Throne of Magical Arcana

If it were anybody else, they probably could’ve only vaguely guessed the range of suspects, but Benedict III clearly knew that Lucien only grasped the secrets about negative feelings and primeval devils but was unaware of the ways to steal and utilize the power of faith, and that Lucien was developing the Church of Steam in secret, intending to intercept the power of faith for Heit, the God of Craftsmen. Therefore, it was very likely that Lucien Evans and the North Church exchanged their bits of knowledge to make up for what they were short of.

Of course, with his smartness, Pope Viken knew better than to jump to any conclusion. The possibility could not be ruled out that somebody was doing it on purpose to mess up the situation.

“If it’s really you, your acting skill will be better than all the professional actors…” The anger on Benedict III’s face was gone, but he was still gnashing his teeth.

When he tempted Lucien before, he was solemnly refused. The guy declared that it was only an experiment and that he was seeking the mysteries of nature in it but not really interested in the path. Because of his despise on the way to become a demigod created by Thanos and himself, and his firm arcana attitude in the past decade, Viken was actually convinced by him…

“First of all, I have to find out whether or not Belkovsky and his people have the part of the secret that can combine the power of feelings and the power of faith… If they do, I will have to speed up. I have to take action before they break into the demigod level…” All of Benedict III’s negative feelings were gone and thrown to Monster Viken through the uncanny connection. He was no longer upset by Lucien’s possible “deception” but began to consider what he should be doing at present.

Although the way to become a demigod that was created by Thanos and himself helped them turn into demigods, there were a lot of coincidences and changes that he could not understand at all during the process. Therefore, the odds of success were actually much lower than it seemed. Despite the godhood and the power of faith that had been accumulated for multiple generations, it was still barely possible for Belkovsky and his people to become demigods, and if they failed, they would either be too heavily wounded to have another try in the next hundred years, or be directly killed.

But no matter how low the odds were, it could still happen. So, he had to confirm their knowledge and modify his plan accordingly.

Benedict III touched the platinum staff next to him and looked out of the window thoughtfully. “… On the other hand, I have to get a list of all the materials that Lucien Evans asked for in the past two years. Maybe I’ll be able to find something… ‘Bird of Death’, it’s time for you to play your role. This is not a threat or a command, which is in violation of the terms of our cooperation, but a matter that concerns your own future too. You should know what’s best for you…”

……

A week later, the list of all the materials that Lucien Evans exchanged for during the past three years was put on Benedict III’s desk.

Every sorcerer had to conduct incessant experiments and build appropriate items and devices. Therefore, the list had hundreds of pages. One would feel that his head was dizzy when he read it and could not find anything of value at all.

“If it were anybody else, they couldn’t have discovered your real purpose…” Benedict III’s face was as gloomy as a swamp as he turned the pages and marked certain materials on them.

He was checking Lucien’s list and marking the materials that his way to becoming a demigod needed. If there were only a few matches, it meant that they were just coincidences, but if the list contained most of the materials, the answer would be obvious. As a legendary sorcerer, Lucien undoubtedly had his own treasury and source of materials, and he did not have to exchange for everything from the Congress of Magic.

Black circles were drawn on the paper one after another, and Benedict III’s face was more and more sullen. After the hundreds of pages were all checked, he finally stared at the blankness in the end solemnly. “Eighty-seven materials that the way to become a demigod needs are included here. They take up 73% of all the materials needed…”

Suddenly, he raised his head slightly. “The eighty-seven materials also include the materials for the ritual to combine the power of feelings and the power of faith in order to break into the demigod level! Has Lucien Evans got the last step from the other legends? Or has he figured it out on his own?”

If it were any other legendary sorcerers, even including Douglas, Benedict III wouldn’t have speculated as such, but Lucien had been studying the power of faith and the power of feelings for years. He had also opened the Chamber of Immortality, seen the mysteries of immortality, and proposed unimaginable, miraculous theories. So, it might’ve been possible for him to complete the way to become a demigod in his hands with the knowledge that he already grasped!

“… I cannot let him turn into a demigod in any case. Otherwise, he may be advanced into a real god before I have the confidence to do so…” Benedict III narrowed his eyes.

Thinking about that, he suddenly stood up. “Words came from the Dark Mountain Range earlier that Lucien Evans had completed the status transformation. Considering his preparation of materials, it’s possible that he will try to make the advancement in one or two years…

“… I have to ask the Bird of Death and the other legends who are willing to cooperate to pay attention to his whereabouts and his Church of Steam…”

……

In the Month of Ice (December), when every drop of water outdoors would immediately be frozen into ice, Rentato was covered in white snow.

Augustus, leading Harold, Myrna, and the central priests of the Church of Steam, paid tributes to the silver nuclear bomb that they believed to be the embodiment of the power of the God of Steam, expressing their gratitude to their Almighty Lord and praying for His protection in the next year.

They covered their eyes with their right hands and kneeled on the ground, praising and singing for the God of Steam in their hearts.

Right then, the silver “nuclear bomb” emanated gentle brilliance, and their bodies were covered in the hazy light.

Shivering, they sensed that a sacred, almighty power eased the anxiety deep inside their hearts. Immediately, they were more peaceful and tranquil. They prayed at the same time.

“You dominate everything. You master the boundary between life and death. You’re the king of the kings, the god above the gods.”

Silver rays shot out of the “nuclear bomb” and fell upon Archbishop Augustus’ head. Then, everything was back to normal.

Augustus slowly stood up. He said both solemnly and excitedly, “The Lord has just changed part of the prayer and decreed that we should hold a grand session at the last weekend in every month so that His glory would illuminate the dwarfs beside us, and they could be saved from the fake gods!”

“Your kingdom comes, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” the other dwarfs echoed at the same time.

Having stayed in Rentato for a long time, they were inevitably influenced by the Saint Truth, whose prayer had been partly melted into their “Mechanical Apocalypse”.

After the liturgy was over, after Augustus led the central priests to preach for the other dwarfs, a cluster of blackness suddenly appeared on the top of the silver nuclear bomb, and a bird that carried the strong stink of death perched on it, examining the residues in the silver nuclear bomb carefully.

“A grand gathering every month, and a change of prayer. Hehe, you can’t wait any longer, can you?” The bird made strange sounds.

After the weird sounds, the bird vanished quietly. At this moment, the most evil air somehow erupted out of nowhere and hovered inside the room.

……

“Recent changes of the Church of Steam…” Quite a few pieces of intelligence about that had been gathered in Benedict III’s hands.

Expressionlessly, he tapped the table and thought to himself, It seems that his progress is faster than I expected. He’s already doing the final preparations. If it weren’t for the mistake in the North Church, he might’ve really tricked me, and he would’ve already become a demigod by the time I discovered it.

Leaning back against the back of the chair, Benedict III asked himself, “Where are you going to hide for your advancement, Lucien?”

Thinking about that, he suddenly snorted. “Wherever you hide, I will find you. Other people might be unable to do so, but as long as you are walking on the path of the power of faith, you will never hide from me!”

He took out a delicate figurine from a drawer. It was a bald dwarf, with weird and creepy patterns all over his head.

Viken closed his eyes and touched the figurine of the bald dwarf with his right hand. Spots of godly brightness that were barely visible for other people appeared and surrounded it like little angels.

The erratic, intangible brightness of godhood surfaced on the figurine of the bald dwarf too. Countless illusionary lines extended over from the void.

“The power of faith is gathered in… in…” Viken suddenly opened his eyes and blurted out, “…in the projection of the Dark Mountain Range inside the World of Souls!”