Above the black fog.
Char moved his body and adjusted himself to a more comfortable sitting position.
Behind him, the pale golden branches swayed and spread out according to Char's will, changing from the original throne shape to the posture of a reclining chair.
This special world composed of black fog is very unique. Char calls it "Above the Black Fog".
Different from the secondary dimension and subsidiary plane that Char was familiar with and even transformed by himself.
The black fog is similar to the ashes of the fantasy zone where Char was before, which was transformed into the "Garden of Eden" by him and Xiao Ai. Both are isolated from history and have independent space-time flow rates.
During the ten years in the Garden of Eden, apart from his daily meditation and time with little Aise, Char spent most of his time exploring and controlling the black fog.
As for the progress of exploration and control, if I had to use one word to describe the black fog at the moment.
That's probably -
...
...
Pom pom.
"Come to think of it, am I considered a minotaur?"
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be the place where the Golden Dawn organization holds secret gatherings."
"Those guys probably never thought that they only sent me an invitation letter, but now their hometown has been manipulated by me."
I can only say that there is an inexplicable sense of excitement.
And Char lay leisurely on the recliner, releasing his mental power and sensing the generation of illusory star spirits below.
"This is OK...it should be three quarters of Vortigern."
"This one doesn't work, it looks like only half of Vortigern..."
"Wow, the strength of the Astral Body is about two times that of Vortigern. This should have already stepped into the realm of demigods and thrones."
"Oh, this guy's mental power is hard to see through, and he also has a divine aura. Is this the leader?"
Char hid himself deep in the black fog, commenting on the celestial bodies of the visitors one by one.
From Char's current perspective, the despicable King Vortigern of Esgania a thousand years ago could be said to have reached the pinnacle of legend and was qualified to challenge the boundaries of the throne.
This is the so-called "Legendary Extreme Nine Revolutions Peak Great Perfection Realm".
By using Vortigern as a combat unit, it is easy to judge the opponent's mental strength.
Those who are obviously stronger than Vortigern have most likely already entered the realm of the throne, or have truly embarked on the path to becoming a god.
It is also called the throne or demigod.
Those who are weaker than Vortigern are probably at the level of senior legends.
Xia finished commenting on everything one by one, and was slightly stunned until he looked at the star spirit that emitted a familiar aura.
"Quasi-legend?"
The aura transmitted from Su Lun's astral body was far more powerful than Xia had expected.
If we put aside the extra ten years in the ashes of the Fantasy Belt, then this girl can be said to have caught up with herself and Aurora in the Holy Court entirely by her own strength.
This was a rather incredible thing, after all, Char was very clear about how much cheating was involved in the improvement in his and Airola's strength.
Su Lunke does not have the ability to enter the echo of history, nor does he have a contract with the Holy Spear like Xiao Ai...
Even though as the Saint of the Dawn, she had the support of all the resources of the entire Holy Court, but to have reached this point so quickly could not be described simply by the accumulation of resources.
As Char was peeking above the black fog, he saw the fellow at the bronze table below, whose celestial body strength was difficult for him to understand, coughed lightly.
The other party sat down at the head of the long bronze table, looked around, and then slowly spoke.
"Then, let's start this secret meeting."
…
Dozens of shadowy figures shrouded in black mist sat down at the long bronze table.
"According to the plan, Golden Dawn will welcome two new members today."
The figure sitting at the head of the long bronze table spoke slowly.
"How is the previous messenger doing now?"
He raised his head and looked down.
"Very bad."
Someone at the bottom of the long bronze table answered.
"He was ordered to die by the spirit of the Blue Silver Witch, and all his life force was taken away."
"Although he was barely able to stay alive with the sacred object of the Goddess of Life, the power of the Word Spirit is still in effect. No healing potion or pet skills can work on him."
"If we want to fully recover, we have to wait until the word of death dissipates, which will take at least five months."
The leader nodded.
"It seems regrettable that Char Eggot and the Silver Witch beside him are not prepared to accept our invitation."
"Of course, from today's perspective, this may not be a bad thing."
"After all, even we didn't expect that he could come up with so many things."
"Not only did he allow the Second Princess, who was supposed to have died with the Fantasy Belt, to return intact, he also completely killed the Vermillion Moon... and now he has become the mortal enemy in the eyes of the Abyss."
The leader looked around the long bronze table for a long time before speaking again.
"I think many of you should have received the information—"
"Now the entire Lost Realm is ready to make a move, preparing to make a big move when the imperial power of the Foresta Empire changes."
"By then, no matter who wins or loses between the Abyss and those evil cults and the Empire, the entire Western Continent will fall into a period of turmoil, but this also means that the opportunity we have been waiting for has arrived."
"The Fourth Epoch is drawing to a close... Soon, the era of legends will cease to exist."
"All those mythical creatures that once passed away and slept in the astral world will return... Angels and saints will walk in the human world as they did in the First Age."
"And what we have to do is to take advantage of this period of chaos—"
"Let the eighth god of the dawn, the great one, the golden king Rhine, return..."
…
Along with the presence of that leader, such announcement was made.
For a moment, discussions and uproars arose one after another.
Although as members of the Golden Dawn, they all more or less understand the purpose of this organization.
However, such a straightforward announcement also caused quite a stir, with people whispering about it everywhere.
Even Char's eyes narrowed slightly.
Although this person who is suspected to be the leader of the Golden Dawn did not say much, the amount of information contained in his words was not small at all.
The Golden King - Rhine.
This name is known to all residents of the Western Continent, from the throne and legends to any common people.
The founder of the sacred calendar, the person whose name is printed on every Rhine gold coin in the Western Continent.
He, no, He is the eighth God of the Dawn besides the seven true Gods of the Dawn?
This piece of news was not beyond Char's expectations.
After all, it is not surprising that a powerful person who can open up a new era truly embarks on the path to becoming a god and even becomes a true god.
However, he originally thought that the Golden King would also choose to ascend to the throne, but now he was addressed as the Eighth God, which undoubtedly meant that he had given up his human body.
What really concerned Char was the news that the Golden King was returning.
“Tsk—”
"The ancient gods sleeping in the astral realm are about to return, the abyss is about to riot, and the holy spears and holy swords are being unsealed one after another..."
"This is clearly an attempt to make big news. We are not going to be able to live a peaceful day."
Xia couldn't help but sigh.
No matter how you look at it, this seems to be the rhythm of destroying the Fourth Age and opening up the Fifth Age.
And judging from the situation, this time the situation seems far from being comparable to the catastrophe at the end of the Third Age.
After all, although the end of the Third Age was also a turbulent time with legends and demigods emerging in large numbers and saints walking the earth, not many true gods were resurrected.
Only the King Vermillion Moon personally took the field, and he was half-crippled and his courage was broken. He didn't dare to fight at all. At best, he was at the level of a demigod.
…
"Of course, the return of the Great One will take time and cannot be accomplished in a short period of time."
"So, the Western Continent must be as chaotic as possible."
"The Second Princess has been recognized by the Holy Sword. In addition, she has already surpassed the limits of the throne. Once she officially ascends the throne, the rule of the empire will become completely solid and will never be shaken."
"So, Isadella von Fresberg."
"Since she is an existence that should have been erased by the power of correction, it is better for her to be buried forever."
On the long bronze table, the leader made a cold declaration.
No one objected to this.
From ancient times to the present, the purpose of the "Golden Dawn" has been to "protect the correct historical process."
And what is the correct historical process is naturally decided by themselves.
"Those cultists seem to have prepared tokens and a god-descending ceremony, intending to interfere with the succession ceremony of the imperial power by means of the birth of an evil god."
"But the God's Descent Ceremony makes too much noise. If it were held in other cities, then when the body of the God descends walks in the world, it would easily attract the attention of other Order factions, especially the Dawn Church."
"During the coronation ceremony, the imperial capital will be under martial law. It will be difficult to allow a large number of cultists to enter..."
After a long time, someone at the long bronze table spoke hoarsely.
He was obviously in the Lost Realm, and had close ties with those evil cults. He might even be a high-ranking member of the cult.
"I will take care of the Dawn Church. The Holy See will hold a bishops' meeting at that time."
"The vast majority of legendary cardinals will participate. Within twelve hours, no legends from the Holy See will interfere in the affairs of the empire."
An old female voice sounded.
It was the star spirit that entered with Su Lun.
Char looked up above the black fog—
The strength of the astral body is only about half that of Vortigern, which is not very good.
However, judging from her words, she is obviously a high-ranking figure in the Vatican, otherwise she would not have the ability to control the opening time of the bishops' conference. Perhaps she is a cardinal in a high position.
"I can solve the problem of martial law in the imperial capital."
"However, the God's descent ritual and the token containing the power of faith need to be carried out by me."
"In addition, after the task is completed, I will need an ownerless fragment of divinity or authority as a reward..."
After another moment, another old voice sounded.
My goodness, yours is not a secret organization at all, you might as well change your name to the Traitor Concentration Camp.
Char hid in the black fog, and asked Yui to frantically record the astral information of those who spoke through the soul contract.
The image of the astral incarnation was very vague, and it was difficult to directly distinguish its specific identity in reality, but the characteristics were recorded, so that if there was a face-to-face contact, Char would be able to sense it.
The several major order camps in the Western Continent have been infiltrated like a sieve. Not only does the Church of Dawn have traitors at the level of cardinals, but even the Empire has been infiltrated by powerful men.
There is a saying that goes -
When you see a cockroach in your room, it means there are hundreds of cockroaches living and eating with you.
Following this logic, it is estimated that there will be no shortage of traitors in the alliance of princes.
"Haha... I didn't expect that an old man like you would finally figure it out."
"Are you no longer obsessed with the boundaries of the throne, but have you finally decided to set foot in the divine realm?"
The strong man who seemed to be in the lost realm at the beginning obviously knew the last speaker and made a few unpleasant laughs in a hoarse voice.
“Don’t worry. Although the fragments of ownerless divinity and authority are rare, we have accumulated them for thousands of years, so we still have some in stock.”
"It's just a deal."
The man who said he wanted to solve the problem of martial law in the imperial capital did not say much, but just nodded calmly.
"Just pass the token of faith to me through the black fog."
At the long bronze table, various discussions continued for a long time before they finally stopped.
And Char recorded all this information word for word.
The more I listened, the more frightened I became.
Manipulate the descent of gods, assassinate politicians, infiltrate countries, manipulate wars...
To the participants of the Golden Dawn, these things seemed as natural as eating and drinking.
Obviously, this is not the first time that the Golden Dawn has done something similar in the long history of this organization.
Soon after, stellar spirits gradually withdrew from the black fog and returned to the material world.
There is an independent flow of time here, so when these participants of the Golden Dawn return to reality, the time they experience in reality is only a moment. Even if it is seen by others, it is only a moment of trance and no one will notice anything unusual.
Soon, there were only three people left above the black fog, except for Char who had been observing in secret.
The leader, Su Lun, and the traitorous bishop of the Dawn Church who entered with Su Lun.
"Auriel."
"Also, if I'm not mistaken, this person should be the contemporary Saint of Dawn, right?"
Seeing that there were only three people left at the long bronze table, the leader nodded.
He just glanced at Auriel and then set his eyes on Su Lun.
"According to the information I have, Char Eggot, who shined at the Borgia family banquet half a year ago, seems to have had a connection with you in the past."
"He has adopted you?"
"Chief, that was many years ago."
"That Xia Egut is extremely philandering. He has affairs with many women, but he doesn't care about Su Lun..."
"Now Su Lun has parted ways with him a long time ago..."
After hearing the leader's question, Auriel hurriedly began to explain.
But the next moment, the figure of the leader raised his hand slightly, and Auriel was completely silent, and she dared not speak anymore.
"No problem."
He looked down at Sulen, who had been sitting here obediently and silently since entering the secret gathering of the Golden Dawn, and spoke gently.
"After all, he took you in."
"Whether you still care about him or have already forgotten him, the organization will not make things difficult for you."
"In fact, I don't intend to target Xia Egut or do anything bad to him."
"On the contrary, the Golden Dawn has only benefits for him, not harm..."
"I will grant him a great opportunity, an opportunity that will allow him to ascend to the throne in one step, to be on par with the gods, or even surpass them."
His words were inexplicably infectious, making Xia feel gentle and elegant, like a spring breeze.
"I actually sent him the invitation letter out of sincerity. Unfortunately, Xia Egut was too cautious and did not accept the invitation."
He looked at Su Lun and spoke sincerely.
"So, I invited you to join the Golden Dawn just now because I wanted to express our goodwill to Char Eggut through you."
"Although he has been mysteriously missing for three months, I know that he must still be alive, somewhere in this world."
"Has Char Eggert had any contact with you since you and he parted ways in Lugia five years ago?"
"If so, through what channels did you communicate?"
Su Lun seemed to feel the sincerity of the leader, and there was a hint of intention in his answer.
She blinked softly and spoke timidly:
"Actually, I've had some contact with Char over the past few years."
"Oh? How did you get in touch?"
The leader's voice followed immediately.
"Through the Seven."
There was a certain solemnity and holiness in Su Lun's words, which completely matched her image as the Holy Maiden of the Dawn.
"Every day when I pray, I pray to the seven gods of the morning sun, and have them convey the letter I wrote for him to Char Eggot."
"As the Saint of the Dawn, my prayers have always been answered by the Seven Gods...but I have never received a reply letter from Char Eggot."
"Obviously, he is so absorbed in the flowers and plants of the empire that he has long forgotten my existence."
As he spoke, Su Lun revealed a look of indignation.
But then, she blinked curiously and looked at the chief who was shrouded in black mist at the far end of the long bronze table.
"However, since both you, the leader, and Her Majesty Auriel said that the Golden Dawn was created by the eighth god of the dawn..."
"Then I think the great Eighth God can find out the answer by confirming with the other seven gods, right?"
The moment Su Lun spoke.
Whether it was Auriel or the leader, their figures shrouded in black fog stiffened slightly.
Above the black fog, Char couldn't help but laugh out loud.
I can only say that he is worthy of being called Su Lun.
Originally, he felt a little depressed when he saw Su Lun appear in the secret gathering of the Golden Dawn.
He was worried that this girl might have really betrayed him and was secretly in contact with a secret organization like the Golden Dawn.
After all, unlike Airola, he and Su Lun met later and spent less time together.
Xiao Ai’s personality is like a blank sheet of paper, very pure and easy to understand.
After so many years of being together day and night, the trust between her and Char would not be shaken by anything, whether it was time or death.
But Su Lun is different.
This girl is very smart, so smart that Su Lun can easily understand the grand conjectures and drawings that Xia Ya just proposed based on his experience as a time traveler, and can even make modifications and additions on this basis.
Whether it is the birth of "Yui", or the research and development of the Black Knight, the Solar Furnace, or the Heavenly Punishment Device, without Su Lun's help, Char's research and development progress will inevitably be much slower.
Whether in the field of mechanics or in other fields, Su Lun can be said to be a true genius.
However, this also made it difficult for Char to see through the true intentions of this proactive and bold bad woman who even often teased him through magical voice transmission.
But now it seems that he was worrying too much.
At least the Su Lun that Xia Ya knew was definitely not the solemn, holy, and even somewhat silly Saint of the Dawn in front of him.
Why didn't the Eighth God contact the Seven Gods of Dawn...
The power of faith is the food on which the gods depend for survival and growth, or it can be said to be their soul.
Each of them has its own job. How could the old gods allow new mythical creatures to plunder their faith?
The "Golden King" Rhine, who is revered by the Golden Dawn and even planned to be resurrected, is just as great and glorious as the leader said. Then the Golden Dawn does not have to hide in the dark all the time, and even has to hide when holding a member meeting. Any plan must be carried out secretly.
Wouldn't it be better to just openly announce your existence in the Church of Dawn, and then divide the faith as the eighth god?
After all, no matter how great and glorious the Golden King Rhine was in the past, at least now he must not be seen in the light.
Especially for the Seven Gods of Dawn.
Even though the Holy See and the Holy Calendar were originally created by the Golden King Rhine, the good work of subordinates is always the credit of the leader, and it is fine to title you an outstanding employee or a model worker.
If you really want to take advantage of them and try to steal their support and become their equal, then just prepare to be punished.
Both Auriel and the leader were choked by Su Lun's question.
After a moment, the leader coughed and said, "When I have the chance, I will ask the Great One."
He glanced at the dignified and holy Su Lun again, and asked again with some reluctance: "Has he really never contacted you in the past few years?"
"Never."
"Char Egut is a playboy who loves new things and forgets about his old love. Now that Her Majesty the Blue Silver Witch and Her Royal Highness the Princess are by his side, he has long forgotten about me, a country girl from Lugia City."
Su Lun shook his head firmly.
"If you don't believe me, Chief, you can ask the Seven Gods for confirmation."
…
In the end, after Su Lun opened his mouth and said "the Seven Gods are witnesses", he closed his mouth and said "Why doesn't His Majesty the Rhine ask the Seven Gods directly?"
Both Auriel and the leader could only sigh helplessly.
They had no choice but to give up asking further questions.
The celestial bodies on the long bronze table slowly dissipated.
Only Char was left, leisurely sitting on a recliner woven from golden branches.
"What do you mean by a playboy? I just love everyone equally."
“This is clearly pure love.”
He recalled Su Lun's last words and couldn't help laughing.
"I just don't know why she got involved in the secret organization of Golden Dawn... Is it because of Auriel?"
"Forget it, anyway..."
"After Xiao Ai completes the breakthrough, we will return to the main material plane together and clear away all hidden dangers and shields."
"I can then go to the Dawn Church to propose marriage with dignity."
"If the Vatican doesn't want to, I'll take it back by force."
As he was thinking, Char was about to exit from the black fog and return to the Garden of Eden in the Ashes of the Fantasy Belt.
But the next moment.
The black fog in front of Char suddenly surged up and down.
A vague and unreal prayer sounded in his ears.
"A high and mysterious black fog."
"You are the cloud that overlooks the world, the eternal kingdom outside of time, and the mist outside of the law."
"As a witness to a fair transaction, please deliver this token to the secret coordinates of the capital of the Foresta Empire in the Prime Material Plane."
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