Chapter 445: Question and Answer

The followers of the God of Steam and Machinery can indeed be called the followers of knowledge and civilization; although Luo Sai'er is now almost taking the shape of the Mother Goddess, as long as a knowledge demon or the Lord of the Mysteries appears, one can still reap a life‑saving favor, repaying by working!

Leike Dun slightly curled the corner of his mouth, quickly gathered his thoughts, and when he looked up, he saw Bu Tisi's eyes fixed on him, his right index finger on the staff twitching as if weighing his words.

After a moment of silence, Bu Tisi asked in a deep voice:

"Is Emperor Luo Sai'er still alive? And has he already reached that stage?"

"If the other party is Emperor Luo Sai'er, that's nothing to marvel at, right?"

Leike Dun chuckled in reply, while inwardly sighing that he had just become a god only to be crushed by the Eternal Blazing Sun.

Bu Tisi's expression shifted from doubt to sudden realization, then he lightly nodded and said:

"Indeed, that is Emperor Luo Sai'er—no, He achieving such feats is not at all surprising."

"So, Luo Sai'er's emergence was from the start the plan of the Sage of Knowledge? To drive the development of the age?"

"No." Leike Dun shook his head gently, facing the curious gazes of the surrounding crowd, and smiled as he said:

"The Sage of Knowledge never actively interferes with the world's development or operation; He simply exists objectively, observing and recording everything."

"Whenever a life sparks wisdom through thought, He casts His gaze, and a true sage can, through that, glimpse a fragment of Him amid the boundless knowledge and mysteries, becoming His companion."

Companion. Bu Tisi squinted slightly, his tone steady as he said:

"The Black Saint occasionally mentions the Creator together with the Sage of Knowledge; you are simultaneously their Divine Envoy, so which do you think is greater?"

Leike Dun glanced around casually, seeing the surrounding people's curious expressions, apparently understanding why Bu Tisi asked, and laughed aloud:

"Their greatness is not for you or me to judge; everyone has their own standards."

"But if a forced comparison is required, it can be understood as:"

"The Creator is the maker of all things—whether the ground beneath our feet, the vast starry sky above, or you and I, together with all life on this land, all originate from the Creator; His greatness needs no words."

"The Sage of Knowledge embodies knowledge and civilization, which is our greatest distinction from ordinary animals; we have built our own civilization and continue to advance. Knowledge and civilization have no end, so we can never see the full picture of the Sage of Knowledge, nor truly comprehend His greatness."

"If you deem the existence of the world itself more important, then you may consider the Creator greater; if you value a future shrouded in mist and ever‑changing, then you may deem the Sage of Knowledge greater."

"Of course, from my personal view, there is no distinction of greater; what truly shapes our judgment is the path we walk."

Bu Tisi lightly nodded while stepping forward two paces, murmuring:

"So that's it. If I hadn't already fixed my path, I might have considered walking with knowledge and mystery."

Facing Leike Dun's slightly puzzled and incredulous gaze, he smiled lightly and explained:

"My original purpose in becoming an extraordinary one wasn't merely for superhuman power; more so, I wanted to change myself, to change how they perceive me."

"As relatives passed one by one, I gradually forgot that initial goal."

Bu Tisi's eyes grew considerably deeper, as if complex emotions were flowing; he sighed lightly, skipped the topic, and said:

"As the Sage of Knowledge's envoy, how do you view our future? Will the Southern Continent become as prosperous as the Northern Continent now?"

Bu Tisi's question received unanimous approval and anticipation from those around him; as native Southern Continent folk, they had lived since childhood on lands colonized by various powers. A small fraction may be content with the status quo, but most hope to establish a new nation belonging to the Southern people, a country as prosperous as the nations of the Northern Continent.

Leike Dun swept his gaze around, taking in everyone's expressions, then conjured another burning match, smiling lightly as he said:

"The future is unpredictable, but I can show you a future I can foresee, a future approved by the Sage of Knowledge."

Under the crowd's expectant eyes, the flickering flame on the match grew hazy and vague, multicolored lights flashing everywhere; as they drew nearer, they realized those varied hues were all just lights.

It was a city where oddly shaped skyscrapers rose, rainbow lights illuminating every corner, revealing a peculiar scene where machinery and architecture fused perfectly, possessing a strange beauty not of this era.

Roads tangled like a spider's web connected every part of the city; steam‑cars of varied designs roamed the streets, and many oddly shaped airships hovered above.

"Is that light? Why so many colors?"

"And many lights are shaped like characters, just like shop signs."

"The buildings here are so tall!"

"Those coffin‑like steam vehicles?"

The surrounding chatter rose and fell, and even the Holy One of Secrets, Bu Tisi, stared in astonishment at the illusory scene.

"Even an illusion needs a real existence to appear so vivid, but has such a strange and grand city ever existed? Even Beikelande, known as the Capital of Ten Thousand Cities, is far from this city."

"An incredible city, far beyond my imagination—this is the future?"

Bu Tisi didn't deliberately lower his voice; he was not only asking himself but also guiding those around him.

Leike Dun smiled, nodded, and replied in a leisurely tone:

"The future is never fixed; it branches differently with each of our choices. This is the most suitable future selected by the Sage of Knowledge."

"The Fifth Era is drawing to a close; before the true apocalypse arrives, the Sage of Knowledge will truly manifest, guiding the tide of the age, steering development toward the best future, and ushering in the Sixth Era."

"This is civilization's struggle against the apocalypse!"

Bu Tisi lightly nodded at Leike Dun, then ceased asking, turning his gaze to the crowd, seeing the flickering emotions in their eyes; though not yet ready to fully worship the Sage of Knowledge, they still accepted his doctrine.

The New Faith, under the Lord's guidance, strives to change people's circumstances, helping them live better in this world of pervasive suffering, giving them a glimpse of hope, while the Sage of Knowledge's doctrine tells them to improve themselves and forge a better future of their own.

No wonder they unite; besides joining forces against the Seven Gods and numerous evil deities, their philosophies complement each other, so followers rarely clash violently.

"Divine Envoy, how much longer will such a future last?"

Bu Tisi's thoughts were interrupted by a somewhat abrupt voice; curious, he turned his head toward Leike Dun, awaiting his answer, equally intrigued by the question.

At that moment, the match in Leike Dun's hand burned out, the dreamy scene vanished, and noon sunlight poured down again, pulling the dazed crowd back to reality.

He turned slightly toward the worker who had just asked, and under the gaze of the Eye of Secrets, Leike Dun could easily discern his true age—under thirty—but his face looked somewhat aged, as if weathered, with lines on his forehead, bright eyes, and confidence in his life.

Leike Dun smiled, nodded at him, and said:

"It won't be long; when the tide of the age reaches its peak and the Sage of Knowledge personally descends, it won't exceed ten years."

"Not more than ten years? That's great, that's great."

"Yeah, living another ten years is no problem for me."

"In that miraculous city just now, there was a winding river—could that be the future Pas River Valley?"

"Divine Envoy, can such a city really be built in less than ten years?"

Various voices rose in succession, and Leike Dun chuckled, his tone leisurely and mysterious, saying:

This world is not only ordinary people, but also various machines, extraordinary beings, and even gods!

The surroundings fell silent in an instant, so quiet that Lei Kedun seemed to hear the gurgle~ of swallowing saliva.

After a while, someone murmured and spoke:

"Just now, was that a city created by gods? No wonder, I always felt it was like a divine relic."

Lei Kedun stood silently to the side, quietly listening to the crowd's discussion, without trying to explain further.

Given the current technological level of this world, it is indeed difficult to construct a city approaching cyberpunk, even relying on the abilities of extraordinary beings is difficult, but the Perfect Ones are an exception; even if He personally does it, He cannot fully restore it, but it won't be far off.

After waiting a moment, until the surrounding discussion quieted down, Lei Kedun then spoke with a smile:

"Today's sermon ends here; at this same time next week I will come again. If you are interested, you can wait here at the same time."

As his words fell, the radiance in his eyes suddenly surged, and a brilliant galaxy emanated from his eyes, scattering starlight around.

These starlights had no temperature, yet they were extraordinarily sacred; anyone bathed in them clearly felt their mind become much clearer, and the discomfort from sitting cross-legged all the time vanished.

The falling starlight did not last long; just a few breaths later, they dissipated together with the converging radiance in Lei Kedun's eyes.

"My sore feeling actually disappeared directly, how amazing!"

"Is this the ability of extraordinary beings?"

The crowd murmured again, but this time they quickly stopped, because a bolder person asked the question they all cared about:

"Divine Envoy, can we become extraordinary beings?"

Bu Tisi curiously looked at Lei Kedun, wondering how he would answer; according to the theory of the Aurora Society, it is possible, but the quantity of extraordinary traits is fixed, so it's impossible to prepare a magic potion for everyone, not even for Sequence Nine.

Lei Kedun curled the corner of his mouth; he casually displayed his extraordinary ability just to wait for this question.

He turned his head toward the young worker who had asked the question, smiling lightly as he said:

"Yes, any living being can become an extraordinary being."

"Currently known methods to become an extraordinary being are two: first, the mainstream magic potion system, by consuming the corresponding magic potion to advance, but the number of magic potions is limited, so those who can become extraordinary beings through consuming magic potions are ultimately only a few."

Speaking up to this point, he gradually slowed his tone, lowering his voice a bit as he said:

"The second method is to gain power through knowledge as a Spirit World Practitioner, which belongs to the system of the Learned Ones; any intelligent being can embark on it, even a rabbit, a small cat, as long as there is sufficient wisdom, they possess the conditions to become a Spirit World Practitioner."

"Unlike the magic potion system, the Spirit World Practitioner system has no numerical limit, but it has high demands for knowledge; one must explore mysteries, master knowledge to gain power, and rely on the Spirit World to manifest substantial extraordinary abilities."

(End of chapter)