Chapter 697: The Time of Divine Ascension
Windwall Forest, underground factory beneath the Magic Ring.
Vanessa the half-vampire’s incomplete mechanical devices for the Magic Ring have increased to five, each connected to two conveyor belts.
Under the glow of neon lights reading “Overtime Is Honorable,” magic ring blanks are transported one by one before the moon shadows of Luna.
Under the sickly dim lighting, the moon shadows hang their heads; their indistinct faces seem to carry a faint thread of resentment.
“Detected passive resistance!”
A sharp, emotionless magical voice suddenly blared.
One moon shadow jolted upright, but before it could beg, the magic stone above its head unleashed a bolt of lightning, crackling and zapping it into violent spasms.
The clacking of conveyor belts, the crackle of lightning, the dull, despairing hum of machinery.
Luo De stood at the doorway, mouth slightly agape in shock.
“Congratulations, Master—you’re now a terrifying slave driver exploiting workers!” Tally laughed.
“.”
Luo De, expressionless, walked to the small cubicle on the left side of the door.
He didn’t knock—just walked in.
No one there.
The faint scent of negative energy, the bland decor, and the cluttered instruments on the worktable told Luo De this was Zombi Selina’s personal workshop.
The magic rings processed through her hands were more advanced, more exquisite, even customizable.
“Rare. Selina isn’t at her post.”
Luo De closed the door and strode boldly to the cubicle on the right.
A completely different atmosphere of quiet warmth washed over him.
Soft, healthy white lighting, cushioned chairs woven with colorful tapestries, a corner bookshelf with volumes arranged in gradient hues, four moon mosses hanging beside the desk, a cup of coffee resting on a “self-regulating temperature” magic stone.
Even more unsettling.
A handwritten note reading “Overtime Harms Health” was stuck to the wall.
Vanessa the half-vampire, seated on the cushioned chair, glanced at Luo De, then quickly lowered her head again.
Her long crimson hair, braided with a black ribbon, hung over her left shoulder.
Her languidly beautiful face still bore its unnatural pallor; now, with a pair of frameless glasses, she exuded an even greater scholarly serenity.
A stack of homework notebooks, their covers scrawled with messy names, was pulled away.
The pen tip glided swiftly.
Page turn, glide, page turn, glide.
She was the substitute teacher for the Miscast, grading assignments.
Luo De leaned against the doorframe, smiling wryly: “How long has it been since the others outside had a rest?”
“Three days? A week? I forgot—you said I could use them freely.”
Tally corrected impatiently: “It’s Luo De.”
“Roz.”
“Can I punch her, Master?”
Luo De chuckled, pinching Tally’s cool earlobe; the succubus reveled in it, nuzzling her face against his hand.
“Where are Luna and Selina?”
“That puppet collapsed from exhaustion—Selina took her to rest. Hmm, I’ve explained this problem so many times—why is someone still getting it wrong?”
“She can collapse too?”
“The underground space receives no moonlight; her domain power drops drastically—even a deity has limits.”
“Don’t break her.”
“You care?”
“I’ll do everything I can for our agreement—you don’t need to come check. I’m confident I can double production by month’s end.”
Tally beside him froze, blinking in confusion at her master.
Vanessa paused her grading, thought for a moment, and found it reasonable.
Though… five minutes is a bit too much.
“I’ll fully honor our deal—you don’t need to come. I’m confident I can double production by month’s end.”
Luo De waved dismissively, not mentioning he’d actually come to find Luna.
At that moment, Zombi Selina and the puppet Luna slowly walked in from the rest area.
Selina remained cold, glancing at Luo De as she passed.
Luo De grinned, ruffling her hair, then stepped close to Luna.
Her left pupil, pale white, was streaked with blood vessels and deep fatigue; her arms hung limp, her back hunched—she looked ancient.
Luna gave Luo De a look of distaste, tinged with a faint aura of death.
“What?”
Luo De didn’t mind; he asked bluntly: “Are you certain you gained your divine spark in the First Epoch?”
“Obviously.”
“Tell me exactly.”
“I forget which star region—it was some massive labyrinth core destroyed by a psychic storm, and the divine spark emerged. I passed by, picked it up, and became a god.”
“That’s it?”
“What else?”
The brat’s got a mouth on her.
Vanessa stopped writing, not looking up: “She’s lying to you.”
“You know nothing. A vampire with big tits like you is an embarrassment—you have no idea how much faith your own kind once gave me.”
Lately, Luna had adopted a defeatist attitude—when she couldn’t resist, she lashed out.
“See, Rosheir, she’s lying again—where were vampires in the First Epoch?”
Vanessa frowned, hunching her shoulders to shrink her chest slightly.
Tally pouted again: “It’s Luo De.”
“Fine. Rolo.”
Luna blinked, mouth half-open, wanting to retort—but no words came out.
“Damn it! Those bastards must’ve altered my memories!”
Luo De had ordered Luna not to lie—and at this weakened state, the Moon Goddess had no power to resist.
Vanessa snorted, expressing her disdain and mockery toward Luna.
Even though she herself was equally lost in fragmented memories.
But clearly, she felt no sympathy.
“I think your problem isn’t just memory confusion—your pig brain hasn’t grasped basic logic. The Other-Space is an emotional projection of the real dimension; the more desire, the stronger the psychic aether. How could the population of the First Epoch, tens of thousands of years ago, generate a psychic storm? Or one powerful enough to destroy a labyrinth dimension? According to all recorded data, only in the past six months have storms reached that scale.”
Luna stared coldly at the vampire lady.
“Luo De, I request a duel with her.”
But the man, usually eager for drama, remained utterly still.
His pale white pupils widened—he stood frozen, face filled with disbelief.
With pale white pupils, the man stood frozen in place, his face filled with disbelief.
The underground factory’s lights flickered.
The real dimension and the Other-Space, untouched by the Divine Ascension Authority…
A universe filled with race-gods yet devoid of ascended beings—the skeletal remains of the Sandkin…
The essence of a divine spark is the accidental release of primordial cosmic energy when a plane-maze is born or destroyed…
The population of the First Epoch, tens of thousands of years ago, could never have generated the emotional projection needed for a psychic storm…
The Moon Goddess Luna, asleep for tens of thousands of years, might once have received the faith of vampires…
Luo De’s expression hardened.
All of it connected—pointing toward an unbelievable conclusion.
The demonic god of the First Epoch may not have ascended during the First Epoch.
But in the present Fourth Epoch—or later.
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