A More Suitable Candidate

"I do not need it." Even without your godhead, I can become a god on my own. What stands in my way is only the rule of this era forged by the God of Order; once this era ends, the suppression of the rules will cease to exist. Therefore, inheriting your godhead would only lower my ceiling. Confronted with Diss's blunt refusal, Augurev was not angry in the slightest; instead, a smile appeared on her face. Against the backdrop of the raging fire, her smile seemed all the warmer. Augurev disliked petty gods like Raniedal who knelt on the steps wagging their tails and begging for mercy, and by extension, she found the fact that his hairstyle matched hers thoroughly displeasing. Yet she greatly admired Diss's character. Beyond that, there was another crucial reason... Diss was a believer of Order. Even gods had double standards. "Very good. In this era, we believers of Order ought to possess such temper and confidence." The High Priest spoke up: "Augurev, exile your godhead." Hearing this, the Oracle and the Prophet were visibly shaken. They dearly wanted to ask why the godhead could not be entrusted to the Temple... no, to the Church's safekeeping. Once a godhead was exiled, it was even harder to find than an exiled divine artifact. But if they possessed it, once the current era drew to a close, elders within the Temple could rely upon it to attempt a breakthrough into the divine realm. Although this method would result in a very low ceiling and virtually block any future progression, only that man over there would look down upon it; plenty of people in the Temple would jump at the chance. However, they could tell that the High Priest was speaking to Augurev in his identity as Tyrannus; they had no right to interject. "Very well." Augurev followed the suggestion. It truly was the better choice. An exiled godhead was equivalent to returning to the rules of Order, descending when summoned in extraordinary moments. Although far inferior in immediacy and thoroughness, for the one who sacrificed it, it was truly the best and most comfortable option. Yet just as Augurev was about to do so, she immediately discovered an anomaly from the two main goddesses of Life, who were supposed to perish alongside her in the divine flames at this very moment. The first main goddess of Life willingly disintegrated her own dying divine body to shield the second. This would not change the outcome, but it could change the sequence. And the shielded second goddess of Life was currently confirming a recipient for her inheritance. Life never ceased. Just as in the previous era when the Church of Life split into two main gods hedging their bets across two opposing camps, in this most critical juncture, they ultimately put aside their selfish desires and chose to pass on the spark of Life. The struggle of the last era, having lain dormant through an entire era, would continue into the imminent new one. Both victors and losers were already laying out their pieces for the next showdown. At this moment, atop the numerous high pillar circular platforms, many temple elders cried out one after another: "The Night God Church is willing to host Life!" "The Church of Crystal is willing to host Life!" "The Church of Thunder is willing to host Life!" "The Church of Principles is willing to host Life!" This was not only the intent of the Holy Sees behind them, but even more so that of the Temples they represented. At this critical juncture, faced with such immense temptation, they did not even care whether this might anger Order. The Oracle called out, "The Church of Order is willing to host Life." This cry drew the stares of many elders. They truly had not expected the Temple of Order to be shameless to such a degree. The Oracle looked calm. Although he knew it was impossible, shouting it out wouldn't cost anything. Yet the inheritance of Life did not choose a foreign church; that godhead began to melt. This meant the main goddess of Life had chosen the same path as Augurev: exiling her godhead. The question was, Augurev was certain that the Church of Order could summon her power, but did today's Church of Life still possess such an ability? *** "What a pity we didn't bring Richard along. Richard would probably love this place—he could let his nature run wild." With a burning cigarette between the fingers of his left hand and a half-emptied bottle of veterinary stimulant in his right, Neo strolled along the streets of Xiningsluo. A drag of smoke, a swig of medicine—in an era where becoming a god was impossible, Neo had already tasted divine bliss. This place was a sacred ground of Life. After the Church of Order breached the Garden of Life and eradicated the Holy See of Life, the sacred grounds originally belonging to the system of Life either declared mutual defense, proclaimed independence, or simply surrendered voluntarily to Order's system. Their standing idly by had essentially made them accomplices to the downfall of Life's central authority, lightening no small burden for the Church of Order. Regardless, at least for now, this place remained well preserved and thoroughly bustling. The essence of life lay in movement; hence, pleasure shops were everywhere. Not only across different age groups, physiques, and genders, but even across different races and states of existence, anyone could find the release they desired. Dalivenro, who was strolling alongside Neo, could not help asking, "I'm really curious: why didn't you go to the Garden of Life? Why insist on wandering around here?" "Go do what? Watch Karen stand before deities spouting his creeds of Order, or watch our dear Mister Diss cleave open a deity's chest with a sword to deliver a critique in the physical sense? What difference does it make whether I go or not? Either way, I'd just be clapping for someone else. Boring." "Still, aren't you worried?" "Worried about what?" Neo chuckled. "I'm just a Captain in the Whip of Order. Even though I'm dead right now, if my true self goes back, I can still pull together a few old subordinates to join me in some shady business. As for me, I never believed from the very start that an existence like the God of Order could end up in a state where every single one of his subordinate branch gods betrayed him." "Just based on that?" "Yeah, just based on that. You think they couldn't figure that out? Of course they did. But their positions are different; they didn't dare gamble, and they were even less willing to lose like that. In any case, I couldn't care less. Hey, that shop over there sells virility oil—go buy a few extra jars for me. I'll take them back to Mason. Whenever he drinks with me, he always complains about his aching lower back. Mary must be demanding too much." "I have some freshly cultivated fruit..." "Can an ordinary person eat that stuff of yours?" "The side effects can be neutralized." "Feel free to try. Whether it's your Young Master or Mister Diss, both put family above all else. Go right ahead and mess around, and see if they don't beat you to death." Dalivenro's mouth hung open. Convinced, he immediately abandoned his organic, eco-friendly alternative and went to line up at the shop ahead to buy synthetic pharmaceuticals. Neo took another sip of the veterinary stimulant. Deciding that "drinking" on an empty stomach wasn't ideal, he fished a few crumbs resembling black biscuits from his pocket, popped them into his mouth, and chewed contentedly. If Karen were here, he would find what Neo was eating somewhat familiar, for Neo had scraped it off little Kanna's medicinal pills. Although scrounging food from a child's bowl wasn't a good look, it also served as an indirect testament to what an extreme level Neo's drug resistance had reached. Only, fast as his progress was, he still couldn't compare to that fellow Karen, leaving him with an abiding sense that nothing was really worthwhile. While his actions continued as before, his mindset had long since grown slack. He had no desire to re-enact the tale of Rasma and Diss on himself. As for whether he could elevate himself to a position high enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Karen when the day of true need arrived... he would leave that to luck. If he couldn't, he wouldn't blame himself; the fact that he was still alive and hadn't committed suicide was already showing Karen plenty of respect. Having eaten some pill crumbs and chased them with a large swig of stimulant, just as Neo was preparing to sway his body casually along this bustling street to vent the medicine's potency, an extraordinary sensation snapped him sober at once. "Oh, damn it, what a waste of all my build-up!" The pleasantly tipsy buzz he had meticulously nurtured was shattered by a bizarre pressure. Neo's gaze turned toward the tallest mountain peak of this sacred ground. That was where the core of the sacred ground lay, much like a district administrative office within Order. Murmurs drifted from the peak. At first indistinct, gradually the ordinary people on the streets stopped whatever they were doing. Dalivenro was walking back with the medicine in hand. Halfway there, a solemnity born of devout prayer surfaced in his eyes, but he quickly shook his head violently and cursed: "Praise Life my ass! I've already defected to Order!" Yet the fact that he could snap out of it did not mean others could. On the streets, a small number began praising and praying using the etiquette of the Church of Life; the majority, ordinary people who lived here without much connection to the Church of Life, knelt bewildered on the ground, chanting "Praise Life" over and over. Dalivenro hurried to Neo's side and asked, "What's going on?" "You're asking me? Who should I ask?" Neo took a long drag of his Thunder cigarette right down to the filter, then tossed the bottle of veterinary stimulant to the ground, an expression of excitement gradually surfacing on his face. "Still, I have a hunch this is going to be an entertaining interlude." "I'll notify the department—" Before Dalivenro could finish, Neo's figure vanished from where he stood. "Tsk..." Dalivenro hesitated no longer and followed. The two arrived first at a Church of Life administrative building nearby. The fiery-red sculpture out front that originally symbolized Life had now been painted black to symbolize the merging of Life and Order. One could only say the former governor of this sacred ground was truly a genius. Yet now, from the main hall to every office inside, all the Life priests were praying with rapt absorption. The problem was, if they were truly the sort of fearless, devoted believers of Life, how could they have survived until now? Therefore, their current devotion was precisely the greatest problem. Neo reached out and grabbed Dalivenro's shoulder. "Don't you feel anything out of the ordinary?" "Are you doubting my loyalty to the Young Master?" "I just wanted a reference sample. Ah, forget it. You stopped being a valid sample long ago." "Thank you for the endorsement." The words had barely left his mouth when an eerie red hue suddenly washed over the skin of the Life priests who had been solemnly praying. The red grew so concentrated that it actually seeped out from within their bodies. *Pop!* *Pop!* *Pop!* A series of popping bursts rang out. One after another, the bodies of the Life priests dissolved into bloody mist, circulating in an established order before converging together toward the sacred ground's highest peak. Neo licked his lips. "This is a sacrificial offering." At first it was only the priests, but gradually the bodies of the ordinary people across the sacred ground began to dissolve as well. Though their bloody mist was faint, the sheer population was large enough to merge into substantial rivers of blood. No screams, no slaughter. The living beings of the entire sacred ground were being stripped of life and drained of blood in this "peaceful and serene" manner. An unprecedented grand sacrificial rite for this land had been unveiled. Neo did not step in to intervene, because interfering with just what was before his eyes was pointless. Moreover, in all likelihood, similar scenes were playing out across other sacred grounds of Life as well. When the two main goddesses of Life descended upon the Garden of Life on the verge of returning, signs and disturbances had erupted across numerous religious sites in Life's sacred grounds. The Life priests had been the first to grow excited, and then... their excitement had promptly erased them from existence. Dalivenro watched the rivers of blood crisscrossing in front of and behind him, and sighed. "What difference is there between this and a sacrifice to an evil god?" Neo corrected him: "'Evil god' isn't a classification of species. It's not even a definition of identity." "Then what is it?" "A definition of faction." "I need to inform the Young Master—" "You need to know the actual location. Otherwise, missing one frontline report from you won't matter." "Do you know where the actual location is?" "I don't. But it's time for Buken to prove he isn't a useless former Whip-Wielder." Meanwhile, atop the peak of this sacred ground, a group of masked, gray-robed figures stood gathered around a divine artifact of Life. Their chanting drove the artifact's operation, pumping out the water of life from this land like a drainage machine. Exactly as Neo had predicted, the same thing was taking place across other sacred grounds of Life. And the water of life they extracted was being channeled upward in an even thicker, more forceful stream. In a secluded valley stood an altar of Life that had previously been abandoned. The altar was a dried-up pool, but now crimson water was gradually filling it. "The worst-case scenario has occurred. Renaos, prepare to receive the inheritance from Life." The burly Renaos stripped off his clothes and stepped into the pool of blood. He had been a temple elder of the Church of Life, but had not been buried in the Garden of Life. Below was an inexhaustible supply of vitality; above, golden rain fell ceaselessly. Around them stood nine masked Silent Ones. "Our intelligence was flawed. The High Priest of Order was not truly lost." "Alas, the Church of Order..." "Just like in the last era, the Church of Order continues to play the role of the obstructionist. But we must remain steadfast in our belief: this world needs the radiance of gods." "Indeed. Furthermore, this isn't necessarily a bad thing for us. At the very least, we can guide and harness the power of gods with greater leisure. Renaos, enjoy this inheritance from your Goddess of Life to your heart's content. Unless forced to the brink of desperation, they would never be so generous." The nine Silent Ones summoned their respective avatars one after another, providing a continuous driving force to fuel the altar's operation. Renaos also positioned his avatar above, freely absorbing the inheritance of Life. His avatar condensed continuously, beginning to transition from quantitative accumulation to qualitative transformation. Just then, one of the Silent Ones said, "This place has been discovered." "Is it that pack from the Whip of Order?" "Yes, exactly. It's those mad dogs." "It seems the bones we tossed them earlier weren't enough to sate them. They still managed to track us all the way here." Recently, under Karen's orders, Buken had organized the forces of the Whip of Order to launch relentless strikes against the periphery of the Silent Ones, and the contest between the two sides had long reached a fever pitch. Even so, the core leadership of the Silent Ones had never anticipated that Buken, that mad dog, could actually follow the scent and snap his jaws all the way here. In the pool, Renaos spoke up: "Let's speed things up. Once I secure the inheritance, I'll go into hiding and wait for this era to conclude completely. Until then, I have no desire to run into Order's knights." *** Looking at the continuously melting godhead of Life within the membrane, the High Priest smiled faintly. "In the end, he couldn't keep things completely clean. Foden has grown old." This was indeed an oversight on the part of the Whip of Order, allowing others to make clandestine preparations right under their noses and successfully trigger them, stealing away a share of the fruits of victory. Karen explained, "High Priest, this cannot be blamed on the Whip-Wielder. Recently... the Whip-Wielder's cold poison flared up, draining his energy and affecting his duties." Foden had recently been busy networking to stage a coup; how much attention could he spare for day-to-day duties? But such an explanation obviously couldn't be stated plainly, or Karen wouldn't be exonerating his old superior—he would be burying him. "Heh, you certainly know how to make excuses." Just then, a blue seashell flew out from the pocket of Karen's divine robe and adhered behind his ear. An urgent report had been patched through the formation at this logistical supply point directly to Karen. It violated protocol, but was unavoidable in an emergency. Buken reported the coordinates to him, while explaining that he currently lacked the strength to intervene and disrupt the ritual. This could not be blamed on Buken's incompetence; rather, before Karen entered the Administrative Temple, forces across the Wien District had begun massing in preparation to provide backup, which drastically reduced the manpower Buken could mobilize. So ultimately, the responsibility still rested on the High Priest. He had stirred everyone into a frenzy of frantic maneuvering, yet when a slip-up occurred, he still blamed his subordinates for not working hard enough. Karen requested instructions: "High Priest, please order the Temple to concentrate its forces at those coordinates." Mobilizing a legion on short notice was out of the question; they could only dispatch the church's peak combatants to handle it. Any later, and it might be too late. Besides, this was a hard-won opportunity to touch the core of the Silent Ones organization; ordinarily, their true leadership remained hidden within their respective churches, or even... within their respective temples. The High Priest turned his head, looking toward Raniedal standing in the rear and Diss perched upon Raniedal's shoulder. "Isn't there a more suitable candidate right here?"