Chapter 1266: Light

For a demigod Beyonder, they experienced a qualitative change due to their powerful souls. Even in death, their psyche could persist for some time. Unless this was circumvented due to an enemy deliberately destroying it, a High-Sequence Beyonder, who continued having a strong desire or unresolved matters during their state of death, could have their remnant will last longer. As such, he could slowly assimilate the surrounding areas, allowing it to mix with the spirit world, and even the Underworld, so as to turn it into an evil spirit.

Therefore, although Colin Iliad had stopped breathing, he was still able to hear Derrick’s cry while sitting at the top of the ancient god’s staircase in tattered silver armor. He turned his head to look at the underaged demigod before smiling.

“Compared to the Elders of the past, it’s a form of luck for Lovia and myself to die here.”

Upon hearing this, Derrick gaped his mouth, wanting to say something, but felt something pressing down on his heart, blocking his throat.

Not far away, Klein raised the Staff of the Stars and attempted to use Will Auceptin’s “Reboot” to save Colin Iliad. However, he failed several times in a row. Even the successful attempt didn’t have the ability to reverse everything. The effects were clearly inferior to the original’s, and it involved a Uniqueness—Amon’s true body had descended.

He’s already dead, so he can’t even be turned into a marionette. He can only consider turning into an evil spirit, but there’s almost no evil spirit that can maintain their humanity. Even Dark Angel Sasrir failed to do so… The only exception is the Red Angel Medici trio. But that was only after “They” left “Their” “territory” and went to Bansy Harbor… This Chief doesn’t seem willing to take this route… To the residents of the City of Silver, becoming an evil spirit is undoubtedly a curse… Klein sighed and cast his gaze elsewhere to observe the Giant King’s palace that had its shadows recede.

Colin Iliad examined Derrick’s face and sighed.

“When you return, you’ll be a member of the six-member council.

“I know. Relative to your age, this is a very heavy responsibility, but everyone in the City of Silver has to be prepared to shoulder everyone’s fate.”

Derrick nodded and said with a nasal voice, “Yes, Your Excellency!”

Colin Iliad revealed an amiable smile.

“Don’t be worried that they’ll misunderstand this. I’ll tell you a secret. Currently, in the City of Silver, only Waite and I know of it.

“When you get back, tell this to Waite immediately. He will understand that Lovia’s and my death has nothing to do with you. Otherwise, you will not obtain this secret from me.”

Having said that, Colin Iliad looked up at Gehrman Sparrow and nodded gently.

“From today onwards, everyone in the City of Silver can freely change their faith to Mr. Fool.”

Derrick wasn’t excited at all. He nodded heavily, indicating that he understood.

Colin Iliad immediately retracted his gaze. A layer of solemnity and bitterness appeared on his clearly exhausted face.

“That secret is related to the second god-level Sealed Artifact of our City of Silver.

“It’s called ‘Gift of the Land.’”

Derrick wiped his eyes with his arm and listened attentively to the Chief’s description.

Colin Iliad sighed and continued, “It’s precisely because of this Sealed Artifact that Black-Faced Grass can grow around the City of Silver, preventing us from completely sinking into the dark ages…”

Derrick’s pupils dilated as the sadness in his heart eased.

He remembered very clearly that the textbooks mentioned the discovery of Black-Faced Grass as the key turning point in the history of the City of Silver. He believed that if there was no such safe and harmless staple food, then the City of Silver would’ve long become a playground for monsters.

At that instant, Derrick thought of many things. He finally understood why the mushrooms that Mr. World had given had undergone a huge transformation in the City of Silver, one that was different from the original description.

Colin Iliad’s gaze swept across his face, and his voice suddenly turned deep.

“It’s precisely because of this that we are burdened with the fate of being cursed. Only people who are killed by their immediate family wouldn’t become a terrifying evil spirit.

“Cornucopia has a price.”

Derrick’s expression froze.

Murdering his parents left a wound that could never heal in his heart. He had always blamed the corresponding curse on this land that had been forsaken by the gods. But now, the Chief had told him the truth which was unlike what he imagined. The curse gave them the food they relied on for survival!

The grizzled and exhausted-looking Colin Iliad’s eyes glazed over as he seemed to recall killing his father, mother, brother, sister, eldest son, youngest son, daughter, and eldest grandson.

His voice became fleeting.

“Lovia once said that a dying person would not transform into an evil spirit after leaving the City of Silver.

“Back then, I didn’t tell her that this was the truth. As the Gift of the Land’s range is huge, most people who are about to die are unable to leave the corresponding region in time.

“This is a secret that only the Chief can grasp. I tried my best exploring and fighting, hoping that future generations wouldn’t have to suffer such pain.”

The Chief of the City of Silver, who was clearly advanced in his years, slowly exhaled. Without giving Derrick a chance to make a promise, he seemed to recall something as he said, “Also, you mustn’t fully believe the situation of the Rose Redemption that is recorded in that palace.”

Eh? Klein stopped scrutinizing his surroundings as he revealed a slightly lost expression.

Colin Iliad added in a deep voice, “Earth Mother cannot be Giant Queen Omebella.

“Omebella has long died. ‘Her’ corpse is in the City of Silver, and more precisely, it’s the Gift of the Land…”

This… When Klein heard this, his pupils dilated as a chill ran down his spine.

The real Giant Queen had long died in the City of Silver and became a Sealed Artifact. Then, who is the one currently masquerading as Earth Mother?

In the kingdom that was covered in moon flowers and night vanilla, the sunset giant’s sword struck the heavy, pitch-black sickle and froze in midair.

In the darkness that had been destroyed by the intense battle of the gods, time seemed to come to a halt. Be it the giant wearing tattered armor who was bathing in the dusk, or the humanoid demonic wolf with six arms, “They” seemed to become a part of an oil painting. Everything stood on the spot, maintaining “Their” previous posture.

However, a dark brown wooden cane had stabbed through the back of the sunset giant, piercing through its heart as it frantically drained the life of the deity, dragging “Him” down in an act of returning it to the land, returning to a mother’s embrace.

This dark brown wooden staff was held in the hands of the giant-like, voluptuous woman. It formed a deep autumn scene with the withered flowers, grass, and mushrooms.

The sunset giant slowly turned “His” head and looked at the woman who was carrying the baby in one hand. “He” said in pain, “Li—li—th?”

At this moment, the dress-wearing “demonic wolf” with the head of a female human let out a chuckle. The bird-shaped golden accessory in “Her” hand flew out and accurately pierced through the gap of the sunset giant’s visor. Then, “She” threw the “Crimson Moon” in “Her” two other hands at the voluptuous woman.

In the next second, a portion of the sunset giant’s body collapsed. An orange-red sunset pierced through the serene darkness and landed in the real world.

Some landed on the battlefield, causing countless soldiers to die. Some crushed the mountains, creating a lake that made all living creatures age. Some fused with some lucky creatures, turning them into crazy and powerful monsters, while others enveloped the Great Twilight Hall outside St. Millom. The solidified orange light was extinguished…

In the Amantha mountain range, outside the Cathedral of Serenity, Abomination Suah and other Mythical Creatures, who were helping Feysac and Intis angels attack, seemed to sense something. The battle came to a halt.

After the bloodshot eyes growing on the pitch-black tree rolled once, Abomination Suah immediately entered the void and escaped into the spirit world.

In the outskirts of Backlund, in a small cathedral that no one paid attention to.

A golden-bearded pious priest wearing a simple white robe opened his eyes. They revealed a childlike innocence and purity.

“He” calmly took out a golden potion and opened the lid, pouring the liquid inside into “His” mouth.

The war ended just like that.

If Audrey hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she never would’ve believed that the war would end just like that.

After the dark night swallowed the orange dusk and faded away by itself, the Silver Knight in front of her seemed to suffer a heavy mental blow. Even after recovering and composing himself, he didn’t continue attacking his enemy. He fled in a rather sorry and perplexed state.

Just like this Silver Knight, the angels and saints of the Feysac and Intis allied forces fled one after another. As for the Beyonders that formed the backbone of the army, they collapsed in an uncontrollable manner.

However, on Loen’s side, the demigods, Low- and Mid-Sequence Beyonders, and ordinary soldiers didn’t attempt to pursue them. This was because they were equally confused, perplexed, and puzzled.

Audrey walked back into the city and saw the surviving Backlund residents coming out of their houses, shelters, or hiding spots, one after another. They stared blankly at the scene which resembled a primeval forest.

They didn’t cheer, shout, or vent their emotions. Their expressions were numb, and their eyes were vacant. They didn’t know how and why the disaster had suddenly ended.

There was no lack of people who had once been saved by the charity foundation. Many of them looked familiar to Audrey, but their condition wasn’t much different from when those who queued up to collect food.

Audrey silently observed this scene before returning to Empress Borough and back to her villa.

She saw her father, mother, elder brother, butler, servants looking out of the window in confusion, just like the citizens on the street.

For some reason, a sentence suddenly flashed across Audrey’s mind:

Dying, he knew not his executor; surviving, he knew not the circumstances.

An orange dusk calmed the lightning storm that blazed with frequent bolts of lightning. It sank into the dark, blue sea with an indiscernible bottom, nearly swallowing the Dawn with it.

Queen Mystic had used her other Grade 0 Sealed Artifact in time, allowing the ship to avoid a terrifying disaster.

She frowned slightly as if she had sensed something. However, her expression eased up immediately, allowing the Dawn to continue moving forward on an unsafe sea route. It was to engage in all kinds of dangerous battles with strong winds, huge waves, lightning, and sea monsters.

In the dark environment, Bernadette’s gaze seemed to penetrate through many obstacles, allowing her to see the light that she was chasing after.

No matter how many obstacles she faced, she would not stop her approach.

On the staircase in the Giant King’s residence which was covered in orange light.

After telling Derrick the secret, Colin Iliad said to Derrick, “Go. Open that door. I want to see what the sunlight outside is like…”

“Yes!” The rims of Derrick’s eyes reddened once again. He pursed his lips tightly and stood up.

He put down the hammer in his hand, and under the encouraging gaze of Klein, he steadily circled around the iron-black throne and arrived in front of the grayish-blue door which depicted the sunset.

Derrick stared at it for a second, bent down, stretched out his hands, and pressed them against the sides of the door.

Then, he strained his muscles and pushed hard.

At that moment, he seemed to see his parents; his deceased teammates, like Joshua and Antiona; Lovia in a purple-patterned black robe; and the grizzled Colin Iliad.

They stood beside him and pressed their hands against the door, pushing the grayish-blue door with him.

Beads of water streamed down Derrick’s face as a heavy creaking sound echoed in his ears.

A crack appeared, letting golden sunlight flood in.

The gap grew bigger and bigger, and a golden sea gradually appeared in Derrick’s eyes, presenting itself in front of Colin Iliad’s eyes.

Upon seeing this scene, the corners of Colin Iliad’s lips twitched slightly as he bathed in the warm sunlight. The corners of his lips pulled up slightly as he revealed a faint smile and a faint yearning, his body “evaporating” bit by bit.

Light was the meaning to everything.

Author’s Notes:

—Translation: Mrs. Matchstick Bepis | Proofread: Windvally—

The 116 chapters of Volume 6, to me, achieved the overall degree of completion I expected.

During Volume 5, I mentioned that the pinnacle of the plot would occur in Volume 6, note that I said pinnacle, and not climax.

Laughs

At the time, it was clear to me that it would be lacking in terms of satisfaction and explosiveness, but the essence of the volume was to bring a strong sense of shock. Regarding this, when Amon uttered Chernobyl and when Colin Iliad said that Omebella had already died, I could clearly feel the sense of happiness writing brings me.

Accordingly, chapter subscriptions exceeded 60,000, breaking the record of the entire book, especially during the Amon arc, reaching over 63,000. As for this Omebella chapter, because I wrote this conclusion before the 24-hour mark, I didn’t have an accurate result, I only know that during the first hour after the chapter was uploaded, chapter subscriptions were already at 32,000.

These are the two pinnacles of Volume 6, one at the beginning and one at the end, stringing together the entire volume. Both of these events were arranged as early as Volume one. Even before I started writing Volume One, these ideas were already thought-out and I started consciously burying hints to depict the two events. When I first wrote “Chapter One – Crimson”, I already had a complete picture in my mind, one of which was an inspiration that gradually took shape as I was putting together the story of the City of Silver and its curse, it was only after this that Emlyn and the Church of Harvest came to be. I actually provided a lot of corresponding clues, although they were relatively hidden, it wasn’t without foreshadowing.

And surrounding these two pinnacle, many secrets have been unveiled. Generally, I don’t think there were any problems regarding this portion. It helped to gradually give shape to the overall universe, creating a comparatively complete framework, thus, when I start unfolding information and hints regarding the The Old Ones, Outer Gods, Ancient Sun God and his family, it would become a lot smoother. Family, yes, using this term to describe them seems to make them a lot more relatable.¹

Speaking of relatable, I would have to discuss the criticisms directed towards the war and “Justice”.

Throughout the time I spent writing Martial Arts Master, I have been compiling a set of methodologies for writing suitable for myself, however at the same time many things were still vague to me, it wasn’t until I started writing Lord of Mysteries and the corresponding experiments and results, that things started becoming clearer, thereby adding to my methodology.

To me, the first business of writing, which is also the most important step is encompassed by a very rustic word:

“Expression”.

What is it that I wish to convey and deliver? This is something that must undergo clear consideration before setting pen to paper, after that, I would need to make a choice regarding what I will include or omit in the writing to make sure my focal point doesn’t deviate.

To put it simply, I will use a phrase that everyone abhors: centralized thoughts.²

Then what is it I wish to express in Volume 6?

First of all, it is the sense of impact that these two plot points will bring.

Secondly, the insignificance and helplessness mortals feel when in the face of gods.

Thirdly, despite being as small and insignificant as a moth, one should always seek the light.

Regarding the second point, this theme isn’t exclusive to Volume 6, it is an inevitable component of any novel worldviews inspired by Cthulhu and the Quasi-Cthulhu Mythos. Ones’³ fear of the unknown as well as the insignificance when faced with that “unknown”, which is in the same vein as the straw men from Volume 2⁴.

Therefore, before I started writing Volume 6, even before Volume 5, I’ve been considering what kind of story would be necessary in order to deliver the things I wish to express into the readers’ mind.

If I started to expand on the war, then the focus would shift to the various mystical powers, battleships, machine guns and cannons. This would comparatively be more fresh, and with the inclusion of elements of sacrifice, exhilaration, the brutality of war and other deeper themes, it would deviate from the crux of what I wish to express. Because once you arrive on the battlefield, the significance behind death and survival become apparent, there wouldn’t be a sense of befuddlement over why you’re still alive or why you’re dying.

At the same time, the story has always depicted fights between Beyonders, and arriving at Volume 6, I even began unravelling the secrets behind the various Kings of Angels and Gods, if I was to also expand into the war between ordinary humans, not only would the two sceneries conflict with each other, it would be rather weird as well.

With this in mind, as I mentioned very early on, I wouldn’t go into the details of the war, instead the primary focus would be on the life of ordinary people embroiled in the war. I purposefully made these people indistinguishable and without names, which is another interpretation of the title of Volume 2, Faceless, to exemplify the concept of the numerous, of the masses, and to decrease the relative pain and sorrow people feel, instead accentuating the feelings of loss, apathy and confusion.

The only people with a name were the Landlord and lady, this part was to emphasize the pain and hardship of the people, otherwise the scene where Audrey determines herself, kneels before her parents’ bed and kisses them before leaving would lack the necessary force.

Originally, there was no need for the scenes where Audrey engages in charitable behavior to be repeated, but in order to increase the sense of apathy, stupefaction, pain and confusion of the people, I intentionally wrote a few more of these scenes, consequentially these scenes were a little monotonous and insistent, whilst failing to reflect the changes within Audrey’s heart.

However, I don’t think there were any problems with her two conversations with Klein, each encompassing a different sense of confusion; nor were there problems with her behavior after resolving herself and her subsequent manipulations. There was no delay, no encumbrance because she has her own internal conflicts and the relevant tensions in the story still exists.

In summary, I combined the build-up of determination within Audrey’s heart, her own growth and the insignificance of mortals together, and combined them into one thread, resulting in a situation where I’m writing about her, but the real focus wasn’t on her, which made Audrey seem like a tool⁵ for the plot.

This is probably a “Spectator’s”, mandatory duty and sacrifice.

Sigh

However, I would like to thank everybody for your tolerance and understanding, during these chapters, subscriptions basically didn’t drop, resting at around 53,000, it let me proceed calm and nonchalantly, enabling me to encompass everything I wanted to express.

During the final battle at Backlund, the reason behind unfolding it from Audrey’s perspective was to demonstrate the changes the battle between gods would bring to Backlund, and to conclude all the things that I have been paving for up to that point.

As this Spectator walked down the streets and alleys on her way home, she witnessed the same confusion inside everyone, down from normal citizens, up to nobles and finally to herself, a demi-god, welling-up and culminating in the lament:

“Death without reason, life without purpose”

I have this impression that the relevant plot wasn’t a waste of time, and I feel like the plot which was somewhat adrift has finally found its’ grounding, deep, heavy, stable and solid.

Additionally, this part also ties into the build-up of emotions in three parts, from the senselessness, insignificance and sorrow that Audrey experiences, to Bernadette’s pursuit and certainty that regardless of how dark and bleak the journey would be, she would continue, and finally to the City of Silver, which has spent millennia questing the darkness, who have at last, opened the door, laying eyes on a sliver of light and on the thing named hope.

It is for this reason, my original plan to feature Roselle in Volume 6 was pushed back to Volume 7.

Hmm, this progression of emotions could be reversed, but that would be extremely despairing, it wouldn’t suit the title “Lightseeker”.

Regarding the death of the Chief, because Lovia died earlier, I didn’t want to reiterate the sorrow and sensationalize it, instead it was with restraint that I described his condition, to let the relative sorrow be hidden deeper and instead focus on the light, on his expression of regret, release and hope.

The problem with Volume 6 was that it required too many battles cramped in succession, the middle of the volume lacked the necessary pacing for the tension to loosen, resulting in reading fatigue. This is something I would need to pay attention to in Volume 7.

Besides, if I don’t write about the war, I would lose the chance to expand on the rest of the world, it would seem like the scope of the story was limited, however this was something that I anticipated. With the existence of 22 pathways, numerous different countries, gods and angels, if I was to open up these areas, Kleiny boy would end up having to run all over the place, that would feel very cumbersome and bloated. It would be akin to a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water, to scratch the surface superficially, and not go deeper. I might as well not write it.

Therefore, even though I already have a very detailed framework enveloping the Republic of Intis, the Kingdom of Feynapotter etc, I can’t introduce them. Regarding this, a certain “one and a half metered classmate” could testify on my behalf, while I was making preparations for Lord of Mysteries, she asked me what the outline of the story was, so I copied a portion of the settings surrounding Intis, and that was probably a very detailed version of it.

This was something I set my mind on before I started writing Lord of Mysteries, I would limit the scope of the story to the utmost extent, focusing instead on one country and making it as vivid and meticulous as possible, thereby bringing out the distinguishing characteristics of other countries in contrast, establishing a more coherent framework for the entire world. Achieving this, the purpose behind writing Lord of Mysteries would be accomplished. Hmm, you guys should be able to feel that I’ve been keeping some things back.

Concerning the other countries and other pathways, I originally hoped to manage it, that is, under the same world, to write a second, maybe even a third book, under different perspectives, using things that I didn’t have a chance to use in regards to Intis, Feynapotter, the various secretive cults, organizations, the Western continent and other products of my world-building, utilizing this approach to complete the entire universe of Lord of Mysteries.

I even thought about some possible storylines that I may or may not take up, for example a certain Blessed One of The Old Ones attempts to infiltrate and sabotage things, but fall prey to an accident, losing their memories and eventually getting picked up by the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom, “indulging” in exams and textbooks day in day out, or someone who starts out as a hunter and ends up receiving instructions from Saint Danitz, crying as he loots Anderson, contesting wit and skill with the Red Angel, etc., etc.

This might be the main storyline of the second book. As for the third book, it might be a story based on the Western continent, an Eastern oriental themed Lord of Mysteries. I was smiling as I read comments on how you guys theorized a “Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth” route. Of course, regarding the power level of the Western continent, I left a few connections, but nothing concise yet.

Hmm. There might not be a third book, but at the moment, I can promise there will be a second book, but it wouldn’t be the next one I write. I intend to change the theme of the story, change my mood, write about something else, after all, I have accumulated a lot of inspiration, with two especially interesting ones taking shape. One leans towards Fallout, and the other Xianxia, it’s hard to decide which one at the moment, I will consider it in detail after gathering materials and completing Lord of Mysteries.

Small talk at an end, the same rule. Three and a half days of rest, updates will recommence 7 p.m. of Sunday. (It’s actually four days, but considering the fact that this summary has exceeded 3,000 words, let’s count this as a chapter.)

As for the name of Volume 7, as many of you have guessed correctly, it will be “Hanged Man”.

Finally, since I uploaded this chapter, how could I not make a request for monthly tickets? I will upload the first chapter of Volume 7: “The Hanged Man” punctually at 7 p.m. Give me your monthly tickets!

On a side note, average subscriptions have reached around nine thousand eight thousand six hundred⁶, please subscribe on the official version, I hope to surpass 100,000 as soon as possible!

Lastly, gimme your monthly tickets!

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