Chapter 1216 - 1215: "Divine Mandate

Chapter 1216: Chapter 1215: "Divine Mandate

Listening to Andar’s words, the expression on Heragor’s face grew more serious, and the room fell into a brief silence. Amidst this quiet, the former Dragon Priest suddenly traced a complex, pale golden magic symbol in the air with his fingers—as the symbol gradually dissipated, the entire room was enveloped by an invisible force, isolating it from the outside world.

"Regarding that monster, what do you think?" He looked at Andar on the communication interface and asked in a deep voice.

"From the era of the Voyager’s descent till now, every cycle of civilization on this planet has unfolded under our watchful eyes. We’ve documented every deity born during this time...including their true names, mythical traits, domain powers, and even remnants left after unexpected falls. Yet, when I recalled all the data earlier, I couldn’t find a deity matching Modir’s description, even when considering long-term sealing or exile that might cause ’abnormal mutations’."

"Shapeless meat masses, senseless roaring, a fluid appearance, ever-changing symbols—this isn’t the form of a normal god, not even an Evil God would be so offensive and grotesque," Heragor said solemnly. "Normal deities are molded by trends of thought, which are rooted in mortals’ ’average rationality.’ Rationality doesn’t allow for such twisted and chaotic creations in these trends unless something went wrong during the god’s creation process from the start..."

"What Modir described bears very distinct traits of uncontrolled madness, yet it can fight against ancient deities like Lady Night and seemingly has been doing so for countless years. This suggests its battle instinct is extremely strong, and perhaps, its ’madness’ is its ’normality.’ Under its apparently out-of-control exterior, it may still possess reason and even...wisdom."

Andar nodded slightly, pondering as he spoke, "Deities will decline significantly after losing the support of belief, but if a deity survives for over 1.8 million years, the situation is different. Lady Night is as ancient as our former gods, accumulating untold power and wisdom over such a long period...for any ’Evil God’ to withstand her till now, it has to be an equivalent existence."

Heragor did not speak but remained thoughtful and silent. After an unknown period, he suddenly broke the silence, "Honestly, have you thought of..."

"The entity nurtured within that tower," Andar’s expression changed slightly, speaking in a complex and serious tone, "Though there’s no concrete evidence, when confined to ’something that resembles a god but isn’t,’ I can only think of that entity."

"Indeed," Heragor concurred, "A deity spawned from the Voyager’s legacy fits the condition of ’anomalous creation,’ and due to the rapid collapse of The Inverted Tide Empire, the god they molded is very likely in such a state of uncontrolled madness. Part of the details Modir mentioned fits the characteristics of ’knowledge out of control.’ But there’s one problem...that entity shouldn’t it be inside the tower?!"

The two Dragon Tribe Leaders at both ends of the communication device fell silent simultaneously. After a few seconds of quiet, Andar spoke with unusual seriousness, "Perhaps we should take some risks...that tower can’t remain unmanaged forever."

...

Heavy dark city walls protectively encircle a bizarrely stacked city, with high towers standing among the serried eaves and pointed spires, pointing to the sky. Below the forest of towers, houses stack upon layers seemingly defying spatial logic. These slanted high walls and winding alleys spread across the ground like a complex nest — the buildings in this City of Thousand Towers are so densely packed that almost any figure walking in the city is obscured by this accumulation of buildings. Even those occasionally seen flying between the houses in mage robes move swiftly and hurriedly like nocturnal phantoms.

And at the center of this City of Thousand Towers, the towering Royal Giant Tower "Dim Court" stands as always under the perpetually dark swirling sky, with the floating "Eye of the Night" at the tower’s peak, radiating a cool and dim glow, serenely overlooking the city below with an air of divine transcendence.

From inside the tower, descending through layers and layers of floors, houses, and corridors, lies the "Night Sky Cavern" at the tower’s base. The "Dreamless Ones" responsible for guarding are at that mirror-like black "pool," reverently performing crucial rituals. The staffs they hold emit a different glow from usual—a pale flame, squeezed from the shadows, quietly burning, lighting just a small area around them.

Under this dim lighting, the guards chant in unison, with deep and obscure syllables flowing from their throats. These are ancient spells belonging to some bygone era, creating a bizarre drone dreamily echoing through the cavern, omnipresent yet ready to dissipate at any moment.

This prayer continued for an unknown duration before the leader of the guards suddenly stopped, followed by others gradually ceasing their chants in sequence. As the sounds echoing in the cavern steadily calmed, everyone’s gaze naturally fell on the mirror-like surface of the "pool."—In their gaze, the black surface remained extremely quiet at first, then suddenly rippled.

The guards tensed, ready for unwelcome changes emerging from the pool. However, as a faint, low murmuring came from the mirror’s surface, every guard visibly relaxed their nerves.

Their leader inclined his ear, seemingly discerning a clear message from the low murmurs. He nodded while listening, displaying a respectful and joyful demeanor until all sounds faded and the ripples on the mirror surface vanished. Then he took a small step back, and the pale flame at his staff’s tip reverted to a normal magic power glow.

At the top of the Dim Court, inside a circular room covered in dark red carpets, Mystics Prince Nash Narte sat at his desk, reading a letter received from afar. Suddenly sensing something, he looked towards the desk’s edge—a crystal ball hovering there lit up in the next moment, its interior revealing the pale face of the underground guards’ leader.

"Prince," the guards’ leader said respectfully, "The ritual has concluded."

"Thank you, Rudolf, was everything successful?" Prince Nash put down the letter in his hand and nodded slightly at the guards’ leader. "What decree did our lord deliver?"

The guards’ leader’s expression turned devout and solemn, "The Lord said to continue acting according to the previous direction, to keep selecting intelligent and qualified talents from Loren Continent, teaching them the secrets of magic, and continue assisting the mortal races on Loren Continent in building their knowledge systems, guarding the civilization’s advancement this season—now the time is nigh, and preparations can begin for the next batch of apprentice selections."

"Mm..." Prince Nash nodded lightly, as if everything was within his expectations, "No other decree was given? Did the Lord mention whether He would return?"

"It wasn’t mentioned," the guards’ leader shook his head, "The Lord seems to require more time to slumber."

"I see," Prince Nash sighed, nodding, "Go rest, it’s almost time for the shift change."

The black-robed figure in the crystal ball bowed slightly, and soon disappeared before Prince Nash. Only when the crystal returned to its dull state did the Prince of Mystics finally rise from his seat, wearing a contemplative expression as he slowly paced around the room. After walking circle after circle, he suddenly stopped, and almost simultaneously, an ancient magical mirror hanging on the nearby wall flickered to life.

The mirror reflected the room’s scenery but did not show Prince Nash’s figure. Instead, a serene and beautiful lady emerged from the depths of the mirror, as if walking towards a window, taking her place before the glass unhurriedly.

"Benadette," Prince Nash looked at the person in the mirror, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, "Aren’t you supposed to be resting? I remember today is the day for inspecting the central tower."

"Aha—I’m resting, but I can’t pretend I don’t see you walking around in circles," the lady in the mirror replied helplessly, "Don’t forget your mind is closely linked to the Dim Court—so tell me, what’s happened now that’s troubling our mighty Mystics Prince? Have those northern dragons finally decided to cause trouble on the island? Or are those dim-witted creatures from the deep sea stirring up chaos, leading thousands of sea demons to get lost and wash up on Violet, landing in Prandell?"

Even before Benadette finished speaking, Prince Nash was already sweating coldly, dripping down to his feet. He retracted his neck and waved his hand: "Stop, stop, since when has your imagination become so vivid—with such terrifying scenarios, you truly astound me."

"So what’s really happened?" Benadette raised an eyebrow, and three glowing question marks appeared on the mirror’s surface, "It’s rare to see you in such a worried state."

Prince Nash hesitated for a moment, then decided there was no need to hide anything from the person in the mirror. He nodded slightly and said, "You should know that today is a day of blessing; Rudolf led the Dreamless Ones in prayer at the night sky Cavern..."

"Ah, I know, I know," Benadette nodded immediately, "So what, has our Lord finally decided to wake up and return to the world?"

"No," Prince Nash shook his head, "The Lord remains unawakened. He merely sent down decrees from dreams, commanding us to continue executing the previous mission, to select apprentices from the Loren Continent for teaching, to impart the mysteries of Violet magic on the Loren Continent..."

"Is there a problem with that?" Benadette tilted her head, and three glowing question marks appeared on the mirror again, "Didn’t we do the same thing for hundreds of years before? Never saw you anxious about it then."

"I don’t have any issues with recruiting apprentices; it’s more about aiding the mortal nations of Loren Continent in building a magic system... I’ve suddenly got some doubts," Prince Nash carefully chose his words, even before the ’mirror person,’ he didn’t want to show any hint of questioning or slighting the ’Lord,’" These years, you and I, just like me, have been observing the changes in Loren Continent’s situation. In your view, do the nations of Loren Continent still truly ’need’ our ’help’ to construct a ’magic system’ now?"

Benadette frowned, unclear about why Prince Nash suddenly came up with this thought, but she sincerely contemplated for a moment and shared her view: "If after listening, you won’t have me reforged—then I think it’s quite unnecessary."

Prince Nash didn’t speak, indicated the lady in the mirror to continue with his eyes.

"Earlier, the explosion at Well of Deep Blue indeed severely damaged the Gondor Empire and many surrounding countries. The failure of magic skills and the collapse of the old knowledge system were facts; back then, they definitely needed our help, but after all these years, the Loren Countries have proven they are not incapable—some have established new magic systems with our assistance, while others have developed new technology through their own efforts. Typhon has constructed modern magic based on Gondor’s legacy; the tribal country of Augari has its unique witchcraft and fairy spells, Anzu... now called Cecil Clan, even created magic-conducting machinery on the foundation of old-style magic... this should be clearer to you than me.

"It’s quite apparent these countries have already emerged from the shadow of that disaster and are doing well now. Of course, traditional Mages still yearn for the endless mysteries of Violet, this ’Mage Nation,’ they covet our knowledge, aspiring to be apprentices at the City of Thousand Towers, but on a national or even civilizational level... I believe Loren Continent doesn’t much need this systemic help from us anymore."

At this point, the lady in the mirror paused briefly, summing up her thoughts: "In summary, recruiting Mage apprentices seems fine, but talking about ’helping’ the Loren Countries construct a magic system... I think this is somewhat outdated."

Prince Nash gazed at Benadette in the mirror and sighed helplessly: "... If your words were heard by the senior members of the Association of Mystics, they might truly have you dismantled and reforged."

Benadette instantly widened her eyes: "Hey, all of this is because you asked me to speak!"

Prince Nash waved his hand, expressing it was just a joke, before slowly speaking with a somewhat peculiar expression: "Actually... my thoughts are quite similar. I know I shouldn’t question the Lord’s commandments, and clearly, with His intention being to aid the mortal civilization of this era, yet as the actual situation of Loren Continent has changed in the past hundred years, I can’t help but wonder if what we’ve been doing is still necessary. To say something extremely offensive... the Lord... He seems unaware of changes in the real world..."

Listening to Prince Nash’s words, the face of Benadette in the mirror changed slightly, and in the next second, she addressed Nash with extreme seriousness: "Watch your words, Nash—Lord is undoubtedly all-knowing and omnipotent."

Prince Nash was momentarily stunned, promptly realizing his slip of the tongue, quickly collecting those overly dispersed thoughts, and composing his expression, he nodded slightly: "I understand, the Lord is certainly all-knowing and omnipotent."

"So under the premise of the Lord’s omniscience and omnipotence, all arrangements He makes must naturally have His reason," Benadette maintained a straight face, purposely speaking expressionlessly, "He believes we should assist the Loren Countries and unreservedly teach the mysteries of magic to humans, elves, and dwarves, then that’s exactly what we should do."

Prince Nash looked somewhat helplessly at the person in the mirror: "... Your tone is exactly like those elders from the Association of Mystics now."

The lady in the mirror, Benadette, hearing that, withdrew her intentionally serious demeanor and asked nervously: "So they shouldn’t tear me apart and reforge me then?"

"They wouldn’t in the first place," Prince Nash sighed, "You know how valuable you are..."