Chapter 662: Invitation

"Wuh," the unknown "Ironblood Knight" let out a mournful groan.

He tried to reignite his body, but was interrupted by a faint whimpering sob at his ear; his limbs went numb, blood seemed frozen, as if possessed by vengeful spirits, unable to respond effectively, only watching death approach with his eyes, despairingly feeling his life force draining ever faster.

Within the bronze-colored great gate, countless skeletal arms, slick tentacles bearing infant faces, arms of varying thickness, and vines sprouting a single eerie eye protruded, causing the surroundings to fall into slumber, unable to resist as the Inditis army dragged them one by one into the underworld beyond the gate.

Within the manor on the north bank of the Pas River Valley, massive pure data streams surged from the void, rapidly coalescing to reconstruct Lei Keton's body.

He held a metal mask adorned with white feathers, his aura tinged with a strong scent of death; his hair had turned considerably grayer, his skin became pale and translucent, faintly revealing twisted, flickering starlight beneath.

He exhaled a long breath, placed the mask into the golden box that Beiernadai had previously used to contain the Pale Death, and reconfigured a layer of spiritual wall.

This is his newly forged "Pale Death"; although it lacks the "Death Regent" attribute, it does not affect the seal's effectiveness. He had just used it to travel to the underworld, influencing that battlefield through the bronze gate opened by Plak Aiges.

"Unfortunately, there are too few gatekeepers above demigod level; otherwise, using the underworld's concealment and transit, I could swiftly traverse the various battlefields."

While sighing, Lei Keton sat in a nearby recliner, gently flexing his fingers, creating shards of brilliant starlight around him, shedding wave after wave of clear, pure radiance, purifying the death aura on his body and adjusting his condition.

Moments later, the death aura on him was completely cleansed; his hair returned to shining gold, and his skin regained its healthy hue.

"The underworld forged by Grey Jiali is indeed extraordinary; aside from the angels of the Death Realm, no other living creature can adapt to that environment. Even if I can simulate changes to my state and aura, I still cannot fully block its influence. Fortunately, mythic beings are hardly bound by lifespan limits; otherwise, after a few trips I'd simply age to death."

As he sighed, Lei Keton's eyes suddenly went vacant, becoming profoundly deep, like the sea before a storm, clearly losing focus, a boundless void.

In his mind, scene after scene flashed by: some of the Pas River Valley and the coastal regions of the Northern State, others near the Star Plateau and the Ancient Forest region,

All these places were shrouded in war; some held, some fell. After receiving the information, Lei Keton exhaled deeply, noting the war's outcome was unsatisfactory.

"'Primeval Moon' and 'Desire Mother Tree' have also intervened; the Spirit Sect's reaction was somewhat unexpected, the royal faction is still watching, the artificial Death God faction offered some aid— is this the influence of 'Black Night'?"

"We need to contact the Earth Church and the Bloodline, have them help oppose the followers of 'Primeval Moon' and 'Desire Mother Tree'; then we can free up surplus strength, forcefully seize the Ancient Forest, and expel Fusak."

As the words fell, he directly shifted the gray mist aura on his body and made contact with Clane, who lingered atop the gray mist.

Above the gray mist, Clane watched the suddenly surging red light, rubbed his forehead, and said helplessly, "Your actions are like uninvited guests, not even knocking on the door."

With Clane's tacit approval, the deep red light quickly condensed, revealing Lei Keton's silhouette; he smiled and calmly said,

"If it bothers you, I can fill in the missing procedure."

"Please tell Mr. Moon that I wish to meet the great figure of their Bloodline."

"Collaboration?" Clane asked further.

Lei Keton nodded, calmly saying, "'Primeval Moon' and 'Desire Mother Tree' followers are looting amidst the fire; we need some external forces to balance them."

Clane hesitated, "The more forces, the harder the situation to control; aren't you worried things might get out of hand?"

Lei Keton shook his head, briefly explaining,

"What truly decides a war's outcome is the final Divine War, and now we are merely shaking each other's anchors, affecting each other's state, hindering each other's progress."

He paused, glanced at Clane, laughed, then explained in more detail,

"'True Creator' requires a sufficient number of normal anchors, and I need a grand ceremony."

"This is why Inditis's 'Eternal Blazing Sun' and 'Steam' are so eager to start the war; disrupting our rhythm gives them the chance to trigger the Divine War."

"Ritual... Deification ritual?" Clane murmured, his tone suddenly shocked yet seemingly obvious.

"Both and not," Lei Keton shook his head, offering no further explanation.

After a brief exchange, Lei Keton detached his consciousness from the gray mist, then arranged a ritual to summon Beiernadai's messenger, handing the golden box containing the "Pale Death" to her envoy.

After the messenger departed, he transformed into an information torrent, rushing swiftly toward the Harvest Plains. Beckrand, just having left Rus Bartori's villa, suddenly saw a dense gray mist before Emlyn; the deep red light surged then quickly receded, coalescing into Lei Keton's figure.

Emlyn heard Lei Keton's voice echo in his ears:

"Please tell Mr. Moon I wish to meet the great figure of their Bloodline."

He repeated it twice, and as the words fell, the gray mist before Emlyn swiftly dissipated.

He murmured, bewildered,

"Want to see our Bloodline's great figure. Is it really that I can see them just by wanting, arrange it just by wishing?"

He paused, then muttered, "Duke Ormer should still be in Beckrand, but how can I...?"

"Go find Marquis Nibais? That also requires a suitable reason."

After pondering, Emlyn, having no good idea, shook his head, halted a carriage, and prepared to return to the Harvest Church in the south district of Great Bridge, noting his volunteer duties for the day remained undone.

On the second floor of Rus Bartori's house, in a room with tightly drawn curtains, a tall, slender, exceptionally upright figure stood calmly with hands clasped behind, looking through the curtains toward the direction Emlyn departed.

His hair was light, almost silver, his eyes a vivid red like concealed blood, and his bearing was exceedingly noble.

With a creak, the door behind him was pushed open; Rus Bartori entered, stopping two meters away, bowing respectfully and saying:

"Count Misteral, I have already sold the two items you assigned to Emlyn White."

"Very well." Count Misteral lightly nodded in response.

Rus Bartori hesitated briefly, then couldn't curb his curiosity, asking, "Count, what is the force behind Emlyn White collecting items from the Telunsost Empire for?"

"I am not sure; this is Duke Ormer's intention, perhaps related to the leftover treasure of the former Telunsost Empire."

Misteral shook his head, gave a brief explanation, then his body transformed into a swarm of vampiric bats straddling reality and illusion, flying straight out of the room.

In Hatis City at the far east of the Harvest Plains, aside from a slight increase in foot traffic, nothing else changed; it seemed untouched by the fierce wars raging in the Pas River Valley and Northern State.

Massive streams of tangled data surged from the void, spiraling twice above the city before merging into the natural chapel wrapped in flowers and greenery.

In the prayer hall, Archbishop Matina sat quietly at the frontmost seat, nearest the Sacred Life Emblem.

She wore a priestly robe embroidered with flowers and wheat, and when Lei Keton appeared, she turned her head to look, expression calm, as if she had long anticipated the scene.

Lei Keton walked straight to her side, sat one seat away, and the worshippers moving through the hall seemed completely oblivious, collectively ignoring him.

Before he could speak, Archbishop Matina of the Great Imperial Church spoke first:

"Recently Hatis has seen many unfamiliar faces; they are not quiet, constantly contacting those hidden in the shadows."

Lei Keton calmly nodded, did not continue the topic, and instead asked, "Are you interested in spreading the Mother God's brilliance in a brand-new realm?"

"A brand-new realm?" Matina asked curiously.

Lei Keton smiled, then nodded, saying:

"A world both real and false, woven from countless pieces of information that simulate reality, can be understood as a vast, interconnected special dream."

As an information world, there are not as many restrictions as in the real world; communication between people is unaffected by distance, the flow of knowledge is extremely convenient, everyone can enter it, and inside they can study, communicate, and even conduct some experiments based on theory.

I don't know if the Earth Church is interested in participating; once this world officially operates, you can carry out in it some experiments that lack mature conditions in reality, and you can also proclaim the preciousness of life and the joy of harvest.

Martina fell silent for a moment before exclaiming: "The idea that all things are numbers, upheld by the Moses Ascetic Order, I have some understanding of, but I never imagined one could actually create such a world."

(End of chapter)