I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Ji Tian's Soul Searching Technique was something he gradually learned after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, and he wasn't very proficient at it, but his minor supernatural ability of time reversal made up for that.

Doron's consciousness was more confused than he had expected.

The aftereffects of the broken magic circuit are not only the inability to cast spells, but even memories are like shattered puzzle pieces, scattered in every corner of consciousness.

Ji Tian's divine sense traveled through the fragments, picking them up and piecing them together one by one.

Doron's early memories are clear and uneventful: a nobleman's son, with decent talent among his peers in the North, and an almost obsessive love for machinery.

Under his family's arrangement, he secretly acquired the [Anchoring Rune] and successfully became a Grand Mage, beginning his journey towards becoming a Magister.

The turning point came after he was promoted to Archmage.

The Mage Guild stipulates that any Grand Mage who is promoted illegally will have their [Anchor Rune] revoked by the Guild through special means, and will remain at the High-Rank Mage level for life.

As for those who are promoted illegally, the punishment is much more severe: if the [Anchoring Rune] is completely integrated into the magic circuit, then the magic circuit will be destroyed; if the family provides assistance, then the family will be stripped of its title.

After all, those who benefit from this will be able to unleash forbidden spells, and they will naturally be extremely wary of others.

The memory of that night is exceptionally clear. He was imprisoned in the dungeon of the Mage's Guild, his magical energy circuits were brutally severed, his family was ruined, and amidst the excruciating pain, he vaguely heard the guards' conversation:

"He's done for. From now on, he'll just be an ordinary person."

"It's a pity his father offended the association's deacon back then, otherwise things wouldn't have come to this..."

After his release from prison, he sold off the rest of his family property, distributing most of it to his family members. He then rented a dilapidated workshop in the North and spent his days working with blueprints.

When the family's plot was exposed and the magic circuit was destroyed, Doron did not complain about the injustice of the world.

Such are the rules of the Mage's Guild: only those who secretly become Archmages can transcend these limitations; this is an open secret among everyone.

If you didn't hide it well, then you're simply outmatched, and you have to accept the consequences.

He tried to fill the void left by the broken magic circuit with machinery, but his inspiration dried up and he made no progress for months.

Until that night, when the moonlight outside the window was dim and he was drowsy on his desk, he suddenly heard a voice in his mind.

Do you want to know the optimal offset of the crankshaft?

The voice was gentle and calm, devoid of emotion, unlike a human voice.

Doron woke up with a start, looked around, and found no one there.

He thought it was a hallucination and was about to look down when he saw a string of numbers appear out of thin air on the drawing on the table. He tried to substitute those numbers into the calculation, and the result was unbelievably accurate.

Since then, that voice has appeared frequently, always providing "inspiration" when he is creatively exhausted.

Doron transformed those ideas into blueprints, which became steam engines, textile machines, power transmission devices, and so on. He gradually became known as the "great inventor."

That voice had no name; in Doron's eyes, it was just a ray of light.

It told Doron that it did not belong to the church or to any deity, but was simply a kind of pure knowledge and rules, and that it wanted to spread the knowledge so that more people could use it and the times could develop faster.

And the final line, "Come, be my apostle," is as powerful as "Wen Chang, do you dare to take on the responsibility of the prefect?" from the previous life.

Doron believed, joined the Order of Light, and became an "Apostle of Light," fanatically believing in "light."

The cult helped him promote his inventions, and the blueprints were published free of charge. Merchants, nobles, and factory owners competed to use them, leading to the rise of factories in the North and providing jobs for displaced people.

The corresponding cost was that most of the profits from his factories, workshops, and shops flowed into the pockets of the religious order.

As for those sensational rumors about the "Light Chasers" being cruel and fond of pinning enemies to stakes, they were all spread by his subordinates at his own behest.

After all, the Order cannot afford to have too many powerful figures. If they were to tell the other apostles that "I have money and the 'Seven Pages of the Book' fragments, but I have no real power," they certainly wouldn't survive long.

Ji Tian's consciousness continued to search deep into Duolun's consciousness, and suddenly he touched a memory fragment with a texture that was very different from the other fragments.

It was deliberately sealed in a hidden seal, using the same method as the altered parts of the Thousand-Faced Apostle's memories.

He broke the seal, and a cold, emotionless statement surfaced in his mind:

"New 'Thousand-Faced Apostle,' you've moved swiftly. But do you think killing a few clowns will cause the Order to crumble? Two months from now, I will personally arrive in the capital with the two pages of my book. Then, we will settle our differences. If you live to see that day, just wait and see."

—The Cursed Apostle

This memory contains only pure information, imprinted like a branding iron deep within Doron's consciousness.

Ji Tian withdrew his hand and looked at Duolun, who was lying on the table, breathing steadily.

This is a genius who was exploited, a spreader chosen by "light".

And now, he has become a messenger pigeon for another apostle.

What exactly is this so-called "light"?

Is it artificial intelligence from another world? Is it the spirit of a surviving ancient artifact? Or is it some kind of world rule itself?

Why is it so concerned about the development of the times? What conspiracy lies behind it?

Ji Tian first reverted the other party's state to before the soul search, then erased the memories related to "light." Next, he beckoned and retrieved the [Seven-Page Book - Fragment] that Doron had stored in his magic safe. After a moment's thought, he wrote in blood:

"Doron's faith in 'light' has been completely erased, replaced by a love for mechanical invention itself. He will no longer serve any organization, but focus solely on creation. This makes perfect sense."

The pages glowed with a dark red light, the words seeping in, and Doron's brows relaxed slightly, as if some kind of shackle had been removed.

Ji Tian put the book back and turned to walk towards the door.

"Two months?"

He pushed open the iron gate, and the night wind rushed in, making his robes flutter loudly. "I'd like to see what exactly the Order of Light is up to."

……

In the Viscount's mansion in Pompeii, the capital city, inside the Viscount's bedroom.

The Viscountess sat before her dressing table, removed the pearl hairpin from her temple, and slowly combed her long hair in front of the bronze mirror.

The viscount had already changed into his bathrobe and was leaning against the headboard, holding an unfinished copy of "A General History of the Kingdom" in his hand, but his gaze was not on the pages.

The Viscountess turned around and said, "Sir, I noticed Elena during the dance tonight. The way that girl looked at Ji Tian... she was completely devoted to him. I've never seen her like that before."

The viscount grunted in response, without looking up.

The Viscountess walked to the bedside and sat down, her tone softening further:

"You talked with Ji Tian for so long in the study today. Have you reached an agreement on the matter of him marrying into your family? You and I both know Elena's personality; once she's made up her mind, she won't back down. If Ji Tian is willing to marry into the family, we can keep her by our side..."

The viscount put down his book and sighed softly, "There's no need to mention marrying into the family again."

The Viscountess was taken aback: "What?"

The Viscount was silent for a moment, then placed the book on the bedside table and gave a wry smile, saying:

"Perhaps we should rename our 'Pompeii Collar' to 'Jack Collar'."