Council of Shadows, Temple of Dreams.

The complete yellow glazed rock ground is full of mysterious and symmetrical patterns, extending along the bronze giant pillars nearly 100 meters high to the dome of the hall. Twelve huge statues of sword-wielding angels were scattered around the temple, and they were all black, as if they were covered with a shadow, except for the white-gold glow of the eyes. Anyone walking under the statue can feel the gaze of the angels, who seem to wake up at any moment to purify all blasphemers.

Empty, distant, mysterious, grandiose, and solemn and sacred, this is not a temple that can be built by man, it is constructed by the dreams of the shadow priest, and it hides countless secrets, knowledge, and transcendent powers.

Every time Bishop Charlie of the Shadows enters the Hall of Dreams, he has a different mood, shock, joy, piety, pride, loss, strength, hope, and finally a peaceful belonging.

The mysterious pattern of the Dream Hall is engraved in the depths of Charlie's soul, he follows the teacher to learn the spiritual meditation method, part of which is to remember the part of the same pattern, not a single bit, it will form a spiritual resonance with the teacher, and practice the second level meditation method to remember the other part of the pattern, until the meditation method is pushed to level 6, he entered the dream hall in his sleep.

Now, Charlie realizes that the Shadow Priest's spiritual meditation method is actually a spell of the Dream Palace, and in the process of remembering patterns, the wizard's spiritual power is constructing a set of magic circuits, and all the existence in the Dream Hall is the embodiment of abstract patterns. As long as the Shadow Priest has practiced the Spiritual Meditation Method to level 6, he will be able to enter the temple in his sleep and meet with other level 6 mages.

It's a pity that Charlie's teacher couldn't practice the Spiritual Meditation Method to level 6, and he didn't know the secrets of the Dream Palace.

Charlie walked alone in the empty hall, through the corridor guarded by the angelic statue, and a quaint throne emerged behind him, and when he sat down, stone pillars rose from the ground, lifting the throne and the shadow bishop to the hundred-meter-high dome.

In the Dream Palace, the Shadow Priest is not an omnipotent existence, everything here has corresponding rules, and changing the rules means that he can't establish spiritual resonance with other Level 6 Shadow Priests, then he will be completely out of the Dream Palace.

Opposite Charlie is an identical stone pillar, and on the throne sits a young boy with clear eyebrows, dressed in a robe woven like night, somewhere between fantasy and reality.

"Lord Shadow Bishop, the Keeper of the Secret greets you. The black-robed boy greeted Charlie through the impassable space.

Charlie has multiple identities that correspond to different organizations and different roles.

He is the Shadow Bishop of the Inquisition, responsible for teaching the young wizards sent by the Trigovars from the El Nation and raising them to become Shadow Priests, and he is the Speaker of the Shadow Council formed by the Trigovars, with the title of Sky Surveyor, possessing the Great Owl Puppet, flying to every corner of the human realm, searching for wild little wizards, introducing them to the Shadow Council, and being monitored by Trigovar.

It wasn't until Charlie entered the Dream Hall and met the Keeper that he learned that there was a Shadow Council in addition to the Shadow Council controlled by the Inquisition, which belonged to the Shadow Priest himself.

Since then, he has added another role, the deputy speaker of the Shadow Council, codenamed "The Courier". And the Speaker of the Council of Shadows is the keeper of the Dream Palace.

Of all the titles, Charlie preferred the title of Shadow Bishop. As a descendant of the El Nation and a descendant of the clergy, his devotion to the Lord of Light is deeply rooted in his bones, and this unbreakable faith is the armor of the Shadow Priests against the Devil's Whispers, so that they can draw knowledge and strength from listening to the whispers without losing themselves.

Charlie trusts the Speaker of the Secret Keeper, since stepping into the Dream Palace, the Secret Keeper not only told him the truth about the Shadow Council, but also followed the tradition of the Keeper of the Secret, and taught him a large number of spell mysteries and spell models, these valuable spell knowledge is the legacy of the Shadow Priest of the past generations, and after the Keeper of the Temple Keeper sorted out and summarized, a perfect spell system was almost formed. However, the Shadow Priests refer to these spells as Shadow Magic.

As a level 6 shadow priest, Charlie knew as soon as he heard it that the shadow magic system narrated by the temple keeper had no traps and concealments. He believed that the Keeper of the Secret had the same faith as the Shadow Priest – to walk in the sun and serve the Supreme Lord of Light.

The Shadow Divine Technique is the crystallization of the wisdom of the Shadow Priests of the past, and it embodies the ideals of the Shadow Priests.

Charlie speculated that the Secret Keeper might be the heir of the Shadow Priest who created the Dream Hall Meditation Method, but he couldn't imagine how the Secret Keeper line would hide the eyes and ears of the Inquisition, select the little wizard heir, and how he would make each generation of the Secret Keeper reach the level of Level 6 Shadow Priest?

"Shadow Priest Charlie greets you, Honorable Keeper of the Temple. Charlie stroked the chest of the boy-like keeper.

A warm sigh flowed in the empty hall, and the secret keeper smiled indifferently: "For so many years, only two thrones have risen in the Dream Palace, I don't know if we will be able to see new companions in the future." ”

Because of the relationship between practicing puppetry, Charlie's limbs shrunk and his body was paralyzed, and he lived in the tower provided by the Inquisition all the year round, concentrating on theology and shadow magic, and had long been accustomed to living in isolation and solitude. Even though there had been no new Shadow Priest in the Dream Hall for decades, he didn't feel lonely and lonely. Exchanging experiences with the Guardian in the Dream Hall and discussing shadow magic gave him the feeling of transcending time and space and talking to the high-ranking shadow priests of the past.

That's legacy. Even if Charlie's time is short, as long as the keeper is in the Dream Palace, there will always be successors who will inherit his research results and innovate them, just like he did himself.

"Shadow Priest Bieber has pushed the Spiritual Meditation Method to the fifth level, he has a chance to enter the Dream Palace, maybe I can't wait for him, maybe you can meet him. ”

The corners of Charlie's mouth drew a smile of relief, and without waiting for the secret keeper to respond, his eyes said eagerly: "I have improved the blight model and amblyopia model proposed by the sixth generation of Shadow Bishops, you can help me take a look." ”

Two complicated purple patterns appeared in the void in front of the secret keeper, and he looked at them carefully for a long time, memorized the magic circuit, and muttered, "It really worked...... The Shadow Warrior's magic system has finally reached the middle level. ”

Blight: The caster hits the enemy with a weapon or bare hands, causing double damage to the target's soul and body, showing the effects of mental retardation, mental exhaustion and local life flow, each contact, the damage effect lasts for 5 seconds, which can be stacked, but the withering is stacked to a certain extent, and the target's soul and body are irreversibly damaged, showing the characteristics of aging and withering.

Amblyopia: Targets hostile to the caster have a chance to ignore the caster's movements and presence, causing the caster to flicker in the enemy's line of sight.

Both spells rely on mana circuits and are intended for melee wizards. The Shadow Priest of the Temple of Dreams wants to emulate the Holy Warriors of the Church and train the weakly gifted wizards into melee Shadow Warriors. The Shadow Warrior's training method is actually the foundation of the Shadow Warrior's entry, and then practice the matching spells to become a powerful transcendent melee fighter. The Shadow Priest is compatible with the Shadow Warrior's melee spells, but he must first be able to memorize more spell models and cast spells with plenty of mana. Most wizards can't do it to this extent, and the Shadow Priest prefers to go the specialization route.

The Shadow Priest of the Dream Hall has been passed down from generation to generation, and it has taken hundreds of years to perfect the spell system of the Shadow Priest from level 1 to 6, while the spell system of the Shadow Warrior has been stuck at the initial level. Charlie successfully constructed the magic circuit of the third-level blight technique and the fourth-level amblyopia technique, and the shadow warrior's spell system finally broke through to the middle level.

The Secret Keeper embodied a thick and simple book, including the intricate and mysterious purple light patterns in the void into the pages, and solemnly said, "These two spells cannot be handed over to Trigovar, and they are kept by the Secret Keeper. ”

"Of course, this is the work of generations of the Keeper of the Dream Hall and the Shadow Priest, not my own work. ”

Charlie nodded, looked at the boy-like keeper again, and smiled, "It's amazing how quickly you memorized the magic circuits of blight and ignorance. ”

"Like you, I've studied the basic models of these two shadow gods for a long time. ”

The heavy tome floating in the void quickly disappeared, and the Keeper changed the subject and said, "Let's discuss the matter of the Shadow Council..... what does Barcelius say?"

"My lord, something is wrong with Barcelius, and I was about to discuss it with you. ”

Charlie changed roles and said, "The two Highnesses of Barcelius have asked the Shadow Priest to create a Shadow Warrior for them...... I've said yes. In addition, Barcelius sent news that Liddell of the Kingdom of Cambis was preparing to send people to the western part of the Sassan Empire to migrate refugees, and Barcelius wanted us to screen the young wizards among them. ”

Speaker Shadow pondered for a moment and smiled meaningfully, "Baselius is too greedy...... They knew that the Earl of Golden-Eyed and the Queen of the Roses were also the targets we were fighting for, and it made no difference whether the young wizards of the refugees stayed in western Sassan or moved to the Centaur Hills...... The wizards of the human realm must be led by the Shadow Priest! Barcelius asked us to sift through the young wizards among the refugees, hmph, he was not going to hand over all the young wizards. ”

Speaker Shadow paused, his young fingers tapped the armrest of the throne three times, and after a moment of conversation, he said: "However, we also need the support of the Iron Mountain Empire, and now is not the time for a showdown with Barcelius..... you fool him and help him pick two little wizards at random...... The point is that we need to get in touch with the Earl of Goldeneye. ”

Charlie smiled bitterly, shook his head, and said, "I am now in the Great Stone Fortress of the Neville Kingdom, and the Judge Trigovar has asked me to go to the Northern Wilderness as a Sky Surveyor to search for traces of the Orc King...... I can't get out of my body, I can't help Barcelius choose a little wizard, and I can't go to the eastern defense line of the Sassanian Empire to find the Count of Goldeneye. Moreover, the Shadow Priest is also in the Boulder Fortress. ”

The Shadow Speaker showed a serious look and said, "The army of the Orc King is the greatest threat to the human kingdom, and it is also the responsibility of the Shadow Priest to help the church find it and destroy it...... Since the Shadow Priest can't move, then we can only let the Councillor go to the Sassan Empire. ”

Charlie frowned and said hesitantly, "Councillors are not shadow priests, they covet wealth, power, and knightly blood...... I'm afraid they're going to be bad. ”

The speaker smiled and nodded: "You're right, I'll arrange everything, don't worry." ”

"In that case, then I will leave the temple. Charlie stood up and saluted, and it faded until it was gone.

Speaker Shadow sat alone on his throne, shook his head and muttered, "Gone so soon...... Charlie retains his magic, and it seems that Trigoval is pressing hard. ”

The huge stone pillar fell silently, and the Shadow Speaker stepped on the floor of the hall, and he had turned into an adult man with a blurred face and a majestic temperament.

"My Shadow Knight, did you hear that?"

As a loud voice echoed through the empty hall, the 12 sword-wielding angels flowed downward like shadows on their bodies, revealing a white gold hue, but their eyes turned pitch black. Like a living shadow converging on the ground, an armored knight of shadows appeared, his eyes shining with white gold.

"Radiance brings shadow. ”

The knight drew an upside-down emblem on his chest and recited to the speaker, "The Shadow Knight has seen his master. ”

Speaker Shadow pointed out in displeasure, "Your Holy Emblem is painted upside down. ”

"The Lord of the Most High Light is the mighty Lord of Shadows, who are two sides of the same coin, as salvation and punishment. The knight's words contrasted sharply with his respectful attitude.

"...... you. ”

Speaker Shadow was speechless for a while, and said with some annoyance: "Pastor Shadow has not yet been recognized by the church, and the new theological doctrine, you just need to remember it, and you don't need to emphasize it in front of me." ”

"As you wish, my lord. ”

The Shadow Speaker's face softened slightly, and he spoke: "Barcelius wants to see a sample of the Shadow Warriors, and I will send a councillor to the west of Sassan...... On the Golden-Eyed Earl's side, our secret keeper must come forward in person. Go find him on the Eastern Frontier Line. ”

The Shadow Knight asked, "Master, there is a difference between a Shadow Priest and a Clergy, are you sure that the Earl of Golden-Eyed and the Queen of Roses will support our ideas?"

The Speaker muttered, "The clergy should be judged by devotion to the Lord, not by magic or divine power...... Although the aristocracy is greedy, they are also very pragmatic. You go to Count Golden-Eye, tell him everything, and he will make the right choice. ”

"However, the Council of Shadows has sent someone to assassinate the Earl of Goldeneye, resulting in the fall of the two Grand Knights of Cambis and Dodor, and we have also lost two powerful wizards. Count Golden-Eyed may have a top wizard working for him......"

The Speaker interrupted his subordinates and said, "That's why we have to confess everything to the Sun Elves...... Including telling him that there is no such thing as an orc king, and that there is a legendary Centaur hidden in the army of centaurs...... The Sky Surveyor will surely be able to find the Legendary Orc Leader in the Northern Wilderness, and the Pope, Tournans, Neowest, Terstir, and Trigovar will definitely slay the Legendary Orc...... When they're all deep into the wilderness, I'll induce the Legends to attack the eastern defenses of the Sassan Empire. You tell the Earl of Goldeneye to stay on the eastern line, wait for Nachtigar to arrive, and together with the two Highnesses of Barcelius, slay the great horse. This feat was enough for the Earl of Golden-Eye to be canonized as a saint, and the Inquisition's reprimands for their mistakes inevitably implicated the Knights of Radiance...... I believe that no lord likes the arrogance of the Radiant Knights, precisely because the Radiant Knights control the Inquisition...... His Royal Highness Saint Randall, Queen Rose, Emperor Barcelius, and the Guardian of Light all spoke out against Trigoval at the same time, and the Inquisition would fall into the hands of the Nachtigarh family, even if the formation of the Shadow Priest could not be made public for the time being, it could be separated from the control of the Knights of Radiance. ”

"The key is the attitude of the Guardians of Light towards the Priest of the Shadows...... If the Guardians of Light accept the new theology and the Inquisitor Nakhtigar, who saves the Sassan Empire, asks the Holy Mountain of Light to issue an edict, then everything will follow our plan...... The Shadow Priest walks in the sun, and Barcelius and the Count of Goldeneye refuse to hand over the little wizard, what can they do? The wizards of the human kingdom will eventually turn to the Church and the Shadow Priest...... Let's let the High Lords help us gather the wizards for the time being. ”

The Armored Knight of Shadows was silent for a moment, and then said in a respectful voice, "As you wish, my master. ”

"I will go to Count Golden-Eyed and confess everything to him. ”