Chapter 126: Flame Part 1: The Secret of the Grand Coronation [VIP]

"Here, here is..."

“It’s dazzling, isn’t it?”

Yaris said with a hint of sarcasm, "Those entering the eighth floor for the first time must wear a veil over their eyes. This is supposed to return to the pure mind and body of the primordial chaos of the universe, but in reality it's to prevent the eyes from being hurt by the sudden bright light."

As he spoke, Yaris took off the hood of his brother's black cloak and removed the black veil covering his eyes.

"ah--"

Even with the transition, when he was completely exposed to the vortex of light, Xiao Yun still felt a strong sense of wonder and disbelief.

"Anointing yourself with holy oil and wearing black clothes is also to protect you."

Yaris, also wearing a floor-length black cloak, explained with a smile, "The light and heat radiation in this area is very high, and black absorbs more light and heat radiation than white. Applying the holy oil to the body forms a protective film, further reducing the potential harm caused by the toxic components of the light and heat radiation. Clothing cannot have any decorations because light and heat radiation will cause most heavy metals and inorganic minerals to burn hot, destroying the protective film formed by the holy oil."

"It's really amazing..."

Xiao Yun sighed, and turned back to find that the exit had disappeared: "Where is the exit?"

"The exit is always there. The interior materials of the eighth floor are completely different from those used in conventional buildings, making it difficult to see the exit with just the naked eye. And we will leave in a different direction after the Grand Coronation Ceremony."

"oh……"

Xiao Yun breathed a sigh of relief. Turning around, he saw Yaris casually taking off his cloak, revealing his thin body clad only in light-colored clothing. He couldn't help but frown, "You're so weak, yet you still—"

"My situation is different from yours."

Yaris explained: "The light and heat radiation here is poisonous to you, but it is beneficial to me."

"...Because of the 'God' genes in your body?"

Xiao Yun blurted out.

Yaris looked at him quietly, then changed the subject as if nothing had happened. "After I guide you through the Grand Coronation and grant you senior administrator privileges in the central control room, you can enter the eighth floor anytime you want. Your direct descendants will also inherit your genes and gain free access to the seventh floor of the Divine Tower. Collateral descendants, due to the decline of their bloodline, can only enter the sixth floor."

“It’s actually…”

Xiao Yun didn't know what to say for a moment.

He gradually understood why Yaris was unwilling to take Edmund into the eighth level to complete the great coronation, and why each high priest could only perform the great coronation for one emperor in his lifetime.

It's not just because the coronation represents the highest recognition from the gods, nor is it just because there is a lot of extremely intimate physical contact throughout the coronation. What Yaris really can't stand is revealing the secret of the eighth floor of the tower to Edmund or even sharing the management authority of the tower.

"Only those with direct blood relations to the High Priest can obtain senior administrator privileges on the eighth floor."

As if seeing through his brother's thoughts, Yaris turned around and explained gently.

"Even if an unrelated person enters the Eighth Floor and receives the Grand Coronation, they will only have the authority of a temporary administrator. That is, while the High Priest who granted them the authority is alive, they can freely enter and exit the Eighth Floor and enjoy all the powers within the scope of the temporary administrator's authority. Once the High Priest who granted them the temporary administrator's authority ceases to exist, all of their authority within the Eighth Floor will be revoked. There will be no genetic inheritance for their descendants."

“This, this…”

Xiao Yun's breathing stagnated: "I suddenly feel that the world is very different from what I imagined."

“Once you gain senior administrator privileges, you’ll experience more surprises and unexpected things.”

Yaris spoke calmly, walked forward, took off Xiao Yun's cloak and black clothes, and blindfolded him with a completely opaque white cloth.

"elder brother……"

"Don't be nervous. You are anointed with holy oil, and there are only two of us here."

Yaris whispered soothingly into his brother's ear.

"You just need to trust me completely and hold my hand so that you can pass the test safely and unharmed."

"All right."

Xiao Yun reached out and held Yaris's hand.

"As long as you trust me..."

"I will trust you completely."

While murmuring, Xiao Yun vaguely felt that the space was folding and moving, and the air around him became hot and full of danger.

"Don't worry, just follow my lead..."

Yaris' voice was filled with a chuckle, and his cheek moved closer again. Xiao Yun could not only feel his hair slowly brushing against his skin again and again with the flow of air, but he could even feel his breath through his sweat hairs.

"Um."

Xiao Yun responded softly. Although this was an absolutely enclosed space and there were only him and Yaris present, the fact that he was blindfolded and fully exposed still made him feel a subtle emotion.

, a little intoxication, and...

"The trial has begun."

With the gentle steps coming, Xiao Yun took a breath and once again firmly chose absolute trust.

…

He couldn't see it, but because he had absolute trust in Yaris in his heart, Xiao sweated even though he knew he was walking in a dangerous situation where he might lose his life if he made a wrong step.

【Don’t sweat, sweat can also trigger unexpected situations! 】

…

The passage is very narrow and surrounded by high-voltage power lines. Do not move your body, especially your shoulders.

…

[The temperature in this area is a bit high. Don't worry too much. The fire won't burn you.]

…

Voices from his heart came one after another, reminding Xiao Yun to remain vigilant.

[Every test here carries the risk of death, but as long as you have absolute faith and trust in your heart, you can get through it safely.]

I believe it.

I know you believe...

The gentle voice of the heart is hazy and seems like just a beautiful dream.

After such a confusing journey, I finally reached the end of the road.

"it's over."

Yaris said softly, walked up to Xiao Yun, untied the white cloth covering his face, and pointed to two dresses decorated with jewels and gold and silver patterns hanging on a rack nearby.

"The true meaning of the Grand Coronation is a divine marriage. After completing all the previous tests, the emperor must unite with the high priest, the instrument of the gods, before the twin statues to complete his wedding with the gods."

"Combination..."

Xiao Yun looked up and saw a relief of twin gods in front of him, shrouded in strong light. The relief was different from any twin statues he had seen before. The two gods were in a completely entangled posture, with facial expressions full of joy and intoxication, and even the muscles in their bodies showed the most original happiness that the union brought to each other.

"So there's no way I could have a grand coronation for Edmund."

Yaris added.

Xiao Yun nodded in agreement: "I completely understand how you feel...that kind of thing..."

"It's disgusting just thinking about it."

Yaris muttered.

"…I remember the high priest had strict rules of chastity."

"Um."

"Since there are inviolable rules of chastity, why is it possible... and in the presence of God..."

"I will tell you the details of the rules of chastity after I have completed the necessary rituals."

"But……"

"Don't worry, we are close relatives. Close relatives only need to complete the necessary shallow contact according to the rules from three thousand years ago. Deep contact is only required between non-direct blood relatives."

"ah……"

Xiao Yun was stunned for a moment.

At this time, Yaris's face had approached his face again, and his soft lips trembled slightly as he pressed against Xiao Yun's lips, his long eyelashes drooping.

(Tradition……)

After a ten-thousandth of a second of hesitation, Xiao Yun accepted the kiss.

…

[…Is this okay?]

[At this point, the ritual should be considered complete, right?]

【Try it?】

If you fail——

【Then try again.】

【Um. 】

After a brief exchange of thoughts, the two of them simultaneously parted their lips. Yaris, covered in a large amount of holy oil, walked over to the relief of the twin gods and caressed the bodies of the two gods in turn.

Clang——

The twin gods, who were originally tightly connected, separated smoothly as if they came alive, and the wall cracked, revealing a room several times larger than the outside.

"This room—"

"The entire eighth floor utilizes space-folding technology, making the inside larger than the outside. This room is a larger space superimposed on the space-folding technology of the eighth floor."

Yaris led Xiao Yun to a large, towering mechanical device that almost occupied the entire room.

In the center of the device is a huge transparent tube that reaches up to the ceiling. Inside it are countless crisscrossing thin lines that flash colorful light. Surrounding the transparent tube is a huge circular control platform with a diameter of more than five meters. The platform has two symmetrical operating tables, each of which has a bunch of operating panels and buttons of various sizes.

"this……"

(It looks like the control room of a Time Lord's TARDIS... including the fact that it's larger inside than outside...)

Xiao Yun muttered secretly.

"This is the secret of the eighth floor, something coveted by successive emperors of the empire. Those with permission can enter the room and operate the machines at any time, while those without permission cannot even enter the room. All the tests you just underwent were designed to qualify you to enter the room without permission. First, the mind synchronization, and then the contamination of my aura."

Yaris smiled and led Xiao Yun to the control panel. "This machine requires the joint operation of two administrators with ultimate authority to fully activate it. Therefore, for thousands of years, most of its functions have been dormant. However, even temporary administrator privileges that only allow one percent of the machine's functions are enough to transform the person who gains access into a great being in line with the world's imagination."

"oh?"

Xiao Yun was very surprised.

Yaris slowly explained, "The temporary administrator only needs to place a small amount of active genetic sample, such as blood or fur fragments, into the machine. The machine will analyze the genetic characteristics of the genetic sample and outline the approximate appearance of the genetic sample provider from the age of fifteen to sixty."

"This... this is simply..."

"If you use resident administrator privileges, the machine will also list the residence and distribution areas of individuals with similar genes within the empire."

“…It’s incredible.”

"As for senior administrators—the machine will, based on the resident administrator's permissions, list the names of all individuals living within the empire who carry similar genes and are of similar age to the person providing the genetic sample. If you provide an active genetic sample and correctly enter the person's name and appearance, it can pinpoint their location within a day—as long as they're still in the Western Continent."

"The machine actually has authority over the entire Ella planet, but because the high priests of all generations have always been a single person, they can only obtain ultimate management authority over the Western Hemisphere. Therefore, the management rights of senior administrators are also limited to the Western Continent."

“This…this…”

"That's why I said that anyone who gets this machine, even with just temporary administrator privileges, can become a legendary figure."

Speaking slowly, Yaris held Xiao Yun's hand and pressed them together on a transparent operating panel.

"Let's officially get started."

…

[……]

[System language settings modified successfully.]

[Individual identification successful.]

[Gene information entry completed.]

[Now starting a full body data scan - please remain steady.]

“Why a full body scan?”

Xiao Yun was puzzled.

He has a system, so he doesn't need—

"A full-body scan isn't really necessary for you right now, but I always think it's better to be prepared. What if something in your body suddenly leaves or stops working for unknown reasons?"

Yaris looked tenderly at his brother, whose entire body was being scanned inch by inch by the machine, and explained, "After saving a full-body scan backup in the machine, even if I'm no longer alive, as long as the injury isn't fatal and you can survive until you enter the divine tower, you can use the advanced administrator privileges to have the machine restore your body to its original state."

At this point, he sighed in frustration. "Before, you didn't have administrative privileges. Although you could follow me into the eighth floor, you couldn't gain recognition from the machine and leave any data inside. I went through a lot of trouble to repair your heart. I don't want a similar tragedy to happen again."

"……sorry."

"Then go ahead."

Yaris raised his hand, and after tapping on the operating table with his nimble fingers—

[Full body data collection scan completed.]

[Body data reconstruction successful.]

[Create a new temporary administrator account...]

[Setting temporary administrator permissions...]

[Temporary management permissions set successfully...]

[Temporary management rights have been upgraded to permanent management rights, please confirm!]

[Upgrade of temporary management rights to permanent management rights, completed!]

[Resident management privileges have been upgraded to senior management privileges, please confirm!]

[Upgrade of resident management privileges to senior management privileges completed!]

[……]

[Welcome~Master~]

The setup is complete and the machine emits a friendly and pleasant welcome sound.

"It can actually—"

"It is a machine with autonomous consciousness and the ability to self-evolve and repair itself, but its creators removed its ability to make its own decisions."

"Who made it?"

"have no idea."

Yaris said calmly, "Throughout the generations, everyone who has entered the Eighth Floor and become its temporary administrators believes that the intelligent life form that created this machine is the legendary God."

"Do you think so?"

"I believe its maker is connected to the Eternal Empire."

"What about the builders of the divine tower? Is it also related to the Eternal Empire that was destroyed six thousand years ago?"

"That's not the case. As a religious structure, the pagoda is explicitly recorded as having been built by successive generations of priests, gathering believers and magicians. However, the machine already existed before the pagoda was built, and after its completion, it was personally installed on the eighth floor by the first high priest. From then on, although the pagoda's construction and maintenance fell under the responsibility of the priests, their priests were only allowed free access to floors one through five."

"Wait a minute! The priests can only enter and exit floors one to five. How can they carry out maintenance work on floors six and above..."

A strong curiosity surged in Xiao Yun's heart.

"The internal maintenance of the sixth to eighth floors is managed by machines, while the exterior maintenance of the tower is completed by craftsmen hired by the priest group."

"oh."

Xiao Yun suddenly understood, and then asked, "You just said that two administrators with ultimate authority must work together to make the machine fully functional."

"Yes."

“How can I gain ultimate administrator privileges on the machine?”

"Enter the ninth floor."

Yaris said without hesitation: "The ninth floor of the God Tower can set the ultimate administrator authority."

"Ninth floor..."

Xiao Yun's curiosity burned like a wildfire in the wilderness.

"You want to enter the ninth floor?"

Yaris saw through Xiao Yun's thoughts and asked with a smile.

"Yes, I want to enter the ninth floor and find out the truth of everything."

"I also want to take you to the ninth floor and show you the truth, but..."

Yaris looked at Xiao Yun, his pure black eyes gradually revealing an indescribable sadness.

"The ninth floor doesn't exist in this dimension... You can't enter it now... When the time is right, I will definitely take you there..."

"The time is ripe..."

Xiao Yun subconsciously moved his face closer to Yaris: "When will the time be ripe? What conditions must be met?"

“…I, I can’t say.”

Yaris spoke breathlessly, his eyes filled with distress, his teeth biting his lips, his chest trembling violently, his hands supporting the operating table, as if his body and mind were instantly dominated by fear and panic because of Xiao Yun's question.

"What are you afraid of?"

"I……"

"What exactly happened to you on the ninth floor?"

“…”

Yaris turned around, lowered his head, his long hair covering most of his face, and a broken moan came from the corner of his mouth.

Xiao Yun was convinced that he was indeed hiding something important from him, so he took the initiative to hug him from behind, lifted his hair with his fingers, and put his face close to his ear: "Brother..."

"I……"

Yaris moved his body and tried to break free from Xiao Yun's arms, but chose to give up the moment he felt the other's strength and warmth. It seemed as if all the strength in his body was drained away, and he let Xiao Yun hold him quietly.

"It's not that I don't want to say some things, but I don't know how to say them..."

"If speaking out will make you feel uncomfortable or painful, then don't say it... I don't want to see you get hurt more than I want to pursue the truth..."

"Injured... you mean..."

"I hope that every decision you make is your own will, not forced by any force, and will not be harmed in any way."

“…”

Yaris smiled.

He lowered his head and pried open Xiao Yun's fingers, then turned around and looked at the person in front of him with a dazed and infatuated look: "Sorry, I, I'm not... although, but... let's finish the rest of the things quickly..."

"Well……"

Xiao Yun's cheeks immediately turned red when he understood the hint.

Although they often cuddle together affectionately and sometimes take a bath together, but——

At this moment, it's really a bit...

"It's okay. I know you were just too worried about me... After all the ceremonies are over, let's go to the seventh-floor bathroom to rinse our bodies, change into clean clothes, and then return to the fifth floor of the sacred tower to receive the cheers of the people gathered in the square."

"good."

Xiao Yun accepted Yaris's arrangement with a smile.

…

In order to wash off the holy oil stuck on Xiao Yun's body, the two of them were busy in the bathroom on the seventh floor for a long time. Their clumsy technique caused the air to be filled with the sweet and elegant fragrance of Yaris' daily use mixed with the unique, steady and solemn bitter fragrance of the medicine.

“…It seems like this is my whole life.”

Yaris couldn't help but say, her wet hair softly sticking to her skin, and her thick long eyelashes like butterfly wings.

"Me too. It would be great if I could live like this forever..."

Xiao Yun nodded seriously.

Every time he was alone with Yaris, he could feel pure intoxication and intense joy. Even if he was in extreme danger, as long as he thought that the other person was by his side, his heart would always be ignited with burning strength and passion.

"If one day you leave me, I might flatten the whole world to find you."

"I will always remember your words."

Yaris bent down and kissed his brother's cheek.

[No one can touch my emotions more than you and make my heart beat faster. ]

…

…

The white mist in the early morning gradually dissipated, the harbor was crowded with ships returning from the sea, the sun rose, and people living along the coast ushered in another busy day.

The air was filled with the salty smell of sea water.

"Your Highness!"

Prince Alfonso, the regent and father of Baracanha, turned around when he heard the voice.

The visitor was his confidant, the captain of the "White Devil", Andre, nicknamed "Flamingo".

"What is it?"

"The Civil War has begun."

Andre said dully.

"civil war……"

Alfonso's expression was a little subtle: "Is there any news about the Golden Princess Knights recently?"

"Your Highness!"

Andre emphasized: "Right now the entire Western Continent is discussing the civil war in the Sun Empire."

"I knew about this three days ago."

Alfonso said calmly, "In fact, I intend to personally lead the allied forces into the Sun Empire to support His Highness Yaris."

"Your Highness—"

Andre was shocked. "I know that His Highness Yaris is more important to you than life itself, and that you and His Highness Yaris already had an agreement, but... the current situation..."

"Are you worried that I'll lose the country we worked so hard to obtain because of this decision? Those people in the Golden Princess Knights are useless and will never amount to anything!"

"I also don't think the Golden Princess Knights can succeed. I just..."

Andre sighed. "Edmund III has announced that His Highness Yaris has been deceived and held hostage by rebels. The rebels are attempting to use the Holy City of Denos as a base to destabilize the entire Western Continent. He will stop at nothing to rescue Yaris, crush the rebels, and recapture the Holy City of Denos."

"Do you believe it?"

"Of course I don't believe it, but—"

"But what?"

Andre smiled wryly and said, "Master is about to officially become king. He should look at things from the perspective of the overall situation, rather than putting personal emotions above reason as he has in the past."

"Do you think my personal intervention in the civil war in the Solar Empire was a spur-of-the-moment impulse?"

Alfonso raised his hand, gently stroking the goddess of vengeance ring he had received from Yaris, and spoke slowly and decisively, "Sending troops isn't just to fulfill the agreement with His Highness Yaris, it's also to prove ourselves to the world! I came, I saw, I conquered! I want to demonstrate my presence to the nations of the Western Continent, led by the Sun Empire, and let the rulers of these traditional powers realize that I'm not some vulgar mercenary who got everything I have by luck!"

"I never doubt your ability and courage, but this decision is too risky! In case of failure——"

"I will not fail! I will never fail! No one—not even the devil from Hell—can defeat me head-on on the battlefield!"

Alfonso declared proudly, patting the sword at his waist. The sea breeze blew his luxurious long white hair, revealing his handsome face that still reminded people of a melancholy nobleman even with his age.

He was already thirty years old, no longer young, and was no longer the poor boy who used to roam around casinos and bars, making a living by gambling and stealing. However, his golden-green eyes still flashed with the hunger and sharpness of the past, like a dangerous but darkly charming beast.