Chapter 688: Four Choices
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Hearing Lucien's question, Aglaea thought for a moment and replied, "Legendary space-time materials are very rare. It's true that our people collected some in the past, but they were all dedicated to the craft of legendary items and the defense of our territory. There's nothing left. If you want similar materials, as far as I know, they can be found in four places. Firstly, the 'Blue Key', owned by the emperor of the Kuo-toans."
The emperor of the Kuo-toans was the Lord of the Boundless Ocean and a top legend. All water was his domain. Therefore, Lucien merely nodded after hearing that without giving any comment.
Aglaea went on. "Other than that, 'Danisos', the primordial time dragon of the Dark Congress, is the best space-time material by himself. Other remains of the primordial time dragons in the tomb in the Swamp of Dragons, if there are any, should probably be usable, too. However, the population of dragons has always been small, and time dragons are the rarest of all. Since the elves began to record, there have been no more than five primordial time dragons. So, it will also be very difficult."
Lucien frowned at the elvish queen's introduction. It was not exactly what he had in mind.
Aglaea changed the topic. "The remaining two choices are easier than the first two. There's a hidden level in the abyss that our ancestors named 'Chaotic Cosmos'. At the center of the Chaotic Cosmos, 'Time Plate' will be naturally condensed. Once it is taken away, the whole plane will constrict, nowhere to be found again. It will not reappear until a long time later when the core is formed again."
"The elves once obtained a 'Time Plate' and built an important part of our defense with it. If the demons in the Chaotic Cosmos haven't become lords, the 'Time Plate' will certainly be there."
The advancement of demons was different from sorcerers, knights, druids and other professions. On the surface, they made advancements by swallowing opponents of the same level, but in fact, they were simply trying to earn the feedback and reward of the abyss. Therefore, after uniting a certain level in the abyss, the demon would be given the power of the core of the level, which would improve its strength and turn it into a Demon Lord.
For the Chaotic Cosmos, if a demon had become a Demon Lord, it would mean that 'Time Plate' would have definitely been melted with it!
"'Chaotic Cosmos'?" Lucien chewed on the name. The Congress of Magic had never recorded this level before, and nor did the Magic Empire!
Atlant was also a bit confused. It was obvious that he had never heard about 'Chaotic Cosmos' before.
The elvish queen smiled. "That's because the Chaotic Cosmos can constrict and hide itself. Nobody knows about it except for our ancestors who discovered it by accident. If you are interested in it, Evans, I'll tell you the way to locate it."
"You have my gratitude." Lucien immediately said.
After giving the intelligence to Lucien through secret messaging, Aglaea said, "The fourth place is the Silent Hell. Before the former Ice Duke went missing, he found a very unique Stellar Core from the Stars' Grave. It is doubtless that this Stellar Core is still hidden somewhere in the Silent Hell. Perhaps, Tiphotidis hopes that he can be resurrected with it. The incumbent Ice Duke is still trying to find it."
The Congress of Magic hadn't told the elves that Tiphotidis had been killed by the joint attack of Rhine and Sard, because it was not too important a message.
"Resurrection…" Lucien clicked his tongue. Considering the style of the Master of Argent, he might've been really prepared for that. However, he was unlucky enough to encounter Rhine, who could summon the power of the Silver Moon, and Sard, who was capable of 'Light of Judgment'. Nobody except the demigods could've been resurrected after their dual attacks.
The cunning and sophisticated devil had been haunted by bad luck ever since Maskelyne sealed his reflection in Aalto in the World of Souls. At first, his many plans were sabotaged by Lucien. Then, he became a victim of somebody else's victim, and he didn't figure out what was going on even to his death. His life was truly a tragedy.
Focusing his attention, Lucien rose and expressed his gratitude again, stating that he would make a wise choice. The primordial time dragons had never wronged him, and it was not his style to just kill them for their materials. The Lord of the Boundless Ocean was the same. It was obvious that the emperor would not be happy to give him the Blue Key the moment they met. Therefore, he had only two choices, 'Chaotic Cosmos' and 'Silent Hell'.
He might encounter Maltimus in the Silent Hell, which was the demigod's home field. Therefore, Lucien was more inclined to the Chaotic Cosmos. However, in any case, he had to make pertaining preparations first. A reckless adventure was not expected of sorcerers.
After the dinner, Lucien, Natasha and the rest of them left the elvish tree and flew out of the elves' territory, ready to jump back to Allyn through the Atomic Universe.
"Master, I feel that the whole thing was weird. I believe that Mr. Ferragond was innocent, because Martha's behavior before her self-detonation was too strange, but why was Mr. Lankshear the criminal? Why did the elvish queen show up in time and stop him? She claimed that you discovered clues and informed her at the critical moment?" After her investigation with the police department, the soul of a detective had been awakened in Heidi. She asked the question that Annick and Katrina both wanted to ask.
Lucien chuckled and looked at them. "Lankshear was truly the mastermind behind the curtain. As for the truth of the matter, does it have anything to do with us? As long as the elves can live with it, there's no need for us to do anything redundant."
"So, something was really wrong?" Heidi was quite excited, feeling that her deduction had been proven.
Lucien, however, didn't offer any response but simply smiled.
That was the intelligence that only the Highest Council could know.
...
In Lance, the Holy City.
Benedict III's body changed nonstop. It spread out and then constricted, as if he were testing something.
Suddenly, his changes stopped, and his eyes somewhat squinted. He raised his platinum staff and performed divination.
"Gonheim, the Demogorgon of Darkness, has killed and swallowed the former Prince of Demons?" The demise of a top legend was an important thing, and Gonheim did not try to hide it. Therefore, Benedict III got a clear and accurate result. As for the transformation of the elvish queen, he got vague hints about it, too.
Benedict III put down his staff and paced back and forth, while he thought to himself, "Who told the way to become demigods to them?"
He suspected that a legend who obtained the way to become demigods from him intentionally leaked it to the Demogorgon of Darkness and the elvish queen. He intended to find out who it was and confirm his real purpose, although he would've spread the way to become demigods to the Stroop forest himself according to the original plan.
After considering for a moment, a red robe came in with the intelligence on the changes of the abyss. The Church always had experts who monitored the situation in the abyss and hell.
"Your Holiness, the Demogorgon of Darkness successfully ambushed the heavily wounded 'Prince of Demons' in the Abyssal Stomach and assimilated 'Ocean of Acids' into 'Frozen Fortress'. He is now the new Prince of Demons!"
Such a phase change caused the shock of the abyss. It was impossible to cover the traces. Therefore, similar reports quickly spread out in all forces and organizations.
...
Inside the Kingdom of Holm, in the forest next to a railway.
A kobold, who had dragon scales on his body, cockily looked at the other kobolds in ragged clothes around him and asked, "A convoy that is fully loaded with treasures will pass by later?"
"Yes, boss." A weaselly kobold replied obsequiously. That was the new leader of their tribe, who had come from the northland. Because he was very strong and could release the might of dragons, he killed their previous leader and ate him up easily.
Holding a stick that was fully embedded with nails, the kobold leader announced, "The blood power of dragons has been awakened in my body. I'm to become the great king of kobolds. You will serve me respectfully. That's your honor!"
Kobolds were a sub-dragon species with vague blood power of dragons.
"Of course, boss." The weaselly kobold, as well as his peers, kneeled on the ground.
Wu! Wu! Wu! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of sirens and the wheels crashing the railway came from far away.
The kobold leader sniffed. "There's no smell of any powerful sorcerers. Very good. You didn't lie to me. After we loot the treasures, we will get a lot of weapons, armor and food."
"Boss, you can stand before the iron monster and intimidate it with your dragon might. Then, we will attack it together, like how we rob other business teams." The weaselly kobold said, his eyes rolling.
The kobold leader was very confident in his dragon might. "That's not a problem. Even if the iron monster is not scared, whoever controls it will be. Dragons are the greatest species and above all the other creatures!"
He was very confident in his agility, too.
Clang, clang. The magic steam train approached, and the kobold leader jumped in the middle of the railway. Waving his nailed stick, he roared, "STOP!"
Horrifying pressure spread out, and all the little animals around were frozen in fear.
The kobold leader was about to smile in satisfaction, when he discovered that the iron monster did not decelerate at all but came at him straightforwardly at such a high speed that he didn't even have a chance to jump away.
BAM!
After a huge noise, the magic steam train went forward like before.
After the train was away, the weaselly kobold who was hiding nearby finally craned his head and looked at the railway, where there was nothing but a pulp of broken meat left.
"You wanted to enslave us?" The weaselly kobold spat at the remains.
"How hilarious! A bumpkin that didn't know anything wanted to enslave us!" The other kobolds all exclaimed in joy. That was the lesson that their tribe had learnt after wasting many lives. The Iron monster cannot be robbed!
They packed their things and went another way. Suddenly, they found a small business team. They waved their arms and charged forward.
The weaselly kobold was glad that they were finally earning something today, when an iron-box like monster drove from behind the business team. It rushed at the kobolds without slowing down at all.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The kobolds were blown away or crushed over one after another.
The weaselly kobold tried to look for the railway on the ground, but he didn't find anything. He shook his head in fear. "Human beings are truly terrifying…"
Inside the magic steam train, an elvish girl looked out of the window in confusion. "Your Highness, what was the noise about?"
Iristine smiled. "That was an outdated kobold. Leave him alone."
"Your Highness, have you really decided to go to a generic school instead of a magic school?" The elvish girl moved her eyes back and continued their topic just now.
Iristine nodded her head. "I'm a druid. I'm learning arcana just to expand my knowledge. It will be the same in either the magic school or the generic school. I can't follow the curriculum in the Holt Magic College at all. Also, I can observe the changes brought by arcana in generic schools. Rest assured. I'll often visit Allyn and meet Heidi and the rest of them."
The students in the First Generic School of Rentato, however, grew excited, because they heard that they would have an elvish princess classmate when the new semester began!
Chapter 689: Backup Power
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Clang, clang. The magic steam train ran quickly on the railway, and the beautiful view out of the windows moved backwards equally fast, dazzling Nodanielle, an elvish girl who had never taken such a vehicle before.
Wu! Wu! Wu! The siren echoed, and the magic steam train came to a stop.
"What happened?" Although it was the first time that Nodanielle had been on a magic steam strain, she had a basic understanding about the train as a girl who enjoyed listening to Arcana Voice. She knew that not stopping at railway stations usually meant accidents.
Iristine had been to the Congress of Magic a few times before. She immediately sensed the anomaly. Therefore, she cast a spell to her eyes and looked at the edge of the forest far away.
In the narrow area between the forest and the railway, hordes of crazy wildlife were attacking the human beings on the opposite side.
There were about a hundred human beings, who were in standard silver chain mail and solid helmets. They were standing in three rows, with black 'metal sticks' in their hands.
The animals that were attacking them were originally normal creatures, including tigers, wolves, rabbits and goats, but right now, bloodred scales had grown out of their bodies, with yellowish mucus flowing among the scales. Their eyes were bloodshot and full of the lust for killing.
"Demonization? A senior-rank demon snuck out of the Stroop forest?" Observed Iristine in astonishment. For her, such a scene was all too familiar. The same had happened to the animals in the Stroop forest a while before!
Nodanielle said in deep thought, "When the abyssal gap was suddenly expanded, the elders were busy dealing with the Sovereign of Blood and the Demon Dukes. The other demons were resisted by common warriors and the adventurers in Town of the Anonymous. It's perfectly normal that some of them ran loose…"
"Those demonized animals are very dangerous. How can Holm send the soldiers only at the level of knight squires to deal with them?" Iristine blamed herself after seeing the situation. The accident could've been avoided if Lankshear's sanity weren't consumed by his greed.
She stood up and was about to open the window of the VIP carriage, ready to assist the human soldiers to deal with the demonized animals.
BAM! BAM! BAM! After a series of noises, the overwhelming bloodthirsty animals seemed to be hit by invisible hammers, collapsing and bleeding.
"What's that?" It was not until then that Iristine really paid attention to the almost identical 'black metal sticks' in the human soldiers' hands.
Nodanielle observed carefully and suddenly remembered something. "It's very similar to the high-pressure steam rifles of the dwarfs!"
The dwarfs' steam civilization was a lost civilization, but the elves had a deep understanding about it thanks to the abundant collection of classics that had been gathered since the age of myths.
"No high-pressure steam backpacks… No smoke… Both hurt the enemy by high-speed bullets. The attack is as good as regular knights'…" Iristine identified the difference between the weapon and the high-pressure steam riles carefully.
BAM! BAM! BAM! Of the three rows of human soldiers, two squatted and one stood straight, shooting in turns and loading bronze bullets into their guns from their pockets now and then.
Iristine discovered that those bullets were engraved with simple magic pattern patterns. The vague air of alchemical matter could be felt.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Although the demonized animals were very fast, they saw nothing but the enemies in their bloodshot eyes, and they thought nothing but to tear the enemies into pieces and ate them alive. Therefore, it was easy to lock onto them. Also, the range of shooting was very wide. They could avoid one bullet but not a whole sector of bullets. So, their numbers plummeted, and dead bodies dropped everywhere.
"The bottom level of Holm has been significantly fortified by such weapons." Iristine said in a low voice, "They can organize more legions, and the legions that may hurt the real knights."
Nodanielle shook her head. "What's the point? They will be butchered irresistibly when they encounter high-level warriors, like the steam civilization in the past. They will suffer an equally heavy loss when they meet the sorcerers and knights who are capable of remote attacks."
"High levels advance from low levels." Watching the battle far away, Iristine said, "If such weapons and armors can be manufactured, like the popularized alchemical items have been, the Kingdom of Holm and the Congress of Magic will have great advantages in the battles below the senior rank."
In the past, a knight legion had five hundred knights at most, and a kingdom had only three to four such knight legions. The squires were basically useless, but if the weapons and armors could be popularized, it would mean that there were more knights. Knights were few, but knight squires were plenty. Still more were the ordinary people who could become squires!
Iristine went on. "Also, who knows whether or not the Congress of Magic has developed weapons with higher power and precision for the middle-rank and low-rank knights?"
"If they have weapons with longer range and higher speeds, together with anti-prophecy arrangements, wouldn't they be able to blow up the head of a sorcerer who doesn't have a passive defense from somewhere far away?" Having heard 'Arcana Voice' a lot, Nodanielle was particularly fascinated by head explosions.
At this moment, the conductor who was responsible for them walked in, intending to explain the sudden stop to them.
Hearing their conversation, the conductor smiled, "By the time such a weapon is developed, the defensive magic against it will certainly have been created. Also, it's possible that Spell Trigger and similar spells will become middle-rank spells."
His tone was full of the unique confidence of the sorcerers in the Congress in the past decades, about the Highest Council and the prospect of arcana!
"I believe in the research abilities of the Congress." Iristine expressed her friendliness.
Nodanielle, on the other hand, asked curiously, "I'm told that the Congress' research in the microscopic domain has stagnated since Mr. Evans proposed the observer effect, right?"
To satisfy the curiosity of the ordinary people, 'Arcana Voice' had added new programs that were similar to Herald of Arcana and Magic.
The conductor replied with apparent embarrassment. "There is indeed an argument regarding why microscopic particles show such uncanny properties, without a conclusion that convinces most people. However, it doesn't mean that the studies in the microscopic domain have stagnated. For example, the in-depth studies about fission made by the Lord of Storm and the Lord of Elements may give us a better source of power."
"Isn't fission very pollutive?" Asked Iristine, frowning.
The battle far away suddenly changed. From the few mutated animals left, a goat leaped out abruptly.
Its appearance changed drastically, with a pair of bat-like wings growing on the back. It was obviously a demon close to the senior rank!
Iristine became grave. A strong demon had indeed snuck out of the Stroop forest.
Right when she was about to aid the soldiers, when silver bolts of lightning struck glowingly.
Even the air seemed to be repelled during the glow. The demon did not even have the opportunity to dodge when its upper half body was bent backwards and blown up. Blackened pieces of its body fell like raindrops.
"This is…" Iristine saw a knight in silver armor at the edge of the forest. He had gold hair and a handsome, determined face, with a complicated, streamlined rifle in his hands.
Observing that, the conductor took a soft breath. "It's the Gauss Rifle that Mr. Evans developed. Only the experts close radiant knights and senior-rank sorcerers are capable of using it. Since it cannot be manufactured, there are only three of them right now. He seems to be Grand Knight John, from the Sword of Truth's Knights."
Nodanielle was relieved. If such a weapon could be manufactured without any user restraint, the senior-rank experts would be more or less threatened by them!
Wu, wu, wu. Clang! Clang! Clang! After the battlefield was cleaned up, the magic steam train was reactivated.
...
Inside the Atom Institution in Allyn.
Heidi was showing her new friends, Iristine and Nodanielle, around in the famous place.
The elves couldn't stop complimenting the institution that was full of fantasies and mysteries, but they did feel that it did not quite agree with nature and was more like a symbol of the sorcerers' conquest over nature.
"A few days ago, Mr. Lazar created a new element when he bombarded the atomic nucleus with the cyclotron. The new element exists stably and can be placed in the periodic table." Heidi pointed at the cyclotron before her proudly.
It was the first step that the sorcerers achieved in the field of creation under the guidance of the new alchemy. Nobody would ever doubt the new alchemy's correctness in that regard. It could really allow the sorcerers to transform other elements into gold that could steadily exist even after the magic effect was over! Although the ways hadn't been found out yet, it was only a matter of time now that theoretical foundation had been found.
Looking at the cyclotron before her, Iristine was lost for words for a long time. Had the sorcerers started to steal the power of nature under the glow of Mr. Evans' new alchemy?
Seeing that, Nodanielle changed the subject. "Heidi, how is your artificial intelligence going?"
Heidi said, not entirely satisfied. "Our research team is assembling a prototype with vacuum tubes and magic circles. Our teacher said that trying is always better than thinking, and that's the way we can find the problems. Since the final product was too large and heavy, and the computation speed was not high enough, many sorcerers said that it was probably good for nothing… But everything has to be improved gradually! After the studies on crystals go deeper, I believe that artificial intelligence will be a great complement for golems and alchemical lives!"
That was her best hope right now.
Hearing Heidi's complaint, Iristine and Nodanielle smiled at each other and comforted her.
...
Inside the Allyn magic tower, before the secret gate to the core of the City in the Sky…
"Master, have you finished the construction of the fission reactor?" Lucien guessed something after they reached their destination.
Despite their disagreement on the observer effect, Fernando was not hostile to Lucien because of that, and they kept their friendly teacher-student relationship. He nodded his head and said, "We modified some of the models according to your suggestion and completed a prototype reactor that can be used as the backup power source of Allyn."
After they reverse engineered fission, they had begun the studies in that aspect. However, because their analysis was not detailed enough and did not show them the function of neutrons, their progress was not fast. It was not until recently that they completely a fission reactor whose output was more powerful than the input.
...
In Rentato, in the district of workers where dwarfs gathered…
Augustus, the senior elder, was worshiping a silver, iron item devoutly, when Harold ran in. He covered his eyes and paid tributes first, "Supreme Steam."
Then, he put down his right hand and said to Augustus. "Senior elder, there's a compatriot outside who claims to be from the Kingdom of Dwarfs. He says that he is an emissary of the great God of Steam."
Chapter 690: A 'Minor' Experiment Accident
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Augustus continued his prayer after hearing Harold's report. Unless it was something very important, he would never interrupt the tributes to 'God of Steam', 'Lord of Life and Death' and 'Glowing Morning Star'.
After several minutes, Augustus stood up agilely and said, covering his eyes with his right hand. "Supreme Steam!"
That was a symbolic movement of prayer that he had designed after witnessing the explosion of Eternal Blaze in Rentato with consideration of the view of 'Atlantis' in his dream. It was like how the believers of the Saint Truth drew crosses!
"The Kingdom of Dwarfs?" Augustus finished his prayer and asked in confusion.
His face was healthily red, and he was wearing a special silver armor whose parts were connected through complicated mechanical craft. Filled with a delicate but cold sense of beauty, it was the ritual suit that he had designed for the God of Steam.
As the leader of dwarfs, Augustus was the honorary manager of many alchemical workshops. He did not have a lot to do, and the miserable life on the Night Highland was long gone. He was quite grateful and spent most of his time preaching and praising the God of Steam.
Because Rentato was not secluded, Augusta had a basic understanding of the continent. He knew that the surviving dwarfs had been gathered in the northwest of the Dark Mountain Range, where they established a kingdom named 'Dumute'. In the language of dwarfs, 'dumute' meant 'glory'. However, what they worshiped was Okun, the God of Valiance and Heit, the God of Craftsmen, instead of the God of Steam, the Lord of Life and Death, and the Great Existence Whose Name Must Not Be Invoked.
Therefore, Augustus was rather confused that an emissary of the God of Steam came from the kingdom of dwarfs.
Harold scratched his head. "I found it odd, too. The Lord has never issued any oracle asking us to go to Dumute. They do not worship the Great Lord, either…"
Puzzled as he might be, he had to be prudent since it concerned the Lord, and he dared not kick the guy away.
Cleaning his armor, Augustus picked up the steam hammer and said, "Bring him here."
Harold turned around and left. Very soon, he returned with a dwarf in leather armor.
The dwarf's face was covered in a gold beard, making it impossible to infer his age from his face.
He was rather polite in the way he spoke. "Honorable elder of the Night Tribe, I am Ham from Dumute. I am a temple warrior who serves the great God of Steam. I received an oracle a while ago, which asked me to contact you in Rentato so that you could really be embraced by the Lord."
"The God of Steam?" Augustus expressed his confusion, not entirely sincerely.
Ham nodded solemnly. "Yes. Not a long time ago, the great Lord Heit announced his real identity. As it turns out, he is not just the God of Craftsmen but also the God of Steam who has been looking after dwarfs for generations. It was only because he was sleeping that his incarnation walked the earth…"
He introduced what happened in the kingdom of dwarfs. "…The dusk of gods is about to come. Therefore, the Lord has been woken up from his sleep and arrived again. That's why you were freed from the Night Highland…"
"The God of Craftsmen…" Augustus recited the name quietly.
Seeing no apparent objection from him and Harold, Ham said solemnly, "The Lord hopes that you can spread His glory in Holm and let everybody praise His name."
While talking, he took out a dwarf figurine from his storage bag. It was holding a hammer, with its beard and hair stretching out, giving the feeling of sacredness and profundity.
"You must feel very strange that the reverends and cardinals of the Saint Truth can perform divine powers while you can't. That's because you have never passed the test of the Lord until right now! Just place the Lord's figurine on the altar and worship it according to this ritual, and the pious will be granted divine powers very soon, just like me!" Ham brought out a ritual book and announced. In the meantime, he stepped forward, his body glowing in ivory brilliant that called for reverence.
He was a 'Saint Warrior', a fake reverend who was more inclined to face-to-face battles. That was why he could perform the spell of God's Grant.
"A divine power…" Harold and Augustus both beamed with interest. It had been their greatest worry that the God of Steam never gave them any divine power.
Ham laughed and transferred the figurine and the ritual book to Augustus. "In the future, we will be fellows!"
After seeing Ham off, Harold came back. He looked at the stunned Augustus and asked, "Senior elder, do you believe what he said?"
"I don't." Augustus looked gloomily, "We are the dwarfs who left the Night Highland thanks to the grace of the great God of Steam. We are His favored people. Even if He has any oracle, it shouldn't be forwarded by an external dwarf; the Lord would've given it to us directly!"
The issue made him feel that his position as the senior elder was threatened. Always considering himself as a spokesperson of the God of Steam on the earth, he did not receive any oracle and had to wait for a common dwarf to inform him!
Therefore, after a brief contemplation, he firmly denied the possibility that the God of Craftsmen was an incarnation of the God of Steam, unless the Lord said otherwise to himself directly!
Until then, he would not waver at all but would continue his devotion. If words and divine power were enough to confirm that a being was the great God of Steam, all the fake gods would be Glowing Morning Stars!
Harold thought the same, but he was less determined. "What about divine power…"
If the God of Steam never granted divine powers to them, part of their compatriots would definitely be attracted by this. Also, he was personally fascinated by the divine power, too.
"Divine power? Can the common divine powers be compared to Eternal Blaze and Atlantis? Can they compare to the burst guns we manufacture?" Although Augusta was also tempted by divine powers, he was not intimidated at all. "The oracle of the Lord asked us to construct the Atlantis on earth. The development of Rentato fit the vision we saw perfectly. As for Dumute, you must know that everything there is underdeveloped and against what is expected of Atlantis!"
"By the time we can create a weapon of Eternal Blaze, will divine power deserve any attention?"
Harold nodded heavily. "The life in Rentato is the life that I always dreamed about. I feel that my every effort makes me closer to Atlantis!"
But it will be even better if there are divine powers! he thought to himself.
"Senior elder, what do we do?" He looked at where Ham left just now.
Augustus shook his head. "It's not a problem that we wait for the oracle instead of acknowledging Ham, but we cannot deal with him recklessly. What if this is a test of the Lord? We need to figure out a way to prevent him from getting in touch with other dwarfs…"
"But is there any way we can achieve that?" Asked Harold, upset.
...
In Allyn.
After opening the secret gate towards the core of the City in the Sky, Lucien and Fernando walked in, ready to observe the operation of the reactor and locate the possible flaws.
"…Introducing consciousness into the microscopic domain is pointless. The observer effect is more likely to be a reaction of the observing movement. It's not as subjective as you described." In the quiet channel, Fernando talked about Lucien's weird explanation on the microscopic particles again. "Hypotheses that are not based on mathematics are just poppycock."Read more chapter on NovelFull
He firmly believed in that, but he couldn't find a better explanation for now due to the limitation of mathematics, or he would've roared a long time ago.
Lucien smiled, "However, whatever the explanation is, we have to reserve a place for magic in it. I believe that the secrets of magic must lie in the microscopic domain."
Fernando rather agreed with that. If the source of magic couldn't be found in the most peculiar microscopic domain, it would be impossible to find it in other fields. "Interpreting the spiritual power and the power of faith as special electromagnetic waves is not bad, but the problem is, why would godhood be gathered, and why could magic be performed, when the special electromagnetic waves are gathered?"
Their conversation was not as intense as last time.
After opening another gate that had complicated magic patterns, Lucien saw the fission reactor inside. Different from Earth, a lot of parts were not needed on the reactor thanks to magic. The nuclear energy was even directly transformed into electricity and other forms of power. It looked less gargantuan and more delicate and mysterious.
Glittering streams of energy flowed to different parts of the City in the Sky through different channels, sustaining its operation as a backup source of power. In this room that had a coverage of several dozen square meters, the flickering light added an air of profundity and mysteriousness to everything.
At the center of the room was black-and-white magic circles, which were connected into the complicated fission reactor.
"It looks normal." Lucien approached and looked around.
Suddenly, the rows of red lights on the wall all shined, and a terrible storm spread out of the center of the reactor.
"Danger! Magic circles out of control! Top protection activated!"
Prospell's voice echoed.
Complicated magic patterns glittered, and the defense of Allyn blocked the place where the reactor was at!
Because teleportation was forbidden here, Lucien could only seize the time to perform 'Space Staff'.
Ripples of light glittered, and many different spaces were added to Lucien, making him seem to be in a different world.
BOOM!
An intense explosion took place at the center of the reactor. The dazzling light and the super-high temperature melted everything they could. Then, the terrible tempest of energy blew at the space-time barrier and gradually disappeared in different worlds.
After the explosion, Lucien opened his eyes and discovered that only several layers of the defense were broken. He was not greatly affected.
"What went wrong?" Fernando looked at the traces of meltdown with obvious confusion and reflected on the design of the reactor.
Lucien was more or less anxious just now, but after experiencing a reactor explosion in person, he came to the understanding that this was not Earth, and reactor explosions might cause no damage at all.
Fernando walked out of the barrier after enhancing himself with magic. Exposed to the overwhelming radiation, he began to examine the remains carefully.
"This place is enshrouded in curses. They must be cleared." He said casually.
"Yes. Let's clean them with Eternal Blaze." Lucien also replied casually. Then he saw his teacher glaring at him.
...
Staying in a room in a small hotel, Ham walked back and forth in delight. That 'God of Steam' hadn't granted the believers any divine power. It seemed that his mission could be accomplished easily now! Even if the senior elder had other plans, it would be easy for him to steal the guy's power!
Dum, dum, dum. Somebody knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Asked Ham warily. He also checked the stranger with the few divine powers he knew.
"Dear guest, please open the door. The roasted fish with honey you ordered is ready."
Chapter 691: God of Craftsmen
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
"Roasted fish?" Ham subconsciously repeated. He finally remembered that he specifically ordered the famous local specialty as a reward for himself just now.
Although the food of Holm was too dull and tasteless for the gourmets, the roasted fish of different flavors was still a nice entertainment for the short-time visitors of the place. For example, the roasted fish with honey on Landel Avenue was famous worldwide, and every visitor in Rentato would go there to enjoy it. Ham was no exception. However, since it was inconvenient for him to go out with his mission, he could only order the food with the wired phone in the hotel.
Ham was much more relieved after ascertaining the door knocker. He scanned with his divine power and saw that it was a young waiter outside. So, he went to the door and was ready to open it.
"Mister, please open the door. The roasted fish with honey you ordered is here." Bam, bam, bam. The waiter outside seemed to feel that he lacked manners in the way he addressed the customer just now and knocked on the door again.
"Why the rush?" It was something unique to Holm. Ham had never experienced similar things in Dumute. He shook his head in amusement. Phone orders were only available in Rentato where phones were most promoted.
The moment he opened the door, the fragrance of roasted fish entered Ham's nose. Right when he was drooling hard, two shadows suddenly lunged out of a corner. One of them tied Ham's legs, and the other covered Ham's upper half body, making it impossible to see or hear what was around him.
"Enemy!" Ham was both shocked and infuriated. He only opened his door to accept his roasted fish with honey, and he was attacked!
His muscles bulged, and his eyes were covered in vague berserker redness. Darkness flashed on his skin that was exposed to the air, while he jerked away from the boundary of the shadows.
The blood power of dwarfs was the intimacy with machinery. Their physical strength was relatively higher, but there was nothing special about it. That was why the dwarfs from the Night Highland could not activate their blood power like human beings. However, the dwarfs who failed to migrate to the Night Highland became experiment subjects in the Magic Empire. After melting the blood of the barbarians and the swamp gnomes, the blood power of dwarfs mutated into a somewhat strong blood power.
After their blood power was activated, the dwarfs would have a physical strength and defense that was as good as barbarians of the same level. They would also be given the ability of berserkers. Ham, on the other hand, was exactly a warrior whose blood power had been activated.
His strength burst out and dispersed the shadows. Ham blinked away to avoid the subsequent attacks, before he drove away the darkness that had enshrouded him with divine powers.
At this moment, the young waiter standing on his opposite side raised the tray that contained the roasted fish and knocked Ham's head so fast that he couldn't dodge at all!
There was no telling what the tray was made of, but Ham was dizzy and saw countless gold stars shining before his eyes. The soft meat of the fish, on the other hand, dripped past Ham's eyes, nose and entered his nose with the fragrance.
Under such circumstances, Ham finally got a taste of the roasted fish with honey that he had long expected.
It tasted not bad at all!
While his brain was still sluggish, the shadows came back again. The ambushers launched marvelous spells again and soon broke Ham's defense.
At the turn of the stairs, Buck, the senior policeman of Rentato, watched the intense but limited battle. After the three experts of the intelligence department pressed Ham to the ground and tied him with the armband and necklace that could restrain blood powers and divine powers, he said to himself in amusement. "Interested in dwarfs? Do you not know that the kingdom has been paying attention to them closely? The intelligence personnel got their eyes on you immediately after you reached out to Harold. Tsk. Roasted fish with honey?"
He was ordered to cooperate with the intelligence personnel in case the ordinary people around were hurt.
Nobody knew exactly who the God of Steam was, but the leadership of the Congress and the grand nobles of the kingdom had basically guessed. It couldn't have been anybody other than Lucien Evans. Arthur Doyle could prove that Lucien navigated the dwarfs out of the Night Highland, and the dwarfs regarded Eternal Blaze as a symbol of the God of Steam after witnessing it, claiming that they saw it in Atlantis in their dream. Therefore, everybody considered dwarfs as Lucien's 'territory'.
For the Congress, it was merely a misunderstanding of the dwarfs and not about the dissemination of faith. In the kingdom, on the other hand, having been confirmed by Lucien about his association with them, Natasha had instructed the intelligence department to watch them closely.
Buck retreated after Ham was taken away. The operation ended quickly without causing any major fuzz. The traveler next door even did not notice that a secret arrest happened just now. He was still mumbling to himself, "Roasted fish with honey… does smell good. Should I order one, too?"
...
In the secret intelligence apartment of Holm…
In the basement, having received the report, Natasha decided to interrogate him in person. She suspected that it had something to do with the secrets of demigods that Viken spread in secret.
In a simple cream-colored hunting suit, she stood before Ham, her arms crossed, and repeated the information she just obtained. "Heit, the God of Craftsmen, defeated Okun, the God of Valiance, in the annual summer ritual. Afterwards, Okun admitted that Heit was an incarnation of the God of Steam and respected him as the overlord of the dwarf gods. Heit took the chance to announce his identity and sent envoys to contact the dwarfs of other tribes in the continent."
"So, he got his eyes on the pious dwarfs of Rentato and intended to take advantage of the God of Steam who could not grant divine powers… Hehe, I'm afraid that Okun is no longer the Okun he used to be."
She did not sound solemn but rather amused, as if it were not an important matter but just a folly.
The religions of fake gods which rose at the beginning of the War of Dawn were not weak. Different from the fake gods like Ell in the alternate dimensions, the gods of such religions were usually legendary, like the mother God of the earth, the Master of Darkness, the God of Valiance and the God of Craftsmen. There were about eight legendary fake gods.
As to why they were not restrained by godhood or affected by the gathered power of faith like Ell did, whose self-awareness and soul were disrupted by the invading consciousnesses, the Congress of Magic did not understand the reason at the beginning, but after discovering the secrets of the ancient sorcerers in the World of Souls, they basically understood what it was about.
They must've been the products of the ancient sorcerers during the studies of gods. Instead of melting themselves with the power of faith directly, they had replaced themselves with special divine items first and finished the melting at the end. The problems were less severe this way.
Ham was only one meter tall. Shaking his dizzy head, he was full of ire when faced with Natasha before. He had been faithful and refused to say anything until the lady who was more terrifying than gods and dragons came in. After her silver and purple eyes glared at him, he was so overwhelmed that his soul seemed to be cut and minced by knives, and he confessed everything he knew.
Natasha was so tall that Ham had to crane his head in order to see her face. He shouted angrily, "You have desecrated the great God of Steam. You shall be punished!"
"I do not like other people calling themselves God of Steam. Please ask Heit to change his name, or he might have no name anymore, because dead people, no, dead gods do not need names." Said Natasha half jokingly.
Suddenly, bright gold light burst out of Ham's body, and the heart of faith consumed him, turning him into a swirl of gold brilliance.
A voice of exasperation echoed from the swirl. "I am very mad at your disrespect!"
And the consequences would be dire… Influenced by Lucien, Natasha finished the sentence for him, while she thought to herself in amusement that the guy had indeed arrived.
The swirl immediately turned transparent. A dwarf wearing a gold, hallowed armor could be vaguely seen. He was holding a heavy silver hammer that was fully loaded with patterns.
"Accept your judgment!" Heit waited the silver hammer angrily, turning the gold swirl into the same shape before smashing it at Natasha.
A silver sword suddenly glittered. After a flash, the gold swirl was shattered into pieces, and the illusionary, hideous cracks cut the many obstacles in between through obscure connections and slashed Heit unstoppably!
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Heit's painful roar came through the last bit of gold light and echoed in the chamber for a long time.
Looking at the disappearing gold swirl, Natasha shook her head. "I still cannot carry out the power of the Sword of Truth under such circumstances…"
As a matter of fact, she could carry out the power of the Sword of Truth more because of her blood power and her hard work. If the common level-one legends were as strong as her, Heit wouldn't have arrived recklessly to teach her a lesson at all.
Heit was a level-two legendary god. He thought that in a remote battle through the heart of faith, Natasha's Sword of Truth couldn't be so horrifying without really hitting the target, and he could deal with the general attacks. As a result, he suffered a major setback.
...
Inside the Atomic Universe…
Natasha looked at Lucien in amusement. "Ever since Viken secretly spread the way to become demigods, the competition of faith has become heated. Your steam dwarfs will definitely be coveted. I don't think you can maintain them without granting them divine power. Hehe. How are you going to deal with them?"
"I don't think it's a big deal. That is not my path." Lucien scratched his chin and smiled. "However, I am happy to do what certain people want me to do. As for Heit, I need to find a chance to 'talk' with him properly."
Natasha chuckled and found it interesting. It was not until they discussed it for a long time that she finally changed the subject with great interest. "What's the paper on your desk?"
"Basics of Mathematics. The mathematical development in the Congress is uncoordinated and unsystematic. I'm planning to sort through the knowledge such as sets and topology and establish a whole system. Well, it also includes certain mathematical conundrums and paradoxes that I haven't figured out yet. I hope that the development of mathematics can be bolstered by working on those questions."
Chapter 692: Divine Power
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
"Mathematical conundrums that even you can't fix?" Natasha was immediately full of interest after hearing Lucien's words. She picked up the paper before Lucien in the spirit that the ignorant are fearless. Turning the pages quickly, she found the ten conundrums listed at the end of it.
"The four-color theorem… Lucien Conjecture… barber paradox" Natasha read the questions softly, before she was caught in a long silence.
Amused, Lucien looked at her. "How about it? Any thoughts?"
Natasha was suddenly woken up, as if she had been in a nightmare. She scratched her chin habitually and said, "Tricky questions. Yes, they are very tricky questions that require the efforts of all the arcanists in the Congress. Right, Lucien, what do you think of the current situation?"
"I remember you asking me the question not a long time ago." With a smile, Lucien tapped the table softly.
Raising her head, Natasha said solemnly, "Don't you always say that things are permanently changing, that stillness is relative and motion and changes are absolute? It's been many days since I last asked you, during which time many events, such as the explosion in the fission reaction and the transformation of godhood, have occurred. Of course our opinion on the situation must be updated!"
"It has occurred to me that you are getting more and more colloquial." Lucien teased her.
Natasha pressed her left chest with her right hand and bowed in the manner of a gentleman. Smiling, she said, "I have to thank you for your guidance, professor. Your extraordinary understanding in so many aspects have opened a new gate for me. Hahaha."
As she approached the end, she seemed to recall a hilarious joke and laughed so hard that she could barely stand straight.
Lucien's lips twitched, somewhat regretting that he had told too many meaningful jokes to Natasha. "…In fact, the current situation is both clear and complicated. Ever since Viken spread the way to become demigod, we have entered the age of rivalry: top legends hope to become demigods, common legends try to reach the peak, and the non-legends attempt to advance into legends."
"The rivalry is not just between individuals but also among races, forces and organizations. If you are slightly behind, you may get killed. Even if you survive it, you will still be weakened, and you have to work a hundred times harder to catch up. Also, Viken's way requires faith, which means cruel competition. Everybody can be a friend, and everybody can be a foe."
Natasha's smile was gone after hearing Lucien's interpretation. "I never thought that Thanos and Viken's way is normal. It is too problematic and cruel. Perhaps, this will be an age of fierce competitions, but I will not surrender because of that. I'll find my own path."
"Me, too." Lucien did not talk much.
Natasha patted Lucien's shoulder. "It's relatively easy for me to make progress from level one of legendary, but it's difficult for you to reach the peak. Whatever you really think, and whether or not you will walk on Viken's path, many people will consider you their competitor."
Lucien understood what Natasha was trying to say. He nodded solemnly. "For both myself and you, I will not stop pressing forward. No obstacles can stop my advancement!"
After seeing the mysteries of immortality, Lucien had a guess about the differences and similarities of the two worlds, but it still required the confirmation of more phenomena. Therefore, he dared not make advancements by proposing the quantum field theory and the standard particle model. After all, his head might explode if there were any disagreement!
"Dozens of level-three legends, and a dozen of top legends. Your 'opponents' are not weak at all." That being said, Natasha's eyes were glittering with confidence in Lucien.
As they looked at each other, the atmosphere gradually became warm. Lucien pulled Natasha and was ready to kiss her, when Natasha suddenly said, "Right, what about the pollution caused by the fission reactor? How are you going to deal with it?"
Lucien looked at her, amused. "You are truly an expert of ruining atmospheres…"
Natasha chuckled proudly. "I'm caring about the grave pollution problem as a qualified ruler!"
"So, it was on purpose…" Lucien rubbed his temples and said with a vague smile. "I proposed that it be cleaned with a lesser Eternal Blaze, but my teacher rejected it. So, he's the one taking care of it now."
...
BOOM!
Inside the Atom Institution, Heidi, who was dedicated to the production of vacuum tubes with magic circles and alchemical items, almost fell under the earthquake. Thankfully, she stabilized her body in time by casting instant spells.
"What's going on? Why is the City in the Sky shaking again?" Caught unprepared, Iristine and Nodanielle could only clutch the metal tubes on the wall.
The new semester was still more than half a month away. Iristine took the opportunity to visit Allyn with Nodanielle and make friends with the distinguished sorcerers through Heidi.
Looking at Chelly and the assistants like Lowi and Alfalia who fell due to untimely reaction, Heidi shook her head helplessly. "How do I know? This is the City in the Sky. There shouldn't be any earthquakes. The wind in the sky cannot pass the half-activated defense at all."
Then, she suddenly realized something. "The shake we experienced last time was caused by the explosion in the fission reaction according to our teacher. Is it another accident? That's not right. The other reactor was shut off after the previous accident."
Having not experienced the horror of the fission reaction, she talked about the meltdown of the reactor as if it were nothing more than an accidental damage of a certain magic circle in her laboratory.
"The fission reactor… I hope that no major pollutants are caused…" Iristine said in a low voice worriedly.
At the core of the City in the Sky…
Looking at the chamber where the pollution had been basically cleared, and the wall and the floor which were even more melted and damaged, Fernando nodded in satisfaction. "Eternal Blaze is most effective after all…"
He refused Lucien's suggestion and looked for other ways to clear the curses and pollutions, but they would've all taken at least a month. Better ways were not invented yet. Therefore, too impetuous and too busy studying why the reactor went out of control, he went on a rampage and released an Eternal Blaze whose power was reduced in the spacious room, which prompted the highest defense of Allyn to be activated again.
After the boom, the whole world was clean…
...
A month later, in the district of workers where dwarfs gathered in Rentato…
Augustus, leading Harold, Myrna and the central people of his clan, kneeled before the silver 'nuclear bomb', holding their weekly ritual of prayer.
Although Ham, the emissary of 'God of Craftsmen', went missing mysteriously, and what Augustus and Harold worried did not happen, such things might happen again now that they had already happened. The fat and defenseless prey would only catch incessant predators. Therefore, with the severe sense of crisis, they fortified their people's faith in the real God of Steam through various rituals and activities to be better united, in case they were dazzled by other people's divine powers and attracted to them.
They were not worried about the other fake gods, but the God of Craftsmen, who was also a dwarf, would definitely crush their seemingly tough foundation easily. After all, for the dwarfs from the Night Highland, it would not be a change of faith when they discovered 'the incarnation of the God of Steam on earth'! Such bragging was barely resistible without the oracle from the Lord!
"You dominate everything. You master the boundary between life and death. You're the King of the kings, the God above the gods."
Augustus covered his eyes with his right hand and kneeled deeply. Eclipsed by his solemn voice were his anxious and expectant thoughts, "Great God of Steam, please grant your devout believers divine powers, so that we can defend your honor, practice your doctrines, and construct Atlantis on earth."
No matter how the Congress of Magic revealed the 'real appearance' of the God of Truth and the other fake gods to the intelligent creatures convincingly, as long as divine powers still existed, the foundation of faith would be unshakable. Countless believers would still believe in the existence of the true god!
In a religion without divine powers, the bond among each other was so weak that it would crumble under the first wind! After they left the Night Highland and reached Rentato, too many dwarfs had been fascinated by the marvelous world, corrupted by entertainment and violence, and addicted to the Holmish Church and the Congress of Magic.
"My Lord, we are not impious, but even the deepest faith has to be maintained by power…"
Augustus prayed earnestly and hopefully in his heart again.
The ritual reached the end. Exactly like every time before, the God of Steam did not reveal any miracle.
Harold was more or less disappointed, but what happened to the Night Highland made him dare not to complain.
Augustus was equally frustrated, but when he was about to rise, his head suddenly hummed, and he felt that colors faded around him, leaving only the ivory brilliance and the silver 'nuclear bomb' before him!
Then, he felt the most overwhelming power rising from the nuclear bomb and connecting to his soul.
His soul somehow trembled, as if he were faced with a high and mighty being, like the boundary starry night he looked up to every day!
"What I grant you are the mysteries of steam and the essence of machinery. After you grasp them, they will be as intimidating as divine powers…"
Augustus felt that his soul was floating and melting into the ivory light nearby, turning into a sacred and pure cluster of light!
"…I grant you divine powers for you to survive in the 'dusk of gods' to happen soon, and for you to learn what steam really represents and what Atlantis really means through comparison…"
"…Whoever leaks the secrets of the divine power will lose the power and be punished!"
The hollow and profound sound echoed next to Augustus' ears, filling his heart with delight.
Harold, Myrna and the other dwarfs looked ahead, confused and shocked. The silver sacred item released gentle and holy brilliance.
The pure and holy brilliance enshrouded the senior elder on the ground, making him hallowed and rise nonstop!
Suddenly, Augustus stood up, and the ivory light around him rippled out layer after layer, which made Harold, Myrna and the other dwarfs feel lighthearted, vigorous and peaceful!
Is… Is this divine power?
Shedding tears, Augustus raised his right hand and covered his eyes, before he shouted:
"You are one, and everyone!"
Harold, Myrna and the rest of them kneeled on the ground again and prayed in overjoy and astonishment:
"We shall defend your doctrines, so that the holy name of steam will reach the pinnacle again!"
Chapter 693: 'Holy Name' of the God of Steam
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Augustus put down his right hand and covered his eyes and said solemnly, "The Lord has heard our prayer and granted us divine powers, so that we can disseminate his glory and preach his doctrines."
"This is the best compliment for our devotion!"
As he spoke aloud, the ivory brilliance around him surged into gold sunlight and surged towards all directions, drowning Harold, Myrna and the other dwarfs.
Harold immediately sensed another improvement of his strength. He became excited and filled with desire for battle, fearless of desperation or pain!
That was the feeling of the real warriors!
That was 'Warrior Tide', a level-five divine power, and the best that Augustus could achieve so far!
At this moment, the concerns and sense of crisis in Augustus' heart were gone. It was not true that the great God of Steam could not grant divine powers, He simply preferred steam and machinery. Therefore, the senior elder smiled solemnly. "I listened to the lecture of the Lord and understood that the greatest secrets of the world lie in steam and machinery. If we grasp them, we will boast the strength that is beyond divine power, such as weapons which can produce Eternal Blaze."
"The Lord told us that divine power is just a temporary weapon that we can protect ourselves in a certain phase of our journey but not the thing that we should depend on and preach His doctrines with. After we live through the phase, we will naturally drop the divine power and devote ourselves to steam and machinery, so that we can dig out their mysteries and possess the real power of ourselves with our own work. Only in such a way will we be able to establish Atlantis on earth.
Harold, Myrna and the other dwarfs all prayed, "Great God of Steam, you look after us and master the supreme power. May we reestablish a glorious steam civilization under your protection!"
Augustus hesitated for a moment, but when he thought of the hallowed air and the marvelous divine power, he still said solemnly, "You will pray before the divine item in turns. The Lord will grant divine power to those who are pious."
What?
Really?
Harold, Myrna and the other dwarfs were hit by wild joy again. After witnessing what happened just now, they thought that it was a special favor from the Lord to their senior elder, and that the believers who more or less wavered in their heart like themselves had to wait longer before they received divine power with their actions.
It never occurred to them that the great God of Steam would grant them divine power without holding any grudge!
"You are the embodiment of virtues, and you teach us the truth of benevolence."
Harold and the other dwarfs covered their eyes with their right hand again and prayed sincerely. They felt that their mind was empty and their faith was even purer. Tears of joy were even flowing out of their eyes.
Then, Harold reached before the silver 'nuclear bomb' and recited the content of 'Mechanical Apocalypse'.
The noise was suddenly gone. Myrna and the other dwarfs looked at Harold attentively and hopefully. Would the Lord show favor?
Suddenly, another pure and brilliant light shot out of the silver sacred item. It illuminated Harold as if it covered him with a holy overcoat, making him look like an 'angel' in the Saint Truth.
A divine power had truly been granted!
Myrna and the other dwarfs were thrilled. They had witnessed a miracle and the Lord's favor over the dwarfs in person!
Harold's vibe grew exponentially and did not stop until he reached the level of bishop.
Augustus was more or less relieved after that. According to the standard of divine power, he was a level-five bishop, and Harold was a level-three one. He was still the leader of the night dwarfs and the archbishop of the Steam Church!
After that, the dwarfs prayed before the divine item in order, but not all of them got the seed of faith and grew the heart of faith. Only ten or so dwarfs, including Myrna, were given divine power. Correspondingly, only Myrna and Aquinas became level-three bishops like Harold.
However, the other dwarfs did not complain, because those who were given divine powers were the most pious believers and who became leaders for their 'devotion'. After they became leaders, they had to pretend to be pious even if they were not so, or they wouldn't be able to command their subordinates at all.
After the ritual was over, Archbishop Augustus stood before the divine item and said solemnly, "The divine power contradicts our purpose to construct Atlantis on earth. Therefore, the Lord asks us not to brag about it, or we may be lost in power. He reminds us to keep it a secret and only show it in front of the believers. Whoever tells it to outsiders or performs divine power before outsiders without necessity will be deprived of the power and punished!"
As a matter of fact, he didn't quite understand why the great God of Steam gave such an oracle, but after experiencing the miracle, he dared not suspect it at all.
Even less courageous to question it were Harold, Myrna, Aquinas and the other dwarfs, who covered their eyes with their right hand:
"Your instruction will be obeyed. You are the Lord of Life and Death, the King of the kings, the God above the gods."
The ivory brilliance inside the silver 'divine item' became dim. If an archmage or a legend were here, they would see a vast universe inside the brilliance, in which the stars were releasing light of different colors.
Inside the Atomic Universe…
Lucien was floating above a relatively stable planet of silicon. Before him was an altar of complicated magic patterns, and on the altar was the effigy of a bad dwarf.
The effigy was made of manually-polished metal parts and emitted a cold, mysterious vibe. The dark green tattoo engraved on the head seemed to be releasing metal electromagnetic waves nonstop.
Sacred and solemn light was gathered on the statue from the void, flying in and out, until they were gradually melted, presenting the feeling of vastness and transcendence.
The unmelted spots of light danced like little angels. If one were to listen attentively, they would hear different prayers and compliments, which turned the space pure and holy.
Divine power flowed from the effigy into the altar and absorbed the power of magic from the altar. They were never more harmonious in such a situation!
"It's a pity that the heart of faith contradicts the cognitive world, or we will be able to perform divine power without the assistance of items." Four other people floated next to Lucien. They were Douglas, Fernando, Hathaway and Natasha. It was exactly Douglas who made the remark.
Although sorcerers could partly construct their cognitive world with faith, like Artil did, who did not have a brain explosion but was swallowed by the holy light when his cognitive world collapsed, it did not mean that he could perform divine power, unless he completely modified his cognitive world into the heart of faith. By the same logic, no clerics except for demigods in the superposition state could construct their cognitive world and perform magic with the heart of faith.
Lucien nodded. "The two of them are based on different things. One of them is founded on the nature and secrets of the world with one's own knowledge, and the other is obtained by changing one's ideas into the god he believes. In this experiment, I would like to find out the details of the secrets of the demigods."
This was a path to gods that Thanos and Viken improved. It was different from the primitive ways that the fake gods like Dark Dragon Lord used for their advancement.
"Existence justifies itself. Whether or not we admit it or walk on it, the very existence of 'gods' suggest another facet of the nature of the world. Therefore, we must study them instead of running away. Lucien, your studies on them are very valuable." Douglas was rather open-minded about that.
Lucien smiled. "I hope Mr. President, master and Granny Hathaway can keep it a secret for me. Since we concealed the way to become demigods earlier, I fear that this thing will make the other members of the Highest Council suspicious of me. Let's keep silent until we have some results."
He was merely notifying the few grand arcanists of his new work.
"Acting so mysterious. I don't know what you are up to at all." Fernando glared at Lucien. In his eyes, such a reason was too far-fetched, but he did not point it out and decided to see what his student was really planning to do.
Taking out her notebook, Hathaway studied the previous questions with the altar and the special divine item. "You can only grant ten dwarfs divine power?"
"A lot of the power of faith that the effigy gathered in the past is gone due to the lack of dependence. The power left is not enough to grant five people at all. Thankfully, I exchanged a few advanced divine items of the Saint Truth, which gave the power a high divine power. I can't do any better than that right now." Lucien explained in great detail.
After Douglas, Fernando and Hathaway left with the firsthand data, Natasha looked at the effigy of dwarf with great interest. "I never knew that you had such a queer taste. You like tattooed baldies…"
As for it being a dwarf, she found it more or less understandable. After all, it was a God of Steam designed for dwarfs.
Lucien chuckled. "This effigy of dwarf is named 'Yuri'."
"Yuri… What's the connection?" Asked Natasha in confusion.
…
In the Tower…
Sitting inside her unique library, Samantha looked at the air before her. She seemed to be hearing low or loud voices echoing in the room.
"Now, what I want to say is that something may be wrong with determinism, because certain processes are probabilistic and irreversible…"
"Determinism must die…"
For a long time, those words had been haunting her like a nightmare, making her lost, overwhelmed and frustrated. What was most horrifying was that the experiments completed so far all indicated the uncertainties and probabilities of microscopic particles.
Pressing her forehead, she said in a low voice, "Arcana needs to live, so determinism must die?"
Her voice was full of bitterness and resistance.
Dum, dum, dum. She heard rapid footsteps outside, and they did not seem to come from one person. She opened the door, only to discover that the Tower sorcerers were gathering in a certain room.
"What happened?" Samantha saw her good friend, Rachel.
Rachel looked lost and painful. "Havin killed himself…"
"He did?" Asked Samantha in surprise. Suicide? Not died of a brain explosion but killed himself?
No important experiments could confirm uncertainties and probabilities yet, and the only problem was that the thought experiments could not deny them. Therefore, even though Havin was a hardcore supporter of determinism, the stability of his cognitive world shouldn't have been affected.
It also left enough buffer for the rest of them.
"Perhaps, he was devastated by the development of arcana…" Said Rachel in a low voice.
Chapter 694: Book of Demons
Under the help of the tower guard, the sorcerers who arrived early opened the closed gate, revealing what was inside the room to Samantha and Rachel clearly.
It was a clean and tidy library, where every book had been placed in order. The paper on the desk had been divided into several piles in an organized way, even including the scribbles. Every detail and every corner suggested the strict if not obsessive-compulsive personality of its owner, Havin.
Havin was seated in the chair behind the desk, with a layer of clear ice frozen on his body. The ice was not melted even in the scorching July. Instead, it turned the air around into frost.
Havin sat straight in the ice. He was wearing the standard attire of the Tower sorcerers. Together with the badges on his chest, he dressed so formally as if he were going to the award ceremony of 'Evans Prize in Arcana' or 'Arcana Scepter'.
His face was pale, frozen with vague hopelessness and relief. There was a cup of wine in his hands, as if he would stand up and greet everyone any moment, if it weren't for his hollow and lifeless eyes.
"This is truly the way of death that Havin would choose. Clean and graceful…" Said Rachel to Samantha in a low voice.
Both of them knew Havin. As the arcanists in the Tower who had hope to advance to the sixth circle, they had been both competing with and encouraging each other. The two of them knew Havin rather well. However, while the two of them had become senior-rank arcanists and sorcerers, Havin ended his life with an ice spell. It was truly two examples of the age.
Thinking about her frustration recently, Samantha said in deep thought. "As a matter of fact, Havin would've advanced in another ten years… One shouldn't give up easily however desperate they are. If I were him, I would live on and live well to see how the world of arcana would develop, and if our defeat was worthwhile…"
"Havin had severe obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression in the first place. I'd been meaning to help him with corresponding spells. It's a shame…" Rachel mentioned the concepts that were proposed recently.
In the past, such psychological problems could be dealt with magic, such as Mechanized Mind and other spells, but their effect was short. No sorcerers could completely resolve the problems unless they were willing to abandon their normal feelings. Therefore, it was not rare for the ancient sorcerers to go extreme or crazy!
As her good friend, Samantha was not ignorant of the development of psychology. She nodded, "Other than the help of magic, daily comfort is also required. However, psychological therapies always lack a fundamental theory. The research results cannot be gathered into a complete system."
As they talked, they walked into Havin's room. As Havin's friends and senior-rank sorcerers, they were acknowledged that they were suitable to deal with the issue.
Thanks to Havin's 'good habit', Rachel and Samantha didn't spend much time searching when they found an unsealed letter on the desk.
The paper inside the envelope carried the aroma of books. It had been folded squarely.
After careful examination, Rachel opened the letter and read its contents:
"…The debate recently exhausted me. I cannot imagine that the foundation of the whole school of astrology would be disrupted, or the certainties of the material world would be lost… I kept arguing with other people, but things were developing the exact opposite way…"
"…I'm deeply lost when I recall the rapid development of arcana in the past years. What we fear and resist today is the product of the theories that delighted and satisfied us previously. How absurd…"
"…My brain is haunted by the irresolvable and even self-contradictory problems without one moment of peace, but my consideration cannot answer any dilemma. I'm tired, and I want to end such a life…"
"…I've made a cowardly decision. I don't think I can catch up with the development of arcana, and nor I can live with it. I hope that I can return to the golden age of determinism in my dream…"
Reading the letter that was brimming with exhaustion, desperation and confusion, Rachel suddenly felt sympathetic. In fact, most of the arcanists in the Congress shared similar feelings.
"Havin…" She meant to say something, but it eventually became a sigh.
All the sorcerers who came fell into silence, as if they were mourning for both Havin and themselves.
Samantha moved her eyes back from Havin and looked out of the window. The sunlight at the noon of July was so brilliant and dazzling.
Time went by one second after another. Rachel cleared her throat and planned to arrange the funeral, when a Tower sorcerer came from the lift with a thick book in his hands. "'Nature' has published a special issue, 'Basics of Mathematics'!"
He sounded so delighted as if a quick glance had already shown him a strict temple of mathematics.
"Basics of Mathematics?" Asked Samantha subconsciously.
The Tower sorcerer replied joyfully in a loud voice. "Yes. It contains Mr. Evans' answers to many mathematical problems. Through the answers, he has constructed a broad and valid mathematical system!"
He could only describe it in general, because he hadn't read it carefully yet. Suddenly, he noticed the situation in the library. "What… What happened to Havin?"
The other sorcerers told him what happened and Havin's last words to him. He said regretfully, "I should've come earlier. If Havin had seen 'Basics of Mathematics', his passion in mathematics would've been rekindled. I was similarly confused and frustrated before, but those feelings cannot extinguish my enthusiasm for mathematics now. It turns out that there are still so many things we can work on!"
After hearing his declaration, Samantha and Rachel couldn't help but ask for the copies of the book that he bought for other people. They read the books in Havin's library.
Although they did not have the time to read the specific deductions, Lucien's proposition and redefinition of certain mathematical concepts in the fields of numbers, set, group, field and topology already refreshed them. It felt that the scattered, random studies in the past had been gathered into an unbreakable whole.
The content in the book was not beyond their knowledge. It was based on the current mathematical studies and dived deeper into them. The new concepts it proposed were not incomprehensible. Not only were they deduced strictly and logically, but they also met the difficulties that the Tower arcanists had.
Browsing through the book, Samantha and Rachel envisioned a particularly broad world in the realm of mathematics!
"Before, Mr. Evans always said that mathematics must not depend on arcana, that it should not only be used to provide answers for their problems, and that it should be an independent theory based on deductions and reasoning." Rachel suddenly said with mixed feelings. "I remember what he said clearly and feel that it is very reasonable, but I tend to neglect a lot of questions in the actual research. Now, I have fully understood what Mr. Evans meant."
Her previous grief and confusion were gone. She seemed to have been reinvigorated.
Samantha also said in deep thought. "Before, when we applied unsystematic mathematical knowledge to solve problems, although we achieved our purpose in the end, the process always felt obscure and difficult, as if certain invisible walls thwarted our efforts. Now, those walls are gone…"
"Yes, Mr. Evans has also further illustrated axiomatization and given a complete axiom system of Tower Geometry." An arcanist mentioned what was in the latter half of the book. Although Lucien had come up with the notion of axiomatization a long time ago, and the arcanists had certain studies and applications in their work, he still vaguely felt that the fundamental opinion of mathematics seemed to have changed after he saw the axiom system of Tower Geometry."
In the heated discussion, Samantha suddenly rose. She copied the book in her hand and put it before Havin. Then, she ignited it.
"Your afterworld will be full of color with the company of Basics of Mathematics." She said in a low voice.
The other arcanists also felt quiet, feeling lucky that Basics of Mathematics was published at such a moment.
After Havin's body was moved away, Samantha, Rachel and the other arcanists left the room one after another. In the meantime, those arcanists seized the time to read the book. "'Current conundrums in mathematical studies'?"
"…Is it possible to write any even number greater than 2 as the summation of two prime numbers?…" He was stunned after he read the question.
"The four-color theorem?" Another arcanist turned to the next page.
Hearing their words, Samantha and Rachel looked at each other and hurried to read the content behind.
After a while, all the arcanists were standing in the hallway like statues. They mumbled nonstop, looking now lost and now crazy.
After a long time, Samantha and Rachel were suddenly woken up by footsteps. They saw the shock in each other's eyes.
Rachel said in amusement. "Those questions are really terrible. They seem easy but turn out to be extremely difficult if you think deeper…"
"That's why even Mr. Evans is puzzled." Samantha put on a rare smile.
"The last question, the barber paradox?" Rachel reached the end of the book, "A barber in a town, after a certain incident, announced that 'I shave those and only those who do not shave themselves'. Then, should he shave himself? What's the source of the paradox?"
"Well…" Samantha thought for a moment, and the book in her hands hit the floor.
Dum, dum, dum. The other arcanists who heard Rachel's words dropped their book in shock, too.
It was a famous paradox about the set theory. At present, it meant that the set theory had been shaken, and since the set theory was the foundation of mathematics, one might say that the paradox made people doubt the legitimacy of the fundamental structure of the whole mathematics!
"We have to face the horror and desperation brought by the perfection of the set theory when we were just overjoyed by it…" One of the arcanists said what was similar to Havin's last words.
...
Iristine and Nodanielle roamed inside the city of Allyn. They saw that many arcanists were working hard in the shadow of trees.
"They are truly hardworking. No wonder the Congress of Magic has been developing so fast." Observed Iristine in mixed feelings. Then, she looked at one of the young sorcerers curiously. "What's the book he's reading?"
"Basics… of… Mathematics…" Thanks to her exceptional sight, Nodanielle identified the words one after another.
"Mathematics…" Iristine nodded her head and was about to leave, when Nodanielle added in confusion, "Those few words have been scrapped, and there are some handwritten words below it…"
Iristine was even more curious. "What are they?"
Nodanielle identified them carefully again. "Book… of… Demons…"
"Book of Demons?" Repeated Iristine in confusion.
Chapter 695: Test
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
On the top floor of the Tower that rose into the clouds…
Before Bergner, one copy of 'Basics of Mathematics' was opened. Long before the special issue of 'Nature' was published, he had already learnt the news and asked for a copy of the manuscript from Levski.
"I have to say that, although there are no groundbreaking insights and mathematical achievements in Evans' book, he has delicately integrated the scattered studies in mathematics so far by proposing certain new concepts and redefining certain old concepts. A complete system with clear branches, a strict architecture and a solid foundation has been established…"
"…His in-depth illustration of the system has completely driven away the mist around mathematics, so that the whole palace of mathematics is finally bathing under the brilliant sun and showing the glorious gold…"
Although Bergner had already made similar remarks when he read it for the first time, he couldn't help but compliment it again and again every time he read it. Ever since calculus was created and defined, nobody had ever made such great contributions to mathematics with a single book.
"…The age of calculus has passed; this is modern mathematics…"
Bergner envisioned that new branches were taking shape in the palace of mathematics, and they all originated from this 'Basics of Mathematics'!
For him, the greatest significance of the book lied in two aspects. Firstly, the geometrical axiom system that Lucien completed filled him with infinite passion about the related mathematical questions. He felt that everything in the world could be axiomatized into a rigorous, self-consistent and flawless system.
Secondly, Lucien's studies on topology, group and set theory gave him inspiration. It seemed that they were not pure, independent and abstract mathematical achievements but could be directly applied to solve many problems in current arcana studies, like the studies of crystals or the cutting edge of the microworld.
"…This is without a doubt the most remarkable book in mathematics over the past hundred years. It will be worshiped by the future arcanists in the temple of mathematics right next to 'Mathematical Principles of Magical Philosophy'. However, it would be perfect if the ten questions in the appendix did not exist…" There was a vague, bitter smile on Bergner's face. The book on him had been turned to 'Current conundrums in mathematical studies'.
For a legendary sorcerer adept at mathematics, he could not resist those questions at all. After browsing through the main part, he devoted himself to the consideration and calculation of the questions.
However, a week had passed since he got 'Basics of Mathematics', but no progress had been made. He failed to solve any of the questions, which rather frustrated him who had always been proud of his expertise in mathematics, particularly when some of the questions seemed easy to prove but were actually full of difficulties.
Of course, none of those mattered compared to the barber paradox in the end, which stunned Bergner for a whole hour.
"Until determinism is completely denied, there can't be a more painful and humiliating question. When we cheer for the final establishment of the temple of mathematics, its foundation has collapsed. It seems that mathematics itself will be denied as long as we apply the set theory and acknowledge the concepts in the past."
Bergner heaved a long sigh. He almost couldn't stop himself from destroying Basics of Mathematics and killing every barber the moment he saw the barber paradox, because he knew that infinite disasters would be caused!
1
He moved his eyes down and saw Lucien's conclusion after the paradox. "Similar paradoxes can be frustrating, but it only means that our studies are not meticulous, and that our understanding about mathematics is more or less wrong. Therefore, instead of feeling desperate and lost, we should dig deeper into the set theory. There is one and only one solution to all mathematical questions, which is to continue studying mathematics itself."
"…Evans' arcana attitude is what supported him to make so many accomplishments." Bergner praised him and turned back to the set theory, starting to rethink. It was obvious that a set paradox could only be resolved with the set theory.
...
"…I am your old friend Nightingale. Coming next is 'Arcana News'…"
It was still the holiday in the generic school. Longman could only learn the latest development of arcana through programs such as 'Arcana Voice' and 'News of the World'.
"…Mr. Evans has finished his masterpiece, 'Basics of Mathematics'. It has solved many problems in mathematics and cleared the obstacles that block the way forward. However, the most eye-catching part of the book is not the main part but the ten conundrums proposed in the end. They have fascinated all the arcanists…"
"…It is obvious that the conundrums which even puzzled Mr. Evans are truly extraordinary. Up until now, no arcanists have announced that they know how to solve them. Even Mr. President and Mr. Brook openly admitted that it was not easy to solve those seemingly easy questions…"
"…It appears that whoever solves the ten questions will be given abundant arcana credits and respected as an authority of mathematics. Those questions are as follows…"
The boy Longman's eyes were widened after he heard that the questions puzzled Mr. Evans. Apart from disbelief, he suddenly had the urge to try. If he could solve the questions that even Mr. Evans couldn't…
The conundrums that Lucien selected were highly representative, but they all looked simple on the surface. Therefore, even Longman could understand them. He took out his pen and paper and calculated.
"…Mr. Evans told us that, while those questions are not concerned with actual arcana studies, and solving them will not bring any substantial results, studying them will itself boost the development of mathematics, and the development of mathematics will support the arcana studies… The same logic applies to the other mathematics domains. In this pure world, one should not blindly pursue applicativeness…"
Very soon, Longman couldn't calculate any further, but his heart was burning with fire after hearing those words, and his cheeks were flushing. "Mathematics is so important? Also, it doesn't seem to need the support of magic… Although I'm not gifted at spiritual power, it doesn't mean that I don't have talents in mathematics…"
"I will certainly be an arcanist! An arcanist that is good at mathematics!"
...
After reading Basics of Mathematics, most arcanists tried solving the conundrums that Lucien proposed curiously and hopefully. Just because Mr. Evans cannot resolve them doesn't mean we can't! If they could solve one of them, they would earn unimaginable glory and benefits!
As a result, Iristine and Nodanielle often saw lost, unsteady arcanists who seemed to be dwelling in their own world when the two of them traveled in Allyn recently.
However, as time went by, such arcanists were fewer and fewer, and stricken faces were more and more. The copies of Basics of Mathematics in their hands were often marked with different symbols. Some represented demons, some nightmares, and some were mazes without exits. In the end, even though the ten questions had been placed on the permanent screen in the Task Zone, the trend about them came to an inevitable end.
Among them, the Tower arcanists felt most complicated. On one hand, such questions were truly their interest; on the other hand, they had been so gravely stricken by the paradox that they felt the confusion and desperation when determinism was shaken again. Also, while the uncertainties hadn't been proved by any important experiment, the paradox had shown self-contradiction in the most clear way. There was no way to evade it.
"If Havin were alive, he would've done the same after he saw this paradox…" Samantha looked out of the window gloomily.
Rachel's lips twitched. "To think that you burnt 'Basics of Mathematics' for him… Do you want him to have nightmares even after he is dead… You must know that the book has been publicly acknowledged as 'book of demons'. For the arcanists who are not good at mathematics, the number theory and the knowledge on set and group are more dreadful than demons, but for us, the questions and paradoxes at the end are most horrible of all…"
"In any case, mathematics will continue, and we will find a way to resolve the problems…" Samantha encouraged herself.
Therefore, the other arcanists discovered that the Tower arcanists and the other arcanists who were good at mathematics fell silent. In their silence, an outburst was brewing.
...
In Atom Institution…
Lucien, Natasha, Lazar, Annick and some other people were gathered in Heidi's personal laboratory to observe the first prototype of artificial intelligence that she and Chelly assembled.
At the center of the room, countless enormous glass tubes were connected to each other delicately. At their center were simple magic patterns and relatively complicated alchemical parts. Also, there was a curtain standing on the top, rippling like a curtain of water.
"This is huge…" Iristine had been invited to observe it. Although she had guessed its final shape based on her daily observation, the size of the artificial intelligence was still much greater than she thought.
The prototype occupied the better part of the room and equaled to almost ten golems.
Lucien nodded. Thanks to magic, this was much smaller than the first computer on Earth. "Well done. Turn it on and demonstrate it."
Nervously, Heidi pressed the switch of power. The glass tubes glittered one after another, emitting in red or green colors and changing nonstop. It made the room look like the field of a ball. Since different colors had been developed for magic crystal lamps, there were already balls which attempted to control the change of lights.
"Input the data…" Thanks to the assistance of magic, Heidi did not make things like punched tape but simply inputted with voice and keys.
After she inputted a rather complicated formula, the red and green lights glittered even more intensely, and the electric noises could be heard. In the end, the result was printed on the 'curtain'.
"The result is correct." Sprint interjected. "But I have already got the answer a few seconds ago with the ancillary computation circles."
So, what's the point?
Heidi secretly snorted and looked at her teacher, hoping to be praised. That was only the first prototype of artificial intelligence, and there was still plenty of room for improvement!