Chapter 845: Divine Miracle

Hundreds of thousands of people prayed in unison, and the atmosphere was solemn and majestic.

Half a minute later, under the gaze of the crowd, a beam of light shot out from the rainbow pathway in the sky.

The light's color was indescribable and its form defied description; in an instant it descended from the heavens and hovered directly above the head of the God of Magic statue, right over the plaza in front of the temple.

The radiance slowly spread, revealing a tall female figure.

"Goddess above!"

Devout believers fell into frenzy, crawling on the ground and continuously praising loudly.

Even those who were not followers of the God of Magic half‑kneeled, offering their respect to one of the world's greatest deities.

The projected image in the sky dissipated the moment the God of Magic descended.

Yet anyone who looked up could see the goddess clearly, regardless of distance or angle; everyone saw the same image, as if she were right before them, only ten steps away.

They had black hair cascading like a waterfall, wore an elegant dark silk robe, and a jeweled sash gently cinched their waist.

The black hair fluttered in the wind, and the robe's hem swayed lightly.

Their stature was less than one‑millionth of the statue's, yet to the people they appeared taller than the statue, becoming the sole focus of the world.

Like the statue, they wore a half‑face veil, revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes sparkling with starlight; when people looked into those eyes, they instantly felt supreme wisdom, as if they understood their past, present and future in an instant, knowing everything.

Beneath the mysterious veil, their red lips curved slightly, showing a faint smile.

That smile contained infinite affinity.

"The goddess smiled at me!"

The prayers that echoed to the heavens fell silent for a moment, and some fervent believers, almost overwhelmed by bliss, couldn't help but have tears well up.

Everyone was moved by that smile.

They felt the deity was the closest person to them, and dared not desecrate the unparalleled visage hidden beneath the veil.

"My followers."

The God of Magic spoke, their voice resonating in everyone's mind—melodic, ethereal, indescribably pleasant, each syllable seeming to possess a calming magical power; the believers' prayers ceased in unison, listening attentively to the divine message.

"I have learned of your loyalty and faith."

"A city founded by spellcasters seeking the truth of magic has been born on the New Continent, and I am pleased. Whether it be the Oriense Empire or other nations; whether human, elf, dwarf, or other intelligent races; whether spellcaster, transcendent, or ordinary person, I look forward to you finding your path in Gotham City."

"I will continue to watch Gotham City's development."

"Citizens of Gotham!"

"I—God of Wisdom and Magic—VijesCui, bless you! From now on, any people living around Gotham, praying to me under the light of the magical torch, offering their faith, will receive a response after three days, and a blessing will descend."

"Magic is truth, knowledge is power."

"May more wise peoples walk the path of seeking magical truth."

The God of Magic's voice pierced everyone's mind, shaking them to the core; the believers gazed at the goddess in mid‑air, eyes filled with fervent worship. In that moment, their devotion surged—casual believers became loyal, and loyal believers became fanatics.

Those peripheral believers and outsiders, also swayed by the atmosphere, began praying unconsciously.

When they said they would bless all Gotham citizens, the fire of faith flared wildly; in an instant, hundreds of thousands boiled over, praising in unison.

Amid the fervent prayers, the God of Magic lightly pointed at the statue before them.

A beam of light entered the statue's eyes.

In an instant, the statue changed; a massive divine energy wave coursed through its body, countless runes imbued with profound knowledge flowed across its surface for over ten seconds, then merged into the statue, becoming one.

The torch in the statue's right hand hushed briefly, then with a rumble the flame surged as if fueled by countless fuels, rising dozens of times, emitting a vast magical radiance.

This time, the magical radiance carried divine power.

The light fell on every inch within three hundred li, covering everyone inside and outside the city; regardless of whether they were followers of the God of Magic, a mysterious rune formed above each head, descended swiftly, and embedded into the forehead.

Immediately, people felt their thoughts become clear.

All worries, anxieties, and restlessness were cast aside; problems that usually baffled them and things they couldn't understand suddenly seemed less difficult.

Transcendents sensed their bodily condition; they now had a rough idea of how to train Elements next and how to boost their strength.

Spellcasters found their thoughts accelerated, becoming especially sensitive to magical energy; if they could meditate immediately, the effect would far exceed normal, increasing their soul power greatly.

Blessing of Wisdom!

This is the God of Magic's unique Divine Technique; it can raise the recipient's wisdom—in plain terms, it makes them smarter.

Usually, a goddess's priests wield the Blessing of Wisdom, but such priests are few; most are spellcasters moonlighting, so few have experienced its effect.

Today, bestowing the Blessing of Wisdom on hundreds of thousands at once is unprecedented.

Moreover, it is not only this time.

From now on, anyone living in Gotham City who prays to the goddess daily will receive a Blessing of Wisdom every three days!

Everyone went crazy.

The guests on the temple plaza—Holy Soul Wizards, Empire councilors, and Gotham's social elites—these powerful transcendents were all astonished.

Occasionally one or two Blessings of Wisdom yield little improvement for transcendents, as the Divine Technique's duration is short, but receiving one every three days, over years, the cumulative effect becomes terrifying.

This is enough to let an ordinary person reach the threshold of transcendence, increasing the success rate of Soul Transformation.

It can also accelerate the advancement of a transcendental with mediocre talent.

Spellcasters who must meditate daily benefit the most; soul power growth can increase by at least twenty percent, approaching thirty percent!

The longer one lives in Gotham City, the greater the benefit!

Once this news spreads, it is predictable that countless ordinary people and transcendents will flock to Gotham City; a Blessing of Wisdom every three days is irresistibly attractive!

Even among guests already possessing great power, some are deeply tempted.

If I also moved to live in Gotham City...

Under the Blessing of Wisdom, people quickly grasped the causes and effects; Gotham's residents trembled with excitement, shouting hoarsely in praise, loudly proclaiming the goddess's doctrine.

"May the goddess protect, truth endure!"

Lei En's soul eye saw the fire of faith surge again.

Countless lines of illusory power formed by countless forces of faith densely filled the sky, hurled toward the God of Magic high above, and the believers' devotion to the deity rose another level.

A single divine miracle display earned the God of Magic at least fifty thousand loyal followers.

This move…

Truly impressive!

Lei En felt helpless; the God of Magic was presenting a borrowed flower to the Buddha, extending generosity on behalf of others. And he himself was the one who received the borrowed flower, the one being shown generosity.

The God of Magic used divine power to remodel the statue's rune array, adding the Divine Technique of wisdom blessing. Henceforth, the blessings granted by believers' prayers would draw the vast majority of their energy from the Iola Core, while the deity supplied only a minuscule amount of divine power as a catalyst.

This would not affect the operation of its own Iola Core.

Because there was no need to power Fu Kong Cheng's flight, only a Ten‑ring Spell, ten sky‑supporting colossi, and a crystal bridge were maintained, the Iola Core's energy output was far below its limit, leaving a great surplus.

Even so, Lei En still felt very displeased.

He had other plans for the Iola Core's energy, but the God of Magic took it without notice; clearly, the deity was not acting on a whim but had long plotted.

Before constructing the statue, he reported to the deity and only began after receiving permission.

The deity also intervened to help conceal it, up to the present.

It is estimated that during the statue's construction, the God of Magic set its sights on the Iola Core's surplus energy; otherwise, even as a deity, it would not so easily complete the remodeling of the statue's rune array.

A wisdom blessing is granted once every three days, available only to believers; on average, this requires 150 000 Divine Techniques per day, each equivalent to a Three‑ring Spell, and the Iola Core's surplus energy can supply one million Three‑ring Spells daily.

Gotham City's planned population capacity is three million, just meeting the demand.

The God of Magic calculated everything crystal‑clear.

Damn…

You, the illustrious God of Magic, actually schemed against a mortal.

Lei En cursed inwardly, "spending the whole day chasing geese, only to be pecked in the eye." Yet the God of Magic announced it before hundreds of thousands of people, making it a settled fact that he could not alter.

He must find compensation elsewhere!

Lei En silently swore, yet kept a smiling face as he gazed up at the God of Magic, appearing deeply devout.

Under the gaze of hundreds of thousands, the God of Magic slowly descended, a vast aura of divine power enveloping the plaza before the temple, causing the guests' souls to tremble.

"I have beheld the great mysterious lady."

Anxiwodasi and a group of Holy Soul Wizards led the bow.

Holy Soul Wizards differ naturally from ordinary people and believers; they are spellcasters standing atop mortals, and even before a deity they retain their own dignity.

Title: Duke Silver Star, Storm Queen, North Wind Blade Ishina, Leila, and Kuilu—the five sisters—watched the God of Magic, their expressions excited, their faces full of admiration.

Consul Gneus and other Saint Rank elites knelt in succession.

At once, only a Holy Soul Wizard and three people remained standing on the plaza before the temple: the Earth Saintess Rosita and Silver‑Sword Ceciro. Neither were followers of the God of Magic; each was a leader of their own church, merely bowing to the deity in respect.

The third standing one was Lei En.

"I have seen the lady."

He greeted with neither humility nor arrogance, as if greeting a friend.

Then, just as when he first met the God of Magic's saintly avatar, he stepped forward two paces, bowed courteously, and extended his right hand.

It is the Empire noble's hand‑kiss ceremony.

Holy Soul Wizards, the guests on the plaza, and the hundreds of thousands of believers on both sides of the bay all widened their eyes at the sight.

This is blasphemy!

This is an unforgivable desecration of a great goddess!

Immediately, many fanatics leapt up, ready to loudly rebuke Lei En, even daring to attack him despite the gap in power.

Then, in the next second, everyone froze.

The God of Magic extended a slender, beautiful hand, gently placing it on Lei En's hand; the deity leaned down and gave a fleeting kiss on the back of his hand, then withdrew.

The whole process unfolded naturally, as if it were a hand‑kiss ceremony between two mortal noblemen and women.

One dares to extend, the other dares to kiss.

This…

Hundreds of thousands of believers stared dumbfounded, scarcely daring to believe their own eyes.

Duke Silver Star, the sisters, and the Holy Soul Wizards were also incredulous; even the Chosen Ones of the goddess never received such high honor.

They saw Lei En's gaze change completely.

All throughout the Empire, people were shocked by Lei En's series of heroic feats that seemed incongruent with his age, often teasing that he was the deity's illegitimate child.

Such remarks were taken as jokes; no one believed them.

Now some think there might be a grain of truth, yet Lei En is clearly not the God of Magic's illegitimate child; he seems more like… euphemistically a consort or lover, bluntly the goddess's paramour.

For a moment, people's expressions turned odd.

Those nearest on the temple plaza tightened their thoughts; faced with the deity directly, if it sensed their wandering minds, would they even wish to live?

The God of Magic's flawless face remained smiling, showing no hint of offense.

Its gaze swept over everyone on the plaza.

Each person it saw lifted their chest, striving to display admiration and worship, yet felt uneasy inside.

The overwhelming majority were seeing the God of Magic for the first time in their lives.

Although they knew this was merely a saintly avatar of the goddess, the deity's true form would never easily leave the divine realm; its descent to the Prime Material Plane is exceedingly difficult and would cause far greater commotion, yet the avatar before them also possessed supreme power.

A single thought, a single glance.

With that, it could effortlessly slay a mortal; even Saint Rank elites before it are no more than ants.

Finally, the God of Magic's gaze returned to Lei En, and softly said, "Lei En, everything you have done is excellent; I am pleased."

"It is my honor to offer my modest strength to the lady," Lei En replied modestly.

VijesCui gently nodded.

Their beautiful eyes gazed at Lei En, seeming to be contemplating something, and even hesitated a bit. After a few seconds, they finally said, "Your request, I have already known."

Only Lei En could hear the words that followed; the others saw the God of Magic communicating with Lei En, but heard no sound.

"Go ahead and do it without restraint."

"The Empire's government is decided by mortals themselves; I will not interfere."

"But there are two conditions: the Empire must be a Wizard's Empire; my followers may only increase, never decrease. If you violate either condition, I will act at once, showing no mercy."

Lei En felt great joy in his heart; the deal was successful!

He, with a solemn expression, loudly replied, "Yes, I will carefully obey the lady's divine decree!"

(End of Chapter)