Chapter 504: Return to the Storm Sanctum

Lei En's front foot had just sent off the agitated Akalande, and Xikalius's rear foot teleported back from Red Dragon Fortress, laughing, "Boss, Her Majesty the Queen is still waiting for your news."

Understood.

Lei En smiled; Emilliss must have been waiting anxiously.

He glanced at Xikalius, remembered something, and asked, "When will you next have time to return to Astat?"

Because of the teleportation array, Extreme Warriors can return to their tribe very easily.

The Extreme Warrior Corps currently has sixty members; when not on missions, they take turns returning home, bringing essential supplies and items scarce on the plateau to family and friends. Compared with the past several hundred years, the life of the Makurag people has improved countlessfold, external threats are fully resolved, the internal population is steadily rising, and a few newborns are born each month.

Xikalius brightened at the words, "Boss, are you planning to recruit more brothers?"

"I have that idea."

Lei En nodded; sixty Extreme Warriors are still too few.

In fact, within the Makurag tribe, many have quietly petitioned to join the Extreme Warrior Corps, but he declined each time out of respect for chieftain Marrius.

Now the Augustus Principality has been established, needing more manpower; it's almost time to expand.

The Gunwing Knights are the same.

Lei En has already allocated a budget of two million Gold Shields to his two subordinate legions, aiming in the coming years to triple the number of Extreme Warriors, and to expand the Gunwing Knight Corps to over a thousand.

"Xikalius, next time you return to Astat, probe chieftain Marrius's attitude," Lei En instructed, "Don't be evasive; state my intentions directly. Also, tell the chieftain about the recent battles the brothers participated in, and convey this: staying on the Sein Plateau yields no glory; don't miss the chance to fight."

"Got it, boss!"

Xikalius rubbed his hands excitedly, "I'll return to the tribe tomorrow."

Lei En walked into the teleportation hall, contemplating his army's organization.

Within the Augustus Principality there are many supernaturals; if left to roam freely, trouble is inevitable, so it's better to bring them under his command as supplements to the two great legions, handling city security and guard duties, perhaps uncovering some talent.

One principality plus a Bo Ju Ling Di require maintaining three armies, with annual military expenses flowing away like water.

Fortunately, money is what he lacks the least now.

He has ten million Gold Dragons stacked in his tower in Weizelan, and the Duke Laoberdil's debt of three million Gold Dragons should be paid, plus the spoils distribution from the Restoration War; after deducting the share of source crystal, there should be another two to three million.

Add to that a batch of weapons obtained by slaying several legends, such as Duke Brandon's "Ice Greatsword"; liquidating them could fetch over a million Gold Shields.

Lei En roughly estimated that this dragon‑born Restoration yielded nearly twenty million Gold Shields for himself!

Not to mention the over three hundred thousand pounds of source crystal, plus a ducal title and a principality, whose value is incalculable.

He is the biggest winner of this war!

Stepping onto the teleportation array and activating the runes, the scene before him shifted, and a side hall not far from the Dragon Hall of Red Dragon Fortress appeared, where four Extreme Warriors stationed there shouted, "Boss."

"Hmm, brothers, you've worked hard."

Lei En nodded in response.

Each teleportation array he set up is staffed by four Extreme Warriors; now with five arrays, he needs twenty Extreme Warriors, and as more arrays are added, the guard manpower will become insufficient.

"The corps must expand soon."

Lei En thought, sensed Emilliss's location in the castle, opened a portal and appeared before her. It was a study on the third floor, lavishly decorated, with a fireplace burning matches, making the whole room warm as spring.

Emilliss was resting, dressed in casual clothes, a dragon‑shaped crown on her head, half‑reclined on a wide soft chair by the window, gazing over Kingsland, seeming a bit absent‑minded, one hand gently caressing her already rounded belly.

Sensing magical fluctuations, she turned and saw Lei En, her face lighting up with joy.

Lei En walked over, sat beside her, placed his large hand on her abdomen, feeling a tiny life inside growing robustly.

The Soul Eye also saw the newly maturing soul.

A wonderful feeling rose in his heart; it was the first time in his two lifetimes that he sensed a son, linked by his own bloodline, about to enter this world.

Being a first‑time father made Lei En both eager and a little nervous.

He said nothing, and Emilliss didn't rush to ask; she rested her head on his shoulder, and the two gazed together at the wintry scene outside, feeling a rare peace and warmth.

After a moment, Lei En broke the silence.

"The Goddess has already agreed to our plan."

"I have received the divine decree; if the plan proceeds smoothly, you will become the Divine Chosen."

He did not disclose the goddess's incarnation, and casually mentioned that the Mechanical Guild was fully supportive; Emilliss rose excitedly, paced the study several times before calming, then faced the Empire, made a prayer gesture, and whispered, "Truth endure forever!"

In that instant, Lei En saw the flame of faith in her soul split in two.

One half remained devoted to the Dragon God Bahamut, but the other changed, its flame turning pale‑purple, emerging from the crown of her head and sinking into voids in different directions.

Emilliss, in a single thought, changed her faith.

Although she had only just begun to worship the God of Magic, her flame of faith was no weaker than that for the Dragon God, even hinting at surpassing it.

If she continues to pray to the Goddess, she will soon become a devout follower.

If the Dragon God Bahamut were now watching his followers, he would surely notice the anomaly; any other deity would rage, yet, as in the past millennia of the Dragon God's attitude toward dragon‑born, nothing happened.

Emilliss exhaled, feeling a bit of disappointment yet privately relieved.

Her expression grew more resolute, continuously chanting the Goddess's prayers and doctrines; the flame of faith's color shifted increasingly toward purple, occupying over seventy percent.

Moreover, the flame of faith surged, blazing fiercely, reaching the level of a devout follower.

If an outsider were present, even without a Soul Eye, they could sense the change in Emilliss at that moment—a mysterious and majestic aura radiated, her eyes shining with awe‑inspiring wisdom, her whole body enveloped in the brilliance of reason and knowledge.

Anyone knowledgeable about deities could tell she is a follower of the God of Magic.

Lei En also prayed a few times.

These days, he prays twice daily, morning and night, and when he has spare time recites a few more prayers, almost as diligent as showering and brushing his teeth, but the results are mediocre.

He observed his flame of faith was a bit better than before, yet at best a shallow believer.

No matter how earnestly he prayed, he could not advance; his flame of faith was still weaker than Emilliss's first prayer.

Lei En felt helpless, yet he guessed the reason.

For mortals, the key to faith in a deity is accepting its doctrine, aligning words and deeds with its teachings, and sincerely believing in its protection. The more devout a believer, the more intense the flame of faith, allowing greater offering of faith power to the deity.

Lei En also longs to truly worship the God of Magic, to hug that big white leg.

But his worldview had long been set; he had once been a staunch atheist, and even after truly encountering the gods, it was hard to change.

In the depths of his heart, the deities of Ai Lun E Si differed from the "god" he understood.

Although the gods possess unimaginable might, that might is not unattainable; some gods were once mortals, and in certain respects they retain more "humanity" than ordinary people, rather than a regimented "divinity".

In other words, the gods of Ai Lun E Si are more like "personified deities"; essentially they are beings who wield an extraordinary power called "Divine Power".

This cognitive difference destined Lei En to never become a devout follower.

He cannot even meet the standard of a loyal believer, let alone a fanatic.

The God of Magic, however tolerant and generous, will not easily make a shallow believer a Divine Chosen; each Chosen One consumes a great deal of Divine Power, unless the deity gains greater benefit from them and willingly bestows Divine Technique.

Lei En believes VijesCui is well aware of this.

Because it is not only him; many Wizards pursuing magical truth share similar views. For example, the teacher can contact the goddess but is not a Divine Chosen; his flame of faith is merely that of a loyal believer.

Conversely, commoners lacking extraordinary power are more devout toward the deities and are prone to become fanatics.

Yet even fanatics among the commoners cannot become Divine Chosen.

This is an unsolvable vicious cycle.

Lei En sighed, watching Ai Mi Li Si's flame of faith blaze brighter; at that moment, the God of Magic's attention also turned toward her, causing the phenomenon.

A moment later, Ai Mi Li Si ceased praying, the radiance faded, and her eyes filled with excitement and joy.

Without asking, it was clear she had received the goddess's response, likely a promise, becoming a candidate Divine Chosen.

"Congratulations," Lei En said with a smile.

Ai Mi Li Si replied cheerfully, "I must also thank you; without you I could not offer my faith to the goddess."

Lei En nodded slightly, lingered with her for a while before standing.

"Where are you going?" Ai Mi Li Si asked, glancing outside as dusk deepened toward night. "I've had dinner prepared; won't you eat with me?"

Lei En shook his head, "I have something very important; I must go to the Sain Plateau."

"Plateau…" Ai Mi Li Si mused, recalling that Lei En only began gathering source crystals after returning from the Sain Plateau. She brightened, stood, and said, "Then I won't keep you. After dinner I have many official duties to attend to."

"Fine." Lei En gave her a gentle hug, opened a portal, and stepped through.

He teleported to Glamorgen Castle, without pause, then again to Jin Gang Fort, raised his hand and opened a portal that appeared in the wilderness a hundred li north.

The Thunder God's Hammer floated up from the void, and he lifted it in his hand.

Boom—!

The war hammer carried Lei En skyward, quickly breaching the clouds; fierce winds roared past his ears, and he streaked like a bolt of thunder, accelerating, leaving a series of booming cracks behind. The beasts on the ground looked up, startled, only to see pitch‑black night.

Lei En flew at high speed through the night for two hours.

He flew out of the Sain Plateau, recalling Bu Lai Mi Te's warning to stay away from Karl Peak, where an ancient red dragon dwells; he headed north before turning back, and opened a portal fifty li beyond Karl Peak.

Emerging from the portal, he faced a desolate valley nestled at the waist of the high peak.

Glancing at the vine‑shrouded opening, Lei En did not enter; instead he opened a portal and appeared inside a collapsed underground palace.

The massive circular sigil, about twenty meters in diameter, still stood, surrounded by six towering stone pillars; dust covered the ground. A quick scan revealed no signs of recent visitors, exactly as when he left last year.

Following Bu Lai Mi Te's method, Lei En activated the interdimensional teleportation array.

The six pillars around the array trembled in unison, each rune on them flaring, as massive energy poured in.

Boom—.

The pillars emitted six beams that converged above the array; amid the surging energy, a light gate opened, as if tearing a rift in space, quickly expanding into a massive portal.

Lei En waited until the portal stabilized for a few seconds, just as he was about to step in, he suddenly stopped.

He released the Thunder God's Hammer, letting it slip into the void, then floated it fixed in a corner of the palace to prevent it from entering the Storm Temple with him.

The Titan Elder was a demigod and might notice the Thunder God's Hammer's presence.

The hammer's properties attract Titan Giants far more strongly than other demigods; if the other party grew greedy, trouble would follow.

After securing the war hammer, Lei En stepped into the portal.

The scene before him warped; he seemed hurled into a transit tunnel, racing through the astral plane. After a dozen seconds, light returned, ending the teleport.

Lei En stood on a vast platform.

All around, a massive complex of palaces perched atop the mountains, with endless storm clouds in the distance, and terrifying bolts of lightning flashing intermittently in the sky.

The Storm Temple has arrived!

"Human, you returned so quickly?" a deep voice resonated.

"Lord Luo Da Er," Lei En said, looking at the Storm Giant before him, speaking in Giant tongue, "I have come to request an audience with Elder Suo Li Mu."

The over‑five‑meter‑tall Storm Giant gave Lei En a few scrutinizing looks, surprise evident on its face, and, incredulously, said, "In such a short time, your strength has become so formidable!"

Lei En offered a modest smile, but gave no explanation.

He asked again, "Is Elder Suo Li Mu present?"

The Storm Giant realized it could no longer read Lei En, shook its head in amazement, then nodded, saying, "The elder has always been here; you may go to the Furnace Temple yourself."

(End of Chapter)