Various streams of light retreated like a tide, and in the magnificent rotunda hall, the figures of archbishops disappeared into the air.

Daniel, who had participated in the Supreme Bishops' meeting, also stood up and bowed slightly to Selena Gerfen, who was still in place and did not leave: "Then, I will check the situation of the stable barrier of pan-consciousness first, Archbishop Selena."

"Thank you for your hard work, Archbishop Daniel," Selena nodded slightly, "Your security team is very important to us now."

After a flash of light, Daniel also left the hall. In the huge indoor space, only Selena Gerfen, who stood quietly, was left, and a starlight aggregate floating above the round table, mixed with deep purple background and silver-white light spots, and the surrounding outline was swelling and shrinking.

After a long silence, a long sigh suddenly came from the starlight aggregate: "Selina, today's situation reminds me of seven hundred years ago."

"The situation is really bad, Pope's crown," Selena whispered, "even... worse than seven hundred years ago."

"The druids have failed, and the people of the deep sea have been lost in the deep sea. The road we stick to seems to be facing a desperate situation," Pope Mergol III's voice sounded quietly. "Maybe in the end we will have to completely give up our entire spiritual network, and even pay hundreds of lives for it... But compared to these losses, what I regret the most is that our efforts for seven hundred years seem to..."

"Pope's Covenant, it's too early to say this," Selena suddenly interrupted Mergor III. "We have not yet had to make a choice, and the things in the sandbox No. 1 are still strictly imprisoned by us now."

"But it is already consciously trying to escape, it has realized where the boundary of the cage is, and then it will seek to break through the boundary at all costs. If it leaves the sandbox No. 1, it can enter the network of mind, and with the network of mind, it can rule reality through its compatriots living in the real world. At that time, we will really call it 'His."

Selena remained silent, but recalled her experience in Phantom Town and the "extra person" who almost returned to Dream City with the exploration team.

Although Phantom Town is just a "overflow projection" and is not the essence of Sandbox No. 1, at a time when pollution has gradually spread, the things in the projection want to enter the spiritual network itself is one of the attempts of the "things" in Sandbox No. 1 to break through the cage.

She couldn't help but clenched her fists hard, and couldn't help but remember the darkest and desperate days seven hundred years ago.

The pollution from the gods robbed thousands of minds, and the most determined priests and believers also fell into frenzy overnight. The "Lord" that once deeply respected became an indescribable monster. The church where they lived was divided into pieces, and their compatriots lost and fell in the frenzy...

People who stay awake pay unimaginable prices to rebuild order. It took hundreds of years for the remaining compatriots to recover step by step. Only because of that little bit of slim, even nearly self-deception, these survivors who wandered on the borders of reason and madness had made plans paranoidly and walked to this day.

Then, all the roads were cut off in just two or three years, and seven hundred years of persistence and the faint hope were finally proved to be nothing more than the delusions of blindly arrogant people.

All efforts are just paving the way for the gods.

But... is the "struggle to survive" really just a delusion?

Selena raised her head, looked at the slowly squirming starlight aggregate in the air, and said calmly: "Maybe we have taken the wrong path, but this does not mean that the right path does not exist. In the final analysis, we have only tried three paths."

The voice of Mergol III came: "What you said... reminded me of the last message Franken sent to me before he merged with the body of the false god."

"Hello Master..." Selena blinked, "What did he say?"

"He said, 'There are many roads, I'll try one of them. If it's wrong, don't give up.'" Mergold III's voice was calm and calm, but Selena heard a little emotion from it. "Thinking about it now, he might have vaguely noticed that all three of our roads were hidden dangers, but he had no time to remind him, and it was difficult for us to try other directions."

"The druids try to create a human 'controlled god'. We try to cut the chains from the depths of our souls. The people of the sea try to upgrade the element and blend into one with the wreckage of the Lord of the Storm..." Selena said one by one, "Now it seems that we may have been too arrogant when we first discussed these three paths."

Mergol III was silent for a long time before speaking: "No matter what, since we choose and open the road to cut off the chain, we must face everything about it, including preparing for burying this road. This is... the responsibility of the pioneers."

“Yes, as you said.”

"Let's rest, I'm going to think about the future of the sect."

Selena lowered her head, and in her perception, Mergol III's consciousness gradually moved away from here.

She kept this posture for a long time, and it was not until a few minutes later that her voice sounded softly in the empty chamber: "...a Trailblazer..."

...

After the meeting, Hetty did not communicate with anyone and returned to his office in the Government Affairs Office alone.

The entire third floor of the Government Affairs Department is very quiet. During the holiday day of the 10th, most unurgent affairs will be left to be handled next week, and the Grand Consul's office will be rarely quiet.

The warm air device emits a slight buzzing sound, and warm air flow blows out from the ventilation ducts in the corner of the room. The magic crystal stone lamp on the roof has been lit. The bright light dispels the darkness of dusk outside the window. Through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see that lights on both sides of the street opposite the square have already lit up. Citizens who have enjoyed their rest days are returning home under the lights, or go to the taverns, cafes, and chess and card rooms on the streets and alleys.

Looking at the citizens coming and going, looking at the imperial capital far away from the darkness in artificial lights, Hetty suddenly thought of the words he heard during the meeting before—

It was not the gods who created humans, it was the humans who created gods.

"The same is true for the goddess of magic..."

Herty couldn't help but mutter to herself, her fingers gently outlined the four basic runes of wind, water, fire and earth in the air. Then she shook her hands into a fist, pressed her fist against her forehead, and chanted the name of the magic goddess Milmina.

This is the standard process for wizards who believe in the goddess of magic to conduct simple prayers.

As a special god, the magic goddess Milmina does not have a formal church and priest system. She is in charge of extraordinary power and lacks awe of gods and worships the magic goddess more often as a psychological sustenance or awe-worthy "original origin of knowledge". However, this does not mean that the "divine nature" of the magic goddess has been shaken and weakened in this world at all.

God is real, even the wizards who are keen on exploring worldly truths and believe that knowledge and wisdom can explain the movement of all things recognize this, so they undoubtedly believe that the goddess of magic is a true god.

However, their feelings for this god may appear more "reasonable" and "peaceful" than the feelings for other believers of the gods they believe in.

The mages are all shallow believers of the magic goddess Milmina, but they have almost never heard of the mages of the magic goddess.

And Hetty... can be regarded as the more pious one among the mages who believe in the goddess of magic.

Even though she knew about the plan of disobedience, even if she participated, many of the "theistic secularization" projects that promoted her ancestors had never changed.

Because in her concept, these things do not damage the light of the magic goddess herself - gods existed like that. Since ancient times, they have existed forever. They are as natural as the stars in the sky, and they do not change due to the behavior of ordinary people. Regardless of "substantialization of the divine power" or "substantialization of the divine power", they are just wrong behaviors in the process of correcting the belief of ordinary people. Even the more intense "disobedient plan" is more like an attempt by ordinary people to get rid of the influence of gods and take their own path.

It is all about mortals themselves and has nothing to do with God - this may be the way of thinking of most mages.

However, what she heard at the meeting today shakes the foundation of the gods.

The prayer for the goddess of magic was as always. Hetty could feel the mysterious and inexplicable power surged in a very distant dimension, but he could not hear any instructions from Milmina, nor could he feel the arrival of divine art.

Milmina is the only god who almost never descends or even shows miracles and magic. If it weren't for her prayers, the mages wouldn't even be sure that this god still exists.

"Goddess...you should be able to hear it?" In the brief calm of receiving feedback after praying, Hetty whispered in a tone that seemed to be talking to himself, "Maybe you don't have time to respond to every voice, but you should be able to hear it too...

"Are you really created by the collective thoughts of mortals?... Are you an existence like a star, or is it a collective illusion of us mortals..."

The magic goddess Milmina did not respond at all, but the indescribable sense of transcendence, sacredness, and tranquility was still floating in Hetty's heart, but soon, this feeling of calm caused by the feedback of prayer suddenly disappeared.

Hetty heard the sound of knocking on the door panel from behind: "Hetty, didn't disturb you, right?"

Hetty quickly turned around and saw Gao Wen standing at the door. She hurriedly saluted: "Ancestor - do you have something to ask me for?"

"It's nothing, just look at your door that's not closed, there are lights inside, so come and take a look," Govin walked into Hetty's office and glanced at the latter casually. "I just saw you seem to be praying?"

"I..." Hetty opened his mouth, but after hesitating a little, he nodded slightly, "I am praying to the magic goddess Milmina."

"Ah, I remember you are a believer of Milmina," said Gao Wen without surprise. "Depending on your appearance, you are feeling a little uneasy?"

"It's worrying you," Hetty lowered his head, "I'm actually fine."

"It's a pity that I'm not a believer of any god, so it's hard to empathize with you at this time," Gao Wen gently patted Hetty on the shoulder. "But I know that it's uncomfortable for anyone to suddenly be challenged for decades."

Hetty looked at Gao Wen and suddenly asked with a bold heart: "How many people in your era did not believe in any god like you?"

“…more than you think,” Gao Wen said slowly after a moment of silence, “but those who do not believe in gods are not necessarily those who do not believe in faith.”

Hedy turned his head slightly, thinking and sighing: "Many of what you say are always full of philosophy."

"Sometimes it's just an experience summarized by our predecessors," Gao Wen shook his head with a smile, then looked into Hedy's eyes, "Can you get out by yourself?"

"able."

"That's good, but if you really encounter difficulties or can't get out of confusion, you can come to me at any time - we are family."

Hedy looked at Gao Wen and suddenly laughed: "Of course, ancestor."

"Today is a rest day, go back early," Gao Wen nodded, looked at the sky outside again, and said with a smile, "On the last day of this year, don't work overtime in the Government Affairs Department. Tomorrow I will allow you another day off and have a good rest - I will arrange the matter here for you."

This time, Hedy smiled particularly from the heart: "Yes, ancestor!"

The two left the room. In the huge office, the light of the magic crystal stone lamps went silently. While darkness surged, the street lights from the squares and streets outside also shone into the room hazy, outlining the furnishings in the office.

In the silence, a few floating lights suddenly appeared.
Chapter completed!