Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1400 Home
On Partisan Island, at the only relatively quiet dock in New Silver City, "The Sun" Derrick Berg watched three ocean-going sailing ships depart, swaying and rocking as they headed east.

It was an expedition led by Lovia Tiffany, a member of the Council of Seven and the Triad, but Derrick preferred to call it the "Homecoming Team".

Because they planned to return to the "Forsaken Land," to their original Silver City, following the same route they had taken.

May the great Fool bless them with a safe journey, and I think the one Elder Lovia worships will also bless them... Derrick silently prayed for a moment, then turned around and was surprised to find that "Chief" Colin Iliad and another "Silver Knight" in the city, Wait Hillmon, had also arrived.

They were supposed to be seeing off the expedition, but instead they were exchanging words in a race against time. Derrick listened carefully and immediately understood the focus of their argument.

This concerns the order in which the two "Silver Knights" were promoted.

Long before, after giving the "Gift of the Earth" to Archangel Viev of the Church of the Eternal Sun in exchange for the extraordinary trait of "Light Chaser," the "Proof of Glory," which was also a level 0 sealed item, lost its greatest function—suppressing the negative effects of the Gift of the Earth. Instead, it could be shattered into the "Glory" trait of the Twilight Giant pathway sequence 2 for advancement.

However, the new Silver City has two Silver Knights, but only one potion for advancement.

Chief Colin was the first to be promoted to Sequence 3. He was over a hundred years old and had the most experience in both combat and interpersonal relationships. His promotion and transformation of his life form allowed him to continue leading the city through the turbulent times to come.
Elder Waiter was over 80 years old, but for someone who had already ascended to demigod status, he was still considered to be in his prime. Moreover, Colin had repeatedly stated that if he were to die in a battle, Waiter would succeed him as chief, earning him the deep trust of all council members. He was strong and vigorous, and his chances of successfully advancing to Sequence 2 were undoubtedly higher than Colin's.

Derrick has become an angel and knows that at this stage he will gain a complete mythical creature form, which is equivalent to a change in the essence of life. Even without the ability to greatly extend lifespan from the level of a saint through means such as "witch" or "moon", he can easily live for thousands of years simply by relying on the physical qualities of an angel.

Saints, on the other hand, mostly live only a few hundred years. Especially for the "Chief," who only has the opportunity to advance to demigod in middle age, and who is constantly injured in battles and takes poisonous drugs, he may no longer be suitable to take magic potions and advance through difficult rituals in another ten or twenty years.

Therefore, Colin had been strongly advocating that Wait Hillmon use the "Glory" trait to become an angel, while the latter hoped that Colin would be promoted first to maintain a longer lifespan, while he himself was young and strong and could wait for a later opportunity.

Based on Silver City's more than two thousand years of experience in the "Forsaken Land," it would naturally be better to entrust the precious extraordinary characteristics to Waiter, who has a higher success rate and is in better condition. However, now that Silver City is no longer troubled by life and death, it is natural to consider the overall situation while ensuring efficiency.

From Derrick's perspective, let alone the two Silver Knights in front of him, even Lovia, the Three-Headed Sanctuary who just left, has a high probability of being promoted to an angel.

This wasn't a prophecy or divination, but rather information Derrick received from a Tarot meeting.

The final battle has passed, and most of the Old Ones on Earth have been chosen. The distribution of power among their respective churches will inevitably be adjusted. Compared to others, Mr. Fool's Church does not have an advantage in the number of angels and saints. Naturally, it will try to promote those among its believers who meet the requirements as soon as possible. Silver City, as his core faith, has a very high priority.

Thinking of this, he recalled the current situation that Mr. Fool had personally described at the Tarot meeting.

First and foremost is the missionary territory of the "Lord of Mysteries," also known as Mr. Fool's "Church of Fools." This territory is primarily located in the Rose Island, where the belief in the "Sea God" was originally widespread, and extends to major cities on the northern and southern continents. Although the base of believers is relatively weak, the growth rate is encouraging.

Secondly, there is the "Church of the End," which is still known as the "Goddess of Calamity," the Queen's Church. It integrates the original witch cult, the Soren family of Intis, and the "City of Dreams" on Partis Island. The church is located near the church of the Fools, so the missionary areas of the two basically overlap.

The "Eternal Darkness" still outwardly refers to itself as the "Goddess of Night," but recently it has been intensifying its efforts to integrate the Church of the "God of War" and the "God of Death" faith in the Southern Continent, effectively controlling the faith of the entire Fusak Empire, while also holding an absolute advantage in the Kingdom of Rune. Of course, these two countries are also open to other faiths, while emerging faiths like the "Church of the Fools" and the "Church of the End Times" adhere to strict rules, only proselytizing in large cities like Backlund, and not easily venturing into smaller towns and villages where it is easier to monopolize the faith.

The Church of the God of Steam and Machinery has not changed much. Derrick knows that the god has now become the "Demon of Knowledge," but Mr. Fool mysteriously indicates that the final candidate for this position has not yet been determined. Therefore, the church is very cautious in its expansion and has not integrated the faith as openly as the Church of the Goddess of Night.

Finally, regarding "God," the secret organizations that originally believed in the "true creator" should have turned to this new Lord. Some organizations of "Adam" did the same. But strangely, the churches of "Storm," "Wisdom," and "Sun" were all preserved, although their spheres of influence shrank. Ordinary believers were unaware that the three gods had fallen one after another.

What is particularly special is the belief in the "Mother Earth Goddess." This deity is confirmed to have perished in the final war, but the dominant church in the Kingdom of Feneport acts as if nothing happened. No church, including the "Church of Fools," has taken advantage of the situation to try to develop its faith in that country.

This gave Derrick some ideas, and he prepared to find an opportunity to ask Mr. "Moon" about it.

In addition, the Emperor Roselle, who was "resurrected" in a high-profile manner two years ago, has also become a great being beyond Sequence 0. However, the "Shadow of Order" does not have a physical faith like other ancient ones. Instead, it guides the original colonies of the Southern Continent to carry out a vigorous anti-colonial movement.

Today, most of the countries that were occupied and enslaved by the former Byron Empire, Rune, Intis and other countries have been liberated and have begun to actively restore productivity. They are also exploring a form of state that transcends the political systems of the countries in the North Continent. Derrick has only heard about this and has not studied it in depth, but Mr. Fool has praised it highly and asked his followers to cooperate in the South Continent, which has made Derrick think even more highly of this matter.

In this situation, Mr. Fool's Rothschild Islands seem somewhat inadequate. Although the sea area is vast and it separates the northern and southern continents, the actual population is not large, and most of them live on scattered islands that are difficult to contact each other.

Therefore, no longer plagued by the darkness that devours people and the monsters lurking in the shadows, the Eastern Continent, which was in dire need of development, became an excellent choice. The records of Silver City contain descriptions of its terrain and mineral distribution. Perhaps many precious sealed artifacts and extraordinary characteristics were left in the ruins of various cities in the Silver Kingdom more than two thousand years ago.

Moreover, the retired, portly governor of the "City of Dreams," wearing a brass monocle, kindly provided an important piece of information: in the original Forsaken Land, there are still many settlements that have not been wiped out, and those residents who have persevered in the darkness for over two thousand years without giving up are equally worthy of being saved.

Although it is unknown whether the resurrected creator will once again favor these believers, the expeditionary force from Silver City will go and see, and will try to spread the Fool's faith.

Perhaps in a few decades, the Eastern Continent will prosper again, just like the former Silver Kingdom… Derrick collected his thoughts and looked back at the Chief and Waiter, who were still arguing. He recalled the words of the Hanged Man before he left:

You must have your own opinions, dare to express your views, and take the corresponding responsibility for them.

My thought is... He strode towards the two of them, and when both sides of the argument were looking at him, he spoke:

"Your Excellency Chief, Elder Waiter, I overheard your conversation. Are you troubled by the question of who should possess the 'Glory' trait?"

The bald-headed, over 2.5-meter-tall Wheat Hillmont glanced at Chief Colin, who narrowed his scarred eyes and nodded:

“Waite was unwilling to take on this important task and thought I should be promoted first.”

Derrick took a deep breath and continued:

“I share his view that you should use that trait to be promoted to Sequence 2 ‘Honored One’.”

"Why?" Colin asked briefly.

Because if we lose this opportunity, you might not get the second Sequence 2 property, and we don't want to see you, who has devoted your life to Silver City, die like this... Derrick thought to himself, but he didn't voice this personal reason. Instead, he analyzed:

“Silver City currently does not have any other angelic traits. If Elder Waiter advances first, it will be difficult for us to find a second one in a short time. At that time, Silver City, which will be weaker than before due to the loss of a powerful saint, will become even weaker. On the other hand, if you advance first, you will have enough time to find a second trait for him, and it may not be limited to the ‘Twilight Giant’ pathway. The ‘Death’ or ‘Darkness’ pathways are also possible.”

"I believe this is the optimal solution for Silver City."

Colin, who had expected the other party to give some emotional reasons, was taken aback. He took a deep look at Derrick, who had become an angel at a young age and the most powerful Extraordinary in Silver City, and suddenly felt a sense of emotion.

After a moment, he nodded.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the coast of the province of Gaia, northwest of Fenneport, Porto Santa is experiencing a sudden storm.

Of course, all of this had little to do with "The Magician" Fors. She simply used her ability to recreate events to cause a disaster in the sea near the port that would not result in any casualties, thus driving the fishermen who might discover what was going on back to shore.

Unfortunately, the disaster seemed to have triggered some kind of force, which combined to make the storm unexpectedly intense. Even in the deep basement, she could hear the howling wind and the raindrops hitting the building.

"Will this old building be alright?"

She seemed to be talking to herself, but her gaze secretly drifted to another young man beside her.

The latter, dressed in a long black classical robe, without a hat revealing short black hair, and wearing a roughly polished crystal monocle behind his right eye, smiled upon hearing this and said:
"I thought you would use a less conspicuous method to cover your tracks."

But most of what I recorded were powerful, lethal abilities… Sigh, “reproduction” is never as convenient as “learning” through the White Tower method. Given enough time and experience, they can learn most of the different powers, albeit weakened versions… Fors muttered to himself, deciding not to respond to the other person's words, and instead asked:
"The sea has been cleared, and the storm has obscured everyone's view. What should we do next?"

"Bethel didn't tell you?" The man pushed up his crystal glasses, which had no mystical effects and were merely decorative, and asked with a smile, "I thought you would be well-prepared before facing me."

If this were before the apocalyptic war, before my opinion of you changed, perhaps I really would have summoned three or five angels to come see you again… Fors sighed, then shook his head and said:

"My teacher said she would give me a surprise."

"Heh." Upon hearing this, Amon chuckled as if pleasantly surprised, then pointed to a broken stone platform in the center of the basement and said:
"This is why we came here."

Fors had noticed the altar's appearance long ago, but it had been damaged over time and its original shape was no longer discernible. However, after Amon pointed at it, the stone platform began to reassemble itself while shaking. Pieces of broken stone with strange patterns on their surfaces returned to their original positions, instantly restoring itself into a complete altar about 1 meter high with an ancient shape that seemed out of place in this era.

The patterns pieced together above also looked somewhat familiar to Fors. One of them was a layered door-shaped pattern, which came from the Abraham family, with whom she had no blood relation but was closely connected. The other was a disc divided into twelve squares, like a clock with only one hand.

The latter, Fors, had seen it during her travels to some of the discovered ancient sites of the Fourth Age. It was the emblem of the "Ammon" family of the Tudor Empire. She already knew that all members of "Ammon" were essentially the same person, the ancient being beside her who had stepped down from the "wrong" divine position and recently returned to become the Archangel of Destiny, the "Angel of Redemption".

Based on Mr. "Door's" mysterious behavior before he led her here to meet Amon, Fors guessed:

"During the Fourth Age, you and Mr. 'Door' left something here together?"

“It’s not leaving it behind, it’s sealing it away,” Amon replied. “A spaceship from outer space is sealed away on the seabed around here.”

Spaceships… Fors felt a sense of astonishment, like encountering erotic illustrations in a serious novel, or steam-powered machinery in an old oil painting, seeing technology from the future on a planet that was only in the midst of the Industrial Revolution.

However, considering that it came from the stars and from other civilizations, it makes much more sense.

While Fors was roaming the stars and digesting the potion, most of the planets he saw with life were in a primitive state, without civilization. However, a few intelligent civilizations had developed to the point that they could leave their planets and venture into space on their own.

They were using a spaceship.

This is a device that uses internal power to travel through the universe at extremely high speeds, even exceeding the speed of light, just like gods traveling through the celestial realm or angels wandering in the spirit world to quickly reach any location.

Moreover, unlike the extraordinary powers that only a few can master, once this technological creation can be manufactured, it can be replicated in thousands, sending countless individuals of this civilization into space to other planets, possessing almost unlimited development resources.

If Earth is to expand like those advanced civilizations, it can initially rely on a small number of angels, or even pray for divine help, but ultimately it must rely on its own technological development… Fors’ thoughts wandered for a moment before he asked:
"Was it sent in by an Outer God, or did it accidentally fall into the barrier?"

Upon hearing this, Amon chuckled again, then explained:

"With nine Great Old Ones surrounding this planet, do you think anything could accidentally fall in? Even the periodic Dallas meteor shower is a disaster within the barrier caused by the 'City of Calamity,' rather than an actual astronomical phenomenon orbiting the galaxy."

"While waiting for the barrier to disappear on its own, they will also try various ways to weaken it and bring the end of the world to an early date. This spaceship is an attempt by one of the ancients. He took advantage of the opportunity when some angels in the Fourth Age, who were not protected by gods and thought they had not been discovered, sneaked into the starry sky to enter and exit the barrier, and sent this spaceship in. The dangerous items carried on it can devour this planet, causing the barrier to lose its support and collapse prematurely, so that they can enjoy this sumptuous feast."

Indeed, everything related to the Outer Gods is essentially a response to the barrier left by the Creator… So, in the Fourth Age, it was Amon and Mr. Men who discovered this spaceship and sealed it at the bottom of the sea, preventing the danger from spreading? I never imagined this person had actually saved the world once… Fors pondered for a moment and continued to ask:
What kind of dangerous item is it?

Amon didn't keep us in suspense:
"A black hole."

Black holes… Fors immediately thought of the terrifying catastrophes she had witnessed in the starry sky, capable of devouring all matter and energy, from which even light could not escape. She had recorded all of this then and had even recreated this power in battle, but it was less than one ten-thousandth of her own.

Unexpectedly, a spaceship from outer space was sealed on the seabed not far away, and inside the spaceship was a complete black hole.

If the seal were to break, this power would directly impact reality, and it wouldn't be long before it devoured the entire planet and all its inhabitants. Most angels and all gods might be able to escape, but it would be difficult to directly stop a fully formed black hole, let alone withstand such a cataclysmic attack. Perhaps only truly great beings could create and destroy such a thing...

As Fors drifted into thought, Amon approached the altar, causing the disc-shaped clock on it, which belonged to the "wrong" path, to gradually light up, and continued:
“Bethel and I noticed this and prevented the disaster immediately, but the follow-up was somewhat difficult.”

"The black hole inside the spaceship was created by the 'Super Star Overlord,' who can continuously send power in through the gaps in the barrier to maintain and even expand this nascent black hole, while we have a great difficulty in throwing the spaceship out of the barrier."

"In the end, Bethel designed this ritual, in which the power of the 'Gate' sealed the spaceship at the bottom of the sea. Whenever the power sent into the barrier by the 'Super Star Overlord' accumulated for a period of time, the ritual would 'steal' the excess power, preventing the black hole from ever truly taking shape and breaking through the seal to affect the outside world."

“We can’t leave much power behind, so we can only rely on regularly held, spiritually driven rituals that bring ordinary people together to maintain ourselves, which has led to strange festivals in the area.”

Some kind of "sea-praying ceremony," some ancient custom where a sea governor is chosen each year to marry the sea... Could this be Amon's twisted sense of humor? He could have made it more solemn, even involving the local church... Having already learned about the local customs, Fors, seeing that Amon had activated the emblem representing his path and family, approached the altar and casually asked:

"how should I do?"

"Just open the door."

Amon answered jokingly.

Fors knew that it wouldn't be that simple. The essence of opening the "door" was to break the seal set by Mr. Door and liberate the spaceship that had been at the bottom of the sea for more than a thousand years.

The barrier has disappeared, and the "Super Star Overlord" has also perished. There is no need to leave such a dangerous item on Earth; it can be thrown into any desolate part of space.

Sure enough, as she used the authority of the "Gate," which she had only begun to acquire after becoming a Sequence 2, to break the seal connecting to the nearby seabed, the emblem belonging to the Abraham family also lit up.

A faint tremor came from the basement. Fors maintained the basement's existence while quickly teleporting to the sea where the storm was still raging.

In her vision, a huge spaceship with a silver-gray exterior and smooth, spindle-shaped lines pierced through the surging waves and rose into the sky. The starlight around it had not yet dissipated, like a moon that was very close to the sea surface and had no crimson embellishment.

This was one of the larger spaceships Fors had ever seen. Based on her guess, the technology it contained must have been very advanced, otherwise it wouldn't have been chosen by the "Superstar Overlord," the Great Old One who had countless highly developed civilizations and beliefs in the universe, as a container for the black hole.

What's next? Should I take it to the desolate edge of the universe? That's possible, but there's a high chance of something going wrong along the way. Maybe I'll take the spaceship but leave behind the black hole inside... Looking at the silver-gray spindle, Fors hesitated for a moment and decided to pray to Mr. Fool for help or instructions.

Before she could make any further moves, a beam of light from an unknown source enveloped the spaceship. This light contained a wealth of information, making Fors feel dizzy and disoriented. When she recovered from this state and looked at the sea again, she found that the entire spaceship and the black hole inside had vanished without a trace. Only traces remained around her, making it seem as if things behind her had been cut, and the faint sound of breaking glass.

A certain great being has made a move... no, two... Fors understood and stopped worrying. He returned to the dark but not damp basement and suddenly found that the altar, which had just been restored to its complete state by Amon, had broken again, with rubble scattered all over the ground, exactly the same as before.

“The spaceship has been taken away,” she said to Amon, who was looking at her. “More than one great being has taken notice of this.”

Amon nodded, not too surprised, and said:

"The steam engine hopes to use its internal technology to improve its reputation and authority, while the other needs the power of the 'Superstar Overlord' contained within the black hole."

"With these, the Earth's development will be much faster. Of course, no one can realize this now; it will probably take a hundred years."

"But all the old days can wait."

Because of the "ceasefire agreement"... Fors had some suspicions.

Seeing that she remained silent, Amon smiled and continued:

"This matter is no longer our concern. As for you, have you considered the future development path?"

What happened next? Fors was a little puzzled, and then tentatively asked:
You mean promotion sequence 1?

She already knew that the "Lord of Mysteries" required at least one Sequence 1 "Star Key" from the "Gate" pathway, as well as its uniqueness. The two Sequence 1 keys generously left by Mr. Fool were now with Mr. Gate, and she no longer had the opportunity to advance to Sequence 1 unless she jumped to an adjacent pathway.

"He wouldn't be planning to trick me into jumping to the 'Time Worm,' and then steal my body and relationships, would he...?" Fors looked at Amon with some suspicion, but the latter explained nonchalantly:
"After becoming the 'Angel of Redemption,' I suddenly discovered that by not targeting adjacent paths, but by jumping to other paths based on the overlapping authority and symbolism possessed by the source, I would have more power than a single path and be able to cope with different difficulties."

"Perfect timing! During the Doomsday War, the 'Goddess of Calamity' obtained a Sequence 1 'Observer' attribute, one of the two pathways of the 'High Dimension Overlooker.' Have you considered becoming an archangel of an Outer God like me? This would allow you to wield the power of 'dimensions,' which is more suitable for traveling to the stars and protecting ordinary people from Earth than the single 'Gate' pathway."

"Don't worry about those Outer Gods affecting you. Right now, they should be afraid of us, worried that someone will come knocking on their door through mystical connections. Unless absolutely necessary, they won't dare to influence the angels of Earth through their extraordinary abilities."

At Amon’s enticing words, “Magician” Fors Wall was stunned.

(End of this chapter)