novelraw Chapter 311 The Forging of the Sacred Domain
Chapter 311 The Forging of the Sacred Domain
Chapter 311 The Forging of the Sacred Domain
Having received the expected answer, the Black Moon Pope showed no emotion whatsoever.
If the Black Moon Cult is untrustworthy, then surely the Remnant of the Flame would not come knocking on their door.
However, she was still pondering whether there was any need to cooperate with Yu Huo.
Taking that step would be like adding another irreparable wound to the current situation, and she didn't know if it was the right thing to do or the wrong thing.
"What are you hesitating about? Are you worried that we'll push the already precarious church into the abyss?"
Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Modi read what she was thinking... This was not an application of authority related to thought, but simply a psychological analysis.
He has plenty of time to himself to squeeze out of himself; it wouldn't be a problem for him to set aside some time to learn other things.
"If that's what you're worried about, then I think there's no need to worry. You should know that since the Pope was killed by an inside man, the sect behind the inside man may have already defected to the enemy."
"This is what Mordy, the Blood God Heretic, said, is the Church's greatest enemy at present."
"The rifts within the church are beyond repair. Perhaps the most pressing issue now is how to preserve our denomination."
His sincere tone and natural demeanor left the Black Moon Pope with nothing to criticize.
He could only sigh inwardly, "As expected of the most mysterious Flamebringer of the Ember Cult, he seemed to be handling even a Pope with ease."
Although she didn't want to admit it, the fire-bringer's words did indeed move her.
"Your suggestion is quite good," she said softly, first expressing her agreement, "What kind of alliance do you want to make with the Black Moon Cult?"
She wasn't in a hurry. After all, someone was asking her for a favor, so she should be in control, which was logically true.
However, Modi is not a person who plays by the rules, and he doesn't like to be led by the nose.
"It's just a matter of informing Black Moon in advance, so both sides have a tacit understanding. If anything really happens, we can support each other, right?"
Modi smiled and waved his hand.
Moonlight streamed through the stained-glass windows of the church, falling upon the two people standing opposite each other.
The silvery, mercury-like sheen clung to the surface of the Black Moon Pope's robes, making her appear even more mysterious and closer to the bright moonlight.
In the same environment, Modi was completely different; shadows covered most of his face, leaving only a slight upturn of his lips visible.
"That's all I wanted to say today. Well then, let's meet again another day."
Modi nodded slightly and turned to leave.
He had just taken a step when he suddenly stopped, as if he had thought of something, and added, "By the way, in a week, it will be the day I am crowned Pope. If Lord Black Moon is willing to attend the ceremony, the Ember Cult will surely be honored."
Watching his figure gradually disappear into the background, Pope Black Moon frowned slightly and couldn't help but ask, "You've chosen the next pope so quickly? Is your Ember Cult... so casual?"
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. We didn't want to do this, but the fire must always be passed on, even if it's just a ember."
After casually quoting a doctrine from the Ember Cult, Mordi left without looking back.
This time, he has planted a seed within the church, and regardless of the outcome, it has widened the rift within the church.
"Ah, this feeling of openly infiltrating the enemy's ranks is really quite nice."
With a smile, Modi strolled leisurely through the moonlit alley.
This is still the territory of the Black Moon Cult, where the light and power of the moon are exceptionally strong. Wherever the light shines, all negative elements can only be silenced.
Everything has two sides. The power of the Black Moon can incite a riot of negative elements, as Ling Su once did, but conversely, it can also have a calming effect.
Silence enveloped the alley; apart from the sound of Modi's footsteps, there was no other sound.
Those following him were all elites, and with the cover of night and moonlight, it would be difficult for them to be discovered.
But he just happened to notice them. In fact, the Black Moon elites were as conspicuous to him as hundred-yuan bills lying on the street; there was no way he could miss them.
He ignored them, because he figured the group was most likely sent by the Pope to monitor and protect him, and they meant him no harm.
Who would have thought that a seemingly frail torchbearer might be hiding a tributary of the River Styx, a filthy river?
Even if the power carried by his body is weak, it is still stronger than that old man, Pope Yu Huo.
The group of observers hidden in the shadows were very discreet; they only followed the two sects to the border, then stopped and stood still to observe.
The moment he stepped across the border, Modi felt the temperature rise sharply, and the tranquility was replaced by a fiery atmosphere.
A wave of heat hit him in the face, and a small squad of Ember Army soldiers carrying torches walked quickly and stopped in front of him in perfect unison.
The leader stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said, "Your Excellency, you've finally returned."
"Hmm, what happened within the church while I was away?"
Although it was a question, his tone sounded as if he had already made up his mind.
"You are truly a prophet," Captain Yu Jin nodded. "During your meeting, a group of diehards attempted to cause trouble."
"But they didn't succeed, right?"
"Yes, with the plan you left behind, victory is an inevitable outcome."
At this point, the captain's tone couldn't help but carry a hint of admiration.
The torchbearer before him, soon to be crowned, had, not long after assuming papal authority, disciplined each faction within the church and made most of them obedient.
It can be said that without this gentleman, the sect would still be in turmoil due to the power vacuum.
"Now that the situation is under control, let's go back to the cathedral."
Modi didn't care about the fate of those diehards, nor did he bother to ask. Now, he had more important things to do.
He needs to focus his energy back on military affairs!
The group returned to the brightly lit cathedral, and as soon as the accompanying servants opened the door, a rich aroma of incense wafted out.
"That's really extravagant. I never used incense of this caliber when I was a Firebringer."
Based on the fabricated memories resulting from the timeline correction, Mordy is convinced that not long ago, he, the "firebearer," was still in the underground tomb, keeping company with moss and stone coffins.
"Well, this is a cathedral after all, and these are necessary expenditures to maintain the dignity of the sect."
The commander of the Ember Army coughed, a fleeting look of embarrassment crossing his face.
Modi neither confirmed nor denied this claim. After dismissing everyone else, he summoned a 3D projection map and began to analyze the current situation on his own.
Yes, the situation is very favorable, at least from the perspective of the Blood God Cult.
The Blood God's invading army from the North has already completed half of its original objective: to conquer the northern region of Middle-earth.
This is hardly good news for the church.
"Well, although the church suffered a loss because they were caught off guard, now that they've realized what's happening, the battle isn't progressing as smoothly as it did at the beginning."
Modi stroked his chin, weaving new strategies in his mind.
The Blood God Cult has only been around for a short time, so it's normal that it would be overwhelmed if the battle were to be prolonged.
Furthermore, the church, being on the defensive, has an advantage over the attackers.
That intricate array of formations is no mere decoration.
"At least the first phase of the strategy has been completed. The churches and sites of relics in the northern region of Middle-earth have been almost completely destroyed in the raids. However, due to the resistance of the local garrison, they have not been completely occupied yet."
As he pondered, his gaze gradually moved downwards, finally settling on a city on the map.
"Yes, it is said that a long time ago, in order to consolidate its rule over the Central Plains, the Church laid down a huge magic array on this land, attempting to transform it into a holy domain."
"With cities as nodes, earth veins and water veins as loops, and the entire Central Plains as the foundation, if this is true, it would be a truly remarkable project."
Whether this is a legend or a historical fact, Modi doesn't know.
He asked Pope Yu Huo, but the old man just shook his head and said, "I've heard this before, but unfortunately, there are no relevant texts in the church to prove it. Besides, even if it were true, it would probably have been almost completely destroyed in that catastrophe."
"9
The catastrophe the old man spoke of was an aetheric disaster that occurred in the early Third Era, nearly ravaging the entire Middle-earth.
At that time, the mainland was in the early stages of the decline of the ether, or perhaps it was a last gasp before the sun rose again. In any case, a storm suddenly appeared in the ether layer, which manifested in reality as a series of natural disasters.
Earthquakes, magical storms, floods... After one natural disaster after another, the landscape of China has changed dramatically.
Even if the legendary creation of the Holy Domain is true, after these natural disasters, the earth veins and water veins that served as the return route were destroyed, so the Holy Domain could not possibly survive.
"If this is true, would the church have initiated the 'Seven Gods Election' plan because of this?"
As his thoughts wandered, Modi's angle of looking at the map changed without him even realizing it.
He began to view the map of Middle-earth from the perspective of a transmutation circle.
The direction of mountains and rivers reveals the textures of the earth's veins and water veins, but this is only what is visible. There are also underground mineral veins and water systems, which are difficult to observe.
Each city is like a chess piece, scattered across the chessboard of the Central Plains, or like the nodes of a magic circle, connecting the loops represented by the ley lines and water veins.
After looking at it for a while, Modi found the oldest map of China that he could find and carefully compared the differences between ancient and modern maps.
"Tsk, it's a pity. Even the oldest map I found was drawn after the catastrophe. I can't find any maps from before the catastrophe."
Looking at the barely discernible stripes on the old map, Modi felt helpless.
He still remembers that at the beginning he was just a minor blood mage, and his knowledge was limited to the scope of blood magic.
At that time, he never imagined that he would be forced to learn so many things.
"Without geographical knowledge, one cannot construct a magic array of this level."
His expression gradually became serious, and he watched with increasing focus.
Now, based on the locations of some cities and the patterns of some mountains and rivers, he can basically confirm that a huge magic array did indeed exist on this land.
The cities he circled may be some of the nodes of the past, while the remaining mountains and rivers circled are some of the former routes.
"Fortunately, there are still some patterns. It seems that the catastrophe did not completely change the landscape of Central China."
Based on the established patterns of nodes and loops, he attempted to reconstruct the original magic array.
"From the city of Epiruçu outwards... should this loop be a waterway or a ley line? Hmm, I can't tell, I really can't tell."
"Wait, if this used to be a water vein, wouldn't there be an excessive amount of moisture? Wouldn't so much water element disrupt the balance?"
"But if it's a ley line... no, could there be groundwater hidden underneath? Is this a double circuit? I need to find someone to investigate in person."
After revising and rewriting for a long time, working from late at night until the early hours of the morning, Mo Di finally straightened his stiff back and emerged from his hunched-over work state.
He looked at the projected map, which had changed. It was covered with various blue and green patterns, and at the intersections were red dots representing cities.
After working all night, he restored the original Sacred Domain Alchemy Array to about 20% of its original state.
It's not that he doesn't want to do better, but this is already his limit, and there are still many parts where he's unsure if he's doing things correctly.
Even as an immortal being, he could only achieve this much; the Church probably couldn't even recreate five percent of it.
"A shocking secret, it's like this, like this, like this. The legendary creation of the Holy Domain is real!"
Since he made his guess last night, a group of Blood God Sons set off overnight to conduct secret investigations in various parts of the Central Plains. Now, the results of their investigations are being reported one after another.
"There were indeed traces of underground water veins beneath the city of Epiru, but they disappeared a long time ago."
"Deep within the Kowalen Mountains, there exists an aetheric anomaly zone, suspected to be traces left by a transmutation array."
"At the bottom of the abandoned Skar mine, anomalous elements condensed into radioactive magic stones, which seem to have once stored waste discharged from the transmutation array."
"6
'
With his exceptional efficiency, Modi alone is comparable to a large organization, so gathering information naturally doesn't take him long.
"Now that the authenticity of the Sacred Domain's forging has been confirmed, what can I do with it, or rather, with its remains?"
Modi's gaze fell on the map once more, settling on the city that had first sparked his speculation and served as the center of the loop.
"Epir, in the entire Sacred Domain transmutation circle, should be the hub of the northern part."
As mentioned earlier, Modi only restored about 20% of the magic array, and this 20% was all located in the northern part of the Middle Kingdom.
Dark thoughts lingered in his mind, and Mordy began to devise his own clever scheme, attempting to incorporate the remnants of the transmutation array into his strategy.
"By altering the course of the earth's veins and watercourses with human intervention, and combining this with the remaining loops, we should be able to barely activate the remaining northern transmutation array."
"Based on this, if the element of the River Styx is added to act as a partial loop, and my will is applied to the entire array, the underlying commands of the transmutation array can be rewritten."
"Finally, in the northern part of the Central Plains, I built my own sacred domain, and so on."
'
This was the first time he had ever attempted such a massive project. If successful, the Blood God Cult would gain an indestructible fortress in the Central Plains.