Chapter 140 Chapter 140 Wanted.
Servant?
Su Cheng carefully looked at the original text in the book. It was a variant of the ancient human language. Judging from the root of the word, it meant follower and subordinate.
So, these days, gods also have subordinate gods?
You must know that thousands of years later, the lesser gods under the God of Light were all promoted and enthroned by Him personally, and it was the authority He bestowed upon them.
Those were all heroes of the Church—in the past they were either humans or orcs, half-elves, or something like that.
After reading all the relevant descriptions and records of this thing in the book, it doesn't look like it has ever been a human being.
Su Cheng flipped through a few pages and discovered that the situations of these "following gods" were all similar. Whenever there was a portrait, the form must be abstract to a certain degree.
Then her hand, which was turning the page, stopped.
A new, familiar deity appeared on the page.
"...Truth is the most perfect deception, and falsehood is the most reliable truth. This is the whisper of the King of Illusions. He teaches us to see clearly the only law in this world—truth does not exist. All seemingly solid cognitions are nothing but fragile consensus. The emperor is emperor not because of noble blood, but because everyone 'agrees' that he wears a crown; the reason why money is valuable is not because of its own value, but because everyone 'believes' that it can be exchanged for goods. Everything we see, hear, and feel is dominated by this illusion."
Su Cheng lowered his head and looked down.
Quote from the Revelation of Meier, a scholar of the Jingyin Society: I offer my loyal soul to the great reflector of the world, the dream shadow of all things, the faceless god with a thousand faces.
Behind it is an extremely beautiful painting.
A huge and gorgeous dressing mirror emerged from the black fog, and countless blurry faces were carved into gold on the frame. Some of them were human-shaped and some were animal-headed, and their expressions changed between sadness and joy.
The gold that made up these shapes slowly moved as if it were melting.
And within the mirror—
Su Cheng input a little magic power and found that his face appeared in the mirror on the book.
The familiar face was immersed in a vortex of black and gray, with layers of phantoms flashing around it, as if countless faces were peeling off from it and merging with it.
Those faces were shrouded in a halo, as if blurred by the heat wave.
A strange feeling of dizziness hit her head.
She felt as if she would be sucked into the mirror at any time and become a part of it.
Su Cheng withdrew his magic power.
The magic scroll became static again, leaving only the empty mirror staring at her.
Su Cheng: “…”
In a sense, she could understand why some people labeled these ancient gods as evil gods.
In the notes to the book, the author also gave his own thoughts, stating that this world-reflector is an ancient and uncertain existence, and the illusion is just his power.
He represents more of the embodiment of the concepts of "possibility" and "uncertainty".
——However, unlike the God of Time and Space, the Thousand-Faced God has a strong interest in "how beliefs shape reality."
It’s just that He likes to guide people to explore this issue. The founders of the Jingyin Society in ancient times had received His guidance.
Some call Him the God of Lies, but in fact, in His realm, lies and truth seem to be indistinguishable.
For humans, illusion magic, unlike elemental magic, does not require a set talent. Theoretically, anyone can learn it.
The main influencing factors are people's understanding and perception.
Perhaps for this reason, this ancient god has countless followers, and many people have established a connection with him through illusions.
Others have heard His whispers and believe they have glimpsed the underlying logic of the world, seeing the dotted lines that constitute the illusion of social consensus.
Then they begin to learn how to pluck, cut and weave them.
So some people become brilliant spies, some become highly inflammatory orators, and some become perfect pretenders - they can play anyone.
This is the Jingyin Society.
Of course, there are also countless followers or blessed people who have fallen into complete madness, or become phantoms that cannot return to the material world, and are lost forever in some distant plane.
Su Cheng couldn't help but think of the dancers in Huishan Town again.
She found it hard to imagine an ancient god doing this—but judging from the books, it seemed like he was an elusive character.
In the quiet and solemn corner of the library, the sound of light footsteps suddenly rang out.
Su Cheng turned his head and saw the noble man who was talking loudly on the steps not long ago, walking slowly towards him.
She didn't want to talk any more with this kind of person, and was about to continue reading when she caught a glimpse of another burly figure in fancy clothes approaching with a smile on his face.
Su Cheng: “?”
Su Cheng looked at the second person carefully and found that it was the mercenary who deliberately bumped into Ian and then turned the tables on him.
He no longer wore crude leather armor or carried weapons. Instead, he dressed like a wealthy businessman and wore several jewel rings on his hands.
The two men who had performed in the upper and lower city areas were now shaking hands in the corridor of the library.
Their faces seemed to be licked by invisible flames and began to melt like wax, revealing two completely different faces.
The two of them whispered something.
Their voices were blocked by some force, Su Cheng could not hear them at all, and he could not get any useful information by looking at their lip movements.
After a brief conversation, the two men separated, the mercenary walked out and the noble continued forward.
Su Cheng simply closed the book and looked at him with a frown.
"...You seem to have a lot of questions," the noble said with a smile, "Perhaps we can discuss them, Your Excellency the Folder."
Su Cheng didn't say anything.
"Oh please, I saw you teleported here with your companions, and I also felt the aura of the gods on you. In fact-"
The man gave a strange expression, "You were also favored by the Father of a Thousand Lies, right?"
Su Cheng: "...Why?"
The man laughed, "That's not something a follower of the World-Reflecting One should say."
Su Cheng put the book back, "Obviously I'm not."
The man raised an eyebrow, "Well, if you tell me why, then I'm going to say, why not?"
He let out a joyful laugh, which seemed a little harsh in the quiet hall.
"Isn't it interesting? Those who listened to the speech may have learned magic and fighting spirit through their privileged backgrounds, but their brains—"
He reached out and tapped his solar plexus. "Ha, many kids from the slums are smarter than them. Of course, if you ask me, most people in this world are stupid and easily manipulated and interpreted. What they believe in is often just the result of repeated indoctrination, not true understanding."
Su Cheng blinked. "...It's really interesting. You and my friend have different interpretations of what just happened. So it's just for your own entertainment?"
"I guess so," the man said lightly, "Look at how they treat some nonsense as truth. Although I also know that people's acceptance of words is often closely linked to whether it aligns with the interests of the listeners, so we will definitely choose the content according to the audience."
Su Cheng was silent for a few seconds. "Have you also been favored by Him?"
The man was stunned for a moment, a subtle expression on his face. "Everyone who can learn illusion is his follower."
"So the answer is no?"
“…”
The man left.
This was obviously an unpleasant conversation.
Su Cheng wandered around the library for a while and finally found information related to ancient dragons. Compared with the classics of gods, there were far fewer materials related to dragons.
But it's better than thousands of years later.
In a book describing ancient dragons, she found the Chaos Dragon Clan that Ian had mentioned before.
——Some also call them dark dragons because their scales are black and their breath is dark flames.
That is not real fire, but the manifestation of the energy in their bodies, which can theoretically burn everything it touches.
Unlike other ancient dragons whose powers are derived from natural elements, the power of Chaos Dragons is more like the deconstruction and reverse transformation of living matter.
Ancient dragons of all attributes have an ancestor, who are also known as the Ancient Dragon Kings.
In principle, all ancient dragons are his descendants, although they are not born through conception - the book says that the ancient dragon kings were in endless conflict in ancient times, and the flesh and blood they lost in the battle were left on the land, which became the first generation of ancient dragons in the future.
Ancient dragons, like their ancestors, have no gender and can give birth to offspring through some means, that is, the second and third generation ancient dragons.
Humans rarely have the opportunity to come into contact with ancient dragons, but there are rare cases where ancient dragons that have transformed into human form give birth to offspring with humans, certain intelligent races, and even high-level magical beasts.
These descendants of dragons each have their own characteristics. Some of them have more in common, and their appearance and strength are closer to ancient dragons, and they become the ancestors of the giant dragons.
This happened many years ago. According to legend, there were many wars between the ancient dragon kings and the gods in that era.
As to what they were fighting for or whether they wanted to prove their strength, it is now impossible to verify.
But what people know is that...
In the battle power ranking of the ancient dragon kings, the first one is undoubtedly Keklus, the ancestor of the Chaos Dragon.
Perhaps because he is the embodiment of the opposing form of life, there are many terrifying rumors about this ancient dragon king.
"...Wild fangs gnawing at fate, black flames burning away the root."
Su Cheng stroked the terrifying words with his hand.
The book says that He dwells deep within the Lightless Ruins.
——At this point in time, the Ruins of Darkness is not yet a lost plane. It is one of the millions of worlds controlled by the dragon clan and the resting place of some of the first generation ancient dragons. There are rolling palaces and mountains of treasures. It is said that there are also humans eyeing these treasures and trying to steal some of them from the minions of the dragon clan.
After all, in people's cognition, ancient dragons spend most of their time sleeping.
In fact, this is actually true. The essence is that these ancient creatures have a different perception of time than humans.
But no matter what, few people can actually find the entrance, and the few who enter never return.
Su Cheng flipped through a few more pages and found some key information.
——On the eastern coast of the Northern Continent, there are many giant water dragons that reside there all year round. There are also cities built by dragonborn people, and ancient dragons occasionally appear there.
She carefully read the relevant geographical location descriptions, found a few books to verify the situation, went out to buy a map and set off.
After several medium and long-distance transmissions, Su Cheng arrived at a port city in the Chiyang Empire and bought a boat ticket to the Northern Continent.
The identity verification was also very simple at this time, especially since she was a great magician, all the employees at the border inspection treated her with respect.
On the way, she asked the crew for a rough direction, then she teleported over a long distance. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in another city.
The sea breeze brought a salty smell and the clean sweetness of cooling metal, mixed with the fragrance of rare woods used to make magical props, filling the entire dock.
The boatmen and vendors around shouted one after another, their accents familiar yet a little strange.
"...Welcome to Luminir! Your Excellency the Great Magician!"
Several workers walked by and greeted her warmly.
Su Cheng smiled at them, "Thank you."
Cast Light City.
——This is the largest coastal city in the southwest of the Silver Moon Empire. It is famous for exporting magic props and has many outstanding magicians and academies.
Su Cheng followed the crowd into the city.
The streets are built on a smooth, dark grey stone base, embedded with the local specialty, luminous gold.
The golden threads like leaf veins absorb sunlight during the day and emit soft warm halos at night, just like a galaxy falling into the earth.
The surrounding houses are made of special clay mixed with magic crystal powder, resulting in a variety of strange colors that are difficult to mix on a canvas.
The brass fish in the fountain leaped high, flicked their tails vividly, and then dived back into the water.
Su Cheng saw the translucent runes flashing on their bodies, as well as the energy-supplying magic circle hidden under the water.
Several children ran by, laughing and holding toys. In their hands, they held singing wooden birds, glow-in-the-dark mushrooms made of clay, glittering graffiti slates, and so on.
They were all dressed very casually and looked like they came from ordinary families.
Su Cheng vaguely remembered that although these magical toys seemed simple, thousands of years later, only children from wealthy families could afford them.
certainly--
Even in this day and age, I have never seen children playing with this freely in Green Pine City before.
It seems to be a local feature.
As she walked, she came to the food street. The whole street was filled with rich aromas, from baked bread to meat and fat, and the store decorations were all beautiful.
There are almost no lanterns under the eaves of these shops. Instead, there are wind chimes or shells hanging, or crystal tags with luminous letters on them, advertising discounts and special foods, etc.
Su Cheng randomly found a restaurant and bought some local specialty fried meatballs.
A copper pot filled with clear grease sizzled on the fire.
The owner grinds a white rhizome into a batter, mixes it with chopped crab meat and seaweed, and some shiny silver dried fish, then fries the batter into golden balls.
She felt greedy just by smelling it, and couldn't wait to eat it directly from the frying pan.
In order not to scare others, Su Cheng had to divert his attention and look around.
The space in the store is not very spacious. There are large oil paintings hanging on both sides, one on the left and one on the right. The painting on the left looks a bit abstract.
A human figure made up of countless arms.
Those hands are doing different tasks, some are holding hammers to hit iron felt, some are holding silk threads to weave curtains, some are holding carving knives to polish statues, and some are holding paintbrushes to paint butterfly wings.
——This is just an ordinary oil painting, without any magical structure, and it is impossible for it to become vivid after being infused with magic.
However, it still has excellent visual effects and looks quite shocking.
There is also a line of small words below.
Thank you, the Great Creator, the Anvil of Birth, the Master of the Crucible of Form.
Su Cheng also immediately understood who this tribute was to.
Creator.
Authority is the ancient god of creation. All tangible matter and intangible creation, as well as the beginning of life, are related to Him.
It is said that he created the high elves in the early years of the calendar, and obtained the branches and blood of the god of fertility, thus giving the elves the ability to reproduce.
In the following thousands of years, dwarves, goblins, orcs, etc. were born one after another, and finally humans.
To this day, this God of Creation has not appeared in many years, and it seems that he has not selected any new followers.
But people still worship him, especially craftsmen and artists.
In a sense, He is the embodiment of the concepts of "from nothing to something" and "from something to essence."
Su Cheng: "...Are there many believers of the Founder in this city?"
The shop owner looked at the painting and said, "That's no longer the case these days. The Magic Guild also hopes that people can devote their energy to more specific studies."
As she said this, her eyes fell on another painting.
Su Cheng couldn't help but look in the direction he was looking.
There is also an oil painting hanging on the right wall. It shows a wide square with a conical tower reaching into the sky, with its top almost piercing the blue sky.
The tower is magnificent, carved from gun-gray crystal, with thousands of warm golden lines flowing through it, and there are stacked circular annexes around it.
These buildings are all located in the air, obviously relying on some kind of anti-gravity magic.
"Are you a tourist?"
The shop owner put the croquettes into a paper bag and began squeezing some kind of sweet and sour sauce onto it. "It's a pity I came a few days too late to see that."
Su Cheng was stunned for a moment, "That? Which one?"
The shop owner pointed to the wall and said, "The painting you're looking at, our Magic Guild—well, it's not that you can't see it, but it doesn't look like that anymore."
Su Cheng took the paper bag and paid for it in confusion, "...Where is it?"
The owner raised her hand and pointed in a direction. Su Cheng thanked her and went out full of questions. When he turned into the wide road leading to the city center, he suddenly felt an ominous aura.
That feeling of despair and dead silence pierced the perceptual world like a sharp ice pick.
The magical city was full of life one second ago, and the next second she saw a square that was mostly in ruins.
The giant tower that soared into the clouds in the oil painting stood more than a hundred meters ahead, but it was broken in the middle and the upper half of the tower had disappeared.
The remaining half of the upper edge looked like melted and cut metal, revealing an extremely smooth slope, making it look like a strange tombstone.
The entire tower was a sickly black color. The solemn and dignified gunmetal grey crystal was covered with many ugly black cracks, like poisonous blood vessels running through it inside and out.
Occasionally, tar-like liquid seeped out of those black marks, dripping onto the gray-white ground below, corroding into pits that emitted black and purple smoke.
Around the truncated tower, there were more collapsed walls and ruins, which were obviously the ancillary buildings that once floated in the air.
Now it has all turned into broken bricks and tiles, and its former shape is no longer recognizable.
There were more than a dozen mages standing nearby, wearing clothes with the emblem of the Magic Guild, and they seemed to be of high positions.
Someone saw her, whispered a few words to his colleagues, and quickly came over.
"Sir," the two men nodded reservedly, "if you are a tourist, you may have chosen the wrong time."
"Good day," Su Cheng took two steps forward and found that they were all sixth-level mages. "... Your Excellencies, what happened here?"
"We are from the Imperial Capital," one person said, "We were sent by the Imperial Magic Guild Headquarters to investigate—"
"This is a disaster," another person frowned. "The branch in Forged Light City has a long history and has established an excellent affiliated academy, yet everyone here is dead..."
Su Cheng looked at the tower and asked, "You mean the people in the Magic Guild?"
"Yes, those employees. Although the bodies haven't been fully checked yet, except for some incompetent clerks."
The man spoke casually, then turned to a sorrowful tone. "...the guild's president, two vice-presidents, seven elders, many elite personnel, and several of the guild's affiliated academy's most outstanding magicians all died in this tragedy."
"Why? Did the magic circle inside explode out of control?"
"No, because this man—"
A magician pulled out a scroll with several blood-red seals on it.
"He blew up the Magic Guild in Lightcasting City and massacred everyone inside. Headquarters has issued a wanted order for him throughout the entire Northern Continent."
Su Cheng took the scroll and took a look at it.
"Those who provide effective clues will receive one million gold coins. Killing or capturing the target alive will receive twenty million gold coins."
She looked at the names below.
"...Aelin Hammerfeld."
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