Throne of the North.

Chapter 782 The Book of Divine Artifact Knowledge: A Preliminary Consensus Reached
Norris Continent.

The Northern Frontier, a land of majestic snow-capped peaks.

The icy world occupies two-thirds of the northern part of the Norris continent, humans occupy the warmer third in the south, while orcs are forced to live in the frigid north.

But now, even this cruel living environment is no longer suitable for orcs.

Those mindless, gluttonous orcs had no idea what was about to happen.

But the raven orcs knew that, as the strategist and the embodiment of wisdom within the orc family, the Raven King knew the most and was also the most fearful.

The war with the human empire is over. The orcs have suffered a crushing defeat. The only response they could get was from that great being, who has vanished without a trace and no longer responds to His followers. Even the raven orcs, who have made Him their primary object of worship, receive no favor whatsoever.

The Raven King already knew that the Behemoth King had begun his march toward the sea, attempting to find safe territory on the water for the Behemoth race to escape the calamity.

The other orc royal courts were similar, each seeking a safe haven for themselves.

But the Raven King did not think they were right.

Because they know less than we do.

Its fear stemmed from this, because even if it escaped to the sea, it believed it could not escape the calamity. No, it should be said that as long as it remained in the world of Norris, it would be impossible to escape.

So the Raven King began to try every means to escape this world.

The Raven Orc race, as orcs, doesn't have many tricks up their sleeves, especially since the great beings have bestowed upon them wisdom and intelligence.

Even as a legend, the Raven King was not like those human mages or magical beasts who mastered spatial magic, easily tearing through the void, let alone taking the entire Raven Court with him.

However, it also has its own methods, namely that magical artifact.

The artifact, the Book of Knowledge, was used to establish a divine kingdom during the previous war with humans. However, it suffered heavy losses after the war. If the Raven King had not forcibly taken back the artifact, it would probably have been completely destroyed.

This is also the Raven King's last trump card: to use the power of the divine artifact to open a passage to another world.

Normally, even this wouldn't work, since divine artifacts have specific directions of power. If they don't involve space, it would be difficult to connect to another world. More likely, one would see a terrifying void, a lifeless void devoid of anything.

But the Raven King never expected that his attempt would actually succeed.

The artifact seemed to be quite active, and it had actually formed a very special connection with another world.

This discovery filled the Raven King with joy; it had finally found safe land.

However, the Raven King was also very cautious. The other world was full of unknowns, and even those beings skilled in spatial magic could not be safe. Therefore, it sent the vanguard of the Raven Court to explore.

This investigation lasted for more than half a month.

This alarmed the Raven King, who continuously dispatched raven orcs to search for other world planes, including orc commanders at the Saint-level, but all of them disappeared without a trace.

"Could the other side be the Abyss?"

The Raven King thought it was unlikely, because even in the abyss, the raven orcs would be quite active. Looking at the thin membrane in front of it, which it could easily tear open and enter, it still dared not make a move.

Mikragad.

Ryan looked at the raven-like orcs in the cage. The orcs' eyes were filled with fear because of the appearance of the wizard Kek.

They seemed very afraid of this person, unaware of what he had done to them.

Keck is dangerous, but he managed to analyze the changes that have occurred in the gods over the past hundred years using these raven beastmen.

So Ryan looked at the other person.

"Mr. Keck, you're saying that a great being has become the god these raven orcs serve? What evidence do you have?"

"Lane asked, and Keck, who was standing on the back of the raven, looked at Ryan."

“Stranger, you are strange. It is right that these orcs are in Mikragard, but you should not be able to sense the stiff leaves of the World Tree.”

Both of them had great doubts about each other. The reason why Keck did not answer was simple: he and Kledal and the other ravens had different attitudes and understandings towards Ryan.

If Ryan asks him a question, then he must give an equivalent answer.

Ryan paused for a moment, then answered:

"Of your gods, the half that escaped chose the orcs you speak of, but the half that participated in the panplanetary war of the gods chose me."

"And so, I came."

Ryan did not lie or fabricate lies, but answered the other party with the 'truth' in this way of disdaining to reveal his spiritual panel.

At least in Ryan's view, that's the truth.

He inherited the will of those dead gods from other dimensions, obtained their remaining authority, and received their world's final legacy.

As for everything related to the divine blessing affix of "Storm" on the spiritual panel, it was all an accident.

The gods of Mikragard, or more precisely, the Raven Spirits, divided themselves into two parts: one seeking the chance to revive and survive, and the other participating in the panplanetary war of the gods.

Ryan's arrival could only be due to the half who died in the war.

If a god splits himself in two, will he become two gods? Ryan didn't know.

Ryan's answer silenced Keck and the crows in Kledal, because they couldn't be sure whether Ryan was telling the truth or not, but they analyzed it based on their own knowledge and wisdom.

Unable to achieve the 'impossible' result,

So what Ryan said might be the truth.

Especially after Keck had already given the answer that half of the authority, due to various accidents, had become the great being served by the Raven Orcs.

Kledal's previous conjecture was also overturned because of the wizard Keke.

A great being has been reduced to one half and the other half; it's truly a headache.

Kledal's gaze quietly fell on Liv.

Long before Mikragard existed, there was a monster called the Earthworm, which was transformed from an earthworm. The Earthworm would not die no matter whether it was cleaved horizontally or vertically, but would regenerate a new body from its remaining half of its body, just like a severed limb regenerating.

One earthworm can turn into two.

On the other side, Keck also spoke up, answering Ryan's question.

“I extracted the power of faith in a great being from the souls of these orcs. That faith can be absorbed and devoured by the world of Mikragard, so I am certain that the great being they serve is the god of Mikragard.”

"However, when I tried to invoke the gods through faith, I received no response."

Of course, He couldn't give a response.

Ryan thought to himself that half of this great being's origin was probably the most tragically killed one he knew of, within the body of the Orc King Shattered Bones, killed by Ryan on the battlefield of the Northern Wall.

A great god died on the battlefield of mortals.

Both sides possessed immense supernatural power and profound knowledge. Ryan did not doubt the wizard Keke's words, and after the exchange, their relationship grew much closer.

So Ryan was able to ask the second derivative question.

Did the orcs appear in this world through the power of faith?

This time, Keck didn't have anything to trade.

"No, it is because of the authority of the gods that the spatial passage connecting to Mikragard was opened." What does that mean?

Ryan was confused. He looked at the spiritual panel, which no one else could see, and the divine blessing [Storm] was so dazzling.

This is the harvest after completely devouring that great being. Did we eat the wrong thing?
Fortunately, Keck gave him the answer he wanted.

The raven opened its mouth and spat out a crystal ball. Inside the crystal ball, gray chains floated, and sealed within the chains was a phantom raven-beastman with a vacant look in its eyes.

This is the soul of a raven orc, but what Ryan cares about is the illusory book that is being held in the mouth of this raven orc soul.

"Artifact."

Ryan was surprised. Of course, the Empire's war report mentioned this thing. The Raven Court had used the artifact to open up a virtual divine battlefield.

"This divine artifact belongs to the gods of this world?"

Ryan was surprised. This didn't make sense. The interdimensional war between the gods had only started a little over a hundred years ago, but the artifacts of the Raven Court were something that could be said to have existed since ancient times.

"Yes, it's an artifact. These otherworldly beastmen used an artifact to open the passage."

"But it does not belong to the gods of Mikragad."

"But this artifact seals away countless pieces of knowledge."

Knowledge and magic are the powers possessed by the great beings of the Mikragard world.

The two parties exist through a medium of knowledge.

The artifact, the Book of Knowledge, combined with the raven orcs' faith in the gods, opened a passage connecting to Mikragard.

And this passage... is located on this Turtle Island.

All the raven orcs that came were captured by the wizard Kek.

This is the story that has unfolded here over the past two weeks.

After understanding all this, the atmosphere on Turtle Island fell silent.

Ryan knew why; after all, these ravens had waited for countless years for the return of their half of the power, but they hadn't expected so many things to happen.

They can no longer wait for the return of divine authority.

So, what should the crows do now that they've lost their sole purpose?
It's terrifying to be without a goal, especially for a group of ravens who have lived for countless years. Ryan sensed that the already surging magical energy in the surrounding sky had become incredibly dangerous. The eyes of the ravens, including Kledal, gradually changed from wise and world-weary to increasingly crazed.

That won't do. Ryan still hopes they can help him deal with the projection of that great being deep beneath the sea.

"Cough cough."

He pretended to cough to attract the crows' attention.

“I think that the Wizard of Keke’s previous capture of the Raven Beastmen has made that Raven King afraid to come over. If you want to wait for the return of that half of the divine authority, you should make the other party feel that this world is safe.”

"Perhaps, the gods will return and appear because of this."

"What if not?"

Keck looked at Ryan. Unlike the moderates like Kledal, he was an extreme madman and a wizard who dared to use the blood of the gods, with very bold speculations.

"If not, then I think you only have one option left."

"Kill the divine projection in the chaotic sea."

“He devoured the authority of the god you serve, killed Him, and then freed the part of authority that had been devoured.”

"Gods are immortal. As long as even the slightest trace of their essence remains, they can quickly revive and establish a divine kingdom to accommodate you."

Ryan's words gradually dispelled the madness emanating from these witch crows, restoring them to calm.

call.

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally calmed things down.

As expected, when it comes to the status of gods, even the wise ravens lose their ability to think.

Ryan felt that dealing with overly intelligent people was quite tiring.

Back in the Nidhogg world, it wasn't nearly as mind-bending.

……

north.

The Raven King could no longer resist.

It once again dispatched a team to tear through the invisible membrane and explore another world.

This time it went all out, sending its own bloodline offspring, which it could sense if the other party died.

What it's praying for now is that the other world is just an environmental problem, and not filled with dangers that could kill you the moment you show your face.

Crash.

Tuk, who has a name, is highly respected within the Raven Court. He usually pays great attention to grooming his feathers, and his bright and shiny feathers are a source of pride that allows him to mock other raven orcs.

But in the sea, it became as soaked and disheveled as a drowned rat.

It fluttered into the sky, but Turtle Island, which should have been here, had disappeared, and nothing could be seen on the boundless sea.

"It's the ocean! Ruth and the others... could it be that they fell into the water and can't get back?"

Tuk arrived carrying the Raven King's orders. Now, he raised his head to sense his surroundings. He could clearly feel the existence of the spatial passage. Although he was high in the sky, the Raven Orcs could fly.

The passage was within reach, so why did those vanguard members disappear? Keep in mind that the group included a Sanctuary Raven Beastman leader like Russ.

"What a useless guy."

As the most intelligent member of the orc family, the raven orc, after a brief moment of thought, Tuk angrily rebuked the previous raven orcs and then dispatched the raven orcs around him back to their original world to report what had happened to His Majesty.

The Raven King was more intelligent than any other Raven Orc; his wise eyes held a mixture of doubt and contemplation, as if he sensed something was amiss.

So it still didn't show up in person, but after confirming that it was 'safe', it sent the royal army over.

In the sky, a densely packed army of raven orcs appeared. As one of the six royal families of the orcs, the Raven Court was arguably the most intact branch of the race after the previous war with the human empire.

The interplay of light and shadow formed a transparent curtain, blocking the view of all the raven orcs, but not of Ryan and the ravens on Turtle Island behind it.

They gazed upon the overwhelming army of raven orcs beyond the concealed array.

"The Raven King is indeed quite cautious."

Ryan said this, then looked at Wizard Keke, who was confident as he watched the army of raven orcs searching in all directions.

"They can't detect us."

The raven orcs quickly took control of the vast sky, since nothing could stop them. The only problem was that the boiling magical energy in the environment caused the raven orcs to experience a kind of oxygen intoxication reaction.

A day later, upon receiving a perfectly safe summons, the Raven King appeared in Mikragard.

(End of this chapter)