field of the area.


    "This is not good!" Lu Zhiyu wasn''t expecting that his being inside the temple with his consciousness had disturbed it. Then, his digging it up by brute force had caused its immediate retaliation!


    A ray of intense plasma suddenly burst out of the temple, evaporating everything in its path with intense energy and light. Lu Zhiyu immediately released his mind power force field, tightly blocking the plasma attack. Once the plasma beam struck on his shield, the whole world turned white, as the particles of the beam had struck the sky like fireworks.


    Lu Zhiyu had spread himself into the form of the Lord of Dreams, surrounding the whole area. Then, he quickly noticed that there was a metallic skull looking in his direction on the fifteen-layered huge alter, which was in the core of the temple.


    "I got you!" Lu Zhiyu quickly zoomed through the many layers of walls.


    He arrived at the altar and quickly grabbed the metallic skull. He then trapped the skull within his mind power force field.


    Meanwhile, the mercenaries and the instructor were still outside, surrounded by melted earth that had been scorched by the heat. There was also a giant fissure that had emerged from within the depths of the temple.


    The ground still had black smoke oozing out of it. In fact, nearly everything had been ruined by that plasma beam! This scene sent a chill down everyone''s spines as they all stood still and were shivering nonstop.

 214 Extraterritorial Civilization

    The high platform in the central hall of the divine palace had fifteen steps, all of which were nearly twenty meters high and were paved with huge stones. The ceiling of the palace was inlaid with precious crystals, which looked like stars, and Lu Zhiyu observed that this was actually a star map!


    On the surrounding walls, there were some abstract murals. These murals depicted gods fighting or falling from the sky and people praying to gods for eternal life.


    The murals made Lu Zhiyu think of the barbaric era thousands of years ago, when the early human beings had witnessed the battle between these silicon-based lives and worshiped them as gods.


    Lu Zhiyu''s research taught him that, thousands of years ago, the destroyed silicon-based lives fell from the sky. Then, their scattered bodies were picked up by tribes in the Amazon Basin, and their heads were worshiped as gods by the tribes.


    Currently, the right hand that Lu Zhiyu held was from from a human-like creature whose bionic form was very similar with human beings. When Lu Zhiyu looked at it, it was also observing Lu Zhiyu!


    Its electronic bionic eyes were constantly sending out signals to scan Lu Zhiyu, trying to gather energy to attack him. However, it could not harm him, as it was locked up in his mind power force fields.


    Why is an extraterrestrial silicon-based life so similar to human beings? Either they were made by a kind of life form that was close to human beings, or the emergence of human beings had some connection to them¡­.


    Suddenly, Lu Zhiyu frowned, as he had all kinds of thoughts racing through his mind¡­


    Are human beings also the products of experiments, and are we also just like guinea pigs in laboratories?


    "Warning! We are approaching a dangerous, dark red target. Danger! "


    "Code recognition."


    "Found...Enemy aircraft..."


    "Destroyed... Self-destructive device damage... No self-destruction..."


    The silver metal head in front of Lu Zhiyu was constantly struggling to send out information that it had collected, but it was being blocked by Lu Zhiyu.


    Since Lu Zhiyu couldn''t understand its language, he used his mind power to penetrate into its core. Only then did he discover something very striking...


    How could a silicon-based life have no awareness? Is your head just an ornament, like the ghost copper toys I made?


    You clearly are a life form, but how could a wise life form have no awareness?


    Lu Zhiyu had always thought that this kind of silicon-based life must be a perfect intelligent creature and a complete life form. If it was not man-made, then, just like other ordinary life forms, it must have awareness.


    After all if it had no awareness, Lu Zhiyu could not use unconventional methods to access its memory and information, but could only take it back and let others decode it in a conventional way. Lu Zhiyu''s desire to know the origin of this silicon-based life grew even stronger.


    Lu Zhiyu held the silver metal head tightly in his hand and saw a layer of Kyanite gradually cover its surface, freezing it thoroughly. Even the transmission of information inside the metal brain was stopped at this moment.


    At this time, the entrance sparkled with a torch light, illuminating the entire hall. Several mercenaries, who were carrying green backpacks, guarded the panicked guide and slowly went inside.


    Everyone was shocked by the presence of Lu Zhiyu and started shooting at him. Lu Zhiyu ignored them and said to the guide, "I need everything, including the star map and all of the materials that have words on them. Take them all back!"


    The guide was terrified and kept nodding nonstop. In his view, the man in front of him was not a human being at all, as no one could resist such an attack! After all, it was beyond the science and technology of the modern era! Moreover, the man in front of him was completely uninjured.


    When Lu Zhiyu finished speaking, he opened the dimensional door and returned to the Pacific Ocean.


    -----------------


    Byrne Island underground base.


    Now, the entirety of Byrne Island had been transformed into a completely different shape. It had become a huge sea fortress, where every day a large number of robots were constantly doing work.


    Meanwhile, at the Robot Manufacturing Research Institute, Lu Zhiyu sat off to the side and watched Fabio Rossi, who was standing in front of several computers. At the center of the laboratory, a silicon-based life brain had been dismantled into dozens of parts.


    "Oh, that''s wonderful! The plasma gun can be reduced to such a small size, and the bionic metal brain computer at the core has far exceeded our imagination! I want to see..." Lu Zhiyu exclaimed.


    In addition to Fabio Rossi, scientists from many other departments had gathered here. Among them were two linguists who had been specially invited by Lu Zhiyu.


    As many of the people present couldn''t stand Fabio Rossi''s amped up energy, they stepped far away from him. This guy had been excited ever since yesterday! Even without rest, he had kept a state of constant excitement, and there was no sign of decline!


    Lu Zhiyu asked, "Fabio, when can you crack it? I want to know the information inside its brain..."


    Fabio immediately said, "Its electronic password is somewhat similar to some of our ancient numbers. Da*n it! Do these guys use our human numbers, too? I''ll be ready in a minute!"


    There were a lot of codes appearing on the computer screen. Lu Zhiyu even used the SS Eternity sub-brain to help him analyze the internal information of the silicon-based life brain. He was very eager to know what was in that brain!


    Lu Zhiyu then turned towards a linguistic expert, who held a large number of pictures and was doing comparative analysis on a computer. He then asked, "Any progress?"


    One of the older white men said, "This language is very similar to one of the languages we saw in Egypt. During the days of the early Pyramid construction, a similar language was used. It was known as the language of the god of the sun, but I need more samples to do a true comparison."


    When Lu Zhiyu heard that, he was not happy at all. Instead, he felt a little sad. Sure enough, these things were closely related to the origin of human beings and the development of their civilization.


    At this point, Fabio suddenly turned around and said to Lu Zhiyu, "Boss, it is not a robot, but a silicon-based life! You thought they had the ability to live and think by themselves, and I actually think you were right!"


    Lu Zhiyu did not want to mention awareness yet, so he said, "But, at present, we found that they do not have the ability of self-thought, and they were operating in accordance with established procedures..."


    Fabio said to Lu Zhiyu, "Boss, this kind of mechanical life can''t be treated as a normal life form!"


    When Lu Zhiyu looked at Fabio, he immediately understood that he might have been wrong before. "You say this kind of life is similar to artificial intelligence, and that it is commanded by a master brain that can think and have intelligence. So, these machines are only part of them?"


    Fabio snapped his finger and exclaimed, "Yes! Boss, they are no different from AI. Everything is controlled by a master brain that has an enormous computing capacity, one that is far beyond our imagination. All other machines are just tools and consumables! This is AI and mechanical civilization!"


    He took a breath and then continued, "But, I am sure that this intelligent brain must have problems or has left the earth long ago. Otherwise, there would be absolutely no room for our human development and survival. This kind of existence, even if it is only the primary artificial intelligence and mechanical civilization, is not something that human beings could confront. Moreover, their current science and technology level seems far more advanced than we could even imagine!"


    At this time, Lu Zhiyu saw a row of blue characters suddenly appear on the computer in front of Fabio. Immediately, Fabio jumped up from the swivel chair and shouted, "Success!"

 215 The Spacecraft Under an Antarctic Ice Shee

    In Antarctica, under endless snow and peaks of ice, an enormous city was completely covered by ice and tilted into the depths of the sea. There used to be a prehistoric lake in this place, before the Antarctic continent had frozen, and there had even been birds and flowers!


    However, after thousands of years, it had become the coldest area in the world, a place where no one ever set foot in! The whole huge city was completely covered by ice sheets. The temperature was minus 70 degrees most of the year, and it was always as dark as night.


    The city was located between Antarctica Ice Dome A and the South Pole. It would take anyone a long time to get here, whether they were coming from China Kunlun Station in Ice Dome A or America Amundsen Scott Station at the South Pole. A journey of such a vast distance was enough to kill most people!


    At this moment, a team of scientists from Amundsen Scott Station drove seven or eight snow cars, all equipped with searchlights, to the depths of Antarctica. They took nearly half a month to get to their destination, as the conditions were rough and the snowmobile constantly need repairing.


    "Dr. Matt, have we reached our destination yet?" a scientist asked.


    The Antarctic continent was in complete darkness, except for the stars in the sky. You could even see the auroras in the cloudless sky, which looked like floating ribbons.


    The whole world was quiet. If not for the bone-chilling coldness, the science team would have enjoyed this beautiful scenery very much. Now, they just wanted to go back to warmer weather!


    Besides, there was not enough fuel and food, and they only had three operational snow cars left. If something were to go wrong on the way back, the whole team would die here!


    However, Dr. Matt, who was an American man in his fifties with gray hair, still looked energetic. He ignored the question and exclaimed excitedly, "Find it! It''s here!"


    Dr. Matt pointed to the star map in his hand, then compared it with the stars in sky, saying, "Look, this is where we are on the map! This was actually a prehistoric lake! Before Antarctica was icebound, it had been a huge land lake of 2,000 square kilometers. Its presence was a miracle, but no one knew whether it was a freshwater lake or a saltwater lake."


    Everyone skied down the glacier cliffs of the prehistoric lake to get a closer look. Hours later, they found a huge, abyss-like ice crevice, from which they could enter safely into the frozen prehistoric lake. They then erected brackets and rope baskets and used them to gain access to the inside.


    As Dr. Matt hung on one of the ropes, nearly a kilometer below the ice-covered prehistoric lake, he saw the dusty city in the gleam of his flashlight. The group shouted in surprise...


    "Here it is, Atlantis!"


    "We finally found it! Here it is!"


    "There really is a city down here!"


    Underneath their feet, half of a metal spire emerged from the ice cap, the top of it glittering like a lighthouse that was summoning ships that were lost in the sea. Matt stuck to the ice and observed the interior scenery.


    He then shouted, "Let''s go down and have a look!"


    As Matt gradually approached the spire, he found the building''s surface was so smooth, it didn''t even feel like metal. There weren''t even any lines or bulges on it! Several members of the team arrived beside him and also looked at the spire.


    Suddenly, someone said, "It''s not like a city, but more like..."


    Matt looked at him, then interrupted him suddenly. "A spacecraft! Don''t you think so?"


    The team nodded, and everyone felt it was unbelievable. Many of them began asking many questions at once¡­


    "How could it be possible for such a large thing to fly?"


    "What kind of fuel could supply such a large spacecraft?"


    "Impossible..."


    At this time, the spire suddenly shone even brighter, and a strong wave swept across the ice crevice. Then, a burning light glowed out of the spire!


    "What''s that?"


    "Da*n, this ship has a self-defense system. It found us!"


    "It''s really a spacecraft!"


    Before they finished oohing and ahhing, lights swept through the ice crevice. Large pieces of blue ice splintered in an instant, and the whole crevice collapsed, while those who were in the crevice were all evaporated by a strong force.


    Other group members, who were observing everything from above the ice crevice, were shocked. Suddenly, a dazzling light appeared from the ice crevice and shot directly into the sky!


    The ground shook sharply, causing several members of the team to fall to the ground in an instant. Before they knew what was happening, they saw several bionic robots flying out of the ice crevice!


    The fierce plasma gun fired suddenly, and the members of the scientific research team who were above the ice, along with their supplies, were completely destroyed! Then, the robots made one loop on the ground before returning inside the ice crevice. They then entered the building from the door at the spire.


    Nobody knew what had happened on the Antarctic continent, and the entire team that was led by Dr. Matt would only be documented as a sad example of a failed Antarctic exploration...


    ----


    "Orion, from Atlantis, an alien civilization?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    "Orion Nebula, to be exact!" a linguist replied.


    "Orion Nebula? Would such a place even have a civilization? Are you kidding? It''s impossible that a species could survive on it!" Lu Zhiyu said in disbelief.


    "It depends on what civilization it was. There might be some strange species and civilizations," another linguist said.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the star map and became lost in his own thoughts. Orion was at the center of the map, indicating that the civilization behind this silicon-based life was probably a civilization from the Orion Nebula, which was about 1,500 light years away from the solar system!


    Also, the language that they used was identified by two linguists as the language of Atlantis. Even though they had identified it, they could still only recognize some of the words, as it was impossible for them to fully comprehend the whole content!


    The information inside the brain of silicon-based life, which was given the codename Cain, was also deciphered by Fabio. This was because they had needed a person who was fluent in the Atlantis language to translate it into information that human beings could actually read.


    "Then, who can read this kind of writing?" Lu Zhiyu looked at the two linguists and asked.


    One of them said, "Dr. Matt can! But, to be honest, we used to think that this civilization was a legend. Only he believed that it was true and had been looking for it for a long time. We had no idea that it really existed!"


    He paused, then smiled and said, "It seems that Matt was right! His discovery will astonish the whole world, as he discovered that Atlantis actually existed on Earth!"


    Lu Zhiyu had no interest in the so-called shocking news. He just wanted to find the location of this Atlantic civilization immediately! So, he asked, "Where is Dr. Matt, then?"


    Gu Chaoran said to Lu Zhiyu, "Boss, Dr. Matt set up a scientific team a few months ago and entered Antarctica. He has not returned yet!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Then, when you hear from him, contact me immediately!"


    Although this last bit of information was a bit troublesome, Lu Zhiyu was still satisfied with today''s progress. Most importantly, besides Cain''s left hand, the Vatican Clan had brought back most parts of his silicon-based life body!


    At present, Cain''s whole structure had been carefully analyzed. The research institute could only slowly analyze and imitate some of its core technologies, but Lu Zhiyu could still use them as a reference.


    Such a ready-made and powerful mechanical bionic robot, if combined with Lu Zhiyu''s mechanical alchemy, would play a very powerful role in Lu Zhiyu''s future endeavors!

 216 Towards the Abyss

    The decaying swamp forests in the Andromeda Mountain were darker and wetter than they had been a few years ago. Legend had it that, in the depths of the Andromeda Mountain, there was a demon that could control death and manipulate souls.


    Specifically, he dealt with human souls that fell into his hands. These specific souls belonged to those who could not rest peacefully in the underworld.


    There was also a black horrible Death Dragon, along with headless Death Knights who were riding incubuses and countless ghosts that were unwilling to leave. These creatures all wandered among the dark swamp forests, taking the lives of the living.


    Every night, the voices of the undead could be heard. They were singing songs in the decaying swamps.


    All those who entered the depths of the Andromeda Mountain could not return, so it had become a forbidden place. If one crossed the swamps into the snow-covered northern region, they could see that the dragon cave above the snow mountain had changed a lot over the years.


    Originally a shallow and broad cave, due to continuous excavating, it now had a labyrinth-like basement. Adenos, who had inherited Li Weisi''s knowledge system, seemed to have also inherited Li Weisi''s love for underground mazes as well.


    At the bottom of the cave, a demon was digging. Its body was covered with scales, and its claws were sharply drilling deep into the ground.


    Several stories below, a square hall had been formed. Steam lamps that were commonly used by wizards were hung on the walls, illuminating the entire hall.


    "It''s wonderful!" Adenos stood on the steps, above which was a throne made entirely of bones.


    A giant dragon dozed under the steps, as Adenos laid his palm on the head of a pale young man who was tied up tightly, trembling and howling. Adenos carried a blood-red crystal in his hand. With a flash, which was emitted by the blood-red stone, the young man lost his breath and collapsed onto the ground.


    The flame in Adenos'' skull became hotter, as if someone had added a handful of firewood to it. Adenos held his head high and had a happy smile on his skeleton face, which was made only of bones, not flesh.


    "Yes, that''s it. I want more power!" Adenos became frantic, as if he were possessed.


    As he weaved towards the hall, the awarenesses of more than a dozen young men, who were shackled under the stage, were instantly transformed into soul fires and floated up into the air. They then flew into Adenos'' skull, like birds returning to the nest.


    This feeling, which was almost like he was high on drugs, made Adenos unable to stop. It was at this time that he looked down at a lady in a gorgeous red dress. A green light popped out of his eyes, revealing his hunger for her!


    The lady panicked and fell to the ground. He could now see that she had a cotton-wrapped baby in her arms.


    Even though she was terrified, she still held the child tightly, keeping it safe by her side. She then cried out, "You said that I only have to offer sacrifices to you, then you would grant my wishes!"


    Adenos laughed wildly and said, "Of course, there is a contract between us!"


    Adenos then went down the high steps and picked up the child in the lady''s hands. The child was just over two years old, and his face was as pale as a corpse.


    The lady knelt before Adenos and said, "Please, save my child. I will do anything you want!"


    The child had died of an illness, and it was impossible to revive the dead once their awarenesses had dissipated.


    However, Adenos could replace the child''s awareness with a soul fire. As one''s brain was the storage of all memory, as long as the memory was the same, the child''s essence would at least remain the same once it had been revived with the soul fire method.


    "Yes, this is a great form of redemption!" she said, greatly relieved.


    The lady in front of him was the wife of a great lord in the Kingdom of Mara. Since his last failure, Adenos had become more cautious, especially now that he was questioning his own strength.


    However, to further increase his strength, Adenos needed constant sacrifices, and this lady and her son seemed a very good option at the moment. So, Adenos put the child on the altar and applied the Healing and Body Modification Technique.


    The child''s face turned red, so he brushed the child''s face with his palm. As he did so, flames arose within his ring, and the child''s pupils immediately ignited a miserable green flame within them! After a strange laugh burst forth from his tiny body, the light in the child''s eyes was instantly extinguished!


    Then the child stood up slowly. The lady looked both surprised and happy.


    She then took his hand and the two went out together. Adenos waited until they left, then suddenly became furious. He smashed the table and lights on the walls, screaming all the while!


    "Da*n it, it''s happening again?" Adenos was trembling.


    His skeleton body was shaking constantly and his head kept twisting from front to back. His arms flailed about in a haphazard manner. In total, he seemed crazy!


    Who am I?


    I''m Adenos!


    No, no, no, I''m Black Dragon Giscar!


    I am Asia! No, I''m Bashir! I''m Marseille! I''m...


    Adenos covered his head with his hands and constantly fell into self-doubt. Even his voice and facial expressions kept changing, as if a large number of personalities were taking taking over his body.


    After a long time, Adenos managed to suppress a large number of the personalities in his awareness, then went to sit on the throne that was made of bones. Adenos had found this awful side effect to his ability when he began to devour other people''s awarenesses. Every time one awareness was swallowed up, it would be integrated into his own soul fire.


    The stronger the awareness, the more it interfered with Adenos'' own awareness and soul fire.Thus, Adenos'' personality had now become crazily twisted to the point that he couldn''t control it anymore. In fact, it was only getting worse!


    Adenos knew that, should this continue, he would gradually be swallowed up by thousands of other personalities, thus becoming a collective mess of innumerable personalities. He would become a complete crazy monster!


    What a cruel choice!


    He felt stuck in a hopeless situation. If he didn''t devour others, he would die. But, if he did devour others, he would become a monster! Adenos decided that he would rather be a monster than sit and wait for death to come!


    After all, engulfing awarenesses was addictive. The growth of power was extremely satisfying to Adenos, so his desire for it only expanded. Even thinking of devouring a new awareness made Adenos tremble with excitement!

 217 Demon

    "Have you heard of the demon?"


    "Nope. Never heard of it!"


    "The kingdom of the Undead lies deep underground, and in the depths of the decaying marshes of the Andromeda Mountain, there is a demon who can bring the dead back to life! The demon can communicate with the undead and return their souls to their bodies! The demon breaks the rules of death and the gods, and if one signs a contract with him, one can trade hundreds of people''s lives for just one soul!"


    A group of people were discussing this mysterious demon while gathered on the street. It was said that if you went through the decaying marshes and swamps while calling out the demon''s name, a headless Death Knight would come to meet you! Then, if you said your wish and offered adequate sacrifices, the Death Knight would satisfy your wishes!


    "Has anyone ever made such a deal with this evil existence? Aren''t you afraid of being cursed by the gods?"


    "I heard that the young master of the Viscount Ivar''s family did..."


    Over the years, numerous stories had spread. These were tall tales that only served to further increase the terror that people had of the entire Andromeda Mountain area! Originally, the name of this mountain was attached to a sense of holiness, but now it only seemed to give one a gloomy and dark feeling.


    In the dark snow cave, a large number of transformed skeleton soldiers were keeping guard. There were also Death Knights, which had transformed from ghouls, as well as strange beasts present.


    The complex underground cave route was like a labyrinth, and in the central hall, just behind a cobweb of underground passages, Adenos was leaning over a table, grabbing a charcoal pen.


    By the light of the steam lamp, he was reading the tactical deployment circle of witchcraft, which was made up of more than a dozen large scrolls. The ground was littered with innumerable research materials about necromancy, body remodeling, soul fire and the Philosopher''s Stone.


    Adenos was so excited, his mind reeling with many thoughts at once¡­


    The witchcraft tactical deployment circle of Philosopher''s Stone is amazing!


    The soul and power have such commonalities!


    I finally found the way to acquire mind power!


    Adenos was modifying the tactical deployment circle. As his soul fire had originated from the combination of soul and the power of the Philosopher''s Stone, he was looking for a way to use this to transform other lives into the undead in batches.


    Here, here, here, and here...These should be modified...


    I don''t understand here. What is it for?


    This is the place where the magic network is connected. Gah! It should be revised to devour the awarenesses of the living!


    Adenos could not stop his brain from flitting to and fro with many thoughts. Finally, he created the desired witchcraft from the original tactical deployment circle of the Philosopher''s Stone.


    "I''ll name this witchcraft the Song of the Undead!" Adenos declared with excitement.


    Adenos threw away the pen, while sheepskin scrolls were gathering up automatically before his eyes, then instantly bound themselves together to become a thick book! Adenos waved, and a few big gold letters appeared on the newly created book''s leather cover. The letters read: "Book of the Undead."


    This book contained detailed records of the transformation of the undead and the creation of various undead creatures. It especially dedicated several chapters to the Song of the Undead, which was the most horrible witchcraft!


    After adding information regarding Li Weisi''s Owl Knight Regiment, Adenos'' Ghoul regiment, and Adenos'' undead army, Adenos finally completed the Book of the Undead.


    This made Adenos extremely proud. He had surpassed Li Weisi, as this achievement in witchcraft was far more outstanding than Li Wiesi''s!


    I am the most powerful, and I am the real king of death!


    I will control the world of death! Even among the Wizards, priests, Holy Knights, the Great Sage Anthony, Faros and even Maria, no one can beat me or control me, not even the gods!


    Looking at his masterpiece, Adenos was fueled with infinite courage. He would not be afraid of anything anymore!


    At this moment, what he had used to fear no longer existed. Now, he had regained his true identity.


    -----------------


    As winter was approaching and snow covered the whole world, an orc Knight team from the north had just crossed the snow-covered swamps and reached the depths of Andromeda Mountain. A female knight, who was wearing a thick fur cloak outside her armor, rode through the snowy forests with her cavalry and arrived at a huge stone tablet.


    A blood-red symbol was engraved on the huge stone tablet. When translated in the language of the Phinks, it meant death, which indicated that from here onward, all who passed this place would enter the world of death, and the living shall not be permitted to enter!


    Delmedi had completely grown up. She was now a true female knight!


    As her red cloak blew in the wind, the cavalry behind her were silent, awaiting her orders. Delmedi raised her hand and looked around. She then saw a strange horse that was rushing out of the forest amid the hazy snow.


    It was a black horse that had a single horn on its forehead. This strange unicorn had been captured by Adenos in the depths of the decaying marshes. Adenos had then turned it into one of his undead minions.


    Now, it was no longer holy. In its pupils, there was only darkness. As it ran, was wheezing, and its mouth was constantly emitting black flames. It looked like a tragic monster that was running out of hell!


    She could now make out that a knight without a head was riding the unicorn! He was covered in rusted armor and carried a sharp sword. At his broken neck, where his head should have been, only a green flame shot forth!


    Suddenly, Delmedi felt that the knight was very familiar. She looked closer, but couldn''t remember anything specific, so she asked, "Who are you?"


    "I''m the Headless Knight. I see that you have the Ring of the Contract. Tell me your wish and offer me your sacrifices, then I''ll guide you." The knight''s decapitated head, which had been apparently attached to the side of the unicorn all along, suddenly answered Delmedi!

 218 Wishes and Sacrifices

    In a fury, Delmedi drew her sword and pointed it at the Headless Knight. "Do you know who you are talking to?"


    The Headless Knight replied in a cold, robotic voice, "What are your wishes and sacrifices?"


    With a wave of one hand, Delmedi gathered the snow to envelop the Headless Knight''s feet, trying to freeze him to death. But, the Headless Knight pulled the reins and escaped immediately, somehow having instantly turned all of the ice and snow into water droplets!


    Delmedi''s face turned stiff. She finally recalled the familiar memory...


    Delmedi looked at the Headless Knight in surprise. "You''re the Dragon Rider, the old king of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, Rooney Elvis!"


    The Headless Knight stood still, refusing to confirm or deny her claim. "I''m simply the Headless Knight now, and as I said, I see that you have the Ring of the Contract. So, tell me your wishes and your sacrifices, then I''ll guide you."


    Delmedi immediately remembered this old king that she fought with on the battlefield, while he was in his teens. It was the first battle that had brought her fame. Although Rooney Elvis had died at her hands, the brave old king had won her respect.


    "Da*n you! How dare you blaspheme the corpses and souls of the deceased?"Delmedi ranted. She was so angry, she rushed forward with a long spire, turning the ice and snow into blue crystals in an instant!


    "Die, you invader!" The Headless Knight then charged towards Delmedi.


    As the horse''s hooves passed one another, black flames rose and a long burning trail of smoke appeared, melting the ice on the ground. The surrounding air warmed up in an instant.


    The Headless Knight took out his sword and again headed straight for Delmedi. At this time, a large number of Death Knights and skeletons emerged from the forest behind him.


    Delmedi, who had inherited the ability of a third-class dragon, was far more powerful than the Headless Knight, who had only acquired his power from the incubus. As such, it was no surprise when her spire penetrated the Headless Knight''s chest instantly.


    But, this was not enough to kill the Headless Knight. For the undead, as long as the soul fire has not been extinguished, they would go on and on forever!


    The ice suddenly surged upon the Headless Knight and froze him instantly, along with his horse, the two immediately forming a giant ice crystal. At this time, a large number of undead creatures rushed out of the forest.


    With a wave of Delmedi''s long spire, the wind and snow swept up from the ground and instantly covered everything in front of her. The white snow covered everything in sight, including the dozens of skeletons and Death Knights, who were soon frozen into ice sculptures.


    The rest of the creatures were all cut into pieces, having been slashed by Delmedi while she angrily headed for the main peak of the Andromeda Mountain. While Delmedi led the cavalry up the northern slope of the snowy mountain, a black corpse dragon appeared in the sky, emitting a strong breath that was filled with an aura of despair and death.


    Riding atop the corpse dragon was a figure who was dressed in a black robe. As the figure rose directly into the sky from the snow peak of the Andromeda Mountain, ordinary people could only see a black speck, but Delmedi could feel the strong mind power, so she knew that it was an extraordinary being.


    Thick, black clouds continued to come together, and a severe hail fell. Although it covered only a small area above the hillside, such a supernatural phenomenon could only be achieved by a level four or above!


    As Adenos had devoured the awareness of the black dragon Giska, as well as a large number of other awarenesses over the years. He had already realized level four, which had enabled him to interfere with celestial phenomena on a small scale.


    Hence, he was able to cause such huge head-like hailstones fall from the sky and land on the ground with a strong impact, smashing holes in the ground. Currently, with so many hailstones falling down, everyone felt dizzy, as if the sky and earth were spinning around them!


    Delmedi and her knights were surprised by this power. A large number of knights jumped off of their horses and ran away to escape the hail. Although the knights escaped, a large number of their horses were killed by the hail.


    Delmedi quickly used witchcraft to form a huge ice shield to protect everyone around her. As hail continued to fall on the shield, the thick ice that was covering the snow peak suddenly melted, sending a torrent of water sweeping over the mountain and covering everything.


    Boom!


    After a long time, there was a violent explosion. Delmedi looked at the black dragon and figure in the sky. Although she was arrogant, she knew that she could not beat this monster, as his force and level far surpassed hers.


    Adenos took control of the corpse dragon and flew towards Delmedi. Although Adenos had no voice organ, it was not a big thing for him, as he used his mind power to enable an air vibration, which made discernible sounds for him. Adenos had then designed a bone-based speaker in his throat to project those sounds.


    "The Prince of the Holy Seville Empire, Her Royal Highness Delmedi, Prince of Lion King Will!" The sound that was projecting these words was like a fingernail that was scratching a blackboard!


    Adenos grinned and looked at the beautiful lady in front of him. Even though she looked somewhat awkward at the moment, she still looked at Adenos proudly.


    She lifted up her head high and demanded, "Dirty Dead thing, how dare you even speak to me?"


    Adenos did not realize that, even though he had completely suppressed her power, she would still be so proud! Although the first meeting between Adenos and Delmedi had been unpleasant, Adenos did not really mean to hurt this noble knight in front of him!


    He merely wanted to give her a warning! As Delmedi was likewise worried about the power that Adenos had just demonstrated, the two parties decided not to fight in the end.


    After asking Adenos several questions, Delmedi immediately left the Andromeda Mountain with her cavalry. After all, even the thought of staying in this dirty place and breathing the same air as Adenos made Delmedi feel sick.


    "She''ll be back again!" Adenos declared, while he rode the dragon to the foot of the mountain to unlock the Headless Knight and the other monsters that Delmedi had frozen.


    Adenos patted the unicorn''s back as he restored the head of the Headless Knight. The huge wound in the knight''s chest also was healed and completely disappeared.


    Adenos said to the Headless Knight, "As she is the one who killed you, next time, let''s have her taste the hatred and pain of death thoroughly!"

 219 Temptation

    The waves along the coastline continued to pound the beach beneath the city of Danello. A large number of merchant ships used this as a port for trade.


    On the docks, a huge amount of goods was gathered. This scene was very rare in other countries, but a large number of people came here to barter and trade, as this was a major hub of commerce and industry.


    Decades ago, Lu Zhiyu and Verthandi had ended their tour around Alan and immediately went to the Orcish kingdom. From then onward, Verthandi had started down her legendary path to becoming the emperor of the Holy Seville Empire.


    Cory, the first Patriarch of the Faith of the Sun, currently served as the bishop of the Grand Church of Danello, bringing the Faith of the Sun to its peak and forming a stand-off with the Church of Light. The people in Danello were much prouder than those who lived in the imperial Saga City, which had only been established for a few decades. Danello, on the other hand, had survived for hundreds of years!


    The whole Itan Province, including Danello, was now governed by Prince Delmedi Iranberry of the Holy Seville Empire. Delmedi had taken over as governor, staying far away from the imperial city of Saga, as she was reluctant to return there.


    ¡­


    Next to the Grand Church of Danello, Inside the Governor''s House.


    Amid a snowstorm, under a cloud of darkness, a strange guest had arrived...


    "You are in pain. You feel betrayed by your father. You have finally discovered that your father, the great Lion King Will, is not omnipotent!" Adenos said to Delmedi softly.


    "Shut up! You are not allowed to mention my father''s name!" Delmedi screamed.


    While he was sitting in the study of the Governor''s House, Adenos finally took off his hood, but his whole body was still covered with bandages. Hence, only the flames jumping in his eyes revealed his identity.


    Adenos thought that the noble knight in front of him was very interesting so he continued in a coaxing voice. "You feel sad and angry, but you can tell no one. You yearn for love from your father, but you don''t get the desired response. As long as you revive your mother, everything can go back to normal. You see, only I can help you..."


    "Shut up!" Delmedi stood up and pointed her sword at Adenos. "Maybe it''s my tolerance that makes you think that you can get something from me, but I will never make a deal with you!"


    Adenos stood up and pulled up his hood. "Maybe Your Highness just needs some time to think about it. I''ll stay in Danello for a while."


    Adenos headed towards the door and laughed. He then said, "I look forward to your next invitation, Your Highness!"


    Delmedi watched Adenos leave, with several knights following him. Delmedi would never believe that such a monster would be so generous.


    As Adenos stepped out of the door, Delmedi angrily cut the table in half with a sword. Delmedi knew that this demon was up to no good, but she was struggling herself. She hesitated, but knew that she would make had to make a choice.


    Within a few days, there were some rumors flying around the city, with many saying that a doctor from the South could revive the dead...


    "Could it be that the legendary doctor is the saint Bohr Kelermo?"


    "Is that the legendary Bohr Kelermo, who wrote the Kelermo Medical Coding?"


    "Except for him, how could such a technique exist?"


    "Is Bohr even alive?"


    "Is it true that all of the dead can be saved?"


    People were all discussing this mysterious doctor, which quickly made the Bohr Kelermo''s name known to a large number of people in the city. Hence, everyone was looking for the legendary doctor!


    Hearing of this commotion, Bohr disappeared completely. He hid himself well, so that even wealthy nobles who held a vast amount of treasures could not find him!


    Within the hall of the Governor''s House, Delmedi looked at the nine people in front of her, all of whom had been saved by this so-called "Bohr Kelermo." Delmedi had asked these people to come here so that she could meet them personally.


    Everyone clearly remembered what happened before they died, and even their tempers, personalities and behaviors were just the same as before. This convinced Delmedi that these people were really telling the truth.


    They had all really died a few days ago! Moreover, one of them was even a servant in the Governor''s House!


    Delmedi was understandably shocked by this revelation. Her hands were trembling. She had finally been convinced at this moment, so she made up her mind.


    Mother, I can see you again!


    We can live with father as before, just the three of us...


    Delmedi leaned back on her chair, lost amid happy thoughts and tears. Upon seeing her in such a state, everyone around her retreated, leaving only her guards beside her. After a long time, she calmed down.


    "Tell that guy to come and see me," she said to a nearby guard.


    ----


    As Adenos stepped into the study, he saw that the table in the study was changed. He then raised his eyes to meet Delmedi''s.


    "What do you want?" Delmedi stared at Adenos coldly.


    Although she believed that Adenos had the ability to bring the dead back to life, Delmedi would never believe in Adenos'' generosity.


    Adenos clapped in delight and said, "You are very straightforward. Your Highness, that''s very good. Then, I''ll cut to the chase. There are two artifacts. One is the Sword of the King, which represents the kingship of the world, and the other is named Faross, after the god. During the war in the Sumerian Plain, Lion King Will killed Saintess Kelly, the goddess of the Church of Light, and the gods took back these two artifacts in anger, so that they would never appear on the earth again!"


    Delmedi looked at Adenos coldly. "So, what are you getting at?"


    Adenos raised his head and looked at Delmedi. "Well, I know that there''s one more treasure! It is said that your power comes from a dragon crystal in your body...So¡­.I want it! After all, the power of God''s gift is much more interesting than anything from those priests and Holy Knights!"


    Delmedi stood up and said angrily, "No way!"


    Adenos burst out laughing, "Is it not as important as Your Highness'' mother''s life? Or are you, like me, one who can give up everything in the pursuit of power?"

 220 The King of the Dead

    Some people in the city were discussing the recent construction program.


    "What is this for?"


    "I heard they''re renovating the square!"


    "And the sewers, all of which need to be dredged!"


    "Ah, they were built more than a hundred years ago. Should they be dredged now?"


    "But, it makes sense. We are getting more and more people in Danello. The original sewers are not modern enough. When floods and storms come, they do not work. So, it should be sorted out properly."


    Underneath the Governor''s House, a huge hole was excavated and then set up as an altar. This hole was then covered with stones that had been infused with witchcraft.


    The entirety of the whole underground space was covered with one sheet of strong rock, making it impenetrable. Then, a large number of witchcraft and alchemy materials were placed in its center. There were also many fragments of the Philosopher''s Stone placed within it, which were the main nodes of the Song of the Undead tactical deployment circle.


    Adenos had finally reached an agreement with Delmedi. However, Adenos harbored evil intents and Delmedi never intended to fulfill her promise. Hence, they were both lying.


    Adenos had said that. since the queen had been dead for a long time, they needed to set up an altar to bring back her soul. He then requested that the rich people of Danello and Delmedi collect a large number of witchcraft materials.


    In the underground altar, there was a coffin that was made of ice, in which a young werewolf-like lady slept. She looked exactly like the original April from the Amos Icefield.


    This was the body that Adenos had recreated in order to win Delmedi''s trust. All he had to do was to revive Queen April!


    A large number of craftsmen were gathered beneath the Governor''s House. Under Adenos'' orders, they laid out the complex and dizzying tactical deployment circle of the Song of the Dead in the underground of Danello bit by bit.


    Although everyone was curious about the eccentric guy who covered himself with a hood, since it was an order from the Governor''s House, they still obeyed.


    "There are deviations in the nodes here, which must be repaired!"


    "Not here. The angle is three degrees off!"


    "Are the materials I asked for in place yet?"


    "You fools, you did this wrong. It''s going in the opposite direction!"


    Adenos was shouting out instructions right and left. Many laborers and farmers were called up to help with the effort, and a large amount of supplies were ordered.


    They began in the cold winter, and were able to complete this underground sewer system by the time the warm and rainy spring had passed. They even built a bunch of smaller canalways amid the underground labyrinth. Thus, a complex canal system was formed beneath the ground of Danello.


    The sewer system had a three-dimensional structure, which was divided into several layers. If there was a mentor of the wizard tower, he or she would find this structure very familiar.


    Adenos had buried a skull that was burning with soul fire at the core of every node, and a large number of soul fires connected with each other. Thus, awarenesses and mind powers were connected together to form a huge mind power force field.


    ----


    Delmedi stood in front of the altar and looked at her mother in the ice coffin. She was so excited.


    Adenos stood beside the altar in a black robe. The miserable green flames in his skull seemed to jump out of his eyes with joy, and his mouth opened to the utmost extent as he said, "It will be ready in a minute! As long as we finish the last step correctly, we can resurrect the queen!"


    Adenos was not allowed to go anywhere except this underground altar, where he could be constantly watched. Delmedi thought that, under such close guard, Adenos could not fool her.


    Plus, all of the knights and members of the Faith of the Sun in the city were watching him closely as well, so even if Adenos wanted to do something evil, Delmedi thought that she could easily handle him.


    "The body is ready, so all that is left is to recall Queen April''s soul from the underworld. Your Highness Delmedi, may I begin?" Adenos asked Delmedi.


    Delmedi looked at the guards behind her and nodded. Immediately, the guards retreated to the rear.


    Adenos then stood in front of the ice coffin, then brushed his fingers over the Philosopher''s Stones on the ground, which immediately lit up with green flames.


    Seven Philosopher''s Stones were lit, one by one, Adenos'' hands trembling all the while. The fire in his skull kept surging, and his jaw was constantly shaking.


    "Hahah!" As he approached the last stone, Adenos could not help but laugh. It was as if he was scorning and mocking everything in the world!


    Adenos looked back at Delmedi, his mouth open wide. He then said, "Here it i! The moment to witness a miracle!"


    "No, what are you doing? Stop, stop!" Suddenly, Delmedi had a bad feeling, like a premonition of death.


    Delmedi wanted to stop Adenos, but at this time, the green flames suddenly shot forward and covered Adenos'' whole body. At the same time, a powerful force hit everyone, knocking them all to the edge of the underground altar.


    As the soul fire in the central altar ignited, the soul fire skeleton in the nodes of the whole underground of Danello responded instantly. This surge caused the mind power to continue to spread along the tactical deployment circle, from the foot of Adenos to the whole city, forming into a beautiful geometric structure. This was the largest tactical deployment circle of witchcraft since that had ever existed!


    A huge three-dimensional tactical deployment circle now covered the whole city of Danello. As it was late at night and the moon was obscured by dark clouds in the sky, a ray of light that could only be sensed by the mind power rushed straight into the sky and spread out, covering all of Danello City.


    Countless people in the city woke up in an instant, all of them feeling that their hearts were being pulled by something fierce. It was as if they were being taken hold of by death!


    "What happened?"


    "I suddenly got a bad feeling!"


    "Why is the child crying all of a sudden?"


    "Tonight''s moon and stars are hidden!"


    People in Danello were all gripped by fear and were yelling in a frenzied panic. Lights on the streets lit up, one after another. No one understand what had happened, but everyone felt out of breath and their hearts seemed to be beating out of their chests.


    At this time, the miserable green flames suddenly rose from everyone''s body, entwining everyone with their evil green glow. All of the people in the city were then transformed into soul fires, and their awarenesses were immediately taken away.


    Everyone panicked and tried to escape, causing the streets to become crowded with people. But, before anyone could get away, their awarenesses flew out of them. As such, nothing but dead bodies were left on the ground.


    There were sounds of screaming and of people getting trampled all over the city streets. All the while, a strange flame rose to the sky and locked onto the mind power force field of the Song of the Dead.


    The whole mind power force field then pooled its force to draw out all of the people''s awarenesses, while hundreds of thousands of people continued to die and countless soul fires rose to the sky like sky lamps and stars.


    "What on earth did you do? Stop it!" Delmedi attacked Adenos in a frenzy, but the force field that was above the altar protected him from her. She could not get close to Adenos at all.


    The knights around her kept falling down as well, their corpses now lying everywhere within the underground labyrinth. Although there were no scars on their bodies, they had no breath left within them.


    Suddenly, Delmedi found that her power was gradually weakening and her awareness was declining. It was as if there was a strange force that was devouring her power and constantly wearing down her awareness and strength.


    Adenos floated in the flames, then looked down at Delmedi and laughed proudly. "The dead are singing! This is the Song of the Dead! Look! Isn''t that beautiful? Isn''t it such a great honor to witness this moment?"


    Delmedi looked at the madman. Her eyes were red and she was completely overwhelmed by anger. She felt as if her chest was about to explode. As she looked around her, she realized that the whole underground had been frozen into ice, but Adenos wes free from it!


    "You b*stard, I''m going to kill you!" Delmedi said.


    Adenos ignored Delmedi and spread out his hands. The green flames danced around him, and the whole mind power force field of the Song of the Dead began to fold in an instant.


    All of the soul fires then flew to Adenos, who said, "Come on! Let''s celebrate the Birth of the King of the Dead together!"


    Adenos then opened his mouth and swallowed hundreds of thousands of people''s awarenesses. Above the altar, countless soul fires converged into a long light river and approached Adenos. This river contained hundreds of thousands of people''s personalities and awarenesses, as well as Adenos'' own personality. They had all been assimilated, leaving only one single faith¡­.Death!


    All of a sudden, the awarenesses and personalities disappeared. The King of the Dead, which had been the catalyst for bringing together the awarenesses of hundreds of thousands of people, was thus born! Adenos had just surpassed the Level 4 before this, yet he had now reached Level 7!


    Instantly, Adenos'' whole body was deified, then scattered into sprays of lights that immediately reintegrated themselves into a huge skeleton. Black bone armor and bone spurs grew out of his body, which made him look extremely ferocious.


    Then, his original miserable green flame became a deep purple color. It was now clear that an extreme strong force and mind power had seized control of the city of Danello, as a true Level 7 creature had appeared!


    "Death! It''s the ultimate destination of everything in the world!" Adenos roared.


    With a wave of the bone palm, the whole altar and the Governor''s House were directly turned upside down. The ground was lifted, and several nearby streets were turned over, revealing the underground below.


    Numerous soul fires were emitted, and a large number of people who had died in the city stood up and were transformed little by little. As a large number of ghouls, skeletons, and Death Knights continued to stand up from the ground, their skin and flesh constantly fell off or turned into leather-like corpse skin.


    The undead filled the streets and alleys of the whole city. Delmedi stood up amid the rubble and looked at her beloved city of Danello.


    At this moment, this prosperous city, known as the trading capital and the pearl of sea, had been completely turned into a city of the dead. There was no more laughter, only the singing and crying of the dead.


    As the roars of hundreds of thousands of the undead rose, even the sky itself seemed to be shaking. At this time, a corpse dragon flew down from under the clouds, and the King of the Dead took the reins, then roared into the sky upon it.


    "Did I really cause all of this?" Delmedi stood among the ruins of the Governor''s House with a miserable grin.


    She couldn''t believe that the whole city of Danello had turned into a city of the dead. She knelt down on the ground, feeling that all of her strength and even her will to leave had left her.


    "Sorry, sorry! Mother, father, I am sorry! I am the worst sinner in the entire Empire!" Delmedi''s eyes were full of tears, and she looked desperate and sad.


    At this time, from the hillside of the ruins, the Headless Knight charged forth, riding a monster. He was wearing armor and leading an army of countless undead beings.


    "Headless Knight, Dragon Controller Rooney Elvis! Did you come to take my life? Do you want revenge, too? I''m ready!" Delmedi then picked up a sword on the ground and fought with the Headless Knight.


    Numerous undead beings rushed to the ruins and were constantly torn apart by Delmedi, their discarded bodies forming a high mountain of corpses. Even though Delmedi was able to defeat these beings, they also wounded her and zapped her of her strength.


    Thus, at dawn, Delmedi died of exhaustion among the ruins!

 221 Ghost Outbreak I

    Amos Icefield was located in the north pole, which was located right at the edge of the human world and the edge of the Alen Continent. Standing here made one feel like they were standing at the end of the earth!


    There were lots of ice shards on the surface of the ocean within this region, and if one were to go further north across the dangerous sea, they would reach the Arctic. At the very edge of Amos Icefield, a high castle had been erected.


    On the side of the castle that was facing the ocean, a tall statue of a knight had been placed. The statue seemed almost like a guardian that had been charged with protecting the castle.


    This castle was named Colossus College and was built by the first generation wizard apprentice Uruk, who was a close friend of Bohr Kelermo. He decided to build the castle in this extremely cold area after he left the wizard tower.


    Uruk was very upright and old-fashioned, which made him very different from the other wizards. As such, he much preferred to spread the way of the chivalrous knights of the Holy Seville Empire.


    This meant that he instructed the wizards in his Colossus College according to the way of the knights. As such, his way of teaching was almost like a military school.


    The wizards at Colossus College were almost all belonged to the branch of blood wizardry, meaning that they were first picked and then trained by the elites within the Blood Knights from the Holy Seville Empire. This explained how Colossus College was connected to the Holy Seville Empire.


    Recently, everything was a bit of a mess at Colossus College. Since the news from the southwest part of the Holy Seville Empire had arrived, bringing with it the report regarding the loss of Danello City, everyone had descended into a state of complete denial.


    However, the appearance of the King of the Dead and the hundred thousand ghosts rushing into the Inan province soon forced everyone to accept the facts. This message, confirming their utter defeat, quickly spread throughout the entire Holy Seville Empire. Colossus College was the first to receive this shocking news.


    As the snow was roaring outside the window of the high principal''s room, an orc teenager asked seriously, "Have you researched everything in great detail? Have you sorted the news out yet?"


    Uruk was wearing a white long robe, which followed the tradition of the wizard tower, where apprentices wore gray robes, qualified wizards wore black robes, and mentors and the owner of the tower wore robes in other bright colors. Uruk was sitting among the orc wizards, who were gathered in a circle in the principal''s room.


    One of the wizards replied, "We have researched it. Our people from the Inan province passed us some messages, which shared the intel that the ghosts are now ruining the province! So we don''t have much time left!"


    Many of the other wizards heard this and began nodding their heads in agreement, then offering their own opinions¡­


    "That''s right! The longer we just sit here and do nothing, the worse this ghost problem will get! Then, before we know it, it will be too late for us! We have to gather every powerful force that can help."


    "This is a disaster! We have to stop it while the problem is still confined to one empire. We can''t afford to let this spread further afield!"


    "Confined? The hundred thousand ghosts army and the unknown King of the Dead can never be confined..."


    Uruk then asked, "That King of the Dead, who, or what, is he exactly? Where did he come from? Is he one of us?"


    A fox-people wizard answered, "The estimated power level of the King of the Dead far surpasses the level of a level four wizard, but since we don''t have updated information about him now, he could have become even stronger than what we could imagine!"


    He then added, "The only confirmed fact is that the appearance of the King of the Dead must have something to do with us wizards. As the Modification Technique of the undead could be found in the wizard inheritance from the wizard tower, we can be certain that the opponent has to be a wizard from the wizard tower. He also has to be a wizard that possesses a high-tier inheritance."


    Uruk listened to this report with a grim face, then took out his wizard tower badge. As he activated the badge, a mind power force field surrounded him, and he quickly sent this new information directly to the wizard tower.


    Uruk then announced, "I have requested the wizard tower''s assistance and asked them to identify the King of the Dead, but this is not enough! The king of the Holy Seville Empire has surely been informed of all of this by now, so he will be making her own plans. However, it must be difficult to ask for our help. Therefore, we have to go there in hopes that we can enter the palace and meet the king!"


    In the depths of the Black Forest of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, the wizard tower


    As several wizards and apprentices were studying in the wizard tower library, at the reception table at the entrance to the library, a silver tactical deployment circle suddenly appeared on the hairy stomach of the Sphinx Pyros. He immediately stopped working and rang the bell behind him.


    He then shouted, "Emergency shut down! All apprentices, please leave the library immediately, as we will be closing in ten minutes!"


    The Sphinx Pyros then picked up the earth phone that was hanging on the wall behind him and spoke into it. "Master Bohr, I have just received an urgent notification from Master Uruk at Colossus College."


    Messages could be sent within a short distance by apprentice badges or the signal transmitter that was within the wizard tower badge. However, sending messages across the continent, like what Uruk had just done, could only be accomplished with wind ravens or by using the authority of the wizard tower badge.


    As Bohr saw the projection coming out of the eyes of the Sphinx, then watched as Uruk was explaining the details of the outbreak in the orc countries and the Inan province to the assembled group, his thoughts wandered to the dozen mentors who were gathered there nearly a continent away, many of whom were second and third generation wizards.


    "Well, what do you think?" Bohr asked the group via the telecommunication system.


    Everyone immediately launched into a heated discussion, but there was no unanimous conclusion. Without actually seeing the situation on the field, even though he wouldn''t think that Uruk was lying, it was still really hard to imagine this King of the Dead and his huge ghosts army.


    However, there was proof that a famous trading city, Danello City, had been lost in one night and a hundred thousand people had turned into ghosts. Furthermore, the death of Delmedi had really terrified everyone.


    However, since this only happened within the orc countries, and since most wizards were just selfish beings who didn''t intend to help, they didn''t really want to interfere in the war, but were mainly intrigued by the existence of the King of the Dead and the ghosts army.


    However, there were some wizards that looked into the future and had expressed the opinion that they should respond to Uruk''s request for help. After all, wizards were still depending on the human society, and without the human society, the wizards could not survive for long! Even though this happened in the orc countries, the human nations could very well be the next ones targeted!


    Bohr listened to everyone''s opinions, but didn''t say anything decisive. After the meeting, he turned to Edward and asked, "Are you familiar with this situation? There are only a few people that are capable of holding such a wizard inheritance, and even less who could achieve something like this..."


    Edward looked down and thought for a moment, then looked up at his teacher and said quizzically, "Adenos?"


    He then shook his head in denial, thinking better of the idea instantly. "No, it couldn''t be. No, that is impossible. He is already dead, completely dead. Back then, I¡­"


    Bohr immediately pulled out a stack of files and threw it on the table, interrupting him in mid-sentence. "In recent years, within the Mala Kingdom and Andromeda Mountain, there were legends that told of some undying creatures. So, I ordered someone to check the grave in Adenos. It was open, and empty..."


    Bohr looked Edward in the eye and shouted in excitement, "It could only be him!"


    Bohr then turned around and said, "What happened back then, I should be held accountable for it as well. I''m the one who taught him this wizard inheritance. Thus, the calamity that he brought upon the human and orc nations should be my responsibility. In fact, I will go there myself to take back everything I gave him!"


    ---------------------------


    Verthandi was sitting alone on her throne in the palace hall. A hundred thousand ghosts had just devoured the entire Danello City and in only a few days. They had defeated all ten thousand of the ice mace holy knight army of the Inan province, thus ruining the whole province.


    When news of this arrived in Sarga City, the whole government of the Holy Seville Empire was shocked. No one could believe that, out of nowhere, the province was ruined by these ghosts from the south!


    The government immediately arranged for the nearby provinces to send forces into the two main frontiers of the north and the eastern parts of the Inan province to help stop the army of ghosts from advancing further. At the same time, they helped to take in refugees from the Inan province.


    Meanwhile, Verthandi had given orders as the king of the Holy Seville Empire, arranging for the Northland Cavalry to be deployed in the south and the holy knights from other regions to come to the frontier as soon as possible. Ten days from now, two hundred soldiers were scheduled to be assembled, then altogether, they would take out the ghost army and the King of the Dead in the Inan province.


    The army would be led by the leader of the holy knights, Ibu. Since Verthandi had lost her Sword of the King, she was not much stronger than Ibu. On top of that, it was times like these that she couldn''t easily leave Sarga City as a king.


    However, after she finished giving orders, Verthandi asked everyone to leave the palace and shut the gate. She sat alone on the throne and was lying on her hands holding the sword.


    April! Delmedi!


    April! I didn''t protect her! It was all my fault!


    April suddenly appeared in Verthandi''s mind, as well as a few memories of how Delmedi used to hold her cloak behind her, shouting that she was going to one day be a great knight, just like her. Delmedi was different from her, as she had been mentored by Lu Zhiyu since she was young and traveled around the whole world.


    In contrast, Delmedi was just a stubborn little girl that grew up in Sarga City. For this reason, Verthandi knew that Delmedi wasn''t the right vessel to be a king and didn''t have the potential to rule the Holy Seville Empire.


    Many more memories flashed through Verthandi''s head, including those from her childhood in Ayer City, her father Randhir Eranbell''s teachings, and even how she used to pull her father Randhir Eranbell''s leg while fooling around playfully.


    Is this punishment?


    What have I done to deserve this fate?


    Verthandi lifted her head, her eyes filled with loneliness and grief.

 222 Ghost Outbreak II

    78th year of the San Calendar


    Many qualified wizards quickly gathered in a small village near the Kary River. Bohr Kelermo was leading a group of around thirty wizards from the wizard tower.


    They were spending their days and nights traveling across many countries, while riding the flying beast known as the cloud eagle. After journeying many days and nights, they finally met up with the wizards from Colossus College that were being led by Uruk.


    Bohr, who was the master of the wizard tower, then led a group of wizards into the ghost-infested Danello City. Once they arrived there, an intense fight broke out within the city. The master of the wizard tower had turned himself into a magical eagle, then fought against Adenos, the King of the Dead.


    His magical eagle form had a powerful regenerating power, and when it was paired with Bohr''s powerful defensive abilities and dream witchcraft, he could really hold his own against Adenos. This was because, even though Adenos had become a level seven mythical creature, he still did not have a low-tier mythical creature template. In fact, he only had the immortality, mind control power, and devouring power of a mythical creature.


    At this time, the presence of blood witchcraft and the projection of the dream wizard were wreaking havoc within Danello City. All throughout the city, evil dragons roared, witchcrafts collided in the sky, and many illusions and monsters were projected and materialized.


    These illusions and monsters appeared in the sky above Danello City. Their special abilities were tearing the sky apart.


    After this went on for awhile, under the overwhelming attacks of the King of the Dead and the ghosts, the wizards were slowly defeated. In fact, none of the wizards returned from the battle alive.


    The force that had consisted of nearly half of the elite powers of all of the wizards was hence wiped out. And, since the witchcraft ritual, the song of the dead, could not be repeatedly used in the battlefield, the King of the Dead was unable to mass produce soul flame based ghosts.


    This resulted in most of the creatures dying straightaway, as their consciousnesses were dissolved and returned to the origin of the world. However, Adenos had succeeded in capturing many people alive, and was thus able to transform them into ghosts. In this way, the size of the ghost army was still growing!


    Meanwhile, after noticing that none of the wizards returned from the battle, Ibu, the leader of the Holy Knights army, knew that it was time to attack. Thus, nearly 200,000 soldiers crossed the river, entered the Inan province, and waged war against the army of ghosts.


    ------------------


    Within the Kary River, numerous bodies were floating downstream, then piled up, blocking the river''s flow and dying the water a crimson red. Those bodies stacked up like mountains, spanning all the way from the Kary River to the Inan province.


    Last time something like this had happened near the Kary River was when the Church of Light and the Crete Empire had invaded the Kingdom of Menkaure. That confrontation had ended with the king of the Kingdom of Menkaure drowning himself in the Kary River, bringing with him the Sword of the King. After the invasion, the whole Kingdom of Menkaure was filled with dead bodies!


    Dongdong!


    Dongdong!


    Dongdong!


    Footsteps were heard approaching, as horns were being played by death knights, summoning all of the ghosts to gather. At this moment, within the Inan province, the ghost army crossed the river as a pack.


    The death knights, who were riding skeleton horses, crossed the most narrow part of the Kary River amid the sound of the horns. Countless ghosts crossed the Kary River, leaving Danello City to head further into the Holy Seville Empire.


    Looking at the scene from the sky, one could see that a massive death army that was composed of only monsters and the dead covered the whole earth. The ghost army was so dense, taking just one look at it could make one feel chilled to the bone.


    The last creature in the army formation was the zombie dragon, which was flying in the sky. Huge gales of air from its giant body and wings could be felt everywhere. Even the black clouds were following the zombie dragon as it was moving.


    The entire ghost army was like a single entity. They were strengthened by the power of the zombie dragon and the King of the Dead, which made them all the more terrifying!


    Roar!


    Pushed by the dragon''s roar, the army sped up their pace as they headed towards the east. After crossing the Kary River, if they were to keep heading east, they would reach Saga City.


    Nothing could slow them down now, as they had defeated the only army capable of doing so less than one month ago. In that battle, Holy Knight Ibu, who led the army of the orcs, was severely injured by the storm and was eventually defeated by the hundreds of thousands of ghosts.


    The holy knight Ibu and Allen had died one by one, as the army of ghosts attacked them and the orcs relentlessly. These ghosts were almost impervious to all attacks, as they wouldn''t die unless their soul flames were destroyed completely. Therefore, they defeated the orcs easily.


    Although the orcs had managed to kill many of the ghosts, their elites, the Northland Cavalry and other holy knight groups, were dying just as quickly. In fact, after the deaths of the holy knight Ibu and Allen, their formation had completely broken down.


    While they were being chased by the army of ghosts, they had tried to cross the Kary River during the night. At that time, countless people were drowned or killed. The ones who survived ran away from the battle immediately.


    Moreover, the war between the humans and the orcs that occurred about ten years ago not only led to the end of the Crete Empire and the separation of the central province, it also devastated the Holy Seville Empire. After it had finally recovered after all these years, this battle set the Holy Seville Empire back ten years! Now, the state of the empire was even worse than before!


    The King of the Dead carried deep resentment in his heart, sharing that same sentiment as the hundred thousand ghosts. Hence, he chased after the living, dragging everyone to the abyss of death with him!


    As a result, many lives were lost, which allowed him to add to his army of the undead! What was even worse, new variations, like special skeletons, skeleton magi, king class ghouls, and headless knights began to appear in his army.


    "We lost! The King of the Dead and the ghost army, they are coming!"


    "Ibu''s Northland Cavalry was defeated?"


    "Even though Ibu was defeated, the evil power with him was too strong!"


    "What can we do?"


    "We can only run away now! We must go to the north or south!"


    By the time the citizens heard the news that the orc army had been defeated and the ghost army was crossing the river, they had already abandoned their city and run either towards the north or the Red River Plain in the south. Everywhere the ghost army went, they left abandoned cities and villages in their wake.


    "Evacuate! Follow orders!"


    "Everyone form a line! Leave in an orderly fashion!"


    "Don''t mess around, or you will be prosecuted!"


    "How could this be? Those undying monsters, are they really coming?"


    "Let''s go! I heard those undying monsters are coming soon. They eat people alive and will turn us into one of them! I don''t want to be a monster!"


    "God, why? Is this some punishment?"


    In Saga City, the forces were leaving first. The citizens would then follow them as they moved towards the Primonius province in the north, which was the old capital of the Engido Kingdom. Although Saga City was big, it lacked defensive capabilities, especially any that were adequate to protect them from beings like the King of the Dead and the ghost army.


    Also, there were not many forces left in this part of the empire. This was because the forces could only gain more manpower once they retreated back to the military origins of the Holy Seville Empire, which was located at the base camp in the north. There, they would prepare to fight against the army of the King of the Dead once more.


    A large number of trailers and horses passed through the wide gate, all of which were heading north. Many people joined the group, forming an endless line on the road.


    Countless orcs brought their sons and daughters, abandoning their warm, sweet homes. No one knew what their destination was going to be like when they arrived.


    Many orcs cried when they left the city. They were sad because they knew that they may never return.


    The densely populated Holy Seville Empire suddenly became empty. The king, Verthandi, had stayed behind in the church of Cory, as it was agreed that she would be the last to leave after everyone evacuated.


    Once everyone was gone, she would follow the caravan with her Royal Guards. Only in this way could she ensure that the noble families and the citizens had left safely.


    She sat alone in this church that was named after the first Patriarch of the Faith of the Sun. She kneeled in front of the statue of God, wearing a loose white shirt. She remained there until sunset, praying to God.

 223 Ghost Outbreak III

    Verthandi was fervently praying, begging for answers¡­


    "Why did this happen?"


    "Are you punishing me?"


    "It was all my fault, right? Otherwise, why would so many people die? Why?"


    "Answer me, please!"


    Suddenly, the statue of God brightened up, illuminating everything around Verthandi. As the whole world turned white, she was transported to another kingdom.


    Verthandi opened her eyes and looked around. She realized she was standing on a giant stage that was surrounded by four sets of stairs. Looking down the stairs, she saw that there were all kinds of temples everywhere.


    On top of the clouds in the sky, many mythical creatures were running around. There were even legendary pegasuses and unicorns!


    There was also a giant gate, which led to the Divine Kingdom, that stood far away in the sky. As she looked down and saw clouds passing beneath her feet, she felt as if the whole Divine Kingdom was surrounded by heavenly marshmallows!


    Verthandi suddenly looked up, and above her head, dozens of divine thrones were floating in the air. They were also surrounded by clouds, which seemed very surreal.


    The divine thrones were arranged in a circle, the largest of which had a giant illuminated figure seated upon it. As the figure''s fingers moved slightly, Verthandi started to float up through the clouds, then came to rest right in front of the giant blurry shape.


    "Former level one authorizer, Verthandi Eranbell, requested to connect to the Divine Kingdom!" The shape looked at Verthandi, his emotionless voice sounding almost robotic.


    Verthandi was shocked, "God? Who are you?"


    The shape was still staring at Verthandi. "I am the admin of the Divine Kingdom. My name is Gaia!"


    As Verthandi looked around, she realized that all of the other thrones were empty, which made her a bit confused. "Why are they all empty? Where are the other gods? What about the goddess of Sun Maria and Faross?"


    Gaia sat still on the Divine Throne, while a light scanned across Verthandi. He then said, "Access authorized. You can listen to the answer... All the Divine Thrones are currently empty, as no one has reached the Divine Throne yet."


    This made Verthandi even more confused. "What does that mean?"


    Gaia replied, "In other words, aside from our creator, there are no other gods!"


    Verthandi looked around the whole Divine Kingdom, then looked at the empty Divine Thrones. She then turned back to stare at Gaia. She felt like her faith was crumbling at this moment.


    "No God?" Verthandi asked blankly.


    "No God!" Gaia answered definitively.


    Verthandi was so angry, her voice started to crack. "How could that be¡­ How?"


    "Are you telling me that everything I have believed in this world...It was all a lie?" Verthandi was beside herself with grief and confusion.


    As tears began to roll down her cheeks, Verthandi pointed at Gaia and asked, "Tell me, what is all of this really about?"


    Before Gaia had a chance to answer, Verthandi suddenly noticed something and demanded, "Where is the creator that you were talking about? Who is this creator? I demand that you let me see him!"


    Verthandi was constantly wiping her tears away, while frantically looking around. "It is you, isn''t it? Only you, and all you?"


    "Randhir Eranbell or Faross? No matter who the h*ll you are, I want to see you! Show yourself!" Her voice echoed throughout the deathly quiet space, yet no one responded.


    Then, Gaia responded mechanically, "The creator is not in this world... Request to connect has failed!"


    "You don''t want to see me? Is it because of Saintess Kelly''s death? It was all my fault, old man, please come see me and save the orcs!" No matter how loud and desperate her shouts were, she received no response.


    She was devastated. However, as if Verthandi had a sudden idea, she said excitedly to Gaia, "Upon my authority, I request for the power of the Divine Kingdom, so that I may drive out the King of the Dead and his ghost army!"


    Gaia scanned Verthandi once again, then said, "Access denied. Target no longer possesses level one authority. Request denied!"


    Verthandi was so frustrated, she began to shake. The light of the Divine Kingdom was shining upon her, but Verthandi could only feel the coldness of this place!


    "How could this be?" she kept murmuring to herself, clearly in denial that she seemed to be failing in her mission.


    All the while, Gaia was still repeating the same phrase, "Access denied! Target no longer possesses level one authority! Request denied!"


    He then added, "The requested for connection to the Divine Kingdom has ended! Connected has ended!"


    Boom!


    Verthandi felt like the Divine Kingdom was suddenly starting to crumble around her. She instantly fell down from the Divine Kingdom to the ground. By the time she opened her eyes again, she realized that she was once again in the church of Cory.


    "Where am I?" Verthandi stood up, murmuring a bit incoherently. She was clearly feeling lost.


    She walked outside the palace. As she looked around, she saw Saga City slowly becoming more empty, while the groups of people were tearfully with their loved ones.


    "I will defeat them, even without you! I will protect my own empire!" she yelled, raising her fists to the sky in defiance.


    -----------------------


    As it was located to the north, Primonius was much colder than Saga City. At this time, the orcs from the empire had either fled or died at the hands of the ghost army.


    As the army of ghosts kept expanding, many elites were produced. In fact, the size of the army had increased to two hundred thousand!


    Without the song of the dead, the size of the army was increasing at a fairly slower rate than usual, but only in the perspective of the ghosts. In the eyes of the orcs and the humans, this rate of expansion was still fearsomely fast!


    Moreover, vast varieties of higher class ranks of the undead were constantly being added. These include the special undead like king class ghouls, skeleton magi, and headless knights. They were leading the army of ghosts, chasing their enemies towards the north.


    As the ghosts army marched onward, the whole northern part of the Alen Continent was covered by a black cloud. This made all of the orcs shiver, even from afar.


    Even though the army of ghosts hadn''t arrived yet, the population had already started moving further away. As a result, the once lively Holy Seville Empire now had not a single trace of the living left within its southwest region.


    "The ghosts invade the cities, while the dead come out from hell, devouring everyone!"


    "No one can go to heaven or hell! Everyone will be trapped in the King of the Dead''s control, not living or dying, only doomed to this eternal suffering!"


    In rural pubs and in human cities far away from the empire, the bards were singing about the darkness in the faraway lands. Even though no one had seen it for themselves, this fearsome description was still enough to chill their hearts as they drank their ale in awestruck horror.


    As for the northern orc cities, the screams and cries became the background music to the devilish scene. As the orc refugees moved from the south, they brought fear and darkness with them to the north.


    As the numerous orc refugees stood in line to get their daily rations, there were many other refugees and children scattered throughout the streets, huddling up together to protect themselves from the chilling weather. They were trying to stay hopeful, but it was a struggle within their minds to do so...


    The king will stop those da*n skeletons. We must stay strong.


    We will be victorious at last.


    The armies of Schinlas, Misea, and Beira are coming, so we might still stand a chance.


    We have not lost yet, If we win the next battle, we can return to our homes.


    Many orcs began to head to the north of the old ruins of the Engido Kingdom. This was where the Holy Seville Empire would be having their final battle against the ghost army.


    All of the forces from many different areas gathered at this spot in Primonius. As they realized that they were on the brink of extinction, the orcs were filled with fervor and bloodlust.


    The whole of Primonius, as well as many other surrounding cities converged to form a frontier. Many soldiers rushed in, each of them holding shields and swords, while they climbed up to the top of the city! Even the orc wizards had all gathered here, as they were now on the brink of extinction as well.


    Meanwhile, the message of the ghost army''s arrival came, as some of the ghost army leaders had been spotted in Blanc City. Thus, the black cloud had officially reached the north. The pursuing ghost army was ready to annihilate the Holy Seville Empire and turn the whole northern Alen Continent into their Kingdom of the Dead!

 224 Return

    Countless death knights rushed to the north from all surrounding directions. They were all heading straight for Primonius.


    The recent fall of Blanc City had bought the orcs some time, allowing the remaining refugees to safely retreat. After all, if the orcs were to lose one more battle to the King of the Dead, they would be completely annihilated.


    Roar!


    "The King of the Dead is coming!" Verthandi stood at the top of Primonius, looking up at the black dot in the sky.


    Following the roar of the zombie dragon, the weather had completely changed. The sunny sky slowly became dark and heavy.


    "They are waiting for nightfall, as decreased visibility is nothing for the ghosts. However, for us orcs and humans, it will be devastating!" Verthandi murmured, fear creeping into her heart.


    As the ghost army got closer, everyone could see that it was really a group skeletons that was being led by countless death knights! There were also many higher tiered undead in the back of the formation, leading their own factions of the army.


    There were even different types of soldiers, who had put on all of the armor and weapons that they had stolen from fallen cities. Their terrifying forms sent chills down everyone''s spines.


    The orcs again looked down at the sea of countless skeletons, death knights, headless knights, and skeleton magi. Some of the soldiers were just seeing the ghost army for the first time, and the terrifying sight shocked them to their cores.


    Then, from the black cloud above, snow began falling. The air became colder and colder. As chilling winds blew past the soldiers, their fingers became so numb, they could barely hold their swords properly.


    Toot!


    The horns suddenly sounded, announcing that the ghosts were on the move. Verthandi, who had never left the wall, as she had been waiting for them to start their attack, then yelled, "It has finally begun!"


    As she pulled out her long sword, countless orc knights and soldiers did the same. The lights on the walls of Primonius were reflected by the swords and shields of the army, as all bore their arms together in solidarity.


    "Humility, justice, mercy, heroics, fairness, sacrifice, honor, spirit!" Following Verthandi, every soldier chanted the most famous chant in the Holy Seville Empire at the top of their lungs.


    Verthandi pointed forward with her longsword, then said, "Today, all we need to do is defeat this ghost army. If we stay strong, we will be victorious!"


    She then added, "I, King Will of the Holy Seville Empire, will not leave this city! Victory or death!"


    Everyone on the wall, as if their hearts had just been lit on fire, then repeated her words, shouting at the top of their lungs, "Victory or death!"


    While they were shouting, the ghost army started their attack. Countless ghosts carried siege weapons and shields to the walls. They then charged the walls with their siege tanks and arrow towers.


    Primonius was not the only city under siege at this moment. In fact, all of the major war bases and their surrounding cities were also under attack!


    However, the most important base was still Primonius. As such, the main forces of both the ghost army and the orcs were all gathered here.


    This was because the entire Holy Seville Empire would be brought to its knees if only Primonius would fall. Hence, this was the most important battle of them all!


    Many skeleton magi used fireballs to bombard the walls. The catapults were also launching flaming rocks into the city. The ensuing chaos was a blur of fire, screams, and surging special powers.


    The witchcraft of the skeleton magi and the special powers of the king class ghouls collided against the sword flashes of the Holy Knights. Sometimes, a hole in the wall would appear, having been blasted through by some secret dark spell. But, it was always quickly blocked by the spike towers within the city.


    Amid the thunderous attack, countless orc soldiers rushed out to tightly block the ghost army from entering the city...


    ----------------------------


    After twenty three days of constant battle, many bodies and skeletons were scattered outside of the city walls. The bodies were stacked up in piles against the wall. Some places even had bodies stacked up to half the height of the walls!


    As the weather was below freezing now, the corpses had been frozen, like cured meat. This caused them to smell absolutely disgusting!


    Many holes in the walls could not be repaired fast enough, so the soldiers tore down many houses and churches in order to use their materials to block the holes. The bodies that were constantly being dragged down from the walls slowly kept stacking up. The smell of death seemed to be spreading across the entire city.


    The cold weather had frozen all of Primonius, causing it to resemble an ice castle. There were wounded civilians and soldiers everywhere in the city, and many of them died from the harsh weather conditions.


    Furthermore, there were constantly reports of fallen cities. At the moment, the only cities left standing were Primonius and a handful of surrounding cities.


    As for the ghost army outside, they had grown in size, having regrouped yet again. Even though they had also been fighting for twenty three days, the terrible weather and the night battles seemed to have little effect on the ghost army.


    However, while the ghost group was regrouping, their attacks had become less frequent, almost nonexistent for a time. But, they attacked only enough to remind everyone of their presence, and to let everyone in the city know that the King of the Dead would be back for all-out attack soon!


    The horns were again sounded by the ghosts, and the soldiers stood up immediately, fear creeping into their hearts. They were surprised, however, as this time, they were attacking in the morning!


    "Is this the final battle? Is the da*n King of the Dead finally going to show himself?" one of the soldiers asked.


    Just as he finished speaking, the ghosts suddenly rushed in like a riptide. However, this time, there was a giant black dragon behind them! The black zombie dragon instantly appeared, spreading its wings and covering the whole sky.


    Verthandi stood on the wall. Her armor was damaged and covered in blood.


    "Dragon!"


    "It is a real Titan Dragon!"


    "That is not a dragon! It is a zombie dragon! It''s an evil dragon, crawling out from hell! That is a being even more evil than an evil dragon!"


    Everyone looked at the sky and shouted in awe. The snow was gray, not white, and the black clouds were still covering the sky. Even though the sun was up, the whole world was still gloomy and dark.


    As the zombie dragon appeared, many wizards from Colossus College, as well as the Holy Knights charged into the sky. Verthandi followed closely behind them, holding her holy longsword, which was pointed right at the King of the Dead!


    The King of the Dead pulled on the reins, bringing the zombie dragon to a dead halt right above Primonius. As its giant mouth opened, the black clouds started spinning!


    A giant flame appeared in its mouth. Since the zombie dragon had become one with the King of the Dead, its dragon breath was now imbued with a special power!


    The flame shot out from its mouth like a pillar of light, spanning across the sky and striking the ground. As it landed, the flame spread out and destroyed large areas of the city, lighting the entire city on fire!


    Almost everyone that charged towards the King of the Dead had been ignited by the flame and was burned to nothing in an instant! The soldiers didn''t even get to scream before they were turned into ashes!


    At this moment, all of Primonius fell deathly silent, and the soldiers that were holding longswords and shields were all shocked. Many of the stared in wide-eyed wonder and asked man questions...


    "What is that?"


    "Is that the King of the Dead?"


    "Oh God, how could you let such evil exist in this world?"


    As they stared in amazement, the zombie dragon kept moving its wings, causing the black clouds to spin even more intensely. Countless strangely shaped ice formations then fell to the ground, covering the whole world with ice.


    Suddenly sensing something, the King of the Dead turned around to see a knight flying in the sky! He had surprisingly dodged all of the ice, as well as the flames of the zombie dragon! It was Verthandi!


    The King of the Dead reached towards her with a giant claw that was surrounded by black fog. However, she dodged it swiftly, then wheeled around to strike at the King of the Dead with her shiny longsword.


    At this moment, a swift tail strike of the zombie dragon spun verthandi off into the sky. Then, with its hand gesture, the dragon shot many ice poles towards Verthandi, which covered the ground where she had fallen.


    As Verthandi''s armor was pierced by the ice poles, she was now covered in blood and unable to get up. Meanwhile, countless ghosts had rushed into the city. Alas, Primonius had fallen!


    Seeing this, Verthandi''s face turned pale. She drug herself to the city wall and looked at the countless ghosts that were rushing towards her. She then cried, "Ah! Is this my fate? I don''t accept this fate!"


    Countless death knights rushed towards the wall, all swinging their knives. As the orcs had been defeated, this was a new era, the era of the ghosts! They would take over the northern Alen Continent, turning this place into the Kingdom of the Dead!


    The King of the Dead also cried out from the sky, "Death is the end of everything. The end of the world starts now!"


    Every soldier stood up and looked outside the city walls, where the ghosts were rushing towards them like a riptide. As they held their swords tightly, they could only feel despair.


    As the horns blared in the background, many death knights and headless knights screamed like monsters as they rushed into the city. Meanwhile, along the walls, a giant shield suddenly appeared, protecting all of Primonius by blocking the attacks of the ghosts!


    Countless ghosts ran into the shield and were immediately turned into dust. A large amount of ghosts also disappeared in the same manner. All of the ghosts were now clueless and confused, as was the King of the Dead!


    "What is happening? What is this?" a ghost wondered aloud.


    At this moment, the black clouds in the sky were suddenly pierced by a large ray of light, which drove out the black cloud that was being controlled by the black dragon. The sun shone once again on top of Primonius, its warmth causing everyone to feel like they were in heaven.

 225 Judgmen

    As everything had happened so suddenly, it took awhile until everyone finally reacted. After returning to their sense, they immediately started to cheer. Many soldiers at the top of the city even started crying and kneeling on the ground, crying out...


    "The evil ones deserve this bad karma!"


    "God has not forsaken us."


    "He answered our prayers!"


    The King of the Dead also looked up at the sky. Suddenly, he saw an intense ray of light that was shining down from the sky. All the way from the void of the bitwall, the giant Divine Kingdom was projected onto the sky.


    The projection of the Divine Kingdom even covered the entire battlefield, as well as all of Primonius! On both the sky and the ground, everything was surrounded by the holy light of the Divine Kingdom! Then, as the clouds subsided, a giant gate of the Divine Kingdom appeared.


    As the massive realm of suppressive power was covering the entire area of the Divine Kingdom, all of the ghosts'', the King of the Dead''s, and the zombie dragon''s special powers and witchcraft were suppressed! This left the ghost army befuddled, and many of them wondered aloud...


    "What is this?"


    "God?"


    "What is this power?"


    The King of the Dead instantly sensed the power of the realm. It was a power that far surpassed his grasp and imagination. It was a power that even surpassed his origins!


    At this moment, the gate of the Divine Kingdom opened. Instantly, a shiny angel appeared at the gate and spread her giant illuminating wings. It was Archangel Kelly!


    "Judgment!" As Archangel Kelly held her hand, a giant pillar of light struck down from the gate of the Divine Kingdom.


    The pillar immediately traversed thousands of meters to instantly pierce through the King of the Dead and the zombie dragon! The dragon instantly disintegrated into countless little particles, then faded into the air. As for the King of the Dead, he was struck and had fallen, but had tapped into the energy of countless ghosts on the ground and returned to life!


    This was the immortality property of mythical creatures. As long as the undead were still under his control, he would not die!


    "I am immortal! Even God can''t kill me! Hahaha! I am the God of the Dead! I am..." Before the King of the Dead could even finish his sentence, he was struck by another ray of light.


    However, he immediately rose again, thanks to the ghosts! He then shrieked, "You can not kill me! I am undying the Undying King!"


    Countless lights struck the ground as if they were weaving a fish net. The King of the Dead died again and again. He screamed again and again, but then rose again from the dead once more.


    Large amounts of skeletons constantly gathered each time, merging together to rebuild the body of the King of the Dead. It was if they were all retaliating and against and defying God''s natural order of life and death!


    However, even despite the skeletons'' and ghosts'' efforts, this last time, the King of the Dead could not do anything other than remain moaning on the ground like a pitiful lost dog. His powers were completely suppressed by the power of the realm.


    "Realm of Light!" Archangel Kelly shouted from above, while a much more intense light was launched from the Divine Kingdom.


    The light was like the sun, glazing across the ground and instantly evaporating anything in its path. It wiped out all of the ghosts and everything on the ground!


    As every ghost was fading away, the King of the Dead was constantly dying, then being revived by the ghosts. Every time he was revived, he was painfully killed again.


    "How is this possible? I am the God of the Dead! No one can kill me! No one!" His crazy voice was roaring and echoing in the sky.


    The voice was so grim, it could make one feel the pain of h*ll itself. However, the King of the Dead could do nothing but look at the irresistible power that was annihilating him and his ghost army. No matter what he tried to do, he was powerless.


    Countless soul flames gathered in the air to form the consciousness of the King of the Dead. This was the manifestation of all of the consciousness of the dead, but without a body. As such, it was exposed in front of everyone.


    Under the realm that was covered by the Divine Kingdom, the soul flames were slowly being separated, while countless consciousnesses were being taken apart.


    The once sky-piercing soul flame was now being separated into parts, until finally, its core part was exposed. It was Adenos!


    Meanwhile, the ground rippled like water. Black waves rippled across it, as the entire ground became more and more surreal. Then, a black underground world appeared!


    The core of that world was a bright black ball. Countless black hands extended from the core, then grabbed the soul flames.


    Many of the soul flames were guided to the Divine Kingdom. The soul flames were then directed to one of two paths, heaven or hell. The soul flame of Adenos was the only one that was left behind.


    The Divine Kingdom in the sky and the underworld on the ground appeared simultaneously. This scene shook everyone within Primonius, rendering them utterly speechless. No one had expected this!


    At this moment, Archangel Kelly suddenly spoke from above. "Judgment! Adenos, you are to reside in hell forever!"


    Adenos was then tightly grabbed by thousands of black hands, which dragged him down to the underworld. His memories were immediately erased, then he was thrown into the River Styx.


    Adenos was then transformed into a rower, who was wearing a black robe and was covered completely by bandages. He had to row on the black boat forever, tasked with transporting the important souls across the River Styx.


    This was an important task, as all of the souls that fell into the River Styx would lose their memories. Even the souls that were just crossing it would experience immense pain and suffering.


    As for Adenos, he could never leave that boat. Moreover, due to the influence of the River Styx, he would never again have any memories. Thus, he would forever be known as the mindless rower.


    Lu Zhiyu suddenly appeared at the corner of the wall. He was holding a core of consciousness that had been separated from the soul flames of the King of the Dead. It was the consciousness of Delmedi!


    Lu Zhiyu held onto the heavily injured Verthandi. After a blink, they were both transported inside the palace within Primonius. He put her on the throne and tidied up her clothes and hair.


    Lu Zhiyu reached out his hands and was trying to heal Verthandi, when she quickly opened her eyes, then reached out and held his hands tightly.


    She then weakly said, "You have come!"


    Lu Zhiyu went down on one knee and leaned on the throne. He looked into her eyes and said, "Yes, I have returned!"


    Verthandi''s eyes were blinking as she asked, "Do you still hate me?"


    Lu Zhiyu knew what she was talking about, so he shook his head. "I was very angry with you, but you are my daughter! Whatever you do, I will always forgive you!"


    Verthandi''s face was filled with joy, but it was also very pale. She had no intentions of living much longer.


    Verthandi looked into his eyes and shook her head. "I was happy, but let''s end it here! My life has been good enough! I have all I have ever wanted, even though I still have a lot of regrets! Besides, long life is a curse, old man. Not everyone has the courage to face living forever!"


    Hearing her words, Lu Zhiyu suddenly fell silent. As Verthandi ran her fingers through Lu Zhiyu''s black hair and tucked his messy short hair behind his ear, her eyes were full of kindness.


    "Even though I still don''t understand what God is, I have to think that it must be lonely, right?" she asked.


    Lu Zhiyu grabbed her hands and brought them up to touch his face. He then smiled and said, "You were the one who brought color and brightness to my life!"


    Verthandi nodded and smiled. "I am glad!"


    After saying that, her pretty face suddenly paled. "I am so tired! I am really exhausted, so I need a break! Old man, please hold my hand."


    Lu Zhiyu held her hands and asked, "If you had another life, what would you want?"


    Verthandi''s eyelids were shaking as she slowly closed them. She then replied, "I would want to be with you all the time!"


    Lu Zhiyu leaned on the throne for awhile in silence. Then, he suddenly heard cheering from the outside.


    Lu Zhiyu then picked up her body, turned around, and slowly faded into stardust, taking her far away from this place.


    -----------------------------------------


    103rd year of the San Calendar, the wizard tower, the Black Forest of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro


    There was a massive party happening. Every wizard mentor, all of the working staff, and every student had gathered in the great hall of the wizard tower.


    "According to the recommendation of my fellow mentors, the fourth master of the wizard tower is¡­ Edward Kelermo!"one of the mentors announced.


    Edward had grown up, and had now become more mature. He put on the silver-edged wizard robe, which was a symbol of one''s being the master of the wizard tower. The robe had a silver mark on it that represented the wizard towers, and it was attached with a badge of the wizard tower.


    Everyone was cheering, including the students and their mentors. Ever since the wizards were suffered heavy losses twenty years ago in the battle of Danello City, this was the first time that a new level four wizard had appeared.


    Everyone was hoping that Edward could inherit his teacher Bohr''s last wish to make the wizard tower even greater. Now that he had done so, the whole wizard tower was so hyped!


    There were decorations everywhere, like it was some kind of a festival. Amid all of the hubbub, no one even noticed the giant flying castle that flitted over their heads in the sky.


    The giant castle was flying in the air and was covered by many clouds. Its base was a metallic semi-sphere that contained different layers of units, including a control room, a storage room, a laboratory and a library.


    The top portion of the castle was the living section, which had large areas of beautiful western-styled houses and lush botanical gardens. At the moment Lu Zhiyu was reading in one of the studies. Eva had brought some tea to him.


    Not long after he took his first sip, two little girls rushed in, clearly in an argument.


    "Papa! Older sis was bullying me!"


    "It was because you were being so stupid!"


    The two blonde girls grabbed Lu Zhiyu''s leg from both sides and pointed their fingers at each other. Lu Zhiyu quickly looked at the younger one and asked, "If she is always bullying you, why do you keep following her around all of the time?"


    The two of them looked very similar to one another. In fact, they kind of looked like Verthandi and Delmedi.


    However, these girls had wings! The older sister had white wings, while the younger sister had black wings.


    These two girls were clearly not humans. In fact, they were angels!


    Moreover, they each had level four powers from the day they were born. Once they became adults, they could even reach level seven! However, reaching that level of maturity would take them a long time.


    At the moment, these two angels were running around Lu Zhiyu, still fighting. He grabbed each of them, one under each arm, and ran out of the room.


    "Stop arguing! Let''s go play outside!" he said as he carried them towards the sunshine.


    From outside, they could see layers of clouds floating underneath their feet, and the sunshine was bright and warm. They could also see human cities and villages on the ground underneath them, as well as farmlands that were intersecting with lakes and forests!


    "Where are we going?"


    "Yea, papa, where?"


    "Let''s go up and fly way up high!"


    The angel girls were talking over one another, as they were very excited.


    "Ah, but will we be melted by the sun if we were to fly too close to it!" Lu Zhiyu laughed.


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 226 Flying Castle and Soul Worm

    Lu Zhiyu was in the base control room of the flying castle. The whole base was made of cold, hard steel.


    Aside from a glass ball that was at the control center, there was only one levitating chair. Footage from in and outside of the castle was projected onto screens from all directions. As such, Lu Zhiyu was able to connect to the control system of this flying castle if by sitting on that one single chair.


    The control system was foolproof, and anyone who had awakened their mind power could use it. This was an important facet, as it was not always Lu Zhiyu that was controlling the flying castle. However, most of the time, he had it in autopilot mode.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the ring that was floating in the glass ball in the control center. This was the ring that had been taken from the bionic robot of Atlantis.


    It was a very unique piece of technology that could create repulsion between the object and the ground. The technology was not exactly negative gravity, but it was close enough.


    Lu Zhiyu was excited as he imagined the applications of this levitation. For Atlantis, this was an easy piece of technology, and it had already been mass-produced and minimized in size. After Lu Zhiyu took one ring from the bionic robot''s head, he had called it the levitation ring.


    The control room that Lu Zhiyu was presently within, which was at the base of the flying castle, was actually weightless. As such, its floating force could support the whole flying castle.


    He only needed to adjust the repulsion force between the levitation ring and the ground in order to lift off or land the flying castle. Moreover even when the flying castle was in the astral, the levitation ring could provide enough gravitational force to stabilize the environment inside the castle.


    "It seems like the technological power of this civilization has not progressed as far as I had imagined it would by now. It is still in the realm of the human imagination, but there is nothing we can compete against yet." After Lu Zhiyu had familiarized himself with the levitation ring, he then modified the flying castle. However, it was still a long ways from being able to travel in the astral.


    Ecosystem and life cycle¡­ There is so much to consider! Where should I begin?


    Lu Zhiyu''s brain was racing furiously. Ideas were constantly popping up, which he quickly made into blueprints and drafts. Then, the door behind him suddenly opened.


    At that moment, two little kids rushed in from the outside, then immediately started to fly. Even though they did not spread their wings, since it was a weightless environment, when they opened their arms, they just floated around in the control room!


    "Papa! The egg you made before, it hatched!" The older of the two sisters, Verthandi, said to Lu Zhiyu, while gesticulating excitedly with her hands.


    "Yes! It really hatched!" The younger sister Delmedi nodded non-stop.


    "Hatched into something this long!"


    "A long worm!"


    "Blargh!"


    "Super disgusting!"


    As the two girls were playing off of each other''s comments like people do in an improv comedy show, Lu Zhiyu burst into laughter. However, once Lu Zhiyu quickly realized what they were talking about, he stood up from the levitating chair in the control room, then flew towards the inner cabin door.


    "That is not an egg! It is an embryo! It really hatched? Let''s go and have a look!" Lu Zhiyu yelled on his way to the door.


    This embryo was a creature that had been created by Lu Zhiyu''s during an impulsive whim. This was not an ordinary creature, but a special creature that was an existence somewhere between energy and conscience.


    Even though it had many flaws, Adenos had been able to use it to discover the system of soul flames. Moreover, it greatly inspired Lu Zhiyu in further discoveries.


    "So, the structure of conscience and soul can not only be presented a single form, but can also be presented in the form of a soul flame!" Lu Zhiyu explained to the two girls.


    When he had created it, he was trying to create a creature that could exist between conscience and life. In this way, it wouldn''t just be a conscience that could not interfere with reality.


    However, such a creature would be quite different from normal lifeforms as well. This development would also help evolve Lu Zhiyu''s understanding of soul and consciousness.


    After Lu Zhiyu and the two girls went through the steel tunnel, the door behind them closed and the lights were shut off instantly. All of the projections immediately disappeared as well, as the room switched into idle mode.


    Upon their entering the laboratory, all gravity force returned. As such, Lu Zhiyu landed gracefully, then walked on the floor normally. The two girls almost fell on the floor as soon as they crossed the threshold, but were lucklily grabbed by Lu Zhiyu before that happened!


    They looked around, noticing that there many empty incubators in the room. Within the incubator that was the furthest away, there was a semi-transparent worm. It opened its mouth, which was filled with sharp teeth. It was ramming into the glass wall, trying to escape!


    The worm had transparent skin, and through that skin, one could clearly see that there were no organs within it body. In fact, only a black flame could be seen at its core. It was a soul worm, a lifeform that sat in between the soul world and the normal world!


    The two girls followed Lu Zhiyu, one on each side of him. They pressed their hands and faces on the glass wall, opening their big eyes to observe the worm inside the incubator.


    "Wow!"


    "Did you see that?"


    "So scary!"


    As the two kids put their hands together and made faces of disgust, they commented in amazement at this unique creature. They were disgusted by the ugliness of the worm, but were also curious about it.


    Lu Zhiyu opened the incubator cover from above, then gently brought out the soul worm and placed it in front of the two girls. They quickly covered their eyes, and were screaming, but they were also trying to look at the creature from the gap between their fingers!


    Lu Zhiyu held the worm tightly. It was twisting constantly, trying to bite Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu could see that this worm really existed, but he still could barely believe it. Even though Lu Zhiyu had created it, he didn''t expect that it would have hatched so soon. Moreover, it was much more stable than he had expected it to be!


    The soul worm also had an insanely impressive lifespan. Without restrictions or outside influences, it could exist forever. But, the soul worm was also like a soul flame, meaning that it was constantly consumed. So, when external forces caused it to be sucked dry and run out, it died.


    However, also similar to soul flames, it had a strong devouring power and the ability to constantly evolve. It could also connect the magic network in order to push its own evolution.


    However, without cells and life templates, this form of evolution was uncontrollable. Thus, the speed of its evolution and reproduction would be much faster than normal lifeforms.


    If I were to create a world with this type of lifeform, wouldn''t it be like a natural Divine Kingdom? Then, the endless birth and consumption of the creatures would constantly provide nutrients to the Divine Kingdom, thus making the natural Divine Kingdom much stronger!


    Furthermore, this new Divine Kingdom would be different from my Divine Kingdom, which was solely a world of conscience information. This one would be the real Kingdom of God, strengthened by the soul of the believer! This way of evolution seems like it would be way faster!


    Lu Zhiyu''s head was filled with countless ideas. As he clenched his fist tight, the first experimental soul worm disappeared into dust. Since it was born from the original power of conscience and Source Form, it would naturally return to its origin after its death.


    "Ah! The worm died!"


    "Poor thing!"


    The two girls opened their mouths wide. Lu Zhiyu then grabbed them and said, "Alright, alright! Forget about the worm! Eva must have made something tasty for us prepared in the kitchen by now, so let''s go eat!"

 227 The Abyss World

    The painting world was a two-dimensional space. It was the first world that Lu Zhiyu had created.


    Compared to Maria''s World, it only had length and width, but lacked the third dimension of height. After the downfall of that dimension, Lu Zhiyu had cast away the map of the world in a far-flung corner.


    At the moment, Lu Zhiyu was looking at the pile of scrolls within the flying castle. Finally, he had found the map amid this pile of papers. Now, this broken and rotted world had, after all this time, once again been taken out by Lu Zhiyu!


    Everything in that world was currently broken. Even the sun had ceased to shine! There was no light or warmth, and without gravity and order being present to regulate everything, the world was a total mess.


    Ah! This feels like it was so long ago!


    Looking at the first world that he created was making Lu Zhiyu emotional. As Lu Zhiyu reached out his hand, it was as if an unseen power pressed it into the painting world. The rules inside it started turning and changing immediately!


    Reset world!


    Back to zero!


    Modify!


    The strange dimensional world in the astral was changing massively, as it was being controlled by an unseen power. The world quickly transformed from a mere flat piece of paper into a three-dimensional world!


    However, unlike Maria''s World, the interior of the world was composed of countless bubbles. Each bubble was insulated from the other, like a beehive''s honeycomb.


    It was all chaos inside, as the gravities were random and haphazardly arrayed. Therefore, there was no official up or down directions.


    There was no light or sun either, only rocks and floating islands, which were colliding with each other. Those rocks went through the gaps between the bubbles, then went up or down haphazardly.


    As Lu Zhiyu reached out his hand again, it was as if there was an unseen force that dragged the painting world from the edge of the bitwall to the center of the bitwall, depositing it right next to Maria''s world.


    However, this "right next to" only was a relevant description of distance in terms of bitwalls. In reality, it was still a distance that would take a level seven mythical wizard more than ten thousand years to fly across!


    "Confirming time flow speed!" Lu Zhiyu called out, carefully confirming the time flow in that world.


    Since the astral was pretty stable, it had a time flow that was similar to Maria''s World''s. When compared to Earth, this time flow speed was about a hundred to one. However, for this newly created world, Lu Zhiyu could control the speed of time flow inside easily, like it was on autopilot mode almost.


    Regarding different worlds, because the rules within them were different, time within each would naturally flow differently. In other words, the more complete the rules were within a world, the closer the time flow would be to the astral.


    "Create magical network!" Lu Zhiyu yelled, while he connected to the zero dimension world.


    He opened the Source Form channel and sat up the whole magical network to cover the whole world. All of the Source Form that Lu Zhiyu had saved during the last decade had decreased drastically due to those series of actions.


    The whole bitwall world was now sitting on Lu Zhiyu''s hand like a toy. He could play with it and manipulate it however he liked it. Whether it be resetting, modifying, solidifying or adding new rules, with enough Source Form, Lu Zhiyu could do all of these things effortlessly.


    Lu Zhiyu had finally stabilized the whole bitwall world! Now, the time flow, when compared to Earth, was one to eight thousand! When it was compared to Maria''s World, it was one to twenty-two! In other worlds, one year in Maria''s World was twenty-two years in this world!


    One step to go!


    Up to this last step, the world embryo that Lu Zhiyu had imagined was pretty much finished. Feeling pretty satisfied with the success of this latest project, Lu Zhiyu then returned to the flying castle. While he was leaving, he took the scrolls that were hanging on the demi-bitwall in the dimensional castle.


    After returning to the flying castle, he noticed that the top of the castle was covered in a layer of special glass. At this moment, the inside of the flying castle was completely insulated from the outside. Even normal people could live in this environment now!


    Now, the air pressure, air composition, gravity, temperature and other survival variables were controlled effortlessly by the flying castle system! Inside the botanic gardens, there were even artificial sunplates that enabled the vessel to mimic real sunlight and warmth! The entire flying castle was now enclosed, creating a small world of its own!


    However, mobility and acceleration were still major problems, as it was currently still too much of a dream for the world to travel in the astral. However, it was not a big problem for Lu Zhiyu.


    At the moment, Verthandi and Delmede were busy bullying a little lion. It was Verthandi''s pet lion. Delmedi had picked her own pet as well, which was a parrot that actually could carry a conversation with people!


    However, after they had each picked their pets, Delmedi felt that Verthandi''s pet was better than her pet parrot. Therefore, she kept trying to take the lion away from Verthandi!


    The poor lion was now being drug around by the two little kids, their immense strengths almost tearing it in half. After the lion saw Lu Zhiyu, it cried out sadly for help, which scared the two girls enough that they finally let it go. The lion quickly ran into the nearby bushes in the botanic garden and disappeared.


    "Alright, let''s not bully the little lion. Papa will take you to see something more fun," Verthandi said.


    "I didn''t bully the little lion! My older sister was just not allowing me to touch it!" Delmedi pouted.


    "The little lion is mine! Your parrot is at the top!" Verthandi shouted.


    "I don''t want my parrot! I want the little lion!" Delmedi protested.


    After they finished arguing, the two sisters looked at Lu Zhiyu. Verthandi then asked, "Papa, papa, what are we going to see today?"


    "Are we going to see big fish, like the big fish that we saw in the ocean the other time?" Delmedi asked.


    Lu Zhiyu quickly answered. "No. We have seen all of those things already. This time, we are going to see the outside world!"


    Eva had already set up the programs in the control room. She had also prepared more seats for the girls. Upon entering, Lu Zhiyu sat in the main seat, while everyone else sat in their own seats.


    Lu Zhiyu''s mind instantly connected to the flying castle control system as he got into the levitating chair in the middle of the room. "Sit tight! I''m going to go faster now!"


    As the flying castle was booting up, the projection of the views from around the flying castle appeared. The sun in the sky, the ground below, and the clouds around the castle all appeared on the screen.


    Then, the flying castle was quickly launched into the sky, the continent underneath it becoming smaller and smaller. As the speed got faster, they went over the bitwalls. After traversing the layers of the astral world, they finally reached the outside of Maria''s World!


    "That was so fast!"


    "The world is smaller and smaller!"


    "Wow! We are really outside of our world!"


    "It''s so pretty!"


    As the girls were exclaiming back and forth to one another, even Eva opened her mouth wide in surprise. This was her first time leaving Maria''s World. What''s more, no one besides Lu Zhiyu had ever seen the full map of Maria''s World, not to mention observing the world as a whole from the outside!


    Maria''s World was like a giant sphere, and a light source on the bitwall was orbiting around the world to provide it with light and warmth. Then, as the flying castle accelerated again, they passed a surreal barrier and a dimensional gate. As they passed the endless distance of the astral, they came out on the edge of another bitwall.


    The world was pitch dark, and its interior was a mess. It seemed very dark and scary.


    Verthandi and Delmedi looked at the dark bitwall world from their levitating chairs, both exclaiming at once...


    "This world is so scary!"


    "It''s pitch black! There is nothing here!"


    Lu Zhiyu put the flying castle in cruise mode, then flew around the bitwall and observed it for a while. He then said, "This is our target! Verthandi, Delmedi, and Eva, welcome to the Abyss World!"

 228 Species of the Abyss World

    Eva suddenly felt like everything in Maria''s world seemed to be passing away. She and Lu Zhiyu had seen countless people sacrifice everything for just a piece of land, for the sovereignty of a country, or for beliefs.


    Was it that important?


    People didn''t even know how big the world was outside their own country, much less outside the Alan Continent! They only saw the narrow world that surrounded them only as far as their naked eyes could see. But, Eva had found that the whole world was only a drop in the ocean when compared to the astral.


    Eva suddenly felt that her vision had expanded. As the floating city left Maria''s World, it seemed to have also taken the shackles away from her.


    "Let''s go in!" Lu Zhiyu said. After observing the external situation of the Abyss World, he immediately started the engine and went directly into it.


    The newly formed Abyss World was much smaller than Maria''s World and was very barren. When Lu Zhiyu controlled the floating castle to penetrate the bitwall and enter the Abyss World, he saw that Eva, Verthandi, and Delmedi all appeared quite numb and were very quiet.


    "This is... the Abyss World? How could this be?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    The speed of time had accelerated in an instant, but the three people who crossed the bitwall did not adapt to the change well at all. The speed of the castle rapidly changed, and they seemed to be controlled by an inexplicable force. It was only when they all had entered the Abyss World that all of this slowly returned to normal.


    "That was so weird, but also fun!" Eva didn''t quite understand what had just happened, so she looked at Lu Zhiyu for some explanation.


    Lu Zhiyu explained, "The instability in the Abyss World causes the speed inside the world to be different from within the astral. When external objects enter the Abyss World, they become subject to the adjustments and assimilations of the internal rules of the world."


    The Abyss World had a honeycomb-like structure, which was made up of layers of space bubbles. Countless meteorites and floating islands floated in its darkness, some of which spun rapidly against each other. Some space bubbles were rich in substance, while others were completely empty.


    Lu Zhiyu reached out, and a small fireball appeared in his hands. The fireball kept growing until it finally became hugel. After that, Lu Zhiyu compressed it, forming it into a highly unstable black spot.


    When Lu Zhiyu threw the black spot out of the floating castle, he immediately took control of the floating castle and drove it out of the Abyss World. As the black spot drifted into the Abyss World, the forces emanating from it distorted the surrounding meteorites and floating islands.


    The strong erosive forces even began to interfere with the real world, making everything seem to transform into a half-soul and half-material state, like a soul worm. After the black spot passed through more layers of space bubbles and reached the center of the Abyss World, it stopped, spun violently, then exploded.


    Suddenly, a great energy burst forth from the core of the Abyss World and radiated through numerous space bubbles, then spread out into the whole abyss world. This caused the whole Abyss World to undergo some dramatic changes. Everything became radiant and flooded with light, and countless soul worms began to emerge everywhere!


    The whole world began to show signs of life. A large number of floating islands and meteorites were transformed into bases for worm cultivation to accommodate the vast number of worms that were being born. After their births, the worms began to absorb the energy, which allowed them to strengthen themselves and continue to grow.


    Some of the worms would eat the other worms, and the remnants of a large number of dead soul worms would then be integrated into the floating islands and the meteorites. The meteorites would then continue to grow and eventual became floating islands, which would then slowly expand and become continents!


    Meanwhile, within the numerous space bubbles, different changes were taking place. Each space bubble was like an isolated small world, where the innumerable soul worms that devoured each other would actually become advanced creatures!


    Lu Zhiyu drove the floating castle out of the Abyss World, so that he could observe the changes inside of it from the outside via projection. He saw that the advanced creatures didn''t have a common form. Some were muddy monsters, some were giant one-eyed monsters, some were innumerable ugly vines entangled together, and some were like tree stumps and roots!


    There were also monsters with wings and bodies, like flesh bugs! They were flying around the world, constantly spraying venom that could decay souls. Their fluttering wings even had disgusting, twisted muscles on them.


    Moreover, some of them even had countless eyes. When they opened them eyes, their eyes could radiate lights that would destroy the souls and all of the materials that were in front of them!


    There were so many strange creatures like these, too many to count and describe! All kinds of these creatures had been born in the Abyss World within the last few years. They were indeed strange and terrible!


    "Wow, that''s terrible! So many bugs! No, they are even more disgusting than bugs." Eva said.


    Having parked the floating castle outside the Abyss World, Lu Zhiyu began to record the changes and new species that he observed. Looking from outside the Abyss World, the internal speed of time was more than twenty times faster than it was on the outside, so everything seemed to be moving really fast.


    As such, a few years had passed inside, but only a few months had passed on the outside. Hence, the species of the Abyss World had grown and evolved at a rate that was far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.


    Eva and the two others soon grew bored with simply observing, so they went to the botanical garden to play with the poor lion.


    "Is the evolution disordered?" Eva asked.


    "Well, it certainly is not just going in one direction!" Lu Zhiyu said.


    The previous Zerg World and Maria''s World had both been influenced by the real world and by Lu Zhiyu''s knowledge. As Lu Zhiyu had received a modern education, he suffered from some constraints. As such, the shape and ability of the creatures that he created and transformed were only able to be within the imagination of human beings.


    In the Abyss World, the creation of a species was not affected by cell and gene templates, like in humans, so there was no influence garnered from Lu Zhiyu. Hence, these species'' evolutions were not controlled by Lu Zhiyu, so the shape and ability of many of the species in the Abyss World were beyond even his imagination!


    For example, some of their shapes were distorted and exaggerated, and their evolution was disorderly and filled with unknown variables. For Lu Zhiyu, it was like opening up a door to a whole new world!


    Countless creatures, born from a large number of soul worms, whistled through the Abyss World. Although there was no warmth in the silent Abyss World, countless creatures were still being born. Clearly, the energy in the whole Abyss World was slowly changing.


    Later, these creatures would travel to the edges of the space bubbles, enter other space bubbles, then come into contact with more advanced species. The Abyss World would then use their energy to evolve into a special Divine Kingdom, just as Lu Zhiyu had expected all along!


    However, creatures in the Abyss World were still relatively weak at the moment, and their evolution was still full of defects.


    For example, after the creatures were born, they would die quickly. As such, Lu Zhiyu knew that it would take a long time to turn this world into a Divine Kingdom and expand it into a world that was larger than Maria''s World.

 229 Devil Species

    This was a dark and silent world. For countless monsters, their days consisted only of killing and swallowing each other, and evolution was their only focus.


    At the center of the Abyss World, at the core of the black spot where all energy was born, a huge floating island existed. This was where countless creatures were constantly being born, only to later disappear.


    Suddenly, a giant soul worm emerged from the floating island. It had a big mouth, which spun a web and then turned itself into a cocoon!


    A few days later, it emerged again, but this time it was a monster with a ferocious head and no body! However, four claws could be seen sticking out from both sides of its head.


    Unlike other monsters, this monster had a high degree of wisdom. In fact, it was very smart. After it was born, it had selectively devoured other worms, which had made it grow big and strong.


    It also selectively transformed soul worms into life forms like itself, then quickly made them its subordinates. At first, the same kind of monsters grew on the central continent, constantly occupying the whole continent and killing and devouring other monsters. They did this in order to establish their own monster country in the central bubble of the Abyss World. Among the numerous other bubbles, many were experiencing similar occurrences.


    "The evolution is out of order!" Lu Zhiyu said to Eva.


    "Survival of the fittest," Eva said.


    Lu Zhiyu observed the interior of the Abyss World through a picture scroll. The smartest monster, which was huge like a castle, was floating in front of countless other monsters of much smaller sizes. With a loud collective roar, all of the monsters cheered at the same time.


    These monsters occupied the central continent of the Abyss World and were the most powerful ones within it. The higher their levels, the more claws they had. These claws were like countless fierce whips that were constantly waving around and making sharp noises.


    The monsters used their mind powers and awarenesses to communicate with one another. Although they had no proper language and were not conscious beings, Lu Zhiyu could understand a bit of their intercommunications.


    "Stikua! King of the Devil!" All of the other monsters bowed before the smartest huge monster. He was Stikua, King of the Devil.


    The King of the Devil stood on the dark peaks in the central continent and declared his power and authority over all of the other monsters. As he spoke, red flames came out of his mouth and surged up into the sky, illuminating vast areas of the continent and turning the whole world red. In the light of the fire, countless monsters'' shadows appeared.


    Lu Zhiyu took a record of all of the monsters that were led by the King of the Devil and named them the devil species. This was the first official species ever to be recorded in the Abyss World.


    In his record, Lu Zhiyu wrote: Name: Stikua, species: the devil species, birth place: Abyss World, ability: the Shadow of the Blade, the Flame of the Devil, and devouring awarenesses and emotions...


    What interested Lu Zhiyu most was the species ability to devour awarenesses and emotions. This ability was related to the origin of consciousnesses and souls.


    From his perch outside the Abyss World, Lu Zhiyu observed and recorded the strange monsters for a long time. Lu Zhiyu found that these monsters'' life forms were very close to the mythical creatures''. However, they did not have the immortal bodies and longevities that mythical life forms possessed.


    But, in terms of some special abilities, they were very close to mythological life forms. For example, because mythological life forms could actually ignore space, the transmission of awarenesses among mythological individuals were also able to ignore distance. These monsters also had this amazing characteristic!


    But, as these monsters were born in the Abyss World, they were also limited by the Abyss World. If they left, they would become homeless and die!


    Thus, they were greatly dependent on the Abyss World, a world very similar to the Divine Kingdom. In fact, if they entered the astral or other worlds, they would not be able to fit in and would eventually die.


    After discovering these characteristics, Lu Zhiyu did not attach much importance to them, but regarded them as a kind of original ability of this special species. Seeing that the operation of the Abyss World was on track, Lu Zhiyu was now ready to leave. Besides, the cold and lonely astral and the dark and terrible Abyss World were far less attractive than the colorful Maria''s World!


    Moreover, Lu Zhiyu had stayed outside the Abyss World for nearly a year now. Although he could get almost everything inside the floating castle and there was a botanical garden that had an artificial blue sky and artificial sunlight within it, they consumed too many resources. Plus, his life here was too boring compared with his life back in Maria''s World!


    "Let''s go back! I don''t like it here!"


    "Let''s go back and see the snoring fire-breathing dragon!"


    "And the silver dragon!"


    All of the small little group echoed his desires, each shouting their demands to leave this place. Even Eva told him in secret that they had run out of the majority of their fresh food and vital materials.


    Although they planted a lot of crops in the botanical garden, the area was too small to produce all that they needed. Thus, it was clearly time to get out of here!


    As Lu Zhiyu prepared to go, he bound together some manuscripts that he had written records on, sealed them with a leather cover, then put them on the shelves beside him.


    Amid the children''s cheers, the floating castle left the astral, soon reappearing just outside of Maria''s World. It then penetrated the bitwall and returned into Maria''s World!

 230 The Book of the Devil

    As the sun in Maria''s World was bright and shiny, the cover on the floating castle was finally able to be taken off of its base. Verthandi and Delmedi lived happily in the floating castle for a long time.


    The castle had a playground, library, a botanical garden, and even some strange buildings that Lu Zhiyu had built on the ground floor. Their favorite part about living there, however, was that they could see the stars from nearly every corner of the castle whenever they looked up to the sky.


    Now that they were back in Maria''s World, both of them were very happy. One day, they were playing around in the castle, when they rushed into the study where Lu Zhiyu was usually resting. At this moment, however, Lu Zhiyu was not there.


    So, they starting horsing around in Lu Zhiyu''s room, hitting each other with couch cushions. Then, they found a heavy book on the table.


    "What is that book?" one of them asked.


    "I don''t know! I haven''t seen it before!" the other replied.


    The book had a thick cover with a fearsome skull on it, which attracted the attention of the two children. Delmedi picked up the book, opened it and found that it had a large number of pictures and explanations about the devil species in it.


    "Wow! The monsters of the Abyss World!" Delmedi said.


    "Put it back, or Daddy will be angry!" Verthandi requested.


    "No, let''s just have a look. It''s so interesting!" Delmedi said.


    "Delmedi!" Verthandi wrinkled her nose angrily and was going to grab that book, when Delmedi ran out with it still in her hands!


    They kept chasing each other around on the lawn square, and at last, at the guard rail along the edge of the property, Delmedi was caught by Verthandi. While they were squabbling, the book suddenly fell down.


    They were stunned, each of them holding onto the rail and looking down at the falling book! Below them were layers of clouds, under which were the sea and mountains, as well as many villages and cities along the shore.


    Now, the floating castle was moving towards the east of Maria''s World. The black cover book then passed through the clouds and disappeared.


    "Did it fall into the sea?" Delmedi asked.


    "Papa is going to scold us!" Verthandi stared at Delmedi.


    "It''s your fault. If you didn''t chase me, I wouldn''t have dropped it!" Delmedi said.


    "Delmedi, you are a bad girl!" Verthandi shouted at Delmedi.


    As the girls were arguing, Verthandi began to hit Delmedi and continued to scold her. Meanwhile, the black book kept falling, its pages turning in the wind.


    Finally, the wind tossed it to reveal its front cover again, which, in addition to a black scary skull, revealed a line of Finnish symbols that meant "the Book of the Devil."


    Then, buffeted by the strong wind that was blowing, the book completely broke apart, scattering into numerous large sheets of paper...


    --------------


    Eastern Tuten


    In recent years, Tuten''s maritime trade had become more and more developed. Although a large number of Children of the Sea and a large number of beasts were still wreaking havoc in the sea, the humans began to master some extraordinary powers. Also, ships coming from the distant Church of Light territory continued to reach all parts of the Alan Continent.


    Although ocean exploration and trade across the continent had not yet been successful, the territory of the whole Alan Continent had gradually been explored by human beings, which was a major leap in progress. Decades after the death of Saintess Kelly and the first pope, the Church of Light had been broken into numerous internal divisions.


    Without artifacts and spiritual leaders such as Saintess Kelly, who represented absolute theocracy, no one could command the red cardinal bishops and the Temple Knights in the various kingdoms and principalities. As the new Pope of the Church of Light was unable to command red cardinal bishops and Temple Knights outside of sovereign territory, the parishes began to gradually become independent.


    Although they still were under the control of the Church of Light nominally, they started to build their own relationships with the nobles of various kingdoms and principalities.


    Also, as the parishes of the Church of Light began to make contacts within the local community, including the nobles, many aristocratic fleets began to employ knights and priests of the church and sent them out to conduct missionary work in distant places. Thus, the activities of the Church of Light had been further expanded, which had also led to the increased development of maritime trade.


    Many of the priests'' were considered to be great asset aboard the ships, as their extraordinary powers were enough to fight off some offshore monsters and ordinary magical beasts. Some fleets, however, were unable to hire priests to come aboard, but they could choose wizards who had mastered the devil powers.


    Akkad was a first-generation priest, as well as being a student of Anthony the Great Wise, who was the founder of wizard alchemy and the alchemy system. When Edward, Bohr''s disciple, had become a level four wizard, Akkad had given up his position as master of the wizard tower and chosen to travel.


    The first generation of wizards, with the exception of Bohr, had experienced successive failures at this level so far. The most talented among them had his mind power severely damaged and lost the possibility of achieving level four.


    Among the others, some suffered direct collapses of their awarenesses, while others almost died. As such, their success rate was much lower than Bohr had predicted.


    Akkad had been stuck at the threshold to level four for a long time. Although his mind power was strong enough, he was still uncertain about it. Now that he was beginning to age, Akkad had to make up his mind soon.


    After all, Akkad was now over a hundred years old, and most of his contemporaries had already passed away. For Akkad, this trip was also his final shot for a breakthrough.


    Akkad slowly approached the legendary Tuten in a big boat. This huge eastern country was a city-state alliance country. The king was elected by each city-state and served for a term of seven years.


    Number seven was of special significance to the Tutens, and the atmosphere in the province was quite different than that of the Church of Light. In recent years, missionary priests of the Church of Light began to arrive here, but little progress had been made.


    The rejection of wizards here was not as strong as that of the Church of Light and the Orc Kingdom. But, because it was too far from the core of the human area, there weren''t many wizards in Tuten.


    The Tutens nearby the docks were somewhat scantily clad. In fact, many of the men were naked, while the women''s clothing showed off their long legs. Near the dock, a large number of vendors had congregated to sell their wares.


    "We have arrived, Mr. Akkad. Do you need anything else?" the captain asked.


    "No, thank you!" Akkad said.


    "All right, Mr. Akkad!" the captain politely sent Akkad off the ship.


    Akkad was wearing a black robe. He looked about fifty years old and had a beard and numerous wrinkles on his face. Suddenly, several cries came from the market area, which attracted everyone''s attention.


    "Help, help!"


    "Hold him down!"


    "What happened?"


    Akkad heard the crowd shouting. Among the crowd, He immediately saw a man who was covering his neck with both of his hands and whose skin was melting and seeping out mucus.


    The person then turned into a translucent state, little by little. Appalled by the sight of him, the people around him instantly retreated. Many timid people were frightened and fell to the ground in shock.


    "Er, er... Er... Er! "The man pinched his neck as if to strangle himself. Several people around him wanted to hold him down, but they were suddenly thrown to the ground by an enormous force that came from out of nowhere!


    The man opened his mouth, and inside it, there was a fist-sized eye that looked evil and fierce.


    "Step away! It''s a curse from hell! He''s possessed by the devil!" Akkad shouted.


    A large number of vendors fled in a panic, while overturned fruits and vegetables were everywhere. The market was in a total mess.


    At that moment, Akkad waved his hand as a fireball hit the monster, causing it to turn green. Its mucus was like gasoline all over his body, and the whole man was lit on fire in an instant.


    The monster closed its mouth, turned into a flame, and finally died. As there was an awfully bad smell coming from the blazing fire, everyone who smelled it felt dizzy and nauseous.


    Before its death, it uttered an agonized scream that seemed to come from the pit of hell, and a large number of people could not help covering their ears. Everyone watched as the monster was engulfed by a scorching flame, then finally burned into ashes.


    Some were hurt by the power of the eye, while some were too frightened to move. The busy coastal market had now become deathly silent...

 231 Eyes from the Abyss

    The Tutens'' buildings were tall, beautiful and totally different from the barren world that the people the Church of Light had imagined. The Tutens had a unique culture, an impressive education system, and a rare understanding of the world.


    Tephis was a city within the Tuten Dynasty. It was a coastal trading state-city, that was prosperous and beautiful. It has especially prospered during the past ten years, with more and more development in the maritime trade having occurred.


    At the present time, Akkad, who had just arrived Tephis, looked grave. Since he was a doctor from the West, many people had put their trust in him.


    This was because Western doctors had great reputations due to the Kelermo Medical Coding book and Bohr Kelermo''s medical reforms. As such, wherever they went, doctors were respected and welcomed by the people.


    The sheriffs who had just rushed to the market, after learning the identity of Dr. Akkad, immediately placed the newly injured and comatose patients in a small building next to the market.


    As he treated the injured, Akkad recalled the thrilling scene that had just taken place. He shuddered while remembering the one-eyed monster and its extraordinary and evil power. Akkad felt strange and scared.


    "Do you think this has anything to do with the wizards? Are they doing some evil experiments?" one sheriff asked.


    "No, I''ve never heard of such power. It''s not Blood Witchcraft at all," Akkad replied.


    "Is it the mysterious power of the Tutens?" Another sheriff interrupted with his own question.


    As it was the first time that Akkad had been here, he did not know what kind of mysterious power existed in Tuten. So, he said, "I''m not sure, but this power is really weird and wicked."


    Akkad felt uneasy. Some of this power went beyond even his perception. Akkad opened his suitcase, which was like a treasure chest that was filled with all kinds of different equipment, medicines, and such.


    Akkad went back to the makeshift operating table, only to find that found that the body that he had been working on, which was supposed to be a human body, now seemed to have been affected by some kind of radiation, which had caused a terrible change to take place. Moreover, the one-eyed monster in the body had disappeared, too!


    At this time, there was an abrupt sound of footsteps outside the door. Several soldiers came in. They were the sheriffs in the eastern part of the city, where the market was located. They were also responsible for the tax collection and the resolution of disputes in the city.


    Most of the sheriffs had brown hair, while some had golden hair. One red-haired middle-aged sheriff spoke in the Tuten language to Akkad. "We have identified him and know where he lives. We''ll take care of the patients now, as you need to come with us. If we don''t discover what is going on right now, I''m afraid there will only be more trouble in the future."


    Akkad immediately packed up his things and put on his cloak. Even though Akkad''s Tuten accent was not very good, the others could still understand him well enough.


    He had studied the Tuten language in the tower with a servant named Sargon during his childhood. So, Akkad knew at least basic communication skills.


    "His name is Rocky. He''s a vagrant who makes his living by stealing. He lives in the muddy alley in the north of the city. It''s a slum." A red-haired sheriff led Akkad to the north of town, explaining to Akkad as they walked.


    Akkad nodded. "Does he have any family? Has he been in touch with other people lately?


    "He has no family. He just wanders in the street and bothers nearby pubs all day. I know him. If he wasn''t burned black, I would have recognized him on the spot," the sheriff replied.


    They finally came to the muddy alley, where a large number of skewed wooden houses were built. There were no streets at all, and most of the corridors were so narrow, they could only allow one person to walk through them at a time. There was foul-smelling sewer water and garbage everywhere, while mice and homeless cats and dogs ran wild everywhere.


    They finally came to the man''s hovel. It was a small shack with only a few boards nailed together. Most of the boards were broken and rotten. When they kicked the door open, a disgusting smell came from inside the room.


    As they walked in, they saw a low wooden bed that was covered with straw. IT had a blackened quilt strewn across it, which was clearly where the stench was coming from.


    The quilt was sticky, and as Akkad picked up the rag with his stick and sniffed it, he felt dizzy. Akkad immediately threw it back on the bed. This tramp''s body had clearly changed beforehand, as the smell in the room was that same smell of mucus!


    "Be careful, stuff in this room is very likely to be poisonous. Don''t touch anything." Akkad warned the sheriffs around him, who immediately pulled away their hands. Akkad looked at a piece of paper that was on top of the bed.


    "What is that?" one of them asked.


    Akkad looked over and saw that it was a page that seemed to have been taken off from a book, which had a wicked monster''s image on it. This monster looked like an egg, but its skin was as wrinkled as an old man''s.


    It had a lot of eyes, which were not human eyes, nor were they the eyes of any kind of creature that Akkad had ever seen. The pupils occupied the whole white of the eye, and the internal lines were messy and complex, filled with an evil aura.


    Below the image, a few lines were written in Phinks¡­ Name: Eye monster, real name: Izapron!


    There appeared to be more words, but they had been torn off, clearly belonging to another page. Akkad watched the picture carefully, especially the Phinks words, which made him deeply doubtful. After all, here they were in Tuten, and only those people from the Central Continent or the Church of Light could speak Phinks!


    "What is that?" one of the sheriffs asked. "Why does it make me feel a little cold when I look at it? This monster looks so evil!"


    Several sheriffs felt uneasy after seeing the picture, especially the monster''s eyes, which seemed to move suddenly and look at them. Akkad also sensed a threat, and though he did not sense any extraordinary power coming from the image, he felt that his mind was constantly sending him premonition alarms.


    As a level four wizard like him was strong enough to predict danger, he took these feelings seriously. So, he took the paper off of the bed and examined it more carefully.


    "There is nothing strange about the paper. The ink is also just an ordinary ink. Although the painted is strange, it has no special power." Akkad felt that the anomaly of this tramp named Rocky must have something to do with the picture.


    Even though saying this made Akkad feel ridiculous, he still believed this speculation. "It may be a strange disease. It''s likely to be contagious and result in the outbreak of a plague, so please be prepared. If you have any questions, you can ask me. After all, I am a doctor from the West."


    The red-haired sheriff immediately became nervous. "What? A plague? I will have to report this immediately, so that everyone can be aware in the city. Please stay in the city for a while, as we''ll need your help."


    Akkad nodded, then said, "Of course, this is what a doctor should do. By the way, if you find information related to this picture, please tell me about it."

 232 Divine Incantation Lis

    Lu Zhiyu went to the Divine Kingdom of Gaia and sorted out its internal data. Gaia, in Lu Zhiyu''s view, played a similar role to a game console, and the priests and Holy Knights were similar to the game''s players.


    However, in order to play the game, the player must hold strong beliefs. To obtain access, they need to sacrifice their souls and their futures, their reward being extraordinary power.


    Players sent requests to Gaia, either by practicing divine incantations or by the strength of their own skills. Then, the Divine Kingdom of Gaia analyzed their requests and gave them feedback.


    This time, Lu Zhiyu had returned to the Silver Moon and adjusted Gaia''s sub-brain. As a result, many new divine incantations appeared in the system.


    Lu Zhiyu also installed an additional plug-in, which encouraged priests to develop divine incantations themselves. When they uploaded new divine incantations to Gaia, they would receive rewards.


    Why has it kind of turned into a bad version of online game?


    Do I need to develop a new system that allows players to exchange divine incarnations for something? But, this will make the internal system become less flexible...


    OK, I''ll just have to save this for later...


    After pondering this predicament for awhile, Lu Zhiyu decided not to pay any more attention to the development of the Church of Light on the mainland. After all, the influence of the Church of Light was of little significance to him. As long as the extraordinary power continued to grow and the priests and Holy Knights continued to expand, that would be enough.


    At this moment, in the large divine palaces and churches of the Church of Light and the Faith of the Sun, numerous god statues shone fiercely. The divine seeds in the bodies of all of the people were updated simultaneously. The divine system that had originally been controlled by Gaia was thoroughly systematized.


    Saga City, Kingdom of the Church of Light


    When the noon bell chimed, the Temple of Light glowed with an intense light. The second-generation pope, Arthur, who was the former archbishop, rushed inside the Temple of Light and watched the light shuttling across it, while many people within the temple area exclaimed...


    "Is this an oracle coming down?"


    "And what will the gods want to tell us?"


    "How can it be? Gods have not given an oracle for many years!"


    All of people in the temple were shocked. Likewise, all of the priests gathered in the palaces at the same time, their faces revealing the emotions of ecstasy, devotion, fear and panic.


    Dong!


    There was a sound like a bell from heaven. After Lu Zhiyu updated Gaia, all of the priests and Temple Knights on the Alan Continent had a large number of divine incantation imprinted in their minds...


    Blessing, Healing, Judgment Ray, Light Shield, Light Sword, Contact Curse, Lie Detection, Great Power, Blood Activation, Saint Baptism...


    Group Healing, Prayer, Mind Chaos, Fear, True Words...


    Advent, Summon the Unicorns, Redemption...


    Even level seven divine incantations, like Call from Heaven, Seraphim Falls, Oracle, Resurrection and so on were included in the lists. However, divine incantations of this level were all in imprinted in gray, as they could only be activated with artifacts, ichor, or by special authority. Therefore, at present, they could only be seen by cardinals, popes, and the patriarch of the Faith of the Sun.


    Divine incantations from level one to level six were all sorted out in one long list. Everyone could only see their own corresponding divine incantations, as well as those of the next level up. For example, level one priests and Holy Knights could see level one and level two divine incantations.


    This was shocking and amazing. This was because, with this power, a priest who could master two or three divine incantations was able to guard one region and become the backbone of the church!


    "God! It''s really a gift! Resurrection and Call from Heaven! Can this be true?" one onlooker couldn''t stop crying.


    Anyone who saw this list of powerful divine incantations felt instantly overwhelmed, as these divine incantations could only be mastered through self-study and the gods'' bestowals. For self-study, a person could learn a few dozen divine incantations in a lifetime, but still wouldn''t be highly gifted.


    In fact, everything had not changed much, it was just that Lu Zhiyu had finally revealed the originally hidden divine incantations, thus promoting the rapid development of the divine system. Now, every divine incantation had its corresponding requirement, and being disciples and Saints were really the bottom line and same fundamental factor.


    Lu Zhiyu used this update to encourage all players to become disciples and Saints, as well as to integrate the system into the Divine Kingdom of Gaia. In this way, Lu Zhiyu was preparing for the future development of Gaia and Maria''s World.


    However, this might not take place for quite some time, as after the tragedies of Li Weisi, Adenos, and the King of the Dead, wizards had suffered great rejection from the mainland. However, they had also attracted countless people to come and want to learn witchcraft at the wizard academy.


    In this way, numerous Blood Wizards and Dream Wizards were hiding in the dark, while the presence of Ghost Wizards continued to grow on the mainland. The power of the divine system kept increasing, while the changes in and progress of wizards became more rapid.


    Twenty years ago, the war cost the wizard tower and the Colosseum Academy a lot, but the sting was only felt among the high-level wizards. In contrast, the wizards at the bottom levels had been growing steadily over the past two decades.


    In that time, this group of wizards, which had originally only had a few hundred thousand members, had expanded to an extent that no one could even have imagined before. As such, these apprentices and low-ranking wizards had a great impact on the Alan Continent.


    The wizards who were hiding in the dark in cities, as well as young priests and Temple Knights had also begun to spread their footprints throughout the continent. At the same time, a new generation of dragons began to enter their youth, magical beasts began to multiply, and countless magical beasts were frolicking amid the seas. The extraordinary power of all of these creations really covered most of the Alan Continent, and the battle among the extraordinary powers officially started at this moment.


    --------------


    Meanwhile, at the floating castle¡­


    When Lu Zhiyu returned to a small building at the top of the castle, he heard a sudden cry outside. When Lu Zhiyu looked out, Eva came running up to him, holding Delmedi in her arms. Following behind Eva, Verthandi was pouting angrily, a scowl on her pretty little face.


    Delmedi, who was being held in Eva''s arms, burst into tears. Her pitiful cry could penetrate the castle and the clouds.


    Looking at Delmedi''s red eyes, Lu Zhiyu asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Lu Zhiyu took Delmedi and held her in his arms. Delmedi sobbed, pointed to her sister, and said, "She hit me!"


    Verthandi glared at Delmedi. "She dropped the book, causing it to fly out of the castle!"


    Lu Zhiyu asked, "What book?"


    Delmedi wiped away her tears, pointed to the table, and said, "The one on that table..."


    Lu Zhiyu suddenly remembered that it was the book called The Book of the Devil, the Devil''s picture book! He frowned. This book was not an ordinary book, and the loss of it could cause a great deal of trouble.


    Seeing Lu Zhiyu''s frown, Delmedi cried even more passionately. "Dad is unhappy with me! My sister doesn''t like me, and my father doesn''t like me now either."


    Lu Zhiyu rubbed Delmedi''s head softly. "You naughty rascal. Don''t worry about the book. Let''s go to dinner!"


    Although he said these words to soothe her, Lu Zhiyu was really worried about the loss of this book.

 233 Stikua

    The supreme ruler of the city-state of Tephis in Tuten was the mayor. The mayor ruled the city-state of Tephis, along with all of the towns and villages around it, thus making him almost equivalent to the king of a small country.


    As such, a mayor only accepted the call of the King of Tuten Kingdom. He also had the right to be elected king.


    But, those who could compete for the throne were usually only the mayors of the big city-states. As Tephis was a newly rising small city-state, although its mayor could run for election, he had little chance of becoming a king.


    This was especially true since the recent elections had almost all been won by the mayors of the northern city-state of Vansey. After destroying the Batko Empire, Vansey had acquired a great deal of wealth and slaves, thus raising its political status within the Tuten Kingdom. Since that time, eight mayors from Vansey had become kings consecutively!


    Meanwhile, a small fishing village on the border of Tephis had recently begun to experience some strange things. Living within this village was a man named Heckfoss.


    Heckfoss was dreaming about his village, and it was dark and chaotic dream. Within the darkness, there were countless monsters lurking. However, Heckfoss could not see anything, yet he could feel the malice of the monsters.


    All of this had started when he had gone to the market in Tephis. On his way back, Heckfoss had found a piece of paper that had a terrible monster image on it. This monster had a huge, ferocious head and many menacing claws.


    The image of the monster was deeply imprinted in Heckfoss'' mind, and every time he recalled it, the image became clearer. Every time Heckfoss fell asleep, he entered a dark world where, at first nothing was visible, but gradually, dim shadows would appear. He would then find himself walking on a dark continent where the ground was stone-like.


    "Ah!" Heckfoss awoke from his nightmare with sweat all over his face. This time, unlike the previous days, he had seen the shadow of a huge creature that was large enough to hide the sky!


    Heckfoss was panicked. Every time he fell asleep, he could feel the terrible monster approaching him, then constantly dragging him down into the abyss.


    After Heckfoss finally saw the figure of the monster, he could decipher that it was a huge monster that was floating in the sky. A large number of claws danced behind it, while its two evil eyes looked down at Heckfoss.


    It then conveyed its will to Heckfoss, who somehow knew what it meant. "You can''t escape, so you might as well embrace me."


    No! it''s not just a dream! It''s the picture that got it wrong. Where do I put it? It must be burned, so I can get rid of that monster!


    Tortured by his dream and inner thoughts, Heckfoss searched frantically in his house and finally found the paper. He was going to destroy it, hoping to eradicate the source of his nightmares.


    Heckfoss burned the paper to ashes, but found that it didn''t help at all! The monster was still approaching Heckfoss in his dreams!


    People in the village began to worry about Heckfoss, as his behavior became quite manic. Even when he was walking on the road, he would make strange noises, which were the exact same noises as the monster in his dream made.


    Finally, as he was dreaming one night, Heckfoss saw the monster even more clearly. It had a large, pitted head, which had a surface like that of the moon, and its two huge eyes and big mouth were terrifying! It also had numerous thick claws that it was waving behind its head!


    The monster gave out a huge roar, which Heckfoss understood to be its name. To be exact, it translated roughly into "Stikua!"


    At this moment, Heckfoss felt that something had penetrated directly into his mind, reading his memory and pouring into his mind countless malicious intentions. Heckfoss stood vacantly on the continent in the center of the Abyss World, looking at the huge monster.


    He then suddenly laughed wildly, looking like a madman. "My master! The King of the Devil, Stikua!"


    ------------------


    Back at the castle, Lu Zhiyu had finally figured out where the Book of the Devil might have fallen. He calculated that it should be on the eastern coast of Tuten. However, its exact location was still uncertain.


    If it fell into the sea and flew into a corner of Maria''s World, then was carried along by the ocean''s currents, it was unlikely that all of its pages could be found, even if Lu Zhiyu used the Divine Kingdom to scan for them. This was because it was impossible to scan for all of the information in every corner of the world at the same time, even by using the picture scroll.


    But, since Lu Zhiyu just needed to find out whether the Book of the Devil had an impact wherever it had landed, the Divine Kingdom scanned through Tuten, immediately showing that the eastern part of Tephis had experienced some strange occurrences recently.


    As it turns out, numerous pages of the Devil''s book had been scattered around Tephis, some in the wilderness, some in the countryside, and some in the city. In fact, nearly 200 pages of paper had fallen down, of which Lu Zhiyu only found around a hundred, as the others had been damaged or lost entirely.


    Lu Zhiyu found that many of the people who saw the monster image from the pages had already been eroded by the power of the devil species in the Abyss World. Some people, those who were especially determined, optimistic, and open-minded, were hardly affected. On the other hand, those who were pessimistic or psychologically unstable would continue to recall the image in their mind, until they were eventually driven into madness.


    The devil species was similar to mythological lifeforms in that they took the form that was between a virtual substance and a material substance. As such, they could conduct power and information transmission regardless of space. Hence, as long as you knew the image of the monsters and their real names, you could contact them.


    Lu Zhiyu''s book recorded the real name of the devil species. Although some of these people did not know Phinks, they subconsciously remembered it when they looked at the monster''s image. The book depicted the monster''s real name as being not only a name, but also a wave signal that was connected with their soul fire. It was like a telephone number.


    Once the monster appeared, some of the most extremely pessimistic and paranoid guys could not control themselves and dialed the devil hotline. However, on the other end of the line was not a delicate customer service person, but a monster that was filled with evil desires, which could come across the endless distance in the phone line to catch the caller in its clutches!


    The devil species in the Abyss World would then control these people who had contacted them from the outside world. In this way, many people''s awarenesses were devoured by the devil species. As a result, they either died or became unconscious monsters themselves.


    Lu Zhiyu sat in the library of the floating castle, waving his fingers constantly, while adjusting the projection on the picture scroll. He was observing and retrieving the book pages.


    He saw that many of those who were associated with the devil had their memories erased after the pages had been taken back. However, Lu Zhiyu figured that there must be some pages that he had missed. So, Lu Zhiyu was now observing a village off the coast of Tephis.


    "What is this?" Lu Zhiyu opened his mouth wide.


    He suddenly saw an ugly and ferocious monster statue that had been built on a wooden altar above a square. A young man, who was dressed in black, was standing in front of the altar and preaching to a large number of villagers.


    "Is is a cult? Did the devil species do this too?" Lu Zhiyu was stunned. "Those devils are all thinking about fighting and devouring desires. As such, they are not able to distinguish between enemies and allies, let alone have clear ideas. So, how would they know how to preach? They are not like typical devils at all!"


    Lu Zhiyu took a closer look at the statue. Based on its head and claws, it seemed to be Stikua, the leader of the devil species in the central continent of the Abyss World. Lu Zhiyu thought this was interesting, so he decided to wait and see what else would happen.


    At this time, Akkad, who had been staying in Tephis for some time now, came towards this fishing village in an ox-cart..

 234 Devil Village

    Akkad had heard that a lot of strange and sudden deaths had recently occurred in the small fishing village of Siti. When he entered the village, Akkad instantly noticed the strange atmosphere. Everyone was extremely wary of him, as he was an outsider, so they followed him wherever he went.


    In the village square, there was a brand new altar. The head of the village was a thin, old man. As a doctor, Akkad explained that to him that he had come to investigate the sudden deaths of several people in the village.


    However, the head of the village rejected Akkad''s requests to see their previous houses, saying that everything in their rooms had been burned and that their houses had already been distributed to other people. Akkad felt that the man''s mood was extremely unstable, as well as being very manic and chaotic. However, the rest of the village did not seem to show any signs of witchcraft in particular.


    In the middle of the night, Akkad got up and left the village head''s house to go and inspect the whole village. Finally, inside one of the house''s cellars, he found some of the missing villagers! As he rescued them from their makeshift prison, many of them scrambled to explain what had happened at once...


    "It was Heckfoss! He controls most of the people in the village. He persecuted us, and those who did not obey him were sacrificed to the devil."


    "They''ve all become monsters! Everyone''s changed!"


    "Danta, Ross, Bothane, they''ve all changed! They''ve become cruel! They weren''t like that before."


    "It''s the devil who controls their hearts now. It''s Heckfoss! It''s Heckfoss who brought this disaster upon us."


    As the villages tried to explain what had happened, Akkad freed more than thirty of them. They had apparently been tied up in the cellar for quite some time. One freckled, red-haired girl in particular kept explaining to Akkad what had happened in the village.


    "Where is this Heckfoss?" Akkad asked.


    "He lives in the east..." the freckled red-haired girl said.


    Before she could finish her sentence, a commotion was heard outside the cellar. Apparently, when the village head had found that Akkad had disappeared, he immediately summoned the villagers to gather together and find him.


    As Akkad looked at all of the gathered villagers, he saw that their appearances had completely changed. Their skin had become terribly tough, like leather, and their eyes had no pupils and were filled with strange patterns. They seemed to have been assimilated by the power of the devil from the Abyss, which had caused them to look horrible, but had also given them great and evil power. As such, every villager now had power and speed that was far beyond the Blood Knights''.


    The just freed villagers shivered behind Akkad, as the horror and power of these monsters had penetrated into their hearts. Suddenly, Heckfoss emerged from the crowd. It was obvious that he was the leader.


    He then transformed from an ordinary man into a giant monster! His arms immediately transformed into waving claws.


    "It''s over. We''ve been found! We''re really dead this time!" The red-haired girl grabbed Akkad''s arm in despair. She then said to Akkad, "Thank you, Mr. Akkad, but this time, I am afraid that we are dragging you down with us."


    The rescued villagers wanted to escape, but found themselves surrounded by these ferocious-looking monsters, each looking at them with scary eyes.


    "Those who don''t believe in the master must die. It''s a privilege for you to be a sacrifice. Don''t dare try to run away." Heckfoss opened his mouth wide and roared. Many people covered their ears because the sound was so ear-splitting.


    "It really is a devil," Akkad said as he took off his gloves, exposing the fully metallized mechanical right arm.


    Although he was over a hundred years old and his body was beginning to weaken, Akkad was still one of the most powerful wizards. Akkad moved his arm, and though his hair had turned somewhat grey, he was still as energetic as when he was young.


    Akkad looked at the monsters and asked, "What are you waiting for?"


    "I''m going to swallow you up!" Heckfoss was clearly angry. He burst out a roar and jumped at Akkad.


    Akkad stretched out a gun from his mechanical arm, which immediately burst out a fierce flame, tearing apart a monster that was directly in front of him. The gun then turned it into a sharp-edged blade, cutting a monster his other side in half.


    Akkad had used his alchemy to fight, as his mechanical right arm was transplanted from the right arm of a magical beast minotaur. This was especially valuable because minotaurs could control metals and metallize parts of the body. After Akkad had attained this metal right arm, he had inherited the superb power of the minotaur!


    The enormous power of the mechanical arm easily tore these monsters apart. The arm could also be transformed into guns and artillery!


    As the arm functioned properly, the metal elements in these monsters began to react. Metal spires came from inside and pierced the villagers'' bodies, but Heckfoss, who had inherited the power of Stikua, fought against Akkad''s witchcraft with the power of the devil.


    He waved a large number of his claws, which sprayed out devil flames. These terrifying flames had a special power that could burn the spirit and soul.


    But, after all, it was only a human who inherited some of the power of the devil. So, after Akkad had figured out his fighting techniques, Akkad launched a powerful melting bullet, which ignited half of the villages and left a burning trail on the ground behind it. Its powerful force tore Heckfoss'' body apart and launched him from the beach into the sea!


    As he landed within it, his blood turned the sea red. But, in the darkness, Akkad did not see Heckfoss'' body come to the sea''s surface, so he didn''t know whether Heckfoss was actually alive or dead.


    Is it possible that he could survive such an attack?


    The devil has also appeared, and the world has become more and more strange. Wizards, priests, knights, demons and magical beasts have all appeared. Gods, angels, Titan Dragons and demons have appeared one by one. What else is there?


    Akkad watched the coastline for a long time. As it was the middle of the night, he couldn''t see anything clearly, so he finally could only give up. After all, the body may have been washed away by the sea.


    Akkad put on his cloak and gloves and returned to the village. He had killed almost all of the monsters in the village, leaving only about 30 people in the whole village.


    Surprisingly, nobody in the village even thanked Akkad. In their eyes, Akkad was also a monster, a monster whose arm was metal and who was even more terrible than Heckfoss. As such, everyone had a horrified look whenever they glanced his way.


    Akkad sighed and carried his suitcase through the crowd. He was ready to leave.


    For Akkad, this matter of his cleaning up the devil''s mess should be over now. Akkad was now going to go to the other Tuten state-cities and enter the inner area of Tuten.


    As the sun gradually rose from the coastline, one could not help but marvel at the wonder and magnificence of the world. Its beauty attracted Akkad, who had just left the village, and he now stood silently on his path to watch it.


    The fire-red light of the sun shone on the earth, bringing light into the world. At this time, a girl kept shouting at Akkad, "Hello, Mr. Akkad, wait for me! Wait for me."


    It was the freckled girl in the village.. She was gasping as she ran swiftly to catch up to him. "Mr. Akkad, although nobody spoke to you. I wanted to say that we are all grateful to you. We all know that you are a good man!"


    Akkad laughed and patted the freckled, red-haired girl on the shoulder. "Thank you."


    She then asked, "Mr. Akkad, can I be your student?"


    Akkad was stunned, and his expression became serious. "Do you know who I am?"


    The girl replied, "Well, I heard in Tephis that in the far west, there are people that have magical powers. They are called wizards."


    Akkad nodded, then said, "Wizards are also the most evil beings. They bring great disasters upon people. Wherever they go, they leave mountains of corpses."


    The girl nodded. "Well, I believe Mr. Akkad is no such person! Besides, didn''t you do use these forces to save the people of our village? There''s no right or wrong about the power itself, right? It''s just how people use it..."


    Akkad did not expect that he would hear this wisdom from such a young girl. He looked carefully at the girl and asked, "What is your name?"


    The girl straightened up and said merrily, "My name is Marina!"

 235 The Origin of Alchemy

    The capital city of the Tuten Dynasty was a coastal city in the north called Tut City. Tut City was not too far from the kingdoms of the orcs by sea. Therefore, it was also a big trading city.


    The king of the Tuten Dynasty was called Tuten for short. This was once the title that was given to every head of the Tut Kingdom.


    The title signified that its bearer was the son of the Titan God. However, since each city started to declare its independence, which resulted in a bloody civil war, the Tut Kingdom had since fallen.


    As such, the title of Tuten was only symbolic now. It no longer held its former meaning or power, as it was just another name to call the ruler.


    Since the Tuten Dynasty became a nation of city alliances a hundred years ago, this was when the outsiders began officially calling it the Tuten Dynasty. However, it would currently be more accurate to call it the Tuten City Alliance.


    At present, there were many orc ships that were parked outside of Tut City. The harbor was quite modern and nice. The flooring that was adjacent to the docks had even been built using marble.


    There were also multi-tiered staircases onsite, which made everything look very classy. After all, this place was not only a harbor, but it was also a city marketplace.


    This provided a lot of convenience to the sailors and merchants, as well as the city''s shoppers, as many trading ships could just start trading right after they unloaded their goods from the ships. As such, many citizens and nobles of Tut City came to this place to buy exotic things.


    However, things had changed recently, as the Tuten Dynasty had also started to sell strange new things. Among these new wares were convenient glass vapor lamps, beautiful colored glass art, essential binoculars and delicate compasses. There were even myriad pocket watches that allowed people to check the time on the go.


    Even illegal guns and black alchemy powder could be purchased here. These goods had recently become quite popular within the Tuten Dynasty and the Alen Continent. As such, these goods would always be sold out, even if they were priced ridiculously high!


    These extraordinary pieces were all from the Akkad Alchemy Workshop that was located in Tuten City. This new workshop was said to have been built by an alchemist named Akkad, who had come here from the west.


    Everything that had the Akkad Alchemy Workshop''s label on it could be sold for an astronomical price. Hence, in the eyes of the merchants of Tut City, as well as everywhere else for that matter, the workshop was like a money tree!


    The Akkad Alchemy Workshop was built in the northern part of Tut City. It was a six-story round tower that was located next to the Lane River. The lower three levels of the building were where the workshops were located, but the higher levels housed the Akkad Alchemy College.


    This portion of the building had originally been used as Akkad''s living quarters, as well as for a place where he could teach the original alchemist apprentices. With more and more newcomers coming each day, this place slowly became the origin of alchemy. As such, many alchemists journeyed here to study the highest level of alchemy knowledge.


    No matter who came to the city, their eyes were immediately drawn to the round tower. This was because it was tilted!


    The round tower had been built on the side of the Lane River, hugging the banks as if it were tilting! However, it would not fall. In the beginning, no one understood why the owner of the Akkad Alchemy Workshop had built it like this.


    Then, on the day that it was constructed, the alchemist Akkad dropped two lead balls of different weights. Instantly, everyone in Tut City was shocked to see that the two balls landed at the same time!


    Akkad stood in front of the tilted tower and told everyone, "This is alchemy, discovering the secrets of this world and using them. This is true knowledge. An alchemist will produce things that make people''s lives easier, as well as discovering knowledge that will change the world and the people within it. This will bring happiness to everyone."


    The scene that day became legendary, and Akkad''s fame started to spread far and wide. After that, the king and the heads of each city came to visit Akkad quite frequently. Even though Akkad had only been in the Tuten Dynasty for a few years, he was already one of the most important people in Tut City.


    At the moment, Akkad was teaching the young apprentices in the tilted tower. Hundreds of people sat in one room, everyone perusing the textbooks and experimental apparatuses in front of them. However, there were only about ten people who had the potential to actually become true wizards.


    Most of the people had come here to learn knowledge about alchemy. The students learned math, chemistry, and sketching. They also learned various techniques, like how to make glass, how to produce fertilizer, how to master blacksmithing and how to make simple clocks.


    After they graduated, they could choose to become artisans, academics, pharmacists or artists. Some could even choose to become professional weapons builders. Hance, even the most ordinary student could graduate from this prestigious school and go out to make a change in this world.


    "I hope that by becoming an alchemist, not only will you receive fame and money, but what I really want you to do is to make the world a better place, going out and changing the world with the knowledge that I taught you. Go! Bring light to the humans. You are the future and hope for this world!" Akkad always said to his graduates each year.


    He had aged rapidly these past few years. Some of his hair had even turned white. Since he had failed to advance to level four wizard, it was if he had seen through something, finally understanding this world.


    That was when Akkad came to Tut City and built an alchemy workshop and college. He started to teach the alchemy that he had been researching. Even if the student was only ordinary, if he had the desire to gain knowledge, Akkad would teach him.


    "Mentor, someone wants to see you. He said he knows you!" Akkad had just finished the class and walked out of the room, when he was blocked by his student, Marina.


    Marina had grown more beautiful in the past few years. The freckles on her face were now gone.


    "What is his name?" Akkad asked her.


    There were many people who came to visit Akkad everyday. However, since Marina had come to tell him directly, it must be someone important.


    "Hmm, he seems to be a wizard. He said his name is Anthony."


    Akkad blanked for a moment, then looked at Marina and asked, "What did he say he was called?"


    Marina didn''t understand what was so special about the name. Since Akkad was so excited, she repeated it again, "An¡­ Anthony!"


    At that moment, Akkad saw Lu Zhiyu in the hall downstairs. It had been a few decades since he last saw his mentor, so Akkad cried out immediately and excitedly rushed to hug Lu Zhiyu. "My teacher, Mr. Anthony, you came to see me!"


    Marina smiled upon seeing Akkad getting so excited, almost like a child. She was even more shocked by what Akkad just said.


    Looking at Lu Zhiyu, who was way too young looking to be his mentor, she asked quizzically, "Teacher?"


    Lu Zhiyu patted Akkad''s shoulder, feeling touched by his former student''s wave of emotion. When Akkad first came into the wizard tower a hundred years ago, he was just a skinny, pale, introverted young boy. Now, he had grown so much!


    Lu Zhiyu took his hand from Akkad''s back, then looked at the tower and said, "I didn''t expect you to remember the story of the tilted tower. You actually built that same tower here!"


    Akkad nodded. "I will never forget any lessons you gave to us, not to mention that vivid experiment that you showed me about that tower! No matter how many years have passed, I will still remember every detail of what you said to me that day."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Akkad and his white hair, then asked, "Did you fail?"


    Akkad nodded. "Yup, I failed. But, I am glad I''m still alive. I have lived for more than a hundred years. Bohr, Uruk, Li Weisi and Henry are all dead, yet I am still alive. So, there is nothing I am not happy about!"


    Seeing Lu Zhiyu make a somewhat sad face upon hearing his words, Akkad laughed. "I am still healthy, so I will most likely live a few more decades."


    Lu Zhiyu and Akkad walked together, while Akkad talked about the past few years and his future plans. "I always wanted to leave something behind, just like the blood witchcraft that Bohr left behind by Bohr. I will leave my alchemy behind me."


    As he listened to him, Lu Zhiyu looked at the apprentices in the tower and the graduates that were producing goods downstairs. They were mostly ordinary students.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "It looks like you are doing pretty good."


    Akkad said, "Yes. I was thinking that, instead of wizards, maybe these normal alchemists can bring about larger changes to the world. Those wizards who hold strong power mostly use their knowledge to achieve immortality. As such, no one ever thought of bringing about a better future and light to normal people. I was among these mind sets. Maybe my near-death experience woke me up..."


    He paused for a moment, then added, "Us first generation wizards, including me, Bohr, and even Li Weisi and Henry, thought that wizards were the future of this world. But now that many of us are aging and dying, we are realizing that the world isn''t going as we expected it would."


    He shook his head, looking a bit sad. "We were wrong. The wizards didn''t bring light to the world, only harm and devastation. So, maybe these young alchemists can now bring joy to the people. Oh right, I also took in some students! But, I didn''t teach them any offensive witchcraft. Instead, I taught them extraction alchemy, mechanical alchemy, and pharmacy!"


    Lu Zhiyu was listening to Akkad, looking at his wise and shining eyes. Suddenly, he felt touched by Akkad''s speech. Just like what he said, the ones lost in looking for more power weren''t just Akkad. Lu Zhiyu now realized that he himself had also been among them.


    Since when did my heart change? When did I start to not see normal people as being one of my own kind? Since when did I become so high and mighty, looking down on everyone?


    Lu Zhiyu was being self-reflective, while he looked at these youthful alchemists and nodded. He then said, "Knowledge shouldn''t have any barriers. The wizards now are all too closed-minded. They are slowly isolating themselves from the rest of the world."


    He sighed, then turned to Akkad and smiled. "Bohr brought Kelermo Medical Coding to humans, and he was remembered by many for this contribution. Your alchemy will surely surpass Bohr''s, and the name Akkad will be remembered forever."

 236 The Trace of the Mermaid

    Marina knew that her teacher Akkad had come from the holy land of the wizards, the wizard tower. However, she didn''t know many specifics about the wizard tower itself.


    Aside from Akkad''s few students, Marina had never met another wizard. For Marina''s eyes, her teacher Akkad was already the strongest and the wisest man in the world. She had never expected that her teacher had a mentor as well.


    That must mean that Akkad''s teacher is already more than a hundred years old! He is older than my grandfather''s grandfather! Has he already lived for hundreds of years?


    As Marina was trying to figure out Lu Zhiyu''s age, she slowly arrived at the harbor. She was dressed in a pretty orange dress and was wearing a leather watch on her pale wrist. The watch was a rare thing to behold, even in Tut City.


    "Hey Ms. Marina!"


    "Come shopping again?"


    "I have some nice little things! Want to have a look at them?"


    "I have books from the West! Ms. Marina, would you like to see?"


    Marina was very popular among the merchants at the harbor, who were all shouting out to her to come and see their wares. She was a favorite shopper of those merchants. This was because, aside from the fact that she was a pretty girl, the wealth of the alchemists was common knowledge.


    As Marina was Akkad''s student, this made her even more popular. Many ships from outside, as well as the merchants in the city would often give Marina items that she liked for free. They did this to build connections with the Akkad Alchemy Workshop.


    "Miss Marina, you are here just in time! I was going to look for you! I caught a rare thing in the sea. Do you want to have a look?" a merchant yelled to her.


    The merchant''s ship had just arrived in the harbor and was being checked and taxed by the tax officer. The ship was a bit old and its crew was busy unloading its wares.


    The old merchant was standing in front of the ship, waving his arms and calling out to Marina. His face was filled with excitement.


    "Old man Ganster, you wouldn''t trick me by giving me the orcs'' Sofawk stoneplate, then telling me it was some human ancient treasure, would you?" Marina crossed her arms and looked at the old man with some suspicion in her eyes.


    The old man suddenly became awkward, fanning his hands around wildly. "No! That was only last time, a snafu! This time, all of my wares are actually good. Come have a look for yourself!"


    Marina reluctantly followed him onto the ship. She saw Ganster holding two big buckets, which he then put in front of Marina. Marina tensed her face and asked, "What is this? Is it still alive?"


    The old man smiled mysteriously at her and opened the wooden cover on the buckets. As Marina looked into the bucket, her face was suddenly struck by a jet of water that shot up from the inside!


    Marina screamed. After she wiped the water off of her face, she saw a little kid inside the bucket! It was a little girl, and she looking around wondrously with her big watery eyes.


    Her hair was blue, just like the sea, and her face had two blue stripes on it. The most eye-catching thing about her was her bottom half, which was a long fishtail!


    She was a mermaid! She was less than a meter tall, and she looked just like a little kid.


    "Oh my God! What is this?" Marina gasped.


    This was a creature that humans had never discovered before. Her top half was like a human body, but her bottom half was like a fish. Also, her pretty blue eyes and hair had really caught Marina''s attention.


    Ganster told Marina, "We found her on our way here. Do you like her, Marina?"


    Marina paused for a moment, as she was very tempted. She looked at the cunning old man and pouted. "Alright, how much for her?"


    Ganster fanned his hands and said, "You may have her for free, as you are the special Miss Marina!"


    Marina hesitated. After all, she knew the cunningness of this old man.


    She had been tricked by this evil old man so many times already. Also, this was a new human-like species, so she knew that the merchant could definitely sell her for a good price. Since this old man was being so generous all of a sudden, she was immediately suspicious.


    "What is behind all of this kindness?" Marina asked.


    Facing Marina''s suspicions, Ganster answered, "Recently, my grandson just passed the test at Akkad Alchemy College, and he will be commencing college soon. So, I want you to help him."


    He paused, then continued explaining, "Of course, this would mean just looking after him and such, not letting him get bullied or anything. My grandson is a bit wimpy, which I always worry about. Also, I will be away, as I run my business from the sea. Moreover, his health isn''t that good, and his father passed away when he was very young.So, now that he passed the test..."


    As the old man continued rambling on, Marina finally understood, so she patted the old man on the shoulder and said, "Don''t worry, since we are friends, I will take care of him."


    ---------------------------------


    Marina climbed the round tower with the bucket. It was heavy, but it was not a struggle for her. Even though she was still a wizard apprentice, she had already mastered the basics of the Body Modification Technique. This was a very complete witchcraft, which had many branches.


    It included blood witchcraft and magical beast productions, as well as body modification and the awakening of bloodlines. In fact, there were many formulas that could awaken the bloodline of each wizard during the time of their apprenticeship.


    As Marina carefully walked past the door of Akkad''s office, someone called out, "Is that you, Marina? Come in and close the door behind you."


    Marina was stunned. She felt just like a kid that was getting called into the principal''s office after having done something bad. She looked inside and noticed that Akkad and Lu Zhiyu were both there. They were having a discussion, but as it seemed to not be about her, she calmed down.


    Marina pushed the bucket away with her leg, while she closed the door. She then put her hands behind her and walked into the room carefully. "Teacher, are you looking for me?"


    "Come have a look at this," Akkad said.


    As Marina got closer to the table, she noticed that there was a palm-sized metal mechanical man on it. It looked at Marina, quickly bowed, then greeted her, "Pleased to meet you, Miss Marina."


    Marina opened her mouth wide in amazement. She had seen many strange things today. She then realized that this was the highest technique that Akkad used to tell them about, the alchemy lifeform!


    "Is this an alchemy lifeform?" Marina was amazed by this metal mechanical man!


    It was walking and speaking. This was unimaginable for Marina!


    Akkad, who had already seen the birth of Eva, was able to be calm about this. However, Marina was really disturbed by such a vision!


    Marina thought that something like this only existed in the minds of alchemists. She didn''t expect could be real!


    This had already touched the realm of the creator''s secret and forbidden knowledge. Looking at this little man, she suddenly felt fear creeping into her heart.


    "So, life can be created?" Marina asked.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Marina, then at Akkad. "Did you not explain about wizards to your student?"


    Akkad nodded, then said to Marina, "Creation and the modification of life were always easy tasks for wizards. Even some new magical beasts were created by wizards. Wizards entered the realm of life long ago, and in the early days, Li Weisi developed experimentations that led to the creation of the chimeras. And recently, Adenos even created the undead!"


    He looked at her, then continued. "I didn''t tell you about all of this because I don''t think this is the right path. But, the path in front of you now is much deeper and more complicated. The highest technique of alchemy, the alchemy lifeform, is not simply about modifying life. Instead, its purpose is to create a metallic lifeform out of thin air, which is much more difficult than giving birth."


    After Akkad finished speaking, Lu Zhiyu then told Marina, "This is only an alchemy lifeform right now. It is not a wisdom alchemy lifeform yet. As such, it only functions according to my programming. So, it''s imperfect."


    Akkad remembered Eva, emotions welling up in his heart and showing on his face. "But teacher, you already made a perfect alchemy lifeform."


    Lu Zhiyu sighed. "It lacks replicability, so that was just luck."


    Marina asked, "Is there a difference?"


    Lu Zhiyu answered her seriously, "There are big differences, just like there are between a wizard and a normal person. Although they look alike from the outside, they are completely different on the inside."


    Lu Zhiyu then stood up and said to Akkad, "I will see you next time, Akkad!"


    Akkad laughed sadly. "I hope that there is a next time..."


    "And, young lady, this thing is for you." Lu Zhiyu grabbed the mechanical doll and gave it to Marina.


    The creation of metallic lifeforms required not only metallic cells, but also required design modifications to the life template. Aside from Lu Zhiyu, no one could do it.


    Therefore, he just showed it to Akkad, since he wished for it. Even for alchemists, without first advancing to level seven or eight, there was no way that one could create an alchemy lifeform.


    The mechanical doll was created impulsively by Lu Zhiyu. As such, it served no real purpose for him. So, he was gifting it to Marina.


    For Marina, this was a treasured gift! She held onto the doll and looked at Lu Zhiyu, a big smile on her face.


    Lu Zhiyu then disappeared. However, before he was gone, Lu Zhiyu saw the bucket outside of the room and was a bit surprised.

 237 Wave of Alchemy

    Marina felt like she was the protagonist in the legends those barts sang about. She thought she was the chosen one.


    She was indeed a rare one, as she had been saved by a mysterious person from demons in her village. Then, she had been taken in as a student by a stranger. After that, she overcame her problems, acquired knowledge, and reached the peak of her life!


    Then, there was the turning point. She accidentally met her teacher''s teacher, who gave her a gift. He was an even more mysterious and strong person than her own teacher. He was also the founder of the wizard tower!


    The gift was a mysterious creature that was known as a mechanical doll. Even after all these years, Marina still didn''t understand how a mechanical doll was made, but this didn''t stop her from being excited to own one!


    Marina found that, even though she could not reproduce her mechanical doll, it was still very helpful for her to have it. In fact, it proved to be the strongest alchemy assistant, which also provided her with loads of inspiration.


    Marina had named the mechanical doll Archimonde. She also named the mermaid that the merchant had given her. The mermaid''s name was Gina.


    Then, with the support of her mentor Akkad, Marina created something that defined alchemy. She called it the alchemy table.


    The first generation alchemy table was very simple. It was made from metallic cells that Marina had made based on her study of the cells of Archimonde. However, the extraction of metallic cells was very difficult. Therefore, Marina slowly figured out a way to copy metallic cells after observing the super regeneration power of Archimonde.


    This ingenious method utilized copying, not producing. So, all of the metallic cells originated from Archimonde!


    Alchemy tables could be controlled by every wizard apprentice via mind power. This allowed them to create and modify things according to their thoughts. In this way, alchemy processes that were previously too difficult to complete were all replaced by this alchemy table!


    The first generation alchemy table was very simple, as it only had one application. Even though it was basic, it helped speed up the production process drastically, allowing for the production of some amazing products!


    Thanks to this invention, the once rare guns and alchemy cannons started to become commonplace equipment at sea. The sailors started to use these guns to defend themselves against sea monsters.


    For example, man-eating blood eagles and groups of black magical snakes were easily warded off and killed. These monsters didn''t have any special abilities, but were very abundant.


    Even with priests and holy knights onboard, these monsters were still hard to fight off. As the guns and alchemy cannons could damage them, this made them invaluable.


    However, this kind of artillery was not so popular on land. Aside from some cities that were still buying alchemy cannons for protection, the guns were mostly bought as souvenirs.


    One reason for this was that these things were expensive. So, they couldn''t be bought in big quantities. Also, the Blood Knights'' melee weapons were far stronger than the guns. Moreover, they offered no combat advantage, except for the fact that sometimes the alchemy cannons could be used to defend smaller cities.


    In the 115th year of the San Calendar, alchemists'' rose in strength and number within the Tuten Dynasty. They brought new many changes to the country, pushing forward its evolution. Instead of having them filled by wizards and priests, the alchemists quickly took over all of the major positions of power.


    The alchemists soon co-mingled with the wizards, since they had branched off from them. They were also welcomed by the people, as they brought positive change and wealth with them. After their arrival, many people wanted to become alchemists, as it was considered to be a miracle occupation that made people become rich overnight!


    After the first generation of alchemists graduated from Akkad Alchemy College, some people stayed on, while others left for other cities. Though many people didn''t have the potentials to become wizards or alchemists, they could still learn a large amount of knowledge during their time at the college. These people were awarded graduation certificates, but not alchemist badges.


    However, even those normal graduates who didn''t become alchemists were still in high demand by many nobles and leaders. As such, a large number of graduates rushed into each city within the Tuten Dynasty, looking to be employed by such top powers. This influx had greatly impacted the country.


    Strange new products had started to appear in the country, as some of the graduates had become pharmacists and established pharmaceutical workshops. As a result, many cures to different diseases had been created and spread around. This allowed many people who couldn''t afford doctors to be saved.


    Some of the graduates had become blacksmiths. They learned how to make iron tools and built blacksmith workshops. They also learned how to make glass products and clocks.


    The popularity of workshops had quickly risen in the Tuten Dynasty in the past few years as well, causing the owners and the workers within them to become an important class in the country.


    Many of them also became builders, politicians, artists and doctors. As for the true alchemists, they became treasures to the nobles, as every alchemist represented a large amount of wealth.


    As for Akkad''s most special students, some of them stayed at the college to teach or work for the studio. Some of them returned to their hometowns to build their own alchemy colleges, copying the model of the Akkad Alchemy College.


    Some of them even built their own studios. These were the ones who were particularly drawn to explore more alchemy knowledge in an attempt to make more perfect and more powerful alchemy products.


    It was during this time that many of the Tuten Dynasty''s alchemy products rushed into the Alen Continent, quickly becoming popular in the human world and the orc kingdoms. As a result, countless wealth flowed into the Tuten Dynasty.


    However, this gathering of wealth triggered changes within the classes of the society. It also triggered many conflicts among other countries, as outsiders began to become jealous and crave such wealth for themselves.


    Meanwhile, back in Tut City, Marina was staring at an alchemy table on the top floor of the Akkad tilted tower. Many mechanical arms were going through many processes. Archimonde would place parts on the table to be processed, then would take them out to assemble them. Finally, a bionic arm was created!


    "Good Job Archimonde!" Marina took off her glasses and let out a deep breath. "We finally created a bionic arm! As I expected, we were able to successfully use metallic cells to create it. This way, we can help disabled, armless commoners function as normal citizens again!"


    This idea had been inspired by her teacher, Akkad, who took the right arm of the special magical beast Minotaur and modified it. This was not something that was easy to do! In contrast, this bionic arm that Marina had created could be used by everyone!


    She was excited to think of this accessibility for commoners, but after some consideration, she tensed her face and murmured, "But, with this current production cost, its price is indeed a bit too high..."


    Marina pouted. The arm could connect to the neuron only if every part were built by metallic cells. However, the metallic cells were very expensive.


    This made Marina very sad and frustrated. Her idea for how normal people could use this arm was turning out to be impossible after all.


    At this moment, the door suddenly opened. Heavy footsteps came in, and a blue-haired girl ran in from outside.


    She rushed in and jumped into the bath. Then she went underwater, while bubbles came surfaced up to the water''s edge.


    "Gina, didn''t I tell you to take off your clothes before entering the water?" Marina angrily ran into the bathroom.


    She saw that the girl''s legs were still covered by a dress, but had turned into a long fishtail. After hearing what Marina was just saying, Gina quickly giggled shyly.


    "Okay, Sister Marina," the mermaid girl Gina said, while giggling.


    As her fishtail moved, the water in the bath splashed in the air. The drops of water were moving like a dancing party, arcing over the tub.


    As Marina dried Gina''s hair with a towel, she asked, "Where did you play again?"


    Gina was the mermaid that was saved by Marina a few years ago from the ship. She had grown up.


    Maybe it was because she had lived in human society all of these years, but aside from some parts of her body being different than human bodies and her special ability to control water, she looked and seemed just like a human.


    Although Gina considered Marina to be like a sister, she would still always do as Marina said. This made Marina feel warm towards her, since Marina had no real relatives.


    Marina pinched Gina''s nose teasingly. "Here you are, playing everyday. Today, you have to memorize beginner''s alchemy! Did you hear me?"


    -------------------------


    In the luxurious palace in Tut City, the hall was illuminated by alchemy lights. The floor was filled with large stone plates, and the walls were covered with ancient paintings.


    The Tuten Dynasty had their own religion, and every city had a different belief system and worshiped a different God. The God of Tut City was the Titan God. However, since this generation of Tutens came from the city of Fanse, aside from the Titan God in the painting, the two sides of the gate and the throne housed images of the God of War.


    At this moment, a man in a dark red hood entered the palace gate, following behind the guards. He soon arrived in front of Tuten.


    Tuten was already sixty years old. He was aging, and would soon die, as he was suffering from myriad diseases. As a result, Tuten looked skinny and weak.


    "Kneel!" The guard shouted angrily at the person in red.


    "Hehehehehehe!" A weird laughter came out from under the red robe. As the man looked up, a burnt and terrifying face emerged from under the hood.


    "Are you asking the prophet of the True God to kneel? Do you want to disrespect God?" Tuten stopped the guards that were going to press the man in the hood.


    He then asked in his husky voice, "Do you know the way of immortality?"


    The man in the hood showed a fearsome smile, exposing his pale white teeth. He then replied, "Of course. The True God is omnipotent!"

 238 Hot Air Balloon and the Church of True God

    A strange religion started to appear in Tut City. They called themselves the Church of True God. Even though there weren''t many followers and they were very subtle about their activities, many of the upper classes and the nobles in Tut City quickly converted.


    Every month, there was a gathering of the Church of True God in a mansion just outside the city. The nobles would go and release all of their desires at the party, which was considered a special way for them to pay their respects to True God.


    This kind of classy gathering had quickly attracted many lonely noble ladies and knights. Then, it had influenced most of the nobles and the other people who were in power within the city.


    The influence of the Church of True God had reached down to touch even the higher-ups of the Tuten Dynasty. Finally, it had reached the new generation of Tutens, the heads of the city of Fanse.


    "Did you know that Tuten announced that he would make all the workshops pay five times the previous amount of taxes this year?"


    "Why did Tuten change his attitude towards alchemists so fast?"


    "Soldiers went to round up the whole college..."


    A group of cavalry charged into the tilted tower, talking among themselves as they went. The rest of the soldiers, who were armed with swords and armor, had bombarded the tilted tower. This had naturally agitated everyone within the tilted tower.


    "Tuten had ordered that all alchemists have to report to the palace. After completing registration, you will all work for Tuten." This announcement created chaos within the tilted tower.


    Everyone got angry and confused about this sudden change in their situation. Many alchemist apprentices and assistants had no idea what to do.


    "We are free citizens, not Tuten''s slaves! Why should he be able to tell us what to do?"


    "Yes, alchemists are free! You don''t have the right to do this."


    "Who do you think you guys are?"


    As the apprentices and everyone within the tilted tower jeered at the cavalry, the leader of the cavalry lifted up his head and yelled, "This is Tuten''s order. Are you going to betray his order? Are you going to betray the Tuten Dynasty?"


    He then added, "Also, Tuten ordered us to take over the Akkad Alchemy Workshop. Everyone here, you are no longer working for Akkad Alchemy Workshop. From now on, you will work for Tuten!"


    At that moment, Akkad and Marina were quickly rushing down from above. They saw a large number of soldiers and knights rounding up everyone within the tilted tower.


    The knight who had just announced Tuten''s order also saw Akkad. He walked up to him and said, "Mr. Akkad, the king had invited you and your student to pay a visit to the palace."


    Akkad looked around and laughed. "This certainly doesn''t look like an invitation."


    The knight didn''t responded, but only stared at him a bit awkwardly, so Akkad turned to point towards his students and said, "Well, we need some time to prepare. At least allow us to change, alright?"


    Akkad''s name and influence were comparable to Tuten''s in Tut City. As such, the knight couldn''t easily refuse his request.


    So, he agreed reluctantly. "I will wait for you outside, sir. I just hope that you don''t do anything stupid."


    When Akkad saw that the knight had left, he rounded up all of the students and had them go upstairs. Marina then asked him angrily, "Teacher are we doing? We can just get caught..."


    Akkad then interrupted her by asking, "What do we do then? Fight and kill Tuten? Make the whole of the alchemists outcasts of society. Let the foundation that we have built all these years go to waste? All the core members follow me, so everyone, don''t panic or resist when the soldiers come in. Tuten wouldn''t hurt normal students and assistants."


    The higher-ups at Akkad Alchemy College quickly gathered at the top of the tilted tower. These people included Akkad''s students, administrators at the workshop, and some qualified alchemists.


    Soon, pieces of clothes were spread open and attached to buckets, and many pre-assembled hot air balloons appeared. After the hot air balloons started to rise up and slowly ascend towards the sky, every one of the higher-ups got into the hot air balloons and flew away into the sky!


    Since Akkad had already advanced to level two, he could already fly at a low attitude. This was not new to him. However, for everyone else, including the other alchemists and Marina, they were all very amazed by the experience.


    This was the first time in human history that someone had ascended into the sky. Also, it was the first time that humans had conquered the sky. As such, everyone cheered as the hot air balloons ascended.


    "Wow!"


    "Ohh! Ohh!"


    "This is alchemy! Humans can go into the sky too! This is our first step in conquering the sky!"


    "Alchemists can do anything!"


    As they looked down from the sky, everything on the ground seemed so small. This made everyone feel quite proud.


    Meanwhile, their cheering and movements were noticed by the people and the soldiers who were surrounding the tilted tower. They all looked up at the sky and noticed there was suddenly something floating among the clouds.


    "Look up! There is something in the sky." A normal citizen pointed at the sky and opened his mouth in awe.


    "They are fl... fl... flying!" A merchant on the side of a road also pointed at the sky. His fingers were shaking.


    "They are really flying. Is this also a product of alchemy?"


    "This is amazing!"


    "Oh my God!"


    The knight who was leading the soldiers around the tilted tower also saw the scene up above, his face suddenly changing. He led the soldiers and rushed to the top of the tilted tower, but it was too late. As he stood on top of the tilted tower, he watched a dozen hot air balloons whisk away the core members of Akkad Alchemy College.


    The entire Tut City was also moved by the scene. Everyone went out onto the street, put their heads out of their windows, or climbed up to their rooftops to look at the hot air balloons passing by in the sky.


    Even Tuten got the message of what had just happened. He saw a group that was led by Akkad fly around in the air for a bit, then head to the south. He was so angered by this, he went into a rage, throwing broken vases and glass art throughout the palace.


    As Tuten had his temper tantrum, the burnt man in the red hood who was following him around was Heckfoss. He was the same man who became one with the devil back in Siti village.


    After being disabled by Akkad, he lost nearly half of his body, as it had been badly burned. Even after taking power away from the devils, he endured immense pain in order to heal his body. The scars that remained were painful reminders of the devastation he suffered from Akkad''s powerful witchcraft.


    Now, he had become an adviser to Tuten. He was the one advising Tuten as he took control over the workshops and the alchemists.


    In this way, Tuten could take the power of the alchemists for himself, thus making their wealth and abilities serve the Tuten Dynasty. This would also serve to unite the powers of the Tuten Dynasty, thus forming the City Alliance into one nation again.


    Of course, part of the reason for these takeovers was also Heckfoss'' own selfishness. During this process, Heckfoss could spread the beliefs and doctrine of the Church of True God across the whole Tuten Dynasty. He would then become the controller behind the scenes of the Tuten Dynasty.


    Also, since he knew that Akkad was the person who took him down, Heckfoss was determined to use this chance to make use of the Tuten''s power in order to take Akkad''s power! He wanted to sabotage everything that Akkad had built so far!


    Heckfoss had even sat traps within the palace, as he was waiting for Akkad to arrive. However, he didn''t expect that Akkad would be so crafty and run away!


    Heckfoss saw the hot air balloons slowly becoming smaller in the sky. Finally, they slowly disappeared before his very eyes. He clenched his fists and tensed up his face.


    His eyes, which were filled with hatred, were almost glowing red. He then shouted the one name¡­"Akkad!"

 239 Peace

    After flying across many cities, the group of hot air balloons finally landed in an open area in the south. As the alchemists disembarked from the balloons, they knew that they needed to make some plans.


    They quickly figured that they could not return to the north. This was because it had been colonized by the city of Fanse.


    "Teacher, where are we going?" While Marina carried the blue-haired Gina, she followed behind Akkad.


    Gina was observing the hot air balloon. She still couldn''t figure out how it was able to fly!


    Akkad looked at everyone and considered his options. These people followed Akkad without question because they trusted him unconditionally. Hence, their lives were really in his hands.


    "I am afraid that the world won''t be peaceful for quite some time now. The evil ambition of King Tuten has been exposed! We have to go further south now! We are going to the city of Tephis!" Akkad announced.


    Akkad then led his students and the higher-ups of the Akkad Alchemy Workshop to the southern Tuten Dynasty, as he knew that they would be welcomed by the city of Tephis.


    Tephis was one of the trading cities in the south. It was also the first coastal city that Akkad had arrived at within the Tuten Dynasty. On top of that, it was Marina''s hometown.


    Once they arrived, Akkad soon rebuilt his alchemy workshop and college. This brought great joy to Marina, who hadn''t returned to her hometown in a very long time. In fact, all of the alchemists happily made their new homes in this coastal city.


    On the other hand, north of Tuten Dynasty, in the city of Fanse and the current Tuten Marlbus, Tuten was using his political power and strict order to weaken the power and control of each city in the north. Then, with force, Tuten slowly united the northern part of the Tuten Dynasty.


    Meanwhile, many workshops were being taxed heavily. All of the graduates of alchemy colleges had to be registered within the government registries.


    In this way, a large number of graduates who had learned a vast amount of alchemy knowledge, and even those alchemists who had been awakened, were captured. They were then forced to work for Tuten.


    Due to their forced labor, large amounts of wealth were gathered, all to be used to support the Tuten Dynasty. Thus, the rise of alchemy had brought big changes to the Tuten Dynasty, none of which were good for the alchemists!


    At this moment, everything depended on the influences of the alchemists. Even when King Tuten wanted to control the north or wage war, he heavily relied on the alchemy college graduates that he had basically made into indentured servants!


    The workshops produced weapons and armor for Tuten military purposes. They kept the large amounts of Tuten soldiers in top-of-the-line gear. Many workshops even provided Tuten with money so that he could wage wars and unite the north.


    As for the cities in the south, they were terrified by the actions and political orders of Tuten. They had especially begun to get nervous when many heads of the northern cities were killed or arrested, seemingly for no reason at all!


    Understandably, the cities in the south were highly disturbed. They were afraid that any one of them might be the next unlucky person to be killed!


    For this reason, the cities of the south had gathered in an independent meeting that was held along the border between the south and the north. The meeting took place in the city of Lamech, which was near the Pegasus River.


    Shortly after the meeting adjourned, thirty-two cities declared their independence from the Tuten Dynasty. They called themselves the City Alliance of Sheehan, which was a namesake taken from a local sacred tree.


    The formation of the City Alliance of Sheehan announced the official break between the north and the south of the Tuten Dynasty. As such, King Tuten Marlbus immediately declared war against the City Alliance of Sheehan.


    One side was fighting in the name of taking back the country, while the other side was fighting for freedom. Thus, a civil war started. The battle quickly extended to areas near the Pegasus River, which immediately resulted in the two sides having a tug of war battle over who controlled the river.


    At the beginning of the war, King Tuten had an absolute advantage over the City Alliance of Sheehan. This was because they were most fighting inside the core area of the City Alliance.


    The Tuten forces had rounded up a hundred thousands soldiers in a castle called Finnlit. The siege lasted for a few months, which pushed the City Alliance to the edge.


    However, they were defeated by reinforcements from the city of Tephis and other coastal cities. After this, the war continued for three years. But from then on, it was a very even battle, as the two sides had equally suffered devastating losses.


    The crippling effects of the war, as well as its lengthy duration had again made the north unstable. As a result, rebellions kept rising up everywhere.


    Many cities and nobles that were unhappy with King Tuten''s actions were constantly causing trouble. Finally, King Tuten could only sign a peace treaty with the City Alliance Sheehan in the city of Lamech, which happened to be the exact same place where the independent meeting had happened all those years ago.


    For King Tuten, the loss of this battle was a deep humiliation. This was made even worse by the fact that he saw the City Alliance of Sheehan as the enemy that stole his lands.


    Years after the peace treaty was signed, King Tuten was able to finally solve the problem in his country. After that, once he had gathered enough power, he returned again to wage a war against the City Alliance of Sheehan.


    However, at this moment, the Batko area in the northwest part of the Tuten Dynasty had united again after suffering through many conflicts. Upon winning countless battles, a country called Pusuote had united the area.


    From that victorious moment, Sky Temples were built in every city of Batko, while the Kingdom of Pusuote took over the area. The belief of the Sky Temples had replaced all of the messy religions, thus becoming the main religion of the Batko area.


    Many priests of the Sky Temples walked around Batko, spreading the secrecies of the Church of the Sky while holding the book of the living. For the underworld, this was considered as being the expansion of the Sky Temples.


    The whole underworld was projected on the ground. It had changed a from surreal form to a half-real state. Many angels of death would rush out of the underworld at anytime, taking in those souls that refused to ascend. The underworld had finally started to function like it was supposed to all along.


    Kingdom of Pusuote, City of Baber


    The City of Baber was once the capital of the Batko Empire. It was built by the first emperor, Yip Ima Batko. However, it was invaded by the city of Fanse under the authority of the Tuten Dynasty. The city was then raided and the last emperor of the Batko Empire was killed.


    Now, Cetisius had moved here. Today, he was wearing a deep black robe and his face had grown from a teenager into that of a middle-aged man.


    In the palace, many people were going about their tasks. Since Cetisius had built the Kingdom of Pusuote, he had slowly united the whole Batko area, finally becoming the true owner of this land.


    At this moment, Cetisius just received a report that had been sent to him from far away. After he read it carefully, he stood up and gathered all of the generals under him to hold an emergency meeting.


    The invasion of the King of Pusuote, while King Tuten was waging his second war, had shocked everyone within the Tuten Dynasty. The twenty hundred knights of the Pusuote area had invaded the Tuten Dynasty from the northwest.


    They quickly went down along the border and took over the northern part of the Tuten Dynasty. The army then rounded up the entire Tut City. After a few days, Tut City surrendered.


    The Kingdom of Pusuote had then taken the rich lands and all of the wealth! Thus, the strong city of Fanse instantly became a thing of the past, put to an end by the Kingdom of Pusuote from Batko. In this way, everything came full-circle.


    Meanwhile, King Tuten had lost the country. His head was even cut off by his own soldiers! The army of Tuten then surrendered to the City Alliance of Sheehan soon after his execution.


    The Church of True God, which was popular in the north, was quickly suppressed. The priests of the Sky Temples drove out all of the believers and prophets of the Church of True God.


    They did not even allow the souls of the prophets of the Church of True God to rest in peace after their deaths. Instead, they sent them to the underworld as heretics to await their judgements.


    As for Heckfoss, he could only escape with the remaining prophets. They all ran into the City Alliance of Sheehan, looking for a chance to strike again.


    ------------------------


    "When will this war end?"


    "Yea, all the men went out to fight. Aside from women, there are only old people and children left."


    "Shouldn''t it end soon?"


    "Who knows? They are warmongers!"


    "Hey did you hear that? King Tuten turned into a terrifying monster when he died!"


    "Yes, yes. He didn''t die when his head was cut off. He was burnt until he really died. The whole army must have seen that scene."


    "I knew it. That da*n guy must be possessed by devils. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be waging war everyday."


    Marina was looking at a bunch of the women, who were chatting while they were sewing on sewing machines. The model of using workshops had become popular in the entire City Alliance of Sheehan. These women, when it was not farming season, would come to work in the workshops to earn some extra money for their families.


    In the city of Tephis, small workshops like these were everywhere. These workshops always needed laborers badly.


    Also, during wartime, the prices of the goods that they produced were inflated so much. Throughout the city of Tephis, there were complaints about wars everywhere.


    Many men died in battle, while others who survived didn''t return home for years. While they were away, no one knew if they were still alive or not.


    Marina felt heavy. After she walked through a few streets, she arrived at a castle in Tephis. There were people walking around in the castle. This was the site of the new Akkad Alchemy College.


    In the principal''s room at the top level, she saw Akkad. He had aged greatly since she had last seen him. His hair was white as snow and his back was crooked. Seeing him in such a state made Marina sad.


    "Teacher, the war ended!" Marina said as she entered the room.


    "What was that?" Akkad pushed up his glasses and asked her to repeat what she had just said.


    Marina repeated herself, talking a bit louder for his old ears, "The King of Pusuote, Cetisius, signed an agreement with us. They drew the borderline. I heard from others that Cetisius is an honorable king. I think this peace agreement should last for some time."


    Akkad nodded. "This is only temporary peace. The task of obtaining true peace I must leave to you guys, as I''m getting old."


    Marina refuted his assertion immediately, mostly due to wishful thinking, "Teacher you are still in good health. You can definitely last until you''re a hundred years old or more!"


    Akkad burst into laughter. "Are you cursing me?"


    Marina realized that she had said something wrong, so she stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

 240 Mermaid Kingdom

    A giant Thunder Ray traversed on the ocean''s surface. There was a topless woman lying on top of the Thunder Ray.


    Her blue hair was blowing in the wind, while her long fishtail skimmed over the surface of the water and made splashes. As it made its way, the giant Thunder Ray released a predator-like aura of a highest tier magical beast. All of the monsters and magical beasts were terrified of this aura.


    The Thunder Ray was the true son of the Sea God, and the one controlling it was a mermaid who also a descendant of sakun. It had been about a hundred years since the birth of the mermaid race. Since that time, they had grown into quite a big group.


    At this moment, the mermaid that was riding the Thunder Ray suddenly noticed a giant shadow in the sky. She lifted her head and saw a flying castle that had just appeared from the clouds under the sun.


    "Praise the Sea God!" She opened her eyes wide and exclaimed. She could see the flying castle passing through the clouds, heading towards the Swirl Continent.


    The giant flying castle appeared like a small island in the sky. Anyone would be amazed by it.


    At that time, the social structure of the mermaids was still a matriarchal society. As such, the female mermaids had the highest power and ruled over the other classes.


    Aside from the hundreds of regular mermaids, there was another branch of descendants that were known as the sahagins. Their official name, which was given by Lu Zhiyu when he listed the species in the Alen Continent, was Koutao sahagins.


    These Koutao sahagins, when compared to the beautiful mermaids, were more like abnormal mutants. Their heads were big and ugly, and their bodies were full of scales. Also, their hands and legs were attached webbing.


    Aside from their huge bodies and superior physical strengths, Koutao sahagins were nothing special. They were not smart and didn''t have any special powers.


    Their lifespans were close to those of normal humans. In fact, the only noteworthy thing about them was their reproductivity.


    After only being in existence for a few decades, the Koutao sahagins had already reached a hundred thousand in number. They lived in the inner lakes and lands of the Swirl Continent.


    The mermaids controlled these Koutao sahagins, making them build palaces and enslaving them. There was a city of mermaids near the inner lake of the Swirl Continent, which was surrounded by a river.


    The entrances of every building inside the city had a river flowing through them. As such, this city was built on top of the water, and it was called Alada City.


    Streams of water passed through the city. The center palace was even built with a pool, fountain, and a fake mountain with a small waterfall inside of it.


    Deep water tunnels connected every part of the city. These were like roads for the mermaids. As such, many mermaids and Koutao sahagins passed through them daily.


    Their beautiful bodies could often be seen in the water. When some mermaids jumped out of the water, their fishtails turned into human legs. Then, they slowly walked into the palace.


    There were also Koutao sahagin guards, who were holding Poseidon-like forks everywhere in the palace. However, the mermaids themselves didn''t have any guards, not to mention armies.


    They only used weapons for hunting. Aside from some magical beasts, they had no enemies.


    The beautiful mermaids didn''t consider the Koutao sahagins as their own kind. This is why they enslaved the Koutao sahagins. In this way, the majority of the Koutao Sahagins became slaves for the mermaids at birth, and were forced to serve them until they died.


    Therefore, a decade ago, a revolution was organized by a group of Koutao sahagins that were not happy with being enslaved. The main organizer''s name was Barry. He led tens of thousands of sahagins to storm the palace. During the melais, many mermaids were killed.


    However, this revolution was quickly suppressed by the mermaids via their special powers. As their flashes of special power blinked into the palace, they easily killed the Koutao sahagins and dyed the whole Alad City red.


    Every tunnel and river flowed red with the blood of the sahagins. The plans of the Koutao sahagins were completely spoiled. However, the princess of the mermaids was kidnapped by the leader Barry, who then dove into the deep sea.


    As for the other rebellious Koutao sahagins, after their attack failed, they retreated to the forest of the Swirl Continent. They were still there to this day, hiding in the dark and plotting their revenge against the mermaids.


    The mermaids had eliminated and suppressed them many times. However, since the population of the mermaids was small and the Swirl Continent was huge, the mermaids only took control of part of it.


    The rebellions soon spread out into other tribes and hid in the corners of the continent. There was no way to clear them out by then.


    However, after this revolution, the mermaids enforced their control over the tribes of Koutao sahagins even harsher. The defenses were especially tightened in the Alad City. However, this had only worsened the relationship between the mermaids and the Koutao sahagins.


    At times like this, the past speeches and teachings of the rebel leader Barry were often brought up by the Koutao sahagins...


    "We are all sons of the Sea God. We are all descendants of God. Why are they all high and mighty, while we are so lowly? This is not fair."


    "We are also descendants of God!"


    --------------------------


    The inner lake in the Swirl Continent was larger than the area of land. It was connected to the ocean, so the water was a deep blue.


    The mermaids splashed their tails on the surface of the lake. The sunlight reflecting on the water and in the splashes was very pretty.


    In the bright palace, the Queen of the Alad City, Sally, began the mermaid administrator meeting. Immediately, a massive argument broke out among all of those present...


    "Those filthy Koutao sahagins! They should have survived!"


    "They are humiliating the bloodline of God!"


    "Letting them serve us was already an honor. Why should we give them any more rights, thus making them superior to us?"


    Some people felt sorry for the Koutao sahagins, especially those mermaid who had sahagin offspring. They voiced different opinions.


    However, they were the minority, as most mermaids considered giving birth to sahagins was a dishonor. In fact, if this ever occurred, most of them would kill them when they were born!


    "You murderers! Don''t you think that the Koutao sahagins are a part of us?"


    "That''s what you think. I never considered them as being a part of us."


    Queen Sally stood up in a rage. "Alright, I have seen God himself, so I know the intentions of God. You all stay quiet."


    The meeting abruptly ended, with no solution to the problem. If they didn''t resolve this, the social structure of the Mermaid Kingdom would fall apart completely. As the population of mermaids was too small to build a civilization of their own, they had to be supported by the Koutao sahagins.


    This newborn kingdom had already met their first problem, and Queen Sally had no experience solving this kind of problem. This society was so new, they had no written language yet. Clearly, they still needed to explore many things and make many improvements.


    Queen Sally was the only mermaid that had met God before, so she had the right to explain God to the others and manage the kingdom. That was why she had been chosen to be the queen of the Mermaid Kingdom. However, many mermaids still didn''t trust her completely.


    There was a temple in Alad City. In the middle of the temple, there was a pool.


    In the pool, there was a statue of God. He was wearing white and his face was not clear. The statue had been built according to what Sally saw when she was born and had met God.


    "God! What should I do?" Sally walked onto the stone bridge that stretched over the pool, then knelt in front of the statue and prayed.


    At that moment, she heard a laugh. She was shocked, so she looked up.


    She saw a man in a white robe. He was sitting at the base of the statue, lazily leaning back on it, while his naked foot hung in front of Queen Sally''s face.


    This act of disrespecting God would usually anger Quen Sally and the mermaids. However, as she looked at this man, his face matched perfectly with one from her memories. This stunned her.


    "Sally, right?" Lu Zhiyu thought back and remembered her.


    This was the mermaid that he had called No.1 when he was creating the mermaids. She was the same mermaid who had opened her eyes so suddenly that it had spooked Lu Zhiyu!


    Sally was sizing up Lu Zhiyu at the moment. She held her hands in front of her chest and asked for confirmation. "You... You have really appeared?"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and said, "Go look for your daughter. She was called Gina. Go towards the southwest. In a faraway land that is ruled by humans and orcs, you will find your daughter in a human kingdom called the Tuten Dynasty! The bloodline will lead you to her. She shall be the next queen of the Mermaid Kingdom, and she will lead you all into the future to achieve your goals!" After Lu Zhiyu finished speaking, he disappeared into thin air.


    Mermaids were the first special race in the world, but they were too isolated and were born too late. Hence, the humans and orcs had already discovered the ocean and had begun exploring the world. In contrast, at this time, the mermaids were still in the initial stages of building their civilization. Only by communicating with humans, could they get the necessary access to push their society further into the future and sped up their development.


    "Thank you for your orders. We will follow your instructions!" Sally stood up and said.


    After seeing Lu Zhiyu disappear into thin air, she stood up and smiled. Her face was filled with joy.


    "My daughter! Gina! Oh my God! She is still alive!"

 241 The Journey of the Legendary Adventurer

    In the darkness of the night, a giant shadow passed under the surface of the ocean, coming close to the south of the Tuten Dynasty. The shadow caused the calm ocean to become choppy.


    As the waves struck the shore and the harbor, many ships that were docked in the harbor started tossing and bobbing. The crashing of the waves made the whole ocean sound very unsettling. As a giant shadow passed under the ship, the ocean water under the ships became very dirty.


    Seagulls that were resting on the shore or nesting on the walls flew away in large groups, screaming as they went. It was as if they felt some sort of ominous danger.


    The old keeper in the lighthouse also sensed some sort menacing movement. He was looking out at the sea, but he couldn''t see anything in the dark.


    There is no wind? That is so weird!


    Under the cover of the night, a shadow slowly rode the waves. A naked woman then stepped onto the beach of Tephis. Her giant fishtail had turned into a pair of pretty, long legs.


    Her name was Salita, and she was among the group who was ordered to search for the next queen of the Mermaid Kingdom by the prophecy. They had traversed through the endless ocean and finally reached the Alen Continent. They had finally made it to the world of the orcs and the humans from the legends!


    Salita had spent several years on the Alen Continent by that time. The first place she arrived was a kingdom called Hollyma.


    It was there that she had learned the human language and began to understand how humans lived. Their advanced civilization had far exceeded her expectations. Of course, in the process, Salita also suffered a great deal due to her ignorance.


    Some evil humans had bad intentions for Salita. As she obviously wouldn''t tolerate that, she doled out devastating punishments to them.


    However, during that time, she had indeed gathered some powerful knowledge about the humans. She now knew that there were terrifying beings called priests and wizards.


    These kinds of people were powerful and sinister. She didn''t actually meet one herself, but just by hearing their reputations, she already knew that they were not good people.


    It had been a bumpy journey thus far, but Salita had never forgotten her mission. She had finally found the Tuten Dynasty!


    However, finding her little girl in this huge country would be difficult, as all Salita knew was her age, her name, and that she had blue hair. Salita searched along the coastal cities in hopes of finding a princess. Finally, in the southern Tuten Dynasty, in a city called Tephis, she sensed one of her kind by following her bloodline.


    She was also one that didn''t know how to cover up the scent of her power! This got Salita very excited.


    "It that you Princess?" she murmured with a hopeful heart.


    --------------------


    Gina was now a thirteen-year-old young girl. Her eye-catching blue hair had now been dyed red, just like Marina''s. This way, no one would question whether the two of them were sisters or not.


    Compared to Marina''s being a careless problematic girl, Gina was more kind and easy going. However, she was just like Marina in most every other way.


    She was brave and adventurous. But, as she looked very innocent, many people often mistook her as being a shy girl, and that was very wrong!


    At this moment, Gina had run back to Marina''s quarters in a panic. She closed the door and jumped into the bath. She then shut the blinds and refused to come out.


    "What happened?" Marina was confused.


    Gina opened the blinds just a bit and poked her little head out of the slit. She said nervously, "I met someone strange outside today!"


    Marina asked, "What strange person?"


    Gina answered, "She had blue hair, just like mine. She was wearing a cloak, and she was very mysterious. She said that she was one of my kind, then she told me that she had been ordered to take me home... To a place called the Mermaid Kingdom! She also called me a princess!"


    Hearing this, Marina dropped her jaw. Until now, Marina still couldn''t figure out what species Gina belonged to. She had even suspected that Gina could be a magical beast or a special lifeform that was modified by other wizards. Marina never expected this!


    Marina only knew that, aside from orcs and humans, there was a race called elves on another continent that was far away from here. However, Marina had only heard this from her teacher, Akkad. She had never actually seen one herself.


    But now, Gina had just said that there was another one of her kind! On top of that, they found her and told her that she was a princess of the Mermaid Kingdom!


    This could be a legendary and unknown race. It could even be an intelligent race from the deep sea!


    "That''s so cool, and a princess, too! It is like those legends and fairytale fictional tales!" Marina started to joke about it.


    This caused Gina to pout. She then said angrily, "It was true. She said she would quickly take me home."


    "How did she get here? Where did she come from? The ocean is full of dangers, you know!" Marina demanded to know the details.


    "She said that she was from a faraway continent, a place that is ruled by the Mermaid Kingdom. She said that we mermaids are the descendants of the Sea God. We apparently have the blood of the Sea God, so the monsters won''t attack us," Gina explained.


    As Marina finally started to believe what Gina said, her face tensed. "What do you think?" she asked.


    Gina curled herself into a ball, then replied, "I don''t know. I was scared. I don''t really know these creatures at all..."


    Even though Gina was a mermaid, she had grown up in human society and was used to living the lifestyle and speaking the languages of the humans. Hence, she would naturally be scared if she had to leave all of a sudden.


    However, Gina was also curious about her race and her mother. She wanted to get close to her own kind and see what they were like. These complicated emotions confused Gina. She didn''t know what to do.


    Then, Marina lifted up her head and said, "I''ve got it! I have decided to go see that person with you. If all that she said is true, then I will go to your homeland with you."


    Gina opened her eyes wide. "Really?"


    Marina looked at Gina and said, "Even though you grew up in our human society, you are not human. When you grow up, you will not fit into this society. I was already beginning to worry about your future. However, we can now go and investigate your homeland. I wouldn''t make you go alone!"


    Marina laughed proudly, seeing the relief in Gina''s eyes. "Besides, I was already planning to take on a journey to explore the world. After that, I will write a book. Let your kind take me to the sea, and I will go to the land of the elves that my teacher was talking about. Then, I will journey back to the Alen Continent to visit the wizard tower!"


    As Marina was thinking about all of this, she added, "In this way, my name will spread throughout the whole world. I will be the first person to go around the world. Then, I will name my book, ''The Journey of the Legendary Adventurer Marina!''"


    Gina quickly said, "But, it''s dangerous out in the deep seas!"


    Marina answered, "Ah, but isn''t a little danger par for course for any adventurer worth their salt? Didn''t you say that your race could go across the oceans? How else could she have come here? We just need to follow her."


    Marina was so excited, then she remembered something and added, "Oh yes, and I need to buy a ship and hire some good crewmen. Surely Ganster old man will introduce me to the cream of the crop."


    Gina felt like her sister had gone mad, but she was also relieved by her words. Perhaps, with Gina along, she would not be scared anymore.


    Marina pinched Gina''s nose gently. "Alright, I have not gone mad. But first, we have to meet that mermaid of yours!"

 242 Adventurer

    "Marina, you are more adventurous than most men. Go and see how big the world is. This was also my childhood dream. After seeing it, come back and tell me all about it," Akkad said.


    Akkad then took out the original tall tower badge that Anthony had given him. He told Marina that by crushing the badge, she could be sent back to the tower through a teleport matrix. Although Marina did not understand the preciousness of the badge, she did know that it was definitely not an ordinary thing.


    "It''s not as precious as you might imagine. In a dangerous situation, the enemy will not give you the chance to open the teleport matrix, so once you face a moment of life and death, it is actually of no use." The old Akkad appeared very calm when he said this.


    Marina then took Gina and Salita with her and started her journey. It was a nice, sunny day, which seemed like a good omen.


    Marina''s ship, the Legendary Adventurer, was a beautiful ship that had ten alchemy cannons on it. After hearing about Marina''s plan, Garnett, who had many years of sailing experience, demanded to join her. Thus, she made him the chief mate.


    Salita was a trainer of the mermaid family, who was famous for taming a giant squid on the sea. So, led by the squid, the ship headed all the way to the Swirl Continent.


    They encountered a variety of difficulties along the way. In particular, there were many storms, as well as some encounters with demons and monsters who were not afraid of the Sakun bloodline.


    On one occasion, they encountered some hawk-shaped banshees whose sonic attacks were too lethal for ordinary lifeforms to survive. Plus, since they were flying in the sky, they could not be attacked by the alchemy cannons. Utilizing its firearms, the crew of the Legendary Adventurer finally inflicted devastating damage on the banshees.


    But, the most dangerous part of the journey was when they were passing through a misty area. They were trapped in the fog and could not see the sky! They stayed trapped like this for nearly a month.


    In the mist, someone was constantly singing strange songs. They also encountered wrecks, dead people, and even the deceased''s relatives!


    In this bizarre mist, everyone and everything was on the verge of collapsing. It wasn''t until years later that Marina realized that what she had heard was the voice of a monster named Ecstasy.


    They also encountered social monsters that looked like jellyfish and could float in the air. Where they lived, a haze spread out. Their individual abilities were not strong, but the great illusion-making ability of their groups could easily take many people''s lives at once.


    Finally, with Gina''s help, they were able to escape the mist. After leaving the grey mist, that experience of not seeing the sky for so long became a terrible memory for everyone.


    As Gina was of pure Sakun blood, she was unlike most mermaids, who were only part Sakun. Gina not only had the ability to affect temperatures, but she could also could control the mind power of others.


    The Legendary Adventurer finally arrived on the Swirl Continent, which was the home of the mermaid family. In fact, humans had never even set foot on the Mermaid Kingdom before. This kingdom had beautiful mermaids, as well as the ugly Koutao sahagins.


    The sailors saw from the ship saw a variety of exotic creatures, architecture, and customs that were very different from the human world. There were also huge ocean-like continental lakes and a big city named Alada.


    The sailors sent back the princess of the Mermaid Kingdom, accepted the mermaids'' praises, and received all kinds of marine gems and black pearls in exchange for their goods and books from the human world.


    Gina and Salita, who had just returned from the human world, had learned what a country with a perfect system should be like. So, after broadening their horizons, they were able to bring opportunities for change to the Mermaid Kingdom.


    The Koutao sahagins began to integrate into the mermaid family, and Gina learned how to govern the country with her mother, Queen Sally. Marina then drove her Legendary Adventurer to the Yala Continent using the map that Akkad had given her.


    Salita gave Marina a trumpet and the female giant squid named Koukou, then told her how to tame it. After this, Gina sent Marina away.


    Marina stood on the ship''s deck, waving her hands and shouting goodbye. She then disappeared in the distance.


    Gina had always known that this separation was inevitable. After all, this was her home and Marina did not belong here.


    But, in her search for the Yala Continent, dangers along the road far exceeded Marina''s imagination. This route to the Yala Continent was in a warm sea area, and for the first time, Marina was attacked by the Children of the Sea! These giant starfish emitted hot steam that almost burned them. Koukou also suffered a terrible defeat in its battle with them.


    Finally, the whole ship was dragged deeper into the sea by the starfish. Marina could only save everyone by having them lie on Koukou and ride the creature to a nearby island. There, Marina used alchemy to build a new ship named World Conqueror.


    They finally arrived at the Yala Continent on this new ship, where they immediately met the moonlight elves. After battling through a series of conflicts with them, Marina arrived at the Corolla Tower in the Forest of Life.


    There, they saw beautiful elves playing harps and huge trees of life. There were also beautiful and exquisite buildings, the magnificent Sylve city, magnificent wetland forests, the Hagrid Grand Canyon, and the fascinating White Castle Spring! This place was like heaven!


    As they were standing in front of Corolla Tower, everyone was shocked and speechless. It was as if they were in a fairytale world.


    Moreover, the numerous elves who were dressed in loose white clothes looked like angels coming down from the sky! The Corolla Tower also had a great learning atmosphere, as well as delicious food and beautiful houses.


    Upon her arrival, Marina met with Wolfe and Wendy, the deans and vice-deans of Corolla Tower Academy. They were also students of the Great Wise Anthony, just like her mentor, Akkad. As the first generation of wizards, they were also former wizard tower mentors.


    Marina saw all kinds of strange witchcraft, dreamcraft, and Blood Witchcraft here. All of these things she had only heard about from Akkad.


    She was immersed in this sea of knowledge. She was very impressed that the elves had even more profound knowledge than she had imagined.


    Marina''s knowledge of alchemy, the alchemy table, and the mechanical doll Archimonde caused a great sensation within the Corolla Tower. Her crew stayed here for nearly half a year.


    Once they left, the journey home was much smoother than Marina had imagined. The ship from the wizard tower arrived in Yala, and some students from the Corolla Tower chose to enter the wizard tower for further study, as according to Wolf and Wendy''s words, the wizard tower was the real wizard''s holy place of origin.


    There were several senior wizards from the wizard tower on the ship. Along the way, Marina saw a fierce attack of Blood Witchcraft and dreamcraft. During the attack, many ordinary monsters died. Even the Children of the Sea fled under the siege of the senior wizards!


    They then arrived smoothly on the Black Forest Coast of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. Marina then departed the ship and rode a railcar in the darkness. She was heading to the tower.


    Once she was in the tower, she finally saw the holy place of the wizard. Everything here was beyond her imagination.


    All kinds of witchcraft had permeated every aspect of life! She saw the jackdaw postman, the witchcraft communication badge, the transformation of biological slaves, projections for teaching in dreams, magical beast pets and so on. Even various wizard towers played different roles in this societal system! She even saw various magical beasts flying in the sky!


    In the Black Forest, there were a huge garden where magical beasts grew, and there were also huge libraries that had Sphinx librarians! She even saw a legendary Titan Dragon guarding the tower.


    It was a huge red dragon, and after taking just one look at it, Marina made felt terribly frightened. It was definitely the most horrible creature she had ever seen!


    Even though Edward Kelermo, who was the fourth generation wizard tower master, had inherited the integrity of his teacher and adoptive father, Bohr Kelermo, he was still different in many ways. He grew up in the wizard tower, so the only beings that he ever met were wizards. This caused him to teach in different ways.


    As such, Marina learned a vast amount of knowledge and received many gifts from Edward Kelermo, the tall tower master, and many mentors here. Her teacher Akkad''s identity as the owner of the third generation tower owner had provided a great deal of convenience for her.


    During her time here, Marina successfully transplanted the bloodline of a magical beast called the fossil horn rhinoceros. The fossil horn rhinoceros was a result of bloodline abnormalities that occurred when wizards cultivated magical beasts.


    As such, it could only recast things, but for Marina and the alchemists, this ability was valuable, similar to that of an artifact. Although it could not directly change the essence of substances, it was easy for alchemists to make various kinds of alchemy instruments via its means of recasting.


    Using its ability, an alchemist could easily turn sand into glass, clay into rock, pig iron into various alloys and so on. This had brought about unimaginable breakthroughs for alchemists, enabling them to analyze substances and to manufacture and explore various kinds of alchemy tools.


    Less than a month after her stay at the wizard tower, Marina returned to the World Conqueror and embarked on her journey home. It took her nearly four years to complete the voyage and return to the Sean City State Alliance.

 243 The End

    @@


    When World Conqueror arrived at the port of the city-state of Tephis, Marina and her crew became an instant sensation. This was because a huge sea monster had led the ship into the harbor, shocking all of the people!


    Marina let go of the giant squid Koukou and said, "Thank you, Koukou! Now, you may return to the sea!"


    All of them stood on the ship and waved goodbye to Koukou. After sailing together for several years, many of the sailors had sentimental feelings for the squid that had protected them. Some of them even began to wipe away a few tears as Koukou''s huge body disappeared into the sea.


    Legends of Marina''s traveling around the world on the Legendary Adventurer quickly spread throughout Tephis. The sailors kept talking about the many monsters and dangers that they had encountered along the way, as well as sharing their many escapades in the magnificent Swirl Continent, the Mermaid Kingdom, and the beautiful Yala Continent.


    Hence, everyone knew that a w@@

 244 Elemental Witchcraf

    @@


    The floating castle stayed above the clouds in the Arctic. The clouds here were sparse and thin.


    Underneath them, the Arctic was cold and desolate, but above the clouds, the sun was bright and warm. Lu Zhiyu sat next to the window of the botanical garden, beside which a sphinx''s eye projected various information for in front of him.


    Gaia was responsible for gathering all of the information within Maria''s World and presenting it to Lu Zhiyu. As such, it functioned like a huge electronic host. The sphinx was like an external terminal that was connected to Gaia.


    Lu Zhiyu generally did not pay attention to the complex and useless information that had been collected from the whole world. After all, it wasn''t necessary for him to know every single detail.


    It would also complicate Lu Zhiyu''s memory to be cluttered with such a vast amount of intel. Thus, Lu Zhiyu usually only viewed the most important information.


    The sphinx that was in the wizard tower library@@

 245 Tephis Weekly

    "Tephis Weekly! For just one silver coin, you can have the latest news from home and abroad. It also publishes the latest knight novel, the Legend of the Dragon Knight Rooney, written by the renowned gleeman Toll. Get to know the legendary life of Rooney!"


    "The chaos that was caused by the Church of the True God broke out again in Pusuote. The Church of the True God has enticed hundreds of poor people to offer sacrifices to evil gods and is now being driven out by the priests of the Church of the Sky!"


    "The Prime Minister again issued a region-wide notice in the hopes that the domestic alchemy apprentices would respond. All alchemy apprentices can get an official job that offers the same benefits as senior officers receive!"


    "I have admission information on Akkad Alchemy College! If you miss it, you won''t get a second chance!"


    Several newsboys, each carrying a large cannabis sewn bag, ran down the streets of Tephis and shouted headlines at the corner of every intersection. A large number of morning passers-by took out a silver coin and bought a newspaper from them.


    "The Legend of the Dragon Knight Rooney has come out again. I want to read it!"


    "How did the old base of the Church of the True God appear again!"


    "I must get into Alchemy College this time. Even if I can''t become a great alchemist, I can at least be a knowledgeable scholar."


    People in Tephis kept discussing the news while reading their newspapers. Some people who bought the newspapers were telling their illiterate friends what was happening as well.


    Since an alchemy apprentice from the Alchemy Academy had invented printing a few years ago, numerous paper mills had spread all over the country. Books, which originally were only owned by nobles, had gradually become affordable to the common people in the Sean City State Alliance.


    Although the price of books was still not cheap, this greater accessibility at least gave the common people an opportunity to learn. Also, about a half a year ago, the newspaper that was originally only circulated at Akkad Alchemy College was brought outside. It then became known as Tephis Weekly.


    However, Tephis Weekly was an irregular publication, printed usually only once a week, and even then only when there were some notable events happening. Also, its price was expensive, making the average family reluctant to buy it.


    Moreover, not many common people could read. So, most of the people who bought newspapers were workshop owners or nobles. If ordinary people bought a copy, they would keep it as a treasure.


    It is said that many other city-states heard of this and began to print their own versions of Tephis Weekly. At the same time, some newspapers that directly imitated the Tephis Weekly appeared.


    However, these periodicals were only circulating in the upper class, so they had little influence over the majority of the people. If they wanted to become truly universal, a higher literacy rate must first be realized in Tephis.


    At the moment, Marina was teaching in the hall on the first floor of Akkad Alchemy College in Tephis. After completing her world tour, Marina had taken over Akkad''s position and become the dean of the holy place.


    Marina now wore her long hair in braids and had glasses. As she was still young and beautiful, Marina attracted the attention of countless students and alchemists. As such, the whole hall was crowded with people.


    Nearly half of the students and mentors present were her admirers. Throughout Tephis, even throughout the entire Sean City-State Alliance, countless people worshiped her.


    Marina''s independence and adventurous spirit were unique to the women of Tuten, especially in this era. Her legendary adventures, her alchemist accomplishments, and her position as dean of Akkad Alchemy College had made her a spokeswoman for the Sean City-State Alliance.


    Countless women in the Sean City-State Alliance were eager to be like her. She had encouraged a large number of female alchemists in the alchemist community and also elevated the status of women in the Sean City-State Alliance.


    Today, Marina was on stage explaining some important knowledge about alchemists. The most important subject regarded the properties of various substances. Many people didn''t understand it, but they were still filled with excitement as they listened to her.


    "The core idea of alchemy is to understand the properties of any substance. Based on the characteristics of each substance, you can create the stuff you want! I recently got some information from the Western world, where they began to carry out the study of materials'' origins. They call this study the origin element."


    She paused to see if she still had the room''s attention, then continued. "We don''t know how many elements we have at present yet, which means that all of us alchemists, generation after generation, must study and explore further! I hope that one day you can understand the composition of the world and the ultimate essence of the world. That is the ultimate goal of all alchemists!" She finished her lesson, smiling broadly.


    She then said, "Since the advent of the first generation of the alchemy table, alchemists have changed their ways of studying alchemy. Now, what I want to tell you is that the second generation of the alchemy table is ready to be used! It will completely change the future of alchemists!" Marina was clearly very proud.


    The second generation of the alchemy table was just a common metal table. Compared with the first generation''s, it had a much less complex structure. It also was not large or heavy. When Marina started to operate it, everyone was amazed.


    The sand on the alchemy table slowly converged and melted, gradually forming a glass puppy. The original ordinary glassware, after being recast on the alchemy table, seemed to have changed its entire essence!


    Marina then threw it straight to the ground, revealing that it was still complete! Some of the damaged swords were then added on the alchemy table, along with other materials, all of which immediately turned into new and beautiful alloy swords!


    "With this second generation alchemy table, as long as you understand the nature and characteristics of the substance, you can recast at will with your imagination!" Marina explained.


    Many alchemist mentors rushed to the stage to watch the operation of the second generation alchemy table. Their hands trembled as they touched it, as if they were worshiping a sacred object.


    "Can this be true?" An old alchemist could not help but weep at this awe-inspiring sight.


    "It''s not about changing the substance, it''s about understanding and utilizing the properties of the substance. The substance itself doesn''t change!" Marina further explained.


    "This is real alchemy. Only with such a table can we be called true alchemists!" All of the alchemists near the stage were discussing this phenomenal alchemy table.


    "How can I get one?" an alchemist couldn''t help but ask.


    "All of the mentors at Akkad Alchemy College will have the opportunity to get one, but only after they have accumulated some points and have succeeded in their audits," Marina answered.


    "Are there any restrictions on using it?" another apprentice asked.


    "Alchemy apprentices can use it. Here, put your hand on the alchemy table. It can sense your mind power, which activates the recast. But, most of its other functions are too advanced for apprentices," Marina answered.


    Marina then incorporated her transplanted rhinoceros horn fossil into the second generation alchemy table. This could be regarded as a witchcraft object. As such, every second generation alchemy table must incorporate the horn of a rhinoceros. Although it''s expensive, for alchemists, it''s a necessity.


    By the end of the presentation, the second generation alchemy table had thoroughly impressed and thrilled all of the alchemists. After that day, countless alchemists returned to Akkad Alchemy College to lead the second generation into further pioneering endeavors. The second generation alchemy table would also be used to bring enormous changes to the future of alchemists and the whole world.

 246 Goddess

    Archangel Kelly fluttered her wings and flew through the sky. Her giant wings spread out like shiny stars. At this moment, in the Divine Kingdom, countless saints bowed, while angels flew about singing holy songs and playing their harps.


    With the help of the Divine Kingdom, Archangel Kelly spent decades to upgrade from level five to level seven. Today, she would be the first to ascend to the divine throne and become a real goddess!


    "Archangel Kelly! In the name of the Creator, you are crowned the goddess of light! Gaia! Synchronization Begins!" A Divine Shadow stretched out its hands and a light came out from its fingertips. The whole Divine Kingdom began to shake and lights fell from the sky, covering Archangel Kelly.


    Gaia then followed instructions, as a mechanical voice resounded throughout Divine Kingdom, "Synchronization Starts! There are 135 seconds left for synchronization to be completed!"


    One of the seventeen divine thrones collapsed, transforming into data and integrating itself into Archangel Kelly''s body. Every throne here was equivalent to an artifact that represented the rules of a god.


    Kelly''s body grew bigger and bigger, while her huge wings unfolded. As cheers resounded throughout heaven, Kelly looked at Lu Zhiyu, who was sitting on the opposite throne.


    Suddenly, a great divine throne appeared beneath her. Apparently, as long as she was in Maria''s World, she would always been seen as a ruler of the theocracy.


    There were now eighteen thrones, including Lu Zhiyu''s. At the moment, only these two were occupied.


    At the same time, on the Alan Continent, all of the statues of the Lady of Light in the Temple of Light looked like Kelly. All of the priests and saints heard the voice of this new goddess assuring them, "Everything is God''s will!"


    For the first time, the Goddess of Light responded to all of the prayers and all of the believers on the entire Alan Continent! Pope Arthur even held a baptism ceremony in St. Sarl City. Hence, it was a true occasion on the mainland of Alan!


    This grand ceremony lasted for a month. More importantly, the first goddess had made the system of gods complete at last!Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.


    Lu Zhiyu added one more model of elemental witchcraft on Gaia. Now, all level four priests could also use their own elemental divine incantations. At the same time, the emergence of elemental witchcraft gave him another option to use his extraordinary power in addition to genes and cells!


    Kelly, the new goddess of light, had not only taken over the largest part of the Divine Kingdom, but she had also begun to design her own unique divine system. This meant that, from now on, there would be divine incantations created that were unique to the believers of the Goddess of Light!


    -----------------


    It took Kelly a few months after being crowned to familiarize herself with her duties. Sitting on the divine throne, she could now project her figure over the sky of the whole Divine Kingdom. Hence, every saint could look up and see her.


    As the first one to ascend to the throne, Kelly was nominally the goddess that created the world. As such, she was the one who set the space rules in Maria''s World.


    Seventeen thrones divided the powers over Maria''s World, including aspects like governing the sun, the seasons, time, death, the sea, the earth and so on. Every position governed an integral part of Maria''s World.


    If any of those governing encountered difficulties, it would have a significant impact on Maria''s World, perhaps even cause a devastating disaster. They were the true cornerstones that maintained the stability of Maria''s World.


    After Lu Zhiyu created Maria''s World, everything had developed in a natural way. As such, once all of the thrones were taken, the whole of Maria''s World would be completely under control.


    It would then be like a machine that could be easily and systematically adjusted and repaired. Gods, in addition to maintaining the operation of the whole world, would then also promote the development of the world. This was a perfect system!


    However, qualified candidates were needed to ascend to the throne before this system could fully function. This had been Lu Zhiyu''s idea, but It was not easy to gather seventeen qualified applicants!


    At present, Kelly sat on the throne, familiarizing herself with her new responsibilities and responding to all of the priests'' requests and prayers. She was also receiving information that had been filtered by Gaia.


    At the same time, Kelly was also completing her own divine system, within which she was adding a prayer system, a sacrifice system, and even an oracle system! Every God could then design His own religion and manage His followers according to His own ideas.


    After all, as the Goddess of Light, Kelly must be familiar with her responsibilities, be able to manage the operation of the whole world, and successfully manage her religion and its believers. She was even responsible for promoting the progress of the whole world!


    Although being a goddess was a very challenging job, it sometimes got a bit boring. So, in her spare time, Kelly would take a walk in Maria''s World.


    But, Kelly mostly preferred to sneak a peek at the floating castle that was sailing above the sky of Maria''s World. She also often stared at the opposite throne, expecting the Creator to arrive at any moment.


    Meanwhile, the Divine Shadows, after receiving news about several important believers in the Divine Kingdom, looked at each other in a daze. At this moment, on the opposite throne, a figure suddenly appeared...


    "Lord!" Kelly exclaimed.


    "How are you?" Lu Zhiyu asked her. "Is the goddess life a little too boring for you?"


    Kelly looked at Lu Zhiyu and replied, "It''s my joy and duty to manage the whole world for you!"


    Lu Zhiyu did not speak for a while, so Kelly laughed and said, "It''s interesting and fulfilling. When I was a saintess, I couldn''t even walk out of the Temple of Light. Now, I can see the whole world! I can see the extraordinary in every ordinary thing and can understand human nature and the world, all of the things that I did not know anything about before!"


    Kelly looked at Lu Zhiyu, waited for a while, as if she was conflicted about something in her heart, then finally said, "That''s enough for me!"


    Lu Zhiyu then said, "You know, you can always talk to me."


    After Lu Zhiyu said this, Kelly''s eyes narrowed slightly.


    Lu Zhiyu then thought of something else and said, "By the way, those two little guys may be decades away from ascending to the throne. They''re both young and naughty, so you must please take care of them for me!"

 247 The Rise of Alchemists I

    "Legend has it that in the distant sky, there is a city that can fly. There are gods in it, and it is a city of miracles! Lars, the great artist, had been looking for this city for more than ten years. Finally, at the end of the ocean, he spotted it. He marked the occasion by creating this great painting, the Capital of God!" In a temple in the Sean City-State Alliance, a well-dressed businessman was introducing the story behind the painting to the audience.


    Lu Zhiyu, Eva, and two little girls huddled together, observing the painting like a family of four. This temple was originally the patron saint''s temple of Finnlit city. However, belief in the original patron saint was gradually declining, so in order to make ends meet, most of the temple space had been rented out.


    The city of Finnlit had been devastated by the conflicts between the Tuten Dynasty and the Sean City-State Alliance during several civil wars. Then, Batkos came, gradually taking the northern part of the Tuten Dynasty and fighting against the Tutens'' southern kingdoms and the Sean City-State Alliance.


    Just looking at Finnlit''s thin and broken walls easily revealed the aftermath of decades of war. Fortunately, after years of re-development, the Sean City-State Alliance was becoming more competitive and powerful.


    This was greatly thanks to the many changes that had been brought by alchemists, who had created all kinds of guns and cannons for use in the battlefield. Also, a large number of national alchemy workshops produced swords, guns, alchemy artillery and alchemy weapons. At the same time, some alchemy apprentices were recruited to assist in the battlefield.


    However, when facing Pusuote, a powerful kingdom of Batkos that had a large number of Blood Knights and various heavenly palace priests, the Sean City-State Alliance could barely resist such an enemy. As such, the Sean City-State Alliance''s army almost collapsed in the early stages of its existence.


    However, later on, aided by the continuous participation of the alchemists, the war gradually dissipated. The power of the alchemy cannon was credited with being an integral weapon in the war.


    Armed with such divine ammunition and methods, for the first time, the combat capability of alchemists had been fully demonstrated. As a result, Pusuote had fallen into the quagmire of war. There, under the city wall of Finnlit, Pusuote met its Waterloo, just like the Tutens.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.


    Although Cetisius, who was the King of Pusuote, still wanted to fight, he was not certain that they could defeat the Sean City-State Alliance. In addition to this, years of consecutive wars had birthed great voices of opposition within the army.


    This resulted in King Cetisius'' eventually abandoning his scheme of annexing the Sean City-State Alliance. Instead, he signed a peace treaty with them.


    After the war, Finnlit began to rebuild and slowly, started to thrive again. A large number of artists and alchemists poured into this beautiful and historic city that was located along the Pegasus River.


    Ten years ago, after the Sean City-State Alliance moved the political capital from Lamech to Finnlit, the city had grown in leaps and bounds. It had also been instantly infused with a great vitality.


    A few years ago, there was an alchemist mentor who left Akkad Alchemy College and established his own alchemy college in Finnlit. He named it Wisteria Alchemy College, and a large number of scholars, workshop owners, businessmen and alchemists then came here to study.


    They began to set up various workshops, which had a great impact on the people''s lives. Many people got rich overnight, which constantly inspired others to come and see what all of the hubbub was about.


    "There are countless gold coins flowing in the Pegasus River!"


    "Go ahead, go to Finnlitt, where there are countless opportunities! As long as you seize them, you can become somebody important!"


    "In Finnlitt, farmers can become nobles and slaves can become rich!"


    Many people were saying all kinds of things about Finnlitt. Its newfound fame caused many downcast artists to gather here, as where wealth gathered, art also came into being.


    Some of these artists were appreciated by the nobles of Sean City-State Alliance, and various art vendors emerged. However, there were only a few such lucky ones, as most of the artists could only sell their work in the streets.


    Even so, there was a strong artistic atmosphere in the capital of Sean City-State Alliance. This influence of the arts was reflected in the beautiful buildings, exquisite statues, and lovely paintings.


    ------------------


    Standing in front of The Capital of God painting, Lu Zhiyu felt a bit strange.


    "Dad! Our house was discovered by other people!" one of the little girls said.


    "Yes, that''s right. They even painted a picture of it!" Lu Zhiyu replied.


    "It appears that our house is too small!" she commented.


    "Yes, it''s time for an upgrade!" Lu Zhiyu agreed.


    The two little girls huddled together, curiously observing every detail of the painting. As they perused every part of it, they couldn''t help but complain.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the picture in front of him, feeling that his floating castle needed to be upgraded. But, he didn''t want it to be a big change. Instead, he would simply transform a hidden cloud into a sea of clouds, then add a storm near the castle.


    Looking at them, Lu Zhiyu softly patted the two girls'' faces. Verthandi and Delmedi were growing up fast. Lu Zhiyu had brought them to Sean-City Alliance, which was undergoing major changes, because he wanted them to have more contact with the world, so that they could better understand the world before they became gods.


    Lu Zhiyu had stopped the floating castle above Sean-City Alliance and had taken Eva and the girls to walk around it together. As they walked, something very interesting had caught his eye, so they decided to stay for a while. This was how they had arrived at the Capital of God painting.


    At this moment, several children who were standing beside Lu Zhiyu were looking at the painting as well, many of them commenting on it...


    "Can alchemists do such a thing?"


    "Alchemists can fly! They can even make something that sends people into the sky!"


    "That is a hot-air balloon, silly! But, this is a city! Can an alchemist really fly a city?"


    "Alchemists are omnipotent. They can even turn stones into gold! Hence, they must be able to make this happen!"


    "Yes, alchemists are more powerful than gods!"


    As the children squibbled with each other, Delmedi stood some distance away, clearly unhappy. She then said, "They are saying that alchemists are better than gods!"


    Lu Zhiyu then turned to listen carefully to their arguments. One of the thin, brown haired boys suddenly said, "Alchemists understand the nature of substance, then transform the substance. Hence, knowledge is the essence of alchemy!"


    One of the fat boys in the group was dissatisfied by that assertion, so he shot back a stinging retort, "You''re not an alchemist, so how would you know?"


    The little boy with short brown hair immediately said, "I will definitely become an alchemist. When I grow up, I will enter the Wisteria Alchemy College! I will then make an alchemy tool that will enable human beings to conquer the sky."


    Lu Zhiyu suddenly opened his mouth and asked the little boy, "What''s your name?"


    Only then did the boy realize that someone was watching and listening to him. He was stunned for a moment, then said, "Lars! My name is Lars Brown!"

 248 Lars Brown I

    "Lars Brown, you''ve been admitted to the Crafts Department!" an admissions staff member said.


    "But, I applied for the Department of Alchemy, and I got great results on my written test!" Lars couldn''t believe what he had just heard.


    "I am sorry to tell you that you don''t have the gifts needed to be an alchemist!" The reply was cold.


    Lars stood outside Wisteria Alchemy College, stunned. He did not leave until late that night. Although he was successfully enrolled in Wisteria Alchemy College, Lars was upset by the fact that he could not become an alchemist.


    Ever since his childhood, Lars had been deeply influenced by his father and had aspired to become an alchemist. He became familiar with the existence of alchemists early on, and he showed great talent for designing various alchemy props in particular.


    When Lars was twelve or thirteen years old, he manufactured small hot air balloons that flew hundreds of meters high. He also made exquisite clocks and watches. He could even understand the designs of various complex alchemy items and props!


    At the age of fourteen, Lars personally designed and built a windmill in the suburbs, the same model which was now springing up everywhere in the Sean City-State Alliance!


    This idea of Lars'' had been birthed from nature''s great inspiration. In fact, he believed that as long as he could borrow the power of nature, he could do anything he wanted!


    Just when he decided to enter Wisteria Alchemy College in Finnlitt and become an alchemist, he found himself unable to cross the threshold.


    This was because he suffered one of the greatest blows of his life. Though he was young and ambitious, he was told that he was not gifted enough to become an alchemist.


    After he journeyed back home in defeat, his father met him at the door. After a long time of silence, Lars'' father clapped his son on the back and said, "The Crafts Department is also good. Later, you can take over my workshop and become its owner."


    Lars shook off his father''s hand and shouted angrily at him, "But that''s not what I want. I have a different dream than you, father! I will be an alchemist! Certainly!"


    His father slapped Lars hard across the face and said, "Wake up, you don''t have that kind of talent! Do you think I never had that same dream? No talent is no talent!"


    Lars'' father, who also graduated from the Department of Crafts, had opened a small watch workshop in Finnlit, becoming a businessman and earning some wealth and fame. According to his father''s plan, Lars would become a wealthy second-generation watchmaker in Finnlitt, eventually taking over his father''s workshop. But, Lars refused to follow in his father''s same footsteps.


    The next day, Lars snuck away quietly with his suitcase. On the bank of the Pegasus River, he took a boat to Tephis, where the legendary Akkad Alchemy College was located.


    When he arrived, Lars was shocked by everything in Tephis! Outside the city, he saw all kinds of windmills, and there were various hydraulic spinning workshops, all of which opened Lars'' eyes to new and exciting possibilities.


    After entering the city, Lars saw so many alchemists! He also saw fantastic alchemy workshops that produced all kinds of alchemy props and tools. Seeing the vast collection of the latest guns, alchemy cannons, mechanical pulley crossbows, music boxes, hot-air balloon airships in the manufacturing stages, new shipyards and so on, were truly overwhelming!


    There were also a lot of water towers in Tephis. So, if the residents wanted water, they only needed a water pipe to get it!


    The layout of the city was also very modern and trendy, and there were several horse-drawn carriages in use on the streets. Lars could clearly see how these alchemy items, which looked very simple in design, were changing the world bit by bit!


    Alchemists can really change the world!


    Only once he arrived here did Lars really begin to understand and fall in love with the city. Although the city did not have the artistic atmosphere and romance of Finnlit, Lars was deeply moved by it, especially because it seemed to promote innovation and growth!


    At the square at the entrance of Akkad Alchemy College stood a statue of the great alchemist Akkad. A line of letters was carved on the stone at the foot of the statue, which read: Knowledge changes the world!


    As Lars stood in front of the statue, his eyes grew brighter. "Knowledge changes the world!" he read aloud.


    Lars then entered Akkad Alchemy College, attended an open class, and met his childhood idol, Ms. Marina. His greatest dream was to become one of her students.


    Here he saw what a real alchemist should be. He also learned about the highest attainments in alchemy, the mechanical alchemical lifeform, Archimonde, and the second generation alchemy table.


    Lars passed the entrance examination again, but was still told that he was not gifted enough to become an alchemist, so he was admitted to the Mechanical Manufacturing Department instead. Machinery was a tool that was used to help people reduce the difficulty of work, thus saving on labor.


    Chopsticks, brooms, and tweezers were all good examples of this. These were simple machines, while complex machines consisted of two or more simple machines operating together.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.


    Lars eventually decided to study here. So, instead of becoming a great alchemist, he would become a mechanical apprentice.


    Although he acquired the most advanced knowledge in Akkad Alchemy College, he could only learn how to make machinery, glass, clocks and watches, how to smelt iron and how to design ships. His studies were also limited to some basic disciplines such as mathematics, geometry, and so on.


    When it came to the specific knowledge that was related to alchemy, Lars could only touch lightly on it via public lectures. As for the specifics regarding how the alchemists meditate, the study of witchcraft, and the manufacturing of witchcraft materials, that was only circulated within the alchemists'' inner circle.


    Thus, even if Lars graduated from Akkad Alchemy College after several years of study, he still could only enter some workshops as a manufacturer. Even though he had a salary that ordinary people envied, he still could only teach ordinary workers all day long, as well as make some tools, like ordinary glass crafts, spinning machines, new carriages and so on.


    This was because advanced crafts like the production of special metals, new guns, alchemy cannons and special materials would need alchemists'' expertise. Especially when it came to the design of various alchemy products, a lot of money and time must be spent.


    As such, expert designers were recruited by these big workshops, all of whom must be alchemists or apprentices. Moreover, only alchemists could enter state and city research institutes.

 249 Lars Brown II

    "Only alchemists can design alchemy products and props!"


    "Sorry, we only recruit alchemists!"


    "You''re not an alchemist, yet you want to join us?"


    After Lars Brown suffered numerous rejections from various military workshops and official research institutes, he began to fully understand the high standards of the alchemist world. But, he was reluctant to go to smaller workshops, even though, with his knowledge, he could earn good money there.


    While Lars conducting his own experiments, he continued to look for sponsors everywhere. He also tricked small workshop owners into sponsoring his experiments, saying that he would design and improve their products, while secretly spending their money on all of his experiments!


    Lars was looking for a new form of natural force, one that was similar to wind and water power. This was a large-scale research effort that involved all aspects of knowledge. It also required a lot of manpower and material resources.


    Lars quickly discovered that he could only get money for his experiment by cheating and deceiving people. This was because he was relatively unknown, and by the age of 30, he had still achieved nothing much.


    Finally, in a small city far that was far away from Tephis, he found his big sponsor. He was the owner of a shipyard, who made small and medium-sized merchant ships.


    Lars pretended to be an alchemist by making a fake alchemist''s badge. Armed with that, as well as his smooth eloquence, he persuaded the owner of the shipyard to invest in his research regarding the manufacturing of alchemy products.


    For the first time, he discovered many things about steam and its great power. Lars then promised the merchant that he would build a new type of alchemy ship that could sail without the help of sails and wind.


    Lars said, "It will be a ship that can absolutely change the world, a real alchemy ship! It''ll replace all of the old ships and sail even faster and carry more cargo!"


    His eyes were glowing with excitement. "Then, all of the people in Sean City-State Alliance will come to you to order ships, and you will become the largest shipbuilder in all of Sean City-State Alliance. Everyone will come here! But, in order to have all of this, you just need to invest a little now!"


    After his persuasive pitch, Lars got his first big investment and was able to build his own alchemy factory. For the first time, he had meaning and purpose for his life. Even if he could not become an alchemist, he could at least design great alchemy products that could have a shocking impact on the world!


    However, just a few months later, his lie was exposed. Despite his explanation to the owner of the shipyard, he accused Lars publically of misrepresentation, and Lars was sentenced to six months in prison!


    After learning that Lars had cheated the merchant by posing as an alchemist, Akkad Alchemy College officially revoked Lars'' degree! The notorious Lars was then given a horrid nickname, the faker Lars!


    After half a year of imprisonment, Lars left Tephis and returned to his hometown of Finnlit. However, when he returned home, Lars found that his parents had died during his imprisonment!


    All that he saw upon entering Finnlit were rotting tombstones, empty houses, and closed watch workshops. Time had changed everything, especially Lars. The once proud Lars now had nothing but his useless dream.


    What was worse, Lars found that news of his shady business affairs had also been transmitted to Finnlit. This wasn''t really a surprise, as the circle of alchemists was very small.


    Thus, everyone knew about the faker Lars. In Lars'' eyes, he had lost everything.


    He wandered into one of his childhood home''s empty rooms, then journeyed on to the attic, reflecting on his youth. He was holding a portrait of his family, while he was sitting on the stairs crying.


    He had a great dream of changing the world and had aspired to be a legendary alchemist, like Akkad and Marina. But, reality had given him a heavy blow.


    It turns out that he couldn''t become an alchemist. He was just a fake alchemist!


    "Ha-ha-ha, father, you were right! But, I really don''t want to give up! Why is fate so cruel? I want to become an alchemist, so what''s so wrong with that? Is it wrong for me to have such a dream?" As Lars spoke to his father''s image in the picture, his heart filled with despair.


    A few days later, he decided to leave again. His plan was to give up everything and go to the countryside, where he would live the life of an ordinary man.


    At this time, an unexpected person knocked on the door. It was his boyhood rival, fat Mike. But, this time, he had not come to make fun of Lars, but to invite him to join his institute.


    When Mike was a teenager, he had scoffed at Lars. Since then, he had matured and become a true alchemist. Lars was really embarrassed that he was meeting Mike again at his lowest point.


    "If you are really so unwilling to give up, why don''t you try again? Come and join my alchemy institute. We''re working on a project to make hot-air balloon airships!" Mike extended the invitation.


    Lars looked at fat Mike incredulously. "Why did you choose to ask me? I''m just a fake alchemist!"


    Mike nodded and said, "I know, but so what? Even if you are not an alchemist, you are truly clever! I believe in you, Lars! I know you better than anyone else!"


    Mike''s words gave Lars a glimmer of hope. They then sat together and talked about some crazy things from their childhood. At this moment, all of the old jealousy and hatred that had been between them became mere memories.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.


    Lars talked about his frustrations and his failures over a few drinks. In fact, the pair drank a lot together that night! The next day, Lars joined Mike''s institute, where he started a whole new life.

 250 Lars Brown III

    "The reason that a hot-air balloon flies is that the hot air inside the balloon is lighter than the cold air outside the balloon. So, the balloon generates buoyancy, which enables it to lift off!" Mike was explaining airship design at his institute.


    "We don''t necessarily need to use hot air balloons. If we use another gas, a gas that is even lighter than air, we can do the same thing. I remember when I was at Akkad Alchemy College, some alchemists were looking for lighter gases than air. They wanted to use that to make airships!" he explained.


    Mike''s institute, which was aptly named the Mike Alchemy Institute, specialized in the manufacturing of airships. Akkad Alchemy College had carried out this experiment a long time ago, but in the end, it had failed.


    The Mike Institute of Alchemy, which was an affiliate of Wisteria Alchemy College, had just started this project. In fact, Mike had just begun putting forward a few different concepts after Lars had joined them.


    It took several years for them to design an airship. During that time, they experimented with different materials and drawings, constantly adapting them from one version to another.


    Finally, a huge airship that could carry twenty people and tons of cargo successfully flew into the sky! However, it could only fly at a very slow speed and with limited weight. It was also very dangerous and had a few other minor problems.


    Moreover, the airship production rate was also very low. This was because the speed was very slow and the price was high, which didn''t scream practicality to consumers!


    As such, only a few nobles and a few branches of the local military placed orders. Nevertheless, the concept and design had brought great wealth to the institute.


    At the same time, the reputation of the Mike Alchemy Institute spread rapidly among alchemists. All the alchemists were surprised that it was a fake alchemist who had created what true alchemists could not even achieve.


    Lars'' story had spread among all of the alchemists and the various alchemy institutes. His was the story of an ordinary man who was struggling to achieve his dreams. Marina, the dean of Akkad Alchemy College, also heard Lars'' story and wanted to meet him.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.


    When the two finally met, Lars talked about his ideas about steam engines, saying that he was inspired by alchemists'' use of wind and water and wanted to create a real power machine. Upon hearing his ideas, Marina praised Lars for his creativity. She was so impressed by him, that even though he was not an alchemist, she offered him the opportunity to do research with her.


    At the age of 40, Lars finally fulfilled his childhood dream and became a student of the legendary adventurer and alchemist, Marina! The Akkad Alchemy College even reinstated his degree!


    Back at the Akkad Alchemy College, Lars once again launched the research and development of the steam engine. He, of course, led the project.


    After a few initial failures, the steam engine was successfully manufactured. Although it was not efficient at first, after some improvements and a redesign, it finally was fully operation!


    Early steam engines were used in industrial production and industrial spinning, which further promoted the progress of the workshop. Throughout Tephis, a variety of workshops that were using steam engines as power engines began to emerge.


    Unfortunately, Lars did not fulfill his promise to use the steam engine on ships, as he died before he had the chance. He was 74. But, he had brought the steam engine into the world!


    When Lars was dying, he was very calm. He leaned down to tell his grandson, Little Brown, "A dream can change the world!"


    On his tombstone, according to his will, his nickname was inscribed. The tombstone read: The tomb of the faker, Lars.


    Underneath that, his last words to his grandson were inscribed: A dream can change the world!


    In year 215 of the San Calendar, Lars'' grandson, Little Brown, finally built the world''s first steamship. It was a wooden steamship, on which its huge wheels were noticeable.


    Though it still had sails, it was considered to be a great invention for this era. The fleets that had been sailing offshore were now able to launch explorations of the distant oceans!


    In year 223 of the San Calendar, after the great adventurer Marina Bossey arrived in Yala for the first time, human beings once again were able to come to the elf lands!


    The world was once again embracing great changes. Although barriers between different continents still existed and marine magical beasts and monsters dominated the seas, this was a positive sign of great reform in the world!


    At Akkad Alchemy College, Marina was in the dean''s room. She had finally become a level four alchemist. This was when her body had started to weaken.


    After breaking through to level four, she was already a thousand years old. As long as she did not encounter any unexpected calamities, death was no longer a worry for her.


    As she was at the threshold of level four, Marina had been much luckier than her teacher Akkad had been, In fact, she was also much luckier than most wizards.


    Marina was very interested in the steam engine that had been made by her student Lars. In fact, she was thinking of Lars at that moment¡­


    Unfortunately, Lars did not have the talent to become an alchemist. Otherwise, with his wisdom, he would have been a great alchemist...


    Marina used her own alchemy table to make a simple steam engine. The pressure of the first generation steam engine was relatively low, and its valves could not be automated. So, there were many restrictions on its operation.


    But, Marina was trying to improve upon it. Luckily, the mechanical alchemy lifeform Archimonde was assisting her. Marina looked at Archimonde and suddenly thought of something...


    What if I use metal cells to make a steam engine? Metal cells have power...


    What if I use them to function like the heart of a human body, then make a steam engine of metal cells that have some of the characteristics of alchemic life?


    It will then be capable of self-repair, self-operation, and self-evolution! It can then be operated according to the ideas of whatever alchemists are controlling it! Then, I can apply extraordinary power to refine this alchemic steam engine!


    Marina felt as if she had just had a breakthrough! Although many theories were still vague in her mind, Marina felt that, as long as she continued working on this, a real metal cell steam engine would initiate a new era in the steam world!

 251 Probationary Goddess

    In the early morning, Lu Zhiyu heard the door being pushed open. He opened his eyes to see two girls rushing in.


    "Get up! Sister is an adult now, so she can become a goddess!" Delmedi rushed over to him, shouting with glee.


    Verthandi seemed to have grown up overnight in Lu Zhiyu''s eyes. Now, she was wearing a long white dress. She was as beautiful as the rainbow on the horizon, while Delmedi still look like a little kid.


    Verthandi said nervously and expectantly, "Dad, you said that when we grow up we could become goddesses!"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and said, "Yes! Your Divine Kingdom and the believers are looking forward to your governance!"


    Verthandi had been looking forward to this day for a long time. It was her first adult job! However, she was a bit nervous, so she was hesitating and acting a little insecure, constantly twisting her slender fingers and fidgeting with her clothing.


    "What if I don''t do well?" she asked.


    Lu Zhiyu patted Verthandi on the shoulder and assured her. "No, Verthandi, you definitely will be the most beautiful and generous goddess! You will surely be loved by all of the believers!"


    Delmedi looked upset upon hearing his words, as she was also anticipating having this same job. "I want to be a goddess too!"


    Verthandi rubbed her face gently. "I will come back to visit with you every day, but only after finishing the my work of being a goddess. You will be waiting for me at home, and I will talk to you about my work then!"


    On the lawn of the floating castle, Delmedi and Eva waved as Lu Zhiyu and Verthandi left. Lu Zhiyu took Verthandi''s hand, while they turned and disappeared into beams of starlights. They then travelled across the bitwall and saw a silver moon.


    "Is this the Divine Kingdom?" she asked.


    "Well, this is Kingdom of Light!" he answered.


    After entering the Kingdom of Light, everything that she saw made Verthandi constantly exclaim in awe. Everything was beyond her imagination. Countless prayers and saints, grand palaces, lofty gates of heaven and even angels blowing horns amazed her.


    As they came to the floating island where the thrones were located, Verthandi saw Kelly sitting on the throne. When Verthandi first saw Kelly, she had a sense of familiarity with her, but also felt fear. She held on tightly to her father.


    Kelly''s eyes swept over Verthandi, then finally landed on Lu Zhiyu. The two talked a bit, then Lu Zhiyu sat on the throne to activate Gaia.


    With the help of Kelly, the goddess of light, Lu Zhiyu logged into Gaia and completed the registration for Verthandi. After her registration had finished loading, Verthandi sat on the throne and officially became a goddess.


    At this time, Gaia, the main Divine Kingdom, had completely turned the silver moon into a huge silver metal ball, which was the host of Maria''s World. Long ago, Lu Zhiyu had built the Kingdom of the Sun, which revolved around the sun and influenced the sun. Gaia, as the host of the entire system, had the main control authority, while Kelly had the access to the spatial authority in the Kingdom of Light.


    As the throne of the Kingdom of the Sun had been empty, it was now taken by Verthandi. Lu Zhiyu took Verthandi all the way towards the sun of Maria''s World, where they saw a star that was revolving around the sun. In comparison to the sun, the star seemed so insignificant, but as Verthandi kept approaching it, she found that it was actually a huge star that was far beyond her imagination.


    In fact, she discovered that every Divine Kingdom was a star, making it a subsidiary of Gaia, the main Divine Kingdom. It was also a war fortress that could fly around freely! Hence, if someone wanted to attack a Divine Kingdom from the outside, he would soon learn how powerful a level eight Divine Kingdom could be, let alone be promptly taught that every Divine Kingdom had part of control over Maria''s World!


    Looking at the shining star, Lu Zhiyu said to Verthandi, "This is your Divine Kingdom. You are the new goddess Verthandi!"


    The pair became starlights again and entered the Divine Kingdom. The Kingdom of the Sun''s architectural style was different from that of the Kingdom of Light, as it had the characteristics of the Holy Seville Empire.


    When they arrived there, countless Temple Knights knelt on the ground to greet their goddess. These believers, who had died in the war fighting for the Holy Seville Empire, could now finally welcome their goddess.


    Verthandi ascended to the highest place, which was in the center. The huge throne was high up in the air.


    When Verthandi ascended to it, all of the believers shouted her name. At the same time, all of the priests and Temple Knights of the Faith of the Sun received the oracle of Verthandi.


    Verthandi seemed to be very familiar with all of these traditions, as if she had been sitting in such a position before. After ascending to the throne, she immediately began her work. As a new goddess in probation, she had a lot of work to do, especially since her Divine Kingdom was only at the beginning stage.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.


    Verthandi needed to manage her Divine Kingdom and familiarize herself with all of her responsibilities, which mainly centered around maintaining the operation of the sun. After becoming more familiar with the sun, she could learn how to best maximize its power in order to benefit the whole world. After all, the sun was the most important thing in the world, and its operation affected everyone!


    In addition, Verthandi needed to design a unique divine system for her followers and saints. This would specifically be a divine system for the Faith of the Sun and the Temple Knights.


    As Verthandi was still very young, she followed Lu Zhiyu via the projection of her Divine Kingdom. As he went all over the Alen Continent, she learned about the life of her followers.


    The gods'' powers would be limited whenever that would leave their own Divine Kingdoms, which could possibly put them in danger. But, currently in Maria''s World, there was no one that could be a threat to the gods.


    When Verthandi returned home, within the hall of the floating castle, she talked excitedly about her experience with Delmedi and Eva. She told them all about the process of becoming a goddess, which made little Delmedi jealous. Delmedi hoped that she could grow up overnight and become a goddess like her sister, managing believers!


    After many discussions with Lu Zhiyu and learning from the system of the Church of Light, Verthandi finally established her own divine system. She was then able to show oracles to all of the believers of the Sun Church.


    In year 186 of the San Calendar, Verthandi ascended the throne. In the same year, the Scripture of the Sun of the Faith of the Sun was revised.


    Like the Church of Light, it redefined its own doctrine, as well as the names of many deities. These two religions that were originally from the same source had now completely divided. Many years later, no one even knew about the past relationship between them.

 252 Apocalypse I

    After the destruction of the Crete Empire, the Holy Seville Empire also collapsed during the ghost outbreak. The southwest region of the Holy Seville Empire was reduced to mere ruins, while weeds took over several major cities. Orcs still suffered to this day from the severe trauma that the ghost disaster caused.


    For this reason, a large number of orcs began to migrate to the south. The central province became an area where people and orcs lived together. They even established new countries, where they lived together in peace.


    After a series of annexations and integrations, more than a hundred years later, a large number of mixed-race orcs eventually dominated the population. The beliefs of the Church of Light and the Faith of the Sun became intricately woven into the public''s chosen religion.


    In Maple Leaf City in the Urabell Kingdom, a wooden sign that indicated an allegiance to a mercenary union was noticeable outside of a local tavern. It was this city that was largely responsible for the demise of the Crete Empire.


    Hundreds of thousands of orc slaves had rebelled, and this city was the last place where they retreated. Count Titer then ordered that the Nami Riverbed be dug out. Within a hundred miles, the city became like a vast swamp, which led to the deaths of millions of orc slaves.


    Now, over the past hundred years, this original city had become known as the Kingdom of Urabell. Also, Maple Leaf City was no longer the political center, but just a ruined small city.


    On the first floor of the tavern, there were men in knight''s armor, outfitted with swords and steel shields. There were also glory knights and archers with long bows.


    Also at the tavern also tramps, beautiful waiters, and scantily clad dancers. Under all of the dancers'' skirts, black cattails could be seen peeking out. This was because all of them had some human and orc blood, which resulted in such physical characteristics.


    "One more dance!"


    "Beatrice, don''t be a maid here. Why don''t you come with me? I promise you''ll have everything you want!"


    "Carol the Dwarf! You didn''t die in the Grey Castle. Those da*n barbarians didn''t kill you?"


    "I''m tough! This pair of axes! See?"


    "Are there any good jobs around here lately? These nobles and kings are fighting all day. I risk my life to earn so little!"


    Those sitting within the tavern quarreled with and scolded one another. However, no one dared to cause trouble here, as the mercenary union was just upstairs.


    In this central province, the outbreak of war had led to the emergence of a special organization, which was known as the mercenary union. Over the past decades, various mercenary teams emerged from this collective union.


    Some of them had only three or four members, while others had thousands. Eventually, the mercenary union became a full-fledged management organization.


    Within the tavern this night, most of the patrons were mercenaries. Some were experienced fighters, while others were Blood Knights. There was even one who was sitting at the corner of a table who looked like a Temple Knight.


    There was also a young man, who was wearing a white cloak and armor, which signified that he was a mercenary priest. Among the others, some of them appeared to be wizard apprentices.


    If these people had met decades ago, they would have fought each other fiercely. However, in this tavern, they sat together and drank in peace.


    Over two hundred years had passed since the emergence of the extraordinary powers. Nowadays, priests, Temple Knights, and wizards had begun to appear in large numbers.


    In every kingdom, there were priests and red cardinal bishops who mastered the extraordinary powers. Even the smallest cities and towns had priests who had extraordinary powers.


    This meant that the wizards who had been active on the mainland could no longer do whatever they wanted, at least not like they could hundreds of years ago. Now, any ill-intentioned action would lead to a large number of Temple Knights and priests coming to suppress them.


    At the same time, the rituals of the baptism ceremony of priests and the inheritances of the Temple Knights were not as strictly adhered to as before. Thus, there were a large number of idle priests and wandering Temple Knights who roamed the land. Although they were loyal to their respective gods, they did not fight for any official party.


    Because extraordinary powers now appeared everywhere, they all lost their old high statuses. This meant that the wizard apprentices, priests, and knights did not receive as much attention as they used to. After all, each small town had its own churches and priests now.


    Within each small city in the orc kingdom, there were also teams of Holy Knights. Some of the priests and Temple Knights who were unwilling to be nobodies in small villages chose to leave. Therefore, in the central province, Temple Knights, priests, and wizards formed their own mercenary corps in order to make a living.


    The mercenary union was located on the second floor, just above the tavern. It had a receptionist and guards. At the moment, many mercenaries were waiting to be assigned their next jobs or checking with the reception desk on their statuses.


    "Great job, 100 gold coins! Go to Misty Forest to catch a magical beast cub!"


    "The Dean Principality is experiencing civil strife again. Duke Dean recruits mercenary corps to help suppress the rebellion. Pay will be on a daily basis..."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.


    "The Red Caltrop Chamber of Commerce is employing mercenaries to escort them through the Bull Mountain Range to the Kingdom of Mara."


    "Lord Huggs is looking for someone to investigate the strange things that are taking place in his territory. Let me know if you want to take over!"


    The lobby was very busy. There were job lists hanging on the wall, while letters possessing orders arrived constantly.


    The mercenary union used ravens as the messengers for these letters. This kind of raven had been bred from jays. Although it didn''t have the jays'' extraordinary powers, the species could speak!


    This method of message conveyance, which was said to have originally been used by the wizards to communicate with each other, gradually became popular among the kingdoms. This growth in popularity then naturally led to the popularization of cultivating jays.


    At the same time, jays, which were loyal to human beings, had become a very popular noble pet on the mainland. Every jay egg could now be sold at an auction for a high price.


    Lynn Ahenaten, who was dressed in polished armor, stood in the mission lobby. Behind him was a two-meter-tall half-orc. This half-orc had two curved horns and a grim face.


    Lynn Ahenaten was a native half-orc from the central province. His mother had tiger blood, as she was a descendant of the orcs who escaped from the north. She had migrated to the central province to escape the ghost breakout.


    It could be seen from his strong body and facial features that, under the influence of his mother, Lynn Ahenaten had joined the town''s Knights'' team when he was a teenager, then was later chosen by the town''s Holy Knights. At that time, he was officially made a Temple Knight.


    Lynn''s father claimed to be a direct descendant of Ahenaten, the oldest king. This would make Lynn the heir of the Ahenaten family, also known as the Golden Family.


    Nevertheless, the Ahenaten family had disappeared for a long time, and Lynn himself did not really believe his father''s claims. But, after Lynn became a mercenary, in order to gain fame, he added Ahenaten as his surname in order to show his noble blood.


    However, only a few half-orcs believed it. Most of the half-orcs merely laughed at him.


    "After we make some more money, we must build a large mercenary crop! Then, everyone will know our names! Wake up. Let''s see if there are any good jobs today. Otherwise, we''re all going to starve!" As Lynn was trying to motivate his colleagues, many of them did not pay much attention to him.


    Theirs was a small mercenary team that had just recently been formed. The members had come from all over the world, and there were eight of them in total.


    Lynn''s mercenary team had originally wanted to name themselves the Golden Dynasty or the Paladin, but they were told that these two names had already been taken by two other mercenary teams. So, they chose the name Stormy Mercenary.


    "We really need a job to make a lot of money!" Lynn said, unrelenting. "How about this one? Escort the deported Prince Monar back to the Kingdom of Mara, then help him ascend the throne. Wow, the reward is good. We can get a huge territory, the title of Earl, and countless lovely king heads (gold coins) with that reward!"


    Lynn picked up a job notice at random, and as he read it aloud, all of his team members quieted in an instant. Then, Douri, who was a half-orc with sheep''s blood, patted Lynn on the shoulder and said, "That notice has been on the list for more than half a year. To bring the deported Prince to the throne, you need to fight the current King of Mara, and he has at least a hundred thousand soldiers in his army! And we, uh... There are only eight of us! So, would you like to recruit a few more?"


    Everyone looked at Lynn as if he was a fool. At this moment, he felt that not one of his men trusted in him.


    He actually momentarily thought about leaving the team, then just laughed and said, "I''m kidding, I meant the following one, regarding the Red Caltrop Chamber of Commerce. The reward is attractive. And, we just need to protect them through the Bull Mountain Range into the Kingdom of Mara."


    As he spoke, he attempted to cover his embarrassing blunder by moving quickly to the next job notice. The group then quickly left Maple Leaf City to embark on its first mission.

 253 Apocalypse II

    The mercenary crop from the central province escorted the Red Caltrop Chamber of Commerce all the way through the Bull Mountain Range to the Church of Light. Along the way, besides a handful of robbers and hooligans, Lynn''s crew did not encounter any danger. Although Lynn was young, he was a Holy Knight, so after revealing his identity and power to any passersby, no one dared to touch them at all.


    They rented a boat and crossed the Nami River, then traveled all the way to the Kingdom of Mara, where Lynn''s Stormy Mercenary and the Red Caltrop Chamber of Commerce were stationed in a remote town. It was a typical agricultural town, which meant that it was very peaceful.


    There was a water mill in the town that belonged to the church. Farmers could use it as long as they paid a nominal fee. The streets of the town were very smooth, although they looked like they had been built many years ago.


    Because the town was near Nami River, the soil here was fertile. There was also abundant forest lands nearby. Between hunting in the forest and planting in the rich soil, it was enough for the townspeople to support themselves.


    Moreover, the town was under the governance of the royal Monar family, whose tax rates were much lower than those of the other aristocratic families. So, the townspeople''s lives were good.


    "Do you think the townspeople here are a little strange?" After a tour of the town, Lynn returned to the house he where he stayed.


    The Red Caltrop Chamber of Commerce was a small business group that had only around twenty people in it. In addition to Lynn''s mercenary team, there were about thirty people, all of whom were crowded into two adjacent houses.


    Douri thought for a moment. "Strange? Not really. They were very enthusiastic though, especially the hot women. They must have fallen for me!"


    Lynn frowned and said, "Everyone here has the same smile. Seriously though, when we entered the village, those guys looked at us strangely. I mean, we are are half-orcs, while they are human. You know, this is not the central province, but the Kingdom of Mara. Here, we''re different from humans!"


    "Well, maybe the people here are more open-minded!" Douri thought Lynn was being overly cautious.


    "Even so, I still think that we should be more careful at night!" Lynn warned.


    That night, the mist slowly crept in from the outskirts of the town, gradually engulfing the whole town. When the mist slowly approached the houses where Lynn and the others were stationed, several night watchmen who had been standing guard outside were swallowed up by the mist. They immediately disappeared amid a strange chewing sound.


    Lynn, who had already been vigilant, was alarmed at the call of the night watchman outside, so he rushed out to alert all of the people. Only then did he realize that the whole village had been covered by this strange mist.


    However, this mist was aversive to fire and heat, so it dared not approach the house. Realizing this, Lynn and the others lit torches all over the house, causing the fog to completely disperse. They each then grabbed a torch and rushed out, only to find that countless monsters were waiting for them outside!


    These were the kind of monsters that had human forms, but had no faces. They constantly emitted cold air, and their skin was like a layer of frost. This made them eerily resemble walking corpses.


    Hundreds of people in the town had all turned into these very same monsters! Along the town''s slate streets, these faceless monsters besieged Lynn and the others.


    The priest of the church in the village, who was in charge of the church, had even become one of these horrible monsters too! Those who were rushing out of the courtyard saw his new monster form, which was nearly four meters tall and had huge wings. His new monster form had no legs, so it was squirming through the mud on its belly!


    Lynn''s face suddenly turned pale, "This must be the devil''s kin!"


    Douri trembled. "D*mn it! What madman is offering sacrifices to the devil in the Abyss World?"


    It was not the first time that the central province had seen the power of the devil. Stories about the devil had been circulated long ago, but written records of him had only appeared in recent decades.


    Legend had it that there was a book of devil species that had been compiled by the Devil King of the Abyss World. This book was full of evil and filthy power. Even if one just saw the pictures in it, they would be devoured by that evil force, then dragged into the Abyss World!


    The pictures and real names of the devil species from this book enabled people to summon the devils and make sacrifices to them. Many people made sacrifices in order to gain evil power, to satisfy their own wishes, to expel diseases, to revive their relatives or to live forever.


    But, these things did not come without strings. Everyone who sacrificed to them would eventually be assimilated by their power and become devil kin themselves!


    This had caused utter chaos to break out in the Alen Continent. However, most of them were immediately suppressed by the Church of Light or the Faith of the Sun while they were still in the early stages.


    Lynn found it hard to imagine that there was such an evil town within the Kingdom of Mara, much less that the people here had became the servants of the devil! Lynn and the others held torches as they fought with the monsters, trying to break out of the siege and escape from the town that had been thoroughly infiltrated with evil.


    These faceless monsters, however, could not be killed! Even if they were cut into two pieces or their heads were smashed with hammers, their bodies would always slowly came together before completely regenerating. It was as if, as long as they were enshrouded in the mist, they were immortal!


    The mist covered the entire sky, even blocking out the moonlight. Lynn and the others set fires and lit torches everywhere they went, causing intense blazes to reach into the sky. But, the mist had already covered every corner of the town, making it impossible for them to escape until daybreak.


    Hundreds of faceless monsters continued to besiege them. The monsters'' huge arms easily destroyed houses, while those townspeople who couldn''t escape were pressed into meat pies instantly. As long as one was touched by the monsters'' acid saliva, their flesh would immediately become eroded, leaving only their bones left behind.


    If things kept going at this rate, the monsters might kill them all before dawn! Lynn was using divine incantations to contend with them, yet he was falling into despair.


    As this was Lynn''s first mercenary team and his first mission, his many life dreams had not yet come true. Knowing that he might die here this day, he felt very regretful.


    "Goddess! I pray to you with my most pious belief. I call out your name! Please redeem us! No evil can escape judgment, and no evil can harm the world!" As Lynn prayed over and over, Lynn''s belief became stronger, breaking through his usual limits.


    He instantly mastered a level one divine incantation, which he had failed to do before. Moreover, it was the strongest level one divine incantation!


    He then aimed his sword at the devil kin and penetrated its body. Flames and a great light immediately rose up around it, then tore it apart.


    After seeing the death of the evil kin, other faceless monsters started crazily attacking, but at the same time, the mist dispersed. Due to this stroke of luck, the Stormy Mercenary finally broke out of the siege, then immediately fled the town. All of them were wounded and exhausted.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.


    The next day, the priests of the Church of Light arrived with a large number of knights. They surrounded the whole town and eliminated the remaining monsters, but still were unable to find the one who had plotted this fatal attack.


    Lynn, on the other hand, escorted the Red Caltrop Chamber of Commerce to their destination, where they received a generous commission. After spending a few days in Babus, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Mara, Lynn was ready to return to Urabell, but before leaving, the team spent a night in the legendary Lake T¨ªr na n¨®g, which completely changed Lynn''s fate.

 254 Apocalypse III

    Lynn and the others stayed the night in a village that was not far from the city of Babus. This way, they would be ready to leave early the next morning and return to Kingdom of Urabell. This village was also near Lake T¨ªr na n¨®g.


    Legend had it that this twin lake had originally been only one lake, but more than a hundred years ago, the evil Ghost Wizard Adenos concocted a terrible plan to turn the whole city of Babus into a city of ghosts. At that time, a star fell from the sky, dispelling the evil and forming Lake T¨ªr na n¨®g, the holy lake of the Church of Light. Thus, the second lake was created.


    "Lynn! Lynn!" As Lynn was sleeping in a cabin near the lake, he heard someone calling his name. It was a soft but confident voice, one that might belong to a queen or a god.


    Lynn was not completely awake yet, so he groggily walked out of the room barefoot, stumbling all the way toward Lake T¨ªr na n¨®g. When he arrived at shore of the lake, he was jolted awake by a cold gust of wind.


    "How did I get outside?" Lynn was confused.


    Suddenly, in the middle of the lake, there was a flash of light. Lynn, who was still in shock, watched a shadow slowly emerge from the water. He could only see that it was a beautiful woman with lovely blond hair and a crown on her head.


    Hers was a kind of beauty that couldn''t be described with words. If anyone saw her, they would feel immediately cleansed and purified. No matter how evil a person was, if he saw her, he would want to do good deeds in her name.


    The woman opened her beautiful eyes, which were lovely and glittering. As she looked at Lynn, he instantly felt an enormous power enter him. His whole body could not help but tremble.


    "Lynn Ahenaten!" Lynn was greatly astonished. No matter how groggy he was, he was very aware that this was indeed a revelation.


    She is a goddess. Oh my god! What should I say to her? Hello? No, that''s not right! What am I thinking? Was she the one calling my name?


    Lynn''s brain couldn''t function well. He couldn''t think of anything proper to say.


    Before he had time to find his words, the shadow of the goddess said to Lynn, "Lynn Ahenaten, you are the descendent of the oldest King, Ahenaten. You have a king''s bloodline and are the heir to the Golden Family dynasty."


    She then added, "The central province has been in chaos for more than a hundred years. The conflicts between the Faith of the Sun and the Church of Light have lasted for too long. And you, who I have chosen, are the one to end this chaos! Lynn, you will be the next king of the central province!"


    The divine shadow then pointed at Lynn, while a large number of golden fireflies flew to him and covered him. Then, he felt that he something was activated within him, and his pupils changed from a dark green color to a golden yellow color!


    "Go ahead and fulfill your mission! Let the sun shine over the land of the central province!" After the divine shadow said this, all of the lights slowly dissipated and the shadow disappeared.


    Lynn stood by Lake T¨ªr na n¨®g for a long time before he slowly recovered. He then looked around excitedly. It seemed as if nothing around him was real, as if he had just had a very vivid dream.


    Was it a dream? If so, it was a beautiful dream!


    As Lynn was pondering the situation, he saw something floating in the lake. It was shining even brighter than the silver moon in the sky.


    When Lynn went into the lake to get a closer look, he saw a sword reflected in the middle of the lake. As Lynn reached forward into the water to get it, he seemed to transport into another world. Startled, he quickly pulled his hand back.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.


    The sword was a silvery white color, and it had many strange symbols on it. It was also emitting a holy light.


    Lynn held the sword tightly. As he grasped it, it emitted a buzzing sound. The light from the sword shone above the lake.


    "Sword of the King!" Lynn said this without knowing why. He felt his throat tighten, and his voice was trembling, as if the four words had some strange sort of strange magic imbued within them.


    If anyone knew that this sword had appeared in the world again, the whole world would be crazy about it! This was because every time the sword appeared, the royal power shifted.


    Specifically, whoever owned the sword in every period that it emerged would be crowned the absolute and renowned king! This time, the sword had chosen Lynn. Actually, it was really the gods that had chosen Lynn as the next generation''s king.


    -------------------


    "That is strange... Who took the sword?" Lu Zhiyu found that the Sword of the King, which usually hung on his wall as an ornament, was missing.


    It was impossible for others who lived outside the floating castle to enter it, and as for Eva, Verthandi, and Delmedi, the sword had little significance to them.


    Lu Zhiyu closed eyes, then immediately knew where the sword was, as well as who had taken it! Lu Zhiyu squinted his eyes and put his hands behind his back. Verthandi looked nervously at him, wondering what he would do next.


    Lu Zhiyu leaned back on his chair and said, "Anyway, in the world of the mortals, gods can''t interfere directly. Also, I have told Kelly to teach you a good lesson. Don''t expect me to let you get away with anything! Remember what I said, you can''t decide the future of the world of mortals at will, or I will remove you from your position. If you are bored, you can go with me to the astral."

 255 The Central Province

    The world was dark and chaotic. Two thousand years had passed since the emergence of the Abyss World. The quiet and dull abyss was now much more active.


    Among the space bubbles in the dark Abyss World, innumerable abyss demons moved from one to the other. Some were powerful enough to communicate their thoughts and manipulate an entire space bubble, while others were only capable of creating chaos, only knowing how to swallow each other up.


    Some of these demons fought against each other, swallowed each other up, and connected space bubbles to form an abyss mainland. If they wanted to break through level four and become demon lords, they had to first change the essential structures of their soul fires, which was not something that could easily be done. In fact, this could only be accomplished by devouring other demons.


    Some demons that had built connections with Maria''s World found that human awarenesses and souls were the keys to their reaching level four or higher. Thus, they greedily watched Maria''s World day and night.


    Every powerful demon coveted Maria''s World. In fact, Stikua, the King of the devil, had a large number of devil kin and followers in Maria''s World already.


    Maria''s World


    There was a dark castle that was surrounded by weeds and dead trees. It was an abandoned castle. Near this castle, where there once were villages, there only existed desolate and uninhabited land.


    At the moment, Inside the abandoned castle, dozens of people in dark red cloaks were sitting in a circle. They were watching the a huge eye-shape tactical deployment circle of witchcraft that lay before them on the ground.


    Ten people cut their arms, causing blood to drop into the tactical deployment circle. A special force in the blood was activated, which caused the tactical deployment circle to start to spin. At the same time, dark lights glowed from the ground, illuminating the whole castle hall.


    This was an evil sacrificial ceremony. As the blood dropped from their veins, all of the people present were transformed into monsters. A few of the people in the center even transformed into horrible evil kin!


    "Heckfoss! I need more sacrifices. If you want more power, and if you want to live forever, you must sacrifice more! With more sacrifices, comes more power!" an evil voice emerged from the circle.


    Heckfoss stood in front of the others. He had a slightly pale face.


    Due to the recent suppression by the alchemists of Tuten, as well as by the heavenly palace, the Church of the True God didn''t have many believers left. As such, Heckfoss wanted to go and look for sacrifices in the Western world and the central province. However, when they had just arrived, utter chaos had broken out.


    "The Great Devil King, Stikua, I will build your empire on this land!" Heckfoss said.


    ----------------


    "In the name of god, let the light shine again on the land that belongs to god!" The third-generation Pope of the Church of Light, Armenia, declared the will of god in the Temple of Light.


    The army of the Church of Light was immediately mobilized, and most of principalities and kingdoms who had been ready for this very day responded immediately. A large number of priests, nobles, and even kings led the army across the border, then poured into the central province.


    They mainly focused on the three principalities of Rose, Keville, and Gragou, which bordered the central province. This was because they had perennial conflicts with the Sumerian Kingdom of the central province, which had resulted from past territorial and religious disputes.


    After more than a hundred years of peace, war had broken out again. A large number of nobles and knights took up their swords and lances and went to the battlefield.


    War not only was a chance for justice for the people, but it also represented opportunity. In times of war, the peasants could became aristocrats that owned land, while aristocrats could become kings!


    In order to cope with the invasion from the south, a large number of soldiers and mercenaries were hired. Mercenary corps soon joined the regular soldiers on the battlefield. Today, they fought for a kingdom. Tomorrow, they would guard the territory of a noble. As for the day after tomorrow, they would perhaps attack a duke.


    Many cities had already been annexed during this war. After the arrival of the knights of the Church of Light, many kingdoms had surrendered rapidly. Only a very few had attempted to resist.


    In this war, apart from the priests and knights, there were also alchemists who used alchemy cannons and guns on the battlefield. The head of a mercenary crop named Lynn Ahnaton had won a lot of battles. He had overthrown the Kingdom of Urabell and established his own kingdom of mercenaries, which made him the first mercenary to ascend the throne and become a king!


    His kingdom soon rose up and flourished in the central province. Lynn took out the Sword of the King and claimed himself as the chosen one.


    Numerous mercenaries came to him, hoping to be in his service, while all of the Temple Knights admired him. In this manner, he quickly established a grand kingdom.


    However, a few years later, his kingdom lost the war with the expeditionary forces of the southern Church of Light. Most of the kingdoms in the central province of China who gradually surrendered to the Church of Light were forced to accept the Church''s garrisons and belief system. As such, the territory of the Church of Light rapidly expanded.


    After this initial setback, Lynn''s mercenary regiment kept losing. Even the newly infused support of several orc kingdoms in the north could not stop Lynn''s kingdom''s decline. The flag of the Church of Light now flew everywhere in the central province.


    Kingdoms that had originally believed in the Faith of the Sun now embraced the Church of Light. As a result, a large number of knights and priests of the Faith of the Sun were killed or driven away.


    At this time, the Kingdom of Sumeria, which was in danger of being conquered, braced itself for one last battle. It was able to defeat the coalition forces of Rose, Keville, and Gragou at the Sumerian Plain, thus changing its situation instantly!


    The allied forces were beaten and immediately abandoned their armor. Sumerians expelled the priests and Holy Knights of the Faith of the Sun and the Church of Light on their home turf, then immediately banned anyone who believed in these two churches, forcing them over the borderlines.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    As a result, the Church of Light and Ahenaten''s kingdom ceased fighting and withdrew. The central province suddenly had achieved a strange and calm sensen of stability.


    The mercenary kingdom of Ahenaten, the Sumerian Kingdom, and the Church of Light, which had expanded to the central province, then found themselves in a difficult situation. It was a tripartite confrontation!

 256 Return to the Elf Kingdom

    "That''s it!" Lu Zhiyu said.


    "Does that Sumerian Kingdom have anything to do with it?" Kelly asked.


    "The Church of the True God? It''s interesting. It does not use even the slightest propaganda in order to seek attention. Instead, it hides in the depths." Lu Zhiyu said and smiled. "Let them develop on their own. After all, they are just an ordinary devil species. At present, it seems that their king is very clever has no intention of confronting the wizards."


    He then added, "Indeed, if we interfere, the damage that we would cause would be even greater. Wars might even break out. After all, those coming from the outside will naturally be oppressed by the bitwalls."


    Above the clouds in the Kingdom of Light, three gods were sitting on their thrones. They were Lu Zhiyu, Kelly, and Verthandi.


    They were discussing how it was a good thing for the common people that the war among the countries had ended and the situation had stabilized. However, the huge number of casualties that the war had brought about was shocking. The central province suddenly seemed empty compared to the hustle and bustle of the old days.


    The conversation of the three gods ended, and two of them, together with their thrones, disappeared. When Lu Zhiyu and Verthandi returned to the floating castle, Verthandi sat down on Lu Zhiyu''s lap and hugged his neck.


    She seemed frustrated, so she asked, "Did I make a mistake? I did everything according to the book, but I''m afraid that so many people died because I was impulsive!"


    Lu Zhiyu put down a book that he had been reading and held Verthandi in his arms, gently caressing her soft hair. It seemed that Verthandi, who had just become a god, wanted to do something to show Lu Zhiyu her capability, yet she had become panicked and confused.


    "As a god, your every move will influence the development of the whole world, especially when you change rules, as that will have irreversible effects. It can even lead to the destruction of a large number of countries and the death of countless people!" he instructed her. "So every decision you make must be carefully considered. Let this be a lesson for you. You''re responsible for maintaining the stability of the whole world."


    Lu Zhiyu patted Verthandi on her back. "Being a god is not a matter for a moment, it is endless. For gods, time is just like the spring breeze that brushes your cheeks, leaving no trace, so you don''t have to be so anxious! You have time!"


    He then added, "Also, Eva and Delmedi miss you. Delmedi has been grumbling about you lately. You should go and see her!"


    Lu Zhiyu then stood up and said, "Now, I have to go to the Yala Elf Continent!"


    --------------


    Corolla Tower was originally a college in a remote valley of the Forest of Life, but it had gradually become another political center of the Elf Kingdom, especially after Wendy and Wolfe became members of the Council of Elders. During that time, wizards gradually assimilated into the elves community, and a special Elf Wizard civilization gradually arose on the mainland of Yala.


    Before that time, wizards had always been marginalized and isolated from the human world, so all of the generations of wizards had tried their best to integrate into other communities. However, this was only finally achieved with the help of Wendy and Wolfe, who were previously not regarded as being gifted at all.


    In fact, it turns out that the elves were naturally suitable for the cultivation of the wizard civilization. Hence, a large number of wizards and a variety of scholars, artists, and writers emerged within Corolla Tower.


    Moreover, many elf Blood Wizards, thanks to their own constant research, grew into a different group from human wizards, known as the Druids. Elf Dream Wizards also developed a new branch. Unlike most human Dream Wizards, who mastered projection witchcraft and illusions, the Elf Dream Wizards paid more attention to witchcraft boundaries.


    Also, wizards of the same origins divided into different branches over the centuries. This was something that Lu Zhiyu had never imagined.


    Lu Zhiyu remembered that when he was just starting to build the wizard tower, he only taught the first generation of wizards Body Modification Technique. Since then, from this simple Body Modification Technique, a series of wizard types, such as Blood Wizards, Dream Wizards, alchemists, Ghost Wizards, Druids, Boundary Wizards and so on had appeared. This success far surpassed Lu Zhiyu''s expectations, and Lu Zhiyu benefited greatly from the evolution of the wizards from generation to generation.


    In the Forest of Life, elves had also built cities. But, a city of the elves was very different from a human city.


    Every house was surrounded by a large number of trees, and gardens and fountains were everywhere. This was very unlike human cities, where the greenery was often replaced by industrial gray cement and metals.


    In fact, green had become the main color of the city. In the center of the city, there was a huge old tree.


    This was an Ancient War Tree, a supernatural plant that had been created by wizards via the method of cross-breeding it with the magical beasts to give the tree the characteristics of the Tree of Life. With the Ancient War Tree, level three Boundary Wizards could create a witchcraft circle to regulate the weather and temperature inside the city. and They could even protect the city!


    Every Ancient War Tree had a strong fighting force. At this time, the Boundary Wizards had also become the most powerful among the Elf Wizards.


    The cultivation of each ancient war tree required a lot of Philosopher''s Stones and various witchcraft materials. Boundary Wizards also consumed Philosopher''s Stones to a large degree.


    For this reason, each of the Boundary Wizards would need an immeasurable accumulation of resources. However, at present, there were not many Boundary Wizards.


    Lu Zhiyu entered the Forest of Life. This was only the second time that Lu Zhiyu had been here, and he could see that many great changes had taken place in the city of Sylve.


    Along the way, Lu Zhiyu saw Ancient War Trees encircling the whole city. The trees connected together to form a cocoon that could not be seen by the naked eye, protecting the whole city.


    This cocoon could detect any extraordinary power changes that occurred anywhere within it, as well as regulate temperature and climate. All year, the city was like spring and the temperature was pleasant, which made the people comfortable and idle.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    There were also many magnificent buildings and white towers in the city, as well as rows of exquisite dome huts, interconnected forest paths, and bridges. Lu Zhiyu felt like he visiting a future city park!


    At the center of these Ancient War Trees was a dead Tree of Life. This huge tree had been hollowed out and renovated by witchcraft, making it the political center of the elves and the hall of the council.


    This Tree of Life had many small windows within it. On the foot of the huge tree was the crystal clear Lake of Life. Along its trunk, red, green, and brown vines and small flowers brought vigor and vitality to the tree.


    Presently, Lu Zhiyu was inside the Tree of Life, looking out at the whole city of Sylve. Wendy, who stood beside him, was saying something to him.


    Lu Zhiyu had apparently been surprised by her words. "To build an elf empire? Imitate the state system of human beings?" he asked incredulously.

 257 Elf Empire

    "Is the current system not good?" Lu Zhiyu left the window and returned to the table.


    The table was made with wood and had beautiful white patterns engraved upon it. On the table were some gold alchemy items from the human world, such as a steamed lamp and some gorgeous silverware. Abstract paintings lined the wall, filled with images of angels riding horses into the clouds, fairy girls in the woods, and goddesses jumping out of the lake.


    Wolfe poured a glass of elf-made fruit wine for Lu Zhiyu. It was refreshing and tasty.


    Wendy then said, "The number of elves in Sylve has reached more than one hundred thousand, and there will be even more in the future. In the past, the number of elves was small, and there were only villages and towns. For every little thing, the council needed to call a meeting, which might take months, even a year or two! Some controversial issues, such as setting up a legal system, had still not even been addressed after hundreds of years!"


    Lu Zhiyu was shocked to hear this. "Hundreds of years, just for one thing? And it''s still not sorted out yet? Wow! Bit, if you don''t have official laws yet, how do you deal with the elves who commit crimes or have wrong behavior?"


    Wendy looked at her teacher and smiled. "Every wrongdoer is presented to the elder elves in the council for judgement. However, from the initial charge to the decree of a final punishment, it takes at least a decade or more!"


    She paused to let that shocking time period sink in for Lu Zhiyu, then added, "Now, the old council where the elders rule is no longer suitable for this era, so we must make a change. Sylve should have a brand new future. The people of Alan are becoming stronger and have begun to conquer the sea, but we have not yet seen the whole continent of Yala."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "So what kind of empire do you want to build?"


    Wendy thought for a moment and said, "I''m going to combine witchcraft with the elf civilization and build an elf empire. There are not so many wizards here, but in the mainland, all kinds of extraordinary professions exist, like wizards, priests, and Holy Knights!" she said excitedly.


    She then shared her vision with Lu Zhiyu. "I want to build an elf empire in support of the witchcraft system. But, I need some advice from you first, mentor!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked out of the window. In the area that was protected by Ancient War Trees, there were many cultivated farmland parcels. Although the richness of the Forest of Life freed them from any worries about food, they still grew some crops from the outside worlds.


    As Ancient War Trees could regulate climate, the plants grew well. Also, if any magical beasts or wizards intruded into the area, they could be quickly detected.


    At the same time, Ancient War Trees could also set witchcraft boundaries to protect the inside area. Lu Zhiyu even saw a Boundary Wizard leading an Ancient War Tree and a large number of wizard assistants called Pipi Elves to build a wizard tower in the distance!


    Dreamcraft and other extraordinary witchcrafts were also used in all aspects of city life. Wizards who were proficient in Earth Blood Witchcraft built buildings, while others used superb witchcraft to refine gold and cultivate plants.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Elves'' workshops also produced a variety of refined alchemy products. In the distance, there were gardens that were used to breed plants and magic beasts. In fact, many of the Druids that had evolved from the Blood Wizards ran around in these gardens.


    Corolla Tower became the center for the elf wizards, as well as the sanctuary of knowledge. It was also the location where each of them could learn more about the witchcraft system.


    "You did very well! The framework of the witchcraft system has been fully established. One day, when witchcraft has become an irreplaceable part of the lives of elves, the elf empire that you have dreamed of for so long will emerge!" Lu Zhiyu said to Wendy.


    Lu Zhiyu, together with Wolfe and Wendy, took a walk in the Forest of Life to see the changes of the elves. Lu Zhiyu did not realize that Wendy and Wolfe, who had built a wizard college for the elves in Yala, could bring about so many changes to the elves in such a relatively short time.


    "The life of an elf is relatively simple, as each elf naturally adapts to the witchcraft system. However, human beings and orcs have internal problems and complicated community structures, which makes it harder for them to accept wizards. With a little luck and the continuous development of witchcraft, a world-shaking wizard empire will soon appear here!" Wendy said to Lu Zhiyu.


    "These changes in the elves are truly shocking!" Lu Zhiyu was amazed at the tremendous changes that he saw had taken place here.


    Wendy, wearing a white elf robe, followed Lu Zhiyu as he observed everything. She wore a corolla on her head and a council badge on her chest. She looked like a goddess.


    Wendy was the first level four Elf Wizard and the first Boundary Wizard. She had also been the one who cultivated the Ancient War Tree. This peculiar level three tree was a great masterpiece, even in the eyes of Lu Zhiyu.


    "Unfortunately, Wolfe, you have failed!" Lu Zhiyu looked at Wolfe, who was standing next to him.


    Compared with the first generation of wizards, Bohr, Li Weisi and Akkad, Wendy and Wolfe were not very talented. Wolfe in particular was not strong, as he wasn''t even at level four yet.


    However, Wolf remained open-minded and optimistic. "It doesn''t matter. Even if I fail, I have a thousand years to live, which is the advantage of being an elf. Besides, I''m not as talented as Wendy! I''m just a fairly ordinary wizard!"

 258 Elf Empire II

    Although Lu Zhiyu offered some suggestions, they were just icing on the cake. Wendy had wanted to see Lu Zhiyu because she was panicked and confused about the future of the elves, and she needed a trustworthy person to give her confidence. Besides, Lu Zhiyu was more important to her than anyone else.


    Lu Zhiyu was attending a grand dinner that was being hosted by the elves in his honor. The night was clear and cloudless, and the silver moon was bright. The dinner was being held on the square under the Tree of Life.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Stairs rose from the lake bottom, and an arch bridge was built across the lake. Clear water in the square pool gushed out from the fountain, while elf-style statues had been erected in the center of the pool.


    Several elves were playing harps, fairy girls were dancing in their green skirts and corollas, and the poet was reciting love stories from distant elf towns and villages. The bonfire''s flames danced and flickered, and adding to this, the towering Tree of Life made this dinner seem like a grand dream.


    Several of the witty fairy girls placed their corollas on Lu Zhiyu, Wolfe, and Wendy. Then, the members of the council raised their glasses to Lu Zhiyu.


    "Thank you for your corolla. I like it very much!" Wendy said to the young fairy-elf girls. The girls nodded excitedly and blushed, as Wendy enjoyed a high status among the new generation of elves.


    The food was also very special. The elves loved greens, but they didn''t mind meat either. So, many unique dishes spanned the entire length of the banquet table.


    "So, do you want to be the empress of the elf empire?" Lu Zhiyu looked at Wendy with his wise and deep eyes.


    "Decades ago, I remember that a ship came from the other side of the sea. The ship was from the Alen Continent, but not from the wizard tower. The crew was led by a young girl, the captain, who told me that her name was Marina Bossay, and she was a student of Akkad!" Wendy told Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu immediately remembered this as well, so he said, "Yes! She was a very lively little girl. Haha, in fact, at least in my eyes, Wendy, you are still a little girl too!"


    Wendy grinned. "I''m over three hundred years old, so I''m definitely not a little girl anymore!"


    Wendy then continued recalling her memory. "She came here with a mechanical alchemical lifeform named Archimonde, which you gave her as a gift. She took out Akkad''s badge and asked to see me. After which, she stayed in Corolla Tower for some time."


    Wendy took a breath, then kept talking. "At that time, she told me about the Sean City-State Alliance. Unlike the Council of Elders here, the leader of the Sean City-State Alliance was elected by the citizens. They call him the prime minister. I decided that the emperor of the elf empire should be elected in this same way, but as we already had a lifelong emperor, only after his death would there be an opportunity for such an election!"


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t seem to agree with her. "Can such a system be implemented? Is it even suitable for the elves?


    "Give it a try. As long as I''m still here, there shouldn''t be any problems!" Wendy replied.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Akkad''s students and Bohr''s students... How time flies. In the twinkling of the eye, hundreds of years have passed! The time has now come for a new generation of wizards!"


    Lu Zhiyu put down his knife and looked at the lake in the distance. The lake shone brightly. He then asked, "How many are left from the old generation?"


    Wendy''s eyes sank after hearing his question. Her calm eyes were full of sadness as she replied, "Li Weisi, Henry, Bohr, Uruk and Akkad are all dead. Many other wizards have also passed away in the past few decades, leaving Catherine and Wolfe alone. Among the first generation of wizards from the wizard tower, all of whom were your students, only three of us are still here!"


    As she gave him this report, elves were playing a somewhat melancholy, melodious song. It was almost as if the tune was directly reflecting memories and past events.


    Lu Zhiyu closed his eyes and listened quietly to the music. After a long time, he opened his eyes, picked up the silver jug on the table, and poured himself and his other two colleagues some fruit wine.


    Wendy looked at Lu Zhiyu and said, "Fate is really unfair. The most talented people are all dead! In the end, only average ones, like me, are left behind in the world!"


    Wolfe said, "Wizards don''t believe in fate. Instead, wizards believe that all things are the results of our own choices. I think that Bohr and Akkad also think this same way!"


    "Yes. After all, wizardry has been passed on from generation to generation, and time can''t erase the traces of those who have gone before us!" Lu Zhiyu raised his glass and said, "To wizards!"


    "To wizards!" Wendy and Wolfe also raised their glasses.


    Wendy was feeling quite emotional. After drinking a lot of wine, her face had turned rosy. She held her thin chin in one hand, while her other slender hand held her cup.


    "No matter how many years have passed, you haven''t changed, mentor!" Wendy looked at Lu Zhiyu with confused eyes.


    Lu Zhiyu wore a silver robe that was similar to the one he had worn back in the wizard tower. His appearance remained largely unchanged.


    His long black hair was tied back in a ponytail and his eyes were always calm and deep. No matter what happened, he always remained cool and confident.


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head. "Time changes everyone, and I am no exception. I have changed, but you do not see it!"


    Wendy covered her mouth and laughed. "Of course, as you are the wisest wizard, Anthony the Great Wise! You are always so mysterious in our eyes, just like the wind and the sun in the sky. No one can read your mind!"


    Wendy babbled on, as she seemed to be a bit drunk. Lu Zhiyu listened to her quietly until the silver moon made it to the other side of the sky.


    Even after the crowd in the square gradually dispersed, Lu Zhiyu kept her company until dawn. Soon, a red sun gradually rose.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Wendy, who was lying on the table, fast asleep, and he wrote a letter. After sealing the letter, he took off his silver robe and covered Wendy with it. After that, he turned and left.

 259 Elf Empire â…¢

    The city of Sylve, which was founded more than a thousand years ago, was the place where the oldest elves lived. The oldest Tree of Life, which gave birth to the elves and also grew here, was still the habitat of the elves.


    A long time ago, the elves had started an important reform. They abolished the old council system and built an elf empire, which they named the Sylve Empire.


    They then began to manage all of the cities and towns by using a system that was quite similar to the human world. It was during that time that Wendy was crowned as the first elf Queen.


    On Sylve''s sacred altar, under the witness of tens of thousands of elves, a series of alchemy fireworks were set off and instantly rushed up into the sky.


    A large number of elf wizards surrounded Wendy, while Wendy held a magic wand that was decorated with the Philosopher''s Stones. This was the ceremony where she officially became the elf Queen, accompanied by the cheers of numerous elves!


    The dissolution of the Council of Elders also meant that the elves needed to set up various state institutions, which had to be manned by a large number of talents. There was truly so much to do!


    Hence, Wendy and Wolfe were quite busy. In addition to Sylve, they had established two cities in the Forest of Life, Haig City, which was built around Corolla Tower near Hagrid Grand Canyon, and Seth City, which was near the sea.


    The towering Tree of Life was then transformed into a palace. Stairs were also built around it. At present, Wendy was in the lower hall, holding a conference on the compilation of the Elf Code.


    "We need an Elf Code, so that we can let all of the elves the standards of proper behavior. If anyone violates the laws of the Code, there will be severe punishments. This is a necessary thing that must be done to maintain order!" Wendy said.


    "I disagree with you, as such strict laws can only erase the true nature of elves! We don''t need this kind of thing. After all, we are elves! We don''t need to learn from human beings." An elder old council member quickly objected to the idea.


    Another elder took this opportunity to chime in with their own opinion, "But, there will also be disputes among the elves, which will destroy and damage all of the elves. For example, there are disputes between the Moonlight Elves and the Daytime Elves currently, while there are numerous squabbles erupting constantly in many of the villages and towns."


    Yet another elder spoke up, "Yes, and times are different, so we must learn to change, too. The fleets of human beings have begun to land here, and they are becoming stronger and stronger. Sooner or later, they will fully conquer the sea. We must be prepared for that!"


    Soon, a heated debate arose among the leaders. As everything was just beginning, the elves felt like they were wading across the river in the darkness. Everyone seemed very cautious and uncertain.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Many of the Sylve Empire officials present here were also members of the old council. At this moment, although they all had different opinions, Wendy decided absolutely that there must be an Elf Code. Then, everyone began to discuss the provisions of the Code.


    Most of the provisions had been settled through negotiations long ago, but in order to come to a unanimous official agreement, Wendy had called this conference. Finally, except for some minor remaining details, the first edition of the Elf Code was finally approved and the huge Elf Code stone tablet was placed on the main square in Sylve.


    Wendy had never thought that it would be so much harder to run an empire than it was to be a wizard and build a wizard college! In fact, it was ten times more complicated and difficult!


    As the Queen, it was impossible for her to satisfy everyone. Every law would inevitably hurt the interests of some people, yet Wendy had to make a confident choice in order to maintain stability within the empire.


    Even though it was well past midnight, Wendy was still awake in the palace. She was reading a lot of documents regarding the renovation of nearby villages and towns. She also had some reports to go over, as creating jobs and setting the salary system for elves'' wages were also her responsibilities.


    Amid all of her duties, Wendy recalled what her mentor Anthony had told her, "It''s not enough just to have an Elf Code. It''s necessary to have a system that covers all of the wizards in the empire. In order to build a successful wizard empire, you have to enable wizards to assimilate into the elf community."


    Wendy then began to think to herself about how to incorporate this wisdom into her own way of ruling...


    How about starting by building a wizard city where wizards can benefit others with their skills?


    I could let all of the wizards find their perfect positions in this empire! That way, the wizards would no longer be so isolated from the others!


    In my wizard empire, wizards could even have ordinary professions! Then, they would become the cornerstone of the empire and support the operation of the empire!


    Wendy''s eyes lit up. Although she had succeeded in enabling wizards and elves to live together in harmony, she hadn''t known how to help wizards make the best of their powers in order to serve the empire. She had just never thought about how to plan such things systematically!


    Wendy was inspired and had an ambitious look in her eyes. Wendy had never seen this kind of city, nor had she imagined it before.


    Even in the wizard tower, all of the wizards were dedicated to developing more powerful witchcraft and increasing their life spans. As such, none of them really thought about using witchcraft to help ordinary people.


    At this time, Wolfe came in through the corridor outside. Apart from him, there was hardly anyone else left in the palace.


    "Have you not slept yet? These things can''t all be done in one day!" Wolfe sat down. As if he had known that Wendy hadn''t rested yet, he had come bearing yummy snacks and milk tea!


    "No, I am too excited. I have this feeling that the whole system is slowly taking shape in my hands. The great goal of leading the elves forward is making me obsessed!" Wendy said excitedly.


    Wendy talked to Wolfe about her plans, explaining her vision of the future, including how she hoped to build Sylve into a city of wizards, so that the light of witchcraft would shine on the whole city!


    Wolf listened to her and nodded. "But this is not a simple thing. It requires a lot of manpower and resources. It also requires a lot of wizards to join us!"


    Wendy immediately responded, "What we have the most of is time, right? So, we can spend decades building a beautiful house of our own, take hundreds of years to learn a new skill, and spend a thousand years to change our futures!"

 260 Elf Empire â…£

    Olanca was a male Moonlight Elf who had a relatively high status. Hundreds of years ago, the Moonlight Elves had left the Forest of Life in Sylve.


    After they left, they had developed their own belief system. Specifically, the Moonlight Elves believed in the goddess of harvest and earth. They lived in the Silver Moon Forest in the northern part of Yala, which explained their belief in the Lord of Natural Order.


    The main differences between the beliefs of the elves and those of human beings regarded resources, among other things. Specifically, the beliefs of the elves were more focused on inner resources, which were interpreted as the will of nature by the elf poets.


    Basically, this meant that all of the elves must protect the forest and coexist with nature. Even the elf wizards had to believe in the Lord of Natural Order and love the forest.


    The elves in the Forest of Life had been expanding to the east, gradually increasing their contact with the Moonlight Elves and the Daytime Elves. During this time, Olanca went to Sylve in order to seek help on behalf of the Moonlight Elves.


    A group of powerful magical beasts had intruded into their villages. Among them, a horrible spider had attacked them!


    This spider had a lot of eyes on its abdomen. Whenever its eyes saw any elves, the elves would instantly become mad! This large-scale destructive power became a nightmare for the Moonlight Elves.


    What was worse, this group of spiders was planning to overtake the Silver Moon Forest and cultivate their next generation! Although the Moonlight Elves had tried to suppress them, anyone brave enough to have made the attempt had been killed and dragged away as spider''s food! Hence, the Moonlight Elves had no other option but to send Olanca to Sylve to ask for help.


    "I heard that the Forest Elves had built the Sylve Empire. In fact, it said that earth-shaking changes have taken place! Many elves have learned a power called witchcraft, which is apparently from the human world of another continent!" Olanca said to his friend.


    "Can they deal with the horrible monsters?" the friend asked.


    "There should be no problem!" Olanca said the words, but didn''t sound very certain.


    After all, the horrible monsters filled the Moonlight Elves with terror! This was understandable, as the large group of white eye spiders lived in groups in the underground caves of the Moonlight Forest, not to mention their being huge and possessing extraordinary powers!


    The most terrifying thing was that they hunted the Moonlight Elves for food. In fact, a large number of Moonlight Elves had already become food on their tables! If this continued, the Moonlight Elves would surely have to flee their beloved homeland.


    With the continuous emergence of extraordinary forces, more and more magical beasts appeared. Many variants of magical beasts even came ashore from the sea!


    If the Moonlight Elves could not learn some extraordinary powers in order to protect themselves, they would eventually die out. Moreover, within the Silver Moon Forest, there was the Tree of Life of the Moonlight Elves, which they couldn''t give up!


    So, Olanca not only went to ask for help from the Sylve Empire, but he also sought to understand how the Sylve Empire had become so powerful, especially as that related to this new witchcraft he had been hearing so much about!


    After a long journey, Olanca arrived in the Sylve Empire. At present, he had only a dozen elves with him.


    All of a sudden, loud sounds were heard from the distance...


    "Magical beasts!" Olanca shouted. "Look, there are two magical beasts fighting up ahead!"


    They looked and saw a huge Ancient War Tree rising up from the ground. Its roots were like giant steel thighs, and it was fighting a horrible lion-like flying magical beast!


    Looking at the scene more carefully, they saw that a wizard in a white robe was on the top of the Ancient War Tree, controlling it to attack the magic beast. As both sides fought fiercely, dust swirled in the air and the lights of various extraordinary forces flashed.


    The lights deeply scarred the beast. Finally, the beast could only turn around and flee.


    At this time, the wizard who were controlling the Ancient War Tree came to them and asked, "You are not from this village, so why are you here? Also, you must be careful of the magic beasts!"


    Olanca looked at the tree and the elf wizard. He was in awe of the huge tree and its strong force.


    "We are Moonlight Elves from the Silver Moon Forest. I have brought letters from the elders for Her Majesty Wendy, the Queen of the Sylve Empire!" Olanca said, while holding out the letters.


    The wizard reached out and saw the letters in Olanca''s hand. He then nodded and said, "Come on, I will take you to the nearest town, then someone will take you to the Elf Forest!"


    Then, one by one, they stepped onto the tree, which then began walking, using its its roots as feet. Just a single one of its step could cover a distance of 120 yards! Soon, they passed across a large area of forest, making the Moonlight Elves gasp in shock.


    "Is this the power of wizards?" one of the Moonlight Elves asked.


    The closer they got to the heart of the Sylve Empire, the more amazed Olanca and other Moonlight Elves became. Here, they could see all kinds of novel witchcraft props and alchemy products. Along the way, the roads were broad and paved, and there were posts and carriages, as well as letter crows that were sending letters for elves and wizards!


    Oranca also saw elves enslaving witchcraft slaves in their mines. Smooth tracks were laid on the ground, and exotic foods were ripe at least three-fourths of the year!


    Moreover, there were libraries in every elf town. In fact, there were so many books and advanced pamphlets of knowledge, it was beyond Olanca''s imagination!


    After arriving in the Forest of Life, all of the Moonlight Elves stood with their jaws agape. The elf guards of the Sylve Empire had already gotten used to it long ago.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "My God! Is this the city of the gods?" one of the elves couldn''t help but wonder aloud.


    What they saw before them was a city that resembled a beautiful garden. Trees lined the roads, which were paved with marble slabs, and layers of beautiful buildings encircled the central Tree of Life. At the root of the tree was the Lake of Life, which reflected the blue sky and white clouds above it.


    There were many witchcraft slaves and Pipi Elves in the city, as well as ten huge Ancient War Trees, which surrounded the whole city and connected numerous boundaries. The traces of witchcraft application could be seen everywhere in the city, including such things as groundwater canals, waterways, and the continuous production of various alchemy products in alchemy workshops.


    At that was just the beginning! Although it could not be called a city of witchcraft just yet, it was advancing constantly. All of these things greatly impressed Olanca, who asked in awe, "Is this really the Sylve Empire? What made them change it so dramatically?"

 261 Elf Eggs

    As a representative of the Moonlight Elves, Olanca met Queen Wendy in the palace in the Tree of Life. The palace was very similar to a wizard tower.


    Within the palace, a large number of witchcraft slaves were going about their daily tasks, while the elves were communicating with one another via earth telephones.


    One amazing feature about this palace was that the elf wizards could mobilize all of the Ancient War Trees to defend Sylve with defensive boundaries in wartime. As such, when compared with the wizard tower, which was more of a symbolic monument and research institute, this palace could be regarded as a true wizard base.


    Olanca was nervous when he met the Elf Queen. Adding to his anxiety was the fact that Oranca now understood that the power of the Sylve Empire came from wizards. As the wild magic beasts in Yala were growing and becoming stronger, the Moonlight Elves needed this power to defend themselves. Hence, this meeting was of the utmost importance!


    For this reason, after giving the elders'' letters to Queen Wendy, Olanca decided to go to Corolla Tower instead of returning with the other elves. The disaster with the spiders had made him realize that they needed a change, and while eliminating the spiders was important, Olanca saw a much brighter future here.


    "You are quite welcome to stay, as our Corolla Tower is open to all. As long as you can pass the examination, you can even study there!" Wendy looked at Olanca and accepted his request to stay.


    Thus, Olanca entered Corolla Tower. For the first time, he came into contact with the wizards. He met Druids that could be transformed into magical beasts, giant Ancient War Trees, and much more!


    Although, his first major impression was taken from the sea of books that resided here! After all, grand libraries were the most precious wealth of all races! Standing in front of the vast library, Olanca''s eyes glowed with longing.


    Fortunately, Olanca had the talent to become a wizard. Soon, he became an apprentice. As Olanca was more diligent than most of the other elves, he always kept pushing himself forward, striving to learn more and more.


    I have to work hard to change the future of the Moonlight Elves! Only when we are strong enough can we then protect ourselves and control our destinies!


    It took him more than ten years to become a wizard. After that, it took him several more years to constantly enrich himself and make himself a powerful wizard with his own knowledge.


    At this time, the Moonlight Elves returned once again to the Sylve Empire, hoping that Olanca would return with them. This was because the magical beasts in the Silver Moon Forest were growing in number and they needed his help.


    With a carriage full of books, Olanca went back to his homeland, bidding farewell to Corolla Tower, where he had been studying for nearly 20 years! Thus, the history of the Moonlight Elves began a new chapter.


    Olanca led the Moonlight Elves to expel or kill all of the magical beasts in the Silver Moon Forest. However, there were still some lurking existences that posed a threat.


    Druids, Boundary Wizards, human Blood Wizards or Dream Wizards, which one is most suitable to help us fend off such attacks? There is no way that we can protect ourselves forever!


    Although Olanca became a wizard and stayed in the Sylve Empire for a long time, he did not think highly of its system. This was because his ideals differed from Wendy and Wolfe, who were more influenced by the human civilization. While Wendy was crazy about human development, Olanca enjoyed the freedom of being an elf.


    Olanca had become the elder of the Moonlight Elves, the believer of the goddess of harvest and earth. Standing under the tremendous Tree of Life, Olanca pondered the future of the Moonlight Elves.


    Unlike the withered Tree of Life in the Sylve Empire, the Tree of Life that belonged to the Moonlight Elves was still in its prime. There were a large number of elf eggs on it, which hatched new elves. These eggs were the future of the Moonlight Elves race!


    But, at the top of the tree, wounds could clearly be seen where it was attacked by a Dead Wing Bird a few years ago. The Dead Wing Bird was half-deer and half-bird, with a deer''s head and legs and a bird''s back and wings. It often came and ate the eggs off of the Tree of Life at midnight.


    Olanca led the Moonlight Elves to fight with the Dead Wing Bird. As the flying monster could stir up a fiery storm with just its wings, the Moonlight Elves lost horribly.


    Finally, Olanca set up a witchcraft trap to kill the terrible beast. But, by that time, The Tree of Life had already been devastated. During the next few years, it bore no elf eggs. In fact, it was only this year that the elf eggs began appearing again.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The night breeze blew through the Tree of Life, causing its leaves to rustle. Oranca stood under the tree, his eyes closed, as if he was listening for something.


    Long ago, Olanca seemed to be able to feel that the Tree of Life had its own will. It seemed to have its own ideas. Whenever he came close to the Tree of Life, Olanca could feel that it had an immortal soul.


    At this moment, a sudden sound came from the tree, frightening Olanca. He looked up and saw a figure sitting on one of its huge branches. The figure was dressed in a white robe and wore a mask with a sun pattern on it.


    It was Lu Zhiyu, who bowed and asked Olanca, "Can you hear that?"


    As Lu Zhiyu looked curiously at Olanca, who was below him on the ground, he thought that Olanca was a very interesting elf. He seemed to be able to communicate with the Tree of Life, which Lu Zhiyu could not do, as the will of the Tree of Life resisted communicating with Lu Zhiyu. It was almost as if it could perceive that Lu Zhiyu was a very terrible existence!


    Lu Zhiyu had been choosing among the candidates that he would make gods. Only when seventeen gods had gathered together and all of the thrones were filled could Maria''s World truly become a world of gods, thus making it a perfect world. Besides Kelly, Verthandi, and Delmedi, Lu Zhiyu was now tasked with choosing the next one with potential.


    Olanca could clearly see the figure on the tree, but he could find out nothing more with the mind power. This told him that the image in front of him was only a fantasy. But, he could feel that the Tree of Life was scared of this existence.


    "Who are you?" Olanca asked.


    Instead of replying, Lu Zhiyu turned into a beam of starlight, then landed right in front of Olanca, who looked nervously at him, unable to speak. Even in front of the powerful Queen Wendy, Olanca hadn''t felt so awestruck. Even his witchcraft was rendered useless by this fierce figure!


    "I have many names. Some call me Faross, while some call me Randil, but your elves are more accustomed to calling me the Lord of Natural Order!" Lu Zhiyu said.


    Olanca felt like he had been hit by a lightning bolt. The Lord of Natural Order was the Creator and the first god in the elves'' legends!

 262 Moonlight Elves

    Lu Zhiyu stood under the Tree of Life and looked at the tree that had given birth to innumerable elves. This tree had changed a lot compared to when it had just been created by Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu had originally thought that belief could bring power. Then, when Stikua, with the help of the Church of True God, had gained extraordinary power and reached level four, Lu Zhiyu was finally able to confirm that belief could create power.


    He also discovered that the Tree of Life had its awareness because of the elves'' worship and belief. Specifically, as the Tree of Life was the mother that bred the elves, after it had absorbed the energy of their beliefs, a special life form was born.


    "You''re a god? The Lord of Natural Order?" Olanca felt his muscles tense as he stammered out the words. Although he had heard countless legends that spoke of the gods, when such an existence really stood in front of him, the emotions of shock, fear, and awe, suddenly rose up within him!


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and pointed to the Tree of Life. "She also has the potential to become a god in the future."


    "She? Is she the goddess of earth and harvest?" Olanca stuttered again. "She has an independent personality?"


    The personality of this Tree of Life was stronger than that of the one that he had seen with Wendy. This one had reached level five and had an independent personality. So, it was no wonder that Lu Zhiyu felt that she could communicate.


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head, "She is yet a god, but she has all kinds of potential to become a god one day. She even has many natural advantages. Her personality was born with your prayers. As you believe in the goddess of harvest and earth, then she will finally become a goddess of harvest and earth. When the time comes, she will become the goddess defending Moonlight Elves and she will sit on the throne."


    Olanca looked at the Tree of Life. They regarded her as their mother. As such, no one could truly understand the elves'' feelings towards the Tree of Life, let alone the grief that they all felt the moment the Tree of Life died in Sylve.


    "Can she really be a god?" Olanca needed a little more reassurance.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Every world needs a god to maintain order and ensure the stability and development of that world. After all, the god is the guardian of world. She has the qualification to become a god, but now it is only a qualification!"


    Olanca felt that this was what he had been waiting for, the future of the Moonlight Elves! If the Moonlight Elves could have their own goddess, then the Moonlight Elves civilization would never die!


    Olanca gently touched the branches of the Tree of Life, then looked at Lu Zhiyu with determination. "Lord of Natural Order, what do we do now?"


    "Protect her! That''s enough," Lu Zhiyu said.


    Lu Zhiyu turned around and looked at the Tree of Life. He then stretched out his hand, and the light that was coming from his hand kept glowing and illuminating the earth.


    The light appeared to be a golden translucent crystal, with countless symbols and words flowing inside it. It was actually a seed that granted whoever possessed it the right to ascend the throne. Only with it could a candidate became a god after reaching level seven and ascending the throne!


    At this time, the Tree of Life seemed to feel the great attraction of the crystal. As Lu Zhiyu held it high, the crystal slowly entered the Tree of Life.


    The Tree of Life seemed to be rekindled by this merging. This integration of its independent personality and divine personality immediately caused a tremendous mind power to burst forth, while flashy lights shone in the sky.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    For the first time, Olanca heard her voice so clearly and felt her. It was a beautiful female voice that said, "My name is Bernice!"


    "When she comes to the throne, you will get everything you want!" Lu Zhiyu said to Olanca.


    When Olanca looked back, he saw the Lord of Natural Order disappearing. At this moment, the change of the Tree of Life woke up the elves. Many of the elves looked at the Tree of Life, and everyone felt that this tree now seemed to have its own thoughts.


    At that moment, the Tree of Life communicated with the elves for the first time, and the Moonlight Elves started to build their own beliefs around it. Olanca immediately became a servant to this god.


    Although Bernice, who had a divine personality, could not yet ascend the throne or amend any rules in Maria''s world, she had the power to grant divine seeds and establish a divine system. So, Olanca helped Bernice establish her own sacrificial system, as well as her own divine system.


    Through sacrifice and worship, Bernice gained strength. In fact, she was expected to ascend to the throne soon.


    Gradually, under the guidance of Olanca, many Moonlight Elves with extraordinary power were born. They then were able to successfully expel the ferocious magical beasts in the Silver Moon Forest and establish their own elf kingdom.


    The Moonlight Elves gradually became different from the elves in the Sylve Empire. While the Sylve Empire honored wizards and knowledge above all, the Moonlight Elves cherished the customs and beliefs that belonged solely to the elves.


    As time went on, there were greater differences in their belief systems, customs, and habits, which resulted in friction. Due to this, many conflicts arose.

 263 The Age of Navigation

    Lu Zhiyu stood in his huge study, facing two rows of bookshelves. The sunlight was streaming in from the outside, falling on a long table that was scattered with drawings. A sphinx beast was resting by the door.


    At present, Lu Zhiyu''s eyes were fixed on the wall. There were many items on the wall, the most prominent of which was a mural. It looked similar to a Cabala tree, but Lu Zhiyu preferred to call it the model of the world tree.


    This model of the world tree presented the rules of the gods in Maria''s World. Upon the model of the world tree, 17 round wheels symbolized different rules and powers of the 17 gods.


    Every wheel had a groove. Four of the grooves were empty, and the other thirteen grooves were inlaid with divine personalities, indicating that there were 13 gods that were still waiting to ascend their thrones.


    Lu Zhiyu stood under the huge mural and looked up at the model of the world tree. He had a feeling that once the 13 gods were selected, all of Maria''s World would be under the full control of these gods.


    As all of these gods'' powers came from Lu Zhiyu''s Divine Kingdom of Gaia, when that time came, the power of the Divine Kingdom of Gaia would, in essence, control all aspects of the world! Then, as the gods continued to learn the rules, Lu Zhiyu would gradually become stronger until he was finally able to turn Maria''s World into a divine world entirely!


    Lu Zhiyu thought that, at that time, he would reach level nine. Then, he would not need the power of the scroll to create things any longer. Instead, he would be able to change materials'' forms and shapes!


    As he thought about these things, Lu Zhiyu felt excited. From the very beginning, he wanted to shake off his dependence upon the scroll. At present, it seemed that Lu Zhiyu would very likely achieve this goal!


    "But... It''s not easy to gather 17 gods!" Lu Zhiyu sighed.


    It was not a simple task at all, as all of the 17 gods must meet his standards. If an unqualified existence was chosen to become a god, it could prove disastrous!


    Lu Zhiyu kept rubbing his chin, wondering where he should go next to find a suitable candidate. While he was thinking, he sometimes frowned and sometimes smiled.


    At this time, Delmedi, who was standing at the door, was holding some bread that Eva had just made for her. As she licked the butter on the bread, she stared at the changing expressions on Lu Zhiyu''s face in amazement.


    She then yelled, "Eva! Dad''s gone crazy!"


    Lu Zhiyu picked up the screaming Delmedi, who still looked like a child, causing her to giggle and scream out of both surprise and happiness. Lu Zhiyu hugged her and spun her around in circles as her giggles rang out through the study.


    "Why don''t you ever seem to grow? Your sister has been an adult for so long!" Lu Zhiyu said.


    "That''s because I''m still young!" Delmedi said, looking both innocent and quite dissatisfied with this question.


    Lu Zhiyu pinched her cheeks and thought for a while before he shook his head and said, "No¡­ I think it''s because you are silly!"


    Delmedi immediately glared at Lu Zhiyu and made threatening gestures towards him to show her anger. Eva, who had just come in with her plate, totally ignored the fighting between the father and daughter.


    ----


    Out at sea, on a huge wooden ship with visible wheels, a huge chimney emitted a thick cloud of smoke, while the continuous rotation of the wheels pushed the huge ship forward. The ship also had sails, and several identical boats, as well as normal sailboats, followed the ship on the sea.


    It was a huge fleet that had the mark of the Sean City-State Alliance upon it. It was actually a miracle to see human beings'' ships and boats in the deep sea area.


    For hundreds of years, human beings had only been able to trade and sail in the coastal waters. As such, this kind of adventure into the depths of the sea was rare. In fact, it had even been considered suicide before!


    However, during the recent decades in the Sean City-State Alliance, many adventurers had led their fleets into the sea. However, most of them had died, having been devoured and sucked into the bellies of the Children of the Sea, or they had been lost at sea and never returned.


    Since the invention of the steam engine wheel ship, people who had explored the whole Alan Continent area were no longer satisfied with their past achievements. They didn''t want to be confined to the mainland, and they yearned for the open sea, hoping to find a new route that would open the door to another continent.


    Marina Bossay''s adventure opened their eyes to the fact that, at the other end of the ocean, there was a whole different world, where magnificent mermaids and beautiful fairy-like elves lived! Thus, countless people attempted to follow in the footsteps of Marina Bossay by recreating her journey, but until now, no one had succeeded.


    This fleet had been sailing on the sea for an entire year. Along the way, it had encountered all kinds of terrible monsters and dangers. If it had not been for the alchemists on board, it would have been destroyed in the sea.


    However, they were still much luckier than Marina Bossay, as they had been gifted a precise map by Marina Bossay herself, which allowed them to travel directly from the Sean City-State Alliance to Yala.


    "What''s wrong? According to the map, we should have arrived in Yala ten days ago!" The captain looked at the map and frowned. This was not the first time that he had been troubled, feeling that something was amiss with this journey.


    "Could it be that we have gotten lost?" a sailor asked from behind him.


    "Maybe the so-called elf kingdom is just a lie!" another sailor said.


    "No! The great Miss Marina said it was true, and she certainly wouldn''t deceive us. So, it must be real!" Another sailor adamantly supported Miss Marina''s words.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    At this moment, the sailor standing near the mast suddenly cried out, "Captain Brown! Look ahead! It''s a continent!"


    The sailor''s cry immediately shocked all of the people on board. The people who had just been quarreling immediately scrambled over to the ship''s side, while looking at the distant hazy shadow, which was indeed a huge continent!


    Captain Brown shouted out in delight, "We found it! The Elf Continent¡­ Yala!"

 264 The Secrets of God

    Captain Brown, whose full name was Jonathan Brown, was the owner of Brown Shipbuilding Workshop. He graduated from the School of Alchemy of the Akkad Alchemy College and was a well-known alchemist. People preferred to call him "Little Brown" because he was the grandson of the famous "faker Lars," Lars Brown.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Lars Brown carried out many research projects and made many inventions during his lifetime. Regarding the promotion and sharing of alchemy skills, he was in par with some of the most famous alchemists.


    His most memorable invention was the steam engine. With the wider use of steam engines becoming prevalent in the Sean City-State Alliance, the name of Lars Brown was mentioned on a daily basis. It was incredible for a person with a normal background like him to have become such a prestigious and well-known alchemist.


    Jonathan Brown was the first alchemist to build a steam wheel boat, and its popularity made him a well-known and wealthy man in the Sean City-State Alliance. After amassing a great deal of wealth and becoming a famous alchemist, Jonathan set his sights on the sea.


    He hoped to recreate Marina Bossey''s miracle, thus paving the way to gain access to the Yala Continent and a connection with the magical elf world. From the elves'' various works of art to their peculiar medicines, as well as the gold and diamonds that were abundant in the Yala Continent, all of these things attracted the people of the Sean City-State Alliance.


    Jonathan Brown was also eager to see elves with his own eyes, as they were legendary and were supposedly beautiful creatures. Jonathan first arrived at the southern part of the Yala Continent, where they traveled for a long time before they found one of the elf tribes, which were called the Sun Elves.


    The Sun Elves lived on the edge of Sandro Highland, which was an endless highland. Sandro Highland was not a desolate desert, but was covered by soft grass and dense moss. The mountains were surrounded with clouds and mists. When the sun shone down upon this place, it looked as beautiful as a fairyland.


    At this moment, the Sun Elves were in a very dangerous situation. The magical beasts in Sandro Highland were multiplying, while the living area of the Sun Elves was shrinking.


    As a result, all of their scattered elves villages had been relocated to the surrounding areas of the Tree of Life. Even so, the decline of the Sun Elves seemed unstoppable.


    Once again, the Sun Elves appealed to the Sylve Empire for help. But, as they lived far away from each other, the Sylve Empire could not always come in time, and they would not stay for long time even when they did make the journey to offer aid.


    Thus, there were only two choices left for the Sun Elves. They must either become stronger or become part of the Sylve Empire.


    At present, the Sun Elves were having difficulty making the final decision, and as the magical beasts in the depths of Sandro Highland were coming back again, ready to launch another disaster, time was of the essence!


    This was a battle for survival, as both the magical beasts and the Sun Elves were fighting for their habitats. It was at this exact time that Jonathan''s fleet came to Sandro Highland and met the Sun Elves.


    For the first time, the people from the Sean City-State Alliance were able to cast their eyes upon the most beautiful creatures in the world! Moreover, Jonathan had not only gotten the map from Marina Bossay, but he had also learned some Sylr, which was the elf''s language. Therefore, Jonathan could communicate with the elves.


    The knights and alchemists in Jonathan''s fleet helped the Sun Elves fight off the magical beasts. Gunners jammed gunpowder into their barrels and shot magic beasts, while Blood Knights cooperated with the elves to fight on the ground. The alchemists even used their alchemy cannons to tear the magic beasts to pieces!


    The alchemists also used all kinds of witchcraft and alchemy props to aid the Sun Elves. Jonathan used alchemy props that were made with the magical beasts'' deified cells, and many alchemists and knights were equipped with specially modified mechanical arms.


    Their strong fighting capacity impressed the Sun Elves immensely. Thus, Jonathan''s crew quickly built friendships with the Sun Elves and became their honored guests.


    Jonathan had personally saved an elf shooter during the battle, and he had also won the admiration of an elf girl! During his stay with the Sun Elves tribe, the two fell in love.


    Jonathan''s brave performance in the battle had also impressed the elf elders. So, when Jonathan requested to marry the elf girl, they readily agreed and gave their blessing. The pair were then married under the Tree of Life.


    This grand wedding was attended by tens of thousands of elves. They danced and sang, showing Jonathan the passion and merriment that the elves were so well-known for. Jonathan''s marriage with the beautiful elf girl instantly made all of his crew members envious.


    After exchanging alchemy cannons and various goods from the human world with the Sun Elves, Jonathan began to travel to the most powerful elf tribe in Marina Bossay''s adventure records. This tribe was known as the Sylve Empire and was very different from the Sun Elves. In addition to Jonathan''s wife, Rosea, several Sun Elves, who were going to study in the Corolla Tower in the Sylve Empire, accompanied Jonathan.


    Jonathan stood at the ship''s head with his wife in his arms. Rosea looked at Jonathan and said, "I find that the power of the alchemists is very similar to that of the elf wizards!"


    Jonathan looked at his wife with loving eyes as he told her a secret, "I heard from my grandfather that the origin of the alchemists were actually the wizards. This is a forbidden secret among the alchemists!"


    Rosea then asked him, "Are wizards the most powerful existences in the world?"


    Jonathan immediately shook his head. "No. The most powerful are the gods. No one is more powerful than the gods. Also, besides wizards, there are priests of the Faith of the Sun, the priests of the Church of Light, and the Holy Knights of the Faith of the Sun on the Alen Continent. They are all equally or more powerful than the wizards!"


    Jonathan then said, "In addition, there are some evil powers, such as demons and demon warlocks, which are said to belong to another evil and chaotic world. They do not belong to our world. There are also dragons. Also, wizards are divided into different groups and hold different powers. There are..."


    As Rosea was listening to Jonathan talk about the outside world, she realized that the world was so big, so vast, and so extensive! It was astounding to her to hear that there were countless powerful races in the world, with all kinds of extraordinary powers!


    "We Sun Elves only worship the Tree of Life, and now, there are not many left who worship the Lord of Natural Order. Moreover, I heard that the Moonlight Elves have their own god, and they are helping that god to ascend the throne. No wonder the Moonlight Elves have become so powerful. I heard that even the Sylve Empire dared not offend them!" Rosea told Jonathan.


    Jonathan suddenly turned around and looked at Rosea as he asked, "What did you just say?"


    After that, he shook his head, as if he had just heard the strangest thing. "How could it be possible that gods exist? Nobody knows how they are born. The Moon Elves want to create their own god? How is that possible?"


    Rosea was confused by his words, so she asked, "I heard it from my father after he had gotten drunk. He was an elder of our tribe and had stayed with the Moonlight Elves. He wanted to learn the Moonlight Elves'' magic in order to protect our tribe."


    She took a breath, then continued to explain, "He stayed there for a period of time and participated in their sacrificial rituals. The Moonlight Elves relied on the power of their god to protect the Silver Moon Forest. As such, they have become much stronger than us, but originally, we were pretty much the same in regards to power. I thought that, perhaps if we had our own god, then our tribe would not be afraid of those beasts!"


    Jonathan believed Rosea would not lie to him, but he still felt what she said was impossible.


    "Whether this is true or false, we should still not mention it to the others. Let''s keep this our secret and tell no one for now, as it would only bring disaster to us!" Jonathan said.

 265 The Promoter of the New Age

    Jonathan saw the city of the Elf Empire for the first time. He crossed Seth City, along the River of Life, then entered Sylve City in the Forest of Life. The elf wizards had become the most important part of the Elf Empire.


    Everything in the city surprised Jonathan, especially the applications of the alchemy in the elves daily lives and their attempts to build a city of witchcraft with the help of alchemy, Blood Witchcraft, and dreamcraft. He was shocked by the elves'' industriousness.


    The rise of the Druids and the projection of boundary witchcraft that was used by the Boundary Wizards were also unexpected to Jonathan. Only then did he truly see the real Elf Kingdom, which was a world that was totally different from that of the Sun Elves.


    What shocked Jonathan the most were the Ancient War Trees. He wondered¡­


    How did the elves breed such powerful magical beasts, which are also extremely rare?


    This exceeded Jonathan''s imagination. The super-large witchcraft boundary that the elves created while working with the Ancient War Trees also felt like a dream to Jonathan.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    He took his wife''s hand and wandered around the city for two days. After that time, he knew that even the Sean City-State Alliance could not build such a dream-like city, which had required the combination of all kinds of witchcraft and countless elites'' efforts to create.


    Wizards and alchemists, compared to the elves, had a natural disadvantage. This was because they were mortal. Therefore, in order to make a breakthrough, they had to spend a lot of time learning. However, no wizard was willing to commit such a large amount of time to only education.


    At that moment, a group of elves were wearing moonwhite cloaks, each of which had a green seed image on the back. They all wore a green pendant on their chests as well. They walked on the slate road, crossed the fountain square, then stepped up the stairs and headed for the central Sylve Palace.


    "Who are they?" Jonathan asked his wife, Rosea.


    Rosea remembered her husband''s advice and carefully said, "They are the Moonlight Elves from the Silver Moon Forest. The marks on their clocks represent that they are the priests of the goddess of harvest!"


    Jonathan nodded. He had never heard about this goddess before. He pondered about whether the goddess had always existed, or if, as Rosea had said, she was about to ascend the throne.


    Jonathan could sense these priests'' power, and it was a power that he was was familiar with. The Church of Light priests, who were always doing missionary work in the Sean City-State Alliance, and the heavenly palace priests, who were often in direct conflict with the Sean City-State Alliance, had taught the alchemists a good lesson about priests.


    At this moment, Jonathan had a feeling of intense fear and bewilderment. At the same time, he also felt that a force was constantly pushing him forward, coaxing him closer to the truth.


    Maybe it was just because of his curiosity, or maybe it was an attempt to trade with the Moonlight Elves in exchange for special products, but Jonathan once again led his crew across the Hagrid Grand Canyon and highlands to the northern Moonlight Elf Tribe. But, when he was about to enter the Moonlight Forest, Jonathan abruptly turned around and left!


    Jonathan could feel the mighty power of the other party, even when he didn''t use his mind power. Even the wild magical beasts were afraid to approach this area. Jonathan, who was an alchemist, trembled as soon as he was at the border, and his mind power was constantly warning him of the nearby threat.


    "Let''s hurry and retreat!" Jonathan urged the others to leave, not daring to step into the Moonlight Elf Tribe''s territory.


    The group quickly gave up their intention of trading, as the Moonlight Forest completely suppressed their witchcraft power. This terrible existence made them feel intensely frightened.


    Even though Jonathan already knew what was in the forest, he didn''t say a word...


    --------------------


    After trading in Sylve City and receiving an interview from Wendy, Queen of the Sylve Empire, Jonathan began his return journey. It had been more than a year since he had left Alan, and the whole crew was looking forward to returning.


    Although the Yala Continent was beautiful, it was not their home. They belonged to the human world.


    During their return journey, their fleet was filled with cargo. Even Jonathan had brought a lot of witchcraft slaves and Pipi Elves aboard.


    This was because witchcraft slaves were the most suitable creatures for hard labor, while Pipi Elves had great wisdom, and their abilities to turn invisible and become temporarily deformed made them perfect for certain high-level tasks.


    On the ship, many sailors watched Yala disappear from sight, bit by bit. They felt a little sad, but were still excited to return home. When they thought about the fact that they would stay on the ship for nearly a year, facing all kinds of dangers along the way, they began to feel a little desperate.


    "Why is it getting so dark? What''s that? Look at the sky!" a sailor suddenly shouted.


    When they had not gone very far from Yala, the fleet encountered something amazing. They saw a huge floating city, which was emerging from the clouds!


    Many of the people present immediately recalled the old story about the famous painting of the great artist Lars, "The Capital of God." They all started shouting in amazement...


    "The Capital of God!"


    "My God, it really exists! This truly is the legendary city of gods!"


    "The legend is real!"


    Everyone was shocked at the scene before them. Even the powerful alchemists could never have expected to see such a thing!


    As Lars had graduated from Akkad Alchemy College, most people thought that his painting was just a work of art that was based on the legends and his imagination. No alchemist thought that the city was real.


    As everyone on board stared at the floating city in the sky, their mouths were wide open. The giant flying city hovered in the sky above the fleet, its huge shadow covering the whole sea.


    The sharp-eyed Jonathan saw the bottom of the floating city, which was a huge mysterious pattern that looked like a tree. The pattern was composed of mysterious images.


    There were 17 round wheels, each of which flashed a special symbol. Four of them looked quite familiar to Jonathan.


    "The Church of Light, the Faith of the Sun, the heavenly palace, and the goddess of harvest!" Jonathan exclaimed.


    He immediately remembered the four religions that he knew had gods, each of whose symbols now appeared on a strange pattern, which was branded on the huge sky city. It was the legendary capital of god!


    At the moment, above the city, two figures leaned on its edge, looking down at the sea below. The huge fleet, when seen from the floating city, was only a few small, black spots.


    Eva looked at Lu Zhiyu and asked, "Is that them? Have you decided yet, master?"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "They will start a new era. Although they are not the heroes, they will still play important roles. It''s not that I chose them, but that they happened to come here at such a time!"


    After he said this, the floating city immediately broke through the clouds, penetrated the space, and left!

 266 The One Who Peeped at the Secret of the Gods

    The mysterious pattern contained the secrets of the whole world. It was the realm of the gods and the forbidden place of mortals. Every symbol was full of mystery, and the huge tree structure was like a tree that held up the world.


    The 17 wheels above, just like the cornerstone of the world, firmly held the tree structure steady. Upon the wheels, there were symbols that represented the thrones of the gods.


    Why are there 17? What do they represent?" In the darkness, Jonathan felt that the pattern was constantly enlarging in front of his eyes.


    Every symbol was being constantly distorted, and it appeared as if they were going to devour him! He was constantly questioning everything and was exceedingly puzzled.


    He felt that he had just discovered the biggest secret in the world, a secret that could drive anyone crazy, no matter how powerful, no matter what race, and no matter whether he was a king or a civilian! But, Jonathan still needed a key clue to find out the truth of the secret...


    "So¡­ 17... There''s the Church of Light, the Faith of the Sun, the heavenly palace, and the goddess of harvest! So¡­ What are the remaining 13?" he wondered aloud.


    At this time, all of the symbols suddenly distorted into huge and terrible Divine Shadows. These 17 huge shadows covered the entire sky.


    They stood like mountains and looked down at him. Jonathan felt like the gods were about to destroy him because he had peeped at their secret!


    "Ah!" At that moment, Jonathan woke up from his nightmare with a scream, while sweating and gasping.


    Jonathan felt that he was possessed. He had been thinking about the unknown mysterious pattern constantly since the return of the fleet from the mainland of Yala.


    In fact, Jonathan found that the secret that was buried in his heart was eroding him from the inside out. He felt that he had discovered something, but he did not know what exactly it was!


    "Darling, did you have a nightmare again?" Jonathan''s wife asked, while she stroked his forehead gently.


    She was speaking Tuten, which was the language of the Sean City-State Alliance. Six months ago, Jonathan had finally ended his long journey and had returned to Alan. His wife had followed him, abandoning her tribe in order to accompany him to the world of mankind.


    Jonathan nodded, then shook his head as he looked at his wife Rosea''s worried face. "It wasn''t a nightmare. I''m just a little confused!"


    As a top alchemist, Jonathan did not dream often. Thus, all of this was because of the mysterious pattern. He felt that if he did not solve the mystery, he would never again be at ease!


    Even Jonathan knew that the answer could be a taboo that mortals could never touch, or it was very likely to bring disaster upon his family, including his beloved wife. Hence, Jonathan thought that he should let go of this altogether.


    After all, he already had everything that he needed, including money, status, and love. But, the more Jonathan thought about this, the more he simply knew that he couldn''t suppress his doubts. After all, he was born a curious man!


    When they returned, Jonathan''s crew members were welcomed by countless people, and Jonathan, as he ushered his elf wife Rosea down to the dock, received a thundering round of applause.


    All of the people present looked at Rosea. They had never seen such a beautiful girl!


    Jonathan was a member of the Brown family, and was also a well-known and powerful alchemist. Although he was not a student of Marina Bossay''s, he was thought of highly by her because of Lars Brown. As such, he was absolutely a powerful and wealthy figure in the Sean City-State Alliance.


    Jonathan, who had now opened up the sea route to another continent, won the praise of everyone, just as Marina had in the past. Jonathan''s experience had proven to them that Marina''s legendary journey could indeed be replicated.


    Moreover, the cargo that he had brought back in his fleet made the Sean City-State Alliance crazy with delight! There were gemstones that had been brought back from the elf world, all kinds of strange medicinal materials, spices, delicate silk clothes, and all kinds of alchemy tools, which were extremely popular among the nobles. He had even brought back all kinds of wizard slaves and Pipi elves, who were, of course, the alchemists'' favorites.


    Through the selling and trade of this precious cargo, Jonathan made a fortune. Meanwhile, his Brown Shipbuilding Workshop received a lot of orders. The Browns soon became one of the richest families in Tephis, perhaps even in the whole Sean City-State Alliance!


    Jonathan also became as famous as his grandfather, and he was even called "Little Brown!" This was because Jonathan had inherited his grandfather''s personality, which was marked by his absolute unwillingness to be mediocre.


    At the moment ,Jonathan got up and went to his study, where he lit a steam lamp that immediately illuminated the whole room. Like most alchemists'' studies, Jonathan''s study was full of books.


    There was also a second-generation table, which was quite impressive, as even today, a second-generation alchemy table was only a privilege that the top alchemists could afford to have.


    The yellow light shone in the room, creating shadows on the walls. Jonathan carefully pulled down the rope on one side of the wall, while the cloth on the wall moved up, revealing a huge painting.


    There was a large and complex pattern on the painting. The pattern was the world tree model! Its complex structure, mysterious symbols, and wheels that symbolized the various gods fascinated Jonathan.


    Jonathan picked up the steam lamp and shined its light closer to the model. His eyes were filled with delight as his fingers touched every symbol on the world tree model, bit by bit.


    He then murmured, "I will unveil your mystery, making me the first to unveil the mystery of the gods!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

 267 The One Who Peeped at the Secret of the Gods 2

    School of Scholars Library, Akkad Alchemy College


    Various things had all been restored and were being kept in the library. This included documents and records of historical changes within the kingdoms, principalities, and dynasties, as well as legends and myths. There were also ancient family histories, ancient mythological poems, and numerous literary works among the shelves.


    By studying the history of each era and familiarizing themselves with the legends of each family, the scholars here could then become highly respected teachers of noble families after graduation, or they could attain some other good job in the Sean City-State Alliance.


    Akkad Alchemy College had been established for nearly 100 years by now. Since its beginning, it had expanded to more than 10 times its original size.


    Starting out as only a castle, which now acted as its main body, the college had since added a large academic base. Now, it was like a small city.


    The School of Scholars taught many different subjects, and daily, a large number of students, each wearing a scholar''s robe, could be seen here. At the moment, Jonathan was leading a tutor to the library, where they would be searching for some information.


    "These words that you''re asking about are too old!" the old tutor named David said to Jonathan.


    Jonathan nodded, then replied, "That''s why I had to come and ask you for help. You''re the most knowledgeable scholar in this field. If you can''t decipher them, surely no one could know what they mean."


    David shook his head. "These are probably not even actual words. I think they are more like symbols. In fact, they look very similar to the witchcraft tactical deployment circle."


    Jonathan thought for a moment, trying to process what David had just said.


    David looked at Jonathan, then said, "Maybe this is what an ancient civilization used in the past! I actually remember that I saw a rubbing copy that had a similar pattern on it. Where did I put it?"


    David then took a book from the bottom of a bookshelf. The book held within it various records of words. Then, he put on his glasses and compared the pattern that Jonathan had brought with a pattern in the book.


    "It''s almost identical! Look at this!" David said as he pointed to a pattern in the book.


    He then explained to Jonathan that what he was holding was a rubbing copy that depicted the historical changes in the orc species. As Jonathan looked at it, he saw that it was very similar to one of the symbols on the 17 wheels.


    Jonathan immediately became very excited and said, "That''s it! What is this?"


    David frowned as he looked at Jonathan. "What you''ve shown me is obviously only a small portion of something. What does the whole thing look like? Whatever it is appears to be related to ancient times! This is a copy of an inscription from a stone tablet that was found at the rat men''s ruins, but we have no idea what it means. This is because it is from almost two thousand years ago, when human beings were probably monkeys in the jungle!"


    David was very surprised by this new development. At first, he just thought that Jonathan had found some strange, old symbols. But now, it seemed that Jonathan''s findings were related to some pre-civilization era.


    This was clearly a legacy of the barbaric era. David was so surprised by this because he used to believe that there were no words at that time!


    Jonathan, on the other hand, was not surprised at all. David''s statement made him even more convinced that what was on the rubbing copy was the very clue that he had been wanting to find!


    "I saw it from some other place, not from the rubbing copy. I just memorized it at that time, but as my memory is not good, I only remembered a part of it. But David, this is very important to me, so you must help me!" Jonathan pleaded.


    David also felt excited, as he was very curious about all ancient secrets. After all, scholars, just like wizards, were keenly interested in exploring the unknown.


    "Orcs were the first race to have a real civilization. The early Saga City was first ruled by 12 generations of orc kings in a row. The first race that united all of the orcs were the rat men. It is said that the rat men were the oldest race in the world. Although they are now the weakest race, and are currently even rare among the orcs, they were the very first to build a true civilization, invent words, and create city-states," David explained.


    After hearing David''s words, Jonathan nodded. His eyes shone as he exclaimed, "So, it''s very possible that they have records that can even be traced back to the barbaric era!"


    Jonathan then grabbed David''s shoulder and asked, "Where is the stone tablet?"


    David thought for a moment, then said, "You have to ask the team that went to the Orc Kingdom for a geography expedition!"


    Jonathan immediately got out of his seat, rolled up the paper that had the symbols on it, then said to David, "I''ll do one better¡­ I''m going to the Orc Kingdom myself! David, thank you!"


    David''s eyes lit up as he said, "Jonathan, I think I can help! Let me go with you."


    Jonathan hesitated for a moment before he shook his head. "I''m sorry, David, but as this is probably a very dangerous thing, I don''t want to involve you in it!"


    ------------------


    Jonathan kissed his wife goodbye in the morning before he boarded the ship that was headed to the Orc Kingdom. At the same time, the second and third batches of fleets that had gone to Yala were returning.


    Although most of the fleets had been lost at sea due to the battle with the Children of the Sea and sea monsters, there were always people who could afford to hire new crews, mainly consisting of a large number of priests and alchemists. They then equipped themselves with a large number of alchemy cannons and steamships and had thus made their ways back safely.


    The connection between human beings and the elf world was thus built. The goods of the human beings had gradually flowed into the Yala Continent, while various specialties of the elf world had also come into the human world.


    The existence of the Sylve Empire had also become a hot topic among human beings. Everyone knew that, in the far Eastern world, there was a land that belonged to the elves, was well as a powerful empire and a civilized world that was beyond the human imagination.


    In addition, another piece of information was being spread throughout the human world. The tribe that was called the Moonlight Elves was gradually becoming known.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Unlike the Sylve Empire, this elf tribe refused to connect with the outside world. Thus, the only reason why they were known to the outside world was because they had touched the realm of the gods.

 268 The Secrets of Becoming a God

    Outside Finnlit, in the Sean City-State Alliance, a beautiful manor existed. Its interior was decorated with the most luxurious items.


    Statues, created by famous artists, had been placed in the courtyard. Ancient paintings hung on the walls. Carpets, made from magical beasts'' fur, covered many of the rooms'' floors, and delicate glass shutters let the moonlight in each night, causing the remaining bare floorboards to shine.


    At the moment, a grand banquet was being held in the manor. Not long ago, the master of the manor had returned from the other side of the sea, accompanied with numerous commodities and unbelievable wealth. Overnight, his status had skyrocketed, and he had instantly become a popular figure in the capital of Sean.


    During the banquet, meat from all kinds of exotic animals was brought to the table. Maids in beautiful clothes were kept very busy as men and women enjoyed copious amounts of delicious food and great wine. They were all celebrating the manor master''s successful trip and safe return.


    The sky''s stars were dim this night, and at the end of the banquet, all the nobles and rich people left, one after another. Once they were all gone, the manor master rushed upstairs, carrying a beautiful maid in his arms. Then, the servants got to work, cleaning up the hall.


    At this time, a large number of figures, who were dressed in dark red cloaks, were gathered in the woods that were directly across the manor. Suddenly, the two knights who were guarding the manor entrance saw two of the cloaked men rush out amid the darkness. The two figures silently cut off the two knights'' heads!


    Following that, dozens of figures in dark red cloaks rushed into the manor, pulled out their swords, and blocked the entrance. At that moment, they commenced a full-on massacre against all of the people inside the manor.


    "Ah! Close the door! Don''t let them get in. Stop them!" someone from the manor screamed, as all of those inside the manor descended into a panic.


    The assassins who had just entered the manor killed whoever they saw. Blood was everywhere, seeping through the cracks of the slates. Amid the chaos, tables were kicked over, priceless porcelains from the Kingdom of Pusuote were broken, and everything in the assassins'' paths was destroyed.


    "Please don''t kill us!" As they tried to run away and begged for their lives, the maids were all killed in the corridor.


    Although the manor''s guards rushed out and fought with the assassins, every assassin seemed to have an immortal body, so even if several swords penetrated their bodies, they did not die! It appeared as if they all had infinite strength and limitless life force!


    At this time, the master of the manor rushed out of his room, only to find himself surrounded by men in dark red cloaks. He then cried out in alarm, "Who are you? What do you want?"


    A man came out from behind him and lifted his red cloak, revealing a very handsome face. But, within that handsome face, shone a pair of monstrous pupils!


    "Mr. Alchemy, we are paying you this visit tonight because we have heard some interesting news. It is said that, when you went to Yala, you met the Moonlight Elves tribe and got some news that could shock the whole world!" the man yelled.


    He then asked, "Wouldn''t you like to share this news?"


    The master of the manor looked at the mark on the man''s arm. Although he could only see a part of it, he recognized it immediately and exclaimed, "The Church of True God! Your race has not died out, yet?"


    As he was an alchemist, the master of the manor''s face immediately became gloomy. He quickly looked around and used his Flashy Blinding. At that moment, a dazzling light quickly covered the entire manor.


    Then, he turned around and ran, while throwing out an alchemy bomb. The sound of its violent explosion was earth-shattering. Most of the houses and walls were destroyed by it, collapsing instantly.


    The master of the manor then jumped down from a window, and when he was about to land on the ground, a huge pillar was thrown down from the sky. The huge pillar, which had been shot like a sharp arrow, directly hit the master of the manor!


    "Stone Skin!" the master yelled, using a Blood Witchcraft.


    This caused his skin to quickly turn hard and become a gray-white color. After he was hit, he was thrown directly into the fountain pool that was in the garden. His bones were broken and his body was bent in a very strange position, but he was still alive.


    At that moment, a figure rushed down from the broken wall and stood in front of the manor master, grabbing his head and lifting him out of the fountain. The figure then said to the master, "You are so cruel! Now, tell me... What did you see in Yala?"


    The master kept spitting out blood as he looked at him and begged, "It was a demigod¡­ One that was ready to ascend the throne and become a god of the Divine Kingdom. We helped the Moonlight Elves and established friendships with them! The demigod gave me an amulet. It''s in..."


    At this time, the master''s face suddenly changed, growing quite fierce!


    "No!" The head of the Church of True God immediately roared, but it was too late.


    A green leaf glittered on the master''s chest, melting the dark red cloaks of the men in its intense, glowing light.


    "This is the power of a divine incantation!"


    "It''s not the Church of Light, the priests of the underworld, nor the Holy Knights. What is it?"


    "Save us!"


    The men in the cloaks screamed, while the light that was melting their cloaks gradually revealed their true appearances. Their skin was grainy and rough like soil, and their bodies swiftly sprouted a large number of tentacles and claws. But, they couldn''t move, and one by one, they gradually melted into a puddle of mud!Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    However, their leader became a true monster! His hands morphed into innumerable tentacles, and although his body had melted a great deal, it still was able to support him.


    "You asked for it!" the monster shouted at the manor master as he set the master on fire!


    This devil''s flame swallowed up the master little by little, and his consciousness was gradually burned into ashes. After that, the leader of the Church of True God regained his human form, bit by bit, then picked up the green leaf, which had now lost its power.


    --------------------


    As the ships that had gone to the mainland of Yala began to return, they encountered many incidents. As a result, a large number of people were kidnapped or killed. Some of these people panicked and sought protection, while others disclosed what they knew in order to save their lives.


    Jonathan and many of his crew members were also involved. But, as Marina had received news of these incidences, she promptly helped to protect both Jonathan and his family by all means that she could.


    As Tephis was the base of the alchemists and the Akkad Alchemy College was located here, there were always many powerful alchemists gathered here. Therefore, those who were closely watching Jonathan in secret, who now knew that Marina was on his side, dared not make any moves.


    The central province, the Sumerian Kingdom


    An old man with scars on his face met several men from the Sean City-State Alliance in a secret room in the palace. The scarred face man was the founder of the Church of True God, Heckfoss.


    At this time, he had secretly also become the real master of the Sumerian kingdom. This meant that he was now a powerful demon warlock!


    "The rumor was true!" Heckfoss'' face was full of excitement as he exclaimed. "Semigod! Half divine!"


    When he said these words, a crazed, greedy look appeared on his face. He then cackled before asking, "Is there really a way to become a god? Ha-ha-ha, if so, I also have the chance to become a god, thus becoming the master of all sentient beings!"


    Besides Heckfoss and the Church of True God, wizards, kings and nobles, as well as all of the forces hiding in the dark, and even the Church of Light were all aware of this news. As such, they were making their moves from the dark shadows.


    "Go to Yala, as there lay the secrets of becoming a god."


    "At all costs, we must get there ahead of the others."


    "The secret of becoming a god is finally before us!"


    Everyone was in a mad rush, as they were all eager to touch the realm of the gods with their mortal bodies. After all, becoming an immortal god and controlling all of the world''s living beings was enough to make any person risk everything!


    Thus, countless ships set sail towards Yala, all of which were filled with powerful people.

 269 The Creator

    The Tiratan Knight Kingdom, in the Orc World


    Since the collapse of the Holy Seville Empire, the Orc World had been divided yet again. Now, the lords or governors all occupied different parts of the land, and the Tiratan Knight Kingdom had taken over Saga City and the Red River Plain.


    The founder of the Tiratan Knight Kingdom was Tiridan. He was a Minotaur, who had participated in the early dragon slaying war, the Northern Expedition, and the founding of the Holy Seville Empire.


    He had been defending the Lion King Will and had died in the ghost breakout. As such, he was known to be knight will''s heir.


    After the collapse of the Holy Seville Empire, he had occupied the most prosperous city, Saga City, along with the Red River Plain and the Salt Pool. It had been more than 100 years since the collapse of the Holy Seville Empire.


    Although the Holy Seville Empire had fallen, the integration of the orc races had essentially been completed. Also, the policies and systems of the Holy Seville Empire had been relatively maintained. However, the tribal system had disappeared, so most of the orcs now lived in the cities.


    Bulberg was a newly established orc city. Originally, it was a castle where only nobles lived.


    After the empire''s expansion, a new orc city was built around the castle. Recently, a group of human scholars, after spending a lot of money, were allowed by the governor of Bulberg to explore the historic sites of the orcs in the area. At this time, Jonathan hired a bunch of orcs to help him discover the remains of the early rat men. Saga was not the first city where the rat men had lived, but it was the cradle of the rat men''s civilization.


    In a hilly area that was next to a village, Jonathan found traces of the early rat men. Someone told him that the stone slate that he was looking for had been taken by a peasant, who wanted to build his pigsty with it.


    After receiving this lead, the orcs in the village spent their leisure time helping Jonathan excavate the ruins. As compensation, Jonathan paid them generously for their labor.


    At this time, a large number of orcs could be seen, all of them exploring the ruins with great enthusiasm. As they dug deeper and deeper, an ancient city gradually emerged among the rubble.


    The city had tall walls and simple houses. During the excavation, Jonathan also found ancient pottery coins, pottery utensils, stone tablets and various living necessities that had belonged to the rat men. Surprisingly, he even found a tomb!


    At one time, the rat men were the strongest race of the orcs, which explained why Jonathan found such a large number of orc slaves'' corpses in the tomb. Jonathan thought that these slaves must have been offered as sacrifices.


    During his search, Jonathan found no gems or gold, which might explain why the governor of Bulberg was so generous to him. But, these things that he had found, at least for scholars, were invaluable treasures, as they could help the scholars learn more about the early ages!


    Even after finding all of these things, Jonathan still frowned. After all, he still hadn''t found what he was looking for. He had come here for a specific purpose, not to explore the history and changes of the early orc civilization!


    "Mr. Brown, there''s a something that you should see!" one of the scholars, who had accompanied Jonathan from the Sean City-State Alliance, seemed very excited.


    Jonathan immediately got up and went over to him and the group of scholars that he was standing among. Along the way, he passed the ruins of the streets of the rat men''s city. The moment he entered the center of the city, he noticed an ancient building that was sloping and had a collapsed spire.


    "What is this? Is it a palace? Call everyone over and start to dig here. Be careful not to destroy anything, especially any writings!" Jonathan yelled.


    Compared with other the buildings, this building was infinitely more magnificent. As they continued to excavate, they discovered steps, tall pillars, and ancient orc statues.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "This looks like it is a temple!" A young scholar on the other side was observing a pattern on the building, and he suddenly voiced his opinion in delight.


    "See this part below... That means... Sacrifice!" a middle-aged man, who was holding a shovel, exclaimed.


    "What temple? For which god?" Jonathan asked anxiously.


    "It''s not clear. We can''t confirm until we get inside and have a closer look, but it seems like it''s not any god that we know!" the young scholar said.


    The anthropologists in the group became excited, and one of them exclaimed, "This is the lost civilization! The oldest civilization! Now, maybe we can finally found out what the world was like more than two thousand years ago!"


    Entering from the window above the spire, they made their ways into the interior of the temple. Their torch lights illuminated a world that no one had entered for many years.


    Many portions of the temple had collapsed, which blocked their way in many directions. As such, Jonathan and the others had to spend a lot of time, snaking their ways through the collapsed stairs and ramps before finally entering the center of the temple. A giant statue at the center of the temple had clearly collapsed, leaving only its base there.


    "Look¡­ Here... What does that mean... On this wall? Are those words?" Jonathan asked.


    Everyone held up their torches to get a better look at the murals on the surrounding walls. Jonathan stood near the first mural. It depicted a blurred figure, who was sitting in the darkness and holding something in his hands.


    "Which god is this? Why is he different from the other gods? What is he holding in his hand?" As Jonathan stared at the man''s image on the wall, he suddenly dropped his torch on the ground.


    "Mr. Jonathan?" A man, noticing something wrong, quickly ran to check on Jonathan.


    Jonathan raised his finger and pointed to the mural, then murmured, "He''s holding¡­ Our world!" Jonathan felt his teeth chatter when he said this.


    Everyone turned back and looked at the man in the mural. Suddenly, they felt that the figure on the mural was enlarging.


    The blurry item in his hands gradually became a globe, in which innumerable living creatures could be seen, and the sun and stars were circulating around. The man literally looked like he was holding the world as he was sitting and watching the rising and setting of the sun!


    At this moment, everyone was shocked, and they could not wait to look at the second mural! The second mural showed the birth of the sun and moon, as well as the evolution of all things.


    Then, they saw the third and the fourth murals, which were abstract evolutionary histories of the world, which included orcs, elves, humans, mermaids, dragons and all kinds of other life forms!


    "This is impossible! This must be from the rat men''s imaginations!" a scholar exclaimed, wanting to deny what he was seeing. "After all, that was a barbaric age, which existed more than 2,000 years ago! How could they know about dragons, elves, and mermaids back then, as they could not even cross the Alan Continent, let alone explore the whole Orc World?"


    Everyone turned to look at the collapsed statue, while they trembled in fear.


    Jonathan then said to the others, "This is the Creator!"

 270 Rat Men

    In the abandoned temple in the darkness, torches were flickering. All of the people felt panic filling their hearts, but didn''t know why.


    All of the people present were either the Browns or loyalists to the Browns. All of them were Jonathan''s most trusted people. That''s why Jonathan had come here with them.


    Jonathan looked at every mural very carefully. He felt that what he was looking for must be here. Surely, the truth that he and all of the alchemists had been pursuing was only a step away...


    "Where is it?" Jonathan murmured.


    When he arrived at the collapsed statue, the mural on the wall ended abruptly, as if it had quickly been erased, leaving only a few lines of Sofawk. This was the oldest Sofawk language, which was very different from today''s Sofawk.


    However, Jonathan could read this language. As he shone his torch on the wall, he read out the words:"Look for the eternal stars... Bad consequences come at last!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Suddenly, he felt a blast of cold air invade the ruined temple in an instant. In that same moment, an intense despair surged up from the bottom of his heart.


    "Bad consequences!" As Jonathan repeated these two words, behind him, the middle-aged scholar''s face was cloudy.


    The scholar then said, "Rat men are the most mysterious people. The birth of their race seems to have a mysterious meaning. They are the earliest race and the first civilization, but they declined so soon. Nobody knows the reason for their sudden decline."


    "This is a curse! A curse of God. What on earth did they do?" Jonathan looked at the opening line, then murmured, "Look for the eternal stars! Stars, in Sofawk, also refer to gods and the kingdom of God! What could be more terrifying to gods than exploring the realm of the gods and their authority?"


    Suddenly, everyone felt an awareness explode in their minds. A young man who was behind Jonathan looked at him and asked, "They? They want to become gods?"


    Instead of responding, Jonathan knocked on the stone wall, trying to figure out how to take it away. He seemed to touch on something, when suddenly, the stone wall moved abruptly. Jonathan stepped back and saw the back of the stone wall! It had turned via a secret button!


    What he saw before him now was a huge figure who was holding a huge world model in his arms. Within the model was a huge world tree. The world tree supported and maintained the stability of the whole world.


    Upon the great tree were a number of figures, each with a round wheel that represented their titles and responsibilities. Jonathan recognized at a glance that this was the model of the world tree that he had been looking for!


    Its seventeen round wheels were linked to each other and formed a stable world! There were also the seventeen rules, which enabled the world''s stable operation and structure.


    "Seventeen! Ha ha ha ha ha! Seventeen! That''s what it means!" Jonathan felt his whole body go cold.


    He had never been so clear yet so numb before. He instantly realized that his body could not move an inch!


    "Seventeen thrones and seventeen gods! This is a tree that holds up the rules of the world. Each round wheel represents the authority of a god. The Creator of the world left seventeen thrones!" Jonathan was almost babbling like a madman now, as he was so excited.


    "This is the greatest gift that the great Creator left to the world! He used this to select the world''s administrators. In this way, every god manages the operation of part of world and is able to maintain order. This is god''s authority and the truth of the world!" As Jonathan spoke, he waved his arms like a madman and shouted loudly, as if he had just uncovered the mystery of the world.


    Jonathan leaned on the stone wall, looked up at the world model, and burst into happy tears. He then shouted, "Look for the eternal stars! Hahaha, the rat men are the greatest and most amazing creatures in the world. They are the pioneers of the world! Even if they failed, even if they are dead, even if they annihilated themselves in the dust of history, they have still earned my respect today!"


    He pumped his fist in the air and concluded his impassioned speech. "Neither alchemists nor wizards are as great as rat men. They are the first to look for the truth!"


    Besides Jonathan, all of the others began to look at the world model in excitement. Jonathan then squatted down to find that the recently turned wall slate had uncovered a hidden corpse behind it!


    As he took it out to examine it, he saw that it was a small body and had beautiful patterns on its bones. Its rotted skeletal hand-bones were grabbing an ancient leather scroll tightly. The scroll was made of a rat man''s skin!


    Jonathan stretched out his hand to touch the scroll. The moment he touched it, Jonathan felt that the whole world was gazing at him. He was so awestruck, he could hardly move.


    "Everyone, get out of here!" Jonathan shouted and rushed out, followed by all of the others.


    In the sky, a flash of light came from the bitwall, travelled thousands of miles in an instant, then fell down on the relics. As the fierce light covered everything on the ground, dust flew everywhere.


    Above the castle, dark clouds amassed. It almost felt as if the gods were angry with them. All of the people in the city looked up and felt that some drastic changes were taking place.


    "What''s wrong with the sky?"


    "How could this suddenly happen?"


    "Look at the sky!"


    "How could this be possible?"


    "What is that?"


    No one knew what had happened. Suddenly, sixteen stars and a silver moon appeared in the sky at the same time, causing everyone to look up. The sixteen stars and the silver moon seemed so close to the earth, as if they were directly above everyone''s heads!


    All of the people were so close to the Divine Kingdom at this moment. Everyone was appreciating the beauty of the stars above them.


    However, there was still confusion lingering. After all, no one understood what was happening in the world.


    Astrologers were trying to find out what was going on via the changes in the stars, and the king and the nobles, as well as the wizards and religious believers were all panicking.

 271 Turmoil

    As the floating castle was travelling among the stars, without careful observation, no one could perceive the difference between it and the stars. Also, the floating castle was much larger than it had been before. It had really become a city in the sky.


    Its bottom base was made entirely of metal and was covered with forests and fertile soil. A transparent glass covered the upper part of the floating city, separating it from the outside. As such, it was like a totally independent world.


    At the moment, the city was covered in darkness, with only a few stars shining over the forests and buildings. Within the city, many small rivers flowed , and animals and insects could be seen in the city''s nearby jungle.


    Bang!


    As Lu Zhiyu snapped his fingers, the atmosphere changed immediately from darkness to light. A flaming red sun that was similar to the one in the outside world then gradually arose. Warm sunshine shone on all of the plants and the animals in the floating city, and there were white clouds in the sky.


    "Inside the floating city, we already have everything we need. Even if we travel in the astral or across the bitwalls, we will be fine. This floating city is really independent!" Lu Zhiyu said.


    He then added, "As Maria''s World has more contact with the sky, as time goes on, they will one day gradually explore the entire space, even the bitwall and the stars!"


    Lu Zhiyu stretched out, appreciating the beautiful scenery of the floating city. He then took a deep breath, sensing the freshness of the air. Eva then stretched out her finger, causing the season to change from spring to summer.


    In the floating city, the most noticeable features were five huge, ancient trees. Lu Zhiyu had designed them after the Ancient War Tree. He named them Fairy Trees, and during his designing session, he had incorporated some ideas from the elves about the power of belief.


    Every Fairy Tree was a level four divine creature, which meant that each one was capable of creating witchcraft boundaries and also had part of the biological imitation ability of the Ancient War Tree. Most importantly, each Fairy Tree could produce fairies!


    These fairies were only a dozen centimeters in size, but they were human-like in shape. However, they were still somewhat similar to demons in appearance. They were a rare type of divine creature, half real and half virtual.


    The fairies and Fairy Trees were like believers and gods. The stronger the tree was, the more fairies would be born from it, and the more powerful the fairy family would become. The larger the fairy population became, the greater the faith power and the more powerful the Fairy Tree would be.


    But, once fairies weakened and disappeared, the power of the Fairy Tree would also weaken. This was a perfect example of symbiosis and coexistence.


    Eva watched Lu Zhiyu lying on the lawn, then went and sat down near him. They both looked at the forest land below the hillside. On top of the hill, they could see their residence where they lived, as well as the main access road to the buildings at the bottom of the floating city.


    At the moment, hundreds of fairies were shuttling among the flowers and grasses in the forest, helping Lu Zhiyu to maintain the beauty of the floating city. All along the hillside, flowers were blooming and green trees were growing.


    Several fairies with transparent wings leaned forward and quietly looked at Lu Zhiyu. They were shy and looked at him with awe. When Lu Zhiyu saw them, they immediately dispersed!


    "Ah! God found us!" one of the fairies exclaimed in surprise. Then, all of the fairies, each wearing green leaves as clothes, fluttered their wings and disappeared in the blink of an eye.


    As she could see some embarrassment on Lu Zhiyu''s face, Eva snickered at him. After all, only Eva was close to the fairies.


    As such, the fairies liked to play around with her. Eva really liked these little creatures very much. But, every time Lu Zhiyu approached, the fairies would flee in a hurry, as if they had seen some horrible ghost.


    "Five Fairy Trees are still not enough. They can barely cover the floating city!" Eva said.


    She was currently in charge of overseeing the structure, scenery, and management of the floating city. Lu Zhiyu wanted to let her run this city completely because Eva was unwilling to become a god.


    "When the trees continues to grow and there are more fairies, these five trees will eventually be able to cover the whole floating city via projection witchcraft. Then, they will be an important guarding force for the floating city." Lu Zhuiyu explained to Eva.


    Eva looked at Lu Zhiyu and asked doubtfully, "Master, what is written on that scroll?"


    He quickly replied, "It outlines the way to become a god! I simplified the way of becoming a God into a few steps. After all, it''s not easy to become a god, and I can''t explain all of the steps from the beginning to the end. As the thrones have all been arranged in the Divine Kingdom, the rest depends on their own initiatives now!"


    ------------------


    As the stars appeared in the sky, people were able to see the Divine Kingdom. The Alen Continent started to organize great ceremonies. In particular, several religious groups held grand celebrations in an attempt to communicate with the gods.


    At this moment, everyone felt a huge pressure in their hearts. Although it was not clear what had happened, everyone felt that the world had changed dramatically. This change might even be unprecedented, but what had caused such a change was not clear.


    "The Pope is still in the Temple of Light! Has the oracle been given yet?" A priest asked.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The Church of Light, which had just annexed nearly one-third of the central province, reached its peak with a surge in strength. The third-generation Pope, Armenia, had been described as having comparable merits to the first-generation Pope Hodap. His prestige in the Church of Light had soared to the degree that almost all of the followers were under his command.


    At this moment, the ambitious pope was kneeling under the statue of the god, trembling and sweating. He was holding a grand ceremony to ask the gods to give him an oracle!


    God did not give the oracle himself, but an angel of the Divine Kingdom came to deliver the oracle. All of the people saw a shiny light falling from the sky, then covering the entire Temple of Light.


    After that, numerous white streams of light shot from a saintess'' body, glowing throughout the temple. The saintess gave the oracle in the name of the angel.


    "Someone wants the power of god!" Several simple words of the saintess revealed a lot of information.


    All of the priests present felt a sudden boom, like an explosion had just gone off in their heads. They thought of the rumors that had been circulated in the Alen mainland recently, which made them uneasy.


    "Evil!"


    "Find him! We must find the one who stained god''s holy power and send him to hell!"


    "Unforgivable!"


    The message from god immediately drove the priests of the Church of Light into a state of complete madness. Everyone wanted to find the guy. Nothing was more hateful to the The Church of Light than this evil!


    This message spread from St. Sarl City, where the Kingdom of the Church of Light was located, out into all of the other kingdoms. Although the Church of Light, the Faith of the Sun, and the heavenly palace were desperately trying to cover up the news, it still spread like wildfire.


    Now, kings and nobles and wizards from every kingdom, and even some evil creatures that were hidden in the dark, were all stirred up. This explosive message caused everyone to be on the lookout for this fellow who had made the gods so angry.

 272 Rat Man Skin Scroll

    Danello Harbor, which had been abandoned for decades since the ghost disaster, had been rebuilt after the recovery of the orcs. A new city was now built upon the ruins.


    The dock was busy, filled with stevedores and boat trackers. Large and small merchant ships sailed here often. Jonathan Brown, who had just arrived at the dock with two men, but had yet to approach the dock, turned around and headed back at once!


    "Bow your head! Don''t let anyone see us!" Jonathan warned.


    "What''s wrong?" one of the other two asked with a low voice.


    "It''s a trap. Four of the people squatting over there were from the Faith of the Sun!" Jonathan explained hurriedly.


    The three men crossed an alley and went inside the city. On their way, they saw that several soldiers near the entrance were posting arrest warrants. Jonathan looked up and saw was his portrait on one of them.


    He was shocked. He lowered his head and quickened his pace.


    They finally entered a run-down house, where Jonathan took off his hat and scarf, then hung them on the wall. The weather in the north had started to turn cold, so it was very cold, even inside the room. They all sat around a fire to warm up.


    After Jonathan and the others left the rat men relics site, a powerful force destroyed the entire site in an instant. Fortunately, they survived.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Jonathan knew that the explosion, coupled with the previous daytime stars was a warning, so he had returned to Bulburg overnight and headed for Danello Harbor. He had hoped to take a ferry from here and return to Sean City-State Alliance.


    But, Jonathan didn''t know that Danello Harbor was now guarded by forces from the army. As Jonathan was only a level one alchemist, he was not strong enough to contend with them, nor did he plan to do so.


    Jonathan squatted in front of the fire, extremely depressed. He then said, "They know it''s us. Sure enough, these guys have found me out! Now, the Faith of the Sun must be looking for us too. They are waiting for me to turn up!"


    The middle-aged scholar on the other side said, "We have to leave immediately. I heard that they have begun to check everyone''s identities. We humans are too conspicuous in the orc kingdom, so if we stay any longer, we will surely be found out. We must leave here now!"


    "Jonathan, everybody''s looking for us. Where are we going to go? What shall we do?"


    "Maybe we can go across the Andromeda Mountain to the central province!"


    "No, the Church of Light in the central province must be looking for us too!"


    "We shouldn''t have come here. We''re done for, Jonathan. You shouldn''t have touched the stuff of the gods. We''ve offended the gods!"


    Everyone was complaining, but none of them could think of a good way out of their current mess. Jonathan was upset, and he looked at everyone and said, "But, this is also our great chance, the opportunity of the Brown family to make its mark! We know the biggest secret in the world. As long as we can take the stone mural back to the central province, we will have everything!"


    "But, how do we get out of here?" asked a young man.


    All of the people present were part of the Brown family, who were supposed to be the most trustworthy of all people. But, at this moment, everyone became panicked. If Jonathan could not reassure them, there would surely be internal conflicts that would arise among them.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve sent a message to Miss Marina! She will not give up on us! After all, we are alchemists and descendants of the great Lars Brown! Even the Church of Light and the Faith of the Sun could not compete with us. Standing behind us are all of the alchemists and the Sean City-State Alliance!" As soon as Jonathan uttered the name of Miss Marina, everyone became calm again, as if her name alone was a magic spell.


    "Really? Has Miss Marina gotten the message yet?" someone asked.


    "When I was in Bulberg, I sent a message to the Alchemy Association of Ahenaten Empire. When they received the message, they were to cross half of the continent and send it to Sean City-State Alliance. According to their report, Miss Marina received our message a few days ago!" Jonathan said.


    "Great! We''re saved!" Everyone was overjoyed. It turns out that Jonathan had thought of everything.


    "Yes, so the most important thing for us to do now is not to panic. We need to form a strong and united front!" Jonathan raised his voice to rally their enthusiasm.


    At night, under the lamplight, Jonathan curled up on a bed in the corner, covering himself with a broken quilt. He was carefully reading the rat man skin scroll.


    The contents of the scroll were written in the oldest Sofawk language. Jonathan made notes with a charcoal pen as he read. The more he read, the more his fingers couldn''t help but tremble. As a result, his handwriting was very messy.


    There were a large number of ancient words on the scroll, quite different from modern grammar. They were obscure and difficult to understand.


    Besides that, there were several taboo matrices that were complex to the extreme. Different patterns could be seen in the three-dimensional matrices, drawn out with special techniques from different angles. They were all showing how to transform one''s human body into a divine body.


    The script above the matrices read:


    God is in charge of the rules of the world and defends the truth!


    The mortal one can''t make divine rules. To become a god, one must acquire a divine body, then ascend the divine throne!


    All is insignificant, except rules, and the gods create the rules.


    While he was reading, Jonathan felt that the scroll was revealing the world''s greatest secrets. This scroll was filled with all kinds of mysteries and taboos!


    After Jonathan finished reading the scroll, he threw the it and his notes into the fire. The scroll was instantly engulfed in flames. While the fire emitted a wisp of black smoke, Jonathan''s eyes shone.


    At this moment, a ship from the far-away Sean City-State Alliance was approaching the orc kingdom. It was about to arrive at Danello Harbor. An arbitral knight group from the Tiratan Knight Kingdom had also come all the way to Danello.

 273 Steam Alchemy Doll

    The arbitral knight group were the subordinates of the Faith of the Sun. They first arrived in the Tiridan Kingdom.


    Then, after checking the rat men relics, they followed Jonathan and the others all the way to Danello City in the Engido Kingdom. The Engido Kingdom was restored more than a hundred years ago by the family of the Queen of Holy Seville Empire. Now, the holy temple of the Faith of the Sun was located in Primonius, which was the capital of the Engido Kingdom.


    Investigations in Danello were intensifying and had impacted its commercial development. Knights of the Faith of the Sun were stopping all of the suspicious people in the city, especially humans.


    But, in this city with a population of 100,000, because of trade, there were tens of thousands of resident human beings, many of whom weren''t officially registered in the city''s books.


    This was partly why Jonathan had chosen to hide here. For a while, there would be no danger of his being exposed. But over time, that risk would increase.


    Hundreds of knights arrived outside the city of Danello. After showing their documents to the guards, they entered the city. All of the passers-by, upon seeing the insignia on the knights'' cloaks, immediately stepped back to give way.


    "Dear Barry, head of the arbitral knights, thank you for coming. Everything is ready!" The governor of Danello rushed out of the governor''s house to welcome the arbitral knights. Long before, he had received news that an evil blasphemer might be hiding in the orc kingdom with some world-shaking secret.


    The governor immediately set up a trap to catch the guy, but the blasphemer was very alert and saw through his plan. The governor had to block the harbor and the city, then check all of the human beings in the city. But, as the blasphemer was a cunning alchemist, he had thus far successfully evaded them.


    The position of head of the arbitral knights was similar to the Chief Justice of the Church of Light. He enjoyed a very high rank in the Faith of the Sun. Even in the orc kingdom, he was a frightening figure.


    Now, he had come to Danello personally, even leading hundreds of Holy Knights who joined him. Still yet, the governor had not completed the task. This made the governor nervous.


    "Have you caught anyone yet?" Barry asked.


    Barry was a mixed-race orc, who had tiger''s blood running through his veins. His armor and Holy Knight Sword looked majestic.


    His red cloak fluttered in the wind. When he looked at the governor, though he showed no expression, the governor felt tremendous pressure.


    "Not yet! The governor was even more nervous now. This fellow in front of him could identify anyone as a blasphemer, without even going through the legal procedures!


    The governor then continued. "Nevertheless, he is still in the city. I know this because I have blocked all the ways to go to sea. People have been allowed to enter, but not to leave. Thus, they could not have escaped. We are searching for them all over the city, and we will have results for you soon!"


    The governor then sat down, hoping that Barry wouldn''t be angry with him. Barry frowned, "Let the bloodhounds loose!"


    Since the emergence of magical beasts, wizards had not only studied the power of these magical beasts, but had also constantly bred and domesticated them in various ways. There was even a large number of new variants of magical beasts, which were also bred by wizards.


    Of course, the churches would not turn a blind eye to this situation. Within the churches, as well as resisting and eliminating these wild magical beasts, they began to use their powers.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    As such, the bloodhound was bred by the Faith of the Sun. It was the result of multiple hybridizations of three hellhounds. It did not inherit the superb power of hellhounds, but its character was not as evil as hellhounds.


    The bloodhound had a keen sense of smell, especially when they were tracking blood. Even if it was hundreds of miles away, it could track the source immediately.


    Also, the bloodhounds'' fur was resistant to extraordinary power forces. This species was a fierce hound, like a leopard, with bright black fur and red eyes.


    Barry put a blood-soaked cloth under one of the bloodhound''s noses. The bloodhound sniffed it carefully, then ran towards a corner of Danello City.


    This cloth was one that the arbitral knights as they had followed Jonathan. Although Jonathan escaped from the rat men ruins, many of his men were injured. The arbitral knights turned their residence upside down in order to find this cloth that had their blood on it.


    "Follow the bloodhounds! They can''t escape now!"


    --------------------


    In a basement that was full of dust and spider webs, several people were crammed in together. Their eyes were somewhat blurry, as the dirty and messy environment, coupled with days of not eating much food, had made everyone tired and weak.


    All kinds of emotions surged in the hearts of Jonathan and the others. During this period, they changed their dwellings continuously.


    They dared not go out during the day, and food and water was scarce. The search in the city became more and more intense, and there were fewer and fewer places for them to hide.


    A few wizards and alchemists who had been hiding in the city were caught and killed on the spot by the Faith of the Sun. If it hadn''t been for Jonathan''s early preparations, he would most likely be dead by now, just like them.


    Jonathan stood up from time to time, feeling an overwhelming sense of danger. As he was a born adventurer, he could naturally predict danger. It was this ability that enabled him to escape traps over and over again, instead of dying like most other adventurers.


    "We have to get out of here at once!" Jonathan said to the others.


    "And go where? We have nowhere to hide!" someone said.


    "I don''t feel right about this place. Let''s leave here first, then decide what to do next!" Jonathan immediately rushed out.


    Everyone put on their cloaks and followed him. Not long after he left the old warehouse, he saw a group of people in the distance. Soon, a large group of soldiers had surrounded the warehouse where they had been hiding.


    Jonathan and the others hid among the crowd. If they had left even a second later, they would have been caught by the Holy Knights of the Faith of the Sun. They all knew what that would have meant...


    "Don''t look! Leave now. They are arbitral knights. Let''s leave separately. Don''t leave together. We will meet in the old place at midnight!" Jonathan looked at the insignia on the knights'' cloaks and recognized them immediately.


    "God, why haven''t the people come to help yet? We''re dead! We can''t run away! We can''t hide! It''s all over!" said another member of the group, clearly in despair.


    Barry rode on a horse and watched the soldiers searching inside, while the situation in the basement was explained to him. The bloodhound ran around and then looked outside. Barry took it and looked into the crowd.


    Jonathan crossed dark alleys and ran on a path. He still felt that someone was chasing after him, as if he was being targeted. No matter where he went, he could not get rid of that hunted feeling!


    The presence behind him was getting closer and closer, and Jonathan was so anxious, he rushed towards the most crowded places. At this time, he found out that the presence he felt was a bloodhound!


    Jonathan was not afraid of the bloodhound, but he was nervous about the batch of Holy Knights following it. The man who was in front of the Holy Knights was looking at him.


    It''s over. It''s over. It''s really over this time!


    That man is at least a level three!


    Jonathan was so panicked, he ran right into pedestrians and crashed into vendors along the road. Behind him, the Holy Knights blocked all of the roads, narrowing his escape routes. In their eyes, Jonathan was as good as dead.


    Finally, at the foot of the city wall, the bloodhound rushed out of the crowd and blocked Jonathan. As its blood-red eyes looked at Jonathan, madness and fear occupied his heart and mind completely.


    "Mechanical mind!" Jonathan used his magic, and a fireball formed in his hand. As he immediately sent it forward to hit the bloodhound, a huge explosion ripped through the bloodhound.


    Jonathan then took this chance to climb up the wall like a spider. "Run away from here! As long as I can climb over this wall, I will have another chance!" Jonathan was sweating and kept talking to himself, as if it gave him great power somehow.


    At this time, a silver light crossed the distance and arrived directly in front of Jonathan. Before Jonathan had time to respond to it, a silver pike penetrated his shoulder and nailed him to the wall.


    A man quickly crossed the sky, came across the roof, then finally flew to Jonathan. It was Barry, the head of the arbitral knights.


    Barry was looking at Jonathan with a pair of cold eyes. "Evil man! I will end you now!"


    Jonathan groaned painfully and looked at Barry sadly. At that moment, Jonathan was overwhelmed with despair.


    Barry stretched out his hand, readying to pull out his lance. At this moment, he suddenly saw something in the sky. It was a man, falling from the wall!


    Barry quickly pulled out the Holy Knight Sword at his waist and struck at the man with it. The man had didn''t try to evade it at all, but took the stroke directly with his strong hand, immediately rendering Barry''s attack invalid.


    Barry had to give in and took back the sword, asking, "Who are you?"


    The man wore a linen cloak, and his hood had been blown down over his face by the strong wind. It could just barely be seen that the man had a bronze head.


    Several metal pipes were on top of his head, and they were piping out steam constantly. His one mental arm stuck into the wall, and the other was protecting Jonathan. He looked at Barry, who was now on the ground.


    Jonathan could even hear the sound of steam bursting from inside this man''s body, as well as some gears creaking. This was the great work of the alchemists, a superb mechanical alchemy doll that was powered by steam!


    Happiness filled Jonathan''s pale face, and even his bleeding injury could not keep him from being excited.


    "Archimonde, why did you come here? Did the dean come too?" he asked.


    At this moment, more than a dozen figures suddenly appeared on the wall. The Holy Knights and Barry turned to look solemnly at them.

 274 Level Five Divine Incantation Combination

    The crowded and busy Danello City had now become completely quiet. People at the gate and the nearby bazaar all shrank into quiet corners.


    After so many years of observing the emergence of such extraordinary power, everyone knew clearly the capabilities of these people. In the eyes of ordinary people, all wizards, priests, Holy Knights and demons were viewed as being as terrible as monsters!


    Just after the smoke of the exploratory blow in the battle between Archimonde and Barry dispersed, people saw that a large area of the wall had been damaged. At the moment, more than a dozen alchemists, each wearing silver-white robes, were standing on the wall.


    They had come across the sea in a fleet of ships from half a continent away. Their leader was a tall woman with glasses.


    Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her eyes were full of intellectual light. It was Marina Bossey, the dean of Akkad Alchemy College. As she put out her hand, a hand formed by mind power immediately seized Jonathan and lifted him up.


    "Put him down!" Barry, as head of the arbitral knights, could not let the blasphemer be rescued.


    In his anger, he climbed up the city wall, but Archimonde immediately moved towards him. Barry then yelled, "You are clearly asking to die. I will help you with that!"


    Barry used a level three divine incantation that was created by the Faith of the Sun. Suddenly, intense light and heat flashed from the sky and was moving straight towards Archimonde.


    Archimonde''s body was stiff, but his speed was fast. As steam rose above his head, Archimonde waved, and the temperature immediately dropped to minus ten degrees in an instant. As the walls were all frosted, they collapsed in an instant.


    "The Ring of Guardianship!" As Barry used another divine incantation, the alchemy doll immediately set up the mind power force fields.


    They used all kinds of divine incantations back and forth. The light of extraordinary power was flashing in the sky and emitting smoke. Within the smoke, people stared at the dark outlines of two figures grappling with each other ten kilometers away. All of them were shocked!


    Archimonde''s arms constantly shot out bullets, while his mouth emitted a miniature alchemy canon, which bombarded Barry mercilessly. Both sides used all kinds of means to their limits!


    Theirs was a close fight. Archimonde was better with close combat. His steel body could also withstand much more abuse than Barry''s.


    At the foot of the wall, the remaining arbitral knights were ready to launch a high level divine incantation combination. As they prepared, a huge sun rose and the light shone on them. This divine incantation combination had already surpassed level four to reach level five!


    "The Blazing Sun?" At the moment, Marina looked grave.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Although Marina was a level four wizard and Barry was a level three, they knew that the church could borrow power from the gods, especially when dealing with this kind of large-scale combination of divine incantations. As such, even if one of them was several levels higher than their opponent, they could still be beaten with the added power borrowed from the gods.


    "We have Jonathan. Let''s leave. This is the place of the Faith of the Sun!" Archimonde quickly left the battle and followed Marina.


    At this moment, the combined divine incantation launch was completed. The huge sun rose high and the burning light shone on the whole city.


    People could not even open their eyes under such a strong light. They sensed a burning smell and the ground was very hot. People close to it could even smell burnt hair.


    The huge sun was then thrown at the alchemists. Instantly, the wall was torn apart. Even the war base was burnt. Also, the whole ground was melted into a pool of magma! Flames covered a large area, burning the vast sandy beaches outside the city and leaving a huge, barren pit.


    The power of the level five divine incantation combination was one of the strongest and most fierce divine incantations of the church. No one thought these alchemists could survive it.


    Barry also thought that these people would have died under the power of the blazing sun. After all, the earth was even melted! Surely no one could survive under such a powerful attack!


    ---------------------


    At this moment, a huge sea monster appeared above the sea. It was a huge giant squid, and riding on the head of it, more than a dozen people could be seen.


    This was the giant squid Koukou, and the people on its head were the group of alchemists that were led by Marina, as well as Jonathan and Archimonde. A fleet of ships was approaching them, and when the ships reached them, they all jumped onto the deck of one of them.


    "If used well, an illusionary technique can be more powerful than any extraordinary power! This is what I was taught by Catherine, who was a tutor at the wizard tower. She was a wizard who was proficient in illusionary techniques. I always kept her words in mind. Whether it be strong or weak, when used properly, low level magic can play a powerful role!" Marina took Jonathan aboard and healed him, while she spoke to the students beside her.


    She had used an illusionary technique to successfully lead the group in escaping from the divine incantation combination. From the initial setup to the later illusion deployment, and all the way to the final projection, a series of delicate operations dazzled all of the students. Even if some of the students didn''t see clearly how Marina did it, they were still shocked by the outcome.


    Jonathan''s mouth was bleeding and he felt panicked, but after he saw Marina, he calmed down. However, he sadly said to Marina, "Unfortunately, they can''t come back!"


    Marina patted Jonathan on the shoulder. "I''m sorry, I got the news that some of the powerful figures of the Faith of the Sun are coming too. We can''t wait too long, as the arbitral knights are not easy to deal with. These church guys can communicate with the gods, after all. If they call the angels to come, we can''t run away!"


    Jonathan totally understood. "I didn''t think you would come in person. I''ve caused you too much trouble, I..."


    Jonathan wanted to go on, but Marina stopped him. "Don''t worry. Wait till you''re better. Archimonde, take Jonathan to the lounge!"


    Archimonde was transformed by Marina according to the teachings of Lu Zhiyu. With the continuous progress of alchemy, though Marina had not fully understood the essence of alchemy life, she had still been able to carry out such a transformation.


    For this to happen, Marina went to sea herself, killed the Children of the Sea, then integrated the deified cells of the spellcasting organ and heart into Archimonde, thus transforming him! Archimonde had also acquired the extraordinary power to control temperature during this process.


    Marina chose to use her mind power to deify Archimonde after reaching level four. In this case, Marina and Archimonde became united as one. Marina gambled her entire future on Archimonde. As such, Marina was forging a unique path for future alchemists.


    Based on the metal-activated steam engine, Marina had created the first alchemy doll with steam as its driving force. At the same time, she led the development of the steam engine in a special direction, towards a future that was yet unknown.


    "Dean, where should we go next?" someone asked Marina.


    "Turn around and go to the Yala Continent. We can''t go to Sean City-State Alliance and the academy at the moment. Besides, they are some very interesting changes happening on the Yala Continent!" Marina said.


    The fleet changed its course and headed for the deep sea, followed by the giant sea monster Koukou. In this way, Marina journeyed to the Yala Continent once more. But, they were not the only ones who were going there.

 275 Evil Peep

    The towering Tree of Life spread in the wind, nourishing the whole Silver Moon Forest. Tens of thousands of Moonlight Elves lived around the Tree of Life and elf villages were dispersed throughout the Silver Moon Forest.


    The Moonlight Elves tribe lived in the center of the Silver Moon Forest. Behind rolling mountains, the city of Taman could be seen. Rivers from the Sandro Highland formed waterfalls here, then passed around Taman, wound through the Moonlight Forest, then emptied into the sea.


    Taman was not as magnificent as Sylve City, nor did it have vast rivers and lakes like the Forest of Life. Taman was hidden in the mountains, where the waterfalls flew down the mountain ridge and went around them. Here, elves built white houses with triangular tops, which surrounded the Tree of Life, thus guarding their god and mother.


    Olanca, dressed in a white robe, stood on the altar under the Tree of Life. The great Tree of Life hid the entire sky.


    As its trunk swayed, green leaves fell. This tree controlled and regulated the four seasons of the Silver Moon Forest. The plants and climate of the Silver Moon Forest also fell within the management of the Tree of Life.


    Olanca''s robe had a green seed symbol on it, which symbolized life, harvest, earth and the four seasons. It also represented Bernice, the goddess of the harvest.


    At this moment, Bernice had not yet been able to ascend the throne. As such, she was still only half divine, and was thus unable to make the rules.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Since she didn''t have her own Divine Kingdom yet, this was her most vulnerable and critical period. In addition to leading the Moonlight Elves in daily sacrifices and prayers, Olanca guarded the goddess.


    "Someone evil has turned their eyes to the Silver Moon Forest. We must be careful!" After a day spent in prayer, Olanca, who was also the high priest, stood at the foot of the Tree of Life and announced the news to the elves that gathered on the square.


    Some strange things had taken place recently in the Silver Moon Forest. Among the villages of the elves, many elves had gone missing. The Moonlight Elves tribe had entered a state of high alert.


    "Who on earth has come here? Is it those greedy humans?" The elves that were not on the stage were also talking about this.


    Some wondered if this was the doings of the Sylve Empire that had previously clashed with them. "Is it the wizards of the Sylve Empire? They probably came for Bernice. We must be careful!"


    Olanca lifted a cane that was made from the branches of the Tree of Life, which was also inlaid with a brilliant gem. This was the eye of a hundred-eyed mother spider, which was born with extraordinary power. After the mother spider was killed, the eye had been affixed to this cane. As such, the cane had divine power.


    "This is an extremely evil force. Now that Taman is on high-alert, everyone must be prepared. I feel that this evil force is very powerful. As it is most likely coming for our goddess, we must not be careless!" Olanca said.


    At the end of the meeting, a Moonlight Elf priest stayed behind. This was because Olanca was going to send him to Sylve City to visit His Majesty Wendy, the Elf Queen.


    "This time, even our goddess has sensed the danger. It is probably coming from the human world. Recently, human beings have been coming from distant continents to our land. I suspect that they are not here just to trade. They may also be here looking for our goddess. I always feel that someone is peeping at our goddess. We need the help of the Sylve Empire! Our duty is to guard Bernice!" the Moonlight Elf said.


    He then asked, "Are the elf wizards of the Sylve Empire trustworthy? They are not in a good relationship with us lately, though, right?"


    Olanca walked down the steps. The fountain ran down from above them and passed through the waterway under the arch bridge.


    She then said, "The conflicts between us and the Sylve Empire were caused by the differences in our beliefs, habits, and perceptions. Regardless, we are of the same race, and we are all elves. I think Her Majesty Wendy knows this very well, so she will help us!"


    ---------------------


    Under the darkness of night, a blood-red crow crossed the jungle and was approaching Taman City. Suddenly, a strong light swept through and the blood-red crow fell down. But, before it hit the ground, it turned into ashes that scattered away in the wind.


    At the same time, several devil kin that had invaded the Silver Moon Forest were killed by the elf priests. Several elves that had been eroded by the abyss'' evil power were also captured by the Moonlight Elves of the Silver Moon Forest. These attacks had left the Silver Moon Forest was on high-alert, and every elf was nervous because the evil forces from the abyss were very powerful.


    More importantly, they had never seen such an imposing force. Three churches and wizards on the Alen Continent had fought against these demons many times, had figured out the characteristics of the evil force, and thus, knew how to kill them! But, common elves couldn''t even tell whether their fellow elves had been controlled by the abyss or not, and the evil side kept watching the elves in secret and harassing them!


    What was even more disturbing was that the elves had never been able to see the evil''s true face. Fortunately, Olanca, the high priest, took control of the situation and stabilized it.


    Heckfoss was now standing on a cliff in the Silver Moon Forest. Behind him, the silver moon appeared incomparably dazzling and bright. It shone on the earth, and the whole Silver Moon Forest was covered in a dreamy silver shade.


    It''s really shocking! At least level five, or even six! I heard that wizards called the level seven a major threshold. It apparently is the difference between one''s being mortal and immortal. Is this unknown goddess stuck at this key stage?


    Old Heckfoss, who had scars all over his ferocious face, was in deep thought as he looked at the Silver Moon Forest. He had reached level three and become a powerful level four demon warlock.


    Now, he was out of the control of the Devil King in the Abyss World. As such, the current relationship between him and the Devil King was more like employer and employee versus slave and master. This was the result of his more than a hundred years'' efforts and the reward he had received after he occupied the Sumerian lands.


    However, he was still not satisfied. He longed for more. And in the Silver Moon Forest, there was something that he had particularly desired for a long time.

 276 Abyss Gate

    Several visitors had recently come to Haig in the Sylve Empire. In the Corolla Tower, Wendy, as the dean of the wizard college, had received many wizards from the human world.


    These visitors were Edward Kelermo, the master of the wizard tower, Catherine, and several tower mentors. Marina Bossey and Jonathan Brown of Akkad Alchemy College, as well as orc wizards from Colossus College had also come.


    For ordinary people, crossing the ocean might be a very difficult thing. Even though steamships had emerged, it still took nearly a year to make the voyage.


    Moreover, the monsters above the sea were like the Children of the Sea, and the dangerous tides and waves of the waters were also daunting. Even with the right navigation chart, it was easy to get lost at sea.


    At the top of the Corolla Tower, magnificent waterfalls fell down Hagrid Grand Canyon, and the thick fog covered Corolla Tower. This especially made Corolla Tower look like a fairyland.


    "Seems like the story is true. There really is a goddess-to-be in the Moonlight Elves tribe, and she is about to ascend the divine throne and manage her own Divine Kingdom!"


    "What kind of goddess is she?"


    Everyone was talking about the goddess-to-be in the hall, when Wendy suddenly stated, "Most of you here are my old friends, classmates, and even students, so I''m telling you that I will never allow anything bad to happen to the elves!"


    There were different opinions among the wizards about the goddess-to-be of the Moonlight Elves. Wendy, although she was a wizard, had built a deep relationship with the elves.


    After all, the entire rise of the Sylve Empire was mostly due to the elves'' efforts. This was also the home of the elves, so the wizards here tended to be friendly to the Moonlight Elves, and they hoped to be able to meet the goddess-to-be. In fact, everyone present was longing to meet her!


    ------------------


    "The abyss of chaos and darkness! The place of evil and disorder!"


    "You are the master of desire, the eternal evil god from the outside world!"


    "We listen to your call, as we are your most humble and pious servants!"


    "We call your name and pray for your coming!"


    "Stikua Philippuk Atraksi..."


    "Stikua..."


    Nearly a hundred demon kin and demon warlocks knelt down and prayed to the stars from a beach near the coast, shouting the name of the abyss king Stikua. Many torches had been lit on the beach, and their flames flickered as the prayers of the devil kin ascended to the skies.


    The devil kin were carrying out an evil sacrifice. At the same time, demon warlocks were gradually engulfed by the fire, immediately turning into a blood mist.


    In the middle of the torch circle, dozens of Moonlight Elves were tied together. They were being sacrificed to the demon king Stikua. All of the Moonlight Elves struggled, trying to escape.


    With the continuous condensation of blood mist, the surrounding air had become a bloody red. A strange voice echoed in the red mist, like whispers from the abyss, while a vague and disgusting piece of flesh formed in the devil fire.


    It was constantly twisting and expanding. Finally, it became a huge ball of flesh and started floating in the air.


    At this time, the demon warlocks started praying faster, almost in a frantic manner. As they recited evil words, the flesh ball devoured the elves who were on the ground. The elves struggled and screamed, but eventually merged into the ball altogether.


    Heckfoss was very excited. He stood in front of a dozen demon warlocks, holding a blood-red heart tightly in his hand. When he crushed it, he saw a red light shoot into the flesh ball.


    The ball quickly rose into the sky, constantly changing and wriggling, as if some wonderful metamorphosis was taking place. It had now had made contact with the evil forces outside of the world!


    The power of evil immediately invaded the world from the abyss and affected everything in this world. Bitwalls responded by repelling this evil power and trying to squeeze this huge flesh ball out of this world.


    "Abyss Gate, now! This world welcomes you, come!" As Heckfoss shouted this, the ball floated up into the sky, like a blood moon.


    As it shone against the silver moon in the sky, Heckfoss spread his arms and roared wildly, "Abyss Gate!"


    This was a level four witchcraft that he had learned on his own. It combined the power of all of the demon warlocks.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    As such, only a demon warlock could use this witchcraft. It could build a door to the abyss, so that those in this world could borrow the power from the demons who were in the Abyss World.


    This was the first time that Heckfoss had used it, as the cost of each use was the power from a large number of devil kin and the heart of a devil lord. This heart was a reward for Heckfoss'' countless sacrifices to Stikua. It could make a demon warlock become a devil lord, but Heckfoss used it for this sacrifice, as he saw something even more important ahead, which was his becoming a god!


    The flesh ball was constantly rotating, causing airwaves to ripple out. Outlines of figures were struggling inside the flesh ball. Entrapped by the flesh ball, they roared desperately, while their fierce faces could still been seen by those on the outside.


    They yearned to escape their entrapment, which stimulated them to roar crazily and wriggle towards the outside frantically. Finally, they broke free of the flesh ball''s bondage and, one by one, these transformed, fierce-looking devil monsters fell off the ball towards the ground.


    These devil monsters fell to the ground. They each had an ugly and nauseating huge head, a pair of wings, and withered claws. Upon the heads, a large number of tentacles were waving.


    Heckfoss stood in front of the torch altar, while all of the devil monsters danced around him. They stared at him with murderous eyes full that were filled with a devouring desire. When the demon warlocks saw this scene, they trembled and lowered their heads in fear.


    Heckfoss, however, was not afraid at all. Instead, he waved his hands gleefully and called out to all of the devil monsters, "In the name of my King Stikua, obey my call!"


    The devil monsters screamed and surged in the sky, while more demons constantly rushed out of the flesh ball, which was the gate of the abyss. Then, they all flew towards Silver Moon Forest.

 277 The Arrival of Demons

    @@


    Dozens of Ancient War Trees moved frantically across the Sandro Highland, shaking the earth as they went. Wherever they passed, large gaggles of birds were startled and numerous wild animals fled in fear.


    At the same time, magical beasts that were hiding in the Sandro Highland were crouching in their hiding places, not daring to roar or even attempt to drive out the mysterious new invaders. The Ancient War Trees were so powerful and intimidating that even an adult dragon would be scared of them!


    At the moment, they were carrying a large number of elf wizards and human wizards with them as they headed for the Silver Moon Forest. When they were approaching the Silver Moon Forest, they stopped in a valley.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The Ancient War Trees filled the narrow valley, while all of the wizards, who stood on the trees'' sturdy trunks, looked up at the sky. Wendy had a look of horror on her face, as she saw that dark clouds had just moved in, completely obscuring the sun and covering t@@

 278 Devil Martyrdom

    @@


    At this moment, a huge Divine Shadow appeared in the sky above the Silver Moon Forest. It covered the whole sky, along with numerous dark clouds.


    Presently, the Abyss Gate looked like a bloody moon, as it had expanded to its limits. At this moment, a huge arm that was hundreds of meters in length, caught the Divine Shadow.


    Devil flames suddenly raged all over this arm before igniting the sky. The flames then burned up everything in the air.


    Such a terrible scene made everyone present feel that the whole world was collapsing. It especially frightened the ordinary people and some of the low-level wizards. They had never thought that anyone could master such a strong power!Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    While she was standing at the Abyss Gate, Bernice was completely being targeted. This made her extremely nervous.


    She could feel that, on the other side of the Abyss Gate, there was a demon lord that was close to her power, who had also reached level six. At this moment, Bernice was out@@

 279 Blood Sun in the Abyss

    The eternal themes of the Abyss involved darkness, killings, and devouring. The powerful Devil Lords did as they pleased, while the inferior devil species'' were reduced to food others feeding upon.


    Here, countless devils and monsters roared. Every moment, a new devil was born, while a weaker devil species died off.


    Time moved twenty times faster here than in Maria''s World. It had been more than a thousand years since the Abyss World had appeared, and if its age was traced back to when it was the painting space, the Abyss World was even older than this krynnspace.


    While the devils were mostly unsystematic and relied more on their natural progression, this also meant that, regarding sheer numbers, they had far more high-end combat powers compared to Maria''s World.


    Following the appearance of the Devil Lords, the countless space bubbles in the Abyss World had started to divide their world into separate regions. Each Devil Lord needed to reach level four as they fused with the Will of the Abyss, mastered the Rule Power of their respective Abyss layer, and received the support of the Abyss Power.


    As more Devil Lords appeared, every Devil Lord only needed to kill another Devil Lord in order to take everything from him, including his territory. For this reason, within each devil species, there were often wars and annexations among the different races.


    This led to the Abyss splitting into many layers. At the same time, the Abyss kept on expanding. After more than a thousand years, the Abyss bitwall was more than ten times larger than its original size.


    Currently, there was an Abyss layer that was near the core of the Abyss that belonged to the Sidikuya Devils. This was the most ferocious race among all of the devil species, and as such, Sidikuya proclaimed itself to be the King of Devils. This naturally meant that the Sidikuya race possessed the largest Abyss layer, which was the First Abyss Layer.


    Within the First Abyss Layer, there lived numerous legions of devils. Apart from the Sidikuya species, there were other species that were living under the rule of Sidikuya.


    Within the layers of the dark mountain ranges, there were countless devil lairs. Inside these lairs, there was a large amount of architecture that mimicked human beings'' architecture. The King of Devils lived in a big palace that was guarded by countless strong devils.


    At this very moment, hordes of devil armies had been summoned to the palace of the King of Devils. In the darkness, countless devils were entering this city of monsters. They were just about to pass through the Abyss Gate in the sky to reach another world and wage a raging war...


    "No!"


    "Who on earth are you?"


    "How can this be? I am the King of Devils! I am the most powerful of all!"


    All of the monsters were exclaiming as they looked into the sky, while fear welled up within them. Brilliant rays of light continuously shone through the dimensional folds to permeate the First Abyss Layer, and as it shattered the unending darkness, the land lit up, instantly becoming bright.


    Then, a giant palm descended from the skies to press the powerful Devil Lord firmly to the ground. A halo, resembling the clouds from faraway skies, then emerged from the palm.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    It radiated waves that overturned miles of surrounding land. Devils that the waves touched were either blasted away or dissipated under its immense energy.


    Then, one by one, the wise and powerful devil species looked at the sky. They were, about to attack another world with great gusto. But, at the moment, they simply laid on the ground, paralyzed with fear. They had never seen anything more frightening!


    "The Will of the Abyss!" an Abyss devil said as it bent down low and trembled.


    Soon, all of the other devils began whispering among themselves...


    "It is the Will of the Abyss!"


    "Apart from the Will of the Abyss, there cannot be another presence this powerful!"


    Most of the devils did not even have the courage to raise their eyes to look at it. They seemed to be pinned on the ground, paralyzed by this great force.


    Then, a massive Divine Shadow appeared in the skies. As it existed beyond this space as it looked down at the entire Abyss Layer, no one could see its appearance very clearly. They could only see a light that seemed to cover the entire horizon, as well as a pair of eyes that were so large that they resembled cracks in the horizon.


    The light that radiated from the eyes seemed to shine from a place that was above the skies, shooting downward toward somewhere beneath the clouds. The scene resembled how a giant that was outside a box might observe ants that were inside the box.


    The godlike gaze continued to radiate light doward as it scanned the First Abyss Layer. These lower-class devil species, who once indulged in killings and were constantly devouring each other, fell to the ground, trembling. They were all frightened beyond words.


    "Let me go! Wretched thing, let me go!" Sidikuya, the King of Devils, struggled and twisted as it cried out.


    Its numerous tentacles danced wildly, piercing through the space and overturning the ground. As it struggled, its blood dyed the sky red. However, even though it struggled violently, it just couldn''t break free or escape. Hence, fear and anxiety started to well up within Sidikuya.


    It felt like it had reverted to what it was more than a thousand years ago, when it was at its weakest. In this moment, it was helpless, afraid, cautious and wary because everything around it was so fearsome. It realized that a random force from those powerful devil species could actually kill it!


    "No. You cannot do this! I will not die here! Please! Have mercy on me!" Sidikuya shouted as the Divine Shadow crushed the Abyss Gate with one hand, then grabbed Sidikuya with the other. Then, like it was grabbing a baby chick, the Divine Shadow plucked Sidikuya out of the First Abyss Layer.


    "King of Devils!"


    "Sidikuya, my Majesty!"


    "Has Sidikuya been taken?"


    All the devils could only look on and exclaim in shock as Sidikuya was taken away by an entity that existed beyond the Abyss Layer. They couldn''t believe their eyes, as this was Sidikuya, the great Devil Lord that had ruled the entire Abyss Layer for more than a thousand years, the most powerful devil in the Abyss!


    The light pierced through the dimensional folds and cracks that were everywhere in the Abyss. Then, it left quickly and sped toward the core of the Abyss.


    With Sidikuya in his hand, Lu Zhiyu raced towards the core of the Abyss. The core was considered forbidden land, and all of the devils that neared it would be dragged into it by the Will of the Abyss, becoming immediately assimilated into it. This was the core of the Abyss Power, the source of all of the devils!


    "It has almost taken form!" Lu Zhiyu exclaimed.


    In the darkness, a giant Divine Shadow appeared in the core belt of the Abyss. It was an existence that was as big as the Black Hole!


    It spinned endlessly, releasing the strong powers of the Abyss that radiated throughout the entire Abyss bitwall. All of the devils were birthed from the power it radiated, and when they died, their wills would eventually return to it.


    The Divine Shadow was so big that it seemed like it could fill up the entire horizon. But, as it stood before this gigantic Black Hole, it seemed miniscule, like a large spaceship that hovered before a planet in a dark and quiet universe.


    This was the core of the bottomless Abyss, the center and the deepest part of the Abyss World. This was the source energy that Lu Zhiyu had used to create the devils!


    When the devils were created more than a thousand years ago in Abyss time, this was but a miniscule entity, and the whole world had not yet been turned into the Abyss. After more than a thousand years of evolution, the Abyss had completely taken shape.


    This present Abyss World was the world that Lu Zhiyu had created as an experiment in order to step out of level nine. It would now take its first step toward becoming a real world!


    Lu Zhiyu looked towards Sidikuya as it struggled persistently in Lu Zhiyu''s palm. Sidikuya''s body, which was the size of a skyscraper, was evolved continuously as it underwent rounds of destruction and regeneration. Although Sidikuya''s numerous tentacles tore through the sky like chains, releasing great energy, Sidikuya still could not escape.


    "Didn''t you want to become stronger and become a divinity? Let me fulfill your wish!" Lu Zhiyu yelled as he clenched Sidikuya in his palm and reached his hand into the Will of the Abyss.


    At that moment, the giant Black Hole released an immense energy that crept onto Sidikuya bit by bit. In an instant, Sidikuya''s body grew exponentially and the Flame of the Devil burnt endlessly, with him at its core.


    "No! I don''t want it! I don''t want anything! Have mercy on me!" Sidikuya yelled, while struggling persistently. It was so afraid that it no longer resembled a powerful Devil Lord, but resembled a feeble lamb instead.


    But, the Will of the Abyss invaded it endlessly, assimilating it into itself. Its power kept growing and expanding, progressing from level six until it gradually crossed the barrier of matter and headed straight toward level seven.


    Sidikuya could feel the Will of the Abyss empowering it as large amounts of Rule Power and Rule Will flowed into its brain. What would have typically made Sidikuya ecstatic, was now making it roar hysterically. This was because it could feel itself losing control of its body, bit by bit.


    "You scoundrel! Let me go! Please, I beg you! Have mercy on me!" As Sidikuya continued to struggle, it became a giant ball of flesh.


    Then, Flame of the Devil kept expanding and leaping, slowly losing its original form. As the Flame of the Devil grew, it finally transformed into a massive ball of fire, which obscured the entire sky and became even larger than the Divine Shadow.


    It continued to strengthen as the energy from the Will of the Abyss kept flowing in and empowering it until it was completely assimilated. Finally, it had evolved into a gargantuan monster star that was shooting forth big flames and light. As it revolved around the Will of the Abyss, it morphed into a huge sun.


    The sun was blood-red, and it emitted rays that were the color of blood and possessed a special force that belonged to the Abyss. From the center of the Abyss World, a light pierced through the dimensional folds, shooting outward relentlessly.


    Then, the seemingly endless darkness dissipated within and between the layers of the Abyss. At that moment, every devil and monster crept out of its lair.


    A weak ray of light slowly appeared in the layers of the Abyss. The light intensified as warmth and brilliance were cast on every devil.


    Then, a blood-red sun appeared above the skies and shone on the lands of the Abyss. All of the devils were at a loss and could not fathom what it was. They all wondered... What is this red disc in the sky?


    As the sunlight blanketed the lands slowly, its rays of light exposed a world that used to be pitch black. The contours of the land gradually became visible to the eye. As the devils were terrified by the existence of light, they shrank back into their lairs.


    "The rate of time loss has decreased! The rules are being perfected!" Lu Zhiyu could sense the change in the Abyss World immediately.


    Sidikuya had morphed into the Blood Sun of the Abyss, thus introducing a critical rule to the Abyss World. Sidikuya was the first to become the Great King of Devils in the Abyss World.


    But, at the moment, Sidikuya was sealed in the sun by Lu Zhiyu, condemned to the core of the Abyss. Sidikuya could no longer move, much less leave. It could only revolve around the Will of the Abyss forever.

 280 The Gods’ Covenan

    A ray of light descended to the bitwall, then entered the Levitation City. Soon after, another ray of light also descended in the same spot.


    Lu Zhiyu sat in the grand hall, which resembled the shrine of the Gods. The grand hall was surrounded by glass windows, which offered a lovely view of the beautiful scenery outside.


    There was a towering Fairy Tree outside, and busy fairies were flitting throughout the forest. Some of the fairies brought Eva fruit from the forest.


    As she enjoyed the fruit, the adorable fairies sat on Eva''s shoulder and sang to her. These fairies played an important role in helping Eva manage the Levitation City.


    The high-domed ceiling of the great hall had murals painted on it, and the floor was covered with red carpet. Kelly, the Goddess of Light, and Verthandi, had just descended in the form of two rays of light. At present, they were sitting across from Lu Zhiyu.


    "This cannot go on," Verthandi said to Lu Zhiyu, clearly worried. "This is only a level six existence, and it is already capable of wreaking such havoc upon the world. If we do not rein things in now and a level seven existence or a God strikes, it could be absolutely catastrophic!"


    "Lord, I agree. We should really address this now," Kelly said, while nodding.


    "Exactly. This is a big problem." Delmedi, who was barely a young adult, also nodded, a look of feigned seriousness on her face.


    The truth was that she paid no attention to the things that happened down below. And¡­ If she ever did, she wasn''t bothered by the chaos, as she was more than happy to witness more chaos!


    At the moment, Delmedi was wearing her hair down. Her features were exquisite and pronounced, while her eyes were doll-like. These features made her look charming and extremely enchanting.


    Her mouth curled up slightly at the ends, revealing a clever and prideful smile. Her glance was piercing and confident, even somewhat intimidating.


    She was wearing a black cloak and had a huge scythe attached to her back. Her hood, which was upturned, rested behind her hair.


    "For now, there should be no problem," Lu Zhiyu said as he also nodded. "But, it will indeed become a big problem in the future. Since you are the Gods that manage the rules of the world, you can discuss this matter amongst yourselves and enter into a Gods'' Covenant. You can then let Gaia, host of the Divine Kingdom, amend the rules of the world."


    He paused for a moment, then continued, "You can reject all level seven existences at the main bitwall. You have absolute authority to forbid them from entering and descending into the bitwall. These level seven existences will then have to either enter the Divine Kingdom or the Underworld, enter the half bitwall, or leave Maria''s World altogether. This will solve our problem!"


    Lu Zhiyu then stood up, waved his hand to summon Gaia, and turned to project something on the screen. The Gods'' Covenant had been drafted rapidly and had appeared before Lu Zhiyu, as if by magic. As it was projected on the screen, everyone''s attention was focused upon it.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Kelly was the first to sign her divine name on this Gods'' Covenant. With a tap of her finger, divine power rolled forth and left her mark upon it. She was followed by Verthandi and Delmedi, who also sign their divine names to the covenant. Finally, Lu Zhiyu sealed the covenant.


    As he did so, he declared, "In the name of the Creator, I declare this covenant valid!"


    In an instant, the covenant twisted and spun. Then, the endless string of words gradually evaporated into the air, like water vapor, and blended into the depths of the world.


    There was an indescribable change in the depths of the world. While this change was indiscernible to the common man, the Gods could sense it. There was a new rule that had been added to the original set of rules.


    With Lu Zhiyu as the witness, the inaugural Gods'' Covenant had been officially signed. It was now recorded in the archives of the Divine Kingdom and would become a standard of rules in the depths of Maria''s World.


    After they each spoke to Lu Zhiyu, Verthandi and Kelly left the Levitation City to return to their own kingdoms. Delmedi, on the other hand, stayed and lingered around Lu Zhiyu.


    "Why are you still lingering here? How long has it been since you last took a look at the Underworld?" Lu Zhiyu asked her.


    Lu Zhiyu picked his Gods like how one would decide who would inherit their home. First and foremost, they had to be his heir. Their abilities were secondary.


    This was why the three most authoritative Divine Roles had been given to Kelly, Verthandi, and Delmedi. This was also why Lu Zhiyu had assigned the role of God of Death to Delmedi, even though she was rather unreliable. For the less important Divine Roles, he only needed someone with average abilities and sufficient heart to undertake the responsibilities.


    But, Delmedi was clearly over it, and her initial enthusiasm had waned. Just after spending a few days in her role as the God of Death, here she was, merely lingering around Lu Zhiyu.


    She no longer went to the Underworld to complete her rounds. Hence, she was clearly not reliable, much less suitable to be a God!


    But, as the Underworld had been running perfectly well for years without a God of Death, even if Delmedi washed her hands of her responsibilities in the Underworld entirely, it would be perfectly capable of running itself, as the countless Death Messengers would maintain order.


    At present, Delmedi was sprawled on a sofa. She was barefoot and had her small, fair legs straightened out in front of her. She was reading a novel about knight literature from the Orc Kingdom.


    "The Underworld is too mundane! It is utterly meaningless and does not challenge me at all! Everything has already been arranged, and I have nothing to do. All I do is sit there like a statue! So, I figured that I might as well come home. At least I have you to chat with when I''m here!" Delmedi said as she pouted and looked at Lu Zhiyu impatiently.


    "Then, you will have to pick a Follower God to act as the Second King to the Underworld. You will then need to ensure the he or she will run the Underworld in your place!" Lu Zhiyu replied.


    "Okay, but who should I pick?" Delmedi asked.


    Lu Zhiyu was at a loss of words for moment before he replied, "The choice is obvious! Have you not observed your believers and their religions?"


    Delmedi pondered his words, then replied, "No. I have not been observing much since I set up the divine system. Do you mean Cetisius, that rather formidable King of the Humans?"


    "Well, Cetisius is an interesting person. He is very devout, but his faith does not lie in the Gods. Instead, he places his faith in religion itself. In fact, his entire life has been devoted to fulfilling his initial promise to me and accomplishing his goals. Moreover, he is an idealist!" Lu Zhiyu answered instantly.


    He then looked at Delmedi and continued, "So, you shall guide him and ignite his Divine Flame, as well as receive him as your Follower God and make him the Second King to the Underworld!"


    Delmedi''s eyes lit up instantly as she said, "This plan sounds mighty interesting!"


    ___


    Cetisius was haggard and looked like an elderly person. This wasn''t surprising, as he was already 200 years old.


    While he still had a long way to go before his life would end, Cetisius felt that he was indeed an old man. This was not so much a matter of his physical age, but his spiritual age.


    He had fought his entire life, so he was extremely weary. He had united the entire Batko area, built up the strong Pusuote Dynasty, moved eastwards to annihilate the Tuten Dynasty and vastly expanded his territory toward the west.


    The lands he had conquered could be said to be the vastest lands that any empire had occupied thus far. The great dynasties that he had established were also the most powerful ever to be documented. They were even superior to the Crete Empire that occupied the entire Central Province.


    But, the Eastern World and the Batko area had a very small population, most of which was extremely poor. It was Cetisius who had brought the Batko population out of their squalor, while guiding them to pursue a brighter future.


    At present, the occupied the vast and fertile lands to the north of the Tuten Dynasty. The crops they produced were vital, as they protected the entire population of the Pusuote Empire from famine.


    After Cetisius had accomplished this great feat, he had slowly lost his ambition. This was especially the case after he had been repeatedly defeated by the City Alliance of Sheehan.


    Thus, he currently had no interest in territorial expansion. He had already realized his initial dream and no longer wished to wage war endlessly.


    At the moment, Cetisius looked down from the top balcony of his palace, which was the highest point in the entire capital. From here, he could see everything within his territory.


    This is indeed a glorious world that I have created! This thought made Cetisius both proud and a bits sad at the same time. He was proud because he had influenced an entire era and generation, yet he was somewhat sad because he could no longer keep up with the changing times.


    "Times are changing so quickly. This world has already changed so much! I am old now and no longer can I keep up!" he exclaimed to no one but himself.

 281 The Trip to the Underworld

    The sky in the underworld was grey, and it looked as if there were layers of dust and fog covering the world above it. Hence, no matter how hard one tries to see it, the main world above was as if it were invisible.


    This underworld was the very bottom of the world, and it was a land of death and finality, the end of everything. This was where all of the ghosts belonged as well.


    At the moment, all of the ghosts were standing in the underworld, looking up at the sky, yet none of them could see through the layers of fog. It was if they were looking up at the heavens from hell.


    The enormous gate to the underworld was towering in front of the Styx, and there was a constant stream of ghosts lining up there, all of them waiting to enter the Kingdom of Death. The only ones who were qualified to line up there were extraordinary in some way, or were sorcerer disciples, magical beasts, titan dragons or from other races, like fairies and sahagin.


    Only those from exceptional bloodlines or ones with special powers were deemed suitable to be among these ranks. As for the ordinary human beings, they would simply return to the origin point of the world when they died.


    "Wu Wu!"


    "Se Se!"


    The messengers of death, wearing black capes, were wandering around the Kingdom of Death, their blurry shadows following behind them. They were responsible for keeping order in the Kingdom of Death. As such, whenever a powerful ghost tried to resist going into the underworld by using its special powers, they would rush at it and harvest its soul.


    As more and more deceased beings showed up, it all became more real. The ground of the underworld was expanding, and now, outside the Kingdom of Death, a vast land existed.


    There were some strange phenomena occurring on that land because of the power of the dead. Some parts of the land were extremely bizarre, and some were even filled with horrendous monsters.


    At the center of Kingdom of Death was an enormous City of the Death. It was filled with ghosts who had lost their living memories.


    The city was akin to the cities of humans. After undergoing the judgments, ghosts that passed could restart their lives in the city. As for those who couldn''t pass the judgments, they were nailed to the wall outside the city.


    The gate to the underworld looked ordinary, but it was anything but that. This was because it was the sole entrance and the exit to the underworld. Thus, those who wanted to enter or leave all had to pass through that gate.


    Speaking of going through the gate, when Cetisius was going through the gate to the underworld and going to Kingdom of Death on the boats to the Kingdom of Death, he, unlike most, was quite calm. After all, he was a priest from the Temple of Sky, so many messengers of death had greeted him on his way. As such, he knew that he was different from the regular dead beings, as he was summoned by the Goddess of Death and was meeting the god as a human being instead of a ghost.


    As he travelled across the Styx on the Boat of the Underworld, he could see may ghosts floating on the river. Only the most special ghosts were entitled to ride on the Boat of the Underworld when travelling to the underworld.


    Some ghosts wanted to get away from the Styx, yet they were all pushed back, gradually getting sucked back on by the giant waves. No matter how hard they struggled, they could never escape.


    Other ghosts tried to get on the Boat of the Underworld, but they were driven away by the dimming fire that was on the boat. Many ghosts were yelling as they floundered in the waters of the Styx and watched the Boat of the Underworld pass them by.


    Then, as a few of them tried to get on the boat and rushed toward the ghosts relentlessly, a sailor glared at them and yelled, "Shut up! All of you!"


    His eyes were gleaming ferociously with flames and his voice was hoarse yet filled with hostility and evil. That voice alone was the epitome of hell.


    Even Cetisius was shocked by such a scene, and as he looked at that uncouth sailor, he wondered... Who is he?


    As the sailor shook his black rope, the tremendous force of the action thrilled Cetisius. Ripples ravaged the entire Styx, and all of the ghosts bounced away like trash after being pounded by the waves. Then, the waters in the Styx started to tumble, and everyone was shocked, so they all started to exclaim at once...


    "The gate to the underworld is the first round of screening!"


    "The Styx is the second round!"


    "What''s in the front?"


    There were trees of death that were blossoming with black flowers all around the City of Death. There were some special breeds that belonged only to the underworld.


    The Styx surrounded Qiromu, and a giant bridge passed right through the abyss. There were countless bizarre snakes struggling in the abyss, as if they were trying to surge forward and swallow the ghosts on the bridge.


    The sentencing of the entire area took place at the end of the giant bridge. Herem some were thrown off the bridge as food, some were nailed on the wall of the City of Death in order to force them to repent, and the others would be allowed to enter the City of Death.


    On the giant wall that towered above the City of Death, the heads of those killed had been collected and were now strung up for all to see. The horrendous and ferocious faces were shouting at the outside from the wall, but as for the bodies that the heads had originally belonged to, they had already been integrated with the wall itself!


    "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"


    "I''m so hungry! Come here now! I''ll eat you!"


    "I want everything! Money, women, power and glory! They''re all mine! They''re all mine!"


    "Kill him! Kill him! You deserve to die! You all deserve to die!"


    As the unsettling yells came from the wall, this wall made up of ghosts instilled a deep sense of foreboding in all who saw it. Countless heads of ghosts were bundled together, representing myriad ghosts... Male, female, old and young.


    Some heads even belonged to human beings and a few other races. They were all shouting out and airing their grievances with the strongest emotions they had left within them!


    Resentment, greed, and anger... All of these extreme emotions were twisted together amid the savage voices.


    Is this sentencing really fair? What is the criteria for sentencing? Are the rules for the dead even fair at all? As he traveled across the underworld and went to see the Goddess of Death, Cetisius observed the underworld closely. He was thinking about what the underworld meant to the entire world and questioning whether or not the rules in the underworld were fair, especially in regards to the sentencing of the dead.


    Each building had many levels, and none of the buildings looked ordinary. In fact, all of them looked like temples, churches, or palaces.


    They were all supported by giant pillars, and the higher the floor was, the more pillars it had. There were many dead ghosts praying in these buildings.


    There were also stone arch bridges that connected the buildings so that the ghosts could easily walk between the buildings. The buildings were so grandiose that one felt quite tiny walking among them.


    The floors of the buildings were covered with enormous slates, and each building had round domes and huge doors. Above these buildings, a staircase hovered above the clouds, leading toward the palace at the top. At any given moment, messengers of death were constantly walking up and down the stairs.


    As soon as Cetisius entered the palace of death, he finally met the legendary Goddess of Death. She was standing in the center of the cold palace on a throne that was placed at the very top of the stairs. She had on a hat and a white cape that completely covered her body. Even her face was obscured from view.


    Delmedi found this amusing, and she asked, "Cetisius, aren''t you afraid of goddesses?"


    Cetisius responded carefully, "I am a representative of the gods, and I was chosen by gods. So, why would I fear the gods or goddesses?"


    He then asked, "Why did you summon me here, my lord?"


    Delmedi stood up and responded to him with a few questions of her own, "What would you do if I asked you to rule the underworld with me? How would you keep order in the underworld? What kind of underworld would you create?"


    After asking these somewhat shocking questions, she walked down all of the stairs quickly, soon reaching the bottom and stopping right in front of Cetisius.


    She then added, "That is to say... I want you to be my sidekick¡­ A side-god of sorts! So, I need to know¡­ What risks are you willing to take, and what are you willing to give up?"


    As Cetisius raised his head and looked at Delmedi, there was an intense vigor in his eyes. He looked as if he had just found a reason to live again!Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Everything, my lord! I am willing to give up everything!" he exclaimed.

 282 Death Day

    The sorcerers and the alchemy warlocks who came back from Yala had travelled a long way. They had all returned from a distant continent, and everyone was awaiting their news.


    Many people wondered what had happened to them in that mysterious kingdom, and they especially wanted to know how many of the shocking rumors that they had heard were true. However, all of the sorcerers and alchemy warlocks were silent upon their returns.


    In fact, they acted as if nothing had happened. This kind of unusual behavior made everyone feel that something was amiss.


    "It''s unbelievably peaceful here, yet I feel like a storm is coming! Did you smell that?" Jonathan asked.


    He was hugging his wife Rosia, and they were watching the civilians who were walking around Tephis, as well as the conductors, who were ringing bells in their carriages.


    There were many visitors in the city, as well as many workers. There were also children selling newspapers, running up and down the streets, while the farmers in the city were carrying their fruits and vegetables that they had grown in the countryside. They had brought them into the city to sell them.


    These ordinary people were the epitome of this city, as well as of the system of this entire human world. It was a peaceful and tranquil world, and everyone could find their place here.


    Jonathan looked at everything happening, and it was just as it usually was. But, his heart couldn''t help pounding intensely. He was unsettled, and he kind of had a hunch that a radical change of was about to happen for this new coming era.


    As Rosia looked at her husband, she was confused. She looked up and saw the clear sky with no clouds in it and said, "We are having such good weather today. Surely, there won''t be a storm today."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Before this, Marina had accepted Jonathan as her student at Akkad Alchemy College in front of all of the teachers and alchemy warlocks. It was the first time in decades that Marina had accepted a student mentee, and it represented the inheritance of the alchemy technique of Marina Bosa. It also meant that Jonathan had stepped into the core circle of the alchemy warlocks in this world.


    This was what Jonathan had always wanted. However, after everything that had happened, Jonathan truly saw how this world really was, especially how powerful the gods were, which had greatly broadened his horizons.


    At that moment, as Jonathan held his wife in his arms, his eyes were filled with various emotions. "This is an era of great changes, yet this is also an era full of opportunities! I, Jonathan Brown, am destined to have a leading role in this era!"


    Just after he finished talking, one of the kids selling newspapers waved a newspaper that seemed to have some urgent news printed on it as he yelled, "Extra! Today''s news! Read all about it!"


    The boy then began shouting a synopsis of the article on the front page, "The king of Pusuote announced that every April 20th is Death Day! This is the most important worship day for the Temple of Sky. On this day, all of the disciples must¡­"


    Jonathan stopped the sales kid mid-sentence and said, "Give me one of those!"


    Jonathan knew that there were three levels in the Temple of Sky, which were the Godly Sky Sector, the Death Underworld Sector, and the human sector. Since the Goddess of Death was the most important goddess in the Temple of Sky, Jonathan knew that the King Cetisius of Pusuote wouldn''t just announce a piece of news like this for no reason. Besides, the gods were all acting weirdly at this time, so many people were wondering what exactly they were up to.


    Jonathan read the newspaper carefully, discovering that there was going to be a grand ceremony on April 20th, which would last for a month. As it was on the front page, which was such a prominent position in the newspaper, one could infer that it would be very special!


    When Jonathan went back to Akkad Alchemy College to attend classes the second day, he was called to the principal''s office by Marina.


    "Have you heard of Death Day of the Temple of Sky, Jonathan?" Marina asked, while she took off her glasses and put them on the table, a solemn look on her face.


    Jonathan nodded and answered, "Yes, I did. I reckon that something unusual is about to happen!"


    Marina smiled. "Of course it''s unusual! I heard that Cetisius received the oracle. I don''t know what the oracle is about, but it definitely has to do with the gods. His actions must mean something significant! Besides, since he summoned so many disciples at the same time, he must be up to something!"


    She then added, "So, you''d better prepare yourself for it. We''ll join that ceremony as members of the parliament of the City Alliance of Sheehan!"


    "Sure thing, teacher!" Jonathan didn''t expect that his teacher Marina was going to bring him along. Besides, Jonathan had a hunch that this ceremony wouldn''t be as simple as described by Marina. Teacher must have known something about it already, otherwise she wouldn''t be that cautious.


    After Jonathan left, Marina stood up, took a look at the shelf behind her, and took out a book from it. It was a biography about Cetisius!


    Meanwhile, all of the post offices sent the orders to everyone in Pusuote. Since everyone in the Temple of Sky regarded Death Day as an important holy day, all of the disciples were mobilized.


    Countless disciples marched toward the capital of Pusuote, the City of Baber, faithfully. The kingdom also sent invitations to the other nearby kingdoms. As for the countries, they also sent representatives. Hence, regardless of their beliefs, everyone sent groups of representatives to the capital of Pusuote!


    Meanwhile, more saints received inside news about Death Day, and they all sensed the uniqueness of the coming ceremony. As they all took off for the City of Baber, there were even some members from other churches among them.


    At this moment, human sorcerers, orcs sorcerers, alchemy warlocks, priests and holy knights all gathered in the City of Baber, and there were even some wicked demon warlocks and ghost wizards among the gathered group as well. Not only were there demon warlocks from the Church of True God, but there were also demon warlocks and their relatives that belonged to other powerful demon overlords.


    As for those religions and cults that had been repressed by the three major churches for a long time, they all started to show up again, almost as if they had received some inside news about the gathering. They all sensed that there was something in the City of Baber that they were keen to find.


    ¡­...


    Lu Zhiyu got in the horse carriage to make his way to the City Alliance of Sheehan after paying a few coins for passage. He was sitting in the back of the carriage, holding hands with Delmedi. Quite a few people got into the carriage after them.


    Delmedi sat beside Lu Zhiyu, pouting. "Don''t treat me like a child, and stop holding my hands! I''m a grown-up now!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the changes going on outside the City Alliance of Sheehan. He could see that all of these changes had been brought about by the alchemy warlocks. The workshops had greatly improved the City Alliance''s productivity, and the establishment of alchemy academies had improved the literacy rate of the people exponentially!


    Most of the people on the street were well-dressed, many of them wearing coats and hats. Everyone looked very nice, which would have been a rare occurrence on the Alen Continent a century ago.


    "The foundation has already been built. It''s almost ready! Now, all he needs is an opportunity!" Lu Zhiyu nodded while saying this, yet Delmedi couldn''t quite understand what he was talking about.


    Delmedi was wearing a black tux, which made her look exceptionally nice. Her golden eyes were glinting with confidence and pride. She definitely stood out among all of the others.


    "I''ve been doing good, haven''t I?" she asked Lu Zhiyu.


    "Pretty good. It just doesn''t look right. Cetisius still needs to pass a couple of crucial steps if he wants to become a real god. Also, his showing such ostentatious behavior at the first step will bring him huge trouble!"


    "What kind of trouble? These are all necessary things. Besides, everyone knows about the Goddess of Death now!" she said.


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t respond to that, as it perfectly fit in with Lu Zhiyu''s plan because it accelerated the fight for the thrones of the gods! Then, taking a glimpse at Delmedi, who was leaning against Lu Zhiyu, while appreciating the scenes outside of the carriage, Lu Zhiyu looked upset.


    He then said, "You said that you''ve already grown up, but your sister isn''t half as clingy as you are!"


    "What? Sister is not much better!" Delmedi exclaimed, her feelings somewhat hurt by her father''s statement.

 283 Ignite the Godly Fire

    It was a busy time in the City of Baber. It wasn''t even summer yet, but it already felt like the city had ushered into a completely new season. Everyone within the city seemed to be caught in the middle of the rapture.


    "The controller of the underworld, the supreme leader of the kingdom of deaths, the manager of deaths and souls... We wish you to bestow upon us eternal life!" Dozens of people were chanting as they were dragging the huge sculpture of the Goddess of Death to the square.


    They were transporting it with trailers and horse carriages. The sculpture was supposed to look horrifying and gloomy, but today, it looked cheerful, as it was surrounded by many people, all of whom were singing and dancing.


    There were several priests and disciples from the underworld, who were splashing water and flower petals along the way. Many citizens were groveling along the roadside, while some even swooned as the sculpture passed by them.


    The disciples of Pusuote weren''t afraid of death at all. To them, death was simply a natural extension of life, In fact, to some extent, they thought life and death were the same.


    They looked forward to the afterlife more than other, and they wished that they could be selected by the gods to enter the kingdom of death. They also fancied an eternal life, or an afterlife, although most of them weren''t qualified to attain that.


    There were also disciples from the Temple of Sky everywhere in the square. All of these disciples were wearing loose-fitting clothes from Batko. Most of their clothes looked plain, and they showed their arms and calves.


    People of all ages and genders gathered in the square, all of them sitting with their legs crossed and listening to the priests from the temple as they read from the book of the living, while receiving doctrines of the underworld of the Temple of Sky.


    As for the priests wearing long gowns, they were singing worship songs about gods as they danced to prayed to their gods. Flower petals were all over the ground, and melodious tunes echoed throughout the entire city.


    There were ceremonial activities taking place everywhere in the city, and the gate was wide open, welcoming all of the disciples as they arrived here. Soldiers and priests were responsible for maintaining the order, and there were several large groups of disciples praying together.


    In fact, there were disciples praying everywhere, from the square to the temples, and even around the godly remains and in front of the sacred sculptures. It had been nearly 200 years since Pusuote was founded, and the Temple of Sky was the foundation of the kingdom. Now, Cetisius was not only a king, but he had even taken on the persona of a belief and a god of sorts!


    The city was packed with people, as nearly 100,000 foreigners had recently arrived. There were also food distribution centers and residences everywhere in the city. Clearly, the kingdom of Pusuote was fully prepared for the upcoming Death Day festivities!


    "What a thriving kingdom!" Jonathan observed in amazement.


    He was wearing an overcoat and a hat, and he was holding a stick in his hand. He was following a team of envoys from the City Alliance of Sheehan.


    Aside from the politicians from the parliament of the City Alliance of Sheehan, Marina and several other alchemy warlocks were walking with him. The moment they entered the City of Baber, they attracted a lot of attention.


    Some priests from the temples went to greet them, and there were many people staring at them because lady Marina was standing among them. However, they were just staring, and nobody pointed out who Marina was. In fact, they treated her as if she was only an ordinary person following the team of envoys.


    Marina kept looking around when she was walking toward the city. Aside from those people from Batko, there were also representatives from many from other ethnicities and districts. This could be inferred upon observing their customs and distinct facial features.


    Pusueto was a gigantic kingdom, and it had conquered half of the Tutan district and the kingdoms in the south. However, those people were not Marina''s focus at this time.


    This was because, at that moment, it seemed that she saw some familiar people, who were the top blasphemers from the three churches. She knew that these people had only gotten into the City of Baber by chance.


    "Are they all here?" Marina felt that the previous ambiguous information was all confirmed now.


    After all, nothing could be kept a secret forever, especially when there was such a huge event happening in the Pusuote Dynasty. As such, it was quite easy for people to figure out what exactly they were up to.


    On the second day, they saw the king of Pusuote, Cetisius, who was a legendary being. All of the envoys were watching the king from every corner of the palace, and there were priests sitting everywhere in the palace as well. These priests looked upon the city that was full of disciples from the Temple of Sky.


    There were over 1,000 priests of the underworld in the palace at that time, and all of them were surrounding Cetisius, like stars that were surrounding the moon. Many saints were also sitting around the king. That elder looked so horrendous and powerful that he intimidated everyone that was conspiring, without even having to say a word!


    As the king looked around at everyone here, they all lowered their heads. He could tell that, among these alchemy warlocks, sorcerers, and saints that had come to this ceremony, many of them didn''t actually treat the ceremony itself seriously.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Because this is the City of Baber!"


    "This is the capital of the Pusuote Dynasty!"


    "This is the place that the light of the gods shone upon!"


    As Jonathan recalled what the priests had told them when they were first greeting them, he saw all of the priests from the underground gathering here, which amazed him. He knew that the Pusuote Dynasty wouldn''t do anything harmful to the foreign envoys, but their power still intimidated them.


    Jonathan couldn''t help but look at lady Marina, who was beside him. After he saw her face, he felt relieved.


    At this moment, Marina was gazing at Cetisius, and she looked solemn as she said, "Pinnacle level four! No wonder it''s an ancient being! Her measure of mind power is far superior to most!"


    The bell was rung, and the chiming sound was heard everywhere. As the ringing sound echoed throughout the entire city, people were singing worship songs about gods and drumming.


    At the same time, groups of disciples that were gathered outside the city all looked toward the palace, their praying voices filling the sky above the city. At that moment, a powerful force of faith suddenly enveloped the entire City of Baber, washing over everyone!


    Meanwhile, Cetisius was sitting beside the godly sculpture. The faces of two gods were combined in that one sculpture, and they both appeared to be looking at Cetisius.


    "Cetisius!"


    "Cetisius!"


    All of the priests from the underworld were shouting Cetisius'' name. At the same time, inspiring music was playing in the palace, and everyone was shouting themselves hoarse. They were standing below Cetisius and singing worship songs about him.


    Everyone in the city was shouting his name, and the sound waves spread everywhere. All of the disciples seemed to have gone mad, as all of those hundreds of thousands of people were shouting the same name, as if the name itself had some kind of exceptional power.


    Ding Dong!


    All of a sudden, Jonathan felt that the air in the City of Baber became super thick, as if those strong traces of power were getting denser, somehow infusing the name with a different meaning at the same time. Countless engravings were seen in the palace, and the entire palace was a picture of a priest of death, yet it was somewhat different from the priest of death that was on the stone of the World Tree model.


    A tremendous amount of forces of belief filled that picture, and they formed one special symbol after another, which was the godly name of Cetisius. In that instance, Cetisius felt that his soul had been ignited, and the black symbol flooded his soul with the special force of belief, igniting his soul and transforming it from its former medioc state to one that was truly exceptional!


    The black power circulated inside Cetisius'' body with the light and shadow for a time, then flowed out of his body, permeating the entire palace. All of the priests from the underworld were still singing his name in worship songs that were written all about him.


    At this moment, Cetisius was standing at the top of the palace, while the black power of death kept spilling out of his body. He looked down at the countless disciples as they sung out his name and groveled before him as if he was the only god in existence.


    All of the guests that came to this ceremony were looking at Cetisius as he was standing beside the godly sculpture. They could see his power emanating from his body, and there seemed to be a fierce fire burning inside his soul. At the same time, a black godly power kept seeping out of his body, and under the force of belief, it kept expanding.


    Jonathan was thrilled by this. He stared at Cetisius with his eyes wide and said, "Cohered godly name, ignited godly fire, and a transformed godly body! Is that the whole process? Is he really becoming a god?"


    At this moment, everyone stared at Cetisius, whose power was surging. A fire quickly surrounded his body, then a giant black shadow immediately flew out of his body.


    "The body of a god!" Marina exclaimed as she stood up and looked at the changes on Cetisius'' body.


    This was the first time that someone had seen a human being becoming a god. It was also the first that a mortal being had stepped into the domain of the eternal gods!


    Touching the eternal stars as a mortal being! Out of nowhere, that line came into Jonathan''s mind. As he saw the black power of light and shadow coming out of Cetisius'' body, the enormous palace seemed to have been dyed black. At that moment, his eyes were glinting with fear, craving, and expectations!


    Other than him, many of the beings who came to the ceremony of Death Day and had been hiding in the City of Baber all looked at the palace, clearly thrilled. This was because the enormous palace was enveloped by a giant black light dome!


    Those people outside the palace couldn''t see anything going on inside of it, but everyone could still sense that a vibrant ripple was surging through it, a ripple that was about to burst out at any second!


    At that moment, a black shadow flew out of Cetisius'' body. It was the shadow of an enormous god, who was holding the book of the deceased.


    As it struggled its way out of Cetisius'' body, the shadow kept getting more dense and large as it was imbued with the power of prayer and belief. It then stood up and flooded out of the palace, stopping at the center of the City of Baber.


    As that shadow of the black-caped god occupied the entire center of city, it looked as if it was a giant that was overlooking the city. Then, a giant black cape wafted in the air, like a rainbow, high above the city. This signified that the true god had arrived, and all of the disciples were shouting at the god in exultation!


    "He has actually taken that most important step!" an onlooker exclaimed.


    Those people who were watching this scene were exhilarated. Cetisius'' success showed them that it was possible for them to copy his success, which gave them great hope.


    The ceremony of Death Day lasted for a whole month. During this time, Cetisius successfully ignited the godly fire. The news that Cetisius had condensed the body of a god soon spread throughout the entire world.

 284 The Battle for the Throne of God I

    More than a dozen horses were pulling a carriage behind them. Inside, people, each in a different mood, were discussing the recent news...


    "Cetisius has no way out. He must become a god in a few years!" Jonathan said with some excitement.


    Marina leaned against the window and appeared calm. "Yes, in order to light the divine fire with a mortal body, then transform into a divine body, he is constantly consuming his soul energy. If he wants to reach level seven in a short period of time and ascend the throne of god, he''ll need the power of belief.Otherwise, he will die. Hence, he can''t wait! "


    "But, only hundreds of thousands of people''s beliefs can ignite the divine fire! That''s almost impossible to gather!" Jonathan said.


    "Cetisius has Pusuote, as well as the support of the gods, so there seems to be no problem, at least theoretically!" Marina said.


    The delegation from the Sean City-State Alliance was on the way home in a horse-drawn carriage. Just like the other delegations from other places who had come to attend the Festival of the Dead, they were always in a state of constant worry.


    Nowadays, this kind of public carriage running on its own track had been widely popular in the Sean City-State Alliance and Pusuote, including the northern part of Tutan that was occupied by Pusuote. In the carriage, Jonathan was sitting and talking to Marina about what he had seen in Barber.


    Jonathan suddenly looked at Marina and changed the topic, asking, "When can we alchemists have a god of our own?"


    Marina laughed. "That''s not an easy thing. We don''t have the same divine guardianship as Cetisius. Whether we are trying to acquire belief to light the divine fire or searching for a divine personality, which is a must for ascending the divine throne, we are bound to face huge risks and fierce competition!"


    She then added, "After all, this is a war over divinity. They will not give up this opportunity. Everyone who is qualified for this competition will become our enemy! Also, there''s something else that requires careful consideration¡­"


    Jonathan was puzzled. "Mentor, what else is there to consider?"


    Marina immediately responded, "Whether or not it is necessary! For instance, does an alchemist really need a god? What price will we pay if so? And, is it worth that price? Jonathan, we are not going to be strong just for the sake of being strong, nor should we be gods for the sake of being gods! Believers believe in gods, but we alchemists have our own beliefs!"


    Jonathan was shocked by her somewhat blasphemous words! He now suddenly realized the difference between the older alchemists and their descendants.


    After returning from the city of Barber in Pusuote, some alchemists who knew what happened were talking about it. Most people only knew that, during the Festival of the Dead, a miracle had happened in the heavenly palace.


    As for the deeper meaning behind it, only a few understood that. These were the people who knew the true meaning of this Festival of the Dead.


    ------------------


    Niyah City, Sumerian Kingdom


    The Sumerian Kingdom was founded more than 100 years ago. It was located in the Sumerian Plain, and its current capital was the old capital of the Crete Empire.


    Since the Church of Light built the Kingdom of the Church of Light, the king of the mercenaries had established the Ahenaten Empire. Then, after the rise of the Sumerian Kingdom, the three of these empires jointly occupied the whole central province.


    The Sumerian Kingdom had become a powerful empire on the mainland of Alen and had a strong national strength. At the moment, the King was Lanny I, who was a young man in his early twenties.


    A crow that was carrying an important letter had travelled from a distance, crossing mountains and rivers to arrive in the city of Niyah. It did not go to the kingdom''s postal department, but went directly into the royal palace and was immediately received by a palace guard. The guard took the letter from its claw and delivered it to King Lanny immediately.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Dead! Really dead?" After reading the letter, Lanny jumped up in excitement and grabbed the guard''s neck, causing his smooth facial skin to instantly wither. The guard''s pupils then bulged as he gasped for air.


    Lanny looked like a monster! As he could not conceal his ecstasy, he was shouting out loud and behaving in a frenzied manner. In all of the commotion, he had strangled the guard!


    No one would have thought that the King of the Sumerian Kingdom was a monster, and that the whole royal family was all devil kin with devil''s blood. It turns out that the Sumerian Kingdom was a devil''s kingdom!


    "The old thing is dead at last! Without him, I am the master of the Church of True God. I am the supreme king of the Sumerian Kingdom!" Lanny was still reveling in the ecstasy of it all when the guard who had been strangled suddenly grabbed him by the ankle and looked up at him.


    The guard''s expression became extremely weird, and his skin started to change little by little. His pupils reflected the devil fire, mucus seeped out of his skin, and a large number of tentacles extended out of his head.


    The guard looked at Lanny with a look that Lanny knew quite well. It was filled with cruelty and greed!


    "Lanny, are you so happy that I''m dead?" A voice arose from the dead, strangled guard.


    Lanny was so frightened, he tripped over the throne and wanted to run outside, but the monster that the dead guard had transformed into was preventing him. A large number of tentacles kept twisting and pulling, covering the dead guard monster completely.


    "How could this be? But¡­ I just killed you! You should be dead! The master did not respond to us,so why are you not dead yet? Let me go, let me go!" Lanny roared and struggled, but still could not get rid of this monster.


    The monster swallowed Lanny up, bit by bit, while it continued to expand and wriggle. It was horrible and disgusting!


    "It''s your honor to be my descendant and to become one with me!" The monster laughed.


    After the monster swallowed Lanny, his face changed constantly. Finally, the monster became an old man with terrible scars on his face. It was Heckfoss!


    But Heckfoss was so weak. After swallowing up Lanny, it seemed that he was gradually recovering some previously lost strength.


    As the Sumerian royals were all Heckfoss'' kin, he had studied the immortality of demons and the essence of the devil power. Now, he knew that the drawback of the devils'' power was that they couldn''t really be reborn like other mythical creatures. Instead, they underwent a process that was more like soul-splitting, where of their memories could be stored and activated after their deaths.


    This method was crazy, but Heckfoss had actually applied it to himself. This was why he could only keep the memories from the time before his soul split. Any memory after that could not be stored. Moreover, soul-splitting was so dangerous, only Heckfoss had ever tried to do it.


    "Did I die? How on earth did I die?" Heckfoss couldn''t remember a thing.

 285 The Battle for the Throne of God II

    As the wind, rain and thunder howled, thick clouds blocked out the sky. The Sumerian city, as well as its stone palace, looked particularly gloomy in the darkness.


    People were in a hurry as they bustled along the spacious streets of Niyah City. They were all running down the streets to avoid getting wet. The shops on both sides of the streets were closed, and every family shut the windows to their homes, so as not to let the rain come in.


    At this time, a few figures wearing black raincoats slowly crossed the street and headed for the palace. Their shadowy figures created a stark contrast among the rush of the other pedestrians. Their raincoats were blown to and fro by the strong wind as they walked straight towards the palace.


    At this moment, the entire Sumerian royal family and their guards disappeared throughout the palace. Groups of disciples of the Church of True God entered the palace. The blood, mixed together with the rainwater, flowed in torrents into the sewer.


    As Heckfoss sat on the throne, he looked at the bodies of all of the members of the royal family, which were lying under the throne. Their blood had been drawn out and their bodies, turning them into horrible embalmed corpses.


    Their eyes turned grey white, staring desperately and blankly ahead. The corpses were scattered like garbage on the ground!


    Boom!


    A flicker of lightning passed through the window, shining on the scarred face of Heckfoss and illuminating the corpses on the ground. This scene was like a portrait straight from hell!


    The whole royal family had disappeared overnight. After that, the devil''s disciples travelled freely throughout the palace, and Niyah maintained its peaceful and harmonious state.


    Here, every family lived a happy life, and the devil coexisted with human beings. Thus, hell was next to heaven.


    "Who?" Heckfoss suddenly raised his head and looked at the center of the palace.


    With a flash of lightning, a few figures appeared in the palace, then passed through the palace without any sound. During the recent massacre in the palace, they had snuck in quietly.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Heckfoss knew that they were not common people. At the moment, the disciples of the Church of True God were everywhere. As such, they could appear before him without being noticed by anyone. These people were definitely extraordinary.


    Their leader took off his raincoat and looked at Heckfoss with a warm smile. His was a face that looked like a teenager, pale but handsome, as if he had been born with a noble temperament.


    "We were surprised that you were still alive. Congratulations to Your Majesty on your new life!" he said. "First of all, let me introduce myself. We are from the Gathering of Darkness. My name is..."


    "Louis Biketo!" Heckfoss stood up and interrupted him.


    Heckfoss was tall and muscly, though he looked a little old. For a moment, his pupils rolled out of his eyes. "Gathering of Darkness? That''s really an old name. You guys haven''t died yet?"


    When Heckfoss heard the name, he suddenly felt unusually familiar with it. Then, he remembered the origin of the name.


    The Gathering of Darkness, which branched off from the Gathering of Nobles, had been established by the early aristocrats to resist the Church of Light, which was later occupied by wizards. From the first year to the 100th year of the San Calendar, it had been active in the central province. But, without any apparent reason, it had gradually declined.


    "There is light and there is darkness. When the sun rises in the sky, darkness hides in the depths! But, when night falls, darkness will cover the whole earth again!" Louis grinned, his raincoat dripping water on the floor. He then walked forward through the hall, approaching Heckfoss.


    Heckfoss'' face looked grave. Although he had swallowed up all of his royal family members and restored some of his strength, he was still weak at this moment. Louis was at least at level three and also had a bunch of people following him.


    Louis stepped on the corpses as he made his way to the throne. The dry bones beneath each of his footsteps made horrid cracking sounds.


    Louis looked at Heckfoss, then suddenly knelt on one knee and swore his allegiance to him. "We, the Gathering of Darkness, are loyal to the great King Heckfoss!"


    This caught Heckfoss by surprise. He sat down on the throne and looked at Louis'' bowed head. "Why do you want to be loyal to me, and what do you want?"


    Louis said, "We want to sell our service for a good price. This is because the wizards, the Faith of the Sun, the Church of Light, and the alchemists, even the whole Alen Continent won''t welcome us among them. They are all oppressing us and trying to eliminate us. Only with the help of your Majesty, who has control of the whole Sumerian Kingdom, will we have a future!"


    Heckfoss'' eyes twinkled, "So, what can you offer me?"


    Louis stood up and extended his right hand forward. "Church of True God will have a true god, and this god will be the great King Heckfoss!"


    Heckfoss laughed. "That''s funny! Why do you come to me if you can such a thing?"


    Louis stretched out his hands and said with a touching voice, "Although we have mastered the method of divinity, we do not have enough followers. Looking at the whole continent of Alen, only your Majesty has a real chance of becoming a true god. After all, you have the Sumerian Kingdom! So, maybe it won''t be too long before we all call you a god!"


    Heckfoss laughed scornfully. "You actually think I''ll believe you if you say that?"


    Heckfoss stood up, as if he were about to call out all of the demon warlocks of Church of True God in the palace to deal with these bozos.


    Seeing his change in demeanor, Louis immediately said, "But, the benefits we bring to your Majesty are real. Don''t you want to hear about them? You will not only be able to learn about how to become a god, but you will also get the support of our Gathering of Darkness, which will be a great help to your Majesty, especially at this time!"


    Heckfoss was still unconvinced. "Maybe it''s not help that you signify for my kingdom, but a group of hungry wolves coming to prey upon us!"


    Louis saw the change in his eyes and got nervous. They had come all the way to look for an opportunity in the Sumerian Kingdom, but none of them thought that Heckfoss would still be alive.


    This old monster, who had lived for two hundred years, made Louis extremely afraid. As long as he did not die, the enormous power of the Church of True God would be impossible to resist. This definitely disrupted Louis'' original plan.


    But, at this moment, they had found another opportunity, as Heckfoss seemed to come around after thinking on it a bit more. "I can give you a chance, of course, to show me what you call loyalty and sincerity!" Heckfoss said to Louis.


    Louis smiled slightly, but Heckfoss suddenly remembered something, so he asked Louis, "Your last name is Biketo? Why does that sound familiar?"


    "My ancestor was Li Weisi Biketo!" Louis smiled and said.


    As the thunder and lightning raged outside the window, Heckfoss looked up at Louis, seeing him in a brand new light.

 286 The Battle for the Throne of God III

    As long as the meat is tempting enough, hunger and greed will drive him to swallow it up without hesitation! Louis thought.


    Heckfoss surely won''t live long. Although I don''t know how he survived until now, and he certainly has a big problem. Those who are below level four can, at most, live for two hundred years. This is because their mind power will become weaker and continue to lose its vitality, that is unless he finds some special areas that are suitable for the growth of mind power!


    As Heckfoss is a level four, he must have a stable mind structure. But, he seems to have some problems. His strength and soul have weakened a lot. A Moreover, a level four should have a lifespan of a thousand years, but his has been reduced significantly...


    Louis seemed to be very happy now. As a Ghost Wizard and the current spokesman of the Gathering of Darkness, Louis'' study of the soul was absolutely incomparable to anyone in the whole continent of Alen.


    He''s very anxious, and at this time, we are the ones who have brought him hope! Louis had a confident expression on his face.


    The three men who were following him all took down their hoods at the moment. It turns out that they were actually all women!


    The one woman with brown hair broke into his reverie and said in a cold voice, "You are being too impulsive, as this has not been put to a vote! He is an old monster who has lived for two hundred years. Even among the level fours, he is among the top. Although he is not as capable as those in the wizard tower, he is absolutely not someone you can underestimate! Do you think he doesn''t know what you are up to?"


    Louis looked up, fully alert now. He wasted no time to scoff. "I''m Louis Biketo! I''ve never lost! I''ll win this time too! And, if he wants to be a god, others will disagree with that. No matter who they are, they won''t watch him get what he wants so easily. Heckfoss wants to be a god? Hahahahah. That''s almost impossible!"


    As the rest of the people within the Gathering of Darkness stood on the city wall of Niyah, following the high-spirited Louis, there were no soldiers on the wall, only some patrols to keep order. There were many civilians coming and going, as well as some mercenaries and merchants.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Many idle people in the city had also gathered here. As such, this particularly street nearby the wall seemed to be a busy street, especially in wartime.


    -------------------


    The Gathering of Darkness and a large number of wizards immediately converged upon the central province. Some of them were suppressed by the churches and had been hiding for a long time, while others had been expelled from the wizard tower due to their evil experiments.


    Still others were wanted for killing and violating the rules of the tower. All of them now journeyed towards the Sumerian Kingdom.


    Among them were also many devil kin, some demon warlocks who were following the demons in the abyss, and some Ghost Wizards, like Louis. They all wanted to take this opportunity to enter the Sumerian Kingdom.


    Currently, the Sumerian kingdom was undergoing drastic changes. As such, Heckfoss needed a lot of extraordinary forces and the support of Gathering of Darkness to help him realize his ambitions.


    Although the life of ordinary people had not changed much, the Church of True God, which was using another name, the Church of the Dark Night, began to go to the front of the stage instead of hiding like before. The first thing that they did when they emerged was publicize their doctrine.


    A large number of believers of the Church of the Dark Night poured into the streets. They held religious flags and preached their beliefs in the kingdom''s various squares and streets...


    "The master of the night, the ruler of stars, and the king of dreams!"


    "We offer you the highest faith. We call your name and pray to enter your kingdom!"


    "Those who believe in the master of the night will be protected by gods and will enter the kingdom of gods after death, without being nailed to the wall of the dead!"


    "Believe in the master of the night, and you will be redeemed!"


    The priests in dark red cloaks excitedly promoted the doctrine of the Church of the Dark Night. In their words, the master of the night was the supreme ruler of the night, who guarded the stars and dreams.


    "The great master of the night! You are the ruler of darkness, the supreme god!


    "God! Please save me from this endless misery!"


    "I am your most devout believer, so please forgive me for my sins!"


    A large number of believers cried at the altar, and many people shed tears as they were listening to priests preaching.


    The so-called master of the night immediately showed his extraordinary power. Priests distributed food to the poor and underprivileged families. Immediately, tens of thousands of people believed in the master of the night.


    With more and more people believing in the Church of the Dark Night, it quickly dominated the entire Sumerian Kingdom, resulting in its doctrine and beliefs to spread to various cities and countless families.


    Subsequently, the Sumerian Kingdom introduced a law which designated the Church of the Dark Night as the official state religion. In the name of the Church of the Dark Night, the Church of True God, which was regarded as an evil religion before, now turned into a new dominating religion in the Alen Continent.


    The wizards, Ghost Wizards, and demon warlocks within the Gathering of Darkness now dressed in the religious attire of the Church of the Dark Night, then stood in front of the people and showed them kind and sincere smiles. They had become priests of the master of the night!


    Louis became the high priest of the Church of the Dark Night, which gave him a high status in the Sumerian Kingdom. The abandoned temple of the Church of Light in Niyah was soon renovated, and the statue of the master of the night was placed upon the highest platform.


    Louis stood on the stage of the temple, guarded by the priests of the master of the night. While pious followers knelt down on the square, Louis also showed a pious expression, as if he was the most pious believer here.


    His face looked peaceful and sincere. When he looked down at the followers, he seemed to love the whole world. He then said, "Now! Let us pray for the supreme master of the night, the guardian of stars and dreams!"

 287 The Battle for the Throne of God IV

    "The supreme ruler of the night and stars? What a great ambition!" Lu Zhiyu laughed.


    As he snapped his fingers, a black chess piece that was emitting a fluorescent glow rotated and then fell down, landing on the Sumerian Kingdom on the map of Maria''s World. On the chess piece, there was an image of someone dressed in a black robe, like a wizard''s. He was holding a candle, and the faint candlelight seemed to illuminate the whole night.


    "It seems that he wants to be the god of night, and its corresponding authority is controlling the length of the night, temperature changes, human sleep time, and even human dreams. This god can make a series of corresponding rules, and there is great potential for authority expansion," Lu Zhiyu observed.


    As he put hands together under his chin, his two forefingers moved constantly. He was clearly in deep thought. At last, he raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Well, I''ll let him see if he can handle it!"


    As the chess piece fell, the whole Alen Continent on the map changed instantly. The mountain ranges and the shadows of small cities could now be seen clearly on the map. Even the clouds on the map kept changing their forms.


    The whole world map was like a giant chessboard, and eleven chess pieces that were shining like stars above the board had not fallen down yet!


    ---------------------


    The news about the Church of the Dark Night immediately spread from the central province across the whole Alen Continent. This religion emerged overnight, which instantly stirred up The Church of Light, as well as the wizards and the orcs. All of them immediately devoted all of their attentions to the Sumerian Kingdom.


    The Church of Light, the Faith of the Sun, the wizard tower, Colossus College, the mercenary union and various organizations of extraordinary power entered the Sumerian Kingdom to investigate this religion. They were particularly fascinated by it, as it had emerged suddenly and developed so fast.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The dense Black Forest, stretching from the coastline to the skyline, was blocked by towering mountains. Within the forest, a large number of magical beasts and powerful monsters existed, making this area a forbidden place for human beings.


    However, the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro had built some cities and great fortresses in some important import and export harbors nearby. On the one hand, they did this to protect humans from magical beasts and monsters that escaped the Black Forest. On the other hand, they did this because of the abundant resources that were available in the forest.


    Specifically, rare medicinal materials and minerals had attracted a large number of mercenaries and merchants to come here. Countless people here had even built special adventurer towns on the edge of the Black Forest, which naturally promoted trade. People here saw a huge increase in their wealth and interests, but sadly, the killing never stopped.


    Also, there was always a mist in the Black Forest, making it dark and humid all the time. In the depth of the forest, on a black mountain that was surrounded by a large number of devil camphor trees, stood a tall tower, which was the holy place of all of the wizards, the wizard tower!


    The devil camphor trees emitted a strong miasma and formed illusionary magic boundaries, blocking all of the unwanted visitors. These devil camphor trees, after more than 200 years of growth, had gradually evolved into a special type of magic plant.


    Even the breeding of the Ancient War Trees had incorporated this unique cultivation method of the devil camphor trees. After wizards returned from the Yala Continent, they had immediately upgraded the original magic boundaries.


    As such, even the extraordinary wizards could not break through the magic boundaries that had been formed by these devil camphor trees. This was because any movement outside would be noticed by the wizards inside. Then, groups of tower wizards would immediately come to kill the intruders!


    Dozens of towers had been built as a safeguard, protecting the wizard tower. Many wizards and wizard servants were shuttling along the roads.


    There were also all kinds of magical beasts that were tied in chains or being ridden by wizards. Letter ravens were also busy going about their work in the sky.


    There were even shop that were selling all kinds of magic materials, magic potions, alchemy products, magic books and so on. Some roads were even built with railway tracks, where alchemy railway cars ran up and down daily.


    Each wizard tower was a large research institute. Different wizard towers were led by different mentors, and each focused on different aims. Some of these niches included alchemy, bloodlines, dreams, magic potions and even magical beast breeding! Each wizard tower also had its own characteristics in terms of magic application.


    This was indeed a proper wizard city, and the wizard tower was the most striking and prominent institute, one which had already nurtured generations of wizards throughout hundreds of years. Countless wizards had graduated from here, then gone on to create their own legends, bringing changes to the whole continent.


    All of the wizards regarded the wizard tower as a holy place. Its style was like the architecture of the mythological era, solemn and grand. Any wizard who looked at it couldn''t help but feel a sense of awe.


    Generations of wizards came here at all costs in order to study. In fact, every single wizard dreamed of getting in, and those who graduated from here were still proud of it, even years after the fact.


    "What is the Church of the Dark Night? It''s just another Church of True God!" In the top floor of the wizard tower, some wizards were discussing the Church of the Dark Night in a huge conference room.


    There were a large number of seats on both sides of the room. When major events took place, wizards gathered here to express their thoughts, and a main speaker would stand in the center to give speeches and offer opinions.


    "The Sumerian Kingdom was under the control of the Church of True God, yet we didn''t know that until just now!"


    "The tower has been too isolated from the outside world! Moreover, the Church of True God is hiding, and even the Church of Light has not found out about this!"


    All of the wizards were offering different opinions. The Church of True God, which had been in hiding, had suddenly appeared. Although they had re-emerged under the new name of the Church of the Dark Night, the wizards had still found out this secret.


    One of the wizards looked serious and asked the speaker, "How could Heckfoss not have died?"


    "Well, it''s apparently true. According to the information we''ve got, he''s still alive!" the speaker replied, still not really answering the question.


    "The abilities of these demon warlocks are so weird! I can''t understand them!" another wizard exclaimed.


    Everyone looked towards Edward as he stood up and said, "I think that what we should really be concerned about is what they want to do, and whether that will be harmful or beneficial to us? Moreover, whether it has anything to do with us at all!"


    "What should we do if it is both harmful and beneficial?" someone in the back asked.


    Edward had been the master of the tower for more than a hundred years. Now, he was more mature than he used to be. His prestige among wizards was even greater than his foster father and mentor, Bohr Kelermo''s had ever been.


    There were a lot of debates going on at the conference. Some high-level wizards, who had experienced what happened in the mainland of the Yala Continent, analyzed what this so-called Church of the Dark Night was going to do. They then voted to take action against the Sumerian Kingdom.


    In addition to the wizard tower, various extraordinary forces also decided to take action quickly. But, before they could actually take any measures against the Church of True God and the Sumerian Kingdom, news came from the Sumerian Kingdom that Heckfoss had held a ceremony to ignite the divine fire.

 288 The Battle for the Throne of God V

    A huge black light ring spread out in the sky above Niyah. The sky flowed like a river under the power of this ring, and all of the stars were hidden in the cloudless night. It was completely dark.


    In the darkness, more than 200,000 citizens held up candles and gathered in the streets and lanes. The light from the candles converged like a starry river, illuminating all of Niyah.


    These candles symbolized the faith of the people. Lately, more and more people had become pious believers, and the city was undergoing dramatic changes.


    Louis Biketo looked at all of the people of the city. Men and women, young and old, everyone was holding candles and devoutly worshipping to the master of the night.


    "This is true belief! Is this how it feels when everyone holds an absolute belief in you?" Louis was in a state of euphoria. "If I can become a god, I can decide the fate of the world. Only god, the true god, is in control of his own destiny!"


    The candle light spread all the way to the ends of the world. This scene looked like the Milky Way, and made it appear as if the whole world was covered by the light of the candle fire.


    This whole scene had tremendously shocked Louis. He stretched out his hands, shouting to everyone, "Let us all call upon the holy name of our Lord, the master of the night, the supreme ruler of the starry kingdom, the guard of the dreams, Heckfoss!"


    In an instant, all of the people on the ground roared together. In the temple of the Church of the Dark Night, candles were also lit, their light reaching from the highest stages to the lowest steps.


    Along with this roar, candle flames throughout the whole city flickered violently, and a great power converged, then headed towards the center of the temple. A black shadow spread out from the temple, soon covering it entirely.


    The black shadow looked like the robe of god. It moved with the bouncing rhythm of the candle flames. This magical scene ignited the people''s passions...


    "God is coming!"


    "We''ll be redeemed!"


    "God! Please show me the way!"


    "The sun will eventually set, as only the night is eternal!"


    "The eternal darkness, I adore you! May I always be with you!"


    All of the people looked at the sky and roared enthusiastically. They were constantly streaming into the temple, as if this would bring them closer to their god and the divine world.


    This tremendous power of belief was growing throughout Niyah, even igniting the central part of the city. Taking strength from this power of belief, a massive shadow rose up from the ground.


    The shadow held a huge candlestick, and the candle''s flame lit up the night. The flame emitted a bright light and a wave of heat, as if it was showing the way to the divine world.


    The shadow looked at Niyah, as if it was looking at its own kingdom. Its cold eyes looked at countless believers as they were kneeling on the ground to pray. He couldn''t help but secretly laugh at their stupidity.


    Foolish and ignorant humans!


    The candlestick in its hand shook, while fire fell down from the sky like a starry rain, scattering throughout the earth. All of the people who were touched by the fire immediately felt refreshed. Those who were seriously ill recovered on immediately, and some of the most pious believers even turned into priest apprentices!


    This fire rain ignited the beliefs of the whole city. All of the people were crying out the name of Heckfoss. Gradually, the shadow disappeared, yet the people''s enthusiasm didn''t decrease.


    ---------------------


    The city then hosted a celebration ceremony, which lasted for a whole month. All the of the people in Niyah were going crazy over the arrival of the master of the night.


    Every night, a large number of followers gathered in the streets and held a grand parade. Cheering resounded throughout the city


    After completing his preaching, Louis returned to the temple. A large group of people who were wearing priests'' robes followed him through long corridors, then knelt down at the door of the temple.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    When the temple door opened, an infinite darkness seemed to come from the inside, immediately permeating the outside. The people then stepped into the temple as if they stepping into an unknown and mysterious world.


    When Louis walked in, all he could see was an endless dark world. Although his feet stepped on the ground, it felt like he was stepping on a river. Ripples of darkness spread across through the ground.


    In the middle of the dark temple, an old man in a black robe floated in the air. The old man opened his eyes, which were like candles, lighting the entire world. The light was being projected onto Louis from above in the sky.


    "My Lord Heckfoss! I call out your holy name and listen to your will!" Louis laid on the ground like a devout believer. He saluted Heckfoss and kissed the ground. He appeared to totally believe what he was saying.


    "How long will it be?" asked Heckfoss.


    He then opened his eyes and looked at Louis. His eyes were filled with indifference. He looked upon Louis, who was on the ground, like he was a speck of dust or a tiny ant.


    "Three more days!" Louis said excitedly, as if he was cheering for Heckfoss.


    He raised his voice and added, "Three days from now, you could have the divine personality of the god of night! My lord, as long as you integrate the divinity, you will become a god who truly has the control of the world!"


    He continued excitedly, "As long as you reach level seven and ascend the divine throne, you will be the master of the night! Then, all of the living things in the world will witness this, the birth of a true god!"


    As Louis raised his hands high in the air, his intense level of excitement made it seem as though it was not Heckfoss, but himself, who would ascend the throne! As Heckfoss closed his eyes, the temple slightly returned to darkness its former state of darkness.


    He then decreed, "Three days from now, the divine personality of the master of the night must be summoned!"

 289 Divine Personality

    The prayers lasted till dawn, when the sun rose from the horizon and the stars still shone in the sky. A large number of priests of the Church of the Dark Night guarded every corner of the entire city of Niyah.


    With the power of the master of the night increasing, a huge star was gradually approaching through the bitwall. As the star got closer, everyone felt that it was constantly getting larger.


    This was the main body of the Divine Kingdom of the God of Night. At this moment, it came through the bitwall and was thoroughly exposed in front of everyone.


    "The Source of the World!"


    "Divine personality!"


    "Please listen to our prayers and come down to this world!"


    All of the priests of the Church of the Dark Night knelt on the ground in their dark red robes and murmured. It was almost as if they were reading incantations.


    At the same time, intense airwaves appeared in the sky. Instantly, a strong light, which came from the temple in Niyah, burst out violently, then shot directly into the sky. It immediately connected with the star in the sky.


    The whole world seemed to be buzzing, as if the gears of the world were turning, causing the door of truth to open to all! At this moment, the sky above Niyah was a fantastic color.


    As everyone looked up at it, they appeared to be a bit dizzy. They felt that the gods were so close to them!


    Louis Biketo''s fake smile faded away as he focused his gaze on the huge star. He knew that this star would bring tremendous changes in the world. As he held out his hand, a fascinating smile appeared on his face.


    "That''s the truth! That''s fate!" he exclaimed.


    At dawn, a dazzling meteor fell from the huge star, emitting an intense light and causing dramatic waves. In order to get here, this meteor had broken through the bitwall and the atmosphere!


    "The divine personality of the master of the night is coming. I will become a god of the night!" At this moment, Heckfoss, who was in the great temple, couldn''t hide his excitement.


    He had a greedy expression on his face as he stared at the falling divine personality. As long as he could integrate with it, he would become half-divine in this world, which was equal to a demigod in the human world! As long as there were no level seven opponents or true god coming, even the Devil King in the abyss couldn''t match his level then!


    The speed of the divine personality''s descent was very slow, which made Heckfoss particularly anxious. Besides Heckfoss, no one dared to look up at it. It was as if they felt that staring at it was some kind of blasphemy!


    Boom!


    While everyone was focused on the divine personality in the sky, an intense light came from the distant city wall, instantly traveled a distance of a few thousand meters, then bombarded the temple. The temple melted, revealing an appallingly broad passageway.


    The sound of the attack had woken the whole city. The attack had also caused a cloud of thick smoke to cover a large area. As a result, all of the buildings nearby were destroyed.


    The whole temple was reduced to ruins amid the flames. Stones and gravel were melted into magma-like molten liquid flowing on the ground. A large number of demon warlocks and priests were killed within this sea of fire.


    The citizens who were praying instantly panicked. All of them screamed and were looking for ways to escape. Faced with this disaster, a deep fear surged up from the bottom of their hearts.


    The divine personality in the sky was shaking violently. It seemed almost as though it did not know where to land. At this time, a black ray of light shot to the sky. The divine personality stopped shaking and continued to fall towards Niyah.


    At this time, the flames vanished and an angry figure emerged in the darkness. The figure instantly transformed into an old man in a black robe.


    "Edward Kelermo!" Heckfoss'' voice trembled violently.


    He was in a tizzy. However, he had expected that things were not going to be so smooth. After all, he knew that countless people wanted the divine personality.


    So, understandably, everyone was gambling on this. No one could resist their desire for the divine personality.


    Although Heckfoss had made ample preparations in case any incidents occurred, this had still happened! It was enough to drive one mad!


    A translucent crystal giant was climbing over the distant city wall. He stood up to reveal that he was as tall as the wall itself! On his shoulder stood Edward Kelermo.


    It was Edward Kelermo who had struck that horrific blow! He wore a silver-rimmed wizard robe and was looking directly at Heckfoss.


    Heckfoss floated above the ruins, while laughing furiously. As he laughed, a strong force blew out, like a roaring wind.


    "Good! The master of the tower is here! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Heckfoss laughed.


    His grey hair shook, while his cold eyes swept around him, looking at every corner of Niyah. He then asked, "Who else is there? Come out! Don''t hide!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    At this time, several figures appeared on the city wall! They were all big names within the mainland. Then, all of them formed a circle and surrounded Heckfoss, leaving no chance for him to escape.


    Heckfoss looked at every one of them, gritted his teeth, then pronounced their names one by one...


    "Marina Bossey, dean of Akkad Alchemy College!" he said to a gorgeous lady who was standing next to a mechanical alchemy doll.


    Then, he turned to a fox wizard with shifty eyes and said, "Felix Bliss, dean of Colossus College!"


    "Bill McDowell, Chief Justice of the Church of Light!" he said to a middle-aged and indifferent looking man.


    "First-generation Holy Knight Tiridan, the founder of the Tiridan Knight Kingdom. You old thing! I can''t believe you''re still alive!" He pointed to a surprisingly robust old man.


    Heckfoss then looked to another direction and revealed a grim expression, as if the man who he was currently facing was a disgrace to him. He then said, "And you, Lynn Ahenaten, king of mercenaries, do you think that with the Sword of the King, you have automatically become the Lion King? You are nothing! Do you even have divine power? You are only a mere level three¡­"


    Then, Heckfoss laughed and shouted to all of his enemies, "The divine personality has come, and none of you can stop me. I am the master of the night! All of you will die!"

 290 Falling of the Divine Personality

    The crystal giant jumped and punched at the Divine Shadow that was emerging behind Heckfoss. As the shadow waved a huge candlestick, its flames burned the sky bloody red.


    The crystal giant''s fists bombarded the candlestick, trying to put out the flames. The giant was being projected by Edward Kelermo with magic.


    As such, he was no different from a real one. The giant even possessed extraordinary power, which was beyond imagination!


    However, as Heckfoss'' Divine Shadow was so powerful, the six who had surrounded Heckfoss were like mere dwarves.


    Marina Bossey, in cooperation with Archimonde, produced a much fierce power. So, Marina used all of her extraordinary illusion techniques to attack the Divine Shadow.


    The others also used every means available to them to aid in the endeavor. The sound of bombing was louder than thunder, which made all of the citizens run and hide in their houses.


    The huge Divine Shadow waved its candlestick again. Besides Edward, all of the others couldn''t resist its force.


    Before, Heckfoss was never capable of fighting with the majority of them. However, after igniting the divinity of his resources, his strength had increased several times and reached level five! If he integrated the divine personality, no one present could leave here alive!


    Thinking of such a victory lying ahead, Heckfoss was anxious to fly up into the sky. His Divine Shadow was also ready!Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    In a fury, Heckfoss gave an intense blow to the cloud mass that was hiding the divine personality. The clouds instantly dispersed, revealing a clear sky and the divine personality.


    At this moment, as the other six people had been suppressed by Heckfoss, they steadily weakened and consumed Heckfoss'' strength and energy. As a result, this Divine Shadow, which was created by the power of belief, was now lacking an adequate energy source. As such, the six people were waiting for Heckfoss to reveal his weakness.


    The priests on the ground looked at the flashing light in the sky, which seemed to tear the whole sky apart. They couldn''t help but tremble and comment amongst themselves...


    "Edward, the master of the wizard tower, the legendary alchemist Marina, first generation Holy Knight Tiridan, King of Mercenaries Lynn Ahenaten... They all came here?"


    "This is a war that will be recorded in history. Just hearing the names of these people is enough to make one tremble!"


    "They''re gods to us!"


    As the priests shouted, they ran away, not even having the courage to watch this legendary battle unfold. For them, this level of battle was a battle of the gods. So, if they were unlucky, they knew that they would probably would die here!


    "Stop him! Don''t let him go!" Tiridan shouted.


    He waved his sword at the black light ribbons that had grown from the Divine Shadow. Then, one of his men used Gate of Heaven to suppress Heckfoss.


    However, this level four illusionary divine incantation couldn''t threaten level five Heckfoss, so Heckfoss used the candlestick to smash the gate of heaven that was projected by this incantation.


    Heckfoss held out his other hand and pointed at Edward, while he shouted out, "Night Dreamland!"


    Immediately, a ball of darkness wrapped around both Edward and the crystal giant, then dragged them into the dark world of illusion. Heckfoss then used a series of incantations, which consumed a great amount of energy, causing his Divine Shadow to shrink a good amount.


    However, he couldn''t care about this at the moment, as he desperately rushed toward the divine personality. At this moment, the divine personality had completely come out of the bitwall and moved towards the ground.


    The others knew that this was their last chance, so they determined that they must stop Heckfoss at all costs. As Heckfoss had gotten the divine name, the divine title, and the divine body, if he integrated the divine personality, he would become half-divine, then none of them would leave here alive!


    "You can''t stop me! The divine personality is mine! You''re all dead!" Heckfoss looked as ferocious as a ghost from hell as he stretched out to grab the divine personality, even though the others kept attacking him and the Divine Shadow''s black ribbon were decreasing constantly in number.


    At this crucial moment, a ray of light from the horizon shot to the divine personality, causing the divine personality to immediately change its route and fly in another direction. This light dazzled everyone present. They watched in amazement as the divine personality rotated a bit in the sky, then landed in the distance.


    Heckfoss, whose hand was still stretching to get the divine personality, hadn''t expected this at all.


    "No! How could this be possible?" Heckfoss cried out in desperation.


    As Heckfoss turned his head, he saw the divine personality disappearing in the distance and was determined to still catch it. At that moment, the crystal giant transformed into countless shadows, all of which surrounded Heckfoss.


    "Kelermo Crystal Seal!" Edward broke through Heckfoss'' control and used another magical technique.


    One by one, the shadows turned into pillars of light, trapping Heckfoss within them, like a dazzling prison. However, all Heckfoss could see was the falling divine personality!


    "You are mine! You are mine! Where are you going? I am your master!" Heckfoss''s cry was mad and desperate. Under the constant siege of the others, his Divine Shadow had consumed too much of his energy and had finally disappeared.


    Lynn Ahenaten, who held the Sword of the King, then penetrated Heckfoss'' chest with it. This was a lethal blow for Heckfoss.


    Heckfoss'' chest was glowing. Soon, the glow spread throughout his whole body. Then, the light tore his body apart. He was dead! At that moment, all of the madness, the unwillingness, and the incredulousness slowly disappeared from his face, leaving only a slight sneer.


    "Ha ha! How could I die? Wrong! All this is wrong! God is immortal" For this moment, Heckfoss felt that everything was just a dream and he was still a fisherman back in a remote village in Tephis. Although he couldn''t read, he was still happy every day. He liked to lie on his boat and bask in the sun, falling asleep to the sound of sea waves.


    In this dream, he did not find the book about demons on his way home, he did not become an apostle of any demon, nor did he master any extraordinary power. He was neither the so-called king nor the founder of the Church of True God. Most importantly, he was not a notorious man within the mainland.


    He still napped on his boat and basked in the sun. The villagers greeted him when he returned from a day on the water. When he came home, he would secretly send a fish to the girl he liked, even if he knew she didn''t fancy him back.


    "So, I just had a dream? That dream was terrible! Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Heckfoss cried out.


    With a smile on his face, Heckfoss was swallowed up by the light and vanished into the air. He, the actual ruler of Sumerian kingdom, had now died in the Sumerian sky...

 291 Half God

    The Kingdom of Gracchus, one of the three kingdoms which had started the central province war, was located next to the central province. However, ever since the war, the allied forces of the three kingdoms had fallen on the Sumerian Plain, and the Kingdom of Gracchus wasted away with each passing day.


    The Sumerian Kingdom declared war on the neighboring Rosetta Kingdom and Gracchus Kingdom from time to time in reprisal, taking cities and invading lands. Internal contradictions arose. Even the royal family had changed a few times.


    The Tory City in the Menlo Hills was a city on the eastern border of Gracchus. One could say it was more an abandoned mine than a city. It used to be a mineral vein, but was built into a city by slaves sent by the king to reclaim the wasteland. They''d lived there for generations.


    Many slaves and exiled criminals were sent to this place. Thieves, murderers, slaves, dark wizards, and wandering knights formed this special world.


    In early days, Tory City had been a haven of money and darkness, with well-developed trade. Those seeking fame, power and nobility flocked to the city like hyenas following the smell of carrion. One could achieve greatness here with very few morals.


    However, after more than a century''s worth of overmining, the veins were exhausted. It became a dismal, abandoned city full of criminals, refugees and orphans, castaway mercenaries and desperate saints hunted by the Church of Light.


    Evil lurked there as well. Tory City had gone from a corrupt but prosperous mining city to a hideaway for things too dark for even the power hungry to accept.


    *Clank! Clank!*


    An old, dilapidated elevator descended into the abyss. The piercing sound of the iron chains echoed up from below.


    It was like a giant blackhole leading to the center of the planet, or a gaping mouth capable of devouring the entire world.


    Spiraling down the mine shaft were endless buildings. Layer after layer of shabby houses were built on the edges of cliffs, surrounding the abyss-like mine, going deep underground. Some of the buildings were no more than metal or wooden frames, broken down after years of neglect.


    Shadows moved in between the structures. Lights flickered ominously. More than 100,000 of the poor lived in this dark land of sin. They made a living by digging out the last remaining mine, descending deeper and deeper into the darkness.


    This was what was left of Tory City.


    It was almost like the sun had disappeared. Suddenly, a crowd of people began to appear. People stepped outside their homes, holding candles and walking on the edges of the cliffs. It seemed like everyone was praying.


    As the outside world was focusing on the City of Niyah in the Sumerian Kingdom, a god fire ignition ceremony was taking place quietly in this unnoticed, outlaw city.


    "Source of the world! Divine personality of truth! Please answer our prayers and come to this world!"


    Men and women, young and old, criminals, demon warlocks and dark wizards all gathered, shouting to the heavens.


    Circles of light rose up high. A dazzling light beam shot up into the sky.


    The entire cave was illuminated with a brilliant light that covered the entire city and even descended into the cave. At the same time, there came the great roar of a beast from the bottom of the abyss.


    A giant monster broke free from below and flew up to the sky. It was a huge dragon made entirely of bones.


    Dark power emerged from the bone dragon, covering its body like a cocoon. It flew into the sky and then a giant divine shadow emerged from its body.


    Lights shimmered over the blurry figure of the divine shadow. It looked like Louis Biketo! Indeed, it was Louis Biketo''s bone dragon. He''d ignited soul flames and blended into this level-four dragon.


    A meteor with a long, brilliant tail,streaked across the dawn sky and fell to the ground.


    "He''s coming! He''s coming! We succeeded! Louis Biketo succeeded!"


    The entire population of Tory City burst into cheers as if they had waited for this moment for a long time. They had been waiting for a chance to change their fate and now, it was finally happening!


    The giant divine shadow opened his palms which emitted colorful lights that then engulfed his body like flames. He shivered and his body strengthened. At this moment, god kingdoms in the sky connected with him as if they were looking down on him.


    The bone dragon at the core of the divine shadow roared agitatedly, beating its wings. The sound was not just a roar, but a language created by mind power. He was shouting his god''s name. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Louis Biketo!"


    Thousands in Tory City shouted out his god''s name at the same time.


    "Louis Biketo!"


    ---


    After the war of the Sumerian Kingdom, the King of Heckfoss had failed when igniting divine flames and embracing divine personality, and been killed by Lynn Ahenaten with the Sword of King in the City of Niyah. However, the Divine Personality of the Dark Night had been lost in the human world.


    Everyone had started the crazy search for the Divine Personality of the Dark Night. The entire central province and the Church of Light was desperately trying to find it.


    The news about the Gathering of Darkness and Louis Biketo immediately spread to the Church of Light, the Faith of the Sun, wizards, alchemy warlocks and top leaders of all kingdoms.


    "Gathering of Darkness?"


    "When did this happen?"


    "When will these damn rats die out? They just make a fuss every few decades."


    "This time is different! They now have a half god!"


    "What do they want to do? Declare war on us?"


    In St. Sarl City, the Kingdom of the Church of the Light, everyone was astonished and agitated by the emergence of the Gathering of Darkness. Many leading priests and bishops expressed strong opposition to the existence of this cult.


    "Did the Lord give any Oracles?"


    "No!"


    While the rest of the world scrambled to figure out what was going on, the Gathering of Darkness brought all of its members and left the area of the Church of Light. They went to the foreign land in the southeast of the Alan Continent. The foreign world that was surrounded by the area of the Church of Light, the Bakto area and the desert of death, Harraf.

 292 Conflict At Sea

    Swirl Continent, the Mermaid Kingdom.


    Plunburg was a crucial port for the the Mermaid Kingdom. When the channel connecting to the human world opened up, this port had brought in massive fortunes and imported resources for the Mermaid Kingdom.


    Sailing boats and steam paddle wheeler ships densely covered the coastal waters. The thriving marine trade and growing number of merchant ships announced the beginning of the Great Navigation Era.


    Humans, fairies, orcs and mermaids had only discovered less than half of the world and had only opened the channel to Yalan Continent and Swirl Continent. More than half of the world remained uncharted. Nevertheless, fleets continued to travel across oceans. Unknown, remote islands were discovered, channel after channel was created, vast oceans and worlds outside the continent were explored and marked on the map.


    The vast sea bordered by Alan Continent, Swirl Continent and Yalan Continent was called the Sea of Storms because of frequent maelstroms, dangerous waters and countless monsters.


    Islands were discovered in the Sea of Storms and one by one, safe channels were opened. Humans were now all over the oceans. Adventurers chased fortune, faith and fame by rushing to the oceans, and with the growing number of merchant ships, pirates emerged as well.


    Some merchant ships and even a few kingdoms'' navies took up piracy as it turned out to be a lucrative business. Chaos prevailed on waters. There were no laws. Like a watery jungle, killing and plundering ruled the sea. The Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro and Sean City-State Alliance were the two strongest human powers across the sea since they had a huge number of ships.


    The Queen of the Mermaid Kingdom, Gina, had worn the crown for more than a century. With great knowledge of the human world and alchemy warlocks, she started a revolution after she returned to the Mermaid Kingdom. It began with merging the Koutao sahagins into the Mermaid Kingdom. Numerous Koutao sahagins began to take on crucial positions within the empire.


    The Mermaid Kingdom was divided into several classes and groups. Mermaids were the highest class, controlling sacrificial rites and kingship. Koutao sahagins controlled the army and politics. The lower class were civilians and slaves.


    Not hesitating to transform the ruling class of Mermaid Kingdom, Queen Gina also developed the culture, commerce, religion and education greatly. She created a system similar to the alchemy college where a huge amount of mermaid scholars, alchemy warlocks, artists, architects, craftsmen and metallurgists were nurtured and trained.


    Moreover, numerous fleets were created as soon as the Nautical Age arrived. Trade with the human kingdom was initiated and channels leading to Alan Continent and Yalan Continent were successfully opened.


    Even though mermaids had a natural advantage in the water, only with ships and fleets could they travel to the deep sea. Ships provided shields and protection for them during sea battles. It was similar to how humans used horses and chariots despite being able to walk. Without a large number of fleets, the power of the Mermaid Kingdom would be limited to the coastal waters and the inland of the Swirl Continent.


    With years of training and development, the Mermaid Kingdom fleets now cruised freely on the Sea of Storms, capable of fighting against both the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro and Sean City-State Alliance. The Mermaid Kingdom had changed completely in the last 100 years, developing population, culture, economy and military.


    "How things have changed! It feels like I only dozed off for a moment, and the Mermaid Kingdom is now completely different!" Lu Zhiyu said, lying down on the bow of a steam paddle wheeler ship.


    The sea breeze brushed his face, ruffling his black hair. The wheels on both sides of the ship rolled forward as smoke rose from the chimney at the back, disappearing slowly into the sky.


    "Oh, the wind is rising," said a girl with blonde hair and a white lace hat.


    She was wearing a light-colored dress and red shoes, holding on to her pretty hat so that it would not be taken by the blowing wind.


    Verthandi raised her head and gazed at the distant horizon.


    "More and more new things," she said. "This world just keeps getting interesting! The unchanging world has only become beautiful because of the development of these colorful lives."


    Verthandi looked to Lu Zhiyu and smiled brightly like the sun on the deck.


    "This is why I am helping you, dad, to develop this world further. All the lives here can move forward together!"


    Lu Zhiyu laughed. "Is this such a noble act?" he asked, "I feel more like a supervillain behind all these things. One day, the hero of justice will come and take me down!"


    Verthandi threw her arms around Lu Zhiyu''s neck. Her eyes glimmered.


    "You are the almighty creator," she said earnestly. "Everything started with you and will end with you. Your existence is the reason why we, and everything in this world, exist!"


    The ship reached shore and moored at the port of Plunburg harbor. The fleet did not raise any attention, it was just one of the many fleets that arrived at Plunburg. Ships and sailboats came and went, forming a unique view on the horizon.


    Many Koutao sahagins were on the dock, wearing simple shirts and leather pants. The mermaid priests looked over the port from afar.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    For this visit, Lu Zhiyu wished to see if there were any potential candidates for a god''s name from the mermaid race. There were quite a few capable human candidates, however, Lu Zhiyu did not wish to have all human gods. He wanted to see a balance between other races as well. Verthandi had tagged along when she heard his intention.


    The fleet Lu Zhiyu was with belonged to the Mara Kingdom. The queen of Mara Kingdom had just named a maritime official and built their own fleet.


    As the merchants arrived at the Mermaid Kingdom, they immediately went to the City of Adara to meet with Queen Gina. They wished to sign a trade deal with the queen so that they could acquire a huge amount of merchandise.


    Both the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro and Sean City-State Alliance rose extremely quickly with the help of the oceans. As a coastal kingdom, the Kingdom of Mara wanted to be a part of the Great Navigation Era, and take an important position.


    At the same time, in the city of the God of the Sea, Adara, a heated discussion was taking place. Many Koutao sahagin officials and mermaids were arguing in front of Queen Gina.


    "This is the tenth time that our town was robbed. We must not tolerate these human criminals!"


    "The elderly and children were all killed. They also took our young adults. I have heard that there are many slaves from our kingdom in the human world. The humans even auctioned them in public!"


    "My siblings were locked up in cages, treated like animals. All thanks to these human robbers! We must take revenge! Even if we have to declare war!"


    "Exactly! We should limit human access into the Swirl Continent. And they should not get close to the coastal waters. The patrol fleets should expel them the moment they see human fleets!"


    Many Koutao sahagin soldiers and officials shouted inside the palace, kneeling on the ground, crying out loud, complaining to the queen.


    Finally, a mermaid stepped forward.


    "Your highness, it was pirates who robbed the towns," he said. "We need to combat piracy more but not to stop trading with humans. Trade with them has brought us great development and fortune. As we can all see, we have developed very rapidly in recent years!"


    "That''s right. What we need to combat is piracy. We must not close the trading ports!"


    Those who''d been enslaved and robbed were low-class Koutao sahagins. It was nothing for the mermaid race. They were more interested in the profit they could gain from trades.


    The Koutao sahagins jumped in.


    "Pirates? What kind of pirate could have such powerful fleets? Powerful enough to cross the Sea of Storms and plunder our towns? We already know that it was a fleet from the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro that robbed our villages and enslaved our siblings!"


    "Combat piracy? They pretend to be pirates, then become official fleets that have trade deals with us and are safe in our waters!"


    "Revenge! Revenge!"


    "We need to show the humans our rage!"


    Many Koutao sahagins howled and shouted in anger. All looked to the beautiful, blue haired woman sitting on the throne and wearing the crown. They all looked to Queen Gina.


    Gina raised her head in displeasure and made a decision.


    "If the story checks out, send out emissaries immediately," she said. "Tell the King of Rosa d''Oro he must give us an explanation!"


    "Abolish the trade deal with the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro!" cried the Koutao sahagins.


    "Expel all fleets and merchants of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro!"


    "Search and investigate every individual related to enslaving mermaids! Search every merchant ship! Anyone disobeys the order, put to death!"

 293 Sea Warfare

    "Halt!"


    "Fire!"


    Orders were shouted down the deck as it fell into chaos. Wood barrels tipped over, rolling across the ship. Ropes swayed violently while some of the crew clung to them. Other crew members passed messages along. The sailors fired the alchemy cannons. With thunder-like blasts and black smoke, cannonballs lit up the sea..


    Dozens of battleships were at war. The now tattered flags showed the identities of the two parties. One had the rose symbol from the human Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. The other had the trident and waves of the Mermaid Kingdom.


    Both parties continued to fire. The blasts from the precisely placed cannons, the rising steam and the smell of smoke all got the adrenaline pumping. A few battleships from both parties sank into the sea.


    The Mermaid Kingdom fleet was nothing like that of the humans. At the bottom of the mermaid ships were doors. When at war, the doors would open and mermaid warriors would leave the ship to attack the enemy fleet from underwater.


    It did not take long for a few ships to be cut through. Sea water spurted into the battleships like a fountain.


    "Water in the ship! Water in the ship!" called out an uneasy crew member.


    "Boatman!"


    "Where is the boatman?"


    "Block the holes immediately! Block them!"


    Experienced sailors immediately began to patch up the holes. It was impossible to stay on top of the damage, however, and even as they blocked some of the holes, water poured in from the rest. They could see that the battleship was sinking. Some of the crew drowned, others were killed by the Koutao sahagins lurking below. The sea was stained red with blood.


    In sea battles, the mermaids had a natural advantage. However, it seemed that the fleet from the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro had come prepared. A huge number of priests stood on the bows, casting a group witchcraft.


    "Divine incantation, blast!"


    All the priests chanted the spell together from the battleships. Balls of light sank into the water, hitting the sahagins with strong vibrations and churning waves. They felt their insides begin to vibrate and churn as well. Many of them exploded and their entrails colored the water. Some of the stronger sahagins held out a little longer, but then blood began to ooze from their ears, eyes, and mouths before they lost consciousness, floating to the surface of the water like dead fish.


    This divine incantation was specifically created for sea races and creatures. Only with sea water as medium could it have such power. The crew members and priests on the ships were not impacted by it.


    These priests of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro were from the Galton branch of the Church of Light. They''d killed all kinds of underwater mermaid warriors in the blink of an eye with the invincible power of divine incantation. These priests had now joined forces with the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. Technically they were still managed by the Church of Light, but here on these battleships, management had given them the independence to do as they saw fit.


    "Children of the Sea in the bottom of the ocean, in the name of god''s children, I summon you!"


    "Answer my call!"


    Priests of the God of the Sea from the Mermaid Kingdom had joined the battle. They were all from the mermaid race. The men were handsome and the women were charming. It seemed that they all carried the mind bewitching power from their mythological ancestors.


    They immediately began to chant spells. Waves of mind power travelled far distances, reaching out to the creatures of the deep. The denizens of the sea answered their call. A few moments later, the waters started rolling. A mountain-sized ray fish crashed against the main battleship of the Rosa d''Oro fleet.


    The enormous body jumped out of water, flipping the giant battleship. It jumped over the ship, smashing masts. Sails fell all over the deck. Thunder exploded, lightning spread out like a web, covering the ships. Crew members were captured by the electric web, and burst into flames, then turned into a puddle of black fluid.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    More and more Children of the Sea answered the summons. Gigantic monsters with supernatural powers crossed the sea and gathered at the scene of the battle. Cannons fired, priests chanted, Children of the Sea fought, and the water was stirred into chaos.


    Battleships from the human fleet were destroyed and sank into the deep bottom of the sea. The fleet of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro was annihilated.


    ---


    "War! This is a declaration of war on our Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro!"


    "Openly breaking the trade deal, firing at our fleet, they are challenging our kingdom! The are challenging the human race!"


    "We should sanction the Mermaid Kingdom! It''s time to let those beasts know that we rule the world!"


    When the news of the battle reached the Alan Continent, the entire Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro was in an uproar. The entire fleet was destroyed! That was a tragic loss for the kingdom.


    The Mermaid Kingdom repealed the trade deal with the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro and banished all of their fleets and merchants. They confiscated all houses, lands and merchandise owned by merchants from Rosa d''Oro as well.


    The fortunes of merchants and nobles evaporated overnight. They were banished. The impact of these losses even surpassed the loss of an entire fleet. This was unacceptable for the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro.


    Nobility from the snubbed kingdom contacted the Kingdom of Mara and Sean City-State Alliance immediately. The three most powerful kingdoms at sea had a conversation in the capital city of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro.


    "We could break into the door of the Mermaid Kingdom together! Gold, slaves, spices and all sorts of resources we need could be found on the Swirl Continent. If we defeat the Mermaid Kingdom, we could have everything!"


    This was all spoken by Hubert Evers, the King of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. He was in his thirties; strong, energized and high spirited.


    However, the emissary sent by the queen of the Kingdom of Mara disagreed.


    "The Kingdom of Mara has signed a trade deal with the Mermaid Kingdom. We don''t believe declaring war hastily is a good idea. We will not take the risk just for your kingdom.


    The ambassador of Sean City-State Alliance agreed with the emissary from Mara.


    "Sorry, your majesty. The Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro was banished because you robbed the towns of the Mermaid Kingdom. We will not pay for your mistake."


    "The Mermaid Kingdom is getting stronger," King Evers replied. "They have taken half the waters, and will take more in the future. If we do not stop them now, the oceans will be controlled by the mermaids! Power is everything on the sea. Without power, there''s nothing. When the Mermaid Kingdom controls all the oceans, will your so-called trades continue in peace? Will the tax-free term continue, and will they still open their doors unconditionally? Defeat the Mermaid Kingdom with me. We will share the oceans. It will be our time. We are growing faster and gold is running low. The orc kingdom in the north has started to limit gold exports as well. Apart from gold, we need a massive number of slaves. Not to mention if we defeat them, the mermaids'' power of controlling the sea and the Children of the Sea will be ours. This will be a significant step towards ruling the waters! Do we listen to others, or do we defeat them and take what we want?"


    This bold statement of profit and fortune from the King of Rosa d''Oro made quite a few around the table frown and whisper. However, the representatives from the other two kingdoms were lost in thought.


    "We need to discuss this!"


    "Certainly, but fast!"


    Half a month later, the emissary sent by the Queen of the Kingdom of Mara, and the ambassador of Sean City-State Alliance signed the Sea Alliance Agreement with the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro in the royal city, declaring war on the Mermaid Kingdom.

 294 Candidates for the God of the Sea

    "Teacher! Why didn''t you call on all alchemy warlocks to oppose this proposal!" Johnathan asked.


    He was wearing his alchemy warlock attire. He raised the question to Marina Bossa as they walked out of the conference hall. Although Marina had expressed her strong opposition to the Sea Alliance Agreement and had protested declaring war on the Mermaid Kingdom, the proposal had been passed by a large vote in the meeting.


    Johnathan knew, however, that if his teacher did not agree, she could use her power and authority to reject the proposal.


    Marina sighed. "It was a common wish of all, including most of the alchemy warlocks. It was in line with the interests of humans, the alliance and everyone. I have no reason to force everyone to change just because of my personal opinion."


    Marina looked thoughtfully at her pupil. "Johnathan, I would like you to pay a visit to the Mermaid Kingdom as my student. Meet with Queen Gina yourself and pass a letter to her. Tell her I am sorry."


    Jonathan nodded and took the job. Marina Bossa gave him her principal badge as well. With this badge, Johnathan could command all the power of the alchemy warlocks on the sea. It was a formidable tool. He could use this badge to utilize the power of the alchemy warlocks in case of danger and difficulty at sea.


    Johnathan Brown said goodbye to Marina, got on a ship owned by the Brown family and sailed off.


    Johnathan stood on the deck. He was bathed in sunlight but his eyes were brooding as he watched the shore disappear.


    "Here I come, sea!"


    ---


    "There are four candidates qualified for a god''s name. However, only two of them will have the honor of competing to earn it. The other two have the quality and power, but not the cohesion of beliefs. They are aberrations!"


    The inland lake of the Swirl Continent was saltwater and connected to the sea. It was the most beautiful view in all the world. Islands were scattered across the vast lake like stars. Built on top of them were many cities of the mermaid race


    Some of the closer cities were connected by channels that civilians used to transfer merchandise and resources, similar to human railways.


    Lu Zhiyu and Verthandi walked on the sea as easily as they walked on land. The water rippled gently under their footsteps.


    Verthandi was in a great mood. She spread her arms and danced on the water, spinning around Lu Zhiyu before she finally stopped in front of him.


    "Who would you like to be the ruler of the sea?" she asked.


    Lu Zhiyu waved his hand, and a small version of the Swirl Continent and its nearby seas was formed by the water.


    Lu Zhiyu touched Adara city. Water splashed and a crystal clear version of the Mermaid Queen, Gina, appeared on the diagram. Then he touched Plunburg, a coastal city and Bobby, the Koutao sahagin alchemy warlock appeared as well. He was middle-aged and had a grim face, but his eyes were full of wisdom and determination.


    Lu Zhiyu conjured water images of the other two candidates as well. He touched the sea and Olicia the storm siren and Child of the Sea God appeared. She had a beautiful face and a bewitching body but the evil, forbidden tail of a snake. Lu Zhiyu touched the sea again and this time a giant ship appeared with a black bone claw on its flag. A one-eyed old man stood on the bow, but behind the ship was Hiram, the alchemy sea monster.


    Hiram was a giant octopus with a steel skull. He was an unexpected result of an experiment conducted by a few crazy alchemy warlocks. He had Sakun''s mythical blood and was a special Child of the Sea God. Hiram had become a level four monster, freely roaming the waves.


    The alchemy warlocks who''d created Hiram were also the founding members of the Pirate Alliance. With the power of Hiram, they controlled the Barast Isles which were the door to the Sea of Storms. The isles had the area of a small kingdom.


    Pirates and criminals had gathered here and built a special sea city. The Pirate Alliance turned into the so-called Adventurers'' Business Alliance. The piracy turned into taxing royal fleets on the Barast Isles. The principle was the same, but there was a lot more money to be made by taxing than plundering.


    Great power and abundant fortunes made Isaac, the current president of the Adventurers'' Business Alliance, an important player in this nautical age.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the four candidates."It not choosing, but inheriting," he said. "They are all descendants of Sakun, the God of the Sea. They are all qualified to inherit his name. Gina the Mermaid Queen and the alchemy warlock Bobby have better chances, but the other two have a fighting chance as well. The winner will be rewarded with the divine personality of the God of the Sea as well as Sakun''s blood."


    Lu Zhiyu sat down on the water. Verthandi stood in front of him. The endless sea reflected the blue sky and clouds like a mirror.


    "Verthandi, who do you think will be the God of the Sea?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    He reached out and pointed to the four candidates made of seawater.


    "My choice won''t interfere, right?" Verthandi asked.


    "Certainly not!" Lu Zhiyu answered with a smile.


    Verthandi considered for a moment.


    "Queen Gina of the Mermaid Kingdom."


    "You didn''t even think!" Lu Zhiyu said.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "What''s to think about? It is so obvious! I don''t see how the other three can win over her!"


    "Then I pick alchemy warlock Bobby, the Koutao sahagin!"


    "What if we are both wrong?"


    "No matter what, the result will be imaginative and intriguing, I am looking forward to it!"

 295 The First Sea Power Battle

    Deep in the black abyss of the ocean, a dark world with no light existed. Countless sea creatures lived there. All kinds of bizarre deep-sea creatures and sea monsters came and went freely.


    Ever since blood had awakened in the Mermaid Queen Gina, she had not dreamt. Even though the three human kingdoms had declared war on the Mermaid Kingdom and all sorts of urgent matters had weighed her down, she had not dreamt even once. Since she was level four, she would now only dream in special situations.


    Then, out of nowhere, she began to have the same dream for several nights in a row. In the dream, she entered a dark undersea world. It was so real but still somehow illusory. She heard someone calling her name.


    It was the blood of the God of the Sea that longed for the depths. Every time she entered the dream, she could feel it boiling and stirring. She was sure that this was not a simple dream.


    The next time she had the dream, she discovered the truth. With the power of the blood, she finally saw what was calling to her from the sea.


    "What kind of monster is that!" she exclaimed.


    She saw an enormous, ancient, underwater city that was built on the back of a monster the size of a mountain. No one knew how long it had been sleeping.


    It was a giant cuttlefish. The huge tentacles spread out like small mountains and the gigantic head rested on the bottom of the sea. In its day it had been a horrifying monster. Now the monstrous body had been long dead and the city had been built on top of it.


    The gentle sounds of life floated through the sea from the city.


    In the quiet darkness of the underwater world, any faint sound was unexpectedly sweet-sounding. The mundane sounds of life turned into a beautiful piece of music, mesmerizing and intoxicating.


    At this moment, Mermaid Queen Gina turned over and got up, awakened from her dream. She was still in her palace, but the scene she''d just witnessed was etched in her mind.


    "The city of the God of the Sea, Yousar," she said to herself.


    While Gina was deciphering her dream, a different scene took place on the other end of the Swirl continent. In a castle in Plunburg, a sahagin alchemy warlock stood, gazing out of the window. He looked out over the dark ocean. Waves were rolling and tides were crashing into the sandy beaches and docks.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The sahagin alchemy warlock looked to the distant sea.


    "Yousar!" he cried. "The trial has begun! Who will you choose as the next God of the Sea? Will the victor be a mermaid or come from us, the Koutao sahagins?"


    Deep down in the sea, a child of the God of the Sea with a long snake tail wandered around. She followed a trail of bubbles up to the surface. The silver moon shone onto her head. As she emerged, the wind picked up and the waves crashed.


    In the bay of the Barast Isles, the entrance to the Sea of Storms, the exploding roar of a monster shattered the still night.


    The people awoke, startled, and looked out at the sea monsters howling at the moon, unsure of what had happened.


    ---


    The sea was on fire. Rows of cannons exploded into hulls, leaving behind the smoking wreckage of ships. Broken planks, barrels, and corpses floated on the surface. The dead bodies were warriors of the Mermaid Kingdom as well as navy men, adventurers, pirates, priests and alchemy warlocks from the human allied forces.


    It was a nautical war of four kingdoms to determine the ruling power of the ocean. Would mermaids or humans triumph? Endless battleships lined up on the waters, big and small. They fired at each other ceaselessly.


    The alchemy cannons flashed continuously. Flames burst out of the cannons, reaching a few yards. Flames and smoke painted the sky. The sea turned into a world of ruins and wreckage.


    *Boom!*


    A few dozen alchemy cannons all fired at the same time from an enormous battleship. The glare of the fire was blinding.


    "Turn around! Turn around!" cried the mermaid warriors.


    Mermaid Kingdom ships were destroyed, sinking into the madness.


    "Crash into them! We shall fight to the death!" yelled another warrior.


    A Koutao sahagin gunman had not quite finished loading when a cannonball destroyed the cabin wall and went straight through his head. Wood chips splintered across the cabin. The sahagin became a headless corpse lying on the floor. The battleship crashed into the enemy and cut through their ship. Water flooded into both ships, dragging them down into the sea.


    Both above the sea surface and below, Koutao sahagins continued their attack on human ships and soldiers. They boarded the human''s ships and fought violently. Swords and knives flashed, cannons fired, Koutao sahagins wielded heavy tridents with their inborn strength. The number of human soldiers was just too large, however, and many of them were official knights with awakened blood.


    "Kill! For the queen!" yelled the mermaids.


    "Kill the fish monsters!" screamed the humans.


    "Fire! Fire, now!"


    "Priests? Where are the onboard priests?"


    The alchemy cannons and battleships of the human kingdoms were much higher quality than those of the Mermaid Kingdom. The cannons had better ranges and the ships had a better carrying capability. The leading battleship of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, the Breath of the Dragon, had 100 alchemy cannons and three decks.


    It was a monster in the sea. However, in a world full of supernatural powers, the focus of the battle was on the saints.


    Sea monsters and Children of the Sea attacked the humans'' battleships under the control of the priests of the God of the Sea from the Mermaid Kingdom. The roaring of monsters echoed in the waters. In the sky, sirens with the bodies of hawks hovered over the sea, attacking humans.


    Unfortunately, the Mermaid Kingdom still had fewer battleships, soldiers, alchemy cannons and far fewer saints. Even with the help of the Children of the Sea, the priests of the God of the Sea were drowned by the countless supernatural resources of the human alliance.


    Wherever the Breath of the Dragon passed, battleships of the Mermaid Kingdom sank into the sea. Priests from the Church of Light stood on the Breath of the Dragon and cast group incantations, killing the Children of the Sea and the hovering sirens.


    "Incantation, Punishment Ray!"


    All the priests chanted the spell at the same time. Light shone from the Breath of the Dragon and ripped a steam starfish apart.


    The steam starfish was hit by the light beam which instantly covered it in scars and wounds. Organs exploded and scattered over the sea. The blue blood tainted the surface of the water.


    The fleet of the Mermaid Kingdom was destroyed. Those who weren''t killed fled, severely wounded. The human army did not pursue them but continued to kill the Koutao sahagins left in the water.


    All ships from the Mermaid Kingdom sank or fled. Corpses and wreckage from both armies littered the surface along with huge bodies of sea monsters. It was a living hell.


    "We have won!" the human soldiers yelled triumphantly. "Long live humans! Long live the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro!"


    The soldiers of the human allied army exploded into cheers. They threw their hats, hugged each other and shot their guns in the sky. The Mermaid Kingdom had been defeated. The goddess of victory was on the side of humanity. Humans named this battle the First Sea Power Battle.


    The three kingdoms continued to attack the island cities and stations of the Mermaid Kingdom. They sank all mermaid fleets and merchant ships. The mermaids had lost their control of the sea and were forced to give up their stations on the sea.


    Without fleets, the Mermaid Kingdom lost its ability to go into the deep sea. They could only stay in the shallow waters. Their influence was limited to the Swirl Continent. They lost their ability to influence the sea and therefore lost the sea. They were now just a resource for humans to exploit. The Mermaid Kingdom was in grave danger.

 296 Barast Isles

    When Johnathan reached the Mermaid Kingdom, the First Sea Power Battle had reached its end. The mermaids had been defeated at sea. When Johnathan arrived at the dock, he saw countless blackened warships and groups of wounded soldiers. It seemed as though dark clouds covered the sky of Plunburg.


    Johnathan journeyed through the kingdom any trouble thanks to Marina Bossa''s principal badge, but many citizens glared at him with hatred and fear as he passed.


    Humans had taken their ships, declared war on them, enslaved and traded their brothers and sisters, and turned the peaceful Mermaid Kingdom into chaos. After the battle, the mermaid''s dislike of humans had grown to a fuming hatred.


    Johnathan crossed more than half of the Swirl Continent and headed to the capital city of Adara. It was his first time visiting the Mermaid Kingdom. Johnathan was a key founder of nautical age as well as a legend in the shipbuilding industry. Since his trip to the Yalan Continent, however, he had not traveled across the sea.


    The Mermaid Kingdom was quite similar to the Sean City-State Alliance. Its influence could be seen in many aspects; architectural style, art, language, and politics.


    "Look at that statue! It looks like the style of master Bren!" said a man in Johnathan''s crew. "It feels like coming home!"


    "Of course, at home, we are welcomed by cheers," refuted another crew member. "Here all we get is cold water and cold eyes!"


    There was a lot of discussion among Johnathan''s delegation along the way. Despite the pressure and hatred, they arrived at the city of Adara without any problems.


    Giant water channels could be seen everywhere in the city. Waterfalls and rivers flowed down from the top, and buildings and houses were built around them. Mermaids and Koutao sahagins came and went.


    On top of the water city of Adara was the royal palace. Fountains and bridges stood in the center. Enormous Caryatids and Atlantes stood on the side, simple but magnificent. Rows of Koutao sahagins guarded the gates. Jonathan walked through an archway.


    He met the Mermaid Queen Gina, who was no longer the girl once she was. Johnathan understood, Marina wasn''t either.


    They were once innocent girls, na?ve and young, but now their paths were changed. One had become the legendary alchemy warlock and headmaster of the Akkad Alchemy College, and the other the Queen of the Mermaid Kingdom who brought hope to her people.


    Jonathan was not an emissary of the Sean City-State Alliance, but he was there on behalf of the legendary alchemy warlock, Marina Bossa. He passed the letter to Gina once the music and ceremony had ended.


    Queen Gina sat on the throne with her crown on her head. She opened the letter, read it, and then closed her beautiful blue eyes gently as if she was recalling a distant, more pleasant memory.


    After a long while, she moved her hand from her forehead as if she''d just traveled back to reality. She sighed.


    "What else did she say?" she asked Johnathan.


    "She said she was sorry," he replied sincerely.


    The queen laughed quietly but her voice was tinged with sadness.


    "It is as she once told me. I am a mermaid, and she is human. I belong to the Mermaid Kingdom and she belongs to the Sean City-State Alliance. Nothing can change that."


    Gina waved her hand and to send Jonathan away. He hesitated, and then his eyes filled with determination.


    "Queen Gina," he said. "I may have an idea which could help you resolve this crisis!"


    Gina looked at Jonathan and laughed once again. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "The Sean City-State Alliance is at war with us, and you wish to help us resolve our crisis?"


    "The Sean City-State Alliance speaks for the Sean City-State Alliance. I speak for myself. Of course, I wish for generous rewards!"


    "Tell me about your idea."


    "The Barast Isles!"


    ---


    The Barast Isles held the entrance to the Sea of Storms. They consisted of a dozen islands both large and small. It was the territory of the Adventurers'' Business Alliance and was once the home of pirates.


    About a dozen years ago, the mad warlock Isaac had taken over. Isaac owned a huge fleet and an alchemy tower, and many alchemy warlocks followed him. More importantly, he could control the alchemy sea monster, Hellem.


    With this gigantic sea monster and its godly powers, the mad warlock Isaac ruled the sea. He was called the Ruler of the Sea of Storms and the Pirate King.


    The fleets of the human kingdoms could not do anything to stop him and ended up signing an agreement that made him the ruler of the Barast Isles, the natural hub of the Sea of Storms.


    The Sea Power Battle had gone smoothly for humanity because the Barast Isles had been established as bridgeheads. Massive amounts of supplies and soldiers were sent there. Fleets were restocked and repaired there. Armies rested there. The Barast Isles were key.


    All parties gathered in the Barast Isles. Pirates, soldiers, alchemy warlocks, priests and wizards. Even some saints from the dark side were there. Countless ships anchored off the bay on the main island. The City of Adventures, also known as the City of Pirates, was illuminated by revelry throughout the night.


    The victory of the Sea Power Battle brought euphoria and joy to everyone. Sailors, officers, mates, and saints who''d participated in the battle were now gathered in the Bistro of Blood and Romance in the City of Adventures. Buckets of alcohol were brought to the tables. Mesmerizing music, shouting, laughter, and the sound of gold coins dropping on tables filled the bistro.


    All the shops inside the city were packed. The Bistro of Blood and Romance was the biggest and most famous venue in the city. Its name had traveled across the sea, to the ears on Alan Continent.


    "Now that we''ve defeated the Mermaid Kingdom, we will have an unimaginable fortune!" shouted many happy soldiers.


    "Thanks to queen Monar!"


    "And King Hubert!"


    At this moment, the drunk, one-eyed, mad warlock Isaac stood high and made an introduction to everyone around him.


    "I present to you with great honor, my brother, Jonathan Brown!" he yelled.


    Isaac put his arm around Jonathan''s shoulder. All his people cheered and stomped their feet. They were rowdy like pirates.


    "I believe everyone has heard his name. He is Jonathan Brown, the man who opened the new channel, the patriarch of the Brown family, and the favorite student of my teacher Marina Bossa! Let us give him a great welcome!"


    The bistro burst into cheers. Jonathan Brown was a big name in the Sean City-State Alliance, and an even bigger one at sea.

 297 Hailuga Kingdom

    It was not a dark night on the sea, as the starry sky lightened the lands. However, the dawn mist blurred the sea, obstructing visibility. Covered by the night, mermaids landed secretly. The noise of fighting and killing filled the air on the island.


    One after another, battleships of the Kingdom of Mermaids closed on the Alast Isles through the mist. Peripheral stations and hidden posts were destroyed one by one.


    They knew the terrain and the position of every station and post. It seemed they calculated the weather, the time, the location and the plan perfectly ahead, and sneaked into the Barast Isles silently.


    The alchemy sea monster Hellem who was hiding under the sea gave a terrifying roar at sunrise. The howling sounded like horns played from the bottom of the sea. Soldiers stationed in the City of Adventures got up. Crowds gathered on the decks of the ships ported in the bay. They looked around with eyes half open.


    "What''s going on?"


    "What was that sound?"


    "It''s the mad warlock''s monster!"


    "That damn monster has gone crazy again!"


    "It''s probably gone mad, just like its master!"


    At the same time, one-eyed mad warlock Isaac walked out his castle hastily. Johnathan put on his cloths and walked to him, said, "What? What''s going on?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Many loyal subordinates followed Isaac. Isaac looked to the distant bay, shook his head and said, "Something is wrong. Something is wrong with Hellem. The sound is different. What has happened this time? Damn, I need to have a look!"


    At this moment, Isaac sensed something was wrong, turned around and looked to Johnathan, and saw a blue stone marble exploded. Instantly, the freezing air spread across dozens of meters, forming a pillar-sized ice crystal, and made the castle burst into ruins. The castle was frozen into a world of ice, and Isaac was frozen in it as well.


    "The Tear of the Sea from the Kingdom of Mermaids! Damn you, you traitor, traitor!"


    Isaac struggled in ice, as he felt both his body and soul were getting frozen gradually. The moment he was hit by this special witchcraft item created by the mermaid queen Gina, he was left with no hope.


    Jonathan and the loyal subordinates of Isaac made a move at the same time. A giant fire ball crashed to the frozen Isaac. Immediately the one-eyed warlock Isaac disintegrated, the level three alchemy warlock was ripped into pieces.


    Johnathan raise the badge of Marina Bossa and said, "In the name of Lady Marina, kill the traitor of alchemy warlocks, Isaac!"


    All alchemy warlocks saluted and said, "Your order is above all!"


    Johnathan walked into the cracked ice, retrieved a silver metal sphere from the frozen corpse pieces of Isaac. The sphere had intricate patterns carved on it, giving out waves of mind power.


    "The Contract with Hellem! Finally!"


    Jonathan held onto this silver metal ball with great excitement. Part of the soul of the alchemy sea monster Hellem was sealed within, along with the soul contract of Hellem and Isaac. With the sphere, one could control Hellem.


    Johnathan held high the Contract with Hellem. The carvings lighted up, giving out strong waves of mind power. A terrifying roar rose from the bay outside.


    "Roar!"


    In the bottom of the sea outside the port, waves were flipped and raised to the sky. Hellem had lost control and fell into madness. Giant tentacles crawled to the surface of the sea from the deep bottom like pillars, ripping many ships anchored off the bay into pieces.


    Waves rose dozens of meters high, crashing into cliffs. Glaring lights beamed from the bottom of the sea, lighted the sky. The sound of explosion echoed. Countless battleships ported din the bay burst into flames instantly.


    The entire bay turned into a sea of fires. Most people on the ships burned to death immediately. The remaining few who luckily escaped death fell into water, struggled to swim to land.


    A giant metal-skinned head rose from the bottom of the sea. The eye balls rolled up and down, beaming lights from within. The entire sea bubbled and boiled. All those struggling in the sea died one after another, sinking into the deep water.


    "Oh my god! What on earth is happening? Has it gone crazy?" Pirates and soldiers in the City of Adventures all stood aghast, watching the bay and port turning into a sea of fires, looking pale and uneasy.


    Fleets of the Sean City-State Alliance, the Kingdom of Mara and the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro were destroyed on the sea. The rest of the ships set off immediately to escape. However, red lights glimmered in the distant fog.


    "What light is that? What''s ahead us?", said the captain of the lead ship. He raised his monocular and looked to the fog. He shouted, "Damn! Cannons! It''s the fleet of the Kingdom of Mermaids!"


    The huge fleet fired unstop. Lights and fires shone. Many human battleships were hit. Rows of cannons were fired, taken the human allied force by surprise.


    At the same time, the alchemy sea monster Hellem attacked them from behind. The humans were enveloped inside the bay.


    "It''s the Queen! Mermaid queen Gina is also here!"


    On a gigantic four-decked alchemy ship, the ram was a mermaid statue holding high the scepter. It''s the Queen of the Kingdom of Mermaids, the royal ship of the mermaid queen Gina. Many saints recognized the Queen as soon as it cut through the dense fog.


    Massive number of children of the sea and priests of the God of the Sea covered the surface of the sea. Even the mermaid queen Gina had come in person. The fleet of the allied force was now completely in despair.


    "What the hell is happening?"


    "Where''s Isaac? Why did his monster go crazy all the sudden?"


    "How did the fleet of the Kingdom of Mermaids come this far without been spotted? Are our posts and stations nothing but pigs?"


    Commanding officers and captains did not see this coming at all. They all started to cursing Isaac furiously. However, it was futile, and nothing could save them now. Under the attack of the fleet of the Kingdom of Mermaids, priests of the God of the Sea, as well as the alchemy sea monster Hellem controlled by Johnathan, they all fell into fear and despair.


    ---


    Under the attack of a level-four mermaid priest, a level-four alchemy sea monster and the huge fleet of the Kingdom of Mermaids, the fleeted was cornered inside the Barast Bay, hit and damaged. Al last, they had no other option but surrender to Johnathan and the Kingdom of Mermaids.


    As the agreement before, Johnathan took the Barast Isles, accepted many human marines and a few fleets, and integrated with the remaining force of the Adventurer Business Alliance on the Barast Island. Johnathan signed a Covenant with the Kingdom of Mermaids afterwards regardless, betrayed all humans and his own country and joined force with the Kingdom of Mermaids.


    The Kingdom of Mermaids hit the Sea Alliance fleet hard. The Sea Alliance had lost their bridgehead, the Barast Isles. They could no longer port or get supplied on the sea in long-distanced wars.


    The situation took a sudden turn. The Kingdom of Mermaids started to recover their power on the sea, reopened channels to the Yala Continent and the Kingdom of Orcs. A massive amount of fleets of the Kingdom of Mermaids emerged on the sea, subdued the human forces on the sea and limited the scope of human''s activities. Johnathan made a huge fortune from the war and continued to profit from it.


    Johnathan''s power grew in the war of the Kingdom of Mermaids and the human kingdoms. With a massive amount of alchemy warlocks, pirates, adventurers, mercenaries, slaves and refugees, cities after cities started to form and establish on the Barast Isles, utilizing the power of the Brown family and the largest shipbuilding factory.


    The first true sea kingdom rose from sea trades and the war between mermaids and humans, the Hailuga Kingdom.


    It was a newly formed island kingdom. Its founder, king Johnathan Brown was a controversial man. Both Sean City-State Alliance and the alchemy warlocks had attacked Johnathan Brown''s shameless conduct on newspapers and official reports. He was called the traitor and the betrayer of the human kingdoms. Moreover, Marina Bossa announced that Johnathan Brown was no longer her student, or the student of Akkad Alchemy College.


    The Sean City-State Alliance searched the entire country for the Brown family or any one related to Johnathan to show their rage. However, Johnathan was prepared and had already moved everything, indicating premeditation. The three kingdoms of the Sea Alliance declared war on the Hailuga Kingdom continuously in the following decades. Even time could not lessen their hatred.


    Some consider Johnathan a shameless speculator who would do anything to achieve his goal. Some on the other hand, consider the tactful move of Johnathan Brown, the king of the Hailuga Kingdom, to profit from the conflict between the three kingdoms and the Kingdom of Mermaids highly commendable.


    Transforming from an adventurer to a kingdom with his own kingdom, Johnathan had become the idol of many adventurers, as well as their goal. Moreover, Johnathan started the life he had long wanted.

 298 Capital of the Sea

    "Have you heard of Yousar, the city that was left by the ancient sea god, the legendary capital of the sea?" An old drunk man spoke, while sitting on a boat.


    Rumors had it that, deep in the sea, there was a city that had been left behind by an ancient sea god. If was said that if anyone could find this city, he could inherit the legacy of the ancient sea god.


    "So, what is this legacy?" a young sailor asked the old drunkard who was beside him.


    On the deck of the boat, a large group of sailors were surrounding the old drunkard. Many of them were holding mops, brushes, barrels and hammers. As they were cleaning, they had overheard the old drunkard''s story.


    The boat that they were in belonged to the Hailuga Kingdom, which was founded a year ago. At this time, though the war of maritime rights between three Kingdoms and the Mermaid Kingdom was not yet over, all of them had already been exhausted by the fighting, so the sea seemed to offer them a peaceful reprieve.


    The old drunkard then continued his story with a mysterious voice. "Legend has it that whoever finds the city of Yousar will become the master of the sea!"


    People heard this kind of story every day. Whether it be mermaids, elves, or humans, they were all searching for Yousar. Although they didn''t know where the rumor first came from, it seemed that everyone believed in the existence of this mysterious sea city.


    But, this city was supposedly deep in the sea and was a forbidden place for human beings to enter. Also, it was impossible to dive deep into the sea to find this city.


    However, the mermaids had a huge advantage in this respect, as their anatomy allowed them to explore many possible places where Yousar might exist. As such, way in the depths of the sea, you could often see cruising mermaids, who were possibly searching for Yousar!


    In addition, Koutao sahagins were also searching secretly for the remains of the city of Yousar. Even Bobby, a sahagin alchemist who had never left the Swirl Continent, left Prenburg and quietly went to the deep sea to search.


    Hailuga Kingdom also took part in this endeavor, and the alchemy sea monster Hellem, which was stationed in the harbor of Alast, also joined in the search.


    Soon, humans, mermaids, and elves began to expand their maritime routes. They even went beyond the borders of the Alen Continent, the Yala Continent, and the Swirl Continent!


    Thus, a new round of pioneering navigation began, not only to find the legendary city of Yousar, but also to discover new continents like Marina Bossay had done before. New adventurers who were respectful to Marina Bossay and Jonathan Brown aspired to usher in a new era.


    Countless adventurers heard about the legends and stories of the sea, each yearning for the adventurous life at sea and hoping to get rich overnight.


    ---------------------


    Outside the Stormy Sea, just west of the Alen Continent and north of the Swirl Continent, was the Bazaar Sea. It was a previously unknown sea that had just been found.


    As a half-naked fairy with a slender snake tail arrived here, her tail stirred up bubbles in the sea. While she swam, she stretched out her hands as if she was dancing to the rhythm of the sea waves.


    She was Olicia, the Stormy Fairy. She was looking for her destination according to her memories.


    A huge squid, which looked like a rolling mountain range, held a city on its head. The city had a blue protective thin film above it, which was shining like a jewel deep in the sea.


    At this moment, a look of ecstasy appeared on Olicia''s gorgeous face, while light circles shone In her magnificent green eyes.


    "I found it! Yousar, the capital of the sea god!" Olicia exclaimed.


    Olicia was also a Child of the Sea, but she didn''t inherit the chaotic and disorderly features of Sakun like the other Children of the Sea. Instead, she was born with high intelligence, like the hawk banshees and the mermaids. In fact, her birth had a legendary connection.


    Olicia was conceived by a human woman. Her mother was swept into the sea by the waves of a storm. After that, her mother was found on the coast of a small village in the Holima Kingdom on the Alen Continent. When she woke up, she found that she was pregnant!Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    When this human woman gave birth to Olicia, the whole village was shocked. No one thought that a human being''s baby could be a monster!


    Olicia was abandoned and thrown into the sea. Then, she became a Child of the Sea. As such, she was at the top of the food chain, even in her infancy. The whole sea was her playground from day one!


    Olicia dove towards the bottom of the sea, gradually coming closer to the edge of the trench. As she moved forward, the outline of the city of Yousar became more and more clear in her eyes. Finally, she saw the legendary city of the sea clearly!


    The huge city was built on the fossilized head of a giant squid. In its heyday, the city had been carried by this monster to travel all over the world, inspecting everywhere in the sea, like a god inspecting his own lands!


    There were many kinds of aquatic plants, coral, and undersea plants on the surface of the city. A large number of fish also shuttled outside it, but they could not swim across the film.


    This was because the film isolated water and everything outside from the inside. However, everything inside of the city could still be seen through the film.


    Yousar was a city full of exotic style. Although it had mostly been turned into ruins, its exquisite pillars that supported buildings, corridors, special fountain gardens, waterways, tall stairs and domes still looked amazing, especially in this deepest darkest world at the bottom of the sea.


    When Olicia got closer, she noticed that the buildings in this city were much taller than average buildings. In fact, it looked like a city that was built for giants!


    The central main temple especially looked like a giant temple of the gods. Each of its stone slabs was more than ten meters long and wide, and its stairs were so high, ordinary people were unable to climb them!


    Olicia approached Yousar with excitement and carefully touched the film. Unexpectedly, it did not resist her. As such, she easily penetrated it and went inside the sea capital, which seemed to have not received visitors for the past thousand year at least!


    Olicia raised her head and looked up. The film above her head looked like the sky, as it was emitting a pale blue light.


    The moment Olicia entered, she seemed to hear a bell ringing. She also saw that, at the top of the central main temple, a brilliant blue light was shining. In a moment, countless rays of light shot out from the temple and illuminated the entire sea.


    Dong!


    The bell sound seemed to activate the entire city, and at the same time, the other three sea god candidates who were exploring other regions heard the bell as well!


    Mermaid Gina was searching for Yousar in the Stormy Sea on her boat, the Queen. Also, a sahagin alchemist was steering a steam alchemy submarine in the darkness of the sea. The light of the submarine flowed with the continuous waves of the currents. Jonathan was standing on the head of Hellem. When he was crossing a misty area, he suddenly heard a roar from coming the boat, as if it had lost something important to its functioning.


    Simultaneously, the three of them had raised their heads and looked in the direction of the distant Bazaar Sea.


    "The capital of the sea! It''s open!" they all said at the same time.

 299 The Throne of the Sea God

    Jonathan sat on Hellem''s head and went into the Bazaar Sea. Half of Hellem''s brain was composed of metal cells, which took the form of gears, steam canons, weapons and consoles. As such, its brain was like a fortress at wartime!


    Isaac, the crazy alchemist, was a student of the legendary alchemist Marina. He had combined alchemy with Blood Witchcraft to upgrade a Child of the Sea to a level four creature.


    With this creature, Isaac had been able to dominate part of the Stormy Sea. It was because of this that Jonathan noticed Isaac.


    Jonathan was the third one to arrive at the Bazaar Sea, following Stormy Fairy Olicia and Mermaid Queen Gina. Besides them, there were also a large number of mermaids and Koutao sahagins holding steel forks and waiting outside of the film.


    It wasn''t long before a giant alchemy submarine arrived from a distance at great speed. It was being captained by Bobby, who then entered the film as well.


    Jonathan looked on curiously, while many illusory shadows that emitted white light were constantly drifting around Hellem. He then asked, "What are they?"


    "They call them the prayers. These are the lingering souls of the sea god believers!" Gina, the Mermaid Queen, told Jonathan that this was a special spiritual language that enabled spiritual communication.


    Originally, this language was used by members of the church. It was then transformed and perfected by wizards before it gradually became a specific language used by the extraordinary ones.


    Within the whole city of Yousar, there were a large number of prayers. These people had been believers of the sea god when they were alive, so their souls had automatically gathered in Yousar after their deaths.


    Innumerable souls surrounded the huge temple in the city. They were all in a state of perplexity and were constantly whispering prayers.


    Olicia felt unusually agitated at the moment. As she was the first to arrive here, she found that it was necessary to gather all the successors who were selected by the sea god in order to be able to open the door of the temple.


    "The door is open!" she exclaimed.


    The huge gate slowly opened, and even the huge alchemy sea monster Hellem looked extremely small in front of it. At this time, a huge shadow appeared in the temple.


    Wizards, priests, and alchemists were all familiar with it, as the churches summoned it from the Divine Kingdom many times in order to suppress heresy.


    As an alchemist, Jonathan recognized it immediately. "The Holy Spirit?"


    As the Holy Spirit''s eyes swept over the group of four, Gina immediately felt a strong force coming from it. But, what attracted their attentions most was the divine personality in the sky.


    An infinite power was constantly emanating from the divine personality and covering the whole city of Yousar. Apparently, both the film and the prayers relied on this divine personality for their existences. In fact, everything here seemed to depend on the power of this divine personality!


    There was also a blood bead that was floating in front of the giant statue of the sea god. At the moment, the four descendants who had Sakun''s blood felt the blood inside of them burning fiercely. Together, along with the alchemy sea monster Hellem, they all let out a collective yell.


    The Mermaid Queen Gina''s expression changed as she said to the others, "Sea god''s blood! The trial is about to begin! We can''t quit halfway!"


    Then, as the great Holy Spirit emitted a bright light, the door slowly closed.


    Gina was the first to say, "I''m in!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Yes!" agreed Olicia.


    The sahagin alchemist looked at Gina, the Mermaid Queen, then hesitated for a while before finally agreeing as well. "OK!"


    When it was Jonathan''s turn, he suddenly said, "I can quit now and not join in the fight, but whoever succeeds must fulfill their promise."


    All of a sudden, everyone looked at Jonathan. Gina was not surprised. After all, it was the alchemy sea monster Hellem that had Sakun''s blood. If Jonathan was not mad, he would have never let Hellem join in. Hellem could be a decent opponent of a level four sea monster, but it could never beat the one who ignited the divine fire and became half divine!


    "Yes!"


    "Yes!"


    "Yes!"


    When the other three agreed at the same time, Jonathan smiled, then left the temple without hesitation.


    After he left Yousar, a large number of mermaids gathered, as well as the extraordinary human beings and even a fleet of elves. They had all come to witness the birth of a new sea god.


    More than a dozen days later, the light came from the bottom of the ocean and rushed into the sky. The city of Yousar collapsed in an instant, slowly falling into the deep trench. As it fell, two figures hurriedly escaped from it, then quickly left the Bazaar Sea and fled far away.


    Half a month later, Gina, who had Sakun''s blood, ignited the divine fire and transformed into a divine body, thus acquiring the divine personality. She then walked out from the bottom of the sea as a newly transformed half divine!


    Sea waters diverged into two sides, revealing the bottom of the sea between them. Gina then stepped up from the deepest part of the seabed onto the waves.


    The sea was now a plaything under her control. All of the people who saw her now bowed their heads as they watched her leave the sea. They all murmured in awe, as the sight of her was truly extraordinary...


    "Half divine!"


    "Saint on earth!"


    "Is this what becoming a god looks like?"


    When such a realistic example was thoroughly presented to the people, they felt shocked. This was truly a time of divinity!


    Immediately, everyone knew that Gina had succeeded in inheriting the legacy of the ancient sea god and become half divine. Soon after this, the news spread throughout the sea and the world.


    The battle for sea god power had come to an end. The Mermaid Kingdom now had total control over the sea. The Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, the Sean City-State Alliance, and the Kingdom of Mara had all admitted defeat.


    Thankfully, the victorious Mermaid Kingdom did not wish to continue the cold war, so the three maritime allies and the Mermaid Kingdom signed trade agreements once again, which launched peaceful trade co-ops and built positive diplomatic relations, thus restoring peace to the ever-turbulent and chaotic sea!


    ------------------


    In the floating city, Verthandi, who was standing in front of Lu Zhiyu, pressed down the chess piece representing the sea god on the chessboard. She then raised her head and said, "I won!"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head. "It''s just as boring as I expected!"


    As he spoke, Lu Zhiyu suddenly looked at the distant Yala land with joy in his eyes. He then asked, "Has anyone finally begun to ascend the throne?"


    Verthandi took her hands away from the chessboard and said, "Bernice, the harvest goddess!"

 300 Bernice the Harvest Goddess

    Lights broke through clouds in the sky, shining on the Silver Moon Forest like holy lights from the Divine Kingdom. The forest in the early morning was filled with a thick vapor and a light fog. Milky white lights fell through the layers of tree leaves and branches, and the forest was tinged with a dreamy color.


    A Moonlight Elf walked out of his tree house and looked at the sky. Suddenly, he noticed something as he looked at Taman City in the middle of the Silver Moon Forest and the Tree of Life.


    "Bernice! The harvest goddess!"


    In Taman, a large number of elf-style buildings and gardens were built around the Tree of Life. After the catastrophe involving the devils, Taman and the Moonlight Elves were refreshed. It was then that the whole city was rebuilt.


    Now, the whole city of Taman had become an ocean of flowers and plants. Its roads were lined with colorful flowers and the city walls were composed of a variety of vines.


    These vines intertwined with one another to form the most important protection of Taman. Vines, trees, and flowers could be seen everywhere in the city. They all intertwined together, grew madly everywhere, and were even integrated into the buildings themselves!


    The Moonlight Elves came out of their homes and knelt down at the Tree of Life. At this moment, the whole tree was covered by light from heaven.


    The light came from the bitwall above the horizon, as if it was a direct route to the Divine Kingdom. The leaves of the Tree of Life swayed in the light, while they scattered throughout the city of Taman.


    "The master of harvest and life! The master of the cycle of seasons!" A harvest priest who was standing at the front was crying out to the harvest goddess.


    "I pray that you will return to your holy kingdom!"


    "Power, glory, and faith all belong to you forever!"


    Outside, the whole city of Taman gathered in circles, everyone shouting to the harvest goddess as well. A large number of harvest goddess priests were gathered under the Tree of Life at this moment, and many elves were crying. This was because they knew that their goddess was going to return to the Divine Kingdom, become an eternal star in the sky, and rule everything!Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Olanca, the high priest of the harvest goddess, was standing under the tree. His face looked very old, as most of his life had already been consumed during the devil disaster.


    Now, most of his body had grown plants upon it. On one side of his face, thorns, vines, and a few small flowers could be seen. Needless to say, he looked terrifying!


    Olanca was watching the glorious lights above the Tree of Life. Although half of his face was unable to move, the other side of his face was looking up at the tree. If one looked closely, they would see tears in his eyes.


    "I finally succeeded!" Olanca was filled was happiness. "Goddess, am I a good guardian?"


    His eyes became blurry with tears as he asked, "Did I finish my job?"


    The whole tree disappeared bit by bit, and its leaves and flowers flew and scattered among the Moonlight Elves. Immediately, all of the Moonlight Elves'' hair turned silver white, and their bodies naturally absorbed the deified cells of the harvest goddess.


    Every Moonlight Elf received the power of the harvest goddess, which was the mark of the harvest goddess Bernice. So, the Moonlight Elves were completely different from other elves and became a uniquely special elf tribe.


    "Olanca! Thank you! I''ll be waiting for you in the heavens!" The Divine Shadow of Bernice, the goddess of harvest, had finally become a level seven mythological creature.


    The Divine Kingdom in the sky, which belonged to the goddess of harvest, generated a dazzling light, as if it sensed the existence of a new goddess of harvest. Huge pillars of divine light were projected from the bitwall and could be seen by the whole Yala Continent. They could even be seen beyond the sea!


    The elves of the Sylve Empire also saw the pillars of light that emerged from the horizon. The elf wizards seemed to have known what had happened.


    "Bernice, the harvest goddess! She''s really a goddess now!" said an elf wizard.


    Queen Wendy also came out of the palace in Sylve and looked into the distance. Her eyes were filled with worry as she asked, "Has she really succeeded? Are we now in the era of the gods? So, where is our way out? Where should the wizards go?"


    Far away in Sandro Highland, the Daytime Elves also noticed that the light pillar was like a ladder that had been erected at the end of the sky. This sight caused many of the Daytime Elves to kneel on the ground and pray to Bernice, the harvest goddess, in the distance.


    Bernice followed the pillar of light, travelling through the endless sky and through the bitwall. After Bernice crossed the bitwall, she finally arrived in the depths of the Divine Kingdom.


    Then, amid intense lights, Bernice entered it. In an instant, the sixteen stars of Maria''s World and the silver moon shone at the same time, revealing that someone has ascended the throne and become the master of the rules of the world.


    ---------------------


    When Bernice entered the Divine Kingdom, she felt that countless data and rules were constantly integrated into her body. For a moment, she seemed to see the operation of the world rules clearly before her!


    The time of Maria''s World passed quickly in her eyes. The seasons alternated and the world changed. Plants, humans, orcs, sahagins, elves and animals lived and died by the rules of the seasons.


    Bernice opened her eyes and found herself amid a blue sky of white clouds, sitting on a huge throne, which was surrounded by sixteen other thrones. All of the thrones were in a circle, and there were already four giant Divine Shadows sitting upon them. This was a country of gods, like a real world, and it was beyond Bernice''s imagination.


    Underfoot was the heavenly city and the heavenly mainland, which stretched to the end of the sky. There, countless prayers and saints lived. This was indeed a heavenly land above the clouds. It was a truly sacred fantasy land!


    The sun goddess Verthandi looked at Bernice and said, "Welcome!"


    Delmedi, the goddess of death, lay idly on the throne. Her black cloak seemed incompatible with the light atmosphere. "Here comes another one!" she said.


    Kelly, the goddess of light, nodded slightly. "I am the goddess of light. Welcome Bernice to the throne!"


    Bernice nodded to them one by one, then looked at Lu Zhiyu, who she felt was very familiar. "You are..."


    Kelly, the goddess of light, interrupted her and said, "This is the Creator!"


    Bernice was shocked. "Creator?"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and spoke to Bernice seriously. "Bernice, the goddess of harvest, you are in charge of the cycle of seasons, plant growth, and the order of life in Maria''s World! As such, you must abide by god''s duty, maintain the operation of the rules, and safeguard the stability of the world! Can you do that?"


    Bernice felt like this had to be a dream! She quickly nodded and said, "Yes, as this is my duty."

 301 Steam Age and Steam Automobiles

    Ding Dong! Ding Dong!


    Whoop!


    A railroad stretched all the way from Tephis to the horizon until it disappeared at the end of the sky. A steam car that had more than a dozen compartments arrived at the station in Tephis.


    This steam car came from the railway that was the very first railway in Maria''s World. It connected the alchemist city Tephis to the capital Finnlit.


    Steam engines were now being widely used in the Sean City-State Alliance, and after the emergence of magic reinforced the steam engines, metal-activated steam engines especially had brought this new advanced technology to Tephis. Ever since their arrival, they had become wildly popular.


    "The steam car is here! Now, it will only take us two days to get to Finnlit!" A chubby middle-aged woman, who was accompanied by her three children, was pushing forward through the crowd. The station was filled with people, and the steam car, which had proven itself to be a convenient tool for transportation, had already won the support of most of the people in the Sean City-State Alliance.


    "Everyone must check-in on board. Guards, pay attention! They all must have tickets!" A voice came from a speaker.


    Within the busy station, all kinds of people with all sizes of luggage finally got into the steam car. At both sides of the platform, guards in coats with long guns, as well as station staff, were trying to maintain order.


    Lu Zhiyu stood on the platform of the station and looked at the steam car with a complicated expression on his face. The people of Sean City-State Alliance called it a steam car, while Lu Zhiyu was more accustomed to calling it a train.


    For Lu Zhiyu, a steam car had a more special meaning. This steam car reminded him of an old, black and ugly steam train, which Lu Zhiyu had seen for the first time when he followed his parents on a long journey.


    What an old memory! How long has it been now? Hundreds of years? Or...


    Looking at the steam car, Lu Zhiyu remembered that, when he first took a train, he was as excited as the children who were beside him now. He had watched the world going backwards from the window, while his eyes shone.


    The emergence of the steam car, for Lu Zhiyu, was an advancement towards the world that he knew. That world seemed to become more and more familiar in his eyes. But what the future would be like, Lu Zhiyu still was unsure.


    "Please, check in! Everyone! Tickets please!" The station staffer spoke loudly in an attempt to be heard over the buzz of the passengers.


    As the steam car departed, it accelerated slowly and emitted a thick smoke and a harsh whistle. Lu Zhiyu was on the car that was headed for Finnlit.


    Steam cars had first appeared more than a decade ago. At first, they were designed to be mining cars for transporting ore. Later, they were used to transport commodities. It was only when the world''s first railway was opened that steam cars started to become a means of transportation for daily life.


    It doesn''t look like the train that I expected! Is this because of the use of the metal-activated technique?


    Lu Zhiyu observed this steam car and found that its most special feature was that it seemed to have applied the theory of alchemy life to its design. The metal-activated steam engine was a metal heart. After generations of improvements, plus magic reinforcement, the steam engine had developed even beyond what Lu Zhiyu had originally imagined!


    The steam car was now under the control of an alchemist, the internal steam engine being controlled by the alchemist as it it were a living life! As such, the alchemist could control its internal pressure, energy, and steam condensation, as well as the acceleration and deceleration of the steam car.


    This was a prototype of alchemy life that was centered on the metal-activated steam engine. After the alchemists invented the magic reinforced steam engine, they had continued to further explore alchemy life.


    The magic reinforced steam engine was more special than the metal-activated steam engine, as it incorporated extraordinary power and deified cells within its design. Some high-level alchemists had mastered utilizing this design and technique, such as the alchemy doll Archimonde of Marina Bossey and the alchemy submarine of the sahagin alchemist Bobby.


    "Well, isn''t this amazing?" A middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties shook his head in disbelief. He was sitting opposite of Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, "It is amazing that one could make such a big tin car move." He realized that this man was a level two alchemist, which was relatively a high status among alchemists.


    The middle-aged alchemist had a smile on his face. "All this can be attributed to Ms. Marina and Mr. Lars Brown. Mr. Brown invented the steam engine and pointed the way for alchemists to follow. Ms. Marina created the metal-activated steam engine and the first magic reinforced steam engine, thus ushering us into a wonderful and bright future."


    He then added, "In the future, we will use metal-activated steam engines to produce alchemy advancements that will change the world beyond everyone''s imaginations. Can you imagine that? We can mount the magic reinforced steam engine on an airship, thus make airships and even iron warships that can travel really far away! Also, the city of the sky, as mentioned in the artist Lars'' painting, will be possible to create in the future!


    The man continued, "We are miniaturizing the activated steam engines to produce small steam cars that can be used by families and individuals. They will completely replace horse carriages, just as ordinary steam engines replaced human resources."


    He then smiled and said, "If we can make the metal-activated steam engines smaller, they can be fully automated and even produce all kinds of unimaginable small-scale alchemy props! But, it''s the magic reinforced steam engine that''s the real miracle! Have you heard of Ms. Marina''s friend, Archimonde?"


    Lu Zhiyu listened to him quietly, while sometimes adding some of his opinions and ideas. The middle-aged alchemist was shocked by Lu Zhiyu''s insights. He even wrote down some of his thoughts and opinions right there on the spot!


    "Your insight is really beyond my imagination. Which alchemy college did you graduate from? Was it my alma mater, Akkad Alchemy College?" the middle-aged alchemist asked.


    Lu Zhiyu smiled. "I graduated from Home Squatting College."


    The middle-aged alchemists was puzzled by his answer, so he asked, "Holmsquetin College? Which College of alchemy is this¡­"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Dong! Dong! Dong!


    Whoop!


    At this very moment, two days and two nights of the steam car journey had finally come to an end, and the arrival whistle had interrupted the enthusiastic discussion between the two men.


    "It''s the last stop, Finnlit. Everyone has to get off here," the man said to Lu Zhiyu, a bit disappointed to have the conversation cut short.


    When he got out of the steam car, the middle-aged man remembered that he hadn''t actually introduced himself formally yet. "It was nice talking to you! My name is Robert Evelyn!"


    Then, Robert shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the steam car. "I''m the one who designed this steam car and the railway."


    As Finnlit was the capital of the Sean City-State Alliance, it was a real modern metropolis, with tall buildings, numerous carriages, and wide roads. As such, it took a few minutes to walk across the road, and there was a tall artist statue standing at its crossroads.


    The pedestrians who Lu Zhiyu passed mostly wore modern clothes and hats and looked polite. Along the way, he also noticed that many of the people were reading newspapers. This was not surprising, as the literacy rate here was among the highest in the world.


    "Newspaper! Anyone want a newspaper?"


    "Cetisius I, Emperor of the Pusuote Empire, was summoned by the god of death to enter the kingdom of gods and left the living world!"


    "Major changes have taken place in the Pusuote Empire!"


    "The Pusuote Empire will be succeeded by Cetisius II, and the new Emperor will be crowned on Death Day."


    Newsboys were running through the streets and peddling their newspapers. As soon as Lu Zhiyu came out of the station, he heard the news about Cetisius.


    Immediately after Bernice, the goddess of harvest, came to the throne, Cetisius took over as the deputy ruler of death in the underworld. In fact, due to the fact that Delmedi was not interested in all of the death stuff, everything in that genre was now basically managed by Cetisius. As such, Lu Zhiyu was very much looking forward to seeing what kind of world of death Cetisius would build.

 302 The Future of Wizards

    Lu Zhiyu''s first impression of Finnlit was that there were workshops everywhere, including military workshops, steelmaking workshops, metallurgical workshops and a large number of handicraft workshops. Among these workshops, workers had become the most important and the largest class in Finnlit.


    "The best cotton garments, whether they are coats, hats, or women''s long dresses and underwear... Our shop has it all!" an apprentice shouted at the door of a garment store.


    "Look at this hat. It''s so beautiful!" Several black-haired Tuten girls with thin noses and big eyes were gathered at the display window of the garment store, chattering and laughing.


    "Do you want a new type of steam lamp? We also have various handcrafts and artistic ornaments, as well as vases and music boxes from the West!" another peddler proclaimed.


    "The clocks of Hood''s Watch Workshop are the most famous in Finnlit!" a watch workshop staffer called out.


    Seeing this shop, Lu Zhiyu suddenly recalled Lars Brown, the son of the watchmaker. With the changes brought about by the steam engines affecting the whole world, Lars'' reputation was growing. Even in the Sean City-State Alliance, where the Brown family had become notorious because of Jonathan Brown, people were starting to admire Lars more and more.


    On the square of Akkad Alchemy College, besides the statue of Akkad, a statue of Lars had recently been erected. Just as Lars had looked up at the statue of Akkad, all of the students who entered Akkad Alchemy College now looked up to his face and were motivated by his story!


    "Carol''s Grocery Store! Beer, bread, coffee and black tea from Tuten..." Lu Zhiyu had just passed a grocery store.


    As machines had gradually replaced manual operations, a large number of new commodities had flooded the market. The biggest change was in clothing.


    Most people could now afford to wear decent clothes, which was impossible hundreds of years ago, or even decades ago. Along with these changes, workshop owners gradually became the most powerful and wealthiest group of people besides the aristocracy!


    Also, the pollution here was not as bad as Lu Zhiyu had imagined. This was because, after the city had been built, an underground drainage and sewage system had also been implemented, and many public toilets could be seen along the road.


    However, because a lot of wastewater discharge had polluted the Pegasus River, the stench became a problem for all of the residents in the city. The black smoke from the chimneys of the workshops also filled the sky, making the clouds gray, which caused a lot of the people who came here for the first time to feel suffocated.


    In addition, the large number of people now flowing into Finnlit had brought tremendous pressure on the wastage system of the city. As a result, some of the main streets were very cleaned, while others were piled high with garbage.


    "Please give us something to eat. We haven''t had anything for several days!" Several children pulled Lu Zhiyu''s coat, while another child was waiting for the opportunity to steal some money from his pocket.


    "I''ll give you a fair price for a night, sir!" Several women in suggestive clothing waved to Lu Zhiyu.


    As Lu Zhiyu crossed this dirty road, he found the dark world under the light. The coming of the steam age had brought not only wealth and progress, but also poverty and exploitation.


    Lu Zhiyu could see a large number of exploited workers and skinny children, as well as gangsters running wild. Many people, in order to make a living, even had to let their wives become streetwalkers. This area was clearly the dark side of Finnlit.


    As Lu Zhiyu toured Finnlitt, he felt the changing atmosphere of the times and started thinking about the future of Maria''s World...


    What kind of world will this world become?


    After touring the city, Lu Zhiyu went directly to the city hall in the center of the city, through which was the congress castle, the political center of Sean City-State Alliance. The Prime Minister and the Parliament held important conferences here, and the Prime Minister and the Cabinet worked here.


    The title of Prime Minister was originally the name of the archon when the Tuten Dynasty had a monarch. Now, even though there was no monarch, the role of Prime Minister had still been retained.


    At the moment, there was a special meeting being conducted in the congress castle. This was actually one of the purposes for Lu Zhiyu''s coming here, as he journeyed here to not only see the steam trend in Sean City-State Alliance, but also to meet some familiar people.


    As Lu Zhiyu passed through the lobby of the congress castle, the guards at the entrance and the inspecting alchemists turned a blind eye to him. The castle was five stories high and had a large number of officers, soldiers, and public officials, all of whom were gathering here to maintain the smooth operations of the whole Sean City-State Alliance.


    In a conference room on the fourth floor, Lu Zhiyu pushed open the side door and entered, then immediately sat in the back. Within this room were many extraordinary people from all over the world, including wizards, alchemists, orc wizards and even some officials of Sean City-State Alliance. At the moment, everyone was focusing on the discussion that was unfolding at the central conference table...Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "What is the future of our wizards? Do we even have a future? The critical moment for making changes has arrived, and the time to decide the future of the wizards has come. We must make a decision immediately. Otherwise, we will have no future. Wizards are likely to become a flash in the pan of history and gradually withdraw from the stage of history entirely. This is absolutely unacceptable to us!" At the table, Edward Kelermo was seriously speaking to everyone present about the future of the wizards, a topic that all the extraordinary people present took very seriously.


    The other people at the table were the legendary alchemist Marina Bossey, the thousand-sided illusionary technique wizard Catherine, the orc wizard Felix Bliss, who was also dean of Colossus College, as well as four other level four wizards that Lu Zhiyu didn''t know very well.


    Most importantly, the Prime Minister of Sean City-State Alliance was among them. The Sean City-State Alliance was the only area in the Alen Continent that had not been touched by the gods.


    It was also the area that had embraced the wizards the most readily. This was the exact reason why Edward, Catherine, and Felix had chosen to hold this meeting here, as the attitude of Sean City-State Alliance was important to them.

 303 Promising Future

    The arguments continued throughout the meeting. News of gods coming to the mortal world and of new gods ascending the throne made the extraordinary people in the meeting feel extremely anxious.


    The three major churches on the Alen Continent were constantly improving their divine systems, rule systems, and belief systems. As Lu Zhiyu had thought before, among the new systems, the divine grace system had become one of the most important systems. If one wanted to become a saint, learn divine incantations, and acquire divine gifts, he must constantly carry out tasks of the system of divine grace.


    A large number of priests constituted a church legion to control the Alen Continent, constantly suppressing wizards. As the whole Alen Continent was gradually controlled by divine power, wizards'' activities and living spaces were reduced, so the wizards who had lagged behind were becoming anxious.


    "There is only one solution. Our wizards must have a god to act on our behalf!" Edward said.


    Felix, Dean of the Colossus College, glanced at Edward and asked, "So, can this god guarantee the interests of all of the wizards?"


    The Prime Minister of Sean City-State Alliance chimed in at this moment, "That''s also my question. I can do as you want, but what can we get out of it?"


    Marina looked at the crowd and said, "You may have forgotten that this is the land of alchemists."


    The present debate was centering around the beliefs of the Sean City-State Alliance. The three churches on the Alen Continent would never let a wizard ascend the divine throne in their territories. This was mainly because of Heckfoss'' and Louis Biketo''s hatred towards wizards.


    After Marina had joined the wizard tower and Colossus College, the senior cabinet members of Sean City-State Alliance had intended to get rid of the control of the alchemists. By the end of the meeting, they still hadn''t reached any solid agreement.


    At the same time, the three parties were also preparing for their own futures. The wizard tower was preparing to take a large number of wizards and humans to immigrate to the mainland of Yala. At present, two-thirds of Yala had yet be explored by the elves. The rich Yala Continent had now become the plan B of the wizard tower.


    Also, Colossus College had built a relationship with the Mermaid Kingdom. With the good relationship between the orcs and the mermaids, they were ready to go to the Swirl Continent and built their own kingdom.


    Nowadays, the masters of Akkad Alchemy College, the wizard tower, and Colossus College were no longer like the first generation of wizards. Their relationships and friendships were no longer as close as the first generation of wizards were. Instead, intense competition and cliquey exclusivity were common.


    By the end of the meeting, even though Marina and the alchemists made some compromises and somewhat gained the upper hand, while the wizard tower and the Colossus College also formed an alliance with the alchemists, no real solutions were realized.


    Lu Zhiyu sat quietly in the corner throughout the entire meeting. The wizard tower was going to Yala to establish its own kingdom. The Colossus College was supported by the Mermaid Kingdom, and the alchemists and Marina would ignite the divine fire in Sean City-State Alliance.


    Every party had chosen their own future and decided to have a god. This was not necessarily unexpected for Lu Zhiyu, who thought that, perhaps, having a god was their only choice.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    At the end of the meeting, Lu Zhiyu pushed open the side door of the hall and left quietly. At the same time, Catherine, from the first generation of wizards, saw a familiar figure in the corner.


    Catherine immediately chased him outside, but did not see anyone, neither did her mind power sense any familiar smell or existence. As she did not see the person she wanted to see, she suddenly felt very depressed.


    At that moment, someone patted her on the shoulder from behind and asked, "Catherine, are you looking for me?"


    When Catherine looked back in surprise, she saw a black-haired and black-eyed young man, who she felt was so familiar. In fact, he was someone who all of the first generation of wizards would never forget!


    Catherine tried to calm down, but still revealed her nerd-like expression from childhood as she looked at Lu Zhiyu. Even after hundreds of years, neither of them had grown old.


    In fact, time seemed to have left no traces on them. They looked the same as when they were in the wizard tower. However, the people and things of that year were no longer there.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Catherine and remembered the time when she was curled up in the corner of the library, reading books in the dim light. He also remembered when Bohr, Akkad, and Li Weisi peeked at her in class.


    Standing on the street in front of the tall congress castle, amid the passersby, they both smiled at one another. Catherine then asked, "What do you think of the future of the wizards, mentor?"


    "Haven''t you all decided that yet? After all, you are in control of your future," Lu Zhiyu replied.


    Catherine said, "I don''t see the future of the wizards, mentor. Becoming gods is not the future of the wizards. I only see the end of the wizards'' road."


    Lu Zhiyu turned back and looked at Catherine. His eyes were soft as he asked, "Why?"


    Catherine frowned. "When one comes to the throne of the gods, most of the other wizards will become his followers. Wizards will then lose their own pursuits for knowledge and truth. They will, in essence, become the servants of the gods, no longer being true wizards."


    Catherine looked at the sky and then at the street with sadness, as if she could not see any hope therein. "We have no future when gods exist."


    Lu Zhiyu asked, "So, what is the future of the wizards in your imagination?"


    Catherine laughed. "It''s not just what I imagine... It''s Bohr, Akkad, Li Weisi, every classmate and every wizard! They all describe the future of the wizards, the civilization of the wizards, and the wizards'' world of knowledge, as well as truth and freedom to me.


    Lu Zhiyu was silent for a long time. Catherine looked at Lu Zhiyu''s face. Then, after a long time had passed, she saw Lu Zhiyu raise his head.


    Apparently, he had made a decision. "Yes, I will let wizards have a future!"


    "What kind of future is that?" Catherine asked.


    "A future that satisfies you and all of the wizards!" Lu Zhiyu replied.

 304 Setting Sail

    In the 276th year of the San Calendar, everyone had begun to explore the world. The age of the sea had come, and exploration had expanded far beyond the Stormy Sea. Everyone believed that beyond the known world, there were unknown continents and new worlds that had yet to be explored.


    Vessels sailed under the patronage of an aristocrat or a king, carrying the signs and banners of all of the great kingdoms. Adventurers set out with honor, wearing the emblems of a royal family or a church.


    The three major churches gradually occupied the whole continent of Alen. With increasingly fierce competition growing among them, the churches also turned their eyes to the world outside the Alen Continent.


    Many crazy people even tried to cross the ice sea and go to the ice land in order to see the end of the legendary world. Sadly, most of them never returned.


    Edward was now at a large port in the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. At the moment, a fleet that consisted of hundreds of boats was waiting to depart. In this era, besides the major kingdoms and churches, only wizards could assemble such large fleets.


    A wizard mentor, who was beside Edward Kelermo, glanced in the direction of the Black Forest and the wizard tower. He then asked with great reluctance, "So, we''re giving everything up?"


    Edward said, "My mentor, Bohr, once told me that Anthony, the great sage, once said that knowledge was the source of the wizards'' power. As we still have our knowledge, we have not truly given up anything."


    Edward looked out into the distance as he spoke. Over the vast sea, a flock of seabirds spread their wings and flew. The vast and boundless ocean had a tendency to make people feel passionate and ambitious.


    "In the distance¡­ That''s everything we want. That is our future! I am not wrong, and you are not wrong!" When Edward said this, his eyes looked very wise. He then he looked up and shouted, "Set sail!"


    As a loud horn blew, the sound of sails being pulled and wheels turning increased. In the distant Hailuga Kingdom, they had developed steam boats that were powered by propellers, and they were even ready to develop and refine steam-powered and steel war boats! At that time, they would become the real king of the sea. But at present, steam boats had not been popularized yet.


    The great fleet was heading east. Wizards in long robes were standing on the deck, holding the side of the boat and looking out into the distance. Some of them were young and some were old, but they were all looking forward, a bit confused and fearful of the future.


    There were not only wizards, but also the wizards'' family members, as well as ordinary people on board. This was the first fleet, which would soon be followed by a large number of people, as well as a large number of wizards who went to Yala to build their kingdom.


    As they travelled, the wind blew the sails and the water stirred up waves. The sun shone on the sea, reflecting a bright red off the water.


    Now, in the middle of the wizard tower, Catherine stood alone at the top of the tower and looked at the distant sea. Although she could not see the team that was led by Edward Kelermo, she knew that they were leaving here and embarking on a long journey.


    The original bustling wizard tower suddenly became empty, while crowded streets and various towers were also abandoned. Even busy wizard shops had been closed.


    The wizard''s base camp, which had been in operation for nearly three hundred years, had also become empty in an instant. A large number of buildings had been demolished, libraries were vacant, and countless wizard servants and magical beasts had disappeared.


    Even the railroad steam cars had stopped running. Under the rising sun, this place looked desolate, leaving only the lazy red dragon dozing at the foot of a mountain. Moreover, the black wizard tower and the black mountain ridges had a hopeless atmosphere under the sun''s light.


    Most mentors, wizards, and apprentices had chosen to follow Edward Kelermo in pursuit of their futures. However, there were still many wizards who were reluctant to leave the wizard tower.


    For Catherine and the rest of the wizards, Edward''s pursuit of the future was not what they wanted. For them, the wizard tower was an integral part of their lives.


    After all, this was where all of their memories had been made. Within the tower were decades and even centuries of the traces of time, which were filled with classmates, friends, relatives and lovers. Even if everything else passed away with time, the wizard tower was eternal.


    Catherine stood on the balcony of the tower as the sun slowly rose. A deep loneliness was etched on her face. Her blond hair and delicate facial features seemed to be immersed in the memories of the past. She was like a guardian of the past memories.


    The future of the wizards! Will it really come?Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    --------------------


    In the extremely cold Amos Icefield, a statue of a giant knight with a sword stood on the cliff. In the snowy wind, many orc wizards exited from Colossus College and tipped their hats to the tall statue. A line of orc wizards, apprentices, and their families all stood in the ice world that spread to the horizon.


    Felix Bliss, who was the fox wizard and also the dean of Colossus College, looked solemn and serious. "It''s time to start!" he said. "Let''s go!"


    All of the orc wizards boarded boats along the coast and headed for the Swirl Continent to the South, where there was a much warmer and more comfortable environment than the Amos Icefield. But, for the orc wizards of Colossus College, their beliefs didn''t exist in the South.


    Colosseum College and the wizard tower, which were both funded by the Sean City-State Alliance and alchemists, had assembled a large fleet to begin their journey to the future, and the whole world had changed dramatically because of this journey. The Yala Continent and the Swirl Continent, because of the arrival of the orcs, had become much more populated. In fact, the whole world was undergoing many subtle changes.


    A few months later, the wizards and Edward Kelermo finally arrived in the north of Yala. They then traveled all the way to the eastern lowlands to establish their own kingdom.


    With the arrival of the fleets, they began to multiply. At that time, a large number of merchant boats from the Sean City-State Alliance and the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro also arrived.


    Here, they established wizard systems, where everything was managed and controlled by the wizards. Years later, a kingdom was finally established, which was named after Edward Kelermo by his surname, in memory of his mentor and the second master of the wizard tower, Bohr Kelermo.

 305 Demi-Emperor of the Underworld

    "Hou! Hou!" An enormous dragon that had transparent scales opened its wings and roared.


    It was only fifteen feet long with its wings wide open, which meant it was a baby dragon. At the moment, it was flying above the Floating-space City, while roaring to show its great might.


    Many fairies were so scared that they hid under the gigantic Tree of the Fairies. Amid the castles and palaces, Eva whistled from the square. Immediately, the dragon dove toward Eva like a puppy, having heard her summoning it.


    It then rubbed its neck against Eva and let her stroke its neck. "Adolphus, you''re being mischievous again!" Eva scolded in a teasing tone.


    The dragon was a pet that used to belong to Verthandi and Delmedi. Since then, it had been enhanced by Lu Zhiyu, and it now looked more beautiful than ever.


    It looked like a glittering piece of jade, which every girl and woman would go crazy over. However, after the two girls had grown tired of taking care of it, Eva had assumed the responsibility of taking care of it.


    When Eva was raising Adulphus, she gave it her power to pause time, which had transformed Adulphus from a mere pet dragon into a creature that was stronger than most of the beings in Maria''s World! This also gave it much more potential to be even greater in the future.


    Eva loved the dragon deeply, which was why she also gave it the domain power that Lu Zhiyu had bestowed upon her. However, since that time, Eva had become a legendary creature. Now, her life form and body structure were fundamentally different from that of a mere mechanic doll.


    As Eva learnt more about the sorcerers'' knowledge, she was also improving her body. Thanks to Lu Zhiyu, she was learning endless theorems and a vast amount of knowledge of this world.


    As for Lu Zhiyu, at the moment, he was sitting in the enormous witchcraft garden. There were several levels of the garden, all of which were enclosed by glass.


    Inside the garden were all sorts of special plants. The water was constantly flowing in the fall and spring, cascading alongside the witchcraft garden, which looked like a bird cage, then circulating around it. This was a garden where rare magic-reinforced plants were being nurtured.


    At the moment, Lu Zhiyu didn''t seem to be doing anything. In fact, he was actually waiting for someone and preparing for something.


    All of a sudden, two traces of light arrived from the sky, then went directly through the dome and enchantment that encircled the Floating-sky City. They arrived on the ground and went toward the witchcraft garden that belonged to Lu Zhiyu.


    With Eva in the lead, the two of them followed her and went inside the garden. One of them immediately rushed toward Lu Zhiyu and laughed, while saying, "Dad, I''m back!"


    "Okay! Stop being such a child, Delmedi!" As Lu Zhiyu put Delmedi down, she was still held onto his arms.


    Lu Zhiyu then looked at Cetisius, who was standing beside the spring in the witchcraft garden, below the giant trees. The moment that Cetisius saw Lu Zhiyu, he couldn''t stay calm. Then, when he saw Eva, Cetisius felt shaken all of a sudden.


    Cetisius suddenly recalled that 200 years ago, when he was standing in the desert and sand was fluttering all around him. He had been inside that fortress that looked like a lone island, and it was that man who had held his ears and brought light and color into his life!


    And... He was also the same man who stroked his forehead in the godly temple of Pusueto under the witness of the silver moon, then gave him the revelation that he desired, marking Cetisius as his representative. Even after 200 years, Cetisius still hadn''t forgotten anything that had happened in that fortress. Cetisius wasn''t afraid of anyone, even the gods who were in control of life and death, but he couldn''t forget that man!


    He had only been a slave back then, a priest of Temple of Sky who didn''t matter. He was only a teenager when he was first marked, yet he was now an elder who had been through a lot.


    As he thought of this, Cetisius couldn''t help but tear up. He groveled as he crawled toward Lu Zhiyu, then kissed his boot, just like he did in the desert all those years ago.


    "Randil, my lord, it''s Cetisius! I''m back!" he said.


    The sun cast its light through the glass window outside, its rays falling on the enormous witchcraft garden. Inside that witchcraft garden, traces of light cast long shadows on everyone. As Lu Zhiyu and Cetisius were standing among the light and the shadows, it looked other-worldly, almost like this meeting had been in the making for two centuries!Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Have you built your ideal kingdom yet, Cetisius? You wanted good things to happen to good people and bad things to happen to bad people, and you also wanted to purify everyone so that they wouldn''t indulge in their own pleasures and selfish wars anymore. You also wanted people to put aside their prejudices and conflicts in order to build a future together. Have you seen this future, yet? Are you satisfied with your life?" Lu Zhiyu asked as he looked at Cetisius.


    He recalled the future that Cetisius had envisioned and the accomplishments that he wanted to achieve when Lu Zhiyu had given him the revelation. Upon hearing his question, Cetisius suddenly felt shamed.


    He knelt down beside Lu Zhiyu''s feet and started to wail, "I didn''t do it, my lord!"


    Lu Zhiyu held his arms and helped him up. His eyes still looked tranquil as he smiled. He did not seem angry at all, but gratified.


    "No, you''ve done a great job, and I believe that you''ll do better in the future! Just follow your ambition and build a world of death that represents your expectations and dreams! In this world, it''s impossible to achieve equality among living men, but death is the same for everyone! Even gods can''t guarantee that they won''t face the end of the time!" Lu Zhiyu assured him.


    Cetisius stood up and looked at Lu Zhiyu. His face looked innocent and youthful, and smile curved at the edge of his lips. He looked very honest as he exclaimed, "I will! I promise that I will establish a world of death that is ruled by order, justice, and equality!"


    Several days later, in the Light Major God Kingdom, a trace of light shone on the major godly throne that represented the authority of the major god. It formed an enormous godly light and shadow that filled the entire sky, and countless light bands were scattered all over the god kingdom, each casting traces of white shadows.


    Kelly, the Goddess of Light, immediately noticed what was going on around her, and she instantly knew who was here. The enormous shadow of the god waved its hand, and she saw the angels surrounding the floating island.


    She looked at Lu Zhiyu in silence. It seemed like she had been awaiting his arrival all this time.


    After Lu Zhiyu entered the Light Major God Kingdom, he looked at up Kelly and said, "Kelly, I might be away for a while!"


    "Away? Going where?" she asked.


    "Outside this world! A distant place that you have never heard of before!" he replied.


    Kelly paused for a while, then nodded and said, "Okay, my lord. I will take care of everything here!"


    "I''ll give you all of the access to and authority over my god kingdom!" Lu Zhiyu looked at Kelly, then said, "No matter what happens, you three will always be the most important people to me. Nothing in this realm matters to me, and I don''t need any of this as long as you three are safe."


    He then added, "Wait for me¡­ I will come back!"


    As soon as Lu Zhiyu finished talking, an enormous shadow of god slipped into the hollow space before turning into a small light spot. In this way, he disappeared from this world!

 306 Finished Starship

    Lu Zhiyu came back this time because he didn''t want to delay things any longer. Lu Zhiyu''s desire to leave the world in order to inspect the universe was getting stronger and stronger. Hence, it was time for him to head to the solar system and explore the universe.


    Byrne Island on Pacific Island had already been transformed into the prototype of a giant Floating-space City. Lu Zhiyu found out that things had changed after he came back.


    The intelligent sub-brain David that Lu Zhiyu had left immediately set a back-up plan in motion after finding that the original plan had been hindered. The entire Byrne Island had been transformed into a Floating-space City under the island, and the entire Byrne Island had been emptied. Then, when the cover around the city was unveiled, it could be seen that it was an enormous starship.


    "What happened?" Lu Zhiyu asked the person in charge of the base, Gu Chaoran.


    It had been more than two hundred years in Maria''s World, and it had been around two hundred days since Lu Zhiyu had left the base. After more than half a year of construction, the internal side of the base looked kind of different, but not that much.


    However, there were many fresh faces here, as there were over a thousand people in the base now. The inner portion of the base was completely monitored and directed by the intelligent sub-brain David.


    Gu Chaoran said to Lu Zhiyu, "Our space station plan was hindered, and the rocket launching plan was elbowed out. Besides, more and more people are paying attention to our project, and there are always strangers showing up."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, then asked, "What about the Vatican Clan?"


    Gu Chaoran replied, "The Vatican Clan has been supplying us with resources, but they''re also stealing our technology and even trying to sneak a peek into our core technology. It seems that they''re conspiring behind our backs somehow."


    "Well¡­ There''s no need for us to worry about them at the moment. How''s the construction of the starship going? When can we start to fly it?" Lu Zhiyu asked him.


    Then, as Lu Zhiyu looked around the base, he found that the Floating-space City in front of him now was very different from the one that he saw in Maria''s World. This one looked much more scientific and modern and was shaped like a gigantic wheel.


    It was quite spacious inside, and there were many different areas and levels within it. The tubes at the middle were connected by elevators, and there were many maintenance robots that looked like octopuses inside. Aside from those, there were many life robots, architecture robots, and intelligent cars inside it.


    The trains within it were commuting up and down the tracks, while many scientific researchers in white gowns were walking around. They nodded at Gu Chaoran, yet they didn''t recognize Lu Zhiyu.


    There were also many living areas, restaurants, research labs and other facilities inside. Aside from these things, there were also sports centers and city farms.


    Each of the city farms had been created by combining many cities and farms, which made them look like tall buildings, yet also felt a bit like a giant botanical garden that was self-sustaining. This was because it had water, food, air and space to move, so it could hold at least 10,000 people!


    Everyone inside it was wearing an intelligence bracelet, and the chip inside the bracelet was directly connected to the neurons in the people''s skin. As such, everything inside was controlled by intelligence and information, as if the inner area of the starship was a completely digitalized world, which was perfectly organized by the intelligent sub-brain David.


    In this way, the intelligent sub-brain David was able to monitor everyone''s psychological conditions and health conditions so that it could cater to everyone''s needs. Also, wherever the internal staff members went, they could hear clear instructions and notifications about water, food, travel and rest. Everything was assisted by the robots, while the bracelet represented their access authority.


    Sounds of prompts could be heard everywhere, and the automatic doors and elevators were running all of the time. The robots always delivered the services in time, and the canteen would provide food and drinks based on voicemails. Even the lighting, temperature, and people''s attire could be changed at any time in the snap of a finger!


    As for food, it was all artificial. Though the appearance and taste of this food was not much different from real food, this food was made by machines.


    This place felt like a futuristic world, and everything that happened in it seemed like a miracle that perfectly manifested the efficiency of the intelligent sub-brain David and the alchemy machine life.


    "We originally planned to send the city to space by rocket after dismantling it, and after that, we figured that we could assemble it again in outer space. But, we couldn''t do that without you being here. So, David told us that you have a way to send us and the entire starship to space, so we only executed the second step of the plan," Gu Chaoran explained.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    As Lu Zhiyu came to the main control room of the starship, David''s projection immediately showed up beside him.


    "Welcome back, master!" David said.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, then commanded him, "Give me all of the latest information about this starship!"


    All of a sudden, Lu Zhiyu saw the projection of the structure of the starship, while a large amount of information was transmitted to his brain. When Gu Chaoran saw Lu Zhiyu being completely silent, he naturally felt pressure and was at a loss for words.


    David then said, "The main body of this starship was made of activated metal cells, and currently, they can respond to all of the environments in the space. The cells can also be regulated to the changes in the environment. As such, the metal cells will be strengthened continuously, thus allowing them to adapt to the environment around them."


    Gu Chaoran then said, "The nuclear fusion bioenergy machine that you gave us was already installed in the starship, and it powers this entire starship beyond our expectations. However, we still can''t understand its ability to transform and use energies, nor can we comprehend the power of nuclear fusion. So, we also used some parts of the silicon-based life, Cain, on this starship."


    Gu Chaoran then added, "The starship is using a magnetoelectric slurry power propeller. However, even with the technology that we have, it''ll still take us almost a hundred years to leave the solar system. The starship generates its weight through the spinning outside, and the gravity is designed to be the same as earth''s."


    Gu Chaoran then said, "However, there''s still a big problem. The resistance of the metal cells is indeed impressive, but the defense of this starship is still weak. If it is hit by aerolites, it might be destroyed."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Gu Chaoran, who did not seem at all confident, and asked, "What else do we have?"


    Gu Chaoran became more nervous, and there was sweat on his forehead as he replied, "Well... The starship that we designed can only travel in the universe theoretically. We aren''t sure what kind of situations we might run into in the real universe, so we need to examine that further."


    He shook his head, then added, "After all, this is the first time that such a giant starship has ever been built, so it is already beyond everyone''s imagination! Still, we can''t say for sure what kind of situations it might run into after it ascends into outer space."


    He then added, "And... The most important thing to consider is that we don''t know how you are going to send such a giant ''universe city'' from the earth to space!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Gu Chaoran and said, "You''re afraid that I''m going to take you away from the earth to that mysterious universe! Just relax! I will only take away a few people who volunteer of their own accords. If you don''t want to go with me, you are free to stay."


    Lu Zhiyu smiled, then added, "Besides, we won''t leave the solar system right away. Instead, we will explore within the solar system first, so you will all still have a chance to decide if you want to proceed further before committing yourself to the final destination."


    Gu Chaoran shook his head, then said, "Well... Even though we are a bit afraid, we''re still looking forward to it as well! So, I guess that you could say that we are expectant, but with some trepidation!"


    Gu Chaoran gradually calmed after saying this. Lu Zhiyu then nodded and asked, "Well¡­ When can we leave?"


    "We can leave right after we finish the final testing and examination. We have enough energies now, but we still need to gather some more goods and materials. I estimate that we will be ready in one month!" Gu Chaoran said.


    He then added, as if he had just thought of something important, "Boss, Cain and the silicon-based life have some follow-up news for you."


    Lu Zhiyu then asked, "Did that Dr. Matt come back from Antarctica?"


    Gu Chaoran shook his head. "No... He died."


    Lu Zhiyu wasn''t really as disappointed as he was interested, so he asked "How did he die?"


    "I don''t know. I only know that there was a great amount of chaos after he died, and all of the countries sent research teams and military forces to Antarctica, even violating the treaty of Antarctica by doing so!" Gu Chaoran said.


    "What did they find?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    "I heard that they found a spaceship!" Gu Chaoran exclaimed with wide eyes.

 307 Wrapped Spaceship

    There were helicopters flying in the sky, and as a gleaming trace of light slashed through the sky, several of the helicopters were destroyed. Then, several machines showed up and totally annihilated the armored vehicles that were on the ground!


    The bullets from the guns were warded off by the machines'' energy shields. Then, when the electric flow from the cannons hit the ground, all of the ice that was on it melted instantly. At the same time, all of the cars exploded and were instantly engulfed in flames.


    Then, the helicopters that were coming to help were shot down. Meanwhile, the armored vehicles kept being destroyed, while the plasma guns were like the scepters of the Goddess of Death, gleaming brightly in the air. Several missiles were also warded off by the machines'' force field.


    The armies, which had arrived confident, immediately started to run away from the glacier area. A large number of soldiers, who were all wearing winter clothes, were killed on the spot. There was a great fire burning on the glacier, and all of the powers who were observing this place were terrified.


    This was because several robots were already more than enough to render them powerless and defenseless. Moreover, they knew that there was a giant spaceship under the glacier, and nobody knew how many fighting robots like these were in that spaceship! Besides that, they guessed that the technology and weapons that spaceship had on it were also beyond their imaginations.


    There were several campsites stationed around this area, and many people in these campsites who saw this were all feeling desperate and equally terrified. No matter how hard they tried, they weren''t even able to destroy one of the fighting robots!


    "This alien civilization has shown themselves as having technology that is far greater than our imaginations! They have been on this earth for a long time. Based on our observation of the ice, this might have been sealed here for hundreds of thousands of years," a research member, who was shivering in his winter clothes, said, while pointing at the data and pictures on the screen.


    He then added, "In fact, they might have arrived here before Antarctica was completely sealed by the ice. As such, their spaceship might have some trouble running smoothly, which might explain why it has stayed here for such a long time."


    He paused for a moment, then said, "However, we can''t get into the spaceship. The second we get close to the spaceship, we will be detected and the spaceship''s defense system will be activated. After that happens, a group of fighting robots will attack us!"


    He then added, "Besides, the main cannon on the spaceship seems to have been triggered. So, if we keep sending our troops there, its defense system might be completely activated!"


    The countries then started to contact each other and exchange the information and clues that they had with one another. The scientists were specifically looking for information about the alien civilization that was coded "Atlantis." They were trying to find a way to get into the spaceship in order to converse with those within it.


    At the moment, everyone who was having a meeting in the camp, including all of the soldiers and researchers who were stationed around the pre-civilization lakes, walked out of their tents and looked toward the glaciers.


    A gleaming trace of light suddenly surged into the sky and an intense storm broke out. The entire glacier was destroyed and all of the clouds withered away from the sky. The trace of light then pierced through the atmosphere and rushed toward outer space.


    The storm light blinded everyone present for a second, and all of the research members in Antarctica noticed it. They then saw fierce light pillars piercing through the sky. The energy vibration and photons were leaking out of them, blurring the sky above Antarctica.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Who did this? Who got into the restrained area again?" At this moment, a researcher who was monitoring the glaciers pointed at the screen and said, "It''s him!"


    He then shouted, "Open the dimensional door! Projection!"


    At this moment, a human shape appeared in the sky. After being hit by the spaceship''s major cannon, he wasn''t injured at all! Instead, another light shadow had been formed.


    Its body was made of up traces of light, and its halo kept getting larger until it surrounded the entire glacier. Soon, the entire area was surrounded by this halo, and as for the light shadow, it was floating in the middle of everything, overlooking its kingdom like a god.


    "Oh my god! What is that?" a white scientist exclaimed. He felt like his world was crumbling.


    "We just saw an alien civilization! What is this? Has God descended to Earth? What''s happening?" the white official pulled off his hat and looked at the sky, stunned.


    "Buddhas?" an Asian soldier asked his friend, who was beside him, jokingly. However, his friend was so stunned that he couldn''t even reply.


    Everyone stood inside the halo now, and they watched as the light shadow that was already at its maximize size reach out its hand and smash the entire glacier! It then grabbed the giant spaceship and was pulled out of the ice by it before ascending toward the sky.


    The spaceship was being seized by an enormous amount of power as it exited the glacier. Mountains of ice were cracked and soon fell on the ground. At that moment, countless fighting robots rushed out of the spaceship and flew toward the light shadow in the sky.


    Then, as the halo in the sky started to move, traces of light shot down from the sky. They pierced through the bionic robots, one by one, instantly destroying the robots'' energy shields. As hundreds of bionic robots fell from the sky, they were instantly engulfed in flames.


    Soon, some more bionic robots rushed out of the spaceship, yet they were all immediately destroyed by the light that was being shot out from the halo. Then, the spaceship lifted off from the ice and started to ascend gradually, as if there was no gravity affecting it.


    The spaceship, which was as large as a city, was now in the sky, while thousands of robots were also flying in the sky. Even the plasma guns and photons were traveling in the sky, attacking the enemy as they went.


    At the top of the sky, a light shadow was occupying the entire sky, and the traces of light coming out of it seemed to be disturbing the space and time. They kept permeating the entire space, while all of the fighting robots kept being penetrated by the traces of light.


    Cracks, destruction, fire and light¡­ These were the scenes happening in the sky. It was as if there was an apocalypse happening at the moment!


    "Perhaps I''m dreaming!" one researcher cried out, while all the other researchers felt light-headed and soon fell to the ground.


    As for the soldiers, they all lost their wills to fight after seeing what had just happened in the sky. They felt that the weapons and armored vehicles that they had were like miniature toys compared to their enemy''s weapons!


    As for the gigantic dimensional door that was behind Lu Zhiyu, it had located the spaceship. It seemed that most of the functions couldn''t be activated, so it was gradually dragged into the giant halo behind Lu Zhiyu. As it was dragged through the halo, it moved slowly, then disappeared.


    After the enormous spaceship was swallowed by the dimensional door, the enormous halo behind Lu Zhiyu was retracted. Then, the dimensional door was closed and Lu Zhiyu turned to look at the satellites.


    All of the politicians everywhere in the world were watching what was happening on the screen, their faces covered by the light from the screen. They gasped as they saw Lu Zhiyu''s gleaming eyes, which looked aloof and prominent, like those of a god.


    Everyone was petrified, and they were all thinking... Who is he?


    Then, Lu Zhiyu turned around, walked through the space, and disappeared from the sky above Antarctica.

 308 An Unknown Mythical Creature

    As the giant spaceship fell into the astral world, Lu Zhiyu''s violent attacks completely activated the spaceship''s defense system. However, the spaceship still seemed to be on the defensive instead of the offensive.


    "No one''s there," he said.


    He then asked, "Then, who let out those fighting robots tens of thousands of years ago? Or... Were they merely following their programming?"


    As Lu Zhiyu stood above the giant spaceship, those fighting robots kept attacking him. With the erosion of Lu Zhiyu''s power, those robots were reprogrammed into being his allies. Then, they turned their backs against the other fighting robots and small armored vehicles that were coming out of the spaceship.


    The spaceship''s side was crushed, and many fighting robots and small armored helicopters fell under Lu Zhiyu''s control. Gradually, these fighting robots and armored helicopters stopped attacking Lu Zhiyu. They then opened the protection shield, blocking all of the entryways and cabins so that the spaceship was only in defensive mode.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The protection shield had been completely activated at this time. The two plasma launchers shot plasma out, which immediately formed a giant oval shield of force that protected the entire spaceship.


    Via a magnetic field, the plasma was constrained and a stable shield was formed. As for the high temperature that was coming from the plasma, which was supposed to destroy the spaceship instantly, it was kept out of the magnetic field by the special equipment that constrained the plasma.


    Lu Zhiyu could tell from the fighting robots that the technique of the shield of force that was owned by that civilization was pretty advanced. As Lu Zhiyu turned those fighting robots against each other, he found out that there were signs on these robots that they were radiated by the power of a mysterious and mythical creature, and it was the same biological force power that the fighting robot Cain possessed.


    They''ve encountered a being like me before? Lu Zhiyu immediately frowned, and his interest in the interior design of this space was piqued.


    Lu Zhiyu knew how powerful and terrific he was, yet even he was far inferior to this civilization, both in the realms of power and technology. However, a mythical creature that was only conceptual was like a virus in the real world, and only other mythical creatures were able to kill it. Otherwise, it would be able to infect others the second it had the chance.


    These mythical creatures were able to corrode both carbon-based lives and silicon-based lives. They were also able to take control of those living beings, killing them and seizing their powers.


    Lu Zhiyu could even imagine that when those robots encountered the mythical creatures, they would immediately seize their spaceship and their fighting robots. They would then turn those robots against their own kind, causing them to destroy the others in the spaceship.


    This was only the basic power that a mythical creature had. Lu Zhiyu''s power was way more intricate.


    As for those mythical creatures at a higher level, even Lu Zhiyu couldn''t envision their abilities. However, the level-nine ability of the creatures that Lu Zhiyu was pursuing could easily transform the quality of materials and create a picture of the creature of the world.


    This was an evolutionary path that was completely different from that of one that used technology. Lu Zhiyu thought that he was the only one in this world who had this kind of life form, but it now seemed that this was not the case.


    The spaceship that was being protected by the shield of force kept emanating the biological force that it had been infected with by the mythical creature. As such, it was disturbing the Lu Zhiyu''s observation. So, Lu Zhiyu decided to get into the spaceship to check everything himself.


    Lu Zhiyu turned into a light shadow, which pierced through the standing shield of the spaceship. It didn''t trigger anything inside it. In fact, it was as if the force field that had been formed by plasma completely ignored Lu Zhiyu!


    Lu Zhiyu got through the protection shield and came closer to the giant spaceship that looked like an enormous city. It looked like a golden crown yet was not a hollow ring like a regular crown, but was filled inside.


    Lu Zhi entered the spaceship through the central cabin door. The interior part of the spaceship was different from what Lu Zhiyu had expected.


    The lighting was flickering, and he could hear an intense sound of an alarm. However, he couldn''t see anyone inside.


    All of the portals had already been blocked, and the interior part of the spaceship was covered by black vines and branches. It seemed as if those black vines and branches had actually grown on this spaceship.


    The vines and branches were now swallowing the spaceship, and they looked like some sort of bizarre creatures. At this moment, they were silent, while they stopped eroding those that had been previously corroded.


    "It''s indeed a mythical creature," he exclaimed. "It''s so powerful!"


    Lu Zhiyu was amazed by its power, but he still didn''t know what kind of creature and the power he was facing. The trunk that had grown inside this spaceship wasn''t the original body of that creature. Instead, it was a creature that had mutated after being radiated by the power of the mythical creature''s cells!


    It seemed that this spaceship had encountered that mythical creature, and after it was radiated by the power of that creature, its shape morphed and headed straight toward that the creature. It was just like when the demon relatives were infected by the power of the abyss¡­ The infection on those fighting robots also came from that enormous trunk at that time!


    Lu Zhi kept moving forward and traveled through the power cabin in the spaceship. After observing the entire spaceship for some time, some of his questions were answered.


    Based on his speculation, this spaceship came from a nebula in Orion that was more than 1,500 light years away from earth. Nobody on earth could figure out what kind of speed they were traveling at, nor how they could have managed to make such a long journey. It was likely that the speed of the spaceship would be at least at light speed since it had been able to make its way to earth.


    The faster an object traveled, the greater its mass would be, and when it reached light speed, its mass would become infinitely large. The spaceship wouldn''t be able to withstand such a weight, so the spaceship would disintegrate instantly. Even Lu Zhiyu couldn''t imagine how that spaceship from an alien civilization had successfully traveled all the way to earth from 1,500 light years away!


    "Anti-material fuels, space curvature engine!" he exclaimed.


    Just as Lu Zhiyu had expected, the technology of this alien civilization had far exceeded that of the earth''s civilization, but it wasn''t too advanced to be beyond the earthlings'' imaginations. Even so, it was still considered an advanced universe civilization to the earthlings, and compared to them, the earth''s civilization was like a primitive tribe.


    Lu Zhiyu observed the spaceship for a long time, then concluded that it was an advanced interstellar civilization. They were even able to create a seemingly silicon-based life, but one that was different from what Lu Zhiyu had expected.


    This was because they were not actually silicon-based lives. Instead, it was highly likely that they were creatures that were very similar to humans.


    It could be told from the interior structures and the facilities, height, and width of that spaceship that this was a race with similar body shapes, body structures, and habits as the humans. Even their characters were very similar to humans''.


    However, in the interior part of the spaceship, Lu Zhiyu didn''t see any existences or even any remains of those alien creatures. There were giant tree trunks that were spread out inside the spaceship, and Lu Zhiyu could see that the entire spaceship had morphed into the shape of that bizarre mythical creature.


    Perhaps the living creatures inside were more fragile, so they were immediately transformed by that mythical creature? Lu Zhiyu thought.


    Lu Zhiyu then walked through the cabin, where there were branches and twigs intertwined, and the force field coming out of those tree branches were able to change any ordinary living creature that came near it, assimilating it into the mythical creature. As Lu Zhiyu walked through those tree branches and emanated his own life force field, the tree branches started to degenerate.


    Then, they eventually disappeared, and the spaceship turned back to how it originally was. Upon seeing this, Lu Zhiyu slowly walked to the center of the spaceship.

 309 High-Dimensional Life

    Lu Zhiyu noticed something different the moment he arrived at the center of the spaceship. When the cabin door opened, a brain monster with a giant head rushed out of the cabin.


    Numerous eyeballs were packed on its head, and there were a large amount of tentacles under its chin. Powerful vibrations rushed out of the tentacles, reaching out toward Lu Zhiyu.


    The vibration waves seemed to carry a stream of power that could affect someone''s consciousness and mind. Yet, the second that Lu Zhiyu stepped in, the light that was coming from him immediately permeated the entire space.


    It was as if a sun had just walked into that cabin. All of the brain monsters were melted under that intense light.


    Countless horrendous and terrifying brain monsters flooded out from the deep and filled the entire portal. However, they were immediately killed before they could even put up a fight!


    Lu Zhiyu could finally see what those alien creatures looked like now, as on the other end of the cabin door, numerous alien creatures were intertwined with those twits. He could only see their appearances through the parts where they had assimilated with the twits.


    Then, all of a sudden, Lu Zhiyu felt a bit bewildered. This was because all of those creatures looked exactly like human beings! In fact, Lu Zhiyu couldn''t see any difference between the two!


    According to the information that I have on the spaceship, it landed on earth hundreds of thousands of years ago! Lu Zhiyu thought. The genetic information of humans dates back millions of years ago, and I traced the historical record of the humans myself. When they landed on earth, it was during the homo sapiens era.


    Lu Zhiyu thought about another possibility... Is it possible that these guys used the gene-editing technology to artificially improve their ancestors, just like I did when I gave the humans in Maria''s World the power of bloodline and life templates to the dragon race?


    He then immediately shook his head as he thought¡­ But, that doesn''t make sense either. After all, the remains of Homo heidelbergensis, Javanese, and Beijing monks all proved it. So¡­ Maybe it''s the elder race?


    He then shook his head again and thought¡­ However, it was exactly hundreds of thousands of years ago when the human ancestors started to gain intelligence and turned into homo sapiens. This matches the same time when these aliens arrived on earth. Perhaps they chose to create creatures similar to the ones they saw! Otherwise, it will be difficult to explain why these alien creatures and humans evolved to look exactly the same.


    As he pondered over these things, Lu Zhiyu walked through the portal and arrived at the center of the spaceship. The moment he walked through the portal, he saw the light outside that was shining upon the center, as well as the sky and the sun outside. They looked the same as the sky and the sun that Lu Zhiyu had simulated in the Floating-space City.


    Lu Zhiyu then discovered that he was at the bottom of a skyscraper, and below his feet was an enormous city at the center of the spaceship. It was a spacious city of technology, and each building had the city farm that was envisioned by the human beings. These buildings stood tall and had quite a few transparent tubes connecting them.


    Lu Zhiyu could see vehicles travelling in the tubes. They were flying through the air and were covered by layers of black branches.


    All of the broken and assimilated robots were scattered around the vehicles, and the entire city was surrounded by the terrifying tree branches. As these tree branches filled the city, they intertwined with each other, forming a pillar and extending toward the sky.


    Lu Zhiyu could imagine the sharp changes and complete state of catastrophe that this city was experiencing. He wondered if all of the living creatures inside the spaceship were in despair, as all of the public transportation and portals had been destroyed.


    Lu Zhiyu wasn''t in a rush at the moment, so he walked down the stairs slowly. He then walked through the tubes that were connecting the buildings and headed toward the center of the city.


    Many brain monsters crawled out from everywhere in the city. Those creatures, which looked like demons, were the living creatures that were born in the city. It could be inferred from the looks of their bodies that they had assimilated with the branches.


    This entire city felt like an extensive tomb and a collection of graves, as the only thing left in the area seemed to be death and desolation. After hundreds of thousands of years, Lu Zhiyu was the first tourist to have ever visited this place.


    As Lu Zhiyu walked through the city, he saw a large number of creatures that had assimilated into mythical creatures. There were human-shaped creatures, and there were even all kinds of pets as well. There were also special plants and a large number of living samples in the botanical garden.


    After seeing all of this, he wondered¡­ If the assimilation power of the mythical creature is so powerful, why would it get interrupted?


    He could see how that giant tree trunk had grown and swallowed the city. Everything from buildings to aliens, creatures, public transport vehicles, plants and animals were all assimilating into that mythical creature!


    Lu Zhiyu believed that such a terrific creature could have easily made the spaceship assimilate into it already, so he couldn''t figure out why the assimilation had stopped halfway through completion.


    Lu Zhiyu arrived at the zone that seemed to be the center of the entire city, where assimilation seemed to be the most complete. All of the tree branches had intertwined with each other, and he could see the roots hanging down from the sky. It was like a horrendous dark forest.


    However, everything just stopped here. There seemed to be something at the center that blocked everything from going any further.


    Lu Zhiyu walked through the main hall, while tearing apart all of the tree trunks that had a diameter of at least ten feet. When he arrived at the center, the intrusion abruptly stopped at that point, andLu Zhiyu was thrilled by what he felt in that moment.


    Lu Zhiyu felt an immense amount of willpower, which he converted to 100,000 units of mind power. The immense amount of mind power that was coming out from the center hindered and suppressed the assimilation of the spaceship into the black tree trunks, thus lowering the speed of the spaceship as it was assimilating into the black tree trunks.


    A super computer? Lu Zhiyu wondered as he saw a gigantic light ball at the center. As he looked around at the characters, the decrypted character file of Atlantis immediately started to translate the information that these characters had just provided to Lu Zhiyu.


    It was a gigantic light ball, and there were traces of light shuttling back and forth inside of it. He could also see oceans of information spinning inside the light ball.


    Lu Zhiyu discerned that at least one million consciousnesses were packed in that light ball, and they had gathered together and were emanating that immense stream of power of consciousness. However, these consciousnesses didn''t know how to extract matter from the zero-dimensional space, so they could only stay as consciousnesses instead of being transformed into mind power that could interfere with reality, and they certainly could not be transformed into mythical living shapes!


    Just as Lu Zhiyu was approaching the giant glass ball, light screens emerged from the ground around him. Traces of light and data were shuttling to and fro, while an exquisite and beautiful female figure appeared in front of Lu Zhiyu.


    She was wearing a custom outfit that was so tight that her private parts were showing. She looked incredibly seductive.


    "Welcome to the playground!" she said. "We have everything you want in this playground, and you can experience all kinds of lives. This playground will fulfill every one of your desires."


    As she spoke, Lu Zhiyu asked the linguists that he had with him to help him translate the language of Atlantis. Those linguists kept translating the language and explained to Lu Zhiyu what the female figure was talking about.


    Is it a virtual-reality world? Lu Zhiyu wondered.


    He immediately knew what happened here before. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, something drastic had happened to the interior part of this spaceship, and at the end, everyone in the spaceship gave up their own bodies and entered the virtual world, which was this super computer that was now in front of Lu Zhiyu.


    Even though the consciousnesses couldn''t store memories, the super computer was able to help them do so. Hence, even though this civilization wasn''t able to detect the existence of mind power, the virtual-reality technology they created, which was an immortality technology to some extent, had transferred their consciousnesses to the super computer that was in front of Lu Zhiyu.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The super computer then gathered the consciousnesses of more than one million people and stored them within it. This super computer was also supposed to hold all of the people in this spaceship.


    Lu Zhiyu was standing in front of the light ball of the super computer, and as he pointed at the light ball with his finger, a control panel popped out immediately. It then told Lu Zhiyu that he didn''t have the access authority to operate it.


    After hearing this, Lu Zhiyu penetrated the computer with his mind power, which unlocked it immediately. Layers of tips and character alerts kept immediately flashed across the screen, while Lu Zhiyu extracted all of this information.


    Lu Zhiyu immediately found what he was looking for, which was the journal of the captain! Just as Lu Zhiyu expected, they did come from the large nebula in Orion, but that wasn''t their real hometown.


    Instead, there was a reconstructed colonial star named Yach in Orion, which was owned by the Atlantis people. They were observing the young nebular at the edge of the nebula.


    The discovery and reconstruction of Yach was a trial and scientific advancement of the Atlantis civilization. Thus, it was more of a scientific research center than a colonial star.


    This piece of information solved many of the puzzles in Lu Zhiyu''s mind, as there was no way that such a developed civilization would choose to inhabit the large nebula of Orion, where the living conditions were so harsh. So, although this spaceship had indeed taken off from the large nebula in Orion, it wasn''t made there.


    Only the captain of this spaceship had come from the mother star. As for the other residents in this spaceship, they were born on that colonial star called Yach. In fact, they had been living on that colonial star for generations.


    Moreover, this wasn''t an exploration spaceship, but a fleeing spaceship. They had apparently encountered a catastrophe that had almost wiped out their entire civilization, which is why they had to flee to a mysterious and unknown universe. The translation of the name of their civilization was Atlantis, and this spaceship was named "Hope," and the title of the last captain meant the word blue.


    In year 5868 in the Star Calendar, a mysterious and superior creature suddenly approached our galaxy. We couldn''t observe where it came from and where it was headed. All of a sudden, it showed up in our galaxy, without any warning... The journal recorded.


    We named it "Dark Mother Tree." Dark Mother Tree approached us and swallowed our entire mother planet. Everyone on the planet, even including the planet itself, then became a part of it. It kept emanating a special force field, infecting everything around it and forcing everything to assimilate into it. All the living creatures, even those lifeless objects, were penetrated by its power. Its enormous tree trunk found its root on our planet, and the entire planet became its nutrients. We can''t figure out where it comes from or where it is heading toward. Also, no matter what we try, we can''t injure it in the slightest...


    The journal continued¡­ Researchers concluded that it is a higher-dimensional creature that''s beyond our imagination. It was able to travel through time, which is how it arrived at our galaxy. We can''t be sure whether it comes from the ancient past or the distant future.


    Also, it is a higher-dimensional creature. As such, time should only be a conceptual noun that describes the changes in its material. It is immortal, making it a creature that is way beyond our imaginations and knowledge. We don''t know why it came to our era or what it is looking for...


    No matter how we tried to communicate with it, it was useless. It seemed that it just refused to communicate with us. To it, we''re just like bugs, worthless and inferior creatures not worth conversing with. Even the war between us and them was stupid and laughable. We tried to fight it, yet it didn''t even move its body at all! It just took a glimpse at us and we lost the war!


    The journal continued¡­ Our mother planet was totally destroyed. The enormous number of monsters bred by the Dark Mother Tree kept attacking and infecting us. Everyone became its sidekicks, under its power, and the entire civilization of Atlantis became an enslaved civilization.


    Then, the monsters that were coming from the Dark Mother Tree kept attacking us, and even some of our own turned against us. Not only did we lose our mother star, but we also lost several colonial stars. We then had to flee to the most distant colonial star, Yach.


    Then¡­ Da*n it! Those b*stards chased us down here too, and Yach was also conquered! A large number of monsters have now completely occupied Yach. I have to take the surviving people of Atlantis to flee, but I don''t know we to go. We have already lost all of our territories. Now, Hope is like a lone island in the universe, not knowing where to fly!


    The journal recorded¡­ There is a seed of Dark Mother Trees outside our cabin, and it has reached the interior part of the cabin. We''ve lost all hope already. We might even be the last group of people from Atlantis, as our civilization was totally destroyed!


    Lu Zhiyu kept reading through the captain''s journal. He was only skimming through the journal, but he could still feel the desperation of this captain named "Blue."


    The journal recorded¡­ It is now inevitable that many of the monsters and our companions have been infected and have assimilated into the creature. I have received an order for all of the surviving ones to enter the playground so that we can save our civilization. Fortunately, the second everyone entered the playground, the infection and transformation stopped!


    However, we have now been transformed into data. Hopefully, the spaceship "Hope" can find a planet that is inhabitable. Perhaps that''s where we can reignite our hopes and carry on our civilization. At this moment, the spaceship has changed to automatic flying mode, and the "Hope plan" has been enacted. The civilization of Atlantis will never die!


    Lu Zhiyu clicked into the so-called Hope plan and perused its section of journals. He immediately saw a large number of photos of the earth, which had captions regarding reconstructing intelligent lives. All of those plans were carried out by the intelligent robots, and the super computer at the center was in charge of this entire plan!


    Lu Zhiyu then clicked into the information section about the virtual world of the playground, and he immediately found out that the virtual world had been closed for 400,000 years! When Lu Zhiyu clicked into the final journal, he read that the playground was closed with everyone''s consent after 2,000 years of operation.


    They had then deleted all of their memories and wiped away all of the data, yet they didn''t state the reasons behind these actions. They only found the solar system after hundreds of years of fleeing, and it took the spaceship around 2,000 years to find the earth and land on it.


    After reading this, Lu Zhiyu stayed silent for a long time as he thought... Perhaps they were completely in despair and had lost all hope, making them not want to live any longer..


    As he looked at this spacious spaceship and that giant city in ruins, Lu Zhiyu felt that it wasn''t a spaceship, but was more like a gigantic tomb! As Lu Zhiyu looked at the giant super computer inside it, he gazed at the floating consciousnesses of the final surviving people of the Atlantis.


    At this moment, they had lost their memories, thus making their consciousnesses no longer viable. However, because of spaceship had assimilated into the Dark Mother Tree, the powerful force field was enveloping it. Hence, their consciousnesses couldn''t wither away, but were trapped inside forever.


    Lu Zhiyu finally figured out where that spaceship had come from, as well as the distant secret dating back to when the human beings were born. However, the thing that actually piqued Lu Zhiyu''s interests was the existence mentioned in the journal of Captain Blue, which was the existence that had destroyed their civilization.


    The Dark Mother Tree! Lu Zhiyu thought. A higher-dimensional creature? Not a high-dimensional creature space-wise, but a creature that has traveled through time?


    He then wondered¡­ How can a creature that can shuttle back and forth through time exist? This doesn''t make any sense!


    Even Lu Zhiyu found this too difficult to comprehend, not to mention the people from Atlantis!

 310 Semi-Perpetual Machine

    As Lu Zhiyu took down the super computer that was in front of him, he observed it closely. It was an optical brain, which controlled the entire spaceship and was a representation of the high-end technology of the civilization of Atlantis. Lu Zhiyu urgently needed the information that was stored inside this computer, which was way beyond the imaginations of the earthlings.


    When Lu Zhiyu touched the optical brain with his hand, his mythical cells started to penetrate that bio-optic brain, and the structure of the computer started to assimilate into Lu Zhiyu''s power. At the same time, the structure on the surface started to change.


    Only after a long while did it stop changing. By that time, it had turned from an originally transparent ball to a silver, shining semi-transparent ball. It looked just like the main computer that was in Lu Zhiyu''s god kingdom. What''s more, it looked like Lu Zhiyu''s original body!


    "Now, I can call it a bio-optic brain!" Lu Zhiyu exclaimed.


    The original bio-optic brain had now been combined with the bio-computer that Lu Zhiyu often, and the combination of the two showed Lu Zhiyu''s impressive calculating powers. After the bio-optic brain was successfully reconstructed, Lu Zhiyu took it down.


    Lu Zhiyu now knew that this was the greatest gain of this trip to the spaceship. Now, thoughts and ideas that he had been wanting to make realities but had never had the chance to do so flooded his mind.


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t try to touch the consciousnesses that were remaining inside. This was because if he tried to combine the consciousnesses, it would bring too much trouble to the mythical creature.


    After Lu Zhiyu left the spaceship Hope, he immediately went back to his Floating-space City. As Lu Zhiyu was about to enter the main control room of Floating-space City, a great amount of light shone upon him, while scanning him.


    The light only allowed Lu Zhiyu entry after confirming his identity. At that moment, the manager of Floating-space City rushed in, a slight panic on her face. But, when he saw that it was Lu Zhiyu, he was relieved and started to relax a little.


    "Master! You''re back!" he exclaimed.


    In Maria''s World time, Lu Zhiyu had been gone for a couple of years. However, there were still some issues that Lu Zhiyu had to deal with on earth.


    In fact, Lu Zhiyu hadn''texpected to come back here this soon, but his discovery of the spaceship Hope and the civilization of Atlantis had interrupted his original plans.


    "Yes, I came back early," Lu Zhiyu said.


    He then reached out his hands and took down the picture that was hanging in the main control room. This picture was the only protective screen that led to the dimensional space, and as such, it was the main access authority of the crystal wall that Lu Zhiyu had created.


    However, Lu Zhiyu gradually realized that this picture actually didn''t exist, at least to some extent, as nobody except him was able to touch it. They could only look at that picture.


    Hence, it seemed to be an object that only existed in the conceptual mind, as physically and material-wise, it didn''t actually exist. It was more like an authority that was ingrained in the deeper area of Lu Zhiyu''s soul and consciousness. The picture was only an image, a silhouette that had been created.


    When Lu Zhiyu came back here, he had brought back a living creature. It was a giant ball that had a diameter of thirty feet. It had instantly attracted Eva''s attention, yet the only thing that Eva could observe about it were the terrific consciousness ripples that were inside the ball.


    After leaving spaceship Hope, the body of collective consciousnesses that was locked by the force field of the mythical life immediately started to accept the laws in this material world, causing it to begin to wither away. However, the optical computer was still penetrated by Lu Zhiyu''s power, so the body of consciousnesses was still deeply locked inside and couldn''t go dissipate entirely.


    "What is this?" Eva wondered aloud as she moved closer to the bio-optic brain.


    "This is a bio-optic brain. This will be the key that enables the crystal wall to take the next step and improve itself," Lu Zhiyu explained.


    He then added, "It''ll be a semi-perpetual machine and the perfection system and control system of the crystal wall. As such, it will be the most important key and access authority of the entire crystal wall."


    Lu Zhiyu had only come up with the idea of a semi-perpetual machine after he created the Abyss World. The Abyss World was not a normal world, but was more like an upgraded version of the god kingdom, a world that was between the states of illusion and reality.


    It was a world that was an extension of matter, soul, and the power of mythical creatures, just like the devil species. The most noticeable characteristic of the Abyss World was that it didn''t consume any of Lu Zhiyu''s energies, nor did it consume the material of the crystal wall.


    Yet, it still kept enlarging and improving itself. To some extent, it was already a perpetual machine, as it didn''t consume any of the material energies from the crystal wall, but at the same time, somehow was able to continuously increase in size!


    When it came to comparing all of the dimensions and levels, it was not technically a real perpetual machine. This was because it was extracting the power from other dimensions in order to improve itself, and idea that Lu Zhiyu first came up with for a semi-perpetual machine had actually stemmed from that.


    If I can create a machine or a facility that can extract energies from the universe in other dimensions, then it''ll be a real perpetual machine for this crystal wall! It won''t need any energies in this world, yet it can still be operated and create everything in this world! Lu Zhiyu thought.


    It will keep extracting energies from the universes of other dimensions, and it''ll keep creating even more dimensions in this crystal wall! In this way, it can continuously improve this enormous crystal wall universe!


    A semi-perpetual machine was actually a decoy perpetual machine that stole energies from the universes of other dimensions in order to remain operational. In this way, not only could it operate itself, it could also provide endless material energies for Lu Zhiyu to use.


    From the perspective of all of the dimensions of myriad universes, it wasn''t actually considered to be perpetually functioning. Instead, it was kind of stealing energies from the universes of other dimensions.


    Yet, to the crystal wall itself, it was indeed a perpetual machine. That was why it was called semi-perpetual, as it was only perpetual relatively speaking.


    This was similar to how Lu Zhiyu used a picture to extract the material energies from the earth universe, yet this time, it would be a real, perfected portal facility, and it would create an eternal portal in the world universe to steal the material energies from the earth universe. Meanwhile, it could avoid the trouble that often resulted from a long period of keeping a portal open so that both sides can stay stable.


    Lu Zhiyu approached the bio-optic brain with the picture in his hands, then reached out his hands and saw that the brain was swallowing the picture gradually. All of a sudden, a gleaming light came out of the bio-optic brain, while countless scenes started popping out on the screen.


    Scenes from Maria''s World, the Zerg world, and the Abyss World suddenly were circulating on the bio-optic brain. These scenes were all showing the histories of those worlds, including the scenes where Lu Zhiyu had created the crystal wall and all of the dimensions, as well as all of the majors in all eras and the heroes that arose from those chaotic periods.


    Lu Zhiyu saw the queen insect, the war of the insect race, and the grand escape. He also saw Ahenaten and himself in the past, fragile and na?ve.


    He saw himself hiding in the castle of space, testing and editing the genes and creating one creature after another. He also saw how he had become stronger and stronger gradually.


    Then, he saw one star god kingdom after another surging into the sky. This scene was followed by one that depicted the changes in the Abyss World and the evolution of the demon race.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    After that, lots of data and special symbols kept flooding across the screen. Most of the symbols kept blinking in a weird three-dimensional structure. The information that kept blinking was so vase, Lu Zhiyu felt like his brain was about to explode as he looked at it all.


    When the picture finally merged with that bio-optic brain completely, it replaced the original picture and became the true controller of the authority of the universe of the crystal wall. Meanwhile, this bio-optic brain also became a part of Lu Zhiyu''s body.


    The enormous bio-optic brain floated in the control room of the Floating-space City, and the silver flowing light from the brain soon filled the entire control room. As Lu Zhiyu waved his hands, a hologram of the entire crystal wall appeared in front of him.


    Now, the entire crystal wall now was like an empty and hollow structure. There were only two dimensions, Maria''s World and the Abyss World, and Lu Zhiyu couldn''t even find their locations with his naked eye. Instead, he needed to zoom in so that he could find where they were located in the vast astral world.


    At this moment, when Lu Zhiyu touched a location at the edge of the astral world, a trace of light shone down. A dimming light spot immediately started to extend.


    This was an embryonic form of a dimensional world that was just born, and it seemed to be extracting the energies from the outside realm. It kept morphing at a very slow speed, which was contrary to how Lu Zhiyu had quickly extracted the energies all at once.


    However, the portal was now stabilized, so there wasn''t any hidden danger. A stable portal that could flow naturally was exactly what Lu Zhi needed most right now!


    "I''ve succeeded!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement.


    Lu Zhiyu saw that the stabilized portal was working, so he knew that his plan for a semi-perpetual machine had succeeded. This bio-optic brain was already successful, having been deeply ingrained into the deep area of the earth universe! It had opened a stable and fixed portal somewhere that even Lu Zhiyu didn''t know about and had extracted the energies therein!

 311 New World

    As for Lu Zhiyu, he shifted his focus to the embryonic form of the world that had been gradually bulging. It was now only a form that with a dimensional wall emerging, and there weren''t even rules and orders inside yet, not to mention lands and air. Lu Zhiyu roughly calculated the time this embryonic world needed to get to the size of the space of Maria''s World, and based on the time flow in astral world (as fast as that in Maria''s World), it would take around ten years.


    Also, it would take another ten years for the lands and ocean inside to be perfected. It was Lu Zhiyu who designed and altered the rules, flow of time and the life system inside the dimensional world, after which it needed quite a few energies and measures to amend the world. To achieve a new and sustainable world, or a world like Maria''s World that was truly complete, it would take an immense amount of time and energies, which was why Lu Zhiyu needed that semi-perpetual machine to provide energies for it.


    Also, the internal life system and intelligent creatures were also vital to that world, and they might be the most important factor in the development and the future of that world.


    Lu Zhiyu was pondering the world he just created, and he was thinking of the amendments he should make for it. This was the fourth world that Lu Zhiyu was about to design, and what Lu Zhiyu really wanted was to distinguish it from Maria''s World and World of Abyss.


    The creation of Maria''s World was to make the path smoother to Lu Zhiyu. It was a god kingdom by design, and Lu Zhiyu had already set the future for the god kingdom. As for the world of abyss, it was an attempt for Lu Zhiyu to reach the path of level nine.


    To Lu Zhiyu, this new world was a world different from god kingdom. Lu Zhiyu suddenly recalled the world that Katherine promised, which was a future that was arranged for sorcerers that they wanted.


    "This new world will be designated to be a world of sorcerers and sorcery civilization, and it was an exploration of the path of god kingdom." He thought.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Lu Zhiyu took a look at the giant semi-perpetual machine which contained the consciousness of all the people from Atlantis. Lu Zhiyu let them be reborn in the new world on purpose. It felt meaningless, yet it still gave Lu Zhiyu Lu Zhiyu a special feeling when he did that. It felt like reincarnation.


    "A civilization that was destroyed by a high-dimensional life, and it is the origin of the birth of human beings. Now, they''re at the hands of a mythical creature like me, and they''re about to be reborn because of me. It''s just like fatalism." He thought.


    Lu Zhiyu was changing the new world in the semi-perpetual machine, and he could now see that with the material energies gathering, and crystal wall kept bulging, perfecting the embryonic form of a new world gradually.


    "I''ll use the model of a standard world for it!" he thought.


    "Other models in my envision is not stable at all, so it might have some tremendous hidden safety issues. I won''t test those models, instead, I''ll stick to the standard model of worlds." Lu Zhiyu thought about it for a moment, then he decided to revert back to the model of the original version Maria''s World to create the new world he envisioned instead of using the new ideas he had in mind.


    He kept infusing it with energies. After typing in the world model in the semi-perpetual bio-optic brain, he stopped paying attention to it.


    As for Lu Zhiyu, he now took the time to check how Maria''s World was doing. Goddess of Harvest Bernice getting the throne of god, Cetisius became the demi-emperor of the underworld by lighting the godly fire. Then, the next one who was going to be a god was Louis Biketo, who was going to become a god before Gina, who was a mermaid with the blood of Sakun.


    After Louis Biketo seizing the throne of the master of the knight, he led all the members from the Gathering of Darkness to get out of the area of the western Church of Light, heading toward the kingdom of what was called an exotic realm.


    The exotic realm was a kingdom formed by more than ten countries, and it was at the most southern place of Alen Continent. The continent was hot, humid with a rich soy. The countries and races in the exotic realm refused to communicate with the outside world, and their customs were also different from all the kingdom outside. If someone wanted to get to the exotic realm from Church of Light Kingdom, he must go through vast and boundless forests and mountains. These mountains were connected to the black forest, or so to say, the black forest itself was an extension at the end of those mountains.


    If it weren''t for the war Pusuote Kingdom waged against them, causing the destruction of several kingdoms in the exotic realm and forcing them to get out and communicate with the outside world, most of the people on that continent would have no idea that there was a vast land and an exotic realm like that in the south.


    As for Louis Biketo, he was staying in a kingdom called Hollyma, and he established the belief of the master of the night. Gathering of Darkness now finally found its place in this exotic realm and started to boom, becoming the mainstream belief system in the kingdoms in this realm. With the powerful belief system, Louis Biketo became a god in less than twenty years.


    Then came the empress of mermaid, Gina, who was successfully summoned and entered the star god kingdom several years after Lu Zhiyu arrived back, becoming God of the Sea.


    Other than that, Sorcerer Gao Ta was moved to Yala Continent established a new kingdom at the far east end of the continent under the lead of Edward Klomo. He was also preparing to gather the believers and ignite the godly fire.


    The king of Hailuga Kingdom, Jonathan Brown, announced in his kingdom that he would become a believer of Master of Storm, a god and a belief system that came out of nowhere suddenly became orthodox belief system of Hailuga Kingdom, which also gained population across the ocean. Many captains of ships, sailors, adventurers and pirates became believers of Master of Storm.


    At this moment, inside City Alliance of Sheehan, all the alchemy sorcerers started to publicize the belief of Goddess of Steam and Machine, and at the other end of the ocean, on the Swirl Continent, a new kingdom that was made of special orcs were also quickly being developed.


    "Now, there are already six gods, and there are four other candidates for gods. However, it seems that the potential for this era has been fully exploited, so it might take a long time until the next candidate for god shows up." He said.


    Lu Zhiyu observed Maria''s World for a while, and six people had already become gods. As for the other four candidates for gods, they would also become gods in the next following decades. However, after those ten, Lu Zhiyu couldn''t find any more suitable candidates to inherit the positions of gods.


    The entire Maria''s World seemed to have arrived at a tipping point, and everything seemed to be detached from the original track, rushing toward an unpredictable future.


    Everything was quickly developing, so quick that they didn''t even realize what was going on, not to mention catching up. However, this world also seemed to be being stabilized, which was the last chance for everyone. Once this world was stabilized, everyone would lose their chance to become a controller of the world.


    All the saints were fighting, yet many of them felt lost and worried about their future.


    After Lu Zhiyu came back, Kelly, Verthandi and Delmedi all went to greet Lu Zhiyu. Lu Zhiyu gave them the access authority and stamp to land on and to be transported to the capital city of Floating-space City.


    After that, Lu Zhiyu moved Floating-space City away from the dimensional wall of Maria''s World and headed toward astral world to prepare for the new world he was perfecting. The new world was being bred and amended, and it was becoming more and more like a real world. It had been a long time since Lu Zhiyu had the excitement of creating a new world.

 312 The Starsoul World and the Goblins

    Lu Zhiyu set up a standard world model, which was composed of land, sea, and sky. But, since the land and the sea at the moment were so small, they looked like tiny islands and lakes. Then, with the passage of time, they expanded.


    At the moment, the ocean was completely frozen. In fact, the whole world was like a dark, frozen world. This was because the area of the frozen ocean had kept expanding until it had filled the whole world.


    After a violent explosion occurred, which involved energy radiation, a globular luminous plasma was created in the bitwall. It was actually a simulated sun. Of course, it was inferior to the real sun in the Earth''s universe in all respects.


    Its light broke through the darkness in an instant, illuminated the whole earth, and bringing light and warmth into the world. This was the source of life and the basis for all survival.


    The ice-bound ocean melted gradually, and the earth emerged from beneath the sea bit by bit. A total of seven continents and countless islands then appeared.


    After that, the sea water evaporated and vapor went into the sky. Then, dark clouds began to appear above the sky, while rainwater fell on the earth, causing numerous plants to flourish.


    These plants came out of the ground and grew towards the sky. Greenery soon spread throughout the whole continent. The bottom of the ocean also began to evolve, as a a variety of marine plants and the seeds of these plants spread throughout the whole world.


    "Gravity is stable, time speed is fixed, and oxygen is adequate. Ok, the source of life is good!" After analyzing everything carefully, Lu Zhiyu was satisfied with everything at present.


    When Lu Zhiyu came to the shore this time, the edge of the sea had grown into a dense jungle. Here, the sun shone on the surface of the sea and everything looked quiet, peaceful, and harmonious.


    The length of day and night was set up, as were the four seasons. At the moment, night was coming! The night of this world was totally dark.


    When Lu Zhiyu reached out, he saw a strip of fluorescent light flowing from his sleeve. This became a bright Milky Way that began revolving around Lu Zhiyu, then rushed into the sky.


    A whole bright strip of stars glittered in the world''s bitwall. As such, the night was thoroughly lit up.


    Stars now twinkled in the sky, instantly making the evening world beautiful and dreamlike. As he sat listening to the sound of the waves and tides, Lu Zhiyu suddenly became emotional.


    "Starsouls. I use this name to address you, as well as to remember your predecessors and pay tribute to you. There is no moon now, as there is no need for the moon," Lu Zhiyu murmured as he looked up. "Now, I shall name this world the Starsoul World!"


    Starsouls were the awarenesses of more than one million people in Atlantis. Lu Zhiyu had transformed these people into starsouls, then made them the guardians of this new world.


    Starsouls were friendly and tame divine creatures. They had been infused with Lu Zhiyu''s divine ability. As such, they could be regarded as his relatives. Their main job was to protect this world and maintain its rules.


    In a sense, they were the embodiments of the will of this world and Lu Zhiyu''s spokespersons. The stars foretold the changes, disasters, solar terms and rules of the world. At the same time, they regulated the life cycle of the world and enforced its rules.


    At the moment, the stars were twinkling and merging into a collective awareness. It seemed that they were trying to communicate something to Lu Zhiyu. Lu Zhiyu smiled, but did not answer.


    The cycle of life and the preliminary world''s rules had been set. In Lu Zhiyu''s eyes, the semi-perpetual biological brain connected with one''s awareness. As such, numerous data flew through the brain continuously. When Lu Zhiyu waved, the data was set.


    "Build the magic net." After Lu Zhiyu gave this instruction, a special channel network immediately spread all over the world.


    The foundation of the extraordinary power was built in this world. Without the magic net, it was impossible to collect vital source material. This was the disadvantage in the astral, as Lu Zhiyu couldn''t cover the whole astral with the magic net, thus making it unnecessary.


    After all, magic nets had been built in the three current worlds. So, he considered that this was enough.


    After creating several worlds, Lu Zhiyu was familiar with all of the steps. With just a wave of his sleeve, a new world was set up and all of its necessary parts came into being instantly.


    When the world stabilized and the magic net was set up, time slowed down rapidly before finally being stabilized. However, there was no life system yet. But, this was exciting, as a life system that was different from the current ones in existence could create a truly unique civilization!


    --------------------


    Lu Zhiyu also built a half bitwall in the bitwall of the Starsoul World. In the half bitwall, he tried to debug and manufacture the intelligent life system of the Starsoul World.


    The half bitwall that made up the intelligent life system of every world was called the lab of the creator. This was where every species was born and where all of life originated.


    This intelligent life system was different from the past ones. To use past experience and create a life system that was different from Maria''s World and the Abyss World, one needed to take into account many aspects.


    After all, intelligent life was the greatest miracle, yet it was also quite vulnerable. As such, any error or mistake would lead to irreparable consequences.


    Arrgh!


    Lu Zhiyu heard a cry as he took out a fragile young life from a nutrient chamber. It was a human-like creature that had green skin and long pointy ears. It also had dexterous hands and a developed and intelligent brain.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    As it opened its eyes and looked at the world for the first time, the first thing it saw was a man with black hair and black eyes. It then explored the world with its smart eyes and giggled loudly.


    Lu Zhiyu held it in both hands, as if he was welcoming a newborn baby into the world. "Welcome! You are the first goblin in the world!" he said, while smiling.


    Behind Lu Zhiyu, a large number of goblins were being conceived within the nutrient chambers, which were aligned in several rows.

 313 Elf Altar

    On a slightly barren plain, the forests were sparse, the vegetation was not rich, and the weather was unusually cold. A group of green-skinned goblins were noisily rushing through the jungle, chasing a wild boar.


    All of the goblins were waving spears in their hands. However, they looked as if they were not hunting, but were rather involved in some grand dance.


    "Ah ah ah ah!"


    "Lu Gai! Lu Gai!"


    The goblins shouted in a meaningless language. Although they had started to record their language, there was still a long way to go before their language system was perfected.


    Dressed in leather skirts, they rushed at the wild boar with wide steps. At this time, a giant monster emerged from the forest.


    The monster was carrying a huge stone hammer, which it used to smash the boar to death! As the monster roared in triumph, other giant monsters rushed out of the forest with heavy steps. Seeing this terrifying scene, the goblins immediately dispersed.


    More than 200 years had passed since the birth of the first goblin. The normal lifespan of the average goblin was about 60 years, which was much lower than the lifespans of human beings.


    There had already been 20 generations of goblins. This was because their fertility was much stronger than human beings''. A goblin could give birth to three to six pups at one time. This strong fertility enabled them to occupy the entire plain and beyond.


    However, they were not the overlords of this plain. Instead, it was the giant monsters who had dominion here. In the forest, in addition to a large number of magical beasts and monsters, there was a kind of creature called the dwarfs, who often clashed with the goblins. This was because the dwarfs posed a threat to the survival of the goblins.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    In addition to giant monsters, dwarfs, and magical beasts, in the southern forests, the goblins encountered a peculiar group of fairies. Fairies, like giant monsters and magical beasts, could use magic.


    Goblins called the forest that the fairies stayed in the Forest of Fairies. In addition, in the depths of the woods, there were all kinds of strange things. All kinds of unknown creatures, each species of which had a high degree of wisdom and a variety of magical powers.


    The goblins called the land underfoot the Titan Continent. At present, the goblins had only begun to form a rudimentary language that consisted of very basic words.


    But, according to their ancestors'' stories, the world was created by a powerful titan who was as tall as a mountain. He created everything in the world. Moreover, the goblins, the giant monsters, and the dwarfs were the direct descendants of this titan!


    Compared with other species, goblins and dwarfs did not have any extraordinary powers. Thus, they did not have any advantages over the others. As such, they had to make a variety of tools and weapons in order to protect themselves.


    Goblins used obsidian to forge weapons and stone to build appliances and houses. The dwarfs living in the mines begun to melt copper ore to produce copper tools. Their disadvantage forced them to arm themselves with wisdom.


    "They are really talented. At this early stage, they''ve already learned how to make and use tools so quickly! That is much faster than the human beings." Lu Zhiyu was impressed with the goblins.


    At present, most intelligent creatures on the Titan Continent lived in the Starsoul World. The name of the continent had been decided by the goblins.


    Lu Zhiyu did not realize that, when the first goblin saw him at its birth, it remembered him as being a giant. Then, this became a popular legend that was told to all of the following generations of goblins!


    Nowadays, this world had more diverse species than even Maria''s World, which only had humans and orcs.


    On the plain of the Titan Continent, clashes between goblins, giant monsters, dwarfs and fairies often took place. After Lu Zhiyu made sure that there were no major problems in the life system he created, he did not pay much attention to it, deciding to let it develop on its own.


    When Lu Zhiyu made goblins and dwarfs, they did not have any special abilities. However, Lu Zhiyu did make them highly talented in manufacturing and creating vital things, which was a skill that even exceeded human beings. Although they did not have the extraordinary abilities like other species, they were considered to be full of potential in Lu Zhiyu''s eyes.


    At this stage, this standard model of this world was almost complete. However, since the remaining continents and oceans still needed a lot of improvements, the semi-perpetual machine couldn''t stop running yet.


    Seeing this, Lu Zhiyu left Starsoul World, as the world had basically been completed. So, Lu Zhiyu had to start preparing for other things. Specifically, it was time to fulfill his promise to Catherine.


    Lu Zhiyu planned to let the wizards who were reluctant to leave Maria''s World immigrate here. In this world, without the constraints of gods and various conditions to restrict the development of wizards, they would be able to fully develop their potentials.


    What exactly will the wizard civilization look like?


    Compared with the Starsoul World, which one will be better?


    Lu Zhiyu was concerned about the future of the wizards.


    ------------------


    Yala, Maria''s World


    On the shore of the Lake of Life, a large number of elves were watching a ceremony. The elves and the elf wizards in the Sylve Empire, as well as the elf Queen Wendy and Wolfe were all present.


    The city of Sylve was about to have a comprehensive foundation reconstruction. The Lake of Life would be reconstructed into a water source for the wizards. The Sylve Empire was going to transform the whole city of Sylve into a city of witchcraft!


    The altar, which was originally between the Tree of Life and the Lake of Life, had to be relocated. As it was the oldest altar of the elves, the elves hosted a grand ceremony before it was relocated. As it was such a special event, the Queen and all of the high-ranking officials of the elf empire were present.


    Among the ancient legends of the elves, the altar was the oldest relic in Sylve. It was said that the secret of the origin of the elves was within it. Some also said that the secret of the altar was somehow related to the agreement between the elves and the Lord of Natural Order.


    But, most of the elves believed that it was only an old altar and that the Lord of Natural Order had gradually become a mere symbol of Sylve, rather than a solid and true belief.


    "Be careful! It''s a relic that was left by our ancestors. Be respectful!" Some of the elves were not satisfied with the relocation project.


    At the moment, flagstones were being pried open, revealing decayed and scattered coffins. All of the elves present were curious, so they surrounded the workers to see what was in the altar.


    The officials and wizards of the Sylve Empire looked at the bottom of the altar. Each of them had grown up listening to the legends about the altar and the elves, and now, everyone was filled with curiosity! But suddenly, all of the elves and elf wizards gasped and stared in shock...


    "Isn''t this a wizard servant?" An elf wizard immediately recognized the servant inside and asked.


    "A wizard servant?" Windy frowned. "Whose prank is this? How can it appear in our altar?"


    More elves were also making angry comments. After all, the altar was still very important to the elves of the Sylve Empire. This was their ancestral land, where they believed that their oldest ancestors'' bones were buried.


    Now, it had become the location of the remains of some silly and humble wizard servants. None of the elves could accept such a thing!


    Wendy, the Queen of the elves, had a better understanding of the legend of the altar. It was said that the altar was the tomb of the Lord of Natural Order, who had created the elves.


    Wolfe stood beside the Elf Queen Wendy, a look of horror on his face. "How can this be? The emergence of wizard servants and the rise of wizards only happened a few hundred years ago, and here, it can be traced back to the era of the birth of the elves, so how can they appear here?"


    "Whose prank is this?" A senior Druid raised his wand in anger, while looking around.


    Wendy looked at the corpse in the altar. It was like an armored shell. Even after such a long time, it had still not decayed.


    "How could this be? No one has ever moved anything here, as it''s a sacred burial ground. But, how could the servants bury themselves in our altar and allow themselves to be unknowingly worshiped by us? They shouldn''t be here!" A wizard still couldn''t believe that this was real!


    "A wizard servant is a bloodline-transformed creature that was created by my mentor, the cultivation method of which started to spread from the wizard tower only a hundred years ago..." When Wendy said this, she stopped abruptly, as if she had just thought of something. She then started murmuring...


    "How could it be?"


    "How could it be possible?


    "How could this be?"


    She kept repeating those same questions. Her eyes was full of fear, doubt, and shock. She looked at the altar and felt that the world had become illusory amid the sunshine.


    "The god? The altar? The Lord of Natural Order?" While she was still murmuring, Wendy looked back at all of this and suddenly felt that the world was spinning and becoming unreal.


    As Wendy looked again at the prized altar, her wand fell to the ground. She felt like she had just discovered something...


    Wolfe looked at Wendy, confusion filling his voice. "What''s wrong? Wendy?"


    Wendy had a sad smile on her face as she said, "I''m just... I just don''t feel very well! Ha ha ha ha... All this... What the heck is going on? This world! Ha ha! Is it all a game or a hoax?"


    Wendy''s words made everyone feel very confused. As they all watched her, completely perplexed, she staggered back to the palace. As they watched her retreating form, they all thought that she looked so lonely.

 314 Gods’ Meeting

    Six gods were seated on the thrones of the Divine Kingdom. Although there were more empty thrones, the atmosphere in the room felt busier than ever before.


    The goddess of light Kelly, the goddess of sun Verthandi, the goddess of death Delmedi, the master of the night Louis Biketo, the goddess of harvest Bernice and the goddess of sea Gina sat in a circle and held the first meeting of the gods. This was the first meeting between the gods.


    Apart from formalizing the first Agreement of Gods, which was made among the first group of gods, they would sign a renewed Agreement of Gods to restrain the competition for authority between gods and maintain the operation of the whole world at the same time.


    "The first agreement states that the main bitwall could suppress level sevens, making it impossible for them to cross the bitwall at will. They could either come to the Divine Kingdom or the underworld. In addition, they could also enter the half bitwall or leave Maria''s World! Moreover, fighting in Maria''s world is prohibited for level sevens. Now, we need draw up the second agreement." Kelly spoke first, setting the agenda for the meeting.


    "The first matter regards the division of theocracy and territory. Needless to say, every god and divine personality present has its own theocracy and territory, but the power of every divine personality also has great expansion potential. For example, the divine personality of Louis can expand to the realm of dreams and illusions, while Bernice, the goddess of harvest can make efforts towards mastering the management of lives," said Kelly.


    Kelly, the goddess of light, was also the Divine Kingdom host. Although every god was equal in status, Kelly had the authority to restrict the other gods. So, at this time, the meeting of gods was being presided over by her and being held in the Kingdom of Light.


    "The expansion of theocracy must be based on the premise of maintaining and stabilizing world order and stability. As such, every god is the spokesman and manager of the world order. Therefore, this is the rule that every god must abide by. As such, any claims over theocracy, except for preliminary theocracy, depend upon one''s own development and efforts." Kelly wrote down the first one matter of business, concerning the expansion of the divine power and authority, as she spoke.


    This particular matter was related to the perfection of the rules of the whole world, as well as the ultimate perfection of Maria''s World. This also happened to involve the most important step for Lu Zhiyu to reach level nine!


    "I Agree!"


    "I Agree!"


    "I Agree!"


    In every Divine Shadow above the thrones, a vague appearance of the gods could been seen. They all expressed their opinions.


    The gods present all agreed to the agreement regarding their most basic authority. However, when it came to beliefs, the six gods had a fierce quarrel. Finally, they agreed that the gods could not directly intervene with human beings'' beliefs, which was then also written into the Agreement of the Gods.


    In the Kingdom of Light, Louis also talked about wizards and alchemists. He believed that wizards and alchemists were the greatest sources of instability and danger in the world. Hence, he believed that they must be under the control of gods.


    Kelly, the goddess of light, took a look at Louis as he was speaking. Although Louis was expressionless, she could see at a glance what he was thinking and feeling.


    "Edward Kelermo, the legendary alchemist Marina Bossey, and Felix, the fox wizard and dean of Colossus College, have been identified as potential candidates for future gods. Wizards and alchemists should be subject to their internal sect''s constraints, not ours. This was clearly stated in the previously agreed upon terms," said Kelly.


    After this, the gods made the arrangements for the coming of the next era, the plan of world perfection, and the preparation of world upgrading. They then talked about Delmedi''s underworld.


    After Cetisius became the deputy manager, the underworld underwent a series of reforms. However, unlike the Divine Kingdom, the underworld itself was the largest subordinate half bitwall that was attached to the main world. And, with the passage of time, it just kept expanding.


    In regards to how big the realm of the underworld was, the goddess of death, Delmedi, was not clear. It was only when Cetisius recently started to manage the underworld that he realized how broad the underworld really was.


    In addition to the gates of the underworld, the river basin, and the city of the soul, Chirom, which Delmedi managed, there were countless dead creatures in the vast realm of death, all of which had been enlarged by the force of death. Even many Ghost Wizards and demon warlocks were secretly summoning these dead creatures to send them to go and spy on the underworld.


    They were trying to escape the reincarnation of life and death with the power of these creatures in the underworld. With such motives, the Ghost Wizards and the demon warlocks were extremely dangerous and might cause harm and trouble to the gods and the world.


    After agreeing that all of the souls of the unbelievers should be managed by the underworld, Kelly urged Delmedi to pay closer attention to the management of the underworld to ensure that there would be no mistakes. Delmedi agreed, secretly planning to cheekily tell Cetisius of this matter by mimicking Kelly''s tone!


    At the end of the first meeting of gods, the Agreement of the Gods was officially renewed. This agreement was written in the gods'' language via mind power and floated above the sky in the Kingdom of Light. It then revolved around the floating islands, where the thrones of the gods were located.


    Then, all of the gods simultaneously made their own official marks on the agreement. At once, they saw the golden agreement spinning and shining fiercely. Then, the host of the Divine Kingdom officially recognized its validity.


    At this time, not only did the extraordinary gods, but even the regular gods felt an inexplicable force of restraint come upon them. This was the power of the almighty rules!


    The meeting of the gods and the perfection of the Agreement of the Gods had once again promoted the further development of the world. All of the loopholes and imperfections had now been repaired. For those with extraordinary powers, the era in which they could do whatever they wanted would never return.


    Soon following this grand event, the gods gradually took control of Maria''s World. This was an era full of opportunities, but for the extraordinary, it was not the best era.


    No matter how powerful, gifted, and ambitious they were, they were now limited. After all, the rules of the world and the gods now set constraints for everything in this world.


    The floating city of Lu Zhiyu revolved around Maria''s World, which was not far away. On the central square of the floating city, there were two huge gates.


    The huge gates were made of white metal and had dense, complicated geometric drawings on them. The center of the gates were illusory, yet they couldn''t been seen through. Instead, they looked like two huge swirling gray eddies.


    Lu Zhiyu walked up the steps and went into one of the huge gates. Then, he stepped out of the other gate.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    This was the space portal that Lu Zhiyu had designed after learning some spatial theories from Atlantis. Of course, his past experience with using the dimensional door also helped him in designing the gates.


    Eva stood under the steps of the two giant space portals, stroking the neck of the Titan Dragon Adolphus and waiting for Lu Zhiyu to come down. She then called out, "Master, you succeeded!"


    Eva was clearly happy for him. She had watched Lu Zhiyu make these two portals. To do so, Lu Zhiyu didn''t use the scroll, but had applied the principles of space.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded to her and said with a smile, "Yes, it was successful!"


    At this time, a wave of energy pulsed through Maria''s World. Although it was very slight, the Lu Zhiyu, as the master of the world, felt it immediately.


    Lu Zhiyu''s mood seemed to become somewhat complicated at that moment. "The world is beginning to move towards perfection! Is the age of the gods coming? The kingdom of the gods¡­"

 315 Another World

    "This portal can only work for half a month! It is not stable, so it can''t support a long-term operation. Also, once it is opened, it can''t be closed. Half a month from now, the space cracks will tear apart everything around the portal," Lu Zhiyu said.


    He was standing on the bottom mountain slope of the tower. The red dragon, which had not seen him for nearly three hundred years, was now calmly sitting at his feet.


    At this moment, all of the wizards present were those who had decided to stay in the wizard tower. They were staring at Lu Zhiyu, wondering why the red dragon, which had always been arrogant and ferocious, was now like an adoring puppy at Lu Zhiyu''s feet.


    When Lu Zhiyu waved his hand, the huge gates appeared at the bottom of the black mountain where the wizard tower sat. Instantly, all of the wizards let out numerous cries of surprise. However, Catherine was not surprised at all. After all, in her eyes, Anthony, the great sage, was already understood as being omnipotent.


    The huge gate looked magnificent as it sat at the bottom of the mountain. Lu Zhiyu looked back to see the shocked faces of all of the wizards present. There were 300 of them in total, plus around 1,000 of their family members. The busy wizard tower that Lu Zhiyu had remembered in the past no longer existed.


    Lu Zhiyu''s eyes swept over everyone. These people looked at Lu Zhiyu with curiosity, shock, and even some glimmers of hope.


    For Lu Zhiyu, this wizard tower was no longer the one that he was familiar with. Now, in his eyes, it was just a lonely building that was standing on the black mountain near a beautiful castle.


    Moreover, the wizards here were no longer the ones that Lu Zhiyu knew. Those who were taught by Lu Zhiyu had since become apprentices, then great wizards, while many had long passed away in history. When he turned to Catherine, Lu Zhiyu finally felt a semblance of familiarity.


    Catherine went to Lu Zhiyu and stood on the steps of the space portal. Then, they climbed up them together, slowly.


    As Catherine turned to face Lu Zhiyu, her first question was, "Mentor, what''s at the other end?"


    Lu Zhiyu''s hand touched the rough surface of the portal as he replied calmly, "It''s another world, a world where extraordinary powers have not completely emerged yet. It is a world without restraints from any gods!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Catherine and added, "There, you will see the future of the wizards!"


    Speaking of this, Lu Zhiyu''s expression looked somewhat complicated, "But, to get there, you may have to leave here forever, departing from your homeland and going to another unknown and distant world! It''s much farther from this current world than you might think. It''s a distance that is hard to describe with units. Are you ready take everyone to an unknown world and open up the future you want? Specifically, Catherine, do you really want to leave this place?"


    Catherine smiled confidently and calmly. She looked as if she didn''t feel the slightest sadness, but only hope.


    She then said, "Since it is impossible for me to come back again, let me take everything and everyone that is special and important with me! Fortunately, the space portal you built is big enough to take the whole wizard tower and everything else we would we want to take away... In fact, most everything I know has already disappeared in the recent years!"


    Although Catherine was still smiling, during the last sentence she spoke, her voice grew hoarse. As Catherine looked at Lu Zhiyu, she recognized that, although they both looked young, the vicissitudes shown in their eyes still revealed everything that they had been through.


    Catherine turned her head and avoided Lu Zhiyu''s gaze. Then, after a long time, she calmed down and turned to face Lu Zhiyu again.


    "Well, let''s not talk about that. Let''s talk about the future instead!" she said.


    Sunshine streamed down on them and a refreshing afternoon breeze blew over the lawn at the bottom square of the tower before gently whistling through the surrounding devil camphor trees. Clouds accumulated like mountains in the distance, but the clouds over their heads seemed thin.


    Catherine''s face burst into a new smile. She stretched out in front of Lu Zhiyu, as if embracing the breeze and sunshine, as well as the past and the future to come.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    She then exclaimed, "I will inherit the will of Bohr, Akkad, Li Weisi, Henry and Uruk, building the future that all of our tower wizards and apprentices have hoped for together! It will be a civilized kingdom of wizards and a dream place for all of us... A new world of knowledge, order and freedom!"


    The sunshine seemed to hug Catherine, while her bright smile that she beamed at Lu Zhiyu was as warm as the sunlight itself.


    She then called out to him, "Mentor, I know you haven''t told us many of your secrets! I know, Bohr knows, and Akkad knows! But, we are all very grateful to you, as it was you who taught us how to recognize the world, gave us the power to pursue truth and knowledge, and gave us the future and the hopes of wonderful lives! In any case, going down this road was each of our choices, and I know our lives will be wonderful because we made those choices!"


    After hearing Catherine''s words, Lu Zhiyu was so touched, he was rendered speechless. After a long time, all of his emotions could still only be translated into a simple three-word reply, "Thank you, too!"


    Lu Zhiyu stayed awhile longer, while Catherine accompanied him around the entire wizard tower. Catherine told Lu Zhiyu everything that had happened here, and he did not leave until the sun set.


    In year 308 of the San Calendar, Catherine led the remaining members of the tower and the summoned wizards from other places out of Maria''s World. Nearly 500 wizards in total left with her to journey to the Starsoul World.


    Thousands of family members and ordinary people also left with them. This was made possible by Catherine''s using witchcraft to move the whole wizard tower, as well as most of its buildings, thus allowing them to be transported to the other world.


    After all, since her mentor Anthony had told her it was impossible to come back, she had decided to just take everything that she couldn''t give up with her! Together, all of them crossed the space portal and headed to the other side of the vast astral. In the new world, they would have a new future!

 316 Dragon Island

    Lu Zhiyu was fascinated with the design of the space portal. To be exact, the transmission by the space portal was more similar to a kind of transmission at the information level.


    It was based on the ability of mythical creatures to transmit information regardless of space distance. The two gates realized the transmission across space through the transmission of information between mythical cells.


    The gate at one end scanned those to be transmitted with mind power, then stored their information in atomic form. The huge amount of information was then was transmitted to the other gate. When the other gate received the information, it assembled it and transformed the information into real things.


    Because each life had a unique awareness, they could be formed at the second gate based on the received data regarding their awareness, as well as their souls and body values. As such, every transmission through this space portal was a process of decomposition and composition.


    As an incredibly large amount of information and data was being transmitted and a huge amount of energy was required to open the dimensional void, each time one went through this space portal, it was a thrilling and dangerous journey!


    Lu Zhiyu tried many times before gradually perfecting the space portal. However, without the semi-perpetual bio-optic brain to open the dimensional channel, even the transmission of a molecule could consume a huge amount of energy.


    This meant that it was extremely unstable. Hence, at present, Lu Zhiyu could only make one time space portal.


    As for building a permanent space portal, that was very difficult. The most challenging thing was to open the dimensional channel, while keeping it stable at the same time.


    After the last space portal that had been running for nearly a month exploded in the floating city, Lu Zhiyu finally gave up making a permanent space portal, at least temporarily.


    Regardless, Maria''s World was currently committed first and foremost to ocean exploration. Since the end of the first war for maritime power, the Mermaid Kingdom had become dominant kingdom that ruled over the sea. Even the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, the Kingdom of Mara, and the Sean City State Alliance had to sign a covenant with the Mermaid Kingdom after their defeats.


    The Hailuga Kingdom, which occupied the Balaster Islands, grew over the decades and became a powerful maritime power by relying on the sea''s resources. The Hailuga Kingdom then developed the first marine warship that was powered by a propeller. It even built steel-made alchemy vessels, various artillery, and warships. With the coming era welcoming the booming industry of steel alchemy weapons, human beings were fighting to conquer the entire sea.


    At the same time, the oceans had gradually been divided into several major areas. This was was because the small islands and sea areas that were not valued by the kingdoms before had gradually been taken more seriously by them.


    Maritime force had also become an important facet of the nation''s strength. As such, trade and economic activities on the sea had strongly promoted the increasing pace of progress in all of the kingdoms.


    At this time, an adventurous fleet from the Hailuga Kingdom crossed the Stormy Sea and the Bazaar Sea, then headed for the distant western world. This fleet consisted mostly of ordinary ships, having only one special steel-made alchemy warship that was owned by the Hailuga Kingdom. On top of the warship, many of the latest alchemy cannons stood watch over the crew and passengers.


    At present, the Hailuga Kingdom was still unable to produce the alchemy warships in large quantities. This was because each warship needed at least one or more high-level alchemists to control it.


    The fleet left the Bazaar Sea and sailed west for nearly half a month. Along the way, it encountered a group of sea monsters and occasional attacks from the Children of the Sea.


    The group had come here after being ordered by the royal family of the Hailuga Kingdom to search for the traitor of the Mermaid Kingdom, the sahagin alchemist Bobby. It was said that Bobby knew some important information. The reason they had specifically come here is that some adventurers and pirates in this sea area had claimed that they had seen Bobby here before.


    "I heard that Bobby hides on an island nearby. Why can''t we find him?" Demone asked.


    As the captain of the alchemy warship Freak Wave, the level three alchemist Demone was an influential figure in the Kingdom of Hailuga. As such, he would never have come here if it hadn''t been for Bobby.


    But, as he had been wandering around for so long, without finding any clues as to where Bobby was hiding, he began to doubt whether he had received some false information.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Something''s just ahead!" A lean navy officer on the watchtower shouted.


    "Is it an island?" Demone asked.


    "Yes! Wait... No, it''s not an island!" The officer on the watchtower had just answered, but he immediately overturned his answer and shouted in a voice that was filled with great excitement, "It''s the mainland! Captain, it is definitely not an island! We found a new continent!"


    The naval officer looked out into the distance. Through the fog, he saw the distant continent slowly emerging from the surface of the sea water. As the ship approached, the continent grew bigger and bigger.


    "We found the New World! God! This will become a legend that will forever be recorded in history! This is a new world that has never been discovered before!" one of the crew members exclaimed.


    At this point, the whole crew was getting excited. They rushed to the deck and looked into the distance. Everyone was flushed with excitement. They were even hugging each other and dancing together!


    They couldn''t wait to put the flag of the Kingdom of Hailuga on this new land. As the discoverers of the new world, they would become the heroes of the whole world.


    Then, they would have honor, money, and numerous beauties eyeing them! Demone was also very excited. Even if he was a level three alchemist, it would have been difficult for him to gain such a high reputation as the discoverer of a brand new world!


    As the ship approached the land, they heard a loud bang. Thereafter, the land land and the sea both rolled violently. Even the alchemy warship was tossed about violently, causing the people on the ship to lose their balances and fall on the deck.


    "What happened?" Demone asked.


    "Look over there! Fire... A big fire!" The naval officer was clearly frightened.


    All of those onboard turned to the direction of the fire, where strong flames and black smoke was erupting from a chimney-like mountain pass, then rushing into the sky. They could also see lava flowing through the area. Even the mountain peak was burning!


    Demone immediately recognized it. "It''s just a volcanic eruption! Don''t make a fuss!"


    The volcanic eruption caused huge smoke and dust to burst out into the sky, and even a fire rain fell over the sky. Sparks flew in all directions, which tremendously shocked everyone. This immense display of the power of nature made them all afraid.


    At this time, Demone felt a sense of uneasiness.


    "Did you hear anything?" the mate next to him asked.


    Demone raised his head and replied, "No, but turn around... Let''s get out of here!"


    As soon as Demone looked up, he saw several black shadows flying towards him from the volcano. Those shadows had huge wings, shining scales, and fiercely evil eyes.


    "Dragon! It''s a dragon...No...It''s a group of dragons! Let''s get out of here!"


    "How could there be so many?"


    "Did we discover the dragon''s nest?"


    Everyone felt a tremor as they began shouting all at once. For human beings, whenever dragons were mentioned in all of the stories and legends, they were mostly depicted as being evil and horrible monsters. At this moment, such monsters appeared in a large group and rushed right at them!


    "We can''t run away. They''ve caught up with us!" The officer felt hopeless.


    "Shoot the dragons!" Demone demanded.


    Several adult dragons and more than twenty young dragons surrounded them. When the dragons waved their wings, the sea under them was instantly frozen.


    Dozens of giant dragons spewed flames around the warship, while their claws tore the iron sheet of the warship, as if they were tearing a thin piece of paper. The warship''s golden cannons bombarded the dragons, but could only cause them minor injuries. In fact, except for Captain Demone''s ability to hurt these monsters, the others were simply like food on the table for the dragons!


    The alchemists used the ship as a fortress and attacked the dragons constantly, while trying to escape. But, as the whole sea was frozen by the dragons, they were completely trapped. In the end, all of them were burned in a sea of fire or eaten directly by the dragons.


    Alas, what was perceived as being an invincible naval fleet of the Kingdom of Hailuga was actually so fragile when facing such monsters. Perhaps if there had just been a single dragon, they might have had the chance to resist. But, as soon as a crowd of such monsters surrounded them, their sad fates were sealed.


    In year 1909 of the San Calendar, the volcanic dragon island was discovered for the first time by human beings. This marked the official year that the giant dragons first appeared in Maria''s World.

 317 God of Dragon

    Lu Zhiyu''s floating city had been reconstructed several times. By now, its diameter had reached 10 kilometers and it was nearly 100 square kilometers. As such, it floated in the astral like a dazzling star.


    Its whole body was made of extraordinary metal cells that were connected to Eva''s awareness. In a sense, this floating city was Eva''s Divine Kingdom. However, it was not bound by any rules of the world.


    At the moment, Lu Zhiyu was thinking about those who would reach level eight. If they preferred the divine system, they could have the astral Divine Kingdom that was formed of extraordinary metal cells, then acquire the level eight divine life form template (divine personality) and manage the kingdom according to the bitwall rules.


    If they preferred the wizard system, they could build a divine floating city (a level eight floating castle of an alchemical lifeform) and acquire the level eight divine life form template. Both of them would be extremely powerful and be equally matched in strength!


    All of the gods except for Kelly, Verthandi, and Delmedi relied on Lu Zhiyu''s power. Without Lu Zhiyu''s support, only Kelly would be able to maintain level seven, while the other gods would fall from the divine throne in an instant.


    But, in the wizard system, it was much more difficult to reach level eight. An example of this difficulty was Edward, who was the strongest wizard, as he was only at level five currently! At this current level, Edward was clearly was far from being able to ignite the divine fire and ascend the throne, not to mention being able to create his own floating city!


    After all, a level eight mythical alchemy floating city required a tremendous amount of resources and knowledge, as well as strong mind power. This made creating one far more difficult than those within the divine system that Lu Zhiyu had built for Maria''s World.


    To provide some perspective, it had taken two hundred years for Lu Zhiyu to build this floating city! This was not surprising, as the whole floating city was a huge alchemical lifeform. As such, it had the rule and power of a level eight mythical template, as well as a great power source and a floating ring. It even had dozens of plasma cannons and laser guns.


    There was no limit to the power that a laser beam could carry. In principle, if one could stably control enough powerful energy, he or she could integrate the energy of the entire solar system into a very powerful laser beam. In fact, a gamma laser beam was probably the most powerful force in the universe after the Big Bang!Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    However, the laser cannons that were dismantled by Lu Zhiyu from the Hope of the Atlantis Civilization were not powerful enough, as they used a reactor to produce countless X-rays, then concentrated them into a single beam. However, if multiple cannons of this type were shot at the same time, they could still manage to make a continent sink.


    Although Lu Zhiyu''s floating city had the power to destroy a continent, it was still a long way from being able to destroy a star.In fact, star destroying power was something that Lu Zhiyu had desired for a long time.


    As for the power of their scientific and technological civilization, it was unimaginable! Its destructive power far exceeded the mythical creatures''. However, even though the system of mythical life could fully accommodate scientific and technological civilization, this system, which was based on level promotion, kind of restrained science and technology, too.


    After watching the war between the Atlantis Civilization and the Dark Mother Tree, Lu Zhiyu found that the scientific and technological civilization had no resistance to the high-level mythical creature. Maybe this was because the Atlantis Civilization hadn''t reached the advanced level of the scientific and technological civilization.


    Or, maybe there would soon be a divine scientific and technological civilization, which could use causal law weapons, modify cosmic constants, create a genuine perpetual machine to grasp infinite energy and travel freely in time and space! Perhaps then it could fully transfer virtual reality into actual reality and manipulate dimensional power at will!


    Lu Zhiyu thought about the pros and cons of the two civilizations, as well as what might be in their futures. In the end, he couldn''t tell which one was better.


    At this point, there is no tangible difference between the two choices. Aren''t mythical creatures themselves part of the civilization? Maybe it should be called the mythical creature civilization?


    In his floating city, besides Lu Zhiyu and Eva, there were fairies and the intelligent Fairy Trees. At the moment, Lu Zhiyu lay in the witchcraft garden, while the fountain beside him rushed water to the sky. This was a witchcraft garden, after all!


    Eva picked some sweet fruits that had been planted by the fairies and sat down beside Lu Zhiyu. She looked at him with her chin in her hand and suddenly asked, "Master, what is the name of our floating city?"


    Lu Zhiyu was stunned. "Isn''t it just called ''The floating city of Lu Zhiyu?''"


    Eva looked at Lu Zhiyu and said nothing. Lu Zhiyu smiled back, then said, "Call it the ''Capital of God.'' After all, that painting by the painter named Lars is very good. I like it!"


    At this time, a ray of light fell in the middle of the floating city, which was now officially called the Capital of God. Then, a goddess in a long white dress walked through the hall towards the witchcraft garden.


    Not many were granted access to the floating city, which was now in the astral. Only Kelly, Delmedi, and Verthandi could enter through the dimensional door.


    This walking goddess was the goddess of the sun, Verthandi, who had just walked up through numerous gardens and jungles. She knew that Lu Zhiyu would be here.


    This witchcraft garden had been rebuilt according to the same design and resources of the botanical garden. As such, it had always been the paradise the her and Delmedi escaped to in the days of their childhood. Naturally, she was very familiar with everything here.


    When Verthandi came in, she looked at Lu Zhiyu, who was lying on a bench. Delmedi had developed this same relaxed habit of Lu Zhiyu''s completely, while Verthandi always stood or sat straight up, just like a female knight.


    "You''re back!" Lu Zhiyu called out to Verthandi.


    "Well, yes!" Verthandi replied.


    When Verthandi sat down, she said to Lu Zhiyu, "Dragon Island has been found. Upon it, were crowds of giant dragons, a large number of adult dragons, and even very young baby dragons. For the world, this poses a very real and unstable threat. What do you think should be done about this mess you left behind, Daddy?"


    Lu Zhiyu picked up some fruit from the dish and replied, "I could arrange a dragon god to restrain them."


    Verthandi thought for a moment, then asked, "Who would you choose for this position?"


    Lu Zhiyu whistled. At that moment, a huge creature with jewel-like scales landed in the witchcraft garden! It was the Titan Dragon Adolphus that had been transformed by Lu Zhiyu and Eva!


    "Adolphus, the Dragon of Time!" Verthandi was surprised.


    "So, what do you think?" Lu Zhiyu noticed the surprised look on her face.


    Verthandi frowned. "But, how could it be Adolphus?"


    Seeing Verthandi''s scowling face, the cheerful Adolphus, which was originally shouting happily, immediately curled up into a feeble ball-like position.


    When Verthandi and Delmedi were young, they had kept it as a pet. As kids will be kids, they weren''t above teasing it and chasing it around the garden, leaving it some terrible memories! Now, even though they had all grown up, Adolphus still was afraid of them!


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Yes, it is. Moreover, it''s the candidate! As such, you will take it back to Maria''s World. As for how to arrange its ascension to the throne, you can discuss that with the others. After all, you are the gods of Maria''s World!"

 318 The Truth of the World

    Sylve City, Yala Mainland


    The elves cleaned up the altar thoroughly, and all of the ancient wizard servants'' corpses (the first generation of ant men) were moved together with the altar to the corner of the garden in the eastern part of the palace. At that moment, the ancestral remains in the altar turned into wizard servants, and all of the elves were discussing the corpses that were inside the altar.


    Instead of filling up the original altar, Wendy had assigned guards to watch it. The altar was built on the oldest tomb of the elves. Although it wasn''t very big inside, the elves all still worshipped the Lord of Natural Order here.


    Wendy carried a torch as she went inside the tomb that was under the altar. She looked very dignified and her proud eyes revealed her stubbornness.


    She had examined all of the corpses of the wizard servants. She was sure that they were not put in later, but had existed here ever since the birth of the elves. Wendy then read all of the information about the gods and the Lord of Natural Order.


    Wendy often read about global history, including the information of the ancient gods. In fact, Wendy read the ancient books day and night, including the histories of human beings, sahagins, and orcs.


    This made her brother Wolfe worried, so he always would ask her about it. But, no matter how he much he asked her about it, Wendy remained silent and would not tell Wolfe anything.


    Wendy had remained silent because she thought that she had found out a terrible truth, which frightened her very much! Everything she had imagined seemed to have gradually turned into reality!


    Currently, in the tomb, Wendy saw a slab that seemed to have some of the the earliest languages of the elves recorded upon it, as well as some of old drawings that clearly depicted the earliest history of the birth of the elves.


    "What is this?" Wendy murmured as she looked down at the slab with wide eyes.


    As she examined it closer, she saw that this stone slab was quite different from others in regards to material and design. It looked as white as a piece of white jade, but it was laid under the altar along with all of the ordinary slabs.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Wendy brushed away the dust from its surface, revealing complicated patterns underneath. These patterns formed a witchcraft tactical deployment circle!


    If Lu Zhiyu had been here, he could have immediately recognized that this was what he had left here! It was used by the wizard servants as a dimensional door, allowing them to come from the dimensional castle to the Forest of Life!


    "Witchcraft tactical deployment circle!" Wendy frowned, still murmuring, even though she was alone. "This looks kind of familiar..."


    Wendy thought she had seen this tactical deployment circle somewhere before. Wendy carefully watched the tactical deployment circle, then finally remembered its origin and function. Just like the dimensional door tactical deployment circle that was engraved on the tower badge that was given to them by Anthony, as long as it was activated, it could open the dimensional channel to another place!


    "Is the truth at the end of the door?" Wendy asked herself.


    As her slender fingers brushed the slab some more, every line of the pattern was completely exposed. Then, she instilled her mind power into the tactical deployment circle above the slab.


    The slab, which had been left here for many decades, was immediately activated. Its lights flowed around, covered Wendy entirely, then disappeared with Wendy under the altar!


    After awhile, when Wendy opened her eyes again, she found that it was a dark world without any light. Yet, she could still see with her mind power.


    She saw that she was inside a huge building, and the instant Wendy came, the induction light inside the building had turned on.


    She was now inside a long passage, which had a lot of cages on both sides of it. Itn fact, it kind of looked like the prison of the wizard tower.


    The light source looked somewhat like a vapor lamp, but Wendy had never seen such an extraordinary vapor lamp before. So, perhaps it was best described as being more like an alchemy lamp.


    On top of the door was the number that was taught to them by their mentor, Anthony. In addition, there were a lot of unfamiliar words. Wendy walked all the way to the end of the passageway and found a switch that controlled all of the lamps.


    Currently, there was a large hall in front of her, but there was no door to the hall, as it was a building without an exit. A crystal chandelier had apparently fallen in the center of the hall.


    It could been be seen from the mass accumulation of dust on the ground that the castle had not been cleaned for a long time. Thus, it was an abandoned castle! Most of the lights in the hall had been damaged, and the rest were faintly flickering. As she walked up the broad steps of the hall, Wendy found that this building was quite similar to the wizard tower.


    Upstairs were restaurants, huge pools, lounges, bedrooms, and a huge library that encompassed an entire floor! The library had a variety of books, which were written in human, Phinks, Orcish Sofawk, Tuten and other various languages. There were even more books that were written languages that Wendy had never even heard of!


    There were also a lot of delicate alchemy tools that Wendy didn''t know much about. They looked like another type of alchemy that Wendy didn''t understand. As such, Wendy did not check these very carefully, but went directly to the top of the building


    Here, she found a huge botanical garden. Sadly, the plants in the botanical garden had already withered.


    Through the top glass window, Wendy could see the intense space storm and the folded space outside. As she peered through the window, various strange scenes appeared in front of her.


    Where on earth am I? Am I still in Maria''s World?


    Everything here made Wendy feel confused. This place didn''t belong to the world she knew. She felt a panic rise from the bottom of her heart.


    Wendy then checked every corner of the building. Finally, she found the laboratory on the third floor. On a shelf in the laboratory, there were a lot of folders, each of which had accumulated a thick layer of dust over time.


    There was a storage room inside the lab, which had a lot of frozen blood, plant seeds, organs, embryos and petri dishes in it. There were all kinds of checks and numbers written on the labels of these things, as well as many scrawled words that Wendy couldn''t read.


    Wendy left this inner storage room and returned to the laboratory just outside of it. As a wizard who often carried out bloodline transplantation and body remodeling, all the materials here were somewhat familiar to her.


    She took some files from the shelf beside her. Although she couldn''t read what was written on them, as it was some language she couldn''t understand, there were a lot of pictures that she tried to decipher.


    It seemed that the information in the files detailed some experiments. As Wendy flipped through the files, she stopped at a familiar picture of a mermaid.


    The mermaid in the picture was not formed completely. Instead, it was soaked in liquid and had been placed in a glass jar. Wendy then followed the pictures in succession, which showed that the mermaid was shaped little by little before it grew into a complete mermaid!


    From the pictures, Wendy could tell that there were many experimental failures and successes throughout this cultivation process of the mermaids. This was a clearly research and data process information about how the mermaids were bred from a glass jar via a bloodline cultivation method. This was how the mermaids were bred and transformed little by little!


    Mermaids! That''s how the mermaids were born! They were born here, and in a glass jar!


    Wendy could barely believe it! She felt that the world she knew had collapsed in front of her. The truth she had longed to find now seemed so cruel at the moment. It actually frightened her that the mermaids were born this way.


    What about others, like the human beings? What about the orcs? Elves?


    Wendy then started to flip through all of the folders in a frenzy. As she did so, she saw all kinds of cultivation records and experiments regarding every type of species, including rat men, tiger men, human beings, and even dragon raja, which had apparently been bred from a stone egg!


    Next, she pulled out a pamphlet from one of the huge shelves in the middle. As soon as she opened it, a folder fell from inside of it, then fluttered to the ground.


    Among the now scattered pages, she stooped down to see a tremendous Tree of Life on a yellowed page. Right beside the tree was a beautiful creature with pointed ears and long hair! There were also a large number of words and figures that were swirling around them!


    This was clearly a record of the bloodline cultivation and the production of the elves!

 319 The Civilization of the New World

    Inside the enormous castle, Wendy saw the information of all of the species inside Maria''s World, including data about their civilization, their histories, their origin of lives, and all the way until the birth of their civilization. Wendy seemed to see an aloof being accelerating the development of the entire world, and this world seemed to be a chess game. Everyone inside the world, including the commoners, the nobles, kings, saints, kingdoms, churches and even the gods were only chess pieces in this game.


    At the moment, Wendy sat in the botanic garden that was on rooftop of the penthouse, watching the turbulence of the space in the sky. Because of the space ripples, the light that was shot out became bizarre and dazzling, which made it mesmerizing to the naked eye.


    Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps, then a voice...


    "Why are you here?" Lu Zhiyu asked as he helped Wendy up and flipped away the dust on her cape.


    As Wendy looked up at Lu Zhiyu, she didn''t seem surprised at all that he had showed up here. There were tears dripping from her eyes, which looked like those of an angel''s as she asked, "So, have I discovered your biggest secret?"


    She then asked, "Creator, my lord? Faross, my lord? Or... Lord of Natural Order?"


    As Wendy finished talking, she was almost yelling, and her eyes were filled with distrust for Lu Zhiyu. Wendy had the best temper out of all Lu Zhiyu''s students, and nobody had ever seen her flip out on anyone. However, she was also the most stubborn one. Still, Lu Zhiyu could never have imagined that she would be yelling at him like this!


    "Which one is the real you? Who are you? My teacher, the Great Wise, Anthony!" Wendy kept exclaiming.


    The giant botanic garden seemed hollow, and most of the LED plant lights that resembled the light of the sun had been broken. Lu Zhiyu sat down beside a lab table, and there were pen holders and bookends scattered everywhere on the ground. It had been a long time since Lu Zhiyu was last here, yet this place had already become familiar to him now.


    "Every one of those parts is me! To you, I will always be your teacher!" Lu Zhiyu exclaimed.


    Lu Zhiyu and Wendy talked with each other for a long time. In the end, Wendy chose to leave this world like the civilization of sorcerers. She decided to take Sylve Fairy World to Starsoul World.


    Before she left, Wendy kissed the Lu Zhiyu''s cheek and told him, "I don''t want to live in a dream that you programmed, and I don''t want to live my life knowing that my future has already been determined by you! My creator, my lord!"


    The giant door that was over a hundred feet tall looked like a mountain from afar. The enormous space transportation door was inside Sylve City, and many fairies and sorcerers gathered beside it.


    Many war ancient trees became tree persons, which were carrying goods and materials as they passed through the space transportation door. The Sylve Empire even built two tracks in front of the transportation door, and one train after another travelled through the space transportation door. They then traveled through the light screen that looked like whirlpools, finally arriving at the other end of the world through the narrow dimensional channel.


    At the other end of the world, many fairies were receiving those who were traveling across the world and planning the construction of their new homeland. It was a world that was completely different from Maria''s World, including the rules and speed of time flow.


    As for the new continent they were going to settle upon, it was comparatively desolate. But, this was not a problem at all for the Sylve Kingdom, as the Sylve Kingdom was best at creating forests, reconstructing the environment, and building a city of sorcerers.


    Mountains of goods and materials were transported through the railways, while groups of fairies went through the space transportation door. The entire Sylve Kingdom looked empty now. The usual hustle and bustle ceased on the Yala Continent, and it felt empty now.


    After half a month, many merchant ships from the human world and mermaid kingdom arrived on the Yala Continent and were about to trade with Haig in the Sylve Kingdom. That is, until they found out that all of the hundreds of thousands of fairies from the fairy kingdom had disappeared completely and were nowhere to be found. There were only empty fairy villages and cities left in the kingdom.


    All of a sudden, everyone from the once-powerful fairy kingdom was gone, and nobody was able to find any of them. The entire world was shocked.


    Human beings, mermaids, and other fairies were all trying to find the lost Sylve fairy kingdom, as well as figure out why they had gone missing. Everyone was shocked by how the fairy kingdom had just vanished in one night.


    As for the moon fairy tribe and the son fairy tribe, they both sent fairies to inspect the territory of the Sylve Kingdom, and they couldn''t find any forest fairy left in the enormous Forest of Life. As for the villages, the towns, the cities and the capital city of Sylve, they were all completely empty now, and all of the important things were gone as well. Obviously, this was a planned migration.


    Yet, no one knew where they had gone, as nobody could find them anywhere. The only sign that they could find was a gigantic hole that was the result of an explosion. The powerful force had annihilated half of the capital city of Sylve.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    That sign triggered discussions in all of the kingdoms, and everyone was talking about the Sylve fairy kingdom. There were all sorts of theories formulated to explain how they had gone missing and what they had encountered.


    As such, the human beings, fairies, poets and novelists all made up all kinds of stories, which spread throughout the entire world. As for those born later, they could only look at the remains of the Sylve fairy kingdom with reverence, as that was the only way that they could witness a once-prosperous and powerful fairy kingdom.


    As for the Sylve fairy kingdom, they migrated to a continent in the vast Astral World under Wendy''s lead. Those in Maria''s World who Lu Zhiyu valued and cared about had various fates. Some of them became gods, while others left that world completely.


    Lu Zhiyu gradually became less and less familiar with Maria''s World, as everyone that he actually cared about and valued was gone.


    "It''s a good thing. With the rules of Maria''s World being shaped anew, that world is getting more and more stable, which means there are fewer opportunities and less freedom," Lu Zhiyu said.


    He then added, "The more stable a world is, the greater the binding power its rules possess. To the ordinary people and the saints, this is a good thing. The more stable a world is, the safer that world will be. Thus, the perfection of rules and orders can offer protection for the people."


    He then said, "However, to sorcerers who pursue truth and freedom, this world feels like a cage. Besides, the world is just going to get more stable, so it''ll be a world that is completely locked."


    Lu Zhiyu was standing at the edge of the Floating-space City, and outside the Floating-space City was the dark and cold astral world, which was so dark and hollow that others couldn''t even see the end of it. However, Lu Zhiyu seemed to be able to see through the space and catch a glimpse of the Starsoul World.


    "What kind of civilizations will the sorcerers and fairy kingdoms establish in that part of the realm? And¡­ How are they going to distinguish it from the Divine World?" he wondered aloud.

 320 Goddess of Steam and Machine

    In City Alliance of Sheehan, the City of Tephis was close to the coastline. There were many ships anchored in the harbor, including merchant ships and warships.


    Although there were still many sailing boats at the wharf, they were being gradually replaced by the new steam boats that were powered by screw propellers. Currently, the ships that were arriving at the harbor gave out the sounds of sirens, which painted the image of the steam era. As for the black smoke that was coming out of the ships'' chimneys, it was a scene that many kingdoms on the Alen Continent desired but could never attain.


    The most attractive part of the harbor was an enormous iron warship that was anchored there. That iron warship was more than two hundred feet long, so only steam machines with magic reinforcements were able to sail it out to the ocean.


    There were a lot of rivets and signs of assembly on the shining outer case of the ship. There were also a lot of flexible alchemy barbettes, whose muzzles could swirl.


    Today was the day that the first iron alchemy warship in the City Alliance of Sheehan would be launched. A ig ceremony was being held, and many people were there, carrying the flag of City Alliance of Sheehan at the wharf and playing military music.


    The soldiers were wearing the uniforms of the City Alliance of Sheehan and were standing at the wharf, carrying their rifles and standing in a military formation. The prime minister, the master of Tephis, and various navy officials were all giving speeches in front of the soldiers.


    There were well-dressed royal gentlemen, ladies, and teenagers of the new era there as well, all of whom were dressed very fashionably. They were all waving their flags and cheering, while standing in their carriages.


    There were carpets and flowers on the ground, and numerous journalists and commoners had come here to watch the show as well. With the performance of the military music and the waving of countless flags, it was quite a scene!


    Everything seemed to prosper here, and everyone seemed busy and enthusiastic. The changes that had been brought about by the steam era and high-tech machines had paved the way for the City Alliance of Sheehan to become a powerful country on this continent, both on the land and on the ocean!


    The prime minister of the City Alliance of Sheehan said during his speech, "We can see the future of the world here!"


    After the ceremony was over, many navy soldiers boarded the first iron alchemy ship Legendary Adventurer. The name of this ship was the same as the first ship that Marina Bosa had used to travel the world.


    Naming the ship this same name was a salute to Marina Bosa, who started this era and finished that legendary journey. With the sound of a siren, the Legendary Adventurer officially started its first sailing mission!


    As for the commoners at the shore, they were yelling and shouting with joy and exhilaration. They were all standing at the wharf and waving their flags. The entire wharf was packed with people, while the military music was playing loudly.


    "Praise the great Goddess of Steam and Machine!" the people all yelled in unison.


    "Long live the great City Alliance of Sheehan!" they all said. "Long live steam and cannons!"


    At this moment, a carriage stopped at the harbor, and a beautiful lady wearing a pair of glasses and an alchemy sorcerer cape could be seen through the window. She was watching Legendary Adventurer sail away.


    As she opened the curtain in the carriage, if someone looked carefully, he could see that her hands and skin that she had just exposed were glowing! The power of god had penetrated her cells, and the light couldn''t help but glow out from her body. The light covered her entire body, and even those she was able to suppress that terrific power, it was still affecting the environment around her.


    She was the legendary alchemy sorcerer, Marina Bosa! As she watched Legendary Adventurer sail away, she recalled when she was twenty-years-old. At that time, she had just started to travel around the world because she wanted to help Gina get home.


    Back then, she was so passionate and exhilarated, and she could still remember how she felt as she was saying goodbye to those cheering on the ship and at the wharf. Her teacher Akkad was standing at the wharf at that time, looking at her with joy.


    She could still remember how her teacher had praised her, saying, "Many people speak bravely, but only few of them act bravely!"


    Now, most of her disciples had died since then, and the youngest of these disciples had already betrayed her and had gone away. As for Gina, who later became the queen of the mermaids, she had also drifted away from her.


    Gina had already become a god twenty years ago, and she was revered by her god kingdom. Now, she had also attained the position of gods. Hence, the two of them had simply lost touch.


    The City Alliance of Sheehan announced that its official belief was the Goddess of Steam and Machine, and as such, there were sacred sculptures and churches of the Goddess of Steam and Machine everywhere. As for the alchemy sorcerers, they all automatically became the disciples and priests of the Goddess of Steam and Machine.


    The belief system of the Goddess of Steam and Machine then became a part of all of the families in the City Alliance of Sheehan, which only grew with the popularity of steam, iron, and alchemy objects. A large amount of belief power also gathered on Marina Bosa, which pushed her up to the threshold of the gods.


    More than a decade ago, she had summoned the divine personality in the Church of the Goddess of Steam and Machine in Tephis. As such, she just needed to attain level seven in order to summon the star god kingdom and enter her kingdom of gods.


    "Time did fly!" Marina Bosa couldn''t help exclaiming.


    She then added, "Okay, let''s go back!"


    Upon hearing her order, the black-caped figure riding in the carriage didn''t say anything, but immediately rode the horse carriage back. It could be seen from looking at his lower body below the cape that it was a machine alchemy puppet. Specifically, it was Archimonde!


    Marina Bosa was about to become a god, so this was probably the last time she would go out before becoming a god. She wasn''t sure what her world would be like after it became an official world, but one thing that she was certain of was that gods wouldn''t just descend to the mortal world easily.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    After all, a being like that showing up in the main world would have a huge impact on the lives and stability of the world! As Marina thought of this and looked around at the scenes in Tephis, everything here triggered her deep memories.


    When she was young, the City Alliance of Sheehan was poor and quite backwards. Her hometown was a small fishing town beside Tephis.


    Many people wore clothes that couldn''t even properly cover their bodies, and they had to endure the exploitation of the royal families. They struggled to survive with the paltry sustenance that their infertile soil provided, while living as if they were in an ancient era.


    However, there were now ships all over the ocean, stretching to the horizon. The original alchemy warship Legendary Adventurer was long gone, and the era of iron and steam was about to come. There was even a railway train that was powered by steam on the streets, carrying groups of people.


    The engines of the trains were always carrying two to three carriages as they traveled through the city. They had even replaced the original horse buggies!


    "Boarding soon! Boarding soon!" they conductors would call out.


    "The train is about to go!" the people said!


    "Let''s buy the tickets first!" everyone exclaimed as they ran to catch the trains!


    The streets were busy, and although there was still a sizable income inequality among the people and numerous slums still existed, this era was much better than the one before it had been. Railways now covered all of the major cities, and the sirens on the steamed vehicles were always sounding, echoing throughout cities of all sizes within the City Alliance of Sheehan''s workshops, alchemy workshops, and everywhere else.


    Industrial workers soon became the largest group in the City Alliance of Sheehan, as their number had far exceeded that of farmers. There were also goods and markets of all sorts in the city.


    There were also more people in the city, and the buildings were getting taller and taller. New things and new ideas kept flooding this place, changing everyone''s lifestyles and perceptions of the world. This all came about because of the alchemy sorcerers.


    Akkad Alchemy College and the knowledge that it had brought had only been influencing the City Alliance of Sheehan for about two hundred years, yet it had completely reshaped the city already. Marina Bosa, as the successor of Akkad, was the culmination of the era of steam and alchemy, its pride and joy.


    At this moment, both the alchemy sorcerers and the City Alliance of Sheehan needed a Goddess of Steam and Machine. They needed a god that would bless them in the era of the god kingdom, and they also needed a god that would protect them. In short, Marina was the exact Goddess of Steam and Machine they needed!


    As Marina Bosa looked at the new era that she and her teacher had brought about, she smiled. "It was all worth it!" she exclaimed.


    She then added, "As long as I can become a god, then the alchemy sorcerers will have a god of their own. I will protect this era that belongs to steam and alchemy."


    Several years later, during a sacrificial ceremony for the Goddess of Steam and Machine in Tephis, along with the sound of cannons and guns that were used for salutation, the giant star god kingdom showed up in the sky of Tephis and an immense light was cast upon the Church of Goddess of Steam and Machine.


    At the same time, an enormous shadow of gods showed up in Tephis. While enjoying the admiration and cheers from all of her believers, Marina Bosa ascended to the kingdom that belonged to her.

 321 Master Kingdom

    As Edward lowered his head and looked through the glass windows in the airship, he could see the landmark building, King''s Tower, in the Kelermo Kingdom. The airship flew above the kingdom, carrying more than thirty wizards in white capes, who were all looking at the city through the glass windows.


    "We''ve toured the Yala Continent for a week now. Though there seem to be some minor issues, nothing major was found. It seems that we''ve made it," Edward said to the wizard beside him.


    The wizard standing beside Edward looked old, but he was actually a student of Edward''s. However, he looked more like Edward''s grandfather.


    He turned to Edward and said, "This will be an important step toward humans conquering the sky!"


    All of these people were Edward''s juniors, who were all following him. Edward was a fifth-session graduate from the Wizard Tower, and he was a living legend to all of them, not to mention the fact that he was a level-five wizard. To these people, he was the god of wizards.


    At the moment, Edward was focusing all of his attention on the airship and the Kelermo Kingdom that was below it. They had already given up the Wizard Tower for the Yala Continent, and this was the last fight for the wizards.


    Originally, the airship was able to fly in the sky, but could only fly for a very short distance and quite slowly. Though this still made the airshop somewhat helpful, it wasn''t useful enough to be popularized and sold on the mainstream market.


    In order to improve the airship, an alchemy steam machine with magic reinforcement was loaded on to the airship, which allowed the airship to fly much faster through the sky, and it could also fly for a longer distance and time.


    These new airships were already able to fly across entire countries, and in the future, the airships might even be able to fly across the ocean. However, what was surprising was that the first alchemy airship that was capable of such a feat wasn''t created in the City Alliance of Sheehan where there were alchemy wizards everywhere. Instead, it was created in the Kelermo Kingdom, which was established only a short time ago and was far from the human Alen Continent.


    The airship traveled all around the entire Alen Continent, and at the same time, those airships from the Kelermo Kingdom were also traveling around, drawing the map of the entire Alen Continent. When these airships arrived at the tribe of sun fairies and moon fairies, they stopped to talk with the representatives in their capital cities.


    At the moment, fairies and humans shared a peaceful relationship, although many fairies thought that the Kelermo Kingdom''s establishment on the Alen Continent was an intrusion to their fairy world. During all of these years, the Kelermo Kingdom had established and maintained the diplomatic and peaceful relations with the sun fairies and the moon fairies, and the trade and state visits between those countries were getting more and more frequent.


    Those from the Kelermo Kingdom were also friendly with the fairies, which gave them a peace union and brought them opportunities to settle on this continent. With the era of the Ocean approaching, the Kelermo Kingdom was experiencing a time of great prosperity.


    As the airship flew across the cities in the fairy kingdom, all of the fairies were looking up at the giant object that was about to land, their faces filled with awe. This was the first time that they had seen an alchemy vehicle that could allow humans and objects to fly through the sky.


    The emblem of the Kelermo Kingdom that was on the airship could clearly be seen by all of the commoners in all of the cities and villages, and they were all cheering as the airship passed above them. Finally, the airship was back at the capital city, and there were people everywhere.


    They were gathered beside the King Tower, standing on the street, and looking out from the top of the tower. Everyone was waving at the airship excitedly and shouting joyfully...


    "Long live the king!"


    "Long live the Parliament of Wizards!"


    "Welcome back, officials of the Parliament of Wizards!"


    "This was a very successful journey! The great king and the officials of the Parliament of Wizards had a peaceful and efficient meeting with the sun fairies and the moon fairies in the fairy kingdom!"


    As the airship landed on the square, the people on both sides of the square were all pushing and squeezing toward the middle of the square. They were shouting the names of the members from the Parliament of Wizards and Edward, the name of their king.


    The soldiers were carrying rifles, standing on the square and acting as a protective barrier so that the commoners wouldn''t get too close to the members and the king. As Edward and the wizards walked down from the airship, they were all waving their hands passionately at the commoners, and the scene looked very peaceful and harmonious.


    The commoners were all enthusiastic, and countless young boys and girls were smiling. Many of the people were even throwing their hats into the sky in celebration.


    "I''ve just seen King Edward!" a girl with freckles on her face shouted in excitement.


    "Long live the God of Truth and Knowledge!" A middle-aged carpenter, who had a lot of calluses on his hands, exclaimed.


    "I want to become a powerful wizard in the future!" a child exclaimed as he was going to sign up for the Wizard College.


    Here, wizards were not feared or marginalized as they were in the human world, so everyone here was looking forward to becoming a wizard with great expectation. After moving to the Yala Continent, Edward had already given up using the official title of "wizard," which had negative connotations. Instead, he he adopted the more neutral name of "master."


    Edward had also reshuffled the entire wizard organization, getting rid of the previous customs of the wizards not having contacts with the outer world. From then on, they started to integrate with the human world, even trying to take the leadership roles within it.


    Based on their own wizard ways and their experiences from other kingdoms, they wanted to build a kingdom for masters. They also changed the original wizard custom capes from grey and black to white ones.


    In the Kelermo Kingdom, the members from the Parliament of Masters had the greatest power. Wizards who used to have the impression of being gloomy and hiding in dark castles and forests suddenly became brighter after they started to don white capes. They suddenly became saints in the sunshine, who everyone aspired to be!


    Most of those who were descending from the airship were the main members of the parliament, and they were also the controllers of the Kelermo Kingdom. They were running the kingdom using the rules of the Parliament of Masters, and the entire kingdom felt like it was a combination of wizard organizations and wizards.


    Here, the masters were the controllers of the kingdom, and everyone in the kingdom wanted to become a master, no matter how old they were. When they talked about masters, their eyes would sparkle with hope and joy.


    As for the novels that were written in the kingdom, many of the epic heroes within them were based on the heroic backgrounds of the masters themselves. Thus, becoming a master, saving the world, and marrying a princess was the dream of all children and was tantamount to becoming a member of the Parliament of Masters.


    As for Edward, he established a master college in the capital city of the kingdom, which was open to everyone in the country as long as they were qualified. Everyone in the kingdom went crazy over that college and all wanted to attend it. If someone was deemed qualified to be a master, even just an apprentice, they would then be able to become one of the royal members in the future.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Just as Edward walked out from the airship, a teenager immediately walked toward him and reported everything that was going on in the country, as well as their important political plans for the future. He also reported some of the important foreign issues of the day to Edward.


    Hearing all of this made Edward yearn for the information system of the Wizard Tower in the past. That intelligence system was constructed by numerous wind ravens, libraries, and the sphinx, all of which could funnel him information about the world in the shortest period of time.


    However, when they were retreating from the tower, the wind ravens and the sphinx were unwilling to leave. Edward couldn''t even take away the red dragon, which had the greatest potential in the Wizard Tower. This had made Edward quite sad.


    As he heard one specific piece of news, Edward suddenly raised his head and asked for confirmation, "The Goddess of Steam and Machine, Marina Bosa, was summoned to go to the kingdom of gods?"


    Others might have heard this news and assumed that someone major had died, yet since Edward knew that the Goddess of Steam and Machine was Marina Bosa, he quickly understood that this piece of news meant that Marina Bosa had inherited the position of a god, making her the latest person to become a god after the Master of Night!


    Edward went back to his palace and entered his study, where he immediately summoned all of the members from the Parliament of Masters.


    "We''ve already publicized the belief of the God of Truth and Knowledge long enough time, and that belief system has been ingrained in everyone''s heart already. Also, our population base is quickly increasing. Hence, it''s time to ignite the godly fire and summon the divine personality," he said.


    "Which day should we choose for the event?" one of the members asked.


    "Let''s make it the same day that the master college expands. We''ll make it a grand ceremony!" Edward said.


    After Edward settled on that issue, he immediately moved on to another vital issue as he asked, "How is the process of setting and amending the master system going?"


    An old wizard, who was sitting beside him, immediately responded, "We followed the system of divine incantation and have already built the structure. Thus, it can continue after you ignite the godly fire. We''ll give up the original system and shift our focus to the godly power of truth and knowledge. We''ll then establish a new system of masters and publicize our master college!"


    The old wizard then added, "And... After it is spreads to all of the master colleges, the masters of further generations will create a new era of masters that centers around the God of Truth and Knowledge."

 322 God of Truth and Knowled

    The God of Truth and Knowledge, also called the God of Master, was a path that Edward chose for himself. As for the future wizards, just like in the future masters, they would all be believers of the God of Truth and Knowledge.


    "There will no longer be blood wizards, dream wizards, element wizards or sector masters!" Edward said.


    He then added, "As for blood witchcraft, dream witchcraft, and other forms of witchcraft, they will all become elements of the entire master system. As such, they will be the witchcrafts that people study and conduct research on. They will, from now on, only be the categories of knowledges of different witchcrafts, and there won''t be strict definitions like there have been before any longer."


    He paused, then concluded, "Everyone will practice witchcraft using the witchcraft book that was bestowed upon us by the God of Truth and Knowledge. In this way, a whole new system will be revealed to everyone in the world!"


    The Book of Masters was the most important element in the wizard system, which was built by the Kelermo Kingdom. After Edward had ignited the godly fire, he had used his godly power that belonged to the God of Truth and Knowledge to create the book. As such, the book was like the seed from which divine incantation of the God of Truth and Knowledge sprouted.


    It was a very important element of the God of Truth and Knowledge, and only the masters who held the Book of Masters were able to practice witchcraft. It was completely bound to the master system by the God of Truth and Knowledge to be used on the road to belief.


    The benefits of the book''s spreading throughout the kingdom were that many people who wouldn''t otherwise be exposed to the magic network or weren''t qualified suddenly had the chance to practice witchcraft and become masters themselves. Thus, the number of masters surged.


    Due to this, it was much easier to find apprentices to become wizards than ever before. In the past, it was difficult to find a mere handful, even after searching the entire continent!


    After Edward made a decision, he leaned on the chair in his study as he looked out the window. Then, he suddenly recalled the time when he had just became a wizard.


    Back then, he had disdained the gods. He had thought that the gods and the god kingdoms were all made up. It was ironic that he was about to become a god himself now!


    Regarding his decision, some wizards thought that the reasoning behind it was that the wizards had finally thrown off their previous shackles and were ready to step forward to a new future. But, some other people thought Edward was basically the gravedigger of all of the wizards, as the path and spirits of wizards had been carried on for hundreds of years thus far, and now, because of him, they had withered away during his generation.


    As for Edward, during his time as the tower master of the Wizard Tower of the fourth generation and the last generation, he had witnessed how the Wizard Tower had died out under his leadership. In fact, the minute that the news that the entire tower had disappeared reached his ears, Edward laid low for a couple of days, believing that it was all his fault.


    After all, he was the person who had inherited the master of tower title from Akkad, and he was also thought to be the successor of Bohr Kelermo. So, now that the tower had disappeared under his watch, he felt an immense sense of shame and guilt.


    Recently, Edward always felt that he could see the shadow of his teacher, Bohr Kelermo, as well as the shadows of the wizards of the first generation. In his visions, they were all staring at him in silence.


    During this time, Edward couldn''t have possibly felt more ashamed. Since wizards weren''t capable of having dreams, everything he felt was the direct manifestation of how he really thought and felt about his current situation.


    "Masters are wizards and wizards are masters! Wizards will innovate and transform as each generation passes. Now, it''s a new generation, which means that it''s time for wizards to advance and transform ourselves!" Edward declared.


    He then added, "And... This time, the masters of the new generations will get rid of all of the restrictions from before, stepping forward and leading this era into a new future!"


    As Edward yelled at the walls of his study in excitement, at this moment, he sensed that a familiar being was gazing at him in his house. He was faintly aware that this was his old teacher, Bohr Kelermo!


    All of a sudden, he lost his steadiness and became like a child. In a panic, he exclaimed, "Teacher, I didn''t do anything wrong! This is supposed to be the future for the wizards, and I am in the right!"


    Edward looked out of the window and saw all of the people walking around in the bustling city outside. Many camelids that were nurtured and reconstructed by wizards were walking on the street.


    Many witch towers could be seen, having been built all around the capital city, and the witchcraft boundary that was coming out of the wizard towers enveloped the entire capital city. Many master apprentices were walking out of the master colleges. They just entered the master colleges and had started to receive their educations in witchcraft, so they were all smiling with hope and great expectations.


    Only as he saw all of this progress and goodness did Edward finally calm himself and say, "Is is only by becoming a god that I can protect the path and the future of wizards! If I can become a god, the threshold to becoming a wizard will be lowered. Then, masters who hold the Book of Masters will spread that information to the entire world. They will then inherit the future and the consciousness of wizards. This will be the future of the wizards."


    After several months, the expansion of the college and the ceremony of the God of Truth and Knowledge ignited the entire Kelermo Kingdom with a passion that was infectious! As all of the master towers opened their witchcraft boundaries, the eastern capital that was usually sultry during the summer days suddenly became pleasantly cool.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    As the witchcraft fireworks surged into the sky, many students rushed here from the country towns in the Kelermo Kingdom to enroll in the master college. There were also merchant groups and believers present, all of whom were about to join the ceremony for the God of Truth and Knowledge. Needless to say, Bohr City was packed with people!


    There were masters in white capes everywhere in the city. They were posting fliers about the teachings of the God of Truth and Knowledge, which had been printed by the alchemy printer. Through the wonderful power of the masters, the mightiness of the god was imprinted in the hearts of all of the people.


    The enormous light screen that enveloped the entire city could be seen from the sky here, as could the standing master towers. There were masters practicing all forms of witchcraft as well, and as far as the eye could see were camelids, appaloosas, witchcraft tools, enslaved witchcraft servants and pipi demons!


    Moreover, the magic potion of witchcraft had miraculous effects on people. It could activate the bloodline of a knight and cure all forms of diseases. Those who saw the miracles that were brought by the potion attributed them to the great God of Truth and Knowledge, and at that moment, everyone who saw the miracles became a disciple of the God of Truth and Knowledge.


    During the nonstop ceremony that lasted for more than half a month, the power of belief from several cities and many countries around the capital city was gathered here in the capital city. Kelermo had now finally gathered enough power of belief and transformed his body of godly characteristics, which enabled him to successfully ignite the godly fire and gain a godly name of his own!


    The gigantic shadow showed up in the church of the God of Truth and Knowledge, which was at the center. Amid the prayers of the white-caped masters and the permeating smoke of witchcraft spells, a new god showed up in front of everyone. He was holding the Book of Masters.


    This scene made everyone in Bohr City go crazy. Everyone was shouting the new godly name of the God of Truth and Knowledge.


    The syllables of the godly name were very difficult to pronounce, yet the people did not let this deter them, and the sound of their shouting echoed throughout the entire Bohr City, resounding everywhere and forming the name of Truth.


    More than ten days later, the star god kingdom showed up in the sky. Then, the divine personality left the star god kingdom and fell from the sky.


    Under the guard of many wizards and the protection of more than ten master towers, it safely fell within the territory of Kelermo Kingdom and merged with the enormous godly shadow.


    In this way, the God of Truth and Knowledge was chosen, and the system of masters had been perfected as well. The originally powerful and mysterious wizards had disappeared, being replaced by masters who held the Book of Masters and believed in the God of Truth and Knowledge.


    At the moment, these masters were walking to the front stage...

 323 God of Agreement and Justice

    Aside from the godly fire ceremony that was taking place on in the Kelermo Kingdom, far away, at the end of the ocean, the same ceremony was taking place in an orc kingdom''s Colossus College, which was established at the same time as the Kelermo Kingdom.


    Although there were some ripples that occurred, Felix had still been able to successfully transform the body of divine characteristics. However, he had given up on the idea of summoning the divine personality to the world.


    In the Hailuga Kingdom, which was on the ocean, the belief of the Master of Storm had spread throughout the entire ocean, distinguishing itself from the God of the Sea that the sahagins believed in. The God of Sea was in control of the sea, while the Master of Storm was in charge of the storms and all other natural catastrophes. As such, there was a clear demarcation line between humans and sahagins based on these different belief systems.


    With the emergence of gods and new religions and belief systems, the power and influence of the gods had quickly spread to every corner of the world. They now covered the world like intertwined threads.


    At the moment, a light shadow arrived from the distant outer space. An enormous beast was flying toward the west end of the world. The scales on its body looked like gemstones, and they were reflecting the light, making a prismatic effect that looked like a beautiful rainbow.


    It was mesmerizing creature that seemed as if it should only exist in myths. Its entire body seemed to be made of gemstones. Its body was streamline-shaped, and it had a long neck and a crystal mask on its head.


    As its giant wings flapped in mid-air, the gusting sound of wind was thunderous. This was a dragon that was completely different from those found in Maria''s World.


    This dragon was as large as a small hill, and there seemed to be a dimming shadow on its back. This shadow was actually a teenage girl, who looked like a beautiful angel. Her blonde hair gleamed in the sunlight, and a magical light seemed to be dancing on her skin as well.


    She was a god, and as she was riding the gemstone dragon, she seemed to be patrolling the world and the kingdom that she now managed. The force that was coming from the giant dragon and this teenage girl god quieted even the ocean. Even the monsters that lived in the nearby mountains and seas, no matter how ferocious they were, ran and hid themselves deeper into the islands or the ocean in fear.


    "Adolphus! Why are not there yet? Hurry up! You''re too slow!" Verthandi urged the giant gemstone dragon Adolphus to quicken the pace.


    "Relax, I am the fastest dragon you could ever find. We''re almost there, Verthandi, my lord!" Adolphus said to placate Verthandi. It didn''t have the personality of a giant dragon, but acted more like a doting puppy instead.


    At this moment, Adolphus was enjoying being ridden by Verthandi, so it was smirking and cheering as they flew. When Verthandi and Delmedi were still kids, they used to sit on Adolphus'' back just like that, while flying through sky above the Floating-space City.


    This marked the first time that Adolphus had ever left the Floating-space City. Before this, it could only sneak a peek at the ground from the sky in Floating-space City, so even though it knew that there were creatures of its kind elsewhere in the world, it had never seen any of them.


    Now, it was heading toward the Dragon Island, where all of the dragons lived! In fact, it was all of the giant dragons'' hometown! Adolphus was very excited to see it!


    As Adolphus flew across the Bazaar Sea, the giant dragon island in the distance began to appear and grow larger. It was called Dragon Island by the dragon race, but to humans, it would be called a continent.


    There were groups of active volcanoes on that continent, which exploded several volcanoes every year. There were also many other mesmerizing scenes on the islands, including a range of bizarre rock mountains.


    There were rock pillars and volcanoes along the coastline. Often, the huge ocean waves would hit the pillars, causing the water to splash everywhere.


    Many areas of the island looked poor, and the mountains looked somewhat brown in patches, as these areas were exposed and didn''t have anything growing on them. However, in other places, there was lush vegetation and numerous trees were growing luxuriantly, sprouting directly from the volcanic ash.


    There were also many volcanic craters. In fact, the largest mountain had several craters, which were filled with flowing lava that shined with a fiery red light.


    "Hou!" As it flew, the gemstone dragon Adolphus was yelling with excitement.


    Its loud yell caused the thin clouds to immediately scatter. The sound even carried to the owner of this island, alerting him to these approaching intruders, causing the owner to immediately rush out to see who it was.


    At that moment, several groups of giant dragons surged into the sky and flew toward the gemstone dragon Adolphus. After all, this giant dragon looked bizarre and strange to them, and moreover, it was being ridden by a teenage girl! Being ridden was something that these giant dragons considered to be totally shameful!


    Although the force that was coming from Adolphus was incredibly powerful and the teenage girl who was riding it also looked spectacularly imposing, these native dragons refused to cower After all, they were proud giant dragons!


    "What kind of dragon is that? It''s a weird dragon that I''ve never seen before!" a red female giant dragon commented with its hoarse voice.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Another adult black dragon immediately replied, "This can''t be a dragon! It''s too strange! It must be a monster that was created by humans. But, regardless, it''s an intruder!"


    "Kill them!" all of the dragons shouted in unison.


    Suddenly, Adolphus saw several giant dragons heading toward it, readying an attack! Soon, an enormous fire ball headed toward Adolphus in the sky, as well as iced spears and iced arrows!


    "Time pause!" Adolphus screamed.


    At this moment, a trace of light shot out of Adolphus'' body, then quickly covered the entire area. All of a sudden, time seemed to stand still, and all of the native dragons'' attacks were frozen.


    This power was a characteristic of a mythical creature, and the specific ability that Adolphus had to freeze time had come from Eva. This ability belonged to a strong power of domain that had first been explored by Lu Zhiyu.


    At the moment it stopped time in that domain, Adolphus had a giant clock in its eyes, and suddenly, it saw all of the attacks stop in mid-flight, the weaponry quickly withering away. As for all of those native dragons, they were all hit by traces of light, while a giant phantom of a clock showed up on their bodies, rendering them unable move a single muscle.


    "Wow! Impressive! My power is even beyond my own imagination!" Adolphus exclaimed in awe. This was the first time that the gemstone dragon Adolphus had truly discovered the immense power of his time freeze capabilities.


    Upon hearing this, Verthandi said impatiently, "This is the power of a mythical creature. It is the ability that was first bestowed to my sister Eva by my dad. Now, you''re a dragon that can even ignite the godly fire, so why are you being so smug just because you have defeated a couple of ordinary dragons?"


    She then said, "Okay, now that you''re qualified, it''s time for you to summon your divine personality now. You''ll need to stay here and wait until the day that you ascend to the position of god, then I''ll meet you in the main god kingdom."


    "Okay, Verthandi, my lord," Adolphus replied.


    At the moment, Adolphus was standing beside a cliff. Verthandi reached out her hands and saw the stars moving in the sky, while a giant silver star god kingdom showed up in the sky above the dragon island, having come through the dimensional wall.


    The light kept flowing and soon gathered at the bottom. Then, a meteor that contained strong ripples and the power of rules fell from the sky in a straight line, and the enormous soul of dragon that was inside Adolphus'' body of Adolphus surged. Directly after this, a giant clock appeared in the sky above the dragon island.


    At that moment, all of the giant dragons who had rushed toward that place were all thrilled by that force of power. After all, a giant ancient clock had just shown up in the sky, and the glowing light that was coming from that clock connected the sky and the land!


    Circles of ripples soon covered the sky, and the hands of the clock started spinning. It was as if the rules of time in this entire world were following the rhythm of that one singular clock.


    The dragons could almost feel the hands of that ancient clock orchestrating the pulse of this entire world. When the dragons heard the spinning sound of that clock, they felt like they were hearing the sound of the heartbeat of this entire world.


    This sound made them feel like they were trapped in the stringy time sector domain, and they couldn''t move a single muscle. Even their minds were frozen!


    Then, the divine personality of time fell from the sky and entered that clock. Adolphus let out a huge dragon roar, after which the flow of time became normal again. All of the native dragons were now looking at the shadow of Adolphus, and their eyes that were once filled with ferociousness and rebellion were suddenly filled with fear.


    "From today onward, Adolphus, you are officially the dragon god of time, and in the name of the Creator, I''ll make you the controller of time and the supreme god of the dragon race. You will be known as the God of Agreement and Justice from now on!" Verthandi declared.


    Upon hearing this, Adolphus rubbed Verthandi against with its long neck, while Verthandi stroked its head gently. She then surged into the sky like a trace of golden light and returned to the kingdom of stars. Sadly, she had left the dragon island before telling Adolphus what it needed to do to become a god!


    At the same time, Adolphus'' new name, the God of Time Dragon, echoed throughout the entire world. Although this was not a real belief that many races would follow, as a true god who had mastered time, just like the god who handled agreement and justice, the belief still had many followers.


    As such, humans, sahagins, orcs and fairies were among the many disciples who signed up to follow the new God of Time Dragon named Adolphus, and once a contract was signed in the name of agreement and justice, it could not be violated. Otherwise, the offender would be punished by the God of Time Dragon.


    Other than contracts, there were several wills and some other important promises and vows that would be made in the godly palace of the God of Time Dragon. These would be witnessed by the God of Time Dragon himself, who would then keep and protect them.


    Gradually, the God of Time Dragon Adolphus became a name that was considered to be a synonym of justice and equality, and it became a symbol for the holiness of agreements and vows. Those ferocious dragons that roamed the land were gradually subjected to its restrictions, and the dragon island became a holy land in Maria''s World.

 324 The Second Great King of Devils in the Abyss World

    Floating-space City, Capital of God


    An enormous map was on the lobby wall. It stretched out for at least 10 meters and depicted oceans, continents, islands, mountains and cities with great detail and precision.


    However, if one took a closer look, he would notice that the clouds and water on the map were moving, as if they were changing right along with changes that were occurring in Maria''s World. A giant, tree-like mystic structure chart could be vaguely seen on the map. This was the model of the World Tree.


    It seemed like the giant World Trees held up the entire Maria''s World, and it could be seen that 11 of the 17 World''s Cornerstones had been lit within it. The 11 World Cornerstones were interconnected, enabling them to be strong enough to embrace the whole world.


    "The Goddess of Steam and Machinery, Marina Bosa! The God of Truth and Knowledge, Edward Kelermo! The Lord of Storm, Jonathan! The Dragon God of Time, Adolphus, and the God of Land and War, Felix, who is yet to be determined," Lu Zhiyu murmured as he looked at the map.


    He then continued, "Lynn Ahenaten, from the Kingdom of Mercenary is competing for the same god''s name. They will compete to determine the last god''s name, the God of Land and War! Counting the six gods before, now eleven gods have been determined!"


    As Lu Zhiyu continued to look at the projection of the world on the wall, he could see that the World Perfection Plan had been carried out step by step, perfecting itself gradually. Now, the model was emitting beams of light, which penetrated deep into every aspect of the inside of this world. Each of the World''s Cornerstones were extending into a line, then traveled deep into the depths of the world.


    Each cornerstone stood for a god and extended itself as if it was a root of the World Tree, representing its far-reaching impact on the world, its control over the rules, and its course of penetration into the progress of the world. These lines were endlessly spreading out, exploring, perfecting and adjusting the rules that were inside the world.


    Some of the cornerstones had fully embedded themselves into the world. Their roots and impacts had gone deep into the world that was on the map and were secured firmly within the world. These were the early determined gods.


    Some of them were just in the beginning stages, their exploration limited to only the first step, which was controlling the rules. These were the newly determined gods.


    Others had just been lit, which represented that they were the chosen candidates for god names. As for the rest, they were vacant positions.


    "The power of gods have started to spread out to the entire world like countless lines, controlling every aspect of the whole world. From rules to power to belief, all aspects of all lives are impacted by the power of gods," Lu Zhiyu murmured as he gazed at the map.


    Just like Catherine had predicted, this world had become a gods'' world with closing doors. However, this was a necessary step for the progress of the world.


    "More than half of the World Perfect Plan has been carried out, but the remaining portion will probably take much longer to be completed," Lu Zhiyu murmured to himself.


    It had been several hundreds of years since Lu Zhiyu had started the pursue this plan. Every step along the way, Lu Zhiyu had never been anxious. In other words, his time was something that was not pressed and could be wasted with reckless abandon.


    After the World Rule Perfection Plan was carried out, the World Upgrade Plan would be next. Lu Zhiyu would then successfully reach level nine, thus fulfilling his initial wish, which was to have the power of creator, even without the scroll.


    Now, the Floating-space City had left Maria''s World and was getting closer to the Abyss World. At the moment, it was orbiting around the enormous Abyss World.


    Ever since the Abyss Blood Sun''s appearance and the initial perfection of rules, the devil species in the Abyss World had experienced the breakout of yet another war. This was because some powerful devil species had appeared from out of the initial chaotic abyss.


    The time velocity in the abyss was about 10 times that of the astral world, which was ruled by Maria''s World time. Now, 100 years had gone by in Maria''s World, while about 1,000 years had gone by in the Abyss World.


    Though the Abyss World emerged later than Maria''s World, because of the difference in the forms of their worlds and the continuing imperfection of rules, the time velocity still could not be decreased.


    As of now, the devil species had lived and owned supernatural powers for more than 2,000 years. The supernatural powers that the basic level devils possessed had surpassed those in Maria''s World. As such, some ancient devils had survived, even since the birth of the abyss, and had lived for thousands of years, while gaining power that was beyond imagination.


    However, they were bound by the Abyss World, just like gods. Hence, every devil could not escape from the will of the abyss, the impact of the power of the abyss, or this world itself.


    Still, the impact of the power of the abyss could be seen throughout the entire world, including the Starsoul World, as the wizards had brought over the Devil Manual and documents about the devils. So, little by little, the impact could be seen in the new world as well.


    As long as evil thoughts existed, and as long as the Devil Manual and their information was not destroyed completely, their impact would never disappear. As such, they peered at all worlds through the abyss, while taking advantage of the power from the abyss. In this way, they impacted all of the planes outside of the abyss through their evil thoughts and with the aid of those who wished for help from their devil powers.


    At that moment, the dense space bubbles in the enormous Abyss World merged and combined. They then divided into dozens of massive Abyss Layers gradually, with countless spaces bubbles in the gaps.


    These dozens of massive Abyss Layers represented dozens of powerful Lords of Abyss. The reason why Lu Zhiyu had come here is that one of the powerful Lords of Abyss had come close to becoming a mythical creature. This meant that this particular Lord of Abyss would integrate into the will of the abyss and become the second Great King of Devils after Stikua.


    However, Stikua, the first Great King of the Devils, was currently sealed in the Abyss Blood Sun. Stikua had been sealed there by Lu Zhiyu and remained there till today.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Stikua had received this punishment due to its vain attempt to obstruct Lu Zhiyu''s World Perfection Plan. As for the new Great King of Devils, Lu Zhiyu had decided to stay out of everything regarding that matter.


    The purpose of this visit was simply to observe the abyss as the second Great King of the Devils emerged, as well as to observe how the rules would change. Lu Zhiyu did not set any regulations or rules for the Abyss World, as he feared that the future evolution of the Abyss World would be restrained by his ideology, just like what had happened in Maria''s World.


    If any earthlings could take a glance at it, they would realize that everything in Maria''s World, particularly all of its prototypes, could be found on Earth. After all, this world had been created by Lu Zhiyu''s ideology, so it was natural for it to be bound by Lu Zhiyu''s world view and his knowledge from Earth.


    As Lu Zhiyu had decided to stay out of it, he was currently just observing the free evolution of the rules of the abyss, watching to see what kind of rules would be formed and what kind of unique world would be created. At the moment, Lu Zhiyu stood on the edge of the Capital of God, looking into the faraway Abyss World with the astral world in between.


    His eyes seemed to gaze deep inside the world, looking at the leading player in one of the Abyss Layers. It was a bizarre octahedral living being that was almost like a kind of mineral.


    This being was attempting to explore the territory of gods, while connecting to the will of abyss and going beyond the bound of the Abyss Layer in hopes of becoming the second Great King of the Devils in the abyss.

 325 The Lord of Abyss Door

    Mhm¡­ Eek¡­ Mhm...


    Mhm¡­


    Mhm¡­ Mhm¡­ Lah¡­ Lah¡­ Mhm¡­


    An eerie rhythm was heard coming out of the abyss. The giant octahedral devil species had gone deep into the space wall from the Abyss Layer.


    Here, innumerable lower-class devil species were grovelling in the dust, while witnessing their lord ascending the throne of the Great King of Devils. Countless monsters spread were out all, covering the flesh-like ground and singing an eerie song, the sound of which could make one lose one''s mind and descend into a state of frenzy and chaos.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    At the moment, the dull red sun was shining in the dusky sky, beaming down upon the ground. Around the giant black vortex, the whole Abyss Layer and the space bubbles spun around the center of the abyss, which was the will of the abyss.


    "I am the keeper of the Abyss Door, the lord who defines the Abyss Layer, the multifaceted King of Space! My name is Talos!" As the octahedral devil species Talos announced itself, it integrated with the will of the abyss.


    Immediately, the rule of the entire Abyss Layer was altered for it, adding another new rule into the abyss. In the initial chaotic and unordered abyss, layers upon layers had already been defined.


    The initial space walls, which one could go freely across, had been blocked, and numerous giant Abyss Doors had appeared in their place. One of these Abyss Doors was just like the devil Talos'' body, which was a giant octahedral crystal.


    Talos even opened up the door that connected to the outside world, thus fixing the rule of the Abyss Door that was built by Face Burner Heckfoss and Stikua devil. Now, it was much easier to open up the door to the outside.


    One just needed to get the approval of the keeper of the Abyss Door Talos, asking for permission to call its true devil name and borrow the power of abyss that it represented. It was only then that one could open the door to the outside world.


    It was the same case for the outsiders. If one understood how to perform the ritual sacrifice to Talos, thus pleasing Talos, who was the keeper of the Abyss Door, one could also borrow the power of the abyss and open the Abyss Door.


    As Lu Zhiyu stood above the Floating-space City, the Capital of God in the astral world, he observed the abyss. It was spinning and expanding, and its rules were changing and reforming.


    The abyss plane, with countless space bubbles, was also becoming 99 abyss planes, which were all connected by an Abyss Door, the Door of Talos. As for the time velocity, it lowered again gradually, thus getting closer to the time velocity of the outside astral world.


    "The keeper of the Abyss Door, the lord who defined the Abyss Layer, the multifaceted King of Space, Talos!" Lu Zhiyu exclaimed as he observed.


    The devil species Talos was rather clever. He did not have the calculating and intelligent mind of the king of Stikua, but he was a species that had survived ever since the birth of the abyss. It had even utilized the Abyss Door that was created by the devil species Stikua directly, making the door its own foundation and rule.


    By using this rule, it had defined the form of the layers of the abyss and opened up the channel to the outside. Now, no matter what rules were created by the Great Kings of Devils later, their designs must be confined within this rule.


    Also, when every Great King of Devils wished to gain power from the outside world or explore other planes, he would have to borrow power. If some demon warlocks wished to open up the Abyss door or even enter the abyss, approval must be gained first.


    As the abyss stabilized, another Great King of Devils arose. Upon seeing that the abyss was forming gradually and perfecting itself, Lu Zhiyu walked way. He felt very satisfied with this progress.


    As he walked, he murmured with a smile on his face, "The World Perfection Plan is progressing steadily, and a second Great King of Devils has arisen! In the astral world, the indigenous goblin dwarfs, the newly entered wizard tower, and the Elven Kingdom are all in their initial exploration and development phases. So, there is not much more than I need to pay close attention to now!"


    He clucked his tongue, then said, "It''s about time that I settle the matter with the starship. It has been in the South Pole and with the ships of the Atlantis civilization for a long time, and it was also delayed on the way back. As such, it''s time to end this..."


    Lu Zhiyu had gained a lot from this trip. In fact, he had learned so much knowledge that Lu Zhiyu was able to move a lot of his plans forward.Specifically, Lu Zhiyu had opened partial access to the Capital of God, had given a semi-perpetual bio-optic brain to Eva, and had warned her that she must protect the semi-perpetual machine and never let it shut down.


    This was because if the machine shut down, the Starsoul World, which was in the process of perfecting itself by the semi-perpetual machine, would probably collapse due to unpredictable changes. Now, with Eva cruising the astral world and controlling the Floating-space City, Lu Zhiyu opened up the dimensional door and returned to Earth.


    ---


    The huge starship looked like a gigantic steering wheel, and it resembled an irregular shuttle from the side. Most of its body was buried under Byrne Island, and only a part of its body could be seen.


    The starship''s spacious interior was beyond one''s imagination. If one walked inside it, one could see a large number of crew members bustling about. They were all wearing tight-fitting protective uniforms.


    The center of the starship was a vast living area, which had numerous buildings and urban farms surrounding it. There was even an aquarium beneath it, which was simulating mariculture by using tons of marine organisms.


    Workshops and factories had also been built for use in the production of all kinds of necessities, as there was also a commercial district in the central area. Just like Gu Chaoran, who was head of the construction of the starship, had said before, this was a cosmic city. Without the help from a massive amount of construction robots and Sub-Brain David, it would have been impossible to build such a spaceship in such a short period of time.


    The control room at the top of the starship looked like a square. It was empty and had a sense of loneliness inside it. One could only see the outside from a single, huge window.


    "We should be seeing the vast starry space outside the window, but we are looking at an ocean now," Lu Zhiyu said, while standing on the platform above the stairs and looking up at the huge fan-shaped window.


    Lu Zhiyu was somewhat unsatisfied with the Gu Chaoran''s progress. Nevertheless, he had done a decent job.


    At least he had successfully helped Lu Zhiyu with the construction of the starship. Although, since they had unimaginable resources and countless top talents that had been gathered by the Vatican Clan at their disposal, it should have been much more impressive, at least in Lu Zhiyu''s opinion.


    In the very beginning, it had been extraordinarily difficult for the clan to gather these talents. However, things started to go much more smoothly later on. This was because a huge amount of funds had been sent to the Byrne Island base, and all of the top talents from laboratories of different countries had also flowed into the base.


    At the moment, spies from different countries and powers flew about stealthily inside the starship, while stealing inside information about it. However, Lu Zhiyu did not care about this data being stolen, as all he needed was for the starship''s construction to be finished successfully.


    Moreover, it was impossible for the spies to infiltrate the core areas, as Sub-brain David had the whole starship under control, while helping Lu Zhiyu to monitor every movement inside it.


    Such a massive spaceship was about to enter space. Gu Chaoran seemed restless.

 326 The Truth

    In the control room, Lu Zhiyu was standing next an optical projection, the sub-brain David. Standing behind Lu Zhiyu were the lead of the starship program, Gu Chaoran, Fabio Rossi from the Robot Manufacturing Research Laboratory, the original starship designer Molly, and some experts in engineering, computer technology, dynamics and materials science.


    These eight people were responsible for the design and construction of the starship Truth. They were members of its management committee. Lu Zhiyu came up with the starship''s name, which was also the name of a spacecraft in a movie that Lu Zhiyu had watched a very long time ago and liked very much.


    The construction had finally been completed. Truth could accommodate up to 100,000 people. It also was able to store a vast amount of materials and energy reserves. At present, there were only 2,362 people onboard, most of whom were foreign employees.


    "Boss, you said that the gravity field device and some transformation devices were still not in place. As such, the current starship cannot enter space," Gu Chaoran said.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, but did not comment further on the doubts that had just been raised by Gu Chaoran. "You have a week to prepare. Everyone can leave Truth with your family. Then, after one week, those who stay will enter the space."


    Gu Chaoran then said to Lu Zhiyu, "Mr. Nicholas Debye of the Vatican Clan has made an appointment to see you tomorrow. He will be accompanied by two important people."


    Lu Zhiyu glanced at Gu Chaoran, who lowered his head and dared not speak any further. He had heard about Nicholas from the images about the Antarctic event that had been circulated on the Internet.


    Although those images had since been deleted, there were still a number of members of the Antarctic base station that had posted images online, which was causing a tremendous sensation.


    After seeing them, Gu Chaoran was convinced that his boss was probably from a powerful alien civilization beyond all humans'' imaginations. As such, his power was most likely no different than the gods'' in the eyes of humans.


    At the end of the meeting, all of the people present seemed worried as they all left. After everyone had left the control room, Lu Zhiyu asked David, "Are you ready?"


    "Yes, Truth''s conversion has been completed," David replied.


    Lu Zhiyu, like the sun, emitted lights and floated in the hall. Wherever he went, it became shiny. The starship was affected the most by his presence.


    The starship itself was a huge alchemy lifeform. The main structure of its body was metal cells, but these were not mythical metal cells. At this moment, Truth was made up of regular metal cells.


    "Divine life form template generated! Template inserted!" David emitted a mechanical sound and inserted the pre-designed starship divine life form template into the metal cells.


    Lu Zhiyu integrated the curvature engine, gravity field device, and the protective cover that he had removed from the previous Atlantis Hope into Truth. These three devices then activated the super power of the divine life form template in Truth, which could be freely controlled at will and could even evolve with the other changes in Truth.


    Truth now had a mythical alchemy lifeform. So, when it was hit hard, it could self-heal.


    In this transformation, the curvature engine allowed Truth to achieve interstellar travel, even without the need for a large number of antimatter fuels, which provided energy for the curvature engine to generate a force field. This became a natural ability for Truth.


    With the curvature engine, Truth was able to enter the space, instead of using the magnetic plasma propeller that used lithium hydroxide as a fuel. This was a great achievement, as otherwise, it would take a hundred years for Truth to leave the solar system.


    Conventionally, if the speed reached the speed of light, the quality of matter must be infinite. But, with the curvature engine, the combination of negative energy and positive energy could generate the energy field that let the space in front of the field be compressed. In this way, a new space would be created behind the field, pushing the starship forward and allowing it to reach the speed of light.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Also, the gravity field device generated gravity inside the starship. So, all those people inside the starship were living just like they would on earth. As long-term weightlessness would kill red blood cells, destroy muscles, and hearts, only with gravity could people live in the starship for any length of time.


    Also, the gravity field could avoid the situation that people inside couldn''t withstand the tremendous pressure that was caused by the starship''s acceleration. This was because the protective cover was equipped with plasma emitters in the front and at the rear, which emitted the plasma shield to cover the entire starship. At the same time, the high temperature generated by the protective cover could also be managed by the plasma.


    These three technologies were all born in Hope, which had completely surpassed the earth''s civilization. These new technologies were what reassured Lu Zhiyu of the hopeful future of space journeys.


    "What''s that? Where is the light coming from?" Lu Zhiyu wondered aloud.


    The light shimmered throughout Truth. Many staff members in the central residential area found that the sun overhead became glaring in an instant.


    The lights came from all directions. Meanwhile, Truth was undergoing tremendous changes...

 327 Terror

    "Is this really a spaceship? We are not entering an underground city instead?"


    "There have been at least a few turrets aimed at us!"


    "This is dangerous! Extremely dangerous! The list of crimson danger reports includes all of the danger levels, but this list only shows the danger level of this base!"


    "But, this time, what we have to face is a horrible existence that cannot be described in simple words!"


    As three people were getting out of the helicopter, they were having a discussion with low voices. They were scared, but still walked straight ahead through the many doors in the starship, where they saw flashing lights and barely visible weapons.


    Under the leadership of a service robot, they put on temporary identity bracelets. Only with these identity bracelets could they pass through the main passages and use the transportation facilities without activating the defense system and being attacked by the robots.


    Coming here, the three people felt like they were leaving the earth for another world. The three of them entered the interior and found that the elevator did not move up and down, but in all directions.


    Through the transparent elevator, they could see the entire interior of the ship, which was like a sci-fi scene. There were a lot of facilities, buildings, experimental bases, factories and so on within it.


    The most eye-catching things were the robots that patrolled the area and worked in groups. These robots included engineering robots, service robots, business robots, and transportation and traffic robots.


    When the three arrived at the central residential area, they saw many huge buildings. These were city farms.


    More service robots, agricultural robots, and maintenance robots were working inside of them. The interior of the starship was like a smart system that was run by a massive network, which was stunning to the three of them to see.


    Standing at the forefront of the trio was Nicholas Debye, the ruler of the Vatican Clan. This was his first time coming here, and he had not seen Lu Zhiyu for a long time.


    From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to avoid seeing this man who was extremely dangerous and made him feel a deep sense of fear and terror. But, after all, this man had helped him to come to the peak of his life.


    Instead of stopping in the residential area, they went directly to the upper floor and entered the management and control area. Nicholas was followed by a black man and a mixed-race woman, both of whom were dressed in suits and looked very nervous.


    After Nicholas showed a few documents to prove their identities, Gu Chaoran confirmed his bracelet and a voice sent out an approval, which opened the passage to the inside. Here, they saw a man sitting in a lounge.


    When they saw him, their bodies became stiff. Nicholas recalled all of the things that had happened with this man, while the other two people behind him recalled the explosion over Antarctica, which was a scene that had shocked the whole world.


    In fact, hundreds of kilometers of ice had been shattered. But, Lu Zhiyu was just fine, even after suffering the laser energy beam that was powerful enough to destroy a small continent!


    The Antarctica report''s exact announcement had said¡­


    "The target has the ability to destroy a continent, even more so than nuclear bombs!"


    "He has wide space transmission capabilities, with a life expectancy and survivability beyond any human imagination. He may have come to the earth nearly two years ago and is most likely a highly civilized creature from the universe, having mastered an unknown and highly civilized technology!"


    "He had an unknown ability and an unknown age, and he has used the names Mu Tao, Anthony, Zhou Zheng, Yu Hai, Lu Zhiyu, and maybe more."


    "These names may not even be the target''s true identity. He is also likely to have the ability to change his body shape. He sneaks into and lives in the human world, so there might be a high degree of civilized organization behind him. Moreover, he is not the only one!"


    "The target is friendly to human beings and can communicate!"


    "Secrecy level sss, hazard level xxxxx, belonging to non-contact, non-irritating, non-catchable. Again, one must be extremely careful with the target, who is beyond the crimson danger level and has the ability to destroy the world..."


    This was the first time that the danger level had been described with a symbol, such as xxxxx. This was because even the person who had compiled the report was unable to find an adequate level to describe such a terrible existence!


    He could easily destroy the human world and bring devastating disasters to all of mankind, and this was only part of his direct attack abilities! If he used his biotechnology to create a virus for human beings or used his intelligent robot technology and made unlimited copies of human beings, it would lead to the extinction of the human beings, perhaps even the extinction of all of the creatures on the earth! As such, either a direct attack or a space transmission could paralyze the entire the human world!


    All of this report information was already known by the humans, but his hidden abilities, his specific technology, or the organization that was behind him were still unknowns. In the end, the words that the report revealed filled everyone who it with despair.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The fact that the earth was still peaceful when such an existence had lived on the earth for so long was really a blessing. Now, he was in front of them.


    Although he had the same physical appearance as them, the three people could feel that the inside of his physical shell was filled with a horrible existence that was difficult to describe.


    Lu Zhiyu sat on the sofa and watched a light screen that was projected by his bracelet. He was reviewing the information of the staff members from the starship and was preparing a list of candidates for Truth''s management committee.


    "Hello there! We are..." As the woman began to speak, she was clearly nervous. It seemed that, in her eyes, Lu Zhiyu was not a handsome man, but a horrible demon in human skin!


    "Needless to say, I am not curious about your long titles and identities, and I care even less about the forces behind you and the country. Where you come from makes no difference to me!" Lu Zhiyu said coldly.


    He then closed the projection, stood up, and nodded to Nicholas, who stood still. He then looked at the man and woman beside Nicholas and asked, "Have you come to negotiate with me on behalf of the human beings?"

 328 The Sea of Stars

    "We just came to communicate with you and to understand your wishes and needs. We also would like to know your plans. Also, if you need any help, you can tell us. We''ll meet all of your needs!" The woman took a deep breath as she spoke to Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "I am very satisfied to see that you didn''t make stupid plans or take any unnecessary actions. I am leaving the earth, and I don''t want to leave any bad memories during this last period."


    He then said, "I do have some requirements. I hope that you will help me to hire some people who will volunteer to enter space and explore the universe. However, these can''t be mere ordinary people. They must be the top talents in all aspects and fields."


    Lu Zhiyu had just looked at the profiles of the two thousand people who were inside the starship. This situation was exactly as he had expected.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Only 10 out of more than 2,000 people were willing to stay, and these 10 all came from a single family. Even the original management committee members were unwilling to stay.


    Although most of these people were ambitious explorers of the universe, they knew what leaving the earth meant. The mysterious dark space was a big adventure that posed an unknown future and an unclear purpose. So, it was more than likely that they wouldn''t live to see the end of such an adventure.


    The fact that more than a dozen people were even willing to stay was already a surprise to Lu Zhiyu. After all, not everyone wanted to explore the universe at the cost of everything else.


    What really surprised Lu Zhiyu didn''t was that Gu Chaoran had finally chosen to go with him. In this way, Lu Zhiyu wouldn''t have to worry about choosing a candidate to be the leader in charge of the starship.


    However, a starship that could accommodate a minimum of 100,000 people finally leaving the earth with only a dozen onboard was still a rare thing. Although Lu Zhiyu made such a large spacecraft because he had follow-up plans, having a crew of only 10 people was still pretty shocking. Lu Zhiyu had hoped that Truth could carry more earth imprints into space.


    These initial members who had been selected from the earth would be the first generation of the Truth management committee members. Lu Zhiyu hoped that all of these members could become familiar and trusted confidantes in the future.


    "Ok, no problem!" Nicolas replied.


    "I will leave the earth within seven days, and you will move on as soon as possible! After I get what I want, I will leave right away. You will also get what you want, so it''s a fair trade!" Lu Zhiyu said to Nicolas.


    It seemed that the three of them wanted Lu Zhiyu to leave as soon as possible. Knowing that Lu Zhiyu really wanted to leave the earth anyway, they had no intention of rejecting such a small request, so they pleasantly agreed.


    Many countries all around the world immediately released advertisements for the crew of Truth. The Debye Company and the Vatican Clan, in the name of NASA, selected the crew members for Truth from applicants from all around the world, claiming that it was a spacecraft that combined global intelligence that would start an interstellar exploration to the Alpha Centauri. They also said that this trip could take up to 100 years, depending on the speed of the spacecraft.


    During this period, the people onboard would stay asleep most of the time in dormant compartments. This would be an undocumented journey that would span a century, and it would be full of dangers and possible accidents. No one would knew what would happen or whether the spacecraft would arrive smoothly in the Alpha Centauri.


    Even if those people returned to the earth, their relatives and friends would most likely pass away during the time that they were gone. This meant that, from the moment they set foot on the starship, they would have given up everything on earth to join this interstellar exploration tour.


    This selection that was jointly conducted by these numerous countries immediately aroused strong opposition, causing debates to break out all over the world. A large number of professionals expressed their doubts about this tour. Particularly, they felt that this exploration program was too strange and too hurried.


    Moreover, under the pressure of public opinion, people grew more concerned about the fact that human beings had really started the journey of interstellar exploration. As some people successfully got selected, this selection process reached a climax. At this time, conspiracy theories were treated as jokes and rumors, while those who knew part of the truth could only remain silent due to the fear of facing scorn.


    In the end, more than 20 people were selected and sent to Lu Zhiyu. These people came from all over the country and were of different races and occupations. In all respects, they met the requirements that were specified by Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the thick profile book, which detailed the background information and work histories of all of these people, including information about their living situations, friends, physical health statuses, psychological assessments and so on. But, what surprised Lu Zhiyu was that there were two familiar names on the list.


    As Lu Zhiyu took out two of the files, he saw that the photos on the files looked very familiar. One of them was a young man with glasses, and the other was a black-haired woman with a typical British appearance. He then read the brief introductions...


    Wang Yi... Male¡­ 31¡­ Medical doctor... Immunologist...


    Zoey Sharp.. Female... mathematics doctor... Physical health level A, with a...


    Both of these individuals were his old friends. Wang Yi was his classmate and former buddy, and Zoey Sharp was a friend that he once knew long ago. It was such a coincidence that they had been chosen to be among the crew of the starship!


    Lu Zhiyu then asked, "Is everyone on this list voluntarily choosing to become part of the crew of the starship?"


    After getting a positive answer, Lu Zhiyu no longer asked any more questions. Everyone had his own choice, and as long as they made their own decisions, Lu Zhiyu had no reason to interfere.


    In the last few days, Lu Zhiyu had returned to his hometown. He had no relatives left there, only friends who had become somewhat obscured in his memory after all this time.


    Some of them were married, some were still single, some people were successful in their careers, and some people had failed in life and were extremely lonely.


    As Lu Zhiyu passed every building that he was familiar with during his childhood, the crowds of people rushed past Lu Zhiyu. The roads were filled with vehicles.


    It was clear that the whole city was changing rapidly. Everyone seemed to be tied up by strings, living like puppets.


    Life here was like a set of established templates and routines. Everyone lived according to these rules and routines in the template of life.


    In fact, he now realized that the whole world had not changed, but he was the one who had changed. He seemed to have broken free from what had bound him previously.


    Lu Zhiyu lay on the roof of his old home. The sky in the night was gray and there were no stars. The sky was like a film that separated the humans from the stars.


    At this moment, Lu Zhiyu felt that his life was like a dream. He was a lucky man, as he had broken free and escape the rat race of living his life just like the countless normal lives on the earth.


    He had broken away from his old destiny and launched a challenge to the universe. The exploration of truth and the unknown had started from here until now, and it was far from over. Now, he was just starting a new journey and was about to set sail again!


    "It''s time to leave! There is nothing worth staying here for!" Lu Zhiyu murmured as he looked at the sky.


    Although nothing could be seen in the sky, he seemed to see the stars and the vast galaxy. He reached out and exclaimed, "Our journey is¡­ To the sea of stars!"

 329 New Crew Member

    "We''re now seeing the base of Byrne Island!" a reporter said.


    "The spaceship Truth will take off for the space tomorrow, then travel to Centaurus, Alpha Galaxy!" another reporter announced.


    "We can see from a distance that this base was built on top of the Pacific Ocean, and it is¡­"


    "Journalist Anglica from CBS, reporting to you live!"


    As many warships and merchant ships came to Byrne Island, there were also ships from the journalistic companies that had arrived and were reporting on it. Helicopters were also landing at the airport, and everyone was finishing the last bit of work.


    Transportation robots were moving quickly, bustling about and going everywhere on the ground. They kept entering and exiting the portal of the base and the cabin door of the starship.


    As for those crew members who came to Byrne Island the first time and had now returned, when they saw the spaceship Truth, they were all amazed. Just as they got out of their helicopters and walked to the spaceship from the airport, they found that it was truly a giant spaceship that was beyond their imaginations.


    They were especially amazed at the inside of the spaceship, as it was a spacious city, not like the usual interior of a small spaceship that looked like a tiny coffin! Many of those who had just entered the spaceship immediately became engaged in intense discussions.


    Everyone present was a top-tier genius, and although none of their specialties was astronomy, they knew that it was practically a miracle to be able to make such an impressive and giant spaceship like this, which could actually fly into the outer space! As they entered the spaceship, they were amazed by everything that was going on inside of it.


    The moment they entered the spaceship, service machines came up to welcome them, then immediately led them to the residential area. These were intelligent robots that could communicate with people, and the guests couldn''t stop asking the robots questions in order to test their functions and levels of intelligence. After seeing the results, which were very impressive, they all gasped in amazement.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    A group of twenty-something people entered the cabin, including Wang Yi and Zoey. When the elevator reached the residential area, everyone was stunned when they looked down at the portals that were connecting the blocks of buildings. They all started to ask questions at the same time...


    "Oh my god! What are those things?"


    "Are you sure that this spaceship was made by the earth people? Are you sure it''s not a UFO that was left by aliens?"


    "My god! Are you kidding me?"


    The elevator went down along the transparent tube and stopped at the entrance of the residential area. Then, a streamlined car that looked like a can stopped at the door.


    A group of people then got into the car, which was floating! It didn''t follow a railway, but it still raced forward like a high-speed train. It got close to the residential area at the center, while traveling past building facilities that looked like factories, research centers, and warehouses.


    Suddenly, the group of people raised their heads and saw the portals and bridges that were connected with each other. The robots were walking around on them and the materials were piling up. After seeing this, the group of people continued to move forward in the car.


    After they got inside the residential area, they saw about a dozen people, all of whom were dressed in white, standing in the hall of the area. They were clearly waiting for them.


    Each of them was also wearing a special silver bracelet. These bracelets were were different from the temporary ones that they had before. It seemed that the new crew members who had just entered the spaceship were the old human beings, thus differentiating them from those wearing white.


    "Greetings, everyone! I am the acting captain of the spaceship Truth! My name is Gu Chaoran. Welcome! We''ll be working together for a very long time from now on," Gu Chaoran said.


    He then added, "I am happy that you have joined and will soon become a part of our community! From now on, this will be your home! Now, we are all brothers and sisters!"


    As Gu Chaoran walked forward to greet them, he looked passionate. Then, a middle-aged Asian scholar, who looked young and energetic yet had some grey hair, said, "I am Xu Hai! This spaceship is kind of different from our expectations. It is such an enormous spaceship, and the technologies you have are way beyond our imaginations!"


    Gu Chaoran nodded, then replied, "That''s because you guys just arrived, so you don''t know a lot about this place yet. But, you will gradually learn more, and you will soon discover that the technologies and power that we master here are far beyond those of most worlds."


    After this, many of the people present raised some questions, and Gu Chaoran patiently answered them all. Wang Yi then said, "It''s been my lifelong dream to explore this space, and before I arrived, I was thinking that we might live in a cold and lifeless spaceship, similar to a coffin! I also thought that we might be frozen in a dormant cabin most of the time! But now, everything seems great! Is this where we''re going to live from now on? This place looks exactly like a human city, as I even saw streets and all sorts of living facilities! This place is amazing!"


    There were similar discussions being had among all of the newcomers¡­


    "Based on my calculation, a spaceship of this size can hold more than 100,000 people! Moreover, this is clearly a spaceship that was made for colonial purposes. So¡­ Why are we the only ones here at the moment?"


    "It''s indeed bizarre! This doesn''t look like a spaceship that is used for exploration. Instead, it looks like a spaceship that was made for an interstellar colony. Based on the technologies we know about, it''s almost inconceivable to build an exploration spaceship to undertake interstellar travel, not to mention a colonial spaceship as fancy as this!"


    Gu Chaoran didn''t answer these questions. Instead, Molly, who was standing next to him, said, "We''re not going to live here! These are not our designated living quarters!"


    Everyone was shocked to hear this, and Wang Yi, who was clearly unsettled, asked, "Then... Where will we live?"


    Molly then said, "There are 43 people present here, including me. Once the spaceship is launched, we''ll all be promoted to members of the management committee of the spaceship Truth. We will then be the controllers and managers of the entire spaceship. So, we will live on the upper level of the management section in the control sector."


    She then added, "As for the lower level, the captain will make different arrangements regarding that. For now, everyone here will be a member of the management committee of spaceship Truth. Soon, you will be put in various important positions in the spaceship!"


    Gu Chaoran nodded, then said, "We have arranged for you guys to meet here because we want you to know some information about the spaceship Truth first, and also, the temporary identification bracelets don''t grant you access authority to the management section and control section. The service robots will give you new identification bracelets for access to those later."


    He then added, "For now, you can walk around the spaceship and familiarize yourselves with the environment. If you need anything, you can ask the service centers and the service robots for help. There are all kinds of service facilities, restaurants, sports and game centers for you to enjoy, and they''re all free."


    He smiled, then concluded, "You can also call a car service! We realize that this all new to you, and as it is an actual city of the future, it might take you guys a long time to familiarize yourself with this place. But, there will be a welcoming ceremony for you all on the upper level tonight, which should help smooth the transition! Please arrive on time!"


    After he finished telling them the basic information about the spaceship, he prepared to leave. As the acting captain of the spaceship, this was the busiest time for him, as the spaceship was about to be launched. In fact, he had only come down from the upper control area for a brief moment to greet the group because they were very important people.


    Zoe then asked, "Who is the captain you are talking about? Is it Anthony? I want to meet him!"


    As Gu Chaoran turned around and looked at Zoe, he immediately recalled her name and said, "Zoe Sharp! Is that really you? Well¡­ Don''t worry! When the captain wants to see you, you will surely meet him!"

 330 Leave the Earth

    "Open the portal on the upper level of the base!"


    "The captain ordered us to open the portal on the upper level of the base!"


    "Open the portal on the upper level of the base!"


    Many of the members were shouting out orders, and after a rumbling sound was heard, the gates on the ground that were covering the entire Byrne Island opened layer by layer, revealing the base of the original Byrne Island. After that, the spaceship Truth immediately appeared.


    At this moment, Lu Zhiyu, Gu Chaoran, Molly and Fabio ascended from the control room. The control room also ascended to the ground level, and as the light shone on them, a projection appeared on the light screen.


    Lu Zhiyu was standing at the middle of the main control room, and the largest light screen projection was in front of him. It was showing the situations of the oceans, including a three-dimensional projection that showed the situation of Byrne Island, including all of the dangerous areas and all of the data in the atmosphere.


    As for the other three people, they were sitting in front of their own control panels, and the scenes in the light screen kept changing, showing them what they wanted to see. They were checking the data within the spaceship, preparing the spaceship to fly into the space.


    Although the spaceship could be managed by David alone, Lu Zhiyu had still designed different access authorities to aid in managing and controlling the spaceship. They didn''t necessarily need to control the spaceship, but mostly just needed to give orders instead.


    On the management level, which was under the main control room, everyone else was lying in the dormant cabin. Aside from preparing for the dangers they were going to face, everyone was also waiting for Truth to successfully enter the space and get onto the right track.


    Everyone had felt pretty stressed before they went into the dormant cabins, as they didn''t know what would happen when Truth was finally launched. Some of them even wondered if they might die during the process.


    At this moment, everyone in the world shifted their attention to the spaceship. There were ships everywhere, scattered all around the islands, and the satellites around the base kept transmitting the pictures of the base to television stations and over the internet. Every media outlet was covering the launch.


    For most of the people, this was the most exciting moment of their lives, the chance to see humans conquer the universe! It was a milestone to all human beings. Yet, the officials of all of the countries were very anxious. Specifically, they worried that something might happen when Lu Zhiyu, who they viewed as a plague, left.


    "The anti-gravity system of the spaceship has been turned on!"


    "Countdown to ten!"


    "Ten! Nine! Eight!... Four! Three! Two! One!"


    As the crew was preparing for the launch, the spaceship was shaking slightly. Soon after this, the spaceship started to ascend from the ground slowly.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    At this moment, Gu Chaoran, Fabio, and Molly, who had stayed in the control room, were extremely nervous and couldn''t breathe. The control room was filled with tension, as everyone was afraid that something might go wrong.


    "The data of gravity field is working well, and the gravity inside is stable!"


    "All the data of the spaceship shows that the spaceship is working just fine. Nothing unusual is happening inside Truth!"


    "Truth is still ascending! One hundred meters! One thousand meters! Five thousand meters!"


    "It''s working fine!"


    "Ten thousand meters! It''s about to enter the atmosphere!"


    While all of the reporters were giving the play by play of what was happening, everyone was holding their breath in the spaceship, as they were afraid that something deviating from the original plan would happen and cause a major accident. As for those outside the spaceship and outside Bryne Island, they were all gazing at the sky, thrilled to be witnessing history!


    At this moment, an enormous spaceship that was more than one hundred thousand meters in length rose into the sky. It was glowing as it accelerated!


    At the bottom of the giant spaceship, a horizontal insignia was seen, which stood for infinity, and under that infinity sign was the word "Truth." When seen from sea level, Truth looked like an enormous mountain as it detached itself from the ground and ascended slowly into the sky.


    When they saw this amazing scene, everyone in the world was thrilled. Nobody would have ever imagined that this was possible! After all, the spaceship Truth was so giant, and it was way beyond their imaginations of what an exploration spaceship should look like.


    Soldiers, journalists, officials, scientists and all of the commoners who were watching this scene on their televisions or computers were all amazed as the spaceship ascended into the sky. Some of them had their mouths wide open, while some of them jumped up and down because of the thrills that filled their hearts.


    "Conquer the space and the ocean! This is the era of human beings!"


    "I''m excited! I''m ecstatic! I can''t describe my exhilaration!"


    "Is this Truth? Is this the spaceship that was made by all of the resources and scientific research from all over the world? Oh my god! It''s way beyond our imaginations!"


    The reporters were just as excited as the crowd and those watching on the televisions at home, as this was truly a monumental moment for all human beings. It felt like this world of the future could only exist in someone''s fantasy, yet it was all really happening!


    On the internet, the news of this launch was exploding, and soon, many discussions arose, all of them filled with speculation, suspicions, expectations and longing. The people were all voicing their opinions on this matter, and they were all looking forward to a future interstellar era for the earth and everyone upon it.


    As Truth kept accelerating and rose further, skyrocketing upward into the atmosphere, it gradually got farther and farther from the people on the ground. Eventually, it was nothing but a small dot before it disappeared from the people''s sights entirely. It then stopped on the predestined track that was 700 kilometers away from the earth.


    "We''ve successfully entered the earth track!"


    "Everything inside the spaceship is normal!"


    "It has entered the track steadily, and the pressure inside the spaceship is one 100,000 pascals, and it''s 21 degrees inside¡­"


    As the semi-brain David in the main control room shouted out the data of the spaceship, it was only at this moment that three people in the main control room felt relief fill their hearts.


    At that moment, Lu Zhiyu looked up and saw the vast and dark universe space. The stars were shining with a dim white light, but the earth down below was even more attractive to him.


    The earth looked like a perfect combination of blue ocean and continents that were intertwined with different patterns and floating white clouds. The scene was truly breathtaking.


    Even though he thought it was indeed beautiful, Lu Zhiyu still wasn''t that amazed by the scene. After all, he had seen that same scene in Maria''s World several times.


    Although each time was different, they were all just as beautiful as the one he was seeing now. However, he was looking at his mother star at this moment, so his emotions were kind of different than the others''.


    As for those other people, they were all attracted by this scene. They immediately started to miss the blue planet that they had just left, and Molly even started to tear up.


    Lu Zhiyu just didn''t feel the same way. Those on the earth, who felt relieved, would never have guessed that Lu Zhiyu had his dimensional doors everywhere on the earth, which meant that no matter how many light years Lu Zhiyu was away from the earth, he could still get back to the earth whenever he wanted via these dimensional doors, immediately showing up in front of them again.


    As for those living in the management level below, they woke up after the alarm was triggered, climbed out of their dormant cabins, and gathered in the meeting area. Immediately, they all started asking questions and commenting at once...


    "We have left the earth?"


    "We''re already in the space? It seems that we''ve arrived at our scheduled track, and now we''re touring around the earth!"


    "Why didn''t the gravity change? Does this spaceship really have a gravity system in it? If so, how did they accomplish this?"


    "Look, you guys! We can see the outside from here!"


    It could be seen from the windows of the starship that traces of gleaming light were coming from the sun. They were shiny, like pentagrams, and they were cast upon the earth below. At this moment, all these people could see was that blue planet.


    "The earth!" they all yelled in unison.


    Lu Zhiyu sat in his control chair after everyone had finished their work. David''s projection had just finished reporting all of the necessary data.


    Lu Zhiyu then stood up and announced, "We''ve already finished the first step of our plan, and we''ve perfectly achieved our goal. Now, all of the members from the control committee must go to the main meeting room and start the first meeting. Then, we''ll talk about our plans for the future!"


    Lu Zhiyu was pretty satisfied with this launch, and those present had also become the true managers of Truth, thus earning the identities of members of the control committee of Truth. All of these things pleased him.


    Lu Zhiyu had several steps planned for the starship Truth. The first step was to briefly explore and examine the inner area of the solar system, starting from the moon. They would then examine other planets of the solar system once the Hope of Atlantis arrived in the solar system.


    As they made their way, they stopped by a couple of planets to examine them. The remaining power from the Dark Mother Tree had been scraped by Lu Zhiyu''s mythical power, yet Lu Zhiyu still wanted to check to see whether there was some remaining power that had intruded into the interior part of the solar system. He also wanted to check to see whether there were any other life forms in the solar system.


    The second step was to explore the Alpha system in Centaur that was the star system that was the closest to the solar system. It was also the star system that was the closest to human beings.


    Lu Zhiyu wanted to go and check that place out and conduct some experiments that he didn''t dare attempt in the solar system. The third step was to go to black hole v616 in Unicorn, which was the black hole that was the closest to the earth. It was around 200 light years away and infinitely heavier than the sun.


    This third step would be a long journey, but at least the v616 black hole in Unicorn was set to be the final destination. After that, Lu Zhiyu figured that he could also try to find an inhabitable planet for living creatures or try to find a star system that could be reconstructed to sustain life. Yet, all of that could be decided later.


    Along the way, Lu Zhiyu also wished to find some other living civilizations and some special life forms. He was also hoping to find some mysterious and special domains in the universe.


    Aside from those plans, Lu Zhiyu also had a very important plan that he was presently hatching in his mind, which was to create a spawn race for himself. It would be different from the spawns that he had created before. This time, it would be a seed that Lu Zhiyu threw into the universe, which would be an extension of Lu Zhiyu''s power in the universe.


    This race must have the ability to adapt to the environments in the universe, and it be a universe race that had great potential. As for the large residential area inside the spaceship, he had already prepared a plan for that as well.


    This wasn''t an easy job. So, Lu Zhiyu planned to give the exploration tasks to Gu Chaoran. Then, after giving the tasks to Gu Chaoran and the others, he would set the programs for the intelligent sub-brain David and go back to the crystal wall and perfect it.


    This was the first time that Lu Zhiyu had chose to create his own spawn, so when Lu Zhiyu was designing and creating them, he was more cautious and serious than he ever had been before.

 331 Interstellar Civilization Plan

    n


    The giant main meeting room was filled with a three-dimensional projection, which showed the positions of the spaceship in the universe and the environment surrounding it. In this way, when someone was sitting in the meeting room, he would feel like he was floating in the universe instead of sitting in the spaceship.


    At the moment, the 44 members of the management committee were having a universe meeting above the earth. All of the 44 members were sitting down in their designated chairs and were dressed in white outfits that had been specifically made for them.


    They were all looking at Lu Zhiyu. This was the first time that many of them were meeting Lu Zhiyu. Most of the members from the original management committee had only heard of Lu Zhiyu, but they had never seen him in the flesh.


    "This is our main plan, and it''s divided into three steps. I call this plan the ''Truth Initiative.'' The three steps will be recorded into the inner program of the main-brain David, and it will act as the foundation that we will use to design Truth''s route. Only the captain will have the access authority to amend it," Lu Zhiyu explained.


    He then asked, "Are there any questions?" he asked.


    Lu Zhiyu was sitting in the middle of the room, with everyone else sitting around him. Gu Chaoran and Fabio were sitting the closest to him, and Gu Chaoran was the first to raise his hand and pose a question.


    He asked, "Captain, it might take us more than 2,000 years to finish this plan. Are you really serious about this?"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Gu Chaoran and replied, "Some of you have taken the elixir of life recently, which means that you will now have a life span of nearly 200 years. What you don''t know is that the elixir of life is a technology that I leaked, and many of such technologies that have gained popularity on earth in recent years all stemmed from Truth."


    Lu Zhiyu then added, "Moreover, age won''t even be an issue in our advancement. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have chosen you all in the first place. The moment we left earth, we already became an interstellar civilization that''s detached from the mother star. Now, I need your help to create an interstellar civilization that belongs to us, a real and authentic interstellar civilization!"


    "A civilization?" they all asked in unison. "A civilization that is only made up of us?"


    "Isn''t Truth an exploration spaceship? I felt something that there was something off about this spaceship when I first boarded it. After all, this is a colonial spaceship, which has an enormous residential area at its lowest level. The technologies inside this spaceship have far exceeded those that the earth civilization''s masters possess. So, I have to ask¡­ What exactly is going on here?"


    "Aren''t we supposed to return right after we arrive in the alpha system in Centaurus?"


    "What is this new civilization that he is talking about? An interstellar civilization and a race initiative?"


    Several heated discussions broke out among those in the meeting room at that moment as many of the members kept raising questions about what Lu Zhiyu had just shared with them. Some of these questions were answered, while others were not. Some people felt ecstatic about the plan, while others were really worried about it.


    After the meeting, Lu Zhiyu asked Gu Chaoran, Fabio, Molly, Wang Yi and Zoe to stay in the meeting room. He then turned to them and said, "Aside from the Truth Initiative, the interstellar civilization initiative will also be launched in the near future."


    He then added, "Please prepare yourselves for this. The residential area will be put to use very soon. Meanwhile, please gather some details about the interstellar civilization initiative, such as how to lead the civilization into the future, as well as how to manage it. You will be in charge of all of these matters, especially you, Gu Chaoran!"


    Lu Zhiyu then pointed at Gu Chaoran and continued, "I won''t appear in front of many people, so you will need to be the de facto leader of Truth and the new interstellar civilization. If you handle the job, I''ll have to replace you with another person, tasking them with the role of being the acting captain and the head of the management committee instead!"


    After Gu Chaoran had decided to enter the spaceship Truth to get to the universe, he had already fully prepared himself for everything that was going to come. After hearing the Truth Initiative and the interstellar civilization initiative from Lu Zhiyu, he finally understood what that choice really meant.


    "They don''t understand it. None of them understand what it means to get into this spaceship. This is a ticket to becoming a god!" Gu Chaoran said.


    This was his chance to rise above the ordinary and change fate. The Interstellar Civilization was just as divine as a god was to earth''s civilization. Moreover, it hadn''t even been detached from the mother star or been able to utilize all of the resources inside its own planet yet!


    Some scholars had divided civilizations into three stages. The first stage was the part of the civilization that could fully utilize all of the resources in its own planet. It could control earthquakes, volcanos, and the climate on the planet. The earth''s civilization was close to this period of the civilization, but it still had a long way to go to reach the top of this stage.


    The second stage of civilization involved the civilizations that were able to utilize all of the resources inside their star systems, They were also able to get out of the star systems where their mother planets were located by using the power of stars.


    They were also able to use their technologies to build spaceships that were able to travel across the universe. They were even able to reconstruct planets and civilizations for an interstellar colony. The civilization of Atlantis was at this particular level.


    As for the third stage, it was an interstellar civilization, and as such, it was able to use its technologies to determine the fate of the galaxy. The most basic characteristic of such a civilization was that it was able to master the space technologies, only after which it could then control the enormous galaxy from an interstellar distance.


    Now, the spaceship Truth was a lopsided existence. It was a civilization that was born within earth''s civilization, but it had also received Lu Zhiyu''s civilization power, as well as the inheritance of the technology-driven civilization of Atlantis.


    It wasn''t a stage-two civilization, but neither was it just an ordinary stage-one civilization. It had great potential, and it was likely that it would become a stage-two civilization in the near future. There was also a chance that it would become a stage-three civilization after that.


    To the inferior civilizations, advanced civilizations were just as powerful and mysterious as gods, and the gap between these two kinds of civilizations might be larger than that between human beings and gods. There was a chance that Gu Chaoran might become the supreme leader of such a civilization, which made Gu Chaoran feel like he was living the dream. After all, this choice had allowed him to take a leap forward, basically going from a human being to a god.


    "It was the right choice to leave earth. Soon, I will become the supreme leader of a new interstellar civilization, one beyond the milky way and the universe, where there are trillions of stars and countless living beings. Not everyone has such an opportunity in life," Gu Chaoran.


    Then, as his body shook, he looked at Lu Zhiyu and declared, "I will do everything in my power to satisfy your expectations of me!"


    Then, the other three people left, leaving only Wang Yi and Zoe standing at the center of the room. Zoe looked calm, yet Wang Yi seemed to be a bit tense.


    Lu Zhiyu could only recall a few ancient memories about these two people. To them, it had only been a short period of time since they had been with Lu Zhiyu. However, to Lu Zhiyu, it had been hundreds of years.


    "We meet again, my old friends!" Lu Zhiyu said to the pair. "To be honest, I don''t have that many old friends left, so I cherish each and every one of them. I''m really happy that you could board this spaceship, though I am not sure whether this is a good choice for you or not. Why didn''t you stay on earth?"


    Upon hearing this, Wang Yi felt weird that Lu Zhiyu had called him an old friend. As he stared at Lu Zhiyu, he answered his question carefully, "I don''t have any family left. My grandmother, who raised me, passed away last year, so I signed up for this mission after reading about it in the news. Luckily, I was selected, and before I knew it, I was here."


    Lu Zhiyu guffawed, then asked, "Is this what most people consider to be fate, Wagn Shi''er?"


    Wang Yi got even more confused after he heard what Lu Zhiyu had called him just now. Only his closest childhood friends knew this nickname, and after they had all grown up, none of them even used the name any longer. Hence, he found it very strange that Lu Zhiyu, who he didn''t really feel familiar with at all, knew about and had used such an intimate nickname to address him just now.


    Zoe then looked at Lu Zhiyu and said, "You''re a strange person. Ever since you showed up here, and every time that I have ever met you, I always have felt that you''re weird. I can''t understand you at all."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, then said, "I understand. There''s no need for you to say anything else. Besides, we''ll have tons of chances to meet each other in the future and get to know each other better. For now, welcome to Truth. I hope that you can enjoy the rest of the trip!"


    After that, Zoe and Wang Yi left the meeting room. Wang Yi tried to recall who that man that they had just spoken to was for a long time. Finally, after the cabin door opened and they walked into the portal, a name suddenly came into his mind and he exclaimed, "Lu Zhiyu!"


    Wang Yi immediately turned around and ran back to the main meeting room. However, when he got there, he discovered that the meeting room was already completely dark, as the projector and lights had all been switched off. There was only an empty room left, which was filled with the scent of technological machinery and iron.


    Where is everyone? he wondered.


    After the meeting, Lu Zhiyu had opened the dimensional door and returned to the crystal wall that belonged to him. It was at that moment that the routes and the exploration plans of Truth fell into the hands of the management committee.


    Now that he had delegated the responsibilities to the members, Lu Zhiyu didn''t need to stay any longer. From now on, all he needed to do was to periodically come back and check to see how things were progressing, along with making future plans for Truth.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

 332 Changes in Maria’s World

    Leaves that were the size of palms fell down, following the light. The giant Fairy Tree had taken root in a green jungle.


    Small fairies were flying among the dappled sunlight, collecting food and organizing the forest. They had magically turned the Capital of God into a beautiful botanical garden.


    "We fairies were born to take care of this Capital of God!" all of the fairies exclaimed as they went about their work.


    Lu Zhiyu stopped looking at the Capital of God, turning his attention to the faraway Maria''s World. He could vaguely see the continents and oceans in Maria''s World through layers of clouds.


    Many different being were inhabiting in that place. Some of them were weak, some of them were powerful, some had humble origins, and others had royal blood. However, each life form and race had its own unique meaning and reason for being born.


    "Orcs were the first kind of creatures born in this world!" Lu Zhiyu murmured. "Humans are the most important factors in civilization advancement! Magical beasts are the beginning of the supernatural lives, and the dragon race is the origin of divine incantation."


    Every race had specific purposes. The new spawn races that Lu Zhiyu wanted to create would be an extension of his exploration and influence in the universe.


    However, compared to other spawn races that Lu Zhiyu had created before, the creation of this spawn race was more confusing to Lu Zhiyu than ever. This was because he didn''t know exactly what kind of race he was supposed to create in order to meet his own expectations.


    "Should I make machine and silicon-based life forms, an artificially intelligent civilization, or a living creature civilization, like the insect race?" he wondered aloud.


    As he pondered over this question, Lu Zhiyu reckoned that the race that he was about to create didn''t need to be powerful at first, as he valued potential above all. Besides, if the race''s original power was too strong, it would constrain their future potential. Likewise, if the race''s expectancy was too long, they would rest on their laurels and the civilization would gradually die out.


    They could fight and evolve so that they could gain power and long lives, but they couldn''t have everything within them the moment they were born. It was for this reason that Lu Zhiyu gave up the idea of creating a machine-driven silicon-based civilization or an artificially intelligent civilization.


    Neither of these two civilizations had breakthrough and innovation abilities. They might have tremendous fighting power potential and assimilation abilities, but it was still difficult for them to create and innovate to make a breakthrough inn their civilization level.


    These civilizations could conquer other civilizations in order to upgrade themselves using their forceful stormtroopers and techniques for eroding power. However, they didn''t possess enough development potential.


    Lu Zhiyu was already powerful enough to conquer other civilizations and upgrade a civilization. After all, he was a mythical creature, which meant that he was much better at annihilating other civilizations than the aforementioned three civilizations.


    After giving this a lot of thought, Lu Zhiyu eventually decided to create his new spawn races based on his own life form. These would be carbon-based life forms that had the human shape.


    They would be merged with botanic genes, which would give them the same life expectancies as the fairies''. This would also mean that they could photosynthesize. This would also allow them to live in the space for a short amount of time, and it would also instil them high intelligences and impressive study capabilities.


    The most important thing, however, was their potential, which was a supernatural power that Lu Zhiyu would bestow upon them. They would then have the supernatural abilities to go on adventures and create their own future, which was why they had the potential to become an interstellar race.


    What Lu Zhiyu was trying to decide now was what kind of power he should give them. He decided that it should be supernatural power that was combined with the power of mythical creatures and technological civilization. This was mainly because he wanted to be sure that they would be sturdy and have the potential to create their own futures.


    What kind of supernatural bloodline should I give them? he then wondered.


    Lu Zhiyu was sitting in the witchcraft garden in the Capital of God, while writing all sorts of bloodline abilities on a piece of paper. A ton of information was flowing through his mind, and he kept mapping it to the creature format, while trying to deduct the creature format from it. However, Lu Zhiyu eventually gave up on all of these formats, as he couldn''t find anything suitable and up to his high standards.


    At the moment, Eva was wearing a purple dress and a hat, and she was standing behind Lu Zhiyu. Many fairies were flying around her, all of them speaking in a language that no one else could understand. This was the language of the fairies.


    There were many small fairies in this garden. They were responsible for arranging the magically-reinforced plants within it. Many of these magically-reinforced plants had powers that were beyond all imagination.


    For instance, the Fiery Lotus could give someone a supernatural bloodline. As for the Crystal Mint, that could transform a human being into a being that had a half-energy status.


    The small pond of water that was at the center of the garden was the Immortality Spring, which could give people hundreds of years more to live. The garden even had a plant that could be used to make black demon tea, which was known to have euphoric psychedelic effects on people.


    Most of these plants had been planted by Eva, and the majority of them were used to make some special desserts and other dishes. As each of these plants and dishes would be craved by the saints it they were made known to the world, this garden had to be kept hidden and carefully guarded at all times.


    "Something interesting happened in Maria''s World. You should come check it out, master!" Eva said to Lu Zhiyu.


    Eva had inherited some of Lu Zhiyu''s bad habits, including his short temper and impatience at times. She immediately created a projection on in the hall wall, which allowed Lu Zhiyu to see everything that was happening in the crystal wall. She was able to do this by using her access authority to the half-perpetual bio-optic brain.


    As Lu Zhiyu looked at the projection, he saw numerous scenes from several different worlds, including epic wars, touching love stories between royal knights and daughters, fights among the saints, schemes and plots being discussed among kings and officials, and even heroes who had fallen after being tempted by demon sorcerers. One scene even depicted the rising of the trolls!


    There were scenes of all sorts of stories here. In fact, that screen with the projection that Eva was now showing Lu Zhiyu was like her own personal television set. She could see the stories in all of the different worlds through it, and she would hum often songs while preparing desserts and milk tea for Lu Zhiyu as she watched it.


    When something extra exciting happened, Eva would scream in exhilaration and run to ask Lu Zhiyu to watch it with her. This is exactly what had just occurred.


    Lu Zhiyu put down the pen that was in his hand and looked to Eva. He then said, "It is now the most crucial time, as all of the gods will soon ascend their thrones. Did something go wrong? Those who have been chosen to become gods should successfully ascend..."


    Lu Zhiyu took a deep breath, then continued, "Now, only two god positions are vacant. One of them is the Time God position, while the other one is the Ground God position, which had been expanded to include the God of Ground and War title. However, the problem with this title expansion involves Felix and Lynn Ahenaten, who are the current God of Ground and God of War respectively."


    Lu Zhiyu had immersed himself in designing the new spawn race, so he hadn''t been paying any attention to any of the changes that were taking place in Maria''s World.


    He knew that Edward Kelermo had successfully become the God of Truth and Knowledge and had successfully established a master system. After that had happened, the wizards had become masters and had integrated themselves into the Maria God system, just like the alchemy sorcerers.


    As for Jonathan, the Master of Storm, something unexpected had happened to him when he was trying to ascend to the God position. Though no gods had attacked him directly, the cardinal from the Galton Stream of the Church of Light in the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro had teamed up with Archimonde, an alchemy puppet that was made by the alchemy sorcerers from the Church of Goddess of Steam and Machine.


    The two of them had then attacked the Hailuga Kingdom while Jonathan was trying to ascend to the God position. At that time, Archimonde had used the Godly Power Light to tear up the clouds and the atmosphere, causing Jonathan to almost fall from the sky!


    The alchemy sorcerers hated Jonathan much more than they hated their actual enemies. This made sense, as traitors were always more disgusting than enemies!


    The reason why Jonathan was considered a traitor was because he was an alchemy sorcerer, who had been born into a family of alchemy sorcerers. Both him and his grandfather were students of Marina Bosa, the Goddess of Steam and Machine, and as such, Jonathan''s family was a vital part of the City Alliance of Sheehan, especially among the alchemy sorcerer circlesi.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    However, Jonathan chose to betray his teacher and kill one of his schoolmates, Issac, as well as seize Isaac''s alchemy beast. By doing this, he had betrayed his country, his people, and his race, which ultimately resulted in the City Alliance of Sheehan''s navy being crushed and slaughtered.


    As for alchemy sorcerers, they had also suffered a huge blow because of his actions. This was the reason why both the three-kingdom alliance on the ocean and the Church of Light of alchemy sorcerers wanted to stop him from ascending.


    However, Gina, the God of the Sea, had lived up to her promises and had helped Jonathan to inherit the godly position. Even so, the power from the divine artifact had still greatly injured his godly body before he ascended to the godly position. So, after he became a god, Jonathan had been hiding in his god kingdom in order to recover his godly body.


    At this moment, what was showing up on the screen wasn''t the human world of Maria''s World, but was a dark and gloomy world instead. There were black halos in the sky that came from a bizarre-looking sun, and a dim light enveloped the entire world. This was the underworld, where the deceased and their souls belonged.


    However, at this moment, someone who didn''t belong here and shouldn''t be here stepped within it. This was a strong and ferocious human being, but the bottom of his face, which was covered by a hood, had some of the characteristics of a tiger man.


    Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that this was a half-beast human being from the central province. He was wearing a black cape that covered his armor, and he carried a special silver long sword at his waist.


    There were special engravings on the sword, and if someone from the Church of Light or the Church of Sun was here, he would be able to immediately recognize that it was the Sword of the King, which symbolized the power of the king that had been bestowed upon him by God.


    Although the cape covered his face, that sword had already exposed his identity. He was Lynn Ahenaten, the King of Mercenary from the Ahenaten Kingdom in the central province!


    At this moment, he had arrived at the door of the underworld. From this vantage point, he was able to see that creature holding a fork at the door to the underworld. This was the guard of the underworld, the Soul Swallowing Goat Devil Haem!

 333 Chaos in the Underworld

    This was the first entrance and exit to and from the underworld. Everyone who wanted to get in or out would show up here. Only when someone made it through the door could they actually enter the underworld. With the exception of the deceased, gaining entrance was nearly impossible. Living beings, ghost wizards and the other bizarre saints weren''t able to go into the underworld easily.


    "Stop here, you living creature!" Haem called. "This is the territory of the dead!"


    Lynn kept walking forward. A giant steel fork pierced the ground in front of him. Lynn''s body dodged it like a phantom, and the black ripples of power that emanated from the steel fork were warded off by his cape.


    The Goat Devil Haem stared at Lynn with ruthless eyes full of greed. He could feel that Lynn wasn''t a normal saint, but this was the underworld, and Haem was its mighty guard. He didn''t need to be afraid of anyone.


    "Oh wise and powerful guard of the underworld, Haem, I ask that you might grant me entrance. I have an important task," Lynn said while squinting his eyes.


    The Goat Devil started to guffaw, he was content with Lynn''s attitude and flattery, but then his face grew solemn. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    He opened his huge mouth and roared, "NO!"


    The forceful vibration of his voice knocked down all the souls lining up in front of the gate.


    "Of course, I bring sacrifices," bargained Lynn.


    He removed his cape and offered it to Haem. It was a cape with supernatural power, and it was a potent tool of sorcery. Lynn''s armor had also been made by specialized equipment with powerful reinforcement and spellcasting organs. His crown was made of magic gold, and the giant eye of a rare, magical beast was inlaid at the top.


    Lynn gave everything he was wearing to Haem, after which he was only left with a pair of leather pants and a shirt. The valuables gleamed with supernatural spirit light, which immediately piqued the interest of the greedy Goat Devil.


    Although he craved them, Haem turned away from the offerings.


    "Not enough," he said to Lynn. "I need the sword on your waist as well!"


    Lynn pulled out the sword, and the entire area surrounding the gate to the underworld was bathed in a fierce light. The once blurry bodies of the fading souls were illuminated by the warm glow of the sword.


    Haem was stunned by the gleaming light.


    "Oh! What is that?" he cried, and stumbled backward, unable to open his eyes.


    "This is the legendary Sword of the King," declared Lynn. "I can''t give it to you now, but I''ll give it to you as a sacrifice when I leave the underworld."


    Lynn knew the tricks and weaknesses of the soul-swallowing Goat Devil Haem. Many ghost wizards had bribed Haem to let them into the underworld and gained entrance. However, the tricky Goat Devil would only let them in, never out again. The gate to the underworld was only one way.


    Many monsters, demon warlocks, and blasphemers who couldn''t stay in the main world anymore would flee to the underworld for shelter as a last resort. Once they entered the gates however, they would never have the chance to leave. They were doomed to wander the underworld neither alive nor truly dead. Anyone who stepped into the gate was officially lost to the main world.


    Haem knew that he had the authority to let anyone into the underworld, not out, but the power and the light coming from the Sword of the King had filled his pupils completely. He roared in exhilaration as he drew a circle.


    "You''ve got yourself a deal!" he said.


    Lynn entered the underworld. Instead of making his way to the Kingdom Death along the Styx, he took a detour and ventured toward the blurry and unknown area of the deep underworld. It was a bleak place, overrun by the power and consciousnesses of the deceased. Monsters and horrifying enigmas evolved from the dead could be seen everywhere.


    Many demon warlocks, bone dragons, devils and ghost wizards were also hiding there, claiming sections of the territory as their own domains. The goddess who reigned over the Kingdom of Death resided at the center, and the land around here descended into chaos. The deep underworld was a place of anarchy where demons and ghosts roamed without any laws.


    Some of the creatures here had fled into the deep underworld, some of them were forced. Many were banished by the priests of the underworld to this lawless place. Each and every one of them had been a famously horrifying being when they were still alive in the main world.


    A dense, gray mist permeated the air, and floating ghosts could be seen everywhere. Bizarre singing voices haunted the air from every direction, and a terrifying roar could be heard from deep inside the gray fog.


    As Lynn stepped into a giant city made of bones, countless skeletons and ghosts rose up out of the sticky underworld mud. Bone dragons the color of bleached skeletons circled the city, breathing white fire.


    Level-three ghost creatures called Screaming She-Devils formed a circle, holding hands. They were singing the songs of death while tens of thousands of skeletons brandished their weapons. Death knights riding nightmares charged at Lynn with the fire of souls, and the rotten, stinking bodies of the dead continued to crawl out of the mud towards the intruder.


    With a sudden gust, the fog was dispelled, and the entire world occupied by all kinds of dead creatures came into view. There was no end in sight to the giant ghost army as they sprang up to guard the enormous City of Skeletons.


    Lynn noticed that the entire city was moving forward, and he realized in horror that the city itself was a dreadful life alchemy ghost. A group of blurry but formidable figures in black capes appeared above the wall of the City of Skeletons.


    "Who are you? How dare you trespass where we slumber!" called a monster from the ground. "Tell us your name now!"


    "Are you holding the Sword of the King in your hands?" asked a different creature.


    "Master of the Sword of the King, why are you in the underworld?" asked another.


    "It''s the Mercenary King Lynn Ahenaten! He is the king who has golden blood flowing through his body!" cried yet another monster.


    A cacophony of voices cried out to each other, trying to figure out who he was and what he wanted. Although the voices sounded chaotic, mighty forces resonated from each of them.


    Lynn Ahenaten looked to the figures standing above the City of Skeletons. Each of them was a well-known supernatural being from Maria''s World before they entered the underworld. Some of them were recorded in the history books, and after they died or sold their souls, they gained more power in this Kingdom of Death.


    If it weren''t for the underworld trapping them here, they would be a catastrophe to the main world. Lynn took a look at the surrounding army of the deceased, and he could picture what the scene would be like if they showed up in the main world.


    Lynn held up the Sword of the King and called out, "I''m here to free all of you! Raise your sharp blades and come back to the main world with me. I''ll open the gate of the underworld with the authority I have been granted with this Sword of the King!"


    The only thing those who had been living in the dark and lifeless underworld had seen for centuries was dark sky, so it was easy to understand how desperately they wanted to get back to the world of the living beings. Obviously, Lynn Ahenaten was freeing them out of kindness, but the desire to escape the underworld and return to the main continent trumped all their inhibitions.


    "Let''s fight our way out of here!" they cried. "Let''s escape from the kingdom of the dead!"


    "We must wash away our shame and let them know how upset we are!" called the warriors. "It''s time to let those living beings know our suffering and pain. We''ll let them experience the horror of this dead and dark world!"


    The giant City of Skeletons rushed toward the gate of the underworld. Before anyone could realize what was happening, Lynn Ahenaten raised the glowing Sword of the King high and brought it down, tearing the body of the Goat Devil Haem into pieces.


    "No! You freaking liar!" yelled Haem. "You will be punished! You will be punished by the Goddess of Death!"


    Although the body of Haem was no more, he couldn''t die. He was the gatekeeper of the underworld, which meant he could be defeated but never be killed. In the thick, dark fog that swirled in the sky, another body for Haem would be created, but it would take a very long time.


    Seizing this opportunity, Lynn Ahenaten had already opened the gate of the underworld. A portal to the living world appeared in front of him and the other dead creatures. Visions of the main world could be seen from the enormous door of white light.


    Blue sky, forests, lands, and oceans turned all the deceased mad with desire. The enormous City of Skeletons burst through the gate of the underworld. The army of the dead cut across the mountains and oceans, rushing toward the main world.


    The huge bone dragon raced through the sky. A cracking noise rang out wherever the dragon''s wings slashed through the air. It flew through the gate swiftly, and the demon warlocks who were controlling groups of monsters also rushed the gate. There were all kinds of creatures from the underworld, free at last from the rules that previously bound them, marching toward the kingdom of the living.


    At the other end of the gate was the Colossus Kingdom on the Swirl Continent. After opening the gate to the Swirl Continent, Lynn Ahenaten quickly disappeared from the underworld.


    At this moment, the giant shadow of the god holding the Book of Death had surrounded the gate to the underworld. Cetisius immediately locked the portal to the main world. The Book of Death reflected all the ghost creatures rushing toward the underworld gate.


    Cetisius opened the Book of Death, and the mountains of the dead who rushed toward the gate were absorbed into it. They became a line of bizarre and moving characters. Countless death priests carrying sickles formed a huge army of the dead. The monsters who rushed out were immediately crushed by the army of priests, so they were forced to go back to the deep cracks of the underworld.


    "What''s happening? Who is it? Who opened the gate to the underground world?" Cetisius asked.


    He looked to the sky as if he could see the main world outside, even though he was under the darkness. It would be a catastrophe to the main world if this many horrifying dead creatures escaped out of the underground.


    At last, he admitted, "It''s out of my control!"

 334 Disaster in Colossus

    The Kingdom of Colossus was in the southwest corner of the Swirl Continent. It was a small orc kingdom with a small population. The total population was only up to a little over one million after decades of development, and an influx of immigrants. The kingdom had survived by its relationship with the Mermaid Kingdom and the subsequent marine trade. The Colossus Kingdom, the Mermaid Kingdom and the Hailuga Kingdom formed an alliance and fought together against external enemies.


    These three kingdoms with different races, civilizations, languages and cultures were united together for various reasons. Among the three, the Kingdom of Colossus had the least power, the shortest history and no profound culture background. It had developed and grown stronger only because of special reasons and outside factors.


    Nevertheless, in its remote corner of the Swirl Continent, far from the southern land of Alen Continent, the Kingdom of Colossus was peaceful and stable. It was like a safe haven, far away from the troubles of other lands. It almost felt as if the kingdom was at the southernmost tip of the whole world.


    The Kingdom of Colossus was a little slice of paradise in this remote corner of the world. Nothing ever went wrong. Suddenly, a rumbling sound like that of an earthquake spread across the City of Colossus. It was as if a bull was roaring from the center of the planet. The people started to panic.


    "What was that sound?" they shouted.


    "Earthquake! It''s an earthquake!"


    The street descended into chaos. Pedestrians were flustered and coach horses were startled, both were running wildly out of control. A few ladies wearing luxurious dresses and holding sunshades collapsed to the ground. Workers wearing uniforms gathered together, looking around cautiously.


    "Earthquake? The water in the cup did not fluctuate a bit!" said one.


    "The sound came from underground!" said another.


    A crowd rushed out of the shops on both sides of the street. A blacksmith holding an out-of-date hammer shouted furiously. The sound grew louder, as if something was about to break out of the ground. Even though the ground was not shaking, everyone started to feel uneasy. They all felt like something horrible was about to happen.


    The sound was getting closer and louder. The dark brown soil all around them turned black as if it were being dyed by ink.


    "What''s going on?" the people asked, confused.


    "The ground! The ground is turning black! It''s...it''s turning..."


    The crowd was frightened. They dashed away to seek shelter and escape from the blackened earth which reminded them all of their deepest fear. The darkness spread across the entire City of Colossus. It oozed from the ground like ink, turning the city black.


    A shrill whinny pierced the air.


    A war horse with flaming hooves, blood red eyes and frightening white teeth leapt out of the black ground, catching everyone''s eye. A headless Death Knight sat on the horse, reeking of something putrid and foul. The monster''s head was hanging next to the neck of the horse. It turned to the orcs on the street with ruthless, flaming eyes.


    Thousands of ugly, undead corpses, screaming spirits and succubi rose from the ground following the Death Knight, along with countless monsters who''d been transformed by the power of the abyss, and terrifying demon species.


    A giant bone dragon rose out of the darkness and hovered over the city. The clear sky was now haunted by gray clouds and darkness. The peaceful city had been turned into a living hell.


    "What is that?" shrieked the orcs.


    "Monsters! There are monsters everywhere!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Help!"


    "Open the door! Open the door!"


    "Guard! Guard!"


    Thousands of orcs ran for their lives and screamed at the top of their lungs, only to be killed and devoured by the countless monsters rising from the ground. At the same time, a gigantic fortress made entirely of bones rose up from the darkness.


    The bone city spun and rose from the ground, smashing the statue standing in Colossus Square. It was a statue of an old-fashioned boar-people wizard, wearing a robe with a stern expression. The statue, which was tens of yards high, broke into pieces instantly. The square was now in ruins. Countless buildings were destroyed. The bone city devoured everything around it like a gigantic monster.


    As the bone city appeared in the City of Colossus. Thousands, or maybe hundreds of thousands of creatures of death escaped from the Death Underworld Sector, and filled the streets. They raged in the city, celebrating their escape with a grand feast.


    "Two hundred years! Finally, I can see the sun after two hundred years!" they shouted, and laughed.


    "The smell of living creatures!"


    "Sky! Ground! Air! Life! This is life! This is the beautiful world that belongs to us!"


    "Fear, mortals! Face your death!"


    Quite a few powerful creatures of death ran away the moment they escaped from the Death Underworld Sector. They knew that such a huge number of escaped monsters was bound to cause a stir. The gods would no doubt get involved and by then it would be too late for them to leave.


    In the twinkling of an eye, the City of Colossus turned into a nightmare. The large number of orc wizards inside the city finally started to react. Rays of witchcraft light beamed across the battlefield and the alchemy colossus was activated. The defense of the city began. The enemies began to appear inside the city instantly, however, taking everyone by surprise. The situation on the battlefield changed immediately.


    Witchcraft lights shone on the streets, smashing groups of corpses and the undead. The Death Knight attacked the orc wizards using Ghost Witchcrafts. Thousands of skeleton archers shot arrows into the sky, raining them down onto the city. Skeleton masters waved their wands, dropping fireballs from the sky and turning the City of Colossus into an ocean of fire.


    The alchemy colossus that was close to the city walls joined the battle. Under the control of orc wizards, the 60-foot colossus fought against the army of ghosts, the giant bone dragon, and the screaming succubi.


    Divine light flashed, armies of corpses were squashed and the Death Knight was smashed into pieces, but the situation could not be saved. The attack from the creatures of death could not be stopped. The gigantic bone city stood in the square, and dozens of figures floated above it, looking down on the City of Colossus.


    Each figure reeked of death. Lights of the power of death covered the entire city.


    "Devour! Kill! We are the embodiment of death, harvesters of souls, disasters of ghosts!" called out the monsters.


    Their mission was to devour all the lives in the City of Colossus, transform them into armies of ghosts, and escape to the rest of the world. After fleeing from the Death Underworld Sector, as long as they did not encounter gods, no one could harm them.


    At the same time, rays of light beamed from the divine palace in the center of the city. Felix, who was inside the palace and about to make a breakthrough, sensed the crisis and awoke from his slumber.


    The Divine Shadow rushed out of the palace and witnessed the cruel and gruesome scene. The city created and constructed by Felix and the Colossus College with tremendous effort, was now on the edge of destruction.


    Countless living creatures screamed and died, becoming a part of the army of death. Most of them were his students, friends, family, believers. If he lost the support from his followers before becoming a god, he would lose his power and even perish.


    No matter how this battle ended, the City of Colossus was already destroyed. After armies of creatures of death and monsters flooded into the Kingdom of Colossus, the population decreased drastically. The fading power of belief meant that Felix''s power faded as well. With another competitor for the god''s name, every plan and effort were now in vain. With no possibility of becoming a god, he was destined to perish.


    The path to becoming god had no return. One could not quit half way, it was life or death.


    "Damn! Damn! Damn! You filthy ghosts! Odious creatures of death!" Felix yelled in rage.


    Looking at the city covered in blood and fire, and the giant bone city controlling all the creatures of death, the Divine Shadow lifted up his hand and smashed it into the giant bone city.


    The huge palm beamed out yellow lights, which covered everything as it passed by. Countless creatures of death were petrified.The clouds turned a fiery red as flaming boulders fell from the sky and smashed into the bone city.


    "Damn you! Go to hell!" Felix roared.

 335 Call of the God of Death

    The gigantic palm of the Divine Shadow smashed down onto the bone city. The figures floating above the city reached out their hands at the same time. The light from the supernatural power spread out for miles across the sky.


    *Bang! Thump!*


    The giant bone city began to crack. The walls and towers crashed to the ground, smashing buildings on the way down and raising up a cloud of dust. The bone city cried like a living creature.


    The entrance to the underworld, that dark abyss in the ground, had already been closed, but creatures of death had taken the City of Colossus. More than half of the population had been hurt or killed. The city was now in the hands of the monsters. Moreover, a large number of monsters had also left the city and flooded into other villages, towns and cities within the Kingdom of Colossus.


    After losing so many believers, Felix''s power was draining. The bone city continued to summon more ghosts. Skeletons, Death Knights and masters became part of the bone city, healing its damage, and renewing its power.


    Felix was at a disadvantage. He was fighting against the gigantic bone city, the army of ghosts, and dozens of demon warlocks and succubi.


    The bone city attacked the sky. Felix had ignited the divine fire, but had not merged the divine personality. This made him only a half god, and the floating figures, together with the ghost army, were able to hold him down.


    The city had become a sea of flames. The Divine Shadow stood in the sky facing the bone city, which was made of piles of corpses and skeletons. The clouds and air crackled with power, and sparks shone in the sky like lightning.


    All around, a cacophony of voices shouted to the sky.


    "Devour him! Devour him!"


    "Even a half god cannot stop us!"


    "Is that what you call a half god? It is nothing compared to the power of the God of Death and the underworld demi-emperor!"


    "We shall show the world the power of ghosts today!"


    The floating figures above the bone city looked to Felix with greed, and screamed with the sharp, eerie sound of darkness and fear. Their shouts only made him more furious, but one could vaguely sense a deep fear within. Felix knew death was near.


    "Is this where I perish?" Felix asked himself. "Just like Heckfoss, the face burner?"


    He now felt the same despair and regret of Heckfoss. What a pity to fail when he''d come so close to tasting the success of becoming a god. Felix had participated in the attack on Heckfoss, and he was also in the group that shot Heckfoss down from the clouds.


    "Am I going to taste the same failure? No! I will never be defeated! I will never admit defeat!" Felix resolved.


    The huge Divine Shadow burst into flames. Felix the fox wizard''s body trembled. Meteorites rained down from the sky, dark red lights beaming through black clouds that spun like smoke. Felix decided he would not allow these filthy, putrefied ghosts to leave even if he had to destroy the entire City of Colossus and sacrifice everyone.


    ***


    Astral world, Floating-space City, The Capital of God.


    While Lu Zhiyu was browsing, he happened to see that the entrance of the underworld had been opened by Lynn Ahenaten. Countless monsters had rushed out, flooding into the world. Lu Zhiyu frowned.


    "Reckless! He''s just the same as his ancestor, the Golden King!" Lu Zhiyu said, remembering how crazy and desperate Ahenaten the Golden King was before he died, as well as how ugly he became when faced with death and the temptation of immortality.


    Lynn Ahenaten had believed that as long as he defeated Felix and became a god, whatever he had done before would be forgiven and forgotten. Moreover, all he had done was open the entrance to Swirl Continent, which only made a difference to the God of Death and the God of the Sea.


    It was all worthwhile for the sake of becoming a god. Felix was his only competition for the name of this god, and without him in the picture, Lynn Ahenaten could then become the God of the Earth with no hindrance.


    When he opened the entrance to the underworld, Lynn Ahenaten had violated the responsibilities of a god, as well as the principles of the guardian of the world order. A god candidate had chosen to trample and destroy the world order.


    The Sword of the King had granted him the power to exploit such loopholes. Without the power of controlling the Major God Kingdoms, the Sword of the King was still a divine artifact given by Lu Zhiyu the creator, but its power within Maria''s World was so strong that it was almost a world key.


    Lu Zhiyu had now given up on Lynn Ahenaten and turned to Felix. As a saint, the cunning Felix might be somewhat incompetent in comparison, as he did not have the vision or power of Lynn Ahenaten. However, as a candidate for a god, he was far more responsible.


    The moment Lu Zhiyu finished his sentence, he saw that the closed entrance to the underworld had opened again. This time, the entrance grew much larger and faster, covering the entire Kingdom of Colossus instantly.


    The dark entrance to the underworld expanded on the ground. An enormous round, black entrance emerged. From the sky, it seemed like a deep abyss had appeared out of nowhere.


    The army of the dead and the bone city, which were fighting against Felix and the rest of the orc wizards, stopped immediately. The figures floating above the bone city started to panic.


    "What''s happening?"


    "Why is the entrance opening again?"


    "He''s coming. The God of Death is coming! How can he react so fast and find us in such a short time! The God of Death was not even in the underworld, and the underworld demi-emperor Cetisius is incapable of tracking us so fast!"


    The ghosts who controlled the bone city from up in the sky became alarmed and bewildered. Living in the land of the underworld, they knew the power of the God of Death and the demi-emperor compared to Felix. A half-god like Felix was nothing compared to a true god.


    The bone city, which sat on a mountain of skeletons and ghosts, collapsed instantly. They all began to panic and tried to escape. The ghost controllers tried to escape the City of Colossus by moving the bone city. From the sky, they could tell that the enormous entrance to the underworld was now fully open, covering every inch of the ground.


    As if all light had been absorbed by the entrance to the underworld, everything was engulfed in darkness.


    "Impossible!" cried the denizens of the underworld.


    "The size of the entrance¡­who is coming?"


    "It''s¡­it''s¡­"


    "No way! We are doomed, we can''t escape¡­we can''t escape!"


    The skeletons and corpses stood straight, shivering with fear, no longer arrogant or aggressive.


    Just as they''d expected, the enormous entrance to the underworld rippled. Rays of black light rose up through the darkness into the sky. A giant shadow emerged from the abyss.


    The giant shadow was so large that it seemed to go on without end. Its giant black cape covered the entire City of Colossus the moment it appeared. Only half of its body already occupied the entire sky and everyone''s vision. The Death Sickle moved, demonstrating its power by instantly turning day into night.


    "The¡­the God of Death!"


    "The God of Death! Your Majesty!"


    "He came!"


    The creatures of death greeted their god nervously, then grew quiet. The world was in complete silence. Usually, they would run away from just the presence of the demi-emperor. Now, for the first time, they were about to learn the power of the God of Death.


    The giant Death Sickle moved, hundreds of creatures of death fell. The skeleton army of the bone city and the Death Knights all collapsed under the Death Sickle.


    Thousands of souls were harvested by the Death Sickle and vanished. The gigantic bone city also collapsed under its power. Several of the ghost controllers vanished. This time, they were truly dead.


    "Run¡­run!"


    "I don''t want to die here!"


    "Why is the God of Death doing the killing? His Majesty is never involved in the killing, is he?"


    The remaining monsters scattered like monkeys when a tree falls, but a great, suctioning force pulled them towards the entrance. All the escaped creatures of death sensed an overwhelming power from the underworld. Their world, the place of death, was calling them.


    Smoke-like tentacles of black light rose out of the portal and entangled all the creatures of death who tried to escape or resist. Hundreds of monsters fell into the dark abyss. Into the horrifying, unknown world of death. The entrance to the underworld almost resembled a whirlpool, devouring all.


    Countless skeletons were spinning and falling, Death Knights struggled to escape but fell down helplessly. The giant bone dragon screamed and raced to the sky, but it too was trapped and claimed by the dark power, falling into the underworld like a black sphere.


    "No! I will not go back there!"


    "I hate that dark, lifeless world! I will not go back!"


    No matter how they tried to resist, they could not fight against the calling of the underworld and the God of Death. All creatures of death had to go back to where they belonged. The shadow of the God of Death went back into the ground as the world grew quiet. The giant entrance shrunk into a black dot, and then sank into the ground and disappeared.


    Felix finally realized what had happened. He was shocked at the power of the God of Death and murmured, "Is that what a true god is like?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    He then looked to the destroyed City of Colossus. Felix''s shock turned into sorrow. Because of the damage caused by this attack, his journey towards acquiring a god''s name was now postponed by at least two or three decades. As for the chance of successfully becoming a god, it had instantly become very minimal.


    As Felix was mourning his setbacks, Lu Zhiyu was standing on the Capital of God, surveying the lands below. He searched, and found the initiator of this disaster: Lynn Ahenaten.

 336 The Fallen Half God

    On both sides of the divine palace, there were tall statues, about 30 feet high, of warriors carrying swords who were down on one knee. Along the stairs stood tall statues of the God of Earth and War. The palace hall floor was made completely of gold. Countless precious gems were inlaid on the ceiling. The stained-glass windows were built by the well-known Ron Alchemy Workshop of Sean. Golden light shone from the jeweled lamps, radiating luxury and extravagance.


    A narrow passageway opened in the ground. Lynn Ahenaten walked into the divine palace with a look of smug satisfaction. His plan had now eliminated his competitor, removing the obstacle standing between him and a god''s name.


    "I shall be the one who becomes a true god! An evil wizard dared to dream about becoming a true god, ridiculous!" Lynn Ahenaten said.


    His face was jovial, but his eyes were cold as they turned to the tall statues of the god. His fingers lightly brushed the Sword of the King which was tied around his waist. His eyes glittered with madness and greed for a god''s name.


    "The God of Earth and War, world domination, are all mine!" he exclaimed.


    At that moment, a ray of light struck the capital city of the Kingdom of Ahenaten, the kingdom of mercenaries. All clouds were dispersed by the glaring light. The light seemed to be shining from some place out of this world, covering the entire royal capital city. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Pedestrians on the streets had to cover their eyes as the sudden, dazzling light was hurting them. The street fell into chaos. Everyone stopped. Even the people indoors noticed how bright the light was outside. It came from the center of the city.


    A beam of light covered the divine palace of the God of Earth and War, connecting the sky to the ground. Something sparked within and flew up to the sky.


    The people cried out in confusion.


    "What''s going on?"


    "It''s the dominating power of the great God of Earth and War! It''s the power of a true god!"


    "Almighty god! Have you come to our world again?"


    The crowd was shouting his god name, but Lynn Ahenaten found himself in danger . The light beam struck him, then immediately the Sword of the King tied around his waist broke out of his control and flew into the light, rising up to the sky in the direction of the Star Kingdom of the gods.


    "What''s happening! My Sword of the King!" Lynn''s expression changed instantly.


    He reached out to the sky, but at the same time, an entrance to the underworld opened below him. The darkness spread out immediately. Rays of tentacle-like black light rose up from the Kingdom of Death, reeking of deadly power, and entangled Lynn Ahenaten.


    He looked down and saw that a giant black sun was burning below. It was the underworld''s sun of death which never sets. It gave out swirls of power, restraining his strength.


    Deathbringers holding soul sickles showed themselves in daylight in the world of the living. Horrifying shadows emerged in the divine palace, floating in the air, surrounding Lynn Ahenaten.


    Hundreds of Deathbringers appeared from their world and surrounded him. The rules and power of the underworld overpowered him, leaving him with no chance of escaping. All Deathbringers sang the paean of death, dancing around him.


    There might have been a way out if Lynn still had the Sword of the King. However, without the Sword, he could not possibly fight against the power of the underworld. Numerous rays of black light wrapped around Lynn, dragging him into the world of death.


    "No! I am a god! I will not accept the judgement of death! I am the immortal god, the eternal dominance. You have no right to bring me to the trial of death! You have no right!" Lynn screamed and struggled hysterically.


    Divine incantation and power spread out, blowing up the enormous palace. The sound of explosions spread from the center of the city to the surrounding areas, raising dust.


    The Divine Shadow broke away from the body of Lynn Ahenaten, but it was still trapped by the underworld''s power. The Divine Shadow struggled to move away from the ground, spreading itself out across the sky.


    "The god, the god has shown himself!" yelled a pedestrian.


    "No! What is that? There''s an abyss on the ground!" cried another.


    "The god¡­the god is¡­"


    At that very moment, all civilians and praying believers in the Kingdom of Ahenaten watched as their god was dragged down into the abyss by countless black ribbons. The enormous Divine Shadow screamed and cried while struggling. Every person was in shock, mumbling with confusion and fear. Believers collapsed to the ground with their legs trembling.


    They were witnessing their god, the great God of Earth and War, screaming in pain and howling in despair. Their voices called out in shock.


    "On my god! What am I watching?"


    "You Majesty! How could this happen? Your Majesty!"


    "Demon! Demon!"


    "No, that''s the abyss of death. The sky¡­that''s Deathbringers in the sky, the messengers of the Goddess of Death!"


    The enormous entrance of the underworld devoured Lynn. No matter how Lynn screamed, he could no longer escape his fate of falling into the world of death. The Divine Shadow gradually disappeared into the enormous dark portal to the underworld.


    Lynn Ahenaten clung to the ground with despair in his eyes. He''d never imagined that his plan would end up like this. The Goddess of Death was not in the underworld. Even if she was, she would never go beyond the world of death to interfere with the world of the living. Moreover, he''d had the Sword of the King. He should''ve been able to escape anytime he wished. As for the God of the Sea, he was far away from land and could never set foot on the ground.


    A giant palm cracked the ground, destroying numerous houses as The Divine Shadow sunk into the underworld. Darkness covered his face, then his eyes. At last, the hands still clinging to the living world lost all strength and let go.


    "No!" Lynn''s eyes opened wide in the darkness. Anger, regret and fear filled his body.


    As the chanting of the Deathbringers ended, the entrance to the underworld disappeared, leaving the cracked ground and the destroyed divine palace behind. At that moment, civilians and nobility of the Kingdom of Ahenaten came back to themselves. The army rushed into the palace but nothing but fractured statues and ruins remained.


    In the year 342 on the San calendar, the Mercenary King Ahenaten fell into the Death Underworld Sector. The sudden death of the Mercenary King and the discord among his descendants brought the Kingdom of Ahenaten into an eight year long chaos.


    Several countries played a part in the civil war of the Ahenaten Kingdom. The prevailing belief in the God of Earth and War faded away with the carnage. At last, Frank Ahenaten, the great-grandson of Lynn Ahenaten, stood out in the war and stabilized the situation in the Kingdom of Ahenaten.


    At the same time, in the Floating-space City, a black light and a white light travelled through the dimensional door from the far away Maria''s World, and landed inside the Capital of God.


    The lights sparkled and transformed into two tall, beautiful goddesses. The Goddess of the Sun, Verthandi, wore a white silky gown and a tiara, and the Goddess of Death, Delmedi, wore a dark robe. Together, they walked into the land where the creator lived.

 337 Hell

    The central city of the Capital of God was a garden world. Giant buildings blended into the vegetation. Wizard servants walked along the cloisters. Countless fairies flew inside, beating their glowing wings and chatting joyfully. The heavenly city was filled with happiness and the beauty of nature.


    On the top level of the central Witchcraft Garden, Verthandi arrived. Another goddess was already standing next to Lu Zhiyu. It was Kelly, the Goddess of Light. She had left the Major God Kingdom and arrived at Lu Zhiyu''s Capital of God one step ahead.


    Lu Zhiyu took the Sword of the King from Verthandi. The weapon shone brightly with silver light. The long-lost divine artifact with the power to rule part of the Major God Kingdom had now finally been returned to him. Lu Zhiyu looked to Verthandi.


    "Never let someone steal it again!" he scolded. "This is not a children''s toy. Luckily I did not give it complete authority like before. Otherwise, it wouldn''t have been just the underworld and Swirl Continent that were affected!"


    Verthandi blushed. "What do mean ''let someone steal it,'' Dad? I took it! I took it from my own home!" she said.


    Delmedi walked past Lu Zhiyu and sat where he usually sat. Lu Zhiyu grabbed Delmedi''s ear and dragged her out of his seat.


    "Ouch! Dad! What are you doing?" she protested. "I went down there personally and caught all those who escaped from the underworld! I also brought Lynn Ahenaten, the troublemaker, back to the underworld! The judgement of justice awaits him!"


    Lu Zhiyu glanced sideways at Delmedi.


    "The judgement of justice?" he said, "I need to bring you to trial first! All this happened under your watch. If you don''t clean up the mess in the underworld, all sorts of disasters are going to happen in the main world!"


    Lynn Ahenaten was eventually eliminated from the candidates for a god''s name by Lu Zhiyu and sealed in the underworld. Unlike the Star Kingdom, the underworld was a crucial part of Maria''s World. It controlled the deaths of all lives and the reincarnation of all souls. As Maria''s World developed, the supernatural powers grew stronger and the system of the gods was perfected.


    The underworld had now become the most important half bitwall other than the main world. The main world was the kingdom for the living, while the underworld was the land for the dead. All those who had died, and all creatures of the dead, lived in the underworld. It was no longer just a place for reincarnation, but a world that controlled all ghosts and powerful monsters.


    It was inevitable. As long as there were living, there would be dead. Lu Zhiyu could not wipe out the dead from this world. Therefore, he could not blame Delmedi for this disaster, or the system of the underworld created by the demi-emperor, Cetisius.


    As for the underworld, it was designed solely for the reincarnation of souls, not for the controlling of ghosts. At the time it was designed, the system of the gods was not fully developed, and ghosts and death creatures were still manageable. Therefore, Lu Zhiyu had not thought about perfecting the underworld.


    The only solution was to alter the current system of the underworld. It would be made into not only the home for souls but a kingdom for the dead so that it could control all ghosts. It needed to embrace the system of the dead and utilize all their power to strengthen the underworld.


    Nevertheless, Delmedi needed to learn a lesson. She was barely seen in the underworld even though she was the Goddess of Death.


    "I was visiting my sister''s kingdom! I am just a guest!" Delmedi said.


    "You were either in your sister''s kingdom or messing around in the Major God Kingdom. You were running around in the main world or just slacking in my Capital of God. You haven''t done any work at all!" said Lu Zhiyu.


    "What''s the point of working so hard!" Delmedi said. "You don''t care about any of the worlds. Stupid god''s name, it''s worth nothing. No one could ever be more powerful than Dad." She rubbed her ear. It was not painful at all, but she pretended to be pathetic.


    Lu Zhiyu''s harsh criticism kept Delmedi''s head down. Despite all of her flaws, however, Lu Zhiyu did not wish to appoint someone else as the God of Death. It was a crucial role for Maria''s World. Even if Delmedi was incompetent and slacking, she was still family, which made her better than anyone else. Lu Zhiyu would never give a god''s name to someone who was not close to him.


    "My lord, it''s time to make some changes in the underworld," Kelly said as she looked to Lu Zhiyu. "The current system can no longer control the growing amount of ghosts. If Kings of the Dead rose up later, it would be difficult for the underworld to control them."


    Kelly and Lu Zhiyu had already had a long conversation about the underworld the last time she''d visited the Capital of God. The final decision had been to divide the underworld into nine levels, each level a different death world. The deeper the level, the more dangerous and powerful ghosts would be constrained within.


    After an internal competition, a King of the Dead would be selected for each level as a side-god for the Goddess of Death. They would be responsible for their level, controlling the rules and authority of that level, as well as the power of the bitwall. In this way, the system of the dead could be part of reincarnation.


    Other than souls, all ghosts were now under the control of the Goddess of Death, which significantly increased her authority and responsibility. Anyone else would be thrilled, but Delmedi had become lazier and more and more like Lu Zhiyu these days. Lu Zhiyu felt his hands were tied.


    Lu Zhiyu reached out, and the entirety of Maria''s World was immediately projected on the screen on the wall. The enormous world was like a giant, translucent egg of chaos. The bitwalls wrapped around the entire world, looking like a polyhedron. The sun within shone brightly. Lights were reflected and refracted. The whole world was embraced by dreamlike shine.


    Inside the world, apart from the enormous main bitwall and the Star Kingdom was the huge half bitwall of the underworld. It was as if a giant bubble had grown out of the bottom of the world, controlling all deaths. The giant sun and the dark land of the underworld were visible within.


    Lu Zhiyu reached out, the semi-perpetual bio-optic brain in the center of the Capital of God gave out dazzling beams of light. All data of the underworld was calculated by its power, and all the details of the underworld were projected accurately in everyone''s sight.


    "Divide the bitwalls. Define the reincarnation," said Lu Zhiyu.


    Immediately, the structure of the entire underworld started to crumble from the surface to its core. The oval-shaped bitwall transformed into nine layers of concentric circles. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Each layer had completely different landscapes and environments. Some had erupting volcanoes like the lava realm. Some were freezing cold like the icy land of the North Sea. Some were covered completely by black oceans, reeking of putrefied, rotten despair.


    The closer to the core, the harsher the environment. In the center, there was nothing but endless darkness. This was the world of void, the divine palace of the Goddess of Death and the Deathbringers, and the giant City of Souls, Rom.


    The River Styx ran across the nine realms. The enormous entrance to the underworld stood at the entrance of the outmost layer, at the end of the river.


    The guardian of the entrance to the underworld, the soul-eating Goat Devil Haem, came back to life in confusion, without a clue about how this world had been changed. Standing on the giant entrance to the underworld, Haem trembled, watching the entrance shift and crumble as the Styx extended. It seemed like the entire world was collapsing.


    "Oh! What''s going on?! Everything is collapsing!" shouted the denizens of the underworld.


    The ghosts that lived within felt the sky and earth spinning around as the entire world revolved and changed. It was as if they were sucked into a giant whirlpool.


    "We are doomed! What is happening? Is this the end of the world?" they cried.


    "The world of death is now doomed!"


    Countless ghosts and powerful creatures of death who lived deep down in the underworld screamed in fear and tried to flee, but they were still trapped within and fell down into the bottom of the underworld as it transformed.


    When everything quieted down at last, ghosts and creatures of death crawled out of the reborn land and realized that the entire underworld was now completely changed.


    "The underworld was the place of reincarnation! Now this is Hell!" they exclaimed.


    "The Kingdom of ghosts and souls, Hell!"


    Lu Zhiyu stopped. The Kingdom of the Dead was now completely different, more complex, and more sophisticated. With the new system in place to control the souls, the land of the creatures of death was now combined into a perfected half bitwall. This was now a world with its own unique rules.


    With the adjustments finished, Lu Zhiyu felt that the entire world had taken a step forward. The World Perfection Plan was now in motion.

 338 Wizard Kingdom

    Starsoul World, year 380 of the Wizard Calendar.


    The development of the Starsoul World was increasing rapidly and supernatural creatures were spreading out all over. As races with centuries of development shared their culture, the entire world seemed to grow overnight, especially with the arrival of wizards.


    They came and settled on a continent they named the Wizard Continent. They created the Wizard Calendar, calling the year of their arrival in Starsoul World "Year One." Led by Catherine, hundreds of thousand of wizards and their families left the wizard tower and began the creation of their own new life.


    After more than 300 years, and with the effort of several generations, the empty Wizard Continent was finally growing in population and thriving. Many wizards with transformed Bloodline Knights created their own world out of wasteland that they tamed for humans and cleared of magical beasts.


    After centuries of transformation, the bleak Wizard Continent had become a paradise for humans. A wizard tower stood tall on the ground, creating witchcraft boundaries that covered the continent. It adjusted the climate, environment, soil, and water as well. Each city was guarded by its own wizard tower and the horizon line was dotted with them.


    The wizard towers ruled the entire Wizard Continent, and the towers were all managed by the wizard school. The Gathering of Wizards was the highest governing authority and they resided in the legendary tower, a holy land for wizards.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Wizardry was the future, and wizards were the superior beings. It was everyone''s dream to become a wizard, and everything was built to serve them. Entering the wizard school and becoming an apprentice wizard was the only road to honor and glory. Every individual was a wizard descendant, with the blood of wizards running through their veins.


    The wizards weren''t confined to land, they started exploration of the oceans and beyond as well. They discovered the other continents and other intellectual races like goblins, dwarves, trolls, and fairies. They also discovered another familiar race, the elves.


    Elves named their continent the Sylve Continent. Here they re-established the empire of elves. Wendy, the Queen of the Elves, abandoned her wizard-name after entering this world. As elves perfected the wizardry system, the queen renamed it the arcane system, and elves called themselves arcanists.


    Elves and wizards seemed to have found their futures here in Starsoul World and developed smoothly. The thriving wizard civilization was now prospering more than ever before. The population of wizards grew rapidly, reaching its limit. Their tower-centric civilization was stepping forward every day, as was their building technology.


    Alchemy witchcraft, blood witchcraft, dreamcraft, boundary witchcraft, and ghost witchcraft were absorbed by the wizard towers. The towers had now become symbols of power. It became a common belief that a wizard with a tower was undefeatable.


    The advanced astrologers and summoners learned how to study the starsoul, a divine creature that represented the rules and consciousness of the Starsoul World. Their behavior changed as the world changed. They had the power to communicate with the astral world, and anyone who dared to harm them would be swallowed up by the Starsoul World.


    Brock Kim was a goblin of the Copper Dynasty of Goblins. To his memory, the goblin civilization had started a few decades ago, at the end of the city-state period when the goblins built their first kingdom. With their large army and weapons, goblins had triumphed over trolls, dwarves and fairies. Just as they were about to become the ruling race of the Titan Continent, wizards had come to their world.


    Wizards crossed the oceans in spaceships and appeared in the sky of the Titan Continent like gods. The goblins had looked up at the spaceships and realized that their world had changed completely.


    Without even making a move, the wizards conquered the goblins easily. At the sight of the gigantic spaceships and the sound of alchemy artillery, the goblins knelt on the ground, admitting defeat.


    From that moment on, the Titan Continent was a part of the wizard''s culture. Goblins, dwarves, trolls, and fairies became slaves to the wizards.


    Trolls oversaw mining, dwarves crafted alchemy accessories, goblins worked in wizard workshops, and fairies grew magical herbs and plants. The wizards did not directly enslave them, but invited them to become allies of the Wizard Alliance. To Brock Kim, however, it was nothing but slavery.


    Later the goblins found out, that "wizard" was not even their new overlords'' name. They were humans. Wizards were humans who''d gained god-like powers. It was a saint occupation.


    Wizards built wizard towers in the goblin cities. Traders and investors came into their world. A human was now the noblest being, enslaving and exploiting. Goblin nobility went along with the humans and began the slave trade. Countless goblins, dwarves, and trolls were enslaved and taken to the Wizard Continent, never to return.


    "They destroyed our peaceful life, and brought nothing but disaster!" Brock Kim said. "We lost our freedom, became slaves, and lived as they demanded. Curse them! They even tax us and steal our gold. They are powerful creatures from a fearsome world. I heard that these wizards were frightened by the high elves who understand arcane magic, so they escaped from their world and came to ours!"


    Brock Kim was a young goblin who was taken into slavery and sold to Wizard Continent by the Great Lord of the Copper Dynasty. Down at the bottom of the human spaceship, slaves from different races were locked into special cages. Brock Kim was locked up with several goblins who were all terrified. He looked around and observed the spaceship. The detail caught Brock Kim''s eyes. Goblins were naturally drawn to elaborate and intricate gadgets. They were capable of manufacturing copies of exquisite machinery and tools from most workshops.


    Muskets, bombs and mechanical arms built by goblins were known for their quality and fine work on Wizard Continent. Even apprentice arcanists were no match for goblins. True arcanists could produce that level of work, but you had to be a City Master or a descendant of a Great Wizard to afford such luxury.


    After traveling for about one month, the spaceship landed in the faraway city of Britney, a main coastal city owned by wizards on the Wizard Continent. A huge volume of passengers got off here and went into the station. Slave owners used a trailer to take Brock Kim off the ship, through the station, and into the city. It was the first time he''d seen the wizarding world.


    The tall wizard tower caught his eye immediately. There was an alchemy clock on the tower, ticking and tocking. One could tell the local time from afar. Then he noticed the bustling streets and the tall, neat houses. Steam locomotives were roaring past. Advertisement banners were hung up by hot-air balloons. The ticket seller rang the bell when the train stopped. Shops and delicate merchandise could be seen everywhere. All the citizens were wearing fine clothes, and they walked with class and charm.


    There was a circus performing on the street. Giant advertisements were put up on the wide front doors of the theater. As the slave owners continued on, night fell on the city. Rows of gas lamps illuminated the streets and the city patrol ran past with muskets.


    Brock had never seen so many humans. Compared to the Titan Continent, this was a fantasy land. Brock would''ve never imagined that this was what the humans'' world looked like.


    "Is this the human world? How can it be so colorful and powerful?" marveled Brock. "How did they master mechanics and all these fantastic powers?"


    He curled up in the cage, clutching the iron bars and staring at everything with wide eyes. It was all so enchanting! This was such a colorful, dreamy world compared to the dull, gray land of the Titan Continent.


    An enormous monster bird appeared on the top of the wizard tower. It flapped its wings creating strong, whirling winds that produced a high shriek. On top of the bird sat a wizard wearing fine clothes in a seat protected by a shield.


    Brock looked to the sky, as the bird flew away, staring at the vanishing figure on its back. "It''s because of wizards that the human world is so wonderful," he said. "They are so powerful, can...can goblins become wizards?"


    Foreign slaves locked up in cages were dragged out by giant, transformed camelids. In the cages were goblins with green skin and pointy ears, strong dwarves with giant beards, and trolls with horrifying fangs.


    A crowd gathered around them, full of curiosity. Humans threw food to the cages as if they were watching animals at a zoo. Slaves inside the cages screamed in panic, roared in anger, or curled up in fear as the crowd laughed out loud. Brock Kim, however, simply watched the crowd with wide eyes full of hope.

 339 A Different Wizard Civilization

    "Brook Kim, these parts need to be fixed again. Can you understand the drawings? There can''t be any deviation on the size. This is the latest version of the plate armor section of the alchemy spaceship tail!"


    Inside the Wizard Tower, a goblin in white utility coveralls with oil stains on his sleeves was listening to a wizard disciple wearing a gray cape. Brook was smiling and enthusiastic as if he had devoted all his energy to grasping the basics of alchemy techniques.


    "Rest assured and leave everything to me," he said to the wizard disciple. "I will definitely do a great job!"


    "Also," the disciple continued, "Some of the gas lamps up there were broken, which might be indicative of problems in the gas series connection equipment. Could you go up there and fix them?"


    "No problem," Brook replied. "I''ll fix them by the afternoon today!"


    The wizard disciple started to leave but then turned back again. "One more thing, all thirty of the number eight standard turbines and the characters assigned to you this month must be finished within the week!"


    "I''ve already finished more than half of them," Brook assured him. "I''ll finish them in the coming evening!"


    Brook Kim had been sold to Lenny Wizard Tower as a slave, and gradually evolved from a slave who was only responsible for cleaning to an alchemy assistant because his talents and techniques earned him the trust of the human wizards. He commanded a small group of other slaves to help the wizard disciple finish the job, so he received some preferential treatment. He was still using the manually operated alchemy machines that couldn''t be controlled by mind power, so he wasn''t qualified to be a real alchemy wizard. Instead, he was basically a factory worker.


    Brook Kim only realized how many different kinds of wizards there were after his arrival at Lenny Wizard Tower. He most admired the alchemy wizards who could randomly make all sorts of alchemy equipment.


    The owner of this tower, Great Wizard Lenny, was a powerful level-three wizard. It was said that he came from a holy land of wizards, and everyone here who heard his name would exclaim in admiration and amazement. The main wizard city close to the ocean was named Lenny City after his greatness.


    There were over a thousand people living in the wizard tower, and different wizards of different identities lived on different levels. At the penthouse level lived the Great Wizard Lenny. Below that lived his disciples, after which lived the official wizards, wizard disciples, and the ordinary workers and servants. At the bottom of the chain were the slaves of other races, like Brook.


    The living conditions in the wizard tower weren''t great, and the slaves were constantly oppressed and exploited. Every day, they were given more workloads than they could possibly finish and the sick and injured were denied medical treatment, leaving them with nothing to do but wait for death. Oftentimes, Brook''s people died miserably.


    Despite the horrible conditions, Brook tried to believe the tower was a good place for him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "We have knowledge and truth here," he would say to himself. "And we have great knowledge about the powerful alchemy techniques and machines! This is heaven for goblins, and this is the paradise and holy realm for me! I have to become a real alchemy warlock in the future, no matter what it takes!"


    After a long day of work that carried on late into the night, Brook realized that it would be morning in a few hours. He entered the low-level rooms belonging to the slaves, tip-toeing since all the other slaves were asleep. While his people slept, Brook lay awake on his bed, reading over the notes he just took by the light of a gas lamp. He had learned the human languages, mathematical systems, and drawing techniques all on his own.


    At daybreak, Brook went out to help the city transportation department fix a public steam car that was broken. While Brook helped to fix it, he also tried to analyze the core components and engine systems of the steam machine. Carefully, he studied the structures and principles of the machine.


    As he read the blueprint structures and the data and details he''d marked down, Brook''s eyes started to gleam.


    "Genius!" he murmured. "What a genius invention!"


    Brook had heard that the steam machine was invented by a person named Lars Brown, an ordinary human being without any gifts. Despite his lack of powers, he was now remembered by all the alchemy warlocks.


    Inside the wet and windowless slave house, a goblin with a giant green head was lying on the pillow. Brook had just finished studying the whole night once again, and now, he got up just as the sun came out to begin a new day of tasks.


    His studying paid off, and he was finally allowed to join a complicated alchemy figure designing task force. After he succeeded at this, Brook was granted special treatment because of his great talents and became an official part of the Lenny Wizard Tower. He embarked on his journey to becoming an alchemy warlock, and he quickly mastered the meditation and basic techniques of alchemy warlocks.


    Brook then achieved his goal of becoming an alchemy warlock. He was still a member of Lenny Wizard Tower, and gradually, he became the most incredible alchemy warlock in the tower. He became responsible for all the most difficult and complicated alchemy equipment designing tasks in the tower and worked his way up to the position of most important assistant to the Great Wizard Lenny.


    He no longer only made simple alchemy objects like before, instead, he started to take part in manufacturing the most complicated alchemy ships, alchemy spaceships, and alchemy figures. He even calculated the theory on how to make magically-reinforced steam machines smaller. Steam machines that shrunk and all sorts of new alchemy equipment began to enter everyone''s lives. He was highly valued by the Great Wizard Lenny and began his ten-year study in the wizard tower.


    This was the first time that he had ever entered the wizard''s holy land. He trained in the most significant wizard tower, an element tower with six levels. More than ten wizard towers surrounded it, and inside the cities lived all the wizards and their apprentices. Brook had never seen so many wizards before, and he made many friends. This was a city in which wizards thrived.


    When Brook grew older, he participated in an important designing program for alchemy life forms. In the tower, he experienced an atmosphere that encouraged learning, where all the wizards strived for knowledge and truth. He then realized that his previous views on wizards had been narrow-minded. Only after he studied with them did he realize what being a wizard truly meant and what it was they were pursuing.


    In his old age, Brook became a master of alchemy by building the fourth-element wizard tower. He was just a level-three alchemy warlock, yet he was capable of designing and building a wizard tower with level-four elements. Even if he was just a goblin, a creature that human beings despised, he was still called a master by many people after advancing this far.


    Brook Kim became the idol of all the goblins. He advanced from a slave nobody to a superior level-three alchemy warlock who was well-known by all. He became the pillar of his people and every goblin worshipped him.


    When he felt he''d grown too old, Brook said goodbye to the wizard continent and went back to his hometown, Energy Blood Bronze Dynasty on Titan Continent. Even as he stepped back onto the continent, he realized how different he really was from everyone on the wizard continent, and how different his two homes were from each other.


    During his one-hundred-something years away from Titan continent, Brook Kim had gradually evolved to a wizard in not only his habits, but his thoughts. He was no longer a narrow-minded goblin who didn''t know what to strive for.


    Brook Kim established his own wizard tower in the goblin dynasty, and he took on goblins as his apprentices. He then encouraged all the goblins and other races to integrate with the wizard alliance and made public the truths of the wizard continent. He taught the other races the ways of the wizard world so that even races who had nothing in common with the wizard civilization or human beings began to accept the wizard system and become one with their culture, causing a surge in their status.


    As for the wizard civilization, they allowed more and more races into their system, encouraging them to be a part of the wizard civilization. They let more goblin alchemy warlocks enter the wizard continent, and there were even wizards with dwarf bloodlines, wizards from Troll Dream, and witchcraft boundary fairies walking the streets with human beings. Many elites from other races also made great contributions to the advancement of the wizard civilization.


    Suddenly, there were many other races in the wizard tower, and the wizards in the wizard parliament began discussions on whether or not they should let the other races become members. It took the other races almost two hundred years, but eventually, they fully integrated with the wizards.


    When Lu Zhiyu stepped on the wizard continent, he felt that he saw a magical world where there were trolls and dwarfs sitting on the same steam locomotives while human beings sat beside them like it was nothing. Goblins were screaming and running around the streets in their work uniforms, fixing all the alchemy facilities in the city. Human kids and dwarf kids went to the same school and carried the same backpacks.


    Great fairies who had evolved had also become a part of the wizard system and had become the guides of wizard college. They guarded the Tree of Fairies while managing a large group of fairies and witchcraft gardens.


    More than a hundred years ago when Brook Kim first entered the wizard continent, everyone looked at the other races disdainfully. Everything had drastically changed.

 340 Last Lecture

    When Lu Zhiyu stepped into the starsoul world, he went to the wizard continent first. When he saw what the place had become, he couldn''t help his amazement at the miraculous lives the people led, and greatness of the current civilization compared to the wizard continent almost one thousand years ago.


    The tower had been on the Earth around five hundred years. The wizard continent during that time was a barren land with no living creatures. Most of the continent was covered with yellow mud and bare rocks. It was located in the northern part of the world. Not only did it lack the fertile ground and plants that life forms needed to survive, but it even lacked mineral deposits, and the continent was overrun by sand and rock beasts.


    When the wizards arrived, they used wizard towers to begin reconstruction on the continent and improve the quality of the soil. They grew forests and opened up land for farming. The wizard towers even imitated the supernatural abilities of gold-eating beasts which, when combined with witchcraft, could condense mineral deposits. The wizards had completely changed the continent.


    Lu Zhiyu was sitting on a bench by the door of a bakery in Lenny City. He could see the rails of the public steam locomotives intersecting with each other at the center of the crossroad, across from which was a garden square enclosed by iron railings. The buildings inside the city were of all sorts of mysterious styles. It was a city full of glass, and there were fantastic and colorful windows everywhere. There was a giant clock at the top of the wizard tower.


    The Great Wizard Lenny, builder of the city, had passed away a long time ago. The Lenny Wizard Tower was now run by his disciples, but the name of the tower remained.


    The presence of wizards was obvious all over the city. The tall water towers and tubes were all interconnected, supplying water to the entire city. There were large interconnected alchemy gas light pillars on all the streets. Magically-reinforced transmitters that used energy power ripples to send messages replaced the originally-used wind ravens and messengers. With this, people were able to send long distance messages. Transportation, daily living and all other aspects were connected to witchcraft and wizards. Wizards had become an important part of the world. Without them, this society might crumble at any time.


    Many occupations in the city were created by apprentice wizards. Only wizards and apprentice wizards with woke mind power would be able to use all sorts of witchcraft alchemy tools to maintain the normal operation of the city.


    Already, small steam engine locomotives had appeared on the street. Lu Zhiyu noticed that they looked like cars except for the small chimneys attached to the backs of them, giving off steam. The new steam airships that flew across the sky looked even smaller. The airships were made of iron. Lu Zhiyu even saw that the current steam engine airships had already abandoned the original enormous balloon air bags. They were using the magically-reinforced steam engines to make the airships fly.


    In the distance, there were steam engine airships of the last generation. To lessen the weight, they were made of wood with enormous masts and sails. They moved forward with the help of the wind. They had streamlined bodies and enormous wings. When they moved forward, people couldn''t help covering their ears because of the loud humming sound caused by the spinning fan blades.


    There were still fighting airships in the sky, and those miniaturized airships could carry more than ten people. There were bombs and magically-reinforced machine guns onboard. These airships were smaller and more flexible, and they were much faster, both at speed and turning, than the original steam engine airships. They were the perfect weapons for war. The appearance of these war machines meant that the world would not remain at peace.


    The wizard parliament managed the entire wizard continent. Each wizard tower was responsible for a city and its surrounding towns. Wizard colleges were like the previous countries. Among different wizard colleges, there were conflicts or even wars over resources and land. Although the wizard parliament and the towers would try to interfere as mediators, the colleges'' power was an important part of the negotiations.


    Wherever there were human beings, conflicts were unavoidable.


    "Wow! Combat airships!" exclaimed a group of children.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "The airships have started to patrol again. It''s epic!"


    "I want to be a pilot of combat airships too!"


    As the kids walked along the streets, they looked at the combat airships flying across the sky and screamed in amazement. As the airships spun in the sky above Lenny City and disappeared into the clouds, their hearts surged.


    "How impressive!"


    "I have to become a goblin helicopter pilot in the future! A trump card like goblin helicopter pilot Luke! Go!"


    Among the kids was a goblin and a troll. Kids from different races put their arms on each others'' shoulders, looking at the sky. Scenes like this made people feel the inclusivity of the wizard civilization.


    Lu Zhiyu couldn''t help smiling and giving praise. "I love this world, Katherine," he said to himself. "You have indeed established a kingdom that belongs to wizards. And it''s a different world of wizards to you!"


    Everything here was fresh and new to Lu Zhiyu. Theoretically, such an advancement of the steam engine wizard civilization should have led to some serious pollution and other kinds of environmental destruction. However, the air in the city was exceptionally fresh because the wizards had reinvented the steam engine machines. The more popular magically-reinforced steam engine machines had replaced the original ones which greatly reduced the pollution. Another reason for the lack of smog was the design of the wizard towers. They themselves were fundamental buildings that combined all the important city functions.


    Wizard towers not only had the power to attack and defend themselves, but could give out witchcraft boundaries to regulate the environment and purify the air. Even the pollution that had gathered in the soil for a very long time could be reverted back with the help of wizard towers.


    Lu Zhiyu was sitting on the side of the street, experiencing the beauty of the city and the differences in lives in the world. He observed the differences between this world and Maria''s World.


    Groups of people wearing ancient capes walked in front of Lu Zhiyu. There were workers wearing uniforms, apprentice wizards wearing gray capes and alchemy apprentice goblins, as well as architecture and timber worker trolls, wearing strange hats and backpacks. No one noticed the man standing on the street, observing their lives, and they would certainly never imagine that this person was their creator, the person who gave them their lives and everything they needed to survive in this world.


    The people from this world had already forgotten where they really came from. Most of them had no idea that they were from somewhere else. A world named Maria. They didn''t know the existence of orcs, sahagins, priests, The Church of Light and all the other gods. They only knew of wizards.


    Lu Zhiyu only stood up after the sun had set and the night fell. The street lights were turned on, and the nightlife in the city had begun. Lu Zhiyu walked through the darkness and went toward the wizard tower.


    "It''s time to go see Katherine!" he said. "Based on the flow of time in this world, I haven''t seen her for almost five hundred years!"


    Lu Zhiyu had come here to visit the creators. When Katherine left, she was at level five just like Edward. It had been around five hundred years, and they were now approaching the end of their lives. If they couldn''t reach level seven, one thousand years would be the longest they were able to live. It was not a simple job to reach level seven. Wizards didn''t have the witchcraft strong enough to reach this level, nor did they have the power to deduce the abilities and techniques of mythical creature templates at level seven.


    Even if they improved their mind power to level seven and deified all the cells in their bodies, they could only be pseudo-level-seven like Adonis. Without a level-seven mythical template, nobody could wield that level of power. If Adonis didn''t have the bone dragon and the power of a great ghost army, and the supernatural power hadn''t been at its lowest, he wouldn''t have been able to cause such a scene at pseudo-level-seven.


    "Perhaps it''s time for me to give them the last lecture!" Lu Zhiyu said.


    "It''s been a long time since the last time I gave them lectures. How many students do I still have left? Are they all... dead?"

 341 How to Become a Mythical Wizard

    The tower was built at the center of a plain. There didn''t seem to be anything different about this enormous wizard tower. It was tall and pierced through the clouds. However, fundamentally, it had gone through some serious changes. It was an element tower, and it was a wizard tower that only level-four element wizards were able to build and control. When wizard towers evolved, they could become an elemental power that was able to control the witchcraft boundary.


    As for the tower, it was a level-six element tower. The master of this tower, Katherine, had reconstructed this tower at its base. She had maintained the outward appearance of this tower. However, it was no longer stone that formed the base of the tower, but some special materials that were akin to stones.


    There were more than ten wizard towers surrounding the main tower, and the boundaries emanating from the point of the towers were connected, forming a gigantic unified boundary, like a phantom dome enveloping all the towers.


    Inside the dome was a magical city. Lots of steam airships took off into the sky and traveled among the clouds. It was evening, and the lights in the city were still shining. There was always hustle and bustle, and the city stayed awake until the sunrise.


    "Parasitic magical worms! Only thirty wizard coins!"


    "Pure wind ravens! Fully-protected communications! Nobody will steal your messages! Safe and loyal! Only one hundred wizard coins!"


    "Broken steam machine figure paper! Prices are negotiable!"


    "Soul-purifying potions that amplify the effects of meditation. It can amplify effects by ten percent, and one bottle can last¡­"


    This street still retained some of its ancient charms under the bright shining lights of the city. Wizards wearing capes and cloaks gathered here, as quite a few of the younger wizards had set up stores and shops on this street. A pair of twin female wizards were standing in front of their store, showing the functions of their alchemy potions, which attracted lots of interest and attention.


    The wooden shop signs were inscribed with the names of the alchemy witchcraft shops, "Vivian''s Magically-Reinforced Pet Shop,""Derek''s Alchemy Design Shop,""Witchcraft Alchemy Playground," and so on.


    Lu Zhiyu walked through the wizard-packed street toward the tower at the center of the magical city. The enormous tower was the most eye-catching building in the entire region. If someone wanted to get into the tower, they needed to walk through the enormous white castle in front of the tower where there were the students lived and studied.


    "Many buildings of the old have been preserved. Castles, shops, and several special wizard towers are still here," Lu Zhiyu thought, looking at the familiar structures as he walked into the tower. The two wizards guarding the hall didn''t notice Lu Zhiyu, who walked right in and started up the stairs to the top of the tower.


    At the same time, Katherine was up in the main control room at the very top of the tower, playing with her observation equipment. The telescope in the observation tower extended out through the window and pointed right at the starry sky and dimensional wall outside.


    "This time, we can see the stars very clearly using this telescope, and we can even see the reflection of the astral world outside our world using the dimensional wall!"


    "What do you think we will find this time, Pyros? Will we be able to see another world? Will we see Maria''s World?"


    Katherine was carefully operating the astral telescope which looked like a six-meter barbette. She was closely monitoring the data and the turntable on the astral telescope. She had dedicated her whole life to understanding the mysteries of this world, and even so, she still couldn''t figure out how this world really worked or what it was really made of.


    They weren''t even able to enter the dimensional wall to explore. The closest spot where the dimensional wall was closest to the ground was several hundred kilometers up, which was too high for ordinary wizards to fly. The higher a place was, the more frequently elemental storms and space vibrations occurred.


    Even if they were able to enter the dimensional wall, there were no directions in the dimensional wall, and there were countless space wrinkles, which meant you would never be able to know where you would find yourself next. It was like an enormous maze, and no living being who entered this maze would be able to make it out.


    Wizards started to use indirect methods to observe and study the composition of this world. The newest way was to observe the stars and the strange scenes in the dimensional wall using the special astral telescopes they had invented. As for what they observed, there were the special star-soul lives in the dimensional wall. Thus, the professions of astrologists and summoners were created to study them.


    A sphinx from the newest generation of sphinxes was stationed at the door of the highest floor of the tower. Each new generation of the sphinx was called "Pyros." As Katherine worked, Pyros yawned lazily. She relaxed and overlapped its claws, and wasn''t concerned with being too attentive to Katherine right now.


    "Although this is only a second-generation astral telescope, it''s still impossible to observe the scenes or the reflections of the astral world. The most you can see are the stars and some special scenes hidden deeper in the dimensional wall. If we want to¡­" Before Pyros could finish talking, she suddenly raised her head and looked around as if she had sensed something special. At the same time, Katherine finally fixed her new astral telescope.


    "Okay, perhaps we can find more star souls this time. Each star soul had different abilities and stands for different things. Every time when we find a special star soul, we can channel its power to study different things. This time¡­"


    "Let me see it!" Pyros summoned the astral telescope Katherine had just finished fixing, and it swooped towards her. It looked toward the dimensional wall from the same angle Katherine had been observing from.


    Lu Zhiyu could see a star giving out light in the deep area of the dimensional wall. The star souls were breathing together with this world, and they were getting more powerful as they ran the operations of this world and as the world grew stronger. It was as if there was actually a huge and special star hanging in the sky, carrying out its duties and abilities.


    "How magnificent!" Lu Zhiyu couldn''t help but exclaim. The race of star souls had already matured enough to take on their responsibilities. Katherine, standing beside him, looked at Lu Zhiyu''s dark hair. She looked at his face, listened to his familiar voice, and she could even smell his special scent.


    Seeing Lu Zhiyu let his hands go and turn around to look at her, Katherine smiled with him, "That''s right, the world is the most beautiful thing in the eyes of wizards."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Lu Zhiyu looked down through the windows of the tower and saw the gigantic City of Wizards. He also observed the area that was covered by the entire Kingdom of Wizards and its civilization.


    "Is this what the Kingdom of Wizards is in the eyes of you, Bohr, Akkad, and all the other first-generation wizards?" he asked.


    "It''s fantastic. I love it, and I believe that they''ll love it too!"


    Lu Zhiyu curved his lips, and there was a trace of a smile on his tranquil face. He looked Katherine in the eyes and said, "Thanks, Katherine!"


    Katherine''s eyes gleamed bright, and the smile on her beautiful face looked like a colorful flower blossoming. The more she smiled, the less she could control herself. She held her face with both of her hands, and it seemed that she was truly happy. Being affirmed by Lu Zhiyu was just as good to her as being affirmed by other wizards of the first generation.


    Lu Zhiyu and Katherine kept looking at each other. They were able to communicate with each other only through eye contact. They were both smiling with happiness.


    Lu Zhiyu walked down the stairs of the observation tower and Katherine followed him. Looking at the gigantic telescope, Lu Zhiyu suddenly asked, "Since this world is so beautiful, are you interested in spending more time exploring and finding its secrets, Katherine?"


    Katherine was dazed. She let go of her hands, looked at Lu Zhiyu, and smiled. She put her hands on her back like she did when she was being taught by Lu Zhiyu back in the tower in the Dark Forest.


    "What should I do?"


    Lu Zhiyu looked around and set a blackboard down on the ground. He then stood on the stairs and tidied up his long robe.


    "Are you interested in taking one more lecture from me?" he asked.


    Katherine watched Lu Zhiyu''s movements in silence. They were his usual movements, yet they triggered lots of memories. She remembered how Lu Zhiyu used to be, and how many people used to be. Katherine couldn''t even remember the names of some of them, yet she could still remember their faces, which were familiar and kind.


    "Of course¡­ Of course¡­ I¡­ Very¡­"


    Katherine couldn''t help but smile and covered her mouth with her hands, and she couldn''t help tearing up, either. She couldn''t even keep her voice smooth anymore. It was supposed to be a pleasant and sweet moment, all of a sudden it was mixed with sorrow.


    She set a chair in the center of the room, even though there were lots of other chairs around her. All of a sudden, several rows of empty chairs appeared beside her. Katherine was now sitting at the center of the front row where she always wanted to sit.


    Lu Zhiyu tapped the blackboard, and he looked around at all the people sitting down there as if he were a teacher checking whether or not all of his students were present. Lu Zhiyu stood straight and said, "Now that everyone''s here, I''ll begin my lesson. Today, we''re going to talk about how to reach level seven and become a mythical wizard, and a couple of the crucial steps."

 342 Titan Continent and Goblin

    Mythical wizards were called "mythical" because their life expectancies had already surpassed that of an average person and they were close to achieving immortality. There were three conditions that needed to be satisfied before someone could become a mythical wizard. They needed a mind power level of sixty-four hundred, a fully deified body, and a mythical life template that would merge with their deified body.


    If someone didn''t transform their body into a deified one and merge their body with a mythical life template, the chance risk of risk they faced would be incredibly high and their chance for success would be unbelievably low. The first step was to reach the mind power level of sixty-four hundred units, which was already a very high threshold to lots of people. It was almost impossible to reach sixty-four hundred units, even if someone had mountains of resources and philosopher''s stones available to them.


    The wizards with mythical templates didn''t have the ability to reconstruct and cultivate mythical creatures like Lu Zhiyu, so they had to resort to the mythical creature templates Lu Zhiyu used before, and the special wizards had to extract the bloodline source and mythical cell blood from those magical beasts.


    Lu Zhiyu wrote out some complicated witchcraft techniques and the characteristics of mythical cell structure on the blackboard. He also wrote down the three basic conditions needed to reach level seven. Time passed, and the dark night and stars faded away. The sun rose over the horizon and the angle of the light changed, shining through the windows.


    "This is all about mythical wizards and mythical creatures. What about the gods? Who are the gods? Are there any beings superior to level-seven mythical creatures? Teacher!"


    Katherine was so devoted to the complicated and thickly-dotted engravings on the several blackboards it was as if she had been absorbed into another world. The light shone in from the top of the tower, and it cast long shadows on the ground. It shone on Katherine''s body. Before Katherine realized what happened, she found that Lu Zhiyu was long gone.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Teacher?"


    Katherine stood up and walked to the center of the top of the tower. She walked around, and the long white rope attached to her tall body swayed with her movements. The being with the short black ponytail and eyes that looked like stars was no longer in the room.


    Katherine suddenly felt like she had lost something precious, and her vision became blurry. She looked out through the windows and asked, "Did he leave again?"

 343 Arcanis

    The arcane practiced by fairies was developed from the sorcerer system and the divine system. Wendy had read most of the notes about the Creator. Although she couldn''t understand most of the words, they still opened the Door of Truth for wizards because of all the information about life structures, the sorcerer system, world structure and the divine system. The notes were an insight into the mysteries of power.


    If a level-four wizard wanted to remember something, he or she would still be able to remember it even after several hundred years. Arcanists were not only a different group of wizards, but they also belonged to a completely different system.


    Fairy arcane empire was based on the Philosopher''s Stone and witchcraft boundaries, combined with the divine system. It was another spellcasting occupation that had completely abandoned the sorcerer system. Half of the spellcasting system was derived from the ideas of Lu Zhiyu, and the name "Arcane" also came from his notes.


    The fundamental power of wizards followed the mythical cell system. Magical beasts, alchemy creatures and ghosts all evolved from mythical cells, and this was also the system Lu Zhiyu had been using and expanding.


    Arcanists were different. They had abandoned the original mythical cell system, and embedded arcane crystals (modified philosophers'' stones) to change their identity. The arcane crystals contained the philosophy of sub-brain intelligence, and it was the spellcasting organ of arcanists. It was also an upgraded version of witchcraft boundary wizards.


    After that, the Fairy Empress Wendy also combined element wizards and dream wizards so that witchcraft boundary wizards didn''t need mythical cells to cast supernatural power. She created arcane power using the witchcraft mind-power-structure branding spellcasting so that arcanists could perform supernatural power that could interfere with material elements without mythical cells.


    Meanwhile, arcane crystals were also constantly being updated and reconstructed. Different types of arcane crystals also had different types of magical power, such as communication and borrowing the power of ancient trees. They could also extract power from witchcraft boundaries, and they could store magical power.


    In all aspects, this was a system designed for fairies, who could live for a long time. This system abandoned the mythical cell system. Ordinary life forms could only live for one hundred-something years. Only fairies had life spans long enough to become mythical creatures. If they could become mythical creatures but couldn''t reach level seven, they would live for a maximum of a thousand years whether they followed the wizard system or not.


    "These creatures are so blessed by our Creator!" said every wizard who knew about the fairies.


    All fairy arcanists needed to do was to keep cultivating and upgrading their arcane crystals and to become mythical creatures. Wendy seemed to be exploring the arcanist path to reach level seven as well. She wanted to explore a path that was different from Lu Zhiyu''s.


    Sylve Continent was at the north of Starsoul world, and it was below Titan Continent. Wizard Continent was at the north of Titan Continent. It was an irregularly-shaped, narrow continent.


    That was where fairies lived. It had been more than five hundred years, yet the population of fairies had not grown much. It used to be hundreds of thousands of fairies, and now there were barely over one million of them. Compared to the size of Sylve Continent, the population of fairies living on it was miniscule.


    However, deep inside the continent, traces of fairies could be seen in the form of farms and neatly managed gardens. Enormous, ancient fairy trees moved in the forests, and at the top of them were fairy houses. Green-haired fairies with pointy ears sprinkled fluorescent light all around, and collected the pollen that floated up from the blooming flowers.


    The roads were perfectly built. Although these roads were built in the middle of the forest, there were no signs of logging. Instead, the forest and road seemed to grow around each other, which was why the roads in the Fairy Arcane Empire looked so mysterious. The trees at the sides were all crooked and bizarre. Anyone who walked the path between the trees, walked a path of strangeness.


    Each fairy city was a combination of giant witchcraft gardens. The second Lu Zhiyu saw this, he was reminded of the mythical sky garden from Babylon. A spring flowed from the penthouse, and like an enormous bridge, there were water paths tens of feet tall. The light reflected from the water and formed a rainbow.


    The water circulation system was perfect. There was a garden on each level, and there were transparent glass windows and stone walls with sculptures of beautiful figures. Flowers and vines blossomed everywhere, and even the houses and shopping streets of other ordinary fairies looked like came straight out of a fable. Each fairy was romantic in their bones, which could be told from the houses they''d built.


    There were also lots of ancient war trees of all sizes in the city. The witchcraft boundary emanated from the ancient trees and enveloped the entire city. The ancient war trees of the new generation had great intelligence, and they were also the managers of the city, friends of arcanists, spellcasting assistants, controllers of city-wide alchemy facilities and maintenance workers of the elementary city system. The trees were then further categorized as lots of different types based on their functions, such as ancient guardian trees, ancient war trees and ancient life trees.


    They did their jobs at the center of the city where they controlled the entries and exits of the city. They guarded the witchcraft garden and the water circulation system, as well as controlled the witchcraft boundary and aerial transportation.


    "Mr.Farlomon, I need to leave the city!"


    A male fairy was standing at the door of the train. He was waving the badge on his arm. An ancient tree with a giant face swept the place with its mind power.


    "I approve!" said the tree.


    The witchcraft boundary opened and the train travelled through the small city gate. It rushed into the forest through the portal surrounded by flowers.


    "Mister, I need the authority to use the witchcraft garden!"


    An ancient tree was standing at the entry to the glass-framed witchcraft garden. All the fairies who wanted to enter the witchcraft garden had to be granted approval by him first, or the only door that would open would lead to a garden with the vines that looked like iron walls.


    "It''s the airship merchant team Ascar. We want to get into the main city!"


    "I''m an arcane apprentice, and I am applying for the advancement authority so I can start to learn arcane magic!"


    Everything in the Fairy Arcane Empire had been drastically changed. Arcanist was not only a noun that could be altered or a second name for wizards, instead, it was a new supernatural occupation that completely belonged to fairies. They''d become independent from the wizards, and they had embarked on a path all to themselves.


    At this moment, the capital city of the Fairy Arcane Empire, Sylve City, was trapped in sorrow. Petals were flying in the sky above the fairy royal city, and there were also petals everywhere on the ground.


    Even the witchcraft boundary was closed, and the airships were forbidden to fly. The hustles and bustles the city was used to were temporarily lost. All the fairies gathered around the royal palace. There were fairies wearing either plain-colored shirts or dresses surrounding the royal palace. On the square, a large number of fairies were praying.


    Inside the palace, large groups of arcanists stood on the stairs, forming a long line deep into the palace where an old fairy lay emaciated. A beautiful female fairy in a crown held his hands gently. He was looking at her with wise, calm eyes.


    The fairy laying on the bed was Wolfe. He was more than one hundred years older than Wendy, and he was now almost one thousand years. He had failed to get to level four, which left him with some serious side effects, and now he was walking toward the end of his life. During most of a fairies lifetime, their energy would be at its peak. It was only near death that they began to see symptoms of old age.


    "Wendy, I''ve lived a long and happy life, and now, I''m going to die peacefully. It''s an amazing thing, and I have nothing to complain about. We shouldn''t ask for too much, and we shouldn''t try to obtain that which we can''t control, otherwise we won''t be happy. We should cherish the moments we''ve already had, which is exactly what I have done!"


    "I know," Wendy said. Her voice sounded stiff, and it was obviously trembling.


    Wendy held Wolfe''s hands and looked into his eyes. She was squeezed his hands tightly. She was not as tranquil on the inside as she attempted to appear on the outside.


    Wolfe looked at Wendy. Suddenly, a smile crossed his wrinkled face.


    "You don''t know," he said, but his voice was not malevolent, it was peaceful. "You''ve always been like this. You look gentler than everyone else, but you''re actually more stubborn."


    Wolfe tried to sit up, but he realized that he didn''t even have the strength to do that anymore. His mind power had also almost completely faded away. Wendy immediately helped him sit up.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Wolfe sat straight and looked out the window. There were petals flying in the sky as if it were raining flowers. The petals revolved in the breeze, and some of them came in through the window.


    Wolfe suddenly lost his mind. He opened his mouth wide and tried to say something, but for a long time, he couldn''t say a word. In the end, he only said one thing.


    "How beautiful!"


    Wolfe closed his eyes and passed away. At this moment, the bell in the palace rang, and all the fairies kneeled down. Many crying fairies put flowers on the stairs in front of the palace. The ringing bell meant that Grand Duke Wolfe from the Fairy Arcane Empire had gone back to nature and the order.

 344 The Immortal

    When elves died, they would have themselves buried under the Tree of Life. Their bodies would be decomposed by the Tree of Life and once again become a part of the Tree of Life. All started with the Tree of Life, and all ended with it. It was the circle of life.


    The Kingdom of Sylve no longer had the Tree of Life, but the tradition lived on. Every elf would ask their family to bury their body under a special Tree of the Undead after they passed away. This peculiar plant could decompose even the body of an arcanist. And, after a year, beautiful white flowers would blossom on its branches.


    Most saints and wizards chose similar paths. Their bodies could be extremely dangerous, even after they had died, and could attract much unwanted attention. Most wizards chose to be cremated or to carry out their funerals in other special ways. No matter if they were a common man or a saint, death was painful and, moreover, a significant ceremony of life.


    The cemeteries of elves were full of Trees of the Undead. Each tree represented an elf who had passed away. Despite their beautiful exteriors, Trees of the Undead symbolized death and withering. They invoked sorrow and solemnity because the elves had ascribed them such meanings.


    Dark night fell on the empty cemetery. Elf Queen Wendy stood alone under Wolfe''s Tree of the Undead. Bouquets formed a small garden beneath it.


    The leaves in the cemetery whispered in the night breeze. Wendy''s black cape trembled in the breeze as well. The cape''s hood covered half of her beautiful face. Her hair danced freely over her cheeks.


    Lu Zhiyu, who was also wearing a black cape, set a bouquet beneath Wolfe''s Tree of the Undead. As the wind rustled their capes, he turned and looked at Wendy.


    "Wolfe asked me to give you this," said Wendy as she reached out her hand and passed something to Lu Zhiyu. Lu Zhiyu took the item and realized that it was a tower badge, the same one Lu Zhiyu gave Wolfe when he graduated.


    "Did Wolfe leave any word?" Lu Zhiyu asked as he looked at the badge lying in his palm. Exquisitely engraved on the badge was a tower on top of the black ridges. It was the first tower. And now, time had changed everything. Everything and everyone had changed or faded away.


    "Not a word!" Wendy answered. Her face appeared as a blur within the hood.


    Lu Zhiyu held the tower badge tight in his palm and closed his eyes. A shadow flew through his mind''s eye, and it brought back the memory of standing in front of Leves'' grave in the tower cemetery.


    "Every birth brings death! Even the word ''birth'' insinuates the inevitability of death. As if everything was predestined! Not just humans, but every existence will eventually fade away!"


    Wendy stood under the Tree of the Undead, listening to Lu Zhiyu''s speech and watching him. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around herself and could not help but laugh out loud, as if she had heard something ridiculous.


    "Hah hah¡­ho ho¡­ Is this how the almighty creator looks down on us mortal beings? Is that what we, the lives you created yourself, mean to you? Is every faded life of such insignificance?" asked Wendy, eyes brimming with tears. Her eyes were filled with sorrow and obstinacy, but she did not let tears spill out. Reaching a certain level, saints could control their bodies fully, even their instinct to cry. Such complete control of one''s instincts and desires elevated life to a state without any physical bounds. However, at this very moment, Lu Zhiyu felt one must have lost something when gaining such an ability.


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head. He did not get emotional because of Wendy''s misunderstanding. "I am just saying, death awaits every existence. It completes the circle of life."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Wendy. His calm, unemotional eyes were inscrutable. Wendy looked into his eyes. She saw the beginning and the end of the world, endless reincarnation, the birth and death of countless lives. Yet one stood still inside, observing the creation and destruction of everything.


    Wendy saw everything and felt everything the one felt. A great sense of loneliness and pressure fell over her. She could not breathe under such horror.


    Lu Zhiyu turned his face away, looked to Wolfe''s Tree of the Undead, and said, "Being immortal is lonely and painful. Being immortal is the cruelest punishment one can endure if one cannot find the purpose and goal of life. Are you certain you wish to go down this path?"


    Wendy gazed at Lu Zhiyu''s figure. The overpoweringly tall figure spoke of loneliness all of a sudden. He seemed somewhat thin in the night breeze of the cemetery. It seemed the immortal figure could vanish into thin air, like mist. Wendy felt a painful feeling pass in waves through her chest to her throat and nose, and she shouted at Lu Zhiyu, "One day I shall be stronger than you! I will find a way to surpass you, even if you are the creator, the dominator of the world, an existence I cannot comprehend!"


    "So what?" asked Lu Zhiyu.


    "I will imprison you in my world until the origins of existence die out, and eternity and immortality crumble apart!" said Wendy.


    "How terrifying!" answered Lu Zhiyu.


    "It''s alright. Because I shall be there with you until the end!"


    ---


    Year 536 on the Wizard''s Calendar.


    The arcane kingdom of elves rose gradually with the leadership of Elf Queen Wendy. Though elves could not match the population or influence of humans and other races, they had a far greater proportion of wizards.


    The original wizard system was developed and perfected by countless wizards over thousands of years. It was far more refined than the arcane system. The wizard system had many more categories and wider applications on civilizations.


    Take witchcraft as a simple example. The complicated lower-level witchcrafts and average alchemy items might seem unimportant, but they formed the very foundation of the wizard civilization and supported its development. The wizard system could not be supported or go far with just a few high-level destructive witchcrafts.


    The wizard system could now support an entire civilization, embrace different races, and march forward as expected. On the other hand, arcanists were just rising. Even though the arcane system was based on the wizard system and the divine system, it still had a long way to go until perfection.


    However, in that very year, the arcane kingdom of elves progressed from developing internally to expanding out of the Sylve Continent, beginning to march forward and explore. The arcane system was finally being perfected by the efforts of Elf Queen Wendy and the many elf arcanists of the past centuries.


    Arcanists started to come into the world of other races in the Starsoul World. Elves started to influence the rest of the Starsoul World and went into a phase of rapid development.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    In the holy land of the wizard civilization, word came from the tower that the owner of the tower, the Thousand-faced Witch, the mythical wizard Catherine, was about to make a breakthrough. At the same time, through the development of the arcane system, the help of Lu Zhiyu''s note, and her discussions with him, Elf Queen Wendy found the key to a breakthrough and became a level seven arcanist.

 345 Chaos Worm

    It took a very long time for the Starsoul World to be perfected. The semi-perpetual bio-optic brain had been on for the entire time, filling the Starsoul World with energy and matter, and perfecting the rules of the Starsoul World with a massive amount of Source Form, all as Lu Zhiyu had programmed.


    The Starsoul World would eventually match the level that Maria''s World had achieved centuries ago. The amount of matter and Source Form consumed in order to alter the world''s rules was astronomical.


    "It is not easy to perfect a world. A world with perfect rules requires energy, matter, the perfection of rules, and the creation of a life system. I cannot perfect the entire krynnspace single-handedly. That would be impossible," said Lu Zhiyu. He was standing on the edge of the floating-space city, the Capital of God. An inverted, more than 100-meter-thick translucent crystallized layer was in the sky over the Capital of God. The projections were turned off. Therefore, instead of the sun and clouds, one could see the astral world directly on the layer.


    "That is the world created by God!"


    "It''s beautiful!"


    "I heard it''s much larger than The Capital of God!"


    "By how much?"


    "I don''t know. Anyway, it''s huge. Lord Eva told me that!"


    Below was the enormous Starsoul World. Crowds of tiny fairies gathered around the edges of the Capital of God, gazing at the gigantic Starsoul World. The huge world was wrapped by the spherical bitwall, rotating and changing gradually and beautifully in silence. The crowds jabbered excitedly.


    Apart from tiny fairies, there were also Great Fairies who were transformed from tiny fairies. They were level four supernatural creatures. From elfin, adorable fairies hiding behind leaves and petals, they transformed into adult-sized, human-like creatures. Fairies were, in essence, similar to demons. They were both Source Form half-incorporeal creatures. At the moment of leveling up, they returned to the flower buds on top of the Ancient Tree of Fairies, and a beautiful creature was born as the flower blossomed.


    Among the flowers and greens, they vanished with a glimmer, became a part of the huge Ancient Tree of Fairies, and emerged again from a different branch. Plants grew and withered as they moved their fingertips. They could be seen in the corridors of palaces in the Capital of God, laughing and frolicking in sheer fabrics.


    The fairies would flutter their four wings, dancing lightly in the sky and among the divine pillars. They brought life into the Capital of God, so that it was no longer an ice-cold coffin floating in the astral world.


    When they became Great Fairies, they reported to Eva voluntarily. Eva would grant them permission to manage part of the internal affairs and authorities of the Capital of God. In a way, the Capital of God was a miniature world, and fairies were the race of the Capital of God.


    While the fairies stared at the Starsoul World in shock, Lu Zhiyu looked outside of the Starsoul World. The vast, boundless astral world, dark and enormous. Dark, empty, and void were the main themes of the krynnspace. The worlds and bitwalls were only a small fraction of it.


    The scroll opened up an entrance to another dimension. Lu Zhiyu still did not know the size of the krynnspace constructed by the dimensional interval that he had circled randomly before.


    "Didn''t we agree that you would wait in the garden? Here''s the new dessert I tried out. I prepared this personally, and I used the Soul Flower of Frost grown by several Great Fairies!" Eva appeared beside Lu Zhiyu all of a sudden. She followed Lu Zhiyu''s gaze, looking into the deep astral world, but not into the Starsoul World.


    "How lonely! Empty, with nothing within!" Eva said aloud what Lu Zhiyu was thinking.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and said, "Maybe I could create a special astral world creature. It could evolve by absorbing energy, matter, and Source Form, transforming into something similar to a world. The moment it attains maturity, it shall die. And it will then become the embryo for a new world, developing the krynnspace automatically. It shall control the semi-perpetual bio-optic brain and will become the spokesman of the astral world. It may take thousands of years, or hundreds of thousands of years, to become the embryo of a new world. And it may take an even longer time to become a perfected world. Nevertheless, it is much better than creating worlds one by one all by myself. Filling this krynnspace all by myself is impossible."


    Lu Zhiyu broke into a smile of great expectation. He said, "Such a world is a world with infinite possibilities. Who could be created within? Only such a krynnspace and world could be so beautiful and so full of surprises. One could not guess what will result and what the future may look like."


    Eva looked to Lu Zhiyu. He was always lost in his own thoughts and talked to himself often. However, every thought and word of the creator could affect the entire world and the fates of countless lives.


    But this time was different. It was a topic related to the entire astral world and the fate of the entire krynnspace. This might be something impacting thousands of worlds and the future.


    "And when can we see such an astral world?"


    "Um. It could be a long wait. Maybe hundreds of thousands of years, or even longer! The idea for such astral world creatures only entered my mind at this moment."


    "That''s alright. Time is probably the only luxury we have."


    ---


    There was an existence. No one knew where it came from or for what purpose it was created. It traveled across the vast astral world with no end. It devoured chaos and all things. It was the devourer of everything in the world, as well as the creator of the world and everything within.


    It was without intelligence, purpose, thought, or feeling. It seemed its sole goal was to devour everything, swallow everything, eat up everything inside the astral world. Be it enormous bitwall worlds, or even gods.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    It could devour even time and space. Once devoured, the proof of a world''s existence was completely eaten up, disappeared from the krynnspace, as if it never existed. It was the origin of every existence and the end of a world.


    When it grew to the size of a continent, or a world, and could no longer take in anything, it would die and become the seed for a new world. Everything would be created and born from the seed, as if everything it devoured before was reborn from its dead body, like the circle of life.


    From sources with unknown origins, when a world approached the dusk of its doom, the larva of the Chaos Worms would be reborn from the grave of worlds. However, no one had seen it before, as no one could escape from a world collapsing and narrowing rapidly on its doomsday. ¡ª Excerpt from the essay of the great level eight arcanist of the Arcane Kingdom, Mientte Ambrose.


    ¡ªEncyclopedia of the Astral World, Chapter: Chaos Worm

 346 The Age of Gods

    The larva was glittering and crystal-clear, chubby, and lovable. If one looked closely, one would have found that its shell seemed to be made of mazes consisting of virtual grids. Inside its body, a spinning silver vortex beamed beautiful silvery lights.


    It was floating in front of Lu Zhiyu as if there was no weight or gravity. When it wiggled, everything around it was affected by its movement. Not just light or matter, but even space was impacted.


    "Ah-choo!"


    An involuntary sneeze from the fist-sized creature brought a violent storm to the Capital of God. Trees and rocks were picked up from the ground. Crowds of tiny fairies were blown into the sky. It was almost like doomsday had befallen The Capital of God.


    "Reconstruct! Return!"


    Lu Zhiyu reached out. The entire world turned into a freeze-frame. Then, the destroyed Capital of God returned to its original state, every movement and all damage reversed.


    However, all the fairies looked toward the sky in shock. This inconspicuous larva was breathing with the rhythm of the world, holding the power to devour everything.


    Eva appeared next to Lu Zhiyu as a projection of light and said, "Lord, please do not perform such horrific experiments inside The Capital of God. The fairies will get hurt."


    Eva looked at the Chaos Worm in front of Lu Zhiyu. She immediately felt pressured and threatened by this small creature. Eva asked, "Is this what your majesty was talking about?"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the small Chaos Worm. In a way, it could be considered family to Lu Zhiyu. However, it was a special family member created with the help of the semi-perpetual machine. One could also say that it was a part of the semi-perpetual machine. Lu Zhiyu could not create the Chaos Worms outside of the krynnspace. The rules and level of energy involved were way beyond Lu Zhiyu''s control. Lu Zhiyu never thought that he would create the Chaos Worm before creating a family of earthlings.


    As humble as the worm looked, it was a level eight mythical creature.


    The Chaos Worm had its own mythical creature template. However, its template was rather special. It was a world. The Chaos Worm''s level-up system was the world''s journey of evolution. Nevertheless, Lu Zhiyu had programmed it so that, once the Chaos Worm had evolved into the prototype of a world, the world would then develop freely without further alteration.


    Every Chaos Worm was identical. However, once it had become a seed for a world, the future would be full of possibilities. Lu Zhiyu had only created one Chaos Worm for now. To nurture and raise such a terrifying creature would cost him massive amounts of resources.


    There was not much energy or matter in the astral world for it to consume, nor any remains of a deceased world to feed it. Therefore, Lu Zhiyu had to feed it with energy until it reached maturity. Lu Zhiyu''s Source Form and semi-perpetual machine would provide enough energy and matter to feed it for now, and he would later increase the amount gradually.


    Until the krynnspace became perfected, the Chaos Worms would maintain the circle of life in the krynnspace without Lu Zhiyu''s support, consuming the matter and energy of a deceased world and creating a new world instead.


    "Go! Create your own world!"


    Lu Zhiyu reached out. The space rippled around his arm. A channel to the unknown deep astral world was opened. Lu Zhiyu released his hands, and the Chaos Worm vanished into the air. It was an astral creature. When it entered the astral world, it was like a fish returning to water. As it started to breathe, the space around it became stretched and wrinkled. Its size grew gradually. It had started its journey in the dark, cold astral world.


    Lu Zhiyu withdrew his hands, looked to Eva, and said, "Well, this is a new start!"


    "I look forward to seeing the future of this Chaos Worm. What will its life be like in the astral world? Will there be any unexpected happenings? Will it bring any change to the astral world? And what bizarre, alien world will it create?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "No one knows the cards until they fall."


    "Exactly. There is so much to expect."


    The two stood on top of the Witchcraft Garden. Lu Zhiyu rested one arm on the balcony, while Eva leaned both her elbows on the railing, her head resting on her palms. They both looked toward the outside of the Capital of God with promising expressions. There was a sense of expectation that had not been felt in a long time. The Chaos Worm which had just been sent away was not a horrific, scary mythical creature of the astral world, but a lottery box. No one knew what the prize inside would be, and a long time would be needed to reveal the prize.


    ---


    Maria''s World. Year 397 on the San Calendar.


    Felix, the God of Earth and War, who had convened the Star Kingdom in year 372 on the San Calendar, entered his kingdom with the prayers of many believers in the Kingdom of Colossus, and with the ancient ritual of many orc saint knights in a square raising their shields and swords.


    Felix successfully became the God of Earth, which was of great significance and suited him to a great extent, as well as the God of War.


    The divine system and advanced class of Felix, the dominator of earth and war, now consisted of conjuration shamans and earth knights. Occult shamans integrated Felix''s god name and the new wizards from the wizard system of Colossus. Witchcraft was now conjuration; wizards were now shamans. It was no longer the wizard system. As for the earth knights, they were a variant of the blood wizards.


    As for the God of Agreement and Justice, the dragon God of Time, Adolphus, had finally reached level seven two years ago at an incredibly slow pace. For dragons, the purpose of time was finding food, sleeping, and plundering. The white dragon, Frost, who died at the hand of Verthandi, was special and different. It was rare for dragons to rob cities, take the princesses, or blackmail. Most dragons were used to waiting for their prey.


    Hundreds of giant dragons hovered above the Abyss of the Great Dragon. Adolphus became part of the sky in a light beam connecting the earth to the sky. His Divine Kingdom was much smaller than the rest. This was because he had the fewest believers and was a pagan god. Nevertheless, he was the god who was responsible for managing and monitoring the internal time velocity of Maria''s World, as well as being the God of Agreement and Justice.


    It was a clock-like Divine Kingdom with intricate patterns. It revolved around Maria''s World with the same velocity as the internal time velocity of Maria''s World and the accuracy of a clock.


    With all the seeds of gods becoming gods, the gods started to maintain the balance of the entire world. A surging number of supernatural occupations in different divine systems filled in the blanks of the world.


    As the belief in the Goddess of Steam and Mechanics emerged in Maria''s World, the footprints of alchemy warlocks started to be seen in every country, every kingdom, and every land.


    Distinct beliefs started to fuse and merge together. Churches and believers of different gods did not have the same hatred towards each other anymore, demonstrating peacefulness instead.


    The development of steam and mechanics pushed the civilization of Maria''s World into another key age. It stepped into a new, civilized world out from the old, backward world. It was a special age powered by steam and mechanics, supported by gods and divine systems, where the rules were controlled by gods, and their orders were protected by priests, Holy Knights, alchemy warlocks, wizards, conjuration shamans, and those of other divine occupations.


    Here, underworld priests communicated with Hell to help the dead enter the circle of life. Alchemy warlocks revolutionized and innovated, changing the world with all sorts of alchemy tools. Holy Knights guarded the honor of the nobles and gods. Wizards wrote the books of wizards and protected the wizard kingdom with tall towers. Believers in the God of Sea and Storm conquered the sea with alchemy ships. Giant dragons soared through the sky, chanting for justice and agreement.


    Here, backwardness and progress coexisted. Innovation and revolution collided with conservation. And from within, leaders who could lead the new age and start revolutions would be born.

 347 Change This Era

    Once Lu Zhiyu finished the arrangement of the astral world, he turned his focus back to Maria''s World. Until this moment, all the seeds of god in Maria''s World had become gods. They had started to control the rules of the world, perfected the system of the world, and continued to perfect the prototype of the World Tree.


    "Eleven gods sitting on their divine thrones, it seems the astral world has become quite lively all of a sudden."


    Maria''s World was bathed in divine light as all the gods entered their divine kingdoms. As for the remaining gods'' names, because of their particularity, there was now much more uncertainty, and it was more difficult for one to become a god. Therefore, there were not many choices left for the remaining seeds of god. Lynn Ahenaten would prefer to compete with Felix for the name "God of Earth," rather than choose any of the remaining gods'' names. That spoke volumes.


    "The human civilization is now facing drastic changes. Maybe some seeds of god with potential will be born," said Lu Zhiyu. He looked at the internal changes happening in Maria''s World and became lost in his thoughts. There were 17 god names in total, with 6 available to be filled. He would wait to see if any potential candidates for true gods would be born in this new age.


    ---


    The Hollyma Kingdom was in the south of the Alen Continent, consisting of dozens of various kingdoms. Belief in the Master of the Night had prevailed in the Hollyma Kingdom for over a century. The Church of Light, which considered itself to be the center of the world, called the Hollyma Kingdom "the alien land." The conflict between the Church of Light and the Church of the Dark Night had been going on for over a century.


    There was also some friction between the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro and the Hollyma Kingdom from time to time. Battle airships from both kingdoms could be seen engaging in firefights in the sky now and then. Civilians of both kingdoms read news about border conflicts all the time. The Hollyma Kingdom''s battle airship fleet would appear above the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro would hit a trade airship of the Hollyma Kingdom, and so on.


    "Reporting all this useless information all the time! It''s not like there is an actual war! Nothing but squabbles! Those fat nobles of Hollyma are a bunch of morons, and the royal family of Rosa d''Oro are cowards!" Frank said. He was sitting on the couch in the Alva All-You-Need Store, reading the latest newspaper, and criticizing the current politics and policies of both kingdoms. Frank was a former history student in the Hollyma Seminary who had a great face and wore a pair of glasses. He was rather outspoken in the seminary, and he held very unique views on current politics and history. However, after he gave a bold speech on the origin of the Master of the Night and their identity at the seminary, he was immediately expelled.


    Frank''s teacher regarded him as an idealist with great gifts and intelligence. It seemed to be a compliment, but his schoolmates preferred to call him ''Daydreamer Frank.''


    Alva, who was one of Frank''s close friends, was mixing potions in the Alva All-You-Need Store. He said sarcastically, "I think that''s my paper you''re reading. Coming here for food and a newspaper every day. Such a carefree and relaxing life you have!"


    "You think I have anywhere else that I can go? I''ve got no money, so I can only come to you!" Frank said.


    "Making such a strong case for freeloading. I yield. Just say you were wrong and apologize to the seminary. You could easily become clergy with your talent. Maybe you could even become a bishop or something in ten years. Or even the Pope of the Church of the Dark Night!" Alva said.


    "No!" Frank rejected the idea.


    "Then just go to another country. There are loads of opportunities in the three churches, the Church of the Light, the Faith of the Sun, and the Temple of Sky. Or go be an adventurer with the Ruler of the Sea of Storms. I''ve even got some connections to get you into the Church of the Goddess of Steam and Mechanics!" said Alva.


    "Humph! Go back? I''ll never go back to those vampires. They only know money, fraud, and dirty deals. Priests at the Church of the Dark Night are all liars. They lie to those humble civilians to satisfy their own desires for luxury and extravagance!" said Frank.


    Alva was an alchemy warlock. Though he talked about the Goddess of Steam and Mechanics all the time, he had never been a believer. He was an alchemy warlock of some renown in Biketo, the capital city of the Hollyma Kingdom. His alchemy shop had a bold name, the Alva All-You-Need Store.


    Alva was a pale, slim young man the same age as Frank. They were both geniuses born with great mind powers and gifts. However, geniuses were always quirky, unsociable, and eccentric. They were two weirdos who appreciated each other and became close.


    Alva shrugged and said, "I don''t think things are that bad!"


    Frank objected, "Not for the clergy and saints! But this is a terrible time for civilians and average people!"


    Alva spoke his mind, "Minority leading the majority. Isn''t that quite common?"


    Frank slapped the newspaper on the table in anger, "It''s not about the minority leading the majority. It''s the less than 1 percent leading the more than 99 percent. Take a look at the streets. Civilians have become slaves to the clergy, exploited and used! To become a saint, you need to enter the seminaries of the churches. To become an apprentice in an alchemy workshop, you need to be a clergy under the Goddess of Steam and Mechanics. To be noble or royal, you need to be a descendant of the gods. To use any alchemy tools, you need to be a saint or clergy. Clergy drive steam locomotives. Clergy operate airships. Clergy repair alchemy tools. Clergy control water towers, alchemy, road lamps, and the city systems. Clergy of the Ruler of the Sea of Storms are the adventurers who set sail on alchemy ships. Clergy of the Goddess of Harvest create high yields and great harvests. Everything needs clergy."


    "Some morons had the audacity to say that common civilians are useless. They forgot that their ancestors were common civilians. They were just common people borrowing the gods'' power. Look at those poor workers in the slums, they work day and night, but get nothing in return but scars and illness. Look at those farmers who reap harvests but still have to sell their children. Herders who freeze to death in their flimsy clothes in winter. They cannot survive without or resist the power of clergy and the divine system, so their lives end in tragic deaths without any chance for accusation or revolt. It''s a terrifying world with no hope. We are all pigs trapped inside the pigsty."


    Alva nodded. He could understand how horrific these things were for common people, even though he did not pay much attention to the outside world. Alva said, "As the divine system becomes more perfected, and clergy push the entire world forward, the power of common civilian diminishes. They are left with no choice but to be controlled and exploited by clergy."


    Frank nodded earnestly and said, "So, we need to change this era!"


    Alva looked at Frank in shock. He put down a half-completed alchemy box and asked, "Change the era? How? No way! Are you¡­ are you going to throw gods off of their thrones, high up in the clouds? Eliminate all clergy?"


    Frank looked at Alva as if he was an idiot and said, "I may be an idealist, but not a lunatic! For god''s sake, I am saying that we should fight for common civilians and help them get back their future and profit so that everyone can be a part of this era. It should not just be an era for the 1 percent clergy and gods; it should be an era for all, including the common 99 percent!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

 348 The Three Musketeers of the New Era

    Frank and Alva founded the Freedom Assistance Association in Biketo City of the Hollyma Kingdom. At first, it was simply a secret union to unite all common civilians who were exploited and struggling through life in the city. Through the union, they could help each other find a way to survive.


    All kinds of members participated in the Freedom Assistance Association. Factory workers, paupers, craftsmen, and small vendors. Even saints who shared their beliefs and goals joined the association. Most of them were apprentice wizards who lived under the pressure of churches, supernatural Bloodline Knights, and even ghosts and liches. This small underground union, the Freedom Assistance Association, had expanded rapidly and gained a diverse group of members.


    Frank had become a wizard. His mind power grew as he started to extract Source Form from the magic network. After a couple of years, he had reached level three. He became a level four wizard in the next decade. He extracted Source Form freely and reached new levels without any difficulty, leaving everyone in awe. No ordinary descendant of gods could have done that; one would probably have needed to be the son of god to achieve so much.


    Alva and an orc, Wilbert, who was a supernatural Bloodline Knight, joined the association. Most supernatural Bloodline Knights were descendants of Blood Wizards. Though they could not learn witchcraft, they could still gain great power by upgrading their bloodline. Some powerful supernatural Bloodline Knights had far more power than others at the same level.


    The trio led the Freedom Assistance Association. They started to come up with many ideas to alter the current situation. The first one they came up with was to take control of a city and put into practice their systems and ideals.


    After almost a decade of effort, through the Freedom Assistance Association, they gradually gained control of Akeley, a small remote kingdom in the alien lands, and started to introduce their policies there as they wished. It was a miniature kingdom, one with only one major city and a few towns, located in the mountains where the alien lands met the dark forest.


    They banished the few clergy inside the city and attempted to build a perfect society for commoners. However, they became disillusioned soon after. There was nothing wrong with the policies. It was just that, with only the power of commoners available, the city they built was nothing but an outdated, backward place, out of step with the advancements of steam and mechanics.


    Trade, economy, agriculture, urban infrastructure, and even civilization regressed rapidly. Nights in the city turned into pure darkness. Without steam locomotives or airships, even workshops and factories started to close.


    Also, without wizard towers and the rituals of the Goddess of Harvest to help them cultivate crops, the growing population of citizens could not live off of the limited land inside Akeley. They now lived worse lives than they had lived under the exploitation of the saints. Many started to escape and leave the kingdom.


    However, once clergy and saints mixed in with the commoners, it did not matter if they had good intentions or not, common civilians would become unnecessary and secondary to them. This was because everything the commoners had depended on saints. However, to saints, commoners were dispensable. Commoners needed the power of saints.


    Agriculture, transportation, life itself. The supernatural system had been perfected for such a long time, and it had become an essential component of every aspect of the world. One could not live without supernatural powers.


    "Commoners depend on the supernatural system to live. They cannot produce anything of value. They are no match for the saints with nothing but their handiwork. In the newest alchemy industry workshops, steam machines are starting to replace manpower. Agriculture has developed rapidly, as well. I''ve heard that, in the wizard kingdom, with only one wizard tower, one can control the harvest of crops for miles around," said Frank. He took off his glasses and threw them onto the table.


    Alva''s face stiffened, and he said, "Not just that. Military powers of all the kingdoms depend on saints, too. The presence of commoners has become unessential, and¡­"


    Frank nodded and said, "No need to say more. I know. This is not a civilization of humans, but gods and saints. Common civilians cannot integrate into this society. If you consider the system of the world as an enormous machine, commoners are not even a tiny gear. The gears of this era are the apprentice saints. With the era marching forward as it is, commoners will be left behind."


    Frank inhaled deeply as if he witnessed the future and said, "What a dreadful future."


    In the secret conference room of the Akeley Freedom Assistance Association, the trio looked downcast. In an earlier meeting, a few more members had withdrawn from the association. The failure in Akeley hit them hard with the truth of the world.


    Wilbert, the orc, was adorably short and chubby but had a serious expression that did not suit him. He raised his head, "If we could, say, let commoners use alchemy equipment, and do things that only apprentice saints can do now, then they could actually be a part of this era. Let them use simple supernatural power by using alchemy equipment, and learn and utilize the knowledge system of saints. In that way, they would no longer depend entirely on saints. They would no longer be a liability to the supernatural civilization, but basic gears and crucial supporters. Also, think about it, if the 99 percent commoners on this continent could be the gears of this supernatural era, pushing the era forward, and making use of their wisdom and power for this supernatural era, till then, the whole world will be new, every individual will be the creator and beneficiary of the supernatural civilization."


    Frank and Alva immediately raised their heads as Wilbert gave his speech. Alva asked right away, "How is that possible? Commoners using alchemy equipment? They do not possess mind power."


    Other than the ordinary alchemy products, to an alchemy item, saints were like batteries. They required the saints'' mind power to activate their supernatural power. From steam locomotives, airships, wizard towers, small telegraph transmitters, printers, witchcraft pistols, to everyday witchcraft items, all required mind power to power them. This was why the base of the supernatural civilization, the basic gears, are apprentice saints, not commoners.


    Frank stood up instantly. His eyes shone with excitement, and he said, "It''s possible! As long as we are willing to try, to put in our effort, there is nothing that can''t be done. If we succeed, we will be the ones who changed the world! We will be heroes to commoners. Our heroic deeds will be celebrated more than those of all the gods! We will be at the center stage of this era."


    Frank jumped for joy and accidentally crushed his glasses. Flames shone brightly in his eyes as he stared at Alva and Wilbert. Frank reached out his hands and said, "Let us begin once again!"


    Alva sighed, stood up, held Frank''s hand, and said, "It''s not going to be easy. Success or failure, either way, I feel this will be a bumpy, dangerous ride. You are not freeing the commoners, you are breaking the system of the world."


    Alva laughed out loud all of a sudden and said, "What could we do? I am your brother!"


    Wilbert held Frank''s hand and said, "Count me in!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    ---


    "The three musketeers have not changed a bit!"


    Lu Zhiyu was sitting in the floating space city. He was hogging Eva''s "television." On the screen, Frank and the other two were having a meeting.


    Eva walked back and forth behind Lu Zhiyu, making a sound now and then. Lu Zhiyu knew what was Eva up to. He smiled, stood up, and said, "Alright. There you go. I will not take more of your afternoon relaxing time."


    Eva looked at the trio on the screen and said, "Why do these three deserve our attention? A level three alchemy warlock, a level four wizard, and a supernatural knight. They seem to be nothing special. Your highness never pays much attention to anyone, even gods. But with these three, I sense¡­"


    Lu Zhiyu looked to Eva and said, "Look at them, anyone familiar?"


    Eva took a close look and immediately compared them to some video data from the database. There were some minor differences, but Eva recognized them instantly and asked, "Them?"


    "This trio shall shine brightest in any era."

 349 Magical Crystal Alchemy Tool

    Golden Oak Commoner College was an ancient castle in the Kingdom of Eric. It was not a supernatural college like most, instead it housed and taught the common folk. The place was bustling with men and women walking on the lawn or sitting under trees to study or chat. It always appeared very populated.


    However, under the castle there were many secret institutions and labs where alchemy warlocks, wizards, and scholars gathered. There were also theorists, both supernatural and ordinary.


    Inside the alchemy gaslight powered underground lab, there were many giant machines, alchemy tables and long iron desks covered in charcoal pencils and papers. For the last century, charcoal pencils had gradually grown more popular until they replaced quills altogether. The young people preferred newly invented ink pens, but charcoal pencils were still the most popular because they were cheap and easy to erase when mistakes were made.


    The underground lab was enormous and had complete alchemy facilities and systems. Each alchemy table was a different type. This qualified as a mid-sized alchemy workshop. Only the kingdoms and churches with lots of funds, power and talents could establish large-scale alchemy workshops.


    At the moment, lab members, both supernatural and ordinary were standing in the rusty hallways, or on the desks, or leaning against the stairs, looking in the distance. They were looking at what the human being was doing at the center. They all looked tense, but they also looked expectant.


    "Holy and beautiful Goddess!"


    "Please shine your gleaming light on the ground!"


    Alpha slapped the magic tone machine and heard the sound of the cassette tape fading away. It was an upgraded device which had gained popularity over the last couple of years. Through it, people could listen to news, operas and music from all over. It worked kind of like a radio, but both magic tone machines and magic news machines were operated by receiving concussion signals from mind power. However, this device couldn''t receive enough channels, only wealthy people with high social status could afford them. Besides, there were only few broadcasting channels available.


    The magic tune machines sold by Hollyma had a screening system embedded in them to prevent them from receiving mind power ripple signals from foreign channels. Some countries around the Hollyma Kingdom often publicized their own gods on the broadcasting channels, and they also tried to smear the Hollyma Kingdom and the Master of the Night. Alpha had reconstructed his magic tune machine and was broadcasting the news from the Kingdom of the Church of Light.


    *Click* Someone pressed a button.


    "Over the past several days, civilian riots have erupted in Allahbell Province in the Ahenaten Kingdom. The royals of Sumerian and the military decided to suppress them violently. Many civilians were killed. Several mercenary organizations fought back¡­"


    *Click*


    "The mining alliance in the Grachhus Kingdom was disintegrated. The mining resources are declining, and the Grachhus Kingdom had to¡­"


    Alpha changed the channels a couple of times. He then turned back, exhilarated. Frank and Willbert gave each other a high five and jumped up.


    Frank couldn''t be more excited.


    "We did it! We really did it!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    More than a hundred people in the lab were amazed. Cheers broke out, and everyone was elated.


    Willbert patted Alpha''s shoulders.


    "You''re a genius, Alpha!" he said. "You''re indeed the favorite alchemy warlock of the Steam and Engine Goddess. You can even accomplish something like this!"


    "Of course, I can. This is nothing to me!"


    "We''ve taken the first steps to making it possible for commoners to use alchemy tools!"


    The reformed magic tune machine didn''t have any supernatural creatures providing power to it, yet the alchemy device inside the machine was started, and it was still operating.


    The foundation of alchemy was alchemy lives. From Floating-space City to alchemy tools, all of them were invented because of people''s exploration of alchemy lives, and each alchemy tool contained the lessons and principles from alchemy lives.


    The new magic tune machines worked the same way. They were the embryonic form of alchemy lives, but they lacked intelligence, just like plants. The instincts they had were instincts given by alchemy warlocks. Those alchemy devices were like their organs, which could receive the special ripples from mind power concussion and broadcast them.


    They also needed to consume energies. Their batteries were supernatural creatures. Supernatural creatures extracted source forms from their consciousness and combined them into mind power. Whenever they used such supernatural power, they needed to mediate by connecting to a magic network to recover. Mind power was a name used by towers. It was also called divine power, magical power, power of death and some other names.


    Alpha''s idea had been that they could replace supernatural creatures with an energy source. Supernatural creatures used their mind power to control the alchemy tools, and all they needed to do was to create a device controlled by machines for them to use alchemy tools to control supernatural power.


    They stole the fragmentary project blueprints and theories from the Kingdom of Eric, and they also referred to suggestions and experiments from lots of supernatural creatures and scholars. After a couple of years, they''d finally created a special crystal.


    It wasn''t a philosopher''s stone that was made of lots of source forms. Instead, it was a special crystal that could find and store mind power, divine power and magical power. Supernatural creatures could infuse their power into the crystals, and they could connect to the magic network to meditate for recovery, after which they could store their power again. It would take an ordinary apprentice several times to fill a crystal.


    "It''s still going to cost a lot, and besides, we still need supernatural creatures to charge them," Frank admitted after the initial excitement.


    Alpha nodded, looking slightly discontent.


    "You''re correct, but this is only the first-generation product, like the first-generation alchemy table. Who in the past could have imagined the functions and abilities of the alchemy tables today?"


    "We''ll definitely be able to mass-produce these fabulous devices, and we won''t need supernatural creatures to charge them in the future to get more power, and thus stimulate more powerful alchemy tools."


    "What should we name these stones?" Willbert asked. "We should give them a name."


    Alpha opened the magic tune machine and took out the translucent crystal in the insert slot. It was only as large as two fingers. Everyone was looking at him, especially the ordinary scholars. They felt that the light coming from the crystal wasn''t the light of power, but the light of hope.


    "The power doesn''t belong to divine power, and it doesn''t belong to the supernatural, and it doesn''t belong to priests and gods. It''s the magic power that belongs to all the commoners. I''ll call it magic crystal!"


    After the magic crystal was invented, commoners were also able to use supernatural power. The reforms carried out by Alpha and Golden Oak College made special alchemy tools available to commoners.


    Frank, Alpha and Willbert then spent a long time reforming and perfecting the manufacturing system of magic crystal alchemy tools.


    Frank and Alpha established new magic crystal alchemy workshops in the Kingdom of Eric, admitting many like-minded wizard apprentices and alchemy warlocks. They started to produce magic crystals and all kinds of alchemy tools.


    After the tools were purchased or put into the market, many civilians in the city were crazed with excitement about them. Everyone in the city was talking about the products, and many wealthy families and merchants bought them in bulk.


    "Gosh! This is such a crazy creation!"


    A crowd was watching a friend as he used a magical mining machine at the door of the alchemy workshop. They were so amazed that they all opened their mouths wide.


    "You''re right! Everyone can use them! It doesn''t matter who you are! It doesn''t matter whether you''re blessed by God or not! Everyone''s equal before the magic crystal alchemy tools!" Frank shouted on the stage.


    "Commoners can also use them. All you need is a supernatural creature to charge it!"


    A merchant raised his hand. "How long can I use it for?" he asked.


    "I''ll buy the glass alchemy table, then I can recruit some ordinary people to help me produce!" said an excited carpenter workshop owner.


    Carpenters had been gradually replaced by alchemy workshops these days as the products made by alchemy workshops were cheap, artistic and of good quality, which stripped them of their competition. An alchemy table that could be used by ordinary people fascinated them.


    "I''ll buy it! I''ll buy it!"


    "I want a small steam engine car that even an ordinary person can drive. If I have it, I can use it to transport goods and feed everyone in my family," said a chubby worker who was also excited.


    "I want one¡­"


    Officials in the city who had only recruited professionals and supernatural creatures before, began to admit ordinary people. Some banks also widened their choices


    An amazing phenomenon emerged in the Kingdom of Eric. Ordinary people started to assume the positions that could only be filled by supernatural creatures. They could drive steam engine cars, airships and alchemy ships. Ordinary workers were also able to operate the alchemy machines on the assembly line to process the products and to manufacture all sorts of daily necessities. They could become pilots of airships, and they could operate magic crystal cannons and sorcery tools.


    They could become operators of magic news machines, anchors of news broadcasts, maintenance workers of the city alchemy facilities, managers of the city system. They could even become managers of wizard towers. They could regulate the weather, cleanse the soil and operate mining equipment. These were all jobs that were originally allocated only to supernatural creatures.


    Everyone who entered the Kingdom of Eric was amazed by what they saw. Many people were thrilled by these new crystal alchemy tools. Merchants flooded in, and ordinary people were willing to pay for those alchemy tables with everything they had. Although they couldn''t make any object they wanted, they could make specific alchemy objects that could make their lives easier.


    Frank, Alpha and Willbert stood at the top of the clock tower in the capital city of the Kingdom of Eric. They watched as the city was bathed in the golden light of the sunset. From the top of the clock tower, they could see the whole city laid out before them, vivid and surreal.


    This once flatlining city had regained its vigor. Not only that, but it was far superior than before. The entire Kingdom of Eric was reborn, and all the changes had happened because of them. They had fulfilled their first goal, which was to include the common people from the Kingdom of Eric in this era.


    "We''ve taken another step forward. The Kingdom of Eric has only one city and eight villages, but despite its small size, we''ll make the entire world part of the Kingdom of Eric!" Frank yelled.


    He was standing precariously at the edge of the clock tower, embracing the dawn.


    "The newest students from Golden Oak College will learn how to make magic potions that only the Harvest Goddess priests and warlocks knew how to make using the alchemy tables. They''ll be able to make some simple supernatural alchemy tools using the alchemy tables."


    Alpha looked calm, but his eyes gleamed with pride. "In the future, maybe someone will be able to improve even more upon our creation. Even ordinary people can become the leaders of the supernatural era."


    Willbert wore a long sword at his waist. He was kneeling, and he looked very relaxed.


    "I''ll help you guard our dream," he promised.


    As they stood at the top of the clock tower in the Kingdom of Eric, they all began to laugh at the same time.


    Unfortunately, good things never last long. Before they could completely push forward with their magic crystal plan, the armies and fighting airships from the Kingdom of Hollyma began to invade the Kingdom of Eric. Many soldiers and priests from the Master of the Night gathered at the border between the two kingdoms.


    The Kingdom of Hollyma coveted knowledge of how to make magic crystals, and the royalty didn''t want to see the rise of the commoners. They wanted to monopolize the magic crystals and the tools they could create. Magic crystals would let supernatural creatures master greater power, and they could also greatly improve the military power of the Kingdom of Hollyma so that they could completely outpower the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, which always had territorial conflicts with them.


    The royalty of the Kingdom of Hollyma and the Pope of the Master of the Night religion had discovered the magic crystals, after which they''d immediately realized the great potential they had. If commoners were able to use the power of God, then the authority of the ruling class would be threatened. They were also angry that such power had been mastered by a neighboring country they''d been ignoring all this time.


    "We have to have this kind of power in our hands. We can''t let the commoners tarnish the power of God!"


    "No! They''re not tarnishing the power of God. The power they have is the power of demons."


    "We need to punish the Kingdom of Eric for using the power of demons. We need to punish the followers of demons. We''ll annihilate those blasphemes using the power of God."

 350 Kingdom of Eric Falls

    The sound of sirens echoed through the city of Eric. Airships obstructed the view of the sky and cast giant shadows on the ground, terrifying the civilians.


    All anyone could see was vessel after vessel sail by as they blocked out the sun. Each ship bore the marks of the Kingdom of Hollyma. They were military ships. They weren''t doing anything yet, but the blood of the people ran cold. Military ships meant the beginning of a war, and the beginning of a war meant death.


    "They''re bomber ships! Bomber airships from Hollyma! Everyone, hide!"


    "War! This is war! Hollyma Kingdom is waging a war on us!"


    "Bombs! Bombs!"


    The alchemy bombs dropped from the sky, setting fire to the streets and houses in the city. The explosions caused billowing fires to rage from one end of the street to the other. Strong, black smoke and a vile smell permeated the air.


    The bombs pierced through the air at incredible speeds, making an ear-splitting shriek as they fell.


    People in the city cried out in agony as they scrambled to find their families. This wasn''t a war, it was a slaughter. There had been no warning, no declaration, only invasion and destruction. The Kingdom of Hollyma was the most powerful country in the exotic realm. It was a tyrannical overlord and had been exploiting smaller countries for a long time.


    The combat airships of the Kingdom of Eric surged into the sky. All thirty-something vessels took off with magically-reinforced Gatling guns, and wings wide open like those of birds. They could fly more flexibly than the bombers which were made cumbersome by the amount of priest apprentices they held. The combat ships led attack after attack, striking the bombers from above.


    Just when it seemed like Kingdom of Eric had the upper hand, the priests of the Master of the Night raised their hands high and began to pray.


    "Divine Incarnation, Moon without Line!" they called out. "Great Master of the Night! We call your divine name. Please cast eternal darkness on our enemies."


    The priests began to perform combined witchcraft on the combat airships. They all raised their wands high, and the godly power of darkness rushed out of their hands, surging into the sky from the decks of their bomber ships.


    A dark moon appeared in the sky alongside the sun. Darkness immediately spread out over all of the combat airships and curled around them like black ropes. A blood-curdling scream shattered the sky as the combat airships were eroded and fell to the ground like rotten iron.


    After that, many supernatural apprentices and bloodline knights dove from the Hollyma airships with paragliders and landed in the city like birds. They occupied all the major facilities and alchemy workshops in the city.


    The people of Eric, both supernatural and ordinary, tried to defend themselves but everytime they were either defeated or killed by the priests.


    "You murderers! I''ll kill you all! Murderers!" shouted a man hiding in an alchemy workshop.


    Unfortunately, a fireball was thrown into the alchemy workshop, and everyone was burnt to ashes.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "My child! Where is my child?"


    "Bruce! Bruce!"


    "I curse you people from Hollyma. One day, karma will catch up with you!"


    Defenders of the city continued to fall following the sound of guns and cannons. Fire and blood turned everyone''s pupils red. Fear and anger hovered like a cloud over the city. Fire and dust tainted the sky crimson.


    Even Golden Oak College was not safe from the slaughter. Supernatural power turned the entire college into ruins. It had taken decades to build Golden Oak but only minutes to destroy it.


    "Flame Ring!" yelled Frank.


    He stood among the ruins and sent out waves of fire, destroying the priests who couldn''t escape in time.


    Willbert wielded his witchcraft sword and used its beam of light to slash some of the attackers in the sky.


    "Fire!"


    The enormous gun barrel Alpha carried fired and gleaming element light burst out of the barrel. It surged to the sky and shot down a small airship spinning lower in the sky.


    The ship was disintegrated and the fragments fell to the ground. A giant iron wing scraped against the stones as it crashed, igniting a blazing fire. Alpha continued operating the level-four element annihilation cannon, and he aimed it at another airship that tried to dive.


    The three of them stood on the ruins and watched with clenched teeth as their people were slaughtered. The Kingdom of Eric was engulfed in flames. Clock towers, buildings, even Golden Oak college was in ruins. The three took off to kill as many priests and soldiers from Hollyma as they could, yelling like maniacs as they tore through the streets.


    The air smelled revolting, like burned meat.


    "Level-four element witchcraft. Level-four wizard! This is a level-four wizard!"


    "And an element annihilation cannon? How does he have this weapon? Isn''t this a secret alchemy weapon from Sheehan City Alliance?"


    "Be careful! We need help! Help!"


    Priests who encircled the three were all terrified. They would have never expected to meet such enemies in this tiny kingdom.


    Many priests rushed toward the three, and in the distance, high priests of the Master of the Night hurried toward them as well. Even the airships in the sky paid attention to them.


    "Go! We need to leave now! Kingdom of Eric has fallen! We''ve failed!" yelled Willbert. "Go! Let''s go!"


    Willbert tried to drag Frank and Alpha away. When they saw that the three were trying to escape, some of the lower-level priests tried to go after them. Willbert cast sword light in their direction and Frank bombed them with witchcraft, allowing them to escape the city.


    The three of them fled in a panicked helter-skelter while the squad of high priests of the Master of the Night continued to chase them. The airships circled the sky, shooting and dropping bombs, trying to find them. They fled into the forest, and the priests lost track of them.


    As they were leaving, Frank looked back at the fallen city of Eric. All the civilians in Kingdom of Eric were trapped in catastrophe and death. He looked at the scene, dazed. It was apocalyptic, as if the entire world was crumbling.


    Frank recalled the people running and yelling in agony, and the bodies of children in ruins. Wives had held their husbands in despair while others were blown up or swallowed by flames.


    The three recalled their partners who were slaughtered by soldiers from Hollyma. Some of them were supernatural creatures with a similar mindset; some of them were scholars who wished to change their future and some of them were youngsters who''d flown combat airships for the first time. They could still hear the blood-curdling screams.


    "No! No! This is not what I expected. How did this happen! We promised them a bright and happy future! Why did this happen?"


    Frank was screaming so hard that the others thought his throat might break, and his mouth became dry. He clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails pierced through his palm. The only thing he could see was airships from Hollyma circling in the sky.


    Willbert squeezed the long sword in one hand and with the other he was supporting Alpha who''d been hit by the divine techniques performed the high priest of the Master of the Night while they were trying to flee. Although Willbert used purification potions on Alpha, the power from the divine technique still penetrated Alpha''s body, rendering him incredibly weak."


    "I''ll have revenge!" Alpha cried.


    He raised his head and his face was covered with sweat and blood.


    "Let''s go to the central province. There are all sorts of belief systems there, and countless clashed between commoners and supernatural creatures. Let''s go there. Then we can have a fresh start."

 351 Remains of the Tower

    Dark Night Mountain was named for the dense forests that surrounded it. Travelers crossing the forests could not see the sun at all. It seemed like the area was soaked in darkness for eternity. However, some people claimed it was named as such because the Master of the Night had left quite a few lands of miracles here.


    Dark Night Mountain was the boundary between the exotic realm and the Church of Light. Across from Dark Night Mountain and the Black Forest was the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. Although the forest was owned by the kingdom, no one lived there. It was populated by magical beasts and other dangers, so no one ventured there but mercenaries and adventurers.


    The Freedom Assistance Association had been exposed. Frank and his friends were put on the wanted list by the Church of the Dark Night. To escape, they needed to climb the Dark Night Mountain and head for the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. From there, they planned to take an airship to the central province.


    As they were crossing this bizarre area, they accidentally trespassed on the grounds of a demonic camphor tree forest. Thick voodoo miasma and illusions surrounded them and trapped them for a long time. They tried to fly out of it, but a witchcraft boundary above them made it impossible.


    "What kind of a god-forsaken place this is?" Frank asked. He was holding a witchcraft compass and turning on the Eye of Truth in an attempt to search for the exit. "I can''t even use this to see through the illusions!"


    "The dark power in Alpha''s body is getting stronger, and it''s invading his consciousness. We have to leave here as soon as possible," Willbert said.


    He was carrying Alpha while holding the pearl of purification, blocking the erosion from the voodoo miasma. Even while the illusionary beasts were trying to attack them, he could still see the power of the pearl.


    "We might have trespassed on some important but forbidden area," Frank said cautiously. "This was definitely set up by wizards. Is this the wizard tower of some dark wizard? Or the ancient remains of one?"


    It took Frank and his friends two days to get out of the demonic camphor tree patch, and they still weren''t out of the Black Forest, only going deeper into it. Thick mist covered the entire sky. It was dark and silent and lifeless. That witchcraft boundary surrounding the demonic camphor trees must''ve had some problems because the vines and miasma had escaped and penetrated the rest of the forest.


    Finally the illusions cleared. Within the mist they saw an enormous black mountain with a spectacular city on top. Many facilities in the city had been damaged, and lots of them were moved away. However, it was still a wizard city full of witchcraft forces and wizards. There were train tracks, bridges, castles and streets. There were clock towers and gardens to nurture magical beasts. It was a beautiful sight for sore eyes.


    When they looked closer, however, they saw that everything was covered in vines and moss. The city built on the mountain ridge was in ruins. It was blurry and rugged looking, like a magical city lost in time.


    Frank immediately recalled hearing of such a mythical place. "There is a myth that says wizards have a holy place, a place where they originated that belongs only to them. It is full of truth and knowledge, the wonderland of all wizards."


    Alpha looked at the remains on top of the mountain. "I''ve also heard of that place. It''s called The Tower. When the Era of Gods came, the wizards lost the tower and the race declined."


    "There''s also a legend saying that the wizards in the tower went to another world, creating a new era of wizards," Willbert added. He looked at everything on the mountain. It was already in ruins, and there was no one around. He couldn''t help wanting to weep. "This is what''s left of The Tower!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    They walked up through layers of mist. The remains of The Tower emerged in front of them. They walked up a long flight of crumbling stairs and stepped through the giant archway onto a stone street. They imagined the immense number of wizards living here when the city had been in its prime.


    Many of the buildings in the city had simply disappeared as if they were all moved away. Frank and the other two walked to the top. They saw that the core area had completely disappeared, and only large pits remained. The long tower that would''ve once pierced through the clouds had also disappeared.


    The three of them stood staring at the ruins until something caught Frank''s eye. Beside the cliff was a lone tower. Inside were giant libraries and lecture halls.


    "Somebody''s already been here!" called Frank. Look, these witchcraft prints are fresh. Someone was here not long ago to dig something up!"


    Frank waved his hands and inspected the surroundings with his mind powers. He walked over to where the ground had caved in and found an enormous hive underground.


    "Look, there are tunnels and train tracks here. I wonder where they head to!"


    "What is this?" Willbert picked something up.


    It looked like a scale and it glowed with red light. He could feel its warmth in his hand.


    Frank took one look and was thrilled. "This, this is the scale of a dragon! A large dragon!"


    All of them were amazed. They looked around cautiously, but they couldn''t find any traces of a living creature. However, they did find a painting on the wall. Next to it was a line of writing.


    The so-called immortals are only great beings beyond the imagination of ordinary people. The tower that accelerated the development of the world has become desolate. Wizards claimed that they had the entire world under their control. Who could''ve known that they would end like this? Everything will die in the end. Even those who have lived for a millennia will also die! Commoners will die! Powerful beings will die! Gods will also die!


    Marina Bossa.


    After Frank read the name, everyone became quiet. The legendary alchemy warlock Marina Bossa was famous throughout the entire Alan Continent. Most children had heard of her, the legendary alchemy warlock who''d promoted the era of steam. She was the first one to travel all around the world and her name was attached to many glories and legends.


    "Is this the Marina Bossa we know?" Alpha asked. He had taken some of the newly-made medicine, and had recovered a bit.


    "Isn''t she an alchemy warlock?" Frank said. "Why was she in the wizard tower? Is there any connection between alchemy warlocks and wizards?" He would never have expected to see this name in the tower.


    They had no idea why Marina Bossa had come here, or why she would leave words like these. They couldn''t even begin to imagine what Marina Bossa must''ve felt when she was standing amongst the ruins of the tower.


    "I think you should see this!" Willbert shouted and pointed at the pictures on the wall.


    It was a model of an enormous tree with all sorts of symbols carved on it. Seventeen bases were connected to each other, comprising the world tree. It appeared as though whoever had acrved this had done so long before Marina Bossa had left those words. It might have been left by the previous wizards of the tower.


    "A world tree?" questioned Willbert. "A Divine Tree? Maybe a way to become Gods?"


    All three of them were elite supernatural creatures, so they knew some secrets and rumors. However, they were still amazed by what they saw. It was said that the Creator left seventeen seats for Gods, and all the seventeen managed the model of the entire world, including the rules and orders.


    This was only a legend though, and nobody knew whether it was true or not. As the true gods and the half-god saints had disappeared into the god kingdom, the knowledge of how to become a god had vanished from the world.


    All three of them stayed in the underground dragon hive for a long time. Then they took the underground train to the edge of the black forest, walked through the forest and came out on the hill.


    The mist withered away and the sun shone upon the hill, where there were houses and chimneys. They also saw shepherds gathering in the sheep which were all bleating and running uphill.


    Seeing this, they felt detached from reality, especially after witnessing the wizard tower remains.

 352 Three Gods of Civilization

    Lu Zhiyu sat in the enormous hall. White and red patterned carpets covered the ground. The fur on the carpets was soft and glowed with magical power. A couple of fairies wearing white dresses played with some of the special, magically-reinforced plants.


    Suddenly, the other side of the wall began to gleam. Something was happening. Lu Zhiyu looked up and saw the pictures behind the three divine thrones start to shine. Light began to spread from the enormous world tree model out across the map.


    The first eleven divine thrones were for law and order. The jobs of the gods who sat on them did not matter; machines, engines, war, or dreams, their only concern was making sure the world operated under the rules.


    The three Gods of Civilization, who had just shown up, were different. They represented the internal civilization. When society and culture were at their peak, the Gods of Civilization were more powerful than the Gods of Rules. As civilization declined, however, so did their power. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The Gods of Rules drew their power from enforcing the laws of the lands. They could also gain power by acquiring disciples, but this was insignificant in comparison to the power they gained by maintaining order. Even if all the creatures in the world died, the Gods of Rules would be unaffected as long as the rules of the world remained intact.


    Gods of Civilization were the guardians of culture promoters of the development of the world. They must be important people who had made great contributions and who were recognized by the civilizations of the world.


    Lu Zhiyu knew exactly who had been chosen, he just hadn''t expected them to be approved so soon.


    "You three are the best fit," he said, "to be the Gods of Civilization."


    Central Province, Sumerian Kingdom.


    Hundreds of years ago, the last generation of Sumerian royal families, Lanny I, died out. After this, the entire Sumerian Kingdom entered a period of chaos and war. The Faith of the Sun and the remaining Church of the Dark Night fought each other constantly but neither could gain the upper hand. Once they finally admitted they''d reached a stalemate, both churches agreed to let go of the area so that it would belong to neither of them.


    The Sumerian Kingdom became a playground for mercenaries, wizards, demonic wizards, and wicked supernatural creatures. This was the freest but most chaotic world. The royal families were succeeded by cousins of Lanny I, but eventually, another family took the throne. After several centuries, the royal family of the Sumerian Kingdom was a completely different bloodline.


    Now in the Sumerian Kingdom, changes were happening again. A secret organization called the Freedom Assistance Association emerged, which provided magic crystals and alchemy tools to the entire central province.


    All of a sudden, the influence of Freedom Assistance Association''s magic crystal system spread across the entire Sumerian Kingdom. It even reached the Ahenaten Kingdom, the Church of Light and the Northern Arc Kingdom.


    "It''s the product of freedom and hope!" people exclaimed.


    "The crystal gives hope to the commoners!"


    "We can finally do what supernatural creatures are capable of! This is not the power of deities, this is the power of civilization and wisdom!"


    Members from Freedom Assistance Association were in the spotlight again, and they promoted magic crystal alchemy tools to the entire Sumerian Kingdom. Quickly, magic crystal workshops and crystal-powered alchemy workshops emerged everywhere. All sorts of new magic crystal alchemy tools were designed.


    What constrained the development of alchemy wasn''t the difficulty of alchemy techniques or making alchemy tools, instead, it was the scarcity of supernatural creatures. Even though the era of Gods had come there were a great many supernatural creatures, even hundreds of lower-class supernatural apprentices were not enough for one city system.


    That constraint was finally broken in the Sumerian Kingdom. Many ordinary people could also use alchemy tools so that they could be members of a supernatural system. They could also participate in the alchemy era of steam and machines.


    Many workers, farmers, carpenters, mercenaries and supernatural creatures chose to join Freedom Assistance Association. The association had the entire Sumerian Kingdom under its control.


    In the year 458 by the San calendar, the Sumerian Kingdom announced that the royal family had abdicated their reign. The Sumerian Kingdom was now the Sumerian Freedom Association.


    "Freedom will lead us to the future!"


    "Each of us is the master of this country. Each of us is the controller of this country. We''ll change the world!"


    Frank was the first one to ignite the godly fire. He summoned the star divine personality, becoming the first demi-god out of the three Gods of Civilization. Frank was the God of Civilization and Wisdom.


    "Guardian of wisdom, promoter of the era and ideas."


    "We pray that you guard our future. Guard the light of civilization and give us the energy to move forward."


    Inside Niyah were banners pulled by airships, cheering crowds and gun salutes. Huge shadows of gods stood at the center of the city as if they were its guardians. They received the cheers and blessings from the civilians graciously.


    "Magical, godly, supernatural, and belief. All of them are just nouns, but they are, to their very cores, sources of power."


    After becoming a demi-god, Frank discovered the secrets behind that power. They immediately adjusted and reconstructed the magic crystal system.


    "If we can power the magic crystals using belief, we''ll be able to charge the crystals without supernatural creatures. We can greatly improve the design and usage efficiency of magic crystals!" exclaimed Frank. "Also, we can use the magic crystals as the base for constructing our divine incantation system!"


    Frank came up with the idea to make the second-generation magic crystals when he was on his way to becoming a god and gathering belief. They could power magic crystals by collecting the power of belief. Magic crystals were the seeds of the divine incantations of the three Gods of Civilization. They extracted the power of belief from the magic crystals so that they could provide the power to the civilians.


    After the second-generation magic crystals were created, Frank and Alpha started to gather the power of belief in the city by building magic crystal towers to charge magic crystals. They called them "Towers of Belief." The era of magic crystals had arrived.


    Many small steam engine cars appeared in the streets, spurting plumes of white smoke eight feet tall. Magic crystal alchemy tables went into commercial workshops, promoting productivity. Ordinary people could also make alchemy tables, accelerating prices and productivity. The economy of the Sumerian Freedom Association and the alchemy industry boomed.


    Railways were established in every small city, and because of the small steam engine cars, highways were also constructed in every corner in the kingdom. As alchemy techniques grew popular with ordinary people, alchemy tools became an integral part of the society and the kingdom.


    Using magic tools became normal in thousands of households. They started to use magic tune machines, magic news machines and alchemy stoves based on magic crystals. Any alchemy tool that could bring human beings convenience became commonplace. There was even a magic crystal network in the capital city!


    Everyone who entered the Sumerian Freedom Association was amazed by the alchemy techniques and the era of magic crystals here. It was a city dedicated to steam and machines, and it was a kingdom of magic crystals. Magic crystals became the core of the Sumerian civilization.


    Word of the advantages of a magic crystal system started to spread. Magic crystal alchemy tools became popular in all the kingdoms nearby. Even kingdoms run by conservative, supernatural royalty couldn''t resist the waves of magic crystals. They started to open their own alchemy workshops, making magic crystal alchemy tools.


    Institutions in all the kingdoms began to try the magic crystal system. Commercial systems, national institutions, workshops, and commercial groups started to recruit ordinary people again. The social status of ordinary people was greatly improved, and the commoners became a part of this era.


    Many ordinary people began to learn how to use and build alchemy tools. They didn''t have a superpower, but they could still learn the principles of alchemy tools so that they could make them.


    "The era of magic crystals has arrived!"

 353 Magic Crystal and Sky Fortress

    The buildings lining the sides of the street were built in the Sumerian style, beautiful and elegant. Most of them were five or six stories tall. People rode up and down on escalators. People were already used to the customs of this new era. If someone wore a cape, they were probably priests, supernatural beings, or from royal families.


    The shops used signs with garish looking metal edges. People in the city held ceremonies and lots of houses hung colorful flags. Many airships flew in the sky which made it all the more eye-catching. Airships became smaller than before. Battle airships that only carried one person became the standard of the Sumerian Kingdom.


    The canal built by the last emperor of the Crete Empire, Zolman II, surrounded Niyah. Several alchemy battleships were now moored on the river. The iron battleships were reflecting the light under the sun. There were three levels of alchemy barbettes, and there were many flexible gun muzzles. There had been some clashes between the Sumerian Empire and the Ahenaten Empire lately.


    "Magic crystal?" Lu Zhiyu walked into an alchemy shop in Niyah and picked up a half-transparent diamond crystal. He looked at it carefully, and he immediately discovered the mysteries behind it.


    "These were only Philosopher''s Stones used to get to level four, but I can''t believe there are so many derivatives! Stones of Dreams, the Dream Wizard system, witchcraft boundary master systems, the ghost wizard system, and the magic crystal system."


    Lu Zhiyu looked through the diamond. He saw an enormous city of alchemy with airships, steam engine machines, and alchemy battleships. He also saw gigantic magic crystal towers and the magic crystal alchemy tools owned by every family.


    "The steam engine machine alchemy era was the era of supernatural beings. Now, the era of magic crystal machines belongs to everyone."


    "Hey! If you can''t afford it, then don''t touch it!" The overweight boss of the alchemy shop yelled at Lu Zhiyu in anger.


    "Oh!" Lu Zhiyu had always taken what he wanted. He hadn''t needed money in a long time. He just realized he had touched these objects without permission, which led to many discussions among the people around him.


    This wasn''t the first time Lu Zhiyu had walked into Niyah. The last time when he was here, it was during the era of the Crete Empire, which was called the Iron Dynasty. Back then, the entire central province was unified, and the entire Sumerian Plain was the most prosperous area of the Crete Empire.


    However, the prosperous Niyah of the past was completely different from how it was now. Lu Zhiyu hadn''t expected that Maria''s World would enter an era like this. It didn''t enter an era of electricity, instead, it advanced further and further on the path of steam engines using the supernatural system.


    Be-beep! Be-beep!


    Ding! Ding! Ding!


    The more he walked, the more crowded the streets became. Small steam engine cars made rumbling sounds on the street, and the drivers of the public steam engine cars rang their bells. There were oil paintings on the cars which looked fabulous with their industrial style.


    Dong Dong Dong! Dong Dong Dong!


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    A large group of soldiers and honor guards walked across the streets. There was a military parade on the square. At the same time, the Sumerian Freedom Association''s important weapon, the first Sky Fortress on the Alen Continent ascended into the sky.


    "Long live Sumerian!"


    "Long live our freedom!"


    The soldiers carried their rifles, marching in step. Drum and trumpet sounds were carried uphill along the streets, together with the sound of crowds cheering. Many steam engine cars on the roads stopped. Girls were waving at the soldiers from the cars.


    Lu Zhiyu followed the soldiers. He saw an enormous iron alchemy fortress. It had three levels and iron wings that could expand, contract, and move. It looked like a ferocious beast, a giant whale with wings.


    It was a gigantic fortress created by wizard towers, alchemy, and steam engine techniques. Many airships and spaceships were parked on the square at the top of the fortress, which could carry lots of soldiers into battle. There were many barbettes on the fortress. At the same time, Lu Zhiyu observed the bottom of the fortress, which had the newly made annihilation element guns created by alchemy warlocks. It was the most advanced machine ever invented for war.


    Originally, even level five and level six supernatural beings weren''t able to operate a giant sky fortress like this. But after the magic crystal system was created, it was possible to use magic to power such a sky fortress so that it could fly. Many ordinary people had participated in building this gigantic alchemy object. It took them a year to design it and several more years to finish building the fortress.


    "Wow! Can this thing actually fly?"


    "This is an alchemy fortress built by the great Lord Alva. It doesn''t have any problems. As long as it can get into the sky, that mercenary kingdom will soon be at our mercy."


    Following a fierce rumbling sound, the giant sky fortress flew into the sky, driven by mana and magically-reinforced steam engine machines. It was protected by a witchcraft dome.


    From inside Niyah came the thunderous sound of cheers. Everyone, both on the streets or in their homes, looked up at the sky. They saw that the gigantic sky fortress had activated, and watched it fly through the clouds, ascending.


    "Long live Alva!"


    "Long live the sky fortress!"


    "Sumerian is invincible!"


    Lu Zhiyu entered the sky fortress in a cluster of light. Many soldiers were operating this giant war machine. They were running back and forth, reporting on everything that happened.


    Inside the control room of the sky fortress, three people were checking the blueprints, looking at the clouds outside and the rainbow-colored light. The scene in the clouds was spectacular, like heaven.


    "We''ve done it. With this sky fortress, we can definitely defeat Ahenaten. As long as we defeat Ahenaten, we can absorb into our Sumerian Freedom Association, after which we can overcome national borders, get across Andromeda Mountain, and reach the ocean." Frank said excitedly, looking at the map on the table. The Sumerian Kingdom and the Ahenaten Kingdom had been warring against each other for many years. Even before the Sumerian Kingdom was officially formed, the two had been fighting each other.


    "It is certain that the Ahenaten Kingdom is a kingdom where no gods declare sovereignty. It''s very important for us to develop and advance the era of magic crystals." Alva also considered another factor. The fights for victory and lands always involved the gods. They didn''t have the power to anger the gods yet.


    "With the power of these two countries, and the help of oceans and trades, the magic crystal system will soon cover the entire Alen Continent, Yala Continent, Swirl Continent, Hailuga Kingdom, and even the entire world." Wilbert slapped the table and envisioned their future.


    "And then, we can use the power of our magic system and the great power of beliefs to become gods, in the next several years. As long as we can become gods, the magic system will be stabilized."


    Lu Zhiyu took the map from their table, looking at the Ahenaten Kingdom they were planning to conquer. There were also lots of red arrows on the map. They were considering their magic crystal system and how to promote it to the entire world.


    "Sounds like a good plan, but it seems that what you''re doing has already angered some gods, both your magic crystal system and the names of gods you want to ascend to. It''s not that easy of a dream to accomplish."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the three. It had been hundreds of years since he first met them. Although their appearances had changed a little, they still felt familiar to Lu Zhiyu in every way.


    "Bohr, Akkad, Uruk, we met again!"


    The three were startled by Lu Zhiyu who had appeared out of nowhere. There had been no sign that a person had come in.


    "Who are you?" All three of them were confused. They knew neither his name nor what he was. However, they could smell the scent of god on his body. He was a true god.


    This was the first god they ever met.

 354 The God of Wealth and Trade

    "The Arctic! At the end of the world lies a divine artifact of the creator," said the mystery man, "It was made for the God of Civilization! Once you find the divine artifact and Alva and Wilbert become half-gods, you three as half-gods with the divine artifact will be able to match up against the power of a true god. This is not only the key to your journey of becoming gods, but also to you developing and guarding civilizations!"


    "When you become gods, the true gods will intervene. However, bound by the Agreement of Gods, gods and saints shall not wield power greater than level seven in the main world," he continued. "Any level seven mythical being shall leave this world, as well. Therefore, you will only need to withstand one attack. True gods shall be repelled and bound by the force of the world and will be unable to attack again. However, you will also be repelled from the main world, and will no longer be able to remain there." After speaking these words, the mystery man departed, leaving Frank, Alva, and Wilbert in shock. This man was like an unpredictable illusion, disappearing and leaving no trace behind. The trio immediately realized that they were still not even close to becoming true gods.


    His words also put them under quite a lot of pressure. The Magic Crystal System would repel the gods. The God of Civilization, which was nothing like theirs and had invaded their belief system, was a threat to them. They had considered this before, but they never thought that a god would be ready to intervene in the most crucial moment, defeat them, and take their divine personalities and god names.


    "Can we trust him?" Wilbert asked. He wore a tight suit. The buttons were almost ready to pop because of his chubby body.


    "I don''t know. But he is right. We have made a lot of moves. Gods are definitely watching us already. The only reason that they have not attacked us yet is that they are waiting for the right time," Alva reasoned.


    Frank said, "Then there''s the possibility of a divine artifact from the creator hidden at the end of the world. It would be perfect for us. I am definitely intrigued. Whether true or not, it''s worth a trip to find out."


    "But if it''s true, then who is he? Which god is he?"


    "The known male gods are the Master of Night, the God of Knowledge and Truth, The God of Earth and War, The Master of Storms, and the Dragon God of Time, Adolphus."


    "Wait, we need to consider side-gods as well. Demi-Emperor of the Underground, Cetisius, the Great Angel of Balance, Faross, and some other side-gods that we may not know about."


    The longer the trio thought about this, the harder it was for them to figure out. At last, Frank spoke up and said, "Whatever. We''ll take the Ahenaten Kingdom first. The seas are crucial for our future plans. We need access to the waters. Once the Magic Crystal System is started there, we can then reconsider all of this. As long as we stick together, even a true god cannot harm us. The Church of the Dark Night, worshipping the Master of Night in the Hollyma Kingdom, and those stinky, greedy nobles and priests, shall all pay for what they have done!"


    In Year 472 on the San Calendar, the Sumerian Freedom Union declared war on the Ahenaten Kingdom. With the leadership of Frank, Alva, and Wilbert, a massive number of airships, steam-powered steel chariots, and troops armed with witchcraft mana rifles entered the Ahenaten Kingdom.


    In the battle of Maples, the new steam chariots rushed to the front like monsters. With countless battle airships and cannons, explosions blanketed the battlefield. The smell of alchemy explosives was pervasive. Even with the protection of the supernatural Bloodline Knight army, the Ahenaten Kingdom was defeated.


    100,000 regular army forces and 50,000 mercenary soldiers were flattened in Maples. The balance of war shifted in the Sumerians'' favor.


    Alchemy battleships traveled through the Crete Canal to Urabell. Urabell, which was constantly in rebellion, and had a huge number of civilians who were unsatisfied with the state of the Ahenaten Kingdom, surrendered to the Sumerian Freedom Union quickly. The entirety of Urabell turned to their side overnight. In just one night, the Ahenaten Kingdom lost the huge Urabell Province.


    "Nobility is dead. The golden blooded are contaminated with darkness and avarice. The royals no longer have compassion. They have lost the sword of kingship, and with it, have lost the favor of God," a scholar in white robes shouted in the street, holding a book aloft.


    "The Ahenaten family with their golden blood has lost their honor. The new era has arrived!" said the scholar. Many civilians followed his lead and rushed out into the streets. Mercenaries hiding in the Urabell Province started to move as well.


    The Ahenaten Kingdom crumbled much faster than anyone had expected. Concealed beneath the powerful facade on the surface, its systems and regulations were rotten. Countless commoners of the Ahenaten Kingdom resented the nobles and royals. They encountered the Sumerian armies and battleships and joined their forces immediately. Everything went unexpectedly well for Frank and the others.


    The new magic crystal airships roared across the sky of the Ahenaten Kingdom. The sound of witchcraft steam revolvers echoed on the battlefields. When Sumerian steam chariots rushed into the Ahenaten Kingdom''s cities, many workers and girls welcomed them with waving flags. Soldiers stood on chariots and welcomed the cheers. Troops walked into Ahenaten with guns on their shoulders, welcomed by everyone.


    The Sumerian flag of freedom flew everywhere throughout the Ahenaten Kingdom. Facing this huge army of steel, the Ahenaten Kingdom''s ancient kingship and nobility system which was supported by mercenary systems had quickly been losing ground.


    During the last battle, the gigantic sky fortress appeared above the Ahenaten Kingdom. Its dark shadow covered the royal capital. Battle airships covered the sky, and their sounds filled the air.


    When someone on the ground raised their head to look, they would see nothing but the giant, whale-like sky fortress and the battle airships flying out of its back. This was the moment of defeat and death for the Ahenaten Kingdom.


    Frank, Alva, and Wilbert stood on the giant sky fortress. Frank looked down at the entire Ahenaten Kingdom through the clouds. The royal capital and the mountains and lands of the Ahenaten were beneath his feet. His heart was filled with great ambition.


    "With the capture of the Ahenaten Kingdom, we now have a massive amount of land and citizens. More importantly, we can open the trade channel to the seas, and the roads to the Red River Plains and the orc kingdom. Also, the magic crystal system shall step into the world."


    Alva said with great excitement, "We have removed the last obstacle on our journey!"


    The Ahenaten Kingdom fell. The golden bloodline, the Ahenaten family, crossed the Red River Plains and escaped to the orc kingdom. The bloodline of kings, which had existed since the very beginning of the human kingdoms, fell from its throne.


    The Sumerian Freedom Union took control of the entire Ahenaten Kingdom, taking more than half of the central province. Its power and territory doubled almost instantly, shocking the entire Alen Continent.


    The Sumerian Freedom Union settled in Kings'' Port under the Andromeda Mountain of the Ahenaten Kingdom. King''s Port was originally a wide marsh beneath the snowy mountains but later turned into a port city with the development of the Ahenaten Kingdom. The Sumerians took over and sold their magic crystals and magic crystal alchemy equipment to the entire Alen Continent and overseas.


    Sumerian trade ships set sail on the sea one after another. The world now knew about the Sumerian Freedom Union, the magic crystals, magic crystal alchemy equipment, and the magic kingdom with a magic crystal system in the central province.


    The world was ecstatic about the magic crystal system and the magic crystal alchemy products from this kingdom. Humans, orcs, sahagins, and fairies all started to purchase the magic crystal alchemy products from the Sumerian Freedom Union.


    ---


    Merchants from all over the world gathered in King''s Port under the Andromeda Mountain. Not only from the distant Sean City-State Alliance, but from the kingdoms of the Temple of Sky (the Pusuote Kingdom had crumbled after Cetisius'' death), the Hailuga Kingdom of the sea, the wizard kingdom, and the Colossus Kingdom, too. These were kingdoms from across the oceans or other continents.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    All races could be found here. Trade ships of different styles from all kingdoms and races could be seen in the port.


    "First-generation magic crystal industrial production alchemy bench. Only ten are available. Start bidding!" The outdated first-generation magic crystal industrial production alchemy bench was sold after many bids from foreign merchants.


    "Magic crystal small steam car from the Abu Alchemy Workshop, best quality guaranteed! Also, our magic radios, customization optional. With the bulk purchase of 1,000 units, full radio equipment and training included!"


    More merchants and business groups gathered at the port, placing orders and moving all kinds of magic crystal alchemy items, loading them onto their trade ships, and taking them back to their own kingdoms. At King''s Port stood a statue of Alva holding high a shining magic crystal. Alva, who brought about the era of magic crystals, was considered the symbol of hope and wealth by the people.


    Following Frank, Alva was second to light god''s fire and became the God of Wealth and Trade. However, most would prefer to call him the God of Magic Crystal.

 355 The Slate of Civilization

    Lu Zhiyu held a glaringly bright white slate. Lights from the slate shone across the Witchcraft Garden and lit up the entire Capital of God.


    Countless symbols and scripts rotated inside the slate, moving with the light. Ancient cities, species, legendary heroes, kings, and spirits emerged in the lights beaming out from the slate. Its glorious radiance covered the enormous Capital of God.


    Within the lights, there was Saga City, the first city of orcs, City of Gold, the first human city, the royal capital Adara of Sahagins, and Sylve, the city of elves.


    Even the Capital of God was dimly visible in the sky. Cities with epics, legends, and endless glories emerged in the gorgeous luster. As lights and shadows flowed out, new eras of new civilizations were created and developed, and the silhouettes of celebrated heroes appeared within the cities like statues.


    From the Age of Kings in Saga City to the crumbling of the Holy Seville Empire, humans had built the golden Ahenaten Kingdom, the silver Prolis Kingdom, then the copper Tyron Empire, up through the fall of Crete Kingdom. The central province was at war for two centuries, until the King of Mercenaries, Lynn Ahenaten, rose with the Sword of the King, and the descendants of kings with golden blood fled to faraway lands as the royal capital fell.


    The Luhmann Kingdom was replaced by the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. From the start of the Batko Kingdom to the end of the Pusuote Kingdom, kingdoms devolved into endless violence. Cities rose one after another in the blink of an eye and crumbled soon after in the lights. The flags over the cities changed continuously, as no one could stay king forever.


    "The start of civilization, the mouse-people city of Master Sophoc! The twelfth Wolf King Costa of Saga City! The Golden King, Ahenaten! The first elf, Mehare! The mermaid queen, Sally!"


    The founder of the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, Rooney, held a dragon-lance and rode a black dragon. The first Pope of the Kingdom of The Church of Light, Hodap, held high a scepter. Saintess Kelly wore the Mask of Faross. Lion King Will held the Sword of the King. There was also the visionary King of Crete, Elliot III, the apostle of the devil who burned at the stake, Leves, the King of the Dead swathed in bandages hidden by black robes, and Adonis, and the first king of Batko, Yip Ima Batko.


    Many more silhouettes hid in the flowing lights, including both ancient and recent influential figures. On a tall tower cutting through clouds stood several figures wearing white wizard robes with silver linings, looking down to the ground.


    They were all crucial figures who pushed the wheel of history, guardians and heroes of each race and civilization.


    "Is that the Slate of Civilization?" Eva asked as she followed behind Lu Zhiyu. She saw Lu Zhiyu take possession of the Slate of Civilization from the host of the Divine Kingdom. The slate recorded all history, progress, and every civilization from every race, hero, and epic of Maria''s World.


    It was a recorder as well as a witness of civilization. All existing and extinguished civilizations were recorded on the Slate of Civilization. It was also a crucial tool used by the three gods of civilization to manage and record the world civilization system.


    Only when the three gods of civilization held the slate, the living system and rules of the world would be truly perfected. All members of every species would then integrate into Maria''s World.


    Before, even if the divine system was being perfected, it had only perfected the world rules and integrated most clergy and saints into the system. Now, even commoners had become an integrated part of the rules and systems of Maria''s World.


    Lu Zhiyu held high the slate. Every city and silhouette flashed before his eyes, bringing up memories buried deep down.


    "Right. This is the Slate of Civilization. A slate that records all civilizations, histories, races, and heroes. What once existed shall not be lost. What once vanished shall enter into eternity. The tracks left behind shall be recorded on the slate. The world rule shall be perfected again. No one can stop the world from becoming perfect," said Lu Zhiyu.


    Fairies on the Capital of God all looked up to the sky, witnessing the history of Maria''s World shown by the astonishing Slate of Civilization. They never imagined that seeing the history of another world could be so glorious and breathtaking.


    Fairies raised their heads from bushes and flowers. In the divine cities, great fairies stopped and looked up. All were staring at the figure holding high the slate, and the view of the world.


    "Is that the world God created?"


    "It is a song celebrating the history and civilization of lives!"


    "But it is so fearful and cruel. The Capital of God is so much better. It''s a paradise and heaven for us."


    "You''re so dumb! We are living in the heaven of the Lord! The Capital of God is the heaven of Lord Eva."


    Lu Zhiyu reached out. The shining slate fell through his fingers, passed through an illusory boundary, dropped out of the sky of Maria''s World, spun and descended through the clouds over the Arctic and over the whistling winds, and finally landed in an endless frozen place.


    The Slate of Civilization crashed to the ground. An enormous illusory city emerged. The illusory city was constantly changing, sometimes ancient and backward, sometimes modern and civilized, sometimes in the age of the conflict between wizards and churches, sometimes in the age of gods with cities of steam and machinery.


    There were many figures within, it was as if history was being relived. On the other side, behind the barrier of violent storms extending more than 100 miles, the illusory space was wrinkled, then vanished. A wall consisting of grids of space and wrinkles stood high, extending into the world.


    "This is the northernmost land of the Arctic, the end of the sky!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    ---


    "Guardian of civilizations, recorder of world process, the God of History and Race!"


    Priests chanted and cheered in the divine palace of the three gods of civilization. Priests of the divine system of the three gods of civilization were rather different compared to those of the other gods. The priests were all commoners who could use supernatural powers with the magic crystal system but had the same life span as an average person.


    "We shall offer our belief and pray for you to always guard this era!" Workers, merchants, farmers, and herders in the cities gathered, cheering and celebrating, raising the flags of the Sumerian Freedom Union and wine glasses, shaking the very ground below.


    "The Three Gods of Civilization, please let us offer you our highest respect. You shall be the guardian gods of us all!"


    Three divine shadows landed in the city of Niyah to their cheers. Airships soared in the sky, and soldiers on the ships cheered for the divine shadows. Guns thundered out a salute as witchcraft fireworks bloomed.


    The enormous sky fortress spun around the divine shadows, with long banners hung beneath. It was more of a festive celebration than a divine ritual.


    As Wilbert, the last of the three gods of civilization, became the God of History and Race, each candidate of the three gods of civilization had successfully become a half-god. The Sumerian Freedom Union had stepped onto the world stage and started a new era of seas and civilizations.


    The Sumerian Kingdom with its three half-gods started the revolution of the Era of Seas, affecting the age with war and trade, integrating other races and civilizations into the magic crystal system. At the same time, churches ostracized the Sumerian Freedom Union, Frank, Alva, and Wilbert. They called them "pagan beliefs," and the Sumerian Kingdom "a pagan kingdom."


    The Hailuga Kingdom and the Hollyma Kingdom, which suffered the most blows from the magic crystal system, were the most agitated. A war between the three kingdoms could break out at any moment, impacting the state of the seas and the human continents.

 356 The War of Half-gods

    On a dark night in the Sea of Storms, the Hailuga Kingdom''s fleet with the blessings of the seas and the Hollyma Kingdom''s fleet with the blessings of the Master of the Night declared war on the Sumerian Freedom Union. Together, they raided King''s Port, a crucial port in the Sumerian Freedom Union, destroyed the Sumerian Kingdom''s main fleet, the Penetration Fleet, took over King''s Port, and inundated the Sumerian Freedom Union nonstop with their soldiers, thanks to their advantage on the seas.


    The two kingdoms attempted to force the Sumerian Freedom Union to surrender and sign the treaty of common ownership of the magic crystal system and border trades. However, they faced fierce resistance from the Sumerian Freedom Union.


    The war had spread to the western Sumerian Freedom Union, and soon the entire Sumerian region. Even the royal knights and the descendants of god from the Hailuga Kingdom traveled to the Sumerian Kingdom to join the war. Moreover, the Pope of Church of the Dark Night and the Dark Night Priests from the Hollyma Kingdom entered Sumerian on large battle airships.


    The Pope and the descendant of a god, who both could borrow and bear the power of true gods, posed great threats to the Sumerian Kingdom.


    The three half-gods, the Pope of the Church of the Dark Night, and descendant of a god, the alchemy sea monster Hellem, Ruler of Storms, engaged in a fierce battle. Three giant divine shadows and two beings who wielded the power of true gods fought in the skies of the Urabell Province.


    Clouds were torn apart then mixed together again. Divine lights and divine incantations shone brighter than the sun. Beams reflected and refracted, lights of all colors shone on the ground as if the air was broken into a million pieces, bending the colored lights.


    The giant body of the enormous alchemy monster Hellem floated in the sky like an island. Its long tentacles moved, and glaring rays of light cut through the sky, shooting towards the horizon. Where its gaze fell, everything became covered in vapor.


    Aircrafts and battle airships chased and fired at each other in the sky, and then fell, crashing to the ground as fireballs, turning the entire sky burning red.


    No one had seen a war of such intensity. Its ferocity had reached every corner of the human world. Giant shadows in the sky could easily destroy entire cities and lands with a single move. No one could imagine what would happen if their powers were turned on those below.


    Commoners huddled up in cities and houses, shaking fearfully. Children and women hid in churches and cavities underground, crying from fright. Even powerful saints died and vanished easily in this battle.


    "We had seen the dusk of doomsday! The sky wailing, the ground trembling, the air boiling. Flame and smoke prevailed, aircraft and battle airships fell like puny flies. The entire world was a tiny boat trapped in the storm of war. Every life could be taken at any moment by the storm," Joshua, a scholar who recorded this war, wrote in his diary as such.


    Both parties suffered from terrible losses. The Sumerian Freedom Union stopped the invasion of the Hailuga Kingdom and the Hollyma Kingdom and even gained some advantages. However, the war continued. Either the Hailuga Kingdom and the Hollyma Kingdom, or the Church of Storms and Church of the Dark Night, would have to retreat in this situation.


    "Maybe we could form an alliance, cut off their route of retreat and their allies on the sea. Without support from the sea, they could not possibly win in long-distance battles on the water!" Frank announced his first idea in the assembly hall in the city of Niyah.


    "But with whom? The Church of Light and the Church of the Sun remain silent. We should just be relieved that they did not choose to become our enemies!" Alva expressed his thoughts.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Wilbert said, "We don''t need an alliance. We just need enemies of the Hailuga Kingdom and the Hollyma Kingdom to attack them! The Sean City-State Alliance, the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro, and the Mara Kingdom have always been rivals of the Hailuga Kingdom. In the Sea Power Battle between the Sea Alliance and the Mermaid Kingdom, the Sea Alliance suffered terrible losses because of the betrayer, Johnathan Brown, and lost their power on the waters. And Rosa d''Oro has had conflicts and disputes over borders with the Hollyma Kingdom. We just need them to pressure the Hailuga Kingdom and the Hollyma Kingdom. I believe the fallen Sea Alliance still wishes to take back their power over the sea."


    Frank slapped the table with excitement and agreed, "That''s right. But the plan to form an alliance should be carried out at the same time. The Elf Kingdom of the Sun, the Silver Moon Kingdom, and the Wizard Kingdom on Yala Continent have been passive for too long. They wish to expand and strengthen their powers on the waters as well."


    Wilbert adjusted his collar, frowned and said, "The Elf Kingdom of the Sun and the Silver Moon Kingdom are both closed kingdoms. The only one with the desire to expand is probably the Wizard Kingdom. Will they be our ally?"


    Frank nodded and said, "Of course. We don''t need them to send out soldiers and fight for us. We just need them to support the magic crystal plan. They could profit from trade, construction of the magic crystal systems, and their influence on the sea. They won''t say no. So, we can open a channel to Yala Continent, and pressure the Mermaid Kingdom Alliance from both the Bazaar Seas and the East Seas."


    Alva nodded and said with hesitation, "If so, this war will involve not just three kingdoms, but three continents and most of the powerful kingdoms. If the war continues¡­ Things may get out of our control."


    The trio fell silent instantly. At last, Frank made the decision and said, "Change will always impact someone else''s interests, triggering conflicts, even wars. But we cannot remain unchanged because of the fear of war and conflict. Civilization will march forward. Change is inevitable, so is progress. Civilization is like a ship. We are all on board, traveling with it. And if the ship is rotten and old, we need to stop, find a place, and build another ship. We cannot survive on backward thinking and compromises."


    "Oy! And we can still make this ship work for a while. It''s not completely rotten! Fix here and repair there, we''ve still got a few days! Take this ship apart, hold onto a piece of wood, and we can still float for a couple of days more!" Frank joked with amusement. With the fall of Akeley, Frank had changed. No longer a daydreamer, but someone of practicality and wisdom.


    "If not, we will sink with the rotten ship to the bottom of the deep sea."

 357 The War of Three Continents

    Historically, it was known as the War of Magic Crystals. The war involved dozens of kingdoms of various sizes, including the foreign Hollyma Kingdom and its tributaries, the three kingdoms of the Sea Alliance and their allies, the Mermaid Kingdom, the Colossus Kingdom, the Hailuga Kingdom, the Wizard Kingdom, the Elf Kingdom of Sun, and the Silver Moon Kingdom on the Yala Continent.


    There was a redistribution of power on the sea. The waters were fully controlled by the Mermaid Kingdom and their allies were being invaded by many enemy forces. With the emergence of aircraft, battle airships, and sky fortresses, the supernatural powers in Maria''s World had started to conquer the sky. The era of the sea was slowly transforming into the era of the sky.


    "On my mark! Fire the annihilation element main gun on the Alva Sky Fortress!"


    Three figures stood on the enormous sky fortress. The wind howled around them as the sky fortress under their feet shot flaring rays, splitting the seas into half. Alchemy ships and boats exploded and burst into flame in the rays of light and sank into the coastal waters.


    The war had come to its end. The current situation and what the result of the War of Magic Crystal would be could not be clearer. The three kingdoms of the Mermaid Kingdom Alliance were pinned down. The Hollyma Kingdom was losing against the attacks from the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro on land. On the sea, the Alliance was defeated by the marines and air force of the Sumerian Freedom Union.


    In the coastal waters of the Sea of Storms, three giant divine shadows waved their hands simultaneously, and a light beam fell from the sky, hitting the Hollyma Kingdom''s fleet. The beam vaporized the waters, raising the tides. The Hollyma Kingdom''s alchemy battleships and their main airship were also destroyed by the beam.


    Even the main clergy of the Hollyma Kingdom, the priests of the Church of the Dark Night, were all wiped out. In the face of such power, all living things vanished under the divine light in the blink of an eye without a single sound. Those destroyed were transformed into points of light, vanished from the main world, crossed space, and returned to the divine kingdom of their gods or entered the Kingdom of the Dead.


    The Pope of the Church of the Dark Night turned into a giant shadow as he struggled to escape the light beam. His power seemed to transform him into the form of a demon, stretched and crushed. The giant shadow distorted and turned into black smoke, twisting in the air like devilish spirits. The divine power of the Master of the Night blackened the sky. However, when hit by the combined power of the three half-gods, even with the power of a true god, the Pope could not survive unless the true god came down in person, breaking the Agreement of Gods.


    The divine light over the Pope of the Church of the Dark Night dimmed. The Pope himself transformed into transparent, luminous light as his power faded, and he began to disappear into thin air.


    "You shall not have your way. The Master of the Night will ensure that those who stole the power of the gods meet a terrible end much worse than mine. The gods may stand on your side in this war, but they will not help you gain gods'' names. You are doomed! I will watch you from above, to see how you three suffer from terrible deaths, to witness how you perish in the despair of never reaching success even when it is inches away," yelled the Pope.


    "Above? I''m afraid you will not enter the Star Kingdom," the giant divine shadow standing in front of him laughed.


    The Pope of the Church of the Dark Night died screaming and unwilling. Even his soul perished and he could never enter the divine kingdom of the Master of the Night. The Pope''s death also ensured the end of this war.


    The warships, aircraft, and battleships of several kingdoms invaded the waters of the Hailuga Kingdom. The Hailuga Kingdom and the Hollyma Kingdom surrendered, while the Colossus Kingdom and the Mermaid Kingdom acquiesced in their defeat.


    The war ended. Victors had won what they desired. However, no one believed that the Hailuga Kingdom and the Hollyma Kingdom would perish. Four gods stood behind them. The gods might let them fail or surrender but would never let them die. That was the rule of the game.


    The seas now had a new look. The three kingdoms of the Sea Alliance and the Elf Kingdom and the Wizard Kingdom on the Yala Continent had achieved their goals. As for the Sumerian Freedom Union, they proved the advantage and impact of the magic crystal system in this war. Sumerian sky fortresses functioned as military bases on the clouds. They proved to be extremely effective in warfare, and they showed all kingdoms the great power of the Sumerian Freedom Union.


    War and trade are crucial for change. Through this war and thriving trade, magic crystals entered the world stage, becoming wildly popular.


    Magic crystal towers rose up in all metropolises with the magic crystal system. Commoners could now travel to other cities, or even other kingdoms, using steam locomotives that they controlled themselves. This war had connected the isolated worlds.


    The Alen, Yala, and Swirl continents, which had been isolated and cautious before, started to develop close relations with each other after the war. Massive numbers of merchants, commoners, and saints traveled between the continents by water or air.


    The foreign continents and distant worlds had become much closer. Traveling to another continent for education, business, trade, and communication had become popular in many kingdoms, especially with the upper class.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    As for the three gods of civilization, they gained the recognition of the world rulers and the mainframe of the divine kingdom. The three half-gods summoned their own divine personalities and were now only one step away from becoming true gods.


    ---


    A war involving most of Maria''s World did not even make Lu Zhiyu raise his eyebrows. To him, the progress of the three gods of civilization deserved more attention.


    What was even more noteworthy was the progress of the chaos worm in the astral world. The terrifying monster had grown to the size of a huge city after almost a century. Moreover, it was no longer the only chaos worm in the astral world. About a dozen more chaos worms were born after the first, becoming its successors, and entered the starry world.


    Enormous chaos worms roared across the astral world. Storms of elements and space raged wherever it had passed by. Its giant body still seemed quite humble in the context of the entire astral world.


    However, as it breathed and wielded its power, space wrinkled around it and disappeared. At the same time, substances split off its body and drifted away. Some lifeforms developed from its power and were scattered across the astral world as well. They were the first living beings in the astral world. They were special, and they would bring color to the empty astral world.


    "I did not expect such a change. The first astral lives and species. Will there be intelligent lives and species in the astral world in the future?" wondered Lu Zhiyu.


    Suddenly, Lu Zhiyu frowned, as he realized someone had found the Slate of Civilization. He turned his head and looked to Maria''s World, which he had not set eyes on in quite a while, and asked, "Finally, has it come to this?"

 358 The Arctic

    "Maybe we are the first three who have set foot in the Arctic!"


    "Maybe not. But probably the first three who have set foot in the Arctic in recorded history!"


    "So, we three made history again?"


    Frank, Alva, and Wilbert stood on the sky fortress. The white alchemy sky fortress floated in the air, protected by the shield around it. The trio stood on the deck and leaned on the railing, chatting in high spirits.


    After the Magic Crystal War, the last words of the Pope of the Church of the Dark Night had been an unpleasant warning to them. They knew that the last step to becoming true gods would not be easy.


    They remembered the words of the mystery man that had appeared in front of them. The words of the unpredictable, mythical man had turned out to be true after all.


    "The Arctic! A divine artifact left by the creator and hidden at the end of the world. It is for the God of Civilization!"


    His words had stirred the trio greatly back then. And even after all these years, the tame, mystic tone of the mystery man was still engraved in their memories.


    "Divine artifacts, what kind of objects are they?"


    "Like the legendary Sword of the King, the Mask of Faross, the alchemy doll Archimonde, Death Sickle, or the Book of Truth?"


    "It''s a divine artifact left by the creator. It''s got to be different!"


    "But who is the creator?"


    Full of doubts and questions, the trio went on their journey to the Arctic to find the last piece and the key to becoming true gods.


    The gigantic sky fortress swam freely in the ocean of clouds like a huge whale. Its streamlined body cut through the clouds, covered in bright sunlight.


    The sky fortress journeyed north. The clouds were getting thinner. Cracked glaciers floated on the sea''s surface, sometimes as giant icebergs. Further north, the entire ocean turned into a gigantic ice mirror. This was the legendary Sea of Death.


    Here, lurking in the shadows, were giant monsters. It was said that the children of the ancient God of the Sea, Sakun, lived here. After many centuries, those creatures who had Sakun''s blood running through their veins had turned into horrific giant sea monsters. The children of god hid in the deep sea. This was their territory.


    Icebergs, sea monsters, children of the God of the Sea, and even fearsome legendary magical beasts existed here. It was almost impossible for anyone to pass the Sea of Death and make it to the Arctic.


    As for the bleak Arctic, nothing was there apart from danger, cold, and ice. No one wished to be there except for lunatic adventurers. And, most of them were now in the stomachs of magical beasts beneath the sea.


    It was impossible to reach the Arctic by ship. Even the sturdiest alchemy ship could not withstand the unexpected accidents and damages that happened there. Later, adventurers had attempted to travel through the air to the Arctic. However, the closer they got to the Arctic, the closer to the bitwall they came. Elemental storms and space wrinkles occurred at an abnormal rate here. Without shields and protection, a single element wave could destroy them.


    Most adventurers lost their lives before they ever set foot on land in the Arctic. Of course, maybe some did land on the Arctic and never returned, which was even more regrettable.


    The giant whale in its luminous bubble continued to travel north. At last, they saw the northernmost land in the world.


    It was the winter season in the Arctic and most of the days were dark. When the three half-gods set foot in the Arctic, rolling mountains with snowcapped peaks appeared right before their eyes. In the distance, endless darkness prevailed. Blizzards roared in the darkness. Normal creatures could never survive in such an extreme environment.


    "The Arctic, the northernmost land in the world. A legendary land even more mysterious than the Island of Dragons!"


    "We are finally here!"


    The soldiers and crew members on the Alva sky fortress burst into cheers. Many crew members pressed their faces against the circular windows, looking down on the world below, exploring the legendary place with their eyes.


    In this land of death, many magical beasts had adapted to live in the icy world. Even several white dragon dens were hidden deep under the snow. But Frank looked down and exclaimed, "A person? Look! Someone is down there! How''s that possible? Maybe it''s an adventurer who is trapped here in his exploration!"


    The trio was surprised to discover white figures moving below them. Using mind power, they found out that it was a human-like, three-meter-tall, giant monster covered in white hair. It was a common creature of the Arctic. It was not a magical beast but had some intelligence. It was later named "the Yeti" by those who landed on the Arctic.


    The further they went, the more signs of unusual creatures they discovered. The sky turned dark to bright. Dark and light alternated frequently here. If one stood in the center of the land, one foot would be in heaven, and the other in hell.


    The further they went, the more the entire world turned into complete darkness without a single ray of light. Elemental storms raged in the darkness, shaking the shield of the level six sky fortress. The shield squeaked as if it was going to crumble and disassemble any time.


    "Turn on the searchlights. Send out airships. Search for land below!" The eyes of the white whale lit up. The lights cut deep into the darkness. Two beams of light swept over the land of Arctic.


    "Remember to keep the magic transceiver on at all times. Maintain communication and report your location constantly!"


    As Frank''s order was passed on, the soldiers and small airships on the Alva sky fortress set off. They left the Alva sky fortress through a tunnel that opened at the bottom of the shield and flew at a low altitude. It was suicidal to fly high without a shield here.


    They spread out like a net to explore the Arctic. Nevertheless, it was not easy to find a legendary divine artifact on the endless icy land. Especially when they had no idea where the divine artifact was hidden, or what the divine artifact looked like.


    "It is a continent, just like the Alen continent, Yala continent, and the Swirl continent! Can we find it on such a vast land, in the dark, and in such a harsh environment?" Alva asked as he adjusted his glasses.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Wilbert seemed to trust the mysterious man and said, "That man said that as we enter the Arctic, we will find it. I believe he meant it. That divine artifact must have some sort of special trait so that we can find it easily."


    Frank said, "We have come this far. We just need a bit more time. It''s a divine artifact left by the creator. It''s worth spending as much time looking as possible!"


    However, more than half a month passed, and they had not found anything yet. The search party encountered many difficulties in the darkness where monsters and danger lurked. Just when they started to reconsider the mission, a message arrived from far away through the magic transceiver.


    "Beep beep beep¡­ rizzz rizzz rizzz ¡­ Report! Report! We have found the target! We have found the target! We are deep in the north, coordinate¡­ we were hit by elemental storms. Three airships went down. We entered an unusual space. We found an absolute miracle, a miracle left by god! I see the end of the world and a city that exists at the end of the world!"


    The gigantic Alva sky fortress immediately turned around, headed to the deep north. Cutting through fierce elemental storms and space wrinkles, the entire sky fortress was stretched, compressed, and distorted. It was bizarre in the extreme.


    However, when they arrived at their destination, they immediately saw a grand illusory city standing in the strange beaming lights. Figures walked around the city. There were huge city walls, bell towers, churches, and soldiers holding spears.


    Following the light, they saw an endless illusory wall. No, it was not a wall, but an amalgamation of countless space wrinkles. Not one knew how thick it was. Then again, the thickness wasn''t the right concept to apply to this mysterious thing.


    "Is this the end of the sky?" Frank exclaimed, his mouth hanging wide open.


    Alva noticed the city below and said, "Oh my god! The city at the end of the sky? What is this? Were all of these created by the divine artifact?"

 359 The War of Gods

    Frank, his friends, and the air force of the Sumerian Freedom Association entered this fantastic city. The city was ancient but spectacular. It looked epic and legendary. After they entered the city, they realized that it must be the capital city of the mythical Silver Dynasty Prolis. The people in the city were the first group of humans in history, following the Golden Dynasty.


    There was endless darkness outside, low temperatures, and a blizzard that could freeze people instantly. Everyone wore heavy clothes, but the moment they stepped into the city, they felt the air warm as if it were spring. That virtual wall seemed to block everything outside. The environments outside and inside the city were completely different.


    Frank and his friends found out that everything here was virtual. What was surprising to them was that the people in the city were conscious and intelligent as if these weren''t just shadows of their past selves, but life imprints.


    This was the result of the powers of the holy devices that came from the beginning of the world. Everything in the city operated based on the memories of the world. People in the city had no idea that their time had long passed.


    Frank stood at the center of the city. Here, they found the mythical holy device they had come here for, the Slate of Civilization.


    That mythical slate stood at the center of the palace square in a crack in the ground. Pedestrians walking on the street ignored it. There was a sacrificial ceremony held in the holy temple across from the slate. Male and female priests would hold ceremonial devices and offer sacrifices to the Goddess of Light and the great angel Faross, who witnessed their ceremonies. This was a ritual that began before Silver Dynasty.


    Everything here was formed from the light shadows emanating from the Slate of Civilization.


    "This¡­ Is this the divine device left by our Creator?"


    "How come someone just left it here like it''s a piece of trash?"


    "What do you mean by ''just left it here''? This is the Arctic. No one else has ever been here. And we''re at the edge of the Arctic and the end of the sky!"


    Everyone who entered this place was thrilled. They looked around at the ancient city, feeling that they had traveled through time and back to that ancient dynasty.


    Frank walked toward the slate stuck in the ground and pulled it out. The endless light shadows contracted and merged together, falling into his hand. Frank held Slate of Civilization up and it shone like a blazing sun. Shining stars appeared in the sky, and two of the stars came closer to the main world. The enormous Star Kingdom revealed itself to everyone.


    Gods who were aloof and distant couldn''t resist their urges anymore once Frank discovered the Slate of Civilization. They couldn''t just wait to act until the time that the three of them would ascend to their thrones. They had a divine device left by Creator, which was enough to make gods greedy.


    The giant star emanated a silver light that enveloped the Arctic. Darkness and storms permeated the world. Two traces of consciousness from the Star Kingdom landed on the main world.


    Countless people prayed and chanted together in unison, singing the same worship song. The shadows of the two gods were dozens of miles long. Even the main world couldn''t hold their bodies. They were only able to observe the world on the dimensional wall as if they were looking at ants in a box through a crack in the lid. As the gods stared down at the land ruthlessly and aloofly, it was as if everything became frozen, including people''s minds.


    "The anger of the God of Storm!"


    "Erosion from the God of Night!"


    Clouds were dragged by the light shadows of the gods. The clouds combined with the storms in the sky. Storms of elements overtook half of the Arctic.


    The twisted shadow which had completely merged with the dark night sky was holding a candlestick. It dove down from the sky, carrying raging fires and darkness with it, dashing toward Frank and the others.


    The airships and battleships in the Arctic were ravaged by the stormy whirlpool. They didn''t even have time to scream before exploding, their lives snuffed out in the darkness like fireflies.


    The Alva Sky Fortress floating above them disintegrated in the storm''s power immediately, producing cracking sounds as the storm particles turned the fortress into dust in an instant.


    "This is the power of a true god!" Wilbert had never realized how terrific and terrible the gods could be. The power gap between demigods and true gods was like that between ants and giants. True gods'' power could actually destroy the world.


    He hadn''t realized why there was a pact between the gods until now. Without any constraints, this world would have been annihilated long ago by fights that broke out among the gods.


    "Power of true gods with the help of world rules?" Alva looked at the dark virtual shadow holding a candlestick diving at them from the sky. The enormous candlestick covered the entire sky while the virtual candlelight shone upon the ground. It was breathtaking.


    Alva''s face was pale as he looked to Frank, "Are we about to be the first ones to fight true gods?"


    Frank smirked, "Then it''s our honor."


    "Don''t worry, brother. We haven''t lost yet!"


    Frank held the Slate of Civilization up and yelled, "Civilization! Date back! In the name of the three gods of civilization, I summon the mythical city of the Creator! Projection of City of Gods!"


    All of a sudden, the Slate of Civilization produced a shining light, brightening the entire Arctic in the dark. It brightened the sky, and the light went through space, casting shadow on the Star Kingdom.


    Even people on the Alen Continent an enormous ocean away could see the light pillars from the distant land in the extreme north. It stretched hundreds of miles away into the outer sky.


    "What is that?"


    "What is that light?"


    The Pope from the Church of Light stood in the divine palace in St. Sarl City. The high priests and their relatives were all horrified. It was unimaginable to them that they would ever see such gleaming light and supernatural power rippling from a whole continent away.


    The Slate of Civilization kept turning back to the time before. Frank, Alva, and Wilbert felt that they were traveling back in time and arriving back in ancient times. They saw a mythical city floating in the clouds. It was the divine city built by their Creator.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The entire world was shocked by what just happened, including all the gods in the Star Kingdom.


    "How is that possible?"


    "How come?"


    "What is that?"


    "Why didn''t we find a divine device like this in the Arctic before?"


    Light shadows condensed, and lots of light traveled into and occupied the sky. An enormous sky city that stretched for miles and miles had appeared up in the sky. The silver base gave out holy light, and on top of the base was the kingdom of the gods. This was a garden from a dream world.


    Among the mysterious magically-reinforced plant forests and bizarre mountains ran holy rivers. Many fairies and priests flew between the giant trees which pierced through the clouds. The divine city at the center seemed to be built from many palaces that had appeared throughout history, holy and mysterious.


    At the center of the holy city, there was a trace of consciousness emanating energy that seemed to exist beyond time and space, making it hard for even the gods in the sky to breathe.


    The mythical City of Creation was summoned into the present era by the three gods of civilization using the Slate of Civilization.


    The Master of the Night dropped his divine device, the Master of Storm dashed toward Frank and the others with his godly anger. Half the Arctic crumbled, and everything in sight was collapsing, yet it didn''t affect anything in the City of God at all. They couldn''t even touch the projection.


    By this time, the Master of the Night, Louis, and the Master of Storm, Jonathan, were visibly shocked. They couldn''t stay aloof and apathetic anymore.


    "How is it possible?"


    "The Capital of God?"


    Frank, Alva, and Wilbert stood at the top of the City of Creation, looking at the colossal Star Kingdom and the two true gods.

 360 Fire at the Gods

    "Now!"


    "It''s our turn!"


    The Three Gods of Civilization stood in the projection of the City of God and turned into three enormous light shadows of gods, enclosed by the floating city like a large continent. Frank was empowered by the Slate of Civilization, and his hair fluttered in the wind.


    The true gods in the dimensional wall in the sky stood against the three Gods of Civilization who had mastered the projection of the City of God. This was the first time a battle between the gods took place in Maria''s World.


    Frank, God of Wisdom and Civilization, held onto the Slate of Civilization as if he were holding a torch that led the entirety of civilization, challenging the three true gods in the sky.


    "Even if you''re true gods, we''ll knock you down from your Star Kingdom!"


    Frank opened his hands and his eyes glinted with confidence and aggression. He was full of heroic spirit and enthusiasm. He faced great pressure and burden, but this triggered all the passion and courage deep within his heart.


    "Come!"


    "In the name of civilization. In the name of all creatures. In the name of the three gods!"


    "I command you! Fire at the gods!"


    The enormous floating city ascended and seven-colored silk ribbons flooded into the Capital of God. A tremendous amount of godly power condensed into a light pillar and shot out of the city toward the sky.


    The explosion and vibration caused the sky to ripple. The power intertwined with the flowing light, rushing toward the Master of the Night, Louis. He immediately tried to ward it off with the divine device Erosion of Night, however, the light melted the divine device in an instant, filling the body of Master of the Night.


    The huge shadow of the true god suddenly started to shake fiercely and became blurred. The dark night here became unstable, and the blood-curdling scream of the Master of the Night Louis Biketo was heard throughout the entire Star Kingdom.


    "How could I lose? I''ve never lost! I have never lost! Even when I was only an ordinary human being, I hadn''t been defeated. How would I be defeated as a true god? This is impossible! Impossible!"


    The enormous body of the god struggled to descend to the main world through the dimensional wall, yet the colossal strength of the world rules bound him and prevented him from landing on the earth. The punishment and restraints from the pact between all gods were finally being reaped.


    Master of the Night couldn''t withstand being shot at by the guns of the Capital of God anymore. He kept withering away as if he were about to vanish from the sky.


    "How could I be defeated by a couple of demigods? Impossible! You are filth! You stole the crowns of gods! I''ll kill you! I''ll kill you all!"


    The boundary in the sky looked like a thin film. It kept changing and twisting under the struggling Master of the Night, but it never broke.


    "How could I lose?"


    After saying this, the body of the Master of the Night disintegrated and vanished. He transformed into glowing halos and disappeared in the dimensional wall. Suddenly, all the sculptures of the Master of the Night in Hollyma and his other domains cracked. The priests from the Church of the Dark Night felt their power drifting away from them, and they felt endless sorrow and fear.


    "Our great Master of the Night. The Master of the Night! What is happening?" The new pope from the Church of the Dark Night knelt down in the Dark Night Palace. He looked at the cracking and collapsing sculpture of Master of the Night and didn''t know what to do.


    "We''ve lost our connection with our God!"


    "Gosh! How terrifying!"


    "I can hear the gods screaming and crying!"


    Everyone in Hollyma was in a panic. All the priests and believers became clueless and hopeless, yelling and screaming in the streets.


    All the gods in the Star Kingdom were also whispering to each other.


    "The Master of the Night, Louis, will need a long time to recover. He was severely punished by the power of the Capital of God and the pact between the gods, which were enough to put him into a deep slumber for a hundred years. Even if he can someday wake up, his power will be significantly weakened."


    "Gods can''t die. Even if they perish, they will be reborn from the prayers of the godly kingdom and their believers!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "The Slate of Civilization, the authority of the Creator, and the three Gods of Civilization¡­"


    "The Goddess of the Sun and the Goddess of Light still haven''t acted yet. They are indeed the most ancient gods. They''re so calm!"


    As for Jonathan, the Master of Storms, he could feel his godly power being stripped away by the tremendous world consciousness that was binding him, forcing him to leave the main world and go back to the Star Kingdom. He had broken the pact between all the gods, which meant in the following hundred years, his power would be greatly restrained and he wouldn''t be able to get out of his godly kingdom anymore. Meanwhile, the Capital of God turned again, and the giant godly light shadows of the three Gods of Civilization turned toward the Master of Storms, Jonathan Brown.


    The Master of Storms realized that he was in danger. The enormous light shadows of the gods withered away, and the colossal Star Kingdom that had been approaching the main world ascended again, vanishing among the stars.


    The three gods standing on the Capital of God looked at each other. They were excited and exhilarated. This area was originally in complete darkness, but now they could see the light slipping in, shining upon their bodies.


    The shattered Arctic continent started to recover under the power of light and the world''s strength.


    "We did it!" Alva shouted, finding it all unbelievable.


    "We really did it!" Wilbert felt like he was in a dream. He could still vividly recall when they three first met in Hollyma. They were merely red-blooded, unreliable young-adults with silly dreams back then, but now, they had accomplished something they would have never dared dream of.


    "We are the leading roles in this era!" Frank guffawed.


    After that, he looked to the sky. He was smiling, but he still sighed. He was supposed to be euphoric, yet he had some strongly mixed feelings.


    Alva nodded, "It''s time for three Gods of Civilization to ascend to their kingdoms! Our time and stories have come to an end. It''s time for future youngsters and heroes to create their own legends."


    Wilbert said, "No, our stories are far from over!"


    The projection of the Capital of God withered away, while the three Gods of Civilization ascended to their star kingdom.

 361 The Ring of Anthony

    The three Gods of Civilization had fulfilled their dreams to lead the civilization of steam and engines into the magic crystal era. They entered the Star Kingdom, guarding the civilization and its living beings.


    The people in Niyah held a huge ceremony for them, pushing the magic crystal era that belonged to everyone to its peak. Magic crystal airships flew around Niyah while people played drums and gongs. Soldiers carried flags and played trumpets. They held this celebration for half a month. Then people built landmarks and architecture in Niyah to honor the three gods.


    "A giant likeness of Frank!" It was a statue of a figure holding a slab of stone over his head, erected along the side of the Crete Canal. It was the embodiment of the God of Intelligence and Civilization.


    "The Alva Magic Crystal Tower!" The magic crystal tower was hundreds of meters tall and became the tallest magic crystal tower in the world. It was the shiniest landmark in all of Niyah. It represented the God of Wealth and Trade and the God of Magic Crystal.


    "Wilbert Library!" Built for the God of History and Race, Wilbert, who documented the rise and fall of all the races of civilization in history. He documented the rise and decline of every race. Inside Wilbert Library held books from all over the world, and it became the most famous library on the Alen Continent.


    The Sumerian Freedom Alliance with its magic crystal system became the dominating kingdom in the new era. The bond between the three continents grew stronger and stronger as all the races could see that human beings had started to conquer both the sky and the ocean.


    The Sumerian Free Alliance invented the new alchemy submarines. It was said that the idea came from an ordinary person who had the intelligence of a supernatural being without any supernatural power.


    Adventurers started to explore every corner of Maria''s World in their flying airships. They hoped to finish the map of this enormous world by exploring places where no one had ever been to.


    The crew members who drove alchemy submarines and explored the depths of the ocean, exploring the terrifying and dark ocean world, trying to find its secrets, looked for the remains of the ancient city of the Ocean God. However, most of those adventurers were swallowed by sea monsters.


    The Silver Moon Kingdom on the Yala Continent¡­


    Ever since the Sylve Kingdom vanished from the western area of the Yala Continent, the Moon fairy tribe went to the old home of the Sylve Kingdom and connected it with the original Silver Moon Forests, establishing the Silver Moon Kingdom.


    Moon fairies of the Silver Moon Kingdom believed in Goddess of Harvest and all had special silver hair and angelic faces. The walked through the streets wearing loose white capes looking like goddesses.


    Goddesses like these were everywhere in the Silver Moon Kingdom. Ever since Jonathan Brown built the railway to the Yala Continent and married a beautiful fairy wife who came from Sun Fairy Tribe, half fairies came into being. Half fairies didn''t have the life expectancy of full fairies, and they could only live for two hundred years. The royal family of the Hailuga Kingdom was made up of half fairies.


    Many people who went to the Yala Continent had the same expectation as Jonathan did. However, only a few could attract fairies like Jonathan had. The fairies were very particular in their choice of partner.


    The fairy sacrifice group and their supernatural sky team were powerful enough to intimidate any country. After the three continents were connected, the fairy ambassadors in each country were responsible for fighting fairy smugglers--those who would kidnap fairies and bring them to the other continents.


    Lu Zhiyu, Verthandi, Delmedi, and Kelly sat in the spacious theater, watching the actors and actresses performing on the stage, while a crow so dark it could swallow light was speaking from the side.


    This was the Corolla Theater of the Silver Moon Kingdom, and it used to be the first level of Corolla Tower. The events from many legends had taken place here, as it was the origin of fairy wizards and supernatural power. Now, it had become the theater and the library of the Silver Moon Kingdom.


    Sometimes, enormous airships made of wood flew overhead through the sky. Those airships were full of forces of plants and other beings, however, they were just as solid as those made by humans.


    There were walls of brambles and vines outside, surrounding the entire city. Public engine cars covered in vines and flowers traveled on the street, and there were red maple trees on the sides.


    The city was established beside Hagrid Grand Canyon and Hagrid Falls. Water, the River of Lives, and Hagrid Bridge had become the embodiment of this place. It looked like a city of gardens from the outside.


    There were many fairies in the city, and there were also many human beings and orcs. Half the creatures in the theater were human beings, and the show being performed on the stage was the well-known legend of the dragon knight Rooney.


    "The great blessed beings, dragon riders, and king Rooney Elvis led the army and rushed into the palace to question him¡­"


    "To be or not to be, that is the question. Whether ''tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take Arms against a Sea of Troubles. This is the choice the hero Rooney has to make!"


    "Luhmann Kingdom was destroyed, and the great Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro was born!"


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    "It''s the law of nature and survival of the fittest. In this war of human beings and orcs, there are no rights and wrongs, only survival or extinction. There was bloodshed, and heroes were slashed by blades. The blessed being riding the black dragons, Rooney, who was once the hero of the legend, has become old. He died in Niyah of Sumerian Plain."


    "The dragon was bellowing, taking its master''s body, and left. It vanished from the clouds."


    The crow was great at narration. The story was a mere legend to the audiences, but it was being watched by the actual witness of the history.


    The show was finished. The actors did a great job relating this fabulous legend of dragon knight Rooney. There were schemes, patriotism, love, hate, and eternal parting. Many fairies cried while watching that show, and many children wanted to become the heroes on the stage.


    Lu Zhiyu saw the crow. After the show was over, Verthandi and the others returned to their divine kingdoms. Lu Zhiyu went backstage and saw the black crow grooming its feathers. The crow raised its head and saw Lu Zhiyu.


    "Oh my god, Anthony! You''re still alive!"


    Lu Zhiyu shrugged his shoulders and said, "Of course I''m still alive. I just didn''t expect to see you alive. Black Jack, we haven''t met each other for almost four hundred years. You''re a level-five crow, yet you''ve become the pet of this theater. How surprising!"


    He was the leader of the crows in wizard tower and he was the most powerful crow. He delivered all the letters of admission to the wizard tower, including those for Bohr, Akkad, Leves, and Katherine.


    After a long time without seeing him, Lu Zhiyu thought that the crow must be dead. He hadn''t expected to see him on another continent.


    "Of course I''m still alive. I''m a crow that loves my life, freedom, and peace. I''m into art these days, and I think stage productions are a great way to perform," Black Jack flapped his wings. He looked kind of funny. However, nobody expected that this small body belonged to a mighty magical beast, or that it could easily destroy this Corolla Tower.


    Lu Zhiyu asked, "Are you interested in returning to my side?"


    Black Jack shook his head, "No, I have a new friend."


    "Dang, dang, dang! Here he is!"


    A half-fairy teenager walked in through the back door of the theater. He looked like a theater employee, but there were bruises on his face as if he had just been beaten. However, it was normal for this to happen to a half fairy in the Silver Moon Kingdom.


    "I''ll become the first person to completely explore the world. Not only will I explore this world, but I''ll also go see what is outside this world!" the fairy teenager said. He looked at Black Jack and noticed Lu Zhiyu.


    Black Jack introduced him, "This is my new buddy, Rode. He''s a half fairy, and he wants to become a fairy pilot!"


    "I''m about to become a real pilot. I''ve already signed up for the pilot school."


    "Okay, cut the talking!"


    Black Jack stopped Rode from talking, then moved his wings like a human merchant and said, "Anthony, you''re being so petty."


    Rode then asked, "Who''s this, Black Jack?"


    Black Jack lowered his voice and said, "Not your concern. Someone powerful beyond your imagination."


    Lu Zhiyu stopped talking for a while. After the three Gods of Civilization ascended to their thrones, he immediately started to ponder the structure of Maria''s World and how to end the era of gods. He took a look at the half fairy teenager Rode.


    "You have the potential to become a supernatural being. You said that you wanted to explore the outer world. I''ll give you this ring. Hopefully, you can become a world-renowned adventurer someday," Lu Zhiyu took ring off his hand and gave it to Rode.


    "A ring? It''s so pretty! Is it some kind of treasure?"


    "It''s a ring for space storage."


    "A space storage ring?"


    "What''s the name of this ring?"


    "You can call it Anthony''s ring, or the Philosopher''s Ring."


    Rode took it. He looked cautious as he had no idea what that ring meant to him. After Lu Zhiyu designed the theory of the space transportation door, he started to study the theories and rules of the space. This ring was a product of that study. Although Lu Zhiyu wasn''t able to make a stable transportation door, he had already created some basic space theories. Lu Zhiyu wished that someone could explore some new types of space witchcraft using that ring.


    Black Jack couldn''t be more excited.


    "How lucky you are, Rode. You might be the leading role of the next generation!"


    "I''ll be a leading role everywhere. I can''t believe that stupid Bran passed me by, otherwise, I''d be the actor who played Dragon Knight Rooney!"


    "Stop flattering yourself. Do you really think Bran would''ve chosen a half fairy like you to play Dragon Knight Rooney?"


    "Who was that person?" Rode asked, realizing that Lu Zhiyu had disappeared.


    "He''s long gone. He''s always like that, the most mysterious person in the world."


    "Who is he?"


    "Who knows!"


    After Lu Zhiyu arrived back at Capital of God, he reset the main engine of the divine kingdom to make sure Maria''s World, the Abyss World, and the Starsoul World were okay. And then, he went to check the chaos worms before he left the crystal wall world and went back to the world universe.

 362 New Human Beings

    Lu Zhiyu watched the scenes playing out from the control room. He could see the airships landing on the Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Venus. Most of them were controlled by exploratory robots that sent back pictures. However, some of them were controlled by astronauts. They walked on the planets with their astronaut suits.


    Some of the astronauts were having a great time. They were excited to have reached the Moon and Mars. They were breathed heavily when talking to each other and their video footage was shaky.


    There was also footage of spaceships observing the planets in the near distance. The ring of Uranus was visible in the footage, which was very different from Jupiter and Saturn''s rings as it was dark and narrow.


    It would be impossible to check every spot in the solar system, however, if Dark Mother Tree had really tainted this area, it would have been hard to miss. Lu Zhiyu also found it impossible that the power had spread here, otherwise the creatures on the earth would''ve been extinct.


    At this moment, the Truth was on track toward Neptune, and it was about to leave the solar system.


    Everything was normal, aside from when they were trying to get through the asteroids.


    "We''ve checked every planet, but we didn''t find any traces of living beings. Also, we didn''t find any traces of pollution left by the Dark Mother Tree, either. However, we did find something strange!"


    Gu Chaoran immediately showed some of the materials they had discovered to Lu Zhiyu. There some remains of spaceships among the asteroids.


    The broken black spaceship was very eye-catching in the cold universe. It had been floating in the universe for years, hiding among the aerolites.


    "Is this a spaceship left behind from the Atlantis civilization?"


    "It shouldn''t be. The styles are very different. Besides, after we retrieved the spaceship, we found that the technologies are also very different. It''s a small, unmanned exploration vessel. There aren''t any living beings in the spaceship, and it''s completely operated by a computer."


    "This exploration ship doesn''t have the ability to travel at light speed like the Truth. We speculate that it might enter the solar system following other larger spaceships. Of course, there''s also the possibility that it comes from another star system close to us. You can check it out for yourself below deck if you want."


    Lu Zhiyu stayed silent for a while. Was it possible that a spaceship from another star system had entered the solar system? This was the first time Lu Zhiyu realized that this small solar system was actually much more interesting than he''d imagined.


    "When will we leave the solar system?"


    "When we finish exploring Neptune, the Truth will reach light speed and will travel at one point five times the light speed at its fastest. It''ll take another five years for us to arrive at Alpha Centauri."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and said, "Sounds great. Let''s begin our astral civilization plans!"


    ¡­


    One tall being after another appeared in the nutrition cabin. They had human bodies, and there were both males and females among them.


    Each of them was a relative of Lu Zhiyu. They inherited his powerful and mythical bloodline. He could feel the natural connection between himself and them.


    "What¡­ What should I call them?" Gu Chaoran could feel that his voice was trembling. Out of nowhere, he felt terrified by such beautiful creatures. Perhaps it was because of how they were made, or because they had the same kind of bodies as he did, or perhaps because they lived in glass jars filled with nutrition liquids.


    As for other members, some of them were excited because they saw it as a miracle of creation. Some cheered for the birth of a new species. Others thought it was blasphemy to natural life, but those who thought so didn''t dare express it in front of Lu Zhiyu.


    "New human beings!"


    "They''re also human beings like us. They are new human beings who are designed to adapt to life in outer space."


    The new human beings created by Lu Zhiyu had some of the features of fairies. They could live for a thousand years, and they could photosynthesize. They could survive for a long time without eating and drinking. They had their main brain and a demi-brain, a demi-brain which was mythical and intelligent. It was the organ used to perform magic and sanctify organs. However, it was more difficult for them to breed and mature. The maturation and growth of mythical organs were related to mind power.


    Their supernatural power was akin to that of the machine civilization. They could assimilate and restructure mechanical beings. They were not very powerful when they were still young. They could only assimilate some simple engineering robots or living robots. The engineering robots would be their avatars.


    As they were upgraded, from level-one to level-two to level-three, they would be able to control larger mechanical beings. The mythical intelligence of the demi-brain gave them the power of calculation and operation.


    And when they became a level-seven mythical being, they could even control huge spaceships like the Truth. The spaceship would be their own bodies, like a floating city or a divine kingdom. They could roam the universe by themselves, leading a huge army and countless mechanical beings. One person could lead a machine civilization.


    However, there were no magical networks or portals in the universe so they couldn''t absorb source form. However, Lu Zhiyu had given them a special device just like the magic network. Compared to the magic network, it was more like something that came from science fiction. The device could train these new human beings to strengthen their supernatural powers.


    Besides, their future was unlimited because technology would be their nutrition. As technology advanced, their powers would follow.


    As for Lu Zhiyu, who was the source of their power, he continued absorbing their energy to explore the truth and the origin of the universe.


    Lu Zhiyu took a look at the members of the management committee of the Truth. He didn''t care much about what they thought. He said, "You can also choose to become a new human being if you want, but I need to tell you that there''s a risk. You can ask Gu Chaoran about it, and he''ll answer all your questions. It''s your choice, and I won''t force you to do anything you don''t want to do."


    After he finished speaking, a new female human being curled up in the nutrition cabin opened her eyes. Her hair waved in the water, and she looked in Lu Zhiyu''s eyes.


    Lu Zhiyu wasn''t anxious at all, instead, he was pleased.


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    As for the members of the committee who stayed, they were responsible for taking care of the new human beings. Lu Zhiyu and Gu Chaoran worked together. The first batch of the new human beings would live in the city at the center of the Truth. There were skyscrapers and towns. In the near future, the spaceship Truth would have a bustling civilization.


    After exploring Neptune, the Truth finished the last of its work. It left the solar system and headed for another star system.


    After they started the engine, they immediately created another warp field, which enveloped their entire starship.


    At this moment, a message was sent from the Koyebo Zone, alerting the spaceship Truth. The members who were operating the Truth were all terrified as they didn''t know what was happening.


    The intelligence sub-brain David showed up first.


    "The message was sent by Pluto. It means that the galaxy''s interstellar civilization congratulates you for entering the galaxy era. Please depart from your mother solar system and go to XXXX Alliance to register. If you join the galaxy interstellar civilization, you''ll receive¡­"


    "Again, the galaxy interstellar civilization congratulates you for entering the interstellar era. Please depart from your other solar system and head to XXXX Alliance¡­"


    Everyone was dazed. They hadn''t expected this to happen right after they got out of their solar system. Lu Zhiyu smiled, "Interesting."


    "Where''s the coordinate?"


    David immediately projected an astral picture and found the location.


    "Gliese 581g planet. It''s a planet twenty-two light-years away from the earth, fit for living beings to inhabit."


    The Truth was from a civilization outside the galaxy. Lu Zhiyu realized he didn''t know much about the galaxy. Now, he realized that the galaxy might be more interesting than he first thought.


    "Let''s go to Alpha Centauri first, and this Gliese 581g planet will be our next destination. Let''s see how interesting this universe is!"


    They turned on the engine again, and the warp field enveloped the entire spaceship Truth, flying into the depths of the universe.

 363 Mythical Wizard Catherine

    Astral World, Year 672.


    It had been one hundred and thirty years since Lu Zhiyu left the world the first time. It was a long time for commoners, but to supernatural beings, it was only a short journey of discovery.


    During the year 672, the master of the wizard tower, Catherine, became a mythical wizard under the witness of hundreds of elemental wizards and countless other wizards.


    Under the astral sky, the wizard tower gleamed, shining upon the entire City of Wizards. Catherine became a mythical fairy with a pair of large and transparent wings. To do this, she had used forest fairies from the bloodline of fairies created by Lu Zhiyu. It was a mythical creature with the supernatural powers of illusion and control over plants.


    The forest fairy became like breeze and starlight, traveling through the sky and over the land of the wizard continent. Everywhere she touched, flowers blossomed. All the living creatures were immersed in a deep sleep filled with dreams. Bugs, squirrels, bears, and people in the town all fell deep into their illusions.


    All the wizards cheered for the first level-seven mythical wizard to ever come into being. She was the first wizard from the tower to reach this mythical level and become an eternal being. After Catherine came back from the tower, some of the wizards in the city and the tower knelt down on the ground, kissing the places she walked.


    To them, Catherine was a god. A level-seven mythical wizard was a god.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "The great master of the wizard tower, Ms. Catherine!"


    "Long live the wizards!"


    "Long live the wizards!"


    Catherine stood at the top of the wizard tower, gleaming with supernatural light. Everyone in the city watched in rapture. The wizards held their scepters high, giving off witchcraft illumination. The lights were turned on, and there was food and wine everywhere throughout the city. Everyone was living in a fool''s paradise at that moment, their eyes gleaming as they looked at the wizard tower.


    Catherine went back to the top of the wizard tower. Her mythical life form withered away, and the phantom body turned back into its human form. Just like Lu Zhiyu, Catherine chose to keep her ordinary life form after becoming a mythical life.


    Catherine should have felt euphoric, but she didn''t feel pleased at all.


    "How does it feel to gain eternal life?" Someone said from the corner of the room.


    Catherine looked to the corner, and she saw a black-haired man sitting there, holding a wine glass, "Congratulations, Catherine. You''ve finally graduated. There''s nothing more I need to teach you from now on. You''re mythical wizard Catherine now!"


    Catherine shook her head and said, "It''s only eternal to commoners. No one is actually immortal. Everyone will die eventually."


    "But now, at least I kind of understand how you feel!" Catherine looked at Lu Zhiyu and then at the city of wizards below the wizard tower.


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t reply to that statement. Instead, he asked, "What do you want to do next? Do you have any plans for your eternal life?"


    Catherine nodded, "I decided to push the wizard civilization into a new era!"


    "Is there a problem with this era?"


    "A huge problem!" Catherine sat down, looking worried, "There''s a huge problem with the wizard civilization system! The wizard civilization system belongs only to the wizards. This civilization is built on wizards. How about the commoners? The trolls, orcs and dwarfs? The wizard civilization was born from those ordinary life forms, but as we move forward, we''re abandoning them."


    Lu Zhiyu stood up and said, "The same thing happened in Maria''s World one hundred years ago! There was a huge conflict between the supernatural beings and the commoners, but it seems that the problem on the wizard continent is more serious. The threshold for wizards is higher."


    Catherine looked at Lu Zhiyu and asked, "How did they resolve that issue?"


    Lu Zhiyu reached out his hand and a diamond magic crystal showed up in his hand, "The magic crystal system is a system that can give commoners the ability to use supernatural power. This is the first-generation magic crystal, and then, there''s a second-generation magic crystal. They collect the power of belief to charge the magic crystals, which perfect the entire magic crystal system. However, the second-generation magic crystal system is built on the god system, which is not applicable to wizards."


    Catherine took the magic crystal from Lu Zhiyu''s hands. She checked it with her mind power and looked exhilarated, "Did you reconstruct it with your Philosopher''s Stone? It''s indeed a genius design."


    "As long as I have enough time, I can improve this system. There are countless ingenious wizards in the tower, and the new talents will figure out its weaknesses."


    Lu Zhiyu stood up and said, "I might stay here for a while. I''ll walk around in the astral world, but I''ll definitely visit you again before I leave!"


    Catherine asked, "Why did you decide to stay here?"


    Lu Zhiyu frowned and pondered it for a long time. He then shrugged his shoulders and said, "I''ll be very free and idle for a long time. I don''t have any specific goal anymore, so I can only walk around and see what happens!"


    Catherine smiled, "Then you might want to stay here for a while longer! If you have time, please tell me about the changes that happen in Maria''s World or any other stories you want to tell me."


    Lu Zhiyu asked, "Have you met Wendy?"


    Catherine frowned and said, "Before Wolfe died, I went to visit Sylve. However, since Wolfe died I haven''t seen her. I heard that the arcanists are working on something very important, but it''s confidential. Fairies also don''t talk to the outside world much, so I don''t know much about it."


    Lenny City on the Wizard Continent.


    "The ground itself has power. Why can''t we just fly into the dimensional wall and out of this world? Because we''re not fast enough, and our airships are not sturdy enough. If we can build airships that are fast and solid enough, we can get rid of the power of the ground, rush into the dimensional wall and explore the astral world."


    A green goblin stood on a platform in front of three blackboards. They were covered in airship designs and intricate symbols.


    There were all races of students seated before him. Even the proud human wizard apprentices were listening carefully to what this troll alchemy warlock was saying.


    Cook Bay was the new level-four alchemy warlock, and he was one hundred and fifty years old. He was also a world-renowned alchemy expert, especially on airship and element tower building. There were many rich elemental wizards lining up to ask Cook Bay to help them build an element tower.


    The level-four element tower built by Cook Bay was definitely one of the best towers in terms of defense level, attack level, climate regulation, and boundaries. The level-two and level-three wizard towers built by Cook Bay had become the standards across the wizard continent.


    After he finished his lecture, Cook Bay immediately went to the wizard tower to join the magic crystal system revolution meeting.


    "Magic crystal system revolution meeting? What is that?"


    Cook Bay would never reject an invitation letter from the wizard tower. When Catherine became a mythical wizard, he went to visit the wizard tower from afar. Although he was a goblin, he admired the master of the wizard tower Catherine with all his heart.


    Cook Bay packed and got onto a train bound for the city of wizards. He was holding a book that looked old and ragged, but it was preserved fairly well by witchcraft.


    On the cover was a picture painted by a renowned painter from the Alen Continent in Maria''s World of a floating city in the sky.

 364 A Mysterious Letter

    On the vast wizard continent, railways extended in all directions. In the center of the railway network was the central area of the continent, where the city of wizards and wizard towers stood. The Magic Crystal System Reform Research Conference was held there, and wizards travelled to the city on aircraft and locomotives from everywhere on the continent and even from other continents.


    All kinds of wizards in wizard robes walked down from the dock. The North Train Station was filled with crowds. Elemental wizards in white robes and official wizards could be seen everywhere. This conference had attracted most of the elite upper-class in the Wizard Alliance.


    The ground level of the wizard tower was converted into a spacious conference hall. It was an important room where wizards discussed issues and communicated with each other when the Wizard Alliance held important meetings.


    Wizards walked up the long stairs, crossed the great castle, and arrived at the tower. Members of the Gathering of Wizards had arrived quite a while ago. Even Lady Catherine would attend this meeting herself to discuss issues of the magic crystal system.


    Seats were arranged in a semi-circle. More than 10,000 wizards who were at least experts in the field, elemental wizards, or headmasters of the wizard school attended. Average official wizards had not earned a seat here. Tower wizards who explored the astral world had never imagined this day would come.


    When the crowd saw the magic crystal and the magic crystal system, they started a heated discussion. No one ever thought that the wizard civilization would be changed in this way.


    Even though the magic crystal system was not perfected, it had unclogged the bottleneck of the wizard civilization and removed the obstacle to its development. All the wizards engaged in discussions about how they could enhance the magic crystal system, and how to utilize magic crystals in every facet of the wizard civilization.


    "It''s a miracle. The name ''magic crystal'' is spot on. It is indeed the crystallization of magic powers!"


    "It is an invention that changed the era!"


    "Enabling commoners to have the same capabilities of apprentice wizards and learn about witchcraft. In this way, all will become wizards, all will wield the power of witchcraft, and all will be a part of the Wizard Alliance and the wizard civilization."


    Cook Bay stood up and said, "It''s not just about letting commoners use alchemy equipment or supernatural powers. It is a kind of energy, a crystallization of wizard energy and power. It''s had a huge impact on the traditional wizard system. If we could increase the mana stored within it, we could build higher wizard towers, larger aircrafts. We could even float elemental towers in the sky. Moreover, when we have endless energy, building the legendary Floating Space City may not be a dream anymore!"


    The crowd almost lost control when they heard this speech. They realized that magic crystals were not only powerful for commoners, but even more powerful for wizards. The small gems would change the entire world completely.


    Once the conference ended, those assembled in the tower formed the Magic Crystal System Management Committee. As one of the first elite alchemy warlocks, Cook Bay joined as a member. The first batch of magic crystals was immediately produced in the alchemy workshops in the city and spread across the entire wizard continent.


    Many magic crystal tools were invented and flowed out into the wizard continent. However, the wizard continent had a much lower proportion of saints than Maria''s World. The first-generation magic crystals lacked convenience in recharging and usage. Therefore, their usage was restricted to a few large cities. Reform and research of the second-generation magic crystals were still in progress.


    With Lady Catherine''s suggestion about collecting the power of consciousness, Cook Bay built the first magic crystal tower after around 20 years. Alchemy Master Cook Bay''s name was more celebrated than ever, almost catching up with the first alchemy warlock, Brock Kim.


    However, magic towers had to be built inside metropolises. The bigger the population, the more power of consciousness was absorbed from the people, and more mana could be collected by magic crystal towers.


    "Now, we shall give Mr. Cook Bay a wizard tower merit emblem. Only those who make a huge contribution to the Wizard Alliance and the entire wizarding civilization can receive this emblem of honor!"


    Cook Bay received the wizard tower merit emblem in the tower. Many wizards in the audience sent him their congratulations. Of course, some were jealous and bitter. Controversy over someone from a foreign race receiving such honor was inevitable.


    Cook Bay was thrilled, as he was the first foreigner to ever receive the emblem. Also, this award implied the possibility of becoming a member of the Gathering of Wizards. He had the chance to become the first goblin member of the Gathering of Wizards!


    "If I could join the Gathering of Wizards, I could play a part in making major decisions about the Wizard Alliance, and improve the status of goblins!" Cook said in his heart.


    Cook Bay clenched his fists, pinned the wizard tower merit emblem to his robe, and walked down the long stairs. He headed home and found that a special letter was in his mailbox when he arrived.


    "Dear Mr. Cook Bay,


    I would like to invite you to help me with the design and construction of a floating space tower. See you in the City of Leaves in the Forest of Fairies on the 6th of August.


    Randhir Eranbell"


    Cook Bay broke into laughter and said, "Build a floating space tower? Is he dreaming?"


    Cook Bay had first proposed the idea of floating space towers. However, even Cook Bay himself knew that building a true floating space tower was dreamlike in its impossibility. A true floating space tower would be a level-seven mythical alchemy entity, which could only be built and controlled by level-seven mythical wizards.


    It would be able to move freely, attack land units from the air, and even rise up to the bitwall and star worlds, becoming the crucial vehicle for humans to explore the bitwall and the truth of the world. Its value was undeniable, but it was still theoretical and no one could build it at this stage.


    Moreover, floating such a huge tower in the air and keeping it in the sky would require a massive amount of energy. And yet, someone had invited him to build a floating space tower. As the modern alchemy master, Cook was surprised and amused. He held the letter in his hand and shook his giant green head and pointy ears.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Floating space tower! Floating space tower! Randhir Eranbell!" Cook repeated to himself.


    The name seemed familiar to Cook Bay. He suddenly remembered that Randhir Eranbell was the Great Elemental Wizard who had given him the book "The Mysteries of Alchemy" when he was young. Since then, Cook Bay had kept this book with him at all times. The foundation of his alchemy skills were found in this book, and the floating space city on the cover had been in his dreams ever since.


    "It''s Mr. Randhir! Maybe I should go!" Cook Bay said.


    The goblin was thrilled. He was very grateful to the man who had changed his journey in alchemy so greatly.


    The second-generation magic crystal system was finished. He did not take any credit and did not participate in its distribution. Instead, Cook Bay had packed and boarded the aircraft to the City of Leaves. It was on the Titan continent in the territory of fairies. Cook Bay had not been to the Titan continent for a long time.

 365 The Levitation Ring

    It was no longer the same Titan continent Lu Zhiyu last visited. Goblins, dwarves, trolls, and fairies had gradually become a part of the Wizard Alliance. Nevertheless, the City of Leaves was a foreign trade city built by fairies, and most fairies still lived in the Forest of Fairies.


    The City of Leaves was a unique city. The Forest of Fairies was a forest growing not on gentle hills, but a plateau. Dangerous cliffs surrounded the forest as if the forest was growing on a pillar. From below, it seemed like a forest in the sky. The City of Leaves was built on the cliffs below the forest.


    Vines spiraled down the cliffs. Trees thrived on the cliffs. Houses and buildings were built along the cliff at an angle. A huge Ancient Tree of Fairies was embedded in the cliff, piercing through the cliff, and growing up over the top of the cliff.


    Beside the cliff and the Ancient Tree of Fairies, roads and fences were built. One could walk and climb up to the Forest of Fairies above. Even roofs had fences on them, as they were also a part of the trail. At night, alchemy gas lamps were lit, turning the cliff and the City of Leaves into a starry tree.


    The landscape was the creation of nature. When Lu Zhiyu first constructed the astral world, he only set up the model of standard worlds. However, everything internal was created by the force of nature. He had not noticed that such a beautiful view had been created here.


    "Ee-yah-yah! Ee-yah-yah!"


    "Hah-hah-yah-yah!"


    Tiny fairies flew along the cliff covered vine, chattering in their language. At the bottom of the cliff, many taverns, shops, and fairy bistros were built to host humans, goblins, and other races. Local products like fruit wines were sold inside. Docks for aircraft and train stations were built here as well, as foreign races were not allowed to enter the Forest of Fairies.


    Choo-choo!


    Clackety-clack, Clackety-clack!


    Lu Zhiyu stayed in a small cabin at the bottom of the cliff. If one opened the window, an endless grassland with beautiful flowers would come into view. A single railway track extended toward the horizon over the field. Steam trains arrived here every morning. The flowery grasslands with steam trains arriving from far away painted a mesmerizing picture.


    Lu Zhiyu wanted to build a special floating space tower here. If the wizard civilization continued to develop at the same pace, it would be almost impossible for them to build a true floating space tower, nevermind a level eight floating space city. And without a floating space tower, the wizard civilization could never step out beyond the bitwall and explore the astral world.


    Mythical wizards without floating space towers did not possess the power to leave the world and explore the astral world. Moreover, it would take a long time for them to build the level eight floating space city and rival the true gods of Maria''s World (true gods with divine kingdoms were level-eight mythical beings, side gods were level-seven).


    Several elements were necessary to build a floating-space tower. A level-seven alchemy floating space tower life blueprint, a levitation ring, and a mana pool. The most difficult to acquire was the levitation ring.


    Lu Zhiyu had decided to build a floating space tower as a gift for Catherine to celebrate her becoming a mythical wizard. However, building the tower himself would not be as meaningful as teaching the wizards how to build it. And since Catharine was not gifted in alchemy at all, Lu Zhiyu had to find someone else to build the floating space tower.


    The floating space tower would also push forward the development of the wizard civilization. Without it, the wizard civilization would stay trapped inside the Starsoul World, while Maria''s World started to explore the astral world and the divine system reached out to the astral world. Maria''s World had perfected the magic crystal system, and the species within started to challenge the bitwall.


    Another steam train arrived from far away. This time, there was a green-skinned goblin in wizard robes walked onboard.


    Cook Bay stepped off the train and followed the wavy trail, looking at the rows of houses built on the bottom of the cliff. Holding on to the fences while he walked, he had finally found the address on the letter. It was a white house with a red roof, red chimney, and beautiful stained-glass windows, embedded into a slope on the cliff.


    "Knock-knock! Knock-knock!"


    Cook Bay did not hear anything coming from inside the house but realized the door was unlocked. He pushed the door and looked inside. His jaw dropped as the door opened. He did not see the inside of a small cabin as he had expected, but a crystal-clear watery swirl. If not observing carefully, one might not notice the transparent swirl of dimensional folds.


    Through the swirl, he could see rolling hills where many grand palaces had been built.


    "Wumpth!"


    Cook Bay shut the door immediately. He was still in a state of shock. He opened the door again, and the view was completely different now, as he again saw the wizard tower outside!


    "Golly! How is that possible?" he exclaimed.


    Cook Bay stepped into the cabin and went through the swirl. His body decomposed into the tiniest ashes and reassembled on the other side of the swirl. The next thing he knew, he was standing on the street of the City of Wizards.


    Familiar streets, familiar alchemy shops, and familiar steam railway buses. Cook Bay had spent more than a month traveling across the sea and had made quite a few stops along the way before he finally arrived at the City of Leaves on the Titan continent. And now, just one step took him all the way back.


    The green-skinned goblin tripped over the threshold and fell back through the door. Immediately, he was in a simply styled room with a fireplace, benches, closets, and a kitchen.


    "Welcome! Mr. Cook Bay, we meet again!" A familiar black-haired man sat on a cane chair near the window, holding a cup of tea, looking at Cook Bay as if he was a joke. It seemed this little set-up was designed to make him flustered. Well, that was really poor taste.


    However, Cook Bay was not a bit provoked. This was because he had seen something amazing. He saw a portal! Gosh, what a miracle! He never imagined such portals truly existed. He had only read in a few ancient books that portals had existed. In the legends, ancient wizards traveled through giant portals from one world to another and kept their mouths shut about the details.


    "Gosh golly, it''s a miracle! Mr. Randhir, it''s a portal, isn''t it? That''s right, it''s a portal!" Cook Bay said.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    He now believed that coming here was the best choice he ever made in his life. He did not just see a portal, but also the possibility of actually building a floating space tower. If Mr. Randhir could build a portal, he could definitely build a floating space tower, since portals were so much harder to build.


    If he could make such an alchemy item, he would be idolized by all goblins! No, he would be the god of all goblins!


    "Technically, it''s a one-time portal. Look behind you!" said Lu Zhiyu. Lu Zhiyu had played a mean trick on Cook Bay, but he also genuinely wished for the idea of teleportation technology to be spread across the land. If someone could actually perfect the technology of portals, that would be a great surprise to Lu Zhiyu.


    Cook Bay turned his head around. He saw that the door was distorted in the swirl, and then the swirl vanished.


    Cook Bay put down his travel case and started talking to Lu Zhiyu with great excitement. Even though neither Cook''s skills in teleportation, nor his ideas and designs for the floating space tower were good enough, Lu Zhiyu could tell that Cook Bay was highly gifted in the field. Goblins had great talent in alchemy, just as Lu Zhiyu had designed them.


    "Let''s talk about building a floating space tower then! I have looked over your design. Not much concern about the level-seven alchemy life floating space tower blueprint. You could design and make one utilizing a wizard tower. The mana pool should also not be a problem. Even though it''s not possible at the moment, it will not be a problem for much longer as the magic crystal system progresses. So, the only problem is the levitation ring!" Lu Zhiyu said.


    Lu Zhiyu spoke nonstop. Cook Bay was trying to take as many notes as possible in his notebook like a student. His eyes suddenly lit up.


    "I would like to build a floating space tower tailored to the powers and gifts of the fairies. Or more specifically, tailored to the fairies in the forest. A floating space tower based on illusionary techniques, plants, and life. Therefore, you need to first truly understand the powers of the fairies, and then make a design. That''s why I invited you to come here. Only here could you learn about the powers of the fairies, the Ancient Tree of Fairies, and characteristics of fairies. You need to go deep into the Forest of Fairies. With the existing relationship between goblins and fairies, and your identity as a level-four alchemy warlock, it shouldn''t be a problem for you to enter the forest. I also understand that you know a Great Fairy from the Forest of Fairies. I need you to research the powers of fairies and the structure of the Ancient Tree of Fairies to design the floating space tower. When I have approved your draft design, I will teach you how to make a levitation ring. That will be your reward for designing the floating space tower! What do you think?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    Cook Bay stood up immediately. Even his pitch rose as he trembled with excitement, his giant green head shook continuously, almost frighteningly. He said, "Definitely! Sir, please teach me! I will design and build the floating space tower just for you!"


    It was a gift, a blessing. The levitation ring was the hardest part of building a floating space tower. Such a creation was far beyond the imagination of goblins. No, even wizards.


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head and said, "No, no, no. Not for me, for Catherine!"


    Cook Bay was even more thrilled and said, "Catherine? The owner of the high tower, Lady Catherine? Oh! Great gold, Great Titan and Great Lady Catherine! It was my dream to work for her!"


    After two months, Cook Bay handed his design concepts and a stack of drafts to Lu Zhiyu. Lu Zhiyu had a look. It was a floating space tower utilizing plants and alchemy, with a dreamy, beautiful style just like the fairy buildings. Nevertheless, looking good would not be enough. Lu Zhiyu turned to the back of the page and saw that Cook had included the design concept of the life template of the Ancient Tree of Fairies into the floating space tower.


    The prospect of such a floating space tower meant a great deal for the fairies in the forest. Lu Zhiyu thought about this and said to Cook Bay, "Why don''t we transform an Ancient Tree of Fairies into a floating space tower?"


    Cook Bay froze and asked, "Transform an Ancient Tree of Fairies into a floating space tower? Is that even possible?"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and said, "Give it a try. With the help of Catherine, it shouldn''t be a problem. The Ancient Tree of Fairies is the accompanying tree of the fairies in the forest. Here''s the fabrication drawing of the levitation ring, and the seed of the Ancient Tree of Fairies. I am quite satisfied with your design. You can return to the high tower and discuss details of building the floating space tower with Catherine. Tell her that this is my gift for her level-up. I hope she will like it."


    Lu Zhiyu put a folded drawing and a supernaturally glowing green seed into Cook Bay''s hands and opened the door. On the other side of the door was not the flowery grassland outside, but the City of Leaves, a dense forest.


    Cook Bay opened the door again after Lu Zhiyu closed it behind him, but the scene had changed back to the flowery field. No matter how Cook Bay fiddled with the door and tried to find out the secret behind it, he realized that it was now just a normal door.


    "Mr. Randhir must be joking. How could this design fit onto such a small paper? It must be incomplete!" Cook Bay complained.


    Cook Bay unfolded the paper several times. The book-sized paper unfolded into the size of a table, with a drawing of an intricate three-dimensional silver ring on it. But there were only two words, "Levitation Ring", written on it and nothing about the fabrication method.


    "Ah!" Cook Bay was again shocked. The goblin''s green head was about to explode.


    Just when he was getting frustrated and started complaining that Mr. Randhir had played a terrible joke on him, Cook Bay noticed that in the corner it said, "Fabrication method located on the library on level two!"


    Cook Bay rushed to level two and opened the door to the library. Stacks of books fell over, covering the floor. The titles were, "Theory on Fabrication of Levitation Ring I, II, III¡­"


    Cook Bay, again, felt that the world was crumbling around him.

 366 The Fairy Dreamland

    If he walked down the forest trail through the dense Forest of Tahkerr, Lu Zhiyu could see the distant Capital of Fairies just below the sun.


    Nevertheless, what caught Lu Zhiyu''s eye was not the magnificent royal palace of fairies, but the vast farmland and flower fields outside the city, and the farmer treants in the fields. The 20-meter tall treants were like dancers on the fields, leaping between fields gracefully, regardless of their huge, cumbersome bodies. As they waved their hands around, seeds sprinkled down and were sown, and crops were harvested.


    Some farmer treants watered the crops while others weeded the fields. They each had their own responsibilities. The seemingly endless fields outside of Sylve City extended to the far horizon, and the farmer treants were responsible for planting, nurturing, and harvesting crops from them.


    "Hey! Stop! Where did you..?"


    "What do I see? A human? We have never seen humans here!"


    As Lu Zhiyu walked over some ridges, a farmer treant came over to him. A fairy with a white blouse and linen trousers was sitting on its trunk. A gust of wind blew in from afar, crossing the wheat fields, shaking the heads of the golden sunflowers.


    It was a beautiful dreamland. Colorful bubbles drifted in the air. The sun gave off a surreal shine.


    "Maybe it''s because this place is completely isolated from the true world that its connection to the world is weakening and outsiders could hardly enter," Lu Zhiyu whispered to himself.


    Lu Zhiyu noticed that he had passed through an illusory barrier when he came in. The barrier separated this place from the real world, and the barrier was growing stronger. A great power was isolating this space into its own independent area.


    "Nothing here is completely real, but somewhere between illusion and reality. The power of arcane magic and the network of supernatural power cover every inch. The supernatural power is assimilating everything here," Lu Zhiyu said.


    The fairy sitting on the treant was shocked. He looked harmless and pure, as if he had never left this place, and had never seen any outsiders or other races before. He asked, "How could an outsider like you know that we are building the arcane network? Even most fairies do not know what we are doing!"


    Lu Zhiyu shrugged and said, "I also know that you are already dead!"


    Fairy Harold was absolutely astonished and said, "That''s right. I failed when I was about to level up from level four. However, my soul remained here and was changed. As long as I am here, in Fhartasil, I will live. However, I can never leave Fhartasil, since the moment I step out of Fhartasil, I will be found by the Starsoul controlling death and the consciousness of the world, and I will enter the eternal cycle of death!"


    Lu Zhiyu asked, "This place is called Fhartasil?"


    Fairy Harold said with pride, "Yes. We are only one step away. If her majesty Wendy succeeds, we will all obtain sublimation. Here will become the Fairyland Fhartasil, the dreamland, and the home of the souls of fairies. Her majesty Wendy is almighty. She created the arcane system, opened another path different from the wizards''. She even opened up the future of arcanists herself, as she is about to become a mythical arcanist."


    Lu Zhiyu nodded and agreed, "That''s right!"


    Somehow, Harold had a good impression of the man standing in front of him and felt he could continue the conversation with the man forever. He even invited the man to sit with him on his friend, the farmer treant, and the prideful farmer treant Tatake did not show any unwillingness at all.


    One could see much further when sitting on the branch of the farmer treant. The entirety of Fhartasil came into view. Looking down, the sun was golden, the wheat fields were golden, even the sunflowers were golden.


    The whole world was colored gold. This view was the most mesmerizing and beautiful sight Lu Zhiyu had ever seen. It was much better than the other worlds and continents, and even the Capital of God, floating space city he had created since he had absolutely zero artistic talent.


    Everything was breathtaking. Everyone''s soul would be painted with the golden color of the lights, freshened and reborn.


    "It''s so Wendy! She always complained about how my creations were made in poor taste and with zero sense of beauty!" Lu Zhiyu mumbled.


    Lu Zhiyu understood Sylr. In Sylr, Fhartasil meant "the home of souls."


    After observing all of Fhartasil, Lu Zhiyu understood the importance of this independent area. It was the key for Wendy to become a level-seven mythical arcanist. She had combined the power of all arcanists and the Arcane Ancient Tree. She had built the arcane network in Fhartasil, assimilating this area utilizing the arcane network and the barrier, thereby becoming the ruler of this area and a level-seven mythical arcanist.


    The arcane network and the power of a mythical arcanist would spread to every corner of this place. This place would become a special place between reality, supernature, and illusion, a fairyland separated from the world.


    "In the future, she could expand her territory to the entire continent. Once she masters the power of space, she could isolate this place to a half-bitwall itself, disconnect from this world, and rise up to the bitwall or the astral world directly, and then become a level-eight mythical arcanist."


    Lu Zhiyu could see Wendy''s plan and her future as an arcanist. He could see the impact of his path of becoming god, but this was a bit different, with the touch of fairies and Wendy''s taste.


    The farmer treant walked towards the Capital of Fairies, crossing many vast wheat fields. The distant city walls became larger and larger, and one could start to see the inside of the city. Lu Zhiyu saw the cake-like spherical palace in the center of the Capital of Fairies. Layers were built on layers. Statues of men and women and other races were placed on the pillars in the outermost hallways. There were also the fairies'' favorite sky corridors and fountains.


    "That is the Arcane Ancient Tree, the core of the arcane network, the foundation of the arcane power and the framework of fairyland!" Harold said, pointing to the Arcane Ancient Tree in the city, which was an upgrade from the Boundary Ancient Tree of War. Each of the trees was about 100 meters tall and looked as if they were holding up the sky.


    Their trunks were no longer wooden but crystalized. They were giant trees of crystal, reflecting rays of colorful lights under the sun.


    "All information here, every speck of dust in the air, is recorded in the Arcane Ancient Tree, which then constructed the new model of Fhartasil. We can build Fhartasil as we wish. Lights, temperature, weather, or the environment. That''s just for now. Once we become mythical wizards, we can rebuild everything here," said Harold.


    Fairy Harold did not realize he was sharing the information which should not be revealed to outsiders. At that moment, he was too filled with excitement and thrill.


    "It''s not a one-man job, and can''t be accomplished by a single level-seven mythical arcanist. It can only be achieved with all powers of fairy arcanists," said Lu Zhiyu. He saw through the plan. He had to say this, after all, the path to becoming a level-seven mythical arcanist was very difficult. On the other hand, becoming a mythical arcanist at all had been difficult in the first place.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Lu Zhiyu noticed that the farmer treant had stopped outside the city. At the same time, a glaring beam of light shone from the crystalized Arcane Ancient Tree, spreading out over all of Fhartasil.


    "It¡­ It has started. I forgot! I planned to attend the ritual once I finished my work!" Harold exclaimed.


    Harold looked to the city with great excitement. Lu Zhiyu knew that all the arcanists in the Capital of Fairies were standing on a node. Level-four and level-five arcanists were controlling the Arcane Ancient Tree. Arcane gems on the foreheads of countless lower-level arcanists glimmered, contributing to the power.


    Hundreds and thousands of Ancient Trees of Life, Ancient Guardian Trees, and treants had joined, stabilizing the entire arcane network. A massive amount of mana flew thought the network built by mind powers, impacting all of Fhartasil.

 367 Fairyland Fhartasil

    With the eleven Arcane Ancient Trees producing violent arcane power fluctuations, the arcane gems on all the arcanists in Fhartasil vibrated in resonance.


    Colorful rays of light flew through the air above the Capital of Fairies and extended to the horizon. From outside the city, rainbow ribbons of light spiraled upwards to the sky, connecting to the outer boundaries of Fhartasil, assimilating everything within.


    "Activate the arcane network!"


    "Activated!"


    "Scan Fhartasil!"


    "Scanning!"


    In the cake-like palace, groups of arcanists activated the channel ray. A female fairy wearing a tiara stood in the center of the ray on the stairs. Colorful light rays flew out of her body, slowly connecting to everything in Fhartasil.


    Fairy Queen Wendy did not choose the path of mythical life, nor did she choose the fixed mythical template. She had chosen to build Fairyland Fhartasil. She would be the ruler and god of this fairyland, and the fairyland would be her divine body and kingdom.


    Nevertheless, her power could not compare to that of a level-eight true god with support from the world force and the Star Kingdom. Fhartasil was only a small region. Its arcane network and control of the boundary could not equal a level-eight true god''s power.


    Still, Wendy had much more power than a level-seven mythical wizard. Even a level-seven mythical wizard with a powerful floating space tower and support from all the elemental wizards within the tower could not fight against Fhartasil. Such level-seven mythical arcanists were limited in that they could not move their arcane territories freely, unlike floating space towers that could move freely. Only when they became level-eight mythical arcanists, and their territories were upgraded to small half-bitwalls, could they move their territories as they wished.


    And now, the construction of the arcane territory had reached its most critical point. All the arcanists chanted arcane spells, arcane powers crossing and spinning everywhere.


    "Construct mythical territory!"


    Wendy opened her hands and all the fairies in the city mimicked her action, opening their hands. As hundreds of thousands of fairies looked up to the sky, even the arcane runes on the giant Arcane Ancient Tree flew upwards, projecting a huge gold channeling ray into the sky.


    "Assimilate!"


    The huge gold channeling ray in the sky and the silver channeling ray on the ground moved towards each other, overlapped, and became one. The entirety of Fhartasil trembled.


    The immense boundary overhead was engraved with a mythical mark. Wendy''s body was illuminated, then transformed into countless beams of light and arcane runes, integrating with the mark.


    With the influence of these mythical powers, the arcane boundary began to transform everything in the arcane territory, including land, air, trees, lawns, everything! Every being there would be assimilated into Wendy''s power.


    Mythical arcanists were trying to take the lands and resources of this world and separate them. Stars glimmered in the sky as the consciousness of the world sensed what was happening. The representatives of the world, Starsouls, drew close to the main world and revealed themselves in the sky over the Sylve continent.


    Day turned into night instantly. Lights vanished and stars shone up above. Fairy arcanists who were constructing the mythical arcane territory were filled with fright as the sky frowned down at them from overhead.


    "Why did the sky turn dark?" asked a fairy standing inside the palace, craning his head back to observe the change in the atmosphere.


    "This is impossible! Lights should be stored and adjusted inside the boundary. Climate, environment, with the projection of reality illusory technique, we control the days and nights here!" said an elderly fairy arcanist as his countenance changed.


    "No, no! It''s the world force, the Starsouls! The world is repelling us, it believes that we are stealing power from the world!"


    Many great arcanists started to panic. Though they tried to maintain the arcane territory, they could sense a strong power stopping them from assimilating the ground and sky.


    The world force was repelling the mythical arcanist and separating the mythical body of Fairy Queen Wendy, who was integrating into the ground, from the arcane territory.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    At this moment, more and more stars gathered in the sky. Glimmering stars fell over the land of Fhartasil. They filled the entire sky, some barely the size of a fist. So many Starsouls of various sizes put immense pressure on everyone below. The people of Fhartasil could hardly breathe.


    Starlight sprinkled on the ground, shining on the territory and directly onto every fairy. All warmth vanished, leaving only freezing cold.


    "Guilty! Guilty! Guilty¡­"


    "Guilty!"


    "Guilty!"


    "Gul¡­"


    Many voices overlapped with each other, echoing continuously around the entire world, as if all stars were speaking at once. As for those who were judged, they did not have the right to make a sound. Commoner, saint, or mythical being.


    "In the name of the stars, you were found guilty!"


    "In the name of the stars, you were found guilty!"


    "Initiate World Guardian Program. Elimination confirmed!"


    "Elimination¡­elimination¡­ elimination¡­"


    "Elimination¡­"


    "Elimi¡­"


    The voice was genderless, emotionless, and cold. The judgement of the world pierced through every soul. The voice alone had made most fairies lose control over their bodies and they collapsed to the ground.


    The arcane territory contracted and collapsed. The divine body of Fairy Queen Wendy was expelled from the place. All the fairies turned pale and began to panic.


    The Starsouls in the sky formed a huge Starsoul Chart. Silver starlight flowed through the star chart, covering the entire sky. Then they fell to the ground as light beams, destroying all guilty beings and wiping everything clean with their devastating power.


    "How could this happen?" the elder great arcanist sorrowfully cried.


    "Has this path failed? Is it forbidden by the world?" Many fairy arcanists started to doubt themselves.


    "The world has its own consciousness. It would never allow us to do this! We are killing ourselves!"


    "No, we have failed!"


    Harold, who was sitting next to Lu Zhiyu, urged the farmer treant to keep running forward until they had reached the city wall. Harold looked at the sky as the judgment was about to fall. He felt bewildered.


    "Why?" asked Harold. All traces of excitement had left his face, nothing but disappointment remained. Harold felt he had fallen from heaven to hell.


    "We calculated every step. We should be successful! Why is this happening?" Harold cried.


    The judgment of the stars was about to fall to the ground. There was no way to save the situation. Even fleeing was no longer an option.


    "Alright, enough. In the name of the Creator, cancel and shield the World Guardian Program with the highest authority!" said Lu Zhiyu.


    At this moment, the mysterious human sitting next to Harold stood up and waved his hand. The stars full of fluctuating star powers froze as if time and space had stopped.


    After a while, a beam of starlight shone on him.


    All the stars vanished. It seemed that the world was an instrument beneath his fingers, played at his will. The sun rose, the power trying to separate and isolate the world was gone.


    The arcane territory appeared again. This time, Wendy''s mythical mark was engraved onto all of Fhartasil without any obstacle.


    Immediately, lights began to flow all around Fhartasil. The forests outside disappeared and a river formed. The river turned into huge rolling waves in the blink of an eye, surrounding Fhartasil, turning it into an island on a lake.


    A steam railway was built across the water, connecting to the outer edge of the boundary. It was the only way into the Fairyland Fhartasil. If one wished to enter, one would have to take the train and travel across the water, through the golden sunflower fields, and beneath the glaring sunshine, to reach the city of the fairyland.


    The flat landscape of the Capital of Fairies started to undulate. The capital transformed into a city on mountainous lands, like a tiara for the region. Magical flowers bloomed in every field. Unique ancient trees grew. Fhartasil had become more like a dreamy fairyland.


    Fairies in Fhartasil were still in shock from the tremendous change and the abrupt turn of events. To their joy, they soon realized that they had succeeded in their goal. Although they had no clue how, it was a fact that Wendy had successfully become a level-seven mythical arcanist.


    And now, a giant transparent shadow made of wind, the illusory goddess, roared down from the clouds in the sky of Fhartasil to Lu Zhiyu. She looked at Lu Zhiyu, who was standing on one of the farmer treant''s branches, looking embarrassed, and asked, "Are you humiliating me? Are you trying to say that I''m nothing without you? That I can only succeed with your help. Is that correct?"


    Harold was confused. However, what he did know was that the man standing next to him was much more terrifying than he had ever imagined and that the man knew Fairy Queen Wendy.

 368 Mythical Arcanis

    "I''m just stopping by to check on you and to ask if you have rediscovered the meaning of your life? For mythical lives, immortality is just the beginning! Not the end!" Lu Zhiyu said. He was standing on the branches of the farmer treant in the brilliant sunshine of the sunflower field, facing the giant shadow of the female fairy made of wind.


    As he said that, Lu Zhiyu departed. This time, he took the train out of Fhartasil traveling to the outside world. The red train dashed across the water, the blue sky and clouds reflected on the water''s surface. It was like the train was traveling through the sky.


    Passing through the defensive region formed by the boundary and the arcane reality projection, the train reached the outside world and continued to travel somewhere distant through a dense forest.


    As time flew by, ancient stories turned into legends, legends turned into myths, ancient figures turned into heroes, and heroes turned into gods. Wendy would be the god of fairies and the arcane kingdom. Everything about her would one day become legend and myth.


    As for Fairyland Fhartasil, it had truly transformed into a legendary dreamland for fairies and other races. According to the legend, there was a fairy queen, Wendy. When a fairy arcanist passed away, their soul would be summoned to Fhartasil, returned to the fairyland in the legend.


    "It''s a mythical territory, a dreamland created by the fairy queen Wendy! There live the souls of the ancestors of fairies, as well as the most powerful arcanists! It''s a place with no pain or worries, a home for the soul, which all fairies long for."


    With the rise of mythical arcanists and Fairyland Fhartasil, the fairy arcane kingdom stepped into a new age. The fairy arcanists never saw the impact of the world force repelling, as Wendy was the first fairy to become a mythical arcanist.


    Because no great fairy arcanists knew how fairy queen Wendy had succeeded, the details of the fairy queen becoming the first great arcanist were not clearly recorded in the arcane kingdom''s history. Even so, all arcanists understood that it was not possible to build an arcane territory inside the world.


    "We could never possess enough power to challenge the entire world. Even a level-eight true god can not fight against the entire world."¨CMinette Ambrose, the second mythical arcanist.


    Later, to explore new paths to become mythical arcanists, fairy arcanists started to explore beyond the world and attempted to construct their own mythical arcane territories outside the world.


    Fairy arcanists began to explore the bitwall and the astral world. They attempted to absorb and summon the power of the astral world in the bitwall and construct their own mythical territories gradually.


    Prior to the beginning of the Bitwall Age, humans entered the era of astral world exploration, the era during which wizards and arcanists mastered the techniques behind crafting unstable portals.


    Fairy arcanists had truly started to rise. They discovered that all kinds of special half bitwalls existed in the astral world. With chaotic and dangerous internal rules, these half bitwalls were extremely unstable, offering no possibility to nurture normal lives within them.


    However, for fairy arcanists, these half bitwalls felt almost designed for them. The paths to challenging and conquering these half bitwalls were also the paths for them to succeed in becoming mythical arcanists.


    At the beginning of the Bitwall Age, the arcane kingdom, the Wizard Alliance, and the clergy in the divine kingdoms of Maria''s World were all competing to explore the astral world. They used a kind of special bitwall probe, simple space witchcraft, to find and lock onto a half bitwall in the vast astral world.


    To find a half bitwall in the boundless astral world using such rudimentary space witchcraft was even harder than trying to find one particular grain of sand in the ocean. Nevertheless, there were always a lucky few who were favored by fortune and hit the jackpot in the vast astral world.


    With the discovery of each half bitwall, arcanists, wizards, and clergy fought, even battled for the half bitwall. Fighting over half bitwalls was the theme of the beginning of the Bitwall Age.


    However, that was all for later. For now, most saints and supernatural creatures were still trapped within the world and could hardly challenge or explore the bitwall.


    ---Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "This is our mission for the next decade or even century. A floating space tower is, by definition, the simplified version of the floating space city, which is the ultimate goal of alchemy. However, by using the techniques for building a floating space tower, we could remove a key obstacle in the path of alchemy. It is a stepping stone leading us to the ultimate goal of alchemy!" said Cook Bay.


    Cook Bay waved his hands and many pieces of chalks drew out the graph he described on six blackboards. It was a simplified design of a floating space tower.


    Wizards and dwarf alchemy warlocks seated before the stage looked up at the green-skinned goblin in disbelief. The goblin did not look worthy of the wizard robes he was wearing, yet the design and knowledge he demonstrated were mind-blowing.


    "How is this even possible? Creating a floating space tower like this would be impossible!" said a young human alchemy warlock. He was so lost in thoughts about the intricate designs on the blackboards before him that he didn''t realize he had dropped his giant book on the ground.


    "Liar! Definitely a liar!"


    Many of the alchemy warlocks simply did not believe him at all. Such an unimaginable invention was fully planned out in front of them. They had believed that this kind of advancement would not be seen in their lifetimes or in the lifetimes of future generations of wizards.


    "But he is the floating space tower designer appointed by Lady Catherine herself! He has the approval of Lady Catherine!"


    The crowd was engaged in a heated discussion. Most were studying the design covering the six blackboards, raising doubts and trying to identify deadly flaws in the plans.


    "Didn''t the great alchemy warlock, Oakland, prophesy that wizards would only successfully build floating space towers after at least a thousand years? Goblins'' talents in alchemy should not be overlooked. More and more genius goblin alchemy warlocks have come to prominence lately. Maybe we need to consider truly accepting them," said an aged wizard.


    The aged wizard put his glasses on and took a closer look at the blackboards. The pen in front of him was taking notes of the drawings on the blackboards automatically. Although it was a simplified design, and it was impossible to build a floating space tower from it alone, there were no problems at all with Cook Bay''s theory.


    "What a shame! The first floating space tower of wizards would be built by a goblin when the tall tower symbolizes wizards? I cannot accept this!" The young human warlocks were gnashing their teeth over it.


    In the lecture hall in the tall tower, Cook Bay explained the details of constructing this new tower to all the alchemy warlocks. He had stayed in the Forest of Fairies for half a year and then spent two years reading the books Lu Zhiyu left behind, finally returning to the tall tower on the wizard continent to meet with the owner of the wizard tower, Catherine.


    After becoming a mythical wizard, Catherine gained a new title, Forest Fairy Catherine. She appointed Cook Bay as the lead designer of the new tower, a floating space tower. His proposed design would become the new kind of wizard tower.


    The wizard tower was the symbol of wizardry and what held the Wizard Alliance together. Therefore, the first floating space tower had to be a wizard tower. Even if the appearance was different, it had to be a wizard tower. It would be the inheritance of all wizards.


    The great alchemy warlock, Oakland, who was sitting in the front row, was the one who had prophesied that no one could possibly build a floating space tower in the next thousand years. He stood up and raised his question to Cook Bay, "Excuse me. Your theories are indeed fine. The construction of the mana pool and the design of the level-seven mythical alchemy floating space tower are not perfect. Still, they can be constructed and I do approve of them. But the levitation ring? Heh, can you actually build that? Does it really exist?"


    Cook Bay straightened up and answered, "Most certainly! However, it was not designed by me, but by a great alchemy warlock who is wiser than I ever could imagine, the great Mr. Randil Eranbell. He taught me how to design a levitation ring and asked me to build a floating space tower."


    Cook Bay''s eyes were filled with sincerity and he continued, "He is a great alchemy warlock. Not only did he teach me how to build a floating space tower, but he also showed me the application of portals."


    "Impossible! Portals? That''s another ultimate goal of alchemy. Together with the floating space city and intelligent alchemy life, they are the three ultimate goals of alchemy!"


    "Randil Eranbell? That''s a human name. Why have I never heard about this wizard?"


    "Maybe he is a hidden first-generation wizard, who came here from the birthplace of wizards and experienced the exploration ages," two female wizards suggested, showing respect and yearning in their eyes.


    "Of course this is the work of a human alchemy warlock! What a great man! It is because of these great wizards that all wizards can live long and prosper!" said Oakland, accepting Cook Bay''s story. He then nodded with satisfaction and sat down.


    The crowd broke into another round of heated discussion. No one in the room had ever heard the name Randil Eranbell. But when they heard the name, the resistance in their eyes faded. The design of the floating space tower came from the hand of a mysterious and powerful human wizard. However, their jealousy grew much stronger.


    "Why am I not the lucky dog?"


    "Why would the great Randil Eranbell choose a goblin to build the floating space tower?"


    "Are there no other qualified candidates among wizard alchemy warlocks? We need to work harder so that these goblin alchemy warlocks will not stay ahead of us. We are the best alchemy warlocks!"

 369 The Floating-Space Tower in the Sky

    With the construction of the Floating-Space Tower in full swing, the Alchemy Warlocks and Elemental Wizards of the Wizard Alliance were summoned over to the Wizard City. The groups of Elemental Wizards were building the huge tower on the foundation of the original Six-Grade Elemental Tower.


    Every corner of the tower was enveloped with and guided by a majestic Mythical Power, and dense and close-knitted Mind Power Spiritual Strands covered every brick and floor of the tower.


    Under the leadership of Cook Bay, all of the Alchemy Workshops in the Wizard City were building complex parts of the Floating-Space Ring. The complex Floating-Space Ring was composed of tens of thousands of large and small parts. There would be major issues if any single one of them was faulty; the entire Floating-Space Tower could drop from the sky. None of the wizards could assume such a responsibility.


    Catherine, the Forest Fairy, had cultivated the Ancient Tree of Fairies which accompanied her. The entirety of the Wizard City had drawn up a channeling array to supply the growth of the Ancient Tree of Fairies. As seedlings of the Ancient Tree of Fairies were planted on the first floor of the Wizard Tower, one could immediately see that the power of Mythical Wizards was distributed by the seedlings of the Ancient Tree of Fairies cultivated by Catherine.


    The brilliant rays of light diffused up along the channeling array. Wherever the brilliant rays shone, the tower, which was originally made with a special semi-metallic material, was gradually transformed into a wooden material. The ground and the exterior began to reveal an obvious wood grain. The whole tower was transformed from a dark-colored tower to a tower full of vitality. However, the interior structure hadn''t changed at all.


    A group of Elemental Wizards sang incantations to activate the channeling array, while Catherine transformed into a Forest Fairy that was several meters tall. She set off a tsunami of Elemental Waves, the lights and colors of vitality glistening as she passed by, and all the plants in the Wizard City were affected.


    She carried the radiating power of the Forest Fairy and as she surrounded the tower with the persona of Mythical Life, the whole tower kept on transforming from rough and boorish to delicate and exquisite. Beautiful wood grain spread all the way up from the tower''s base. There were even numerous branches and green leaves that started growing at the top. The Magical Vines proliferated rapidly over the surface, and the sparse numbers of windows were multiplied so that the interior became increasingly bright and spacious.


    This beautiful Wizard Tower akin to a big tree appeared before everyone''s eyes. It was brimming with vitality, plants, and green aura. All was in line with the color palette of the Forest Fairy. The witchcraft boundary it released was stronger than before and had expanded a large area outside the Wizard City and encompassed a large plain outside.


    Everyone inside the Wizard City found that flowers and trees grew rapidly between the sidewalks and cracks in the street, and the air had become fresher. Petals falling from the Wizard Tower floated in the air. Each fallen petal would create a special or magical plant.


    The huge tower was a special Alchemic Life. It was a unique Mythical Life which was a combination of the Elemental Tower, Alchemic Life, Ancient Tree of Fairies, and Mythical Life Power. The power it emitted could influence all the plants around it.


    Cook Bay, who was in charge of the construction of the Floating-Space Tower, said, "The first step was successfully completed. The second step is building the Floating-Space Ring and the mana pool!"


    Over the next decades, after a series of explorations, continuous failures, and scraps, Cook Bay finally succeeded in creating the first Floating-Space Ring when everyone else doubted him.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    On the day of the birth of the Floating-Space Ring, the power it exuded made the Alchemy Workshop, the land, and the rocks in the south of the Wizard City float and rise into the sky. Everything was revolving around the silver Floating-Space Ring.


    The wizards of the Wizard City looked up and saw everything in the sky. They saw that houses, stones, flowers, and furniture that had lost their gravity. They were stunned. But one of items, the huge silver Floating-Space Ring, attracted everyone''s attention.


    "This isn''t a Floating-Space Ring, this is Heaven''s Ring!"


    "It''s a ring from the sky!"


    Oakland, the great alchemy warlock, watched that scene and was completely overwhelmed by the charming sight, muttering to himself. The Heaven''s Ring, which was rotating slowly and irregularly, was reflected in his blue pupils, clear and defined.


    While Oakland greatly admired the designer of the Floating-Space Ring, the mysterious wizard Randil, he also thought highly of the somewhat funny-looking green-skinned goblin Cook Bay. Oakland finally recognized Cook Bay''s talent and achievements in alchemy. He also recognized Cook Bay as the main designer of the Floating-Space Tower.


    And what Oakland said was recorded in history. In the future, Wizards used "Heaven''s Ring" as a nickname for the Floating-Space Ring. Most wizards thought that the name "Floating-Space Ring" was too plain. They used Heaven''s Ring more often; it was their way to glorify and ennoble the Floating-Space Tower which reached the mythical level of alchemy.


    The Magic Crystal System had been operating in the Wizard Continents for decades. In the past, Magic Crystal Towers were only being built by wizard schools. Now, countless huge cities had the ability to build the Magic Crystal Towers.


    With the construction costs and expenses of the Magic Crystal Tower gradually decreasing, a massive quantity of Magic Crystals was continuously produced in each and every Magic Crystal Tower, and the blank Magic Crystal was recycled for charging after every use.


    The newly manufactured Magic Crystal could be used hundreds of times, which greatly reduced the cost of Magic Crystals. Magic Crystal devices were popularized in many small cities and villages in the Wizard Continents.


    In addition to being traditionally used in steam trains, airships, steam buses, and locomotives, through the farmland, farmers began using the new Magic Crystal Seeder to sow seeds. There was also a new mill using the new Alchemy Flour-Milling Machine.


    There were large and small commodity workshops with standard alchemy benches that ordinary workers could also operate. In the cities, there were many rich families using Alchemy Fans and roadside grocery stores using Alchemy Freezers to store meat and snacks.


    In many people''s eyes, it was an extremely magical era. It was a fantasy world that they could never have imagined. People could travel conveniently using all kinds of Alchemy Transportation. Although not everyone could have a proper meal, as long as they worked hard, most could live a richer life than was ever conceivable in the past.


    The perfection of the system of the Magic Crystal Tower had led to the development of the third generation of the Magic Crystal Tower''s system, the Magic Crystal Network. As long as the Magic Crystal Network was used, mana could be transmitted anywhere the Magic Crystal Network was available. Magic Crystals could be charged, and Magic Crystal alchemy devices could be used to establish a real Magic Crystal City.


    In the year 758 on the wizards'' calendar, the Wizard City, which was the core of the Wizard Alliance, began to lay its true Magic Crystal Network. However, a large number of alchemy materials were needed to build a Wizard City entirely soaked in mana.


    "Will this cost too many resources? Even by the preliminary estimates, we will need hundreds of billions of wizard dollars, and the help of tens of thousands of formal wizards and a large number of alchemy warlocks, as well as at least sixty Alchemy Workshops and Elemental Laboratories," Oakland immediately objected to the idea Cook Bay suggested.


    "We''re not going to spend a lot of resources just to build a Magic Crystal Network, but to explore the manufacturing methods of mana pools. At the same time, we need to build a Magic Crystal City which will be the model of an Alchemy City and the foundation of the future Floating-Space City," Cook Bay excitedly explained.


    According to Cook Bay''s design, this step was also preparation for the future Floating-Space City. He wanted to transform the Wizard City into one which was fully immersed in mana. He could also explore the manufacturing methods of mana pools and make the Wizard City more compact, all of which were for the preparation of the Floating-Space City in the future. Although their generation might not live to see it, it would be the foundation for future alchemy warlocks to work from.


    All the land of the Wizard City was converted into an alchemy slab by tens of thousands of Formal Wizards, hundreds of Elemental Wizards, and the Mythical Wizard, Catherine. They then spent ten years creating a Magic Crystal Network on which mana could be freely transmitted and transported. Even a level one wizard, with the help of the Magic Crystal Network, could wield the power of an Elemental Wizard.


    Then the mana pool was developed by Cook Bay, who spent half of his life in the development of the Floating-Space Tower. Three key creations of the Floating-Space Tower, namely the Seven-Grade Mythical Alchemy Floating-Space Tower, the Floating-Space Ring, and the mana pool, were all created by him, one after another.


    When the three were combined, one could see that the huge Wizard Tower separated from the earth and floated up into the sky bit by bit. It became a real Floating-Space Tower rising up like a giant in the sky.


    Cook Bay stood on top of the Floating-Space Tower. While many wizards shouted and jumped for joy, his face also revealed an excited smile.


    "I''ve finally accomplished this! Mr. Randil, I didn''t fail in what you''ve entrusted to me. I really succeeded. I made the first Floating-Space Tower on the Wizard Continent!"

 370 The Death of the Chaos Worm

    On the Wizard Continent, from the farmers and workers on the ground who occasionally looked upward to the women who worked by windows and often watched the clouds in the sky, wherever they were, anyone could see the faint silhouette of the Wizard Tower.


    The faint silhouette of the Wizard Tower was never fixed in one spot for a long time but would tour all of the wizard schools and cities of the Wizard Continent.


    The Wizard Parliamentary System of the Wizard Alliance and the system of the College Council and the City Hall which controlled the continent had been in power for hundreds of years. Although there were many loopholes in the system and problems often arose, the system persisted because of the dominant position of the powerful wizards in society. Wizards from the Wizard Tower had established more and more wizard schools, and wizards from wizard schools built numerous cities, towns, and villages.


    Through constant reform and the suppression of the wizards'' extraordinary status, the construction of a new system for wizards and Magic Crystal was constantly emerging. At the same time, the Wizard Alliance had been focusing on their expansion and development of other continents, and it had gradually formed a system that was unique to the wizards.


    But at the same time, because of the longevity of the Elemental Wizard and the malpractice of the Parliamentary System, the reformation of some important areas was taking place at a slower pace. In hundreds of years, the world hadn''t changed as much as Lu Zhiyu thought it would in a decade of the industrial revolution.


    But for the Wizard Alliance, there was no problem at all, because they had the time to take it slowly.


    They progressed slowly. They saw nothing wrong with it.


    Everyone inside the Wizard Tower was busy and on the go. The bottom of the tower was a huge octagonal Magic Crystal Pillar and a Seventh-Grade mana pool. It was embedded in the Energy Room at the bottom of the tower. No one was allowed to enter. Majestic mana was continuously transmitted through the Magic Crystal Network to the inside of the tower.


    Above the mana pool was a huge silver ring that spun continuously in an irregular oscillation; it allowed the huge tower to float in the air. The tower had completed its first inspection, and its next goal was to explore the World of Bitwall.


    The Floating Space Tower needed a large number of alchemy warlocks to support its daily operation. At the same time, its consumption of mana was extremely high. After a huge round of inspections of the Wizard Continent, the rate of mana consumption had reached an alarming level. A newly-promoted Seventh-Level Mythical Wizard was in control of the operations of the Floating-Space Tower, and it was tiring work for him.


    "The routine inspection will be completed soon. On our next stop, we''ll return to the Wizard City. Prepare for docking immediately!" Cook Bay, who was in a white wizard''s robe with a tower and silver-colored infinity symbol embroidered on it, had recently suggested that he become a member of the Wizard Parliamentary System, and he became the first goblin and being of a different race to become one of the decision-makers in the Wizard Alliance.


    They were in the sixth-floor control room under the main floor, the seventh floor of the tower. The floor was divided into several areas. There were areas controlling the Magic Crystal Network, the Floating System, the witchcraft boundary, the Attack System, and the Main Control Platform respectively.


    An Eye of Truth, made by the one-eyed Spirit Devouring Devil of the Abyss, projected a detailed three-dimensional map of all the areas near the Floating-Space Tower. It could target anything in the area at any time and strike and intercept accurately. Their inspection tour was also a deterrent to many wizard schools under the Wizard Alliance.


    "The Magic Report has been sent to the Wizard City!"


    "The Wizard City has responded, communication has ended!"


    When the Floating Space Tower returned to the sky above the Wizard City and sat on the base of the city''s core, one could see the rapid expansion of the overall Protective Witchcraft Boundary of the Wizard City and the activation of the Mana Network of the whole city.


    Catherine looked at the familiar Wizard City and said to Cook Bay, "Well done!"


    Cook Bay was a little short. He only reached the much taller Catharine''s waist. He looked up with excitement and said, "Just doing my job."


    Cook Bay completed the inspection mission and confirmed that there were no major problems in his design of the Floating-Space Tower, but he still dared not relax a bit. This was because his next task would be to explore the World of Bitwall. It would be the first time that wizards had really explored that world.


    After completing an inspection of the Wizard Tower, all crew members immediately disbanded following an urgent meeting and went home to rest. Cook Bay stayed in the tower and prepared for his next mission.


    But Catherine, the master of the tower, disappeared quietly from the tower and went down the long street toward the castle of the Tower College where many people lived. The stairway inside the castle was intricate and bizarre. Whoever had constructed it was full of imagination, it was just like a garden castle in a child''s dream.


    She walked up the stairs to the very top of the castle. Lu Zhiyu was already standing there, looking at the Wizard City.


    "How is it?" Catherine was very proud of the wizard kingdom she had founded.


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, "A great country worthy of praise and pride, but I''m not just looking at the cities and wizards on their own, but wisdom and civilization. It''s the eruption of thousands of people''s wisdom that leads to the formation of a brilliant civilization."


    When Catherine saw Lu Zhiyu, she knew that he was going to leave, but she asked anyway, "Are you going to leave again? Leave this world? For a new place? Maria''s World? Or other unknown places in the astral world?"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded, "There seems to be something wonderful occurring in the astral world. I''m going to take a look at it. Before I leave, I''m bidding farewell to you, because it may be a long time before we meet again!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Catherine said as if mocking herself, "Don''t worry, the only advantage of being a Mythical Being is that I can afford to wait!" Then she got a longing look in her eyes, "Astral world? I wish I could go and take a look at it too!"


    "You will!"


    "I wish I could go take a look at Maria''s World!"


    Lu Zhiyu had his reasons for choosing that place. It was the place where Catherine and the rest had lived when they were becoming apprentices as wizards. It was also the place where wizards of their generation like to play the most. When they were children, they played and fought there, basked under the sun, watched the sunrise, and watched the sunset.


    After a final farewell to Catherine, Lu Zhiyu finally left that world and ended a journey that would be considered long and tedious by ordinary people, but for Lu Zhiyu was just a simple and short journey.


    Lu Zhiyu wanted to leave in a hurry because a Chaos Worm had died in the astral world.


    The Chaos Worm was the model and seed of a world. Its death wasn''t a simple matter. In a sense, they shouldn''t die because there was no natural enemy for them in the astral world.


    But the truth was in front of Lu Zhiyu. A Chaos Worm had really died, so he rushed to the astral world to see what was happening in the dark and unfathomable astral world.

 371 The Birth of the Half Bitwall

    Darkness, nothingness, silence.


    The Astral World maintained its usual state as if it was eternal. However, a giant beast on a long journey broke the eternal tranquility of the Astral World. It was a huge transparent worm with a body the size of a continent. At its core, there seemed to be a silver whirlpool revolving.


    Wherever it went, it left traces of dimensional folds. One breath or one movement could set off an Elemental Wave that could spread over millions of kilometers. Inside the wave, an Astral World meteorite was born, accompanied by a special Astral World creature.


    A unique Energy Creature emerged from the huge Elemental Wave. It only possessed faint awareness and it followed the footprints of the Chaos Worm instinctively. There was also some unique Liquid Vitality hidden within the Astral World meteorite.


    Hence, when the Chaos Worm passed through the Astral World, there was a long tail of Elemental Waves with Astral World meteorites and Astral World creatures following close behind. It had formed the beautiful scenery of the Astral World.


    Bang!


    When the giant Astral World Chaos Worm arrived, it stopped in its track, its whole body melting little by a little, and the brilliance from the explosion of the inner silver whirlpool enveloped everything around it.


    The Astral World Chaos Worm was slowly dying, its original shell turning into layers of dimensional folds that wrapped around its insides and formed a mini bitwall. It was the death of an Astral World Chaos Worm that hadn''t yet matured, so it formed a half bitwall instead of a full bitwall.


    The silver whirlpool inside the original Astral World Chaos Worm condensed rapidly after the explosion and gradually formed a floating island within the half bitwall.


    A special fluorescent organism was also formed in the half bitwall that filled the half bitwall like a massive silver yarn. It emitted a silver glow and illuminated the entire half bitwall. The long tail of Elemental Waves behind the original Astral World Chaos Worm crashed into the half bitwall immediately.


    Many groups of special Energy Vitality, Liquid Vitality, and Gaseous Vitality also bolted into the thin half bitwall, and after a long time of being lost and floating, all of them fell into the interior of the half bitwall.


    Lu Zhiyu appeared and stood on the floating island of the half bitwall. Floating islands like this one could be seen everywhere in the half bitwall.


    "In the long course of evolution, have there been distortions and things went astray?"


    Lu Zhiyu walked through the half bitwall which hadn''t yet fully evolved and formed. He observed everything around him and could see that the Chaos Worm had completely died. It hadn''t successfully evolved into a world, so it couldn''t be re-nurtured from the end of that world at the time of its demise. This was the very end of its life.


    "The evolution of the Chaos Worms is also risky. To surpass the others by evolving to its final stage would take to long, especially when all kinds of accidents can happen to it at any time."


    "This place has no sun, but there are special fluorescent organisms. What an interesting half bitwall."


    After checking it out, Lu Zhiyu discovered that the failed evolution of the Chaos Worm wasn''t caused by external reasons, but by internal reasons. After all, it took ten thousand years for its growth and maturity period. That was too long and tedious for any life form.


    And the half bitwall, which was not far away from Maria''s World, was influenced by Maria''s World and was gradually attracted to Maria''s World. The half bitwall was moving towards Maria''s World.


    That was the first naturally occurring half bitwall of the Astral World. There might be more instances of such a phenomenon in the future. As Lu Zhiyu envisioned it, the Astral World would become increasingly lively.


    ---


    The northern part of the Mara Kingdom stood at the foot of the Andromeda Mountain. There was a small village, Iris Village, in the Bright Plain.


    Hundreds of years before, or even a thousand years before, that place wasn''t called the Bright Plain. It had been a decaying marsh. However, as more and more people migrated to that place, after hundreds of years of harnessing resources, developing water canals, drawing water in, and cutting down the forests into farmlands, it had developed into what it was now.


    It had gradually developed into a natural granary of Mara Kingdom. The food produced by the Bright Plain could feed half of the population of the Mara Kingdom.


    With the marsh transformed into a useful farmland and the dark forest removed, brightness enveloped that place. At a glance, one could only see windmills and wheat fields swaying with the wind.


    People had gradually forgotten the darkness and terror hidden in the rotten marshes. They had forgotten that this place was once the haunting space for the Dead Spirits and the Undead Wizards. They had even forgotten that the King of the Dead who once walked down the Andromeda Mountain and the Corps of the Undead who occupied the entire land were the ones who had named it the Bright Plain.


    Iris Village was a remote village at the foot of the Andromeda Mountain. If one looked up, they could see the beautiful mountains and the snow-covered Andromeda Peak.


    The village was far from the heart of the big city and the core areas of the Mara Kingdom. Even the nearest Steam Train Station in Ollie City took three days on foot to reach. That was the only way to go to the city. There was public transportation by Steam Locomotive available every two days. There was no gas, no water supply, and no Alchemy Street Light.


    The only Magic Crystal alchemy devices were Crystal Purification Tower and Alchemy Mill. The Crystal Purification Tower was used to control and purify all of the farmland in Iris Village. These ensured the successful harvest of crops for the whole village. The village head controlled the Crystal Purification Tower. Every year, there would be an acting priest from the Church of Light who would inspect the village. The Alchemy Mill belonged to Old Man Brie, his family was the richest in the village.


    At night, it was pitch-dark there. The only entertainment was the magic radio that some wealthy people owned. The radio attracted people from the whole village to come listen to it in the town square.


    "I really want to go to big cities. I heard that girls in big cities can wear beautiful clothes and skirts, eat all kinds of delicious snacks and food, go to school by car in the morning, and dance with friends in the evening at a ball. Wow!"


    "I want to be a girl in a big city!"


    Alice often went to the forests of the Andromeda Mountain to collect firewood. She sometimes sat beside a tree stump and looked at the wheat fields under the mountains and imagined things like all the other country girls would. She would be thinking about the life of the city girls living lives like princesses.


    She was a girl born to a peasant family in the mountain, but now she lived with her sister and brother-in-law after her father''s death. But her brother-in-law always looked at her with an odd expression, especially as she grew up to be a beautiful girl.


    In the original Andromeda Mountain, there were dangerous beasts, even magical beasts, and ghosts. But with the collapse of the King of the Dead, Adenos, the Faith of the Sun, The Church of Light, and the Mara Kingdom sent several groups of priests and Holy Knights to clean up the entire Andromeda Mountain from corner to corner. And all the beings associated with the dead were cleared out. Even ordinary magical beasts and beasts were removed.


    Hence, it was rare to see any beasts there anymore. It was a very safe area. Men and women in the village would often go up to the mountains alone to pick wild fruits and firewood to cook with.


    "Ah!"


    When Alice stood up, she accidentally cut herself on the sharp branches under her feet, leaving a large wound. Alice squatted down in pain, and her blood flowed directly onto the tangled roots and through the cracks in the tree.


    Her blood was dripped onto a corpse buried under the tree, a corpse that had been in sleep for an unknown length of time. Blood dripped down the roots and into its eyes. The corpse was clutching a heavy black book with a metal cover and a few big letters carved in bronze. The title ¨C"Book of the Undead."


    That book was what countless Ghost Wizards were fanatically looking for. The Faith of the Sun and The Church of Light wanted to destroy it. It was the legendary Book of the Undead by Adenos. It recorded all the exceptional Ghost Witchcraft performed by Adenos and the legendary "Song of the Undead" which could cause the Undead Calamity.


    Ta-ta!


    The fresh blood appeared like it was dripping on the surface of the water. Like gunpowder that stirred up thousands of waves, layers of black smoke rose from the ground, the clear and cloudless sky transformed into dark clouds all of a sudden, and the Bright Plain under the sky lost its light, covered by darkness.


    In hell, riding on the Boat of the Soul was the black-robed ferryman who ferried souls along the River Styx. In the dark waters of the Styx, the dead struggled painfully in the river without an end. The faintly illuminated Boat of the Soul was traveling silently. No souls dared to look directly at the ferryman or the lights on his boat.


    At that moment, the ferryman, without any expression, suddenly raised his head and looked at the sky of Hell. His eyes seemed to penetrate through the sun of the underworld, through all Nine Levels of Hell, and he saw the earth in an instant.


    Adenos didn''t know how long he had slept or how many dead souls he had brought over on the Styx. At that moment, he instantly recalled all his memories, his past lives, and his teachers Bohr and Edward.


    He was the prince of the Mara Kingdom, the first Ghost Wizard, and the King of the Dead.


    He could almost see the sunshine of the human world. It was so resplendent, so beautiful, Adenos was overly excited, and his whole body was burning with Undead Flame. The bandages on his body all burned up in an instant and ignited all the water of Styx.


    The whole river was devoured by the Undead Flame and Adenos turned to ashes within them. In that fire, he got rid of the shackles of the Styx, the shackles of hell, and the identity of the ferryman.


    At the speed of light, herds of Deathbringers with soul sickles arrived, and a huge Divine Shadow emerged from the deepest part of hell to look at the Boat of Soul and the fire above the Styx.


    "Suicide?"


    Before Cetisius became the demi-emperor of the Death Underworld Sector, the ferryman of Styx was already there to lead the dead. Even when he first saw the God of Death in the Death Underworld Sector, that ferryman was also the one who personally led him. At that time, the horrifying ferryman of the Styx left a deep impression on his mind.


    No one knew the ferryman''s identity or origin, and his sudden self-immolation deeply puzzled Cetisius. But after the Undead Flame extinguished, no information could be found regarding the Styx''s ferryman. His origin wasn''t recorded in the Book of the Dead which Cetisius was holding onto. He only knew that the ferryman was punished by the gods and had to remain forever on the Styx as a ferryman who couldn''t have any memories.


    "Maybe he had a sudden moment of realization and chose to die instead of face his desperate situation!"


    "But what happens to the souls when there''s no ferryman? Some important souls and beings still needed him to lead them in!"


    Cetisius flipped through the Book of the Dead and then circled one of the names with a goose brush, "I''ll pick you! Lynn Ahenaten! You''re the next ferryman!"


    Sealed in the deepest part of the underworld, according to the rules of hell, Lynn Ahenaten became the new master of the Styx. His memory was erased, like those of all his predecessors. He went and stood on the Boat of the Soul.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Lynn Ahenaten, dressed in a black robe, looked into the distance, bewildered. It took a long time for him to steer the Boat of the Soul towards the gates of hell instinctively.


    There was a new arrival of souls that needed him to bring them over. That was his duty as the master and ferryman of the Styx.


    Cetisius nodded, satisfied, and watched Lynn Ahenaten go far away into the distance before he returned to the Temple of the Death God and began his complex and repetitive work. Those groups of Deathbringers gathered around the Styx dispersed in an instant.


    At the foot of the Andromeda Mountain, green flames erupted in the eyes of an ancient undead being embracing the Book of the Undead. He climbed out of his grave.

 372 The Evil Spirit That Escaped From Hell

    "Mr... Skeleton, I''ve bought the tickets, where are we going now?"


    "We''re going to Babus, making a detour, and taking an airship to head over to the Exotic Kingdom of Hollyma!"


    "Why are we going there?"


    Alice was a little scared, but she felt a little more curiosity than fear when she was looking at Adenos. The world had been peaceful for a long time. For most people, the legends of the undead and Ghost Wizard belonged to centuries long ago. Wizards, the undead, demons, and devils belonged to their great-great-great-grandfathers... that was what they had gone through.


    Adenos was wearing a wig, mask, gloves, and top hat and was reading a local daily newspaper. During his long hiatus, the world had undergone tremendous changes. The wizards had disappeared, the gods had sanctified the Divine Kingdom, and supernatural power was seen everywhere. Even ordinary people could use the divine artifacts of Magic Crystals and alchemy devices to exhibit extraordinary power.


    Adenos, who was freed from the Song of the Undead and the erosion of innumerable dead spirits, he had recovered his senses from his previous madness. Back when he was in hell, as the master of the Styx, it had some effects on him too. After he had retrieved all his memories, he had become more composed and restrained.


    Adenos looked at Alice and said as if amused by her naive question, "Why? Because! The master of the night is now at his weakest!"


    "But that''s God, an eternal God!" Alice felt that what Mr. Skeleton said was a little dreadful. He sounded like a devil that was going to bring extinction to the human race, just like one in an epic novel.


    "Only those who die completely will truly be eternal!" Adenos sneered.


    Adenos discovered that the girl who had activated his undead identity was actually a member of the Monar Family. She had the same face as Adenos''s sister, Esha Monar.


    It was her blood, which had the same origin as Adenos'', that stimulated his soul and awakened it from its deep sleep. But the present Monar Family had declined and faded out of its place of prominence. The royal family of the Union of the Mara Kingdom no longer belonged to the Monar Family. The Monar family since Adenos''s sister, Esha Monar, had become the Queen had taken a sudden turn for the worst.


    "They''re indeed a bunch of good-for-nothings. They even lost the throne!" Adenos crossed his legs. He had a cold look on his face as he stared indifferently at the historical records of the Monar Royal Family.


    Alice felt that Mr. Skeleton liked to brag. Every single time when he spoke, he always talked about the royal family, the gods, the ancient mythological heroes, and most importantly, that all of them were insignificant in his eyes. He labeled them as worthless and good-for-nothings.


    "Excuse me! Mr. Skeleton, it''s not right to speak ill of our ancestors behind their backs!"


    Adenos looked up at Alice through his white mask. Alice swallowed her saliva and dared not say another word.


    "That was scary!"


    They took the Steam Locomotive all the way to Ollie City, and then they took the Steam Train to Babus City, the capital of Mara Kingdom. After stopping in Babus City and making a big purchase, Alice followed Adenos onto an airship which crossed the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro and the Black Forest and arrived at the Kingdom of Hollyma in the Exotic Kingdom.


    Alice, who had never left her hometown, felt that to travel like this was a once in a lifetime adventure. Mr. Skeleton looked terrible, talked terribly, and he was really harsh and indifferent. But she felt that Mr. Skeleton was a good person.


    Mr. Skeleton seemed to have been an esteemed noble in his lifetime and had left behind many treasures. Alice had never seen so many gold and silver treasures, nor had she ever thought that one could be so rich that he could afford to buy the whole world.


    They were in a first-class seat on the most luxurious Platinum Train traveling along the coast. Alice was enjoying the red wine and beef from St. Sarl City and admiring the view of the sea.


    The dreamy capital of the Mara Kingdom, Babus, and the excessive purchases left Alice dizzy. Although Mr. Skeleton said he wanted her to help him buy books, all kinds of history books, books about gods, the history of various churches, the history of other continents and national records, he didn''t restrict Alice from buying other things. Hence, Alice was excitedly buying all the clothes, skirts, and hats she wanted.


    "Ah! It feels so good to be rich! Long live Mr. Skeleton!"


    Alice felt that she had never been so happy in her life. It was as if gold coins were constantly raining down before her eyes.


    She accompanied Mr. Skeleton to the church of the Goddess of Light in the Mara Kingdom to pay their respects. Although she thought it strange that a skeleton was worshiping the Goddess of Light.


    "Even if he''s a skeleton, he might have been a believer in the Goddess of Light before he died. In that case, doesn''t it all make sense?"


    But Adenos didn''t mean to worship the Goddess of Light at all. Instead, he stood in front of the archangel, Faross, for the whole day.


    It was Alice''s first time riding on an airship. When she looked down from above, she could feel her wobbly legs. She lay on the window for almost half a day and couldn''t stand up. She had been worrying the whole time that the airship might fell from the sky, until Mr. Skeleton scornfully said, "What a fool."


    Alice rested stubbornly on the window, and then she went to the airship''s sky corridor for a walk which allowed her to overcome her fear of heights.


    The Kingdom of Hollyma was a country in the Exotic Kingdom. Its customs, architecture, and beliefs were very different from those of the Kingdom of the Church of Light. They liked to build with boulders. Because of the hot weather, they liked to wear simple, short, and comfortable clothes. However, with the advent of the Magic Crystal Era and the dramatic development of trade and commerce, the situation there was also changing. It was gradually homogenized by the outside world.


    People here believed in the master of the night. They believed that night was the symbol of god. They were used to praying in the night, they liked the color black, and symbols of the moon were a common sight.


    On the first day of Adenos''s arrival, he entered the Night Temple of the master of the night. The statue that was once broken had been rebuilt, but there were no longer the spiritual tension and divine aura it once had.


    Adenos didn''t behave as he had at the church of the Goddess of Light. Instead, he spoke to Alice in front of the statue of the master of the night.


    "You know what? In our times, there were no gods!"


    Alice didn''t believe it, "What? There were no gods? How is that possible? All gods have been worshipped by human beings since ancient times, and they''ve been passed down from the past!"


    Adenos laughed, and his laughter sounded as if his teeth were clattering, which was a little dreadful. "Of course, because there was only one real faith at that time, called the Church of Light, and there was only one God who really proved the existence of God!"


    "He was the Great Angel of Balance, Faross!"


    When he talked about it, Adenos suddenly had a profound fear and dread revealed his eyes. He didn''t know what he was afraid of, whether it was the name or the truth behind the name.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    It took Adenos a long time to recover from his fear, and he scoffed at all the gods that came up later, "None of you know the naked truth of this world, that everything in this world was made under false pretense; everyone lives in a game of fraud!"


    "I want to leave this world and advance to another Kingdom, the Abyss World! I need to break away from the shackles down here! But before that, I need to offer sacrifices to it. Even if I become a demon, I must be the strongest one! I''m Adenos. This sacrificial offering, of course, it must be... a little more grandiose."


    Hidden behind the mask, Adenos''s fleshless mouth was split and cracked into a frenzied smile.

 373 A Young Girl as the High Pries

    "In the name of God, the master of the night, the supreme ruler of the Star Kingdom, the divine guardian of the night and dreams, you''re the newly appointed Pope of the Church of the Dark Night!"


    "You''re in control of the power of God! You''re leading all living beings on behalf of God!"


    A seemingly young and tender girl was dressed in a magnificent black robe, she was wearing the crown of the Pope, and being worshipped by a cardinal priest dressed in the red robe of the Church of the Dark Night. He knelt on the ground with the Pope''s staff, waiting for the newly appointed Pope of the Church of the Dark Night to accept her power.


    "The sun will eventually set, only the night will last forever!"


    "The sun will eventually set, only the night will last forever!"


    With the roar of that watchword, all the priests of the Church of the Dark Night hysterically followed suit, tens of thousands of people gathered there to shout the standard watchword of Church of the Dark Night. It ignited the whole city.


    "The eternal master of the night! You''re the only indispensable being in the world..." Sacred and melodious songs, with the recitation of the choir, brought the whole city humming together, singing praises of the great master of the night.


    In the Biketo City of the Kingdom of Hollyma, the town square of the Night Temple and the high stairway were filled with priests serving the master of the night. On the stage, there were the kings of the Kingdom of Hollyma, the Puvant City, the Roman City, and other kings from the Exotic Kingdom. They were all dressed in magnificent clothing. There were also groups of nobles and those who had a prestigious status, saints, clergy members, and the ruling class.


    At that moment, all were kneeling at the feet of the new Pope of the Church of the Dark Night. Even if she was just an ordinary-looking girl, at that moment, she represented the god.


    The young girl sat on her divine throne and looked blankly at everything below. It seemed that a new world had opened its doors to her and enabled her to see the most astonishing side of the world.


    "I''m the High Priest!"


    There was only excitement on her face, but she had completely no idea what throne she was sitting on, or what the position meant, or what responsibilities she had to bear.


    Over the town square, the convoy of chariots of the Kingdom of Hollyma passed by. Soldiers lined up with flags and their guns fired into the sky. The latest Battle Airships soared over the sky above the town square. The fleet was arranged in rows or in a herringbone pattern as it moved forward. Airships could be seen parked in the sky everywhere in the city, they were watching out for anything abnormal in the city, while also hanging a banner to congratulate the newly appointed Pope.


    Military music was played from morning till night, with orchestras and theatrical companies from all over the world performing in the town square.


    The High Priest previously serving the master of the night had died suddenly, and it was a fifteen-year-old girl who inherited his supreme power. Over a very short period of time, three High Priests had been replaced, which was unusual for the Church of the Dark Night.


    Was there anything crazier than a mere fifteen-year-old girl becoming High Priest and therefore the supreme ruler of the entire Exotic Kingdom and the Kingdom of Hollyma? The latest news about the new High Priest of the Church of the Dark Night was all over the newspapers and radio stations across the Alen Continent.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "A fifteen-year-old young girl becomes the Pope of the Church of the Dark Night!"


    "Young Female High Priest takes over the supreme power of the Exotic Kingdom!"


    "The transition of power in the Exotic Kingdom, the successor...!"


    Such news could be heard everywhere in the world. After all, although the Exotic Kingdom wasn''t the most powerful kingdom in the Alen Continent, the Kingdom of Hollyma wasn''t weak, and the Church of the Dark Night was the orthodox belief of the entire Exotic Kingdom, so it was in charge of the destiny of tens of millions of people.


    That evening, when the coronation ceremony ended and Alice returned to the Pope''s palace, she was divorced from all the excitement and thrill she had felt before. She was now trembling with fear.


    "Mr. Skeleton! What we''re doing now, this is... isn''t this blasphemous?"


    Sitting in front of the window, a gentleman in a mask and suit who looked like a doll turned around and asked, "Blasphemous?"


    Adenos was sitting in a chair, remorseless, his head tilted to one side, the skull under his mask revealing an odd expression. It was without skin and flesh, but he was obviously laughing, "Wrong, it''s not blasphemous, what I wanted is¡­ kill the god!"


    He stood up and gestured toward the window, as if he was embracing the world, or as if he was devouring the world.


    "Abandon that pitiable awe and revere of yours! Nothing is nobler than ourselves! Nothing is more formidable than our own will! As long as we''ve enough courage, and possess an imagination beyond the ordinary, we can accomplish all the impossible things!"


    Adenos preached his ideology, for him it was a belief he had carried with him right from the beginning. No one could be as blasphemous as he was, no one could be more audacious than him, no one had a greater imagination than him.


    But Alice only felt fear when she saw Adenos acting like a tyrant. Adenos found himself facing that simple child-like girl from a peasant family, so unlike a king even though she was wearing a crown. Suddenly, he felt a little tender-hearted.


    "Ridiculous! Laughable! What''s the matter with me? Are you old? Old? Lacking in enthusiasm? How could you be soft-hearted?"


    Adenos mocked at himself in his heart, but he soon realized that he was indeed soft-hearted. When he killed his father and brother but left his sister, Esha, alive, he was soft-hearted then. When he looked at Alice, who had the same face as his sister, he could still remember her after such a long time. Adenos suddenly cherished the memory of everything he was familiar with.


    "Sleep, just treat it as game or a dream! I''ll arrange everything! And you, just have your fair share of fun, that''s more than enough!"


    Adenos looked out of the window. The world outside the window hadn''t changed. But Adenos saw the power and presence of the abyss surging over the land he was on.


    In order to kill a True God, unless a person erased the whole world along with the God, that person would never be able to remove the imprint of the God from the world or the imprint between the God and his believers.


    It was almost impossible to kill a True God who was sunk in sleep and waiting to be reborn. It wasn''t difficult to destroy him, but it was hard to kill him completely. Adenos was once the Seventh-Grade King of the Dead of the Mythical Beings, a mythical creature specializing in the soul. For any beings on the Mythical Level, with the exception of Gods, he was more well-versed in them than anyone else.


    Adenos knew that it was absolutely impossible to kill a True God with his own power, but what if he borrowed the power of another world? Would the power of an entire world kill a True God? Moreover, what if it was the legendary powerful and terrible Abyss World? It was a crazy idea that would make anyone turn pale, but Adenos dared to think of it, he dared to work it out and had the ability to do it.


    Adenos never wanted to inherit the priesthood of the master of the night, but he wanted to sacrifice the master of the night as an offering to the Abyss World, sacrificing a True God to it. He would then have the ability to become the devil monarch of the Abyss World.


    Such an idea was impossible if it was targeted at the True God who overlooked all the living beings in the Divine Kingdom. At the very moment he initiated his attack, he would suffer a full blow from the True God. But for the master of the night, he was one of the three gods of civilization, a god who was in the rebirth stage would be different. He, who was sunk in deep sleep, had no ability to resist any attacks. He had even lost the ability to cry for help.


    Adenos''s plan, right from the beginning, targeted the former High Priest. He had killed the Pope because he was in the way. Adenos was the Seventh-Grade King of the Dead who had been the master of the Styx for many years, so it was easy for him to plan the murder of a High Priest serving a God with a weakening divine power. It was not difficult for him.


    Later, Adenos seized the Candle of the Night, a divine artifact of the master of the night that was carried by the High Priest. That was also an important factor in the sustainability of the Church of the Dark Night since the master of the night had sunk in his deep sleep. That divine artifact was a part of the divine power.


    By offering sacrifices to the abyss and borrowing the devil''s power from the abyss, Adenos would degenerate into an abyss seedling, and the abyss devil''s power would soak up the Candle of the Night and became a devil''s weapon. Through the devil''s Candle of the Night, priests who served under the master of the night would be eroded. At the same time, under the Biketo City, a Talos Door would open up. This would be the legendary Abyss Door.


    "As the priesthood of the master of the night is dragged into the abyss bit by bit, every priest actually has a tiny part of the god. When they all transform into abyss seedlings, and when they return to the Divine Kingdom, they''ll pollute the core of the divinity. All I need is a grand sacrificial ceremony, and a massive number of degenerated priests!"


    "Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of priests will return to the Divine Kingdom together, and then the last one dragged into the abyss is..."


    Adenos could picture that wonderful scene.


    But all of that must be done behind the curtain and not be found out by anyone. But he was relatively safe, the Exotic Kingdom was a closed and independent country, and the master of the night was a God who couldn''t defend himself, a God sunk in a deep sleep.

 374 Deicide

    A young man covered in scars and bruises crawled along the coast of a small town in the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. It was a lively town, with neat streets, tall lighthouses, concrete docks, and small steamships.


    The local fishermen found him severely injured and dying. They immediately realized that something was unusual about him. The man''s robe was ragged, but one could still recognize it as a robe from the Church of the Dark Night.


    The priest was covered in blood. Black veins were twisted together in his arm. A giant eye grew out of his chest. The black pupil trembled and moved constantly as if it was sizing up every individual on the shore.


    "Devil! Devil!" a fisherman screamed with great fear. He stumbled backward off the ship and fell into the water.


    "It''s the eye of the devil! Do not look! Do not look!" The crowd dispersed.


    "Go find Sir Ankeru, now!"


    When Ankeru, a priest of the Church of Light, finally arrived, the young priest of the Church of the Dark Night was trembling and vomiting something black and foul-smelling. The afflicted young man clenched an exquisite silver wand in one hand. It was the status symbol for red cardinal bishops of the Church of the Dark Night.


    "I am¡­the high priest of the Church of the Dark Night, following Bishop Arthas¡­"


    The dying man leaned against the posts on the dock, confessing to Ankeru!


    Ankeru greatly feared the power of the devil spreading through the air. He was merely an apprentice priest who had never seen anything so evil. The demon power within this man was about to break out.


    "Almighty Goddess, I am calling your name, please give me your power¡­" Ankeru murmured.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Ankeru could feel his legs are quivering with fear. A level-three official priest was in front of him, using his last of his strength to suppress the power within him. Ankeru hoped that with the power of the light, he could control the demon within the priest''s body. He could sense that, if the power broke out, no one on the scene would survive. The priest was a powerful clergy member, and at this moment, he was struggling under the demon''s attack.


    "Demon¡­demon¡­evil is ruling the entire Hollyma Kingdom! The Church of the Dark Night¡­has¡­has fallen¡­Everyone turned into apostles of demons! That man¡­ that man has resurrected¡­ The King of the Dead¡­Ado¡­nis¡­has come back¡­The fearful being has emerged from the abyss! He wants¡­he wants¡­" the possessed priest mumbled.


    Ankeru was holding the sigil of the sun and activating the divine power within it. However, it was only a small comfort. Ankeru gulped when he heard the terrifying news and the name of Adonis. The representation of death and terror in countless fairy tales and myths, the origin of sins and evil, the damned soul sent to hell by God, had come back to the world.


    "What¡­does he want?" Ankeru asked, his hands trembling as he held the sigil of the sun.


    The priest of the Church of the Dark Night clawed at the dock. The power within his fingers sunk into the ground beneath him. The ground cracked and spread out more than 10 meters. It seemed that he could no longer bear the torture.


    "He wants¡­" The young priest looked to Ankeru with his blood-red eyes and said, "He wants¡­deicide!"


    At that very moment, the darkness in his veins climbed up to his face. His eyes turned pure black instantly, and he burst into laughter.


    "Too late, too late, it''s already too late! He has only one last step left!"


    The power of the abyss spread out from his body, burning the ground around him. Then in the next moment, the priest of the Church of the Dark Night awakened and used the forbidden witchcraft of the Church of the Dark Night, Soul Flame, to ignite his soul and all his powers, giving up all chance of redemption and entering the divine kingdom, and perished together with the demon.


    "Spread my word! I hope it''s not too late! No, no, it''s already too late!" the priest of the Dark Night screamed.


    He lingered for a moment in pain, despair clouding his face. He slowly burned into ashes, along with the demon from the abyss, perishing with painful screams.


    Everyone was silent. Everyone at the scene felt that their hearts were about to explode. No one had ever imagined a being so evil, no one had ever heard a tale no horrifying, no one had ever dared to do such sinful deeds. In no stories or tales had anyone ever dared to kill a god.


    The shocking news spread out among the priests in town. Before long, airships displaying sigils of light from the Church of Light arrived at the town. The town was locked down by the army.


    The news about Adonis'' resurrection and the fall of the Kingdom of Hollyma reached the pope of the Galton branch of the Church of Light in the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. With no need to look him up in the books, most priests were haunted by their deepest nightmares when they heard the name of Adonis. More importantly, they understood that something unforeseen and horrifying awaited them.


    "Disaster, it''s definitely going to be a terrible disaster!"


    "What should we do? Help the Hollyma Kingdom?"


    "Did Hell not realize that such evil had escaped from it?"


    "He was a being who once challenged the gods. The King of the Dead who destroyed the Holy Seville Empire with the undead army. The evil god from legends who took the divine artifact from the Goddess of the Night. He now has control of the entire Hollyma Kingdom and even the foreign lands. Help them? How? We should be on the defensive, defending against the evil army which could rush out of the foreign lands at any time."


    "What is he going to do? Did you see that? Deicide¡­deicide¡­he is going to kill a god, even if it''s a pagan god!"


    In the divine hall, the powerful priests fell into chaos.


    The pope of the Galton branch of the Church of Light made up his mind and said, "An evil god who has escaped from hell can only be judged by the gods. Send a message to the other churches through the magic transceivers. In the meantime, perform the divine ritual of prayers immediately. I wish to ask God what we should do."


    As the news of the change in the foreign lands spread out across the Alen continent like an unstoppable flood, Adonis'' plan had reached its last step.


    ---


    In the foreign lands of the Hollyma Kingdom, priests of the Church of the Dark Night, kings, and nobles crowded the streets of Biketo City.


    The city was in a frenzy. It had fallen under an abnormal, manic tide of fearful reverence. Day and night, everyone prayed nonstop. In churches, royal palaces, streets, and alleyways, frantic believers kneeled on the ground, chanting prayers.


    Tents and temporary buildings were popping up everywhere in the city. Craftsmen, farmers, fishermen, and factory workers from all kingdoms gathered here, knelt on the ground, and faced the city.


    In front of the Church of the Dark Night, all streets and areas surrounding the divine palace were filled with the clergy of the Church of the Dark Night. All the clergy from foreign lands gathered here in a hurry, searching for the reason why their power had faded, for the reason of their pain, and for their redemption.


    The reason was that the day belonged to their god. It was the day of resurrection of the great Ruler of the Night, and he would finally return from the dark night.


    Adonis was wearing a red priest robe and the Mask of the Moon, standing next to the Alice, the pope of the Church of the Dark Night, holding high the Candle of the Night, the church''s divine artifact, looking down on everyone below.


    In his eyes, every individual was completely swallowed by the power of the dark abyss. They believed that it was because of the resurrection of their god that their powers were weakened. However, it was actually the power of the abyss spreading through the system of the divine power of the Ruler of the Night, even spreading to the Ruler of the Night himself.


    "Let us pray to the great Ruler of the Night! We are calling your divine name. You are the ruler of the night, the controller of stars and dreams¡­ We long to enter your kingdom, enjoy immortality and¡­" Adonis chanted.


    Adonis howled and cheered until his voice reached every corner of the city. He sounded so faithful, but no one could see the evil, manic smile of the skull behind the mask.

 375 Deicide continued

    Hearing the calls of the crowds and the prayers of believers, the enormous Star Kingdom moved closer and closer to the ground out of the dark night sky over the Kingdom Hollyma.


    The divine kingdom of the master of the night was never so close to the mortal world as it was at this moment. It seemed to be within one''s touch if they stood on high grounds.


    "We call your sacred name. You are the master of the night, the controller of stars and dreams¡­ We long to enter your kingdom, to enjoy immortality and¡­"


    All the believers repeatedly chanted the same prayer. With the Star Kingdom approaching, the silver stars started to form patterns in the sky. One could even faintly see the inside of the divine kingdom.


    Such a view drove all into a frenzy. Many did not even realize that darkness had swallowed them. Countless believers were assimilated by the power of the abyss by their prayers.


    "God! I can see, I can see it now! Your angles have come for me!"


    A priest of the Church of the Dark Night stood up all of a sudden. A black vortex rushed to him. His body was taken by darkness and transformed into a black shadow. It rose into the sky following the dreamy starlight and entered the kingdom of the master of the night.


    "Look! It''s a miracle! The Kingdom of God is welcoming his believers!" Other priests saw what had happened, and jealousy kindled within them.


    "The heavenly doors are open for us!" Commoners outside the city were tearing up. They all wished that it was they who had risen up to heaven. They kept hitting their foreheads against the ground madly, not stopping even when blood dripped from their foreheads.


    Adonis laughed even louder. He opened his palms, his face distorted. His body twisted and quivered from his laughter, almost like a puppet. However, no one''s attention was on him, as all were distracted by the Star Kingdom in the sky and the shadows entering the divine kingdom.


    "Hah hah hah¡­Come¡­come¡­come! Pray to God! God shall be awakened from sleep. He is calling his believers! His most faithful children! Tonight, the doors of heaven are open to everyone! As long as you are truly faithful!" shouted Adonis.


    With Adonis''s words, many of the clergy members were swallowed by darkness one after another, transforming into evil shadows of the abyss. They rushed to the Star Kingdom in the sky and became part of the kingdom of the master of the night.


    "Hah hah hah hah! That''s right! That''s right!" Adonis laughed so hard that he could barely straighten his body!


    "Go! Go!" he screamed madly. Standing in the hall of the Divine Palace of the Church of the Dark Night and looking down the stairs, he saw countless people below. In Adonis'' eyes, they were countless foolish idiots.


    It was a dreamland. The night was quiet, the stars glimmering. Clouds danced on the wind, lively and whimsical. Stars intertwined with the clouds. Countless bubbles floated through the air. In each bubble, there was a unique scene. Happy dreams, horrifying nightmares. They were the dreams of the living.


    The Kingdom of God, a magnificent palace was built on starry clouds. There should be many followers and believers there, but now they were all trapped in their sleep. A dream bubble inside the palace was breathing and swelling as if it was incubating something within.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    When the many evil shadows of the abyss rushed into it, the bubble burst. The beautiful divine kingdom of the master of the night was tainted with blackness. Darkness had invaded the palace.


    The crowd on the square did not notice a thing. They had lost their minds.


    Everyone had lost their sanity. One by one, they all turned into evil shadows of the abyss and rushed into the divine kingdom in the sky. One, two, three, ten thousand, and then a hundred thousand!


    All believed that their god was awakened and that the heavenly doors were opening for them. They did not know that they were turning the divine kingdom of the master of the night into an abyss, contaminating the origin of the master of the night, and dragging the master of the night into the abyss of annihilation and no return.


    The sacred silver kingdom gradually turned black. Darkness entered from below, covering the entire star.


    A black star breathing the horrifying power of the abyss emerged in the sky of the Hollyma Kingdom


    The young pope sitting on the stage, Alice, sensed the abnormality. All the people in Biketo and the Hollyma Kingdom had gone crazy. Darkness and horror abounded. She held Adonis'' hand in fear.


    "Mr. Skeleton! Stop! Stop this!" begged Alice.


    Adonis turned his head. His frantic smile faded and he said, "Don''t fear. It''s almost over. Just one last step! Do as I asked, and take the name ''God of the Night. Alice, believe in your power, and you shall be the next master of the night!"


    All the believers in the square turned into evil shadows of the abyss and entered the divine kingdom. From the streets, shadows flew into the sky on starlight. The crowded Divine Palace of the Dark Night became less and less crowded until there was not a single person left.


    On the stage, kings, nobles, and so-called descendants of god all turned into evil shadows of the abyss, taken by the darkness.


    When Adonis said those words, the square was infected by the power of the abyss. Something seemed to have risen from the underground, and the entire square was taken over by the abyss'' power.


    Huge, diamond-like crystals rose from underground, devouring everything around them. Matter, air, even light. It was the Talos Door summoned by Adonis.


    The entrance to abyss emerged from the underground. Black swirls filled the sky over Biketo City, devouring everything, and moving toward the Star Kingdom in the sky.


    At the same time, in the darkened Star Kingdom, the master of the night was sleeping in his palace. He also sensed grave danger. The palace collapsed and crumbled. The divine kingdom slowly turned into an abyss. Countless evil shadows from the abyss flew into the palace and became part of the core of the sleeping master of the night.


    Only a few in the city escaped from the frenzy. They stared at the black star in the sky, the opened entrance to the abyss, and the mad commoners around them taken over by evil.


    "What is this? What have we done?" a young girl shouted. She stared at the entrance to the abyss floating in the sky and collapsed to the ground.


    "God! What are we doing?" Commoners looked at the evil shadows flying toward the divine kingdom. Nothing but fear was on their faces.


    "Who are we praying to? God, or demon?"


    "Run! Evil has befallen us!"


    "It is a setup! It''s the evil calling us, and we are all infected by the evil!"


    "Darkness and evil haunt this place. Death haunts this place!"


    The city fell into chaos. Staring at the giant entrance to the abyss in the sky above them, despair consumed everyone. People fled, struggling to escape this city which was now under the control of the power of the abyss.


    "It''s my time now!" said Adonis, glancing down at the lost commoners who were running around and screaming for help in the city.


    Adonis ripped off his disguise and robe, turning into a pillar of fire. The roaring flames of the mutated devil fire rose into the sky.


    Black flames spun and danced around him, then transformed into a skeleton of dark flames. He became part of the giant swirl at the entrance to the abyss, staring at the Star Kingdom in the sky with cupidity.


    Adonis had fully become one with the abyss, and he no longer suppressed his power. Leveling up from a level-six to a level-seven mythical being, transforming into the King of the Dead, Adonis rose again. He did not care about the pressure and rejection from the origin of the world, as this was his last show, and this would be his last stage.


    "The leader has entered the stage! In the next scene, the death of God!" shouted Adonis.


    Adonis became one with the entrance to the abyss. Dark tentacles twisted out from the swirl of the abyss, reaching out into the sky, as if they were looking for a sacrifice.

 376 The Abyss of Freedom?

    "Boom!"


    Giant arms extended from the palace with painful, desperate, and bewildered howling.


    "What''s going on? What on earth has happened?" asked Louis.


    The Master of the Night, Louis, crawled out from the palace where he had been deep in sleep and saw his divine kingdom crumbling and falling apart. Evil shadows of the abyss were searching for the origin and rushing toward him to erode his body. Louis'' body was slowly being devoured by the power of the abyss.


    "No! No! What is this? Abyss? How could my believers become creatures of the abyss?" screamed Louis.


    Evil shadows of the abyss merged together like a river and poured into Louis'' body. The entire divine kingdom collapsed and fragmented. The sleeping and praying believers fell and vanished together with the kingdom.


    "Impossible! Who? Who on earth?" Louis roared.


    The enormous divine body of the Master of the Night struggled out of the Star Kingdom. From the ground, one could see that a divine shadow thousands of miles long had escaped from the star and was looking down to the earth.


    Louis immediately saw the giant entrance to the abyss on the ground, the Hollyma Kingdom haunted by darkness, and Adonis, who had become a part of the entrance to the abyss, staring at Louis with eyes full of greed.


    "You! Who are you? Do you know what you are doing? Are you challenging a true god?" Louis demanded.


    Louis realized he was being completely assimilated into the abyss. The power of abyss has reached his core, and his divine personality, divine duty, and divine power, which were all part of his core, were rejecting him and slowly breaking away from his divine body.


    "My divine personality? My divine power? By the name of a true god, activate the world rules! By the name of the master of the night, summon¡­" roared Louis.


    He realized that his howling could not activate any of the world rules. It seemed he had been transformed into a creature of the abyss and was being rejected by the world.


    What was more terrible was that the entrance to the abyss below was sending out a strong eroding power towards him. At the same time, Louis'' body felt attracted to it, as if he yearned to entre the abyss and become a part of it.


    "No, no! What have you done? What have you done? You filthy, puny insect!" Louis shouted.


    Adonis raised his head and looked at the shadow of the true god with disgust, as if the divine noble being was insignificant in his presence. The true god was struggling with fear, rage and panic, almost like a clown to Adonis.


    Adonis said, "Puny? Who are you to say such a thing? Who are you? Someone who could only rise when wizards were declining. With no perseverance in the pursuit of truth, no courage to challenge the world, and no extraordinary intelligence, how dare you call yourself a wizard? How sad. After the first- and second-generation wizards all died, the world turned out to be such a tedious place. How could a cowardly, scheming rat become a god? When the wizard system of the undead was created by me?"


    "When I rule the kingdom of the dead, the world shall quiver beneath my feet. Then, you will only look at my name with reverence, and tremble and scream at my power."


    Louis stared at Adonis in shock. Louis recalled Adonis'' name from the old legends and writings.


    "Adonis? Adonis? You? How did you escape? How could you escape from hell? Weren''t you trapped at the bottom of hell?" Louis asked.


    Louis struggled to escape from the attraction of the abyss. He was still slowly dragged out of the Star Kingdom until he fell through the entrance to the abyss. Louis screamed with fear and tried to activate the power of a true god, but he sensed that his connection to the world had weakened.


    Devilish flames roared across Adonis'' body. He laughed loudly and said, "I did not escape from hell. The Adonis trapped in hell has died, and the Adonis in the mortal world has been resurrected!"


    Adonis looked up at the Master of the Night and said, "So, bad day for you. I, Adonis, present a sacrifice to the consciousness of abyss, the true god Louis Biketo, Master of the Night!"


    The sound of Adonis'' laughter echoed in the sky of Biketo city. As Adonis said these words, dark shadowy tentacles reached out of the entrance of the abyss and grabbed Louis Biketo.


    ---


    In the meantime, stars glimmered in the sky. Ten Star Kingdoms moved closer to the sky over the Hollyma Kingdom from the bitwall.


    The other gods seemed to see what had happened. Every god except for the goddesses of Light, Sun, and Death were present, an assembled meeting of gods in the sky above Hollyma. They looked down at the Master of the Night, who was being dragged into the abyss, and Adonis, whose body had half become one with the entrance of abyss and could enter the abyss at any time.


    "There is no hope for the Master of the Night! He has been taken by the abyss. Even the world has rejected and given up on him!" said the Goddess of Steam and Machinery, with the tone of sadness.


    It chilled all the true gods that a fellow true god had fallen. Even the gods could die. If that was true, then, in this world, what was eternity?


    "Blasphemers shall not be forgiven!" The Ruler of Storms was furious. However, he was still constrained by the world rules because he had broken the Agreement of the Gods.


    "That''s right, blasphemers shall not be forgiven!"


    At this moment, a god in the sky started the attack. It was Felix, the God of Earth and War.


    A giant divine palm fell from the sky and smashed Biketo City. Just one palm could cover the entirety of Biketo City. Felix was going to crush the entrance to the abyss and strangle Adonis. The power of an awakened true god was apocalyptic.


    Adonis finally noticed the stars in the sky. However, he was not fearful or nervous. He laughed and said, "Hah hah hah, everyone''s here! What a party!"


    At this moment, a giant book opened in the sky and stopped the palm of the God of Earth and War.


    "Edward? What are you doing?" asked Felix.


    "Let him go! The Master of the Night has fallen. It''s better to let them both leave this world!" said Edward.


    "It''s better to kill them both!"


    "I will not allow that!"


    "You think I don''t know? Adonis and you were both the students of Bohr, the second owner of the tower. You grew up with him!" said Felix.


    The God of Earth and War, Felix, and the God of Truth and Knowledge, Edward Kelermo, were arguing intensely. Edward Kelermo insisted that the blasphemer, Adonis, should be let go and allowed to leave this world.


    Lights beamed down from the two arguing gods in the sky, shining on the entire Hollyma Kingdom. Night turned into a bright day.


    Most of the gods were still waiting and observing since the Master of the Night did not have many allies. At the same time, Adonis, the problem, was about to leave the world, along with the Master of the Night, creating an even bigger problem.


    All were concerned about Adonis'' apocalyptical power over the undead. They all wished Adonis would just leave this world, since a mythical being, especially someone like the King of the Dead, could hardly be made to leave by force.


    "Leave the divine personality!"


    "Right, leave the divine personality of the Master of the Night!"


    The Goddess of the Sea, Gina, who had been waiting, now made a move. The other gods suddenly understood the situation but were prevented to act by the Goddess of Steam and Machinery. As this was happening, the Master of the Night was dragged into the entrance to the abyss, became part of the consciousness of abyss, and turned into Adonis'' sacrifice.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    As the entrance to the abyss was destroyed by the Goddess of Seas, the remaining power from the entrance to the abyss faded away because of the world''s rejection. As for the divine personality of the Master of the Night, it was lost.


    ---


    Adonis stood before the consciousness of the abyss, the divine personality of the Master of the Night in his hand. He had presented the sacrifice, a true god, and he would be rewarded by the abyss.


    As for the divine personality of the Master of the Night, it turned into a normal stone after leaving Maria''s World. The world would regenerate. Therefore, it was of no use to Adonis, and it would expire.


    Just as they had agreed, when Alice called his true name, Adonis would give the name to her.


    "I shall be the next King of the Undead! And I shall leave Maria''s World, a prison, a trap, and a game!" Adonis said.


    The power of the abyss was an enormous, spinning black hole. Adonis was thrilled.


    "At last, I am free! Here! Ah! I can smell the fragrance of freedom! I have finally escaped from this horrifying world and the shadow behind it!"


    At that moment, a giant black sphere spinning inside the consciousness of the abyss formed. Silvery light emerged from its center and expanded continuously. A figure appeared.


    The figure was wearing a mask with white sigils of the sun on it. The figure carried the power of the entire abyss. The consciousness of the abyss began to put pressure on Adonis. The flames of him giant devilish skeleton dimmed.


    Adonis did not even notice that he had dropped the divine personality of the Master of the Night. He stared at the figure in front of him. The figure had emerged out of thin air and made Adonis tremble with fear. It now stood right before his very eyes.


    "Oh? Where¡­ do you think you''re going?"


    The figure with the mask sized Adonis up. Coldness spread across Adonis'' body from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Never in his life had he felt such despair.

 377 I Am the Star High Above

    Looking at it from afar, in a world of darkness, layers of the abyss surrounded this place in concentric circles. This was the core of the abyss.


    There was no gravity, air, or matter. Apart from the consciousness of the abyss, there were only the Abyss Blood Sun and the Abyss Door Talos, the symbols of two kings of the devil orbiting the consciousness of the abyss.


    The ruler of abyss revealed his enormous divine body with all the consciousness of the abyss. Lights shone from his robe onto everything around him.


    "Finally here¡­ Maria''s World, astral word, the abyss¡­ I jumped from one chessboard to another! That''s true¡­ heh heh¡­ hah hah hah hah!" said Adonis.


    Adonis floated in the darkness of the void, looking up at the masked ruler of the abyss, then lowered his head and laughed. It started with a smile, then Adonis lost all control, bursting into laughter. The teeth in his skull clacked when his jaw moved up and down.


    Mythical beings communicated using a common divine language. One could clearly sense his bitterness and unwillingness in his laughter.


    Adonis raised his head suddenly. Even in such a hopeless situation, Adonis did not lose his calm. He chose to face his destiny with grace, and asked, "Who are you? The Great Angel Faross? The creator himself? The Great Wise Anthony? Or the Ruler of the Abyss?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Lu Zhiyu looked down at him. The devilish skeleton was thousands of miles tall but still belittled by the projection of the consciousness of the abyss. It was almost like a giant looking down at an ant. Their eyes landed on the void-like core of the abyss.


    "Is there any point?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    Adonis was stunned, then broke into demented laughter. Derision filled his laughter. Maybe he was scoffing at himself, or maybe at Maria''s World and the destiny of all those living within.


    "Right, that''s right, that''s absolutely right! There is no point. It is a tedious, pointless world. Everyone lives in unreal dreams, boring, hopeless dreams," Adonis said.


    Adonis laughed and trembled. His body moved and swung like a puppet, making all kinds of bizarre posture.


    "Ridiculous! Heh heh heh¡­kekeke¡­ hah hah hah hah! Pathetic! So¡­ in the end¡­ I am just a clown!" Adonis laughed.


    After quite a while, Adonis finally stopped laughing. He trembled, shrugged his shoulders, opened his palms like a pantomiming clown or puppet, and asked Lu Zhiyu, "So, this world, the great and almighty creator, did we put on a good show? Did you enjoy yourself? Toying with all our fates, looking down at our births and ruins, like the openings of ridiculous operas. Placing and abandoning us as if we were nothing but pawns. Did you find this game¡­ hah hah hah¡­ particularly interesting?"


    Lu Zhiyu took off his mask. His enormous body, which filled the entire core layer of the abyss, started to move. Divine lights shone from his. Ribbons of light flew through the air. His long, transparent fingers were illuminated with white light. His fingers alone were of the length of Adonis''s entire mythical body. Lu Zhiyu removed his mask of sun sigils and showed the smile underneath.


    "Do you find it interesting?" Lu Zhiyu asked.


    Adonis looked into Lu Zhiyu''s eyes. The devilish flames roaring in Adonis'' empty eyes slowly calmed down.


    "So, even the creator himself shall not have redemption!" said Adonis.


    Lu Zhiyu asked, "Do you still wish to be the King of the Dead?"


    Adonis tilted his head and smiled like he always did, and asked in the same tone Lu Zhiyu had used before, "Do you find it interesting?"


    After he said that, Adonis'' tone changed instantly, from calm to furiously hysterical.


    Adonis said, "I do not accept fate or anyone''s plan! Ant, pawn, or lowly maggot, I, Adonis, shall have my will and pride! I am the star high above and I will never be the dust looking up at the sky!"


    The soul flames on Adonis'' body roared to life. The pillar of fire shone bright like the sun. Lights beamed up through the bitwall, shining deep into the layers of the abyss around him.


    In the fire, Adonis burned every part of himself. His mythical cells, consciousness, core, and memories, with no regret or reservation.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Adonis calmly as he burned his mythical body. They both remained silent. Only the flames of death could be heard as Adonis entered eternal annihilation.


    At this moment, a call of Adonis'' true name came from afar, crossing the endless distance through ritual.


    Adonis looked at Lu Zhiyu, turned his head suddenly, grabbed the floating, spinning divine personality of the master of the night, opened the entrance to the abyss, and threw the personality into it.


    "Mr. Skeleton! Mr. Skeleton?"


    Adonis heard the gentle voice coming from the other side of the entrance. An unusually calm expression filled his face. His jaw clenched as he looked through the other end of the entrance to the abyss. He could see her innocent cheeks and her adorable pout and knew she was angry.


    "Alice!"


    It took Adonis back to that day. He could see the little girl hiding in a corner in the royal palace, watching him lift up his sword, huddled up, wailing as if she had lost the entire world. Adonis, who killed his own father and brother to pursue power, suddenly softened.


    "My little sister!" Adonis said.


    Adonis reached out his hands as if he was going to hug the crying little girl hiding in the corner of the palace in his memory. His bony hands vanished in flames. The fire spread over his body, and Adonis turned into blackened dust in the fire.


    ---


    On the aircraft dock of the Hollyma Kingdom, a prearranged cargo airship set off in the middle of the dark night. A few priests with green lights in their eyes escorted a young lady in a black robe onto the airship.


    The airship departed. Its destination was the distant Yala continent. It was the world of wizards and fairies, the most beautiful place in Maria''s World. It had the most desirable fairyland, a warm, comfortable climate, an everlasting spring, and thriving forests.


    Beautiful fairies, their unique cities, and the giant Trees of Life could be seen everywhere, along with the wizard towers and relaxing fields of the wizard kingdom.


    The airship traveled through the clouds in the starry night. Mist coated the deck. It was like walking through clouds if one walked out on the deck.


    The starry sky and silver moon shone above. Lands and cities peeked between the clouds below. At this moment, a special witchcraft channel array was drawn on the deck. Alice, a newcomer who had studied for almost two years under the guidance of Adonis to break from seven units of mind power and become an official wizard, was there.


    Nevertheless, being able to activate this witchcraft channeling array was enough. Alice spoke divine languages. Though she had no idea of the meaning of the words, the channeling was drawn in the correct direction. The power of the abyss covered the witchcraft channeling array. She had connected to the distant, unknown, powerful being.


    "Mr. Skeleton! Mr. Skeleton! Can you hear me? Mr. Skeleton!"


    Alice mumbled with her eyes closed. On the channeling array, a diamond structure formed. It was the symbol of Talos, the doorkeeper of the abyss. It showed the image of its devil species and opened a door that only immaterial creatures such as devils and mythical beings could pass through. This was what was passing through the door now.


    A black gem that seemed to be made of threads fell onto the deck. It was covered with countless runes and spells, which were the stereoscopic patterns of the base of the God of the Night on the model of the World Tree.


    Starlight spilled from within it. Power fluctuations and lights flowed between Alice''s fingers, forming a long tail behind the airship. A simple gesture of activation could trigger its great power and alter the rules within Maria''s World.


    Alice grabbed the gem. She was breathless, calling Mr. Skeleton in a trembling voice. However, the entrance to the abyss had closed.


    The witchcraft channeling array on the deck turned into a cloud of black smoke as if it had never existed. Alice put away the divine personality of the master of the night and gazed into the distance.


    She was about to go to the distant Yala continent, just like Adonis asked of her. It was so far away that she could never imagine it, just like visiting another world.

 378 Discovery of a New World?

    Year 611, San Calendar. Yala continent, Silver Moon Kingdom, Seth City.


    Professor Rode of Seth Public University was already 150 years old. For a half-elf, he had passed his prime and walked into the sunset.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    However, as Rode was struggling with weakening physical body and mind power, he had a breakthrough and became a level-four class holder with a life span of 1,000 years. As a half-elf, he was not clergy of the Goddess of Harvest, but of the Three Gods of Civilization, and chose a class under the Three Gods of Civilization, a magic crystal warlock. The Three Gods of Civilization had few restrictions on their believers. Loyalty and faith were not crucial to them. Also, their magic crystal warlock system was rather refined.


    Professor Rode quibbled over spell knowledge and details, and he loved to argue. He could have a heated debate with his close friends for months and even make it into public newspapers. In a way, you could say that he did not get even a bit of the grace and elegance from his elf blood, and he was more like a human who loved to argue just for the sake of it.


    Though he was not well-loved by staff or students at Seth Public University, his integrity and morality were unquestionable. Ever since Rode was a little boy, he had always said he would be a hero and an ace pilot.


    "If the brick and mortar in the kingdom have accepted me, I would have become a hero long ago. I would be the first to explore the bitwall and return successfully. And I would be worshipped by every single being," said Rode.


    Rode was adjusting a piece of intricate equipment in front of him in his own laboratory. It was a spinning sphere with multiple rings surrounding it. As the sphere spun, space around it folded and became slightly wrinkled. This giant piece of equipment took up more than half the room.


    A black wind raven was perched on a hanging basket in the corner of the chaotic laboratory. It spread its wings and said, "You have no talent in piloting airships. The first time you piloted a simulated airship, you destroyed the ground of the training field, and 12 people were severely hurt. Of course, they didn''t accept you! Also, space turbulence and bitwall mazes are still unresolved to this day. No one ever returns once they go in. You are lucky they did not accept you, or you would be nothing but an idiot with his name in the paper on the casualty list."


    Rode looked to his partner the wind raven somewhat agitatedly. He opened his hands and waved them in the air. Rode said, "A little respect! Not idiots, but pioneers, heroes! They sacrificed to explore civilization. Every one of them deserves our respect."


    Wind raven Black Jack looked at the equipment and said, "And this Space Fluctuation Tracker of yours is useless! What if you could detect stable space bubbles in the bitwall? The space anchoring and portal technologies are still in early stages with no application value. They''re just burning loads of money. If I might say, no idiot would be willing to give you any more money. What''s wrong with money? Why would they want to waste it on your experiments, with no sign of any return?"


    Ding-dong!


    Before the wind raven Black Jack could finish its taunting and the two of them could start another round of arguments, the doorbell rang.


    Rode opened the door and found a beautiful lady wearing a slinky black dress and a black-veiled hat standing outside his home-laboratory. A fancy steam locomotive was below the stairs. A skinny servant stood behind the lady, sending out signals of power and danger.


    "Is this the home of the well-known space spell master, Professor Rode? I would like to see him." The lady spoke fluent Sylr, which pleased Rode.


    Rode straightened up, fixed his messy robe and answered, "That''s right. This is the home of the space spell master, Professor Rode. I am the person you are seeking!"


    The lady looked up and down at Rode, reached her hand out and said, "Hello, I am Alice. The Red Moon Business Group is under my name, and we are interested in funding your research¡­"


    Rode''s smile grew even bigger. His experiment had bankrupted a number of financial groups. His plan of studying the Ring of Anthony, which was a gift from the Great Wise Anthony, and reverse engineering the space witchcraft within to produce bulk alchemy equipment had fooled quite a few financial groups into funding his experiment.


    The large-scale laboratory flopped, bringing debt to a number of well-known financial groups. If Rode was not a level-four class holder with a mysterious level-five magical beast, he would have been murdered long ago.


    The reality was, the news of the leaders of those financial groups committing suicide, going bankrupt, and becoming homeless could be seen constantly in the paper. However, Rode lived just fine. No debt collector dared to knock on Rode''s door, and no underground force dared to set foot on land within miles of Rode''s house.


    But still, no idiot would ever want to invest in his experiment. Rode''s name spread out in Seth city and scared off every business group and rich investor who heard it.


    Another dupe, no, generous sponsor sat on the couch in Rode''s messy living room. She pulled out a stack of strategy plan documents, including detailed plans and funding on three fronts, funding Rode to rebuild his laboratory, the bitwall exploration project, and space alchemy equipment.


    What raised Rode''s eyebrows was that they possessed space spell knowledge and technologies. Those were not something that could be easily acquired by an average financial group. Only the top laboratories of various kingdoms, churches, universities, and alchemy institutions could touch on those subjects.


    "Method to summon and open the Talos Gate! The relationship between devil summoning and teleportation! Possibility of discussion on portal construction! Mind power anchoring transmission witchcraft!" Rode read.


    Rode looked to Alice in shock and said, "These? You could provide all these?"


    Now Rode realized he was not dealing with just anyone. He sized up the lady who claimed to be Alice. She was a mysterious woman. As for looks, they did not reveal her age. She was a level-two class holder, a clergy member of an unknown church.


    "What''s your plan? That''s not something an average person could touch on! It''s not just about the money, it''s forbidden knowledge!" said Rode.


    Alice stood up and asked, "Can you keep this between us, Mr. Rode?"


    "Of course! We could sign a contract under the name of the Dragon God of Time!" answered Rode.


    Alice said, "I want to find a person in the abyss!"


    Rode''s jaw dropped and he said, "Find someone in the abyss? A fallen devil warlock? Or a soul dragged into the abyss by the devil? It''s fine if it is a devil warlock. With his true name which would have become part of the consciousness of the abyss, we could bring him back once we open the entrance to the abyss. As for a soul in abyss¡­"


    "No, we could not find him using his true name or get any response. I just want to know¡­ to know if he is alright there!" said Alice.


    The romantic elfin soul inside Rode awakened. Though he did not say a word, all kinds of thoughts floated through his mind. "Oh my god! The taboo love between a clergy member and a devil warlock? I love the story! Surely it will sell if put on stage."


    Alice, on the other hand, did not finish the story. She said, "I will let you know the details later. You only need to help me find a stable way to open the entrance to the abyss which will not require a soul contract with the devil lord Talos."


    Rode said with confidence, "No problem at all. But all this money? Just to perfect the devil spell of summoning the door of the abyss?"


    Alice answered, "Of course not. The contract states that once space items are produced, the technology will be owned by the Red Moon Business Group. Of course, we won''t forget the share that belongs to you, Mr. Rode. If you agree, the contract will be notarized by a priest of divine agreement of the Dragon God of Time."


    Rode reviewed all the paperwork and clauses in the contract. After some thinking, he said, "No problem. I will sign it. With the information you provided, I am very confident this time!"


    "Then, I wish the best for our partnership! I believe we will be good friends!" said Alice.


    "Definitely!" said Rode.


    After a hearty handshake, the lady got into the steam locomotive and disappeared on the busy, spacious road of Seth City.


    "Ah! What a generous, graceful lady!" Rode said with excitement as he closed his door.


    "Ah! Another idiot who wasted her money here!" said Black Jack. It was standing on the basket, mimicking Rode. A wind scythe came for the ropes of the hanging basket but was wiped out by Black Jack.


    At that moment, the 5-meter-tall Space Fluctuation Tracker in the laboratory started to spin much more rapidly than it ever had before. The rings around the sphere created a blurring image.


    "What''s going on? What did we find? The response is too strong!" shouted Rode.


    Rode threw himself at the Space Fluctuation Tracker. It was his precious equipment, and no one else could touch it. And now, it was spinning so madly that it could break at any second.


    "No, no! It has detected a huge space bubble! It''s a huge discovery, we discovered another stable space bubble inside the bitwall. Huge, extremely huge. It is probably the biggest space bubble ever found in history," said Rode.


    Rode was thrilled. Just now, someone had offered him funding to restart his experiments, and then he made a huge discovery.


    "Coordinates, coordinates!" Rode shouted.


    Rode stared at the spinning Space Fluctuation Tracker and locked onto the position of an unknown space in the distant main world. Simulations and information about the space popped up on the projection screen. Rode copied down some figures.


    Black Jack flew over to Rode''s shoulder. After Rode finished taking notes of the coordinates, both of them started to think about the position of the coordinates and realized something strange.


    "The coordinates seem weird and the response was way too strong. Such intense space fluctuations imply a huge space beyond our imagination. It is too far away, the position seems to be¡­"


    Rode and Black Jack looked at each other and said simultaneously, "Not inside Maria''s World?"


    Both instantly looked at the rapidly spinning Space Fluctuation Tracker and exclaimed, "No way! Did we discover another world?"

 379 A Disaster Caused By the Half Bitwall

    Within the Astral World and outside of Maria''s Word.


    The Capital of God, the Floating-Space City, was parked outside Maria''s Word. Around Maria''s Word, the most prominent thing was no longer the Floating-Space City, but a Half Bitwall which was speeding towards Maria''s Word under the gravitational attraction of Maria''s Word.


    The Half Bitwall dragged with it a long Elemental Wave from the depths of the Astral World. It had only one goal and it was to reach Maria''s Word.


    The huge Maria''s Word was like a burning flame, and Half Bitwall was a moth that was rushing towards that flame; it bolted desperately towards Maria''s Word. It was expected that the Half Bitwall would eventually crash into Maria''s Word.


    Although it wouldn''t cause the destruction of the whole of Maria''s Word, there would be a catastrophe if the huge Half Bitwall collided with Maria''s Word head-on.


    "This is a catastrophe at the level of world destruction. It might cause everything to revert to its original state!"


    "In fifty years, it''ll crash into Maria''s Word. Space will be smashed and then collapsed, Elemental Waves will sweep across the core world, and groups of meteorites will fall onto the earth!"


    "With the exception of Gods, everyone else will die!"


    Verthandi, Kelly, and Delmedi stood beside Lu Zhiyu. The four of them stood on the edge of the Capital of God. They were looking at the dim but visible light in the distance. It was getting brighter and brighter at a slow and steady speed and gradually showing its size.


    Lu Zhiyu retracted his gaze. "What you said will not happen. It''s not the end, but a key factor to promote and improve the whole of Maria''s Word."


    When Lu Zhiyu looked at the grim and scared expressions of the three goddesses, he suddenly smiled. "In the face of such a crisis, a hero will emerge to save the whole world!"


    "Isn''t there a saying? When they''re in adversity, they''ll naturally become heroes!"


    "No?"


    Lu Zhiyu''s lame joke wasn''t welcomed by them. Instead, he suffered from their contemptuous looks. Verthandi said angrily, "Even the gods can''t perform such a feat, except you, old man. I don''t think anyone has such formidable power."


    "Strong power isn''t necessary, but it has to be used correctly. Wisdom and knowledge are the most formidable power."


    Lu Zhiyu turned his head toward Maria''s Word as if he had caught sight of the world''s most prosperous civilization and the numerous living beings who were struggling to succeed. "Don''t worry, there''ll be no accident, they''ll have wisdom and power far beyond your imagination."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Rode had the accumulations of the first 100 years, coupled with the knowledge base that Alice inherited from Adenos, and the wealth that Adenos left behind. It seemed that the cooperation between Rode and the Red Moon Business Group was in the bag.


    Rode spent several years making a breakthrough in Space Anchoring Technology and then spent nearly ten years studying the Space Transfer Array engraved on the Ring of Anthony. Finally, he was able to complete the replication of the Space Transfer Array and made some minor changes as required. But his Space Transfer Array could only transfer small objects and not huge cargo objects, moreover, only non-living objects could be transferred.


    Rode used a projection spell and finally targeted a space bubble in the bitwall. He opened a small Space Transfer Array and the image of the Elemental Organism was projected; it was a way to explore the bitwall. He perfected his Space Magic and Space Storage Theory bit by bit.


    Through anchoring and reinforcement spells, further renovations, and the successful additions of Space Transfer Magic Arrays and nodes, Rode finally controlled the first space bubble belonging to him. It was about 100 square meters, located in the depths of the bitwall. Without coordinates and guidance, even the gods couldn''t target such a space bubble in the chaotic bitwall.


    With that as a foundation, he finally succeeded in creating his own Space Storage Alchemy Props.


    "Rode''s Storage Bracelet! Manufactured from Rode''s Space Magic Props Alchemy Workshop and guaranteed by the Bank of Monar. Each Storage Bracelet has a special number and unique mind power lock It corresponds with a space storage cabinet of Rode''s storage space bubble.


    "Rode''s storage space bubble, located in the depths of the bitwall, absolutely safe and hidden, there''ll be no accidents. It''s the storage space that the Space Magic Master, Mr. Rode, personally anchors, reinforces, and designs. The small Space Transfer Array, divided into 100 lattices, corresponds to 100 Rode''s Storage Bracelets."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "At the same time, the goods stored in the interior will be kept by the Bank of Alice. They''ll never be lost or meet with a mishap. I heard that the Bank of Monar will also provide space warehouse service, let''s wait and see."


    "The auction starts now!"


    "30,000 standard third-grade Magic Crystals!"


    "50,000!"


    "60,000!"


    "¡­"


    When the auction started, there were many nobles, royals, high-ranking officials of various churches, and saints under the stage bidding wildly. Space Magic was the highest field that the saints had yet discovered.


    The appearance of the first Space Storage Alchemy Props, although the space anchored by a Storage Bracelet was only a square metre, contained the profound knowledge of alchemy. Only the top-notch alchemy warlock and the strongest Space Magic Master could produce such an alchemy prop.


    In the auction room, the first batch of Space Storage Alchemy Props, Rode''s Storage Bracelet, sparked a feverish response. The first batch of 100 Space Storage Bracelet was sold out.


    "The Great Space Magic Master, Rode ¨C The Tephis News!"


    "The Man Who Changed the World ¨C The Light Weekly News!"


    "Breaking the Threshold and Boundaries of Space Magic, The Greatest Person of This Era ¨C Swirl Continent''s Misty Moon Broadcasting Channel!"


    "We''ve Opened The Door To The World Outside ¨C The Elf Daily News!"


    "¡­"


    Newspapers and channels of various magic radios, from the Alen Continent to the Swirl Continent, immediately published and broadcasted various reports about Rode, the Space Magic Master. Originally, Rode''s influence was limited to only Hagrid City, but now he had become a world-renowned figure overnight.


    Everyone knowing his name and the whole world talking about him and praising him was enough to keep Rode excitedly awake and sleepless. It was enough for him to boast to his wind raven, Black Jack, for days and nights on end.


    But at the moment, Rode was dutifully controlling the new Space Wave Detector in his Master Tower for measurement and calculation. The new Space Wave Detector was more than ten meters high. It was grandiose from the first glance. At that moment, it was rotating violently and accepting the spatial fluctuations from the distant Astral World.


    A dozen of the master''s assistants were at his side. They were helping him to calculate the data. More than ten blackboards on four walls were filled with all kinds of digits, symbols, and formulas. On the table and on the ground there were papers with calculations on them.


    When Rode drew a ladder-shaped figure on the front of a blackboard, he finally threw away the chalk, at a loss for words, and sat down on the ground.


    "Mr. Rode?"


    "Mr. Rode? What''s going on?"


    Several assistants were immediately concerned but Rode waved them away. "Nothing. That''s all for today. Thank you for all of your help these last few days. Go take a break."


    His assistants didn''t know the meaning of the data that they had been calculating. They just thought that Rode''s experiment had failed. It was normal for research-based masters to take it hard when that happened.


    When the Master Tower was empty, Black Jack landed on Rode''s shoulder. "What''s wrong? Rode, this is unlike you. Is there something wrong?"


    Rode looked at Black Jack, then stood up and pointed to the constantly changing numbers on the blackboard. "The spatial fluctuation we explored more than a decade ago has basically been determined; it should be a legendary Half Bitwall. It hasn''t reached the world''s level, but it''s so large that it''s beyond comprehension."


    "That''s good news! If that''s the case, we''ve discovered a Half Bitwall. If we can explore it, you''ll be a pioneer of a new history." Black Jack wasn''t fully understanding the situation.


    But Rode shook his head and said, "No, the data isn''t right! Over the past decade, the coordinates of this Half Bitwall have been constantly changing, and..." Rode looked at Black Jack and said bitterly, "It''s getting closer and closer to us!"


    Black Jack sprang out its wings and jumped in front of Rode. "You mean it''s approaching our world?"


    Rode nodded. "And according to the data, its trajectory is facing us, and it''s likely that it''ll hit Maria''s World head-on. If such a huge Half Bitwall hits our world, Black Jack, can you imagine the consequences?"


    The air froze in an instant. A man and the bird looked at each other speechlessly. They were shocked by the discovery and couldn''t say a word.


    Black Jack finally spoke after a long pause. "Maybe... the situation isn''t as bad as you think. Maybe it''s going to brush past us."


    Rode immediately stood up and said, "Yes, so we need to explore this Half Bitwall as soon as possible."

 380 The Exploration of the Half Bitwall

    "I''m calling out your name! I earnestly pray for your response!"


    "Adenos, I offer you my soul as a sacrifice! I''m calling out your name! I earnestly pray for your response!"


    "I earnestly pray for your response!"


    "Please respond!"


    "Adenos!"


    In a large castle on the outskirts of Kelermo in the Master Kingdom, a lady in black robes, with the help of dozens of saints, opened the door to the abyss. It wasn''t too troublesome to call out to the devil, but if they wanted to find a devil with his real name while using specific witchcraft, and the devil they were looking for was resisting their summon in the abyss, that was a different scenario.


    But Alice found that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t find him in the abyss by calling out his real name. Even when she used a soul spell to trace their memories, she just couldn''t locate him in the abyss.


    "We succeeded previously, why can''t we do it now? Why?" After several attempts all were futile. They tried a new method every time, but their anticipations and expectations always met with failure.


    Alice summoned a devil and tried to find Adenos through the devil. Such a man would never be nameless even in the abyss. But Alice found that even if she summoned the will of the Devil Lord from the deepest part of the abyss, she couldn''t find out where Adenos was. It was as if he had never existed.


    "Ga-ga-ga-ga! There''s only one possibility in this case!"


    "That''s it ¨C he''s dead!"


    "He had a clean and neat death, there''s nothing left of him!"


    The Devil Lord from the deepest part of the abyss answered Alice in that way. Although those devils were cunning and evil, they wouldn''t cheat when they were offered sacrifices and bound to an agreement.


    When she got that answer, Alice realized that she wasn''t that shocked and grieved. Perhaps she had already accepted the result in her heart even before all the attempts and expectations and pain. And yet, she was still unwillingly to accept that result after spending twenty years searching for an answer.


    "So he''ll die too?"


    Adenos''s words suddenly reverberated in Alice''s ear again, and the tone was still so cold and disdainful. "Only the dead will be eternal!"


    "So...so¡­you''ll die too? I thought...there''s no being or difficulty in the world that can make you frown. I thought even death has to lower its head when it meets you!"


    As Alice lifted the witchcraft array used to summon the devil, she watched the supernatural spiritual light spin and the devil bound to the agreement exit. She drew open the curtain of the castle, sat on a bench beside her, cupped her face, and felt her shoulders continuously tremble.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Alice still couldn''t believe that such a fellow could die. He might not be the one with the most unique and striking appearance, but he was absolutely the most arrogant and extremely conceited one in spite of that. He despised gods, held contempt for death, scorned at all living beings, morality, rules, and order.


    Alice, like everyone else, disagreed with his approach. His crazy and unbridled actions and his madness and his contempt for life, but one couldn''t deny his charm and mesmerizing demeanor when revolting against everyone in the entire world.


    Alice stopped searching for answers, she felt that was enough. The corpses of those who died at Adenos''s hands were enough to accumulate into a mountain that could break through the clouds. Their souls were enough to turn a bright sky into a dark night. There was nothing to complain about or regret about his death, and nobody prayed for him. Still, nobody thought such a person would die so quietly.


    His life wasn''t like the brilliant fireworks blooming and fading away, but it sorrowfully exited in the quiet dark night.


    "Mr. Skeleton!"


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    "Ready? Everyone report your situation!"


    "The portal is stable!"


    "There''s nothing wrong with the coordinates!"


    "The energy supply of Magic Crystals is stable!"


    "Activate!"


    Inside the Master Tower of Rode the half-elf, hundreds of saints were now controlling their own alchemy devices. The robotic arm which was giving off steam was recording Magic Array Runes and channels of the Magic Crystal Network. The metal gate was densely embedded with Magic Crystal and Magic Silver Network, and more than ten of the control devices in the surroundings were connected by the Magic Silver Network. They were used to supply energy and to control the portal.


    However, such a huge gate could only open a pinhole-sized portal, but unlike the fixed space storage ring, that portal could open a fixed coordinate portal at will and it could transfer large items. Unfortunately, it still couldn''t transfer living creatures and non-ordinary forms of life weren''t within that limit either.


    They worked in a Level-Four Elemental Master Tower where, at the bottom, the Magic Crystal Network was completely spread out. It was able to supply energy to destroy the set of alchemy devices.


    Rode went up to the portal step by step and he watched the supernatural light shining along the lines. Suddenly he was nervous. It was because today wasn''t like any other day.


    When he used a projection spell to enter the other end of the portal for exploration there was a distance limit. With his mind power, he could only extend less than 1,000 meters and his projection spell would be invalid.


    Such a distance was enough to explore a space bubble in a Bitwall, but if it was to explore a large Half Bitwall, it was far from enough. Nothing would be in sight within a kilometer. It wasn''t enough to perfect the purpose of the exploration, let alone to predict the Half Bitwall''s trajectory and calculate the actual distance between it and Maria''s World by observing the Half Bitwall.


    Rode was ready to use the dangerous soul spell which only the Level Four professionals could use because only the Level Four professionals'' souls would form a stable structure. He would use the Soul Master to let his soul slip out of his body, and then project his soul to another plane. In that case, there would be no limit. But if there were any accidents, the worst-case scenario could be beyond death.


    Alice, who was Rode''s friend and investor, visited him there. He had told Alice about his speculation that the Half Bitwall would hit Maria''s World. Alice immediately gave full financial support to his plan to explore the Half Bitwall, which was the reason why he could explore the Half Bitwall so quickly.


    Alice stood behind Rode. That day, her short hair was neatly combed. She was dressed in dark classical clothes. She stood in the crowd with her pet cat in her arms. Her gaze was as desolate as ever, but she still looked at Rode energetically as if to cheer him up.


    "Begin!" After looking back, Rode finally summoned up his courage.


    When the charge was done, in between the portals, a whirlpool was stirring as if the space was broken. The color darkened closer to the center, and all that was left was a black dot right in the middle.


    The white ray in Rode''s body lit up little by little, and a gray profile of him which gradually brightened appeared in his body like a Russian nesting doll. There were two of him.


    As Rode took control of his soul, it stepped out from his body and headed for the portal.


    Then his wind raven, Black Jack, suddenly flew down. It stood at the top of the portal, looked at Rode, and said, "Hey! Rode, I suddenly found out that you''re really handsome and stunning today!"


    Rode was startled, burst into laughter, and said with his head up, "Of course, because I''m going to save the world!"


    When Rode finished his sentence, he stepped into the other end of the door. His soul seemed to be engulfed by the whirlpool; it spun through the infinite space and reached another world far away.

 381 The Death Indicator Bitwall

    Silvery yarns of light flowed like a river over the sky, scattering brightness and illuminating the bitwall. Large and small islands were floating under the sky, some complete and others broken.


    Unique Gaseous Vitality condensed into various unreal shapes, like clouds sweeping past those floating islands. Originally, the Astral World''s creatures were integrated into the world within bitwall. They had now combined with the content inside the world and had given birth to a variety of extraordinary scenes on the floating islands.


    If one was to look at the sky, they would see several continents of floating islands. Some had turned into seas of lava and fire, where within them were special Lava Monsters tumbling around. Others had turned into worlds of ice and snow with all sorts of strange living creatures formed by ice crystals walking around. There were even floating islands that were entirely covered by spores from peculiar plants. There was air up there too, but it was certainly not suitable for ordinary life forms from Maria''s World.


    Rode''s Soul Witchcraft which had previously condensed his Elemental Body now turned into a man radiating white brilliance. It stood in that world, commanding a view of everything, completely fascinated by that magnificent and dreamy scene of the new world.


    "Oh my god! Oh my god!"


    "This is simply a whole new world!"


    Rode began his investigation of the world. He flew from one floating island to another, stopping on floating rocks between the floating islands from time to time. In certain places, the dangerous, intelligent, and grotesque creatures on the floating islands would attack and drive him away, so Rode tried to avoid them and the dangerous areas if he could.


    The air there was very thin and would be highly poisonous to the life forms of Maria''s World. There were no plants or ordinary life forms on the Half Bitwall. Most of the seemingly weird life phenomena and beings there had transformed after they had entered the world or was caused by the power of the world.


    There were all kinds of metal elements on the floating island which were the same as those in Maria''s World. It was Rode''s first encounter with the Half Bitwall, so he didn''t know if that was a normal sight. However, this Bitwall was much thinner than that of Maria''s World.


    On a safer floating island, Rode began to use spells to generate metal and create simple alchemy devices. After that, he drew and carved a dense and complex Magic Array on the ground, creating a simple version of the Space Fluctuation Tracker.


    Rode spent seven days calculating the exact coordinates and trajectories of the Half Bitwall based on the strong spatial fluctuations and positions emanating from Maria''s World.


    Finally, he found out that the Half Bitwall was being attracted by the forces of Maria''s World. According to its trajectory, it would definitely crash into Maria''s World eventually.


    "With its current speed, it will hit Maria''s World in about 30 years!"


    Rode paused in shock and looked in the direction of the distant Maria''s World. "Are there really only 30 years left?"


    Rode stayed in that world for a month. Because there were no days and nights, Rode could only calculate time passing by himself. However, nearly ten days later, the portal which had been scheduled to open after a month was finally opened.


    Rode found that the Half Bitwall''s time velocity was different from that of Maria''s World. There were some slight differences. Forty days on the Half Bitwall was equivalent to one month in Maria''s World.


    Rode''s discovery in the Half Bitwall shocked everyone in the Master Tower. Discovering a huge Half Bitwall was sensational and exciting news. But since the Half Bitwall would soon hit Maria''s World, the exciting news became nightmarish.


    "So? The world... is going to be destroyed?" An assistant couldn''t believe it.


    "No, the gods won''t let this happen!" A priest of the Goddess of Harvest said firmly.


    "No, no, it has nothing to do with the gods. This is a disaster targeting the ordinary people. The gods aren''t affected, and some powerful saints won''t be affected either. According to my calculations, even if the Half Bitwall collides with our world, our world won''t have any major problems. However, the core world will suffer intensely from the attack of Element Storms and Spatial Storms and living conditions will change dramatically. Ordinary life forms won''t survive."


    Black Jack, the wind raven, immediately corrected two of the statements which had displeased most of the people listening.


    "I still believe that the churches and the gods would never just sit back and watch! God favors the common people and will never allow such a disaster to befall the world. Each of us is their devout believer. This isn''t just about us; it''s about the fate of all the people in the world. We should tell the churches and kingdoms."


    Members of Rode''s Master Tower immediately compiled a document and sent all the news and information about the Half Bitwall to all churches and kingdoms in the world in the name of Professor Rode, the Space Magic Master. The document also included the signatures of ten professionals above level four from the Master Tower.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Soon, all of the great divine churches like the Temple of Civilization, the Church of the Goddess of Harvest, the Kingdom of the Church of Light, and the Church of Truth and Knowledge had received their letter. Because the co-signatories were renowned saints, and Professor Rode of Seth Public University was a Space Magic Master, they were all well-known to the church leaders in Maria''s World.


    "Ridiculous! What Half Bitwall? What doomsday is coming? This would only be intimidating to a child!" The Archbishop of the Church of Light denounced the news in front of the members of Rode''s Master Tower in the temple.


    "How could there be such a thing?" The popes of the major churches didn''t believe anything that Rode''s Master Tower said.


    "But from the data point of view, it all adds up. Plus, Rode seems to have entered and explored that Half Bitwall, so maybe we should pay attention to it." St. Sarl City''s Cardinal in his purple robe was a scholar who was proficient in all kinds of knowledge. After reading the information, he expressed that he would pay mind to it.


    "Maybe we should pray to the Lords and ask them to send down an oracle to tell us if it''s true!" As the debate intensified, the churches decided to inquire and search for the truth from the gods.


    The letter immediately caused violent sensation and controversy among the major forces. Most people thought that it was simply ridiculous and an alarmist talk. But reading the information on the reports and letters, it didn''t look like falsified news. At the same time, the members from Rode''s Master Tower came to each church with letters and information in their hands. They informed the people with detailed information and reports that proved their experimental processes were correct, and that caused the major churches to become worried and uneasy.


    The churches prayed to their respective gods and they immediately received a response from the Star Kingdom. However, that seemingly absurd and laughable "prank" was clearly recognized by God as true.


    "It''s true! This is a calamity. But all God told us was that as long as we''re his most devout believers, we''ll enter his kingdom and not suffer from this disaster."


    "Doomsday is here. It''s the end of all life. It''s a destiny that we can''t escape."


    "Noone can escape except the superiors Gods. We all have to die. Only God''s most beloved believers can enter his kingdom, only they can escape this catastrophe!"


    "The Gods gave up on us!"


    "This is the judgment from the Gods for the sins of the common people!"


    After the news was confirmed, panic broke out in an instant. Although the churches were still trying to hide the news, some high-level professionals, kings, and nobles of the major kingdoms knew all about the news.


    Rode, the first Space Magic Master, the first to discover the Half Bitwall, and the first to discover the crisis facing Maria''s World had attracted worldwide attention.


    The Pope of the world''s largest church, the Church of Light, personally invited Rode to St. Sarl City, and the popes of the other major churches and the kings and monarchs of the major kingdoms would send representatives to attend the meeting.


    The whole world had begun to study the newly discovered Half Bitwall in search of a solution to the crisis. At the same time, the Bitwall had been renamed "Rode''s Bitwall" after its discoverer, but people preferred to call it the "Death Indicator Bitwall" because it was a sign of death and destruction.

 382 The Judgement Day

    St. Sarl City was an ancient and sacred city. In that city, there were countless miracles and legends. It was the holy city of the Church of Light and the holy land of countless believers in the Goddess of Light.


    When one looked at the holy city from the defensive wall, one could feel the thousands of years of stormy growth and historical aura it exuded. Faith and divine power seemed to permeate every corner of the city and it brimmed with a sacred aura and mighty power.


    "This is St. Sarl City!"


    The birds in the sky flew past the hot-air balloon airship, passing the white spire and soaring into the far distance. They called to each other with melodious twittering.


    After several extensions of the St. Sarl City, the holy city had grown taller and larger. Most of the stone buildings were twenty to thirty meters tall. There were square-sized white minarets, round castles with diamond-shaped windows, sacred and solemn churches, some drab clergyman colleges, roads and intersections many meters wide, and beautiful shop windows and stores on both sides of the streets.


    Buildings were stacked on top of each other with stairs and handrails leading up and down, connected bridges, traces of plants and trees could be seen in the mid-air, while the Temple of Light located in the middle of the city was the tallest buildings of all. It seemed to reach the clouds.


    The stairway leading to the Temple of Light was so tall that it looked like it could lead people from the earth directly into the clouds. Ordinary people even didn''t have enough strength to climb such a high staircase. If one climbed up the stairway and stood before the Temple of Light, they felt like they could see the whole world at once.


    "Living in such a place for a long time, I''m afraid it''ll make people think that they''re leaders above everyone else or even removed from the rest of the world!" When Rode was standing there that was the first thought that popped into his mind.


    The city under his feet exemplified the combination of the ancient and the new era of Magic Crystal. The public transportation Steam Locomotive was passing around Goddess Square on tracks, airships took off and darted into the clouds, shops were filled with all kinds of magic crystal alchemy devices, coffee shops were filled with whirring magic crystal ceiling fans, and Steam Trucks were carrying magic ice refrigerators filled with goods for the grocery store.


    "The World of Light!"


    At twelve o''clock, a melodious, holy, and pure female voice that pierced the soul had attracted Rode''s attention. The Magic Crystal Clock Tower triggered a divine projection. It projected the movement of time into the sky so that everyone could look up to see the passage of time and the heavenly city.


    Believers in the city, whether they were working or resting, stopped in their tracks and looked at the beautiful and sacred divine projection in the sky. They began to pray, "Long live the goddess!"


    Throughout the whole city, the people were bustling with noise and excitement. There were huge crowds of people everywhere. They allowed Rode to feel the vitality and energy of the world''s most famous ancient city.


    "Such a beautiful era, such a beautiful world, I''ll never allow anything to destroy it!" While he was looking at the scene, Rode muttered to himself, then turned and walked towards the Temple of Light.


    Inside the hall of the Church of Light, there were many Cardinals, Archbishops, Prime Ministers from the various Kingdoms and even some Kings and Popes were present. Other than that, there were many top-notch professionals, masters of Space Magic, and first-class alchemy warlocks.


    The moment Rode stepped on the stage, he saw everyone turned to look at him. He felt that he was standing in the middle of the world stage because the people watching him represented the whole world.


    Rode put a Magic Crystal Projector on the stage and projected pictures and data into the air so that everyone in the hall could see.


    "This is the Rode''s Bitwall, although I hate to call it by that name because it indicates death. You can see that from this data generated from our detailed calculations that in thirty-two years'' time, the Bitwall will crash into Maria''s World and cause widespread destruction!"


    Rode showed another picture, this time a map of the secondary world. "The core world will be severely damaged as a whole. There are only two places that will be unaffected, the Star Kingdom and Hell!"


    Rode looked down at everyone present. "We''re all believers in God. God will bless us. Most of the people present may have a chance to survive." Rode looked at the clergyman of the Church of Light. "It could be in Heaven!" Then he looked at the believers from the Temple of Sky and a large number of professionals. "Or in Hell!"


    Just then, Rode said angrily, "But who wants to live like that? Open your eyes and look at the world. Billions of people, infinite living beings, everything will be destroyed and annihilated. Only a bleak and desolate world will be left, and then everything will have to start again!"


    Just then, someone in the audience said, "It may be better to start a new era. This is the punishment for our sins from the gods. Only those who will survive are the most devout to the gods. We''ll then create a promising and greater era of eternity."


    The one who stood up and spoke was the young male priest of Lord Torvald. He was strong and powerful looking and had the face of an ancient warrior. He hollered at everyone, "This is not destruction, but rebirth!" He looked back at all the clergymen. "This is not the doomsday, but the Judgement Day! In the trial of thunder and fire, we''ll usher in a new era and create a better world!"


    To Rode''s surprise, such a slogan resonated with many who were present. Many of the clergymen were in leadership positions in their churches. They felt superior and looked down on all others. They had long lives and immense power. They assumed they were the spokespersons of gods, chosen to lead and guide all living beings on behalf of gods!


    All other living beings were simply a flock of sheep under the guidance of gods, but they were different. They were the shepherds serving the gods. They had long ago lost their old identities and the memory that they too were once ordinary people. More importantly, this was a disaster that would affect the whole world. Even the gods couldn''t stop it. They didn''t believe that they could prevent it themselves, nor did they believe that Rode, the so-called Space Magic Master, could stop such a disaster. That meeting enabled Rode to clearly see the honest truth of the world. Even if doomsday was imminent, those in the hall believed that they could survive.


    The noble mermaids from the Mermaid Kingdom had never spoken but Rode heard that they were looking for the legendary ancient city of sea gods, the Poseidon City. The noble mermaids weren''t worried about the imminent calamity; they believed that their God of the Sea, Gina, would never give up on them.


    Needless to say, the followers of the God of Death would be returning to their world. Hell was their home to return to and it was their main desire.


    As for the elves, their population was small. The Moon Elves of the Silver Moon Kingdom and the Daytime Elves of the Sunshine Kingdom had a total population of only two million. Even a great disaster wouldn''t be a problem for them. The Dragon Raja felt the same way since there were only a handful of them; the Kingdom of the Lord of Time had ample spaces prepared for them.


    The gods had long known that the world was about to come to an end and they had their people''s backs. The gods must have planned for their futures. It was only the myriads of living things who were still in the dark about things that would perish.


    The meeting ended in a heated debate and Rode''s heart became ice-cold. However, Rode also received the attention and support of many people, especially the Temple of Civilization, from the three Gods of Civilization, and from the Kingdom of Sumerian, all of which spared no effort to support Rode''s plan.


    Rode traveled all over the Alen Continent and received some support from the top figures of various churches. Finally, at the invitation of the Red Moon Business Group and his friend Alice, he went to the Exotic Kingdom to begin his new research.


    Rode''s Master Tower was rebuilt on an offshore island in the Exotic Kingdom of Hollyma, known as Rode Island. With the participation of clergymen from the three Gods of Civilization, the Church of Light, the Faith of the Sun, and the Temple of the Sky, a large number of professionals from around the world also flocked to participate in the exploration of Rode''s Bitwall. A city was gradually formed.


    The major churches had also launched their own exploration into Rode''s Bitwall. While they had a contingency plan, they still tried to explore Rode''s Bitwall. They had to at least figure out how destructive the disaster would ultimately be.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªFind authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Judgement Day is coming! Everyone will wash away their sins and be reborn!"


    "We''ll usher in the beginning of a new era!"


    That was the reaction of a low-ranking clergyman who had discovered the news about the destruction of the world. But the following day, he went insane and ran madly down the street crying, "A new era, a new world!"


    "The Judgement Day is coming!"


    "The cruel verdict from the gods determined the fate of all beings!"


    "True Gods, however, have opened up a paradise for you. If you believe in Gods, you''ll be redeemed; you''ll be able to go to his kingdom to receive protections and blessings!"


    A man in a bizarre black robe with a red wheel printed on his back stood in crowded places in various cities, publicizing the news that Judgement Day was approaching.


    Among the chaos and threats, there were evil forces that wanted to exploit the situation to gain power and rise up. The Ghost Wizard and Demon Warlocks hiding in the darkness appeared frequently. Their power became increasingly strong. They sparked chaos in an attempt to strengthen their power and then planned to enter the abyss or the Kingdom of Death before the Judgement Day.


    High-level professionals, who had immense power, knew about the news ahead of time and were each looking for their own way out. They wanted to reserve a place with the Gods they believed in. Some were even trying their best to open the doors to Hell and into the Kingdom of Death, or even into the abyss.


    Others frantically looked for legendary ancient cities such as the Poseidon City, the Motherland of Gods, the Wizard Tower, and the Fairyland of Sylve''s Elves. They heard those cities were out of the control of the world. Legends said that they had the power to resist the gods and escape from the shackles of the world, and they hoped that they could escape Judgement Day by going there.


    Others went to all corners of the world hoping to find a legendary divine artifact.


    Eventually, even the businessmen who traveled to some remote towns expressed their fears in the tavern and spread the terrible news.

 383 The God of Space and Exploration

    Inside Rode''s Bitwall, several portals opened, revealing the silhouettes of powerful figures. The Level Four professionals arrived in groups. There were frequent arrivals of Level Five professionals, too. Even the old men who had been born at the beginning of the San calendar began to enter the Half Bitwall.


    The Astral World''s creatures, which were making a mess on the floating islands, were cleaned up. The Elemental Body was projected into the world where Masters built a Master Tower there, senior alchemy warlocks set up research institutes, and some special Ghost Masters and demon warlocks could even directly abandon their bodies and enter the Half Bitwall to stay there frequently.


    The size of that Half Bitwall was finally explored. Rode''s Bitwall was even larger than the entirety of the Alen Continent. If the true size of the bitwall was added into the calculation, the scope and destructive power of that Half Bitwall were beyond their imagination.


    The members of Rode''s Master Tower set up six small portals and tried various methods to change the fate of Rode''s Bitwall''s collision with Maria''s World.


    "Change the track of Rode''s Bitwall and makes it deviate from its track!"


    "No, Maria''s World constantly attracts Rode''s Bitwall to move forward, just like a magnet. No matter how we affect the deviation of the Rode''s Bitwall from its trajectory, it''ll continue to amend its deviation, and eventually, it''ll still hit Maria''s World."


    "Maybe we can conceal the traction of Maria''s World working on Rode''s Bitwall so that the speed of Rode''s Bitwall will slow down, and eventually we can find a way to stop it!"


    "That''s impossible, we can''t achieve that!"


    It took Rode more than 20 years to become a Level Five Magic Crystal Warlock, but he couldn''t change anything. No one could change the arrival of the so-called Judgment Day. The disaster of that doomsday was approaching with a countdown.


    The major churches had been getting ready for the imminent Judgment Day, so much that when the prevailing cults, the spreading of the dead spirits, and the plots of demon warlocks on some continents were on the rise, they had no intention of fully suppressing them. Various groups with names like the Church of Truth, the Salvation Society, and the Paradise of God, which were apparently evil organizations, had emerged continuously.


    In the past few decades, Alice had absorbed the leftover power of the Master of the Night through the use of his divine personality and the legacy left by Adenos. She had advanced from Level Three to Level Four. With the strength of the Bank of Monar and the Red Moon Business Group, she had subdued the remaining power of the Church of the Dark Night bit by bit. She relied on the foundation of the Church of the Dark Night and had regained her influence over the Kingdom of Hollyma and other Exotic Kingdoms.


    The original Church of the Dark Night rose to power and fame again. The Church of the Dark Night, which had once fallen, had finally found their True God again. Although that True God had changed from the so-called Master of the Night to the Goddess of the Night, as long as someone could redeem their sin and help them escape Judgement Day, that person would be their master. It didn''t hurt that Alice had once been the High Priest of the Church of the Dark Night.


    Alice once again became the controller of the Church of the Dark Night. And this time, she had really gained everything that the Church of the Dark Night had accumulated in the Exotic Kingdom over hundreds of years and all that the Master of the Night, Louis Biketo, had ever possessed.


    Alice hastily kindled the divine fire. Under the great faith of the whole Kingdom of Hollyma, she inherited the priesthood of the Master of the Night and merged with the Divine Personality of the Dark Night. With the cheers of countless people, the temple of the Church of the Dark Night was rebuilt again and order in the Exotic Kingdom was restored.


    She ascended the throne of God in the last ten years by making use of the belief of tens of millions of people in the Exotic Kingdom and the foundation of the Church of the Dark Night.


    The whole world had sunk into a dark and depressive atmosphere, and all forces were preparing for their final struggle.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The design of Rode''s Master Tower was in the style of the ancient golden imperial court. On each floor, there would be several huge windows and arches which opened to the outside. Various distinctive doors formed his Master Tower. The witchcraft boundary emitted pale white radiance which enveloped a large portion of the research facilities and the buildings around it.


    Rode sat on the table. The meeting was over and he was the only one sitting there. Even now, he had no intention of giving up.


    "Thud!"


    Rode back leaned on the chair. He was slightly exhausted and he closed his tired eyes, then felt a ring on his thumb suddenly being removed. The ring was silvery white, carved with mysterious patterns, and through a small pinhole opening, one could see the internal workings of dense and complex alchemy parts. Each complex part, akin to an organ, was rotating.


    Just then, a strange hand grabbed onto the ring, not letting it fall back into Rode''s hands.


    Rode immediately opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar man with black-haired and dark eyes sitting across the table. "Who are you?"


    Almost two hundred years had passed, and even Rode had gradually forgotten about the man he once had a glimpsed when he was in his youth.


    Lu Zhiyu plucked the ring in his hand and looked at Rode through the ring. "It seems like you''ve done thorough research on my ring. The theories of space magic and space transfer have basically all been discovered through my ring."


    Rode stood up abruptly and looked at Lu Zhiyu with astonishment. "It''s you! Anthony, the Great and Wise, from the legendary Wizard Tower!"


    In the early days when he received Anthony''s Ring, that mysterious ring seemed to point to the world''s fundamental truths. It had made Rode crazy about it. Through the description of Jack Black, his wind raven, he searched high and low for other descriptions of Anthony, the Great and Wise, of the legendary Wizard Tower.


    The Wizard Tower had long disappeared from the world, but legends about it were widely spread in churches and kingdoms, and Anthony, the Great and Wise, was the one who had built the Wizard Tower in the legend.


    But there were no records or books about the origin of Anthony, the Great and Wise. No one knew how powerful he was. No one knew his identity, race, past, or fate.


    Only in the notes of the early wizards was it recorded that he didn''t belong to the world, but came from the Astral World. He seldom appeared in front of people. But in the first year of the San calendar, with the emergence of supernatural power, he seemed to have been standing behind the world, and he was absolutely a being that shouldn''t be ignored.


    Rode looked at Lu Zhiyu and said, "Something must have happened for you to come here all of a sudden." Then a hopeful and mysterious smile appeared on his face. "You want to tell me how to solve the problem of Rode''s Bitwall''s collision with Maria''s World!"


    Lu Zhiyu waved his hand and a drawing with mysterious patterns of round wheels on it appeared on the table. There were seventeen cards on it. At the moment, fourteen cards had been overturned, and the remaining three were still covered.


    "Choose one? Go with your intuition!" Instead of answering Rode''s question, Lu Zhiyu asked him to choose one of the three remaining cards.


    Theories and records of becoming Gods had all been erased from historical records. Even though Rode vaguely knew about some of the legends, he had never really seen them. Only the oldest group of beings might have scattered knowledge of the records.


    Rode didn''t know what Lu Zhiyu was doing. He carefully observed the seventeen cards. On the back of the cards were chaotic whirlpools that were stirring, while on the front of the cards there were pictures of brilliance, the sun, the sickle of Death God, the storm...


    When Rode finished looking at them, he looked up at Lu Zhiyu in horror. "Is this God? Each card represents a god!"


    "The fourteen cards represent the fourteen True Gods!"


    Rode looked at the remaining three cards again and suddenly remembered the records he had read on an ancient scroll. The creator had left seventeen thrones for the gods. However, the bizarre records and legends, if they were really studied in detail, revealed that different versions were available at different times. However, what was presented to Rode at the moment made him felt a little different.


    "All of this is true!"


    Rode seemed to be attracted by some force and he inexplicably reached out and grabbed one of the remaining three cards. As soon as his finger touched the card, even before he revealed the front of the card, he saw a dazzling brilliance radiating from the thin card.


    When the card was lifted up, beams of light shot out from the Master Tower, shocking people all over Rode Island. They looked up at Rode''s Master Tower at a loss for words. They didn''t know what had happened.


    Rode''s eyes were attracted to the card at the moment and he allowed the brilliant rays of divine power to flow continuously in the Master Tower. It had transformed the Master Tower into a dazzling white shrine.


    On the front of the card were tiny bubbles and a diamond crystal constructed by folds. Rode knew what it was at a glance, it was the bitwall and space. From the card, a transparent crystal that reminded him of space slowly emerged and fell into Rode''s hands.


    "The fifteenth True God ¨C The God of Space and Exploration! It''s foretelling the future of Maria''s World, the exploration of the outside world, and the first step for your world to advance further!"


    "The unique power of the priesthood and the divine personality of the God of Space and Exploration can control and create a small stable space. The True God can even create some small Half Bitwalls. Hence, using the power of the God of Space and Exploration, you can control and create a Half Bitwall, as long as you''ve enough great divine power and enough material energy from the outside world."


    Rode became excited at once. "If that''s the case, we can use its power to solve the crisis caused by Rode''s Bitwall! Yes, yes! This must be it, other gods may not be able to do it but the God of Space and Exploration can. He was born to be the controller and master of space. There will be no problem in controlling and influencing Rode''s Bitwall!"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head and said, "If it''s in this world, of course, it''s possible, but now it''s outside this world. In an area that doesn''t belong to the bitwall of Maria''s World, you don''t have the permission to do anything!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Rode. "Therefore, even with the identity of a demigod, when this person enters Rode''s Bitwall with the priesthood of the God of Space and Exploration, with his mythical body and strength, he will have to offer sacrifice to the bitwall before he can control the Half Bitwall. Only then can he have the power and authority to control the Rode''s Bitwall!"


    Rode then uttered the second half of what Lu Zhiyu had never said, "Then, by offering sacrifice to the bitwall, the mythical body, which is a replacement for the Power of Rules, will perish!"


    But Lu Zhiyu said, "No, as long as you integrate the entire Half Bitwall into Maria''s World before the mythical body perishes, you''ll gain the strength of the whole world. You''ll reborn as a True God!"


    Rode stared at Lu Zhiyu blankly and asked, "Who are you?"

 384 My Heroic Epic

    With the support from the Three Gods of Civilization, the Church of the Dark Night, and the Church of the Goddess of the Harvest, Rode built up divine palaces and religions for the God of Space and Exploration all over the country.


    With the support of four true gods and the Church of the Dark Night, as well as the silent approval of all the gods, belief in the God of Space and Exploration bloomed and thrived.


    Being a Level Five Magic Crystal Warlock with a divine personality, Rode lit the divine fire much sooner than any Level Four Professionals could have.


    Followers of the God of Space and Exploration did not have a specific territory to which they belonged. Rather, his believers were mostly professionals and masters who were intrigued by spacecraft.


    As for his divine palace, the most obvious feature was the door. Giant, characteristic doors became his symbol. Also, inside every divine palace, a portal existed. The divine palaces of the God of Space and Exploration had the function of connecting continents and distant cities, as well as transporting and storing objects.


    Just like how the divine palace of the God of History and Race acted as a library and place for recording and researching past events, or how the divine palace of the God of Fortune and Trade was the holy place for merchants, or how the divine palace of the Dragon God of Time was used for signing contracts, and how the divine palace of the Ruler of Storms provided shelter for adventurers and sailors, his divine palaces did not just serve the function of a meeting place for rituals or worshipping.


    Maybe as Rode became a true god, the divine palace of the God of Space and Exploration would gain the power to teleport people, huge cargo, or any other object.


    Ever since the Magical Crystal Age, divine palaces had changed with the culture and time. However, all of these were about to be destroyed as Judgement Day approached.


    ---


    Judgement Day came closer each day. Rode could even see the outline of Maria''s World from the Astral World Telescope in the wizard tower of Rode''s Bitwall. The remaining time to prevent the collision grew shorter and shorter.


    As Judgement Day approached, the chaos inside Maria''s World quieted down. Many ghost wizards and professionals fled to the Kingdom of Death. Demon warlocks died or fell into the abyss.


    The Mermaid Kingdom, on the other hand, after much exploration, had found the ancient city of the God of the Sea, Yousar, hidden in the deepest trench, the Abyss of Sakun. However, Yousar had long been destroyed, and there was nothing left but ruin.


    Nevertheless, it followed the design of the Capital of Gods. Though it did not possess the ability of levitation, it could sail in the water with a mythical level shield. Also, it had the same internal circulation system as the Capital of Gods. One could live underseas just like on the earth or in the air.


    The Mermaid Kingdom, the Hailuga Kingdom, and the Colossus Kingdom had given their all to repair the City of the Sea, Yousar, and migrated many professionals and commoners to the abyss in the sea. They wished to escape Judgement Day through this. Whether or not the plan would work, only fate knew. At least the chance of surviving underwater was much higher than on land.


    Top clergy members of churches gradually started their evacuation as planned. They had decided to seek sanctuary in the divine kingdoms of the Star Kingdom.


    Bernice, the Goddess of the Harvest, activated her mortal body, her Tree of Life, and used the unique life domain power of the Goddess of the Harvest to assimilate the entire Forest of the Silver Moon. The power of plants gathered, turning the Forest of the Silver Moon into an isolated territory, separated from Maria''s World. The forest became a unique domain, a legendary fairyland, which could only be created by the Goddess of Harvest.


    In the outside world, the traces of the Forest of the Silver Moon vanished. Fairies evacuated from cities, towns, and fairy villages until no fairy could be seen on the Yala continent.


    The news of the disappearance of a large number of clergy members and top the management of churches, as well as the situation in the Yala continent and Swirl continent, traveled across the entire world instantly. The coming of Judgment Day seemed to have become a reality.


    Panic spread across the whole world. Commoners, clergy, saints, and nobles who were left behind now remembered the ludicrous myth passed down through the generations. Not before this very moment had they believed that it was true!


    "It''s true?" When everyone heard about the news coming from the distant lands, and that the divine palaces stood empty, all collapsed to the floor and cried those words.


    "The end is coming, we are abandoned by the gods! We are abandoned, the world is abandoned by gods!" shouted a mad old man. He held high some newspapers, running through the streets.


    "Liars! All of them are liars! They are still trying to cover up the truth now! All gone, they have all escaped and left us behind. We have nowhere to go, and the world is about to perish!" said a gentleman in a suit standing on the stairs of the divine palace, raising his fist with anger.


    "We are all dying! Every one of us!" That was the terrifying headline in the newspaper. It seemed that even members of the newspaper agencies had fallen into madness and despair.


    Chaos took over the world. At that moment, the Divine Palace of Civilization, the Church of the Dark Night, and the Church of the God of Space and Exploration performed divine rituals together and announced the Oracle, claiming that Judgement Day was not the end and that the gods would save all when Judgement Day came.


    The date of the Judgement Day was also revealed. There was less than a month left.


    Some chose to accept their own fates, while some looked forward to Judgement Day as their sins were about to be washed away. Some lost themselves in despair, while some believed in the future.


    Rode Island, on the Wizard Tower.


    A giant door stood on the top level of the tower. It was the symbol of Rode as a god. The entirety of Rode Island had turned into the base of the Church of the God of Space and Exploration by this point. Priests and clergy members could be seen everywhere, as well as many believers in the God of Space and Exploration.


    Before this time, believers who sought salvation had never been so faithful, and the Church of the God of Space and Exploration had never developed so fast.


    Hundreds of thousands of believers prayed in silence around the wizard tower. The murmuring of prayers seemed to say one name, Rode''s. More and more followers from distant places gathered on the island.


    The entire wizard tower seemed to be covered in the light of faith. White, holy, and pure.


    Rode stood on the top of the wizard tower in front of the portal. As the power of faith gathered in him, his body became light. Every cell was filled with light. He was at the last step to becoming god, becoming a Level Seven Mythical Being.


    A woman in a black robe stood behind Rode. The sullen, gloomy robe seemed holy on her somehow. A wind raven rested on her shoulder.


    Black Jack fixed his gaze on Rode. As Rode turned around, he immediately said, "Hey, Rode, my brother! If you die, I''ll miss you!"


    Rode twitched his nose and answered right away, "I will not die! I will save this world, become a god, and then become the greatest man of this era!"


    Rode looked at Alice as he said those words. He might have sounded confident, but he knew that, once he took this step, he would probably not be able to return. Sacrificing his mythical body to the bitwall and moving Rode''s Bitwall out of its orbit and away from Maria''s World was all that he wanted to accomplish. As for controlling the Half Bitwall and merging it into Maria''s World, he had done his calculations and, based on the low probability of success, no one would ever bet on that happening.


    "Alice, we''ve come to this moment, anything you want to say to me?" asked Rode. His body shone as it left the ground. He had become a divine shadow, floating in the air.


    Alice fondled the feathers of Black Jack. Black Jack, surprisingly, did not resist but enjoyed it. A goddess was combing his feathers. No one ever received such treatment.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Alice looked to Rode as if she did not see the eagerness in his eyes. Her lips were pressed together, and her usually cold eyes seemed gentle. Her natural sadness and gloom seemed extremely attractive at this moment. "I wish for your successful return!" she said.


    Rode was disappointed, as that was not the answer he desired. However, he smiled at her anyway and said, "Most certainly!"


    Rode turned around and walked up the stairs to the portal. The portal was activated. The node connected to Rode''s Bitwall was turned on. A giant swirl spun above the wizard tower.


    Gods in the Star World looked there as well. All the gods looked at Rode as if they were sending their goodbyes.


    Rode seemed to be the younger version of himself. After all these years, he had not changed a single bit. He was still stubborn, taking things too seriously, full of motivation, and never admitting defeat. Time seemed to change everyone, but not Rode.


    "I am an ace pilot! Dragon Rider Rooney Elvis was hardly a hero. Only those who can save the world are heroes! When I grow up, I will be a greater hero than him. Theatres will perform my heroic epic and sing my legendary stories!"


    Rode seemed to hear his own young, arrogant words now. He raised his head high, and walked into the portal!

 385 The Bell of Judgement Rang

    "Dong!"


    The bell rang on time at midnight. All the believers in St. Sarl City of the Kingdom of the Church of Light gathered at the base of the divine palace. All there left to do was pray.


    The pope and some members of the church did not leave but chose to stay behind. "If Judgement Day is our inevitable fate, as the shepherds of god, it is our responsibility to guard the sheep. Leave the decisions to god!"


    Everyone held onto the sigils of light, kneeling before the divine palace. Countless followers of god knelt on the endless stairs which seemed to connect to heaven. The silent prayers turned into the light of faith, shining above St. Sarl City.


    At that moment, the distant Death Indicator Bitwall closed in on Maria''s World. The fierce elemental storms were the prologue, invading the bitwall of Maria''s World.


    "Boom!" The invasion of elemental storms and the chaotic space burst into glaring lights, turning the sky from blue to a burning bright white.


    "Hum¡­" Prolonged echoes followed the violent explosions, ringing in every ear.


    Everyone in the square raised their heads, staring at the sky in absolute shock. Crowds trembled in fear and collapsed to the ground, losing the strength to even stand up.


    "God! I beg your forgiveness for our sins!" whimpered a woman holding her child.


    "Please forgive our debts, as we forgave others'' debts!" faithfully prayed a young priest with his eyes closed.


    "Please save us from danger and suffering!" said an old man in fine clothes. His voice trembled as he prayed.


    "Kingdom, power, and pride shall all be yours, for eternity."


    Every person in the world gazed at the sky in despair. Knowing that their final judgement had come, all the evil and the rebellious stopped, kneeling on the ground.


    "Here it comes, finally, and we will all die!" shouted crowds in black robes with blood-red wheels painted on their backs as they rushed to the streets.


    "The final judgement has befallen us. Let us wash away our sins in the fires of the death of the world! The new era shall come. Death is not the end, as we shall be reborn!"


    Crowds consumed by fear and rumours walked onto the streets, shouting all kinds of slogans. Countless people gathered in the streets and prayed faithfully, wearing distorted smiles, horrifying and bizarre.


    ---


    At the same time, all the gods looked past Maria''s World from the Star Kingdom and could now clearly see Rode''s Bitwall.


    A transparent, silver, spherical bitwall with a long tail of enormous elemental storms was travelling in the direction of Maria''s World. In the gods'' eyes, the exact collision time could be easily calculated down to the second.


    "Has he failed, the God of Space and Exploration?" asked Marina, the Goddess of Steam and Machinery.


    "Of course, we cannot rely on him. It''s time to prepare the plan for the new era. This time, we shall reshape the world and create one of our own." The voice of the Ruler of Storms echoed in gods'' kingdom.


    "We still have some time!" said the new Goddess of the Dark Night. She stared at the approaching bitwall, believing that Rode would not fail so easily.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "I am rather fond of this world, if it''s alright," said Edward, the God of Masters, as he looked down at the world below with affection, and at the Kelermo Kingdom he had built.


    Above the Capital of Gods, three goddesses surrounded Lu Zhiyu, looking outside with concern. Through the shield, one could see a shining tail rushing toward a huge bright sphere in space. The sparks from friction were already burning bright even before the collision.


    "Dad, it''s going to hit! Do something, it''s going to be late, too late!" said Delmedi. She swung Lu Zhiyu''s hand, staring at Maria''s World as if it was a toy of hers that was about to be destroyed.


    Verthandi said with anger, "Are you truly going to destroy the world, Dad?"


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Kelly and asked, "Do you also think so?"


    Kelly answered, "I believe that you have already made your decision!"


    At that moment, something changed in Rode''s Bitwall, which was now only miles away from Maria''s World. It was freed from the attraction of Maria''s World and changed course.


    Lu Zhiyu smiled and said, "It has begun!"


    All raised their heads and looked at Rode''s Bitwall and Maria''s World. As they moved closer to each other, the unusual change in Rode''s Bitwall became more and more obvious.


    The orbit was corrected, moving away from the original orbit. Everyone knew it was the God of Space and Exploration assimilating the entire bitwall trying to avoid the collision with Maria''s World and prevent it from destroying both Rode''s Bitwall and Maria''s World.


    "I did it! The orbit has been corrected! Just one last step!" said Rode.


    The enormous bitwall moved away from its original orbit just before it was going to hit Maria''s World, brushing past Maria''s World like two passing trains.


    Rode''s mythical body faded away, disappeared in Rode''s Bitwall. His divine power turned into light and dust, becoming one with the giant Half Bitwall.


    Sacrificing a Level Seven Mythical Life to the Half Bitwall by force, Rode felt as if he was a glass of water which had been poured into a pond. He merged into the bitwall instantly, and his consciousness and memories faded and assimilated into it.


    Rode felt that his consciousness had become one with the bitwall as he lost all senses. He felt like he had become an enormous being attracted by a blue world, moving towards it.


    Rode felt his memories leaving him, leaving nothing but emptiness in his head. Suddenly, he remembered his task, and he said in his heart anxiously, "No! There''s no time left! I have spent too much time to be assimilated! There''s no time, I need to move fast!"


    With his remaining consciousness, Rode controlled Rode''s Bitwall, forcing it to get off its orbit. He utilized the vision of Rode''s Bitwall and he saw he was closing in on the giant blue world. He used the last of his strength and finally made Rode''s Bitwall move past Maria''s World.


    "Hurry! No, where am I? What am I doing? Who am I? Where am I?"


    Rode could not even remember his own name. He turned around and saw Maria''s World again. It was wandering in the dark, boundless astral world like a huge gem, shining, beautiful, purifying all souls.


    "Ah! I have succeeded! But there''s no chance left! I''ll die!"


    Joy filled Rode''s soul and welled with a sense of relief. Rode gazed at Maria''s World as Rode''s Bitwall soared away, away from Maria''s World, and deep into the unknown, distant astral world.


    At this moment, Lu Zhiyu reached out his hand, standing on the Capital of Gods. Immediately, Rode''s Bitwall started to orbit Maria''s World, like a moon spinning around Maria''s World, more and more slowly, but closer and closer.


    It touched Maria''s World gently. Like two bubbles, they merged into one.


    Rode''s Bitwall was caught and merged with Maria''s World, becoming one of its half bitwalls.


    Lu Zhiyu took his teacup and sipped his tea. He looked at the three goddesses, shrugged, and said, "Alright. It''s over!"


    Verthandi asked angrily, "Dad, why didn''t you interfere earlier?"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head and said, "My interference is meaningless. If I wished to enlarge Maria''s World, I did not need this Half Bitwall. If I wanted, I could create countless Half Bitwalls inside Maria''s World. What''s more important is the emergence of the God of Space and Exploration and taking the steps to explore the bitwalls of Maria''s World. This will be the foundation of their future exploration of the astral world. The creation of spacecraft, the emergence of the God of Space and Exploration, and the first steps of exploration are the most crucial! The elevation of a world depends on the lives and creatures living within it. Relying on me and me alone has no meaning at all!"


    Delmedi sat down and said, "Then, it is within your expectation that such chaos occurs inside the world? What''s that for? To cleanse the world and make them more faithful?"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head and asked, "What do I need their faith for? Nothing! As I have said, there was no danger this time."


    He then opened his palms and said, "You did not trust your own dad. Instead, you terrorized all souls, and provided protection for your own believers, leading everyone to believe that the so-called Judgement Day was coming! If you had done nothing and ignored it, nothing would have happened! It was a simple World Perfection Plan to force the emergence of the God of Space and Exploration!"

 386 The Era of Space and Exploration

    "Help us! God!"


    All gathered in divine palaces, churches, and beneath the statues of gods, waiting for the final judgement. Elemental turbulences and glaring lights of all colors from the distant astral world glimmered and shone bright in the darkness.


    Elemental turbulences in the sky broke up clouds, or sometimes raised violent storms, striking the ground.


    The chaos in the day clamed down in the night. In the dawn of the next day, people realized all the horrifying scenes had vanished. It was like waking from a nightmare. Now, everything was gone.


    "We¡­ survived?", said the priest standing in the divine palace as he gazed at the rising sun on the horizon. He could not believe it.


    Fiery red sun rose from the ground, lighting up the horizon, as well as the entire world.


    Light was sprinkled on everyone, bring warmth and hope to them.


    One after one, they stood up, gazing at the morning sun. There was never a day that they felt sun was so important, warm, full of hope and brightness.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "I see light!", said a young boy. He jumped onto the bench on the square, and lost in his thoughts.


    "It''s not light. It''s hope and salvation, it''s the future!", said an old clergy in the crowd/


    "We have survived? We survived?" More only had these words in their minds.


    "It''s gone. The Judgement Day did not come. Gods had forgiven our sins!", whimpered a young gentleman with joy as he held his lover in his arms.


    "The final judgement did not come! We washed away our sins and were reborn! The old times is now past, we have entered a new era!"


    All cheered and jumped for joy, running on the streets in thrill. They threw their hats or scarves to the sky, or hugged their families and children, or prayed to the clergy and gods, thanking gods'' forgive.


    At this moment, snow fell down from the sky, announcing the beginning of winter.


    Rhode Bitwall.


    As Rhode Bitwall merged into Maria''s world, lights shone from Rhode Bitwall. It had slowly become a part of Maria''s world. Even the chaotic rules had assimilated into Maria''s world.


    The ecosystem inside Rhode Bitwall started amazing transformations. Greens grew on the floating islands. Lives started to appear together with oxygen.


    Indigenous lives in the bitwall had become a part of Maria''s world, with the impress of Maria''s world on them.


    As lights flowed and gathered, the divine personality of the God of Space and Exploration emerged from the lights. Then, a giant divine shadow stood within Rhode Bitwall.


    At the same time, the Star Kingdom of the God of Space and Exploration appeared outside Rhode Bitwall. The huge star was just next to Rhode Bitwall, with clear outline and shadow.


    The divine shadow looked to Rhode Bitwall, which was undergoing drastic changes.


    "I succeeded? How?"


    Rhode could not figure out why. However, a figure emerged in his mind. Rhode made all kinds of assumptions and connections in his heart as his expressions changed. At last, he felt relieved and said, "Overall, it''s not bad. Just like in the fairy tales, there is always a happy ending."


    Rhode left the half bitwall. The giant divine shadow stayed close to the bitwall, browsing the entire Maria''s world. It was the first time he looked down the world from above. He never felt the world was so beautiful and breathtaking.


    He was looking down to the beautiful ground as the world was recovering to order. Everything was returning to what they looked like before Judgement Day.


    Winter had passed, and spring came!


    Ice melted and all awakened for the spring!


    Farmers reclaimed fields, workers returned to workshops, shops reopened, and streets were once again busy and lively. Chaos went away, order took the stage again.


    Steam locomotives whistled as rushing to the distant. Merchant ships sailed to the ocean from the docks. Aircrafts floated above the clouds.


    At last, Rhode returned to his own Star Kingdom, fulfilled his last destiny and task on earth. From now on, he shall fulfill his responsibilities as a god.


    ---


    Year 723 on San Calendar.


    In the divine palace of the God of Space and Exploration in Maples city, Urabell province, Sumerian Kingdom.


    The divine palace of the God of Space and Exploration was no longer the same as it was decades ago. It had gone through huge changes. There was no longer any walls, only enormous pillars and glorious ceilings.


    It looked like an open square with ceilings of the divine palace, as well as many divine statues and paintings.


    Areas were divided within. The huge statute of god stood in the center, together with six huge portals.


    The portals are circular in shape. Some were 10 meters tall, looking like a door for giants. Some were only about 3 meters tall, allowing only two to go in side by side at the same time. On the squares in the front of the portals, many waited sitting on stone benches.


    The entire divine palace of the God of Space and Exploration was almost like a station of the past, but much more advanced. It was because every usage of the portal costed a fortune. Which could not be afforded by commoners.


    Priests of the God of Space and Exploration guarded the portals. Each portal was of different purpose. Some were specifically for transporting merchandises, some stored objects in Inner space, and some transported people¡­


    "Choo-choo!"


    A silvery steam locomotive travelled from distant on the rails, across the portal, vanished in the transparent swirl. It travelled across distance, arrived on the main city on another continent in the blink of an eye.


    Although the technology in portals had some huge developments, without the portals in the divine palaces, which relied on godly powers and the force of the world rules of Maria''s world, alchemists and masters still could not produce stable portals which could be used in the long term.


    Theories in spacecraft grew completed gradually. Masters, alchemists and professionals started to explore special spaces inside the bitwall. Some advanced masters even tried to create their own space witchcraft garden in the bitwall. Though no one had succeeded for now, as the attempts carried out one after another, there would be a success eventually.


    Nevertheless, all explorations of space and bitwall must be guarded and protected by the God of Space and Exploration. Once the wrinkles inside the bitwall unfolded, the space was even larger than the main world. One could never get out once lost within.


    Moreover, every storage space, space bubble and inner space must be register in the divine palace of the God of Space and Exploration before use. Everything was under the guardian of god.


    Comparing to before, Rhode Bitwall had become the basecamp for the church of special worlds, spaces and exploration.


    Cities were built on every floating island. Special bridges were built between islands for communications. Cities of masters and professionals were created. For those in Marias'' world, it was like a supernatural kingdom on the sky or another world in the tales.


    The connection between Rhode Bitwall and Maria''s world grew stronger. As Rhode Bitwall was assimilated, it moved deeper into Maria''s world, and closer to the main world.


    Perhaps, after centuries, Rhode Bitwall would be completely assimilated into Maria''s world, becoming a continent within.


    By continuously creating half bitwalls or catching half bitwalls, Maria''s world shall become larger and stronger. One day, it would become an enormous world of gods, beyond all imagination.

 387 A beautiful World

    On the steam locomotive, Lu Zhiyu travelled from the main world, across the portal, and arrived at Rhode Bitwall instantly. Everything around him seemed to faded away, transforming into void and silvery white shortly, then the locomotive took all through spaces, arriving at the City of Steams in Rhode Bitwall.


    Through the endless tunnels, the locomotive travelled on the rails. Alchemy lamps lighted up in the tunnel, till the sky emerged, and a major city filled with metals and machinery appeared in front of everyone''s eyes.


    "Wow!", shouted kids on the train, as they were captivated by the scenery. They were students of various seminary schools. Those who came here and got off were at least apprentice professionals. It was completely a world of professionals.


    It was an island floating on the sky. They had travelled on rails in the air, from the top of the island, circling down the City of Steams.


    Alchemists in robes with mechanical dolls could be seen at their feet. Alchemy colossuses as tall as two-floored houses were moving around heavy cargos. Buildings on the streets spoke metal and retro. It was messy, but also weirdly beautiful at the same time.


    Giant boulders floated around the island as well. Houses and shops were built on the boulders. Some buildings become one with the boulder below, looking like floating castles in the sky.


    "Look! Look! The Sky Shop of Blanc! It''s real! I heard only the luckiest could see it. You could find anything inside! Elemental alchemy dolls, Philosopher''s potion, the mechanical core of Hall! Once a lucky dog found the legendary first batch second generation alchemy workbench! And someone from the Church of Steam and Machinery bought it!"


    What was even more magical was that, when the steam locomotive was about to stop at the station, they saw a sop on the street stood up all of the sudden.


    That''s right, an alchemy shop stood up. Like a steel bird, it spread its wings, flew to the sky slowly, becoming a moving castle. Passing through the shield of the City of Steams, the shop flew to another major city on an island.


    Lu Zhiyu sat near the window. Young teenagers in the age of 12 or 13 pressed him against the window. Lu Zhiyu never imagined this.


    At this moment, with the whistle blew, the train had stopped at the station. Passengers and children ran off the train immediately. They did not have the right to stay in Rhode Bitwall for long, as they were only tourists.


    "The air, and environment have become similar to the main world!", said Lu Zhiyu. He sniffed the air. It was not very refreshing, with the smell of rust and burnt gun powder. However, it had transformed into a place where even commoners could live.


    The system of professionals changed the world in a way beyond imagination. Only after a few decades, Rhode Bitwall has transformed completely, leaving the name of Death Bitwall behind, turning into the kingdom of the sky.


    Lu Zhiyu came by to check on the progress of Rhode Bitwall''s assimilation into the world. At the current pace, within 1,000 years, Rhode Bitwall would become one as the main world.


    More importantly, the divine system and the forces of rules of the gods had entered the bitwall and spaces. The divine system was close to perfection.


    Lu Zhiyu travelled on all kinds of special transportation methods in Rhode Bitwall. There was the steam locomotive which travelled across the sky directly, the alchemy aircraft which was spinning, trembling and spilling dark smoke, as if it was about to break down, and carriages of 3 rows, which could sit 6 people, dragged by magical horses with wings.


    These powers were no wonders to Lu Zhiyu. However, such beautiful, dreamy kingdom with all these combined was breathtaking.


    "The gravities are quite different though!", said Lu Zhiyu.


    Across different floating islands of various sizes, some had gravity which allowed someone to travel more than 10 meters with a small leap, and some had gravity which made even walking rather difficult. Depending on the different properties of different islands, various cities of professionals were built by professionals.


    The original elemental creatures, gas-formed lives and astral lives merged into the system of Maria''s world, becoming a part of the world. However, these creatures with low intelligence and nothing but instinct, were mostly used by professionals and the Church of the God of Space and Exploration to transform this world, and create landscapes as they desired.


    Snowy frozen islands, volcano islands with dripping lava, territories of wind where storms raged, powering alchemy mills, and lakes in islands filled with water.


    "Next stop! Wrighthope Island!"


    Mysterious professionals sat on metal seats on a giant insect with armor arrived at the core floating island of Rhode Bitwall, Wrighthope Islands, meaning the light of hope. It was where the main divine palace of the God of Space and Exploration located. The name of this floating island was given by the God of Space and Exploration as well.


    The giant insect passed through the shield, entered the inside. The refreshing air woke up everyone. Forests and fields extended below their feet, with special spore astral lives growing within, nurturing special magical plants.


    The closer one got to the center, one could see architectures of the style of the God of Space and Exploration, portals, and orderly major cities like channeling arrays. Priests of the God of Space and Exploration from all over the world came here to register, report and study.


    As Lu Zhiyu just arrived at the square, he saw someone familiar immediately.


    "Hey Hey! Hey! The Grand Theatre of Black Jack is about to start its performance, it''s about the Judgement Day! Feel the legends and stories of heroes, experience a different epic tale!"


    A black wind raven spread the brochures on the sky. When someone threw it away once they finished reading, Black Jack just picked it up, and continued to give it to the next one.


    The wind raven jumped and hopped on the ground, raising winds with its wings, collecting brochures on the ground and put them back into its satchel, just like the days when it was just a wind raven postman.


    It was a bit tired, so it sat on the bench on the square, spread its wings, looking open and relaxed. At the moment, someone sat next to it on the empty bench.


    "Hey, Anthony!", shouted Black Jack as it jumped to the air, startled.


    "Black Jack, what are you doing in the main world? Didn''t you go to the Star Kingdom with Rhode?", said Lu Zhiyu. He stared at the adorable wind raven. Lu Zhiyu did not imagine that it would remain in this world, and become a level six. In terms of experience, it was the most ancient seniors.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Black Jack and said in satire, "And as a level six powerful being, you are doing trivial work in a theatre."


    Black Jack straightened up and said, "That''s because I like this world, I like humans, being busy and theatres! And I am not doing trivial work, I opened a theatre. I am the owner now!"


    Black Jack waved its wings. A brochure flew out of its satchel. He said, "Look! Black Jack! Black Jack Grand Theatre!"


    Black Jack was extremely proud, as if opening a grand theatre was the dream of his life. Though Lu Zhiyu did not understand at all how could this make a level six professional proud. Apart from mythical lives and gods, nothing in this world could threaten a level six wind raven. It had stood on the top of this world.


    Lu Zhiyu hesitated and asked all of the sudden, "Black Jack, have you thought, your personality, nature, hobbies were designed by someone else? The things you love, even if you became a level six professional, your nature, still continued. That was how wind ravens were designed initially. You were born to be close to human and love life. Everything in this world was a play, fake and unreal. If that is the case, will you still be happy? Will you still love this world and humans? Don''t you find¡­ this world to be dark and horrifying?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Somehow, Lu Zhiyu felt the urge to ask Black Jack.


    Black Jack looked to Lu Zhiyu as if he was a fool and said, "Happiness is happiness! Beauty is beauty! There is no fake or real. Al; I know is that the climax is that moment on stage. As for before the begin or after the end, or anything hidden behind the curtain, no one cares and there is no meaning! Is there anything more import than enjoying the happiness of life? Why do you think so much? You wizards¡­ are weirdos! You keep thinking all sorts of stuff! Chasing after truth! Perfect world! Power and immortality! That''s why stupid heads like Bohr, madmen like Lewis and insane persons like you will always be there! Do you want to watch a play? Judgement Day, definitely a great production! Intense and exciting plot, promise to free you from your worries in no time!"


    Black Jack threw the brochure into Lu Zhiyu''s hand. Beautiful painting and pictures of the actors in make-up were on the white paper. Lu Zhiyu looked to Black Jack''s eyes, and laughed in silence.

 388 The Almighty Wishing Pearl

    When the God of Space and Exploration emerged, the basic rules of this entire world were close to perfection.


    15 gods, from material, soul, civilization and space, merged their divine powers into every corner of this world, assimilating this world into the world of gods, like using divine powers to turn Maria''s world into a huge, perfect divine kingdom.


    And the next god, was the god guarding lust. All souls of lives had their own endings. Vanishing into the origin of the world, Star Kingdom, or Hell.


    Nevertheless, as long as they existed, they sent out power of their consciousness every moment. Kind and happy, greedy and evil or faithful believes.


    That was the only thing the current divine system was not covering. When the last part was covered, the divine system was then completed perfected, and the world shall have the god that could elevate it in the end.


    However, it was not easy to find the seed of god which could control, restrain and bear all lusts. The secret of souls was the most unpredictable and amazing of all rules. It was a god which could not be made or affected by Lu Zhiyu by force.


    The play on stage was magnificent. Project spells had made the scenes unexpectedly grand. Boundary visons made all audience feel not sitting in the theatre, but in the actual plot. The Charm of Sound made the voices of actors full of emotions, making all teary and touched.


    The alchemy equipment and spells used to perfect the details were shocking. It was wind raven Black Jack, the level six magical beast, who combines the massive spells, props and boundaries together. One had to admit, just like Black Jack said, it was a great production. No other theatre could hire a level six professional.


    Lu Zhiyu sat under the stage, watching the musical Judgement Day ended in Black Jack Grand Theatre. All actors sent their regards, all audience stood up to applaud. The read curtain closed as the musical ended.


    The light dimmed off, the grand theatre emptied as the performance ended.


    "Thud!" A beam of light appeared in the darkness!


    Wind raven Black Jack finished his narration and directing work, flew out with the light beam, hovered over the theatre, and landed on the should of Lu Zhiyu.


    Black Jack tiptoed, spread out its wings as if it was still hearing the musical. It spun and danced with its eyes closed.


    It said, "Ah! Such passionate performance! Everyone on the stage let out their happiness and sorrow! Everyone under the stage moved with their happiness and sorrow, sometimes remembering, sometimes sad, or even full of regret! Such success! Great performance!"


    Lu Zhiyu looked to the stage with curtains closed and said, "That''s true, a great performance!"


    Lu Zhiyu stood up, walked out of the theatre and said, "If we ever meet again, I wish to ask your opinion of this world!"


    Lu Zhiyu walked out of the theatre. Crowds walked past each other on the square. Lu Zhiyu took out a bead and put it in the front of his eye.


    It was a glass bead which fitted perfectly in one''s palm. When Lu Zhiyu held it, it was completely transparent. Lu Zhiyu looked through the bead, he could see the fluctuations coming from all consciousness and souls on the square.


    The golden happiness, red anger, grey sorrow, black pain. Colors on one was not just one, but many entangled. All could be seen through this bead. All outlines of souls and consciousness shone bright colors in this bead.


    "The Bead of Lust? Maybe the Bead of Souls suits your better! Go, find your owner!", said Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu marched forward, let his hand fell naturally. The Bead of Souls fell on the square. The transparent bead rolled in the trenches and ditches to the distant.


    A female priest in white robe holding a stack of documents was walking to the main divine palace in the center. She saw the bead on the ground and then looked to Lu Zhiyu.


    "Sir! You dropped¡­ dropped something!", she said.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Before she could finish her sentence, a giant portal opened before Lu Zhiyu. Lu Zhiyu walked into the portal, vanished in front of her eyes. She stopped in the middle of her sentence and took a moment to finally finish her sentence.


    "On my god!", shouted the female priest.


    She had never seen anyone opened a portal with no other support. Only god, a tru god could do such thing in her eyes.


    "Did I just see a god? Is today my lucky day?", said she.


    After quite a while, Dana remembered, there was a bead at her feet. She picked up the bead in thrill and said, "Is this the blessing from a god?"


    The moment she picked up the Bead of Souls, golden lights shone within. Dana seemed to see herself in the bead, her future and everything she wanted.


    She built the city of the God of Space and Exploration in her home town. Under the mountains, poor, remote villages transformed into affluent cities of magic crystals. Portals were built in the palaces of god. She, and her children were on the newest steam locomotive, travelling on the fields, around the wheat fields.


    "So beautiful!", said Dana. She awakened from the wonderful dream after a long time. The scenes may not mean anything to another, but they were the deepest desire in her heart.


    Dana put the beat away carefully. Though she did not know the purpose of this bead, she knew that, it was nothing common.


    After Dana finished the registration and report work as a priest of the God of Space and Exploration, she immediately became an official priest after she went back. Everything went smoothly after, she became a great priest who was in charge of the area.


    Her application of building the city of faith of god and going back to her hometown was approved. Everything was the same as what she saw that day in the bead. It was like there was a force, helping her wishes and goals come true, completing everything she wished for and dreamed, building a lively city.


    In her late years, she told her story to her child, and left the Bead of Souls to her.


    Anyone who held the Bead of Souls could see their deepest desire in the bear. And the Bead of Souls helped them to achieve their deepest desires.


    The tale of the Pearl of Dana spread out. A magic bead which could make wishes come true, answer any wishes deep inside one''s hear. The almighty wishing machine, that''s how people called it. However, it would not answer anyone''s wishes, it could only sense the deepest, most real desire in you. And most did not truly know what they wanted.


    Some wanted immortality, but actually wanted a happy life. Some wanted great power for revenge but killed the energy and rewarded with a true love instead. Some chased after truth, but ended up with true love, and lived calmly in fields.


    Tales about the Pearl of Dana were passed in the world, turning into beautiful myths, attracting all longing and yearning. However, the harder you tried to find it, the less possible you shall find it, or its track.


    Everything started insane searches of the pearl. However, it had no one owner. When someone found it, it showed their deepest desire. When their wished came true, it vanished.


    Time flew. Passing through different hands, it left behind endless tales, but still in search of its true owner.

 389 The Man Who Fell From Grace

    San calendar, 1358, Amos Icefield, in the Kingdom of Orc.


    There was no four seasons around the year over there, but there was only one season above the Icefield and that was winter.


    Above the cold and desolate Icefield, there were still a large number of Orcs in the North. In there, Istan City was the last city in the abyss icefield. If one walked further down, he would reach the end of the Alen Continent.


    The city, with a population of less than 20,000, depended on hunting magical beasts, animals, planting special magical plants on the Amos Icefield, and the oceans to survive.


    There was no wharf for airships unlike other cities in their Magic Crystal Era; there was only a broken Steam Train Station. Only one steam train arrived there every month. There was a lack of alchemy facilities which was popularized in that era. Only three simple large-scale alchemical boilers were available to supply heat in the city.


    In addition, there were three steam cargo locomotives of the Elias Chamber of Commerce, an old magic transceiver in the conference hall. There were only a few wealthy families who owned some simple alchemy props, such as the alchemy stove, magic radio and other smaller gadgets.


    "Compared to Primonius, we''re like the primitives!"


    "There''re no grand theatre, no coffee shop, no bank, no ballroom, the shops in the street has nothing much to offer yet they''re extremely expensive!"


    A girl who looked a little exotic was following her elder sister with a face full of dissatisfaction. They were leading four ice bears, dragging a sled and two big boxes.


    Inside were the fishes they had just caught under the ice, including a special top-grade food, blue swordfish, which was only available from the Dead Ice Sea, it could fetch a very high price.


    They both wore thick winter clothes, furry hats, leather gloves on their hands. The elder sister, Helen, was in front, and the younger sister, Agatha, was behind. Although they were exuding a strong exotic aura, their bestial characteristics were not very obvious; they weren''t very different from ordinary human beings.


    After more than a thousand years of hybridization between the human race and the orc, most orcs had no obvious bestial characteristics, except for the accidental phenomenon of atavism.


    Agatha, the younger sister, was like a leopard, she was full of strength and vitality between her every movements; she couldn''t even stop for a moment. Even in the present when she was on the sled, her buttocks twisted and turned, she was endlessly chattering and kicking up a row. She seemed like she was unable to settle down. However, her older sister was very quiet and always had a smile on her face, she was looking bright and warm.


    "I think Istan City is pretty decent. It''s our home town. Everyone is very nice. They''re pretty good. Although it''s a little underdeveloped and poor, everyone is living a very happy life!" Helen said with a laugh, as if the place was really as happy as she described.


    On Helen''s neck, there was a transparent pearl. Nobody knew that it was the legendary Pearl of Dana. But at the moment, the Pearl of Dana was transparent, without a trace of brilliance.


    Only those who didn''t have any desire would enable the Pearl of Dana to be presented in that transparent color. If Lu Zhiyu was here, he would be surprised to find out that there could be someone who had no desire and had nothing she earnestly hoped for.


    As the sled pulled by the ice bears approached Istan City, they saw a figure walking towards the city step by step on the snow. That person hadn''t arrived by the monthly Steam Train, but by walking.


    The sisters'' sledges brushed past each other, and Helen immediately had a clear look of his appearance; he had a hideous and ugly face and he was a boar-people with obvious bestial characteristics. He looked a bit fiendish. In that moment, he was wearing a thin black cloak as he walked in the snow.


    "That man looks terrible!" Agatha hugged her sister''s waist in fear.


    "It''s wrong to say that of others!" Helen was angry and taught her younger sister a lesson.


    "His choice of clothing is weird too. Nobody else wears this kind of clothes now, and here is the deep inside of the Amos Icefield. But I heard that the great figures from churches and professionals like to dress up and wear ancient style robes."


    "Maybe he''s the passengers who had lost his way while exploring the Amos Icefield!"


    "Anyway, what a weirdo!"


    While he was walking in the snow and ice, Bart raised his head and looked at Istan City in the distant. The ugly and vicious face and mouth began to twitch and he spoke, "Here I am at last!"


    He size up Istan City, it had no walls, no Master Tower, no witchcraft boundary which was only owned by big cities, no groups of priests and army of Holy Knights residing permanently, there was only a small team of Holy Knights.


    Apart from some major public buildings, most of the civilian buildings were small buildings with only two or three stories, covered with black and brown tiles. It was a really remote and obscure city. Even gods seemed to have forgotten about it.


    It was a city at the end of the world, a city at the edge of Alen Continent, but it was the safest place for Bart.


    "Here it is!"


    Bart''s eyes revealed a strange glow, his original brown pupils was glowing with a green flame; it was the fire of the devil that was burning. He walked towards the city, his heavy steps on the snow lifted patches of snowflake, through the slope of the snow, he went into the city.


    Bart was a powerful Level Four demon warlock wanted by major churches. He had been wandering on Alen Continent for more than 300 years and also been hunted and chased to kill by major churches for more than 300 years. The initial reason of the hunt was because when he first degenerated into a demon, he annihilated a whole village.


    Later, as more and more people pursued him, he continuously fled and hid, constantly killing various devil hunters, indictment priests and Knight of Light of major churches. His bad reputation became increasing infamous; he was the second on the list among all the other figures in the warrants of demons by major churches.


    After more than a decade of hiding in Primonius, the army of Arbitration Knights from the Faith of the Sun found him again, Bart then fled for another 300 years; he was forced into exile again.


    This time, however, Bart didn''t want to flee. He was ready to fall into the abyss and break away from the world to become a wicked devil in the abyss.


    He was going to offer sacrifice to Bartosz, the Lord of Deepest Abyss, to become a Demon Baron under his command. And the Istan City, which was located at the most marginal part of the world, without witchcraft boundary, without groups of priests and without an army of Holy Knights, it was just like a little girl without any vigilance and protections; the city had become his target.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    He was afraid of alarming the professionals of the Faith of the Sun, instead of taking a Steam Train, he spent a full month walking over to the Amos Icefield from the North.


    "This isn''t timidity, I''m following my heart! It''s the instinct and intuition of a specialist fugitive expert who has fled for more than 300 years and survived the pursuit of the powerful aces of various churches!" Bart asserted himself.

 390 The Curse of the Demon Warlock

    Some strange diseases began to appear in Istan City. When many people were working, resting or walking on the road, they would drop on the ground all of a sudden, as if they had lost all their strength. For them, it was even strenuous to stretch a finger straight.


    "It''s as though the body was sapped of energy and life!" A patient told the doctor, his lips trembled as if even speaking had exhausted all his strength.


    The strangest thing was that after every single day, those patients would grow old at a crazy speed; every day was akin to a year for them.


    From youth to adult and in a short period of more than a month, they leaped over from middle-aged into senility, from the youthful faces to ashy hair and wrinkled skin. The doctors in the city and even priests with divine incantation had no solution to such a strange disease.


    Everyone was gradually aging in agony and pain, they had no way to resist or stop their decline into a dry corpse, and then ushered into their ugly death. It was such a terrible situation that even the doctors were terrified. Eventually, rumors began to spread in the city.


    Even if all the patients were quarantined, new patients were still emerging and fear was brewing in Istan City.


    "This isn''t a disease, this is a curse!" A tall and strong old man, with gray hairs which was trimmed to half an inch, he looked particularly fierce and forceful. As soon as he entered the hospital, he saw some ordinary patients and immediately affirmed them.


    Miles was a retired high-ranking clergyman, a Level Three top-notch professional, more than 190 years old, regardless of physical or mental activeness, it had begun to go downhill; there was no chance of him to advance to the Level Four. Even if he wanted to achieve his breakthrough forcefully, the possibility of advance was minimal; Miles then returned to his hometown for his retirement.


    The city''s managerial staff and the Holy Temple of the Sun had no choice but to invite him, they hoped that the knowledgeable man could solve the crisis in Istan City.


    "Curse! How could it be, even the priests'' divine incantation had no effect on it!" said the captain of the knights from the Holy Temple of the Sun at one side. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Miles looked up and said, "There''re some special curses against the soul that aren''t easily identified by ordinary divine incantation, especially the higher level curses from Ghost Wizard and Demon Warlock!"


    "This situation is beyond the scope of supernatural power, so it can only be a curse; are there any more serious patients!"


    In another three-storey building of the hospital, Miles saw the patients who were quarantined; each of them was like an evil ghost, their eye sockets were up to the chin and their energy and spirit were exhausted. There seemed to be no fats or muscle on their bodies, there was only a skin plastered onto the bones. The scenes were horrible and none could utter a word.


    Miles held the Saint Ornament in his hand and prayed silently with the goddess''s holy name in his mouth. The Saint Ornament shined brightly; it dispelled the gloomy cold presence of tens of meters around him. He pushed up an eyelid of a patient. As the use of his divine incantation got vigorous, everyone saw the glittering green flames and ugly abyss''s worm in the pupil of the patient.


    "Devil! It''s the devil!" Doctors around him repeatedly retreated one after another and even the Holy Knights were spooked by it. Devils from the abyss were the most difficult to handle. It was more demanding and terrifying than Demon Warlocks and Ghost Wizards, because the presence of each demon represented the opening of a door to the abyss around them.


    "No! Not an ordinary demon!"


    Miles held the Saint Ornament high up, grabbed the patient''s head with the other hand, and the patient immediately struggled violently.


    "Ga-ga-ga! Squeak-squeak-squeak! Ha!"


    The patient sounded like a scary shriek akin to when an old wooden door closing. It was totally unlike what could be made by a human throat. Miles''s strong arms firmly restrained the other and he grabbed a fiery red peculiar insect out from the patient''s head.


    "Bartosz''s evil worm, this is Bartosz''s evil worm, from the eighty-second floor of the abyss, the monster of the deepest abyss!"


    "Someone is summoning the abyss and offering sacrifices to Bartosz, the Devil Lord of the abyss! That person is attempting to summon for the arrival of the abyss!"


    At that moment, even Miles''s throat was somewhat deformed. In his nearly 200 years of life, he had never encountered such a thing. Someone who could open the door of the abyss was at least a Level Four Demon Warlock. Moreover, he had already opened the door of the abyss and had offered sacrifices to the abyss; that Demon Warlock was in the process of degeneration.


    Even the strongest members of the Faith of the Sun hadn''t had the chance to encounter such incidents. It wasn''t something they could handle. Even Miles couldn''t solve such a crisis.


    "Search the city, there must be a Demon Warlock''s inauguration. We must find the gate of the abyss, the Talos Door!"


    "There''re 43 demons above Level Four on the list of Arbitration Knights, we don''t know which one has escaped to Istan City."


    Miles and the others had searched all over Istan City, and finally in an underground ice chest, they saw the place of blood sacrifice, and a half-meter tall black diamond. It was constantly squirming and the space was continually broken and condensed. The will of the world was repelling it from entering their world, but the power from the abyss kept it in constant motion; it had expanded and enhanced.


    "It''s already so big, it''s too late, and we''ve no power to close the door of this already opened abyss!" After many attempts, Miles was in despair, they had no power to close the door. They were fighting with the forces of the abyss and against the Devil Lord, Bartosz.


    Miles then tried to contact the outside world through magic transceiver, but he found that the only way to contact the outside world in Istan City had been destroyed. The next Steam Train wouldn''t return until half a month later, but they didn''t know that the train track had been wrecked too, even if they made urgent repair, the train wouldn''t reach Istan City in a short time.


    They felt that a hand had long been manipulating everything; it was a foggy shadow, which was looking down at them greedily and viciously, he was eager to sell the souls of everyone to the devil in exchange for a ticket to the abyss.


    "We can''t resign ourselves to death. We''ll send someone out to seek help right away!" The captain of the Holy Knights was burning in rage.


    Miles took a deep breath and he, who already looked hoary and old, stood straight, "It''s too late. It takes at least a month to and fro, and the doors of the abyss will open in half a month at its latest. When that happened¡­everything''s late!"


    "And do you think that the people we sent out can deliver the letter alive? That''s a Demon Warlock who is at least a Level Four. He''s hiding in the dark, spying on all our actions."


    "Maybe we can get out of here and take everyone out of Amos Icefield!"


    "Under the frigidity of Amos Icefield, if there''s no heating from an alchemical boiler, most will be killed. But if you take 20,000 people across the Amos Icefield, most of them will die half way through the journey, with the exception of those professionals!"


    The priest of the Divine Hall looked at Miles, "What should we do then?"


    Miles''s eyes were blazing with fire, as if he had once again found the passion he experienced in his youth, "We''ll find him and fight him to death! As long as the one whom casted the spell is killed, the doors of the abyss will naturally close!"


    "There''re only 20,000 people in Amos Icefield. Every outsider who appeared will surely leave a trace. We''ll surely find him!"


    "At night, we''ll meet in the temple and have a discussion on our imminent battle!"


    Miles returned to his wooden house, from under his bedplate, he found and took out the sword that had accompanied him for 150 years; he relied on it all the way to the peak of his Level Three professional career. He counted on it to become the leader of the Arbitration Knight Team.


    The first generation of Holy Knight was the one who served under the great Lion King, Will, in the creation of the Holy Seville Empire; he was the Holy Knight, Ibu. He had left behind a Divine Sword, even in the Faith of the Sun, it was enough to be referred as a relic!


    Ibu was an orc who lived on Amos Icefield''s original tribe. He fought together with Lion King, Will, from the North, to build the Holy Seville Empire. At last, his sword was left on Amos Icefield and was acquired by young Miles; only then did Miles establish an admirable life.

 391 Devil and Deception

    Fire! There was fire all over the place!


    The town was burning, everyone was shrieking, evil beasts were roaring, and there was black smoke fuming out of the ground; the whole town was engulfed by black smoke and fiery fire.


    The boundaries of the abyss were enveloping the town. The devil climbed out of the abyss and devoured everything then and there.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Men, elderly, children, women, as well as fathers, mothers and sisters were ignited in the flames. They were in despair as they were devoured by the devil; even their souls weren''t spared; all had become the food of the devil or was degenerated into the abyss.


    "No! That shouldn''t be the case! No!"


    "Dad! Mum! Molly!"


    "I don''t know it''ll be like this, I don''t know!"


    Bart had never imagined that he would accidentally obtain a Devil Manual, which he acted according to the instructions on the manual, in the hope of gaining power from the demon.


    But he didn''t expect that he accidentally ignited that Devil Manual, and with that Devil Manual, he had opened the doors of the abyss, he offered the whole town as sacrifice, as he prayed to the demon for strength.


    "Ha-ha-ha! My most faithful follower! I''m very satisfied with your sacrifice. Delicious. It''s really delicious!"


    "Let the agony begin, suffering can exchange for more power and strength. You''ve received what you''ve asked for!"


    A freak, like a worm or even a snake, stood up as if it had learnt the act of a human being. He was dressed in a bloody robe. A horrible image carved onto Bart''s mind and soul. The intense flame inflamed Bart''s body, and the black devil''s fire fused into his conscious and soul and transformed as part of him.


    Later, Bart realized that the Devil Manual he got was part of the legendary Book of the Devil. The legend was written by a devil monarch of the abyss and it recorded all kinds of devil species in the abyss. Every page possessed powerful power and was enhanced by the evil power of the demon warlocks of past dynasties. It had the power to communicate directly with the Devil Lord of the abyss.


    He was only an ignorant amateur who longed for supernatural power. In that incident, he commenced a sacrifice to the devil which included his own home; he offered all his friends, parents and relatives to the devil!


    When Bart was on his way to Istan City, he looked at the people walking on the road, and for no reason, he suddenly remembered his hometown and the scene which was ingrained deep in his mind, it was the first step of his life''s turning point and also the source of his strength.


    This place was like his hometown, it was a remote and inaccessible city, where the lives of the people still maintained the ancient customs and practices. They didn''t even have gas stoves and pipes, and could only buy coal and firewood for daily uses.


    Bart came to the Heating Factory with the alchemical boilers. The huge three-storey boiler was a little shocking. Every alchemical boiler provided heat for Istan City so that they could feel warmth in such a cold weather.


    "Without alchemical boilers, I''ll see how you can sustain!" Bart''s pig nose twitched twice as if he saw everyone dying in cold and hunger.


    He waved his hand and there was an instantaneous explosion of an alchemy boiler, the violent steam and explosive force caused the entire Heating Factory to blast opened. Several factory workers screamed, dashed out from the hot steam, and at last they dropped to the ground.


    Bart blew up another alchemy boiler, then he left quickly, but he didn''t expect that just after turning a few corners on the streets, he was discovered. But Bart, the demon warlock, was a very cautious person; when he encountered that situation, the first idea wasn''t to start a fight, but to quickly find the route of escape and get out of the crisis. Those people blocked him from all corners thus Bart turned around from the street until he reached the main road and left from the city gate.


    "No, they''re afraid to fight with me in the city and wanted to lead me out of the city!"


    When Bart realized their plan, 20 or 30 professionals had encircled him and trapped him in a snow forest outside the city. Snow covered the land and trees, and the cold wind whistled, but the trees were still bearing leaves and special fruits. The forest was full of Snow Maple which was unique to the North; it had white leaves all year round and produced special maple fruits, it was the food source and common timber for the Northern people.


    He was surrounded by professionals from the Faith of the Sun''s divine system, 20 Holy Knights, eight Sun Priests, and one Arbitration Knight. That Arbitration Knight was especially salient to him, he who had been pursued by members of the Arbitration Knights for more than 200 years. Even with his eyes closed, he could smell the unpleasant smell and presence from that body.


    "Demon Arrest Warrant, the second in sequence, number 27, boar-people, Demon Warlock, Bart!" Miles pulled out the Sword of Ibu, the Divine Sword at his waist, he looked intently at Bart; his opponent was a Level Four Demon Warlock.


    It wasn''t first time that he was confronting with a Level Four. Although he had encountered with a Level Five professional before, there were many members of the Arbitration Knights and clergymen when he was in the Arbitration Knights Team. They were the elite fighting force of the Faith of the Sun, and they also had various powerful combinations of divine incantation and props of the divine incantation to be used. Moreover, he was merely a sidekick then. Even so, the destructive force of the Level Five Wizard made his hair stand even on recollection.


    "Arbitration Knights Team! Enemies often cross each other''s path!" Bart gnashed his teeth in anger when he remembered the times when he was surrounded by those Arbitration Knights; he had to run around the world like a drowning dog, and the scars inflicted onto him then were seemingly painful now.


    When they had nothing to talk about, the opposing sides took out their weapons and fought; one of them must perish!


    Although Bart would choose to escape most of the time, his actual combat experience was also very rich. He faced head-on with a divine incantation named Vehement Sun but it was instantly swallowed by Bart''s Devil''s Fire. Dozens of attacks smashed across from his opponents'' swords, it tore through the air, but all was transformed into a Devil''s Shadow by Bart; he escaped all attacks.


    Bart flew up into the sky at once, and his appearance changed into a devil of more than two meters in height, he was massively muscular and he even had a pair of flesh wings growing out behind him.


    "The Hammer of Chaos!"


    Bart waved and the palm of his hand was akin to a devil''s claw, it was as if he had grasped hold of all the air around him and he pushed his palm downward. The strong pressure forced everything around him over a hundred meters of the perimeter, as if it had been hit by a huge hammer; the trees broke and flew, and it had initiated a whirlpool of snow which dyed the whole forest to white.


    Just then, Miles held up the Sword of Ibu and used the divine incantation, the Shield of Divine Light, to block Bart''s evil magic.


    And Bart took a glimpse of Miles''s abnormal state. His soul and body was radiating a white brilliance, as if he had another shadow behind him. His eyes had no pupils, instead it had turned golden.


    "Summoning the Holy One, how can you summon the Holy One, you''re only a Level Three Arbitration Knight!" Bart was incomparably panic, the Holy One was the existence from the Divine Kingdom; at the minimum it had to be the one favored by god or the highest ranking of the church in order to become the Holy One after death, such as the last generation of Patriarch, or the Patriarch from the last two generations!


    Miles had now swung up his sword, and the two Level Two professionals followed on the sideline and darted forward, they fought fiercely with Bart in the sky.


    Miles, with the help of burning his own power and the power of the Holy One, coupled with the help of more than 20 professionals, he pursued Bart with all his might, hunted and flew for three days, and did everything he could to keep him there. Bart must never be allowed to return to Istan City. Only in that way, Bart couldn''t return to the devil''s altar he lay out in Istan City and the door of the abyss would close and disappear.


    In the end, Miles, by virtue of the power of the Holy One, he used the divine incantation of the Seal of the Holy One of Tiridan, it penetrated into Bart''s body and sealed all the devil''s power within Bart. At the same time, the power of the Goddess of the Sun would also constantly dissipate and wear away his devil''s power and let Bart die gradually in pain.


    Miles looked at Bart, who had fled after been badly wounded. His devil''s power was dissipating. As time passed, he couldn''t even fly. He could only limp and fell to the ground and ran far away in despair.


    Under a world of ice and snow and with the damage brought about by the Holy Seal of Tiridan, Bart could never survive, nor could he sustain to the moment when the sacrificial ceremony to the devil was completely successful.


    "Is that all? If that''s the case, I can at last be at ease!"


    "The old man here, if I can die in the battle against evil, it''s the best end for an Arbitration Knight!"


    Miles, along with more than 20 professionals who accompanied him in the exorcism, was forsaken on Amos Icefield.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    After seven days of hunting on the Icefield, Helen brought her prey from the seaside and headed over to Istan City. She missed her younger sister Agatha very much. She drove the ice bear which was dragging her sleigh and darted fast on the snow. But when she was half way through her journey, she saw one lying in the snow, covered in blood and ragged clothes, his clothes was only left with strips.


    "It''s him! He''s still alive!" Helen immediately discovered that the man was the odd man they met before, that boar-people with a fierce face.


    "That''s great!" She tried and found that the other party was still alive. She immediately put on her cotton-padded clothes on him, stuffed him into her sleeping bag and dragged him on the sled; she took him back to Istan City.


    When she stopped at night in a tent under a cliff, Helen noticed that the man was burning hot and was having a high fever. She didn''t know whether the wound was inflamed or he really had a fever. She dressed and cleaned up all the wounds for him, but she found that they were getting worse.


    Pssh! Bart felt a sharp pain in his waist. He struggled to jump up, but was firmly pinned down by Helen. He found that the woman was burning his wound with a red iron stick.


    "Don''t move! Don''t move! I haven''t prepared any medicines, so I can only use this method!" Helen clasped Bart''s neck in fear of his struggle.


    "You rude and impolite woman!" After a long time, Bart lay down with sweat all over and he looked at the girl who was dressing his wound and feeding him with hot water. However, Bart''s body was increasingly hot, and he was a little muddled from the high temperature.


    Helen suddenly remembered something and picked out a small maple fruit in her big backpack. "My dad said that when the unripe maple fruit is roasted, it''ll cure your illness if you eat it!"


    Bart was sweating, but he still looked at Helen with disdain, "It''s the rumor of a country fool. Eating that roasted ordinary fruit has no effect for me. Besides, my injury is in a hopeless state. You can''t cure me!"


    Bart could feel the Holy Seal of Tiridan in his soul, it was constantly burning him at the moment, it was making him dizzy and he wanted to howl because of the torment.


    "Don''t give up, my mother said to me, every life is blessed when they come to this world, it''s at least the blessings from my parents and relatives. Hence, don''t give up easily!" Helen was still roasting her maple fruit, as if she had treated the hearsay as a truth.


    "That''s a childish and silly idea! You''ve never been out of here. You don''t know what the outside world is like!"


    "You never know how sinister a person''s heart can be, and never aware of how ugly everyone is in their innermost being!"


    Bart scorned Helen''s childish remarks. He was an old monster who had lived for more than 300 years. He didn''t need a kiddy to teach him a lesson, let alone a humble mortal.


    Helen paid no attention to Bart''s speech and handed him the roasted maple fruit, "Eat it!"


    "Why, it''s not hot, I''ve cool it!" Helen blew softly for another two more times, and then she looked at Bart expectantly, as he was really able to get better in a minute after eating it.


    He didn''t know why but after eating that maple fruit, Bart really felt a lot more comfortable.


    "Smells good!"


    Bart couldn''t use any supernatural power. He was weaker than Helen in terms of soul and body. The next morning, when the sled was traveling forward, it suddenly broke. Helen could only let the ice bear drag her prey and the box.


    Helen, on the other hand, carried Bart on her back. Although Helen looked slim, she was powerful. Is it because she''s a woman from the orc?


    It was windy all the way up. Helen covered and sheltered Bart and she looked back at him from time to time with a worried expression on her face. Bart didn''t know why, but he suddenly felt warm, just like how he had felt more than 300 years ago. At that time, he had that same feeling too.


    At that time, he wasn''t alone. He had family and relatives.


    What nonsense are you thinking about? It''s merely because she looks good and you''re interested in her, right! Bart bit his tongue and drove the weird ideas out from his mind. As a powerful, cruel and hard-hearted demon warlock, how can such a fragile idea come into mind?


    Is it because I''m really dying?


    No, no, as long as I hold on, as long as the sacrificial ceremony to the devil has begun, I only need to sustain for another 15 days, the doors of the abyss will open, and I''ll survive!


    Before that, I''ve to make good use of this woman!


    In the distance, the trace of Istan City was in sight. She had walked all day until evening, and they finally arrived.


    Helen turned her head happily over to Bart and said, "Hey, here we are. We''re going into the city now and we''ll find you a doctor in a minute!"


    "No, a doctor can''t cure my disease, only professionals have a way, as long as there''s a place to rest, I can slowly think of a solution!" Bart found a reason to lie to Helen, he hoped that she could hide him in her home and survived the crisis.


    "By the way, what are you wearing around your neck?" Bart suddenly saw the big pearl Helen had on her chest.


    "Uh, are you talking about this? This is the gemstone I picked this up when I was a child. Isn''t it very beautiful? It''s my lucky charm. When I have it with me, I''ll be lucky in whatever I do!"


    "Foolish country woman! This is a lousy glass bead! And you''re treating it like a gem!"

 392 The God of Desire Firs

    The Istan City fell into chaos as they experienced severe winter at the same time. More and more people were suffering from strange diseases. The destruction of alchemical boilers and heating systems had thrown the city into an extreme cold circumstance. Overnight, dozens of people were frozen to death. However, there were several families who died of coal poisoning.


    The next day, the firewood on the market was looted, and a large number of citizens rushed out of Istan City to cut down the nearby forest of Snow Maple, but it only lasted a week before all was exhausted. People began to demolish houses and every public building for making a fire and preparing a meal.


    Panic pervaded the whole city. And because of the disappearance of priests from the Divine Hall and Holy Knights, some in the city had become unscrupulous. At first, they just robbed. On the eighth day, a family of three in the East of the city was killed in the house, and the mistress was even humiliated before her death. That scene signaled for the start of chaos in Istan City.


    Each and every family confined to their houses, gunshots was heard from time to time on the streets, the barn was burning in fire after a rampageous situation, food was burnt to the ground, several shops in the city were looted flat-out, and food shortages began to appear.


    They started killing ice bears, killing camelids, they went out to look for fruits and food, but they had lesser food day after day. More and more of them didn''t even dare to cook with fire, because the aroma of food would surely attract groups of mobs.


    Helen carefully locked the door and rushed into the room. She looked at Bart and her sister Agatha lying on the beds. Her sister Agatha also suffered from that strange disease. In the past three days, she was unlike the past; she had lost her vitality akin to a female leopard.


    In three days, Agatha transformed from a young girl to a fifty-year-old elder. Near the completion of the devil''s sacrificial ceremony, the power of curse was stronger and the speed of erosion increased. Initially, it took more than ten days to age, but now five days were enough for people to die.


    The hospital had been closed for a long time. As for the patients in the hospital, they knew their outcome even without thinking. Most of the patients who fell ill later could only choose to wait for death at home.


    The streets and every house were filled with corpses, they died of illness, frozen to death or killed in a chaos. Darkness and death enveloped Istan City. The stench of rotting corpse permeated the streets, and even the Decay Vulture from afar began to hover over to Istan City. Some people began to flee Istan City. But most people know that there were likely to die during their journey.


    Within a short period of time, the Istan City seemed to have fallen from heaven to a living hell.


    "Bart! Agatha! Look, I found food!"


    Helen took out two maple fruits, the unripe one, but in that period of time, in the Istan City, the terror-stricken situation had been ongoing for ten days and food was enough to drive people crazy.


    "Agatha! Agatha, eat this! Have a bite, it''s very..."


    Helen put one fruit on Bart''s hand, and then she sat beside Agatha, she hugged her younger sister. It was clear that Helen was her elder sister, but now Agatha had grew so old that she looked like Helen''s mother. Helen wanted to feed her, but Agatha was too weak; it was as if she had only a breath left. Agatha shook her head.


    "No, sister, my illness is incurable, I... I''m going to die soon!"


    Agatha looked at her elder sister and there was only despair in her eyes, "Don''t waste food! And don''t bother about me!"


    Helen continued to support Agatha. She even chewed and crushed the maple fruit and fed Agatha a little by a little before she felt at ease.


    Bart was now being attacked by the Seal of the Holy One and the power of his soul was gradually dissipated. There was no difference between the weakened him and those who were cursed, but he was still pretty clear-headed. He was trying every means to stop the power of the Seal of the Holy One, but he had no way of stopping it; he would inevitably die. It would take only a few days for his soul to completely dissipate.


    But Bart also knew that in a few days, the doors of the abyss would open, and he would be able to recover completely. Moreover, he could advance further, acquired more power, and become a powerful Demon Baron in the abyss.


    Bart chewed the maple fruit with all his might, and then he suddenly looked at Helen and said, "Helen, why aren''t you eating?"


    Helen looked at Bart and replied, "I''ll eat later. You can eat first!"


    Bart had a sudden realization, "Don''t tell me there''re only two? There''s no more food?"


    Helen was at a loss for words but she replied, "I''m good!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Bart became silent in an instant. For some reason, it seemed as if Helen was radiating with a white brilliance which lit up the entire room, it illuminated his ugliness and abhorrence, and his skin could feel the pain from being pricked by the brilliance.


    On the fourteenth day, Helen fell ill.


    There were three patients at home. Bart was lying on a bed in a corner, while Helen was lying in another big bed with Agatha in her arms. All three of them were quiet, as if they were waiting for death in silence.


    Agatha was aging and her hair was white, she looked just like an 80 year old grandmother. Her skin was covered with brown patches and plastered on the bones; it looked daunting. Helen didn''t mind holding her in her arms, but Agatha at the moment was unable to speak, she was only lingering on with her last breath. She could die at any moment.


    "Agatha! Don''t be afraid! Sister will accompany you, sister... sister..."


    "Your elder sister will continue to protect you!"


    At the mention of that, Helen who had a smile on her face, she didn''t know why but she couldn''t continue on any more. Tears trickled down from her eyes, dripped onto and wet her collar; she hugged Agatha tightly in her arms.


    Towards evening, it was as if Agatha was experiencing a terminal lucidity, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Helen. Helen was weak but she struggled to get up and forced out a lively expression while she looked at Agatha.


    "Elder sister, I''ve seen the light, I seemed to have seen the other world, I..."


    "Mom... Mom is here to pick me up, and Dad, and... and..." Agatha''s hoarse voice was as harsh as a finger scratching on a mold, but what she said made others cry involuntarily.


    Agatha loosened her grasp of Helen''s hand and fell askew into Helen''s arms. Helen, who was watching the scene unfolding in front of her, was trembling violently, as if there hadn''t been a moment that had such a big blow on her. Her father unexpected death and her mother who died from illness hadn''t impacted her as much as Agatha''s death. But only Agatha, she was Helen''s everything, as long as Agatha was there, she would feel blissful.


    Helen broke into bitter tears, she cried like a child, she held onto Agatha''s corpse in despair, and tears were streaming down.


    Bart looked at Helen, she was hugging Agatha in her arms, he was lying in the dark corner of the room, his chin was trembling and he turned his head away from the scene. He was afraid to see Helen''s eyes, hear her voice, and see her cry with a look of despair.


    Suddenly, Helen''s pearl on her chest was radiating a blue brilliance, it was akin to the oceans and currents; it filled up the room.


    Bart looked back at Helen at once and he looked at the radiating pearl. He suddenly recalled a legend.


    "The Pearl of Dana, the legendary wishing gemstone!"


    Bart immediately saw Agatha, who was in Helen''s arms, had the demons and curses which were shrouded in her body dispersing bit by bit, her body was gradually returned to vitality, her original exhausted body was a little more enriched, her skin began to become youthful, and her hair had returned to the original red colored.


    "So the legend is true!"


    Bart stood up a little by a little from the bed and watched Agatha recovered a little by a little. She got rid of the curse of the Devil Lord from the abyss, Agatha, who was clearly dead, came back to life again.


    "The power of resurrection from death, this is really the power of resurrection from death, it is more magical than the magic of revival!"


    Helen was in a daze as she watched Agatha floating in the blue radiance. At the moment of her fall, she caught Agatha in her arms. She hugged her in the arms as if she was holding onto the whole world. She was afraid that she might lose Agatha again if she was careless.


    Bart said to Helen, "Let''s send Agatha out together. Only if she leaves here can she survive. If she stays in the city, she''ll be cursed again. Moreover, when the doors of the abyss open, everyone in the city will die!"


    Helen stared blankly at Bart; she wondered what the man she had saved was talking about. Bart looked at Helen''s eyes and his fierce and hideous face, had now become soft and gentle, "Believe me, only in this way can we save Agatha''s life!"

 393 The God of Desire Second

    When the two left Istan City at night, Bart looked very weak in the wind with his crutches, while Helen, eroded by the power of curse, she seemed like she was unable to stand steadily. Together, they lifted Agatha, who was sleeping, and left Istan City, they placed her into the hole of the defense wall of the ancient Istan City.


    "This is enough. It''s already outside the devil''s altar!"


    Those defense walls had been abandoned, most of them had collapsed, and some of the rest had become ruins. Unexpectedly, in the hole of the defense wall, they found a bundle of firewood and several torches. Helen muffled up Agatha and lit a fire. She looked at Agatha''s rosy face, and Helen was full of blissful smiles.


    But as the doors of the abyss were about to open, Helen could be seen aging rapidly, and in such a short time, silvery hair began to appear on her head.


    Bart looked at Helen''s face, "What are you laughing at? You''re going to die soon!"


    Helen gently snuggled up and leaned closer to Agatha, she rubbed Agatha''s face, "It doesn''t matter, as long as Agatha is here, as long as she''s alive, it''s more than enough!"


    Bart lowered his head and laughed, he looked at the sand on the ground and laughed continuously, "You''re a fool! A pathetic fool! Ridiculous! Ha-ha-ha... How could... how could it be..."


    "A fool like you... it''s really...!"


    After a long time, Bart stopped his mad laugh. He seemed to have made a decision. Bart picked up the crutches beside him and stood up with all his strength. He said to Helen, "Come with me to the top of the defense wall, I''ve something to tell you."


    Helen was somewhat surprised. She was exhausted and extremely uncomfortable, as soon as she stood up, she could feel her wobbly feet and she was about to fall onto the ground. Who knew how she had overcome her discomfort to carry Agatha over there with Bart?


    Bart walked with his crutches and supported Helen by holding onto her arm; they climbed up the ancient staircase of the defense wall. The sky had just brightened up. They stood on top of the defense wall and they had a good view of the scene in the city.


    The Steam Train Station in the South of the city was now crowded with people, there was a surge of people. Today, it was the arrival of the train once in a month. The steam train would arrive with food, goods, commodities, and most importantly, it was the contact with the outside world.


    Only the arrival of the steam train could save the whole of Istan City, it was also the hope of everyone in the city.


    Helen delightedly looked at the Steam Train Station, "As long as the train arrives, the crisis will come to an end, Agatha will be able to, well... live well!"


    Just then, the bell from the city rang and the scheduled time had arrived, but the steam train was nowhere in sight. Everyone looked along the railway track and saw no sight of the steam train. The steam train had never been late, but only arrived in advance. But this time, more than an hour had passed and there wasn''t a single trace of the train.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    After several days of gloominess in Istan City, they were welcomed with a rare sunshine; it shined on Bart and Helen who stood above on the ancient defense wall. Bart said, "The train will never come!"


    Helen was extremely puzzled, "Why?"


    Bart looked into Helen''s eyes, "Because when I came to Istan City, I had destroyed many railway tracks in between the cities."


    At the mention of that, the people of Istan City who had failed to wait for the arrival of steam train in Istan City, they had given up all hope and were in despair. In that moment, less than half of the population was alive. Most of the people died from the curse, the cold, the hunger and the chaos from before. And now the rest of them were all infected with the curse.


    "No train, there''s no train!" The dying elders put down their crutches and kneeled on the ground, they looked desperately into the distance!


    "We''re done for. We''re all finished. It''s an irreversible fate!" Women cupped their faces and cried out uncontrollably.


    "Why is it so? Why is it so? Who''s here to save us!" Upon realizing that the train wasn''t coming, the man with his eye sockets up to his chin was completely devoured by despair and madness.


    Everyone fought against each other as they roared in anger, some people set fire to the whole world, and some people raised their knives and guns to kill all the people they could see; all of them had turned into demons in despair.


    Helen felt that she couldn''t fathom the man she had saved. She thought she had saved only a lost and wounded traveler, but it didn''t look so simple. She suddenly recalled what Bart had said before, "You did this... what does that mean?"


    "And what did you say before, curses, doors of the abyss, and... what did those mean?"


    Helen kept going retreating as she spoke, and she was feeling listless.


    Bart smiled as wickedly as ever, "Because I''m a cruel and wicked Demon Warlock!"


    Bart stretched out his hands towards Istan City, "It was I who cast a curse on Istan City, so everyone in your city was burdened with the power of curse, and sooner or later, all their energy will be sucked away by the curse and they''ll eventually die!"


    "I opened the door to the abyss and sacrificed the whole of Istan City to Bartosz, the Lord of Abyss. I was the cause of all the deaths in the city!"


    Helen looked at Bart in disbelief, "Why are you doing this, Bart, why did you?"


    Bart sneered, "You silly country woman certainly won''t understand why, I did it for power! For demons like us, power is everything!"


    Helen sat helplessly on the ground, she didn''t understand Bart''s words and his rationale for doing all that, "For power, you can hurt others willfully? You can kill everyone, using thousands of people in exchange for power?"


    Bart laughed wildly, "Yes, yes! You''re right. Why? Now, do you know how ugly and repulsive a human heart is? Do you know what the world is like now?"


    "It''s a fellow like us who controls the world. All supreme professionals looked down on all of you. The gods need your beliefs and souls. Hell also needs your beliefs and souls. The devils and the abyss also need your beliefs and souls. People like you are easy target of people like us ¨C the spokespersons of gods, the spokesperson of hell and the spokesperson of demons ¨C your lives are messed willfully and recklessly by us!"


    "It''s all your fault. If you didn''t save me, everyone in the city will survive and your sister won''t be hurt. It''s all because you''ve saved me that everyone in the city will perish!"


    Helen''s head kept wavering, and her gray hair which was gradually turning gray was fluttering with the wind, "No, it''s not like this, it''s not like this!"


    Helen''s beautiful pupil looked at Bart, she couldn''t believe everything he said, "Tell me, you''re deceiving me, aren''t you? It''s not what you said!"


    Helen held her head, she lost control and cried bitterly, "I killed everyone, I killed everyone!"


    Bart threw a dagger engraved with Saint Markings of a Sun on the ground, "Come on and kill me, as long as you kill me, the sacrificial ceremony with me anchored as the coordinates will be interrupted and all will be over!"


    Helen lost her wits, picked up the dagger and looked at Bart. Bart spread out his arms, "Come on, kill me, and you can save the rest of them!"


    Helen trembled and pointed her dagger towards Bart. She kept looking back at the people fighting in the city, the blazing fire, and her sister, who was sleeping in the hole of the defense wall under her feet at the moment.


    Helen roared angrily at Bart. Bart closed his eyes. The dagger engraved with the Saint Markings of a Sun would fully activate the Holy Seal in his soul and burn him into ashes.


    But Helen lowered her hand when she was thrusting into Bart. Instead, she crashed into Bart''s arms and tumbled over on the ground together with Bart.


    Bam!


    Just then, a strange noise resonated from the city. The citizens of Istan City who were fighting, raised their heads and saw a black diamond rose slowly from the ground. The dark light enveloped the entire Istan City.


    In the light of darkness, several ghostly figures gradually creeped out, the ghostly and dreadful silhouettes and disturbing roars were seen and heard in Istan City.

 394 The God of Desire Final

    With the span of the dark light, all those who had been shined by the light were instantly aging, they degraded into a rotten black ash and died; all of them die in agony while shrieking, some of them were swallowed up by the light while trying to escape, some of them died in their beds, some of them were embraced by their families in the face of death. The many facades in the moment of death were unfolding.


    "God! What''s this!"


    "Please save us, I don''t want to die!"


    "Ha-ha-ha! Everyone must die! You must die!"


    Flames engulfed Istan City, it burned the city into a sea of fire, and several shadows of devils crossed the border and appeared in the city, they willfully killed and devoured all the remaining people in the city.


    However, what was reflected in Bart''s eyes was the numerous sparkling brilliance of Soul of the Conscious floated up into the sky; some of them had just passed away, some of them had previously died because of the curse. Now they were attracted and swallowed by the black diamond. Bart even saw the horrible figure behind the doors of the abyss.


    Bart instantly recalled the memory of it devouring the soul of his parents and his sister, Molly.


    "Let the agony begin, suffering can exchange for more power and strength. You''ve received what you''ve asked for!"


    "This is the price to pay for becoming a Demon Warlock!"


    The voice of terror and darkness echoed in Bart''s mind again, and now the dark light of darkness hung over Bart''s body. He lowered his head and saw Helen in his arms, she was growing old in a speed of light. From her body to her face, little by little, she turned into ashes, and at last there was only a pair of her beautiful eyes which were reflected onto his pupils.


    Helen had been looking at Bart before she died; there was no hatred and blame, but pity! The pity revealed from her gaze was like a poison which was biting onto his bone and gnawing onto his soul.


    The power of the abyss bound Helen''s consciousness, it was sent up to the sky and into the abyss. Everyone''s Soul of the Conscious would be engulfed by the devils in the abyss; all Soul of the Conscious would be in endless torment and agony as they assimilated as the power of the devil.


    "No! No! This isn''t my sacrifice to you. Give it back to me. Give it back to me!"


    Bart couldn''t keep his cool any more. He chased after Helen''s Soul of the Conscious on the ancient defense wall crazily. Finally, he fell down and over the wall, and his head was bleeding profusely.


    The grand figure of the Devil Lord had finally struggled out a part of himself from the abyss. Although he still couldn''t really enter the world, he was able to project his power.


    Bartosz wriggled his body like a bug and his monstrous body covered the sky. He was like a grotesque and stout serpent which was looking bizarre in a robe. He looked down at Bart from the sky as if he was looking at a contemptible rebel.


    He held a bloody-red meat ball in his hand, and all the Soul of the Conscious that permeated into sky was absorbed by that. With the massive belched from the blood-red meat ball, the sound of overflowing was clearly heard, and as if he could hear the desperate cry of the citizens of Istan City.


    "Yours? Oh! No, it''s already mine!"


    "I''m satisfied with your sacrifice; I''ll grant you the right to be my servant. Come on, plunge into the abyss, be my servant, and I''ll grant you the power of immortality!"


    Bart had only Helen''s silhouette in his mind in that moment. He knelt down on the ground. His hand, which was raised, dropped gradually and he made a shriek of mockery! He laughed and his tears kept flowing!


    "Ha-ha-ha... That''s right. That''s¡­ Demon Warlock, that''s the price to pay to be a Demon Warlock!"


    "Agony¡­is the source of our power!"


    Bart lay on the ground in agony. He smashed something held tightly in his hand on the ground, and cursed in rage, "Da*n you and your Demon Warlock! Da*n you and your immortality!"


    "Why every time¡­ every time¡­ why is it like this every single time!"


    Just then, the pearl thrown on the ground by Bart suddenly burst out with intense radiance. Bart realized that it was the pearl Helen had been wearing on her neck. The lousy glass bead that Bart laughed at was the legendary wishing gemstone!


    "Pearl¡­ of Dana!"


    Bart grabbed onto the Pearl of Dana like a drowning man who was grabbing a straw and the Pearl of Dana was as if in response to his strong prayer, an intense black radiance blossomed from the Pearl of Dana. It illuminated the whole of Istan City, and no one had ever made the Pearl of Dana shined that brilliantly.


    The brilliance enveloped everything and time and space seemed to stop. The opening of the doors of the abyss and the willful demons all stopped in their tracks. Even the Lord of Abyss was freeze-framed in the sky; it had lost all the ability of thinking.


    Bart shouted at the top of his lungs at the Pearl of Dana, "Aren''t you a gemstone that can fulfill all wishes? I pray to you, I beg you to restore everything to its original state, to resurrect Helen, to resurrect everyone in the city!"


    "Quick, I pray to you, I beg you to fulfill all my wishes!"


    "Whoever you are, god, devil, monster of the Astral World, whoever you are, I pray to you to fulfill my wishes!"


    The Pearl of Dana, which drew in the power of desires and wishes from countless people, now condensed into a humongous light and shadow, as if it was questioning Bart on behalf of all the other desires and wishes.


    "At all costs?"


    It seemed that the Shadow of Desire, which was condensed by countless human shadows, was talking, and its voice sounded like thousands and tens of thousands of people, including men, women, the aged and children, talking at the same time!


    "At all costs! Hurry up! Satisfy my wishes!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Whatever you want, takes it away, I''ll give it to you, it''s all yours!"


    Bart roared, kneeled on the ground with his hands tightly clenched. He looked at it with his hideous and ferocious face towards the sky. This time, Bart was sincere; it wasn''t a lie which he used to numb his own sensation or to detach from his conscience.


    The figure stretched out its hand and shook hands with Bart, "The agreement is established!"


    As the agreement was established, the brilliance rays whirled and flowed and everything seemed to be traveling back in time. But the time around Istan City and the whole world was staggered, as if they had been transformed into two regions.


    The hourglass of time was reversed, the power of the dark abyss receded, the light of the power of consciousness retreated from the palm of the Lord of Abyss, and the shadows engulfed by each and every devil gradually condensed into shape.


    The doors of the abyss were shut, sunk into the ground, the flames was gradually extinguished, all the people retreated from the train station to their houses, the deceased were revived, the burnt granary was restored, and even Miles, who had chased Bart, and more than 20 Holy Knights and priests were revived.


    The alchemical boilers, which were destroyed by Bart, were restored, the devil''s altar and the Talos Door faded in sight, and the power of curse vanished. No one died and there was no agony or disaster.


    Everything, everything retuned and went back to that morning.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Helen stood in front of the sleigh, Agatha hugged her waist from behind, and her sister Agatha jumped and twittered like a lark. There were happy and blissful smiles on both faces, but the Pearl of Dana on Helen''s neck had become an ordinary pearl.


    Helen steered the ice bears and passed by Bart''s side. Bart fixed his gaze on Helen''s face. His ferocious and hideous gaze was brimming with tears; his gaze revealed a tinge of relief and hope.


    The sleigh passed Bart''s side, and as if they had never known him, they ran straight passed by him.


    "That man looks terrible! He''s even staring at us. He must be a pervert!" Agatha hugged her sister''s waist in fear.


    "It''s wrong to say that of others!" Helen was angry and taught her younger sister a lesson.


    "His choice of clothing is weird too. Nobody else wears this kind of clothes now, and here is the deep inside of the Amos Icefield. But I heard that the great figures from churches and professionals like to dress up and wear ancient style robes."


    "Maybe he''s the passenger who had lost his way while exploring the Amos Icefield!"


    "Anyway, what a pervert and weirdo!"


    Bart was fixated on them till they disappeared in sight and into Istan City. Finally, he retracted his gaze. His shoulders loosened and dropped instantly, as if he had unloaded all the heavy responsibilities. He had a smile on his face that he never had before.


    Bart never felt so easy!


    "This is great! This feeling! It''s really great!"


    Bart picked up the Pearl of Dana in his hand. At that moment, the Pearl of Dana was radiating a colorful radiance, it was shining onto Bart, and the Power of Desire accumulated for more than 500 years was fully integrated into Bart''s body.


    "It wasn''t merely a wishing gemstone!"


    "But the Divine Personality of the God of Desire! Wish is also a form of desire!"


    "To give up all desires, feelings and consciousness and become the God of Desire is the agreement I signed with the rules of the world?"


    Bart''s body was transforming a little by a little into light and he had turned into a huge Divine Shadow. With his last tinge of consciousness and affections, he looked into Istan City. Everything in the city was so peaceful, as if nothing had happened and everyone was living a happy and quiet life.


    It was like a paradise!


    "Thank you! Helen!" Bart revealed a sincere smile like a child, as if he had been redeemed, not the citizens of Istan City who were saved, but him!


    His last bit of affection had slipped away and he merged completely with the Power of Desire accumulated over 500 years; he had become the God of Desire. Then, he transformed into a pillar of light, shot into the sky and he entered the kingdom where it belonged.


    ----------------------


    Chuff-chuff!


    Twenty days later, when a steam train entered Istan City, the train conductor jumped off the train and he was looking very apologetic!


    "I''m really sorry. I don''t know who broke the railway track along the road here this time. We made urgent repair on it for half a month and came 20 days late. Is it all good in the city?"


    The station master said doubtfully, "Huh? I''m still wondering, why did you come so early?"


    "Ahead of schedule? Are you dreaming!"


    "You''re clearly ahead of schedule!"


    "We''re 20 days late!"


    A fierce quarrel broke out in the train station, and it wasn''t until the testimony of the people on the train and the repair of the magic transceiver was completed that the citizens of Istan City realized that they had unknowingly lost almost a month of time.


    As for what happened in Istan City during that period, no one knew!

 395 The Stabilization of the Portal

    "I don''t like this story!" Eva sat upright, like a statue demonstrating aristocratic etiquette; she looked at the scene on the screen where Bart and Helen brushed past, and made some angry remarks.


    Eve didn''t even finish watching; she stood up, picked up the mugs and items on the table and left the Witchcraft Garden.


    Lu Zhiyu was lying on the sofa, one foot stepped against the sofa, and the other foot was dangling on the ground; he wasn''t bothered with his image.


    "I didn''t expect the story of the God of Desire to be like this!"


    Lu Zhiyu arranged for the divine personality of the God of Desire to choose its master. And to ascend the throne of a God of Desire in this generation, there were two ways.


    Of course, first of all, as the preselected one of the Seed of God, the other party must have the soul characteristics that could bear all kinds of divine power of desire, and at the same time, he must be a professional above Level Four, in order to qualify as the God of Desire.


    The first kind was to become a demigod of God of Desire; it would gradually absorb the Power of Desire by satisfying other people''s wishes in exchange for something they owned. Then, he should gradually ascend to Level Seven, and then entered the Star Kingdom to assume the role of a god. Of course, that was a common practice.


    Another one was to make a wish to the world and established an agreement with the rules of desire at the cost of one''s soul and everything, but when he ascended to the throne of God, he was no longer the master of the rules, but the slave of the rules.


    Bart chose the second way, which was the most unexpected way which Lu Zhiyu would think of. After all, no God would like to become a God in that way; he was giving up his desire, emotion, consciousness and everything, especially when he had a choice.


    But the Divine System and rules of Maria''s World were increasingly perfected, and all of the rules were under the control of the gods. Even the amazing act of turning back time could be achieved; but it was only accomplished in a smaller area.


    "When the last God was revealed, maybe Maria''s World could truly become a dream of the Creator, an authentic dream!" Lu Zhiyu could already feel it.


    When the power of the gods really extended to every corner of the rules of the materials and controlled every basic level of materials and rules, then the Maria''s World would truly be a game or a movie under the control of the gods. All information about the inner world would be recorded in the network host of Star Kingdom; it was akin to saving the information of a game in a network.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The Creator could read files at any time; reshape the world, pause, retreat and advance at any time.


    By then, as a creator with a complete set of competencies, he would then have a true amazing ability; no longer limited to rules of the material, but beyond material''s constraints. He would exist in concepts and dreams, such as the Dark Mother Tree that could go up against the long river of time.


    Lu Zhiyu was very much looking forward to it, "There''s only one last step left!"


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Starsoul World, Wizards'' Calendar, 1482.


    Ninety years had passed since the first Floating-Space Tower of the wizard rose into the sky. That was a long and unimaginable period of time for an ordinary people. Even for wizards, a few generations had passed. Although it was still the same few who stood at the top, time and life seemed to have lost its meaning for them.


    There were three Floating-Space Towers in the sky of Wizard City, it suggested that two more Mythical Wizards had successfully reached Level Seven mind power in the past 900 years. At the same time, the Level Seven Mythical Wizards even deduced and traced their own mythical creature template.


    One of the Floating-Space Towers was full of classical and elegant style. It looked graceful and luxurious. It had a mana pool. It was equipped with 23 Annihilation Elemental Artillery, mythical boundary and portal.


    The other one was obviously belonged to the exotic race, it had an alchemy warlock style. It looked like an old mechanical clock tower made of steel and gears. The front of it was an odd clock. When you looked at it, for unfathomable reason, you would never be able to hear its sound, but you would feel the time ticking in your heart; the sound of clocks and gears turning would be in your heart.


    The Wizard City had become a dream city in myths and legends. The perfection and continuous construction of the Magic Crystal System had enabled the city to completely immerse in witchcraft.


    Buildings of hundreds of meters and more than one hundred stories rose abruptly from the ground there, surrounded by roads and bridges. Steam locomotives ran on the roads as if they were running in the sky. In addition to steam locomotives, there were wizards, who rode on magical beasts, witchcraft flying carpets, magic skateboards and so on, glided through the sky.


    The Wizard City was under the protection of witchcraft boundary, no one was allowed to enter or leave at will. The Golden Statue Ghost, the guardian of alchemical lifeform, maintained the order of the city. Above the highest spire, a great deal of brilliance was radiating, swept through the earth and sky, monitored the fluctuation of witchcraft and any abnormal behavior in the city.


    Projection witchcraft appeared in front of every violator from time to time, warning and punishing them. If they encountered resistance, the guardian Golden Statue Ghost would set off; it would spread its wings and flew to the sky to take them down. If they encountered resistance from powerful wizards, there were even law enforcement teams to enforce the law.


    In that city, witchcraft had penetrated into all aspects of the life of the Wizard Alliance. The whole city of wizards, with a population of 8 million, was the largest city in the Wizard Continent. The proportion of professionals in the city had reached 20%. That was to say, Wizard City alone had nearly 160,000 professionals, it was a frightening number.


    The Wizard Alliance had also made great progress in the exploration of bitwall. The Wizard Alliance had also acquired the technology of the portal and witchcraft of space exploration. The first large bubble of the bitwall had been fully detected and anchored, and the first Witchcraft Garden was under construction.


    The whole Wizard Continent was no longer as desolate as previously seen. The land was full of cities, villages, roads, steam trains leading to any remote corners of the continents; the road was accessible from all directions. Various continents which were previously deserted were beginning to be developed by the Arcane Kingdom and the Wizard Alliance.


    For wizards to be able to obtain those results, a large part was due to the Summoner. After more than a thousand years of development, the special professional, Summoner, of the Wizard Alliance was increasingly perfected.


    The Summoner was the spokesman of Starsoul and the professional practitioner who cultivated themselves with the use of the power of Starsoul. Their strongest power was the power of the heart. They could use Starsoul as a springboard to communicate and use the power of the powerful existence in any corner of the world to communicate with the dragon raja, the magical beasts and the mighty wizards; they had to pay the price to call upon its element projection.


    The powerful Summoner could even directly summon the projection of Starsoul to guard or attack, but that wasn''t the most powerful workings; the latest emergence of the most powerful Level Six Summoner could even summon creatures outside the world. Although the probability was extremely low, it required numerous attempts to communicate; the will of the distant creatures would be summoned and projection of those creatures from outside the world could be achieved.


    And what they summoned for could be life forms from half bitwall, monsters in the abyss, and of course, life forms from Maria''s World!


    For the first time, wizards had gained contact with Maria''s World again. They knew that it was a horrifying world. Gods and powerful clergymen ruled the world. If they discovered Starsoul World, it would probably bring disaster to Starsoul World.


    But they also coveted the power and knowledge of Maria''s World. They tried and carefully summoned to acquire the knowledge system of Maria''s World. At the same time, they used their knowledge system and the special products of Starsoul World to exchange with the professionals they summoned.


    They had acquired the technology of portal; they studied and developed for hundreds of years, and finally built the first stable portal with an unexpected breakthrough.


    Just then, on the mechanical clock tower of the Floating-Space Tower, there was a test on the stability of the portal! Their goal was the Witchcraft Garden located in the middle of the bitwall.

 396 The Lost World of Titan

    Clouds surrounded the Floating-Space Tower above the sky.


    In the hall at the highest floor of the Mechanical Clock Tower, human beings, dwarfs and goblins gathered together. The magic sparked by Magic Crystal shrouded the Magic Crystal Network and shuttled around all corners of the hall. In the center, a magnificent gate like the gate of heaven stood in the center, as tall as 20 meters; it looked like a Titan''s gate.


    And now standing in front of that huge portal were four trolls, they were all professionals, Level Four Troll Warlocks. This was the first time that the Wizard Alliance was about to directly transmit the professionals, instead of using soul witchcraft for element projection or possessed their souls into alchemy dolls and then transmitted them over as before.


    They didn''t have the enhancement of rules, which was akin to cheating, used by The God of Space and Exploration; they explored their own ways of creating a stable portal to transmit life forms. And it took them hundreds of years and generations of elite alchemy warlocks'' wisdom.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Colin was a silly troll. He was a Level Four Blood Warlock and was dressed in elemental armor; he was strong and had supernatural blood ability. On the battlefield, he was definitely the strongest fighter. He was from the Dual-Headed Troll Kingdom of the Titan Continent. During the period of founding the kingdom, those dual-headed Blood Warlocks were having two supernatural blood abilities at the same time. By virtue of such strong innate aptitude, they led the army on the Titan Continent, and set up a new kingdom belonged to the Troll.


    In the time of territorial and resource disputes, Troll warriors were the most important fighting force in the battle between wizard schools in Wizard Continent; each and every one of them was strong enough to achieve victory even when fighting alone.


    They could carry Annihilation Elemental Artillery and heavy firepower on their bodies; they could ignore and fight against opponent''s ordinary witchcraft and dart into the opponent''s camp. They could descend from airship and quickly join the battlefield. They were definitely the highly favored and high-quality soldiers of all forces.


    But with the advance of the times, with the emergence of Floating-Space Tower, more and more advanced weapons, moving castles, war fortresses, Magical Elemental Airship, the Wizard Alliance needed more elite wizards who could manipulate those war alchemy props. They didn''t need the brutal human shields like trolls'' Blood Warlocks; the status of trolls in the society was lowered. When they didn''t assume a significant role in battle, it looked like they weren''t useful anymore.


    Goblins and dwarfs emerged from the system of alchemy warlock as well as from the creation of colossus and alchemy dolls; they had become an important member of the Wizard Alliance.


    The goblins joined Arcane Kingdom and became part of Arcane Kingdom. The long-lived race of goblins was very similar to the goblins in some ways. The system of the goblins'' arcane system was suitable for them too. Especially their Ancient Tree of Fairies and goblins'' arcane system were just as if they were specially designed and built for the long-lived race of goblins.


    Hence, when Arcane Kingdom was roping in several kingdoms of goblins, they instantly joined them. Of course, a large number of goblins still stayed in the Wizard Alliance. Their natural wizard abilities were also very vital to the wizards. In Arcane Kingdom, there were also huge quantity of dwarfs and goblins. The Arcane Kingdom also needed elite alchemy warlocks and craftsmen of dwarfs and goblins.


    That was the current overall situation of Starsoul World. The only difference was that the Trolls, their sense of existence, were getting lower and lower in that world. The silly trolls who didn''t have any ability to create were unable to keep up with the pace of the world; they were gradually abandoned. They were gradually reduced to the lowest worth of the world.


    Wizard Alliance was a relatively fair and open civilization, but absolute fairness was impossible, especially in that world of saints; fairness was won by a person''s own strength.


    In the dangerous test of the portal, the Mechanical Clock Tower had tested with animals, ordinary creatures and humans, and now they were using the Troll Professionals because they were at the lowest ranking in the occupation of various professionals.


    "The charge is complete!" The wizard in charge of the mana pool''s energy control shouted loudly.


    "Space Anchored! Coordinates are determined!" The goblin alchemy warlock sat at the bottom, on the console not far from the portal, he informed that the preparations had been completed.


    "The wave of Space Fluctuation and Elemental Wave are normal!" The human wizard who was in charge of detecting data in the bitwall looked at Cook Bay, the tower master of the Mechanical Clock Tower, he was the only Level Seven Mythical Wizard of the goblins. All of the goblins thought of him like an existence of god.


    "Open the portal!" Cook Bay looked unchanged from a thousand years ago; he had a small body but stamped with a pair of determined and wise eye. He was still seeking for the limits of alchemy and exploring the ultimate meaning of the role of an alchemy warlock unique to him.


    No one could have imagined that such a small, somewhat ugly and funny-looking fellow could found the real era of alchemy; he created Floating-Space Tower, established Magic Crystal System, and perfected the technology of portal.


    With a command from Cook Bay, a translucent whirlpool appeared in the huge portal, and the brilliance was glowing and illuminating the entire hall, the brightness even radiated out the window and to the outside


    "It''s time to go in. The agreement is established. Don''t tell me all of you are going against it!" The goblin clerk who stood at the side was somewhat impatiently urging the Trolls standing on the stage.


    "The troll is like this, stupid and foolish, how many times do they need me to repeat before they can understand! Can such a fellow be called a wise creature?"


    "Quick, get in!"


    Colin was trembling from top to toe, his face turned red and he roared, "We know!" His voice was so rough and shocking that it made a humming sound in others'' ears.


    Colin felt the extreme humiliation, since when, when did the trolls reduced to such a level, even a small goblin, could reproach and command them at will. Trolls had become the existence whereby everyone despised, in that Wizard Alliance, one could see the discrimination against Trolls everywhere.


    Colin and other Trolls stepped into the portal. Everything was normal when the first three entered. But when Colin was stepping in, the whirlpool in the portal, for some reason, was suffering from intense interference all of a sudden.


    As soon as Colin leaped over, he saw the whirlpool stopped instantly, the space expanded rapidly and spread towards the surrounding area. Then there was a boom and a violent explosion was heard.


    Cook Bay reacted fast, all of the mechanical gears on the Mechanical Clock Tower turned at the same time immediately. The huge clock on the tower seemed to emit extraordinary brilliance with tremendous power, and the power of a mythical boundary erupted immediately, it suppressed the huge element storm and overflowing energy.


    But even so, the whole portal and the top floor of the Mechanical Clock Tower were all blown up, especially near the central part of the portal. There was only a huge crater left; there wasn''t even a residue left, as if everything had been engulfed by something.


    Cook Bay frowned, "How could it fail? Previous experiments have all been successful!"


    "There''re no errors in the transmission of animals and ordinary people. Why does this problem arise when we''re transmitting professionals?"


    All the alchemy warlocks in the Mechanical Clock Tower looked at the wrecks of failure and fell into deep thoughts. No one worried about whether the Trolls were alive or dead!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Waves splashed on the beach continuously, blue sky and white clouds, and there was no human in sight in the entire world; there was no trace of wisdom of life.


    The land was covered with plants, but it wasn''t green, it was colorful. There were trees akin to ice-crystal, and they grew and stretched along the coastline.


    On the faraway land, the red grass was in sight. It was like ink-splashed colorful vegetation, plants of odd shapes, giant mushroom composed from spores, they grew recklessly and wildly without adhering to any natural rules.


    In the far central part of the continent, there was a tower that leaped directly into the clouds, as if it was connected to a building outside the world.


    The whole world was magnificent and unimaginable. What was more unimaginable was that Colin saw the barrier of the world, the bitwall. The folded wall because of the refraction of light was illuminating colorful rays; it was like a rainbow-colored sugar which was flowing along the bitwall.


    "Where am I?"


    Colin had never seen such a place before.


    He looked at himself and found that he had become a transparent luminous body.


    "Ah! So I''m already dead!"


    Colin didn''t understand his death, instead of being annihilated by the world''s reincarnation, he entered a strange kingdom.


    "Is this the World of Death, the Kingdom of the Dead, managed by Starsoul?"


    Colin''s soul walked along the beach, through the magnificent and dreamlike colorful forest, across the ink-splashed grassland, and finally he came to the sky tower.


    The huge building was beyond Colin''s imagination. The staircase was nearly ten meters high. There weren''t any traces of joint of various bricks on the main body of the tower. It seemed as if the building was one on its own, it also looked as though it was generated in an instant. The door was nearly 100 meters tall, the window was unimaginably huge. Colin, which was nearly three meters tall, was enough to make most creatures in the Starsoul World to look up at him, but now he was as small as a mouse before the building.


    The whole tower was in a peculiar state, it was like an ordinary building, or as if it was a living life form or it was like an illusory and unreal existence. Colin could feel that the tower was the key to control the world of that bitwall, but he wasn''t qualified to open the gate of the sky tower.


    Colin seemed to recall something. He looked up at the sky tower and the whole world, and he was in a daze instantly.


    "This is¡­"


    "The Lost¡­ World of Titan?"

 397 The Clash between Wizard Alliance and Arcane Kingdom

    @@


    After the emergent of Arcane Kingdom''s Elf Queen Wendy, there emerged a second Mythical Arcanist, the Space Magic genius, Mientte Ambrose.


    Mientte broke the limitations of Mythical Arcanist; he captured space and drew onto the elements of the Astral World to create his realm of Mythical Arcanist, and in turn created his Fairyland of Elves.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The first Witchcraft Garden of Wizard Alliance relied on the theory of Mientte Ambrose''s creation of Fairyland of Elves, as well as the reference from Fhartasil''s Fairyland and the arcane system.


    Mientte''s Fairyland of Elves was much smaller than Fhartasil''s Fairyland. It was just like a garden, it wasn''t like Fhartasil''s Fairyland which was a huge kingdom that could accommodate millions of people.


    But Mientte''s Fairyland was located within the bitwall and thus it was freer and more mobile than Fhartasil''s Fairyland. The drawback was that he couldn''t be a top Mythical Arcanist like Wendy; to own a formidable mythical territ@@

 398 The Rivalry between Mythical Wizards and Arcanists

    @@


    Above the Sea of Titan, a large number of steel-made alchemy vessels above the sea were burning with blazing fire and black smoke. They opened fire with artillery and shot at each other, causing a series of clicking sound. Bombing Airships in the sky dumped bombs continuously and bombarded ships above the sea.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Battle Airships in the sky were chasing each other. The flames and clicking sound from the Steam Gatling Guns made everyone feel the sense of rhythm of a fierce battlefield. From time to time, Battle Airships were hit and fell down high from the clouds.


    At the same time, there were a large number of Troll Blood Warlocks incarnating as monsters in the sky, they attacked each other or destroyed each other''s airships. On the airships, there were also professionals on both sides who released combined witchcraft or large-scale arcane magic, as a result it had burned the whole sea into a sea of fire which eventually patches and patches of sea evaporated.


    Several Le@@

 399 Tower of Heaven

    @@


    The wind blew across the coast, and Colin''s soul scattered and condensed like the clouds. He shuttled through the colorful grassland as if he was the son of the wind and drifted through the earth. He traveled with the wind and huffed onto the flowers and trees, making them bow.


    The serenity there seemed to allow people to forget about time, and it was so beautiful that anyone would forget all their desires, hatred, or dreams, while Colin still remembered his own dreams and the future of the trolls.


    There weren''t any Starsoul or restraints of the reincarnation system, but he was a soul without his body that was dissipating little by little. He seemed to feel that his soul activity was gradually vanishing, while his memory was fading. After all, that place wasn''t the same as the Fhartasil''s Fairyland; a territory that was specially built for souls and the Mythical Arcanist.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Suddenly, the Summoner from the distant core world once again summoned the real name of his so@@

 400 The Titans

    @@


    Within the Capital of God, Lu Zhiyu was still contemplating the last god and the details of how he could have perfected the Divine Kingdom after the world ascended. Suddenly, he realized that his Creator''s Space, the space between the creations that he had left behind in the Starsoul World, had been discovered.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    That was the second Creator''s Space that Lu Zhiyu had created, but compared to the previous dimensional castle, it was much larger and more perfect. It was like a small world, but in other aspects, Lu Zhiyu hadn''t left behind many things in that space. Especially after the completion of the world''s ecological environment and the editing and creation of its life, the entire Creator''s Space was basically emptied.


    Lu Zhiyu had only left one thing in that space¡ªthe space mythical alchemy tower that he had tried to create. When Lu Zhiyu was studying and exploring the knowledge and technology of space storage and portals, that alchemy tower had been a masterpiece. He ha@@

 401 Competing for the World of Titan

    The Tower of Heaven could control the world''s internal climate, earth, sea, and everything within the World of Titan. It was the control hub of the World of Titan but limited to controlling of the insides of the World of Titan.


    The Tower of Heaven didn''t have the ability to control the movement of the World of Titan, much less attack or defend beyond the World of Titan, hence it wasn''t as powerful as what Mientte and Wendy had previously thought.


    But Wendy was clear-headed. She knew that Lu Zhiyu would never leave behind the authority to control the entire World of Titan in the Tower of Heaven or even the ability to interfere with the outside. If that really happened, if the tower spirit really became the owner of the World of Titan, with the massive power of the mythical alchemy tower and the power of a whole half-bitwall, no one in the entire Starsoul World could be on par with it.


    Then the tower spirit wouldn''t be one that Lu Zhiyu left behind to watch the gate. Instead, it would truly become the owner of the World of Titan, even the master of the Starsoul World.


    "Your Majesty, I''ll stay here to build a portal and foster a plan to host and welcome Fhartasil''s Fairyland!" The old elf and the troll stood under the Tower of Heaven and they watched Wendy go.


    The Arcane Kingdom, on the other hand, embarked on its plan to create a brand new Fairyland of Elves. It became a national effort to merge Fhartasil''s Fairyland into the World of Titan.


    "There may be no World of Titan in the future, only the Arcane Kingdom and the Fhartasil''s Fairyland!" An arcanist stood on the palace of the fairyland, watching the boundary as he slowly spoke.


    "The door to the supremacy of arcane magic is open, there''s no more boundary!" A young arcanist saw a different future. With a world of blue sea and blue sky, for them it wasn''t only a brand-new half bitwall, but also the path to supremacy.


    The entire mythical boundary of Fhartasil''s Fairyland was activated. The sea, earth, sky, and boundary were integrated into one as they gradually emerged from the illusion.


    If one was to stand outside the boundary, they could immediately see that within the original empty forest land there gradually emerged a kingdom of fantasy and a Fairyland City.


    A colorful bubble bloomed in front of the whole world and the sun shone a golden radiance inside the bubbles. There were azure lakes, golden wheat fields, and flower fields. It was an imaginative soul''s fantasy land.


    Wendy the Elf Queen had become an enormous Divine Shadow, akin to the Goddess of the Wind. Sher was drifting above the clouds, observing the entire Fhartasil''s Fairyland which was a representation of her will and strength.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Clouds and wind condensed into her mythical body as she controlled Fhartasil''s Fairyland. Wendy lowered her head and looked down at the Fairyland City below. She spoke to the arcanists in the city who monitored and managed the data of Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    "There''s no movement or action from the Wizard Alliance!" Wendy''s biggest concern was the Wizard Alliance and the Wizard Tower. At such a critical moment, if the Wizard Alliance did something, they were likely to achieve victory if they launched an attack on them when they were least prepared. Although they had kept it strictly confidential, Wendy believed the Wizard Alliance must have received some news about them.


    Especially since the Wizard Alliance had suffered a loss but had been inactive for so long, Wendy didn''t believe that the Wizard Alliance would be so calm if they knew about the Arcane Kingdom''s decision. The Wizard Alliance would never let them occupy the World of Titan that easily.


    The intelligence systems and magic transceivers in Fhartasil''s Fairyland constantly received news from the distant Wizard Continent, keeping an eye on any movements of the Wizard Alliance.


    "The three Floating-Space Towers of the Wizard Alliance remain in its spot. The Wizard Tower, the Mechanical Clock Tower, and the Philosopher Tower aren''t moving. As for the three masters of the towers, they aren''t in their Floating-Space Towers, and their whereabouts are unknown!"


    "The mana-guru legions of the Wizard Alliance and the sky fortresses don''t have any abnormalities!"


    Wendy nodded. Her huge mythical body, with her every move and every breath, drove changes in Fhartasil''s Fairyland. "That''s enough, as long as the three Floating-Space Towers remain in its spot. Even if the three mythical wizards have all arrived, they can''t stop us."


    "We''re ready. Fhartasil''s Fairyland rises into the sky!"


    The majestic kingdom of the fairyland, with the flow of the power from the mythical arcanists, with hundreds of thousands of Arcane Ancient Trees sublimated into the brilliance of arcane magic, and the radiance from the Magic Crystal Network connected the earth and the sky, transformed into several magical lines which were interlinked. Numerous arcanists merged into that system to create their dream fairyland. Everyone was a part of that fairyland.


    Colorful ribbons of light flowed through the entire fairyland, drifting along the boundary, dancing around all of Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    The brilliance of the arcane magic bolted up to the sky, attracting the attention of numerous cities of the Arcane Kingdom in the surrounding forest. Those who were initially busy with work, in the midst of their rest or travel, one after another, looked up and saw a dreamlike kingdom that slowly rose up from the earth and gradually ascended into the sky.


    The train passed through the forest and an elf child looked out of the cabin and looked at the sky in surprise. "Mom, look at the sky, there''s a continent in the sky!"


    "It''s not a continent, it''s another world!" said her mother, a tall and beautiful elf, cupping her mouth in astonishment.


    In the sky, the clouds were swirling and on the decks of civilians'' airships stood many goblins, dwarves, and elves. A genie vibrated its wings and made a twittering sound.


    "What''s that? A fairyland, our elf''s dream fairyland ¨C Fhartasil''s Fairyland!"


    "Oh my god, what am I seeing? The legendary Fhartasil''s Fairyland!"


    Many of the elves who lived in the cities and villages around Fhartasil''s Fairyland were seeing it for the first time. The previous Fairyland of Elves was hidden deep in the boundary and no one could find or see its trail, they could only see it through a special passage, the special train of Fhartasil''s Fairyland to enter the Fairyland of Elves!


    Fhartasil''s Fairyland slowly rose up to the sky. It was gradually moving closer to the sky, bolted above the clouds, and about to approach the bitwall.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Wizard City.


    At the top of the Wizard Tower, clouds were swirling over the stone stairway, and Catherine, the master of the tower, wore a silver-trimmed white wizard''s robe with the silver symbol of the Wizard Tower on it, a symbol of the tower''s eternity.


    Because of the mythical power of the forest fairy overflowed, her entire appearance had changed. Her pupils and ears were somewhat closer to the characteristics of a fairy and her body emitted a mythical radiance akin to the legendary goddess.


    "Fhartasil''s Fairyland of the Arcane Kingdom has risen into the sky and we''ve targeted the boundaries of the World of Titan according to their spatial anchor coordinates!"


    "Lord Catherine, Master of the Tower, it''s time for us to act! This is our last chance!"


    "Cook, are you ready?" Catherine asked, listening to the two men behind her who were hastily reporting.


    Behind Catherine stood a man wearing the same silver-trimmed white robe, but there was no eternal symbol on his robe. To her right stood a man with a mustache dressed in white, a human who looked a little ladylike. The two were the master of the Mechanical Clock Tower, Cook Bay, and the master of the Philosopher Tower, Job.


    Cook Bay was a little short, but the aura he eluded was immense. When Catherine asked, he immediately answered, "Master of the Tower, the portal is ready for use, the second generation of the portal has been tested and perfected, and we''ve truly created a stable portal. It''s enough to provide a guarantee for our plan. We can definitely catch them off guard!"


    "Will there be another problem like the last time? It looked like we lost the World of Titan because of the last failure!" The master of the Philosopher Tower, Job, was picking on him.


    Cook Bay immediately retaliated. "The last failure wasn''t due to the second-generation portal but resulted from a non-deniable cause. Moreover, without my last failure, we wouldn''t have found out about the legendary World of Titan! As for losing the first chance to take down the World of Titan, it was all because of your carelessness."


    Job snorted and then he said, "Lady Catherine, I''m ready to get rid of the shame and hatred. This time, I must let the other party remember that the wizard is the master of the world!"


    Catherine took a good look at Job and Job suddenly felt goosebumps. Catherine looked away and walked towards the tower. "The goal this time is to seize the World of Titan, primarily to deter and negotiate through force, not to establish an indelible hatred!"


    In the Wizard Tower, the strongest being was the master of the tower, Catherine. The second was the genius alchemy warlock, Cook Bay, who was crucial to the whole era for the last thousand years. That goblin was Catherine''s most faithful follower. Even the master of the Philosopher Tower, Job, had no authority in front of Catherine whenever he was around.


    "We and the Arcane Kingdom are in a state of coexistence and cooperation, there''s no need to create an indelible hatred. Have you forgotten about the threat from the Divine Kingdom? They''ve become unimaginably powerful and have reached out their power towards the Starsoul World and the outside world. One day they''ll discover our existence, and we and the Arcane Kingdom, which don''t have any conflicts in our fundamental interests, should stay in a state of coexistence and mutual development!"


    "Yes¡­Yes!"


    A large spire in the Wizard City that was two hundred meters tall radiated an intense brilliance from the Magic Crystal. The vast mana released from the two spires converged, and they created an oval-shaped space akin to a mirror.


    There was a translucent spatial vortex within the circle. It was an activated portal, but no one had ever seen such a huge portal before. It was simply shocking.


    Similarly, only the vast and complete Magic Crystal Network of the entire Wizard City could power such a large portal.


    The Wizard Tower, Mechanical Clock Tower, and Philosopher Tower suspended in the clouds in the sky moved simultaneously, all heading towards the ground. The Mechanical Clock Tower was the first to pass through the portal.


    The spire of the tower passed through the vortex bit by bit, slowly disappearing from the sky of the Wizard City as it headed for the sky of another distant continent.

 402 The Mythical Battle

    Fhartasil''s Fairyland rose above the clouds, and as it rose higher and higher, there were no clouds in its surroundings. The air became thin and wasn''t enough for ordinary life to survive and breathe. There was even an element storm that appeared as they rose further up, but the bitwall was still visible then.


    "The fairyland boundary is working as normal!"


    "Enter the bitwalll now!"


    The arcanists in Fhartasil''s Fairyland were all extremely thrilled. For nearly a thousand years, they had been eager to place Fhartasil''s Fairyland into a bitwall. Only a fairyland which was above the sky could be called a true Fairyland Kingdom.


    "Oh no, there are anomalies and interferences in the traction of the coordinate anchors!" An arcanist suddenly found out something was amiss.


    Wendy''s mythical body had been placed on top of the Arcane Ancient Tree which supported the entire fairyland behind the palace. She said, "Someone has opened the portal!"


    Wendy had sensed something was amiss. The Wizard Alliance, which hadn''t launched any attack, was indeed waiting for such an opportunity. When the fairyland broke out of the earth but had not yet merged into the World of Titan, they were at their weakest.


    "Who opened the portal?" An old elf arcanist who stood under the Arcane Ancient Tree was frowning.


    "The news came from the magic transceiver that there was something unusual about the Wizard City. They had opened a huge portal! At the same time, all three Floating-Space Towers gave signs of being activated!" A great fairy flew in from the sky and reached the place where they were standing.


    Many of the arcanists who knew nothing about the situation with the Wizard Alliance were immediately alarmed. "This is bad, they''re going to open the portal and transmit over here!"


    "How is that possible?"


    "It''s possible. I heard that they''ve perfected their second-generation portal!"


    Just then, circles of dimensional folds and spatial fluctuations appeared in the sky, and then a spire appeared above the side of Fhartasil''s Fairyland. Although it was tens of kilometers away from Fhartasil''s Fairyland, the three-dimensional projection witchcraft had perfectly transmitted the image on the other side.


    An old arcanist immediately recognized who had arrived. There were only three Floating-Space Towers, each of which had an obvious feature.


    "Mechanical Clock Tower! It''s the mythical alchemy warlock, Cook Bay!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Wendy was composed, her mythical body lowered its head, and she waved and issued her command.


    "Fully activate the mythical boundary!"


    "Charge the light of the arcane magic to its limit!"


    "Take the opportunity when they haven''t landed, blow them up, and destroy the portal!"


    The arcanists below were a mess as they hurriedly engaged in emergency preparations. In a flash of light, the Magic Crystal Network was activated, runes were surging on numerous Arcane Ancient Trees, and they were huddled into a massive Elemental Wave, aggregating into a huge ball of brilliance.


    The brilliance aggregated and it was so dazzling that most couldn''t open their eyes. The light was akin to an artificial sun. As the energy converged to the extreme and at last erupted, a beam of light shot out from Fhartasil''s Fairyland spanning dozens of kilometers. In the blink of an eye, it had bolted forward and bombed the Mechanical Clock Tower.


    By that time, most of the Mechanical Clock Tower had emerged from the portal. It revealed its mythical alchemy made from steel, bearings, gears, and clocks, but it was unlikely that it would escape the light of the arcane magic.


    Bam!


    The crisp sound came from above the Mechanical Clock Tower. The bells rang and brilliance immediately spread and formed a mythical boundary that shrouded its surroundings. It had also protected the huge portal. The mythical boundary of the Mechanical Clock Tower and the light of the arcane magic of Fhartasil''s Fairyland crashed and collided.


    The violent brilliance collided and refracted most of the radiance. The excessive brilliance went sideways, shooting out to its surroundings and far away. The violent sound of the explosion sounded as if it had produced circles of Elemental Waves. The magnificent forces swept over everything within dozens of kilometers of the area.


    But the mythical boundary of the Mechanical Clock Tower still couldn''t hold back the power of the light of the arcane magic. In less than a second, there would be immediate destruction of the tower. As they watched the entire Mechanical Clock Tower which was about to be destroyed by the unrivaled light of the arcane magic, the master of the Mechanical Clock Tower, Cook Bay, held his staff up and immediately activated the mana pool at the bottom.


    At the critical moment, Cook Bay used the natural mythical power of the mythical being, Sphinx. It was a level seven mythical template selected by Cook Bay. It was the mythical template extracted from the tower''s guardian, Sphinx. It was one of the several extremely powerful mythical templates. It was the earliest family of Lu Zhiyu and it could even be traced back to the connection with the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host.


    "Disintegration!"


    The clock above the Mechanical Clock Tower instantly accelerated. The seconds, minute hand, and hour hand rotated at the same time. The clucking sounds could all be clearly heard by everyone in the common space, and the crazy rotation was causing others to feel as if their hearts were exploding.


    The tip of the Mechanical Clock Tower radiated a white glow. It had erased everything around it, whether it was the light of the arcane magic, the energy that spilled in the air, or the air itself.


    The white brilliance wiped out the light of the arcane magic and the Mechanical Clock Tower finally broke free from the portal. Following this, the Wizard Tower and the Philosopher Tower bolted out from the portal.


    At that moment, Fhartasil''s Fairyland was about to burst into the bitwall.


    "Stop it, do not let it merge into the bitwall!"


    "The space within the bitwall is too complex, it will encounter diverse problems in there. Try to drag it off its track when it''s still outside!"


    Three Floating-Space Towers simultaneously attacked Fhartasil''s Fairyland as more than ten Annihilation Elemental Artillery opened fire on the mythical boundary of Fhartasil''s Fairyland at the same time. It caused a violent vibration across Fhartasil''s Fairyland. The interior earth of Fhartasil''s Fairyland felt as if it was having earthquakes and many buildings instantly collapsed.


    At the same time, the Ancient Tree of Fairies from the Wizard Tower bloomed several dazzling flowers, seeds dispersing from the flowers and floating down to the Fhartasil''s Fairyland like dandelions.


    The Mechanical Clock Tower sent out a large number of mechanical dolls and Alchemy Colossuses which looked like Perryton. They were quickly approaching Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    The Philosopher Tower also had several monsters in human form with wings and razor-sharp teeth. All of them flew towards Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    That was the ancillary ability of the mythical beings, to create their species and continuously attack a single target. In a split second, the entire sky was densely packed with affiliated creatures of the mythical life and all were bolting towards Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    Several Arcane Ancient Trees in Fhartasil''s Fairyland were blooming bursts of lightning at the same time, and numerous balls made from thunder floated out and dispersed to the surroundings. With the trigger of several thunder balls, the whole world was turned into a lightning field. A large number of mechanical dolls and Alchemy Colossuses were destroyed and the seeds of the Ancient Tree of Fairies were burned into ashes. Flocks of monsters were shrieking in the thunderous fire as they burned into black charcoal and fell down from the sky.


    At the same time, the light of the arcane magic from Fhartasil''s Fairyland was activated once more, the scorching brilliance sweeping around in a circle as the places it shone on were destroyed by the light of the arcane magic. The entire sky was cleared, and the three Floating-Space Towers were hit by that force and they showed signs of being driven away.


    "What a joke, the mythical arcanist is so strong!" The master of the Mechanical Clock Tower, Cook Bay, dealt with the mythical arcanist for the first time. It was unexpected that the mythical arcanist was so formidable. Three Floating-Space Towers couldn''t suppress a mythical arcanist who owned a huge fairyland.


    "No, no, Mientte isn''t that strong, he can''t even beat me in a fight. It is the Elf Queen Wendy who is formidable. With such a big fairyland, it is equivalent to having a constant source of strength to supplement her." Job, the master of the Philosopher Tower, felt his expression darken.


    Three Floating-Space Towers were constantly bombarding Fhartasil''s Fairyland with Annihilation Elemental Artillery from a higher position. The mythical boundary of Fhartasil''s Fairyland began to stir up a succession of ripples, although it wasn''t broken. Still, Fhartasil''s Fairyland stopped their momentum of breaking into the bitwall.


    There was a lot of confusion within Fhartasil''s Fairyland. They could see that there were many problems and they were in the midst of repairing the damage and perfecting the system. The original Arcane Magic Network and Magic Crystal System had also been destroyed.


    Just then, the Wizard Tower once again bloomed and released batches and batches of flower species. The flowers were like rain sprinkling down onto Fhartasil''s Fairyland. Fhartasil''s Fairyland tried to get rid of it like how it had previously, but the new batch of flowers bloomed all of a sudden, dodging and bypassing the attack as they fell on the mythical boundary of Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    Immediately, those seeds grew on the mythical boundary of Fhartasil''s Fairyland. They occupied a large area instantly, constantly extracting the power of Fhartasil''s Fairyland. They were eroding the barrier to reach the inside of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland and they had increased the confusion within the Arcane Magic Network. They also weakened and interfered with the power of their attack.


    From the inside of Fhartasil''s Fairyland, one could even see the dreamy flower rain falling from the sky. However, before the flowers could land, they were intercepted and destroyed by the Arcane Magic Network.


    They seized the opportunity and the Mechanical Clock Tower and the Philosopher Tower started to besiege it. They were trying to drain the power of the mythical boundary of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland as their affiliated creatures attempted to attack inside.


    "Divine Projection!"


    Just then, a Mythical Shadow up to thousands of meters tall emerged from Fhartasil''s Fairyland. The arcanists had learned from the arcanist in the Divine System and developed arcane magic which could imitate the body of a god.


    It was an elf queen dressed in a white robe and a crown. The huge Mythical Shadow ballooned from thousands of meters to tens of thousands of meters in an instant.


    The huge palm swiped across and immediately the mythical boundary was cleared from all its enemies. With the Elemental Wave blown out from the mythical body, the attack from the sky was also cleared. The massive mythical body filled the world, attaching to Fhartasil''s Fairyland. Its every move could trigger a huge surge of force.


    At that moment on the Wizard Tower, which was like the Ancient Tree of Fairies, a beautiful mythical creature emerged. It had its huge wings spread out and brilliance akin to starlight was seen. It had a stunning and exquisite figure akin to the legendary forest fairies.


    "Wendy, you''ve lost! You can''t enter the bitwall. If you hold on any longer, Fhartasil''s Fairyland which is out of the earth will collapse. Stop what you''re doing now! Give up! This World of Titan was originally discovered by the Wizard Alliance. It belongs to the Wizard Alliance. We can compensate you, but the World of the Titan must be ours!"

 403 The Prelude of the Bitwall Era

    Wendy was in a dilemma. As every wizard knew, the World of the Titan was important to the Arcane Kingdom, but it was no longer possible to successfully enter the bitwall and incorporate Fhartasil''s Fairyland into the World of Titan as originally planned.


    While the Wizard Alliance had discovered the coordinates and position of the World of Titan, the mobility and flexibility of the three Floating-Space Towers in the bitwall were unrivaled. Once they took over the World of Titan, transformed it into a huge Witchcraft Garden, a Wizard Alliance''s base camp, and garden, it wouldn''t be possible for the Arcane Kingdom to snatch it back.


    Wendy looked up at the heavens. By now her mythical body was partially immersed into the bitwall, and then she looked down into Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    At that moment, Fhartasil''s Fairyland was tilted and some parts of it had entered the bitwall. If the Floating-Space Ring hadn''t stabilized it, everyone was afraid that Fhartasil''s Fairyland would have collapsed. Moreover, after a series of attacks and defenses, Fhartasil''s Fairyland was unable to bear another round of attacks. The arcane system and the Magic Crystal Network were largely destroyed, and if they continued, it might cause the disintegration of Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    Such a huge Fairyland Kingdom under the siege of three Floating-Space Towers. They wanted it to enter the bitwall, reach the planned coordinates, and smoothly integrate into the World of Titan, but Wendy always knew the opportunity for success was slim.


    Wendy sighed.


    "I¡­"


    Just then, in the bitwall, a strange event suddenly occurred. The dimensional folds of the entire bitwall were severely disrupted and peculiar colors of light began to bloom from it.


    Then, everyone saw a colorful bubble emerge from the depths of the bitwall. It continuously expanded and inflated, and at last, it became something which was beyond everyone''s imagination. It had covered the whole sky.


    "This is¡­ Wendy, what are you doing?" Catherine stood on top of the Wizard Tower. She looked into the sky, her robe dancing with the wind. She watched the movement from the bitwall and was extremely confused.


    "This... what''s this? That''s too big!" Job, the master of the Philosopher Tower, didn''t understand what was going on. It was too close to him. In addition, he had never seen a half-bitwall, and thus he couldn''t fathom the existence of the thing that had suddenly emerged.


    But Wendy''s expression revealed bewilderment as well; she didn''t understand what was going on.


    Only the master of the Mechanical Clock Tower, Cook Bay, who had observed it for a long time, finally figured out what that was. The big green head was full of shock and horror. "This... is the legendary World of Titan!"


    "Is this a half-bitwall? It''s too... too... big!"


    Cook Bay''s expression was left with yearning and longing. "Compared to this, the space bubbles we''ve discovered before, our Witchcraft Garden, even Fhartasil''s Fairyland, they are all nothing. This is the true half-bitwall!"


    "This is a mini world!"


    The battle between Wendy and the three Floating-Space Towers, if seen from the earth, were only a few large spots of brilliant light, as well as the vague outline of Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    Then, the outline of the World of Titan covered the entire sky over the Sylve Continent and everyone on the continent saw that the sky had suddenly darkened. They looked up and saw the colorful light and shadow in the sky. That was the World of Titan, an unimaginably massive shadow of a half-bitwall.


    One could see the clouds through that light and shadow. In the depth of the clouds, there was the earth and the sea, the colorful dreamy kingdom, and there was a tower which connected the heaven and the earth. It was as if, above the sky, there was an inverted world.


    On top of the tower there stood a Mythical Shadow which was thousands of meters tall. The ripples of the divine language emerged from the World of Titan. It was the voice of Mientte Ambrose.


    "Your Majesty! I''m here to pick you up!"


    Part of the World of Titan was protruding from the bitwall as if a bubble was inching closer to Fhartasil''s Fairyland. It then engulfed Fhartasil''s Fairyland and took it into the bitwall.


    Just then, the arcanists in Fhartasil''s Fairyland, who were all in despair from their failure, saw the abnormalities and the figure of Mientte Ambrose gave a loud cheer.


    Mientte Ambrose sensed the danger and had incorporated his Fairyland of Elves into the World of Titan ahead of time, rather than wait for Queen Wendy''s arrival with Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    His approach was extremely dangerous. Still, Wendy dared to do so because her mind power was dozens of times greater than that of the average level seven mythical wizard and she also owned the gigantic Fhartasil''s Fairyland. While Mientte Ambrose''s action was like pouring a glass of water into a pond, in an instant his power would be assimilated to nothingness.


    But with the troll, Colin, who was in control of the Tower of Heaven, coupled with his risky bet, he had succeeded in merging his Fairyland of Elves into the World of Titan. With the Tower of Heaven alone, there was no way to move the half-bitwall, but by virtue of his Fairyland of Elves and mythical power, coupled with the authority of the Tower of Heaven, it was enough to move and control the World of Titan.


    Mientte Ambrose moved the World of Titan from the depths of the bitwall to the core world. In the process, Mientte Ambrose could feel that his mythical power was constantly being integrated into the World of Titan and assimilated. If he didn''t speed up, he may be assimilated into the World of Titan and become a part of it. If that happened, he would become part of the bitwall''s consciousness with no feelings, desires, or will of his own.


    As Fhartasil''s Fairyland entered the World of Titan, he quickly adjusted its direction. It gradually landed on the small continent in the World of Titan and slowly integrated into it. With the chanting of the arcanists, the Arcane Magic Network and the Magic Crystal Network spread instantly, an Arcane Ancient Tree rooted into the earth, hordes of Ancient War Trees, farmer treants, Ancient Trees of Life, and other ancient trees were scattered about and the entirety of Fhartasil''s Fairyland assimilated into the half-bitwall.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Watching Fhartasil''s Fairyland blend into the World of Titan, watching the shadow of the huge half bitwall, Catherine, who was standing on top of the Wizard Tower, turned her head.


    "Luck was with you again, Wendy! Let''s return. She has succeeded!"


    The master of the Philosopher Tower, Job, was extremely reluctant as he looked at the sky above. "But we''re so close to it!"


    Cook Bay looked at the half-bitwall with a longing expression. "Legends say that in the depths of the Astral World, there are countless half-bitwalls and many other magical and different worlds. One day, I''ll go there and take a look!"


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    As the Arcane Kingdom took control of the World of Titan, the Arcane Kingdom, which had fallen into the disadvantaged position in the development competition with the Wizard Alliance, gradually caught up. However, this caused the conflict between the Arcane Kingdom and the Wizard Alliance to become more intense.


    The forces of wizard schools under the Wizard Alliance, the Goblin Dynasty, the Dwarf Empire, and the city-states, kingdoms, and duchies under the Arcane Kingdom engaged in war occasionally. Although both sides were still restrained, their competition had become even more intense. And with the loss of the World of Titan, the Wizard Alliance had grown an even stronger desire for the knowledge of the mysterious half-bitwall and other new worlds in the Astral World. The Wizard Alliance had accelerated the process of exploration by taking control of the bitwall.


    The Floating-Space Tower which had stayed within the world had gradually risen within the bitwall. The later batch of mythical wizards built a Floating-Space Tower that was no longer based on war and deterrence within the world, but a tower that was suitable for navigation and exploration in the Astral World.


    The new Floating-Space Tower was also getting increasingly stronger, and its function was beyond human imagination. It had gradually evolved from the Floating-Space Tower into the Boat of the Bitwall.


    Perhaps with the improvement and development of several generations, the Floating-Space Tower of the mythical wizard would one day become a Ship of the Astral World that could explore the Astral World.


    The Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom also began to compete from the ground below, gradually turning their advancements into a competition for space and strategic positions within the bitwall.


    More arcanists and wizards had set their targets beyond the Astral World. They were frantically looking for and exploring the signals of any abnormal spatial fluctuations from the Astral World and clues from the Astral World''s creatures. They were trying to find half-bitwalls from other worlds. They longed for the knowledge of the Astral World. A new occupation had emerged, the Astral World Scholar, which specialized in the knowledge of the Astral World.


    The prelude of the Bitwall Era had begun.

 404 The Daughter of Fate

    Within the highest divine palace in the Floating-space City of The Capital of God.


    Inside the temple, there was a huge blue-colored sphere of light. It was Maria''s World. One could see many tiny nodes and features in it. Similarly, one could also see the model of the World Tree inside the sphere of light, which sustained and supported the entire world. The model of the World Tree had expanded to its limit and enveloped the entirety of Maria''s World. Its branches and leaves had grown to fill every corner of its interior.


    Lu Zhiyu was standing under the sphere of light wearing a peculiar white robe. It looked like a single piece of white cloth wrapped around him. He stood barefoot on the floor. Lu Zhiyu was very relaxed in the attire.


    There was only one person in the huge divine palace. It was empty enough to cause ordinary people to feel lonely and cold, but Lu Zhiyu had long been accustomed to. He was also used to his identity as a Creator and God, and he no longer had the shame he felt in the early days when he thought of himself as a god.


    In last few years, Lu Zhiyu had been full of doubt. As the Creator, he could feel that the final step of the upgrading plan of the world, perfecting of the Divine System and the emergence of the last god, would be a hard nut to crack.


    According to the deduction drawn from Lu Zhiyu from the model of the World Tree, the last god, the God of Fate, would be in charge of fate, but Lu Zhiyu''s deductions had been stalled from that point onward.


    "God of Fate, what a joke!"


    "Can fate really be controlled? So does it mean that the future is unchanged and everything is predestined? In this way, the power of the God of Fate will surpass that of the Creator."


    "If it''s a fully sealed up world, it''s possible, like a game which had the beginning and the end set up. Everyone is struggling in a so-called long river of time and with their destiny, but Maria''s World is an open world with infinite potential and future! Communication with the outside world will cause a change every time and anywhere. Everyone is subject to the vibration of the butterfly''s wings because they trigger a chain reaction."


    Of course, the complete world model had sixteen gods who controlled all the material, energy, space, time, souls, and desires of the whole world. The rules of the Divine System penetrated into the slightest places without leaving any dead space. The final God of Fate would weave the web of fate. The line of fate controlled the destiny of all living beings and all things in the world. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The whole world would be like a stage play that had been completely arranged, and the Divine System would then be thoroughly perfected. It would be a Divine World with stringent guidelines and without any loopholes.


    "There''s another way. Could I degrade the God of Fate into the God of Prognosis and Future? That sounds good. A world without any loopholes will also lose its potential in the future, which is not what I want!"


    Lu Zhiyu then confirmed and acknowledged the last god. As for the candidate for the last god, they had already been selected. Not now, but more than a thousand years before, it had been determined, and it was possible, perhaps, that even before the ancient times, the god had already been unconsciously chosen by Lu Zhiyu!


    Lu Zhiyu stepped out of the temple and entered a floor below the Witchcraft Garden. Eva was sprinkling holy water on a tree covered with bright-colored fruits.


    "Eva! I''m leaving!" As soon as Lu Zhiyu appeared, Eva immediately turned around.


    "Where are you going? Master!" Eva held up the Holy Seal Silver Vessel which she used to sprinkle water. There were two eyes on the Holy Seal Silver Vessel. The nozzle nose looked like an elephant''s nose at a quick glance. It was an alchemic being, and its shape was lovely.


    "Maria''s World!" After Lu Zhiyu spoke, he shuttled through the dimensional door and disappeared from The Capital of God.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    After the collapse of the Pusuote Empire, the original Batko region, the Northern part of Tuten and the Eastern part of the exotic region occupied by the Pusuote Empire declared independence one after another. The collapse of the powerful Pusuote Empire whose territory had spanned over most of the Alen Continent had brought about the disappearance of peace and the emergence of war.


    In the latter period, many people attempted to revive the power and prosperity of the Pusuote Empire but they never succeeded. No one could revive the territory of the Batko Empire or unify the Batko region.


    With the advent of the Magic Crystal Era, that area was still a symbol of war and chaos. The faith in the Temple of Sky was still flourishing, but the spokesperson of God had changed continuously.


    In the Western Batko region, however, a new faith had gradually emerged, which was quite normal in Maria''s World. There were always a few powerful saints who managed to acquire some of the incomplete World Tree Model Template and found ways to become gods. People were always eager to try and become the next god, but most of them had very tragic ends.


    Because most of them died in the process of igniting the divine fire, some of them burned themselves to death. Some of them ignited the divine fire in an attempt to condense their divinity. However, they would soon realize that the position had already been occupied when they were punished and destroyed by the gods whose toes they had stepped on. Of course, there were a few lucky people who were chosen by God to supplement the Divine System and expand the divinity, and thereby became the True God''s Side-God.


    Most of the believers in that new faith were ordinary people and poor people in the western region. They believed in Goddess of Fate and they were led by a teenage girl who they called the Daughter of Fate.


    In the Sea of Death of the Great Kafra Desert.


    Several Steam Alchemy Trucks went through the desert. All of the Steam Alchemy Trucks had been remodified. The original trunks had been dismantled and converted into steam locomotives capable of transporting people.


    A chimney was hoisted on the front of the truck. When the truck was running, boiling steam would pop out from it. Most of the trucks looked old and worn. The coat of paint on the fronts of the trucks had worn off. Some of the steel rings were rusted, and there were even patches on top of the tarpaulin of the trunk.


    The desert road was extremely uneven and the trucks would bump up and down. The people riding in them were all people from Batko with the typical features of the Batko region.


    The Sea of Death had been called the Sea of Death for more than 1,000 years, but since mankind had conquered the sky, the earth, and even the bitwall, the Sea of Death was no longer a place where death happened.


    The professionals of the Temple of Sky historically weren''t good at forestry or the irrigation of rivers. With the advent of the Magic Crystal Era, although the original barren Batko area gradually became rich and fertile and the rivers broadened, the Sea of Death remained as it was.


    A convoy drove into a small oasis in the desert with small houses, dilapidated wooden shacks, and temporary tents. To the southwest of the oasis there was a Jujube Forest that protected the oasis from being hit by sandstorms. There were steam locomotives, old hot-air balloon airships, and Alchemy Sand Dredges in the oasis, which could sail in the sea of sand.


    With the arrival of the convoy, all the people in the oasis rushed out excitedly. A few hundred people all seemed to be waiting for the arrival of someone. When the passengers arrived, from a truck in the middle of the convoy, a strong male professional in a long black robe alighted and knelt on the ground, then several Batko women with headscarves and veils emerged with a young girl.


    Dressed in a black cloak with black thin chiffon masking her face, the girl had short dark wavy hair and stunning eyes. The most attractive thing was her irises which were blue, but not the usual kind of blue. They were light blue, closer to green, and were as transparent as the sky. It was a pair of eyes that could reflect everyone''s inner self.


    Everyone in the oasis knelt down and shouted the name of the young girl in the language of Batko as if it was the holy name of a god. It was as if they believed in the absolute supremacy of this young girl.


    "Natasha, the magnificent Daughter of Fate!" A young man whose lips were dried up and cracked because of lack of water shouted her name enthusiastically.


    "Daughter of Fate, Natasha!"


    "All hail the Goddess of Fate!"


    Crowds of men and women followed the girl and screamed hysterically. As the young girl''s feet touched the sandy land, a miracle happened. Green buds grew little by little throughout the land, and the little green buds turned into lawns and quickly proliferated and spread everywhere.


    Flowers grew among the grass and young saplings emerged from the ground. In the blink of an eye, they grew into big trees, while the mouth of a fresh spring emerged under the girl''s feet and gradually formed a lake. In that way, the girl stepped on the surface of the water and slowly entered the oasis.


    That magical scene had driven the followers of the Goddess of Fate crazy. They kowtowed and shouted the name of Daughter of Fate, Natasha. That was the typical level of enthusiasm the people had for the Goddess of Fate, so the secret arrival of the young girl, the legendary Daughter of Fate, Natasha, had caused an uproar.


    With the arrival of Natasha, the Daughter of Fate, the oasis continued to expand and more and more Batko people arrived and gathered there. In the barren Sea of Death of the Great Kafra Desert, the establishment of a magical Desert City had begun.


    Legend had it that this was a city that could only be found by the believers in the Goddess of Fate. It was hidden in the deepest part of the Sea of Death. It was absolutely impossible for outsiders to find or see. Everyone who arrived there believed that they were guided by fate.


    Legend had it that if they arrived at the city, they could see the great Daughter of Fate, accept her enlightenment, and see their future and the trajectory of their destiny. Hence, people in Batko called the city the Enlightenment City.

 405 Using the Whole World as a Be

    Lu Zhiyu crossed the streets of Enlightenment City. They had built a defense wall outside the original oasis and the Jujube Forest had become even larger, plentiful and substantial fruits growing on the trees.


    The magic radio in the shop on the street played the channel from the Pusuote region. The soprano was melodious and pleasing to the ears. The sand-colored stone buildings seemed to have camouflaged and fused with the desert until they were one. The sand on the ground was hot, yet the people in the city seldom wore shoes.


    Lu Zhiyu walked along the spacious road and through the town square, arriving at the Temple of Fate. Most of the priestesses in the temple were women wearing black robes and veils. The thin robes couldn''t conceal the graceful figures of the Batko women. But any believer who arrived there dared not have any frivolous or evil thoughts toward them.


    Above the dome of the Temple of Fate was an eye. The moment one saw it, it gave them a feeling that one could see through all fates through the long passage of time.


    Lu Zhiyu walked up the stairway in front of the Temple of Fate. He ignored the praying and begging of the people in front of the temple. He had walked all the way to the temple because, on that day, The Daughter of Fate wasn''t praying for blessings or enlightening anyone, so the temple was empty.


    Lu Zhiyu could see everyone from there. There was a thread of consciousness on the body that led directly to the Temple of Fate. In Enlightenment City, the thread of consciousness emanating from the consciousness of all people weaved into a huge net above the city.


    When Lu Zhiyu stepped inside, all the priestesses in the temple knelt on the ground as if they had known he was coming.


    Lu Zhiyu walked towards the middle of the temple and the Eyes of Fate on the dome seemed to be watching him. There were many pillars in the empty hall, each of them carved with stories about fate.


    The young girl with a black veil sat cross-legged on top of it. She saw Lu Zhiyu and, in an instant, her sky-blue eyes were attached to him, trying to gain insight and understand him thoroughly.


    Lu Zhiyu walked toward her and stopped more than ten meters in front of her, sitting on the blanket beneath the steps where she would pray and enlighten her believers. Lu Zhiyu sat at a lower position compared to her. She looked down at him from above, but somehow, it made the priestesses feel that Fate was trembling.


    "I knew you were coming, Creator!" said the young girl with the black veil.


    Lu Zhiyu looked up at her and said, "That''s really terrific! The power of fate!" Then he sighed. "I didn''t think you really existed. What should I call you, Daughter of the World, The Daughter of Fate, or Maria?"


    Yes, Natasha was the reincarnation of the world''s consciousness. After the creation of Maria''s World, with the continuous advancement of Maria''s World, the formation of the world''s consciousness began to come into being. And the name of Maria, which was chosen as a joke by Lu Zhiyu in the past, had seemingly determined her image and gender.


    If there had been no Lu Zhiyu, she would have been the first God born naturally in Maria''s World and the genuine master of Maria''s World, but everything had changed because of the emergence of Lu Zhiyu.


    She was born too late, and when she appeared, everything was already established. She was the last god that was born.


    Lu Zhiyu had been unconsciously suppressing her birth prior to this, but when he was at the last step of perfecting the Divine System, he found that only when she was integrated into the Divine System could Maria''s World be transformed into the real Divine Kingdom. This was because she represented the world.


    Natasha sized up Lu Zhiyu and Lu Zhiyu sized her up too. She was the first person to be born with a sacred existence, and her birth represented the will of the world. She was a Level Seven Mythical Being at birth, she was an inherent god.


    She was born to be a being of Mythical Life. In her body, it was very difficult for Lu Zhiyu to see the feelings and strong desire like he could in ordinary people. Instead, there was a superior and non-human temperament which was extremely cold and ethereal.


    There was a great difference between Natasha and Lu Zhiyu. The existence of gods and other Mythical Beings which had gotten rid of the restraints of the body and advanced as gods had formed their personality imprints. Emotions and desires were just part of the personality imprint. Even if they became gods, emotions and desires would go along with them.


    But the young girl in front of him was different. She was born into the world without the shackles of the body. She was born sacred.


    Lu Zhiyu didn''t know how to make a comment on which was a better definition of god; whether the existence of natural gods was more in line with the definition of gods, or whether gods of his kind, which had advanced from mortals, suited the definition.


    "Are you here to destroy me?" Natasha looked at Lu Zhiyu without a tinge of fear.


    "No, I''m here to seek enlightenment!" Lu Zhiyu smiled.


    Natasha asked, "Can the Creator feel confused?"


    "Yes, even the Creator can''t fathom his own fate!" Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Since you''re the Daughter of Fate, I wanted to ask, what is fate?"


    "Fate is the trajectory of all life forms!"


    The two beings asked and answered interchangeably, the questions were straightforward and simple, and the answers were straightforward and simple, too.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    Then Lu Zhiyu asked a tough question. "What''s my fate?"


    Natasha looked up. "The fate of the immortal is immortality! The undead have no fate. Fate is reincarnation, fate is destiny, and without death, there''s no reincarnation, there''s no destiny!"


    "The life of ordinary people is a long river, flowing from top to bottom, and I''m in charge of fate. As long as I''m standing on the long river of time, I can calculate their futures and life trajectory. But the fate of the immortal is round, there''s never an end!"


    Lu Zhiyu felt a little disappointed. He had expected to see something different. He didn''t expect that it was so simple. "The circle will be broken, and it''s just that you can''t fathom it now!"


    But Natasha replied, "That''s because you''ve limited my future. Without you, I would be the real Goddess of Fate, in charge of everyone''s destiny!"


    Natasha fixed her gaze on Lu Zhiyu. There was a slight fluctuation in the girl''s sky-blue eyes. She didn''t know whether it was longing, helplessness, or regret. "When I was born, it should have been the beginning of everything, but I realize it''s the end of everything!"


    "Because I''m your Creator! I''m also the Creator of the world!"


    "You believe in fate. Isn''t this your fate?"


    The beautiful face beneath Natasha''s veil showed a trace of mockery. "Fate? No, I''m just a god who can''t control her own destiny¡­"


    "Goddess of Fate!"


    Lu Zhiyu sunk into his own thoughts for a good moment, then he looked up and asked, "Do you want to bet?" As he said that, Lu Zhiyu looked energetic all of a sudden as if he was a child. "The chip of the bet will be¡­ this world!"


    Natasha looked at Lu Zhiyu. The way Lu Zhiyu made a bet using the world as a chip was akin to tossing a coin out from his pocket, it was insignificant and unimportant. "What are you betting on?" Natasha''s usually indifferent eyes, like the light of stars, were constantly being stirred up because of the man in front of her.


    "Fate!" Lu Zhiyu said excitedly.


    Natasha was unable to comprehend him. "In your eyes, can the world be easily used as a chip for a bet?"


    Lu Zhiyu nodded. "Of course, neither this world nor the Crystal Wall System is important in my eyes. The world is just a combination of energy and material. As long as I master its knowledge and truth, and then possess material energy and time, I can produce one after another."


    "If I''m not bored by it, I can make infinite numbers of them, but what does it mean to me to have so many worlds and a huge Crystal Wall System? It''s like the gold coins that can only be looked at but can''t be spent. Meanwhile, I''m a ridiculous miser guarding the treasures. If you can discover and unravel the truth about fate, then why not?"


    "Even if I lose the whole Crystal Wall System, I''ll take the people I cherish and leave. It''ll merely take thousands of years, tens of thousands of years, to re-create a Crystal Wall System, perhaps a more perfect, more beautiful and magical Crystal Wall System."


    "Bu only if you can do it!"

 406 The Goddess of Fate

    Natasha thought about it for a long time, as if she was counting the possibilities with the help of the power of the Daughter of Fate and of the entire world.


    Lu Zhiyu was in no hurry. Although he thought Natasha was unlikely to accomplish it, human wisdom was infinite. There must be a time when they could surprise Lu Zhiyu by accomplishing the unexpected.


    It took until the sun had set on the hilltop, but Natasha finally looked at Lu Zhiyu indifferently and said, "I give up!"


    "Not giving it a try before giving up?" As Lu Zhiyu waited, he sat on the rug near the stariway, leaning on it and looking at the sunset beyond the temple above the desert.


    "Because this is a paradox in itself. Even if I put all people, including gods, into the web of fate, the existence of the Goddess of Fate is the biggest destroyer of the tight system of fate. That is unless I give up all consciousness and personality and become an observer of fate!" Natasha didn''t move an inch. She sat there like a statue. She would never move an inch unless necessary.


    Natasha looked at Lu Zhiyu and said, "And even if I succeed in the end, it''s not what you wanted. What you wanted was to explore is the essence of fate, the truth of causality. You didn''t want to see your own fat, you want to break it at the moment of seeing it and be a master of it at the same time."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Natasha and said, "So you''ve already owned your own will, not just the world''s consciousness!"


    Natasha didn''t deny it. "Hence, I''m Natasha, not Maria!"


    "Then you''re a Goddess of Fate who can''t control her own fate!" Lu Zhiyu quipped.


    "Sometimes, it''s a terrible thing to see your own fate! Without a fate that can''t be changed, the world would be so wonderful!"


    "Maybe fate isn''t destined to remain unchanged, maybe fate is only a guide for everyone to see the possibility of their future, and then they can choose to develop in their preferred direction! Perhaps this is the reason why I became the Daughter of Fate, it''s also the choice and desire of all living beings!" Natasha said, and there was a divine brilliance sparkling in her eyes.


    "Everyone''s prayer towards fate is to hope for a good change. Those who pray and believe in me didn''t want to see their doomed fate, but to change their own fate."


    It seemed that it was because of Lu Zhiyu''s prompting that her thought process was geared towards what he''d hoped for her to gradually understand. Now, at last, she spoke in that way.


    Lu Zhiyu saw more and more brilliance radiating off Natasha''s body, and the web of fate which had densely covered the sky above Enlightenment City was completely torn and broken. Those believers of fate who were previously like marionettes struggled and broke free from some kind of bondage.


    Originally, the city had looked like a marionette city, a stiff and lethargic desert city. It suddenly seemed to glow with a new radiance.


    The brilliance which symbolized fate was glowing on Natasha, the Daughter of Fate, and the radiance scattered and lit up the entire Temple of Fate.


    In the night sky over Enlightenment City, one could see luminescent spots and threads pouring out of the Temple of Fate, akin to fireflies filling the Desert City. It was beautiful and full of hope and vitality.


    The Goddess of Fate''s Divine Shadow rose from the temple bit by bit. The Divine Shadow reached thousands of meters into the clouds, visible from thousands of miles away, appearing as if it could directly touch the stars in the sky.


    The people in Enlightenment City hadn''t yet fallen asleep. Many people followed the fireflies and the Divine Shadow out of their houses and into the street, immediately seeing the shocking scene.


    Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of people rushed out. After that, tens of thousands, more than 300,000 people in Enlightenment City came out and gazed in the direction of the Temple of Fate. The lights and shadows of the goddess were mysterious. Among the brilliance of the mysterious Light of Fate, an illusory and hazy image of the goddess was tangled, the entire body hidden in the ambiguous dark robes, the face of the Goddess of Fate concealed by the veil, akin to unfathomable fate itself.


    "The Goddess of Fate... has descended?" A lean, yellow-skinned old man in the noblest black robe of the Temple of Fate walked out of his house and knelt to the ground in an instant.


    "The True God we believe in! Are you really answering our prayers?" asked a housewife, bringing along her whole family to cheer at the sight of the Goddess of Fate. They were the poor people of the Moru Kingdom, North of Batko. Because they couldn''t survive the bankruptcy, they had come to the city under the guidance of the Goddess of Fate and that had changed their family''s fate.


    "Look! It''s God! It''s really God!" Batko''s child had darker skin, and his brother stood on the top of a steam truck with his younger sister and younger brother in his arms, looking in the direction of the Temple of Fate in the distance, shouting excitedly.


    His younger sister in his arms said, "It''s the Goddess of Fate!"


    "It''s the Goddess of Fate who brings us good luck!"


    "The Goddess of Fate who saved our family! I offer you our most pious belief and hope that you can bless us and my children forever!"


    "Goddess of Fate, please relieve me from my misery and save me from my sorrow!"


    At that moment, Natasha heard the voices and heartfelt wishes of everyone. It was the desires of all living beings in the world. She looked down Lu Zhiyu.


    "Maybe this is fate, this... it''s the real Goddess of Fate!"


    On the top of the sky, there seemed to be an unusual movement above the clouds, as if the whole world was calling for the last god''s arrival. The world was longing for her to become a god.


    All the stars and Star Kingdoms appeared in the sky at the same time, just like when the Divine System had appeared and when the World Tree Model was first discovered. At that time, the peculiar emergence of all the stars symbolized a beginning, while their present emergence symbolized an end. They were symbolizing the perfection of the Divine System.


    "Stars, so many stars, big ones!" In the airship flying above the clouds, a little girl looked out through the glass window and shouted loudly, immediately waking up the sleeping passengers.


    Her father wiped his eyes and said incredulously, "It''s not a star, it''s a god! It''s the Star Kingdoms!"


    At the top of St. Sarl City, the Temple of Light looked as if it was built above the clouds. The current High Priest of the Church of Light looked at the Divine Kingdom and asked, "What''s going to happen this time?"


    "I wonder it''s a good or bad thing!"


    Every clergyman, king, noble, or ordinary person in the whole world seemed to have a hunch that something important was happening in the world.


    The divine personality of the God of Prognosis and Future, also known as the divine personality of the Goddess of Fate, fell from the star and transformed into the brightest light, it was akin to a meteor falling from the bitwall, eager to meet its master.


    When the divine personality of the Goddess of Fate fell down, it fell into Natasha''s body like a blazing fire. Natasha''s divine body had undergone tremendous changes. Her robes were dancing and swept over the city, instantly scattering a massive flare that scattered over the whole city.


    Many people in Enlightenment City, in the midst of the blazing brilliance, became Natasha''s clergymen and accepted the divine seed of the Goddess of Fate.


    The black robe and black yarn which had symbolized the mysterious nature of Natasha faded gradually, and the robe turned white little by little. It had transformed into a friendly and bright color. Her mysterious and elusive aura from before was transformed into one of hope and warmth.


    And the veil which had masked her face also gradually faded. It revealed a beautiful and delicate face, as well as eyes the color of a clear blue sky. Everyone could see the face of the Goddess of Fate.


    At that moment, everyone in Enlightenment City jumped up and down madly. They cheered for the goddess, shouting her holy name and praying to her.


    "I saw the face of the Goddess of Fate, and I looked straight at my own destiny!"


    "Good luck was favoring us!"


    "The Goddess loves us all!"


    The city was brightly lit. Many people took out their alchemy vapor lamps and waved them on the rooftops. The whole city seemed to have transformed into a starry sky on land. The lamps and candles of myriad families gathered in one place and it looked like the milky way.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The Goddess was in a beautiful white robe, and with a mysterious smile she said, "Fate is in your own hands!"


    Immediately afterward, a divine stairway leading to the Star Kingdom was seen and the Goddess of Fate followed the ladder of light, ascending to the clouds to enter the Star Kingdom.


    When Lu Zhiyu watched the last God ascend her throne, he knew that the last piece of the puzzle of the Divine System had finally been placed and that Maria''s World and he himself would face the greatest changes as a result.

 407 Creator I

    Seventeen Star Kingdoms appeared at the same time across the night sky. The web of divine power intertwined and extended continuously along the bitwall, revealing itself from amid the darkness.


    The earth, sky, professionals, mortals, animals, and even hell and the souls within it were all suddenly connected to that vast network of the gods. Seventeen Star Kingdoms and gods supported everything, forming the cornerstone of the world.


    If one looked into Maria''s World from the outside at that moment, it would look to them as though the huge lights and shadows of the World Tree had magically appeared in the world''s interior. It''s tallest branches and leaves penetrated the sky, the Star Kingdoms, and the bitwall. The enormous roots went deep down into hell and touched the essence of reincarnation.


    Every single person, every single being, even the lifeless forms and gods were on that tree, bound together with the tree. The World Tree that originally existed as a template for the world and had set it up was now growing out of Maria''s World.


    The world''s cornerstone, which served the Star Kingdoms as its core, had blossomed with brilliant and radiant light. On it, the searing light of divinity and divine personality itself had appeared.


    "Light, sun, death!" The Star Kingdom ushered the sun into the sky. The moon and the sun, the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host, appeared simultaneously. At the same time, the Star Kingdom of Death, which represented death and hell, also appeared out of the earth.


    From the world''s three largest religions and kingdoms of faith came countless believers who kneeled and prayed to their gods.


    "Four Seasons, Night, Ocean, Machinery, Master, Earth, Storm, Time!" Every church and its followers looked up to see their gods. Whether they were human beings, orcs, semi-orcs, elves, sahagins, or magical beasts, they all could find the Star Kingdom they believed in.


    "The God of Civilization and Wisdom! The God of Commerce and Trade! The God of History and Race!" A large number of believers in the Kingdom of Sumerian waved their hands at the sky and cheered. The colossus figure of Frank appeared in the Square of the Three Gods of Civilization in Niyah, holding the Slate of Civilization up high. The slate seemed to be echoing with the voices of those in the Star Kingdoms up above.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    On top of Alva''s enormous Magic Crystal Tower sat the largest Magic Crystal in the world. At that moment, it began radiating a dazzling brilliance of mana glow. The whole city of Niyah was illuminated by the brilliance and the city looked like something in a dream. The magic crystal warlocks on the tower prayed to Alva, the God of Magic Crystal, who rewarded them with magic crystals.


    Even at night, there were still many scholars, students, and professionals going in and out of The Grand Library of Wilbert. Suddenly, a large number of professionals wearing their scholar''s robes stopped on the stairs.


    "The God of Space and Exploration! The God of Desire and Prayer!"


    "Who is the last one? I''ve never seen it! It''s like an eye!" More people looked at the overwhelming radiance of the cornerstones of the world. Although they didn''t understand what was going on, they noticed a god there that they had never seen before.


    "That''s Fate. I''ve seen it when I visited the Batko area. It''s the symbol of the Goddess of Fate! A belief that exists only in the desert, a faith from a very remote and small area. Unexpectedly, there is a True God behind it!" A scholar from The Grand Library of Wilbert recognized it immediately. The highly-educated scholars were tasked with recording every race in the world and the history and beliefs behind them. Because of this, they now had the largest library in the world, The Grand Library of Wilbert. The library belonged to Wilbert, The God of History and Race.


    The brilliant light of divine power covered the entire world and assimilated the entire world. The Divine Kingdom''s Network Host in the sky, the huge silver moon, had already reached the top of the World Tree.


    The Divine Kingdom''s Network Host controlled the entire world and recorded everything, from its origin to the present, every mark of life, birth, and death were all recorded in the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host. The modification of every rule, the agreements of gods, and the original data of the world could all be found there.


    Every little bit of the world, every single God and their authority originated from that. It brought together all the lines of divine powers, and the one controlling and governing the Divine Kingdom''s Network was the Goddess of Light, Kelly.


    All the floating islands which had originally circled in the middle of the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host dispersed and merged into their Star Kingdoms and the bodies of their gods respectively. Each of the divine thrones represented the authority of their gods and their authority within the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host.


    There were only two divine thrones left in the sky of the Kingdom of Light, one represented the Goddess of Light, and the other was the divine throne of the Creator!


    At that moment, the empty divine throne of the Creator suddenly sparkled with brilliant radiance. A pillar of light shot down the sky and ran through the entire Kingdom of Light, passing through everything in the kingdom. The white radiance enveloped the whole world.


    Ding!


    All the rules that had kept the whole world running halted. Even the river of time had stopped, no longer flowing. No rainwater fell, it had paused in mid-air. No light spread and life forms lost their ability to act and think. In the original, grand, and prosperous world, countless beings from different races had become stuck in a freeze-frame all at the same time.


    The whole world had turned into a motionless picture. It was like a huge epic film, and someone had suddenly pressed the pause button.


    Kelly looked at the divine throne opposite her and could see that one of the pillars of light, the Divine Shadow, which had bolted down from the sky, was condensing. It was magnificent. Not the Kingdom of Light, not even the whole world seemed able to accommodate him.


    "Lord, you''ve finally returned to your own kingdom!" Kelly looked at the familiar figure opposite her as if she had been looking forward to him.


    Lu Zhiyu sat on top of the Divine Kingdom which belonged to the Creator. He could feel the power of the gods and the limits of authority that the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host had over the world.


    However, the first action Lu Zhiyu took was to give an order to the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host, Gaia. "Cancel the authority of the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host! Gaia! Transfer to me the power of the Star Kingdom and the network host''s data of the world!"


    "Confirming the limits of authority! From the supreme authority of the Creator!" The robotic voice of Gaia, the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host, suddenly sounded.


    "Accept... accept... orders!" At the time to execute the final order, Gaia didn''t know why, but it paused. Gaia, who was supposed to have no emotions or feelings, seemed to have felt its imminent doom.


    The whole of Silver Moon had undergone tremendous fluctuations. The secondary brain of the original Divine Kingdom''s Network Host, Gaia, collapsed in an instant. It had turned into countless bits of data and runes as it merged into the Kingdom of Light.


    Within the Kingdom of Light, under the divine throne, one could see the vast Kingdom of Heaven. It had several huge cities of god, saints who had risen into the Kingdom of Light thousands of years ago, and an angel with white wings who was radiating holy light.


    When they looked up, they could see the divine throne of the Creator and his Divine Shadow. At that moment, the dense and substantial cloud of data and runes emanated from the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host. It filled up the entire Kingdom of Light and merged into the light pillar, pouring into the divine body of the Creator.


    The original Divine Kingdom''s Network Host and the world Lu Zhiyu had created had borrowed power from the picture scroll. Lu Zhiyu didn''t have the divine power of a Creator or that of the seventeen gods, so instead of having their godly power bestowed by Lu Zhiyu, their power was actually bestowed by the picture scroll.


    Lu Zhiyu had truly ascended to the divine throne of the Creator and become a real creator. Lu Zhiyu was receiving the whole world from the power of the picture scroll. The Divine Kingdom''s Network Host which was designed by Lu Zhiyu to drive the sovereign power of his creation was no longer necessary. Gaia was dying out little by little as it transferred the world''s data to him.

 408 Creator II

    Lu Zhiyu sat on the divine throne of the Creator. He seemed to have aquired another perspective at that moment. He watched the birth and development of the whole of Maria''s World, the birth and death of every being and race.


    He saw an albino bear running on the grassland, the mouse-people trying to catch prey with a stone spear, the traces of life gradually appearing in the ocean. He saw the growth of all things, the reproduction of life, the birth of civilization. It was a world full of vitality.


    And then, he saw himself.


    It was the first time he had set foot in Maria''s World. At that time, he was only twenty years old, young and immature. He''d first appeared on a hillside on the Red River Plains. At that time, the orcs were only mouse-people and human beings hadn''t appeared. He was just an ordinary person then, a vulnerable, ordinary person who could only live for less than 100 years. A fragile life that could be extinguished so easily.


    Behind him was the dense and primitive jungle and in front of him was a massive and broad river. There were many animals drinking from the water beside the river. Birds were singing in the jungle, eagles were gliding through the sky, and fat rabbits were running on the grassy slope.


    The twenty-year-old him rushed excitedly down the hillside, frightening the animals at the riverside. The animals dispersed in an uproar. He stood by the riverside and looked up at the blue sky, as if the old him was exchanging a gaze with the present him at that moment.


    They were divided by thousands of years, yet they looked at each other. Everything was like samsara... Everything began with him and also ended with him.


    But at that time, with that old him, his gaze was filled with excitement, expectant and hopeful. His smiling face had been incomparably sincere, but now there was only a mysterious face hidden behind the Divine Shadow. He was wearing the Mask of Faross with the sun engravings on his face, and under the mask was a pair of eyes that looked absent of emotions.


    With the birth of civilization, the orcs established a city-state of civilization, and the twelfth generation of Orc Kings ruled Saga City, one after another. When Ahenaten, the Golden King, killed Costa, the twelfth generation Wolf King, the era of mankind was proclaimed.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    He saw Ahenaten, a young man who had traveled with him to the Kingdom of Orc, grow old little by little until, in his palace, he begged bitterly for eternal life from Lu Zhiyu. Finally, he held onto the Sword of the King and looked at the portrait of himself at the moment when he had received a revelation from his god, Lu Zhiyu, and died reluctantly.


    War, fighting, the substitution of dynasties and the advancement of civilization. The dynasty established by Ahenaten, the Golden King, perished. On the remote Yala Continent, he''d planted his first Tree of Life and embraced Mehare, the world''s first elf, with his own hands.


    The tribes and city-states of the orcs had surrounded and fought with Saga City for thousands of years while human beings had split apart and merged. After the Golden Dynasty, there emerged the Silver Dynasty of the Prolis Empire and the Bronze Dynasty of the Tyron Empire. At last, the Iron Dynasty of the Crete Empire emerged. At the same time, human beings continued to travel to distant places, the Batko region, the Exotic Kingdom, and the Tuten region. Human civilization began to emerge.


    He created and killed Sakun himself. The blood of the ancient God of the Sea diffused all over the ocean; it announced for the arrival of an extraordinary era!


    Sahagins, Titan Dragons, and all kinds of magical beasts appeared in the world. Saintess Kelly gained her own ichor. The first pope, Pope Hodap, established the Kingdom of the Church of Light.


    The first Wizard Tower rose in the Black Forest. The first generation of wizards came and arrived with the oldest alchemy ship, the SS Eternity. Bohr, Akkad, Uruk, Leves, Henry, Wendy, Catherine, and Wolfe, all those familiar figures appeared in front of Lu Zhiyu one by one. That was when they were at their youngest; each one owned a pair of eyes which reflected innocence and dreams back then.


    In his dream, he gave Kelly the Mask of Faross, he nudged forward the supernatural era of Titan Dragons, magical beasts, gods, and wizards to their peaks. The saints established the divine system in baptism. Rooney, the one who was loved by God, destroyed the Kingdom of Luhmann and established the Kingdom of Rosa d''Oro. Leves went crazy as he roared madly at his punishment of death by burning.


    With a lovely pair of lion''s ears, Verthandi acted in a pettishly charming manner. He took her around the world and explored the world with her. He gave her the Sword of the King and the power of the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host because she was a real descendant of God and the chosen one of heaven.


    With the rise and unification of the orcs, the Lion King, Will, established the Holy Seville Empire and the war between humans and orcs broke out again.


    The Crete Empire of the Iron Dynasty perished, the Holy Seville Empire crumbled, the Tuten Dynasty vanished, and the Pusuote Empire succumbed, countless large and small countries withered and new countries were rebuilt among the ruins.


    The Era of the Sea had arrived!


    Thousands of sailing ships and alchemy ships competed for hegemony over the ocean. A large number of professionals, derived from the perfection of the divine system, maneuvered across the ocean. Wizards explored every corner of the world. Elves walked out of the Yala Continent and the Mermaid Kingdom dominated the world within the ocean.


    With the arrival of the Era of Gods, numerous powerful professionals competed with and killed each other for divinity and divine personality in order to ascend the divine throne. They came to hold the Star Kingdom above the clouds. The Goddess of Harvest, Bernice, the Legendary Adventurer, Marina, the Queen of Mermaids, Gina, the Lord Torvald, Jonathan, the fourth-generation Master of the Wizard Tower, Edward, and so on. There were successful cases and unsuccessful cases, but Lu Zhiyu was incomparably familiar with all those figures.


    The civilization on earth was also advancing by the ancient way of survival. Then, with the emergence of the three gods of civilization, the age of Magic Crystal had arrived!


    One after another, people or things which Lu Zhiyu was familiar with continued to vanish, and finally, nothing was left.


    "So long¡­ I''ve lived for so long!"


    Lu Zhiyu sat on the divine throne of the Creator and looked at the world''s aboriginal information recorded by Divine Kingdom''s Network Host. At the same time, all the rules and information explored by the seventeen gods flowed into Lu Zhiyu''s body.


    Lu Zhiyu had mastered every rule that seventeen gods had explored and understood, and every rule and piece of information related to the aboriginal of the world had been carved into the Divine Shadow of Lu Zhiyu.


    Massive amounts of information in the form of light continued to rush into the body of Lu Zhiyu, and the divine body of Lu Zhiyu was undergoing dramatic changes. From the memory of the world to the deeper degree of rules, Lu Zhiyu saw the composition of the world, the tiniest parts of the world, every rule, and every basic particle.


    Lu Zhiyu seemed to have seen a gate, the door to the truth, the door to the true sovereignty of a Creator.


    At that moment, Lu Zhiyu completely grasped the power of a Creator. Even without the picture scroll, he could create a new world. The current growth of Maria''s World didn''t have a significant use for Lu Zhiyu any longer. The various powers and abilities of the Creator were constantly transformed into various bit of knowledge and truth and became part of Lu Zhiyu. They awaited being used and digested by Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu had mastered everything. The huge light pillars had dispersed and even his divine power was vanishing. It was like he was returning to his original simplicity. He revealed his original appearance, transformed into a huge human figure, and sat on the divine throne of the Creator.


    At the same time, there was a series of glimmering lights twinkling in the Kingdom of Light. One by one, several floating islands of the divine throne appeared in the sky of the Kingdom of Light. The floating islands of the seventeen divine thrones, together with the throne of the Creator, formed into a circle.


    The difference was that, at that moment, on every throne, there was a Divine Shadow that emitted a strong divine radiance. Seventeen gods were looking at the throne of the Creator and at Lu Zhiyu at the same time.


    Many gods had known the identity of the Creator long before this and they had even guessed the real identity of Lu Zhiyu. They were still uncertain then, but now when they were facing Lu Zhiyu as the Creator, they could feel his irresistible power. No matter what the power, authority, and rules were, when in front of him and his power, it was significant.


    The Gods were no longer superior. They were waiting merely at the feet of that man.


    Lu Zhiyu, who was hidden behind the Mask of Faross, scanned every god. Some smiled, some looked afraid and frightened, some were at a loss, some seemed to have no expression or emotion. Even the other most powerful god expressed the various characteristics of a human then.


    Lu Zhiyu stretched out his hand, reached to the Mask of Faross on his face, and slowly took it down. It exposed his black hair and the face underneath the mask. He wanted everyone to see his true appearance. He ignored the confusion of various gods. The gods didn''t know why Lu Zhiyu did that, but many of the gods who were present looked at his face and their gazes suddenly settled down, as if they had received the answer and closure they wanted.


    Lu Zhiyu stood up and the Creator''s divine throne disappeared behind him bit by bit as his entire body transformed into blurry starlight that dissipated in the Kingdom of Light.


    "Now! This world belongs to all of you!"

 409 Welcome Back

    The sky of the Floating-space City in the Capital of God was glowing with a marvelous light, and a brilliant colorful ray passed through and surounded the entire Capital of God. Lu Zhiyu emerged out of the light without using a dimensional door. His appearance in the midst of the light meant that the existence of space was now meaningless to him.


    The vastness of the Capital of God was almost the same as that of a whole continent. Outside the City of God inhabited by Lu Zhiyu and Eva, there were all kinds of magical beasts, animals, and fairies living on the vast continent, as well as towns and cities belonging to fairies.


    Eva was at the top of the Witchcraft Garden, her silver hair coiled behind her head. She was in a gorgeous pale-colored classical dress. She looked as if she had been standing here and waiting for Lu Zhiyu to come home since he left.


    She quietly stood by the beautiful fountain in the Magical Plant Garden. She wore a look of expectancy on her face while she waited.


    Lu Zhiyu descended beside Eva. Eva stretched out her arm to hug him. When she saw him, she found that Lu Zhiyu was in a strange state, as if he was there with her, but also in some other space.


    Eva couldn''t even feel the huge fluctuation of divine power in Lu Zhiyu when she looked at him It was as if he had lost his Mythical Power. If she wasn''t looking at him in his real form, she wouldn''t have been able to feel his presence at all. It was as if the two parties weren''t in the same dimension anymore.


    Her hand went through the shadow of Lu Zhiyu. She couldn''t touch him. She was stunned for a moment, but she still stepped forward, trying to hug Lu Zhiyu''s body in vain.


    "Master, welcome home!"


    When Lu Zhiyu landed in the Capital of God, he saw that the unique forces belonging to the Creator had eroded the Capital of God and that everything in the Capital of God had stopped moving.


    "My Level Seven mythical template was called ''Dream Controller.'' When I reached Level Eight, I built the Divine Kingdom''s Network Host which I called ''Lord of Dreams.'' When I reached Level Nine, I had wanted to name it ''King of Dreams!'' But at this point, I''ve discovered that the so-called ''King of Dreams'' is actually the Creator, and the so-called world is the dream of the creator! It was born in a dream and will die when one wakes up from it! Look! This is the power of the Creator, and I call this the ''Light of the Source,'' the brilliance and power of every being''s beginning!"


    The Capital of God had transformed into a ball of light, and all the beings in its presence seemed to be transformed into shadows. With the ball''s rotation, the structure of the Capital of God became extremely complex and odd, and even the internal vertices and lines bulged outwards.


    "Four Dimensions!"


    "Five Dimensions!"


    When one was standing outside the Capital of God, they could see the continuous rotation of the place and how the whole structure continued to expand and magnify. Through the exterior surface, the scene inside the Capital of God could be seen. That was a view that was only achievable when one looked from the three-dimensional perspective at the high-dimensional objects.


    "Three Dimensions!"


    "Two Dimensions!"


    And as the Capital of God revolved another time, it returned to normal again, the dimensions which had been climbing upwards went back down.


    At last, there was only a thin sheet remaining when one was looking at it. The original three-dimensional Capital of God, at that moment, looked like a huge picture floating in the Astral World. The whole world looked as if it had been squashed.


    As it revolved again, it looked like only a straight line was left, like looking directly at the edge of a paper. Then, the line contracted and only one dot was left. At last, even the dot vanished, and the Capital of God was completely lost in the Astral World.


    "Master, where are we going?" Eva could feel that she and the Capital of God were in a strange state, somewhere between reality and illusion, like a dream, or like a picture in a book.


    "Zero-Dimensional Aboriginal Space, the source of everything, the origin of the world!"


    Lu Zhiyu hugged Eva and closed his eyes as Eva''s fragrance brought peace and warmth to his soul. "Come on, come with me on a dream that''ll never end!"


    Eva looked at Lu Zhiyu in a daze. Although she didn''t understand what Lu Zhiyu was talking about, her partially mechanical eyes radiated a faint glow, and a smile like he had never seen appeared on her face.


    "Yes!"


    Together with Lu Zhiyu, the Capital of God had fallen from a high dimensional level to a level of zero-dimension.


    Lu Zhiyu returned to the zero-dimension level from his Crystal Wall System. This time, unlike his numerous explorations of the zero-dimension in his thoughts previously, he, who had become the creator, had seen the truth of the zero-dimensional world from the perspective of the Light of the Source.


    Lu Zhiyu saw countless Creators like him who were in deep sleep in the source of the zero-dimension.


    Everyone sat there in the shadows and lights that were huge enough to reach the limit of life''s imagination. Each one was the source of a universe; they were the beginning and the end of everything.


    Floating above every creator, their thoughts and consciousness broke through the zero-dimension and created one universe after another. Every creator was like a perpetual motion machine; their wisdom and thought power expanded out of the zero-dimensional world and created one universe after another.


    The universe created by countless Creators stretched upward and interlaced, forming an endless parallel universe with the zero-dimension as its source.


    When he looked up, there were all kinds of universes, two-dimensional universes, three-dimensional universes, four-dimensional universes, a Crystal Wall System universe, and the entangled timelines which bundled the universes together. Each universe had its own peculiar rules, and there was no relative superiority or inferiority between them, only a difference between their imaginations and whether they were interesting or not.


    All kinds of universes beyond the imagination of Lu Zhiyu appeared there, connected to their Creators by the Light of the Source. It was like a zero-dimensional channel. The birth of every planet, the birth of every intelligent life, the vanishing of the universe, those were all born from the ideas and thoughts of the Creator.


    As Lu Zhiyu broke away from the Crystal Wall System universe, he entered the zero-dimensional world and became a Creator. The Crystal Wall System universe also broke away from the cracks in the dimensions, aligning with the endless parallel universes and becoming one of them.


    Originally the zero-dimensional channel which was akin to a passageway stealing Source Form had now become a ray of light connected to Lu Zhiyu. When Lu Zhiyu looked up, he could see that the Crystal Wall System universe he had created was now integrated into him.


    He sensed that, with an idea from his head, he could transform the world into whatever he wanted to, whether it was a two-dimensional, three-dimensional or eleven-dimensional world. It was akin to his dream in which he could transform and create the world with just his thoughts and intentions.


    He was just like a painter who was splashing ink freely on a paper. There was no limit to energy or material. There was no limit to his thoughts and fantasies. His dreams and imagination could create anything.


    "So there''s nothing like the material energy. Everything is simply the dream of the Creator. Everything is the coagulation of the Creator''s thoughts and the light of wisdom; material, energy, space, soul, and source are all the same."


    Lu Zhiyu looked at the nearest Creator beside him and immediately saw the universe he had created. It was a vast universe of infinite dimensions. Lu Zhiyu saw a familiar shadow in it.


    As the scene enlarged, Lu Zhiyu saw one of the dazzling galaxies¡­ the Milky Way. When his thought changed, Lu Zhiyu saw the blue earth.


    "This is¡­ the Earth''s universe! I''ve been living in another Creator''s dream!"


    Once again, Lu Zhiyu shifted his gaze and saw the Truth. It had been sailing in the Earth''s universe for a long time. Now the Truth had traveled many light-years beyond human imagination, reached Alpha Centauri, and embarked on its first stop.


    The Truth now had a huge fleet of subordinates and was attempting to transform the planet. Groups of new humans were reproduced and became a new race in the universe. That would be their starting point and a way to usher into their new future. Lu Zhiyu saw many more familiar figures, Gu Chaoran, Wang Yi, and Zoe.


    Lu Zhiyu looked away and saw an interesting scene. Outside the Earth''s universe, a half-human and half-insect''s high-dimensional creation was positioned on the outer dimension of the Earth''s universe, looking inside. It projected its strength into it and had transformed it into a huge Dark Mother Tree. It was trying to extract the energy of the universe bit by bit while looking for something.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The forces of the groups of mythical creatures represented by the Dark Mother Tree were at war with the Pan-Galactic Alliance of Civilizations within the galaxy. They had defeated the Pan-Galactic Alliance of Civilizations which was thriving with its advanced science and technology. Most of the galaxy was in a state of collapse because the Zerg and the army of the mythical creatures were engulfing everything.


    "Sunika, the queen insect? So you''ve come here!"


    Lu Zhiyu couldn''t help laughing. He reached out his hand and flicked his finger. The palm of the great Creator''s body of light protruded out of the zero-dimension. At the outer layer of the Earth''s universe, he grabbed Sunika, the queen insect. She was from the first batch of life that he had ever created, the one which had escaped from the world of the picture scroll. He held her in his hand.


    Sunika, the queen insect, shivered with fear. She had no idea what had happened. She only saw the giant light of the Creator, Lu Zhiyu, and it took a long time for her to collect herself.


    "Is that you? The Creator of Zerg. The great god who''s given us life and everything!"


    Sunika seemed to have smelled the scent on Lu Zhiyu and it was similar to the scent buried deep in her memory. Her face was full of pious joy as she looked up to the body of the Creator, Lu Zhiyu.


    "Sunika has found you at last!" Sunika smiled from the bottom of her heart, as if she had found her parents, or met a beloved wanderer who had returned home.


    "Welcome back!"


    Lu Zhiyu put her into the Capital of God under his body of the Creator. He had lived for such a long time but he still remembered her, her creation was still fresh in his mind. Lu Zhiyu had constantly pondered over her whereabouts, and now he finally had the answer.


    In that moment, the Creator of the Earth''s universe seemed to be awakened from a deep dream. He turned his head and looked at Lu Zhiyu.


    Lu Zhiyu had never seen the face of his Creator under his radiating body, but now he was surprised to find that the Creator had the same face as himself.


    "Welcome back!"


    At the same time, in the Zero-Dimensional Aboriginal Space, innumerable Creators were looking at Lu Zhiyu at the same time.


    Lu Zhiyu saw countless versions of himself. Each of them looked exactly like him and had the same presence and aura as him.


    All the Creators greeted him with the same voice. "Welcome back!"

 410 On an Expedition to the Half Bitwall

    Wizards'' Calendar, 1593.


    In the Adriatic Sea of the Starsoul World.


    The great fairy Muriel lived in her Ancient Tree of Fairies'' Tree Tower. The Tree Tower was full of gold and silver treasures and Magic Crystals. Her favorite hobby was to lounge on top of those treasures, do nothing, and squirm on them with a red face of infatuation for a day.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Lady, isn''t it painful?" a little fairy in the Tree Tower asked.


    "What do you know? These are gold coins, money! It''s warm and hot. How could it be painful? Money! Money can buy everything!" Muriel gave her the daily rebuke.


    "Come on, this is a new morning. Let''s shout it together, our slogan is..."


    "Make money! Make money! Make money!"


    "Our goal is..!"


    "Make money! Make money! Make more money!"


    Muriel owned a territory that was given to her with a decree personally signed by the Queen of the Arcane Kingdom. She was the Lady of the Arcane Kingdom and a Duchess of the Arcane Kingdom.


    Don''t ask about what was going on with the extra title of Duchess. It was not a surprise when one realized that the leader of the Arcane Kingdom was an Elf Queen.


    Muriel had her own territory. At the same time, she''d been given a seed of the Ancient Tree of Fairies. Things went smoothly for her for a few decades. She was promoted to become a Great Fairy. She had gone from being a glittering and lovely little fairy and had transformed into a charming exotic beauty. As a Level Four Great Fairy, not many dared to provoke her.


    Muriel''s territory was very distinctive. It was an island between the Sylve Continent and the Fairy Continent. It was originally a barren island with nothing on it. Whoever received that place would have been called really unlucky.


    But since the construction of an Aqua Track that connected it to the Sylve Continent and the Fairy Continent, it had become an important transportation hub with a continuous stream of Aqua Trains coming in from both continents every day.


    The barren island had become a popular site, but nobody dared to snatch up that lucrative site. That was because it was a territory which the Emperor of the Arcane Kingdom had personally endorsed, and the one occupying it was a Great Fairy.


    Muriel was very business-minded. She transformed that important Aqua Train Station and built a commercial island. It had the famous Fairy Pub, Fairy''s Amusement Park, and the Fairy Department Store. The most famous one was the Summoner''s Canyon!


    Yes, Muriel invented a new kind of entertainment. As a Summoner, she invented a similar combat competition like the former colosseum. However, the bloody colosseum had long ago been banned. Muriel invented a new form of Summoner''s Combat Competition in Summoner''s Canyon, and under her leadership, it was popularized all over the world.


    There were five Summoners on each side. Each summoned a contractor and fought five-on-five combat in the Summoner''s Canyon. There were audiences and tourists who flocked to the island because of the renowned game. The public even named Muriel''s territory ''the Town of the Summoner''s Canyon.''


    With the popularization of the Summoner''s Combat Competition, hundreds of Summoners gathered there. With every victory, they would win great prizes. There was also a points ranking system. Every game also used the latest Recording Pearl for video recording and was then broadcasted on the channel of the magic telly.


    At the same time, magic radio broadcasting channels would broadcast synchronously. Summoner''s Combat Competition was popular all over the world. Men, women, children, everyone knew the number one Summoner in the world. He had a good reputation and a huge fan base.


    At the same time, according to their ranking points, Summoners were also divided into bronze, silver, gold, diamonds, and master grades. There was also the most powerful level, the legendary King''s Summoner!


    It was the annual Summoner''s Combat Competition, five versus five. The match was interpreted by Lady Muriel personally. The participating teams each had several master-level Summoners and a King''s Summoner.


    "Now what we see is that the Griffin has gone around, it has gone around, and we''re about to see a brutal massacre..."


    "Yes¡­"


    "Kill him!"


    "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"


    Muriel stood on the platform hanging down from between two airships. She was passionately explaining the competition because she earned a huge income from every match. At the same time, more income came from other elements of the Summoner''s Combat Competition. Videos, live broadcasts, concessions, and gambling all brought in lots of money!


    Gorgeous fairies of all nationalities fought here. The spectators on the higher seats outside the canyon and above the airship in the sky cheered in unison. Everything could be experienced here!


    After a series of intense and exciting combat matches, audiences could also experience intense and exciting night-time activities such as pubs, theatres, ballrooms. This place had everything that anyone could want!


    "Hey, give me some real acting! The last time you did that it was too fake. You jumped straight in the face of someone else!"


    "And you! What''s wrong with you? Didn''t we agree to play a fake match? What''s the matter with your killing spree all the time?"


    At the end of the game, Muriel was dissatisfied as she closed accounts with the Summoners. At the same time, she was rebuking their wrongdoings and exploring various reasons to deduct their fees.


    A military train from the distant Troll Continent suddenly arrived in the town of Summoner''s Canyon. Like the Trolls who built it, the train was boorish and bulky, built from heavy iron sheets that looked twice as thick as those on an ordinary train.


    Many Trolls carried rifles, Steam Gatling Guns, and Annihilation Elemental Artilleries as they stepped down from the military train and lined up in a compact formation in the town square. They wore the latest anti-demon armor and had thunderstorm grenades at their waists. When released, the grenades could release a large power grid, effectively targeting professionals with long-range ability.


    Over the sea, warships were passing by. On top of them were Steam Cannons, Magic Crystal Tanks, Bombing Airships, and Battle Airships fully equipped to be launched. That situation caused them to feel the serious aura of the severe and destructive power and the smoke from gunpowder.


    Muriel, as the Lady of this place, immediately arrived and received the commander''s war mobilization order with the seal of the Arcane Kingdom and the signatures of the managerial elders of the Kingdom.


    "What''s the matter? What''s going on? Another war? Who are you fighting with this time?" Although Muriel was somewhat frivolous and only cared about money, upon seeing the grand lineup, she knew it wasn''t trivial and that something huge was going to happen.


    The Troll officer who led the army said, "It''s time to fight, but it''s not with anyone. It''s another operation order!"


    The Troll officer coughed twice with his gruff throat and said mysteriously, "A new half-bitwall has been found!"


    Muriel''s eyes suddenly sparkled. "New half-bitwall?"

 411 The Battle on Bitwall

    The newly discovered bitwall was called the Thunder Bitwall. There were very strange things in there. Volcanoes rose up everywhere on the land. All the heat energy came from inside the earth. There were strange Iron Trees growing in the ground that didn''t look like plants.


    Water was everywhere within the bitwall. The sky had countless lightning and thunderstorms. Relatively speaking though, the environment wasn''t as bad as one might imagine.


    The Wizard Alliance was the first to discover the existence of the Thunder Bitwall. It was discovered by the laboratory of the Institute of Space Exploration in the Wizard City. They first noticed the spatial fluctuation of the bitwall. However, upon stepping into the half-bitwall with their goal of conquering it and taking over, they soon realized that there were other human beings already in the bitwall.


    At that point, the two parties had thought that they were all humans from the same world and that everyone had simply come in through other portals and by different forces. But later, it was discovered that the other party had obvious differences from them when they saw their different races, trolls, goblins, and orcs!


    When this news returned to the Wizard Alliance, the managerial level of the Wizard Alliance immediately understood what they had come across. They had met those who had expelled them from Maria''s World, those who had forced the Wizard Tower to its wit''s end in their own homeland ¨C the Divine Kingdom.


    Within the Wizard Tower, there was a heated debate among the Wizards in white robes. Some were full of confidence in the Wizard Alliance, some were full of fear of the Divine Kingdom because they didn''t believe in the strength of the Wizard Alliance, and some were more cautious and chose to wait and see.


    "It''s Maria''s World, the Divine Kingdom! We''ve met them again!" A Level Five old wizard walked to the front of the stage. He had lived for a long time and naturally had a huge influence on Parliament.


    "They''ve found us!" Another old wizard recalled the power of Gods and True Gods and his face expressed panic accordingly.


    "No, that''s not right, we''ve found them! Now, we''re not the same as we were in the past. We''re the Wizard Alliance, the powerful Wizard Alliance! We''re not afraid of any challenge!" The new generation of powerful wizards was eager to try.


    "What a joke, there are seventeen True Gods on the other side!"


    "But what we''ve met this time was only the God of Space and Exploration and the professionals under the Goddess of the Night and the Goddess of Harvest. The seventeen True Gods of Maria''s World aren''t one. It''s impossible for them to confront us all at the same time!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    At that moment, both parties appeared in the Thunder Bitwall at the same time. Whether it was based on past threats and confrontations, or because of the new fight for the Thunder Bitwall, but the war between the two parties was imminent.


    The two parties sent a large number of soldiers and professionals into the Thunder Bitwall, fighting for the control of the Thunder Bitwall. One after another, fully armed legions and professional officers were sent into the Thunder Bitwall.


    The Elite Wizard Team of the Wizard Alliance also entered another world through the portal. The soldiers of the Wizard Continent with their alliance, the Titan Continent, and the Wright Continent all traveled through the portal on Steam Trains. There were goblins, trolls, dwarf soldiers, and many of them were powerful humans and mana-guru legions.


    In the sky over the Wizard City, airships passed through the sky, one after another. Several sky strongholds and fortresses with all kinds of weapons and combat airships went through the huge portal that opened up between the two spires of the Wizard City and reached the bitwall.


    The Battle of Bitwall had already begun, but the Wizard Alliance hadn''t won yet. Instead, it had already suffered a heavy blow in the Thunder Bitwall.


    In order to compete for that half bitwall, The God of Space and Exploration pulled the half-bitwall towards Maria''s World and devoted the strength of the church to the Thunder Bitwall. The Church of the Dark Night and the Church of the Goddess of Harvest also joined the war.


    Comparing the sizes of their forces, the three churches were not on par with the Wizard Alliance. But with their huge high-end combat power and continuous remote support from the Divine Kingdom''s projection, the Wizard Alliance was losing. They were losing bit by bit the portion of the Thunder Bitwall which they had occupied, and several of their portals were destroyed.


    In another Wizard''s Parliament, the Wizard Alliance decided to pull in the Arcane Kingdom to explore and compete for Thunder Bitwall while sharing risks and tensions.


    The war mobilization order was issued and the whole world knew that, outside their world, another bitwall had been discovered and they were fighting for it against the powerful forces of another world.


    For the first time, many people heard about Maria''s World and the existence of the so-called gods.


    "What is a god?" Many young people on the Wizard Continent didn''t grasp the concept of gods at all.


    "The beings from another world? Is it that strong? Was the Wizard Alliance defeated?" Most people were in disbelief.


    "It''s not a defeat. The lords of the Wizard Alliance haven''t even launched their attacks yet. The Floating-Space Tower in the sky of the Wizard City hasn''t moved yet!" Wizard apprentices strongly reprimanded anyone who questioned the strength of the Wizard Alliance. In their eyes, wizards were the most powerful beings in the Crystal Wall System.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Within the main city of the Sylve Continent, a battalion of soldiers passed through the portal, the special door open. Young soldiers of all nationalities carried long guns, wore magic armor, buckled their helmets, and arrived in another world.


    At the same time, there were a large number of airships and sky fortresses with the symbol of the Arcane Kingdom passing through the portal, and the city was decorated with lanterns and colored festoons. They held a grand celebration to see them off.


    "Heroes, may you win!"


    "Fight for our country, bless you!"


    "Arcane Kingdom! Forever!"


    Soldiers from the Arcane Kingdom who were about to enter another bitwall wore anti-demon armors and air helmets on their heads that could purify the external air for the soldiers to breathe. After all, not everyone could breathe in the harsh environment of the world outside.


    However, as soon as the army arrived at the Thunder Bitwall, the once sunny sky and the joyous scene immediately turned into something hellish. It was dark everywhere. The world could only be seen by the light of the continuous lightning in the sky. Thunderbolts crashed down, striking and killing unlucky soldiers from time to time.


    Their transmission node and base camp were being attacked. Groups of Battle Airships in the sky continued to be shot down and crashed. Airships were bombed and crushed. The flat land was bombarded until it turned into a sea of fire. The blaze of bullets from gun chambers could be seen constantly, and the fierce sound of machine guns was unceasing.


    "Come on, get off! Everyone alight now!" an officer shouted at the newly arrived military train.

 412 The Power of the True Gods

    In 1423 on the San calendar, the war for the Thunder Bitwall began. In order to strengthen his authority and perfect Maria''s World, Rode, the God of Space and Exploration, launched a war against the Starsoul World. At the same time, the Church of the Dark Night and the Church of the Goddess of Harvest joined the war.


    Rode said that all the resources of the Thunder Bitwall belonged to the Goddess of the Night and the Goddess of Harvest. He only needed them to help him win control of the Thunder Bitwall and lead it to Maria''s World.


    In 1424 on the San calendar, the two parties invested nearly 10 million troops respectively. They even made use of the industrial systems and magic crystal systems of several large kingdoms to produce their weapons and equipment. Several portals were established on the Thunder Bitwall. Numerous combat airships, large airships, and even sky fortresses and mobile strongholds were stuffed onto the battle. However, only the number of losses and damaged items were reported in the end.


    The battlefield occupied most of the Thunder Bitwall. One-tenth of the soldiers there were professionals. The losses were so severe that the three churches couldn''t accept. Moreover, the mythical wizards who had been afraid of being lost in the Astral World also began to cross the portal into the Astral World. They entered the Thunder Bitwall to fight, putting enormous pressure on the three churches.


    In 1425 on the San calendar, Rode, the God of Space and Exploration, decided to enter the Thunder Bitwall. At the same time, he took his Star Kingdom away from Maria''s World. He wanted to cross the world and the bitwall to engage in battle himself and assess the battle situation in the Thunder Bitwall.


    Rode, the God of Space and Exploration, was the first god to take his Star Kingdom away from Maria''s World. Nobody knew what negative impact it would have beyond losing the limits of his authority and the additional power of his world.


    If he had really broken away from the covenant of gods and the constraints within the world, would the real power of his True God erupt, or would he become extremely weak and lose the support of the rules?


    But Rode still decided to enter the Thunder Bitwall in order to prevent the war from worsening. Only by entering the battle could he really decide the direction and next steps of the war. At the same time, he could determine who the controller of the Thunder Bitwall was.


    After a meeting between the gods, and with the support and acquiescence of most of the gods, Rode took control of his Divine Kingdom. He used his authority to open the largest portal in history, letting his Divine Kingdom cross the distance between it and the unimaginable Astral World.


    Within Maria''s World and inside of its bitwall, stars were orbiting. The Divine Kingdoms were mighty. A huge silver star radiated an intense and extraordinary brilliance. On the surface of the star was the imprint of the God of Space and Exploration. On top of it was stored all of the knowledge about the truth of space, as well as some mysterious and inscrutable divine symbols.


    Within the Space Divine Kingdom, Rode sat on the sky of the Divine Kingdom. The Divine Kingdom under his feet was made up of the endless continents of floating islands. It looked like Rode''s Bitwall, where followers, saints, those favored by gods, and sacred beasts rested. Now, the whole Divine Kingdom was in turmoil, as if it had predicted what changes were about to take place.


    "In the name of Rode, I''ll take over all the powers of the Star Kingdom. Out of the control and positioning of the world! Out of the established orbit of stars!" After the command was given by the great Divine Shadow above the divine throne, the Star Kingdom twinkled and rotated. It was so dazzling that it looked ready to burst open.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "In the name of Rode, I command the portal to open. Move towards the Thunder Bitwall!" In the midst of the brilliant light, a portal which moved in waves and layers opened in the bitwall and led to an unknown field.


    "Let''s go!" The hand of the Divine Shadow stretched out, and the huge Silver Star was moved out of its orbits and away from Maria''s World. They lost most of the rules and powers of Maria''s World. They only retained their mythical power as they set out towards another far away half-bitwall.


    At the same time, the clergymen of the God of Space and Exploration from all over Maria''s World felt their divine incantations weakened. A large number of portals failed, space storage devices failed, and the main access to the Rode''s Bitwall was sealed off.


    Amir, the owner of the Tower of Frost, who recently became a mythical wizard, was one of the top decision-makers of the Wizard Alliance. Because the Wizard Alliance couldn''t afford such heavy losses, even when the Arcane Kingdom began to back out, he crossed the Astral World and entered the Thunder Bitwall.


    Amir was wearing the white silver robe representing the Master of the Tower of Wizard Alliance. He stood on the ice-blue Mythical Wizard Tower. The pale blue Frost Tower was made up entirely of ice-like blocks, but only when it was touched would one realize that it was actually a special handcrafted kind of crystal with a delicate structure.


    The tower was surrounded by more than a dozen sky fortresses, as well as battle airships and bombing airships which were constantly darting down from the sky fortresses. The sky forces, with the Frost Tower as their core, continued to attack the ground and their opponent.


    They stood like a giant in the sky, instilling confidence and motivation in the Wizard Alliance''s soldiers who had to fight fiercely on the ground. Upon seeing the ice-blue Tower of Frost, a batch of wizards and mana-guru legions rushed up to their opponents desperately. From the sky, the sound of artillery and guns was heard constantly.


    The Elemental Battery above the Tower of Frost emitted ice-blue rays. Anywhere that the light passed over became instantly frozen. The ice spread rapidly over the land. Mountains and garrisons were frozen under the irradiating light. Thousands of despairing people were frozen into ice sculptures.


    In the sky, the sky fortresses and mobile strongholds, under the ice-blue ray, instantly froze, transforming into ice crystal and breaking apart as they fell to the ground below like hail.


    Icey-blue light constantly traveled through the earth and sky, and even a rainstorm was frozen at that moment. These horrible scenes made legions of soldiers and professionals from the Divine Kingdom feel hopeless and desperate.


    "From now on, the situation works in our favor!"


    "This is the power of the Mythical Wizard, and this is the power of the Mythical Wizard Tower!"


    "No one will be an opponent of the Wizard Alliance, not even the so-called Divine Kingdom!"


    Amir, the mythical wizard, looked down from the top of his Frost Tower. Behind him were rows of respectful wizards. To them, Amir was no different from a god. He was practically the ruler of the Thunder Bitwall.


    The Wizard Alliance Corps and the Arcane Corps on the ground were also constantly rushing to the original base camp of the Divine Kingdom. The Divine Kingdom Corps, which had lost its air supremacy, was also losing under the artillery and airship bombardment of the Wizard Alliance.


    At that moment, the sky of the Thunder Bitwall suddenly set off a violent wave. There was a huge eddy above the whole sky and, even from a great distance, one could feel the intense fluctuations in the sky.


    With the fluctuation came the dazzling light. It illuminated the whole world like the sun. A shining star descended from the Thunder Bitwall. At the same time, the professionals following the God of Space and Exploration felt their divine incantations become several times more powerful in an instant. Their power had increased by an unimaginable extent.


    "What is that?" There were doubts among the soldiers of the Wizard Alliance who had never seen such a scene like this before.


    "It''s the Divine Kingdom and the gods! The gods have descended to our world!" Everyone in Maria''s World knew what this symbolized.


    "The True God himself has come to redeem us!" Crowds of soldiers who had suffered from artillery fire and other disasters knelt to the ground and wept bitterly.


    "Please punish these demons and devils with destruction and eternity in the abyss!" Soldiers who had lost their comrades in battle shouted and cursed wildly.


    Amir and the warriors inside the tower with him looked up one by one. They had heard of the Divine Kingdom from legends and records, but they were actually seeing it for the first time.


    "Is this the Divine Kingdom? It looks like... no, it''s not... isn''t it just an altered Floating-Space Tower?" The wizard in his black robe was shocked as he marveled at the sight.


    "How can it be possible? That''s a mythical alchemy tower! Ordinary mythical beings couldn''t support such a huge mythical wizard tower. Only a legendary Level Eight Mythical Floating-Space City is on par with that!" The Level Five Wizard standing behind Amir immediately made an educated guess.


    Amir was fixated on the Divine Kingdom in the sky. The huge star was shrouded. It looked like an entire continent falling out of the sky. It was concealing the whole world. The strong divine waves it emitted created an illusion of people falling into the infinite abyss, unable to see its end.


    "This is the Star Kingdom! Is this the so-called Divine Kingdom?"


    Just then, a murderous voice came from the Star Kingdom. "Open the Realm of God!"


    "Invade and take over the half-bitwall!"


    The lights of the gods poured out of the vast star in the sky and illuminated the whole Thunder Bitwall as if it was daytime. The whole world changed instantaneously under the projection of the Divine Kingdom. The Realm of God with the rules and authority of a Level Eight True God had begun to invade the half-bitwall, just like when Rode had invaded and offered sacrifice to the Death Indicator Bitwall.


    The intense brilliance enveloped the whole world, and the power of the Realm of God brushed past the Frost Tower, immediately recognized. The Frost Tower was targeted by the Star Kingdom before it could respond.


    A space whirlpool erupted in the center of the Frost Tower, detonating and destroying the entire Frost Tower. The tremendous power rotated and kneaded the Frost Tower into a mass, and then it was engulfed. It was like seeing a tin can be crushed under someone''s foot.


    "True God... it''s a Level Eight!" After the death of Amir''s body, one of the coffins at the bottom of the Wizard Tower was lifted up and a figure identical to Amir appeared, rebirthed through mythical power.

 413 The War Has Ended

    In Wizard City, everyone was panicked and angry. In the streets and alleyways, groups of people stood together reading newspapers and discussing what was going on. Everyone was stirred up. Information about the Battle of Bitwall was broadcast over the channels on the magic radio.


    "The Mythical Powers have fallen, the Floating-Space Tower was crushed onto the Thunder Bitwall!"


    "16 million soldiers are trapped in the Thunder Bitwall and are in desperate straits!"


    "The Star Kingdom descended, the Divine Kingdom now occupies Thunder Bitwall, and their opposition was completely defeated!"


    All over the news were slogans that aroused panic and fear in the public. Some newspapers and other sources of media spread the news in a tactful way, but it didn''t change the fact that they had lost the war.


    As the news of the loss spread, hundreds of wizards in white robes and five Masters of the Towers were holding an emergency meeting in a Wizard Tower in the sky. Although Amir, the Master of Frost Tower, had lost the Thunder Bitwall in the war, he wasn''t condemned for the loss. He was sitting on the last seat in the meeting hall feeling great desperation.


    There was a lot of hubbub over the meeting, but the formerly raucous and radical wizard factions were all silent at that moment. The wizards who had been passive about the war now blamed the loss on those who had initiated the war in the first place. The goblins and dwarfs who had suffered enormous losses were roaring angrily in their seats.


    The whole wizard conference was a mess and all the different wizard factions were fighting. Several mythical wizards were silently sitting at the head table, but no one dared to speak and no one dared to make a decision.


    Catherine, who had been sitting in the middle of the Masters of Towers, stood up. All the wizard factions, elemental wizards, alchemy warlocks, fairies, and goblins who had been standing up before that sat down in an instant. As the oldest mythical wizard, Catherine''s strength had reached a level that ordinary mythical wizards could scarcely imagine. Her Wizard Tower was also one of the largest and strongest of all the other towers.


    Everyone looked at Catherine and waited for her decision. Catherine looked down at the crowd of members seated in the lobby. "The Thunder Bitwall can be abandoned, but 16 million people cannot! We can''t let the soldiers who were stranded after a fierce battle or their families suffer this way."


    Catherine sat down. Cook Bay, the Master of the Mechanical Clock Tower, stood up and spoke on Catherine''s behalf. He waved and projected the Thunder Bitwall on a screen as he explained their detailed plan.


    "Most of our soldiers and the soldiers of the Arcane Kingdom were expelled to the vast plains of the Bloody Stone Forest. All other areas were occupied and the only accessible portal had been destroyed. The Divine Kingdom had blocked the openings of the other portals. Our people were completely surrounded by enemies and left in despair. Their home is in the distant, unimaginable depths of the Astral World."


    "Most of the remaining 16 million people are trapped here. The remaining half are scattered elsewhere. Our goal is to rescue the people trapped in the Bloody Stone Forest. At the same time, we have the support of the Arcane Kingdom. They''ll join us in welcoming our heroes back."


    "What we need to do is to use all our strength to break through the blockade and get access to the Thunder Bitwall. Then Miss Catherine, the Master of the Tower and the Queen of the Arcane Kingdom, will step in and stabilize the passageway for us while blocking any counter-attacks."


    After Cook Bay had worked out the overall plan, the members of the Warfare Department of the Wizard Alliance immediately issued an order. Although the mission for the Thunder Bitwall had failed, the war wasn''t over yet. Rescuing the soldiers trapped in the Thunder Bitwall would be their last battle.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The giant Ancient Tree of Fairies traveled on the surface of the sea. Its thick and dense roots were tangled, forming two thighs. It ran like a man on the sea, dashed across its surface and splashing the water. That was Muriel''s Ancient Tree of Fairies. In its branches were houses connected to the natural tree holes and stairs inside the trees. Inside, there lived her fairy citizens.


    Muriel was sitting in the treehouse at the very top. As the Tree Tower ran along, the whole treehouse shook. All her furniture was fixed to the floor for that reason. She was sitting in her chair and looking at the latest newspaper.


    "Wow! Such a miserable loss. They spent so much money and nothing was earned! Those da*n businessmen who took this opportunity to make a fortune from their country''s misfortune should be shot to death. If they were to give me that much money, I can even buy my own country!"


    Muriel bitterly rebuked those businessmen, all the while deeply regretting not becoming a businesswoman of the same trade. She could have been an arms dealer! In the face of those who had made a fortune, she was envious.


    Muriel had received a war order from the Arcane Kingdom. They had ordered that all the remaining key forces in the Arcane System, including the Ancient War Trees, the Ancient Trees of Fairies, the Arcane Ancient Trees, and the Ancient Trees of Life must go to Fhartasil''s Fairyland through any portal controlled by the Arcane Kingdom before June 8th.


    The Arcane Kingdom needed to use their power to form the largest arcane territory ever. Their plan was to break through the blockade and open the door to the Thunder Bitwall. At the same time, they would form boundaries to protect the transmission node and build new portals to bring back the soldiers trapped in the Thunder Bitwall.


    Muriel had not returned after her first trip to Fhartasil''s Fairyland. Occasionally, she did recall the elegance of the Elf Queen, Wendy.


    "Ah! It must be great to be a queen! Everything in the Arcane Kingdom is hers. She has infinite money that can never run out!" Muriel had a longing look on her face.


    Ancient Trees of Fairies crossed the sea and arrived at the port of the Sylve Continent. As the moving castles in the sky swept overhead confirming their identity information, a passageway was cleared immediately above the town square. A portal was selected and opened for them.


    Muriel stood on the trunk of the tree with her badge and the permit signed by the Arcane Kingdom. The giant Ancient Trees of Fairies took Muriel through the portal in the town square and she arrived at Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    "Wow! This is huge! This must be the World of Titan... No, it''s the new Fhartasil''s Fairyland!"


    When Muriel crossed the border, she was immediately shocked by the enormity of the world. Unlike the last time she had come here, Fhartasil''s Fairyland was now, fully integrated into World of Titan and had merged with the two Mythical Arcanists'' Arcane Fairylands, including the one belonging to Mientte Ambrose.


    The three Fairyland Cities were in the center of the World of Titan. In the distance, the vast ocean was visible. The plants in the fairyland had blended with a large number of special plants from the original World of Titan. The colorful grassland dyed the ground into a picture scroll. Strange flowers and mushrooms added to the original Fairyland City, a tinge and flavor to the colorful garden that was beautiful and dreamlike.


    At the same time, many birds, animals, flowers, and insects brought from the Starsoul World had also undergone special changes in that strange half-bitwall. Transformed from their original monotonous color into vibrant hues, all kinds of colorful beasts and horses were running around everywhere!


    The Fairyland City that Muriel had come to was the main city of Sylve, where thousands of ancient trees and high-level professionals had also arrived. In the center of the city was an Arcane Ancient Tree that soared into the clouds, its whole body made of crystals. Three enormous Mythical Shadows condensed under the Arcane Ancient Tree as it activated the power and network of Fhartasil''s Fairyland. Colorful ribbons and lights connected it to everyone''s Ancient Trees, including Muriel''s Fairy Tree Tower.


    The tallest of the Mythical Shadows in the center opened its mouth and said, "I need to use the strength of each one of you to work together to rescue my fellow citizens who are trapped in the Thunder Bitwall!"


    At that time, a vague and illusory feminine shadow seemed to be forming out of faint clouds and condensed wind. Its appearance was accompanied by the emergence of stars. When everyone saw that, they knew that she was the founder of the Arcane System and the Arcane Kingdom. She was the one who brought them to the peak. Emperor of the Arcane Kingdom ¨C Her Majesty, Wendy!


    After that statement was made, all the arcanists in the city were stirred up and began roaring angrily. The enormous lights of arcane magic poured out violently and merged together. The huge Arcane Ancient Tree gathered a brilliant white light behind it. The brilliance diffused and a door opened. The huge portal darted directly into the clouds, bigger than anyone could have imagined.


    In the white brilliance, they seemed to be able to see the projection of another world. At that moment, a huge force bombarded the portal. The huge pressure and light of the Holy Spirit penetrated in from another bitwall and the whole Arcane System was nearly instantly destroyed by the collision.


    At the same time, three arcanists stabilized the portal. Crowds of space arcanists crossed the portal and went to another bitwall to establish a stable transmission node. In Wizard City, the same situation was happening. Several Floating-Space Towers were connected and opened up the space channel, resisting the shock and resistance from the Realm of the Gods.


    Muriel felt that her power was constantly being drawn out and that the whole of Fhartasil''s Fairyland was surging with the power of their combined arcane magic. The huge amount of power sustained the process without any interruption. At last, she saw a batch of soldiers stepping out of the portal.


    They were bathed in blood. Many of them carried stretchers with wounded people on them, helping each other out. Many tough professionals wailed. Everyone''s anti-demon armor was broken. Many battered and scrapped magic crystal tanks, steam locomotives, and steam trucks drove out. There were burn marks and black ash all over them.


    Several sky fortresses and mobile strongholds which were still on fire burst in through the portal, landing askew in Fhartasil''s Fairyland. The airships rushed into the portal with a series of battle airships, each one was overloaded. They had abandoned all their weapons, ammunition, and other articles in order to carry back the dead and wounded.


    The cruel scene was contrasted by the beautiful Fhartasil''s Fairyland. Not only were the arcanists saved, but also the Wizards of the Wizard Alliance and the mana-guru legions.


    Many soldiers started crying the first moment they entered the beautiful Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    Fhartasil''s Fairyland provided doctors and arcanists who surrounded the wounded soldiers, helping them and delivering food. The seemingly endless influx of soldiers occupied the whole land. Muriel was struck dumb by the horrible scene. She had initially thought only of making a fortune out of the war.


    In the sky of the Thunder Bitwall, Rode was in the vast Star Kingdom. He was assimilating and seizing the control of the Thunder Bitwall with all his strength. The Realm of the Gods was constantly eroding and spreading into the Thunder Bitwall. He could feel that the authority of the world was gradually falling into his hands and that his every move could adjust and slightly modify the rules of that bitwall.


    Rode''s eyes penetrated tens of millions of miles and saw the remnants of the Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom. They had scrambled away and fled from the Thunder Bitwall. He only attacked once and didn''t continue on his attacks thereafter. He didn''t want to exterminate everyone.


    Rode knew a little about the origins of the Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom. He had a half-human lineage and a half-elf lineage, so he didn''t look at any of them as foreigners, he just wanted them to surrender. The legions of the Divine Kingdom were still on a killing spree and they were madly seeking revenge for their old grudge.


    "Forget it, let them go! The war¡­ has ended!"


    Rode sat on the divine throne, closed his eyes, and took full control of the Thunder Bitwall. That half-bitwall was the most important harvest in that war.

 414 I’m Here For All of You

    In Maria''s World, there was a legend that, somewhere in the clouds above and deep within the space of the bitwall, there was a mysterious paradise called Black Jack''s Dreamland. Only the most noble and fortunate guests could get tickets to enter Black Jack''s Dreamland.


    At Black Jack''s Dreamland, one could see the world''s most exciting and extraordinary performances, the world''s largest stage, the most innovative songs and dances, the best classical operas, a large band composed entirely of elves, the top-notch sahagins'' acrobatics troupe, the most magnificent Orcs military music, and top actors from all over the world.


    It had the world''s largest amusement park. The Ferris wheel was underwater and the roller coaster dashed through the clouds. There was a sky park, an underwater theme park, a volcanic theme park, and all kinds of other theme parks. One could experience the best variety of exquisite entertainment at any one of them.


    There was a virtual-reality game that used projection to turn the whole world into a battlefield. They had the world''s largest tennis court. There was also an Astral World telescope used to satisfy one''s desire to spy on the mysteries of the Astral World. There were not only games from Maria''s World there, but also from other worlds and the bitwall. One could even see special races from the Astral World and other exotic people.


    Black Jack''s Dreamland distributed platinum tickets to people around the world every year on March 6th. It was an invitation to 300 children to visit Black Jack''s Dreamland for free. The world''s largest Black Jack Festival was hosted at Black Jack''s Dreamland. It was the children''s paradise and dream land, a world from their dreams. Every invited child would be the subject of their peers'' envy.


    Tickets would be sent out by wind raven to each invitee''s bedside. Every year on March 6th, children would check their nightstands to see if they had received the free tickets to Black Jack''s Dreamland. Children who didn''t get tickets were extremely depressed. The winning children would be as happy as if they had won the lottery.


    Because of Black Jack''s Festival and Black Jack''s Dreamland, the wind raven, which had once been synonymous with mail delivery, gradually became a symbol of luck and fortune. Some people even thought that the wind raven was Natasha''s spokesman.


    March 6th arrived again. Morning came, and children with tickets in hands waited by their windows or stood at their doors. They were waiting for the platinum train to pick them up and take them to Black Jack''s Dreamland.


    A little girl led by her parents stood on their balcony. She was holding onto a ticket with a picture of a mischievous cartoon wind raven with its tongue out. She was looking out into the far distance.


    Just then, a burst of movement was seen in the sky. A platinum train passed through the clouds, gliding all the way down until it had stopped at the little girl''s door.


    The train cabin was full of children heading to Black Jack''s Dreamland. The little girl cheered as she boarded the platinum train with the help of several alchemy dolls dressed in their uniforms and red hats.


    The little girl stood on the train and waved to her parents who watched enviously as she rode away. The long carriages of the train cut across the sky, all the children cheering in excitement as they watched the world slip by under their feet.


    The train went through the portal and arrived at the next stop. It picked up the next child, then continued on its path, crossing through several more portals. At last, it brought everyone to Black Jack''s Dreamland.


    The first scene which the children saw upon entering Black Jack''s Dreamland was the gate above the clouds. From there, they watched the world''s most exciting performances and were entertained by a multitude of games. The whole park was filled with childlike laughter.


    The well-known play "The Legend of the Mysterious Wizard Tower" was staged at Black Jack''s Theatre, the world''s largest theatre. But the Wizard Tower in the play was portrayed as the evilest place in the world. It was behind all of the world''s disasters. Finally, it was destroyed by the brave and powerful Saintess Kelly, and all the wizards were driven to another world. The world was peaceful under the protection of the Goddess of Light.


    The whole story was fabricated and nonsensical, but it was joyful and funny. The wizards of the Wizard Tower were all turned into comical characters. The Great and Wise Anthony was played by an old man with his mouth stuck out and an apelike chin. Threatened by Saintess Kelly who was wearing the Mask of Faross, Anthony fled the world.


    "Ha-ha-ha-ha!"


    "Anthony is a bad man! Kill him, kill him!"


    "With all your might! Yes!"


    Watching from the audience seats among the herds of children, a young man squeezed into the crowd. He awkwardly sat down with a group of children to watch the drama on the stage. Soon, his face had filled with embarrassment and helplessness.


    A wind raven stood on Lu Zhiyu''s shoulder. It gloated, saying, "How is it that the children''s reactions are so pure and innocent? Did you hear that? That''s the whole world cheering!"


    Lu Zhiyu squinted at the wind raven, Black Jack, and replied, "I heard BBQ wind raven is pretty delicious!"


    Black Jack pulled its feathers closer to itself. "I didn''t choreograph this. The story was written by those specialists. I''m only responsible for the layout of the thing."


    "I didn''t expect that you''d be able to get Rode to help you build such a large spell garden. You even let him help you with that grand Black Jack Festival every year!"


    "Of course! I''m the man who raised Rode! I''m his benefactor!" Black Jack had no qualms about Rode''s divine identity. It joked around with The God of Space and Exploration frequently.


    Lu Zhiyu looked at Black Jack. "I came here to see if you''re alive and how you''re doing. I also wanted to ask you that question I''ve asked you before!"


    Black Jack spread its wings. "How about now? Ask me! Just ask!"


    Lu Zhiyu shook his head. "Perhaps I no longer need to ask! I''ve seen the answer! Go ahead with your work. Don''t interrupt me watching the play!" Black Jack spread its wings and flew off. Lu Zhiyu suddenly said to it, "The truth is, I envy you."


    Black Jack laughed. "More people like us are envious of you than you are of us."


    Lu Zhiyu sat at the back of the stage. He accompanied the children to watch the performances. There were performances by various ethnic groups on stage constantly. Out of nowhere, a few figures appeared beside Lu Zhiyu and accompanied him to watch the performance and embrace the children''s laughter.


    "It''s been so long. You''re finally willing to come back?" Delmedi looked unhappily at Lu Zhiyu.


    "Dad, welcome back!" Verthandi said as she hugged Lu Zhiyu around his neck.


    Kelly smiled at Lu Zhiyu, only to say, "Welcome back!"


    "I didn''t expect time to pass so fast. I only wanted to have a few words with the others!" Lu Zhiyu made an apologetic expression. "Hence, this time I''ve personally came to pick all of you up! Well, have all of you played enough? If you''ve had enough, come home with me!"


    Delmedi, Verthandi, and Kelly all smiled brightly as they kissed Lu Zhiyu on his face.


    "Yes, let''s go home!"


    In 1586, the Goddess of Light, Kelly, gave up her divine duty and everything related to it. She transformed into brilliant light and faded away.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    At the same time, the Goddess of the Sun and the Goddess of Death also disappeared. The three powerful goddesses, having mastered the world, left at the same time. It shocked all of Maria''s World. Their respective believers and saints and their respective side-gods inherited their duties and ascended the divine thrones.


    Inheriting the role of the God of Death was Deputy Lord Cetisius. Inheriting the Goddess of the Sun''s role was the first generation Holy Knight, Tiridan. The successor to the Goddess of Light was from the first generation of The Church of Light, Pope Hodap.


    No one knew why they left or what they left for.


    Some said that they went to the depths of the Astral World to find the legendary Creator, while others said that the Creator had long ago left the Crystal Wall System and was not in their world anymore. Some people said that outside their world, there was The Capital of God, which was the home of the Creator, and that they had gone there to live with the Creator.

 415 Mythical Summoner & Guardian Wizard

    "Ah! I''m done for! I''m going to die from my old age!" Muriel was surprised to have found a terrible problem.


    Muriel calculated on her fingers and found out that she had actually lived for nearly a thousand years. Unknowingly, she had become a Level Six Fairy Summoner.


    She had also become an important member of the Arcane Kingdom. She had the opportunity to participate in important meetings and be a decision-maker throughout the Arcane Kingdom. However, as lazy as she was, she wasn''t interested in anything except earning cash.


    Muriel lay on the mountain of her gold coins, wriggling wildly. She felt as if she had no worries when she was hugging her fortune.


    Wendy, Emperor of the Arcane Kingdom, had summoned her to the palace of Fhartasil''s Fairyland. The emperor of the entire Arcane Kingdom, who ruled half of the entire Starsoul World, had unexpectedly become good friends with Muriel. That lazy and peculiar fairy who was more like a goblin or titan dragon than a fairy unknowingly had something in common with Wendy.


    Wendy walked into the palace garden''s ring gallery wearing a long white dress. She was followed by Muriel who was looking listless. Wendy glanced at Muriel and said, "You may try to become a Mythical Summoner!"


    Muriel glanced at Wendy and pursed her lips. "Mythical Summoner? There''s no such thing, okay?"


    Wendy winked. "There was no Mythical Arcanist before me. You can try to become the first!"


    Muriel''s eyes sparkled, but then the sparkle died down. "How can it be so simple in your eyes? I''m not a genius. There''s no way!"


    By the end of the conversation, Wendy''s words had planted a seed in Muriel''s heart. They had unintentionally enlightened her.


    "The origin of the Arcanist is the Arcane Fairyland. The wizard''s origin is the mythical template and Floating-Space Tower!"


    "So what''s the origin of the Summoners and the strength they rely on?"


    Muriel lounged on a branch of the Tree Tower of the Ancient Tree of Fairies under the stars. The stars of the Starsoul World and Maria''s World weren''t the same. Each star represented the will of a world.


    Muriel''s eyes glowed. "Yeah! The origin of the Summoner comes from the Starsoul World. Our strength and everything comes from the Starsoul World!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    "Perhaps our path to mythology lies in the Starsoul World. If we choose the Starsouls as our partner and power to rely on, will we be like the Fairyland of the Arcanists or like the Wizard''s Floating-Space Tower?"


    Muriel told Wendy about the idea. It hadn''t occurred to Wendy that Muriel''s little head was able to invent such a different idea.


    "I think it''s good, but how do you open up the Starsoul''s consciousness and sign a real Companion Symbiotic Agreement? It''s a very difficult problem. They represent the will of the world, how do you get the Starsoul''s approval?" Wendy made a good point.


    "I''m the best at dealing with people," said Muriel confidently.


    Over the next few decades, Muriel began to try to communicate with the Starsoul World again and again, constantly modifying the Summoner''s contract about the aboriginal source. Finally, during one of many attempts, she happened to communicate with a Starsoul in the sky and obtained its recognition.


    On a star-studded night in the capital city of the Fairy Kingdom, countless little fairies surrounded Muriel and danced happily. They surrounded the Ancient Tree of Fairies and formed a huge pedestal. The City of Dreams belonged to the fairies and was built on that pedestal. Above a huge town square, several great fairies were singing her praises.


    Hundreds of thousands of fairies could be seen throughout the sky. Fireworks fell from the sky as fluorescent starlight lit up the city.


    The starlight fell down from the sky, shrouding Muriel''s body as it brought her and her Ancient Tree of Fairies to the sky. Under the power of the world, Muriel''s body transformed into brilliant light. At last, it transformed into a huge Mythical Shadow and shrouded her Fairy Kingdom in the sky.


    On top of a star in the bitwall, Muriel re-established her territory, a beautiful garden town with oceans and islands, a variety of rides akin to those in the theme park, a Fairy Pub, and the largest ever Summoner''s Canyon.


    She became the first Mythical Summoner in history, and the first to have signed a Symbiotic Agreement with a Starsoul.


    At that time, with the exception of the Arcane Kingdom, the whole wizarding civilization had developed to the point of extreme prosperity. The Wizards and the Arcanists had begun to occupy the whole world and had fully explored the bitwall. At the same time, the Wizard Alliance owned the first half-bitwall from their exploration¨Cthe Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    Wizards were also involved in that development. They were gradually divided into several types. There were Exploration Wizards, Guardian Wizards, Auxiliary Wizards, and so on.


    Exploration Wizards were primarily Titan Warlocks, Blood Wizards, Elemental Wizards, Dream Wizards, Undead Warlocks and so on. They were wizards who were mainly employed for war and exploration of the outside world. Auxiliary Wizards were pharmacists, alchemy warlocks, barrier masters, and other similar professionals. They were pretty similar to their past roles and there hadn''t been many changes. The only difference was the Guardian Wizards.


    The reason for the birth of the Guardian Wizards was because of the Mythical Summoner, Muriel. The Summoner of the Wizard Alliance followed what Muriel did. When he had successfully stepped into the peak of Level Six, he looked for a Starsoul in the sky in the hopes of signing a Symbiotic Agreement with it.


    Most of his attempts failed, and it had been more difficult for him to get the recognition from the Starsouls than it had been to reach the peak of Level Six. It wasn''t until a few hundred years later that an astrologer at the peak of a Level Six finally gained the recognition of Starsoul and became a Guardian Wizard.


    Because the Starsoul was the spokesman of the will of the Starsoul World, when a wizard signed a Symbiotic Contract with them to become the Guardian Wizard, the Guardian Wizard also naturally also become the guardian of the Starsoul World. It also meant that the Guardian Wizard had control of a portion of the rules and power of the Starsoul World.


    The birth of the Guardian Wizard had raised the professional statuses of both Summoners and Astrologers. The wizards had begun to realize that they could be the masters of their own world in such a way. They could achieve a real understanding of and be masters of the entire Starsoul World.


    "This is our first step towards the truth. The role of the Guardian Wizard is perhaps more important and powerful than that of any other wizards!" Cook Bay, the owner of the Mechanical Clock Tower, explained this excitedly after discovering the situation.


    "They''ll be the guards and ultimate bottom lines for Starsoul World, as well as an important hub for regulating and operating the rules of the world. The Starsoul World is a strong world, by no means weaker than Maria''s World. We can act like Maria''s World, advance our world step by step, and even learn from The God of Space and Exploration, Rode, how to capture a half-bitwall and merge it into our world."


    "Perhaps the Summoners and Astrologers can be an independent force. They don''t have the Floating-Space Tower and therefore can''t leave Starsoul World, but their combat power inside the world is far more formidable than the Floating-Space Tower. The Floating-Space Tower is an important weapon to explore the Astral World, and the Guardian Wizard is the guardian of the world and the fortress of the Wizard Alliance." Catherine, the master of the tower, finally made a decision.


    Guardian wizards stood out as an important force in the Wizard Alliance. Although there was only one Guardian Wizard at that time, in the future there would be tons of Guardian Wizards. They would be the masters of the operations of the entire Starsoul World. They had a symbiotic relationship with the Starsouls. They would coexist with the entire Starsoul World and guard the world forever.

 416 Catherine’s Floating-Space City I

    Wizards'' calendar, 3986.


    The Wizard City was the most unique on the entire Wizard Continent, not only because it was the central capital of the Wizard Alliance, but because it represented the power of the wizards.


    The huge Wizard City had several gigantic stone spires towering overhead. The chimneys of several tall buildings and Alchemy Workshops had exhaust smoke constantly pumping out of them. The whole structure was a huge network of Magic Crystals and element arrays. The broad and vast roads interspersed and intertwined, the vehicles on them crisscrossing. Altogether, it was extremely noisy.


    At the end of the four main thoroughfares of the Wizard City, four portals were soaring. A train could be seen running through the portal. Soon, a large number of wizards appeared. After the lights flickered, a steam locomotive, train, and commercial airship came out from the portals and entered the Wizard City.


    Everyone was fascinated by the bustling magic of Wizard City as soon as they arrived there. Everything there was created by the power of witchcraft. The magic network was used in all aspects of life, from water and food to war and defense, everything there was all replaced by mana.


    Different races inhabited the city. Humans, goblins, fairies, dwarves, and trolls could be all seen. In addition, there were a variety of domesticated magical beasts. Occasionally, there were even Titan Dragons in the sky. They were the Red Guardian Dragons of the wizard tower and the friends of the master of the tower, Miss Catherine.


    The nine Floating-Space Towers landed on the ground. They had all returned from the clouds and the bitwall and into the Wizard City.


    The huge mythical alchemy tower was glowing as the power of the Mythical Wizards merged with the Wizard City''s Magical Crystal Network, aided by the pedestals of the Floating-Space Towers.


    Civilians in the city were cheering. The flags of the Wizard Alliance were hanging on top of the classical apartments, and families were huddled on their balconies waving signs to show their support.


    Several Magic Crystal Towers were plastered with banners. Huge airships pulled along banners drawn up with slogans. The entire Wizard City could see that they were written with the words, "Congratulations to the Master of the Tower, Miss Catherine, on becoming a Level Eight Mythical Wizard."


    Meanwhile, written on the Colossus in the town square, there was another banner that read, "Happy 4,000th Birthday to Lady Catherine!"


    The white castle in the middle of the city, the famous Tower College, used witchcraft projection to project several large words on its wall: "I wish all the best for the ascension of the Sky City!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.


    The entire Wizard City as was bustling and lively, it was akin to a carnival. All of it was because of Catherine. She had finally become a Level Eight Mythical Wizard as she approached 4,000 years old. At the same time, the Wizard Alliance, which had tried to transform the Floating-Space City for more than 3,000 years, had finally come to an end.


    After more than three thousand years, under the influence of the legendary Capital of God, their Floating-Space City had become one of the ultimate goals of all alchemy warlocks. Generations of alchemy warlocks and wizards were involved in the research and creation of Floating-Space Cities. The master of the Mechanical Clock Tower, Cook Bay, had successfully produced the first Level Seven Floating-Space Tower.


    But the attainment of the Floating-Space City was still out of reach. A Level Eight mythical creature template, a Level Eight mythical levitation ring (Heaven''s Ring), and the magic machine were three important obstacles that had obstructed all alchemy warlocks from advancing further. But more importantly, there had not yet been the appearance of a Level Eight Mythical Wizard. Level Eight Mythical Wizards were only heard of in the legends and from the origin of truth, the creator of the wizards and the Wizard Tower, the Great and Wise Anthony.


    Most wizards thought that there was no such person. This person was more like a concocted legend, or an absurd myth. If not for the existence of two first-generation wizards, Catherine and Wendy, the so-called first generation of wizards, would just be a legendary story to most people.


    When Catherine became a Level Eight Mythical Wizard, she achieved a breakthrough. As the most powerful genius wizard, the first Mythical Wizard, the original Floating-Space Tower wasn''t enough to complement her status. Only the legendary Floating-Space City could represent the talent and prowess of a Level Eight Mythical Wizard. Only the Level Eight Floating-Space City could embody the capability of the Wizard Alliance. The establishment of a Sky City belonging to the wizards was a must.


    After Catherine had become a Level Eight Mythical Wizard, the design of the Floating-Space City, which had already been gradually perfected, had started to be manufactured. Countless wizards and alchemy warlocks were involved in the construction of the new Floating-Space City. The Level Eight Heaven''s Ring was manufactured, the magic machine was created, and the Mythical Kingdom was pushed to perfection in its simulation.


    The wizards even drew on the problems that Emperor Wendy had encountered when they had left with the entire Floating-Space City. They were subjected to the rejection and judgment of the will of the world.


    With the help of their Guardian Wizard, they had signed an agreement with the will of the world. They paid the price of incorporating the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall into the Starsoul World. That allowed them to bring the entire Floating-Space City with them.


    As was their expectation, it was a city that could survive whether they were in the clouds or within the bitwall or inside the Astral World. They were the real mythical city. The interior had a true circulation system and had been perfected by the Level Eight Mythical Wizard''s rules. It was a small world floating in the Astral World and the bitwall, a divine kingdom owned by a Level Eight Mythical Wizard.


    Finally, only the last step was left. It was time to bring the Floating-Space City deep into the sky of the Astral World.


    Boom! A bunch of witchcraft fireworks rose into the sky from the corners of the city, the beautiful scene catching the attention of the waiting crowd.


    Boom! The fireworks erupted and the sparks formed into several words in the sky, most of them celebratory wishes for Catherine''s birthday.


    Hot air balloons rose from the town square one after another. On top of the rising hot air balloons were several students from the wizard school. They were singing the wizard''s song of truth. The city cheered and roared as if it was a joyous festival.


    As the song ended, a platform was hoisted into the sky above the Wizard City. On them, several famous performance troupes and opera troupes from the Wizard Continent could be seen performing. The Wizard Alliance even brought in a performance troupe from Black Jack''s Dreamland, which had a famous reputation throughout the Astral World.


    The festival of joy had been going on all day and all night. At last, it had ushered in the most anticipated moment for the new Floating-Space City.


    "Assimilation! Activate the mythical territory of the Mechanical Clock Tower!" A slightly sharp and funny voice resonated in the sky of the Wizard City.


    "Activate the mythical territory of Philosopher Tower!"


    "Activate the mythical territory of Titan Tower!"


    "Tower of Frost¡­"


    "Activate the mythical territory Circular Ring Tower!"


    "..."


    Under the order of numerous masters of the Floating-Space Towers, the towers started to merge into the Wizard City. Mythical lights above the ground of the Wizard City were shuttling, suddenly showering the streets below in golden radiance, each passageway a network of elemental magic.


    The rays of light assimilated every corner of the entire Wizard City, every brick, every house, every alchemy workshop, every Magic Crystal Tower, and every Elemental Tower.


    The whole city was changed dramatically under the glowing brilliance. Everything had connected to become a whole.


    A golden glow surrounded the city and darted over to the center of the city. Several beams of light surged up from the Floating-Space Towers, connecting to the realm of the mythical boundary above the sky. It then shrouded the entire Floating-Space City.


    The golden brilliance finally gathered at the foot of the Wizard Tower. It was the symbol of the beliefs of all wizards. It was the mythical alchemy tower of Catherine, the master of the tower.

 417 Catherine’s Floating-Space City II

    While everyone outside the city was celebrating Catherine''s birthday and celebrating her becoming a Level Eight Mythical Wizard who owned her own Floating-Space City, Catherine sat alone at the top of the tower. The stairway from the circular ring to the gate looked like a spiral that never ended while she sat at the top of it.


    It was a place that belonged only to her, as no one else could enter and she didn''t allow anyone to enter. The only living life form was Pyros, the sphinx, who was dozing off while guarding the door.


    Pyros was the nth generation of Pyros, passed down from generation to generation, and it accompanied Catherine, who would never reach the end of her life.


    Catherine had no idea how long it had been since she celebrated a birthday, until that moment, when she suddenly remembered that she''d had a birthday; 4,000 years ago on that exact date, she had been born in a small town in the Mara Kingdom, and she was the daughter of a court pianist.


    One day, she had received a letter from a wind raven. She had quietly set foot on the route to the Wizard Tower, then spent half of her childhood there, the whole of her youth, waiting for the old age that never came.


    The entire Wizard City beneath the tower was hosting a happy festival for her, but she couldn''t feel the joy. However, the sound of the joyous occasion reminded her of her last birthday.


    "La-la! La-la! La-la-la!


    "La-la-la!"


    She looked out of the window and saw the blue sky decorated with white clouds. She hummed an unknown melody, a song that should''ve been a happy tune to celebrate her birthday, but in her humming, it had become a little too gentle and lengthy. There was a tinge of sadness in the tune.


    In the past, when she had been in the tower''s castle, dressed in a gray apprentice robe, with a crown made of paper, she had been surrounded by more than 40 classmates of the same batch, each of them holding onto a candle while they sang, surrounding her, who was like a princess in the center.


    Several figures were flickering in her eyes, their appearances fleeting across her mind. There were males and females, familiar and unfamiliar, and there were images that were clear, while some had long sunk into the depths of her memory.


    "Uh! Ha! Uh! Ha! La-la-la-la!


    "There''ll be a day¡­ when we reunite!"


    At the end of her humming, Catherine closed her eyes involuntarily, shook her head gently along with the rhythm, and sang the last sentence, then fell completely into silence.


    After a long time, she stood up. The time was almost up, and everyone was waiting for her for the final lift-off of the Floating-Space City ceremony. It was meant to complete her final takeover of the authority of the Floating-Space City.


    Just when she stood up, she suddenly saw a huge telescope used to observe Astral World near the window; the telescope was an old model, one that had long been eliminated.


    The telescope was really old and broken, even though it had been made from alchemy. After all, it wasn''t an item made from magic, it was broken, rusty and beyond repair. Although the layout in the room had been changed several times, that telescope hadn''t been moved.


    She remembered how her teacher had made an appearance in front of the telescope. He had taught her how to observe the phenomenons of the Astral World, and then he had given her the last lesson. Then, when she became a Mythical Wizard, he made his appearance there too, and he even let Cook Bay gave her a Floating-Space Tower.


    Just then, Catherine looked back and suddenly saw the telescope. It was as though she had seen her teacher''s shadow. He was wearing a white robe, his long black hair was tied at the back of his head, and he had a faint smile while looking at her.


    Catherine''s face flashed with a beaming smile. "Teacher! You''re here!"


    Just as she spoke, the wind gushed through the window, and the shadow in the breeze dissipated into starlight.


    Catherine''s gaze instantly sunk into loneliness. She sighed, turned away, transformed into a mythical light, and disappeared from the top of the Wizard Tower.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    The mythical light of the entire Wizard City converged towards the end, bolted up to the top of the Wizard Tower, and transformed into a colorful ribbon that wrapped around the tower''s peak. The whole Wizard Tower was shrouded in the brilliance of the mythical light.


    The light and shadow of the last Forest Fairy stood out from the Wizard Tower and gradually transformed into a giant goddess of light and shadow that then enveloped the entire Wizard City.


    The mythical power of a Level Eight Forest Fairy integrated into the entire Wizard City, connected to various Floating-Space Towers, assimilated, and controlled the entire city. The huge Wizard City was like the base of the Floating-Space Towers and also the pedestal of the Floating-Space City.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    All living things started to flourish, flowers and grass grew, and several special Hallucination Fairies were born from the flowers. Several vines and Ancient Trees of Fairies were born in the city, while flower petals from the sky continued to fall and filled up the whole land, then regrew on the land. The power of vitality filled the entire sky.


    The mythical boundary around the Wizard City began to change; it gradually became a Mythical Kingdom that belonged to a Level Eight Mythical Wizard, the divine brilliance condensing into a huge flower bud towards the center of the region. It grew from the surroundings of the Wizard City and gradually sealed up the entire Wizard City. Everything in the city was taken over by Catherine; the air, temperature, humidity and life cycle system were all set by Catherine.


    As long as they had a magic machine and the power of a Level Eight Mythical Wizard, they would have a constant stream of force to support the existence of the Floating-Space City.


    The Wizard City was like a country that grew within a flower, and a Mythical Kingdom condensed into a giant flower had enveloped the Wizard City so that everything had floated into the sky from the earth.


    The great energy from the magic machine connected with several Floating-Space Towers and radiated the power from the Heaven''s Ring; the silver halo projected in the sky. If one looked from the sky, the whole plain could be seen floating up in the sky little by a little.


    The base of the Floating-Space City had long been built from a special material that looked like metal and wood. There was an eternal symbol at the bottom that represented the Wizard Tower.


    The masters of all the Floating-Space Towers had exhausted all their power to support the Floating-Space City of the wizards. They had tried to maintain the structure of the entire Floating-Space City. To avoid any accidents, they had fully integrated it to Catherine''s power, so she was now the master of the tower. It had become part of the power of Catherine, the Mythical Wizard.


    Millions of people in the city were cheering as they watched the changes of the entire Wizard City; they were delighted and thrilled.


    "Only a wizard, only a wizard could accomplish such a magnificent feat!"


    "The power of wizards is omnipotent, and the eternal wizards will become the greatest beings of the entire world, the best among the Astral World and the entire Crystal Wall System!"


    "Congratulations to us! This will be our first step into the future¡ªa Floating-Space City that belongs to the Wizard Tower and the master of the tower, Catherine."


    The huge city of the sky was encased in an illusory boundary of a flower. It was moving a little by a little into the bitwall, moving farther and farther away, and finally, they would reach somewhere beyond the world, to the established orbit, and revolve around the Starsoul World.


    In the future, it would become an important basis for wizards to explore the entire Astral World. The huge and magnificent Floating-Space City would shuttle across the entire Astral World to explore and unravel its various mysteries.

 418 The Military Parade of Arcane Kingdom

    The Tower of Heaven.


    The tower was just like its name, a giant tower connecting heaven and earth. The mythical alchemy tower was the space tower and the hub of Fhartasil''s Fairyland; its master was the Arcane Kingdom''s Emperor, Wendy.


    The insides of the tower didn''t even have any stairways. The space within interspersed and tangled in a complex manner. Layer after layer overlapped upwards, like an infinite cycle that bolted up to the clouds and sky, and at last, landed inside the half-bitwall.


    Numerous cities and villages were built around the tower. It was the center of Fhartasil''s Fairyland, since one could see the place from anywhere by simply looking up.


    Clouds surrounded the middle of the huge tower, which was like a giant pillar supporting the world. Anyone who saw it would be dazzled.


    That day, the Arcane Kingdom was holding a grand military parade. The entire army of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland surrounded the Tower of Heaven; tens of millions of Arcane Corps were divided and lined up in different units.


    From the steps of the Tower of Heaven, on the first layer of the platform, the entire sky was filled with the Arcane Corps, the dense population making everyone feel the horror and strength of the Arcane Kingdom. From the Military Parade, troops of steam-powered armored military vehicles, Magic Crystal Artillery Units, Magic Crystal Tank Troops, lights of the arcane magic troop completely composed by an arcanist, the Troll Armored Legion, and the Fairy Medical Corps could be seen.


    In the sky, there were numerous sky fortresses and mobile strongholds on top of which arcanists stood, looking up at the top of the tower above the clouds. The tower was the symbol of the Arcane Kingdom, the representative of its power.


    Thousands of Battle Airships towed long gas trails through the sky. The white tracks made from those clouds covered the entire sky, beautiful and dazzling.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Bam!


    Bam! Bam!


    Just then, the ground shook like an earthquake. The crowd looked up and saw a scene in the distance that was enough to terrify anyone. A huge figure appeared at the end of the sky, its body shooting up thousands of yards directly into the clouds. It was a gigantic giant that no one could have expected, its body made from the hardest red jade. There were several ravines on its body and magma was flowing through them, like a volcano that was blooming hot steam.


    "The Titan!" Immediately, someone blurted out as he recognized the identity of the giant.


    "He''s the Grand Duke of the Titan, Colin!" People in various cities cheered, since many of them were seeing such a mythical being for the first time. He was a creature that only existed in the legends of mythical creatures, a powerful existence that could be compared to gods. And the soldiers around the Tower of Heaven made zero movements, as if they had long known about the scenario. They were neatly divided in their squad and opened up a wide road for the Titan to cross.


    In one step, he crossed the vast earth; across the city, the village, the plains, across the forest, and the mountains. Everything at his feet seemed so small, so much so that the whole world could be measured under his feet and steps.


    On his shoulder, he was carrying a huge silver metal throne. He stepped across the plains and placed the throne on the first floor of the Tower of Heaven, then respectfully kneeled on the ground.


    Several brilliant lights were flashing on the long and gigantic steps that stretched under the Tower of Heaven. Numerous powerful great arcanists and high-ranking officials of the Arcane Kingdom had harnessed their respective ancient trees and appeared under the steps; the farmer tree creatures, the Ancient Trees of Life, the Guardian Ancient Trees, the Ancient Tree of Fairies, and so on, emerged at the same time.


    Then eight Mythical Arcanists and a Mythical Summoner appeared at the same time, the mythical lights and bodies lined up like giants just like Titan Colin. At that moment, the most powerful forces of the entire Arcane Kingdom had all appeared in the venue; it was a rare and grand gathering.


    A bright and dazzling star fell from the top of the Tower of Heaven, forming a beautiful arc crossed the sky. It transformed into seven colors, exploded into several colored ribbons, and shrouded the entire Tower of Heaven.


    At last, the colored ribbons converged, forming an illusory and hazy light and shadow of a goddess. She was wearing a colorful flowing robe and a dazzling crown. The center of the crown was inlaid with the legendary Heart of the Arcane.


    She sat on the throne, her arms hanging down naturally, while one of her slender arms was placed on the armrest of the throne, another hand supporting her face. With her composed and serious gaze, she scanned her kingdom. The huge mythical body and the Tower of Heaven were a neat pair. The whole Arcane Magic Network was connected to her, since she was the core of the Arcane Magic, the source of all the arcanists'' power.


    Just then, she was like a god who was looking down on the world. The whole world moved with her breath, and her mood was the weather of Fhartasil''s Fairyland¡ªa shift in her thoughts could adjust all the rules of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    She was in control of the entire Fhartasil''s Fairyland, above the clouds and within the bitwall. She was overlooking the entire world as the Queen of the Arcane Kingdom, Wendy.


    As soon as she appeared, she saw everyone moving like a wave under the tower, and she was like a drop of water¡ªwhen it dripped into a pond, it could cause a magnificent wave above the earth.


    Numerous Mythical Arcanists and a Great Arcanist, plus more than tens of thousands of Arcane Corps all knelt down on the ground along with tens of millions of people kneeling down, bent under her feet. All the life forms on Earth were included, and the world was under her control.


    "Meet Her Majesty, the Emperor of the Arcane Kingdom!" Thousands of elves arcanists knelt down.


    "Meet Her Majesty, the Emperor of the Arcane Kingdom!" Numerous trolls in armor respectfully knelt on the ground.


    "Meet Her Majesty, the Emperor¡­!" A large number of fairies revealed intense yearning and enthusiasm in the midst of the loud cheers.


    The cries of millions of people echoed throughout the world, their cheers merging into a single voice; it was as if their loud roar had dispersed the clouds in the sky.


    Everyone looked at their emperor with great admiration. All of them had grown up listening to the story of Wendy, the Queen of the Arcane Kingdom, who had existed before the Arcane Kingdom when the whole world was in a desolate state.


    It seemed to date back to their existence in the origin of the Arcane Kingdom. As the founding emperor, the pioneer of the arcanists, in their eyes, she was the god of the Arcane Kingdom and their Creator. As the God who had created their world, she was their God. The whole Arcane Kingdom was her kingdom, and everyone was her faithful believer.


    Wendy sat on the giant throne. It was like a key control station that was imprinted into the Tower of Heaven. It had taken her thousands of years, but she had finally succeeded in fully receiving the legacy of Lu Zhyu to merge the huge mythical alchemy tower into the system of her own strength.


    At the same time, she could use the power of the Tower of Heaven and merge all Arcane Fairylands from different fairies, then transform the entire World of Titan as her own kingdom so as to ascend to a Level Eight Mythical Arcanist.


    The light of the arcane magic transformed into several complex routes and scattered from the throne, climbing along the Tower of Heaven. The golden brilliance constantly scattered, bolting upwards and merging with the tower. The radiance of the Space Magic from the Tower of Heaven scattered and overlapped; the space from its surroundings became fragmented as it overlapped.


    The radiance shone down, while the Tower of Heaven¡ªwhich was seemingly separated from the whole world or connected to the world but untouchable¡ªbroke out from the void little by a little and appeared above the earth.


    Wendy stretched out her hand under the colorful flowing robe, and the grand body of the Mythical Shadow said, "Well, let''s get started!"

 419 Level Eight Mythical Arcanis

    The Tower of Heaven had completely descended to the world, and the rules of space had spread over to the Fhartasil''s Fairyland. The sky was like a diamond mirror reflecting the entire scenery of the half bitwall, it was just like a mirage.


    And the power of the Level Eight Mythical Arcanist, little by little, penetrated the entire world with a colorful brilliance. Wendy stretched out her hand, waved her hand in the air, and a colorful sphere of light appeared in the eyes of the gods; when enlarged, the World of Titan was seen.


    "Arcane Magic Network Connection!"


    "Activate all the arcane territory and stimulate the Fairyland!"


    All the Mythical Arcanists who were standing under the Tower of Heaven stood up at the same time and shouted, "Activate the arcane territory!"


    "Stimulate the Fairyland!"


    The Fairyland of Elves, which had surrounded the Tower of Heaven, blossomed Mythical Power and light of arcane magic simultaneously, colorful pillars of light shot to the sky, and endless arcane runes entered the core of World of Titan from the fairyland.


    The light of the arcane magic spread out on the earth and connected with each other, it formed a huge Arcane Magic Network and Arcane Array. The dense silk threads shuttled under the earth; the earth seemed to become translucent.


    At that moment, in the bitwall of the whole of World of Titan, the brilliance of arcane magic was blooming. Within the bitwall, countless arcane runes represented the arcane rule were wriggling and shuttling back and forth.


    "This is the moment!"


    The brilliance converged on Wendy, the emperor of the Arcane Kingdom, as if it was a personification of her strength or holiness. Wendy closed her eyes and the colored ribbons connecting the heaven and the earth danced violently.


    The grand mythical alchemy tower had slowly vanished, transformed into a tower of light made up of innumerable silky lines.


    Wendy and the throne were integrated altogether; they transformed as a part of the light and merged into the world.


    The massive Mythical Shadow shuttled within the half bitwall, its enormous size was beyond everyone''s imagination. That was the existence that was controlling the world and commanding an authority of the bitwall.


    "Oh my god? Is this the power of the Mythical Arcanist?" An elf arcanist and an exotic professional looked up at the sky and dared not blink.


    On the sky above, a huge goddess''s shadow embraced the entire world, her colorful flowy robe danced in the wind, it covered entire world and sky, her long hair emitted golden brilliance, and it shined like the sun.


    She spread out her hand and embraced the whole world, as if she was embracing her people, as if she was embracing the whole world.


    "Mythical Kingdom"


    "The World of Fairyland!"


    When the goddess opened her eyes and she said those two sentences, the whole world was advanced to another level instantly. The network of mythical arcane magic was laid in all corners. The sky inside the world became bluer, white clouds condensed one by one, and the light became dimmer and warmer.


    She blew a breath, lights of the elements and arcane magic filled the insides of the half bitwall, it surrounded the ocean of the World of Titan, the entire ocean turned the other way round towards the sky, every drop of water emitted arcane magic and mythical light, it had merged into the half bitwall, formed a water curtain of barrier and mythical boundary, guarded the world while adjusting and propelling the water and life cycle of half bitwall.


    At the same time, in the barrier of the guarding space, a variety of underwater plants and life forms began to emerge as part of the guarding space of the half bitwall. At the same time, the ocean receded, and the whole Fhartasil''s Fairyland became larger.


    "Deviate from its original track!"


    "Broke out from the shackles of Starsoul World!"


    "Entering into the orbit of the external world!"


    Just then, the World of Titan was completely transformed into Fairyland of Elves. Fhartasil''s Fairyland was worthy of its name. Wendy truly took over the authority of World of Titan which was between the so-called creators.


    The huge half bitwall, akin to a bubble, slowly broke away from the inner part of the Starsoul World and entered the outer orbit. It revolved around the Starsoul World.


    When it was revolving, they could see that there was a huge Astral World City floating outside the world.


    The incomparably vast base of the Floating-Space City was carved with silver eternal symbols and was enveloped by the Mythical Kingdom. Within it, the Wizard City and countless wizards could be seen.


    The Floating-Space City of Catherine, the Master of the Tower of the Wizard Alliance, and the Fhartasil''s Fairyland of Wendy, the Queen of the Arcane Kingdom, stood and looked at each other from afar. They each represented their spiritual symbols and the strongest power.


    As the whole Fhartasil''s Fairyland stabilized, everyone in the half bitwall knew that Fhartasil''s Fairyland had succeeded in its advancement and that Wendy, the Queen of the Arcane Kingdom, had succeeded in promoting to the Level Eight Mythical Arcanist.


    "All hail, Your Majesty Wendy!" The men, women and children in various Fairyland Cities shouted in unison.


    "The light of the arcane magic always shines on us!" The arcanists who were standing under the Tower of Heaven shouted in unison, the entire Arcane Corps were roaring too.


    "The arcanist is the truth of the world and the most powerful force in the world!" In that scene, several arcanists saw the future they belonged and the power of a Level Eight Arcanist.


    Wendy gradually picked up her fully expanded mythical body; the vast mythical shadow which seemed to embrace the world was dissipating little by little. It had transformed into the original form of the top of the Tower, but the body''s light of the arcane magic was still constantly brimming.


    The light scattered all over the body, and there was a beautiful fairy floating on the top of the Tower, she was akin to be in the light of the moon and the stars.


    She closed her eyes and was feeling the power of a Level Eight Arcanist. At that moment, she felt a familiar fluctuation and power passed through the Fhartasil''s Fairyland, she didn''t obstruct it, and she allowed it to appear directly in Fhartasil''s Fairyland, even in front of herself.


    In the mid-air of that ancient Colosseum or Titan-style auditorium, the light gradually condensed into a woman wearing a white robe with pointed ears, full of the aura of vitality; even from the scattered light, petal of flowers and green leaves were seen falling.


    Catherine pointed her toes lightly in the air and looked at Wendy. "Wendy! Congratulations on becoming a Level Eight Mythical Arcanist! Previously, when I became a Level Eight Mythical Wizard, you didn''t come in person; you only sent a letter and gift."


    Wendy immediately replied, "When we got our hands onto the World of Titan, you didn''t go easy on us. Three Floating-Space Towers attacked us directly. And the last battle, your Mechanical Clock Tower''s goblin gave us a hard time!"


    Catherine laughed and said, "That''s just a common conflict between the two forces. Don''t tell me you still remember that. How many years have passed?"


    Wendy continued, "Then the last time you fought for Thunder Bitwall, you were beaten so badly by the Divine kingdom. Who supported you and who helped you clean up the mess in the end!"


    Catherine pursed her lips, "All right, let''s not talk about this. Today we''re just here to congratulate you on becoming a Level Eight Mythical Arcanist. By the way, what''s your next plan for the Arcane Kingdom?"


    Although the relationship between Wendy and Catherine remained good, the conflict between the Arcane Kingdom and the Wizard Alliance was increasingly intense. If it hadn''t been for the oppression of the Divine Kingdom, it would have erupted long ago. That conflict of interests couldn''t be completely suppressed by both of them at many times.


    Wendy thought for a moment, she looked at Catherine and said, "I''ve thought about this before. We can work together to find and occupy another world. Then we can compete in strength to decide who can stay behind and who should leave, the winner stays, accepts each other''s territory in Starsoul World, and the loser takes the rest to another world for redevelopment."


    This proposal seemed rather grim, but the core power of both the Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom were basically on Wendy and Catherine. Their Floating-space City and Fhartasil''s Fairyland were the foundation of both sides, which were also the characteristics of those who transcend the world; their power was formidable.


    As long as Wendy and Catherine were still there, Floating-space City and Fhartasil''s Fairyland would still exist, they were just changing place, and there was no difference at all as compared to the past.


    Catherine pondered for a moment and asked curiously, "A competition on strength? How so?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Wendy had a smile on her face, "Haven''t we had a witchcraft fight since we left the tower?"


    Catherine smiled, "I''ll never lose! You didn''t win me at the tower then!"


    Wendy raised her head, "That was more than 4000 years ago! It''s different now!"


    Catherine''s figure disappeared a little by a little, but she suddenly remembered something, hesitated for a moment and asked Wendy, "Wendy, you... have you seen our teacher again?"


    Wendy was stunned, her eyes revealed a mixed feeling, she had an expression of sadness as she replied, "Who knows? Heard that... he has left this Crystal Wall System and explored and searched for a wider world outside!"


    "Maybe he''s like a kid, when he had enough fun, our world was just like an abandoned old toy, and he had gone out to find his new toy."

 420 Heart of the Ocean and the New World

    Wizards'' calendar, 10029.


    The Heart of the Ocean Bitwall was located deep in the Astral World; it was the first bitwall which was captured and developed by the Wizard Alliance. It was also the bitwall closest to the Starsoul World, it was 16 light-years away from the Starsoul World.


    When it was first developed, that bitwall was a frozen blue crystal, quietly slumbering deep in the Astral World.


    For thousands of years, the wizards were involved in various development and modifications of that half bitwall, and they had finally developed it into a habitable half bitwall. Several batches of wizards and civilians relocated there, the entire Heart of the Ocean Bitwall became an important stronghold of the Wizard Alliance deep in the Astral World.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    The wizards imitated the sky of Rhode''s Bitwall, transformed the Gaseous Vitality like the yarn of silver and created the yarn of light; that special Gaseous Vitality filled the wall of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, and it had the same function as the sun, bringing light and warmth to the world.


    At the same time, that huge Gaseous Vitality which had occupied more than half of the space in the half bitwall would also be in rotation on the surface of the wall, so that the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall was able to enjoy day and night.


    The original huge world which was like a ball of ice gradually melted and it became a water world, the brilliance which the yarn of light radiated was pure white, as the wizards in the ocean started to cultivate plants, oxygen and the atmosphere began to appear within the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, the sky slowly turned blue, and rain and thunder clouds gradually emerged.


    All kinds of fish and marine life began to appear in the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall. The air and temperature became suitable for the survival of normal citizens. Wizards created several floating islands and Sea Cities on the surface of the water. Within the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, humans, trolls, goblins, fairies and elves also began to appear.


    Each of the Floating-Space Towers and masters of the towers of the Wizard Alliance was regularly stationed there. At the same time, the master of the space tower, Rand, had anchored that half bitwall 5000 years ago, he did it together with the masters of the towers and the Eternal Floating-Space City (Catherine''s Floating-Space City).


    Several Wizard Towers and Elemental Tower were established in the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, the Magic Crystal Network had assimilated deep into every corners; even the yarn of light was part of the Magic Crystal Network. All was helping the transformation of the half bitwall; it had engaged the power of the entire Magic Crystal Network and the magic of life within the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall. It had pushed the entire Heart of the Ocean Bitwall towards the Starsoul World. The more life forms it had in the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, the stronger the momentum, and the faster it would sail.


    After thousands of years of accelerated movement, the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall had become closer and closer to the Starsoul''s bitwall, they just had to wait for another 2,400 years, and it would meet the Starsoul World. They could then integrate the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall into the Starsoul World and become part of the Starsoul World; to complete the agreement between the Wizard Alliance and the Starsoul World.


    "Only in this way can we gradually and powerfully perfect our Starsoul World, the Starsoul World is the foundation of our wizard and the foundation of everything; it''s our source and original world, it''s a place which cultivated the great existence of the wizard civilization."


    "And when we first created the Floating-Space City, the agreement signed with the will of the world was long overdue; it''s time to fulfil our promise."


    That was the last time, on the Eternal Floating-Space City, during the Wizard Conference, the Master of the Tower, Catherine had said.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Choo-choo!


    The black and white seabirds spread their wings and glided across the ocean, it chased the waves and steam boats under the azure sky, and the boundless ocean spread to the end of the sky, it was a true world of sea.


    From every fixed distance, one could see a Wizard Tower stood firmly above the water, at the foot of the tower, a water town was built. Within the Wizard Tower, one could also regulate the humidity and wind and waves in the town, even if they were living on the surface of the sea, there was no danger and they wouldn''t feel too humid. There was no road in the town, there was only waterway and everything was navigated by boat.


    Numerous towns built on sea could be seen everywhere, under the Elemental Tower was numerous Sea Cities, in addition to a human city, there was a troll city made from rugged stone, a fairy city built on vines and giant trees in the sea, a goblin city full of chimneys and mechanical aura. Between cities and towns, there were also trains and tracks built on top of the water; the Aqua Trains and Aqua Tracks.


    As the Aqua Trains crossed the sea, one could open the train''s windows to enjoy the sea breeze and the scent of the sea, passed through several towns built on the sea. Looked out of the window and observed the human, fairies, the city of the goblins above the sea, it was simply beautiful and romantic. Short videos like that were broadcasted on the magic telly''s channel again and again, it then attracted a large number of tourists and wizards.


    The beautiful Heart of the Ocean Bitwall had thus become the ideal world to live in and a grand tourist attraction in the Wizard Alliance, and it was even been voted as the first and most beautiful place in the world by The Magic Entertainment.


    If one''s gaze was to follow the wings of the birds bolting up and into the sky, one could immediately see that there was a Floating-Space Tower floating above the sky; it was a fine blue stone tower akin to a music box, where pleasant music was heard instantly whenever it passed by, the sea of dolphins and giant whales even danced along with the music.


    It was the Ocean Song Floating-Space Tower who was guarding the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall for 100 years defense duties; each tower had taken their turns to guard the bitwall. The master of the tower, Adriana, was a great fairy born in the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, her mythical template was of the same origin as the master of the Wizard Tower, the lake fairy, and therefore she was also a part of the faction under the Wizard Tower''s Lord Catherine.


    In that moment, the Ocean Song Floating-Space Tower was caught in a mess, the human wizards and great fairies were panicking and at a loss. A large number of people crowded in the Floating-Space Tower on the sixth floor in the Astral World Exploration Laboratory; a laboratory which should only be occupied by six people, and it should be as empty as a town square, but in that moment, it was crowded and bustling like a market.


    Just then, a mass of blue water light arrived; several water droplets and light blue light gathered and condensed, and a figure like an ocean goddess gradually emerged and walked out from the water and brilliance.


    "What''s going on?" Adriana asked.


    Several humans in wizard''s long robes were looking through a ten-meter-long Astral World telescope; a huge telescope which extended out of the window and into the sky.


    "Lord, we... discovered something that can''t be described in words, it''s awful, it''s really scary, and we''ve never seen such an existence. What the hell is that? It''s beyond our imagination and it''s likely to break the convention and knowledge of everything we knew." A middle-aged wizard was dumbfounded; he was at a loss, terrified and was speaking incoherently.


    Adriana scanned the members of the Astral World Exploration Laboratory, set foot on the watchtower, through the sophisticated long Astral World telescopes ¨C a top-notch magic props produced by the top alchemy workshops ¨C she looked into the depths of the Astral World.


    And Adriana was in a daze in an instant.


    She was frightened, what she saw was beyond all knowledge and truth she had learned at the wizard school and the Wizard Tower.


    "What is this?" How could there be such a huge life? Is this a mythical creature? Or is this an unknown life form of the Astral World?"


    Deep in the Astral World, a huge and unimaginable existence was creeping into the distance, its size had exceeded all the creatures and existences that Adriana knew, it was simply not the size of any life forms, and if there was an existence which could be on par with its size, it was the world.


    Yes, a wriggling worm which was as huge as the Starsoul World and Maria''s World. It was traveling into the far distance of the Astral World, it had a huge silver vortex within its body which was constantly rotating and radiating bright brilliance; it was akin to the sun which illuminated a large area of the Astral World, such that the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall which was far away from it could directly observed that magnificent life form.


    With a breath, it could set off an element storm in its surrounding which was enough to destroy a Mythical Life. Even True God dared not easily get close to it. When it was breathing, a large area of dimensional folds were produced and then exploded. Behind its back, it was dragging a long tail; it looked like a large comet, but it also looked like a rainbow crossing the Astral World.


    And at that moment, the great figure of chaos worm, as if it was carrying a world, stopped in its track, as if it was tired, or felt that its mission had arrived and it had to complete its mission.


    It contracted its body, stopped moving in the Astral World, and the silver vortex within its body rotated violently, and then it emitted brilliance which seemed enough to illuminate the entire Crystal Wall System.


    Bang!


    Adriana opened her eyes and watched its demise quietly, she couldn''t fathom what it was, and she didn''t understand what she had witnessed in that moment.


    When the light dissipated, a chaotic world like a clutter was born in the Astral World, the original shell of the chaos worm had transformed into a bitwall, and the internal rules and the world were in a slow birth and transformation, but the rapid progress was incredible, it was as if time had been accelerated, or some inexplicable force and rule were controlling it.


    The master of the Ocean Song Floating-Space Tower, Adriana, seemed to understand the situation, she stood up all of a sudden, looked at everyone behind, and she was in a daze as she spoke.


    "How can this be?"

 421 The Fourth World

    How the world was born?


    Where did we come from? What was the source of all life? How did the rules of the world come into being? Where did the power of arcane magic and wizard come from? What was the essence of mana?


    The so-called Creator... did it truly¡­ exist?


    Generations of wizards pursued and strived to unravel such ultimate questions and the mysteries of truth, and thus derived numerous guesses, and there were discussions on those issues in the manuscripts, notes, and autobiographies of the great wizards and senior professionals.


    Eventually those inquires would return to one question ¨C how the world was born.


    There were endless speculations and deductions, they were divided into factions and doctrines, but no one could arrive at a solution to the problem, even the Mythical Wizards, even the supreme masters of the Floating-Space Towers couldn''t be sure which guesses of any theory was correct.


    It was only until the master of the Ocean Song Floating-Space Tower, Adriana, passed on all the information and discoveries she saw back to the Eternal Floating-Space City.


    The Eternal Floating-Space City floated on the orbit of the Starsoul World and revolved around the world, because only in that way could the professionals of the Wizard Alliance able to connect to the magic network and communicate with the power of the world''s aboriginal.


    Hence, even if they had created a Floating-Space City, but the Wizard Alliance was still not completely out of the shackles of the world, the Starsoul World was the source of their survival; the source of the power of wizards.


    That was why wizards had treated mana as the world''s only source of power, because only in the core of the world could it evolved and gave birth to such power, and therefore led to the existence of the magic network.


    Just then, in the Great Hall of Truth of the Wizard Tower, the entire Wizard''s Parliament was gathered, not all members of the Wizard''s Parliament had the opportunity to participate in that meeting, only the core members and all the masters of the Floating-Space Towers could participate.


    As Catherine, the master of the tower, played the video of the death of the chaos worm and the birth of a world was revealed in front of everyone, the hall was instantly silent as if one could hear a pin dropped.


    Several wizards stood up from their seats, from the front to the back, everyone couldn''t help but stood up, in the face of that scene, none of them was composed; it was a blasphemous to it if they remained calmed.


    Because it was the birth of a world.


    "Oh my god! How is this possible, how can it be!" There was a long silence before someone mumbled.


    "It''s so beautiful; it''s the most beautiful radiance and color in the world!"


    "It''s a song of genesis!"


    An old wizard stood up, he was unsteadily and trembling, he cried in an instant, his gaze was filled with an air of holiness as if he had took part in a pilgrimage; he felt that he had witnessed the greatest moment in the world.


    The mythical alchemy warlock, Cook Bay, who had lived for nearly a million years, felt the kind of tremor that stemmed in the depths of his soul once more; he had that exact feeling when he first saw the gift Mr Randil handed over to him; the secret art of alchemy of the building of The Capital of God and Floating-Space City.


    No one could understand the wizards'' quest for the truth of the world and their feelings towards the world, when they had witnessed that scene, for them, it was akin to the believers of The Goddess of Fate had personally lifted the veil of The Goddess of Fate.


    "The world... is born!"


    Cook Bay looked at the moment of the death of the chaos worm and he repeatedly replayed that scene on the projection screen; the dazzling glow of the silver vortex which had erupted, and the stunning scene of endless dust of the Astral World condensed and the disappearance and rebirth of the dimensional folds.


    "So the world is born from such a huge and incredible organism?" A female astrologer, who was wearing spectacles, exclaimed.


    "What kind of creature is this? What level of existence is it? Level Eight? Or Level Nine? It can breed a world? Was our world bred from its body too?" More wizards had raised their own questions.


    And Catherine, the master of the tower, was standing at the top of the Great Hall of Truth, watched the great existence in which a world was born, and the silver vortex of the body which was like the sand of stars spinning and spiraling.


    She seemed to go back to more than 8000 years ago when she had just become a mythical wizard and didn''t yet own her Floating-Space Tower.


    The Wizard Tower was just a common Elemental Tower, located on the earth, her teacher stood on top of the tower, accompanied her to watch the sunset on the Wizard Continent.


    "Teacher, how many kinds of Mythical Life are there?" Catherine, who had just become a mythical wizard, couldn''t control her strength in that moment, and she was seen as a translucent forest fairy.


    Lu Zhiyu was dressed in a white robe; he looked like a mortal, "Well... I''m not very clear, but every supernatural life can be traced back to their source of Mythical Life, the number of mythical life isn''t fixed, some supernatural life may mutate, the emergence of changes or deformities can happen even from the source, and the emergence of new mythical template is possible."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Lu Zhiyu turned around, his long robe dropped and glided along the ground, his black gaze was akin to the stars, it was mysterious and sparkling, "But the mythical template isn''t absolutely strong or weak, the key lies in how it is used by the people. Your forest fairy mythical template mastered the rule of life; it is the strongest from the batch."


    Catherine then asked, "Teacher, then, is there the most powerful Mythical Life? Any one which is so strong that it was unrivalled, neither God nor True God is on par with?"


    Lu Zhiyu pondered for a moment, and he suddenly laughed, "There''s really one, if it''s also counted as a life."


    "Really? What is it?"


    "Chaos worm!"


    Catherine didn''t get a complete answer from her teacher about the chaos worm, and in her imagination, it was an extremely powerful mythical life, unparalleled, and lived in the depths of the Astral World. She even imagined countless times how the chaos worm looked like.


    However, in that moment, she looked at the projection screen which was showing the great existence of the vortex of the world, she finally understood how a chaos worm looked like, and her gaze was blurred.


    "So this is¡­ the chaos worm!"


    "The Mythical Life that nurtured a world!"


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    At the same time, Starsoul world which was the closest from the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, they were more than ten light-years apart, they were also affected by the wave of the chaos worm which had just give birth to a new world; there was a violent Spatial Storm. The instrument detecting spatial fluctuations violently rotated that even its afterimage was seen.


    Several of the top Alchemy Workshops and the Arcane Magic Laboratories, catered for space exploration, were monitoring and exploring that intense spatial fluctuation. There were tracing the source of that spatial fluctuation, while various parties were also urgently reporting to their superior about that huge discovery.


    "This! Is this a half bitwall?"


    "We''ve discovered a new half bitwall, lord! This is definitely another great discovery!"


    "No! No! This isn''t a half bitwall, this¡­"


    "This is a new world!"


    Inside an alchemy tower, all the goblin alchemy warlocks cheered and hugged each other, they thought they were the first to discover and witness the existence of that great moment. They were unware that, at the same moment, several other institutes were cheering just like them. And they didn''t know that the superiors of the Wizard Alliance had already received the news of the birth of the new world.


    The news of the discovery of the new world was immediately transmitted to the upper echelons of the Arcane Kingdom and the emperor. At the same time, many senior professionals and secretive presences were informed of the news throughout the world of the Starsoul World.


    "Finally... we''ve discovered a new world!" The top-notch demon warlock who was hiding in the Wizard Alliance was holding onto the information of that new world, his hand was trembling involuntarily.


    "This is the Fourth World after the Divine Kingdom, the Starsoul World, and the Abyss World!" In the Tower of Death of the Northern Glacier, a secret King of the Dead was speaking, the soul flame within his gaze was glistening.


    As the Wizard Alliance began to locate that new world, they even tried to get close and explore. The Arcane Kingdom launched its own operations too. The news was known by many even after being completely concealed, and a large number of senior professionals were informed of the discovery of the Fourth World.


    At the same time, several devil monarchs at the heart of the Abyss World woke up from their eternal sleep. Numerous Devil Lords from the depth of the world also detected a new opportunity belonged to them, they were ready to strike.


    At last, even the gods from Maria''s World laid down the Oracle.

 422 The Conference of Gods

    Maria''s world, the Kingdom of Light in the bitwall, it was definitely the brightest of all stars, because it represented the silver moon in the sky.


    Although the Creator abandoned the world and the gods appeared to be the masters of the world, and at the same time, Maria''s world also lost the patronage of the Creator; the Kingdom of the Light also lost its original Divine Kingdom''s Network Host and authority, it became a member of the ordinary Divine Kingdom.


    Although their authority had tumbled, its power didn''t diminish; Hodap, the new Lord of Light inherited the divinity and power of the Goddess of Light, Kelly. He also became a True God with the most powerful divinity.


    The brilliance above the sky of the Kingdom of Light fell and slide off the sky; it was akin to lines with dreamy colors. The land was a kingdom above the clouds, the heaven of gods, prayer and apostles who were wearing holy white clothes lined up till the end of the earth, several angels in the clouds were playing the harps.


    And just then, on the clouds of the Kingdom of Light, 17 divine thrones appeared, surrounded into a circle, on top of each of the divine thrones sat a True God; they were True God of their own Divine Kingdoms.


    Ever since the three Goddesses of Light, Sun and Death followed and left with the Creator, Maria''s world hadn''t held such a grand divine conference whereby 17 True Gods had gathered together.


    An elder who was sitting on a white gorgeous throne, began to speak, he was the first High Priest of the The Church of Light, Hodap, who was now the Lord of Light, "The Fourth World has emerged, and this time we''re discussing the issues about the new world!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "That''s a world that hasn''t yet been occupied, and we must never let it slip!" The second generation God of Death, Cetisius, was speaking. The new world that had emerged could also be another world in which the system of the reincarnation of hell could be incorporated."


    The God of Sun, Tiridan, was dressed in a gorgeous armor, sat on top of the divine throne with a wide sword in his hand. He looked up at the Lord of light, Hodap, and asked, "So how should we deal with the new world, this isn''t a half bitwall, to seize a world that seems uncontrollable and can''t be fully mastered, is it really necessary?"


    "And the world is still in the process of being born, it isn''t completely stabilized, we''ve to be careful not to be fooled and fall into a trap of some sinister old man."


    The God of Sun, Tiridan, and the Lord of Light, Hodap, were rivals, not to mention that when they were mortals, they had participated in a fierce battle between the Faith of the Sun and the Church of Light. They fought on the Sumerian Plain, and a large number of Tiridan''s close friends died in that battle.


    And the scene when Saintess Kelly died under the sword of the former Lion King, Will, had the entire The Church of Light lament. If the Creator hadn''t interfered ¨C he allowed Saintess Kelly to ascend to the Kingdom of Light and become the first generation of the Goddess of Light thereafter ¨C they were afraid that they wouldn''t have survived.


    And after becoming a god, the overlap between the priesthood and divinity of light and sun, and the struggle over the rules of faith had never stopped


    The Goddess of Light and the Goddess of Sun had their backings from the Creator, they might not care about everything in the mortal world, but their believers couldn''t; because divinity and power were all they had.


    The God of Space and Exploration, Rhode, and the Goddess of the Night, Alice, together with the Goddess of Harvest sat together; one could see that even the gods were divided into different small camps.


    The God of Space and Exploration, Rhode ¨C who had successfully merged Rhode''s Bitwall into Maria''s World, so that Maria''s World had a new continent in the world ¨C had obtained a greater authority and divine power, he had also gained the faith of an entire continent.


    And the newly acquired Thunder Bitwall which had spent thousands of years ¨C with the help of three gods, the God of Space and Exploration, the Goddess of the Night and the Goddess of Harvest ¨C before they could work with the three Divine Kingdoms and through the use of the space divine projection, at last, they successfully brought back an entire world back to Maria''s World.


    It would only take 1000 years to 2000 years within Maria''s world and there would be another new continent. The great gains and success allowed the powers of the three gods to gradually catch up and surpass the first echelon.


    Rhode looked up and said, "I think it''s an opportunity and a good thing, but this time it''s said that the Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom have formed an ally, and the nine devil monarchs in the Abyss Bitwall are ready to launch their attacks. Not to mention the large number of Lords of Abyss in the depth of the abyss. If we pieced up everyone from the Abyss Bitwall, even if all of the gods are involved in the battle, we don''t have an advantage in the battle."


    "So! Who wants to go down in person, to go deep into the Astral World and take the risk?"


    Seventeen True Gods who were present sunk into deathly silence; they were at a loss for words. The current situation was different from when Rhodes seized the Thunder Bitwall; the Arcane Kingdom and the wizard civilization were now entirely different. Even with the involvement of two True Gods, they might not be able to suppress the Eternal Floating-Space City of Catherine and the Fhartasil''s Fairyland belonged to the Arcane Kingdom of Queen Wendy, in the depth of the Astral World.


    Edward, the God of Truth and Knowledge, said, "Whoever wants to benefit from the situation, he''ll naturally have to contribute!"


    The Lord of Light, Hodap, nodded, "Yes, those who''re willing, please stay put, we can negotiate further. Those who aren''t keen, you can go now!"


    In the midst of the discussion between the gods, the three gods of civilization was the first to leave; in a newly born world, there wasn''t even a life form or a single intelligent life to be found, let alone civilization.


    Then the Goddess of Steam and Machinery, Marina, together with her divine throne, transformed into a pillar of light and disappeared from the Kingdom of Light. The God of Truth and Knowledge also vanished. The Goddess of Fate, Natasha, also left. The God of Desire, Bart, who would only follow and act according to the will of the world and the desire of all beings, of course, wouldn''t participate.


    The exit of several True Gods had caused the sky of the Kingdom of Light, which was originally filled with the presence of many gods, to appear scant and sparse.


    In the end, there were only the Lord of Light, Hodap, the God of Death, Cetisius, the God of Space and Exploration, Rhode, the God of Knowledge and Truth, Edward, the God of Earth and War, Felix, the God of Storm, Jonathan, the God of the Night, Alice, the Goddess of Harvest, Bernice, and the Time Dragon God, Adolphus, who had left behind; there were only nine True Gods left.


    Hodap had an idea about who would stay, but he didn''t expect Time Dragon God, Adolphus, who would always be at home in the Divine Kingdom, and the one who always participated in none to stay put.


    "I didn''t expect the lord of time and agreement would stay!" Hodap was very happy.


    The divine throne of the Time Dragon God was a huge mountain of gold and treasure and he was leaning on a huge clock. He lay on the gorgeous golden throne, and he spoke like a human.


    "Stay put? No! I''m just here to remind all of you!"


    "Catherine, the master of the tower and Wendy, Queen of the Arcane Kingdom are the last two students left by master. Even if the three gods of civilization had rebirthed in numerous reincarnations, its memory has vanished, and it''s hard to differentiate their connections."


    The slender neck of the Time Dragon God, which was akin to a gem, raised up, it spread its wings, looked at all the gods who were present, "You can compete for the world, this is just a battle for interests, but don''t do anything crazy, don''t go overboard."


    Time Dragon God, Adolphus, contemptuously glanced over all gods who were present. He was once in The Capital of God and had accompanied the Creator and Eva, in face of those guys even if they were True Gods, he nonetheless felt superior. He continued, "No one here will want to bear His anger!"


    With the exit of the golden brilliance and the huge clock, the Time Dragon God disappeared from the Kingdom of Light. Following which, the God of Death, Cetisius, the God of Knowledge and Truth, Edward, and the Goddess of Harvest, Bernice also left, leaving only five True Gods in the conference.

 423 The Feeler from the Abyss

    "Restricted access; only passes with special authority or passes signed by the Wizard Alliance can pass through the portal!"


    The Heart of the Ocean Bitwall which was originally beautiful and quiet, because of the birth and discovery of the new world, the peace was destroyed. Several portals leading to the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall were blocked by the military; they prohibited free access. A large number of wizards were guarding to prevent any people harboring evil intentions into the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    "Most of the portals leading to the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall are sealed!" The drastic changes of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall were reported on the news, several portals was closed and shut down, but the rationale behind it was unpublished.


    "Only military personnel and members of the Wizard Tower can enter the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall!" In front of the portal leading the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall was a long lined up; several military trains and airships were waiting to enter the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall. Each large transmission portal looked like a military base. Those who were watching that scene were as if they had felt the imminent battle, they couldn''t help but recollect of the battle for compete of Thunder Bitwall in the distant years ago.


    "The entire Heart of the Ocean Bitwall will be subject to military control, all will have to be managed and deployed by the Wizard Alliance. All professionals will have to travel to your nearest Wizard Associations to report and register; otherwise you''ll be treated as treason." The broadcast about military control in Heart of the Ocean Bitwall was playing again and again.


    On the development of a new world, the Wizard Alliance seemed to have the greatest advantage, because they had a huge frontier ¨C the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    A half bitwall which was so near to a new world was a blessing for the Wizard Alliance; it was like a gift from God.


    In order to occupy the new world, the Wizard Alliance even transmitted and send the Eternal Floating-Space City over, through the Space Projection Magic, the most powerful Space Magic, the huge Eternal Floating-Space City for the first time left Starsoul World and into the depths of the Astral World.


    And the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall which had originally accelerated to the extreme to bolt over to Starsoul World began to slow down; it travelled off the planned trajectory and towards the new world.


    The deep blue sea and the blue sky were connected, the water reflected the sky, and everything seemed to be an illusory reflection on the water.


    In the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, one couldn''t tell where the sky was and where the sea was.


    In that moment, the huge Eternal Floating-Space City floated in the sky, quietly parked above the clouds. Many people in the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall were seeing the Eternal Floating-Space City for the first time; it was the symbol of the Wizard Alliance.


    When one was under the Eternal Floating-Space City, looked up at the giant city in the sky and among the clouds, everyone understood what a great masterpiece it was. They then understood the rationale of the pursuit of the ultimate alchemy in various generations of alchemy warlocks.


    As long as the Floating-Space City still existed, as long as the master of the tower, Catherine still existed, no one dared to belittle the Wizard Alliance, and none within the Wizard Alliance would dare to go against the power of the Wizard Alliance. Those who had harbored ill intentions, in the moment when they saw the arrival of the Eternal Floating-Space City, they would be scared stiff and terror-stricken.


    Just then, in a large hall within the Floating-Space City, Catherine wasn''t wearing her formal robe of the Wizard Tower, but a loose-fitting long skirt, her hair was naturally draped over her shoulders, she stood barefooted in the middle of the hall.


    And there was a projection floating in mid-air in front of her, the projection was a fairy with a silver crown, she was the Queen of the Arcane Kingdom, Wendy.


    "As long as you''re willing to open the core of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, with the mana of the whole bitwall and the Floating-Space City as a guide, our Arcane Kingdom will be able to project the Fhartasil''s Fairyland through the Level Eight mythical arcane magic of space projection to your side, and we''ll be your most powerful support and power."


    The projection of the fairy Queen Wendy was suspended in the air, a projection of power from the far-flung Astral World of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland, at an unimaginable distance, and her arms and hair seemed to fly without gravity, Wendy fixated at Catherine as she persuaded her.


    Catherine shook her head, smiled and jokingly said, "Maybe it''s not a strong aid, but a strong competitor."


    Queen Wendy, the fairy, spoke again, "Catherine, you can''t swallow a new world through the sole efforts of you and your kingdom. You can''t get rid of our support. Do you remember our agreement? I can now pledge that if our Arcane Kingdom occupies the new world, we''ll retreat from Starsoul World, and you''ll have the entire Starsoul World to yourself."


    The decision made by Queen Wendy wasn''t on impulse, a world that was still being born, the world consciousness and rules that weren''t yet perfect, it was like an undeveloped gem, for the existence of a system like the Arcane Kingdom, the new world was akin to something built just for them. Starsoul World which was already perfected, strong and with strict rules, the new world was perhaps more representative of the Arcane Kingdom''s future than Starsoul World.


    But Catherine, the master of the tower, hesitated. The discovery of a new world might be something that would be difficult to encounter for the next ten thousands of years. If they lost it, the Wizard Alliance might not be able to encounter a similar opportunity in the future.


    And they were completely in the lead, whether it was the Eternal Floating-Space City or the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, it had inched closer to the new world, that would be the most important force for their battle of the new world.


    The eyes of Catherine, the master of the tower, glimmered twice, "Maybe it''s not the time yet!"


    Queen Wendy''s projection gradually disappeared in the hall, "Soon, you''ll need our help, but if that happened, you won''t be the dominant party leading the fight."


    Catherine turned away barefooted and slowly walked out of the hall, she command a view of the entire Eternal Floating-Space City and the sky and the sea of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    "Abyss World! Divine Kingdom?"


    "I''m going to get ahead of all of you; we''re already in the lead. When all of you finally started to react, everyone will then realize it''s too late."


    The enormous Heart of the Ocean Bitwall was now sailing rapidly in Astral World, not sailing towards the new world, but they slowed down their speed and revolved around the new world, they were circling around and inching closer and closer.


    And as the distance got closer, the wizards in the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, even at night, when they were using ordinary Astral World telescopes, they could observe the vast world beyond the thin walls of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall and into the new world.


    The emergence of several huge Astral World telescopes from numerous Wizard Towers and Elemental Towers were seen all the time; they were exploring the huge world from time to time.


    The number of Floating-Space Towers in the sky had also increased, gradually from the initial five towers, to nine towers, then to twelve towers.


    Twelve Floating-Space Towers suspended in the sky, they surrounded the Eternal Floating-Space City, it was akin to stars surrounding the sun, twelve Floating-Space Towers represented twelve mythical wizards, but it also represented that nearly half of the mythical wizards from the Wizard Alliance had all arrived. The Heart of the Ocean Bitwall had arrived at the depths of the Astral World and was in preparation for the development of a new world.


    Adriana, the master of the Ocean Song Floating-Space Tower, had also been in the Astral World Exploration Laboratory, the laboratory which was usually empty, now had more than ten times the number of its usual members. They collected information about the new world from day and night; observed the changes in the new world.


    The great fairy wizard was excited, "I was the first to observe the birth of the new world, and also the first to witness the existence of a chaos worm. I was recorded in history. Even if I''m just a mythical wizard, but I''m also an extremely special one."


    And in the Eternal Floating-Space City, the largest Astral World Exploration Laboratory, led by the mythical alchemy warlock, Cook Bay, was constantly observing the new world and making plans if they had to enter it and compete for the new world.


    Through the Astral World telescope, one could see that it was a huge and chaotic world, the huge element storm and space wave had gradually subsided, the gorgeous tail dragged by the new world was progressively absorbed by the new world.


    The world gradually stabilized, the internal chaos was still in a mess, there were drastic changes, however it was gradually slowing down, the original disorder within the world, as the time passed, and the evolution of material was moving a little by a little towards balance.


    It could be seen that the new world was like a melting pot, it was burning under a fiery fire, magma and all kinds of substances in the world were frenziedly flowing, but it had gradually cooled and formed into earth and veins. The sun condensed within the bitwall. Water, air, lightning, storms were violently produced in the new world.


    Cook Bay looked at the beautiful world through the Astral World telescope; it was as exquisite as the world''s most beautiful gemstones, it was an uncarved beauty.


    "It certainly has a huge difference in its speed of time, and if we get inside it now, it may be possible to explore its mystery of time."


    Cook Bay said excitedly, just then, he suddenly observed the side of the new world, as if something had changed, he was immediately confused.


    Intense spatial fluctuations also caused the Space Fluctuation Tracker inside the Astral World Exploration Laboratory to rotate violently, and several wizards and alchemy warlocks were overwhelmed.


    "What''s that?"


    "No? Someone opened up the portal!"


    "How could it be that, we''re deep in the Astral World, it''s so far away, what coordinates did they use to open the portal?"


    "Who knows, but the portal is activated!"


    Wizards in various Floating-Space Towers also discovered the abnormality in Astral World; someone in the new world had opened a portal and was about to break through the space and landed near to the new world. With the use of the Astral World telescope, the new world looked as though it was close, but the actual distance was unimaginable.


    They could only watch the other party opened up a huge portal, they were closer to the new world, and Cook Bay''s gaze turned stern and serious. Just then, Catherine, the master of the tower, appeared behind him, she looked at the projection of the depth of Astral World on the wall.


    They saw a huge portal set off a burst of ripples, a corner of an ink-colored crystal slowly transmitted through the portal. From that tip, it seemed like a huge and unimaginable creature; that was absolutely an enormous creature which could be comparable to the Eternal Floating-Space City.


    Numerous wizards were jaw-dropped, "How, how can it be, such a large portal, without any basis, no space coordinates, no stable space channel, how can it opened up just like that?"


    Cook Bay seemed to figure out something, "That''s because what he''s going to send isn''t a thing, but it''s an entire life form, it''s a Mythical Life; he''s transmitting himself over."


    A mythical wizard behind him turned to Cook Bay, "How could it be, that thing is bigger than a Floating-Space City!"


    From the depths of the Astral World, a little by a little, he got out of the space channel, he slowly revealed his entire body in front of them; that was a huge octagonal crystal, like a black hole and it was parked at the side of the new world.


    The huge body made others felt a sense of desperation, and the force he eluded seemed to be assimilating and devouring everything, the black crystals span and caused dimensional folds around it.


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    Many of the wizards present immediately recognized who was transmitted, and even if they hadn''t actually seen it, they had heard of his name.


    Catherine''s expression became extremely serious and cautious, "The Lord of the Abyss Door ¨C Devil Monarch, Talos!"

 424 The War Between the Wizards and the Abyss

    Deep in the sky, the huge diamond-shaped crystal rotated slowly, in the center of it, it had opened up an enormous Abyss Gate.


    For the first time, many wizards of the Wizard Alliance saw such a sight. They knew the horrors of the abyss, but never really knew the true power of the abyss, and as the Lord of the Abyss Door reached the depths of the Astral World, the huge black halo was threw out from the body of the Lord of the Abyss Door, Talos; an Abyss Gate was fixed.


    That was probably the largest Abyss Gate ever; it was personally opened by Lord of the Abyss Door.


    Countless devils from the abyss were frantically gushing out, it was overwhelming. Millions, ten millions, there was a steady stream of them, as if there would never be an end, one would never had imagined how many devils from the abyss were there and how many different species and types there were.


    All kinds of oddly shaped devils, there were human-like, all kinds of monstrous animal forms, there were some which were similar to an insect, and there were dragons which spread its wings and flew; those powerful creatures when they had entered Astral World, it was as if they had attained freedom and were moving freely around.


    One of the many devil species was looking like a huge tree and it was climbing out of the Abyss Gate, the huge body was simply beyond everyone''s imagination. If it was in the Starsoul World, its body was enough to root to the ground in one step, and the other end would sunk into the bitwall. Its huge form was like a legendary World Tree, but when its evil vines were waving, there were countless tiny insect-like devils embedded on its body, those tiny devils were dancing along with its moving vines.


    It was directly rooted outside the new world, it was waiting for the rules of the world to stabilize, and then it would enter the new world. That was a Devil Lord from the depth of the abyss, from its appearance, many wizards from the Wizard Alliance, unconsciously blurted out its real name.


    Those devils ignored all kinds of bad weather in Astral World, even the lowest class of devils; for them, there wasn''t much difference when comparing the abyss and the Astral World. Astral World was like a paradise.


    Outside the new world, the devils were in a chaos, especially when they gradually surrounded the Abyss Gate, built their own nests of devils, and waited for the new world to arrive.


    Just then, a red metal broke out of space, it was dropped on top of the Abyss Gate, through the portal, it set off an element storm, and it hit the Lord of the Abyss Door, Talos.


    That was an Elemental Pyrolysis Bomb, it was an item in the Level Eight mythical alchemy, and its manufacture involved a mythical wizard''s ability in handling rules. It was launched by the Wizard Alliance in an effort to destroy and block the devils from the abyss; they took the chance when the devils from the abyss hadn''t yet established a stable territory and protection. They had to destroy the Abyss Gate.


    Elemental Pyrolysis Bomb exploded instantly; it gave off a dazzling brilliance which was akin to the sun. It set off violent element storm, a gorgeous halo spread out, it was a beautiful scene but tainted with deadly danger.


    It instantly devoured thousands of devils in silence, there was no screams and blood shed, in a flash of light, everything disappeared, and the halo was still spreading, and more than ten million devils vanished in a blink of an eye; they had no time to escape, no time to react, and most died from the explosion.


    Just then, the huge black diamond crystal spun violently, the darkness from the depth of Astral World seemed to be revolving around it and was condensing towards the middle of it; it instantly engulfed everything around.


    The wizards who were observing the depth of Astral World found out that they had suddenly lost all the images of the place they were observing; the Lord of the Abyss Door seemed to have devoured all the light, it was akin to a black hole, the halo which was expanding and was about to devour and destroy all of the devils'' nests, and the element storm which was dashing toward the Abyss Gate disappeared all of a sudden.


    "What is this? Space capabilities?" Cook Bay continuously played back the scene, he couldn''t understand what was going on; the ability of the Lord of the Abyss Door was too bizarre and eerie.


    "We''re not familiar with the means of a devil monarch, but it''s so terrible, that''s an Elemental Pyrolysis Bomb in the Level Eight of mythical alchemy." Another mythical wizard was dumbfounded.


    "It''s the first time we''ve used it, and the power is as scary as we thought it to be, but I didn''t expect that the power of the devil monarch was even more terrible."


    Just then, Catherine, the master of the tower, said, "Activate the Eternal Floating-Space City, activate the engine of the magic machine, speed up to its limit, we must be at the new world immediately; go to war with the abyss''s devils."


    Catherine looked back at all the mythical wizards, she waved her white sleeves, and revealed her elegant palm which was radiating, "Everyone, the real war has come, this time in the depths of Astral World, and we''re facing the Abyss World."


    Underneath the huge Eternal Floating-Space City was a circle of light which was all lit up, the Magic Crystal Network which was crisscrossing was instantly activated, strong mana fluctuations set off a blast of air, it shook the clouds of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall and it broke off from the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall. It broke through the bitwall and into the depths of Astral World, it moved towards the new world and the Abyss Gate.


    And in that moment, the darkness dissipated, the sun rays from the new world re-illuminated the Abyss Gate and the area where the devils were located. The devils of the abyss that had just arrived were severely damaged. An Elemental Pyrolysis Bomb of the Level Eight of mythical alchemy had wiped out all of them, not even a scum was left, and it was as if they were erased from Astral World with an eraser.


    But that was not worth mentioning in the Abyss World, lower class devils were merely cannon fodder and garbage, there was a steady stream of them pouring out of the Abyss World again. They were frantically crawling out of the Abyss Gate, they were desperate to escape the Abyss World and to the outside.


    It was as if the empty and cold Astral World outside was a temptation for them.


    Just then, the huge Abyss Gate suddenly trembled, the flow of the different species of devils from the abyss stopped gushing out in an instant, as if a river was cut off.


    And the violent tremor continued, as if something terrible was crossing from the other side of the abyss to the Abyss Gate, but such an enormous Abyss Gate couldn''t even accommodate its body.


    Space was like a thin film or fishing net which was twisted from the tension, and as the devilish force of the abyss broke apart, a huge white palm stretched out of the Abyss Gate, and then a large white skull that looked like a mountain, protruded through the door.


    The second devil monarch... had arrived.


    Wizards'' calendar, 10035, the abyss had revealed its power to the world for the very first time. In the battle for the new fourth world, they had a fierce battle with the Wizard Alliance. Wizard Alliance had a huge half bitwall of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, a Floating-Space City, more than ten mythical wizards, and constant support from the Starsoul world.


    But the Abyss World had descended three devil monarchs, in addition to Talos, the Lord of the Abyss Door who guarded and maintained the Abyss Gate, there was also the King of Skeleton, Mondirot, the Mother of Sinister Spider, Hellagon, and the never-ending devils from the abyss.


    A single blow from the core annihilation element of the huge Floating-Space City was enough to destroy a continent. Numerous mythical alchemy towers were scattered around and were constantly attacking the devil''s territory.


    Not to mention the Eternal Floating-Space City of Catherine, the kingdom of a mythical wizard, every one of them could feel the protection by the forest fairy, as long as they weren''t dead from a single blow or their soul was destroyed, they would be resurrected. At the same time, the mythical kingdom constantly dispersed flower seedlings, as long as it was adsorbed by a devil, a large number of flower fairies would immediately evolved and devoured the devil.


    But under the constant deathly attacks of the devils and the constant attacks of the two devil monarchs, the Floating-Space City was beginning to be torn and tattered, and even an alchemy tower of a mythical wizard was destroyed.


    After the appearance of the Mother of Sinister Spider, Hellagon ¨C her ability was to drag the consciousness of mythical wizards into her own sinister territory ¨C four undead mythical wizards were pronounced dead on the spot in the battlefield on Astral World.


    At the same time, the three Devil Lords from the depth of the abyss who invaded the Eternal Floating-Space City were engulfed by Catherine''s realm of mythical wizard; they were turned into flower fertilizer. And 13 Devil Lords, who were in the midst of the battle, which were smashed by the Floating-Space Towers, their devil''s body returned to the Abyss World to wait for rebirth.


    They had fought the war for three years, the battlefield was dreadful and beyond imagination, the entire battlefield in Astral World had become the meat grinder of humans and devils, even with the perfect civilization system of the Wizard Alliance, they could no longer sustain the fight.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    At last, the devil monarch, King of Skeleton, paid a heavy price; the Floating-Space City which was controlled by mythical wizard, Catherine, had destroyed half of its body, but in a desperate attempt, it crashed onto the Floating-Space City. Its huge devilish skeleton body directly crushed and shattered the corner of the Floating-Space City. It broke the perfect kingdom of the mythical wizard and the Magic Crystal Network; it forced the entire Wizard Alliance Corps to retreat.


    The first battle in Astral World ended with a massive retreat of the Wizard Alliance, and the world saw for the first time the terrible and powerful forces of the devils of the Abyss World.


    And this year was considered to be the first year of the Astral World''s Calendar, recognized by Wizard Alliance and Divine Kingdom. The original calendar used by its internal world was insufficient, especially in the comparison of time; there were still some differences between the world''s rate of time flow and the Astral World''s rate of time flow. Everyone decided to use the Astral World''s Calendar voluntarily. At the same time, they had set this year as the first year of the Astral World''s Calendar.


    However, that set of Astral World''s Calendar was only used in the Astral World, and within each world, their respective calendars were still used.

 425 The Arrival of the Divine Kingdom

    In the vast Astral World, several mobile strongholds and war fortresses from the Wizard Alliance were destroyed, thousands of airships were torn apart, and endless blaze was lit up in Astral World.


    Each blast and explosion of fire was as beautiful as fireworks, but that beauty foreshadowed the loss of thousands of lives and indicated a large number of powerful professionals who had sacrificed in Astral World.


    Endless devils from the abyss covered the sky of Astral World, battles were everywhere, and lives in the Astral World were like ants, fragile and die easily. Everywhere in the battlefield was debris that was floating around; war fortresses, mobile strongholds, airships, wizards'' bodies, devils'' corpses, they were floating everywhere.


    Many wizards in the Floating-Space Tower looked out of the window and into the Astral World, they saw countless frozen dead corpses, humans, goblins, fairies, trolls and war wrecks passed through the windows, stacked on top of each other and piled up into a tower with no end in sight.


    That tragic scene was never seen before; the Wizard Alliance had never fought such a terrible and a seemingly eternal war.


    A young wizard took a glance outside the window and into the depth of the battlefield of the Astral World, his eyes reflected the scene of the battlefield, and his hair stood on its end, "This is¡­ the Astral World Battle!"


    As the King of Skeleton, Mondirot, crashed onto the Eternal Floating-Space City, the corner of the huge city of Astral World was destroyed, that scene declared the end of the war. Catherine, the master of the tower, stood on top of the tower, looked at the distant Astral World and at the Fourth World. The new world looked close and within reach, but it was seemingly untouchable. Her passion, enthusiasm and vision about the future could only be reduced to helpless sighs.


    "We lost!"


    Miss Catherine turned over to more than ten mythical wizards behind her and said, "Retreat! We must preserve our strength!"


    More than ten arcanists looked at the far-flung Fourth World, they let out a reluctant roar, "So many of us had sacrificed, yet we failed, are we going to accept such an outcome."


    "Retreat!" Several Floating-Space Towers signaled for retreat, and tens of thousands of sky fortresses and airships floated around each Floating-Space Tower, following them from the withdrawal of the battlefield.


    "We can''t retreat any further, we''ve to stay behind and clear the mess!" With the order being given, the large number of captains at the forefront of the battlefield accepted the final war command.


    Some had blood flushed out of their pale faces, some were shivering, some were shouting the eternal slogan of the Wizard Alliance, and at last all of them darted up and perished together with their enemies. A large number of corps took the opportunity to withdraw from the battlefield, but a massive number of devils from the abyss bolted out and engaged in endless pursuit.


    "Go, get out of here, retreat, retreat!" Numerous Floating-Space Towers hovered over the boundary of the Astral World, with the remaining troops they retreated to their frontier, the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    And the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall was beginning to accelerate to escape into the far distance; it had begun to evacuate from the vicinity of the Fourth World because devils from the abyss had continued to gush out and were following closely behind.


    There were even some Devil Lords who had opened a miniature version of Abyss Gate, they built their devil''s nest, those da*n devils were like maggots, no matter how they killed, they couldn''t be annihilated. In the blink of an eye, they hatched a lot more out from the origin, it was endless.


    And at that moment, in the sky Heart of the Ocean Bitwall where several sky fortresses and mobile strongholds were burning in strong flame had darted through the bitwall; the entire sky was enveloped with thick black smoke.


    One after another, there were batches and batches of ten thousand in each of them; the entire sky of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall was occupied by that tragic episode. They were once the pride of all civilians in the Wizard Alliance, but now they were all tainted with the smoke of war. They were ruined; many even fell directly from the sky and exploded in the sea.


    It was until when the huge Eternal Floating-Space City had entered the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall and everyone saw that the tower which symbolized for eternal, immortality and the will of the Level Eight Mythical Wizard, Catherine, had a corner of it destroyed.


    "We''re... defeated?" The civilians of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall looked at the sky; needless to say, they knew the outcome of the war.


    "Failed?" An old wizard was on a crutch, he looked extremely old, but he was still presiding over the logistics of the war. He was despondent.


    "Sala Floating-Space Tower isn''t back too?" A tall troll roared in disbelief.


    "Neverwinter Floating-Space Tower isn''t back too!" Human wizards looked at the Floating-Space Towers in the sky, but they weren''t looking despaired, the Floating-Space Towers of mythical wizards even if destroyed, it could be resurrected, as long as the mythical wizard was still alive, reconstruction of the Floating-Space Towers were only a matter of time.


    "Queen Awjilah isn''t back, oh my god, Queen Awjilah isn''t back." But the expressions of the fairies had drastically changed, a queen of the fairy kingdom hadn''t returned, and their Queen seemed to have lost her consciousness; that news from transmitted from the Wizard Tower, the cry of despair of the group of beautiful fairies erupted.


    "Another mythical wizard has died! He died from a fatal attack of King of Skeleton!"


    "How is it possible that even a part of the Eternal Floating-Space City was broken?" Many wizards in the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall who were working as support and logistics ¨C they didn''t witness the shocking attack of the King of Skeleton on the Eternal Floating-Space City ¨C cried in disbelief.


    Many wizards of the Wizard Alliance were kneeling on the ground and mourning. In that moment, outside the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, groups and groups of devils from the abyss, under the leadership of a Demon Lord, were chasing the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    The densely packed devils from the abyss eroded towards the world, but they were immediately destroyed by the enormous Mana Network set up by the Eternal Floating-Space City, more than ten Floating-Space Towers and the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    Lightning had the world as its center, it surrounded and passed around the bitwall, the intense brilliance radiated, even the two Devil Lords who got nearer were affected and died.


    The remaining devils from the abyss stopped in their track after they heard a strange whistling, it wasn''t the sound of air when it was vibrating, but it was the demonic language of a devil monarch originated from the power of the abyss, it was a command from the Mother of Sinister Spider.


    The devils were afraid to give chase; they could only see the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall go farther and farther away in sight. The devils had won the war, but the Wizard Alliance wasn''t thrown on its beam-ends.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    As the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall moved away, the Wizard Alliance withdrew from the heart of the war and began to count its losses. The report of its war casualties and the death of mythical wizards, the number of destroyed Mythical Wizard Towers, sky fortresses, and mobile strongholds had reached an alarming level.


    Cook Bay glanced at the report and said to Catherine, the master of the tower, "This war has at least consumed three thousand years of what the Wizard Alliance has accumulated; the casualties are too severe, the goblin had sacrificed nearly two million professionals, it had hurt our foundation, Lord Catherine."


    Catherine, the master of the tower, closed her eyes, "I''ve underestimated the Abyss World, if I had promised to form an ally with the Arcane Kingdom, this wouldn''t have happened."


    Cook Bay shook his head, "I had supported this war, all the mythical wizards and the entire Wizard Alliance supported this war; it was our blind confidence. We thought we''ve the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, Floating-Space City, a strong wizard system and formidable combat potential. We thought we had an absolute advantage in the Astral World as compared to the Abyss World, but¡­"


    Cook Bay shook his head, "I''m responsible for the restoration of the Eternal Floating-Space City, although we''ve failed, but fortunately, our foundation in Starsoul World is still there. Moreover, you''re still with us, as long as you''re here, the Eternal Floating-Space City is here, our Wizard Alliance will continue to be the most powerful force."


    Cook Bay turned and walked away, there was only Catherine, the master of the tower, standing in the hall.


    Tens of thousands of elite alchemy warlocks were urgently repairing the Eternal Floating-Space City, but it was impossible to restore it overnight or within a short span; the Eternal Floating-Space City was extremely complex as it was one of the unmatchable work in alchemy.


    Tens of millions of defeated troops rode on military trains through the portal, they had returned to Starsoul World, while other senior professionals remained in the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    Numerous professionals dressed in soldiers'' uniform sat on the train, they were discouraged, all races were present, and that was the uniqueness of the Wizard Alliance, a multi-ethnic civilization. There weren''t many who were injured. In Astral World, they were either dead or uninjured; there were only a pathetic handful that were wounded yet survived.


    But the scar left by that war was simply irreparable, the scene of the destruction of various mighty sky fortresses and mobile strongholds, as if they were garbage, were deeply imprinted in their memory, the terrible devils and the gigantic Demon Lords and devil monarchs who were as huge as the stars or the mountains, gave them nightmares.


    Catherine, the master of the tower, recovered from her grief and started pondering about their future; she commanded the entire Wizard Alliance and the high ranking officials of the tower. She dealt with matters relating to the post war. Just then, the depths of the distant Astral World had changed again.


    Several famous mythical wizards and the upper echelons of the Wizard''s Parliament, once again came over to the tower, through the projection of the Astral World telescope, they saw the actual scenario of the battlefield in Astral World.


    "There''s another portal which is opened?" Adriana, the master of the Ocean Song Floating-Space Tower, even if she wasn''t proficient in space, she could figure out the change in the depths of Astral World.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "No, this isn''t a portal, this is a Level Eight Space Projection Spell, this is a divine fluctuation; the Divine Kingdom has arrived." In a glance, Cook Bay knew that the fluctuation was different from the fluctuation of the portal; he had figured out the one who had performed the Space Projection Divine Spell.


    "What? Are they going to join the war too?" A large number of Mythical Arcanists and high ranking officials of the parliament finally spoke and broke the silence.


    "The gods have declared war with the abyss." Many had sparkles in their eyes, as if they had seen an opportunity out of it.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    In the dark and gloomy Astral World, there were a lot of garbage floating all around; it was left behind from the three years of battle between the Wizard Alliance and the Abyss. The garbage seemed to be attracted to the Fourth World and was revolving around the orbit of the Fourth World.


    At the moment, on top of the huge land of garbage, in the void, there was a huge projection.


    It was an illusory shadow, but it was unbelievable humongous.


    The illusion of the humongous Silver Star appeared a little by a little, and with the convergence of its power, the original illusory shadow gradually transformed into a substantial being.


    The silver pattern on it slowly appeared and the silver brilliance radiated; it contained divine power and was glistening.


    Following which, one, two, three, four, a total of five stars of the Divine Kingdoms, which came from the distant Divine World, the Maria''s World, were projected over; from merely an illusion, it gradually transformed into substantial being and appeared in the depths of Astral World.


    Each Divine Kingdoms suddenly bloomed into a dazzling radiance, it dispelled all the darkness, and the devils which were originally surrounding the new world were engulfed by the divine brilliance and dissipated as smoke.


    Among the radiance, the five Divine Kingdoms were revealed, and in each of them, there was a Divine Shadow which sat on top of their divine throne as they looked down on everything in the world.


    Around them, groups of hundreds of millions of devil enveloped them, but in that moment, all the devils, which were under the pressure of the True Gods, fled wildly. Under the five Divine Kingdoms, the massive quantity of devils seemed to be a ridiculous noun.


    "True God? Five True Gods?" The Mother of Sinister Spider, her huge body had reached dozens of kilometers, was leading a devil army. They stood right in front of the Divine Kingdoms, and she let out a startling roar.


    When the gaze of the five True Gods was projected onto its body, the Mother of Sinister Spider was suppressed and for a second, she couldn''t even move; the five True Gods had joined forces to emit the realm of the True Gods and had targeted it.


    "God said, evil will eventually vanish!" Hodap, the Lord of Light, reached out his hand and pointed to the devil''s nest and the Mother of Sinister Spider.

 426 The Oldest King of the Devil

    With a point from the finger of the Lord of Light, from his fingertip, a little radiance rapidly expanded, in a split second, a dot of radiance had expanded into an unimaginable range; brightness had arrived in Astral World and a sun had arrived into the world.


    That scene was as if the sun from the Maria''s World had landed in Astral World, and it was pressed against the Mother of Sinister Spider.


    The eight spider legs of the Mother of Sinister Spider wriggled, the beautiful devilish body trembled violently, tens of kilometers long huge body twisted, it was just like a Floating-Space Continent, she once again brought up the power which she had used to devour several mythical wizards.


    "Boundary of the Shadow!" The Mother of Sinister Spider gave a desperate howl, and all the devils stopped escaping under her roar.


    The face of the beautiful and enchanting devil had several blue veins bursting out, layer and layer of black lines emerged and gushed out from the lower body of the spider, it climbed up the white belly of the Mother of Sinister Spider; it had masked her naked upper body and covered her face.


    The Mother of Sinister Spider which represented the sinister layer of the Abyss World, itself was a rule of sinister, and now she had summoned the rule power of her devil monarch, the Boundary of the Shadow.


    Countless Gloomy Spider Webs were immediately seen; they exploded out of her bodies, stretched tens of thousands of kilometers in an instant, and rapidly extended to its surroundings.


    Everything which was covered by the Gloomy Spider Webs were immediately covered by a peculiar shadow. Even if it was a Level Seven mythical creature, if one was dragged under that shadow, entangled by the terrible Gloomy Spider Webs, a person''s true spirit would gradually lost its way.


    Just like when a spider was eating its prey, it would entangle layers and layers of spider webs around its prey, and finally completely devoured by the evil Mother of Sinister Spider.


    The shadow was twisting and creeping. Then, countless large and small Shadow Spiders crawled out of the shadows. The spider webs interspersed and intertwined, it covered a huge area of Astral World. Under the web, all was transformed into pure darkness and it withstood the attack from the Lord of Light, Hodap.


    Shadows and light were intertwisted; it was the battle between the abyss and the gods.


    At that moment, in the Astral World, to compete for the Fourth World, the gods and devils had willfully unleased their magnificent power.


    The sun projected from the divine projection and the Boundary of the Shadow of the Mother of Sinister Spider collided; the violent fluctuations of power impacted its surroundings. In that area, the light and shadows were violently entangled and competed for the new territory.


    "I! Master of the Light!" Hodap, Lord of Light, couldn''t accept that his glory was tarnished by such a devil monarch. The entire Divine Kingdom was in the disadvantaged position.


    "Brightness! Derived shadows!" The Mother of Sinister Spider wanted to escape, but it had been targeted by five True Gods; there was nowhere to escape. The other four True Gods hadn''t involved themselves in the battle, but they were casting fierce gaze on her, they had absolutely no tolerance for her to live; the Mother of Sinister Spider was on the verge of death.


    And now that the King of Skeleton was already dead, the Lord of the Abyss Door, Talos was an Abyss Gate, he couldn''t move away at his own will, otherwise the battle of the Abyss World in the Astral World would be a total failure.


    The rules of brightness and sinister entangled. The two parties weren''t in the so-called power struggle, but it was a battle of rules, the contention for a new territory.


    The Divine Kingdom of the Lord of Light gradually merged with the projection of sun in the sky, and was pressurizing towards the Mother of Sinister Spider.


    The Mother of Sinister Spider looked up and she could see the overlapping world from the sun in the sky.


    In that world, the great Kingdom of Light stood in the sky; several continents of heaven were floating around, thousands of saints were singing songs of praises, countless believers were praying to their gods.


    It was as if on the gates of heaven, which were filling up the heaven and earth, the ancient and present of all the epic myths were painted on them. The massive number of angels, who were the representatives of light, stretched out their white wings and appeared in front of the gate of heaven. They were derived from the rule of light; they were the guardian of the heavenly city.


    Holy wings spread out, and the brightness and their divine radiance shone onto the hearts of all.


    The cornetto was heard and the gates of heaven opened, the avenue of light was opened to the believers, and declared death to the evil.


    And just then, the Mother of Sinister Spider was violently struggling, she watched the sacred gate of the kingdom opened in front of her, behind her was the dazzling sun with hundreds of millions of believers and prayers were together with it.


    "Oh! No!" The Mother of Sinister Spider smelled death in an instant.


    "I''m eternally immortal!"


    "I''m the mother of sinister!"


    The roar and reluctance of the Mother of Sinister Spider before her death couldn''t save her, and she saw the sun set down towards her.


    The brightness completely dispelled the sinister, the Gloomy Spider Webs and all the monsters under the shadows disappeared in an instant, and the body of the Mother of Sinister Spider, under the intense brilliance, it was gradually decomposing.


    It had transformed into wisps of black smoke that dissipated and vanished in Astral World.


    Just then, a light flickered, it was from the far distance, it took the opportunity when the five True God''s power of barrier was scattered, and it broke in.


    It swept away the Mother of Sinister Spider, even her true spirit was captured by it, by virtue of that bit of true spirit, the Mother of Sinister Spider wouldn''t die, she would be reborn under the will of the abyss and under the power of rule.


    "Talos! You''re unable to fend for yourself, yet you want to save the others!" Lord Torvald''s Jonathan was the first to launch his attack on Talos, the Lord of the Abyss Door.


    Several True Gods didn''t launch their attacks at the same time; it was to guard against Talos, the oldest devil monarch of the abyss. Talos who had ascended the position of a devil monarch was the most powerful master of the abyss many years ago, its power was way above and unparalleled to the newly promoted King of Skeleton and the Mother of Sinister Spider.


    The Star Kingdoms of the five True Gods moved at the same time, they were moving towards and crashing onto the Abyss Gate. They planned to either drive Talos, the Lord of the Abyss Door, out of the battle or kill it there.


    At the same time, the gates of the Divine Kingdoms which belonged to the five True Gods were opened at the same time. There was an endless stream of Holy Ones, saints, and prayers flew out of it, and even a large number of angels and side-gods began to appear.


    They were all over the place and overwhelming, the devils that had suppressed everything by quantity could feel that they were being overthrown by the Divine Kingdom at the moment.


    The actual body of the devil monarch, Talos, the eight-sided crystal Abyss Door was violently rotating, the entire Astral World which was near it was blistering, and the space was akin to water being boiled.


    The five True Gods could sense something was amiss, and in the middle of the abyss, which had been brewing for quite a period of time, there was a dazzling red glow.


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    There was an appearance of a huge Flesh & Blood Star which was larger than the five Star Kingdoms combined. The Flesh & Blood Star had a dense number of sarcoma grew on top of it and bloody red blood was flowing on it just like magma.


    As it climbed out of the Abyss Gate, the enormous power consumed even let the Lord of the Abyss Door, Talos, wilted, and the whole Abyss Gate almost shattered.


    There was a surge of flame into the sky from the Flesh & Blood Star, after several rounds of splattering, flames had completely covered the Flesh & Blood Star. The power of the flame was ignited and the Flesh & Blood Star instantly transformed into a color of fiery red, it had turned into a huge bloody red sun.


    "Abyss Blood Sun, Stikua!" Felix, the God of Earth and War, suddenly recalled an ancient name, the legendary and oldest King of the Devil, and the oldest devil monarch in the abyss, Stikua.


    Above the Blood Sun, within the flames, its two huge eyes opened, it revealed a look of extreme madness.


    "I''m¡­finally¡­out!"


    The Abyss Blood Sun, which was sealed by the Creator, was summoned out of the abyss by Talos, the Lord of the Abyss Door; it even broke free from a part of the seal and was slowly waking up.


    A pair of dreadful eyes swept through everything in the Astral World, "Come on, feel the wrath of the King of the Devil!"


    That wasn''t the end of an imminent tragedy, at the back of the Abyss Gate, another strong presence appeared, another devil monarch tried to climb out of the Abyss Gate, its evil gaze had been peering at this end of the Astral World.

 427 The Battle Between Three Worlds

    As the Abyss Blood Sun, Stikua, was released from the abyss, a blood-red sun from the abyss and the monstrous Abyss Gate were guarding and protecting each other, the devil species of the abyss and the power of the devil were constantly penetrating to the outside.


    With the emergence of two devil monarchs, the King of Nightmare and the Lord of the Dark Devils, the Divine Kingdoms who had cracked down on Abyss World in which the devils were about to be annihilated, they too felt a great pressure.


    The war between the gods and the abyss had turned into a tug-of-war.


    At the same time, as the rules of the Fourth World gradually stabilized; the chaos storm and the turbulence of time and space had gradually calmed down. The Divine Kingdoms and the Abyss World found that they could get nearer to the new world or even enter the new world.


    The war began to gradually shift from the outside to the inside. For the very first time, five True Gods had moved their Star Kingdoms into the Fourth World, in an attempt to seize control of the newly born world.


    And the Abyss Blood Sun, Stikua, had also moved his actual body directly into the Fourth World. In a flash, two suns were seen in the Fourth World; one emitted a dazzling golden radiance, the other one was like a deformed tumor, rooted in the bitwall of the Fourth World and was emitting a dreadful aura of bloody red glow.


    In that blood-colored glow, there were a variety of monsters pouring out from the Abyss Blood Sun, the quantity of them was overwhelming as they lunged towards the new world.


    And the King of Nightmare also learned from the Abyss Blood Sun, Stikua, he launched his own Nightmare Domain and rooted it on the outside of the Fourth World. With the erosion of his power, on the outside of the new world, the bitwall of the Fourth World was as if it was polluted; the realms of Nightmare Domain spread and expanded, in which all kinds of nightmare monsters darted out; they roared, shrieked, and hollered horrible and ghastly cries.


    The Lord of the Dark Devils was like a blood-sucking giant mosquito, lying within the world, sucking and devouring its power.


    And the gods were the same too, while the rules of the world weren''t stable, while the will of the world hadn''t yet been born, they used various methods to assimilate and erode the world.


    At the same time, an even more brutal war, as compared to the Astral World Battle with the Wizard Alliance, exploded within the Fourth World and inside the bitwall of the Fourth World. Both parties continued to destroy and block each other from assimilating and devouring the new world''s power, while accelerating their own speed.


    Five Star Kingdoms and several devil monarchs continued to attack each other; the earth was torn with merely a hit, they set off a thousand miles of element storm in the sky, they even caused an explosion of space turbulence in the bitwall.


    The whole world was filled with all kinds of divine creatures and dreadful devils, and every corners of the new world had traces of their battles.


    The Abyss Gates and the portal to Maria''s World were constantly sending troops to the new world.


    With the God of Space and Exploration established a large and stable portal within the Fourth World, various divine professionals from Maria''s World continued to arrive in the new world.


    Numerous alchemy airships and Divine Astral War Ships constantly rushed to the new world; hundreds of thousands of clergies dressed in divine robes set foot on the battlefield.


    The Fourth World which was constantly transformed and stabilized, in a flash of light, it was though it was in a disastrous state and was heavily damaged from all the battles ongoing.


    The bitter war caused the new world to wail.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    In the Fhartasil''s Fairyland, on the Tower of Heaven surrounded by clouds, more than ten Mythical Arcanists followed closely behind the fairy Queen Wendy. The Mythical Arcanist, Mientte Ambrose, was still in his white robe, he was holding onto a staff, he looked old, but his eyes were strangely sparkling.


    Where they stood was close to the bitwall of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland, the air was thin, and space turbulence was generated from time to time.


    Within the bitwall, a blue tide was surging, that was the mythical arcane boundary of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland.


    "Her Majesty, are we still in alliance with the Wizard Alliance? The Wizard Alliance was badly defeated by the Abyss World in the Astral World Battle, and now the gods from Maria''s World has declared war with the Abyss World and are joining in the battle to compete for the Fourth World. Is it not wise for us to join them at this time?" Mientte Ambrose inquired with some concern.


    More than ten Mythical Arcanists behind him supported Mientte Ambrose, and those who were pro in taking part of the battle immediately jumped out to voice their opposition.


    Her Majesty Wendy looked at Mientte Ambrose, "I think all of you have all looked at the wrong direction."


    More than ten Mythical Arcanists and Mientte Ambrose didn''t understand her, "What do you want to tell us?"


    Wendy smiled and said, "We''re not going to win this war, we''re going to win the Fourth World."


    Mientte Ambrose was even more confused, "This? What''s the difference?"


    Wendy smiled mysteriously, "Of course there''s a difference, whether gods, wizards, or devils, their ability and capability on building a world, controlling a world and perfecting a world''s system aren''t on par with our Arcanists."


    "We Arcanists are the true creators and guardian of the world, because the path the Arcanists take is to create the world."


    Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, Eternal Floating-Space City.


    At that moment, on the Town Square of Truth, the mana-guru legions from the Wizard Alliance stood on both sides in their military uniforms. There were sky fortresses, mobile strongholds, the latest combat airships, even the Wizard Alliance''s Elemental Pyrolysis Bomb Fort were parked on the sides.


    A corner of the Floating-Space City which was smashed by the King of Skeleton had been repaired, the Floating-Space City still looked as impressive, and it was brimming with mightiness.


    The guard of honour was long ready, as if they were waiting to welcome someone. Cook Bay, the master of the Mechanical Clock Tower of the Wizard Alliance, was waiting with a group of wizards from the Wizard''s Parliament. As the second most important man in the Wizard Alliance, Cook Bay personally welcomed the incoming guests coupled with such a large ceremony, it was enough to show their sincerity and seriousness.


    A golden-red radiance bloomed above the Eternal Floating-Space City''s Town Square of Truth, and when the radiance faded, more than ten elves appeared.


    They had the logo of Arcane Kingdom and were led by Mientte Ambrose; they were the diplomatic corps send over by Arcane Kingdom.


    Mientte Ambrose, represented the Arcane Kingdom and Queen Wendy, came over to endorse a Wartime Alliance Treaty with the Wizard Alliance and to negotiate the terms of the battle of Fourth World.


    The negotiations process was fast. Although both sides were at odds over some of the terms, they both knew that they were fighting for time, and within three days they had signed a covenant to send troops to the Fourth World at the same time.


    Starsoul World, which had just settled down, was once again involved in a war; with the signing of the war agreement, the war mobilization order was immediately issued in Starsoul World. The civilians and professionals of the world instantly knew that another war had befallen on them.


    But this time, it wasn''t just the Wizard Alliance, the Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom were fighting at the same time, and the two sides would no longer preserve their strength.


    The current battle of the Fourth World was between Abyss World and gods from the Maria''s World, however, the Starsoul World had decided to join the battle, and it had turned into a war between the three worlds.


    The master of the Mechanical Clock Tower, Cook Bay, after signing the war agreement, he immediately transmitted to the Wizard Tower to meet master of the tower, Catherine.


    "Lord Catherine, everything is ready, but the leader of this war will be the Arcane Kingdom, we''ll just be fully assisting them in the battle for the Fourth World. If the battle is a success, we''ll have the entire Starsoul World, and they''ll migrate to the Fourth World."


    "According to Her Majesty Wendy''s plan, the price we''ll pay may be a little costly, and perhaps it''ll cost the entire Heart of the Ocean Bitwall." Cook Bay hesitated for a moment and he looked at Catherine.


    "If it fails, the price we''ve to pay is too much; it''ll be hard for us to accept."


    Catherine nodded, "But the current Starsoul World is no longer able to tolerate both the Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom. If we don''t go to war on the outside, we''ll have a civil war soon."


    "In any case, no matter if we win or lose, this battle is imperative."


    Cook Bay nodded, "Yes, this is also the battle of survival; Starsoul World can no longer tolerate the Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom, the two behemoths."


    "Go ahead and get ready for the battle. The Level Eight Space Projection Spell of Fhartasil''s Fairyland requires the use of the entire Magic Crystal Network of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall; only if you preside over it, there''ll be no problems."

 428 The Arcane Kingdom Has Arrived at the Battlefield

    A newly promoted wizard stood under his Wizard Tower; that was a Level One Wizard Tower in a town at the border, it was a Master Tower in the lowest ranking, one which was guarding the old and tattered town.


    Because the war had begun, a large number of combat wizards had gathered in the bigger city or the Eternal Floating-Space City, and there was only one newly promoted wizard in the Wizard Tower who was guarding a town at the border.


    The young man looked at the Wizard Tower which was glowing in a dazzling radiance of magic, the Magic Crystal at the top glowed in a colorful radiance, he seemed to be at a loss. He, who was the guard of the Wizard Tower, didn''t even know why the Wizard Tower was suddenly activated.


    The entire seawater of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall was shrouded in magic and turned into a huge mirror.


    "What grand witchcraft are they going to use?" The young wizard ran up the steps, he stood at the top of the Wizard Tower and looked at his surroundings.


    The system of the Magic Crystal Network of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall had been perfected to its extreme ¨C it included every corner of the world ¨C every village, city, magic crystal tower were all part of the Magic Crystal Network.


    Even without the need for a person to preside over it, it could work and activate at its own will freely.


    The Floating-Space Tower in the sky was now connected with the entire Magic Crystal Network, even the Eternal Floating-Space City which was floating in the central of the bitwall was integrated into it; it had become a part of the world''s Magic Crystal Network.


    Everyone in the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall were shocked by the huge operation, a large number of fishing boats on the sea of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall had stopped, they looked at the sea of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall which was completely covered by light.


    The people in various cities all stopped working and looked curiously at the sky.


    It was because the Magic Crystal Network was fully activated, the original merchandise workshops, alchemy workshops, non-essential facilities had their supply of mana all cut off, the entire mana of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall was entirely supplying the magnificent combination witchcraft.


    The mythical territory had been laid out, it enveloped the entire sky, and the sea of mana was stirring throughout the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    On the Eternal Floating-Space City, above all Floating-Space Towers, all the mythical wizards had injected their power into the Magic Crystal Network, and millions of professionals had become part of the Magic Crystal Network.


    Many of the advanced wizards above the Eternal Floating-Space City were shocked by the grand scene, and a young wizard with a gaze as if he had went through an ordeal looked beyond the Astral World, "It''s the power of the whole Wizard Alliance and the whole world, the mythical witchcraft it produced will be a Level Eight Space Projection Spell, it''ll more breathtaking than the last projection of the Eternal Floating-Space City."


    "Because the current projection is a half bitwall!"


    At that moment, the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall was like a giant mirror in the Astral World, with mana gathered and increased in intensity, it had projected a place beyond and in the distant Astral World; huge forces gathered in the Astral World.


    An illusory projection was seen in the Astral World, the huge outline slowly appeared along with the spatial fluctuations; it was vague from the beginning and it gradually became as large as the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    The initial hazy illusion had gradually become substantial. Many wizards of the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall looked through the Astral World telescope and they could see a beautiful world of colors.


    They could even see a Tower of Heaven inside the world, and numerous cities within.


    "Fhartasil''s Fairyland is projected over!" Within the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, the news of the entry of the Arcane Kingdom into the battlefield was broadcasted and was on the newspapers everywhere. In Starsoul World, news about Astral World Battle was on all magic telly.


    "The Arcane Kingdom had also reached somewhere near the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, they have arrived at the Astral World Battle!" The mana-guru legions stationed above the Eternal Floating-Space City were cheering; they were excited of the change.


    "The war has started!" Cook Bay, the master of the Mechanical Clock Tower, ended the Space Projection Spell, he looked deep into the Astral World, his gaze was glimmering as it revealed mixed feelings; no one knew how the war would end up to be.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    For the first time, Fhartasil''s Fairyland had break out from the Starsoul World. For the elves and the Arcane Kingdom, they were fighting far away from their native land. Moreover, for the Arcane Kingdom, it was a do or die.


    It was because if they were defeated, the Wizard Alliance didn''t have the capability and power to cast another massive Space Projection Spell to project them back to their world.


    Their core Fhartasil''s Fairyland might end up wandering in the depths of the Astral World, they would be straying and they might even lose their Fhartasil''s Fairyland, who knew what drastic distortion might happen in the Astral World.


    "Hence, this battle is either an all or nothing; we must seize the Fourth World!"


    Wendy stood on top of the Tower of Heaven, she looked directly through the bitwall to observe the distant Fourth World, it was her first time seeing such a huge world, but at that moment she could see that the entire Fourth World was tainted with several patches of fire red or black-brown plaque.


    Even within the world, volcanoes frequently erupted, the sea hadn''t stabilized, and the world was still in the midst of birth. But at that moment, it was severely damaged by the battle between the Divine Kingdoms and the Abyss World.


    "The new world is rejecting them, both the Divine Kingdoms and the Abyss World; they were rejected by the Fourth World."


    "But now because of the fragility of the world''s consciousness and because it is newly born, such that even a guardian like Starsoul isn''t born, so in face of the power of the gods and the devils of the abyss, it is powerless, it simply can''t confront them."


    Wendy was observing the battle of the Fourth World from the Tower of Heaven. And from the reports from the Wizard Alliance and the Astral World Exploration Laboratory about the battle of the Fourth World, she was well aware about the situation inside the Fourth World.


    Mientte Ambrose had just returned from the Wizard Alliance''s Eternal Floating-Space City and he was hastily walking over to the Tower of Heaven.


    "Her Majesty, it''s time for you to show up." Mientte Ambrose, the Mythical Arcanist, said respectfully.


    Wendy donned in a silver cape and crown, she followed Mientte Ambrose and boarded a Level Six Astral World Airship belonged to the royal family and headed to the Eternal Floating-Space City at the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    Because it was an official meeting, both parties represented their respective kingdoms, thus it seemed very formal and grand.


    The airship arrived at the Eternal Floating-Space City, after a celebratory and grand welcoming ceremony, even Catherine, the master of the tower, made her appearance and personally welcomed them. Then, a conference on the Astral World Battle began at the tower.


    Inside the hall of the Eternal Floating-Space City, the high-ranking officials from the Arcane Kingdom and the Wizard Alliance occupied thousands of seats. Numerous senior professional with formidable power were sat on the front, there were 20 to 30 Mythical Level professionals seated too.


    It was a grand scene with many mythical wizards and mythical arcanists present; they had represented most of the power of the Starsoul World.


    "This Astral World Battle, if we''re to compare our power and the number of professionals, we''re far less than the Divine Kingdoms and the Abyss World."


    "They''re far above us in their heritage and power, whether wizards or arcanists, we''re too young when compared with the Divine Kingdoms and the Abyss World."


    The Queen of the Arcane Kingdom, Wendy, stood on the stage and expressed her thoughts on the Astral World Battle. She was charming in all her movements, even the mythical wizards of the Wizard Alliance dared not show any disrespectful expressions and thoughts; that was a true Level Eight mythical existence. Everyone who was present grew up listening to the story of Wendy and Catherine, the master of the tower.


    Catherine, the master of the tower, asked, "So what should we do?"


    Queen Wendy pointed to her feet, "Our only advantage is that we owned two half bitwall here, which the Abyss World and the Divine Kingdom do not have and cannot have, these are the source of our courage to engage in this Astral World Battle."


    Then she pointed to the distant Fourth World, "In this moment and in that place, they''re wreaking havoc on the Fourth World, and both sides have been rejected by the new world. If they win, they can use their own power to suppress the world''s consciousness and assimilate the new world."


    "But now they''re in a tug-of-war and we don''t know long they need to fight. We''re at the best of times and opportunity; we, who aren''t involved in the battle, become the last weight on the scale of war!"


    "Hence in this war, we don''t need to win against the Abyss World or the Divine Kingdom; we can win this war if we gain the approval of the Fourth World and take control of the new world."


    Catherine, the master of the tower, looked at Wendy, "You mean, with the two half bitwall, we can offer sacrifice to the new world, to fill the loopholes and rules of the Fourth World? Perfect its origin? So as to receive the new world''s recognition and gain access to the world''s authority?"


    Wendy nodded, "Yes."


    Cook Bay, the master of the Mechanical Clock Tower, stood up. "I don''t agree. Why should the Wizard Alliance pay such a high price?"


    Mientte Ambrose, the Mythical Arcanist, immediately retorted, "Lord Cook, you may have forgotten that you''re in a state of defeat, and the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall which should be accelerating towards the Starsoul World has now come to a complete halt."


    "Your half bitwall has reduced to a lone island in the Astral World; it can''t get out of here temporarily. Once the battle for the Fourth World is over, the gods or the devils didn''t even need the slightest effort and they can swallow your Heart of the Ocean Bitwall."


    The old man, Mientte Ambrose, stretched out his hand, "Do all of you have a choice?"

 429 The Battle for the Fourth World

    When the half bitwall of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland descended into the Astral World, the Divine Kingdom and the Abyss World, which were far away in the Fourth World, had detected the change.


    "What''s the point of arriving here at this timing, it''s too late!" Hodap, the Lord of Light, looked deep into the Astral World. But his thought was completely on Fourth World because the war had reached a critical moment. A duel between the gods and the devils was about to begin.


    "Most of the territory of the Fourth World has been occupied by us and the Abyss World! Assimilation has begun, and it''s irreversible!" Rhode, the God of Space and Exploration, who didn''t want to see the Starsoul World taking a part in the war, immediately frowned.


    "They''ve only two Level Eight, what can they do!" Jonathan, the Lord Torvald, was dismissive.


    At that moment, the Divine World had occupied most of the entire Fourth World, and the devil species of the Abyss World pervaded the entire bitwall, they had reached the climax of the battle for both parties.


    It was still the Divine World that was in the advantaged position, but more and more Devil Lords from the Abyss World were leading large armies of devils as they crossed the border.


    The Lord of the Abyss Door had opened the eternal Abyss Gate, so that devils in the entire Astral World were receiving power from the Abyss World. Four Devil Lords who was receiving power from the Abyss World were against the five True Gods. They had fought to a state whereby the entire Fourth World almost collapsed back to its original chaotic state.


    The four True Gods were now besieging the Lord of the Dark Devils and the King of Nightmares. At that moment the gods were frantically suppressing both of them. They were also constantly bombarding the Lord of the Abyss Door in an attempt to break the eternal Abyss Gate.


    Jonathan, the Lord Torvald, set off a wave of element storm, the Storm Gust, swept across the entire bitwall, it constantly scoured the monsters darting out from the devil''s mirror of the Lord of the Dark Devils. At the same time, there was a surge of divine creatures called the storm spirits which were emerging from the Storm Gust.


    The gigantic storm spirit walked out like a giant from the Elemental Wave, it torn apart everything that it could see in front. The Divine Kingdom of Jonathan, the Lord Torvald, was guarded by many giants. From the Divine Kingdom of Storm, swarms of the Holy One and prayers had arrived.


    And in the Divine Kingdom of the God of Earth and War, hordes of Mythical Orcs Corps rushed out, they held high the flag of the Kingdom of the Colossus, harnessed divine creatures, and crashed onto the Kingdom of Nightmares belonged to the King of Nightmares.


    In there, it was visible that a giant Colossus made of steel and rock was leading them, and they were unrivalled at wherever they had passed.


    And in the sky, there was a steady stream of falling meteors, the meteors emitted a bright brilliance, bombarded the Kingdom of Nightmares, with their Mythical Power, they crashed and destroyed the Kingdom of Nightmares.


    Just then, Rhode, the God of Space and Exploration and Alice, the Goddess of the Night, who were in the midst of tearing down the Kingdom of Nightmares and the defensive ring of the King of Nightmares, they were also bombarding the territory of the Lord of the Abyss Door.


    The massive light and shadow of a goddess, which was carrying a candle of the dark night, smashed and crashed the entire starry sky. And Rhode, the God of Space and Exploration, was fully suppressing the power of the Lord of the Abyss Doors, compressed the range of the Abyss Gate, tried to close the Abyss Gate, forced and attacked the Lord of the Abyss Doors; they wanted him to retreat from that war.


    The most fascinating wasn''t the war over there, but the battle between Hodap, the Lord of Light, and Stikua, the Abyss Blood Sun, located near the sun of the Fourth World.


    One inherited from the oldest and most powerful Goddess of Light, and the other was the oldest King of the Devil, the sun of the Abyss. The two ancient gods were equally powerful; they were the world''s most powerful existence.


    Moreover, if they were to be compared, there were many similarities between them, their pasts and their strength. Hence, the outcome of the current battle would also suggest who was a stronger party, the Divine Kingdom or the Abyss World.


    "Light is eternal!" Hodap, the Lord of Light, had transformed his Kingdom of Light into a projection of sun from the Maria''s World, and it had collided with the Abyss Blood Sun.


    "I''m the eternal sun of immortality!" The actual body of Stikua, the Abyss Blood Sun, hit the Star Kingdom with a force tantamount to his opponent. The two who had fought near to the Fourth World''s sun, rendered help from the power of the Fourth World''s sun, the power erupted was beyond an ordinary True God.


    At that moment, there were three suns in the sky of the Fourth World, and the whole world was akin to in the midst of a huge smelting furnace.


    Two of the suns collided together, in an instant, a red radiance was tearing the surroundings, and violent shocks set off a savage storm, it enveloped the whole world.


    Even when one was observing outside the world, one could see that the entire Fourth World was completely filled with fire. And the impact of the violent explosion engulfed the whole of Fourth World.


    The continent which wasn''t completely stable had transformed into a sea of magma and fire. It was estimated that even within a few years, the Elemental Wave in the air, couldn''t be calmed. Both sides recklessly extracted the power from Fourth World''s sun. In that moment, one could feel the Fourth World''s sunlight was slightly dimmed.


    Under the impact of that terrible collision, countless devils immediately perished; numerous strange and spooky human-shaped devils, insect-shaped devils, as well as flame-shaped, elemental-shaped devils, all turned into a flying ash.


    Humans in their war fortresses who couldn''t escape in time also perished; boat of the Astral World and airships were blown up. A large number of professionals screamed and were killed in the sea of fire.


    That scene had strongly affected the four True Gods and the three devil''s corps of the abyss in the depths of the bitwall.


    Those Level Seven and Eight existences which were in their battle immediately stopped to protect themselves. But a large number of saints, holy ones, prayers and the army of believers they summoned from Maria''s World died in that brief moment.


    "Hodap! What are you doing!"


    "Hodap!"


    "Lord of Light!"


    Instantly, several True Gods who were in the midst of battle, their furious voices were resonating from their Divine Kingdoms; no one had expected that the two would be so reckless and wilful in their duel. He, who was a Level Eight Mythical Life, fought for his life.


    But those devil monarchs had it worst; the devil''s mirror of the Lord of the Dark Devils and the Kingdom of Nightmares of the King of Nightmares were instantly torn, crashed into wisps of smoke and vanished.


    "Ah! What''s this?"


    "Talos, Talos! Protect the Abyss Gate!"


    The devils who had directly jumped out of the Abyss Gate as they could rely on the Abyss Gate to derive extra power from the Abyss World, but those devil monarchs who were originally guarding them had all vanished.


    They fled quickly to the Abyss Gate, but the dimensional folds which were covering a large area had engulfed all of them.


    The Divine Kingdoms and the devils from the abyss, who were shocked by the great magnitude of casualties from the devastating blow, the war was immediately stalled.


    And in that world, two radiances lit up in the sky, two behemoths came from the distant Astral World and landed onto the Fourth World.


    No, they weren''t just two behemoths, they were... two worlds!


    "Wizard Alliance!"


    "Arcane Kingdom!"


    Everyone collected themselves, but this time, no one thought that the Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom had brought their half bitwall directly into the Fourth World.


    At that moment, the Fourth World had turned completely into a sea of flames; the interior was enveloped by a strong element storm. The world was severely damaged. It could even be said that the world was reverting back to its initial state, but not with the original time and space turbulence in which even the gods couldn''t easily resist.


    "What are they doing?" Just then, all of them looked at the Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom, they had integrated their Heart of the Ocean Bitwall and Fhartasil''s Fairyland directly into Fourth World, they had landed on the world and became two vast continents.


    The two continents were shrouded in their respective mythical territory and Magic Crystal Network; they were resisting the intense external storms and heated environments which were akin to the hell''s melting pots.


    In the Fhartasil''s Fairyland, one could see more than a dozen of the Fairylands of Elves were glowing with mythical brilliance, and thousands of Arcane Ancient Trees were connected.


    And the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall had more than a dozen of Floating-Space Towers guarding it. Even the Eternal Floating-Space City was also integrated into the huge Magic Crystal Network in the bitwall, it was eluding an immense mythical territory.

 430 The Ownership of the Fourth World

    With the Fhartasil''s Fairyland and the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall merged into the Fourth World, the two half bitwalls were acting like the new world''s cornerstone, they had subdued the world which was like a sizzling soup and was in ebullition.


    The order of the world was stabilized. The magma which was billowing on the earth and the constant escalation of the element storm within the world were stabilized.


    "Merge! Offer a sacrifice!" Just then, Wendy, the Queen of the Arcane Kingdom, stood above the Tower of Heaven in the Fhartasil''s Fairyland, and gave her orders.


    "Merge! Offer a sacrifice!" On top of the Eternal Floating-Space City, Catherine, the master of the tower, conveyed her will to the entire Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    The mythical light from the two continents was interspersed into the new world, and the light was connected by the two continents; through the Fhartasil''s Fairyland, the Eternal Floating-Space City, several Floating-Space Towers and several Fairylands of Elves were connected.


    At the same time, there were a large number of Wizard Towers and Arcane Ancient Trees providing an endless supply of power, they were recklessly and desperately trying to integrate into the Fourth World; the power of the Arcane Kingdom and the Wizard Alliance was exploited to its limit.


    The Fourth World which was ravaged, whose rules and world were destroyed to its extreme, had accepted their power in an instant; it had accepted the two half bitwalls which had been perfected to a greatest level of civilization.


    The power of the rules surged within the new world. The Fourth World, which had being destroyed like a domino, began to recover and restore; chaos and destruction were coming to a closure.


    Just then, the devils from the abyss and the gods who were having a fierce exchange at the top of the bitwall had finally fathomed what was going on.


    "They want to offer sacrifice with the two bitwalls as an effort to awaken the true spirit of the world!" Rhode, the God of Space and Exploration, who was the farthest away from them, knew best what that change meant, and he immediately roared. Along with the Star Kingdoms on the outside, they were moving rapidly towards the interior of the Fourth World.


    Several gods immediately gave up the fierce pursuit of the devil monarchs of the Abyss World, and their suppression and destruction of the Abyss Gate; they changed the direction of their Star Kingdoms and moved towards the Fourth World.


    Several True Gods were sweating bullets, no one knew when they were about to end the battle, their new opponents didn''t choose to fight with them but used an unorthodox method in an attempt to win a battle.


    "They''re perfecting the rules of the new world with the two half bitwalls; the speed of time is changing, and the evolution of the new world has accelerated!" Hodap, the Lord of Light, immediately felt that the Fourth World''s sun, which had allowed him to draw its power, was rejecting and resisting his power.


    The sun, which was once like a toy, a toy which the Lord of Light could manipulate at his own will, was resisting any orders given by him; the sun was even suppressing him.


    At the same time, the original element storm had simmered down, there was a stable and rapid time flow, and the earth was instantly condensed and cooled. There seemed to be an invisible big hand, which was erasing and modifying everything, revising the rule of the Fourth World.


    "Stop them! If the world''s repressed consciousness wakes up, we''ll all be suppressed and shunned by the whole world!" Jonathan, Lord Torvald, didn''t even turn his head over to look at the devils of the abyss he had defeated; he voiced out his request and immediately rushed back to the new world.


    Several Star Kingdoms were approaching from the depths of the bitwall, but they could feel that the dimensional folds in the bitwall were constantly changing, wriggling and dragging a longer distances away from them; it was constantly entangling them and refusing their advance to the inside of the world.


    "Lord Rhode, can you open the portal!"


    "How do I open a portal in such a situation when there''s space turbulence, and it isn''t possible to open the portal that allows the Star Kingdoms to pass through!"


    The world was rejecting them, cutting off their connection and control of the world, and although there was the God of Space and Exploration, Rhode, who was guiding the way, but they already spent too much time before they could gradually dart out of the space maze.


    "Stop them! Stop them!"


    "We mustn''t let them succeed!"


    The consciousness of the world had finally awakened before death''s door and from its deep sleep, and the power of the world had been built on the two continents.


    "In the name of Queen Wendy from the Arcane Kingdom, I''m here to ask for an agreement with the new world''s true spirit!"


    "In the name of all the arcanists, I''m here to reach an agreement with this world''s consciousness; we''ll protect this world until the end of the world!"


    On top of the Tower of Heaven, Wendy transformed into her mythical form, she was like the goddess of wind, she was supported by the arcanists of the whole continent, communicated with the true spirit of the new world, and attempted to reach an agreement with the other party.


    The world''s true spirit had no wisdom and self-awareness, they were just the world''s operating procedures, and hence there was little possibility to reach an agreement with them. A powerful world like the Starsoul World, even if the Wizard Alliance wanted to reach an agreement with the world''s true spirit, it was impossible too.


    The light shone from the sky, the consciousness of the world fell on the Fhartasil''s Fairyland, shrouded on Wendy''s great mythical body, and a gaze from the world''s aboriginal landed on the arcanists and Wendy.


    "Agree!"


    The voice resonated from all directions, and it seemed as if the whole world was cheering.


    Just then, the five True Gods and their Divine Kingdoms arrived at the same time. They wanted to remove the two huge continents, Fhartasil''s Fairyland and the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall, from the Fourth World.


    A destructive power ascended from the sky, the respective True Gods exuded power stemming from their Divine Kingdom''s aboriginal rules, and bombarded the earth.


    Hodap projected the sun which pounded down onto the ground and the huge sun scorched the earth; he was repeating his old trick.


    The God of Earth and War summoned the meteors, the whole sky was filled with fire meteors enveloped with mythical power and they were crumbling onto the earth. Lord Torvald pointed to the earth in which a storm immediately engulfed the earth, formed a huge pillar made from element storm which was connecting the earth and the sky.


    Several gods launched their attacks at the same time; their power was teeming in the whole world.


    But their power was constantly being drained as soon as they left their Star Kingdoms, and when they were close to the two continents, they were immediately blocked by the mythical boundary of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland and the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall.


    The Fhartasil''s Fairyland connected all the arcanists as the Tower of Heaven shot out the light of the arcane magic; it bolted up to the sky.


    The Eternal Floating-Space City located in the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall also fired towards the sky, the Elemental Pyrolysis Bomb shot up into the sky, the violent beams of light bloomed, the dazzling brilliance transformed the entire world into a white mass.


    Their power weren''t the same as the gods; at the moment when they had launched their attacks, they had obtained the support from the new world''s power. Their attacks swept across the sky and the magnitude of their attacks was instantly expanded to an unimaginable state; within a new world whereby one had obtained power from the world''s true spirit, the power of their attacks were simply unimaginable.


    The dazzling radiance of the light of the arcane magic was akin to the Creator''s brush, it swiped away the element storm in the sky. The saints, the Holy Ones and the prayers who had darted out from the Divine Kingdoms were all annihilated.


    Several Divine Kingdoms wailed in pain, the brilliance shot through the Divine Kingdoms. Although its main force was blocked by the shell of the Divine Kingdoms, but the mythical light caused a great damage and casualty on the interior of the Divine Kingdoms.


    In the meanwhile, the rules of the world were constantly being refined.


    The bitwalls of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland and the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall were dissipating at the same time. Their mythical boundaries and mythical power spread and merged into the world.


    The two continents were completely fused with the earth and into the depths of the world. The Magic Crystal Network and the Arcane Magic Network merged with the world. And the world''s true spirit made use of the power system it had absorbed to transform the new world.


    The earth and the sea were condensed, several huge ancient tree towering from the earth, they emitted radiance. From a sapling, it rapidly grew into an unimaginable gigantic tree; there was a vague resemblance to the fairy''s Tree of Life and the Arcane Ancient Tree.


    In a short period of time, colorful life forms began to emerge.


    Hodap, the Lord of the Light, glanced at Wendy who was on top of the Tower of Heaven of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland and Catherine, the Master of the Tower, who was above the Eternal Floating-Space City; their mythical bodies were also in a battle against them.


    After a long time, Hodap retracted his gaze, "Let''s go! It''s over!"


    The other four True Gods said nothing. Everything came to an end under the command of Hodap, the Lord of the Light. Just as he said, all had ended.


    The Divine Kingdom announced their retreat from the battlefield, together with their Star Kingdoms, they left the Fourth World.


    And devil monarchs, who were watching the war outside the Fourth World, were also slowly gathering their vast devil corps outside the world; they went through the Abyss Gate and back into the abyss.


    The war had ended.

 431 The Arcane World

    "A victory! We''ve won!" Even if Mientte had lived for thousands of years, he was a really old and veteran mythical creature, but he couldn''t stay composed when he knew about the outcome of the Astral World Battle. When the final victory ushered in, Mientte roared and hollered.


    The arcanists of the entire Fhartasil''s Fairyland released firework spells simultaneously, the radiance of the firework pervaded in the entire sky of the Fourth World, and it reflected patches and patches of brilliance.


    "We''ve won!"


    In several Fairyland Cities, hordes of elves sang and danced, and numerous great fairies and groups of young fairies flew and capered in the sky.


    Various trolls held up their elemental weapons, bombed the ground, stood above the city and roared.


    Thousands and tens of thousands of farmer treants, Ancient Trees of Life, and the Guardian Ancient Trees, crossed the mountains and the earth towards the central region to celebrate the ultimate victory.


    The majestic mythical body which was standing in the sky of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland had gradually dissipated. Queen Wendy of the Arcane Kingdom stood on top of the Tower of Heaven, she gradually revealed her original appearance; a tall elf appeared at the top of the tower donned in a silky long robe and a crown above her head.


    In that moment, the bitwall of the Fhartasil''s Fairyland had completely dissolved, and the entire half bitwall was integrated into the Fourth World, it had transformed into a large continent of the Fourth World.


    Several mythical arcanists appeared above the Tower of Heaven and knelt before Wendy.


    "Your Majesty, we''ve won!" Mientte kept repeating the phrase; he was still thrilled and elated.


    "Her Majesty, Wendy! We won!"


    "We elves! Finally have our own world!" When a silver-haired elf mentioned that, she immediately saw Wendy turned her head to look at her.


    There wasn''t a tinge of chiding in Wendy''s voice, but the power and influence she had accumulated over the years, coupled with the power of a Level Eight, even a Level Seven mythical arcanist was quivering when in front of her, "This isn''t a world which belonged to the elves!"


    "But¡­ this is a world belonged to the arcane magic!"


    Wendy looked into the distant sky, she scanned the whole world while she stood on top of the Tower of Heaven, but there wasn''t much joy revealed in her gaze.


    After a long time, she mumbled, "We finally won!"


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Akin to the Arcane Kingdom, the Wizard Alliance was in cheers and ecstasy.


    As the Divine Kingdoms retreated, even the Lord of the Abyss Doors faded away; he disappeared together with the Abyss Gate. The entire Wizard Alliance was in a celebration.


    "We won! We''ve defeated the Divine Kingdoms! Defeated the Abyss World!" Groups of wizards rushed to the streets, sang and danced with the mortals. Ever since the last failure of the fight for Thunder Bitwall, coupled with the failure of the previous Astral World Battle, the Wizard Alliance had plunged into intense self-doubt.


    And the current victory convinced them that the wizard was the most powerful, and in the future, they would even become more impressive.


    "The Wizard Alliance is everlasting! Lord Catherine is eternal!" Numerous civilians from the Wizard Alliance waved the flag of the Wizard Alliance and cheered on rooftops and in the streets.


    The train roared through the streets and transmitted the news of their victory to all corners. Numerous Battle Airships sprinkled fresh flowers and colored confetti from the sky, and the pilots showed off their skills as they sizzled and flew in the sky.


    Several airships and war fortresses hung banners, streets and alleys were all decorated with streamers and lanterns, numerous bars situated above the sea were crowded with people, young girls took flowers to the streets to welcome the soldiers who returned from their victory.


    As the portal opened again, even the Starsoul world heard the news of their victory.


    On the radio channels and newspapers, their victory was immensely publicized, and everyone couldn''t believe they had won the battle so quickly.


    But just then, the top echelons of the Wizard Alliance were all gathered at the tower, unlike to the celebratory mode of the other members on other floors, numerous mythical wizard and advanced wizards were distressed as if they were on pins and needles.


    "Will the Arcane Kingdom keep their promise, what if they eat their words?" A wizard in a black robe, who was raising a bone staff, questioned.


    "Yes, they''ve reached an agreement with the world''s true spirit, and the Fourth World belongs to them. What if they don''t keep their promise?" A mechanical alchemy warlock constantly raised his concerns, his body was semi-mechanized and only the head retained the human form.


    "The Arcane Kingdom can''t be trusted! The war is over; they''re no longer our ally, but our opponents!"


    "We shouldn''t trust them!"


    Many wizards expressed pessimism about the situation, and the entire Wizard''s Parliament in the tower was clamoring.


    But as more than ten mythical wizards and Catherine, the master of the tower, walked in, the din quickly quieted down.


    Catherine glanced at all the wizards who were present. The wizards had filled up the entire huge conference hall. The Wizard''s Parliament had become a behemoth with thousands of members. It was an organization that was in control of more than a hundred of nations and ten millions of population.


    Catherine didn''t say much, but she spoke briefly, "Tomorrow, the Queen of the Arcane Kingdom will sign a final agreement with us; the Arcane Kingdom will completely pull out from Starsoul World!"


    "At the same time, the Arcane Kingdom will compensate us with the first half bitwall they discovered in the future; it''s a compensation for our Heart of the Ocean Bitwall."


    At the end of her sentence, the Master of the Tower declared the meeting was over, and everyone must get ready to withdraw from the Fourth World and all issues related to the Astral World must be settled. There was a more troublesome migration and the handover of the territory of the Arcane Kingdom they had to handle; it would be a long and complicated task.


    Catherine left with the mythical arcanists. Just then, the master of the Philosopher Tower asked, "Lord Catherine why do you trust the Arcane Kingdom so much? Is it just because of Queen Wendy?"


    Catherine didn''t speak but Cook Bay answered for her, "The Arcane Kingdom is more urgent than we are. They need sufficient population and strength to develop and expand the world rather than complicating matters with the Wizard Alliance."


    "They''re more afraid of war than we are, we owned an Eternal Floating-Space City, if a war erupted, we can immediately withdraw back to Starsoul World, but their Fhartasil''s Fairyland can''t be evacuated from here."


    "Of course, we don''t want to go to war, it''s over, it''s a period of rest and development that belongs to our Wizard Alliance, and we, who have the entire Starsoul World, will become stronger after a period of rest, and not to engage in another war with them now."


    The next day, on a newly born path in the Fourth World, wizards and arcanists created a huge makeshift palace with witchcraft and arcane magic, where tens of thousands of powerful wizards and arcanists gathered.


    War fortresses and sky strongholds lined up in two columns, a dense numbers of airships and combat airships were on standby.


    In the palace below, Queen Wendy of the Arcane Kingdom and Catherine, the master of the Tower, sat face-to-face, and tens of thousands of professionals below held their breath as if they were witnessing the great moment.


    The Queen of the Arcane Kingdom smiled at Catherine, she took up a pen to sign on top of the agreement, and then the agreement vanished into the air as a streak of light.


    Catherine hugged Wendy, "Congratulations!"


    Wendy hugged Catherine as she closed her eyes, "Thank you!"


    As the Wizards Alliance withdrew, Wendy stood on the steps of the palace and looked at all the arcanists.


    "From now on, the world will be named as the Arcane World!"

 432 The Great Migration of the World

    Astral World''s Calendar, year 28, which was year 10053 on the wizards'' calendar, the Fourth World was officially named the Arcane World.


    The Maria''s World supporting the Divine Kingdoms, the Abyss World inhabited by the devils, the Starsoul World of the wizards and the Arcane World; the four worlds presented the most powerful and stabilized era. The Divine Kingdoms and the Abyss World were the most powerful, but when the Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom formed an alliance, they created a delicate balance between each power.


    Starsoul World, Fairy Continent, Sylve Continent, Troll Continent and other continents, one could see a huge portal emerged from various cities. The vortex of the portal was swirling and the door to another world was opened from day to night.


    "The new era has arrived, our Arcane Kingdom has our own new home, a world that we can build and where we belong to!" The broadcast of the Arcane Light Channel continued to preach about the beauty of the new world to the public of the entire Arcane Kingdom.


    "The Arcane World! A world of ours!" The streets were plastered with banners and advertisements of the Arcane World, the printed bulletins were spoted with the gorgeous scenery of the Fourth World.


    Above the earth, several gigantic trees firmly rooted to the ground, they were just like the fairy''s oldest and legendary Tree of Life, and its green life embellished the whole world.


    In the forest, several Fairyland Cities cascaded upward; it was neatly merged together with the forest, the train passed through the sky with river and forest underneath. A famous elf singer stood above the top of the Fairyland City, faced the scenery as if looking forward to their arrival.


    "New home! New dream!" Even the passenger airships that crossed the sky were painted in white with such a statement.


    "Everyone will receive freedom and a wonderful new world!" There were arcanists, officials, nobles, lords and consuls from the Arcane World everywhere on the streets. They were giving speeches which promised the public of what they would receive if they were to go to the new world, as well as the bright future awaited them.


    Even so, the migration of the Arcane Kingdom had suffered enormous adversities and problems, and it was hard for most people, apart from the professionals, to imagine what it was like to travel to another new world to survive. The distance between the new world from their native land was far beyond their knowledge.


    They had been living in Starsoul World for tens of thousands of years, their ancestors left their traces and imprints there, even those humans from Maria''s World had long forgotten that they came from another world; they had completely become one in Starsoul World.


    And now they had to give up everything, give up the traces of their ancestors, and head over to an unfamiliar world.


    "Why are we the one who are leaving, why is it not the Wizard Alliance!" Members of parliament in many cities had expressed serious protest and were reluctant to leave the world.


    "We''re the winner! We brought about the victory of this war, why are we withdrawing from our home!" The nobles and lords of some of the Arcane Kingdom, one after another, they were sending Magic Report to the core of the Arcane Kingdom.


    But the goal of the great migration had been set, and no one could halt or change it.


    Several special trains and airships passed through the portal, and families who owned civilian airships and domestic cargo steam locomotives, registered at the Space Transfer Point, and the whole family headed to the new world together.


    In addition to the commonly seen old steam locomotives, vans, airships, trains, one could also see a variety of strange means of transport; there were monster-like mobile castles, alchemy airships which looked like warhead and alchemy boats which had a streamlined body.


    There weren''t only elves, goblins, trolls, humans, fairies and intelligent creatures in the cars and airships, but also a large number of monsters, animals, and plants were migrated to the Arcane World, they would start again in a new world too.


    There were also elf arcanists who were traveling with their flying carpets, the great fairies riding on brooms, and the globin alchemy warlocks who had transformed themselves into flying mechanical forms in human-shaped.


    "The great fairy, Fran, is going to the New Arcane World to take over the post of an agricultural official, this is my document!" The great fairy who was riding on a broom dropped a document and left after waiting for the other person to stamp it.


    "Pass!"


    Vroom! The mechanical legs of the goblin squirted out flames and went straight through the portal.


    "The Vice President of the Alchemy Warlock Association, Great Alchemy Warlock, Nick, pass!"


    A variety of supernatural occupation formed a long line in front of the portal; the arcanists in charge of the verification were controlling more than ten seals at the same time as they stamped, it was a swift process.


    Several batches of small towns, farms, villages, small cities were gradually vacant. The buildings were empty. As lesser civilians were seen in various main cities, kingdoms and capitals, magical beasts and animals began to break into the empty city and looted. There was no trace of civilians from the Arcane Kingdom.


    The Wizard Alliance began to gradually take over the territory left behind by the Arcane Kingdom, as well as the remaining small number of civilians who were determined to stay.


    One portal in the middle of the Sylve Continent was preserved and there were a handful of portals maintained, it represented the end of the migration of the Arcane Kingdom.


    It took nearly a decade for the migration to come to an end.


    An airship passed through the portal, all the elves were glued to the windows, they were reluctant to part with the world, they looked at the Sylve Continent underneath, and their eyes were full of unwillingness. Many people were holding onto their pets, they were sobbing as they lie on the window.


    "Mom! What kind of world is the new world? Is it scary?" A half-elf who looked like a new-born hugged her mother; she didn''t understand why everyone was so sad.


    "No! She''s beautiful, very beautiful! In there, we''ll pursue a new future; we''ll have a world that belongs only to our Arcane Kingdom." Her mother wiped away her tears and kissed her.


    "Then everyone should be very happy!" The child didn''t seem to understand. Her mother brushed her head without answering.


    As the airship passed through the portal, there were no more special trains and vehicles behind it, and a large portal was gradually deactivated and closed, leaving only the vast empty city and the huge doors that stood on top of the town square.


    Then the main continent of the elves, the Sylve Continent, of the Arcane Kingdom, had also completely withdrawn from Starsoul World. That world no longer belonged to the Arcane Kingdom but was marked with the Wizard''s crest.


    The original Starsoul World which could be called the world of wizards and arcanists, at that moment, beneath the description of Starsoul World, there was only the wizards. Maybe, years later, people would no longer call it the Starsoul World, but as the Wizard World.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    On top of the special airship of the Queen of the Arcane Kingdom, Wendy was inspecting the entire Arcane World; she was examining the migration of various kingdoms and civilians of the Arcane Kingdom, as well as possible problems.


    The Arcane World, after several years, had finally transformed itself to the point where most life forms of the Arcane Kingdom could fit and survive. The civilians and professionals under the Arcane Kingdom had all migrated over, and most of them had rebuilt their homes and started a new life there.


    If one was to look down from the airship, from the infinite towns and villages on the land, one would realize that the original primitive and desolate Arcane World had become green and civilized.


    And in the Arcane World, the most visible and magical was on the earth, a Giant Heaven Tree could be seen after every distance, the Giant Heaven Tree seemed to charge directly into the clouds, one couldn''t see the top from the ground.


    It was the guardian tree of the Arcane World; of course, it wasn''t as powerful or perfect than Starsoul from Starsoul World. But each of them was a Level Seven mythical life, when each guardian tree was combined; they represented the power and will of the world.


    "Her Majesty, this is the last stop. The governor of the Garde Confederate States is waiting to see you!" Wendy nodded. She wouldn''t deal with such mundane matters usually; it was the responsibility of the parliament. But it was a time of the great migration of the entire Arcane Kingdom; she had to inspect all kingdoms, principalities and city-states to stabilize the morale of the majority of the population.


    Wendy stood up in a gorgeous long dress with a crown on her head, and the diligent and white-haired elf old man followed her.


    "Mientte! Tell me the future of the Arcane Kingdom, how does it looks like?"


    "I don''t know, but I know that the future of the Arcane Kingdom is limitless, and from today on, we''ll embark on an era of rapid development." Mientte said with a smile on his face.

 433 The Corrupted Within a Prosperous World

    San calendar, 10586.


    The original five continents of Maria''s World ¨C after the successive integration of Rhode''s Bitwall and Thunder Bitwall, they had changed its names to Rhode Continent and Thunder Continent ¨C it had been transformed into a world with seven continents.


    Rhode''s Bitwall and Thunder Bitwall were gradually moving closer to the core world from the bitwall. From the boundaries of the earth and the sea, they were gradually merged with Maria''s World and become a part of Maria''s World.


    And in the bitwall, there was a Star-Rotating Bitwall which was gradually assimilated by Maria''s World, and in the distant Astral World on the outside, a half bitwall called the Black Sea Bitwall had been found by Maria''s World.


    All that had made the aboriginal of Maria''s World increasingly powerful. From the outside, one could see the volume of Maria''s World had expanded. Within the enormous bitwall, it was also divided into different regions; each region belonged to a True God of their respective Star Kingdoms, and some in the half bitwall were regions belonged to various side-gods.


    Within the bitwall which was originally empty, one could see a large number of vehicles; the alchemy airships and mythical starships which had arrived outside the continent. There were also several mysterious magical gardens hidden in it. One could see the Divine Kingdoms of each side-god revolved around True Gods'' Star Kingdoms. One could also see the special bitwall floating island where a large number of professionals lived on, and on the vast Star-Rotating Bitwall, billions of humans, orcs, elves and sahagins inhabited.


    And the city above the continent had fully entered the era of Magic Crystal System; Magic Crystal props were the essence of the era. In there, one could see ordinary people used the Melting Stone Construction Car to transform soil into rock, construction team was operating a variety of Magic Crystal props, and they were rapidly constructing buildings up to hundreds of floors. The building was a fusion of classical and modern styles, and the road that was paved with Melting Stone Spell covered all parts of the continent.


    A classical-style high-rise stone building divided the city into various small grids, humans, orcs, elves and other intelligent life forms, they were akin to ants in which they survived and moved in the dense and crowded place.


    There were a variety of video images played by projection witchcraft. In various stores on the street, they were all equipped with magic telly, refrigerator, cooler fan and other equipment.


    There were also airships, flying cargo ships, and professionals riding on magical beasts or were using magic vehicles which were guided by light in the sky. There were projections in which the flight paths were divided; there were regulations for different means of transport to fly at a certain altitude, even speed limits and so on.


    When there was a violation of traffic laws, one could immediately see the city''s law enforcement teams riding on their flying blankets to intercept those offenders. It was common to see that some professionals who liked to fly illegal were chased by the law enforcement officers riding on their flying blankets.


    The most striking when one looked up to the sky weren''t all that. The most striking in the sky was the huge floating island; it looked like a small continent floating in the sky. In the sky of Maria''s World, there were a large number of Sky Floating Islands which were orbiting on the established tracks.


    As the population of the Maria''s World became increasingly high, even on the Arctic and the Island of Dragons, there were a large number of hybrid cities whereby humans, elves, sahagins, orcs lived together; the boundaries of races were becoming weaker. But even that couldn''t completely solve the overcrowding problem in Maria''s World.


    Maria''s World began to build cities above the sea around the world, and they even used Floating-Space Rings to create Sky Floating Islands.


    Several Sky Floating Islands were being created, but they still couldn''t completely solve the problem. Fortunately, the three half bitwall solved the pressure on Maria''s World. The latest discovery of the Black Sea Half Bitwall hadn''t been thoroughly explored; they had only determined the name. The plan for the transformation of the Black Sea Bitwall and the immigration plan were already being discussed.


    Although their lives might not seemed as good as one might think, most people lived in peace and stability and enjoyed the convenience of the highly developed Magic Crystal era.


    And beneath the core world, the depths of the earth, at the bottom of the bitwall, there was a very different place as opposed to the bright, civilized and developed core world; it was a total opposite.


    It was a dark and deep world of terror, the dark side of Maria''s World, the fate of the soul and the place of death, it was hell.


    "Queue up!"


    "Order! Order! Those who wreak havoc must die!"


    "No! No! I don''t want to die!"


    "Let me go, I shouldn''t have died! Why am I dead!"


    "Ah!"


    The soul-eating goat devil, Heim, stood in front of the gates of hell, it counted the passing souls, it would roar from time to time and devoured the unruly soul; whether they were ordinary people or professionals, whether they were kings, nobles or the rich, in Heim''s view, they weren''t worthless.


    "Why am I guarding this da*n gate of hell!"


    "I''ve been guarding it for ten thousand years. How many years do I have to be here?"


    "A hundred thousand years? Or a million years?"


    "What did I do wrong? Why am I punished? It''s not fair! It''s not fair!"


    "Am I a dog to the gods? When it was the first generation of God of Death, I was already the hell''s gatekeeper. Cetisius that fellow, why is he the God of Death! And I had to guard the gates of hell for him!"


    It had no idea why, at the mention of the name Cetisius, the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, was exasperated; that anger made it mad and made it lose its mind.


    The soul-eating goat devil was crazily roaring in its heart, it was a kind of hatred, unwillingness, resentment that was slowly growing in his soul. It constantly vented its anger to others. But its blazing infuriation wasn''t extinguished; it was still burning in its heart and was increasingly overwhelming.


    It was until a man in a silver colored wizard''s robe came up to it and asked, "Heim! Are you mad?"


    "The master? No, no, you''ve that familiarity; you''re a wizard. Ha-ha-ha, a Ghost Wizard!"


    The soul-eating goat devil, Heim, who was hundreds of meters tall, was akin to the ancient soul-eating goat devil, it stamped hard on the ground and the entire gate of hell trembled, its mouth spewed flames that could burn the soul into ashes.


    "Ah! The stench on your body is really bad, ha-ha-ha-ha!"


    "What kind of conspiracy does you guys, clumsy clowns who are hiding in the dark, are having right now?"


    It was a Ghost Wizard who had arrived, a Level Seven Mythical King of the Dead, who ranked at the top among the undead creature.


    Ghost Wizard was divided into a variety of occupations; they were namely the Bone''s Spirit, Devil Wizard, Soul''s Corpse and other different advanced occupations. And the Ghost Wizard who had arrived chose to be a Soul''s Corpse. He unmasked the hood of his silver wizard''s robe, revealed his gray skin and bare head, his body exuded a pattern of red glow, as if flame and magma were flowing.


    "My name is Flosa, the King of the Dead, and I can free you from this eternal captivity, and we''re allies with a common goal, we''re not enemies!"


    "There''s only one enemy, and that''s the God of Death, Cetisius!"


    Flosa looked at the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, in face of the enormous size and almost unrivalled power of the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, he wasn''t afraid of him, his gaze was composed and calm.


    Heim laughed hysterically, and its bloodthirsty eyes revealed a contemptuous gaze, it was as if it was watching an arrogant bug jumped around and said it wanted to confront a True God, "You? Ridiculous! Ha-ha-ha-ha... That''s ridiculous! I admire your courage..."


    Then, Heim''s voice changed, and its steel fork came straight down, "Who do you think you are? Creator?"


    An intense amount of black smoke surged up from Flosa''s body and the dwarf-like shadow under the black robe instantly transformed into a monster made of black smoke; flames shot out from the smoke which instantly blew up the city and the huge monster, soul-eating goat devil, Heim.


    It grabbed onto a gigantic Soul-Eating Steel Fork, his face was sticking close to Heim, "Do you really want to be a permanent guard of the gates of hell and be a dog to the God of Death! You''re a mythical creature that existed since ancient times, older and greater than most gods, there should be a place for you among the True Gods."


    "But now look, what are you doing? Sadly guarding the gates of hell for an eternal life and can''t be freed."


    Heim raged and roared, "So what, you''re just a little Level Seven Ghost Wizard, what can you do?"


    Flosa continued, "Of course, not only me, there''re Ghost Wizards who have been oppressed for 10,000 years and all the dark forces hidden in the dark."


    "Insignificant! No matter how many you have, how can all of you resist 17 True Gods?"


    "Of course, we''re not that arrogant, we just need to target the God of Death, take back everything we should own, and we need your strength to wake up a crucial person!"


    "Who?"


    "Lynn Ahenaten!"

 434 Lynn Ahenaten

    The Nine Levels of Hells was vast and massive, each layer of hell was owned by a separate master, they were servant of the God of Death, and they ruled the entire world on behalf of the God of Death.


    The endless River of Death ran through the world of Nine Levels of Hells and reached below the palace of the God of Death.


    In the raging black waves, countless dead souls, evil spirits, undead creatures in the river were moaning. The fog was thick above the river and it was full of all kinds of spooky black-gray colored plants, in the black river underground there were heaps of bones and Soul''s Sand piled up.


    And at that moment, in the depths of the river there was a faint lighting, the faint lighting was like a star, it gradually lit up from a distance and was slowly rising. It was from the depth of hell and was slowly floating against the river.


    In the spooky fog of hell, the faint lighting finally showed its true appearance.


    It was a magical Lamp of Soul. When its light shone on all evil spirits and undead creatures, they were immediately banished. Thousands of souls floated above the vast river, which were shone by the light, were dispersed, destroyed, or suppressed at the bottom of the river.


    And the faint lighting was hanging on top of a large black wooden ship, which came from the depths of hell, and acted as a guide to important souls.


    He was wearing a black robe, his black tattered black robe concealed his appearance, only his pair of sun-like golden eyes flickered under the hood, he held onto a long bone pole, stirred the black river, steeredc the Boat of the Soul along the Styx.


    Thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!


    Thud-thud! Thud-thud!


    A series of strange beat was knocking, it was as if the bones were rubbing against the boat, it was as if bells were dangling, in a world full of terror, wailing and hissing, the sound was long and crisp, and it was particularly harsh on the ears.


    "Hmm-hmm¡­"


    "La-la-la-la! La-la, la-la-ah! La-la!"


    "Ah! La-ah-ah!"


    The person on board sang ridiculously, his melody was in a mess and there wasn''t a tune, it sounded helpless and as if he didn''t know when would be the end of his fate, people even felt that he was a dumb.


    He was a man without memory and self; he couldn''t remember his past and had no future.


    But as soon as he spoke or sang, the entire river of hell danced along with his voice; the waves fluttered along with the rhythm of the song, the river was quiet when he was peaceful, the great waves surged when he sang loudly, and there were undercurrents when he was gloomy.


    He was summoned, arrived at the gate of hell, the huge Boat of the Soul moored under the steps of the gates of hell. There were people here and there above the steps. Thousands of dead souls were in a daze as they stepped down, dived into the Styx, they were devoured as the waves swept.


    Above the steps stood a row of more than ten people, the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, who guarded the gates of hell, stood behind them.


    More than ten of them were hidden under dark cloaks; in addition to that, they even used witchcraft to hide their mind power fluctuations and soul imprints, as if they were afraid of others recognizing them.


    However, from the presence of a few on the scene, they were possessing items imprinted with God the Death, if there weren''t any mythical objects for concealment, the power of divine fluctuations would have long shot up into the sky; they were the masters of other layers of Nine Levels of Hells, the most loyal servant of God the Death.


    And a few others, under the long sleeves, from the bone rings wore on their hands, it was obvious that they were the organization of Ghost Wizards which was suppressed and annihilated by the god nearly a million years ago; they were the members of the City of Bones.


    "Look at those dazzling golden pupils!" Flosa excitedly bolted down the steps. He was thrilled to see the man who was steering the Boat of the Soul.


    "The last bloodline of the Golden King, the blood of the oldest king, the owner of the Sword of the King, he''s reduced to such as state!" Flosa''s tone was dramatic, and it looked like he was performing a stage play.


    Bam!


    The soul-eating goat devil, Heim inserted the huge Soul-Eating Steel Fork under the slate, he was still disgruntled as he spoke, "Why did you choose this guy, he cheated me in the past! This guy is my enemy!"


    Flosa immediately explained, "Lynn Ahenaten was the most advantageous contender for the God of Earth and War, the True God''s position once belonged to him. He''s at the mythical level that has survived since ancient times, we need his help!"


    "Of course!"


    Flosa changed his voice, "He''s the only one, the only one who is aware of a way to ascend to the position of a True God. He''s aware of the taboo knowledge such as the World Tree and the god''s cornerstone. Except for the 17 True Gods, no one will ever know what the World Tree is and let alone what''s a god''s cornerstone!"


    "And Lynn Ahenaten knows clearly that we can only know the mysteries with his help!"


    "To know what a True God is!"


    At the mention of the True God, there was a strong greedy glow which bolted from Flosa''s gaze, and his hands were trembling even under his robe.


    Flosa clenched his fist, turned back and looked at everyone, he angrily said, "Ten thousand years! Seventeen True Gods are in control of the world for 10,000 years!"


    "The world created by the Creator, this Crystal Wall System belongs to everyone! Not just a group of others!"


    "The 17 True Gods are high above, enslaving all beings, oppressing us and suppressing us! Who gave them the right? What allowed them to occupy the position of True Gods and we can only become slaves to their servants!"


    "But, from now on, it''s different; we''re going to tell them, tell everyone in the world!" Flosa tiptoed and he was excited as he yelled at everyone frantically.


    "Era! From now on, we''re entering a new era!"


    "We''ll pull the True God, which is labelled as eternal immortality, from the god''s cornerstones, and we''ll destroy the so-called indelible Divine Kingdom and shoot the stars down from the sky!"


    More than ten powerful existences, their bodies were emitting an intense brilliance, although not said, but all could feel a kind of indignant and anger was burning, even the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, there were flames in its scarlet eyes.


    As everyone roared, more than ten of them stood in a circle, as if they had formed a huge energy loop.


    Darkness devoured the earth beneath their feet as if it had formed an immense hole.


    An infinite amount of bone surged out from the earth; infinite numbers of bones, dead souls, evil spirits, Death Knights and skeletons surged out from the earth.


    All kinds of terrible dead creatures poured out of it, with no end in sight, a massive City of Bones formed in the gates of hell. And the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, who guarded the gates of hell, unleashed the power of the gates of hell, cut and blocked all light and exploration.


    The Deathbringers who were guarding there, the servants to the God of Death who were responsible for capturing souls, had long been killed. That region in hell had become a vacuum. No one had expected the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, who guarded the gates of hell, betrayed hell. Not to mention the several lords of other floors in hell also betrayed the God of Death; including the Lord of Hell, Black Flame Bone Dragon, Mikki, who controlled the first layer of hell.


    Bones and hundreds of millions of undead continued to be integrated into City of Bones; it was akin to parts of the city, the corpse demons, bone dragons, Devil Wizards, Soul''s Corpse, those who had only existed in the myth and legend of the existence of dark and terror, had appeared.


    In the end, a city was made from undead, bones, flesh and blood, floated on the gates of hell; it was emitting intense fluctuations that obscure the connection between the sun of the underworld and the earth.


    "It was cut off, the relationship between the sun of the underworld and the Styx!"


    "Clarence! It''s your turn!" More than ten powerful people, who stood on top of the City of Bones, looked at the earth like a burning gaze.


    A Level Seven King of the Dead who was in a black robe, walked down the steps, he was emitting a monstrous pillar of soul fire. It was as if he was walking through two isolated worlds, he crushed the space barrier and boarded the Boat of the Soul.


    Then he reached out and took over the long bone pole from the boatman, Lynn Ahenaten.

 435 The Ancient Secrets

    The massive Boat of Soul moored under the stairway of the Gate of Hell, the boat which represented death was lit up with lights. But the light was about to be extinguished.


    Clarence, the Level Seven King of the Dead, desperately grabbed the bone oars away from Hell''s boatman. The bony claws of the undead creature interlaced with the strong arms of Hell''s boatman under his robe.


    Immediately, thick black smoke was emitted from the body of the boatman of the Styx and was instilled into the body of the King of the Dead, Clarence.


    The sky was pervaded with black smoke, it was as if the dark clouds were crashing down, smoke was constantly gushing out from the boatman''s eyes, mouth, ears, and it was absorbed by the King of the Dead, Clarence.


    "Ah!"


    That scream originated from the painful torture and depravity of the soul, even a master of the undead army was roaring in pain, his bone body was quivering and was constantly swaying.


    His robe was as if it had been eroded by time, it had turned into a broken black hole, and the darkness was instilled into the robe, covered his face and soul, concealed his past and cut off his future.


    "La-la-la! La-la!"


    "Ah! Ah-ah! Ah-ah!"


    "La-la!"


    And the boatman of the Styx put down his oars. He was bewildered as he walked down the Boat of the Soul. While he walked, he was humming songs; he looked like a madman beggar on the roadside.


    As he stepped down from the Boat of the Soul, his black robe gradually disappeared, he revealed his face underneath. He was a tall and strong man with semi-orcs characteristics; he was wearing decadent armor and crowns. The gorgeous gems on his head, under the erosion of the years, were broken; the gold was dim and dark.


    He slowly raised his head, in the center of his golden pupils, a faint light flickered; he was the symbol of the first king''s bloodline. A flame was gradually burning in his eyes.


    Lynn Ahenaten looked at his hands which were filled with calluses and bruises.


    He held his hands high and looked into the sky through his fingers, a dark sun shone on the whole world, and a huge City of Bones floated on the gates of hell.


    "Ha-ha" Lynn Ahenaten grinned with delight.


    He grinned while he shook his head, he squinted, his nose was crumpled together and his shoulders constantly shrug, as if he had seen a ridiculous farce or a funny mime; he was laughing uncontrollably.


    Then tears burst out from Lynn Ahenaten''s eyes, "I''m finally free!"


    Just then, the City of Bones in the sky cashed down and numerous dead souls in the city let out a terrible howl. More than ten Lords of Death from the clouds were overlooking the earth; they were staring at Lynn Ahenaten.


    The huge City of Bones was made with the manufacturing methods of the Floating-Space City, and merged with the power of more than ten Level Seven mythical existences. The radiances of the divine artifacts were flickering and they were merely a step away from reaching a Level Eight mythical Floating-Space City.


    The City of Bones could be transformed into an unrivalled presence, one which could compete against True God, when the owner of the City of Bones, Flosa, became a Level Eight.


    Flosa looked at Lynn and said, "His Majesty Lynn, King of the great ancient Kingdom of Ahenaten, the bloodline of the original king, the owner of the Sword of the King! The most distinguished man of the whole world!"


    "It''s an honor to meet you!"


    Flosa, who was deeply respectful of the royal bloodline and those who were born in an aristocratic family, seemed to have a special admiration for Lynn Ahenaten.


    Lynn''s gaze was composed; he had lost the once invincible, greedy and strong competitiveness. He had gone through a sharp vicissitudes of fate; he looked to the front of the vast and endless Styx. For ten thousand years, he was on that Styx and he led the world''s dead soul; no matter how powerful, how brilliant, as long as the name was on God of Death''s book, they would eventually set foot on his Boat of the Soul and headed reluctantly to the kingdom of the God of Death.


    The memory of the last ten thousand years and the glory of the past were gradually recalled by Lynn, and all the stories of those who were on his boat.


    And upon hearing Flosa''s words, Lynn Ahenaten seemed to have heard the most ridiculous thing, and he looked at Flosa in surprise, "The most distinguished man of the whole world? Ha-ha-ha-ha!"


    "The most distinguished man of the whole world? Ha-ha-ha-ha!"


    It was long before Lynn looked up at Flosa and asked, "Have you ever seen the Son of God; the children of the oldest Creator?"


    "Do you?"


    At the mention of that, Lynn was trembling from head to toe; he was outraged. His crazy roar revealed a strong reluctance and helplessness, "The positions of True Gods were merely toys that are easily ditched away and worthless in other''s perspective. When you had done everything, given up everything but still not getting what you wanted, do you know that feeling?"


    "What First king! What golden bloodline! Ridiculous!"


    "It''s ridiculous! It''s all just a plaything in someone else''s hand!"


    Lynn looked furiously into the sky; his expression was contorted like a devil, "Gave in your all, no matter how unwilling you are, at the very last, you can only wait your fate to befall on you! We''re the chess pieces that are played with, those who don''t accept the arrangement and role as chess pieces, what awaits them was a fate of being thrown away!"


    Those Lords of Death who were looking at Lynn Ahenaten from the top didn''t understand what he was saying. But they felt that, under the imprisonment of hundreds of millions of years, Lynn Ahenaten had completely gone mad.


    Lynn Ahenaten said nothing more; he stretched out his right hand and condensed a stone slab on top of his palm.


    On the front of the stone slab, it was engraved with a complete World Tree Model Template, and rules of god''s cornerstone of the 17 True Gods. On the back of the stone slab, the world'' largest taboo was written; it was the way to ascend to the position of True God and ways to condense the divinity of True Gods.


    It was an ordinary stone slab but because it was carved with a pattern of taboo knowledge, it seemed like it had gained the power of the whole world.


    A golden brilliance slowly bloomed from the stone slab, and at last, it converged into a strong beam of radiance which dyed the sky into a golden brilliance, and vanished only a long time after.


    And just then, all the people in the City of Bones were excited, they were trembling.


    The legend of the past million years, the existence which caused countless people to hunt and comb for, the taboo knowledge that was sealed by the gods, the way to become a True God, and all was now presented before them.


    "The World Tree! It''s the World Tree Model Template!" A Lord of Death was shrouded in a gray mist; he forgot to suppress his power because of his excitement, and a fierce mythical power storm swept out.


    "It''s the way to condense divinity, as long as we''ve a way to condense divinity, we''ll attain Level Eight. We''ll have the qualification to compete for the position of a True God!"


    "Take it! Give it to me!" A bone dragon roared wildly.


    "Give it to me! Give me!" The owner of the City of Bones, Flosa, gazed at the stone slab on Lynn Ahenaten''s hand, he was transformed into a giant mythical body, under the support of the City of Bones, he had turned into a thousand-kilometer tall giant made with black smoke and flame.


    He leaned straight down from the sky and looked at Lynn Ahenaten with his eyes.


    His black-smoked palms were twinkling with excitement. He had been waiting for the opportunity for seven or eight thousand years and he was finally given an opportunity.


    "Give! Give me!"


    Lynn Ahenaten''s eyes revealed a tinge of contemptuous, and the stone slab which was glowing with a golden radiance was thrown out. It was as if he had thrown away a piece of garbage.


    "Yours!"


    Lynn Ahenaten walked up the steps and went to the gates of hell; he tried to return to the core world through that door.


    Just then, a huge Soul-Eating Steel Fork stuck onto the ground, a strong flame was produced as it rubbed against the ground, a pair of bloodthirsty pupils and a monster with long sheep legs and horns was staring at Lynn Ahenaten.


    Heim looked angrily at Lynn, who had fooled him in the past, "Do you think it''s that easy to leave?"


    His bloody mouth spewed out a dark red hellfire, "Impossible!"


    Lynn Ahenaten looked at the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, "When I was a boatman, I once stood next to the ancient God of Death, and I heard about your secret!"


    Lynn grinned, as if he had thought of something amusing, "Heim? Do you want to hear it?"


    "Or? Should I address you as?"


    "Anke Pusuote, High Priest!"

 436 The Drastic Change in Hell

    There was a drastic change happening in hell. The first layer of the Nine Levels of Hell had gathered nearly half of the masters from each layers of the Nine Levels of Hell and the huge City of Bones was hovering in the sky.


    And infinite undead creatures from the far distance were darting over. Evil spirits from the depths of hell were surging over; they were there to see the King of the Dead who was standing on top of the City of Bones.


    For ten thousands of years, those who were constantly banished to the depths of hell, suppressed in hell, one by one, they had awakened, recovered and crawled up from the earth.


    The dark ghosts, who were hundreds of meters tall, squealed, herds of female demons roared through the gray clouds of hell, and giant bone dragons circled the sky with flying monsters.


    Skeleton Masters, who were holding bone staffs, carried thousands of undead who were crawling out from the ashes, and the Death Knights carried their own heads and summoned their Nightmares Steed.


    Riots of the undead creatures could be seen everywhere on the earth, batches of them came from different layers of the Nine Levels of Hell, they even crossed the Styx to reached there. They kneeled in front of the gate of hell to see the Master of the Undead.


    The great movement could no longer be concealed, and the bells of Nine Levels of Hell rang from inside of the palace of the God of Death, it echoed throughout hell.


    Hundreds of millions of God of Death''s servants poured out from several Cities of Soul, they held onto the soul sickle and went all out.


    The remaining few lords of the Nine Levels of Hell, who hadn''t yet betrayed God of Death, they led their families, subordinates and the Legion of Death and were fully prepared for the battle.


    Within the Star Kingdoms, the gods were holding a conference about the Black Sea Bitwall.


    Seventeen True Gods'' great bodies descended on the Divine Floating Island; it was as if 17 mountains were glowing with intense brilliance, the rules and symbols of the god''s cornerstones, which represented their power, were revolving around them.


    And just then, the God of Death, Cetisius, who was sitting on the divine throne and was holding onto the sickle of god, he suddenly raised his head and was in a shock when he looked down towards the earth. His eyes looked through the layers of space, endless heavens, through the core world, and to the kingdom belonged to death.


    He heard the bells from the Kingdom of Death.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    The Gate of Hell.


    "The so-called magnificent God of Death, the master of hell, Cetisius, is just your servant!" Lynn Ahenaten stood and danced under the gates of hell. Everyone was listening to his story, a story from tens of thousands years ago, the origin of the Temple of Sky.


    Legends and stories belonged to the High Priest Anke Pusuote from the Temple of Sky.


    "Once you were the master of Cetisius, and now, ha-ha-ha, now!"


    "You''re a watchdog of Cetisius! A dog of Cetisius!"


    "Ha-ha-ha-ha!"


    "Anke Pusuote!"


    "What a cruel fate! What a strong twist! It''s just like a cheap and old play; you''re a ridiculous clown who is being played around!"


    Lynn Ahenaten couldn''t stand it any longer; he burst out laughing and ridiculed the soul-eating goat devil, Heim.


    As if that could let him forgot about his pain, forgot about all of his own stories.


    "An¡­ Anke Pusuote." The soul-eating goat devil, Heim, who was holding a Soul-Eating Steel Fork, now had his hands down. He muttered to himself. The name was a long-lost name for him.


    Heim stood under the gates of hell, when the huge body and the tall gates of hell combined together; it represented the entrance to hell.


    For tens of thousands of years, the gate of hell and the monster, the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, who watched over the gates of hell were connected together, it was an inseparable existence.


    Even Heim had forgotten about his past, forgotten all about himself, and all the glory and identity that belonged to him.


    "I''m the devil-god, Heim, who guards the gates of hell!"


    "No! I''m¡­I''m¡­"


    Just then, the greed, desire and killing spree gradually faded away in Heim''s scarlet eyes, he had become clear and sober.


    "I''m Anke Pusuote!"


    "I''m the High Priest of the Temple of Sky! I''m God''s favorite High Priest, his chosen spokesman!"


    "I''m an apostle of God and an original follower of the lord!"


    Anke Pusuote looked at his hands, only to see a pair of ugly monster''s claws appeared in his eyes. He was appalled as he touched his face; it was a grisly face with a sheep''s horn.


    "No! No! This isn''t me!" Anke Pusuote''s hands shook violently.


    "This is not me!"


    He roared angrily, from his bloody mouth, he spewed out a blazing flame.


    He looked to the left and right with shock, and he saw the gates of hell he had guarded for thousands of years.


    He saw the massive City of Bones, there were monsters running on the earth, and finally he looked up to see the eternal sun of the underworld.


    He stretched out his hand and reached towards the sun, the sun which represented hell and death, "Is this your choice?"


    "No! It''s not like that, why am I in this situation!" He roared furiously and he dared not believed what he saw. He didn''t believe that he was like a dog that stood in front of the gate of hell, guarded the door of the Kingdom of Death.


    At last he looked at the boundless Styx, along Styx and all the way down the depths of hell; he saw the palace of the God of Death, it was as if he could see the figure with a huge black robe that was holding the sickle of god.


    Just then, he could no longer endure. His anger, jealousy, and hatred gushed into his head.


    The feud of the past tens of thousands of years was now all vented into a word.


    It was as if he had used all his power to holler his name, his tremble rose from the soles of his feet to his face, his expression was twisted and contorted, flames was burning on his body, the huge flame lit the whole gate of hell and dyed the sky red.


    "Cetisius!"


    The soul-eating goat devil, Heim, crushed down from the gates of hell, the bond between the sun of the underworld and the gates of hell which had trapped him was cut off; he had easily crashed the binding force and stepped into the vast Styx.


    He waved his steel fork, spewed flames, and ran desperately towards to the depths of hell.


    He was completely mad, he didn''t care about anything! He wanted to vent all his years of indignant, anger and resentment.


    "Cetisius!" His voice echoed madness, he was trembling, and the strong flame evaporated the water in Styx, thousands of undead burned into black ashes in the flame.


    He transformed into a giant which was thousands of meters tall, trampled onto Styx with his enormous body and marched into the next level of hell.


    Lynn Ahenaten looked at Anke Pusuote, he knew he was so much more miserable than Anke Pusuote''s circumstances and experiences, and he had suddenly lost all motivations of mocking Lynn Ahenaten.


    It was because he felt he wasn''t just mocking Anke Pusuote, he was mocking at himself.


    It was because he was no different from Anke Pusuote.


    "Ten thousand years!"


    "Ten thousand years!"


    Lynn Ahenaten was in a daze, he took off the decaying crown on his head, and flicked it gently; he saw the jewels on it shattered into dust.


    When he recollected his past, he found that everything had been concealed by time, all the memories had become history, and he had turned into merely a legend.


    Everything there was no longer the world he was familiar with; it had only given him humiliation, pain and regret.


    "I''m leaving this world!"


    Even if it was the era when the Creator was gone, he wouldn''t want to stay there again!


    Lynn Ahenaten lost all his interest and motivation; he walked through the gates of hell, and disappeared from the Kingdom of Death.


    In the sky, Flosa was holding onto the gold-colored stone slate, it was the World Tree Model Template and a god''s cornerstone. He was surrounded by patches of symbols that represented the divinity of the God of Death and it was revolving around the City of Bones.


    "Ha-ha-ha-ha!"


    "Divinity! This is divinity!"


    "I can feel it¡­ that''s... that''s what we''ve been looking for¡­ the true meaning of death."


    "This is death!"


    Millions of symbols revolved around the City of Bones like a galaxy and finally, as Flosa burst out an untamed laugh, all the symbols converged into a black flame that ignited the sky and clouds.


    "I''m the Master of Death!"


    Flosa crushed the stone slate of the World Tree Model Template, and it was integrated into the flame and the sky. Flosa opened his pale and bloody mouth, the flame crazily poured into his mythical body.


    The entire City of Bones was fused with him; there was an unprecedented undead creature, a massive and enormous mythical life appeared in hell.

 437 The God of Death Has Arrived

    "Lord of Death!"


    "I''m the Master of Death!"


    The earth-shaking roar shot out from the first layer of hell, and the call from the owner of the City of Bones, Flosa, resonated throughout the hell, his voice was as if it could penetrate the space barrier.


    The Level Eight City of Bones was gradually formed in the sky, it used infinite dead spirits as cornerstone, exhausted the power of the first layer of hell, cthe power of Flosa and more than ten mythical lords, the mythical power of Level Eight was palpable in the sky.


    The dead creatures above the earth were all kneeling down, whether it was the witches who were howling, the fearsome Devil Witch, the Soul''s Corpse that emitted a massive black smoke that shot up to the sky, or the Death Knights who were leading tens of thousands of Corps of the Undead.


    In that moment, all within sight was kneeling down in front of Flosa. They knelt down under the great City of Bones, no one dared to resist, and no dead spirit dared to look up at them.


    The City of Bones which was imitated from a Floating-Space City was undergoing a drastic change in that moment; the bones which were stacked on top of each other were wriggling and merging.


    The Bone Heaven''s Ring was bred in the bones, the heart of the dead spirit was a version of the magic machine, it was crazily devouring all the dead creatures around, and finally it stimulated its blood, as if the heart was beating, supported the entire Level Eight City of Bones in its operation.


    The divinity was akin to a mythical template of a Level Eight, it was integrated into Flosa''s body, and helped him took the final leap; but he was only a Level Eight when he was in Maria''s World. If he left Maria''s World, his power would fall quickly, and the power which he acquired from the world would quickly dissipate.


    Incorporating the divinity of death also represented his declaration of war with the God of Death, Cetisius; it was the battle for the position of gods and the battle of their powers. They would fight to the end.


    The mythical territory of the God of Death struck from the sky, it enveloped the vast and sprawling City of Bones, the light of the rules surged, and it engaged all of the Corps of the Undead.


    Several Towers of the Dead Spirit rose from the City of Bones, the top of the Tower of the Dead was burning in flames, and it was like a lighthouse which guided all the dead spirits. Hundreds of millions of dead spirits roared and circled in the sky, they roared and shrieked around the Tower of the Dead.


    One after another, the figures of the Lords of the Dead Spirit rose from the Tower of the Dead Spirit, one after another, they protected and guarded the master of the City of Bones, Flosa, who was in the central.


    The mythical body of terror carried the power of darkness, death, pain, and evil, and looked at the earth.


    They set their sights on the entire hell.


    "Declare war with God of Death!" The terrifying mythical demoness opened her bloody mouth and made a sharp sound, the air waves toppled the clouds.


    "We''ll control death!" The bone dragon spread its dark wings and roared on the Tower of the Dead Spirit.


    "Be a true master of hell!" The mythical Devil Wizard waved. They saw the power of the plague, the crows were circling, and the hordes of the dead were moving around his mythical body and the Tower of the Dead Spirit.


    The huge City of Bones was akin to a real boundless city in the sky, it stretched out hundreds of miles, and it was hard to see its end.


    Finally, the City of Bones was seen moving; it hit towards the end of Styx and the divine territory of the God of Death evaporated the entire Styx. Then, it crushed the entrance to the next layer of hell as it destroyed the surrounding space.


    The City of Bones crushed everything, and in an irresistible manner, it bolted towards the depths of hell.


    Billions Corps of the Undead followed closely behind the City of Bones, they headed for the next layer of hell, where infinite Legion of Death and the servants of God of Death were waiting for their arrival before their imminent war.


    "The Evil God! He has arrived!"


    Standing at the top of the City of Soul, a Deathbringer in a black robe who was holding a bone staff looked into the distant sky.


    Made entirely of huge bones, the City of Bones was wriggling and crashing; it occupied the entire sky, carried along dark clouds and the power of death, swept across the sky and killed thousands of Deathbringers and saints of God of Death in the sky.


    Above the earth, there was an infinite number of Corps of the Undead. They were covering the earth like ants; they had subdued and destroyed several Cities of Soul on the earth.


    Its terrifying power made others shuddered.


    Deep in hell, chaos could be seen everywhere, the Corps of the Undead were fighting in all places, they could see the power of death since ancient times, the horrible monsters and dead spirits which had evolved, and the dead creatures that had been banished from the core world to the World of Death for thousands of years, they were all rioting.


    The insurgency of the lords from the depths of the Nine Levels of Hells, weighed heavily on the other end of the scale.


    And at that moment, the guardian of the Gates of Hell, the mighty soul-eating goat devil, Heim, crossed the earth like a mad man and headed towards the depths of hell.


    He had transformed its mythical body into thousands of meters tall, when he stepped onto the City of Soul, soul-eating flame would blast which instantly ignited the city, and burned thousands of souls and Deathbringers into ashes.


    The giant steel fork of the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, penetrated any saints of the God of Death in front of him, and swallowed them down with a mouthful, flames was surging in his gigantic mouth, one could hear the saints shrieked in his flames.


    He penetrated one layer after another and he finally reached the final City of Qiromu, the eighth layer of hell.


    That was a city that accommodated an immeasurable quantity of believers of God of Death. Above the defense walls, one could see numerous evil souls wailing in pain, the city had a bottomless abyss and bridges, as long as one crossed over there, one could reach the Temple of Death God and meet the great master of hell.


    And it was Morke, the son of God of Death, Cetisius, who guarded the city; Cetisius led Morke to hell after his death.


    At the same time, Morke was also the side-god of God of Death; he controlled the powerful divine artifact named as the Book of the Dead.


    The soul-eating goat devil, which was akin to a giant beast, crossed the land of death as the surrounding land trembled like an earthquake. He stepped through the Abyss of Sin, he darted towards Rom; he was in madness, hatred and contempt when he crashed onto him.


    And from within the city, a thousand meters tall of mythical shadow donned in his black robe and gold lining emerged, it slowly stood up.


    Holding the Book of the Dead that exuded the glory of divine power, he pressed towards the soul-eating goat devil, Heim.


    "A blaspheme act! You must be annihilated!"


    The Book of the Dead connected to the entire hell, and the power of the rules of death surged wildly towards Morke''s hands.


    The soul-eating goat devil, Heim, who was unrivalled all the way, was immediately enveloped by the Book of the Dead; the great mythical body was akin to a piece of paper people which was crushed into one of the pages of the Book of the Dead.


    But just then, the shadow of the City of Bones appeared in the sky, the Level Eight mythical City of Bones was like a hammer, it broke layers and layers of passageways, from the first layer of hell directly into there, and they carried an infinite Corps of the Undead which swept the entire world of death.


    Standing in the middle of the City of Bones, Flosa looked at Morke and gave a scornful laugh.


    "You''re the only¡­ one left!"


    As soon as his voice stopped, more than ten Towers of the Dead Spirit were activated, the mythical territory of the City of Bones, the undead version of the Annihilation Elemental Artillery was revealed under the City of Bones, the attack crossed a distance of tens of thousands of miles and directly towards Morke.


    "The Death Annihilation!"


    The radiance scraped the earth; the attack implied outright death annihilation. When the radiance shone onto anything, everything was destroyed; the earth was in complete decomposition under the radiance, only a terrible abyss of the huge ditch was left.


    Morke, who was holding the Book of the Dead and was sealing the soul of the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, he instantly raised his head; his black pupils were left with that horrible Light of the Dead Spirit which was devouring everything.


    At the same time, the soul of the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, who was in the seal, was fiercely struggling. He escaped from the Book of the Dead.


    The mythical body which was kilometer tall twisted and stood up from the Book of the Dead; he held onto his soul-eating steel fork and stabbed towards Morke''s chest.


    Even the monsters who had been banished into hell for thousands of years hadn''t seen such a real horror; only the Astral War that had taken place before could they witness a glimpse of such a power.


    Thousands of souls in the City of Qiromu looked up and they were in disbelief.


    They saw the son of God, Morke, was going through a desperate situation, and even when he held a divine artifact, Book of the Dead, he couldn''t avoid his death.


    The steel fork of the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, was close to Morke''s chest, and the Light of the Dead Spirit was within reach.


    The soul-eating goat devil, Heim, burst out in his mad laugh, as if to see the God of Death''s agony upon knowing the death of his son, his bloody pupils were full of arrogance and his anger was slightly appeased.


    In the far distance, infinite monsters from the Corps of the Undead also revealed an expression of expectant; it was a rare scene to witness the death of a son of God. The Lords of the Dead Spirit on the Tower of the Dead Spirit were also laughing insanely.


    Morke seemed to have a glimpse of his fate, but he didn''t give in at all, he looked ahead, his pupils were in contact with the Light of the Dead Spirit.


    Then he said in a composed manner.


    "A blaspheme act!"


    "All must be annihilated!"


    At the mention of that, the sky suddenly darkened, and the whole world lost all forms of light, as if the sun of the underworld had disappeared.


    Time seemed to have stalled, the action of the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, instantly paused, and the speed of the Light of the Dead Spirit had slowed down.


    A figure which one couldn''t see its end appeared in the sky, his black robes dropped, it was like cloud iridescence in the sky, it concealed almost everything.


    The figure of terror seemed to be integrated with the entire hell; the huge hell couldn''t even tolerate his body and could only reveal a part of his form.


    "Only when I grant it!"


    "The world will own death!"


    A massive hand fell from the sky and caught the Light of the Dead Spirit out of thin air. The great hand of the god brushed and erased all traces of life forms above the earth.


    God of Death, Cetisius, had arrived!

 438 Red Poppies

    The black curtain of light enveloped the whole world, obscured the sun of the underworld in the sky, and the whole world plunged into total darkness.


    But at that moment, all living creatures in hell looked up into the sky and they knew that it wasn''t a curtain of light, but it was the robe of the God of Death, the true master of hell, Cetisius. The sky was blazing with two flames; the light was dazzling and shining on the earth.


    It was the eyes of God of Death, covered by a black cloak which obscured the face of the God of Death. It admonished all life forms that he was an existence whereby no one could peer at.


    He turned his head and looked City of Bones in the sky.


    The City of Bones carried hundreds of millions of Corps of the Undead which occupied the entire land. The mythical light of a Level Eight mythical city of the dead swept across more than half of the sky, and the mythical rule of death was affecting the power of hell.


    More than ten great mythical bodies rose from the Tower of the Dead Spirit, and they were in confrontation with God of Death who was in the sky.


    It was a rebellion that spread throughout hell, and almost all of the forces in the Nine Levels of Hells declared their dissatisfaction and hatred for God of Death, Cetisius, and were waging a battle for his divine position; they were trying to dethrone him from the eternal throne of a True God.


    But at that moment, the God of Death arrived without support, he only revealed his usual appearance but was already at the top of the world; he had supressed all others. The aura of terror and majesty had oppressed all Corps of the Undead and the City of Bones from straightening their backs.


    The God of Death looked down at the earth, without saying a word, under the cohesion of his power and majesty, all the dead creatures trembled.


    More than ten of the Level Seven mythical Lords of the Dead Spirit, under his oppression, they even recalled their fear of him.


    "Are we really a lord who could resist death?"


    "No one has succeeded in tens of thousands years!"


    "This is a True God, one of the oldest and most powerful gods ¨C God of Death!"


    And just then, the owner of the City of Bones, Flosa, roared angrily, "Have you forgotten our pain and suffering over the years?"


    "Have you forgotten our misery when the 17 true gods suppressed and oppressed us?"


    "Have you forgotten about our agreements and dreams?"


    A giant shadow of ten thousand meters emerged from the City of Bones, and it gradually condensed into a substantial being; a human-shaped body of a god, which was fuming in black smoke and flowing with flames inside, floated above the City of Bones.


    The great mythical body was above the clouds of the sky, he was like a giant pillar which ran through heaven and earth, and his eyes were locked onto God of Death, Cetisius.


    "Today! This is the time! Now!"


    "Let us break through this decadent world!"


    "Our will and strength are unstoppable!"


    Hundreds of millions of Corps of the Undead hollered a reluctant roar, within their pupils and skulls were burning with a blazing flame. Even in face of God of Death who controlled death, the legendary God of Death, Cetisius, they nevertheless voiced out their own desire.


    "Break through this decadent world!" Several Lords of the Dead Spirit followed after him and hollered with their sharp cries.


    "Unstoppable!" Numerous Dead Knights ran with tens of thousands of horses across the earth and canal and headed for the City of Qiromu.


    "Cetisius! The time has changed..."


    "It''s a new era now!"


    Flosa was looking resentful as he looked to the sky; it was the anger of every dead creature against the master of death, his unwillingness that his own destiny was controlled by another.


    "I''m going to... attack all the decadent and depraved gods! Get rid of everyone from their superior positions!"


    The City of Bones quickly launched its attacks. Flosa activated his mythical body, his twisted body, which was fuming in black smoke, was targeting God of Death, Cetisius. He was using himself as a canon; he activated the power of the mythical rules and bombarded God of Death, Cetisius.


    The intense red flame burst out from the mythical body of Flosa, it set off waves of thousands of miles and illuminated the whole world.


    The radiance pierced through the clouds, through the sky, through the eighth and seventh layers of hell, and all the way towards God of Death, Cetisius.


    The God of Death, Cetisius, raised his hand, he pressed onto the earth, his huge palms brushed through the clouds, and the flames which was surging was pressed down, the strong explosion on the earth set off a sandstorm which drowned out everything.


    The hand of the gods landed from the sky, destroyed everything, and annihilated every little thing; it had given Flosa a big blow.


    The giant palms were pressed directly on top of the huge City of Bones; it was as large as a continent in the sky. Along with the mythical body of Flosa, all was pressed down onto the earth of death and was crushing down from the sky.


    The intense Level Eight mythical territory spread, it was resisting the divine power of God of Death, Cetisius, but the power of rule, in his oppression, continued to fall apart, and was about to disintegrate.


    "How can it be! How can it be!"


    "I''m a Level Eight too! I owned the divinity of death too!"


    "I''ve the support of hundreds of millions of the undead, more than ten Lords of the Dead Spirit and a City of Bones!"


    "Why¡­why?"


    Flosa roared frantically towards the sky, his mythical body, which was shot down from the clouds, was struggling, and infinite mythical death witchcraft bolted and smashed towards the sky.


    A strong force erupted from the entire City of Bones, the Light of the Dead Spirit frantically pounded towards the sky; it was retaliating against the God of Death, Cetisius.


    Just then, the God of Death, Cetisius, stretched out the other hand, the presence of death and the entire hell suddenly shook, the dead creatures of the entire hell all irresistibly kneeled to the ground.


    All saw a giant sickle of god appeared in the sky, it went through several layers of hell and came crashing down.


    It was the power of God of Death left by the first God of Death, it was the symbol of the God of Death, and it was a present given by the legendary Creator.


    Wherever the sickle of god had passed, all living and dead creatures would be devoured, and as it fell from the sky, the rules and divinity of death in the City of Bones were constantly being torn and ripped.


    The entire City of Bones was struggling from its imminent collapse, and at last when it was completely intolerable, the whole city fell apart.


    After the disintegration of the mythical body of Flosa, he was reduced to a body of Soul''s Corpse which dropped from the clouds. The entire City of Bones shattered into pieces; he looked into the sky during his fall, only to see the sickle of god which had occupied his sight.


    "Is this the True God?"


    "And the legendary¡­"


    "Sickle of the Death God!"


    The divine artifact of death came crashing down, and then in Flosa''s disbelief, everything had fallen into darkness.


    Billions of Corps of the Undead collapsed in a flash, as the Sickle of the Death God waved through the earth, everything decomposed in face of death. Those monsters that were previously hidden in all corners and spaces of hell, had now gathered together, and were in its own destruction.


    The sandstorm above the earth subsided slowly; it had calmed down. From the madness and clamour to a deathly silence, all had changed too fast.


    A grand rebellion with more than ten mythical levels involved and billions of undead which had swept the earth, at last, it had all came to an end.


    God of Death, Cetisius, glanced across hell; he scrutinised at everything and took into account of everything.


    "Did Lynn Ahenaten escape?"


    "There''s another one! The guardian of the gate of hell! Heim, the soul-eating goat devil!"


    "No! Now, he''s¡­ Anke Pusuote!"

 439 The Outcome of Anke Pusuote

    God of Death, Cetisius, waved and saw the original space of hell which was once torn apart, the cracks which were torn by the Level Eight mythical City of Bones, were slowly closing up.


    Several Cities of Souls recovered from the destruction and tens of thousands of Deathbringers, who were shrouded in darkness, emerged again.


    The order of hell was quickly restored, and the disorder of the rules was brought to stability by God of Death.


    The dead creatures and the souls of the dead in the Nine Levels of Hells all looked at the divine body of God of Death, Cetisius. They were shocked by the power of the God of Death, for his power of death and destruction; they were trembling upon seeing the power of a True God.


    "This is the master of hell!" A ghost, who stood at the side of Styx, was in a daze as it looked into the sky.


    "The power of a True God is irresistible!" The powerful presences who didn''t participate in that war were crouching in the shadow of the hell''s borders; they heaved a sigh of relief.


    The remaining dead spirits in the upper levels of hell were fleeing frenziedly above the earth, and the Corps of the Undead beat a hasty retreat.


    "Sickle of the Death God¡­Sickle of the Death God!"


    "Harvest death! Prey on spirit! Even the Devil Wizards, mythical, undead lords, can''t escape the harvest of the sickle!"


    The terrified Skeleton Masters, even if they had only half of its bodies left, they were still frantically fleeing into the distance.


    "Deplorable! Tragic! Our resistance is like the struggle of the ants on earth when in front of a god, ridiculous! Vulnerable¡­ ha-ha-ha... vulnerable!" A defeated Bone''s Spirit from the depths of hell, fled to the banks of the Styx, watched his mythical power within his body which was constantly repairing his body and soul had no restoration effect; when he was hit by the Sickle of the Death God, he was doomed to die.


    The power of death finally devoured him; he was reduced to ashes as it fell into Styx.


    "A total failure!"


    As the order of hell was restored, the divine body of God, which covered the whole of hell, gradually dissipated in the sky, it had transformed into a black light which shot through the sky and fell above the core city of death, the City of Qiromu.


    Contrasted with the mighty power which caused a tremor in the world with just a wave of his hand and the divine shadow of the god which overturned the world, at that moment, Cetisius looked like an ordinary man, there wasn''t a trace of divine fluctuation. He held onto a crutch, his body shape even appeared to be a little hunched back.


    But at that moment, thousands of dead spirits and saints in the city knelt on the ground, and the guardians of the City of Qiromu, the son of god, Morke, knelt in front of Cetisius to salute his father. Even the son of gods dared not look directly into Cetisius''s face.


    The entire hell echoed the scriptures from the Book of the Dead from the Bible, and holy prayers and chants resonated in the City of Qiromu.


    Cetisius reached out, and the Book of the Dead flew up and fell into his hand.


    The palm, which was filled with ravines, flipped through the pages of the book, and saw a huge monster sprang out of the book. A thick black smoke poured into the sky, it was hundreds of meters tall, che only revealed half of his body.


    The monster was roaring madly, he was struggling to lean down, revealed his bloody mouth and bite towards God of Death, Cetisius. Intense hatred and pain were surging in his pupils.


    "Cetisius!" The name of the god was called out, word by word, as if each call was the world''s most vicious curse.


    Heim recklessly pounced on God of Death, Cetisius. His huge body seemed to be in stark contrast to the old man in a black robe and who was on a crutch.


    But Cetisius looked up; his eyes calmly fixated on the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, and Heim''s movements suddenly stalled.


    His threatening gestures were paused; his bloody mouth with flames surging was facing Cetisius, and he waved his soul-eating steel fork which was only a meter away from Cetisius.


    The black robe was fluttering and a palm was gently lifted.


    Under the gaze of Cetisius, all the support from hell, the soul-eating fire, the divine power were peeled off from his body, the large head of the soul-eating goat devil dissipated into smoke and his steel forks was reduced to gravel as it spilled onto the earth.


    The body of the huge monster gradually vanished, as he lost all power, a little of the soul-eating goat devil, Heim, original appearance was revealed.


    A figure fell from the sky and above the defense wall of the City of Qiromu.


    It was a short-haired, thin, middle-aged man with a distinctive exotic Batko''s appearance. There was a slight difference with the descendant a thousand years later; he was full of quaint aura, dressed in the gorgeous High Priest''s robe of the Temple of Sky. He was looking noble which revealed his former identity.


    Anke Pusuote slowly crawled up from the ground. Although he had lost all his power, he had completely regained his sanity.


    He looked at Cetisius with hatred in his eyes. He stood face to face in front of him, a deaf slave who had been at his feet, slept with horses, the most inferior slave, but at that moment, he had become a supreme god.


    The wind blew through Cetisius''s hood and revealed the old and vicissitudes face below, his gaze was cold and without any feelings, there was no enthusiasm and excitement.


    Contrasted to the youthful Cetisius he last saw in the past, the enthusiastic and determined young man, the current Cetisius who was old-fashioned and one who abided to regulations were like two different men. In the past, he was a practical idealist, but now he was like a guardian of the ghosts.


    Anke Pusuote, who had thousand curses and resentments, had now turned speechless.


    "You¡­you¡­"


    "Ha-ha-ha-ha¡­ in the past... you even judged me in the name of justice!"


    Anke Pusuote held his face and his fingers were cut into his flesh, but he still laughed uncontrollably, "Look at you! Look at you!"


    "How are you different from me!"


    "You''re even more disgusting than I am! More despicable!"


    "Look! Look at him! This is the supreme god!" Anke Pusuote yelled to his surroundings but no one dared to respond.


    Cetisius finally spoke, his voice was dry, and that voice which was emotionless for tens of thousands of years was filled with emotion at that moment, "What do a person like you know!"


    Anke Pusuote smiled and turned his head, he looked at the City of Qiromu, as if he could see the shadow of the City of Pusuote. He stood above the defense wall to see the black land outside the city. The sun of the underworld was about to set, it would soon set under the horizon.


    The original dimly lit hell, which had gray-black and blood-red as the main color tone, was about to sink completely into darkness.


    The whole world was quiet; no one dared to say a word. It was as if only Cetisius and Anke Pusuote were the two main characters left.


    At last, he stared at the sun of the underworld; he lowered his head which he was always unwilling to concede defeat, he had never refused to bow, "Yes! What do I know!"


    "I know nothing!"


    "Why!" As Anke Pusuote spoke, his body was constantly shuddering, the veins above his neck stood out, his face turned red.


    "Why¡­ I¡­"


    His five facial features were tangled together; he was crying as he spoke, his gaze revealed confusion and turmoil.


    "I''m devoted! All my faith! At the very end, all I received is this outcome!"


    Anke Pusuote''s face was full of tears, and he roared angrily, "All I received is this outcome!"


    "Master!"


    "This is truly unfair!"


    "This is truly¡­ unfair!"


    Anke Pusuote leaped down from the defense wall of the City of Qiromu and fell into the terrible abyss of death. When the deepest, darkest and most sinful snake twisted its body, opened its bloody mouth, it swallowed Anke Pusuote in one bite.

 440 A New Star

    The Star-Rotating Half Bitwall was a half bitwall which was incompletely evolved, or it could be said that all half bitwalls weren''t perfectly evolved, but the Star-Rotating Half Bitwall was even more unstable.


    Its interior didn''t even have the rules of gravity, there was no light, temperature, water and life; there was nothing. On the inside, there were boulders which were constantly colliding; a large number of stones in different sizes were revolving around the largest stone.


    After Maria''s World captured that half bitwall two thousand years ago, it was being transformed since then.


    Over the years, Divine Kingdoms of Maria''s World had formulated a perfect procedure for the transformation and use of the half bitwall; Mana Floating Island, simple floating device, yarn of light, magic crystal tower, sea crystal and all kinds of technology were developed.


    There were generation after generation of clergy coming forward to assume various roles; the clergy of Goddess of Harvest cultivated plants, the clergy of God of the Sea created water sources, the clergy of the God of Earth and War stabilized gravity, masters adjusted the atmosphere, temperature, air environment, and finally they had transformed the half bitwall into a life-friendly world.


    Floating islands gathered and transformed into a continent, Floating-Space Ring stabilized gravity, water sources gathered into a sea; eventually it had created the current Star-Rotating Half Bitwall. Of course, perhaps not many years later, one would have to call it the Star-Rotating Continent.


    In the bitwall, a man who was in his black robe, who was looking as if he was in tough straits, he broke through several dimensional folds, it was as if he was randomly crashing through and he broke into the Star-Rotating Half Bitwall.


    Lynn Ahenaten didn''t expect that when he had wanted to enter the core world through the gates of hell, he was banished outside the bitwall by the rules of the core world.


    Those who were at the mythical levels weren''t allowed to appear in the core world, it was an agreement signed by all gods in the past.


    He was ten thousand years lagging behind in time, he didn''t know what were Space Magic and Space Anchoring Detection, let alone how to guide and fix space coordinates. He didn''t know how to ride a bitwall train developed by the Church of the God of Space and Exploration. After all, when he was alive, the Maria''s World hadn''t yet begun to explore bitwall, they didn''t step out of Astral World and there wasn''t any half bitwall and space witchcraft.


    The litters, turbulences, meteorites, Spatial Storms in the bitwall, although not enough and impossible to bring to Lynn Ahenaten any life-threatening crisis, it had made him in tough straits.


    He was crashing and bumping, when he finally saw the existence of the Star-Rotating Half Bitwall in the bitwall, he went straight into it.


    Through the yarn of light that was emitting a white radiance, through the atmosphere and white clouds, it shone onto the earth.


    Lynn Ahenaten saw a huge city which was embedded in a Magic Crystal Network. There were all kinds of airships crossing the sky, the ground was formed by stone transformation magic and had created a classical high-rise buildings made from stone which could be seen everywhere.


    Steam locomotives, trains, flying props, magical beasts, Master Towers and all kinds of technologies were seen in the city; projection witchcraft bloomed above the city.


    Divine incantations and alchemy props were used in all aspects of the city. Everything there was completely different from the world that Lynn Ahenaten knew.


    Although he had heard the souls of the past talked about the changes in the world above, he didn''t had a chance to see the changes. And when he was standing there, he truly understood that everything there didn''t belong to him, and that the name of Lynn Ahenaten was only a name written on history books; a distant and ancient king.


    Lynn Ahenaten stood on top of the city''s Town Square of Gods, his torn and tattered black robe and his gaunt figure made him looked like a tramp or a beggar.


    Lynn walked around the square, and the children and couples on the other side were unwittingly avoiding the eccentric man. There were 17 statues of True Gods on top of the square, but each had only a basic outline and a sacred sign which represented the gods; their faces were blurred.


    "God of the Sea, Gina!"


    "Lord Torvald, Jonathan!"


    "Goddess of Steam and Machinery, Marina!"


    Lynn Ahenaten read out their names one after another, each of which made him recollected of his past, and the subsequent gods were basically his juniors.


    "Goddess of Fate, Natasha?"


    Lynn was in a daze for a moment, and he looked down at the teachings on the cornerstone, and he immediately sneered, "How is this Goddess of Fate?"


    A woman in a black robe stood behind him, she looked like a believer of the Goddess of Fate, and she had been observing the eccentric man for a long time until he uttered words which desecrated God of her faith, she couldn''t help it and voiced out, "Those who engage in the desecration of gods will be punished, especially the Goddess of Fate!"


    "Quickly pray for redemption from the lord and ask for her forgiveness!"


    Lynn Ahenaten laughed, his head turned as if he was looking at her, "They''re gods to all of you!"


    "For me, they''re just people who''re holding a greater power!"


    "You!"


    Before she could finish her speech, she immediately saw that the man in front of her vanished; she was a professional, but she could sense nothing.


    "Advanced professional?"


    Lynn Ahenaten walked around the Star-Rotating Half Bitwall, he would spend half a month in the large library belonged to the three gods of civilization, and then observed the recent witchcraft in the Master Association. The change through the years was too great, much witchcraft which were unimaginable were now everywhere; in particular, space witchcraft and Time Dragon God who was capable of controlling time, even Lynn Ahenaten couldn''t imagine their power.


    He stood above the square of the Church of the God of Space and Exploration; sometimes he could stand there for an entire day.


    He watched trains crossed the tracks through the vortex of the portal and reached the distant world.


    They only needed a portal to cross infinite distance and space to reach another kingdom and world.


    Maria''s World wasn''t unique, in addition to the vast and boundless Astral World, there were powerful Wizard Alliance, the Abyss World, and the Arcane World. Furthermore, they had constantly discovered half bitwall in the Astral World. There were even new worlds waiting for them to be discovered.


    In front of a portal, the major churches and large-scale Bitwall Construction Unions began a new round of publicity.


    "Development of Black Sea Bitwall! Recruiting professionals in Level Four and above!" Before the Master Association, members of major Construction Unions used high salaries to hire middle professionals and advanced professionals.


    "The development of Black Sea Bitwall, we''re recruiting professionals in Level Four and above. Those who don''t fit our criteria please do not come to us!" The speakers in the square started a new round of bombardment.


    "Black Sea Bitwall, our new home! The first development project is about to begin!" The slogan was heard from the magic radio all day and seen in the sky from the projection.


    Lynn Ahenaten looked at the portal.


    "Black Sea Bitwall? A new half bitwall?"


    A few days later, Lynn Ahenaten followed a caravan through the portal opened by the Church of the God of Space and Exploration to Black Sea Bitwall. Black Sea Bitwall was still wild and in the midst of development.


    Lynn Ahenaten left Maria''s World for the first time and headed to the depths of the Astral World where he would begin his new story.

 441 An Invitation From the Arcane Kingdom

    Arcane''s Calendar, 589.


    The first Astral War had ended nearly 600 years ago and the Arcane Kingdom had moved over and settled down for hundreds of years. With the exception of some older professionals, a new generation of the Arcane Kingdom had gradually forgotten about the Starsoul World, they only remember the Arcane World.


    If the most prominent feature in Starsoul World was their Starsoul, then the most important feature of the Arcane World was the World''s Guardian Trees, or in the entire Arcane Kingdom, the biggest feature was a variety of trees.


    The world which belonged to the Arcane Kingdom could simply be called the world of trees or the sea of trees.


    Whether it was the cities, mountains, valleys, flat lands, a variety of supernatural ancient trees could be seen everywhere; special marine trees could be seen on the sea floor. Even the sky cities which were floating in the sky were combined together with the Arcane Ancient Tree as their core.


    And the Fairyland Garden which was developed in the bitwall, not to mention, it was entirely created and supported by the Arcane Ancient Tree, Elemental Ancient Tree, farmer treants and so on.


    After entering the Arcane Kingdom, if one wanted to find the main city of the Arcane Kingdom, as long as one looked at that World''s Guardian Trees which were shooting into the clouds, all one had to do was to fly towards and through it.


    Each World''s Guardian Tree was equivalent to a world''s network host; wherever it covered, those areas could be adjusted to modify the landscape and modify the environmental index. When the forces of all World''s Guardian Trees were combined together, it could seal up the entire bitwall and ban any existence from accessing it.


    Hence, when one entered the Arcane World, one could feel everything there was akin to an extensive garden of art carved by man; it was beautiful, natural, fresh, elegant, whether it was the cities, mountains or plains, each was the most beautiful scenery.


    Around the Tower of Heaven, there were three World''s Guardian Trees. At the foot of the Tower of Heaven was the Fhartasil''s Fairyland of the Arcane Kingdom.


    Under the massive Tower of Heaven, one could see airships flying around the lower half of the Tower of Heaven; tens of thousands of fairies and arcanists were flying around the Tower of Heaven. Numerous professionals employed a variety of alchemy props or rode on their magical beasts around Tower of Heaven.


    Several sky cities floated among the clouds, they were akin to stairways, they were layering towards the Tower of Heaven, and below them was a massively huge Fhartasil''s Fairyland; there was a combination of cities and Arcane Ancient Trees which were intertwining together.


    The gigantic Tower of Heaven was like the center of the world, it was the heartland, the place of pilgrimage.


    There was only one door to the outside, but when one stepped out of it, it was a cliff with clouds and endless abyss below.


    Wendy, dressed in a gorgeous long dress, stood on the ring gallery outside the Tower of Heaven; the pillars were carved with elegant patterns and were beautifully decorated with silver and gemstones. When one was standing there, one could see the entire Fhartasil''s Fairyland, and they could even look out to the end of the world.


    Just then, there was a sign of projection witchcraft behind Wendy''s back; light was condensed.


    "It''s been so long. And I haven''t seen you come to the Wizard World to visit me!" Catherine stood behind Wendy.


    Wendy lay on the armrest, the gorgeous dress dragged on the ground, she didn''t need to turn her head to know who had arrived, "How long have we left and you''re already calling it the Wizard World!"


    Instead of answering her question, Catherine brought up another topic, "You know what? Wendy, I''m went back to Maria''s World, though I only entered Maria''s World in a projected state."


    Wendy was surprised, "Can the gods tolerate you entering Maria''s World? You really dare to go back? We just fought a war with them!"


    Catherine shrugged her shoulders and looked unusually cheerful, as if she was rarely that elated for thousands of years, "We only fought with a few of them, and this time it was the three gods of civilization that had invited me!"


    Catherine spoke of her return to Maria''s World, she talked about the changes in the old site, but after that, Catherine''s gaze darkened, "Unfortunately Frank isn''t Bohr, Avars isn''t Akkad, Wilbert isn''t Uruk, the past is the past, and everything that has passed is irretrievable."


    Catherine turned her head and looked Wendy, "Don''t you want to go back and take a look?"


    Wendy''s fingers brushed over the armrest and she walked around the Tower of Heaven, "What''s there to see! Didn''t you say? Everything we know is gone!"


    Catherine stood side by side with Wendy, "I heard the news about teacher too!"


    Wendy''s eyes moved a little, "He?"


    Catherine nodded, "I heard that he last appeared at Black Jack Dreamland, and the last thing he saw was the legendary master of the Dreamland, Black Jack."


    Wendy seemed to have heard the name, "Black Jack? The legendary partner of the God of Space and Exploration?"


    Catherine turned and whispered, "The leader of the wind raven of the Wizard Tower in the past was called Black Jack!"


    With that said, Catherine was seen leaping, quickly passing through Wendy''s side, and the robe of the master of the tower, along with the figure, disappeared slowly into the air.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    In the Black Jack Dreamland.


    The magical dreamland was akin to be made up by countless diamond-shaped mirrors; different mirrors shuttled into different magical gardens, the whole dreamland was made up of several magical gardens.


    Black Jack simply squealed, and he sounded like a male duck, but for thousands of years, he had been rated by the Voice of the World as the world''s best voice, "The biggest adventure has begun! Ga-ga-ga!"


    Black Jack, with his captain''s hat, he led a ship through the sea of clouds, then slipped down the track into the sea, through the dark and eerie forest, and hordes of children screamed in horror at the shadow of the ghost. It was followed by an amusing fight with the ghosts.


    Just then, a clown appeared in front of the Black Jack who was in his captain''s hat, "Lord Black Jack! We received an invitation!"


    Black Jack laughed, smashed a moon hanging in the sky with his big ship, he passed through a gate made with card and appeared in the Magical Garden of Solitaire.


    "We''re not accepting any invitation! We''re the world, no, the greatest amusement park of the whole Crystal Wall System!"


    The clown took out the invitation and revealed the name above.


    "This time we''re invited by the master of the Arcane World, the big shot!"


    "The Emperor of the Arcane Kingdom, the Level Eight Mythical Arcanist, Lord Wendy!"

 442 The Vast World

    The mythical alchemy ship was named as the Goddess of Joy and was built like a huge moon. On top of the dark hull was painted with golden stars, the ship was divided into several layers, each layer was divided into different facilities; after all, it was a mythical alchemy ship, it looked like a large city, but it was more like a large cartoon maze.


    When it floated above the clouds of the night, it was akin to a fairy-tale dream-like moon which was appearing in the sky.


    The ship was lit with star-like alchemy gas lamps and they were radiating colorful brilliance. At the corners of the building, there were pieces of wind chimes hung up. When the night wind was blowing, pleasant and sweet sound would be heard which also signaled for the others to hit the sack.


    The ship was packed with children of the Arcane Kingdom, young elves who were fooling around in pajamas, trolls dressed as vicious monsters, little goblins that were dressed like mechanical geeks, and little fairies in floral skirts that were flying and dancing around. They were all holding onto a ticket printed with a funny looking wind raven with its tongue out.


    There were various troupes on board and one show after another were waiting for them, and the children from Arcane Kingdom were seeing such a grand show for the first time.


    The naughty kids and the mischievous children were getting even crazier there, and everything there was like their imaginary dream garden.


    After all, that was a happy world created at mythical level.


    "Goddess of Joy? Is there such a goddess? A side-god from Maria''s World?" Wendy wore a simple and short black robe; it was similar to the apprentice robe they wore when they were in the tower.


    The simple robe was worn, but it still couldn''t cover up her god-like and queen-like aura.


    She asked Black Jack about the origin of the name of the mythical alchemy ship. There was certainly no Goddess of Joy among the 17 True Gods, and the rest would be some insignificant side-gods.


    And Black Jack stood on Wendy''s shoulder, and there had never been anyone who dared to be so bold, let alone an exotic wind raven.


    It spread its wings and chattered, "Heh! There''s no such thing, if there''s a God of Joy, it can only be me!"


    Wendy looked at it, her gaze was as deep as the sea, "Why don''t you become the God of Joy?"


    Black Jack jumped up, "Heh-heh, that''s not good, it''s not fun to be a God!"


    Wendy followed Black Jack; they passed by groups and groups of children, the children were screaming and laughing, it was as if the entire ship, Goddess of Joy, had truly turned into a divine kingdom of Goddess of Joy. Black Jack led them to experience his carefully designed dreamland together.


    The mythical alchemy ship transformed and revolutionized, the original three-story huge dreamland was folded like a paper and into a large horror castle.


    The children screamed and swarmed together, and then broke through the skull''s door and entered it.


    "You haven''t said why you named it the Goddess of Joy!"


    Black Jack didn''t reply, but he spread out his hands, with his broken voice, he sang, "Goddess of Joy! Holy~ Beautiful~ Brilliant light shines on the earth~"


    His voice even cracked, the singing was horrible, but Black Jack was immersed in his song, and Wendy''s expression softened a little, as if she had recalled something.


    It was a night, during the banquet at the castle of the tower, and the master of the tower, Anthony, played the piano placed at the side of the lobby, a song that no one had ever heard, even if Wendy was born into a musical family, and his father was a court musician, she hadn''t heard of it too.


    At that time, they were like those children, the tower was their dream land, and the master of the tower, Anthony, was their dream weaver.


    Wendy couldn''t help but sang along, "Goddess of Joy! Holy~ Beautiful~ Brilliant light shines on the earth~ Our hearts come to your temple with enthusiasm!"


    "So it was¡­"


    "Originated from here!"


    Wendy had a smile and her gaze was softened; it was a rare sight.


    "Teacher! Who is Goddess of Joy? And aren''t our wizards non-believers of gods? Why sing a song that praise gods?" Henry stood up.


    "This is the god that belongs to another world! Moreover, there''s no boundary between civilization and art!"


    "Teacher Anthony, how big is it outside the world?" Bohr raised his hand and asked.


    "How vast is your imagination! How boundless the world would be!"


    Just then, the mythical alchemy ship was flipped like a page on the book, it transformed again; the previous horror castle vanished and a grand theatre appeared.


    With the appearance of lights, music, and projection, actors began to appear.


    It was an old stage play that few people watched now; it was called the Song of the Wizard Tower! It told the story of the legendary Wizard Tower, but in Maria''s World, most of the wizards didn''t even know what it was, let alone the tower of the past.


    The old stage play was playing again at that moment.


    The wizards in the story were evil, the tower was the world''s most terrible place, the scene was a shady and terrible black spire, the wizards of the towers were wearing sharp hats, and they hid their bodies in the dark; it was a story about the human and evil wizards in a battle.


    With the biggest ugly villain Anthony appearing, the children on stage cheered for Saintess Kelly who was wearing the Mask of Faross, and yelled at her to get rid of the skunk wizard.


    Wendy was dismayed, "He was looking at this?"


    Black Jack and Wendy sat behind the children, "Yeah! Anthony was sitting, uh! In your position."


    "He said he wasn''t happy, but he was smiling."


    "He was joyous!"


    Wendy couldn''t contain her laughter; she covered her mouth and laughed continuously. She watched the old man who played Anthony on stage; it was an exaggerated performance. He uttered evil slurs, and finally being beaten by the human girl who played the Saintess.


    Everything was full of joy, the children under the stage were cheering, Wendy was laughing, but Wendy ended up tearing during her laugh.


    "Where did you go?"


    "I said! One day I''ll show you a world created by me!"


    "But you disappeared!"


    She held her face, her long silver hair drooped down, and her hands completely covered her face and eyes, and even Black Jack on the side quietly walked away.


    The final stage play was over, the lights went out, the show had ended, and the children were send home by several giant wind raven monsters. They rode on the wind, accompanied by starlight and unfinished dreams.


    The sky slightly brightened up, the figure of the sun gradually appeared at the end of the sky, and it was the time for moon and dream to retreat.


    "How big is the world?"


    "Then let''s take a look! How big is the world!"


    Wendy stood on the mythical ship akin to a crescent, the wind chimes were resonating, and she transformed into brilliant starlight and dissipated on top of the ship.

 443 The Development of Astral World

    Several Fairyland Cities hovered around the Tower of Heaven, they were akin to islands in the sky, they shuttled between clouds, accompanied by the Tower of Heaven that one couldn''t see its top, it made others feel like they had entered a mythical capital.


    Each city was supported by a huge Arcane Ancient Tree; it was divided into layers from the top to bottom and was inhabited by professionals of Arcane Kingdom.


    Each owner of every Fairyland Cities was a mythical arcanist. The Fairyland Cities varied in sizes, there were big and small ones. The mythical arcanists varied in their strength too, there were strong and weak; a powerful mythical arcanist could even go against more than ten low-level mythical arcanists. Just as a thousand years ago, the master of the Mechanical Clock Tower, Cook Bay, suppressed the civil unrest of the Wizard Alliance.


    The smaller Fairyland City looked just like some larger town, and the larger Fairyland City was larger than some of the duchy in Arcane Kingdom; when they floated in the sky, it was simply a small continent.


    In the early days, there were only a few mythical levels, thus the division of the levels wasn''t strict; it was because there were only a few gods, mythical wizards, mythical arcanists, devil monarchs and devil lords.


    And more than ten thousand years, the forces of the four worlds erupted one after another; side-gods and mythical creatures were born. Each world was constantly reaching out to the outside world and showcasing their power, the battlefield was no longer on half bitwall or within a world or a bitwall, but war broke out in the vast and boundless Astral World.


    It was because the leap from a Level Seven mythical form to a Level Eight True God was too huge, the difference of power was a hundred thousand folds; it was only then Maria''s World started to divide the mythical levels. From the lower rank side-god, the middle rank god, the upper rank god, True God and so on.


    Later, both the Wizard Alliance and the Arcane Kingdom accepted the division of power to distinguish between the differences and strengths of those mythical levels.


    The huge Arcane Ancient Tree sparkled; several light of the arcane magic could be seen shuttling and darting through green leaves, branches, and between roots, one could see the light flow, it was magical and dreamy.


    The ancient trees was connected to the pedestal of the Fairyland, it was a thick Magic Crystals Network condensed into the magic stone. Looking from the sky, one could see a pedestal was painted with each mythical wizard''s symbol and emblem. The city surrounded the Arcane Ancient Tree, the light of the arcane magic and boundary revolved around the city.


    "Proposed by the Holy Parliament of the Arcane Kingdom! The Emperor of the Arcane Kingdom, Wendy, signed the agreement! We''ve decided to start on the development order of Astral World in 592 of Arcane''s Calendar! This order was signed on July 23 by Lord Wendy."


    "This order is intended to support the Wizard Alliance in the exploration and development of the Astral World. Professionals, ordinary people, or kings, grand duke, nobles, as long as they can contribute to the development of the Astral World, they can obtain support from the imperial, including but not limited to resources, inheritance, titles, Mythical Arcane Ancient Tree and Fairyland."


    "Exploration and development of the Astral World aren''t only about discovery of half bitwalls and other worlds; the ability to map stars, discover unknown areas, new species of the Astral World, abnormal regions in the Astral World, chaos worms, the existence of all unknowns, and so on, can be calculated into merit."


    "The era of Astral World has arrived, but we''re still huddled in our own world, with the old Space Wave Detector, anchoring method and space transmission to hide in the back to observe the world isn''t enough. Until now, we don''t even know the specific location of Starsoul World, Maria''s World, and Abyss World in Astral World. We don''t even know which side of our world is in Astral World."


    "When it comes to distance, we''ll always have only one phrase! It''s a long way! Out of reach! What is the depth of the Astral World and how big is it? How many magical species we have are only unspeakable unknown and mysterious, no! It''s not enough!"


    Huge projections appeared above the boundary of several Fairyland Cities, and the same sound was heard throughout the magic telly and the channels of the magic radio of Arcane Kingdom.


    In Arcane World, hundreds of millions of civilians and nobles, from businessmen, nobles, airship captains, professionals, at that moment, they were jaw-dropped, they put down what was in their hands and looked at the picture of the great fairy who was the speaker of the Holy Parliament.


    An Astral World''s airship was sailing inside the bitwall, the bearded troll captain who was lying on top of the airship''s seat jumped up at once, "If you accumulate 10,000 points of merit, you become a count, or exchange a set of drawings of Level Six Astral World Alchemy Airship, or directly exchange for a set of Heaven''s Ring?"


    "What is this nonsense? Can those things be used as rewards?"


    A silver-haired elf in a white robe stood in front of the Arcane Ancient Tree, he waved and saw the constant flow of the projection, and he perused the order of the development of Astral World above.


    "Mythical heritage, Mythical Arcane Ancient Tree, construction methods of fairyland and mythical alchemy ships, these are never open to the public. It''s owned by the major heritage, mythical families and the Arcane Academy or owned by professional associations. Are they opening these to the public?"


    "This is our great opportunity!"


    On the bitwall of the Arcane World, a goblin alchemy warlock who was wearing a mana-guru suit was repairing a magic crystal alchemy satellite on the ground. His mechanical hands were constantly creating a variety of alchemy tools. He was flying and following the magic crystal node around the earth. From the many illusory bitwalls, one could see the earth and clouds below.


    Just then, he was completely absorbed in the projection projected out from his pocket watch, his eyes were sparkling.


    "All hail Lord Wendy! Mythical Alchemy Doll! Titan Colossus! They''re even doing this?"


    "Why should I fix this broken stuff! I''m done with this!"


    And around the Tower of Heaven before several Fairyland Cities, several mythical arcanists were under the Tower of Heaven, they had accepted the reception of the emperor of the Arcane Kingdom, Wendy. They were holing ono the imperial decree and appointment and went to the Astral World to begin their new mission.


    An elf, who was wearing a star robe with a crown on her silver-haired, sat on top of the throne, she accepted their requests, and several lower rank mythical arcanists were tearing because of excitement. They shouldered responsibility and mission as they left.


    Several Fairyland Cities rose into the sky, broke into the bitwall, left Arcane World, and headed for the dark and chaotic Astral World.


    They would follow the guidance of space anchoring of the arcane magic to travel and explore Starsoul World, Maria''s World and Abyss World. They went all the way through the endless distance of Astral World, explored and divided the vastness of the Astral World, and determined the position of various worlds within Astral World. Eventually, they drew up a map of the Astral World.


    How long they would spend and how peculiar and mysterious the journey would be, all was unknown, but they would be pioneers in leading and pioneering the future of the development of Astral World.


    And the Arcane Kingdom, more pioneers for the development of the Astral World would follow in their footsteps, whereby they would use portal witchcraft and the ever-evolving Astral World Airship to explore the new unknown world.


    The era of the exploration and development of Astral World had finally begun.

 444 Ignite the Flame of an Era

    Astral World''s Calendar, 620.


    Infinite numbers of exploration and development companies had been set up and most of them support and undertake exploration or discovery tasks; they would just follow behind the Fairyland Cities and then receive merits upon fulfilling the tasks from the Castellan of the City of Mythical Arcanists and the Astral World Development Association.


    Chaos worms were born not knowing how many years ago. Other creatures were either born together with them or those creatures were born after derived power from the chaos worms; various Astral World creatures, the horrifying forbidden land of Astral World, the Dark Domain and peculiar mythical life were found from time to time.


    Although there were tens of thousands of pioneers who entered the Astral World to explore, those who could find the unknown regions in the Astral World were some lucky ones. But it also proved that the vast Astral World wasn''t a deserted land, there were a variety of bizarre life forms and unknown existences.


    Some people found a dark shadow creature in the depths of the Astral World which could carry out space transmission; some people drive their Astral World Airships, mistakenly darted into the unknown Dark Domain, they lost their way and eventually died.


    There were some who detected strong spatial fluctuations from their Space Wave Detector; they thought they had discovered a new half bitwall and a core world. But a large space hole was eventually discovered that they were led to uncharted territory.


    And then there was a terrifying region whereby time was warped inside; the intruders would be swept away by the intensely accelerated time field, they would age quickly, eventually die and transformed into ashes.


    A planet which was like a mythical life crashed and smashed onto the alchemy ship directly, it had begun a fierce battle with the Fairyland City. But as the Arcane Kingdom opened a portal, several mythical arcanists came across from the far distance were immediately captured into the Arcane Kingdom; they set off new wave of experiments.


    The territory of meteorites, the Gem Dragon Raja which was wandering in the star world, the Astral World Giants with mythical blood, a huge Elemental Wave life form which could be comparable to a world and so on.


    The development of the Astral World was intensified, with the first half bitwall found, which was discovered on the trajectory of a Fairyland City, the Arcane Kingdom entered a new round of development; a variety of legends spread in the Arcane Kingdom and then spread to other worlds.


    When the Wizard World knew of the news that the Arcane Kingdom had discovered the first half bitwall, they sent a letter to the Arcane Kingdom, demanded that the promise of the Astral World of hundreds of years to be fulfilled; the discovery of the first half bitwall was to be paid to the Wizard World as the price for Heart of the Ocean Bitwall which was integrated into the Arcane World.


    Then the Wizard World, along with the Arcane Kingdom, embarked on a plan to explore the depths of the Astral World.


    Catherine, the master of the tower, convened a Wizard Parliament and the meeting was projected to the entire Wizard World. She signed the Pioneer Agreement and called out to all professionals to start their exploration to the depths of the Astral World.


    Catherine, dressed in a silver-and-white robe belonged to the master of the tower, there was an eternal symbol which symbolized for countless towers at the back of her robe; the symbol was like an entangled ouroboros.


    She spoke only a sentence in face of the whole Wizard World and it had ignited the flame of the whole era.


    "Everyone! The era of the Astral World has arrived!"


    After hundreds of years of rest and recuperation of the Wizard World, they had restored their vitality and strength. They had once again initiated their breakthrough to the Astral World; to release their excess energy. Hundreds of millions of professionals who engaged in civil war and professionals who had been excitedly waiting for such opportunity turned their attention to the Astral World.


    Several Mythical Floating-Space Towers and tens of thousands of professionals acted according to their plans, they were advancing toward the half bitwall in the depths of the Astral World. They had begun the first process of the development of the Astral World.


    As compared to the Arcane World and the Wizard World, the Divine Kingdom of Maria''s World was facing a greater problem.


    The population had reached its limit. The 17 true gods and nearly a hundred clergies under each sub-god were all over the world; even hell couldn''t fit all those ambitious people. Although the previous Astral War had eased a bit of their immense pressure and the rebel in hell had cleaned up a large number of unscrupulous fellows, but that were completely inadequate for Maria''s World.


    The enormous pressure was on Maria''s World, everyone within the world could feel the tension; the society, civilians, nobles, and professionals needed to ease their tension.


    Hence, when the Wizard World initiated the development of Astral World, Divine Kingdom of Maria''s World also pounded on Astral World.


    Seventeen True Gods also issued oracles at the same time; the popes, saints, sages of the major churches, and the churches and gods signed the Pioneering Knight''s Covenant. Whoever explored the depths of the Astral World would receive favor and reward from the gods; from receiving a position in the Divine Kingdom to become a saint or the rewards to be reborn as an angel.


    Or if they wanted to be a nobleman or king to have endless wealth and accessed to vast tracts of land; those were possible if one could find a half bitwall. Even the divinity of a sub-god was within reach, if one could find a core world, then needless to say, a position of a sub-god was promised.


    The three worlds were launching their exploration at the same time. A variety of information from the Astral World was constantly spread to the major worlds. It had attracted the attention of civilians, nobles, professionals and even gods; the entire Astral World became lively in a flash of light.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Black Sea Bitwall.


    After a hundred years of bitwall transformation and construction, it was a joint effort of the six major churches of the Divine Kingdom. The Black Sea Bitwall which was originally like the land of death, finally it was gradually transformed into a paradise.


    The power of the gods and the clergy was akin to power which could change a world; they had transformed all of the decaying sea which was emitting poisonous gas and stench; the rotting Black Sea was purified. The stardust which was floating and rotating was gradually collected and converted into a continent.


    The Black Sea Bitwall of today didn''t have a single trace of its original look.


    Blue sea and sky, white clouds were fluttering, sunlight shone through the clear and clean sea water, and sea coral and water grass could be seen under the depths of the sea. Several magic crystal towers were built on the sea, ships were shuttling on the surface of the sea, sea railway was built on the sea, and steam trains could be seen shuttling over the sea.


    With a quick glimpse, it seemed to look like the Heart of the Ocean Bitwall which belonged to the Wizard World.


    Off the coast of Yar Island, one could see a white-red hut on the edge of the cliff. The road which followed down the hut and across the bridge looked like a paradise.


    It didn''t take long to see the sky with a dense numbers of alchemy airships, thousands of steam armored vehicles above the ground surrounded that area, several clergies and professionals rushed there, their bodies were glowing with divine brilliance as they looked to the top of the house.


    Everyone was fully prepared, and there and even panic in their eyes, as if they were facing the existence of something extremely terrible.


    Just then, a mythical alchemy ship in the sky penetrated the space and dived into that area, a Divine Shadow twisted out from the mythical alchemy ship.


    The emergence of the gods had thousands of worshippers kneeled on the island below and they began to pray


    "Lynn Ahenaten! The ancient and declining Fallen God!"


    "The great Lord of Light has given you¡­"


    Bam!


    Before the sentence was finished, an intense red light shot through the mythical alchemy ship, that brilliance darted through the clouds and shot directly into the bitwall. The shock created had blown away all the clouds in the sky; the sky was dyed into a bloody red color. The large number of airships was blown apart into pieces, transformed into a fiery fire and fell into the sea.


    Then the whole cliff collapsed and it revealed the existence at the bottom; it was a delicate tower that seemed to be casted by gold. At the moment, the mythical light was twisting; it turned out to be a Floating-Space Tower.


    The golden Floating-Space Tower was gorgeous and it had features of the ancient logo of Ahenaten.


    "Ah! Lynn Ahenaten, how dare you!"


    Mythical Floating-Space Tower bolted into the sky and burst out a golden mythical territory, with its absolute strength and aura, it had crushed the body of a sub-god. The sub-god shrieked and was torn in the air.


    And Lynn Ahenaten stood on top of the Floating-Space Tower, he didn''t bother to turn and look, it was as if he had just crushed an insignificant bug.


    Then, the mythical Floating-Space Tower rushed into the bitwall and into the world outside. The Floating-Space Tower which had consumed half of the resources of the Black Sea Bitwall had left and abandoned the Black Sea Bitwall.


    Everything was incredibly fast, the god hadn''t yet reacted, and his body fell apart; he was back to the Divine Kingdom of the True God to wait for rebirth.


    And Lynn Ahenaten, who was hiding in the Black Sea World for nearly a hundred years, he had finally gained an immense power and capital to break into the Astral World.

 445 The Arcane Ligh

    On the course in the Astral World from Arcane Kingdom to the Divine Kingdom, a Fairyland City was sailing through Astral World, the Light of the Arcane Magic of the Fairyland City enveloped the whole city, hundreds of thousands of Defensive Ancient Trees, Ancient War Trees and Mythical Arcane Ancient Trees were connected together with the Fairyland City as a whole.


    The Arcane Silver Ring at the bottom of the Fairyland City not only solidified the propulsion power of the Fairyland City, but it also connected with the boundary as an effort to pull the Fairyland City forward in the form of spatial migration.


    The Fairyland City, which was called the Secret Silver Capital, was a Fairyland Kingdom created by a noble, the mythical arcanist, Chitty. He was a rare goblin arcanist born in the family of mythical blood; he was born into a core class of the Arcane Kingdom, a mythical reserve.


    This time, he was on a mission under the order of the Emperor Wendy of the Arcane Kingdom; he was to carry out a task that would take a long time to complete.


    The Secret Silver Capital of the Fairyland City had sailed for more than a thousand years towards the Divine Kingdom of Maria''s World, and even so, the journey still seemed a long distance away.


    But on that journey, in the vast landscape of Astral World, all kinds of strange Astral World life forms were discovered. The mythical creatures they had discovered had elevated the development of Arcane Kingdom; those strange Astral World mythological creatures could evolve a large number of mythical blood families, even evolved a special mythical bloodline of ancient trees, and a new generation of mythical professionals was born.


    The large number of elves, trolls, goblins and the fairies shuttled through the city, a silver mechanical palace with goblin style stood in the center. The city was full of tracks, not only the earth, but above the sky; the train from the sky shuttled to the ground and then darted underground. It didn''t look like a Fairyland Kingdom but it was more like a playground.


    While his master sat on top of a seat entangled with a variety of metal pipes, he was floating in all places in the palace''s laboratories. Just then, a goblin flew to the front of the mythical arcanist, Chitty, "Lord Chitty! New spatial fluctuations have been detected nearby!"


    Chitty immediately disappeared in a ray of light, and then re-appeared in front of a spherical instrument several meters high and it was continuously spinning. He leaned up from the eerie seat and stared at the instrument, "Such a strong fluctuation? It''s well over the fluctuation of a half bitwall; it''s probably special space turbulence or a territory of Elemental Wave!"


    "We better send a fleet of Astral World Airships to take a look!"


    After several months of sailing, it finally reached its destination.


    And at that moment, everyone from the fleet of Astral World Alchemy Airships was stunned. They didn''t need the Astral World Telescope, they were merely lying on the window and they could see a beautiful world in the distance which was blooming with brilliance.


    It was a familiar bitwall structure, the light in the space bubble refracted dazzling rainbow radiance; it lit up the dark Astral World.


    The silver-haired elf of the fleet commander looked at the dazzling light in the distance, the vast blue sea and blue sky was seen through the huge space wall; he was in disbelief.


    "Lord Wendy! This time, did we discover another¡­"


    "A new world?"


    Then, a loud cheer broke out on the airship. No one thought they would actually find a new world.


    "A new world! A whole new world!"


    "We''re going to be as great as Adriana and we''ll be remembered and recorded in the annals!"


    They then received orders, some of them had to wait in their original spot, and some of them had to go deep into the newly discovered world.


    That was a world that had evolved; it had stable rules and life forms. According to external observation and analysis, it should have been born a thousand years ago, at the same time as the birth of the Arcane World, there was likely to have intelligent life forms and civilization inside.


    The mythical arcanist, Chitty, had received orders from the kingdom. They had relieved him of his original mission and to be on standby to explore the inner most of that newly discovered world.


    And because of the terrible horrors of the last Astral War, this time the Arcane Kingdom immediately mobilized its domestic forces, used Secret Silver City of the Fairyland City as an outpost, and established an indelible advantage in the newly discovered world.


    Otherwise, with the strength of the current Arcane Kingdom, without the allied assistance of the Wizard World, whether in face of the Divine Kingdom or the Abyss World, the Arcane Kingdom wasn''t on par with them.


    But as the exploration alchemy ships which had entered the new world failed to stay in contact with those outside, they had disappeared, and then several search and discovery ships entered and hadn''t returned too.


    Secret Silver City had set up outposts outside the world; they had opened a stable space portal and ushered in a steady stream of armies, exploration and development personnel and supplies from the Arcane Kingdom.


    But several plans were organized and enacted but nothing was gained. The new world seemed to devour everything that had entered.


    Even when a lower rank mythical alchemist broke in with his mythical alchemy ship, he had vanished too.


    The mythical alchemy ship which was powerful in the Astral World, the undead mythical arcanist, had all fell into total extinction and annihilation, and even his true spirit didn''t escape.


    Finally, a moment before the mythical alchemy ship was destroyed, a message was transmitted.


    "The world''s¡­guardian¡­"


    "The will of the world¡­it''s¡­loathing us!"


    Then, in the midst of a loud explosion and his voice died down; a mythical life form died.


    Chitty, the owner of the Secret Silver City, sent back all the news about the new world which led to heated discussion by the upper echelon of the entire Arcane Kingdom. In the study and exploration of the will of the world, the Divine Kingdom had the most say and it was followed by the Arcane Kingdom.


    The abhorrence of a world''s will and the resistance of all the power of the guardians of the world, even if it was a Level Eight mythical life form, they dared not break into it easily.


    And even when they had the power to break in and completely destroy a world, not only that they couldn''t get what they want, but a more terrible thing would happen if they did so.


    According to the world researcher and mythical arcanist, Mientte Ambrose, he speculated that the birth of the world evolved from the body of a chaos worm, and once the world fell into its final twilight, the chaos worm was likely to reawaken from it, devoured and destroyed everything. Even a True God couldn''t stop the power of a chaos worm.


    The news of the discovery of a new world couldn''t be concealed for long, but the Arcane Kingdom had been unable to seize the first chance. With several upper rank mythical arcanists entering the new world, two mythical arcanists were torn apart together with their mythical bodies. And the remaining mythical arcanists escaped after being seriously injured, the Arcane Kingdom finally abandoned its original plan.


    Just then, a mythical conference was held on top of the Tower of Heaven, Mientte Ambrose proposed a new plan.


    "The will of the world is resisting us; this is our biggest problem at present!"


    "And we still have a last way to attain this new world."


    "The will of the world will resist us, but it will not resist its native life forms. We just need those aboriginal lives to spread our civilization and power system of the arcane magic, and also then integrate them into the system of the arcane magic; spread the civilization of the Arcane Kingdom to their whole world, and integrate all the intelligent life of the new world as a part of ours."


    "The will of the world will be assimilated, the light of arcane magic will flow in the new world, and the new world will naturally belong to our Arcane Kingdom!"


    Mientte Ambrose''s proposal was accepted by most people, and even the Queen of the Arcane Kingdom, Wendy, agreed with him.


    "But this proposal takes a long time! But we don''t have much time!"


    "We must attain the greatest advantage before the Divine Kingdom, the Abyss World, or even the Wizard World discovers this new world."


    Arcane''s Calendar, 1782, the plan was called "Arcane Light" and it had begun to be implemented. The Arcane Kingdom secretly established a fairyland kingdom outside the new world. They had begun to penetrate the new world; they contacted and influenced the world''s native people.


    But at the same time, several other worlds had also received news of the new world, masters from the Divine Kingdoms, alchemy warlocks from the Wizard Kingdom, and demon warlock from the Abyss World, they had secretly entered the Arcane World.


    Numerous secret reports and mysterious figures began to break into the Arcane World, they looked for and explored the coordinates of the new world, and the entire Arcane World became unstable.


    After more than a thousand years of peace, danger was lurking again and the four major worlds were in a tug-of-war once more.

 446 The Fairyland Kingdom That Has Lost Its Way

    The portal opened by Secret Silver City of the Fairyland Kingdom was one-way; they were only allowed to enter Secret Silver City from the outside but not allowed to return easily from Secret Silver City. Moreover, the portal was connected to a portal under the Tower of Heaven.


    Every arcanists, alchemy warlocks, Trolls Blood Warlocks and so on, who entered the Secret Silver City, were subject to intense scrutiny to ensure that the coordinates of the Secret Silver City and the new world weren''t leaked.


    As long as the coordinates weren''t leaked, it was impossible for the other three worlds to find that new world in the vast Astral World.


    And the Secret Silver City was constantly accumulating its strength and mana, it was ready to embark on a large-scale space projection witchcraft; the Fairyland Kingdom belonged to the mythical arcanist, Mientte Ambrose, was in preparation to be projected over. With that Level Eight mythical arcanist in control of the situation, it had given the Arcane Kingdom a little courage to attain the new world.


    On the shores of the Tower of Heaven, several large and terrifying fairylands floated in the clouds.


    It was above the clouds, but the clouds simply couldn''t block its existence, the vast fairyland was like a small continent, it was stretching to the end of the sky.


    Looking from the bottom, it looked as if the sky was all dark and gloomy; the fairyland was stretching along the horizon, and even the sun wasn''t in sight.


    That was the Fairyland Kingdom belonged to the mythical arcanist, Mientte Ambrose, at that moment the Arcane Kingdom didn''t deliberately declare the reasons for the migration of the Fairyland Kingdom belonged to Mientte Ambrose. There was no announcement within the nation, but such a big movement, whether it was the Arcane Kingdom or the other three worlds, they had kept a close look on Mientte Ambrose.


    On top of the Tower of Heaven, a hunched back and white-bearded old man was holding onto a Star Magic Staff, he had a head of white hair and was wearing a tattered hat; he looked like an ordinary old man at a roadside. No one would believe that he was the legendary man who was the nearest to a Level Eight mythical level. He held the highest position in the world; he was the most trusted man of Her Majesty, the Emperor of the Arcane Kingdom, the mythical arcanist, Mientte Ambrose.


    Ambrose stood behind Wendy. He listened quietly to Wendy''s instructions and was looking unusually serious.


    It was the elf''s traditional dress that was only worn when one was meeting the main members of the elf; it belonged to the classical costumes of the elf period of Sylve in Maria''s World. It could only be seen from the records in the ancient atlas.


    "Within the Arcane Kingdom, they dare not have any action, but once they''re out of the Arcane Kingdom, it''ll be very dangerous. You''ll be a target by a large number of gods and devil monarchs!"


    Mientte tapped onto his Star Magic Staff as he walked and it made a crisp noise, "Space projection mythical arcane magic will be handled by you, I believe there''ll be no accident."


    "But the coordinates of the new world haven''t been discovered yet and the Divine Kingdom, the Abyss World and the Wizard World didn''t launch any plan too, it''s very strange!"


    "How is it possible for them to halt their plans? It''s a new world! A world which is even better than the rules of the Arcane World, it''s a new world with lots of potential!"


    Mientte frowned, "I''ve a bad hunch!"


    In the sky, the Fairyland Kingdom belonged to the mythical arcanist, Mientte Ambrose, rose and with ancient trees which were created by the arcane system was fully activated; an immense and dazzling light of the arcane magic lit up, and the arcane boundary enveloped the entire Fairyland Kingdom.


    The Floating-Space Ring was activated, the mana pool was loaded, and the largest Arcane Ancient Trees in the center projected the mythical body of Mientte Ambrose.


    At the same time, on top of the Tower of Heaven, several mythical arcanists activated the Tower of Heaven at the same time. The mythical body of the Emperor Wendy also appeared, her body moved along with the wind, her body was accompanied by white clouds and starry sky, and she stretched out her hands and pointed at the Fairyland Kingdom.


    A brilliance that covered the stars was casted from her fingertips and it had enveloped the entire Fairyland Kingdom.


    In the eyes of an ordinary soldier of the Arcane Kingdom, who was standing under Tower of Heaven, the blue glow which was suddenly glistening, had stolen his attention as he fixated at the sky of the Fairyland Kingdom.


    Pubs, hotels, and even the nobles and mythical families of the Arcane Kingdom and the high-ranking professionals looked up to the sky.


    Tower of Heaven was a mythical alchemy equipment, it could be said that it was a Level Eight mythical alchemy props. Moreover, it was a space type alchemy created by Creator, Lu Zhiyu.


    Otherwise, it wasn''t easy to project such a large Fairyland Kingdom into the distant Astral World.


    The great Fairyland Kingdom, along with the power of the entire Tower of Heaven, it was gradually turning transparent, it was as if it had broken the barrier of space, it was about to disappear from that space and into another world.


    But as they were about to leave the Arcane Kingdom, there was a violent tremor in the entire Fairyland Kingdom.


    Bang!


    The violent space turbulence torn apart Mientte Ambrose''s arcane boundary, the entire Fairyland Kingdom''s stable gravity, climate and rules were restless and in chaos.


    "No! Someone modified the coordinates!" A mythical arcanist above the Tower of Heaven looked at the Fairyland Kingdom beneath the clouds, and his face showed fear and anger.


    "It''s not our side; it''s a problem from the base that''s responsible of receiving the space projection. They''ve rejected our space projection and changed the receiving end to another spatial coordinate!" Another mythical arcanist immediately discovered the problem.


    Space projection witchcraft was the most advanced space witchcraft, it needed not only a huge mana system and Level Eight mythical existence to provide support and power, but that large projection witchcraft needed a base on the other side of the coordinates to receive their projection, otherwise it was easy to be washed away by the space turbulence.


    The emperor of Arcane Kingdom Wendy was the first to discover something was amiss, her huge mythical hand was waving; she tried to stabilize the entire space turbulence and canceled the entire process of the space projection mythical arcane magic.


    But when she was involved, the entire space turbulence became even more unstable, in which the Fairyland Kingdom was squeezed into a clump and could collapse at any time.


    She immediately stopped but the Fairyland Kingdom, along with the space projection, disappeared from the sky of Arcane Kingdom and headed into an unknown territory.


    Wendy knitted her brows, her expression was cold, "The location of the Secret Silver City has long been exposed, and there''re mythical arcanists who had rebelled against us!"


    "Who is it? Chitty of the Andropov Family? The master of the Secret Silver City? Or the few mythical levels who were sent later?"


    "These guys, they really have a nerve of steel, they didn''t rush into the new world, they have waited for this chance to weaken the power of the Arcane Kingdom?"


    Wendy immediately knew who the culprit was; someone who was able to do that and caused a big impact on the Arcane World could only be the Divine Kingdom who had suffered a great defeat when they were against the Arcane Kingdom in the past.


    In the far-flung Secret Silver City, a violent chaos broke out.


    The existence of several mythical levels launched their attacks in Secret Silver City. Mythical Floating-Space Tower, mythical body, alchemy colossus were unleashing their power on the streets in Secret Silver City. In a flash, the entire in Secret Silver City began to have huge cracks; it was close to the state of collapse.


    "Ovid, and you guys, how dare you betrayed the Arcane Kingdom!"


    "Lord Wendy will never let you go!"


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Maria''s World, the Star Kingdom of the gods!


    Violent space fluctuations and Elemental Wave appeared and a continent-like Fairyland Kingdom projection appeared in sight; from the illusory image, it had gradually turned substantial. The space elemental turbulence tore the arcane boundary and the entire Fairyland Kingdom was scarred, it was as if a hurricane had struck them.


    When they had stabilized, Mientte Ambrose looked up into the sky and he immediately saw a terrifying scene.


    Several huge silver stars suspended above his head, each one was glistening an infinite dazzle, they were exuding the power of the aboriginal rules, its heavy pressure subdued and controlled the entire world, it looked like a cornerstone of the world.


    "Star¡­Kingdom!"


    Mientte''s face was drained out of blood, he didn''t even need to think about it and he immediately recognized where he was.