741 - 748

Chapter 741: The Way to Polish the Blood Power

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

A beautiful melody echoed in the restaurant. The peaceful and tranquilizing notes calmed everybody down. However, no band could be seen in the room. There was only one magic gramophone that was slowly spinning a resin disc on a table next to the wall.

After several minutes, the music was over, and the disc had reached the end. The servant nearby hurried to change a new one.

As the music echoed again, John put down his fork and said to Lucien in mixed feelings, "The common resin disc can only record several minutes of music. It can barely accommodate a complete symphony unless the pure-magic discs of higher levels are adopted, but they will be unaffordable for ordinary people in such a case."

He did not forget his past and therefore paid much attention to the life of the ordinary people.

"The problem is that ordinary people cannot even afford the magic gramophone." Lucien cut the foie gras while he joked. "But of course, the pure-magic discs are indeed expensive. They are almost equal to the level-two alchemical items. The small nobles can only buy one of them occasionally and use the resin discs most of the time. However, it shouldn't be a problem in Viscount Wesley's house."

Because the simplification was based on magic, Lucien did not have a mature plan and could only redesign the magic circles from scratch. He had to achieve his purpose step by step.

After being nominated as a manager of the Musicians' Association in Rentato, Joel was so rejuvenated that he seemed to have stopped aging. "However, the small nobles are much greater in number. Also, since most restaurants are using them, the resin discs are the unquestionable mainstream nowadays. It is an important source of income for most musicians. Therefore, it appears to me that they are more and more inclined to create simple songs with only a duration of several minutes. It is both easy and pays well."

Unlike in Aalto, the musicians of Rentato did not have many concert opportunities. Their income mostly came from the service for the nobles in the past as the music consultants or teachers for the nobles. After the magic gramophone was invented, they got another important source of income, which was song royalties. According to the sales of the resin discs and magic discs that recorded their music, they would earn a certain ratio of money.

Thanks to the "patent fee" that was applied to magic exchange and usage earlier, and since Mr. Atom Controller was himself a great musician, the sorcerers did not quite reject the royalties. Besides separating the musicians into different levels, which were given different ratios, the Bill of Intellectual Property that the Parliament of Nobles passed and the queen signed was regularly carried out.

Although the magic gramophone was only an entertainment for nobles right now, it was quite expensive and added significantly to the musicians' revenues. So, stimulated by money and under the influence of "light music", most musicians were more and more inclined to the simple verses that lasted only several minutes. Such simple, unsophisticated "recreational music" was popular among the citizens, too. As a result, the music in Rentato was developing in quite a different direction from that of Aalto.

According to Lucien, Rentato would become a place where pop music and songs were born sooner or later.

Hearing Uncle Joel's concerns, Lucien smiled. "Sometimes, the reform of instruments, means of communication, and means of carriers will all change the course of music, just like how music was changed in the age of the heptachord, after the violin and the piano were invented. Only in such reforms can music be forever invigorated instead of getting dry. So, Uncle Joel, there's no need to worry that the capacity of the resin discs will be a bad influence on the development of music. It will show us even more different types of music that is beyond what we can imagine right now."

The most famous musician today had expressed his opinion firmly. Joel, as a bard and a street performer, had a natural fondness for short music. So, he had no more concerns and directed the topic to the food. "I didn't know that you were also talented at cooking, Evans. This sweet and sour meat is truly delicious!"

"Yes." Aunt Alisa nodded her heady, her mouth occupied all the time. Instead of being talkative as usual, her attention was completely on the food.

On the table, except for foie gras and some other cuisines in the Tria style, she had never seen most of the food before. They were different from the cuisines of other countries. She found it barely possible to stop eating.

"Thank you. Natasha loves the food, too." Lucien accepted their compliment straightforwardly. There were many Chinese foods, but not all of them were attractive to the people of an alternate world. The dishes on the table were selected after Natasha tasted them as "experimental mice". Naturally, Joel, Alisa, and John enjoyed them so much that they were almost biting their own tongue.

Lucien, on the other hand, was adept at magic and identifying animals and planets, and since many bizarre items that did not exist on Earth could be found here, the range of the Chinese cuisines was further expanded, and the number had been increased by at least three times.

Now that Lucien mentioned Natasha, Joel asked, feeling it strange, "Why did Her Majesty not come tonight?"

Normally speaking, as long as Lucien was in Allyn, he would come to visit Joel at least twice every month, and Natasha came with him most of the time.

Before Lucien replied, John answered for him, "Recently, Rentato is being modified and expanded. The divine power circles and the magic circles have to be rearranged. Since the villas, manors, and other real estates of many nobles are involved, the Parliament of Nobles wrangles all the time. So, the queen is quite busy mediating in the matter."

"Rentato is changing too fast. All the changes in my twenty years of residence in Aalto were not as many as what happened to Rentato during only a couple of months. I truly wonder what Rentato will be like in the future," said Joel with mixed feelings.

After dinner, Lucien and John stood next to the window in the small drawing room on the second floor, each holding a cup of wine.

Looking at the lights in the district of nobles that were as brilliant as a river of stars, John suddenly sighed. "Ever since you were implicated by the witches, I have been feeling that I'm in a dream that I never woke up from. All my hopes for the future have come true, but the future is not exactly what I had in mind."

"Me too." Looking out of the window, Lucien's eyes became thoughtful and deep. He spoke calmly, but he did mean it. It was not entirely impossible that his current life was a dream.

Although Lucien had basically ruled out the possibility of a dream during his exploration and research on the world, he was still short of the conclusive proof to disprove it. Even though he already had basic speculation about this world, it was impossible for him to declare that "brain in a vat", "virtual world", or "experimental facility" was impossible.

John naturally could not tell what was on Lucien's mind. After a sip of the wine, he said, "My original dream was to become a real knight so that my father, my mother, Elvin, and you could live an opulent noble life, but you realized the dream earlier than I did by turning into a musician…

"After I became a knight, I was ready to be sacrificed in the North Fortress or the Dark Mountain Range as was destined for every knight. However, you told me that you were a sorcerer, which cast me into confusion for a long time…

"When I thought that we would never meet again, and after I began to serve the duchy and the Church wholeheartedly, Her Majesty brought me to Rentato…"

As he spoke, he smiled, "When I was used to the peaceful life that was defended by many experts who prevented me from meeting real dangers, incidents of demon worship, devil worship, and abyss corruption happened in the kingdom frequently, which kept me occupied in battles again."

He was not complaining. Instead, he was more or less excited. A peaceful, risk-free life would stagnate him and stop him from turning into a radiant knight.

"Life is full of surprises. It never goes as you planned." Lucien clinked with John's wine cup. "Also, it is very difficult for you to become a radiant knight with your blood power of 'Elimination'. There are not enough files in the kingdom for you to learn."

The bloodline nobles, after their generations of inheritance, or thanks to the tests of a certain legendary knight, had their own ways to polish their blood powers and improve their willpower. Therefore, the nobles with heritages were more likely to advance than the newly-promoted nobles even though they were all knights. They allowed the Congress of Magic to publicize the training methods before knighthood in order to raise more talents to deal with the Church and develop more alternate dimensions because the methods to hone their blood powers were their real capital and the secrets that they had to keep.

The people of the blood power of "Elimination" were few, and they had mostly been absorbed into the Church as divine knights or night watchers. None of the nobles of Holm were of such a bloodline. Naturally, there was no corresponding method of polishing that they could offer to John.

Before this, Lucien did not think that it was a big deal since blood power was the creation of the ancient sorcerers and the files of different bloodlines had been preserved in the Congress of Magic. He believed that he would devise an appropriate way of polishing for John by studying the cases of the "Elimination" blood power. However, none of the files that the Congress of Magic collected were about the "Elimination" blood power, which made Lucien suspicious of the origin of the bloodline. He wondered if it was a product of Viken's research.

John smiled, not thinking that it was a big deal. "All the previous methods of polishing were figured out by knights too. I am no more stupid, lazy, or cowardly as they were. Can't I figure it out on my own? Also, didn't you always say that we should not be restrained by our experience? It is possible that this is actually a good thing for me."

He made a joke humorously.

...

After he left Joel's house, Lucien roamed inside Rentato City casually with his hands in his pockets and his black top hat lowered. Watching a city evolve according to his ideas filled him with a sense of achievement.

When he passed the quarters of the alchemical works, Lucien suddenly saw a dwarf walking to him. The stranger covered his eyes with his right hand and paid respect. "Steam Above."

Then, he smiled. "Mister, would you like to join our steam church?"

Preaching in daylight? That was completely against his instruction given to the dwarfs! His eyes turned grave as Lucien asked solemnly, "Who are you?"

"Hehe." The dwarf smiled. "Although we never really met, we sort of met before."

He spoke in a strange way, but Lucien narrowed his eyes all of a sudden. "Viken?"

Chapter 742: Righteous Lucien

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The dwarf had a thick beard, which made him look manly and barbaric, like most adult dwarfs did. However, he did not have the slightest shortage of manners. Instead, he smiled sophisticatedly like an erudite human scholar. "I've been meaning to meet you since a long time ago, but I couldn't determine your traces."

It was an indirect admittance that he was Viken. Or at least, it was Viken who dominated the body of the dwarf right now.

As he spoke in such a casual tone, Lucien felt that his heart was heavy and chilled. When did Viken have the idea of killing him in person? Was it when he proposed the general theory of relativity and became a legend? Or was it after he met with Monster Viken in the Realm of Gates?

Fortunately, he had been advancing fast in the past few years. It barely took him any time for him to reach level three of legendary from the entrance. Also, the places he went to were either the Elven Court, where he had a top legendary ally, or the abyss, where Viken's demigod nemesis resided. As for the other places, he only stayed for no more than half a day while covering his traces with the uniqueness of the Secretive. That was how he avoided the encounter with the well-acknowledged strongest demigod.

After understanding the specific restraints of God's Arrival, the Congress of Magic had a new conclusion about Viken's real capabilities. If he found a way to melt Monster Viken without any problems, he would probably be close to the level of real gods and become even more powerful than Thanos.

But of course, after he reached level three of legendary, Lucien was less worried about Viken. At the very least, he could manage to escape. The only problem was whether or not Viken had considered him to be such a great enemy that he had to eliminate Lucien with "God's Arrival" even though Monster Viken might take control.

Thinking quickly, Lucien soon restored his calmness. This was Rentato. Should anything happen, the top legends such as Hathaway would arrive in no time. Also, Viken had only arrived as a projection. It still remained to be seen whether or not he could beat Lucien. "To what do I owe the King of Calamities' visit?"

"The King of Calamities… It's been a long time since anyone called me by my legendary title." Viken seemed to be in mixed feelings. Then he smiled and said, "Don't bother me. Old guys like me are always reminiscent. As for the reason why I am here, do you really not know, God of Steam Yuri?"

If you were an old man who dwelt in the memories of the past, I would be a pure, innocent good guy who does not know any schemes. Lucien secretly thought to himself. Viken's personalities were not hard to guess considering that he had mercilessly erased the memories of his best friends and crafted them into seraphs.

"What God of Steam? What Yuri? I have no idea what you are talking about at all?" Lucien pretended to be innocent.

Viken chuckled. "You can fool other people but certainly not me. I can sense the heart of faith inside this dwarf. I sense that his power of faith finally has a center where it can be gathered. You wouldn't think that I've arrived after selecting a random body, would you?"

Lucien's eyes froze. Viken had retained the remote projection abilities of the primeval devils after he became a demigod. As a result, even if he were not a demigod who was aware of the secrets of immortality, it would be barely possible to completely destroy him. It was indeed as expected of the best expert who overpowered the Silver Moon, the Lord of Hell, the Will of Abyss, and Monster Viken on his own.

Of course, it was also mostly because it was inconvenient for the Lord of Hell and the Will of Abyss to arrive and the fact that their strength would be restricted in the main material world. Also, there would be no cooperation where the Will of Abyss was involved.

Lucien's stunt could not escape the attention of Viken. He smiled peacefully. "I think you don't need me to say anything after you see this dwarf who has been personally given divine power by you. Facts speak louder than words."

Even though he could not be directly projected to the senior-rank experts who did not have too many negative feelings, his senses on emotional changes were still keen.

"It's just a secret research program. The mysteries of gods and the nature of the power of faith have always been a focus of the legendary sorcerers. Oliver, for example, has been studying the Dark Dragon Lord." Lucien wanted to know what exactly Viken was trying to do, so instead of playing innocent, he admitted frankly without telling any lie.

"You are very cautious. It seems that the conversation with Douglas has made you wary. You wouldn't say anything that would strike arcana and magic studies."

Viken seemed unconvinced of Lucien's confession. "Right. The creator of the new alchemy and the general theory of relativity, the most authoritative arcanist in the microscopic domain, and the main founder of the current arcana and magic system has stopped the exploration on the truth of the world and focused on the dissemination of faith. It will be a major strike on the confidence of every arcanist in the Congress of Magic after it is spread out."

"It's simply a study, which proves my arcana attitude better than anything. For me, disseminating faith and gathering the power of faith are meaningless. My focus is their place in the current arcana system." Lucien still admitted frankly. After all, the congregation of special electromagnetic waves was just a hypothesis.

Viken chuckled. "Alright, enough of your lofty excuses. I do not need to use your words to strike the Congress of Magic. I only want to ask you if you need the complete ways to steal and utilize the power of faith? That monster cannot tell the secrets of demigods in violation of my rules. So, I'm sure that you only know how to transform into the status of primeval devils with the power of feelings, which is not the best method that I've improved on.

"You should know that many critical procedures on your path to demigod are missing. You cannot reach the destination if you are one-legged. I can help you solve the problem with a minimal price that nobody will suspect you. After all, almost twenty high-level sorcerers know the complete structure of artificial planets."

"Absurd! Why do I want the way to steal and utilize the power of faith? Can they help me unravel the nature of the power of faith at all?" Lucien refused determinedly.

His determination, however, sounded like a vacillation to Viken. Lucien did not mock at him for trying to allure a grand arcanist but stressed the uselessness of his offer. It was not hard to imagine what he thought.

Viken said unhurriedly, "Useless? Then, why did you steal the power of faith of the God of Craftsmen? Your way of stealing and utilization was well-hidden, but that is the only remarkable part about it. There's no way for you to succeed unless Heit turns into the God of Steam himself. How can you figure out three thousand years of studies in only two years?"

He was quite confident about that.

"You…" Lucien was slightly stunned. The guy who was spying on him was indeed complicit with Viken.

From Lucien's face and emotional fluctuations, Viken noticed his shock. Thinking that Lucien was surprised because the successful and unattractive thing had been learned by him, Viken smiled. "Don't worry. With my teaching, you will be able to steal Heit's power of faith from your own altar. How does it sound?"

He was not truly bothered by the disproportion of cost and return. It was already the greatest success of the Congress of Magic that could be divided.

"As I have said many times, I am not interested in stealing and utilizing the power of faith. After I figure out its essence and arcana significance, I will create a flawless method, instead of turning into a half human and half monster like you." Lucien smiled and scorned Viken's way, showing his "confidence" and "vision".

Viken was briefly silent, as if he did not expect that Lucien would really refuse it. Had he made any breakthroughs in his research? Was the observer effect really the nature of the power of faith?

"Two demigods have emerged on this path, and they are the only two demigods who are not natural-born demigods. So, you will eventually return to this path at some point. If you miss the opportunity today, you will barely get the files in the future." Viken sighed, as if he were feeling sorry for Lucien.

Lucien smiled warmly, but he still said firmly, "I believe in myself."

That was the confidence as expected of a distinguished arcanist at such a young age. So, Viken was not surprised at all.

He smiled, and the dwarf narrowed his eyes. "I hope that you will not regret it in the future."

The strange air was gone, and the dwarf collapsed as if he had lost all his strength.

Looking at the air before him, Lucien smiled casually. "I was speaking nothing but the truth. Why couldn't you believe me? Do you only believe me when I tell you lies?"

Seeing that the dwarf was gradually back to himself, Lucien disappeared from Rentato after one step.

…

"Viken came to you?" In the Land of Truth, Douglas frowned at Lucien.

Lucien did not hide the matter and told it to his teacher and Mr. President quickly.

"He allured me with the way to become a demigod in exchange for the complete structure of artificial planets," said Lucien briefly.

Thinking about what they discussed before, Douglas asked, "Did you agree?"

That was a good thing. They were planning to give the Church the intelligence in that regard in the first place so that they would compete with the Congress in the field that the Congress was best at. As it turned out, the pope had personally delivered the mysteries of demigods here for the intelligence. That was an unexpected trophy! Although Douglas, Fernando, and Lucien did not need such a path, it would serve well as a reference and research materials. After all, it was the only successful path of demigods right now.

"I turned him down." Lucien acted as if it were not a big deal.

"It also makes sense. If you agreed with the exchange, Viken might take advantage of it whatever reasons you had. Even if we are going to make the deal, you shouldn't take part in it in person." Douglas immediately understood why Lucien refused it.

Lucien nodded. That was indeed one of the reasons. More importantly, it was an opportunity as he had always wanted to show Viken his attitude. Supposedly, he could only look for indirect opportunities to do so, but Viken had come to tempt him in person out of his expectation. He would've regretted it if he did not make use of the great chance.

"We were also planning to fish up the sorcerers that were associating with Viken. But Viken's operation…" Douglas wondered which they should choose.

Lucien smiled. "There are twenty sorcerers who know the secrets of the artificial planets, and dozens more who can construct it on their own with the mechanism. Together with Viken's devil projection, it is barely possible for us to decide who it is exactly. We can only narrow the range. Therefore, I have temporarily added certain special structures to the files of artificial planets. In such a way, we will be able to tell whether they reached out to each other before or later."

"Are we not going to carry out the exchange?" asked Douglas.

Lucien pointed at the north. "What we are missing is just the part to steal and utilize the power of faith, and we don't have to ask Viken for that. Since he has secretly released the ways to become a demigod to sorcerers, elves, demons, devils, and other races to mess up the situation and divide us, we can also make the situation even more chaotic."

Chapter 743: Irresistible Temptation

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

In San Ivansburg…

Belkovsky, the pontiff of the North Church, was walking toward the room of prayer slowly. He was tall and muscular, nothing like how Benedict III was. As a matter of fact, he was indeed a level-two knight who activated his own blood power through his own work. Even though he chose the path of divine power later, he had paid special attention to the exercise and maintenance of his body. After all, performing "God's Grace" was a heavy burden for the body too.

He extended his right hand and pressed the door of the room of prayer with his eyes focused. He did not have the habit of considering problems while walking, like what the other high-level managers did. For him, one thing had to be done with full attention when he did it. Only if he was not distracted could he expect the best result. Therefore, when it was time for dinner, he would have dinner; when it was time to walk, he would walk; and when it was time to consider, consider. He never let go of the tiniest detail.

Suddenly, his right hand that was about to open the room of prayer stopped on the bronze doorknob. His eyes squinted, and a holy light vaguely rose around him, connecting to the barrier of the divine power of the whole cathedral.

"Who's here?" Although Belkovsky would not perceive everything in the whole Saint Ivan Church all the time, he maintained the basic alert. If a certain expert approached the cathedral without him knowing it at all, it would be too great a humiliation for the pontiff of the North Church. Also, most importantly of all, the expert just now briefly revealed himself as if he were announcing his arrival!

Belkovsky was actually more puzzled than scared about the mysterious expert. Even if Benedict III arrived in person with his "God's Arrival" recovered, it was not entirely impossible for him to survive in the cathedral of Saint Ivan Church. "God's Grace" plus the core of the defense that the North Church had been working on for hundreds of years was enough to offset God's Arrival, preventing it from causing fatal wounds.

It was just like why the "previous popes" never attempted to bombard Allyn with God's Arrival. That could've knocked down the City in the Sky but wouldn't have been able to heavily wound the legends inside. Without including the attacks of other people, at least Douglas and Brook, who were at the peak of legendary, wouldn't worry about getting killed.

The legendary wave appeared and disappeared again, at exactly the same spot as just now, which slightly confused Belkovsky who was ready to attack. He smelled something unusual. Then, the holy light on his back turned from a hollow into concrete, giving birth to an angel who had six wings on the back. Then, the angel lunged into the void and disappeared before Belkovsky.

Outside of the Saint Ivan Church was a spacious square that was in the wild and primitive style that was adored in the Schachran Empire. In an alley near the square, the darkness before dawn had completely shrouded the place, making it appallingly quiet. It was a major contrast to the magnificent cathedral nearby.

Holy light arose in the alley, and the angel whose eyes were closed showed up and turned into the appearance of Belkovsky.

"Hehe." Creepy laughter came from the darkness in the alley. It did not sound to be from a human being at all and carried the intense air of death.

There were few experts that Belkovsky was scared of, and Douglas was the only one among them who was not a demigod. Therefore, he showed no courtesy to the stranger who was pretending to be mysterious. "If you don't have a good reason to attract me here, you'd better think of a better one after you reach hell."

In the laughter, a little bird that was purely black flew out. There were pale and hilarious feathers above its head, and the bird's body seemed to be made of the purest death. It had come with the worst news.

Belkovsky observed it carefully, only to discover that the mysterious bird had disguised it so well that his projection could not see through it at all. He could, if he arrived in person and examined with divine power, but in such a case, the bird would probably collapse and disappear, not leaving any clues for him.

"You may call me Bird of Death, but I brought you a piece of good news this time." The bird perched in midair as if it were on a branch.

Belkovsky snorted, not taking it seriously. "Good news? There's little good news for me nowadays."

"Is that so? Is the discounted bundle of the ways to transform into primeval devils through the power of feelings not good news for you?" The Bird of Death cackled creepily.

"What?" Belkovsky's eyes constricted as he stared at the weird little bird for the first time. Even his nonexistent breath seemed to become heavy now.

After a brief silence, he looked at the Bird of Death and asked, "Do you know the ways?"

Over the past two years, many uncanny accidents had taken place in the territory of the North Church, and the results of the investigation all pointed at the primeval devils. Together with the intelligence that Belkovsky acquired from the Dark Congress and the Boundless Ocean, he had more or less guessed that somebody was trying to collect the power of feelings in order to transform into primeval devils.

Furthermore, the Congress of Magic made it clear in their broadcast that transformation into primeval devils was Thanos' creation, and that he had successfully become a demigod in such a way. Although Belkovsky was not entirely convinced by the open broadcast, he did have a theory after hearing it. The pontiffs and saints in the past could not find a way to be demigods and were only able to steal and make use of the power of faith because they were missing a critical procedure. Therefore, he was quite tempted by the method as described by the Bird of Death.

"Do you not know that Viken secretly announced the way to become a demigod?" said the Bird of Death in mockery.

"What?" Belkovsky exclaimed again. He was surprised more times today than he was many years before. It was not because he was not calm and focused enough but because the Bird of Death's message was too shocking!

The Bird of Death let out horrible laughter again. "The elven queen knows it, and that's why Lankshear went missing. The Demogorgon of Darkness knows it, and that's why the former Prince of Demons went missing. Legends who hardly perished except in major battles in the past have gone missing one after another. Have you sensed nothing wrong?"

"That explains a lot…" Belkovsky was not blindly believing the Bird of Death's words; he had been suspicious about those cases all the time and vaguely inferred a terrifying fact based on his secret intelligence. Today, the truth of the cases had been offered to him. "What can Viken get from doing this?"

It was what confused him most.

"What can he get? Let the enemies brutalize each other, stabilize the internal situation, and buy more time for his recovery. Do they not count? Also, those people are sort of Viken's experiment subjects. Their experience will help Viken find the problems of his method and the ways to solve them so that he can see the gate to a real god. After all, he is a demigod, and his life can be preserved in the worst scenario. There's still a chance for him to start all over again." The Bird of Death chuckled. "Besides, the candidates he chose are all the legends who do not have a stable source of faith."

"No wonder he didn't tell us…" Belkovsky nodded softly. As the pontiff of the North Church, he had a stable source of faith and had been stealing power from it. If he had the way to become a demigod, he would make significant progress very quickly. Since the North Church and the South Church were of the same origin, it was more than easy for them to steal each other's power of faith. Viken certainly would not reveal it to his mortal enemy unless his brain was broken.

Calming himself down, he asked straightforwardly, "What do you want?"

For a big shot like him, the decisiveness at the critical moments was indispensable. Therefore, instead of rambling on, he went to the center of the problem. Besides, he was not worried that the Bird of Death would trick him with fake information. Such a clandestine deal certainly had to be completed part after part. With his knowledge, he could easily tell if the information was true and could cancel the deal any time if he determined that it was false.

"I only have the way of status transformation, but not the way to steal and utilize the power of faith, or the secrets to combining them to break into the level of demigods. However, I know for a fact that you have acquired the way to steal and make use of the power of faith from the World of Souls, and it has been improved by many generations of pontiffs. So, let's make an exchange," the Bird of Death said coarsely in a low voice.

Belkovsky's eyes turned cold. He knew the secrets of the pontiff? Who was he? Did Viken tell him?

Holding back his confusion, Belkovsky said, pretending to be disappointed, "There's no complete information?"

"No, but this is your last chance. Other people certainly would not expose it. Nobody wants to have more competitors. If you are unwilling to accept the exchange, I'll go and look for your saints. I don't think they will turn it down." The Bird of Death's pale and hollow eyes were full of mockery.

Belkovsky was a bit angry, but the temptation was much greater. Weighing the pros and cons, he nodded. "If we are only talking about the way to steal and make use of the power of faith, that's not a problem."

The most important secret of the North Church was still the way to pass on strength via "godhood".

"Right. You also need to give me the files of the bloodline of Elimination. I'm quite interested in that." The Bird of Death mentioned it casually, as if it were just an unimportant issue.

After the schism, the night watchers of the North Church had plenty of knights with the bloodline of Elimination. They had plenty of files.

Belkovsky thought that it was an unimportant issue as well. The files regarding the Elimination blood power were not confidential, but he still believed that it was necessary to show his attitude. "No other requirements, unless you can offer other valuable things."

The Bird of Death chuckled. "Alright."

The two of them quickly exchanged their files before they bid each other farewell, both in satisfaction.

Looking at the statues of the previous pontiffs and saints in the room of prayer, Belkovsky was suddenly full of ambitions. Although he did not have the last and the most critical files, he had made much more progress. Also, he had picked up a source of files. The experts who were aware of the secrets such as the Demogorgon of Darkness had to be careful later!

Inside the Atomic Universe, Lucien opened his eyes, and the black Bird of Death suddenly collapsed.

He pretended to be the Bird of Death this time partly to acquire the files and partly to set a new enemy for Viken to mess up the situation. After all, the last and the most critical method hadn't been offered to Belkovsky yet, and there was still a long way to go before he became a demigod! Lucien certainly did not want there to be more demigod enemies for the Congress in the future.

"Aren't you trying to make the situation chaotic? I'll help you make it even more so! However, the messing up of such a level is still not good enough…" Lucien put on an expression that was called by his students as the demon's smile.

Chapter 744: A Standard Villain

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

In the dim underground palace, the pillars of light mixed with fire fell nonstop. The deep darkness melted quickly like the snow that had met the sunlight. The peculiar worms were rigidified, and the foul shadows screamed miserably.

A glimmer flashed, and the priests floating in midair suddenly collapsed, as if somebody dragged their ankles brutally. The defense on them did not work at all. Most of the evil arts came to an abrupt halt.

Before they were able to react, the intimidating gold-haired middle-aged man before them had opened his right hand. On his every finger was a little eye, and at the center of his palm was a brownish giant eye that was stained by blood.

The five horrible little eyes were in different colors and shooting different rays, but the yellowish giant eye glistened and made everybody feel heavy. The gravity in this place seemed to have been intensified.

Rays in green, blue, and other colors hit those black-robed priests, slowing, paralyzing, or even simply reducing them into countless spots of light. The formidable enemies that the reverends, bishops, knights, and common night watchers could not take care of were immediately suppressed. Victory was near at hand.

Some of the cultists screamed in panic. They had never seen such a weird and strong enemy before!

"Where… Where is the Chief Priest?"

"Shouldn't the Chief Priest be stopping him?"

At the critical moment, they remembered their leader, an envoy of the supreme "Heir of Chaos". Wasn't he fighting the intimidating middle-aged man just now?

The middle-aged man who was dressed in a white overall attacked even harder after hearing their remarks. Creepy little eyes grew out of his face and his other hand, shooting out defensive or aggressive rays of light. He sneered, "Do you think a level-seven cultist priest can stop me? I've killed dozens of priests who were stronger than him."

What? After confirming the death of their Chief Priest, the remaining cultists and priests immediately collapsed. They had even forgotten the prayer for power from "Heir of Chaos" when the rays came at them. Panicked, they soon lost their combat ability, getting killed or captured by the night watchers, the reverends, and the knights. None of them escaped at all.

"Hehe. There are too many uncanny cults recently. We have to dig out their source!" The terrifying eyes on the face and hands of the middle-aged man were closed without leaving any mark.

One of the night watchers said gratefully, "Thank god you were around, my lord, or those priests of 'Heir of Chaos' might have escaped."

As a matter of fact, not only would they have escaped, but they would have also killed all the night watchers. Fortunately, the dire consequences had been avoided as Winchell, "Eyes of Radiance", who ranked the third among the night watchers, had come when he pursued another lead.

"It's my responsibility to deal with the cultists." Winchell nodded. "You will search for the place in groups. Do not let go of any cultist."

"Yes, my lord," the captain of the night watchers answered respectfully.

Winchell paced in the hall. He looked at the messy altar, which was engraved with naked men and women, and searched for clues worth investigating.

Looking at the magnificent but somewhat old underground palace, the dim environment that was full of bodies, and the ancient stone gates and rooms, Winchell suddenly had a lot of mixed feelings. He had encountered such a scene far too many times. In both his careers as an adventurer and during the operations to purge cultists where he became a night watcher, he seemed to have always been visiting and fighting in underground establishments.

"Those goddamn ancient sorcerers always like to dig holes…" Winchell cursed.

Suddenly, he sensed something. His eyes turned into rubies and shot out two rays of light, breaking one of the walls nearby and revealing the hidden door inside.

Having no time to call the other clerics, he flew into the narrow channel and chased after the enemy.

After taking a turn, Winchell found himself before a bunch of astonished cultists who were crawling into a secret chamber in turns.

Hehe. Winchell chuckled. Are you trying to get away from me?

The dense eyes were opened again, and the cultists fell one after another. Winchell broke into the chamber and pressed forward, chasing after the enemy in the lead. Those behind who had been immobilized would be taken care of by the following clerics.

As he pursued on, fewer and fewer cultists were before him, until he could see none. However, Winchell did not stop. His intuitions told him that a big fish was up ahead, one that was as important as the "envoy" just now.

BAM.

A stone gate that was full of patterns was broken by the rays, and Winchell entered the deepest part of the chamber. He looked around warily, but there was nothing in the place except for the statue of "Queen of Chaos" who was holding a burning torch.

Why isn't there any enemy? Winchell looked around, slightly dazed. As a gold knight, he was quite confident about his guts.

Suddenly, a cold wind passed him, and Winchell shivered even though he was a gold knight. He sensed danger for the first time.

The feeling was not too strong. Winchell did not run away immediately but cast out defensive rays, surrounding himself with an iron wall.

Looking around, Winchell saw the lifeless wall, the quiet and empty room, the ordinary and crude statue, but no source of danger at all.

However, the chilling feeling still terrified him. He couldn't help but step backward. Exactly at this moment, the fire on the torch that the Queen of Chaos held suddenly rose high and burnt fervently in evil laughter.

Instantly, Winchell sensed the indescribable danger that was hundreds if not thousands of times more intense than previous. Even though he had been wandering on the verge of precipices before as a night watcher, he still couldn't help but tremble. He understood that his previous intuition had obviously been affected, and that someone who could affect his intuition so effectively was absolutely not someone he could resist, just like the priest just now who could not resist him.

In his shiver, Winchell's magnificent willpower stabilized his mind, and his abundant experience allowed him to notice the anomaly. It was more than easy for such a strong being to kill him, but the being had spent a lot of time alluring him away from his team and tempting him to enter the chamber. It was obvious that there were other purposes.

"Who is it?" he asked tentatively, with dirty fluids flowing out of the eyes on his hand.

The fire rose into the shape of a human and said in a coarse voice, "It doesn't matter who I am; it's what I can offer that matters."

"Hehe. I am the Lord's defender in the darkness. I would rather die before I deal with demons." Winchell ruled out the possibility that the enemy was a devil from the rational speech.

In the empty chamber, the laughter of the fire echoed. "What if it will make you closer to your Lord so that you can contribute to Him more easily?"

"What do you mean?" Winchell felt absurdly hilarious, but he was also deeply puzzled.

The tone of the fire became grave. "Have you never found it odd? As the devout believers and defenders of the God of Truth, reverends, bishops, ascetics, and part of the knights are granted divine powers, but most of the night watchers who were not reverends at the beginning can only fight with your blood powers. Also, most of the knights are far weaker than reverends of the same level in terms of divine powers. Why is that? Why does the fair and selfless God of Truth treat His defenders so partially?"

"Nonsense! There are original sins on our backs. We can only win the Lord's blessing through selfless devotion!" Winchell's anger was not entirely authentic.

"Is that so?" the fire mocked. "Considering your contributions to the God of Truth, your knight level should've been increased even though you are never given divine power, right?"

Right when Winchell was about to refute in fury again, the fire continued, "As a matter of fact, it has nothing to do with the God of Truth. His blessings to you have been intercepted by the pope and the Grand Cardinals. Since He is still asleep, He is absolutely unaware of that."

"What?" Winchell was less angry now that the Lord was not guilty of that.

"You may take a look at this file. This is a reward from the God of Truth. You've earned it." Words jumped out of the fire and constituted an article that was full of sophisticated symbols.

Winchell was rather wary that it might be a temptation of demons, but his confusion still prompted him to read the article. After all, he would never betray the Church! That was his stance!

The moment he saw it, he found it impossible to move his eyes away and was completely fascinated by it.

"This is…" He shook his head in both fear and excitement.

"As the Almighty God, why would the God of Truth demand the dissemination of faith? Is it necessary for Him? The power of faith is actually a reward for loyal defenders like you so that you can polish yourselves with it and be closer to Him. However, the pope and the Grand Cardinals have intercepted all of it without leaving any for you. Now, you understand why they are so strong, don't you?" The fire's voice became gentle, but Winchell was shivering under every word.

"I don't believe it." He shook his head hard before asking in disbelief, "You've shown me such an important method just like that?"

The way to "steal" and make use of the power of faith had been etched in his brain.

"Now that you have sincerely asked, I'll give you a candid answer. I am the embodiment of justice, and I hate unfair things like this most." The fire chuckled and went on despite the suspicion in Winchell's eyes. "I'll occasionally ask for some information from you. Rest assured, nobody will suspect you. I have many other sources of intelligence, including several red robes."

Red robes? Winchell's pupils constricted abruptly. For hundreds of years, due to the uniqueness of the heart of faith, the Church had never had spies in the level of red robes, or at the very least, no external spies, since the North Church and the South Church had sent plenty of spies of such a level to each other.

Was he from the North Church?

"Are you scared that your heart of faith will be shaken after you get this? So, don't guess who I am. You only need to remember my codename, the Red Burier." The fire gradually died down.

Winchell stood where he was and looked at the empty room, unable to say anything for a long time. He felt that he had the most bizarre dream. Had he obtained a most precious and useful approach by paying nothing at all?

...

Inside the Land of Truth, Lucien said to Douglas with a smile, "Viken secretly released the ways to become a demigod to let the legendary experts compete with each other, and now, we are doing exactly the same thing. We'll spread the secrets to steal and make use of the power of faith among part of the red robes, thus allowing them to steal the power of faith. In such a way, the foundation of the South Church will be messed up, too. After all, the dissemination of faith cannot be conducted alone like sorcerers' exploration of arcana and the world. A hierarchical organization is indispensable for them. Unless he can project a seed to the mind of every cleric, this is not something that Viken can avoid.

"If it weren't for the fear that Viken might discover it, I would've publicized the way to steal the power of faith through 'Arcana Voice'."

"If Viken knows how you are using such a valuable method, his expression will certainly be very spectacular." Douglas chuckled. After all, who could've thought that somebody would spread out the method? Were they worried that they had too few competitors? Only Lucien and the other grand arcanists who never considered the approach were determined enough to do that.

Lucien opened his hands. "Perhaps he would curse that I am a lunatic.

Chapter 745: Quick Solution

Douglas patted the sofa and said, "Ever since the Congress of Magic was founded, because the heart of faith has to be constructed on the devotion to and the faith in the God of Truth, sorcerers have been secretly worshiping the God of Truth or compromised by the Church with money and materials, and the bishop-level clerics have never become the spies of the Congress before. Finally, we do not need to take the hit passively all the time in terms of intelligence. Viken would never believe that some of the red robes are secretly serving the Congress."

He had a lot of mixed feelings. In the past hundreds of years, the Congress of Magic had been infiltrated by many spies of the Saint Truth. In many cases, the Highest Council knew that certain people were conspiring with the Church, but they did not arrest or punish them just so that those spies could deliver the wrong intelligence that would offset the influence of the undiscovered spies. Although the Lord of the Undead was an authority to invade the brain and check the memories, there were too many people in the Congress and most sorcerers had their own secrets. It was impossible to scrutinize them one by one.

Of course, the disruptive theories that challenged the Cannon and the Doctrines had also partly purged the spies who believed in the God of Truth. However, it was not until after the battle of Rentato and the exodus of the South Church that the spies within the Congress were finally no longer influential.

Correspondingly, no matter how many clerics lived a corrupt life, and no matter how they hated their "superiors" or "colleagues", they would be betraying the God of Truth whenever they cooperated with the sorcerers. Their heart of faith would inevitably shake, and they would be swallowed by the holy light. Therefore, the Congress of Magic could only set up spies that were in the level of reverends. Those spies could not be promoted to bishops because of their impure faith. In most of the cases, they had to collect intelligence through brain infiltration and other spells.

"I was very curious before why Sard and the pontiff and saints of the North Church could cooperate with us without being affected, and why they liked to swear with the heart of faith." Lucien had vaguely guessed it when he knew that the power of faith could be stolen, and he completely understood it after he acquired the real method. The connection between the heart of faith and Mountain Paradise was partly under their own control thanks to the help of "godhood", which allowed them to change the rules partly. When they believed that they did not break their faith, they would not be breaking their faith!

Douglas nodded. "We have to set up certain cardinal-level spies in the North Church too."

Pondering for a moment, he said, "Our control over them will be reduced if we offer the way to steal and make use of the power of faith to them without asking for equivalent things in return, but they certainly wouldn't believe us if we do not do that. Only when they obtain substantial benefits from it will they be mired deeper and deeper on this path, never to return. That's exactly what we hope.

"As for our control of them, the first method is a threat. At the very least, until they become legends, they are not qualified to steal and make use of the power of faith. Once they are exposed, they will certainly be burnt by the Grand Cardinals for corruption. Although those Grand Cardinals have the big picture in their mind, this is something that concerns their own strength. They certainly do not want more people to share the power of faith."

For the people who had become saint cardinals or divine knights honestly step by step, the Grand Cardinals would not give them a hard time but share the methods with them. After all, they were quite alarmed about the rapid rise of the Congress of Magic, and they knew that they had to increase the strength of legends and restore their number.

As he spoke, Douglas looked at Lucien. "The second way of control is allurement. We have controlled the four countries on this side of the strait and the north coastline. A huge number of believers live in our territory. As long as they are willing to work with us, we can help them steal the power of faith of the Holmish Church and other religions. That is a safe and copious resource that will certainly tempt them. After all, when they steal from their own people, they have to be very prudent in case they are discovered by the Grand Cardinals."

The Holmish Church was closely dependent on the Kingdom of Holm. Therefore, Douglas asked Lucien's opinion when he proposed the suggestion without using an affirmative tone.

"That's not a problem. The Holmish Church is only a tool for us to stabilize the believers. It will not be in our favor or the favor of Holm if it grows too strong. One or two saint cardinals and divine knights should be enough. Also, I fear that Viken has secretly told the archbishops of such branched churches the ways to become a demigod," Lucien nodded and said. There were only two legendary knights in Holm right now. It certainly wouldn't be a good thing if the Holmish Church outnumbered the state in terms of legends.

Douglas agreed with Lucien's judgment. "Viken fears that the North Church will surpass him, but he is certainly not scared of the branched churches like the Holmish Church that do not even have a legend. As a matter of fact, the power of faith in your steam church can also be transformed and provided to those red robes. Hehe. Your 'research project' does have a lot of purposes. You didn't plan it beforehand, did you?"

He suddenly mentioned the steam church, as if he had understood another purpose of Lucien's research.

"I had a rough idea about that, but I could only explore on my own due to the lack of files. It was actually Viken's operation that inspired me." Lucien chuckled. He was not entirely so visionary. Otherwise, he would have exchanged the files with the North Church a long time ago.

Suddenly, Lucien was stunned. He brought out a green non-legendary puppet that he built, only to discover that a hue of redness had been dyed on it.

"A red robe is contacting me? Already?" Lucien was surprised.

Douglas reacted rather normally. "Perhaps it's important intelligence."

"Maybe. I'll project myself over and take a look," Lucien said to Douglas. This was his demiplane, and he had to ask for permission in order to project himself to somewhere near the Holy City.

…

A wagon moved on the broad road at the suburb of the Holy City stably and did not stop until it reached a manor at the edge of the forest.

"Bishop Myers, thank you for hosting our baptism ritual in our house." The owner of the manor, a viscount, bowed at the red robe who was getting off the wagon with respect and apparent excitement.

His late father was very close to the red robe, but he knew that the position between him and the red robe was too huge. He did not expect that Myers would really come to baptize his little son. However, his invitation was accepted!

"Your father and I were good friends who grew up together. There's no need to thank me. I'll clean myself in the church first and perform the ritual tomorrow." Myers was a gray-haired old man, gentle but fearsome.

After entering the little church, Myers kneeled before the cross and began his prayer.

Late at night, he raised his head and looked at the cross as well as the Saint Badge embedded on it with complicated feelings. Then, he brought out a delicate puppet and activated it.

The puppet suddenly glowed in redness and waved its arms as if it were alive, before it leaped forward and looked at Myers with a hilarious face. "Did you summon me?"

Myers was deeply disgusted by the puppet, which was only the size of his thumb. He took a deep breath and said, "We've already obtained the secrets of artificial planets. This is the file you need."

While the duplication of artificial planets was supervised by the saint cardinals, it could not be achieved without the participation of red robes. However, they were not like the grand arcanists who equaled to a whole team of researchers and who could do everything on their own. Therefore, the targets that Lucien allured with the power of faith included Myers, who was from the Highest School of Theology.

"Okay. Job well done. I think very highly of you." The red glow from the puppet swallowed the file that Myers presented.

Gloomily, Myers said, "I've fulfilled your request. You can stop bothering me in the future."

"Is that so? Then, should I bother Philip, Astira, Maria, or Vaharall?" The puppet chuckled. The first three names were the Grand Cardinals who were responsible for theology, and the last was the giant of the Inquisition.

Myers shouted angrily, "Devil, didn't you say that you would not threaten me?"

"And you believed everything I said? I know that you are well aware that I will never be able to threaten you if you do not use the method, but if you do, it will be your connivance that I can threaten you." The puppet's face was even more hilarious as it continued, "Don't blame me for the choice you made yourself."

"Devil, goddamn devil." Myers gnashed his teeth, but he did not put up any resistance. After he tried the method and succeeded, he already realized the price that he was willing to pay. "I warn you, don't propose requests that are too outrageous, or I would rather confess everything to His Holiness!"

After he became a saint cardinal, he would be able to get rid of the devil. By then, everything he did would be forgiven by the Church!

"That's right. I like to cooperate with the people who know exactly what they want best. Rest assured. Threatening is the last thing that I would like to do. I have always been a friendly man who believes in reciprocity," the puppet chattered on. "If the intelligence that you provide in the future satisfies me, I will consider offering you additional power of faith."

"What?" Myers' breath turned heavy. Then, he saw the spots of divine hair around the puppet that seemed to be different from the holy light.

"Do you need to ask me what this is?" The puppet chuckled.

Myers fell silent. He finally understood why the allurement of devils could even corrupt the angels according to the Cannon!

…

"The files of artificial planets that the Church has acquired do not have the special parts that I added later, which means that the traitor exchanged the information beforehand. Of course, it is also possible that he has constructed the information on his own according to the mechanism. After all, the style of the magic circles on the artificial planet in the file is highly different from what we are used to," Lucien said to Douglas and Fernando with the files in his hand.

Chapter 746: Lucien's Mysterious Experiment

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Browsing through the files in his hands, Douglas remarked while turning the pages, "It's true that the style of the combination of different magic patterns is highly different from that of our version, but it is also possible that he modified it on purpose after exchanging for it. The sorcerers who have the qualifications and clearances to acquire the full structure of artificial planets can't be stupid."

The structure model of a spell or a magic circle was not unique. As long as it agreed with the corresponding mechanism and process, the eventual magic model or magic circle would achieve the desired effect. Therefore, the spells that different sorcerers built based on the same arcana principle often turned out to be models whose core was the same but whose details were different from their personal styles.

Sometimes, when the details in their design were perfect and close enough to the mechanism, their model would have a better effect than other models did. That was also one source of unique magic. However, a better effect was not essentially better. It was still limited by the core and could not surpass its maximum.

Therefore, most spells that were open to the public had been united as the magic models with the best result. They were known in the Magic Empire as "standard spells". That was even more obvious in the Congress of Magic where the research was open. In many cases, the improvement in spells had to depend on the deeper understanding of the mechanism.

However, during the recent hundred years, it had occurred to the arcanists of the Congress of Magic that perhaps "standard spells" did not really exist. That was to say, the magic model with the best effect was not universal. Different sorcerers had their own different models to achieve the best effect.

The weird phenomenon raised a lot of attention at that time. Further research indicated that it was because of the different cognitive worlds of different sorcerers. The magic models that best matched their cognitive worlds would achieve the best effect.

After that, many sorcerers would both analyze the standard spells and adjust the details after they exchanged for them so that the standard spells would better suit themselves. But of course, the cognitive world would only be stabilized after the middle rank. There was no need for the magic apprentices and the regular sorcerers to do that.

"Hehe. It's good enough that the range is narrowed down. I don't believe that he would lay low in the future. We will figure out who he is if he does a few more similar things!" Fernando drew circles on the list, loathing the traitor so much that he almost wanted to grab him and let him taste the feeling of a storm.

After the discussion on the matter, Douglas suddenly asked Fernando, Brook, and Lucien their research progress on the quantum field theory, "There's still no solution to the problem of infinity? I think that your idea about the field theory is correct. If you walk down the path, you will figure out the essence of the electromagnetic force sooner or later. At the very least, the current explanation is much more advanced than the past. Maybe after the theory takes shape, Brook's broken and solidified cognitive world will be restored, and he'll find his own path to demigod."

Judging from his tone and his choice of words, he was still rather concerned about Brook, his "insubordinate" student. However, finding the path did not mean advancement. Leaving the odds of success aside, the perfection of the details on the path would probably take many years. For example, Douglas had "seen" the path to demigod through the general theory of relativity for many years, but he was still far away from "finding" his path. He would have to wait for the feedback of the truth of the world based on planets or black holes.

"Infinity…" Fernando repeated in a low voice as if he were trying to swallow it.

Lucien replied with a smile, "We've decided to submit the papers recently so that more arcanists could work on them. It's possible that their ideas will give us the inspiration to solve the problem."

"Yes. Arcana studies are not like magic. With enough fundamental knowledge and talents, the middle-rank and senior-rank arcanists can also make enormous contributions. Over the past decade, many achievements in the new microscopic domain have been accomplished by the young arcanists whose arcana level is not very high. This is an era of the young. You are the most distinguished representative of them," Douglas said in mixed feelings.

Lucien smiled. "A major part of the studies were completed by Mr. President and master. Mr. President, how is your preparation to search for planets going?"

"Better than I thought. Probably in one to two months, I'll be able to conduct a super-remote space jump. I hope I can find the little guys who have been giving me a headache for hundreds of years," Douglas replied with unusual humor.

"One to two months?" Lucien was rather surprised. Didn't the president estimate that it would take one to two years?

Douglas chuckled. "I've changed my plan. I have postponed searching for the planets that are far away because it may be easier to find the sun which is closer to us, although no one has ever succeeded before."

During the Magic Empire, the legendary sorcerers had tried searching for the sun through space jump, to no avail. Therefore, they believed that the sun was the "symbol" of a certain demigod and could not be located without his permission. Also, based on the comparison between the sun and the silver moon, it was possible that the God of Sun was not a demigod but a real one!

After all, until Douglas proposed the system of celestial body motion, the sun that illuminated the earth and radiated light and heat was generally worshiped. Great significance had been attached to it by the sorcerers, making it one of the special, influential celestial bodies in the school of astrology just like the silver moon.

Guided by such ideas, no legendary sorcerers attempted to locate the sun until Douglas became legendary, but he failed to find the sun, too. So, he acknowledged the theory that the sun was a demigod and aimed for the stars further away in his cosmic exploration later.

"Mr. President, you have to be careful. Our calculation might not have taken all the factors into consideration. It could be quite dangerous if you land on the surface of the sun after the teleportation," Lucien reminded concernedly.

Lucien never considered the possibility of teleporting onto the sun because the terrifying heat and the enormous gravity would stop the space-time gate from being opened.

"That will be a good thing. I would die without regrets even if I'm killed on the spot," said Douglas with a smile, as if it were really a good thing.

Fernando did not say much. It was not so easy to kill a top legendary sorcerer. He looked at Lucien with his red eyes. "What have you been busy working on in the last half of the year except for the field theory?"

"Analyzing legendary spells, improving my magic capabilities, and trying to reach the peak of level three so that I can try to advance to level four." Lucien seemed unclear about what his teacher meant and answered "frankly". However, he was not lying about the focus of his life recently. After "Snow Goddess' Forgiveness" and "Elemental Protection", thirteen legendary spells had been engraved into his soul, and the number would probably reach fifteen in a year. He would be qualified to sprint at the peak of legendary.

Fernando said in a bad mood, "I know that you are making remarkable progress. What I asked was the application you filed to the Magic Research Board. What are you planning to build inside the Atom Institution? The expensive materials you need are enough to build a level-nine magic item."

Somebody mentioned it before he came here, and he did not know the details.

"I've devoted more ancillary materials to it than what I applied for." Lucien shook his head with a smile. "The main reason is that many areas with lousy environments could only be visited by high-level sorcerers. Some places even demand archmages. Therefore, the common sorcerers with arcana gifts do not have a choice to explore and study such areas, which is a major restraint for the development of arcana. After all, many of our achievements today depend on the collision of particles, the unusual tracks during the experiments, and the screening of abundant data. It would take dozens if not hundreds of times longer if the legendary sorcerers and the archmages are doing the work alone."

Douglas nodded. "That's a fantastic idea. Do you have any product yet?"

"I'm close to success. After it works out, I'll open it to all the arcanists, but they have to file an application in advance and receive thorough vetting." Lucien briefly described his "alchemical item" and won the approval of Douglas and Fernando.

...

In Atom Institution…

Heidi and the other students looked at the door of a small laboratory. It was absolutely quiet, without any sound coming out.

"You said that our teacher has often locked himself in this small laboratory during the past few months, and that magic waves spread out now and then?" Although they had been away from each other for several months, Katrina did not feel alienated from Heidi and her other friends in the Atom Institution. Instead, she had a sense of familiarity and warmth now that she had finally come home.

Heidi nodded her head fast like a little chicken. "Yes. We don't know what our teacher is working on. He is rather mysterious and locks the laboratory tightly every single time."

Hardly had she concluded her sentence when the door of the small laboratory was opened, and Lucien walked out in his double-breasted suit.

"Good morning, Master!" Heidi and the other students greeted him at the same time. Their eyes were rolling nonstop as they tried to see what was inside the laboratory from the gap that Lucien was blocking.

"You are very curious?" Lucien said with a smile.

"Huh? Yes! I'm very curious!" After a brief daze, Heidi hurried to nod.

Lucien looked around at them. "If you are curious, do you want to give it a shot? However, only four people can take it at one time."

"Me! I would like to take it!" Heidi had always been a girl of curiosity, and she believed that her teacher would not harm her.

With her as the example, Sprint, Katrina, and Annick raised their hands earlier than other people did.

"Alright. Come in with me." Lucien turned around and showed everyone what was inside the laboratory.

Chapter 747: Romance of Arcana Studies

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

It was not exactly a spacious laboratory. The alchemical platforms and the magic items that should've been here were nowhere to be found, but the room was not empty at all. On the wall, the floor, and the ceiling, silver and black magic patterns were protruding nonstop. Spreading out the light that felt like flowing water, they connected with each other and formed a three-dimensional model.

Then, they stretched toward the center and weaved into a layered illusionary web, which integrated with the complicated magic circle deployed at the center of the laboratory, constituting a deep and mysterious picture.

"A magic circle?" Heidi looked at the laboratory rather in shock. Their teacher had been busy and mysterious in the past couple of months just in order to set up the magic circle? It did not seem so complicated that a grand arcanist had to spend a few months on it.

She had thought that their teacher was setting up new experiment devices, such as the particle colliders that were better and more powerful. What she saw puzzled her.

Stunned for a moment, Annick recognized the basic purpose of the magic circle. "A space-time magic circle? A Portal to Alternate Realm?"

It made him and the other visitors even more surprised and confused. Seeing that it was not an experiment device, they had guessed that the magic circle had special usages. For example, it might be able to complete certain special experiments in the microscopic domain or help the arcanists find the mysteries of electrons and the other microscopic particles. Little did they expect it to be a teleportation circle like a Portal to Alternate Realm! Was it of any use for the Atom Institution? Could they be teleported into an atom?

Lucien, whose back was against them, did not bother with their shock and curiosity. He walked into the laboratory unhurriedly and stood at the center of the magic circle. Then, he turned around and smiled at Katrina, Sprint, Annick, and Heidi. "You'll know what it is for after you try it."

"Master, you are so mean. My heart is exploding with curiosity!" Heidi said in an exaggerated manner. In the meantime, she hopped into the laboratory and stood next to her teacher. Sprint and the other visitors were full of questions, but they dare not delay, fearing that other people might steal their opportunity. So, they followed her into the laboratory.

"Heidi, you must tell me everything you see and feel later!" Layria raised her voice in admiration. She had raised her hand too slowly just now.

Lazar, Rock, and Jerome stood not far away and stared at them. Although they were rather curious themselves, they felt that it would be too embarrassing if they were to compete with the students since they were Lucien's friends and sort of "uncles" for Heidi and the other students. Even though the students had caught up to them in terms of arcana level and magic level, the feeling in the heart was difficult to change, unless they became a legendary sorcerer or a grand arcanist in only ten years just like Lucien did.

Lucien snapped his right hand, and all the magic patterns around them glittered. The light, which felt like ripples of water, at the beginning became as dazzling as the sunlight at noon.

The light gathered, and a small sun seemed to be rising at the center of the magic circle. It was incandescent but not scorching.

Gradually, the cluster of pure light was stretched into a gate that was two persons tall. Magic symbols were floating inside the flowing light.

Lucien extended his right hand. As if he had put on a silver glove, he pressed the gate of light hard, and the gate was immediately opened. Infinite brightness surged in, drowning Lucien, Heidi, Annick, and Sprint.

After the light was gone, Lucien and his students had already vanished, and the gate of light seemed to have lost all its vigor. It was lifeless and lackluster, as if it were made of pale rocks.

"I wonder what Heidi and the rest of them will see…" Chelly crossed her hands subconsciously.

…

The dizziness caused by the change of time and space came just as expected. Fortunately, the students, who were fifth-circle sorcerers right now, had abundant experience and already enhanced themselves with the spells that could resist the feeling. Therefore, they felt better very soon.

Heidi looked at the front eagerly before she completely got rid of the dizziness. She was too curious!

In front of her was transparent glass. Outside of the glass was the heaviest and deepest darkness that Heidi had ever seen. Boundless and endless darkness.

In the depths of the darkness, pale spots of light were shining brightly, pure and clear without any flash, which gave Heidi an inexperienced feeling of vastness and emptiness, as if her mind had been entirely calmed down. She felt that she was so insignificant and that the world was so enormous.

"This is…" Heidi completely forgot her dizziness. Her voice was as unpredictable as dream talk.

Sprint, Annick, and Katrina also looked at the endless darkness and light spots around, lost. They vaguely guessed something, but it was impossible for them to grasp it clearly.

Standing behind them, Lucien raised his right hand and pointed at the deep darkness and the light spots as he said with a sigh, "This is space."

"Space? The universe?" Heidi and the other students were suddenly back to themselves and hurried to look down.

It was still transparent glass under their feet. On the glass were layers of tiny magic patterns that were rippling now and then, as if they were offsetting and resisting something. Beneath the glass, on the other hand, was no longer a solid ground, an azure sky, or a blue ocean, but the darkness that was exactly the same as the surroundings. In the middle of the deepest and heaviest darkness, white and pure spots of light were embedded.

Surrounded by identical vastness and darkness in all directions, and looking at the clear, unblinking stars far away, every human being here found it impossible to hold back the loneliness and the sense of insignificance in their heart. They felt the deepest awe.

"This is the most beautiful space I have ever seen…" Heidi had been on adventures before. However, neither the night sky on the plateaus nor that on the ocean could compare to what she was seeing right now. This was an everlasting painting and the splendid cosmos that most arcanists dreamed about!

Katrina was as fascinated as Heidi. Who said that arcana studies did not tolerate romance? This was the greatest romance!

Sprint and Annick paid more attention to the significance of space. Therefore, after a brief fascination, they were back to themselves very quickly. Looking around carefully, they found that they were in a "glass room" that was the size of a regular laboratory. It was floating in the cosmos, with countless magic patterns shimmering on its surface and constructing magic circles.

What was inside the glass room was even more unbelievable. Sophisticated magic circles were everywhere. Some provided gravity, and some created air, turning the place exactly like on the ground. Of course, a fairly large proportion of magic circles had nothing to do with that at all. Instead, together with the alchemical platforms and the cyclotrons, they constituted a laboratory with full functions.

"Master, this is?" Sprint opened his mouth and asked, although he had basically guessed the purpose of the glass room.

Nodding, Lucien said with a gentle smile, "This is a cosmic observatory."

"A cosmic observatory?" Heidi and Katrina were woken up by their dialog and captured the term precisely.

Lucien pointed out. "It is universally known that the cosmos is full of weird rays of curses and other great dangers, such as extremely low temperatures and extremely high temperatures. Therefore, only archmages and those above dare to come here, but in fact, considering the unknown dangers in space, few archmages ever explored this place, leaving the vast universe to the legends.

"Our previous study indicated that the rays of curses are particles and electromagnetic radiations of different frequencies. Then, what about the curses of the rays in space? We searched for all kinds of materials and collided the particles again and again in order to find new things, didn't we? Cosmic rays are something we have barely studied before. It is possible that we can find something new out of it, which will help us unveil the next level of the microworld.

"In the past, the exploration and study work was mostly done by the legendary sorcerers. However, to find suitable rays in such a vast cosmos and to capture the unusual tracks during the countless experiments would take a long time and many experiments. Therefore, the legends haven't achieved much so far in that aspect.

"With that in mind, I filed an application to the Magic Research Board to build a 'cosmic observatory' that can resist the cosmic rays and support teleportation, so that the common arcanists can also be involved in the studies on the cosmic rays and the vast space. We will reduce the time cost by increasing the number of participants and the frequency of experiments."

Lucien introduced the background and guided his students to use the special experiment devices in the cosmic observatory to introduce the cosmic rays outside.

Heidi, Katrina, and the other students were all thrilled. Could they study the cosmos and roam space, too?

In the meantime, Heidi and Katrina had a weird feeling. A moment ago, they were still imagining what a great and romantic feeling it would be if they were sitting inside the cosmic observatory by themselves in the company of nobody except for the numerous stars outside of the window!

However, as their teacher introduced the cosmic observatory, as well as the magic circles and alchemical items in it, objectively with the jargon of arcana studies, the feeling of romance was immediately shattered without a sound. All they could notice was how to use this magic circle and how to process the data that they collected…

Lucien noticed that Heidi and Katrina did not look quite right, so he asked in confusion, "What's wrong? There shouldn't be any leak of cosmic rays in this place. Well, you must pay attention to the energy consumption of the cosmic observatory and change the magic gems in time. Solar energy cannot sustain for long…"

Heidi sniffed and interrupted Lucien, almost crying, "Master, give the romance of arcana studies back to me!"

Huh? Lucien raised an eyebrow, having absolutely no idea what was on the minds of his two female students.

Chapter 748: Rise of Space Exploration

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Layria, Chelly, and the other students stood outside of the small laboratory and watched the portal as well as the magic patterns that had dimmed. They were too reluctant to leave. They felt that a cat was scratching their hearts with its paw, and they could barely contain their curiosity.

After a long time, Alfalia finally said, "There's nothing we can do by standing here, and there's no telling when they will be back. Let's focus on our own business for now. After all, they will certainly tell us what they have experienced after they are back."

Heidi had always been willing to share as long as it was not anything confidential.

"Yes. There are a lot of scheduled experiments that we need to work on, a lot of data to be analyzed, new experiments to be designed, and new spells to be analyzed…" Layria only meant to agree with Alfalia at the beginning, but the more she talked, the more "hopeless" she felt her life was.

Lazar nodded his head and clapped his hands. After everybody's attention was attracted by him, he said with a brilliant smile, "Let's not stick here waiting. Nobody knows where Evans and the rest of them went, and how long will it take before they come back. Go back and finish your experiments first."

When he talked to Lucien and the friends they were familiar with, he mostly called him "Lucien" directly. However, in the Atom Institution, to show respect for the manager of the institution, he always called him "Evans" when he talked to the apprentice-level assistants.

"Yes, Mr. Lazar." Lowi and the other assistants looked back at the small laboratory, reluctant to leave. But they managed to hold back their curiosity and went back to their respective laboratory.

"I wonder where our teacher has been teleported to," Chelly said to Layria in confusion.

Layria thought for a moment and said, "It must be related to the studies in the microscopic domain, or our teacher wouldn't have put it inside the institution at all instead of applying for a new magic research program."

They talked and turned around as they enthusiastically speculated the destination of their teacher's magic circle. Although they would certainly learn the answer after Heidi was back, wasn't the greatest fun in such a curious thing all about guessing?

Layria and Chelly had taken only a few steps when they suddenly felt the outburst of magic waves behind them. Under the perception of their spiritual powers, the magic patterns inside the small laboratory glowed one after another, extracting energy from the Allyn magic tower and emanating silver and pure brilliance.

In the dreamy, brilliant view, the dimmed portal glowed transparently and dazzlingly again.

"They're back?"

"Has Mr. Evans come back?"

In their exclamations of confusion and excitement, Alfalia, Lowi, and the rest of them who were slowly pacing back to their laboratories jumped back like rabbits. They reacted so agilely and quickly that they seemed to have been waiting for this moment.

The gate of light suddenly burst out, and the pure, flawless light drowned the whole laboratory.

When it was gone, the portal also disappeared, but five new figures showed up at the center of the magic circle. They were Lucien and his students.

"Heidi, where did you go?"

"Heidi, what did you see?"

Layria and Chelly blurted out, asking Heidi at the same time, as if she had been a blabbermouth all the time!

Heidi heard her friends' questions before she recovered from the dizziness. She rubbed her head and chuckled. "You have absolutely no idea where we went. It was such a 'romantic' place."

"Romantic?" Lazar couldn't help but repeat. That was not the keyword he had in mind.

"Romantic…" Layria and Chelly found it impossible to imagine. They guessed many places, but none of them was even remotely associated with "romantic". This was the Atom Institution!

Heidi smiled gloatingly. "Yes, it's a very romantic place, more romantic than any romantic scene that I've ever seen!"

Seeing the surprise and confusion on her friends' faces, she felt a lot better.

"Well… Did you go to space?" Alfalia asked, not very confident about her guess.

After a brief daze, Heidi asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

"Did you really go to space?" Layria asked in shock.

Seeing that everybody was looking at her, Alfalia said shyly, "I just remembered a survey on an issue of 'Allyn Impression'. It's about the most romantic scene for sorcerers. The one ranked top was the starry sky at night, which could make one feel the vastness of the universe, the insignificance of human beings, and the transcendence of the river of fate. That's why I boldly guessed that you went to space…"

"It must've been the sorcerers of the school of astrology who took the survey!" Heidi grumbled. "Fine, Alfalia, your guess is correct. We did pay a visit to space. Our teacher has established a cosmic observatory there for us to study the cosmic rays and observe the passing-by asteroids. Layria, Chelly, you can't possibly imagine the feeling of standing in space. That is the boundless and endless darkness, where stars are embedded like dazzling white spots. They do not flash at all, like an everlasting painting."

The more she talked, the more excited she became. "Only after I came to space did I realize the insignificance of ourselves, the enormity of the whole universe, and the deepest awe from the bottom of my heart. The universe is more sacred than any gods in any propaganda! It was not until then that I truly understood what Mr. President said when he refused Pope Viken's temptation. For those who have seen the sea of stars and regard the stars as their goals, how can they be impressed by a 'god' that stays on a tiny planet?"

Heidi's description made the eyes of Layria, Chelly, Alfalia, and the other female sorcerers lose their focus, as if they were also standing in space and sharing the indescribable feeling. Layria, Jerome, and the sorcerers of the school of elements were also touched.

Lucien shook his head in amusement. Was the cosmic observatory of such educational significance? It could help the sorcerers establish healthy outlooks without being deceived by the Saint Truth?

"Master, when… when can we go to the cosmic observatory?" After hearing Heidi's description, Layria looked at Lucien, her eyes sparkling. Both her face and her movement suggested that she couldn't wait anymore.

Chelly, Alfalia, and the other ladies were the same. Lazar, Rock, Lowi, and the other gentlemen did not say anything and were trying to control themselves, but their passionate eyes still "betrayed" them.

Lucien chuckled. "This is meant for you to run experiments. Also, to save the cost of commutation, you have to stay for a whole week up there every time. One or two hours in space can be quite romantic, but what if the duration is longer? The overwhelming darkness, the absolute nothingness, and the everlasting loneliness will drive you mad even if you have five partners. It is not a feeling that can be offset by romance. You can only be slowly adapted to it. Also, you have to be mentally prepared for the adventure, or I will not allow you to go up there."

"Master, rest assured, I can stay silent for a whole month." Annick showed his attitude first.

Heidi, who was usually the perky one, frowned, but she still said, "Master, while we are up there, we will devote most of our attention to the experiments. However empty, dark, and isolated the place is, it will not affect us."

"In that case, you will draft your own research plan. I'll choose those who have the most thorough preparations." Lucien smiled.

Heidi said to Katrina and her friends quietly, "It's truly the demon's smile…"

For the romance of arcana studies, they dispersed quickly and began to work on the experiment plans to study the cosmic rays and the vast space.

"Layria, you won't truly understand what I felt until you really come to the cosmic observatory… I have already imagined a scene. I am sitting cross-legged inside the cosmic observatory by myself, surrounded by the empty and boundless darkness as well as the pure and shining stars in all directions. There are absolutely no creatures except for me… If only we could see the planet we're on. That feeling of looking down upon everything from above will be even more fantastic!" Heidi said to Layria without stopping. Everybody had their own description of romance.

Layria did not feel that Heidi was a chatterbox. Instead, she listened attentively and remarked with mixed feelings, "Even without the scene that you imagined, standing in space is already an experience that can make most arcanists jealous."

"Haha, particularly those guys from the Tower and the school of astrology. They would be bumping their heads into the wall in envy. If only they also had such a great teacher!" Heidi thought of certain friends she knew and laughed even more happily.

...

In the Tower…

Samantha was focused on the study of the newly-painted horoscope when she heard rapid footsteps coming near, before somebody knocked on her door.

"Rachel, why the haste?" When Samantha raised her head, the door opened and backed off on its own.

Rachel said excitedly and earnestly, "Mr. Evans has established an observatory in space for the studies of cosmic rays and horoscopes!"

"A cosmic observation?" Samantha repeated in shock.

"Yes. Heidi already went to this cosmic observatory and had a real journey in space. The experience she described was really… really…" Rachel hesitated for a long time but could not come up with an appropriate description, but the envy on her face couldn't be disguised.

Samantha stood up abruptly and mumbled, "A journey in space?"

The boundless cosmos was the most sacred and great place for every sorcerer in the school of astrology. Roaming in space was one of the momentums for them to try to become legendary sorcerers. But right now, they had a chance to go there in advance?

"Yes! The arcanists of the Tower are all seething! Somebody proposed that we should build one of our own, and somebody has applied to the Research Board, hoping to borrow the Atom Institution's cosmic observatory!" said Rachel in excitement. "Hurry up, let's draft a research plan of our own!"

Although Lucien's "cosmic observatory" was a gigantic level-nine objection that was very close to legendary and cost tremendous materials, it was not a legendary item after all. The Tower was still able to afford a couple of them.

Samantha remarked in confusion, "Have we begun the expedition toward the sea of stars already…"