Chapter 124: Bait

Chumen had been observing the advancement of the "Craftsman," his eyes reflecting the gradually surging Dream Sea, a cloak made from the Civilization Scroll draped behind him.

He was observing the Real World and the Spirit World in this area, tracing all information.

In Chumen's understanding, the "Knowledge Wilderness" was a very special Source Quality; it did not seem to be an object that truly possessed substance, like the Chaos Sea or the River of Eternal Darkness.

Or rather, the information and knowledge symbolized by the "Knowledge Wilderness" were too abstract, to the point that they could manifest as formless knowledge itself, making it difficult to capture.

But as long as the "Knowledge Wilderness" had seeped through due to the arrangements of the "Lord of the Mysteries," it would certainly not turn a blind eye to the "Civilization Enlightener" before it.

"Dream Crown..." the "Craftsman" asked in astonishment, having seen Chumen's hiding place by relying on the state of information gained upon just becoming a "Civilization Enlightener."

"Pretend to lose control." Chumen glanced at the "Craftsman," and a scene of the "Craftsman" failing their advancement suddenly appeared before their eyes.

The ball of information they had manifested as could not locate itself, directly collapsing into a monster composed of information, devouring everything in the Real World and forming a terrifying information black hole.

Subsequently, the "Craftsman" discovered that they truly possessed this ability to "pretend to lose control."

"..." The "Craftsman" felt a deep sense of awe toward this Dream Crown; they were still a little afraid, after all...

They had a premonition that if the words "pretend to" were missing from that sentence, they would have truly lost control; no matter how well their ritual was completed, it would have been impossible to save them from such an ending.

"Ah!" The "Craftsman" suddenly let out a miserable shriek, their own existence collapsing as they transformed into a monster composed of information.

"... Very good, there are even sound effects..." Chumen's mouth twitched as he watched closely.

Hum!

A "radiance" that existed outside the world's perception, invisible to the vast majority of Beyonders and even Angels, fell straight down from an infinitely high place.

This was a piece of data without substance, composed entirely of information, descending in an illusory posture; it seemed to become an "eye," seeing the "out-of-control" "Civilization Enlightener" below.

Chumen also saw this "eye," but there was no joy on his face; achieving the goal was naturally good, but the fact that this thing had truly appeared meant that the "Lord of the Mysteries" had significantly weakened the Seal.

How many years had it been? The "Knowledge Wilderness" had already seeped through.

"Eh? Quite cautious, aren't you?" Chumen watched as that eye merely looked on, without truly descending to attempt a seizure.

"That's enough, return to normal!" At this moment, Chumen's voice appeared in the ears of the "Craftsman" who was pretending to lose control.

The "Craftsman" seemed to sense something, but still returned to their original appearance, like an Angel who had regained their self from a loss of control, recovering their normal human form.

That eye also collapsed at this time, withdrawing from here without the slightest hesitation.

However, wanting to leave was not that simple.

Chumen merged himself into that "Knowledge Emperor" Characteristic, transforming into a stream of information, shuttling through the Spirit World and Astral World in the direction of the convergence force.

A certain aura of madness surged in the void, and the Dream Phosphor on Chumen's body suddenly fell into a violent state; he had long been prepared for this, and in a single thought, all the Dream Phosphor and even he himself transformed into a Dream Fantasy Bubble, vanishing silently.

Half a meter in front of him, the void was filled with the aura of the Source Quality that had seeped through from the "Knowledge Wilderness"!

Chumen returned directly to the space he had been in before and stopped the tracing.

"Knowledge Wilderness?" He confirmed the location where the "Knowledge Wilderness" had seeped into the North and South Continents, but this could not cause any impact on the "Knowledge Wilderness."

It was almost omnipresent.

"Is it an activated 'Knowledge Emperor'?" Chumen rubbed his chin; he had already determined that the "Knowledge Wilderness" side had not yet obtained the "Hermit" Unique, otherwise it would not be just this much power, and the "Craftsman" would not have escaped a calamity by relying on this.

"Just because I can't find the 'Hermit' Unique doesn't mean He can't..."

Of course, that was not the reason; the current Chumen was not prepared to take action against a Source Quality.

Even if he had mastered the Authority of Reality, his consciousness was ultimately at a disadvantage when facing a Source Quality.

After all, to a certain extent, a Source Quality was equivalent to an Oldest One, and even the honorific name of the "Lord of the Mysteries" contained titles such as "Incarnation of Sefirah Castle."

"It can only be done slowly." Chumen looked at the "Craftsman" who had already recovered their human form.

"Your Crown, just now that was..." The "Craftsman" had entered a state of fusion with the Real World due to the "loss of control," and by relying on a certain power of convergence, they had sensed a certain grand will.

"That will likely be your greatest enemy in the future," Chumen explained.

"Is it the 'Hermit' or... the 'Knowledge Wilderness'?"

The "Craftsman" seemed to enter a state of machine-like, ruthless thinking, their short silver hair standing on end; in an instant, they listed all possibilities and locked onto the most likely answer.

"Why would you guess the 'Knowledge Wilderness'?" Chumen asked curiously.

"It really is..." The "Craftsman" went stiff all over, suddenly feeling a sense of a bleak future.

They had seen more than just the "Perfecter" pathway on the second Blasphemy Slate, so they naturally knew what the "Knowledge Wilderness" was.

They had only just become a "Civilization Enlightener"...

"I just feel that the 'Hermit' probably doesn't need you to spend so much effort," the "Craftsman" re-entered that "mechanical mind" state, their tone becoming cold.

"... The future remains bright," Chumen comforted them, "You should start developing your Church recently, and it is best to reveal your status as much as possible."

"Wouldn't that attract the 'Knowledge Wilderness'..." The "Craftsman" subconsciously wanted to refuse, but then remembered what they had promised the person before them, and suddenly stalled.

"... Am I going to face Him directly?" The "Craftsman"'s eyes flashed with the same silver radiance as their hair, looking at Chumen.

"Congratulations, you guessed right." Chumen just liked talking to smart people.

"..." The "Craftsman" was speechless for a moment.

"Rest assured, I won't let you be eaten by Him." Afterward, Chumen pulled off the Civilization Scroll from his body and threw it into the "Craftsman's" hands.

"You are the 'bait,' and the 'Knowledge Wilderness' is the fish."

The "Craftsman" seemed to have crashed, feeling that the Unique in their hand was extremely scorching.

"Use this Civilization Scroll well; later, I will also increase your ability to resist Him."

Chumen was already certain that the "Knowledge Wilderness" would take action against the "Craftsman" once it was fully prepared or had obtained more High-sequence Characteristics or even a Unique.

This was "Causality," it was "Imagination," it was "Reality."

Chumen could not yet influence the "Knowledge Wilderness," whose status was comparable to an Oldest One, but he could start with the activated "Knowledge Emperor."