Becoming a god by raising witches

“Okay, it seems you have forgotten quite a bit. Dad was a workaholic. He loved his magic career and could perform many amazing magic tricks. More than ten years ago, he was all the rage. Many magicians came to Dad to ask for his secrets, but none of them could master them. Dad was a genius in magic. His signature tricks included water tank escape, making a person disappear, and tightrope walking. The year you were born, Dad quit his job at the circus to take care of you and became independent with Mom. He didn't resume performing magic until you could walk.”

Hannah reminisced as she ate her pasta.

Do you remember which circus it was?

Locke asked.

"The Cross Rose Circus, but it's disbanded now. It disbanded five years ago, and it even made the newspapers. It's such a shame. Everyone in the circus was very talented. Whether it was the fortune teller or the animal trainer, they were all my dad's friends."

Hannah exclaimed.

"Can you still find any of them?"

"No."

"Did Dad leave behind any magic manuals or diaries?"

"I've kept all of Mom and Dad's things. Come on, let me show you."

Hannah finished the last bite of noodles, put down the plate, and took Locke to the study on the second floor.

Hannah lifted a box from the bottom of the bookshelf.

I blew the dust off the box; although it had been cleaned during the move, it still looked very old.

Opening the wooden box, one finds neatly arranged belongings of Bud Bemon and his wife.

There are no photos here either, only various notebooks, books and diaries.

Have you read Dad's diary?

"Of course, during the time my father was missing, I looked at it countless times, hoping to find a clue, but unfortunately there was nothing in it at all."

Hannah handed Bud Bemon's diary to Locke.

Locke opened the diary, which recorded the daily life of a magician, from when he was an apprentice until he became a well-known magician.

"This doesn't look like a diary; it's more like a work notebook."

Locke exclaimed.

"Yes, Dad is a workaholic."

Hannah reminded her again.

Locke crouched down and rummaged through the box. It contained various old books that Locke had read before. There were no useful clues in them, at most proving that his parents, like him, enjoyed reading miscellaneous books.

A green-covered notebook was pressed under the thick stack of books.

The notebook's pages were yellowed, but there was no writing inside.

A bookmark floated out of the notebook.

The bookmark has intricate patterns drawn on it, and its silver texture makes it look like a rune.

Hannah had never been exposed to the supernatural world, so she naturally couldn't see the unusual thing about the bookmark, but Locke could.

He took the notebook and bookmarks with him and found Eileen.

"Xiao Ai, can you take a look at this for me?"

Eileen recited the spell on the bookmark, and the bookmark transformed into a pen.

The pen began to write dragon language on its own in the notebook.

Locke and Hannah were both stunned.

The well-informed Rebecca said, "It seems your parents were no ordinary people either. This is the Book of Knowledge's record-keeping pen, used to write secret diaries."

"A recording pen? Is it some kind of strange object?"

Locke asked.

"No, this is not a strange object, it's just a one-time use item, similar to a talisman."

Eileen explained.

"It's amazing, this is the first time I've ever seen it."

Alice exclaimed excitedly that she also wanted a pen like that to write down all her grievances, and it would be even better if it had the power of a curse.

Based on the writing on the scribe's pen, the group discovered the hidden contents of the notebook.

[I am Bad Bemon, born into the Bemon family of Herta, a once-impoverished noble family. My talent surpasses that of most family members, and my father believes I can rebuild the family's glory. However, my ambitions lie elsewhere. My handsome appearance allows me to receive preferential treatment from various women even in times of financial hardship. They flock to me like butterflies. I must say, the women of Herta are truly open-minded. I only hope my mother wasn't like that, otherwise, I'm most likely not my father's biological son. There's a saying in Herta: only by giving birth to daughters can the family bloodline continue.]

Herta? Herta, located on the northern continent! I never imagined that I wasn't a native of the Kingdom of Tumen, but a Herta person.

Locke was very surprised and continued reading with a frown.

I met Mrs. Joanna today. She is a very charming woman, especially in bed. We had a wonderful night together and agreed to meet again. She will also introduce me to her cousin, who is the sixth wife of the Earl of Constance.

[Osana Stafford is my friend Spencer Slamu's fiancée. I've warned her not to betray Spencer Slamu and try to seduce me, but she never listens. I have no choice but to punish her on Spencer Slamu's behalf. It turns out this isn't her first time; she actually gave her first time to her cousin. That's astonishing.]

[The Countess of Constance's food was delicious, but since she knows my father, I've decided to keep my distance.]

[To help me turn over a new leaf and stop indulging in temptations, my father took me to join the Church of Knowledge.]

[The taste of Grand Sister Kavita Yaroslavich is truly delightful.]

Hey, Bud Bemon, can't you think about anything serious besides women?

Locke grumbled and glanced at Eileen.

She remained expressionless, which made me feel slightly less embarrassed.

After all, this was like peeking into Locke's father's diary.

“Bud Bemon seems like a more interesting man than you, at least he’s easy to control.”

Rebecca said with a smile, "All you need to do is use your beauty."

"hehe."

Locke chuckled coldly twice.

[I suddenly fell in love with magic, and I wanted to become a magician. Kavita Jaroslavich said she would help me become a real magician, a true magician, which is witchcraft.]

[I met a very charming woman at the tavern. I don't know her name, but I've decided to wait for her there. I suspect she's a witch.]

"Oh, your father likes witches just like you. Is this a tradition of the Bemon family?"

Gossip-loving Rebecca spoke up again.

Locke's lips twitched slightly. "I refuse to admit it."

[I have to admit, Kavita Jaroslavich really knows how to play games. She actually made me spend the night with 24 nuns. That's a challenge for me. Okay, I'm starting to develop a fear of women. Is this the High Priestess's punishment for me? I'm sure she knows my father, and he's taking revenge on me. I swear I'll never touch a woman again.]

Locke felt a sense of utter despair, thankful that Hannah couldn't understand her father's diary. She respected Bard Bemon so much, she would never have imagined that Bard Bemon was such a person.

[Witchcraft is truly fascinating. My talent has been recognized by the High Nun, who has decided to recommend me to the Bishop.]

[I've come to understand the true nature of this world. My first encounter with strange creatures was truly amazing. Aren't these things far more interesting than the revival of the family? My father should have known all this long ago, yet he never mentioned it to me before.]

Today I learned what a miracle is. Bishop Will of the Knowledge Church truly deserves his title; he has become someone I admire. I hope that one day I can become as powerful as him…

[It was a great honor to be chosen as one of the Twenty-Four Knights. Here I met Joan Mancini, who, like me, was full of talent and passion, very intelligent, and impressive.]

[I originally thought that the Twenty-Four Knights only needed to be exceptionally strong, but it turns out that's not the case. It turns out they also need to travel the world with their experimental subjects.]

[This is the first time I've seen the experimental subject today, and it's completely overturned my understanding. I thought experimental subjects were strange objects, but I never imagined they were...]

[Joan Mancini and I were each assigned a test subject, and we were sent to the Kingdom of Tumen. To disguise our identities, we pretended to be husband and wife, and the two test subjects became our children. I named 009 Rock Bemon, and Joan Mancini named 001 Hannah Bemon. We joined the touring Cross Rose Circus and became magicians. We arrived in the Kingdom of Tumen, where we will watch the two test subjects grow up.]

Locke's pupils dilated. He and Hannah were both experimental subjects!

[We moved to Kosork, a city with an extremely morbid layout. The east and west sides are clearly separated; the people in the west seem to live in paradise, while the people in the east seem to live in hell. It's a good place for an experiment, and we're going to settle here. Old John's apartment is a good choice; it's close to the slums and the docks, and there's a large group of thugs there. Experimental subjects need to absorb evil thoughts to grow.]

[That damned Alchemy Cult has also arrived in the Kingdom of Tumen and is rapidly expanding. They've used alchemy to recruit many people and set up numerous factories. 009 has been targeted by the Alchemy Cult; we must take care of him.]

[009 is sick, infected by that damned alchemical waste. I never imagined his constitution was so weak. Of course, this is probably related to his incomplete soul. We can't let anything happen to him. Joan Mancini and I need to leave for a while to find a way to cure him.]

[We've found a way to save 009, a way to refine souls. It requires the purest, most precious souls of 22 children. There are many homeless children in the West End; it's easy to find them.]

[We were fully prepared and began crafting the most complete soul for 009; however, we summoned a new monster, and Joan Mancini and I will pay the price. We may die.]

The diary ends here.

Chapter 152, Soul Forging

What exactly does this diary mean?

Were Hannah and I both experimental subjects of the Knowledge Cult?!

Does this mean the Church of Knowledge has not only cultivated an evil god? What exactly are they trying to do?

Could it be that, like Hannah, an evil god resides within him? No, no, where did so many evil gods come from? The diary records that Hannah's number is 001, while his is 009, which means that besides himself and Hannah, there are at least 7 other test subjects.

Could the disappearances of Bud Bemon and Joan Mancini be related to their own recovery?

My previous illness was not only due to contamination from alchemical waste, but also because of the incompleteness of my soul.

Bud Bemon and Joan Mancini disappeared in search of a way to "save" themselves. They eventually found one: using the souls of 22 children, they attempted to create a single, complete soul. However, this only attracted a monster, and they were thus wiped out from the world.

Am I... the monster that Bard Bemon is talking about?

But I'm just a time traveler, a soul traveler at that. What power do I have to make the two elites of the Knowledge Cult, Bard Bemon and Joan Mancini, disappear?