Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 976 [The Orbital Cannon Framework - The Ophiuchus Protocol!]

Amund did not answer immediately, but slowly turned his head and looked at the top of the star map, where a world with a warm golden glow, crisscrossing rivers, and cities as regular as a blueprint.

He pointed, and spoke briefly and confidently:
"They are in—a paradise."

"is it?"

Xia Xiu raised his head, his brows furrowed slightly, and slowly walked to the star map. He stood very close, as if trying to penetrate the light barrier and see the hidden cracks in this plane known as the Perfect Land.

His mind raced through the remaining records of Shangri-La in the Eden database:
This is recognized as the most orderly plane in the multiverse system, where everything is well-organized and laws and rules are based on common interests.

The mountains are not rugged, the water is not noisy, and even the wind blows gently at a uniform frequency.

It is said that everything in the paradise is as perfect as possible, but it is neither as strictly collective as the mechanical realm nor as fanatically individualistic as the heavenly mountain.

However, not everything here is entirely accurate.

In fact, the inhabitants of the secluded paradise, driven by their own belief in justice, were willing to acknowledge their own shortcomings. This may have helped the spirit of Melosus, the lowest level of the secluded paradise, to smoothly integrate into the ultimate order of the clockwork realm thousands of years later when he arrived in the mechanical world.

Saint Cuthbert, the benevolent god of punishment, wielding his rod, resides in his own kingdom in a secluded paradise.

He is a middling deity who governs common sense, wisdom, enthusiasm, honesty, truth, and discipline.

Unlike the mad god who possesses great divine power, Saint Cuthbert, the god of punishment, is only a deity of medium divine power.

Cyric was ruined by the Four Lords and the Anomalous Project, and his excessive arrogance during his attempt to seize the throne triggered a backlash and judgment from the gods of the Golden Court, leaving this mad god in a daze.

Before Xia Xiu could even engage in battle with Him during this incursion into the Desolate Tunnel, He had already destroyed Himself.

Otherwise, if it really came down to a real fight, and he were to battle a powerful god within his own divine realm, he would have to expend a great deal of effort to defeat him.

Unlike Cyric, Saint Cuthbert, the god of punishment, is neither glorious nor insane; he is an extension of order itself.

Although he is only a mid-level god, the authority and divine kingdom he wields make him one of the most powerful mid-level gods. When converted into Terra's lineage strength, his power is much stronger than that of a regular fourth-stage crowned god.

The Fifth Church's hiding place here was an extremely risky yet ingenious choice.

Thinking of this, Xia Xiu turned his head to look at the semi-transparent figure flitting about beside him, and asked with curiosity:
"Speaking of which, how did you, with your cyber ghost-like appearance, determine which plane the Fifth Church was hiding in? You couldn't have just bumped into them while floating around, could you?"

Amund gave a soft hum, but did not answer immediately, his fingertips gliding over an intelligence document that was being projected.

There was no smile on his face, but his eyes held a hint of something obscure.

"My existence in this form is not purely dependent on any host or data stream, but rather on the underlying network that remains from the early days of the human internet."

He paused, then casually conjured a talisman from the air. It was a long-sealed confidential document with a few words faintly written on it:
The Ophiuchus Protocol

Ophiuchus is a large constellation that spans the celestial equator.

Its name comes from the ancient word φιοχο, which means "one who carries a snake," and is usually used to refer to a person who catches a snake.

It is one of the 88 modern constellations of Terra.

The old name for this constellation is Serpentarius, which means "the snake-holder".

Amund, with his hands behind his back, paced slowly before the star map and said softly to Xia Xiu:
"You want to know the history of our contact with the Fifth Church?"

"That goes back a long time... It was 1378 in the Terra calendar, in the old days before the Edisi Federation was unified during the Civil War. That year, in Ojai, California, a sudden storm of faith quietly broke out in an unnamed parish."

He paused for a moment, as if recalling every fragment of that history.

“At first we thought it was just another local heretical awakening, but we were wrong. Their doctrine does not preach any god, nor does it believe in any link of the traditional lineage, but rather... the idea itself.”

“I have said it many times: the Fifth Church is not a religion. It is a Mother-like reversal of consciousness, a Mother-level information pollution that can use the idea itself as a source of infection and can even complete the transfer of thought without language or medium.”

"That was the first time we realized that we were not facing believers, but enemies of concepts."

He gently pressed the control symbol on the edge of the star map, and a file projection slowly unfolded, displaying a series of time nodes and old data codes.

"In the year 1425 of Terran, which was during the years when we were using genealogical information technology to launch the Human Web, they released the first Mem Bomb."

"They used a booklet called 'Interstellar Signals' in conjunction with neurolinguistic constructs and the MIME guidance structure to induce readers into a state of consciousness collapse, which we call 'Ohai Syndrome'."

"I'll tell you more about Ohai Syndrome after I get in touch with the Fifth Church."

Armand's eyes sharpened: "After that incident, the thought censorship systems in six states were completely paralyzed, and more than 60 percent of the readers became their hosts in a short period of time."

"I had to urgently activate the secret permission module that I hadn't yet submitted at the time—the Ophiuchus Protocol. Only then was the booklet, which should have been destroyed, completely removed from the public domain data chain."

"In the same year, the Kingdom of Heaven launched a global operation codenamed 'Interstellar Observation,' blocking all known propagation nodes of the Fifth Church and placing them in the first-level mind defense sequence."

“We have tracked and flagged a list of more than one hundred high-ranking individuals who have been identified or are strongly suspected of being potential members of the Fifth Church, but we have not yet completely cleared them out.”

He turned to look at Xia Xiu, his tone laced with sarcasm and coldness:
“They are not afraid of our investigation at all, because they are no longer confined to Terra.”

"By 1433 of the Terran calendar, we finally confirmed that some extraterrestrial civilizations possess a mind contamination structure that is extremely similar to that of the Fifth Church."

"In other words, their ideas are universal."

"It is not a sect originating from the Ojai, but a kind of conceptual tumor that can grow in any cognitively capable race. We even speculate that it may be a... cosmic primordial consciousness model."

Amund paused abruptly at this point.

"That's why, before my consciousness fades away, I left that resonance probe in the Ophiuchus Protocol."

"Now that you have taken in CR-13, you must understand: the Fifth Church is not a god, but a countercurrent of the entire genealogical order."

"They are the real pathogens that drive civilization mad."

Armand raised his eyes, his gaze fixed on the still-flickering projection on the star map—the coordinates of the Kingdom of Peace. The halo trembled in the air, like the uneasy beating of a heart. His voice grew slow and low, his tone carrying a heavy, somber tone:

"This time, you must thoroughly investigate the intelligence of the Fifth Church."

"If the opportunity arises—do not hesitate, activate CR-13 immediately and eliminate them."

The light from the star chart room shone on Xia Xiu's face. He was silent for a moment, then nodded, and with a clench of his right hand, he grasped the silver scepter beside him.

"The situation in the Xuandian Kongtunnel has basically stabilized, and the various armies have completed their initial deployments."

Xia Xiu's gaze was calm as he turned to look at the phantom of Amund: "Next, we will set off directly for the Kingdom of Peace."

"If the Fifth Church is indeed hiding there, I will certainly not let it go easily. But besides that... I also need to take this opportunity to figure out the overall layout of the paradise and prepare for future conquests."

The phantom figure of Amund flickered slightly, as if sensing some kind of protocol level unlocking fluctuation. He looked up at Xia Xiu, a rare seriousness appearing on his face:
"In this mission, I will officially initiate the transfer process of the Ophiuchus Protocol. It was originally part of my secret jurisdiction when I was the decision-maker, belonging to the highest authority module in the 'Human Initial Network' strategic system."

His fingers traced through the air, and a series of geometric projections glowing with silver-blue light appeared one after another, as complex as star trails swirling in his mind.

"Ophiuchus - the one who holds the serpent, controlling the fire in the orbit."

"In the original plan, the high-orbit cannons of the initial human network would become the shield and spearhead of civilization, thereby maintaining the laws of human reason among the stars."

"Although the initial network is now broken, the framework of the orbital cannon, preserved by the Ophiuchus Protocol, is still intact. When you ascend to the level of Wonder and possess a World Bubble in the future, you will need the orbital cannon to power it, and the Ophiuchus Protocol can just help you complete the construction." "When you truly possess a World Bubble in the future, you can then use the Bubble Realm as the base, the Ophiuchus Protocol as the framework, and the orbital cannon as the engine to rebuild this Wonder Armament System."

"The Ophiuchus Protocol will be one of the keys to your future miracles."

It has to be said, that old man Armund really has a knack for it; he's got a knack for getting people pumped up.

Since their first encounter, in just one week, Xia Xiu has amassed an outrageously rich fortune.

Upon meeting, he saw that the old demon king had tricked and killed the god of madness, and had neatly placed the strategic location of the Xuan Dian Kong Tunnel, along with the divine fruit, at Xia Xiu's feet.

Subsequently, four Ascension Error Weaponization Projects, codenamed CR-13, were delivered to his door. Ostensibly, it was containment, but in reality, it was a complete transfer. Even the weapon recycling system was set up in advance for him. By continuously detonating the remaining divine fruits of the Mad God, the ammunition of these four divine soldiers could be self-sufficient. This was simply the ultimate example of getting a free recycling production line.

Following that, Armand revealed that there was another [narrative world bubble] that had not yet been contained. This extremely rare fragment of the world not only involves advanced information structures, but may also be directly related to ascending to miracles. It is the ladder that all miracle candidates dream of.

Now, he has transferred the World Orbital Cannon System, which he had secretly preserved in the Human Initial Network Project. The entire set of computing protocols, cannon framework, and divine-level fire control algorithms are all bundled into a secret jurisdiction called the [Ophiuchus Protocol], and cleanly handed it over to Xia Xiu.

Each link in the chain points directly to one ultimate goal—a miracle.

Anyone would have to take this old guy's actions seriously.

Xia Xiu stood before the star map, his finger sweeping across it, gathering the light trails of the seventeen planes into a single beam of light, which finally settled on the coordinates of the Peaceful Kingdom, a paradise on earth.

He turned to look at the elusive, shadowy figure of Amund, his voice low and clear:
"Let's set off now. We need to infiltrate this secluded paradise and investigate carefully, trying not to attract the attention of any deities."

Armand's phantom remained silent for a moment, as if calculating some hidden and complex strategic path. Then he nodded, his face expressionless, only his voice slightly hoarse:

"Then let's get started."

The voice just fell.

click-

Amund's figure suddenly twisted, as if the signal had abruptly cut off and the image had shattered. His illusory image was peeled away from the space piece by piece, like a ghost that had fallen out of reality.

Xia Xiu frowned slightly, but he wasn't surprised.

He knew that the other party had returned to the deep consciousness chamber of the Initial Network fragments for a temporary rest.

He exhaled lightly, then activated the communication rune circuit on his left wrist, issuing a command to the Church of Om Messiah, which had been waiting for a long time.

"Prepare an ether shuttle for me, loaded with plenty of phlogiston, destination—paradise on earth."

Commands flowed like electricity into the spectral network, and in less than a minute, responses sprang from the underground data pillars.

"As you command, Your Majesty Ohm Messiah."

"The ship is being assembled. Please board at Tower 13 in West Port."

Soon, the mechanical church's engineering team propelled a small shuttle, adorned with Gothic style and Membrane inscriptions, to the front of West Harbor. Its body was dark silver, with faith circuits engraved on the hull, and a curved serpent's head at the bow, symbolizing a guide traversing the crystal walls; while the phlogiston engines on its sides hummed softly, like eager hearts yearning for action.

The ship's internal phlogiston is so abundant that it can penetrate multiple layers of crystal walls without extinguishing.

Xia Xiu stood at the cabin entrance, his cloak billowing slowly from the residual heat of the engine.

He didn't say anything more, turned over and got into the driver's seat, and used one hand to operate the mast.

"Coordinates locked - a paradise on earth."

The shuttle trembled slightly, and its hull transformed into a streak of blue-gold light amidst a series of low hums.

The next moment, a dazzling ethereal rift tore open in front of the port.

……

……

The shuttle ship rose from the port tower and then entered the waiting area of ​​the warp drive.

The ship slid into a pre-established mechanical jump link like snake scales—and that link led to the outer plane deep within the crystal wall system, a plane called the Kingdom of Peace.

As the ether rippled, the ship slowly entered the connection node of the mechanical realm.

It was a vast, empty space, where thousands upon thousands of interlocking cores were embedded in the void like stars, slowly rotating.

In this well-ordered plane, the power of order is like the heartbeat of a mechanical deity, so precise that even time itself seems awe-inspiring.

Xia Xiu stood at the bow of the ship, his gaze fixed on the forming portal through the main viewing window:

It was an enormous green gear door, like a cosmic mark left by some deity with its remaining power. The edge of the ring-shaped door frame was inlaid with etheric circuits, and the inside was engraved with intricate primordial chains, which shimmered with a faint light as the inlaid teeth slowly rotated.

This door is not always open—its appearance is a predictable pattern that unfolds after a certain gear completes its full rotation, allowing only a brief opportunity to pass each time. Even a power of Heaven's stature, if it misses even a moment, must wait for the next round of mechanical automation to complete.

Xia Xiu glanced at the secondary screen; the time was accurate to the second.

The portal will be fully open in 23 seconds, and the window will last for one hour and forty-two minutes.

The ship's hull was filled with phlogiston, and the heat began to scorch the inner layers of the hull.

It was an ancient golden substance, suspended in the cracks between planes—it was not fuel, but rather a lubricant for interstellar travel, a medium between crystal walls that made travel possible.

A crystal sphere is a transparent, spherical barrier that encloses the world within itself.

Each world or galaxy is enclosed within its own unique crystalline walls, and only when a ship uses the correct frequency of phlogiston and the correct path can it tear a passage through it without causing chaotic oscillations.

Xia Xiu slowly sat down in the silver control seat on the bridge, his five fingers covering the pilot interface of the ether lever.

He whispered:
"The ship starts up, phlogiston is released at full power, target - peaceful country, paradise."

Instantly, the phlogiston engine roared from its depths, surging forth amber flames like a furnace. The entire ship trembled slightly under the gravitational pressure, its hull locked by blue-gold energy lines, and it accelerated its rotation like a loaded arrow.

"Coordinate capture successful, gear rotation speed stabilized, portal open."

With a thunderous tremor, the ship burst through the center of the green gear gate—the wormhole connecting the two worlds.

Within the crystalline cracks, layers of astral and etheric fluid intertwined, covering the ship's surface with layers of light flow, causing the hull to briefly tremble. However, guided by phlogiston, there was no misalignment or loss of control; the ship remained as steady as a needle.

They are entering a transition path that spans two layers of gears.

In Xia Xiu's perception, the world around him seemed to freeze—time was slowed down, and space twisted and bent under the catalysis of phlogiston.

Everything was extremely quiet.

Until a very slight tremor.

Ahead, the crystal wall gradually emerged.

It was a clear, glass-like boundary of space, so smooth that there wasn't a single gap, yet under the resonance of phlogiston, a fine, passable channel emerged.

(End of this chapter)