I, Lord of Prayer

The voice just fell.

Inside the wishing bottle, a star shines brightly, merging into the soul.

Zhou Chen shuddered, his brain feeling as cool as if he had eaten a mint and then drunk cold water, his thoughts becoming clearer and faster than ever before.

It's like replacing an old, outdated graphics card that's been used for many years with the latest RTX 9090 graphics card, resulting in a huge boost in processing and computing power, giving it a brand new look.

He picked up the book and, after many years, once again experienced the joy of learning.

He was ravenous for this mysterious, unknown, profound, and extraordinary knowledge. When he entered that state of complete immersion, it was as if the whole world consisted only of the book in front of him. He completely forgot everything and the passage of time.

He was so engrossed in studying that he couldn't tear himself away.

·

Yongheng Chamber of Commerce Building, high floor.

In the luxuriously decorated office, soothing classical music played. Dressed in a suit and dressed elegantly, Fu Qing stood expressionless in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling city at night.

From here, you can take in the entire golden bamboo forest.

Every time he stands in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and looks at the city, he feels a sense of awe at how vast the world is.

But in such a big world, why can't he have a place?

Is it really that difficult to go from being a chess piece to a chess player?

He had been plotting to break free of the chains around his neck for a long time, no longer being driven by others, enduring humiliation and hardship for countless years, and only now has he truly revealed his hidden fangs.

He believed he was doing a great job. In recent years, he had secretly manipulated many things, successively eliminating many competitors. A few days ago, he even killed his biggest competitor, Qin Zewan, and began to swallow up Jinzhu's black market business with lightning speed.

This is a huge cake.

As a renowned port city in Asia and even the world, Kinabalu boasts a highly developed maritime industry with substantial revenue. On top of this, engaging in various smuggling activities generates profits that cannot be measured simply in monetary terms.

Think about it, many prohibited smuggled goods can be transported through him, including items needed by important people. If a transaction is successful, money is secondary; the most important thing is to gain connections and favors.

Once he completely takes over the black market business, he can use this opportunity to break free of his chains and rise to power in no time, becoming a truly important figure.

However, recent events have completely disrupted his rhythm and plans.

First, a cargo ship was found to be heavily polluted, resulting in the deaths of all crew members. Then, a large group of illegal immigrants caused trouble in Jinzhu...

This gave the Stars Association a convenient excuse to intervene in the investigation, ruining his plans at a crucial moment.

It could even lead to all previous efforts being wasted and the whole game being lost.

Thinking of this, Fu Qing clenched his fists and his face darkened.

Who exactly is this person...?

  

"Boss, we've found out. A significant portion of the illegal immigrants were introduced by 'intermediaries' on the dark web. Many of the entrepreneurs in Jinzhu have bounties on their hands, and some have come back seeking revenge."

At this moment, a female secretary dressed in a professional suit, with long legs and black stockings, and a delicate and beautiful face, swayed in and handed the documents she was holding to Fu Qing.

"A middleman on the dark web..." Fu Qing frowned as he flipped through the documents. The so-called middleman was definitely just a front. Who would deliberately send a group of illegal Ascensioners to cause trouble in Jinzhu at this time?

A gathering of stars?

If the Stars Society is the mastermind behind this, then who is responsible for the pollution? It can't possibly be the Stars Society, can it?

"What about the cargo ship?" Fu Qing handed back the documents, his face grim as he asked.

"The situation on site is unknown. The Stars Association did not leak any information. I asked the relevant personnel in charge of the cargo ship inspection, and they all said that there were no problems during the inspection. It is very likely that the crew members smuggled the goods on their own," the female secretary replied.

Fu Qing gazed at the distant lights and pondered for a long time:

"There is another possibility."

The female secretary seemed to realize something and exclaimed, "You mean... the Eternal Flame?"

"Not bad." Fu Qing said in a deep voice, "Eternal Flame has been very active recently. Not only in Jinzhu, but also in many other cities, there are signs of Eternal Flame's activities. A couple of days ago, they caused a major incident in Blackrock City. Perhaps they were behind the cargo ship incident. 💞💣 ❻❾รH𝔲ｘ.𝒸𝓞M ♠🐟"

"But all the crew members on the cargo ship are dead, and the source of the pollution hasn't been found. It will be very difficult to investigate," the female secretary said.

After a moment's hesitation, Fu Qing said, "Send the birdman to see me."

"Yes."

A dozen minutes later, a birdman dressed in an expensive suit and wearing a golden bird mask arrived at the office.

"Boss, you want to see me?"

"How's the takeover operation going?" Fu Qing asked without turning his head, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with his hands behind his back.

"Things went smoothly a few days ago, but things have become a bit difficult these past few days. The Star Society has intensified its search efforts, and many people have been arrested. In order to avoid being exposed, we have to put things on hold for now," Birdman answered truthfully.

"Yes, tell Bai Xue that there are others. Let's take it easy for the next few days and continue our actions once things have calmed down."

besides……"

Fu Qing turned to look at him, her tone solemn: "I have a task for you."

The birdman straightened up slightly: "Please speak."

"I want you to use every means necessary to find the Eternal Flame!"

"..."

The birdman nodded solemnly.

"You can rest assured and leave it to me!"

"Yes, I trust you to handle things." Fu Qing had great confidence in Birdman's abilities. If he weren't cautious by nature, he probably would have already cultivated Birdman into his confidant.

"The Eternal Flame has been spotted in Jinzhu recently, indirectly disrupting many plans. You need to find them as soon as possible. The underworld is a good entry point; they must have made some contact with black market dealers..."

Fu Qing had already sensed the impending storm, but after so much hard work and finally finding such a great opportunity, he was unwilling to give it up easily.

Therefore, the best solution is to find the fanatics of Eternal Flame, capture them, and hand them over to the Society of Stars.

This would clear him of many suspicions.

·

library.

When Zhou Chen turned to the last page of the encyclopedia and saw the blank back cover, it was as if he had just woken up from a dream and finally returned to the real world.

"Wow, if I had this ability when I was in school, I could definitely get into a top ten university in the world..."

He gasped. In just eight hours, he had finished reading the three volumes of the Alchemy Encyclopedia, which normally takes about a month to learn the basics. Now his mind was full of alchemical knowledge, and he remembered it exceptionally well, without forgetting it as soon as he finished.

Of course, memorization is just a basic operation; what's important is in-depth understanding.

Under normal circumstances, after completing the initial study of three encyclopedias in a month, what follows is a long process of consolidation and understanding, as well as repeated practical application. Many people may not be able to fully understand it even after one or two years, or even ten or twenty years.

"Then, I wish to fully master the alchemical knowledge I have learned."

In an instant, as the star merged into his soul, the vast amount of alchemical knowledge in Zhou Chen's mind began to be ordered and integrated autonomously. Countless details, key points, and difficulties surfaced in his mind and were deeply imprinted in his memory, just as if he had personally experimented with it countless times...

My strange knowledge has increased!

After the effect of the wish ended, he took out a trial version of the transformation matrix from his pocket, stuck it on the back of his hand, and with a thought, various metal fragments appeared on his palm and began to merge and recast.

A moment later, a perfectly square piece of silver metal appeared in his hand.

This is "Alloy No. 3", which is a mixture of almost all metallic elements.

"It worked on the first try..."

Zhou Chen couldn't hide his surprise. He thought he would need to experiment a few more times to succeed, but after actually doing it, he found that it was as if he had rubbed it many times by hand, and he had already become proficient.

"Wait, does this mean I can now implant a real conversion matrix?"

Creating "Alloy No. 3" by hand signifies formally entering the realm of alchemy and being able to implant a real transformation matrix, rather than using this expensive trial version.

"Jinzhu does have an alchemy association, but if I go now, it will definitely arouse suspicion, whether it's from Eternal Flame or Jiang Che's side... I'm not exactly a genius, and suddenly being able to concoct No. 3 alloy seems suspicious no matter how you look at it... I'll go in a couple of days and say I was in seclusion cultivating and had an unexpected epiphany..."

Zhou Chen smiled happily, immersed in the joy of mastering basic alchemy. He then picked up his phone to see if he had missed any messages during this time, and sure enough, he had.

It was sent by Birdman.

Are you free? Come to our usual spot tonight, I have something for you.

"You have something for me? It's definitely not a star mango... but anything else will do." Zhou Chen quickly replied, "Okay."

Before things come to a head, it's best to squeeze as much good stuff as possible out of Eternal Flame; they're a rare sucker.

·

night.

Birdman's Club.

The elevator doors slowly opened, and Zhou Chen stepped out wearing a killer mask stained with dried blood. Only Birdman was in the room.

"Congratulations on officially becoming one of us." The birdman patted his chest with an air of elegance. "May you find the truth of life under the guidance of our Lord."

"I have found the truth!" Zhou Chen exclaimed fervently, "This world will eventually return to chaos and unity in the glory of our Lord!"

The birdman smiled and nodded, then took out a small box from his pocket.

It looks like a diamond ring box.

Zhou Chen immediately became wary: "I'm not that kind of person."

"Your thoughts have become impure." The birdman grinned, opened the diamond box, and inside was an exquisite black stone ring.

"This is a token that only elite believers can possess—the 'Ring of Sacred Fire'."

"If you encounter other believers, simply show them this ring, and they will know that you are also a follower of our Lord."

"It has no other use."

The birdman shrugged: "You know, if it were an Abyss cursed artifact, the Star Council would definitely detect the pollution fluctuations, so this is just a token."

Zhou Chen was inwardly extremely disappointed, but outwardly appeared slightly excited as he accepted the diamond ring box:

"Since it is a sacred object bestowed upon me by my Lord, I will certainly take good care of it!"

"Don't let the Stars find out."

Birdman gave a reminder, plopped down on the sofa, and pulled out a cigar from his pocket and lit it.

"Sit down, I need to talk to you about something."