Chapter 97: Time to Net the Fish!

If he hadn't seen Ebert's resentment, Wu Chang would never have guessed that this old man he knocked out with one blow—dying without ever understanding why—was such a big shot.

A commoner from a middle-class family, slightly reclusive, who rose to catch the Church's attention and was chosen to design and execute the God-Making Project—this alone proves Ebert's extraordinary ability.

Ebert's life was filled with resentment and regret, but in Wu Chang's eyes, much of it was self-inflicted.

His life could be summed up in two words: stubbornly twisted.

He wanted to defy the world by researching taboos deemed blasphemous, yet refused to sneak around—he insisted on publishing his findings to win public approval.

When he finally secured a platform with Church backing, the Church eliminated everyone who knew his past—over a hundred died for him.

To prove his research, he could watch these people die without flinching, yet when it came to actually spilling blood, he couldn't even sacrifice the artificial Eileen he himself created.

Later, under Count Jermain's recruitment, he abandoned his status and wealth and came to Briver Island, determined to see it through to the end.

This time, he finally mustered the heart to watch Count Jermain strike Eileen—but before dying, he couldn't resist moral torment; his final bloody words were a plea for Wu Chang to destroy his life's work.

Had Ebert not been dead already, Wu Chang would have crushed his skull and shouted, "I gave you the chance—you blew it!"

From Ebert, he drew two lessons.

First: never hesitate over your choices—decisiveness isn't always foolish, but hesitation guarantees defeat.

Second: a brilliant mind is no match for a hard fist—Ebert's mind was sharp enough, but his own strength was weak, leaving him manipulated by the Church and Count Jermain like a puppet.

He looked like a tech partner, but in truth, he was just a lowly servant, every move forced upon him.

If he hadn't helped the Church, it would have been him hanging from the church door.

On Briver Island, if he dared to stop Count Jermain from touching Eileen, his fate would be to burn alongside her.

Forget the distant past—look at now.

He relied on his insider knowledge to bargain with Wu Chang, issued a quest—and Wu Chang instantly sent him to his grave.

Without sufficient power, no matter how high your status or how vital you seem to the organization, you're still just a pawn.

Ebert's tragic life, besides leaving Wu Chang one deep-red, high-value dying message, also answered several of his questions.

When he first communicated with Eileen, he'd felt something off—she seemed like an empty shell, utterly devoid of negative emotions.

Now it made sense: she was a puppet created by the Church and Ebert.

To control the divine phenomenon known as the Holy Mark, the Church wanted Eileen to be as perfect as possible—fitting the image of a saint, even a god—and even her soul was artificially edited and crafted.

From the start, the Church never granted her any negative emotions.

But the Church and Ebert had overlooked one thing: in any dungeon world, whether naturally generated or artificially created, once a soul forms, it inevitably bears the Seven Deadly Sins.

This meant Eileen could not wield the Holy Mark's power as intended.

Yet because the Holy Mark resided within her, she possessed near-hypnotic proselytizing power, capable of converting Briver's townsfolk within brief contact.

Unfortunately, this played right into Jermain's hands—he used Eileen's power to draw out the townsfolk's Seven Sins, fully completing the seven inner worlds.

Ebert's identity also explained why Bishop Gilman had to seek help from a professor over such a major incident as the Holy Maiden's disappearance.

Wu Chang found a hammer on the first floor of the lighthouse and smashed it against the obsidian slab—the slab cracked from the impact, revealing a chess piece carved with a tiny figure crouched on the ground.

"Item Name: Token of Greed"

"Item Type: Special"

"Item Description: Holding the Token of Greed grants free access to the special space—Starlight Lighthouse—and full authority over all its functions."

The inner world of the Starlight Lighthouse represents Ebert's sin: the Sin of Greed. It is the only region without a Divine Envoy, because Ebert's greed brooked no other presence sharing his sin.

With the Token of Greed and the key Ebert gave him, all the lighthouse's abilities automatically appeared in his mind.

The Starlight Lighthouse has three primary functions: an alchemy workshop, island-wide surveillance, and the core of the inner world's operation.

The alchemy workshop needs no explanation—Ebert conducted all his alchemical experiments on Briver Island under the guise of stellar observation, within the lighthouse.

After creating the inner worlds, Ebert moved his entire workshop into the Starlight Lighthouse—if Wu Chang possessed alchemy and occult knowledge, he could access the top-tier alchemy workshop of a C-rank dungeon here.

Unfortunately, all instruments and equipment in the workshop are dungeon items and cannot be taken out of the dungeon—otherwise, this single set would be priceless.

The lighthouse is both a guide and a watcher.

The Starlight Lighthouse's beam can pierce the barriers between different inner world zones, revealing exactly what occurs within—including the Count's manor.

Nothing that happens inside the inner worlds escapes the eyes of the Starlight Lighthouse's owner.

The third function is precisely what Wu Chang needs right now.

Though located remotely, as the first inner world to form, the Starlight Lighthouse is in fact the central hub of Briver Island's inner worlds.

It connects to all other inner worlds on the island—Wu Chang can enter any inner world directly through the lighthouse's light column.

If anyone forcibly enters the lighthouse and makes a threatening move, the lighthouse's light will randomly teleport them to one of the inner worlds.

Earlier, the veteran players of the Deepwater Society attacked the lighthouse to trigger the teleportation light, betting they'd land in the Count's Manor's inner world.

Unfortunately, they guessed wrong—the Deep Sea's Gift was not inside the Count's Manor.

Had the Deepwater Society's veterans received the former mailman's letter, protected Logan's work, and become town council members, they might have already learned of the Golden Flying Fish.

Wu Chang returned to the top floor of the lighthouse and saw a massive magical lens there—it could gather starlight into a beam to open any inner world.

He now possessed the four sins: Sloth, Envy, Lust, and Greed—and controlled the Starlight Lighthouse.

It was time to net the fish.

Except for the Starlight Lighthouse, all other inner worlds appear only after sunset.

He sat on the lighthouse's top floor, waiting for the real world to enter night.

During this idle time, he studied Ebert's manuscripts—the paper still bore the Church's emblem, showing Ebert had not fully broken ties with them.

Even in the desk drawer, Wu Chang found letters between Ebert and Bishop Gilman, dated exactly one year ago.

In the letter, Gilman wrote that the Church had made new progress in Holy Maiden research, urging him to abandon his despair and return to the Church to fulfill his dream.

Before he knew it, night had fallen.

Wu Chang activated the magical lens, gathering starlight above the lighthouse and directing it toward the beach where the Golden Flying Fish swam, while simultaneously guiding his True Self toward the shore.

Start with the inner worlds already mapped.

In the real world, the artistic young man sitting on the beach suddenly raised his head, looking at the silver-white streak of light cutting across the sky, a look of surprise on his face.

Then he lowered his head and quickened the movement of the brush in his hand.

He had to speed up, otherwise he wouldn't make it in time.

(End of chapter)