Chapter 187: The True Creator's Decree

Yeah, I never expected I'd stay here for forty‑two years.

I have no sign of losing control, yet they consider me extremely dangerous, that I could turn into a monster at any moment.

The hoary voice instantly chuckled as it spoke.

Dai Li Ke furrowed his brow slightly, and, curious, asked further:

"What exactly happened forty‑two years ago?"

At that time, his parents had not yet been born.

The hoary voice fell somber for a moment, and when Dai Li Ke thought the other would not answer, it spoke again:

"I was once the captain of an exploration team; my team discovered a ruined city half a month's journey from Silver City."

"That city resembled our Silver City, bearing clear signs of giant rule, and worshipped a master who created everything, an all‑knowing, all‑powerful deity."

"Unfortunately, they were destroyed, annihilated an unknown number of years ago."

Dai Li Ke was no stranger to such matters; over such a span, Silver City had uncovered many ruined cities.

Dai Li Ke pressed his ear against the heavy metal wall, listening intently to what would follow.

The hoary voice let out a chuckle and said:

"After we reached the core area, we found the city attempting to alter its faith, forging deities they imagined could save them."

"However, it was of no use; even the statues of those deities were destroyed."

At this point, his tone suddenly grew heavy:

"These matters are actually unimportant; in past explorations, Silver City has found many such ruins."

"What truly surprised us was that we met a person there—the first living, non‑citizen of our city we have encountered in over two thousand years!"

"In that boundless darkness, there really were people still alive."

Dai Li Ke's attention focused on that person, and he instinctively asked:

"Did you bring him back to Silver City?"

On the other side of the metal wall, after a long silence, the hoary voice continued:

"Don't you feel the tremor and the surprise?"

"We have been diligently exploring the surroundings to find humans like us, and finally discovered one forty‑two years ago!"

Dai Li Ke was momentarily stunned; he often gathered at that place above the gray mist, and had learned some details from Miss Justice and others.

Dai Li Ke instinctively scratched his head and, lacking experience, feigned a shocked tone:

"I... hadn't noticed that just now; this is truly unbelievable!"

The hoary voice fell silent again for a while, then said, "Has education in Silver City become this poor now?"

The hoary voice sighed, and without waiting for Dai Li Ke to speak, continued on its own:

"We cautiously invited that person to visit Silver City, and after consideration he agreed."

"We monitored and escorted him on the way back, but just before reaching Silver City, he suddenly vanished."

"We searched the surroundings but couldn't find him; upon returning to Silver City, my teammates went mad one after another, all of them lost control!"

"The Six-Person Council suspects we were contaminated by something, and doubts that the person was human at all, perhaps an evil spirit or monster."

Dai Li Ke exhaled heavily and said:

"So you're locked in here, and won't be released until the real problem is discovered?"

Dai Li Ke felt conflicted and worried; he feared he might end up like this elder, confined at the base of the round tower for decades, perhaps even centuries.

After a long silence, Dai Li Ke readjusted his emotions and asked:

"Do you still remember that person's appearance?"

The hoary voice recalled for several seconds, then said with slight pain:

"He looked very ordinary, with no distinguishing features, dressed similarly to us, except he was male; I can't recall his visage at all. I remember he told us his name was A Meng!"

On Sunday morning, a gray homing pigeon fluttered its wings and landed on the study's window.

Under Leiketon's gaze, the gray pigeon convulsed and collapsed onto the windowsill, its eyes rolled back to only whites, and blood‑tinged foam spurted from its mouth.

Within its beak, flesh twisted continuously, sprouting a mouth full of teeth.

"Cough! Good morning, Your Excellency the Divine Envoy~"

Mr. A's sickly voice emanated from the pigeon's body; each syllable made the bird shudder, as if it could dissolve into a mass of gore at any moment.

Leiketon's voice was flat, revealing no emotion, as he said:

"What brings you to see me?"

"Cough~ Your Excellency the Divine Envoy, I have received the Lord's decree; we will re‑propagate the faith in Beikeland's East District, Dock District and other places, in a brand‑new manner and image, and you shall be responsible for it, cough!"

"The Lord's decree reveals that when the new faith spreads, He will return in an entirely new form!"

"Cough! This concerns the Aurora Society's new doctrine, and the subsequent arrival of my Lord!"

Mr. A's voice coughed as he spoke.

Leiketon lightly furrowed his brows, unconcerned whether Mr. A could see him through the pigeon, and after a moment of thought gently nodded:

"No problem! I will visit those places and look for a suitable plan to develop believers!"

After Leiketon's reply, the gray pigeon on the windowsill twitched like a corpse, stiffly rose, then fluttered its wings and flew away.

Glancing in the direction the pigeon departed, Leiketon mused silently.

Make me the master? But is this decree from the mad True Creator, or the rational Sasilier?

Leiketon took down his coat from the coat rack, donned it, then strapped the Bone Staff to his waist, disguising it through illusion as a delicate walking stick.

Turning, he stepped into the spirit realm; after a brief wander, Leiketon's figure emerged in an unremarkable corner of the East District.

Leiketon walked quietly through the East District streets, his spirit enveloping his mind to create a subtle field that suppressed his presence to the lowest degree.

Unless someone with heightened perception or Leiketon himself initiates conversation, passersby barely notice him as he walks by.

Walking through the East District where the lower classes gather, Lei Kedun was also observing its inhabitants closely for the first time; they could hardly even be called residents.

Even in the cheap East District, they have no houses of their own; five or six people crammed into one room is normal.

In the poorest part of the East District, a single ordinary bedroom can accommodate ten people, with precise divisions such as floor mats, daytime usage rights, nighttime usage rights, and so on.

Dirty, crowded, foul‑smelling—those are the most immediate impressions. The people here work to extreme exhaustion each day just to scrape together enough food to barely fill their stomachs, have no savings, and if they are unemployed for a few days they will fall into an abyss from which they cannot rescue themselves.

Lei Kedun has walked through many parts of the East District and has also been to the dock area where workers gather.

Everything he sees is merely a tiny microcosm of this era.

Only by truly observing and reflecting does one discover the sorrow of the lower‑class people living in this age.

Lei Kedun lightly placed his right hand on his left forearm and murmured to himself:

"This is the best of times, this is the worst of times!"

"What are you going to do? The lower‑class people here are so busy they don't even have time to pray for their faith; all they can manage is a phrase hanging on their lips: 'Yuan is with you'!"

The Sasilier residing within him gave no response; Lei Kedun smiled indifferently, shrugged, and turned to walk into the Worker Association behind him.

As Lei Kedun arrived, a middle‑aged man dressed as a worker who had been waiting here approached immediately, gave a slight, unobtrusive salute, and then lowered his voice to say:

"Divine Messenger, Mr. A asked me to wait here for you; if I see you arrive, I will take you to meet him."

Lei Kedun gave a slight nod, his gaze indicating for the other to lead the way ahead.

Keeping a half‑body distance apart, he followed behind into the interior of the Worker Association, while from time to time people in simple attire—dock laborers or textile female workers—passed by.

Lei Kedun, while scanning the surrounding workers, observing their facial expressions and physical condition, spoke casually:

"Are you also a worker? How many believers are there here?"

The middle‑aged man leading the way lifted his hand to press down his canvas hat, glanced around, and when he saw no one paying attention, deliberately lowered his voice and said:

"Yes, I was once a dock laborer, one of the most inconspicuous people here."

"Until I listened to the Lord's church, I finally attained liberation."

"More than a third of the members of this Worker Association have developed faith in my Lord."

"However, most are only shallow believers; these people immersed in a numb life can hardly even find time to listen to the doctrine or pray for their faith."

Lei Kedun stared at the loquacious worker before him, gave a slight nod, and said nothing.

Perhaps because Sasilier dwells within him, Lei Kedun could clearly see the mark of the True Creator on his body.

In a sense, he could be considered a genuine divine devotee.

(End of Chapter)