Chapter 842: Statue of the God of Magic

The statue depicts a woman in a long robe, slender yet dignified, facing the mouth of Shield Island Bay; her face is veiled by a half‑sheet of light, revealing only a pair of eyes that contain supreme wisdom, from which a strange magical radiance shines, as if it can perceive the truth of the world.

The entire statue is cast from bronze‑colored metal, each part exquisitely lifelike, even the folds of the robe are clear, and countless engraved runes can be faintly seen.

In its left hand it holds a massive tome, like a magic book, with an imperial inscription on the spine—Truth Endures!

Its right hand is raised high, gripping a torch!

The torch is so massive that the area around its flame is a circular platform large enough for dozens of people to stand side by side.

At this moment the torch is unlit.

Undoubtedly, this is the statue of the God of Magic!

Majestic! Dignified! Stunning!

Everyone was left dumbfounded; before today, no one had ever seen such a gigantic statue.

The statue itself stands over two hundred meters tall, and its pedestal over a hundred meters; together the total height approaches four hundred meters, making it the tallest building in Gotham City. No matter where one stands in or out of the city, a glance upward reveals it.

The pedestal beneath the statue is also grand, a rectangular structure supported by massive columns on all four sides, surrounded by hundreds of steps.

It is a temple to the God of Magic!

One can imagine how spectacular it must be to stand on the steps of the temple and look up at the goddess statue.

Truth Island covers less than one square li, and the temple and statue occupy only a small southern portion; behind the temple, a vast stretch of new construction—plazas, gardens, and towers—looks like a magical academy.

"May the goddess protect!"

"May the goddess protect…"

Prayers rise from both shores of the bay.

Many followers of the God of Magic gaze at the statue as if the deity herself has descended, their eyes full of devotion and worship.

On the platform, numerous Holy Soul Wizards also gasp in awe; the Silver Star Duke and her sisters wear approving smiles, nodding repeatedly, their gazes fixed on the statue.

High above, the aura of overwhelming divine power grows ever stronger.

"What a masterpiece!"

Anxiwodasi exclaims in admiration, glancing upward, thinking that Lei En had truly gone to great lengths to please the God of Magic.

The cost of this statue must be astronomically high, at least twenty‑million Gold Shields.

That much money could have built two Wizard towers.

Other Holy Soul Wizards think the same; aside from the Chosen One Silver Star Duke's four sisters and Heisi Tafu the city lord, they are somewhat skeptical, feeling that spending so much merely to erect a massive statue is not worthwhile.

"Lei En, you are truly thoughtful," Ouroin Master laughs, "It should be the greatest statue in Ai Lun E Si's history."

"Indeed," Lei En nods; he had checked personally.

A landmark building, of course, the higher the better.

Height and volume are the most awe‑inspiring, leaving visitors with an indelible memory.

Wonders are symbols of civilization and excellent tools for boosting public morale.

In the world of Ai Lun E Si, where extraordinary power belongs to oneself, wonders serve far more than that; for the gods, wonders are amplifiers of the fire of faith!

In fact, the original design called for a height of one thousand meters, but metal strength limits, even with rune formations, made it impossible; considering cost, schedule, and construction difficulty, it was reduced to under four hundred meters.

Even so, it achieved the intended effect.

Ouroin instantly saw Lei En's intention: this would‑be‑the‑largest statue could concentrate the God of Magic's faith power, making believers more devout.

He shook his head and said, "Lei En, you always have brilliant ideas; the goddess will surely like it."

"Hehe…"

Lei En smiled without replying; the best is yet to come.

KangJieladeGreatSage observed for a long time, then suddenly said, "Lei En, this statue is probably not as simple as it looks, right?"

"GrandSage has keen eyes."

Lei En's sincere praise; the GrandSage truly is the greatest alchemist among humans, seeing more than others.

He stepped to the center of the dais and directed a strand of soul power into the ground beneath.

Buzz!

The entire platform trembled; guests saw rune formations light up beneath their feet, massive energy rising from beneath the sea, spreading along the pedestal columns and flowing into the platform's interior.

A few seconds later the rune formation was fully activated.

Pure mysterious energy coalesced at the platform's edge, forming a bridge about ten meters wide, as if built of colored crystal, rapidly extending toward Truth Island. Simultaneously, on the east side of the plaza before the temple on Truth Island, another platform also extended a crystal bridge.

The two ends met, joining after half a minute.

A rainbow‑like crystal bridge was completed, spanning half of Shield Island Bay; the suspended deck rose over thirty meters above the water, a spectacular sight from afar.

People stared in astonishment.

KangJieladeGreatSage praised, "The combination of Force Field Ladder and Rainbow Bridge spells is impressive!"

Guests on the platform gazed at the crystal bridge reaching Truth Island, marveling. However, maintaining a spell of such scale consumes far more energy than rune formations alone can sustain; there must be another power source.

Anxiwodasi had already thought of a possibility, furrowing his brow.

The Silver Star Duke's four sisters exchanged glances, all looking uncertain.

"Everyone, please board the island."

Lei En made a beckoning gesture on the stage, then led the way onto the crystal bridge.

One after another, six Holy Soul Wizards, the Consul, Saint Rank strongmen followed Lei En, then representatives of Fu Kong Cheng's Wizards, Empire legislators, Mo Du aristocrats, and finally hundreds of Gotham City's social elites.

They stepped onto the translucent crystal bridge, finding the magically created bridge remarkably stable; dozens walking on it caused no wobble.

The other end of the crystal bridge was also a platform.

But Lei En did not linger there; he walked to the plaza before the temple, stood on the steps on the north side, turned his back to the temple, and waited for the guests to arrive.

People couldn't help but look up, gazing at the sky.

The nearly four‑hundred‑meter‑tall statue, standing at its feet, seemed to block most of the sky, casting a shadow over the head; the majestic, massive statue made one feel tiny and deepened reverence for the God of Magic.

The guests are almost all transcendents, and their will is relatively firm.

They know well that if ordinary people whose will is far weaker than theirs came here, they would likely kneel on the spot and bow in worship to the statue.

Some of the guests have already begun to pray in low voices.

In the future, this place will surely become a holy site of the Magic Church, and all followers of the Goddess will flock to Truth Island for pilgrimage.

When everyone stood still in the plaza, Lei En raised his hand, and a strong magical surge spread over the bay in front of the statue; the light and shadow warped for a few seconds, forming a massive image hundreds of meters in length and width. Wizards are familiar with such projections; four years ago, at the BrewotzAcademy wizard exchange contest, Sabbath Dean had used it.

Lei En's figure appeared within the image.

Hundreds of thousands of people saw his likeness clearly, and many, seeing this kind of projection for the first time, were instantly astonished.

Lei En, his expression calm, said, "Holy Souls, Consul, esteemed guests, and gentlemen and ladies of Gotham City…"

His voice rang out in all directions, quieting everyone so they could listen to his words.

"Today, we gather here to unveil the statue of the God of Magic. Looking back, Gotham has been founded for three years. Three years ago, Shield Island was a land overrun by the undead, rife with evil, where no grass grew. Three years later, a brand‑new metropolis now stands upon this ground."

"Today, Gotham City has 380,000 permanent residents and 130,000 transient residents, totaling over half a million, and each day the number of people exceeds the previous day. The entire Shield Island has been fully reclaimed, producing abundant food enough to feed over a million people. Our factories have been erected one after another, operating at full capacity, and goods are being exported far to the Old Continent and human realms."

"Today, Gotham City is the brightest jewel on the east coast of the New Continent!"

Lei En paused briefly, and enthusiastic applause rose from the crowds on both sides of the bay, while Gotham City's residents shouted cheers even louder.

They know well how hard Gotham City's development to this point has been.

From poverty and desolation to a prosperous metropolis, it could not have been achieved without everyone's hard work, and participation has given people a great sense of accomplishment.

Lei En continued speaking.

His tone rose: "But we will not be satisfied with this; Gotham City is only our starting point. To the west lies the Aibolaken Peninsula, which thousands of years ago was the elves' most glorious capital of magic, and we will restore its splendor."

"Further west is the mainland of the New Continent, a vast land awaiting our expansion."

"It is not unclaimed land."

"You all know that for thousands of years the New Continent has been occupied by evil— the Celestial Disaster Legion, Demons, Netifu Demon, Evil Beastmen— constantly threatening our homes, our lives, our civilization, and still occupying lands that originally belonged to the intelligent races."

"Humans are the overlords of the new era; we have both responsibility and duty, together with this land's former masters— the elves and dwarves— to retake the New Continent!"

"By retaking the New Continent, we will reap abundant rewards."

"Wealth, power, territories— everything you can imagine will be ours; the New Continent holds countless opportunities awaiting us."

"And Gotham City will be the firmest backing for everyone!"

As Lei En's words fell, hundreds of thousands on both sides of the bay were stirred, each person emotionally charged, shouting loudly.

When the cheers gradually subsided, Lei En said again, "Gotham City's present state could not have been achieved without everyone's effort, but more importantly, we have the Goddess's protection."

"Without the Goddess's light of wisdom shining upon us, we could not have reached this point."

"Therefore, this statue is our offering to the Goddess, praying for Her blessing so that She may continue to protect Her followers and let us go further."

"Goddess protection, truth everlasting!"

Lei En shouted loudly.

Everyone joined in a loud prayer, "Goddess protection, truth everlasting!"

Lei En's soul eye saw the fierce flames of faith burning among hundreds of thousands of believers; ethereal lines projected from their heads into the void, reaching a great being deep in the distant emptiness, forming a wondrous connection.

He sensed a gaze descending from the far‑off void.

"It is time."

Lei En's thoughts shifted slightly, and he remotely activated the rune array within the statue.

Boom—

A muffled thud rose from below the ground, and the entire Truth Island shivered; people looked up in astonishment to see countless rune lights flare on the massive statue.

Vast energy surged up from the deep earth, activating the rune array, flowing like a tide into the statue's right arm, finally pouring into the raised torch. After a few seconds of stillness, the torch's core brightened increasingly, soon becoming as blinding as a sun.

With a boom, the light exploded.

Finally, the energy surpassed the critical point and the torch ignited.

A massive flame several meters in diameter burned fiercely; its color was indescribable— at first appearing silver, then swiftly shifting to other hues, constantly changing, seemingly containing every color in the world, representing all magical energy.

At the flame's core, a thick beam of light shot straight into the sky, piercing the heavens.

As the torch ignited, it emitted a peculiar magical radiance.

The radiance was not as scorching as sunlight nor blinding, yet it could illuminate up to three hundred li away, and anyone within that range could see the source clearly.

Hundreds of thousands bathed in the glow, feeling tranquility in their hearts.

Some wounded individuals found their pain eased, as the soul‑blood curses stirred by suffering were soothed under the magical radiance.

This is merely a common person's sensation.

In the plaza before the temple, many Saint Rank elites exchanged horrified glances, especially Holy Soul Wizards and casters, who discerned deeper implications.

Iola Core!

Ten-ring Spell!

KangJieladeGreatSage, his face solemn, gazed up at the statue's raised torch and exclaimed, "VijesCui's magical torchlight, what a grand feat!"

Few know the Ten-ring Spell; even legendary Wizards may not have heard of it.

The Title: Duke of Silver Star shouted incredulously, "Lei En, you are truly generous!"

The crowd on the plaza stared at Lei En, most of them not understanding. The statue's rune array, crystal bridge, and torch light—all energy derived from the Iola Core— clearly indicate the statue cannot fly like Fu Kong Cheng.

This means Lei En's Iola Core can only be fixed on Truth Island.

Using the Iola Core to build Fu Kong Cheng would be a waste; even if it sustained the Ten-ring Spell to protect all of Gotham City, its value would be halved. Though this pleases the God of Magic, it is still not worth the loss.

Holy Soul Wizards could not help but shake their heads in regret— what a pity!

Only Anxiwodasi, watching Lei En's calm face, seemed to guess his intention, sighed inwardly, and pretended to know nothing.

(End of Chapter)