In the center of Chaos's present world, in a blood-stained cave, an unknown exchange quickly ended.
Everything was covered under the earth, and even the trajectory of fate had no traces of it. Because although Gaia itself did not have the ability to cover them, it did not mean that the mother tree could not do it.
Or to be more precise, the Mother Tree of Flesh and Blood did not rely on any power or authority to cover up this change; She simply existed there, and everything was concealed.
The giant tree, which already possessed the characteristics of creation, was like a huge 'source of gravity'. It absorbed all the information and destiny related to itself and gathered them around itself. Therefore, until the moment before Helios left here, no accidents happened.
Everything was as usual. Helios continued to complete the task assigned by the King of Gods and went to mediate the conflict between Hades and the Goddess of Agriculture. Gaia continued to stay here, using her special identity as the original god to pry open the blockade imposed on Niflheim, the country of fog, and continuously draw strength.
Of course, correspondingly, the mother tree whose power was drawn was also generous enough. Whether it was Gaia's growing embryo or the newly joined sun, He would not refuse any behavior that asked Him for it.
So from that day on, a layer of reddish halo on the surface of the sun dyed the corona with a layer of brilliance, making it look more magnificent and dazzling. This was a very obvious change, but it actually did not attract much attention.
After all, the changes in Chaos' world have never stopped since the nine realms were integrated hundreds of years ago, so even Zeus in Asgard did not react to this.
Everything was so natural, except that at the very beginning, Apollo, who was driving the golden chariot of the sun, found something wrong because he felt that the sun was becoming more difficult to control.
Apollo had already felt the strain when Helios left, in fact, around the time he entered the abyss. Pulling this huge celestial body from east to west every day was enough to exhaust all his strength, and it became more and more violent as time went on.
However, Apollo did not notice anything wrong, because it all seemed to be the resistance of the sun itself, rather than other gods influencing it with the power of their ministry. So until he returned the sun chariot to Helios, he was unable to further notice what was happening behind the scenes - of course, even if he really checked, he would not be able to see anything.
After all, only the sun god truly understood the sun, and as long as Helios said "this is a spontaneous change of the sun", no one could prove that it was not.
In short, everything went very smoothly. At the end of February, in the city of Eleusis on earth, Helios conveyed to Demeter the intentions of Hades, the current situation of Persephone, and the dissatisfaction of the Olympian gods. They all hoped to end it all as soon as possible and get the world back on track.
After confirming that her daughter had indeed accepted the authority of the underworld, the angry goddess of agriculture finally accepted the status quo. She had to face this reality. In the future, Persephone would spend half of the year on the earth and the other half in the underworld. She was both the queen of Hades and a god of Olympus.
Everything was settled, and this joke-like disaster came to an end. In mid-March, when the sun was about to turn from the 12th ecliptic plane to the 1st ecliptic plane, a spring breeze finally blew from the west, bringing long-lost vitality to the earth. This cold winter, destined to be remembered by mortals, finally ushered in the day of its end.
…
In the southern part of the continent, on top of an unnamed mountain.
The golden scepter was held in a not-so-large hand, with fine lines wrapped around every corner of the scepter. They were glowing, flickering, and resonating with some kind of rules in the world.
If you look closely, you can find that those fine lines actually have a different meaning. They are paintings that depict the growth and maturity of every type of vegetation in the world, and at the very top is a very obvious ear of wheat.
This is not something that the artifact is born with, it is the embodiment of the humanistic priesthood in it. Unlike those innate or objectively existing materials, these humanistic priesthoods that rely on the birth of intelligent life do not directly bring any divine power to its owner, but it does effectively expand the breadth of its authority.
However, at this moment, this glowing artifact was not releasing any power. On the contrary, it was taking back the impact it originally had on the world.
Under the control of its current user, the power that had been released was withdrawn one by one, and the invisible shackles were wiped out of existence. Everything began to grow again - and then the cold weather stopped their growth.
So the next moment, in the world of all spirits, the well-prepared Goddess of Spring and Rebirth spread her power to the world, letting the spring breeze begin to blow across the earth, and the first cycle of the complete four seasons began. The calendar that was established long ago was also further improved, and it was closely linked to the trajectory of the sun and the arrangement of the stars, making the order of the world more complete.
Chaos' world took another step forward, but his "script" also lost another page. At the same time, standing on the top of the mountain, Eros looked at his twin brother.
The moment he put down his scepter, a blue ice crown was placed on Volos's head. The ice and snow on the ground that had not yet melted seemed to resonate with him, congratulating the birth of their master.
"It looks like you don't plan to integrate it directly into your body."
After waiting for a while, until the ice crown was completely stable, Eros couldn't help but ask.
Because of their special identities, the formation of the ice cap was not complicated, which is why the two of them were the ones to complete it. And judging from the results, everything was indeed the case.
"It's unnecessary. Fusing it will only pollute my pure essence. The four seasons separated is not a powerful priesthood. If it weren't for their cycle itself, I wouldn't be interested in it."
Slowly opening his eyes, Voros released his right hand.
The [Golden Staff of Wheat Point] slipped from the palm of his hand, fell straight to the ground, sank into the soil, and then disappeared without a trace.
It had probably returned to its owner, but Volos didn't feel bad. This was the only use he had for the artifact, and he didn't intend to keep it any longer.
"Let's go, we should go back."
Volos touched his head with some discomfort. He was still not used to the sudden appearance of such a cold thing. He planned to leave it in the fourth layer of the spirit world and let it participate in the cycle of the four seasons.
As for the two of them...the twins who were born not long ago are still full of curiosity about the world. They have already agreed to explore the world in their own way.
"Well, let's go back then."
Nodding in agreement, Eros did not object.
Before leaving, she glanced northeast, where the city of Eleusis was located.
A thousand years later, or two thousand years later, she planned to go there to see what kind of legends the king, prince, queen, and goddess left for later generations.
…
Spirit world, fifth level.
The vast interface is still empty at the core, and the positive and negative energy interfaces above and below are still producing conflicts and barriers.
After finishing his trip to the virtual world some time ago, Ryan returned directly here to continue to stabilize the circulation of the two inner realms. Although he still cannot do without him here, as time goes by, the energy he needs to spend on it is indeed getting less and less.
So in his spare time, just like before, Ryan naturally put his free time into other things.
The localization of Runes was one thing, he had even tried to complete a part of it, but then he was dissatisfied and started all over again. However, this time because of the exploration of Zeus' memory, he had two more topics to discuss.
Needless to say, the first one, ever since he obtained the embodiment of that drop of creative power, exploring its form and understanding how to use it more skillfully has become one of Ryan's greatest concerns - however, this is more difficult than improving the runes. For this nearly omnipotent power, he is like facing the immortal essence of a god. Although he can use it, he doesn't know much more about it.
Therefore, after trying to no avail, Ryan decisively put it aside temporarily. Perhaps just like he could only bear the great symbol after reaching a powerful divine power, only when he reached the realm of Tartarus or even the birth of Gaia could he truly understand the mystery of this realm of creation.
In comparison, the other topic was not so lofty. Although Zeus's ritual was also very profound, it could be analyzed and understood by Ryan. This way of constructing symbols with special means was like an introduction, which immediately opened up Ryan's thinking.
If symbols can be constructed in this way, then authority at a lower level should also be able to be constructed in this way. However, authority itself can be the cornerstone for constructing symbols, but Ryan couldn't think of what to rely on as the cornerstone of authority.
Faith is impossible, it is too easily changed—
"There are exceptions, those beliefs that were not born out of worship and sacrifice, those beliefs that have been born continuously from the past of civilization, they are constant."
"But this kind of power... I feel it is still not suitable for mortals to use. I am afraid that it may not be a good thing to come into contact with faith before touching the realm of God."
After a little thought, Ryan finally shook his head.
If he ever tries it himself in the future, he will definitely completely and thoroughly strip away his humanity, not giving it any degree of connection with the original body, because any connection, no matter how small, will easily allow other beings to notice the connection between this special incarnation and him, and it will also easily cause loopholes in this "road to godhood".
If he relied on his own characteristics as a god to exempt himself from some difficulties on the road to godhood, it would mean that his understanding of this section was still blank. His purpose of wanting to walk the long steps to godhood again was to fill in all the "blanks" and thoroughly understand the foundation of his existence from the root. Naturally, he couldn't think of taking shortcuts before he even started.
"It's still difficult... but this is only natural."
"I hope that the results can be obtained before the end of this era - no, the results must be obtained before this era can end."
With a calm expression, Ryan tapped his fingers lightly, and a strange array pattern with twelve vertices appeared again in the void in front of him.
Zeus's rituals were built on the basis of his status as the King of Gods. Simply imitating them would not have any effect, so Ryan had been trying to modify their form of expression to make it look more useful.
The object he chose to modify at the beginning was naturally the more complete part, the one that had been perfected by the laws of the world. However, Ryan soon discovered that that version was too closely aligned with the present world. Although it looked stronger, many aspects of it were not conducive to his changes.
So he quickly changed his target and took out the original ritual used by the imaginary Zeus.
In this cruder ritual, the King of Gods and the Queen of Gods were also one of the main gods, but Ryan still noticed the difference, because in this version of the ritual, the main god was actually 'Zeus the God of Thunder' rather than 'Zeus the King of Gods'.
This effectively avoids the problem of power imbalance between the twelve pillars in the original version of the ritual - of course, this problem still exists, but it has been exempted to a certain extent.
The existence of the Queen of Gods was no longer special in this ritual. So in the end, Ryan only got a strange ritual that seemed useless.
"Seal it..."
"One core and twelve fulcrums. It can be turned into a positive ritual, allowing the fulcrums to provide power to the core, or it can be operated in the opposite direction, allowing the twelve fulcrums to extract the power of the core and turn it into a barrier to block itself... But what use do I have for it?"
With the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, Ryan himself hadn't figured out where this ritual could be used - fortunately, he had a lot of things like this whose uses he didn't know yet.
For example, the poison in Odin's treasury, and the broken stone tablet whose purpose has not yet been deciphered.
Chapter 281 Mark
"Speaking of that stone tablet...I almost forgot about it."
Looking at the ritual patterns that he had no idea where they could be used, Ryan suddenly recalled the broken stone tablet that he had thrown deep in his collection for a long time.
In Odin's treasure house, he successively obtained the [Potentiate Ring], the sword [Levadin], the [Original] of the [Rune], a poison made from the poisonous spring of Niflheim and its antidote, as well as the grudge of the original giant Ymir.
Some of these things have been used, and some have not been used yet, but in any case, Ryan knows what they are used for more or less. The only difference is the broken stone tablet that he got with him. From the moment he got it, he didn't understand what it was used for. In fact, from his observation, it was just an ordinary thing.
Ryan even tried to destroy it, but he stopped decisively after only wearing off a corner. Because he suddenly discovered that this stone tablet was not what he thought, a "self-concealing divine object". Even if there was nothing unusual about it, it had the property of being indestructible.
On the contrary, all its characteristics proved that it was an ordinary stone - at most, a stone of some age. However, it was not something from Chaos' world, so Ryan could not accurately judge the years it had experienced.
If such a thing had not appeared in Odin's treasury and was treasured by the god king of another world along with other treasures, I'm afraid no god would have even looked at it. But there is no if, so even though he couldn't tell what it was used for at the time, Ryan still kept it well.
In fact, Ryan actually attaches great importance to the God King of another world in his heart. Because the journey to the Nine Realms clearly shows that the world does not seem to be like what is described in Scandinavian mythology, but is quite different.
If Chaos' world took a completely different fate because of his existence, then the changes in the Nine Realms were undoubtedly closely related to Odin, who foresaw the end of all things. So when Ryan saw Odin again in Athena's memory, he felt it was natural.
This one-eyed god-king riding on the eight-legged horse Sleipnir must have some unknown secrets, and this stone tablet may be related to it - or it may not be related, but in any case it must be something valuable.
But now, Ryan thought of it again and realized that he should find it out. Because unlike before, he now has new tools.
"Yeah...I remember it was there."
After recalling it, Ryan found the stone tablet that he had never taken out since it was stored in a remote palace on the sacred mountain of Sinai.
Because he didn't know what was so special about it, Ryan couldn't be sure whether Chaos's laws would affect it. Therefore, in that remote palace, he artificially constructed an environment with laws similar to those of the Nine Realms.
Then, with a fluctuation of time and space, the broken stone tablet appeared in front of Ryan. But just like every time before, he couldn't see anything wrong with it.
Without making any more futile attempts, Ryan raised his hand and clenched it, and the water droplets manifested by the power of creation fell directly into his palm. The time and space divinity that constituted the most fundamental part of the spiritual world trembled slightly, as if it was resonating with the power of this source.
It was its existence that allowed this "water drop" to be used, rather than being unable to touch it at all as if it existed in two dimensions. However, Ryan did not intend to do anything with it now, he just maintained this contact and then looked at the ordinary stone tablet again.
There seemed to be some words on the broken stele, but now they are blurred and difficult to recognize. Previous observations often stopped here, and it did not show anything strange, but this time from a higher perspective, Ryan felt that he seemed to have seen something.
"Is this... a mark?"
It was a mark as broken as the stone tablet - perhaps a coordinate, a mark, or something else.
This is undoubtedly a directional object, and the location it points to is not presented in the form of space-time coordinates. It is difficult for Ryan to describe this expression, but in short, it is indeed a guide.
And it seems to exist in the same place as this stone, but the latter seems to be just a carrier of the former. It is indeed just an ordinary stone tablet, and it only becomes important because of this mark that has fallen on it for some reason.
"So what is this mark? Was it left by someone, or was it naturally formed? And Odin, why does he have such a thing?"
With his eyes narrowed, Ryan felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when he looked at this strange mark. He seemed to have had some connection with this thing, but he had no impression of it at all.
"Interesting. If only a world-class power could detect the mark, then how did Odin detect it? He also said that he didn't actually see the mark, but just like me before, he knew it was important, but he didn't know why it was important at all."
Guess flashed through my mind, then was instantly erased.
Maybe when the Nine Realms were still there, this mark was not as silent as it is now. There is no evidence for these speculations. And Odin is dead after all, no one knows what he really thinks. So Ryan didn't think about it anymore. He just endured the pressure caused by contact with the "water drop" while thinking about what he should do.
The broken mark left in the Nine Realms' treasury didn't seem to point to a certain location in Chaos' world. Of course, it was hard to say. Perhaps the location it pointed to was one of the nine kingdoms, and it had now become a part of Chaos.
But no matter what, this is something worth exploring, but Ryan doesn't have the time to travel around recently.
He would stay here until the interface between positive and negative energy was completely stabilized, and then find the location of the Hemenu world when Typhon came. Before that, he did not plan to make any big moves.
Moreover, the mark was incomplete, and no one could guarantee that it would point to the correct location. So looking at the broken mark, Ryan finally injected a trace of spiritual power into it, and then let it float into the void under the protection of the power of time and space and follow the guidance of the mark.
He did not expect this force to have any effect, it was just a temporary exploration. After completing this step, Ryan released the connection with the "water drop" and sent the stone tablet back to the palace.
This matter is just a small episode and does not require too much energy to be devoted before there are concrete results.
"But speaking of which, I don't know what Gaia is doing now."
"It is said that the Earth Mother had sex with Tartarus in anger and gave birth to Typhon, the king of all monsters, a hundred-headed dragon-snake in a cave in Cilicia. But judging from the current situation, the Abyss does not seem to have made any sudden move to release its power to the outside world..."
He was somewhat confused, so even after the first battle in Hell was over, the changes he was waiting for had not yet appeared, which was somewhat beyond Ryan's expectations.
He had thought that when Gaea left Olympus in anger, she would soon give birth to a child with the Abyss, which would occupy Tartarus's energy to a certain extent, and then the power he had sent to Hell with the god of sleep would take effect.
Yes, it was impossible that Ryan had not thought of any solution before Mephisto made his suggestion.
This was his backup plan, and Ryan had intended to use it to kill a demon at a critical moment. However, when he had other options, this attack naturally merged with the attack of the Atrium Snake, and almost killed all the first-generation demons.
"Hmm... maybe there is something wrong with my understanding of later myths. Maybe the content of the myth is just a representation of the meaning, and there is actually another story behind Gaia and Tartarus's birth of offspring?"
"And it seems that no one has stipulated that Gaia must give birth to a child immediately after leaving Olympus... According to the timeline of mythology, a delay of several hundred years seems to be normal."
Without really thinking it through, Ryan finally put it aside.
The main body of fate in this world is still unbreakable. In any case, this important part may deviate, but it will never deviate too drastically. Therefore, Typhon will not disappear inexplicably, it is just a matter of sooner or later.
As for whether it is possible that the one who gave birth to Gaia was replaced by another great being... It cannot be said that it is completely impossible, but at least there is no sign at present. Moreover, the order of the birth of Chaos gods has been disrupted. If Ryan is still so sure that Typhon must be born within the specified time, it is unreasonable.
But no matter what, he still paid more attention to the Lightless Realm and the blocked Niflheim. Although Ryan was also very clear that if Erebus, who was in charge of the [Secrets], really wanted to do something, he couldn't actually detect it at the first time, and if the mother tree really had the ability to directly break through the blockade imposed on him by Chaos, then he would also have little chance of observing the other party's traces.
The Great Power is not like the gods of Olympus, who can more or less notice the other party's movements with just a glance. Even Gaia can block others from prying at her - but compared to the other people, she can't hide her existence.
Coming back to his senses from his thoughts, Ryan finally finished dealing with the few things on hand and relaxed a little.
Looking at the dark tones of the fifth spiritual world, Ryan called softly.
"Lyanna."
This loyal angel had something to discuss with him before, but it was not about the spiritual world, but was related to the Silvermoon City in the mortal world.
Since the flood ended and he fulfilled his promise to Prometheus, Ryan had basically not paid attention to the affairs of Silvermoon City. It was completely handed over to a few angels who were interested in it. Even through the consciousness in the [Book of All Laws], he was more concerned about the development of witchcraft and the birth of various new knowledge.
But this time is different, because according to Lyanna, the mortal who once met Lyon in the flood is finally coming to the end of his life.
He was one of the few believers who was considered "devout" by the angels, so they intended to give him higher honors - but he rejected eternal life in the mortal world and planned to return to the embrace of the spiritual world.
So a question was put before several angels: Such a pious human being had made contributions to spreading the Lord's holy deeds, and he should be rewarded. But in the entire spiritual world, it seemed that there was no way to deal with these devout believers in the past.
The Goddess of Law established a kingdom of God in the fifth spiritual world to accommodate the souls of her followers after death, but Ryan never built a similar place. The golden humans entered the [Seven Hills Heaven], the silver humans entered the [Nine Hells], so where will this remnant of the Bronze Age go?
The angels did not make a rash decision, and it was eventually handed over to Ryan. His judgment on this human would serve as a yardstick to measure the fate of future believers.
"Yes, that seems to be the name."
Looking outside, Ryan noticed the residents gathered in front of the great temple, that magnificent and huge city that did not look like a creation of this era at all.
They were bidding farewell to the 'prophet' who had guided them for hundreds of years in their own way, and witnessing his return to the Kingdom of the Lord.
…
Human world, southeast of the mainland.
The heavy snow has not yet faded and the temperature has already risen.
However, for the people living in this semi-magical city, they actually did not feel the changes in the climate outside.
If you don't feel hungry or cold in the cold winter, you won't have much hope for spring. Besides, in this special city, spring has never been far away.
But today is different. According to the news that has been announced long ago, the great prophet who obviously does not have the blood of the water elves but has lived for hundreds of years has finally come to the end of his life. This city will usher in great changes, because after his death, no one knows what direction Silvermoon City will go in the future.
Nuo, praised by the Lord's messenger as a 'saint', was the only mortal who could communicate directly with the winged angels, and was also a ruler recognized by the residents of Silvermoon City. But when he died, no one could find a replacement for him, no matter in terms of achievements or abilities, which made people speculate.
Of course, that was all before and after, and at least now most people are immersed in sorrow.
They spontaneously gathered in front of the temple, waiting for him to return to the Lord's heavenly kingdom.
Chapter 282 The Prophet's Words
On the central avenue of Silvermoon City, a bustling crowd of people gathered together.
On both sides of the street, the ever-burning magic lights illuminated the long street in the night, and as far as the eye could see was a long queue that seemed to have no end. Nearly half of the residents in the entire city came out of their homes today to bid farewell to the last of the "city builders" back then.
After all, except for Nuo, those who escaped from the flood with him had already died of old age. Although some of them had achieved some extraordinary achievements, none of them were truly gifted. So after hundreds of years, they were naturally buried in the soil and only lived in people's memories.
According to the tradition said to have been passed down from the Golden Age, the residents of Silvermoon City erected a stone tablet for each of the dead, and engraved some of their deeds in life on it. They were buried together in a cemetery near Starfall Lake, and a temple was built there with the three angels in charge of the afterlife as the main worshippers.
People used this to commemorate the existence of these ancestors. After all, everyone in Silver Moon City today is their descendant. And today, it is the turn of their last member.
An era is about to come to an end, and from now on, the city will open a new page. As an ordinary member of the city, Connius looked at the crowded crowd and couldn't help curling his lips.
Tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands - forgive him for not understanding arithmetic, after all, in this era, even wizards rarely understand this.
Experience, tradition and a flash of inspiration are the mainstream now, and calculation is just an auxiliary tool. Moreover, even if he understood, Connius didn't think he could count how many people there were here by eye.
This is the largest human city in the world. Although the people of Silvermoon City have not seen other cities, they all believe this.
"Oh, I told you long ago that the city would be very crowded today - even the central avenue would be like this. Even if we squeezed through, we would not be able to see the Great Prophet."
Walking under the tall [Silver Gate], Cornius couldn't help but complain.
There are currently three gateways running through the central avenue of Silvermoon City, named after humans from three different eras. However, according to prior planning, a total of seven floors can be built.
The remaining four will be used to commemorate some major events in the future, such as the fourth portal currently under construction, the [Gate of Enoch]. In short, it means "a portal named after the great prophet Enoch".
"At this time, those who surround the Great Prophet are all big shots. Oh, do you know what big shots are? They are those who can decide the laws of Silvermoon City, or those who can call the wind and rain by their own strength. Obviously, we are not such people."
"I know, but at least we can see the remains of the Great Prophet being taken out of the temple and sent to the cemetery. If we are luckier, we may even see the legendary angel."
Ignoring Cornius's complaints, the girl called De'o continued to work her way through the crowd. However, she was obviously too big to squeeze through the crowd, so the young man had no choice but to follow her.
He didn't really understand that no matter what kind of person he was in life, he would be nothing more than a corpse after death. It was boring to spend an entire night just to look at a dead body.
With this time, he would rather practice swordsmanship twice more, hoping to be recognized by the priests of the temple as having "qualified will" in the future. At that time, he will be able to integrate the "curse characteristics" and become a reserve temple guard.
The priests of the temple often said that only faith in God could strengthen one's will and keep one safe from the mental impact of the "cursed nature", but Connius knew that was not the case. Perhaps faith was indeed useful, but honing swordsmanship and physical fitness could also temper the spirit, and compared to the illusory piety, he still preferred something tangible.
Of course, this doesn't mean he is a non-believer. No matter who he is, there are basically no non-believers among the residents of Silvermoon City.
"De'o, who do you think will be the next Pope after the Great Prophet dies?"
"This matter has been delayed for a long time, and now it is time to have a result."
Reaching out to protect the girl he had a vague crush on, Cornius asked casually as he squeezed forward.
Compared to him, Deok was a typical devout believer, not only could he recite the scriptures by heart, but he also always paid attention to those big shots who had nothing to do with them. As time went by, he became more familiar with them.
This is not common in Silvermoon City - in fact, even in later human society, citizens who can call out the names and positions of more than ten leaders of their country are not the majority, and this is especially true in this classical era.
"I know what you're thinking, Connie."
Glancing at Connius in front of her, Deo smoothed her long brown hair. She saw what the other party was thinking at a glance, but she didn't think it could be realized.
"Sir Damian has always advocated external expansion, allowing Silvermoon City to occupy a wider area. If he becomes the next Pope, he will definitely relax the number of places for the Temple Guards. But there is no point in taking shortcuts. If you rely on this method to pass the selection, even if you succeed, you will only be at the bottom."
"And to be honest, no one really supports that Excellency's proposal. You know why."
Yes, Connius knew why, because this was Silvermoon City, a city protected by the maze set up by the Lord of the Demonic Network. It was spring-like all year round, with a natural bay as a good harbor, and no shortage of food and resources. There was no better place to live than here.
In contrast, the residents of Silvermoon City have all heard about the outside world. It is said that it is wild and dangerous, and has a very different climate - few people have seen the former, but the latter is still present today. As long as they compare the heavy snow outside with the warm city, everyone knows what to choose.
Under such circumstances, Lord Damian's proposal was not widely recognized. After all, the residents of Silvermoon City could not figure out why they should leave this God-given city and choose to face the wind, snow and hardships.
"Don't say that. I'm actually confident that I can pass the test, but it's safer to not hate anyone. And seriously, don't you think we have too many people?"
Cornius explained with a smile and looked at the crowded crowd around him.
For people of this era, it is actually difficult for them to imagine a city with a population of more than one million. After all, throughout ancient history, those cities with large populations in the classical era were all the capitals of powerful empires or the core of a territory.
They rely on a steady supply of water or land transportation to support their own operations, and consume supplies from all over the place day and night. Once they leave these, their existence will be difficult to maintain, but Silver Moon City does not need these.
They have the existence of witchcraft, and they do not need other places to support them. Under this kind of extraordinary power that can be wielded at will, all problems are not problems, even if there is only one city, it can still be self-sufficient.
"But our population will grow. Although I am not one of those 'big shots' and I don't know how many people there are in this city, it is definitely a number that I cannot imagine."
"One day we'll fill up here and have to leave - if that day is bound to come, why not do it sooner?"
"Since you are destined to eat two meals a day, why don't you eat the whole day's worth in one meal?"
Qing snorted, and De'e made a small sarcastic remark. In front of her, Connius just smiled indifferently.
They had had similar arguments several times before, but in the final analysis, they were only seeing the tip of the iceberg - although Chaos did not have this idiom, it still had a similar proverb - they didn't know how many people were in the city, nor did they know what the wilderness was like, so Connius didn't want to quarrel with Deio over such a small matter.
The brief exchange ended, and the two continued to shuttle through the crowded crowd. Time passed slowly, and when the silver moon hung in the middle of the sky, they finally came to a place where they could barely see the gate of the temple.
The cliff where the temple was built was also crowded at the moment, but about a hundred meters away from the temple, there seemed to be an invisible line that separated the huge crowd. Connius didn't know whether the big shots in the temple had used some means or people had stopped voluntarily, but he was more inclined to the latter.
No resident of Silvermoon City would dare to act recklessly there, and those who can call the wind and rain are unlikely to exert their power at the gate of the temple.
"That's it. I can't go any further."
He spread his hands helplessly. After all, Cornius was not a strong warrior. He didn't think he could continue to squeeze forward. Seeing this, De'o nodded. She was obviously well aware of the opponent's strength.
"Then let's go here, Connie. The church's scriptures say that all life in the world will return to the kingdom of the Lord after death and be judged according to their abilities during their lifetime. Although I don't know how the great prophet will be evaluated, I think no one will be able to match him."
Waving his fist, De'e looked at the closed door of the temple.
The original meaning of "Pope" is to refer to an elder, someone who is worthy of respect, and even means "father" in some places. Therefore, the church in Silvermoon City uses this title to describe the highest representative of God in the mortal world, and this is also one of the titles given to Nuo.
But for most people, they still prefer to call No the "Great Prophet", because in the church's scriptures, he recognized the gods walking on earth, and then accepted the divine revelation and went east to build a city in this star-lit place. There are even some rumors that No foresaw the great flood in his dream - this part was not included in the scriptures because he denied it himself, but De'o felt that one day in the future, this part would be added to the revised scriptures.
"In any case, may you find peace in the Kingdom of the Lord."
I silently recited in my heart and closed my eyes slightly.
Beside her, there were many more people who closed their eyes and prayed for the departing saint.
…
"Ahem—"
"Please sit down. I don't care about this. There is no need for you to be so formal in front of a dead person."
In the spacious temple, Nuo sat in his wheelchair, just like many years ago.
Although it is called a temple, it is not actually a place for worshipping gods. The building complex that covers the entire sea cliff is no longer what it was hundreds of years ago. In addition to the core temple, buildings with different purposes have sprung up around it.
So the church leaders gathered in the center of the hall, which was usually used for meetings. They looked at the man in the wheelchair with sadness. Although Nuo's face was the same as before, everyone present could feel the decay that penetrated his body.
Although most of them were users of divine arts, their bodies had acquired some extraordinary characteristics after years of being washed by high concentrations of holy energy. No one could fail to recognize the feeling that life was about to end.
"You don't have to look at me like that. Ahem, everyone is doomed to die, it's just a matter of time. I'm not here to see you feel sad for me, just let me take the time to arrange the last things."
There were coughs in his voice, and Nuo looked around with a smile.
A generation is not enough for an organization to decay, not to mention that this is an era of divine manifestation. So he can proudly declare that everyone present is a devout believer and has extraordinary abilities. Even if they disagree, they are just for the sake of making the future of Silver Moon City better and spreading the Lord's faith.
But a true wise man will always see further. Although Nuo never considered himself a wise man or a prophet, he still learned a lot from the destruction of the bronze man. So facing the eyes of everyone, he said his first "last words".
"I have a lot more to say... but one thing is most important, starting with me, the Church is not allowed to have an immortal pope."
Nuo stroked the armrest of the wheelchair in a steady and unhurried voice.
"Life belongs to the world, and the soul belongs to the Lord. Those who are unwilling to return to the Lord's embrace should not be His representatives on earth."
Chapter 283 Bishop
Nuo's face was calm, and his voice echoed in the temple. Around him, many church leaders did not question or object.
This was not just because of Nuo's reputation and status, but because the people present did not think there was anything wrong with it. Nuo had expressed similar views to them more than once a long time ago, and now he was putting it into practice.
Moreover, even if we don't take these into consideration, the current objective conditions do not provide a simple and easy way to achieve eternal life.
Nuo was able to do it because his piety and merits were recognized by the angels, and they were willing to give him eternal life, but this did not mean that others would have the same honor. As for the means of witchcraft - it could indeed delay life to a certain extent, but eternity was still a distant proposition for it.
The reason is not complicated. The witchcraft was originally compiled by Ryan from a high-level perspective, and later Hecate studied it bit by bit. The two beings who were most likely to create a way to achieve immortality through witchcraft had no intention of studying the "path to immortality" because they had no need for it. In comparison, the level of human witchcraft was obviously not enough to overcome this difficulty.
Maybe it can be done in the future, but that is destined to be a very distant future. For most people, if there is a high probability that they will never have the opportunity to see something, then they will naturally not strongly oppose it.
Of course, in addition to the above objective factors, the most crucial point is that as believers, the top leaders of these churches do not think that death is something to be afraid of.
The reincarnation of all spirits is one of God's powers. Some people have even seen Eunomia who came to the human world together with Nuo. In this case, there is no unknown, and naturally there will be no fear.
"Very good." Sitting in the wheelchair, Nuo nodded with a smile. He was not surprised by their reaction. "It seems that you all agree with my opinion on this point."
"You are a prophet who has received divine revelation, teacher. No matter what your proposition is, we will approve of it."
In front of Nuo, a woman who looked to be in her thirties said.
Of course, she was actually over a hundred years old, but the blood of the water elves in the bodies of the residents of Silvermoon City greatly slowed down the aging process. Even though the speed varied from person to person, only a very small number of people could enjoy a life span of more than three to five hundred years, but on average they could live twice as long as their peers.
"No one is always right, Alma. I am just learning some lessons from past history."
Nuo shook his head helplessly at the respect from his students. In fact, in his heart, the respect from the people around him was one of the reasons that really prompted him to choose death.
It has been too long since anyone in Silvermoon City was willing to question him, as if everything he did was right, but Nuo himself didn't think so. Except for the omniscient one, no one was always right, and in his opinion, this excessive reverence was likely to evolve to another level.
Prometheus is a clear example. Although No himself respected the creator of bronze humans, he actually did not approve of the other party's way of handling some things.
"Okay, next is the arrangement for after my death."
He shook his head slightly. Perhaps because he was near the end of his life, Nuo's thoughts were a little scattered. But when he came back to his senses, he still said everything he had decided in advance in an organized manner:
"Silvermoon City needs a new Pope. He will inherit my position, communicate with the Lord's messenger, and guide the future direction of Silvermoon City. This is also the most important reason why I summoned you today."
"You want this position because it is not only closer to God, but each of you has different ideas. Some of you want to maintain the status quo, some believe that some behaviors of wizards should be restricted; some want to open up the wilderness on land, and some have set their sights on the sea."
"This is not just your idea. There are many people who agree with you. Some of them do it for themselves, while others do it for the future of Silvermoon City. So you are all waiting for my decision, because whoever I choose means that I approve of his idea. Before today, I have never made any judgment on your opinions."
"Yes, teacher." A middle-aged man who looked more like a warrior than a priest said, "We have argued in front of you many times, and we have expressed our own opinions. But none of us has convinced the other. After all, our wisdom is not enough to make a decision that everyone agrees on. Only you can do that, so we are waiting for your decision."
"No, Damian, I can't. Just because you think I'm right doesn't mean the choice I make is really right. And the reason why I haven't made a decision is because I can't make a definite judgment."
"Just like you, if I asked you to give up your plan, would you really be convinced?"
"...I will follow your orders. You must have seen a future that I haven't seen yet."
Standing in front of Nuo, the man called Damian still spoke respectfully.
Shaking his head slightly, Nuo knew this would be the result.
The debate among the people present had been going on for a long time, and he knew why there had been no conclusion. It was not only because each of them insisted on his own opinion, but also because no one had a prestige or ability that was obviously higher than others.
Silver Moon City has been peaceful for too long. They have no external enemies, no difficulties, no natural disasters. Under such circumstances, naturally no one can do something that will convince the majority of people. Therefore, they cannot reach a consensus by themselves.
But as Nuo himself said, he didn't know who was right. He never thought of himself as a 'prophet', nor did he think that he could see farther than everyone else. So looking at the few people standing in front of him, Nuo made a final decision.
If we can't get a conclusion by guessing, then let reality verify the truth. Fortunately, for Silver Moon City, which has been peaceful for so many years, they have enough power to support this.
"Your argument is fruitless, and I don't intend to make a decision arbitrarily. However, I still support your different opinions."
"Dissent is a good thing, and the Lord prefers change and difference. So my final decision is not to establish the position of the Pope for the time being."
After he finished speaking, Nuo clearly saw the surprised expressions on several people's faces, but no one directly objected because they could all see that Nuo still had something to say.
"Reality speaks louder than words. Each of you has your own supporters. If that's the case, then let you verify it yourself."
"For those who want to expand outward, I allow you to lead those who are willing to follow you to conquer the ocean and the wilderness. For those who still want to stay in Silvermoon City, then stay here. You will form a council, and only decisions that are agreed by the majority can be implemented."
"When I am gone, there will no longer be such a 'mountain' blocking you from verifying your own ideas. When all the results are drawn, the one with the highest achievement will be the next Pope."
"You are not the mountain that stands in our way."
Damian corrected him, bending down slightly, not happy that his ideas could be partially implemented. But Nuo just smiled at this, because he knew that the other party had no sense of humor.
"Then let's do this. Use your abilities to decide the outcome. I believe you won't hinder each other, and those who stay in Silvermoon City won't forbid those who leave to come back, right?"
"Of course, we are always one."
Someone said, and Nuo nodded, he believed what they said.
"Very good, then everything will be done according to this. Since some of you want to build a town in the wilderness alone, it is not appropriate to still call them 'priests'."
"The person who advocates a missionary business is called 'bishop'. Depending on the specific business, a prefix can be added in front of it."
No one objected, so another matter was settled. But after making the final decision, Nuo's face showed a little fatigue. For a dying man, he had done too much.
As someone who has been in charge of Silvermoon City for so many years, Nuo certainly has a lot of things to explain, but those have been completed long ago.
Now, Nuo, who was completely relaxed, leaned back in his chair and slightly closed his eyes. No one disturbed him, they just waited quietly for a long time, and Nuo, who seemed to have recovered some spirit, opened his eyes again.
"You all should get out now."
Raising his hand slightly, Nuo said calmly,
"Let me stay here alone and go through the last journey."
There was silence for a while, and then footsteps came from near and far away. Accompanied by the sound of the door closing, the inside and the outside were separated.
Nuo leaned in his wheelchair, thinking about his final decision.
There is actually another reason why he did not directly designate the next Pope, because he did not want the future Pope position to always be designated by the previous generation.
When facing a major crisis, a strong leader is the best choice to deal with everything. But in times of peace and stability, more people speaking up can delay the implementation of many things, but it can also avoid the worst results.
Nuo could not guarantee that every leader of Silver Moon City would be wise and powerful, so it would be better to have more people who could speak up. He could already imagine that even if the new pope won in the end, the bishops who had competed with him would definitely not be without a say. There would probably be no more leaders like Nuo who had the final say, and every decision they made had to be supported by others.
"Well... the result that most people can accept is definitely not the best, but it is definitely not the worst."
"What happens next is something I don't understand."
He whispered to himself, his voice echoing endlessly in the empty hall. But Nuo seemed to have discovered something and turned his head slightly.
In a corner of the hall, a familiar old friend had been standing for a long time. He was holding a stone tablet in his hand and was carving something on it.
Without using any tools, the traces of his fingertips left marks on the stone. Looking at this scene, Nuo couldn't help but smile.
He had heard the other person talk about this incident before. Many years ago, the other person had also said goodbye to another friend of his in the same way.
"You only called the priests, but didn't ask the wizards from the White Tower to come along. It seems like you still have some issues with them."
Nuo heard the other party ask this, and he answered casually:
"Logically, I should say this: I've already met them yesterday, and today I'm only dealing with church affairs, which have nothing to do with them. But to be honest, I don't have a problem with them, but I just see that they probably won't be with us forever."
"Witchcraft in Silvermoon City will not disappear, and the church and wizards will not become enemies, but I don't think they will stay here forever, especially the most capable ones."
"They have their own pursuits. Although I don't fully understand them, I understand them to some extent."
Leaning back in his chair, feeling the last bit of life slipping away, Nuo did not see any angels suddenly descending. But he was not surprised by this, because when they last met, he took the initiative to ask for a "normal death".
"That's it. I've done enough. The rest is up to those who come later."
"Perhaps a thousand years from now, when someone steps into this temple again, they will talk about me and the first generation of prophets who died here."
"To be honest, ahem, although I don't think I'm that smart, I actually quite like the title of 'prophet'. When I first heard people mention it, I felt a little happy..."
The voice became lower and lower, and the eyes were no longer bright. Standing in the corner of the temple, the person who engraved the stone tablet watched this scene quietly, and then gave a heartfelt affirmation.
"Your experience will become an epic, promise. A thousand years from now, people will still be singing your history. Ten thousand years from now, you will be worshiped as a myth."
"Hehe, Mythology... is it just like you..."
"...That sounds really good..."
The sound gradually faded away until there was no sound at all. The next moment, a huge bell rang in Silver Moon City.
Although no one saw it with their own eyes, everyone knew that the prophet was dead and returned to God's arms. His era also ended from then on.
Chapter 284
Phantom Darkness.
The feeling of death is so strange, as if something is being uncontrollably pulled out of the body bit by bit.
I gradually lost my sense of the environment, and was replaced by an endless coldness. It was like walking naked in the snow, with nothing able to block the bone-chilling coldness.
For a moment, Nuo felt that he had lost the ability to move. He just watched silently, watching his body fall on the chair in the temple, watching the people who had just left come back here to express their condolences in front of his body.
He should have reacted, even if they were no longer paying attention to him. But just like a person who had just woken up from a deep sleep, although everything in front of him was clearly seen, Nuo's mind seemed to be still immersed in a haze, without any ability to think.
So he just watched quietly as they held a simple and solemn ceremony, saw them take out his body, and then announced his last wishes to the residents of Silvermoon City in front of the temple.
There were so many people outside the temple that even the smallest sound would become noisy when multiplied by such a large number. However, the voice of the person reading the will reached everyone's ears without any obstruction, clearly expressing his meaning.
Then the crowd was divided to both sides by an invisible force, and Nuo's body was carried along the central avenue directly outside the city. He would be buried with his former companions, thus declaring his death in a social sense.
Although he was temporarily unconscious, Nuo's soul still drifted away. He listened to the discussions of the people around him, walked through the streets and alleys, and then went out until he saw his body buried in the repaired cemetery with his own eyes.
Then, as if the last shackles between him and reality had been broken, he felt a mysterious suction coming from underground. The source of the suction was the unknown river of Oblivion.
…
"What a surprise..."
"Hey, I didn't expect this result. Without the Pope, I can only compete with my own abilities. This is pretty good."
"So, no matter what, outward expansion is inevitable... I've been thinking about going out and taking a look for a long time!"
In the crowd, watching the cars passing by on the central avenue, Cornius couldn't tell what his mood was. But when he asked himself, he felt more happy.
After all, he admitted that Nuo was a great leader - it was not about what he did, but what he didn't do.
He had no family or offspring, because he did not want to pass on the so-called "bloodline of the prophet." He gave up the eternal life that was within his grasp, which made Cornius respect him even more despite his incomprehension.
People are such a kind of life, they will have admiration for those who are similar to themselves but can do things they can't do, even those wise men are no exception. But people's emotions are not the same after all, so watching this scene, the young man just sighed.
Compared to these, he was more concerned about the changes brought about by the death of the Great Prophet, such as the young people's desire for the unknown and fighting finally being realized, and the possible changes in Silvermoon City. The life and death of those big shots had little to do with him, at least that's what he thought.
"Connie, I know you're distracted - but at least try to act serious."
A somewhat dissatisfied voice came from the front, calling back Cornius's spirit. Looking at the figure of the girl in front of him standing on tiptoes and looking far away, the young man said inexplicably.
"Oh, I was looking into the future. Maybe one day I'll make a city mourn my passing?"
"...Yeah?"
She tilted her head to take a look and the girl curled her lips.
"Then I will wait for that day, Mr. Connie~"
Well, maybe, as the other party had been expecting, he would join the pioneering team of the new bishop Damian. But De'o didn't plan to go. She wanted to stay here because her dream was to learn divine arts and become a priest, not to go out and fight, which was a hobby only for boys.
It looked like the two were about to part ways, but the people of Silvermoon City had a longer lifespan, so this pioneering journey that might last for more than a decade or even longer would not be a farewell. Therefore, De'e finally just waved his hand, congratulating his childhood playmate for getting what he wanted.
"That day will surely come!"
"But when that time comes, I will reluctantly allow you to continue to call me by my first name!"
As if encouraged, Cornius couldn't help but straighten his chest slightly.
Although strictly speaking, even he himself did not really believe that he could do it, but what if?
Everything is possible. It is also written in the scriptures of the church that God said that there is nothing unchanging in the world, and the only thing that does not change is change itself. In this case, there is probably nothing impossible in this world, so who says that he has no chance of doing something big?
The conversation fell silent, and both of them were immersed in their own thoughts. In the middle of the avenue, the carriage drove out of the city, and the crowd surged with it. Until this long night passed, Silver Moon City still did not return to peace.
This is the beginning, but it will not be the end. This human city, which was originally located in a corner of the continent, will return to its original position.
…
Crash——
The excitement belongs to the living and has nothing to do with the dead. At least for Nuo now, although many things involving him are still going on, they have nothing to do with him anymore.
Perhaps with the coming of the Third Era, some souls with strong obsessions during their lifetime will be able to stay in the human world after death and transform into another kind of life, but that is not essentially a continuation of life.
Because of the loss of physical balance, the characteristics of the spiritual side are revealed a thousand times. Those souls that are trapped by extreme emotions will inevitably be affected by emotions, and it won't be long before they can be regarded as another life with the same memories.
And Nuo was obviously not among them. He did not have any overly intense resentment, hatred or regret, so he was just like an ordinary soul, being pulled to the underworld by the mysterious force and then falling into the River of Forgetfulness.
The cold river water washed over his soul, and the water that was supposed to absorb his memory bit by bit was suddenly blocked. A trace of holy power flowed out of Nuo's soul, and then easily isolated this power. But under this cold stimulation, the originally transparent soul body trembled slightly.
The memory was awakened, like a handful of cool water on the cheek in the morning, which immediately made the originally sluggish thinking start working again.
"Is this... the underworld?"
Looking dazed, Nuo shook his head.
He had heard of the underworld more than once in the past. Even when the bronze men were still around, there were rumors that although the plagues and diseases in the world were released by Pandora, their source was the gods of the underworld.
Therefore, Hades was also regarded by mortals as a god with an evil side. Even in those human city-states that worshipped the Olympian gods, Hades' existence was deliberately ignored. No one would carve his statue, which was considered an ominous symbol.
But this had nothing to do with Nuo, he just looked up at the Styx Moon in the sky amidst the waves of the Styx. He had never seen this archangel before, but he had heard her name more than once.
The Forgotten River rolled forward, and scenes that only existed in legends flashed before Nuo's eyes.
The River of Oaths, the fluid made of magma, the corpses with life and movement. Until a certain moment, as if passing through an invisible barrier, everything in the underworld was left behind. The surrounding scene suddenly changed, and what appeared in front of Nuo was a new world.
Four bright moons of different colors hung in the sky, two of which gave him a familiar feeling; the other tributaries of the Styx converged here, and everywhere he looked, he saw souls.
At the end of the sky, in a place that seemed to be the center of the world, there were two colors of light that penetrated the sky and the earth. They rotated slowly, influencing each other, as if explaining the ultimate truth of the world.
These were scenes that Nuo had never seen before, but he was extremely calm. He asked the angel for a normal death, so he was prepared - at the end of the Forgotten River, he would be judged for his achievements in life, and then thrown into the Well of Reincarnation to become a new life, or he would be kept here because of his outstanding achievements and do his best in the new position.
But the reality did not go as he imagined. As the Lethe River flowed, Nuo suddenly discovered at a certain moment that the souls around him who had been traveling with him had disappeared, and his position had also changed.
The Styx River, which originated from the spiritual world, seemed to have changed its direction by some force, and it came to a dark and unfathomable place.
"here it is..."
Chaos is intertwined here, and time and space are distorted with each other. The moment he arrived here, as the first mortal to arrive at the fifth level of the spiritual world, Nuo seemed to feel thousands of lives talking in his ears, and endless light and shadows flashed by.
Faintly, he seemed to see the earth split into four and countless things pouring out from the ground; he saw black shadows flash across the sky and the sun split into two and then merged into one.
Everything was shaking. Two indescribable beings were confronting each other in the virtual sky. The past and the future were reversed, and the real and the illusion were blurred... However, all the images were just a trance. When Nuo woke up from the illusion, he had truly set foot in the fifth level of the spiritual world.
He didn't know what he had just seen, but he soon had no time to think about it. Because right in front of him, he saw the figure that he had only met once before. The eternal light shone on him, and the world flowed because of his breath.
Nuo didn't know that in order to maintain the stability of positive and negative energy, Ryan's power was being released in time and space without any scruples, resonating with the power of the entire spiritual world. At this moment, Nuo felt as if he had seen the beginning of all things, the truth of everything, as if time was about to stop in front of God's will.
He lowered his head, because even though the remaining holy power in his soul was trying its best to protect his existence, he felt that if he looked at it again, he would be completely wiped out because of his inability to understand this supreme law.
Nuo is not afraid of death, but that doesn't mean he wants to die in front of the throne of God in such a ridiculous way.
"Great Lord of All Spirits, Source of Time and Space, your followers come to see you!"
"Your incarnation on earth guided humanity to avoid doomed destruction. Now I have finally completed the mission you entrusted to me, allowing the flame of civilization to continue in the world."
"Now, I finally come to you again."
Ryan lowered his head and looked at the man crawling in the void. Just like hundreds of years ago, he could still see the kindness in him.
But unlike what the other party thought, he actually didn't care about what he did in the human world, whether it was leading mankind to avoid disasters or opening up Silvermoon City, he didn't really care.
What he really cared about was Nuo's faith, which remained unchanged after he had seen everything and witnessed the almost devout reverence that some people in Silvermoon City had for him.
Ryan himself was never a devout person. He had never had a firm belief in something that existed or did not exist, either in the past or now. He once thought that devout belief came from backwardness, lack of knowledge, ignorance and fear, but reality proved that this was not the case.
Even Cohen would begin to question the gods as time went by... Why didn't Nuo? He thought so, so he asked. He summoned Nuo here just for this question.
"Why do you believe in me?" God asked.
Nuo was a little stunned. He had never thought about this question before. But at this moment, feeling the breath of all truth, he felt that he should have the answer.
"Because I believe that all life in this world needs faith to survive, no matter what his faith is."
"It can be the desire to survive, it can be greed, it can be the good intention to help others, or it can be the evil that destroys everything."
"Nothing in the world can contain all of these things at once, except the world itself."
Ryan smiled slightly, not knowing whether he was satisfied with this answer or not. He just raised his hand slightly, giving the answer the due reward.