Chapter 67

Arnold's riot in front of the altar shocked everyone, but it was clear that Lor'theran was prepared.

The dragon instantly adopted a cold expression, its red vertical pupils scrutinizing the group of young people from the future, its anger clearly evident.

Hill took out a healing potion and poured it onto the deep, bone-revealing wound on Lortheran's palm.

The medicine was clearly very effective; the wound immediately began to stop bleeding, and the flesh began to itch, indicating that new flesh was slowly growing.

Arnold, whose head had been exposed, opened his eyes wide and was about to argue when a sharp, stabbing pain shot through his head, and he rolled his eyes and fainted.

Lord Martin remained standing before the artifact and asked, "What happened?"

He wasn't so stupid as to think that the boy attacked his other self out of resentment.

Lortheran lifted his eyelids slightly: "He has something on him; he was just being manipulated."

Lord Martin gave an "Oh," and then turned back to study the chains. His reddish-brown eyes flickered as he repeatedly replayed the attacks on the chains in his mind, vaguely sensing something.

Then he raised his sword and slashed a few times with great force; not only were the chains unharmed, but even his sword remained unscathed.

The dragon still cared about this future Lortheran. It looked down on most humans, but it was especially fond of its companion, surrounding Lortheran and asking if he was still in pain.

Hill retrieved his puppet and didn't look at Arnold and the others again.

The two sides did not continue fighting, but the atmosphere became even more hostile.

“I understand.” The tense atmosphere was finally broken by Lord Martin’s words. The young man straightened up, turned to look at everyone, and said, “The attack that the chains endured has been teleported to other places.”

If the chains remain unharmed while his sword is damaged, then the chains' defense is indeed very strong.

However, neither of them was harmed, which means that the collision attack had no effect, or at least could not be seen in front of them.

So, is the attack transferred at the same time, or does it exist at a different point in time within the same spatial context?

Lord Martin frowned. They were in a difficult position to solve this problem. Whether it was a tear in time or a leap in space, they didn't have much time left... in fact, not enough.

He turned to look at Hill: "Go and call him over."

Hill pointed to himself: "Me?" It was obvious who he was referring to.

However, there was no sign of Veris in this place, even though he knew Veris was also in the ruins... Hill frowned, finally made up his mind, raised his head, and when his gaze fell on the black pillar of light under the sky, his eyes stung again, so he reluctantly looked away.

He opened his mouth wide, about to shout Veris's name, when a slow, familiar voice rang out: "I'm here."

Hill looked down and saw Veris standing in front of the Staff of Earth, his back to them, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Actually, he didn't really want to use that move.

Lord Martin stepped aside and said, "You're really good at hiding. What important thing have you been doing that you haven't come out for so long?"

He was just saying it casually, and as for Veris disappearing as soon as he entered the ruins, he already had a guess in mind based on what Lortheran had said earlier.

They've probably gone to find that legendary earth deity. And it seems everything is going smoothly.

Veris understood what he meant and said nothing. He simply looked at the chain, raised his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, the chain, which had been impossible to break before, shattered into pieces with that single, light stroke.

The Staff of Earth Stabilizer hovered silently. Veris glanced at it for a moment, then raised his palm, and the Staff of Earth Stabilizer flew into his hand on its own.

"Ambrose is dead, and the ruins are to be closed."

"The remaining divine power in this place will flow into your bodies."

The young man's voice was still slightly hoarse. Not far away, Allen looked up at the figure wearing a cloak and holding a scepter. He felt that the figure looked somewhat familiar, but he quickly dismissed the idea, after all, it was too unrealistic.

This wasn't the place to talk, and Veris didn't say much. He simply placed the Staff of Earth Stabilizer in Lord Martin's hand. After the Staff of Earth Stabilizer left Veris, the ruins began to be cleared of people.

Entering the ruins from the outer edge of the Elf Forest, you'll find yourself on a cliff. Those who were forcibly drawn into the trials will randomly appear in different locations.

Some people walked for half a day in the vast wilderness, did nothing, and were then teleported away again.

Some people, by sheer bad luck, land right in a bloodbath, encountering deadly obstacles and losing their lives in vain.

Some people encountered local adventurers and started fighting over a minor disagreement. Although they didn't die, they were injured. They were teleported into the ruins of the gods but gained nothing. They didn't even take many steps before getting beaten up.

These people are already filled with remorse.

Forget about competing for divine artifacts and treasures; they should be grateful to have survived until the secret realm gate reopened.

The secret realm reopened its gates ten days after one entered.

With only a day or two left to wait, this damned site is still forcing people to buy and sell, dragging them in by force.

What great god? He's more like a demon that's determined to kill people!

They were dragged in without warning and thrown out without warning. Some were even waving weapons when dizziness struck, and the next second they found themselves in the familiar brick-moving field.

He wanted to exchange glances with his companion to make sure they had really left that horrible ruin, but then he discovered that his companion was gone.

Beneath the city wall, on the main road, some people with ropes around their necks wept bitterly, unsure whether they were mourning their suddenly deceased companions or their own past glories of confidently declaring they would seize the divine artifact and unify the continent.

After crying, he went back to manual labor to earn a living.

After spending most of the day at the ruins, the day when the gate to the secret realm will reopen is getting closer and closer. We must make sure there are no more problems.

On the other side, although Hill and Dragon disliked Arnold and his group, Lortheran, the one who was assassinated, went to visit his adopted son and brought him healing potions, saying they were to relieve mental fatigue and to apply to his muscles to relieve soreness.

The simple-minded Aster was deeply moved and, holding the potion, said that Lortheran truly deserved to be Arnold's biological father, being so good to them.

Lortheran waved his hand, stood by Arnold's bedside, and looked down at his adopted son. Ever since the assassination attempt that left him unconscious, Arnold had been in a coma with a furrowed brow. Murphy had tried to use healing magic, but it hadn't worked.

Even Carlo used the Elven healing techniques.

Arnold still hasn't woken up.

Although these young people were given a better place to live and no longer had to sleep in the open, they still needed to earn food through labor, so they still had to go to work.

Lortheran came to visit Arnold, and looked at the sleeping boy with a very strange expression.

However, he didn't say anything and left quickly.

Upon returning to the area where Lord Martin resided, he encountered his former subordinates, still a group of them, who had just emerged from the council chamber, their faces flushed.

Lortheran watched the group part ways at the door and head to their respective posts. Only after those figures disappeared from sight did he turn his gaze away.

Then they walked toward Lord Martin's council chamber.

The Staff of Earth Stabilizer was inside the council chamber, casually covered in a bag and hung on the wall. Among Lord Martin's many treasures, it was somewhat indistinguishable from the others.

Calling it a hall isn't quite accurate; the room isn't very big. If you were to call in a few of your men to discuss matters, it would definitely feel cramped.

There were only a few people in the room at the time. When Lortheran came in from outside, he saw Veris sitting in a chair, looking down at the uneven map, with a cup of steaming water on the table in front of him.

Lord Martin, however, was talking to Hill.

The dragon originally wanted to go mining, but it was about to set off to attack Butaya, and Lord Martin ordered it not to go anywhere. At this moment, it was sitting in the house, holding a crystal-clear stone and admiring it with great affection.

Seeing him come in, she immediately looked up and gave him a smile.

Although this Lortheran is said to be the older version of the current Lortheran, with such a youthful appearance, the dragon always felt that he was an eighteen-year-old Lortheran.

Lord Martin, who had been chatting casually with Hill, looked over when he saw Lortheran arrive: "How is it?"

Lortheran stood beside the table, sighed slightly, and said, "I guessed right, all the divine power was absorbed by Arnold. I wonder if it's the celestial being inside him causing trouble."

The destruction of an archaeological site leads to the loss of divine power. Generally, a portion of the divine power is distributed among the humans or other races within the site, while the remainder disappears into the air.

However, Arnold absorbed all the remaining divine power from the Ambrose ruins, and none of them gained anything.

It's fine if it's just one person, but if it's several people, then there's a problem.

As a sacred artifact of the ruins, the Staff of Earth Stabilization will also be imbued with divine power, which will fall around the Staff of Earth Stabilization.

Veris stared at the cup in front of him and said, "The previous Poseidon ruins were probably also where he absorbed the divine power."

Two divine powers reside within Arnold's body; he is not yet awake and is presumably taming and absorbing them.

Arnold is a hero, so his luck is bound to be good. Whether it's luck or Yannis's intervention, Veris isn't quite sure.

If it's the former, that would be even better.

Lortheran touched his nose: "Well, my Trident of Poseidon is with him too."

Lord Martin looked up abruptly: "Hey! You really treat him like your own son?!"

"How could that be! How could a biological son be as talented as him!"

Lortheran retorted with righteous indignation.

The dragon beside him widened its eyes: "Loseran, you have a son?"

Hill also cast an inquiring glance his way.

Veris: ...My head hurts so much.

He pressed his temples and said, "Let's decide how to take down Butaya first. The Dragons will lead a team to intercept their rear. Hill, you're in charge of attacking the eastern city of Butaya."

This is the result of our discussion.

Lord Martin will lead the main force to attack the main city of Butaya, while the city on the right side will be under the command of his capable soldiers.

Veris was responsible for observing the battle situation and making decisions as needed.

The people who just left have gone to take stock of the troops and are preparing to set off tomorrow for Butaya, which is only a few dozen miles away.

“After we take Potaya, I will no longer be with the group,” Veris continued.

The dragon was the first to react, instinctively asking, "Where are you going?"

Hill looked at Veris with concern, since Veris had always followed the main force or launched attacks ahead of time, but rarely acted alone.

Lord Martin remained silent, as if he had already anticipated this.

“Go do what I should do. It’s just a temporary departure.” Veris said, his expression softening. Writing scriptures and spreading a new religion—following the main group was certainly an option, but he needed to explore on his own, at least to understand how other religions operated.

After capturing Putaya, there is no rush to advance eastward or westward.

They need to allow the newly conquered cities to recuperate and rebuild, and they should stay there for at least three months. During these three months, he will gather information and then begin compiling scriptures.

Hill breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Veris say he was leaving temporarily; he was really unhappy to see their squad dwindling in size.

Longyan stared longingly at Veris. Although they were of different races, after so many years of living together, its perception of its human companion's emotions was no longer what it had been at the beginning.

It could sense a sadness shrouding Veris, but the things he spoke of were things he was willing to do.

Dragons probably can't be of any help.

Lortheran sat on the edge of the chair without speaking, but turned his head to look at the Staff of Earth-Stabilizing on the wall, his brows furrowed slightly.

After Veris finished speaking, he turned his head back to look at Veris, hesitated for two seconds, but still asked, "Are you sure you want to use the Staff of Earth Stabilizer?"

Veris looked at him and nodded without hesitation.

Lortheran hesitated, then said nothing, only lowering his head to look at a corner of the map on the table.

The mountain range was quite undulating. He looked at it, recalled for a moment, and remembered that the place was the Amberley Mountains.

News of the advance quickly spread throughout the city, and soldiers were rarely seen on the streets anymore. They were all gathered in the open space outside the city walls for training, and the view from the city walls was quite spectacular.

The trial participants with ropes around their necks were somewhat uneasy. Almost none of them had ever seen the founding king in history, but they were sure they would be able to see his true face when they gathered on the city wall after setting off tomorrow.

Now that the army has left, will the city continue to make them work and provide them with food?

However, there isn't much time left before the gate to the secret realm opens.

If the labor-for-food exchange program is abolished, they can still manage to survive.

Having made up their minds, the trial participants finally felt that there was hope for the future.

However, life always seems to deliver a heavy blow just when you think the future is bright.

In the evening after finishing their work, the trial participants went to collect their dinner. They were no longer as aggressive as they had been on the first day, and were now silent. However, the excitement on their faces was still evident. After tonight, and then tomorrow afternoon, the gate to the secret realm would open.

This is the last dinner!

"Huh?"

The bearded man distributing dinners looked at the people who had vanished in an instant and asked in confusion. The long line next to him also disappeared. The tall, thin man who was distributing dinners with him was not surprised and simply put the dinners back in their original places.

Having witnessed the first mass disappearance of these people, it's not surprising that they did it a second time.

Moreover, it would be strange if there had been no movement since that gap in the sky appeared so long ago.

Lord Martin has ordered that residents be strictly forbidden from entering the ruins, saying that it is fraught with danger and one could die if they are not careful.

Those who value their lives will naturally not have wild thoughts.

At this time, within the Twin Gods Ruins, the final deadline had arrived, and the ruins were required to absorb humans.

Even its former owners were powerless to stop it.

They tried to destroy the obstacles they had painstakingly set up, but the mechanisms set up with divine power did not return the power to them after they were destroyed. Instead, the power was used to reinforce the ruins, so they could only give up in frustration.

A path of white light meanders through the starry sky. Looking up, there are endless stars; looking down, there is also an endless night sky. Standing on that path, one is momentarily trembling and dares not move.

Taking even one step could trigger a trap, so it's better to stay put and be an old tree.

The other trial participants all wore expressions of despair. The freshmen had long since given up or forcibly triggered the magic array to leave. The majority of those remaining were trial participants who had excitedly signed contracts at the beginning, and there were also students from the Royal Capital Academy who had already graduated.

These people seem to have aged ten years in the past few days.

The group of young heroes, whose faces were clearly visible to the naked eye, were also teleported into the ruins, instantly attracting a lot of attention.

Unfortunately, the teleportation array cannot be stolen.

These people then looked away.

Arnold remained unconscious. Allen and the others were ready to be teleported back to the real world. With an unconscious person in tow, their strength was far too insignificant in these ruins.

Having witnessed the strength of the first generation of heroes in the Ambrose Ruins, he felt even more naive now.

They probably figured that throwing out a single puppet would be enough to take down all of them.

Having great talent and superhuman strength is useless!

Astor punched the puppet, but apart from his own hand bones shattering, the puppet showed no signs of being harmed at all.

Murphy mastered sixth-order magic during the battle, but defeating the puppet is still a long way off.

Helping Arnold to his feet and supporting him on one shoulder, Allen looked around at the dreamlike surroundings and frowned. "Why don't we enter the mechanism and then trigger the teleportation array to leave?"

Judging from the number of days they survived, which was initially set at one month, but now there are no more newborns in the city, their performance is naturally among the best.

Murphy nodded and was about to step out when he saw a shadow flash in the corner of his eye. The boy was startled and looked over immediately, only to see Arnold break free from Allen's restraints and fly towards the star-filled sky.

Allen was also shocked: "What happened?"

The blond boy's limbs hung limply, his eyes were closed, and he was clearly still asleep; in fact, his brows were furrowed even more deeply.

The other trainees watched this scene with a mixture of curiosity and secret delight. It seemed that the kid was definitely going to enter the killing trap!

However, the imagined brutal challenges of the Ambrose ruins did not appear; instead, countless stars converged into a stream of light and flowed into Arnold's body.

The pain on the boy's face became increasingly apparent.

He forcefully infused divine power, even at the cost of tearing his body apart.

Outside the ruins, Veris stood on the city wall, watching the soldiers training below in unison. He looked up at the scene in the ruins, his brow furrowed.

“Hey, he’s really lucky.” Lortheran appeared beside him at some point, smiling. “It’s like seeing a reflection of myself from back then.”

Veris didn't turn around, but simply said, "What's even stranger isn't why it was him, not Lortheran, who was chosen?"

Lortheran relied on luck, and he never lost.

The boy stretched and said lazily, "It shows that the future should be handed over to the young. Do you think those powers should have belonged to me?"

Veris stared at the scene in the ruins, neither saying yes nor no.

There is no doubt that this team is too inexperienced. In Veris's opinion, even if they were given another hundred years to hone their skills, they still wouldn't be able to catch up with the current first generation.

They lacked talent and physical ability to begin with, and this group of people also lacked opportunities.

Perhaps all the future resources have already been allocated, otherwise there wouldn't be treasures everywhere like this now.

“I’ve been wondering about something too,” Lortheran said.

Veris finally glanced at him sideways: "What?"

"The transformation of the wasteland back then was due to the potion you developed. After that, the Orlando Church firmly established itself, and people always remember the Pope's achievements when they see fertile land," Lortheran said calmly.

Then, the tone shifted abruptly: "Now, we can achieve our goal using the Staff of Firmament, but who will receive this credit?"

“Veris”.

He called out a name, his tone extremely solemn.

At the same time, he kept a close eye on Veris.

Lor'theran has been pondering this question ever since the Staff of Earth came into existence.

He had a gut feeling that this matter was of great importance. The achievement of transforming the land originally belonged to Veris. He had witnessed how Veris had devoted himself to that potion for years. The artifact had such miraculous effects. Would Veris allow him to complete this great achievement now?

"Is it that important?" Veris countered.

Regardless of who committed the act, the biggest beneficiaries were the races on this continent. They gained new land to live on and were able to heal the wounds of the past century of devastation.

Lortheran said decisively, "It's very important."

With a more convenient and faster method, would Veris still have to painstakingly research and experiment for years to obtain that potion?

If it were him, Lortheran, who admitted to being an ordinary person, would find it hard not to be moved.

That was a shortcut, a shortcut that seemed to have no side effects.

...But is that really the case?

A cool breeze blew, making the blood-red sky seem even more somber. Veris looked at Lortheran's young face, smiled, and said, "Your nose doesn't look like Lortheran's. His nose was slightly crooked when he fell into the trap."

“I am him, but he is not necessarily me.” Lortheran smiled, his eyes full of composure.

The Staff of Earth Stabilizer can only be used once.

But not all land should be turned into fertile fields.

Veris shrugged. "So why don't you just tell me the potion formula? Wouldn't that be the same thing?"

Lortheran: "..."

“I forgot,” he said sincerely.

Veris looked at him: "Useless thing."

After cursing, Veris continued, "You're mistaken. How to use the Staff of Earth Stabilizer has nothing to do with you, me, or even Lor'theran right now."

The boy was taken aback.

Veris pointed to his chest: "It lies in my future self."

After a brief silence, Lortheran's expression twisted, and he began to grow anxious: "What are you saying? You didn't tell me anything before you came in! What am I supposed to do?!"

In his opinion, the credit for transforming the land belonged to Veris, but Veris had casually given the Staff of Earth Fixation to Lord Martin at the altar, and the Staff of Earth Fixation had remained with Lord Martin ever since, which made him somewhat hesitant.

Veris is a person who cares a lot about his partners.

Not to mention that Lord Martin had previously stated with unwavering determination that he would obtain the Staff of Firmament.

Even Lortheran was now at a loss. His usually sharp mind seemed to be on fire, and he couldn't figure it out no matter what he did.

As night fell, the troops below the city walls dispersed to rest.

Lord Martin, who was watching the training, also walked back with Hill.

Above them, another incident occurred within the ruins: the Twin Gods clashed with Arnold, but neither could defeat the other.

Arnold has already absorbed the divine power of four gods. Just the fact that he's forcibly suppressing the explosion of divine power is enough to destroy the Twin Gods' divine status.

Being killed by Veris is one thing, but being killed by a human boy? They'd rather be hunted down and killed by Veris!

Lortheran gave Arnold the trident, a powerful artifact of the sea god, which provided a significant advantage in battle.

The Twin Gods' artifacts are probably useless now.

However, the Staff of Earth Stabilization is a truly divine artifact that benefits all races.

It benefits individuals and all life.

Lortheran paced back and forth, scratching his head, before finally stopping and letting out a long howl, his eyes bloodshot. He looked at Veris, who was observing the ruins, and said, "You must have figured something out, right?"

“Hmm… so why didn’t you ask me?” Veris looked at the ruins, his tone slightly puzzled.

Receiving a resentful look from Lortheran, Veris sighed and said, "Do you know that the power of the gods comes from the faith in life?"

"Ah, this is only a part of the gods. For example, the gods who govern large areas, the divine power provided by the faith in life is somewhat insignificant."

Lortheran frowned, sensing something amiss: "You mean...?"

Veris tapped a stone on the city wall and said, "I think my future self is dividing faith for you, but I'm not quite sure why I'm doing this."

He thought for two seconds, then hesitated and said, "Could it be that your kingdom has reached a point where you have to rise from the dead to keep it afloat?"

"Hmm, that's not right either..."

"Wait, you mean splitting up faiths?"

Something suddenly flashed through Lortheran's mind.

He looked up: "I remember you said the same thing to Sylvain, but you said 'shared faith' to him."

What on earth is this old friend, who has lived for hundreds of years, plotting?!

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Author's note: See you tomorrow [empty bowl]